Category Archives: 9 Star Games

Naruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections Review

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I may not have gotten this game day 1 but I knew at some point that I would need to take the plunge. The whole marketing was about a new Uchiha showing up and that’s like finding out that there is a new Saiyan. It’s an immediate way to build up hype and I can tell you that it succeeded. Really one of the only reasons this wasn’t a day one is because most of the story is old.

When you boot up the game you have your usual array of modes. Vs mode, the main story, and special story. The main story is basically compiled from all of the previous games where they paste a lot of those fights but apparently remove a lot of the interactable bits. From what I’ve heard it’s a straight downgrade which is a shame but that’s just how it goes I suppose. We weren’t hear for the main story either way and I skipped it entirely. At some point I’ll play through it for the trophies but that’ll be a while.

The special story starts off with Boruto getting hooked on this online game where he can play as Naruto. Unfortunately there is a deeper conspiracy here and someone is mind controlling Naruto and the others. Sasuke will have to hold Naruto off but Boruto had to stop the threat at its core. If he doesn’t succeed then that will be game over. Now while the main history mode is longer, they did put a good amount of effort into this special story and it lasted longer than I expected with the post game story chapter. It’s really got a lot of good stuff to it. The beginning of the story is certainly slow paced but once the game starts cooking, it really doesn’t hold back at all.

The gameplay is very familiar to long time Storm fans. You have your auto combos and then several ninjutsu and ultimate jutsu. Use them all to really get the edge in combat and absolutely dominate everyone in your path. The story is generally easy but you still can’t just approach it blindly. You need to have some strategy in mind or you will end up being defeated in short order. Generally I would say that the giant monsters are the toughest to deal with since they don’t really flinch or stagger.

As expected the graphics are pretty high end. The cutscenes still look really amazing as well as the in game graphics which are on that PS5 level. They definitely kept in line with what you would expect from the series. Additionally the soundtrack is also really good with a lot of different tunes. The game can get really dramatic and the themes are able to keep up with the tempo and themes the whole time.

In terms of replay value, this is a fighting game so of course it’s basically endless. You can keep on having new experiences with each fight as they will all be different. Additionally some of the trophies look rather difficult so that will buy some more time as well. Since the gameplay is a lot of fun, you’ll certainly be incentivized to play as much as possible.

The story also handled the new Uchiha, Nanashi really well. She’s a really well written character who manages to get interesting really quickly and ends up having a complete arc. The game even sets up a romance that you could argue is better than any of the romances in the main Boruto and even Naruto series. It definitely has one of those super tragic endings to it too. Naturally you usually want to have a very happy ending for any kind of plot but the tragic angle can sometimes work too and this one pulled it off.

I would say there are some power level issues here as I think Boruto could easily wipe out any of the old Uchiha soldiers. Maybe I’m underselling them but I just see Boruto winning that one. Likewise it feels like Sasuke and Naruto could do even better in the present but at the end of the day power level issues never hurt the game’s actual score and quality. This is still a very engaging story by the end and helps make the experience worthwhile.

This is also a gameplay style that I grew up with so it’s super nostalgic. I won’t say for a minute that I’m the best at it or anything like that but I feel comfortable in the system. Mixing up the combos and trying out new techniques is something I can do without too much trouble. The different cinematics for every finishing special is also another incentive to use each character and learn all of their finishers. Adds to the replay value without a doubt.

Overall, Boruto Connections is definitely an excellent game. It would have been nice to see them redo the whole story from the start to Boruto but it’s definitely easy to see why they would choose to just reuse the assets since they were already there. Naturally if this is your first Storm game then it’ll hit even harder because then this is really an amazing amount of content to go through. You have a ton of replay value here with the trophies and everything so there is more than enough value to justify the price. No downsides there so pick up the game as soon as possible.

Overall 9/10

Fairy Tail 2 Review

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Man did it take years to get to this sequel but at long last Fairy Tail has returned! It’s one of those franchises that is perfect for the video game world because the storylines and fights were always dynamic. The series just got plagued by fanservice issues which are far less noticeable in a video game. Like with the last game, this is a pretty elite title. I would give the first game the edge overall as I thought the menus and hub world layout was a bit clearer. Everything there was perfect while here it’s all elite but slightly less user friendly. The gameplay is also a bit different and I would give the original the edge there as well.

This adapts the final arc of the series as the villains launch an all out invasion to destroy Fairy Tail. They have hundreds of thousands of fighters while the heroes just have their family and friends. That said, they are still not going to give up without a fight! They are fighting for a whole lot here and the game really gives time for everyone to shine. You’ll get to play as a whole bunch of characters and fortunately EXP share is always on so you don’t have to worry about them lagging behind the rest.

The only criticism you could probably give the game is that it is extremely easy. To put it one way, I didn’t have to even open up my item bag until the final post game boss. Nothing in the main campaign was worth it, most of them died really quickly. It helps that you have several attacks and super attacks which replenish your health. I’m not talking about a little either, Juvia’s basic healing attack restores close to 80% of your health. The health bars here are pretty massive too so that’s a lot of health that you are saving each time.

You get level ups very quickly and then you’ve also got equipment that can make you stronger. Even if you don’t bother fighting most of the enemies you will be in a decent spot. The fights are so fast and give so much EXP that I would often fight the minion battles anyway though. There are a lot of different collectibles to be found around the world and I decided to grab most of them. From chests to mini creatures to orbs of knowledge, they’re always close to being within your grasp so it’s too tempting to let linger.

