Recent reviews by y0nza1

It took me a while to finish this game. Originally, I started it a few years ago... left it unfinished in my backlog, then picked it back up and started over from beginning to end in one sitting. In terms of playtime, it will not amount to much. I think of it as an experience that's closer to watching a movie than playing a video game. TLDR: I think it's worth it. I'd happily pay for this game for the same amount I'd be spending at the movie theaters, if not a bit more.

The game is quite pretty. It has a bit of a cartoony (for lack of a better word) style, but manages to still capture the visual majesty of American national parks. The colors are gorgeous and the setting works well to intensify the paradoxical feelings freedom and isolation out in the wilderness. The invisible walls do occasionally break the flow, but I personally did not find it frustrating since this was clearly intended to be a linear experience.

Getting the gameplay stuff out of the way: this is a walking sim. You will mainly be traveling from Point A to Point B and pressing interaction and dialogue prompts. There is a decent amount of backtracking going on, which may seem tedious at times, but as you get more familiar with using the map and the environment, it becomes more tolerable. For the most part, it's packaged fairly well. I was stuck at a couple of points, but the solutions were not actually obtuse or anything. I'm just spotty at problem solving sometimes. Overall - it doesn't really offer much in terms of gameplay/mechanics. But obviously, this is not what the game is about.

The game is centered around conversations and exchanges between two people working as fire lookouts in a national forest. Without spoiling anything, the dialogue is deliberately crafted to reveal aspects of their personalities rather than their backgrounds. The dialogue is also supported by excellent voice acting, among the best I've ever heard in video games, to be honest. The story itself is not exactly remarkable, but this game isn't selling a great story - it's selling great characters.

...And that is a point which I believe some reviewers are missing when they say the conclusion (again - I'm not spoiling anything, I just want to address a common criticism) fell flat. The writing is fairly grounded from the very beginning, and because of the increasing tensions and twists that occur throughout the chapters, people may have developed expectations about where the plot is headed. I would argue that those expectations are misguided, and that the writers were fully aware about "reining it in" at the end. But of course, this is just my opinion. I find the realism refreshing in a medium dominated by cliches, character tropes, melodrama, and extreme power fantasies.

Firewatch will probably stay in my head for a while, in the same way that a good book will stay in my head long after I turn the final page. It was not profound in the sense that it was enlightening, but in the sense that it touched on something very viscerally human - when we seek avenues to escape the troubles and tragedies that plague our lives, they may only remind us of what is actually important in the end.

UPDATE: Finished the game with the true ending, and started NG+ with the latest patch which allows players to start a New Game from the title menu as well as making frames smoother in cities. I'm glad this was addressed somewhat quickly, but it really shouldn't have been an issue in the first place. Gonna work on 100%'ing the game and then getting it out of my conscience until maybe a DLC drops, and then wait for critical feedback on that to start rolling in (because I learned my lesson).

I wish I could give a "meh" or "mixed" rating. People with experience in DD:DA probably know where I'm coming from when I say that this game feels like a prettier-looking sidegrade at best. I'd like for audiences to evaluate their standards for games when there has been more than a decade gap between releases, and understand that it is not out of the question to expect an improved iteration of the best version that the first game had to offer - and not just the base game. This series doesn't exist in a vacuum either, the developers had so many other great games that have been released in that decade long gap they could have drawn ideas from, especially in regards to QoL features and scalability.

With the exception of warrior, vocations feel simplified, and not in a good way. Sorcerer suffered the most, but as a fighter enjoyer, losing skills that could be dedicated to the shield secondary weapon slot also sucked really hard. Combat is fun, especially at the beginning, but the scaling feels nonexistent (I don't think it even exists). So by the time you've discovered most of the playable map, you and your pawns just become this unstoppable killing squad, and there's no challenge to be had, even in the "post-game" phase. This game really needs a hard mode. I'm not saying that to inflate my ego; I suck at games and even I got bored very quickly. So that's a problem.

Fashion isn't as fun because the equipment has been reduced to having just helmet, body, and leg armor slots. No gloves, no shirts + armor, no pants + armor. Dragonforging your armor gives it a weird effect which looks subjectively awful in my eyes. My main complaint is that having less player choice is never a good thing, and I have no idea what Itsuno was smoking when he said that the simplification of equip slots was going to result in more variety.

Story is also bland and backloaded like the first game. I don't really consider a weak story to count against DD2 too much, because it was also very weak in the first game, but the pacing is noticeably much worse here. Battahl was a cool region which got the short end of the stick in terms of the quest quality. I will give credit where it is due: the unmoored world was more interesting and developed than anything else. The quality needs to be more consistent when it comes to the writing and world-building aspects of the game, however. The pacing is incredibly jarring and lends to the feeling that this game is unfinished and rushed.

