With a lot of games out there in the wild, I often don't get the chance to play these games until years after the release.
Games listed here aren't limited to games that came out this year, but essentially games that I have played this year, that has made an impression on me to mention, let it be good or bad.
+ Encourages freedom by encouraging player curiosity to try & explore, which in turn giving an outcome that is unique to that player and their play-style
+ Expanded, fleshed out world, lore, and story that also gives players who are looking for more story focussed game to get their fill
+ Plays on the familiarity of the Breath of the Wild to turn everything on its head which in turn gives much more expanded scope compared to if everything was "new"
- Technical blemishes due to aging hardware does force things to look and feel a bit too same as Breath of the Wild
+ Lovely presentation that gives you sense of wonder among our familiar backdrop while creating sense of danger with creatures you battle with
+ Gameplay refinement gained with years of experience shines throughout giving you more time to adventure and have fun
+ Wealth of content to go through and enjoy where there are varying degree of challenge you can choose to take on yourself
+ Visual design continues to be highlight where the sense of realism meshed with stylised characters gel perfectly
The best entry in Pikmin series so far and perfect game to get the feel for the series.
+ Such lovely evolution of art design bringing the charm that seemed missing from the "New Super Mario Bros" series
+ Level design brings such variety that feels fresh with little to no repetition
+ Tight controls that fees very responsive and "right"
+ Badge system actually gives a choice of personalisation
- Game for the majority can seem a bit too easy
+ Great soft reboot from Kiryu arc spanning 7 games
+ Awesome cast of characters who are so likable in their own way showing great chemistry
+ Yokohama is a great city with lots to see and do
+ Great and robust set of minigames that gives you a lot more things to do outside of the main story
+ Hybrid turn-based battle is a welcome change that also gives you reactionary input bonuses akin to Paper Mario RPGs
- As graphics get more "real", janky animations takes you right out of the experience
Future Redeemed DLC
+ DLC with content length that rivals some other games (clocking in 20+ hours)
+ Great book-end(?) that brings what appears Xenogears, Saga, X and Chronicles together to give players much more lore to sink their teeth into
+ As advertised, this DLC "completes" the saga, which for many gives the end to more than decades worth of story that's been excellently masterminded into a satisfying saga
+ Various character story arcs you can choose from
+ Bite sized episodic structure that gives the feeling of watching short anime episodes
+ Minimal 2D-HD style mixed with orchestral soundtrack allows player to connect the emotional dots that doesn't get set by typical cinematic cutscenes, which in turn keeps it much more engaging
+ Plants enough seeds of a grander narrative which gives you payoff and story satisfaction for those who follow through the hints and characters they meet along the way
- The way the key story arc that ties all of the 8 pathes together can be missed as it's less obvious, which is a real bummer
- Post-"True" ending could use bit better end-cap moment (even playing credits again) to give a "Fin" feeling of the game
Although it took years for me to play this, impact it left was so amazing and I can't wait to play the mobile prequel as well as 2.
+ Visual and audio design recreating a fairy tale story book feeling suits the game very well
+ Dual character control on each stick gives it an interesting depth and invokes thrill that I had playing Astral Chain & classic Cookie and Cream
+ Story is much easier to follow and quite compelling without convoluted and complicated mess mainline series often falls into
+ Level design and structure gives you a feeling of playing a 2D-era Zelda game mixed with lite metroidvania-ish adventure
- Beginning hour can be quite slow paced and doesn't really give you the best of impression
+ Various weapons and summons gives so much combat variety that gives players better play style choice
+ Characters show more depth and dramatic tension (and humor) that gets you more engaged
+ Great dramatic & cinematic battle scenes are as bombastic and fun as ever
+ Various gameplay design & stages brings freshness to the game pacing when it can get a bit monotonous
+ Story.... funnily enough... is more convoluted but somehow easier to follow compared to the first two games, and brings the arc to a close quite nicely
- Bigger world stage design makes the game feel even more empty, personally stage designs of 2 had the best balance
- While aspects of graphic design are amazing, character model body proportions even in its 3rd game, is rather distracting than making it stand out
+ Fun and engaging story fused with great character chemistry between the Guardians
+ Art design of the world and overall presentation creates great immersion
+ Great acting by the voice and motion capture crew
- Level and game mechanic design feels somewhat dated
- Even playing the game after almost 2 years, game feels glitchy
Switch Remastered Edition
+ Best example of "Remaster" to date
+ Updates what would be an antiquated mechanics to be relevant one in today's context
+ It is astounding to see how a fundamental design and mechanics hold up so well after 20 years, demonstrating importance of game design beyond technical presentation showcase
+ Gives comfort and confidence on how Metroid Prime 4 will turn out..... as well as hopeful Prime 2 and 3 would get similar treatment
