Trent
1998
This review contains spoilers
True ending and bad ending spoilers ahead
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Replayed to get all 108 stars of destiny and it was very worth it. I also did the bad ending again during this play-through and man it is so well done. I didn't give Nanami's character the respect she deserved before, because throughout the game I noticed how she was always at odds with herself and wanted to tell the main character to quit and just run away from the war. She occasionally threw around the idea but bottled it up until the Neclord segment where there was a whole segment and ending dedicated to it, both of which are extremely well done. On the topic of the true ending, for some reason I've seen a lot of controversy surrounding the true ending and if you're one of the people who hate it please play the game and try to make your takeaway something more than "they go to war"
That being said this game is somehow even more buggy than I remember from my first play-through and the translation is even WORSE with the true ending and I've come to the conclusion where I don't think anyone dared to proof read it before release. There's so many parts that I could cite but I would end up writing a college thesis and im not trying to do that until im in my masters so to summarize, there's a part in the true ending where Jowy says something and there's no space in-between the words. I'm pretty sure it was "everyoneand". This happened multiple times throughout the game in story dialogue.
Something else I noticed throughout the game after being blown away with the Luca Blight boss from my previous play-through and falling in love with his theme is the use of his leit-motif throughout the game and how even though he died his legacy still lived on as the final boss since he summoned the beast rune.. Very cool. Another thing i went to go take a shit or something while i was dueling some guy and since i have wireless headphones i heard the second part of the duel theme and it goes so fucking hard i dont think anyone has been in a duel with a character in this game for more than 30 seconds so if you haven't listen to this https://youtu.be/CL50Xv0r2tA?si=8Dxjxq79VGts9c7M&t=54
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Replayed to get all 108 stars of destiny and it was very worth it. I also did the bad ending again during this play-through and man it is so well done. I didn't give Nanami's character the respect she deserved before, because throughout the game I noticed how she was always at odds with herself and wanted to tell the main character to quit and just run away from the war. She occasionally threw around the idea but bottled it up until the Neclord segment where there was a whole segment and ending dedicated to it, both of which are extremely well done. On the topic of the true ending, for some reason I've seen a lot of controversy surrounding the true ending and if you're one of the people who hate it please play the game and try to make your takeaway something more than "they go to war"
That being said this game is somehow even more buggy than I remember from my first play-through and the translation is even WORSE with the true ending and I've come to the conclusion where I don't think anyone dared to proof read it before release. There's so many parts that I could cite but I would end up writing a college thesis and im not trying to do that until im in my masters so to summarize, there's a part in the true ending where Jowy says something and there's no space in-between the words. I'm pretty sure it was "everyoneand". This happened multiple times throughout the game in story dialogue.
Something else I noticed throughout the game after being blown away with the Luca Blight boss from my previous play-through and falling in love with his theme is the use of his leit-motif throughout the game and how even though he died his legacy still lived on as the final boss since he summoned the beast rune.. Very cool. Another thing i went to go take a shit or something while i was dueling some guy and since i have wireless headphones i heard the second part of the duel theme and it goes so fucking hard i dont think anyone has been in a duel with a character in this game for more than 30 seconds so if you haven't listen to this https://youtu.be/CL50Xv0r2tA?si=8Dxjxq79VGts9c7M&t=54
Only reason I got through this game was because of my friends, and more than half of them quit before beating this expansion. The story was bad even for the basic Final Fantasy "collect the crystals of light" story telling, and while that's only scratching the surface it really doesn't get much deeper than that. Not to mention the boring dungeons and mundane gameplay that really doesn't get half good until the next expansion. Some classes still aren't even remotely fun and I'm the third expansion. The best part of this expansion is how A Realm Reborn actually came to be, and I highly encourage all who don't already know its story to look into it. There's an incredible documentary series on it with developer interviews and it's overall very fascinating and inspiring.
I'm also not going to act like the next expansion Heavensward is as amazing as people make it out to be. It's severely over hyped as most media tend to be, but it is of a much higher quality than ARR in almost every regard and I personally did find myself more invested in its narrative and characters, not to mention the dungeons which do become a lot more fun, especially in the post game. However I personally can't find it within myself to tell some poor soul to play through this pile of shit to get to what comes directly after. The third expansion Stormblood isn't even good either and not going to lie it has a lot of the same pacing problems ARR had.
