Persona 2 has a lot of potential, but I ultimately found it VERY sluggish and boring.

This is a very different Persona than what I'm used to. I knew it was different from 3, 4 and 5, but I didn't know that it would be such a completely distinct experience.

The atmosphere is here at least and the game excels in it! Innocent Sin still gives off that chill Persona energy, with a high school story that starts off silly and ends up getting darker and darker, while not losing its cozy vibes. And that's actually the best thing of the entire game.

The story starts off very slow, introducing the setting and characters. It all develops very well, turning into a very mature tale filled with twists and mysteries up until the very final scene. All characters and villains are great, with simple but interesting backstories and fun/engaging personalities. I loved how it all progressed and that's what keeps me curious to play Eternal Punishment.

Demons/Characters designs and soundtrack also diserve to be mentioned on the positive side. Design is not as good as future games would be, but they're still charming enough. Especially main Personas and their evolutions. As for the soundtrack, it's good, a few tracks stand out, but it's not as special as Persona 4's, for example.

But I can't lie to you, I did not like this game very much. I didn't hate it, of course, but if it wasn't for story and characters, few things would get me to play Eternal Punishment or even Persona 1.

The dungeon crawling aspects from Innocent Sin are awful. Dungeons are exceedingly long, battles are slow, side quests are very unrewarding, dungeon designs are bad, negotiations are unintuitive and the RNG is insanely off. I just hated this part of the game. It feels so different from games like Persona 3 or SMT Nocturne. And being different isn't the bad thing, the bad thing is that it's not engaging at all!

There is no press turn battle system and while that would be ok if they had some other solution, it's not. Instead, you get the cards system, which is absolutely tedious. Collecting cards and having to manage them on the Velvet Room (which you'll hardly ever be in one) feels like a chore. Weaknesses are meaningless, negotiations make even less sense and it's all just helplessly slow. Even the fusion system is absent.

In fact, Innocent Sin felt a little too laid-back. The only battles I liked were boss fights, because they actually felt a bit more tactical and challenging. For the rest, I just couldn't care less. I'm REALLY glad it's not grindy and sort of chill, but they couldn't find a good balance, it seems. Takes a long time to level up and it simply does not compel you to battle much. Besides, the way dungeons are built just fuck up the story's nicely paced moments.

I do not recommend Persona 2, unless you have played the other games. I know there's a lot of people out there praising it, but I just found it tedious.

The story is great and I will play Eternal Punishment to find out what will happen with the cast, but other than that, it all feels like an unnecessary time-consuming adventure.

I've been saying that Final Fantasy XV is the best FF to come out since FFX. FFXVI is here to challenge this thought.

I absolutely loved my 68 hours spent with FFXVI. I was skeptical at first because, honestly, it looked nothing like I hoped a new mainline Final Fantasy would be. But I'm glad Square proved me wrong.

The first thing that gripped me into the world of FFXVI was the story and its presentation. I loved the blend and tone between this dark medieval war story and the fantastical mythos of the franchise. The world building and overall conflict took a while to connect, but the strong emphasis on a character-driven plot kept me going. Mostly, from beginning to end, the story is fantastic. It is as epic as a FF game should be, it's bleak (at times a bit too bleak), joyful, well written, deep and gets crazy by the end.

But what really drives the story forward are the characters and their dialogues. FFXVI has some of the best written characters and exchanges in the franchise. Clive is a great protagonist, Jill has an impressive backstory, Gav is one of the coolest characters, Dion is complex enough and even Torgal, the dog, gets to shine. Not to mention Cid - the greatest character in the game. Probably the best Cid in the whole franchise. Voice acting, charisma and vivid well-written conversations were key to all this.

As for gameplay, it may not be as deep as FFVII or innovative as FFX, but it gets the job done better than the likes of FFXV or FFXII. You see, the action mechanics are pretty simple, but they're very accessible, excelling in substance, intensity AND style. It's quite addictive, actually. Especially when it comes to boss fights. Whether you're fighting as an Eikon or going against a tough enemy, this is where the spectacle lies.

