Carbuncle__
2016
I really love my Road Trip with The Boysβ’. It's not without it's flaws but man if I don't love the journey. Campfire scene messes me up every single time without fail though.
You deserved so much better Vincent Valentine. You will get your moment in the sun I swear.
Played this as a BABY and was my introduction to Final Fantasy and JRPG's as a whole back on the SNES. Coincidentally I can remember owning 2 SNES Final Fantasy games and trying to decide which to play first, This or Final Fantasy II (IV) and I chose Mystic Quest because I assumed it was the first one and I couldn't start with the one that had 2 in the title.
I don't know man I liked it as a literal child, the game was aimed towards kids like me and even if I was to go back today I think I'd be able to get at least something out of it, even if it's not the deepest thing in the world.
I don't know man I liked it as a literal child, the game was aimed towards kids like me and even if I was to go back today I think I'd be able to get at least something out of it, even if it's not the deepest thing in the world.
"GO,GO,GOOOOOO"
Panel de Pon aka Tetris Attack is really fun and so is PPL. There really isn't much to it beyond that. It's a fun Puzzle game now with a Pokemon anime skin circa 2000. If that's your thing you'll love it. The voicelines will be etched into my memory until I die. Whether it be anything Tracy says ever, Lt.Surge screaming "Aw, Poor Baby", Blaine's gravelly voice saying "When you're hot, you're hot". The game has iconic lines all over it.
Panel de Pon aka Tetris Attack is really fun and so is PPL. There really isn't much to it beyond that. It's a fun Puzzle game now with a Pokemon anime skin circa 2000. If that's your thing you'll love it. The voicelines will be etched into my memory until I die. Whether it be anything Tracy says ever, Lt.Surge screaming "Aw, Poor Baby", Blaine's gravelly voice saying "When you're hot, you're hot". The game has iconic lines all over it.
Having played Dissidia very sparingly in the past, Most of my time playing Dissidia in the past being NT, I was excited to go back and play this first entry and for the most part I was pleasantly surprised. For a fighting game that released on a portable handheld console in 2009 in NA, This game is really good. Tons of fun, a unique concept for a competitive fighting game that I still don't know if I completely have wrapped my head around, with a relatively simple story featuring the Heroes and Villains of the respective first 10 Final Fantasy games. Coming back to this first entry in the Dissidia series I have a slightly altered perspective to the voice cast for this game. Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth exist and are out at the point of writing this review. The majority of this voice cast I actually surprisingly liked a lot. Genuinely fun performances from most of the cast with some funny interactions in the story mode. Cloud however.. I don't know man. This is the same actor who had portrayed him from Kingdom Hearts onward in every subsequent project Cloud Strife was featured in, most of which I played and have fond memories of. This just felt bad. Normally I would chalk it up to bad VO Direction or something like that but I genuinely like every other performance in the game. That being said it doesn't really take any of my enjoyment out of playing this game or any future titles in the Dissidia series.
Every character I've touched has felt relatively easy to pick up figure out, which I think was intentional with the goal of this game being something different from your average fighting game. This one feels less competitive in nature and more so focused on just getting this collection of "Action Figures" together in one setting and trying to tell a story with all of them together and interacting and I think it succeeds in that aspect. That's not to say you can't play this like a competitive game, Dissidia Final Fantasy also features Competitive Multiplayer Versus matches through the PSP's ad-hoc. A really cool decision that I don't really remember about this game coming out back in the day but I super appreciate in retrospect.
All in all I enjoyed my time coming back to Dissidia Final Fantasy and all the ground work it layed for the eventual sequels it set up. I genuinely really hope that they can maybe bring it back at some point although how likely that is at this point with how well NT did remains to be seen. Definitely a high point of the PSP library in my opinion.
Every character I've touched has felt relatively easy to pick up figure out, which I think was intentional with the goal of this game being something different from your average fighting game. This one feels less competitive in nature and more so focused on just getting this collection of "Action Figures" together in one setting and trying to tell a story with all of them together and interacting and I think it succeeds in that aspect. That's not to say you can't play this like a competitive game, Dissidia Final Fantasy also features Competitive Multiplayer Versus matches through the PSP's ad-hoc. A really cool decision that I don't really remember about this game coming out back in the day but I super appreciate in retrospect.
