I bought Shin Megami Tensei V when it launched back in 2021. It was the first mainline I had ever beaten at that point, (I did play a bit of SMT4 years prior but never got far), and I very much enjoyed my time with it. I had thought its story and characters sucked but had also thought the soundtrack, combat and exploration were awesome. Since then, I've beaten 4 as well as both Nocturne and Strange Journey. Those last two are my favorite mainlines now, and having played a lot of the big mainlines at this point, I'm a bit more critical towards SMTV nowadays. While I do still like those two more than Vengeance, this is definitely the definitive version of SMTV and kind of makes the original switch version of SMTV completely irrelevant. I don't think I'd quite say this is what SMTV should have been, as the things that hold it back are mostly tied to the original, but I am going to lower the original to a 7 and have Vengeance take its place at an 8.

I guess I'll start with the thing that's changed the most and is maybe the thing I'm most conflicted on. At the beginning of starting a game, you will be given the choice of picking the original SMTV campaign or the new Vengeance route. Well first, this is the reason why the original SMTV is obsolete. The original campaign is here so there's no reason to ever touch the Switch version. I didn't choose that however, since I beat that path back in 2021, I chose the Vengeance route. Yoko is the new female character Atlus loves to add to their rereleases and the way they go about her and Tao is interesting. They act like the Chaos and Law reps of this game, which compared to the creation route, is VERY different and I think it's an improvement here cuz the alignment reps of the original sucked. They do chime in a bit too much at times and some of the stuff Yoko says is super on the nose and can make her come off as obnoxious at times but yeah it's generally solid. The newly added Qaditsu I really like character-wise and their designs are peak. Mastema from SJ and 4 is also here and I think his involvement in the story is cool, especially if you get the ending I did. I do think there are some really cool changes, like the utilization of some characters are better, but I still think it's held back somewhat by base SMTV. Area 3's story bits are great, but the first two areas are mostly the same. The last area's story bits are remixed somewhat, but the goal is also still the same. I still don't like Daizai or Yuzuru and his sister, even if they're utilized better. Honestly, it would've been more interesting if this route was redone from scratch rather than using a lot of the same story beats from the base game.
The story is improved, and it has great parts throughout, but I don't think it's great overall. For that reason, I much prefer the more minimal and atmospheric story of Nocturne or the best mainline story in SJ.

One of the biggest improvements Vengeance made is being on platforms other than the Switch. Idk how the Switch version runs compared to the original but the PS5 version runs amazingly. I'm not even an FPS whore but it would be very difficult to go back to the original after playing this version. I already loved the post-apocalyptic aesthetic of the original game but, coupled with the expansive new third area, this game is beautiful artistically AND it runs well so it lets appreciate the aesthetics entirely now.

Speaking of the new third area, that's another big change. The third area, while not bad, was probably the weakest area in the original. It kind of just felt like more area 3 but less memorable. The Vengeance route scraps that area entirely in favor of a (imo) superior area that feels like a precursor to area 4 because of its color scheme. I really loved how near the end of your time there, it eventually wrapped around to the opposite of the area and became connected which was really cool. There is a specific part of the area that could be really annoying to traverse and get items in through, but I can appreciate the more complicated level design despite that. Area 4 is still my favorite due to the song that plays there and the more open-ended level design that lets you explore more than the other areas, however area 3 is still great and is an improvement over the original area 3.

