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What are the best JRPGs for PS4?

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May 26, 2023

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The 2 must play gamesWhy?

Best JRPGs for PS4	Price	Genre	Platforms
92 Tales of Berseria	$59.99	-	-
90 Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age	$59.99	Role-Playing	PlayStation 4, Windows
86 Persona 5	$57.20	Role-Playing	PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4
85 NieR: Automata	$59.99	Action Role-Playing	Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
-- Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen	$29.99	-	-

Tales of Berseria

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Top Pro

Engaging story and characters

One of the best and most well-rounded cast in any Tales game. See More

Top Con

Music is forgettable

The music is at times bad and at times just forgettable. See More

ReveredAnitunTabu's Experience

Best cast of characters, best main protagonist, unique and extraordinary story, great combat. See More

Top Pro

A darker, more mature storyline than the rest of the series

The Tales series is generally bright and cheery, but this particular title explores the darkest parts of the human heart. For example: the main character, Velvet Crowe, is hell-bent on brutal, bloody vengeance, and that is the main driving force behind the plot. It explores these themes very well, and overall is a great addition to the series. See More

Top Con

Equipment system can feel tedious

In Tales of Berseria weapons and armor give you permanent skills if you master them. This leads to a situation where you're constantly swapping to new equipment to get new skills while cycling the equipment between party members so everyone masters it. There's quite a bit of micromanagement involved, so after doing this for over a dozen of hours, it can feel incredibly repetitive. There's the option of not doing it, but it can make the game more difficult, especially on the highest difficulties. See More

Top Pro

Great value

Storyline is 40+ hours. See More

Top Con

Long and repetitive at times

During your exploration trying to reach the next objective, the background can feel familiar at times. It feels as if you are doing the same thing over and over again. Some people can bear through it while others can't. This game is probably better for those who like to read books. See More

Top Pro

Combat choices are completely up to you, thanks to a unique battle system

Tales games have always used what Namco calls the "linear motion battle system," a real-time, 2D battle engine that lets you move around the field and attack foes at will. Tales of Berseria uses an expanded version of this system that's fast, fun, and easy to master. See More

Top Pro

Huge amount of content and gameplay

The game has a bare minimum of 50 hours of play in it. That doesn't include side quests, delving into character development, etc. See More

Top Pro

Re-invigorates the Tales of franchise

Zestiria, the previous entry, had many flaws. This improves on all of them. See More

Top Pro

Great pacing and twists

The story progresses in a believable way, and the multiple twists are surprising as well as logical. See More

Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age

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Gorgeous and expansive environments, towns, and cities to explore

Exploring the locations in Dragon Quest XI and discovering new towns and cities are some of the best parts of the game. From how beautiful everything looks, like tiny details in architectural designs and how colorful the maps are, just walking around and adventuring is a ton of fun. Getting to a new area is a lot like seeing an impressive vista for the first time, just from the sheer size of the cities you come across. Running around in the towns and talking to all of the people who live there really lets you see the culture and inspiration behind each of the places. You get a real sense of adventure and awe from the exploration, helping to keep you hooked throughout the long hours of the main story. See More

Top Con

Some pacing issues with the story

While the story is mostly well-written and easy to follow, there are some hangups here and there. With a 70+ campaign, it's understandable that the plot drags in certain places. Depending on your tolerance levels, it shouldn't be enough to make you put the game down, but it is pretty noticeable when it happens. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:Role-Playing

Top Pro

Accessible for Dragon Quest newcomers

Dragon Quest XI's story is pretty much standalone and separate from the rest of the games, so you don't have to worry about missing out on any continuity details. You can pick up this one without having played the others, and you won't be lost on important plot points or anything like that. Jumping in at the eleventh title of a long-running series sounds daunting, but this game is quite accessible to new players. See More

Top Con

Too familiar and formulaic as a JRPG

If you typically stay away from JRPGs that follow the same old formulas with their turn-based combat and linear stories, then Dragon Quest XI probably won't change your mind about that. It's the type of game that stays true to its roots and mostly avoids changing up its formula. It gets a lot of credit for being part of the franchise that created the formula in the first place, but it still won't win over players who are turned off by traditional JRPGs. See More

Top Pro

Huge post game content

Top Pro

Light-hearted and entertaining story that can take 70+ hours

Dragon Quest XI has an excellent story that spans well over 70 hours. You start off as a supposed harbinger of darkness, demonized by the government as a danger to the people, but things quickly turn around to a much lighter tone. Journeying across the world with your companions to save various places from evil forces helps to show your true and honorable intentions, especially as you befriend like-minded companions who all have their own well-written personalities, from eccentric tricksters to more grounded warriors. While the larger story looms over your head, you're mostly free to spend time getting to know your party members through plenty of fun interactions. The plot does tread familiar ground by JRPG standards, meaning your mileage may vary on whether it innovates enough or not for your tastes. If you want a lengthy story that feels familiar but isn't too weighed down by dark themes, this is a pretty good fit. See More

Top Pro

Cool anime art style with detailed cel-shaded graphics

This is a great-looking game that stays true to its original art style from the 1980s. The sharp and colorful art style is a staple of the series that's now an iconic look. The cel-shaded graphics help to keep the game from looking dated in the generations to come. They made sure to update the anime look by using excellent motion capture, realistic lighting effects, and awesome animations for each monster that gives them some extra personality. It's such a nice game to look at that's sure to age well down the line. See More

Top Pro

Well-implemented turn-based combat for traditional JRPG fans

The combat is by-the-books as far as JRPGs go, with a great turn-based system that stays true to the traditional formula. You have a party of up to four companions taking turns to attack the enemies, with a menu-based system where you pick your spells, abilities, and items to use as strategically as possible. If you love old school JRPG combat systems, this is an excellent one to check out. The game encourages you to switch up your party members, since everyone has their own specialized abilities and skill tress to help them feel like they truly have their own combat identities. Switching members in and out of battle is a solid way to tackle the challenges that the game throws at you. Everything works well and feels like another good iteration of the tried-and-true turn-based combat formula. See More

Top Pro

You've played it before and that's why it's great

You'd think that the same traditional turn-based combat formula that JRPG fans have played through a dozen times by now would be something nobody would enjoy. But Dragon Quest XI not only doesn't try to reinvent the wheel, it reminds you why the design was perfect in the first place. Some people might find the tried and true formulaic design harkening back to the JRPGs of Olde tedious and mundane, and it can definitely grate on you with its gameplay you've played in other games before at times. But most of the time, it ends up being a reminder of why you loved the genre in the first place. See More

29 Other Games Considered

Persona 5

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Living the life of a highschooler is surprisingly fun

Your character is one of the very few highschoolers in a game that actually has to go to school. This includes attending lessons, answering your teacher's questions, taking midterms, and many other things, which is actually kinda fun. Then when school's out, you can go spend time with your friends or alone in Persona 5's version of Tokyo. You can hit up a karaoke, a batting center, or numerous other locations, all the while meeting new people and establishing connections with them. All of this makes it a refreshing change from most modern games where you're always trying to kill or blow up someone. See More

Top Con

The art/music style is not for everyone

HilariousCeraon's Experience

I can't get passed the art and music. See More

Specs

Genre:Role-Playing

Top Pro

Well-balanced story

Even though the story dives deep into heavy themes such as abuse, loss, and depression, it never becomes too overbearing. That is thanks to its lighthearted moments, funny situations, and feel-good subplots to ease the gloom of a sullen reality. This creates a wonderfully woven story with a satisfying conclusion. See More

Top Con

The pacing structure is kind of bad

For most of the chapters, the story is very front-loaded. While this makes sense, it can be jarring going back and forth from 10 hours of story to 15 hours of combat/daily life each time. The story could be more spread out and sprinkled. Some of that was achieved in the first chapter, but after that it largely goes away. See More

GutsyBelisama's Experience

Fantastic See More

Top Pro

Entertaining dungeons

In Persona 5 you'll explore many unique locations, including a medieval castle, an ancient pyramid, and even a futuristic spacecraft. Each location is filled with bizarre enemies, interesting puzzles, and various secrets. The great variation in enemies, layouts, and theme keeps the exploration exciting and will keep you interested in seeing more. See More

Top Con

Replay value

It's exciting to play again with your stats and work towards getting the higher level personas, but you may lose interest before you get there. See More