The main campaign is pretty long and then the post game adds on a few hours to that. You also have a bunch of optional bosses and individual character stories to go through. I have no doubt that you will be here for at least 30-40 hours by the end of your run. So it definitely makes the value of the purchase worth it. You won’t feel short changed or anything like that. The story is also very captivating so you won’t get bored or anything. Like I said it’s just an excellent game around the board.

The gameplay is a classic turn based style mixed in with real time action. I’d compare it to Final Fantasy XIII. You have turns but if you don’t attack fast, the opponent can just take his turn and attack you anyway. So you really need to have a plan at the ready and can’t just be wondering what to do next. Always be moving forward. Do that and you will be in a really good position here.

The graphics are really solid as you’d expect. The character models and environments all work really well and the fights that we get are a lot of fun. The soundtrack is also pretty good. It could maybe use a few extra tunes but the ones that are there all match up well with the individual scenes so I can’t say that I have any complaints. Because the character all level up with you, you should have fun just playing whoever you want to at any given point in time. Yes there are type advantages in the game but they don’t actually make a bunch of difference. You can use Natsu against a water type and you’ll still be fine. Maybe there’s a hard mode that will make more of a difference but at least in a standard match you won’t experience any issues.

It was only the final boss that really gave me a hard time. I almost thought that I might lose at one point but I was still able to pull through in the end. Using all of the healing attacks was definitely a must though. Keep those in mind because they are absolutely broken but it does keep in with the themes of friendship and family. Healing should be very powerful in such a world.

Overall, Fairy Tail 2 is another elite title. This is a perfect example of how you make a big action RPG with hundreds of collectibles while not letting it feel overwhelming. At no point did I want to give up on opening chests and just focusing on the story because it was not an inconvenience. The devs place everything in a way that makes you want to succeed and that’s a pretty important skill. It’s why designing is such an art because if you make a mistake then it will impact the rest of the game. I highly recommend this to all gamers in general as a result. Good game design is good game design after all. I think anyone can really appreciate what they did here.

Overall 9/10

Tekken 8 Review

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This is it, it’s time for the final entry in the Tekken saga! Of course the series will keep going at some point but this finally got us to the end of the saga that’s been building up since the beginning. It’s an absolute masterpiece and I highly recommend it. It’s not simply a fighting game, it’s a full on adventure with a great plot and lots of fun characters. Every part of this game was polished to perfection and you get a real rush while playing through it. It’s the kind of game that you just can’t put down!

The game starts off with Kazuya and Jin fighting in the city. Jin is wrecked as per usual and seems to have lost most of his abilities. He will need to regain them quickly because Kazuya has begun his plan to end the world. There will even be one last tournament. The fate of the world rests on Jin’s shoulders and he will have to really contend with his inner darkness in order to measure up to this. Fortunately he is ready, this is what he was born to do. He will be the ones to end the curse once and for all.

If you didn’t play the older games for any reason, there is a whole mode for movies and summaries to recap them all. It even goes far enough to clear up the more ambiguous moments of the first 3 games where everyone had their own arcade mode. So you learn what the true events were. There are also some prequel movies and the first DLC season of stories comes in for free. That’s a ton of story content for a fighting game right? It’s because Tekken’s story is really good so it’s not playing second fiddle to the gameplay. It’s right in the middle of things the whole time.

Throw in the lyrical songs and this is really a cinematic experience. I had to pump the volume up a bit for some of the cutscenes and man do the sound effects go hard. The game also cleverly mixed in a lot of cinematics with the gameplay to show you the character’s thoughts during a fight. It’s all way ahead of its time and I had no complaints here. The story s excellent and the setup for a 9th main installment is handled really well. I’m already hyped for two of the main villains who seem to be getting a big role coming up.

Meanwhile the graphics are naturally top tier here. The energy effects for each of the attacks are great and the characters have never looked more lifelike. It’s not super realistic in the kind of way where it won’t age well later on though. We still have all of the fantastical elements here as well. You never forget that this is a supernatural world and the character outfits are all very dynamic. As another attention to detail, during one of the final fights, the two characters keep changing across the games. The battle lasts for around 5-7 rounds and your moveset will suddenly change from Tekken 8 to Tekken 5, etc. There’s even a quick blink and you’ll miss it easter egg where one character changes his hairstyle to the old look.

I wouldn’t have caught that myself but ages ago when the game came out I remember people raving about it. The game is really an ultimate homage to how far the whole adventure has gone. Everything about the game is actively celebrated here and it’s really nice to see that. That’s never a guarantee after all and it can be difficult to put in easter eggs without them being forced. Well, I can say that this game didn’t have any problem in that department.

Then of course the soundtrack is absolutely top tier. The main theme of the game is excellent but so are all of the stage themes. It’s one of the most complete fighting game tracks that you are likely to see. Then there is really unlimited replay value here. Aside from the story which is already a reasonable length, you can do everyone’s arcade modes and the story dlc. Then you have normal battling, online matchups, etc. You should be here a very long while if you really enjoy the Tekken gameplay and won’t have to stop anytime soon. It is the best game in the franchise and that is always an honor since it can be difficult to keep on climbing to new heights after a while.

Honestly the bar is so high that I don’t expect Tekken 9 to beat this one. Even just because story wise it’ll be hard to surpass this climax. That said, I do expect it to still be elite which is the main thing. A lot of the pressure will be on Reina and how well she can take the helms of the story along with the villain at the end of the DLC who is sure to be a big player. There are a ton of characters and plots to explore so the series can go in a lot of directions from here.

