albeinalms
6 reviews liked by albeinalms
A really good game under the hood with an insanely in-depth customization options on both visual and performance, car handling that'll keep you on your toes, and event variety incomparable to the rest of the BlackBox lineup - and even to the series as a whole.
It's also one of the most infuriatingly boring games ever - in terms of the career - with its slogging race events that can take ages to complete for no reason, and an open world that gets old really fast. The tedium was what killed the game for me, and I was ready for the game to end by Stage 5.
Kinda regret binging it - I imagine I would've had more fun if I've gone through it sparingly. But still had some fun.
It's also one of the most infuriatingly boring games ever - in terms of the career - with its slogging race events that can take ages to complete for no reason, and an open world that gets old really fast. The tedium was what killed the game for me, and I was ready for the game to end by Stage 5.
Kinda regret binging it - I imagine I would've had more fun if I've gone through it sparingly. But still had some fun.
Pokémon Moon
2016
I'd like to know who at Game Freak was personally stalking me when they decided to make a game that directly appeals to everything I like about Pokemon campaigns. It's a smartly designed decision that this game came out, because it knows exactly what a Pokemon campaign's strengths are. Sun/Moon doubles down on the worldbuilding Pokemon is so good at, in fact I'd say it pretty much just is the game. It's constantly about Alola, every new pokemon design and area bleeding the personality and culture of the region and it never really lets up even till the end. It didn't have to end there either, Sun/Moon actually brings in a story worth a damn, all wrapped around family values concerning Lillie and Lusamine, finishing in a clash that really delves deep into empty nest syndrome.
There's a very obvious side effect of all this, and that's that you can't move probably 30 minutes without being wrapped into a cutscene. Personally I think this is fine because I prefer my Pokemon campaigns to be roller coasters since I never truly enjoy the full customization experience to last an entire 30 hours due to AI teams being incompetent enough for me to always bulldoze over them. But I do understand where people will find this an issue that walls them off from caring about the game.
That being said, I do have one more positive to cover. Sun/Moon actually attempts to have PvE rather than PvP. While I would like to cover it in a full article, to summarize briefly a main problem with Pokemon campaigns from a gameplay center is that they hit a bottleneck by conforming to AI teams. Pokemon's combat systems are practically entirely designed for a real player vs player experience where it's structured around mind games and dazzling team combinations that catch the opponent off guard, creating a neutral game where each side has to understand and infer what the other side will do next with their Pokemon. That's entirely how competitive Pokemon works and it's completely missing in the base game, where AIs are so simple that they can be bulldozed by type advantage or overwhelming numbers. This issue can be mitigated by stronger Pokemon teams but what's a way way better solution is to throw out the middleman and try to make a PvE experience that uses Pokemon combat as a base to be built atop of.
And this is what Sun/Moon succeeds at, mostly. Totem Pokemon require you to make enemy-specific strategies and brute forcing requires more effort than just leveling. This comes to a head especially in the sequel where Ultra Necrozma which is practically a playwall that demands a fundamental understanding of a lot of Pokemon's combat so that you can 'cheese' it. It's not perfect, it's a very weak step forward but a step forward nonetheless.
Overall I find Sun/Moon to be the best a singleplayer Pokemon game has been, mostly since it scratches each itch I have for a Pokemon campaign and that it has a powerful soul and heart to every hour of playtime. Also Gen 7 competitive is good enough to elevate that.
There's a very obvious side effect of all this, and that's that you can't move probably 30 minutes without being wrapped into a cutscene. Personally I think this is fine because I prefer my Pokemon campaigns to be roller coasters since I never truly enjoy the full customization experience to last an entire 30 hours due to AI teams being incompetent enough for me to always bulldoze over them. But I do understand where people will find this an issue that walls them off from caring about the game.
That being said, I do have one more positive to cover. Sun/Moon actually attempts to have PvE rather than PvP. While I would like to cover it in a full article, to summarize briefly a main problem with Pokemon campaigns from a gameplay center is that they hit a bottleneck by conforming to AI teams. Pokemon's combat systems are practically entirely designed for a real player vs player experience where it's structured around mind games and dazzling team combinations that catch the opponent off guard, creating a neutral game where each side has to understand and infer what the other side will do next with their Pokemon. That's entirely how competitive Pokemon works and it's completely missing in the base game, where AIs are so simple that they can be bulldozed by type advantage or overwhelming numbers. This issue can be mitigated by stronger Pokemon teams but what's a way way better solution is to throw out the middleman and try to make a PvE experience that uses Pokemon combat as a base to be built atop of.
