Transience の最近のレビュー

My first Castlevania experience was with Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge for the Game Boy. At the time, as a young child, I did not appreciate it for what it was. It wasn't until around 2005 or 2006 when I picked up Circle of the Moon for the GBA that I really enjoyed Castlevania, albeit in its Metroidvania form. A few years later, in 2008, some friends recommended Symphony of the Night to me, and I was immediately smitten by it. Sure, Circle of the Moon is great, but it doesn't quite match with the immensely well-deserved reputation of SotN.

When I first learned about Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, my expectations were tempered, purely because it was a Kickstarter project, which doesn't inspire the greatest of trust. However, and to my great relief, all fears were unfounded within the first few seconds of gameplay.

• I chose to play the game with a wired Xbox 360 controller, as I assumed that it would have been designed from the ground as the ideal method, rather than mouse and keyboard. This decision seemed to be the correct one, as the game handles almost flawlessly. The one thing which I felt was slightly awkward to begin with was aiming magic with the right stick then firing with the right trigger, but this became more comfortable over time.
  
  
• The shard system is the game's way of gradually feeding you new abilities. The vast majority of enemies (known as demons) you defeat are capable of dropping a shard, which add to your arsenal of powers. These range from simple projectile magics and passive stat boosts to the ability to summon a chair at any time. While the game already has a well-established meta for shards to use, there really is no "wrong" way to approach the game. I will admit to finding a few and sticking to those for the majority of the game
  
  
• Like the shards, there are a huge number of weapons you can choose from for your demon-slaying escapades. Also similarly, there is no "bad" type of weapon; it all comes down to your preferences. For the first 30% of the game, I used boots and rapiers in equal parts. After that, I traded those in for a katana. By the time I finished my first playthrough, I had ultimately settled on using a spear, which took me all the way through Hard and Nightmare modes.
  
  
• The game has decent replayability with its three difficulty modes. The game starts on Normal mode, which would be familiar to players from Symphony of the Night. After finishing that, Hard mode is unlocked, followed by Nightmare mode. At the end of each playthrough, you have the choice of restarting on another difficulty with your items and levels, or you can start fresh. Additionally, the Boss Rush and Speedrun modes are also unlocked after one playthrough.
  
  
• I streamed this game for a friend briefly, and she commented on the variety of enemies that exist within it. The game does use the occasional palette swap, but, for the most part, you will be finding unique demons along every step of your journey.

• The biggest criticism I can put forward is the fact that progression is, at times, easy to lose sight of. To clarify, the game begins in a linear fashion, becoming increasingly open as you unlock movement techniques. After awhile, many parts of the map become available to explore, making it hard to tell where you need to go. At one point, you have to unlock the ability to swim, and there are virtually no clues as to how you accomplish this. There are two other infamous moments, which are spoken about at length in various discussions about this game.
  
  
• Speaking of swimming, there is one mandatory swimming section. I don't know if it's just me, but the 5 minutes spent in that part were excruciating. What is it with games and bad water levels? Fortunately, it really is a short segment, give or take a few moments depending on how good/careful you are.
  
  
• The quest design is, to put it lightly, dull. There are three NPCs from whom you get optional quests from, and they all fall under two categories. Fetch an item or kill x number of demons. They are worth doing for the rewards, but they are just as uninspired as Skyrim's radiant quests.
  
  
• If you have any desire to farm every weapon, armour and shard in the game, then you are in for the long haul. All demons have a chance to drop their loot, and many of the most valuable items have drop chances of less than 5%. Considering that you will end up needing several copies of each, both for crafting and upgrading, it really does end up taking a long time. Fortunately, drop chances can be inflated by increasing your luck stat.
  
  
• Cosmetic items have stats associated with them. Therefore, if you want to min-max, cat and bunny ears are out of the question.

This title is truly the spiritual successor to Symphony of the Night. Ritual of the Night iterates upon what made the genre great while being its own unique entity. Some may call it a shameless clone that exploits nostalgia. Some may call it lazy. I, on the other hand, call it a glorious revisiting of an era of gaming that most fail to do. It knows what it wants to be, and it succeeds on almost every count.

If you have even the slightest inkling that you would enjoy this game, whether it be based on nostalgia or on what you have read or seen, then just buy it. The few shortcomings it does have are extremely easy to overlook.

Well done, Koji Igarashi. Mankind indeed needs a saviour such as you!

Note: as of writing, I have only completed the game's story; most of the side content has yet to be done.

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This was my first foray into the Yakuza franchise, and... I was not impressed.
My first impressions were poor, but, as you might be able to tell from my recommendation, I did eventually come to enjoy it.

