This is an excellent remaster of a classic Gamecube title that I think improved on the experience enough I'd recommend it over the original. The new lighting engine and material-based rendering really transforms the game's environment and enemy design and brings everything much closer to the concept art. There are a handful of small details the Gamecube/Wii version sell a little better but overall the visuals are noticeably better. If you are playing officially, I'd say this has replaced the Wii version as my recommendation for new players of this game.

The new control schemes really sell this version above all the others. I have yet to try with a Pro Controller (I'm interested in how it handles the motion aim) but with a USB controller and joycons, I found dual stick was transformative in how much better the combat feels when you challenge yourself not to lock on. Plus a free camera means you can jump more confidently, and the general feel is much better, helping the endless backtracking of this game feel a bit more varied. Playing the game like this, I was more easily able to see the influence of the PC first person shooters and immersive sims this game took influence from as well. This first game was so fascinatingly varied in its influences!

I noticed the difficulty was a bit re-balanced compared to the Gamecube version, but also different from the changes already made to the Trilogy updated Wii version. No spoilers on where, but at the end of the game they introduced difficult enemies originally only in one or two rooms in a few more places after some major bosses have died. More scan opportunities thankfully, but there are still scans you can miss. And unfortunately, we're back to the "square somewhere on the thing" style of targets? Metroid Prime 2's "highlight the whole object" targets were sort of already in Prime 1 thanks to Trilogy's backport, though I can imagine they probably didn't use that version as the base of this project.

My biggest complaint about Metroid Prime is that it's a huge game with slow movement that asks you to repeatedly go to the same places over and over. But if you get to the end and you don't know which missile containers you are missing, you have to waste hours of your life checking every single possible spot of 50 to figure out which ones you've missed. I've played this game over a dozen times, but the only times I ever complete it 100% is when I write my own item tracker. Metroid Prime 3 had a solution for this! At the very end of the campaign, if you choose to backtrack for item cleanup, there are dots wherever there are any pickups you've missed. They served not as direct answers to where to go, but clues of where to look in the room to find the path or puzzle to them. A great inclusion, but sorely missing in this game considering the problem is worse here than Prime 2 or 3.

At this point I'm nitpicking pretty hard I understand, so take this all as a frustrated fan. This is definitely the best way to play this game, and I'm amazed at the work of the new Retro Studios. I even actually have hope that Prime 4 might possibly be a good game maybe? Not so sure still.

While this is technically a replay, it's almost entirely me starting fresh with little memory of the first time I played it to truly enjoy the level of depth the game has. And if there's one thing Prey does right, it's the depth of nearly each and every element it offers you.

There is little to no wasted effort put into every faucet of what you can do in the game; each situation can be approached in ways that require creative thinking, using the guns and abilities in ways they weren't built for but you can use simply because it encourages creative thinking is astounding. Even extremely minute details that seem to serve no function outside of world-building, such as the crew listings that allow you to pin specific npcs, are just another solution to whatever problem you might be facing.

Even the characters are fully realized. Despite me not agreeing with all of their ideas, I could feel the interpersonal history of them as I played and understood exactly what might drive them to do these things. The only ones I didn't feel that way for were the ones specifically designed not to do so, which I won't go into detail for because I try to be as spoiler-free as possible.

Legitimately, the only thing I think that keeps it from being absolutely perfect is the Typhon. They're not bad enemies, per se. Their designs and concepts are cool, the mystery surrounding them gives way to the atmosphere, all the good things to be expected from an immersive sim that has some horror elements. The one thing they lack is an identity: despite the fact that they were built on and studied so heavily, I can't fully say I thought them as anything more than creepy, psychic xenomorphs who just killed people and reproduced in weird ways to take over structures built by other species. They weren't bad, but they certainly weren't interesting enough for me to buy into wanting to preserve them or agree with some npcs about understanding them.