I didn’t really talk much about the gameplay but naturally that is elite too. It’s a 2D brawler and each hit does a whole lot of damage. Generally win or lose, the match is over really quickly. Once one of you starts landing combo hits, it’s curtains. You can play using dynamic controls or a simpler style as well. Each has their pros and cons in the end. It always feels very satisfying when you land a copy but you can also see how this game would be ultra difficult at a high level. There are so many different ways to move and attack that trying to dodge will come down to a lot of reaction times and then just plain ole experience.

Overall, Tekken 8 is a game that you should buy immediately. You don’t even need any prior experience to enjoy this one, just watch all the recaps after you buy this game. It’s the kind of title that you really should not leave to the sidelines. You have to be there and really experience it because it’s rare to see a game at this elite level. Whenever Tekken 9 comes out, I can definitely tell you that I will be getting it day 1. The series absolutely deserves that treatment at this point. It’s just too good to hold off on.

Overall 9/10

Metaphor: ReFantazio Review

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It’s time to look at one of the longer games that I’ve played recently. This one took me nearly 70 hours to complete and that’s considering that I didn’t do all of the side quests. I did complete each character’s bond story though, mainly because I really needed the power ups and job classes that came along with them. Without those then things would have definitely been a lot tougher. It’s a very complete game that doesn’t have many real weaknesses and turns out to be a top tier RPG.

The game starts off with the King being assassinated and then the Prince is cursed. He is presumed to be dead but his loyal followers hide him away. A battle for the throne begins among the Church and the leader of the military. Meanwhile the main character (Lets call him Terry) is instructed to find a way to break the curse for the prince. Seemingly the easiest way to do that will be to bump off the curse caster, Louis. Will it be that easy though? Also, there is no definitive proof that the killer is Louis so that could get a little dicey. With a game this long, you know it won’t be as straight forward as all that though. Additionally, until he can find an opening, Terry will enter the running to become the next King.

It works as a popularity contest of sorts. The characters have a few months to rally people to the cause and whoever has the most popularity on election day is the winner. The top 3-5 candidates are also protected by the King’s magic so they can’t be assassinated. That was a really clever ploy by the previous King because otherwise this would just become a big battle of strength right off the bat. He really prevented that. Sure, it doesn’t apply to all candidates but that makes sense too since you would just have a lot of people entering only so they could be protected.

The world building here is quite good and of course you have a fairly large party of characters who all get a significant amount of screen time. It’s one of those things that makes RPGs so engaging. What other form of media can give you 70 hours of content like this? For a movie series that would be at least 35 movies. For a TV show, we’re talking 200+ episodes, which happens but it’s still rare. A video game gives you all of this in one shot and so you can tell early on that this will be an elite game. The more you play, the more the plot really begins to expand more and more to include everything that is going on.

The graphics are naturally really good. The game has 3 different kind of cutscenes, the ones that are completely hand drawn, the pre rendered full cinematics that take place in game, and then the text box versions. Nearly the whole game has voice acting as well so it becomes a really cinematic experience. It’s always super impressive to see this because it takes a lot of budget and time to include all of this in one game. Then we have the soundtrack which may not be one of my favorites but it does have quite a lot of tunes. They definitely didn’t cheap out on the budget here or anything like that.

The gameplay is your classic turn based combat style. You can swap characters in and out as you land your attacks. There are multiple classes based on the robot you have chosen for your character and then each of those have their own special abilities. You can use your magic currency to swap them in and out so there is a ton of strategy involved. Even 70 hours in you won’t have enough energy to unlock every class for every character, at least not within 70 hours. The final area is an excellent grinding spot though so if I spent maybe 10 more hours there I could have probably done that.

I had to train for around 5 hours at the end to defeat the final boss. Make no mistake, the game goes really hard on that one. The jump in difficulty is considerable and you will be challenged way more than any other boss in the game. That’s how it should be though, you want to end with a bang and since there is a good place to train, I had no problems there. There is one point in the game where you are attacked by a powerful boss and auto save prevents you from fighting any minions to level up. That was the only rough patch in the game because it’s possible that you could have really been soft locked there.

It felt like a big oversight for such a polished game and all comes down to the day system. My only negative with the game is the fact that it grabbed the Pikmin styled clock. Every mission is related to days of the month. So lets say you have 10 days for chapter 2, you have to try and beat as many side quests and tournament battles as you can before the days are up. If you are not strong enough to beat the boss by then, you will have to replay the whole 10 days or find a good place to grind. This means that it is not possible to complete every side quest and bonus material that you want to accomplish.

Perhaps there is some kind of perfect planning that would make this all possible but it would definitely not be easy. I had to skip on quite a few quests as a result and it also did make training a bit harder at times. Removing the day system would be a net positive in every area because it doesn’t provide any benefits to the game. All it does is ultimately hold things back which is not a good idea.

Like I said, that was really my only main issue though. The gameplay is on point and I liked the UI. The hub world is easy to navigate and likewise the quests all make a lot of sense. The game was very well thought out in all the other areas and the sheer amount of content and gameplay mechanics are so vast that I can’t even go into them all. I don’t see myself ever attempting to get the Platinum in this game because there is so much content and it would take forever, but it is there for the extra replay value. When you consider everything, then this is definitely a full 100+ hour game and you don’t see a ton of those.

Overall, Metaphor is definitely an excellent game. I recommend it to anyone looking for a good title. It can definitely get rather dark so you should know what you’re getting into. The story is very captivating though and it’s never going for try hard edgy the whole time. The villains do sometimes get off rather easy considering the scope of their crimes though. Some might disagree with me on what it means to get off easy here but a last second redemption arc does little to redeem a character in my eyes after a certain point. I’d definitely be up for a sequel to this game someday. Just take away the calendar system and this will really be perfect.

