Ever since I beat P3FES, and after I beat P5R, I was so certain that this felt like the third game was the weakest in the new-gen trilogy, and a lot of it came down to how much of the game felt like a testing ground for the later, superior titles. However, one thing that never changed across these two titles was its story and characters, which is why I was so incredibly fond of FES even when the gameplay felt like an utter slog to batter through for almost 50 hours.

So when this remake comes along and bulldozes my biggest complaint about the game, and instead improves upon it in such a refined manner gameplay wise WHILE adding to the games best aspects, I completely fell in love with Persona 3 once more.

While it maintains some of the same issues from the original such as the weak social links and Tartarus still being inferior to Palaces...it didn't even remotely bother me. Getting to re-experience this story and its world once more with a fresh mind gave me a newfound love and appreciation for everything that it stood for. Originally I thought it had the weakest cast in the series compared to 4 & 5's. Now, it's my favorite friend group (though 5R still has the best overall characters). The growth they experience individually and together from a ragtag group of shadow fighters to people who genuinely care for one another through the hardships and loss they face...man, playing through P3R has made it more apparent to me than ever that I had held a bias to 4 & 5 that needed to be unclouded.

With new additions to Tartarus and the inclusion of Theurgies, the Great Clock, fortunes, the baton pass and even more, this game is far more enjoyable than before and I didn't even really feel like it was a struggle. It's also an easy game, but I'm completely fine with that. The new hangouts are an awesome idea that not only fleshed out members of the cast without links, but also just made me love the ragtag dorm crew even more than before. It just gives them the extra spark that they needed to not feel hollow.

The game is good looking and although it is easy to criticise the modernisation of the game taking away from the same charm FES had...frankly I don't care. The game looks amazing, the lighting is somewhat off, but turning down the brightness meant it never bothered me. It's slick, stylish and complete eye-candy from the new animated cutscenes, the general visuals and honestly, even the 3D animated scenes had their charm.

I just completely and utterly fell in love with P3 again and up until the end all I could think was...why was I downplaying it, even though it's been a 10 for me? Somehow, I don't think I did this beautiful game enough justice in the first place, but with all these new additions it's harder to criticise what it currently is and looking back at FES, I don't think I'd even remotely recommend FES over Reload.

P3 is the strongest story thematically of all the Persona titles (yes, including 1 & 2), and in conjunction with the game's exploration of its ideas of mortality and coming to terms on it on our own, it's also the most potent story in the franchise. It's the one that speaks to me the most and it's a story that I hold even closer than before.

All rambling aside, all I can say is as much as I love P5R, even playing through P3R has made me reflect upon P5R and made me realise where its shortcomings were and as a result...I have to say it.

Persona 3 Reload is my new favourite game of all time, and in turn, my new favourite work of all time.

My favourite of the trilogy, went in with mild expectations due to criticisms of the ending and came out incredibly surprised with how the finale of the entire trilogy turned out. Sure, the ending was just okay and could’ve been better but wow everything else in this game was riveting as HELL.

The gameplay was fun as hell, the story and characters are at their absolute best here and the culmination of storylines in the prior two games were wonderfully wrapped up in ME3, and it left me feeling emotional at times too. I adore the cast a lot and they truly shine in the Citadel DLC as well as their interactions throughout the game. I do have complaints yet they feel minor in comparison to just how much I can praise this game in regards to being an epic finale, and being a perfect sendoff for the series. A masterpiece, one of the best works of art I’ve seen and I already miss playing it, phenomenal experience.

Infinite Wealth is the culmination of over 9 games of build up of one of gaming's most legendary protagonists, Kazuma Kiryu, and RGG handles that legacy with utmost care and thanks to it, leads to this being one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had with any title. It has it's expected RGG flaws and missteps in its story and the cohesion of it, and there are still questions definitely left unanswered, but the heart of Infinite Wealth is in telling Kiryu's story.

A massive stepup in terms of gameplay compared to 7 in just about every way, in fact, it's just a step up in every single way imaginable aside from the actual plot. The side content is the best in the series and the actual flow of combat is excellent and engaging. Not having to grind every step of the way in this game made it infinitely more enjoyable over 7's, and with the new combat systems it's hard not to get sucked in.

New and old, Infinite Wealth shapes up well. The new villains are the only real drawbacks (aside from two who are excellent). But the new party members and the development and expansion of the party members of 7 are all solid, their dynamics as strong as ever and if not better, thanks to the walk & talk features as well as the expansion of drink links and bond bingo to get to understand this amazing cast even better than before. Special shotout to Yamai, one of RGG's best characters ever who has a conclusion that I wouldn't expect RGG of all developers to go with and with such a great extent.

To keep this review spoiler free, the ending, while leaving certain questions unanswered, still holds strong to what the game is about between Ichiban and Kiryu's stories. In doing so, they completely deliver upon what both characters are about through and through. Kiryu is easily my favorite character...ever, this game amplified him in so many ways possible. Kiryu excels so much thanks to him just having a party alongside him, and finally accepting the help of others, amongst other things in this game that help him grow, learn, become better and to finally understand.

This game does have a few issues as mentioned. Weaker antagonists overall, some very confusing plot elements that are poorly introduced and implemented and some unanswered questions. Despite all that, this game reminded me just how much this entire series means to me...and it means so, so much to me. RGG pulled off a herculean feat in creating almost 9 entire games in an interconnected story and still managing to create something that satisfyingly concludes and lays the foundations for a new leader to the story.

