"Devil May Cry's a Rockin, don't come a knockin baby yeah!"

So for a long time this was my favourite game ever and was the start of my solidification into a hardcore Capcom fan which has continued to this day. When this came out I was around 18 and a friend had bought it. We played it together and seeing a leather clad biker girl smash through a bar, a gothic castle and uppercutting a marionette with a sword then juggling it with dual wielding pistols was, at the time, the coolest thing ever. I knew this game inside and out speed running it, learning every move, or collecting over a million red orbs because I could. One weekend when I had the house to myself that same friend came and stayed over playing all night by setting up two PlayStation 2's next to two TVs so we could both play Devil May Cry on our own saves hunting S ranks until we had every one on every difficulty level including Dante Must Die. I loved it.

The thing is I'd never played a game like this before. It's roots starting as Resident Evil 4 before changing into it's own series are pretty evident in aspects of it's design. The gothic horror atmosphere slightly underlining it's occasionally camp and over the top exterior gelled for an extremely unique experience. I've seen a lot of reviews on here being pretty negative about it and you know what? I get it, I do. The static camera angle and controls built around it for people who having not played it during that era wouldn't care for or have the patience to learn would feel dated. The thing is though, the game is built around it fundamentally when you learn how to use it on it's terms. Enemies even off screen give audio attack cues, the controls are built around directions and angles in relation to the camera but are also designed for angle changes when you know how. It's a clever game for it's time and the mixture of basic exploration, puzzles and scattered battle arenas was just a fun mix as the game understands the importance of downtime.

It's also an impressive looking and sounding game. Remember this came out only a year after the PS2 launch and has these large levels, detailed character and enemy models and insane boss fights in which each feels like a real event to behold. I love the enemy designs such as shadow cats that launch spikes, incorporeal grim reapers and giant lava spiders. Though the boss fights do repeat they are such big spectacles and some of the hardest challenges in the game with some insane music. Speaking of which whilst the later soundtracks went a lot more metal with vocal tracks the original game has this mixture of gothic haunting melodies that could easily be in a horror game to sort of electronic rock tracks and just stands out a lot more from it's later sequels due to it.

Coming back to this in 2012 for the remaster and all the trophies then playing it again now and I still love it. Yes it's terribly cheesy with laughable lip synching, yes it's fixed camera can make the action feel unwieldly and yes it's probably one of those games you had to be there for....

....but it's the best Devil May Cry game though.

+ Horror and action roots mixed.
+ Combat and boss battles are exciting.
+ Great music and visuals.
+ Sometimes funny, sometimes intentionally.

- Fixed camera angle can take getting used to.

When I first heard Persona 3 was getting a remake, I imagined it would provide a shiny new coat of paint on an enjoyable but flawed entry to the series. As more trailers trickled through in the lead-up to release, I got more excited for what could be much more than just a graphical update.

That's not to say the game hasn't undergone a gorgeous graphical overhaul. Persona 3 Reload is consistently breathtaking on stunning beaches or foreboding hellscapes. Hell, even the menus had me in awe of the sleek design, which, to Atlus' credit, has become standard for their games nowadays. Overall, the game feels like an animated film, and I mean that in the best way—just pure, unfiltered eye candy.

The gameplay of Persona 3/FES/Portable has always been the number one criticism of the entries. As such, I was ill-prepared for anything mind-blowing in that department. I've never been happier to be humbled, with Persona 3 Reload pulling no punches when it comes to innovating. Including quality-of-life mechanics, such as the 'Shift' pass, makes it much easier to wipe out hordes of Shadows easily. The Theurgy mechanic is a great addition that gives us a deeper insight into the characters while providing potent abilities. Throughout the main dungeon in the game, you are thrown curveballs, where some floors will have additional challenges, such as Monad doors, where you're given the option to fight brutal enemies for rare items used for crafting. These new challenges, along with some other gameplay mechanics, make the main dungeon much more engaging in my eyes and are a welcome addition.

In Persona 3 Reload, as with most Persona games, a social link mechanic rewards you for building friendships with powerful unlockables. This remake stays faithful to the original game, for better or worse. Unfortunately, the social links in this version can be a letdown. Some links feature poorly developed characters, making them a chore, while others could be more exciting.

