Tag Archives: Sony

Sword Art Online Alicization: Lycoris Review

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It’s time for the next big Sword Art Online game. I’m still behind by a few other titles but this was one of the big story driven ones and the second last title in its continuity. It’s definitely a long one as the average game length for this is over 60 hours. That’s pretty crazy but they really do go in depth on everything. It was well on its way to a great score for most of the run but unfortunately Sword Art Online has certain pitfalls that it tends to be trapped in and it ended up stepping into it here multiple times in fact.

The game roughly covers the first half of the Alicization saga and then also jumps into its own thing. The first chapter covers the whole anime part before the war arc so as you can guess it’s a very long saga. The story is mainly a bunch of cutscenes with a little gameplay in the middle. For that reason you can say this one leans the hardest into being a full on visual novel. Outside of a big difficulty spike near the end, the gameplay is fairly easy. So you tend to beat enemies in seconds and then go to another 30 minutes in cutscenes. That’s why the story plays a big role in how much you will like the game. More so than even the gameplay to be honest because that is the focus.

The story is not good though. My main complaint with it would be how repetitive it could be. The big new heroine for the game is Medina and her character history revolves around how everyone dislikes her family. They call her a defect and everyone is always rushing to gang up on her. It’s really not an easy life that she has at all. The problem is that they effectively repeat the same insults and plot points. Pretty much every 20 minutes you could expect someone to start scolding her while everyone just watches. It gets worse and worse as the game goes on because then you have the whole cast just watching and shaking their heads instead of actually doing something about it. You’d think they would know to just jump in and actually save the day and instead they watch. Yeah you can’t really get much worse than that. It’s absolutely something to be disappointed about.

Medina also takes a lot more than she really needs to. The whole engagement thing was an obvious farce from the start but she still went through with it. Then she gets manipulated by the main villain with ease and it’s all just rough for her. Also we learn the dark history of her family and it ends up getting wayyyyy too grim dark. We didn’t need to know all of that. So between the original edgy parts of Alicization and the new parts added for the game, it’s just way too dark and dreary the whole time. I’d definitely give it a thumbs down all the way as far as the story is concerned. There are cool parts to be sure but whoever was in charge of doing the writing for the game did not properly understand it and as a result they made a whole lot of mistakes.

Outside of the story, the gameplay was good but the menus are not always very clear. It is really hard to navigate and nothing is particularly well explained. You do have quick travel which is good but at the same time you can’t see any quests or locations until you use the quick travel. So that would mean memorizing all of the 20+ locations in your head because otherwise the only way to know what is there is to travel. Then when you pause you see the locations but it’s really odd that they couldn’t pre load this.

You can’t really see your equipment without going through a bunch of menus and your skills are all locked behind hidden side quests that do not even appear on the map. The hub world is huge so I’ll give the game credit there but of course that makes it even harder to find the places that you want to go. Not a very good idea if you ask me. It’s a world of difference from the other games I’ve been playing which have really clear menus at all times. The game feels way too hard to use on all of the technical aspects which is unfortunate.

The core gameplay itself is good at least. It feels good wielding the sword and you can play as over 20 characters here so there is a lot of variety in combat. I basically stuck to Kirito unless I was knocked out though. You are always in a party of 4 so you don’t lose unless they are all knocked out. It’s important to note that your party is disbanded after every chapter so if you forget to reform them then you will go into battle alone and be crushed. This happened to me a few times which was definitely rough. Hopefully you saved your progress.

The final chapter is close to 4 hours long and has a lot of different boss battles in it. Make sure you save when possible, but there aren’t many opportunities to leave the tower. So definitely don’t click past the dialogue too quickly or you will miss out on your big chance and that would be rough. At least you can skip the cutscenes the second time around so it won’t feel quite as long but that’s still something you should probably avoid if you can help it.

As far as the graphics go, I would say they have aged pretty well. The game is colorful and has a lot of detail all the way through. I am glad to see so many cutscenes even if the story was not really able to do them justice. The fact that the game is this long is definitely a testament to the developers’ skills the whole way through. The soundtrack is also pretty good. Not as amazing as you would expect for a Sword Art Online game to be honest but still good enough in the end. We did get a lyrical song for the final boss which was pretty fun.

I can also say there is a ton of replay value. If you want to get all of the trophies and clear every quest then I expect you will be here for at least another 30-40 hours. There are an insanely high number of quests to explore and the trophies look really long. Not particularly difficult mind you, but just a huge time investment. So if you’re a Sword Art Online mega fan then this should help you.

Overall, Alicization has got to take the title of worst Sword Art Online title. It’s extremely rare for me to dock points from a game for the story being no good but ultimately that’s what happened here. The story was bad enough that it actually dragged the whole thing down which is pretty crazy. It just goes for way too many edgy themes the whole time and it always feels no unnecessary. If you’re going to go for the visual novel format I would also say that you definitely need a more complete story at the ready. What we got was clearly not ready for this kind of length and so it had to be extremely stretched out over and over again in order to make the distance. As the player it is very noticeable the whole time. I have much higher hopes for the new game that just came out.

