The first Armored Core is a classic mecha game that like most From Software games at the time, sort of went under the radar but was revolutionary in many different aspects. Shoji Kawamori of Macross fame conceptualized the game's customization system and mech designs but it's definitely much more gritty than in his other works. Especially considering if you are a mecha fan at all you'll noticed the immense amount of influence Ryosuke Takahashi (Dagram and Votoms) has in the story and world for the franchise as a whole. Even if you don't know any of the names I'm spitting out this game can basically be considered one of the more important pieces of media that push the "realistic robot" genre in cool ways.

This game has a badass, late 90s house and techno soundtrack as to be expected from most banger games in this era. A stark contrast to the rest of Fromsoft's catalogue at the time but something to note as even though this game has a dark, omnipotent vibe to it, it makes the game feel more fun and hype than one might expect at first glance. Something that you do have to understand though is that this game is definitely a product of its era and as such it can be a tough game with controls that require some getting used to. This sentiment can be applied for all three versions of Armored Core on the PlayStation 1 and about half of the games that would release on the PS2.

However that does not detract from the fact that if you can get used to it, this game is actually quite fun despite its clunk. Something that pretty much every Armored Core game offers is replayability and this one is no exception. There are two branching routes which will give you different missions and flavor text for missions. Of course being the first game in the franchise the mission and story variance isn't amazing by today's standards but quite honestly it still suffices well enough to be engaging.

Just like all Fromsoft games there's a hidden kind of narrative this game shares to its players. It's definitely not something super in-depth in this entry unlike more modern titles but especially in regards to this game's ending (which is probably one of my favorites in this series) it definitely adds a lot of nuance to this game that's easily recognizable from the offset. This game has a neat little personality and it's really memorable because of it. Even though this game is much simpler than later games, it still carries a lot of the depth of the franchise's well-known core features and more. It's just in a different sense than you maybe expecting. Whether or not you're into mechs I still consider this something you should at least give a shot, it definitely stuck with me for a long time even as a little simple game.

All in all, if you like to blow shit up and feel like a tactical genius who pilots an awesome looking brick you'll love this game. Have fun!

It has been said that a person's teenage years is some of the best in one's life. There are hundreds
upon hundreds of movies, TV shows, and games that expound upon this fact. This teenage-oriented
media is everywhere, especially in Japan as you've no doubt seen anime correlate to something dealing
with high schoolers at least once. In some people's youth they go out and do have similarily fun
adventures and enjoy themselves to the fullest, but, there are many who are shackled by
overprotectiveness, shyness, maybe even they're hazed or do not have many friends to talk to. Despite
this people adapt, there many ways to enjoy oneself nowadays, especially through the internet and
through entertainment. This will never bring the same emotion or experience as going out but in many
cases this is preferred and in fact has such huge followings to the point that it's truly all of what some
people have. A notable margin live inside this bubble to this day past their youth and do not interact
with much outside. What perpetuates this and what keeps people inside can be easily imagined by
outsiders and seen as crude and pathetic. While some of these people do not have that intricate of a
rhyme or reason, there are also people who just have not felt like they've grown up and cannot abide by
adulthood. Many people sometimes dream to return to what they thought were problems in the past and
stay coddled in the warmth of nostalgia, forever.

Not all people who enjoy the internet, games, or any teen media are inside people of course.
There is in fact many people who are inspired to do more outside by media, or creators who inject their
real life experiences into their projects. Whether their creations can be seen as too embellished upon
and unrealistic or made to be completely satirical they all surround it with the setting of a teenager in
high school. In reality though, what were their high school lives like? How many people during that
period of time have had their dreams realized or crushed? Were they longing for love? Friends? Maybe
even something that may seem too far-fetched... Whether or not people did think too deeply or not
there is sometimes a strange emotion tied to adolescence. It could be nostalgia as it is for most but
sometimes it can be a darker, more disgusting feeling. There are quite the amount of people who hated
their teenage years and moved on completely, the best days of their lives would end up being in their
later years. In that sense teenage media wouldn't seem appeal to these people, but, what if it tapped into
the darkness of those years and created a sort of fine line that crosses between nostalgia and pain.

