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A school made just for us.
This game left me feeling so conflicted after I first finished it years ago. When I was younger, I spent much of my time longing for some sort of fantastical adventure, an escape. I was lonely and sickly, so I threw myself into every book or video game wholeheartedly, eagerly imagining what it would be like to be in the protagonist's shoes, to live in a world different from my own. Daydreaming about something more exciting than the mundanities of my day to day life– To me, fiction was, in many ways, more real than the world around me. So, when I first reached the revelations at the end of this game, it felt like a mirror was being held up to me, it made me uncomfortable and hurt. Like a lot of people, I felt as if I was being attacked for daring to care. Well, I definitely don't feel that way anymore. My opinion on Danganronpa V3’s finale has (obviously, with my 5-star rating) done a complete 180. Upon replay, I’ve realized how well-structured and thoughtful this game is, and it’s become a personal favorite.
V3 is a gentle, poignant, and layered game, both in terms of its actual moment-to-moment story and what it is trying to say with its metanarrative. Firstly, this is the best Danganronpa game in terms of the actual meat of the product. The character writing is a notable step up from previous games, with every character being likable and fleshed out in their own right. Even larger-than-life characters such as Miu contain a depth that others of the same ilk from previous games, such as Hifumi, never had. V3’s main cast are easily some of the best characters of the franchise– Shuichi, Kaede, Maki, Kaito, and Kokichi are great, and the emotional core of the “training trio” is felt throughout the game, making the later chapters especially powerful. The cast deals with the loss of their friends in a deeper way as well, and their lingering grief makes V3 haunting even before the final truth comes out.
The class trials are great as well, with only Chapter 3’s being somewhat messy. They're all more complex than in previous games, and despite the longer length of the trials, they don’t drag to me. Each trial also ties in to the overarching themes of truth and lies, what is real and what is not. While it may seem obvious that a mystery game’s cases will deal with, well, the truth, I think V3 explores this in interesting ways. Of course, there's the obvious addition of lie bullets, allowing Shuichi to commit perjury when he needs to move the trial along, but it goes beyond that. Chapter 1 is a good example of this, with Kaede’s unreliable narration masking the fact that she had carried out the murder, with her true goal being to expose the mastermind. Oftentimes, the motives themselves tie directly into the theme of subjective truth. Kirumi is willing to sacrifice the few for the many, and to her, the truth is that this must be done to save her country, though she had been a loyal friend just days before. Gonta weighs the soul-crushing “truth” of the outside world with the already bleak environment his friends are in, and decides they’d be better off dead than pursuing the truth. On top of this, the mechanics of the trial are improved as well, with the minigames actually being consistently fun (a miracle). The new nonstop debates, Mind Mine, Psyche Taxi, and even Hangman’s Gambit are a vast improvement on previous games. Like, I love Hajime, but snowboarding in his mindscape is torture; meanwhile, Psyche Taxi is a blast.
As usual, Masafumi Takada does a phenomenal job with the soundtrack (I think V3 is his finest work with the series for sure). I really don’t think the game has a single bad track. Each song suits the atmosphere perfectly– “Nightmare in the Locker” and “Rise of the Ultimates” creates dread at eerie moments, “Heaven of Almost Hell” builds melancholy gorgeously, “Darkness Time” is the essence of night’s mystery. “Beautiful Lie” is a beautiful lie, with its nostalgic melody harkening back to school days that never were. It’s great.
It’s hard to talk about my favorite parts of V3 without discussing the ending and its implications. I used to think it came out of nowhere, but I can’t believe I ever used to think that because there’s literally heaps of foreshadowing towards it, and everything comes together wonderfully. Truth versus lies, reality versus fiction… The whole game, these concepts loom over the player. Kaede, knowing she is probably marching towards her execution, tells Shuichi to always pursue the truth. Kokichi, the embodiment of a lie, misleads the group incessantly. He wants to convince everyone, perhaps even himself, that he loves the killing game, but he wants to end it more than anyone. Kaito, trapped and gravely ill but wanting to make amends with his closest friend, believes Shuichi is capable of reaching something beyond the truth.
But what lies beyond the truth? For a while, Shuichi is convinced it is hope, a theme incredibly interwoven with the previous entries. However, what’s beyond the “truth” is something deeply horrifying. Fabricated lives. To be the victim of decisions made by the you that you no longer are. The you that, in your mind, you never were. Nothing about you is real, your existence is the ultimate lie. The person you viewed as a trusted friend now speaks to you coldly, regarding you as her creation. Narratively, I think this reveal is so chilling. A beautiful tragedy. The way it wraps up its exploration of truth and lies is incredibly touching. After all, if everything you know is a lie, isn’t that your truth? Yes, to the onlookers, your life may be fiction, but it is the truth to you. As Shuichi said, our pain is real. The group rejecting both hope and despair, refusing to participate in Tsumugi’s game, not giving the audience what they want, ending Danganronpa with their own hands… it’s insanely powerful. Going off script, defying the author one final time, is the ultimate liberation.
While I think V3 contains a lot of commentary on fan culture, I often see people claim that this game "hates" the previous entries and the series’ fans. No, I don't buy it. I think V3 fundamentally understands why fiction speaks to us, why we love it so much, why it's so powerful. Because of this, I think it cares deeply for the prior entries, which is why it needs to bring the series to an end. It's both a love letter to the series and a final goodbye– A way to end a series you put your heart into before it becomes meaningless muck, regurgitated over and over again like so many fictional endeavors eventually become (I mean, think of every TV show that drags itself out for years on end; you can feel the passion leaving as it drudges on). V3 doesn't want to suffer that fate.
I find it so fitting, then, that Shuichi tells Tsumugi once she’s lost that she never appreciated them or the power of fiction. Despite being the “author”, she had forgotten what makes fiction so capable of drawing in passion, so impactful. By ending it the way it does, it rejects "hope or despair" just as much as the characters themselves. It's choosing its own fate, ending on its own terms. So what if the characters and prior games were fictional? Fiction is beautiful. Fiction is compelling, thoughtful, capable of moving and inspiring, capable of changing your own perception of the world. And in its own way, fiction is truth. Does it matter whether Tsumugi was lying or telling the truth? The truth is up to you. It’s so heartbreaking to see, for example, Shuichi’s audition tape, but, well… so what? That Shuichi doesn’t define the Shuichi by the end of the game. Sometimes you must say goodbye, no matter how big or small: whether it be farewell to a fictional franchise that you love, farewell to the you you once were, farewell to everything you once knew as concrete truth. There’s beauty to be found even in the most twisted of scenarios– Maki, Shuichi, and Himiko preparing to step out of the dome, uncertain, but ready to mix their truth with the truth that lies beyond, the real and the fiction, is so perfect. I love this game so much. I don’t know what else to say. I could talk about it for hours, and there’s so much to read into and analyze. V3 is an unsolvable catbox of a mystery where truth and lies blend into one, and what truly matters is the emotion it brings forth. It’s, in of itself, another beautiful lie.
This game left me feeling so conflicted after I first finished it years ago. When I was younger, I spent much of my time longing for some sort of fantastical adventure, an escape. I was lonely and sickly, so I threw myself into every book or video game wholeheartedly, eagerly imagining what it would be like to be in the protagonist's shoes, to live in a world different from my own. Daydreaming about something more exciting than the mundanities of my day to day life– To me, fiction was, in many ways, more real than the world around me. So, when I first reached the revelations at the end of this game, it felt like a mirror was being held up to me, it made me uncomfortable and hurt. Like a lot of people, I felt as if I was being attacked for daring to care. Well, I definitely don't feel that way anymore. My opinion on Danganronpa V3’s finale has (obviously, with my 5-star rating) done a complete 180. Upon replay, I’ve realized how well-structured and thoughtful this game is, and it’s become a personal favorite.
V3 is a gentle, poignant, and layered game, both in terms of its actual moment-to-moment story and what it is trying to say with its metanarrative. Firstly, this is the best Danganronpa game in terms of the actual meat of the product. The character writing is a notable step up from previous games, with every character being likable and fleshed out in their own right. Even larger-than-life characters such as Miu contain a depth that others of the same ilk from previous games, such as Hifumi, never had. V3’s main cast are easily some of the best characters of the franchise– Shuichi, Kaede, Maki, Kaito, and Kokichi are great, and the emotional core of the “training trio” is felt throughout the game, making the later chapters especially powerful. The cast deals with the loss of their friends in a deeper way as well, and their lingering grief makes V3 haunting even before the final truth comes out.
