Wahfuu
Honestly I'd say probably the most visually creative dungeons the series has had, but even ignoring the motion controls the world of the game is really boring and only gets worse as the game goes on. Unfortunate.
More explosion heavy version of the first game. Once again, game as a movie. Nothing else to see.
One of the most underrated causes of the "games as movies" boom, where gameplay is a repetitive shooter with nothing else going on and weak "puzzles." placed in between. It was a fun romp at the time but nah.
There's more well written side quests in this game than you can find in basically any other WRPG, I feel, but in exchange the game traded away its main plot. The titular Wild Hunt, unfortunately, just completely suck as villains and just come across as tonally deaf Bad Guys, and Ciri is just... A Videogame Character. The game shines as a collective of short stories within the witcher universe than anything else.
The expansions are sick though.
The expansions are sick though.
2018
Another one of those 2.75's that I'm rounding up because of certain things. The game's combat isn't all that bad, but it doesn't really encourage you to use much of it in most cases. A lot of the attacks outside of magic just don't feel super impactful or worth the time to think about. The "magic" is nuts though. Defensively games cool. Story is alright and clearly had effort put into it, but the 'dad game' has run its course pretty thoroughly.
Also, I really like norse mythos and Sigrun was a fun boss, so that has something to do with it.
Also, I really like norse mythos and Sigrun was a fun boss, so that has something to do with it.
2010
God of War 2 with a fresher coat of paint. It's pretty easy to just square square triangle your way through the game but the system actually has a lot to offer if you explore it a bit. It is still laden with QTE's as God of War is wont to do. And the plot is almost parody at this point with how much it is STILL trying to paint Kratos as anything sympathetic.
2007
Better than the first. Actual proper bosses, alternate weapons, etc. Kratos becomes basically irredeemable at this point though no matter what God of War 3 tries to say.
2005
One of the biggest reasons why we lived throuhg the hell of context sensitive action QTE's for so long. It's aged badly and not really anything special anymore, though.
2016
Not a bad boss gauntlet, though it has some of the most boring filler walking segments of all time. And again, the best part of the game is the NG+ bosses which ramp everything up to a hundred. If you're the type of person who gets really impatient when you're forced to restart something from the beginning then stay WAY the hell away.
2017
Exceptionally overrated difficulty wise. The game isn't really that hard as opposed to just being pretty cheap and ganky at times, and the run and gun sections are so terrible. If it wasn't for the artstyle I don't think this game would have anything to offer.
2017
More of a 2.75 to be honest, but whatever. It's a really boring start but it expands into one of the largest and expansive metroidvanias to date with some simple but satisfying combat and a somber atmosphere to drive it home. I think the souls mechanics of losing your money and whatnot is pretty hamfisted though, and exploration is not nearly rewarding enough. Like, I just went through hell for 20 coins or lore? Come on.
The horrible triforce section near the end soils my memory of this game beyond repair. The sailing is better than the green plains of breath of the wild though, at least. Also, this has probably the 2nd weakest dungeons.
I'd say the most balanced of the fushigi series in crafting/writing/combat. Writing isn't a snore, combat is a middle ground between firis and sophie, and crafting is solid. Not quite as fun as it would be in Ryza, though. If I had to pick a favorite from the fushigi series it'd be this one but not by alot.
The cleanest of the ateliers I've played both in terms of the writing and the mechanics. Crafting is simpler in this game some of the others I realize now, but it's really enjoyable and intuitive, with a pretty good combat system! The only downside is the soundtrack. Hope Ryza 2 builds off this.
There's a bit of disappointment in just how much of a step back the combat of this game was in comparison to Sophie, but it's a huge game with a ton of content to offer and see. Firis is a loveable dork aswell. It's not super well written but the way it's structured leads itself into something a lot more unique than you'd expect.