Recapping 2024, Outlooking 2025: The folzyfantasy15 Perspective

 Hello friends, I hope you have had a good 2024.  Or if not, I hope 2025 is a good outlook for you!  Normally I don't do like a recap of a year or outlook something but I feel like this is something at this point I want to do and it goes to really just life, gaming, and likely beyond.  So what I want to do is do a life recap of 2024 then gaming recap and then outlook each for 2025.

Life Recap of 2024: Honestly, I mentioned this to other people IRL and maybe some people in different chats, but if it weren't for three conventions between 2023 (Reconnect) and 2024 (Pax East and MGC) I have probably endured the two worst and two toughest years of my adult life from a personal standpoint.  From a personal standpoint, it's been rough. There's been a lot to endure and it has not been easy.  There honestly has not been a road map for any of the trouble that has beset myself and my family, even when members of that same family have been the cause.  That is the bad.  The good? Honestly, I got my own place and I feel I have upkept it pretty well but honestly it's the conventions of MGC and Pax East this year that I really honestly keep dear to me.  I honestly was so fortunate to meet so many amazing people and meet up with so many amazing friends again. It was fantastic to go through and have that much fun and just see three fantastic states that I hope to go to again in the future. 

Life Outlook for 2025: Honestly, my immediate family has been a great structure for me.  Hopefully those relationships stay close.  I don't know what my relationship (which is strained, which is probably being kind) with my father will be, but I will just take that day by day.  In terms of work, I just take it day by day also honestly because that place is either really good or terrible with no major in-between (My job itself is fantastic.)  So that's the other thing.  Living situation: Probably the same, as I plan to renew my lease as long as my rent doesn't go outrageously up in 2025. Just letting you all know as friends, I cherish my friendships with you and I hope that continues to be steadfast next year.

Conventions in 2025: So this is probably a thing eh? After Reconnect 2023, MGC and Pax East this year, I plan on going back to MGC in 2025 (it's near me so it's literally fine for me, and it's cheap) and I am going to Reconnect in Denver in 2025 as well.  With that, I likely will not be able to go to Pax East.  There is an outside shot of me going to Twitchcon in 2025, but I'll make a final determination on that in the spring most likely.  If you are at MGC (which is Midwest Gaming Classic) and/or Reconnect, can't wait to see you!

Gaming Recap of 2024: Honestly, this is one thing that I enjoyed getting back to, both on Twitch and YouTube.  To reach over 500 followers on Twitch has been just fantastic beyond belief, to know that I started 2024 just over 400 and to get a lot more means the world.  I don't game for money or fame or notoriety, but just to have fun.  To know that I have a crowd who openly is rooting for great things is fantastic too! You are as much of this ride as can be.  For YouTube, to be at 200 subs is fantastic.  I came back past the midway point of the year, but to put out the games I did and feel they were successful is fantastic.  Anytime I hit 10 views, I feel it's been a success.  If I somehow get 100, I feel like that's great.  If we did a comparison to 2023 to 2024, by years end I should be more on views, which is good.  I will likely be right around the amount of subs gained between 2023 and 2024, which is also good. 

Gaming Outlook for 2025: Honestly with Twitch, it's just continue to stream and do my best.  I don't have a goal like "Hit 600, hit 700 followers" because I just feel that if I stream and enjoy the game, I will have fun streaming still.  For YouTube, kinda the same deal. PS: I'll link both my Twitch and YouTube below. I just want to grow the following as I can.  To grow over double as I had from 2022 to now is just fantastic.  I just hope I can keep growing.  In terms of the games I will play, for the Twitch, expect a lot of variety of games.  I will start with Final Fantasy and expand with some Kingdom Hearts but mix in Mario, Pokemon, Kirby, and so much more.  I would expect Zelda, Tales, Luigi as well, and getting some other games like Star Fox, Legend of the Mystical Ninja, Bubsy, and so much more.  I plan to do a birthday streamathon again, though in a different way than I did this year.  I honestly learned a lot over those long type of weekends so while likely doing a 40 hour weekend isn't likely in the realm, I may make it something like 4-8 hour days or something like that (It also depends on my time off at work.) For YouTube, expect also some Mario, but also Donkey Kong Country and it's trilogy of games, and a lot of sports games ranging in sports.  I feel that has been a good market as well for me to hit in addition to the Mario games.  

With that, I hope you enjoyed reading this friends, and just know as much as I hope for my successes I hope for yours as well!

SNES Game Review: Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

 Nintendo and Square Enix (Then Squaresoft) made a commitment to one of Nintendo's and gaming's biggest characters in the mid 1990's.  What came of it was Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars.  A game that brought so much for so many people that to this day is beloved.  It inspired the remake in 2023 that also came to much acclaim and universal love.  So what does this game from 1996 do well? Was there anything they could improve on? All that and more below!

Positives:

1. I don't think I need to say graphics are a huge plus here do I when it is Nintendo and Square?

2. I also don't think I need to say soundtrack is also a huge plus when it is Square and Nintendo, do I?

3. Now to the actual analysis, the story is fantastic. The fact that you can get so many new characters involved in one way or another, whether good or evil, through this game is fantastic.  The story is deep enough to be grabbing but light enough to motor through the game easily with enough twists and turns to it to last a lifetime honestly.  It's all around just a job very well done.

4. The new characters are to be highlighted, Geno and Mallow.  They both have a skill set that can do well when needed, or they can just hang out when needed too.  Overall, Geno is the better character but Mallow can be clutch when needed and put into the spotlight with his abilities.  They were terrific additions to the game.  For the opposite side, the Smithy Gang are great villains that provide the evil for the game.  Whether its the bosses or just Smithy himself, it's a good addition to the game that otherwise may have just been another Mario v. Bowser clone.  Speaking of Bowser..

5. How cool is it that he goes from villain to comedic relief to playing hero here? It's an arc that very few characters could lay claim to, and to be honest it was one that I thought wouldn't work but Bowser makes it work here.  The guy is a tank of a character as well, so he really helps get it done for Mario and company.  But what about the Princess?

