Have so much to say but I can't write much. Have so much to express but I can't find the words. Have so much to elaborate but I don't have the energy. Have so much to expound but I can't be able to convey them.

I became conscious of death when my grandmother had passed, but it wasn't until my grandfather went away a few years after I fully became inundated as to what it meant. I can't think of many people as integral to my well being and personality as they were. I cannot recall a time where I wasn't thinking about that stark, orange colored block of a hospital room where the latter had laid, unknowing it would be the last I would ever see of him. I cannot recall a time where death wasn't something I had feared, an abstraction lay unto forces beyond my control, surrounding me so sickly as I continue to grow older. I was lost during my twilight years in high school where I was slowly accustoming into what adulthood would become like. Even now, it haunts me.

"...I finally began to understand...what it means to live... Thinking for yourself... Not running away... Accepting the inevitable... All things eventually come to an end... Every living thing will one day disappear... Only by accepting this can one discover what they truly want... What the meaning of their life will be..."

I wouldn't say Persona 3 was an answer I needed to these fears, but it helped a lot. It was the first game I had ever purchased second handed, and I remembered just the bare minimum when going into it after seeing an LP. A lot of people postured it as a game exploring death, but it's more about the examinations of life as we know it. Death is constant, but it isn't the weight. Turmoil is abundant, but it shouldn't be the reason for demise. Jealousy and apathy are thorns, which is why compassion and hope for tomorrow need to be accentuated now more than ever. Your actions to the other, no matter how insignificant it may be, can blossom and (re-)kindle something into the heart that they may have forgotten. You are your own person, even as you masquerade various personas in multiple conversations and meetups. You are the pillar and support for people, even if you never realize it.

"I decided that I would continue to protect you. I want to be your strength. I know I'm not the only one who can do this... but that's okay... My life will be worth living if it's for this reason... Thank you..."'

Both FES and Reload's combat mechanics are great to me. Though the AI tactic configuration is but a mere husk of its former design principle, stripped to bareness in each subsequent entry as any nuances and underlying appeal have since dissipated, leaving behind a set of reductions and glaring blemishes that, cumulatively, makes the initial appearance seem worse than it actually was - of which someone’s already making sure to right this wrong, I garnered some enjoyment from it regardless. Theurgy wasn't as intrusive as I had thought it was, instead an extension of person's psyche as well as the idea that the power we wield can be used to secure a better tomorrow. It’s been mocked as “cope” to say the old approach was an intentional decision behind the gameplay, but well, a collective interview between various Double Jump board users and Atlus when 4 was coming out has shown that’s just the truth indeed, and I find merit in how that form factor escalates into the feeling of a group coming together and bonding further and further into becoming a simple family. The relationship between Tartarus Guardians and Full Moon Shadows are intrinsically tied, but now reversed - you are no longer gauging the Dark Arcanas as a check for the Guardians' enforcement atop the higher floors, but are instead compartmentalizing the Guardians in an effort to combat the ephemeral being that can't and won't understand you. It's good. It's cyclical. It's the reverse of the cards we all face at some point.

"You don't have to save the world to find meaning in life... Sometimes all you need is something simple, like someone to take care of. I'll keep on living no matter what , so that I can protect you..."

I don't think this is entirely perfect. I actually much prefer the old Tartarus structure since this one is made much more convenient, and I don't agree with the false notion that the party system was archaic even if I understand not everyone will like it regardless. The presentation has some nice flourishes but, especially in the animation department, there are placements and alterations made that took me away from the intended effect. I also find it incredibly suspect that The Answer has been announced of a faux "expansion pass" relatively sooner than expected with two other "pre order bonus" ass costume DLCs preceding it, all without word on FeMC. At the end of it all, I still find FES to be the experience I'd attain whenever I want to revisit this world. Yet, I am content. It's one of very few things in fiction that has brought me to tears. It was wonderful to revisit this story (twice, even, since I replayed FES beforehand). If it means more people can experience this masterpiece, then so be it. Just another face for the fool to don as it shows itself onto the public.

"You can close your eyes. I'll always remain here by your side."

In the 1998 film Run Lola Run, written and directed by German-born and future Wachowski collaborator Tom Tykwer, everyone in it are undergoing a cyclical loop where things often repeat. Due to it being 80 minutes long, it's safe to cut up each act as about 27 mins in length, each being split apart by an interlude where Lola and her boyfriend Manni talk with each other about their personal feelings regarding each other, as well as general senses of time and emotion. One could make the argument that Lola's rather antagonistic due to her efforts demeaning and devaluing lives of different people within each cycle, though this is a bit of a rough read and, cynically viewed, a shallow takeaway. Disregarding the notion most of the denizens within are just as, if not more harsh towards Lola, her actions are driven purely by brash instincts, manifested by the urban jungle and poverty-riddled sections deep within the area she and her mate are inhabited in. Some of the people she bumps into along the way, such as her father, take advantage of her predicament, often impeding on her goal within each cycle. Could she still be viewed as evil? I mean, probably, but even then her actions become polished and in-line with her intentions over the course of time, even to the point she's able to influence a few people off the brushes of shoulders or inaction. If nothing else, it's a story about preserving love and adoration despite the hostility of loss and tragedy.

In the 1998 film 2000 video game Majora's Mask, spearheaded by Shigeru Miyamoto, Yoshiaki Koizumi, Eiji Aonuma, with additional scripting done by Mitsuhiro Takano, everyone in it are undergoing a cyclical loop where things often repeat. Due to it being 80 minutes roughly 21 hours long, potentially up to 34 if everything in it is done, it's safe to cut up each act as roughly 4-6 hours in length, each being split apart by an interlude where Lola and her boyfriend Manni Link and his begrudging ally Tatl are communicating with individual Giants, each talking about past scenarios and events involving Skull Kid. Some have viewed Skull Kid as the antagonist due to their efforts demeaning and devaluing lives of different people within the city region Termina, though this is a rough read and, cynically viewed, a shallow takeaway. Disregarding the notion fact that Happy Mask Salesman, just mere moments after the first Song Of Time reset, prattles on about the legend of the titular Majora's Mask, Skull Kid's actions are driven purely by brash instincts, harboring a deep-seated pit of jealousy and grief by how the Four Giants have left them behind despite always being there for their upbringing and antics buried within his mind. The mask takes advantage of this linger, and exploits SK into endangering the four quadrants and center of the discordant land. Could they still be viewed as evil? I mean, probably, but even then there are subtle or outright explicit analogs within each individual act's story, somewhat tying back into the fear and anguish SK is feeling by then. If nothing else, it's a story about preserving love and adoration despite the hostility of loss and tragedy.

Miyamoto, Koizumi, and Aonuma have gone on at different times about how RLR, in one form or another, influenced the shape and foundation of Majora Mask's narrative and structure, and while they didn't intend to have the cycle be in three days, it's perhaps fitting that this amount ended up coinciding with the same as RLR's. I've mentioned Lola and Skull Kid, but without getting too deep within the film's plot and moments, I'll mention that every supporting or background entity of each piece face their own level of growth after each cycle, nudged thanks to the influences of our heroes and villainous force - or, in one case, just being as omnipresent as we are. I haven't watched RLR in about two years, and I tackled through MM last year, but even still I thought about both for numerous reasons, regarding how the former's one of the more pitch-perfect examples of a movie functioning snugly as a game, and the latter being a game functioning snugly as a movie. With that said, some of what I've said in my summary last year still apply here; I prefer the dungeons of Ocarina's despite acknowledging how this game utilizes and extrapolates its Mask mechanics to a joyous degree, I find some of the side tasks and goings-on such as the Mayor in Clock Town and several unlocked events after Great Bay Temple's revitalized spirit to be rather unfulfilling, representing a stark contrast to not only this game's but its predecessor's. Even still, the fact all of this was able to get down as short of a time as it received, and became this high quality, is nothing short of a miracle itself.

Sorry to be That Guy and make this the last thing to comment on, but play the original first instead of opting straight to the 3DS remake. I cannot stress enough that "the nitpicks" snowball into a fundamentally different experience, regardless of its holistic quality. Nerrel and several contributing people have made an HD texture mod for the N64 version a few years ago, to which he himself made a guide on getting up and running, and there's also the option of using MM Redux through Patcher64 which Nerrel also tutorializes on. One or (preferably) both of these are far better alternatives, but I'll also make mention of Project Restoration, an effort to add and revamp many aspects of MM3D if you're still dead set on using that remake since it can be used on hacked (New)3DSes as well as Citra.

The advent of the Doom modding community, and especially with how the ZDOOM engine is handled, has made it so that a common joke is that you can get by on gaming with purely community-made mods and even releases to be sold on sites such as Itch.io and Steam. It speaks to the lengths of Doom's legacy that even today, notable iterations and offerings of ID Software's philosophy and principles are regularly shared in the Doomworld forum, be it for fun, artistic endeavors, or even good ol fashion trolling.

My House, in particular, mangles the item value, enemy positioning, and overall layout of the map and positional checkpoints in its multiple unraveling throughout the runtime is phenomenal to watch unfold. I'm not intimately familiar with map building within the system's quirk myself - I'm creative and persistent, but not that creative and persistent - but I know enough thanks to various sources that this is a bit of a boundary pusher. There's also some bonus activations from each 'special' spots, be it for Easter Egg purposes (more on this in a bit) or actual gameplay purposes, a tad of which hark more acutely to what the Build Engine titles would do, and it's all very good shit. Due to this, the most appropriate word to describe this with just one would be "wispy"; the feeling where you're familiar with the idea of the environment but know there's wrinkles and nuances to what can establish it that, if done improperly, can spell out the disillusioned mantra, unveiling its macabre being. There's the occasional room hunt befuddling and questionable design choices when it comes to how something activates or what you have to do to progress, but a majority of the time it's something you can quickly get a feel of. About the only other thing I can criticize is the final third's use of enemy encounter leaning towards Spam Central, but part of me, be it by intentional choice or through a personal read, views this as more of a point than a serious critique of a Doom map.

Now, I played through this thrice: once in a quick-and-dirty play, the other when curiosity got the better of me knowing there had to be more considering what my friends have said, and finally the one with the "good ending" as detailed within its page on the Doom wiki (not the awful Fandom one, the good one) as well as a speedrun video on the wad, surprisingly enough. There's something to be said about the experience becoming a victim of abjection due to the use of a walkthrough, how this robs you of initial reaction and well-defined thoughts, yadda yadda yadda listen I just said I played this two times before, and it's not like most of what I've laid to see within text-form didn't impact what I witness unfold from my own eyes and how that affects the thematic revelations, I think I'm allowed this one. I don't want to give a lot of the magic away, which is why I'm being mostly vague about the inner meat of the body, but the warps to anachronistic, dream-like villas of places I'm familiar with, of brutalization and corrupted foundations within these settings abounded by frustration and melancholy, propagated by illuminated spaces and lighting, all compounded by relics of various time periods and objects of importance, either in plain sight or dug from each burrowing of the moment-to-moment design and visual feedback... let's just say I get where the head space was before.

