Wonder how much I'll be playing as Zack throughout the game, even got his own moveset (albeit limited).

Strange they had me replay the opening portion of Nibelheim before allowing the option to skip forward. Has me worried some of the choices in this section have weight no matter how small. I encountered a bug, unsure to if it's a result of the save data transfer or if I'm just unlucky, but the prompt to play Tifa's theme never came up so I ended being ridiculed by my party members.

This works well as tutorial into game, and it's real power trip being able to finally play as Sephiroth, although it does demystify him to a degree. In the original game you were never granted control over his actions, you simply weren't powerful enough to do that. Here Cloud's (Zack) at the same level which makes him feel like a significantly lesser deal.

My biggest complaint with the flashback sequence is iconic burning of Nibelheim scene. Cloud gets injured and has to slowly limp to his Mother's house, but oh no! fallen debris means I have to go around. When I first went through this scene in demo, I walked around dumbfounded for at least 15 seconds thinking I had to turn the valves to put out the fire. The abruptness of the original is lost, and I generally believe it would've been far better if cloud retained his normal movement speed, don't force the player to loop around, just block that way off from the start. Then once the water tower falls, maybe you could have cloud injure himself. Perhaps this was done so dialogue couldn't be missed, but to me whether or not the player hears the dialogue to irrelevant to highlighting the chaos of the situation.

The following scene with Sephiroth shouldn't have been bound to the player. I decided to not move and scene plays out by itself until only 1 villager and the mayor remain. But why? It really undercuts the tension when you know the events unfolding around you are within some form of control of the player. I also don't like how the villagers just... stand there. Not one of them fires a shot, just unnecessarily dragged out for no reason.

I enjoyed the interaction of the party in the inn. Interesting to see them integrate that proposed scene with Tifa discussing the inconsistencies with Cloud's narrative from early drafts of the original script. The developers said they wanted to give Sephiroth more presence, and I REALLY hope this first instance isn't a sign for what's to come. He appears briefly to sow some doubt into Cloud's mind, but having him ask Tifa (which his does) alone would have sufficed. Subtlety, every heard of it?

Narratively I liked the raid on Kalm, just wish it didn't play out as a tedious scripted "stealth" sequence. Seriously, does Square Enix honestly believe that people enjoy this fake tension?

As for my general first impressions; the open world feels uninspired in many regards. The typical tower format is less useful here than in other games, since most activities already have obvious indicators for finding them in world. They don't even clear out the ugly fog on the region map (and for crying out loud, when will Square learn to stop making these over-detailed maps and then use the blurry, zoomed-in, illegible image of it for the minimap?).

The rest of the activities quickly became monotonous, and I'm not even out the first area yet! Also, I absolutely abhor the fact that Chadley can now bother me where ever and whenever he wants. You know what could be worse than having one chadley? How about two!?. Yeah, just because you make them a cute gender-swapped version doesn't alleviate the annoyance. I just tune out her prattling during monster intel; the worse part about missing out on objectives is that retrying forces you to listen to the same lore dump again, and again, and again...

Though to offer some praise, I do genuinely think the side quests are better now. The protorelic one dragged on a bit, but otherwise each felt more substantial. I enjoy Queen's Blood, and look forward to when it opens up to five rows.

Combat is identical to Remake, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Aerial combat sees changes, instead of melee characters automatically jumping when they attack, you need to use an action that'll send you airborne. Folios take the place of the individual weapon core system, and subsequently the process of upgrading weapons has been streamlined. I think this is a good change and removes a lot of tedious menuing.

Felt it been long enough since I played this to warrant revisiting it. Choose 'Hard' difficulty this time round, and oh boy; I've died at least half a dozen times already (not including EMMI encounters).

Oddly, I seemed to recall the game looking better when I first played, and that was on the same TV I'm currently using. The visuals don't look terrible or anything, but it's the models are more designed for the zoomed out perspective the game plays at, rather than the close ups frequently in cutscenes.

