Switch Game Review: Yoshi's Crafted World

 Yoshi's Crafted World released for the Nintendo Switch in 2019, amassing five nominations at different game award showcases.  While it didn't take home any hardware, Nintendo firmly established another Yoshi game for its illustrious Dinosaur character, having sold over 3 million copies as of the end of December 2021.  I wanted to see how this game was, not knowing really anything about it and having not played a game dated later than Yoshi's Story for the Nintendo 64.  What did this game do well? What did it struggle with? All that and more below!

Positives

1. Graphics- Using the Unreal Engine 4 for the game, and using terrific artistry overall was something that Yoshi's Crafted World does really well.  It's graphically great on the Switch, and it has a lot of features that also shine.  This includes far away backdrops, when you have to hit targets and the camera reverses its pan to the other side, and much more honestly.  It is well done on Nintendo's part.

2. Level Design- I didn't think level design would be so simple but also so good.  Yes it does have a lot of just go from start to end but there is a lot enveloped in a lot of the levels of this game.  You can find secret areas, do different things in different levels.  So the level design as well as its depth are two major important positives for this game.  

3. Gameplay- I didn't think this would be a far stretch and far-fetched idea that this was going to be a good game as far as gameplay goes.  It is a smooth game, it is fluid, there are no major issues and it just flows well.  That is the same for the levels and anything you occur with this game.  So all in all, it's a fine game from a gameplay perspective. 

Negatives

1. Way Too Easy- This game doesn't offer much up in the way of difficulty. It features little to no major challenge in most ways and is honestly an easy walkthrough for any person playing this game, regardless of age. Not that that would be a problem for kids who want to be appeased quickly, but for anyone else that plays this, it will probably be boring rapidly.

2. Soundtrack- Honestly.. this has to be one of the weaker soundtracks Nintendo has released on their platform for a game they make.  I can't sit here and not dissect it to pieces because it just.. isn't very good. It is very, very odd that a Nintendo game has a bad soundtrack but Yoshi's Crafted World did.

Neutral

1. Just One Yoshi- Unlike past games like Yoshi's Island and Yoshi's Story, you don't utilize a multitude of different colors of Yoshi like Blue, Red, Pink and so forth and rely solely on the Green Yoshi.  It's not a bad thing or a good thing, but I can see if people are fine with it or detract from it.  Personally, I would have liked to see the other Yoshi's implemented but it wasn't an end-all, be-all at this point. 

Overall Review

Overall, Yoshi's Crafted Story is a well made game but does have its flaws.  Its graphics, design and gameplay all make it very well done and very well worth it, but if you find yourself bored with this due to it being very easy I don't blame you there too. The soundtrack also detracts from the game.  Overall, it does make a good family type game.  I would overall rate this game 7.5 out of 10.

Nintendo DS Game Review: Final Fantasy 3

 Final Fantasy III was released initially only in Japan in 1990.  It wasn't brought to America until a 3D type remake in 2006 came for Nintendo DS.  Over the course of the game, you go through what you missed when the game was originally released in 1990.  What does the DS game do well? What doesn't it do well? All that and more below!

Positives:

1. Presentation- Of course this was going to be a major step-up from the Famicom of 1990, but it was nice to see how well this game was presented on the Nintendo DS.  The map, the cutscenes, the pause screen, battle graphics all are well done with still some sort of a retro feel. It's a good feel for the people to see a remade game that was originally done in 1990.

2. Music- The soundtrack is honestly well done.  It goes from FF2 where there wasn't a ton to write home about to a really good soundtrack in FF3.  I liked the boss themes, final boss team, overworld theme, and really most areas themes.  The only one that would have needed work is the battle theme in my opinion but overall it was a well done soundtrack.

3. Straight Forward Story- Sometimes this works for the game, after the lackadaisical FF2 story as well, to go back to a more basic story like they did in FF3.  It's about the crystals again, but this time you also have save light from darkness (Sounds like Kingdom Hearts eh?) so it was more straight forward and not as boring as FF2.

Negatives:

1. Massive Difficulty Spike on Last Boss- Okay I understand very well that this game was going to have a difficulty spike with the last boss, but this difficulty spike is honestly ridiculous.  It took several tries and I would recommend a level well over 60 to beat this boss, but I finally beat it.  For a game that is honestly pretty easy most of the way, it's odd that there is that massive spike for one boss. 

2. No Major Character Growth- Yes there is some, but there isn't a major story where character growth was a thing.  It is something that they start emphasizing in games going forward but I feel that they could have done this with FF3 in some way.  This game just falls short in that.  And in honesty it's disappointing.

3. Straight Forward Story.. but- There isn't much substance to it? It just is a story of go to this place and do that thing, no real flare or drama to it.  In FF4, 5 and 6 there is always some sort of twist involved with this sort of thing, but with FF3 it is just go to the place, beat the boss, crystal and boom.  This lends itself to be boring though straight forward.

Neutral:

1. Mail System on DS- I get that they wanted to put this in here. It's a side quest where there aren't many of those in this game and it does lead to having a job class that puts the others to shame but it also just feels you have to do everything to do everything and hope like heck you have enough luck to reach an enemy to progress the mail process to other characters.  When I looked at the requirements for this, I was almost thinking holy moly to it.  It's not something I am for or against by the way, if you like this, great but if not I don't blame you.

Rating:

Overall FF3 is a better game than that of FF2. It just offers more than the previous game but I can't put it much higher than FF1 just due to it being so mundane of a game with no major character growth. Overall, it's an above average game that is miles better than FF2.  Personally I would rate it at a 6.5 out of 10.  Below is where I rate Final Fantasy games (1-15 with the exception of 11-14 as I haven't played/completed them) after completion of those games.

1. FF VI

2. FF X

3. FF IX

4. FF V

5. FF VII

6. FF XV

7. FF IV

8. FF VIII

9. FF3

9. FF I

10. FF II

Switch Game Review: Kirby Star Allies

 Kirby is a long-standing game series dating back to the earliest days of Nintendo on the NES and Game Boy.  The game has grown since then through all formats and even a sport game (Kirby's Dream Course, which I reviewed and will be below) but has focused on its main thing of platforming and Kirby's multiple forms through the game.  Kirby Star Allies is no different from the others, but does feature some new twists and areas.  With what Nintendo did right on Kirby Star Allies and what they struggled with, let's see below!

