Jak's Reviews

(while I could theoretically use my old thread, I don't want to because I really, really am not proud of my old reviews, or even my old username for that matter. I want this to be a fresh start)

Welcome, ladies and germs, to Jak's new review shack! Here, I will review video games that I play through. You may notice that some will be meatier than others - that's because, while every game gets something out of me, those games just get the most. I try to form some sort of cohesive flow, particularly for the bigger reviews. I'm not the biggest fan of fragmented reviews, especially my old reviews - I prefer to piece together my thoughts and create flow, although on my smaller reviews, they'll feel a big more fragmented since they don't give me much to work with. Some scores MAY be harsh (especially for bigger reviews), but please note that I only do this because I care.

What would get a big review, you may ask? Usually, games that either change the market in such a significant way, or ones that are really good/shit, will get a big review, while other games here and there probably won't, unless they're my favorites. For instance, Final Fantasy XIII is just itching for a big review because - for me, at least it seems - it nearly killed JRPGs, and thank god for Resonance Of Fate. Meanwhile, I doubt I'll be giving something like Darksiders much more than a simple analysis because it didn't do much for the gaming world, nor for me. So yeah, be on the lookout.

I tend not to cover the latest game. For one thing, it'd be a huge strain on my wallet if I paid for every game that comes out. Another thing is that I no longer work at a magazine company, meaning I have to buy all my games instead of having the company buy them for me. Not to mention, everybody and their dogs probably would've reviewed it. Lastly, it tends to take a while for me to judge if something is worth shit or not. I want to write something that serves as food for thought, not as a straight up buyer's guide, and I wouldn't feel right writing a half assed piece of shit review... even if some of them have that hint of buyer's guide where I sort of give out tips... hey, it's still in development! Old habits do die hard, you know!?

But yeah, hope you guys enjoy reading these reviews as much as I did writing them.


Index:
Dragon Warrior
Final Fantasy XIII
Killzone 2

quote EricF

Hey Jak, when your next review is up, notify me in here and I'll give it a read.

It's in the CRS right now.

Well, certainly can't mistake what you thought of it. Good to see you rip thoroughly through the game and what it offers.

Beginning of the review seemed a bit ranty at the company in general though. It gives off something of an impression that you were already biased against it before you put the disc in. Probably not the case but still.

If such a rant were necessary I think it would have suited better at the end. A sort of "the end result is the latest in a long line of disasters developed by the studio" or something like that, so that the reader has already taken in all you had to say specifically about the game already.

Too bad you can't go back and rerate it a 0 - you're stuck with 1/5.

JAKKIE!

I enjoy these kinds of reviews - it really gives the reader an idea of what the reviewer is really thinking, since each paragraph flows very well together, while talking about the game at the same time. I, myself, was not too impressed with Final Fantasy XIII since it felt like an extremely pompous version of Mystic Quest. As for Dragon Warrior, it really makes you think "does it fit in well with today's society or is it best left in the past", and it also makes me think that I was too kind on the first Phantasy Star.

IMO, the best way to do a sort of RPG-lite.. well, the best ways would be like what Secret Of Mana did, or what Pokemon did.