All in all, I would say this is definitively Arkane's best work. They put their all into this, and they delivered. Even if I enjoy Dishonored more, and even if I don't think it'll get the recognition it deserves cause of the im-sim curse, I will never disagree or argue that anything tops this in their lineup.

suprisingly solid considering it's troubled development cycle with 3 different dev teams handling it across nearly 10 years.

Dead Island 2 definitely play safe in an good number of it's gameplay mechanics but what we have here is an polished and fun take of the zombie slashing genre, the melee combat has meaty sound effects and an great gore system called F.L.E.S.H to make each kill visually interesting and different, different zombie enemies and weapon types are constantly introduced to keep things fresh and there is even some sandbox elements here and there with the ability to pick gas cans and combine them with different weapon elements such as fire or electricity.

the game's map structure was quite an surprise, Dead Island 2 features an zone-based map with unique locations and quests, although this kind of structure is nothing new I do find it to be quite refreshing after countless bloated different open world games these past few years, the zone-based structure allows them to be creative with the locations and level-design and it shows when you are playing it.

speaking about the locations I was very surprised to see on how detailed Los Angeles is, every piece of location is different from each other and this game has an actual level-design to support this, is not something like Dying Light 2 where every house interior has the same layout and countless other repetitive activities, they did re-use a lot of the same puzzles though such as the constant breaker/valve switching or key cards but at least it has an purpose within the game.

the visuals are also pretty good, it looks gorgeous and has some really nice optimization to come along with it, it basically runs in every platform quite flawlessly, this should be the bare minimum for any video-game but these days where broken games are an common thing it should be acknowledged when an actual working game is available.

overall Dead Island 2 had an good chance to be an mediocre product and broken at launch considering it's troubled development hell but this is probably the most enjoyable game in the genre since the first Dying Light, the melee combat is fun, it looks gorgeous and runs great, has an actual level-design instead of an bloated open world and co-op modes to slash zombies with your friends, I think Dambuster did an great job and I would love to see an Dead Island 3 being made by them from scratch if they get the keys to do so from Deep Silver.

Though I can't say I fully appreciate the true extent of this remake of the original 1987 title, it still holds up pretty well as the beginning of the long running series.

A rather short game (it ran me 5-6 hours), Ys I is an adventure where the main character Adol runs around fighting monsters and learns about this new land he has shipwrecked on. The combat system is a bit different than most classic RPGs where it a top-down action game that makes use of the 'Bump' system. Ideally, you try to run into enemies at an angle. This allows you to do the most damage while also avoiding the damage of a head on collision. It works pretty well, and the handful of boss fights all have their own strategies.

This release also offers a toggle between three different arrangements of the soundtrack - the original PC-98, the Complete, and the Chronicles+. While all three are pretty good, the high-quality, intense guitar soundtrack of Chronicles+ is absolutely incredible and really elevates the experience.

This is a great entry to this series and I am looking forward to continue on to the rest of them. As I mentioned before, it's really not too long so give it a go if you want to try out what an action RPG that predates even Final Fantasy feels like! Just one word of advice, if you are playing on PC ensure the refresh rate is set to 60. You will thank me by the end for not having it set to 144Hz - I found out the hard way!

Ridge Racer Type 4 is what early 2010's youtube video essayists would have called a 'Gesamptkunstwerk'. Each and every element of the game - the stylish yellow hues and blocky black text of the UI, the arcadey but grounded in reality racing gameplay, the beautiful soundtrack filled with 90's DnB and acid jazz influences, creates a cohesive whole that is truly more than the sum of its parts, resulting in quite possibly the best grand prix in gaming history.

Type 4's grand prix stands out from the crowd by delivering a constant sense of rising tension and progression towards an unforgettable climax. There are 4 difficulty modes, each represented by different teams you can join for the grand prix. Alongside this, you can choose one of four fictional car brands to sponsor your team, which will determine which cars you unlock throughout the competition. These cars are divided into grip and drift style cars, which will effect how you will have to approach corners in the track. Both styles feel fantastic to drive with.

