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This review contains spoilers
I have to agree with a few reviewers on here about this one. Patch 2.3 seems incredibly unfocused, to the point that I felt like I was playing through pieces of three different patches in one. The first half was especially uneventful and pretty boring. But once I got to the Ramuh fight (my favorite trial so far), things really picked up.
And can we talk about the Sultana's sudden breakdown? I don't think I've ever been as quick to shed tears as I did with this scene. And when she hugged Raubahn... ohh my heart! I literally want to see Teledji dead now. If not for treason, but just for making the cute Lalafell cry!
This patch would be the best so far if it was more consistent. As it stands though, the second half is at the very least interesting and offers the best chunk of story in these post-ARR patches so far (except for the lame recruiting mission).
And can we talk about the Sultana's sudden breakdown? I don't think I've ever been as quick to shed tears as I did with this scene. And when she hugged Raubahn... ohh my heart! I literally want to see Teledji dead now. If not for treason, but just for making the cute Lalafell cry!
This patch would be the best so far if it was more consistent. As it stands though, the second half is at the very least interesting and offers the best chunk of story in these post-ARR patches so far (except for the lame recruiting mission).
This review contains spoilers
As multiple threads continue to be woven, this patch feels like a direct response to my main complaint for the last patch, which was tonal whiplash; a problem which also resulted in a boring first half. This patch is consistently interesting, and granted, I have enjoyed the previous patches, but this is the first one to truly get me excited for Heavensward; more specifically, the narrative highs that said first expansion can possibly provide.
To break away from the prior patches' tradition, we finally get a MSQ dungeon in the form of Snowcloak, and while I don't usually like snow-themed "levels" much, this one was good, especially its boss. But the real highlight was the Shiva trial. The music bro... THE MUSIC!
Anyway, my boiling hatred for Teledji continues, and Ul'dah is honestly so corrupt at this point, that I'm lowkey wishing for a Sodom and Gomorrah style cataclysm on this joint if things don't get better. Raubahn and the Sultana deserve better and I just want to give them the biggest hug; I weep for my two precious friends. I'm eager to see the rammifications of The Sultana's decision to step down as monarch, both in relation to what that means for Ul'dah's government moving forward, and also the general populace's reaction.
To break away from the prior patches' tradition, we finally get a MSQ dungeon in the form of Snowcloak, and while I don't usually like snow-themed "levels" much, this one was good, especially its boss. But the real highlight was the Shiva trial. The music bro... THE MUSIC!
Anyway, my boiling hatred for Teledji continues, and Ul'dah is honestly so corrupt at this point, that I'm lowkey wishing for a Sodom and Gomorrah style cataclysm on this joint if things don't get better. Raubahn and the Sultana deserve better and I just want to give them the biggest hug; I weep for my two precious friends. I'm eager to see the rammifications of The Sultana's decision to step down as monarch, both in relation to what that means for Ul'dah's government moving forward, and also the general populace's reaction.
This review contains spoilers
After about 85 hours (maybe less, as I'm just guestimating due to innacurate Steam times mainly caused by updates), the curtain doth close on this first leg of my FFXIV journey. The prior patches kept hinting at our eventual trek into Ishgard, and I'm glad it's finally coming. There's a lot to unpack here, and quite frankly, I don't think I have the energy or mental capacity to do so in writing after that absolutely killer ending. For the ending alone, I'd rate this patch a 10, but I have to be objective.
The first third of the MSQs here (patch 2.5 proper) are alright aside from the fun dungeon and trial (which is something I've come to expect all the time now). The loss of Moenbryda was a shame, but I felt like I barely got a chance to grow attached to her. Patch 2.55 is where I became more invested; and right as I get near the end... I get hit with the mandatory Crystal Tower quests/raids. I know this wasn't always mandatory, and it's something that was already introduced in one of the earlier patches, so I'm not counting it against this patch's score; I just don't see where else I'd get the chance to talk about it. I might have liked it better if I had played FF3, but as of writing this, I have not, which made for some somewhat insipid backstory and an underwhelming introduction to alliance raids.
But once that was out of the way and I progressed a bit more, I got stabbed with so many emotional daggers that I couldn't even process it. I literally sounded like a dying dog as I took a fetal position in my chair watching the absolutely unhinged clusterfuck that was unfolding before my eyes.
