BlackRockShadow
(100%'d game before review)
Unironically a very solid licensed platformer from start to finish. Played this on N64 as a kid but never finished it due to not having a controller pak. Played the PS1 version and it genuinely holds up really well. The only things I wasn't big on is that the final boss fight was lame as fuck, and Level 5 (Galleys and Gulleys) was probably the weakest level of the bunch. Character models look a bit derpy too. I still highly recommend this though if you got an itch for a 3D Platformer.
Unironically a very solid licensed platformer from start to finish. Played this on N64 as a kid but never finished it due to not having a controller pak. Played the PS1 version and it genuinely holds up really well. The only things I wasn't big on is that the final boss fight was lame as fuck, and Level 5 (Galleys and Gulleys) was probably the weakest level of the bunch. Character models look a bit derpy too. I still highly recommend this though if you got an itch for a 3D Platformer.
Genuinely, unironically one of the best 3D platformers I've played in recent memory. Absolutely going to 100% this on and off.
Edit: I've 100%'d the game over the past couple days, still excellent. The only thing that's a bit frustrating is that the timing for the Super Boost (push Gas at the end of a spin) has really strict timing, and requires you to push it a bit later than expected. Also Morio's Dream was the hardest level to get all Gears and Golden Bunnies in easily, which isn't awful at first until you realize how out of the way one of the bunnies and one of the gears is. Beyond that though, I had a wonderful time with this game and my 9/10 still stands.
Edit: I've 100%'d the game over the past couple days, still excellent. The only thing that's a bit frustrating is that the timing for the Super Boost (push Gas at the end of a spin) has really strict timing, and requires you to push it a bit later than expected. Also Morio's Dream was the hardest level to get all Gears and Golden Bunnies in easily, which isn't awful at first until you realize how out of the way one of the bunnies and one of the gears is. Beyond that though, I had a wonderful time with this game and my 9/10 still stands.
You quite literally cannot go wrong with this game.
As someone who loved the Black Rock Shooter OVA and TV Anime back when they were brand new a decade ago, I hadn't checked out just about anything else related to this series until the past couple years. The Game was my final pit stop after checking out just about everything else.
A quick thing to note: Black Rock Shooter as a series operates in an interesting way. If you were wary of starting this game due to having not seen the anime, the one thing you need to know is that quite literally every Black Rock Shooter adaption is 100% original, and the only things they share for the most part are the characters (You should always expect to see Black Rock Shooter at the bare minimum in every adaption, this game aside, Dead Master is also a common character). I still recommend checking out the original OVA if you can though, less than 50 minutes and it's a classic IMO.
To sum up my experience? It's about 10 hours long in total which isn't too bad. The story is kinda lacking unfortunately, I wanted to be invested in it but I really couldn't. That said, when the game goes full anime, it's genuinely so cool. The gameplay itself is very interesting, in that it's a turn based system and you can't willy-nilly throw your gun or dodge out due to overheating. So there's some strategy to this system, though the real time stopping the second you open your items and Skills being able to be used whenever as long as they're charged up enough puts a bit of a damper on this for early/weaker opponents. The harder enemies and bosses more than make up for that however.
One Stage has you using the bike, and it's okay? You just time pushing left and right to slash enemies on the road. It's honestly nothing to write home about. Graphically it looks pretty alright for a PSP game, and the soundtrack is pretty good. Areas are mostly nothing to write home about, until the last two stages. No spoilers, but it was cool.
Difficulty-wise, it's not really too challenging. I got three Game Overs in total, and with one exception, it was more or less me being careless. The game practically showers you in health items, so the final boss fight ended up unironically being one of the easiest in the game.
Overall, it's a pretty good game. Nothing outstanding, and if you ask me there's still some better Black Rock Shooter media out there more worth your while, but if ya wanna play a short RPG with interesting gameplay that gives you some super cool anime like moments here and there, this one might be your next favorite.
P.S., that opening anime movie with "No Scared" by ONE OK ROCK? Audiovisual equivalent to sex. It's genuinely so cool.
A quick thing to note: Black Rock Shooter as a series operates in an interesting way. If you were wary of starting this game due to having not seen the anime, the one thing you need to know is that quite literally every Black Rock Shooter adaption is 100% original, and the only things they share for the most part are the characters (You should always expect to see Black Rock Shooter at the bare minimum in every adaption, this game aside, Dead Master is also a common character). I still recommend checking out the original OVA if you can though, less than 50 minutes and it's a classic IMO.
