This was one of my favorite revisits because I did every side quest I could, and that enhanced the story. Unfortunately, quests do get repetitive and using the Mako is SO BORING. Despite that, the shooting and dialogue/decisions really save this game. While the actual content in ME1 is so copy-paste that they repeat bases for every planet, The story around them, even for small short ones is fun to discover. Text boxes do get wordy, But I still want to read what happened on these abandoned facilities and what I can do to help. TLDR, I appreciate ME1 way more than I did 12 years ago when I played it for the first time. I can't wait to see how my decisions affect the story going into ME2 and ME3.

Gameplay wise, this feels like the massive jump from Y1 to 2, and it improves on the gameplay and feel. They clearly took what worked and didn't work about LaD's combat system and improved it tenfold by focusing on positioning.

Storywise.. umm..well... There is much left to be desired.

Storywise this was one of the weakest in the series with weak villains, and the story stagnates a lot. There are great moments, but there wasn't a hook to keep me playing. I felt very disconnected from this title and it didn't surprise me.

This title reminded me a lot of Yakuza 0 where things are set up and the payoff to them is weak, But that game kept you going with its great characters and villains. And by the finale it all pays off.

Here... It hooked me at the beginning then forgot to reel in the fishing line.
This is not to say the game is bad, far from it. I am motivated to go back and do the extra content and side stories I missed, especially the Kiryu stuff.

I was just expecting more from this title as a massive follow-up to a game & series that changed my life for the better.
It's kind of funny. It's like Gaiden was the game that had the weaker gameplay, and the stronger story, and now it's swamped with infinite wealth with fantastic gameplay and systems, but a much weaker story.

Also the soundtrack was just okay. I want more bangers.

This was very enjoyable! Despite flaws, I had a ton of fun playing this! I even had fun with the Werehog stages!

I like the story too, and the HD version has moments that bring Sonic and Chip together!

HOWEVER, THOSE DIFFICULTY SPIKES ARE THE WORST

FUCK EGGMANLAND IN PARTICULAR.

This was pretty decent. I felt like it had creative ideas and levels, and some levels and sections offered a nice challenge.

On the other hand, there are some issues with the boss design, collision, and parts of the OST.

It's a good game that I hope can be improved in a sequel.

Easiest 5 Stars of my damn life.

IT'S RAW.
ITS PEAK
ITS FIRE

This is a game you can tell was made in 6 months.

To summarize, It's a 5 out of 10 game where 2 points are added because of the story and characters.

It is definitely a "LAD" game. But with the caveats a weaker entry would have. This doesn't mean the game is bad, far from it, But it is very underdeveloped.


To start off with, The game's main selling point with a new fighting style was absolutely dreadful. Agent style is completely underdeveloped and is useless a majority of the game. If it's supposed to be the crowd control style, give it more crowd control moves than just abilities that have to be leveled up.

I also really don't like the massive amounts of padding that was done to make the main story longer. You are literally forced to do side content to progress. This has never happened in any other game unless it's introducing a side activity. Progression in Gaiden was very frustrating, and it's because the game is only 5 chapters long. It turns a 7-hour game into a 10 hour one.

Despite my gameplay problems, I had a fun time playing this, and the story was well told (I don't buy the finale taking place during 7's events) and the ending actually made me tear up. As someone who is a huge 6 fan, I liked the story, and felt for Kiryu. The positive ranking is for the story, Akame, Akame Network, and some gameplay moments that were goofy. Unless I count side activities I missed, I probably won't go back to play this one for a while.