CrossOfFate
Now this is how you do DLC right. It gives you an entirely new hub area with a good amount of content in it, new characters that are actually interesting and a story that's more interesting than the main game (except maybe Stonebridge). It also has one of the most interesting final choices that I've seen in an RPG, with it posing a question to you that genuinely feels like it doesn't have a right answer. If the content in the main game was as good as this or it got more than one DLC on this level, then Dungeon Siege III could have been something really memorable instead of Obsidian's weakest game.
2015
Its the best one. Even the others at their best don't even come close to Bloodborne.
2011
This game is really weird to me because it feels likes it's Act 1 of a bigger, more fleshed out RPG that doesn't actually exist. I've never played the previous games so I don't know how this stacks up against them, but I liked what's here. I just wish it did more with the characters and story instead of stopping right when things were starting to get interesting.
A pointless and unnecessary Third Person Shooter that could have worked as a pretty decent spin-off if the gameplay wasn't just a shallow knockoff of Armored Core and the story wasn't so incredibly bad.
2004
There was no better place to go to watch dumb shit happen on a per second basis. This shit used to be like an addiction for me back in high school. Haven’t played it much since 2016 but damn did I sink way too much time into it when I did.
1995
One of the best Tactical RPGs I've ever played, this game manages to pull off fights on a scale that games today struggle with, let alone a game for the SNES. The route system is amazing and every route feels like there's a valid reason for picking it and the soundtrack is one of the best of all time (Knight's Errant is one of the best songs to ever be put in a video game, even if the genesis version is better and the Reincarnation/Mobile version is the best). While the fights might get pretty slow as the game goes on, everything else about the game more than makes up for it.
2007
Some of the most fun I’ve had in a multiplayer FPS in a long time, I’m surprised that it’s both still getting updates and still has active servers this long after launch. Just a great time all around even if some people have like 600 hours and will one shot you every time because they’ve memorized every map.
A solid enough shooter that has a few unique ideas like branching paths that give you different guns with each play through, but the controls are the main thing that holds it back (why the fuck can’t I look up?) The fact you can beat each run in under two hours makes it a lot easier to recommend, since even with its problems it doesn’t outstay its welcome. That and the classic RE shitty voice acting makes the story hilarious to go through.
2013
I feel like I'm one of the only people out there who actually likes this game. The writing and characters are surprisingly good for what this is, even if the story is kind of generic. Yeah it's a pretty big departure from the other two games in the series, but it definitely feels like it succeeds at what it's trying to do.
I’m saying this right off the bat, despite the problems that Trails of Cold Steel II has, it’s still the best Cold Steel game since it doesn’t have CS Is pacing, CS IIIs ending or the bottomless list of shit wrong with CS IV.
The game's story is an amazing follow-up to the ending of CS I. It’s really cool seeing a country, especially one as well fleshed out as Erebonia, in a state of civil war like this. I definitely think Falcom should have leaned further into this, but what they have now gets the job done. Especially since Rean, Fie, Jusis, and a lot of other characters who were still getting setup in CS I have some really great moments here. Rean in particular goes from a kind of generic Stock Light Novel Hero to a really interesting deconstruction of that kind of character and it's one of the things that I really wish CS IV didn't ruin by the end of the arc. But here and in CS III you see the potential, and what they have in both games is truly something special.
The pacing is kind of sporadic and the shrines in the middle feel a lot like mandatory side quests, but overall this is a huge step up from the first game. My biggest gripe with this is how the game ends like 3 fucking times, with you still having about 5 to 10 to 15 hours of gameplay left by the time you beat the finale and think the game is over.
Despite these issues, I really like Cold Steel II. The story is really great, even excellent at points, all the characters are likable and well fleshed out, the introduction of mech fights was an awesome idea (if a little underdeveloped mechanically) and it’s one of the few modern JRPGs to give you an airship (something that I wish more modern games would bring back). It’s kind of sad how this is where the arc peaked with how much CS III and IV were supposed to tie into the rest of the series, but it and CS I are a great story when you take the two together and if Falcom just stuck with what they had here instead of veering off into the stupid Curse shit, this could have been the best arc in the series instead of the most disappointing.