And this is what Sun/Moon succeeds at, mostly. Totem Pokemon require you to make enemy-specific strategies and brute forcing requires more effort than just leveling. This comes to a head especially in the sequel where Ultra Necrozma which is practically a playwall that demands a fundamental understanding of a lot of Pokemon's combat so that you can 'cheese' it. It's not perfect, it's a very weak step forward but a step forward nonetheless.
Overall I find Sun/Moon to be the best a singleplayer Pokemon game has been, mostly since it scratches each itch I have for a Pokemon campaign and that it has a powerful soul and heart to every hour of playtime. Also Gen 7 competitive is good enough to elevate that.
Pokémon Moon
2016
I always heard that Pokemon Sun/Moon is the worst generation of Pokemon. Because of that, this game was in my backloog for almost 6 years. One day I decided to play with my Nintendo 3DS again and started with Pokemon Moon. After that, I learned that I don't always have to believe in other people reviews without give a proper chance to the game.
Pokemon Moon is a classic Pokemon game. Those games are almost the same game since Pokemon Fire/Red, and Pokemon Moon has the same feeling with a better look. I played Pokemon Sword before my adventure in Alola and I can say that I didn't miss anything from the new generation.
To be honest, the Pokemon from this generation are forgettable. Only old Pokemon were in my team 'cause no one caught my attetion.
The changes in Pokemon Moon are Z moves and the island chalenge insted of gym battles. The Z moves are nothing different than a 5th move that you only can use once for battle. The island chalenges are puzzles and battles that you have to do to face the Elite Four, but to be honest they are more complicated to understand.
Pokemon Moon is really really easy. I never lost a single battle in all game and it never was close to it. I just played the necessary battles and avoid to face wild Pokemon and even doind those things, my Pokemon were always with a higher level than my rivals.
The story is ok.
After all that, you are probably thinking why I said that after Pokemon Moon I won't believe in reviews without give a proper chance to the game. The answer is simple: Pokemon is always fun and that's why the Game Freak and The Pokemon Company don't want to make anything new with this franchise.
Pokemon Moon is a classic Pokemon game. Those games are almost the same game since Pokemon Fire/Red, and Pokemon Moon has the same feeling with a better look. I played Pokemon Sword before my adventure in Alola and I can say that I didn't miss anything from the new generation.
To be honest, the Pokemon from this generation are forgettable. Only old Pokemon were in my team 'cause no one caught my attetion.
The changes in Pokemon Moon are Z moves and the island chalenge insted of gym battles. The Z moves are nothing different than a 5th move that you only can use once for battle. The island chalenges are puzzles and battles that you have to do to face the Elite Four, but to be honest they are more complicated to understand.
Pokemon Moon is really really easy. I never lost a single battle in all game and it never was close to it. I just played the necessary battles and avoid to face wild Pokemon and even doind those things, my Pokemon were always with a higher level than my rivals.
The story is ok.
After all that, you are probably thinking why I said that after Pokemon Moon I won't believe in reviews without give a proper chance to the game. The answer is simple: Pokemon is always fun and that's why the Game Freak and The Pokemon Company don't want to make anything new with this franchise.
Guernica is trans
This review contains spoilers
Very very spoiler heavy thoughts below.
It's been almost a year since AINI released, and the more time passes, the less I like this game.
And that sucks because I was so excited for it!!! I love the first game a ton, it means a lot to me and especially my partner, and we're a bit more forgiving when it comes to some of Uchikoshi's more 'controversial among the fans' releases, like Zero Time Dilemma. I hate that I feel this way about something I thought I wanted for years, but this game made me realize more than anything before that some stories are better left finished than turned into a franchise.
