Gree
Hajime Tabata has done it again
by which I mean he has directed another game that's pretty cool, has quite a few interesting ideas in it and is mired in its execution and scale.
The setting of the world may be one of my favourites in the franchise and it's yet another thing that makes me sad that the Fabula Nova Crystallis concept is no longer in use. However the game's ability to explore its setting through the storytelling is glaringly hamstrung by it having the smaller budget of a PSP game, that being said the game somehow still has higher lows than Crisis Core's narrative.
The game's greatest strengths came as a surprise to me though, the main one being successfully making the playable 12-person cast of Class Zero likeable, larger games have done worse with fewer characters.
On top of that the game has a fun and appropriate (albeit a bit janky) combat system, where a sense of lethality is added when both the player and the enemies can go down pretty quickly.
I liked Type-0, but I really wish it had the breathing room for me to like it more.
by which I mean he has directed another game that's pretty cool, has quite a few interesting ideas in it and is mired in its execution and scale.
The setting of the world may be one of my favourites in the franchise and it's yet another thing that makes me sad that the Fabula Nova Crystallis concept is no longer in use. However the game's ability to explore its setting through the storytelling is glaringly hamstrung by it having the smaller budget of a PSP game, that being said the game somehow still has higher lows than Crisis Core's narrative.
The game's greatest strengths came as a surprise to me though, the main one being successfully making the playable 12-person cast of Class Zero likeable, larger games have done worse with fewer characters.
On top of that the game has a fun and appropriate (albeit a bit janky) combat system, where a sense of lethality is added when both the player and the enemies can go down pretty quickly.
I liked Type-0, but I really wish it had the breathing room for me to like it more.
Automatically scores higher due to its refinements to the combat (although the combat in the original is still pretty cool tbh)
Everything else is practically the same as the original: Zack, Aerith and Sephiroth are good characters trapped in a terrible nonsense story, the ending is cool though and so is the DMW
Everything else is practically the same as the original: Zack, Aerith and Sephiroth are good characters trapped in a terrible nonsense story, the ending is cool though and so is the DMW
1998
This is my first time replaying this since I was a tiny child and uhhhh I guess I don't really like this one all that much.
Sonic controls well enough but there's a certain "walking on eggshells"-ness to Sonic's movement that (barring complete mastery) feels like the most reliable way to play him, I rarely felt confident in using homing attacks to blitz through a level at high speeds as it was almost always more responsive to let your jump slowly reach its apex and then more methodically dash when you knew exactly how Sonic would react. However once you start doing this you'll find that his (and the rest of the playable cast's) levels just feel trivial to play. They're just breezy enough to not be particularly interesting or exciting. That is when the camera, collision and homing detection decides to do what you want, which is most of the time but shit broke frequently enough for me to not understand why someone would give this game a 9-10/10.
Because y'know excellent games generally don't do this.
Music ranges from pretty good to great but it's completely outclassed by SA2 in virtually every way I care about. Like... come on... Metal Harbor...Supporting Me...Aquatic Mine...Pyramid Cave... Get real
To give SA1's OST Some Credit though my standouts are Red Mountain, E102's theme and Unbound for being absolute bangers (the character themes in general are pretty good) and Crush 40 is always amazing.
Unbound and E102's story unearthed a whole treasure trove of nostalgic emotion within me and replaying him was probably my favourite part of the whole thing.
Virtually everything that's good about this game is seemingly better in SA2, although I am prepared to eat my words if that doesn't hold up to my childhood impression either upon replaying. Sorry in advance.
Sonic controls well enough but there's a certain "walking on eggshells"-ness to Sonic's movement that (barring complete mastery) feels like the most reliable way to play him, I rarely felt confident in using homing attacks to blitz through a level at high speeds as it was almost always more responsive to let your jump slowly reach its apex and then more methodically dash when you knew exactly how Sonic would react. However once you start doing this you'll find that his (and the rest of the playable cast's) levels just feel trivial to play. They're just breezy enough to not be particularly interesting or exciting. That is when the camera, collision and homing detection decides to do what you want, which is most of the time but shit broke frequently enough for me to not understand why someone would give this game a 9-10/10.
Because y'know excellent games generally don't do this.
Music ranges from pretty good to great but it's completely outclassed by SA2 in virtually every way I care about. Like... come on... Metal Harbor...Supporting Me...Aquatic Mine...Pyramid Cave... Get real
To give SA1's OST Some Credit though my standouts are Red Mountain, E102's theme and Unbound for being absolute bangers (the character themes in general are pretty good) and Crush 40 is always amazing.
Unbound and E102's story unearthed a whole treasure trove of nostalgic emotion within me and replaying him was probably my favourite part of the whole thing.
Virtually everything that's good about this game is seemingly better in SA2, although I am prepared to eat my words if that doesn't hold up to my childhood impression either upon replaying. Sorry in advance.