Speaking of, found the structure of the opening really confusing. The game jarring cuts from Samus descending towards to the planet to her immediately being unconscious. This may've had some purpose if they withheld the knowledge of what transpired until slightly later, but instead you get a flashback to the entire event literally seconds after. Would've it have been better if they played through the events chronologically and built the suspense up to meeting Raven Beak? perhaps follow it up with an unwinnable boss, giving us a taste of Samus' full strength while showing how outmatched we are. Definitely an odd choice.

Enemies tend to kill me in 2-3 hits, if not one, so I need to play more attentively. Though you recover most of your energy through counters, which kind leads me to just using that one move since it's the more rewarding.

Revisiting this game after...12 years I think? Never got around to replaying the original prior to the release of 'Remake', but now with 'Rebirth' on the horizon (and covering more material to actually compare with), I figured now was the perfect time to do so.

Made a pretty bad first impression on Aerith (Yes, I went with that spelling). That minigame involving the barrels is unfair since you taking shots in the dark as where the barrels go, doesn't help the first camera focus tricks me into using the wrong barrel. Thankfully, early encounters are pathetic so no harm done (She hates me).

Speaking of which, I find the entire midgar section way to easy. I know it's the tutorial, but could these enemies at least try to put up a fight?

Spruced up Cloud real good, and managed to get picked by Don Conero, which I don't recall doing on my first playthrough. Took advantage of my knowledge to snag a few good items early, like the 'Striking Staff', and a 'Carbon Bangle'. Tried going for a 'Hardedge', but the steal rates are atrocious and I'm not that committed to early game boost.

I felt like the 2nd half didn't quite match the 1st half in terms of quality. Still fun mind you, but levels kind of dragged during the latter portions of the game. Xen wasn't as bad as I'd heard people say in the past, though it could've been better.

I actually had to look how to perform a long jump.

You know I truly have my doubts regarding Gordon's credibility as a scientist. After coming to work late, he immediately tampers with the security desk computer, and then proceeds to; harass his co-workers; flick all the lights on and off; cause soup in a microwave to explode; expel all of the cans in the vending machines; and invade the privacy of two scientists in the restroom. To top it all off, he even jumpstarts a resonance cascade resulting in the outbreak of an alien army and killing majority of the staff employed at Black Mesa!

Although to be fair if not for him I wouldn't be playing the game so there's a silver lining to the chaos. Hard to believe Valve used to make games, wonder why they don't do that anymore. Despite showing it's age and the clunky interactions with the environment, it holds up surprising well for a game released back in 1998. Again, my biggest qualms so far are the really annoying hitboxes for environmental hazards, I died at least half a dozen times on 'Chapter 8: On A Rail' because I jumped off to close to the edge of the train and go squished. Fans are a nuisance likewise, and I gave up trying to get ammo from behind one after failing a few times.

Gunplay is solid, but enemies often can feel like bullet sponges, but this might just be down to me not using the right weapons or attacking or the correct time. The magnum can one-shot several of the medium sized creatures and turrets. I found out shooting the green-psychic blasting guys while they're charging up deals more damage so it pays to be risky.

Currently 2/3 of the way through so I'll probably finish this next session. I haven't been playing too many games recently because I've been too busy playing the hit new release 'seasonal depression' and so far it's been a downer to be quite honest.

Considering the hardware the game runs quite well, haven't encounter any dramatic FPS drop even during the large scale kaiju sections. Of course this did come at the cost of poor resolution, which does get particularly bad at some points, but it's a price I'm willing to pay for performance.

Still getting my bearings with the game, both gameplay and narrative. I've never actually play the prior two games (I own them, just never got around to playing) so I'm completely lost on what's going on. Wasn't expecting a multiverse story, and I don't think any homages will register with me.

Gameplay is devil may cry esque but with big monsters, still not used to combining bayonetta's moveset with her demons.

Welp, I suppose that's the end of that. Obtained 100% completion, all that was left to do was the arena, some minigames, and grinding the rest of the gotcha, which wasn't nearly as daunting as I thought it was going to be. Found out after there were some secret rooms and HAL rooms I didn't find, but I'm not going bother. Afterall, what's the worth in uncovering a secret that's already been discovered.

