Sangria

THIS!! THIS IS THE LARA WE WANTED ALL ALONG! None of that whingey, yelling at Jonah, daddy issues "Lara."

Give us actual strong femme fatales again! You can keep you limp-wristed, effeminate woke garbage in the closet where it belongs.

And they want $160 a year for this swill?

Now can we get a Trophy Patch for Toy Story 2?

These are tall words... But I would honestly put Ys VIII up there with the likes of Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy VII and Dragon Quest VIII as one of the greatest RPGs of all time.

I would even consider it to be one of the greatest video games I've ever played, period.

Like I said, tall words. It probably sounds like hyperbole to some, and while what I say is entirely subjective, I stand by it.

I've played a boatload RPGs throughout my life, but Ys VIII sits in a special place as the only one where I loved every single character.

I couldn't give two whiffs about characters like Zell, Irvine and Selphie in FF8...

As much as I love FF9, Quina and Amarant never did anything for me...

And I remember wanting to punch Pascal during Tales of Graces F...

However, whether it was Ricotta's polite pluckiness (I love how they didn't make her some stereotypical wild child), Laxia's regal stuffiness giving way to a genuine affection (over the course of the game, she goes from calling Adol "Mr. Christin" to simply, "Adol." What a subtle touch I feel many people miss), Sahad's boisterous goofiness, Hummel's seeming shadiness only to find out later what a stand up guy he is, and Dana's warmth, integrity, virtue and selflessness... I love these characters. All of them. Even the NPCs! Even Sir Carlan! I love the arcs they all go through and how life on Seiren, though challenging, ultimately softens and helps transform everyone into better, more grace-filled people.

Couple that with a combat system that's fast as lightning, exploration akin to Zelda and Metroid, a booming, beautiful soundtrack... and an unforgettable, bittersweet true ending...

And you have something incredible. Ys VIII is one of those games where, just upon hearing the beautifully melancholy music of the title screen, you know you've stepped into something special.

I love Ys VIII. Dearly. A personal 10/10, unforgettable gaming treasure.

I didn't think it was that great.

Aside from the graphics, once the novelty of said graphics fade... what did it really offer?

It offered a short, shallow experience where previous games in the series offered more to do... at a cheaper price, no less.

• Previous games in the series had more to do in the Arena than Rift Apart offered. In fact, Going Commando had TWO arenas!
• Previous games not only had more planets to explore, but many of them were far larger than what was on offer in Rift Apart. In fact, if you revisit Torren IV in Rift Apart after the events of the story, there are Nintendo 64 games with larger worlds than Torren IV!!
• The Clank segments in Rift Apart ultimately felt like a lesser experience than what A Crack In Time offered. A Crack In Time gave you large chunks of the Great Clock to explore with various puzzles sprinkled throughout. Rift Apart just funneled you down a dimensional tunnel- no exploration necessary.
• A Crack In Time offered space exploration and dogfighting, with all sorts of miniature moons and comets you could explore and find upgrades on. Rift Apart offered a tiny few pocket dimensions tucked away in some corners with no space exploration of any sort.
• Worst of all... Rift Apart wasn't even funny. Previous games in the series could be flat a out hilarious. The most Rift Apart elicited was a minimal grin at a barely humorous aside. I'm glad the series isn't relying on Crotchitizer jokes but Rift Apart felt so devoid of energy, outside of Richard Horvitz giving his all with Zurkon Jr. But it emphasizes just how puritanical and stiff Rift Apart is when Richard Horvitz feels like such a jarring jolt in comparison to how safe and tweed the rest of the game is.
• There isn't even any post-game content, it just immediately lapses into New Game+. A Crack In Time at least offered a post-game fight with Lord Vorselon.

And I have to reiterate the point... previous games in the series not only offered MORE to do... but at a CHEAPER price as well.

I was ultimately let down by Rift Apart. It felt so shallow and humorless and tepid compared to previous games in the series.

It says a lot that the most fun I had with Rift Apart was when "Join Me At The Top" kicked in...

... which was during the end credits.

Not nearly enough content for a $70 price tag. It felt about as long as Into the Nexus did... which had a reduced price upon release.

It looks great, but there's just not enough to it.

6/10.