guileffb
I have just finished Nocturne and now I'm looking at the TV, thinking... why the fuck did I love this game?
It's like the game was developed to make you suffer and feel miserable... yet... I just loved it!
But still, the question lingers. Why did I love SMT3? There are so many bad things in its design! It's just filled with little to major flaws that prevents me from loving it even more.
For starters, the environments may seem pretty at first, but the repetition will get to you and it will feel dull. It's as if they made it on purpose. Claustrophobia is a thing in the Vortex World. Negotiating with demons is a pain the ass and the game doesn't even explain it to you. In fact, Nocturne wastes no time in explaining anything. The only reason I got through the game's mechanics without looking for a guide is because this is not my first SMT game.
And what about the dungeon maps? They're terrible! Again, was it bad design or is the humdrum on purpose? Why not include a mini-map? Why is the encounter rate so goddamn high? Did the Labyrinth of Amala need to be THAT gigantic and confusing? Was it a necessity to make the final dungeon in the game so frustating and clueless? The puzzles are good, but did EVERY dungeon need one?
And don't even get me started on the difficulty! Look, I get it, it's part of the experience and it's in the series' DNA. But SMT3's difficulty is just absurd. Even normal enemies are ruthless! Was it part of its design to make it extremely unbalanced and inaccessible? I see no necessity for it. And yes, there's that newly added Merciful difficult, but that just turns it into a joke. It makes Pokémon Let's Go Evee look difficult!
But even after pointing out a few of SMT3's many flaws, why do I still love it so much? Why did I have so much fun with it?
Maybe it was the character's design. Every single character, from demon to manikin, they're just VERY well done. Or maybe it's the press turn battle system that just refuses to be boring. Was it Nocturne's thought-provoking intricate writing and social/religious themes that kept me hooked? The minimalistic nature of the game's story and gameplay just hides away a mountain of depth, right?
It was probably the addictive mechanic of collecting and fusing demons. Maybe the oppressive and lonely atmosphere just talked to me, you know? I mean, the story is immersive and every single ending seems solid enough. Or was it the boss fights that kept me pumped? And I didn't even mention how PERFECT the soundtrack is. I could spend days listening to SMT3's ost and I wouldn't get tired of it.
In the end, I do not know why this game is so lovely. It is unnecessarily painful, but I just keep coming back to it.
I wouldn't recommend it, though. Unless you really wanna do it...
It's like the game was developed to make you suffer and feel miserable... yet... I just loved it!
But still, the question lingers. Why did I love SMT3? There are so many bad things in its design! It's just filled with little to major flaws that prevents me from loving it even more.
For starters, the environments may seem pretty at first, but the repetition will get to you and it will feel dull. It's as if they made it on purpose. Claustrophobia is a thing in the Vortex World. Negotiating with demons is a pain the ass and the game doesn't even explain it to you. In fact, Nocturne wastes no time in explaining anything. The only reason I got through the game's mechanics without looking for a guide is because this is not my first SMT game.
And what about the dungeon maps? They're terrible! Again, was it bad design or is the humdrum on purpose? Why not include a mini-map? Why is the encounter rate so goddamn high? Did the Labyrinth of Amala need to be THAT gigantic and confusing? Was it a necessity to make the final dungeon in the game so frustating and clueless? The puzzles are good, but did EVERY dungeon need one?
And don't even get me started on the difficulty! Look, I get it, it's part of the experience and it's in the series' DNA. But SMT3's difficulty is just absurd. Even normal enemies are ruthless! Was it part of its design to make it extremely unbalanced and inaccessible? I see no necessity for it. And yes, there's that newly added Merciful difficult, but that just turns it into a joke. It makes Pokémon Let's Go Evee look difficult!
But even after pointing out a few of SMT3's many flaws, why do I still love it so much? Why did I have so much fun with it?
