ckl1995
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Short + sweet. I appreciated the ME1 callbacks and the rewards weren't too bad for minimal work.
2007
It's been 10+ years since I've played this game and it honestly is much better than I remember. I think the Legendary Edition has to take some of the credit (this game plays so much better than the original release) but I think I appreciated the story and world-building more this time around. This is an excellent start to the trilogy--it sets the stakes for the larger conflict, introduces us to some key characters and begins to build the large universe that they inhabit. I definitely appreciated the music this time around more as well--the synth is the perfect complement to the sci-fi setting. Already excited to dig into ME2.
A pretty run-of-the-mill DLC. Nothing too special in the way of story or gameplay but I enjoyed it for what it was.
I know the term "peak fiction" gets thrown around a lot these days but honestly...this game comes pretty fucking close.
I really feel like I can't do this game justice with my sub-par review. The fact that I was able to play this game at release, after months of hype + anticipation, and have it surpass my expectations is just incredible. Monolithsoft took everything that was great about the first two Xenoblade games and created something truly special. The combat was fun and never got boring after my 70 hour play through; the story was deep, emotional and wonderfully paced; the characters all meshed together so well and their dynamic was so entertaining to watch; the exploration was the best in the entire series; and the music made me tear up more than once.
This game did everything right and then some. The fact that the 3 games in this series are as good as they are shouldn't be possible, but I'm so glad it is. This was a very special gaming experience, and I can't wait to replay this game sometime in the near future to take it all in again.
I really feel like I can't do this game justice with my sub-par review. The fact that I was able to play this game at release, after months of hype + anticipation, and have it surpass my expectations is just incredible. Monolithsoft took everything that was great about the first two Xenoblade games and created something truly special. The combat was fun and never got boring after my 70 hour play through; the story was deep, emotional and wonderfully paced; the characters all meshed together so well and their dynamic was so entertaining to watch; the exploration was the best in the entire series; and the music made me tear up more than once.
This game did everything right and then some. The fact that the 3 games in this series are as good as they are shouldn't be possible, but I'm so glad it is. This was a very special gaming experience, and I can't wait to replay this game sometime in the near future to take it all in again.
WHEW my eyes got a little misty there at the end.
An emotionally exhausting + rewarding end to an emotionally exhausting + rewarding series. Getting to experience Kiryu's journey first hand from Yakuza 0 to this final game was nothing short of incredible. He's easily one of my favorite fictional characters now, and I feel like I've gotten to see him grow and develop as a character the whole way. I loved everything about this game--the new engine was beautiful (seriously, some of these cutscenes were absurdly impressive), the combat was fluid and fun and the story was tight and well-paced with the signature Yakuza twists and pay-offs.
I think this game slightly edges out Yakuza 5 for me--I loved the large, sweeping, interconnectedness of 5 and its incredible ending but I think I appreciate the smaller, intimate moments of 6 a little more. Kiryu's dedication to the people he loves really made this game shine for me, and I'm glad that the game focused more on him than a larger set of protagonists. I'm beyond glad that I decided to pick up this series, and I'm excited to see where they take the story next.
An emotionally exhausting + rewarding end to an emotionally exhausting + rewarding series. Getting to experience Kiryu's journey first hand from Yakuza 0 to this final game was nothing short of incredible. He's easily one of my favorite fictional characters now, and I feel like I've gotten to see him grow and develop as a character the whole way. I loved everything about this game--the new engine was beautiful (seriously, some of these cutscenes were absurdly impressive), the combat was fluid and fun and the story was tight and well-paced with the signature Yakuza twists and pay-offs.
I think this game slightly edges out Yakuza 5 for me--I loved the large, sweeping, interconnectedness of 5 and its incredible ending but I think I appreciate the smaller, intimate moments of 6 a little more. Kiryu's dedication to the people he loves really made this game shine for me, and I'm glad that the game focused more on him than a larger set of protagonists. I'm beyond glad that I decided to pick up this series, and I'm excited to see where they take the story next.
2019
I knew within the final 2-3 hours of this game that this wasn't only the best Yakuza game that I've played so far, but one of my favorite games of all time.
I was floored by how good the ending of this game was. I was a bit annoyed at the pacing of the 5 different chapters, and it felt like the game was intentionally dragging itself out at times. Given the fact that I knew this was the longest game in the series up to this point, I tried to prepare myself for some slog here and there. But when all these stories came together in the end, it more than made up for any padding I feel like the game might have had.
This was a beautiful gaming experience; I came to care about these characters and their stories, triumphs, grief and dreams more than most other fictional characters, video games or otherwise. This was the first time the story of a Yakuza game really clicked for me--I've enjoyed them in the past but this one felt special. I did make the mistake of rushing through the story and not doing much of the side content (I was planning to do side content in another play-through, I usually play games the first time through for the story) and subsequently got my ass handed to me by the final boss and had to watch the last few minutes on Youtube (I plan on kicking their ass in my second play-through once I can max myself out). But this was such an incredible game, and I can't wait to see how Kiryu's story wraps up in Yakuza 6.