It's the process of unlocking which I think is crucial in giving type 4 the sense of progression it has, it's super satisfying to get faster cars with new designs at the end of each heat, and the massive speed upgrade before the climatic final race feels like a huge moment. If you want to unlock all of the cars it would be a pretty massive grind, which I think is the only problem with this game as such, but even then it doesn't matter when the even the default cars are so damn good.

Of course I have to mention the dialogue sequences as well. Each team has a different partner you'll be receiving dialogue from between each race, and it's interesting seeing the various ways they can react to your performance in each race. You definitely feel incentivised to try your best to not disappoint your team in these races, especially since your performance will also determine the top speed of your next car upgrade.

I could gush a lot more about finer details of Type 4, but plenty of people have already done so. You really owe yourself to try this game out if you're even slightly interested in arcade racers, I was completely blown away by how much this game stands the test of time in its effortlessly cool and confident style.

A significantly improved sequel

The first Kane & Lynch was a mess with an interesting premise. This sequel vastly improves the gameplay, strips out the pointless squad mechanics, and adds a raw aesthetic.

K&L2’s combat is much better. Gone are the dreadful long range encounters of the first game. Now it’s up close and personal, which I believe improves these basic third-person cover shooters. The weapons have terrible accuracy in this game and being close is optimal. The level design facilitates this nicely. Using flanks and getting around opponents leads to gruesome slaughtering of your foes from the side. This works congruently with the multiplayer split-screen. Two players can attack enemy positions from varying angles while communicating which enemies are pinning them down. It’s above average third-person cover based shooting. It gets the job done.

What people talk about in Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days is the visceral aesthetic and story telling. Both of these aspects are, quite frankly, genius. The whole game looks like a cartel beheading video you watched in 2006. Shaky camera, rain landing on the camera, and the cinematography in cut-scenes all immerse you. I don’t want to go into details of the story, but it’s what Kane & Lynch: Dead Men’s story should have been. Don’t rely on a cliche story line and just have Kane & Lynch on their misadventures.

But to put it bluntly, Kane & Lynch 2 is nothing special gameplay wise. It’s acceptable. I had fun playing it but it’s still a 7th gen cover shooter. It’s no masterpiece but I thoroughly enjoyed my 3 hours with it.

7/10

The aesthetic and environments are cool af. Actually playing the game though is a chore. The platforming feels stiff, as does the combat, which lacks a dodge or block. There are a variety of weapons, but few are actually helpful. The story is hardly relayed in a captivating way, which is too bad because the premise is actually interesting. The music, while fittingly eerie, is at times insanely repetitive. I probably played this on the wrong platform too, as there's terrible lag when things get busy and cumbersome weapon-switching (and it probably explains the bad control). The constant bombardment of enemies got the better of me for most of the game too, and I probably wouldn't have made it through this if there was no manual save. All in this intensely hostile world simulated a sort of anxiety-inducing, maddening state in my mind when playing, which is a clever way to have me relate to Alice, so I'll give them that.

Beautiful, difficult, and extraordinary. This game challenges you every step of the journey in a way that is almost inhuman. The combat takes center stage with almost no tutorial other than pop-up directions. The player is forced to learn the mechanics of the game or give up. There is no shortcut. The only way is through. Many people have been unable to conquer this game, but the relief and addiction that follow when they do is unparalleled. Each clash of Wolf’s katana against the enemy’s own blade or their flesh is a sign of progress. Just don’t get hit. It’s a magnificent dance of a game where stepping on your partner’s toe means death. It boasts the best sword-based combat, and I would say combat in general, of any game made thus far.

Apart from the combat, the environments and story grip you as well. From the treacherous canyons of the Gun Fort, to the lightning drenched arena atop Ashina Castle, and the sakura-laden waters of Fountainhead Palace, Sekiro shows you how wonderful and elegant the perils of combat can be. Each location is a sight to behold.

I enjoyed the story as well. I love the idea of being a humble protector and the reincarnation aspect adds a lot to that. To me, it says that even in death, you’ll never give up. You have a duty to fulfill and nothing will stop that.

