gangwarily
BACKER
2023
While it has some outdated design elements, this is an incredible remake that is so incredibly satisfying due to how little it holds your hand. Highly recommended!
I have this game marked as "Shelved" but it's honestly somewhere between "Shelved" and "Abandoned"...
I can see how the gamplay system driven by the Junction system as being innovative and cool...however, I found it to be mostly tedious. 90% of my battles ended up becoming "putting it on 3x speed and smashing Draw until its 100". And with the combined adaptive enemy levels, it just gave no uniqueness to party members if they get the same junction with GF/spells. And considering how much this game loves to party swap, I feel like I spent the majority of the game moving GFs and spells around different members when the game dictated it.
So with the gameplay system not really working for me for the most part, I was largely relying on the characters and story to carry me through. I honestly found the majority of the characters in this game to be insufferable. Squall, in particular, never voices his own opinion because of his broody lone wolf attitude and is essentially made to do the story beats by other characters (Cid in particular who is useless and terrible). Despite there being some real stakes and quality scenes coming at the end of Disc 1, the story being largely consisting of melodramatic YA romance plot and the mercenary school did nothing for me as someone who was way past that age when I started this game.
But what ultimately broke me from being able to continue this game is how linear it is. I'm somewhere in the middle of Disc 2 and I rarely got a chance to explore an open terrain, training my party and go off the beaten path. Combined with obtuse changes to gil, weapons, gear, limit breaks and overworld travel was basically making me feel like FFVIII took away everything I enjoyed about playing a Final Fantasy game. I assume that the game opens up with an introduction of an airship later but how has this not happened at 15 hours?!
I will say that Triple Triad (at least the base rule) and the music is very good though!
I can see how the gamplay system driven by the Junction system as being innovative and cool...however, I found it to be mostly tedious. 90% of my battles ended up becoming "putting it on 3x speed and smashing Draw until its 100". And with the combined adaptive enemy levels, it just gave no uniqueness to party members if they get the same junction with GF/spells. And considering how much this game loves to party swap, I feel like I spent the majority of the game moving GFs and spells around different members when the game dictated it.
So with the gameplay system not really working for me for the most part, I was largely relying on the characters and story to carry me through. I honestly found the majority of the characters in this game to be insufferable. Squall, in particular, never voices his own opinion because of his broody lone wolf attitude and is essentially made to do the story beats by other characters (Cid in particular who is useless and terrible). Despite there being some real stakes and quality scenes coming at the end of Disc 1, the story being largely consisting of melodramatic YA romance plot and the mercenary school did nothing for me as someone who was way past that age when I started this game.
But what ultimately broke me from being able to continue this game is how linear it is. I'm somewhere in the middle of Disc 2 and I rarely got a chance to explore an open terrain, training my party and go off the beaten path. Combined with obtuse changes to gil, weapons, gear, limit breaks and overworld travel was basically making me feel like FFVIII took away everything I enjoyed about playing a Final Fantasy game. I assume that the game opens up with an introduction of an airship later but how has this not happened at 15 hours?!
I will say that Triple Triad (at least the base rule) and the music is very good though!
2021
If you asked me how I was enjoying FFIV at around about a third of the way into the game, I would have probably told you "God, I hate this game more than FFII". At that point, I was getting frustrated by the random grind wall and by the revolving door of party members.
However, things got much better from there. Apart from that strange wall at that point and the final dungeon (A series staple at this point having played I-III), much of the game's difficulty progression was smoothed out compared to the NES titles. Playing FFIV in quick succession after I-III made me realize that the designs of the classic FF games goes through these ebbs and flows where old mechanics / design elements are reintroduced in later titles. This title follows II's focus on character and story which does a better better job here (Although some of the scenarios in the story is contrived and Cecil is kind of an idiot).
Other major changes include the change to the battle system where we have a semi-real time combat called ATB. This system was frustrating to me at the beginning but I honestly feel like a lot of that came from the fact that I played the first three Pixel Remasters prior to this and was expecting the same level of battle cadence. Once I got used to the frenetic battle pace, I started to really enjoy this new battle system.
