Category: Game Review

Suikoden HD Remaster: The Allure of Nostalgia

Robin VanGilder4 Comments

It’s been a while, but I’ve really been mulling this one over.

This is a review, specifically of the version of Suikoden included in the package called Suikoden I&II HD Remaster Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars, available on all modern platforms for fifty big ones. I may review the other half, Suikoden 2, at some point, but I kinda stalled out in it. That one doesn’t have as much juice for me, though it is generally superior in every way. And that’s honestly part of what I wanted to talk about, so perhaps this will serve as a reflection on both.

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Romacing SaGa 2: Personified Empire

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Alright, let’s try something else. Again!

Wagnas, one of the eponymous Seven

Those weekly blog posts weren’t really working for me. I don’t like the pressure of having something to talk about, and then they always felt too big and unwieldy and unfocused. Not the kind of work I can look back on with pride, just kind of filling time, y’know? I don’t like to post just to post. Brings back bad memories of trying to unlock privileges on message boards as a middle schooler by making enough posts, haha.

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Games of the Year 2023

Robin VanGilder4 Comments

Hey guys. I’m not dead!

Just haven’t really had the inspiration strike to continue my big Moby Dick project lately. A lot of my energy has been consumed by looking for a new apartment, I am positively desperate to move out of Auburn. I finally resolved that this week, moving to Tacoma in April this year, it’s gonna be much better, as a person who doesn’t drive.

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Final Fantasy XVI Review: Towards a Better Tomorrow

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Hey, remember when I used to review video games?

Well, I never did it very much, since I do not finish video games very often, and even less often do I feel strongly enough about them to sit down and write something. Also, whenever I have the energy to return to this blog, I usually continue on my sisyphean quest to finish the Moby Dick project. But no longer! It’s time for another one!

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Game of the Year 2022

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Ahhh, it’s that time again.

This was a weird year for me, in terms of games. There was the release of something that I had been looking forward to for a long time, but it didn’t really hit for me. I spent the first half of the year paralyzed with fear and absorbed in old favorites, and the latter half too busy to get into anything new. So, there’s not a lot to go on here, really. But, I’ve still got Some Thoughts on a few things.

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Games of the Year 2020

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Ahh, another year gone by.

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It’s that time again, for me to write up my favorite games in a somewhat unstructured article. I did not play very many different games this year, but I did find a few gems that I really enjoyed a lot. These are presented in chronological order, not in ranking.

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Cyberpunk 2077 Review: It’s Mostly Fine

Robin VanGilder3 Comments

I am sitting on a motorcycle parked behind a cab that is being controlled by a sentient AI run amok. It is one of many such AI that I have tracked down as part of a long term sidequest involving a sentient AI cab company trying to bring its “children” back into the fold.

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The Delamain AI is subjecting me to an endless litany of warmed-over Portal jokes, using the same kind of voice modulation that GladOS did in that game, over a decade ago. There’s a line about cake, references to testing, it is absolutely awful and I sigh out loud while I wait for it to finally be over. Continue reading “Cyberpunk 2077 Review: It’s Mostly Fine” →

Games of the Year 2019

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2019 was a good year for games.

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Lots of interesting new ideas in the space, and some refinements of old ones. Here’s a list of my personal favorite games of this year, in no particular order. Making an ordered list can be fun, but it’s ultimately pretty pointless. Continue reading “Games of the Year 2019” →

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night Review: A Fine Return to Form

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Hey! Game reviews are a thing I do sometimes, when the stars align just right.

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So, after many years of development, another big Kickstarter success has finally been released. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is directed by Koji Igarashi, affectionately referred to by fans as IGA. It is, essentially, a new Castlevania game, in the style of those that were directed by IGA back at Konami, when they were interested in making video games. Continue reading “Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night Review: A Fine Return to Form” →

Yakuza Kiwami: A Strong Foundation

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I have kind of a strange history with the Yakuza series.

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Back in the PS2 days, it was just sort of another game on the shelves among hundreds. I had no idea what it was about, other than Japanese organize crime, or even what kind of game it was. As a Nintendo fan going way back, the fact that it was made by SEGA was meaningless to me, and if anything made me less inclined to give it a shot. Continue reading “Yakuza Kiwami: A Strong Foundation” →