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It`s a small blog where I post my experiences on some games~

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Review: Persona Q Shadow of the Labyrinth

Warning: You might want to at least play Persona 3 or 4 to fully understand some terms that I will be telling in my little review xD   STORY: Persona Q Shadow of Labyrinth has one of the best stories I have ever encountered in my long running JRPG encounters (As expected from a Persona Game). Persona Q is about a girl named Rei and his "friend" Zen as they wander throughout the alternate version of Yasogami High in an attempt to discover it`s secrets and to find their lost memories. But wait, where did the cast of Persona 3 and Persona 4 comes in? Well they are included in the game (And they will help Rei and Zen) but the story isn`t really focused on them, it is centered throughout the amnesia duo (Rei and Zen, yes they have amnesia...) but do not fret, the interactions between Persona 3 and 4 characters are really hilarious and memorable(Sadly you need to play Persona 3 and 4 to get the gist of their conversations since they will most likely use each game`s terms and some bit of story). The game is relatively long and the story gets bumpier and bumpier until you reach the final parts of the game where a lot of shocking revelations will happen~ GAMEPLAY: Ever played Etrian Odyssey before? How about the previous Persona 3 and 4 games? (Persona 1 and 2 isn`t really strongly mentioned in this game xD) Well if you didn`t played any of them that is okay but it will surely give the exciting feeling for those who played those games. Persona Q is a 1st person dungeon crawler game which is heavily inspired by the Etrian Odyssey series with a touch of Persona. The player is tasked to complete labyrinths in order to proceed through the story and each labyrinth has a theme which is clearly shown with wonderful 3d graphics and shadows. The battle system is turn based, you can choose 5 active party members and 1 navigator (each character has it`s own set of unique characteristics, skills and weaknesses) and place them either in the front or back row (front row receives full damage and is most likely to be targeted by enemies). In each battle, you can use "Leader Skills" (As long as you have the needed cost) which can do various effects depending on your navigator and her persona. Unlike the Persona games (3 and 4), everyone is a "wildcard" which enables them to equip a sub-persona to increase the selection of skills they can use (which your main persona can only wield a few skills on it`s list) and also forms a temporary barrier (HP and SP) that will be depleted first before your real HP and SP. These temporary HP and SP is restored after every battle which makes them very helpful to conserve your precious HP and SP. There are also various facilities that can be used: An equipment shop, the velvet room (where you can fuse, summon and do various stuff concerning personas), the nurse`s office (where you heal your wounded characters) and some various school locations that can be accessed via "Stroll". The "Stroll" option (once it is available) enables you to see various events that ties all the characters together and do either a serious or a hilarious scenario (which most of the time, it is hilarious xD). Navigating through the labyrinths is first person and you must rely on your logic, puzzle solving brains to past most of the dungeons. Your navigator can also provide helpful info about your current location and situation from time to time. Defeating the labyrinth`s boss will either unlock the next labyrinth or if you are already at the last labyrinth, it will clear the game~   MUSIC: No doubt, the Persona series (yes, even Persona 1 and 2) has some very rad tunes that most people will enjoy and Persona Q isn`t an exemption. The soundtrack of Persona Q really lives up from it`s origin with the tracks "Maze of Life" (The opening of the game) and "Light the Fire Up in the Night: (The battle theme which has 2 versions, P3 and P4 versions) that will surely make you want to play those tracks again and again~   FUN FACTOR: The fun factor of this game lies upon the battle system and the character interactions. Exploring the labyrinths is also fun as long as you don`t get carried away and challenge an F.O.E. (Similar to Etrian Odyssey in which this particular enemy that you can see in the maze is not your regular customer. They are much stronger than the regular dungeon monsters and they also serve as puzzle elements in which you must avoid them if you are not strong enough to beat them) to a duel and you realized that all of your characters are dead. Challenge is fun but don`t overdo it~ REPLAYABILITY: Yes, this game has a new game plus which carries all your personas, money, level and items. But the game has two sides, the Persona 3 and Persona 4. The difference between the two are: Some character interactions, some side quests, 1st dungeon/ labyrinth and of course perspective. Picking either side in your first playthrough relies on who`s your favorite side or who`s side you are much more interested with. However, some unlockables can only be accessed if you played both sides which requires you playing at least twice~ ^~^ The secret boss (which is harder than the final boss as some people said) is one example that you can unlock after clearing both sides (P3 and