Post stormblood update: This fucking sucks
I'm also not going to act like the next expansion Heavensward is as amazing as people make it out to be. It's severely over hyped as most media tend to be, but it is of a much higher quality than ARR in almost every regard and I personally did find myself more invested in its narrative and characters, not to mention the dungeons which do become a lot more fun, especially in the post game. However I personally can't find it within myself to tell some poor soul to play through this pile of shit to get to what comes directly after. The third expansion Stormblood isn't even good either and not going to lie it has a lot of the same pacing problems ARR had.
Post stormblood update: This fucking sucks
2022
The remake lost a lot of the charm the original had and I can't think of a lot of reasons to play this over the original version
The localization is much worse than the fan translation from more than a decade and a half ago and I think it’s the heart of this remakes issues. While there isn't many discrepancies, the ones that are there are horrible and ruin a lot of what made the original translation so special and memorable. I would even go as far to describe them as creative liberty rather than translation. Aeon Genesis got it right in 2008. On the topic of text, in the original game the font for each chapter changed depending on the aesthetic of the chapter itself, and it added a lot to the charm and aesthetic of the game. In the remake, they replaced the fonts with one single generic font... it sounds extremely nitpicky but trust me it does add a lot to the game
The difficulty is easier than the original which is shocking because the game was already easy to begin with, and also some of the new music sounds when compared to the originals, but that's entirely subjective
I don’t think this is a horrible way to play this game, because it is a graphically beautiful game and arguably the best HD2D game, but if possible please do give the original version with the translation
The localization is much worse than the fan translation from more than a decade and a half ago and I think it’s the heart of this remakes issues. While there isn't many discrepancies, the ones that are there are horrible and ruin a lot of what made the original translation so special and memorable. I would even go as far to describe them as creative liberty rather than translation. Aeon Genesis got it right in 2008. On the topic of text, in the original game the font for each chapter changed depending on the aesthetic of the chapter itself, and it added a lot to the charm and aesthetic of the game. In the remake, they replaced the fonts with one single generic font... it sounds extremely nitpicky but trust me it does add a lot to the game
The difficulty is easier than the original which is shocking because the game was already easy to begin with, and also some of the new music sounds when compared to the originals, but that's entirely subjective
I don’t think this is a horrible way to play this game, because it is a graphically beautiful game and arguably the best HD2D game, but if possible please do give the original version with the translation
I played this game before the translation was complete so a lot of the side quest dialogue and item descriptions were ** instead of actual words, but it's was an alright game. Beautiful for the cut scenes that looks straight out of a comic book and I think that alone gives the game a much needed sense of unique identity and helps it stay remembered and stand out against the other Yakuza games.. also on the topic of being unique the soundtrack includes songs done by the Jet Set Radio composer.
Outside of that, the combat feels like the PS2 Yakuza because it's very archaic and clunky, however it wasn't ever horrible to the point where I felt hindered by it, and I think it's pretty impressive that it's even relatively good to begin with. I would write about the story and Tatsuya as a character, but I don't think I could do it justice because of the unfinished translation. I'll replay it one day.
Outside of that, the combat feels like the PS2 Yakuza because it's very archaic and clunky, however it wasn't ever horrible to the point where I felt hindered by it, and I think it's pretty impressive that it's even relatively good to begin with. I would write about the story and Tatsuya as a character, but I don't think I could do it justice because of the unfinished translation. I'll replay it one day.
2023
The negative implications of Undertale being the most popular anti turn-based RPG are starting to show
1997
Almost stopped playing when I had to train Beyd, but other than that this is a quality game with a great sense of difficulty and one of my favorite soundtracks ever. Should this series ever be revived, they should use this game and Breath of Fire 4 as a guide to make a Breath of Fire 5 (or realistically 7) a good game.
1996
It's a visually beautiful game and probably the best looking one on the console... however this game is just really boring.
The gameplay becomes very tedious when it has you constantly backtracking through levels and fighting enemies that are much lower than your own, and it doesn't help that there's zero puzzles to break up the gameplay. Separately, while I like the games gimmick, the spell naming shit that creates better spells, it felt like more could have been done. A remake would do this game a great service because the story and characters from what I remember aren't that bad. The soundtrack isn’t very memorable either which is a shame considering it’s a Square game.
