CetusOtter
After hearing how popular the duology was for old-school SMT fans, this was on the top of my hitlist after completing Persona 5. Going in, I was hearing everyone describe this as a dark and mature game and I was left a bit disappointed, unfortunately. This game has its moments here and there, but I was expecting something way darker than what we got.
That's not to say the game is bad by any means. It's a huge step up from Innocent Sin in terms of characterization and story. I liked the cast a lot more in this one because they felt real and fleshed out. I'm a particular fan of Baofu he's a fun character who gets some great moments with the rest of the party. Also happy we got to see Katsuya as a playable character and his antics with Tatsuya in particular are adorable. Overall, the game's cast is the strongest aspect of the story for me and I think that is due in part to them being actual adults. There's a very cute touch where Tatsuya is unable to purchase alcoholic drinks because he's underage which I thought was delightful.
I think the plot doesn't go nearly as crazy as Innocent Sin does, though, which was my favorite part of that game. Innocent Sin really leaned into the idea of rumor becoming reality using commonly held conspiracy theories and turning them into pivotal story points which I thought was more interesting than Eternal Punishment.
The gameplay's more the same. A bit archaic but I eventually found myself enjoying it. There's a catharsis to blasting an any group with Giga Cyclone and raking in some experience. In particular, I wish they'd bring back Fusion Spells in future Persona games because they make party building more important and interesting. I also love the mutation mechanic that further incentivizes using fusion spells and can often result in some unexpected developments.
While I still prefer Persona 5 Royal I did greatly enjoy myself with Eternal Punishment and I hope Atlus eventually remakes the duology one day because these games deserve to get some modernization for modern players to experience.
That's not to say the game is bad by any means. It's a huge step up from Innocent Sin in terms of characterization and story. I liked the cast a lot more in this one because they felt real and fleshed out. I'm a particular fan of Baofu he's a fun character who gets some great moments with the rest of the party. Also happy we got to see Katsuya as a playable character and his antics with Tatsuya in particular are adorable. Overall, the game's cast is the strongest aspect of the story for me and I think that is due in part to them being actual adults. There's a very cute touch where Tatsuya is unable to purchase alcoholic drinks because he's underage which I thought was delightful.
I think the plot doesn't go nearly as crazy as Innocent Sin does, though, which was my favorite part of that game. Innocent Sin really leaned into the idea of rumor becoming reality using commonly held conspiracy theories and turning them into pivotal story points which I thought was more interesting than Eternal Punishment.
The gameplay's more the same. A bit archaic but I eventually found myself enjoying it. There's a catharsis to blasting an any group with Giga Cyclone and raking in some experience. In particular, I wish they'd bring back Fusion Spells in future Persona games because they make party building more important and interesting. I also love the mutation mechanic that further incentivizes using fusion spells and can often result in some unexpected developments.
While I still prefer Persona 5 Royal I did greatly enjoy myself with Eternal Punishment and I hope Atlus eventually remakes the duology one day because these games deserve to get some modernization for modern players to experience.
2023
This review contains spoilers
After over a decade of waiting, Pikmin 4 has finally come out. So, was it worth the wait? I feel out of all Pikmin games, this one has the most potential to be the best, but it's held back by some minor issues that I wish were expanded on slightly more. Firstly, I think the areas blended in together for the most part with the exception of Serene Shores, Hero's Hideaway, and Primordial Thicket. While I can understand maybe not wanting to do another winter or fall area, I think they could've gone a different direction like maybe having a desert or something else. Furthermore, I wish that they expanded on the Dandori battles a lot more like how Pikmin 3 has its incredible side modes that you can sink hours into. I feel I could put so much time into this game but there just aren't that many Dandori trials to platinum. And lastly, auto-lock on's kinda terrible. Also a very tiny nitpick, but the I wish the ice pikmin had better designs I mean they're basically just recolored rock pikmin being choked by a rubber band.
On the plus side, pretty much everything else about this game's superb. I love that we can use all Pikmin types and they found pretty clever ways of limiting the player. Oatchi's kinda busted but he's also decently fun in his own right. They basically took the Pikmin 2 dungeons and just made them better in every regard. I love all the returning enemies as well as the designs of some of the new enemies and bosses. Groovy Long Legs and the Ancient Sirehound being particular favorites of mine. And while some of the areas I did have issue with, the ones I did like I LOVED. Hero's Hideaway is great, I love levels that takes everyday objects and then shrinks the player so they actually become obstacles. And Serene Shores is the coral reef area I've always wanted in a pikmin game. Night mode's also pretty fun and glow pikmin are an awesome side pikmin that have some pretty nifty moves and strategies. I love lobbing glow mobs at enemies and watching their healthbar just drain then and there.
Could this game be more difficult? Maybe. Honestly, Pikmin was never really difficult but some of the level designs and enemy encounters do require some level of thought put in. Maybe if rewind weren't an option, I can see this game being much more punishing. As a huge pikmin fan, I think I got my money's worth, but I do hope they expand on it with DLC for side missions and modes because I think that could really elevate this from a great game to an incredible one.
On the plus side, pretty much everything else about this game's superb. I love that we can use all Pikmin types and they found pretty clever ways of limiting the player. Oatchi's kinda busted but he's also decently fun in his own right. They basically took the Pikmin 2 dungeons and just made them better in every regard. I love all the returning enemies as well as the designs of some of the new enemies and bosses. Groovy Long Legs and the Ancient Sirehound being particular favorites of mine. And while some of the areas I did have issue with, the ones I did like I LOVED. Hero's Hideaway is great, I love levels that takes everyday objects and then shrinks the player so they actually become obstacles. And Serene Shores is the coral reef area I've always wanted in a pikmin game. Night mode's also pretty fun and glow pikmin are an awesome side pikmin that have some pretty nifty moves and strategies. I love lobbing glow mobs at enemies and watching their healthbar just drain then and there.
Could this game be more difficult? Maybe. Honestly, Pikmin was never really difficult but some of the level designs and enemy encounters do require some level of thought put in. Maybe if rewind weren't an option, I can see this game being much more punishing. As a huge pikmin fan, I think I got my money's worth, but I do hope they expand on it with DLC for side missions and modes because I think that could really elevate this from a great game to an incredible one.
