I personally couldn't have imagined the actual RPG mechanics of this game being at all complex, and I also think in a lot of respects a lighter approach to the genre is a better fit. On the other end of the spectrum, the Paper Mario games were just enough of an RPG so they could be referred to as such. For many of us, the main interest came from the novelty of playing an RPG type game with Mario Bros. Characters. That said, I can't imagine anyone really wanting to play an RPG based on South Park for anything other than the novelty of the experience.
The game is simple, but still works as an RPG and the writing and presentation are spot on from what I've gathered. Without having played it yet, I'm also certain it's THE BEST SOUTH PARK GAME ever made so far.
And bonus points for Obsidian for getting a game out that isn't totally bugged out.
I'm about 60 missions in with the ranger, and while I wish there where a few small tweaks made from 2017, 2025 is chock full of what has made this series the cult sensation that it is. If you liked 2017, Sandlot deserves your money, and this game deserves the millions of rounds of ammo you'll shoot in it.
Loved original arcade Strider and even the NES port. Enjoyed Strider 2 for PSX. I'm hearing good things, and seeing high review scores but,...Double Helix Games...I just don't know. I mean it's not necessarily a Japanese game being developed by Americans thing, since I really liked WayForward's Double Dragon Neon...but again...Double Helix. Ew.
I've been a Monster Hunter fan since the original for PS2, and while I know the intentional clunkiness of the gameplay is part of what makes Monster Hunter, Monster Hunter, the more precise mechanics in Toukiden felt really great in comparison. A lot of the systems shamelessly borrow from MH, but seem more streamlined. AI characters for solo is a really nice addition to this kind of game as well.
It's always interesting to see what Omega Force can do outside of Dynasty Warriors, and this is definitley a nice game. Not as creative as Soul Sacrifice, but quality stuff nonetheless.
Personally I've disliked the core FF games and their various spin-offs since part 6, which, again in my opinion, is one of the finest examples of a traditional JRPG. All the core games that have followed (except 11); seem to be crafted with the blatant purpose of reinventing the RPG in the same way FF7 did back in the day, and for what ever reason, Square is to hardheaded to realize it's time to try something dramatically different with this series. Seriously, if they just modeled Final Fantasy like Dragon Quest sans all the quirky humor, I'd most likley be more interested.
The game may be great, but I'm personally so over the super primitive graphics all these indie devs work with nowadays. A big part of the appeal of gaming is visual aesthetic. This "retro" movement was cute a few years back, and with the right concept, it can work in a game's favor, but for crissakes...hire a freakin artist.
It's honestly getting insulting at this point.
I read on "X" indie developer's Kickstarter page "Our game is visually stylized to pay homage to classic games from three decades ago." No, tell the truth. "Our game looks like Pitfall for the AtarI 2600 because we couldn't be bothered hiring an artist."
Though I tried a few times, I could never get into Minecraft. Terraria however, declared war on my free time like no other game in recent memory. Having this and Spelunky on the VITA equates to endless entertainment in my pocket.
@vi_et_armis @richardfitzinya Cleary it's not GOTY according to Gamespot, and thats the website you're reading.
As quite a few other people have said, this has not been a groundbreaking year for games collectively, and thats pretty much a fact. GOTY on any given website or publication is going to be a toss up this year. That said, The Last of Us is obviously you're GOTY based on how passionate you are about someone else thinking otherwise, and thats cool, but just because The Last of Us blew you away doesn't mean it did the same for everyone else who played it.
For example: I "personally" thought it was a decent game at best that rested too comfortably on it's high production values, which incidentally I; (again personally) found to be pretty generic and stereotypical as far as aesthetics and concepts go
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