Games I've enjoyed

I have played quite a number of different games in the past few years and I thought maybe it'd be a good idea to give a short review about some of my favourites.

The first game I'd like to look at is the recently released sequel of the timeless classic, 'The Legend of Zelda - A Link to the Past'. A Link Between Worlds, I found was an absolutely amazing addition the The Legend of Zelda series. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience of playing it and the way Nintendo were able to produce the map as that which we had for LttP and yet provide us with a very fresh, enjoyable experience overall. Veterans of the series will recognize various characters such as, Princess Zelda, her guard Impa, the elder Sahasrahla, and Dampé the gravedigger. And they’ll also quickly spot Majora’s mask hanging in Link’s house.  I found the graphics were both compelling and they didn't neglect the 3D feature which surprised me considering they kept the top-down overhead gameplay used in many other popular LoZ games. I believe that even if you're unfamiliar with the LoZ series you wouldn't feel lost if you suddenly decided to pick this game up and begin playing it as the story is explained very well throughout and the puzzles (as always) are very well thought out. 

I'd now like to talk about the well known JRPG Tales of Xillia.I found this game was both visually appealing and the story was very interesting as well. I found the battle system was easy to get into but also allowed you to go into more depth with it. It enables you to swap the characters around and fight with different members of your party. At the beginning of the game you are made to pick a character to play the story of, either the trainee doctor, Jude Mathis or the metaphysical being, Milla Maxwell. Both stories lead to the same outcome however there are sections of differences for each in the cutscenes. The cutscenes in this game I thought were very good however Milla's voice doesn't half send you to sleep after a while, luckily they're not all as boring as hers though! Xillia's lillium orb system is much like many other JRPG levelling systems, however it provides a certain depth which provides you with different interesting abilities for each of your characters. I definitely advise this game to anyone looking for a compelling and fresh RPG.

Ni No Kuni - Wrath of the White Witch is possibly one of the best JRPG's I've played. It provides a gripping storyline and a very anime art style. Along with all this I found that the battle system was both fun and intriguing. One of the characters, Drippy, is probably one of the funniest characters I've seen in a JRPG in a long time. I don't know, maybe he appealed to me because of his comic welshy persona. One thing I will say however, is that I thought there were too few cutscenes, it seemed that the game began and you'd get fed up because there were too many and then as you approached the middle of the game there weren't enough! But the actual gameplay itself, was very well created and I thoroughly enjoyed my experience of playing it. Each of the characters had interesting background stories and each of the places you visit throughout the game are worth exploring. The game provides you with many different sidequests and missions and also provides you with the main storyline, which may at times come across as very linear, but having the sidequests allows you to go off and forget about the actual storyline for a bit. The map is very open and eventually you're able to travel anywhere you want.

Another game I have enjoyed playing is Eternal Sonata, this game is based on the story of Frederick Chopin, the famous pianist. I personally thought this game was very cleverly put together, incorporating many musical aspects which for me, both a music fan and a games fan, was a great idea. The game begins with quite a simple battle system, which seems to be a little turn based. However as the game progresses it goes more in depth as you start to link together combos, harmony chains, counter attacking, blocking, using items as fast as you can! It is truly a riveting experience. The battles also take part in specific arenas which are separate from the overworld, these arenas begin to provide a very interesting 'light and dark' take on the whole experience where your own abilities and enemies abilities and appearances may alter depending on where in the arena they are. I actually found this game a bit challenging overall but it was a truly rewarding experience when I eventually completed it. Eternal Sonata provided a very educational experience as well, without realising it, it gave me a lesson in musical appreciation and music history throughout. This game however is extremely linear, the enemy variety is very limited and the camera doesn't allow you to look around as it is fixed. So all in all I have to say even though I really enjoyed this game I can understand why many people won't and so advise you actually look in to this game before purchasing it.

Thanks if anyone read this, I understand I kind of babbled on!

Shannon x