InfluentialVesta's Experience

the monster encounter was boring See More

Top Pro

So many hours of gameplay

It's incredible how many hours of gameplay you get out of this game. Games with this much to do are always exciting. See More

Top Con

The time management might feel constricting at times

Persona 5 uses a calendar-based time system, advancing the in-game date after you've done several activities during a day. The main drawback is that you're constantly trying to meet story-enforced deadlines, which require you to clear a dungeon before it's too late. This constantly puts you under pressure, causing you to spend more time on dungeons and less time on side-activities. It makes it feel like you're forced to do what the game tells you, which might dampen your enjoyment at times. See More

PerceptiveZhurong's Experience

just finished this and This is the first rpg to get me fully immersed and addicted since final fantasy 13's series years ago See More

Top Pro

Protagonist is extremely likable and still feels like an extension of yourself

Making a video game protagonist can be challenging, because players want to feel like they ARE the protagonist. Many developers' way of doing that is to make the protagonist a blank slate who doesn't talk much on their own or exhibit personality. Effective, but it often has the annoying side affect of the character coming off as dull. Other devs are bolder and try giving the MCs more life of their own (Fallout for example). This can be fun, but creates a sense of distance between the gamer and the character. And then you have the Persona approach, aka the BEST approach: start with a basic, likable personality for the character, and then give the player freedom to develop the character into a badass in the way they see fit. Essentially, the key is that P5 makes the immutable aspects of Joker's personality things that would already make sense with the plot. He has a sense of justice. He sticks up for people in trouble. But the flavors beyond that are up to the player, who gets to control both Joker's daily life and dungeon crawling. Dialogue choices are consistent with Joker's core, but differ enough to give the character more feeling of control See More

Top Con

Persona Royal

It's upsetting that Royal was released because it would have been better to get the full experience the first time. Not everyone will have the interest to play it again just to experience the additions. See More

Top Pro

Great soundtrack

Top Con

Mediocre compared to other games in the series

The character depth isn't nearly as good as it was in Persona 3 and Persona 4. It's still a good game, but a huge disappointment to Persona fans. See More

NieR: Automata

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Unique storytelling with a real emotional impact

NieR: Automata's outlook on storytelling is incredibly special. To get the full experience, you have to run multiple playthroughs of the game, each of which offers a new experience and perspective. Your world view of the story events and characters expands drastically as you complete each playthrough, playing on your expectations to help you develop a deeper emotional bond with the protagonists and become invested in their plight. Things take a real turn on your third playthrough, putting you on an emotional roller coaster all the way to the true ending. The plot twists and knocks on the fourth wall elevate the story to a truly unique place. Getting all the way to the very end can be a religious experience from how much heart and meaning you discover in the symbolism. See More

Top Con

Second playthrough can get repetitive

Once you get to Route B, your second playthrough, you may find that too much is the same. There are some big differences, such as the new way you get to see things play out, but a lot of it rehashes Route A, your first playthrough. There's a ton of hacking you have to do as well, which gets pretty boring after repeating it over and over again. But if you stick with it, Route C and onward are absolutely worth the time spent getting to that point. See More

PersistentItzpapalotl's Experience

Months later still stuck in my mind See More

Specs

Genre:Action Role-Playing

Top Pro

It's got a hauntingly beautiful environment

NieR: Automata is set in an apocalyptic time where Earth has been overrun by robots, and the artists really nailed what that would feel like. Abandoned and overgrown cities litter the landscape along with old refineries, graveyards, and eerie forests. When you add the beautiful soundtrack to the experience, it fills you with a bittersweet mix of loneliness and hope. See More

Top Con

Limited open world

Even though NieR: Automata is technically an open world game, it doesn't always feel like it. It's more that there's a big open space in the center of the ruined city you explore, with branches that lead off to vastly different environments, like a desert, a village, and a few other places. These locations aren't that spacious, either, and it's a bit of a stretch to even imagine all of these places being so close together in the first place. It's not too much of an issue as long as you find the story and combat engaging enough. See More

WonderfulBriareus's Experience

Most emotional story See More

Top Pro

Varied genre spanning gameplay elements

NieR: Automata has different types of gameplay to keep things interesting. From the very start, you're on an on-rails bullet hell section, and then you switch over to the more traditional action RPG style of fast-paced combat. Things change up again not long after with some side-scrolling platforming from a 2D view. Later on in the story, there's a hacking mini-game where you navigate a tiny ship through a short puzzle, with the music changing to a charming retro sound to fit the theme and mood. This is a game that doesn't stay boxed in a single genre. See More

Top Con

Some boring fetch quests

The pacing gets messed up when you're forced to run certain fetch quests near the start of the game. This is somewhat forgivable after the fun and action-packed introductory level, but the quests themselves are still a drag to play through. Some of the side quests can also boil down to the same thing. Even though these quests give a lot of useful information about the world, they're not all that fulfilling, and you may dread having to repeat them when playing through the game again. See More

Top Pro

An incredible amount of gameplay

You can easily spend 60 plus hours exploring the world NieR: Automata, and still have much more to do. See More

Top Con

Saving

Unable to save for long periods of time, and having to start over from the beginning when you die. See More

Top Pro

Gorgeous, ethereal soundtrack with amazing vocals

NieR: Automata's music is out of this world. It's so stunning and elegant in a way that nothing else can really live up to. The soundtrack manages to emotionalize the game through music, from the action-packed tracks with hard-hitting wind instruments and percussion, to the softer, somber songs that encapsulate the hauntingly beautiful environments and story moments you encounter. Vocals in the lore's indescribable language makes the music even more memorable, adding to the ethereal quality of the sound. This soundtrack is definitely one that you can go back to again and again without getting sick of it. See More

Top Con

Buggy

Some players have been complaining about the game crashing, freezing, save files missing, etc. See More

Top Pro

An incredible amount of content

Outside of the main story, there's plenty of optional content to dive into. The side quests are the best way to get to know the characters and lore of the world, with some of them giving clever and subtle foreshadowing of the game's most critical events. There are also weapons to collect and upgrade, each of which offer nice little tidbits of lore after you get them to max level. And after reaching a certain point in the story, you get access to Chapter Select that lets you go back and replay whatever you want. You can easily spend 60+ hours exploring the world and still have much more to do. See More

Top Con

Random lag spikes

When walking into an abandoned city, or during cutscenes, you'll randomly experience lag from time to time. See More

Top Pro

Fast-paced and action packed combat

The combat in NieR: Automata is incredible. It has a very hack-and-slash feel to it, with an emphasis on agility and acrobatics. You will have to switch from using small, quick jabs with your weapon, to devastatingly strong attacks. You also have to utilize ranged attacks, as well as the companion that follows you around if you want to have any hope of surviving every encounter. It can be very difficult to win battles sometimes, but it also feels equally rewarding when you finally achieve victory. See More

Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen

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Awesome combat/hunting gameplay

The combat in Dragon's Dogma is very fast and intense. You can string together combos with swords, axes, and daggers, launch/throw enemies, shoot arrows with a bow in quick succession, and even dodge/block enemy attacks. Even the spells look absolutely amazing and feel really powerful. For example, when you cast an ice spell called Gicel, massive spears of ice will weave forth to skewer enemies. It looks like something you'd only see bosses use in other video games, making it feel that much more empowering. The enemies also play a large part in making the gameplay feel great. It will start out simple with you fighting bandits and packs of wolves on your travels, which will gradually turn into you taking on massive mythical beasts such as manticores, gryphons, cyclops, and even dragons. While in other games you'd probably just beat on their ankles until they fold onto themselves, Dragon's Dogma has a really cool grappling system that allows you to grab onto enemies and even throw them (if they're light enough). For example, if a dragon makes the mistake of lowering its tail into your reach as it rains down fire and death from up above, you can just grab onto it and climb on the dragon's back. This turns into a very intense sequence of you trying to not fall off before you drive your sword into the dragon's neck. It's the type of mechanic that makes you feel like the heroes written about in storybooks, which immensely adds to the fun and immersion. See More

Top Con

Forgettable story

The story starts out interesting but loses its steam shortly after. Hardly anything happens during the middle part of the story, the side characters feel bland, there are lots of plot holes, and the narrative starts feeling like a mess. Even the conclusion is somewhat confusing, trying too hard to be profound. If you're looking for a very good story-driven experience, you won't find that here. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Top Pro