Really enjoyed my time with Forgotten Land, while it might've been too easy for the bulk of it's playtime, and even the latter challenges can be trivalised with Morpho Knight, it kept me entertained.

Seriously, what is it with modern Nintendo titles and the seemingly mandatory requirement to include gacha into the mix. Like this isn't at all going to affect my enjoyment of the game, but why has it become so commonplace lately?

The choice to not include SFX in the cinematic CGI cutscenes is interesting, though I'm sure if it's been executed in the best manner. Sometimes the music doesn't quite pair up with the visuals which makes me feel like there's a technical issue despite not actually being one.

Even so, it's hard to be upset with the game when it's so abundantly charming. Mouthful mode is just wonderfully silly, and the animations really help highlight these moments.

Already racked up over a 1000 deaths, most of which are the result me using a thumbstick as opposed to the D-Pad. I know these games are better played that way, but I just can't go against my natural reflex to move my thumb towards the stick. So far, the games pretty good, each chapter introduces a new mechanic or iterates on a previous one, so the game stays fresh. However, some chapters are also accompanied by a sort of gauntlet or chase sequence and these tend to drag. I think this because the screens are way longer so dying will force you repeat the same movements over and over (skill issue, I know). I felt this most during the goth Madeline "boss" where hitting them the first few times is simple, and then the last hit requires a bit more technicality and then I die and have to repeat the same section prior.

Overall, I am enjoying myself, can't deny the clear degree of love and passion poured into it. The Pico-8 being a great example of putting effort into something so pointless. I like how it even foreshadows the double dash ability you unlock later. My biggest worry is in regards to 100% completion since the levels are fairly long and block off backtracking at certain points, so I'll really need to heavily scrutinise every spot when redoing chapters.

With nothing much left to beside the Troupe and Godhome, I figured it best to "finish" the game. My strength + quick slash charm loadout made fast work of the Hollow Knight, however, Radiance proved far tougher.
Took around 5-6 tries, I ended getting lucky with both where she spawned and the attack used, letting me safely hit her from under in the 3rd phase. Finally rid the infection from Hallownest, shame I couldn't save Myla and Cloth, but I suppose no cost is too great for saving the land. My in-game completion is timed at 33 hours, less then what I've recorded, perhaps time in menu's isn't counted for leniency while speedrunning.

Did Grimm's fetch quest with new born son, annoying you always have to spend two charm notches on them when challenging Grimm. I managed to beat his 1st form on the 3rd attempt by playing it safe; which I can already tell from my first try at NIGHTMARE KING GRIMM isn't going to work out. Maybe if I equip the shape of unn and heal during the bat phase.

After some cooking preparations, I was off to defeat Ganondorf. Since I had made the trip down earlier in my playthrough by accident, I had no qualms about skipping most of with flying vehicles. The final dive down to the boss arena set the mood quite nicely.

Before facing off with Ganondorf, we must deal with his army. The sages entrances were pretty cheesy but nonetheless I enjoyed seeing them come in. The hardest part of the gauntlet was actually being able to see things through all the sages running around in front of the camera. The lock-on here was especially annoying and caused me to take several hits.

The showdown with Ganondorf was great, and I prefer this over the Calamity Ganon boss from BoTW. Didn't expect him to perfect dodge my attacks, and I had to pay attention to how he was going to swing his sword. The 2nd phase is where really starts though, loved how the health bar just kept going. The fact he can break break your hearts really adds tension, there's some OoT technique incorporated into the fight with you being to deflect the dark energy orbs he shoots out back with the master sword. Genuinely regret that I was so overprepared because it robbed me of having a challenging and satisfying fight.

The dragon fight was likewise, an improvement over the beast from BoTW, though this was more focused on spectacle then being a proper fight. I had some trouble with Zelda not getting into the right position. Overall, an excellent final boss.