Overall 4/10

SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake Review

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It’s time for some Spongebob action! Spongebob is one of those tv shows that I never really watched even as a kid but I have always enjoyed the memes. It’s a series that seems to always provide good wholesome fun so I can appreciate that. The characters are generally funny and the games are well made. In the end I would say this is a pretty fun title all the way around and another worthy entry in the series. The platforming is very effective the whole time.

The game starts with Spongebob and Patrick messing around as always when they accidentally shake up the cosmos with a wishing artifact. A mysterious witch offers to help them but deep down she aims to capitalize on the madness and make things worse. Spongebob and Patrick will have to find their friends across all of the different worlds and put things back to normal. If anyone can pull off such an ambitious rescue, it would definitely be Spongebob. He’s always the man with a plan and has been through pretty much everything by this point.

Right away one of the very solid things about the game is the gameplay itself. I would say Spongebob is one of those games that understands the core fundamentals of what it means to be a good platformer. It’s not adding a bunch of gimmicks or anything like that. It’s a game where you are actually jumping over a lot of obstacles and defeating enemies. What it lacks in difficulty, it makes up for in creativity. I would go as far as saying it has some of the better 3D environments in terms of being fun to play. There is something to be said for being able to just run through a level without many big difficulty spikes.

I love good difficulty as much as the next guy but this game put fun as the top priority and it shows. I really enjoyed the various levels and minigames like the racing portions. You can spin as Spongebob to defeat enemies as well as ground pounding and shooting bubbles. Then you’ve got a double jump and a little gliding going on. So you have basically all of the gameplay options at your fingertips right out of the gate. Most impressive if I do say so myself. Each world is fairly short so you’ll likely beat this game in around 4 hours or so but there is a reasonable amount of replay value.

You can go back to get different items and collectibles so that you can eventually platinum the game. It’s a fairly easy platinum so it’s definitely one that is worth pursuing if you want to continue with the experience a bit more. Additionally, you can probably get the game for a reasonable price at this point compared to when it first launched. That’s definitely something for you to consider when getting the game. At the end of the day it’s one that you should have a lot of fun with. It’s a basic game and that’s not a bad thing.

As for the story, it’s a comedy first and foremost so you’re not playing this for a serious look at the fall of the multiverse. Instead, you get to enjoy a lot of good puns and wordplay. I was kept really well entertained the whole time at least. It’s the kind of cheesy dialogue that just leaves you grinning the whole time. It’s just very effective so I give the script writer a thumbs up. You definitely have to embrace the silliness but it did a good job of never being cringey so I would say it handled this perfectly.

Some of the lines are even rather clever. Meanwhile every world is completely different so you don’t have to worry about reused assets the whole time. The graphics are really good as well. It’s all very bright and vibrant the whole time which helps make all of the stages even more fun to watch. Meanwhile the soundtrack is more on the forgettable side, I can’t say there are any tunes I can remember off the top of my head. I suppose that is definitely something that the series could work on for future installments.

There isn’t a ton more to say about the game due to its simple approach. I would even say this is a game you could easily point to for anybody who is wondering what a platformer is like. It’s not worried about a deep plot, innovative gimmicks or anything like that. It may sound like a backhanded compliment but in a lot of ways I actually think that’s really impressive. It’s important to know your own identity and as I’ve said many times in the past, it’s important for a video game to be fun. Spongebob is fun the whole time and you never have any doubts about that. I could easily play this game for hours and hours at a time. So it may not be Great, but it is very good and never drags on.

Overall, Spongebob definitely has another winner here. This is a fun game all around with quality platforming and it’s clear that they put a lot of effort into this one. It wasn’t just another random Spongebob game, this was one with a lot of heart. As long as you enjoy a good platformer then you will have fun with this game whether you have seen the show or not. That’s definitely the hallmark of a good game right there. It is fully accessible for everybody.

Overall 7/10

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

One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows Review

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It’s time for one of those games that looked just enough like a tie in where people had some reservations about it. The good news is that because of that you can get this game for dirt cheap nowadays. I always enjoy some good One Punch Man action so I was definitely eager to see how this one turned out. Fortunately they really held nothing back here. It’s a great title and one that is even carried a bit by the technical aspects. The combat isn’t the most fine tuned 3D title that you’ve ever seen but the menus and layouts are all just really solid and smooth. You’re constantly impressed as just how easy everything is to navigate. This is probably the kind of game I would point to when explaining to people why menus are so important.