Maybe it was the character's design. Every single character, from demon to manikin, they're just VERY well done. Or maybe it's the press turn battle system that just refuses to be boring. Was it Nocturne's thought-provoking intricate writing and social/religious themes that kept me hooked? The minimalistic nature of the game's story and gameplay just hides away a mountain of depth, right?
It was probably the addictive mechanic of collecting and fusing demons. Maybe the oppressive and lonely atmosphere just talked to me, you know? I mean, the story is immersive and every single ending seems solid enough. Or was it the boss fights that kept me pumped? And I didn't even mention how PERFECT the soundtrack is. I could spend days listening to SMT3's ost and I wouldn't get tired of it.
In the end, I do not know why this game is so lovely. It is unnecessarily painful, but I just keep coming back to it.
I wouldn't recommend it, though. Unless you really wanna do it...
2018
It feels like Yakuza 3 is the black sheep of the family, as far as I know. Oddly enough, this was the one that clawed me back to the series.
I'm not gonna lie, this game's definitely not the easiest one to like, but I found it amusingly charming.
For starters, the time you spend in Okinawa felt like a welcome change of pace. The character development Kiryu went through in the past three games paid off and it's nice to see him doing things other than the same repetitive stuff he was doing before, as slow and mundane as his new activities are.
And while we're threading its slow beginnings, we're presented with well-written dialogues and a nice detailed story, with an amazing build-up. Characters are remarkable, chapters are filled with thrilling moments and little to no bullshit, aside from a few leaden points, like the heinous chapter 10.
Overall, Yakuza 3 has a great story. Surprisingly, I think this is the best time I've had with a Yakuza game ever since the perfect Yakuza 0. Especially since this is the first game in the series that didn't feel overly bloated. Being short and somehow a bit more linear than the others did the formula well. Not to mention the amazing soundtrack, fun mini-games, intense chase sequences and the series' signature hilarious side quests. I mean, come on, Kiryu has a blog now... how can they keep coming up with stuff on point like that?
Unfortunately, Yakuza seems to insist in past mistakes. The fighting in these games are usually make it or break it and this one found the balance not to ruin the whole journey, but it's still riddled with many flaws. Unbalanced boss fights that spam the same moves, Kiryu falls for anything, enemies that rarely get stunned and the overuse of blocking. It's extremely annoying, as usual.
In addition to the fighting system's shortcomings, I felt like a few of Kamurocho's tropes are becoming stale at this point and those cliches can even be seen in its good writing. Like, why EVERYTIME after a battle, somebody HAS to enter the scene and shoot/kill a character? This has to stop!
And what the fuck happened with the dash button? If they included it in the chase sequences, why not give it to us eventually?
I get why people don't like Yakuza 3, but I think the reason they hate it is the reason I like it so much. It's not refreshing in any way, but I feel like it's a step in the right direction towards the end of Kiryu's tale.
I'm not gonna lie, this game's definitely not the easiest one to like, but I found it amusingly charming.
For starters, the time you spend in Okinawa felt like a welcome change of pace. The character development Kiryu went through in the past three games paid off and it's nice to see him doing things other than the same repetitive stuff he was doing before, as slow and mundane as his new activities are.
And while we're threading its slow beginnings, we're presented with well-written dialogues and a nice detailed story, with an amazing build-up. Characters are remarkable, chapters are filled with thrilling moments and little to no bullshit, aside from a few leaden points, like the heinous chapter 10.
Overall, Yakuza 3 has a great story. Surprisingly, I think this is the best time I've had with a Yakuza game ever since the perfect Yakuza 0. Especially since this is the first game in the series that didn't feel overly bloated. Being short and somehow a bit more linear than the others did the formula well. Not to mention the amazing soundtrack, fun mini-games, intense chase sequences and the series' signature hilarious side quests. I mean, come on, Kiryu has a blog now... how can they keep coming up with stuff on point like that?
Unfortunately, Yakuza seems to insist in past mistakes. The fighting in these games are usually make it or break it and this one found the balance not to ruin the whole journey, but it's still riddled with many flaws. Unbalanced boss fights that spam the same moves, Kiryu falls for anything, enemies that rarely get stunned and the overuse of blocking. It's extremely annoying, as usual.