Overall 9/10

Sonic X Shadow Generations Review

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This game has been getting absolutely crazy amounts of hype and I am here to tell you right off the gate that it is all completely deserved. Yes, you heard it here first, this game is completely elite and an absolute credit to Sonic Team. The game may be short but just like Forces, it makes up for this with incredible gameplay and a killer story. I would even put this one above Sonic Forces as the 5th best Sonic game of all time. Ladies and Gentlemen…..we’re back!

The title includes a remaster for Sonic Generations which is pretty cool but of course I’m here for Shadow. So Shadow’s mode has a quick recap for new fans which is cool. Then the game starts out with him on the ARK looking into a mysterious life signature that GUN detected. It turns out that it’s Black Doom, the infamous demon has returned at last. His goal is unknown but Shadow will destroy him before it’s too late. Along the way he will have to fight off a lot of iconic bosses from the past like Metal Sonic and even gets to see some familiar faces from his past like Maria. This game will test Shadow as he has never been tested before.

The format is pretty similar to Sonic Generations in a lot of ways. You get to play levels from a bunch of different games as Shadow fights through his memories to get to Black Doom. A lot of times when you are close to completing a level, Black Doom will show up to throw you in Radical Highway. It’s a pretty fun gimmick and one that people have been playfully poking fun at. What can I say? It’s one of the greatest stages and Black Doom has good taste so it makes sense that he would keep bringing it back. It’s a pretty nice touch.

Each stage has 2 acts and then you play through 6 challenge levels to get to the boss. Rinse and repeat around 4 times and then you get to the final act. So the game is pretty short as mentioned, you can beat it in under 4 hours. I started it at around 5:15 and had it beat a little before 8:45. So we’re probably looking at it being a bit shorter than Sonic Forces but on that level. Pretty good considering that this was accompanying another whole game and for new players you’re getting both of them. There is also a considerable amount of play time here. I won’t oversell it or anything but it at least doubles the run time. You need to get well over 100 collectibles and have to 100% every stage if you want the Platinum trophy. I think it would be a lot of fun to really test out what you can do in every stage and go for the record.

I know a lot of people are having fun breaking the records over and over online. I doubt I would be near the top there because some of the stage runs I’ve seen are absolutely insane but getting all of the S ranks at some point would be fun. Generally I like trying to go for the platinum in Sonic games but they can be deceptively difficult. This one looks very achievable for now but I think the toughest trophies will be beating the final boss of both games without taking a single hit. That sound really tough and will take a lot of trial and error. I certainly got hit quite a few times in the Shadow campaign.

I could go on and on about how smooth the gameplay is. This is basically perfect and it’s what I think of when I’m ordering a Sonic game. I want to be running very fast like this in 3D environments. It’s just so epic, keep the boost mechanic and all of the hype platforming. Shadow’s gameplay is also unique with his various powers like the grapple, fish, wings, etc. None of them are stuff that I absolutely need to have but I definitely won’t turn them down either. It’s fun to be using the abilities and also gives you extra freedom on how you want to approach a level. Each level has so many different exits that it’s crazy. The amount of replay value built into each stage is really cool.

Meanwhile the bosses are a lot of fun and I also like all the extra details. Like in the Radical Highway stage, they modified the claws so they work the same way as they did in Adventure 2 where you had to click out to leave them instead of it being automatic. The character designs and animations are extremely good as well. The graphics are some of the best that we’ve ever seen in a Sonic game and definitely set the standard for future games. You want them to look like this going forward.

Then we have the soundtrack which is incredible! There isn’t quite as much hype as in Frontiers but we’ve still got lots of rock themes and remixes going around. The nostalgia for Shadow The Hedgehog was really cool. Right from the main menu theme you know that you’re in for a good time. The story itself is also really good. Now admittedly I would have liked more cutscenes and conversations with Maria and Gerald though. It felt like they didn’t get nearly as big of a role as I expected them to get. I suppose we got some closure there but assuming they never appear again, I guess I just wanted more.

Overall, Shadow Generations is an elite title! It may be a quick ride to the finish line but it’s a super enjoyable one all the way through. There is a good amount of replay value to keep you coming back but at the end of the day even without that I would have this one ranked super high. The top tier gameplay alone is enough for me to absolutely guarantee that. There’s a reason why Sonic is my favorite single player franchise after all and it’s because no other game series can keep up with this gameplay. At its best, Sonic will always be outdoing the competition. I eagerly await the new level in December as a reason to get back into the game and play it some more.

Overall 9/10

Reynatis Review

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All right, it’s time for one of the big games that was getting a lot of hype around the bend. Yes, the season is stacked so it started to get overshadowed to a degree by other big titles like Metaphor and Sparking Zero, but make no mistake this is still a top tier title. What it may lack in length it makes up for with an excellent story and really smooth gameplay. It’s one of those titles you do not want to miss out on.

The game is marketed as dual main characters but very quickly you will see that there is one true main character. Marin is the guy and he is determined to be the strongest sorcerer in the world. He believes that this will allow him to be free so that he will not succumb to any of the rules set by the world. He can make his own choices and does not have to align himself with anyone. He is a “Stray” meaning that he is on his own right now which is very dangerous. Typically magicians who are on their own are bumped off.

The other main character is Sari and she is a part of the MEA. They are a big group of sorcerers who basically bend everyone to their will. You either work for them or you are squashed in record time. They are really not all that flexible. She really wants to destroy the source of the evil drug that has turned the world into a nightmare but for now has not received any real support. As someone who is a part of the big government, she will naturally be coming into opposition with Marin who is all about freedom.