Overall, I can see why a lot of people have fond memories of this game. By the end, you really come to see the bond of these characters and the game is supplemented by incredible music and a faster paced battle system. The story, while spotty, has some real peaks and the goes pretty bonkers at the end. I'm looking forward to the next game where they reintroduce the Job system from III :)
However, things got much better from there. Apart from that strange wall at that point and the final dungeon (A series staple at this point having played I-III), much of the game's difficulty progression was smoothed out compared to the NES titles. Playing FFIV in quick succession after I-III made me realize that the designs of the classic FF games goes through these ebbs and flows where old mechanics / design elements are reintroduced in later titles. This title follows II's focus on character and story which does a better better job here (Although some of the scenarios in the story is contrived and Cecil is kind of an idiot).
Other major changes include the change to the battle system where we have a semi-real time combat called ATB. This system was frustrating to me at the beginning but I honestly feel like a lot of that came from the fact that I played the first three Pixel Remasters prior to this and was expecting the same level of battle cadence. Once I got used to the frenetic battle pace, I started to really enjoy this new battle system.
Overall, I can see why a lot of people have fond memories of this game. By the end, you really come to see the bond of these characters and the game is supplemented by incredible music and a faster paced battle system. The story, while spotty, has some real peaks and the goes pretty bonkers at the end. I'm looking forward to the next game where they reintroduce the Job system from III :)
2021
And here, we are finally done with the NES Final Fantasy games. This one goes back to the original game for a lot of its influences (Return of 1's magic charges, level progression and simple story) and expands with a pretty fun job system that allows you to switch between them. And of course, this game also adds its own set of series favorites like Moogles!
But man, these NES Final Fantasy seem to have wack pacing towards the end of the game. I didn't know that the final dungeon in this game was particularly known for being excruciating and if this version didn't allow for a way to get your HP/MP back after each boss, I probably never would have finished it. But luckily the DS version fixed that AND I became so overleveled that the final boss was pretty straightforward. I will definitely say that the PR version of this game seem to be a good balance between getting the original experience but with some of the edges smoothened out.
I also didn't care for "gimmick" bosses and dungeons that required you to use specific jobs and spells (Like Mini and Toad) to enter and navigate. Which makes FFIII overall...kind of a mixed bag. But I definitely enjoyed the new job system and look forward to getting it back in FFV.
But man, these NES Final Fantasy seem to have wack pacing towards the end of the game. I didn't know that the final dungeon in this game was particularly known for being excruciating and if this version didn't allow for a way to get your HP/MP back after each boss, I probably never would have finished it. But luckily the DS version fixed that AND I became so overleveled that the final boss was pretty straightforward. I will definitely say that the PR version of this game seem to be a good balance between getting the original experience but with some of the edges smoothened out.
I also didn't care for "gimmick" bosses and dungeons that required you to use specific jobs and spells (Like Mini and Toad) to enter and navigate. Which makes FFIII overall...kind of a mixed bag. But I definitely enjoyed the new job system and look forward to getting it back in FFV.
2021
There are definite improvements in Final Fantasy II over the original Final Fantasy. First, the story is far more involved with characters that die as part of the struggle. While not all moments worked for me, I was shocked and awed by some of the events that occurred in the story and rooted for the rebel characters. You also start to notice some iconic FF monster designs and I loved seeing elements from FF1 being reused in new ways!
But the game is largely really weight down by an experimental leveling up system that they came up with for this game. With a tedious system that requires you to level up each weapon a character may use, it resulted in me playing through majority of the game with the same set of weapons on "Attack". I only grinded to use spells when the final boss decided that most of my attacks wouldn't do jack shit to it. The combat is also exacerbated by crappy dungeon designs (full of empty rooms and dead ends), boss battles that are just regular enemies that, at least in the beginning of the game, you do zero damage to and perlongs the fight and suddenly grind/difficulty spikes that annoys you more than anything.
I'm glad to have played it and I definitely commend the devs for trying something new at the time but I don't see myself ever playing this game again.
But the game is largely really weight down by an experimental leveling up system that they came up with for this game. With a tedious system that requires you to level up each weapon a character may use, it resulted in me playing through majority of the game with the same set of weapons on "Attack". I only grinded to use spells when the final boss decided that most of my attacks wouldn't do jack shit to it. The combat is also exacerbated by crappy dungeon designs (full of empty rooms and dead ends), boss battles that are just regular enemies that, at least in the beginning of the game, you do zero damage to and perlongs the fight and suddenly grind/difficulty spikes that annoys you more than anything.