P4 side)\ which adds a few hours in your adventure ^~^   SCORE: 9 cats out of 10 Pros: -Very good battle system -Vast amount of Sub Personas to use -Customize character`s skills with skill cards -Unexpected course of events in the story~ -Detailed and well themed labyrinths (Love the 3rd labyrinth~) -P3 and P4 interactions are really funny and memorable -Auto-mapping feature for the lazy or not so good map drawers Cons: -Kinda grindy -You must trust your map drawing capability to survive -Extremely difficult in higher difficulty settings -Only 5 dungeons to explore -Need to play P3 and p4 to understand some character interactions (Like why does Teddie like to score with the girls? xD) -There is one little combo that makes the game extremely easy, it can kill most of the bosses on one swoop if it is done correctly~ *cough Shura Tensei*
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Review: Hyperdimension Neptunia Rebirth 2~

STORY: Hyperdimension Neptunia Rebirth 2 offers another story that involves our all time favorite gaming consoles. But you don`t have to play the first Hyperdimension Neptunia Rebirth on vita to play this one since both games offer a different story or should I say a different dimension of Gamindustri. The story is quite straightforward, you play as Nepgear (Neptunes younger sister as well as a CPU Candidate) and your goal is to save Gamindustri from destruction by freeing the four captive CPUs (Goddesses which maintains the balance of Shares in the game world) from their binds. But even the story is quite linear, the character interactions what makes this game quite enjoyable since they do throw in some humor and a little bit of anime-like situations. The characters also have some unique characteristics especially the four main CPUs and their CPU Candidates (Little sisters) which adds flavor to the wall of texts you will be encountering. (Visual Novel Style)   GAMEPLAY: Hyperdimension Neptunia Rebirth 2 shares the exact same elements from it`s first game but of course with a few added content. The game uses a turn based battle system which utilizes different combos (Rush, Power and Break Combos). These combos can be freely customized by the player as long as they have enough points to spare before the cost exceeds it`s limit. Each type of combo commands do different effects like Rush commands focus on high hit counts, Power commands focus on bringing down the pain (low hit count) and Break commands which focuses on destroying the enemy`s guard points (if the guard points reaches 0, a "guard break" will occur greatly reducing that particular enemy`s defense). The "remake system" also comes back from the first game in which you can manipulate in game elements like changing what type of enemies appear in a certain dungeon, what types of items you get on dungeons, expanding the shop`s selection and unlocking various stuff as long as you have the necessary "plan" (An item which you can find throughout the game world) and "memory" (another item you can get on the game) to spare. The new feature added in this game are: Stella`s Dungeon (which serves as a mini game where in you send Stella on dungeons to gather items and defeat monsters. Sending Stella to a dungeon and waiting for her to come back uses actual minutes in real life) and the maximum number of active battle participants are 4 instead of 3 from rebirth 1. The game also features an EXE gauge where in you can add another additional combo to your existing combo commands when the bar fills to a certain point. The EXE gauge can be filled via dealing damage to enemies and you can also unleash EXE Attacks (that consumes a certain amount of EXE Gauge) which is extremely powerful than your typical skills. It also features transformation for CPUs and CPU Candidates which boosts their combat capability by a certain amount as well as their cool factor~   MUSIC: The music fits the theme since the game is about cutesy anime like scenario and characters. Expect to have a lot of cute sound effects and music. The game also features dual audio where in you can select Japanese or English for the voices. I highly recommend you to pick what suits you (I personally prefer Japanese) since both voice actings are good.   FUN FACTOR: The fun part in this game lies within two parts: the humor in the story and the battle system. The quirky characters along with their humorous conversations will surely make your adventure worth while. The battle system is also enjoyable and the awesome skill and attack animations serves as eye candy for the rpg enthusiasts. The game also has a disc development feature where in you burn discs that has various effects when equipped (You get to choose what perks you want to add) and some discs can be so godly (in terms of effects) that it is named by various popular games. (The Hyperdimesion Neptunia series is a parody of various gaming merchandises, items, and devices.   REPLAYABILITY: The game features a New Game+ and multiple endings which will need multiple playthroughs or save files to unlock everything. There is also a colosseum for hardcore battles and DLCs which can will extend your time with Hyperdimension Neptunia Rebirth 2.   SCORE: 7 cats out of 10 Pros: -Very good battle system -Customizable combos -Remake System -Disc Dev let`s you add your own customizable effects to your characters. -Cute Anime graphics Cons: -Linear story -If you're not a fan of anime cutesy, this isn`t a game for you -Enemies feels like a reskin of each other (No big difference in them except for their appearance) -Some battles are quite easy (Enemy AI is kinda dumb) but tedious because of their insane amounts of HP and GP (Guard Points) -Not for hardcore RPG lovers