Now...that ending. I don't agree with the decision to bring Zelda back as it underscores the sacrifice she made to revitalise the master sword. Doesn't help matters that the means in which the game achieves this happy resolution feels pulled out of nowhere. Spirits have been a confusing facet of both titles, how does one become a spirit? and why do some persist longer than others? King Rhoam could assume a tangible physical form that could interact with the environment, can the other spirits do that? But relevant to the ending, how does Rauru return after supposedly dying at the beginning of the game? Was his essence residing in the arm? More importantly where on Hyrule did Sonia come from? This all feels improvised by the writers just so that they could parallel the scene where Link fails to reach Zelda, and sure; this is a powerful moment. However, having to break it's own rules to create moment just wasn't worth it. I didn't feel anything for either Rauru or Sonia's "Death", mainly because I didn't really know much about them, but also because they've already killed Rauru off twice before.

All that aside, I did enjoy my time with Tears of the Kingdom, despite my many annoyances with certain design decisions and disappointments in regards to other aspects. I've completed the majority of side adventures, but I still have over half the side quest left to do. Though, I've racked up 150 hours or so, feeling rather burnt out. I might return when I'm more keen, but for now this is where I'm getting off the Zelda train.

The result of adding GMod to the base formula of 'BotW'. Of course the ominous mural was covered by boulders; shame Link didn't pull out his bombs! Separated from Zelda (again) and left with but 3 hearts it's off the 'Great Sky Islands'. This serves as the tutorial stage akin to the 'Great Plateau'; I think I spent far longer here just playing around with ultrahand which is basically magnesis but now with super glue.

QoL improvements are welcome, but I find the omission of convenience elsewhere perplexing. Arrow types have been replaced with the ability to fuse any material to an arrow for different effects. In order to attach materials to an arrow, you need to open the quick menu and select it. Each. Time. While not as annoying in puzzle rooms where the usage is situational and one-time, it's a nuisance in combat and interrupts the flow. The lack of reworks to the melee combat are probably my complaints at the moment since that was most lacklustre part of 'BotW'. I know the combat's more based around your knowledge of the game's rules and that the bulk of it's depth lies in the interaction between the player's abilities / items and the environment, but flurry rush is too powerful of an option for so little required that simplifies most one-on-one encounters.

Though I've really enjoyed the new range of powers Link has. Creating abominations of science is fun, and 'Rewind' allows me to essentially create elevator anywhere. Favourite shrine currently is the once involving the construction of hot-air balloons.

I wonder if it's become a mandate at Nintendo to include at least some gacha element to their games because both 'Link's Awakening' and XC3 featured gacha machines to get items.

---------------------[Playing on 'Demanding']--------------------

Immediately upon starting I'm struck with the shocking revelation that most characters now talk, have dialogue, and even feature voice acting. Feel very conflicted about the decision, but I'm not ready to go in depth until further into the game.

As for my impressions regarding the gameplay, 'Sparks of Hope' completely overhauls the combat and exploration structure of 'Kingdom Battle'. The most notable positive change is that Mario isn't required to be on the team anymore. In 'Kingdom Battle' I'd often be working around having Mario in my team and it limited my strategies, so having the requisite removed opens so much more freedom for experimentation. The game makes a departure from tile based movement in favour for being able to move freely around an area. This does mean I'm less likely to accidently misinput and completely fuck up battles so that's welcome. Movement ends once you attack though so can't cheese the smasher type enemies as easily anymore.

Certain aspects have been streamlined and integrated with the new Sparks mechanic. Every character now only has one distinct weapon and a single 'signature' technique. Of course each is entirely unique and have different functions, but Super Effects are no longer tied to weapons rather are temporary buffs from Sparks, which allows you to pass the effects around to whoever you want giving much more flexibility. Likewise, several techniques from the previous game have been turned into sparks and be used by any character.

Also, visually the game is downgraded from 'Kingdom Battle' in my opinion.

Beat all the ultimate challenges and obtained 100% completion. Now I can finally say I've thoroughly played this game start to finish at least once, justifying a 5+ year purchase.

UC-1 and UC-4 weren't anywhere as difficult as UC-2, the toad escort level took awhile but it was a breeze mostly. UC-4 needed one retry but otherwise relatively easy.

