BandwidthSlayer
2010
if the first game is greater than the sum of its parts, this game has the proper parts to make up the sum.
way dialed back on arbitrary half-assed rpg mechanics that add nothing to the game, fat is trimmed on fluff filler content, gunplay and control is exponentially improved, and all the substantial content is highly centralized where you will actually access it.
the first game sets up an amazing setting with beautiful characters, with fun but rudimentary gameplay and a central story which feels a bit disjointed at times. here you actually have that tight shooter action and cohesive central narrative to support that secret sauce.
the more i fall in love with these games as i go, the more depressed i get about the inevitable development hell and studio collapse story to come with mass effect 4
way dialed back on arbitrary half-assed rpg mechanics that add nothing to the game, fat is trimmed on fluff filler content, gunplay and control is exponentially improved, and all the substantial content is highly centralized where you will actually access it.
the first game sets up an amazing setting with beautiful characters, with fun but rudimentary gameplay and a central story which feels a bit disjointed at times. here you actually have that tight shooter action and cohesive central narrative to support that secret sauce.
the more i fall in love with these games as i go, the more depressed i get about the inevitable development hell and studio collapse story to come with mass effect 4
this game is FANTASTIC
big step up from what was already a great game in the first golden sun, although some fundamental shortcomings are maintained.
job, djinn, and summoning is even more in depth with even more options, but once again you are hardly ever incentivized or given an outlet to fully take advantage of the gameplay mechanics at present. still its quite fun to just mess with for the sake of it, as opposed to how obnoxious and stressful jrpg class/progression systems can often be
puzzles and dungeons are much more in depth now, and its cool just how massive every dungeon is, but the lack of a map system really seemed archaic to me. was often very hard to figure out where exactly felix and the gang were and where everything else was.
what kind of held this back from being masterpiece time for me was the lack of meaningful character development, you barely get any scenes of the assorted party members just talking to eachother until the final post-credits scene lol. what you do get is fun but for the amount of talking and talking from random meaningless npcs in this game, a bit more time spent on the core cast would have really elevated this duology as jrpgs for me.
seeing how many games nowadays seem to love lifting from jrpgs of this particular point in time, it would make me very happy to see more jrpgs with these zelda-y exploration mechanics and this particular class system.
big step up from what was already a great game in the first golden sun, although some fundamental shortcomings are maintained.
job, djinn, and summoning is even more in depth with even more options, but once again you are hardly ever incentivized or given an outlet to fully take advantage of the gameplay mechanics at present. still its quite fun to just mess with for the sake of it, as opposed to how obnoxious and stressful jrpg class/progression systems can often be
puzzles and dungeons are much more in depth now, and its cool just how massive every dungeon is, but the lack of a map system really seemed archaic to me. was often very hard to figure out where exactly felix and the gang were and where everything else was.
what kind of held this back from being masterpiece time for me was the lack of meaningful character development, you barely get any scenes of the assorted party members just talking to eachother until the final post-credits scene lol. what you do get is fun but for the amount of talking and talking from random meaningless npcs in this game, a bit more time spent on the core cast would have really elevated this duology as jrpgs for me.
seeing how many games nowadays seem to love lifting from jrpgs of this particular point in time, it would make me very happy to see more jrpgs with these zelda-y exploration mechanics and this particular class system.
loved this game but this dlc was a little underwhelming for me.
pretty cheap and nearly entirely made out of reused assets from the base game, and in my opinion the roguelike format doesn't transition well to slow paced rpg gameplay like this where you spend a lot of time in menus and sitting back thinking about stuff. i'm not really interested in going back for reruns like splatoon side order, hope i enjoy the other dlc offerings a bit better.
still better than fire emblem engage
pretty cheap and nearly entirely made out of reused assets from the base game, and in my opinion the roguelike format doesn't transition well to slow paced rpg gameplay like this where you spend a lot of time in menus and sitting back thinking about stuff. i'm not really interested in going back for reruns like splatoon side order, hope i enjoy the other dlc offerings a bit better.
