Dynasty Warriors: Origins in the latest entry to the long-running Dynasty Warriors series. While the series has experiences its up and downs, I am glad their experimentation has turned out to be a great success for this title.

Setting: Like the previous entries, you are going to be reliving a lot of battles that happened in late second to early third century AD of China, in which you get to live out your power fantasy of becoming a one-man-army. However, the focus of this game is not on the various historical figures of this era, but an original character. This has caused quite a discussion among the playerbase, as many liked this game for the opportunities to play as those historical figures, and relive their moments.
I personally don't mind as much, since this is not billed as a mainline entry, and I am a huge sucker for the wandering swordsman type. The idea of me mingling with those historical figures, and fighting alongside them is enough to compensate any feeling of loss of actually playing as those characters. 8/10

Gameplay: The game does not deviate much from its formula, it just introduced some new mechanics for the players. Aside from blocking enemy attacks, the player can now evade those attacks, and gain resources that lets you use skills. Skills are either locked to a certain weapon, or can be used regardless of your weapon of choice. Skills are all well-designed, with a nice blend of flair and practicality. Your character is also given a small squad of soldiers to command, and you can issue various order to them to influence the flow of the battle. Combat flows well, and consatnt changing tide of battle keeps you on your toes. I think the gameplay has a good balance of modern addition without losing its own character. 9/10

Visual: This is definitely the prettiest Dynasty Warriors game to date. Character models are visually appealing, texture works are reasonably detailed, and the special effects grabs your attenion without being overwhelming. being able to see hundres of units on the screen at once, and how you, or other powerful officers, send hundreds of them flying across the screen is a very satifying feeling. 10/10.

Overall: If you love Dynasty Warriors, this is a great buy. If you have never played, and want a starting point, this is also a great buy.

Granblue Fantasy: Relink is an Action RPG game made by Cygames, a spin-off of their mobile game Granblue Fantasy. Despite many difficulties they have encountered during the development, this is a well-made game that can tell its fans that their wait was worth it.

Settings & Story: The protagonist and his (or her) friends made their way to a new area, and themselves into a new threat that will endanger all lives in their world. Find new friends, battle new foes, and learn a thing or two. It is your typical JRPG story, but it gets the point across and does not overstay its welcome. There is also an archive where players who are not familiar with the world of Granblue to understand the jargons. Good enough, 8/10.

Gameplay: the gameplay mimics the mobile version as much as possible, with 4-men squad, difficulty scaling, character improvement through gear/raw number, and the grind. Story mode is only the introduction to the real game, and that is for you to run the same raid for an unholy amount of time for the one thing that you lack. If you do not like fighting the same fight over and over again, then this game is not for you.
Combat is very satisfying. There are 22 playable characters, and each of them has different playstyles, and their animation are very well-done. Most of the boss fights are very fun, with interesting gimmicks as a challenge. A few bosses from the mobile game also appears, and they have done a good job in making that transition. A lot of works has been put into it, and it shows. 9/10

Visual: The game did a good job translating the original visual style on the mobile game into the 3D world. Cygames have a good art team, and they have done a killer job. If you like a clean but soft fantasy art, you would like their stuff. 10/10

Sound & Music: Music is one of the strongsuits for Granblue Fantasy, and this game is no exception. Town musics are calm and soothing, and boss musics are upbeat and get your excited for the action. The game will even turn up the volume by a bit during critical moments just for the dramatic effect. 10/10

Overall: If you like Granblue Fantasy and action game, then you should buy this game. If you have no previous experience with Granblue Fantasy but like action game, watch a few videos on the combat system, and see if this is for you.

9/10. Cygames, you had better make another game like this.

Finally, an Armored Core game on PC! Not only this is the first Armored Core game after a decade for the fans, it is also a long-awaited arrival for the many mecha fans who have missed out on earlier generations.

Armored Core is a series featuring exciting mecha action, and high level of customization available for your mech.
It seems From Software really has a knack in building up a cult following. Just like the Souls series, From had cultivated a loyal following through Armored Core series. Both series are now experiencing mainstream success, and I am once again pleased to be included in that audience, after watching it from the sideline for so long.

Gameplay: I am a huge sucker for high-paced robot action, and this game scratched that itch perfectly. You can feel the momentum and impact of your movement, the power of exchanging fires between you and the enemy, and the scale of the world. The firefight between you and enemy mobs and the dance of death between you and a boss enemies are very exciting, and it is also very satisfying when you overcome those challenges. The developers have included many features to help the player in getting through the story, but still retained the option for those who wished to challenge themselves. 9/10

Customization: You can change almost everything on your AC, with plenty of parts and weapon for you to choose. Plenty people have designed their own emblems and decals to further beautify their AC. Seeing how people can come up with all kinds of creative design is really a testament to the flexibility this game has offered us. 9/10

Graphic: Once again, From Software did a fantastic job in using the design to convince the players that you do not need cutting-edge graphics for the game to look nice. No matter the material of the ground you traverse, you can see your AC leaving its mark behind. The impact of weapons, and the explosion that comes out with it are all very satisfying to see. 8/10.

Sound & Music: Sound design in this game is great, and the impact you felt during your sortie is aided by the sound your AC makes. The music is good enough, not much to write home about, but it does serve its purposes. 8/10

Definitely a strong 8/10 game. Play this game, if you like robot action games.

Note: This review is based on my experience on the PS Vita version.

Persona 4 Golden is the re-release of the PS2 game Persona 4, with a few changes to the graphic, gameplay, and extended story element. Both the original and the re-release were well-received, and is often on the "must-play" list you see for the respective platform.