The gameplay becomes very tedious when it has you constantly backtracking through levels and fighting enemies that are much lower than your own, and it doesn't help that there's zero puzzles to break up the gameplay. Separately, while I like the games gimmick, the spell naming shit that creates better spells, it felt like more could have been done. A remake would do this game a great service because the story and characters from what I remember aren't that bad. The soundtrack isn’t very memorable either which is a shame considering it’s a Square game.
Good game great even but I can't stand hearing a 2013 minecraft youtubers intro every time i get into a battle they seriously gotta do something about that
2003
The most pointless game ever made in terms of narrative and reason for existence. I get they made it because 10 sold well, but this butchers an otherwise great story by continuing what should not have been continued. The job system or whatever quirky bullshit name they decided to call it was not what people hyped it up to be, though I probably would have ended up liking it a lot more if the story wasn't written as a death letter to one of my favorite endings. Honestly this is comparable to the answer from persona 3 fes because they both completely miss the point of their original games stories and are made to be cheap cash grabs to entice dumb asses like me into playing more slop. I would go as far to say that this game is final fantasy's persona 3 the answer
Extremely repetitive combat that somehow translated the worst aspects of the original TWEWY's combat to a controller and included with it are cardboard cutouts for characters that have the same lack of depth the persona 5 cast had, boring fan service that adds nothing to the game and a monotonous, drawn out story that is easily the worst interpretation of time traveling ive ever seen in media. Why the fuck does this game get the praise it gets?
Also apparently there’s this idea that says you don’t need to play the original TWEWY to play this game. That is absolutely fucking wrong go play the original and you understand this game a lot more
Also apparently there’s this idea that says you don’t need to play the original TWEWY to play this game. That is absolutely fucking wrong go play the original and you understand this game a lot more
1998
I replay this at least once or twice every year and it never gets boring. That's the absolute best compliment I can give to any game.
When i played this game i purposely destroyed people’s structures because if im not having fun neither can the rest of the player base
What I wouldn't give to visit the vast and expansive world of Ivalice so I could tell Vaan and friends to make their shitty game better and not only require the joystick
2022
Best part of this game was being on social media when it released and all the sonic cope huffers were saying shit like how it's "not an absolutely terrible game this time" and how it's "mediocre at best" or a "flawed first step" like if these are your lines of defense maybe the game just sucks, which it unsurprisingly does. Fuck sonic
This review contains spoilers
Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment spoilers ahead. Don't read if you have not completed both games
Although the relationship between this game and Innocent Sin is very well crafted and deeply interesting, I would be lying if it's poor execution wasn't to the games detriment. What I assume to be about 80% of the assets from the previous game, including music, dungeons and more carried over to this sequel. It's as uninspiring as it is boring, and it's extremely shocking to me that the game is praised for doing such. That being said, it is a very good story overall, even though it drags on at times.
Most of my gripes about IS were exorcised, primarily the tedious contact system being improved to not be as confusing and the game's characters being much more fleshed out throughout the story. I'll save myself the mental strain from reexplaining therefore thinking about the boring and half-assed auto combat system that didn't change at all in this game for some reason. I will say it's nice that they embraced it's boring design to the point where they added a turn list in the PSP version. Even in this game, I still found myself auto battling through pretty much every enemy and boss save for the final one and one other, a shocking reality considering that this is supposed to be the hardest Persona game according to fans, a game where the combat is revolved around auto battling is supposedly the hardest in the series. I even played on hard mode which I later learned does nothing but decrease SP gain when walking around in dungeons. The encounter rate is just as abhorrent as it was in IS, slightly mitigated by the fact that the game is a lot faster in this version.