Now for some miscellaneous changes that maybe aren't quite as impactful but add to the game. The biggest one of these is the scaling. This was nutso in the original and if you were only like 3-4 levels below an enemy or boss, you wouldn't even be able to touch it. This is luckily changed in this version of the game, to the point where I was able to defeat a boss 15 levels above me. This also makes the 4th area, which had crazy level jumps, more tolerable to people that disliked it originally. It still has those level jumps, but the fights are doable now if you haven't been doing every quest or exploring every area. Personally, I didn't even have an issue in the original since I did everything I could up to that point but it's definitely better in this version. I didn't need to grind at all before I got to the area bosses, because I did every quest and because of the scaling changes which is great. The first Magatsuhi skill you get is the critical one, but near the 2nd half of the game you get one that lets you perform a move four times. This can be crazy but by the end of the game, I actually started using other skills I found really good. My point is, I don't remember using Magatsuhi skills much other than the critical one but here I used different ones a lot. Magatsu rails are these grind rails you can find that take you to new little areas or provide shortcuts. I didn't realize dyad compendium fusion was a new thing in this version but holy shit, hands down the best demon fusion thus far. It's so easy to get the demons you want, and quick which is nice. I also didn't realize the ON/OFF toggle for the map icons was an addition too and I used that all the time lol. The demon haunt is a cool addition that lets you talk to your demons and get items/stat boosts/new skills from them. It's a nice addition and the Nahobino every so often can get 3 extra stat points which is nice. There's other smaller additions like new demons, innate skills, group skills, magatsuhi demons, a new difficulty and levelcap, new virtual battles and more that I wont get into but all of it just changes up the game which is nice. I do also like that the Demi-fiend DLC is included, though it should've been from the start. Guest characters are also a thing and they're kinda cool but make the game feel more like Persona or DDS than mainline. I also think having the ability to save anywhere can make the game too easy, especially since the new grind rails already provided nice shortcuts but I guess it's not a huge deal. Either way, this version of the game is filled to the brim with content, and a lot of new content at that, which is nice.

The soundtrack in the original was great and that's no exception to this version. My favorite songs from the original were Humans, Demons, and..., Da'at: Taito and Tokyo-Daybreak. As for the new tracks, honestly they didn't stick out as much to me until I got to area 3. Besides the Qaditsu battle theme, that one is a banger. Area 3 though had my favorite area theme in the game, Da'at Shinjuku 3rd block. This track really surprised me as it felt very different from the rest of the soundtrack but it's really great. I did also like the Da'at West Shinjuku song cuz its a remix of the Qaditsu theme which was a nice touch considering the story events that happen around that point. Either way, the new tracks are pretty nice, and the original ones are still bangers so yeah, the soundtracks awesome overall.

All in all, this is the version of SMTV you should play if you haven't already. Not only because the Vengeance route is superior to the original route, but it comes with the original route too just with all the additions Vengeance added. So, no need to play the OG version unless you want the game to run worse and be more grindy. I still like Nocturne and Strange Journey more, but Shin Megami Tensei V Vengeance is great and is definitely my third favorite mainline as of now.

Phew, Vengeance is finally done. I know I haven't played a Zelda game in a while but the game I plan on playing next is Oracle of Seasons. So, look forward to Zelda coming back fellas!

After completing story for the 1st time and 100%-ing the whole expansion, i can easily say that it's in top 3 best DLC's ever made. This is a masterpiece that could be expected from CD Projekt RED.
At this point, I completed one ending that was truly a masterpiece. But that's not all, because the expansion's plot has many endings, and over the next few weeks I will get to know all of them. Besides the expansion itself, the game is at it's best state ever.
A perfect expansion to my favourite game of all time, truly breathtaking.
Thank you CDPR

Very emblematic of its era. Lots of style, cell phones are a big deal but they're not smart. Takes full advantage of the DS's unique features in a way that can be overwhelming but in a way that feels like a genuine exploration of the DS's capabilities rather than simply using touch screen for the sake of using it. Even the game's microphone enabled pins feel good to use rather than just annoying. Really highlights the creativity you can bring out when your console isn't so standardized like they are today.

there's a lot to like about twewy. the crowded, dense streets of shibuya along with its small scale make for an awesome and unique setting, and all the characters are vibrant, complex, and full of personality. i found neku really irritating to begin with, but his character arc is mostly satisfying and turns him into a genuinely likeable person. his quiet, icy disposition is contrasted by the absurd zaniness of the reapers to effectively convey the deep loneliness and isolation that neku feels in both the real world and the underground, and helps to ground the UG as a twisted, alien version of the real shibuya.

