newtontlod
BACKER
2024
Where to begin...
Persona 3 FES is one of my favorite games, a game that made me think about it every day for months after finishing it, a game that I started not liking so much (in fact, I only really enjoyed it after about 20 hours of gameplay) and ended up loving it, considering it one of the best experiences in media.
When the remake was announced, I was quite hopeful that they would fix everything I considered problematic in the original while keeping the same content, the same story beats, not removing what makes the original game so important to me.
And I must say that Atlus succeeded. Not only did they succeed, but they gave me much more than I asked for, and for that, I am eternally grateful for this release. Precisely because they focused more on changes in form than on altering the soul of the work.
Of course, not everything is truly perfect. For starters, the new OST is not always better than the old one, and it's strange in the first few hours playing Persona 3 and not hearing Yumi's voice. However, the game has incredible new songs, and the new opening is great too.
Another thing is that the lighting sometimes falls short compared to the old one. Far from being a dealbreaker or something horrible, but the old lighting matched the scenarios better.
Some things matter less to me, such as The Answer and FeMC. I don't like the first in the original and think it should undergo a complete revamp (so I understand them releasing it later as DLC), and FeMC I just find somewhat redundant.
That said, I can say that even though they changed the form a bit, modernizing the visuals and shifting from the edgy and dark look to a cleaner and milder one, the content, especially the emotional content of Persona 3, which is a rollercoaster, remains intact. And this new look not only is very well executed, pleasant to the eyes, and consistent, but it also makes sense. After all, we don't use CRTs anymore; technology has changed, and the number of pixels has too.
Beyond that, there is so much to praise, so much that makes this version by far superior to all the others. From small things like changing the beach scene to bigger things like localization in my native language (Portuguese), which is by far the best localization work I've seen, in Portuguese or not.
And I love that everything expected to be changed has changed for the better. The gameplay is even more fluid; we no longer have the fatigue system; the calendar is better; Tartarus looks beautiful, and each block is visually quite different from the others; and the new balance of the game supports all the improvements and QoLs like Baton Pass and Theurgy Attacks (which, by the way, have beautiful animations. I love the idea of limit breaks in Atlus games). And yet it remains a dungeon crawler, a formula that I enjoy, that makes me lose track of time, that makes me forget about problems while climbing those floors.
But for me, the best addition is not in the gameplay itself, even though these improvements are massive. The best addition is undoubtedly the Linked Episodes, which greatly enrich certain characters who didn't shine as much in the original. Sanada and Shinjiro have become two of my favorite characters, and Ken has improved a lot in my eyes because of these new moments with them. And I can say that the Persona 3 party is my favorite not only in Persona but in any JRPG I've played.
Persona 3 Reload is beautiful. I have no other word that describes it better. What wonderful moments these characters gave me, how cool a character Aigis is, what a message this game constantly hammers into your head. What interesting contexts are behind many Social Links (special mention to Sun, Tower, and Hanged-Man). And how good it is to see stories of overcoming challenges, even if they are of fictional characters. When you are there in the eye of the storm, that doesn't matter so much.
Remember that you are mortal. Remember that things come to an end. Remember that nothing lasts forever. Celebrate life and moments while you can. When the credits rolled, and I couldn't control my tears, I thought about the experience and the gratitude of being able to relive everything that Persona 3 has to offer anew. And everything I've experienced in my life since I played Persona 3. Few works, whether videogames or not, have had this weight in my life. I'm not ready to say that I prefer Persona 3 to Persona 4, but I certainly see that day coming. That said, I'm prepared to say this is probably the most meaningful Atlus work.
Persona 3 FES is one of my favorite games, a game that made me think about it every day for months after finishing it, a game that I started not liking so much (in fact, I only really enjoyed it after about 20 hours of gameplay) and ended up loving it, considering it one of the best experiences in media.
When the remake was announced, I was quite hopeful that they would fix everything I considered problematic in the original while keeping the same content, the same story beats, not removing what makes the original game so important to me.
And I must say that Atlus succeeded. Not only did they succeed, but they gave me much more than I asked for, and for that, I am eternally grateful for this release. Precisely because they focused more on changes in form than on altering the soul of the work.
Of course, not everything is truly perfect. For starters, the new OST is not always better than the old one, and it's strange in the first few hours playing Persona 3 and not hearing Yumi's voice. However, the game has incredible new songs, and the new opening is great too.
