Takes the strengths of the first game and elevates them to incredible heights with an unbelievable setlist, an expanded tour mode (playable in single player this time!), and better charts/instruments. All together, one of the best rhythm games ever made.

The multiplayer is just as fun as before, and it’s elevated by the setlist, which is not only WAY bigger than the previous game with even more diversity, but also has more of an emphasis on satisfying both casual and hardcore players with some very chill songs alongside brutally difficult ones. On top of that, somehow nearly every song is fun to play on every instrument!

I’ll never get tired of playing this game, even after servers have shut off and DLC is inaccessible. The selection of songs available on the disc alone is truly unbelievable, and the mechanics of every instrument are refined enough at this point that I can slip in at any point with no issue. Still just as fun all these years later, has aged remarkably well with time.

Vengeance brings SMT V to the modern classic status it was always capable of. I've always been fond of the original but there was definitely things holding it back, and it's hard to express how much better this fully realized version is. It addresses a ton of the flaws and rewrites the story totally with more fleshed out characters and actual emotional moments that will stick in my mind. From a gameplay standpoint it's pretty much the best JRPG on the market right now. V was already a brilliant modernization of Megaten with the best aspects of classic and modern design. With the level scaling and damage sponginess altered, the grind rail shortcuts on the map and even more options it's now exceptionally fast paced and massively expanded with all the challenge you could possibly want. Free from Nintendo jail in 60fps it's much easier to appreciate how totally gorgeous it is. There's still a few segments that I think are kinda weak but they did a remarkable job salvaging the original, and those are really not a big deal to me when it's so overall charming and addictive in the other aspects. The demons have excellent designs and so much character, I've never gone out of my way to do every single optional boss and quest in an RPG before and I think that speaks for itself. V is inarguably a full fledged SMT entry now and I highly recommend it