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Review: Dying Light~

STORY: The story of Dying Light is kinda like your typical zombie stories where it begins with an infection of a unknown virus or pathogen but Dying Light made a good version of their own with their story presentation. You start as a man named Kyle Crane who`s mission is to retrieve a stolen file inside a zombie or should I say "Infected" filled city called Harran where in a mysterious pathogen infected most of the population. Sounds boring on paper but the real fun starts when you get to meet the cast of Dying Light and as well as the part where you do the parkour stuff which is really fun. Believe me, the story is really good and interesting but somewhat predictable for some people who plays zombie games or watch zombie related movies and stuff.   GAMEPLAY: The gameplay of dying light is rather similar to Dead Island but with alot more tweaks and new stuff like the game`s famous feature: parkour. As Kyle Crane, you travel throughout the city of Harran with your awesome stunts, slides, jumps, rolls and climbs but that`s not where the exciting stuff happens. The game has a system (Not completely new to the gamers eyes but... ) called Day/ Night System where in at day, you are the hunter. The zombies walk slow and they seem to be quite inactive most of the times (unless you made a sound which attracts them) but when night falls, that`s where those crazy things happen. At night, the zombies become much more formidable, the are faster, they can climb, they can run, they can call the others to help them eat you. Not only the regular biters become stronger, certain zombies also appear at night and one perfect example is the "Volatile" or Nightmares which the locals call them. These "Volatiles" are much more stronger than your regular ones and once they spot you at night, prepare for a run for your lives. Dying Light also implements an RPG styled mechanics such as the Skill Tree System where in you can invest points earned through three categories (Survivor, Agility and Power) to enhance Kyle`s abilities. The game also features a crafting (weapons have durability...) and weapon ranking system where in you can craft your own items and equipment as long as you have the materials to spare. The controls are tight and it might take a while before you get used to it but it`s worth every second since you`ll be enjoying your time in Harran with all the things you can do such as Side Quests, Challenges and Co-op.     MUSIC: Dying Light`s music is one of the best in my opinion. It really fits the theme and it gives you that atmosphere you need to feel in certain events and locations.   FUN FACTOR: Running, jumping and climbing for your lives solo or with a friend is truly an enjoyable experience especially if you attracted those "Volatiles" at night just to have some fun. Dying Light is a really fun experienece whether you`re playing solo or with a friend (Which doubles or triples the fun) with all those zombie bashing, hacking, kicking and punching. The Open world city of Harran is also fun to explore and there are alot of easter eggs to discover. The "Be The Zombie" mode (thank God they added it to all the game copies) is another fun experience but also frustrating at some points since it is competitive and challenging. In "Be The Zombie" mode, you play as a super powered spider man like zombie and you invade other people`s games (when their game is at night time) and try to kill them (10 times, doesn`t matter who) before they destroy 5 of your hives. And if you`re playing as the humans and someone invaded your game, you need to destroy the hives and prevent the "Night Hunter: (The super powered spider man like zombie) from killing you or your co-op buddies to win. So far, Dying Light is FUN in some ways and also frustrating at times but so far a very good game especially with friends~   REPLAYABILITY: Dying Light offers 50+ hours of gameplay (If you did all the challenges, side quests, collectibles and exploration) but the fun does not stop when you cleared everything. You can either do the "New Game+" mode where in you start over with all your items and skills intact but the zombies are now much uhhh.. healthier... (more HP) to challenge yourself or do some co-op modes such as the "Be The Zombie" mode or those random co-op objectives that pops out if you`re playing with your co-op buddies in Harran. DLC`s can also extend the experience (which I hate because some important things on the DLC should be included in the game in the first place...) like the upcoming 3 DLCs which is bundled into one Season Pass.   SCORE: 8 Cats out of 10 Pros -Parkour~ -Zombie bashing is fun -Smooth gamplay and tight controls -Decent Open World Size (Harran is quite big) -Day and Night changes the game`s atmosphere effectively -Cool weapon upgrades and crafts   Cons -Predictable outcomes -Some missions are frustratingly hard -The Zombies/ Infected seem to act quite weird on some points -Weapon Durability, once your fully upgraded uber powered weapon breaks. It`s goodbye weapon...
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