denpaloli
2007
nolan north and yuri lowenthal voice multiple characters in this
uchikoshi once again proving he can't do sequels to any of his series'
tokiko + chikara + tearer best characters, wasted though
it's a little disturbing how this was sold as a "separate but not separate" entry... it feels like a low-budget game trying to be sold as a passion project, and i am aware that most of his games are low-budget, but i think he used that to his advantage here. this really doesn't feel like it was thought through, and im not even talking about the entire game -- just the beginning with "date" retconned... so what was the whole 'found family' message from the first game supposed to mean? nothing? why even have date and iris and ota and moma and blah blah blah here? for fanservice points? there's no personal stakes in this one, and that's a common complaint, even from people who enjoyed it... there's just no tension. and to me, this comes from the explicit fact that this is trying to be 2 things at once. it's trying to be a sequel, but also trying to create a completely new story with a new cast. the balancing act doesn't work, the true villain sucks, even the somniums are long and boring. every character is dull, the twists are all bland or just unfair (i'm looking at you, 'quartz!') and the whole game just feels like a slow progression towards nothing.
...huge points for the intro with ryuki's mental breakdown at the gameshow though. i genuinely do think that's one of the freakiest intros to any game i've ever played. it was a great hook, and every aspect of the "glitchiness" was really cool and scary!
tokiko + chikara + tearer best characters, wasted though
it's a little disturbing how this was sold as a "separate but not separate" entry... it feels like a low-budget game trying to be sold as a passion project, and i am aware that most of his games are low-budget, but i think he used that to his advantage here. this really doesn't feel like it was thought through, and im not even talking about the entire game -- just the beginning with "date" retconned... so what was the whole 'found family' message from the first game supposed to mean? nothing? why even have date and iris and ota and moma and blah blah blah here? for fanservice points? there's no personal stakes in this one, and that's a common complaint, even from people who enjoyed it... there's just no tension. and to me, this comes from the explicit fact that this is trying to be 2 things at once. it's trying to be a sequel, but also trying to create a completely new story with a new cast. the balancing act doesn't work, the true villain sucks, even the somniums are long and boring. every character is dull, the twists are all bland or just unfair (i'm looking at you, 'quartz!') and the whole game just feels like a slow progression towards nothing.
...huge points for the intro with ryuki's mental breakdown at the gameshow though. i genuinely do think that's one of the freakiest intros to any game i've ever played. it was a great hook, and every aspect of the "glitchiness" was really cool and scary!
best cover art, best pacing, best character arcs, best lead-up to a boss area (you all know what i'm talking about), best twist, best everything...
all the problems from volume 1 are fixed here...except the core gameplay. i still think dungeons are a terrible time because you're effectively just button mashing, but at least there's no intense arena grinding!
MMORPG drama suddenly mixing with tech-horror is...probably the best thing ever.
remember whiny haseo who, while somewhat justified in his attitude due to his circumstances, ruined the fun for you, the player? the fight he had with atoli at the end of volume 1 really did change him. er, well...
hiroshi matsuyama, the director for the game, admitted that by the end of vol. 1, he ended up silently agreeing with many of the people playing his game -- even though atoli was being presented as the main love interest, or at the very least the most important character shown thus far, he didn't really like her, especially not in a romantic pairing with haseo. i think the fight at the very end of vol.1 that goes too far on both sides was a way to open up another side to both atoli and haseo for vol.2, and it works flawlessly. atoli only buries herself deeper into her victimhood and dependency on sakaki, making the perfect gateway into her becoming involved with AIDA. meanwhile, haseo genuinely feels bad about the fight and starts seeing things from atoli's perspective, not just as "someone weak" who he will never get along with. it absolutely feels natural and i love that vol.2 doesn't completely alter these characters to a point where they're unrecognizable -- it only fixes what was making their relationship so boring to watch.
this is the success of G.U., the golden piece that never feels too melodramatic, too dull, too ridiculous. it's another go at tackling what the .hack series was always about; exploring the world of "the world". this truly feels like an adventure into something much bigger than you.
all the problems from volume 1 are fixed here...except the core gameplay. i still think dungeons are a terrible time because you're effectively just button mashing, but at least there's no intense arena grinding!