The most common read of emotion for My House is grief, and while true in the broadest sense, doubly so considering what the zip file is packed with and finer investigations others have found, there's an undercurrent of self-loathing and warped perception of the fallout of events that seem to trickle in during the more hectic routines of said enemy encounters, with or without the infighting tricks. I wish I could say more, but I'm already going too deep as it is, so I'm holding it off from here. I dunno about one of the best Doom mods around, but it's surely one of the more interesting experiments I've delved into, and as such I recommend it to anyone wanting to get a fix in and, to perpetuate a sentiment others have shared already, go into this as blind as you can. Already gonna eye-roll at potential videos clamoring and beholding this to be "a super terrifying and surreal Doom mod", but that's just the way the Internet works, so no use pouting about it.

I really should read Mark Z. Danielewski's House Of Leaves, various works of Inio Asano, and continue Hideo Yamamoto's Ichi The Killer at some point.

For a few years now, I’ve been wanting to replay the ‘Classic Era’, i.e. entries chiefly directed by Ryota Kawade, of Paper Mario’s two decades worth of span, gauging and regarding my thoughts about them potentially having changed over time. I never really got the drive to do so for a few reasons, mainly cause I’m stubborn and figured I’d have to replay its spiritual predecessor, Super Mario RPG, first despite thinking tepidly about it, but after a certain Let’s Player was about to wrap up their newly made playthrough of the game, I got bit by the crafty bug and decided now was a good as time as any to jump straight into it. Also, just to be clear here, I’m not gonna be That Guy about the newer games when going over the trilogy. I’m just as annoyed about the discourse surrounding those, and the franchise as a whole, as much as you potentially are.

Now, the development process is rather interesting, and something I’ve only seen gain traction during the last few years. I believe everyone knows about how this is an aforementioned spiritual successor of SMRPG, so I won’t gab too much about it, but there’s still curios available regarding the process before and during the game’s creation. Kawade first signed up to Intelligent Systems around 1994, trying to sign up as a planner but got wrapped up under the designer role due to it containing more openings. This meant that the initial works he’s done for Nintendo were uh, Galactic Pinball for the Virtual Boy, and the SNES version of Wario’s Woods. Around the time production for PM64 began, he joined up with technical supporter Hiroyasu Sasano and of course Shigeru Miyamoto, working alongside notable figures within Nintendo and IntSys’ alumni such as art director Naohiko Aoyama, other directors like Toshitaka Muramatsu and Hironobu Suzuki, veteran programmer Kenji Nakajima, even a couple of Fire Emblem cross-connects of varying intensity such as Kaori Aoki reigning in as one of two writers (though strangely, I got zilch on the other half, Kumiko Takeda, all credits on this person tie back to this game only), Kenichi Nishimaki and Yuka Tsujiyoko to work on sound and music respectively, and finally Mitsuru Matsumoto to also contribute to programming. This was when its shape was truly beginning to form during the 4-year period, by both positing the spent time on creating the battle system in a way that’ll satisfy both the younguns and the older crowd, and arranging the map and puzzle elements within the world to put together a conveyance of this 2D-on-3D approach via pastel colors and paper-style aesthetics closely tied to Aoyama’s concept design. Digging into the factoids of the creation gave me a greater sense of appreciation of the acclaimed charm and wit this game, and the following two titles, are known for.

Often the second thing you hear about the game, it’s captivating seeing how much attention and care was placed onto the world of the Mushroom Kingdom given the frame this was released in. SMRPG might’ve been one of the first pioneers of deepening the well of what’s possible with the Red-Clothed Plumber and Co.’s nature, but within the Mid N64-GameCube period of Nintendo’s history, the company fully began to branch away from the preclusive normalcy, and slackened to a degree that allowed experimentation with its emblematic hallmarks. The usual Toads have a fair bit more going on with their lives, commonly depicted foes such as Koopas, Goombas, etc etc. can be composed as simple denizens of the world, and there’s still many new faces and races to converse with, either reworked from what was available before or brand new types altogether. The map structure, trying its best to strictly fit the mold of a storybook novel, pines the locales you’re appointed to reach traveled to and fro via foot, transportation methods such as a train or a tuna whale, or even within the confines Toad Town itself thanks to a vacant house, a magical flower garden you helped to nurture, and a starry-studded airspace per the completion of the Star Spirit rescues. About the only time you aren’t trekking or hopping over to an established spot over to a new locale is with the cold regions over at the northern end, but considering most of the area is compacted on Shiver City with only selected members able to visit Starborn Valley, it makes sense. Compounding this with Toad Town Sewers opening up or the populace tending to have new routines and idle banter to share as you continue further into the game, and the holistic ethos heightens the, if you permit the Gamer Speak, “feeling of a genuine, lived-in world”. Each time I play or watch this I find something new to warmly dote over, such as the bits of backstory and regular continuation of NPC arcs, the obvious references to various aspects of the Mario world, or even just the little things such as the way text is displayed and presented giving each set of species and individuals their own way of “speaking”, a concept that’s shockingly bare nowadays.

Helping with that is just how damn funny the core package is, having many gags like with the Buzzard encounter in Chapter 2, the backside of Toad Town’s bulletin board, practically everything to do with Jr. Troopa and the Peach segments which I’ll get into later, various idle chatter you can trigger, I’m pretty glad this is still a game to garner some guffaws and chuckles out of me. I'm also kind of shocked I wasn't too into the OST the last time, I wouldn't say it's quite up there with some of my favorites in the other series but previously mentioned Yuka Tsujiyoko did a great job at setting the mood, thrill, bouncy mysticism, and peaceful reflection. Like before, and just as pompous to say, it ties into this feeling of interpersonal connection, especially with how certain beats pan out that stand out even amongst the multitude of other Mario RPGs that have released after this one. This just has me wondering why the heck I've been so dismissive over this for years, it couldn't have been because the aforementioned fandom dilemma cause I try my best to steer clear from that BS nowadays in any form. Maybe it was just from being a dumb teen...

As for the headliner, the battle system gets a hearty mention. Pushing aside the malarkey of this “being one of the few good turn-based RPGs”, there’s a surprising amount of depth and complexity for what’s supposed to be a straightforward frame. With Mario as the main character and therefore the DPSer, partners in this game serve personal roles and jobs to help out, whether that’s as a technician (Sushi and Bow), raw damage (Bombette and Parakarry), straightliners (Goombario and Kooper), or support w/ a pierce damage analog (Watt). While not every partner’s upgrades are wholly worthwhile (or in Lakilester’s case, are severely undercut from prior alternatives), the compartmentalization over these attributes nudge you into trying different strategies and tactful mindsets for a majority of the runtime. Helping with this are several status ailments that can be applied through various means, including the game's Special equivalent Star Power, whereby using up a certain amount of gauges nets you a move that can quickly turn the battle to your favor. Inflicting ones such as Dizzy or Sleep can tighten the HP and Flower Point use:reserve ratio during each bout, which makes this a nice bridge for newcomers to learn the ropes of battle management for other RPGs such as the SMT and DraQue franchise. The prime star of the mechanics, though, is the badge system, which to aptly sum up is closely related to FF7’s Materia system. By nabbing the necessary Badge Points from a level up, and continuing on with the game’s flow, you have a plethora of options to set up a playstyle. Trying out most of the known builds - Evasion, Damage, Danger, Defense, Flower-Oriented, HP-Oriented to name a few - led to a lot of fun moments and personal accomplishments because of it, some of which surprised me since I tended to stick with a rigid style before doing this. Sure, not all the badges are good, but there’s enough on the platter to at least satisfy the curiosity, especially since a hard cap of 30BP means you’re gonna have to think hard about which ones will be more important for the given circumstances.My level format majorly went to BP, sometimes FP which maxes out at 50, and only HP which also maxes out at 50 when absolutely needed, allowing to max out on the first two but barely be underneath the latter’s, but there’s some wiggle room to try and focus on a particular stat for a good while if you want to be daring.

Dissecting the overworld layouts, they’re structured as open environments that tend to feed into each other in one way or another, which frankly is rather esoteric to me due to growing up with the sequels’ linear, more rectangular design, which I can surmise is also why this game doesn’t typically get criticized for its backtracking nature. For instance, Chapter 5, being set within the Yoshi-populated Lavalava Island, spends its first act on trying to reach the volcanic mountain, only to find there’s no feasible way to climb up to it. This then funnels into the second act, where you must find and rescue five Yoshi kids, with the help of a Cheep Cheep named Sushi, off to the side of the village’s path, guided in a way where their location is not only visible with implications, but also allowing you to uncover shortcuts to mitigate the backtracking to either the whale or the village. The final act goes all-in on the linear dungeon aspect, having all of its necessary requirements laid within each room you happen upon after each line down, only ever going back here and there for the optional goodies. It’s this sort of design principle that keeps both the world’s whimsy feel in check, along with not becoming too taxing that it harms the player’s enjoyment. To be clear, though, the backtracking can be egregiously tedious, and while it's usually tied to side activities - and even then, the main offenders are chunks of the hidden Star Piece panels first batch or so of Koopa Koots’ requests, and perhaps Tayce T recipes if you’re meticulous about 100%ing the game - it's rather inductive that times the main story lean heavily into this that it largely suffers. Toy Box in Chapter 4, even with skipping animations, battles, and mashing through dialog, has you going in-and-out its garishly kiddy playground, following up on a line of objectives that can help uncover the next path, being an outlier with its near-hallway design, a maximum amount of four times, only cut down to three due to prescience from either a previous playthrough or looking it up for one sequence. The excess of planning and requirements suddenly thrusted upon the player is much akin to walking around at a theme park and partaking in the fantastical, fantasy dreamscapes, only to then be snatched off to the side to look after bratty tykes after causing mischief with the common folk. If you want my truncated thoughts on the chapter rankings, it’s 3 > 7 > 8 > 5 > 1 > 2 > 6 > 4, with only the latter two being ones I don’t have much positive thoughts on aside from two exceptions.

Ironically, another issue I have stems from overbalancing to the other extreme of being too simple. Perhaps this is due to potential spoilering by later Mario RPGs released in the early 2000s, but it doesn’t sit quite right that the personality depth most of the partners have here are about as expanded as Mallow’s from before, which is to say, slightly moderate. It’s not that they’re bad per se, but the routine of introduction, exploration, then hastened partner-up doesn’t bode well when you consider the numerous alternatives of 25+ hour RPGs you can find on the PS1 from the same generation. While everyone is able to apply some scant comments here and there to help establish their roles, the only ones to wholly escape this predicament are Goombario thanks to his Tattle ability fleshing out his casual yet inquisitive diction, Bow due to having the greater focal point in the events of Chapter 3, and perhaps Parakarry since when’s another RPG gonna let me use a Mailman. Super Paper Mario has a contrasting yet fundamentally similar issue, but that’s in due time, the bottom line here is that I like the cast, yet not adore them. It also sucks this is one of those RPGs that suffers from a “slow start” of sorts, specifically in that the game’s too rigid in its early wheelhouse to really let you experiment with what it has to offer. Hyperbolizing the point it “gets good” doesn’t work since it doesn’t actually last that long, but I’d wager that putting the emphasis on build maintenance over at the end of Chapter 1 instead of the end of Chapter 2 would go a long way to make the early replays more tolerable to digest. Also not really a fan of how some chapters tend to have a fair bit of padding here and there and/or battles typically get slotted into a rote checklist as it goes on, resulting in me mashing through just to get a move on, but to be fair the amount of RPGs I feel escape this sort of rut can be counted on like one hand.