The game roughly follows the story of season 1 but has you playing as a brand new hero. You are recruited into the hero’s association and work on rising up the ranks by saving people and crushing monsters. Along the way you run into Saitama and Genos. This results in your constantly showing up to fight off the big villains but typically Saitama is the one who will actually put a stop to the madness. It would be more effective if you actually talked during the cutscenes though. During gameplay your original character talks and even has some great lines so I don’t know why they didn’t keep that energy up.

Either way the story is a pretty reasonable length. It should take you around 6-7 hours to clear it and there is a lot of replay value aside from that. This is a fighting game title after all so you can have fun in multiplayer mode for many hours. Additionally in single player mode you have a ton of bonus missions and level ups to work on. You will want to max out each of the fighting styles for more trophies as well. The platinum trophy looks like it will take a while to unlock but at the same time it looks very achievable. So put in enough effort and you will definitely be able to complete this one.

When you level up you get to choose which stats to increase so I recommend putting everything in attack power. Trust me, that’s what you will be using the most by far. Use two quick hits, a low hit, and then your standard combo. It does a good amount of damage and you can recycle that comb for the entire game. A pretty tempting strategy to use if I do say so myself! You don’t really need to get fancy here. It is good to make sure you have a super attack that breaks through guards though. That is really handy for when they start blocking.

Ultimately I went with the power type for the whole game. Then my super attack was a grab so if the opponent blocked the opening moves of my combo, I would immediately use the grab and would deal the damage. It’s a really good way to cheese the opponent and so I kept up a win rate of over 90%. The tough levels tend to be ones where stage hazards show up. I died once because a meteorite was slamming me into the ground and it did massive amounts of damage. The hazards could probably be dialed back a little to be honest.

I could never figure out how to get up quickly though. This is the toughest part of the game by far as a result since the enemy only has to knock you to the ground once and then after that they can keep comboing you to oblivion. It meant that I would either crush an opponent without getting hit or just barely win because one hit has such a massive effect to it. I’m assuming there is something you can do but I just couldn’t figure it out.

Back to the technical elements, the map is super detailed and has icons for every kind of content around. There is an arrow always pointing you to where you need to go within the story and there is also quick travel. All of the menus have super fast loading times and really look natural. There is really no downside to be found here. Then the graphics are also really good. The game models look sharp and there was just a whole lot of effort put into this one. I have to give the soundtrack props next as the tunes are really good. It felt like everyone was proud to work on this game. It may not be a AAA title by any stretch but the technical elements wouldn’t be out of place in one.

Just touch up the story and gameplay a bit and this could have been the next big thing. Ultimately that wasn’t really part of the plan but it’s still a game that any fighting fan can really enjoy. I always love playing through a great fighting title and this one is really no exception. Anime fighters can get real immersive and I dare say this game feels like it had a much higher budget than even something like Jump Force which is crazy when you think about it.

Overall, One Punch Man really delivered with this game. I definitely had a blast here. The whole game definitely goes by real quick but it’s also one that I could feel like picking back up and playing at any time. I left a whole lot of content on the table as well so there would be a lot for me to do when I get back into the game. The fact that the whole game is dubbed and contains a ton of voice acting is also super impressive. It’s something I never take for granted because even nowadays games will come out without voice acting like this. So when it does appear, that’s just really awesome. If they ever come up with a sequel to this one then I can safely say that I will be there day 1. I definitely won’t be missing out on this and I recommend picking up One Punch Man whenever you can. It’s that good.

Overall 8/10

Castlevania Anniversary Collection Review

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Castlevania is one of those franchises where I actually hadn’t gotten too involved with yet. There are tons and tons of games but I’ve only played a handful up to now. Well, with this collection I get to jump into 8 games right off the bat which is a huge increase. They’re definitely fun titles and only one of them actually deals with a lot of puzzles and mysteries so I appreciate that. The rest are all direct platformers which is of course the best way to go about things. The games are rather difficult so the access points really come in clutch.

First we have the original Castlevania which is of course very dated in terms of graphics. This is how the saga all started of course so it definitely did well for itself. It’s a very direct game about having to stop Dracula so you fight bosses on each level and then make it to the end. You really have to be perfect in your jumps and attacks in order to really stand a chance though. A single slip up and you are really going to be absolutely doomed here. It’s one of the harder games in the collection to be sure but I had a good time with it. Sometimes you don’t need all the extra frills and such. Just give me some good core gameplay and I am set!

The second game is the worst one so at least we get it over with quickly. This one decides to go the full Metroidvania experience as you have to find items scattered throughout the world. Different items will unlock new pathways so you will continue to travel across each level multiple times. It’s definitely not easy to put it mildly and the game doesn’t do a great job of directing you. The NPCs are definitely not helpful and some of the objectives are so vague that I can’t imagine how you would have ever figured the hint out on your own. Seems to be like it would have been an absolutely futile effort. Mix in the day and night system where you just have to wait the nights out in order to proceed and that’s a mechanic that didn’t work so well. Why should I have to wait? I want to just get in there and progress. I’ve yet to see a game where a day/night system really enhanced it.