This game looks absolutely beautiful. Probably one of the best looking games out there, currently. It is quite impressive and it keeps throwing new shockingly beautiful things at the screen until the very last scene. And it all comes together with what must be the best Final Fantasy soundtrack since FFXIII. Simply remarkable!

But for a game that gets so much right, when something goes wrong, it becomes crystal clear.

It may have an incredible story, but its pacing is all over the place. At one moment you're fighting a god, the other you're collecting flowers. And, yes, this is usually how RPGs goes, but it feels glaring on a game so focused in its own plot. As a result, the writing and rhythm kinda goes a bit off by the final act.

The ending, for example, it's not bad, but with a tale as depressing as this one, it'd be better for a more direct and sunny finale option. Being bittersweet and ambiguous can work, sure, but not always.

The amount of sidequests were a low point as well. They're usually very interesting, with some even gifting you with cool scenes, world building and interactions between characters. In fact, some sidequests at the ending are A MUST, for example. The problem is, if you want to experience them, you have to go through the same repetitive objectives and places over and over again. And there are A LOT of them, coming up at the worst times possible during the main quest. There's simply no verticality. You can see this on enemy variety, which is a joke. Even the hunts get stale.

And last, but not least, FFXVI's biggest flaw is not deciding whether it wants to be an action game or an RPG.

I miss customization, statuses, skill variety, secret dungeons. It is mostly there, but it's just... not enough. It's different. A party system could've fixed part of that. You have very charming characters helping Clive on his quest, but they're barely there during gameplay and are barely useful. You can't even mess around with Torgal's skills and he's always present.

Still, in my opinion, Final Fantasy XVI is an amazing game back to back. Its flaws are clear and I get that it looks and plays different enough to avert a few fans. But it is definitely a great entry in the mainline series and might be the best one since FFX.

Only time will tell. Play it and find out for yourself.

It's hard to admit, but Alien Hominid Invasion was a letdown for me. The PS2 Alien Hominid is my favorite run and gun game of all time, and while I didn't mind the shift in style, I just couldn't fully enjoy it.

AH Invasion still carries the charm of the original. That's probably its best aspect. It looks pretty, albeit not bloody anymore. Cutscenes are great, funny, inviting and sarcastic, at least. Not to mention the many nods to the original, which were pretty nice.

The whole game has changed. It's a roguelite now, with RPG elements, like stats and equipment. And it works fine, I guess. For the most part, shooting feels solid. Especially when you get the hang of it, which can take a while. It's challenging as well. Not always the best kinnd of challenge, but makes you think more than just run, dodge and shoot. Also, playing it co-op, just like its predecessor, is still the best way to go.

However, from the moment I was deployed into the first mission, it just felt like a confusing mess. Even after "getting it" (which took more time than I'd like to admit), that impression never left. The screen is always totally cluttered with things, objectives are always the same, most items, guns and rewards are useless, enemies are repetitive little bullet sponges, bosses form the first half of the game are annoying as hell, and technically, there are only three different levels, which look identical.

Finishing this game co-op was probaly the best thing I did, otherwise, AH Invasion just wouldn't be fun. It's a shame, because the first one is nearly perfect, so the potential for an improved sequel was huge, but... just didn't happen.

There might be something here and there to save this for you but, honestly, it's tough to say it, but Behemoth dropped the ball. I'm a fan of their work, the original Alien Hominid, run and gun games and roguelites, but still, I would just stay away from it.

I have just finished Nocturne and now I'm looking at the TV, thinking... why the fuck did I love this game?

It's like the game was developed to make you suffer and feel miserable... yet... I just loved it!

But still, the question lingers. Why did I love SMT3? There are so many bad things in its design! It's just filled with little to major flaws that prevents me from loving it even more.

For starters, the environments may seem pretty at first, but the repetition will get to you and it will feel dull. It's as if they made it on purpose. Claustrophobia is a thing in the Vortex World. Negotiating with demons is a pain the ass and the game doesn't even explain it to you. In fact, Nocturne wastes no time in explaining anything. The only reason I got through the game's mechanics without looking for a guide is because this is not my first SMT game.