6. Also another fantastic addition to the party.  Peach's skill set really is as a healer, but she can be a good force when needed to attack as well.  She is a better healer than Mallow, but comes up clutch with her Group Hug attack that also heals the party of status ailments.  She also provides great dialogue between bosses, or Mario/Bowser or with Smithy.

Negatives:

1. Unfortunately there are a couple.  The first is the main one I had with this game.  The isometric platforming in this game left a LOT to be desired. It is the one main game problem that I have with it.  The platforming was a struggle really with most levels and areas overall.  

2. The only other issue I would say is the game played far too easy at times.  Overall, though not a terrible issue. Most other people may or may not say the same.  To me, it's a minor negative but one I thought should be noted.

Rating:

Overall, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars deserves a 9 out of 10.  I would warrant it a 10 even with the difficulty if they figured out the platforming, which is the only major negative of the game.  Definitely play this game if you can get the chance on the SNES, but with the new Switch version doing a lot of great things too, definitely play that game too!

Nintendo 64 Game Review: Pokemon Snap

 The 1990's were full of fads, crazes, and shows with almost cult-like followings.  From track suits, to the dot com bubble (and bust) to shows like Power Rangers developing huge followings, seemingly everything happened in this decade that either touched gold or touched disaster (or in the case of Power Rangers, seemingly both.) One such show that became a phenomenon with a major following became Pokemon, which to this date continues onward with shows, games, and mobile games as well.  One such Pokemon game that came at the probable height of its fandom was Pokemon Snap.  A game that features.. literally.. taking pictures of Pokemon in their 'natural' habitat.  It was popular as a game for Pokemon Gamers, but also Nintendo gamers, and it came back in 2021 with a new game, New Pokemon Snap (yes they could have used Pokemon Snap II but.. I digress.)  How does the original do for the N64? What needed to be improved?

Positives:

1. It's a quick paced game with quick paced levels.  Since the scope of the game is so limited, you can't really attract an audience well with a game that takes forever to complete.  Pokemon Snap can be done in a couple of hours and keep you wanting to complete the game fully as best as possible.  The fact the levels typically only take about 4-5 minutes each is a good thing for the game.

2. The replayability factor of the levels is big here, as you have to replay levels with different items that you get.  It's not a totally great replayable game, but the levels that you have to do are major and needed overall to extend the game's time span.  I feel they did a good job developing the game to have the levels be replayed over and over again.

3. Graphically, the game is fantastic.  Nintendo and the group that made this game did a terrific job with graphics and making this game and its levels look exquisite.

4. Same for the soundtrack, as the soundtrack is beautifully done and is exquisite as well.

5. The controls aren't too jerky, odd or anything while taking pictures.  You won't have too much issue with focusing the camera as it is already auto-focused in so you won't have blurriness like you might have IRL taking photos.

Negatives:

1. The game is very limited in scope with not much more to offer. It's taking pictures of Pokemon, there isn't much else to it.  And you had better take them well because..

2. Professor Oak's grading system has to be about the worst grading system I have ever come across in a game or real life.  if a pokemon is top-middle or bottom-middle by a bunch, you still get credit.  If it is even THE SLIGHTEST bit off center though, you are downgraded horrifically.  His grading system for including other Pokemon is also just terrible.  How did this dude allow Ash, Gary and others to determine Pokemon fate instead of a good professor?

3. With the game limited in scope, it's also limited in Pokemon.  There are only 60 Pokemon to take photos of here, well short of the 151 it would typically manage overall.  It just falls flat to have just some Pokemon and not even a majority of the beginning amount. 

Rating:

Overall, Pokemon Snap is a good-to-very good Pokemon game and a good N64 game.  The negatives definitely prevent it from being great.  However, it's popularity kept it going to the point they got a new game in 2021.  There is no escaping the road this game helped build for the future of Pokemon in America in the peak of its time.  Overall, a 7.5 out of 10 works for Pokemon Snap

SNES Game Review: Shaq Fu

 Shaquille O'Neal is one of the greatest basketball players of all time and one of America's most notable people.  The legend came into the NBA with a force and instantly was one of the biggest megastars in the 90's, helping propel the Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers back to greatness.  His story off the court is well known as well, as he was a part of music, movies, and even a video game, Shaq Fu.  This game was very much critically maligned and excoriated for a number of reasons, of which may be discussed today.  However, was this game really, truly the worst game on the SNES (Quick Answer: No.) So what was a positive, if any, for this game? What were the negatives? All that and more below!

Positives:

1. The graphics in this game, even without a graphics card are actually quite good.  EA did a really good job on this aspect.  Unlike a lot of games in the fighting style where graphics were not great, this game actually was done well.

2. The sprite movements, also done quite well.  You can tell when the attack is big, and it's also fluid and well done.  The parries are also done in a good way.  Overall the movements are fluid, not too jerky and the moves and parries are good in this game.

3. If you want a quick to play, get it out of the way, type game, this is for you.  The story is not going to take you long at all, and it is progressively more difficult with all the different modes.  So it's a decent pick up and play quick game, with also a play now mode so you can just play against a different character without really jumping into story mode (Note, the Genesis version of this game has three more stages and five more characters, so it's more in-depth there.)

Negatives:

1. Story mode is just..bad. Just honest, it's bad, and it's deserving of criticism.  It's not done well at all, and done with the purpose of being quick with no good dialogue whatsoever.  It's just go place, trash talk each other, then fight. Which leads me to..

2. The fighting combat controls are just.. so bad. They are all over the place and wonky and it's just not a great thing, especially when the game is made for *checks notes* FIGHTING! Yeah.. as much as the positives brought it out, the main thing of this game is bad.  The controls are all over, it's almost impossible to set them to what you want, and the special moves are meh at best. Definitely not what a good fighting game should be.

3. The characters themselves leave a lot to be desired. They are just.. meh at best and seem to play at stereotypes of them from the 90's (which lets be honest, haven't exactly gone away 30 years later.) But overall, stereotyping aside, they just leave a lot to be desired and its just a let down. 

Rating:

This is at best a below average fighting game with it's main thing just bad.  However, this is not one of the worst SNES games, and it's far from it.  IT's below average at best, bad at worst, but no where near the terrible games like Pit Fighter, Race Drivin, Waialae Country Club and much more. This isn't even in the 100 worst categories, because there are FAR, FAR worse games.  With this game, a 4.5 out of 10 works, and honestly, it would probably rank between 500th-550th in the SNES scale.

