jstndstrctn
BACKER
2021
I had a really great time playing this. The combat is fun, the fusion is addictive as I always find it. I actually liked exploring the world too. Nahobino is cool af, and there's a lot of big cool factor to the game and its art direction. All that said, it feels like there isn't enough with the characters or story, it's just slightly lacking. A little bit more time cooking would've made this top tier imo.
An interesting new take on the franchise! There's a lot of cool things, characters, details. The skybox & environments look nice, and the world exploration is cool. My big gripe is that the new combat style doesn't feel very thought out. Getting KO'd by Pokemon 10+ levels beneath me in 1 shot doesn't feel like an earned difficulty, but a balance issue. Speed is king here, and basically every fight is over in one shot. The limited movepool isn't really a huge issue, if there was more room for strategizing. Ultimately, I feel catching is amazing & battling feels bad.
A delightful game. The levels were fun & creative. The game is vibrant, cute. And then SO EPIC. I love how hard Kirby always chooses to go in the final bouts.
Xenoblade 3 is an absolute masterpiece. Monolithsoft's best writing, worldbuilding, by a lot. And they're already some of the best in that department as is. But they really went off here. The story is enthralling, the characters loveable. Apex fiction.
we don't talk about the end credits.
we don't talk about the end credits.
2022
If only the performance were better.... story, characters, new mons, lots of good stuff going on. It's the most time I've spent with a single Pokemon game since I was a kid. Tera is by far the best gimmick we've ever had, and I will miss it dearly.
Note of Bias: I have an inhuman tolerance for games performing badly, as long as my data is not destroyed, I really don't care.
Note of Bias: I have an inhuman tolerance for games performing badly, as long as my data is not destroyed, I really don't care.
2022
I can't believe how hard this story went. It was a very surprising game for me personally. I enjoyed the farm loop. I think the combat is nothing amazing, but as you unlock more classes, it gets better. I was really just enamored with the world, story, and characters. Music went hard as hell too. It's a hidden gem.
A great horror game. It really pulled me in. The atmosphere is great, creepy, and well put together. I am hoping we will see more of these games remastered in the future!
You know it's peak when the immense, burning hatred I have for Rex is not enough to bring it down even slightly.
2021
I appreciated this a lot more playing it in the pixel remaster form, with the added options to help out the leveling. I think the story's a pretty interesting step up & the design too from the OG. The first Behemoth encounter in the series was cool to see!
2022
This game had me in an absolute vice grip. The art, music, combat is all exceptional. It's an homage to older rpg's, but maintains its own essence well. There are hints of FMA, Berserk, and NGE for fans of anime, while also having some feel of FFVI / Chrono Trigger. This game really outdoes itself on all fronts, and I had an absolute blast with it.
2023
DANDORI
It's not anything crazy but I played the shit out of this as a kid, and I have a big nostalgia for it lol.
edit I also think it's the hilarious I'm apparently the only person to have logged this game ever lmao. Thank u parents for buying me this.
edit I also think it's the hilarious I'm apparently the only person to have logged this game ever lmao. Thank u parents for buying me this.
2023
This is a vision fully realized at its highest form. Like David Lynch meets Kojima. Thus far to its release, it is the only thing that's truly WOW'd me as a PS5/Series X generation game. The art, direction, the world that it builds, it wraps multiple forms of media and bends it to fit the universe it's created with an ambitious meta narrative that blew me away. Balancing the protagonists was a great way to break up the world, and the combat is leagues ahead of its predecessor, as could be expected. This is truly a work of art, it's what so many AAA games are trying to be. A blend of cinema with gaming that does not sacrifice its gameplay or integrity to integrate the two.
2023
This game absolutely surprised me. I had heard a lot about it and decided to give it ago and I was HOOKED. It does my favorite sort of thing, where the game is constantly giving you new ways to accomplish your tasks, and innovate progression. There is so much packed into this game. The vibes are great. Pixel art / animation is incredible. Bancho is a chad. I love the gameplay loop, and the story is good too! I didn't expect it to be so crazy. Extremely looking forward to the Godzilla DLC!!!
Spoilers are very light, mostly just talking about mechanics etc.
For me, this is peak fiction. I laughed, cried, and I had a great time with the combat system's revisions. The mini games are insane, as per usual. We have an intricate plot with interesting new characters, juxtaposed with a protagonist uncovering the links, while being more introspective & reminiscing on their life & the franchise as a whole. Music rips, game is beautiful, HDR LAD goes hard. I think the villain is a bit lackluster, but we also have Yamai who is one of the coolest sort of antagonists in the series. I'm not too disappointed, as I think they've largely knocked this game out of the park. Knockbacks / positionals were a great feature. Skill inheritance & a slightly revamped leveling up... while the DLC is another story, I enjoyed being able to conquer the optional dungeons without an insane amount of grind unlike the final millennium tower in LAD7. The way they handled some things were just awesome, max peak. Kiryu being able to break through the RPG, having style switching was epic. Overall I loved my time with this game, it is something I will probably not feel again for a long time! There is a certain thing that has been instilled in playing this franchise as a whole--growing with Kiryu, Kamurocho, these other characters, seeing how the world they live in evolves and changes as you yourself do... it's peak, and I don't think many, or any other franchise can instill that feeling.
For me, this is peak fiction. I laughed, cried, and I had a great time with the combat system's revisions. The mini games are insane, as per usual. We have an intricate plot with interesting new characters, juxtaposed with a protagonist uncovering the links, while being more introspective & reminiscing on their life & the franchise as a whole. Music rips, game is beautiful, HDR LAD goes hard. I think the villain is a bit lackluster, but we also have Yamai who is one of the coolest sort of antagonists in the series. I'm not too disappointed, as I think they've largely knocked this game out of the park. Knockbacks / positionals were a great feature. Skill inheritance & a slightly revamped leveling up... while the DLC is another story, I enjoyed being able to conquer the optional dungeons without an insane amount of grind unlike the final millennium tower in LAD7. The way they handled some things were just awesome, max peak. Kiryu being able to break through the RPG, having style switching was epic. Overall I loved my time with this game, it is something I will probably not feel again for a long time! There is a certain thing that has been instilled in playing this franchise as a whole--growing with Kiryu, Kamurocho, these other characters, seeing how the world they live in evolves and changes as you yourself do... it's peak, and I don't think many, or any other franchise can instill that feeling.