Hey Poor Player

FINAL FANTASY X is one of the greatest accomplishments in gaming history, its success built upon the glorious installments that preceded it. FINAL FANTASY X-2 was lighthearted and unserious (until it wasn’t), a funky, fresh experiment still unique to the series 20+ years later. Whether you see FINAL FANTASY X/X-2 HD Remaster as a thoughtful tribute to timeless classics or a valiant attempt at refining them, you can’t deny that each subsequent release serves as a reminder to fans of the franchise that Square Enix knows it has an incredible world full of poignant stories to share on its hands. If only the stories would continue… *hint hint Square Enix make FFX-3 or a prequel with Auron, Jecht, and Braska OR a super prequel with the Summoner War hint hint*

Denshattack! is an absolute must-play for anyone who values gameplay over all else. While the story and characters don’t do much for me, I really couldn’t care less when the vibes are this immaculate and the game feels this good. I’ll be going back to chase my high scores and try to complete more of the game’s side goals for months to come.

While Moss: The Forgotten Relic is still charming though, it really does lose something when not played in VR. What feels like an utterly unique and compelling time when you’re inside it ends up feeling like a well-done but rather by-the-books game on traditional platforms. There’s still plenty here to draw you in, and I am glad that more players will be able to see these games. Still, if you have the option to play them in VR, I’d recommend doing so, as you’ll then see why so many players find them to be truly special.

Despite all its flaws, I still admire a lot about Crushed In Time. There’s a spirit of creativity, ingenuity, and risk-taking here that few games can match. That’s the thing about risks, though: sometimes they don’t pay off. The core control scheme here is certainly unique, but it simply doesn’t work well enough or consistently enough to be fun. At times, Crushed In Time can certainly be amusing, and there are a few chapters that are truly clever and engaging despite the controls, but I was glad to put Crushed In Time behind me.

Tales of Seikyu is a lovely addition to the farming sim genre that you’ll quickly yet quietly become a part of before you’re even aware you were dragged down into its coziness in the first place. It features everything fans of the genre love about farming sims while adding in fun features like shapeshifting, among others. But where Tales of Seikyu really shines is in its ability to make players truly feel they are an integral part of Seikyu’s village, that their actions matter to its inhabitants, and that they’re doing something worthwhile.

Honestly, Vultures – Scavengers of Death feels like a survival horror game made just for me. I love the mixture of tactics and retro style, and find the game offers a robust challenge without feeling completely overwhelming. Yes, the tactics can diminish the terror, but it’s never totally gone. If you’re at all a fan of the genre, I’d definitely check Vultures out.

If you have spent years waiting for a Bond game worth clearing a weekend for, 007 First Light is it. IO Interactive understood the assignment every other Bond game didn’t: the fantasy is the spycraft, not the shooting.

Despite my frustration with the aforementioned issues, Starbites is still one of my favorite recent JRPG adventures. Yes, it was a bit muddy and glitchy on Nintendo Switch. But it’s also incredibly charming, fun, and full of retro flair.

Ultimately, the Switch 2 version of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is a lot more compromised than the port its predecessor received a few months ago. That doesn’t change the fact that this is an absolutely stunning game overall and likely the best game the series has produced in the last fifteen years. If you have the option to play it on another piece of hardware, I’d recommend doing so, but players who can only access it on the Switch 2 will still have a great time as long as the pop-in doesn’t bother them too much.

Ultimately, Mara’s story is so relatable, and the ending hits so well that anyone open to games of this nature should absolutely check it out. You don’t even need to have played the original; Station to Station does enough to fill you in on the first Perfect Tides, even if playing both will provide a few moments of recognition. I immensely enjoyed getting to see Mara continue to grow up, and I hope that a few years down the road we get the chance to see what the next chapter of her life looks like. I have a feeling she’ll still be making plenty of mistakes but also still learning and growing from them.