BlackStarGaben
BACKER
2020
Every day's great at your Junes!
Look, it's a Persona game on the PC. That alone makes this a must-buy.
If you're not aware of what Persona brings, it's a JRPG with added, heavy, focus on social aspects and trial-and-error (unless you're following a guide, you're not gonna come even close to getting most things done or even beating the game.)
It may have difficulty, frustrating difficulty spikes (even early game can see you get your ass kicked hard) but it has great charm, excellent, catchy soundtrack, nice looking graphics (this originated as a PlayStation 2 game, though this HD version is taken from the PS VITA version) and rewarding if you stick with it makes this highly recommended.
If you're looking for something that, even today, is different and refreshing in the JRPG market, Persona 4 Golden is it.
Rating: 10/10
Look, it's a Persona game on the PC. That alone makes this a must-buy.
If you're not aware of what Persona brings, it's a JRPG with added, heavy, focus on social aspects and trial-and-error (unless you're following a guide, you're not gonna come even close to getting most things done or even beating the game.)
It may have difficulty, frustrating difficulty spikes (even early game can see you get your ass kicked hard) but it has great charm, excellent, catchy soundtrack, nice looking graphics (this originated as a PlayStation 2 game, though this HD version is taken from the PS VITA version) and rewarding if you stick with it makes this highly recommended.
If you're looking for something that, even today, is different and refreshing in the JRPG market, Persona 4 Golden is it.
Rating: 10/10
A Fantastic Port With Everything You Could Ask For In A Fighting Game
Yes, you can argue that the Sega Saturn and the Arcade version is better. Moot point at the end of the day. What you get here is just simply fantastic and joins the hallowed list of awesome fighting games on the PS1.
Visually, it's pretty good with nice animations (especially specials and supers), colourful environments that give the appropriate vibe and a slick presentation that oozes style.
When it comes to audio, there's some great stage music and the sound effects are crisp and punchy.
But it's the content where the game really shines. The roster amount is ridiculous but everyone belongs here, especially the new characters with those like Karin having gone on to become iconic in their own right. The ability to choose your fighting style is a nice touch and sure, it may not make the game balanced but that's not the point of Street Fighter Alpha 3. The point is having fun in a fighting game.
And when it comes to enjoying the game, Street Fighter Alpha 3 gives you the modes to do it. As well as traditional modes you get Dramatic Battle (fighting in pairs) and the best one of them all, World Tour.
World Tour sees you picking a fighter, taking them around the world and, as you win, you gain experience to make you stronger. It is just so much awesome and it's no wonder it was brought back (albeit in a much different way) for Street Fighter 6.
This is a fighting game everyone should play, even those who normally shy away from it. If you want a ultra competitive fighting game, Street Fighter 3rd Strike is that way. But for those who just want to have fun, no matter the skill level, Street Fighter Alpha 3 is must play. A damn near-perfect package.
Rating: 10/10
Yes, you can argue that the Sega Saturn and the Arcade version is better. Moot point at the end of the day. What you get here is just simply fantastic and joins the hallowed list of awesome fighting games on the PS1.
Visually, it's pretty good with nice animations (especially specials and supers), colourful environments that give the appropriate vibe and a slick presentation that oozes style.
When it comes to audio, there's some great stage music and the sound effects are crisp and punchy.
But it's the content where the game really shines. The roster amount is ridiculous but everyone belongs here, especially the new characters with those like Karin having gone on to become iconic in their own right. The ability to choose your fighting style is a nice touch and sure, it may not make the game balanced but that's not the point of Street Fighter Alpha 3. The point is having fun in a fighting game.
And when it comes to enjoying the game, Street Fighter Alpha 3 gives you the modes to do it. As well as traditional modes you get Dramatic Battle (fighting in pairs) and the best one of them all, World Tour.
World Tour sees you picking a fighter, taking them around the world and, as you win, you gain experience to make you stronger. It is just so much awesome and it's no wonder it was brought back (albeit in a much different way) for Street Fighter 6.
This is a fighting game everyone should play, even those who normally shy away from it. If you want a ultra competitive fighting game, Street Fighter 3rd Strike is that way. But for those who just want to have fun, no matter the skill level, Street Fighter Alpha 3 is must play. A damn near-perfect package.
Rating: 10/10
A masterpiece, striking the perfect balance of fun and emotional open-world gameplay
NOTE: THIS GAME JUST TOUCHES ON THE SINGLE PLAYER. I HAVE NOT PLAYED THE MULTIPLAYER. CHECK OTHER REVIEWS FOR OPINIONS ON THAT IF THAT IS WHAT YOU'RE AFTER!
