Joseph Gallego

Final fantasy 16 has the highest of highest amidst spans of linear exploration without adequately rewarding the gamer's penchant for exploration between stories. I am loving the series! Below are a few areas I want to highlight to my fellow gamers. The good: - Amazing cinematic fights - Combat music and voice acting are superb! The combat music coupled with the interactive cinematics took my experience to the next level. - Overhaul of combat mechanics makes the series feel refreshing and innovative. - Active time lore and story-telling elements are improved and not overwhelming compared to previous titles - Random NPC comments that change based on the main story progression is nice - Stage replay and arcade mode allow you to re-live epic moments and boss battles - New game plus and the ring inventory system helps gamers of all levels enjoy Areas that can be improved: - Reduction (and arguably removal) of any party mechanics in contrast to previous titles - "Barebones" RPG elements. As mentioned before, exploration and chest rewards throughout the main story are lackluster. - Lack of enemy combatant variety (enemies are usually a variety of scorpion, minotaur, chocobo, hyena, plant, bee, or raptor) - Although fast travel is available, the character's movement, even on a chocobo, feels slow and tedious at times. - No real customization options for the main character - Not enough time with Clive's favorite uncle. In summary, the game is a refreshing and innovative take to the series. The new heights achieved surpasses the linear pathways and lack of rewarding RPG elements found in previous titles. When the game gets good, it's damn GOOD. When it's mundane, you sometimes wish you could just blitz through most intermediate sections and get to the next epic battle. The game is far from perfect; however, it's memorable, visually dynamic, and a cut above from traditional RPGs out there. 4 out of 5.

If you’re looking for an engaging, innovative, and heart-racing campaign, look at Modern Warfare, not Cold War. The campaign, at first, starts strong and revisits many familiar old characters. However, the campaign towards the end veers off and stretches into a repetitive vortex of aimless dialogue and point-and-shoot run and gun action that is at times frustrating and makes me think “ugh, why can’t I just get through and progress with the story.” The adversaries do not add an entertainment or plot development value, but mostly a frustration value. This game lacks the multiplayer dynamic, cooperative mode, and lives in the shadow of modern warfare and will continue to do so unless a major change is made.