DVince89
BACKER
2023
This will be one of my shorter reviews.
2k took a step back in so many aspects. It is slower and feels more clunky than 2k23. But undeniably the worst thing in this game and the reason for such a low score is the shooting is sooooo bad! Like ass awful!
2k took a step back in so many aspects. It is slower and feels more clunky than 2k23. But undeniably the worst thing in this game and the reason for such a low score is the shooting is sooooo bad! Like ass awful!
2023
This review contains spoilers
One of the most true to form remakes I’ve played, changing basically nothing except graphics and quality of life improvements. A classic that had no reason to be changed so I’m glad to see Nintendo did the right thing in keeping it true to its SNES roots.
I see why people love this game so much. The music is spectacular, the art is beautiful, the timed presses keep the battles engaging, the main cast is loveable and fun, and the story is unique and has charm.
However at a 3.5 I really like the game but don’t love it for the same reasons I rate the original a 3.5. The story is unique and I see the charm but it is not enjoyable for me. I thought even as a child it was over the top silly to the point I couldn’t take anything seriously. As I said before the main cast is loveable but every other character is so boring and forgettable. I can’t say I cared for a single NPC in the entire game. Even in the main cast they managed to make Bowser a bitch which is unforgivable.
When I was a kid if I wanted to play platformers I’d want to play Mario or DKC and if I wanted to play RPGs I wanted to play Chrono Trigger or Final Fantasy. As an adult I feel even stronger about that. I understand why people have love for this game. I understand it is a very good and even a great game. I myself do enjoy it very much but I don’t love it even though I feel I should. I’m rambling at this point I just wish I loved this more than I do.
It is a without a doubt though a game every Mario or RPG fan should play and figure out for themselves.
I see why people love this game so much. The music is spectacular, the art is beautiful, the timed presses keep the battles engaging, the main cast is loveable and fun, and the story is unique and has charm.
However at a 3.5 I really like the game but don’t love it for the same reasons I rate the original a 3.5. The story is unique and I see the charm but it is not enjoyable for me. I thought even as a child it was over the top silly to the point I couldn’t take anything seriously. As I said before the main cast is loveable but every other character is so boring and forgettable. I can’t say I cared for a single NPC in the entire game. Even in the main cast they managed to make Bowser a bitch which is unforgivable.
When I was a kid if I wanted to play platformers I’d want to play Mario or DKC and if I wanted to play RPGs I wanted to play Chrono Trigger or Final Fantasy. As an adult I feel even stronger about that. I understand why people have love for this game. I understand it is a very good and even a great game. I myself do enjoy it very much but I don’t love it even though I feel I should. I’m rambling at this point I just wish I loved this more than I do.
It is a without a doubt though a game every Mario or RPG fan should play and figure out for themselves.
I loved Spider-Man and Spider-Man Miles Morales so I was stoked for Spider-Man 2 yet it still blew away all my expectations.
The gameplay was more of the same from the previous games but with slightly more moves and upgrades. Story wise I will say the first half of the game is nothing to write home about but from mid point on the story is nothing but exceptional. Insomniacs vision and twist on Venom, Kraven, and for spoiler reasons I’ll just say the fire cult leader were fantastic. I’m so excited to see where the story goes next from here between what happens in the ending and spoiler mentioned above. If the story wasn’t so average the first half this game would have been a bonafide masterpiece. The second half is just simply a masterclass of the medium. Maybe the biggest upgrade to the game is that you can now fast travel anywhere and the load times for it are almost non existent and are seamless transitions making traversing so much quicker.
If you enjoyed yourself playing the two Spider-Man games you owe it to your self to play this game ASAP.
The gameplay was more of the same from the previous games but with slightly more moves and upgrades. Story wise I will say the first half of the game is nothing to write home about but from mid point on the story is nothing but exceptional. Insomniacs vision and twist on Venom, Kraven, and for spoiler reasons I’ll just say the fire cult leader were fantastic. I’m so excited to see where the story goes next from here between what happens in the ending and spoiler mentioned above. If the story wasn’t so average the first half this game would have been a bonafide masterpiece. The second half is just simply a masterclass of the medium. Maybe the biggest upgrade to the game is that you can now fast travel anywhere and the load times for it are almost non existent and are seamless transitions making traversing so much quicker.