The class trials are great as well, with only Chapter 3’s being somewhat messy. They're all more complex than in previous games, and despite the longer length of the trials, they don’t drag to me. Each trial also ties in to the overarching themes of truth and lies, what is real and what is not. While it may seem obvious that a mystery game’s cases will deal with, well, the truth, I think V3 explores this in interesting ways. Of course, there's the obvious addition of lie bullets, allowing Shuichi to commit perjury when he needs to move the trial along, but it goes beyond that. Chapter 1 is a good example of this, with Kaede’s unreliable narration masking the fact that she had carried out the murder, with her true goal being to expose the mastermind. Oftentimes, the motives themselves tie directly into the theme of subjective truth. Kirumi is willing to sacrifice the few for the many, and to her, the truth is that this must be done to save her country, though she had been a loyal friend just days before. Gonta weighs the soul-crushing “truth” of the outside world with the already bleak environment his friends are in, and decides they’d be better off dead than pursuing the truth. On top of this, the mechanics of the trial are improved as well, with the minigames actually being consistently fun (a miracle). The new nonstop debates, Mind Mine, Psyche Taxi, and even Hangman’s Gambit are a vast improvement on previous games. Like, I love Hajime, but snowboarding in his mindscape is torture; meanwhile, Psyche Taxi is a blast.
As usual, Masafumi Takada does a phenomenal job with the soundtrack (I think V3 is his finest work with the series for sure). I really don’t think the game has a single bad track. Each song suits the atmosphere perfectly– “Nightmare in the Locker” and “Rise of the Ultimates” creates dread at eerie moments, “Heaven of Almost Hell” builds melancholy gorgeously, “Darkness Time” is the essence of night’s mystery. “Beautiful Lie” is a beautiful lie, with its nostalgic melody harkening back to school days that never were. It’s great.
It’s hard to talk about my favorite parts of V3 without discussing the ending and its implications. I used to think it came out of nowhere, but I can’t believe I ever used to think that because there’s literally heaps of foreshadowing towards it, and everything comes together wonderfully. Truth versus lies, reality versus fiction… The whole game, these concepts loom over the player. Kaede, knowing she is probably marching towards her execution, tells Shuichi to always pursue the truth. Kokichi, the embodiment of a lie, misleads the group incessantly. He wants to convince everyone, perhaps even himself, that he loves the killing game, but he wants to end it more than anyone. Kaito, trapped and gravely ill but wanting to make amends with his closest friend, believes Shuichi is capable of reaching something beyond the truth.
But what lies beyond the truth? For a while, Shuichi is convinced it is hope, a theme incredibly interwoven with the previous entries. However, what’s beyond the “truth” is something deeply horrifying. Fabricated lives. To be the victim of decisions made by the you that you no longer are. The you that, in your mind, you never were. Nothing about you is real, your existence is the ultimate lie. The person you viewed as a trusted friend now speaks to you coldly, regarding you as her creation. Narratively, I think this reveal is so chilling. A beautiful tragedy. The way it wraps up its exploration of truth and lies is incredibly touching. After all, if everything you know is a lie, isn’t that your truth? Yes, to the onlookers, your life may be fiction, but it is the truth to you. As Shuichi said, our pain is real. The group rejecting both hope and despair, refusing to participate in Tsumugi’s game, not giving the audience what they want, ending Danganronpa with their own hands… it’s insanely powerful. Going off script, defying the author one final time, is the ultimate liberation.
While I think V3 contains a lot of commentary on fan culture, I often see people claim that this game "hates" the previous entries and the series’ fans. No, I don't buy it. I think V3 fundamentally understands why fiction speaks to us, why we love it so much, why it's so powerful. Because of this, I think it cares deeply for the prior entries, which is why it needs to bring the series to an end. It's both a love letter to the series and a final goodbye– A way to end a series you put your heart into before it becomes meaningless muck, regurgitated over and over again like so many fictional endeavors eventually become (I mean, think of every TV show that drags itself out for years on end; you can feel the passion leaving as it drudges on). V3 doesn't want to suffer that fate.
I find it so fitting, then, that Shuichi tells Tsumugi once she’s lost that she never appreciated them or the power of fiction. Despite being the “author”, she had forgotten what makes fiction so capable of drawing in passion, so impactful. By ending it the way it does, it rejects "hope or despair" just as much as the characters themselves. It's choosing its own fate, ending on its own terms. So what if the characters and prior games were fictional? Fiction is beautiful. Fiction is compelling, thoughtful, capable of moving and inspiring, capable of changing your own perception of the world. And in its own way, fiction is truth. Does it matter whether Tsumugi was lying or telling the truth? The truth is up to you. It’s so heartbreaking to see, for example, Shuichi’s audition tape, but, well… so what? That Shuichi doesn’t define the Shuichi by the end of the game. Sometimes you must say goodbye, no matter how big or small: whether it be farewell to a fictional franchise that you love, farewell to the you you once were, farewell to everything you once knew as concrete truth. There’s beauty to be found even in the most twisted of scenarios– Maki, Shuichi, and Himiko preparing to step out of the dome, uncertain, but ready to mix their truth with the truth that lies beyond, the real and the fiction, is so perfect. I love this game so much. I don’t know what else to say. I could talk about it for hours, and there’s so much to read into and analyze. V3 is an unsolvable catbox of a mystery where truth and lies blend into one, and what truly matters is the emotion it brings forth. It’s, in of itself, another beautiful lie.
I paid to SKIP this.
Happy New Years Everybody!
Post Shadowbringers
I'd be remiss to ignore the somewhat awkward placement of these at the start of the review for every expansion, however these segments are always the odd ones to try and explain. The easy way is to just leave it as it blending the finale of the prior expansion to the opening of the next one- although the 'finale' section would make it seem like the first chunk of the post-expansion patches are some sort of giant denouement. Rather, and especially in the case of Shadowbringers, it feels much more like the post-game to an RPG. Prior expansions do have this 'post-gamey' feel to them once you beat the main questline, however they usually take on some kind of 'tying up loose ends' or 'what if' plot beat that's usually interesting but might bring about weird setups or a mission that prolly could have occurred during the main questline.
I'm not sure how best to explain it, trying to compare the different feelings/conflicts between: Heavenswards' Nidhogg fight and the climax of Estinien's struggle/hubris
Stormbloods' Tsuyu arc- including the attempt to rehabilitate a now amnesiac tyrant and the introduction of her step-brother (and soon to be ascian host) Asahi
and finally, Shadowbringers' Warrior of Light arc.
This arc is initially kind of head tilting, mostly dry as you attempt to figure out how to send your fellow Scions back to the main world- things only start to ramp up when the familiar face of Ardbert reappears and voices support to the masses of the First, that anyone can be just like us and be a 'Warrior of Darkness'. I'm so thankful that -almost immediately- most of your comrades decide not only is something off, but that this is probably the work of an Ascian. This would have gotten incredibly corny if Ardbert's sudden resurrection just went ignored or handwaved for even a second.
Soon enough, this is revealed to be the work of Elidibus- an Ascian introduced way earlier in A Realm Reborn, culminating in maybe one of the best boss fights in the game and an excellent conclusion to the Shadowbringers’ content. In retrospect this post-Shadowbringers segment in combination with the expansion itself is some of the best in the franchise. Coming off the initial expansion I certainly thought it was a strong improvement and turn from the prior expansions but this post-game of sorts only nailed it harder how excellent Shadowbringers is as both a revelation and a departure of much of what the prior expansions have been building upon.
Last thing I’ll mention about this segment but, man. Why the hell is ‘The Twinning’ cordoned off to some side quest? This is one of the coolest dungeons in the game, it's got a legendary song and some nutty lore to sort through- you can just straight up miss it by sticking to the main questline which is a complete shame.
However, the journey needs to set its curtain eventually.
Endwalker
Finally I get to see what the big hubbub was- the conclusion to a 10+ year long saga. It's weird to compare, as someone who condensed 7 years of content down into a playthrough lasting over 7 months instead. I kinda figured I’d get around to this sooner or later but it is strange to finally have started and finished this throughout the year. I guess similarly this would have been the year I would have read through a majority of One Piece as well- a lot of grinding through long standing things this year it seems (what lies in 2024…?). Endwalker is a really unfair expansion to talk about and I don’t know if I can really do it justice because I’ll just lay it out.
tl;dr I think it's an incredible finale and maybe my favorite FF thus far
It’s the coldest take I could give but genuinely I can’t fault Endwalker’s main questline too much, its ‘conclusion’ to the numerous plotlines that have continued since A Realm Reborn and even prior was extraordinarily satisfying. It’s a bit easy to feel this way as I’ve enjoyed most of my ride since the beginning, but I wasn’t sure how heavy it would get considering this was still an mmo of sorts. Perhaps the weirdest thing going through Endwalker was the cognitive dissonance of knowing this wasn’t truly the finale, and knowing that in the end everything would be alright. Even so, it impressed me how fulfilling most everything in this expansion was.
Continuing off the threads of Shadowbringers we have the establishment of our main party with a new, more permanent addition of Estinien. Previously we had seen Estinien in his miniature arc infiltrating through Empire facilities, however here is when he starts to really interact as a party member alongside the other scions. He's a lot of fun! Kind of a dipshit, but we roll with it, and he gets a lot of nice interactions with a certain wyvern.
