vernie
The best part of the trilogy, in no small part because its gameplay loop is the most unique. Kevin and Ries are GOATed protagonists and the side stories and ending close out burning questions and introduce new ones about the many playable and side characters I'd gotten to know in the whole 100-odd hour journey that is Trails in the Sky.
Azure features some of the highest highs and lowest lows of Trails gaming I've experienced thus far. The NPCs are more lovable than ever, the quests and dialogue are easy to experience thanks to all the fast travel options, and the story must be experienced to be believed. Zero barriers out of zero.
Much more engaging moment-to-moment story beats and side character studies than Cold Steel 1 or 2 and combat that's more satisfyingly broken than any other Trails game so far. I love Rean and his boyfriend more than ever.
On the flip side, it's the longest Trails game so far and that time is filled with more re-introductions, air duct sequences, and jokes at the expense of returning characters than you've ever seen. Major Michael is the only force keeping this game under 100 hours.
On the flip side, it's the longest Trails game so far and that time is filled with more re-introductions, air duct sequences, and jokes at the expense of returning characters than you've ever seen. Major Michael is the only force keeping this game under 100 hours.
2000
that really was Square's strongest tech demo
Peak fiction. GOAT. Raw. FIRE.
My complaints about the story and characterization were thankfully outweighed enough by the highs for me to keep enjoying it. The gameplay takes all the good aspects of CS3 and balances them a bit before you can go right back to breaking them again. Free days are a bit longer than I'd like while talking to every NPC, but that's on me for not keeping track of the interesting ones. Can't wait for Reverie.
My complaints about the story and characterization were thankfully outweighed enough by the highs for me to keep enjoying it. The gameplay takes all the good aspects of CS3 and balances them a bit before you can go right back to breaking them again. Free days are a bit longer than I'd like while talking to every NPC, but that's on me for not keeping track of the interesting ones. Can't wait for Reverie.
This review contains spoilers
Like Drakengard if the dragon got a business degree
Much like the yakisoba pan, it might be surprising that a mecha RTS wrapped in a VN works this well. There's a lot of love for science fiction in the story and an impressive amount of thought in keeping it all together. Play this game and be cursed forever to tell everyone you know to play it too.
There are a lot of cool ideas here, but it's not enough to make me want to keep running fetch and escort quests with limited fast travel markers
Get 5 other friends on a couch to throw ninjas into the fourth wall together for an afternoon and you, too, can feel like all is right with the world if only for a little while
2018
Conceptually, this game rocks - it's only as the middle game of a series like this can they get away with spending literally half the story time on Kiryu's after school special. In practice, I think I've Komaki parried enough for a lifetime
2017
you'd think a game as horny as this would be playable with one hand
Builds on the gameplay from the first Ryza, especially the exploration, in a very satisfying way. I stood up and clapped when they said "This will always be your Atelier Ryza 2"
2019
Crazy fun with a learning curve that rewards you for engaging with it instead of mashing through the game. I only wish I was good enough to hear the vocal themes more.
Searching for cards in deckbuilding is exactly as good as you'd expect from a PSP game and 3-of cards being Ultra Rares and/or having their packs locked behind ridiculous minigames kills my desire to keep playing.
On the other hand, you get to chill out with Jinzo in the schoolyard
On the other hand, you get to chill out with Jinzo in the schoolyard
1998
I played this back when I was far too young to be playing it and it still managed to set my standards for video game immersion. You can catch a cold, chain smoke to look for laser tripwires, the list goes on. I can point to a dozen different interactions in this game and go "they were so real for this" but I'll settle for the Psycho Mantis fight that genuinely made me think the signal cut out on my old TV.
Without even getting into the themes or the English localization effort, Metal Gear Solid has a lasting impact I'll never escape and I'm better off for it.
Without even getting into the themes or the English localization effort, Metal Gear Solid has a lasting impact I'll never escape and I'm better off for it.