I didn't know what to expect going into this game. In the beginning the marketing was a shitshow, which immediately soured public opinion on the game. It was only months later when they showed better stuff that I gained interest and some actual hope it might be a good game.

So I played it, and it's overall what I expected. I tempered my expectations and it surprised me in some ways. There was some cool moments, some nice gameplay bits, but in the end, it's just decent I'd say.

Combat was cool and the moves were nice, but usually basic attacks will work along with the Cyloop.

Story was okay. I'm glad they brought Ian Flynn on board. The tone was much more serious compared to the previous games. He's got a good grasp on the characters.

So yes, I liked it. My opinion really changed around from the beginning lmao. I hope Sonic Team knows where to go from here if this is the future of the franchise.

It was better than I expected (I played after the patch), but it was still mostly just Pokémon. The new open world premise didn't feel like it reached its full potential, especially when the game claims you can go anywhere, but nothing in the game actually scales so it's just semi-linear if anything (unless you like exploits lol).

Story was alright. There's definitely a charm, and the character and Pokémon designs are great. I thought the characters were likeable enough, but I don't think they'll stick with me.

Music was pretty good, actually. Cool they got Toby Fox to compose again. There was some real stand-out tracks, too. Probably my favourite part of the game.

Pokémon gameplay still leaves much to be desired for me. It's so slow compared to other turn-based RPGs and the strategy in singleplayer boils down to hit super-effective move, become crystal, end. It works, I guess.

The open world itself didn't do much for me. It's mostly just grassy plains and generic weather biomes. The geometry reminded me of baby's first Unity structure. Just felt bland.

I'm not the biggest fan of Pokémon, so I definitely don't have any bias clouding my eyes like I would with other things. There was cool things in this game, and I appreciate them, but this series still feels so lackluster compared to the amount of money it earns. You'd think Game Freak could afford to oil their money-making machine but the end products always feel rushed or half-baked in some areas. It's not a bad game, but it didn't do much for me. Pokémon fans will play it no matter what. As long as I keep getting gifted these, I'll play them too.

No More Heroes is an interesting game. As someone already familair with Suda and his work going in (and having pretty much the entire series' story spoiled by watching a friend play it), I didn't expect for there to be much to surprise me. Playing it yourself really does change the experience, however. The story never takes itself too seriously, but still manages to insert some surprisingly heartfelt moments in-between the somewhat cynical and crude presentation. It also loves being ridiculous and making no sense. I think there's some layers to it, and while I could talk about that, I think I'll save it for when talking to friends.

I didn't play on the Wii, but while the gameplay was decent and had some depth, it still felt a bit clunky. Due to the focus on targeting singular enemies (and hoping others land in your crossfire) it was common for enemies to land hits on me from off-screen, or to swarm me while fighting one enemy. It got annoying, especially if I tried tackling those no-hit missions. Fuck those, by the way.

I think where the combat works best in this game is the boss fights. Here, you duel one-on-one, learning the boss patterns and figuring out the perfect time to strike. Without those other enemies, you can focus on blocking and evading without worrying about groups of enemies grouping up on you. I enjoyed the challenge and all the different ways the game spiced up each battle. It was great.

What I didn't find so great, however, was the stuff in-between. I understand the whole "you feel how repetitive and tiring it is for Travis by experiencing it yourself", but it still doesn't change the fact that it isn't that fun and is boring and repetitive. I get the artistry there, but making something intentionally bad doesn't stop it from being bad. The minigames weren't awful, but they pale in comparison to the combat.

There's probably more I could say, but to end things, I don't think Suda is a genius or anything. His games have charm, but I feel the execution here could be hit or miss. There were really cool things, but also not so cool things. This feels like the kind of game you should play multiple times to appreciate fully, so who knows how I'll feel in the future. For now, I'll say this is a great game, but I'm not fully on the Suda train yet.

There are things I liked more about this game compared to the first. There is much more common enemy variety and being able to switch weapons on the fly is great. However, due to the engine change or direction or whatever, combat feels like it has less weight and has been dumbed down a bit. You can slice through most enemies and even bosses with ease. The strategy of how to approach each boss from the first game isn't quite here, or at least, there's not as much depth. That's how I'd describe it.

The story feels a bit simpler here. I won’t delve too deep into it, but this feels much more like an episode that happened for the sake of there being a sequel. There was some funny moments, but for the most part, it's telling a story that's still trying to make a point, but it doesn't have the same feeling as the first. It's hard to replicate. I enjoyed some of the fanservicey moments.