What is it about?
It's American Old West in 1899. The Wild West is being tamed. The days of the outlaw are dying out, with the few that are clinging on to it finding out the hard way. We follow the life of Arthur Morgan and the notorious Van der Linde gang, which is as close to family as Morgan has.
We follows the gang as they try to survive, get that one big score and find a better life for themselves, or the while they are pursued by lawmen, fellow gangs and Pinkerton agents.
The Review
Back in 2010, Red Dead Redemption was released on Xbox 360 and PS3. It wasn't just Grand Theft Auto in the Wild West, it was a near-revelation, showing that Rockstar could not only pull off a open-world game that was fun but also a game that was mature and tell a down-to-earth story. A great game that stood alongside GTA, instead of its shadow.
To say that Red Dead Redemption 2 has surpassed it is almost an understatement. This is a game that had high expectations and has not only met them, but made it look so easy that it's quite breathtaking how good this game is.
This is a very detailed game. Even if you're PC isn't a powerful, future-proof kind of rig, it's still looks fantastic on high settings and damn good on medium. Places just look breathtaking and you come across locations and sites that make you pause rather than just glance and pass them by and the way cinematic are used just add to the visual flair.
But it's not the surface that gives it the visual appeal it's the way that everything seems natural. The way people and animals go about their lives, the conversations you can overhear, the layout of locations and establishments. the details on items and weapons, etc, the world feels alive and not in a artificial way.
You could argue that characters in Red Dead Redemption 2 aren't the most visually impressive in a AAA game, but they feel as real as they can get in a game. The conversations they have is charming and you really begin to feel emotionally tied to people, whether you love them, hate them, find them charming, creepy, etc. Other great small touches are a journal that is joy to look through and newspapers that are fun to read, detailing exploits not just touched by your hands.
The music just adds another delightful slice to the thick layer of presentation, especially in the later stages of the game.
Of course, you can have a beautiful game but it all becomes nothing but a pretty, expensive picture if the game is not up to scratch and while it's bursting at the seams, it's held together.
The controls can be a bit finicky at times (especially when picking up items that are close together) and take a while to get use to, but after a while the latter is cleared up and becomes second nature and the former is never a deal breaker.
The missions are excellent fare and don't always end up with shooting someone, with a favourite standout being a drunken night out with a fellow gang member. There are a few key choices in the game that can have an impact (there is also a morality system, but this has less of an impact on the story, more helpful to see how good or bad you are). Optional missions are worthwhile as they opened up to anecdotes and fun missions that make them more than throwaway distractions.
Outside of missions, the game rewards exploration. There is some repetition to what you can encounter but mostly just when you think you've seen what this game has to offer, it subverts your expectations by throwing something new or calling back to a moment you thought was insignificant such as one very early mission ends up having huge ramifications down the line. And hunting and fishing can take up huge hours, being frustrating at times but hugely satisfying when you catch a big game fish, a legendary predator or snag a perfect pelt. A few side-quests are long scavenge hunts, so if you are someone who considers 100% a game to collect EVERYTHING, you are in for the long haul.
There are some weird gameplay choices, like fast travel (which has to be unlocked) only available while camping or at your home base (same for crafting), Eagle Eye (allows you to highlight tracks and items/collectables in close range) only being temporary instead of being able to keep it on for good and no-mid auto-saves for missions. These don't even really impact the game negatively, it's more of a chin-scratcher.
But really the biggest issue (PC wise) is the technical issues. Still the game has crash issues, loading issues, bugs and even some glitches. These are the closest to deal-breakers but honestly, the game is so damn great that if you experience these, you grin and bear it. And you maybe lucky to not experience these at all. Even at full price, this game more than justifies its worth.
This is more than just some violent open-world with shooting and collectables. This is a gritty adventure with a tale worth seeing to the full end, with flair, personality and substance to last for a long, long time.
Rating: 10/10
NOTE: THIS GAME JUST TOUCHES ON THE SINGLE PLAYER. I HAVE NOT PLAYED THE MULTIPLAYER. CHECK OTHER REVIEWS FOR OPINIONS ON THAT IF THAT IS WHAT YOU'RE AFTER!
What is it about?
It's American Old West in 1899. The Wild West is being tamed. The days of the outlaw are dying out, with the few that are clinging on to it finding out the hard way. We follow the life of Arthur Morgan and the notorious Van der Linde gang, which is as close to family as Morgan has.