I was floored by how good the ending of this game was. I was a bit annoyed at the pacing of the 5 different chapters, and it felt like the game was intentionally dragging itself out at times. Given the fact that I knew this was the longest game in the series up to this point, I tried to prepare myself for some slog here and there. But when all these stories came together in the end, it more than made up for any padding I feel like the game might have had.
This was a beautiful gaming experience; I came to care about these characters and their stories, triumphs, grief and dreams more than most other fictional characters, video games or otherwise. This was the first time the story of a Yakuza game really clicked for me--I've enjoyed them in the past but this one felt special. I did make the mistake of rushing through the story and not doing much of the side content (I was planning to do side content in another play-through, I usually play games the first time through for the story) and subsequently got my ass handed to me by the final boss and had to watch the last few minutes on Youtube (I plan on kicking their ass in my second play-through once I can max myself out). But this was such an incredible game, and I can't wait to see how Kiryu's story wraps up in Yakuza 6.
2017
This game was a true delight to play. It took a while for it to sink its hooks into me, but once it did they did not let go.
I love the pure charm that this game gives off in its setting, characters, music and atmosphere. Zidane and the gang were (mostly) all well fleshed out, and Vivi's arc in particular was superbly done. The main plot of the game didn't grab me as much as I would've liked, but that was definitely made up for me in the stories for each individual character and how they intersected with one another. Nobuo Uematsu continues to be a genius when it comes to writing masterpiece video game music, and the ending of this game had me feeling some type of way for sure.
Overall, this was such a joy to play, and although I wish the main plot did a little more for me, the game's ideas around identity, death and purpose were spot on. Will definitely have to revisit this one in the future.
I love the pure charm that this game gives off in its setting, characters, music and atmosphere. Zidane and the gang were (mostly) all well fleshed out, and Vivi's arc in particular was superbly done. The main plot of the game didn't grab me as much as I would've liked, but that was definitely made up for me in the stories for each individual character and how they intersected with one another. Nobuo Uematsu continues to be a genius when it comes to writing masterpiece video game music, and the ending of this game had me feeling some type of way for sure.
Overall, this was such a joy to play, and although I wish the main plot did a little more for me, the game's ideas around identity, death and purpose were spot on. Will definitely have to revisit this one in the future.
A nice way to wrap up my final Xeno game (DLC?) before Xenoblade 3 arrives. Simple in its premise but still a lovely experience. It was nice seeing Melia's character arc expanded upon, and I appreciated that it was short and to the point and didn't feel the need to drag itself out too much.
1997
I had the unique experience of playing this game for the first time in 2022 with a fresh set of eyes. As someone who didn't have the same nostalgia for this game as so many others do, I was curious about how I'd view this game as a first time player.
While it was excellent in many aspects, I feel like the legacy this game has and the amount of analysis, praise and discussion it's generated sort of dampened my experience a bit. The story, which was the main driving force for me to play this, was very good but apart from a few key moments it lacked some of the emotional depth that I was hoping for. I loved the steampunk setting, and definitely grew to care more about the characters as the game went on.
The gameplay was fine--the usual ATB system that I've come to expect from this generation of games. The exploration was a lot of fun, and that feeling of having the map open up to you in these games is always such a blast. The music, as is the case for most of the games that Nobuo Uematsu composes, was wonderful.
I had high hopes for this game given its enduring legacy, and I'm happy to say that FF7 managed to meet most of them. While all of the separate parts of the game were great in their own ways, they just weren't able to come together for me in a completely cohesive way. I'm planning to digest the game a bit (and probably read some analysis on the story + themes), give it a good amount of time, and then revisit the game again to see if my thoughts have changed.
While it was excellent in many aspects, I feel like the legacy this game has and the amount of analysis, praise and discussion it's generated sort of dampened my experience a bit. The story, which was the main driving force for me to play this, was very good but apart from a few key moments it lacked some of the emotional depth that I was hoping for. I loved the steampunk setting, and definitely grew to care more about the characters as the game went on.
The gameplay was fine--the usual ATB system that I've come to expect from this generation of games. The exploration was a lot of fun, and that feeling of having the map open up to you in these games is always such a blast. The music, as is the case for most of the games that Nobuo Uematsu composes, was wonderful.
I had high hopes for this game given its enduring legacy, and I'm happy to say that FF7 managed to meet most of them. While all of the separate parts of the game were great in their own ways, they just weren't able to come together for me in a completely cohesive way. I'm planning to digest the game a bit (and probably read some analysis on the story + themes), give it a good amount of time, and then revisit the game again to see if my thoughts have changed.
