TheScruffington
From a pure gameplay perspective, Infinite Wealth is among my favorite in the entire series and improves on the JRPG mechanics of Yakuza 7. However, the new and highly appealing Hawaii setting was underutilized, and I had issues with the story's plot, direction, and overall cohesion. Definitely a game worth playing, but I feel slightly disappointed that it didn't live up to all it could be.
2021
FF4 is a fantastic game on its own merits, but it's especially impressive in the context of the series and gaming as a whole.
I really believe FF4 moved the series forward in a major way, from its heavy story focus to its massive universe. It managed to intertwine each character's story with their actual job, and managed to create a captivating protagonist in a way that FF2's Firion hadn't quite achieved. Most importantly, the fact that we went to the moon shows just how imaginative games were. Incredible.
I really believe FF4 moved the series forward in a major way, from its heavy story focus to its massive universe. It managed to intertwine each character's story with their actual job, and managed to create a captivating protagonist in a way that FF2's Firion hadn't quite achieved. Most importantly, the fact that we went to the moon shows just how imaginative games were. Incredible.
2021
FF3 genuinely seems to be the moment when the series really hit its stride. The music is easily the best of the NES era, and it boasts a deep combat system with tremendous depth. But most importantly to me, FF3 and its expansive world, stronger focus on narrative, and excellent enemy designs made me feel like this game truly captures the essence of Final Fantasy.
2021
Final Fantasy II is a much better game than people give it credit for. Pixel Remaster's boosts negate much of the issues I had with the odd levelling system, and I really appreciated the foundation this game laid for the franchise. From introducing series mainstays like Cid and chocobos, to focusing on a narrative-driven story with a fully-fledged main protagonist accompanied by memorable party members and guest characters, FF2 is an important title than fans of the series shouldn't overlook.
This expansion is mostly fun but short. Love the new Cestus weapon, and I enjoyed a few bosses like Dian Wei. But the General of Heaven and Earth Illusions bosses are maddening. Not a fan of bosses that can 1-shot from offscreen, or that constantly teleport around the map and require you to chase them while dodging endless waves of projectiles.
2023
What a genuinely wonderful game this is. Not only is it the most content rich in the series, but it's crafted with an authentic joy few games can match. If this is the last Pikmin game, the series couldn't end on a better note.