I'm angry. I'm depressed. I'm flabbergasted. I might hate Yoshi P.
But you know what? At least Teledji finally got what he deserved. Burn in hell, bitch. You won't be missed.
P.S. - Yugiri and Yda are hot. What a surprise...
The first third of the MSQs here (patch 2.5 proper) are alright aside from the fun dungeon and trial (which is something I've come to expect all the time now). The loss of Moenbryda was a shame, but I felt like I barely got a chance to grow attached to her. Patch 2.55 is where I became more invested; and right as I get near the end... I get hit with the mandatory Crystal Tower quests/raids. I know this wasn't always mandatory, and it's something that was already introduced in one of the earlier patches, so I'm not counting it against this patch's score; I just don't see where else I'd get the chance to talk about it. I might have liked it better if I had played FF3, but as of writing this, I have not, which made for some somewhat insipid backstory and an underwhelming introduction to alliance raids.
But once that was out of the way and I progressed a bit more, I got stabbed with so many emotional daggers that I couldn't even process it. I literally sounded like a dying dog as I took a fetal position in my chair watching the absolutely unhinged clusterfuck that was unfolding before my eyes.
I'm angry. I'm depressed. I'm flabbergasted. I might hate Yoshi P.
But you know what? At least Teledji finally got what he deserved. Burn in hell, bitch. You won't be missed.
P.S. - Yugiri and Yda are hot. What a surprise...
The original Psychonauts is a gem within the platforming genre. A fantastically charming and creative acid trip of a game that got me eager to play the sequel right after... but I didn't, because this exists.
Serving as a bridge between the original and its sequel, this short VR title also served as a holdover for people who were eagerly waiting for the sequel. And since it's plot relevant, I just had to play it. Let me just get this out of the way: Rhombus of Ruin is in no way a bad game, which is all the more reason why I hate to give it such a low score. So... what gives? In the end, this is mainly a me problem.
I don't have much experience with VR, but from the few games I've tried, I've learned that I have a very low tolerance for such experiences. VR in general just makes me really motion sick, but that's especially true for games with free movement. While this game doesn't feature said movement, it is hampered by the fact that it is a puzzle game, and puzzle games are not my forte. While the puzzles aren't necessarily very difficult in this game, they often feel that way to me because I tend to get overly disoriented trying to think of solutions in VR, making me susceptible to just touching everything in sight and hoping something works, until my headache gets bad enough that I need a break. As such, I ended up looking up many of the solutions, as embarrassing as that is.
If this game was more of a linear narrative experience without all the puzzles, I would have probably enjoyed it more. As it stands, I still think the humor is solid and the story is decent enough as a sort of interlude to where I do recommend playing it if you are a fan of the main games if you can get it on a sale, but alas, it wasn't a very pleasant experience for me.
Serving as a bridge between the original and its sequel, this short VR title also served as a holdover for people who were eagerly waiting for the sequel. And since it's plot relevant, I just had to play it. Let me just get this out of the way: Rhombus of Ruin is in no way a bad game, which is all the more reason why I hate to give it such a low score. So... what gives? In the end, this is mainly a me problem.
I don't have much experience with VR, but from the few games I've tried, I've learned that I have a very low tolerance for such experiences. VR in general just makes me really motion sick, but that's especially true for games with free movement. While this game doesn't feature said movement, it is hampered by the fact that it is a puzzle game, and puzzle games are not my forte. While the puzzles aren't necessarily very difficult in this game, they often feel that way to me because I tend to get overly disoriented trying to think of solutions in VR, making me susceptible to just touching everything in sight and hoping something works, until my headache gets bad enough that I need a break. As such, I ended up looking up many of the solutions, as embarrassing as that is.
If this game was more of a linear narrative experience without all the puzzles, I would have probably enjoyed it more. As it stands, I still think the humor is solid and the story is decent enough as a sort of interlude to where I do recommend playing it if you are a fan of the main games if you can get it on a sale, but alas, it wasn't a very pleasant experience for me.