Part of the problem with the dual leads mechanic is that Sari is really framed as the villain the whole time. You’re never really left wondering who you should root for because it’s obviously Marin. She attacks him for basically no reason and follows corrupt commands. She gets better as the game goes on but after a little bit, all of the chapters focus on Marin instead of switching every time. So even the game gave up on the idea. I should note that the story is still really good, but this angle didn’t work and it’s worth mentioning because it seems to be something they had really been striving towards.

This is a game that has a huge amount of world building and yet you are left wanting for more at times. It feels like the game introduces more topics than it actually ends up solving which is a little surprising. There are like 6 different groups throughout the game and while the ending does find a way to deal with all of them, there is a lot of meat left on the table. I could absolutely see a sequel for this someday. As it is, the game has two different post game chapters but I’m not at a high enough level to challenge those. I did play the World Ends crossover which was a lot of fun though. Would have been even more fun with the voice acting but maybe it would have cost extra.

Like I said the gameplay is super smooth though and that’s the main reason we are here. It’s a 3D action title that focuses a lot on dodging. You are supposed to trust in your magic abilities so the idea is that if you don’t move or attack, you are given the chance to parry an opponent’s move and absorb magic. Once you have magic, you can transform and attack until you run out. Then you repeat the process. You cannot parry purple attacks so you have to be able to react right away and dodge instead of waiting for the parry option. It’s a good bit of tactics at play here.

Then of course you have different badges that you can set which activate different powers. You will want to plan things out and test different combos to see which work the best for you. I tend to enjoy the long range powers and stick to my standard combos for the close range hits. For me that worked well but again you will want to find out what works for you. There are a pretty good amount of options at play here. Once you are strong enough to wipe out enemies with a single string of combos, then you are set.

Leveling up is fairly quick here. I got up to level 73 by the time I beat the game which is not half bad I must admit. Still got destroyed in the post game but at least I felt like I could grind if I had to. In fact, that’s a large part of the fun here. I actually enjoyed wandering through the town and scanning graffiti (Which unlocks new powers) and completing side missions. I ended up beating over half of the side missions and would have fun clearing out the rest. It’s a game that makes you want to play it. That’s the best way I could describe it. In some games side missions are just too much of a hassle but they make it so easy here. You just go to where it shows on the map and get the job done.

The map is good and the quick travel is great. When you mix those things together then you are really in a good spot. The graphics are naturally really good as well. The attacks stand out and the city looks nice. You’ve also got a really good soundtrack here. It may be a little limited in terms of how many tunes there are but fortunately I did enjoy the ones that were present. That makes a pretty big difference.

As for length, I beat the game in around 15 hours but I did take about 2 hours off to have fun with side quests. It’s not a super long game and even beating all of the bonus content will probably only buy you another 2-3 hours or so. There is a case to be made for buying this game when it’s a bit cheaper as the price will probably dip. That being said, the quality is still worth it. I think the shortness stands out because you expect more out of an RPG type game, but just think of this more as a fighting game or something. It’s still considerably longer than the average game of that title or any platformer really. It may be losing out in replay value compared to those though so it’s not really a 1 to 1 comparison. It all just depends on how far you get absorbed into the game and the cinematic experience really did it for me.

Overall, Reynatis is definitely an elite game. I would recommend checking it out right away. You’re really going to want to go for 100% completion right out of the gate, or at least everything aside from the post game mission. Even being level 100 doesn’t stop that from being a super hard challenge but hey it’ll be satisfying when you complete it right? The game is not as long as the average RPG but for an action game it’s not bad. You can tell they put a whole lot of effort into this one. The technicals are all good and I would definitely be in line for a sequel.

Overall 9/10

Madden NFL 25 Review

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Madden has returned and their decision to already use the 25 title early definitely came back to get them. It was only a matter of time until 2025 showed up after all but either way I can say this is another top tier title. Madden 25 hits hard and continues to bring in the kind of content that we’re used to. Not much has changed so if you liked the last game a lot then I expect the same will be true of this one as well. It’s the kind of sports experience that you won’t soon forget.

There are a lot of modes here as always. You can jump into the practice sessions, franchise mode, etc. You can play Football in pretty much any kind of conditions that you want to. Additionally you can choose to play the full games, play as one particular position, or even be the coach. For me, I decided to go with a standard franchise while playing all offensive snaps. Switching from the full game to all offense was definitely one of the best upgrades that they did a few years back. It’s hard to go back from that.

Each game is rather quick as a result. On average I would say a game would take anywhere between 20-25 minutes, sometimes even a bit shorter. It would vary based on how much time the opponent drives would take or how quickly mine finished. I went with standard difficulty and did a full season. I played all the way through to the super bowl but I ended up losing that round. Their team was just way too powerful in the end and I got smoked. It was a fun ride though and I do like how the opponents actually get tougher once you reach the playoffs. It is really realistic with how only the best teams should be showing up there.

The gameplay is really smooth but can be a bit hard to describe unless you’re really into Football. What I’ll say is that it’s a very in depth simulation of all the different players and how the plays go. You control whoever has the ball at the time. When you’re throwing the ball you can aim high or low and where you move the control stick will also alter the course. When you’re running the ball you can try to avoid the other players or barrel right through them. Your odds of breaking away for a huge run there is much smaller than throwing the ball but it definitely can happen.

The graphics are pretty solid as usual. It’s got a good amount of detail considering how many things are happening on screen at once. There is no lag or any of that either which is impressive. The game really does run well and while it has become more simulation over arcade style over the years, the gameplay is still really fast paced and fun. You really need solid reaction times here to pass to the open receiver before you get sacked sometimes. One thing to remember is that the amount of players on both sides is the same so there will always be someone who is open enough to make the play or you can scramble up for some yards.