All that said, I definitely feel like Paper Mario 64’s one of those games that’s more than the sum of its parts. Granted, individually each gear range from good-great, but coming together makes it one of the most tightly made RPGs under the Nintendo banner, and is one of a handful of games I feel many people can be able to get something out of even if they’re not fans of the genre. I mean, I’m sure the numerous mods such as Black Pit, Dark Star, and even one that, from what I’ve seen, is an analog of Cooking Mama and Overcooked, an ongoing decompilation nearing completion, and some challenge runs including additional modifiers that are available thanks to Patcher64+, speak for itself: it’s a beloved cult classic. Only thing I’m bummed about is its ease of access, cause having to rely on Nintendo’s exacerbating emulators in a market where the N64’s overall state is slowly but surely getting better - for this replay, I used Ares due to it having access to CRT shader options, but for someone with a lighter set of PC specs I suggest using RMG or perhaps simple64 instead - is rather saddening to witness. I’m not asking for a full-on remake mind you, but an actual port or the NSO N64 stuff being legitimately good would be much appreciated.

Hopefully my bias for the sequel didn’t show too much, cause I do want to stress that not only does this stand strong on its own, there are legitimately aspects of it that I do find better here than in its successor… but that’s to be unraveled in the next storybook.

replayed via Master Chief Collection w/ co-op partner MagesticSapling on Heroic, check his review out too!

”...But you had something they didn't. Something no one saw but me. Can you guess? Luck. Was I wrong?”

Even a little over a decade and a half after its 2007 release, there's a grand sense of scale emanating from the package, a feat not many things can be able to behold over, heightened from when HD displays were becoming the norm. Compared to the morphs development of the first Halo went through and the drastic, heavy toll the crew faced for its sequel, 3 felt like a spiritual refresh, a hardened attempt at righting some wrongs with a more relaxed atmosphere and time to put together mechanics and ideas such as Forge in place while keeping the magic of 2 intact, albeit once again not without some wrenches in the mix. Despite events such as key figures like Jason Jones taking sabbatical after conflicts from higher ups, no one had a real sense of where to take the story for a while during the start which led to a different committee doing the outline, and some lingering splinters of group activity, the blemishes of Halo 3 isn’t quite as potent as the ones you’d witness in the prior two entries. Though, all the same, it was pretty clear some like Marty O’Donnell, Joseph Staten, and Jaime Griesemer to name a few were about ready to move on from the brand and hopefully try for something else, which once again you can feel during the title’s closing third where it unfortunately yet understandably had to rush the finalization of Arbiter’s, Keyes’, Johnson’s, Guilty Spark’s, Cortana’s, and Chief’s arcs within the last hour. Still, the fact this is the only major thing I have to complain about in regards to the writing shows I don’t have much friction with the rest of it.

”Tank beats Ghost. Tank beats Hunter. Tank beats everything! Oh man, I could do this all day!”

An important mark with Halo is that, at least during its prime, it was able to cultivate both the nerdy lore-heavy narrative geeks alongside the junkie gung-ho dudebro crowd. I haven’t elaborated much on the multiplayer aspect of the series, mainly cause I don’t exactly play much of it anymore aside from again co-op, but I remember a lot of the maps specifically in 3 thanks to my brothers and brief dabbling of Xbox Live back when I was able to, as well as when it was made available to play on PC thanks to the MCC. Maps such as Sandtrap, Snowbound, High Ground, and Valhalla are about as etched into my brain similar to those who know the back of Dust 2 and Nuketown like the back of their hands. Anyway, I bring it up because the campaign this time around is when it starts to relish in its bombast appeal, bringing everyone in to bust some guts metaphorically or literally. Doesn’t matter if it’s the Red vs. Blue easter egg regarding passwords, or if you intentionally have the IWHBYD Skull on, or taking part in the many, many setpieces, or listening to yet another masterpiece of an OST by previously mentioned Martin O’Donnell and Michael Salvatori, it wants, no encourages you to partake in the vigor and spectacle, to march on and press the fight onward. Dismiss its lulls of action or convexing moments, right around the corner will be something to push you back up on your feet.

They outnumber us three-to-one! Then it is an even fight.

What helps in this regard is the weapon balancing this time around. My experience with shooters has since dwindled over recent years, but even still I’m pretty confident in saying this is likely my favorite set of guns of the genre, at the very least near the apex of its long-spanning history. Old reliables return and receive much needed tuning such as the Needler, armaments that still needed an extra kick received them such as the Plasma Pistol, ones that needed a nerf got hit with the right amount such as the Energy Sword, and don’t even get me started on the new inclusions. The Spiker. The Mauler. The Flamethrower you can pick up in certain situations. Being able to rip apart then use the mounted turrets and newcomer missile pod. Abilities such as shields, flares, and the insanely questionable for campaign radar jammer. The Spike and Incendiary Grenades. Incoming vehicles such as the Hornet, Chopper, and Mongoose. The Spartan Laser. The Gravity Hammer. With the open-ended philosophy being tuned justly at last, and nearly every single level having their own unique quirk to make them stand out amongst one another, it’s such an ease to get into a power trip, plan accordingly and strike back when pushed against the wall, and really, just throw shit together and see what’ll make them tick. Or, to put it more bluntly, “blowing shit up has never felt so good”. Also helps that the movement and checkpoint system are the best they’ve ever been as well, with jumps and the degree in which you’ll be able to carve your assault being all the more tightened as you go along. Time seems to continuously escape me here, as what feels like five hours of fun instead happened in a mere two.

We’ll make it.

The ad campaign was, and truthfully still is, something that’s become a notable attachment of 3’s success. A faux interview between UNSC veterans and other minor adverts to help sell the idea that the struggle of finishing a fight was real. At least several instances exist of either battered soldiers, congratulatory banter between both the humans and a newly made alliance with the Elites, or hostile tension as to what must be done to wrap it all up and start preparing for a fresh future. Though, in a specific case, during Cortana - the level, I mean - the setting of High Charity had become a wreck of rampancy and turmoil. Commonly cited as the low point due to its perplexing layout and, reiterating, persistent onslaught of enemies hurling bullets, other projectiles, or even themselves towards you, it’s ironically something that perhaps pushed this aspect the hardest, at least to some degree; something that was once a high point of a species reduced to rot and decay, as you deal with an onslaught of the returning Flood to retrieve Cortana and finish the fight. A diatribe brokered between a being struggling to accept their demise, and an intelligence struggling to maintain their sanity. Even from this, however, someone was still resisting. Someone was still etching forward despite what the scenery had told them. Someone was, although rather awkwardly and hastefully, able to reaffirm someone’s mentality and stand back up from the scene of it all. The mask of their intention murk, it was him who was still able to keep everyone together even from way back in the initial start.

It’s from this, specifically, where a meek 8-year-old had begun to crystalize an emotion they didn’t quite understand yet: the feeling of a belief.

I'm pretty selective with my ratings, I feel. Sure, I make myself rather predictable by typically sticking within the 5-7 range, but it's not like I'm throwing out high or low scores out the wazoo. Generally, I focus on the speculation and intake process of what people have been saying about something, and sort my expectations around those, so usually nothing really strikes me out or base myself on gut feeling when I check them out. Shmups aren't really my forte, but I do have experience with a fair number of them to know the dos and don'ts, plus I like throwing myself at the mercy of danmaku "go big or go home" escalations, so I was expecting to at least casually enjoy this.

The first boss reinforced my initial outset since, from the get-go, it already establishes everything CAVE wants to bedazzle you with. Majority of its patterns and enemy positions are simple and easy to fixate on, but the application of these Koujuu buggers (literally!) within their speed is what sets this apart. Spread shots, buckshots, rollers, overlays, if you can name and think of it, chances are Akira Wakabayashi and Co. have thought of it. A lot of the characteristics expressed from these bugs also shine due to Akira focusing strongly on the entomological aspect of these creatures to relay onto the artists, with director and programmer Tsuneki Ikeda also noting that it was a return to roots foundation, along with utilizing this as a benchmark for new hardware. Obviously there's some Nausicaa-distilled vibes lingering beneath and on top of the naturalistic world, but the differing aspects of the forests within Mushi's world also tend to give rise into other foundations as you go along, marking your progress as either the blues of Stage 4 or the washed greens of Stage 2 to name some examples, establishing more of an interpersonal relationship with the player and the bullet mechanics. This also doubles up on the repeat learning of the reliable M Shot, the wide but meek W Shot, or the strict yet powerful S Shot. It takes two to tango after all, even if the denizens prefer blasting you away.

To go further about the remarks Ikeda has given, as well as deepen my point about simplicity thrusting itself unto elegance and sensation, two details he's revealed before are about the stronger focus on the characters Reco and Aki, alongside the principles of establishing the high of navigating around these bullets in the first place. That said, I'm choosing to forgo an in-depth look into the mechanical side of the game, since to reiterate I'm pretty green with shmups and also cause I'm still aiming to improve myself with this, and not to mention I'm more focused on the character angle. Shmups tend to not indulge on this aspect of game design, which is fair, but the way Mushi goes about it is very intriguing. Even disregarding the fervent chaos and hostile bombarding, art CGs shown upon level completion visualize the story between Reco's past venture within a forest, and Aki's help in succoring her life via a bracelet embodying crystalized forces of the Koujuu. Years have past, climate has worsened for her village, and its through her flight with the help of a beetle named Kiniro that she sets off to ascertain what has wrought upon them, subtly embellishing and engrossing herself within this area. I wouldn't classify it as Man Vs. Nature as it first appears, despite the parasitic symbiosis between the humanoids inhabiting the area and how the creatures react to them, but there's a subtext feeling of melancholy. The way Reco learns and overcomes these sorts of ordeals and predicaments within the setting is akin to we, the players, adapt and recognize all these obstacles. In a way, it's fitting the True Final Boss is Like That to be climax of both of these themes, even if the true reason is because they just wanted to fuck around with your expectations and play.

I always figured I'd like Mushihimesama, but there's a lot of special somethins within this gem of an amber-colored set. I've done Arrange, I've dabbled with Maniac and Ultra, and even partook in trying out Ver 1.5 as well, all of which are worth exploring. Related to that, the compositions provided by Manabu Namiki and Masaharu Iwata are top-to-bottom bangers. I already went into enough lengths in justifying my High IQ reading of a simple plot, not to mention I already went on-and-on about the connection and design workings between the player and the system, so I'll just go over my favorite tracks of this: Requiem Of The Sky, Like A Night Of Falling Stars, Levi-Sense, really I just recommend sitting down and soaking it all in regardless of playing the game or for casual listening. We talkin S-Tier OST material, be it the original or various arrangements made for the other modes, and I already went the extra yard and put the OST onto my phone to listen to whenever. This one's for my rotational books for sure.

Mild spoilers, but nothing major

What does it mean to grieve?

The seven-filled entourage each carry a baggage. Yuna pushes forward in life despite the loss of her father due to believing there is a way she could reprimand his ill-fated life into something worth believing. Tidus' resentment towards his father Jecht is what drives him to reckless affairs, getting into trouble and mischief while rebutting against those who wallow in societal norm, simply due to always being prejudiced against the familial status he's forcefully acknowledged on. Kimahri's harsh upbringing due to the vile culture perpetrating within Mt. Gagazet manifested into self-doubt, until Auron and specifically Yuna gave him purpose regardless of what he is. Wakka and Lulu have lost the same person, and each borne a negative outlook; the former becomes a by-product of proselytism under the dogmatic followers of Yevon, and the latter has closed her heart lest she faces another loss again and again.

