guileffb
2019
The Outer Worlds is almost the Fallout sequel I was expecting, but mixed with a bit of Borderlands and a bit more of Star Wars. And that alone is already amazing!
I did not know what to expect from this game other than, well, an Obsidian RPG. The thing is, I didn't think I was going to enjoy it so much! All of your common Western RPG elements are here, done in the best way possible. It's a VERY familiar game, ESPECIALLY if you've played Fallout 3 or New Vegas. The graphics are cute, the performance is good (albeit a few hiccups), the quests are entertaining, the shooting mechanics works fine and the progression system functions like it should. But the thing that makes this conventional game shine among its peers is the writing! The story is great! It won't blow your mind, but it will convince you! I got invested in my character, in my crew, in the colony, the state of each world, each long and short quest, the role I played in the tale and in the witty dialogue. Just talking with people and deciding my lines got me super pumped because it's all so clever and very well done. The Outer Worlds has this magic that made me care for the things I said, did and its consequences. Few games like that made me feel this way, while still making me laugh.
The game isn't roses all the way through, though. Despite its amazing storytelling, the ending is abrupt and anticlimatic. I liked what was written in the aftermath, but it was poorly handled. Some parts of the gameplay felt dated. For example, melee combat is suicidal and impractical. MANY items you pick are useless and VERY repetitive. After a while, looting becomes boring and unnecessary, especially once you get to higher levels or close to the endgame. And I get that the game is a FPS, but then... what's the use of creating and decorating your charachter? Also, fuck Monarch! That place is dull as hell!
I totally recommend this game, but I can see why people wouldn't think much of it. I loved it and I think you should try. That might scratch your Fallout itch for a while, at least...
I did not know what to expect from this game other than, well, an Obsidian RPG. The thing is, I didn't think I was going to enjoy it so much! All of your common Western RPG elements are here, done in the best way possible. It's a VERY familiar game, ESPECIALLY if you've played Fallout 3 or New Vegas. The graphics are cute, the performance is good (albeit a few hiccups), the quests are entertaining, the shooting mechanics works fine and the progression system functions like it should. But the thing that makes this conventional game shine among its peers is the writing! The story is great! It won't blow your mind, but it will convince you! I got invested in my character, in my crew, in the colony, the state of each world, each long and short quest, the role I played in the tale and in the witty dialogue. Just talking with people and deciding my lines got me super pumped because it's all so clever and very well done. The Outer Worlds has this magic that made me care for the things I said, did and its consequences. Few games like that made me feel this way, while still making me laugh.
The game isn't roses all the way through, though. Despite its amazing storytelling, the ending is abrupt and anticlimatic. I liked what was written in the aftermath, but it was poorly handled. Some parts of the gameplay felt dated. For example, melee combat is suicidal and impractical. MANY items you pick are useless and VERY repetitive. After a while, looting becomes boring and unnecessary, especially once you get to higher levels or close to the endgame. And I get that the game is a FPS, but then... what's the use of creating and decorating your charachter? Also, fuck Monarch! That place is dull as hell!
I totally recommend this game, but I can see why people wouldn't think much of it. I loved it and I think you should try. That might scratch your Fallout itch for a while, at least...
2019
I honestly wish I liked this game more than I did... But I just couldn't! Kingdom Hearts 3 may not be a disaster, but it's certainly a disappointment.
Starting with the good things. The game is astonishingly BEAUTIFUL! I couldn't stop drooling over the graphics. The animations, different skills, sounds, music, the aesthetic and with just how smooth it played, despite a few hiccups when the screen got too busy. It's going to be hard to look at the other games after this one. Sometimes it was hard to tell what was CGI and what was in-game! Just WOW! Aside from how gorgeous it looks, it's also a JOY to play. The battle system is what kept me going until the very end. The freedom of movement feels pleasant. New additions, like the Keyblade transformations are awesome. You can pull crazy combos with ease and the satisfaction of making Sora and his team stronger is addicting. The gameplay hook keeps you going, even if it's a bit too easy, at times. And it's not only great to slay enemies and fight creative bosses, but it's also great to play the mini-games. Not all of them are good. Some are quite boring, actually. But when they get it right, it'll hook you up. It's also nice to see KH finally trying to wrap a few plot holes up (trying, at least). After so much build up, it's good to see characters coming together and things climaxing. I wish Disney worlds felt a bit more important to the overall story, but it was nice to visit some charming new ones, like Toy Box and Monstropolis.
Sadly, what I liked about the game didn't outweight what I didn't. The story and writing were the true enemies. A large chunk of it seemed irrelevant, clumsy and hollow. Worlds were cool to visit, but felt empty and lacked importance. Sora's final objective was supposed to be epic, instead, he spent more than half of the game going with the flow and seeing what happens. It was pointless and it took too long to ACTUALLY get going. By the time I got to the final areas, everything was thrown at the same time. It all happened too fast, while few things bothered to make sense. They even managed to open up more questions, instead of just ending it for good. Dialogues were dumb and VERY overexposed, emotional moments were lifeless, villains' goals were convoluted and death mattered not. It failed to grip me with any interest. KH3 is short, nonsensical, Gummy Ship missions are a mess, the optional boss is a joke, there are NO FF characters and the difficulty is a walk in the park. I mean, DAMN! Mini-games were harder than the final bosses. The DLC tried to save the final moments from being an utter disarray of ideas, but rehashed too many things and failed. The ending and the Limit Cut Episode were great, though.
I only recommend this game to huge fans of the franchise, like me. Other than that, you're better off replaying past games.
Starting with the good things. The game is astonishingly BEAUTIFUL! I couldn't stop drooling over the graphics. The animations, different skills, sounds, music, the aesthetic and with just how smooth it played, despite a few hiccups when the screen got too busy. It's going to be hard to look at the other games after this one. Sometimes it was hard to tell what was CGI and what was in-game! Just WOW! Aside from how gorgeous it looks, it's also a JOY to play. The battle system is what kept me going until the very end. The freedom of movement feels pleasant. New additions, like the Keyblade transformations are awesome. You can pull crazy combos with ease and the satisfaction of making Sora and his team stronger is addicting. The gameplay hook keeps you going, even if it's a bit too easy, at times. And it's not only great to slay enemies and fight creative bosses, but it's also great to play the mini-games. Not all of them are good. Some are quite boring, actually. But when they get it right, it'll hook you up. It's also nice to see KH finally trying to wrap a few plot holes up (trying, at least). After so much build up, it's good to see characters coming together and things climaxing. I wish Disney worlds felt a bit more important to the overall story, but it was nice to visit some charming new ones, like Toy Box and Monstropolis.
Sadly, what I liked about the game didn't outweight what I didn't. The story and writing were the true enemies. A large chunk of it seemed irrelevant, clumsy and hollow. Worlds were cool to visit, but felt empty and lacked importance. Sora's final objective was supposed to be epic, instead, he spent more than half of the game going with the flow and seeing what happens. It was pointless and it took too long to ACTUALLY get going. By the time I got to the final areas, everything was thrown at the same time. It all happened too fast, while few things bothered to make sense. They even managed to open up more questions, instead of just ending it for good. Dialogues were dumb and VERY overexposed, emotional moments were lifeless, villains' goals were convoluted and death mattered not. It failed to grip me with any interest. KH3 is short, nonsensical, Gummy Ship missions are a mess, the optional boss is a joke, there are NO FF characters and the difficulty is a walk in the park. I mean, DAMN! Mini-games were harder than the final bosses. The DLC tried to save the final moments from being an utter disarray of ideas, but rehashed too many things and failed. The ending and the Limit Cut Episode were great, though.
I only recommend this game to huge fans of the franchise, like me. Other than that, you're better off replaying past games.
Ah... Good old Fallout New Vegas! After playing Outer Worlds, I've decided to go back and replay New Vegas. Although I did have an excellent time with the game (again), some issues prevented it from being as good as its predecessors (again).
New Vegas is familiar to anyone who played Fallout 3. It's basically a glorified expansion of that game, with a few twitches here and there. But that's not to say that this is a bad game! In the Mojave Wasteland you'll meet great characters, amazing new factions to connect with (or not), fine companions, interesting quests, crazy guns, mysterious areas, plenty of secrets and a VAST open world location to explore. And I'd like to reiterate: A HUGE world of possibilities!
