I felt seen while playing this even though I'm not Tamil, it was just nice seeing my culture being properly represented in media (aside from ATSV). Very relatable too since I grew up in Australia my entire life and have essentially forgone my heritage in many ways. That being said, the game itself is just very short and kind of underbakes its ideas a little, it's neat for its runtime and its premise but I didn't really get much out of it apart from it being relatable. Neat though, happy to have a story like this adapted like this.

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.

When people talk about video games as an art form, and as a general storytelling medium, Bloodborne is the shining example of the potential for video games to exceed even the most critically acclaimed works of art in other mediums. In all the things I've ever seen, played, read or watched, I don't think I've ever felt so strongly about something that so heavily emphasises a "show, don't tell" angle. Not only one of the best games ever purely mechanically, but possibly the best world ever created in the medium. So dense, richly atmospheric and endlessly captivating that it becomes intoxicating. Years since I've beat this and it still never leaves my mind, Bloodborne is the thoughts of a genius stylised with Miyazaki's blood, sweat and tears. Perfection.

A very fun and fluid combat system that blends a multitude of elements into an explosive eye-candy gameplay loop. A pleasing visual style with fast-paced shooter gameplay and (mostly) excellent level design made this a joy to play. Sadly, as a person who is always a sucker for narratives and great characters, Neon White falls completely off the mark. It's not horrificly bad or anything, but with such a generic plotline and archetypal characters, it ultimately does nothing for me except make me want to hit F and skip through literally everything to get to the real heart of the game.

If you ignore the story, this game is a blast and makes you really feel like you're cut out for the speedrunning business. Unfortunately, ignoring the story is hard for me to do. But I liked it for sure.

I'm always a sucker for the GTA titles and their formula when it comes to brainless fun but when said formula also comes with a strong story and the series best protagonist, it's hard to just approach the game as brainless fun.

A very strong story in the scope of not only GTA games but in the greater medium. It isn't the most well compiled plot and there are definite slow points and missions that just don't fit right into the overall story. GTA 4 instead excels in its character building and the overall tone of the story which both complement each other effectively in making a tragic story about the American dream and the cycle of revenge. The ending is potent to this day and even the PS3 era's grimy, brown overlay over Liberty City only serves to add to the game feeling like a visual metaphor for the land where dreams are chased and lost.

I'm honestly so fond of this game in a lot of ways. While I don't think its high art by any means, its so interesting to play this game and see the special qualities that it possessed that were lost on GTA 5 makes me a little sad. It's a unique title in the GTA series in that it's the only GTA story that really drives in its themes and message in a direct & effective manner.

I hope Rockstar at least acknowledges how good the story was in this game for GTA 6, but judging by the teaser, can't say that'll be the case, which really is a shame.

ohhhh butits a t-third person cam dialogue splurge cinematic game that doensn't utilise the medium to tell the st-

Look, those games are amazing and all and I love when video games ACTUALLY utilise the unique elements granted by it to tell the story, but I honestly don't care when you have one of the single most fleshed out protagonists in the overall medium getting a phenomenal conclusion. Oh, and having the deuteragonist ALSO share an effective dynamic with said character ? Along with the fact htat the game is just fucking RAWWWWWWW in every way possible?! Man, I do not care how the game is presented and how it's "basically a movie" (which is kind of absurd to me considering there are games that quite literally do NOTHING but try to be a movie). I truly adore this game and it means so much to me, a very potent exploration of fatherhood and positive masculinity that had me tearing up in the end. I'll always love this game.

A fun and engaging story and cast of characters with a charming artstyle, it's pretty much set to be a great game from the get go and it was. Although I can't really agree with the game's brazenly high reception in regards to how the narrative ACTUALLY unfolds, I'd say the fact its a tight and well knit plot overall isn't a fact that brings it down. It just doesn't do ENOUGH for me to think of it more than being a game that hits everything in the right spot but doesn't transcend beyond that.