If you enjoyed yourself playing the two Spider-Man games you owe it to your self to play this game ASAP.
Mario Wonder is a nice true return to form for 2d Mario. I feel there hasn’t been a 2D Mario game with charm and heart since Super Mario World in the SNES as the NEW series did absolutely nothing for me personally.
The worlds and levels are varied, with creativity burst in every level. Each level feels like it was based around a gimmick and the game does a good job of having the gimmick used in more complex ways the more levels you play. The art is spectacular bursting with vibrant colors and the characters all have by far the best facial features in the series. The music was top notch as it is in all good Mario games.
So why only a 4 star (which is still a fantastic rating)
The game is incredibly easy. Like beyond believable, Kirby-esque, easy. I finished the game with 98 lives after beating the final special world level and I would have had 99 but I died literally once on the final level because of a self inflicted silly mistake on the “hardest” level in the game. Also while unique especially amoungst the other Mario games I feel like they dug deep into the DKC series and flat out ripped many ideas straight out of it. Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing because the DKC series is great and legendary but still directly ripped it off many times imo.
Wonder is easily the best 2D game Nintendo has put out in this series since the SNES days and I’m excited to see where they go from here now that we hopefully have laid the NEW series to rest.
Here is where it falls in my rankings of how much I enjoyed each Mario game.
https://www.backloggd.com/u/DVince89/list/my-mario-rankings/
The worlds and levels are varied, with creativity burst in every level. Each level feels like it was based around a gimmick and the game does a good job of having the gimmick used in more complex ways the more levels you play. The art is spectacular bursting with vibrant colors and the characters all have by far the best facial features in the series. The music was top notch as it is in all good Mario games.
So why only a 4 star (which is still a fantastic rating)
The game is incredibly easy. Like beyond believable, Kirby-esque, easy. I finished the game with 98 lives after beating the final special world level and I would have had 99 but I died literally once on the final level because of a self inflicted silly mistake on the “hardest” level in the game. Also while unique especially amoungst the other Mario games I feel like they dug deep into the DKC series and flat out ripped many ideas straight out of it. Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing because the DKC series is great and legendary but still directly ripped it off many times imo.
Wonder is easily the best 2D game Nintendo has put out in this series since the SNES days and I’m excited to see where they go from here now that we hopefully have laid the NEW series to rest.
Here is where it falls in my rankings of how much I enjoyed each Mario game.
https://www.backloggd.com/u/DVince89/list/my-mario-rankings/
2023
Sabotage only has two games to its name but that doesn’t stop this small developer to be one of my absolute favorite in the medium. Their first two games the Messenger and now Sea of Stars are love letters to games of the past that put a modern spin on the genre. Plus Sabotage seems to be custom making games for me as I love retro games with modern spins and my favorite two genres are RPGs and Metroidvania. They absolutely had a banger in The Messenger and I may enjoy Sea of Stars even more.
If I were to explain Sea of Stars gameplay it would be in battles Chrono Trigger and out of battles in dungeons Zelda A Link to the Past. I wish the puzzles were a little tougher to be honest but they were fun nonetheless. The battles are never really hard but they are engaging and strategic. I love that they use timed hits and timed blocks so that you are never hitting attack mindlessly to get through battles. You also can’t spam your best spells as you will need them to trigger weaknesses and your MP is very limited. To gain MP you have to use regular attacks to draw in a few MP per attack. It keeps the golden age of RPG spirit but modernizes it just enough to feel like a game that just came out.
The art style is beautiful and always fun to take in. The music also is beautiful. I especially loved the remixed The Messenger tracks. Just like The Messenger it has some amazing twist that had me saying “that’s awesome” a few times.
