Shmouton

If I could describe this game by renaming it it would be, "Final Fantasy: Game of Thrones". The ever-changing story of Tactics is an absolute roller-coaster that keeps you on the edge of your seat at all times. Being a huge Final Fantasy fan, this game gave me an adventure that I was not used to. I loved the battle system with a huge amount of jobs to explore. And exploring and grinding I did as this game is probably one of the hardest Final Fantasy games ever until you have leveled up enough, understood how the mechanics work and tried the many jobs this game offers. The game takes place in the beautiful world of Ivalice with an Art style that aged very well. The characters and their connections were very deep and complicated but very human. This is a must play for any JRPG fan.

Final Fantasy VII Remake is what I had dreamed of for the last 15 years. The original being my favourite game of all time, meant that my expectations going in were quite big while also being realistic due to Square Enix's recent disappointing releases. The game visually is absolutely gorgeous, with probably the best looking character models for the main characters I've ever seen in a video game. The areas recreated in 3D have been done with a lot of love and faithfulness. I often had to stop to look at how beautiful the world was, not believing what I was seeing. Despite running on my PS4 Pro, I thought people could be excused if they thought this was a next gen game. There were however some visual issues in certain areas of the game through the form of texture bugs. Some textures really looked like it belonged in last gen and compared to a high quality character model, it really showed off. I hope that this can later be fixed with patches or with a PS5 release. Being a fan of RPGs, this is the best combat system I've ever come across in any game. The perfect mixture of action and strategy was a blend that absolutely blew me away. The materia system is back which makes gameplay as customisable as in the original. Summons do work differently but now they fight alongisde me and I can issue them commands; great choice! The switching of characters is seemless and the ATB system encourages you to do so. This means that you are using all of your characters in a fight. What excites me is that this combat system is already excellent and yet there is still room for improvement. The aerial battle needs improvement. It does not happen often but when it does, it is a pain. The AI for characters could be better when you aren't using them and having given roles like healer, tank or DPS given to those AI controlled characters would make sure they act the way you desire. Having set Materia loadouts that you can swap to mid fight would also be helpful. Like most Final Fantasy games the story is one of its best qualities. The story of the game is about 90-95% faithful and was quite an emotional ride of nostalgia for me. The added story content was also welcomed for me as I enjoyed exploring more of the world and its characters. The final part of the game deviates quite a bit from the original, a change that will determines which path the future games take. I know that many did not like the change, I am personally optimistic about them and I'm excited to play the next games not fully knowing what to expect plot-wise. The voice-acting for all the characters were absolutely top-notch, something that is quite rare in JRPGs. This meant that the intended strong character development and connections were delivered in an exceptional manner. I have never been as emotionally connected to the characters of this world as I am after playing the remake. I found myself caring for many of the minor characters too. The game's side quests could be better entrenched in the story but were still fun to do, especially the wall market ones. The many mini games, the colosseum, enemy assessing and battle simulator were all welcomed additions. Replaying the game on Hard mode deserves a chance after your first playthrough. It does not only makes the game harder but forces you to make the most of the battle system. The boss battles are considerably different with new moves to give you a deserving challenge. I spent 130 hours on this game and I can clearly say that this was my favourite Platinum and now my overall favourite game on PS4 and of this generation. I am hoping for a next gen version and obviously can't wait for the next installments.

The game was a pleasant surprise for me with it's innovative ideas that made it one of a kind. I was constantly thirsting for more understanding of the story as I played. The world and lore of this game is as much of a mystery for you the player, as it is for the protagonist **** emotions she feels as she discovers new secrets were certainly replicated by mine. Horizon features an intricate combat system that allows the player to decide how they play; stealth or active combat. I found myself changing the way I fight depending on the machines and the weapons of choice. I applaud the amount of effort that was put into the datalogs to explain the world for those who wished to have a deeper understanding. Many hours could be spent reading and listening to the datalogs. I enjoyed the side missions and spent most of my time in the game doing them. With Cauldrons, bandit camps, various collectibles, corrupted zones and tallnecks, Horizon did not feel boring even when I wasn't doing the main story. The music of the game was suitable for the kind of world that Horizon takes place in, I was humming to Aloy's theme all day after finishing the game. One the game's biggest strength was it's visuals. Playing it on a PS4 Pro and a 4K TV, I would often stop just to admire how magnificent the game looked and as a result I made the most of the photo mode. Horizon's biggest drawback is it's secondary characters. While Aloy has become one of my favourite female protagonist in videogame history, the same cannot be said for the other characters in the game. They lacked emotions and depth and by the end when some characters were portrayed as important, I was surprised as I felt no connections whatsoever with them. Overall Horizon Zero Dawn is an excellent game and one of the best PlayStation exclusives of this generation and I cannot wait for the sequel.