A fitting end to a complex + beautiful series.
I have to say, I really struggled with the gameplay for these 3 games. I felt like I couldn't get the hang of the combat systems and ended up getting frustrated with some of the tougher bosses throughout the games. But the story this trilogy manages to weave together more than makes up for those difficulties. After Xenogears I knew I wanted to dive deeper into the Xeno universe, and Xenosaga delivered a narratively complex story that was very satisfying. While I think Xenogears had the stronger ending, I think the build-up and payoff for many of the moments in Xenosaga were excellent. I also thought Xenosaga 3 in particular was by the far the strongest entry; the combat was simplified but very rewarding, the music was dope as shit and the exploration felt a bit better.
Although I had my ups and downs with this series in the gameplay department, I absolutely loved the story it told over the course of these three games. I'll definitely need to revisit the trilogy sometime in the future to re-experience it once again.
I have to say, I really struggled with the gameplay for these 3 games. I felt like I couldn't get the hang of the combat systems and ended up getting frustrated with some of the tougher bosses throughout the games. But the story this trilogy manages to weave together more than makes up for those difficulties. After Xenogears I knew I wanted to dive deeper into the Xeno universe, and Xenosaga delivered a narratively complex story that was very satisfying. While I think Xenogears had the stronger ending, I think the build-up and payoff for many of the moments in Xenosaga were excellent. I also thought Xenosaga 3 in particular was by the far the strongest entry; the combat was simplified but very rewarding, the music was dope as shit and the exploration felt a bit better.
Although I had my ups and downs with this series in the gameplay department, I absolutely loved the story it told over the course of these three games. I'll definitely need to revisit the trilogy sometime in the future to re-experience it once again.
I'm gonna be thinking about this game for a good long while.
I've heard nothing but praise for this game since it was released, and I'm ashamed that it took me this long to sit down and play it. I knew that I wanted to play Replicant first so that I could try and fully immerse myself in this world that Yoko Taro has created, and it 110% paid off. This game is remarkable, and I'm floored by how deeply + effectively it explores the themes of nihilism, absurdism and mortality. I also want to give a huge shoutout to Kyle McCarley, the English voice actor for 9S. What an incredible voice performance--I could feel every hint of emotion that 9S experiences throughout game and it was all the more powerful for it. I feel like I can't do NieR: Automata justice with a single review, but I am so happy that I was able to experience this fucking game.
I've heard nothing but praise for this game since it was released, and I'm ashamed that it took me this long to sit down and play it. I knew that I wanted to play Replicant first so that I could try and fully immerse myself in this world that Yoko Taro has created, and it 110% paid off. This game is remarkable, and I'm floored by how deeply + effectively it explores the themes of nihilism, absurdism and mortality. I also want to give a huge shoutout to Kyle McCarley, the English voice actor for 9S. What an incredible voice performance--I could feel every hint of emotion that 9S experiences throughout game and it was all the more powerful for it. I feel like I can't do NieR: Automata justice with a single review, but I am so happy that I was able to experience this fucking game.
2009
I'll start with the positives first:
This game is absolutely gorgeous. It's hard to imagine this releasing on the 360/PS3 and looking this damn good. I was floored by some of the cutscenes, and the different environments + biomes that you find yourself are all incredible to see.
The combat, while at times frustrating, is largely a lot of fun. I quickly realized that I couldn't just mash my way through this game, and that I would need to be smart about which paradigms I chose to get through some of the tougher boss fights. I also loved the Crystarium--it's a unique way of raising your stats that made the process a lot of fun.
The story--although it definitely gets muddled toward the end, I thought the story was fairly strong overall. I love a complex story, and this one was definitely complex enough to keep me interested, and the themes of fate + blind worship are pretty interesting. I'm curious to see how the game builds on the lore in the sequels.
Now for the negatives, the biggest one being the enemies in this game. Towards the end of the game I found myself avoiding most if not all combat encounters because the enemies had way too much HP. It would take me 3-4 minutes to get through an encounter because normal enemies would have upwards of a million HP. It made the game drag on so much more than it needed to, and I got so frustrated with trying to get through these that I had to put the game down several times. The bosses are another thing entirely--they have absolutely absurd amounts of HP that made the fights take ages, especially if my team wiped and I had to start over after fighting for 10 minutes.
The characters were sort of a mixed bag for me. I appreciated the way they grow and develop over the game, but as individuals I couldn't stand a lot of them. I felt like I wasn't as invested in their journey because they all felt sort of flat, with the exception of Vanille, she was wonderful.
All in all, this was a good game that had a solid plot, fun combat and gorgeous graphics that overstayed it's welcome with spongy enemies that dragged the game on far too long for me. Excited to see what XIII-2 has in store!
This game is absolutely gorgeous. It's hard to imagine this releasing on the 360/PS3 and looking this damn good. I was floored by some of the cutscenes, and the different environments + biomes that you find yourself are all incredible to see.
