Recent reviews by Jigoku_Aisatsu

Long time Ys fan here. I have to say, even though this game has a very neat story, and despite is few strengths, this is most definitely NOT an Ys game and not up to the standard of pretty much any other game for the price in the genre.

WHY I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS GAME:
1. THE GAME IS TOO LONG - Ys games are supposed to be short and sweet. This game is much more like an RPG along the lines of cold steel. This is in complete contrast to other games in the series. It also delivers very little value for the time investment.

2. THE GAME IS TOO PRIMITIVE - The graphics and gameplay are like something from 2004. No, I'm not kidding, it really is pretty awful. There are some puzzles and the like that are so simplistic they look like something from the playstation 1 era. The overall gameplay experience feels like a huge step back from the old generation Ys games which had faster gameplay and more engaging puzzles.

3. USELESS MINI GAMES - Yes, the bane of gamer existence, This game has long running mini games that detract from the story and slow down progress. Total waste of time.

4. LONG WINDED STORY SEQUENCES - While the overall story is pretty neat, the character dialogue sequences and long winded and poorly written.

5. LOUSY COMBAT - The combat system, the mainstay of the game, is completely broken in that most battles are just brawls with little planning or fore-thought owing to the fact that you often stick to boss character models. Without the ability to maneuver effectively you're forced to power through and combat gets very boring and repetitive.

While the game has its strengths: some likeable characters, some very gripping moments in the story, and a few clever plot twists, its all rather predicable.

VERDICT: Don't waste your money or your time. Falcom could have and should have done better.

To those of you who want to try out the game but are turned off by the childish visuals and aesthetic, Disgaea 1 has:

- Charming characters.
- Excellent dialogue.
- Solid gameplay.
- Tons of replay value.
- Actually funny gags.

The characters will grow on you, the story and interactions are worth a playthrough alone. Don't be turned off, Disgaea 1 is in a league of its own, give it a try!

The game types are limited and the gameplay gets repetitive very quickly. There is a novelty curve that wears off after the first few matches, definitely not worth the amount of cash they are asking.

This game is unplayable, DO NOT BUY!

Do you miss:

-Simple but edifying story/plot.
-Tight controls
-Addictive action
-Smooth visuals
-Game mechanics that are easy to pick up and learn
-Secrets galore

I did, and I almost missed out on this game, I had forgotten about it in my steam library, and dismissed it as shallow after only playing an hour or so. Recently I have come back to it and realized that this is one gem of a game, and now I'm kicking myself for not having realized it sooner. This game is definately worth picking up, and has solid gameplay just like the games of yore, like Super Metroid and Mega Man X. If you like retro games and games with tight controls and skillful battles you'll enjoy STRIDER.

It's pretty clear the designers had the idea in mind to create a game like the old Mega Man X carts on super nes; with the bar set high for player skill and pattern learning. Only problem is, is that those old Mega Man X games had PRECISE controls and excellently laid out level designs. This game has neither. I want to recommend it, I really really do, but I just can't. The game plays like a flash game with upgraded graphics, nothing more.

Why this game isn't worth the price of a Big Mac:
-Controls are clunky: your firing controls and range of movement are laggy and unresponsive. For anyone who has played the games this is based on, you know those games had crisp controls which was part of the fun.
-Uncreative as hell: there is a significant story component to the game, unfortunately it's uncreative and awful, again completely unlike the games it claims to emulate.
-Pre-16 bit era game dynamic: you have to play against a timer and fight extremely one dimensional bosses and adversaries. Has more in common with nintendo's contra then it has with Cybernator or Gun Hazard.
-This will not pique your nostalgia.

On the plus side: It does have really neat graphics, and goes in directions those other games could not. For that the work is to be commended, unfortunately, the designers seemed to have lacked the vision the programmers of those old 16 bit games had. If youre looking for a nostalgic tour-du-force with all the elements that made the 16 bit era great, you won't find it here. This game isn't much better than a Flash game, so don't waste your time, get yourself a hamburger instead.