This is by far one of the best Yakuza games and one of my favorites in this series. I consider Yakuza 5 to be the embodiment of everything that makes the Yakuza series great. There are so many twists and turns that kept me engaged through out the whole thing. I was completely hooked from beginning to end and I loved it.

This game has 5 cities to explore, the most in any Yakuza game, and they’re all packed with hilarious or emotional sub stories. Combat and graphics are also greatly improved on from the previous games.

It's a less refined and focused experience than Yakuza 0, which is my absolute favorite in this series, but does a lot of unique things from a series standpoint that has not been replicated since. And no matter what people say, Saejima's story was very interesting and fun to go through and I enjoyed that they included Haruka as a playable character. While I can see that some may be turned off by Haruka's story, being that it is rhythm game oriented, I thoroughly enjoyed it and felt that, for what it was, they did a great job.

Overall, If you're a Yakuza fan, you will be doing yourself a disservice by not playing this amazing game, because it reminded me again why the Yakuza franchise is one of my absolute favorites.

On a sidenote, after Yakuza 5 I'm even more disappointed that the series switched to boring turn-based combat.

I love this game but I hate this game, I hate this game but I love this game. This game is quite a specimen, it's unfinished, it's padded out and almost all of these things were out of the developers' control, yet despite all that they managed to REALLY polish what did ended up being finished, performance, gameplay, FOX Engine's insane identical look and performance among 7th and 8th gen platforms. I assume they also focused on ending and beginning first and hence we could have a conclusion at all, who knows. Regardless this game felt like a lot of nothing to me at first as I'm not a big fan of non-city open world settings but everything I saw and heard over the years helped, it also helped to play Peace Walker first this time. There is so much in this game that is beautiful, that is powerful, this game despite all its flaws is one of those that proves games are art in my honest opinion. "You're all diamonds" and Quiet are a few things of note I'll say without spoilers as how powerful this game was to me.

Game number 600 rated on Backloggd! My favorite franchise of all time absolutely killed it with their newest entry. Final Fantasy XVI has the epic characters and stories you expect from Final Fantasy, in a Game of Thrones world, with Devil May Cry like gameplay in battles. The story is bigger and darker than ever before. The characters are more developed than ever before. It was such an expierience that I will never forget.

I won’t get into the story at all to avoid spoilers but that is definitely the star of the show. The characters are unforgettable and loveable. The big three of Clive, Joshua, and Jill are some of my favorite in the entire series. Throw in amazing side characters like Dion, Gav, Mid, and many more, an elite villian like Ultima, and the series best iteration of Cid and you have an amazing cast of characters.

The Eikons (aka summons) steal a big spot light in the show and without question are the best iterations in the series. There are less Eikons than a lot of the other Final Fantasy’s but the quality is undeniable.

The gameplay goes a full 180 from the turn based gameplay Final Fantasy is known for and takes an action/Devil May Cry approach. It can get repetitive but if you use different Eikon abilities it will stay fresh enough. I always had fun battling. Especially in the boss fights. This was honestly my favorite boss fights in any game ever, not just of Final Fantasy but ever.

The only negative I will say is there are too many optional side quests with not enough substance. But some of the side quest are very good that expand the world and lore as well as building up characters and thier relationships.

I almost cried several times and the end game is amazing but will punch you in the face. The ending is ambiguous which I love. I could keep talking about the story, characters, world, and ending for hours but I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone.

This game is an absolute must play. Generationally good imo, As you can tell by my placement on my top 100 list here:

https://www.backloggd.com/u/DVince89/list/my-favorite-100-video-game-of-all-time/

And my new Final Fantasy ranking here:

https://www.backloggd.com/u/DVince89/list/my-final-fantasy-ranking/

Also look out for some new lists. Now that I finished XVI I will be ranking my favorite series by different categories like best music, best story, and so on.