2016
When I first got a PS4, I was mainly looking forward to two games: Final Fantasy XV and Type-0. Since this is a XV review, I won’t talk about the latter here, but while the next mainline entry was still nearly 2 years away from release, I was still beyond hyped. Now, back then, I don’t think I was all that aware of the long and troubled development cycle that this game had gone through and how it originally started life as a XIII spin-off. We’ll probably never know how much better the game could have been had the original vision come to fruition, but I digress. This game was the first mainline title in the series to be released after I became a fan (if you don’t count A Realm Reborn). Games like FFVI and VII were pivotal in cementing my love for JRPGs as a whole (despite never having finished them at the time). This new title was shaping up to be an incredible game. An open-world, action-oriented Final Fantasy in a more modern/semi-realistic setting seemed unreal to a younger, teenage me. I pre-ordered the Deluxe Edition. My body and my mind were so ready. I popped that sucker in to my PS4 aaaaaand…
No, despite what you are thinking, I actually did enjoy it from the get-go. In fact, I was enthralled. But this was less a sign of the game’s quality and me just being starstruck by the visuals and the fact that the game was real. I was driving a car in a Final Fantasy game. It cannot get any cooler than that. It was around Chapter 6 however, that I paused the game for several months. Not because I got bored, mind you, but this was just a nasty habit I’ve always had where I just stop playing for long periods of time for seemingly no reason. Came back and beat another couple of chapters and then I paused again… for almost 6 years.
I didn’t come back and finish this game until recently, but hindsight is 20/20, and the years I left this game in the backlog got me thinking of just how much wasted potential this game had, and these thoughts were further cemented once I actually finished it. Sure, the game is fun, but each new mainline FF is worthy of a celebration. A series that has been as monumental and long-lasting as this getting a new game is always worthy of discussion and much anticipation, and while the series had certainly been on a downward spiral for many years to many, at least a game like XIII felt complete. XV is not. It’s a mishmash of interesting ideas with flawed execution. The combat is simple, and yet somehow a bit infuriating in how precise dodging has to be for certain bosses and encounters. Its simplicity may also be a contention for bad gameplay, but I still found it enjoyable enough, personally. The open world is ambitious, but feels incredibly barren, with little to do outside of often middling sidequests. It doesn’t help that driving is a semi-automatic affair in the world’s slowest convertible (though future upgrades give you more freedom).
And the story… this is where the cracks really show. Countless people have been vocal about how the story is simply unfinished, and I don’t think anyone can argue against that, not even the hardcore defenders of this game. If you want to get the full story, there’s a movie, an anime, a side game, four DLC episodes, and even a novel. Yes, a NOVEL. This game can give the Kingdom Hearts series a run for its money. Granted, if you’re looking for a relatively complete “self-contained” experience, you only need the DLC episodes, but it really didn’t need to be! It’s insane how quickly the story starts to progress after Chapter 9 or so. It feels like they were running out of time or budget and just needed to ship the game out ASAP.
There’s a lot of flaws, that much is obvious, but at the very least, it’s still an endearing game. While I don’t think it’s a great FF game, it’s still good in its own right, and the vibes of going on an adventure with your three best bros are immaculate. It’s the character moments, both large and small, that really define this game and make for a cozy experience. By the end of it all, I felt like I was personally saying goodbye to my best friends. There’s definitely enough heart here to make it worth playing, and whether you’re already a fan of the series or a newbie, I think it helps to set your expectations a bit low, and you may just end up enjoying your time with it.
No, despite what you are thinking, I actually did enjoy it from the get-go. In fact, I was enthralled. But this was less a sign of the game’s quality and me just being starstruck by the visuals and the fact that the game was real. I was driving a car in a Final Fantasy game. It cannot get any cooler than that. It was around Chapter 6 however, that I paused the game for several months. Not because I got bored, mind you, but this was just a nasty habit I’ve always had where I just stop playing for long periods of time for seemingly no reason. Came back and beat another couple of chapters and then I paused again… for almost 6 years.