Positives: 

1. Platforming- Something Star Allies does well is the ability to be good with platforming so Nintendo hit this absolutely great.  It's something that warrants credit and makes it good for the gamer to just game as much as possible.

2. Music/Graphics- Yeah this is easy for both for Nintendo, however the classic Kirby Music is here and sounding great, and the newer Kirby music is great sounding too.  Either way, you won't go wrong with it.

3. New World- I actually quite liked the new worlds that Star Allies brought to Nintendo and I thought it was well done for a new twist to Kirby.  they were well designed and well made.  It made for a bit of a challenge to go through and wasn't a guarantee to get done without a challenge.  So I commend Nintendo on that ability to do well with.

4. Kirby- Still great and ability to change forms and be able to have friends is always a good thing.  This has been a staple for a while but it is something that is sorely needed in many parts of the game so I also like that this works out best. 

Negatives:

1. Easy difficulty- This game was far too easy to be honest.  Minus one part that I will elude to in a bit, the game was easy to get lives, easy to progress, easy to survive and I honestly was like.. where is the challenge to this? It probably has been a lot of the same for other Kirby games but I felt a bit let down by how easy it was.

2. Next to Last Boss Difficulty Spike- So I mentioned that the game was super easy but the next to last boss of the game seemed to take that difficulty and smash it times an infinite amount.  I don't quite understand how a game is that easy but then goes to a bizarre massive difference in difficulty with one boss but then back to honestly pretty normal again.  That was the other major downside to this game.

Neutral:

1. Ability to 100 percent this game- It seems relatively easy to 100 percent this game if you wanted.  I didn't have a significant reason to want to or not, but if you are one of those people that need to do this sort of thing it's honestly relatively easy to do.

Overall Rating:

In all honesty, despite the game being easy and that one boss' difficulty spike, I still can recommend the game Kirby Star Allies to the normal gamer.  There is still a lot of nostalgic Kirby stuff to work for the retro person but for the new gamer, it works as well.  Overall it's a good, but not great game.  The easy difficulty and the random high spike on one boss does downgrade it.  However, it does grade as an 8 out of 10.

Kirby's Dream Course Review: https://mywideworldofblogging.blogspot.com/2018/06/snes-game-review-kirbys-dream-course.html 

Switch Game Review: Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory

 Kingdom Hearts. That already is going to illicit many an opinion from the fan base and non-fan base in every way.  This isn't about that, but do discuss on the social media platforms however you will.  Today however we will be talking about Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory.  This is different from pretty much every KH game, whereas this is a rhythm based game.  A massive difference is that as opposed to the fighting games of KH past, present and future.  However, it doesn't present Sora as a narrator, but rather Kairi.  What is good about KH: Melody of Memory and what is something that needed improving? All of that and more below!

Positives:

1. All the Music, all the worlds- All the music and all the worlds make for one heck of a nostalgia trip, if nothing else.  Personally I liked going through some of them that I haven't played (Chain of Memories, Coded, Birth By Sleep namely) and those that I had played before just for nostalgia sake. So overall I thought that was a good mix.

2. Rhythm Base- The rhythm style of this game is one I didn't think I would enjoy but you have to give the people credit on this game, they made rhythm based style games fun for me.  I think it was just trying to get that challenge done and trying to be perfect but also knowing so much was going on in the level that you strove to be perfect or be excellent.  It was enticing to me for that reason. 

3. Different teams- You can be Sora, Donald, Goofy.  You can be Ventus, Aqua, and Terra.  It really just depends overall.  You can be the additional characters from other worlds with you.  It all works, so I like that they implemented this from previous games and included it in this game as well.  

4. Graphics- This part I credit on the Switch's great technology for handheld essentially devices.  They did a terrific job with this as well.  Square is typically amazing with it so I can't really mark it exceptionally positive but it is one nonetheless.

Negatives:

1. What does this add to the Story?- I asked myself this throughout and even with the narration, there just isn't any depth to this game other than it is rhythm based and it goes through the music of past games.  That's fine and all but it makes it a cash grab (which I bought at a retro game store so it really didn't go to Square) so I would hope future games are not essentially cash grabs for the sake of "We just want a game for KH."

2. Kairi Narrating- Oh boy, here comes a lot of stuff. First I don't dislike Kairi, and second, this squarely has to do with Square.  Kairi narrating does nothing to this game for me. Outside of the very end of the game, there is no role for her.  The role that's been given to her up to this point is essentially the Damsel in Distress, much like Princess Peach, while trying to instill that she has a more important role, which is... I'm not sure what. Does she deserve better? Absolutely.  Will she get that? Probably not given the standard of which Square has gone with Kairi to this point.  As we know going to KH3, she has the ability to wield a keyblade, but her being an important character still is eluding to the KH Fandom.  At some point Square has to understand what her role honestly is (and no, I am not counting ReMind DLC to this foray.)

Rating:

Overall, I appreciate how good the rhythm based feel of KH: Melody of Memory and how it was a good feeling of nostalgia and brought forward the music of the games past and present.  However it does have some significant flaws, such as not adding much to the story and essentially forcing Kairi into finally having as minute a role as possible. However, this game still is pretty alright despite the flaws.  I gave it an 8 prior and I still feel an 8 is warranted.  It's not great, but it's a solid rhythm game that is good.

PS1/Steam Game Review: Final Fantasy 2

 Final Fantasy 2 at the time in Japan was lauded for its ability to be different and when it came to America, it was chided.. for its ability to be different.  It is a fickle thing yes, but bear with me as we go into this together on my review of FF2.  This is mainly the PS1 version as overall I would rather recommend the Pixel Remaster on Steam than the PS1 version.  So if you find yourself wanting to play this game, play the Pixel Remaster on Steam.  Without further ado, here is my review of FF2.

Positives: 

1. Any class- All your characters have the ability to be any class you want.  I actually like this method of a "Create-Your-Own-Class" method of a game.  One can draw it similarly to that of FF14.  You have all these classes at your disposal so it would be open for all the possibilities.  It's something I actually appreciate about this game.

2. Updated graphics- They had to remaster the graphics and I thought it was a good job done overall.  Everything on the PS1 is crisp and well done.  I like that they boast airships over the sky at times and made use of it and that is something that would work well even today.  I like that they instituted that in a game like FF15 but FF2 really started that out well.

Neutral:

1. Sound Track- Now I have not played FF4: The After Years, FF11, 12, or any of the 13's yet but I have to say this soundtrack has to be the weakest soundtrack thus far.  None of the sounds and songs were that engaging to me and didn't make me think of a great game.  It's not that they were terrible either but it just was there.  It wasn't the best work nor the worst in video gaming but one of the weakest for the FF Series. 