The seemingly optimistic Rikku secretly harbors some lamentation, two accidents in the past spurring fear inside her as she comes to grip with what it means for her cousin Yuna to press on despite the circumstances. Auron alone carries most of the brunt, having lost two cohorts - friends, even, within the previous Summoning ritual. A veteran of the process, knowing what's to come from all this as he has to follow the words Jecht has pass onto him. Numerous divides of customs await this group as they continue on the wayward path of a Pilgrimage. Everyone different, yet knowing to press forward with life.

What does it mean to connect?

The Sphere Grid's probably gonna remain as my favorite system within the combative focus of the series as I dive deeper. By utilizing nodes and different colored spheres, a character can be able to progress through the loops and grow stronger as a result, either by ability pickups or compartmentalizing stats within the neutral nodes. It's also a way to contextualize character growth, as Kimahri is in the middle starting out and is able to intersect six others once the LV Locks are open later on to signify solidified trust, or Lulu and Wakka's paths intertwining after both have reconciled and amends with one another after what has happened. More importantly, though, being able to seat upon different areas of the Grid with careful use of said spheres can make for busted plays, such as Yuna swiping up Black Magic on Lulu's path to become the well-rounded spellcaster, or Tidus hopping over to Wakka and Auron to double-down on his DPS rouge-warrior skillset.

The same can also be said for the battle system. Now fully turn-based again, a trio-party that is able to swap between each member at a simple press of a button free of charge gets fulfilled into encounters not unfamiliar of puzzle tropes. Ailments here, Support there, Tank-busting for this, Aeons/Summons for that, Gimmick A, Condition B, Equipping Armament X to have Effect Y... sure it could be devolved into a simple Simon Says Bop-It clone, but that's missing the forest within the trees. Battles are engrossing and fulfilling as you make it out to be so long as you pay attention to the roles each character start out as and fortify them as you continue, which makes some of the more infamous fights add a fair bit more value to them than normally considered. Adding onto this is the Overdrive system, allowing one member a power attack once the bar has been filled. Truthfully, I don't think any of these are particularly bad, even if some are obviously worse than others such as Lulu's Fury or Rikku's situational ability being Mix. Blending each character's strength and weakness together in order to press on with life.

What does it mean to persevere?

A lot of FF10, even within the optional activities, tie into the aspect of clawing against the established norm society has slacked onto, typically within the confides of religion and warfare. Seymour is diametrically opposed to the way the entourage has carried on, due to his turbulent upbringing influencing his nihilistic ways. Dona repeatedly mocks the group as the game continues, even pointing out Yuna's status as though to deter her. Majority of the folks in Spira seem content with how things are run, so long as it doesn't disturb their life to monstrous degree. Even most of the party seems to be content with this as well, following suit with the doctrines and traditional foundations laid before them.

It all changes when Tidus appears. Now, suddenly, doubts and manifestations of other solutions start to appear. A team historically deemed failures can now become a champion with stubborn grit, and overcoming past torments. A person who was once isolated among her peers finally has someone to connect with due to shared traits. Things that were once thought of as forever unchanging are soon unraveled as hoaxes set to keep a false status quo. Despite the linear path forward in Spira, there's often things to find and buckle down on so should one choose, containing the strength needed to press forward no matter the circumstances.

What does it mean... to live?

Tidus and Yuna's budding relationship is the crux of the venture. Each new location has something that gives them time to lean on each other, keeping each other in check, learning to go through the hardships with a smile, delving between what drives the other. It's this tug-and-pull of sincerity and heart that keeps the story engaging, even in its lull from either the battles or the breaks between the beats. Self-explanatory of the Yin & Yang allusions throughout, even in the promo art. Through each other, they found new meaning in the life they thought they figured out.

Dualism's a common technique in storytelling due to the frames and skeletons it can provide, especially so during this generation where more spins on the formula would show themselves after this game's release. Though, there's a sense of freshness each time I reminisce the title. Perhaps its cause of its heart-on-sleeve soliloquies, maybe it's cause it's the strongest form of connection I have with my grandfather, who passed away several years before I had a chance to play this, or perhaps it's cause of the compositions found in each scene, but it was a surefire way to become a fan of the franchise. I'll never forget them because of it.

This is their story. Be sure to take part in it.

A 3.8 rating average? Wild. I’ve long since abstained from taking aggregated marks when it comes to an art’s overall quality seriously, but you gotta admit it nevertheless functions as an adequate indicator on the public perception. About a month ago, Plants Vs Zombies 1 just had its 14th anniversary, and while the IP has lately trucked along on an irregular trajectory, receiving either discordant discussion and debacle or an overwhelming accordance of negativity, there still beats a pulse of a dedicated cult following throughout the years, be it on social media or, should be plugged into it as much as I am, various content available on YouTube. Make no mistake, though, all of this is well warranted, since after finishing it for the first time after several years has passed, it’s just as good today as it was on release! It’s easy to forget this started off with a humble, cozier origin, before EA and even PopCap had entered the picture, where it sprouted from an idea by one George Fan.

Back in the early 2000s, an early work of his, crafted alongside artist colleague Tysen Henderson, was another cult classic some people may recognize: a Java-initiated web game called Wrath Of The Gopher Insaniquarium. Created as a way to enter the 2002 Independant Games Festival, once Fan had received word it was marked as a finalist - which, as he puts it, made him “literally scream YEAAAAAAAHHH” at a Hawaiin cybercafe, and the game itself had won an award later - he contacted PopCap to see if they would be able to meet with him at that year’s Game Developer’s Conference. Aiding him in publishing it as a downloadable title, they also offered him a position within the company, though he had already settled as a programmer for Blizzard. The latter company did allow him to continue tinkering with Insaniquarium with PopCap, however, and from there he’s gone on record stating he stayed with Blizzard for about two and a half years during this time, fuzzily stating it was from 2002 through 2004 potentially as an AI programmer. This does line up from what I’ve been digging, as he appears in Diablo 3’s Blizzard North Special Thanks section of the credits, and Insaniquarium Deluxe’s release occurred on August 30th, 2004. Now, something I’m most surprised by, after reading the linked article Graham Smith wrote in 2010 for PCGamer and perusing Fan’s 2019 twitter thread for the game’s 10th anniversary, is that when the conception for the PopCap title began, it didn’t even start as the one we know today. No, it was gonna be a sequel, or at least some form of continuation of Insaniquarium’s mechanics for the DS, putting more effort on the battles against the aliens and resource management than ever. Then, a shift occurred; due to being a massive fan of Warcraft 3 at the time and checking out its numerous mods, one about tower defense enveloped onto his mind. Thinking deeper, the idea blossomed into one where you could use plants with silly little faces as a defensive tool, planted onto lanes to hold back any extraterrestrial force. After ruminating that aliens wouldn’t be as standout, there came about a series of sketches, and a particular zombie brought about the transitional phase of the framework entirely. Thanks to the studio providing him with a small yet sufficient team consisting of programmer Tod Semple, artist Rich Werner, composer Laura Shigihara, and supporting writer for the in-game item Suburban Almanac Stephen Notely, coupled with posting about it on the PopCap forums for feedback and improvements now that he was taking on the role as a designer, Plants Vs. Zombies was born… aptly summarized, anyway. I’m cutting some corners in regards to the process due to it running deep, involving several altercations from title ideas to lane and level structures that I suggest looking into on your own free time, such as its Cutting Room Floor entry to name one example.

As far as how the horticulture ties into the gameplay design, aside from Warcraft 3’s TD mods, there’s also the card management a la Magic The Gathering, and shenanigan extravaganza courtesy of a late night viewing of Disney’s Swiss Family Robinson film. You know the jist, protect your brains from the hungry crawlers in each of the five lanes, all while maintaining a cost:converse ratio of Sun either from drops or Sunflowers/Sun Shrooms. A fundamental goal was gradually introducing new plants and gameplay function, while expanding the depth and scope as to how they correlate with one another within the TD mold; plainly, collecting more plants to peruse and dabble with, then branch off into synergy rules. There’s the obvious like “don’t plop a Torchwood on the same row as an Snow Pea since it’ll negate its ice effect” and “Spikeweeds and their upgraded form Spikerocks make a fantastic partner to the Wall-type items”, but there’s a tinge more under the humus: Garlic diverges the walkers to either the top or bottom lane once they smacked upon it, which is a great compliment for Fume-shrooms and especially their upgraded counterpart Gloom-shrooms since their blast radius penetrates in a straight line, or circular in the latter’s case, as well as single-use plants like the Squash and Potato Mine for their low Sun cost being able to make for quick defense during the early game; Scaredy-shroom tends to get overlooked by common players due to their innate quirk of hiding away when the enemy gets too close, but considering its base cost of 25 Sun, as well as being most effective at the backend due to said quirk, it’ll mean saving a chunk of them up for when it should occur and counteracting with, again, a single-use item; Puffshrooms are the most broken item in the game by not only being free of charge, not only doing enough damage to lighten up the adversary for the big boys to handle, but also acting as a brazenly panic shield for either your five brains, or your sun-producing plants, thereby making it a prime candidate as our supreme overlord. Although uh, to avoid doing That Thing where one ostentatiously makes the super-obviously-made-for-family game seem more FORWARD-THINKING and WAY DEEPER than it actually is, I’ll clarify that not only are there rather wrongful steps taken - you are given Cactus, a middling damager who’s one gimmick consists of countering balloon users, right before it becomes near useless by Blover, a utility that does the same thing only slightly cheaper, faster at the recharge, and also lifts the fog temporarily at that - you can and will get by just from using basic strategy and higher-tiered weaponry as you go along, doubly so for the separate Survival mode where I handled it majorly thanks to the fast-spitting Repeater, the aforementioned Shrooms, the erratic spreads of the Starfruit, etc. etc. Not to say I didn’t have fun all throughout nor didn’t at least entertain the idea of making potentially stupid plans, but ya know, just a bit of a blow to the noggin that there isn’t more to it. Still, personal gripe aside, Fan did do a GDC conference detailing his tutorialization helping his mom get through the game, so kudos to a job well done.

