Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2

I thought I would never play a Neptunia game again, but I'm glad I tried MK2. It is a huge improvement.

The combats are turn based again but this time the characters move around the battlefield which allows to establish different strategies, target multiple enemies, hide from being hit, etc. I have played a game with a very similar concept, maybe Arc the Lad on PS2?

Combats aren't random and are very easy to avoid, also the battle pace is very nicelly done where I never got tired of fightning over and over. The game balance is great but there are too many overpowered skills which I tried to use only on boss fights.

On the customization side, we get to equip with many different items and also choose between a few skills to build different combos.

The game's pace has improved a lot, we get a more detailed world map with lots of things to do like quests, visit cities, battle in a colisseum, watch events, explore dungeons which are very short, I don't have any complain I think it is perfect for this game.

Graphics are okay though it abuses a bit on palette swap. Music has some catchy tunes and voices are good for a low budget game like this. Also it is not very long (I got the true ending in 22 hours) but has a great new game+ with new dungeons and many endings to watch.

The story starts fine and I watched many events because it was interesting to know the characters, but it got very boring after half game and I started to skip many events and only paid attention to the main story.

Did I like it? Yes
I think you will like it if you:
- Are a neptunia fan
- Don't hate anime jrpg

I rate my experience with a 7.5 out of 10.

Final Fantasy Theatrhythm

This is an addictive rhythm game a la Guitar Hero featuring the best of Final Fantasy music. It is controlled with the touch screen using the usual gestures and where each Final Fantasy numbered game has at least 3 different stages featuring different gameplay:

- The world map: where the character roams around and the player follows an slow paced music. Controlls here are usually tap and hold&slide.

- Cinematic mode: a beautiful mode where a cinematic from the game plays while the player follows the flow with taps, holds and flicks.

- Battle mode: the 4 characters battle some enemies while the player keeps the rhythm on a fast paced music with taps, holds and quick slides while the characters attack the monsters with many known skills, magics and summons.

The game has some rpg-like customization, featuring the main characters who can level up, learn different abilities, equip item. Plus there's a ton of content to do, many difficulty levels and different modes.

Music of course is superb, featuring the most epic and remember tunes from the main games. Too bad the 3ds speakers aren't great, but the recording quality is very good because I connect the 3ds to some autoamplified speakers the sound quality experience a vast improvement.

On the bad side, there's dlc and that they "dared" to put tunes from a game that Squarenix refused to bring in english.

Did I like it? Addictive!
I think you will like it if you:
- Don't hate rhythm games
- Love Final Fantasy

I rate my experience with a 7.5 out of 10.

Drakkhen

I think this is the first rpg I had ever seen. It's kind of "open world", presented in a very well made 3d perspective, similar to might and magic but with many outside enviroments.

I could start by making my own party of 4 heroes, I had fun customizing them though I barely remember which options I had. Once in the game, I had a big world to explore, I could go wherever I wanted and getting owned on the way because I got into a high level zone. The medieval atmosphere is greatly done.

The combat is real time and a bit strategic plus random encounters. The customization is very good too, I can see the new armor I found reflected on the character model, that didn't happen very often. Also as a kid it made me laugh seeing my characters in underwear ^^.

I guess the game isn't very complex, because was very very young when I played this and still managed to reach very far into the game tough I barely understood anything.

Did I enjoy it? I have very good memories of it.
I think you will like it if you:
- Like playing old school games

I rate my experience with a 7 out of 10.

Anarchy Reigns

The only Platinum game I didn't enjoy.

A game with fast action, basically It feels like a 3rd person shooter with a very arcade gameplay. I got bored very soon, the combat gets too repetitive, the development is not interesting and graphically looks mediocre. Overall the game feels like a very low budget one.

On the good side it has an online multiplayer mode which i did not try but I'm sure it can get pretty addictive.

I think the online mode is the game's main feature and this is the explanation of why the single player experience is so poor.

Did I like it? Boring
I think you will like it if you:
- Want to play online
- Like simple action games

I rate my experience with a 3.5 out of 10.

Baten Kaitos

A master piece from two great developers.

This is a "typical" jrpg, with dungeons, shops, many locations and a world to save through turn-based combats, but everything put there very carefully making a very fresh and enjoyable experience.

Combats are turn based, where attack/defense is done through collectible cards that can be found or bought. The player can use those cards to perform Defensive/offensive combos that sometimes can become secret combined attacks. The combat is very fun, bosses are challenging and the card system is very deep.

Graphically looks very detailed using pre-rendered backgrounds with animated details, the art design is impressive with many original and beautiful locations and creatures. Dungeons contain some entertaining puzzles which you don't use to see lately.