When it comes to gameplay, the combat may not shine, but I do believe that the V.A.T.S. system compensates for this. If you have played previous Fallout games, you probably know that this game is about talking your way through a problem instead of shooting your way out of it. But the greatest thing is that, if you want to shoot anything and anyone, well... Go ahead! The sheer freedom of choice in this game is insane. I don't think the story is as great as other games of the franchise, but the overwhelming amount of options and independence is astounding. Especially how they tackle the main quest.
This, the personal sense of progression and the scale of things you can discover in New Vegas, make up for a great time.
The problem with New Vegas is the fact that none of previous mistakes were fixed here. In fact, some of them got worse. This game is not polished at all! It's rough around ALL of its edges and it just gets more and more dated.
It crashed CONSTANTLY, there were glitches EVERYWHERE, game breaking bugs around the corner of every decision/movement your character takes, maze-like dungeon design, annoying unnecessary filler fetch quests, slow combat system, cluttered UI, confusing quest objectives and a karma system that doesn't work properly. These are just a few of the problems you will encounter on your playthroughs, but I could go on...
Also, although dialogues are well-written here, YOUR character's dialogue choices are very vague. Back in the day, that didn't bother me so much, but after games like Mass Effect 2, Witcher 3 and Outer Worlds, the lack of persona in your character is highly noticeable and quite awkward.
And to think that this game came 2 years after Fallout 3... Things could have been better optimized, at least.
Despite its jarring shortcomings and its overwhelming nature, Fallout New Vegas can still be a great experience. Not as good as the other games in the series, but I definitely recommend it, in case you want to scratch the Fallout itch or just feel like playing a bleak, but sprawling RPG.
New Vegas is familiar to anyone who played Fallout 3. It's basically a glorified expansion of that game, with a few twitches here and there. But that's not to say that this is a bad game! In the Mojave Wasteland you'll meet great characters, amazing new factions to connect with (or not), fine companions, interesting quests, crazy guns, mysterious areas, plenty of secrets and a VAST open world location to explore. And I'd like to reiterate: A HUGE world of possibilities!
When it comes to gameplay, the combat may not shine, but I do believe that the V.A.T.S. system compensates for this. If you have played previous Fallout games, you probably know that this game is about talking your way through a problem instead of shooting your way out of it. But the greatest thing is that, if you want to shoot anything and anyone, well... Go ahead! The sheer freedom of choice in this game is insane. I don't think the story is as great as other games of the franchise, but the overwhelming amount of options and independence is astounding. Especially how they tackle the main quest.
This, the personal sense of progression and the scale of things you can discover in New Vegas, make up for a great time.
The problem with New Vegas is the fact that none of previous mistakes were fixed here. In fact, some of them got worse. This game is not polished at all! It's rough around ALL of its edges and it just gets more and more dated.
It crashed CONSTANTLY, there were glitches EVERYWHERE, game breaking bugs around the corner of every decision/movement your character takes, maze-like dungeon design, annoying unnecessary filler fetch quests, slow combat system, cluttered UI, confusing quest objectives and a karma system that doesn't work properly. These are just a few of the problems you will encounter on your playthroughs, but I could go on...
Also, although dialogues are well-written here, YOUR character's dialogue choices are very vague. Back in the day, that didn't bother me so much, but after games like Mass Effect 2, Witcher 3 and Outer Worlds, the lack of persona in your character is highly noticeable and quite awkward.
And to think that this game came 2 years after Fallout 3... Things could have been better optimized, at least.
Despite its jarring shortcomings and its overwhelming nature, Fallout New Vegas can still be a great experience. Not as good as the other games in the series, but I definitely recommend it, in case you want to scratch the Fallout itch or just feel like playing a bleak, but sprawling RPG.
2020
Bluepoint strikes again by transforming an already beloved game into something even more beloved!
If you've played Demon's Souls back in the PS3, chances are that you'll feel, like me, right at home!
Everything is here, just as it was back then. The creepy atmosphere, the experimental systems, the challenging tactical combat mechanics, the great soundtrack, the cryptic NPCs, tough bosses, the raw anger you'll feel after losing 40k souls to a stupid death... Everything!
The difference is in the visuals, the performance and some very few quality of life improvements. Demon's Souls Remake is BEAUTIFUL! Probably the most visually detailed and stunning game I've ever seen. It even looks great on Performance Mode. Shit, even those unnecessary filters are pretty! Now combine this visual prowess with the bleak and difficult atmosphere of Demon's Souls, plus the insane redesigns from some creatures and NPCs, and you have yourself one of the most faithful remakes ever made.
Maybe too faithful, actually!
A few things could have changed, since remakes were supposed to improve on all things.
For example, the world tendency system is still a confusing mess, checkpoints are still annoying as hell, item descriptions could've been improved to give us a bigger sense of the lore and, DAMN... I really wanted that sixth pillar to be an ACTUAL level in the game. They could've given us that, right?
Well, you can't have everything in life...
Demon's Souls Remake is the BEST way to play a very good/very old game. Probably the best thing to spend money on, if you own a PS5. You owe it to yourself.
It's not Miyazaki's masterpiece, by any means. Far from it. But it's a hell of a good, weird and challenging ride.
If you've played Demon's Souls back in the PS3, chances are that you'll feel, like me, right at home!
Everything is here, just as it was back then. The creepy atmosphere, the experimental systems, the challenging tactical combat mechanics, the great soundtrack, the cryptic NPCs, tough bosses, the raw anger you'll feel after losing 40k souls to a stupid death... Everything!
The difference is in the visuals, the performance and some very few quality of life improvements. Demon's Souls Remake is BEAUTIFUL! Probably the most visually detailed and stunning game I've ever seen. It even looks great on Performance Mode. Shit, even those unnecessary filters are pretty! Now combine this visual prowess with the bleak and difficult atmosphere of Demon's Souls, plus the insane redesigns from some creatures and NPCs, and you have yourself one of the most faithful remakes ever made.
Maybe too faithful, actually!
A few things could have changed, since remakes were supposed to improve on all things.
For example, the world tendency system is still a confusing mess, checkpoints are still annoying as hell, item descriptions could've been improved to give us a bigger sense of the lore and, DAMN... I really wanted that sixth pillar to be an ACTUAL level in the game. They could've given us that, right?
Well, you can't have everything in life...
Demon's Souls Remake is the BEST way to play a very good/very old game. Probably the best thing to spend money on, if you own a PS5. You owe it to yourself.
It's not Miyazaki's masterpiece, by any means. Far from it. But it's a hell of a good, weird and challenging ride.
Spider-Man Miles Morales is a good game. Short and sweet, while not being a major improvement over its previous entry.
One thing that I want to get out of the way first: The graphics are gorgeous! The first Spider-Man game, on base PS4, already looked amazing, but this is definitely the most significant improvement over the original. And not only it looks good, it also plays great! Swinging around the city is still a joy, the fast-paced combat system continues to excel expectations and unlockables like new suits, gadgets and skills feel very rewarding.
The story is also great. While not as involving as the original game, I felt like Miles' story is much more personal, with freedom to take the character into different and more original paths than the ones we've already seen in other Spider-Man media. Great voice performances, exciting action moments and emotional cuts make this game worth picking up.
What hurts this game, in my opinion, is the lack of novelty. A few things that I did not like in the original are still here. And since this is a much shorter experience, these things just get in the way of a great story being told.
Side quests are still repetitive, but this time they don't add anything cool to flesh out the Spider-Man mythos, like the previous game did with some of them. The lack of enemy variety is sad and in harder difficulties, they still take forever to die.
And the worst thing in the entire game: THE PUZZLES! They get old quick. Basically, they turn Miles Morales into a walking "generator energy". It's absurd!
This game is very short, so buying it at full price might not be the best idea, but if/when you do pick it up, you'll definitely have a great time, whether you're a Spider-Man fan or just a sucker for good Action Adventure games.
Now, if you've played the old one, you'll probably reach the credits with the taste of an overglorified DLC, in your mouth...
One thing that I want to get out of the way first: The graphics are gorgeous! The first Spider-Man game, on base PS4, already looked amazing, but this is definitely the most significant improvement over the original. And not only it looks good, it also plays great! Swinging around the city is still a joy, the fast-paced combat system continues to excel expectations and unlockables like new suits, gadgets and skills feel very rewarding.
The story is also great. While not as involving as the original game, I felt like Miles' story is much more personal, with freedom to take the character into different and more original paths than the ones we've already seen in other Spider-Man media. Great voice performances, exciting action moments and emotional cuts make this game worth picking up.
What hurts this game, in my opinion, is the lack of novelty. A few things that I did not like in the original are still here. And since this is a much shorter experience, these things just get in the way of a great story being told.