It’s this level of precision that makes the game fun. Can you spot the whole in the defense before you get clobbered? Then you also have a lot of fakeouts and other things to consider as well. One wrong move and you may end up throwing an interception and really getting clobbered. This was also the first game where they implemented the new kickoff rules that the real NFL will be using so that was cool. I guess you can say that’s at least one new thing they implemented. It definitely makes getting good field position super easy on each drive. Just run straight up and for sure you will get some good yards.

I do wish they would be more generous on the trophies though. Only getting 1 trophy after a whole season of games is really rough. It seems like they really want you to be a completionist all the way through which is crazy. Even if I wanted to earn those trophies legitimately, it would take a super long amount of time. We’re talking numerous seasons so this would end up being like a long RPG. That’s hopefully something they can fix one day since even the trophies they just import over and over every year.

There’s not a whole lot more to say about this one. Basically it is still the most complete experience for any Football game. It is an incredible experience and a lot of fun. I don’t see people getting much out of it if they’re not into the NFL but if you are into it then this is absolutely great. The presentations before the big games and all the little details really help to make the dream work. If they ever release a Madden on Switch I would have a blast with the online since I have that package but in the meantime I’m just in it for the offline experience here.

Overall, Madden NFL 25 is definitely an elite title. The franchise really has not lost a step at all. I’ll definitely be here day 1 for all of the adventures. This was the first Madden game that I got to buy day 1 and I could really feel the hype. With multiplayer it naturally has endless replay value but even on your own there is a lot to have fun with. Obtaining all of the trophies will take an incredible amount of time due to how the game is set up so you have to consider that as well. While it would be fun to see them fix more of the glitches and add some new content in, I never really run into the glitches so it’s not a big deal to me personally. I’d probably have to play for a significantly longer amount of time to really notice that.

Overall 9/10

Final Fantasy X Review

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It’s time for one of the most well known RPG titles out there. Final Fantasy X is one of those games that was super well received and you can see why because they went all out here. The graphics are really good, the gameplay is on point, and the story is great. It’s definitely another elite Final Fantasy title that any gamer can enjoy. There is definitely a lot of content here as well so it’s also not a game that you will breeze through either. There is plenty to keep you busy.

The game follows a guy named Tidus who is probably the world’s greatest Blitzball player. This guy draws in huge crowds and has really made a name for himself. One day a giant monster attacks though and he falls into a whole new world. Blitzball still exists fortunately but otherwise everything is pretty different. He may even be in some distant future as his home country appears to be destroyed. He meets a girl named Yuna who is a priestess. Her job is to fight against monsters known as Sin and to do that she has to go to various temples and unlock all of the summons. This will allow her to beat Sin, at least for a time. She is protected by several guardians and so Tidus joins in with the bunch. This may sound like a simple mission at first, but there are definitely about to be a lot of complications.

This title is over 30 hours after all so that leaves plenty of time for tons of plot twists and different characters to show up. It’s one of the many things I love about RPGs. You really get to be invested into the story and everything. The characters are also pretty likable and so they have a good group dynamic going on here. Tidus is definitely very expressive and he’s not afraid to go against tradition which is always good. He’s got that aggressive main character energy going for him and I can always appreciate that. Yuna is a good heroine as well who has to make a lot of tough choices without looking back.

Her plans aren’t always good to be honest but she is trying her best and often has to think of things on her own. So you have to give her a good amount of credit there. Wakka goes through quite a bit here as he quickly realizes that things aren’t going to go over very well for him. He hits a rough patch for a while there but in general is a solid character. It takes some time for him to expand his horizons. Rikku is also a fun character even if it felt like she could have talked things out with Tidus a lot sooner and prevented some misunderstandings. Of course, everyone was generally keeping a lot of things from him so she is hardly alone in that.

Lulu probably has one of the smallest roles from the main cast. She is always around and is a good ally to be sure but doesn’t really have her own sub plot the way that the rest do. Auron certainly has a huge role and looks pretty good even if he falls into the same trap of keeping way too many secrets half the time. He has power though and the characters would have been doomed without him. Finally we have Kimahri who I wasn’t a huge fan of for a while there but he is loyal. There’s just not a whole lot to his character for a while there since he is the real quiet type.

At the end of the day, Yuna was definitely lucky to have a real loyal supporting cast with her. The rest of the summoners were generally not so lucky. The game does have one of the weaker main villains in Seymour though. The guy had a cool design and a solid enough intro but as the game went on his motives didn’t hold up as well and he lost a lot of hype. He’s tenacious but I was definitely ready to see him go down for a while there. He wasn’t really enhancing the story the way a better villain could have.

The level up system is a bit different here. When you level up, your stats don’t increase, instead you are given one movement point on a board that has stat boosts and new abilities. Each character has their own board which is massive and you can hop onto someone else’s board after you have gotten enough power ups. This means there are a ton of different variations you can make to each character’s skill set. It also means you can get a ton of level ups without actually feeling much progress if you always end up picking the wrong tiles. So just be careful which movements you make here. The level ups naturally get harder as you go on. Although if you get stuck at the final boss, the area before him is absolutely amazing for grinding! I got so many level ups there.

The gameplay is your classic turn based style but with a few twists. For starters, only Yuna can use summoning. The summons all scale to her personal stats so you will want to build her up real quick because these guys are absolutely deadly. Bahamut carried me through all the boss fights in the second half and that’s even considering that most bosses are set up to KO your summon in one turn. Even with that he could deal crazy damage. He knocked out 64K from the final boss in one hit which is how I just barely managed to beat him. Some enemies are too high to be hit with physical attacks which is when you need to break out your long range fighters.

