Recent reviews by capocapy

The same magic and ingenuity that was pouring out of Squaresoft and Enix during the 1990s is still here. You can feel it in the atmosphere from the moment you boot up the title screen, and it never lets up.

If you've never played Star Ocean 2, you're in for a real treat. It's to this day not only the best Star Ocean game, but also one of the best jRPGs of all-time. I don't say that lightly.

It's also a perfect entry-point for the series. I'd even go as far as to say it's one of those coveted "must play before you die" games.

Anyway, I wish all remakes could be this good. If Xenogears and Final Fantasy Tactics get this same level of treatment and respect for the original, I'd gladly be first in line.

This game is underrated and is a bit like Diablo, only you can also move the camera. Take a few minutes to mod it with something like Age of Redemption and it will be even more worthwhile. The voice acting is corny, but in a charming sort of way. The dungeons are deep and immersive, and the soundtrack is outstanding. If you've played through Bloodlines already, this is a great place to go for more VtM action. It's much better than the newer VtM games, anyway.

The game's well-made and has that classic NES feel. I was worried cloud stepping is basically a double-jump with a handicap, but it still proves an interesting enough mechanic to hold your attention. The music, while quite good, doesn't always fit the scene and can be so driving that it distracts from the game experience as a whole.

But what caused me to get a refund was the humor. EVERYTHING is a self-aware joke, and not in a cool Duke Nukem 3D kind of way. It's nice to have a game that doesn't take itself too seriously, but this game NEVER takes itself seriously. Constant zingers and one-liners are thrown at the player like it's an assault. New area? Joke time. Need to buy an upgrade? Joke time. About to face a boss? Joke time. Fell into a cave area? More jokes. They never stop. My advice to the developer is to try and strike a balance between a serious tone and levity.

Game is needlessly censored and has an irritating splash screen telling me so when I start it up (this alone makes this game not worth it) and virtually no features have been added. It's just a cheap emulation. Disappointing to say the least. I still have my physical copies--and translation patches for the DS remakes--and will stick to those.

I haven't been impressed with most of Square Enix's remakes/remasters, but THIS is how to do it right. If they would use this game as a blueprint for remaking other classics moving forward, I would be thrilled.

It took me 25 years to beat Tomb Raider, but it was well worth it.

Because this 3D engine follows grid-based rules and the camera isn't "fixed", the tank controls have aged well which fit the gameplay perfectly.

I had no idea the experience slowly descends into the horror genre. But by the end, you might even feel it achieved this goal better than dedicated horror games like Resident Evil and Silent Hill. I believe this is due to its methodical slow-boil.

These elements are subtle at first, bringing in feelings of claustrophobia and isolation before introducing supernatural elements. They hold the reveal back for the majority of the game, then crank it up to 11. From then on, it's a wild ride.

Even before that moment, you feel as alone as Lara must've felt in these eerie and dangerous landscapes which favor ambiance over a traditional soundtrack, building tension along the way. And by the end--I never thought I'd say this--the game can be compared to the likes of Hellraiser.

The level designs are nothing short of a miracle for such an early 3D game. They are impressive by even today's standards. Stages like Palace Midas and St. Francis' Folly are sheer genius and full of memorable moments that will haunt you long after the game is done. I have a hard time thinking of anything as fun or interesting to explore in modern video games, though Dark Souls comes to mind.

Having finally completed Tomb Raider, I can see why the sequel was so hotly anticipated by fans and why Lara became a household name overnight.

Imagine Blazing Star with an autofire option, hand-drawn assets, and (optional) twin-stick gameplay and you've got Wings of Bluestar.
Most importantly, the dev is passionate and listens to the fans! There's tons of unlockables and a fully fleshed-out story mode. This game was mostly a solo project (sans music), with a single dev not only writing the story and coding the game, but also creating all the art assets. This game is worth your money and time.

I wasn't expecting much from the pixel remasters, but picked up Final Fantasy II anyway since it's one of the few entries I'd never beaten.

Nothing could've prepared me for how GOOD the music was, and that's the very first thing you'll notice. Not being able to choose the original soundtrack is normally a deal-breaker for me, but not in this case. I was already a fan of the PS1/PSP remastered soundtrack, but this was on a whole different level.

The game itself has been retooled so it's no longer a chore to play. They somehow made the Final Fantasy II experience smooth and painless. And it's full of surprises: The graphical touches, from the glimmer in pools to weather effects kept things fresh and interesting, and the added lines of dialogue lent more personality to the characters than ever before.

This version of the game has hooked me more than any previous version and I'm confident it will finally knock this game off my bucket list. Square-Enix has fumbled the ball a lot lately, but this isn't one of those times.

Sigh. I should have read the reviews. The main character is a loathesome person with a victim mentality. She is played off as the "innocent girl surrounded by big meanies", yet she silently and coldly judges everyone she comes across, even people who are actually being nice to her. Her parents and the childhood bully are cartoonishly evil. In other words, her reality is a lala land of victimhood that doesn't really exist. The NPC dialogue is also noticeably bland. Did a high school fanfic writer from Tumbler write this? It's a shame because the art and spritework was very well done. This boat anchor of a story was a waste of good artistic talent. Next time, devs, find a better writer.

ROSE online was alright, Ragnarok Online 2 was a bit better, but Tree of Savior is the Ragnarok Online successor we've all been waiting for!

The many reviews out there bashing this game must be either beta players, or people who played before the problems got fixed. As of this writing, TOS is a very solid experience -- mostly bug-free, and it is addicting and excellent.