FromSoftware made a hell of a game. A true 1 of 1. Every part of Sekiro is honed with the same precision a swordsmith uses when crafting a katana. Masterful.

Finding bliss in utter sensory overload.

Man does DoDonPachi DaiOuJou feel great to play. Shooting with a powered up ship, your shots nearly covering the entire screen (or fully covering the screen if you ride with Type-B) is exhilarating but the combination of doing so while dodging bullet hell enemy shot patterns is what makes you feel like a god. At first glance these patterns can look impossible, however the lightbulb moment for me was seeing this image of your ship's hitbox from the shmups wiki. Your hitbox is a tiny fraction of the size of your ship; the same goes with enemy bullets. The result is complete instinctual play, dodging and weaving through an array of bullets requires precision but doesn't hinder the game from feeling damn good.

I finished a full loop with a boat load of continues - but as the title translates, it was a blissful death. I know for a fact that there's a massive amount of optimization and bonus content that I missed but to me, that doesn't matter - what matters is how this is one of the most satisfying game feels out there. Excited to play this on arcade hardware when I visit Galloping Ghost next month.

Also I've heard rumors of a remaster coming from M2 - fingers crossed on that.

Last year I embarked on a journey, to beat every single SpongeBob SquarePants video game ever made. I started in chronological order and that brought me to this monstrosity of a videogame which immediately made me cancel my journey and go on a SpongeBob sabbatical retreat to rethink my life and the decisions I had made.

Narratively, the game is simple, SpongeBob essentially goes on a fetch quest to collect oven knobs across Bikini Bottom. This allows him to access the Flying Dutchman's lair, retrieve the golden spatula and become the Master Fry Cook.

Legend of the Lost Spatula is a platformer in all of the wrong ways. SpongeBob is floaty to control, the tiny Game Boy screen obscures the distance of your vision, which prevents you from making accurate jumps, leading to you taking leaps of faith. More often than not, levels are vertical, so you can spend upwards of 10 minutes climbing a level, just to miss a jump, sending your square ass plummeting back down to the depths below.

The game is open world but is unclear in what it exactly wants you to do. Although the open world nature seems like a positive, it can actually lead you to feeling confused as to why this is relevant to the plot, and can lead you to enter areas that are tougher immediately from the beginning which would lead to a highly frustrating time as you familiarize yourself with the dogshit controls.

Enemies are designed in the most punishing fashion. Their placement happens to always be in unforeseen areas and near safe spots when platforming, which if you happen to unfortunately leap into an enemy when traversing between platforms can send you all the way to the beginning of a level. Trust me, you will be undoubtedly hit by enemies over and over again, this game requires you to memorize upcoming platform sections, where the enemies spawn, and their movements.

On top of their placement issues, the weaponry available to SpongeBob is awful. The bubble blower has an attack pattern like a knight from chess, the net launcher only works on certain enemies, the hitbox from the net is inconsistent.

In order to refill these weapons, you'll have to collect treasure chests, which can contain pants (health) and ammunition. Or just randomly provide the phrase "April Fools" before disappearing??? Such a weird writing choice for a SpongeBob game, and further proof to my theory that this game was made by sadists who wanted to troll any and every unlucky soul who considered playing this game.

There's also an item that allows you to see inside of treasure chests, which is by far one of the most useless items in any game I have ever seen because it is necessary to open pretty much every chest you come across, and it saves you a lot of time to just open them rather than navigating through menus to equip and unequip the glasses prior to opening?

The ONLY positives of Legend of the Lost Spatula are the accurate and well-crafted artwork, and some of the music being decent at best. Everything else besides presentation is absolutely horrendous. This game, if not already, should be notorious for it's ruthless game design and is a contender for the most frustrating Game Boy Colour game of all-time.

Graphic Design is My Passion: The Video Game

This game rules.

But is it the best in the series? Yes, but only just.

That's no accident, though. It's abundantly clear that this game was made with that very goal in mind. Sure, you can say that about literally any and every game in existence, but man, Suda didn't have to go THIS hard.

