Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet

Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet is a third-person shooter action role-playing video game developed by Dimps and published by Bandai Namco in 2018. The game loosely follows the second season of the anime series, taking place in the VRMMO Gun Gale Online.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) The game seems like it was made to appeal to people who aren't fans of the series, being less forceful than many of the other games or the anime
 * 2) YOU DON'T PLAY AS KIRITO! If you found him particularly annoying, don't worry. Instead, you get to create your own character from scratch. If you do like him, there's a Kirito mode unlocked about halfway through the game.
 * 3) Plenty of original characters who aren't from the anime, and a lot of them are very likeable and interesting, especially Kureha, Zeliska, and ARFA-SyS. They also get plenty of character development throughout as opposed to many of the old characters.
 * 4) Wide variety of weapons, each category of guns (handguns, shotguns, assault rifles, launchers, etc.) has many different kinds that function differently and are more or less powerful. You can also use swords if you want to get up close and personal.
 * 5) Much more fluid gameplay than it's predecessors. Instead of restrictive gameplay or areas, there are very few invisible walls or whatnot between areas, allowing much more room for exploration.
 * 6) Going off #5, the areas are extremely vast, with plenty of different locations to chose from and a lot of dungeons that are optional.
 * 7) Blends shooting with RPG elements PERFECTLY. Enemies don't just die within a few shots, and though they have weakpoints that cause more damage, they don't result in an instant kill, forcing you to be more tactical and level up more than many other shooters.
 * 8) Unlike the other games, where you start at level 100 and fight super high level enemies (that can still be pretty easy anyway), this one has you start completely from scratch, making the game much more fun and engaging.
 * 9) An auto-aim mechanic that you can turn on or off at any time.
 * 10) You can have up to four party members at a time, and YOU get to choose them.
 * 11) Plenty of different skills and gadgets to unlock.
 * 12) Fixes the previous game's grinding problems, instead making other side activities (such as side quests or building relationships) take much less time and actually be engaging.
 * 13) You still level up even if you get defeated by enemies, making the game less outright frustrating. You can also pick which attributes of yourself and your ARFA-SyS (your AI servant) to level up.
 * 14) If you die, other characters will attempt to revive you, and you only get a game over if they all die too, or if you choose to restart yourself.
 * 15) Plenty of dialogue options throughout, which helps to make your character more interesting and unique as opposed to the rest of the series relying on too many tropes.
 * 16) You get a grappling hook that lets you get up to otherwise inaccessible areas.
 * 17) Great graphics that have anime-esque character design blending well with the environment that isn't too realistic.
 * 18) Lots of fun mini-bosses as well.
 * 19) Many different dungeons throughout that are fun to explore.
 * 20) The game and story become more and more complex as time goes on.
 * 21) Three different endings, depending on how many extra-curricular activities you did in addition to the main story.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) Though you don't play as him and aren't required to have him in your party, Kirito is still a main character. And if you found him annoying before, get ready, because he's an utter exposition machine. He also doesn't have much importance in the overall story even with Kirito Mode.
 * 2) A lot of the old characters also return, which could be a problem to non-fans for similar reasons.
 * 3) Although not as dragged out as it's predecessors, there's still a lot of talking that can drag on for a while, especially with the anime characters.
 * 4) A lot of the dungeons, while still fun to explore, can feel pretty similar.
 * 5) Though the side-quests are a bit more refined and require less grinding, they still follow a pretty basic formula (such as monster hunts and treasure quests)
 * 6) Although improved from some of the entries, the partner AI is still mediocre. Some characters, for some reason, will do nothing to heal you until you're dead, even if you've selected the "Prioritize Healing" command.
 * 7) Party members can often get lost even though they have a teleport mechanic that leads them right to you.
 * 8) Though they get plenty of character development, the new characters can still start out somewhat annoying.
 * 9) Some enemies are obvious reskins of others, only with a higher level.
 * 10) Plenty of backtracking and some obvious filler like when you have to fight Kureha, Sinon, Kirito, and Leafa at the same time in a pretty monotonous quest.