We follows the gang as they try to survive, get that one big score and find a better life for themselves, or the while they are pursued by lawmen, fellow gangs and Pinkerton agents.
The Review
Back in 2010, Red Dead Redemption was released on Xbox 360 and PS3. It wasn't just Grand Theft Auto in the Wild West, it was a near-revelation, showing that Rockstar could not only pull off a open-world game that was fun but also a game that was mature and tell a down-to-earth story. A great game that stood alongside GTA, instead of its shadow.
To say that Red Dead Redemption 2 has surpassed it is almost an understatement. This is a game that had high expectations and has not only met them, but made it look so easy that it's quite breathtaking how good this game is.
This is a very detailed game. Even if you're PC isn't a powerful, future-proof kind of rig, it's still looks fantastic on high settings and damn good on medium. Places just look breathtaking and you come across locations and sites that make you pause rather than just glance and pass them by and the way cinematic are used just add to the visual flair.
But it's not the surface that gives it the visual appeal it's the way that everything seems natural. The way people and animals go about their lives, the conversations you can overhear, the layout of locations and establishments. the details on items and weapons, etc, the world feels alive and not in a artificial way.
You could argue that characters in Red Dead Redemption 2 aren't the most visually impressive in a AAA game, but they feel as real as they can get in a game. The conversations they have is charming and you really begin to feel emotionally tied to people, whether you love them, hate them, find them charming, creepy, etc. Other great small touches are a journal that is joy to look through and newspapers that are fun to read, detailing exploits not just touched by your hands.
The music just adds another delightful slice to the thick layer of presentation, especially in the later stages of the game.
Of course, you can have a beautiful game but it all becomes nothing but a pretty, expensive picture if the game is not up to scratch and while it's bursting at the seams, it's held together.
The controls can be a bit finicky at times (especially when picking up items that are close together) and take a while to get use to, but after a while the latter is cleared up and becomes second nature and the former is never a deal breaker.
The missions are excellent fare and don't always end up with shooting someone, with a favourite standout being a drunken night out with a fellow gang member. There are a few key choices in the game that can have an impact (there is also a morality system, but this has less of an impact on the story, more helpful to see how good or bad you are). Optional missions are worthwhile as they opened up to anecdotes and fun missions that make them more than throwaway distractions.
Outside of missions, the game rewards exploration. There is some repetition to what you can encounter but mostly just when you think you've seen what this game has to offer, it subverts your expectations by throwing something new or calling back to a moment you thought was insignificant such as one very early mission ends up having huge ramifications down the line. And hunting and fishing can take up huge hours, being frustrating at times but hugely satisfying when you catch a big game fish, a legendary predator or snag a perfect pelt. A few side-quests are long scavenge hunts, so if you are someone who considers 100% a game to collect EVERYTHING, you are in for the long haul.
There are some weird gameplay choices, like fast travel (which has to be unlocked) only available while camping or at your home base (same for crafting), Eagle Eye (allows you to highlight tracks and items/collectables in close range) only being temporary instead of being able to keep it on for good and no-mid auto-saves for missions. These don't even really impact the game negatively, it's more of a chin-scratcher.
But really the biggest issue (PC wise) is the technical issues. Still the game has crash issues, loading issues, bugs and even some glitches. These are the closest to deal-breakers but honestly, the game is so damn great that if you experience these, you grin and bear it. And you maybe lucky to not experience these at all. Even at full price, this game more than justifies its worth.
This is more than just some violent open-world with shooting and collectables. This is a gritty adventure with a tale worth seeing to the full end, with flair, personality and substance to last for a long, long time.
Rating: 10/10
1995
A Fantastic Action Adventure-RPG With An Emotional Story
Part of the trilogy that also consists of Soul Blazer and Illusion of Gaia (two very good games in their own right), this is arguably the strongest of the three. With nice visuals that really capture the atmosphere, fantastic music that ranges from uplifting to soul-crushing (and makes you feel that way to boot) and a plot that is well executed with some great twists.
Of course, all this wouldn't mean much if the gameplay wasn't up to scratch but the lovely controls, the frantic pace and the dungeon design, as well as some pretty cool bosses, design and mechanic wise, make this a treat to play.
Released late into the SNES life cycle, this was a game that was destined to not have the spotlight on it until years later. If you're a retro gaming fan, an action-adventure RPG fan or just someone who likes great games, you owe it to play this in some form or another if you haven't done so.