2. Main Nemesis- Again not a plus, not a minus.  The Emperor is an okay villain but nothing brooding or devious like others (Kefka, Sephiroth, Kuja, Seymour, etc.) but it isn't awful (Garland FF1, Ultimecia come to mind) so you are just kind of in that mid tier of arch enemies. 

Negatives:

1. Level up system- Any system that you have to hit your own self for improving your character should be thrown into a grinder and never be birthed again.  It was absolutely putrid for most of this game the objective to leveling up a character is hitting yourself or your characters hitting you.  Luckily this one was sent to the wood chipper instantly after this game.

2. The Fourth Character- There are three main Characters: Firion, Maria and Gus (Might be Guy in later versions.) That means there is an interchanging fourth character which sounds good on the surface.  However it comes with a big caveat. They are all terrible and underskilled and underleveled.  This means that, yes, they will die a lot or you have to build them up super quick.  It's annoying that each character is like this for the fourth spot no matter where in the game you are.

3. The Story- Much like FF1, this story has no depth.  It's just beat the Empire/Emperor.  That's LEGIT it.  There is no other part.  Yes linear works if you have SOMETHING else to go with it, like intriguing characters or paths along the way or cool things to do with the main story.  There is nothing exciting about this and there isn't anything special to the main story or any cool side quests.  Therefore the story is bland at best and not intriguing.  Which also brings me to..

4. No character depth- Square did not make a case for character growth for the first three Final Fantasies and it shows. FF2 has characters who talk, but there is no growth on them whatsoever.  Firion, Maria and Gus do little to no growth in the story and it desperately was needed.  There was no major leadership at all to gain from them and this game needed it sorely.  Speaking of characters..

5. Needless Deaths- Every death in this game was so needless and so unnecessary minus one (Minuf, which may also be differently spelled in other versions) character's death.  Everyone else just felt so needless to die in this game and it just felt weird to have it happen and just so awkward because we spent little time with the person anyway.  I don't know why it had to happen that way but Square did it.

Rating: FF2 isn't a game I would recommend at all.  It has far too many flaws and I feel that it struggles mightily in those departments.  If they ever reshaped the game to include better depth and character development without that stupid way of leveling up, it'd be far more better.  To me, it's a 3.5 out of 10.  To me, it's the worst FF to date I have played and completed.  Order is below.

1. FF6

2. FF10

3. FF9 *moved ahead of 5 upon replay*

4. FF5

5. FF7

6. FF15

7. FF4

8. FF8

9. FF1

10. FF2

NES/PS1/Steam Game Review: Final Fantasy 1

 Final Fantasy is enriched and steep in history that begins with the original Final Fantasy (These days called Final Fantasy 1) back in 1987 with the NES.  This game brought Final Fantasy to America and allowed the series to start here.  However, it really didn't get popular until the SNES got around and later the PS1.  However it found more immediate footing in Nintendo's home country, Japan, and gave Square and Nintendo hope that the future was strong with the Final Fantasy series.  Below is mainly the PS1 review of Final Fantasy because I'll say right away what NES and Steam offer.

NES Version: It's the launch pad for the series and the game does do some things well but overall it is limited because of the limitations of the NES itself.  It features great music and graphics for its time, but the dialogue and text box are limited due to the limitations of that by the NES.  The game plays a bit slow but I tend to give that more with the limitations of the NES again.  If this were on the SNES it would play much more brisk paced and be more fine.  The transitions to battle are a bit weird but I would just be pointing to the same flaw over and over with the NES.  Overall it was a good start into the franchise but one that if started a few years later would have seen much more great success.

Steam Version: This is technically the Pixel Remaster for all those who were wondering.  This is probably the smoothest of the games and arguably the one I would recommend most of all the versions of this game.  This game has the best graphics, music and ability to play the game throughout the versions of Final Fantasy.  It's otherwise no different in story but the nuances of the game are the best of the bunch and make it the best of the bunch to play.  Without further ado, here is my PS1 review.

Positives:

1. Graphics- A major step up from the NES, but that isn't saying much.  The fact though they had to remaster it to the PS1, use essentially different equipment and different ability to get it done warrants a lot of credit.  They did well to port it to the PS1 and make it function really well.

2. Music- Another major thing that is stepped up from the NES to now and makes it overall better.  I was impressed with how much better and clearer the music was on the PS1.  I feel Square also deserves a lot of credit for what they did there.

3. Elemental Bosses- You'll see these in future games in some regard but I like that you have all of these bosses in the first game and that they can be a challenge.

Negatives:

1. No character development- Yep there's going to be a bunch.. but the first is no character development.  I can understand you don't know what you are getting to but they don't even talk.  It's just 4 random people in third person type roles and no speaking lines and just holding up their power for the crystal they are at to re-ignite to help the world. Which leads me to..

2. Bland story- It's just literally revive the crystals with just one twist in there.  Yeah there are a few side quests but it's nothing too remotely difficult to do. There just isn't much to the story and there isn't much to this game much overall I feel.

3. Bland Skill set- There isn't much to it, you almost have to do 2 mages, a thief and a warrior, otherwise it is a very, very tough game to beat.  But there isn't much to the skill set.  You don't steal with the thief anyway, and when it becomes a Ninja, it is just a mere upgrade.  I'm not a major fan of just the overall bland style done with this game and I felt that there could have been more done even in a remaster to make this game feel more adventurous.

4. No summons- This is what happens with no summoner job in this game and no upgrade.  In fact, Bahamut is the creature that gives you your upgrade in job status about 2/3rds of the way through the game.  It's lackluster and something that I am glad they fixed after a couple of games later on. 

Rating: Honestly this is a game that while the elemental bosses are good, the graphics and music is also good, is just bland and honestly boring.  There is no depth to it.  It's just four people walking around almost mindlessly not talking and doing anything other than beating monsters and bosses and restoring peace to the world.  There isn't anything other than that.  No character development, boring classes, and while yes the upgrade is decent enough it doesn't provide more of any depth or flavor to the game.  To me this rates a 3 out of 10 and I would rank it the lowest of the Final Fantasies I have played.