And what about the dungeon maps? They're terrible! Again, was it bad design or is the humdrum on purpose? Why not include a mini-map? Why is the encounter rate so goddamn high? Did the Labyrinth of Amala need to be THAT gigantic and confusing? Was it a necessity to make the final dungeon in the game so frustating and clueless? The puzzles are good, but did EVERY dungeon need one?

And don't even get me started on the difficulty! Look, I get it, it's part of the experience and it's in the series' DNA. But SMT3's difficulty is just absurd. Even normal enemies are ruthless! Was it part of its design to make it extremely unbalanced and inaccessible? I see no necessity for it. And yes, there's that newly added Merciful difficult, but that just turns it into a joke. It makes Pokémon Let's Go Evee look difficult!

But even after pointing out a few of SMT3's many flaws, why do I still love it so much? Why did I have so much fun with it?

Maybe it was the character's design. Every single character, from demon to manikin, they're just VERY well done. Or maybe it's the press turn battle system that just refuses to be boring. Was it Nocturne's thought-provoking intricate writing and social/religious themes that kept me hooked? The minimalistic nature of the game's story and gameplay just hides away a mountain of depth, right?

It was probably the addictive mechanic of collecting and fusing demons. Maybe the oppressive and lonely atmosphere just talked to me, you know? I mean, the story is immersive and every single ending seems solid enough. Or was it the boss fights that kept me pumped? And I didn't even mention how PERFECT the soundtrack is. I could spend days listening to SMT3's ost and I wouldn't get tired of it.

In the end, I do not know why this game is so lovely. It is unnecessarily painful, but I just keep coming back to it.

I wouldn't recommend it, though. Unless you really wanna do it...

Wo Long is a very entertaining game with a clumsy execution. It's funny because it works flawlessly at times, but when it doesn't, it's awkward and heavily frustrating.

Wo Long's story is extremely forgettable and its presentation is... uh... bad, to put it simple. Also, I played it on Series S and by god that console struggled to deal with the most simples things. Nevertheless, the game is ugly and its environments are sort of repetitive. Without interesting characters and an engaging tale to keep you hooked, fun factor was foun in other things.

While the environments are dull, the level design can be pretty clever sometimes, with some main missions and sidquests being very well structured. I'm a sucker for shortcuts and hidden places and Wo Long is filled with them. It all comes to a full circle by the end of a level, as long as you don't miss out on anything.

Characters are very bland, but the way they help you during combat and their design is just really nice. Hero or villain, they look cool as shit. Hell, even the armors and weapons you get look super slick. The Divine Beasts are impressive as well but, unfortunately, not all of them are very useful. Monsters and bosses look nice too, but variety is UTTERLY low, killing the element of surprise.

But where Wo Long shines (and sometimes falters) the most is in its combat. I'm going to make the obvious comparison because there's no other way around it: this game tried to be Sekiro. Sometimes it nailed it, but sometimes it failed.

Fighting styles are sharp, every weapon is useful and has its own perks and strenghts, your character is highly customizable, learning damage partterns from enemies and bosses can be extremely fun, most spells are pretty sick and I loved the different kinds of martial arts you learn. This is where more than half of the fun in Wo Long lies and, like I said, when it works, it's amazing.

The problem is, it lacks a certain level of polishment, I think. From enemy placement to boss fights. In fact, ESPECIALLY in boss fights! This game really knocked it out of the park with bosses like the final one, Lu Bu, Dong Zhuo and Zhang Liang. Then completely dropped the ball with others like Aoye, Zhang Rang, Liu Bei and that weird demonic dragon. It is fun, yes, but also absolutely inconsistent.

I also feel like Koei keeps repeating the same mistakes since the first Nioh. An unnecessary amount of repetitive loot, too many systems and mechanics that could totally be cut from the game, the morale system can be quite inconvenient and the game feels bloated. The side quests aren't that good and rewarding as they can be very repetitive sometimes. So why keep it going for so long?

It may seem like Wo Long is a bad game from everything I wrote, but it's not. It's just... complicated. It is also a game that made me appreciate Sekiro even more, for inspiring more fun parry based combat systems like this, but also for how well it executed its original intricate formula.

If you're a fan of games like that, then do give it a go. Just do not expect anything near perfection.