90 reviews liked by St1tchy
Persona 3 Reload
2024
This review contains spoilers
As I played this game, I kept asking myself one question. How am I meant to enjoy this? Not as a dig at the game, but as a consumer, what is this supposed to be for me?
I’ve previously played persona 3 FES, so I can’t experience it as my first voyage into this story, and even with all the new additions, it’s still largely the same product. So, what is persona 3 reload supposed to be for me?
Funnily enough, this question was answered by something that was already in the previous versions of the game. Shinjiro Aragaki. In my original FES run, I avoided him completely since I knew about his death. I didn’t use him in my party and I didn’t interact with him at all. Didn’t wanna get attached to someone I knew I was going to lose, but on a whim I decided to use him in my party when I got him for this playthrough. Once I started using him in my party, I started seeing the appeal of his character. Then I did his new hangout events and started really appreciating and enjoying his character, but his fate still lingered in the back of my mind. Was it really worth investing all this time and effort into someone who I’ll lose?
As I kept playing the game, I decided to try out some more social links I hadn’t finished in my original run, eventually running into Akinari. Another character whose fate I already knew about and had just never gotten around to starting. This is the point where everything clicked for me. His social link lets you know right off the bat that he’s going to die. There’s no saving him. Akinari WILL die, regardless of anything you do. “How is this any different from Shinji?” I thought. I know this man will die, so why am I motivated to spend time with him? The answer I came to involved every single party member, social link, and the game itself. All of these will eventually come to an end.
They don’t die, but you eventually have to get off the elevator. It’s just that some people step off a little earlier than you. Saying goodbye to all these doesn’t make them redundant or useless. Every moment I spent with these characters was my own choice. It wasn’t some IGN guide telling me how to max out everything and make the best use of my time. They would’ve told me to steer clear of using Shinji as a party member. Making these choices for myself, even if they’re not optimal made them matter all that much more. I chose to spend time with Shinji. I chose to accompany Akinari. I chose to spend time with all my party members, not because I wanted the personas you unlock from maxing out the social link, but because they deserved my time. I wasn’t crossing off items on a checklist, but instead I was spending time with friends.
So when I reached that final battle, when I squared off against Nyx, their words reached me. Every single moment I spent with them made it so I earned their support. But eventually, your time comes to step off the elevator. Your time ends with these characters and their world. Sometimes it leaves you wanting to spend more time with them, not ready to leave them behind, but you find that everyone who stepped off before you is already there, waiting for you.
That’s The Answer I reached. Even if you reach a different one than I did, I hope your ride is just as enjoyable as mine was
I’ve previously played persona 3 FES, so I can’t experience it as my first voyage into this story, and even with all the new additions, it’s still largely the same product. So, what is persona 3 reload supposed to be for me?
Funnily enough, this question was answered by something that was already in the previous versions of the game. Shinjiro Aragaki. In my original FES run, I avoided him completely since I knew about his death. I didn’t use him in my party and I didn’t interact with him at all. Didn’t wanna get attached to someone I knew I was going to lose, but on a whim I decided to use him in my party when I got him for this playthrough. Once I started using him in my party, I started seeing the appeal of his character. Then I did his new hangout events and started really appreciating and enjoying his character, but his fate still lingered in the back of my mind. Was it really worth investing all this time and effort into someone who I’ll lose?
As I kept playing the game, I decided to try out some more social links I hadn’t finished in my original run, eventually running into Akinari. Another character whose fate I already knew about and had just never gotten around to starting. This is the point where everything clicked for me. His social link lets you know right off the bat that he’s going to die. There’s no saving him. Akinari WILL die, regardless of anything you do. “How is this any different from Shinji?” I thought. I know this man will die, so why am I motivated to spend time with him? The answer I came to involved every single party member, social link, and the game itself. All of these will eventually come to an end.