A very cozy and sweet game with quite a few issues. The combat is a surprising cut above the typical JRPG affair, but one of the biggest things holding it back is its arguably unintentionally obtuse crafting system UI. The crafting system in and of itself is delightfully robust and justifies its existence as a core mechanic more so than what most people think of when they hear 'crafting system', but the way the system is laid out in the UI felt less intuitive than it could be and made it difficult to truly experiment in curious ways since the game isn't very clear on what you can and can't do. Some sort of filing system where you can track the properties you've unlocked, their commonalities as well as their sources would've gone a long way in selling the experience of being an Alchemist.
I kinda wish the story had a bit more going on since the setting is pretty interesting and what few story bits they do show (mostly near the end of the game) show a lot of premise. Outside of the main duo characters range from decent to dull
PS: This may just be a me thing but playing in the alchemy menu for extended periods of time imparts a work-like stress on me that makes my brain scream. That being said I still enjoy it...I'm sorry I can't explain this...
I kinda wish the story had a bit more going on since the setting is pretty interesting and what few story bits they do show (mostly near the end of the game) show a lot of premise. Outside of the main duo characters range from decent to dull
PS: This may just be a me thing but playing in the alchemy menu for extended periods of time imparts a work-like stress on me that makes my brain scream. That being said I still enjoy it...I'm sorry I can't explain this...
I LIKED IT !!
2023
HI-FI RUSH BELIEVES IN YOUR ABILITY TO FEEL THE GROOVE
Really great game that oozes personality, vision and style. It nails the rhythm-based action combat better than any other similar attempts that I know of, with only the occasional misstep in that regard. It has a very endearing faith in the player's ability to get a hang of the rhythm and flow of the combat, and it goes to exceptional lengths to explain its systems in a clear way.
Unfortunately when a game is this good its rare flaws distractingly stick out like a sore thumb.
Most notably the levels often last up to an hour and feel way too lengthy for a game that takes inspiration from action franchises like DMC and Bayonetta (who typically have a very snappy and breezy pace to them).
Why does 50% of each level consist of serviceable platforming?
Why does the (admittedly nicely constructed) world have such a large scale to it when it mainly serves to prop up one-off joke interactions with NPCs over any kind of worldbuilding?
Some levels even have a clear cut-off point at around the halfway mark, making you wonder why the level wasn't just split into two to begin with. That being said the pacing issues are alleviated quite a bit by the game's energy and sense of rhythm, it does a lot to keep you engaged as you run through a lot of the level in between action encounters.
It sounds like I'm crapping on it a lot because of how much this one issue bugged me, but that's mainly because it's difficult to articulate how well it nails pretty much everything it does well. The soundtrack (especially the game's use of licensed music) and the boss fights in particular were one of a kind.
Definitely give Hi-Fi Rush a try if you're looking for a new lovely great action game and want to believe in this game's ability to make you feel the groove
Really great game that oozes personality, vision and style. It nails the rhythm-based action combat better than any other similar attempts that I know of, with only the occasional misstep in that regard. It has a very endearing faith in the player's ability to get a hang of the rhythm and flow of the combat, and it goes to exceptional lengths to explain its systems in a clear way.
Unfortunately when a game is this good its rare flaws distractingly stick out like a sore thumb.
Most notably the levels often last up to an hour and feel way too lengthy for a game that takes inspiration from action franchises like DMC and Bayonetta (who typically have a very snappy and breezy pace to them).
Why does 50% of each level consist of serviceable platforming?
Why does the (admittedly nicely constructed) world have such a large scale to it when it mainly serves to prop up one-off joke interactions with NPCs over any kind of worldbuilding?
Some levels even have a clear cut-off point at around the halfway mark, making you wonder why the level wasn't just split into two to begin with. That being said the pacing issues are alleviated quite a bit by the game's energy and sense of rhythm, it does a lot to keep you engaged as you run through a lot of the level in between action encounters.
It sounds like I'm crapping on it a lot because of how much this one issue bugged me, but that's mainly because it's difficult to articulate how well it nails pretty much everything it does well. The soundtrack (especially the game's use of licensed music) and the boss fights in particular were one of a kind.
Definitely give Hi-Fi Rush a try if you're looking for a new lovely great action game and want to believe in this game's ability to make you feel the groove
YAAAAAAAAAAAWN ough.... where am I...? What was I doing..?
Oh I finished Assassin's Creed Rogue...? I miss Black Flag... Alright.
It's got some cool stuff in it. It's got some stupid shit in it. More than anything the game forced me to reckon with the series as a whole, if I thought this game was just alright, how much worse have the older games aged . . .
Like, I've grown fond of the Animus as a concept, delving into the past to find answers by reliving the intricacies of people's lives. It's a fun idea, ripe for mysteries that interplay with a past and present timeline. It's a shame that the way this premise is used to tell the boringest stories ever?
What's this review about again..? Oh, Assassin's Creed Rogue.