However, Atlus did add some new events involving members of S.E.E.S., which was a welcome addition. These events helped understand the characters' motivations better and made the experience more enjoyable. I wish there had been more of these events and fewer involving the strange teacher.

Unfortunately, I didn't connect with the remixed soundtrack as much as the originals. That may be due to my love for the original soundtrack.

One of the most vital aspects of Persona 3 Reload is its narrative, which has remained essentially unchanged. There is no need for significant changes to the story since it was never a problem in the original game. The game straightforwardly delivers its message, making it easy for players to connect with.

In short, whilst the game has issues like some of the weirder social links and the soundtrack, this is still the definitive way to experience the beautiful, bittersweet story that is Persona 3. The wide array of additions makes this an absolute joy to play, and I'm already thinking about my next playthrough.

TL;DR: Fantastic, play this game if you can.

This review will mostly cover the added content without trying to spoil it!
This version of Persona 4 fixed all my issues I had with the original, with additional content including new animated cutscenes, new social links, a new story line, new music, a new dungeon, and a great effort of rebalancing the game, This is the definitive way to experience one of the best JRPGs ever released.
Touching upon the new content itself, the new social links are the best and worst thing added. Giving the player time with one of my favorite characters and introducing a new character that is one of my least favorite, regardless of my thoughts on their social links themselves, both add to the story extremely well overall, alongside the added month this works great together.
The new dungeon is horrendous if you don't figure out the trick to understand it which is why I can't give this game a perfect score.
This is definitely still after all this time my favorite game, with nothing coming close to giving me that feeling I get while playing this game.

I'm so glad we have a fourth version of Persona 3, meaning there's an even greater likelihood that OG Persona 3 fans will tell me I played an inferior version! Hooray!

Where do I even fucking begin with this one? It's difficult to summarize my thoughts on a short game, let alone a massive RPG I spent over 100 hours in. Once again I must preface this by stating I'm still coming into this as a relatively new fan of the series. I was introduced to Persona (and SMT at large) through P5 and after falling in love with both it and later its enhanced version, I quickly jumped at the opportunity to play P4G once it was released on modern platforms. And like 5 before it, 4 became another all-timer for me. So I can't really speak in regards to how Persona 3 Reload operates as a remake since I have no prior experience with this title. I held off on even playing P3P since I knew this was coming anyways. All I really know is that in both the original release and FES you couldn't control your teammates' actions in combat. I understand the artistic decision in this case, but playing an extensive JPRG in that fashion just sounds like a huge hassle. But I'm happy to report that Persona 3 Reload had me hooked from beginning to end.

The aspect of P3 that immediately stood out to me the most was the team dynamic. Both P4 and P5 have very similar structures; you face a series of challenges where you help people in need, who are each gradually added to the team as the game progresses. Slowly but surely you build up a close-knit group of friends over the course of each game. P3 is quite different, in the sense that you, the protagonist, step into an already ongoing plot. The SEES organization was formed and has been battling shadows in Tartarus long before the game even began. Your character just happens to be the missing piece of the puzzle in order for them to make real progress. And from then on new teammates kind of show up with basically zero fanfare and join the team just...because they have personas. Not saying that's necessarily a bad thing, just that it's different. It's a refreshing turn of events considering 4 and 5 unravelled in very similar ways. It certainly made the story more unpredictable. And as for that story, I often hear it described as the best in the series. I'm inclined to agree...at the very least it has easily the best ending of the three I've experienced. From a purely thematic standpoint, there's so much to chew on. It didn't quite make me cry like one particular moment in 4, but I was definitely starting to well up during the final cutscene. The level of bittersweet pathos is pitch perfect. I think I still prefer the overall experience of playing through P5, but P3's script undeniably shines the brightest.