Sometimes the story wasn’t top notch, for an RPG anyways, but it suffices for sure. I do love all the ties and interweaving with the story from The Messenger and loved the characters in this game.
Sea of Stars is an exceptional game that most years would EASILY be up for my game of the year but 2023 has been an insane year. Sabotage in just its second outing has made me a fan for life. Now if you’ll excuse me I must replay Sabotage’s original master class of a game so I can see how many tie ins I can find. While I do that you should go play Sea of Stars.
If I were to explain Sea of Stars gameplay it would be in battles Chrono Trigger and out of battles in dungeons Zelda A Link to the Past. I wish the puzzles were a little tougher to be honest but they were fun nonetheless. The battles are never really hard but they are engaging and strategic. I love that they use timed hits and timed blocks so that you are never hitting attack mindlessly to get through battles. You also can’t spam your best spells as you will need them to trigger weaknesses and your MP is very limited. To gain MP you have to use regular attacks to draw in a few MP per attack. It keeps the golden age of RPG spirit but modernizes it just enough to feel like a game that just came out.
The art style is beautiful and always fun to take in. The music also is beautiful. I especially loved the remixed The Messenger tracks. Just like The Messenger it has some amazing twist that had me saying “that’s awesome” a few times.
Sometimes the story wasn’t top notch, for an RPG anyways, but it suffices for sure. I do love all the ties and interweaving with the story from The Messenger and loved the characters in this game.
Sea of Stars is an exceptional game that most years would EASILY be up for my game of the year but 2023 has been an insane year. Sabotage in just its second outing has made me a fan for life. Now if you’ll excuse me I must replay Sabotage’s original master class of a game so I can see how many tie ins I can find. While I do that you should go play Sea of Stars.
1993
Somehow I managed to spend 30 years of gaming and not getting around to playing Doom and that is a damn shame. I can confidently say that the Grand Father of the FPS genre is still a very enjoyable game to play in 2023. I was surprised at how many puzzles were in the levels. I always just imagined Doom as just a point A to B straight line kill em all but the puzzles and the bangin sound track kept levels fresh all the way through. The weapons were varied and fun to use even though i basically just used the shotgun and the plasma gun 95% of the time. If I would have played this when it first came out I feel like my nostalgia for it would be unreal and it would probably have been one of my favorite games growing up.
If you are someone that has never played this game but wanted to but also wasn't sure how it held up do youself a favor and try it out.
If you are someone that has never played this game but wanted to but also wasn't sure how it held up do youself a favor and try it out.
2021
Unpacking is a relaxing game that does exactly what it set out to do. It tells the story of a woman that’s grows from a little girl to a woman with a loving family of her own all by unpacking her belongings after her several moves in life. It isn’t anything special gameplay wise. You open boxes and put stuff where it should go. But it excels at telling a nice story that gives you a very good understanding of the user named woman just based off the different locations and items that you unpack. It isn’t going to be for everyone, it’s not a must play, but it was a relaxing time that respects your time while telling a good story.
It also teaches us that if you try and be with someone who prefers XBox as their console of choice you will never date that sex again and will find happiness not too long after. JK Microsoft fans.
It also teaches us that if you try and be with someone who prefers XBox as their console of choice you will never date that sex again and will find happiness not too long after. JK Microsoft fans.
Guacamelee 2 is a great sequel to a great game. The two minor things I missed from the original was the story and the cast of villains. Other than that this game tops the original in every other category.
The Easter eggs, humor, music and gameplay, especially in chicken mode, are just simply better than the original. Guacamelee 2 offers more of a challenge if you are willing to go the extra mile and do every thing the game has to offer. But if you’re not into that they left the base game as a fairly standard difficulty for a Metroidvania.
I am hoping this series continues someday but even if it doesn’t I know I will be revisiting these games in the future. The makers are clearly in love with video games as the game oozes creativity and celebrates the medium with so many Easter eggs that it’s almost impossible to catch and remember them all. So hopefully this love will keep them continuing to give us more gems in this series. The Guacamelee games are fantastic platformer Metroidvanias with tight control and combat that are worthy of your time.
