We are forever cursed to wonder what a definitive version of Persona 3 would look like. To echo the sentiment of everyone: the decision to not include the female protagonist from P3P or other additional content from P3 FES was bizarre, and it's a decision that haunts an otherwise incredible remake.

I finished Persona 3 FES on PS2 a few years ago, and warts and all, I found it to be a really profound experience. I'm really happy more people will get to experience this narrative, and I hope they find it to be even half as cathartic as I did.

It's a game centered around death that makes the case our lives are beautiful because they end, and that the day-to-day moments where we find small joys and connections amount to something in total we have no words for.

If you enjoyed P4G or P5R, definitely give this one a chance. And while you're at it, maybe play FES and P3P too. Perhaps it's fitting we now have three versions of 3.

My god. I was pretty convinced no other fighting game would eclipse Street Fighter 6 for the foreseeable future, but I am very happy to wrong.

This is maybe the best feeling fighting game...ever? I haven't played this series since Tekken Tag 2, so maybe it's all just super fresh to me, but when I find myself yelling out in joy after every match -- win or lose -- the game is doing something right.

My game of the year is doing anything as King.

This game really does itself a disservice by making the tutorial boss so hard. No other boss is nearly as difficult, and the game becomes significantly more fun once the tutorial ends.

Wo Long has a lot of cool ideas but is very messy. I love the weapon variety, the magic, the summonable companions. And overall, I like how Team Ninja makes their soulslikes more arcadey in structure.

I still prefer Nioh 2 in almost every way though. More games need to let you fight with tonfas.

Once you get past the jump scare of this being a Rabbids-like, this game has a lot of really interesting ideas on display.

It's notably light on story, and I think the promise of Persona + tactics might set expectations higher than this game is aiming. But so far, I've found it really charming and fun!

I hope Atlus keeps experimenting with this mashup of genre because I could see this growing into a great spin-off series.

Playing this for the second time and yelling out loud whenever there's a blatant piece of foreshadowing I completely missed my first playthrough.

Ghost Trick is a complete joy. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll scream "how was I supposed to know that?" at some of the absurd point and click logic. A must for fans of Ace Attorney and / or narrative adventure games. This game was one of the more impressive looking games on the DS and it still looks amazing on Switch. And getting more powerful speakers for the soundtrack is a blessing.

A friend of mine recently threw a party where we had the Dreamcast on in the living room. Most people politely tolerated the console's presence; they would come in, watch 5 minutes of a game, ask how old it was, and then leave.

But as soon as we switched to SoulCalibur, something changed. Everyone's passing curiosity turned into WWE arena levels of emotional investment. We passed the controllers around to would-be champions. We yelled. We cried. Complete strangers complimented my Lizardman's blocking ability. It was beautiful.

While I'd annoyingly argue that SoulCalibur II is the peak of the series, SoulCalibur (1?) remains one of the most transportive games on the Dreamcast. Sega's pitch of having the arcade at home feels fully crystalized when choosing your champion over the iconic orchestral character select theme.

While it's hard to remember the days when 3D fighters were being pitched as the next big thing, when you're playing SoulCalibur, that nostalgic excitement for a prospective future remains.

Ugh...

Okay-- so, on one hand, this game plays extremely well. Engage's interpretation of the weapon triangle and the titular "Engage" mechanic make combat a blast. Maps are cleverly designed and the battle animations are incredible. The hub world is also fun, and overall, the game has a very rewarding loop that's hard to walk away from.

Unfortunately, I actively dislike everything else. The story is rough and the supports feel AI written. I went in with low expectations given many reviews explicitly stated this game was more focused on tactics, and I still found myself feeling disappointed by the narrative.

I know very well that not every FE game prioritizes story, but there's absolutely a way to have a lighter stakes journey that doesn't take itself too seriously. Instead, we get a plot that echoes the beats of an epic fantasy tale without giving us any reason to care.

Despite my issues with Engage, I am still enjoying the game. My advice is to skip the cutscenes, give everyone sunglasses, and have fun with the incredible tactics.

TLDR: Help, I miss Garegg Mach so much...

I'm still fairly early on, but I can see why so many consider this the peak of Fire Emblem. I've always admired the GBA entries for their presentation and charm, but personally, I prefer the narrative experience found in Three Houses. Path of Radiance feels like the perfect bridge between the two; a strong focus on a tighter ensemble and an epic fantasy story with very personal stakes. I love that Ike begins the game as an average-at-best unit-- it makes his bravery feel very real because we know he's not the strongest (yet). The gamecube vibes here are immaculate as well. I imagine once I am finished, this will be one of my favorites.