They don’t die, but you eventually have to get off the elevator. It’s just that some people step off a little earlier than you. Saying goodbye to all these doesn’t make them redundant or useless. Every moment I spent with these characters was my own choice. It wasn’t some IGN guide telling me how to max out everything and make the best use of my time. They would’ve told me to steer clear of using Shinji as a party member. Making these choices for myself, even if they’re not optimal made them matter all that much more. I chose to spend time with Shinji. I chose to accompany Akinari. I chose to spend time with all my party members, not because I wanted the personas you unlock from maxing out the social link, but because they deserved my time. I wasn’t crossing off items on a checklist, but instead I was spending time with friends.
So when I reached that final battle, when I squared off against Nyx, their words reached me. Every single moment I spent with them made it so I earned their support. But eventually, your time comes to step off the elevator. Your time ends with these characters and their world. Sometimes it leaves you wanting to spend more time with them, not ready to leave them behind, but you find that everyone who stepped off before you is already there, waiting for you.
That’s The Answer I reached. Even if you reach a different one than I did, I hope your ride is just as enjoyable as mine was
Roblox
2006
ive been on a semi childhood binge lately, so i figured fuck it yknow
hopped into one of my old favorites, "natural disaster survival" with a player look i last updated at least 6 years ago. felt weird. this game mode was a lot more boring than i remembered. it also stole my money, as the game specific items i bought all those years ago were gone. i guess i grew up cuz this shit mid af lol
although i cant really speak for the entire game if i only played one of billion modes ig.
oh well
hopped into one of my old favorites, "natural disaster survival" with a player look i last updated at least 6 years ago. felt weird. this game mode was a lot more boring than i remembered. it also stole my money, as the game specific items i bought all those years ago were gone. i guess i grew up cuz this shit mid af lol
although i cant really speak for the entire game if i only played one of billion modes ig.
oh well
Geometry Dash World
2016
played on bluestacks
a far cry from the other spinoff i just played. the levels are insanely easy,(not to mention like 20 seconds long) the ost fucking sucks too. honestly the ost feels like a parody of mlg music, generic dubstep for 7/10 of the levels. however there was 3 good songs, but like, they didnt even play for any amount of time so its not much of a point in it's favor. it just feels hollow, empty. i dont know why it was made. i was bored throughout.
a far cry from the other spinoff i just played. the levels are insanely easy,(not to mention like 20 seconds long) the ost fucking sucks too. honestly the ost feels like a parody of mlg music, generic dubstep for 7/10 of the levels. however there was 3 good songs, but like, they didnt even play for any amount of time so its not much of a point in it's favor. it just feels hollow, empty. i dont know why it was made. i was bored throughout.
Super Scribblenauts
2010
i was a well-behaved kid, i never swore or anything around adults and stayed out of trouble. one day a deep darkness swirled within me while playing super scribblenauts, and i walked up to my dad with the game. this was the one where they added adjectives, so once he was looking, i typed "Big Fat Ass" with the stylus and spawned a large donkey. never seen him laugh so much in my life
Cult of the Lamb
2022
The only roguelite I ever got into majorly was the Binding of Isaac. I played Hades and Returnal but while I thought those were fun, I never played them for too long unlike Isaac (I should get back to them though). Cult of the Lamb however is now the 2nd roguelite I've ever beaten a run of. Did I like it? Yeah I enjoyed myself but compared to something like the Binding of Isaac, this game's lacking a bit.
The first thing you'll notice about this game is it's not just a roguelite. It's also a management simulation type game. Basically, the times you won't be playing through the roguelite sections, you'll be working with your cult on a day to day basis. You have to make sure they're fed, make sure they have beds to sleep on, make sure to clean their literal shit as well as making them do tasks like harvesting crops or mining rocks and stuff. Also, since you're the leader of a cult, you can also perform rituals and sermons daily. At first I found this really refreshing and a nice break from the roguelite sections. Well, I'd say its the other way around as you'll be in this mode a lot more than the roguelite sections. While this part of the game is fun, it never gets super fleshed out at all and becomes a bit tiring in the endgame, at least for me. I will say, this part of the game did kinda freak me out with the depictions of cult behavior. Idk why honestly since I don't get freaked out by stuff like this usually but after a bit I got used to it.