PS2 Game Review: Dark Cloud

 Dark Cloud is a game that had two iterations on the PS2 (this and Dark Cloud 2, also noted Dark Chronicles overseas) and this game can be noted as a city building, dungeon conquering RPG.  It came out In December 2000 in Japan, while coming out in 2001 for North America and Europe. It sold initially poorly in Japan, but had a much better selling record in the Americas and in Europe.  It is a game that I never played until 2024.  How did I like this game? Was there anything I think that they should have improved on? All that and more below!

Positives:

1. Graphics are fantastic in this game.  This was near the start of the PS2 system so it was going to be a step up but this game done by Level 5 deserves high remarks for their graphics work.  This game is very well done graphically.

2. City building is necessary, but it's entirely optional how you want to do it. I love that the game gives you the freedom to be able to do things the way you want, while instituting what you should do for something (IE: making sure a pond connects fully to a waterway) but the scale of it is you should be able to be randomized with where you put things and that is good with me.

3. I like most of the partners you get in this game.  They have a very unique skillset and one that makes sense overall.  A lot of them are very unique to overcoming trials of the dungeon that they are affiliated with. 

4. Music is also a really good positive to this game, I feel that they did really well for the soundtracks of really anywhere and it was really well done I feel overall.

5. I honestly loved the story towards the end of it.  It provides twists and turns with all the dungeons but also a story of the final dungeon and what needed to happen was simply fantastic.  I thought they did really well explaining the full story in details throughout the entirety of the game.

6. It's a great final boss.  Like any final boss, multiple forms but a great duel.  Overall thought it was a very good final boss and one most people would enjoy

Negatives:

1. The combat is so repetitive and that really drags the game down. It is really easy to figure out the bosses and what to do.  It also makes it kind of a lot longer on the fights than they need to, because it's just a lot of switching characters and utilizing the others.  

2. Some of the mandatory characters of the dungeon levels are a bit much.  Mainly because most of them have such a limited skillset to try to find the dungeon level key or main thing to advance the level.. which brings me to.

3. Why is Osborn the last guy to get? It just feels forced (Sorry if spoiler as well) but it just feels so forced to put him in when.. there arguably didn't need to be a reason.

Rating:

Overall, Dark Cloud deserves a 8 out of 10.  I didn't mind the repetitive nature of the dungeons too much, but the characters being forced in is something rough. However the combat is the main thing that makes it go to an 8 instead of higher.  Had they figured out not to make combat for both regular enemies plus bosses not as repetitive and redundant, this would be a lot higher ranked game.  Still a good playthrough and should be given a chance for anyone.

PS2 Game Review: Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII

 Dirge of Cerberus follows the Final Fantasy VII timeline of following FF7: Advent Children, which follows the original FF7, which followed.... you get the point.  Anyway, Dirge of Cerberus plays a far different role than that of the other games and movie.  This follows around Vincent Valentine, that vampire looking guy that was a Turk that joined the party from the OG game that you barely cared about (unless you used him extensively because good on you.) This game showcases him as he faces.. let's just say his past and helps him gain into the future? Yeah, let's go with that.  Let's see what this game does well, not well and what I would rate it.

Positives:

1. Vincent's backstory is key here.  THANK GOD they FINALLY told something of the guy from prior to joining the party in the OG game. The backstory of his leads into the current present, but its so good to see Vincent FINALLY get something for what fans probably clamored for for years (at least that's what I thought when this game came out in 2006.)

2. Graphics and music are good in this game. It's a good combination overall. It's a good look into what the PS2 could do, especially with a lot of the pre-rendered materials that they use in this game.  Something that Sony kinda struggles with today honestly.

3. It's a quick enough story.  It's filled with action, but there's more honestly a straight forward story of what you need to do and I appreciated that for a game that is more or less an extension of preceding factors in the FF7 story.

Negatives:

1. The lock-on and combat are miserable in this game.  The lock on is not a good one, and the combat is subpar at best.  All it is is Vincent just running around and hoping that he gets the aim correct or morphs into his galian beast to help him overall.  It's just honestly below average on all accords.

2. While the story is straight forward, a lot of the missions are just.. confusing and again lackluster.  It's just eh at best and the story also paints a very much different picture of Lucrecia (while continuing to revile Hojo) and you have nothing but to feel for Vincent on this accord. It's not his fault or anything he did wrong, it's something that happened to him.

3. It just feels like this could have been explained in full with his part of the story but added the game after but that's just me.  A lot of his backstory doesn't take long to talk about, and in fact just covers small parts of the game itself.  The other part of this game is the fact that so many other characters like Reeve just feel so forced to be in the game.  It just feels awkward overall. 

Rating:

At best this game is a 6 out of 10.  It doesn't wow you which a Final Fantasy should at least do that. It has a good story, but is put back by the missions being lackluster.  Vincent's story overall is good, but is offset by how bad Hojo and Lucrecia are.  It just felt like more could have been done here.  

PS2 Game Review: Kingdom Hearts II

 Kingdom Hearts II comes off the success of Kingdom Hearts I and the seemingly decent success of Chain of Memories and in the story, comes at the end of the game, 358/2 Days.  It's the best way to describe the story in chronological order.  It released on the PS2, and it came out to much acclaim.  To be fair, it's unfair to compare this game to Chain of Memories, so let's make it more comparable to KH1.  However, it may do another injustice with this as we get the next iteration to the story of Kingdom Hearts.  So what's this game done well? What did not go well? All that and more below!

Positives:

1. Sora's story continues to progress and be terrific.  However, this being intermingled with Roxas makes it better.  You see the greatness in both but also how mystifying it is for Sora, and how infuriating it was for Roxas, to have this happen.  However, in the end, it made it all worth it.

2. The incorporation of most of the Disney worlds here made the game well worth it.  Personally, I found Pride Rock and Land of Dragons being the best with the Coliseum being third.  I think they got the most of the characters, the landscape, and the story overall.  Also, the boss fights in all of these are pretty good overall (and makes for some historically terrific one-liners and advice.)