+ Welcome return to mechanics that's more like Awakening than Three Houses
+ I personally much more preferred the brighter, sillier, and more "anime" characters and story with less overburden in need to do social mechanics that brought pacing of Three Houses down
+ Much more emphasis on "Tactics" is another welcome back to form
+ Offers range of options to cater someone very new to the series and/or genre to the series veteran who wants the challenge
+ Inventive puzzle adventure that is hard to come by (back when it originally released.. and even now)
+ Charming presentation with fun characters to boot
+ Story that's engaging to get you through chapter by chapter with enough intrigue and cliff-hangers
- Some puzzle structure can feel tad repetitive
- Game felt a lot shorter than when I first played it (although it was more than a decade ago)
+ Great spectacle and character dynamics
+ Darker, brooding narrative
+ Presentation goes full AAA SQE glitter with power of PS5
- English voice acting was more a miss than a hit unlike how the praise from media outlets have made it out to be
- Defintely preferred Japanese VA, however the lack of lip-sync to Japanese VA was disappointing (which they were able to pull off with FF7R, but... not here)
- While it's understandable this game trying to bring a new hybrid RPG mechanics for the future, I'm not quite sure they have succeeded, as the game felt more like a spin-off title, rather than the proper numbering title with such a heavy emphasis on action combat
While I've listed out more critisms, I did really enjoy the game and I do hold it in pretty high regards. Perhaps the game holding the title "Final Fantasy" alienated my expectations and hence had harder time getting accustomed to it all
+ Graphics and technical design definitely is worth praising for
+ Mixing the gameplay between characters (including trying to differentiate the experience by setting shared and unique skills) does make the game a little less repetitive compared to the first
- Beyond what they were able to do with the presentation, there really isn't must gameplay changes / improvements from the first game, it is definitely more iterative.. however it's also telling how good the first game have done to stablish very solid foundation fundamentals
- Overall main two story arcs of the main villains don't really gel well together, where one thread seems to end a bit too abruptly
- While it's good to see some sizeable side "stories" that gives its own short story arc is nice, it tonally often detracts from the main story rather than adding to it
+ Brings the story of Kiryu to a close giving a great book-end to a game series that spawned 7 main entries
+ Focus on single character gave it better focus and story easier to follow
+ Core theme is quite powerful
+ Anthology of bite sized stories works really well for short burst play, chapter by chapter
+ It nicely comes together in longer end chapters which then skews more towards traditional JRPG tropes
- Levelling / Grinding mechanic could've been more... streamlined (especially for those who focussed more on story rather than levelling) towards the end of the game as the bosses can be quite unforgiving
+ Revamped combat pacing makes each battle a joy to play
+ Better story centred around real issues in society
+ Great emotional arc between key characters
+ Wealth of side activities and games you can play across number of Sega's old catalogue
+ Spreading activity across Kamurocho and Yokohama gives it a better sense of freshness...
- ... but after Yakuza Like a Dragon, even these two cities will create tedium if it was re-used in the next game
- Unlike Yakuza series, the tonal shift between the main quests vs side quests doesn't really gel as well as it should
- Most of game mechanics such as chases, camera investigations, climbing / parkour, and stealth leaves a lot to be desired bringing the pace and engageent down. These would be better suited to be handled by a cutscene or a QTE instead to keep the engagement and pacing more brisk
+ Breezy, cute and charming adventure in the Mario universe
+ Battle mechanics are engaging and very speedy
+ Focus was to recreate the old into new upgraded look, and they succeed
+ Great starter for RPG newbies
- Perhaps a bit too easy
- Game could've used addition of some key voice acting to make the remake even more remarkable update
+ Extensive library of songs that chronicles the whole franchise is very tasteful way
+ Button control scheme, despite initial doubts moving from touch controls, comes off very well tuned to be a standout in rhythm game genre
- While 300+ songs is great, there are more songs that would've been better to represent the game and franchise
- Considering what the game pays tribute to, it would've been better to have more backgrounds that showed the games it represents
- Why isn't there a Theatrhythm for non-FF SQEX games?.. there are some great series with great music that deserves such treatment (Mana series, Octopath, Star Ocean, etc).... fingers crossed!
+ Great modern remake of a handheld strategy classic combining 2 classics into one
+ Turn based stragic finess has aged very very well challenging players to think and plan to win (especially in harder difficulty)
+ Inclusion of map maker, wealth of side battle maps, gives the game content rich experience for you to enjoy long after you have finished the game
- Restricting online multiplayer to friends group only is a massive missed opportunity
This game got me thinking that it would be awesome if they create a mobile version of this and have it cross play enabled with nintendo switch version.