In between these simulator parts are the roguelite sections. Compared to something like Isaac, these are not fleshed out at all. They're fun but in terms of content, there's not much here. You have a small assortment of weapons to choose from. They can have passive abilities but each type plays the exact same each time. You have a regular attack, then a strong attack which uses fervor as well as specials you can collect that also use fervor. Fervor is basically just like SP you can collect from enemies to perform these moves. You don't have much in terms of a move set and it pales in comparison to Isaac's many synergies. You can also get tarot cards and relics which both provide other upgrades or abilities but there aren't many of those either and I kept getting the same ones a lot of the time. The bosses are pretty fun I will say and while I didn't find this game hard really, some of the later bosses can be tricky. In the early game, I was having a blast with the simulator section and less fun with the roguelite section, but in the endgame, it was the opposite except the roguelite section was just fun rather than a blast.
I will say, probably the aspect that holds up the best is the art style. Despite some of the disturbing stuff you can do in this game, it never is that bad (despite me being creeped out at first) because of how cutesy everything looks. In general, it's just a really nice art style and everything looks really good, as long as it doesn't glitch out on you.
Yeah uh, I saw some people mentioning glitches and while they never bothered me, it is worth mentioning. I played the PS5 version and every time the start of a new day happened; the game would literally freeze for 5 seconds each time. You get used to it but the first time it happened I thought the game crashed lol. I also had an issue where followers would glitch out and work on something like a block or two away from where it should be so it looks like they're working on nothing which is distracting. Also had a glitch at the very end of the game where the floor texture would go from looking normal to being reflective like water. Idk if all this is just in the PS5 version but it all happened throughout my game and it's worth mentioning.
Overall, I enjoyed myself, but I wish a lot of the game was more fleshed out. The simulator and roguelite sections are fun but because they're trying to balance the two, neither feels super rewarding in the end. The fun concept, cute art style and really fun early game is what made me enjoy this game in the end. Just wish it was better overall. Also didn't bother with the platinum despite it seeming easy enough. Looks like it requires way more playtime than I'm up for lol.
The first thing you'll notice about this game is it's not just a roguelite. It's also a management simulation type game. Basically, the times you won't be playing through the roguelite sections, you'll be working with your cult on a day to day basis. You have to make sure they're fed, make sure they have beds to sleep on, make sure to clean their literal shit as well as making them do tasks like harvesting crops or mining rocks and stuff. Also, since you're the leader of a cult, you can also perform rituals and sermons daily. At first I found this really refreshing and a nice break from the roguelite sections. Well, I'd say its the other way around as you'll be in this mode a lot more than the roguelite sections. While this part of the game is fun, it never gets super fleshed out at all and becomes a bit tiring in the endgame, at least for me. I will say, this part of the game did kinda freak me out with the depictions of cult behavior. Idk why honestly since I don't get freaked out by stuff like this usually but after a bit I got used to it.
In between these simulator parts are the roguelite sections. Compared to something like Isaac, these are not fleshed out at all. They're fun but in terms of content, there's not much here. You have a small assortment of weapons to choose from. They can have passive abilities but each type plays the exact same each time. You have a regular attack, then a strong attack which uses fervor as well as specials you can collect that also use fervor. Fervor is basically just like SP you can collect from enemies to perform these moves. You don't have much in terms of a move set and it pales in comparison to Isaac's many synergies. You can also get tarot cards and relics which both provide other upgrades or abilities but there aren't many of those either and I kept getting the same ones a lot of the time. The bosses are pretty fun I will say and while I didn't find this game hard really, some of the later bosses can be tricky. In the early game, I was having a blast with the simulator section and less fun with the roguelite section, but in the endgame, it was the opposite except the roguelite section was just fun rather than a blast.