I didn’t come back and finish this game until recently, but hindsight is 20/20, and the years I left this game in the backlog got me thinking of just how much wasted potential this game had, and these thoughts were further cemented once I actually finished it. Sure, the game is fun, but each new mainline FF is worthy of a celebration. A series that has been as monumental and long-lasting as this getting a new game is always worthy of discussion and much anticipation, and while the series had certainly been on a downward spiral for many years to many, at least a game like XIII felt complete. XV is not. It’s a mishmash of interesting ideas with flawed execution. The combat is simple, and yet somehow a bit infuriating in how precise dodging has to be for certain bosses and encounters. Its simplicity may also be a contention for bad gameplay, but I still found it enjoyable enough, personally. The open world is ambitious, but feels incredibly barren, with little to do outside of often middling sidequests. It doesn’t help that driving is a semi-automatic affair in the world’s slowest convertible (though future upgrades give you more freedom).
And the story… this is where the cracks really show. Countless people have been vocal about how the story is simply unfinished, and I don’t think anyone can argue against that, not even the hardcore defenders of this game. If you want to get the full story, there’s a movie, an anime, a side game, four DLC episodes, and even a novel. Yes, a NOVEL. This game can give the Kingdom Hearts series a run for its money. Granted, if you’re looking for a relatively complete “self-contained” experience, you only need the DLC episodes, but it really didn’t need to be! It’s insane how quickly the story starts to progress after Chapter 9 or so. It feels like they were running out of time or budget and just needed to ship the game out ASAP.
There’s a lot of flaws, that much is obvious, but at the very least, it’s still an endearing game. While I don’t think it’s a great FF game, it’s still good in its own right, and the vibes of going on an adventure with your three best bros are immaculate. It’s the character moments, both large and small, that really define this game and make for a cozy experience. By the end of it all, I felt like I was personally saying goodbye to my best friends. There’s definitely enough heart here to make it worth playing, and whether you’re already a fan of the series or a newbie, I think it helps to set your expectations a bit low, and you may just end up enjoying your time with it.
2023
When it comes to this series, XV should have taught me to remain... cautiously optimistic, at best. As I directed my metaphorical gaze towards Square Enix, I proudly proclaimed, "You cannot... will not, get me to buy the deluxe edition! Not again Satan!" And I didn't. Though, part of me still wishes I had. See, it's been nearly 7 years since we got XV, and I have learned. Unlike that game, XVI had all the surefire signs that it would deliver, and all these factors lead back to one, uh, thing: Yoshi P.
The lead up to this game's release had me so hyped that I actually tried getting back into XIV, and I ended up getting hooked. I already knew, but this just further cemented it: Kino was upon us. Sure, in hindsight, perhaps my expectations were still too high (I guess I didn't learn enough). But, does it really matter? CBUIII still gave us the gift of a complete and quality product. XVI is stylish, it's dark, and most importantly, it's fun.
There's a question that likes to get thrown around a lot during discussions of this game: is XVI a real Final Fantasy game? Personally, the series has always been about experimentation. Besides some usual trademark staples like chocobos and moogles, there's not really a concrete foundation for what makes a FF game. As far as I'm concerned, this series is a great sandbox for SE to play around with new ideas and bring something new and interesting to the table - hoping that of course, it lands.
Devil May Cry-lite combat mechanics? Sure, why not. Gore? Knock yourself out. Scenes that would make your parents blush? Might as well.
Yeah, XVI is for sure a very radical departure from what most have come to expect from the series, and it's a very divisive title as a result. But again, I'm usually one to embrace change, and it's something that I have come to expect in a series that's been going strong for nearly 40 years. This game may feel like a AAA western action "blockbuster" more than a "proper" JRPG, but I could care less when the game is this good.
Cons? I can list quite a few, actually:
- Low difficulty
- Combat mechanics aren't as deep as they could have been
- Lots of MMO-ish side quests
- Padding and weak pacing later on
- Terrible loot
- Dungeons? What dungeons?
All of these complaints amount to very little in the grand scheme of things. The fact of the matter is, in the 48 or so hours it took me to get through my first playthrough, there were many moments of joy, of awe, and of pain that I would gladly experience all over again for the first time if I could. I'm so glad this game exists, and I'm thankful to Yoshi P for making it happen. Mainline Final Fantasy is so back.
Oh, and the Eikon battles were pretty badass, yeah.
