For anyone who does not know, or probably wondered why that "mini-game in Life is Strange 2 got a full-sized game", a little gaming history lesson: Arkanoid is THE original power-up brick breaker. It started with Atari's Breakout, but the original Arkanoid took that foundation and made it better. That most brick breakers are "Arkanoid-likes" is not a coincidence, it is a fact. So, when the Arkanoid brand returns for another go, it should not be immediately ignored as "another brick breaker". Having said that, and being an expert on the series, it is hard to look on this game in its current state. There is a lag in general, not just on the controls, but also with the graphics. Trying this game on multiple PCs has not yielded any different results. Part of the problem is that a game this simple should not be drawing the amount of video RAM that it does, even in the lowest of resolutions and with the FX turned off. Even putting it into a window and resizing it to a teeny bit of the screen does nothing to reduce the demand the game places on the computer. On the other side of the coin is the inclusion of the original arcade Arkanoid with a remixed "Neo" mode, both of which are a lot of fun. There is no dispute that the original has a great level design, and those who have not played Arkanoid will appreciate the classic even more. Eternal Battle mode is also great on its own, even though it has a pretty steep last hurdle to overcome, but Neo mode is there to practice on. Versus is also a great way to bring a Switch-like party atmosphere to the PC (with four controllers, of course). In summary, do not pass this legendary series up or write it off. It still needs more work, but the core of a great game legacy is here. Is it worth $30? Not entirely, except to uber-fans. Give it time, but go play Return of DOH in LIS 2 or even Arkanoid DS if you have it. You will need the practice, and DOH is waiting...
I've been a fan of Ys for a very long time, starting with the original DOS port from 1988 and collected every port of the game to date (asides from the PS Vita Memories of Celceta), including the Ys: Legacy anime boxset. I have the PSP port of Ys VI, so I already have an opinion on where Ys VI itself falls in comparison to the other games: I believe it to be nudging the bottom of the game list. The biggest reason why that is lies in the fact that the monsters are the toughest in the series by far, with some monsters seemingly impenetrable from the get-go unless you have the right weapon or strength score. None of the other games had this feeling of being completely outmatched right from the start, even after you start grinding EXP. This is supposed to be Adol six games in at his prime, not Adol just starting out from the beginning. So, why am I rating this 4 stars? Because I know that tastes in the series differ, and Ys VI is by far not a bad game in itself. As mentioned, it's tough as nails, but tolerable to the point where you want to continue pushing forward to see what's next. Those who have played the modern remakes or Origin will be right at home with the way this game plays, so the learning curve is not all that hard. Weapon switching also works well enough, although Origin refined this mechanic and made it better. In my overall experience, though, if you are a veteran player, this is a given. If you're starting out with the series for the first time, however, you should not start here. Ys Origin or Ys I & II Collection are much better starting points for the new entrant. Ys VI is definitely for the fan who stuck with the series and wants something more challenging, even if it is a bit unforgiving.
First, let's get it out of the way ... the game is a real let-down in terms of the series continuity. It's an unpolished mess, the control scheme is merely okay, and there are many plot questions that will be left unanswered. Other than those points, however, it's not such a bad game after all. Right away, you are given a book with all of the keyboard and mouse help instructions, which you can slot anywhere on the tool belt for when you need to refer back (F1 is a good spot). The various special books (Journal and Spellbook) are also easy enough to navigate for whatever you may want to read about. There is a good sense of exploration in the game--the same expansive world from the old games is still here, although changed somewhat. The locations here are pretty sparse, but in hindsight are supposed to be that way. After all, you think cities and towns will still be occupied when everything's going to hell? This game at least does a good job of reflecting that sense of chaotic destruction with the Guardian's grip on the once peaceful Britannia. A final good note on this game is the artwork present all over. Since computers today can handle the highest graphics level, each of the paintings and murals in this game really pop out. Many of them are worth just staring at for a few minutes I do applaud GOG for using version 1.19f, which is a necessary after-market developer patch. My recommendation for players is to install the "Ultima 9 Dialogue/Monster/Economy Patches" found on the Ultima Reconstruction website, which not only increases monster levels and balances the economy, but also adds in many additional story elements to make the game fit much better into the Ultima universe. So, overall, this is certainly not the best Ultima by far, but through tweaks with the aforementioned upgrade patch, fans might want to give this one a second chance.
