PagliacciProtoJ
2015
This game... I have a lot of feelings. The story, setting, lore and vibes are incredible. The combat is nearly perfect with two glaring exceptions. There is a lot to love, and very little to dislike.
My biggest personal complaints come from the combat. Throughout the game the incoming damage scales very oddly. This results in dozens of scenarios where the player takes massive incoming damage bordering the level of unfair. I see the potential in the rally system to reclaim some of that health, but that requires an incredibly solid foundational understanding of the combat system. "Just dodge and hit!" is how the combat seems. The depth of parrying, learning openings, and smart positioning are all key to winning basically any encounter. The other major problem I have is the "Counterattack" damage, an unspoken rule. The game punishes players by dealing additional damage if they are over-comitted. If you dodge too early or too late, you take extra damage. If you're mid-swing or mid-shot... extra damage.
Those complaints aside, the mastery of combat feels incredible. The use of items and hunter tools to augment your power feels great. The flow of transformation attacks and combo strings with weapons are generally incredible.
An incredibly overlooked aspect of the game lies in the Chalice Dungeons. Plenty of people who are entrenched in the game and communities may be aware of this incredible well of content, but I am always sad to see a new player miss out on it! The hidden wealth of Blood Gems, EXP, Additional Weaponry and unique enemies is amazing. This is the only reason I dont think the game lacks enemy variety.
All told, Bloodborne is a short and incredibly action packed game. Some combat balance issues plague it, in my opinion, but there are many ways to level up and play around those issues. There's a reason that people are still playong and talking about this game 9 years later.
My biggest personal complaints come from the combat. Throughout the game the incoming damage scales very oddly. This results in dozens of scenarios where the player takes massive incoming damage bordering the level of unfair. I see the potential in the rally system to reclaim some of that health, but that requires an incredibly solid foundational understanding of the combat system. "Just dodge and hit!" is how the combat seems. The depth of parrying, learning openings, and smart positioning are all key to winning basically any encounter. The other major problem I have is the "Counterattack" damage, an unspoken rule. The game punishes players by dealing additional damage if they are over-comitted. If you dodge too early or too late, you take extra damage. If you're mid-swing or mid-shot... extra damage.
Those complaints aside, the mastery of combat feels incredible. The use of items and hunter tools to augment your power feels great. The flow of transformation attacks and combo strings with weapons are generally incredible.
An incredibly overlooked aspect of the game lies in the Chalice Dungeons. Plenty of people who are entrenched in the game and communities may be aware of this incredible well of content, but I am always sad to see a new player miss out on it! The hidden wealth of Blood Gems, EXP, Additional Weaponry and unique enemies is amazing. This is the only reason I dont think the game lacks enemy variety.
All told, Bloodborne is a short and incredibly action packed game. Some combat balance issues plague it, in my opinion, but there are many ways to level up and play around those issues. There's a reason that people are still playong and talking about this game 9 years later.
2021
The second metroid game I've ever played and the only one I've ever beaten. I understand the appeal of the series. I love the exploration and steady pacing of upgrades. The combat, movement and graphics are all unbelievably good. The bosses are truly hit-or-miss, and only about 5 of them are actually unique and as a result quite challenging. The backtracking was overall minimal, mostly left to re-exploring areas in new rooms you haven't been to, or a new environment. The game teaches you a lot through trial and error, which can be frustrating if your general catalogue has been much more forgiving like I feel mine has.
I think the amount of upgrades was baffling. Late in the game you have about a dozen abilities you have to remember at any given moment. They pile on quickly because the game is fairly short. The weapon and damage upgrades are odd because the minute you get something new, there is now an enemy that's somehow immune to it. This game and I'm sure the franchise as a whole don't really coddle you or hold your hand in many ways - not a critique or a complaint. As someone basically new to this specific franchise it took some time to adapt to and by the time I was done adapting the game was already over.
The EMMI sections are thrilling at the beginning of the game, but there are so many of them that by the end it was just exhausting. In two specific instances this was very annoying because you are trapped under water moving at a snail's pace.
Story - 7.5/10 With writing that expanding on cool lore.
Gameplay - 9.5/10 The moment to moment movement and combat are great. The unique bosses are incredible. The number of times you repeat some bosses takes off that last .5
Presentation - 10/10 The game looks stunning, the suits Samus has in this are incredible. Every area has great unique vibes and an attention to background detail that kept making me genuinely say wow.