3. Reaction commands worked for the most part very well.  Yes there are some flub-ups with input, some delay, but I feel if they kept with it to make it less of a delay, you would have seen this perfected going forward.  I felt this was a good start overall though for this feature.

4. Obviously the soundtrack, the graphics are fantastic.  This shouldn't be much more noted than this.

5. The newer, non-Disney, worlds and their stories are fantastically done as well.  The story revolving around those are terrific.  The last world and the back story and continuance of it are splendid and well worth the praise.

6. The fight for Riku is also noted here and I like that they continue making progress to this.  It's a major plus to what goes on with Sora and Roxas.  It's a solid part of the story that continued with the Kingdom Hearts franchise.

Negatives:

1. The fact that they made Namine and Kairi essentially non-existent is just.. rough.  Yes they play roles, but they should play much larger roles in the story.  Unfortunately it's something that they don't do and it's something they should have done.

2. There's just some worlds that don't matter.  Pirates doesn't play a large role, Pride Lands is practically irrelevant, and Atlantica is just something that exists.  It would have been fantastic for every world to play a much larger role than it actually did.

3. Everything just feels slow in the way of combat and the exploitation of the mana system is just too prevalent to not mention.  It is a step up from KH1, but something that still needed to be better overall.

4. Exploration is non-existent but also I feel that it wasn't something that was prioritized given the story and the worlds and depth of the game.  It would have been cool that we had something that led to great treasure, like in KH3, or some side content/story, or a super boss.  However, it wasn't to be and that is fine too.

Rating:

KH2 is worth an 8.5 to a 9.  It's well worth the play through, either OG or Final Mix edition.  It's a great story builder for the game that allows the game to press forward after what happened in Chain of Memories. It's a great game that teeters on being excellent overall

PS2 Game Review: Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories

 Kingdom Hearts is known for a lot of things.  It's known for heroism, togetherness, friendship, bravery and some really weird attack systems.  You have the command deck, the affinity for reaction commands, flowmotion and most important in the set of weird attack system, card sleights.  That is what KH Chain of Memories on the Game Boy Advance and KH Re:Chain of Memories on the PS2 (and future consoles) displayed for an attack system.  For this game, you focus on KH1 hero Sora going into a massive castle that rids his memories.  It also parallels his best friend, Riku, in a twist of wondering how he can use the darkness to his own better future.  On top of that, this is the main introduction to what fans know as Organization XIII.  So what does this game do well? What does it do that isn't good? We'll separate this up by Sora's story and Riku's story.

Sora's Story Positives:

1. The end is really good.  I enjoyed the last couple of worlds you have to venture with Sora in this game.  That's the best way to say it.  The worlds aren't massive in length but are actually fun to go around and see and fight in.

2. The ability to go through and make the sleights are something that is really neat and something that makes you really think of strategy and how to make your deck to make the best combo, healing, making the elixirs and potions work and so much more.  I felt this was a good step forward in making the game good from an attacking/strategy standpoint.

3. Visually, this game is fantastic on either the GBA on the original Chain of Memories or the PS2 version.  It's fantastic in its own right of course, compared to today. But in this time frame, the graphics and honestly the soundtrack were both fantastic overall.  It's a job well done by the folks with Disney and Square for this game.

4. The boss fights, for the most part, are a challenge but they are doable and they are worth the challenge.  The best are against the Organization members and the in-between worlds fights.  So I would definitely have to recommend a lot of those boss fights.

Sora's Story Negatives:

1. There is just so much rehashing and the rehashing of the bosses in the worlds.  That's a major downside to Sora's side of the story and something that really just feels like a letdown.

2. The story just feels so dull even with the last couple worlds.  It's just really, really a downside overall. It's a sobering reminder that not all KH games could be great with story, but coming off the greatness that started with KH1, it's a bit frustrating that they couldn't make it better than this.

Riku's Story Positives:

1. This adds another perspective and it adds Riku's trials and tribulations as he fights the darkness and tries to come out on top of this.  It's a good view into the struggles that he deals with.

2. His story with the worlds is honestly done very well in a straight forward fashion. There is no major pomp and circumstance.  There are just straight forward and you do one thing, get to the end, and finish the world.  This makes it for a solid, quick deal.

Riku's Story Negatives:

1. Oh boy, did I rage at the final boss.  There's a major reason.  There's simply no reason that he can break everything while you can do next to nothing on it.  On top of if you get a great break, his guardian can block something as well.  It's incredibly frustrating and made me just quit the fight, check the ending on Youtube.  To me, it's just a terrible mechanic. Which btw, that's the ending? Kinda just.. weak.

2. His deck is fine.. if you like it being extremely limited and having to do a lot more to be strategic with it than Sora's.  It's just kind of annoying especially later in the game. It's just again, fine to be strategic but to be this limited in what you can do is just not the way to go about it.

Rating:

My best rating I can say for it is 6 out of 10.  It's not a bad game, but certainly not great.  I can't rate this as good either.  Just above average overall. If you want to play it as a first time playthrough, great. If you want to watch the cutscenes though, I don't blame you overall.

SNES Game Review: Pit Fighter

 Pit Fighter is a game that was in arcades and on the Sega Genesis that also made its way to the Super Nintendo.  While not too bad on the arcade version, it was slightly worse on the Genesis, but in conclusion one of the worst games on the SNES.  How bad is this game? Well.. let's review below.

Positives:

1. The Title Screen- And that's it. The title screen is the best thing about this game.

Negatives:

1. The Select Character Screen- It's just so bad to look at, it's bad to select any characters. And the characters themselves just are so awkward.

2. The fighting ring- Just so bad overall, it is awkward to be around the people but have to fight in a ring that looks like a bad version of a warehouse garage.

3. The Winning screen- Really, put on a pallet on a forklift? And the money doesn't do jack for you? Terrible.

4. The controls, and sprites are also beyond awful. They are so awful, you don't do any damage and when you do, it's almost reciprocated anyway.  The sprites move so bad, and the movements are so jerky and bad.

5. The controls are also so bad. You have no real control if you move into someone or if you do any damage overall.  

Rating:

Literally 0 out of 10. One of the worst, if not the worst, games on the SNES. I do not recommend and save the 2 dollars on this for a candy bar.

