Phew, that's a tough one to review. I liked a lot about the game, the graphics, mood and general vibes were very good and very Shemue. The way you slowly build up the relationship with Shenua and how she changes her behavior towards Ryo was very sweet. I also liked the city of Niaowu, a beautiful place with some nice quests.

However, the game has glaring weaknesses. The stamina system is a real pain. Who thought it was a good idea to use up stamina for every action (even just running), which is then no longer available in battles, in a game that actually invites you to explore? What a stupid idea! The fighting itself was also not as well implemented as in the predecessors, the Virtua Fighter license was unfortunately not available here.

Story-wise, almost nothing of relevance happens in this part. It's a mystery to me that they didn't take the opportunity to advance the story after such a long time. The ending is also totally sudden and Landi's appearance seems totally random and out of place, much like the Kickstarter fighters in the last section of the game. Overall, I had fun with the game, but came away from the experience somewhat disappointed.

I had originally played the Witcher 3 on PS4 when it was free with PS+. Had you asked me my opinion on the game back then, I would've told you I had no clue what all the hype was about. The movement was clunky, I had no backstory or knowledge of the events that took place in prior games, and it was not at all what I was expecting (i.e. comparing it to the likes of most Bethesda games at the time). I had abandoned the game after only a few hours of playing it.

Fast forward nearly 8 years later, and the game is still hailed as one of the greatest RPG's of all time. So I figured, why not give it another go? I purchased the game for $10.00 on Steam and began playing the freshly polished "next gen" version of the game, and I can honestly say that I am so glad I gave this game a second chance. Having recently completed the base game and both DLC's with over 200+ hours of game time, it is clear to me now why the game is so highly regarded.

The longer you play the Witcher 3, the more you realize how much time and effort was put into making this game, and it just keeps getting better the more invested you become. I was even lucky enough to experience what years of updates, patches, graphical changes, and content has added to this game during my first playthrough (sort of). The Witcher 3 has a level of detail unlike no other, and it is worth experiencing to the fullest. The base game is nothing short of fantastic, but the DLC's are truly special. I would almost say it is worth playing through the main story, even if you're not vibing with it completely, just to experience the Blood and Wine DLC first-hand.

Sure, The Witcher 3 still has it's faults, and I don't regard it as the best game I have ever played. However, if RPG's are your jam, then it will likely be one of the best RPG's you have ever played. You just have to be willing to give it a chance.

Astonishing atmosphere and simple, yet challenging addictive gameplay. Ultra violent and over-the-top, the game uses its violence as a way to critique the medium itself which is done very well. Probably one of the best aesthetics any game in the 2010’s; the 80s vibe and story is crazy and the visuals are as vibrant as they are overwhelming. The score may just be one of the greatest ever in a video game, the EDM / Lo-fi mix gets your blood pumping level after level and builds in energy as the deceptively simple story reaches its climax.

This is one of the most disappointing games I've ever played.

When I heard there was a retro turn-based RPG where everyone was wrestlers, I was so excited. But, I somehow missed that they were also toys, a whole aesthetic that really just didn't hit with me. But, that would have been fine if the game was fun to play. And, it's not. It's so meandering, it introduces so many strange controls and elements just for one mission, and it's just frustrating. Not to mention that it's buggy as hell and crashes all the damn time. It's like they had a million ideas, and stuck them all in this game as some sort of grand statement, instead of actually making a game that's fun. I should have loved this, by the end I have a rag-tag group of heroes flying around on an airship, giving me big Final Fantasy 6 vibes, but it was just a joyless slog that I was thrilled to be over with.

The use of licensed music was stellar and the song selection itself was perfect and whenever a song came on in game, it hyped me up so much! The gameplay is super fun even if towards the end of the game it got very simple (as there are only a couple upgrades per character), however, the story, writing, acting and presentation were far beyond anything I was expecting; hilarious while simultaneously being emotionally mature and enriching. The banter between the crew was hilarious and we really see the crew develop and grow as a team over the course of the story, and the themes of trauma and grief were exceptionally well done. For sure a more story based game, but it was super fun and I’m glad to have experienced it :)

Never seen a game sabotage itself so hard. For every good idea, there are three bad ones. Gave up on the 18th floor where everything is pitch black, and I was being stun locked by the increased enemy count. The lack of shortcuts from the 14th floor to the 18th was the tipping point for me.

The most frustrating thing is that there's an extremely well realized atmospheric adventure/exploration game here, but it's buried deep beneath a bunch of very (artificially) punishing mechanics that keep poping up at every floor.

Beacon Pines' narrative has an engaging pacing and a is crafted with a finesse I didn't expect to find here.

The story beats are... kinda intense. The always present awesome music is explosive at most times, and the unique art style tirelessly begs you to look at every inch of it. The variety of the narrative tones keep this intensity from feeling bland and turns it, instead, into a way of reinforcing the story being told.

I really enjoyed my time with this game, and for me it almost perfectly shows the ways that short, story focused games can add an unique flair to the narrative that wouldn't be so easily achievable on a game with a larger scope. It feels different, and I love it for that.

The Dreamfall series followed very much the same trajectory as Shenmue. The first two games are masterpieces. The third game that exists mainly through crowdfunding? A damp squib.

I did not have a good time with this at all. It was janky as hell and performed like shit on the PS4. And its lack of budget was very showing. Expect a lot of backtracking, aimless wandering and stilted animation.

Such an unfortunate finale for an otherwise excellent saga.

Finally got around to finishing these.

I had zero exposure to Klonoa before playing these and I was shocked at just how Kirby-coded they are. From enemy to level design, it really feels like the developers wanted to make their own take on that kind of game. And for the most part, it works.

The barebones nature of the first game was way less appealing than the jam packed variety in the second game. It really is a case, in my opinion, where the sequel is just a fully realized version of the first game. Can't see how anyone would prefer the first game tbh.

So yeah, I had fun with these. Much more so with the second game.