i thrust awake in a cold sweat beneath the quiet roof of my sengoku ranch. i remember that the deed is nearly complete - i'm on the brink of the backloggd alignment lock

the panting starts. then the puke; panicking over what i must do. i reflect on what has brought me to this point. the truth sets in

humans are given two choices in the fleeting existence they call life:

1. they rate kichikuou rance with a half star. completion status: abandoned. review roughly reads, "dont let rance fans near children" or, "i feel like a worse person for playing this". these people absolutely rule at parties and you should unconditionally take everything they say completely seriously

2. ten out of ten. reasons enigmatic. their thoughts may be more driven by seemingly sociopathic notions regarding how their life was changed by a fun strategy game with cartoon humor about a guy who does bad shit for women, money and power. there's a good chance these ones aren't getting invited to the aforementioned parties

this is where i forge my path; where i shall walk the road to dawn

...in all seriousness, i'm pretty amazed that something this meticulously detailed came from an eroge company - let alone in 1996. there are so many moving parts and interlinked events that it borders on overwhelming. tons of characters too - many of which you even won't meet because of how structurally dynamic everything is. seemingly whimsical decisions could have lasting consequences, be they positive or negative. it's all so thorough that looking up just about anything in a guide seriously compromises the overall experience

alicesoft's sheer fuck-it-we-ball energy is impossible not to respect here. they crammed every ridiculous idea they had for the series at the time into one sprawling what-if finale and somehow it actually worked. that said, since it's a rough summary for five games that at the time didn't even exist, the narrative feels a little rushed even though it clocks in at 40+ hours. definitely left me wanting a little more from the antagonists and world, but that's what the hundreds of hours worth in sequels is for, i suppose

look - if you think crassness is funny and you've remained skeptical of this series as i have for so long, i'd suggest considering it. if you're on the "i'd never play that shit" side of the spectrum, then you've already made up your mind and that's fine too

if you think this game's bad mechanically, however: skill issue, filtered and so on

here is a pdf that better formats/clarifies the in-game how to play section without any spoilers

In many ways the reputation of this game exceeds it, that isn't to say it is overrated but rather that I think many will be disappointed when this game is finally translated into English.
Sayooshi is one of the main "denpa" games but it lacks many of the elements people associate the genre with. Most people that will actually play this game will be able to tell "what is or isn't real" and there are not that many moments of "absolute madness" in the game. The H-scenes are super short. There are no real moments of long text dumps based on a pseudoscience or philosophy thing the author read a wikipedia article about. There is no real mystery angle to it (most people will be able to guess the main twist almost immediately if they are familiar with this line of game). It isn't all that fucked up either, but then again people consider Saya and motherfucking Muramasa to be "extreme" so perhaps that is up to the reader to decide.
Regardless of what the game is not, much more importantly, this game is very very unfinished. The main story is under ten hours in length even if you read it very slowly and this is one of the few games where I thought "That's it, seriously?" after the credits started rolling. Still, the game is well worth playing as long as you keep in mind that it is very unfinished and don't really expect something along the lines of the other denpa stuff that is popular. I loved it overall and would rather not talk about the story (if you can call it that) and everything else as I feel this is one of the things most people should get into "blind". You either get it or you don't, that's all there is to it. Sayooshi also has what is possibly one of the best game OSTs I have heard. It's a classic for a reason, as long as you know what to expect. Also I like Jisatsu 101 more still.

Only reason this isn’t a 5 is because I haven’t replayed it and whenever I decide to do so I think it will fully determine how I feel about it as a whole and how it compares to the other games. My favorite part about this series is replaying the main story to get a lower day count and just generally optimizing playthroughs and the way Pikmin 4 is structured (similarly to 2) makes it seem like there is not much incentive or fun to be had with trying to do that here. I could be wrong though, and I still had an amazing time playing it on my first playthrough. This is my most anticipated game ever and while I’m happy just for the fact that it’s fun and we have new Pikmin content in general, im really thankful that this series seems to be finally getting the recognition it has deserved for so so long.