After spending some time reflecting on this game, I can't help but remember its flaws overshadowing its strengths. FFXVI has some of the most incredible moments in the series but it also has some of the slowest parts the series has to offer. The gameplay, which heavily focuses on action and individual combat doesn't align well with the games storyline. While the story itself embodies the essence of a fantasy tale it lacks a sense of collective overcoming adversity due, to how Clive, the character handles everything on his own, embodying the individualistic mindset.

Without spoiling I must say that the resolution to the struggles faced by the oppressed characters was quite disappointing and unrealistic. It felt rather simplistic and doesn't reflect reality.

The game does explore themes and topics that could evoke emotions and have a profound impact. However it falls short in conveying these ideas leaving them feeling somewhat flat. It saddens me because I can see the potential for greatness in the story.

Another drawback of the game is how it leaves many questions unanswered and presents many questionable scenes without proper context. One significant example is Barnabas character; while his motivations or details about his mother are not addressed in the storyline they are explained in the Active Time Lore, though not at a time when players would prefer to read more.
The way the ATL was implemented in this game didn't quite meet my expectations. There were moments when I had questions or mysteries that weren't adequately explored and I wanted to read the ATL to learn more but it mostly provided me nothing. It felt the ATL was necessary to piece together what has happened in the story which didnt fit in with the kind of story FFXVI was trying to tell. It felt like the ATL didn't seamlessly fit into this story driven game unlike games such, as Elden Ring where lore is explained through item descriptions but still maintains a sense of exploration and combat in From Software games. In my opinion the implementation of the ATL fell short.

FFXV was what I hoped for in a dark, modern Final fantasy for the most part. The story was executed well on some parts, although there were moments where I felt certain plot points could have had an impact. Clive facing his shadow still gives me some goosebumps thinking about it but it couldve went even further. I also wished that it delved deeper into the concepts explored by its characters. However it does touch upon their struggles to some extent. There is "some" payoff for their dilemmas so I can't fault the game entirely in that regard.

The pacing was solid in the half of the game. Things got a bit strange once the second half kicked in. As for gameplay, it was incredibly enjoyable to play; I didn't get bored fighting the enemies. However, the repetitive game design of how the side quests were handled made the action gameplay didnt mesh with the rpg elements.

I'm sure you've heard criticism about the side quests being lackluster. Not all of them were bad. Some side quests actually built upon themes like breaking free from fate or discrimination, confronting ones shadow and forging paths for people to live and die on their terms. They weren't all incredible but not every single one was terrible either; it was sadly bogged down to repetitive game design.

I genuinely appreciate the attention, to detail in the world and lore. The bosses were truly a spectacle to behold and Clive proved to be a protagonist seamlessly joining the ranks of the main characters, in the Final Fantasy series. I just want to clarify that I'm not criticizing or being negative, towards the game. As a fan of the Final Fantasy series I simply want to understand what the developers intended for us to grasp with FFXVI. My aim is to provide constructive criticism and feedback. Overall, I do believe FFXVI is a good game. I've mostly enjoyed my time with it. Although it has many flaws, my experience with the game was more or less positive, especially compared to other flawed games.

Armored Core VI: Possible Game of the Year

I've written a few times about my introduction to From Software and how despite playing Dark Souls way back in 2011, the company's trademark difficulty and cryptic narratives didn't grasp me until Elden Ring in 2022. I, like a lot of people in the zeitgeist know Fromsoft as the "Souls" guys, but therein lies a deeper origin, one that involves Armored Core.

