Astray93
2002
The further I played the less sure I was I finished this as a teenager.
The core gameplay is very fine but if you played any of the following games first, you will miss strafing, it's just that important.
In it's defense this is a pretty unique R&C in that is makes you revisit planets in a light metroidvania sense more than the other games (if you care about that aspect)
At some point in the game, maybe 60 % through it starts hitting you with gauntlets of enemies and it's there where it falls apart for me a bit. This is not a combat game to me, it's a platformer with combat segments and it really excels there. I think in some ways the last few levels remind me of the 2nd game a bit but it introduced strafing so you can actually progress through waves of enemies more decently.
The final boss was pretty ok. I knew about the flamethrower in the PS3 version so on my final attempt it went very smoothly. It being several phases with in-between platforming and zero checkpoints made it worse than it needed to be though.
The trespasser minigames are okay, the more time passes the more I think these gadgets just break the pace without being fun enough in return, it's probably why Naughty Dog eventually let you skip them in some of the later games iirc.
I don't want to be negative though, Naughty Dog made an amazing foundation that holds up.
The core gameplay is very fine but if you played any of the following games first, you will miss strafing, it's just that important.
In it's defense this is a pretty unique R&C in that is makes you revisit planets in a light metroidvania sense more than the other games (if you care about that aspect)
At some point in the game, maybe 60 % through it starts hitting you with gauntlets of enemies and it's there where it falls apart for me a bit. This is not a combat game to me, it's a platformer with combat segments and it really excels there. I think in some ways the last few levels remind me of the 2nd game a bit but it introduced strafing so you can actually progress through waves of enemies more decently.
The final boss was pretty ok. I knew about the flamethrower in the PS3 version so on my final attempt it went very smoothly. It being several phases with in-between platforming and zero checkpoints made it worse than it needed to be though.
The trespasser minigames are okay, the more time passes the more I think these gadgets just break the pace without being fun enough in return, it's probably why Naughty Dog eventually let you skip them in some of the later games iirc.
I don't want to be negative though, Naughty Dog made an amazing foundation that holds up.
2018
A love letter to an era of gaming long gone but without it's more tedious aspects. I never played the original Ninja Gaiden, I've seen a lot of gameplay, watched the AVGN episode, it's nothing I really want to touch. Yet this felt like this game, but more. There's some witty writing, movement upgrades that seemingly fit into combat, fun levels and bosses and some really meta aspects that elevate this game beyond just being fanservice for fans of the 8-bit era. It's a game worth going blind into for various reasons and worth picking up in a sale for everyone who's even remotely interested in the era this game reminds you of.
More recently I wasn't sure how much I vibe with modern Pokemon anymore. While I still have a lot of fun with the games, my attachment relies a bit on nostalgia.
With this game it feels like Gamefreak is finally breaking new ground. In some ways it feels like their attempt to try out new mechanics and I love most of them.
This is the Pokemon I envisioned when I was younger, throwing Pokeballs yourself instead of going down a menu, finding them in the wild, exploration all feel great, but can still be improved upon.
I don't know if they will make more Arceus games but I hope they will transfer some of the new stuff over to the main series to modernize it.
I have a couple issues, but for Gamefreak this is insanely ambitious and it feels like Pokemon has finally entered the modern age even it a bit too late.
With this game it feels like Gamefreak is finally breaking new ground. In some ways it feels like their attempt to try out new mechanics and I love most of them.
This is the Pokemon I envisioned when I was younger, throwing Pokeballs yourself instead of going down a menu, finding them in the wild, exploration all feel great, but can still be improved upon.
I don't know if they will make more Arceus games but I hope they will transfer some of the new stuff over to the main series to modernize it.
I have a couple issues, but for Gamefreak this is insanely ambitious and it feels like Pokemon has finally entered the modern age even it a bit too late.
Ending dislikers don't get it
Had quite some fun with this. I love the original manga and if you don't take it too serious you can have a lot of fun with this one.
Combat is extremely fun, you can juggle enemies and I never got tired of the combos + seeing Hokuto Shinken in action just looks great. The game does reward using channeling and whatever the equivalent of heat actions were named which means lots of QTEs (which you can deactivate but they can still take you out of things)
Some of the bosses can be cringe, like most of them dodge the first attack after they're knocked down, so you make a light attack, dodge and start another combo which can be tedious because of how predictable it is.