The main thing which I struggled with initially was the combat system. So much so, that I abandoned the game for 7 months.
However, I returned to the game purely out of curiosity about the story and setting. In the end, I got used to the combat, and managed to make it to the end of the story.

• It feels as if many games in recent years have placed a greater priority upon their aesthetic designs than the story. Yakuza 0 has not fallen into this pit, and it truly benefits from it. A huge amount of care has been put into the plot, character development, voice acting, cinematography, mini games and setting, to the point that all aspects of the game are enjoyable.
  
  
• There is a huge variety of mini games to partake in. The first one which caught my eye was the presence of SEGA arcades, in which lie completely functional arcade cabinets, including UFO catcher machines. That's not even to mention the two business side quests, which are much longer and more involved.
  
  
• The game has an excellent sense of humour, both in its writing (though a sometimes loose translation) and its visuals. The story may be a relatively dark journey through the depths of the criminal world, but everything else in the game is so lighthearted that it is impossible to take seriously on the whole.
  
  
• You take control over two distinct characters throughout the story: Kiryu Kazuma and Majima Goro. Both of them have multiple fighting styles that you can switch between freely (once unlocked) that drastically change the feel and flow of combat. For example, Majima's "Breaker" style, which is based entirely on breakdancing, is as amazing to behold as it is effective against crowds.

• For the duration of the story, you are locked to playing only a single character at a time. It isn't until the end of the game that you are given the ability to switch between them at will. I understand this design decision from a story telling perspective, but it would still have been nice to have been given the choice, regardless.
  
  
• Some cutscenes can drag on for a little too long, but this is admittedly just my personal taste talking.

Yakuza 0 is an excellent entry point to the series. Being the prequel to the other titles, it is also a logical one. Overall, I can safely recommend it to most people. The main thing that might hold players back is the combat system, which can take a bit of getting used to. Its dark overtones present in the story may also be unappealing to some, but those aspects are so strongly overridden by everything else in the game that it's almost a moot point.

Mini-Dead is a very short game about defeating 3 distinct bosses.
This review will also be very short.
If you have ~1 hour to spare and you like difficult games, play this.
The fight against all 3 bosses at once will challenge even the most seasoned player.
Overall, this experience was, in equal parts, satisfying and frustrating.
It's also free, so just go for it.

I tried. I really tried to like this game. The environments look good, the world is interesting, and I was looking forward to learning more about the factions.

However, two aspects make ELEX incredibly difficult to immerse myself in and, in turn, enjoy.

The Acting
I can forgive bad writing. I can forgive bad voice acting. What I cannot accept is both at the same time.
From the beginning, you learn that the protagonist has been stripped of emotions. "Okay," I thought to myself, "maybe Jaxx will be a bit like Geralt of Rivia."
This was wishful thinking. The protagonist's speech is incredibly dull and monotone, and there is zero personality to anything that comes out of his mouth.

Then there is the voice acting of everyone else you meet in the first hour, who do still have their emotions. That barely makes a difference. Sure, they speak with feeling, but the awful writing makes that irrelevant.

The Combat
From the start, I got the impression that ELEX was drawing inspiration from two main sources in terms of its gameplay: Skyrim and Dark Souls. These are great sources of inspiration, but the outcome just feels half-baked and lazy.

For example, ELEX employs a stamina system. Engaging in almost any physical activity will drain stamina, which regenerates quickly if you relax for a moment. It's a good idea in theory, but here's the thing. Being out of stamina completely prevents you from attacking, blocking, evading or sprinting. Sure, this makes enough sense, but it feels highly limiting due to how quickly you run out.

However, that's not the biggest offender. I would probably get used to the stamina system given more time playing. What makes melee combat a poor experience is that it is slow and cumbersome. It is hard to explain this precisely, as it comes down to the flow of fighting and how it feels in motion. I can only strongly recommend watching some gameplay footage for yourself, as this is what killed all enjoyment for me.

Conclusion
I fully admit that I jumped into this game without knowing anything about it. All I saw were the screenshots and description on the Steam store page, which sold me. I prepared myself for an adventure in an open world filled with a mix of medieval fantasy and science fiction. What I got, instead, is a sluggish pile of good ideas and intentions.

I have read other reviews also condemning the combat. I thought these to be exaggerations, but they most certainly are not. I am prepared to give it some more time, perhaps until I can access ranged combat, but it might be some time before I gather the willpower to jump back in.

The following are my first impressions of the game, based on approximately 100 minutes of play, in addition to my time with the game in my childhood.