In addition to the fighting system's shortcomings, I felt like a few of Kamurocho's tropes are becoming stale at this point and those cliches can even be seen in its good writing. Like, why EVERYTIME after a battle, somebody HAS to enter the scene and shoot/kill a character? This has to stop!
And what the fuck happened with the dash button? If they included it in the chase sequences, why not give it to us eventually?
I get why people don't like Yakuza 3, but I think the reason they hate it is the reason I like it so much. It's not refreshing in any way, but I feel like it's a step in the right direction towards the end of Kiryu's tale.
The World Ends With You is an undeniable unique game. I never played anything quite like it, gameplay-wise, at least. And while its drive for authenticity can be its greatest ally, it also managed to be its greatest enemy.
The World Ends With You caught me by surprise. I really didn't think much of it until I got hooked in its gameplay and setting. The first thing that captivated me was its stylish presentation. Sure, it's a product of its time, but it excels in selling its aesthetic to the player. Character design is great, art style is very well done, soundtrack is bold (although quite annoying overtime) and Shibuya is as lively as it should be.
TWEWY is good on the eyes and ears, no doubt, but once you get past that, you reach the game's true gem: the combat. It's a 'love it or hate it' situation with the battle system. When it works, it's outstanding, but when it doesn't... it can get pretty damn ugly.
The pin system is addictive and makes me want to collect them all, but although it feels great to use them in battle, they're not always responsive and A LOT of them can be pretty useless, especially if combined with others of the same type. Through sheer trial and error you can make fantastic OP combos or the worst pin combos ever.
There's an amazing sense of progression, grinding feels light and ultimately rewarding, iteration hardly gets to your brain and your fighting style is, overall, very customizable. But at the same time, the horrible movement mechanic during battles, clunky and disorganized boss fights throughout the entire game, low enemy variety and the seldom-relevant item system hinders the experience.
Not to mention that scratching, slicing, pressing, tapping and dragging things on your screen may feel surprising at first, but later down the road, just gets messy and cluttered. For example, if you play this game on docked-mode, you're in for a nightmare. It's barely playable. Gladly, it works just fine undocked.
The story could've also been handled a lot better. The whole idea and message behind the game is pretty original and creative, but the writing is obnoxious and it takes a long time before you get to the actual good parts. The 2nd week, in my opinion, destroys the pacing built by the 1st one. If it wasn't for the strong and challenging 3rd one, it would be a disaster. And that's a shame, since the cast of TWEWY is great and Neku's character development is heartfelt. If the story explored its depth a bit more, it'd transform, for example, an already strong ending, into a perfect one.
The World Ends With You is addictive as hell and Neku's gameplay loop kept me interested until the end. But I can't shake this conflicting feeling that, if the story were told differently and if the combat lessened or perfected its "unique" approach, this game would've been much better.
I kinda like it, but I'm not sure if I'd recommend it unless you're looking for a different kind of JRPG. Or, I don't know, maybe you're a Kingdom Hearts fan...
The World Ends With You caught me by surprise. I really didn't think much of it until I got hooked in its gameplay and setting. The first thing that captivated me was its stylish presentation. Sure, it's a product of its time, but it excels in selling its aesthetic to the player. Character design is great, art style is very well done, soundtrack is bold (although quite annoying overtime) and Shibuya is as lively as it should be.
TWEWY is good on the eyes and ears, no doubt, but once you get past that, you reach the game's true gem: the combat. It's a 'love it or hate it' situation with the battle system. When it works, it's outstanding, but when it doesn't... it can get pretty damn ugly.
The pin system is addictive and makes me want to collect them all, but although it feels great to use them in battle, they're not always responsive and A LOT of them can be pretty useless, especially if combined with others of the same type. Through sheer trial and error you can make fantastic OP combos or the worst pin combos ever.