The music is awesome, though most of the sound/voices seems recorded in low quality, but still very enjoyable.

Did I like it? Very!
You will like it if you:
- Like jrpgs

I rate my experience with a 9 out of 10.

The 7th Saga

An rpg from when Enix could make games, the setup is very interesting and mixes the usual medieval content (swords&dwarves) with sci-fi (aliens&technology) giving an unique atmosphere to the game.

Encounters aren't random but aren't far from it because it is hard to avoid them and they're kinda frequent but still very fun and addictive.

Combat is turn based where I only got one main character and can recruit another member to help me. I could choose my main character from 7 different characters, very unique looking and with their own skills, making every playthrough different so the replay value is very good.

Then we got the usual jrpg elements, lots of equipment, towns to visit, places to explore, an epic story (which I barely remember :P) and all the other things that made us fall in love with Enix.

Graphically looks okay and uses the mode 7 (3d perspective) for the main exploration and combats, sprites are good enough. Music doesn't hurt.

Did I like it? Yes, addictive.
I think you will like it if you:
- Like jrpg
- Don't mind playing snes games

I rate my experience with a 8 out of 10.

Valkyria Chronicles II

A tactical srpg with a modern atmosphere, using guns, bazookas, tanks, etc.

The gameplay is very fun and addictive, as usual on sprg the battles are long and entertaining, giving the player many ways to approach encounters.

But it gets old and repetitive after a few hours due the lack of depth and customizaton, the battle strategy will always be very similar, with a few scripted moments but I got used to it and got bored because I was always doing the same thing over and over again.

The story follows the modern japanese trends: a group of anime looking students that are up to save the world from evil looking characters.

Graphically looks good, very anime-ish though - and I'm starting to hate it, more variety on designs please! Music and voices are very good.

Did I like it? Yes but got bored eventually
I think you will like it if you:
- Like srpg
- Don't hate anime style

I rate my experience with a 6 out of 10.

Shin Megami Tensei IV

An excellent game, with a very challenging combat system based on gaining extra turns by finding the enemy weaknesses while protecting yourself from your own ones.

The player can learn abilities from his demons, which are "caught" by negotiating with them in battle or obtaining them through the demon fusion system.

The world and graphics are dark as always, music and sound is good too. Demon designs are awesome as always.

This is the first numbered Shin Megami Tensei game I've played, so when I compare it to Strange Journey I find 2 negative things:

- The press turn system seems a bit more unbalanced as every time the enemy found a weakness on any of my demons, it was game over. At least I could return to the moment right before the fight by paying some Macca, this is greatly apreciated.

- The story is a bit weaker, because the player has to "wait" too many hours to reach the next dialog, making the characters more superficial. I really prefer Strange Journey storytelling.

The positive side is that the dungeons doesn't seem like the ones from Etrian Odyssey anymore, now dungeons are lighter, very entertaining and never get too tiring.

Did I like it? Yes, I love the difficulty of these games.
You will like it if you:
- Like jrpgs
- Want challenge

I rate my experience with a 8 out of 10.

Hyrule Warriors

I though I had enough of Dynasty Warriors games, which consists in having your character battle against thousands of enemies with barely any AI, conquering outposts and killing generals for loot.

I didn't have much fun while playing the story mode, there are a few new additions like the usage of the usual Zelda items (bow, bombs, boomerang...) and some big bosses which are dealt differently than usual, but it was still more of the same repetitive Dynasty Warriors gameplay. At least got a bit better at the end of the first half because we can control an unusual character and the difficulty increases too.

Overall the story mode is too easy even in hard mode, thankfully a harder mode appeared when I finished the Story that adds a bit more challenging and is actually fun.

Then I started the Adventure Mode and here is where I got addicted. A big map divided into a grid where every cell is a battle with many different loot, rewards and challenges for every character so no character gets left behind if you want to finish the map. Progressing through the map also requires completing an adjacent cell with a specified rank and then unlocking extra rewards by using one of the diverse items that are found when completing the battles. So this makes the adventure mode very dinamic and entertaining and completing the map is going to take me hours and hours, also the first dlc brings a whole new map into my addiction, I'm going to be busy for months.

There aren't many characters to choose from but at least they have very distinctive attacks and weapons that makes them different to play. Characters can gain experience to increase their level to gain more attack and hp, this time we don't have other stats like defense nor musou. Also they got 3 skill trees that gets progressed by using items dropped by defeating enemies. Weapons are only found by defeating generals or as a battle reward and can have sockets with skills on it that can be transfered into other weapons.