This review contains spoilers
I greatly enjoyed RDR1 and hearing that RDR2 was even better certainly piqued my interest. And, well, yes... RDR2 is better in so many different ways. I think the overall situation and plot's a lot more engaging, the characters are way more fleshed out and interesting, and the interactions with the open world are far more advanced than they were in RDR1. I think my favorite aspect of this game is how you really get a good sense of family and community with the Van der Linde gang with many of the supporting characters having vibrant and fun personalities. This, of course, makes the gradual decline and inevitable destruction of the gang all the more tragic. My jaw did drop a bit when Sean was shot in the head and when Lenny was gunned down on the rooftop, I remember thinking "no!!!" because he was my favorite by far. He was an intelligent and fun young man with a lot of great interactions with Arthur and he was shot down while he was still so young. I knew many of these characters were doomed from the start, but that does not take away the tragedy of their passings. Fortunately, some did survive and it's quite touching to see them in the epilogue forging their own new lives. Mary-Beth, Tilly, Pearson, all having their own conclusions as they are able to succesfully escape their past is really touching and I love the interactions they give to John Marston. I also found the chemistry between John and Abigail to be amazing and seeing John genuinely giddy and in love with this woman made me feel pretty happy for the guy. Not to mention him getting to meet up with Charles and Sadie in the epilogue was great, I loved that they got to band together at least one last time and I'm happy Sadie and Charles also got to get their own satisfying conclusions. And on the topic of supporting characters, while Rains Fall and Eagle Flies only became relevant much later, their plight and conflicts were EXTREMELY engaging. They make you feel for the injustices they face and their conflicting ideals, the difference in their age, and the ultimate death of Eagle Flies was an incredibly compelling story I did not expect at the later half. Rains Fall still mourning his son at the epilogue is just another twist of the knife in this miserable story.
Now, this brings me also to Arthur Morgan who is an AMAZING protagonist. Going in, I thought we'd be playing as John again so playing as someone we've never heard of before was interesting. As time went on, I found Arthur's struggle in finding good in himself, his disillusionment with Dutch, and him facing his inevitable demise to be deeply compelling. He's a tragic, flawed, and ultimately doomed character who perhaps did deserve his fate but helped many others in the process. Of course, we all know how it ended with John Marston which adds a further layer of tragedy.
Dutch is a WAY more compelling antagonist now as you can see his desperation and deteriorating mental state begin to take a choke hold on him. Everytime the gang moves, the camp gets progressively drearier and sad until the very end with Beaver Hollow. Micah is also a great additional antagonist you just HATE with a passion. He's perfectly despicable in every way and makes Dutch's downward spiral just a tad more understandable.
Gameplaywise, this game is full to bursting with exploration and content. I love how a lot of the random interactions are way more unique and varied compared to RDR1. And a lot of them end up having nice payoffs when you meet them back in town. I also like there's far more incentive in doing dishonorable things like crime, robbing, and murder compared to 1 and entire important gameplay mechanics such as train or stagecoach robbing are made a thing. You're going to get a wanted level a lot and some quests outright force you to become wanted.
Overall, RDR2 excels in both the story and character department as well as the expanding on the immersive open world gameplay from the first game. Very easy reccommend and I can see why this is many people's favorite!
Now, this brings me also to Arthur Morgan who is an AMAZING protagonist. Going in, I thought we'd be playing as John again so playing as someone we've never heard of before was interesting. As time went on, I found Arthur's struggle in finding good in himself, his disillusionment with Dutch, and him facing his inevitable demise to be deeply compelling. He's a tragic, flawed, and ultimately doomed character who perhaps did deserve his fate but helped many others in the process. Of course, we all know how it ended with John Marston which adds a further layer of tragedy.
Dutch is a WAY more compelling antagonist now as you can see his desperation and deteriorating mental state begin to take a choke hold on him. Everytime the gang moves, the camp gets progressively drearier and sad until the very end with Beaver Hollow. Micah is also a great additional antagonist you just HATE with a passion. He's perfectly despicable in every way and makes Dutch's downward spiral just a tad more understandable.
Gameplaywise, this game is full to bursting with exploration and content. I love how a lot of the random interactions are way more unique and varied compared to RDR1. And a lot of them end up having nice payoffs when you meet them back in town. I also like there's far more incentive in doing dishonorable things like crime, robbing, and murder compared to 1 and entire important gameplay mechanics such as train or stagecoach robbing are made a thing. You're going to get a wanted level a lot and some quests outright force you to become wanted.
Overall, RDR2 excels in both the story and character department as well as the expanding on the immersive open world gameplay from the first game. Very easy reccommend and I can see why this is many people's favorite!
2012
There's really not much to say about this one. It's a short, interesting little experience that connects to the more well known Lisa: The Painful in some vague ways. It's got some interesting imagery and a bizarre soundscape. If you've played Lisa: The Painful, it's an interesting dive into the series' beginnings. I'm not gonna be too harsh on it or anything because it's really just a brief but neat experience so it did well on that front.
2014
This review contains spoilers
I mean... What more can be said about LISA that hasn't already been said? This game is absolutely brutal in every sense of the word and incorporates gameplay into its narrative in such a remarkable way. The character of Brad is such a twisted and terrifying person, one whose own experiences have warped him into this absolute monster and it's horrifying to watch just how far he'll go to find Buddy, even at the cost of his limbs, party members, and even humanity.
The artwork of this game is surprisingly great and helps to really ground the world of LISA as a nightmarish dystopian Hell. Brutalized bodies will be strewn about the wastes and the warped, twisted forms of the Joy Mutants were always delightful to see. It really does feel like it's the end of the world. The music also GREATLY helps add to this sense of atmosphere with some truly bizarre tracks that can be haunting, silly, or even beautiful all at once. I think the best example is the track that plays whenever you're at an encampment. It's a very calming tune and then the vocals start up and it's immediately interrupted by this crashing drum sound as if to remind you of the kind of Hell you're still in. The music and visuals greatly enhance the game's bleak atmosphere and they work wonders for portraying the agony Brad endures.
Now, the gameplay is actually somewhat interesting and I found it a lot more fun than I thought I would. I'm not really sure why, maybe it's because I think the party members have interesting abilities and it's fun to experiment. It's not the BEST turn-based combat I've played but it certainly didn't drag the experience down for me like say Earthbound. It did more than I was expecting it to and I actually got decently invested in just playing around with characters and levelling them up to see what abilities they got.
Now, I really don't have many major issues with the game. I think sometimes the "funny quirky" gets a little... Much. For me personally, I really preferred the game when it was more serious and honestly the humor never really landed that well with me (Except for the middle finger atop the tower, that one got a huge laugh.) I guess the quirky nature helps juxtapose against the brutality so I don't think it's a major issue and some of the weirdness adds to the game experience like Harvey the fish lawyer or Queen Roger. I guess it's mostly a personal preference and I'm not going to dock points since it didn't affect my experience TOO much.
Overall, this is a masterpiece of an indie game. One that really takes you to the depths of Hell. It's one of those games that makes me want to reach out to people, resonate with them in similar ways. It's an experience you will not forget, for better... Or for worse.