So there is a ton of strategy here, I dare say even more than the classic RPG types. Make sure you power everyone up as you will need to be switching a lot. Or almost everyone I suppose. I didn’t really use Rikku or Kimahri at all. Rikku just super briefly for some of the robots. As long as you have one long range fighter at the ready and your close quarters specialists, then you should be good to go. The game is hard to be sure and it’s definitely one you have to focus for but it’s always in a fun way.

The graphics have definitely aged really well so you can really feel that this is a AAA title. The big budget cutscenes all really go hard and of course it’s no surprise that the soundtrack is also super good. There are a lot of fun battle/boss themes to play around with. In terms of replay value, the game’s got everything you could ask for as well. There are tons of post game dungeons and everything to keep you busy. They’re so high leveled it can be hard to imagine how much time you would need to complete them. I would definitely expect it to take at least another 20 hours or so.

Overall, Final Fantasy X is definitely a top tier title. It really does great in every area so I had no complaints here. It’s the kind of game where you can always come up with a new strategy if you lost a boss fight. There are many different ways to tackle each encounter after all so you never really have to limit yourself. Just keep on fighting hard and eventually you will have cleared the game to see the satisfying ending. I definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a good story or in general to anyone that likes the classic turn based combat.

Overall 9/10

Batman: Return to Arkham Review

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It’s time to return to the world of Batman games. Yes, this collection absolutely lives up to the hype and it’s been great playing so many elite games back to back! It’s really hard to see how DC can top this Batman series in the future because of just how well it nailed the mythos and atmosphere. Not to say we’re done with the Arkham series as there are still two games left to get but this was a fantastic start all around.

The first game in the collection is Arkham Asylum. Batman was undergoing a normal operation where he took down the Joker and arrested him but unfortunately the jail isn’t as secure as it should be. Joker ends up breaking out and takes over Arkham Asylum real quick. The inmates all answer to him now and they are united in their drive to destroy Batman. Batman will really have to call upon all of his knowledge and gadgets in order to take these guys down. Batman is heavily outnumbered by tons of opponents after all so this won’t be easy.

The game does a terrific job of embracing the combat elements of Batman along with his detective’s nature. It’s all really handled quite spectacularly and whenever you lose, you do feel like you deserved the death. The infiltration missions for example are difficult but never unfair. You have to watch the opponents carefully and if you are caught, take down the opponent as soon as possible. Often times I would get into a gunfight and die but sometimes I would pull off the win. The game felt very open with how many options you had and it was ultimately up to you to use them in the right ways. If you made a mistake then the game would punish you quite harshly for it and I didn’t really see any problem with that. It’s all on you after all.

For example the parry system is quite incredible here. The timing is tight but you always have a visual sign that someone is going to make a move. It’s possible to fight whole scores of enemies and not take a hit or you might have your timing thrown off by getting hit and then suddenly you’re panicking and taking a lot of blows. It feels a lot like a real fight due to this which adds a real layer of realism to the whole thing. I was definitely real impressed and it’s not something that you would see in a lower tier game. It’s all these things that add up.

The gameplay is something I could take about for ages. You have tons of gadgets in the game that allow you to strike at an enemy in a variety of ways. You can just keep on going and really overwhelm them by freezing them, stunning, using a batarang, normal blows, etc. The gadgets are mainly the same across both games but do change up a little bit. I liked each variation and they both ultimately do the same kinds of things. The gameplay is incredibly smooth in both titles so I wouldn’t really change anything. I played them back to back and had no complaints. The games have aged extremely well in either case.

Naturally this goes for the graphics as well. It all looks really HD and crisp. They have all of the little things like the cape fluttering and all of the textures. The artstyle is one that will age really well I’d say so even 10 years from now it will look great. The sequel also went all out in allowing you to change into a bunch of different costumes so I really had fun with that. They all work rather seamlessly into the gameplay.

Arkham City has Hugo Strange show up to take over the city. It was pretty cool to be playing as Bruce Wayne temporarily since he doesn’t appear very much in the video games. It was also the natural follow up with having the whole city being taken over this time around. It really helped to change up the scenery as well. I really liked the Asylum and the whole atmosphere there, but being able to be outside with all of the different environments was great! It may have been a bit easier to get lost at times but that’s just how it goes. It was absolutely worth the trade off.

Getting sniped by randoms on the roof could get a little tricky at times but hey…skill issue. Like I said, you are always really in control so if you lose then it’s on you. The only time where it felt like it would be hard for you to reasonable guess what to do was in the boss fight with Mr. Freeze where you have to use every gadget once in order to take out his health. You basically couldn’t injure him the same way twice. Now that was a super hard boss fight to win. It was extremely difficult but still fun. I also thought it was creative how he would foil any follow up attempts.

It goes back to the game feeling really vibrant and alive. The A.I. is years ahead of many other titles around. The grunts will actually team up and come up with plans to stop you. They’re not just wandering around and wondering what to do. They’re getting out there and doing what has to be done. If you make a wrong move they all gang up on you and cover all exits. It’s really fun and the reason I don’t mind dying a ton of times is how many checkpoints there are. You never lose a significant amount of time for dying which I extremely appreciate. These are the quality of life features that I absolutely live for. Nobody’s walking around talking about why check points make a game amazing but boy do they feel good!

It was also cool to actually play as Catwoman for a few levels in the second game. While the majority of gameplay should always be with Batman, I do think switching it up a bit to other fighters is not a bad thing. Emphasis on fighters of course, I don’t want to be playing as any civilians. Next time Robin should be playable as well. It was cool seeing his cameo and everything and I think they could really do a lot with his gameplay options.