There are no doubt a good amount of examples of a dark “coming-of-age” story but they
generally invoke only one side of this spectrum of emotion. Despite how well they dive into how low a
human could go there is sometimes only things you can feel when you're able to deliver more homely
feel. A true cross between these feelings in fiction isn't easy to do, especially if you're attempting to
relate to a reader as not all people can confide in it due to how muddled people's view of things can be.
Most of the time people rally behind a happy and carefree character, a very charismatic villain, or
sometimes a person who just gets all the hotties! Regardless of the depth of relatability you put in these
characters something won't always click, truthfully the way to win over the hearts of people is to create
a more forlorn or romantic sense of empathy instead of a drawn out direct form of sympathy. The most
exciting things are the things that can't happen in real life, it's why so many people look towards fiction
for comfort or for fun. But things that are too perfect are boring and things that are too flawed just
remind people of why they dislike things in other parts of their life. The right amount of perfection and
flaw creates an elevated form of beauty and righteousness in the landscape of fiction.

Takuya Arima is the protagonist in a VN called YU-NO released in 1996 by ELF Corporation,
his character arcs and the passion formed by the composer, the artists, and writers of ELF help create
this cross between despair and reminiscence. YU-NO itself is considered a Sci-Fi visual novel but a
large portion of it takes place in a normal Japanese neighborhood and high school, with varying locales
throughout the nearby city. A lot could be said about its very vast world and science fiction elements
and absurdly unrealistic, crazy moments but this isn't about that. Despite this game's genre it actually
fixates on a lot of different ideas and the one that captured me was its portrayal of a charismatic teenage
boy. A lot of these Japanese high school centric scenarios tend to rely more on the goofy or fantasy side
of things but this game chooses to create a character who has a similar, enjoyable and funny personality
but tinged in a harsh reality that has wrought an almost perfect balance of youth.

The situations in this game can sometimes be erotic in nature and is definitely a product of its
time but with the way the wind blows in the game, it's almost necessary and in fact adds to the
emotions encapsulated within Takuya. His role as a teenager is crucial as it invites the player to share in
his angst and display the truth of how much an adolescent can really do in the complex, seedy relations
of adults. Unlike a lot of other works it doesn't completely downplay the adults and make a sort of
“Kids rule!” mentality. It establishes the importance between the both of them, creating a tug of war
between what's out of each other's control.

Certain scenes in this vein evoke a bygone sense of youth that some may have never even
experienced but solidifies itself as a part as one's memory. These moments develop more and more as
the story continues and even though later on the plot itself changes focus this underlying emotion
continues to emanate throughout each route and strengthens the bond of Takuya and the player. The
freedom he has and the choices he makes with only his raw, unadulterated passion and his own fiery
sense of justice brings him to the climax of what being a teenager should be about. It's almost a dream
to his live his kind of life yet at the same time the hammer of reality is brought down upon him time
and time again. There is no true answer to everything in this game's world, everything that is “perfect”
and “true” is only found with the player's decision to abuse save slots and fix these issues one step at a
time. All visual novels have these consequences with bad endings and whatnot but this game actually
makes you decide what to do for long periods of time due to the limit of your save slots in the
beginning and creates a sense of finality or anger to each route you complete. In a sense, even though
you're expected to do every little thing to fix the world, there is elegance in the many outcomes that
occur through the bare minimum and exposes the real world through the eyes of Takuya. Even if you
weren't to play YU-NO in this way its scenarios will still tug on you and keep you day dreaming, as if
you were stuck in class and thinking of another kind of life.