As a fan of the original Secret of Mana, there are many elements of this remake that both tickle that inexorable sense of nostalgia and provide new experiences. As with any remake, some of these are most welcome, while a few can be rather grating. I aim to explain these aspects in this short review while avoiding story spoilers.

The first things which everyone sees is the graphics, and I have little issue with the transition to the new aesthetic. The visuals are smooth, but nothing particularly impressive. Subjectively speaking, I would have rather seen a more realistic rendition of the world, but I understand that such an approach would actually work against the charm of the game.

One aspect which I really enjoyed is that adaptation of the classic tileset, which has now become the minimap. This is both a welcome addition and a great homage to the original graphics.

This is the aspect which I fell really drops the ball. The original SNES soundtrack was fantastic, albeit with some strange instrumentation at times. The remake, however, has strange instrumentation written all over it. The new music felt discordant at times, pulling me out of the action and making me wonder who decided to write in those few notes. It still works as a whole, but I am fully an advocate of the original music.

One thing which I did not expect was full voice acting, including all NPCs. I have been using the Japanese voice overs, but I have listened to some of the English dialogue via others' videos. In both cases, the performances are on the subpar side. You would not lose out on anything by turning off the voice audio.

Ultimately, this is what matters most. Without engaging movement and combat, the game is largedly doomed. With that said, it pleases me greatly that this remake is simultaneously faithful and modern.

• Movement is no longer limited to four facings and eight directions. It is now possible to move around freely. Dashing is also easier to use, no longer requiring a full recharge after each use.
  
• Weapons appear to have either increased range or a greater angle for landing hits, allowing you to take greater advantage of the improved movement.
  
• The overall difficulty seems to have decreased. One of the first things I noticed is that enemies are much easier to stunlock, as the duration that they remain disabled after being attacked seems to have been increased by about half a second. This is more than enough time for your attack to recharge back to 100%, allowing you to land fully-powered hits in succession. The fluidity of motion also make it easier to avoid or move around enemies, adding to this sense of easier combat.
  
• To balance my previous point a little bit, enemies with ranged attacks appear to be much more difficult. I would attribute this to the fact that they can shoot in more than four direction, allowing them to better aim at the party.
  
• AI-controlled party members still have the pathing of a blind squirrel. They will try to run in a straight line towards whatever they are trying to get to, only to get stuck on a corner or small obstable. It's fortunate that it's a simple matter to change control to get them unstuck.
  
• The magic system is unchanged, for better or worse. Casting spells and having them cast on you completely stops that character's ability to do anything else, which disrupts the flow of combat. Leveling magic is still a pain, though.

So far, the plot and progression seems to be identical to the original's. Being a remake, I will work under the assumption that this will be the case all the way through.

A rather significant addition of content comes in the form of party banter while resting in inns. As the story progresses, staying at an inn will cause party members to converse with one-another, revealing greater insight into their personalities and goals. This is a welcome change, as character development was definitely lacking in the original.

Perhaps to many players' chagrin, the ring interface is back. Personally speaking, I don't mind it; it's functional enough, but I agree that it can be rather hard to get used to. I certainly remember my seven year old self being very confused for a long time. As far as I can tell, there are also no tooltips to explain what the consumable items do, which seems like a bit of an oversight.

There is keyboard and mouse support, but I have not tested them yet. The controller just seems like the more intuitive choice in this case. For reference, I am using a wired Xbox 360 controller, which has been flawless so far.

The only bug I have encountered so far is a graphical one. During a couple of early cutscenes, there were visible black lines between textures on characters.

The starting price point seems a bit on the high side, but that's to be expected from Square-Enix at this stage.

We have lost the ability to cut grass! To be more precise, grass no longer exists, with the exception of the species that is capable of blocking your way. This is utterly unacceptable, and only serves to spit in the faces of dedicated fans of the original game. Long gone are the days of having a sword capable of levelling the grasslands in a matter of seconds! No more can we destroy the native habitat of countless Pokémon! Should this disgust you as much as it does me, then look away from this disaster of a remake and seek solace elsewhere. The preceding passage is absolutely, completely, totally 100% serious.

If you have played the original Secret of Mana and are looking to experience it again, I believe that you would not go wrong with this remake. It succeeds in capturing the spirit of the original while adding very welcome quality-of-life features that a modern version can provide.

If you are interested in JRPGs in general and are looking for a relatively unique experience with a classic sensibility, I would also recommend this game to you. Also, grinding is far from mandatory, but I know that some may consider that to be a negative.