but while twewy succeeds in creating a believable world with compelling characters, it fails to construct a coherent narrative. its a bit of a mess. sure, the focus is mostly on deep, emotional story beats and memorable character interactions, but, like, sometimes stuff just happens. twewy has an obsession with introducing arbitrary rules only to quickly break them when its convenient for the plot. in the context of the game world, this is probably intentional, but it doesn't make for a satisfying story and undoes so much of the believability that the world and characters work so hard to establish. the finale is especially egregious, and while the intent was probably to be ambiguous, it just left me dazed and confused.

also, the music choices during some scenes is baffling. like, a character will pour their heart out over some horribly tragic thing they've experienced, and meanwhile you're forced to listen to this abrasive, upbeat hip-hop tune while said character bawls their eyes out. kinda ruins the weight of the scene.

the combat system took a long time to figure out. for the most part, battles are frustrating, inconsistent, and unresponsive. call it a skill issue, but i often resorted to mindless swipe-spam and button-mashing. my attempts at strategic play always resulted in screaming at my ds as i furiously, desperately scribbled on the touch screen, trying to get neku to do anything. the clunkiness of the battle system heavily discourages experimentation with different pins, which is a shame because i really liked collecting them. and don't get me started on pin evolution. shutdown and mingle xp is such a shit idea. its shit. that said, when you get into the groove of it, battles can be really fun. once i figured out how to win and how to synergise my pins with each other, i even found myself voluntarily grinding! but, while i had occasional fun with the combat, i don't have any desire to experience it again, which kinda sums up my thoughts on twewy overall. i'm really glad i played it, and while i don't see myself ever revisiting it again, i have a feeling it'll be on my mind for a long, long time.

Titanfall 1 was my first introduction to FPS gaming, sparking my passion for the whole genre. Titanfall 2 is just an improvement in every aspect, and It stands as a testament to the franchise's potential.
Despite its length, the campaign is outstanding, one of the finest in the FPS genre. With its seamless and fluid movement, the multiplayer is just flawless and very enjoyable.
The game's only drawback is the short length of the campaign. A 15 to 20-hour storyline would have been perfect, especially considering the depth of the narrative presented in just 8 hours.
With better stewardship than EA, it could have rivaled with the likes of Call of Duty.
I just hope that we'll get Titanfall 3 one day...

After abandoning this game back in early 2023 due to exhaustion from the first game in the series, I returned to it.
Firstly after playing just 2 hours of Forbidden West back in 2023, I realized it was much better than Zero Dawn, that's why I knew I wanted to return to it. About 1.5 years later, I finally finished the game and can say that I had fun playing it. It's a big open-world RPG, which is the kind of game I love.
However, it's overly filled with unnecessary activities that overwhelm you when you check the map. For plain example, the game just bombards you with too many side quests at the start.
The combat is satisfying, especially when dealing with large machines, as you can scan all of their parts and choose your approach. Although basic, I enjoyed the stealth aspect due to the variety of weapons and outfits available for a stealth build.
The biggest flaw for me, though, is not even the bloated and gigantic map; it's the "Disney-ish Campaign" which portrays Aloy as this great-ass hero who is untouchable and always positive, only doing good. The game is PEGI 16, but it could easily be PEGI 12 with this type of narrative.
I value a good campaign in video games, and the campaign in this series just doesn't click with me.
Besides the story though, the game is very enjoyable, especially if you're someone who really enjoyed "The Witcher 3", cause the game takes full advantage of it.

I never really finished the campaign because back in the X360 era I was a kiddo and I didn't understand shit in English. So I picked it up 11 years later, and I wouldn't really say that Im dissapointed cause I didn't expect much from the arcade gangster simulator. But it wasn't the best, pretty pointless and boring towards the end I'd even say. But It's not bad if you really squint your eyes at some things.
I really liked some things though, like Franklin's story and character development. It's my favourite thing in the game to be honest, and it's one of the best things about the singleplayer mode.
Personally for me, the campaign in games is basically the most important factor, and I haven't really enjoyed it here. Though, the game is legendary, and very influential and it's the 3rd best selling game of all time.