Rating: 10/10
Part of the trilogy that also consists of Soul Blazer and Illusion of Gaia (two very good games in their own right), this is arguably the strongest of the three. With nice visuals that really capture the atmosphere, fantastic music that ranges from uplifting to soul-crushing (and makes you feel that way to boot) and a plot that is well executed with some great twists.
Of course, all this wouldn't mean much if the gameplay wasn't up to scratch but the lovely controls, the frantic pace and the dungeon design, as well as some pretty cool bosses, design and mechanic wise, make this a treat to play.
Released late into the SNES life cycle, this was a game that was destined to not have the spotlight on it until years later. If you're a retro gaming fan, an action-adventure RPG fan or just someone who likes great games, you owe it to play this in some form or another if you haven't done so.
Rating: 10/10
2019
Excellent Story Backed Up By Tight Gameplay
Yakuza 3 Remastered wasn’t a bad game by any means but it did feel like something was missing and it’s flaws did hold it back. While Yakuza 4 Remastered isn’t perfect nor a huge step up, it’s improvements and tightening up of some elements means this is a vastly improved experience overall.
Visually, this game feels more vibrant than Yakuza 3 Remastered. Everything looks sharper and with a bit more detail or vibrant. There’s still the matter of some NPCs and non-important characters having gonk like faces or derpy expressions and there is still pop-up, but seeing restaurants and shops with people inside, and vending machine products with 3D objects inside, as just two examples, goes a long to to show that overall, the game is more graphically impressive.
The story has really increased, helped by the fact that we’re not only not just playing as Kiryu but not even starting as him! As you get to explore three new characters stories and activities (don’t worry, Kiryu is also playable). But there is more emphasis on the story as their seems to be more scenes (in game and CG).
Of course, this wouldn’t be a Ryu ga Gotoku game with weird design choices and for some reason item sharing isn’t available until end game. This is compounded by the fact that Akiyama can pick up most of the locker keys in the early game! It’s not a huge deal breaker, it’s just an odd quirk
The UI is vastly improved. It looks slicker and provides better information (with shops now telling you how much of an item you already have!), showing what materials you need for modding up front and visually and just giving you more info while looking more attractive. It can feel a bit stiff use.
Combat has gone through a slight overhaul. The way you unlock abilities mean you can tailor each character to a degree; Do you hold off and get the more expensive abilities earlier at the cost of being gimped for the early portion of each characters story or do you get what you can afford at each level-up, but make gaining those powerful abilities take a lot longer? Do you go for offensive, defensive moves or just mix-and-match? It’s not super deep but there is some options and flexibility to make it feel far less restrictive and gated like Yakuza 3 Remastered did.
Then there is actually playing the fighting part of Yakuza 4 Remastered. It feels more snappy and you feel like you have more heat options this time around. Random encounters seem to happen less frequently compared to Yakuza 3 Remastered. It can sometimes feel your enemies have unfair advantages or that they’ve been buffed to a degree, some of their attacks still have that annoying “homing” property where it seems like you’ve dodged an attack, only for it to do a curve and whack you on the back and it can be hard to get certain heat actions to activate, depending on the situation. Overall though, the combat does feel much better.
The minigames are back and some are changed for the better (examples include Coliseum isn’t as much of a drag and is more rewarding, hostess maker, while still a drag, is now just down to training three), some are the same (whether that’s good or bad depends on your skill level, patience and the ability to find strategies for games like Darts, Pool and the multitude of gambling games) and a few are worse (Fishing being the highlight). Table Tennis, a new addition, is pretty neat. Alas, no Pachinko in the Remastered version, though again that’s might be a good thing for many.
Modding is somewhat better, only held back by the lack of item sharing until the final chapter as well as the chapters being short. As such, there isn’t really much advantage to be taken unless you go out of your way (or do some obsessive planning on who gets certain locker keys). Another peculiar issue a few of the vendors are on different rooftops. Which means going to them can be a bit of a pain when you need something in particular.
Ah yes rooftops. We’re back to just exploring Kamurocho but this time we get to go to rooftops, an underground car park, an underground mini mall, a homeless shelter and even sewers. The “new” locations are small and as hinted at earlier, it’s more of a novel concept, only really being used to its fullest when doing sub-stories, modding or finding locker keys. The exception is the homeless shelter, which at least has a few additional reasons for going back to. It’d also have been nice if the rooftops were connected together. Still it is different and visually they are well designed, especially the underground car park with lovely lighting and ambient echo sounds.
Other notable gameplay elements are that chase sequences are improved and QTE’s seem a bit more forgiving.