Side quests are still repetitive, but this time they don't add anything cool to flesh out the Spider-Man mythos, like the previous game did with some of them. The lack of enemy variety is sad and in harder difficulties, they still take forever to die.
And the worst thing in the entire game: THE PUZZLES! They get old quick. Basically, they turn Miles Morales into a walking "generator energy". It's absurd!
This game is very short, so buying it at full price might not be the best idea, but if/when you do pick it up, you'll definitely have a great time, whether you're a Spider-Man fan or just a sucker for good Action Adventure games.
Now, if you've played the old one, you'll probably reach the credits with the taste of an overglorified DLC, in your mouth...
2020
This is going to be a long one...
It's hard to describe what I felt playing this game. It's honestly not only one of the best JRPGs ever made, but also one of the best games I've ever experienced. Coming from P5, I sort of knew what to expect, at least from a gameplay perspective. And although I wasn't wrong, the time I spent with it felt much more special.
First, I want to blame Shoji Meguro for making me P4G this game so much. The soundtrack is not only 100% perfect, but it also blends extemely well with the tone of the game. Every single song fits like a glove. Whether you're dungeon crawling, maxing out social links, fighting bosses or just walking around Inaba. If the soundtrack sucked, going from one place to another to do anything in this MASSIVE RPG would be boring as hell! The soundtrack is well produced, different, creative, whimsical, ominous, sad, joyful, angry and beautiful.
After P5, I didn't think they would pull it off... But they did! Thanks, Shoji!
The gameplay is typical Persona. Max social links, fight shadows, progress the story, manage your inventory, personas and stats. It's a loop that can get very tedious if you're not invested in the characters, the setting and the story. But thanks to the AMAZING cast and some great (and kinda quirky) voice acting, I couldn't help but be sucked into my character's life. I actually cared about my party members and actually laughed with the writing. Side-characters' social links' stories were also very intesting to explore. Even school life was nice.
During dungeons, things could get a little hectic, especially since this game can get quite tough and the time limits give me an anxiety crisis. This wasn't a walk in the park like most of P5, but I loved the challenge. Exploiting enemy weaknesses and getting your party/personas tactics right for a hard boss made up for some truly captivating moments. If you've played any other Persona, you know what to expect from its gameplay. The thing is... this one feels excepcionally good to play.
As for the story: I loved it! It's slice of life done right. The murder mystery is very well done, gripping me from beginning to end, making my brain figure out every clue, motivation and explanation for the things presented in the case.
But although the crime thriller was quite fascinating, with a few unexpected twists, the core of this story is your main character and his friends. The time you spend with them is precious. You watch every character grow up. You experience their life in school, their teenage dramas, their hardest moments, romances, fights, and brightest hours. Teenage life is turned to a spectacle thanks to pacing, themes and writing. Sure, there are anime and JRPGs cliches floating around the entire game, but I'm used to it. You'll learn to love it too.
The game might be extraordinary, but it's not flawless.
Somethings feels dated. Especially if you've played Persona 5. And I'm not even talking about graphics.
The dungeons are charming, but they're not well designed at all. Infinite corridors that gets dull pretty quick. The unhealthy amount of griding you have to do in this game may also drag this it down. And the problem is that the grind here is NECESSARY! You don't get a lot of money in fights and it takes some time until you level up. It can hamper the dungeons' fun-factor. And I know it's part of the Persona experience, but goddamnit, there are MANY missable events! You can miss entire side-stories if you don't manage your time well AND know exactly what you're doing. Just getting the true ending, with the secret dungeon and all, felt completely random. THANK GOD for guides...
And last, but not least, sexualization is once again a problem. Half of Teddie and Yosuke's conversations are about women. And I know that they're adolescents, but come on! It's quite unnecessary.
Persona 4 Golden felt like a wonderful cozy and mysterious experience. Inaba's atmosphere, the perfect soundtrack, challenging gameplay and a beautiful story feels elegant and joyful. If you love RPGs and have a bunch of free time in your hands, please try this delightful game. You won't forget it that easily.
Good luck uncovering the truth.
It's hard to describe what I felt playing this game. It's honestly not only one of the best JRPGs ever made, but also one of the best games I've ever experienced. Coming from P5, I sort of knew what to expect, at least from a gameplay perspective. And although I wasn't wrong, the time I spent with it felt much more special.
First, I want to blame Shoji Meguro for making me P4G this game so much. The soundtrack is not only 100% perfect, but it also blends extemely well with the tone of the game. Every single song fits like a glove. Whether you're dungeon crawling, maxing out social links, fighting bosses or just walking around Inaba. If the soundtrack sucked, going from one place to another to do anything in this MASSIVE RPG would be boring as hell! The soundtrack is well produced, different, creative, whimsical, ominous, sad, joyful, angry and beautiful.
After P5, I didn't think they would pull it off... But they did! Thanks, Shoji!
The gameplay is typical Persona. Max social links, fight shadows, progress the story, manage your inventory, personas and stats. It's a loop that can get very tedious if you're not invested in the characters, the setting and the story. But thanks to the AMAZING cast and some great (and kinda quirky) voice acting, I couldn't help but be sucked into my character's life. I actually cared about my party members and actually laughed with the writing. Side-characters' social links' stories were also very intesting to explore. Even school life was nice.
During dungeons, things could get a little hectic, especially since this game can get quite tough and the time limits give me an anxiety crisis. This wasn't a walk in the park like most of P5, but I loved the challenge. Exploiting enemy weaknesses and getting your party/personas tactics right for a hard boss made up for some truly captivating moments. If you've played any other Persona, you know what to expect from its gameplay. The thing is... this one feels excepcionally good to play.
As for the story: I loved it! It's slice of life done right. The murder mystery is very well done, gripping me from beginning to end, making my brain figure out every clue, motivation and explanation for the things presented in the case.
But although the crime thriller was quite fascinating, with a few unexpected twists, the core of this story is your main character and his friends. The time you spend with them is precious. You watch every character grow up. You experience their life in school, their teenage dramas, their hardest moments, romances, fights, and brightest hours. Teenage life is turned to a spectacle thanks to pacing, themes and writing. Sure, there are anime and JRPGs cliches floating around the entire game, but I'm used to it. You'll learn to love it too.
The game might be extraordinary, but it's not flawless.
Somethings feels dated. Especially if you've played Persona 5. And I'm not even talking about graphics.
The dungeons are charming, but they're not well designed at all. Infinite corridors that gets dull pretty quick. The unhealthy amount of griding you have to do in this game may also drag this it down. And the problem is that the grind here is NECESSARY! You don't get a lot of money in fights and it takes some time until you level up. It can hamper the dungeons' fun-factor. And I know it's part of the Persona experience, but goddamnit, there are MANY missable events! You can miss entire side-stories if you don't manage your time well AND know exactly what you're doing. Just getting the true ending, with the secret dungeon and all, felt completely random. THANK GOD for guides...
And last, but not least, sexualization is once again a problem. Half of Teddie and Yosuke's conversations are about women. And I know that they're adolescents, but come on! It's quite unnecessary.
Persona 4 Golden felt like a wonderful cozy and mysterious experience. Inaba's atmosphere, the perfect soundtrack, challenging gameplay and a beautiful story feels elegant and joyful. If you love RPGs and have a bunch of free time in your hands, please try this delightful game. You won't forget it that easily.
Good luck uncovering the truth.
2007
The feeling of finishing Persona 3 was almost the complete opposite of finishing Persona 4. When I finished my trip in Inaba, I felt nothing but joy, but when I finally destroyed Tartarus, I felt... sad!
And that felt surprisingly good!
Persona 3 seemed like a game on the verge of something incredible. It has all the right ingredients that would eventually make the franchise stunning, but its formula was still being worked upon, at the time.
But that's not to say that the game is bad! Because it's definitely not! While P3's gameplay may feel arcaic, the story and characters shines on the entire experience. The story does take A LONG time to actually develop and the pacing of progressing/leveling up does feel a little dull, but whenever something big happens, it floored me. Every character motivation is well written, dialogues are melancholic, they make you care about each person's tale, the protagonist has an actual interesting past in comparition to P4 and P5 and the ending... MY GOD, THAT ENDING IS PERFECT! Sad, sure... But superb.
I've also noticed that leveling up your social links in this game was simpler than the others. Side characters weren't as great as seen in future games, but they were nicely done, nonetheless. The soundtrack has fewer tracks, but they're VERY memorable and good to listen to. I am a sucker for every soundtrack that Shoji Meguro touches and this is no different. It perfectly captures the sorrow and urban distress of the game, making its atmosphere uneasy and unique.