I never was a Playstation kid, we had a way to play PS1 games on our Emac growing up, but it wasn't until Final Fantasy 7 Remake that I used my hard earned adult money to buy my first Playstation, a PS4. As a result I missed out on a lot of pivotal games and moments in the history of 3D gaming. One of these titles was the seminal cult classic mech franchise: Armored Core. Coincidentally outside of being really into Zoids as a wee lad and taking part in the Transformers media wave in the late 00's, I wasn't really into Mechs or Mech related media until I got into Code Geass in 2019. I knew that Japanese gaming, anime, and film loved the mecha genre but wasn't cognizant about the when's, where's, and why's. There were two names that stuck out through time and the aforementioned Armored Core was one of them, the other Zone of the Enders. Through conversation with my friends over time I learned about the importance of these two and how they diferred. Kojima's ZoE was balls to the wall action that utilized speed to create immersion, whereas Armored Core was the nerdy stat reliant customization game for those who were into the minutiae of mech creation. I decided that with the announcement of Armored Core VI, off the heels of From's insane post Dark Souls 2 run, that I should embark into the legendary mecha franchises. Earlier this year I sat down and hooked up my Xbox 360 to finally play ZoE and it was... alright, so I then set my eyes on Armored Core VI.

I watched quite literally one gameplay trailer before the game dropped and decided it would be something I was into, it was the one featuring the smelter demon, wait wrong game. It was the one featuring the Cleaner Robot with the furnace on top of it, acting like a Blowhole. The richly detailed factory landscape coupled with crisply quick movement was an immediate sell for me, and thus I anxiously waited for the release of Fires of Rubicon. What I got on release was the exact kind of game I'd wanted, Fromsoft's punishing combat with a richly customizable path through completion. I had a grand time comparing my progress with friends and family and how we approached each fight. While some of my buddies went with the grounded tank approach, others went with a speedy in and out build. I waxed poetic about the glory of the double Songbird (mounted Howitzer-esque cannons) and its ability to stagger bosses with ease. This approach to gameplay, where everybody has their own build that works for them is awesome and I heavily commend From for making a game that is so uniquely accessible in its player agency, because I'm all about player agency. The fights are hard, and the bosses are extremely punishing in places, but there are so many avenues for you the player to bypass them.

I struggled with one of the games first real bosses for anywhere from five to six hours (Balteus for the experienced,) because I wasn't respecting the multiple avenues of approach to defeat him. I was getting greedy, thinking I could brute force my way through the encounter like it was Dark Souls, but no I had to strip apart my oonga boonga playstyle and approach it with a Bloodborne attitude, dancing with the boss to learn and react to its every move. Once I got the patterns down on Balteus, I felt like I understood the game much better. You can create a build that allows you to take more hits, but ultimately you'll have to respect what the encounters do to you, and the limitations that ammunition and only having three repair kits has in store. With my double songbird, double gatling gun build with a heavier mech body, I created a mech that hit like a bruiser. I dealt heavy stagger damage with the cannons, and could melt damage during said stagger state with the barrage of gatling rounds. Creating a strategy that worked without the assistance of looking online through my own determination was greatly rewarding. I more or less used this with some slight variations all the way to the end game and again would like to shout out the devs for allowing this to work.

Fights in Armored Core VI were unique in the fact that they were so wildly different in terms of mechanics but generally the same degree of difficulty that prevented anything from being a cakewalk. From the first main boss to the ultimate encounter, I felt greatly engaged to study boss patterns and timings in my immediate introduction to each fight. Whether it was AC on AC action in which you were in a duel with an enemy that could heal and mimic your own actions like expansion and shoulder firing, set piece bosses in which you had to utilize a specific item to succeed, or just a good old fashion Fromsoft rumble in the jungle against a larger menacing foe, nothing came easy and battles could only be won through hard work. Outside of the one I mentioned above, I don't want to give anything away as to remain spoiler-free, but the boss at the end of chapter four was really dang cool and reminiscient of some of the fun I had in Dark Souls 3. Fittingly enough, the last boss of the game also felt like a callback to some of From's most glorious moments. Outside of bosses, the world fights were the exact right amount of difficulty. You are plopped into a world with a finite amount of ammo and often tasked to take out jobbers and tougher enemies alike, but rarely did I feel like it was unfair. Armored Core VI is checkpointed well enough that should you be stressing your limits on resource, you'll be reimbursed for your efforts upon completion of an area. There were occasionally moments where I felt like the standard zone enemies werew winning against me simply because of a war of attrition, particularly in a "protect the objective" battle near the end of the game, but everything felt manageable as I reassessed my strategies and approached with a new state of mind.