In your life have there been moments where you think back and feel like something was all a
dream but it really happened? Sometimes these moments can be good or bad but they all share in
common that strange form of existence. Could've been insignificant, could've been an extremely
important moment. All you know is that one way or another it happened and that's how YU-NO feels.
It's something that as you read and listen, it blossoms and creates a strange, comforting bubble of
feelings. It wells up inside you and when it's all over, it doesn't feel fictitious, neither does it come off
as real. YU-NO gives you a dreamy high of a look into a dirty, fun youth you've never had and brings
you back around and throws you back into your seat. It comes to show you that even if you haven't had
these experiences, maybe you can still make them. Maybe you can be the one to put things into motion
and create love. Not for others, but for yourself, create a passion of your own and wring yourself out of
whatever you're in. Simply dreaming of the future isn't enough, as much as you want to think that's
good enough. Live and let die, jump over the age, save the future.

Persona 1 has this mysterious, nostalgic vibe that makes this game a lot more special than one would think at first glance. The scenario writer behind this game: Satomi Tadashi, stated this was his intention, to create a narrative that is unapologetically rooted in the struggles and emotions of adolescents. To relate to those who are currently in that stage of their life or to remind adults of those times in a positively trippy way. But make no mistake this game doesn't adhere to your usual high school anime tropes in an annoying way, it's surprisingly cartoony and charming at times while being able to also feel like a fever dream. Sort of reminds me of Earthbound in some ways.

However this game is one of those games that definitely has a lot more focus on said scenario rather than the gameplay. Rather the gameplay does have quite a bit of thought put into it and isn't completely terrible, but I highly suggest you just play it on the easiest difficulty. This game is tough and drawn out for no real good reason, it's not that fun but it's definitely a lot more playable than some other brutal JRPGs I've gone through. A notable feature is the "Contact" option you have when encountering enemies which makes for interesting dialogue and character interactions at times.

The game allows you to have up to 5 party members at a time and numerous times throughout the game's two scenarios you can pick to add certain characters but also be locked out of the rest of the later ones if you do so. It's pretty annoying but regardless the synergy and dialogue between everyone, no matter who you pick is extremely cohesive and entertaining. I don't really think I dislike any party member in this game whatsoever and by the end I fell in love with everyone.

Persona 1 predates the structure of the games from Persona 3 onward so expect a faster paced, linear story. Honestly even with a shorter play time and more emphasis on the plot it's still able to develop the characters and keep them involved with good reason consistently compared to the modern games that should theoretically make it even easier to do so. There's a super bunk localized version of the game for PSX in English and only the original version with the second scenario is translated and available on PSP.

However the tone of the game is completely different on the PSP version due to Shoji Meguro rescoring the soundtrack (notably less songs too.) The music he made was great but doesn't get the game's original atmosphere across. There's a patch for the PSP version to re-add the old music but it doesn't add all of the tracks, only replaces the tracks that are there with the old ones. At the moment since there is no translation of the JP PSX version this is the best way to experience it in my opinion.

This game created a blueprint for which the sequels would follow in their own ways and while I prefer Persona 2 over this game I think this game took an approach to the JRPG genre that was very unique for the time and to this day stands alone. Awesome dialogue, beautiful atmosphere, and a superb cast of characters with an unpredictable and fun narrative. The antagonists in this story are definitely not as huge of a focus (which falls in line with most Persona games) and it's definitely all about the heroes in the story but they're still interesting enough to merit some thought.

This is also one of the last games to feature the older style of Kazuma Kaneko's artwork alongside the original Soul Hackers before his jump into the style most people recognize today. It looks and feels super homely and really adds to that aforementioned nostalgic feeling that this game has. The sound design in the original version oozes "90's" in a really good way and personally pleasured my eardrums every step of the way. (Rest in peace Hidehito Aoki.)

If you're looking to start with this game I would say you should be an experienced RPG player, if not I would say jump ahead to P3 and come back to P1 and P2 later as its gameplay might scare away the uninitiated. Despite that it's a game I fondly look back on and I feel most who appreciate it share that same sentiment with it. It's kind of a shame that Satomi Tadashi to this day tried to emulate the experiences contained in this game with his newer IP but ultimately failed. Atlus truly peaked in the mid to late 90s and the way this game was composed clearly shows that.

All in all, if you're looking for a trippy story with relatable and fun characters you'll quite like this game. Have fun!