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Vincent Ternida


Favorite Games:
  • Final Fantasy VI
  • Xenogears
  • Oxenfree

107 games reviewed
86.9% of games recommended
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Mar 5, 2024

The Thaumaturge emerges as a breath of fresh air in the realm of narrative RPGs. Its implementation of fantastical elements sets it apart, making it a standout title to play, whether on PC or its eventual console release. Within this vibrant and unfamiliar world, characters like the formidable protagonist, Wiktor Szulski, shine bright. Despite imperfections, The Thaumaturge is a gem worth experiencing, warts and all.

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Feb 22, 2024

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth rises to the challenge set by its predecessor, by bringing to life every facet of the imagined open world we’ve cherished for decades and executing the vision to near perfection by marrying it with today's technology. Square Enix’s meticulous attention to detail, no matter how minute, resonates with awe-inspiring clarity, no longer feeling the need to imagine because the world is finally alive and it is here. While not flawless, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth navigates its journey with grace and offers a fascinating experience that makes it easy to overlook the minor issues. I found myself deeply impressed by the expansive overworld, the iconic set pieces, and the thoughtful expansions that honor the beloved title’s essence, making it a strong contender for Game of the Year nods and a definite reason to finally get a PS5 if you haven't yet.

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Suicide Squad starts super fun, as its visual presentation and plot set-up work as its strongest points to draw us into Rocksteady’s interpretation of Justice League. However, once the novelty ends, we’re left with a chaotic mess that gets tedious the more you play. Due to its repetitive gameplay loop and messy combat system, playing the game can get tiring pretty quickly once you complete its brief campaign. Fans will be divided, and given its rushed resolution, lack of nuance, and gratuitous display of how it handled DC’s beloved characters, the game can easily be misunderstood.

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Jan 30, 2024

Persona 3 Reload is a triumph, considering the degree of difficulty that Atlus was challenged with when they decided to remake such a classic. Through a combination of thoughtful upgrades and leaving behind dated mechanics, this title is ready to satisfy the evolving taste of franchise fans while catering to newcomers and introducing them to the world of Persona. Persona 3 Reload proves that you can have both a challenging and accessible JRPG without losing Persona 3’s core identity, as it refines the dated designs and systems of the original by bringing it in line with Persona 5, offering a modern take that stands tall among its peers.

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While it does scratch a certain niche, I wouldn't dismiss Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising as just another anime-inspired fighting game. It's a fun offering to get started with, and as you get better skill-wise, you're left with a moderately sufficient technical fighter with a large roster of characters to choose from. There's something for everybody in Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, and don't let its "fighting game genre" think that there are only versus modes available. The story mode allows you to enjoy a single-player experience where you can progress a character through the lore while learning the fundamentals of the game. Even if you don't embark on a fighting game career, there's enough content here to keep you interested and engaged, which is a very good deal for its price!

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Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is a gift for fans of the series in more ways than one. It's a refreshing return for long-time hero Kazuma Kiryu as well as the well-loved Dragon Engine. It's great to get back into the shoes of Kiryu, whether it is through combat, exploration, or playing the many mini-games. It may be the last time we're graced with his presence in this type of format, so enjoy it! That being said, it may be a stretch for newcomers and casual fans to go deep into the Like A Dragon lore with this title. I mentioned earlier that there were some quirks that I'm willing to forgive, but many newcomers will probably be confused. I recommend starting out with an earlier title and coming back to this title when ready, but it definitely is supplementary reading to get a better grasp of the overall lore.

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Nov 12, 2023

Dave the Diver is a really fun experience with two disparate but complementary mechanics. With its quirky characters and a ridiculous main story that investigates the mystery behind the Blue Hole, it is a great indie game that will keep you engaged through its many mechanics and almost never-ending content until you're finished with the story or when you're ready to move on from catching fish and serving sushi. Dave the Diver is a breath of fresh air for the indie scene, especially for the highly saturated genre of roguelites. By adding the restaurant management mechanic to an enjoyable and addictive story loop, Mintrocket Games has a winner in their hands.

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Nov 2, 2023

The Invincible is a well-adapted piece that brings to life a complex sci-fi novel into a fully immersive experience. However, we're also treated to much of its meditative and tedious aspects to create an isolated world filled with complex themes that can be satisfying to more discerning sci-fi aficionados, but as a video game, it is definitely not for everybody.

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Oct 23, 2023

Lords of the Fallen doesn't reinvent the wheel and can be fun at times with some nifty new mechanics, such as traversing dual worlds and setting up custom checkpoints. However, due to its uneven difficulty spikes and some performance issues, Soulslike fatigue sets in a lot quicker compared to other games of its type. I wouldn't check off Lords of the Fallen entirely, as it really gets a lot of aspects right in creating a fun Soulslike game. The visuals and gameplay are on point, creating the mood and feel that many Soulslike aficionados are searching for. However, I feel it is a missed opportunity due to its many technical issues.

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Oct 16, 2023

Insomniac Games requested that we let them cook, and they did so in tremendous fashion, improving previous entries in almost every way imaginable and resulting in a stellar outing that reinforces the notion that quality is always better than quantity. This is a bona fide system-seller and will go on to be one of the best games in an already impressively stacked year. Two Spider-Men are indeed better than one, and Spider-Man 2 proves that an ensemble cast can shine at equal levels thanks to a fine balancing act that weaves seamless and intuitive gameplay with a tight and cohesive narrative that's emotionally gripping and relatable. Spider-Man 2 succeeds where many superhero adaptations miss the mark, which is to deliver a spectacular piece of immersive entertainment that gives us, the players, an exhilarating experience without compromising the DNA of its established pedigree.

