Recent reviews by Magpie18

A game about being late for work and being lost on sight.

It's 2024 and it's the first time time experiencing this game from 1998. In addition this was the first game I've played on mouse and keyboard that utilized real time combat. With those two odds staked against me Half Life was still a BLAST.

The physics and level design must have blown people away in the past. Majority of the game still holds up strongly today as controls and combat are fairly simple to grasp; yet the challenges placed on the player make sure you engage yourself fully, master efficient movement, and managed ammo supply. There are also no cut scenes, everything is told and shown in real time furthering immersion.

Going into Half-Life unaware it was borderline Horror. . .even when it was Action / Plat-former orientated, It managed to make me jump at least, AT LEAST 20 times! The entire experience is a pure adrenaline rush. Everything is your enemy. Aliens, Humans, the actual Facility, and infamous Gravity. (F*** ladders man!) If you are a fan of feeling panic and paranoia around every corner, this is it. All gas no breaks! Get me the hell out of here! What a day.

That being said I do have some minor complaints, some of which may due to age. I wont get to into it, Just list it off. These are my only
Cons:
Momentum feels slippery

Getting stuck on geometry

Sound doesn't feel balanced
(I'm deaf now)

X e n

Overall, even in today's age of gaming Half-life still manages to deliver an exciting immersive experience and lives up to the positive feedback I and many other have heard for many years. GG

Hanzo.

As you see, yes I do recommend this game. However, I must add this entry has more fault than good which is unfortunate, as it is the finale of the Zero Escape trilogy, an amazing series.

I would like to keep this review brief and spoiler free. Bare with me and let's begin.

Mentioned before, Zero Time Dilemma is the finale to a trilogy, the last game in it's series. Honestly this is one of the very few reasons why I recommend it. It's the end and a good story needs an ending.
SO, IF THIS IS YOUR FIRST ZERO ESCAPE GAME, STOP NOW! I BEG YOU!! Go and purchase it's previous duel package "Zero Escape: The Nonary Games". Trust me those games are fantastic, worth every penny and you'd hate to spoil yourself.

Okay? Good. As for a real justification I'd check this entry out, is for it's flowchart. This may be debatable among players, but I personally found myself quite engaged in the scrambled and fractured timelines. By not knowing exactly where or when you are, the game is setting up mystery to both the player and characters. Also with the way ZTD's story is executed, having everything jumbled, going back place to place to place, this is very fitting. Ha ... and ... these are puzzle games, therefore I think it works rather well. . . . oh yeah . . . This was a puzzle game. Hmm

Into some cons I guess. The puzzles within ZTD were a little too easy especially compared to its predecessor, Virtues Last Reward, where admittedly I had to cheat at some point. Nothing stood remotely unique or challenging in any of the escape sequences. If you want to get through it quick, sure its great. I mean, the rooms were pretty cool but to me what came with them felt shallow just like some of new characters. I Don't want to get too into it for spoilers sake, but to be frank, I hated some of these new characters. They felt cliche, the writing was lazy and I wish there were more to them in the end. As for the re-occurring characters, they were fine and it was fun seeing them all again, they were definitely a pro.

The game itself is boring to partake in but hey it plays more like a movie this time around right? *Exhales* it looks hilarious. To be fair they were being ambitious for a small budget project, but I don't think they should have stepped away from the visual novel aspect. Events that occurred were cool and all, filled to the brim with violence and shock value, but gosh, it could have been better and...maybe even cheaper to have a wall of text thoroughly present us with detailed imagery and emotion. You can see what the creators wanted yet its a shame it almost fails.

And last the story. My, my, did the game have its up and downs. Things felt so rushed and instant you'll find yourself just accepting things as they happen. "Oh okay, they are dead now. Moving on." like that. However if you played VLR you know your end goal for ZTD and this game will tell you your answer. It was satisfying in it's later sections. When our characters finally start piecing together the best thing from this game, the puzzle of the flowchart, its kinda hype yet you need some patience. The first half's writing is mediocre at best, not as well woven as past games. Just let the ball get rolling to get to the good bits.

ZTD overall felt like a 6.5/10, an okaaay game. I really want to say more but not ruin it, there's not enough meat for me to expand upon without spoiling it or its prequels. I wish someone could SHIFT and make it better but still, this closure was all worth it in the end. Here we conclude Zero Escape, a mind bending cosmic series people should never forget.

Pretty Good for a hybrid Visual Novel.