I also feel it's clear some corners were cut here. The open world is completely gone and the jobs have been turned into 8-bit minigames, which I actually don't mind. They're all perfectly good. I appreciate them going for something different to change up the structure. The game does feel a bit emptier without that aspect though, I will admit. I wasn't the biggest fan of the first game's open world, but it had a charm. As someone who cares about time I appreciate cutting some of the fat, but that waste of time was also a part of the original game's feel. This game isn't exactly going for that, but still. I beat this game in half the time it took me to beat the original.

Overall, I like this game. It had some changes I was a fan of, but along with that, I think it lost some of the charm. Still a fun time, but it doesn't feel as special as the first. I knoe Suda didn't direct this one himself, so I wonder how that impacted things.

I tried really hard to love this game, but unfortunately the most I can say is that I liked it. I do love how completely Suda this game is though. There's so many little quirky things the game does in its presentation. It feels like the man just said "fuck it, I'm gonna do what I wanna do" and I appreciate him for that. The style is at its best here imo.

The story was cool. Not great. I still think the first game probably has the best story. That's not the only thing I think the first game has the best of, as I'll soon elaborate.

General gameplay is ehhhhh. I can see all the love and attention put into making the player feel cool, along with the new gameplay features, but I still think I enjoyed the first game's combat the most overall. Enemies have too much health and they often spam their attacks all at once, giving you little time to breathe, considering the game wants you to focus on one enemy at a time. It feels like an overcorrection for how trivial common enemies were to take down in the first two games, their frustrations aside. I can see the appeal in mastering the combat system, and maybe I just need to git gud, but I don't think it works that well. The mech sections are cool, though.

The side activities weren't terrible, but I think I enjoyed the second game's ones the most. I think the bit with Travis needing to work to earn money is a bit redundant at this point, considering he's walking around with hi-tech gear and Kamen Rider armor. I get that having back-to-back fights isn't fun, but there has to be a better way at this point, right?

No More Heroes III definitely has some very rough edges, yet the charm still did shine through for me. I liked what I played, but my frustrations with the combat weighs it down a bit. You can tell this game has a lot of cut content and restrictions due to what I assume is budget and the Switch's hardware limitations. It's unfortunate. If this game was fully realised (and they tweaked the combat a bit) I think it could've been my favourite NMH. As it is though, I can see a charming, but ultimately flawed game.

To state my thoughts on No More Heroes overall:
They're an interesting series of games, yet I ended up not enjoying them as much as some people seem to. I think there's a great opportunity here for me to replay them and see how my thoughts evolve. Like through playing the sequels, I think my opinion of the original has improved. I appreciate it for what it is and for what it got right compared to the other games. Suda seems like a cool guy who tried the best with what he had, and I really admire his vision and creativity. I definitely want to check out some of Suda's other works in the future.

It feels weird to have finally played NoAH after all these years. This game has a really cool, paranoid atmosphere and style I like a lot. I'm not going to say it has the most well-written story in the world, but for me at least, it was engaging, even if this was my second playthrough after playing the original game years ago. The NoAH additions, such as the character routes, really help the game feel like the fully realised experience it was meant to be originally. I can't say I thought they were all bangers, but the depth they add, along with what they add to the gameplay experience overall, helps give a sense of thematic finality, if that makes sense. Chaos;Head is a great start to the Science Adventure series, but still sadly sits in the huge shadow of Steins;Gate. At least give this one a shot, even if you're just itching to skip to Steins;Gate.

And play the Committee of Zero patch, of course.

If I hadn't been recommended this series by some friends, I'm not sure I would've stuck through this. What initially seems like a clunky PS1 with cheesy dialogue and FMVs turns into an engaging survival horror with an amazing atmosphere. The tank controls take a bit to get used to, as does the inventory management, but once you get into the swing of things, it's a good time with some genuine scares. The game scares you with both the environment itself, but also the intended limited amount of supplies you can scavenge around the mansion. You have to think on your feet about what the next best course of action is, or figure out how to proceed by looking around the environment. I'm pleasantly surprised by what initially came off as a classic, but dated PS1 game. Would recommend.

An alright game. I think co-op is the best way to go here--that's how I played it. The level design and enemies could be a bit generic (and sometimes annoying), and it definitely suffers from a bit of padding; still, it isn't trying to be anything more than a cute Castlevania homage/parody. Shinobu and Maya are fun to play as but don't reach their full potential until their full movesets are unlocked. My friend and I both agreed if they changed some stuff about this game structurally, it would be a bit better. I definitely had more fun once we could do everything. Play if you want a short, but decent couple of hours of action-platforming with a friend.