Graphically I think this is the best game that Koei/Omega Force has ever done. Music contains some of the most important Zelda themes, which is excellent.

Did I like it? I'm addicted!
I think you will like it:
- Are a Zelda fan
- Aren't looking for a complex action game

I rate my experience with a 8 out of 10.

Dragon's Crown

An excellent arcade action game with lots of rpg features, including the usual town with shops and tavern, a customizable party, many weapons and other equipment and very different classes with a few "talent" choices.

It plays a bit like a button masher with different styles for each class. I tried the Knight who I used a lot in aerial attaks and block+counter.

Playing solo may get boring because the combat gets repetitive but the online multiplayer is very fun to play, specially with friends.

The story is the usual medieval theme, save the world from dragons and other epic enemies. I usually skipped all the dialog.

It is a 2d game with scroll 3d movement a la Golden Axe. The art design is excellent, it looks specially beautiful on the PSVITA. Music is nice too.

Did I like it? Yes
I think you will like it if you:
- Like arcade action games
- Going to play online

I rate my experience with a 7 out of 10.

Final Fantasy II

Combat is turnbased, with the usual setup with enemies on left side and party on the right side. This time classes don't level up with experience but with another method based on the actions and weapons used in combat. Character customization also includes equipment and magic. Also a new feature is the "back row" position, feature that usually allows the character to do/take less physical damage while increasing their ranged damage.

Unlike some modern rpg, there is a enjoyable world map with many dungeons and town with the addition of the chocobos as transport method. The encounters are random but that can be avoided with the chocobo.

The story is a bit more complex but we still find the typical infinite justice japanese heroes, so I didn't enjoy it much but it doesn't hurt as the interruptions are minor. At least this time the characters have names and more personality.

While is not the epic experience that started with FFIV (imo), it is an enjoyable game with addictive battles, that may feel a bit too easy right now. Music has some excellent tunes and graphically looked good at that time, I recomend the psp version now.

Did I like it? Yes.
I think you will like it if you:
- Are curious about the Final Fantasy beginings
- Don't hate jrpg

I rate my experience with a 7.5 out of 10.

Final Fantasy I

The saga start, featuring a nice world map with lots of exploration to do, finding dungeons, towns and random encounters and traveling with different vehicles.

Combats feature a pure turn based system, with enemies on one screen at the left and players on a different screen at the right side. This system was really fun though now feels very dated.

At the game's beginning the player can chooose the 4 heroes between a few classes, these classes are the final fantasy usuals and the choice is very welcome for me. Character evolve with the usual experience levels and customization is just about the different equipment.

The story is very light and characters generic, with no personality and not even a name. Of course this is forgivable on a game from 1987. Graphically looked simple but it has improved with the many re-releases, music has a few tunes that now have reached the epic status.

Did I like it? Yes.
I think you will like it if you:
- Are curious about the Final Fantasy beginings
- Don't hate jrpg

I rate my experience with a 6.5 out of 10.

Tales of Symphonia

I enjoyed this "Tales of", but probably if I played it now I would hate it as I do with the latest one I've played because I remember that I didn't care much about the story nor the characters.

Gameplay is the usual, staged encounters with real time fights where the player controls one character and leave the others to the IA while being able to order them to cast a few skills. It is very entertaining, but the button mashing can get tiring after 40 hours.

On the customization side we find many equipment like weapons and armor that can get bought, created and upgraded via the crafting system which is entertaining as always.

The story is about the usual heroes of infinite justice, with a few surprises that are very welcome but after many hours I grow a bit tired.

A good jrpg with entertaining battles but, like Abyss, I think it is very overrated.

Did I like it? Yes
I think you will like it if you:
- Never played any "Tales of"
- Or love "Tales of" series
- Want a nice jrpg

I rate my experience with a 7.5 out of 10.

Final Fantasy XII

I tried hard to like this game, but I can't.

The combat system looks diferent than usual, I guess it's because there's no random encounters, but the execution is basically the same active time battle again with a few differences, like the mmo's "agro" system where enemies target a determined ally based on a few parameters.

While the player controls one character, he can command the others but also rely on a programmable IA called Gambit. Those allow the ia to make actions based on conditions, like if the leader gets below 50% hp then heal him. This is good but the problem is that gambits are found through the game, I think this is a bit lame because most of the basic orders are unlocked at the beginning making the game even more boring because I had to keep ordering them what to do for many hours.

My problem with the combat system is that it got very repetitive and after 14 hours I was just rushing through endless and simplistic enviroments populated by 3 or 4 types of enemies.