As a sequel, it was extremely held back by the rule of being beginner friendly for players who decided to experience this before the first game. Returning characters do and say things that make no fuckin sense for the sake of not spoiling the first game to people that play this first. Date is the best example of how far they had to reach in order to not spoil stuff, it's ridiculous. Him continuing to wear Saito's face for some made up ass reason just so unfamiliar players don't know what Date really looks like is ghoulish stuff, and so out of character. And him ditching his family after being reunited for some more made up bullshit was so infuriating. I feel really bad for anybody that actually played this first and this is the version of Date they got to meet. He might as well not have been here. Most characters might as well not be here.
Mizuki was definitely the highlight of the returning cast. I honestly think she's the only one they didn't fuck up in a bad way. Since this timeline is the True Ending from the first game, we know that in this world, the Mizuki ending didn't happen, and Date and Mizuki probably never got to have a super deep bond. I'm glad that by the end of this game, Mizuki has someone that will (unless more made up bullshit happens in game 3) never leave her side. That felt like a good ending for her.
I don't really even know what to say for Ryuki though. He is just more of a plot device than a character by the end of it all. I enjoyed him for the first half before everything about him began to get revealed. Also that gay moment felt so out of nowhere? That's honestly the Ryuki moment I think about most is them giving him unrequited love for Date for some reason. I guess Tama's design hints at it, but it gets brought up once and never again. All for the most hetero guy in the franchise too, like bro, you never even had a shot...dude really thinks he can be a homewrecker.
Not to toot my own horn, but many of the twists were predictable for me personally, and were just not nearly as impactful as anything from the first game's story. The timeline being a literal Twist is pretty clever, I'll give Uchikoshi that. The big big twist about Bibi actually being half of the Mizuki side, making Mizuki only playable in 1/4th of the game, was cool, it sucks that it makes the Mizuki game barely have Mizuki as the lead though. Somehow I even guessed Amame being the 'final boss' before the game even came out. I was just getting those vibes from her being promoted to main cast, no idea why. I had a similar experience with the mastermind in Danganronpa V3 funnily enough. Uru being revealed as another child of So Sejima is really icing on the twist cake. What, are they just gonna tell us at the beginning of game 3 that the 'Tetrahedron Killer has been revealed to be So Sejima's 4th illegitimate child, but heh, I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start from the beginning.' That had to be for the sake of a joke, like c'mon man.
The character endings are really tame in comparison to the first game's. Every single ending from game 1 is so memorable and fills you with emotion. The character endings in this game are just like, okay, moving on. It doesn't help that 2 of them deal with relationships that are being shoved down our throats to make us care, but that all of them(besides the secret ending which is the best one btw) all have to be about 2 characters at once because this game is obsessed with the number 2. I hate that most of these characters have to rely on another to have a story, most of the characters only really get to be characters when they're stapled together rather than on their own. Also these new guys that get most of the endings are just not that engaging in these endings. I simply could not care for Lien/Kizuna's and Gen/Amame's super forced relationships. Komeji and Shoma's was pretty alright though, at least that one felt natural and normal and didn't leave me with a bad taste in my mouth. None of the character endings come close to the first game's in terms of emotional beats which sucks because I feel like game 1 did such a good job expanding on what if scenarios with the leads.
One thing that bugged me a lot was every body discovery being the exact same. There are some really gruesome deaths in the first game that are so shocking to see for the first time. In AINI, every character that dies is killed in the same fashion, just split down the middle. Obviously the reason for this is most of the plot and twists, but it was just so boring seeing the same style of murder over and over, when the first game's deaths were so varied and unique in comparison.
I see a lot of people say the somnium's themselves are much better here than in the first game, and I agree for some, but I just feel like most of them are missing the eeriness of the first game's. This game really does have a problem trying to establish the same grim tone the first game had throughout it. I only ever felt on edge during Tokiko and Bibi's. I think the problem with this as a sequel is that they couldn't pull off the insane twists of not knowing who's head you're actually in again here, so just going through all the new character's for one small piece of the puzzle each was pretty repetitive. I will say, Chikara's somnium was a super strong start. If Ryuki has anything going for him, it's that the somniums he explores are significantly better than Mizuki and Bibi's on average. Also I may need a replay to remember this part, but my partner and I both felt that the somnium's this time around felt too easy and made too much sense in comparison to game 1, y'know? The absolute biggest complaint I always encountered when seeing people talking about game 1 was that the solutions to puzzles made no sense or had no reasonable line between puzzle and solution. I never understood this as a somnium is like a dream, and dreams don't make any sense. You're not in control of a dream, and neither is a person in control of their somnium. In AINI, I felt like maybe there was a bit of control going on and things just made a little too much sense. I feel like this was done to address the complaints people had about solutions seeming random in game 1. I enjoyed the trial and error of game 1 and I guess I personally just enjoy that more than most people apparently. I guess that's why I love games like Somnium Files and Illbleed so much.