I started being underleveled at some point despite doing a solid number of side content, but considering I played on Hard it wasn't that much of an issue.
The boss tracks are consistently good, Jagi's and Souther's are standouts to me.
The story is really whatever, didn't pay much attention later on, especially once it tried doing twists that RGG games sometimes do but rarely land for me.
All in all this is one of those things I never knew I wanted, but ended up being a perfect mix of what I like and dislike from both sides.
Combat is extremely fun, you can juggle enemies and I never got tired of the combos + seeing Hokuto Shinken in action just looks great. The game does reward using channeling and whatever the equivalent of heat actions were named which means lots of QTEs (which you can deactivate but they can still take you out of things)
Some of the bosses can be cringe, like most of them dodge the first attack after they're knocked down, so you make a light attack, dodge and start another combo which can be tedious because of how predictable it is.
I started being underleveled at some point despite doing a solid number of side content, but considering I played on Hard it wasn't that much of an issue.
The boss tracks are consistently good, Jagi's and Souther's are standouts to me.
The story is really whatever, didn't pay much attention later on, especially once it tried doing twists that RGG games sometimes do but rarely land for me.
All in all this is one of those things I never knew I wanted, but ended up being a perfect mix of what I like and dislike from both sides.
2011
This review contains spoilers
Combat is pretty amazing, Jude's pivot snap is one of my favourite abilities across the series, everyone is viable to use.
Story is pretty decent, Jude has a really solid arc, Milla is a good foil and Gaius is a great antagonist.
A doctor who beats the shit out of enemies is also very based.
The one thing I don't like is this thing Tales sometimes does where the story just moves on without resolving any underlying issues, like when Fenmont's king died, it would have major repercussions, but it does help the game's pacing and they're not big on worldbuilding, so it really depends on what you want out of it.
Dungeons and areas are not that good though, especially these small tunnels everywhere.
But I really don't have many complaints about this aside from what I mentioned.
Story is pretty decent, Jude has a really solid arc, Milla is a good foil and Gaius is a great antagonist.
A doctor who beats the shit out of enemies is also very based.
The one thing I don't like is this thing Tales sometimes does where the story just moves on without resolving any underlying issues, like when Fenmont's king died, it would have major repercussions, but it does help the game's pacing and they're not big on worldbuilding, so it really depends on what you want out of it.
Dungeons and areas are not that good though, especially these small tunnels everywhere.
But I really don't have many complaints about this aside from what I mentioned.
2016
I don't care about Tales stories that often, but this one made me. Cast is good, but Velvet and Laphicet are great.
Originally expected this to not be as dark as people were claiming, but it did feel pretty consequential, which I appreciated.
The worst part about this is that I have to associate this with Zestiria
Originally expected this to not be as dark as people were claiming, but it did feel pretty consequential, which I appreciated.
The worst part about this is that I have to associate this with Zestiria
2016
You press more buttons playing a Visual Novel for 10 minutes than in any combat section in this game.
I originally imported this.
I don't know my fighting games that well but jumping up someone's face and unloading Rentaro's gun brought me unmatched levels of joy. It's probably a good title to get into 2D fighters because it's somewhat slower than most and featues a bunch of mechanics you also find across more well-known titles
I don't know my fighting games that well but jumping up someone's face and unloading Rentaro's gun brought me unmatched levels of joy. It's probably a good title to get into 2D fighters because it's somewhat slower than most and featues a bunch of mechanics you also find across more well-known titles
2014
I imported this back then. It's pretty neat for it's novelty but the combat is just not there to keep someone engaged. Still better than what I've seen of Jump Force.
2006
Better than J-Star and infinitely clear of Jump Force
Teambuilding with manga panels from each character's best scenes is fun. There isn't much to the gameplay but it's just a fun game and I wish they would have expanded on it instead of going the generic arena fighter route.
Teambuilding with manga panels from each character's best scenes is fun. There isn't much to the gameplay but it's just a fun game and I wish they would have expanded on it instead of going the generic arena fighter route.
Still the king with probably the best racing soundtrack I remember.
2006
RE4 meets Fist of the North Star and it works.
Getting broken power ups by defeating bosses without getting hit is maybe the best thing ever, the artstyle is charming and it never felt unfair to me.
Loved Detroit and Hengsha, the DLC level is far too long to be mandatory in the story, but it's definitely one of my favourite takes on stealth with different valid ways to approach levels.