The artwork of this game is surprisingly great and helps to really ground the world of LISA as a nightmarish dystopian Hell. Brutalized bodies will be strewn about the wastes and the warped, twisted forms of the Joy Mutants were always delightful to see. It really does feel like it's the end of the world. The music also GREATLY helps add to this sense of atmosphere with some truly bizarre tracks that can be haunting, silly, or even beautiful all at once. I think the best example is the track that plays whenever you're at an encampment. It's a very calming tune and then the vocals start up and it's immediately interrupted by this crashing drum sound as if to remind you of the kind of Hell you're still in. The music and visuals greatly enhance the game's bleak atmosphere and they work wonders for portraying the agony Brad endures.
Now, the gameplay is actually somewhat interesting and I found it a lot more fun than I thought I would. I'm not really sure why, maybe it's because I think the party members have interesting abilities and it's fun to experiment. It's not the BEST turn-based combat I've played but it certainly didn't drag the experience down for me like say Earthbound. It did more than I was expecting it to and I actually got decently invested in just playing around with characters and levelling them up to see what abilities they got.
Now, I really don't have many major issues with the game. I think sometimes the "funny quirky" gets a little... Much. For me personally, I really preferred the game when it was more serious and honestly the humor never really landed that well with me (Except for the middle finger atop the tower, that one got a huge laugh.) I guess the quirky nature helps juxtapose against the brutality so I don't think it's a major issue and some of the weirdness adds to the game experience like Harvey the fish lawyer or Queen Roger. I guess it's mostly a personal preference and I'm not going to dock points since it didn't affect my experience TOO much.
Overall, this is a masterpiece of an indie game. One that really takes you to the depths of Hell. It's one of those games that makes me want to reach out to people, resonate with them in similar ways. It's an experience you will not forget, for better... Or for worse.
2010
This review contains spoilers
I don't normally play Rockstar games like this but after having just finished this one, I may need to give more of them a shot. This is a truly fantastic video game that has a surprisingly engaging narrative.
Firstly, the gameplay, which I thought was fine. I'm typically not a huge shooter fan but the gunfights were pretty satisfying. Normal mode was a little too mindless but honestly Expert mode was a perfect challenge and made Dead Eye an actually invaluable resource so I'd reccommend that setting for the best experience. But my favorite parts were probably just the random encounters in the wasteland and the assortment of side-content you can do like gambling or bounties. Events like outlaws running into town, women getting kidnapped, or stagecoaches being attacked greatly added to the experience and made the world seem much more harsh and violent. I also really enjoyed doing some the stranger's sidequests and they oftentimes brought with them interesting little stories such as the Strange Man or the Cannibal quest early in the game. They honestly reminded me a lot of the questlines in NieR games where they often have bizarre circumstances and end pretty bleakly most of the time. Some of them, like the Strange Man quest, being left primarily up to the player's interpretation which I found very interesting. It doesn't spell out the endings of these quests, despite how abruptly some of them do end, which I actually very to be very interesting.
Now onto the game's story and characters and I have a LOT to say here. First off, John Marston is just such a cool character. At first I thought his voice acting was a little rough but I got used to it after a bit. I love how the entire game is basically unravelling this man's history and seeing just how truly tied up he is in everything. He's callous and rough, but is very likeable and it's understandable and his genuine compassion for his family and desire to get escape the life he lead makes him a delightful lead. The side characters were pretty alright, with the standout best obviously being Bonnie. I just love her personality and the interactions she has with John are so endearing. The rest were fine I suppose, with the only others I really enjoyed being Luisa and maybe Landon Ricketts though I do have some problems with that entire part in Mexico I'll get into later. This brings me to that endgame, which was honestly just masterful. It's such a tragic ending yet you completely understand why it happens. In fact, I don't see how there was any other way they could've ended this game satisfyingly. John Marston, despite everything he did, was unable to outrun his past and my favorite moment is him looking out the barn, seeing the soldiers, and deciding to accept his fate and take as many of them down as he could. Everyone was telling him he couldn't find redemption, Dutch, Bill, Edgar, and obviously the government would never truly let him go free. It's a deeply powerful ending that was easily the highlight for me. Jack Marston taking revenge on Edgar Ross is a triumphant, but still deeply sad moment as Jack ends up just like his father. A gunslinger who fights tooth and nail in the merciless West. A future which, John made very clear, he never wanted for him. Anyways, the story's great and it ends perfectly, almost like a Shakespearian tragedy of sorts.
My issues mainly come in that while the shooting was fine, it did get pretty repetitive after a while. Especially with so many of the side-character missions just being shootouts again and again with very little changed between them. I get it is a shooting game but I did kinda want some more variety in some of the encounters. Additionally, I thought the entire part in Mexico was... Kind of pointless? We needed to pursue Bill Williamson but he left to accompany a character who we literally never heard of before, Javier Escuella, and who is barely mentioned again afterwards. The plots with the government unrest were just sort of alright and while I did really like Luisa, she got shafted with a pretty disappointing ending. I just did not find the stories in Mexico to be nearly as compelling as the stuff that came before or after, and a lot of it kind of felt like padding to extend the game's runtime. The Dutch van der Linde part was better, but still had some moments that really felt like wasted time. Particularly, the MacDougal quests and encountering Dutch like 5 times before you actually get to fight him? I do like Dutch's ending, and it's a forboding warning for Marston about what fate he'll face. Also, Nastas just kind of... Dies. Similar to Luisa, I was kinda disappointed and wanted more from him.
Overall, this was a fantastic first Rockstar game. The story and characters really pulled through for me, and the gameplay was engaging enough with cool encounters and interesting side-quests that made me want to take the time to explore the side-content as well. Very excited to play Red Dead Redemption 2.
Firstly, the gameplay, which I thought was fine. I'm typically not a huge shooter fan but the gunfights were pretty satisfying. Normal mode was a little too mindless but honestly Expert mode was a perfect challenge and made Dead Eye an actually invaluable resource so I'd reccommend that setting for the best experience. But my favorite parts were probably just the random encounters in the wasteland and the assortment of side-content you can do like gambling or bounties. Events like outlaws running into town, women getting kidnapped, or stagecoaches being attacked greatly added to the experience and made the world seem much more harsh and violent. I also really enjoyed doing some the stranger's sidequests and they oftentimes brought with them interesting little stories such as the Strange Man or the Cannibal quest early in the game. They honestly reminded me a lot of the questlines in NieR games where they often have bizarre circumstances and end pretty bleakly most of the time. Some of them, like the Strange Man quest, being left primarily up to the player's interpretation which I found very interesting. It doesn't spell out the endings of these quests, despite how abruptly some of them do end, which I actually very to be very interesting.
