Jinzuku
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Unnecessarily long & incredibly tiring going to a new zone that has over 40 things to collect every time. 732 collectables in a single game are far too much & while they are optional, most open-world fans will feel compelled to get them all to satisfy their OCD. The Assassin's Creed license feels forced on rather than integral. Combat is fun, but after a while, I felt like I was going through the motions to just get to the end of the game.
2021
This feels like a Tales games with some real budget behind it. They've finally ditched their old engine for a more modern on and it really shows. At first, I was worried that the change in combat would an issue, but after getting used to it I came to enjoy it as much as the old school counterpart. The characters are as memorable as some of the previous ones and the story really hits home about how everyone could be a slave to someone or something, whether it be a person or way of life.
2020
As addictive as it is buggy. They built a great world with great characters, but the constant fear of crashes & glitches wears you down. The foundation is there, I could see this being a 10 when there is a PS5 version with a lot of big patches. Has a case of the "Ugly Gear Syndrome" you'll spend most of the time looking ridiculous as you change & equip gear constantly.
Taking place during the events of part 1, but this time you follow Yuffie, something that was never part of the original game. Seeing what she was up to before meeting up with the party is great. She controls different from all the other characters in part 1. All this does is hype me up even more for part 2 and I'm all for it.
2016
Despite this game being 5 years old, the graphics and game hold up. Set many years after the original trilogy, you play as a different group of people who are mostly ex-COG. The game does feel a bit forced with an enemy you thought was originally defeated, but not really. However, the gameplay is fun and chainsawing an enemy in half will never get old.
As far as a remake goes, it's a big visual improvement over the original. However, compared to Sword/Shield, and functionally, the original it's a very lazy remaster. GameFreak doing their usual minimum effort to print money. It works though, because, at its core, Pokémon is unbelievably fun, something that none of the many clones has been able to recapture. This is the kind of game that you know whether you are in or out, and if you're in, you know what you are getting into and what to expect.
If I didn't know better, I'd think WB Games Montréal was trying to copy Rocksteady's homework for the Arkham City assignment. Probably because it's the only one not to get a remaster, the game generally feels clunky and stiff. Seeing Bruce in the early years of being Batman is interesting, but it does feel out of place with the rest of the series. Overall, it's very much more of the same and, aside from Fast Travel points, doesn't add much to the formula. It doesn't help that I experienced a multitude of crashes, sometimes preventing me from continuing the story.
So much better than the previous two games in the trilogy. The combat felt a lot more satisfying and visceral, while the platforming was a lot more forgiving. My biggest gripe though was someone deciding to have the QTE prompts show on the far edge of the screen for each corresponding face button on the PlayStation controller. While I'm sure that's not a problem for smaller screens, on a big screen it makes it difficult to sometimes see which one is being prompted. Especially when trying to keep your eyes on the action and brutality unfolding on screen.
It's a shame I played this before Wolfenstein II as it sets up and adds a lot of context to it. While the gunplay is the same as the sequel it has a few things missing, which would make sense for the first game of a series. As a result, the game is much rawer and in your face with its brutality.
2021
The sleuthing side of the Yakuza franchise calling back to their more action focused combat. The game has built upon the first game, adding Yokohama from Like a Dragon. The main thing I don't like about it is its focused on a private school and the people that go there. It tends to lean a bit into stereotypes and has beating down kids, who in fair, deserve it. The main mystery is fascinating and expertly weaves everything into it. Aside from that, the game is solid, beautiful, mysterious and fascinating to just be a part of the world. Saying goodbye to Yagami due to real world politics is a shame but I'm excited to potentially play as Kaito in future iterations.
Set in an alternative future where the US surrendered during WWII, the game is fast paced and brutal. The weapons, while your usual affair, can all be dual-wielded and mixed and matched, resulting in some deadly combinations. The cast is fun and the story has some expected and unexpected developments. The difficulty seemed to have the right amount of pushback as I had to retry some encounters multiple times. They require careful consideration and not simply standing in a corner blasting away.
This is the Avengers Endgame of an MMO, with callbacks to characters and plot threads going back many expansions. There is no better way to honour & respect a person's time, money & effort on a game. I am eagerly awaiting what the future holds for Eorzea. The game continues to justify every penny I've spent on its subscription. My biggest issue isn't with the game itself but the difficulties getting into it with the queue times. However, if there was ever a developer that I felt was doing everything they could to help their player base, then it's Yoshi-P & his team. THE best in the business.
2021
It's a real shot of nostalgia when games were much simpler. The biggest shift between I & II is that rather than levelling up traditionally, the game adopts the Bethesda style. As such, the progression is where you get better at doing something the more you do it. For example, you'll do better with Swords the more you attack with a Sword, and your max HP goes up the more you are damaged. There are times when it's not super clear where you have to go and you'll be treading over old ground multiple times. It was because of this that I ended up always over-levelled for the bosses, so never struggled in a fight.
I had a lot of fun becoming the Batman in Arkham Asylum. The combat was simple, yet learning to counter at the correct times can make a lot of difference. The boss fights were lacklustre, as they mostly followed the same tactics. The Riddler content was fun, and I felt compelled to do as many as I could. The stealth sections, where you've got to try and pick off goons with guns, was the weakest part for me, but I know it's a required part. I look forward to seeing how Rocksteady improve on this formula, as it's a solid foundation to build upon.
A stealth based game where you have to use all the tools at your disposal to get through an area, avoiding the guards and rats that block your way. The game is set during the Black Plague but where the disease is on Steroids. The rats are so numerous they are like a sea and are extremely bloodthirsty. You'll find yourself searching for materials to either craft or upgrade your arsenal. You play as a 15-year-old girl armed only with her sling and quick wit. Solving the puzzle of how to get past a certain problem isn't all that difficult, although some will require a few attempts to implement. The graphics are gorgeous and the sheer number of rats on screen is frightening.