The third game goes back to its roots. We have a clean platformer here where you have to destroy all of the monsters. It’s very similar to the first game but you do notice the improvements. They have improved the graphics and the gameplay. You have a bit more freedom here and the game isn’t quite as punishing as the last one where you were absolutely doomed the whole time. So I can definitely appreciate that and of course it’s always fun to take on Dracula again. He really never stands a chance against the power of the Belmonts!

Continuing on, we have the 4th game which has really gotten the style down to an art by this point. You have to go through all of the levels and beat every boss until you get over to Dracula. It may be a story that you’ve seen before but the games all have their little changes. I really like how you get to read the long plot synopsis before entering the game. That way even if you don’t see much of a plot within the story itself, you still know it’s there. That’s a really good design decision if you ask me.

After that we do have one of the weaker ones though. It’s not the game’s fault by any means but we go to the Game Boy so the graphics take a rather large dip. The gameplay speed is also exceptionally slow so you really have a hard time landing hits on the enemies. It just doesn’t feel as lively or energetic and of course it makes the levels feel longer than they actually are. Even with that it ends up being the shortest game though as there are only 4 real levels here. Certainly not enough to keep you here for the long haul or anything like that.

Then we actually have the second game boy game. I’ll give the title credit for fixing some of my biggest issues like the slow speed. In the sequel you can actually move at a reasonable speed which is really good. You also regain some of the more standard abilities from the mainline games like sub weapons. So it’s definitely improving but doesn’t really get up to the level of the main core games.

After that is easily the most impressive game in the collection, Bloodlines. This one looks really modern and has a dramatic improvement in graphics and gameplay. It’s clearly on a completely different level. You have two different characters to choose from so I went with the guy who has a lance to try out this new gameplay style. It’s definitely a lot of fun. His weapon has such a good reach too so you really have the advantage here. I’m not sure what, if any downsides this weapon has vs the whip but the fact that it’s a different/unique option makes the whole thing worth it. I like to shake things up and this character gave me a way to do it. This is definitely going to be the turning point for the series.

The final game shakes things up a bit by bringing in Kid Dracula. You get the feeling that they wanted to end off on a fun note. It’s a chibi style game that plays more like Mega Man as you blast away at every enemy in your way. It’s actually rather fun and the game is not afraid to get really crazy as you go through it. You fight enemies like the Statue of Liberty before you’re all done. That was a pretty fun boss battle. If I had a complaint it’s that you don’t see the boss health meters anymore and there isn’t always a visual indicator to show that they’re taking damage. So for the final boss for example, you’re just not sure if you’re playing the fight in the right way for a while there.

The games all generally have pretty solid soundtracks to go along with the gameplay. The older ones are a bit more limited but the tune that they choose isn’t bad. The gameplay is generally smooth and of course the graphics get better as you go through the title. In general you could tell that they put a good amount of budget behind these games and were really trying for them to be successful. Clearly it worked out since the franchise is a household name right now.

Overall, It was fun to really start getting used to the Castlevania titles. For now I would even say it is better than I expected since I was dreading the more labyrinth style games where you have to run around and find things. This one managed to avoid all of that for the most part. Perhaps that’s just something the latter games have or maybe it’s actually not that frequent and the series just became known for it somehow. I can’t say I really know how this is going to play out but regardless I can definitely recommend this collection. In general collections always give you such great bang for your buck.

Overall 7/10

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion Review

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It was definitely a really hype day when they announced they would be porting over Crisis Core from the PSP. This is an absolutely top tier game that a decent amount of people never got to play. I can definitely assure you that the experience absolutely holds up here and I think they did add a few moments here and there on the PS5 version. I forget if there were any story additions at all or just side stuff, but either way it works perfectly as the lead in to Remake. You should definitely play this one first if possible as it makes your experience through the main game even more intense. Some parts of Cloud’s story don’t really seem to pan out eh? Hmmmmm…

The story starts by introducing us to Zack who is a fairly young member of the Shinra forces. He hopes to become a Soldier First Class and to do that he will need to impress the top brass. Fortunately for him, a lot is going on right now so it looks like he will get his chance. Genesis has gone rogue and now clones of him are showing up all over the planet and they have to be stopped no matter the cost. Along the way Zack begins to learn some troubling secrets about his employer which also have his comrades Sephiroth and Angeal rather frazzled. What was once the most powerful unit of all time is starting to break apart. Zack may be the only one who can keep them all together.

Well, where to even start on this masterpiece right? First up, everything is super modern here from the menus to the hud inside the game. You always know exactly what is happening and it is very easy to navigate all of the menus. Everything has a sci-fi feel to it and of course the graphics are really top notch. The cutscenes are all super good and there is voice acting for pretty much every line in the game. They really do not hold back on the budget at all. It’s great really learning more about the world here and the cast are all able to hold their ends of the story.