Besides, the Adventure stuff is only a small, 6-8 hours worth of slice people remember about the package, about 4-6 additional hours including the separate Survival mode. Nah, people remember this for being an oddball of all sorts of diverging and differing mechanics. All that Wall-nut bowling and conveyor-flowing intermission and endcaps, the two Bejeweled twists, the dumb I Zombie puzzler, the fun and brain-teasing Vasebreaker, its own iteration of Insaniquarium, goddamn Portal combat, let’s just say I wasn’t surprised to learn they had even more minigame ideas that had to be cut from the table, what’s here is already commendable enough as is! There’s also Zen Garden to help it all out, looping the idea of obtaining then spending currency garnered from here and the other modes, then using them to buy gardening refurbishments, as well as card upgrades and special items to help with survival. There’s the Tree of Wisdom, but don’t bother, it’s a SCAM of spending ludicrous amounts of money to feed it, just to obtain the minutiae of cheats and easily inferred hints. I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention Rich’s wonderful art designs, which are done to such a degree that it’s safe to say they’re somewhat of an icon. I mean, I know I’m not the only guy that saw a legion of the Zombies as an avi back then, or seeing the bobsled team get bamboozled as their vehicle is hilariously destroyed from various means, or chuckling over the unfortunate Newspaper guy throwing a rage after its destroyed, or seeing some oddly Jeff Smith-like homages such as the Gargantuan and The Creature. A lot of the animation was done by Semple, who knew the animation export process in Flash to have it all work out. it seems like Fan was initially weary over this, saying “I didn’t want it to look too much like something cut out of paper like South Park”, but turned around when he saw how impressive the results were. Plus, the music man, I dunno how I forgot how much of an earworm it is. Shigihara has mentioned before how she was influenced by compositions provided by Danny Elfman, various NES Capcom titles among others, and she does a great job characterizing these influences while still maintaining a unique, off-kilter style befitting the game. You’ve got direct throwbacks to those chord progressions like in Ultimate Battle and Brainiac Maniac, esoterically calm pieces such as Cerebrawl, frantic rushes like Loonboon, it’s pretty impeccable how all of these fit the given scenario at hand while not once feeling dull or tuned out. All of this comes together to create one tight package, and that’s not going over what ports or the updates the mobile version had included to spice it up like a VS mode and their own exclusive minigame sets!

I was gonna be like everyone else and bemoan a certain Computerized Flair about ruining the branding and all that, but surprisingly enough I can’t seem to find anything justifying this behavior. There’s an August 2012 blog update from one of Popcap’s co-founder John Vechy talking about laying off about 50 people in three studios - George Fan being one of them - to focus on mobile and F2P stuff which would be around the time PvZ 2 was being finalized, then him and other founders Brien Fiete and Jason Kapalka, along with chief exec Dave Roberts departed at intervals back in 2014. There’s been some speculations as to what exactly had happened to cause Fan to fall out of the studio by then, which catapulted in 2017 by Edmund McMillen carefully sharing a tale regarding Fan’s layoff being caused by friction against EA/Popcap for making PvZ2 a freemium title, employee and producer Allen Murray in a since-deleted tweet saying he wasn’t involved with the PvZ2 team period, and finally Fan himself saying that, while he was laid off, and he was against the idea for where to take PvZ2, he made no effort to link these together, just declaring that they are events that had indeed happened, with nothing elaborated or besmirched since. It’s entirely possible I missed something between the seams, and it’s also very much possible EA’s grasp tightened since the past several years, but as for what I’m believing at the moment… I dunno, sounds like a case of bad management of one or both sides to me. This wouldn’t be the first time fingers were immediately pointed at a more infamous figure in regards to an underdog only for the sentiment to be changed dramatically from corroborated and/or outside sources, and even then plus to reiterate, this was all back in 2012, this wasn’t the only instance of an EA property shambling their good faith around since Canadian studio BioWare was dealing with their own sorts of dirty laundry by then and especially after. Perhaps this shouldn’t be used for a catch-all given structural differences, but I happen to find a 2013 statement Greg Zeschuk, co-founder of BioWare, had shared in an interview to be particularly applicable: “The best analogy I use, in a positive way, is EA gives you enough rope to hang yourself.”

To reel back from that exceedingly dour note, I should stress that it’s not like PvZ’s future as a whole has been entirely bleak. Garden Warfare 1 and especially 2 seem to have garner a cult following and positive appraisement, people still recognize the brand even after all this time so it isn’t totally irrelevant and a time capsule of a fad - heck you can still purchase the first game for 5 USD on Steam even, that’s what I did! - and more importantly, good things have turned up for everyone involved. Laura Shigihara, coupled with contributing to music for titles such as To The Moon, Finding Paradise, and Deltarune, made Rakuen back in 2017, a title I’ve seen mentioned a fair bit every now and then and seems to have a spin-off in the works alongside a Switch port and released Mr. Saitou, a spin-off title, back in March, and George Fan, bearing no ill will and content with the direction it’s been heading, not only received a reference by a Magic The Gathering card, he was also able to design one for Magic 2015 as well as work for Wizards Of The Coast proper for a good while. As for game development, he and Rich Werner partnered up again to finalize an idea he’s had for a while, Octogeddon, under a new company they made called All Yes Good and being available back in 2018 with a Switch port following next year. He’s also set to release a new game about checks notes a wombat pooping out platforms in order to clear puzzles… yea that uh, sounds sickeningly interesting. At the time of writing, it’s available to try out as a part of Steam’s June Next Fest demo showcases. If nothing else, it’s important to remember and note that, regardless of anything and everything that’s happened since then, it doesn’t change how simple yet addictive the first Plants Vs Zombies title turned out, along with the new additions the abundant amount of ports it had received brought onto the table. Here’s to another 14 years of botanic mayhem.

While mechanically and linguistically they're far apart, FF9 and FF12 have a shared lineage in starting off being overlooked releases on their respective systems. It's an exaggeration to say both sold poorly cause they still sold well within the millions, but compare that to the releases made prior to them, and it's not hard to see the disparity of sales figures. Not helping is that unlike 9, 12 had a rocky cycle just getting made; it's rather well-known amongst the fanbase, but originally this was lead by well-known, politic-driven auteur Yasumi Matsuno and series veteran Hiroyuki Ito, but when Matsuno faced health issues, his role was transferred over to his partner, Hiroshi Minagawa, with SaGa creator Akitoshi Kawazu taking up the producer role. This even led to Hironobu Sakaguchi outright say that he didn't even play past the beginning due to Matsuno's departure, which given that the two worked extensively and closely on Vagrant Story, along becoming increasingly bitter towards Square Enix soon after leaving the studio, it makes sense. I'm not sure if it's an exaggeration to say this given there's now far worse instances, but it was one of the rougher cycles in an FF title, which is rather mindblowing considering how intrinsically and tightly this is to becoming one of the series' all time best.

It's been playfully and cheekily said that there's strong allusions to Star Wars, and while the lineage of Square employees have long since made it obvious these two franchises are intertwined with one another, alongside two specific details within the narrative being lifted straight from the global space opera phenomenon - no major spoilers here, but players or people who wikidive should know what I'm referring to - I imagine that tonally and structurally it's instead much similar to the film that inspired that one: Akira Kurosawa's Hidden Fortress. I say imagine because at the time of writing this, I have yet to see it for myself, but given how politically charged this is comparatively, as well as Vaan and Penelo not becoming Big Superstar Heroes whisked off from their penurious origins, and instead humbled off into becoming their (well, really Vaan's) dreams of being sky-flying pirates, and containing a far cry of Leia and Han's predicaments by doubling down and centering much more on the interpersonal and dramatic detailing of high class echelons royalty Princess Ashe and Stoic Knight Basch, I'm inclined to believe this. Rounding out the party are well-off pirate duo Balthier and Fran, both harboring a deep scar within their past that they're not keen on opening up until well into the story which is a bit distant from the relationship Han and Chewbacca have with one another. Though there were changes made in giving a "proper" MC role during development, as well as Ashe being given the brunt of the grandoise power plays typically obligated to such an archetype, the overall scattershot approach of focus and centering on this sextuple, ironically, gives the game its biggest strength, which is on how playing them like chess pieces in order pushes forward the revelations of the thematic ties of redemption and sorrowful reconciliation. Sure, this approach might not work for everyone, but it worked for me. While I'd struggle to detail what makes Penelo and Fran stand out, I'm enamored with how the tribulations of Ashe and Basch are covered, Balthier's one of my favorite hotshot rogues in any RPG, and, hot take, Vaan's one of the finest examples of what an audience surrogate leader should be. Even disregarding all that, the crew's budding kinship of closed off personal to a tight-knitted team ready to fend off the worst of the Archadian Empire is very well-done, orchestrating segmented growth and charm of the group, even in hilarious ways.

Least to say of the majestic world that is this entry's iteration of Ivalice. It's steeped strongly in culture outside of Japan, from as obvious as Ancient Rome and the Mediterranean, to more moderate patterns such as Arabic, Turkish, Indian, and American. It's been about two years since I last had a session, but memories of Rabanastre, Jahara, Mt. Bur-Omisace, and the Imperial City resonate deep within my gray matter. It also helps there's such a wide array of activities to do here thanks to the Hunts, various side quests, filling out the Sky Pirate Den which is essentially the in-game achievement tracker, slews of side areas, and others to boot. In fact, the only reason I didn't go out of my way to obtain a 100% Completion on Steam is cause a couple of them, such as the Bestiary and Trial Mode, were well after I reached my burnout state, and I'm annoyed by how Concurrence is calculated (more on that in a bit), which also meant I couldn't get this game's designated achievement on... getting all the achievements. As linked before, I also hold this game's OST dearly, like we're talkin S-Tier category here and irregardless of Zodiac Age's exquisite and dearly appreciated decision to incorporate three options of either the CD, OG PS2, or - my personal choice and the one I've been leaning on for this review - Reorchestrated sound. Best Prologue iteration, top three Battle On The Big Bridge arrangement, Respite's elegant beauty surrounding you, the Esper battle's daunting force, just a whole lot of hits packed onto a monstrous array of songs, fitting Hitoshi Sakimoto's familiar repertoire to a T. On that note, this game's Espers are hands down the coolest set of summons in the franchise with how they're played into the mythos of this game, as well as just being great bouts of strength in general. Particular favorites are Mateus, Zodiark, Cúchulainn, and Zeromus.

As mentioned in my (albeit spoiler-adjacent) review of FF9, one of the immense appeals and another pillar of strength in FF12 is its battle system. One say this "plays itself", I say this is the closest I'll ever get to both fully understanding how min-max strats work, as well as truly getting the appeal of the NFL tactics and play, an aspect Ito has openly shared on interviews. Though I don't have any experience with the initial PS2 version, I'm nonetheless eager to say the fine-tuning and careful concoctions that can spark from the dual-role job picks a la License Board can concoct wild ideas and inspirations. Want to make a tank-support? Available thanks to Shikari-White Mage or Knight-Time Mage. Wanna double-down on ranged opportunities in both the physical and spiritual fields? Use the Archer or Machinist job with any of the Mages and you're set. What about pure magic? Red Mage-Black Mage has you covered. Yearn for the days when FF games dabbled with DPS-style niches? Foebreaker-Shikari's right there waiting for you to fuck enemies up. So many builds to pick from, not to mention the ability to double dip into one or more, gives you free reign to go buck wild, and along with the ability to respec any of them for free, and it becomes the most diverse and experimental set of mechanics in the series, opening the flood gates for as broad as challenge runs or as simple as "this job matches this character's personality". Pro tip, though: designate which trio is gonna be the Main Group for generally the crux of the campaign, and which will be the Side/Backup one to generally play catch/clean up duty with the side activities, it's the best way to balance XP gain thanks to the License Points always being distributed amongst everyone as long as they live. This is also where Gambits shine, as being able to set which conditional tactic are carried out once met can make-or-break certain encounters, or just coast you through the fields. Being able to pick up a variety of different subjects, objects, and utility cases and organize them within these set is therapeutic, as is when they're set off just right and pull yourself out of a rut with ease, or help to circumvent an action first before relaying back to finishing the battle at hand. I'd also say that dungeons are typically on the right side of the scale, there's enough distinction and unique mechanics at play to stand them apart from each one, and also do a fantastic job on delving deeper into this already expansive world.