PSP Game Review: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy

 Crisis Core: Final Fantasy is the prelude to the video game changing game for the PS1, Final Fantasy VII.  This is not the story of anyone major in FF7 minus Aerith for some parts and some small snippets of Cloud.  So right off the bat, there is no Barret, no Tifa (minus a very small part of the game), no Red, Cait Sith, Vincent, Yuffie (also minus a very small, rather insignificant part of the game) and Cid.  A lot of this game revolves around Zack Fair, a SOLDIER who wants to make it to the height of his hero, Sephiroth (yeah this was mainly before Sephiroth went wild with wanting to conquer the world) and arguably it revolves around the role of the Turks before FF7.  With this being one 15-20 hour game (more if you really are a completionist) there are some big positives and some negatives in this game.  Let's go through both below!

Positives:

1. Zack Fair's Character- The biggest plus to this game is the character development of Zack.  It is blatantly clear the start sees Zack as a character who wants to go to SOLDIER for fame, fortune, be like Sephiroth, and most likely the women attached with a mix of those two of three. However, what begins on that journey transforms Zack through the game.  He begins to question what his role is within SOLDIER, within Shinra, why he is doing this job and ultimately it makes him more cerebral, more observant to a world that is better than just Shinra.  It includes a love interest (more on that in a moment) and a friendship that he didn't think would happen.  Overall he becomes a lot more caring, a lot more dedicated and a lot less selfless and that I think was a big positive in this game.

2. The Turks- I actually quite like their roles in Crisis Core.  In FF7, it's more "Catch Aerith, kill Cloud and the group" as their goal while also 'looking' for Sephiroth.  This is not the case in Crisis Core.  In this, they are more friends with Zack and wanting the best for him.  They also take an approach to making sure Aerith is safe.  It's something of a kindness in ways and make you hate Shinra more rather than respect them.  This is evident in the end, as Cissnei and Zack talk and Tseng makes it an objective to Cissnei, Rude, and Reno to keep Zack and Cloud safe. 

3. Story Telling- I thought Crisis Core told a good story.  It led up mainly years before FF7, but ended essentially right before FF7 started.  It was a good story to tell from Zack's time in SOLDIER, but also learning a bit more about Sephiroth but how low Hojo was on the ladder and other characters as well, like Hollander, Lazard, Genesis and Angeal.  It is also nice how they tell a story of Zack/Aerith and how their relationship blooms over time.  I enjoyed that, I enjoyed how they did everything overall in this relatively short game.

4. Execution to the Story- Now they told a good story yes, but how they executed the story telling is important.  From the moment of executing Zack's initial story, to his blossoming with Aerith to tell a major story and love interest, to what happened in towns you didn't hear about in FF7, to his friendship with Cloud, to what happens in Nibelheim, almost everything is executed really well. Yes this includes..

5. The Ending- Yes it's sad, yes it's completely unnecessary, yes it makes me massively hate Shinra, but it is so well executed and so well done and sticks to essentially what the FF7 part about this was that it honestly hurt to see.  I didn't think even with an open mind that I would think of Zack as anything more than a leader but I get why he is revered even to this day.  It is really neat his ability to be so selfless that it endears you to him and that's why the ending honestly hurt for me.

6. Soundtrack- At this point it is really just a broken record.  Yes it's Final Fantasy, yes it's Uematsu, yes it's going to be amazing music.  The game is full of amazing music and that is all that matters. 

Neutral:

1. Cloud- This likely is to be expected for most anyone who plays this game. He doesn't play a major role in this game and that is fine given the ability to make Zack the hero which is most okay overall.  He forms the friendship with Zack but that's mainly all he is needed for in this game.  He provides a friendship for Zack outside the Turks and Aerith.

2. Sephiroth- Yes it was nice to see him prior to what happens in Nibelheim, however he doesn't just strike me as a major ordeal.  Look most everyone knows what happened in Nibelheim, and yes the fight with him was cool but really leading up to that moment I more or less thought that he was alright.  He wasn't terrific or bad but simply just there and that was fine.

3. Graphics- Notice I wouldn't put this on the positives? Yeah the graphics are good, but not great.  There's too much graininess in the graphics to put it as a plus.  It feels like this is due to the PSP, but I don't really understand it to be fair.  It is what it is but I think it's that I expected more from it. It is what is though so it's more neutral than plus/minus.

Negatives:

1. Combat- Usually I don't hate combat in FF games but ho boy did this game come close to boring me out with the combat.  There is just hitting and magic.  That's.. legitimately it for combating any monsters or bosses in this game.  No strategy is involved in doing this.  By the end I was more or less like let's just get done with this already. Which leads me to..

2. "Initiating Combat Mode/Modulating Phase"- These words are ingrained forever in my soul because the first one is because Crisis Core's random battle encounter rate is stupid high and it is honestly irritating because of the aforementioned combat.  The latter quote comes up honestly far too much during battle and tends to make the battle slow and slog through it.  It's honestly part of the combat and it honestly is a major downgrade in this game.

3. The camera- Yeah the angles in this game are bad at most times.  You can go up/down with the camera and barely can do left/right actions.  Most times it is overhead and you can't bring that down so it makes some parts really ridiculous and makes you miss a lot of items randomly.  It's just a frustrating thing that obviously most every other Final Fantasy game gets right.

Overall Rating:

So given all the positives/negatives/neutrals, would I recommend Crisis Core? Honestly I would, because the story and the execution are honestly well done overall.  The camera can be a minus yes, and yes the combat is cumbersome and rough but the rest of the game is honestly well done overall.  So if you want to see the before scenes of FF7, check out Crisis Core because it is a good game overall, minus the camera work and the combat.  Overall Rating: 8.3 out of 10.

Switch Game Review: Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

 Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild came to Nintendo Switch and was an instant success.  So much a success it became that they are making a sequel to the game, coming out in the next year.  This features another story to the Legend of Zelda series and it brings a massive open world to the player and the ability to see a lot of places and find shrines and korok seeds to upgrade the key protagonist, Link, throughout the game.  So what does Breath of the Wild do well? What isn't done well (yes there is this too)? All of that and more below.

Positives:

1. Open World- This involves massive amounts of exploration and a terrific ability to find a lot of things that happen over the course of this game.  The player will enjoy the open world map as a great exploration opportunity and the ability to see a new side of Zelda that players may not have done prior in a 3-D setting.  This really plays to the strength of the Switch and its capability as well to provide for this much of an open world setting.

2. Music/Graphics- Yes this is simple, both the music and the graphics are fantastic and they will always be that way for Zelda.  There isn't much to it other than the ability to be great always.

