As someone who has never quite conneceted with BGS games, I might not be the intended audience for this game, in a good way. This certainly is different then what Bethesda has done in the past.

This game feels like Mass Effect and Deus ex had a baby, and I'm all here for that. The immersive sim stuff is great, this feels like a true role playing game, I truly felt like my character (a beautiful man if I do say so myself). Which is really nice considering other RPGS recently like Cyberpunk and FFXVI (which I both really liked) I did not feel like the main character, but more that I was watching a really good story unfold.

I do have a lot of minor complaints about the game. Some of the stuff near the very end of the game is rather frustrating. I wish the game had a map. It takes a couple hours to fully get cooking. But what's here is pretty magical and pretty damn awesome.

The main storyline is so interesting, and a fascinating concept all the way to the end, that really needs to be seen to believed what they cooked up.

The gunplay felt good here, much better than fallout (see ya vats rest in piss) and the different amount of loot you got, I always felt like keeping my eyes open for a better reward which was great compared to some games earlier in the year (looking at you hogwarts legacy).

Overall just a fantastic experience, and a game that truly feels like an honest to god roleplaying game, one where I got to live out my dreams of being a space cowboy. I hope this isn't the last we've seen of this awesome universe.

First of all a very special thanks to a buddy of mine Moo for gifting me this game! As a fan of old school point and click adventure games, I figured I might vibe with this one, and I certainly did. It's a fun game, with a lot to like, although I do have some complaints that truly hold it back from being great to me.

The first half of this game, I was really really into it. The vibes were fantastic, the story was interesting and carried my attention, and there was a lot of cool stuff going on. I found closer to the end my attention slipping away a bit, the game turned into more of a Quick time event, story driven then just the pure point and click adventure goodness I so love. I really wish there was a way to speed up your walking speed in the game, as so many times it would me stumbling around trying to find the right place to go (a map also would have been quite useful)

The story by the end is touching, and is resolved well. Raya and Atma are very interesting and well made lead characters, but everyone else is mostly forgettable for me.

Overall, a solid experience and one I had a good time with despite my complaints. Worth playing for sure, especially if you're a fan of adventure games and want a little bit more of those in your life.

And here we are. It has been a long read to make it to the end of the Sci;Fi Adventure series for me (well mostly, I still plan to play My Darlings Embrace at some point, but the main line ones have all been crushed now).

A series with so many highs, and some very low lows, and it feels fitting that this game kind of encompasses that perfectly. What a wild adventure though, and the highs in this game are just so damn high that I can't help but love it.

This game is insanely paced. When you look at a game like Robotics;Note which is basically all character development until chapter 8 or 9, and then compare it to this, which is so so plot heavy, and story based, and basically starts in chapter 1 and never lets its foot off the gas, it's a pretty giant difference. And in fact that is my biggest complaint about this game. I loved every single character in this game. Pollion and Momo are probably both my second favorite pair of this entire franchise, but GOD I just wish there was a few extra hours of character building in this. My total clocktime for this game was around 15 hours (fast reader) and by far the quickest in the sci;fi adv series for me. Most of these games normally took 25-30 hours for me.

Still though, the actual plot is great, and what this game hints at, and sort of does for the entire universe is nothing short of insane. I know a lot of people had said you're fine to play this without any of the others one, and at a base level, sure? But having played through all of them (but ESPECIALLY Steins;Gate and Steins;Gate 0) made this so so much more rewarding for me.

This game is meta, it's awesome, I just wish it had a little more room to breathe at times, but it's still an adventure worth taking.

Hack into god!!!

So this one was suggested to me by someone, otherwise I probably would have never paid this game any attention. As someone who is a fan of roguelikes, and also a fan of narrative choice based stuff like Life is Strange, I figured this might end up being a match made in heaven.

Early on I was really intrigued with how the game works. Everything felt very fresh, and random, and you never knew how things quite were going to work. Some interactions were heartfelt, some unique, and some genuinely terrifying. As the game goes on I do feel like it loses a bit of its luster, as you kind of learn what the game has up its sleeve, and a lot of the challenge becomes easier when you get items that carry over with you.

The characters that you meet along the way range from really good, to forgettable.

This concept is so unique and such an interesting idea, I had good time based off of that alone. I think there's something really here to this concept, and I would love to see another dev (or maybe a sequel?) take a crack at this idea and see if they could fix some of my issues, maybe expand on things, or make characters that I just end up caring more about.

Overall though, something unique, and worth playing. Enjoyed my time with it.