Interesting companion system

Throughout the game, you'll be accompanied by up to 3 NPCs called "Pawns." One of them will be a Pawn you created, and the other two will usually be summoned from other player's worlds. What's interesting about this is that Pawns will grow alongside players, but not just in terms of stats and levels. For example, if you fight monsters with the Pawns, they'll gradually gain knowledge about the monsters. Once they have enough knowledge, they'll be able to give you various hints through in-game dialogue about a monster's weaknesses, patterns, habitats, and so forth. You can also hire other player's Pawns that already have acquired all the knowledge, making the learning process much easier for you. Pawns also mimic their creator's behavior, so if you prefer to smash everything in sight, your Pawn might just do the same when visiting another player's world. It's a really cool companion system that gives the game a multiplayer feel without any actual multiplayer. See More

Top Con

Limited fast travel options can be tedious

Dragon's Dogma has a very large but sparsely populated world, which means that a lot of time is spent traveling between quest objectives. There are no horses, forcing you to simply walk everywhere and the only method of getting somewhere quickly is through very costly teleports available only much later in the game. If you dislike having insane amounts of downtime, Dragon's Dogma might not be for you. See More

Top Pro

Character size/weight affects gameplay

A lot of video games focus just on the stats, classes, and weapons as the key difference, but Dragon's Dogma throws in height and weight into the mix. For example, a tall and bulky character jumps higher, carries more equipment, and has a longer reach with their weapon. The downside is that the character is slow and is easier to hit because of the size. On the other hand, a short and light character is quicker, can pass through a large monster's legs, and enter narrow passages such as Goblin holes. Unfortunately, they usually have a poor reach and can be knocked down pretty easily while not being able to carry that much equipment either. Practically no other video game in the market uses a similar mechanic, making Dragon's Dogma feel really unique and fun. See More

Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age

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Huge and diverse open world to explore

The world of Ivalice is a medieval fantasy setting that has elements of magical technology beneath the surface, with several locations to explore out in the wild. The grand, magnificent Royal City of Rabanastre is sequestered between a desert, branching off to plains that alternate between dry and wet seasons. Beyond the plains are mysterious mines with traces of science experiments gone awry, leading to a magical jungle, and snowy mountains that lead up to a religious city at the peaks. Far beyond those are vast beaches and caverns that lead to the intimidating and expansive Imperial City of Arcades. This breadth of locations in the PlayStation 2 version were ahead of their time, including options to return to these places and find secret paths leading to optional bosses. See More

Top Con

Airship travel is limited to picking destinations on the map

When you gain access to the airship, that excitement sours quickly once you realize you can only select locations on the map and travel to them instantly. You'll only get to see a cutscene of the airship taking off for flight before you're faced with a loading screen. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:Role-Playing

Top Pro

Standout characters among the cast

Unlike the majority of the cast whose motivations and growth are too closely linked to the plot, Fran and Balthier have their own lives that don't revolve around the story, making them feel more authentic than the others. Balthier is a charming, witty sky pirate who always has his eye on the prize. He tags along with the rest of the cast, willing to do whatever's needed--for the right price. His devil may care attitude is a nice foil to the seriousness of the plot and many of the other characters. Fran, his fellow sky pirate, is more quiet and mysterious, speaking only when she needs to impart knowledge of yore and magic onto the other party members. Even while saying little, she has a strong, magnetic presence in the group that makes her stand out from the rest. See More

Top Con

Later parts of the story feel tacked on

Final Fantasy XII's political story is dense, mature, and captivating--until you reach a certain point after the halfway mark where things become too predictable. Plot holes begin to crop up, competent characters make questionable and reckless decisions for the sake of drama, and compelling villains are reduced to tropes. It's as if someone took the foundation of XII's well-written story and characters and mismanaged them with nonsensical plot points for the sake of finishing the game on time. See More

Top Pro

Intuitive player-programmed combat with the gambit system

The gambit system allows you to assign pre-set conditions and commands for your characters in real-time battles, like using healing spells when a party member is at less than 50% HP, or only using physical attacks when an enemy reflects magic. As you progress through the story, you'll find more of these conditions and commands scattered across the world through treasure chests or available for purchase in shops. With the right gambit setup, you'll find a sense of satisfaction in defeating groups of enemies or even tough boss fights without having to press a single button. See More

Top Con

Main protagonist adds little to the plot

The main character, Vaan, is a teenage pickpocket who aspires to be a sky pirate with his own airship, which sounds interesting, but his relevance to the plot falls off sharply within the first 6-8 hours. He wants to avenge the death of his older brother Reks, but this becomes only a tertiary goal compared to the more urgent ones that his other companions have. As the story progresses, it's easy to forget that Vaan is there, especially with the option to choose another character to control as the party leader while exploring the world. There are other, stronger characters who could have been the lead instead. See More

Top Pro

Amazing amount of challenging optional content

Once you reach the later parts of the game, you'll be free to go after many different side quests like hunting powerful enemies for great rewards, and taking down stronger Espers, Final Fantasy XII's version of the series' magical deity summons. You'll be able to traverse each map in the game and find secret areas that weren't reachable during your normal playthrough of the story, allowing you to find the game's strongest weapons and magic spells along the way. See More

Final Fantasy IX

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One of the most plot-driven games ever created

While the story is the central focus in every RPG, Final Fantasy IX takes that to the next level. The plot often switches focus between different characters or parties. One particularly exciting sequence on the second disc features two separate parties trying to escape a sticky situation. The game cuts between the two parties and builds an incredible sense of tension. Moreover, changing circumstances force characters to switch from one party to the other, which creates a real sense of dynamic teamwork. These sorts of events are what have driven the masses to calling Final Fantasy IX one of the greatest stories ever told. See More

Top Con

Constant random encounters

Like most old JRPG's, you get random encounters all the time as you walk. See More

PerseveringPales's Experience

My favorite FF of all time. If you aren't moved by Vivi's story, then your heart is stone. The only downside to this re-release is that it deserved a much more in depth remastering for such a unique and wonderful story. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:Role-Playing

Top Pro

A legitimately breathtaking world

The graphics of this game hold up quite well when compared to most older games. The abilites, characters, and environment are all incredibly well done. See More

Top Con

It can be slow to get started

Despite throwing you into battle within the first few minutes, the game is actually quite slow to start, particularly if you're the type to go around exploring and completing all the immediate sub-quests. See More

Top Pro

Interesting world with some of the most fun side quests ever created for FF

You can spend hours playing just Chocobo Hot & Cold and legitimately have a great time. See More

Top Con

The world looks put together haphazardly in this version

The characters got revamped, but many of the backgrounds did not. So it can look strange often with much more beautiful characters that don't quite fit into the scenery anymore. See More

Top Pro

You can customize the way your characters battle with the item-ability system

In most games, characters come with set abilities, gaining them at particular levels, or after defeating enemies, etc. In Final Fantasy IX, your abilities are tied to your items, making it possible to customize your character's skillset. In addition, if you wear some items long enough (meaning you've participated in enough battles), you'll permanently learn the skill and be able to use it regardless of what you've got equipped. See More

Top Con

Slow battles

Even at the highest setting, characters' ATB gauges are unbearably slow, meaning you can't issue commands for them very often. Even after they receive commands they tend to stand around and do nothing for a while before they actually do what you told them to. See More

Top Pro

Dozens of hours of gameplay

This game has a bare-minimum of 40 hours of play in it, but that can easily be doubled. See More

Monster Hunter: World

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Exhilarating hunting gameplay

MH:W is a game about hunting wyverns, dragons, and many other monsters. You track them down in their natural habitat, be it a giant forest, a valley littered with dead bodies, or an active volcano, engaging them in combat that quickly turns in a struggle for survival. You use any weapon or tool at your disposal to kill or subdue the monster, while it relentlessly chases you, slashing with its claws, biting you, swiping with its tail, and using any breath attack it may have. Sometimes the monster might even try to escape, forcing you to chase it. Or it might become enraged, causing it to attack you more ferociously. As a result, you always have to be on your toes and react accordingly, which makes it a really thrilling experience. See More