still better than fire emblem engage
fun game! not a lot to say, what you see is essentially what you get and one glance at the game will probably tell you if you'll enjoy it or not.
i think the game would be a little more interesting if there were more challenges that took advantage of mario's very versatile movement options here rather than the rather dated puzzle design, but that is kind of hard to avoid with a 1:1 remake. goes without saying its kind of silly this is sold at the same price point as super mario bros wonder.
bonus points for very nice presentation and especially music
i think the game would be a little more interesting if there were more challenges that took advantage of mario's very versatile movement options here rather than the rather dated puzzle design, but that is kind of hard to avoid with a 1:1 remake. goes without saying its kind of silly this is sold at the same price point as super mario bros wonder.
bonus points for very nice presentation and especially music
this is the one we've been waiting for lads.
obviously some narrative issues arise out of converting the middle portion of a 30 hour game from 27 years ago into a 100 hour odyssey, but its worth the effort. this game just has so much to offer. everywhere you go there's beautiful new sights, lovely music, and all sorts of characters to last a lifetime, all the while maintaining best-in-class action rpg gameplay without fail.
things are definitely a little bloated, kind of the inevitable result of any game this long and huge, but i say it better be if we only getting a game like this every four years. if i can say anything against this game its that i wish 16 (or just a new game) could get this level of quality rather than the annual final fantasy vii release
obviously some narrative issues arise out of converting the middle portion of a 30 hour game from 27 years ago into a 100 hour odyssey, but its worth the effort. this game just has so much to offer. everywhere you go there's beautiful new sights, lovely music, and all sorts of characters to last a lifetime, all the while maintaining best-in-class action rpg gameplay without fail.
things are definitely a little bloated, kind of the inevitable result of any game this long and huge, but i say it better be if we only getting a game like this every four years. if i can say anything against this game its that i wish 16 (or just a new game) could get this level of quality rather than the annual final fantasy vii release
the game rocks! lots of course corrections from dual destinies to mesh things better into the overall franchise while still maintaining the sort of batshit absurdity that seems to sort of give this 3ds duology its identity.
yes of course the extra backstory for apollo is kind of ridiculous but i would say hardly moreso than all the retcons in aa3 and everyone knows that game rules. in my opinion it works great and finally gives him a lot more of his own stuff to do. i found it weird that in aa4, apollo's titular game, he is largely just going through phoenix's story and battles for him (still prolly the best one besides tgaa tho).
there is no case i did not enjoy, although i will say for as fun as the game is, a bit more focus would have been good. if it were up to me, one improvement i'd make is i'd spend all 5 cases in khurain besides the first trial of case 5 and save the trucy thing in case 2 and the simon case 4 for the inevitable aa7 with thena.
datz arebal best witness ever lol
yes of course the extra backstory for apollo is kind of ridiculous but i would say hardly moreso than all the retcons in aa3 and everyone knows that game rules. in my opinion it works great and finally gives him a lot more of his own stuff to do. i found it weird that in aa4, apollo's titular game, he is largely just going through phoenix's story and battles for him (still prolly the best one besides tgaa tho).
there is no case i did not enjoy, although i will say for as fun as the game is, a bit more focus would have been good. if it were up to me, one improvement i'd make is i'd spend all 5 cases in khurain besides the first trial of case 5 and save the trucy thing in case 2 and the simon case 4 for the inevitable aa7 with thena.
datz arebal best witness ever lol
2024
barack obama simulator
BEST IN CLASS, yet another must for anyone with a switch.
half point docked because i think octo expansion was still better, and its obvious where steps down were made for this format. more variety woulda been good, the selection of objectives feels like i'm playing fire emblem awakening or sumn sometimes lol
perpetually begging nintendo to make a full solo splatoon game, sumn like this with the size and scale of sumn like pikmin 4 or mario odyssey would be a shoe-in for every award around
half point docked because i think octo expansion was still better, and its obvious where steps down were made for this format. more variety woulda been good, the selection of objectives feels like i'm playing fire emblem awakening or sumn sometimes lol
perpetually begging nintendo to make a full solo splatoon game, sumn like this with the size and scale of sumn like pikmin 4 or mario odyssey would be a shoe-in for every award around
THE DARK AGE OF THE LAW
yah idk the game kind of jumps the shark, like this game is so far removed from the initial premise of legal proceedings and murder mysteries that the first game at least establishes the veneer of lol.