It may sound negative, but overall it's still a great game and everything everyone who's played the game is spot on with their remarks about it. Loveable, bubbly characters and a distinct and charming style that oozes in about every element of the game made this feel distinct from any other puzzle game I've played. The twists with the ending were great and caught me a lil off guard too but it's just a good ass game even if I don't think its a masterpiece, and well worth the time spent with it.

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.

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.

Very satisfying combat loop that rewards an understanding of the games mechanics, and uses death as an interesting mechanic to encourage further re-runs. Just "beat" the game's story but I definitely will be doing replays to truly master the game since I ended up struggling through it initially.

Though it's not the most satisfying combat loop ever and I did end up feeling like the story was just bad, but that's whatever, it's not a game I played for the story.

Pretty fun game, great visual design, (mostly) fun bosses and a unique experience wrapped into a pretty short package.

Super fun game in all the right ways, it's been a while since I've last played a Mario game and this is easily the most fun I've had with the series. Love how the game controls and how it encourages player exploration in just about every turn, and it felt so rewarding to just use my head for a second and think of imaginative ways to reach power moons or kingdom-specific coins. There are so many little details in the game's design and so many elements that work together so well, it's a complete treat to play through every kingdom. Hell, even the simplistic ass boss fights were still enjoyable even when they're repeated. This game kicks ass in so many ways and I can't even really think of a complaint relating to its fundamentals apart from its story which...yeah, duh. Doesn't matter anyway, this games fun as fuck, play it!

An impressively constructeed remake that contains all the delights the Source engine brings, yet with its new additions still leaves parts to be desired. The puzzles stand out as some of the most engaging I've experienced in a title like this and the game honestly looks superb for a Source engine game. Soundtrack also goes crazy, seriously makes a lot of otherwise "whatever" moments feel more impactful.

I'd say the first half of the game within Black Mesa is the strongest part of the game, as well as the intro of Xen, but as the game goes deeper in it begins to crack with monotony lining each of the levels, especially in the new Xen. While the puzzles are still quality, they become repetitive in structure and goal and by the end it feels kind of mindless.

It's a cool game but doesn't have all the extra oomph that Half Life 2 has with its story and gameplay, even as the remake aims to push a similar envelope in what the Source engine can do. It's still a decent game but not one that maximised its potential in creating Xen a much more unique world that separates itself from the somewhat mundane reality of Earth and its technologies.

Pentiment is immensely impressive in its construction and detailed analysis of faith and art within the Middle Ages, all wrapped into a neat little murder mystery. It's distinct style captured me almost immediately, yet it's mechanics may be seen as anything but at first. But the point-and-click style narrative leans heavily in favour of the game's central murder mystery narrative as the detailed level of player choice given is wholly impressive. You really get to decide the fate of many and your choices really, truly, can affect the future whether you may realise it immediately or not.

While the murder mystery is what got me at first, I'd say that the game's overwhelming focus on faith (going as far to highlight any mention of God) is what kept me the most interested. Seeing the clash between the creation, sale and preservation of art from the Abbey under God vs the rejection of Tassing's people, who have no one else but God to turn to in face of hardship, was an incredibly compelling narrative that resulted in quite a strong climax.

I'd say the third act is what somewhat lets this game down for me. While the concept of the mural and the preservation and artful retelling of history ties right into the game's themes, I think the slower pacing of Act 3 and how it somewhat veers away from the strong points of the first two acts is a little disappointing. I'd say the ending and the reveal of the murderer was pretty great, but ultimately it feels like more could've been done on the whole art vs religion aspect of the game.

Overall though, this is a truly unique game amongst a sea of games that advertise player choice yet cannot emulate the same feeling that Pentiment does when you can unknowingly change the lives of one or many for years on end through either your own inaction or hubris. A stronger final act could've cemented this higher up as a true pantheon amongst story-rich games, but Pentiment more than makes up with it with a compelling narrative that heavily emphasises unity within faith and the importance of art and history, amongst many, many other things that I can't seem to put to words straight away. A great game worth checking out.