Everyone gets a good amount of time to shine throughout the expansion. The twins get a lot of screen time as they have to contend with their father and his disapproval of the Scions’ actions. Urianger gets some good moments befriending and understanding the loporrits, culminating in a wonderful moment reconciling with the parents of a certain friend of his. Yshtola and Graha, while not having any major throughline are pretty consistent in helping out and giving support towards the main character. Honestly the only Scion here I'm not all that impressed by here is Thancred- you make a quick pit stop back to the First and have a heart to heart with Ryne however it's just you two. Otherwise Thancred doesn't do a whole lot here which is a shame but he was already batting kinda low in my personal character ranking, sorry bud.
With the establishment of our team we set out onto the new expansion and new areas to wander around in and learn about. Shadowbringers was already carrying a strong batting average in terms of interesting areas, however Endwalker might just rival that. The overall 'alien' atmosphere and the bizarre parallels might make the overall lore of Shadowbringer a bit more interesting to think about, however the variety in Endwalker is a bit more appreciated. Further helping these new areas is their introductory cutscenes being narrated by a familiar voice.
I'm just gonna need Emet Selch to voice over parts of the game going forward. Not actually, but anytime he narrates over a scene throughout the expansion it just strikes a lot harder, especially with the areas presented in EW.
Old Sharlayan as the central hub is pretty lovely and I'm glad there’s another coastal hub aside from Limsa Lominsa- wonderful music as well. Connected to it is Labyrinthos, a big favorite of mine. I don't know why but I've always had a fondness for these sort of nature preserve facilities, I can only assume it stemmed from a lot of Pokemon and interests in Zoos/Parks as a kid. Thavnair and Radz-at-Han are pretty strong, bringing a vibrant color palette and a strong reference to Indian culture into FF14. Edging closer into Ilsabard you reach Garlemald- the home of the Empire but maybe my least favorite area in the expansion. It still houses a strong arc in which you have to contend with the holdouts of a Garlean empire, stuck between the destruction of their lands by their own Emperor (Zenos teehee) and the introduction of your forces onto their land. Very funny conclusion to this arc and also an incredible duty here, but very slow at first. The moon. You actually arrive here a bit earlier than I thought you would. The moon…
I won’t talk about Elpis and the final area as much, but bar some of my favorite areas in the expansion as well, not as lively per se but they just hit so hard going through them.
Lotta areas to go through in Endwalker, except its not actually that much more than earlier expansions- they're just a lot stronger this time around. Heavensward and Stormblood each had some standouts but certain areas got to be pretty alike. Shadowbringers brings a much more interesting lore to weave into each area, although it paralleling many of ARR's major hubs means you see the same biomes thematically- deserts, coasts, (pink!) forests, etc. I appreciate Endwalker so much more for having areas that feel just a bit more vibrant and interesting to explore, especially as later events shift the overall tone and nature some of these places bring.
Also major props to @Zapken for gifting me the artbook for Endwalker- lot of wonderful art and illustrations to skim through while going through the expansion (although I had to be wary of spoilers).
Peppering through these areas are many of the expansions' dungeons/instances and to be honest I think if anything is a bit more up and down than the prior expansion its these. Some are just okay, especially the earlier dungeons in the Tower of Babil/Zot but thankfully things ramp up as you go further into the expansion. Prior to starting the expansion there’s a lot of things to assume about where the plot goes but I'm glad that they managed to subvert where exactly I thought they were going with (especially in regards to primary antagonists). Lot of the later dungeons and bosses are incredible, and there’s a lot of super fun duties interspersed throughout- especially the ‘final’ duty of the expansion, woof. I wish I could be a bit more specific, but again super spoilery- I apologize for my very broad raving here.
I pointed out prior in my Shadowbringers review the stronger lean into what feels like a typical RPG format or structure. Obviously the strongest focus on a main party helps but even just the scope of the events feels more tailored towards the usual RPG ‘worldly calamity’ type beat, one that helps refocus and pit the casts against themselves. I guess what I mean to say is previous expansions felt like they leaned much more into the 'MMO'-esque pattern of storytelling, with maybe some different flavorings/through-lines for Heavensward and Stormblood. Of course these build more upon the kind of world that Etheirys is and that’s greatly appreciated but rather than exploring the greater narrative they feel much more like extensions of A Realm Reborn. It isn’t until Shadowbringers that a lot more ‘progress’ gets made with regards to major antagonists goals, wishes and meddling. Here in Endwalker we get to the 'third act' of a vast and, bluntly, bloated narrative and it just feels....strange that it's finally here. Strange that I've gotten to this point finally, and also that I'm here at this point so...early?
There is a weird disconnect to be had going through the MSQ so fast and hitting a final act in several months that others had been waiting years for. Certainly there are other games and media in which this kinda situation occurs, maybe you decided to watch the entirety of the Lord of the Rings movies in one sitting, maybe you played through the entirety of a long running game series, maybe you read the entirety of a long ass shonen manga in a year! Certain things just hit differently when you just accelerate through the years of anticipation and maybe that lessens certain beats but once you’ve hit a finale as jam packed as this it still rocks. Even if I haven’t been playing for 10 years I put a shit ton of time into this goddamn game, of course I’d be a little shook seeing Zenos and my WoL there. You’d have to be heartless not to feel a little excitement. (I still don't know how some people dont like Zenos, jesus christ.)
Footfalls, the trailer theme and major motif thrown throughout the expansion is a great example of this. Already on its own an incredible song to accompany the final expansion for this saga, but in addition incorporating motifs of the previous expansions throughout the game. Several minor characters rally behind your cause- sadly a lack of Shadowbringers screen time due to being literally another realm but even so, you return to see Ryne, Lyna, Feo and some others which is nice.
Going through the expansion itself was the relatively easy part of it all. It has its emotional climaxes and some intense moments throughout the spectrum, but I've gone through worse. Its only now upon typing out this passage and finally putting my thoughts to it that I find myself verily challenged. What did I not like about the expansion? Well I guess there’s some hiccups privy to FF14 and somewhat on and off for each expansion. Still not a fan of needing to finish certain side quests as a prerequisite for the final stretch, especially since I'm not a big fan of Gridania (curse my decision to be a tank). I mentioned earlier the Garlemald stretch being the slowest but even so it climaxes on several really good instances.
…
Genuinely, I'm having a hard time formulating an instance of disappointment or shortcoming with regard to the main expansion. Shadowbringers, similarly, I ended on a strong beat but I did recall some moments of downtime and maybe some areas feeling somewhat bland in places (I love the music Amh Araeng but…). Even though some of the early dungeons are pretty weak compared to the later chunks I would scarcely call them rough, mostly just tricky to wrangle with at first. The biggest struggle with Final Fantasy 14 has been and will continue to be understanding certain boss mechanics on the fly. Sorry! This will continue to be the case.
I will continue to play this game on and off until Dawntrail drops as there’s still plenty of content I haven't done and there’s a lot of classes I wanted to try out, maybe hit cap with. Obviously I still need to do the other patches leading up to Dawntrail as well, and there's a lot of features I haven’t touched yet but it still feels so surreal I guess. I’m glad that I didn’t go through this entirely alone, as I’ve kinda thought I was going to several times prior but having a partner show me/help me out since the beginning certainly elevated both my interest, as well as my ‘involvement’ in understanding the game. I think if I had gone through this on my own it all would have hit similarly, but having someone to share thoughts and reactions with made the journey that much more exhilarating, more engaging -more fun. I’m glad that this long ass journey wasn’t started just on my own whims or some sense of obligation (way back I thought it would have been funny to do all the mainline games in order then hit this eventually), but with someone to share a connection with. Regardless, I had an incredible time throughout the expansion and I’m glad to have beaten it the way I was able to. The journey continues… (eventually)
Final Playtime: 14 days, 22 hours, 35 minutes (358 hours)
Polaroid's Mega Rush to the 2023 End... Game 7...
Last 'game' from 2023 I wanted to cover for this rush through December. I have some other games I'll cover on a top 20 list I'll post around New Years, however I didn't feel the need to write up anything for them in a formal log or something like that.
That said, the new Pokemon DLC.
The Mystery of Area Zero pertains to not any actual mystery or concern that I had with the location in Scarlet/Violet- but actually the mystery as to why Game Freak decided to call the DLC pack that. If I recommend this expansion it's not really for this through-line that they hoped to staple onto Scarlet/Violet, instead it's because I thought the new area and plot regarding Blueberry Academy's league was interesting enough of an add-on to kinda sorta not really justify the price of the expansion pass. Do I recommend you check the package of both DLCs out? Ehhhhh… only if you want more Sc/Vi, otherwise mostly check it out for the Blueberry Academy.
The Academy League portion is a pretty fun time, pitting you against some of the hardest trainers in the entire series. From basic trainers to the Elite Four themselves you'll face pokemon teams with legitimate synergies and strategies that are really fun to watch play out. I'm not really the kind of Pokemon fan to go deep into VGC-type techs and team compositions but I was really enjoying fighting battles that actually got me to think a few moves ahead. Sorry to say, Pokemon needs to consider switching to (or at least upping the use of) double battles. I think its way more interesting than the usual advantage based single battles and brings out the potential of a lot more Pokemon.