As for the dungeon crawling aspect of P3, well... I don't like it too much. Fusing personas, managing the different and creative characters, exploiting weaknesses and making your party as tactical as possible is still fun and, honestly, the saving grace of P3's dated battle nuances - but DAMN, it is bland! - I didn't think this game was harder than P4, but leveling up here is A CHORE. The dungeons design sucks, enemy variety is a joke, traversing through Tartarus breaks the story's pacing and everything feels VERY slow. And the worst of all: Grinding might be boring, but it's a necessity. If your level is low when you're near a boss or mini-boss, than get your ass down to killing some shadows IMMEDIATELY!
ALSO, I WANT TO PERSONALLY PUNCH THE DUDE(S) THAT DECIDED TO TAKE AWAY THE POSSIBILITY OF CONTROLLING YOUR PARTY MEMBERS! FUCK THIS AND FUCK THAT A.I.!
It's sad that Tartarus sucks so bad, because that's the only negative thing I can think of. If it wasn't for Tartarus, even the story and character development would feel more natural and generally faster. I'm glad Atlus improved on their dungeons. Oh, one other thing, DO NOT play The Answer! It's unbalanced, ruins a perfect story and requires EVEN MORE GRIND!
While I wouldn't recommend P3 as your first Persona or JRPG, I'd definitely recommend to any fan of the franchise and genre. Especially if you crave a good, thoughtful, bleak story and atmosphere. It filled me with joy and then broke me. I loved it, despite its gameplay hindrances!
Memento Mori, everyone.
And that felt surprisingly good!
Persona 3 seemed like a game on the verge of something incredible. It has all the right ingredients that would eventually make the franchise stunning, but its formula was still being worked upon, at the time.
But that's not to say that the game is bad! Because it's definitely not! While P3's gameplay may feel arcaic, the story and characters shines on the entire experience. The story does take A LONG time to actually develop and the pacing of progressing/leveling up does feel a little dull, but whenever something big happens, it floored me. Every character motivation is well written, dialogues are melancholic, they make you care about each person's tale, the protagonist has an actual interesting past in comparition to P4 and P5 and the ending... MY GOD, THAT ENDING IS PERFECT! Sad, sure... But superb.
I've also noticed that leveling up your social links in this game was simpler than the others. Side characters weren't as great as seen in future games, but they were nicely done, nonetheless. The soundtrack has fewer tracks, but they're VERY memorable and good to listen to. I am a sucker for every soundtrack that Shoji Meguro touches and this is no different. It perfectly captures the sorrow and urban distress of the game, making its atmosphere uneasy and unique.
As for the dungeon crawling aspect of P3, well... I don't like it too much. Fusing personas, managing the different and creative characters, exploiting weaknesses and making your party as tactical as possible is still fun and, honestly, the saving grace of P3's dated battle nuances - but DAMN, it is bland! - I didn't think this game was harder than P4, but leveling up here is A CHORE. The dungeons design sucks, enemy variety is a joke, traversing through Tartarus breaks the story's pacing and everything feels VERY slow. And the worst of all: Grinding might be boring, but it's a necessity. If your level is low when you're near a boss or mini-boss, than get your ass down to killing some shadows IMMEDIATELY!
ALSO, I WANT TO PERSONALLY PUNCH THE DUDE(S) THAT DECIDED TO TAKE AWAY THE POSSIBILITY OF CONTROLLING YOUR PARTY MEMBERS! FUCK THIS AND FUCK THAT A.I.!
It's sad that Tartarus sucks so bad, because that's the only negative thing I can think of. If it wasn't for Tartarus, even the story and character development would feel more natural and generally faster. I'm glad Atlus improved on their dungeons. Oh, one other thing, DO NOT play The Answer! It's unbalanced, ruins a perfect story and requires EVEN MORE GRIND!
While I wouldn't recommend P3 as your first Persona or JRPG, I'd definitely recommend to any fan of the franchise and genre. Especially if you crave a good, thoughtful, bleak story and atmosphere. It filled me with joy and then broke me. I loved it, despite its gameplay hindrances!
Memento Mori, everyone.
I have very few pleasant words for Assassin's Creed Valhalla. I simply disliked the game.
There are many reasons why I think this game is mediocre, but I'll start with what I liked about it.
First, the story. Eivor's tale was what kept me going through the game. If it wasn't for this story filled with good characters, well-written dialogues, action-packed moments, twists and turns, I would've abandoned this game. The ending is pretty lackluster and the credits doesn't even roll, but the journey told here was incredible.
One other thing that impressed me was the combat. At first, I found it very stiff and basic, but as the game progresses it gets better, more visceral and entertaining. Also, the boss battles make up for some really fun fights.
Other than those two key points that made me stay withstand this game for 80 hours, I also want to give praise to the STUNNING graphics, the very unique and quite original sidequests that made me laugh or got me invested and the soundtrack, which isn't anything special, but did a good job nonetheless.
As for Valhalla's missteps, well... It's everything else!
What bothered me the most in this game was the sheer amount of bugs. Game-breaking bugs, quest-hindering bugs, immersion-shattering bug... you name it. I had to restart the game several times due to some gruesome experiences. It was not good.
The fact that the game is bloated as hell also does not help at all. The maps are beautiful, sure (especially Asgard), but it's unnecessarily big, filled with unrewarding treasure hunting and some annoying mini-games like stacking up rocks on top of each other. Most of the puzzles revolved around getting inside a house locked by a hidden key or blocked from the inside and that got old VERY QUICK! Also, the "Find and Speak" quests made little sense to me. If everything else points me in a direction in this game, why would you waste my time with petty chasing??
There were many other reasons why I had a hard time having fun here, like the aforementioned tasteless ending to a fantastic story, the movement being EXTREMELY unyielding, tiresome level grinding, repetitive environments, useless abilities and etc.
Valhalla isn't bad, it's just overly unexceptional. Few and far between were my moments of fun.
I do not recommend this game at all. Maybe if you're a fan of the series, since the story and its combat are the only two things that matters here.
There are many reasons why I think this game is mediocre, but I'll start with what I liked about it.
First, the story. Eivor's tale was what kept me going through the game. If it wasn't for this story filled with good characters, well-written dialogues, action-packed moments, twists and turns, I would've abandoned this game. The ending is pretty lackluster and the credits doesn't even roll, but the journey told here was incredible.
One other thing that impressed me was the combat. At first, I found it very stiff and basic, but as the game progresses it gets better, more visceral and entertaining. Also, the boss battles make up for some really fun fights.
Other than those two key points that made me stay withstand this game for 80 hours, I also want to give praise to the STUNNING graphics, the very unique and quite original sidequests that made me laugh or got me invested and the soundtrack, which isn't anything special, but did a good job nonetheless.
As for Valhalla's missteps, well... It's everything else!
What bothered me the most in this game was the sheer amount of bugs. Game-breaking bugs, quest-hindering bugs, immersion-shattering bug... you name it. I had to restart the game several times due to some gruesome experiences. It was not good.
The fact that the game is bloated as hell also does not help at all. The maps are beautiful, sure (especially Asgard), but it's unnecessarily big, filled with unrewarding treasure hunting and some annoying mini-games like stacking up rocks on top of each other. Most of the puzzles revolved around getting inside a house locked by a hidden key or blocked from the inside and that got old VERY QUICK! Also, the "Find and Speak" quests made little sense to me. If everything else points me in a direction in this game, why would you waste my time with petty chasing??
There were many other reasons why I had a hard time having fun here, like the aforementioned tasteless ending to a fantastic story, the movement being EXTREMELY unyielding, tiresome level grinding, repetitive environments, useless abilities and etc.
Valhalla isn't bad, it's just overly unexceptional. Few and far between were my moments of fun.
I do not recommend this game at all. Maybe if you're a fan of the series, since the story and its combat are the only two things that matters here.
While definitely not perfect, Shin Megami Tensei IV is probably one of the most addictive jrpgs I've ever played.
The art style alone made me immerse myself into this bleak world of demons and play the game for about 60 hours. Chracters might not be well developed, but they're unquestionably well-designed. The same can be said about the demons, but on a much bigger scale. Each demon is unique and intriguing enough so you'll never get enough of collecting and fusing them. I've wasted countless hours checking their stats, playing with the fusion network, reading their descriptions. I couldn't get tired of it.
