Guys, this game is fucking insane. Like absolutely insane. I can not stress enough how fucking cool this game is. This dude from Japan, Yuji Horii, took this mostly Western PC genre and completely changed the world of gaming for-fucking-ever. I mean, I'm sure you already know that, and I'm sure you think, oh yeah, it's impressive how much this game did being a prime builder for the genre, but like guys... holy SHIT. This game is one of the first of its kind, and it still gets SO much right. It gets things right that games coming out way later might forget about (YES, I'm still bitter that Lufia doesn't have ANY indicator of how low your HP is in battle in fucking 2002 shut up), it gets things right that I full on went in expecting a game on the Famicom to understandably not get right it's first-time around, it got things right that I didn't even know I wanted to be done right. I've see people online argue about earlier Japanese RPGs, and they're what we should put more focus on, like Dragon Slayer or Black Onyx, but like come on - this was put on a way less powerful system compared to the PC-88 and it had a soundtrack of music, charmingly detailed enemies and backgrounds, it had fucking characters you could talk and learn from... Dragon Quest so perfectly surrounds you into feeling like you've been dropped into a fairy tale and finally get to be the hero for (which I lovingly named Fugger btw).

Now, lemme tell you the ways in which Dragon Quest blows my goddamn fucking mind:

- Dragon Quest takes a genre used to the complexity that a PC keyboard can allow a player, and was able to easily convert it over to a controller that has 2 buttons.
- It opened an uncountable amount of players to a concept they've never heard of, and had them fall IN LOVE with it. Like for real, how many kids in 1980's Japan do you think were playing Dungeons and Dragons with their friends?
- This Horii dude was so worried about making sure the game was player-friendly enough that he straight up invented some amazing QOL elements that became naturally part of the genre, to the point we just assume it's going to be in any RPG we pick up. Examples include: Leveling-up quick in the beginning to keep motivations high, NPCs offering beginner advice, visual representations in knowing the changes in difficulty (bridges and tunnels), text boxes with all current information easy for access, etc. etc.
- Additionally, how involved the player's actions feel in connection to the game's story is so charming. Events such as being able to see the hero physically bridal-style carry the princess back to the castle, and seeing the poisonous swamps now brimming with flowers really helps emotionally connect the player to what they do to progress the story.
- And yes the story! Let's not forget about that! Yes, it features a damsel-in-distress storyline that we've seen a million times in plays, books, and movies, but the way Dragon Quest's story of self-growth and determination so perfectly mixes with the RPG gameplay brought forward. The villain is also really cool - especially his sort of plot-twist second form.

On top of all that, the absolute most important of all, Dragon Quest is FUN. It's fun! It's really fucking fun! Almost 30 years later, and you still find people online, old or young, Eastern or Western, no matter the gender, all talking about their fondness for the game. It's groundbreaking, beautiful (especially on NES), influential, it looks and works better than even goddamn Linda Evangelista. I played through it with the American Dragon Warrior guide book that came out the same time the game did in the West, and found that perfect for helping me know what to do next after I got bored wandering in circles trying to level up.

This is the first game I've played in the Dragon Quest series, even though really, I played Dragon Warrior for the NES in technicality, heh heh. This whole experience is definitely the start to a new series I think I will be very annoying about, so I hope anyone who, for some reason happens to like following my reviews, is ready for many, many more to come.

XOXO

4/5

this remaster was an inevitable win. a 4k 60fps remaster with improved visuals and new content is fitting for We ♥ Katamari. the original game portrayed the excitement, ambivalence, and anxiety in a sequel to success, and took me to a conclusion that whatever shares love and inspiration is a good thing.

with that being said, i also want to say that i adore this site's community. seeing all of the unique perspectives on games in all forms is a treat. i also have already been shown some really cool new games in my short time here from the many lists that you wonderful people have compiled. thank you if you have contributed to this site in any way, and thank you for reading this goofy stuff.

anyways, creating a remaster of that sequel feels natural as a follow-up to the other remaster. We Love Katamari Reroll + Royal Reverie is a better version of a game that was all about being better. the ultimate fanservice. $30 of love. sweet!

traditional fighting games tend to be deeply unsatisfying for me. the genre has been in an embarrassing state for years with most new releases giving you barely any innovative content. then, they try to nickle and dime you for tiny driblets of dlc. i get that the fgc isnt massive that there's no room for smaller games to experiment that much, but the previous entry in this series Street Fighter V had no excuse. i unfortunately chose it as my first traditional fighting game and it just put me off the genre entirely.
seven years have passed since my first experience with SFV, and i have some more experience in the genre. i've played various Guilty Gears and Mortal Kombats and even past Street Fighters, and even learned how to play them on a basic level, but i still couldn't shake the feeling that the genre just is not for me. there's always just so little to do.

Street Fighter 6 not only is one of the first traditional fighting games that ive tried in what feels like forever to include thoughtful side content, but also one of the first to make competition irresistible. the allure of "gitting gud" in this the strongest i've ever felt.

world tour is a joke and i mean that in the most positive way possible. this mode is extremely endearing in how cheap and gimmicky it feels. it's very clear that a lot of this mode is crafted around getting new players familiar with fighting game mechanics in a fun way. everything you do stays rooted in street fighter's core gameplay. i see this mode as an extended tutorial for anyone who is new to the series that was also made to simultaneously draw in people like me who feel fighting games don't offer enough.

battle hub is probably the best lobby system ive encountered in any game. it's clear that a lot of thought and effort went into making this game a pretty positive social space all around. the community been really pleasant, which makes any anger you may feel about their playstyle just disappear. it's a great chill place to spam emotes with fellow character editor monstrosities in-between rounds.

fighting ground is your usual sf business that never had me hooked. pretty much everything in this mode is what sf games in the past had as much of or less than. however, there are some seriously cool things now. the practice mode offers a robust selection of settings that allow you to see whats under the hood of the game. extreme battle adds some overdue party settings to the street fighter formula that i'll be trying whenever i get the chance. arcade is kept short by default, and offers a collection of art as a pretty neat little reward for your efforts. the content in this mode alone is superior in quality compared to anything else ive gotten from the series, and only Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX can rival it in the quantity of ways to play.

underneath all of these modes are great new mechanics with fantastic cast of characters. drive is much more straightforward than all the stuff they continued piling on Street Fighter V. it's hard to see a future where these mechanics make the meta less exciting, and the present makes it clear that they're fun to use. alongside the new mechanics are my favorite set of newcomers in the series history since Street Fighter II. the designs and personalities are inspired additions to the cast of the series. the returning cast also has some strong picks with seriously neat revamps to their style with the new drive mechanics. it's nice to have a new sf where the initial cast doesn't have that feeling of a crucial character being missing.

at every single point in this review, i was tempted to write "all fighting games should have this." this is the new kingpin of the genre. other competitive games should be taking as much inspiration from as they can.
if you are curious about getting into traditional fighting games for some fun competition, this is the most accessible entry point that there has ever been.