Now onto the game's story and characters and I have a LOT to say here. First off, John Marston is just such a cool character. At first I thought his voice acting was a little rough but I got used to it after a bit. I love how the entire game is basically unravelling this man's history and seeing just how truly tied up he is in everything. He's callous and rough, but is very likeable and it's understandable and his genuine compassion for his family and desire to get escape the life he lead makes him a delightful lead. The side characters were pretty alright, with the standout best obviously being Bonnie. I just love her personality and the interactions she has with John are so endearing. The rest were fine I suppose, with the only others I really enjoyed being Luisa and maybe Landon Ricketts though I do have some problems with that entire part in Mexico I'll get into later. This brings me to that endgame, which was honestly just masterful. It's such a tragic ending yet you completely understand why it happens. In fact, I don't see how there was any other way they could've ended this game satisfyingly. John Marston, despite everything he did, was unable to outrun his past and my favorite moment is him looking out the barn, seeing the soldiers, and deciding to accept his fate and take as many of them down as he could. Everyone was telling him he couldn't find redemption, Dutch, Bill, Edgar, and obviously the government would never truly let him go free. It's a deeply powerful ending that was easily the highlight for me. Jack Marston taking revenge on Edgar Ross is a triumphant, but still deeply sad moment as Jack ends up just like his father. A gunslinger who fights tooth and nail in the merciless West. A future which, John made very clear, he never wanted for him. Anyways, the story's great and it ends perfectly, almost like a Shakespearian tragedy of sorts.
My issues mainly come in that while the shooting was fine, it did get pretty repetitive after a while. Especially with so many of the side-character missions just being shootouts again and again with very little changed between them. I get it is a shooting game but I did kinda want some more variety in some of the encounters. Additionally, I thought the entire part in Mexico was... Kind of pointless? We needed to pursue Bill Williamson but he left to accompany a character who we literally never heard of before, Javier Escuella, and who is barely mentioned again afterwards. The plots with the government unrest were just sort of alright and while I did really like Luisa, she got shafted with a pretty disappointing ending. I just did not find the stories in Mexico to be nearly as compelling as the stuff that came before or after, and a lot of it kind of felt like padding to extend the game's runtime. The Dutch van der Linde part was better, but still had some moments that really felt like wasted time. Particularly, the MacDougal quests and encountering Dutch like 5 times before you actually get to fight him? I do like Dutch's ending, and it's a forboding warning for Marston about what fate he'll face. Also, Nastas just kind of... Dies. Similar to Luisa, I was kinda disappointed and wanted more from him.
Overall, this was a fantastic first Rockstar game. The story and characters really pulled through for me, and the gameplay was engaging enough with cool encounters and interesting side-quests that made me want to take the time to explore the side-content as well. Very excited to play Red Dead Redemption 2.
It's been a while since I played this game but I remember really enjoying way back when it was first released. I thought the new additions such as crafting were very fun and I loved the idea of changing up an island. The additions this game made to island customization were incredible. Being able to place furniture outside or changing the entire layout were huge selling points to me. The villagers also do a lot more passively which made them feel a lot more alive. They'll sit on the benches, play with objects, or do morning stretches way more often than previously. That being said, the patches to this game were pretty unremarkable for the most part and while I did greatly enjoy some additions like Brewster's Cafe getting added, they really should've been a part of the base game at the very least. I'm not sure how to articulate it, but this game really plateaus after a while and given how long it takes to restart the entire game, it's really hard to get back into. I'm not sure if the DLC is worth it exactly, but it might convince me to give it another shot. I also wish villagers were made more interesting because they still have very boring and safe dialogue that I hear older animal crossing games were much better with. Regardless, I sank a lot of hours into this game and I certainly got my money's worth so I won't complain too much. Also Raymond is the best villager ever don't @ me.
2022
This review contains spoilers
I didn't get Sword and Shield and wasn't sure if I was going to even get Scarlet, honestly. But once I heard that it was actually pretty decent, I gave it a shot and I found it to be great fun! Firstly, the pokemon designs are amazing as usual. My favorites being Meowscarada and Chi-Yu who are easily in my Top 10 of all time now. The main story and the characters are surprisingly fun for a pokemon game. This game may have the strongest lineup of gym leaders and Elite 4 yet. I loved all their personalities and their designs and I really wish we got to see more of them. The best part was EASILY that finale though. Area Zero is such a wonderous final location accompanied by some amazing music composed by Undertale's Toby Fox. Also, the characterization given to Penny, Arven, and Nemona were great and not as intrusive as Sun and Moon's characterization. And that final story with the professor, having them been dead the whole time, was a surprising gutpunch that isn't necessarily resolved by the end. The professor was really dead this whole time and Arven just kind of has to accept it. It's a surprisingly harsh moment of reality for a pokemon game. Also, that one moment where you had no other pokeballs so you had to figure out yourself that you had to send out Koraidon was AMAZING. Just such an incredibly hype moment for the final showdown. Now, for the flaws and unfortunately, this game does have quite a lot of them. Firstly, I loathe how they've removed the "set" option for battles. It's such a small, but extremely unwarranted change that really has no good reason for happening. The performance also leaves MUCH to be desired and man do some of the landscapes look rough. And this is on the system that had Xenoblade Chronicles 3 so... Also, maybe just me personally, but the difficulty I do think is still a bit too much on the easy side. I get it's pokemon and that it's never supposed to be super hard but still felt a bit handholdy. Especially the underwhelming final battles with the E4 and Geeta, they were absolute cakewalks. To some, this might actually be fine, but Geeta's team in general is jsut a huge mess of missed potential. Overall though, I certainly got my money's worth and even a bit more than I bargained for. The new pokemon are fantastic, and the gameplay's still fun. I even got pretty attached to my team (Meowscarada, Garganacl, Tinkaton, Veluza, Ceruledge, and Cetitan). The Paldean dex has some seriously great pokemon and if SwSh burned you, then I would at least suggest giving Scarlet a consideration. Not perfect by any means, but if you enjoy pokemon likeI do, you'll probably love this game.
1995
I heard extremely good things about this game so I had to try it and needless to say, I fell in love. All the characters were surprisingly endearing and the combat was actually very well executed. Combat with enemies really depends on your knowledge of each enemy and forces you to experiment with enemy weaknesses and timing. I think my main issue with the game was certainly the endgame, particularly with the Black Omen, which was just a massive bossrush. All phases of the final boss fight in particular were honestly extremely underwhelming to me and I really only had to brute force my way through it to win. The ending cutscene for the good ending's very nice though and it doesn't completely invalidate the whole experience. Overall, this is certainly a great game and I'm very happy I played it! Would reccommend.