Of course, one of the strongest elements of the Ryu ga Gotoku games is the story and here it’s fantastic. Joining Kiryu is Akiyama, the charming money lender with a huge heart of gold, Saejima a hulking figure with a legendary reputation and Tanimura, an aloof but talented cop who seeks to find the truth about his father’s murder. Joining them is an ensemble with their own motives, schemes and worldly viewpoints that bring an inevitable clash.
In regards to how these characters are; Kiryu is Kiryu, Akiyama is charismatic as hell with excellent story, Saejima has an excellent back story but overall his main story is probably the weakest and Tanimura arguably has the worst personality but has a great story. The latter is argued as the weakest link but overall this is a fine main assemble of protagonists and the rest of the cast is well done.
And it’s helped by the main story. The plot is fantastic with many awesome moments and the twists and turns are just finely done. The fact it references past games, tying up loose ends is icing on the cake. Once again, the Ryu ga Gotoku franchise is no stranger to excellent storytelling but this maybe the first game where you scream “Holy S***!” (or whatever your “OMG” cry is) at what goes down. It’s actually amazing the Yakuza 4 Remastered pulls this off as the chapters feel shorter than before. And yet the pack so much in without feeling rushed or bloated.
The excellent storytelling even goes down to the sub-stories, which have always been another strong point and now feel far more expansive. With many now having their own in-depth arc.
Yakuza 4 Remastered is highly recommended. It carries some flaws from Yakuza 3 Remastered and has still has some anachronistic Yakuza game design but the gameplay feels tighter, the plot execution is just perfect and the presentation is on point making this a very strong entry.
Rating: 8/10
Yakuza 3 Remastered wasn’t a bad game by any means but it did feel like something was missing and it’s flaws did hold it back. While Yakuza 4 Remastered isn’t perfect nor a huge step up, it’s improvements and tightening up of some elements means this is a vastly improved experience overall.
Visually, this game feels more vibrant than Yakuza 3 Remastered. Everything looks sharper and with a bit more detail or vibrant. There’s still the matter of some NPCs and non-important characters having gonk like faces or derpy expressions and there is still pop-up, but seeing restaurants and shops with people inside, and vending machine products with 3D objects inside, as just two examples, goes a long to to show that overall, the game is more graphically impressive.
The story has really increased, helped by the fact that we’re not only not just playing as Kiryu but not even starting as him! As you get to explore three new characters stories and activities (don’t worry, Kiryu is also playable). But there is more emphasis on the story as their seems to be more scenes (in game and CG).
Of course, this wouldn’t be a Ryu ga Gotoku game with weird design choices and for some reason item sharing isn’t available until end game. This is compounded by the fact that Akiyama can pick up most of the locker keys in the early game! It’s not a huge deal breaker, it’s just an odd quirk
The UI is vastly improved. It looks slicker and provides better information (with shops now telling you how much of an item you already have!), showing what materials you need for modding up front and visually and just giving you more info while looking more attractive. It can feel a bit stiff use.
Combat has gone through a slight overhaul. The way you unlock abilities mean you can tailor each character to a degree; Do you hold off and get the more expensive abilities earlier at the cost of being gimped for the early portion of each characters story or do you get what you can afford at each level-up, but make gaining those powerful abilities take a lot longer? Do you go for offensive, defensive moves or just mix-and-match? It’s not super deep but there is some options and flexibility to make it feel far less restrictive and gated like Yakuza 3 Remastered did.
Then there is actually playing the fighting part of Yakuza 4 Remastered. It feels more snappy and you feel like you have more heat options this time around. Random encounters seem to happen less frequently compared to Yakuza 3 Remastered. It can sometimes feel your enemies have unfair advantages or that they’ve been buffed to a degree, some of their attacks still have that annoying “homing” property where it seems like you’ve dodged an attack, only for it to do a curve and whack you on the back and it can be hard to get certain heat actions to activate, depending on the situation. Overall though, the combat does feel much better.
The minigames are back and some are changed for the better (examples include Coliseum isn’t as much of a drag and is more rewarding, hostess maker, while still a drag, is now just down to training three), some are the same (whether that’s good or bad depends on your skill level, patience and the ability to find strategies for games like Darts, Pool and the multitude of gambling games) and a few are worse (Fishing being the highlight). Table Tennis, a new addition, is pretty neat. Alas, no Pachinko in the Remastered version, though again that’s might be a good thing for many.
