Nexus is the natural evolution of the EO series and a wonderful conclusion to it. It's a love letter to all the previous games, with returning monsters and classes and even some characters, as well as a story that fits alongside the others. It never really stands out compared to them, but I personally don't think that's a flaw at all. The gameplay improvements are much better in my opinion, and with 19 classes (and one pseudo class) there are a ton of different combinations to try out and interesting builds to mess around with.

Returning labyrinths were such a joy to go through again, even though I really could have lived without mapping out Sandy Barrens again. I greatly enjoyed seeing the new models for older enemies as well, and overall the game was a blast to play! I'm very pleased that you can essentially use any portrait for any class as well as the customization options on older portraits (but only those with the corresponding classes in Nexus), but having to purchase the older games' portraits if you want to use them is rather disappointing.

Whenever I want to return to Etrian Odyssey, this is the game I'm going to pick up. It was a great time returning to a game series I really enjoy!

Ultimately, Bravely Default 2 is a very by-the-books jrpg. If you've played one, you've basically experienced what BD2 brings to the table in terms of story. If you're looking for something deep and game-changing, you won't find it here.

With that said, the gameplay is tight and very fun and more than makes up for some of the lackluster parts in the story. With three difficulties you can swap between at basically any point with no downsides or penalties, you can play the game at your own pace. It's as challenging as you want it to be. While you can't mow through the whole game super easily on the easiest difficulty and you will have to strategize and plan, it's very satisfying and an excellent experience all around. I completed the game 100% just because I wanted to spend more time with it.

The biggest downside BD2 has is that the story is sort of a letdown, especially as you get further in. The standalone chapters hold up well with the overarching narrative between them falling short. There are multiple endings, and they do little to explain things or even tie up the experience in a satisfying way. The postgame challenges are very difficult, but rewarding to play. (Grinding for items, not so much.)

I thoroughly enjoyed Bravely Default 2 and now that I've finished my 100% file, I'm going to go back in with a ng+ and carry some things over to try out different job combinations and experience it again. I highly recommend this game - but only if you're already a big jrpg fan, and one who enjoys the gameplay more than the story.

The Isle of Armor had a great start to improving Sword and Shield, and Crown Tundra took that further. The wild area is much more expansive, with more interesting weather patterns and Pokemon roaming around, and the quests to find legendary Pokemon were cute! Calyrex's story was a lot more fun than I thought it would be (even though I wish Peony would have gotten more involvement) and overall it was a solid addition.

The real joy of this mode are the Dynamax Adventures. I wasn't expecting to find them all that fun given that you're forced to use rental Pokemon, but working together as a team to take down difficult legendary Pokemon is very fun! Coordinating with people would be much easier with some method of communication, and there are definitely issues with this mode (players idling and not being kicked out, for example) but overall it's a fantastic addition and a step in the right direction.

I'm sincerely hoping they take what they've learned from this expansion pass to make the next Pokemon game even better. Please give us a base game better than Sword and Shield...