MMORPG drama suddenly mixing with tech-horror is...probably the best thing ever.
remember whiny haseo who, while somewhat justified in his attitude due to his circumstances, ruined the fun for you, the player? the fight he had with atoli at the end of volume 1 really did change him. er, well...
hiroshi matsuyama, the director for the game, admitted that by the end of vol. 1, he ended up silently agreeing with many of the people playing his game -- even though atoli was being presented as the main love interest, or at the very least the most important character shown thus far, he didn't really like her, especially not in a romantic pairing with haseo. i think the fight at the very end of vol.1 that goes too far on both sides was a way to open up another side to both atoli and haseo for vol.2, and it works flawlessly. atoli only buries herself deeper into her victimhood and dependency on sakaki, making the perfect gateway into her becoming involved with AIDA. meanwhile, haseo genuinely feels bad about the fight and starts seeing things from atoli's perspective, not just as "someone weak" who he will never get along with. it absolutely feels natural and i love that vol.2 doesn't completely alter these characters to a point where they're unrecognizable -- it only fixes what was making their relationship so boring to watch.
this is the success of G.U., the golden piece that never feels too melodramatic, too dull, too ridiculous. it's another go at tackling what the .hack series was always about; exploring the world of "the world". this truly feels like an adventure into something much bigger than you.
welcome to "the world".
i want to say right now that this game's desktop/forum/news/world lore is insane. the original .hack's desktop feature was great, but this makes it look puny in comparison. the level of detail that went into such a background feature is awe-inspiring. you just won't get this kind of care in many games.
the intro, and i mean the very very beginning is strong -- the cold open of haseo bumping into sakaki and atoli is on the same level as the infamous cutscene of meeting mia and elk for the first time. the 'terror of death' is not only a great name, but a great hook as well. watching roots, to me, is entirely optional. other than knowing what 'the key of twilight' is, i think you can understand the game's plot and the twilight brigade's remaining members perfectly well. i think if this was a game that started you from post-roots haseo on his journey, this would've been a great volume. unfortunately, it's no secret this game was meant to always be an anime shounen game, and so you're reverted to level 1 (which is no problem) but then are treated like an imbecile for about 3 hours by tutorials that hold your hand too tightly. やさしい両手 this is not! for the majority of this volume, you're bumbling around and doing silly wacky things with silly wacky people. meanwhile, our MC is a super angsty edgelord who genuinely has a good motive for being mean all the time -- he just wants to save his coma-ridden friend from something a huge corporation is trying to say they know nothing about. one of the biggest complaints about G.U. in general is that Kite is a much better protagonist because of how kind and heroic he is. i don't think kite is necessarily better (and i find him just a tad bit boring, except for in volume 3), it's just that he suits his story better. haseo isn't necessarily a badly written character -- i truly do love that he's this edgy guy who never was really like this and was turned into a monster because of something genuinely horrific happening to one of the few people he ever liked. it's just that when you, the player, are experiencing "the world" for the first time and are having so much fun, having to hear your main character whine constantly is annoying. but of course he's complaining! i would be too if i was on a dear mission and had all my 'progress' reset -- literally! it's a shame this is the decision they chose for haseo, and for volume 1 itself.
grinding feels a little insane no thanks to the snail's pace you go through the story and the boring combat, but the entire concept of the game, visuals, voice acting, and OST make up for it -- especially so the OST. my god, the OST! honestly one of my favorite ones of all-time.
personal note:
atoli is also probably one of the greatest characters ever, and her english voice is absolutely canon. bridget hoffman gives a light, airy, beautiful performance that always tugs at my heart. she truly gives atoli her wings. i consider her one of the most underrated, underappreciated, and absolutely one of the most wasted characters in media. i love you, atoli!