Well this was something that was unexpected for me this year. I've been on a massive JRPG kick recently, and I really did want to get to this game eventually, but I didn't have time, didn't want to buy it day one, and planned to hopefully play this at some point in 2024. However, thanks to my wonderful friend Poot, who gifted me this game for my birthday I was able to give this game a shot much sooner, and I'm really glad I did as it's easily one of my favorites I've played this year.

First of all, from a visual/art style perspective this game is absolutely gorgeous, and everything you'd want a throwback JRPG to be. The art style is stunning, the combat is some of the best I've ever played in a JRPG style game (why don't more games rip off the super Mario RPG style it's SO GOOD). I loved the characters here, grew to really enjoy them all (Serai is a stand out) and the story while it gets off to a very slow start ends up cooking by the end.

Most of my complaints with the game are nitpicks, some more valid then others. Fast travel is something sorely needed much much earlier in this game, and back tracking can be a miserable time. A better map system would have been awesome too.

I would have LOVED to do the true ending stuff, but I feel that collecting 50 shells is a brutal requirement, and something that I'm not committed to do right now, but in the future, when I have more free time between these gauntlet of releases I'll try and get back to it to complete. The ending we get here though, is quite nice. A bit rushed at the end, but sombre, and a perfect throwback to FF endings.

I really adore this game, and it's about as close to a 4.5/5 for me without being able to give it that due to some minor complaints. But this game is outstanding and 100% worth your time.

When I first saw the trailer for this game I kind of enjoyed it in a memish sort of way, but didn't ever really expect to grab it on day one. However the more I saw from it, and kinda just being annoyed over the unfair attacks and shit being taken out of this game, I decided to give it a shot day one, as, despite a slightly unsettling art style at first, it did look gorgeously drawn/animated, and I'm a fan of story based "vn" style of games like this, and honestly I'm glad I did.

The game is really if Life is Strange was about Dinosaurs, and had the extra teenage anxiety of the world ending soon. Yes, there is some cringe dialogue at times, and not everything works for me here from a story perspective (I wish the ending was a smidge more impactful) but I still had a good time overall.

All of the characters were mostly enjoyable, and it was fun getting to know them. I do wish some of the game didn't feel quite so "budget". The animations at time kind of cut off awkwardly. The voice acting is hit or miss, with some of it being really good, but then some lines randomly getting cut off early that would break the immersion for me. It's clear this probably could have used a little more time in the oven/more budget.

Overall though, I'm glad I got it and was able to support a small studios vision. If you can get past the slightly off putting character design (which will be a hurdle for some people) there's a great story to be had here.

Going into this game, I had heard a lot of mixed things. People not really liking this game cause i'ts not a "true" DmC game. It's existence is weird, I have to admit, and even Capcom has really admitted so going right back to DMC V after (and the one I'll play next one of the most critically acclaimed in the series). All that being said, what's here is a fantastic game, with the best story out of any DmC game, some epic boss fights and my second favorite DMC game to date.

I am relatively new to the series, so that might be a big part of it, but besides DMC 3 I think this is the best one. It's ending is a bit anti climactic, and probably the thing that makes 3 edge this one out for me, but Ninja Theory has crafted an awesome game that deserves some love here.

I do understand some of the complaints about it, but I feel a lot of that is just jaded and upset DMC fans that this game exists, and I do get it, but if you look past it, what's here is pretty damn awesome and a fantastic game.

I had put off playing this game for a while for a multitude of reasons. First of all, While I did play and enjoy 999 and VLR, I wasn't quite in love with them like a lot of people. I discovered Uchikoski through Somnium Files and much preferred those games and that series. Second, I had heard this game was a huge step down in the franchise, and, while it was a miracle it even got made, certainly showed that. I did try to go into this with an open mind, but by the end I was just desperately wanting it to be over.

The game starts off very slow, and very uninteresting. The way it's fragmented out, so you can do it in any order you want, and it throws the timeline all over the place is a bold move that certainly does not pay off here for me. The Q team, and in particular, Eric, is one of the more unlikeable characters I've played in a video game in a while, and he's just pure comedy gold with how bad he is (especially with the awful English dub). By the end of the game, it does get a little bit better, Sigma and Phi are the only characters that I was semi invested in and wanted to see what happened to them.

I understand the game was made for 10 dollars and a 2 for 1 baconator coupon, but the game is shockingly bad from a visual/ animation perspective. Why they wouldn't just do a more simplified VN and do this awful budget-looking telltale game is beyond me. It took emotion out of some of the few moments I did like, and really just doesn't work for me at all.