3. Ability to Train Horses- This was honestly cool and a bit more in-depth than I thought it would be but it takes some time to make your horse totally love you but once it does it is awesome how much they will fight for you as well.  It's a good thing to do and speed up part of your exploration if you wanted to do so.  Plus you can name them some good names if you'd like.

4. The ability to work for Prizes- You have to work for prizes here.  You don't just go to a place and get a thing. You have to typically work for big items here.  A lot of the shrines you have to face guardians or have to do some tasks in order to get Spirit Orbs or some great weapons/armor.  It's actually good to be rewarded for hard work in a game in my thoughts. 

5. Fairies- I like how you also have to work for this.  I also like that they give you upgrades like they have in past games as well.  It's a time honored tradition of this but one that I can absolutely enjoy overall. 

6. Meeting Other Main Characters- This is more likely for the Hyrule Warriors spinoff but it is nice to see some characters of that in this game and they may be in other games as well.  Overall it was nice to see these characters in my playthrough (as I haven't played any Zelda games from Majora's Mask up to BOTW) and be able to see how these characters would fight in other games.

7. Hetsu- That big dude is just absolutely hilarious and his maracas are absolutely amazing to deal with all the time when getting an expansion to your armor/bow/sword pack.  He is definitely a plus and I appreciate it a ton.

Negatives:

1. Too Big Feeling- I feel 120 Shrines and 900 Korok Seeds is just far too big for this game.  It feels like 100 percenting this game would take forever with these sorts of things going on and it almost just feels like they made a big game for the sake of making a big game here.  Sometimes you can do without that and this would be a good example that you can take out some stuff (In this case, 30 shrines and at least half the Korok Seeds) and you would have this game be fine.

2. Too Easy Bosses- To be honest the only tough test is Thunderblight Ganon because the rest are honestly super easy and they don't require a ton of effort.  That includes the final two bosses of this game.  It just felt like beating these while worthwhile in some aspect just felt too easy overall.

3. Combat- I don't mind that items break, I just felt the combat was a bit weird overall.  Yes it is based on timing with the guardians in terms of parrying which I don't mind, but it's a bit mystifying the timing of just regular enemies attacks that are normal and their sensing from quite a distance so that was something confusing to deal with. 

Overall Rating:

Overall, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a terrific game that can overcome its flaws in a lot of ways.  The strategy in this game can be immense but it is more noted for regular fights rather than bosses or those guardians.  The main and final bosses are honestly way too easy but the guardians make up for it.  Yes the combat is a bit wonky but you can overcome that and be fine.  It's not a perfect game like Link's Awakening was for Game Boy and it's remaster or A Link to the Past was for SNES.  Breath of the Wild however is still an excellent game and I would give it a solid 9 out of 10. 

PS1 Game Review: Madden NFL 99

 Madden NFL 99 started a transcending of sorts for EA's biggest brand as it went from the sort of pixelated sprites of Madden 97 and 98 as they transformed to the 3D era of everything going forward from here onward.  As I noted in the Madden NFL 98 review I would not be able to compare it to Madden 99 in a lot of ways but the best way to say is to point out the improvements of this game from Madden 98, and yes there are also downsides to this game (much in the same as Madden 98.)

Improvements from Madden 98:

1. 3D models of Players- Major upside here is to compete with NFL Gameday 98 and 99 and Madden turned it to 3D models of players and they got better overall.  It looks more realistic and it was a very nice change overall with the player models.

2. Franchise Mode- Besides player models, Franchise mode is the biggest addition to this.  A fifteen year Franchise mode enables you to go through the regular season, meet team expectations, or possibly get fired for not meeting expectations, signing players due to holes on the team during the year, trading, and all the off-season stuff like retirements, drafting, trades, and so forth.  This was a major step forward in terms of competing and ultimately overtaking NFL Gameday's game. 

3. Updated Graphics- Not just the player models, but the stands and stadiums are also more refined overall.  They looked better as a result and they continued to showcase the art of being better at this.

4. Updated playbooks- This was a big thing as well as they were more accurate on playbooks at this time so they did their homework prior to making the game.  Overall this was a big step forward for a franchise that needed to get going forward. 

5. Fantasy Tourney- There are generic teams played at a generic stadium in San Mateo, California like the Generals for lack of better team names however the main reason I put this in is this: The Fantasy Tourney helps a lot and pretty much brings forward what is true about Fantasy Football today, getting the best team able and get the best of everything over a season. 

6. A Password Code System for Added Things- One thing you can do is bring back the Cleveland Browns (Thanks Art Modell for taking them away for no reason) in exhibition mode with a password code you can type in.  There are others you can do as well but this is the main one (And yes they come back for real anyway in Madden 2000.) 

Negatives:

1. Passing Game- Yep again it is a major struggle.  It is exceptionally difficult to complete passes in this game and it is honestly annoying because if your running game isn't good then you are sunk offensively overall.  This also then leads me to..

2. The Line of Scrimmage- It becomes a bit of a moshpit and jumbled mess with a lot of bodies almost right away when passing.  This leads to a lot of batted down balls which can be good on defense but on offense it is very annoying to deal with.  This was a problem that seemed to be better with 97 and 98 but reverted back in 99.  

3. Some Stadiums realism: Tennessee's stadium is unrealistic in one end zone, which may be expected because they unexpectedly went from the Liberty Bowl to Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville in a year.  However Raymond James Stadium was complete by the time the Bucs played there for 1998 but the game showcases them at their old Houlihan's Stadium.

4. Camera- It doesn't work well with the close up camera.  It feels too close even at the snap of the ball with the layout of the play.  With running plays this comes into conflict as well and makes it a struggle in some ways.  With the passing camera, it's okay but the passing game is already a struggle.  However with turnovers it goes very zoomed in and a major struggle. 

Overall Rating:

Madden NFL 99 is better than Madden 98 and 97 but that was going to be a given.  However it is still a work in progress and a game that still needed refining overall.  It got closer to the NFL Gameday franchise in terms of overall play but still lagged behind it.  On the opposite hand, it progressed in a big way from simply above average to good as a franchise with this game.  Overall rating: 8 out of 10.

PS1 Game Review: Madden NFL 98

 Madden NFL 98 is the seemingly better sequel to Madden NFL 97.  The reasons I say this are below but there are still plenty of flaws with this football game.  When I complete Madden NFL 99's review tomorrow I will not make a comparison to Madden 98 to Madden 99 since there are so many differences between the two.  However, without any further ado, here are the comparisons between Madden 97 and Madden 98.