Top Con

Too much of reused monster animation

In mid-late game you will notice most of the High Rank monsters are just another spin-off of a previous monster, where the behaviour is mostly the same, just with higher damage modifier. Where at this point you will easily figure out how to beat it. They could alter some HR mobs behaviour to make hunting trickier instead of just adjusting the damage/hp/defence modifier. See More

ToughTamKung's Experience

HUGE World and game See More

Specs

Genre:Action Role-Playing, Multiplayer

Top Pro

Engaging crafting-based progression system

Monster Hunter: World is considered an action-RPG, but you don't level up or learn any new skills like in most RPGs. Instead, progression is heavily reliant on your skills as a player and the crafting system, requiring you to craft gear to improve your character. This creates an unusual gameplay loop where you hunt monsters, collect their body parts, and use them as materials to craft better gear, allowing you to hunt even stronger monsters. If you can't beat a monster, you either need to get better at fighting the monster or improve your gear. When you finally beat the monster, it's thanks to your skill and effort as a player, which feels both rewarding and gratifying. See More

Top Con

Frustratingly difficult at times

Even though MH:W has been made slightly more accessible to new players of the series, it still has some of the most difficult combat seen in games with a very steep learning curve. You need to memorize the various map layouts, as well as each monster's habits, attack patterns, and weaknesses, to make beating them even remotely possible. It might also take while before you fully master your weapon of choice because the tutorials are too basic, instructing you just on basic controls and combos. Even when you finally manage to beat a difficult monster, your short-lived triumph will soon turn into dread, causing you to wonder about how difficult the next monster is gonna be. See More

Top Pro

Awesome graphics

The graphics look simply stunning, featuring very detailed environments with a great amount of flora, accompanied by great lighting and shadow mapping. The monster designs are especially noteworthy, allowing you to make out even the tiniest details on scales, feathers, and claws. All of this is brought to life by a very vibrant color palette, making the game a treat for the eyes. See More

Top Pro

A great variety of weapons to choose from

There are 14 weapon types total, primarily split into melee weapons and ranged weapons. This includes dual blades, longswords, bows, bowguns, and even hybrids called gunlances. Each weapon type has its strengths, weaknesses, unique combos, and even upgrade paths. For example, the dual blades allow you to move faster, chain quick combos, and enter a “demon mode”, which let you to deal more damage. The downside is that the dual blades have a short reach, so you have to be willing to throw yourself into danger by staying as close to the monster as possible. Another example, the bowgun, can be used to fight monsters at a safe distance and multiple ammo types, tailored for specific monsters and situations. The downside is that reloading leaves you defenseless, ammo can run out, and being too close or too far to the monster reduces the damage effectiveness. As a result, there’s enough variety and depth that most players will be able to find a weapon that suits their playstyle. See More

Top Pro

Dynamic and immersive world

You're not just stepping into an arena to fight monsters, you're entering a living and breathing world where monsters go about their daily lives - eating, fighting, hunting, and resting. It's very interesting seeing carnivores assault a flock of herbivores or two winged creatures having a territorial dispute mid-air. These type of events considerably add to the immersion, making you truly feel like a hunter that's intruding upon an ecosystem. See More

I am Setsuna

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Top Con

It tries to be that other JRPG you liked and doesn't do it well

This game is largely forgettable and its main draw is its attempt to tug at your love of JRPGs with the same familiar tropes and mechanics you've fallen in love with. But take away your nostalgia factor and you'll find a mediocre gameplay experience you've played through a thousand times already and a story that constantly reminds you how sad it's supposed to be full of largely forgettable and boring characters designed to remind you of other characters from other games you enjoyed. See More

Top Pro

The combat system is familiar to almost everyone

I Am Setsuna uses a turn-based battle system that has been used in countless other games, bringing a sense of familiarity to the game. You're able to attack with your weapons, cast devastating spells, or even use combination attacks with your teammates. The combo attacks are particularly fun to use, as you'll have to experiment with different characters in order to achieve different effects. See More

Specs

Genre:Role-Playing

Top Con

The sad and depressing tone of the game may bring you down

The entirety of the game fills you with a feeling of sadness and regret. This overtone never really lets up, though there are glimmers of hope and levity during your adventure. See More

Top Pro

The characters aren't what you'd expect

The characters of most RPG are fairly standard. The hero who started from nothing, or the strong, silent adventurer, or the hyperactive, overly enthusiastic type. I Am Setsuna deviates from the standard tropes of the classic JRPGs, and lets each character tell their own story without taking away from the overall feel of the game. See More

Top Con

Combat may be too easy

I Am Setsuna allows you to customize your character's abilities, which can end up making you severely overpowered relatively early on. Some players may find this a little boring. See More

Top Pro

You can build your characters however you like

Characters in I Am Setsuna have their own active skills that are unique to them. However, there's a large pool of passive skills that can be used by anybody, which can lead to all sorts of interesting combinations. For example, you could have a taunting ability (something that makes enemies attack you) that also raises the user's stats, or a fire spell that somehow does cold damage. See More

Top Con

It relies on nostalgia and story telling to cover up mediocre gameplay

While the turn-based combat systems of JRPGs have been going strong for longer than 20 years, it also means that there's generally nothing new to expect, and that is certainly true of I Am Setsuna. Fans of the genre will enjoy the nostalgic feel of it, but newcomers may feel put off by the slow speed and rather uninteresting combat. See More

Top Pro

The environment really drags you into the game

I Am Setsuna's environment is beautifully somber. The dim, muted colors, serves to draw the player into a barren, empty overworld. The all-piano soundtrack is gorgeous and somehow manages to highlight the sad tone of the game. See More

Final Fantasy X HD Remaster

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Incredible music that fits the game's mood and tone

Final Fantasy X has an amazing soundtrack with a range of iconic tracks that are still beloved to this day, fitting well in each scene and situation they play in. "To Zanarkand" is a moving piano song that plays in the opening cutscene and again later on in the story, matching the game's overall thoughtfulness and retrospection. "Servants of the Mountain" is a really melodic and memorable song that plays in the game's snowy mountain level, with hard-hitting violins that mimic how tough and challenging it is to traverse the mountain itself. "Challenge" is a great boss theme that initially plays when you fight against one of the hardest bosses in the game, changing things up with some cool guitar riffs and fantastic-sounding drums that help pump you up for the fight's difficulty. There's a variety of sounds here that all come together as a cohesive whole, staying true to the game's atmosphere all the way through. See More

Top Con

Some minigames range from tedious to downright frustrating.

Minigames like chocobo racing, dodging 200 consecutive lightning bolts without saving or butterfly catching are infamous for how frustrating and unappealing they are, which is a shame, since completing them unlocks significant rewards. It's like the developers forgot to make them, you know, fun breathers, which is what a good minigame is supposed to be. These are anything but. See More

Specs

Genre:Role-Playing

Top Pro

Thoughtful and grounded story

Final Fantasy X tells the story of the main character Tidus who one day finds himself in a faraway place 1,000 years in the future in a world full of death and suffering. A cleric-like summoner named Yuna embarks on a pilgrimage with Tidus and their other companions to destroy Sin: a gigantic whale-like monster that terrorizes the populace and causes countless, senseless deaths. As Tidus grows to care about Yuna, he questions the sacrifices that she has to make on her pilgrimage in order to defeat Sin, compelling him to take a stand against the status quo. It's a wonderful story that shows how far someone can go to protect the person that they care about most. See More

Top Con

Airship travel is limited to picking points on the world map

It's really disheartening to unlock the airship in Final Fantasy X later in the game, only to discover that all you can do is pick a location and go to it automatically. You can't maneuver it through the skies like in older Final Fantasy games. It would have been nice to have the freedom to explore and see the world of Spira from high up. See More

Top Pro

Strategic and proactive turn-based combat

Turn-based battles in Final Fantasy X give you great ways to plan out how to approach each fight instead of leaving you to mostly react in battle. On the right-hand side of the screen, you'll see a long column including the icons of each character in your main party and how many turns the boss or enemies will have. When you see that a boss is about to have three or more consecutive turns to attack, you can cast spells ahead of time to protect your party members. It's a neat mechanic that lets you see into the future to plan ahead proactively. You can also use the right-hand column to plan out how your party members can handle enemy weaknesses. When you see that a strong armored enemy is up to attack next, bringing in one of your heavy hitters like Auron with his huge, armor-piercing sword is pretty efficient. Or if there's another monster that's resistant to physical attacks, you can bring in Lulu instead with her powerful black magic spells. Learning everyone's strengths and weaknesses in battle will help you breeze through normal battles and better prepare you for the game's more difficult boss encounters. See More

