fogrollingin
2010
tl;dr: fate/extra is a solid title. it has fantastic writing, amazing art direction and visuals (especially for a psp game), and a great soundtrack! the gameplay pissed me off though. it's a great entry point for the fate series and is great with context as well. 7/10!
negatives first: the combat. i don't care what anyone says, RNG has no place as the main mechanic of a game... even if you can fight enemies enough to learn their patterns, and even though the game gives you different ways to learn the patterns of enemy servants, the mechanics were just never fun and leveling felt arbitrary. it's not like the game was particularly hard either, so this was all just a chore. the combat is easily the worst part of the game- though i did enjoy the exploration and talking to npcs.
i think the best thing to take from this game are its characters. every master and servant is memorable, despite the short presence they can have in the story due to the weekly battle format. i played through the game with saber, and she is just a delightful character, and i have heard that caster is just as great of a newcomer! i am very familiar with archer, so i'm sure he's great too.
fate/extra has a really unique soundtrack. it's reminescent of jazz fusion, with it's reliance on bass, sax, and keyboards. really dope shit, i was surprised it was as good as it was. similarly, all the art in this game was very, very good. the character portraits were really good at portraying the characters and their general aura, and the admittedly scarce cgs were very pretty. wada arco is a fantastic artist!
story-wise, this game has a pretty strong grip on me. you follow the protagonist through a holy grail war, with them coming to grips with their own identity and finding a purpose to keep fighting- it's standard stuff, but i feel it was very compelling and kept me in my seat throughout the experience.
fate/extra was a good time overall despite my grievances with the gameplay and it was definitely a special title. i'd recommend it to seasoned type-moon fans and newcomers alike!
negatives first: the combat. i don't care what anyone says, RNG has no place as the main mechanic of a game... even if you can fight enemies enough to learn their patterns, and even though the game gives you different ways to learn the patterns of enemy servants, the mechanics were just never fun and leveling felt arbitrary. it's not like the game was particularly hard either, so this was all just a chore. the combat is easily the worst part of the game- though i did enjoy the exploration and talking to npcs.
i think the best thing to take from this game are its characters. every master and servant is memorable, despite the short presence they can have in the story due to the weekly battle format. i played through the game with saber, and she is just a delightful character, and i have heard that caster is just as great of a newcomer! i am very familiar with archer, so i'm sure he's great too.
fate/extra has a really unique soundtrack. it's reminescent of jazz fusion, with it's reliance on bass, sax, and keyboards. really dope shit, i was surprised it was as good as it was. similarly, all the art in this game was very, very good. the character portraits were really good at portraying the characters and their general aura, and the admittedly scarce cgs were very pretty. wada arco is a fantastic artist!
story-wise, this game has a pretty strong grip on me. you follow the protagonist through a holy grail war, with them coming to grips with their own identity and finding a purpose to keep fighting- it's standard stuff, but i feel it was very compelling and kept me in my seat throughout the experience.
fate/extra was a good time overall despite my grievances with the gameplay and it was definitely a special title. i'd recommend it to seasoned type-moon fans and newcomers alike!
2023
the best remake ive ever played... of the best game ive ever played.
exaggeration, but capcom really did a perfect job with this. the combat is phenomenal, the music, the recreation of every iconic moment... its so peak. every character is so much more fleshed out (see luis and ashley) and there is still so much charm and appeal to this game. absolutely give it a go, especially if youve played the original.
separate ways is also a fantastic dlc and much better than the original. it brings back basically all the content cut from the base remake and is full of content, great value for 10 bucks
(i think like. 25 of my hours are from mercenaries mode. its that good)
exaggeration, but capcom really did a perfect job with this. the combat is phenomenal, the music, the recreation of every iconic moment... its so peak. every character is so much more fleshed out (see luis and ashley) and there is still so much charm and appeal to this game. absolutely give it a go, especially if youve played the original.
separate ways is also a fantastic dlc and much better than the original. it brings back basically all the content cut from the base remake and is full of content, great value for 10 bucks
(i think like. 25 of my hours are from mercenaries mode. its that good)
goated soundtrack. goated gameplay. goated narrative. coolest fucking game ever and it has walter... best jrpg of all time
yuuka kazami is my wife
my favorite touhou game and all in all a really great bullet hell. to be honest, this game is also a great intro to the series, what with its big ass cast and friendlier gameplay. 9 has the best roster of characters, tied with 15 and 11. 19 is a great successor but i feel 9 is much more fleshed out, and its more appealing to me personally
the music is really, really good. all the remixes of old themes sound great and the new character themes are great too, with shiki eiki's being my favorite. gameplay is super fun, the playthrough starting out easy but quickly devolving into chaos. the ai literally cheats sometimes, but its ok. all the spellcards are fun to learn and i had a great time going through the game with every character
my favorite touhou game and all in all a really great bullet hell. to be honest, this game is also a great intro to the series, what with its big ass cast and friendlier gameplay. 9 has the best roster of characters, tied with 15 and 11. 19 is a great successor but i feel 9 is much more fleshed out, and its more appealing to me personally
the music is really, really good. all the remixes of old themes sound great and the new character themes are great too, with shiki eiki's being my favorite. gameplay is super fun, the playthrough starting out easy but quickly devolving into chaos. the ai literally cheats sometimes, but its ok. all the spellcards are fun to learn and i had a great time going through the game with every character
like a dragon gaiden, or just gaiden from here on out, was only made in 6 months. this is fucking comical considering how strong of a game this is, both as an entry to the series and on its own merit.
