Great ideas, spotty execution The bad localisation of sound and technical limitations of speech being limited to animation (see earlier post) draw the worst out of the dialogue writing. I think this exacerbates an issue the series has in the ps1 era, the plot ideas are interesting but the storytelli...

For the host.. An article maybe to reference on voice localisation https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/278336/How_localizers_saved_Final_Fantasy_X_from_its_own_voiceover.php Basically the engine tied animation to sound... So English language lines has to be same number of frames as Japanese, hence t...

Friendly reminder to all that where feedback for the podcast is concerned, we love it - but self-editing (brevity) is appreciated. We do want to include a breadth of opinions where appropriate, but no-one wants a discussion podcast that’s mainly reading. Better to save yourself time and cut to the ...

My first RPG - nostalgia limits my objectivity and brevity I never clicked with the predecessor, maybe I was too young. I was tempted by the the style and diversity ofart shown in magazines. The graphics have aged, but personally I feel much of the art design holds up well. A bright, vibrant world,w...

Too late for this year but I'd add Trackmania Turbo to the long list. It's a series with a very dedicated community. I've mainly played the criminally underrated local multilayer hotseat mode but the single player challenges are compelling too.

And the community made track are something else

One other snippet to add. As with many horror games, I find the games' tension tails off as the player becomes more powerful and better equipped. No amount of strong, OTT, powerful end games foes can promote the same tension and panic as the basic early enemies with basic weapons, little ammo and so...

I think I can say it's hard to replay, whilst also having really enjoyed it at the time and knowing how massively influential it has been. I can absolutely empathise with why you love this game! Within whats its trying to do it is very very well executed, I can absolutely appreciate the craft. But ...

The challenging but engaging nature of the gameplay really drew me in, I gained a drive for learning strategies and honing my skills that is really special. With the exception of a few enclosed environment, it rarely felt unfair. Even with an empowered Aloi late in the game ,taking on one of the big...

I was too young when this came out, so came back to it post FF8 and FF9. One thing I wanted to say, whilst the story is interesting, the writing of dialogue in this game is frequently atrocious. However, this is rarely acknowledged, whereas the same issue is used to beat FF8 with. Anyway, many many ...

Even its popular reception and common statements such as "Good for its time, but hard to go back to nowadays. I wish I could move and shoot at the same time." make me wonder whether people genuinely understand the value of the craftsmanship that went into this game and the importance of i...

Resi 4 is the pinnacle of the control scheme and design of the series' origins, for better or worse. The 'tank' controls definitely increase the tension and were implemented very well. That tension lessens later in the game as the players weapons and prowess grows, the feeling of panic is hard to ma...

One core idea, executed very well, that doesn't overstay it's welcome. This game could easily have been very pretentious or trying hard to be full of pop culture, the balance it achieves is genuinely compelling. It's not just a case of good writing, I think it shows really good comedic timing in the...

I've been a Patreon supporter since Autumn last year. TBH I've never looked at any Patreon exclusive stuff, my view is its worth paying for good content, which the core podcasts are. I don't really do it for extras or early access. Nothing comes for free and ads won't cut it. Value for money wise, t...

This game is a really unique take on war, with a beautiful art style and full of surprises. The gameplay was an engaging mash up of strategy and third person shooting that drew me in. However, my enjoyment of the gameplay was mired by the ranking system, linked to rewards. It puts speed of completio...

Bioshock Infinite has a great setting, but never utilised it in gameplay or indeed story. The ideas behind the city in the sky its design are breathtaking, I enjoyed the initial part of the game exploring this world and discovering the brutality of the society beneath the veneer. However, post this ...

A fan of the series here, but 4 really improved some of the mechanical problems. Previous game ending suffered from repetitive waves of bullet sponge enemies, but I feel there was less of that here. Pairing down the volume of gunfights and giving players workable stealth to avoid them improved the f...

I gave up on Witcher 2 after 8 hours, but this really drew me in. Massive open worlds aren't my thing usually, I don't have much gaming time, I like well crafted linear stories and dislike collecting things. But this really broke the mould, I felt motivated to do sidequests. So much of what can be f...

ps feel free to call me a newb!

The Witcher 2 emphasises how good the opening to Witcher 3 is I love with Witcher 3 and have now read the books, but I couldn't get invested in Witcher 2 despite feeling it could be great. The start of the game didn't draw me into the lore and I couldn't grasp the systems. Maybe I'm inexperienced w...

That was a very good podcast.

Re the online, don't have any friends on PC who play it and I got sick of trying heists with randoms who ran off alone or kept quitting. May try the stunt stuff though