Hey it made my top 100
https://www.backloggd.com/u/DVince89/list/my-favorite-100-video-game-of-all-time/
Here is where I place it among the Metroidvanias I’ve completed.
https://www.backloggd.com/u/DVince89/list/-metroidvanias-ive-played-ranked-/
The Easter eggs, humor, music and gameplay, especially in chicken mode, are just simply better than the original. Guacamelee 2 offers more of a challenge if you are willing to go the extra mile and do every thing the game has to offer. But if you’re not into that they left the base game as a fairly standard difficulty for a Metroidvania.
I am hoping this series continues someday but even if it doesn’t I know I will be revisiting these games in the future. The makers are clearly in love with video games as the game oozes creativity and celebrates the medium with so many Easter eggs that it’s almost impossible to catch and remember them all. So hopefully this love will keep them continuing to give us more gems in this series. The Guacamelee games are fantastic platformer Metroidvanias with tight control and combat that are worthy of your time.
Hey it made my top 100
https://www.backloggd.com/u/DVince89/list/my-favorite-100-video-game-of-all-time/
Here is where I place it among the Metroidvanias I’ve completed.
https://www.backloggd.com/u/DVince89/list/-metroidvanias-ive-played-ranked-/
A fresh take on Metroidvania with an awesome Hispanic theme. Juan’s journey to become a luchador, save his love, and save the world from an army of undead is a fairly short, sweet, and excellent time.
The love this game was made with is oozing out of every pixel. From the Hispanic influences, to the creative characters, to the clear love of video game it just pops everywhere. And when I say love for games I mean they put a parade of video game Easter eggs in the game. Just off the top of my head they had Final Fantasy, Mario, Metroid, Castle Crashers, Goat Simulator, Zelda, Castlevania, and Mega Man. I’m sure I’m missing some but the point is they have an obvious joy of the medium and it shows. That joy is contagious as I smiled every time I saw an easter egg.
The gameplay is fun and can be skilled based but doesn’t have to. You can beat this game easily without learning to use the moves to thier maximum value but if you take time to learn the combos you can become an ultimate luchador killing machine. I was impressed by the gameplay and had fun the entire way through the game.
The characters are fun as well as funny. From Juan, to the literal devil, to an old man that doubles as a goat, they are well written and a very good overall cast of characters.
I loved the Hispanic art and music throughout the game. It is so colorful even in the world of the dead and the music is surprisingly great throughout the entire game.
What I thought would be an ok game became an unforgettable Metroidvania that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys video games. Great game and excited for Guacmelee 2!
Here is where it landed on my Metroidvania list.
https://www.backloggd.com/u/DVince89/list/-metroidvanias-ive-played-ranked-/
It also scraped its way into my top 100!
https://www.backloggd.com/u/DVince89/list/my-favorite-100-video-game-of-all-time/
The love this game was made with is oozing out of every pixel. From the Hispanic influences, to the creative characters, to the clear love of video game it just pops everywhere. And when I say love for games I mean they put a parade of video game Easter eggs in the game. Just off the top of my head they had Final Fantasy, Mario, Metroid, Castle Crashers, Goat Simulator, Zelda, Castlevania, and Mega Man. I’m sure I’m missing some but the point is they have an obvious joy of the medium and it shows. That joy is contagious as I smiled every time I saw an easter egg.
The gameplay is fun and can be skilled based but doesn’t have to. You can beat this game easily without learning to use the moves to thier maximum value but if you take time to learn the combos you can become an ultimate luchador killing machine. I was impressed by the gameplay and had fun the entire way through the game.
The characters are fun as well as funny. From Juan, to the literal devil, to an old man that doubles as a goat, they are well written and a very good overall cast of characters.
I loved the Hispanic art and music throughout the game. It is so colorful even in the world of the dead and the music is surprisingly great throughout the entire game.
What I thought would be an ok game became an unforgettable Metroidvania that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys video games. Great game and excited for Guacmelee 2!