NMH3 feels like it takes all the best elements of the past three games and splices them together, topped off with an absolutely killer presentation and soundtrack throughout.

It's not without its issues, though. The overworld is certainly more interesting than past games, but there's still not that much to it. Sure, the activities are still fun, but I do miss being able to go into buildings that had a specific purpose. Having everything instead placed sporadically in the open world can get very repetitive and exhausting. It's a puzzling decision since everything else in this game felt like they had perfected the formula and streamlined every aspect.

That being said, it's ultimately not too much of a letdown since, to me, the gameplay, story, writing, and bosses shine the brightest they ever have. The stakes are raised to a literal intergalactic scale. Some may argue it's perhaps too high of a raise, and it makes the previous games in the series seem grounded by comparison, but Suda's self-deprecating wit and sarcasm help keep everything steady, with a shared acknowledgement of just how ridiculous this game's circumstances are.

I tip my hat to you, Suda; you truly managed to deliver one heck of a finale for Travis and crew.

Also, Jeane steals the show. As always.

8/10

Factorio is the game equivalent of a page turner, something for me that's increasingly uncommon. The majority of the game revolves around the basic premise of taking various items and turning them into other items. It's almost a perfect example of emergent behaviour. You essentially have a handful of raw materials that you refine and combine in various ways. The gameplay loop is automating that by feeding outputs into inputs and balancing as best you can. It should be easy, but it's very difficult to get to a state that feels finished, particularly as the progression system, based around technological research, not only gives you new goals but upsets the balance of previously achieved goals.

The outcome of this emergent complexity is an endless stream of generated puzzles: finding flaws in the network and fixing them, improving efficiency, deciding whether to scrap an entire block to redo it, compartmentalising sections. It sounds on paper like a complete horror show but it's fantastic. The gameplay loop absolutely scratches the puzzle solving itch without frustration (mostly).

Graphics? I don't know, who cares. Are they a bit 8-bit? I honestly don't know. It's not gorgeous but I'd have to boot it up to see if it's ugly or not. It's not important, you just need to know what each bit does and if you arrange stuff neatly and efficiently it'll look gorgeous.

Music? I don't like the music, it terrifies me for some reason. Probably the association with the looming threat of aliens trying to destroy my plant because of the pollution I'm creating.

Replayability? Endless. It's one of those games some people will sink 1000 hours into. My goal was the game's goal of building an escape rocket, but I feel like that's less that 20% of the functionality on offer.

Story? It's a game. I'll just drop that in there because lots of developers forget about that nowadays and try to create some horrible mash-up of story and action that doesn't work. Factorio's story is minimal but you create the narrative as you play. Would I have liked more story? No.

Criticisms? I'd have liked more of a tower defence mechanism. The combat works well and serves its purpose, but I would've liked a more involved mechanism. Difficulty can be tweaked heavily, but it's 95% factory, 5% defences. I would like an option to allow strategic defence building. But, it's a minor issue.

After my recent playthrough of Breath of the Wild I was craving some more Zelda. I figured where better to start than with the only 3D game in the series that I had yet to finish: Skyward Sword. I had originally attempted a play through shortly after its release on the Wii, but after getting to about the halfway point I set it aside and never returned. I was hoping the Switch's portability, the removal of the motion controls (as I would be playing this entirely in handheld mode), and the update to HD would help me to stick through to the end credits.

As I was coming straight out of BOTW I found Skyward Sword to be a pretty big adjustment. Gone was the huge open world with thousands of things to discover. Skyward Sword, at least in theory, has an "open world" to explore, but it feels empty and uninteresting when compared to the open world of BOTW. Skyward Sword was also very linear, as you, for the most part, follow a fairly defined line from the start of the adventure through to the end. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, and I didn't dislike it, per se, but it could put some gamers off.

One thing I really liked about Skyward Sword were its visuals. The art style was colourful, vibrant, and just had a really nice look to it. The character designs were unique and their animations did a good job of conveying their personality and emotions. The game's world looked great too, with each of the environments having a nice look to it. The environments were nothing too out of the normal for the series (volcano zone, desert zone, forest zone), but they did look nice. Complimenting the game's graphics, the soundtrack was solid. It features a good mix of classic Zelda tunes and new music too.