Top Con

Extremely linear environments

The locations in Final Fantasy X are beautiful and detailed, and yet there are lots of invisible walls blocking you off from exploring those locations. More often than not there's only a single path in any given environment to follow. It's a lot like running down a single corridor from the start of the world to the end. The good news is that you'll rarely get lost, but you won't be able to run around outside of the incredibly limited boundaries in each level. See More

Top Pro

Addictive underwater sports mini-game called Blitzball

Blizball is an addictive mini-game in Final Fantasy X that's great to play as a respite from the main game. It's like a mix of soccer and rugby played underwater, where you pass a ball around the sphere-like field, trying to score goals while the opposing team tackles and kicks to try and stop you. Playing matches can be quite intense as you navigate your players across the field with the ball, surviving the onslaught of tackles and kicks from the other team long enough to get close to the goal and score. If you're inspired to go back to Blizball on your own after the mandatory games in the story, you can get addicted to it, since it's so well-developed and fleshed out with lots of strategies and different team members that you can recruit. See More

Top Con

Nothing new, just an old game with a new coat of paint

Nice to have the HD graphics, but the game is 18 years old See More

Top Con

Severe difficulty spike partway through the game

As you go through the game, you'll probably feel comfortable with the difficulty up until a certain point. There's one boss in particular that's notorious for how hard it is to beat compared to the previous ones. You'll more than likely have to spend hours grinding enemies in the area right before the boss to train. And even when you do defeat the boss, the ones after it are also quite challenging. It can be really confusing for newcomers if you aren't prepared. See More

Bloodborne

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Great bosses

Bosses in most games nowadays hardly ever give the player any challenge. Bloodborne is an exception, with bosses being a test of focus and skill. You'll have to constantly move around, attack openings, read tells to dodge attacks, and choose proper positioning. Beating one of these beasts after a long and exhausting struggle is extremely satisfying. See More

Top Con

Not a JRPG

It's literally not a JRPG and shouldn't be on this list at all. See More

PerceptiveHuixtocihuatl's Experience

Great game! Not a JRPG. See More

Specs

Genre:Action Role-Playing

Co-Op:2 Player Online

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Excellent world design

This game takes place in a Gothic, Victorian era (1800s Europe) inspired city. The buildings are dark and tall, instilling in you a sense of awe and fear. The environments are very detailed, reminding you it was a thriving city before all went wrong. All of these elements fit the Lovecraftian horror theme really well. See More

Top Con

Incredibly frustrating at times

You'll most likely die a lot, especially while you're still getting used to the game. It can happen on both regular enemies and bosses, with the latter being a lot more frustrating. Dying at a boss means you have to fight your way back to the boss room. If you're too agitated you might even die without reaching that boss again, which adds even more to the frustration. This pattern will repeat many times over the course of the game. See More

Top Pro

Frantic combat

In the world of Bloodborne you're never safe. Each location is filled with fast and ruthless enemies that will constantly try to kill you. It can be infected humans, werewolves, and even demonic beasts. You'll have to constantly attack and dodge at a very fast pace, and losing focus for even a second means you'll die. It's the type of combat where you'll steadily improve with practice, making it feel rewarding when you get the hang of it. See More

Top Con

Framerate pacing issues

The game engine often produces two unique frames followed by two duplicates instead of one after another. This makes it seem like there are frame-rate drops even though the game runs at a stable 30 fps. The gameplay doesn't feel smooth because of it, which can be quite distracting. See More

Top Con

Soulsborne warning

It's hard for casual players and even tho the death mechanic is an integral part of the game some find it infuriating. See More

Valkyria Chronicles Remastered

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Great turn-based, tactical gameplay

Valkyria Chronicles features an expertly-crafted, turn-based combat system, where you control only a few characters in each battle. You are often against greater numbers, so tactics play a huge part in this game. The combat system is called BLiTZ (Battle of Live Tactical Zones). You view an overhead map of the combat area and can control each character individually. There are a plethora of options with each character: repositioning to have a better attack capability, taking cover, using special abilities or items, or simply attacking. These actions are limited by the AP gauge, so you'll have to pay close attention to how much you can do in a single turn. Each character also has their own class, so you'll also have to plan around their strengths and weaknesses. Some are better at moving, some are better at shooting, but most of them are defined by their special abilities and stat modifiers. See More

Top Con

Characters have permadeath

If a character dies in a skirmish, they are dead forever, no getting them back. See More

Top Pro

Very immersive story

Valkyria Chronicles is a story about war and all the ugly truths behind it. It effectively uses cutscenes for outlining each team member's motivations, so you really get invested in keeping them alive. In the end, it's the soldiers who suffer the most. See More

Top Pro

Amazing soundtrack

This game features a soundtrack composed by Hitoshi Sakamoto (known for his work on FFT and FFXII). The orchestra music makes you feel various emotions at the right times. It's a mix of melancholy, hope, and also fear. Some of the songs make you feel even more tense than the battles themselves. See More

Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings

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Engaging gathering and crafting system with alchemy as the game's main focus

Atelier Lydie & Suelle focuses on gathering materials and synthesizing them into alchemy formulas as the main mechanics. You can lose yourself in the game for hours as you explore the fantasy-like levels, picking up resources from bushes, hacking away at trees, or mining them from rocks. You can take as long you want to gather the stuff you need before going back home to your alchemy lab, or your atelier. The puzzle-like 4x4 crafting grid has a neat strategy in how you can make the most out of your ingredients. If you just put your ingredients wherever on the grid, you'll end up with a bad product. Arranging your ingredients together in certain ways on the grid boosts the end product's effects, like putting them near green squares to improve your product's healing effect, which improves the item's overall quality. Going for quality gives you more experience points to level up and more money from the jobs you take on. Taking your time to gather the materials you need and synthesizing them into the best possible items pays off in the end. See More

Top Con

No English voices even though previous Atelier games included them

For some reason, Atelier Lydie & Suelle doesn't have an English dub and just has the original Japanese voices with English subtitles. There's nothing wrong with only having the Japanese option, but it's really weird considering the other Atelier games in the West have English voice acting. New players don't have much to worry about here unless you can't stand having to read subtitles. If you're a fan of the series and you're used to the English dub, you might be thrown off by the change. See More

Specs

Genre:Role-Playing

Top Pro

Creative concept of entering paintings to explore new worlds

The many fantasy-like worlds you explore through the mysterious paintings are very pretty and whimsical. Going into the paintings themselves is fascinating since it's something you don't get to do in real life, and you get to learn more about Lydie and Suelle as you go along. Gathering resources and fighting monsters while surrounded by waterfalls and flowery forests helps keep the gameplay from getting too repetitive or stale. All of this adds a more magical feel to the game's more ordinary slice-of-life sections. See More

Top Con

You won't find a sprawling narrative here like in most RPGs

The stories in the Atelier games are more about everyday life mixed in with whimsical fantasy. This isn't the kind of RPG with the type of layered, rich story with dramatic twists and turns that you'd expect from the genre. If you want a heavier narrative with more to say, you won't get that with this game. See More

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Charming and colorful anime art style

The art style is has many bright colors and well-drawn characters. Everyone has all sorts of colorful hairstyles, eyes, and outfits like pink, blue, and crimson that aren't too over-the-top. Their eyes have cool swirls for pupils, their skin tones are radiant, and every character has a bright and lovely smile. This is a beautiful anime style that looks good in the 3D cel-shaded graphics and the 2D cutscenes with still art that are more like a visual novel. See More

Top Con

Graphics for environments aren't that great

The visuals for the environments don't hold up to how pretty the cel-shaded graphics are. The textures are low-quality with jaggies sticking out. It's not so bad on the PC version and the PlayStation 4; things are much more obvious on the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation Vita. There are also some invisible walls that cut you off in places like open arches leading to shops, making the maps feel a lot smaller. If you can handle limited maps with so-so graphics, then these problems aren't that big of a deal in the long run. See More