Another thing is that the lighting sometimes falls short compared to the old one. Far from being a dealbreaker or something horrible, but the old lighting matched the scenarios better.
Some things matter less to me, such as The Answer and FeMC. I don't like the first in the original and think it should undergo a complete revamp (so I understand them releasing it later as DLC), and FeMC I just find somewhat redundant.
That said, I can say that even though they changed the form a bit, modernizing the visuals and shifting from the edgy and dark look to a cleaner and milder one, the content, especially the emotional content of Persona 3, which is a rollercoaster, remains intact. And this new look not only is very well executed, pleasant to the eyes, and consistent, but it also makes sense. After all, we don't use CRTs anymore; technology has changed, and the number of pixels has too.
Beyond that, there is so much to praise, so much that makes this version by far superior to all the others. From small things like changing the beach scene to bigger things like localization in my native language (Portuguese), which is by far the best localization work I've seen, in Portuguese or not.
And I love that everything expected to be changed has changed for the better. The gameplay is even more fluid; we no longer have the fatigue system; the calendar is better; Tartarus looks beautiful, and each block is visually quite different from the others; and the new balance of the game supports all the improvements and QoLs like Baton Pass and Theurgy Attacks (which, by the way, have beautiful animations. I love the idea of limit breaks in Atlus games). And yet it remains a dungeon crawler, a formula that I enjoy, that makes me lose track of time, that makes me forget about problems while climbing those floors.
But for me, the best addition is not in the gameplay itself, even though these improvements are massive. The best addition is undoubtedly the Linked Episodes, which greatly enrich certain characters who didn't shine as much in the original. Sanada and Shinjiro have become two of my favorite characters, and Ken has improved a lot in my eyes because of these new moments with them. And I can say that the Persona 3 party is my favorite not only in Persona but in any JRPG I've played.
Persona 3 Reload is beautiful. I have no other word that describes it better. What wonderful moments these characters gave me, how cool a character Aigis is, what a message this game constantly hammers into your head. What interesting contexts are behind many Social Links (special mention to Sun, Tower, and Hanged-Man). And how good it is to see stories of overcoming challenges, even if they are of fictional characters. When you are there in the eye of the storm, that doesn't matter so much.
Remember that you are mortal. Remember that things come to an end. Remember that nothing lasts forever. Celebrate life and moments while you can. When the credits rolled, and I couldn't control my tears, I thought about the experience and the gratitude of being able to relive everything that Persona 3 has to offer anew. And everything I've experienced in my life since I played Persona 3. Few works, whether videogames or not, have had this weight in my life. I'm not ready to say that I prefer Persona 3 to Persona 4, but I certainly see that day coming. That said, I'm prepared to say this is probably the most meaningful Atlus work.
Replaying this made me like it even more. And the PS2 version is the definitive one for sure, with beautiful and charming 3D and great OST orchestration. It also has one of the best stories DQ has ever had. I loved it, and some parts of it that I disliked - like the monster capture system - bother me less these days. That said, it is pretty bad how hard it is to catch some monsters. It shouldn't be fully based on luck like that.
The biggest problem with AC5 for me was how excessive in everything the game was. So many stages, so many aircrafts to buy... In many moments the missions are excessive with it's size and the lack of checkpoints made the game a little bit cheap with the quantity of missiles feeling undertuned. I liked the more minimalistic plot of AC4 more too but besides that the game is still the good old AC gameplay. It definitely feels the weaker of the trilogy on PS2 though but still interesting enough.
2000
Classic, classic, classic. It was one of my favorite Capcom games for a long time, and replaying it after so long reminds me why.
Addressing the elephant in the room first, yes, it's not survival horror in the style of the REs and the first Dino Crisis, but I don't find that to be such a problem in the case of DC2. On the contrary, I think the series gains even more of its own identity and becomes something with its own style, it's a pity it was never replicated.
Visually, it's one of the most beautiful games of its generation, the controls are the best and most responsive tank controls out there, and the combo system and item purchasing probably make it my favorite arcade-like game. The way the game flows is incredible too, definitely the best pacing in the genre, and even the minigames here are fun and engaging. A significant and quite impressive leap in quality considering the first game's quality.
It's full of variety in enemies and scenarios as well, in weapons, in everything. And even though you control two characters, you never feel like it's bloated, it's setpiece after setpiece, cutscene after cutscene, gauntlet after gauntlet. You could almost call the game survival action or something like that. Few things in games are as satisfying as taking down Raptors with the Solid Cannon, Plesiosaurus and Pteranodon with the Missile Pod, and Inostrancevia with the Anti-Tank Rifle.