The lead up to this game's release had me so hyped that I actually tried getting back into XIV, and I ended up getting hooked. I already knew, but this just further cemented it: Kino was upon us. Sure, in hindsight, perhaps my expectations were still too high (I guess I didn't learn enough). But, does it really matter? CBUIII still gave us the gift of a complete and quality product. XVI is stylish, it's dark, and most importantly, it's fun.
There's a question that likes to get thrown around a lot during discussions of this game: is XVI a real Final Fantasy game? Personally, the series has always been about experimentation. Besides some usual trademark staples like chocobos and moogles, there's not really a concrete foundation for what makes a FF game. As far as I'm concerned, this series is a great sandbox for SE to play around with new ideas and bring something new and interesting to the table - hoping that of course, it lands.
Devil May Cry-lite combat mechanics? Sure, why not. Gore? Knock yourself out. Scenes that would make your parents blush? Might as well.
Yeah, XVI is for sure a very radical departure from what most have come to expect from the series, and it's a very divisive title as a result. But again, I'm usually one to embrace change, and it's something that I have come to expect in a series that's been going strong for nearly 40 years. This game may feel like a AAA western action "blockbuster" more than a "proper" JRPG, but I could care less when the game is this good.
Cons? I can list quite a few, actually:
- Low difficulty
- Combat mechanics aren't as deep as they could have been
- Lots of MMO-ish side quests
- Padding and weak pacing later on
- Terrible loot
- Dungeons? What dungeons?
All of these complaints amount to very little in the grand scheme of things. The fact of the matter is, in the 48 or so hours it took me to get through my first playthrough, there were many moments of joy, of awe, and of pain that I would gladly experience all over again for the first time if I could. I'm so glad this game exists, and I'm thankful to Yoshi P for making it happen. Mainline Final Fantasy is so back.
Oh, and the Eikon battles were pretty badass, yeah.
Dragons, Dragoons, and Deceit... Oh My...
For the longest time, Heavensward was a name that held this air of mystery to it. It sounded elegant and enticing, but also seemed so out of reach (hah, get it?), for even years before I properly attempted to get into FF14, I was aware that this first expansion is where a lot of the community promised the game would get good. And look, I liked ARR. Sure, it was very slow at times, but it had some genuinely good story beats and did a good enough job at introducing the world of Eorzea and its gameplay mechanics. Of course, I still had those higher expectations going into HW, but a lot of people were hyping it up as a 10/10 masterpiece, and I guess if you didn't like ARR, it very well could be, but that wasn't the case for me.
But hey, for what it's worth, HW is definitely a strong improvement over ARR, with much better pacing, a more intriguing story, stronger character moments, and less filler quests (though, in an MMO, that's still going to be a thing). And I'll be honest, despite this first expansion being more interesting from the get-go, it still took me quite a while to reach that "Eureka!" moment. Because for as much as I enjoyed this expansion, I still felt like a dog searching for scraps. The incredible moments of explosive plot development and hard-hitting emotional beats are few and far between, and the story doesn't really start to pick up until the level 57 quests. All that to say that, again, a masterpiece this is not, but I can easily see why it is regarded as such by many. I don't doubt that the Stockholm Syndrome theory surely applies to quite a few players.
But lest I start to sound like I'm just bashing on it, Heavensward felt geuinely rewarding to go through, even as someone who still enjoyed ARR quite a bit. With how stagnant a lot of ARR's story felt, it was great to see how some its more ambitious writing, mainly found in the later post-game patches, flowed into this expansion and kept a satisfying consistency. In fact, this is where the game started feeling less like an MMO and more like a single-player experience with mostly optional multiplayer content. As someone who mainly started playing for the story, this is a big plus, but I'm also happy to say that the game has hooked me in sufficiently with its gameplay systems that I am now looking forward to going through harder optional content in the future. Yes guys, I'm actually trying to learn how to play my class, and I will do so for every other class eventually.
By the way, on the subject of aether currents, it's so funny to see other new players complaining about them when they could just automatically fly after finishing ARR. What many don't realize is that ARR flight was added in a patch much later. Personally, I think the aether system is a bit inconvenient, sure, but it's a logical system, and it doesn't require that much time to find and complete their relevant quests.