Similar to Teal Mask, I decided to create a new team centered around the expansion and I gotta say for a guerilla team this turned out to be a pretty enjoyable squad.
-Golurk
-Pawmot
-Talonflame
-Hatterne
-Archeludon
-Araquanid
Archeludon turned out to be a pretty surprise hit- I initially hated Duraludon's design and still kinda hate looking at Archeludon but holy hell does it take a beating. It's signature move of Electro Shot being a rain version of Solarbeam with the addition of a Special Attack buff helped a ton during some fights in which rain dance or drizzle was a factor. Golurk has also turned into a big favorite of mine too- not an explosive pokemon or all that impressive in the grand scheme of things BUT, I do think it looks cool as fuck and enjoy its ability that boosts punching moves. Golems are cool.
Yeah, there's not too much to comment on with this DLC, sad to say. Exploring the four main biomes is pretty fun, grinding Blueberry Quests (BBQs) is kinda tedious but easy, and a lot of the unlocks are nice. Also the fanservice in making this pretty Unova centric, in addition to some Alola callbacks is pretty fun.
I do think that this DLC also highlights another aspect as to why Pokemon as an RPG is so fucky- especially nowadays. You get dropped into the Elite Four section and can pick any order in which to fight them as you like. Its kinda weird, we haven't had an Elite Four like this since Gen 7 but hey I'm not complaining I always liked that kinda structure. Unfortunately, because they can be fought in any order, they have fairly equivalent levels ranging from 78-80. This isn't too much of an issue but that damn exp. share... Leveling is a breeze and it becomes pretty easy to catch up on the stat gap pretty easily between the massive exp gains and the constant 'feather' stat growth items littered around the world. It's weird, I don't think levels make or break battles and you can certainly win while underleveled as I did for most of the Blueberry E4 but once I beat most of the members and closed the gap things got significantly easier- the 'Champ' was honestly easier than the rest of the guys. I don't know, I don't hate the idea of an exp share that applies to all of your Pokemon but I wish there was a better way to balance out boss fights.
There’s some stuff after you do a small trek back down into Area Zero for one final ‘raid’ like boss with Terapagos, but I'm kinda burnt on Paldea. I think there’s a lot of stuff that could carry the momentum that the fan service creates but there’s so many irks and shortcomings that keep me from being positive through and through. I thought the base game, while hindered by terrible performance and some shortcomings of the open world structure, did deliver on a satisfying blow and acted as a more holistic (albeit janky) idea as to what a modern pokemon could be. However rather than support this idea and patch up some of the shortcomings, this and the last DLC kinda just exist as a side story with a bit of new content, which is fine but overall underwhelming. That Unova trainer remix fucks though.
Last 'game' from 2023 I wanted to cover for this rush through December. I have some other games I'll cover on a top 20 list I'll post around New Years, however I didn't feel the need to write up anything for them in a formal log or something like that.
That said, the new Pokemon DLC.
The Mystery of Area Zero pertains to not any actual mystery or concern that I had with the location in Scarlet/Violet- but actually the mystery as to why Game Freak decided to call the DLC pack that. If I recommend this expansion it's not really for this through-line that they hoped to staple onto Scarlet/Violet, instead it's because I thought the new area and plot regarding Blueberry Academy's league was interesting enough of an add-on to kinda sorta not really justify the price of the expansion pass. Do I recommend you check the package of both DLCs out? Ehhhhh… only if you want more Sc/Vi, otherwise mostly check it out for the Blueberry Academy.
The Academy League portion is a pretty fun time, pitting you against some of the hardest trainers in the entire series. From basic trainers to the Elite Four themselves you'll face pokemon teams with legitimate synergies and strategies that are really fun to watch play out. I'm not really the kind of Pokemon fan to go deep into VGC-type techs and team compositions but I was really enjoying fighting battles that actually got me to think a few moves ahead. Sorry to say, Pokemon needs to consider switching to (or at least upping the use of) double battles. I think its way more interesting than the usual advantage based single battles and brings out the potential of a lot more Pokemon.
Similar to Teal Mask, I decided to create a new team centered around the expansion and I gotta say for a guerilla team this turned out to be a pretty enjoyable squad.
-Golurk
-Pawmot
-Talonflame
-Hatterne
-Archeludon
-Araquanid
Archeludon turned out to be a pretty surprise hit- I initially hated Duraludon's design and still kinda hate looking at Archeludon but holy hell does it take a beating. It's signature move of Electro Shot being a rain version of Solarbeam with the addition of a Special Attack buff helped a ton during some fights in which rain dance or drizzle was a factor. Golurk has also turned into a big favorite of mine too- not an explosive pokemon or all that impressive in the grand scheme of things BUT, I do think it looks cool as fuck and enjoy its ability that boosts punching moves. Golems are cool.
Yeah, there's not too much to comment on with this DLC, sad to say. Exploring the four main biomes is pretty fun, grinding Blueberry Quests (BBQs) is kinda tedious but easy, and a lot of the unlocks are nice. Also the fanservice in making this pretty Unova centric, in addition to some Alola callbacks is pretty fun.
I do think that this DLC also highlights another aspect as to why Pokemon as an RPG is so fucky- especially nowadays. You get dropped into the Elite Four section and can pick any order in which to fight them as you like. Its kinda weird, we haven't had an Elite Four like this since Gen 7 but hey I'm not complaining I always liked that kinda structure. Unfortunately, because they can be fought in any order, they have fairly equivalent levels ranging from 78-80. This isn't too much of an issue but that damn exp. share... Leveling is a breeze and it becomes pretty easy to catch up on the stat gap pretty easily between the massive exp gains and the constant 'feather' stat growth items littered around the world. It's weird, I don't think levels make or break battles and you can certainly win while underleveled as I did for most of the Blueberry E4 but once I beat most of the members and closed the gap things got significantly easier- the 'Champ' was honestly easier than the rest of the guys. I don't know, I don't hate the idea of an exp share that applies to all of your Pokemon but I wish there was a better way to balance out boss fights.
There’s some stuff after you do a small trek back down into Area Zero for one final ‘raid’ like boss with Terapagos, but I'm kinda burnt on Paldea. I think there’s a lot of stuff that could carry the momentum that the fan service creates but there’s so many irks and shortcomings that keep me from being positive through and through. I thought the base game, while hindered by terrible performance and some shortcomings of the open world structure, did deliver on a satisfying blow and acted as a more holistic (albeit janky) idea as to what a modern pokemon could be. However rather than support this idea and patch up some of the shortcomings, this and the last DLC kinda just exist as a side story with a bit of new content, which is fine but overall underwhelming. That Unova trainer remix fucks though.
Alan Wake II
2023
Ugh, where to begin. I really didn't like it! Not quite as much as I didn't like the first one, but that's saying next to nothing.
- Starting with the biggie - the story. Hey, check this out - it's an incredibly simple plot (with basic ass themes) told in the most deliberately abstruse way possible to pad it out, and which ends with no resolution whatsoever except for vague DLC/sequel bait. Quick, which Remedy game from the last fifteen years did I just describe? This house style of theirs REALLY bothers me at this point. Here, let me sum up the entire plot of this one for you:
>>Alan Wake, still trapped in a nightmare dimension following the end of the first game, has been replaced in the real world by an evil doppleganger who wants to destroy reality with a magical artifact. In an attempt to stop him, Alan makes contact with psychic FBI agent Saga Anderson and sets her on the double's trail so that she can stop him, but in so doing endangers Saga's family.<<
That's fucking it. But those two sentences are stretched out over twenty-five hours and buried under layer after layer after layer of pointless, self-indulgent obfuscation and repetition that exists to make it seem like there is a lot more going on. I find it so tiresome. And man, oh man, does this game feel long.
- Everything that's initially impressive about this game is really just fluff. Tons of cool metatextual bits and visually awesome effects and FMV and mixed media stuff (in Alan's story, especially) that is, on the surface, quite engaging - but it's not accomplishing anything! It's not saying anything new! It's not moving ANYTHING forward. It's JUST masturbation - grating even if you try to overlook how much writer Sam Lake himself is right there in the middle of it, in person. You can't just be weird and outre over and over just for the sake of it, it has to dooooooo somethinggggggg
- The combat is so bad it's baffling. Just don't have it if you can't even reach the standards of the (terrible) first game. (Seriously, just cut it! This thing is like 75% puzzle-adventure game/walking sim anyway. Just go all the way!) Nothing is balanced right, your character moves like they're underwater, all enemies are laughably spongey, you can get comboed to death in seconds with a full health bar, the dodge is SOMEHOW WORSE, and to top it off the autosave is allllllll over the place in this dumb game, so if you die (and you will) be prepared to pick up a bunch of shit over again. You can and indeed should run from most combat.
- This ostensible horror series has bravely graduated from having -literally no scares- to having ... jump scares! Tons of them! To the point where the characters voice their displeasure! Awesome.
- The woman playing Saga is flat and kinda bad I didn't buy her at all. Accent slipping all over the place, dead-eyed look the entire game (maybe a quirk of performance capture), weird line misreads. Just, nope. She doesn't have it. No juice.