The game's story is an amazing follow-up to the ending of CS I. It’s really cool seeing a country, especially one as well fleshed out as Erebonia, in a state of civil war like this. I definitely think Falcom should have leaned further into this, but what they have now gets the job done. Especially since Rean, Fie, Jusis, and a lot of other characters who were still getting setup in CS I have some really great moments here. Rean in particular goes from a kind of generic Stock Light Novel Hero to a really interesting deconstruction of that kind of character and it's one of the things that I really wish CS IV didn't ruin by the end of the arc. But here and in CS III you see the potential, and what they have in both games is truly something special.
The pacing is kind of sporadic and the shrines in the middle feel a lot like mandatory side quests, but overall this is a huge step up from the first game. My biggest gripe with this is how the game ends like 3 fucking times, with you still having about 5 to 10 to 15 hours of gameplay left by the time you beat the finale and think the game is over.
Despite these issues, I really like Cold Steel II. The story is really great, even excellent at points, all the characters are likable and well fleshed out, the introduction of mech fights was an awesome idea (if a little underdeveloped mechanically) and it’s one of the few modern JRPGs to give you an airship (something that I wish more modern games would bring back). It’s kind of sad how this is where the arc peaked with how much CS III and IV were supposed to tie into the rest of the series, but it and CS I are a great story when you take the two together and if Falcom just stuck with what they had here instead of veering off into the stupid Curse shit, this could have been the best arc in the series instead of the most disappointing.
2014
A gold standard for how to remake a game.
2014
Quite possibly the single worst designed game I have ever played. I platinumed this fucking game out of spite, and to tell anyone who tries to tell me I don't know what I'm talking about to fuck off. Every gameplay decision in this game is so baffling stupid, that I cannot believe that this was created by a team of actual humans.
First off, the game barely has any kind of story. The characters have no discernable traits and the plot exists solely so you can go to a bunch of different maps and fight random groups of enemies. And you know what, that's fine. If they wanted to keep the story basic and focus on the battle system, then that would be fine. But the problem is that would require them to make the battle system not complete fucking dogshit.
Natural Doctrine is not a tactical RPG. It is an incredibly shitty puzzle game pretending to be a tactical RPG. Despite the skill tree and equipment system making it look like you can build you characters in different ways, every level in the game has one and only one correct way to solve it. There is no room for deviation allowed, only trial and error until you find the very specific way to win that level, and then you move on. If you try and do anything other than what the game decides is the right move, you will be instakilled and forced to restart at a checkpoint. This is made worse by this game having one of the single worst checkpoint systems of all time, with most levels being over an hour long and having one checkpoint at most. Hell, there are at least 3 levels that take 40 minutes to beat each that don't have any checkpoints at all!
There's also the braindead decision that, for 99% of the entire game, if anyone in your party dies it's an immediate game over. So not only does the game demand perfection for most of its run time, but some levels also have enemies that you are told not to kill and get a game over if they die, despite the fact that they will still try and kill you and your characters will auto attack back without you being able to stop them! And then, for the last 3 levels, they throw all that shit out the window and just have permadeath for your whole party. What is the fucking point of introducing an entirely new system for handling party deaths at the very end of the game?
IGN, the absolute joke of a website that it is, gave this a 3/10 and that score is too damn high. It deserves a single half point because it's technically functional (as in, you can turn it on and play it) and that is it. What a fucking waste of space.
First off, the game barely has any kind of story. The characters have no discernable traits and the plot exists solely so you can go to a bunch of different maps and fight random groups of enemies. And you know what, that's fine. If they wanted to keep the story basic and focus on the battle system, then that would be fine. But the problem is that would require them to make the battle system not complete fucking dogshit.
Natural Doctrine is not a tactical RPG. It is an incredibly shitty puzzle game pretending to be a tactical RPG. Despite the skill tree and equipment system making it look like you can build you characters in different ways, every level in the game has one and only one correct way to solve it. There is no room for deviation allowed, only trial and error until you find the very specific way to win that level, and then you move on. If you try and do anything other than what the game decides is the right move, you will be instakilled and forced to restart at a checkpoint. This is made worse by this game having one of the single worst checkpoint systems of all time, with most levels being over an hour long and having one checkpoint at most. Hell, there are at least 3 levels that take 40 minutes to beat each that don't have any checkpoints at all!