I will say, probably the aspect that holds up the best is the art style. Despite some of the disturbing stuff you can do in this game, it never is that bad (despite me being creeped out at first) because of how cutesy everything looks. In general, it's just a really nice art style and everything looks really good, as long as it doesn't glitch out on you.
Yeah uh, I saw some people mentioning glitches and while they never bothered me, it is worth mentioning. I played the PS5 version and every time the start of a new day happened; the game would literally freeze for 5 seconds each time. You get used to it but the first time it happened I thought the game crashed lol. I also had an issue where followers would glitch out and work on something like a block or two away from where it should be so it looks like they're working on nothing which is distracting. Also had a glitch at the very end of the game where the floor texture would go from looking normal to being reflective like water. Idk if all this is just in the PS5 version but it all happened throughout my game and it's worth mentioning.
Overall, I enjoyed myself, but I wish a lot of the game was more fleshed out. The simulator and roguelite sections are fun but because they're trying to balance the two, neither feels super rewarding in the end. The fun concept, cute art style and really fun early game is what made me enjoy this game in the end. Just wish it was better overall. Also didn't bother with the platinum despite it seeming easy enough. Looks like it requires way more playtime than I'm up for lol.
Hitman 2: New York
2019
played through World of Assassination
probably top 3 maps so far, i think i prefer mumbai and ark society more due to the scale of those, but id be damned if i didnt have a good time here. it had more of that "different disguises for different places" thing i mentioned and scaling the tower, and then disconnecting the wifi box and knockin out the IT guy, taking his disguise and getting rid of the lady's security one by one before finally taking her out. i went with the getting the drives route, though i'll probably try and infiltrate the vault if i get the itch.
im still a bit bummed there's not dialogue options outside mission stories. or the fact that there's not more emphasis on people noticing their coworkers going missing, if you do it silently there is zero risk, even if you don't hide the body as long as you get out of there there is no risk to you. it just takes me out of the experience when the bank lady saw the IT person, talked to him, and then someone who looks completely different(me) does his job for him. like, at the very least it should raise suspicion and i would need an excuse for where the guy went, yknow? there's a lot of small immersion breaks in these games, and that's still my biggest gripe.
probably top 3 maps so far, i think i prefer mumbai and ark society more due to the scale of those, but id be damned if i didnt have a good time here. it had more of that "different disguises for different places" thing i mentioned and scaling the tower, and then disconnecting the wifi box and knockin out the IT guy, taking his disguise and getting rid of the lady's security one by one before finally taking her out. i went with the getting the drives route, though i'll probably try and infiltrate the vault if i get the itch.
im still a bit bummed there's not dialogue options outside mission stories. or the fact that there's not more emphasis on people noticing their coworkers going missing, if you do it silently there is zero risk, even if you don't hide the body as long as you get out of there there is no risk to you. it just takes me out of the experience when the bank lady saw the IT person, talked to him, and then someone who looks completely different(me) does his job for him. like, at the very least it should raise suspicion and i would need an excuse for where the guy went, yknow? there's a lot of small immersion breaks in these games, and that's still my biggest gripe.
Persona 3 Reload
2024
Me playing a game and sitting through 40 hours of dogshit but they start saying life is worth living near the end so I gotta lock in and give it that 10/10
Persona 3 Reload
2024
Amazing remake but I would rather replay FES in the future for the superior music/atmosphere.
P.S. I fucking cried more than I did during FES/the final film
P.S. I fucking cried more than I did during FES/the final film
Postal
1997
It's an ok game that thinks it's cool when it really isn't, but I had fun going around shooting people for no reason. The pressure from enemies constantly kept me on my toes, forcing me to adapt to the environment and experiment with the weapons. Sucks that the game doesn't tell you how things work unless you look at the controls menu and memorize everything. I don't have much else to say except that it's funny how a game this stupid managed to offend people, with the Postal Dude's constant quips and comically edgy monologues between levels. (am I just desensitized?) It's not the best thing in the world, but it ain't that bad.
Postal
1997
just play it.
trust me its fun
trust me its fun