Alright, it's really getting on my nerves how terribly these games control. When they work the way the game intends it's all well and good, but several times an hour my player character Ex-Assassin Current-Templar Shay Patrick Cormac will just forget how to climb and leap off edges, completely ruining any sincere attempt at stealth on my part. At which point I may as well just combo everyone to death because really what's the point of staying hidden when you're never in any actual danger?
Even with these animation-driven controls the game is occasionally in two minds about how convincing it wants to be in Shay Patrick Cormac's realistically presented murder-action. Want to perform a well positioned double assassination from above? First awkwardly wiggle above them until the game feels like both enemies are available as targets for your double assassination move (as indicated by a highlight). Secondly perform your move and leap at them while observing how a split second before you land, the game abruptly contorts the enemy positions to align with your two weapons because it has to perform the designated animation correctly.
Playing games where the player character and the enemies don't react responsively makes me feel like an asshole.
Eh, whatever, I don't want to talk about Assassin's Creed Rogue, I'm so sleepy and tired...
"Hmm...how do we tell this morally grey story of how a man abandons his previous allegiances to switch sides to his former enemies... Uhh...... I guess we can have some kind of orb... that literally makes the entire city of Lisbon, Portugal explode... Eh? Is that something..?" - Unknown Narrative Designer, 201X
Oh I finished Assassin's Creed Rogue...? I miss Black Flag... Alright.
It's got some cool stuff in it. It's got some stupid shit in it. More than anything the game forced me to reckon with the series as a whole, if I thought this game was just alright, how much worse have the older games aged . . .
Like, I've grown fond of the Animus as a concept, delving into the past to find answers by reliving the intricacies of people's lives. It's a fun idea, ripe for mysteries that interplay with a past and present timeline. It's a shame that the way this premise is used to tell the boringest stories ever?
What's this review about again..? Oh, Assassin's Creed Rogue.
Alright, it's really getting on my nerves how terribly these games control. When they work the way the game intends it's all well and good, but several times an hour my player character Ex-Assassin Current-Templar Shay Patrick Cormac will just forget how to climb and leap off edges, completely ruining any sincere attempt at stealth on my part. At which point I may as well just combo everyone to death because really what's the point of staying hidden when you're never in any actual danger?
Even with these animation-driven controls the game is occasionally in two minds about how convincing it wants to be in Shay Patrick Cormac's realistically presented murder-action. Want to perform a well positioned double assassination from above? First awkwardly wiggle above them until the game feels like both enemies are available as targets for your double assassination move (as indicated by a highlight). Secondly perform your move and leap at them while observing how a split second before you land, the game abruptly contorts the enemy positions to align with your two weapons because it has to perform the designated animation correctly.
Playing games where the player character and the enemies don't react responsively makes me feel like an asshole.
Eh, whatever, I don't want to talk about Assassin's Creed Rogue, I'm so sleepy and tired...
"Hmm...how do we tell this morally grey story of how a man abandons his previous allegiances to switch sides to his former enemies... Uhh...... I guess we can have some kind of orb... that literally makes the entire city of Lisbon, Portugal explode... Eh? Is that something..?" - Unknown Narrative Designer, 201X
This game's one of a kind, definitely worth checking out if you like Warhammer and strategy.
The trick that makes it truly exceptional though - combining 3 games' worth of content into one map - requires you to buy the other games/DLC in the series if you want to play as the factions available in them, which is a big ask for some but well worth it in the end I'd say.
Currently put around 100 hours in the game (and about 250 across the series) and it feels like I've barely scratched the surface, but I figured that's enough to at least recognize its positive qualities.
Be'lakor best boy
The trick that makes it truly exceptional though - combining 3 games' worth of content into one map - requires you to buy the other games/DLC in the series if you want to play as the factions available in them, which is a big ask for some but well worth it in the end I'd say.
Currently put around 100 hours in the game (and about 250 across the series) and it feels like I've barely scratched the surface, but I figured that's enough to at least recognize its positive qualities.
Be'lakor best boy
2019
I'm often too hesitant to rate or review multiplayer titles, it just makes a lot more sense when it's a single player title that I can complete before writing down my thoughts.
That being said this game is just too good not to talk about, the hyperspecific vibe and aesthetic they're going for is portrayed with obscene finesse. You're monster hunting cowboys in the bayou!
This game may already be perfect at what it's trying to be, but I would probably like it more if the interactions you have in PvE encounters were a bit more interesting, especially when blending it with PvP. I also wish I got more use out of some of the more specialized tools the player has access to. I still haven't really found a use for the tools that distract enemies. When should I want to do that Crytek
That being said this game is just too good not to talk about, the hyperspecific vibe and aesthetic they're going for is portrayed with obscene finesse. You're monster hunting cowboys in the bayou!
This game may already be perfect at what it's trying to be, but I would probably like it more if the interactions you have in PvE encounters were a bit more interesting, especially when blending it with PvP. I also wish I got more use out of some of the more specialized tools the player has access to. I still haven't really found a use for the tools that distract enemies. When should I want to do that Crytek
Jackie told me, the player: "You are trying to kill me."