skillzmcfly

It's a blast from the past. This game rides the nostalgia wave and does so quite well. Full of fun references to 80ies pop culture and old-school gaming this is an interesting game. One thing it brings back to us: difficulty. The mini games are challenging and as they say on the internet: git gud. I've enjoyed my roughly five hours of game play so far but was infuriated and about to toss my controller twice already (and thus reminded of my younger days- aaah nostalgia...) I hope I will remember to update this review once I am done (or have given up - just like I used to) but thus far it was worth its reasonable low price.

First off: I really couldn't decide whether to rate this game at 7 or 8. It is just really in the middle there: a good mediocre game or an almost really good game. I like a lot of the choices that were made for the game. A story about lost episodic memory told in small episodes, a game about memory that banks on nostalgia with the choice of design. The ideas were great - though I feel my personal opinion to like the game is based on my own interpretation - but the game play is average (at best). Yes this plays like an old game and it makes a lot of references, but if I wanted that game play I might pick up Final Fantasy IV or something similar. Ultimately it is a short game that possibly needs you to be in the nostalgic mood. I would not recommend it to someone who expects and likes a deep and challenging RPG or someone who does not like retro gaming. For me as a nostalgic person it is borderline good, but I guess for others it could be borderline bad. After all it is a full price game and today you can get more worth for your buck.

I really like Persona 5. I have logged nearly 70 hours on my most advanced save file and am currently heading toward the end. However, while many people say it's the greatest game 2017 or at least in a while I want to point out some of the things that drove and still drive me mad about it: 1. Really long stretches of story telling. I like me a game with a good story, but sometimes it feels that the story drives on for - what feels like - an hour before you can do much more than click through the dialogue. 2. Save spots are either placed too close or too far apart. In the dungeons (called palaces in this game) the user can only save in designated areas. These are just not well spaced. Which would maybe not be a problem if it wasn't for... 3. The moment your main character is defeated in battle it's Game Over. I feel this is a bad mechanic for any RPG where you control a party and reviving characters is possible. It might not be as big an inconvenience if this wouldn't set you back so much in the game, since the saving areas are so far apart. There are other things which are demanding and obviously this is not a game for casual playing but while I whole-heartedly can recommend a lot of other games I feel like such a great title should have these things smoothed out.

I feel like I don't need to point out how great a game this is with all the positive reviews, but then again I had so much fun that I should give a good review. Starting off with the negatives though (for those who are skeptical after only positive reports): The early part of the game/tutorial in retrospect feels painstakingly long. You are allowed relative freedom at some point, but thinking of what I could do later I feel like this should have been shorter. The climbing and running along pre-made jumping paths is somewhat buggy (or at least that is how it felt to me). The game borrows from Uncharted but is not as finely orchestrated in climbing areas. The skill tree (once again to me) was partly useless, you might end up with more skill points than you'd ever need. Even after finishing the thing you still get some, so I hope the DLC/sequel will expand that skill tree to actually support certain play styles. While most quests are fun there are still too many "collect x of a certain item" quests in there for my liking. The good writing could and should have expanded to this part of the game as well. Positives: The game is fun, you can always find something new to do (I clocked about 40 hours until I finished) and the fighting of the machines - which I consider the main part of the game - is challenging, fun and you feel like you are actually improving your skills as a hunter. In a nut shell: If you liked Shadow of Mordor and you felt like there should be a more complex fighting system, if you liked Uncharted but wished for more freedom and less shooting sections, if you ever wanted to fight giant robot animals: this is your game, worth the money, go buy it and I feel you won't regret your purchase.

Is this the best Final Fantasy (or loosely based upon the series) game? No. Is this a game with unquestionably great style choices? Also no. But is it a game for everyone? Again no, although sort of. I really enjoyed this game and could not turn it off. That is the reason for my 10 point rating. What is so great about the game? A simple but effective battle and party system. Comparing it to Pokemon is the obvious way to go, though it is very different. Throughout the game you catch characters and creatures from the series in a world that is loosely based upon other FF games. You stack these creatures with your main characters connecting their stats and abilities. Sounds simple but it gets conveniently complex. Style-wise some odd choices were made: mixing cute and somewhat realistic (anime) designs and altering cutscenes between in-game graphic and actual anime. That is one of the off-putting points. Also I doubt that non-FF fans will really enjoy the hints and allusions to the main series games. It might just be confusing to them. I enjoyed the game and wouldn't recommend to anybody who doesn't like RPGs to begin with. But if you like JRPGs and are not expecting too much in storytelling you should try swiping this game on discount if you can. It really could be worth your while and money.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

After finishing Borderlands 2 - platinum trophy and everything - I have to say that it is my game of the year hands down. I will try to put my praise and criticism in an orderly fashion. First off: this is a game that unfolds most of its potential, when played in multiplayer mode. As with a lot of games that are designed for online play it is a very gratifying experience to play within a group of capable players. The skilltrees for all classes are more centered and really influence the way you play without being too restricting, in my opinion. The returning classes of Siren and Commando are more strongly focused on their respective action skills. The new classes of Gunzerker and Assassin seem more complicated at first but are actually quite accessable. In any case you can reset your skillpoints if you feel like it. What I really liked about the game is that it takes most of what made Borderlands 1 did well and improves on that. The mentioned focus on multiplayer gaming has been improved; I found it easier to find a game I could join and if a friend is online you can easily join their game without them having to leave their session and send complicated invites. One of the more annoying bits occured when I hosted a game with random players. They all were capable players and it was a fun game but when one of them turned in a quest for me I did not get the reward item. I do not know if this bug has been fixed. In general there is a lot of reasons why one would replay the game once the final boss has been deposed of. There is at least one quest you will not have done by then and a second harder and more satisfying - as far as xp and weapons are concerned - play-mode becomes available. In this mode you tend to die more easily when playing alone, which can be bothersome (although the fight for your life phase has been improved: now you are able to move, although slowly). One of the features that have you playing on and on is the random dropping of equipment, you can always improve on your stuff. Also there are challenges that have you coming back. In general Borderlands 2 is a great game for those who liked the first part - there is a ton of insider-jokes for those - and those who like a shooter with some very basic rpg-elements. If you did not like the first Borderlands you most likely won't like part 2, although you might want to give it a try. I found it brilliant and fun.

Honestly this game should likely be considered a good game, but after AC2 set a high bar, AC 3 just falls flat on its face. The graphics are as sweet as they might get on the PS3 but also glitchy at times. The game is glitchy in many aspects. The camera is shaky and keeps you from seeing you targets, the controls are ofte off and not intelligently placed on the controller (e.g. stopping a slow horse is the same button as spurring a horse that has picked up some speed), the missions are too unevenly balanced - too easy or way too hard - checkpoints are placed badly and the freerunning system that had been the staple of AC is more often than not the more complicated way to get somewhere - you DO NOT EVEN WANT to climb buildings and run around the roofs in some cases. Why would you spoil the trademark of your game? As mentioned above the real problem is that this feels like a good game that you would want to play, but the small problems amass and mar your gaming experience, oftentimes leaving you frustrated wanting to punch someone - most likely the programmers at Ubisoft. I get why people would rate it as a good game, but I can't help but wonder if they played a different game when grading it above 80 %.