All in all I enjoyed my time coming back to Dissidia Final Fantasy and all the ground work it layed for the eventual sequels it set up. I genuinely really hope that they can maybe bring it back at some point although how likely that is at this point with how well NT did remains to be seen. Definitely a high point of the PSP library in my opinion.
2007
you get 1 star for being a "functioning" game and for the gift of Spider-Man 3 QTE's. Don't play this.
This review contains spoilers
So this is a wild ass game for a multitude of reasons. I genuinely thought Raiden as a character was pretty cool in MGS2, Like no, you're not as cool or interesting as Snake but you're alright pretty boy. Then they make him a cyborg-samurai-ninja dude is MGS4 and I'm like πππππππ. Now we've arrived at Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (Insane name btw) and like opening this game with being the bodyguard for an unnamed Prime Minister of an African Country and getting into this big tutorial boss fight with a Metal Gear just absolutely blew me away the first time I saw it. I dare you if you have never seen the opening to this game to watch/play it and NOT be like πΈπ¦ππ π©π°ππ₯ π°π― π―π°πΈ. Raiden is just cool man. Speaking of, SENATOR ARMSTRONG. I don't know if I'd call him cool but man, What a villain. I'm not gonna get into exactly what his deal is and what he stands for but just know, A LOT of this games theme's and messages ring true today AND this is a game in which the main villain is a Senator for The United States of America as well as being one of the Candidates for the 2020 United States Presidential Election. That's just funny.
GAMEPLAY, man I've just been sitting here stroking this game for it's theme's and story and characters I didn't even bring up the fact that it's made by GODDAMN PLATINUM GAMES. If you're familiar at all you know the combat slaps. BUT I would like to just put it out there that BLADE MODE IS SOME OF THE COOLEST SHIT IN ANY CHARACTER ACTION GAME EVER. Entering what is essentially bullet time but for slicing up cyborg parts and ripping out there fake spines to heal yourself is some of the most rad shit ever thought up. So thank you.
Lastly I want to touch on an aspect of this game that has probably been touched on a lot and might feel redundant but I feel is just as important as the others. MUSIC. You could pick ANY of the 13 vocal tracks spread throughout MGRR and say their your favourite and I would hit you with a nod and say "yeah it's pretty good". Lending itself to the style of game the music is Fast and Heavy, with banger after banger after banger. Songs that I don't think I'll ever grow tired of and will remain having an impact on me in ways I wouldn't have thought imaginable. When I got into the boss fight with Mistral and the instrumental for A Stranger I Remain kicks in, I vividly remember this feeling of "Oh shit, this is gonna be a good one." AND THEN THE VOCALS COME IN. That moment will never leave me.
This is too long to even be considered a review I've just rambled in text form and am just putting this out into the world. I love this game truly from the bottom of my heart. Please play it.
GAMEPLAY, man I've just been sitting here stroking this game for it's theme's and story and characters I didn't even bring up the fact that it's made by GODDAMN PLATINUM GAMES. If you're familiar at all you know the combat slaps. BUT I would like to just put it out there that BLADE MODE IS SOME OF THE COOLEST SHIT IN ANY CHARACTER ACTION GAME EVER. Entering what is essentially bullet time but for slicing up cyborg parts and ripping out there fake spines to heal yourself is some of the most rad shit ever thought up. So thank you.
Lastly I want to touch on an aspect of this game that has probably been touched on a lot and might feel redundant but I feel is just as important as the others. MUSIC. You could pick ANY of the 13 vocal tracks spread throughout MGRR and say their your favourite and I would hit you with a nod and say "yeah it's pretty good". Lending itself to the style of game the music is Fast and Heavy, with banger after banger after banger. Songs that I don't think I'll ever grow tired of and will remain having an impact on me in ways I wouldn't have thought imaginable. When I got into the boss fight with Mistral and the instrumental for A Stranger I Remain kicks in, I vividly remember this feeling of "Oh shit, this is gonna be a good one." AND THEN THE VOCALS COME IN. That moment will never leave me.