The gameplay, like the other ones did nothing for me. I'm just not a fan of the escape room style puzzle mini games.

I understand how hardcore fans might like this more, and the closure they get from this, but as someone who liked but not love the other games this was just torture for me, and one of the worst "visual novels" I've personally ever played. A huge shame and a massive miss for me.

Oh, and the ending is horrible too. Couldn't even end it well.

The final (for now) installment for me in The Sci;Fi Adventure series ends unfortunately with a whimper and not a bang. There are parts of this game I really do like, and it does set itself up for success really early on. The chill awesome cast of Robotics Note, and one of my favorite characters from Steins;Gate Daru? What could possibly go wrong? Unfortunately, they focus on all the worst tendencies of Daru early on, the writing is sloppy and all over the place and very hit or miss the most of the game. The "common" route is perhaps the worst out of any of Sci Fi adventure game yet. Thankfully, Aki's ending and the true ending do some heavy lifting to save this game from being a complete waste of time, and you do get some strong character moments from some fo the other side cast as well.

Techincally this game is a mess. It ran horribly on steam deck with constant crashes and even when switching to laptop I had issues on occasion, and was frustrating enough to make me consider dropping the game at a couple points.

Overall I do think it's worth playing, and clearly has some important stuff to set up for the future of this series, it's just unfortunately the weakest entry in a pretty great series overall. Bring on Anonymous;Code.

For reference my final rankings:

Steins;Gate>Chaos;Child>Robotics;Note>Steins;Gate 0> Chaos;Head> Robotics;Note Dash

This was my first jump into the Metro Universe and I didn't know exactly what to expect here. The game starts slow. VERY slow, and by about the halfway point, I was considering dropping as I wasn't super into it, but I'm glad I stuck with it as the back half gets a lot more exciting with some genuinely great moments (and some stuff that rivals some of the best survivor horror games).

The atmosphere for the game is fantastic, and easily does most of the heavy lifting here. Some of the sim elements are great (I love the idea of wiping down your visor, pumping up your guns) and the gunplay while not great, is certainly satisfying. Now, my biggest complaint here is the story and the characters. They are certainly solid, just nothing to write home about, and I do wish I cared more about the narrative that was being presented to me, but obviously they went more for the atmospheric route.

Overall I did enjoy this game, and I look forward to trying Last Light at some point, and hopefully get a stronger narrative experience out of it.

After I finished playing Chaos;Head there was one major thought in my head. I loved the depressing dark vibes, and wondered what the game could have been like if 99% of the characters weren't abhorrent and unlikeable. Thank you Chaos;Child for answering that question.

This is the fifth entry into the Sci;Fi adventure series for me (only have Robotics;Note Dash to go) and this was one of the best. The dark, depressing, hopeless vibes are some of my favorite in general, the horror/gore theme of this one is something I enjoy. All of the characters were fantastic. The side endings ranged from fun to fantastic, and the true ending, while I didn't love everything about it, the payoff was 100% worth it.

A very special series, and a wonderful game. While it won't pass Steins;Gate for me (just an utter masterpiece) this is now my second favorite in the Sci;Fi adventure series and a must play for any Visual Novel fan. I highly suggest checking it out.

This was generously gifted to me by a friend, Parrott, so thank you for that!

I needed something a little bit shorter to play after the ride that was DQXI and this was suggested by him, and with the massive Visual Novel kick I've been on (and a fan of other games like this) I decided to give this a spin. I quite enjoyed my time with it! It's not trying to be anything it's not. Just an ultra chill ultra short (probably too short) game of you serving coffee and helping people's lives. Most of the characters are generally interesting, and it's an interesting world that's developed here, and again, the kind of thing I do wish it was a little longer and fleshed out more. What's here though is totally enjoyable and fun. I'll check out the sequel someday.

Great game, marred by a bad final act and a horrendous final boss fight.

edit

Okay now that I've calmed down let's talk about this game a little.

Dragon Quest XI is a really Stellar game most of the way. While the story isn't incredible it tells a solid story with good characters. It's charm and atmosphere is delightful and has some of the best combat I've ever played in a JRPG. Seriously it made grinding fun for me.

Where this games loses the plot is act 3 for me. I don't like the story choices, and the final boss, for my taste, was incredibly difficult and unfair unless you do bunch of grinding to get specific weapons/powers and pep, which, already 60 hours into a game is a gigantic ass (and one too much for me).

It's not enough to spoil my time with this game, I'm considering it finished after act 2. I like the story that told more anyways. Great game.