If there's anything I'd say that holds back FF12 from being a bonafide classic, it's that the aforementioned development woes crop up big time here. Not nearly as much as footage of FF15 can show, but you can feel its fluctuating pulse as you hit certain beats. Whether it's the abruptness of the Resistance's final assault near the end, the lethargic beginning of limited potential even by the series' standard, a couple of dungeons overstaying their welcome such as Great Crystal, and specific plot details coming in and out of the picture such as those pertaining to Vayne Solidor, it's hard to not at least feel like something was missing from the board. The mechanics of battles are also uneasy, due to Gambits not having quite the specificity as you'd think, which not only ties back to the problem that the early beginning up to I wanna say the arrival to Bhujerba being quite slow, it also means that your actions and strategy plans are only in close approximation as to what you're setting out to achieve, which is annoying. My biggest gripe with combat is easily with the aforementioned Concurrence system, which is activated by utilizing this game's equivalent to Limit Breaks, Quickening, to their fullest. You are able to unlock up to three bars of charge as you progress in the story, and activating one, two, or all of them will allow you to do the respective stage of an LB attack, with the ability to gain back a charge to follow up on more. Do this enough times, and you'll be treated to a powerful, non-elemental attack capable of damaging everything, including bosses and the higher-tiered Hunts. Of course, with a grand ability such as that, it has to be balanced, and the way they utilized this is by... making it completely luck based. It's not like you're reliant on these working in order to take care of something, but it's the nature of being subjugated to dice rolls as to whether you can get a charge or even do a gauge-specific attack, along with there being multiple variants available that you have to do to get that achievement that frustrates me to no end, and combine that with the fact these are unskippable animations that play on loop frequently, and I only used them when it was needed. Other FF games, including ones I've yet to touch, had elements of RNG to these sorts of systems sure, but I'd yet to experience one that was as reliant on the draw of cards as this one has. There's also Espers, again even by the series' standards, not having any real use in combat due to the other mechanics far outstripping and outranking them for maintenance, but even then that's more of a nitpick than a legitimate issue.

All said and done, however, FF12 has been one of the most unforgettable games in the franchise - nay, one of the most unforgettable games in the genre - I've gone through in recent years. Its appeal might be more limited, especially in a series where individualistic aspects of these entries are always apparent and displayed, but that's also what gives it a gargantuan pulse and treasure to uncover. Definitely give this a shot, even if you're on the fence about it, I'm positive at least something about it will stick with you in one way or another.

Brass and string instruments line up to give the biggest hurrah, as you gaze upon the two gender, three class options that lay before you. The swelling of the entourage coming together to invigorate you, the player, into stepping into worlds far, far away. This is the tried and true Star Wars motif since its prospering popularity over the years.

You know what isn’t Star Wars though? This PC port, by gods it stinks worse than the rotted remains you see in Rancor pits! It’s one of those “lackluster yet serviceable at release, slowly deteriorating over time due to tech advancements” cases, and though there’s a whole heap of mods to sift through, here’re the essentials: KOTOR 1 Community Patch, the first method of PCGamingWiki’s outline to get proper widescreen alongside even more widescreen mods to make it look better, and finally Dialogue Fixes via its PC Response Moderation variant (I’ll touch upon what that lil tidbit is later). Oh, by the way, get this on GOG above all else, unless you want to spend more time getting the Steam copy to work with all of this. If your reaction to this is “wow, that looks like a lot of file unzipping!”, well first of all some of these are installer-based, and secondly you’re correct! Even as someone that doesn’t mind doing mod tinkering I grow exasperated each time I have to do this travailing setup! I’m pretty sure the mobile, Switch port, and especially Xbox’s backwards compatibility releases are all sound though, with the exception of the Switch port’s Tower Of Hanoi puzzle in Korriban being bugged out where Aspyr not only recommends avoiding it, but flat out tells you to get the optional reward for this optional bit in a cheat menu.

As for the game in question, well let’s speed by the background real quick. I’m sure most of this is common knowledge by now, but during some email discussion in 99 and some pre-production in 2000, the team at Bioware was given a choice by LucasArts: either do an Episode II title, or do one that’s set 4 millennia before. Feeling that the latter option provided more freedom, they opted for that, and dealt with very little pushback granted from transferring their concept works over to the Skywalker Ranch. PC was an obvious choice given their preceding works, but the Xbox was chosen for factors such as its familiar PC-like architecture, its at-the-time recent success, as well as the fact they would be releasing one of the first RPGs in the console’s already small pool. As much as I like to go in-depth with behind the scenes info, ehhhhhhh I kinda don’t care enough this time around. To reiterate, I feel like KOTOR1’s dev story is known enough that going over it would be pretty superfluous, despite some ideas and comparisons they bring up being relevant to what I’m about to go over. I’ll cap this off by discussing how, if I’m not mistaken, this was the first instance of BioWare’s One Narrative Pony that they’d rely on for their 2000s reign. You know, the one that’s structured like a Mad Libs template: As the first act unfolds, you, MAIN CHARACTER, are going about your day until suddenly, EVIL FACTION has arrived unprompted and is currently wrecking your and the denizens of STARTING AREA’s asses! Once the bout has settled, as well as completing about one, one and half places worth of tutorials, you’re then transferred under the leadership of GOOD FACTION. With a deliberate task set upon you, an uncovering of the secret SPECIAL MCGUFFINS tied to ANCIENT CIVILIZATION sparsely acknowledged from tales of yore, this prompts you to go towards 3/4/5 plot-significant places to try and find them all, making up the bulk of the second act. On the transitory phase of Act 2->3, MAJOR PLOT REVELATION has occurred regarding you and/or the people you’re working under and/or the villain, thereby altering the ways in which you’ve interacted with the beats of the story leading up to this point! After doing one last mission, you’re then on your way to the big climactic battle against EVIL FACTION, conversing in one last rapport of your fair-hearted crew before you march onward, cementing your good/evil/somewhere in between ending once and for all.

While I’m making fun of criticizing Bioware’s writing, I’m choosing to jump several rungs and talk about their character writing cause it’s uh… very lackluster. Though I won’t make any grand sweeping declaration due to not yet finishing all their RPG titles, missing out on Baldur’s Gate 1&2 and stopping Neverwinter Nights and Jade Empire way too early, I nonetheless can’t really bring myself to care that much about this iteration of the Ebon Hawk’s crew anymore. A major cognition I’ve developed is how aggressively simple a majority of them are, with the only key cohorts being Bastilla and Carth Onasi whom I’ll discuss last. Now, there’s nothing wrong with simplicity, and Bioware’s well within their rights to stick with this since there are other RPG contributors that strive harder and more bolder within the market both at the time and especially now. Hell, this even works to its benefits cause Jolee, Canderous Ordo, and HK-47 were my favorites due to the former’s enigmatic disposition “I’m too old for this shit” from the Jedi/Sith conflict after bearing witness to several of their foibles as well as getting wrapped up under a friend’s trial case in Manaan, as well as listening to the latter two’s stories of action and killcounts both from their intricate details as well as just being humorous to hear and even witness amongst their overworld banters. That said, the rest of the crew do not share this, and in fact are hindered severely from rigidly staying as they are all the way to the end. Mission’s teen rebel attitude never goes further than what you’d experience in Taris, nor does the reveal of her brother and her shattered ideal of him ever go deeper than “she then realizes the harsh truth that he’s kind of a bad luck scammer tumbling downward”; Zaalbar’s entire deal is only unveiled once you reach Kashyyyk, and even then because of story reasons he’s MIA for a major chunk until the end where you have to convince him to side with his well-meaning and good leading father or his hostile, egotistical older brother with both containing little depth to work off of; T3-M4 gets absolutely nothing, not even bonus modifier unlocks like HK, which in fairness makes some sense since he’s supposed to be the R2D2 expy but does hurt when going back knowing he gets just a smidge more room in the sequel; Juhani’s the closest a non-lead companion gets to having a fully fleshed arc influenced by your behalf, but tragically this also falls short due to its flimsy execution regarding her origins, her fuel of hate, and how your influence reach to her inner struggle of sticking with the Light or embracing the Dark end up not mattering. Also stings that, not only does she have the most amount of bugs riddled within her progression flags, her lesbian kindling with the female PC is woefully truncated likely due to the intolerance same-sex relationships had - and continue to have - been dealing with for years.

Taking the role of secondary and tertiary leads respectively are Bastilla, a Padawan who’s ambition and training are only matched by her stubbornness and unwillingness to see reason amidst your actions to the narrative, and Carth, a Republic soldier staunchly believing in just while continuously on edge due to past betrayals and the uncertainty of what he is never dwelled upon. This, in turn, leads to them having the most amount of growth and screentime as both PMs and chess pieces, becoming more stuck to the tangled web and ties on the Dark Lord Malak and his rampant, increasing army’s might as they try to take hold of the galaxy’s grasp. This has the double-sword approach however due to also meaning that their character flaws are at full display, doubly so if you’re doing the Male or Female romance route, which means someone attuned to RPGs, Star Wars, or both have heard about these two in passing at some point in a negative light. Truthfully, I like these two compatriots, to the point that finding the time to tease them turns out to be particularly amusing, and I can't imagine the first game’s story working without them. There is, however, such a thing as too much, and the way Bastilla’s nagging tutorships while she props herself up to be more important, Carth’s Lawful Good attitude contributing to No Fun Allowed actions every single time one has occurred, especially if you take upon two of the DS-aligned partners, alongside yet another case of Bioware needing to stop doing romance cause they suck ass at meaningfully presenting the parties involved as budding lovers and not Action Dolls A&B that’ll quiver before you just by selecting enough of the wooing options, while being as thoroughly unappealing if you do wish to take the relationship further and ending them as unceremoniously as they start them, means that they overtuned their quirks too much even if the intent was, obviously, to make their brewing troubles known. Another harmful thing to everyone involved is how the game’s pacing and progression blockers are attributed, since due to a majority of the cast being unlocked right when you exit Taris and all of them can be quickly chatted up after every major quest with seldom few locked behind level ups, this means about half of them can either finish or begin their specific questline right when you finish the first actual planet. This last point, however, I’ll lighten up on since it can be spaced out adequately, and it seems like each division of Bioware were aware of how abusable and lite this tactic can be, with subsequent titles having much more sensible flag checking, even if they are, yet again, occasionally bugged…

Speaking of planetary scouring, I’ll give credit and say that the pacing on getting through each of them is very apt and rarely too strenuous. Since each zone you travel to and fro on are typically linear, boxy environments with dungeons delving to the corridor route, the locales both in these spots and the in-betweens are compact enough to run through. This also mitigates backtracking to be a mere annoyance, since all sidequests regarding the people inhabiting these balls of life are commonly placed at the civilized areas at the beginning, with very few actually plopped onto the dungeon’s surfaces, and even then they’re also made sure to go hand-in-hand with that planet’s Star Map excavation. Bolstering this is Jeremy Soule’s contribution to the music which, although I’m not as enamored by anymore, is still something I largely enjoy hearing, be it the soothing keys and strings in Manaan’s Ahto City, the booming tunes exuding the doom lingering in Kashyyyk’s Shadowlands, or the haunted hymns that surround you as you stride through Korriban’s Sith Academy. Incredible stuff from someone working within the confines of an 8MB/s MIDI system at the time! All said, there’s still bumps on the road, and as you can imagine they take form whenever they call to go back-and-forth between the important NPCs and/or special item, or clog up the exploration part entirely. Taris tends to get the brunt of the negativity, but honestly aside from the tutorial popups - which you can turn off, even - it’s designed enough that trips (in my case, two laps regarding before and after rescuing Bastilla) regarding everything to do and everyone to meet are all rounded up during each As to Bs to Cs markers via key interests marked either on the map or from visual cues. Dantooine, on the other hand, requires far more traversal across its expansive plains due to the story blocks only being placed down after one menial task after another from the Council has been answered, likely as a way to ease players into not only their new lightsaber toys, but also Force Powers as well. Fine enough, but did they really need to have the maximum amount of combing have to take up to four trips for utter completion? Plus, the atmosphere of a thriving megapolis that slowly deteriorates as you descend further down the planet’s levels is more thrilling to me than being within an arm’s reach of an academic facility kissed by autumn grasses and orange hues.