One other thing that kept me glued to the game was the combat. The famous SMT press turn system is incredible. Finding enemies' weaknesses feels rewarding as hell and making sure that your character and demons are well-protected and well-prepared doesn't feel at all like a chore, it's actually entertaining. Part of why the battles work so well is likely due to how fast-paced, fun and challenging they are. As for the story, well... It's good. Its semi-minimalistic approach does handle well the ending for each route. It's just not AMAZING. But it does carry an intense and dense atmosphere, touching on some interesting themes and expanding the post-apocalyptic world more and more as it progresses. It's just sad that main and supporting characters are somewhat forgettable.
As for the icing on the cake, it has to be the soundtrack. It's simply nostalgic and astonishing. Completely matching the game's mood, hyping some exciting (or gloomy) moments and providing some bonafide tracks. If Shin Megami Tensei IV were an album only, no game included, I'd still love it.
But SMTIV isn't without its shortcomings. I've encountered BIG issues here.
First and foremost: Every map in this game sucks! Traversing through Tokyo is the worst part in the game. The overworld map is weird, slow confusing and extremely unintuitive. The same goes for the dungeons. They're repetitive, wonky and lazy. Thank god for the art direction, because the environments and directions presented are horrible. The entire game, no matter which route you choose, screams AIMLESS. And that's a huge problem! It's such a huge design flaw that it ended up hindering a chunk of my experience with the story and my progression, in general.
Another extreme nuisance for me was the negotiation system. Again: Aimless! It's purely luck-based and let me tell you that luck isn't at your side at all in this game. One pure example for this is the vastly exaggerated difficulty right at beginning. It's brutal! And yes, it does get easier after you take down the Minotaur, but why the fuck make the TUTORIAL area so unbearable? Makes no sense... The last problem lies in the Challenge Quests. They're just... boring. While some of the challenges actually matter, most of them are useless and unrewarding. And if you're somehow stuck in the neutral route, boy... Good luck getting the 1st place in the hunter board. It's a slog!
All in all, Shin Megami Tensei IV is an underrated gem on the 3DS. An addictive experience, with an interesting story and an amazing battle system.
The game's mistakes are undeniably ruthless and irritating, but if you manage to get through them, you'll find a very good jrpg to play for a long while.
The art style alone made me immerse myself into this bleak world of demons and play the game for about 60 hours. Chracters might not be well developed, but they're unquestionably well-designed. The same can be said about the demons, but on a much bigger scale. Each demon is unique and intriguing enough so you'll never get enough of collecting and fusing them. I've wasted countless hours checking their stats, playing with the fusion network, reading their descriptions. I couldn't get tired of it.
One other thing that kept me glued to the game was the combat. The famous SMT press turn system is incredible. Finding enemies' weaknesses feels rewarding as hell and making sure that your character and demons are well-protected and well-prepared doesn't feel at all like a chore, it's actually entertaining. Part of why the battles work so well is likely due to how fast-paced, fun and challenging they are. As for the story, well... It's good. Its semi-minimalistic approach does handle well the ending for each route. It's just not AMAZING. But it does carry an intense and dense atmosphere, touching on some interesting themes and expanding the post-apocalyptic world more and more as it progresses. It's just sad that main and supporting characters are somewhat forgettable.
As for the icing on the cake, it has to be the soundtrack. It's simply nostalgic and astonishing. Completely matching the game's mood, hyping some exciting (or gloomy) moments and providing some bonafide tracks. If Shin Megami Tensei IV were an album only, no game included, I'd still love it.
But SMTIV isn't without its shortcomings. I've encountered BIG issues here.
First and foremost: Every map in this game sucks! Traversing through Tokyo is the worst part in the game. The overworld map is weird, slow confusing and extremely unintuitive. The same goes for the dungeons. They're repetitive, wonky and lazy. Thank god for the art direction, because the environments and directions presented are horrible. The entire game, no matter which route you choose, screams AIMLESS. And that's a huge problem! It's such a huge design flaw that it ended up hindering a chunk of my experience with the story and my progression, in general.
Another extreme nuisance for me was the negotiation system. Again: Aimless! It's purely luck-based and let me tell you that luck isn't at your side at all in this game. One pure example for this is the vastly exaggerated difficulty right at beginning. It's brutal! And yes, it does get easier after you take down the Minotaur, but why the fuck make the TUTORIAL area so unbearable? Makes no sense... The last problem lies in the Challenge Quests. They're just... boring. While some of the challenges actually matter, most of them are useless and unrewarding. And if you're somehow stuck in the neutral route, boy... Good luck getting the 1st place in the hunter board. It's a slog!
All in all, Shin Megami Tensei IV is an underrated gem on the 3DS. An addictive experience, with an interesting story and an amazing battle system.
The game's mistakes are undeniably ruthless and irritating, but if you manage to get through them, you'll find a very good jrpg to play for a long while.
2001
This is the 2nd Shadow Hearts that I've played. Since the internet has nothing but praise to this hidden gem on the PS2, I had high hopes for it. In the end, what I found was a game with nothing but unique mediocre experiences.
At first, I was really enjoying Shadow Hearts. It is a traditional JRPG that wears its inspirations on its sleeves and I appreciate it for this. The battle system is quite unique and keeps you on your toes. It's not perfect and it can get old pretty quick, but it kept me interested for the most part. The presentation is quite simple, but somewhat familiar, which kinda made me feel at home. There's also a nice amount of challenging and fair fights which, despite some weird unbalanced difficulty spikes during boss duels, made me constantly strategize my next moves.
The atmosphere is probably one of the best things in the game. The whole tone and story can get very dark and, at times, even creepy. Whether you're in dungeons, cities or doing sidequests, the music is unsettling and the feeling is moody. There's even a place called Dollhouse that made it feel a lot like I was playing an RPG version of the first Resident Evil. Sidequests felt a litte short (which is not exactly bad), but they were nice, expanding a bit more on characters like Keith and Margarette, while also establishing some world-building.
It's just sad that this feeling of joy didn't last very long. The battle system got dull. The enemy variety is nothing but the same 10 monsters with their color palette swapped, the music became repetitive and not at all memorable, characters just never developed and the writing is bad!
I know that the battle system is cool and all, but did EVERYTHING in the game have to revolve around the ring mechanic? Puzzles, item usage, getting discounts on shops and even reviving a fallen character. And did it have to be this punishing? That definitely did not help when it comes to variety.
Some other mechanics in the system felt unnecessary. Did we really need to keep quieting Malice? Did we really need sanity points? Did we need acunpuncture or the graveyard at all? The feeling I got from all of it was that the game's mechanics were there just to fuck with you, not to create a decent gameplay experience.
And what's up with the story? The writing starts off ok, but it get super tiresome, with some rather uninteresting plot points and "turns". I couldn't care less about half of the things that happened after we left Asia and I couldn't care about ANY character in the game.
I just cannot recommend this game. It's not bad, but it screams mediocrity and boredom.
It's nice that it brought a different type of element to a traditional genre, and it's also good that it was the beginning of a fine trilogy, but it's certainly not special.
At first, I was really enjoying Shadow Hearts. It is a traditional JRPG that wears its inspirations on its sleeves and I appreciate it for this. The battle system is quite unique and keeps you on your toes. It's not perfect and it can get old pretty quick, but it kept me interested for the most part. The presentation is quite simple, but somewhat familiar, which kinda made me feel at home. There's also a nice amount of challenging and fair fights which, despite some weird unbalanced difficulty spikes during boss duels, made me constantly strategize my next moves.
The atmosphere is probably one of the best things in the game. The whole tone and story can get very dark and, at times, even creepy. Whether you're in dungeons, cities or doing sidequests, the music is unsettling and the feeling is moody. There's even a place called Dollhouse that made it feel a lot like I was playing an RPG version of the first Resident Evil. Sidequests felt a litte short (which is not exactly bad), but they were nice, expanding a bit more on characters like Keith and Margarette, while also establishing some world-building.
It's just sad that this feeling of joy didn't last very long. The battle system got dull. The enemy variety is nothing but the same 10 monsters with their color palette swapped, the music became repetitive and not at all memorable, characters just never developed and the writing is bad!
I know that the battle system is cool and all, but did EVERYTHING in the game have to revolve around the ring mechanic? Puzzles, item usage, getting discounts on shops and even reviving a fallen character. And did it have to be this punishing? That definitely did not help when it comes to variety.
Some other mechanics in the system felt unnecessary. Did we really need to keep quieting Malice? Did we really need sanity points? Did we need acunpuncture or the graveyard at all? The feeling I got from all of it was that the game's mechanics were there just to fuck with you, not to create a decent gameplay experience.