Then you have the soundtrack which is incredible. Pretty much every theme is some kind of big rock song which works really well with the vibe they are going for here. It’s just a very fast paced and intense game. Even the way the levels are structured makes sense with this. You usually have a cutscene, a few fights, cutscene, fight, then chapter ends. The game is rather short as a result of this though. I beat it in around 7 hours so this is definitely what I would call a mini game. Certainly nothing like the main FFVII title but it still covers enough. The length isn’t gonna limit this game but it does mean you could easily end up beating it in a day or two if you don’t pace yourself.

There is bonus content to keep you busy though. You can go back and complete all of the missions which is bound to take you some time. You can also try for the Platinum trophy which will be difficult to obtain. I won’t say that it’s a tremendous amount of replay value but every bit helps. It’s not about the length, but the quality of the time you spent after all and this was top quality.

As for the gameplay, this is your classic 3D slasher. The game is a lot easier than the main title for one critical reason though. There is no cooldown on items. So unlike the main game where you have to try and survive for a bit after using an item, you can spam them endlessly here. There’s not much to buy either so you’ll be swimming in cash. I maxed out on potions early on and then I was basically set. Get 100 potions and then get 100 Ethers. You can now spam your most powerful attacks over and over and over again for as long as you need to.

I recommend keeping one slot active for each of the 4 elemental types. Do that and you will be well equipped to deal with any enemy. There are a lot of fights and you may lose some on occasion but usually that will be because you let your guard down and got tackled. You should usually be able to win even with some good spamming. I recommend doing some of the side missions to beef up your summons though. They definitely go a really long way here plus you get cool cutscenes when you attack with them. Blocking is also a super good skill in this game.

A lot of times I completely ignore the button in any video game but it does seem to reduce damage by over 60% and some attacks are basically impossible to dodge so this is the way to go. I applaud the game for actually making the block option viable. Usually it just feels like it’s wasting space. So the devs really thought of everything this time around. I suppose if I had one nitpick it would be that we get the combat stance too late in the game. There’s a meter there so you can try to use it often in battles to build that up but there’s no apparent reason to use it.

It just seems worse than fighting normally. Maybe you unlock a true ending for getting the affinity to 100% of something. It better be a really good reward considering how slow you get the progress up with it whenever you land attacks. I got it up to 0.09% after defeating a bunch of enemies and that’s when I gave up on it. I would need much more of an incentive to use it, but hey more options is never a bad thing. I’m sure some people had a great time with it.

Overall, Crisis Core is an elite title and one that you need to play right away. The game does a tremendous job of showing us what Zack was like and Sephiroth’s fall from grace. It really covers a whole lot and of course you know how the story ends, but seeing it in real time is still crazy. The story was absolutely incredible! They did a good job with how the gameplay works for the final bosses as well. You definitely have to fight hard to make sure you last long enough here. Whether you’ve played the main Final Fantasy game or not, this is a must buy!

Overall 9/10

Tales of Arise Review

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Whenever someone says “Arise” it’s always in a very dramatic kind of way which makes you think and this game is no different. It’s a really intense RPG that has a good length. This allows time for all of the characters to get proper development and everything. I tend to play these games for fairly long batches of time and even then it took me a while to knock this one out. It definitely speaks to how much content is in the title. Granted, I did beat virtually all of the side missions but even then there was still more to do and extra content to be covered.

The game starts by introducing us to the world. There are two races of people. The Renans, who live in the sky and subjugate the Dahnans, the people who live on the ground. The Renans have incredible powers and so they took over easily 300 years ago. Ever since then, they have continued to dominate and there is really no way for the Dahnans to rise up. That is, until one slave named Alphen meets up with a Renan girl named Shionne. She has decided to murder the 5 Renan lords who have enslaved everyone and Alphen agrees to help. Along the way they make a lot of friends and fight off powerful monsters. The closer they get to the end of this journey, the more uncomfortable truths they find out. Will these revelations end up destroying their will to fight??

One thing about a game that is 40+ hours like this is that the plot will change a lot. So this plot summary I gave will be outdated very quickly but at the same time you don’t want to go into those plot details from the jump because they are filled with twists. The more surprised you are the better. All in all I would say the twists are all handled very well. It may get a little long for a bit there where you are sitting through 40 minute cutscenes of everything being broken down for you. At the same time it’s probably a good idea though because otherwise I do think you’d have people saying it was all too complicated.