1. Similar play structure- The players are about the same here, just a few minor details in terms of player models, numbers and such for Madden 98.  The players however are still much of the same type model of player, and same type of game engine in terms of what plays work, what doesn't, etc. 

2. Still same issues- Passing is immensely difficult in Madden 98 as it was in Madden 97.  There are a few plays that work and it does well but that's all.  It's incredibly frustrating to pass in the game.  Running is actually alright and is a plus for most of this game.  Defense is still fine and you can rely on defense for quite a bit of this game.  

3. Still accurate stadiums- There isn't much that would have changed, aside from the Oilers moving from Houston to Tennessee.  However they were pretty accurate on where they went as they went to Memphis, not Nashville to start.  It was a good way to depict and create Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium and otherwise they did well for the rest of the stadiums.  

4. Better Studio Presentation- This isn't like the every week pre-game like Madden 97, which may have been a bit much but to the season opener with James Brown, as well as the playoffs with him as well.  The duo of John Madden and Pat Summerall still do offer their best analysis of the upcoming game which is nice.  

Other notes:

1. Not Updated Rosters- I think they did this after the NFL draft rather than pre-season because there were players on every team that were not on the pre-season roster for teams.  It's something that happened pretty intently before the seasons especially in early Madden games until the early 2000's.  I don't necessarily blame EA but it's something that they do fix later on in later games, especially as they made jumps to next Gen consoles. 

2. Pretty Accurate Team Ratings- These are honestly alright overall and they showcase good ratings despite the roster flaws. The Packers are still great, same with San Francisco.  New England was slated to be a top AFC team and they still were pretty good.  The Broncos were also great, and there weren't many surprises overall.  Only major one was Washington in the playoffs but they were looked at as a playoff team in 1996/97 anyway so wasn't that shocking overall.

Negatives:

1. Presentation- It just is a very wonky and honestly not great presentation of the game.  This probably is one of the few Madden games I would say that for but EA I felt dropped the ball in ways being monotonous on the pre-game between John and Pat because it was mainly the same thing over and over.  This was a step back from Madden 97 I have to say.

2. Lack of Real Emotion- If someone told me that this game is dry on emotion I would absolutely agree.  The crowd noise isn't there, the players really didn't have much emphasis and I should be glad that this gets better over time to be honest and that this was kind of an end to the bad emotion to the game/dryness to it.

Overall Rating:

Madden NFL 98 is a slight step above Madden 97 on the PS1, which doesn't say a lot to be honest.  This game still lagged behind NFL Gameday 98 and honestly it needed more to save itself on that accord. However it fell short for me.  There just isn't enough presentation, good enough graphics and really I felt this resembled what had to be a turning point for Madden overall.  My rating is a 7 out of 10.  

PS2 Game Review: NCAA Football 2003

 NCAA Football 2003 comes off the successes of its predecessor, NCAA Football 2002.  For 2002, they made the step to the next gen consoles in a way that some people would look and wonder if they made the right choice while also wondering what was next.  The game had some good upsides while also having some alarming holes that needed to be done to be good in future games on the next gen consoles at the time (The PS2, soon to have GameCube and XBOX as well.)  NCAA Football 2003 also begins the trend to go to the XBOX and GameCube to bring EA Sports into all the next gen consoles, continuing what they had with the PS2 during NCAA Football 2002.  This game review will be essentially a comparison to NCAA Football 2002 in which is a good stepping stone.  So what is different about NCAA 2003 compared to 2002? That is below!

1. More fluid gameplay- It's not as choppy, it's not as slow, it is more fluid and more quick paced and you enjoy this game more every play.  It's a game that also looks more fluid and better so the gameplay engine shouldn't be a surprise when it looks and plays more crisp.

2. Additional commentary lines- When Brad Nessler, Kirk Herbstreit, and Lee Corso announce your games you will have more commentary lines and not the same limited script they had for the 2002 game.  In NCAA 2003, a lot more commentary is provided and given and it makes for a lot better game overall when you are on the regional/national telecast.

3. Regional/National Broadcast- A lot of people may chide at this given the open accessibility of different apps to view games these days but this was 2002/2003, where if you had a satellite dish, you MAY be able to watch games out east, north, west, or south that were regionally based or had one heck of a subscription to your television plan.  I actually like the regional/national broadcast and when not that then just a simple on-field announcer.  This is just a bit more polished for NCAA 2003 but still something I enjoyed.

4. Recruiting is better than 2002- Not only is the team depth chart there, you have nearly unlimited points if you succeed to recruit cross-country or nearby as much as you want.  However the scholarship limit is still there so you will have to deal with that.  However one major difference is that you get to see what recruits you signed prior to the next week right away on screen rather than going through a couple of menus to see who signed.  Those are good improvements for the future games.

5. Trophies- You can get trophies in this game, from a couple dozen rivalry trophies, to individual trophies such as the Heisman, to the bowl trophies and that includes the National Championship.  This is a big step in the right direction to making the game cooler for the player.  It's a step that was desperately needed but also desperately good for the franchise as it progressed forward.

6. Full Next Gen Console Gaming- The console wars waged on in the early 2000's, something that continues today, and EA took advantage of this by putting their game on all 3 major consoles at the time.  For Nintendo fans, it was the first such college football game by EA to their console since College Football USA 97, which was on the SNES and absolutely atrocious.  For XBOX fans, this was the first EA college football game ever, and it was better graphically than the PS2 to be fair.  All in all it brought EA to a new spot and they capitalized big time on it.

Other positives:

1. Difficulty- It plays a bit less easy than that of NCAA 2002, and that is a good thing overall.  It felt more challenging and more rewarding in recruiting and on the field getting good players and beating good teams.  You are also rewarded with that typically in the polls, unless the dreaded BCS hates you.  

2. Fresh Intros- This comes typically from on-campus students and being able to have them say the traditional "EA Sports, It's In The Game" and possibly some coaches as well, but this was another way of them interacting with college kids at the time and felt something cool to do.

Negatives:

1. Limited Recruiting- This seems to be a bit better in later game versions but it seemed in the two seasons I did recruiting I seemed to be limited to mainly my region rather than a nationwide thing.  Anything past Ohio was seen as rough to get recruits and that was something that sort of frustrated me at Buffalo (whom I used in my worst-to-first dynasty mode.)  The game seemed to get better with this for the future but in 2003, it was a bit limited. 