gameplay is really good, it has the best iteration of kiryu's modern moveset (yakuza style) and agent is fun and gimmicky with plenty of practical application. its not a step down from lost judgment in any way, but some people might not be a huge fan of the slow combo speed and fucking insane damage output kiryu has in this game (although you can opt to not upgrade damage to that extent)
soundtrack is a masterclass! again, how was this made in 6 months??? my personal favorites are psycho's anthem, deadly struggle, and cold fire. the game's ui design overall is pretty nice too, it's very sleek to match kiryu's agent status
the story is good, and it is peak rgg through the last chapters. i think it benefits from being a shorter game, as nothing is as dragged out as some other rgg games can get, and the new characters are super likeable, making you care about them incredibly quickly. gaiden has some of the best emotional beats yakuza has seen in awhile, and the ending will absolutely destroy you with one of the best final bosses in the series and the most gut wrenching ending cutscene in any of the games (seriously)
gaiden absolutely shines with its side content though. pocket circuit racing is back and still the best mini-game, cabarets are much faster but still fun which is good for completionists and people who actually enjoy the content offerred there, and the sub-stories are really funny and have some great character moments (kiryu is fucking old and that is entertaining). the game really peaks with the coliseum though. its a super fun sandbox where you can beat the shit out of tons of goons with a massive team of your own, its awesome!!! and you can play as any character you recruit... yeah its the best
gaiden is just a super fun and good game, and my only complaints are that rgg is probably never going to mention any of the new characters introduced again, and i hate nishitani III
gameplay is really good, it has the best iteration of kiryu's modern moveset (yakuza style) and agent is fun and gimmicky with plenty of practical application. its not a step down from lost judgment in any way, but some people might not be a huge fan of the slow combo speed and fucking insane damage output kiryu has in this game (although you can opt to not upgrade damage to that extent)
soundtrack is a masterclass! again, how was this made in 6 months??? my personal favorites are psycho's anthem, deadly struggle, and cold fire. the game's ui design overall is pretty nice too, it's very sleek to match kiryu's agent status
the story is good, and it is peak rgg through the last chapters. i think it benefits from being a shorter game, as nothing is as dragged out as some other rgg games can get, and the new characters are super likeable, making you care about them incredibly quickly. gaiden has some of the best emotional beats yakuza has seen in awhile, and the ending will absolutely destroy you with one of the best final bosses in the series and the most gut wrenching ending cutscene in any of the games (seriously)
gaiden absolutely shines with its side content though. pocket circuit racing is back and still the best mini-game, cabarets are much faster but still fun which is good for completionists and people who actually enjoy the content offerred there, and the sub-stories are really funny and have some great character moments (kiryu is fucking old and that is entertaining). the game really peaks with the coliseum though. its a super fun sandbox where you can beat the shit out of tons of goons with a massive team of your own, its awesome!!! and you can play as any character you recruit... yeah its the best
gaiden is just a super fun and good game, and my only complaints are that rgg is probably never going to mention any of the new characters introduced again, and i hate nishitani III
2016
the silver case is difficult to discuss. your knowledge of suda51's work, enjoyment of visual novels, and how much you can tolerate arbitrary ass writing will make or break your experience with this game.
personally, i am absolutely in love with this game. it has an incredibly unique presentation that creates an atmosphere i've never experienced in any other game, let alone suda51's other work, through the incredible artwork and soundtrack. objectively this game has fantastic character writing, with the transmitter route featuring an amazing cast and the placebo route having one of the best protagonists ive ever seen in media.
the story is hit or miss. its admittedly word dumpy at times, and there are some plot beats that can breeze by you but suddenly be super relevant later. characters can be hard to remember across chapters, hell, theyre usually drawn completely differently depending on the chapter. i took alot of time to process this game, but i understand that not everyone is willing to OR able to make that time. these aspects don't bother me enough to dock points, but it's worth considering
the gameplay is Fine. just Fine. it's weird to get used to, but you'll have it down after the first 2 chapters. this is TECHNICALLY an adventure game, so there are puzzles and interactables strewn about- but usually it's super easy to figure out, and the game even autosolves puzzles for you if you can't be fucked. as expected of a vn, the gameplay is just there to present the story (insane)
the silver case has incredible depth for grasshopper manufacture's first release and still holds up today with its themes of criminal psychology, individuality, and wooowowaha government conspirarcy woaowow. but its true the game isnt very approachable and can be hard to sit through for some people. i think it is very, very worth it though, as a gateway to "kill the past" and especially in relation to its sequels, FSR and the 25th ward: the silver case
personally, i am absolutely in love with this game. it has an incredibly unique presentation that creates an atmosphere i've never experienced in any other game, let alone suda51's other work, through the incredible artwork and soundtrack. objectively this game has fantastic character writing, with the transmitter route featuring an amazing cast and the placebo route having one of the best protagonists ive ever seen in media.
the story is hit or miss. its admittedly word dumpy at times, and there are some plot beats that can breeze by you but suddenly be super relevant later. characters can be hard to remember across chapters, hell, theyre usually drawn completely differently depending on the chapter. i took alot of time to process this game, but i understand that not everyone is willing to OR able to make that time. these aspects don't bother me enough to dock points, but it's worth considering
the gameplay is Fine. just Fine. it's weird to get used to, but you'll have it down after the first 2 chapters. this is TECHNICALLY an adventure game, so there are puzzles and interactables strewn about- but usually it's super easy to figure out, and the game even autosolves puzzles for you if you can't be fucked. as expected of a vn, the gameplay is just there to present the story (insane)
the silver case has incredible depth for grasshopper manufacture's first release and still holds up today with its themes of criminal psychology, individuality, and wooowowaha government conspirarcy woaowow. but its true the game isnt very approachable and can be hard to sit through for some people. i think it is very, very worth it though, as a gateway to "kill the past" and especially in relation to its sequels, FSR and the 25th ward: the silver case