i want to say right now that this game's desktop/forum/news/world lore is insane. the original .hack's desktop feature was great, but this makes it look puny in comparison. the level of detail that went into such a background feature is awe-inspiring. you just won't get this kind of care in many games.
the intro, and i mean the very very beginning is strong -- the cold open of haseo bumping into sakaki and atoli is on the same level as the infamous cutscene of meeting mia and elk for the first time. the 'terror of death' is not only a great name, but a great hook as well. watching roots, to me, is entirely optional. other than knowing what 'the key of twilight' is, i think you can understand the game's plot and the twilight brigade's remaining members perfectly well. i think if this was a game that started you from post-roots haseo on his journey, this would've been a great volume. unfortunately, it's no secret this game was meant to always be an anime shounen game, and so you're reverted to level 1 (which is no problem) but then are treated like an imbecile for about 3 hours by tutorials that hold your hand too tightly. やさしい両手 this is not! for the majority of this volume, you're bumbling around and doing silly wacky things with silly wacky people. meanwhile, our MC is a super angsty edgelord who genuinely has a good motive for being mean all the time -- he just wants to save his coma-ridden friend from something a huge corporation is trying to say they know nothing about. one of the biggest complaints about G.U. in general is that Kite is a much better protagonist because of how kind and heroic he is. i don't think kite is necessarily better (and i find him just a tad bit boring, except for in volume 3), it's just that he suits his story better. haseo isn't necessarily a badly written character -- i truly do love that he's this edgy guy who never was really like this and was turned into a monster because of something genuinely horrific happening to one of the few people he ever liked. it's just that when you, the player, are experiencing "the world" for the first time and are having so much fun, having to hear your main character whine constantly is annoying. but of course he's complaining! i would be too if i was on a dear mission and had all my 'progress' reset -- literally! it's a shame this is the decision they chose for haseo, and for volume 1 itself.
grinding feels a little insane no thanks to the snail's pace you go through the story and the boring combat, but the entire concept of the game, visuals, voice acting, and OST make up for it -- especially so the OST. my god, the OST! honestly one of my favorite ones of all-time.
personal note:
atoli is also probably one of the greatest characters ever, and her english voice is absolutely canon. bridget hoffman gives a light, airy, beautiful performance that always tugs at my heart. she truly gives atoli her wings. i consider her one of the most underrated, underappreciated, and absolutely one of the most wasted characters in media. i love you, atoli!
yeah the story is stupid SO WHAT this is so fun! a game with SHMUP mentality of tearing your guts out and asking if you're tough enough to try again. the only thing it promises is the level will be under 5 minutes for 99% of the game. sometimes the touch screen mechanics make you feel like God and sometimes you have no idea what exact pixel motion the game expects of you. this is absolutely a flawed game, but it's made from passion. the story was absolutely an afterthought and it's amazing how quickly it devolves into "what?" but i just pretended i was playing touhou and everything felt okay. derek stiles is himbo-coded btw
2022
the same thing that held this game back in 1994 holds it back today. (some) people were relieved when it was revealed this was a remaster, not a sequel or a reboot. unfortunately, the game being a remaster is exactly what destroys it. you are still playing a super fami game at its limitations, meaning that amazing selling point of "play completely different campaigns in one game!" still only gets you 1-2 hours of playtime. there's nothing inherently wrong with short campaigns in any type of game (never believe 'it's really long!' is a compliment of a game, please), but the problem here is that there is really nothing exciting to experience within these chapters. the strategy in live-a-live is non-existent save for bosses... which are placed at the very end of chapters. so in the meanwhile, you're stuck with easy, mindless dungeon battles. typical rpg stuff though, right? but the short length really shows when each chapter's story is extremely simple, something that can usually carry the grind. there's really not a nice package of story+combat, and, in fact, i'd say the best campaigns are the ones where there's little to no combat (wild west, distant future, japan).