The real unsung hero of this game was the environmental design and oh man was it absolutely incredible. From the moment you step foot on Rubicon, Fromsoft wasted no time in demonstrating the innate talent of their art teams and their ability to craft unforgettable and jawdropping vistas every chance they could. Numerous moments throughout my playthrough did I exclaim "this is really f* cool" to the friends I was streaming it to, stopping to stare at the great expanse of the delapidated world at large. Fromsoft have been the kings of ambience for quite some time now, with each title that I've enjoyed since DS1 in 2011 having that "Fromsoft Moment" where the landscape appears after entering an area and speaks volumes about the world and story at large without saying a single word. As chapter four wraps up and chapter five is introduced, there is a moment in which this happens that had my jaw near the floor, a significant factor in my remembrance of this game. Science Fiction often lives and dies upon the world it exists in, where effectively translating the nuances of the diverse locations is imperative to helping the titles stick out amongst the plethora of others within the genre. You remember the diverse locations of Star Wars, of Mass Effect, of Cowboy Bebop because of the way they are communicated to the audience. Armored Core VI with its Fromsoft DNA follows suit in offering enriching and memorable moments throughout the entire twenty hour runtime via optimal enemy placement, gorgeous vistas, and intricate cityscapes.

While Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon is surely not for everybody, it checked the fast paced and difficult action game box for me in the absolute best way possible. Engaging fights, a rewarding customization system, and incredible environmental design all are elements that make this one of the best new games I've played in recent memory, and a hallmark of the mecha genre. I strongly recommend Armored Core VI to anyone who is a fan of Fromsoft, science fiction, and/or action games that require intense focus from the player.

Where do I begin...

By far the best ARPG/RPG game I have played. Whether it be the fun combat system or the intriguing characters/story that keep you playing. It is a story and a game that is worth seeing through to the end.

Not to mention the fun side content, in depth leveling system and funny endings it is well worth the 100% completion.

A story that makes you think is a story worth experiencing.

Ah what the hell I’ve come around completely. I still really don’t like certain bits (Mei ling scenes, marriage story) but god I love the art direction and cutscenes so damn much. It’s also just fucking fun. The story is so much better to me now that my expectations no longer rest solely on the mammoth shoulders of MGS2. I really picked up what MGS4 put down in the end. As ridiculous as the plot beats are, when you grow to accept them for what they are you find a game just as if not more poetically poignant than anything else in the metal gear series. I no longer feel cheated. I’m very happy that MGS4 is what it ended up being. Less sexual harassment wouldn’t have hurt though. Why is Johnny a thing man…

I... didn't expect to like this game as much as I did.
A couple of years ago I had a phase, where I wanted to know everything about its lore, even though I had never played it and actually dreaded ever doing so. The whole discourse about Soulslikes and how hard they are, really turned me of gameplay-wise. But all the video essay explaining the lore, discussing its themes, analyzing it's endings as well as the general aesthetic and gothic, victorian vibes and the eldritch horror always occupied a space in the back of my head.

Having now actually played and finished it as well as the DLC I just gotta say, this is probably one of my favourites.
I spend the first three hours trying to get to the Cleric Beast (fuck those werewolves, I still think they are way to hard for a newcomer and would encourage every newbie to cheese the shit out of them) and even de-installed the game angrily only to come back the next day. This time I reached the Cleric Beast and was even able to kill it after a couple of tries. From that point on, I really enjoyed Bloodborne.