UC-2 is what took a bit time, something would always go wrong during the last wave. To mitigate the issue with enemies piling up to fast, I got a sentry stuck on the top platform so it would denotate as soon as the first wave spawned. This made it drastically easier to kill them all before the final two waves. Even kept everyone alive so I'm happy with the end result.

Don't think I'll bother with the co-op levels. Prefer to get on with Sparks of Hope.

---------------------[Playing on 'Normal Mode']--------------------

Wrapped up the remainder of items; the last missile expansion I was missing turned out to be the most obvious one "hidden" under the bridge in Transport Tunnel B. I've probably walked across that bridge almost a dozen times during my playthrough yet I never thought to check under it. But with that I'd collected 100% of items and was prepared for the final confrontation(s).

Meta Ridley was visually cool and I liked how he flew around the arena and swooped in to bombard you with missiles. However, the way the boss is paced felt unbalanced with the last 10% of his HP taking up the back 2/3s of the fight. I get it's supposed to be a "You think this is over? The REAL fight starts now" kind of thing but Ripley only has 3 different attacks and once you've got the telegraphs down it quickly becomes monotonous as you follow the procedure of: [stun -> shoot -> repeat]. It's possible to hit their weak point with a super missile but the timing is very tight and I'd already exhausted my supplies earlier in the fight so I was stuck using regular missiles which took SO long. Overall, kind of lacklustre for all the build up it received throughout the game.

The area leading up to the battle with Metroid Prime seemed unnecessary to me. It wasn't long enough for the atmosphere to sink in (the constant swarm of Metroids don't help either) and at the same time it just interrupted the pacing to have me do some basic platforming.

As for Metroid Prime themselves I'll say the boss suffers from a lack of phases to spice things up much like the other bosses in this game. It was nice how the 1st form made use of the morph ball and that you had to keep switching visors during its 2nd to keep track of it. Though despite being one of the better bosses of Prime it still felt underwhelming.

This marks the end of my 1st playthrough of this game; if I do return to Prime I'll most certainly be playing on hard. I died a total of 6 times with half of those attributed to getting stuck in a hazardous substance and just dying to reset. I had to rely on an online guide for a few of the items I was missing but otherwise this was entirely blind.

---------------------[Playing on 'Normal Mode']--------------------

I've committed the grave sin of buying a Nintendo Switch game digitally; breaking my streak of purchased physical copies. I just couldn't help myself and wait until it released over where I live. Now, the 6.8GB will forever remind me of my shame and lack of self-control over my own desires...

That aside the game so far is pretty good, featuring an updated control scheme from the original GameCube release. The game is still built around the 'lock-on' with mechanics like 'dashing' tied to it; so the ease of free-aim shouldn't affect the gameplay in any negative capacity.

The opening sequence was tight and action packed and gives you a taste of power before stripping it from you. It somewhat betrays the slower feeling of roaming across Tallon IV but nonetheless a great opening. If I had to bring up one issue so far its that the scanning does get a bit annoying given you'll practically be discovering new things in every next room disrupting the pacing slightly.

Interestingly after beating Flaahgra and leaving the Chozo Ruins the frequency of scanning decreases whenever this marks the end of the tutorial or that this specific area is devoid of scannable objects remains to be seen.

Finally got around to trying this; been on my radar for awhile.

As for my first impressions:

The introduction sequence was pretty good, showcased a mix of its various gameplay styles. I think given my minimally acted upon fondness for bullet hells may result in bias towards this game.

Controls feel good to use; but the timing window for dodges might be a bit too lenient as I found dodge spamming certain phases to be a viable strategy. I imagine that timing window will only increase as I progress further into the game.

Obviously just entered the tutorial section and its kind of jarring pacing wise after such a bombastic opening but I've played enough JRPGs to completion that it's of little consequence to me.

Playing XC2 + Torna shortly beforehand without any break period was a mistake. I'm still feeling the burnout from those games, time will tell if I end up shelving this temporarily.

Despite that, I'll continue to soldier onward. The opening cinematics reek of polish and that additional Dev time really shines through. Not sure if the production quality will remain consistent throughout but nonetheless excited to see what's in store for the next entry.

» Review In Progress (Indefinitely)