It's a shame it doesn't have an item mixing system like the first game, that's the thing I miss the most from the first one. I can understand the removal of the puzzles since some of the puzzles in the first game can be confusing.
And it's also a shame Dino Crisis didn't become another branch of Capcom's survival games; Dino Crisis 2 is the best game they made during that time and in that style.
Addressing the elephant in the room first, yes, it's not survival horror in the style of the REs and the first Dino Crisis, but I don't find that to be such a problem in the case of DC2. On the contrary, I think the series gains even more of its own identity and becomes something with its own style, it's a pity it was never replicated.
Visually, it's one of the most beautiful games of its generation, the controls are the best and most responsive tank controls out there, and the combo system and item purchasing probably make it my favorite arcade-like game. The way the game flows is incredible too, definitely the best pacing in the genre, and even the minigames here are fun and engaging. A significant and quite impressive leap in quality considering the first game's quality.
It's full of variety in enemies and scenarios as well, in weapons, in everything. And even though you control two characters, you never feel like it's bloated, it's setpiece after setpiece, cutscene after cutscene, gauntlet after gauntlet. You could almost call the game survival action or something like that. Few things in games are as satisfying as taking down Raptors with the Solid Cannon, Plesiosaurus and Pteranodon with the Missile Pod, and Inostrancevia with the Anti-Tank Rifle.
It's a shame it doesn't have an item mixing system like the first game, that's the thing I miss the most from the first one. I can understand the removal of the puzzles since some of the puzzles in the first game can be confusing.
And it's also a shame Dino Crisis didn't become another branch of Capcom's survival games; Dino Crisis 2 is the best game they made during that time and in that style.
What a great game. I loved the changes like more missiles and checkpoint implementation that makes the bigger missions just more enjoyable to play They should made this way back after the PS1 games as we have these longer missions since 04. The dog fights are amazing in AC6, the new IA systems pretty good and responsive and even the ground missions were made way more tolerable. The plot is a bit of a mess though but the cutscenes are still very nice and mission 9 a highlight of the series.
1999
MS5 may be my favorite, but X is probably the perfection of the formula. The removal of slowdown makes the level design of this game shine like no other. It must be the most enjoyable to pick up and replay multiple times, and it's where I think the difficulty has the most positive balance overall. Maybe it has the definitive selection of stages in the series too. Too bad that here the zombie form still doesn't vomit that insane napalm that annihilates the entire screen.
2022
Short but really nice beat'em up that shows the madness that Brazil lived during the pandemic in a really sarcastic way. Probably will only have full effect if you are brazilian but as a game it's pretty decent and functional all things considered.
1999
I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did, it's much better than I remembered.
It's certainly Capcom's classic survival horror game with the most tension. I also find the level design very good, perhaps as good as RE2's, and the controls work very well.
The differences between Dino Crisis and Resident Evil are all good and give Dino Crisis its own unique identity. The dinosaurs are extremely dangerous, which increases the tension of the game, the mixing system is much better than the herb system in RE (and with a complexity similar to the gunpowder mixing systems of RE3), and the puzzles are fun to solve. The voice acting is also wonderful in a goofy 90s way.
Of course, there could be more variety of dinosaurs (which we would see happen in the 2nd game), I'm not completely sold on the box system (I like the idea of having to spend items to open them, my problem is not being able to access the different colored ones). As for the pacing, many people don't like it, but I personally don't see any issues. In fact, it's a slower game than the REs, but not by much either; I think it ends up being more about memorizing the map to avoid walking more than necessary. I also like the choice of dinosaurs repopulating the rooms once or twice but never infinitely, since ammo is extremely scarce in the game compared to the REs (still enough to kill almost all the creatures, especially if you focus on fusing poison darts).
Overall, the game is Capcom goodness from the 90s. Good level design, striking visuals, a huge atmosphere, high production values. In the end, I was wrong not to expect a great game on this replay.
It's certainly Capcom's classic survival horror game with the most tension. I also find the level design very good, perhaps as good as RE2's, and the controls work very well.
The differences between Dino Crisis and Resident Evil are all good and give Dino Crisis its own unique identity. The dinosaurs are extremely dangerous, which increases the tension of the game, the mixing system is much better than the herb system in RE (and with a complexity similar to the gunpowder mixing systems of RE3), and the puzzles are fun to solve. The voice acting is also wonderful in a goofy 90s way.