2022
Very good and lots of fun for what it is. Most of my issues come from the balance competitively being UTTERLY atrocious. The maps are garbage, the shooter bias has never been worse, and the patches are way too insignificant at changing key areas that would make the game way better. Now, for a casual player, this may not matter much but I do think that the map design and the extreme bias towards shooters would still be felt at a casual level. That being said, I still love this game and I've been pouring hours into it daily. Splatoon 3 added a ton of great specials, interesting weapons like the stringers or splatanas, and continues to capture that Splatoon charm. The music is still very well composed, featuring a lot of bizarre and unorthodox compositions (Bang Bing being the best obviously) giving it a very memorable soundtrack. I love the changes to Salmon Run as it's MUCH more difficult and the addition of boss salmonids are such great ideas for giving added depth to the mode. The story mode's also just amazing. I loved the twist and turns it took and the gameplay was still great as ever.The best single-player campaign of the three by a SIGNIFICANT margin. I guess besides balance issues, I'd say my main thing is I wish the game handled Tri-Color turf war better because as it stands it's just... Really weird and broken? I thought a three way 3V3V3 turf war would've been the best way to do it but it's just this weird two teams against one kinda deal. Overall, this is turning out to be one of my most played games ever so I really can't knock too many points off for that. Tenta Missiles still suck though.
This review contains spoilers
I can't call this game perfect because there are some small issues like the early game tutorials, chain attack music being pretty intrusive, and the mixed bag of sidequests. But the story, characters, and emotion present just floor me to the point I can't in good conscious give it anything less than a 10. The baby scene in the city, the ending of Chapter 5, the moment where you reawaken Nia and you hear a piano rendition of Drifting Soul, and of course EVERYTHING about the finale all contribute to one of the most fulfilling emotional experiences I have ever had in a video game. I made a completely inhuman noise when during the final battle, they called for reinforcements and all the Heroes you've allied with thus far come to aid you. This of course preceded the even more inhuman noises I made during the entire final scene where the worlds separate. So, when Poppi popped out to greet Nia and the camera panned to the picture of the Xenoblade 2 cast, I was completely broken.
But lets talk more about the gameplay and other elements. The gameplay is probably the perfect blend of Xenoblade 1 and 2 which makes sense because this is supposed to be a sort of fusion between the worlds. I think it's handled really well and I love the focus on making healers MUCH more important since in previous games they were sorely lacking. Now, they're pretty much essential since characters are squishier and they're the only ones who can revive them. Other than that, it's mostly classic Xenoblade gameplay with some added twists like master arts and fusion arts. I think the best part of the gameplay is probably the class system. There are just so many unique and fun classes to level up and experiment with that there's always something to do at least. I love that the characters swap costumes for classes and that classes are obtained from hero quests which feature a large cast of interesting and likeable characters. It incentivizes exploring the world and customization. The world of Aionios, while not as strong as the first two games in my opinion, is still breathtaking and I love how they've incorporated so many elements that long-time Xenoblade fans will recognize. But it still totally functions as a standalone world as well. One of my favorite areas is the Fornis Region sea and the fact we can actually explore this MASSIVE open ocean teeming with islands full of collectibles and sidequests. It's just amazing!
The music is another top tier aspect of this game and my GOD was it robbed from the Game Awards for this soundtrack. I just have more respect for this OST as time passes by and the way it actually tells the narrative of the game, at one point even outright SPOILING a major plot development is just so cool. This game has a huge emphasis on music and its incorporation of musical storytelling was going to be necessary and they did so masterfully. There are so many reorchestrations of old Xenoblade songs but also some amazing new tracks that both reference the first two games but still have their own distinct identity and motifs. It's just... GOD this game was robbed for best soundtrack. My favorite is probably Weight of Life and Noah and N Phase 2. The former's such an exhilerating piece that harkons back to songs such as Counterattack. And the latter song mixes so many different motifs from the game and essentially tells the tortured story of Consul N simply through the music. It has the theme of the City, the theme of Z, and A Life Sent On all bundled into one song.
Furthermore, the vocal performances are ON POINT. Like holy crap do they ever go off. Harry McEntire is probably the star of the show. His deliveries of Noah's introspective moments and N's angst and despair in particular are so raw and emotional that I'm pissed he wasn't even nominated for the best performance category. Kitty Archer as Eunie... Perfect. Eunie's probably my favorite character in the game. I just love her brazen and sharp-tongued attitude she just lights the whole room up whenever she speaks. Grace Saif as Manana was also a highlight for me. She just sounds so happy and pure it's hard not to smile whenever she speaks. The rest are great too of course but these were the ones that stuck out to me the most.
The story and themes of this game I think are also incredibly well done, though I do have some issues that I wish could have been done better. The consuls and moebius overall are fairly... Cartoonish and while one or two cartoonishly evil consuls would've been fine, I wish they made more nuances and varied consuls in terms of personality. Also, they really do overuse some songs in cutscenes and even certain moments such as Joren dying for like the 12th time. People do have problems with Consul Z but I actually think he's the perfect antagonist given what the game is going for. His boss fight is UTTERLY atrocious though from a design standpoint and if it weren't for the genuinely amazing song, the heroes returning, and the ending it honestly would've been a very sour note to end on. Also there are just some weird things like... Why are you allowed to have Blades in the Li Garte Prison Camp? I thought at first you couldn't shackle people's blades but then Consul X does JUST that so it's just... Really weird. Crys is a severely undeveloped character who just sort of returns then dies so... Alright? Also, I wish they'd tackle some of the conflicts between hero factions a bit more because Agnus and Keves have been literally killing each other but some of the Colonies don't seem to mention that and I think it would've added more drama. Colony 4 and Colony 9 do have sidequests involving that, I just wish more of them focused on the fact that yes, these people have been killing each other for millennia. These are genuine issues and I can certainly see if they would turn someone off from the game. But I think the positives of this game's narrative GREATLY outweigh its negatives. The theme of not wanting things to change, life, and death were phenomenal and I love how each character is tied to it in some fashion. Noah being a staunch pacifist who wants to see the world change but doesn't know how, Mio whose time is running out and must deal with her life slowly slipping away, Lanz having regrets over Joren's demise, Eunie dealing with her past life and all the troubling questions the cycle of life and death posits, Taion losing Nimue and the burden he carries because of that, and Sena's own insecurity and struggle to accept who she is. I already went over some of the game's best moments above but they seriously helped illustrate this grand tale of accepting change and why it's better to look towards an uncertain future than to stagnate. They also posit legit countearguments as to why this kind of world is actually a "good" thing such as the characters of Joren and Shania who deal with the idea of having been born unexceptional and yearn for having that chance at glory. Sena's sidequest (which is actually Shania and Ghondor's if we're being honest) actually made me cry because I related so much to Shania's plight and the theme of being naturally gifted vs. naturally inferior. Joren also focuses on this to a degree as he feels that only those born strong, such as the Ouroborous cast, get to decide and those those born weak, like him, cannot possibly hope to attain their heights. To me, it's no wonder these two longed to become Moebius because to them, it was their chance to actually live. I really love the ending and how it kind of ties all this together, showing the characters moving towards an uncertain future. The idea of Moebius being something in everyone makes sense. We all have a desire for things to just remain the same, for things to just persist as is and I love that the game doesn't completely erase this desire from the characters because it's a natural and understandable thing to feel. While a lot of people seem to be underwhelmed by the ending, I myself have some issues with the endgame pacing, I think the ending overall is perfect even for someone who has never played a single Xenoblade game before.