There's an amazing sense of progression, grinding feels light and ultimately rewarding, iteration hardly gets to your brain and your fighting style is, overall, very customizable. But at the same time, the horrible movement mechanic during battles, clunky and disorganized boss fights throughout the entire game, low enemy variety and the seldom-relevant item system hinders the experience.
Not to mention that scratching, slicing, pressing, tapping and dragging things on your screen may feel surprising at first, but later down the road, just gets messy and cluttered. For example, if you play this game on docked-mode, you're in for a nightmare. It's barely playable. Gladly, it works just fine undocked.
The story could've also been handled a lot better. The whole idea and message behind the game is pretty original and creative, but the writing is obnoxious and it takes a long time before you get to the actual good parts. The 2nd week, in my opinion, destroys the pacing built by the 1st one. If it wasn't for the strong and challenging 3rd one, it would be a disaster. And that's a shame, since the cast of TWEWY is great and Neku's character development is heartfelt. If the story explored its depth a bit more, it'd transform, for example, an already strong ending, into a perfect one.
The World Ends With You is addictive as hell and Neku's gameplay loop kept me interested until the end. But I can't shake this conflicting feeling that, if the story were told differently and if the combat lessened or perfected its "unique" approach, this game would've been much better.
I kinda like it, but I'm not sure if I'd recommend it unless you're looking for a different kind of JRPG. Or, I don't know, maybe you're a Kingdom Hearts fan...
After finishing Horizon Zero Dawn, I just really don't get the hype... While this open world attempt at a good game had everything built in it to succeed, the experience I had with it makes me want to stay as far away as possible from it.
For every positive aspect here, there's a bad one tied to it. And the bad one always screams more than it should. And that's a problem that stayed with me throughout the entire experience.
At first, I was loving it! Horizon Zero Dawn is one of the most gorgeous games I've ever played in my life. The world, character designs, enemies, environments - everything brought a tear to my eye. Not only that, but the game grips you from the start. Characters are interesting, bold, well-written and everything is filled with secrets. It made me want to keep playing to find out everything about this post apocalyptic world and its people. And the story is solid from beginning to end, I have to say. Tutorials were smooth, environments were interesting enough, enemy variety was fantastic and even the sidequests were engaging and actually fun to make.
My first 10 hours of Horizon were great. Maybe the game should have lasted about that long, because when I started noticing its flaws, my run with it just crumbled down.
And what killed HZD for me was the combat.
Even in theory it sounds silly. "Human with a bow and arrow, some traps and a knack of wood try to take down prehistoric robot beasts using stealth". I mean, come on... It's overcomplicated and unbalanced as hell!
Every fight feels like a boss fight and they all take too long, even against humans. One little **** up and you're stuck fighting a single robot dinosaur and 5 masked dudes for about 30 minutes. Melee combat is a joke, robots have a ridiculous amount of health and do A LOT of damage, while you have to fend for yourself with a health made of paper and a few weak arrows. Even healing sucks in this game. When you don't have enough to craft potions, you have to HUNT for FLOWERS to heal a LITTLE.
The enemies in this game even managed to ruin one of HZD's best feature, which is exploring. The baffling number of enemies on the map and their misplacement in it makes running around and doing ANYTHING a massive slow chore. A challenge, yes, but definitely not a good one. It's unbelievable how bad it gets. Especially midway through the game, when you're still discovering things.
And to make matters worse, menu interfaces are a mess, you acquire a lot of useless loot, Aloy's mobility and climbing skills rival Skyrim's, conversation animations are extremely stiff and the DLC is forgettable. Basically, Horizon packs a punch when it comes to bad open world cliches.
I was excited for Horizon Zero Dawn. I really was. But once I started to understand the game's MANY flaws in the dull details of its design, I wanted nothing to do with it. It COULD be a great game, but it's nothing but a mediocre 40-hour robot hunt. I just can't recommend it.
