Games reviewed… eventually
When you ask folk about the legacy of Final Fantasy IV, you can be quietly assured of a glowing response. People remember it for all sorts of reasons; for its consolidation of everything the early games experimented with and presenting it in one excellent package, for introducing the world to ATB and trying to bring … Continue reading Final Fantasy IV: The After Years
One thing I confess to having a great dislike for is when a sequel that doesn’t need to exist is made. Final Fantasy seems to be a perennial committer of this sin; while each main series game is largely designed to be a single complete experience, and as such you can generally pick up any … Continue reading Final Fantasy IV -Interlude-
Do you know, of all the reviews I’ve found tough to write, I don’t think I was ever expecting a Dragon Quest review to be one of them. I mean, I know I’ve enjoyed a lot of these games, so surely articulating my thoughts shouldn’t be a problem? In fact, I really struggled with this … Continue reading Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen
Final Fantasy IV’s legacy speaks for itself. Since its release in 1991 it has been routinely cited as among one of the best games ever made, and certainly holds a special place in the hearts of many as the point where Final Fantasy began to metamorphosize into the franchise it is today; that this game … Continue reading Final Fantasy IV
As our slow playthrough of the Final Fantasy series progresses inexorably through the myriad games in this never-ending franchise we have finally reached the end of the NES era. This time around we’re playing Final Fantasy III, a game that took an extraordinarily long time to see an English release. In fact, it wasn’t until … Continue reading Final Fantasy III
There’s something profoundly incredible in knowing you’re playing a piece of history. When you boot up a game that you know is one which has had a monumental impact on the development of an industry as turbulent as that of videogames, it’s hard not to at least be a little in awe of the experience. … Continue reading Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation
If there’s one thing I’m really enjoying and finding myself getting nerdily invested in as I play through these early entries in both the Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest franchises, it’s being able to see the stark contrast in how each series approached the notion of evolution between its games. Even at this early point … Continue reading Dragon Quest II: Luminaries of the Legendary Line
If you know anything about JRPGs, you’re almost certainly aware of Dragon Warrior (later renamed Dragon Quest, but for the purposes of this review I’ll be using the original name throughout). However, if you’re less of a fan of the genre, this series might have slipped you by, which is, frankly, remarkable. While its competitor … Continue reading Dragon Warrior
Of all the Final Fantasy games I’ve beaten, IX remains the one I think about the most. It’s my pick for the most poignant, most touching, most unbelievably human of the franchise. If you want nothing more than a quick point towards what I think of this game, in short, it’s a phenomenal piece of … Continue reading Final Fantasy IX
It’s time for another round of my early teen nostalgia as we take a dive into where I started with Fire Emblem, Nintendo’s venerable series of tactical anime warfare simulators! Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones (GBA) Released Oct 2004 | Developed: Intelligent Systems | Published: Nintendo Genre: Strategy RPG | HLTB: 25 hours Let’s begin … Continue reading Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
The Almighty Backlog 