- For the entire game, the emotional stakes of our player characters hinge upon threats against two of their loved ones who are people that we literally never see in person. I think you call that good storytelling.
- I like the conceit that our hero Alan is ultimately just a shitty writer and a self-centered asshole who constantly wrecks everything - that's great in theory - but that doesn't make LITERALLY RUNNING AROUND INSIDE HIS HEAD FOR TEN HOURS all that compelling
- Loads of bugs and glitches, ranging from distracting to annoying to gamebreaking. Trophies fucked up, items permanently lost, combat clipping into cutscenes leading to fail states during a chapter break, broken triggers, softlocks, fuckin seriously, you name it. Glad I paid full price for this digital-only game.
- Boy they sure have a lot of Finnish people and love their Finnish culture in this Pacific Northwest small town huh
Anyway, Remedy continues to frustrate the shit out of me. (I did enjoy CONTROL, but that was mostly for the excellent gameplay. It shares many of these same hallmark problems.) I really struggled with whether or not I was even gonna play this game after my painful run back through the remaster. And I'll tell you what, as of now I don't think you could pay me to play a sequel to this. These guys have so much potential and are thinking way outside of the box presentation-wise in ways that are really exciting. But they just cannot for the motherfucking life of them tell an actual story. I feel like someone much smarter than me could write about 50 pages on how they continually break every rule in the book, starting with not even coming close to having any kind of ending. Maybe after the astroturfed Sponsored by The Game Awards fellation period for this ends, someone will tackle it in earnest.
Meanwhile, it's Remedy who's still trapped in the REAL "Dark Place" ... lodged irretreivably up their own ass.
- Starting with the biggie - the story. Hey, check this out - it's an incredibly simple plot (with basic ass themes) told in the most deliberately abstruse way possible to pad it out, and which ends with no resolution whatsoever except for vague DLC/sequel bait. Quick, which Remedy game from the last fifteen years did I just describe? This house style of theirs REALLY bothers me at this point. Here, let me sum up the entire plot of this one for you:
>>Alan Wake, still trapped in a nightmare dimension following the end of the first game, has been replaced in the real world by an evil doppleganger who wants to destroy reality with a magical artifact. In an attempt to stop him, Alan makes contact with psychic FBI agent Saga Anderson and sets her on the double's trail so that she can stop him, but in so doing endangers Saga's family.<<
That's fucking it. But those two sentences are stretched out over twenty-five hours and buried under layer after layer after layer of pointless, self-indulgent obfuscation and repetition that exists to make it seem like there is a lot more going on. I find it so tiresome. And man, oh man, does this game feel long.
- Everything that's initially impressive about this game is really just fluff. Tons of cool metatextual bits and visually awesome effects and FMV and mixed media stuff (in Alan's story, especially) that is, on the surface, quite engaging - but it's not accomplishing anything! It's not saying anything new! It's not moving ANYTHING forward. It's JUST masturbation - grating even if you try to overlook how much writer Sam Lake himself is right there in the middle of it, in person. You can't just be weird and outre over and over just for the sake of it, it has to dooooooo somethinggggggg
- The combat is so bad it's baffling. Just don't have it if you can't even reach the standards of the (terrible) first game. (Seriously, just cut it! This thing is like 75% puzzle-adventure game/walking sim anyway. Just go all the way!) Nothing is balanced right, your character moves like they're underwater, all enemies are laughably spongey, you can get comboed to death in seconds with a full health bar, the dodge is SOMEHOW WORSE, and to top it off the autosave is allllllll over the place in this dumb game, so if you die (and you will) be prepared to pick up a bunch of shit over again. You can and indeed should run from most combat.
- This ostensible horror series has bravely graduated from having -literally no scares- to having ... jump scares! Tons of them! To the point where the characters voice their displeasure! Awesome.
- The woman playing Saga is flat and kinda bad I didn't buy her at all. Accent slipping all over the place, dead-eyed look the entire game (maybe a quirk of performance capture), weird line misreads. Just, nope. She doesn't have it. No juice.
- For the entire game, the emotional stakes of our player characters hinge upon threats against two of their loved ones who are people that we literally never see in person. I think you call that good storytelling.
- I like the conceit that our hero Alan is ultimately just a shitty writer and a self-centered asshole who constantly wrecks everything - that's great in theory - but that doesn't make LITERALLY RUNNING AROUND INSIDE HIS HEAD FOR TEN HOURS all that compelling
- Loads of bugs and glitches, ranging from distracting to annoying to gamebreaking. Trophies fucked up, items permanently lost, combat clipping into cutscenes leading to fail states during a chapter break, broken triggers, softlocks, fuckin seriously, you name it. Glad I paid full price for this digital-only game.
- Boy they sure have a lot of Finnish people and love their Finnish culture in this Pacific Northwest small town huh
Anyway, Remedy continues to frustrate the shit out of me. (I did enjoy CONTROL, but that was mostly for the excellent gameplay. It shares many of these same hallmark problems.) I really struggled with whether or not I was even gonna play this game after my painful run back through the remaster. And I'll tell you what, as of now I don't think you could pay me to play a sequel to this. These guys have so much potential and are thinking way outside of the box presentation-wise in ways that are really exciting. But they just cannot for the motherfucking life of them tell an actual story. I feel like someone much smarter than me could write about 50 pages on how they continually break every rule in the book, starting with not even coming close to having any kind of ending. Maybe after the astroturfed Sponsored by The Game Awards fellation period for this ends, someone will tackle it in earnest.
Meanwhile, it's Remedy who's still trapped in the REAL "Dark Place" ... lodged irretreivably up their own ass.
Stasis: Bone Totem
2023
Polaroid's Mega Rush to the 2023 End... Game 6...!
Very good point-and-click with maybe only a few hiccups in some of the traversal and puzzling. Thankfully there's not a whole lot of leaps in logic or confusing puzzles, but it would help anyone looking to check this out to have something to take notes with nearby- just in case.
Some of the later areas and puzzles can get somewhat tedious needing to backtrack through several branching rooms (thankfully segmented off after certain progression), but not having a way to recall back to prior interactive machines or what rooms had what puzzles can get kinda meddlesome- especially since you've got three characters to control.
Bone Totem's atmosphere and presentation are really stellar and I enjoyed the overall worldbuilding, especially since I think a lot of it shines without the need to check every PDA that's lying on the ground (these did get really easy to gloss over late in game). It ramps up pretty quickly which I think is fine, dunno if I would have preferred a more mellow buildup but it only gets a lot more dire from there.
I think the two main leads, Charlie and Mac are just okay- kinda got their arc from the get with maybe one or two twists to keep things going but I wasn't blown away. Moses, the tertiary robot bear and friend of their late daughter, I think is the strongest of the trio and his relation to a later character struck a bit more nearing their arc than the rest of the cast- I was kinda surprised.
Very solid horror point and click, would have preferred to finish this closer to October but had some other stuff on my plate around that time, sadly. I think some of the puzzle interaction can get kinda wonky, and some of the later areas kinda drag, but if you need something that oozes in the tense, the gory and the macabre then Stasis Bone Totem provides from start to end.
Very good point-and-click with maybe only a few hiccups in some of the traversal and puzzling. Thankfully there's not a whole lot of leaps in logic or confusing puzzles, but it would help anyone looking to check this out to have something to take notes with nearby- just in case.
Some of the later areas and puzzles can get somewhat tedious needing to backtrack through several branching rooms (thankfully segmented off after certain progression), but not having a way to recall back to prior interactive machines or what rooms had what puzzles can get kinda meddlesome- especially since you've got three characters to control.
Bone Totem's atmosphere and presentation are really stellar and I enjoyed the overall worldbuilding, especially since I think a lot of it shines without the need to check every PDA that's lying on the ground (these did get really easy to gloss over late in game). It ramps up pretty quickly which I think is fine, dunno if I would have preferred a more mellow buildup but it only gets a lot more dire from there.
I think the two main leads, Charlie and Mac are just okay- kinda got their arc from the get with maybe one or two twists to keep things going but I wasn't blown away. Moses, the tertiary robot bear and friend of their late daughter, I think is the strongest of the trio and his relation to a later character struck a bit more nearing their arc than the rest of the cast- I was kinda surprised.
Very solid horror point and click, would have preferred to finish this closer to October but had some other stuff on my plate around that time, sadly. I think some of the puzzle interaction can get kinda wonky, and some of the later areas kinda drag, but if you need something that oozes in the tense, the gory and the macabre then Stasis Bone Totem provides from start to end.
Dredge
2023
Polaroid's Mega Rush to the 2023 End!! Game 3!!!
A charming enough indie with a strong atmosphere and presentation, only held back a pretty standard structure and some later areas being kinda weak.
