rudwitz
2003
Possibly one of the most 2000's games ever made, and I mean that in a good way. I can't imagine any other timeframe this game coming out than in the early 2000s, entirely due to the game's outwardly edgy aesthetic.
The vibes and soundtrack of Colosseum in general are excellent, but it's sadly counteracted by the egregiously slow combat, alongside the horribly grindy shadow purification mechanics. And without an interesting enough story like most other JRPGs from this era have, it's really all atmosphere and not much else. I really want to like this game - and there's a lot I do like about it - but it just wasn't very fun.
The vibes and soundtrack of Colosseum in general are excellent, but it's sadly counteracted by the egregiously slow combat, alongside the horribly grindy shadow purification mechanics. And without an interesting enough story like most other JRPGs from this era have, it's really all atmosphere and not much else. I really want to like this game - and there's a lot I do like about it - but it just wasn't very fun.
This review contains spoilers
An excellent retelling of Those Who Walk Away From Omelas
The video game equivalent of The Usual Suspects
2023
Would be perfect but sadly includes the San Francisco 49ers
Real ones remember playing these games on a crusty Windows Vista PC in 2009
2010
One of the most mind-numbing and excruciating combat systems of all time with some of the weakest dungeons out there, albeit combined with a great story and the usual themes expressed that I've come to expect out of TYPE-MOON and Kinoko Nasu's works. I really don't think there's very many games that are simultaneously as bad and as good as Fate/Extra.
1996
Extremely charming game. I think this has probably had the best utilization of the combined dating sim/RPG that I’ve seen, which is frankly impressive since this was also one of the first. Sakura Wars’ story, character cast, and SRPG gameplay are all rather basic, but the decent amount of voice acting, anime cutscenes, and overall high production value really all help make the game extremely memorable and charming.
2007
Absolute pinnacle of 3D platforming and of Mario, bar none. Just pure fun from start to finish, alongside perhaps the greatest video game original soundtrack ever composed. All these years later, very few games are as incredible as this one.
2020
This review contains spoilers
Having been almost two years since I last played Persona 5 in any capacity and having played numerous other Megami Tensei games since then, I was simultaneously surprised (in a good way) and disappointed by Persona 5 Strikers.
The game's characterization was surprisingly good, in between the Phantom Thieves themselves (especially Haru and Yusuke, maybe my two least favorite cast members in P5), and new characters like Zenkichi, Sophia, and Ichinose. The overall theme of "don't give up and descend into cynicism, even when everything seems to be going wrong", while a little cheesy, is the type of thing I'm a sucker for, and I really liked how this was reiterated through characters like Hondo and Ichinose. The core plot of the game surrounding AI does feel a little prescient, but the overall point being "a bad AI can be stopped by a good AI" is a little silly. Still a good narrative though, and moments like Sophia's conversation with Ichinose, Zenkichi's dynamic with his daughter, and the third Jail were high points in the game. A lot of areas (especially Jails 1, 2, and 5) felt way too similar to P5 plotpoints though, which is a shame. I did like that it felt like every character had some form of importance though, and that the cast wasn't overly reliant on Joker. The best parts of the game were just the character cast talking amongst each other about stuff not really related to the game's plot.
Moving onto the gameplay, I initially didn't care much for the game's combat, but I grew to like it over time. It was also surprisingly hard at times, especially against bosses like Alice or the powerful optional shadows near the end. That's a good thing, but a lot of the bosses were massive damage sponges, so it's a bit of a mixed bag. (I still vastly prefer the turn-based combat of P5/R though, and would be disappointed if P6 moved to action combat.) The dungeons were mostly ok (although Jail 6 was great), and the sidequests were pretty average.
Overall, it was pretty good! It really succeeded at being Persona 5 fanservice above all else and having an effective emotional narrative, and the only real weak points I can think of are how repetitive some of the original P5 plotpoints are, a stupid bathhouse scene, the lack of integration of Royal plot content, and some of the bosses having too much HP. I'd easily recommend it to anyone who really liked Persona 5.
(Unrelated, but a part of me wishes the game, or future Persona spinoffs, would do something similar to Trails in the Sky the 3rd and basically show flashbacks of events that either occurred before, during, or after the events of the core storyline to the game's character cast. Not that I think it's a big deal or anything, I just think it'd be cool.)
