Among the Fromsoft titles of the early 2000s, Evergrace holds a special place in my heart. The feverish atmosphere, the unique character designs, the unorthodox but soulful soundtrack by Kota Hoshino, it all comes together for the one of the most unique experiences in the Pre-souls Fromsoft catalogue. Of course the game is far FAR from perfect, the gameplay is more or less average, and the story fails to tell itself, requiring the player to 100% to even understand it. Clearly this title was a rushed launch title for the PS2, but it's still quite enjoyable in the way it came out. It's pretty amazing how the director of Evergrace Yuzo Kojima would go on to produce Elden Ring, and honestly playing through Evergrace you can see its influence not only in ER's imagery but also in gameplay mechanics found throughout the souls games. If you're a Fromsoft fan interested in their pre-Souls era, I recommend Evergrace as a place to start!

As someone who grew up with JSR/F and still play them to this day, I truly appreciate this game. BRC is simply fun and vibrant, probably the best inspired JSR/F game within the last decade. It takes a lot of cues from JSRF but sets itself apart from it nicely in gameplay and aesthetics. Movement is fluid and accessible, music is mostly good and the character designs are wonderful. Story is ok, a little messy but entertaining to play through. Having now 100% the game however I do have some significant gripes, particularly with the collectible content, the cop/graffiti mechanics and the map design among others. Ultimately I don't really feel this game wholly "surpasses" its inspiration and I still prefer JSR/F over it, but I'm very glad it exists alongside the JSR franchise and remain ecstatic for whatever Team Reptile does with BRC in the future.