This game is flawed. Yes. And in some ways I can definietly see why it wouldn't appeal to some people. But to me, there is so much love and passion put into this and the themes and story have resonated with me in a way that VERY few games have before or since. This is one of my personal favorite video games of all time and one I think everyone should play.
But lets talk more about the gameplay and other elements. The gameplay is probably the perfect blend of Xenoblade 1 and 2 which makes sense because this is supposed to be a sort of fusion between the worlds. I think it's handled really well and I love the focus on making healers MUCH more important since in previous games they were sorely lacking. Now, they're pretty much essential since characters are squishier and they're the only ones who can revive them. Other than that, it's mostly classic Xenoblade gameplay with some added twists like master arts and fusion arts. I think the best part of the gameplay is probably the class system. There are just so many unique and fun classes to level up and experiment with that there's always something to do at least. I love that the characters swap costumes for classes and that classes are obtained from hero quests which feature a large cast of interesting and likeable characters. It incentivizes exploring the world and customization. The world of Aionios, while not as strong as the first two games in my opinion, is still breathtaking and I love how they've incorporated so many elements that long-time Xenoblade fans will recognize. But it still totally functions as a standalone world as well. One of my favorite areas is the Fornis Region sea and the fact we can actually explore this MASSIVE open ocean teeming with islands full of collectibles and sidequests. It's just amazing!
The music is another top tier aspect of this game and my GOD was it robbed from the Game Awards for this soundtrack. I just have more respect for this OST as time passes by and the way it actually tells the narrative of the game, at one point even outright SPOILING a major plot development is just so cool. This game has a huge emphasis on music and its incorporation of musical storytelling was going to be necessary and they did so masterfully. There are so many reorchestrations of old Xenoblade songs but also some amazing new tracks that both reference the first two games but still have their own distinct identity and motifs. It's just... GOD this game was robbed for best soundtrack. My favorite is probably Weight of Life and Noah and N Phase 2. The former's such an exhilerating piece that harkons back to songs such as Counterattack. And the latter song mixes so many different motifs from the game and essentially tells the tortured story of Consul N simply through the music. It has the theme of the City, the theme of Z, and A Life Sent On all bundled into one song.
Furthermore, the vocal performances are ON POINT. Like holy crap do they ever go off. Harry McEntire is probably the star of the show. His deliveries of Noah's introspective moments and N's angst and despair in particular are so raw and emotional that I'm pissed he wasn't even nominated for the best performance category. Kitty Archer as Eunie... Perfect. Eunie's probably my favorite character in the game. I just love her brazen and sharp-tongued attitude she just lights the whole room up whenever she speaks. Grace Saif as Manana was also a highlight for me. She just sounds so happy and pure it's hard not to smile whenever she speaks. The rest are great too of course but these were the ones that stuck out to me the most.
The story and themes of this game I think are also incredibly well done, though I do have some issues that I wish could have been done better. The consuls and moebius overall are fairly... Cartoonish and while one or two cartoonishly evil consuls would've been fine, I wish they made more nuances and varied consuls in terms of personality. Also, they really do overuse some songs in cutscenes and even certain moments such as Joren dying for like the 12th time. People do have problems with Consul Z but I actually think he's the perfect antagonist given what the game is going for. His boss fight is UTTERLY atrocious though from a design standpoint and if it weren't for the genuinely amazing song, the heroes returning, and the ending it honestly would've been a very sour note to end on. Also there are just some weird things like... Why are you allowed to have Blades in the Li Garte Prison Camp? I thought at first you couldn't shackle people's blades but then Consul X does JUST that so it's just... Really weird. Crys is a severely undeveloped character who just sort of returns then dies so... Alright? Also, I wish they'd tackle some of the conflicts between hero factions a bit more because Agnus and Keves have been literally killing each other but some of the Colonies don't seem to mention that and I think it would've added more drama. Colony 4 and Colony 9 do have sidequests involving that, I just wish more of them focused on the fact that yes, these people have been killing each other for millennia. These are genuine issues and I can certainly see if they would turn someone off from the game. But I think the positives of this game's narrative GREATLY outweigh its negatives. The theme of not wanting things to change, life, and death were phenomenal and I love how each character is tied to it in some fashion. Noah being a staunch pacifist who wants to see the world change but doesn't know how, Mio whose time is running out and must deal with her life slowly slipping away, Lanz having regrets over Joren's demise, Eunie dealing with her past life and all the troubling questions the cycle of life and death posits, Taion losing Nimue and the burden he carries because of that, and Sena's own insecurity and struggle to accept who she is. I already went over some of the game's best moments above but they seriously helped illustrate this grand tale of accepting change and why it's better to look towards an uncertain future than to stagnate. They also posit legit countearguments as to why this kind of world is actually a "good" thing such as the characters of Joren and Shania who deal with the idea of having been born unexceptional and yearn for having that chance at glory. Sena's sidequest (which is actually Shania and Ghondor's if we're being honest) actually made me cry because I related so much to Shania's plight and the theme of being naturally gifted vs. naturally inferior. Joren also focuses on this to a degree as he feels that only those born strong, such as the Ouroborous cast, get to decide and those those born weak, like him, cannot possibly hope to attain their heights. To me, it's no wonder these two longed to become Moebius because to them, it was their chance to actually live. I really love the ending and how it kind of ties all this together, showing the characters moving towards an uncertain future. The idea of Moebius being something in everyone makes sense. We all have a desire for things to just remain the same, for things to just persist as is and I love that the game doesn't completely erase this desire from the characters because it's a natural and understandable thing to feel. While a lot of people seem to be underwhelmed by the ending, I myself have some issues with the endgame pacing, I think the ending overall is perfect even for someone who has never played a single Xenoblade game before.
This game is flawed. Yes. And in some ways I can definietly see why it wouldn't appeal to some people. But to me, there is so much love and passion put into this and the themes and story have resonated with me in a way that VERY few games have before or since. This is one of my personal favorite video games of all time and one I think everyone should play.
