I hate to do this but I'm going to have to give a hard "Yes. absolutely recommended, buy this game!" It really is a ton of fun, you guys have a real winner here. Once performance is consistently good I see this game selling really well because it's just a ton of fun and easy to step into.

The performance issues will be a deal breaker if they are not fixed completely by the time the game is released. I would estimate I played about 10 sessions, most 1-2 hours at a time, and half the time the game stuttered (had severe performance issues) the other half played flawlessly.

Game play wise, the rogue power-up band is not linear and I think some tuning is in order. I made huge jumps (getting 9-12k back from shop sales to 50k to 90k). I was consistently sub 20k until I got some key upgrades (shop lvl 2 and bigger backpack). At which point my gold far outpaced my supplies. Also I had no idea what to buy and my quests got a little 'lost' but eventually I figured it out.

Good luck team, I really hope this game leaves early access ready for the masses.

I've not played another Tales game in recent memory but wanted a JRPG and picked this up. I enjoyed it but there are some caveats.

The DLC is overpriced and should just be a part of the game, I bought the DLC that included outfits because it comes with in-game currency 'Gald' and "talent points" in addition to rounding out the game visually. I did not buy the DLC that was +10 levels, +Gald, etc.

The game is composed of three Acts, Act I and Act II are pretty seamless and I could full clear dungeons, do all side quests, etc. and it felt conjoined. Act III unlocks some side quests that are higher level requirement than what it takes to be the end game boss and there is no warning of this fact. You may find yourself completedly out classed by a side quest despite full clearing all game, this content is intended for the 'Post-Game'.

Play through the main story, once that's done, the 'Post-Game' side quests will make leveling a breeze and you'll find yourself going from lvl 59 (where I completed the game) to lvl 100 by the time you finish the post-game side quests.

The combat system was very innovation and a bit button mashy at times but I still want to give props for making a new combat system, kudos. Overall a fun experience but it took me about six months to log 60 hours because I could only do a couple hours a time before feeling like I needed a break.

I really enjoyed this game and I had not played any other Souls/Fromsoftware games prior to Elden Ring. Everyone told me it'd be hard but personally, I had a different take. The game play is reminiscent of arcade games, you progress through a level, die, respawn, try again, get a little further, rinse repeat.

If you're reading this and wondering if it'll be too hard, give it a shot. There are tons of walkthroughs out there and in this game when you can cheese something, do it and don't feel bad. Stand on a ledge attacking the mobs from range that can't climb and only have melee weapons. Chain-stun a hard mob by spamming the same spell and staggering? Yup! There is always a way to turn a liability into an asset in this game you just have to find it.

I had the same level of immersion as playing a stealth game like Metal Gear Solid and the Open World RPG feel of Skyrim. The world is wondrous and I loved exploring it but I was also power hungry, a perfect set of motivators to really play and progress the game.

The story was curt and cryptic, you really have to dig in if you want it to make any sense. Honestly I just played it and picked up bits here and there, relying on the occasional guide to piece together NPC quests.

I'll be shocked if this isn't Game Of The Year and whole-hardheartedly endorse this masterpiece, I went so far as to buy two extra copies to gift to friends at full MSRP.

Very old school play style but entertaining and challenging.

If you're a fan of other top down D&D style RPGs, I expect you'd enjoy Deadfire. The game is pretty non-linear and there are tons of things you can do with the class/leveling system. I particularly enjoyed the map exploration because they do a good job of using fog of war to entice you to look around and still posting some pretty clear warning signs you're in too deep.

My suggestion to those new to the franchise is to play through your first time recklessly, don't get hung up on completing everything. Your second play through, you'll get all kinds of game changing bonuses when you start your re-play and it adds a great quality of life, that's when I'd go full completion.

DQ XI is a really great game and a perfect example of a JRPG. For the uninitiated you have nothing to worry about, you don't need to know any previous story to enjoy this game. If you're wondering what a JRPG is, pick this game up and when you've completed it you'll have an accurate concept of the genre.

What to expect: Childish / Cartoony style and game play with a focus on original and captivating story.
What you should do: Buy this game and play it through the whole story. Achievements are fun to collect but I strongly encourage all who pick this up to play through the entire story.

Pro-tip: You may randomly encounter a "metal" version of an enemy. Metal versions are worth massive amounts of experience but often take little or no damage and flee. To net a quick kill, get a critical hit. There are some moves and conditions which increase the odds or even guarantee critical hit, those will one shot all metal enemies.