Of course, there could be more variety of dinosaurs (which we would see happen in the 2nd game), I'm not completely sold on the box system (I like the idea of having to spend items to open them, my problem is not being able to access the different colored ones). As for the pacing, many people don't like it, but I personally don't see any issues. In fact, it's a slower game than the REs, but not by much either; I think it ends up being more about memorizing the map to avoid walking more than necessary. I also like the choice of dinosaurs repopulating the rooms once or twice but never infinitely, since ammo is extremely scarce in the game compared to the REs (still enough to kill almost all the creatures, especially if you focus on fusing poison darts).
Overall, the game is Capcom goodness from the 90s. Good level design, striking visuals, a huge atmosphere, high production values. In the end, I was wrong not to expect a great game on this replay.
More streamlined and straightforward than the Nioh games, but satisfying in its own way. The new systems, such as parrying and morale, add great variety to the combat, which is still excellent. I loved the setting, which was a nice change of pace, and I'm glad that Wo Long exists as its own thing. I really hope they make another game in this new IP. My only complaint is that it's too short, but when that's your biggest problem with a game, you know it's a winner.
2007
Yeah, the plot and villain could be better and the character designs are a miss for most of the time, but I loved Lost Odyssey so much. Everything else is amazing - the themes, systems, cities, dungeons, gameplay, beautiful OST, and short story snippets which are probably my favorite storytelling of any game I've ever played. This game has Legend of Dragoon, Shadow Hearts, and oldschool FF DNA, and I'm so glad something like this exists. What a journey. Sakaguchi's swan song.
This version is absolutely beautiful. It's a real shame we didn't get FFV in this same style. Final Fantasy IV is an exceptional game that marks the point where the series truly establishes its unique identity. I appreciate nearly everything that distinguishes Sakaguchi-era Final Fantasy games (and some other titles he worked on, like Lost Odyssey).
These distinct qualities include simple yet enjoyable gameplay, an excellent sense of atmosphere and grandeur with higher and higher stakes during the campaign, and a pacing that has rarely been matched in gaming. All of it is already here on FF4. The pacing pretty much is unmatched on JRPGs, for example. And of course, we can't forget the outstanding OST, featuring some of the best songs in the world of video games, such as "Red Wings Over Baron". Even the numerous fake deaths in the game don't seem that egregious after all. FFIV is a remarkable leap forward compared to its predecessor, and it undoubtedly stands as a milestone in the world of JRPGs.
These distinct qualities include simple yet enjoyable gameplay, an excellent sense of atmosphere and grandeur with higher and higher stakes during the campaign, and a pacing that has rarely been matched in gaming. All of it is already here on FF4. The pacing pretty much is unmatched on JRPGs, for example. And of course, we can't forget the outstanding OST, featuring some of the best songs in the world of video games, such as "Red Wings Over Baron". Even the numerous fake deaths in the game don't seem that egregious after all. FFIV is a remarkable leap forward compared to its predecessor, and it undoubtedly stands as a milestone in the world of JRPGs.
Better than the first one and honestly on par with some mainline Mario games if not much better (like Lost Levels and 2.) I really like the Super Mario World style map too.
2023
It was great. I had a feeling that it could be as good as the RE2 remake, but it didn't quite reach those heights for me. Nevertheless, I can finally say that I love RE4, at least in this form. I was never a fan of the original and found it to be the start of the downfall of Resident Evil for me. Thankfully, Capcom course-corrected with the release of RE7 years ago. Now, I think RE4R is a survival horror game with some action elements, and not the other way around. Even if it's a modern survival horror game and not one with tank controls like the first three and Code Veronica (which, by the way, I hope they remake too).
There are still some aspects of the level design that I don't like, and I think the game still overstays its welcome (although less so than the original). Ada was the weak link this time with a bad VA performance, but all the other changes were for the best. It feels good to play an RE game with some sort of resource management, a sense of survival horror, and great backtracking. This modern RE formula is so enjoyable to me that it even makes RE4R a great game for me.
I'm so glad that they made so many changes. Ashley is GREAT now, one of my favorite characters in the franchise. The original version of Ashley was one of my least favorite characters, along with Steven from Code Veronica. Some of the chracters like Luis, Krauser, and the toned-down story overall were also great changes.