Initially I enjoyed the limited range and the desire to seek out as much of a profit as I could in one day, although there's not too much of a rush or time limit to get stuff done other than needing to sell fish before they rot on your dinghy. Once you get a good enough engine and you set sail for other islands it feels like the world opens out to you, although once you’ve hit your 2nd of the 4 islands it was kinda clear as to how the rest of the game plays out. At the very least these areas have distinct catches and ideas, although I did prefer the southern two islands to the northern islands, which were more cluttered and required more careful treading lest you damage your hull. The Stellar Basin in particular is a really lovely reef/archipelago area, surrounding the abyssal shelter of a very aggressive, very large cephalopod.
The overall loop of catching fish and dredging is pretty addictive on its own, honestly if you just wanna fish then this is an excellent one to fill out- although for the purpose of progression I didn't feel any desire to complete any particular section. You get other mechanics like crabbing and trawling to help automate the nabbing of marine wildlife, although 90% of the time fishing and getting random treasures sufficed my monetary needs. In addition these mechanics would often get in the way of managing your Resident Evil 4 Attache Case boat storage- you have limited space for everything on the boat, and certain tools and mechanics require a time payment to install as well so choosing between a stronger line or a trawl becomes complicated at first.
While I think the premise peters out by the end of the game -get to the next island, do its main quest, get the trinket and come back to the collector- I think the main gameplay loop is fun enough and there's enough checklists/optional side stuff to go through to fill out the time once you get to the end.
A charming enough indie with a strong atmosphere and presentation, only held back a pretty standard structure and some later areas being kinda weak.
Initially I enjoyed the limited range and the desire to seek out as much of a profit as I could in one day, although there's not too much of a rush or time limit to get stuff done other than needing to sell fish before they rot on your dinghy. Once you get a good enough engine and you set sail for other islands it feels like the world opens out to you, although once you’ve hit your 2nd of the 4 islands it was kinda clear as to how the rest of the game plays out. At the very least these areas have distinct catches and ideas, although I did prefer the southern two islands to the northern islands, which were more cluttered and required more careful treading lest you damage your hull. The Stellar Basin in particular is a really lovely reef/archipelago area, surrounding the abyssal shelter of a very aggressive, very large cephalopod.
The overall loop of catching fish and dredging is pretty addictive on its own, honestly if you just wanna fish then this is an excellent one to fill out- although for the purpose of progression I didn't feel any desire to complete any particular section. You get other mechanics like crabbing and trawling to help automate the nabbing of marine wildlife, although 90% of the time fishing and getting random treasures sufficed my monetary needs. In addition these mechanics would often get in the way of managing your Resident Evil 4 Attache Case boat storage- you have limited space for everything on the boat, and certain tools and mechanics require a time payment to install as well so choosing between a stronger line or a trawl becomes complicated at first.
While I think the premise peters out by the end of the game -get to the next island, do its main quest, get the trinket and come back to the collector- I think the main gameplay loop is fun enough and there's enough checklists/optional side stuff to go through to fill out the time once you get to the end.
LEGO 2K Drive
2023
Polaroid's Mega Rush to the 2023 End!! Game 4..!
A fine enough time, I could easily see this being a good gift for a child you might know. Lotta exploration and racing that's only really bogged down by later missions requiring certain side quests before you unlock them. A lot of the time I just sorta looked back on my own childhood and remembered the amount of time I had spend on the Cars (2006) game for Gamecube.
There's some redundancy in missions, the actually building mechanic in your garage can be kinda wonky and I really didn't wanna spend anytime creating a 2K account (please understand), but as far as mainlining this went it was a pretty pleasant 10 hours.
A fine enough time, I could easily see this being a good gift for a child you might know. Lotta exploration and racing that's only really bogged down by later missions requiring certain side quests before you unlock them. A lot of the time I just sorta looked back on my own childhood and remembered the amount of time I had spend on the Cars (2006) game for Gamecube.
There's some redundancy in missions, the actually building mechanic in your garage can be kinda wonky and I really didn't wanna spend anytime creating a 2K account (please understand), but as far as mainlining this went it was a pretty pleasant 10 hours.
Sorry if this becomes a rant, but i think this is a legitimately disastrous game. Maybe partially due to my complete exhaustion with the Ubisoft-ified open world genre, but on top of an open world game design I do not like, there are so many decisions that detract for no reason. Disclaimer: I did not finish this game; I played about 20-25 hours. Why do I need a high level skill in order to take mods off my gear? Is that not a reasonably basic expectation, that I be able to remove and replace modifiers, in a game featuring dozens of them? Why does fast travel require resources, but few enough that it essentially doesn’t even matter? Why not just make it free like most games released in the past 10 years? Why is the melee combat so fucking bad?? Why is the voice acting SO BAD for a first party Sony game? The world is cool and the visuals are nice, and the ranged combat is decently fun, but I really did not enjoy my time with this game and I don’t plan on ever returning.
one of the best tomb raider games in my opinion, definitely top 5. the story was much more complex, depressing and heavy compared to its other titles. i feel like when you talk about tomb raider, this IS tomb raider. for a game made in 1999, it lives up to well to today, especially in terms of puzzles and at a technical standpoint and provided a unique and lovely experience. 9/10
Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation - Review
Tomb Raider the Last Revelation is very much Core Designs swansong to the PlayStation 1 era. It very much feels like they have taken everything they have learnt from the last three games and produced a near perfect (original era) Tomb Raider game, moulded from the first three games.
Despite its success on the sales front Tomb Raider 3 struggled to gain the critical acclaim of the first two titles, so one year later we have Tomb Raider: TLR. Lara Croft was as much of a pop culture phenomenon back in 1999 as she was a year before and the hype surrounding this game in 1999 was like nothing we’d seen before in video games. Was the hype justified or was Tomb Raider: TLR a let-down? Let’s find out.
The first thing you’ll notice is that this Tomb Raider does feel different to the previous three. Gone are they old menus, replaced with more conventional style while we are shown clips of the game in the background. Croft manor has also been removed, in part due to the lack of disk space on a CD but also as Core felt they had done all they could with that setting in the last three games.
Core have brought in professional story writers from TV and movies this time around and it really shows. The story opens in Angkor Wat in 1984, when Lara Croft is 16. She and her mentor, Werner Von Croy, are exploring ancient ruins, searching for an ancient artefact called the Iris. They find it, but Lara finds inscriptions that warn of terrible retribution for any who disturb the artefact. Von Croy ignores the warnings and the temple begins to close. Lara is forced to run, leaving him trapped inside.
In 1999, Lara and a local guide are searching for the Tomb of Seth, hoping to find the Amulet of Horus. Upon removing it from a sarcophagus, she finds that the amulet is the key to sealing the dark god Seth away for eternity. Horus and his ally Semerkhet constructed the sarcophagus to hold Seth and that, by removing the amulet, Seth has been released. Her guide is revealed to be working for Von Croy, who is determined to take the amulet for himself. Lara quickly escapes after being chased by Von Croy's mercenaries. Lara must work to re-seal Seth away before he destroys the world and stop Von Croy from taking it for himself.
This is easily the best story in the Tomb Raider series up to this point and the addition of professional writers really shows. Told again through FMV and in game cutscenes the story moves at an almost perfect pace and keeps you far more invested than in previous titles. The ending (as I’m sure you all know) is a huge cliff-hanger and one that kept fans talking for years, right up to the release of Angel of Darkness.
One of the key differences with TR:TLR is that apart from the first level, the game is based entirely in Egypt, rather than a globe hopping adventure as before. My initial fears with this were quickly eased as the level design is almost second to none. Each area of the game feels different with great lighting, architecture and new puzzles to explore. Levels are now spread over multiple loading screens and back tracking is now required to complete objectives. For example one level has a tomb door that requires you to go to three different levels to collect part of the key and return each time. This helps lend a bit of believability to the levels that feel far more like you would expect a Tomb to feel. It’s a linier game than Tomb Raider 3 was but levels are not as linier as they were in Tomb Raider 1 & 2 striking an almost perfect balance.
TLR features many new moves. Lara can now grab hold of ropes dangling from the ceiling and swing from them. These can be used to cross large gaps. She can climb up and down ropes and poles also. She can now shimmy around corners unlike in previous titles. Lara herself in this instalment has a smoother, more refined appearance. This is due to moving and flexible joints between meshes, creating a more realistic approach to the heroine. You can also combine items such as puzzle pieces and there are different ammo types for the shotgun as well as other weapons. Lara can upgrade weapons as well, such as adding a sight to the new revolver and crossbow allowing for first person aiming.
Tomb Raider the Last Revelation was meant to be Core designs final Tomb Raider game before they turned their attention to a next generation Tomb Raider title and it shows. This for me is the perfect balance of all that the original games brought to the table. Combat is great with new and old weapons but not over the top as it was in Tomb Raider 2. Exploration is fun and diverse but not as “all over the place” as it was in Tomb Raider 3 and despite 95% of the game being set in Egypt the level design moulds and changes well throughout the game, unlike the original games repetitive environments.
However if you have not liked Tomb Raider up to this point you’re not going to enjoy TLR. It’s a near perfect example of what the original Tomb Raider series was and a great way to bow out for Lara and Core design. Sadly they would be forced to make one more title prior to working on their next gen Tomb Raider game but we will get to that another time. If you like the original Tomb Raider series you own it to yourself to pick this up as for me it’s the best in the series.