PS2 Game Review: Kingdom Hearts 1

 Kingdom Hearts is a franchise developed by Square Enix and Disney, started by Squaresoft (Yes it's the same company) and Disney and featured on the PS2 in March of 2002. The Disney side of it is a lot of characters that you would be familiar with over times past like Donald and Daisy Duck, Goofy, Pluto, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Pete, and villains like Maleficent, Ursula, and Captain Hook.  It also features heroes like Ariel, Hercules, Alice, and Peter Pan.  For the Square side, they helped make a lot of this game a reality but they also feature a ton of Final Fantasy characters like Aerith, Yuffie, Cid, Squall (Named Leon, and it's far cooler) and of course Cloud and Sephiroth.  What came from this tag team is a game big in depth but also something that still exists to this day.  I've played this game several times on the PS2 only, not the Final Mix, so sorry if I miss stuff that doesn't exist from that in the Original. Here's what I thought was positive, negative and what I rate KH1 on the PS2.

Positives:

1. Exploration- Probably to this day, KH1 does and gets the most out of the exploration of the games. From the rooms to the treasure you can find, that's a major part of this game.  This is highlighted with the trinity Marks in the game the player can find throughout all of the worlds.  It's at times frustrating to find them but a lot of the final prizes you receive are definitely worth the frustration of the challenge.

2. It has to be said, Sora is a terrific protagonist and hero to the game.  This scrawny, high pitched, energetic kid is the main character of the game, but oh boy does he grow up rapidly and become a legendary hero by games end.  He learns not just to go at it in an all-out style, but also learns to be cerebral and take chances when need be.  He isn't afraid of what can happen, but is ferocious in his tenacity to protect his friends, Kairi especially.  It's what makes a true hero, and Sora in one game proved how great of a hero he can and is.

3. Riku's part in this cannot be understated as well.  He is the perfect anti-hero to Sora's heroism.  He allows himself to become darkness and evil, while never letting it overcome him in the end.  He finds that path, and in all honesty, the later games show how great that path leads.  This was just the beginning for this guy, but it serves a great role in this game.

4. The bosses in this game are a challenge and require you to think and be strategic.. for the most part (more on that in a bit.) In all realness, a majority of these bosses do prove their worth and are a challenge.  I appreciate this. It's good gameplay honestly.

5. The worlds are honestly well done.  I only disliked a couple (for sake of argument, Deep Jungle could have been better and the last world isn't too user friendly) but the majority are very well done.  The folks who developed this should be given credit

6. Obviously the graphics and soundtrack were always going to be positives. Of course Simple and Clean is one of the most recognizable songs in the history of gaming. Looking back though, the soundtrack laps the graphics which brings me to..

Negatives:

1. Thank God this game got remastered because the graphics on the PS2 original version were far too dark for a lot of areas.  From the area around Merlin's house, the Island caves to other parts, you had to jack up the brightness to make it work.  Luckily, they essentially fixed that for later games. 

2. Back to that boss difficulty I mentioned above.  As much as most bosses are a great challenge, some are pushovers.  It isn't a negative per se to have an easy tutorial boss or first boss or so, but it feels like some of the bosses pacing and difficulty were just far too off.

3. Sora has a fantastic attitude about working with Donald and Goofy, Goofy seems to be cool with working with Sora, but Donald's attitude about working with Sora could resemble that coworker who just is there to collect a check, results be damned and co-working with others be damned.  His attitude stinks most of this game and it's a bit of a drag.

4. The rewards for collecting trinities and collecting Dalmations could be less needed, minus some of the major and/or rare trinities.  Yes, collecting the rare trinities is worth it, the end with the Dalmations is worth it.  The road to get them.. arguably not so.  It does tend to get redundant.  I think if they had tailored it at any point forward.. it'd be great.

Rating:

There's no doubt that KH1 is a solid starter to the KH family of games.  It sets up a legendary story well, though it's not without its flaws.  It's a good game overall that at times teeters on greatness.  Overall, they set a stage to allow us to chain together memories.  It gets a 7.5 out of 10 from me

PS2 Game Review: NCAA Football 2004

 NCAA Football 2004 is the third installment of the PS2/next gen consoles version of the NCAA series.  It arguably became the best of the group up to that point.  The games depth, the game being deeper and the fun of the game all come out in this series.  Is there anything that NCAA doesn't do well with 2004? Sure! But it's outweighed by the things it does well.  Let's dive in below!

Positives:

1. Deeper recruiting- Now you can have more say in who you want to recruit, what positions and how to get an athlete more to your favor earlier and by unlocking their major reason for wanting to play there.  You can Also decide to rescind an offer to go for someone else.  You also get a better depth chart for where you can get better overall as a team.

2. Sports Illustrated- This probably was a sign of the times but having SI cover your game was a big deal at the time, and it deserved a lot of credit overall.  I was Glad they got in the game, I am also glad they provided just an extra layer of depth to the dynasty mode of the game.  It was cool to see the All-Americans, conference lookouts and predictions overall.

3. FCS Expansion- This was cool, as they added more teams from several conferences.  It's really neat to see that you can play as many other teams.  This was a good move by EA.

4. Additional Trophies- This was also a good thing that they did.  They expanded the rivalry trophies and added some more bowl trophies, adding to your trophy case over time as well.  Just another neat touch to make a deeper game.

5. Greatest Moments- Another sponsor (Pontiac, o7's for that company) sponsored the Greatest Moments part to this game.  It showcased great moments (Choke at Doak, The Play, UVA ending FSU's conference game win streak, the Miracle in Michigan, etc.) that you can sort of replay and sort of make like the video game counterpart to real life moments.

Negatives:

1. Still feels too Easy- The competition does get harder in a lot of ways, like unless there is a great team or one that is far and away leagues better you will lose, but it still felt easy to win.  We beat Iowa year one with Buffalo, and went 13-1 that year.  We only had 2 losses through three years, and while yes the skill got better for the team, it still felt like it was too easy.