There are still some aspects of the level design that I don't like, and I think the game still overstays its welcome (although less so than the original). Ada was the weak link this time with a bad VA performance, but all the other changes were for the best. It feels good to play an RE game with some sort of resource management, a sense of survival horror, and great backtracking. This modern RE formula is so enjoyable to me that it even makes RE4R a great game for me.
I'm so glad that they made so many changes. Ashley is GREAT now, one of my favorite characters in the franchise. The original version of Ashley was one of my least favorite characters, along with Steven from Code Veronica. Some of the chracters like Luis, Krauser, and the toned-down story overall were also great changes.
2006
Mega Man ZX annoys me. I desperately wanted to like this game more than I ended up liking it. But I find its map implementation to be one of the worst I've ever seen in a metroidvania. In fact, it's not even a proper metroidvania; its map handles things in a very strange way. And the backtracking is unbearable, the areas have an extremely confusing layout and some of the worst padding I've ever seen in a game.
Something that should last two, maybe three hours, ends up lasting seven because the game developers either hate the players or disregard their free time.
Even the dialogue and the distance you have to travel for mundane things within the ship are a huge time sink. The sub tank in the fire stage is one of the biggest absurdities I've seen in a game of this style. I literally gave up trying to get the last sub tank after that one because it is a even bigger waste of your time.
The game having three different items to collect also makes the rare HP healing items too scarce. The implementation of currency in this game is simply bizarre and very unnecessary. With the amount of useless space this game has, it would have been easier to include armor upgrades there instead of the bizarre system of final strike on bosses.
And I say all this sadly, because I really wanted to like this game. It has a wonderful visual style (better than whatever the fuck they were trying on Megaman Zero), the armors themselves have great designs (although I'm annoyed they baited and switched with X's armor), and the gameplay itself is the enjoyable Megaman X gameplay as always. I honestly hope they've fixed at least some of this in ZX.
Furthermore, if you're going to make a horrendous map like this, it's better to do it like in the classic series and X. You select a stage and that's it. Better than a half-assed attempt of a Metroidvania. Furthermore, this lives system, reminiscent of the old Mega Man system, doesn't even make sense in a game trying to be a faux-metroidvania
Anyway, the formula of selecting a stage and it being just the right size has been repeated for over 20 games for a very simple reason: IT JUST WORKS, DAMMIT!
Something that should last two, maybe three hours, ends up lasting seven because the game developers either hate the players or disregard their free time.
Even the dialogue and the distance you have to travel for mundane things within the ship are a huge time sink. The sub tank in the fire stage is one of the biggest absurdities I've seen in a game of this style. I literally gave up trying to get the last sub tank after that one because it is a even bigger waste of your time.
The game having three different items to collect also makes the rare HP healing items too scarce. The implementation of currency in this game is simply bizarre and very unnecessary. With the amount of useless space this game has, it would have been easier to include armor upgrades there instead of the bizarre system of final strike on bosses.
And I say all this sadly, because I really wanted to like this game. It has a wonderful visual style (better than whatever the fuck they were trying on Megaman Zero), the armors themselves have great designs (although I'm annoyed they baited and switched with X's armor), and the gameplay itself is the enjoyable Megaman X gameplay as always. I honestly hope they've fixed at least some of this in ZX.
Furthermore, if you're going to make a horrendous map like this, it's better to do it like in the classic series and X. You select a stage and that's it. Better than a half-assed attempt of a Metroidvania. Furthermore, this lives system, reminiscent of the old Mega Man system, doesn't even make sense in a game trying to be a faux-metroidvania
Anyway, the formula of selecting a stage and it being just the right size has been repeated for over 20 games for a very simple reason: IT JUST WORKS, DAMMIT!
Hard to talk about this one. Really liked Kevin in SC, and a game entirely focused on him seemed like a great idea, especially since it's a pure dungeon crawler, one of my favorite genres. However, it didn't work out as well as I had hoped. There were many repetitive story beats, the structure wasn't good, and the pacing was really bad. There was just too much uninteresting information that buried the interesting parts of the universe, making this one the worst of the trilogy. The Kiseki writers could have used some editing to make the story more concise and interesting, and some parts could have been removed altogether (Kloe and school again? Come on). However, the OST is fantastic, and the gameplay is an improvement over the first two games. Thankfully, starting with Crossbell, the series returns to a more traditional JRPG structure.