The combat, while at times frustrating, is largely a lot of fun. I quickly realized that I couldn't just mash my way through this game, and that I would need to be smart about which paradigms I chose to get through some of the tougher boss fights. I also loved the Crystarium--it's a unique way of raising your stats that made the process a lot of fun.
The story--although it definitely gets muddled toward the end, I thought the story was fairly strong overall. I love a complex story, and this one was definitely complex enough to keep me interested, and the themes of fate + blind worship are pretty interesting. I'm curious to see how the game builds on the lore in the sequels.
Now for the negatives, the biggest one being the enemies in this game. Towards the end of the game I found myself avoiding most if not all combat encounters because the enemies had way too much HP. It would take me 3-4 minutes to get through an encounter because normal enemies would have upwards of a million HP. It made the game drag on so much more than it needed to, and I got so frustrated with trying to get through these that I had to put the game down several times. The bosses are another thing entirely--they have absolutely absurd amounts of HP that made the fights take ages, especially if my team wiped and I had to start over after fighting for 10 minutes.
The characters were sort of a mixed bag for me. I appreciated the way they grow and develop over the game, but as individuals I couldn't stand a lot of them. I felt like I wasn't as invested in their journey because they all felt sort of flat, with the exception of Vanille, she was wonderful.
All in all, this was a good game that had a solid plot, fun combat and gorgeous graphics that overstayed it's welcome with spongy enemies that dragged the game on far too long for me. Excited to see what XIII-2 has in store!
I enjoyed my time with HFW quite a lot. As someone who loved the gameplay mechanics from the first game, I'm glad that they decided to double down on them this time around. Shooting giant machines with a bow is seriously satisfying.
One thing I was a bit mixed on was the story--the plot felt needlessly complex at times, and the end left me a bit unsatisfied. I think the mysteries of the first game made the story feel more exciting, while this game let me down a bit in an attempt to expand upon the mysteries. All in all this was a great game, and I have very few serious complaints about it.
One thing I was a bit mixed on was the story--the plot felt needlessly complex at times, and the end left me a bit unsatisfied. I think the mysteries of the first game made the story feel more exciting, while this game let me down a bit in an attempt to expand upon the mysteries. All in all this was a great game, and I have very few serious complaints about it.
I'm so glad I finally decided to sit down and play this game.
I don't normally replay games (even if they have multiple endings), but I felt compelled to see this story through to its completion and I'm so glad I did. I loved the world that Yoko Taro built here, and was intrigued by the way the story was drip-fed to us throughout the multiple endings and perspective shifts. And without spoiling anything, I loved how the story made you sympathize with the supposed "bad guys" and fleshed them out to give them much more dimension. The gameplay was tight and fluid, although I wish I didn't have to retread a lot of the same ground to experience the various endings. All in all though, this was a fantastic experience, and I can't wait to see how this world is connected to NieR Automata.
I don't normally replay games (even if they have multiple endings), but I felt compelled to see this story through to its completion and I'm so glad I did. I loved the world that Yoko Taro built here, and was intrigued by the way the story was drip-fed to us throughout the multiple endings and perspective shifts. And without spoiling anything, I loved how the story made you sympathize with the supposed "bad guys" and fleshed them out to give them much more dimension. The gameplay was tight and fluid, although I wish I didn't have to retread a lot of the same ground to experience the various endings. All in all though, this was a fantastic experience, and I can't wait to see how this world is connected to NieR Automata.
1998
What a journey this game was.
This was my 3rd Xeno game (4th if you count Torna) and while I still think that Xenoblade DE has the better overall package, Xenogears easily has the best story in the series and the best story of any game I have ever played bar none.
The ambition and complexity of this game is absolutely absurd. If I wasn't convinced that Tetsuya Takahashi was a genius before, I most certainly am now. It's seriously such a travesty that we'll never get to see what the game could fully be, but what he did craft is something that is unparalleled in the gaming industry. While I had some gripes with the mechanics of the game (which is to be forgiven given it's age), the world that this story builds and the narrative it creates more than makes up for it. A truly unforgettable gaming experience, and now one of my all time favorites.
This was my 3rd Xeno game (4th if you count Torna) and while I still think that Xenoblade DE has the better overall package, Xenogears easily has the best story in the series and the best story of any game I have ever played bar none.
The ambition and complexity of this game is absolutely absurd. If I wasn't convinced that Tetsuya Takahashi was a genius before, I most certainly am now. It's seriously such a travesty that we'll never get to see what the game could fully be, but what he did craft is something that is unparalleled in the gaming industry. While I had some gripes with the mechanics of the game (which is to be forgiven given it's age), the world that this story builds and the narrative it creates more than makes up for it. A truly unforgettable gaming experience, and now one of my all time favorites.