Astaldar
2023
Improves on nearly every issue the first game presented, which is incredibly refreshing to see! It still doesn't quite hit the mark in terms of overall story quality and consistency, though it is leagues better than OT1 in that regard. Since Square Enix obviously took feedback into heavy consideration when developing this game, I'm super hopeful that a third installment will be an absolute home run. The love that goes into games like this needs to be experienced by more people.
2023
Yeah, that's a video game! An absolute joy from start to finish, even as someone who is not into rhythm games or rhythmically-inclined (to put it lightly). Definitely gives jolts of early 2000s Dreamcast-era nostalgia!
On repeat playthroughs as I go up in difficulty I can see myself bumping it up to 5 stars. Can't recommend it enough!
On repeat playthroughs as I go up in difficulty I can see myself bumping it up to 5 stars. Can't recommend it enough!
A 5-star game trapped inside of a 2-star game. The actual monster battling, leveling, and synthesizing are phenomenal and offer a lot of depth for dedicated players, but just about every other aspect of the game falls apart in real time, which ultimately diminishes the strengths of the game's core mechanics.
The graphics, while being wildly mediocre at best, are forgivable since everyone knows DQ games are made on a budget of exactly $2.67, are also combined with horrible framerate drops and general choppiness that is impossible to ignore.
The lack of any real world building, side quests, and general overlapping objectives leaves players with a bland narrative that is not presented well or even coherently at all. That being said, if Monster battlers are your thing, you'll enjoy it since the game delivers in that regard, but stay away otherwise.
The graphics, while being wildly mediocre at best, are forgivable since everyone knows DQ games are made on a budget of exactly $2.67, are also combined with horrible framerate drops and general choppiness that is impossible to ignore.
The lack of any real world building, side quests, and general overlapping objectives leaves players with a bland narrative that is not presented well or even coherently at all. That being said, if Monster battlers are your thing, you'll enjoy it since the game delivers in that regard, but stay away otherwise.
2023
I'd probably rate it even higher if survival horror was my thing. Loved every second of it, though. Nails tension and atmosphere.
Funky Mode is a completely legitimate way to beat this game and I'm tired of pretending it's not.
Well, I'm converted! This was my first Dragon Quest game, and I can safely say that I regret not giving these games more attention sooner! Dragon Quest's strongest and most enduring quality is that it doesn't try to be anything other than the most quintessential JRPG, and it is only striving to refine and perfect that tried and true formula.
While i can totally see people writing this off as overly vanilla, it's anything but. Everything about this game is so endearing, it's almost intoxicating. Rab and Sylvando are absolute MVPs.
Clocking in at 81 hours upon defeating the Act 3 boss and obtaining the true ending, at no point did I ever feel the game was dragging along, which says a lot about a JRPG as this genre is packed with games that end up bring glorified endurance tests. With additional playthroughs, I will most likely be bumping this up to 5 stars.
While i can totally see people writing this off as overly vanilla, it's anything but. Everything about this game is so endearing, it's almost intoxicating. Rab and Sylvando are absolute MVPs.
Clocking in at 81 hours upon defeating the Act 3 boss and obtaining the true ending, at no point did I ever feel the game was dragging along, which says a lot about a JRPG as this genre is packed with games that end up bring glorified endurance tests. With additional playthroughs, I will most likely be bumping this up to 5 stars.
1999
Reaching the point where I needed to actively go out of my way to get Numemon was quite the accomplishment!
"Prepare your anus, Ramza" - Wiegraf
An absolute blast for any fans of the early MR games, but man, Rot/Wither decks literally break the game.
2003
DEMON FANG
DEMON FANG
DEMON FANG
DEMON FANG
DEMON FANG
Something any OoT fan needs to experience at least once.
2004
This is -the- lightning in a bottle video game of my lifetime. I'm not an MMORPG fan at my core, but my love of the Warcraft universe and the accessibility this game provided gave me a clear on-ramp to my most played game of all time.
Truth be told, I spent almost all of my time chronically leveling and re-leveling as opposed to throwing myself at the endgame hamster wheel that has characterized the game for the better half of two decades at this point, and not once did I ever feel I was missing out on anything. Vanilla WoW will always hit different.
Truth be told, I spent almost all of my time chronically leveling and re-leveling as opposed to throwing myself at the endgame hamster wheel that has characterized the game for the better half of two decades at this point, and not once did I ever feel I was missing out on anything. Vanilla WoW will always hit different.
2018
The game gets an A+ for being aesthetically gorgeous with beautiful, emotion-inducing music, but the game's overall bland story and issues with being a little too self-indulgent for its own good end up knocking off points. I liked the actual combat, but I need more going on to keep me wanting to play.
2022
I can see aspects of the game that haven't aged all that well, in addition to structure and general ease, as turning players away. That being said, I fell in love with the game's charm and absolute banger of a soundtrack.
Metroid has always been a niche franchise, so I'm not necessarily ashamed to admit that I never touched a game in the series until MPR, though I definitely regret not making more of an effort to play earlier installments. This game converted me, and I will eagerly anticipate future titles!