This is too long to even be considered a review I've just rambled in text form and am just putting this out into the world. I love this game truly from the bottom of my heart. Please play it.
2019
This review contains spoilers
Lovelovelovelovelove this game so much man.
Mission Structure is still wholly stuck in the early 2000's but aside from that, Devil May Cry 5 does A LOT right. Story is predictable but satisfying, Combat is incredibly rewarding and cool. I personally am really attached to when a game loves its music, and this game LOVES it's music, Not all of it hits for me but a good majority of it does, So having a battle theme like DEVIL TRIGGER play every time I get into a fight with Nero feels so hype man. Speaking of Nero, When I played Devil May Cry 4 in 2008 I "liked" Nero. He was fine. I don't quite know what it is, but I love that dude this time around. I love a lot of these characters this time around. Nero and Nico are great. Dante is of course a smash hit. V is in the corner being poetic and goth and that's cool. Griffon is amazing. Vergil himself is my favourite version of himself to date. Just a great character action game. You should play please. Don't even get me started on Bury The Light brother.
Mission Structure is still wholly stuck in the early 2000's but aside from that, Devil May Cry 5 does A LOT right. Story is predictable but satisfying, Combat is incredibly rewarding and cool. I personally am really attached to when a game loves its music, and this game LOVES it's music, Not all of it hits for me but a good majority of it does, So having a battle theme like DEVIL TRIGGER play every time I get into a fight with Nero feels so hype man. Speaking of Nero, When I played Devil May Cry 4 in 2008 I "liked" Nero. He was fine. I don't quite know what it is, but I love that dude this time around. I love a lot of these characters this time around. Nero and Nico are great. Dante is of course a smash hit. V is in the corner being poetic and goth and that's cool. Griffon is amazing. Vergil himself is my favourite version of himself to date. Just a great character action game. You should play please. Don't even get me started on Bury The Light brother.
This review contains spoilers
"Embrace your dreams.. and whatever happens.. protect your honor as a Soldier!"
What an ππ£π©ππ§ππ¨π©ππ£π game. Man. I really love Zack and his story but it's packaged in and around such a WEIRD story and not that fun game. Combat is better in Reunion but still nothing to write home about. Performances while being true to the original VO direction are rough and downright comical at times, although I do appreciate the commitment to the bit. Story throughout the game is nonsensical scribbles until about half way when you start to care. Genesis sucks, Angeal is tolerable. Zack absolutely rules, Cissnei is great. Returning characters like Sephiroth, Aerith and Cloud are done justice. The scene near the beginning of the game in Wutai with Yuffie is CUTE AS HELL. Music is also VERY mid 2000's but I have a soft spot for it. Obviously that ending. Dude.
All in all a mixed bag with more good than bad but still got enough bad to notice. BUT, if you like FF7 even a little you should be playing this.
What an ππ£π©ππ§ππ¨π©ππ£π game. Man. I really love Zack and his story but it's packaged in and around such a WEIRD story and not that fun game. Combat is better in Reunion but still nothing to write home about. Performances while being true to the original VO direction are rough and downright comical at times, although I do appreciate the commitment to the bit. Story throughout the game is nonsensical scribbles until about half way when you start to care. Genesis sucks, Angeal is tolerable. Zack absolutely rules, Cissnei is great. Returning characters like Sephiroth, Aerith and Cloud are done justice. The scene near the beginning of the game in Wutai with Yuffie is CUTE AS HELL. Music is also VERY mid 2000's but I have a soft spot for it. Obviously that ending. Dude.
All in all a mixed bag with more good than bad but still got enough bad to notice. BUT, if you like FF7 even a little you should be playing this.
2023
This review contains spoilers
Did this remake need to exist? No. HOWEVER.