See you guys in 2034 when Pikmin 5 finally launches.

working designs my beloved

solid narrative carried by a top tier battle system and fun characters. i can appreciate how grounded the conflict is as far as jrpgs go, but at the same time i wish it had some more meat and didn't end so abruptly

that said i still had a blast and i'm definitely looking forward to seeing how 3 and 4 compare

a chain can always be broken...as long as one has the will to break it.

as a longtime ff fan, it's been a hot minute since the last mainline title was released with the exception of xiv's numerous expansions, but it's been an even longer time since a mainline game has been this good!

fear not, i won't spoil anything but the story here was probably the aspect i was most worried about going into it, and after all is said and done, i'm glad to say that i really enjoyed it, loved it even! it starts out fairly riveting given the revenge story motivations it's got going out for it and despite the dark fantasy aesthetic the tone is handled so well that it never feels needlessly edgy. so for those going into this expecting game of thrones with chocobos, you'll be sorely disappointed to find that it's very much an entry that's in touch with the legacy of final fantasy and its conventions.

a lot of the narratives i've come to love are often those concerning human relationships and while the game might present itself as a revenge story it becomes so much more than that over the course of the game. contrary to a lot of people it seems, i think the cast here is pretty well written! sure some characters inevitably get sidelined but i really enjoyed both clive ( literally me ) and jill's ( i love you queen ) journey and i found their dynamic really engaging and heartwarming. there's also a dynamic in here between clive and another dominant that i found really riveting and both the english and japanese va's really go all out and sell you on the rivalry with some riveting va work!

it's tackling a lot here and while it can be a bit lopsided at times i think it handles a lot of interesting perspectives on identity, loss, and what it means to be human without shying from the darker aspects of the human experience as well. it's such a life-affirming perspective on human willpower in dark times and for that, i can't help but unabashedly love it for what it's going for.

of course, much like other mainline titles, this one is not without its faults as i've found the rpg elements to take a fairly large backseat in favor of the more character action-focused gameplay. in regards to the gameplay actually, it does really feel a bit button mashy in the beginning. still, once the game opens up a bit and you have access to more abilities it feels great pulling off devastating combos since a lot of the game does actually reward you for risk-taking! a lot of the side content like hunts are fairly enjoyable as with previous entries that had those as well but the sidequest content can vary between being pretty fun to feeling like fetch quests entirely unfortunately. thankfully, it's more of the former in my experience!

another thing i'd like to mention is that the eikon fights in this game are not only really fun but also breathtakingly beautiful at times. final fantasy has long established the power of summons within it's narratives but never on a scale like this before. it's really such a visual feast for the eyes (which most of the game is already to be fair save for the motion blur at times) that truly feels like a next-gen experience and a step forward for the series. people discounting this as a purely dark fantasy aesthetic really have no idea what they're missing out on given how much this game is very clearly inspired by the older final fantasy games.

besides being a visual feast, the soundtrack in this game is phenomenal. so much so that after finishing, i've already ordered the soundtrack ! this isn't really a surprise though since soken has done incredible work on xiv and the way he's continued to showcase his sound with different instrumentation from usual is really a joy to experience! the main motif here is also so so good and comes into play at the perfect moments. the usage of it within cutscenes is really tasteful as well given that it plays appropriately to establish a mood and it elevates the overall game. easily one of the best soundtracks in recent years!

it's been such a long time since i've played a triple a game like this where the amount of passion and work put into is permeating through almost every aspect here. i went into this fairly apprehensive given my lapsing appreciation for square enix over the years but this is an especially strong case that with enough time and proper planning, they've still got people who are truly in tune with what makes the series special for so many. it's a game i'll be thinking about for a while and one i hope i'll continue to revisit in years to come.

