Final Fantasy is one of the biggest names in gaming and as such this has a lot to live up to. Fortunately, FFXVI does manage to stand on the shoulder of giants and carry its name with a memorable, enjoyable experience - albeit with a few flaws.

When I think of Final Fantasy, instantly I think of stunning soundtracks and visuals. This does not disappoint on this front. Wonderfully animated cut scenes and excellent voice acting are present and correct. There are some stunning set pieces, highly emotional moments and outrageous boss fights that will live long in the memory. The story is highly gripping to begin with. Unfortunately this isn't sustained all the way through, and I found the final villain to be slightly disappointing and it felt like a character we've seen a hundred times in these sorts of games. Where FFXVI really shines storywise is the interactions between the different factions and their dominants, and the relationship between Clive, Cid, Jill and Joshua.

Clive is one of the deepest Final Fantasy protagonists, with a complex and tragic backstory that gives him a more rounded character and motivation than previous members of the series. Where this title differs from previous, is the lack of a party as such. Whilst other characters do join you, they are only every temporary members and you are unable to customise their equipment etc. Some may find this disappointing. These characters are still generally well written and likeable, but could have done with more time to shine.

This is an action RPG, unlike many other Final Fantasy games. I have always preferred turn based, however the systems here are relatively easy to learn and not overly difficult. Later in the game, the different Eikon abilities mean you can have a lot of fun setting up different battle styles. Until this point though, you may find the early game battles a bit samey.

For me, the game lacks a sense of exploration. There, for much of the game, is little incentive to wander exploring. Additionally, the side quests for much of the game are really dull. It isn't until the final main quest where a range of interesting side quests are unlocked that add a real depth to some characters and are interesting to play through.

I'd recommend the game to fans of the series and fans of the genre. The game may also appeal to those interested in trying an action RPG for the first time, as the default difficulty is perfectly fine and can also be made easier. I found no need to grind for the main story, which may appeal to newcomers. For those who enjoy this though, there are extra challenges to take on such as hunting powerful monsters, forging weapons and taking part in trials that limit your abilities.

I think this is very much a love it or hate it game. If you enjoy turn based battles and piano music, then chances are this will be right up your street!

There are definitely some balance issues and some odd design choices (like the lack of world map, and the random nature of fluxation), but if you can look past these faults there's a lot of charm, an intriguing story and good fun to be had with the combo system.

I really enjoyed this game, but can definitely see why some people wouldn't. You can get it on PS Plus Extra, so I'd recommend giving it a try if you like turn based RPGs.

Summary
A tactical card based RPG set in the Marvel universe.

Do buy if you enjoy the Marvel universe, like tactical RPGs and "story rich" games.
Don't buy if you don't like long games, typical Marvel storylines, lots of dialogue or turn based combat.

Pros
- Well written and great voice acting. A world rich in lore that explores the arcane/magical side of the marvel universe. The story is enjoyable and the characters engaging.
- Graphics are generally good, especially the look of the heroes and their suits. The characters are well animated, with subtle differences in the way they move and behave.
- Combat is enjoyable and there are lots of difficulty levels to adjust the challenge. Use the environment and hero abilities to defeat your foes. Easy to learn, harder to master.
- You can pet the dog and cat

Cons
- Some glitches and bugs. Including an annoying one that prevents saving in some longer missions (like the final one and the last mission of the DLC). Some small graphical glitches at times or frame drops when certain abilities are used
- I feel like there could have been more abilities/cards for each hero as you see them all quite quickly
- Some of the general missions get repetitive as you see the same mission styles and enemy types over and over again

Neutral
- Some may feel the Abbey sequences are repetitive and there's too much dialogue. I personally didn't mind this at all, enjoyed exploring the abbey and hanging out with the heroes.
- Some may feel the DLC is underwhelming or too short. However, again it is well written, gives you new characters and an epic boss fight at the end.
- You initially may feel slightly overwhelmed by the different mechanics, but it does click and make sense eventually.

My review also posted on Steam:

TLDR
A classic RPG with a great soundtrack and an interesting storyline (providing you've played Chrono Trigger!). Performance may vary but I had no real issues with latest updates. Unusual battle, leveling and party system which is likely to be divisive. Recommended for fans of classic 90s RPGs, but unlikely to persuade those who aren't a fan of the genre.