Here is where it landed on my Metroidvania list.
https://www.backloggd.com/u/DVince89/list/-metroidvanias-ive-played-ranked-/
It also scraped its way into my top 100!
https://www.backloggd.com/u/DVince89/list/my-favorite-100-video-game-of-all-time/
2019
What a strange nice quick Metroidvania. A very basic 3-4 hour Metroidvania borrowing a lot from Metroid Fusion and Zero Mission. Most of the game you are a cat in a mech, yes you read that right, but occasionally you have to leave the comfort of your mech to reach certain areas. When this happens you cannot damage enemies and you are insta killed by anything the hits you. It reminds me a lot of the zero suit mission in Metroid Zero Mission.
The music is catchy enough to not get old but nothing stellar. The art is all simply in black and white. One of the main collectibles are palette cassettes. You can change the screen to look more like an old gameboy or virtual boy.
While the game is fun it isn’t without flaws. The game is extremely floaty. By the time you get use to it the game is over since it is so short. While nothing in this game is difficult there is a sizeable noticeable difference in difficulty from the boss fights and the rest of the game. Once you learn the patterns it isn’t to bad but its a noticeable difference for sure.
Overall it is a good solid game and isn’t a bad way to spend a few hours when you want to try a quick Metroidvania.
Here’s where it landed on my Metroidvania list.
https://www.backloggd.com/u/DVince89/list/-metroidvanias-ive-played-ranked-/
The music is catchy enough to not get old but nothing stellar. The art is all simply in black and white. One of the main collectibles are palette cassettes. You can change the screen to look more like an old gameboy or virtual boy.
While the game is fun it isn’t without flaws. The game is extremely floaty. By the time you get use to it the game is over since it is so short. While nothing in this game is difficult there is a sizeable noticeable difference in difficulty from the boss fights and the rest of the game. Once you learn the patterns it isn’t to bad but its a noticeable difference for sure.
Overall it is a good solid game and isn’t a bad way to spend a few hours when you want to try a quick Metroidvania.
Here’s where it landed on my Metroidvania list.
https://www.backloggd.com/u/DVince89/list/-metroidvanias-ive-played-ranked-/
2023
Game number 600 rated on Backloggd! My favorite franchise of all time absolutely killed it with their newest entry. Final Fantasy XVI has the epic characters and stories you expect from Final Fantasy, in a Game of Thrones world, with Devil May Cry like gameplay in battles. The story is bigger and darker than ever before. The characters are more developed than ever before. It was such an expierience that I will never forget.
I won’t get into the story at all to avoid spoilers but that is definitely the star of the show. The characters are unforgettable and loveable. The big three of Clive, Joshua, and Jill are some of my favorite in the entire series. Throw in amazing side characters like Dion, Gav, Mid, and many more, an elite villian like Ultima, and the series best iteration of Cid and you have an amazing cast of characters.
The Eikons (aka summons) steal a big spot light in the show and without question are the best iterations in the series. There are less Eikons than a lot of the other Final Fantasy’s but the quality is undeniable.
The gameplay goes a full 180 from the turn based gameplay Final Fantasy is known for and takes an action/Devil May Cry approach. It can get repetitive but if you use different Eikon abilities it will stay fresh enough. I always had fun battling. Especially in the boss fights. This was honestly my favorite boss fights in any game ever, not just of Final Fantasy but ever.
The only negative I will say is there are too many optional side quests with not enough substance. But some of the side quest are very good that expand the world and lore as well as building up characters and thier relationships.
I almost cried several times and the end game is amazing but will punch you in the face. The ending is ambiguous which I love. I could keep talking about the story, characters, world, and ending for hours but I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone.
This game is an absolute must play. Generationally good imo, As you can tell by my placement on my top 100 list here:
https://www.backloggd.com/u/DVince89/list/my-favorite-100-video-game-of-all-time/
And my new Final Fantasy ranking here:
https://www.backloggd.com/u/DVince89/list/my-final-fantasy-ranking/
Also look out for some new lists. Now that I finished XVI I will be ranking my favorite series by different categories like best music, best story, and so on.