One of Skywards greatest strengths was its story. Compared to other games in the series there is actually quite a bit here, and I found myself more captivated than I usually am with games in the series. I won't spoil anything here, but I did really like how Zelda played more of a role than usual in this game. I also found the overall story to be quite interesting, and the main villain/evil entity to have a good backstory (it is just too bad that he was pretty darn goofy looking, at least in my opinion).

Where Skyward Sword suffers most is its pacing. To start, it takes far too long before it gets interesting (about 3 hours). You start out by learning the basics of the combat, get introduced to the inhabitants of Skyloft, and do a few minor quests. It was all important stuff, but just felt like it went on for far too long. After things got going I had an absolute blast! That is, until around the 25-hour mark. At that point the game throws a fairly lengthy quest at you that clearly only exists to pad out the play time. This section added nothing to the experience and left me with a bad taste in my mouth. Thankfully the game's ending made up for this misstep.

As for gameplay, I really enjoyed it. I played the game entirely in handheld mode so I can't comment on the motion controls, but I can confirm that the translation of the original motion controls to a regular control method worked very well. You swing your sword by flicking the right joystick in the direction you want to slash, and you stab by pressing the stick in. You get full control over the camera too, you just have to hold the "L" button down before moving the right stick. It did take me a few hours to really get a hang of the controls, but once I did, I thought they worked very well. I liked the added depth given to the sword play which you wouldn't get by just pressing a single button to attack.

One of Skyward Sword's biggest strengths was its dungeons. These were all well designed and each one contained a new tool to find which were required to get through to the final dungeon boss. Most of the puzzles in the dungeons were fun to solve and I didn't find them to be too easy nor too tough. With that said, I found that you rarely needed the tools you had acquired from previous dungeons in the dungeons that came after it. You would use that one tool in some unique ways in the dungeon you got it in, but afterwards it would often end up unused in you inventory unused for. I didn't feel this was a huge deal, but that it was still worth mentioning here. Additionally, I found that the tools themselves were among the least interesting in the entire series. They weren't bad, just none of them stood out as something truly unique or special.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Skyward Sword. Some pacing issues hampered my overall enjoyment of the game, and the tools you unlock were among the least interesting in the entire Legend of Zelda series, but the interesting story, the fun gameplay, the unique control scheme, and the stunning graphics more than made up for any shortcomings. Fans of 3D Zelda games should check this one out if they haven't yet.

HI-FI Rush surprised me in the best way possible! It is a GOTY contender for me already! This is a must play for everyone that owns a series X/S or PC! It is the most refreshing game I’ve played in a long time! A game with tons of style and personality! A rocking time! I have not done the side missions but I have completed the main game which took me 9 hours! So for completeness it’ll probably take you in the 10 hour range!

Gameplay: The gameplay is a blast with guitar music playing which this game has an amazing OST! Hi-FI rush is like if Devil May Cry and Metal Hellsinger had a baby! You attack with a guitar and you are graded based on time, beat timing, and score. I love this system because it will push the player to replay these levels to get the best grade possible. You have heavy attacks and light attacks with being able to dodge, and parry. There are new moves that you can unlock by getting currency found in the levels. You can unlock new chips, and combos! I like this because it adds an incentive to explore how there is also an incentive to explore the world is that you can have collectibles that increase your health or a graffiti for your personal hideout! You are not required to stay on beat which I love because it makes it more accessible and helps me because I suck at staying on beat! You can also make the beat show at the bottom of the screen to help with your timing again with making it accessible! Then you will need to use buddies like Peppermint, Maceron and Korisca for different things. Peppermint you use for shooting shields, Maceron you use for smashing shields and breaking doors, Korsica for powering down generators and putting out fires. Macaron you need to time the punch and Korisca you need to press the button when the pointer is in the green area or else you’ll need to redo the minigame. I like this because it adds to the gameplay rather than just fighting bad guys. Enemies will require you to use those characters for breaking shields, smashing enemy barriers and putting out fire. This again adds to the gameplay which I like but can feel a bit button mashy incase if people do not like button mashy games. This game does have a lot of platforming which I like because it adds variety to the gameplay and is welcome! HI-FI rush also has grappling hook sections which these are a blast! The bosses in HI-FI rush are a spectacle with each one being different in style. I won’t spoil these because you should get to experience them! The last boss has incredible music and is just gorgeous! Overall the gameplay is gold for me with different types of enemies and always new things being unlocked to change up the gameplay! Just gets tedious sometimes with the minigames if you mess them up but on easier difficulties this isn’t much of a problem!