Something that will persistently elongate the ventures, however, is combat and how encounters within this are handled, which seems to be the main sticking point everyone has nowadays. Since this is following up on the studio’s Dungeons & Dragons releases prior to this, it also means every check and balance is stuck to the rules from those tabletops - actually, it’s more accurate to say it’s following those established by Wizards Of The Coast’s Star Wars Roleplaying Game, itself being derived from the d20 system on D&D 3e, all under the Odyssey Engine - itself an updated iteration of their previous Aurora Engine - albeit much more simplified in an attempt to cattle as much of the mainstream audience as possible. Despite its choreographed moves and grounded-level camera, it still very much plays like a typical cRPG real-time battle system, with the closest it gets to being truly turn-based having to dig through the options and enable auto-pausing after every action has been taken. This, already, is a cumbersome direction to get a grasp over, but what doesn’t help is that the moment-to-moment loop is lopsided. Resource management is dabbled less so on the inventory culls and management on where/how you use physical items or the Force, and more on how much of your time you’re willing to tax off just to take down a typical group of 3-5 thugs at a time. Even during the times in which an uptick of enemy hostility is expected, such as raiding enemy bases, going through ruins/caves/abandoned settlements, or tasked with a challenge by a supervisor, so much of your time is being spent less so on strategizing the battlefield and the ways in which to get around them, and more on figuring out which ways makes you go into hyperdrive from the area of combat quickly and effectively, all under the scrutiny of rounded up dice rolls. In layman’s terms I’m pretty damn annoyed that battles in this game rely so heavily on just wasting time and energy instead of putting pressure on my squad to pull my skin out of the fryer in any meaningful way, a feeling I imagine is accentuated if this is your first rodeo for this game or even RPGs as a whole, but the repeat runs have dulled all of my senses and enervative me to the point that I stare blankly whenever a Kinrath stalks up to me like it owns the place. Not helping is the fact that the friendly AI is really, really stupid, getting stuck in place or failing to execute a simple task well within their line of sight at least once in every major planet. A majority of this isn’t me spouting cynical, erroneous assumptions, due to Casey Hudson, Ray Muzyka, James Ohlen, and Greg Zeschuk themselves elaborating on this and more in the Post Mortem section of Game Developer Magazine’s December 2003 issue.

Coinciding my issues is how, seemingly because of the established MO, build variety and skill management is downscaled to such rigid measures as well, meaning that you actively have to try as much as possible to make your PC or companion’s builds suck shit. With this game’s Warrior, Mage, and Rogue being dignified by Soldier & Guardian, Scout & Consular, and Scoundrel & Sentinel respectively you’d assume there’s ups and downs for each of them. Well, sorta? Strength influences melee and chances to hit, with Dexterity influences stealth, defense and dodges, ranged, and even lightsaber should it be specced higher than Strength. Those two alone already affect build construction, but there’s also Wisdom for defensive/supportive Force wielders as well as Constitution if you’re looking to construct some tanky meats. Aside from that though, builds tend to be tossed to the wayside since there’s not enough motivation and lures to try out as many combinations as possible, due to the fact the actual skills in question are majorly superfluous. Persuade is never not useful in RPGs that feature it, and dumping a few points in Awareness and/or Repair/Computer Use is fine enough, but you’re never gonna use Stealth and Security since there’s no reason to ever use them due to the former rarely, if ever, being an effective manipulation against hostile squadrons and there’s no penalty for bashing locked objects open regarding the latter, Treat Injury and Demolitions fall off the wayside once you hit the midgame due to better options becoming available for both medical and combative fronts, and trying to dump points on the tech-specific trees you didn’t pick after settling on its alternative is just wasting points. When taking PMs into consideration as a way to offset these lowered priority, this becomes a smidge better, but yet again there’s catches since some are just flat-out better at any role you design them under than others, like Mission being an outclassed ranger compared to Carth, perhaps Juhani, and HK-47, or T3-M4 being the go-to utility unlocker for everything due to his high spread amongst those stats and even further with the littlest effort in min-maxing. That’s all in regards to skills, with feats I don’t have as much issue cause there’s an adequate room to wriggle and flex under for everyone, despite the knowledge I have of the game’s combat encounters and each planet’s speciality, such as classifying one person under the Dueling stance and another under Two Weapon Fighting making huge waves for how they handle foes. It’s a weird point because I understand all of this was done with the aforementioned market and demographic in mind, but I can’t help but feel like my options and ability to roleplay who I want are limited. About the only good I can say for this department is that, since this is a Bioware title, breaking encounters to your absolute favor is yet again delightfully joyful.

What really grinds me in that last point, is about the general writing and more specifically, how Light Side vs Dark Side playthroughs are written. It’s no secret Bioware’s knack for morality is troubling, the binary slots they tend to do becoming mocked for how extremely good or extremely evil PCs can become, and nowhere is that more evident than in this game. Even as someone that sticks with “Good” paths in RPGs, being one here is unfulfilling since I’m basically sucking up to someone in the most overt, dignified way possible, made even worse with how childish every remark you can choose to say (this is why I specify picking the PC Response Moderation variant way earlier, it’s still kind of bad but options sound a lot more sensible comparatively). DS players get an even worse outing cause it’s the most bog-standard “you’re a jerk and everyone hates you but that’s OK cause you’re super-duper powerful” type of spiel you’d see in other titles of the genre, with not that many options that harken to that obscenity. Well, there is one important choice near the end that serves as a pretty viable RP moment, and this in turn can lead to one of the funniest Evil moments in any Bioware game ever, so that’s one hopeful spark. In regards to every other bit of writing it’s solid enough, I suppose. Worldbuilding feels strangely downplayed, an odd circumstance since this is way before the established OT or even Prequel ages, and any turn to embellish something is almost certainly cut off right when it allures you with questions, such as the mystery of the Sand People’s intelligence or Kashyyyk’s origins being afflicted by the Star Map’s placement in the Shadowlands. Tatooine -> Kashyyyk -> Manaan -> Korriban isn’t my preferred order just cause of the plot ramp up making the most sense, it’s also cause I get to deal with all the weakest offerings first so that I can relish in the variety of options available to consider in the last two. The only huge writing portion I can credit for a great job is the twist, which even in my efforts to keep as spoiler-free as possible, is likely the first thing that pops into your mind when thinking about this title. Heavy-handed for sure, I can’t deny that the setup and foreshadowing that follows is handled in such an effective moment that I don’t even particularly blame Bioware for utilizing that Narrative Pony I jabbed at earlier, especially since it led to them ironing out some kinks to deliver stronger executions. Like, consider the Protheans from Mass Effect real quick and compare them to how the Builders are established, it’s almost like Drew Karpyshyn went for a re-edit of his initial draft! My only real problem is that how the falloff of this is handled due to its bizarre underplay, which I figure is due to the fact that choosing any planet in any order meant they couldn’t be too wild with the variables, and the fact that Malak just kind of sucks? He has cool Moments but he himself isn’t cool, he’s sort of a dork. Maybe that was the point, but nonetheless gimme Loghain and Saren any day.

A lot of this review has been casting a negative light on it, despite the rather positive score I gave it. It’s largely due to the fact that I know Bioware - be it this team and the key figures appointed or the studio’s name as a whole - can do better, and have even experienced them do better in their titles to begin with. But, hey, you know what? I still had fun at the end of it all. As stated, that pacing is exceedingly well-tuned, which is great for them since one of their main goals was establishing this as a 40-60 hour sink, which meant that even during its lowest I was only ever slightly annoyed instead of suffering in agony like in their other titles, and a majority of the problems I shared are largely spiked from my change in views as to what I want in an RPG. In fact, the only negative I have that’s substantial in any way - aside from Malak, anyway - is that the Star Forge is completely and utterly awful as a final dungeon, highlighting all my issues with the combat and exploration, as well as blatantly spawning more enemies as soon as you defeat them, like gross! I hope BG1&2 and JE don’t have final dungeons anywhere near as bad as that, cause god Bioware has only gotten me to feel satisfied in an endgame area one time despite all the titles I’ve played from them thus far. Anyway, back to my main point: I recognize KOTOR1 as a pretty solid game all-around, and I also think it was the right type of title to get my tyke years hurdled onto the RPG genre amongst a few others I had growing up. That was a long time ago, though, and my taste has evolved and morphed many times over the years, to the point that I can’t exactly hold KOTOR1 to the high position as I once had it on before, even in my rosy attempts to believe otherwise. Come to think of it, it seems like even back then the lure and pull of its sequel was stronger and more gratifying despite the scars it bears.

I've been meaning to replay a Classic Mega Man title for a while, half because there's been a decent span of time having passed since I last touched them - a little over three years after replaying 4 and 9, about five for the rest - and cause Weatherby's been going through them on-and-off for the past few months. That man played Power Battle, that's how you know he's dedicated to the cause of the super fighting robot. I settled on Mega Man 11 cause I want to see if it holds up. Though it's not quite to the same degree as my initial impressions, I still had a damn good time all the same.

It's kind of hard to talk about this title without having to mention the reveal, at least for me it is. Like, even if you weren't all that big into the franchise or were just an onlooker (me), watching the 30th Anniversary trailer back in its December upload, seeing that long span of absolutely nothing in the 2011-2017 period, then having gameplay footage pop up, it was like... whoa. This real? I ain't dreamin, right? That out of place, completely new design concept in Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 actually meant something? Then you had the demo and its kinda weird state - mainly in reference to Block Man's level as a whole, which I'll get into - but the actual control and feel of the Blue Bomber was just right enough that you could place confidence in it, and it turned out to be a solid one through and through? Crazy turn of events. This also led to even more turnaround on Kenji Inafune's reputation due to Mighty No. 9 becoming washed out (I haven't played it myself... yet, I'm just going by public perception here), as well as the info that his departure of Capcom leaving this esoteric void of not knowing what to do next. Random thing to feel nostalgia for but like, it's probably one of the bigger "holy shit" moments I went through especially since it was right when I became an adult and graduated high school. Anyway, enough memorabilia and fuzzy feelings, time to talk about the game in question.