As stated above "The Nonary Games" are fundamentally visual novel based games, so there's going to be quite a lot of dialogue and text to skim your eyes upon. Thankfully however, these remasters feature full, voice overs for those that get tired or . . . don't feel like reading; despite that being its format. Yet the hook for both "9 Hours 9 Persons 9 Doors" and its sister title "Virtues Last Reward" is that these are also part of the escape the room / point and click genre, so the player will most likely be fully immersed and pulled into the main character's shoes. 18 characters all held captive in mysterious facilities, no clue where they are or why this is happening. All they know is they are part of two sadistic "Nonary Games" and must escape or they die. Get the gist?

Now this is why I good time and will recommend.

Seek A Way Out

The puzzles are good. 999's are admittedly easier yet were not too easy to the point I solved them all under a minute. In other words it was at an acceptable difficulty to the point it was welcoming and wouldn't scare me off. They were all fair. Then moving on to the second game VLR, the rooms felt more challenging. While writing this, I actually have sitting next to me, a full sheet of paper covered in notes for all the puzzles that left me scratching my head. Some proved frustrating but like the first game, all were fair and an answer was waiting for you. For a sequel the first game almost felt like a warm up, therefore I will say the increased brain power necessary was appropriate.

Mystery Story (Non-Spoiler)
Omg the story for these two games is CRAZY. Without spoiling I'll just say listen to everything these characters tell you even if its the 5th explanation, ya might need to. The story of "The Nonary Games" is as much of a puzzle as the rooms themselves. The narrative takes full utilization of its flow charts. Each timeline your choices take you, will give pieces to the work's jigsaw puzzle until you get the full picture. 9 characters stuck in an unknown place, with an unknown ringleader, with an unknown cast, with an unknown purpose. But its your job to connect all the fragments. Yes this will take "multiple" playthrough's and yeah it will get repetitive (VLR with its 26 endings God Dang it!!!) But trust me, the 99 hours I've played of this well woven, minding bending journey was worth all that time.
I don't want to say more else I'll ruin it all.

So if you'll excuse me I'll be moving onto "Zero Time Dilemma" while in fear of my own subconscious.

Wow a pretty solid entry for the Final Fantasy franchise. This version of was my first experience with FFIV and after it's completion I am not disappointed. Plus voices and visuals are pleasant considering this was a remake for the Nintendo DS and the game-play, very fun.

Final Fantasy IV does a good job managing difficulty; this is most notable for its boss fights. Almost all bosses are unique and have their own strategy for defeat. ATB systems keep the player on edge, quick on the mind, so you better find the weakness while you've got time. It's doable. Not once did I feel overpowered, nor under-powered. Gaining new augments / abilities kept the game-play fresh and satisfying upon obtaining and contributed to more adaptable strats. With a balance as proper as this one will mostly likely not be compelled to rage quit, rather be motivated to complete presented obstacles.

For a game that originally came out in 1991, I must say I enjoyed it's story thoroughly, especially the characters, who felt like they had actual personally for the first time. Even if it feels dated, overall it was cute, and clear to see it influenced the more complex narratives in future entries that fans love today. I can't help but to feel respect and hope for others to recognize this pleasant experience.

This game is perfect for those who enjoy turn based rpgs and story line. When you play all the way to the end I will admi that last blow its oh so satisfying (Do not even attempt to juge this game based off the graphics because honestly that doesn't make a game, plus you must put into concideration that this was originally a PS1 game.) This version also requires a Square Enix account which is no problem at all and takes about a minute to set up.

Battle System:
FFvii uses a real time battle system that may "look" confusing at first glance, when really it's very simple and clean (MMMMMM those summons) The controls are very minimal.
However I doooo suggest you organize your items such as antidotes so you don't waste time scrolling through your inventory while being attacked by an enemy.

Difficulty:
Personally I only died twice. The difficulty on the game throughout the main story depends on the player. If you dont grind. . . well what can i say. If you constantly grind, gain your final limit breaks, or obtain all the materia including the "Knights of the Round" materia it can become incredibly easy to become overpowered. But the game does give its players a good challenge with optional bosses and other optional events.

Story:
Find that out for yourself. (It gives me mixed emotions)

Play Time:
This game is VERY time consuming. Split into three parts, it took me over 100 hours to complete. There are alot of cutscenes however that take up that time so you'll be spending your time being sucked into the games story and CONTINUOS GRINDING THAT NEVER GETS OLD. But ey, more time to have fun.

Overall Final Fantasy VII is an great game that delivers the right form of entertainment that a game should. Trust me I went in thinking it wasn't going to be so good but man was it a ride. Go ahead, it's worth it.