+ Much needed change and quality of life improvements from the previous outings
+ Overall improvement in quantity of VA rather than stilted text boxes certainly helps
+ Improved story that rivals the first Yakuza game
+ Multi-character story tie in works much better here than 4 with much more variety of locations
+ Wealth of side activities and games to delve into even more so than 1,2,3,4
- There are still a lot of janky animations and dated character models reused for multiple games now with little to no changes....
- Battle system, although showing improvement, becomes very repetative very quick
This series certainly gives enough story hook to overcome what is by in large very same world, assets, activities, and perhaps a starting point where studio felt it was necessary to "end" Kiryu's core story with Yakuza 0 and Yakuza 6 that released after 5.
+ Beautiful rendition of fictional world and characters that tells a story where it's shown not told
+ Familiar gameplay mechanic that doesn't put too hard burden on players from enjoying the core narrative
+ Combines heartwarming story complemented by simple platforming / puzzle gameplay rather than one overpowering the other
+ Simple yet cozy and heartfelt story
+ Game stays short and sweet to not overstay its welcome
+ Minimal yet beautiful presentation both visually and audibly
- Some glitches that can take you out of what otherwise is a great immersive experience
+ Wonderful blend of music, action, and awesome cell rendering
+ It knows the tone it's going for and it shoots for it on all cylinders
+ Definitely does not overstay its welcome, and leaves you craving for more
+ Great aesthetics giving you a sense of earlier 2D metroid games' sense of isolation
+ Tight mechanics and control that knows what it wants to do
+ Simple yet effective story that gives you back story behind what happened to Kiryu between Y6 and Y7
+ Much less bloated, where you can whiz through the story without getting overwhelmed by the average length of games in the series
+ 2 combat style provides very varied yet entertaining play style
- Sectioning off all the story in just a small town of Sotenbori gets tiring pretty quick
- Payoff isn't as great for those who did not play pervious 7 games in the series
+ Dynamic multi-button configuration makes it easier for players to familiarise with using all buttons
+ Amount, range and quality of music contained in the package is personally very pleasant
- Art design isn't to my style
- Single player story mode felt like a big waste that really doesn't add to what appears the dev's attempt to create a universe / narrative to immerse players into
Fortress S for Nintendo Switch
+ Gameplay mechanics (for single player story) although feels unfair Vs CPU, had this hook in me to try to beat them at their own game, which defied my expectations expecting the old mechanics of turn based battles
+ Game isn't "polished" but some of these aspects gives you good old feeling of arcades where game is designed to beat the crap out of you.. and in turn when you beat them.. you feel that much more satisfied (especially with some really demanding mini-games)
- Lack of online-multiplayer modes even for the classic mode does feel like a missed opportunity to gain more audience outside of ones who played the PC original
- Visual & audio definitely feels more budget and lacks volume
+ Charming story telling through wonderful animation & expressive characters
+ Invokes the feeling of old school point & click adventure games and the Goblin series in the right way without being a straight parody
+ Each "levels" are designed in a such way where you get the constant "one more" feeling...
- ... which can lead you to end of the game rather sooner than you would like (which is by in large a good thing in terms of quality of the dev's engagement design)
+ Great visual design that is simple, but will stand better test of time
+ Great music (especially first world) that compliments the visual aesthetic
+ As the name suggests, design uses the grapple mechanic to differentiate from the genre masters
+ Overall presentation of the world, character models, and setting evokes right unsettling sentiment, brooding depressing emotions - which is starkly contrasted by the bright happy vibrant scenes that hits perfectly
- Level design and continuity of levels in a journey feels rather unnatural, where the linear levels and vastness of the scene raises question "why can't you just... go this way" more often than not
- Character motivations and choices they make, especially ones made by the two lead characters, just doesn't resonate hence taking you out being engaged
- Overall level design and mechanics really didn't show much evolution / improvement from the first game infact, in some case, felt worse than the first game
At least for now, I'm glad they have ended this arc with 2 part story, and if they do make the new arc (hopefully in different time setting), they should take all their learning to make a might tighter new entry that evolves the theme in meaningful way rather than just putting more "graphics" on screen.
+ Unique character abilities infused with varied level design options keeps player choice meaningful
+ Old school visual design and audio adds spoon-full of nostalgia
+ This game stands out more than the main game (Ritual of the Night) that inspired it... and perhaps that's telling as this game did get a sequel
+ Level design
+ Collection mechanics and levelling system gives depth
+ Exploration and experimentation does have a great payoff with better upgrades / gear / weapons
- Going down polygonal presentation loses the charm of the creater's previous outing (even when compared to 2D side series, which uses NES style presentation)
- Universe and character interactions lacks enough context for you to care
+ Visual design is very strong
+ Story does portray a meaningful message and character arcs
+ Gameplay surrounding usage of colours and pain is an interesting gimmick
- Lacked a proper "hook" for me wanting to keep pushing through the game.. perhaps it would've benefited by having a bit stronger narrative guide to focus the player more to the next objective
+ Great alternative "what if" take of the Three Houses universe
+ Character mix and overall story is engaging with multiple routes and branches depending on your mission actions
+ Great volume for those who wants to experience all 3 different stories from each houses
+ Great use of perma-death to create tension in what can be a "done to death" musou formula
- Side missions you need to take to progress the main missions can get pretty repetative and can drag the pacing down
- While the graphical presentation benefits from having stylised design, it can still feel very old
+ Fun story
- In its 4th instalment, game mechanics show little to no evolution with so much feels like it was in 3, 2 and ultimately 1
- Some story beats and characters just feel too forced in through series of convenient coincidental events that lowers seriousness of the game
- Too much of the "meaty" story telling are done with endless amount of acted (and text) dialogues
- There's nothing here that'll change your mind about the series.. infact making it not ideal to even consider it.