Top Pro

Slice-of-life story and gameplay that's relaxing and laid-back

There's a sweet simplicity to the story and gameplay that focuses more on everyday life. Playing as the two twins, Lydie and Suelle, you're mainly trying to make ends meet and become the best possible alchemists you can be. You pass the days at your own pace as you take on jobs from the townspeople, leading you to explore the worlds inside of paintings, gather materials, and craft those materials into items through alchemy. It's nice that this game lets you kick back and relax with a more low-stakes story and simplistic gameplay. See More

Top Con

Not for people who hate repetitive busywork

If you can't stand doing the same things over and over again in games, then Atelier Lydie & Suelle probably isn't for you. The whole game is about exploring maps to gather materials and then crafting those materials into something useful through alchemy. There are some turn-based battles thrown in, but these more or less take a backseat to the alchemy mechanics. The heavy focus on gathering and crafting can end up feeling like busywork, turning the game into a drag for players who hate that kind of thing. See More

Top Pro

Solid turn-based combat that's welcoming to beginners

Atelier Lydie & Suelle's combat is simple enough for beginners who want to try out a turn-based JRPG. The interface is clean with basic commands for attacking and using skills, magic, and items. It's easy to get the hang of when to go on offense while your health is high, and when to switch to healing when your health starts to get low. The combat doesn't overwhelm you with complicated tutorials or mechanics, staying at a beginner's level with some room to grow down the line. This is a really good choice to start with if you want to get into turn-based combat before moving onto other games. See More

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana

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Able to be played without having played any other games in the series

Almost all of the games in the Ys series are self-contained stories. There are some references to locations and stories from other games in the series, but these references do not make an impact on the story at all. See More

Top Con

Localization could have been better

While it did not make the game unplayable, the localization of YS VIII was filled with grammatical errors, inconsistencies and typos. Compared to the rest of the games in the Ys series, this localization was a let down that ended up creating enough of an outcry from fans that NIS America is currently producing a new localization patch that not only fixes the text, but even has the voice acting redone. This patch is releasing on Jan 30th, so it may end up fixing this con. See More

Top Pro

Fluid, fast-paced combat that is easy learn

The main combat of YS VIII is fast-paced, but not difficult to grasp. The core of the combat is the basic attack, dodge and guard. Characters also have special skills to deal more damage or to attack multiple enemies at a time, as well and an extra skill to deal heavy damage in a wide area. Combat becomes more nuanced with characters being able to deal one of three damage types, which can be used to exploit enemies weaknesses to stagger them or deal increased damage. Since the party is comprised of three members, all three damage types can be covered and switching to the right character is easily done by the press of a button. In addition to basic guarding and dodging, if the timing is done correctly, a flash guard or flash move is activated which either make you deal critical damage with each strike (guard) or move faster (move), as well as make you invincible for a short time. Boss fights are more complex than regular combat, but if time is taken to observe and understand their attack patterns, a hard boss can be easily dealt with when using a combination of skills and flash guards/moves. See More

Top Pro

Beautiful soundtrack

The Falcom Sound Team delivers with a beautiful soundtrack for this game. The music ranges from rock tracks for combat, to upbeat music when in bright, sunny locals, and calm, serene music when the occasion calls for it. This is one soundtrack where the music is not only memorable, but fits the mood of the game very well. See More

Top Pro

Interesting and compelling story and characters

Starting out with a monster attacking the boat Adol is on as the introduction, the story starts with finding fellow castaways while establishing and upgrading and defending a base of operations and trying to find a way to escape the island. As the island is explored and the story progresses, it shifts from trying to escape to unraveling the mysteries of island and why Adol is having dreams of Dana, a woman from an ancient civilization. The stories of the cast is also told as the main story progresses and more castaways are rescued, but can be further enhanced by completing side-quests given by the cast and giving them gifts as well. With enough affection, additional cutscenes with each member of the cast can be viewed, as well as journal entries unlocked to be read. What starts out as a group of strangers stranded on an island trying to escape turns into a bonded community working together in a story that evolves from trying to survive to unraveling the great mysteries of the island. See More

.hack//G.U. Last Recode

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Top Con

Combat can get repetitive

With four games in one, the battle gameplay in Last Records doesn't change as the player progresses through each entry. There's some dissonance where the story progresses and grows over time, and yet the battles remain the same. Depending on the player, fights can either remain fun and engaging or they can become a slog throughout the 60+ hour campaign. See More

Top Pro

A compelling story played out in an MMORPG setting

The .hack// series is renowned for its plot that pits the player inside of an MMORPG called The World, going after nefarious foes who kill other player avatars, causing terrible side effects for the real people controlling them. Last Recode tells the revenge story of Haseo who hunts these player killers within The World, as well as how he grows along the way from a cold, uncaring warrior into a much more reliable protagonist over time. The added fourth volume also goes a long way to build upon the established plot within the MMO and its characters, concluding the story on a strong note that feels complete. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:Action Role-Playing

Top Con

HD textures feel last-gen

The updated textures are a nice upgrade from the PlayStation 2 graphics, but some instances of visible polygons and rough edges overall can be distracting. This HD remaster wouldn't have looked out of place on the PlayStation 3. See More

Top Pro

Character interactions are true-to-life

Haseo's initial revenge story gains more layers as he meets the various characters throughout the game and interacts with them both through cutscenes and with the game's MMO-like social tools. There's a mail feature that offers ways for Haseo to interact with party members outside of battle, such as with characters sharing rumors of tidbits they read about online. There are also marriage events where Haseo can marry certain characters after showing enough interest in them. Getting to learn more about the characters this way is an intriguing addition to the game, mirroring the many different ways you might interact with people in real life. See More

Top Pro

Lots of different approaches to combat

The hack-and-slash gameplay of the overworld combat evolves over time, with only a handful of abilities available at the start, with many more opening up organically as the game progresses. Haseo gains access to different weapon types over time, like dual blades, broadswords and scythes. He also learns many abilities that give him a degree of control over his enemies, where the correct timing with button presses allows him to stop an opponent's attack altogether. In battle, as Haseo and his party deal special attacks, a gauge fills up over time, giving the option for powerful, flashy Awakening attacks that decimate the enemies on the field. These attacks can be used to quickly deal damage in a pinch or finish off a group of foes. See More

Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth

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It appeals to a more mature audience than the Digimon of the past

Digimon Cyber Sleuth was made with a bit darker of a story, in an attempt to appeal to more mature audiences. Suffice it to say that it was brilliantly done, and will leave you wanting more. The game takes place in a cyber world - think something like Second Life, and sets you up as a Cyber Sleuth - a person whose job is investigating cyber related crimes in the world, as hackers have been taking over and causing real-world problems, including comas and death. See More

Top Con

No English Dub

The game is fully voiced in Japanese, providing only English subtitles. The lack of English voice-overs may be a turn off for some people. See More

Top Pro

Solid classic JRPG elements

The game features classic JRPG turn-based combat, dungeon crawling, random enemy encounters, and customizable party members (Digital Monsters). See More

Top Pro

There's a lot strategy in the digivolving system

Digivolving your partners in this game will send them straight back to level 1. So, there are quite a few things to take into consideration when making the decision to digivolve or not. Are you at a point in the game where you can spend some time powering up? Do you have any looming major encounters ahead of you? Things like this become very important. See More

Kingdom Hearts 1.5 + 2.5 HD ReMIX Collection

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Tons of Disney worlds to play in

There are many authentic Disney levels in the games. They look like they were pulled straight out from the movies in how recognizable they are, too. Places like Agrabah from Aladdin, the Deep Jungle from Tarzan, the Olympus Coliseum from Hercules, the Pride Lands from The Lion King, and Beast's Castle from Beauty and the Beast are all fully-playable. Playing around with Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore and everyone else from the 100 Acre Wood of Winnie the Pooh, for example, is a great storybook adventure that feels like you're part of the cartoon itself. Experiencing these authentic worlds with their characters is great and feels true-to-life. See More

Top Con

Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories changes up the gameplay too much

In Chain of Memories, you fight with decks of cards instead of your keyblade. While this sounds interesting, it's not that great in execution. The cards determine how strong your attacks are and which spells you get to cast, and sadly a lot of it comes down to random luck. Even worse, you sometimes need certain cards to get into rooms to progress the story, which feels way too unfair if you don't have the right cards. It's unfortunately more frustrating than fun. See More

