KnownForBS
The only reason I'm giving this higher than one star is because of Ned Flanders. He really is that guy.
2016
This one hurts.
As someone who had waited for this game when it was originally "Final Fantasy Versus XIII" for TEN YEARS, I wanted what Square Enix would call their magnum opus. THE Final Fantasy game that stood the test of time and beats the rest.
Yet it just... isn't. There ARE good things about this game that it has going for it, don't get me wrong. The graphics are absolutely stunning, even for a base PS4. The character DESIGNS are memorable, and the music is what you expect, completely solid.
And yet, for every positive it feels like, there's always a net negative at the whole, where therein lies the main issue: it just feels like a waste of absolute potential. I'll always have fond memories cooking with the boys, I just wish Square didn't leave this in the oven for it to burn.
As someone who had waited for this game when it was originally "Final Fantasy Versus XIII" for TEN YEARS, I wanted what Square Enix would call their magnum opus. THE Final Fantasy game that stood the test of time and beats the rest.
Yet it just... isn't. There ARE good things about this game that it has going for it, don't get me wrong. The graphics are absolutely stunning, even for a base PS4. The character DESIGNS are memorable, and the music is what you expect, completely solid.
And yet, for every positive it feels like, there's always a net negative at the whole, where therein lies the main issue: it just feels like a waste of absolute potential. I'll always have fond memories cooking with the boys, I just wish Square didn't leave this in the oven for it to burn.
American Wasteland is an interesting game, but not for the reasons you may expect.
It felt like after Tony Hawk's Underground 2, Neversoft possibly made their best games ever with the Underground duology. Refined gameplay that could match no other, iconic locales, amazing choices for a soundtrack - where could they go from here?
Well, it's a bit of a double-edged sword. For me, I think the gameplay is still well-intact with the fluid, vast options you have to get as many combos racking up as possible for the high score. Though admittedly, I don't think in terms of locales - and especially characters - it doesn't reach the highs of what Underground had provided.
An all around good game still, though it's best to go in with the mindset of knowing that this was the start of an period where Neversoft was trying to find their footing after THUG2.
It felt like after Tony Hawk's Underground 2, Neversoft possibly made their best games ever with the Underground duology. Refined gameplay that could match no other, iconic locales, amazing choices for a soundtrack - where could they go from here?
Well, it's a bit of a double-edged sword. For me, I think the gameplay is still well-intact with the fluid, vast options you have to get as many combos racking up as possible for the high score. Though admittedly, I don't think in terms of locales - and especially characters - it doesn't reach the highs of what Underground had provided.
An all around good game still, though it's best to go in with the mindset of knowing that this was the start of an period where Neversoft was trying to find their footing after THUG2.
2015
In the universe of Yakuza / Like a Dragon, this is the beginning of it all. For RGG Studio? This was just another Friday.
What seemed like a last ditch effort on all fronts - be it from RGG Studio to get more people into the franchise, or Sega of America to see if people still have any interest for the franchise - it succeeds at doing something rare few other video game series can provide: an experience you can never get anywhere else.
You can tell in various aspects the years of refinement that these developers put into this one package - the story, after 5 mainline entries and a few spinoffs here and there, nails everything you love about Yakuza perfectly. Kiryu's origin story is nothing short of a bombastic blast, and yet even then, it doubles the gameplay and package with the long-awaited campaign of Goro Majima.
And what you get is a double-decker beast of a thrilling, emotional story, enthralling side stories, fantastic gameplay, and no doubt 100s of hours of your life lost because of the Pocket Circuit minigame. Or mahjong. Or fishing.
Or you just wanna see Majima dance his heart out or see the funny dame donny.
What seemed like a last ditch effort on all fronts - be it from RGG Studio to get more people into the franchise, or Sega of America to see if people still have any interest for the franchise - it succeeds at doing something rare few other video game series can provide: an experience you can never get anywhere else.
You can tell in various aspects the years of refinement that these developers put into this one package - the story, after 5 mainline entries and a few spinoffs here and there, nails everything you love about Yakuza perfectly. Kiryu's origin story is nothing short of a bombastic blast, and yet even then, it doubles the gameplay and package with the long-awaited campaign of Goro Majima.
And what you get is a double-decker beast of a thrilling, emotional story, enthralling side stories, fantastic gameplay, and no doubt 100s of hours of your life lost because of the Pocket Circuit minigame. Or mahjong. Or fishing.
Or you just wanna see Majima dance his heart out or see the funny dame donny.
2006
The quintessential role-playing game that defies all pre-conceptions and is still, to this day, the greatest video game Nintendo has ever published.
From it's troubled development from the Nintendo 64DD days, all the way up until the release on the GBA, it's easy to see the hard work, blood, sweat and tears put into making an immaculate work of art
The graphics led by it's delightful artstyle is something truly to behold, same goes for it's soundtrack. Shogo Sakai should be among legends such as Koji Kondo and Nobuo Uematsu for orchestrating a score like this with the soundfont the GBA provides.
Alongside a story that'll leave you as the marketing says, "funny, strange and heartrending", it's no wonder why fans still to this day demand for a localization. Play it now.
From it's troubled development from the Nintendo 64DD days, all the way up until the release on the GBA, it's easy to see the hard work, blood, sweat and tears put into making an immaculate work of art
The graphics led by it's delightful artstyle is something truly to behold, same goes for it's soundtrack. Shogo Sakai should be among legends such as Koji Kondo and Nobuo Uematsu for orchestrating a score like this with the soundfont the GBA provides.
Alongside a story that'll leave you as the marketing says, "funny, strange and heartrending", it's no wonder why fans still to this day demand for a localization. Play it now.
Never gotten the chance to really sit down and play Metroid Prime comfortably, but thanks to the efforts of Retro Studios and others, there has never been a better time to play this masterpiece.
The new dual stick controls really were home for a 3D Metroid newcomer like myself, and immersing myself in the world of Tallon IV thanks to the new graphical overhaul was a sight to behold. Soundtrack is quite literally perfect, as they only heightened the bitrate and that was it.
If there are a list of games you should play before you either pass on or quit the hobby, this should be at the top.
The new dual stick controls really were home for a 3D Metroid newcomer like myself, and immersing myself in the world of Tallon IV thanks to the new graphical overhaul was a sight to behold. Soundtrack is quite literally perfect, as they only heightened the bitrate and that was it.
If there are a list of games you should play before you either pass on or quit the hobby, this should be at the top.