2. Mistake prone- It seemed this game while being better and more crisp in its engine made the teams also prone to mistakes? There were plenty of games that made it drag on due to missed assignments, drops, turnovers and worst of all the penalties.  I don't know if that was a major ordeal in testing but those things happened for me and the penalty meter was average at best.

Overall Rating:

Overall for NCAA Football 2003, they do a lot different and improve a lot better in a lot of facets.  They built upon some stuff from 2002 but made it exponentially better in 2003.  I absolutely enjoyed playing through this again and I have a lot of praise for this game.  The negatives can be weighed in but they don't deter from the fact EA was definitely going in the right direction again and the fact that they got this game this well done deserves merit.  Overall rating: 9 out of 10.

Switch Game Review: Chocobo GP

 Chocobo GP is Square's version of Mario Kart, or so I believe.  I could be wrong but it feels like Final Fantasy Kart Lite, sort of? Again I could be wrong but we should probably consider it as such.  There are things that Square does for this game that are quality, but others not so much.  Below I do so in explaining what is good, what is bad and my overall rating.

Positives:

1. Story mode: It's cute, funny and short.  It's not an insane amount of work and you are good with the game.  It's got a kid-ish type funny humor to it but I like the cutesy way they made this for Chocobo GP.

2. Music: It should be illegal to make racing games to be this good with soundtracks.  Every track in this game is absolutely phenomenal.  From the opening theme, to the track themes, you can't find a bad track.  If there were, then I didn't hear any of them be bad.  It's absolutely fantastic. 

3. Receptive karts: I do like this, and I feel it would be better if they were able to slide a bit more, but overall if there was something I would complain about with Mario Kart, their carts are not responsive enough whereas Chocobo GP's probably are over responsive to the input put in the game.  However this could be easily fixed on a DLC to be honest.

Negatives:

1. Tracks: This is something I cannot comprehend.  You are Square, you have a bazillion dollars in the bank. Yet you can't make a racing game with more than 7 tracks? That is a big freaking yikes from me.  I can't vouch for that.  It is just rough that you couldn't do more than that.

2. Flair for Gaming: Here's what I mean by this.  Mario Kart has pizzazz, it has style, it has flair.  Chocobo GP just doesn't offer that at all.  It just lacks a lot.  It feels like a mundane game in terms of excitement.  

3. Microtransactions: Yeah I can't vouch for this either.  I despise games that do this and it is a joke that a racing game is this way.  It's not something I appreciate with games at all and I am frustrated that this was a route that Square went with it.  

Overall Rating:

Overall based on racing, this is just an average game.  Limited track set, limited karts, and you have to buy a lot to get everything.  It's frustrating to me that they couldn't do more for that.  For as great as the soundtrack is and the karts can be, the racing is just lackluster and doesn't offer much in the way of being enticing.  This, much like Mario Kart, is mainly based off of luck rather than skill.  If they got a DLC and added tracks and made the karts a bit different it would be a vastly different story.  It just falls short right now.  For me, it's a 5 out of 10 for Chocobo GP. 

PS2 Game Review: NCAA Football 2002

 NCAA Football 2002 marked a new occasion to EA Sports College Football series.  Its Madden series debuted on the PS2 with Madden 2001, but NCAA didn't go to the PS2 until NCAA Football 2002 with this new console.  It also ushered in a new era, with broadcast style settings, with play-by-play announcing, with a lot more expansive statistics keeping, and a lot more.  However, this game is not without its flaws that are also very noticeable as well.  So without further ado, here is what NCAA Football 2002 does well and what it struggled with going to the next generation of video game console. 

Positives:

1. Broadcast Presentation: EA Sports does well with the transition to PS2 with the ability to get Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, and Brad Nessler as part of the broadcast team.  The three combined to carry their way through to new heights in video gaming commentary.  There is good presentation when there isn't a 'regional' or 'national' broadcast with an on-field announcer that gives play-by-play, similar to that of the NFL Gameday 98 announcer. 

2. Statistics Keeping- This differentiates in a major way from the PS1 games for NCAA.  There is the ability to keep most stats and save the game.  It's not perfect like in later editions but for taking the leap up, it is done perfectly in later editions, but at the least it was a lot better than on the PS1 games.  

3. Fluid- This game is fluid, it is quick on the ability to get done with a game and go forward to the next.  I think the game on the transition is surprisingly good with its pacing and ability to be quick and fluid.  You wouldn't expect it knowing it has to transition to a bigger stage but it does do well in this regard.

4. Recruiting- It is straight forward to recruit, to know your points budget, and to see who you can lure to your school.  You have to be strategic to fill holes on the roster but also be within the budget to do well with the game overall.  I appreciate the way this was done in the next step up to the PS2.

Negatives:

1. Repetition of commentary- They get better with this as time goes forward.  However the commentary in this game is very, very repetitive to be honest.  It is a downside and one that is noted nonetheless.  

2. Easy competition- This is what the game lacked more so.  The competition was so easy overall that even with step-ups in difficulty it made it still easy.  Just overall I thought they struggled with this, and it was just a game that you could go worst-to-first pretty easily in 1-2 seasons (dependent on the CPU.)  So that is the major struggle here is just it being too easy a game.

3. No note of who you recruited- So there isn't an extra screen for whom you got to commit to your program.  This is done better in future games and really speaks to how barebones this edition really is. 

4. Graphics- Honestly I can't give this game a good grade for graphics.  It's grainy, it's not well refined and it struggles to produce good graphics.  It does a LOT better for both going forward in future editions as well but the original was a massive struggle.

Overall Rating:

This was a barebones game to start with really no major big things to hold its hat on in its transition to the PS2.  I overall thought the game was barebones and not a great expectation especially in hindsight and the further editions do a lot better going forward.  I think this was done well in some regards, but is merely above average in respect.  So overall rating is 6.5 out of 10. 

PS4 Game Review: Final Fantasy VII Remake (Part 1)

 Final Fantasy VII is arguably the most important game in video game history as it transitioned from cartridges of past to the PlayStation CD that is still being used today.  It spun off with such popularity that spin-off games were created like Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core, Dirge of Cerberus and a DVD named FF7: Advent Children.  However, the biggest news of this game was that there would be a Remake in store and it was met with much hype, buzz, and anticipation.  It released on April 10, 2020 (yes in the middle of the pandemic, it happens) and to much sales, accolades and some consternation.  So what do I feel the Remake does well? What needs to be improved on going forward? All that and more ahead!