Quite close to my favorite thing ever made, but without a doubt, Infinite Wealth is a testament to the sheer power of long running narratives and the beautiful feeling of watching almost 4 years of keeping up with a series payoff. Hats off to RGG, I can't think of any other series pulling off something like this.

One of the most gripping, emotional and simultaneously ambitious narratives told in the medium. While there are definitely narrative missteps throughout and a few things that could be better, the world, cast and story of Mass Effect continued to engage me everytime I played, and towards the end of the final game it dawned on me how much everything in the game has grown on me, and man did it make the finale of the trilogy seriously hit hard. By no means perfect, but I’m not only surprised but overjoyed by the quality of the Mass Effect trilogy and it’s been one hell of a ride. A fucking stellar series in every way.

A boundary pushing, mind-bending and exhilirating narrative experience that pulls all the stops imaginable for an unforgettable story. Complex in all the right ways, and imaginative in a way that doesn't feel overdone, and instead uses its layers to create one of the most enjoyable narratives I've seen in the medium. Going from the first to the second, there is a ridiculous night and day difference in quality.

Literally the only gripe I have is... I dunno, it's not an emotionally resonant story which I always vie for in a perfect game, but that's fine. A technically perfect game in about almost every way.

Video games that cannot be replicated in any other medium tend to be exemplary in their presentation & mode of storytelling, one that simply can't be formed through traditionally constructed stories. 13 Sentinels, alongside Outer Wilds, is the title I'd point to in saying "This is why video games are art."

13 Sentinels is such an accomplishment in video game storytelling and its status as being a severely underlooked game is quite a shame. I don't think I've seen a story with so many moving parts and elements that could so easily crumble, yet sustains the strongest parts of its plot and intertwines them with genuinely captivating and moving character arcs. Everything works together so seamlessly here: both the gameplay, the different routes and individual plotlines mesh in an ever-expansive web of terminology, events, timelines, characters & whatever the fuck in a way that all links together just perfectly. Somehow, a story of behemoth proportions in scale never loses touch of anything and in the end you're rewarded with a powerful, uplifitng message of humanity's continuous perseverance among other things that'd be spoilers you don't deserve to hear for such a phenomenal work.

To say 13 Sentinels isn't a sum of its sci-fi counterparts would be a lie, yet it doesn't even feel like any sci-fi story I've seen regardless. Pulling in tropes from all forms of sci-fi media from Evangelion, Godzilla, 2001: A Space Odyssey and more, this could've easily been a mess of tropes and a watered down version of much more iconic sci-fi tales. Yet, it is somehow just an even more impressive cumulation of all these tropes to deliver a completely mindbending story that tackles a plethora of ideas perfectly. Between all the time loops, parallel universes, robots, androids, mechas and GOD so much more, the core of the plot never loses itself and the continous back and forth mystery shifts and evolves without losing sight of anything. To have 13 individual protagonist routes combine together seamlessly with BARELY any loose plot threads (if not any) is genuinely insane. Everything works together perfectly, every reveal works, every character's arcs works and their respective dynamics and relationships unfold beautifully. It all feels naturally written and doesn't rely on bullshit to move the story logic along, instead allowing the player to connec the dots themselves and figure out this huge web and really understand just what this games about.

One common criticism you'd hear with the game is it's gameplay and I'd say...it's good! It's not very complex or difficult (though I stuck with normal all the way through), but it's still engaging and very, very satisfying. The strategic depth required to go through each level is as simple as countering what the main kaiju type is and going ham with your abilities. That being said, it all comes together really well and I was never irked by anything the game did with its systems. There are some parts I feel aren't really necessary, like the Sentinel stat upgrade system (which I kind of ignored in favour of skill upgrades) but I imagine on intense the gameplay becomes more thrilling.

Beyond that, this game is gorgeous. The artstyle, the character designs, the spritework... it's just so, so beautiful. It's not a unique artstyle per se, but its complemented heavily with visually distinct CG's and backgrounds, great character designs and some amazing lighting all in a 2.5D perspective. The soundtrack is really good, but I guess there aren't really any distinct soundtracks aside from 2? Even then, it fits the game perfectly in just about every way: from the combat themes, the slice of life friend hangouts to gripping plot revelations, the soundtrack never takes you away from the moment and puts you right into what the characters would be feeling.

I love this game so much and I wish more people played it. There's just so much passion put into it from Vanillaware, its a love letter to all forms of sci-fi media yet has its own distinct identity, one that truly gripped me from start to finish. I fell in love with this game halfway through and by the end all I'm left with is a story so incredible, so grand and yet so small in what it's really about. I love this game so much, what a journey.

While I did this run as a modded playthrough under Reforged, Elden Ring at its core is still the best fundamental gaming experience I've had from this decade. Just such a monumental achievement in every facet of game design that can be imagined. Shit, even when I was frustrated (and it happened often), I still don't think I can ever get an experienced like this from any other developer. Packed to the brim with content in a world so dense & rich that it puts most fully-fleshed narrative titles to shame. On a re-run with a stronger understanding of the lore, the experience of walking through the endgame areas and understanding the circumstances of the world itself and your purpose made these grand, cinematic moments feel all the more moving. With Shadow of the Erdtree on the horizon, I already know that FromSoft will once again prove why they're the best developers in the business. Just real, real gaming.