2. Generic FCS Stadiums- This isn't an issue with FBS teams but the FCS teams stadiums were just thrown together with two basic models.  Which I would have loved if it was mostly the same stadium with these teams, but it isn't.  Montana's stadium is different from the model for instance, and it would have been cool not just to see the teams, but their stadiums in the game. 

3. Limited spots for offers- This might have been to rules, but it feels odd that we couldn't get a setting that gives you a lot more room to give players an offer but then rescind it if you are over the scholarship offers and the amount sign with you (AKA: Essentially unlimited abilities to offer and you pick and choose kind of.)

Rating:

Overall, this game deserves probably a 8.5 out of 10.  I think the recruiting while improved still had flaws, the game play was better but also had flaws in ways of difficulty.  The FCS expansion was a positive but still had flaws, but overall everything was a step up from NCAA Football 2003.  Highly recommend for a retro football fan! Worthy of playing on all consoles!

Multi-Platform Game Review: Persona 5 Tactica

 Persona is a long running video game series that develops a lot of twists and turns throughout.  Yours truly, admittedly, had not played a Persona game until Persona 5 Tactica came out.  To say the least, I probably should have started with something else.  I did play this game on Easy Mode because I never played a Persona game before so here's what I thought of the game and why I wouldn't recommend playing this as your first Persona game.

Positives:

1. Battle system- Yes there are positives to this game.  The Battle system is one of them.  I like the layout of the battlefield, I like how the battle system works with finding the attack you want to do or not do.  I like how the game lays it all out for you.  In all, the battle system is done well.

2. Fusing- I like the fusing of Personas into a different one or into a cool weapon.  I thought that was a really neat thing to do throughout the game once you got to that point.

3. Story in the second half- It was honestly really good the second half of the main storyline.  I appreciated how it picked up and got better overall over time.  Something just stuck and it worked in that second half..

Negatives:

1. Story in the first half- Yeah.. that's why I said the second half.  The first half of the story was incredibly boring to me and I found myself skipping through most of the first half of it due to it just not really sticking to me.  I was not in the least bit interested in it. 

2. The Velvet Room- Yes I know this plays a role in other games, but this one just.. fell flat.  There wasn't anything cool to do here besides the fusing. I didn't feel a major thing to it other than doing the fusing of weapons or personas.

3. Sidequests- Thankfully they are sidequests because they were seriously not needed and I barely acknowledged them throughout the game.  It felt like they weren't even propped up to being anything so not sure why they were in the game.

4. The Cafe talks- All the talks in the cafe were something I fast forwarded or skipped because they were not really conducive to me or really productive when the characters talked.  It just felt like chatter you hear everywhere else that doesn't mean much.

Rating:

I wouldn't recommend it to be a first Persona for others to play. I did it and it just fell flat to me overall.  I would give P5 Tactica a 6/10.

Switch Game Review: Super Mario Wonder

 Super Mario Wonder was a game that came out in October of 2023 amidst one of the biggest years of gaming in recent modern history. Coming upon the heels of announcements for Super Mario RPG, The Thousand Year Door, Princess Peach Showtime, and a new Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon remake as well as the popularity of the Super Mario Bros movie, it's easy to see how this game could be overshadowed with everything going on for the plumber with a red shirt and hat and overalls. However, this game snagged the Best Family Game award at the 2023 Game Awards and 4 awards so far in 2024. This game is also wildly popular, selling 12 million copies by the start of 2024.  I got to play this game, and here's my thoughts below!

Positives:

1. Fast paced- I love the fast paced environment of this game.  It's a quick game overall (took me about 9 hours to beat the game) but 100 percenting this game is not gonna make you spend forever on it.  It's a fast paced game, and that's a plus for the Mario franchise.

2. Every type of gamer friendly- First time player? It's a good starter. Haven't played a Mario game in years? A great selection to get back into it. Wanna speedrun? A great speedrun game. Wanna just game for a weekend and get it over with? Perfect game for you. Want to challenge yourself? It's got that too! Mario Wonder has abilities to tailor to every type of gamer out there. 

3. Graphics/Soundtrack- Both are fantastic by Nintendo.  This would likely to have been expected, but it is never a bad thing when the graphics and soundtrack are on point and really, really good.

4. Variable levels- The levels go so many places and it is so cool to see. I love the direction they go with it and overall the levels from water to underground to sand to beach to anything it is absolutely phenomenal overall. I applaud those efforts of Nintendo overall to this.

5. Optional Levels- Note, you can do the bare minimum of levels and be fine.  However a lot of the optional levels are there and they are fun.  I love this part of Nintendo to make the optional/bonus levels as much fun but some challenging as much as possible. 

Negative:

1. End Level- Not to spoil anything but it just felt like for them rating it 5 stars felt not.. challenging at all. I feel like they just said that to say it because it is the final level of the game.  I never really felt the end level to be that challenging. Though it was fun, feels like something was amiss.

Rating:

My overall rating for Mario Wonder is a 9 out of 10.  It's a very solid, great Mario game that deserves the praise it has been given.  It's a great game for all types of gamers, a great family game and a game that you can finish in a weekend's time easily.  It's also going to be a rather affordable game in years time so you will be able to get it for a decently affordable price soon.  So definitely put this game on your bucket list. 

Multi-Platform Game Review: Sea of Stars

 Sea of Stars released in 2023 on just about every platform.  It released for Nintendo on the Switch, Sony for the PS4 and PS5, and Microsoft for PC, XBOX Series X and S and XBOX One. It also won 2 awards, The Best Indie Game at the Golden Joystick Awards and the Best Independent Game at the Game Awards in 2023. It was nominated for three other awards between award shows. With these awards in mind, I played Sea of Stars in early 2024, and wondered how the game would be. How do I feel this game squares up overall with rating, it's story and much more? Find that out below!

Positives:

1. Story- A major part of a game that can make or break it is the story. Sea of Stars has a fantastic story, that provides a very big plot twist early that makes the story very worth it in the end.  Overall, the story is brilliantly written and done from start to finish and keeps you engaged throughout. 

2. Graphics- A lot of times Indie games don't get the recognition they deserve for the work they put in.  The Switch version (That I played) for Sea of Stars had absolutely splendid graphics.  From the scenery, to the stages, the FMV's and motions of the characters were all splendid. The company who put this together should absolutely give themselves credit for the job they did.

