Ah, summer. The well-beloved time of year, marked by beautiful, temperate weather, a reprieve from the normal grinds of work and school and opportunities to spend time with loved ones. So, naturally, I spent the entire time inside playing video games.
Okay, that’s obviously not true. I also formulated a plan for world domination. Regardless, I still got a good amount of gaming in during my summer. There weren’t a huge amount of big game releases, though we saw some notable ones like Black Myth: Wukong.
To get back into the swing of things, I’m going to quickfire review the games I played the most from the end of last semester until now. Only one will be new, but that hasn’t stopped me before.
P3P is, in my opinion, currently the best way to play Persona 3. I haven’t touched the remake yet because Atlus is still releasing DLC and will likely release a “definitive” edition at some point (i.e. Persona 5 Royal and Shin Megami Tensei V Vengeance).
Regardless of how one experiences it, though, Persona 3 is an excellent game. The themes of loss and death are subtle and powerful, the cast of characters are likable, the balance between fighting monsters and socializing is expertly done and the music is absolutely divine.
What differentiates Portable from other releases is the addition of a female playable character, or FEMC. This is still the only Persona game where the player can choose their gender. The FEMC, despite being a silent protagonist, is a distinct character compared to the male one.
It’s been over a year since my P3P male playthrough. The FEMC route felt familiar enough for me to be comfortable but new enough to justify its inclusion. P3P gets a 4/5, losing a point for being almost 80 hours long and letting you date a 12-year-old boy.
Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition
Sometimes you want to sit down and play a simple game. You want to hit a single button and watch hordes of disposable minions drop like flies. The Warriors series has built its reputation on being exactly that.
Hyrule Warriors isn’t a deep game. It’s a title that uses the aforementioned Warriors formula with a Legend of Zelda coat of paint. It’s simple fun. The real draw of it is that it can take up to 400 hours to fully complete due to all of the extra content.
I re-downloaded this game in preparation for an hours long road trip. I figured it would be a good project to keep me busy in the car, and I was right. It lacks depth but is enjoyable, earning it a 3/5.
Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
Fans have been so disappointed with the Paper Mario series since 2012 that they have been begging for Nintendo to remake or release just one of the first two games. They couldn’t possibly mess that up, right?
Well, if they could, they didn’t. The TTYD remake is exactly what it claims to be: an HD romp through a beloved game from 20 years ago with a few additions and quality-of-life improvements.
Despite being an RPG, this game never feels like it’s bogged down by too many mechanics. The numbers are always low, yet the combat is excellent and engaging. Sometimes, less really is more.
In most games with turn-based combat, you simply select your attack and watch it happen, then observe the enemy do the same thing. In the original Paper Mario games, pressing buttons at the right time will both increase your damage and defend from harm, keeping the player engaged.
This is without mentioning that the game is well-written. It’s not redefining plots in fiction, but the characters are likable, the dialogue is funny and the story is compelling enough to keep you going.
5/5. The game is easy and only takes about 15 hours to 100% complete, but less can truly be more.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle Royale
I got this game for $20 at a used game store. I’d say that’s about what it’s worth.
ASBR is a perfectly serviceable fighting game and packed full of references to the source material (being the anime and manga “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure,” of course). Beyond that, there’s not much here.
Arcade mode is a slog of eight battles that you can’t switch characters between. There’s no story mode. All-Star Battle mode is … fine, I suppose, though it leaves quite a bit to be desired.
As a “JoJo” fan, it pains me to give this game a 2/5. If I lose to Ultimate Kars one more time, though, I’m giving it a lower score.
It’s too bad the Jackbox: Naughty Pack didn’t come out a week ago, or I would’ve put that in here. I’m still looking forward to plenty of games on the horizon, so I’ll conclude by highlighting a few of those.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is set to release later this month. Super Mario Party Jamboree will hit shelves on Oct 17. Mario and Luigi: Brothership (which I could not be more excited for) is slated for Nov 7.
Beyond Nintendo, remakes of Dead Rising, Until Dawn and Silent Hill 2 are on the way. Sonic x Shadow Generations and the new Call of Duty both release on Oct 25. Here’s hoping they don’t give Shadow a gun again.
For Indie releases, The Plucky Squire will most likely be out by the time this article is published. Date Everything!, a game that offers romantic options including a chair and a vacuum, is coming out some time in October.
Of course, the most important game of the year comes out on Nov 12. I don’t think anything else this holiday season will be able to compete with Farming Simulator 25.
Tolbert can be contacted at [email protected]. Tell him what you played over the summer.