Setting: you play as a city boy transferred to a rural town in Japan, and you will spend the next year in this small town whether you like it or not. As a student, you are expected to go to school, study for tests, and participate in extracurricular activities. Other than that, you are also tasked in investigating a plot that is putting the town in danger. There are several endings, and your choices in some key moments will decide which ending you get. The setting is "plain" enough, but a solid one. 8/10

Story: there has been a killer on the loose in this town. The player character is given the power to enter the television and in some ways peek into the subconscious of the townsfolk, and realized that the culprit is also using this television world to for the killing. Figured that the grownups would not take him seriously, he and his friends decided to put a stop to the killing. Overall, a rather typical shonen story, but the presentation itself is good, and the twist interesting. 8/10

Gameplay: player's day is roughly divided into 3 timeslots of daytime, afternoon, and nighttime. Each timeslot is good for unlimited minor movements such as moving around the map, shopping, and casual conversation, but it will be consumed if you perform actions that is more involved (you would be notified). Other than school and scenario events, the player is free to pursue anything during those time. Dungeons will gradually unlock itself as you play, and will become temporarily unavailable every time you cleared a story dungeon. The dungeon portion is your regular turn-based JRPG stuff. Instead of magic, the player character and his teammates invokes their Persona to perform special attacks. The player character is capable of commanding multiple Personae, which can be acquired either through random drop, fusing your Persona for a new one, or buyback any cataloged Personae. Game can get grindy, but can be completed without doing so. Friends you make can also aid you by making unlock new Personae, or giving you additional benefits. A bit of fun for everyone. 9/10

Graphic: very pretty for PS2 and PS Vita standard; rather dated for PC standard, but that is beside the point. I personally prefer a faithful port, and this is it. It comes with a wide range of graphic option and rebindable keys, so I am content. 10/10 (biased score.)

Music: dungeon has good music that represents the area well, and does not overstay its welcome. Songs are good if you like JPOP. English lyrics are hard to understand since the singer isn't a native speaker. I do like the u[lifting feeling conveyed by the songs. 8/10

Overall a strong 8, almost 9, out of 10.

Good music. Good art. Cute girls. Puzzles that makes me want to blow my brain out. What is not to love?

10/10.

To shake off the curse of Azure Striker series, Copen dashes his way into his own game in Luminous Avenger iX. New allies, new enemies, and new rivalry are formed in this title, and us players will be the judge of how far Copen has traveled in his journey.

Gameplay:
With Copen being the only playable character, Inti designed the stages and the bosses around him. Now the player will have to learn how to utilize his blitz dash to out-maneuver his enemies, and to reach his goals. Cope has received a few tweaks in his arsenal, but it should still be familiar enough for returning players. It may take a while for new players to get used to Copen's "up and personal" approach, but it should still be enjoyable enough.

This game has a Kudos system like the previous Azure Striker games, which plays a huge role on determining your final score when beating a stage. Basically, Kudos are earned when you deal damage to enemies, defeating them, or fulfill certain conditions in a stage. Kudos are reset when you touch a reset beacon, use a special skill, or receives damage in certain difficulty levels.

Music:
All of the Inti games I have played have strong soundtrack, and this title is no different. Do take note you may not enjoy this game as much if you do not like J-pop, as you will hear them when your Kudos reaches 1000 points. One of the boss' design is also a J-pop idol.

Visual:
UI has been greatly overhauled to fit the higher resolution for PC, PS4, and Switch. However, the game's sprite quality did not change that much. I personally like it, but your mileage may vary.

It is a solid title overall for the asking price, and you would like it too if you are a fan of 2-D action games.

Can't believe I will ever see Monster Hunter coming to PC, but here it is.

Monster Hunter: World is the latest installment, and marks the beginning of a new generation, of the popular franchise. With reaching the global audience in mind, Capcom made numerous decisions that appeals to the Western market by streamlining some mechanics in the previous games, along with updated graphics. While it has no doubt drew more audience towards it, it also annoyed many long-time fans who thought the change was too much. I am not going to cover all of those, as readers can easily find those information online.

In this game, you play as a hunter, and your job is to aid the research of all kinds of monsters in this world by killing it or capturing it alive. The story involves you and your fellow hunters in going to an uncharted landmass and study the mysterious phenomon happening over there. Story is pretty simple. It is just there to give you a reason to be there, and serves as a tutorial for the players. Once the story is over, you are left on your own device to continue your research in this world, or move on to a different game if you think you are finished.

When it comes to combat, I hear a lot of people compare it with the Souls games, and I think this is the sad reality of Souls coming to PC earlier than Monster Hunters. Personally, I do not think they are alike, since the focus is different. Souls is about you overcoming one obstacle after another by progressing through the world that is very hostile to you. This is not the case for Monster Hunter World, since there are many collectibles and traps on the map that you can utilize to tip the battle to your favor. Also it is usually monsters that would be the one running away instead of you. The combat is very action-packed, but you are not at such a disadvantaged position like you would be in a Souls game.

Graphic is good enough to me. I think it does a pretty good job in presenting different parts of the world, and I like what I see.

Content wise, I think it is enough for me. I understand there are people who are used to Monster Hunter games with almost 100 monsters, do bear in mind that the first game and the third game also started with a similar roster because of them being on a new platform. I am getting hundreds of hours from this game already, and I am content. Do I want more stuff? Absolutely.

Is the game worth it, then? I would say yes. This is a good entrypoint for new players of the series, and those who likes to beat on big monsters and take their loot would appreciate the charm of the game.