The gameplay is a 3D fighter where you have your standard attacks and then you can also launch your power moves. They take longer to load and you have to have enough energy to use them. As the game goes on you can use upgrades and power ups to help replenish energy more. The level up system is pretty interesting here. Of course you have the standard level up system for the characters but in addition to that you also have the SP upgrades that you can use to unlock new skills or stat bonuses. You get points from every battle but very few of them. Most of your points are from completing side quests which is why you want to complete as many of them as possible. Then some of the sections with upgrades aren’t unlocked until you have completed specific tasks like eaten a specific food or completed a certain side quest. You can see what you need to do from the level up board so I recommend checking up on these from time to time so you know where to go. These upgrades are all fairly minor but really start to add up as you unlock more and more.

The game is surprisingly difficult at times. I can say with reasonable confidence that if you just try to barrel through and fight the final boss it is not going to end well for you. Go complete some side quests, get some good armors, etc. Load yourself up and then you will be fine. Items are extremely handy in this game and for that reason, earning money is a very slow process. It’s another instance where you need to complete side missions as often as possible. These will always get you a lot of money which you can then use to buy items like revives or potions that give you cure points.

The cure point system is something fairly unique compared to other RPGs. Basically, healing your allies takes energy from this system rather than your special meter. So if you run out, then you can’t use any of your healing spells. This means you often need to keep an eye on that and replenish it as needed. Without these items, you’d get crushed by a ton of the bosses. Grinding for level ups is still super important of course but another big thing is really just getting funds for the extra items.

I will also give the game heavy credit for the solid romance plots here. Not all 3 of the romance plots work but 2/3 is still really good. Especially considering that one of those is the main pairing. There’s a lot of development here and the two were through a lot. We even got a time skip of several months. So this game hardly took place over a few days. I thought it was all handled most excellently. The writing is really top tier here. Outside of the main story, there are over 300 skit cutscenes which you can have fun playing when you are at the campfire or live as you walk through the areas. I did like 100 of those but still had a lot to go.

The sheer amount of content here is breathtaking. Then of course you have the soundtrack which is really solid. Both theme songs in the game were really good and I also enjoyed the general battle themes and boss battles. The animation is top tier of course and the game even has some fully animated scenes as well. That was really cool. You can tell that this game got the top level budget and it was all worth it. People call this a top tier RPG and they are absolutely right in every way.

Overall, Tales of Arise is a top tier game. The characters are excellent and the story is great. The gameplay is executed incredibly well with smooth gameplay and even some solid platforming. It’s got every quality of life feature that you can think of and of course the story mode is already super long. Then you have a ton of replay value that can likely double your play time. If you somehow don’t own this one yet, then you should definitely check it out. It will forever be known as one of the top RPGs.

Overall 9/10

Scarlet Nexus Review

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Scarlet Nexus is one of those games that was really huge when it was first announced. It was going to be a game that really changed everything. It would be the big RPG that people would be talking about for many years to come. Well, I can definitely say that is succeeds in those areas. This is definitely a game that I highly recommend checking out. It is an elite title all the way through and you will be having a good time here.

You get to choose from two characters when you start the game. Each one has a sizable campaign of around 20 hours and then you can play the second campaign. I stuck to 1 character this time around and went for the guy. He wants to be a great OSF agent and live up to the family’s powerful reputation. Along the way he makes several friends and everything seems good until he begins bumping into some very dark conspiracies. The OSF is about stopping aliens and protecting people but it looks like they may have gone a little beyond that in their pursuit of justice. It may be time to take them down but it’s important to not lose sight of who the big villains are. Tough choices will have to be made.

The game tackles a lot of big sci-fi themes like time travel, clones, alternate pasts, etc. So right away I can tell you that this is up my alley. Of course that does take a while to appear in the story but you’re pretty engaged with everything else happening the whole time. The game is mainly working within the context of there being a ton of organizations and all of them are reasonably corrupt and evil for different reasons. These are guys you would no want to bump into. Of course you can try to stay on their good side but that can be difficult in and of itself. That also does mean there isn’t a true main villain for most of the game.

The game does a great job of establishing the villain’s motivation even without a ton of screen time though. Out of the game’s 12 chapters, he probably only appears in 3-4 of them and usually only for a brief moment or two. Yet by the end you really understand why he is so desperate. I’m not by any means saying that you will end up rooting for him or anything like that but I am saying that you will be able to see his motive clearly which is important. It separates him from the average villain who is just trying to destroy the world or something.

The graphics here are definitely top tier. You have full cinematic type cutscenes and even the basic ones generally all have voice acting. There are some slight exceptions of course but those are small exceptions. I always like when a game has extensive voice acting like this. It takes the whole experience to the next level and shows that this is a real AAA game. Voice acting is often what can turn a very good game into a great one. It heavily buffs so many aspects of the game and so yes, Scarlet Nexus was a complete success here. The kind of game that you can really admire and respect. It was most impressive.