Something I noticed in this game is that characters don't repeat themselves a lot. At first I was questioning why there wasn't as much dialogue in this game as a normal JRPG or better comparison Persona game and found it boring for a short while near the start, but ended up liking it a lot more with this realization. I'm happy the trope isn't present and it made the newer characters all the more realistic and likable by the end. On the topic of characters, it's a shame that the ones from IS were relegated to the status of "story piece" rather than actual developing character, because they were genuinely interesting near the end of their game. There was a lot more they could have done with them, but they chose not to because of the story? Strange decision, but as long as it continues the story I guess. As far as new characters go, the standouts are clearly Baofu and Katsuya. The dynamic between Katsuya being a police officer and abiding by the law and only the law while Baofu, a prosecutor turned criminal who and is much more vulgar in his methods, charred due to his past blames himself for his wife's death. When they first meet, they both despise each other and their methods but throughout the course of the game start to accept one another. Alongside being well written, it was very rewarding because after a story sequence, they were able to contact together in battle. It's a subtle but nice touch.
Continuing on the topic of characters, I found Ulala to be depthless and bland especially throughout the latter half of the game, though realistically she was hardly a problem. I just didn't resonate with her struggles I guess since I'm just so awesome and i have a lot of friends or whatever her back story was #CouldntBeMe. What is a problem is Maya because she is boring as fuck. Story implications aside, in IS I didn't really like her much and felt nothing when she died at the end of it, and her being a silent protagonist for some reason in this game didn't help that fact at all. Tatsuya also faces the same problems, but I ended up liking his character a lot more near the end because his problems, rather punishment, actually made sense in the end.
Loved that persona 1 shit though ill eat that up any day honestly that entire section with Nanjo was fucking awesome. Fucking love persona 1
Although the relationship between this game and Innocent Sin is very well crafted and deeply interesting, I would be lying if it's poor execution wasn't to the games detriment. What I assume to be about 80% of the assets from the previous game, including music, dungeons and more carried over to this sequel. It's as uninspiring as it is boring, and it's extremely shocking to me that the game is praised for doing such. That being said, it is a very good story overall, even though it drags on at times.
Most of my gripes about IS were exorcised, primarily the tedious contact system being improved to not be as confusing and the game's characters being much more fleshed out throughout the story. I'll save myself the mental strain from reexplaining therefore thinking about the boring and half-assed auto combat system that didn't change at all in this game for some reason. I will say it's nice that they embraced it's boring design to the point where they added a turn list in the PSP version. Even in this game, I still found myself auto battling through pretty much every enemy and boss save for the final one and one other, a shocking reality considering that this is supposed to be the hardest Persona game according to fans, a game where the combat is revolved around auto battling is supposedly the hardest in the series. I even played on hard mode which I later learned does nothing but decrease SP gain when walking around in dungeons. The encounter rate is just as abhorrent as it was in IS, slightly mitigated by the fact that the game is a lot faster in this version.
Something I noticed in this game is that characters don't repeat themselves a lot. At first I was questioning why there wasn't as much dialogue in this game as a normal JRPG or better comparison Persona game and found it boring for a short while near the start, but ended up liking it a lot more with this realization. I'm happy the trope isn't present and it made the newer characters all the more realistic and likable by the end. On the topic of characters, it's a shame that the ones from IS were relegated to the status of "story piece" rather than actual developing character, because they were genuinely interesting near the end of their game. There was a lot more they could have done with them, but they chose not to because of the story? Strange decision, but as long as it continues the story I guess. As far as new characters go, the standouts are clearly Baofu and Katsuya. The dynamic between Katsuya being a police officer and abiding by the law and only the law while Baofu, a prosecutor turned criminal who and is much more vulgar in his methods, charred due to his past blames himself for his wife's death. When they first meet, they both despise each other and their methods but throughout the course of the game start to accept one another. Alongside being well written, it was very rewarding because after a story sequence, they were able to contact together in battle. It's a subtle but nice touch.
Continuing on the topic of characters, I found Ulala to be depthless and bland especially throughout the latter half of the game, though realistically she was hardly a problem. I just didn't resonate with her struggles I guess since I'm just so awesome and i have a lot of friends or whatever her back story was #CouldntBeMe. What is a problem is Maya because she is boring as fuck. Story implications aside, in IS I didn't really like her much and felt nothing when she died at the end of it, and her being a silent protagonist for some reason in this game didn't help that fact at all. Tatsuya also faces the same problems, but I ended up liking his character a lot more near the end because his problems, rather punishment, actually made sense in the end.
Loved that persona 1 shit though ill eat that up any day honestly that entire section with Nanjo was fucking awesome. Fucking love persona 1