I'm glad to have played it and I definitely commend the devs for trying something new at the time but I don't see myself ever playing this game again.
2021
A very straightforward classic JRPG. I enjoyed getting to see the beginning of a lot of tropes for the series and had a pretty great time playing through. However, the final boss is a luck-based chore that I did not enjoy (Although the music ROCKS).
The game really excels with its challenging combat, fantastic art direction and the fact that the game oozes Star Wars aesthetics. However it is hampered by the most milquetoast main character, technical glitches and instability (I've multiple cutscenes break completely and breaking immersion) and its metroidvania-style progression that results in areas of planets being gated until you come back later in the story. This lead to a sense that the game is punishing you for attempting to explore. Finally, while the combat with humanoid characters are incredibly satisfying (especially the Sith bosses), fights with creatures and their awful attack telegraphs resulted in a bunch of cheap deaths that really took away my enjoyment with the game. With all of this being said, I think this is a solid foundation for the series and I'm curious to see how they expand in Jedi Survivor.
1994
Might adjusted this review depending how I feel about the DKC sequels but I had a great time playing through this classic. With a combination of an incredible looking artstyle, bumping soundtrack and awesome controls, I couldn't stop playing.
There were some levels that were straight-up evil with the way that the camera refuses to let you see what's ahead or down resulting in blind leaps of faith that often result in you plummeting to your death or hitting a suddenly spawning enemy. Also the way the game traps you in a World until you find Funky Kong can result in having to play chunks of the World over again which didn't feel like a good use of my time.
With that being said, I can't wait to check out how the sequels improve on this solid foundation for the series!
There were some levels that were straight-up evil with the way that the camera refuses to let you see what's ahead or down resulting in blind leaps of faith that often result in you plummeting to your death or hitting a suddenly spawning enemy. Also the way the game traps you in a World until you find Funky Kong can result in having to play chunks of the World over again which didn't feel like a good use of my time.
With that being said, I can't wait to check out how the sequels improve on this solid foundation for the series!
An adventure game with a decent story, memorable characters and fantastic art direction and atmosphere marred by spots of bad writing / localization and obnoxious difficulty spikes.
This game is pretty fun and has a pretty great art-style! All of the different forms keeps the game pretty varied. With that being said, the game is pretty mash-y with its combat and I personally found it pretty dull. The story is simple and the characters are a bit obnoxious and I didn't feel super compelled to keep playing.
I'd say if you have Game Pass, it'd be harmless to try!
I'd say if you have Game Pass, it'd be harmless to try!
2021
Having played a lot of Shin Megami Tensei games, I think I might be getting bored of them :/ Mostly noticing a lack of a narrative hook early on that's reducing my motivation to continue. Maybe I'll feel differently if I get further into the game some day.
After the big kerfuffle with Marvel's Avengers last year, when this game was revealed I had no interest in playing it...until I kept hearing good things about it. Ended up playing the game quite a bit later and I'm very glad I did!
I've come to realize that the initial reveal of the game really didn't do it any favors with the characters incessantly barking at each other. While this happen on occasion, the way that the Guardians team fight, reconcile and grow together was incredibly well done. The conversation spawned from finding Guardians Artifact are often very well written and often very touching. The story doesn't branch as often as say a Life is Strange title but it has enough variety and finishes very strongly.
The story goes on a quick pace through a huge variety of fantastic looking environment peppered with combat encounters. While mostly not difficult and kind of lackluster, it gives enough variety through elemental weapons and providing commands to your Guardians. You might get tired of it by the end (I kind of did) but it's a nice break between stories and dialogue-ing.
The main thing that mars this game's positives are the technical issues. My playthrough was plagued with performance issues and glitches that often took me out of the game. When you combine that with bugs that interrupt encounters, it gets pretty annoying. Also trying to sell Peter Quill as someone from Missouri when the VA has a strong Canadian accent was a big misstep in my opinion.
Even despite the technical issue, I think this is a fantastic game for anyone who's a fan of single-player action/adventure game. While familiar to fans of Guardians of the Galaxy movies, I think it creates enough uniqueness that distinguishes it from the MCU counterparts. Highly recommended!