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Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty is a fantastic expansion pack and update that vindicates the series and proves that it is the open-world sci-fi title that it is advertised to be, albeit after a lot of patches and work done years after post-launch. The world of Night City has come to life both conceptually and with its re-balanced gameplay.

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Aug 22, 2023

Immortals of Aveum is a fun time despite its inconsistent story and dialogue. Personal feelings about the story may vary, but it doesn’t change the fact that Ascendant Studios delivered a well-crafted shooter that sidesteps the norm and provides us with something new and exciting thanks to its magic systems and well-implemented shooting. If you’re able to forgive the story bits, Immortals of Aveum can provide a frenetic next-gen experience that showcases fantastic visuals and engaging combat systems that end with a satisfying conclusion.

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Aug 17, 2023

Blasphemous 2 is a satisfying and meaty action platformer well worth its Metroidvania pedigree. Though I wished the difficulty of Blasphemous 2 would've been sustained throughout the experience, it progressively got easier the more you got powerful. I wouldn't say it's a bad thing because it allows for a wider audience, especially those not partial to crushingly difficult games like its predecessor. It follows up a fantastic premise fantastically and delivers from start to finish with its solid adherence to its themes and visual playbook. Blasphemous 2's story and visual panache hooks you and doesn't let go. It also doesn't hurt that the non-linear world is so vast and there's so much to explore. So many varied enemies to fight and, though easy, bosses to vanquish.

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Wait - Exoprimal
Jul 25, 2023

Exoprimal is a must-try game at any point when it goes on sale or via Xbox Game Pass if you have access to it. It's a fun multiplayer-only game that is addictive and boasts potential cult status as it builds its community and improves upon its post-game content. Sadly, that is more in the future, and now it just feels like a game preview with the only thing going for it being the promise of future Exoprimal content. That said, it's hard to recommend the game at its full price point despite its polished and fun gameplay. There's still a possibility that its postgame content will not reach the heights of the main story, and with its current lack of gameplay variety, the grind that comes with the repetitive missions makes it all the more unbearable. I'm not confident that Exoprimal will continue to enjoy its current player base until they introduce their promised modes sooner rather than later.

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Jul 16, 2023

Oxenfree II: Lost Signals is a solid follow-up to the original, albeit having lost some of its original charm along the way. It further explores the mysterious world set up by the original, while getting you to empathize with the protagonist and its supporting characters. It is enjoyable for the most part, especially for fans of narrative adventures. At the heart of the game is a personal story of the characters finding their identity and recovering from past trauma, however, I felt that the original Oxenfree had more heft in their interpersonal interactions and replay playthroughs. Though I enjoyed seeing the rules of the world expanded as well as the addition of fresh set pieces that push the subgenre to its limit.

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Jul 7, 2023

There is a lot of potential for AEW Fight Forever, as it provides variety and an alternative to WWE 2K's quasi-monopoly for wrestling games. It hearkens back to classic arcade-style wrestling titles, which brings back some nostalgia; however, it will take a little more than nostalgia to provide a fun and lasting experience. Due to many performance issues and awkward design choices, we cannot completely recommend AEW Fight Forever as a Day 1 purchase. However, there are quite a few fun ideas that they have so that it doesn't feel like a complete write-off; namely, the Road to Elite story mode has the potential to be a fun story mode moving forward should the developers continue to support it.

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May 22, 2023

Planet of Lana is a game of resounding balance between light and dark, gameplay and story, beauty and simplicity. It is an organically unified piece that uses the sum of its parts to fully synergize an experience to elicit a myriad of emotions from the player as they traverse the planet with a variety of landscapes, encounters, and ultimately, a simple story of reunion and friendship.

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Apr 26, 2023

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a monumental balancing act that improves upon its predecessor while standing on its own as a satisfying and emotional story. From its dynamic gameplay to an improvement in its movement and verticality to the delicate balance of its story, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor gets a lot of things right, showing us the way how to make a true Star Wars video game. Just like Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order before it, I highly recommend this game not only to fans of Star Wars but to everyone else simply because of the experience. The game offers players a story of epic proportions, characters that they can emotionally relate to, and an experience that doesn't overstay its welcome or overwhelm you with too much content. It finds the right balance that ends up feeling fulfilling on all fronts.

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Apr 18, 2023

Dead Island 2 is a serviceable zombie action game that improves many components of the first title and delivers an enjoyable time when given a chance. However, it doesn't innovate, is highly formulaic, and ticks off every feature to a fault. Your enjoyment will really depend on what you're looking for, and there's no truer example than Dead Island 2. Dambuster Studios did a good job revitalizing Dead Island 2, which has fallen into development hell over the past years. This has to be pointed out, and with such a troubled history, it's a massive feat to finally be able to bring this out and release it to the gaming public.

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Apr 11, 2023

Road 96: Mile 0, sadly, isn’t an essential attraction compared to Road 96‘s gameplay loop and characterization. Sadly, the charm that made the original game stand out is gone, and we’re left with an overdone story that dampens the allure of the original game.

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