Specs

Genre:Action Role-Playing

Top Pro

Heartfelt stories about the bonds of friendship

The story in all of the Kingdom Hearts games are strong because of how well they feature the characters. The main protagonist, a young boy named Sora, initially goes on a quest to find his friends, Riku and Kairi, while meeting Donald and Goofy along the way, who are looking for King Mickey. Throughout Sora's journeys with Donald and Goofy, the three of them meet more friends who either stick with them and aid their quest, or turn against them in unexpected ways. Each of the characters' reasons for their choices and actions all revolve around friendship, usually with losing friends to the darkness in their hearts that they must somehow overcome. All of the stories across the series are touching narratives that know how to pull on your heartstrings. See More

Top Con

Some annoying JRPG tropes get in the way of the story

There are some JRPG tropes that bog down the storytelling. The most prominent one is the idea of the characters coming together to defeat gods with the power of friendship. There are a few other ones that will only get on your nerves depending on how much you either tolerate or enjoy the tropes. See More

Top Pro

Interesting premise of combining Disney and Final Fantasy characters in one universe

The idea of putting Disney and Final Fantasy together seems like it would never work, but it actually does here. While each of the settings are in many of the Disney worlds, the characters you meet along the way are from both Disney and Final Fantasy. Seeing Donald and Goofy interacting with Cid, Cloud, and Yuffie from Final Fantasy VII, for example, is entertaining because of how novel it is. Even villains like Maleficent have screen time with other Disney characters they'd normally never speak to in the canon lore, like Pete or Jafar. The whole experience is surreal in a good way, with plenty of possibilities for cameos from both franchises. See More

Top Con

The first Kingdom Hearts hasn't aged well

There are a few things in the first Kingdom Hearts game that feel outdated. It's hard to keep track of specific quests or even know where you're supposed to go most of the time. Your journal only gives you a broad overview of why you're in any given world at a time. Attacking enemies and jumping around feels a bit sluggish at times, with a strange delay between your button press and Sora actually doing what you want. The worlds also seem too small and empty without much detail. Luckily, these problems are improved on in future games, so it goes to show that the developers learned a lot from this first entry. See More

Top Pro

Fun real-time action combat with keyblade swords

The combat in the games is a lot of fun with the unique keyblade weapons: swords that are shaped like keys. Attacking enemies with your keyblade feels swift and smooth, with plenty of abilities to help you dash quicker, jump higher, and more. Elemental magic spells are snappy and pretty to look at; leveling up unlocks cooler and more powerful spells, with giant flare explosions, thunderstorms, and blizzards with detailed particle effects. You also get rewarded for using certain magic spells, letting you chain faster, flashier keyblade attacks where you're practically invincible until the effect wears off. Combat is really enjoyable, especially as you unlock new skills over time. See More

Top Con

All of the lore and mythos can be hard to keep track of

It's clear that the writers didn't plan on the whole series from the start, making things hard to follow or remember over time. Plotlines get introduced out of nowhere in sequels and characters get retconned left and right. Despite how well-executed the storylines are on their own, as a whole, everything is a jumbled mess and would take a long time to explain. If you're thinking of jumping into the Kingdom Hearts series, be prepared to be confused. See More

Top Pro

Wonderful soundtracks

The soundtracks in the Kingdom Hearts games are incredible. Across all of the games, the music goes above and beyond to convey any given tone or theme wherever they play. Battle and boss themes are catchy even in their classical influences, with epic final boss songs that tell a story about the main villain through music. Songs for Disney worlds stay true to their original material and are sure to make longtime fans nostalgic for their favorite movies and characters. Even the song that plays on the title screen, "Dearly Beloved", is a quiet but emotional song that stays in your heart. The composer Yoko Shimomura does a fantastic job with the music across the series, putting her background in classical music to use here in the best ways possible. See More

Top Pro

Really good value for its price

With four playable games and two cutscene-only titles bundled into a single collection, this is a steal. Each of the games are full-length RPGs that will easily take you dozens of hours to complete, and the cutscenes-only ones are long enough to fill an entire movie on their own. Having everything on one disc for a single system is also convenient, since a lot of these titles used to be spread out across different consoles and handhelds. Along with inevitable price drops over time, you end up getting a lot of value for your money while getting caught up to speed on many of the Kingdom Hearts games. See More

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue

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Gets you prepared for story events leading into Kingdom Hearts III

This is perfect for players looking to get ready for Kingdom Hearts III. The games and short movie included in this Kingdom Hearts 2.8 package all show crucial story events, acting as a prologue to the next installment in the series. Playing the games in the Kingdom Hearts 1.5 + 2.5 HD ReMIX Collection first, and then the ones in Kingdom Hearts 2.8 will get you all caught up to speed on everything you need to know. Since this is such a story-heavy franchise, it's really convenient to be able to pick this up as a companion piece to the ReMIX Collection. See More

Top Con

Not accessible for newcomers to the Kingdom Hearts series

If you've never played a Kingdom Hearts game before, this isn't the best place to start. The content included here assumes that you're caught up to speed with the series, filling in additional information and expanding on existing plotlines. There are also major spoilers for previous Kingdom Hearts games. New players will have a better time starting with the Kingdom Hearts 1.5 + 2.5 HD ReMIX Collection first before picking this one up. See More

Specs

Genre:Action Role-Playing

Top Pro

Fun real-time action combat with keyblade swords

The combat in the games is a lot of fun with the unique keyblade weapons: swords that are shaped like keys. Attacking enemies with your keyblade feels swift and smooth, with plenty of abilities to help you dash quicker, jump higher, and more. Elemental magic spells are snappy and pretty to look at; leveling up unlocks cooler and more powerful spells, with giant flare explosions, thunderstorms, and blizzards with detailed particle effects. You also get rewarded for using certain magic spells, letting you chain faster, flashier keyblade attacks where you're practically invincible until the effect wears off. Combat is really enjoyable, especially as you unlock new skills over time. See More

Top Con

The gameplay in Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance isn't for everyone

Dream Drop Distance drastically changes up the gameplay formula. Combat is a mix of the usual keyblade fights, along with jumping, dashing, and swinging from various surfaces in the environment. Journeying to different worlds is also different, where you "drop down" from an overhead view into the planet's orbit, with rewards to collect and obstacles to avoid along the way. While different doesn't equal bad, this change is pretty out-there compared to the rest of the games in the series, and some players might not like it that much. See More

Top Pro

Includes two games and a short movie in one package

You get a selection of things in a single disc here. Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is more of an umbrella name for everything included. There's Kingdom Hearts 2.8: A Fragmentary Passage that features series character Aqua as the protagonist, an HD port of Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance, and Kingdom Hearts: Back Cover, a short film that covers additional lore and story information that leads into Kingdom Hearts III. See More

Top Con

The playable section with Aqua is only two hours long

Aqua's section, A Fragmentary Passage, is way too short. As the main selling point of Kingdom Hearts 2.8, it's the only new playable content, showing off the latest engine that Kingdom Hearts III uses. But there are only a few areas to explore, and the story is a footnote compared to the length of the rest of the games in the series. This is sadly more like a demo of what Kingdom Hearts III is capable of instead of a full standalone title. See More

Top Pro

Wonderful soundtracks

The soundtracks are incredible. In both Kingdom Hearts 2.8 and Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance, the music goes above and beyond to convey any given tone or theme wherever they play. Battle and boss themes are catchy even in their classical influences, with epic final boss songs that tell a story about the main villain through music. Songs for Disney worlds stay true to their original material and are sure to make longtime fans nostalgic for their favorite movies and characters. Even the song that plays on the title screen, "Dearly Beloved", is a quiet but emotional song that stays in your heart. The composer Yoko Shimomura does a fantastic job with the music across the series, putting her background in classical music to use here in the best ways possible. See More

Final Fantasy XV

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Top Con

The world can feel empty at times

The majority of Final Fantasy XV takes place in the area known as Lucis. Lucis is comprised of one main town, a beach resort, and various little outposts that mainly serve as places to get food, gas for the car, rest, and obtain hunts. The lack of multiple large towns makes the world feel rather empty at times compared to previous Final Fantasy games. The feeling of emptiness is further enhanced by some areas having few monsters encounters while exploring. See More

Top Pro

Great interaction between the main characters

It was enjoyable to watch how the main characters dealt with the story as it progressed from fixing a broken car on the way to a wedding, to avenging the destruction of their home to eventually saving the world and dealing with the issues along the way. What stuck out the most though was the interactions between the characters while just playing the game. They will make comments while fighting battles, banter with each other while riding in the car or on chocobos. They even make comments when you are trying to catch fish. These small interactions between the characters were a great detail is not always found in other games. See More

Steve's Experience

Being a fan of the Final Fantasy series, Final Fantasy XV was must buy for me. This installment of the series switched over to pure action based combat. The story had it's high points and low points, but was still a decent game. The highlight for me was the interaction between the main characters. I will admit though, this installment of Final Fantasy may not be for everyone. See More

Specs

Genre:Action Role-Playing

Top Con

Not really an RPG in the classic sense. More like a moderately interactive movie.