Gameplay wise, this is about as good as turn-based RPGs get. If you ask me, P5 set a gold standard for both stylish UI designs and moment-to-moment JRPG combat. P3 Reload meets that gold standard and then some; bringing with it vibrant blues that wash over you at every moment and the battle shift mechanic that I sorely missed in P4. As for the collection of social links, I'd call it a mixed bag. Some are incredibly memorable and really touched me (Kamiki, Maiko, Yukari, etc.) while others left something to be desired (looking at you, Tomochika). And some, like Suemitsu, started off deceptively unpleasant but soon revealed strong emotional resonance by their endpoint. However due to my experience with 4 and 5, I was very surprised to find that none of your male teammates are social links. Which in turn made me feel less connected to Junpei and Akihiko in particular. The team does have those charming, optional hangouts in the dorm which can unlock special abilities, but it does leave something to be desired. I suppose this is just a case of the developers trying to remain true to the original. They weren't S-links then so they aren't S-links now. At least they fixed it so that you don't have to date every girl you max out to 10.

So what's there left to say? I guess I didn't touch on the soundtrack, which absolutely meets the S+++ tier standard set by this series as a whole. A wonderful collection of tracks that is sure to stick with me for years to come. Climbing and fighting my way through Tartarus, despite the monotony, never became boring for me. As for small problems, I do wish there was more to do at night, particularly during the final months of the game. Most of the S-links are during the afternoon and I had maxed out my social stats by around mid-September, so my evenings were fairly uneventful leading up the conclusion. And while I think the cast overall did a fantastic job, Koromaru was very clearly a person making dog sounds, which was a little distracting. Sadly not every VA can be Frank Welker. Also the lack of weather effects left me scratching my head. Again, this could just be a case of remaining true to the original, but after 4 and 5 implemented weather systems and the changing of seasons, the eternal sunshine of Tatsumi Port Island felt...somewhat off. January brings with it a slightly new colour palette, but very rarely do the characters even mention the colder temperatures. That's more of a nitpick and not a real issue, but finding things wrong with this game is really difficult for me. I'm basically splitting hairs here.

What a game. What an ending. What an experience. Now I sadly must continue the long and arduous wait for the inevitable release of Persona 6.

Rollerdrome is a really mixed bag of a game, where the core gameplay is incredibly smooth and fun, but is brought down by all the decisions made around it. You play as Kara Hassan, a rookie participant in the sport of "Rollerdrome" where entrants on roller skates move around an arena, defeating all opponents. There are elements of the Tony Hawk games here, where tricks earn you both ammo refills and additional points. You can flip, spin, grind, slow down time, and shoot one of four weapons. Actually controlling the player is really fun and smooth, and when you get into a flow, the game is exhilarating. Unfortunately, the game constantly feels like it has to, for lack of a better word, compensate for something. While some of the enemies are simple fodder that can be killed in one hit, others are incredibly tedious, where the enemies that have the most annoying weapons also are the most annoying to kill. Perhaps the worst is one that fires a long-lasting tracking laser across the entire arena, leaving fire in its wake, who teleports away when hit, and requires several shots to kill. They pack each level with too many enemies at once, and defeat often feels unfair. It doesn't help that I didn't like three of the four weapons, limiting combat further. Even once you do finish a set of levels, you'll find you can't progress unless you complete X number of "optional" challenges, which are arbitrary items on a checklist that again takes away playing the game the way you'd want. To their credit though, the game actually has the option to just turn that off, and allow you to just... progress in the campaign. I pretty quickly did just that, and didn't feel like I missed out on anything. It's a really fun game at its core, one that your Tony Hawk fan would enjoy, but one that gets in its own way too much.

For me the biggest flaw of Rollerdrome is that it doesn't feel like a sport. There are no other rollers in this drome other than your character. You're the only thing moving around shooting down mooks that manifest out of thin air and stay mostly static.

The Tony Hawk mechanics leave much to be desired, eveything feels too floaty and imprecise, I didn't find the flow I could with THPS.

Shooting isn't bad, the slow mo mechanic is pretty sweet but the whole thing is hindered by the movement.

Cool art style, 2nd game I played that borrowed from Moebius. I'm not complaining.

I like the idea of deadly sports match, it's a fantasy perfectly suited for video games. Rollerdrome is sadly not really it.