Triangle Strategy – Under the shadow of classics
The late 90’s did not only see an incredible influx of standard RPGs on the market, it saw experiments of all kinds too. Tactics Ogre, released in 1995 in Japan, managed to create an intricate, complex, and ambitious kind of tactical RPG which could narrate grand events in ways a typical game could not. Its […]
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origins – Embracing the Meme
When first announced, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin (Stranger of Paradise) seemed… bad. The reception was not good. The generic-looking protagonist proclaiming he wanted to kill Chaos every five seconds was uninspired, far too edgy, and was delivered by subpar voice-acting and visual presentation. You see, people were expecting a “souslike” Final Fantasy for […]
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch – A charming but exhausting journey
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (Ni No Kuni) had a lot to deliver. It was not only made by the guys from Level-5, who gave us some of the best action-RPGs of the previous generation, but it had the crafty hand of Studio Ghibli behind it as well. In a way, this […]
Control – A great game that overstays its welcome
Control is an impressive blend of art and technology. Its chaotic firefights with floating particles, bizarre clouds, lighting effects, destructible environments, and physics-focused abilities are simply stunning, a proof of how far the technology has come since the day of good-old pixelated graphics. The impressive details on the most mundane objects, their materials, the clever […]
Dragon Quest XI S – A revitalized colossus
The Dragon Quest franchise has had a mission over the course of its years: be the classic RPG experience. The first entries of the franchise, back in the late 80’s, cemented the RPG genre in video games and paved the way for later japanese successes such as Final Fantasy, Breath of Fire, and Mother. It’s […]
Code Vein – A refreshing touch to the genre
Since first announced, Code Vein gained fame as yet another Souslike game to be released in a time where many smaller studios were overwhelming the industry with them. It became known amongst players as the “Anime Souls”, and the developer and publisher Bandai Namco seemed to enjoy such fame, further exploring these comparisons in its […]
Masterpiece – The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Note: This is a review-like reminder of great games of old, as I have experienced them in the past and how they grew on me over the years. There may be minor spoilers. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is often praised as a great game, as the best of its generation, and even […]
Demon’s Souls Remake – An ode to a cult-classic oddity
Since the sixth generation or so, very few new releases have managed to break new grounds in terms of ideas and concepts, usually just playing around with the traditional game genres and mixing them at different proportions. This proves even truer in high-budget AAA titles, a realm where risks are often minimized and new ideas […]
Crusader Kings III – When Grand Strategy Meets RPG
The Crusader Kings franchise sits in a weird and unique territory. When you look at it from afar, it seems like your traditional war strategy game, with resources to earn, buildings to keep, and maps to conquer. You start small, build up your forces, and ultimately conquer this medieval world ravaged by war. If closely […]
Masterpiece – Suikoden II
Note: This is a review-like reminder of great games of old, as I have experienced them in the past and how they grew on me over the years. There may be minor spoilers. I remember well my first contact with Suikoden II, which was also my first contact with the franchise in general. A friend […]
Final Fantasy XV – When a business model hurts a great game
Note: This review was originally written in december 16th, 2016. I’ve kept the original text and added a new topic at the end regarding the changes from multiple patches and updates. At last. The wait was almost infuriating, much longer than any of us expected. When Final Fantasy XV was announced, still as Final Fantasy […]
Atelier Firis – A delightful little journey
The Atelier series made a great move in its last iteration, Atelier Sophie, by ditching its time management element and fully embracing the warm and cozy feeling of the game’s casual setting and mundane problems. It gave a sense of freedom that I haven’t felt when playing the first of the Playstation 3 game of […]
Fire Emblem: Three Houses – The heavy-hitter tactical RPG
When the Nintendo Switch was announced, I made my plans to only buy it when it had both a Zelda and a Fire Emblem game. The first was released very quickly with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but its open-world format certainly did not seduce me enough to buy the console based […]
Atelier Sophie – A sweet ride to the golden days
I’ve bought a lot of games for the Playstation 3. In fact, I’ve exaggerated during those years, having bought many games which still remain wrapped in plastic up to this day. The Atelier series, in particular, is an example of this bad compulsory gaming behavior of mine. I have basically bought every single main game […]
Final Fantasy VII Remake – A perfect run with a disastrous finale
They’ve done it. They’ve finally done it. Square Enix took on a tremendous challenge when they decided to remake one of the most beloved and important classics of all time, a game critically acclaimed for its narrative, pace, charming characters, and the successful jump between the ages of 2D sprites and 3D graphics. Final Fantasy […]
Valkyria Chronicles – A jewel of the previous generation
Note: This review was originally written in march 2017. A few comments were added by the end. It took me a while to understand Valkyria Chronicles. In fact, I have failed to try it during the entire previous generation, relegating the game to my backlog for many years. It was only after the remastered version […]
Death Stranding – The video game we need
Let’s face it. Death Stranding is not your regular video game experience. It has been divisive, to say the least, but it just takes a more attentive look to understand what is happening here. First, we need to see the bigger picture. Kojima is an important figure in the gaming industry, one of the few […]
Monster Hunter: World – A masterpiece of its genre
Video games come in many flavors. Some are masterpieces of storytelling and character development, giving us a combined experience of books, movies, and long running series. Others are competitive platforms where players can test their reflexes and quick thinking against others. There are even those who apparently only exist to fill those few minutes we […]
Mass Effect: Andromeda – A flawed and underrated gem
I admit. I cursed Mass Effect: Andromeda for its existence two years ago. Like many did, I was quick to grow angry, disappointed, and sad for where one of my favorite new franchises was going to: the garbage. That was what I thought during my fifteen or so hours playing the game until I decided […]
The Division 2 – The benchmark of the genre
Ubisoft is a persistent hardworker. I mean, these guys have been releasing the same game over and over during the last twelve years or so, sometimes giving it the skin of a stealth simulator in a medieval city, at other moments making it play as a hacker in a modern world, at others simply throwing […]
The Last Remnant Remastered – Third time’s the charm
There is a lot to say about The Last Remnant. Yeah, I know the game barely hit a meaningful milestone back in its original release and was poorly received by the western media, but that game meant a lot of things. It meant so much Square Enix held it tightly to their chest, kept it […]
Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition – A truly definitive Tales
Among fans, Tales of Vesperia is regarded as one of the best in its franchise, but is also perhaps one of the least played of them all. There are reasons for that: the original Tales of Vesperia released way back in 2008 as an exclusive for the Xbox 360 and its PS3 porting was only […]
Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness – A (not so) pleasant surprise
Note: This review was written October 6, 2016. Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness (Star Ocean 5) release was a welcome surprise. Developer tri-Ace was just bought by mobile company Nepro Japan and many were certain that would mean a nearly definite removal from the console market. That did not happen though, and tri-Ace showed us […]