There's also the braindead decision that, for 99% of the entire game, if anyone in your party dies it's an immediate game over. So not only does the game demand perfection for most of its run time, but some levels also have enemies that you are told not to kill and get a game over if they die, despite the fact that they will still try and kill you and your characters will auto attack back without you being able to stop them! And then, for the last 3 levels, they throw all that shit out the window and just have permadeath for your whole party. What is the fucking point of introducing an entirely new system for handling party deaths at the very end of the game?
IGN, the absolute joke of a website that it is, gave this a 3/10 and that score is too damn high. It deserves a single half point because it's technically functional (as in, you can turn it on and play it) and that is it. What a fucking waste of space.
2016
I really want to like this game more than I do, but for all its good ideas the execution just makes it infuriating to play. It uses the same engine as the remake of the first game so the graphics still hold up really well and the pre-rendered backgrounds especially look beautiful. I like the idea behind the partner system and there are a ton of locations so the variety of where you go is nice.
But the game absolutely falls apart when it comes to actually playing it. The partner AI is fucking brain dead, so you need to constantly baby sit them so they don't get themselves killed. They waste all your ammo when you have to fight because their aim is shit, but you have to keep giving them ammo because if you don't they'll just stand still and die. Any puzzle that requires you to split up is incredibly tedious because now you have to switch between Billy and Rebecca so it takes twice as long to solve. And the game goes on for way too long, it feels like its about to end like 3 times.
Overall, this game desperately needed to focus up and streamline itself. I get what they were trying to do here but the lack of focus makes this a game that's a lot better on paper than it is in practice.
But the game absolutely falls apart when it comes to actually playing it. The partner AI is fucking brain dead, so you need to constantly baby sit them so they don't get themselves killed. They waste all your ammo when you have to fight because their aim is shit, but you have to keep giving them ammo because if you don't they'll just stand still and die. Any puzzle that requires you to split up is incredibly tedious because now you have to switch between Billy and Rebecca so it takes twice as long to solve. And the game goes on for way too long, it feels like its about to end like 3 times.
Overall, this game desperately needed to focus up and streamline itself. I get what they were trying to do here but the lack of focus makes this a game that's a lot better on paper than it is in practice.
2013
One of my favorite guilty pleasure game. Dark is an absolute train wreck, but it's so much fun to laugh at that I can't help but love it.
The game desperately wants to be a serious vampire noire story (specifically, it really wants to be Vampire: The Masquerade), but the plot is nonsense, the characters are paper thin and the voice acting is downright hilarious, even though the voice actor for Geralt from the Witcher is voicing the main character. It's impossible to take anything here seriously, but the fact that the game tries so hard to take itself seriously is exactly why it's so funny.
The gameplay is also incredibly easy to break. One of the first moves you can get is a force choke that instantly kills whoever you use it on. The AI is too stupid to function on a basic level, so the enemies pose no threat to you. And even without any special moves you can just sprint up to most enemies and one shot them with a single punch.
If you can get this on sale and like vampire stories, I'd say give it a try. If you like Vampire: The Masquerade, this is a great way to see what VTMB could have looked like if all the devs were completely incompetent.
The game desperately wants to be a serious vampire noire story (specifically, it really wants to be Vampire: The Masquerade), but the plot is nonsense, the characters are paper thin and the voice acting is downright hilarious, even though the voice actor for Geralt from the Witcher is voicing the main character. It's impossible to take anything here seriously, but the fact that the game tries so hard to take itself seriously is exactly why it's so funny.
The gameplay is also incredibly easy to break. One of the first moves you can get is a force choke that instantly kills whoever you use it on. The AI is too stupid to function on a basic level, so the enemies pose no threat to you. And even without any special moves you can just sprint up to most enemies and one shot them with a single punch.
If you can get this on sale and like vampire stories, I'd say give it a try. If you like Vampire: The Masquerade, this is a great way to see what VTMB could have looked like if all the devs were completely incompetent.
There is an excellent idea for a combat system buried somewhere within this incredibly generic game. The story is completely forgettable apart from one plot twist that's actually kind of cool, and every mission feels the same for the most part. They really should have leaned more into the strategy elements because I feel like there's really something there with the mechanics they have now. It's a good foundation for a sequel or more fleshed out concept that will never come.