The music is the best part of the game for me. Chikara, Shoma's and Tokiko's somnium themes are stellar, and I like the Silent Hill vibe of Lien's. Bibi's somnium theme is the kind of tenseness I was hoping to hear more of. The updated character models are also very welcome. It was surprising to see how different boths games looked, even if mostly subtle. Amame is a great example.
I also enjoyed Tokiko and Komeji a lot, they were very much the highlight characters for me. Tokiko especially is a character that actually manages to leave you with some thought once the journey is over.
I just wish this game wasn't so scared of progress. I would've loved a more traditional sequel, I'm sure it would've been excellent. This being the outcome, the rule of not letting what happened in the first game affect the sequels story, is just so damn frustrating, it makes me wonder why ever bother doing it this way? Was it because visual novels tend to not sell like crazy, so this was to entice people into spending money sooner than later? I have no idea. At this point, I am just left wondering If I even want to play the inevitable 3rd game when it comes out in probably 2025.
Thanks for the Aiba figurine at least.
It's been almost a year since AINI released, and the more time passes, the less I like this game.
And that sucks because I was so excited for it!!! I love the first game a ton, it means a lot to me and especially my partner, and we're a bit more forgiving when it comes to some of Uchikoshi's more 'controversial among the fans' releases, like Zero Time Dilemma. I hate that I feel this way about something I thought I wanted for years, but this game made me realize more than anything before that some stories are better left finished than turned into a franchise.
As a sequel, it was extremely held back by the rule of being beginner friendly for players who decided to experience this before the first game. Returning characters do and say things that make no fuckin sense for the sake of not spoiling the first game to people that play this first. Date is the best example of how far they had to reach in order to not spoil stuff, it's ridiculous. Him continuing to wear Saito's face for some made up ass reason just so unfamiliar players don't know what Date really looks like is ghoulish stuff, and so out of character. And him ditching his family after being reunited for some more made up bullshit was so infuriating. I feel really bad for anybody that actually played this first and this is the version of Date they got to meet. He might as well not have been here. Most characters might as well not be here.
Mizuki was definitely the highlight of the returning cast. I honestly think she's the only one they didn't fuck up in a bad way. Since this timeline is the True Ending from the first game, we know that in this world, the Mizuki ending didn't happen, and Date and Mizuki probably never got to have a super deep bond. I'm glad that by the end of this game, Mizuki has someone that will (unless more made up bullshit happens in game 3) never leave her side. That felt like a good ending for her.
I don't really even know what to say for Ryuki though. He is just more of a plot device than a character by the end of it all. I enjoyed him for the first half before everything about him began to get revealed. Also that gay moment felt so out of nowhere? That's honestly the Ryuki moment I think about most is them giving him unrequited love for Date for some reason. I guess Tama's design hints at it, but it gets brought up once and never again. All for the most hetero guy in the franchise too, like bro, you never even had a shot...dude really thinks he can be a homewrecker.
Not to toot my own horn, but many of the twists were predictable for me personally, and were just not nearly as impactful as anything from the first game's story. The timeline being a literal Twist is pretty clever, I'll give Uchikoshi that. The big big twist about Bibi actually being half of the Mizuki side, making Mizuki only playable in 1/4th of the game, was cool, it sucks that it makes the Mizuki game barely have Mizuki as the lead though. Somehow I even guessed Amame being the 'final boss' before the game even came out. I was just getting those vibes from her being promoted to main cast, no idea why. I had a similar experience with the mastermind in Danganronpa V3 funnily enough. Uru being revealed as another child of So Sejima is really icing on the twist cake. What, are they just gonna tell us at the beginning of game 3 that the 'Tetrahedron Killer has been revealed to be So Sejima's 4th illegitimate child, but heh, I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start from the beginning.' That had to be for the sake of a joke, like c'mon man.