For every positive aspect here, there's a bad one tied to it. And the bad one always screams more than it should. And that's a problem that stayed with me throughout the entire experience.
At first, I was loving it! Horizon Zero Dawn is one of the most gorgeous games I've ever played in my life. The world, character designs, enemies, environments - everything brought a tear to my eye. Not only that, but the game grips you from the start. Characters are interesting, bold, well-written and everything is filled with secrets. It made me want to keep playing to find out everything about this post apocalyptic world and its people. And the story is solid from beginning to end, I have to say. Tutorials were smooth, environments were interesting enough, enemy variety was fantastic and even the sidequests were engaging and actually fun to make.
My first 10 hours of Horizon were great. Maybe the game should have lasted about that long, because when I started noticing its flaws, my run with it just crumbled down.
And what killed HZD for me was the combat.
Even in theory it sounds silly. "Human with a bow and arrow, some traps and a knack of wood try to take down prehistoric robot beasts using stealth". I mean, come on... It's overcomplicated and unbalanced as hell!
Every fight feels like a boss fight and they all take too long, even against humans. One little **** up and you're stuck fighting a single robot dinosaur and 5 masked dudes for about 30 minutes. Melee combat is a joke, robots have a ridiculous amount of health and do A LOT of damage, while you have to fend for yourself with a health made of paper and a few weak arrows. Even healing sucks in this game. When you don't have enough to craft potions, you have to HUNT for FLOWERS to heal a LITTLE.
The enemies in this game even managed to ruin one of HZD's best feature, which is exploring. The baffling number of enemies on the map and their misplacement in it makes running around and doing ANYTHING a massive slow chore. A challenge, yes, but definitely not a good one. It's unbelievable how bad it gets. Especially midway through the game, when you're still discovering things.
And to make matters worse, menu interfaces are a mess, you acquire a lot of useless loot, Aloy's mobility and climbing skills rival Skyrim's, conversation animations are extremely stiff and the DLC is forgettable. Basically, Horizon packs a punch when it comes to bad open world cliches.
I was excited for Horizon Zero Dawn. I really was. But once I started to understand the game's MANY flaws in the dull details of its design, I wanted nothing to do with it. It COULD be a great game, but it's nothing but a mediocre 40-hour robot hunt. I just can't recommend it.
Not much to say here. I played this game for the first time this year and my brain exploded.
Not all of the minigames are exceptional, it's pretty short and it gets to a point towards the end where repetition sets in, but this game is so damn fun, smooth, quick and well put together that I couldn't complain. It's fun as fuck!
I mean, how the hell did the team even reached these ideas? I'm not only talking about the minigames themselves, but the whole package. Presentation, music, graphic style, story (?????) and design. Everything here was cleverly built to make you play, replay and have a blast.
Fantastic moves, mr. Wario. Well done! Mario must be pissed...
Not all of the minigames are exceptional, it's pretty short and it gets to a point towards the end where repetition sets in, but this game is so damn fun, smooth, quick and well put together that I couldn't complain. It's fun as fuck!
I mean, how the hell did the team even reached these ideas? I'm not only talking about the minigames themselves, but the whole package. Presentation, music, graphic style, story (?????) and design. Everything here was cleverly built to make you play, replay and have a blast.
Fantastic moves, mr. Wario. Well done! Mario must be pissed...
It's been a while since I played a Pokemon game until the end. Lord knows I've been postponing my trip through Hoenn for a long time. Well, I decided to take this trip and I'm really glad I did.
AlphaSapphire managed to rekindle my love for Pokemon.
Starting by the presentation, I know that Pokemon games are very simple and hardly ever bring anything cutting edge to the table, but where it lacks in novelty, it compensates in winsomeness. From the cities, to the map, gyms, monster design, environments and even those repetitive dungeons and fights - This game is adorable and it throws the cutesy factor in your face. And it works! It blends well with the classic turn-based battle system and fits like a glove with its monster design. Gen 3 Pokemon are amazing and it made want to catch, hunt and seek almost every Pokemon on this Pokedex.