My thoughts on the post-game patches:
Patch 3.1 - As Goes Light, So Goes Darkness
Patch 3.2 - The Gears of Change
Patch 3.3 - Revenge of the Horde
Patch 3.4 - Soul Survivor
Patch 3.5 - The Far Edge of Fate
Without Post-Game Patches: Decent 8/10
With Post-Game Patches: Strong 8/10
For the longest time, Heavensward was a name that held this air of mystery to it. It sounded elegant and enticing, but also seemed so out of reach (hah, get it?), for even years before I properly attempted to get into FF14, I was aware that this first expansion is where a lot of the community promised the game would get good. And look, I liked ARR. Sure, it was very slow at times, but it had some genuinely good story beats and did a good enough job at introducing the world of Eorzea and its gameplay mechanics. Of course, I still had those higher expectations going into HW, but a lot of people were hyping it up as a 10/10 masterpiece, and I guess if you didn't like ARR, it very well could be, but that wasn't the case for me.
But hey, for what it's worth, HW is definitely a strong improvement over ARR, with much better pacing, a more intriguing story, stronger character moments, and less filler quests (though, in an MMO, that's still going to be a thing). And I'll be honest, despite this first expansion being more interesting from the get-go, it still took me quite a while to reach that "Eureka!" moment. Because for as much as I enjoyed this expansion, I still felt like a dog searching for scraps. The incredible moments of explosive plot development and hard-hitting emotional beats are few and far between, and the story doesn't really start to pick up until the level 57 quests. All that to say that, again, a masterpiece this is not, but I can easily see why it is regarded as such by many. I don't doubt that the Stockholm Syndrome theory surely applies to quite a few players.
But lest I start to sound like I'm just bashing on it, Heavensward felt geuinely rewarding to go through, even as someone who still enjoyed ARR quite a bit. With how stagnant a lot of ARR's story felt, it was great to see how some its more ambitious writing, mainly found in the later post-game patches, flowed into this expansion and kept a satisfying consistency. In fact, this is where the game started feeling less like an MMO and more like a single-player experience with mostly optional multiplayer content. As someone who mainly started playing for the story, this is a big plus, but I'm also happy to say that the game has hooked me in sufficiently with its gameplay systems that I am now looking forward to going through harder optional content in the future. Yes guys, I'm actually trying to learn how to play my class, and I will do so for every other class eventually.
By the way, on the subject of aether currents, it's so funny to see other new players complaining about them when they could just automatically fly after finishing ARR. What many don't realize is that ARR flight was added in a patch much later. Personally, I think the aether system is a bit inconvenient, sure, but it's a logical system, and it doesn't require that much time to find and complete their relevant quests.
My thoughts on the post-game patches:
Patch 3.1 - As Goes Light, So Goes Darkness
Patch 3.2 - The Gears of Change
Patch 3.3 - Revenge of the Horde
Patch 3.4 - Soul Survivor
Patch 3.5 - The Far Edge of Fate
Without Post-Game Patches: Decent 8/10
With Post-Game Patches: Strong 8/10
This review contains spoilers
I'm starting to think there's some sort of conspiracy to gaslight new players into thinking that post-game patches are all mostly underwhelming. Seeing as how 2.1 was a fairly uneventful and slow patch, I expected the same trend moving forward, in that, at the very least, the x.1 patches would be more filler than anything of major substance. But how glad I was to be wrong. I'm just as surprised to see a general consensus among the reviews here that this is apparently mid. Couldn't be me!
Here we see the ramifications of the archbishop's death and of the people finding out the truth about the Dragonsong War, culminating in an uprising within the Holy See that made for some truly tense, nail-biting moments. After base Heavensward taught me suffering, I figured anyone is fair game to welcome death at this point, but I'm glad it did not come to that... this time.
Thancred's return is a welcome one, but a bit anticlimactic, I will say. If anything, the introduction of the Warriors of Darkness kind of overshadowed the reunion, and it's wild that that they're already trying to get me excited for Shadowbringers when I haven't even gotten to Stormblood yet.
Other important things to note:
- Alphinaud is a horndog. Poor lad just can't catch a break.
- Krile is a good potato.
Here we see the ramifications of the archbishop's death and of the people finding out the truth about the Dragonsong War, culminating in an uprising within the Holy See that made for some truly tense, nail-biting moments. After base Heavensward taught me suffering, I figured anyone is fair game to welcome death at this point, but I'm glad it did not come to that... this time.