+ Day and Night gameplay differences gives you a bit more of you play the way you want feel
+ Story, although pretty stupid, is exactly what the games like this needs to put additional player agency
+ Soundtrack is pretty dope
- In the grand scheme of arcade "racing" genre, driving physics could be more refined to be arcade fun
+ Fun story that engages player with intriguing characters and universe that makes it worth playing
+ Wealth of side activities
- Kamurocho hasn't really... changed much
- Some narrative structure feels a bit too forced to involve stories and characters from previous game
- Realtime random battles gets old rather quick
Playing from Zero, Kiwami, Kawami 2 and then 3... 3 definitely shows age, and more sense of dejavu than unpacking new spectace.
+ Wins more kudos for the single player story content narrative showing growth of Ms Marvel and surrounding Avengers story arc
- Gameplay loop is underwhelming with ultimately underwhelming RPG levelling system that just doesn't give much satisfaction
- Level design lacks creativity with many repeated modular design with different visual flair on time and ultimately doesn't gel well with the rest of narrative content
+ Great upgrade to the overall presentation
+ Faster loading on PS5 does provide better experience
- Unfriendly onboarding
- For a remake (perhaps being too faithful), it doesn't appear to streamline or bring better quality of life changes, making it only really the graphical overhaul instead
+ Despite the game it's parody angle, game sets it's charm well and plays with it
+ There aren't much "original" game mechanics, but what it has doesn't detract from the story and jokes they are trying to convey
+ Short, simple and cosy design
+ Despite the simple structure, it feels relaxing to just roam around the island, and gelling with the characters and nature
+ It's certainly targeting an audience who aren't looking for hardcore mechanics, drama and action
+ Story can be captivating with typical twisty narrative with intertwining character arcs
- Despite having 4 styles of fighting mechanics, none of them feel that much fun, and overall fighting pacing is slow, much like Yakuza 3,4,5 and Judgement... which I believe was around the time the original Ishin came out
- Technically, the game is very disjointed with small loading from battle to transitions, and oh my lord... texture pop-ins especially in cutscenes where face close-up shots..
- Having an old game just given an engine facelift without any other quality of life, presentation, mechanics update to the current age makes the game feel even more dated
- Overall pacing is just all over the place especially in core story arcs, game forces you to do what seems tonally inconsistent side activities which takes the immersion off the wheels
+ Destruction derby x physics mayhem
+ Variety of races with varying degree of cars
- Game doesn't really feel fun to be playing as a "racing" game, but rather just goof around and crash into people
+ Pixel-art design goes hard to carry the game
+ Game mechanics brings a 2D platformer x Monster Hunter
+ Weapon upgrade and customization mechanics
- Level variety is lacking especially compared to number of missions you play
- Also to enemy variety (as most are just colour palette swaps...)
- Could've used a better story hook to offset the repetitous nature.. but it was nowhere near the parody it was getting its inspiration from
+ Competent horror adventure
+ Game shines in multiplayer - let it be couch, or online co-op
- Janky animations, especially during dialogue where stiff body animation is complemented with better facial animation together with realistic graphics breaks the immersion
- Some scene continuity feels off, as scenes cut abruptly in some scenarios making you go... what just happened?
+ Game's visuals, music and setting
+ Overall message it contains within is meaningful and interesting especially on topics of depression and anxiety
- Tries too hard to have a gimmick (i.e superpowers) and a twist which in the end felt unnecessary and even brings down the enjoyment of the game...
- .... would've been more appreciated if it played straight as a down to earth drama that built on the dynamics of characters and town itself
+ Enjoyed the world and character designs
+ There are some character interactions and relationships you get to enjoy, although it's cliche
+ Choose your own adventure style chapters worked for me personally
+ Setting and story does keep you on the hook to continue through the game
- Payoff isn't as good as what you'd expect...
- "Game" portion lacks polish and interesting mechanic and quickly becomes a chore and it felt more like a mobile game (and after finishing it, found out it IS based on iOS original...)