if you can appreciate the game for what it is as the wright anything agency's wacky j-drama adventures rather than a more meaningful sequel to apollo justice and the games which came before it, its a great time. but the way characters are written is kind of ridiculous and off-putting as a canonical entry in a multi-decade series, and the cases (PARTICULARLY THE PHANTOM GOOD GOD) are just so far removed from any semblance of gripping character drama or gritty mystery or anything to that effect
i enjoyed the game for what it is, i just hope this is not the direction capcom takes for the inevitable ace attorney 7
yah idk the game kind of jumps the shark, like this game is so far removed from the initial premise of legal proceedings and murder mysteries that the first game at least establishes the veneer of lol.
if you can appreciate the game for what it is as the wright anything agency's wacky j-drama adventures rather than a more meaningful sequel to apollo justice and the games which came before it, its a great time. but the way characters are written is kind of ridiculous and off-putting as a canonical entry in a multi-decade series, and the cases (PARTICULARLY THE PHANTOM GOOD GOD) are just so far removed from any semblance of gripping character drama or gritty mystery or anything to that effect
i enjoyed the game for what it is, i just hope this is not the direction capcom takes for the inevitable ace attorney 7
i think i'm prolly gonna make a video or sumn on this one, there's a lot to talk about. you can tell this was made by jrpg fans and is at times both a blessing and a curse.
to put it briefly, lots of borderline amateurish and inept game design is tolerable or at least excusable simply because the game excels, to an extent absolutely best in class, where it truly matters.
if the sequel can match this game's highs and iron out the creases it'll be a gold standard for the jrpg genre, but as this game stands, i'd likely fully recommend to anyone even a little curious. its a great entry point if you are unfamiliar with the genre, and if you are a jrpg enthusiast, this game brings a lot to the table that can be hard to come by around these parts. looking forward to seeing what's next!
to put it briefly, lots of borderline amateurish and inept game design is tolerable or at least excusable simply because the game excels, to an extent absolutely best in class, where it truly matters.
if the sequel can match this game's highs and iron out the creases it'll be a gold standard for the jrpg genre, but as this game stands, i'd likely fully recommend to anyone even a little curious. its a great entry point if you are unfamiliar with the genre, and if you are a jrpg enthusiast, this game brings a lot to the table that can be hard to come by around these parts. looking forward to seeing what's next!
2024
game's tekken 7 but better, which is all i really needed. half a point deducted because the singleplayer story mode feels a little lame and dated, especially after street fighter 6 included a fully fledged jrpg out of the box lol.
claudio makes this game much more fun
claudio makes this game much more fun
2001
similarly to mario rpg's remake i went into this with rather low expectations, figured it was just another cool novelty that boomer-y games sorta fawn over. game is in fact great.
the class/djinn system is fantastic, extremely addictive and intuitive and fun, where so many games attempt this sort of system and stumble, if not fail outright, this game make looks effortless. where final fantasy has attempted and failed at plenty of times before, this game succeeds and sets a bar on its initial outing. the djinn/class sytem alone is worth playing this game for just to see an example of how to implement a job system in a deep and meaningful way while still being approachable and fun.
the story is cool but in my opinion far too reliant on context clues and random npc dialogue and hidden flavor text. could've done with a little bit more party member dialogue, half the time i honestly felt like i was playing a dark souls clone or some shit with how cryptically this game delivers information about what is going on. which is interesting given the good-vs-evil all ages presentation of things here. hoping that all picks up a bit for the sequel.
