Near unmatched style and presentation for a PS1 title. Parasite Eve boasts a stupid, out-there, and self-serious story paired with an insanely good OST. Combat is surprisingly fun, short, simple, and easy for the time, which makes exploration less of a chore than most JRPGs that came out around this time. If I had any gripes about this game it's the limited inventory space and sometimes confusing intractability.

Basically, Mitochondria Eve makes me feel hot.

"To live life is not to walk through a meadow."

DQ8 is one of my favorites in the series. The game is charming in every regard whether it be story, party members, or NPCs. Being a less linear experience than a lot of the other JRPGs of this era makes the world feel sprawling. Exploration is and always will be a big part of the series and the rewards for going off the beaten path are usually worth it here.

The main issue most people will have with this game is how fucking slow it is. This makes getting the bell to speed up to traversal feel impactful. Unfortunately, the combat animations are still way too long so use speed-up in an emulator.

Revisiting this cast was fucking sweet. I love this group of misfits and their party talk is often hilarious. Their stories are pretty short, but they resonated with me. This is also the only game ever that has Yangus as a character. COR BLIMEY!!!!!!!

Overall, it's one of the best in the series I've played and a gold standard for JRPGs back in the early 2000s.