J.R. Waugh
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Writing For
Attack of the Fanboy
The Nerd StashLatest Reviews
NPCs are assets, not obstacles in the Grandia HD Collection. The music is beautiful but used as a backdrop, allowing you to focus on the game's diverse worlds. Characters from each game are charming, with the first game having a better protagonist, and the second having a superior supporting cast. The battle systems are still unique to this day, and these games are now fully democratized to all of the major home gaming markets. It's timeless for connoisseurs of the classics, and essential for those seeking a truly unique JRPG.
The idea of Avatar being mixed into this formula is great, and when you're flying on your ikran, it's an intoxicating experience, even if aspects of the combat and game stability leave something to be desired.
Forza Motorsport is an addictive, shockingly fun, extremely impressive visual showcase for the franchise. I was amazed by how often I wanted to play more, get more slick cars, and keep striving to perform better.
Starfield is the most potent value proposition for Game Pass, being the killer app for the subscription service. It is also the best, most ambitious game in the Xbox Game Studios library to date. It would not be a stretch to say this could be one of the most ambitious games ever made, and that it followed through with many of those goals with relatively low compromise.
The terror and isolation you feel here is a devious construct you must outsmart to escape to the surface and makes this feel like a true horror game in the best of ways.
Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp isn't a perfect title on its own merits, but it's addictive, stylish, and fun. The wonderful characters make up for an uninteresting and predictable plot. It'd be great to see more Advance Wars and other Wars titles make their way over to the system, but adding matchmaking for online play would be a must.
Scorn is a special experience for anybody looking to have their expectations subverted for what a good horror game can be. It is a gory, surreal, provocative dive into difficult or even taboo topics, and is wonderfully crafted, and near perfectly optimized. The game’s themes and visuals are challenging and extremely mature, but executed with great subtlety. The game is a technical marvel and concise as any horror game should be, so as to not overstay its welcome.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is the strongest JRPG in the modern Nintendo catalog, and is among the greatest games on the Nintendo Switch, and can potentially stand the test of time when considered among other platforms and generations as well. It's a complex, emotional journey, where you and the characters will confront challenging themes and philosophical ideas, and see them through to their respective cathartic conclusions.
While the game has problems typical of many JRPGs, it also has iconic qualities - a subversive, resonant plot that overturns expectations of how a typical heroic journey progresses, and presents us with fallible protagonists who encounter and experience human loss in different ways. This is a refreshing take on a genre usually populated with idealistic heroes and ultimately happy endings, featuring a memorable battle system and killer soundtrack.
The wheel isn’t being reinvented for stealth shooters in the case of this game but is a thoughtful infusion of elements from several genre-defining franchises resulting in a cocktail that’s fun, so long as it works.