3. Music- I like the soundtrack to this game. Almost every track in every world is splendid work. In parts where it is relaxed, it is relaxed. In a spot where it is intense, it is intense. There are many tracks to this game, and all of them are very good overall.

4. Character growth- Over the course of this game you see the two main characters, Zale and Valere, grow a lot from starry-eyed wanderers needing to fulfill one quest to heroes the world needs but don't deserve. They turn into people who don't judge others, want to help in every situation, and make the world be more peaceful without evil throughout. I love this aspect of them.  However, other characters like Serai, Garl, and even the villain, the Fleshmancer.

5. Ending- Not to be spoilery, but I enjoyed playing for the multiple endings.  I liked this a lot and thought that this was really neat overall. I would highly suggest playing the game for yourself (or if you don't play and want to YouTube it, go ahead.)

6. Garl- Okay I don't like singling out a specific cast member but this dude is right up there in legendary characters for me.  He's right up there with Vivi, with Auron, and others in terms of overall likeness, being a charismatic person, and wanting to help at all costs.  He's such a great character in this game and I am glad that he keeps this friendship with Valere and Zale throughout the years.

Negatives:

1. Moraine- If there is a major negative here, it has to be Moraine.  He's supposed to be a major teacher to Valere and Zale, and even their predecessors Brugraves and Erlina.  Instead, he seems to lead by kind of a dictatorial style.  That may explain what the predecessors did in the game, but it doesn't seem to fit Valere and Zale, who are a lot more open about their friendships, especially with Garl (who is not well liked by Moraine for a while.)  He just seems to be a woe is me guy when things go against him, and that rubbed me the wrong way.

2. The Rainbow Conch Quest- One that is seemingly behooving in the game, this probably was the worst sidequest.  Much like other quests in some other games like Final Fantasy in a way, this quest of finding all 60 rainbow conch shells was tedious, long and honestly rough.  It does pay off in the end but I don't blame you if you didn't try this.

3. A Boss Ending- Again, not to spoil anything but if you got frustrated by one of the end game bosses, I can't say I blame you at all. It was ruthless, almost to the point of unfair but one that I still did play and beat.  Again, if you feel it isn't worth or that you thought it was insanely tough, I don't blame you.

Overall Rating:

Despite the negatives that I mentioned above, I overall really enjoyed Sea of Stars.  My initial reaction made me put it as a 9.5 out of 10 but after some time (aka like 3-4 months) of looking back on my playthrough of this, it changes a bit. I love the story, I love the progression of the characters, especially the trio of Valere, Zale and Garl. This game thoroughly deserved the awards and accolades it received. My rating for Sea of Stars is 9 out of 10. Splendid game that you should all try once.

Midwest Gaming Classic 2024: The Folzyfantasy15 Experience

 Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Home to Miller, Harley, Summerfest, the Bucks, Brewers, and that Bronze Fonz statue. Also, home to the Midwest Gaming Classic convention, hosted inside the Baird (Formerly called Wisconsin) Center. If you need a reference, it's literally a couple blocks down from Fiserv Forum, very near the UWM Panther Arena, and the Milwaukee Theater. And this place is MASSIVE (and the convention itself only covers one part of it.) I took the opportunity to go to this convention in April.  You may be asking yourself, "Folzy, didn't you go to Pax East in Boston just a couple weeks prior?" And you would be correct. I went to MGC because.. why not? Plus I have always loved Milwaukee, and this convention compared to most was rather inexpensive, so why not go? With that, here's my thoughts on MGC, and what I think they could improve on for 2025 and beyond!

 The Baird Center played host to MGC and honestly, it's quite the host. Having three floors and a lot of rooms really helps this out.  The convention itself features a lot on the three floors. On the first floor, at least for me, there was some game rooms, a 'garcade' and some tabletop/card game rooms as well.  That's in addition to the ticket area. I got to the center early so the ticket line went quick.  As the day wore on, it became apparent that the line would get longer and slower.  Therefore it was good I felt that I could get in early. The garcade was cool to look at and see some of the games in there. The second floor had some good commentary with players playing different games. In this case, when I sat down, it was Tetris on the NES. They also had a spot for the very old televisions to be sold. Down the hall was a Nintendo stand and then a visual history of Nintendo in a couple areas as well. This seemed to be compact into the consoles, so I hope they bring it back and expand on it more in the next year. The third floor was the floor of all the major business. First, there was a merchandise station as soon as you got up the escalator. Second, The Game Center is incredible, with a stage with a feature game, then a ton of games from nearly to all consoles over time and a lot of pinball and arcade type games. Obviously the gaming here was intense, so be noted that when you go to MGC to expect gaming to be.. well gaming! The rest of the floor was also noted for VA's and different creators to hand out artwork, autographs, more arcade games, some food stands and a main stage as well for different performances. However, likely the big draw of the third floor would have been the Vendor Hall. The Vendor Hall is what it sounds like. A lot of vendors for games, artwork, and whatever else vendors may sell. While in this hall I got to meet a couple of friends from whom I met at Pax and a couple new friends for the first time, which was super cool! On the vendor hall, I was able to buy Madden 03 for GameCube as well as Tales of Symphonia and a Pink Yoshi Amiibo.  On the whole though, there is seemingly something for everyone and I would highly recommend just checking it out overall.  Do note though, there may be a lot of vendors that overprice their games so be wary and maybe check out the average pricing for details on it. With that in mind, what are some things that MGC may be able to improve on?

 Yes there are some things they can do to be better. Note, the Baird Center is undergoing renovations as I type this so this might be a moot point by 2025. However, some thoughts I had are spotty wifi was a damper, and that this needs to be improved for next year. I think it's something like Pax, where at times there was spotty wifi and in some areas especially it needed to be better overall. That's something that can be easily fixed. What may/may not be fixed is food quality for the price.  I actually wanted Jersey Mike's but they had small subs with few options for too high a price.  I went with pizza, which was alright but not great, and not worth nearly 16 dollars. There were other stands for similar to higher the price but with average value.  Hopefully the quality of food for the price one pays gets better overall for next year.  One other thing that I think they can get better with, and of which I compare to Pax, is accessibility.  One thing I liked at Pax is how they were so good with this, from medical badges to making sure people had chairs to prioritizing people with medical badges were seated first. MGC I thought had struggles with this, and I hope they can take examples from Pax and apply it here as well.  They had some good features for accessibility, but some things that definitely could be better. The last recommendation I would make is the use of a quiet room or two. I think that would be good for getting people just to relax and re-energize overall. 

