Woo, round 2!
Played fewer of these but 3/5 ain't bad
Review: Pokemon Scarlet (and Violet but I didn't play that one)
There are some game concepts that are just almost impossible to mess up, and open world Pokemon is, for me at least, at the top of that list
That's not to say that Pokemon Scarlet doesn't give it it's best shot at messing it up, because boy does it. I don't really need to go into detail here, there's been plenty of talk about how technically poor these games are, and even beyond the technical aspects there are plenty of design flaws to point out - like the lack of interesting side quests, the lack of difficulty options, lackluster towns, and a fairly barebones open world
That being said, these games also do so much right. Open world exploration is still incredibly rewarding, because Pokemon are basically a cheat code of an open world reward - enemy variety, potential party member, and collectible all wrapped into one. The world is laid out rather nicely, with a decent spread of Pokemon variety throughout and some good terrain variety. The story is some of the best in a Pokemon game, which, low bar, but it helps. The music slaps. The new Pokemon are pretty great, even if they're a weaker crop than the last two gens in my eyes. Koraidon is a good boi
Overall, while there are plenty of valid complaints to make against the game, for me personally it was one of the best experiences of last year and one of my favorite Pokemon games. If we're going strictly off personal enjoyment, I'd probably rate it 5 stars. If we're going off what I'd recommend to others, it's probably more fair to rate it 3 stars. I'll compromise and give it
Review: Monster Hunter Rise
This review kinda makes me want to try dango
I haven't played too many Monster Hunter games (just World, Rise, and the first Stories). I do quite like the concept, even though it doesn't do quite as much for me as it does for more hardcore fans of the series. That being said, Rise is an absolute blast
Monster Hunter Rise is all about the action. Everything is streamlined to get you to whacking a giant lizard/bear/dragon/whatever the heck Khezu is as soon as possible. And by god, is the whacking good. Each weapon is joyful to play, and the Wirebugs and Silkbind moves give you a fair amount of options when it comes to building them. I dabbled in basically everything (made easier thanks to Rise's streamlined weapon crafting) and enjoyed almost all of them. Whether you're slamming a guitar into a monster's face, slashing through them with basically-a-chainsaw, or flying through the air propelled by a bug and a dream, it's just plain fun to Hunt Monsters. Rise's maps are also pretty fun to explore, especially with the maneuverability added by the Wirebugs, and stunning to look at, with a ton of things that can help you out if the hunting gets a bit too tough.
There's not too much to say about Rise's story. It exists. The new Monster designs are basically all bangers though, with the Yokai theming lending this batch a nice sense of cohesiveness and a fun set of characteristics. Magnamalo, this game's flagship, is a personal favorite, and its music theme is indicative of how much this game's soundtrack slaps
Overall, a really fun time. Still haven't gotten Sunbreak though
Review: Fire Emblem: Three Houses
I feel like my opinions on this game slightly soured after Three Hopes, which is honestly pretty unfair to it. So I'll try to avoid thinking of that game as much as possible and review this game based on how I felt before
Three Houses is a rarity in that it's a game I mostly care about for the story, characters, and world, as opposed to the gameplay. That doesn't mean the gameplay is bad by any means - the tactics are still fun and character progression is pretty addicting to mess around with. But the main compelling thing about Three Houses to me lies elsewhere
Fodlan isn't exactly a super complex setting, but it's given depth by its inhabitants. The characters all fit into the world, all shaped by it and seeking to shape it in turn. This cast basically carries the experience, and there's hardly a bad one in the bunch. The story, while a bit weak at times, does a good job of presenting these characters with conflicts that reveal more about them. It's great stuff
The game does kinda drag a bit and could've used more variety in maps and in the monastery segments, but overall it's an excellent time
All four stars this time, that's fun
BONUS
Super Smash Bros. Melee
I'm a noob who needs an input buffer, so I've never really liked Melee's lack of one