James Paley
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COGConnectedLatest Reviews
I loved playing the first Fantasy Life game to an unhealthy degree, and the sequel is no different. Grinding away to master all the Lives is deeply satisfying, there’s a wide variety of systems to mess with, and the overall pace is very chill. On the other hand, I recognize...
Promise Mascot Agency is a weird, flawed experience. You spend most of your time driving around this tiny town, chatting up a series of total weirdos. You’ve got a short list of tasks to complete, a lot of money to make, and a lot of fires to put out. But...
If you’ve been looking for a way to play these games on modern consoles, then Lunar Remastered Collection is a godsend. The visuals are mostly preserved, the item management is better, and the voice acting is brand new. New players might be thrown by the simple plot and the retro...
I’ve had a difficult relationship with Xenoblade games in the past. They’re enormous, unwieldy beasts that are weighed down with endless mechanical systems and floaty, disconnected combat. Somehow, all of this is applicable to Chronicles X, and I still love it. The combat feels more grounded, the mechanics more approachable,...
WWE 2K25
I felt rather conflicted about covering this one. As a new player, I was floored by the character creator, impressed by the roster, and almost overwhelmed by the amount of content available. More seasoned fans of the franchise and returning players will simply have a different experience. And that’s okay!...
In spite of all my grievances, these are still two classic RPGs. Suikoden I&II are enormous adventures full of interesting characters to recruit, and epic plots to discover. To be perfectly clear, my final score reflects these games as remasters for a modern audience rather than as games in isolation....
PGA Tour 2K21
As a sim golf acolyte, I picked a great time to get into the genre. PGA Tour 2K25 is slick, seamless, and pretty compelling. You’ve got a bunch of ways to play, and an endless amount of mechanical customization to mess with. If you want a particular kind of match,...
PGA Tour 2K25
As a sim golf acolyte, I picked a great time to get into the genre. PGA Tour 2K25 is slick, seamless, and pretty compelling. You’ve got a bunch of ways to play, and an endless amount of mechanical customization to mess with. If you want a particular kind of match,...
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is tough to recommend. This is a deep, difficult strategy RPG with a long campaign, tons of characters, and satisfying mechanics. Unless you’re coming here from the Disgaea series. Then it’s a shallow imitation of a superior franchise with an even more inconsequential storyline. On...
Though I did have a couple of grievances, this game was a lot of fun. My stress levels went way down once I stopped trying to 100% every stage. The boss fights are all clever, the controls allow for precise maneuvers, and the visuals are nice and crisp. It took...
The bottom line? The Great Circle is an excellent time. The voice acting is great, the action is breezy and fast, and the whole game is quite beautiful. Plus the story has some serious hooks. Indiana Jones is all about globetrotting adventures, punching nazis, and solving gigantic mysteries. This game...
Make no mistake, this is definitely the superior version of Dragon Quest III. The modern mechanics and slick visuals strike that balance between retro and modern sensibilities. Combat is as easy or as difficult as you need it to be. I wish the auto-battle system was less powerful, but it’s...