Meanwhile the soundtrack was also really good. Definitely another classic W for the title. There are a good amount of battle themes here, both for the normal encounters and for the bosses. There’s a good amount of variety in this title and it fits in well with the general sci-fi theme that the title is going for. There were definitely no issues on a technical level for this game. As an RPG i also goes without saying that there is a ton of content here. Beating the game with both characters will take around 40 hours easy. Then there is also completing all of the bond missions and getting the Platinum trophy. Definitely not going to be an easy task right there. So I was definitely satisfied with the length all the way around.

I do recommend doing a ton of the bond missions as you play through the game. The power ups you get with each partner are rather substantial. There are a ton of these missions so it can feel a bit intimidating but as long as you do all the ones that are available in each chapter as you move forward then it won’t feel like a crazy onslaught the way that it would once you are closer to the end of the game. It’s all about pacing yourself after all.

Now I didn’t talk much about the gameplay yet and that’s part of what’s unique about the game. You have your usual close quarter combat skills but you can also use telekinesis to throw blocks and objects around. It’s a pretty fun style of gameplay and this often helps you attack an opponent’s weak point. Once you have the villain down to a low enough amount of health and you have broken their mind gauge, you can defeat them with a brain crush. It’s a super handy technique.

You can also activate brain mode which makes you temporarily invincible so long as you’ve gotten the right upgrades. Definitely super handy but make sure you turn it off before the meter falls all the way down. If you forget to do this then it’s an automatic game over. It’s actually a really interesting mechanic because it ties into the story where his mind is slowly shattering So it makes sense that you would lose if you stay in this experimental mode for too long. My big tip is to use your materials to buy brain gears whenever possible. Brain crush mode makes even the final boss trivial since you can skip most of the craziness. I made sure to grab every material I could throughout the game so I was really in a good spot here. The game could get reasonably tough and I did die a few times but often it was because I underestimated the enemies. You always have enough items to keep on healing and moving forward.

Overall, Scarlet Nexus was really a blast. Waiting for this game was totally worth it. It definitely lived up to the hype all the way around. It would be great to see a sequel to this show up at some point even if the ending was rather definitive. The game’s ending lands on its feet so there really were not any issues here. You really got your money’s worth with this one. Even more so for me since the game was on sale for a crazy $10 amount. You really can’t get any more of a steal than that right? It’s the one benefit of waiting so long before getting a game although I can tell you when the second comes out that will be a day 1. Definitely no waiting this time.

Overall 9/10

The King of Fighters XII Review

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It’s time for another big King of Fighters game! This time around there’s not really much of a story but to try and make up for that we do have a pretty big cast of characters. The visuals have noticeably improved and so the whole thing works out pretty well. It’s definitely a game that you can’t afford to miss out on if you want to own the whole collection. If you don’t care about owning everything….well then I guess you’ll be okay but it’s still a quality game either way.

With no story you’ll probably want to start off by clearing an arcade mode. The arcade mode is a lot shorter than usual as it’s only 5 levels long and there are no bonus levels or bosses this time. It’s really just you seeing how fast you can beat all of the opponents. In fact they call it a time trial arcade mode so that really was the intent right from the jump. It definitely does work to make the game stand out there but it’s still no substitute for a full on story. I was really surprised that there wasn’t at least a secret boss at the end. Something to really test your might you know?

I did appreciate the jump in graphics though. Like I mentioned before, the graphics look really sharp this time around. The controls feel a bit different and you really feel like this is the next generation of KOF. There are a whole lot of details thrown in here and so you you can really appreciate all of the super attacks. I also think they did make the special techniques easier to use this time around. I was cranking them out like nobody’s business for a while there while in the old games it was really hard. There was a simple vs technical mode option so I did go with simple which may help with that.

The soundtrack isn’t super noticeable this time around. King of Fighters seems to be on/off in that regard. You’re here for the gameplay first and foremost though and that is solid as always. It’s pretty fast paced and you can really use a whole lot of combos. It’s a game that really pays off your hard work and dedication by letting you deal out more damage. The better your combo skills, the more you are going to absolutely dominate the competition when the going gets tough. It’s a very satisfying circle in that regard.

There is unlimited replay in the vs modes of course and this time you even have trophies that you can earn by playing the game. So if you aim for the Platinum trophy that will add a lot of time into the mix as well since fighting game platinums are always extremely intense. Hopefully none of them are online based though or you could be in a lot of trouble there. I still think they need some kind of fix for games where there are online trophies but you want to get the Platinum. It’ll likely never happen but it’s nice to think about.

I ran with Terry’s crew for the arcade mode but feel free to switch up your teams and try as many characters as you can. They all have very distinct movesets and nobody feels too similar to anyone else. The developers did a good job with all of the characters there. The fact that we have several different fire users at this point and none of them feel like clones of each other is definitely impressive. This game knows how to really craft a moveset that fits every character’s playstyle.