Overall, These two Batman games are absolutely elite! The stories are real interesting and while the campaigns aren’t super long, there is a considerable amount of replay value here. Certainly enough to keep you really engaged. They didn’t rush any part of the experience here and so I can easily recommend this to anyone. This is AAA gaming at its finest and definitely one of the best superhero games out there. You owe it to yourself to play through this collection. There’s really nothing bad to say about the game, it is an absolute masterpiece in every sense of the word. The developers clearly knew what they were doing and had a lot of passion for the product.

Overall 9/10

Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom Review

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It’s been a while since I played the original Ni no Kuni so it was fun to jump into the sequel. I’ve been having a blast jumping through a bunch of hype RPG titles and that streak’s continuing for a bit longer. The game ended up being quite excellent and I dare say that it beats the original. You may be thinking that quite a lot of games lately have been getting elite scores but that’s what happens when you play a lot of long games like this. RPGs always have an inherent advantage over other titles in that you get to really know all of the characters and get absorbed into the narrative. So as long as the gameplay and execution is on point you will have a blast. That’s exactly what happened here.

The story starts with the U.S. President Roland heading to a big meeting. Unfortunately a large missile strike occurs and everything goes up in flames. He was not able to protect his country in the end and lost everything. He is suddenly warped to another world where he is young again and is thrown into the middle of a giant uprising. The current king was assassinated and his son Evan is next. Roland manages to help Evan escape and vows to help him restore the kingdom. Evan wants to unite the world and all of the countries in it so that there will be no more wars. This may be a bit naive but Roland will do what he can to help the kid succeed. Can he establish peace in this world?

The opening really nails the tone of the game right from the start. Seeing Roland pull a gun on these fantasy creatures was intense. He was not playing and the fact that he kept the gun was really coo. Usually the gun would vanish or something like that but not in this game. You actually get to use it in gameplay as well. Everyone else has a bow and arrow for their projectile while this guy just gets to keep his gun and go blasting away at everybody. It’s really like a true isekai adventure all the way.

The gameplay is that of a real 3D action title. You have your standard moves, power moves, magical attacks, and super skills. Your supers have a cooldown based on how often you attack the opponent. Then you also have your projectile weapon. Each of your attacks can be leveled up although I never quite figured out how to do that so my moves stayed at level 1. They are still strong though and most of your attack power is based on the weapon anyway. I made sure to constantly get new weapons to equip. You rarely have to buy them though as the drop rate from enemies is really high. Keep on fighting powerful ones and they will drop exactly what you need before long so there is really no need to spend your money. You will have a lot of money by the end of the game though so no worries if you need to buy something.

You also get battle points although I’m not sure what triggers this. These can be used to enhance gameplay elements like becoming stronger against slime enemies or brute force fighters. The fun strategy part is that you have to decide which type to use this on. You can’t just make yourself strong against all fighters after all. To throw in some more strategy, you also raise these little Pikmin type creatures that follow you and use special attacks of their own. You can raise them at one of the shops in your town and you gain more as you continue the game so you have to decide which 4 to keep equipped. I just maxed out my original 4 and didn’t mess with the others.

Speaking of the town though, this is a key component of the game. You have to raise up your town by building new shops and convincing people to move in. This means completing a ton of side quests. There appear to be at least 200 side quests in the game and you’re going to need to complete over 50 of them minimum to beat the game. I think I did around 70 or so but make sure you are completing them regularly because there will be different points in the game where you will be forced to stop progressing until your town reaches a certain rank.

Fortunately it is really fun to do this. It does take some since money is earned passively using real time minutes. So there will be times where you can just run around as you wait or maybe fight some more monsters. It’s pretty fast but there is a lot to do in the town. This is where more strategy comes up. Each building is tied to different side quests and so you really have to prioritize who to send to which store. You will often have more shops than people and of course a shop won’t produce anything without someone working there.

I could go on, but you get the point. There are so many different gameplay mechanics here and different ways to play. There are dream doors, orbs, and lots of other stuff. You don’t even need to interact with major parts of the game in order to complete the story but it’s really nice how they put so much content in here. I bet I could play for another 30 hours and still not complete everything. The value for your money is quite incredible here and it’s yet another reason why you should pick this game up sooner than later. Trust me, you definitely won’t regret it.

Even with all that aside, the story is really good like I mentioned before. It handles the topic of war well and while it may be an optimistic look at things, it’s a nice change of pace. My only slight issue is with the ending, I would have liked thing to have gone a bit differently. Still, there is room for a sequel should they ever want to go in that route and I did think a certain twist at the end was really solid. I’m surprised they haven’t made more Ni no Kuni games, there’s definitely a lot more you can do with it.

The graphics are naturally super good throughout the game. The cutscenes are super good and the graphics during gameplay are also on point. The soundtrack is fairly solid as well with a number of good songs in there. The whole thing is very smooth and on a technical level there are few games that are better. This has every kind of quality of life feature you can think of from quick travel, to the aerial vehicle that lets you get anywhere quickly. You can save in almost every spot and the way items are stored is very logical. No complaints here.

Overall, Ni No Kuni is a game that keeps on getting better and better as you play it. I had a real blast with it and there is a ton of replay value. The game itself took me close to 30 hours and there is an extensive amount of quests for the post game. Getting the platinum for this game would also take a long while. I would definitely recommend checking this game out for any RPG fan. It really tells a good story even if the ending is really not as satisfying as it could have been. It may not have been perfect but it’s good enough and the whole adventure was definitely a blast.

Overall 9/10