Recent reviews by DvMg

Final Fantasy IV - A classic JRPG.

And by classic, don't expect any hand holding in these early titles, guides whilst not required to enjoy and complete the game at all, can be invaluble.

Whilst this is a port of a port of a remake, the core of the game is firmly in it's early 90's origins, not without having it's entire world and cast remade for the Nintendo DS, side content expanded, FMV intro, characters and story flushed out, among several other small changes make this a worthy remake.

The port itself, being a port of the Android/iOS port of the Nintendo DS remake, runs fine, some fps locks, full controller support, no issues with crashes or glitches. Downsides due to it being a port of the Android/iOS version, the UI is firmly centered around touch controls and as such the UI is large to accomodate fingers, and would be massively improved by being scaled down a bit for PC.

The story itself is fairly basic, but with a lot of humour, and surprisingly for some, a lot of emotion. Final Fantasy titles are known for changing with each game, FFIV follows some of the other early "classic" era titles with the story revolving around Crystals, and a quest to retrieve the Crystals to save the world, in this version characters have been slightly more flushed out in back story, and voice acting adds even more to the experience, overall though pretty basic, it's a classic story told and somewhat updated, well.

Graphics:
As this was remade for Nintendo DS, older fans who played the original in it's 2D sprite glory might be put off by the DS style chibi-esque graphics, I find they actually add charm, now they don't contain the sharp details a 2D boss sprite can achieve, and at 1080p, it's a bit distracting at first, but that soon passes and you'll either love or hate the updated visual style, it certainly doesn't look bad and this being a pro or con is totally down to you.

Pros:
- Excellent music, a staple of Final Fantasy games.
- Length (and depth) - On average it's not going to come close in playtime to the newer Final Fantasy's many know well, such as 7 or 8, but it's not a short game, and for it's original gameplay and story having to accomodate cartridges, it holds up well in content.
- likeable and varied cast in personality and combat (No job system ala FF3)
- Voice Acted cutscenes - Whilst they aren't voiced by "A List" voice actors and are short and well paced throughout the story, they are well done and really help immerse you in a world full of text.

Cons:
- UI - Designed for touch, using it via controller works perfectly, it's just a bit unsightly in my opinion and would work much better being smaller.
- FPS - For me personally, I don't find it an issue, but many do find 15fps in battles distracting.

All in all, FFIV is a classic JRPG that should be in the collection in any JRPG or Final Fantasy fans collection, does it have problems? Yes, but the pros outweigh the cons, and for the price it is, it earns its value.

South Park: The Stick of Truth stays true to the title it holds.

Any South Park fan will find this game enjoyable, packed full of references, characters and tidbits from throughout the entire show's series, the story whilst avoiding spoilers is exactly as you would expect from a South Park episode, in fact the best comparison would be that whilst playing, you feel like you are in a 12+ hours long episode, which really is an achievement of it's own.

Whilst it may lack the depth and choice of other RPG's, the combat is fun, with each class and party member having different attacks and effects, all the hallmarks of an RPG battle system are there, hard hitting attacks, fast combos, DoT's, debuffs, buffs, and elemental attacks, alongside a pretty vast array of weapons, both melee and ranged, and armour pieces and sets, that can be further customised for looks, and/or unique effects and strategy make for a well rounded RPG battle system.

Graphics are identical to the later series, and it runs well on PC, and being able to openly explore the first official layout of South Park is fantastic, though in some areas you notice the lower FPS, and Screen Tearing was an issue, it was fixed by using V-Sync. Some of the areas, and attacks look fantasic and are more detailed than you'd first think of something attached to the South Park name, the direct involvement of the creators really paid off in this installment.

Sadly it has a few downsides in that other than achievements and slightly differing mechanics, and one or two different short cutscenes, there is little replay value, and in terms of an RPG game, it is very short, offering around a 12 hour main story that could be stretched to 15-16 at best with optional side quests. With that in mind, the full price of the game can be questionable, but if you can get hold of a copy at a decent price, this is a fantasic game that any South Park fan will enjoy from beginning to end, it really is a game that a fan must play, the other side of the coin is there isn't really a middleground for this game, if you aren't a fan of South Park, you will not like this game, it has far too many hallmarks of the South Park series to be played as just an RPG.

All in all, this is by far the best South Park game created, and a pretty good RPG to boot. If you are a fan, pick it up for a good price and enjoy a 12 hour long episode of South Park, if you aren't sure on the South Park series or it's humor and story but are wanting to try a new RPG, I'd advise to look elsewhere.