The character endings are really tame in comparison to the first game's. Every single ending from game 1 is so memorable and fills you with emotion. The character endings in this game are just like, okay, moving on. It doesn't help that 2 of them deal with relationships that are being shoved down our throats to make us care, but that all of them(besides the secret ending which is the best one btw) all have to be about 2 characters at once because this game is obsessed with the number 2. I hate that most of these characters have to rely on another to have a story, most of the characters only really get to be characters when they're stapled together rather than on their own. Also these new guys that get most of the endings are just not that engaging in these endings. I simply could not care for Lien/Kizuna's and Gen/Amame's super forced relationships. Komeji and Shoma's was pretty alright though, at least that one felt natural and normal and didn't leave me with a bad taste in my mouth. None of the character endings come close to the first game's in terms of emotional beats which sucks because I feel like game 1 did such a good job expanding on what if scenarios with the leads.
One thing that bugged me a lot was every body discovery being the exact same. There are some really gruesome deaths in the first game that are so shocking to see for the first time. In AINI, every character that dies is killed in the same fashion, just split down the middle. Obviously the reason for this is most of the plot and twists, but it was just so boring seeing the same style of murder over and over, when the first game's deaths were so varied and unique in comparison.
I see a lot of people say the somnium's themselves are much better here than in the first game, and I agree for some, but I just feel like most of them are missing the eeriness of the first game's. This game really does have a problem trying to establish the same grim tone the first game had throughout it. I only ever felt on edge during Tokiko and Bibi's. I think the problem with this as a sequel is that they couldn't pull off the insane twists of not knowing who's head you're actually in again here, so just going through all the new character's for one small piece of the puzzle each was pretty repetitive. I will say, Chikara's somnium was a super strong start. If Ryuki has anything going for him, it's that the somniums he explores are significantly better than Mizuki and Bibi's on average. Also I may need a replay to remember this part, but my partner and I both felt that the somnium's this time around felt too easy and made too much sense in comparison to game 1, y'know? The absolute biggest complaint I always encountered when seeing people talking about game 1 was that the solutions to puzzles made no sense or had no reasonable line between puzzle and solution. I never understood this as a somnium is like a dream, and dreams don't make any sense. You're not in control of a dream, and neither is a person in control of their somnium. In AINI, I felt like maybe there was a bit of control going on and things just made a little too much sense. I feel like this was done to address the complaints people had about solutions seeming random in game 1. I enjoyed the trial and error of game 1 and I guess I personally just enjoy that more than most people apparently. I guess that's why I love games like Somnium Files and Illbleed so much.
The music is the best part of the game for me. Chikara, Shoma's and Tokiko's somnium themes are stellar, and I like the Silent Hill vibe of Lien's. Bibi's somnium theme is the kind of tenseness I was hoping to hear more of. The updated character models are also very welcome. It was surprising to see how different boths games looked, even if mostly subtle. Amame is a great example.
I also enjoyed Tokiko and Komeji a lot, they were very much the highlight characters for me. Tokiko especially is a character that actually manages to leave you with some thought once the journey is over.
I just wish this game wasn't so scared of progress. I would've loved a more traditional sequel, I'm sure it would've been excellent. This being the outcome, the rule of not letting what happened in the first game affect the sequels story, is just so damn frustrating, it makes me wonder why ever bother doing it this way? Was it because visual novels tend to not sell like crazy, so this was to entice people into spending money sooner than later? I have no idea. At this point, I am just left wondering If I even want to play the inevitable 3rd game when it comes out in probably 2025.
Thanks for the Aiba figurine at least.
ryuki route is GOATED but the game starts to fall apart in the latter half as it drops some very poorly thought-out twists and retcons, and you start to realize that almost every character and plot element is solely designed to service these twists without having much substance in their own right.
the charm from the first game still carries over though and it's a very fun ride, the big picture writing just isn't up to par for uchikoshi standards
the charm from the first game still carries over though and it's a very fun ride, the big picture writing just isn't up to par for uchikoshi standards