campaign's stories themselves are pretty bad, to be honest. you know it's rough when distant future has the best plot....yet it's a complete rip-off of two of the most famous sci-fi space movies ever made.
visuals are very nice, but the team's gotten so wrapped up in their own new 2.5d space that they've forgotten how to block scenes. this game is a remaster of the original's story, all remains there. but now, everything just takes a bit too long thanks to everyone having to have a dramatic, slow walk speed and having to close their eyes, shake their heads, etc etc, making every scene a melodramatic nightmare. it's a little maddening, and apparently this is a problem in octopath traveler too(?), wouldn't be surprised.
OST remake is astounding though, these songs are beautifully arranged and have truly come to life. sure, megalomania is a pretty epic song to hear coming from your SFC, but hearing it here is on another level entirely. the boss sprites are also mind-blowing, especially the last boss!!
definitely get it if you're a die-hard of the original and want to see it in all its glory one more time, but i'd say this is a pass for most others.
campaign's stories themselves are pretty bad, to be honest. you know it's rough when distant future has the best plot....yet it's a complete rip-off of two of the most famous sci-fi space movies ever made.
visuals are very nice, but the team's gotten so wrapped up in their own new 2.5d space that they've forgotten how to block scenes. this game is a remaster of the original's story, all remains there. but now, everything just takes a bit too long thanks to everyone having to have a dramatic, slow walk speed and having to close their eyes, shake their heads, etc etc, making every scene a melodramatic nightmare. it's a little maddening, and apparently this is a problem in octopath traveler too(?), wouldn't be surprised.
OST remake is astounding though, these songs are beautifully arranged and have truly come to life. sure, megalomania is a pretty epic song to hear coming from your SFC, but hearing it here is on another level entirely. the boss sprites are also mind-blowing, especially the last boss!!
definitely get it if you're a die-hard of the original and want to see it in all its glory one more time, but i'd say this is a pass for most others.
2013
offensively boring
pitch-dark.
this is my fate/stay night! my fromsoft gothic tragedy! whatever else...
in any case, i finally understand how it feels to be so in love with a world and its lore.
"for ruili, this world is unwanted, empty of joy."
such foreshadowing...
this is my fate/stay night! my fromsoft gothic tragedy! whatever else...
in any case, i finally understand how it feels to be so in love with a world and its lore.
"for ruili, this world is unwanted, empty of joy."
such foreshadowing...
2003
the lore surrounding morganna is too mature for the game it was created for. i would say her and harald's backstories are almost 'explicitly' violent, without blood or gore..... it's a shame that there is no discussion on what makes her so pitiable, what makes him so awful... it's a beautiful idea but execution is just not there.
2002
atmosphere fucking OWNS
there will never be another game to give me such an odd, cozy yet disconnected feeling as when you read through the forums for The World and have to physically "log in" from your desktop.....................................................
there will never be another game to give me such an odd, cozy yet disconnected feeling as when you read through the forums for The World and have to physically "log in" from your desktop.....................................................
2002
when the horror kicks in. it's unfortunate that important plot stuff happens in vol.2, because i would say just skip to outbreak. this is really where the execution of "this isn't just a virtual game" gets good. the intro leaves me speechless every time!
2018
poo poo
2018
amazon + sorceress couch co-op = cozy fun
2018
yikes LOL
gothic-horror bloody medieval musical
burning high-energy, yet carries with it a frigid atmosphere
the concept/plot of 4 brought higher,
the lineage continues from 7,
and even a root cause for 1?
capcom's love letter to its own franchise which has never really found it's image or tone in every subsequent release
and it's great!
burning high-energy, yet carries with it a frigid atmosphere
the concept/plot of 4 brought higher,
the lineage continues from 7,
and even a root cause for 1?
capcom's love letter to its own franchise which has never really found it's image or tone in every subsequent release
and it's great!