Maybe it's because it's my first Soulsgame, but I think the tense difficulty paired with the very precise combat that discourages button mashing makes this a great horror experience. Whenever you walk down a path you haven't walked before you're really tense, cause there might be (a) new (combination of) enemies that is gonna fuck you up.
The esoteric story-telling and general atmosphere only enhanced this horror feeling.
I don't think I really need to add anything to the whole discussion around how this game puts Lovecraftian horror perfectly into a video game: Insight, knowledge beyond human comprehension, uncaring Gods/ Old Ones, dreams and nightmares as surreal yet powerful places that can actually manifest things in reality - you know the deal. There is maybe an aspect that isn't mentioned as much though: It kinda took the racism out of Lovecraft. The evil cults aren't black people doing some "voodoo" magic (I'm no expert but voodoo is apparently a amalgamation of various African religious influences, in which the enslaved came together) to summon Cthulhu or "mad Arabs" that translated ancient texts and thus put evil magic into the world. No, this game takes place in Fantasy London, and the evil cult is actually a complex mixture of the (christian) church and a seemingly European medieval university. This time it's the colonizers fault and yet they blame the "outsiders", the hunters that are hired from different lands to kill the beasts that are increasingly plaguing the city, in exchange for which they can also benefit from the blood healing Yharnam is famous for. I'm not gonna pretend that Bloodborne is a anti-colonial master piece, it's much to dedicated to it's narrative about ancient unknowable horrors for that, but I appreciate that it does clean that up a bit.

Lastly, while playing this I wondered why I like the gameplay so much, it really reminded me of design philosophy left behind in the era of the PS2. Design philosophies and gameplay I've dearly missed.
No open world, but instead a rather linear experience with interlaced, convoluted pathways that will always be worth exploring. Be it for new items, interesting bits of lore/ environmental storytelling or just a shortcut so you don't have to do a harrowing passage again.
The combat design is also really good. Everything reacts to your hits, you can counter bosses or other enemies if you're dexterous enough. The parry system as well as the dodging is super precise making anything you pull of general delight. I would still advocate for an easy mode/ accessibility options (people with not as much free time, stressfull jobs as well as disabled people might still enjoy this game for one reason or another). Only being able to play this when you're able to highly concentrate could be a bit frustrating if you wanted to play a little after a hard day at work for example.

Still, I enjoyed as a gameplay continuation - and maybe that's a bit of a hot take - of the original Kingdom Hearts.

...I mean that. Many people say the original Kingdom Hearts is a bit antiquated, but it actually shares a lot of qualities with this game. It's level structure is rather linear, but you can find convoluted pathways and secrets in every major area and you can also parry enemies to your advantage. The last thing is not necessarily needed to beat Kingdom Hearts, but it makes the combat so much more fun. (both games also share an atrocious camera, but I don't think that's something that is willingly designed that way).

Bloodborne's story is not as unhinged though. Yeah, I might check out some more Fromsoft games

What a phenomenal game. I went into this one thinking it was going to be kind of middle of the road, seeing as I haven't heard much about this one, but I was very very impressed.

The graphics, story, locations, and characters have all been levelled up since the last one, I was staring in awe at many of the incredible locations in this game. The fucking overgrown mansion in the beginning, the ship during the storm, riding on horseback through the desert, holy hell this shit was awesome.

I really enjoyed the locations in this one more than the last two, since both of those kind of took place in more or less similar locations, this one being mostly in the desert (with some parts in the forest and at sea,) I really enjoyed the variety.

The story was also VASTLY improved over the last one, I really care more about the characters in this more than ever, and I think they started really writing a story that makes me want to keep playing, that isn't just "we need to go here to stop the bad guys blah blah blah."
I loved Sully and Nate's relationship development in this one, I love these characters and I think they did a really good job of straining their relationship and strengthening it. When I thought Sully died I was so pissed, and so relieved when he was alright. It was great to see their backstory, and it is just great to see how good of friends they are.

The villain in this was pretty much just as generic as the other ones, I don't think I cared for her in the slightest, but I hated that slimy fucking henchman MF.

I feel like the difficulty was spiked in this one compared to the other ones, a lot of times I thought I made a direct headshot didn't land on the enemies, and I was dying wayyyy more to the gunfire than in the other ones.

Overall I had a blast, and I am happy my expectations were exceeded!! I am very excited to play the final game in the series, I've only heard good things!!

