POPKONI
9 reviews liked by POPKONI
coining the term "xenoblade syndrome" for when people think something is the peak of the medium because they haven't engaged with the medium all that much
whatever. overrated as hell
Yakuza Kiwami
2016
This review contains spoilers
kiwami is a mess and such a disappointing sequel to zero. i get that it's their first shot at a yakuza game but even then it's only decent at that.
the story is the most underwhelming part about the game, i didnt care about any of the characters especially the ones introduced in kiwami and the ones that were introduced in zero either appeared in 2 cutscenes or died which was really disappointing because they built them up to be this cool interesting character just to fucking hit the gutter in their first scene. not only that but the bosses are also garbage, they felt like they were made on the ps2 and they were such a slog to go through aside from the majima boss fights which were really fun fights. speaking of, the best part about this game are the kiwami exclusive content like majima everywhere, it's such a fun side thing and the boss fights are both challenging and fun, it got annoying sometimes but i can excuse it because they're so funny. the nishiki cutscenes are also a really good addition because it fleshes out his character and without it, it really doesn't make sense why he turned bad.
the substories also took a big hit, what was some of my favorite parts in zero turned into some of the most boring things i've played in a while with the repetitive and formulaic nature of most of them. i can remember like 2 substories from this game compared to the like 10 in zero. karaoke also sucks in this game btw.
the combat is really fun though i'll give it that, the street fights were some of the highlights of the game. the way they handled style switching in this game is really great it made the combat more fun to play around with. (i know the style switching upgrade is a thing in zero but it's locked to an accessory (sucks)) this just makes the boss fights even more disappointing because the combat is so great and free form until you're forced to play a specific way for the bosses which goes against the freestyle gameplay it's going for (looking at you kiwami heat actions).
overall while i do get it's supposed to be a faithful remake but i think it's to its detriment. i saw a review saying it's a ps2 game masked with ps4 graphics and i wholeheartedly agree with that. what sucks most is that there's glimpses of kiwami being a solid game with the kiwami exclusive content but is so overruled by the stuff from the original yakuza 1.
the story is the most underwhelming part about the game, i didnt care about any of the characters especially the ones introduced in kiwami and the ones that were introduced in zero either appeared in 2 cutscenes or died which was really disappointing because they built them up to be this cool interesting character just to fucking hit the gutter in their first scene. not only that but the bosses are also garbage, they felt like they were made on the ps2 and they were such a slog to go through aside from the majima boss fights which were really fun fights. speaking of, the best part about this game are the kiwami exclusive content like majima everywhere, it's such a fun side thing and the boss fights are both challenging and fun, it got annoying sometimes but i can excuse it because they're so funny. the nishiki cutscenes are also a really good addition because it fleshes out his character and without it, it really doesn't make sense why he turned bad.
the substories also took a big hit, what was some of my favorite parts in zero turned into some of the most boring things i've played in a while with the repetitive and formulaic nature of most of them. i can remember like 2 substories from this game compared to the like 10 in zero. karaoke also sucks in this game btw.
the combat is really fun though i'll give it that, the street fights were some of the highlights of the game. the way they handled style switching in this game is really great it made the combat more fun to play around with. (i know the style switching upgrade is a thing in zero but it's locked to an accessory (sucks)) this just makes the boss fights even more disappointing because the combat is so great and free form until you're forced to play a specific way for the bosses which goes against the freestyle gameplay it's going for (looking at you kiwami heat actions).
overall while i do get it's supposed to be a faithful remake but i think it's to its detriment. i saw a review saying it's a ps2 game masked with ps4 graphics and i wholeheartedly agree with that. what sucks most is that there's glimpses of kiwami being a solid game with the kiwami exclusive content but is so overruled by the stuff from the original yakuza 1.
