Pulling the combat of Chrono Trigger and the plot of Final Fantasy X, this game should be fantastic. However, it only pulls from these games in a very half-hearted manner. The combination techniques do make an appearance but they are based on which moves you have slotted into your characters. So depending on the way you've built your team, you might not have any, going against the premise of mimicking Chrono Trigger's combat. The story has so many shades of Final Fantasy X that it could be considered its Heartless, as there are a lot of similarities but due to the short runtime, the bonds feel underdeveloped and lack any soul. Its biggest sin though is that it doesn't properly explain what its fundamental mechanics are or how to use them, requiring research online. On the artistic side. characters have no feet, just stubs on the bottom of their legs. While it shouldn't bother me, I found myself negatively fixated on them, especially during cutscenes.

It feels like this was made by fans of JRPGs for fans of JRPGs. The sprite work is fantastic, along with the combat, characters and story. With your party's HP and TP fully restored after every battle, you can constantly fight at your best. The only thing that annoyed me was every time you are separated and reunited with your party, which happens often, it forgets your party formation. This wouldn't be an issue, but there are a total of 12 playable characters to spread over eight slots, so these resets can be quite cumbersome. After a while, you'll get access to mechs you can use to battle with. These are fun to use, and especially great for reaching earlier inaccessible areas. However, when you are required to use them in a boss fight, it can be more of a struggle because you can't use your well-constructed party members.

This has got to be one of the best Star Wars games I've ever played. It improves on the first game in almost every way. There are fewer planets overall, but the ones that are there are packed with a lot more to explore and do. The extra stances mean you can tailor Cal Kestis to fit your preferred playstyle. The combat and story are both fantastic, along with all the traversal skills you are constantly unlocking throughout the campaign. With so many options available, I could spend hours changing the appearance of my lightsaber. The only thing I would have liked, which kept it from a 10, is the ability to save anywhere rather than at specific save points.

Many games try to capture that cool and cute charm of Pokémon, but this has got to be the one that's gotten the closest to that sun. Most battles are two-on-two with yourself and a swappable companion turning into the various beasts they record on their cassette tapes that inhabit the strange island. The game manages to balance the cute and vibrant setting with moments of unnerving oddities. It can be a bit confusing to get your head around the elemental balance of combat, but it's easy enough to overcome with a chart found online. The story isn't anything fancy, but it has enough charm to make the time spent playing an enjoyable one, especially if you are a fan of monster-catching games.

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.

As much a Final Fantasy game as Pirates of the Caribbean is a Disney movie. It's almost like the series is going through its edgy teenage phase. That being said, as an Action game, it's absolutely fantastic. The combat is flashy, cinematic, and will beat you to the ground if you don't pay attention. There are a lot of cutscenes, so settle in and soak up those glorious pixels. It certainly feels like the bar has been raised, with this being the one that all others are measured. You really smell the budget, effort and passion that went into its development. Not surprising, since the head staff are all the best in the business.

By far the best of the trilogy, as opposed to the popular opinion. The batmobile is a fun addition, albeit clumsy, to drive around the tight streets of Gotham. It took a while to get used to a new UI layout, but once I got the hang of it, the thugs feared my presence. The side stories were a fun activity alongside the main story, and a lot can be done while naturally driving around the city. In combat, I felt that Batman was much more capable of quickly dispatching crowds of enemies, thanks to the new suit. I would have scored this higher, but the numerous crashes I got while gliding around got tiresome. Not something I expect for an eight-year-old game originally for an older generation of consoles.

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.

Better than the first game in every way. Adding a Dog companion works great, even when playing solo, as you can have two builds active simultaneously, flicking between them with a quick button press. Many of the quality-of-life changes I hoped for made it into this game. With a bit more polish, it could be an amazing game. I'm not sure how they did it, but they managed to almost double the size of the world without making it feel like double the work. I eagerly await the next game this studio makes and will be excited to see their name pop up in trailers in the future.

My playthrough was done solo as a Summoner Necromancer, granting me a horde of Skeletons to do my bidding. While the gameplay is fun, it can be repetitive as you rely on the same handful of skills during every fight. There were even times when I felt myself falling asleep. I think this is a game best enjoyed playing co-op with friends to help keep yourself engaged. The low-toned music is kept very much in the background, which doesn't help keep you immersed. There are more cutscenes this time around, which shifts the perspective from its isometric default, allowing you to see the character models in more detail. Although, it would have been nice to have more of them. I will likely continue chipping away at the extra content and difficulty levels unlocked after beating the story.

This is certainly a game that exists that has people in it doing things. Visually, the game is pretty, with a lot of vibrant colours. The little creatures, called Rot (bad name), are somewhat cute and finding them is satisfying. However, aside from populating the world as you walk around, they are devoid of any real personality, much like all the other characters in the game. The combat gives a lot of pushback, but I did find myself dying to either the bad camera or lucky hits. Even though I finished the main story, I couldn't tell you what it was about, nor do I care enough to figure it out. It's something you could play if you needed to kill some time, and you got it for free.

My time with Sea of Stars was a joy, and I crave more games like it. In combat, you can use precise button presses to either increase outgoing damage or reduce incoming damage. The timing varies depending on the creature and attacks, so learning those is satisfying. That being said, they aren't mandatory, just a nice bonus. If you find it too difficult, there are a series of relics to make it easier or difficult in various ways. Some are given from the near start, while others are either found or bought in-game. I'm always blown away by what some people can do with pixel art, as the world and characters are full of life and personality. My only criticism is that the game can get repetitive since each party member only has three or four skills, and that's with only a few playable characters.