Off the bat, if there’s one aspect that feels absolutely tight, it’s the weapon roster. No joke, this might be my favorite of the Classic lot, at minimum containing my favorite designated niches in regards to stuff like the shield, floor crawling, and lobbers. Acid Barrier lasting the right length and being able to soak up all kinds of bullets makes it a mainstay for any tight situations; Bounce Ball’s three shot component and its upward/downward angle enables either a softening or outright kill for any enemy in any spot; Tundra Storm, Scramble Thunder, and Blazing Torch’s reliability on getting rid of aerial or cheekily tucked foes in varying yet all equally satisfying ways; and finally Pile Driver’s dash-like capability covering an adequate amount of distance while impaling any decently-weighted threat with a pinned explosion culminates in this being one of the most fun kits to try and utilize with. Even the two remaining armaments I’m not totally sold on, the Block Dropper and Chain Blast, are still quite entertaining to use in their own right and are still of nice backups in a pinch. I’m also pretty glad that the Mega Buster’s Charge Shot is in the same state it has in 4, 6, and 7, that being it’s a solid fallback tool that doesn’t completely decimate the difficulty that lies ahead. These also have their own idiosyncratic quirks for the stages, types of enemies, or both such as Tundra Storm and Acid Barrier being able to get rid of the spots Arc Weldy torched upon, but weirdly enough this feels lesser from what I can tell. Rush Jet and Rush Coil definitely got the shaft though, instead of being a loyal dog that gets attention he’s sort of regulated to the “help me get the goody” item that other entries have. Granted, I’ve mentioned before I haven’t touched these in a good while so it’s possible I’m misremembering, but yea. To reiterate, though, this set is still a joy to experiment with, even when excluding the new Double Gear system. I recall there being some press statements by the team that you can complete the game without having to overly use it, and as someone that’s spent most of their time without it, I can attest to it. The chances I’ve felt where I was forced to use it in order to survive were pretty slim, and even then it’s not like they’re not cool to use either… sorta. I never really got the deal with Power Gear, since its boosted power isn’t quite enough to encourage me to activate it for any of my equipment, but I do enjoy how Speed Gear’s handled with its slowdown for those “oh god I need to settle everything down ASAP” spurs.

If there’s anything I felt could’ve been ironed out, it’s the stage design. Now, it’s not like they’re bad, otherwise I’d give it a much lower score, and they have some of the best theming in the franchise from an old camp for scouts to a wholeass amusement park with dubious rides and contraptions, but the pacing and actual layouts are… weird. I think the Wily Fortress in this game is the best example, cause the first stage starts off pretty damn overwhelming and leans too harshly on enemy drops, with the boss of it being a major pain to deal with regardless of using its weakness or not… but then the second stage is like, majorly easy to brute force over, with far less do-or-die scenarios and a rather lowkey curve when it came to upping the ante. It’s challenging still, but it’s off regardless. Then you just have the boss rush after that and Wily himself, and they’re probably the best at balancing the ease and rigorous obstacle courses, and of course become an embarrassing cakewalk if you have the weapon energy to dish out. When it comes to the robot masters themselves, they’re a great bunch in terms of designs and personality displays, but the fights range from stilted decency (Acid Man, Blast Man, Torch Man, Block Man) to grand bouts (Bounce Man, Fuse Man, Tundra Man, Impact Man). Far from my favorite bosses to deal with, but again I’d say they’re solid enough. The only notable issue, and probably the most discussed topic, is checkpoint placements. No matter the difficulty, these checkpoints are bizarre. Each time I felt like I progressed just enough to have a space to come back to in case I die, I’m instead sent several screens back than I had assumed, and therefore have more to redo. This is especially painful on Torch Man’s, Acid Man’s and dependent on what you’re doing, Impact Man’s stages, due to containing precise instances that if having costed time, means you have to go back to it - and perhaps another dastardly obstacle - all over again. And, look, I’m not a knockback hater, I harken to and engross myself in Classicvania design pretty heavily and find it to be an effective tool in getting the player to both gauge what they’re attempting to do while also having to cost them something in these types of sidescrollers, but compared to other games in the series 11’s needlessly harsher than before, having a bigger push backwards and a noticeably lengthy stun time before you can get back to moving. I wouldn’t say it’s one of the hardest games in the line - certainly nowhere near the level of BS 9 offers, the first-outing jank 1 has in its core, or the rocky road 2 dabbles with on occasion - but it’s something that could’ve used more fine-tuning.

It’s not like you don’t have ways to cheese 11, either. The shop this time is curiously generous and not requiring much effort to grind out bolts this time around. No joke, I got by just stocking up on Lives, two cases of Energy and Weapon Tanks, Beat, Eddie, and the Energy Balancer (then later its upgraded variant EB Neo) plus later the Buddy Caller perk and was more-or-less fine the whole way through. I’m also perplexed at some of the items you have to unlock for use; Pierce Protector’s fine if you need the extra hand, but having to die from the spiked pits five times beforehand feels like a backhanded help, and I’d rather the Power Shield be something that’s on by default instead of having to tank a specific threshold of damage to purchase cause again, the knockback here is egregious. I know the latter half highlighted more on the bad instead of the good considering the rating, but it’s really because 11’s more or less emblematic as to what type of package Classic Mega Man can dish out: you got the overconfident mooks, the embarrassingly quick ways of unleashing mayhem, and throughout it all you just got a fun-ass pack of funky robot dudes and dudettes to spar against amidst the hodgepodge of gizmos and doodads to work with. Even before this I always thought to myself “man I have to replay MM11, that’s a good ass game there”. For a quick break, it’s definitely one way to expend it and have a feel-good aura afterwards. Now if only Capcom can actually give us a new Mega Man game...

List of mods I used available on my pastebin post here. I should also note that “Mastered” in my case means getting all the achievements, leaving out a handful of Thieves Den Awards that become active or otherwise easier to nab in NG+.

For an RPG I heavily played well over a month, fresh and pampered from revisiting Persona 3 in its original and remade form prior, as well as the hot button topic it’s become over the years, you'd expect I'd have a lot to say about Persona 5 Royal. Well... I don't, really. All I can think about in my sleep deprived state is how my 200+ hour venture - and that's generously ignoring inflated idle times Steam's counter acclimates - is how woefully underwhelming the package was save for a few bright spots, and how dispassionately apathetic I became after finally finishing and scouring out for the light.

It’s funny I mentioned my time investment a bit off the heels of a discord within FF7 Rebirth’s activities and planning, cause it should be mentioned (and emphasized) that it’s actually pretty easy to focus and fine-tune your palette into whatever it is you desire. No one except yourself, and perhaps foolish pride, is forcing you to do all of those activities after all, unless they’re particularly easy to nab off the beaten path. That is, of course, neglecting the key component: the focal point where all points are stitched and huddled around, an area P5R constantly falters over. Already saw a flashback sequence? Fret not, you’re gonna be subjugated to it not 10 minutes after. Got a good grasp of the ongoings of the story, be it by themes or event details? Alright, but you’re gonna have to bear the condescending attitude as you watch the character(s) exposit these things anyway. Grew a form of investment over a beat and how it unfolds before and during the main show? Slow your roll there bucko, you haven’t heard about the overly unnecessary and outright damaging undercurrent that ruins it! Sure, it sounds like hyperbole, and as you go along many of these detriments are either quelled or nulled, but it doesn’t change the fact that they’re present, nor does it alleviate their weight of bloat and the meekish presentation of what are honestly some pretty simple themes. The fact it took my entire first session of play to get to the initial true Free Time event on the 18th, whereas P3 - both versions, might I add - give me that freedom within just a few short hours and P4 just about half of this, is appalling.

The writing woes extend to the Phantom Thieves themselves, which I suppose isn’t a Hot Take or anything since there’s been a bit of a debate surrounding them over the years. To dispel some common points, I don’t believe the notion that they are “centered” around Joker - on the contrary, not only is this running along the recurring theme of “kinship through displacement”, there’s already a bit of an established line between Ann and Ryuji, Futaba and Sojiro, and, though faint and dubious, Makoto and Haru. As a group, there’s a rather believable sense of friendship and camaraderie developed and finalized throughout the course of the story amidst the hustle and bustle of urban civilization, which is a bit of a surprise since I was pessimistically expecting the opposite. What did come true, unfortunately, is the lack of individualism and the expression that's delivered from it. The handling of Ann and Haru are criticized enough that I don’t think I can add anything to the former’s blobby mold of an archetype and hypocritical implementation of her supposed freedom of self-expression, and the latter’s seed of growth taken away due to the already mentioned bloat plaguing the game; same with Ryuji and how his (great) Social Link about reliance on others and strength through teamwork is routinely undermined by him being treated as a joke within the main cutscenes. Futaba is ostensibly headcanoned as one under the Autism umbrella, and while the intent is competently delivered and well-handled, the amount of #GAMER allusions are poor and clumsily handled, leading to a bumpy state of her psyche. Yusuke, who’s SL arc revolves around the dichotomy of man and their drive of passion within the hobbyist and professional mindset, is often treated as The Quirky Oddball One of the group with superficial understanding as to what art is since they did this like, twice before I guess and believed third time is truly the charm, which is also why they made Morgana have the same arc as Teddie and Aigis but without any of the things that made those two compelling. Of the group, Makoto is the one with the fewest weights holding her down; her arc is straightforward, explored to its fullest in her SL with little downplay within the narrative, and her importance in the group is always front and center. Her straight-edge nature can be too plain at times, granted, as are her connecting points regarding resolve and resolution, but compared to everyone else? It’s way easier to swallow. To reiterate, however, my main issue isn’t with the characters themselves, honestly I only truly despise Morgana and his obnoxious (albeit small in intensity) demeanor - it’s just kind of hard to truly feel connected with the group when the game seems to treat them more so as dolls for amusement than actual people, something even P4 never fully succumbed to during its outing.

I kind of wish I had more to say, really, cause it’s not as if I totally hate P5R or anything. There’s some good bits in here, like the full exploration of escapism as a theme finally being done here thanks to the “Royal” part of the game desperately giving the endgame a sense of closure, some of the non-essential confidants like Hifumi, Mishima, Chihaya and Yoshida being great to explore despite the drawbacks, and the superbosses being a fair bit of fun to go over. But, like, I’m not really sure what more I can add unfortunately. I’d sort of just be repeating common talking points and, compounded by the fact I’m facing burnout from both writing and my aforementioned time allocation, it just feels fruitless to go over? Like I don’t want to be the umpteenth mouthpiece going over how ridiculously easy this game is even excluding Merciless’ baffling(ly hilarious) modifiers pertaining to player favor and the constricted dungeon design making it so that ambushes are a rare, if ever present, occurrence one can face, cause everyone already discussed that. Did you know that, even in the original team, there were some Etrian Odyssey battle planners? Really makes me wonder how the hell it ended up so milquetoast in engagement, dungeon layout, and the us v them nature of gameplay routing when EO1’s first two stratums already had more going on. It’s also why I’m hardpressed to mention my adoration with Third Semester, cause I can’t quite word it in a way that isn’t already brought up by the people, what with Maruki, Akechi, and Kasumi being the ethos, pathos, and logos of Joker’s - and by principle, Yuki and Narukami’s - Wild Card slot and the reflection they face should his life be altered ever so slightly. I dunno man, it’s like… expansion aside, this is the RPG that got a lot of people into the genre now? The Atlus mega-hit? I’m a lot cooler on the problems than others seem to be, and I wouldn’t cynically berate others over this cause that’s stupid and rude, but it does leave me scratching my head and wondering what else I had missed in my long, long journey as an urbanite Fool.