Final Fantasy XVI definitely exceeded my expectations and I couldn't be happier about it. I like how the game falsely leads you to believe it's going to be yet another revenge narrative but it swerves into oppression and revolution after they solve that issue. Some people might be disappointed if they go in expecting a complex political thriller, but what we get instead is a compelling narrative revolving around destroying a divine foundation and return mankind its freedom.

I also really like what they did with Clive. He is actually not half as edgy or bloodthirsty as I expected him to be. He never dives into blind murder territory, so excellent choice. Sadly, the same cannot be said about Jill. Don't get me wrong, I like her and was really hype for her after her arc, because I feel we learn why she was so muted before and placed priority on Clive's emotional needs over her own. But after her revenge they slipped her back into the role of Clive's love interest and echo of kindness. I hoped to see her be more of her own character than Clive's emotional crutch, so I'm bummed they didn't deliver on Jill's potential. Seeing strong female characters reduced to that is just a waste and a huge pet peeve of mine.

But overall, I'm glad I got to experience a highly immersive, mature and dark Final Fantasy game filled with phenomenal visuals, stunning cinematics, an immaculate soundtrack and a simplified but fun DMC like action gameplay featuring epic Eikon fights. You could tell the developers really cared about making this game great, which they did.

On a sidenote, it's interesting to see people try to define what a "true Final Fantasy" game is, because I feel like it's a franchise that has recreated itself on multiple occasions. There are some common threads of course, but gameplay style, plot style, etc. seem to always have morphed.

I value what media makes me feel over anything else, and god does this game make me feel
There's stuff you could criticize about it but I really just don't care, I adore it
Such a heartfelt and heavy hitting story, I feel genuinely content with the closure they gave
Very good, very happy with it
Glad I tried my hardest to stay as blind as possible until I could play it for myself

War has changed.

Metal Gear Solid 4 is an achievement in fiction not just as a game or "movie" as some would describe it, but as a work of transformative art made only possible by a man as intricate and fascinating as Hideo Kojima. What Guns of the Patriots is able to do is close a chapter on the world of a franchise born in the eighties, with poignant and predictive storytelling truly ahead of its time. There is nothing like Metal Gear Solid in media today, there was nothing like it before, and there may be nothing like it after. The way MGS and Kojima were able to weave meta commentary on politics, war, and sociocultural impact is nothing short of miraculous. Touching on this story without devolving into spoilers is rather difficult, but I will say to anyone willing to embark on this incredible journey, it is worth it. This is the first time in a long time that I am truly speechless and having a tough time writing my post gameplay review. They almost always flow naturally from my fingertips, written as if they were a stream of consciousness... but alas Kojima has checkmated anything I could put to proverbial paper.

Metal Gear Solid 4 is a conjunction of MGS2/3's sneaking playstyle and the storytelling of a feature film. There's countless moments where you as the player are invited to put down your controller and watch a narrative maestro at work, carefully weaving together histories and plotlines that developed fifty years before this game takes place. In a way Chekov's gun reigns true, as KojiPro was able to close almost every conceivable plotline and moment from the series in this title alone in the way of convenient plot elements and character monologues/soliloquy. The story that began with the hero known as Snake aka Big Boss, Zero, Ocelot, and Eva all comes to a halt as does the hatred that drove them and the world all apart. The control of information and the puppetering of the war economy become a driving force for the antagonists as they steer humanity into a dark age of conformance. Can Solid Snake, Otacon, and their crew of problematic miscreants save the world in a myserious war against their psyches? The answer is provided in Guns of the Patriots, and it will take you and your creative whimsy into a previously untapped locale of media.

With the recent news of the revival of MGS for modern platforms, I am cautiously optimistic for a new generation of gamers to encounter (heh) the incredible world that Metal Gear truly is. I hope they are able to dissect the commentary that is written in about our future and our past from the game they are playing. I hope they can laugh in one moment to ponder the existence of memetics as a cultural driving force in the next.

Shine on Big Boss, Solid Snake, Otacon, and Hideo Kojima.

War has changed.