The game's characterization was surprisingly good, in between the Phantom Thieves themselves (especially Haru and Yusuke, maybe my two least favorite cast members in P5), and new characters like Zenkichi, Sophia, and Ichinose. The overall theme of "don't give up and descend into cynicism, even when everything seems to be going wrong", while a little cheesy, is the type of thing I'm a sucker for, and I really liked how this was reiterated through characters like Hondo and Ichinose. The core plot of the game surrounding AI does feel a little prescient, but the overall point being "a bad AI can be stopped by a good AI" is a little silly. Still a good narrative though, and moments like Sophia's conversation with Ichinose, Zenkichi's dynamic with his daughter, and the third Jail were high points in the game. A lot of areas (especially Jails 1, 2, and 5) felt way too similar to P5 plotpoints though, which is a shame. I did like that it felt like every character had some form of importance though, and that the cast wasn't overly reliant on Joker. The best parts of the game were just the character cast talking amongst each other about stuff not really related to the game's plot.
Moving onto the gameplay, I initially didn't care much for the game's combat, but I grew to like it over time. It was also surprisingly hard at times, especially against bosses like Alice or the powerful optional shadows near the end. That's a good thing, but a lot of the bosses were massive damage sponges, so it's a bit of a mixed bag. (I still vastly prefer the turn-based combat of P5/R though, and would be disappointed if P6 moved to action combat.) The dungeons were mostly ok (although Jail 6 was great), and the sidequests were pretty average.
Overall, it was pretty good! It really succeeded at being Persona 5 fanservice above all else and having an effective emotional narrative, and the only real weak points I can think of are how repetitive some of the original P5 plotpoints are, a stupid bathhouse scene, the lack of integration of Royal plot content, and some of the bosses having too much HP. I'd easily recommend it to anyone who really liked Persona 5.
(Unrelated, but a part of me wishes the game, or future Persona spinoffs, would do something similar to Trails in the Sky the 3rd and basically show flashbacks of events that either occurred before, during, or after the events of the core storyline to the game's character cast. Not that I think it's a big deal or anything, I just think it'd be cool.)
I honestly prefer Devil Summoner over this game. The demon loyalty system - while better than in Devil Summoner - is still bad, the dungeons are a bit weaker than Devil Summoner's, and the story/characters (besides Nemissa) are not very interesting at all. It also probably has the weakest soundtrack in the entire franchise, which is a shame since it has people like Masuko and Meguro involved
It does excel in atmosphere/setting/vibes/etc though without question, they really did great at that. Beyond that though, the game is just kinda alright all around
It does excel in atmosphere/setting/vibes/etc though without question, they really did great at that. Beyond that though, the game is just kinda alright all around
Easily the most polished work among Type-Moon’s big 4 (this, Tsukihime, Fate/Stay Night, and KnK), and by far one of the best. The primary character cast of Sojuro, Alice, and Aoko is possibly the best of any major Type-Moon work, with them having an extremely interesting dynamic, and the story having far more refined elements of the usual elements that mark Kinoko Nasu’s works make for an entertaining and excellent read.
I don’t think this is my personal favorite Type-Moon/Nasu work (I still have a soft spot for Tsukihime and Fate/Unlimited Blade Works), but it’s easily up there, and absolutely worth the $40.
I don’t think this is my personal favorite Type-Moon/Nasu work (I still have a soft spot for Tsukihime and Fate/Unlimited Blade Works), but it’s easily up there, and absolutely worth the $40.
2010
Played this a lot when I was a kid, and one of the first games I downloaded on my 3DS. Almost certainly some nostalgia bias here, but easily one of my all-time favorite indie games.
2010
I blew hundreds of hours on this game during the mid-late 2010’s. Never again
1986
They clearly had an idea of how to “do” the Metroid formula really early on, but this game just isn’t good at all. While it’s impressive, you compare this game to SMB1 or Zelda 1 and it’s clear that Metroid 1 is just awful in comparison.
Thank God they continued the series and made it brilliant with better hardware. Just play Zero Mission instead if you really want to experience the “first” Metroid game.
Thank God they continued the series and made it brilliant with better hardware. Just play Zero Mission instead if you really want to experience the “first” Metroid game.
The more I play it and the more I think about what it does so well, the more clear it becomes to me that this is easily one of (if not the) best Megami Tensei games ever released. One of the best character casts in the entire franchise, one of the best stories in the entire franchise, with incredibly flexible and fun gameplay. It takes the best parts of the mainline SMT series and the best parts of the Persona series, and mixes it into something that’s a borderline masterpiece.