Thancred's return is a welcome one, but a bit anticlimactic, I will say. If anything, the introduction of the Warriors of Darkness kind of overshadowed the reunion, and it's wild that that they're already trying to get me excited for Shadowbringers when I haven't even gotten to Stormblood yet.
Other important things to note:
- Alphinaud is a horndog. Poor lad just can't catch a break.
- Krile is a good potato.
This review contains spoilers
While this patch does feel more narratively focused than the last, with its final moments tying back into the cliffhanger that was set up at the end of HW proper, there was not as much shock value here as the last patch. Hell, Minfilia's death(?) was so anticlimactic that I just rolled my eyes. And the "melee" tournament was honestly not as interesting as I expected.
Still, there's plenty that this patch does to keep the story rolling along, with Nidhogg's rude interruption of the peace conference being quite memorable. The Antitower was also a really solid dungeon, with its final boss taking the form of a giant demonic baby doll come to life; certainly, an image I will not soon forget.
The best scene? Emmanellain getting completely socked in the face by Thancred.
Still, there's plenty that this patch does to keep the story rolling along, with Nidhogg's rude interruption of the peace conference being quite memorable. The Antitower was also a really solid dungeon, with its final boss taking the form of a giant demonic baby doll come to life; certainly, an image I will not soon forget.
The best scene? Emmanellain getting completely socked in the face by Thancred.
This review contains spoilers
Patch 3.3 presents a new standard in quality for future patches. This is the true ending to Heavensward, bringing a resolution to the Dragonsong War, and ushering in a new era for Ishgard proper. I'll admit, I was somewhat adamant at first, with the first couple of MSQs meandering a bit, but once I got to the dungeon, it did not let up.
The trial against Nidhogg was the best in the game up to this point, and my first attemot was a pretty hilarious party wipe. Epic fight. And when Ysayle and Haurchefant showed up to help from the beyond? Oh man, I almost bawled. Just beautiful.
Oh... and was that Alisaie I saw near the end? It's about time!
The trial against Nidhogg was the best in the game up to this point, and my first attemot was a pretty hilarious party wipe. Epic fight. And when Ysayle and Haurchefant showed up to help from the beyond? Oh man, I almost bawled. Just beautiful.
Oh... and was that Alisaie I saw near the end? It's about time!
This review contains spoilers
There's a lot to digest here. It's just unfortunate that the 2nd third of this patch kills the pacing with the meandering around some ARR areas which felt more like busywork, despite knowing it was plot relevant. It doesn't help that we had to fight Titan again. Sure, it was the (Hard) version, but that was already optional content beforehand that I had already completed, so queuing up for it again was kinda whack.
But I digress, the actual meat of this patch is indeed interesting, and with Alisaie finally joining the fray here, it's cause for celebration enough. The return of Yda and Papalymo is also nice, but I'm so paranoid at this point in the story, especially with Urianger working as a double agent, that I'm starting to wonder if either of them are hiding something terrible. Of course, everything seemed to have worked out with Urianger and I'm glad he didn't actually betray us, but man, with this game, you never know.
The Warriors of Darkness had a sort of redemption arc in this one that made me feel some sympathy for them, but as it was with previous patches, there just seems to be a lot of set up for Shadowbringers and it kills me that there's still a whole expansion to go before then. Damn you, Yoshi P!
Oh, and Nero's back? Oh boy...
But I digress, the actual meat of this patch is indeed interesting, and with Alisaie finally joining the fray here, it's cause for celebration enough. The return of Yda and Papalymo is also nice, but I'm so paranoid at this point in the story, especially with Urianger working as a double agent, that I'm starting to wonder if either of them are hiding something terrible. Of course, everything seemed to have worked out with Urianger and I'm glad he didn't actually betray us, but man, with this game, you never know.
The Warriors of Darkness had a sort of redemption arc in this one that made me feel some sympathy for them, but as it was with previous patches, there just seems to be a lot of set up for Shadowbringers and it kills me that there's still a whole expansion to go before then. Damn you, Yoshi P!
Oh, and Nero's back? Oh boy...