2005
This review contains spoilers
I knew there was something special about this game the moment I opened it up. The art design, the music, and the concept alone makes this one of the best platformers I've yet played. I love the bizarre character designs as they're all immediately recognizable and fits the game's atmosphere. This is a weird, funny, but also dark game and I think that's why it's resonated so much with people. My main issues with this game mostly comes from how its paced I guess? I thought the campers would be a lot more involved in the gameplay and they have a ton of interesting and fun dialogue but it's only for a very brief moment until you get to the asylum part. I guess there's nothing wrong with that, but I really wanted to see more of them like Dogen, Mikhail, Clem, and Crystal. Though, a lot of the other campers are pretty uninteresting like I think there are 3 or 4 different love interest couples that are all completely interchangeable, mostly for the campers with the more normal and boring designs. But I think the part that was the most strange to me was the whole brain collecting mechanic. On paper, it sounds pretty interesting because you find brains and level up your health. The problem is that 75% of all the brains are after the penultimate world meaning you're only going to experience the benefits of them for the last world. Furthermore, I thought some of the earlier worlds were pretty underwhelming especially when compared to the levels later on in the asylum. Though, I really disliked The Milkman Conspiracy. The other three at the asylum were all great, however. Milla's Dance Party does have that amazing nightmare part that perfectly encapsulates how this game balances the charming quirkiness and emotional beats amazingly well. It is an overall more mixed bag of worlds than I would've liked personally but they were great enough to keep me invested.The gameplay aged pretty well surprisingly too and nothing felt that clunky for me. There was this one bug that made it so I couldn't get level 100 to see the bonus movie. Like, it's really not a big deal but still kind of annoying being stuck at level 99 and having 100 percented literally everything (I checked.) The collect-a-thon aspects were fine though you certainly need a guide to find all the damn figments but that's not a HUGE deal honestly. I think the main issue holding this game back is its weird gameplay pacing like with the aforementioned brains mechanic and all. But, overall, this is an incredible video game with one of my favorite art styles in video games. Can't wait to play the sequel!
idk what to say about this game so ill just say my hot takes on newcomers
Inkling-Predictable but deservedly so. I love Splatoon and while I knew they were coming, playing as Inkling is still great fun and I love how they incorporated all aspects of Splatoon into their gameplay.
Incineroar-Awesome addition I don't care what anyone says. Incineroar is one of my favorite pokemon ever and during Grinch leak season, I just sort of accepted he wasn't coming. Him suddenly bursting in, destroying all hope for characters like Geno and Isaac was just... Incredible. His moveset was also absolutely fantastic and he's one of my favorite fighters. I mean he literally taunts after every hit what's not to love?
Joker-I was actually shaken by this reveal. I had goosebumps. The moment he flipped that invitation letter to reveal the smash logo is ICONIC. And I hadn't even played Persona 5 until then but it sure as hell made me want to.
Terry-The fact Megalovania and Sans Undertale are in Smash is proof of a higher power. Oh, and Terry's pretty neat I guess.
Byleth-My hot take is that Byleth was a great addition and was ruined by characters like Corrin and Chrom. There is an oversaturation of Fire Emblem characters but honestly Byleth is probably the best designed of them all. He actually takes inspiration from his home game, Three Houses, and incorporates the relic weapons into his moveset. The only other Fire Emblem character I can say is faithful is Robin who is great in his own right. Plus, the schaudenfreude of watching people melt down because of Byleth was just so sweet. Plus, MkLeo's Byleth is godly and I am eternally grateful for Byleth in Smash because of that as well.
Steve-This is probably one of the best designed characters in Smash in terms of integrating their homegame into their moveset. I love the block placing mechanics, the crafting, and especially the animations. Steve was easily the biggest reveal given that he broke Twitter and I think it's one hundred percent deserved.
Sephiroth-One of the best reveal trailers next to Joker and Sora. Sephiroth was literally the LAST character on my mind when seeing reveals but I wasn't disappointed in the slightest. Galeem gets cut in half, we zoom into an ominous figure in the distance and then that first note of One Winged Angel plays and you KNOW who it is. And the ensuing chaos and destruction was just... Mmm! Sephiroth is also tons of fun to play as well. I love how his moveset feels so lethal with meaty stabs and wide arcing slashes. One of the most spectacular characters in the game from a visual and audio standpoint.
Pyra/Mythra-These were my MOST wanted characters so I am so glad I got them. Watching their reveal trailer now still brings a smile to my face because of just how much joy I get watching these girls fight. Their movesets are incredibly fun and, as a huge Xenoblade 2 fan, you could tell a lot of care and love was put into them. I mean, Mythra's side taunt is "Think you can take me?". Mythra is instant gratification the character and stringing together combos is so effortless and fun. Pyra on the other hand is for people who want to put in work for their kills and by god is it ever satisfying to land a clean hit. Love these two and I'm so glad they got into the game.
Kazuya-I'm not actually a huge Tekken fan and I think some part of me was disappointed seeing him but I got over myself and I genuinely love how they implemented him. He was a literal 'who' to me the moment he was revealed but man does he ever leave a great first impression. I love how EVIL he looks and his moveset is surprisingly engaging despite how complex it is. I actually quite like Kazuya now and I'm glad he's in.
Sora-The best Smash reveal. Period. Like... It's not even up for discussion. Steve was the bigger Smash reveal, Joker was the most hype, and Sephiroth's was the coolest to watch but in terms of narrative, emotion, and just... Magic. Sora takes the cake handedly. I legit thought Sora was completely impossible and I prepared for something like Cinderace or whatever. The trailer was INCREDIBLE. Watching the Smash logo fizzle gave it this ethereal vibe of finality. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time as Mario approached that final ember. And when he threw it, and suddenly the mickey mouse emblem appeared... God. I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it. And it doesn't stop there. Watching Sora fall through the keyhole as Hikari swells up was mesmerizing and as orchestra continues to blare as Sora glides around the cast. It was magic. Like, actual pure Disney magic and it's a reveal trailer I legit get emotional over even now. Not even to mention all the background stuff involving the character. Sora was the most request fighter in Smash, but he was also the most impossible because of Disney. Even Sakurai didn't know how he'd approach it. But then, as luck would have it, he managed a chance encounter with a Disney executive at a gameshow and the rest is history. Echoing KH's own serendipitous origins with a chance encounter in an elevator. Incredible. Simply incredible.
Inkling-Predictable but deservedly so. I love Splatoon and while I knew they were coming, playing as Inkling is still great fun and I love how they incorporated all aspects of Splatoon into their gameplay.
Incineroar-Awesome addition I don't care what anyone says. Incineroar is one of my favorite pokemon ever and during Grinch leak season, I just sort of accepted he wasn't coming. Him suddenly bursting in, destroying all hope for characters like Geno and Isaac was just... Incredible. His moveset was also absolutely fantastic and he's one of my favorite fighters. I mean he literally taunts after every hit what's not to love?