There is a deep satisfaction to be gained from playing, improving and (hopefully) eventually succeeding at rhythm games. As someone who has enjoyed the likes of O2Jam, DJMax and Gitaroo Man in the past, seeing this game on offer, and for free at that, meant I had to at least try it.

Speaking of Gitaroo Man, the core gameplay of this is almost exactly like the defense phases of Gitaroo Man's stages. Arrows will approach the center of your screen from one of four directions that correspond to the background music. You are tasked with facing those arrows when they reach the center, or face an immediate game over. Fortunately, restarting takes only a short time. Regardless, it would be nice if it could be instant, rather than having a short delay.

Throw in a visual and musical aesthetic reminiscent of Super Hexagon, and you are left with an experience that could suck you in for quite some time, assuming you don't let the frustration get to you.

"War... war never changes."
This is an utter lie. Why? It is simple. Warframe is about many things. This certainly includes war to an extent, but it's hardly war as we know it, at least in terms of its goals.

Let's briefly examine what makes Warframe tick, in terms of its pros and cons.

• The movement and combat mechanics have more flow and impact than just about every other action game that comes to mind. The capability to casually pull off the most acrobatic of maneouvres while gunning/cutting down all foes around you make for a very cathartic experience.
  
  
• You may start the game with only one titular Warframe, but you will soon find yourself owning many more. Each frame has 4 unique abilities, all of which themed based on that frame. Stand your ground as Frost to make living (or, perhaps more likely, dead) ice sculptures. Prowl as Ivara and steal from the not-so-rich and drive a single arrow through a dozen skulls. Leap as Zephyr as your foes are tossed about in turbulent tornadoes. Dance as Octavia to lure those around you to a musical doom. You get the point.
  
  
• Interested in guns? What about swords? How about gunblades? As of writing, the game boasts well over 300 distinct weapons for you to use, falling into 3 broad categories: primary, secondary and melee. Put one of each into your loadout to hack, slash, maim, burn, puncture, strangle, bludgeon, stab, shoot, freeze, shock, explode, crush or punch your way to victory.
  
  
• The end-game, more colloquial known as "fashion frame", takes full advantage of the game's extensive cosmetic customizations. Colours, attachable armour parts, weapon ornaments, flaming capes, you name it. Spend even 1 minute looking at screenshots or videos of the game, and you will understand.
  
  
• The community is one of the friendliest and most helpful that I have ever seen in an online game. I, like many others, would attribute this to it being a largely co-operative game, rather than a competitive one. Your gameplay experience will be much better if you are in a group of competent and knowledgeable partners, so it only makes sense that many do provide that assistance. New players often feel overwhelmed at how much is in the game, but they can rest assured that they will find the help that they need; they need only ask.
  
  
• Being a F2P game, a premium currency does exist, known as Platinum. However, panic not! Two factors set Platinum apart from other such currencies. The first is that it is relatively easy to earn these from other players by trading in-game items. Play enough, and you will eventually accumulate enough of these items to spare. The second factor is that, even if someone has a lot of Platinum, it does not confer them any direct advantage over others. Everything in the game (aside from cosmetics) can be earned by simply playing the game and engaging with its systems. Platinum simply serves as a way to hasten the process, allowing you to bypass some of the grinding.

• Speaking of grinding, Warframe's most glaring issue is about respecting your time. While it is understandable that a F2P game wants to hold your attention for as long as possible, the sheer amount of time that the game demands from you to reach milestones ranges from tedious to aggravating. The most recent major update as of writing, Plains of Eidolon, has only compounded this issue.
  
  
• The content can get repetitive. Unless you have a friend or three you can socialize with while playing, the game can get rather stale, especially if you choose to farm for a specific item or resource. It is almost impossible avoid the need to do this, especially in the early stages of the game, when you are needing a lot of those resources to build new frames and weapons.
  
  
• Layers of RNG upon RNG upon RNG. A huge amount of the game comes down to chance. This is largely a factor when you are looking for Warframe parts or a specific mod. The most blatant offenders are what are known as Riven Mods. Here is how they work, in a nutshell. To earn one, you have to play a trio of missions called a sortie. Those missions are chosen randomly. When you get one, it can either be for a primary, secondary or melee weapon. To see what the mod does, you have to fulfil a randomly-generated condition. Once you have done that, you find out which specific weapon that the mod is for. At that point, the statistical bonuses that the Riven confers are also randomly-generated. If you don't like your mod, you can "reroll" it for different stats.
  So, yes. RNG.
  
  
• If you are looking for any sort of PvP content, look somewhere else. The option exists, but an extremely small number of players actually engage in it.
  