Performance
Lots and lots has been said about this. I played this in 2024 after all the patches and alternated between my ROG Ally and my desktop PC. Barring some screen tearing, which was fixed by forcing on V Sync and switching to borderless windowed instead of full screen, I had no issues and the game ran smoothly. I didn't use mods but I also limited the frame rate to a maximum of 60FPS just in case. The game was fine on both the ALLY and the desktop. Probably looked better on the ALLY as the smaller screen doesn't expose the dated backgrounds as much!

Gameplay
The battle system is a bit odd - it's not quite turn based and uses a stamina system. There is an easily missable tutorial in the first village that explains the basics. It took me a while to get my head around it and to be honest I think there's a reason we've not seen anything like it since - it's unnecessarily convoluted in my opinion. The levelling up system is also a bit different, with an overall level awarded by beating bosses and then small stat increases awarded through the regular battles. These stat boosts are finite, so it means there is little grinding, but then also it can be pointless fighting these battles in long stretches between bosses. Unlike many JRPGs, there are also many part members you can recruit (over 40!). Personally, I didn't really like this as it meant you don't get to know the characters as they don't really respond uniquely to most scenarios in the game and it feels like many characters are very similar and as you can only swap them out at save points or on the world map, there isn't really an incentive to do so regularly. These do level up with your main party thankfully, but as far as I'm aware don't gain the stat increases from the regular battles. Chrono Cross is clearly an ambitious game, trying to be different and it succeeds in that regard - but definitely won't be to everyone's tastes.

Storyline
Takes a while to get going but poses some interesting questions about the meaning of life, what happens when one interferes with timelines and even natural selection (which as a biology teacher I did very much enjoy!). Chrono Trigger fans will get more out of it - I've heard people say that Chrono Cross works as a standalone title, but I think much of the ending would be lost on you if you hadn't played Chrono Trigger and therefore the storyline would lose a lot of its impact. The story provides enough intrigue to keep you playing and provokes thought post the ending which is always a mark of a good storyline in my book. I also enjoyed the story of the Radical Dreamers visual novel that was included and one could argue that this more closely links to Chrono Trigger. There is also a brand new secret ending that you can unlock after viewing the endings of both Chrono Cross and Radical Dreamers - you can see it by watching the credits in the launcher.

Overall, I liked it (mainly for the storyline, Chrono Trigger references and soundtrack), but I'm not rushing back for a new game plus as I never really came to love the battle system or character progression.

It's very difficult to score this game - do you judge it against modern RPGs, or games of its time? This for me is like reading a classic novel - it might be archaic against today's standards, but it's interesting to see what has inspired modern titles.

The story and mechanics are simple, but for me this is all part of the game's charm. I thoroughly enjoyed my time seeing where Final Fantasy all began. The pixel remasters are worth it for the masterful soundtracks alone. Modern QoL features such as a quicksave and autobattle turn this from what could be a grindy slog into something quite relaxing and enjoyable - you can just switch your brain off for a bit and enjoy a classic.

Won't be for everyone, but I enjoyed it a lot.

A decent RPG that can't maintain the momentum towards the end of the game. The storyline is intriguing to begin with, before it gradually becomes more and more convoluted. A shame really, because the first part contains enjoyable twists and turns.

Battles become repetitive and unenjoyable as you progress due to the limited number of enemy types which act as damage sponges. It becomes more of a war of attrition as you grind away at huge HP bars, listening to the same voice lines over and over. I was actively avoiding battles by the end game as I really couldn't be bothered with them.

The game looks great on the bright side, the main cast is quite likeable, and Hootle is awesome. There's a decent range of equipment, abilities and cosmetic items to play around with.

There are also some minor grammar errors in the subtitles occasionally, and rare times where the subtitles don't quite match what the characters are saying. Nothing that will affect understanding of the gist of the conversation, but not something you'd expect in a high budget game like this.

In my opinion, the finest Pokémon game of all time for one reason - the battle frontier. This adds a heap of challenge in the post game. This is a feature sorely lacking from modern Pokémon games.

Although missing some modern quality of life features such as the physical/special split, this remains one of the all time greats in the franchise, and well worth a play through. There are some rom hacks to add newer Pokémon and in features such as the physical special split that are also worth a look.

This was the game of my childhood - I can still hear the menu music! Originally played on PC, I've since bought this on N64, PS1, GBC as well.