Story: The story is about Chai, a boy who wants to become a future rockstar but ends up being a defect and has to defeat all the villains in order to not be controlled by PROJECT spectra, a technology that controls minds. When you defeat the villains you get their passkey, You need all the villains passkeys to stop PROJECT spectra! I really like this premise with technology involved since I’m a tech guy so It made it relatable! You have buddies like 808 which is a cute robotic cat! Peppermint who is skeptical about you at first but ends up trusting you, Macaron is a big guy that didn’t want to fight but had to! And Korsica which you had to end up fighting but is on your side. You also have a robot. All the characters I like but CHAI I ended up liking so much due to his I get it done my way personality! The cast has many very solid choices like Roger Craig Smith being the main villain Kale Vandelay! The story has its moments and is really good for this type of game. It isn’t a masterpiece but that’s not what I expect out of a rhythm game! The story does its job very well and is good for what it is and the tone it is trying to achieve which isn’t serious!

Hideout: This is a cool feature where you have a little hub. You can do stuff like pet the cat, talk to your crew, decorate it with graffiti that you find. Once you beat the game you unlock side missions about SPECTRA possibly coming back. This is a really smart feature and is very welcome! The side missions I have not played yet but probably are worth a check out! You can also do rhythm tower!

Conclusion: Tango Gameworks took a risk with this and they NAILED it! This is an amazing start to 2023! We don't usually see many games in January! One of the most refreshing games I have played in a while and is a GOTY contender for me already and wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up in my top 5 games for 2023! It might even be my GOTY! This is a strong recommendation for anyone who loves rhythm games! Kudos to the team for making an amazing title! I don’t have many flaws for this at all! I give HI-FI rush a 10/10! Incredible job Tango! Keep on taking bold risks like this and keep innovating! A MUST PLAY!

Peak fiction. Actual PEAK fiction. Lloyd is peak. KeA is peak. Randy is peak. Tio is peak. Wazy is peak. This entire game. is. PEAK. Top to bottom.

Trails to Azure is the greatest experience I’ve had with any game in all my years on this planet. THIS is the magic of JRPGs & why it eclipses every other genre in my opinion. Azure takes everything that I loved about Zero & in amplifies it to the highest degree. From the characters, to the story, to the absolutely unmatched world building that the Trails series always does so so exceptionally it’s all here & accounted for. And on top of that is one of the most engaging & gripping narratives possibly ever that had me hooked from start to end. So many moments in this game had my jaw completely on the floor & the finale of this game completely mindfucked me SO much.The ending brought me to tears & man the feeling I had when the credits started rolling really really can’t be described.

I honestly struggle to find the words to truly express how incredible this game is & nor do I want to. Because experiences like this come once in a lifetime.

All I will say is that if you for some reason haven’t checked out the Trails series yet then you are doing yourself a major disservice. Because in my eyes there is no other franchise in my eyes that is on the level of The Legend of Heroes when it comes to storytelling.

I’m so glad the Crossbell duology finally came to the west because it’s given me the chance to experience these amazing games for the first time & if you’re like me…then I hope you have as much of a blast as I did. Thank you Nihon Falcom & of course the amazing Geofront team.

Now let’s put the Sky trilogy on modern consoles next, that would be absolutely lovely.