PC – 9.2 PS1 – 9.1
Tomb Raider the Last Revelation is very much Core Designs swansong to the PlayStation 1 era. It very much feels like they have taken everything they have learnt from the last three games and produced a near perfect (original era) Tomb Raider game, moulded from the first three games.
Despite its success on the sales front Tomb Raider 3 struggled to gain the critical acclaim of the first two titles, so one year later we have Tomb Raider: TLR. Lara Croft was as much of a pop culture phenomenon back in 1999 as she was a year before and the hype surrounding this game in 1999 was like nothing we’d seen before in video games. Was the hype justified or was Tomb Raider: TLR a let-down? Let’s find out.
The first thing you’ll notice is that this Tomb Raider does feel different to the previous three. Gone are they old menus, replaced with more conventional style while we are shown clips of the game in the background. Croft manor has also been removed, in part due to the lack of disk space on a CD but also as Core felt they had done all they could with that setting in the last three games.
Core have brought in professional story writers from TV and movies this time around and it really shows. The story opens in Angkor Wat in 1984, when Lara Croft is 16. She and her mentor, Werner Von Croy, are exploring ancient ruins, searching for an ancient artefact called the Iris. They find it, but Lara finds inscriptions that warn of terrible retribution for any who disturb the artefact. Von Croy ignores the warnings and the temple begins to close. Lara is forced to run, leaving him trapped inside.
In 1999, Lara and a local guide are searching for the Tomb of Seth, hoping to find the Amulet of Horus. Upon removing it from a sarcophagus, she finds that the amulet is the key to sealing the dark god Seth away for eternity. Horus and his ally Semerkhet constructed the sarcophagus to hold Seth and that, by removing the amulet, Seth has been released. Her guide is revealed to be working for Von Croy, who is determined to take the amulet for himself. Lara quickly escapes after being chased by Von Croy's mercenaries. Lara must work to re-seal Seth away before he destroys the world and stop Von Croy from taking it for himself.
This is easily the best story in the Tomb Raider series up to this point and the addition of professional writers really shows. Told again through FMV and in game cutscenes the story moves at an almost perfect pace and keeps you far more invested than in previous titles. The ending (as I’m sure you all know) is a huge cliff-hanger and one that kept fans talking for years, right up to the release of Angel of Darkness.
One of the key differences with TR:TLR is that apart from the first level, the game is based entirely in Egypt, rather than a globe hopping adventure as before. My initial fears with this were quickly eased as the level design is almost second to none. Each area of the game feels different with great lighting, architecture and new puzzles to explore. Levels are now spread over multiple loading screens and back tracking is now required to complete objectives. For example one level has a tomb door that requires you to go to three different levels to collect part of the key and return each time. This helps lend a bit of believability to the levels that feel far more like you would expect a Tomb to feel. It’s a linier game than Tomb Raider 3 was but levels are not as linier as they were in Tomb Raider 1 & 2 striking an almost perfect balance.
TLR features many new moves. Lara can now grab hold of ropes dangling from the ceiling and swing from them. These can be used to cross large gaps. She can climb up and down ropes and poles also. She can now shimmy around corners unlike in previous titles. Lara herself in this instalment has a smoother, more refined appearance. This is due to moving and flexible joints between meshes, creating a more realistic approach to the heroine. You can also combine items such as puzzle pieces and there are different ammo types for the shotgun as well as other weapons. Lara can upgrade weapons as well, such as adding a sight to the new revolver and crossbow allowing for first person aiming.
Tomb Raider the Last Revelation was meant to be Core designs final Tomb Raider game before they turned their attention to a next generation Tomb Raider title and it shows. This for me is the perfect balance of all that the original games brought to the table. Combat is great with new and old weapons but not over the top as it was in Tomb Raider 2. Exploration is fun and diverse but not as “all over the place” as it was in Tomb Raider 3 and despite 95% of the game being set in Egypt the level design moulds and changes well throughout the game, unlike the original games repetitive environments.
However if you have not liked Tomb Raider up to this point you’re not going to enjoy TLR. It’s a near perfect example of what the original Tomb Raider series was and a great way to bow out for Lara and Core design. Sadly they would be forced to make one more title prior to working on their next gen Tomb Raider game but we will get to that another time. If you like the original Tomb Raider series you own it to yourself to pick this up as for me it’s the best in the series.
PC – 9.2 PS1 – 9.1
Forspoken
2023
Traversal, combat (once some time is put in to upgrade it) is good
The corny dialog ran its course about a 3rd through the game for me
Thank you to my friend who gave it to me as a Christmas gift cause I did want it lmfao
The corny dialog ran its course about a 3rd through the game for me
Thank you to my friend who gave it to me as a Christmas gift cause I did want it lmfao
Polaroid's Mega Rush to the 2023 End!! Game 5
Finished: December 24th
I don't really hold much interest in Touhou, nor had I for most of my life, although I've certainly known about it for most of my life- since I first started getting into gaming really. Outside of playing Embodiment of the Scarlet Devil, I haven't really dabbled in the property or read into the lore of Touhou proper...but I do know my Megaten.
What you have here is a best case scenario revival of classic Megami Tensei gameplay, while painting everything with the flair and mythos of the Touhou series. A combination I didn’t really expect yet blends surprisingly well once I started getting into the later sections of the game.
Generally when going back to older SMTs I appreciate them for establishing such strong, abrasive worlds- sending casts into wastelands of a familiar world, getting caught in dogmatic wars fought on loop for time indefinite and metaspace infinite. There’s not a lot of mythos as convoluted and cool as Megami Tensei in the gaming industry and I’m glad that it's persisted as long as it has (if overshadowed by a golden Morgana idol in ATLUS’ office building, but I'll take it).
The issue would just arise from how oddly paced or cryptic some of these games could get. Shin Megami Tensei difficulty remained prevalent throughout the series, however modern gaming design would help alleviate or spice up the monotony. The advent of the 'Press Turn' mechanic along with other unique combat mechanics helped to further distinguish SMT from other franchises with a new array of ways to exploit waves of demons. The older games, by comparison, just get to a point where the combat feels a bit too thin for my liking while dungeons get actively more complex by comparison (or in other cases way too simple if you just Divine Judgment everything).
Where classic SMT remains, a new take on the formula helps breathe some life into the idea, from Touhou of all things. Touhou: ADiA takes many of the mechanical ideas and elements found from the first Digital Devil Story to Strange Journey in 2009- and makes a game that well encompasses while actually avoiding some of the pitfalls I feel these titles all too often dig themselves into.
The general gameplay style reflects the usual first-person dungeon crawling of the older Megami Tensei games, with sparse bases surrounding a dungeon rife with enemies, treasures, NPCs and other opportunities. Your equipment and stats are a mix of several games throughout the series- you don't have to buy individual types of bullets separate from the guns you wield although armor will often come with their own unique properties outside of boosting defense/attack. You generally have less armor than the usual SMT title but there's enough distinguishing from certain armors that you might prefer the cat ears that give a giant AGL boost to something that might have more DEF, but lack that agility boost. Your main character, Sumireko gains abilities and resistances/weaknesses off your Sleepers (demons), however you have to sacrifice them in order to gain them, so use these wisely (or just grind money for database splurging).
The use of Grimoires to toggle on 'risk/reward' type passives is a very cool addition to the mix, and can be well exploited if you know when to turn on certain Grimoires. These can range from 'expands your Map discovery radius but gains less SP throughout battle' to 'Damage against a Sleepers' weakness is further increased, but you otherwise deal less damage' they're a fun way to spice up your dungeon crawling. I would recommend against using the explorer grimoire, alongside a careful use for the ‘Map’ item. Both of these help clear up the map and fully exploring a map does get you a monetary reward, much like Strange Journey. These are fine in practice, especially with clearing out dungeons that are much more obnoxious, although part of the manual cleanup without these tools gains you additional battles with which to gain exp. Exp isn't everything in this game- especially if you're better than I am at party building but its always nice to have the level advantage at all times.
There's maybe a few hiccups in difficulty although I think this happens quite often in these kinda games. Where you have a strong party going through a dungeon or two but run into a snag where you wanna fuse your guys into stronger 'Sleepers' but something about the party composition just isnt giving you the 'Sleepers' you want. I never memorized or figured out a pattern(?) for how you should fuse demons and would often run into this problem of never having a new wave of demons to fuse into, usually just stuck with results that were the same as sleepers from the dungeon I just came in from, maybe one new sleeper? I’m not sure.
The music is mostly fine- there's some tracks early on that feel a bit grating but I was quite elated when- as soon as you hit the halfway point of the game- a new battle theme starts popping up. Always enjoyed whenever RPGs shake up the usual battle themes partway through- and here it happens twice! I would have also liked maybe some better indicators as to who everyone actually was when I was fusing. Somewhat embarrassing on my part, although I still have a hard time remembering most of the characters that weren't from EotSD. On the fusion screen all that's shown is their name and their placement in the party menu, but not levels or any showing of what the characters you’re using look like outside of going back to the status screen. Earlier SMTs also had this trouble before they grew into more iconic designs, with a lot of recolors, some generic looking designs and a lot smaller of a database to choose from- although I would have liked a better indicator as to who I was sending out to be fused not just off name/moveset alone.