I think the amount of upgrades was baffling. Late in the game you have about a dozen abilities you have to remember at any given moment. They pile on quickly because the game is fairly short. The weapon and damage upgrades are odd because the minute you get something new, there is now an enemy that's somehow immune to it. This game and I'm sure the franchise as a whole don't really coddle you or hold your hand in many ways - not a critique or a complaint. As someone basically new to this specific franchise it took some time to adapt to and by the time I was done adapting the game was already over.
The EMMI sections are thrilling at the beginning of the game, but there are so many of them that by the end it was just exhausting. In two specific instances this was very annoying because you are trapped under water moving at a snail's pace.
Story - 7.5/10 With writing that expanding on cool lore.
Gameplay - 9.5/10 The moment to moment movement and combat are great. The unique bosses are incredible. The number of times you repeat some bosses takes off that last .5
Presentation - 10/10 The game looks stunning, the suits Samus has in this are incredible. Every area has great unique vibes and an attention to background detail that kept making me genuinely say wow.
2021
This was my first game in the mainline Shin Megami Tensei series. I don't think I could have asked for a more comfortable entry to the franchise. This game took a lot of time for me to adapt to, but I think all of the challenges it presented were enjoyable for the most part. The core loop of making progress and constantly updating your team of demons took some getting used to as a long time pokemon veteran. I really enjoyed the fusion system and how it allows you to create unique versions of demons.
I think some of the dialogue choices that lead to a fixed reaction is something I didn't really enjoy, especially in a game that allows actual dialogue choices that impact the end of the game. Especially because in some moments it's very unclear if those conversations will or won't have any actual impact. But that's a very personal take.
I've had some distance from the game prior to writing this, so I've lost a lot of my general thoughts to the ether. I had fun and it was challenging. Visual presentation was generally good, but 75% of the open world areas are genuinely hard to look at. The combat is incredible when it's going your way, and can turn on you in an instant which was brutal to get used to - again a pokemon fan, I come from games that let you just steam roll your opponents 24/7. I hope SMTVV fixes balance issues and damage scaling, and I can't wait to see this game on something other than 7 year old hardware. 4/5 because there's no Hee-Hobino in this one.
I think some of the dialogue choices that lead to a fixed reaction is something I didn't really enjoy, especially in a game that allows actual dialogue choices that impact the end of the game. Especially because in some moments it's very unclear if those conversations will or won't have any actual impact. But that's a very personal take.
I've had some distance from the game prior to writing this, so I've lost a lot of my general thoughts to the ether. I had fun and it was challenging. Visual presentation was generally good, but 75% of the open world areas are genuinely hard to look at. The combat is incredible when it's going your way, and can turn on you in an instant which was brutal to get used to - again a pokemon fan, I come from games that let you just steam roll your opponents 24/7. I hope SMTVV fixes balance issues and damage scaling, and I can't wait to see this game on something other than 7 year old hardware. 4/5 because there's no Hee-Hobino in this one.
This game is so full of heart and charm. It's so clear to me that the team that worked on it understands not only how to make a fun platformer, but also definitely have a grasp on what makes something a souls-like.
The combat is challenging until you get a solid grasp on it. The use of a skill tree that helps expand the basic combat loop was great. The general stats were a bit bare bones, and you can just power level Attack/Strength/Damage and just hit like a truck. The creativity of the shell system was so fun to explore and find what works for you.
I had an absolute blast from beginning to end. I truly wish there was more to explore because I just had so much fun running through this game and getting every shell.
My only complaints are the general lack of enemy and some music variety, but the unique bosses make up for that in my opinion. There were some performance issues during my playthrough, but it's clear that Aggro Crab is working on releasing some fixes.
The combat is challenging until you get a solid grasp on it. The use of a skill tree that helps expand the basic combat loop was great. The general stats were a bit bare bones, and you can just power level Attack/Strength/Damage and just hit like a truck. The creativity of the shell system was so fun to explore and find what works for you.
I had an absolute blast from beginning to end. I truly wish there was more to explore because I just had so much fun running through this game and getting every shell.
My only complaints are the general lack of enemy and some music variety, but the unique bosses make up for that in my opinion. There were some performance issues during my playthrough, but it's clear that Aggro Crab is working on releasing some fixes.