Too linear, with weak story and combat. See More

Top Pro

Powerful soundtrack

The soundtrack in this game is grand and inspiring, going the extra mile to help plenty of moments stick out in your memory alongside the music. The prologue alone gives a great preview of a fiery level you'll reach later in the story, playing the song "Hellfire" with an energized chorus singing over a strong mix of percussion instruments. Music for regular boss fights, called "Omnis Lacrima", is as whimsical and intense, with a determined chorus singing in Latin over frenzied violins, pianos, and brass instruments. Certain story sequences are heartfelt with "Love Lost" playing in the background, featuring wind instruments and pianos that are strong enough to affect you emotionally. The music overall does a great job of elevating the plot with its huge sense of scale and emotional impact. See More

ExuberantHermodr's Experience

Worst Final Fantasy game ever! Unfinished story and bad gameplay. See More

Top Con

The battle system is too simplistic

Compared to previous games in the series the battle system is weak and just is button mashing. Feels more like Devil May Cry than a FF game. Hated this game. See More

Top Pro

Impressive visuals

Final Fantasy XV is an epic game that knows how to put on a show with its visuals. Some of its best moments are visually awe-inspiring, standing out from other games through sheer ambition and huge proportions, like fighting boss battles against enormous foes. Even during regular battles, if you're at low HP and you need to finish off a group of enemies, you can summon a giant, god-like being to instakill the enemies at the cost of not gaining any experience points. The summon animation for the thunder god Ramuh is amazing, with the whole sky shifting to a violet lightning storm as the huge deity comes down from the sky, using his scepter to rain down crazy amounts of lightning to kill everything in your path. Instances like these are more of the norm instead of the exception, making for some unforgettable scenes throughout the game. See More

Top Con

Weak story

Because the Final Fantasy series is known for its great stories, it's frustrating that the one here is badly executed. There are a lot of payoffs in the plot that the writers intended to be dramatic and emotional, and yet you probably won't feel the full impact of them since the buildup to those moments is lacking. There's too much missing with Final Fantasy XV's storytelling, all but abandoning the plot to land on its face by the end credits. See More

Top Pro

You can fly a car

When the right upgrade parts are found, the Regalia is given an additional travel mode of flight. While the controls take some getting used to and might result in death, hopefully amusing death, it does allow for an interesting new mode of travel. See More

Top Con

The magic system is a downgrade from previous Final Fantasy games

In most Final Fantasy games, magic spells are unlocked by leveling a character up or acquiring them through other means, such as nodes on a level grid, equipping gear that can teach a spell, or from items found in the game, such as Final Fantasy VII's materia system. Final Fantasy XV reduces the magic casting to collecting fire, ice and thunder energy from nodes near campsites, and them filling up flasks with the energy in various combos, and sometimes drops from enemies, to be able to create a spell. The ability to add what you want to a flask does allow for the creation of strong spells or spells that end up being cast multiple times, but it ends up being limited by the resources you have. The worst part though about the magic system is that casting the spells is done by throwing the flask like a grenade causing an explosion of the spell, damaging friend and foe alike. The only way to prevent friendly fire is the Ring of Resistance accessory, which is obtained from paid DLC. It should also be noted that the ring only protects from the initial affects of the spell, which means the party can still be paralyzed from a thunder spell if they are standing in water. See More

Top Pro

Lets you choose which weapons to use to best suit your playstyle

There is a wide range of weapons that Noctis can equip, such as greatswords, lances, short swords and even guns. Four different weapons can be equipped to Noctis at once and when in battle, the weapon being used can be switched with the press of a button. This allows for you to select weapons that might be beneficial for certain fights, or for a preferred playstyle, and switch between them with ease when the situation calls for it. See More

Top Con

Just feels boring and unengaging

Top Con

Core character development for Noctis' companions isn't in the main story

The weak story in Final Fantasy XV links back to Noctis' companions--Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto--and how you won't get to know the guys all that well unless you play the paid DLC. You have to reach certain points in the story before these DLC stories are available, and without the context in this content, you won't have a solid understanding of the main characters beyond the tropes they represent. Aside from a few heartwarming moments in the story, it's all too easy to dismiss Prompto as a happy-go-lucky guy with little depth to him. It isn't until you play through his DLC, Episode Prompto, that you get to know him in ways that should have been in the main story. It's a poor business decision that prevents the story from standing on its own two feet. See More

Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth - Hacker's Memory

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Enjoyable domination battles that freshen up turn-based combat

Aside from regular turn-based battles that make up most of the game, there are also team-based domination battles that focus on territory control. You and your opponent get placed into an arena and each of you is usually given 3 characters that you take turns to move. The arena is split into territories that have point values attached to them, requiring you to capture a certain amount of territories (points) to win. To contest a territory with an opponent character on it, you still have to fight a turn-based battle, but the loser respawns at their starting point, so the goal never is to just defeat your opponent. This creates a refreshing mini-game that still uses core concepts of the game, which is not seen in many other turn-based RPGs. See More

Top Con

Combat can get repetitive easily

While there is some strategy to the combat, requiring you to target enemy weaknesses with corresponding abilities, the combat is still very simple at its core, allowing you to brute force through battles without much thought if your stats/level is high enough. As a result, the combat can quickly devolve into you just mashing a single button to get through battles quicker, which might not be that interesting and can get tiresome after a while. See More

Specs

Genre:Role-Playing

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Crisp and colorful visuals

The game's visuals are really well done overall, having very detailed environments, intricate character models, vibrant particle effects, and even beautifully animated cutscenes. This is further improved by the use a wide variety of colors, ranging from shades of brown and gray to neon green and neon purple. Fortunately, the game also retains great amounts of visual clarity, so the colorful style almost never gets into the way of gameplay, allowing Hacker's Memory to be both enjoyable to play and to look at. See More

Top Con

No English dub

The voice-over is only available in Japanese albeit with English subtitles. This means unless you're fluent in Japanese, you'll need to read quite a bit of text to fully grasp the story, which can be a turn off for some players. See More

Top Pro

Addictive monster collection aspect

The main side-goal of Hacker's Memory is collecting all of the 300+ Digimon found within the game, which quickly becomes addictive because of two reasons. First, it's very simple – you either keep leveling/de-leveling your Digimon and transform them into other Digimon, create new Digimon, or buy some of them at a store. If you want to "catch" the Digimon found in random battles, you don't need to weaken them or actually catch them, but just encounter them enough times. This is because each encounter gives you a % of their data and once you get 100%, you can create that Digimon. To make it even better, you don't even have to level all your Digimon manually since you're given a farm where Digimon can level up automatically over time, reducing the tedium considerably. Second, the Digimon designs look very interesting, cool and sometimes even funny. This includes fierce wolves, massive dinosaurs, robots, angels, devils, ghosts, sentient piles of poop, and many others. There's so much variety in the designs, it can be really exciting to see what new Digimon you'll get. Because of these two reasons, the collection aspect can easily remain exciting right until you finish your collection. See More

Top Pro

Well-balanced story

Hacker's Memory strikes a nuanced balance between dark themes and over-the-top comedy. At its heaviest the story delves into identity theft and slavery, while at its lightest you have absurdist comedy with cartoonish characters in silly situations. The story's greatest strength, however, is that it constantly alternates between the light and heavy themes while throwing in some philosophical questions. As a result, you won't get drained from constant drama as easily and the jokes won't go stale as quickly, which makes the whole narrative more enjoyable as a whole. See More

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