Since there’s no story mode here there’s a little less to talk about compared to the other titles. You sort of get the drift after all since a fighting game is very direct. You either enjoy the combat style or you don’t and whether you like the game or not really comes down to that one trait. Gameplay is mega important for any game obviously but if you’re a fighting game then that rises up even further. If you don’t have fun with the combat then that automatically means the game is no fun either. There’s just no way to get around that after all.

Overall, King of Fighters continues to be a really solid fighting game series. While I miss the story, the gameplay is solid enough to hold its own here. Fans of the franchise will have a good time as always and I can definitely recommend this to any fighting game fan. Sometimes you just want to sit down and have a few matches and in that case this game has you covered. You can explore all of the characters and see which fighting style works the best for you. As always I like playing as Terry Bogard quite a bit and he has the old design back which is great.

Overall 7/10

King of Fighters 2000 & 2001 Review

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It’s time for some King of Fighters hype! It’s pretty fun to be playing through all of the games in the series. These two start to feel a bit more modern on the PS2 but you’ve still got enough retro elements in the game to make it feel nostalgic. You’ve also got some real stories going on here which is always fun. It would be nice if there was a longer story for everybody but I’m still satisfied. There is basically always a cliffhanger here as well to keep things moving.

In 2000, we get to play as K who is fighting for his memories and to take down the villains like NEST. He enters the King of Fighters tournament to deal some serious damage and along the way the villains make their move as well. Kula also gets involved which is fun because for me she’s one of the more nostalgic characters. I played as her a lot in one of the spinoff games. So to see her with more of a starring role was definitely a lot of fun, her ice abilities also work pretty well in the gameplay.

The game has the striker system active so you can summon assists like in Marvel vs Capcom. It’s pretty fun although it never really works on the bosses all that much. This is the only game where the final boss isn’t too crazy though. You can actually fight him like a normal boss and eventually win as opposed to just being cheesy the whole time and staying in the corner. Hey, you have to win whatever it takes right? So no shame there, you just look forward to actually rushing in and fighting so this was a fun change of pace. Part of King of Fighters’ whole appeal is the insane difficulty though. These final bosses are really made to make you work to find whatever exploit you can in order to win.

2001 adds another extra mechanic to the striker system. This time you can have up to 3 strikers. So you can use all 4 fighters to attack the enemy or only have one. The balance is up to you but one thing to keep in mind is that the final boss will have more health if you opt to go with 4 fighters. I didn’t even realize that so for a while there he was dominating me and had tons of health. Fortunately every time you die you can readjust your team so after a bunch of losses I put everyone into being a striker except my main guy and then I used him to win the day. It was still extremely difficult to be sure and I just barely pulled it off but that does seem like the play. You are basically banking on RNG here to be able to beat the final boss.

You need him to make the wrong choices just a few times on 2001 and then you will be able to finish him off with minimal difficulty. I suppose the one drawback is you will be getting sent to the game over screen a lot quicker this way as your one fighter will keep on going down quickly but at the end of the day it’s still worth it. I still advise going through this way. Also, make sure you do not use your summons. They will never land a hit anyway and only exist to get in your way. Activating them is basically ensuring your own defeat. So definitely make sure that you don’t do that. In the split second it takes to call them out the boss will inevitably use a wide energy wave to take down both of you.

The final boss is also able to use super attacks without using up any magical energy. This means that blocking forever is only worth it if you are aiming for a timeout but otherwise it’s not like you’re going to tire this guy out. So definitely just keep an eye out on that. For most battles you still want to go with the tried and true tactic of an aerial kick into a sweeping kick but you never want to approach these final bosses. Let them come to you and you just stick to punishing their mistakes. Each small hit will eventually add up and then you’re good.

As you would expect the graphics for both games are pretty good. In general you can see the graphics improving s the games go on but it still will take some time before they’re completely up to PS5 level or anything like that. The sprites are very colorful though and that’s why I recommend them as an artstyle. They will never get out of date and will always look very pleasant no matter how many years go by. The soundtrack is another okay one as well. The themes match the stages but aren’t something you would necessarily be looking up on Youtube.

That’s good enough though, at the end of the day this is a fighting game and one that is a lot of fun. I enjoy all of the combos and the big character roster. It’s a game that really never has to stop giving you entertainment since you can have endless vs battles. The replay value is there and since the gameplay itself is really solid, that’s all you need. It’s certainly possible that you won’t need to play this one if you have the sequels but at least this will still work out. Terry is still my favorite character even if I’ve had to play as the other characters lately for the story.

Overall, King of Fighters is a solid series that has certainly had a lot of games. This collection does a good job of bringing two of the games in and they work really well together. I’ve certainly improved my King of Fighter fundamentals even if I would not exactly be tournament ready just yet. I would really need to stud the games for that and get used to the combos. In the meantime, going through story mode is definitely the right amount of investment for me. I don’t really need anything more. Of course if we ever do get a massive cinematic story mode then I would have to really learn the controls because I would not want to miss that!

Overall 7/10