PixlBit

A devastating tale of love lost… for a game reviewer.

It’s pretty heartbreaking when you are really enjoying a game only to have it all hit a breakneck stop and you just want it all to end already.  Such was my experience with Ys Origin - a prequel to the long running Ys series from Falcom that is finally available in English after first being released in Japan years ago.  I spent several hours mesmerized: loving the combat, wondering what would happen in the story, and considering if I would soon be buying other games in the series to satisfy my nascent Ys fandom.  Then, the game’s off-kilter balancing rammed me into a wall.  Then another.  And another.  Time after time, Ys Origin mires you in lengthy forced grinding situations, and that one fault is the game’s undoing.

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Another ill-FATEd movie tie-in.

Disney-Pixar’s Brave was a charming movie. It tells the story of a strong minded princess who would rather go on adventures than worry about her womanly duties. Tied into this story is one about family, bravery, and defining one’s own fate. The movie hit the marks it needed to, and for me at least, left no desire for expansion. That fact comes across pretty loudly when playing the movie tie-in game, also titled Brave. While it executes well as a (very) basic game, it ultimately comes off as a boring, and pointless adventure.

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