the combat is fantastic, but in my opinion often doesn't really require the player to make use of all the systems in place. for all the cool classes and spells and weapons, you can just as easily use mono-element jobs and spam your strongest spells for 20 hours and clear the superboss with little resistance. stuff is fun but i am hoping that stuff like buffs and debuffs become a little more important at some point in the next game. felt like there wasn't much room to spread the large wings the game gives you.
the puzzle system is fantastic, at its best this feels like a zelda game except with real rpg combat instead of the cinematic simulations of challenge that zelda often prefers (at least up until more recent zelda entries). the way the game delivers context clues about the story and constantly requires the player to interact with the world outside of battle makes weyard feel very involved and compelling to explore.
all in all, pleasantly surprised and had a great time, the game's original ideas are phenomenal and work fantastic, but i am hoping the core storytelling and boss fights get ramped up a little for the next go around.
the class/djinn system is fantastic, extremely addictive and intuitive and fun, where so many games attempt this sort of system and stumble, if not fail outright, this game make looks effortless. where final fantasy has attempted and failed at plenty of times before, this game succeeds and sets a bar on its initial outing. the djinn/class sytem alone is worth playing this game for just to see an example of how to implement a job system in a deep and meaningful way while still being approachable and fun.
the story is cool but in my opinion far too reliant on context clues and random npc dialogue and hidden flavor text. could've done with a little bit more party member dialogue, half the time i honestly felt like i was playing a dark souls clone or some shit with how cryptically this game delivers information about what is going on. which is interesting given the good-vs-evil all ages presentation of things here. hoping that all picks up a bit for the sequel.
the combat is fantastic, but in my opinion often doesn't really require the player to make use of all the systems in place. for all the cool classes and spells and weapons, you can just as easily use mono-element jobs and spam your strongest spells for 20 hours and clear the superboss with little resistance. stuff is fun but i am hoping that stuff like buffs and debuffs become a little more important at some point in the next game. felt like there wasn't much room to spread the large wings the game gives you.
the puzzle system is fantastic, at its best this feels like a zelda game except with real rpg combat instead of the cinematic simulations of challenge that zelda often prefers (at least up until more recent zelda entries). the way the game delivers context clues about the story and constantly requires the player to interact with the world outside of battle makes weyard feel very involved and compelling to explore.
all in all, pleasantly surprised and had a great time, the game's original ideas are phenomenal and work fantastic, but i am hoping the core storytelling and boss fights get ramped up a little for the next go around.
really impressive presentation with voice acting, graphics, music etc and intermittently touching and gripping storytelling, but imo held back by rather boring puzzle gameplay and a lot of runtime feeling rather insubstantial.
when the game is good it's really cool and when it isn't particularly good it's still nice to just look at and listen to and move around in. but ya could've done with less screentime focused on water pollution and band drama lol
when the game is good it's really cool and when it isn't particularly good it's still nice to just look at and listen to and move around in. but ya could've done with less screentime focused on water pollution and band drama lol
2007
technical issues, autosave issues, and game breaking bugs that i'd usually immediately drop a game over barely bothered me at all over my 30 hours of playing. this game is that good lol
2023
awesome game, super fun shooter and amazing homage to the movies. marking it down a point for technical issues and bugs and stuff, consider waiting for the patched version or whatever. if this game ends up getting fixed then its a must-play. regardless, as is, i had a splendid time.
a bit more direction and indication on side quests would be good, felt like significant content was easily missable sometimes. story felt tonally inconsistent, couldn't always tell when the game was trying to be thoughtful and when robocop was supposed to be an over-the-top ridiculous psychopath. game gets really fun once you start getting cool upgrades and stuff, imo some of that stuff should've just been there from the get go.
i do hope this game gets a patch tho
a bit more direction and indication on side quests would be good, felt like significant content was easily missable sometimes. story felt tonally inconsistent, couldn't always tell when the game was trying to be thoughtful and when robocop was supposed to be an over-the-top ridiculous psychopath. game gets really fun once you start getting cool upgrades and stuff, imo some of that stuff should've just been there from the get go.
i do hope this game gets a patch tho