Building your own cars and racing them around inventive tracks with a range of zany characters, good graphics for the time and catchy music - what more could you want from a kart game? The handling of the cars is good, and there is a drift mechanic similar to Mario Kart. Unlike Mario Kart however, the powerups are not fixed depending on the position you find yourself in during the race. You can see which type of powerup is on the track, and then collect white bricks to upgrade them.

In my opinion, the game still holds up reasonable well today and would be a lot of fun for children to play. I have very fond memories of playing this with my dad and brother. I still fire it up on the N64 occasionally for a blast.

Summary
An excellent sRPG that is influenced by past greats such as Final Fantasy tactics. It has a strong storyline, with alternate endings, and a memorable cast of characters. Highly recommended to fans of the genre.

Gameplay
Battles take place on grid based maps. Positioning of units and terrain also affect outcomes of moves. For instance, if two of your units sandwich an enemy unit, your second unit commits a follow up attack, increasing damage. The enemies can also pull the same trick! Additionally, some tiles can be set on fire, frozen or conduct electricity. This makes spell casting a lot of fun.

There is no perma-death in this game.

Performance
It looks and sounds fantastic. Surely one of the best looking 2D-HD games to date. There were no performance issues at all when I played through on the switch.

I've been playing FIFA since World Cup 98. I'm growing increasingly fed up with these games, however decided to buy this one for the Women's teams - as a female football player myself, I've always wanted to play with my favourite Women's teams on FIFA. It's a shame the gameplay is just not enjoyable. Women's teams are limited to tournament mode and kick off, a career mode would have been nice - especially with the revamped player career.

Although, perhaps this is a blessing in disguise as career mode is poor yet again. Career mode is a neglected, bug ridden mess. I've experienced crashes and glitches with text. Teams make stupid transfers (or no transfers at all). The new cutscenes and transfer evaluation add nothing to the game at all, and grow tiresome very quickly. This needs an overhaul. The career mode on FIFA 07 on the PS2 genuinely had more features and was more fun to play. But I guess no microtransactions so EA don't care...!

An enjoyable action RPG with a sci fi setting that's definitely worth a punt on.

The battle system is fun once you unlock the ability to combine different powers - this enables you to be creative and think of different combinations to finish enemies off. Duplicating yourself and throwing flaming cars at the enemies is as fun as it sounds!

The cast is likeable (albeit tropey), and there is character development throughout. Some may not enjoy having to play the game through twice to get the story from both perspectives, although the second time you can choose to keep your level which makes it much faster to play through.

The story is enjoyable, but the side quests are dull, the environments small and not really worth exploring. There is a limited number of monster types so combat may feel repetitive, however the enjoyable nature of combat counteracts this somewhat. Battles don't last too long either as enemy health isn't "spongey" and there are abilities to help you finish off weak monsters quickly.

Stylish, engrossing and a blast to play. Would not hesitate to recommend this one. I knew nothing about Control when I picked it up on sale, but it became one of my favourite ever games. The visual style of this game is really unique and striking, so much so that I had to hunt down the art book on eBay. The "Ash Tray Maze" part of the game is one of the best sequences I've ever played through in any video game, ever.

I found it initially frustrating, and struggled with navigating the Oldest House. There was something however that kept pulling me back in, and very soon I was hooked!

Once you get the hang of the controls and unlock abilities such as telekinesis and flight, the game becomes so much fun. Pretty much any object in the environment can be picked up and launched at enemies. There are tonnes of secrets to find, and the DLC is well worth it to add extra story lines beyond the main story.

I've completed this 100%, finding all the collectibles and getting the Platinum. I rarely do this, so this is a mark of how much I enjoyed the game. I also purchased the game again on PC!

A highly polished turn based RPG. The story is a classic hero's adventure with few surprises, however there are also some surprisingly touching & emotional moments. It's bright, colourful and one of the best examples of a traditional JRPG with modern quality of life features.

There are some fun throwbacks to previous games in the series than fans will enjoy, but there's no need to play previous games to understand this one.

The characters are likeable and are well voiced. I know it's traditional for Dragon Quest, but the mute hero character does seem a bit out of place with the rest of the cast. I also think it's a shame that you can't customise the appearance of the main character, given that they don't speak and have a changeable name. I also found the "bunny girl" and pervy old man tropes grating throughout the game.

On the whole, this is a must play for JRPG fans.