  
• The game does a horrendous job of explaining its complexities. Save yourself the frustration and either familiarize yourself with the Wiki or ask other players for help.

Pick up Warframe if you enjoy customization, both in practical and cosmetic terms.

Pick it up if you are looking for a solid co-operative experience with a community that is largely friendly and willing to give a hand.

Pick it up if you're looking to slaughter hundreds of futuristic goons in a matter of minutes.

Lastly, it's free. There's really no reason to not at least give it a try, unless your computer is literally 10 years old.

2018 update:
The new open worlds of the Plains of Eidolon and Orb Vallis, while very welcome additions, only add to the already insurmountable amount of grinding required. If playing open world games appeals to you, this is an added bonus. Otherwise, it's just another time sink.

2022 update:
Oh. My. Goodness.
Having taken a several year hiatus, returning to this almost feels like a completely new experience. The core gameplay experience is still there, but there is borderline too much stuff to do. That said, this is a good thing! Not having a shortage of activities is fantastic, even if it's just rehashing the same old cycle of grinding for faction standing and materials.

The highlights of this return to the game have to be The New War and Incarnon Weapons. Will avoid talking about The New War because spoilers, but it has some pretty fantastic scenes, thankfully breaking up its janky moments. Incarnon weapons are just fun. The Laetum is my new best friend.

Overall, lots to do, mostly the same, but different enough in good ways.

Disclaimer: I have not finished a playthrough of this game yet, so the following information may be subject to change in the future.

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Since my first and only participation in a Dungeons & Dragons campaign with a few friends eight years ago, I have been looking for a video game that attempts to mimic the style and freedom that D&D offers. When I saw that this game had such freedom advertised, I knew that I had to give it a try. To put it simply, I was not disappointed.

As an RPG, this title puts the vast majority of similar games on the market to shame. If you're looking for an in-depth role-playing experience with challenging encounters, combat or otherwise, then Divinity: Original Sin is for you.

Being a fan of similar games, I was very much looking forward to playing this.

However, upon launching, I was greeted by a blue screen with no way of continuing forward.

Regardless of how enjoyable an experience the game could be, not being able to get into it in the first place makes all of that irrelevant.

I am, by no means, a veteran of city-building games.

My cities are messy. My citizens are undoubtedly confused.
I slap down zones and buildings based on wants, not needs.
My compulsion to draw symmetrically is a handicap.
I cannot get those accursed hydro plants to work.
My mind cannot comprehend the criteria for unlocking certain buildings.

I am, by all means, enthralled by Cities: Skylines.

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It is a rare ocassion when a game will allow even the most clueless of players to succeed. I suspect that it would be safe to assume that most of Skylines' current players have at least some background with other city-builders, whether it be with the classic SimCity titles, the not-so-classic SimCity 2013 or more modern examples like Cities X(X)L.

My own glancing knowledge of SimCity 2000, 3000 and 2013 will have certainly helped with the transition into Skylines, but it still felt like an entirely new experience. However, the game does extremely well in explaining its mechanics and guiding an unskilled hand, providing tutorial messages and prompts only when relevant.

Cities: Skylines assumes nothing of you, short of some common sense and logical thinking. Put yourself in the shoes of your citiy's citizens. Where do they need to go? How can they get there? What do they need to live comfortably (or uncomfortably, as it may be)? Whatever your solution, it's likely that the game will allow you to execute it. With that said, the core mechanics are not particularly difficult to understand.

Skylines, for the most part, follows the formula established by SimCity 3000 and onwards. Build roads, place zones, construct utilities, and you're pretty much good to go. As your city grows, throw in education, police, firefighters and dealing with land values to develop further. Soon after, you're dealing with public transportation, taxes, extra policies and perhaps working towards the lofty goal of building a wonder-like monument.

All of this may sound slightly intimidating to newcomers, but Skylines never forces you to approach the game with all of these things in mind. It allows you to do whatever you want, provided you have the funds to do to (there is a built-in money cheat you can use if you want). Certainly, the game will prod you with brief messages to bring matters to your attention, but you're under no obligation to do anything that it tells you to in order to build a working city.

My time with this game, a paltry eight hours as of writing, is exponentially less than other reviewers, but I can safely tell you that Cities: Skylines is not something that you will regret playing, assuming you have any interest at all in the genre. There are still numerous aspects that I am yet to discover and play with, but that really only adds to the desire to keep going.

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Note: Skylines is famous for its modding support, but I am yet to explore the possibilities. Therefore, it has not factored into my opinion.