This review contains spoilers
Holy based? Speaking of based, can we get a moment of silence for my man Papalymo? His sacrifice solidified him as one of the GOAT's.
It'd be pretty neat if the trend of the x.5 patches being the best ones continue. And sure, I understand why many consider 3.3 to be the best one of the HW patches, but I love how dark the first half of this patch was, and the second half's epic battle between Omega and Shinryu was satisfyingly intense.
The character development for Yda.. er, I mean, Lyse, was also quite nice to hear, with her brief backstory being quite bittersweet. This patch wasn't as smooth of a transition into the next expansion as 2.5 was, but that hardly matters when I was this enthralled. I'm still keeping my expectations somewhat low, seeing as Stormblood is the black sheep of the expansions, but hopefully that works in my favor, because I still can't help but feel excited now that I've gotten this far.
It'd be pretty neat if the trend of the x.5 patches being the best ones continue. And sure, I understand why many consider 3.3 to be the best one of the HW patches, but I love how dark the first half of this patch was, and the second half's epic battle between Omega and Shinryu was satisfyingly intense.
The character development for Yda.. er, I mean, Lyse, was also quite nice to hear, with her brief backstory being quite bittersweet. This patch wasn't as smooth of a transition into the next expansion as 2.5 was, but that hardly matters when I was this enthralled. I'm still keeping my expectations somewhat low, seeing as Stormblood is the black sheep of the expansions, but hopefully that works in my favor, because I still can't help but feel excited now that I've gotten this far.
I started playing CSGO around 2013. The game was still very much in its infancy, and at the time I had no prior experience with the series in general. To say that I got hooked is an understatement. As of typing this out, I have accumulated about 3800 hours of playtime, which is not something I'm proud of, but it shows just how much I loved it. Sure, there was a lot of toxicity, hacking, griefing, and just generally unpleasant company in your team sometimes, but the core gameplay and genuinely good matches one could have outweighed most of the negativity to be found here.
Unfortunately, we are witnessing the end of an era here. September 27, 2023: CS2 has just released as a massive overhaul to CSGO. New engine, new physics, new graphics. On paper it all sounds great, and there are indeed a lot of great additions and improvements; likewise, there are plenty of negatives to come of this as well, but lest I start dissecting it too much, I'll save it for the actual CS2 review. The fact of the matter is that the original CSGO holds an incredible amount of sentimental value and got me through much of my adolescent free time. I sincerely hope Valve someday brings back CSGO in some capacity for those who will forever remain nostalgic for it. Personally, this was and still is the golden standard for online competitive shooters.
Unfortunately, we are witnessing the end of an era here. September 27, 2023: CS2 has just released as a massive overhaul to CSGO. New engine, new physics, new graphics. On paper it all sounds great, and there are indeed a lot of great additions and improvements; likewise, there are plenty of negatives to come of this as well, but lest I start dissecting it too much, I'll save it for the actual CS2 review. The fact of the matter is that the original CSGO holds an incredible amount of sentimental value and got me through much of my adolescent free time. I sincerely hope Valve someday brings back CSGO in some capacity for those who will forever remain nostalgic for it. Personally, this was and still is the golden standard for online competitive shooters.
This game taught me that I'm a "failure of a person," but it's also the first Touhou game to actually play like one. Even though I still enjoyed the first game, it still felt somewhat awkward, especially going in with foresight on what the series would become. Despite its relative simplicity, Touhou 2 actually feels like a cohesive product, and one which really showcases the potential of the series formula. I'm still a relative newbie when it comes to bullet-hell/danmaku games, I'm still a complete newbie, and some frustrate me to no end, but I was pleasantly surprised by this one, and its relative simplicity probably proved to be a plus for someone like me who's still trying to get into the genre. If this is considered a mediocre Touhou game, then I'm in for a real treat with this franchise.
Touhou 3 continues the early trend of ZUN trying out new things for each game, and while the VS. format is a novel concept and is executed decently enough, I got sufficiently attached to the previous game that I was hoping for more of that. This format also lends itself to a much easier game overall; save for the final boss, which had a sizeable difficulty spike that ruined my initial 1cc run dream. I'll probably go back and try this out with a friend at some point, but it's fun enough as a single player experience, regardless.