The story and characters aren't bad, I think it's the only reason that kept me going until the end, but I think It wasn't worth it.

I didn't like the customization either, every character has the same choices which the only choices are if to become a mage, rogue, warrior, etc. but inside those classes there's nothing else to choose from.

Did I like it? Nope.
I think you will like it:
- Don't mind the repetitiveness
- Have fun exploring endless straightfoward dungeons

I rate my experience with a 4.5 out of 10.

Beyond: Two Souls

Another interactive movie form the creator of Heavy Rain.

This one starts excellent; I found that the main character is very interesting and I wanted to know more about Jodie and her special powers.

Despite the story is explained in a very weird order of events, It managed to keep my interest for around 75% of the game, but 2 things killed the game for me:

1. The Side stories: a few but long stories that I found unrelated to the main story, there are just some random events that happened to the main character during her life.

2. The final episode: It felt just like another side story, I really wasn't moved by it or its ending.

The gameplay is just about move the joystick a bit or push this button and sometimes the action scenes are unintuitive, I preferred the QTE from Heavy Rain because.

Graphically is really impressive, it has a very realistic design and the best attention to detail and illumination that I've ever seen. Models look and act very realistically too, the music is okay, voices and sounds are excellent.

Did I like it? Kinda.
I think you will like it if you:
- Played and liked Heavy Rain

I rate my experience with a 6 out of 10.

XCOM Enemy Unknown

To me this Xcom started really great, with premises of a deep strategic turn based rpg.

The player can control up to 6 characters, with a few interesting classes and abilities to choose from that gives many ways to approach a battle. Battles are fully turn based: player moves their characters and after this the enemy does his movements. Movement is limited but not grid based, also relies a lot on the usual cover system, maybe it's like a slow paced Rainbow Six?

Battles aren't very long and usually are just about killing everything in sight, it's fun and kind of challenging, sometimes a but unfair like enemies poping right behind my characters.

The customization, aside from the character classes there are weapons, equipment, some kind of crafting and many ways to improve the main base which give many bonuses and a few other things to do.

The problem here is that after 8 hours I already had everything under control, I got overpowered weapons, my classes were at maximum level, my sniper was a killing machine and battles had nothing else to offer and started to get very very repetitive. So I ended up bored and rushed to watch the end.

In the end is an excellent game but it lacks the dept I need to be entertained for many hours.

Did I like it? Only for the first hours
I think you will like it if you:
- Are a xcom fan
- Like srpg

I rate my experience with a 6 out of 10.

Final Fantasy Legend III

This game belong to the SaGa series and  actually starts very good with the common rpg elements: exploration, world map, random encounters, turn based battles, towns, equipment, heroes, but lacking soul.

The enviroment doesn't look bad either, but the battle screen is very poor, with zero detail, just the menus and sprites.

Combat is the usual turn based system, challenging enough but it gets boring and repetitive where the lack of development and dungeon design helps to get tired too.

Customization is a bit weird, aside from the usual equipment  we can use some of the items dropped from the enemies to evolve the characters class, this isn't a bad idea but it is implemented in a confusing way where without a guide I was completely lost.

The story is okay, tries to be epic but fails because of the bad pacing, the player will spend too much time wandering around and defeating the monsters rather than following the story or dialogs.

So after a few hours the game has nothing else to show and starts getting very heavy. If this game had less grinding and repetitiveness and a good story development the game would have been way more fun to play.

Did I like it? No.
I think you will like it if you:
- Desperate to play old jrpgs?

- I rate my experience with a 3.5 out of 10.

Pokemon Part 2

It has some nice additions, better and colored graphics, new story, lots of new pokemon, new ways of exploration, pokemon can be equiped with one item and the game is really long. But of course it wasn't as suprising as the original.

Did I like it? Yes
I think you will like it if you:
- Like rpgs

I rate my experience with a 8 out of 10.

More things to do, better graphics but the same system and feels like nothing changed, I enjoyed it but It started to feel repetitive.

Did I like it? Yes
I think you will like it if you:
- Like rpgs

I rate my experience with a 7 out of 10.

The declive, I noticed that I wasn't having so much fun anymore and was forcing myself to finish it.

Did I like it? Yes, but got bored
I think you will like it if you:
- Like rpgs
- Aren't tired of pokemon

I rate my experience with a 6 out of 10.

I just coulnd't play for more than 6 hours, this game isn't fun nor challenging for me anymore :(

Did I like it? Nope
I think you will like it if you:
- Like rpgs
- Aren't tired of pokemon

I rate my experience with a 4 out of 10.

Not played and not gonna play it.

I may try it but I have no hopes.