To sum up my experience? It's about 10 hours long in total which isn't too bad. The story is kinda lacking unfortunately, I wanted to be invested in it but I really couldn't. That said, when the game goes full anime, it's genuinely so cool. The gameplay itself is very interesting, in that it's a turn based system and you can't willy-nilly throw your gun or dodge out due to overheating. So there's some strategy to this system, though the real time stopping the second you open your items and Skills being able to be used whenever as long as they're charged up enough puts a bit of a damper on this for early/weaker opponents. The harder enemies and bosses more than make up for that however.
One Stage has you using the bike, and it's okay? You just time pushing left and right to slash enemies on the road. It's honestly nothing to write home about. Graphically it looks pretty alright for a PSP game, and the soundtrack is pretty good. Areas are mostly nothing to write home about, until the last two stages. No spoilers, but it was cool.
Difficulty-wise, it's not really too challenging. I got three Game Overs in total, and with one exception, it was more or less me being careless. The game practically showers you in health items, so the final boss fight ended up unironically being one of the easiest in the game.
Overall, it's a pretty good game. Nothing outstanding, and if you ask me there's still some better Black Rock Shooter media out there more worth your while, but if ya wanna play a short RPG with interesting gameplay that gives you some super cool anime like moments here and there, this one might be your next favorite.
P.S., that opening anime movie with "No Scared" by ONE OK ROCK? Audiovisual equivalent to sex. It's genuinely so cool.
1996
There's SOME neat ideas here and there (and by that, I mean the Sun Wukong Eggman boss was actually a cool robot design), but ultimately this is a blemish of a game. No redeeming qualities for a lot of it. Blue Marine Zone is the worst thing to ever come out of the Sonic series period. Master System port seems to run at a slower framerate too? No clue if that's quite literally just the game or if it was tweaked for 50hz displays or something.
2018
Some changes are great on one hand, but it's bogged down a bit by some gameplay decisions the team added to this (basically, all of Starlight Zone what were they thinking?). Still good, but it's frustrating in parts.
1998
Holds up really well in all honesty. Very tight controls and 7 levels with different gameplay styles. My only real gripes are Speedy Gonzales kinda sucks (he controls well, but his attack stays out too long so it would unironically be better to just jump on the enemy's heads instead), and the Road Runner boss fight is annoying a bit. But yeah, really short but very fun.
Challenging, but extremely fair and VERY rewarding to play all the way through. Some of the most impressive visuals the Genesis/Mega Drive has ever churned out. Some of the coolest setpieces, mechanics and boss fights I've ever seen on the platform. There's so much to love in this game, man. A capital C Classic.
1990
Played the Master System version after beating the Genesis one. This one is interesting. I think the Genesis version is ultimately the better of the two, and enemies get harder and more aggressive near the end of the game comparatively, but it's still a fun time. Bonus points for including the Bonus Stages from the Arcade port which the Genesis version doesn't even have.
By the way, no clue why this version isn't listed separately. Despite the gameplay being similar, it might as well be a different game considering it has unique levels, enemies, and level layouts compared to the Genesis release, as well as not even having Co-Op.
By the way, no clue why this version isn't listed separately. Despite the gameplay being similar, it might as well be a different game considering it has unique levels, enemies, and level layouts compared to the Genesis release, as well as not even having Co-Op.
1990
They just don't make 'em like Bonanza Bros. anymore.
1988
Yeah no competition this is THE BEST Mario game on the NES, and it doesn't even come close. The movement is fantastic, sprites, graphics, soundtrack everything with the presentation is phenomenal. The ONLY THING I don't really care for is the autoscrolling levels, but that's admittedly more of a me thing as I don't really like those. Overall though, 100% worth playing.
1988
Fun game, way it's designed is a bit annoying but I had a good time overall.
1985
Later 2D Mario entries refined what this game did, but it's still a genuinely solid time from start to finish for it's age. A genuine classic.
2005
Solid game that has some fairly frustrating bosses in the last bit and a convoluted story. Love the visual style, and the game itself is just a blast to play from start to finish. Not super long either, I beat it in about 2 sittings.
Cool little ROM hack, I think the level design can be a bit much at times but the content you get makes this one an interesting one to go through at least once. It also comes with a Sega CD port of the first game in the options if you just wanna play Sonic 1 with Tails, Knuckles, Mighty or Shadow which is a plus.