I've come to realize that the initial reveal of the game really didn't do it any favors with the characters incessantly barking at each other. While this happen on occasion, the way that the Guardians team fight, reconcile and grow together was incredibly well done. The conversation spawned from finding Guardians Artifact are often very well written and often very touching. The story doesn't branch as often as say a Life is Strange title but it has enough variety and finishes very strongly.
The story goes on a quick pace through a huge variety of fantastic looking environment peppered with combat encounters. While mostly not difficult and kind of lackluster, it gives enough variety through elemental weapons and providing commands to your Guardians. You might get tired of it by the end (I kind of did) but it's a nice break between stories and dialogue-ing.
The main thing that mars this game's positives are the technical issues. My playthrough was plagued with performance issues and glitches that often took me out of the game. When you combine that with bugs that interrupt encounters, it gets pretty annoying. Also trying to sell Peter Quill as someone from Missouri when the VA has a strong Canadian accent was a big misstep in my opinion.
Even despite the technical issue, I think this is a fantastic game for anyone who's a fan of single-player action/adventure game. While familiar to fans of Guardians of the Galaxy movies, I think it creates enough uniqueness that distinguishes it from the MCU counterparts. Highly recommended!
2021
This is easily the best Halo made by 343 Industries. When the multiplayer had its beta release, I got online with some friends and had some of the most fun I've had all year. From a gameplay point-of-view, this is easily my favorite Halo. I'm looking forward to playing more and seeing some much needed changes to the MTX shop...
On the other side, I found the campaign to be a pretty massive disappointment. While the core gameplay is as strong as the multiplayer (Maybe a bit more since you always have access to the grappling hook), the narrative and the way the game is structured are both big issues. The narrative is simply awful with the Pilot barking in your ears all the time and with characters speaking obnoxiously slowly through holograms. The structure, mainly the open world, does not push the envelope for what Halo can be. With what is essentially an Ubisoft-esque "capture the tower" design that reveals to-do list items on the map, this dull progression is further marred by lackluster main missions that largely don't have the same spark as some of the most iconic Halo missions. On top of that, the rather unnecessary upgrade system can cause frustrating roadblocks against main mission encounters and bosses.
I definitely still recommend this game and I wouldn't be surprised if other people enjoys the campaign more than I did. But I'm seriously losing my hope that 343 Industries will be able to correct the ship on the mess of a narrative that this franchise has become. In the meantime, hop online with some friends and have some of the most fun you can have in a big sandbox shooter.
On the other side, I found the campaign to be a pretty massive disappointment. While the core gameplay is as strong as the multiplayer (Maybe a bit more since you always have access to the grappling hook), the narrative and the way the game is structured are both big issues. The narrative is simply awful with the Pilot barking in your ears all the time and with characters speaking obnoxiously slowly through holograms. The structure, mainly the open world, does not push the envelope for what Halo can be. With what is essentially an Ubisoft-esque "capture the tower" design that reveals to-do list items on the map, this dull progression is further marred by lackluster main missions that largely don't have the same spark as some of the most iconic Halo missions. On top of that, the rather unnecessary upgrade system can cause frustrating roadblocks against main mission encounters and bosses.
I definitely still recommend this game and I wouldn't be surprised if other people enjoys the campaign more than I did. But I'm seriously losing my hope that 343 Industries will be able to correct the ship on the mess of a narrative that this franchise has become. In the meantime, hop online with some friends and have some of the most fun you can have in a big sandbox shooter.
2021
The speedy, rail-grinding and double jumping gameplay of Solar Ash kept me glued to the TV from start to end. With each area climaxing with a huge boss, I was constantly awed by the scale, the score and visuals of this game. The main downsides include performance issues (a lot of frame drops on PS5), wonky camera (This can create frustration with certain bosses as you can't easily see the next needle) and the (in my opinion) unnecessary voice acting. I'm continually amazed by the unique game Heart Machine creates and cannot wait to see the next one.
2021
After playing both Forza Horizon 3 and 4 and not finishing it, I was very determined to finish this one. Something about the wonderful and varied locales of Mexico and the fantastic driving kept me going for hours. I did also come to realize that I don't really care for the open-world or the extraneous activities like Horizon Arcade or Playground Games especially when things are buried in a torrent of menus. Maybe I'll give the mainline Forza game on the next one...if you have Game Pass and want a nice racing game to play, give this one a try!