I won’t get into the story at all to avoid spoilers but that is definitely the star of the show. The characters are unforgettable and loveable. The big three of Clive, Joshua, and Jill are some of my favorite in the entire series. Throw in amazing side characters like Dion, Gav, Mid, and many more, an elite villian like Ultima, and the series best iteration of Cid and you have an amazing cast of characters.
The Eikons (aka summons) steal a big spot light in the show and without question are the best iterations in the series. There are less Eikons than a lot of the other Final Fantasy’s but the quality is undeniable.
The gameplay goes a full 180 from the turn based gameplay Final Fantasy is known for and takes an action/Devil May Cry approach. It can get repetitive but if you use different Eikon abilities it will stay fresh enough. I always had fun battling. Especially in the boss fights. This was honestly my favorite boss fights in any game ever, not just of Final Fantasy but ever.
The only negative I will say is there are too many optional side quests with not enough substance. But some of the side quest are very good that expand the world and lore as well as building up characters and thier relationships.
I almost cried several times and the end game is amazing but will punch you in the face. The ending is ambiguous which I love. I could keep talking about the story, characters, world, and ending for hours but I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone.
This game is an absolute must play. Generationally good imo, As you can tell by my placement on my top 100 list here:
https://www.backloggd.com/u/DVince89/list/my-favorite-100-video-game-of-all-time/
And my new Final Fantasy ranking here:
https://www.backloggd.com/u/DVince89/list/my-final-fantasy-ranking/
Also look out for some new lists. Now that I finished XVI I will be ranking my favorite series by different categories like best music, best story, and so on.
2023
Nintendo’s most under appreciated series put out one of the best games Nintendo has ever produced. Pikmin 4 took everything great from the first 3 games and put them together to make a special game that is easily the class of the series, which is really saying something. This is one of the most just pure fun game that I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing.
The return of caves, 9 types of Pikmin, the greatest surprise/Easter egg in gaming history (imo of course), and my favorite addition dandori challenges. I honestly would buy a Pikmin spin off game that is just a ton of dandori challenges. Also the Easter egg added about halfway through the game blew me away and made me so happy.
The art is my favorite in all of gaming. It is absolutely beautiful. The Pikmin are beautiful, the characters have a unique design, moss and Oatchi are adorable, the world is beautiful and put together so well. The feeling it gives of making you feel so small, it really makes you feel like you’re viewing the world from a bugs perspective. It’s unbelievable how good the art is.
Pikmin is one of the most replayable series ever and I cannot wait to replay this game again. If you have a switch please do yourself a favor and buy this masterpiece. It’s the first game in the series that is killing it in sales but it deserves even more to bring light to this fantastic franchise.
This game easily made my top 100. Check out where here.
https://www.backloggd.com/u/DVince89/list/my-favorite-100-video-game-of-all-time/
The return of caves, 9 types of Pikmin, the greatest surprise/Easter egg in gaming history (imo of course), and my favorite addition dandori challenges. I honestly would buy a Pikmin spin off game that is just a ton of dandori challenges. Also the Easter egg added about halfway through the game blew me away and made me so happy.
The art is my favorite in all of gaming. It is absolutely beautiful. The Pikmin are beautiful, the characters have a unique design, moss and Oatchi are adorable, the world is beautiful and put together so well. The feeling it gives of making you feel so small, it really makes you feel like you’re viewing the world from a bugs perspective. It’s unbelievable how good the art is.
Pikmin is one of the most replayable series ever and I cannot wait to replay this game again. If you have a switch please do yourself a favor and buy this masterpiece. It’s the first game in the series that is killing it in sales but it deserves even more to bring light to this fantastic franchise.