Joker-I was actually shaken by this reveal. I had goosebumps. The moment he flipped that invitation letter to reveal the smash logo is ICONIC. And I hadn't even played Persona 5 until then but it sure as hell made me want to.
Terry-The fact Megalovania and Sans Undertale are in Smash is proof of a higher power. Oh, and Terry's pretty neat I guess.
Byleth-My hot take is that Byleth was a great addition and was ruined by characters like Corrin and Chrom. There is an oversaturation of Fire Emblem characters but honestly Byleth is probably the best designed of them all. He actually takes inspiration from his home game, Three Houses, and incorporates the relic weapons into his moveset. The only other Fire Emblem character I can say is faithful is Robin who is great in his own right. Plus, the schaudenfreude of watching people melt down because of Byleth was just so sweet. Plus, MkLeo's Byleth is godly and I am eternally grateful for Byleth in Smash because of that as well.
Steve-This is probably one of the best designed characters in Smash in terms of integrating their homegame into their moveset. I love the block placing mechanics, the crafting, and especially the animations. Steve was easily the biggest reveal given that he broke Twitter and I think it's one hundred percent deserved.
Sephiroth-One of the best reveal trailers next to Joker and Sora. Sephiroth was literally the LAST character on my mind when seeing reveals but I wasn't disappointed in the slightest. Galeem gets cut in half, we zoom into an ominous figure in the distance and then that first note of One Winged Angel plays and you KNOW who it is. And the ensuing chaos and destruction was just... Mmm! Sephiroth is also tons of fun to play as well. I love how his moveset feels so lethal with meaty stabs and wide arcing slashes. One of the most spectacular characters in the game from a visual and audio standpoint.
Pyra/Mythra-These were my MOST wanted characters so I am so glad I got them. Watching their reveal trailer now still brings a smile to my face because of just how much joy I get watching these girls fight. Their movesets are incredibly fun and, as a huge Xenoblade 2 fan, you could tell a lot of care and love was put into them. I mean, Mythra's side taunt is "Think you can take me?". Mythra is instant gratification the character and stringing together combos is so effortless and fun. Pyra on the other hand is for people who want to put in work for their kills and by god is it ever satisfying to land a clean hit. Love these two and I'm so glad they got into the game.
Kazuya-I'm not actually a huge Tekken fan and I think some part of me was disappointed seeing him but I got over myself and I genuinely love how they implemented him. He was a literal 'who' to me the moment he was revealed but man does he ever leave a great first impression. I love how EVIL he looks and his moveset is surprisingly engaging despite how complex it is. I actually quite like Kazuya now and I'm glad he's in.
Sora-The best Smash reveal. Period. Like... It's not even up for discussion. Steve was the bigger Smash reveal, Joker was the most hype, and Sephiroth's was the coolest to watch but in terms of narrative, emotion, and just... Magic. Sora takes the cake handedly. I legit thought Sora was completely impossible and I prepared for something like Cinderace or whatever. The trailer was INCREDIBLE. Watching the Smash logo fizzle gave it this ethereal vibe of finality. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time as Mario approached that final ember. And when he threw it, and suddenly the mickey mouse emblem appeared... God. I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it. And it doesn't stop there. Watching Sora fall through the keyhole as Hikari swells up was mesmerizing and as orchestra continues to blare as Sora glides around the cast. It was magic. Like, actual pure Disney magic and it's a reveal trailer I legit get emotional over even now. Not even to mention all the background stuff involving the character. Sora was the most request fighter in Smash, but he was also the most impossible because of Disney. Even Sakurai didn't know how he'd approach it. But then, as luck would have it, he managed a chance encounter with a Disney executive at a gameshow and the rest is history. Echoing KH's own serendipitous origins with a chance encounter in an elevator. Incredible. Simply incredible.
2019
I actually thought this title was fine. Though it certainly was missing a few things I can't put my finger on. This game is visually stunning and I love all the additions they gave the worlds. Some of my favorites are the Toy Story world which was just an incredible concept. Getting to play as a toy Sora while a nostalgic rendition of the "You Got a Friend in Me" was pure Disney magic. I also greatly enjoyed the Pirates world and getting to explore the high seas was fantastic. I'm surprised they made the Pirates world so huge in the first place. Olympus Colosseum also gets a huge glow up and I thought it was great we got to fight all four titans this time around. Corona was also a fantastic world and I loved how the game attempted to replicate the film's directorial style in the cutscenes. Lastly, San Fransokyo was surprisely engaging and it was great fun to just fly around the cityscape late game. These worlds just felt so authentic to me and you could tell they really tried to capture the same magic from the films they're based on. Some worlds were definetly a lot less interesting though. The Monsters Inc. world was a little disappointing and I was expecting more interactions with different monstrous characters. The Frozen world, however, is easily the worst world. It only takes place on the mountain to and from Arendelle and it's just not engaging visually or gameplaywise. The only locations from the film are just background dressing and we never get to actually explore Elsa's ice castle or even Arendelle which was insane to me. I think also the gameplay is a little weird. I actually enjoyed it a lot, there's a ton of spectacle and you can just go to town on enemies with a variety of powerful attacks. However, I still kind of prefer KH2's combat which just felt a lot snappier and cathartic. Attractions, shotlocks, and keyblade forms do feel somewhat unecessary to me. Especially attractions since they just take forever to play on screen. The story is also completely beyond salvation at this point but I don't really dock KH that hard for it because I think the sheer stupidity of some of the narrative decisions are part of the KH charm. Still, I think KH1 and 2 were more engaging in that respect even if they were more simple. That being said, there were a few moments I quite liked. I loved getting to see Marluxia and Larxene again after so long. Donald Duck casting Zettaflare is just... Incredible. And the penultimate battle between Ansem, Xenmas, and Young Xehanort was probably the highlight of the whole experience. It genuinely felt like a finale which was made even better with the mashup of all their themes in Forza Finale. Probably one of my favorite KH tracks in general. The final battle against Xehanort I cared a lot less about honestly. Like it was fine but nowhere near as epic as the previous fight. Also, there was a lot of fun little side missions that added replayabilty to some worlds that I greatly enjoyed. Hidden mickeys, the Flantastic Seven, and gathering ingredients for Remy were some of my favorite parts of the experience. I adore Remy in this game and I think he's perfectly integrated into the story. I hope he returns in 4. So, overall, I actually liked this game a lot more than some others might. But I do think there's a certain "je ne sais quoi" from KH1, 2, and even Dream Drop Distance that wasn't really here. I can't really articulate it but something was missing from this game and I just don't know what.
Cool tech demo.