 All in all, I enjoyed my time at the Midwest Gaming Classic.  I am hoping that I can go back to it in 2025, and it is honestly pretty affordable given other conventions possibly in the area or nationwide.  I do think there are several things they can improve on, but that can come with time.  I enjoyed my time seeing friends, buying different games and just venturing around.  I hope that they can keep up the great work and have more outstanding guests for next year. 

Pax East 2024: The Folzyfantasy15 Experience

Boston, Massachusetts. Home to the Celtics, Red Sox, Bruins, and a fan of dumping tea into harbor's in the 1770's. Also home to a convention, Pax East. Yours truly has never visited the northeast, so this was all new to me. Btw, for those who do end up reading this, while I won't mention you by name specifically, it'll be pretty easy to figure out who I am mentioning. Without further ado, lets talk.. BOSTON!

Logan Airport is.. oddly big but also easy to get around? The trains are mostly straight forward it seems, at least the times I was on them. The Uber drivers were all fantastic that I had. All great things! But then the night I got in, trains got me to where I could order an Uber then head to my hotel.  We aren't going to mention Hertz, because they were trash. The hotel overall I would rate a 4 out of 5. Quite well nicely done, soft bed, but rough on temperature control and the pillows. But overall that leaves everything to that wasn't strictly Pax related, so LETS DIVE INTO PAX!

Thursday, March 21: Cold as all heck.  Actually, it would have been fine if it weren't for the wind. A ferocious wind that made it feel so much colder than it actually was.  But that's not important because we got to the Boston Conventions and Events Center for PAX EAST! Upon entering, I went to get my badge at 8 am and avoided the line, because that's how we roll right? After sightseeing a bit, I got to meet my first person during the convention, who had the most amazing Kit Kats ever. We met with other friends as well and the group became much larger over the course of the day.  It was beyond cool all day, meeting friends, seeing friends again, taking pictures and just overall having a vibe.  After about 9.5 hours at the convention on Day One, it was time to head back to the hotel. I got lost in the parking lot but got to get on the road and back for Day 2!

Friday, March 22: First though, a road trip to New Hampshire and Maine was in order. Which I saw both and they seemed really neat.  I got to Pax around 10am. First things first: FF XVI panel (and meeting more friends of course.) It was incredible to say the least. I love that the company used Pax as an announcement for their DLC and major information about XVI (and XIV it appears, I didn't attend the XIV panel.)  Another fun thing to the convention was just seeing more and more friends and people along the way.  This is why I love the video gaming community, because of the friends it can bring about.. from anywhere in the world seemingly.  When that singular piece can bring people together in a place like Pax or an event like Reconnect, all things are enjoyable. After seeing more people, and meeting people, I also got to experience Pax's quiet room for a bit of time and I have to say those are absolutely fantastic for a getaway situation. I also got to see the retro game part of Pax, where I got Dark Cloud 2 finally, after many years of searching for it.  So that was all by 3pm by the way, so what to do after? Get pizza and then play cards! Which was done for a long while and then it was time to head out and get ready for Saturday.

Saturday, March 23: A day that was.. really really rainy. Parts of the Boston area got three inches of rain that day.  Never fear friends, for up north in parts of New Hampshire they had over two feet of snow.  You may be asking yourself, "Okay but Folzy, did you not go to Pax this day?" And I respond with, "Yes, you are absolutely right." Where I went was the New England Aquarium. It is nestled down by the harbor, which I imagine would look like a lovely place to be in the late Spring and Summer. I went with a friend, one who taught me a lot about the marine life of the fish and other sea creatures/freshwater creatures that were in the aquarium.  I will say I like that they had a gift shop and a cafe area in this aquarium. It really makes it better with those extra touches overall.  I liked really all of the exhibits and all the information that they had, but learning from my friend on these creatures is better overall.  After the aquarium, I just went to get lunch then after bus shuttles and an Uber, got to the hotel to head home to get ready for the final day.

Sunday, March 24: A day of vibing, a day of emotions, a day of soaking it in and acknowledging the end.  I did this with Reconnect sometime around when the group of us took lunch together. I just soaked in how lucky I was to be in the same area as everyone around me. That's just how the day started for me when I got to the Convention Center.  I just wanted to soak in the time I had in Boston, and also not want it to end.  It also meant I got the last day to meet some new friends before we all left. It's impressive that we go to the last day of a convention and meet new people, like I did at Reconnect as well, but it feels like the blossoming of a new friendship! However, all great things eventually do come to an end.  Much like Reconnect, saying bye to my friends (for now) was especially hard.  When I left Pax, I honestly got emotional as I walked out of the lobby for the last time, got my Uber and then at the hotel, just broke down.  Yes, a lot of it was sadness over saying bye to these amazing people but also joyful tears of the experience of the time at Pax. And yes, I got emotional a few more times after this.  After that it was just pack up and head home on Monday.

One thing that I would wonder and what I think a lot of people would ask is: "What would you improve on Pax?" And I think a couple of things are easy. One is wifi strength.  At times this was an issue, as it was spotty and not consistent.  They need to be better overall on this.  The second is food quality.  Not necessarily the price, though some of this could be 5 dollars cheaper.  However, the quality is.. mid-tier at best for a lot of it and it could sorely be improved. I will easily pay 15 dollars for food that is high quality and good. Not when it is mid-tier at best.

All in all, this is without to say how much Boston meant to me, but more specifically Pax and the friends I was around to see meant to me as well. Everyone I met for the first time but who I talked to from streaming, those who I met from Reconnect, and those who I did meet for the first time without knowing they streamed and becoming quick friends all made everything so much more amazing.  From of the bottom of my heart, with my whole heart, I want to say thank you to all of the people I met at Pax. You are all phenomenal people and deserve the best.  Until we meet next time friends!