This game easily made my top 100. Check out where here.
https://www.backloggd.com/u/DVince89/list/my-favorite-100-video-game-of-all-time/
Final Fantasy XV seems to be a polarizing game amongst the Final Fantasy fan base and unfortunately I tricked myself into thinking that maybe it wasn’t a great game because of that. I usually try not to listen to the outside noise on games but for some reason I did on this game. Shame on me because it caused me to be cautious of a truly fantastic Final Fantasy game. To be clear I never played the base game my only knowledge of this game is with the Royal Edition.
With out a doubt my favorite part of this game is the interactions, love, and unbreakable bond among the four main characters. Seeing their struggles, triumphs, and growth made me really fall in love with them. This makes the emotional weight of a few scenes so much heavier. I also fell in love with some of the best NPC’s. Cid, Cindy, Iris, Lunafreya, Aranea, Gentiana, and Ravus were all memorable characters that I really enjoyed. Arryn is a fantastic villain and really shines in the back half of the game. Shiva, Ifrit, Ramuh, Titan, Leviathan, and Bahamut are maybe my favorite iteration of summons in the entire series. Overall just a top notch cast.
The open world leaves a bit to be desired as there is just a bit too much openness with not enough stuff in that openness. I do love that they leave the first 2/3rds of the game as an open world but as the end is nearing as things get more and more complex the game becomes more linear so that your team focuses on main task at hand. I like when a game lets you do what you want but when it’s time to get serious takes me on the ride they envisioned.
I say this every time but for the 15th time the music and art are top shelf just like every Final Fantasy. I love that you get soundtracks from the other 14 games and can listen to them as you drive around the open world.
The gameplay is a little one note and gets repetitive but I honestly enjoyed it but can see this being a negative for some.
While this game is polarizing and in some cases I can see why but I would recommend this fantastic game to everyone who loves, RPGs, good stories with good characters, and really to any gamer.
With out a doubt my favorite part of this game is the interactions, love, and unbreakable bond among the four main characters. Seeing their struggles, triumphs, and growth made me really fall in love with them. This makes the emotional weight of a few scenes so much heavier. I also fell in love with some of the best NPC’s. Cid, Cindy, Iris, Lunafreya, Aranea, Gentiana, and Ravus were all memorable characters that I really enjoyed. Arryn is a fantastic villain and really shines in the back half of the game. Shiva, Ifrit, Ramuh, Titan, Leviathan, and Bahamut are maybe my favorite iteration of summons in the entire series. Overall just a top notch cast.
The open world leaves a bit to be desired as there is just a bit too much openness with not enough stuff in that openness. I do love that they leave the first 2/3rds of the game as an open world but as the end is nearing as things get more and more complex the game becomes more linear so that your team focuses on main task at hand. I like when a game lets you do what you want but when it’s time to get serious takes me on the ride they envisioned.
I say this every time but for the 15th time the music and art are top shelf just like every Final Fantasy. I love that you get soundtracks from the other 14 games and can listen to them as you drive around the open world.
The gameplay is a little one note and gets repetitive but I honestly enjoyed it but can see this being a negative for some.
While this game is polarizing and in some cases I can see why but I would recommend this fantastic game to everyone who loves, RPGs, good stories with good characters, and really to any gamer.
If anyone ever wanted to be introduced to the basic dynamics of how a Metroidvania works this is a great place to start. It has all the workings of Metroidvanias but is never overwhelming and is a very easy quick game to get through.
I was able to play through this with my wife and it was fun to watch her experience her first Metroidvania. At least 10 times she said “let’s go over her. I think there’s something over there” and each time I told her “it’s a Metroidvania they’re something in every direction.” It was just fun watching her enjoy something new.
The star of the game is the artwork. It has a lot of charm and is my favorite version of Mickey and friends. There were several good laughs throughout the dialogue and the story was simple and acceptable for a Mickey Mouse game. The movement feels very precise which was important since you are only able to avoid enemies not attack them.
My only real gripes about the game is that it was way to easy, but I get it, it’s a Mickey Mouse game. The other is playing two or more players locally the camera follows player 1 and does not pan out enough for player 2. There were a few times where, if I was my wife, I would have became frustrated because she couldn’t see what she was doing because we got slightly to far apart.