I ADORE this game. Is it as charming as the classic from 2005? Probably not, but I love that they were able to take that cheese and still intertwine it with a game that takes itself decently serious. Everything you remember about the original sans excessive cheese is present in this remake except in my opinion it all feels 10x better. Just a really damn fun, timeless video game experience. Voice performances are on 10, Nick Apostolides knocks Leon out of the park and I personally really love Lily Gao's rendition of Ada. Saddler is still small time and everyone still goes to Bingo.
I ADORE this game. Is it as charming as the classic from 2005? Probably not, but I love that they were able to take that cheese and still intertwine it with a game that takes itself decently serious. Everything you remember about the original sans excessive cheese is present in this remake except in my opinion it all feels 10x better. Just a really damn fun, timeless video game experience. Voice performances are on 10, Nick Apostolides knocks Leon out of the park and I personally really love Lily Gao's rendition of Ada. Saddler is still small time and everyone still goes to Bingo.
2012
Persona 4 vanilla was my very first introduction to SMT/Persona. I was in love immediately the moment the opening video played. I spent 100+ hours just falling into the story, world and characters and loved every single second of it. Then 2012 rolls around and Persona 4 Golden is released. I genuinely didn't think it'd be possible to improve upon Persona 4 and not only make me want to jump right back into the world and same story I've experienced already but actually make it MORE engaging. MORE fun. Persona 4 Golden was my first exposure to the Atlus classic of an upgraded version of an already existing Persona game, and for my money they've never done it better.
1997
This review contains spoilers
An astronomical achievement in JRPG's that broke through the barrier of being just a JRPG and changed the course of the the genre and medium. FF7 is funny in that I remember the day I finished the game for the first time not being blown away but only once I came back to the game for the second and third time would I realize how truly excellent it was. The moments that need to emotionally hit, hit like a truck. I would not have thought that this ragtag crew of pipe cleaners with faces would have ended up being my #1 JRPG party if you had asked me back when I started. I thought Cloud a lone wolf too cool for school boring one note protagonist, By the end of the game he's this deeply layered man just trying to deal with SO much shit that's been dumped on him. My only half joking gripe with FF7 is goddamn Chocobo Breeding and Racing. Go to hell.
My personal favourite game of all time, the very first JRPG I remember playing at the young age of 5 years old. I don't think I really got it then but I didn't care. This cool Blonde dude in red armor transformed into a literal Dragon Knight with wings and punched a meteor. I was in awe of what I was seeing at the time. I didn't even pick up on at the time what I would realize 10 years later was one of THE COOLEST COMBAT SYSTEMS in a game for the time. ADDITIONS ARE SO RAD MAN!
Looking back yeah The Legend of Dragoon is not a perfect game, The story kind of starts to fall apart a bit in disc 3 and 4 but I really love it still.
Looking back yeah The Legend of Dragoon is not a perfect game, The story kind of starts to fall apart a bit in disc 3 and 4 but I really love it still.
2023
I don't know how much I really needed this remake to exist but I am glad it exists. Still not my favourite Mario RPG even with "prettying" it up and adding cutscenes and cool tri attacks. Kinda wish there was an option to go back to the pixel art but I guess with the sound option having the ability to revert the graphics would kind of defeat the purpose of a remake. Unfortunately I just don't think this kind of approach to a JRPG will ever be for me but I can recognize and appreciate how damn charming this game and the original is. Music is still one of my favourites of all time tho shoutout Yoko Shimomura.
2023
Game has the BIGGEST most HYPE moments of any game I have ever experienced while simultaneously having some of the LOWEST most BORING stalls to a game I've ever experienced. If you love Final Fantasy in any way I would still check it out as the moments that are good in this game are SO WORTH IT. The music is obviously a significant highpoint, I don't know how much I can really say that you haven't heard or read in other reviews praising Soken. Yes it's that good. If you mainline this story and don't worry yourself with side content or any of the slower moments of the game I can see this ranking very high for me personally but as a whole just not really there unfortunately.
Cidolfus Telamon is my GOAT.
Cidolfus Telamon is my GOAT.