Recent reviews by RockerPunch

If I may be so bold, I suggest you stop introducing "revolutionary business models" into the game and instead *try* respecting a player's time and money. Currently, the Average Joe/Jill continues to be alienated further due to limited-time challenges that demand too much time for too little reward; and middling cosmetics that are on par with, if not more than, semi-decent jewelry prices.

There is no better example that highlights how EA affronts a player's time and wallet than the recently announced "battle pass overhaul" for the game: An unavoidable 9.99 charge at minimum for only one-half of the season. This means players lose the option of saving apex coins for the next season's battle pass; the cost for a full season's battle pass rewards have doubled assuming you don't buy the "Premium+" option ; and the time constraint for completing "each" battle pass is now halved.

Of course, bringing light to this in a singular Steam review will not change the course of this game's monetization. It changes when we the playerbase collectively agree to stop supporting such a disrespectful publisher by both refusing to buy into this new business model and by reducing the active player count.

I'm putting my money where my mouth is when I say that, so while I've enjoyed the game for quite a while, it's time to uninstall Apex in hopes that enough like-minded players do the same. Players have proven their power to influence publishers with Helldivers II, I believe we can do it again with Apex.

Thank you if you read this far.

purse owner

The game has designated napping spots for your cat, what more could you want

Meow out of 10 GOTY 2022

GO TRAUMA BOY GO

it's ok, i guess.



TL;DR: It's a good game, and I don't recommend it for those who haven't played/experienced Persona 5 in any form or fashion.



P5S is a great sequel for both the base and the Royal re-release versions of Persona 5. Admittedly I am biased, as I fell in love with this game series since Royal's release and quarantine's abundance of free time.

It has more of the characters that you love and more of the strategies you employed in P5, all wrapped up with fast-paced hack n' slash gameplay and a decent story that adds new characters that I'll refrain from mentioning any further. If this is your first game with the Phantom Thieves, I sincerely recommend that you not start here, as all the pre-existing characters are already established in this sequel, and the game wastes no time re-introducing them or their character arcs. If you don't understand what's going on from the beginning, you'll have to catch up on a lot in your own time, or just run around like a headless chicken and beat the h#%l out of the computer pixels with your skillful excellent button pressing.

My first run-through of mastering the game (Finishing the story and completing all of the requests, side-bosses, etc.) took me exactly 69 nice hours and so-and-so minutes on Hard mode, though I certainly took my time.

I also went through a Merciless NG+ run (only available after Mastering your first run) to finish my achievements list and unlock more powerful psychological Pokémon Personas, I finished the achievement list at my current playtime (130.0 hours). While I do love this game, I'm not the type to normally enjoy NG+ runs and that more or less remains the same. I wouldn't recommend it, unless you absolutely thought the game was too easy. Though be warned, it may feel a lot grindier than the normal Easy/Normal/Hard mode runs.

Other notable things worth mentioning:

• I only played on controller, and I recommend you do the same if possible. I'm not familiar with MnK controls, though I hear they're not the best. That preference is up to you, of course.
  
• The music, as always, is a banger. And has been remixed to fit with this game's faster, more action-oriented combat.
  
• The fusion system, the Velvet Room, and obtaining masks work somewhat differently compared to P5/P5R, though personally I didn't find the changes of serious significance.
  
• There are no Confidants/Social Links, in its place are the traditional RPG-like leveling up of skills, and Combat Mastery by playing different Phantom Thieves.
  
• Speaking of which, you're able to play as any of the Phantom Thieves almost immediately. Each member has their own special variation of combos, and a unique combat skill that can alter your approach to a fight.
  
• Unfortunately, no waifu is canon. But (actual semi-spoiler) a certain 5head bestgirl(?) may or may not get more screentime .

All in all, Persona 5 Strikers burned my bread, revealed the troof, and stole my heart. I lost the mutual respect of my friend groups after they saw me jump into the Persona sinkhole, and after 100%'ing this game I can tell you I've only sunk in further.

Game took me to a classy high-end restaurant. Then I got ♥♥♥♥♥♥.

10/10

In all seriousness however the game is a little bit buggy here and there, (Dogs chasing their tails, enemies spazzing out at doors, etc.) but not that hard to overlook. The levels are more open so holding shift is a necessity. Compared to the previous game, the sequel has a great story that closed most of the community's questions, and unintentionally opened a few more. Gameplay could feel repetitive as large amounts of gun-wielding enemies slow down fights and require lots of luring out (Run out in open, run back, camp as enemies walk towards you). Overall a fine game, and should only be played by the experienced, patient, or stubborn (If you hit all three, this is right up your alley). If you have yet to play Hotline Miami, I urge you to try that out first.

I urge players to play the first game if they haven't already, as allusions to the first game (Or the entire story for that matter) will not make any sense in the sequel.

"Climbed" a tree
Fell to my death

11/9 would climb again

Hotline Miami is a gore-splattered, trippy ear/eye♥♥♥♥ while you run around pulling off the craziest combos via melee, gun, or your damn bare hands, only to restart just because you didn't notice the dog come at you. You'll love it