And what's up with the story? The writing starts off ok, but it get super tiresome, with some rather uninteresting plot points and "turns". I couldn't care less about half of the things that happened after we left Asia and I couldn't care about ANY character in the game.
I just cannot recommend this game. It's not bad, but it screams mediocrity and boredom.
It's nice that it brought a different type of element to a traditional genre, and it's also good that it was the beginning of a fine trilogy, but it's certainly not special.
2007
I don't even know what to write about No More Heroes, but I'd like to say that I truly loved it. It might tread a thin line when it comes to its humor, but I can't deny that I had a smile on my face throughout the whole game.
I was bit apprehensive before playing this game. I knew it was a beloved game, but just I HATE gyro controls. Well, I'm happy to report that the controls work just fine. They might be clunky, at times, but they're fun as hell. The combat in this game is fast, aggressive, responsive, impactful and well done. I didn't mind hacking and slashing my way through thousands of repetitive enemies and somewhat bland environments simply due to how FUN it is to play No More Heroes.
The golden coin of the combat system goes for the bosses. I have a feeling that if this were a boss rush, it could've been an even better experience. Every boss is well designed, amazingly presented, unique, challenging and entertaining. It was a joy to figure out their patterns and quirks. Quite a special feeling.
The story can be very nonsensical, but, again, just pure FUN. It made me interested to see where it was going and how unpredictable it could get. Characters were colorful, eccentric and extremely creative. The writing is definitely shallow, but the visual spectacle and the comic book atmosphere you get makes up for it. I might be wrong, but the whole tale just had this Kill Bill vibe that sucked me into it. The humor was also a nice surprise.
My complaints with No More Heroes are all on the techinical side.
Framerate drops in games usually don't bother me, but they definitely did hurt me here. I know that they went for the Simpsons Hit & Run way of creating a semi-open world map, but I don't think it worked very well. Driving your motorcycle feels very clunky and the streets just aren't interesting enough. Most mini-games can be fun on the first time, but having to repeat them over and over in order to get money makes it tiresome. Were those things really necessary? Why not make it a more brief and concise game?
And why the hell are there only, like, 10 songs in this soundtrack??? And they're not even very good! As for the story and main battle mechanics: The combat is VERY fun, but not very polished and although I liked the story and appreciate it for not taking itself seriously, that real ending was awful.
Overall, No More Heroes might be the best experience I've had on the Wii, so far. Fun, fast, bloody and creative. I'm not sure how it plays on other platforms, but I can't recommend it enough, no matter where you taste it.
I was bit apprehensive before playing this game. I knew it was a beloved game, but just I HATE gyro controls. Well, I'm happy to report that the controls work just fine. They might be clunky, at times, but they're fun as hell. The combat in this game is fast, aggressive, responsive, impactful and well done. I didn't mind hacking and slashing my way through thousands of repetitive enemies and somewhat bland environments simply due to how FUN it is to play No More Heroes.
The golden coin of the combat system goes for the bosses. I have a feeling that if this were a boss rush, it could've been an even better experience. Every boss is well designed, amazingly presented, unique, challenging and entertaining. It was a joy to figure out their patterns and quirks. Quite a special feeling.
The story can be very nonsensical, but, again, just pure FUN. It made me interested to see where it was going and how unpredictable it could get. Characters were colorful, eccentric and extremely creative. The writing is definitely shallow, but the visual spectacle and the comic book atmosphere you get makes up for it. I might be wrong, but the whole tale just had this Kill Bill vibe that sucked me into it. The humor was also a nice surprise.
My complaints with No More Heroes are all on the techinical side.
Framerate drops in games usually don't bother me, but they definitely did hurt me here. I know that they went for the Simpsons Hit & Run way of creating a semi-open world map, but I don't think it worked very well. Driving your motorcycle feels very clunky and the streets just aren't interesting enough. Most mini-games can be fun on the first time, but having to repeat them over and over in order to get money makes it tiresome. Were those things really necessary? Why not make it a more brief and concise game?
And why the hell are there only, like, 10 songs in this soundtrack??? And they're not even very good! As for the story and main battle mechanics: The combat is VERY fun, but not very polished and although I liked the story and appreciate it for not taking itself seriously, that real ending was awful.
Overall, No More Heroes might be the best experience I've had on the Wii, so far. Fun, fast, bloody and creative. I'm not sure how it plays on other platforms, but I can't recommend it enough, no matter where you taste it.
I have to be honest - I did not like this game so much. This is only the second game in the franchise the I've ever played, but Path of Radiance kinda got me a little disappointed.
First, the good things. The glue that holds it all together IS the combat system. The true meat of the game! Strategizing your units, taking advantage of the amazing and well-designed maps, leveling up, changing classes, getting to know characters, recruiting, losing members and etc. When it comes to what was supposed to be the basic in a tactical game, Path of Radiance is great! I had a lot of fun with it! When things work out or when you know exactly what went wrong with your strategy, that's when the game shines.
The story is alright. I liked it, but it took me several chapters to actually get a grasp of it as a whole. Things are just thrown at you. Not not just 'things', 'THINGS' are thrown at you! The pinnacle of TMI! I'm glad there were some actually interesting characters and story development, but it was all VERY slow. I blame the story flaws in the tedious writing. But, still, not a bad story. Especially when you're getting close to the end - That's when it gets GOOD!
But that's about all I actually liked about in Path of Radiance. Sure, it's basically the core of the experience, but the game lacks in so many other aspects!
The presentation, for example, it's so bad, it's offensive! This game could've been a SNES game! To me, that hurt a HUGE part of the experience. The soundtrack sounded bad, the storytelling felt stiff, the artstyle was weird and everything else seemed too archaic. And although I liked the fact that the game focuses mainly on the main story, without any sidequests or unnecessary detours, THIS TIME I missed it. See, depending on the way (and difficulty) you play, Path of Radiance can be extremely punishing and there's no extra way to grind or get a bit stronger. Some bonus exp or character recruitment requirements are never actually explained to you, so you're left in the dark, with whatever you make out of its gameplay. It also doesn't help that most units are USELESS! Their resistances/defenses are made of PAPER and their attack power can be quite low. Good luck on the field, with your 11 characters vs 22 enemies and a one-shot freak of a boss!
Add that to the preposterous permadeath system and you have a mediocre way to challenge the player, instead of actually teaching them how to get better and giving them means to it. You're basically on your own and you don't have much else to do.
Maybe my hype for this game was too big. But I'm not to blame here, since EVERYBODY LOVES Path of Radiance. I had my share of fun during battles, yes, but found no love overall, only frustration.
I don't recommend this game, unless you're an ultimate sucker for the genre and the franchise.
First, the good things. The glue that holds it all together IS the combat system. The true meat of the game! Strategizing your units, taking advantage of the amazing and well-designed maps, leveling up, changing classes, getting to know characters, recruiting, losing members and etc. When it comes to what was supposed to be the basic in a tactical game, Path of Radiance is great! I had a lot of fun with it! When things work out or when you know exactly what went wrong with your strategy, that's when the game shines.
The story is alright. I liked it, but it took me several chapters to actually get a grasp of it as a whole. Things are just thrown at you. Not not just 'things', 'THINGS' are thrown at you! The pinnacle of TMI! I'm glad there were some actually interesting characters and story development, but it was all VERY slow. I blame the story flaws in the tedious writing. But, still, not a bad story. Especially when you're getting close to the end - That's when it gets GOOD!
But that's about all I actually liked about in Path of Radiance. Sure, it's basically the core of the experience, but the game lacks in so many other aspects!
The presentation, for example, it's so bad, it's offensive! This game could've been a SNES game! To me, that hurt a HUGE part of the experience. The soundtrack sounded bad, the storytelling felt stiff, the artstyle was weird and everything else seemed too archaic. And although I liked the fact that the game focuses mainly on the main story, without any sidequests or unnecessary detours, THIS TIME I missed it. See, depending on the way (and difficulty) you play, Path of Radiance can be extremely punishing and there's no extra way to grind or get a bit stronger. Some bonus exp or character recruitment requirements are never actually explained to you, so you're left in the dark, with whatever you make out of its gameplay. It also doesn't help that most units are USELESS! Their resistances/defenses are made of PAPER and their attack power can be quite low. Good luck on the field, with your 11 characters vs 22 enemies and a one-shot freak of a boss!
Add that to the preposterous permadeath system and you have a mediocre way to challenge the player, instead of actually teaching them how to get better and giving them means to it. You're basically on your own and you don't have much else to do.