A few quality of life improvements helped the game to become more agile. AlphaSapphire makes some old Pokemon games seem like a chore. It's a bit fast, slicker, and even more accessible than before. Its new gameplay quirks made the loop even more addictive. For example EXP Share, which is a godsend mechanic.
All in all, AlphaSapphire was one of the chillest Pokemon games I've played. And that casual design philosophy didn't bother me at all. I loved battling gym leaders, elite four, the aqua team and hunting legendary creatures. I took my time with it and I was rewarded for it.
But not everything is flowers in Hoenn. AlphaSapphire may have improved on the classic formula, but forgot to fix a few flaws. They masked them well, but they're there.
This game is still a grind fest, especially if you want to rematch Elite 4, catch legendary Pokemon or even battle online. The story sucks, as usual, and although the amount of content make up for it, even Delta Episode felt a bit dull. HMs are still a thing here and there are LOTS of them. And the soundtrack... My god, it's BAD!
Also, why the Mirage Spots mechanic? Were they really necessary? I get that it's a way to cram many legendary monsters into this game, but it ended up being a confusing, complex and uninviting hot mess!
A few other things slowed down my experience. Useless systems like 'super training', 'fashion show', 'planting berries'. Those were some of the things that were so unnecessary that I forgot them halfway through the game. I mean, was the 'secret base' system THAT fun and useful? I didn't think so...
AlphaSapphire brought my heart back to Pokemon. It's not only a great game in the series, but a good JRPG, in general. Old flaws and conservative design mechanics do weigh down and the grind makes the experience repetitive, but nothing broke it for me.
My trip to Hoenn was worth it and I'll won't forget it so soon.
AlphaSapphire managed to rekindle my love for Pokemon.
Starting by the presentation, I know that Pokemon games are very simple and hardly ever bring anything cutting edge to the table, but where it lacks in novelty, it compensates in winsomeness. From the cities, to the map, gyms, monster design, environments and even those repetitive dungeons and fights - This game is adorable and it throws the cutesy factor in your face. And it works! It blends well with the classic turn-based battle system and fits like a glove with its monster design. Gen 3 Pokemon are amazing and it made want to catch, hunt and seek almost every Pokemon on this Pokedex.
A few quality of life improvements helped the game to become more agile. AlphaSapphire makes some old Pokemon games seem like a chore. It's a bit fast, slicker, and even more accessible than before. Its new gameplay quirks made the loop even more addictive. For example EXP Share, which is a godsend mechanic.
All in all, AlphaSapphire was one of the chillest Pokemon games I've played. And that casual design philosophy didn't bother me at all. I loved battling gym leaders, elite four, the aqua team and hunting legendary creatures. I took my time with it and I was rewarded for it.
But not everything is flowers in Hoenn. AlphaSapphire may have improved on the classic formula, but forgot to fix a few flaws. They masked them well, but they're there.
This game is still a grind fest, especially if you want to rematch Elite 4, catch legendary Pokemon or even battle online. The story sucks, as usual, and although the amount of content make up for it, even Delta Episode felt a bit dull. HMs are still a thing here and there are LOTS of them. And the soundtrack... My god, it's BAD!
Also, why the Mirage Spots mechanic? Were they really necessary? I get that it's a way to cram many legendary monsters into this game, but it ended up being a confusing, complex and uninviting hot mess!
A few other things slowed down my experience. Useless systems like 'super training', 'fashion show', 'planting berries'. Those were some of the things that were so unnecessary that I forgot them halfway through the game. I mean, was the 'secret base' system THAT fun and useful? I didn't think so...
AlphaSapphire brought my heart back to Pokemon. It's not only a great game in the series, but a good JRPG, in general. Old flaws and conservative design mechanics do weigh down and the grind makes the experience repetitive, but nothing broke it for me.
My trip to Hoenn was worth it and I'll won't forget it so soon.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.