Story wise its nothing too complex, and I don’t really know how to comment on any fanservice or continuity or anything like that as someone that is not privy to the Touhou mythos. What I will say is that it somewhat succeeded in piquing my interest for later on- I might actually look further into what Touhou gets into or the importance of certain characters. Why was (X) character the final boss? Why is there a lunar colony with a bunch of rabbits on it (why am I playing another game where this is the case)? What’s up with Torifune? The game itself doesn’t dive too deep into this madness and I think it's better for it, not clogging up the main premise for too many in-jokes or needing to explain everything to the main player if they’re someone like me. Certainly not everything is left in the dark and there’s plenty of nudges I think touhou fans will enjoy but its not too overindulgent which I appreciate, letting this game stand on its own.
Overall, Artificial Dream in Arcadia, while a callback for those longing for another kind of RPG like classic SMT, might ironically serve as a good starting point for those that might wanna try out the old style of Megami Tensei for themselves. It's certainly got its learning curve and a lot of the dungeons can feel somewhat arduous, but with the addition of some Quality of Life features mixed into its mechanics, it doesn't take too long to understand what this particular take is asking of you. I was pretty surprised with how much the game had to offer and how many new things it had to show me- it wasn't a parody like I had been expecting but a full on homage to SMT and hell, the JRPG genre. While not a series I generally have interest in, I'm glad that something I had only seen gifs of during its development turned out less as some kinda gag-crossover, and moreso as a fully realized title that improves upon what it homages.
Finished: December 24th
I don't really hold much interest in Touhou, nor had I for most of my life, although I've certainly known about it for most of my life- since I first started getting into gaming really. Outside of playing Embodiment of the Scarlet Devil, I haven't really dabbled in the property or read into the lore of Touhou proper...but I do know my Megaten.
What you have here is a best case scenario revival of classic Megami Tensei gameplay, while painting everything with the flair and mythos of the Touhou series. A combination I didn’t really expect yet blends surprisingly well once I started getting into the later sections of the game.
Generally when going back to older SMTs I appreciate them for establishing such strong, abrasive worlds- sending casts into wastelands of a familiar world, getting caught in dogmatic wars fought on loop for time indefinite and metaspace infinite. There’s not a lot of mythos as convoluted and cool as Megami Tensei in the gaming industry and I’m glad that it's persisted as long as it has (if overshadowed by a golden Morgana idol in ATLUS’ office building, but I'll take it).
The issue would just arise from how oddly paced or cryptic some of these games could get. Shin Megami Tensei difficulty remained prevalent throughout the series, however modern gaming design would help alleviate or spice up the monotony. The advent of the 'Press Turn' mechanic along with other unique combat mechanics helped to further distinguish SMT from other franchises with a new array of ways to exploit waves of demons. The older games, by comparison, just get to a point where the combat feels a bit too thin for my liking while dungeons get actively more complex by comparison (or in other cases way too simple if you just Divine Judgment everything).
Where classic SMT remains, a new take on the formula helps breathe some life into the idea, from Touhou of all things. Touhou: ADiA takes many of the mechanical ideas and elements found from the first Digital Devil Story to Strange Journey in 2009- and makes a game that well encompasses while actually avoiding some of the pitfalls I feel these titles all too often dig themselves into.
The general gameplay style reflects the usual first-person dungeon crawling of the older Megami Tensei games, with sparse bases surrounding a dungeon rife with enemies, treasures, NPCs and other opportunities. Your equipment and stats are a mix of several games throughout the series- you don't have to buy individual types of bullets separate from the guns you wield although armor will often come with their own unique properties outside of boosting defense/attack. You generally have less armor than the usual SMT title but there's enough distinguishing from certain armors that you might prefer the cat ears that give a giant AGL boost to something that might have more DEF, but lack that agility boost. Your main character, Sumireko gains abilities and resistances/weaknesses off your Sleepers (demons), however you have to sacrifice them in order to gain them, so use these wisely (or just grind money for database splurging).
The use of Grimoires to toggle on 'risk/reward' type passives is a very cool addition to the mix, and can be well exploited if you know when to turn on certain Grimoires. These can range from 'expands your Map discovery radius but gains less SP throughout battle' to 'Damage against a Sleepers' weakness is further increased, but you otherwise deal less damage' they're a fun way to spice up your dungeon crawling. I would recommend against using the explorer grimoire, alongside a careful use for the ‘Map’ item. Both of these help clear up the map and fully exploring a map does get you a monetary reward, much like Strange Journey. These are fine in practice, especially with clearing out dungeons that are much more obnoxious, although part of the manual cleanup without these tools gains you additional battles with which to gain exp. Exp isn't everything in this game- especially if you're better than I am at party building but its always nice to have the level advantage at all times.
There's maybe a few hiccups in difficulty although I think this happens quite often in these kinda games. Where you have a strong party going through a dungeon or two but run into a snag where you wanna fuse your guys into stronger 'Sleepers' but something about the party composition just isnt giving you the 'Sleepers' you want. I never memorized or figured out a pattern(?) for how you should fuse demons and would often run into this problem of never having a new wave of demons to fuse into, usually just stuck with results that were the same as sleepers from the dungeon I just came in from, maybe one new sleeper? I’m not sure.
The music is mostly fine- there's some tracks early on that feel a bit grating but I was quite elated when- as soon as you hit the halfway point of the game- a new battle theme starts popping up. Always enjoyed whenever RPGs shake up the usual battle themes partway through- and here it happens twice! I would have also liked maybe some better indicators as to who everyone actually was when I was fusing. Somewhat embarrassing on my part, although I still have a hard time remembering most of the characters that weren't from EotSD. On the fusion screen all that's shown is their name and their placement in the party menu, but not levels or any showing of what the characters you’re using look like outside of going back to the status screen. Earlier SMTs also had this trouble before they grew into more iconic designs, with a lot of recolors, some generic looking designs and a lot smaller of a database to choose from- although I would have liked a better indicator as to who I was sending out to be fused not just off name/moveset alone.
Story wise its nothing too complex, and I don’t really know how to comment on any fanservice or continuity or anything like that as someone that is not privy to the Touhou mythos. What I will say is that it somewhat succeeded in piquing my interest for later on- I might actually look further into what Touhou gets into or the importance of certain characters. Why was (X) character the final boss? Why is there a lunar colony with a bunch of rabbits on it (why am I playing another game where this is the case)? What’s up with Torifune? The game itself doesn’t dive too deep into this madness and I think it's better for it, not clogging up the main premise for too many in-jokes or needing to explain everything to the main player if they’re someone like me. Certainly not everything is left in the dark and there’s plenty of nudges I think touhou fans will enjoy but its not too overindulgent which I appreciate, letting this game stand on its own.
Overall, Artificial Dream in Arcadia, while a callback for those longing for another kind of RPG like classic SMT, might ironically serve as a good starting point for those that might wanna try out the old style of Megami Tensei for themselves. It's certainly got its learning curve and a lot of the dungeons can feel somewhat arduous, but with the addition of some Quality of Life features mixed into its mechanics, it doesn't take too long to understand what this particular take is asking of you. I was pretty surprised with how much the game had to offer and how many new things it had to show me- it wasn't a parody like I had been expecting but a full on homage to SMT and hell, the JRPG genre. While not a series I generally have interest in, I'm glad that something I had only seen gifs of during its development turned out less as some kinda gag-crossover, and moreso as a fully realized title that improves upon what it homages.
Resident Evil 3
2020
Yes? Women protection services? I have a stalker, what should I do?
...
With a rocket launcher? Seems kinda drastic but alright.
...
With a rocket launcher? Seems kinda drastic but alright.
So, what exactly is the "wonder" of the title? Put plainly, it's one unusual, psychedelic bonus area per stage, usually where you are empowered or altered in ways that no Mario title has ever tried before. Is that addition enough to justify the game, and set it apart from the NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. series? Sure! I was compelled to play every new stage for more than just completion - I was genuinely interested to see what was next. Can't always say that for these latter-day 2D Mario games. Is it challenging? No, absolutely not. Aside from the unbelievably cheap and pointless bonus levels you get for 100%ing the game, nothing here is going to give anyone any trouble, even if you're a completionist. But does that matter? Not for what the game is going for. It wants you to feel wonder, and that doesn't require any meaningful challenge, really.
So, it's fun! And it's gorgeous. And the platforming is as tight as ever - so it's good! But is absolutely anything in this game going to stick in your mind for even as little as a week after you beat it and put it on a shelf? Probably not.
So, it's fun! And it's gorgeous. And the platforming is as tight as ever - so it's good! But is absolutely anything in this game going to stick in your mind for even as little as a week after you beat it and put it on a shelf? Probably not.