Finally, the travelling and exploration experience is decent. One big downside is the borderline-extreme levels of enemy density can make traveling feel like a chore. Portcrystals are also much more difficult to come across naturally than in the first game, and as a result, most players will find themselves having to backtrack very often. This coincides with the inclusion of MTX that alleviate this a bit, and it makes you wonder how deliberate that is. I'm not here to argue about MTX, but I'll just say that my stance towards it is pretty hostile, and it was totally unnecessary to have them exist for this game. Moving on.

The map is quite large, and offers many points of interests. Honestly, I actually think this game excels the most when it comes to the environment design, although many other people will cite combat instead. If you've completely run out of everything to do in this game (and unfortunately, that's not hard), I suggest tackling the "Tourist" achievement in your next or current playthrough. It will probably get you to appreciate how detailed the whole explorable map actually is.

But overall - Dragons Dogma 2 is not worth the $70 price tag. If I had to give it a numeric rating, 5/10. It's mid. Not horrible, not amazing. A lot of the disappointment absolutely comes from my knowledge of the first game, but human bias is a thing and it's impossible for me to really evaluate this game outside of knowing how much better it could be. Especially given the decade+ gap between this game and the first one.

I could probably recommend it more confidently when it's on sale and/or a good DLC has been released. Suffers from similar parallels to CP2077's launch and subsequent improvements with 2.0 and Phantom Liberty (DD2 is not as scuffed in terms of that launch, but the parallels are still there). But I know better now than to put money on the table early for the developers next time around.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: I cannot recommend it as of now. As a fan of the first game, I was hyped beyond words for this release. Numerous reviews mentioned poor optimization and especially bad performance in the city, yet I still held onto hope. Unfortunately, the claims were all true.

This game runs very poorly in the city and the variable framerates are borderline headache-inducing. My PC has decent specs (Ryzen 5950x paired with an RTX 4080), and it's freaking 2024. Capcom has no excuses. What a shame.

I'll personally continue playing this game because I really did love the first title, and I still want to see how the story pans out. But for those who lack the prior attachment to the name - I truly cannot, in good conscience, recommend buying this right now. My current hopes have changed to future patches to address the current problems, and then I can update this review. For now, I'm just tossing another negative review on top of all the other negative reviews already given.

Speed Dating for Ghosts a short game that will objectively not provide very much playtime, but there's certainly a degree of depth to the various stories that anyone could appreciate. I was expecting something kind of funny and memey (and sure, it can be), but I ended up having some intense feelings at the conclusion of several "dates". To expand a bit on that, romance isn't really a factor here - and it is very much intentional.

This reminds me of slice-of-life shows which have simple and lighthearted premises as well as compelling and sympathetic characters. The game cleverly approaches themes on mortality, death, grief, closure, loneliness, and existentialism under the guise of a silly dating sim. Yet, it is poignant without being dramatic.

I think this a lovely, short, and bittersweet experience which I can easily recommend.

This game is amazing.

It's not your traditional platformer, that's for sure.

Where should I start..? Probably with the best aspects of this game.

The thing (that I believe) that stands out the most is the design. The game itself is like a work of art - it's a visual treat along with the interesting soundtrack and atmosphere. All the level designs are unique and they change often, keeping the player immersed and curious about the environment they are in. Sure, there are some disturbing or incredibly creepy stuff lurking around all the time, but I think that is what seals the deal. Just. Wow. I've never taken more screenshots in my life.

Next would be the story. Now, I guess we don't really associate platformers with intriguing stories, but that's what makes AMR such a cohesive and linear game. As the player progresses through the story, he/she will realize why the levels are designed the way they are, why certain characters say certain things, etc. It'll all come together towards the end. Some people may think the story's a bit dramatic or just downright disturbing, but the purpose of the game is to uncover our protagonist's insanity and madness. It's GOING to be a bit provoking, at least. But as for me, that's all the more reason to play this game.

Finally the gameplay is quite smooth. Platformers need smooth controls, and I've played the first parts of this game using my keyboard, but then switched to controller (when I twiddled around with the menu and figured out it's compatible with one - just personal preference). For both methods, I think it runs fairly smooth. I've encountered a couple of problems with some levels where I had to calm down and then retry getting accross somewhere, but that just might be my technical ability to cope with the difficulties of some platformers. The only issue I really have is that camera control is relatively important in fights, but focus mode totally disregards that.

The puzzles are also pretty fun, and there are different minigames scattered here and there. It's refreshing...

In conclusion I totally recommend this game. Maybe I should warn some people to not play this at night, but really, it's awesome!