I would recommend this game to most people and definitely anyone who is newer to games and would enjoy Metroidvanias or platformers.
I was able to play through this with my wife and it was fun to watch her experience her first Metroidvania. At least 10 times she said “let’s go over her. I think there’s something over there” and each time I told her “it’s a Metroidvania they’re something in every direction.” It was just fun watching her enjoy something new.
The star of the game is the artwork. It has a lot of charm and is my favorite version of Mickey and friends. There were several good laughs throughout the dialogue and the story was simple and acceptable for a Mickey Mouse game. The movement feels very precise which was important since you are only able to avoid enemies not attack them.
My only real gripes about the game is that it was way to easy, but I get it, it’s a Mickey Mouse game. The other is playing two or more players locally the camera follows player 1 and does not pan out enough for player 2. There were a few times where, if I was my wife, I would have became frustrated because she couldn’t see what she was doing because we got slightly to far apart.
I would recommend this game to most people and definitely anyone who is newer to games and would enjoy Metroidvanias or platformers.
2009
Final Fantasy XIII is definitely a mixed bag and a game of two halves to me. The first half I had to force myself fight through it and the second half I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
The first thing is the games characters are very hit and miss on the like-ability and relate-ability. I found myself really liking a handful and wanting no part of the others.
The story while very rich with history and lore is also hard to digest. In the end it makes sense, well mostly, but the problem is how they present it. You are thrown into the deep end with rich lore coming in from every angle and so many terms such as gran pulse, pulse, la’cie, fal’cie, cocoon, maker, ce’ith, sanctum, Eden, and PSIcom are thrown around in the first hour like they are everyday words in your everyday conversation. By the end you are able to put almost everything into place but for the first several hours it’s very hard to keep track of what’s going on. It is the polar opposite of Final Fantasy X. In X, through Tidus, we have the world and its terms thoroughly explained to us so that it’s easy to follow along. XIII drops them on you and waits for you to piece things together. Which again goes into my two half’s. The first half I was just a jumbled mess but the second half I had a firm grasp on the world and its inner workings.
The gameplay is fun to mess around with the different paradigm shifts. At first you’re not going to get the most out of battles but once you figure it out it’s fun to strategize and maximize your characters potential.
Final Fantasy XIII is extremely linear but that has never been a problem for me. The world does open up but it doesn’t do it until roughly 2/3rds through.
While I enjoyed Final Fantasy XIII it is not a game I would recommend unless you are a hardcore JRPG fan. Because even though it is a good game, in the end you have 15 hours of gameplay before it really gets to the meat.
The first thing is the games characters are very hit and miss on the like-ability and relate-ability. I found myself really liking a handful and wanting no part of the others.
The story while very rich with history and lore is also hard to digest. In the end it makes sense, well mostly, but the problem is how they present it. You are thrown into the deep end with rich lore coming in from every angle and so many terms such as gran pulse, pulse, la’cie, fal’cie, cocoon, maker, ce’ith, sanctum, Eden, and PSIcom are thrown around in the first hour like they are everyday words in your everyday conversation. By the end you are able to put almost everything into place but for the first several hours it’s very hard to keep track of what’s going on. It is the polar opposite of Final Fantasy X. In X, through Tidus, we have the world and its terms thoroughly explained to us so that it’s easy to follow along. XIII drops them on you and waits for you to piece things together. Which again goes into my two half’s. The first half I was just a jumbled mess but the second half I had a firm grasp on the world and its inner workings.
The gameplay is fun to mess around with the different paradigm shifts. At first you’re not going to get the most out of battles but once you figure it out it’s fun to strategize and maximize your characters potential.
Final Fantasy XIII is extremely linear but that has never been a problem for me. The world does open up but it doesn’t do it until roughly 2/3rds through.
While I enjoyed Final Fantasy XIII it is not a game I would recommend unless you are a hardcore JRPG fan. Because even though it is a good game, in the end you have 15 hours of gameplay before it really gets to the meat.