Maybe my hype for this game was too big. But I'm not to blame here, since EVERYBODY LOVES Path of Radiance. I had my share of fun during battles, yes, but found no love overall, only frustration.
I don't recommend this game, unless you're an ultimate sucker for the genre and the franchise.
2020
Persona 5 Strikers surprised me from the start.
I had a completely different P5S in mind before I actually played the game. To me, it was going to function like most other musou-style crossover games do, but it went beyond that. In the end, Strikers felt like a very good Persona game, but not a great musou game.
P5S made me feel at home from the get-go.
The game oozes style right from the starting menu until the credits roll, just like its predecessor. The soundtrack mostly reuses songs from the previous game and that would've been fine on its own, since that OST is perfect, but they made new songs that are just as amazing. Graphics are also nice. Although the Persona series isn't a looker when it comes to graphics, it impressed me how smooth the game runs. It impressed me even more to imagine it running on the Switch. Mix that with how stylish the game is and you got yourself an unique aesthetic experience.
The cities you visit also contribute to, not only the look of the game, but to the pacing. Cities like Osaka and Okinaway actually feel real and compelling. Although they are mostly for show, the change of scenery is welcome. I wish I could say the same for the Jails, though. They're cool, especially the challenging bosses, but they can take quite a while to complete. And that makes it sort of repetitive, to an extente.
Another aspect from P5S that surprised me was the story and how long it is. I was definitely not expecting a story-heavy musou game. Especially one that took me 50 hours to complete. The writing and pacing sure wasn't as good as P5, but it was interesting, packing good moments and an emotional ending. It aslo blended naturally with the events of the "first" game. Zenkichi and Sophia were great additions to the team, and the villains were also pretty cool, adding weight to the tale.
Now, for the meat of the game: the combat! This is a musou-style crossover, after all. I have to say that, at first, I was overwhelmed with the amount of things happening on the screen and the amount of things you had to pay attention to and quickly manage mid-battle. Honestly, it didn't feel like a proper musou game to me. It plays more like an action-RPG. A good one, but not exactly what I signed up for.
When you actually GET what the game demands of you and pull off crazy combos while exploiting weaknesses, it does become much better, but it just feels like something's missing. Everything is thrown at you, the screen gets crowded quickly, SP shouldn't be an issue but it is, the tutorial is jarring as hell, buffs and debuffs feel a little useless at times and the camera can go insane.
Don't get me wrong, it's not bad at all! It's just too intricate for this type of game. I also feel like the game outstays its welcome a little bit. I blame that on the amount of useless shops around its beautiful towns and the completely dull and tiresome requests that you can take. Oh, and if you're playing on hard, prepare to grind. Not a boring grind, but grind nonetheless...
Strikers is a good game!
A good Persona game, with a rather confounded musou-style approach that succeeds at times, but fails a lot too. If you miss the Phantom Thieves, you'll be surprised when you pick this up. But if you're here for another Samurai Warriors experience, I'd maybe look elsewhere.
I had a completely different P5S in mind before I actually played the game. To me, it was going to function like most other musou-style crossover games do, but it went beyond that. In the end, Strikers felt like a very good Persona game, but not a great musou game.
P5S made me feel at home from the get-go.
The game oozes style right from the starting menu until the credits roll, just like its predecessor. The soundtrack mostly reuses songs from the previous game and that would've been fine on its own, since that OST is perfect, but they made new songs that are just as amazing. Graphics are also nice. Although the Persona series isn't a looker when it comes to graphics, it impressed me how smooth the game runs. It impressed me even more to imagine it running on the Switch. Mix that with how stylish the game is and you got yourself an unique aesthetic experience.
The cities you visit also contribute to, not only the look of the game, but to the pacing. Cities like Osaka and Okinaway actually feel real and compelling. Although they are mostly for show, the change of scenery is welcome. I wish I could say the same for the Jails, though. They're cool, especially the challenging bosses, but they can take quite a while to complete. And that makes it sort of repetitive, to an extente.
Another aspect from P5S that surprised me was the story and how long it is. I was definitely not expecting a story-heavy musou game. Especially one that took me 50 hours to complete. The writing and pacing sure wasn't as good as P5, but it was interesting, packing good moments and an emotional ending. It aslo blended naturally with the events of the "first" game. Zenkichi and Sophia were great additions to the team, and the villains were also pretty cool, adding weight to the tale.
Now, for the meat of the game: the combat! This is a musou-style crossover, after all. I have to say that, at first, I was overwhelmed with the amount of things happening on the screen and the amount of things you had to pay attention to and quickly manage mid-battle. Honestly, it didn't feel like a proper musou game to me. It plays more like an action-RPG. A good one, but not exactly what I signed up for.
When you actually GET what the game demands of you and pull off crazy combos while exploiting weaknesses, it does become much better, but it just feels like something's missing. Everything is thrown at you, the screen gets crowded quickly, SP shouldn't be an issue but it is, the tutorial is jarring as hell, buffs and debuffs feel a little useless at times and the camera can go insane.
Don't get me wrong, it's not bad at all! It's just too intricate for this type of game. I also feel like the game outstays its welcome a little bit. I blame that on the amount of useless shops around its beautiful towns and the completely dull and tiresome requests that you can take. Oh, and if you're playing on hard, prepare to grind. Not a boring grind, but grind nonetheless...
Strikers is a good game!
A good Persona game, with a rather confounded musou-style approach that succeeds at times, but fails a lot too. If you miss the Phantom Thieves, you'll be surprised when you pick this up. But if you're here for another Samurai Warriors experience, I'd maybe look elsewhere.
I have A LOT to say about this one, but I'ill get one thing out of the way already: I fucking loved it! While I don't think it's better than RE7, I do think that Village was bold enough to come close.
The two first things that astounded me when I pressed start on this title were the graphics and sound design. Capcom nailed it AGAIN with the RE Engine, as they have been hitting the perfect spots since 2017. The soundtrack might not be very memorable, but the haunting sounds and imagery of the village will forever stick with me.
After being in awe with Village's incredible presentation and set-up, I fell in love with the gameplay. Yes, the similarities with RE4 are all there, from gameplay, to pacing, mechanics and even story bits, but the biggest comparison should be done with RE7. Basically, RE8 carries over its previous installment's gameplay, but perfects it. Every addition made to the gameplay loop worked perfectly. Ethan moves better, aims better, the Duke is not only a great character but also a fantastic shopkeeper, the ingredients system keeps you invested and everything else was well-developed in order to make the exploration and combat feel joyful to play. And they did it.
And not only exploration and combat were tweaked for the better, but puzzle solving too! Each puzzle feels light and not frustrating at all. Backtracking is rarely a chore and the interconnected levels are brilliant. I love this soft-puzzle-solving approach that Capcom has been taking the RE series and I hope they keep it up. One other thing, this game was the easiest Resident Evil that I've played in a long while and while I don't think that this is objectively bad at all, I do recommend playing on harder difficulties if you enjoy the "survival horror" challenge.
Village's atmosphere is also one of the main things that kept me hooked. I felt that, like RE4 did in the past, RE8 manages to perfectly balance horror and action moments. Things get a little out of hand during the final hour, but it never felt out truly of place. Sure, it's not as scary as RE7 or RE2REMAKE, but it DEFINITELY kept me on edge and tense throughout the entire experience. Fuck that Beneviento bitch!
And the story: I also loved it! Probably one of the craziest stories told in an RE game. Ethan, his family and even Chris are way more fleshed out than in RE7, and not only that, but the main cast is presented along with plenty stunning supporting characters. The Duke, Dimitrescu and her daughters, Heinsenberg, Miranda, Beneviento, Moreau and even Chris' goons or the poor villagers - they're all great! Each area of the game is varied enough and fits perfectly with each villain. Environmental storytelling, packed with the stunning level design, was key to make it all work. Nothing felt out of place and the story benefits greatly from that. From beginning to end. It's surprise on top of surprise. And better yet - most of them were written pretty well!
Few things prevent this game from being the masterpiece that RE7 was. I'll be brief. The thing that most bothered me is how little the story showcases its biggest strenghts. Despite being very good, Village has TOO MANY good things to show, and they do show them, but not for long! I just wish they expanded more about characters and the village itself. Especially during the final moments of the game. Village didn't need to be longer, just... a bit broader? The story also had the weirdest post-credits scene. If it wasn't for that, everything would fit naturally. In my opinion, RE8 did little when they had a lot and RE7 did the opposite, which worked better.