" clive is literally me "/10

additional notes :

- it's also been such a long time since i've really played a game " all day " so thank you for those sleepless four nights ffxvi i'd do it all over again in a heartbeat 🐱👍

- a little tidbit for the film students but the visual direction of some of the cutscenes are pretty beautiful too with some tasteful usage of pans and other stuff framed as practical camera setups. there's a lot of rack focuses in here too that convey meaning beyond dialogue and the lighting in these scenes are really great in creating these warm/cold tones when they're required. very lovely stuff indeed :p

- english va was exceptional as was the script ! haven't finished the entirety of it with the jp script yet but the little that i've heard so far is really great as well so the loc team headed by koji fox did a good job as always ! a lot of it here feels pretty close to tactics ogre or matsuno's stuff in general so i definitely loved it !

Really feels like one of the most undercooked games I've ever played. But unlike most other games that I'd describe by the same word, Loop8 really feels flawed on it's very core concept and design that I don't think giving it more budget or time would've fixed most of it's issues.

That said, I still enjoyed my time with it and even played on sessions longer than I usually do when gaming for reasons I can't really point out myself. It might be because of the extremely basic and straightforward gameplay loop which mostly consists of running around and talking to characters, which the game has quite an interesting cast of that I did enjoy spending my time with (Machina best girl). The OST as well as the setting also really blend together to make the entire experience really chill which I liked. The story itself is pretty okay and I honestly didn't even understand most of it but I did really like all the character endings and especially the epilogues which were extremely heartwarming and kind of did make me feel like the entire 20 hour run was pretty worth it.

It's extremely flawed for sure but I can't really bring myself to hate it for whatever reason despite all the disappointments I had for it when I didn't even have any expectations to begin with. I wouldn't recommend it for sure but not something I'd say I regret either. It definitely makes me more excited to eventually run through the other Shibamura games in the future too.

Switch version is very good and probably now the best way to play Pikmin 1 due to the crushing glitch seemingly being fixed finally. Unrelated to the version specifically, Pikmin 1 is still really fun even after finishing the sequels that I consider to be better than it and I’m glad the series is finally getting the spotlight it’s deserved for so long.

P.S for first time players: be absolutely sure to destroy the egg in the Distant Spring before it disappears after Day 15, there’s a nice reward that should make your playthrough a whole lot nicer

Libertad de expresión, religión, derechos humanos, igualdad, homosexualidad, hipocresía, amistad y debilidad. Eso y otras tantas cosas más son los temas que trata un juego de 1998, que cuando lo intentaron llevar a occidente nadie se atrevió a traducirlo aunque sea al inglés.

Este juego habla más de la sociedad que el FFVII que dice todo el mundo, no solo por historia sino hasta a la hora de comercializarlo globalmente.

Update 13/11/2023: For the English speakers reading this, there is an English translation in video format for the Cross version of this game that can also work with the Saturn version (This one), I recommended to play this one as it has a better charm although with less content but the translation can work with both versions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Flx6e7V7RsQ&list=PLqbLe5Qvm1qM5i7pxc_FC8_l0YLhvht0K

ace combat for fish people

the ocean is beautiful, expansive, and deeply mysterious. home to a myriad of lifeforms both familiar and foreign to our eyes yet despite our centuries of documentation, houses more mysteries waiting to be discovered neath the deep blue. much like the real world, ace of seafood boasts a vast variety of marine lifeforms. with near 1:1 replication of their natural behaviors , (i know few games can handle replicating the way a bluefin tuna's cannon attack as its devastating force in real life is often hard to observe given their secrecy) aos blends territorial patterns with utmost care and detail, all culminating in an enthralling and challenging race for aquatic conquest in this action-packed, war epic, bildungsroman, action rpg, dating sim, third-person fps, pseudo-nature documentary.

to be slightly serious though, this asset flip is one of those random games you find at 03:00 in the morning and it becomes such a memorable experience, especially in co-op ! the camera tends to fight you at times, particularly in some habitats, but the actual gameplay loop i found pretty fun even if some marine lifeforms are not worth using at all. i played almost all of this in co-op and completed every achievement and i still feel like clearing out most postgame as the comps required for certain encounters can be pretty tricky ! all this paired with a wonderfully percussive drum and bass soundtrack too ? top 1 games about being a fish for sure 👏

" bio fish was unable to compete with fresh fish ... " / 10 🐱👍🦔🦀🤝