Positives:

1. Active Battle/Strategy- You have to be strategic with this game and its active battle system.  It's actually quite fun to do that.  I enjoyed the games battle system and the strategy with the bosses (there isn't much on regular battles as it is the same as any RPG, beat the hell out of the enemy) that you have employ.  So this was a major plus.

2. Music- Yep, this is another plus but I enjoyed a lot of the music in this game.  I overall thought it was a great plus and my personal best music was the Jenova fight that you fight late in the game.  Overall though the soundtrack is fantastic.

3. Most character arcs- I enjoy the quick character arcs and the emotions that are enveloped.  The arcs of Tifa and Aerith are very solid overall and they set the stage for themselves in future parts in this series. They provide calmness in turmoil, kindness when times are rough and I feel they will provide that later on.  Red is already very cerebral and I suspect that will happen going forward more.  If you played the Intergrade, you can see more of the backstory of Yuffie and where she will come into play later (I would assume at least) in Part 2.  

4. Non-Playable Characters- I thought this was a good addition to the mix.  I thought also that the NPC's were a good combination and worked well overall with the game.  Each has a good amount of interaction, or you are Johnny and you are quirky which is also good.  I think this was a good step.  I do have my questions about going forward in the upcoming Part 2 but for Part 1 the NPC's are quite good.

5. Graphics- Yeah this was not going to be on here because it is always redundant for Square and Final Fantasy and the blog if I relate it again and again.  Yes, Final Fantasy graphics are good, yes Square has good graphics departments on Final Fantasy.  This game is no different.

Negatives:

1. Cloud's character arc: If you notice why I did not include Cloud, there is a good reason.  I despised Cloud for 14 chapters minus one cutscene with him and Tifa and him and Leslie.  For those wondering you can YouTube those scenes.  However, his attitude stunk for most of this game.  I did not enjoy playing with him because of this.  It's fine that he was in a couple missions for the money as that was literally the same as the original, however he was much more of a jerk in the Remake than the original.  One scene was following a sidequest where he requests so much gil for such a simple task that people get mad at and I wonder why the reason to make him just a major jerk.  Also he comes off as just terse in every way towards Aerith and it really is annoying really quick.  He does get better at this from Chapter 15 onward but once he gets the leadership role in Part 2 (again assuming this happens) I hope his attitude very much changes too.

2. Sidequests: I found these just tedious than fun.  They just revolved going in a massive circle it felt but not just that the treasures were meh at best most times.  It was neat to face a couple enemies but that's all it was good for.  I hope when Part 2 happens if there are more sidequests that they can be more fun than just tedious. 

3. Length of battles: Note this is more for the boss fights, but I found some to just be grinding.  I don't mind the lack of fire power/attacking by the characters themselves but I did mind when boss fights took half an hour to an hour to complete.  I just found it to be long, dragging and something that needs to change in Part 2 as well.  I just hope that it happens, and there is more balance to this.

Overall Rating:

Without question there was a lot of buzz and hype to Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 1.  It deserves accolades with its positives but its negatives also should be noted and improved upon as the game reaches the PS5 for the future.  The one thing that will help this game mainly is Cloud's hopeful improvement and the length of battle improvement.  Overall I thought FF VII: Remake Part 1 was a very solid game and rating it 8 out of 10 seems fair I believe.

PS2/PS3/PS4 Game Review: Final Fantasy X-2

 Final Fantasy X-2 was supposed to be a Yuna-centric sequel to find our good lad Tidus after the ending of Final Fantasy X.  What it envelopes is looking into spheres that may look into Tidus and a male figure that looks like Tidus, but it leads to an adventure that digs deep into the past of Spira. To this day, this game gets crucified for its fan-service type gaming as it leads with the aforementioned Yuna, but FFX star Rikku and newcomer Paine.  Is the game rightly crucified? Is the game a bit unworthy of the claim? All that and more below!

Positives:

1. Active Battle System- This is probably the best takeaway from the game is the active battle system and its ability to succeed in this game I believe probably was the spring board to games later on to the active battle system.  This was a great plus as opposed to the turn based games of the past.  I felt that Square did really well overall for this.

2. Music- I was going to put this as a neutral but in the end it goes to the positives but only just.  It's not a favorite soundtrack of mine, but it isn't bad.  The battle theme and boss theme are okay, but the worlds maps music are the best.  So that overall is why the game's music is the main plus.

3. Chapter 4 Song- One of the best songs I would say done on Final Fantasy but probably the signature of the game other than the battle system is the fact that this song was done.  The way that this song was done was exemplary and it does really amazingly well with all the graphics and it makes it worthwhile overall to play for that moment.

Negatives:

1. Story- Good golly the story is just so awful.  I just don't get how they made it that way.  I get the idea of trying to find a lost loved one but make something of it after that.  Make the story meaningful.  Square doesn't do any of that in this game.  I felt that this game, which has the active battle system, use of the past worlds would have been so much more and could have been so much more open but instead it was just bland, and honestly just bad.

2. Fan Service- Okay look, I am for making characters look amazing but there comes a point where it just becomes fan service and this easily was fan service to the characters.  To me it makes me feel like.. they are already beautiful and we already know Yuna and Rikku are fantastic leaders and role models.  I don't see the need to provide fan service and try to attract male viewers to them and also LeBlanc, and it just looks porous.  You can make them amazing, fantastic characters, leaders and just have a good story.

3. Side quests: For as much as I thought FFX was arduous on this, FFX-2 is just ridiculous on it.  I get they are a big point to the game but it feels that this game just missed the mark on them and it became boring for lack of better words.  I kept expecting the game to burst to life with the story, quests and side-quests and it just didn't do well at all.  I also wouldn't recommend the re-calibration of the lightning towers because that is just ridiculous.

4. The NPC's- For the record, NPC's means Non-Playable Characters, and honestly I just thought this game has mediocre at best NPC's.  It's not anything great, LeBlanc is meh, Nooj is meh, same with Baralai and others.  I just never got any major appeal to them and honestly they came up well short.  It's so unfortunate that this happen while other games had good NPC's.

Overall Rating:

I cannot recommend FFX-2 to anyone, and here's the reason.. it's legit just fan service to have.  I didn't enjoy much of anything about the game.  The story isn't good, the quests nor side-quests are good either.  I feel the battle system was the only good thing to this game and it is highly unfortunate overall that this was the only good thing about the game.  Very rough game that deserves only a 4 out of 10.