Gameplay-wise, I didn't like the amount of missable items and areas. I mean, yes, if you miss them, it's your fault, but I wish there were indications about missing them other than the map. And while the bosses were mostly very good, one of them felt a little too.... anime? Also, the final hour of the game is TOO fast-paced. It does answer plenty of questions, but they say goodbye to the scary atmosphere and hello to FIRST PERSON SHOOTER. I didn't like that very much. Oh, the Mercenaries mode! It felt ok, but not as fun as in RE4 or RE5. Shame, though.
I could spend hours talking about Resident Evil Village. It truly is an amazing game, with a few minor issues here and there. Thank you for this game Capcom. Just give them your money, whether you're a survival horror fan or an action shooter freak.
Now give us RE9, already.
The two first things that astounded me when I pressed start on this title were the graphics and sound design. Capcom nailed it AGAIN with the RE Engine, as they have been hitting the perfect spots since 2017. The soundtrack might not be very memorable, but the haunting sounds and imagery of the village will forever stick with me.
After being in awe with Village's incredible presentation and set-up, I fell in love with the gameplay. Yes, the similarities with RE4 are all there, from gameplay, to pacing, mechanics and even story bits, but the biggest comparison should be done with RE7. Basically, RE8 carries over its previous installment's gameplay, but perfects it. Every addition made to the gameplay loop worked perfectly. Ethan moves better, aims better, the Duke is not only a great character but also a fantastic shopkeeper, the ingredients system keeps you invested and everything else was well-developed in order to make the exploration and combat feel joyful to play. And they did it.
And not only exploration and combat were tweaked for the better, but puzzle solving too! Each puzzle feels light and not frustrating at all. Backtracking is rarely a chore and the interconnected levels are brilliant. I love this soft-puzzle-solving approach that Capcom has been taking the RE series and I hope they keep it up. One other thing, this game was the easiest Resident Evil that I've played in a long while and while I don't think that this is objectively bad at all, I do recommend playing on harder difficulties if you enjoy the "survival horror" challenge.
Village's atmosphere is also one of the main things that kept me hooked. I felt that, like RE4 did in the past, RE8 manages to perfectly balance horror and action moments. Things get a little out of hand during the final hour, but it never felt out truly of place. Sure, it's not as scary as RE7 or RE2REMAKE, but it DEFINITELY kept me on edge and tense throughout the entire experience. Fuck that Beneviento bitch!
And the story: I also loved it! Probably one of the craziest stories told in an RE game. Ethan, his family and even Chris are way more fleshed out than in RE7, and not only that, but the main cast is presented along with plenty stunning supporting characters. The Duke, Dimitrescu and her daughters, Heinsenberg, Miranda, Beneviento, Moreau and even Chris' goons or the poor villagers - they're all great! Each area of the game is varied enough and fits perfectly with each villain. Environmental storytelling, packed with the stunning level design, was key to make it all work. Nothing felt out of place and the story benefits greatly from that. From beginning to end. It's surprise on top of surprise. And better yet - most of them were written pretty well!
Few things prevent this game from being the masterpiece that RE7 was. I'll be brief. The thing that most bothered me is how little the story showcases its biggest strenghts. Despite being very good, Village has TOO MANY good things to show, and they do show them, but not for long! I just wish they expanded more about characters and the village itself. Especially during the final moments of the game. Village didn't need to be longer, just... a bit broader? The story also had the weirdest post-credits scene. If it wasn't for that, everything would fit naturally. In my opinion, RE8 did little when they had a lot and RE7 did the opposite, which worked better.
Gameplay-wise, I didn't like the amount of missable items and areas. I mean, yes, if you miss them, it's your fault, but I wish there were indications about missing them other than the map. And while the bosses were mostly very good, one of them felt a little too.... anime? Also, the final hour of the game is TOO fast-paced. It does answer plenty of questions, but they say goodbye to the scary atmosphere and hello to FIRST PERSON SHOOTER. I didn't like that very much. Oh, the Mercenaries mode! It felt ok, but not as fun as in RE4 or RE5. Shame, though.
I could spend hours talking about Resident Evil Village. It truly is an amazing game, with a few minor issues here and there. Thank you for this game Capcom. Just give them your money, whether you're a survival horror fan or an action shooter freak.
Now give us RE9, already.
2021
Returnal had a weird effect on me.
While I did have a fantastic time with it, it was also one of my most frustrating experiences of the year.
And while it may seem like I'm fighting against the game's own nature (which I kind of am), I have to say that this very good game would've been even better if it wasn't a roguelike.
One thing that I have to highly praise Returnal is its gameplay. It's just superb. Probably one of the main reasons you'll keep going back to it, even if it annoys you're brains out. Shooting, running, dashing, traversing through areas feels fast and great thanks to the game's sleek mobility. Control scheme is also perfection, which helps to boost fun-factor. And I won't even go into details about how well the dualsense enriches Selene's journey.
Oh and the boss fights... They'll keep your adrenaline high, but they're incredible! Graphics are also stunning. The amount of (beautiful) things on screen is crazy and marvelous. It's basically bullet hell shooter orgasm. The whole presentation is done well. It might seem a bit too much at first, but once you get it, it stays with you. Even the environments, which at first seemed repetitive, but they grew on me.
As for the story, I do admit that the ending sucks (both of them), but up until that point, it managed to keep me interested. Sure, it's minimalistic and very cryptic, but the atmosphere created by the whole 'death and ressurection in Atropos' thing was interesting. The mystery is there and pulls you in, even if your anger is telling you to stop playing.
Ok, now I have to say this: This game shouldn't be a roguelike.
Although I loved playing it, I didn't exactly have a great time experiencing it. I blame it on how Returnal approached the genre.
Each run took too long, even if you were lucky. Enemies did MAJOR damage out of nowhere and without any reason. Shortcuts were necessary, but they're almost nonexistent here. Weapon variety is good, but not all of them are actually useful. Every single item HAVE to be huge gambit. And all that packed with a very bad ending that just ruins the terrific sense of accomplishment given by the gameplay.
Returnal just feels overly unbalanced, most of the time. It's as if the RNG hates you 24/7. Mechanics are more often trying to frustate you instead of helping. You can see that in the amount of permanent power ups or skills you get - almost nothing! Just a few concerning traversing each level!
This game could've been so much better than it is.
Returnal is by no means a bad game. I did love playing it. But I'm not sure if I'd recommend it to anyone, even if you're a fan of the genre.
I had a great time, but also a major headache.
While I did have a fantastic time with it, it was also one of my most frustrating experiences of the year.
And while it may seem like I'm fighting against the game's own nature (which I kind of am), I have to say that this very good game would've been even better if it wasn't a roguelike.
One thing that I have to highly praise Returnal is its gameplay. It's just superb. Probably one of the main reasons you'll keep going back to it, even if it annoys you're brains out. Shooting, running, dashing, traversing through areas feels fast and great thanks to the game's sleek mobility. Control scheme is also perfection, which helps to boost fun-factor. And I won't even go into details about how well the dualsense enriches Selene's journey.
Oh and the boss fights... They'll keep your adrenaline high, but they're incredible! Graphics are also stunning. The amount of (beautiful) things on screen is crazy and marvelous. It's basically bullet hell shooter orgasm. The whole presentation is done well. It might seem a bit too much at first, but once you get it, it stays with you. Even the environments, which at first seemed repetitive, but they grew on me.
As for the story, I do admit that the ending sucks (both of them), but up until that point, it managed to keep me interested. Sure, it's minimalistic and very cryptic, but the atmosphere created by the whole 'death and ressurection in Atropos' thing was interesting. The mystery is there and pulls you in, even if your anger is telling you to stop playing.
Ok, now I have to say this: This game shouldn't be a roguelike.
Although I loved playing it, I didn't exactly have a great time experiencing it. I blame it on how Returnal approached the genre.
Each run took too long, even if you were lucky. Enemies did MAJOR damage out of nowhere and without any reason. Shortcuts were necessary, but they're almost nonexistent here. Weapon variety is good, but not all of them are actually useful. Every single item HAVE to be huge gambit. And all that packed with a very bad ending that just ruins the terrific sense of accomplishment given by the gameplay.
Returnal just feels overly unbalanced, most of the time. It's as if the RNG hates you 24/7. Mechanics are more often trying to frustate you instead of helping. You can see that in the amount of permanent power ups or skills you get - almost nothing! Just a few concerning traversing each level!
This game could've been so much better than it is.
Returnal is by no means a bad game. I did love playing it. But I'm not sure if I'd recommend it to anyone, even if you're a fan of the genre.
I had a great time, but also a major headache.