HOOOOLY SHIT
dragon quest 3 is truly deserving of its legendary status! this game hit all the right spots for me, and i loved every second of it. admittedly, a lot of my enjoyment for this game is pretty subjective, and i just really, really vibe with the atmosphere, world, design, story etc. but even looking at it objectively, it's astounding to think that the granddaddy of RPGs did so many things right so early. hell, as an adventure game, i feel like there are only a few games that match its quality, like BOTW. every single thing you do on the side as you explore somehow ends up tying into how you tackle the main story, and i've never felt more off-rails playing an RPG-- yet, it still doesn't fall into the frustrating hole of being TOO cryptic, because everywhere you go has just enough nuggets of information about other places or secrets to find. in my opinion, even 33 years after its release, dragon quest 3's near-perfect balance of conveyance and blind exploration has yet to be matched by any adventure game that has ever come after.
with it being so old, though, it's impossible for it not to show at least SOME age, and it becomes obvious through things like the encounter rate, some dungeon designs, and small quality of life aspects that are usually addressed in more modern RPGs. i played this on snes9x, and while i usually try to avoid using the speed-up function for any game to get the intended experience, i will admit that there were several times during my playthrough where i ended up fast-forwarding through small frustrating/boring sections.
despite its flaws, i can confidently say that dragon quest 3 won my heart ten times over. i wholeheartedly believe that its pros vastly outweigh its cons, and it's definitely going down as one of my favorite games of all time. 5/5. anxiously awaiting the hd-2d remake!
(p.s. backloggd pls add a "played on super famicom" option)
with it being so old, though, it's impossible for it not to show at least SOME age, and it becomes obvious through things like the encounter rate, some dungeon designs, and small quality of life aspects that are usually addressed in more modern RPGs. i played this on snes9x, and while i usually try to avoid using the speed-up function for any game to get the intended experience, i will admit that there were several times during my playthrough where i ended up fast-forwarding through small frustrating/boring sections.
despite its flaws, i can confidently say that dragon quest 3 won my heart ten times over. i wholeheartedly believe that its pros vastly outweigh its cons, and it's definitely going down as one of my favorite games of all time. 5/5. anxiously awaiting the hd-2d remake!
(p.s. backloggd pls add a "played on super famicom" option)
Great! I knew that groove was in your heart! T-T-T-T-The millionaire fighting 2001 is about to begin! Hardcore fans have been eagerly anticipating this event, and now the waiting is finally over! Check your training wheels at the door, ladies and gentlemen, this is gonna be one incredible battle that won't easily be forgotten! The time has come when the new history is going to unfold. You can feel the intensity in the air as the hopes, dreams, and hearts of these warriors are about to be put to the ultimate test of skill! What they are after is the title of the WORLD'S STRONGEST!
N-N-N-N-Now, are you ready to get it on?
N-N-N-N-Now, are you ready to get it on?
Tsukihime
2000
the dialogue circles into itself over and over and over again and it drives me fucking insane, this game would have half the runtime if the characters didn't repeat things they said a second ago to each other over and over again
also, you'd think a visual novel would better understand the concept of "show, don't tell". everything that happens is so on-the-nose and there isn't a single moment that is allowed to just exist, to speak for itself. it's always undercut by some unnecessary narration that barely adds any substance, like shiki watched too much dora the explorer or something.
i hear nasu has some great concepts in this story and i genuinely don't doubt that. i thought the first "insanity" scene was legitimately gripping to an extent (i feel it then kept going, inflated itself, went around in circles and then overstayed its welcome-- like okay, i get it can we keep this shit running), but i feel like these "good ideas" might end up being executed quite roughly if the game continues to follow these trends.
i might update this as i continue, but i'm just thoroughly frustrated with the experience so far
also, you'd think a visual novel would better understand the concept of "show, don't tell". everything that happens is so on-the-nose and there isn't a single moment that is allowed to just exist, to speak for itself. it's always undercut by some unnecessary narration that barely adds any substance, like shiki watched too much dora the explorer or something.
i hear nasu has some great concepts in this story and i genuinely don't doubt that. i thought the first "insanity" scene was legitimately gripping to an extent (i feel it then kept going, inflated itself, went around in circles and then overstayed its welcome-- like okay, i get it can we keep this shit running), but i feel like these "good ideas" might end up being executed quite roughly if the game continues to follow these trends.
i might update this as i continue, but i'm just thoroughly frustrated with the experience so far
THIS IS A ME SIMULATOR
THIS HAPPENED TO MY FRIEND BAM ONCE