Modding is somewhat better, only held back by the lack of item sharing until the final chapter as well as the chapters being short. As such, there isn’t really much advantage to be taken unless you go out of your way (or do some obsessive planning on who gets certain locker keys). Another peculiar issue a few of the vendors are on different rooftops. Which means going to them can be a bit of a pain when you need something in particular.
Ah yes rooftops. We’re back to just exploring Kamurocho but this time we get to go to rooftops, an underground car park, an underground mini mall, a homeless shelter and even sewers. The “new” locations are small and as hinted at earlier, it’s more of a novel concept, only really being used to its fullest when doing sub-stories, modding or finding locker keys. The exception is the homeless shelter, which at least has a few additional reasons for going back to. It’d also have been nice if the rooftops were connected together. Still it is different and visually they are well designed, especially the underground car park with lovely lighting and ambient echo sounds.
Other notable gameplay elements are that chase sequences are improved and QTE’s seem a bit more forgiving.
Of course, one of the strongest elements of the Ryu ga Gotoku games is the story and here it’s fantastic. Joining Kiryu is Akiyama, the charming money lender with a huge heart of gold, Saejima a hulking figure with a legendary reputation and Tanimura, an aloof but talented cop who seeks to find the truth about his father’s murder. Joining them is an ensemble with their own motives, schemes and worldly viewpoints that bring an inevitable clash.
In regards to how these characters are; Kiryu is Kiryu, Akiyama is charismatic as hell with excellent story, Saejima has an excellent back story but overall his main story is probably the weakest and Tanimura arguably has the worst personality but has a great story. The latter is argued as the weakest link but overall this is a fine main assemble of protagonists and the rest of the cast is well done.
And it’s helped by the main story. The plot is fantastic with many awesome moments and the twists and turns are just finely done. The fact it references past games, tying up loose ends is icing on the cake. Once again, the Ryu ga Gotoku franchise is no stranger to excellent storytelling but this maybe the first game where you scream “Holy S***!” (or whatever your “OMG” cry is) at what goes down. It’s actually amazing the Yakuza 4 Remastered pulls this off as the chapters feel shorter than before. And yet the pack so much in without feeling rushed or bloated.
The excellent storytelling even goes down to the sub-stories, which have always been another strong point and now feel far more expansive. With many now having their own in-depth arc.
Yakuza 4 Remastered is highly recommended. It carries some flaws from Yakuza 3 Remastered and has still has some anachronistic Yakuza game design but the gameplay feels tighter, the plot execution is just perfect and the presentation is on point making this a very strong entry.
Rating: 8/10
2003
Beautiful, Distracting And Too Brutal For It's Own Good
Hey! It's Metal Slug but with Dolphins! It's not hard to see the similarities as both have a serious yet tongue-in-cheek scenario of having to repel invaders (this time it's Sea Nazi's!), both have distinctive levels, both have that teeth-gnashing, fist-slamming gameplay and both have a heavy-machine gun!
But look past the surface and you'll see that Dolphin Blue stands out, in good and bad ways.
To start with the presentation is fantastic. Graphics are lovely with each stage having nice colours and feeling detailed and busy, the noise is loud and crisp with the effects being punch and the enemies grunts and laughs being comedically on point. And the squeak the dolphin makes is adorable. There is a lovely charm to this game that draws you in.
However, this is a double edged sword, as because it's so busy (and very distracting on your playthrough(s), this means you can suffer cheap deaths. Even if you're concentrating, the bullets and bombs are sometimes hard to make out because of the effects of explosions, smoke or other effects.
The gameplay is another mixed bag. On the plus side it's frantic, not with just the constant enemies firing bullets of throwing bombs, but with coins and medals dropping, stages having an auto-scrolling part and a strict timer which does not allow you to be defensive or hesitate. Dolphin Blue also encourages you to be aggressive, while also not being reckless and use your special ability, where knowing when to use your special is vital to prevent losing lives and beat bosses quicker. It has three levels and it charges fast, but the action is so fast (and the strict timer) you can't just spam it at max level and wait till it recharges.
There is also some element of replayability as the collectable coins, gold bars and medals (the latter having secret ones) adds an element of seeing how high one can get a score. Also the fact you are shown how quickly you finished a stage and also ranked for your overall performance may incline those to see if they can do better. Of course, this comes with the caveat that you become so good at the game, which means persisting with the insane difficulty this game throws at you.
And it is the difficulty that Dolphin Blue trips this game up by being so brutal. Even without the distracting and hiding bullets element that was outlined above, this game will kick your ass. It only has five stages but these are not quick jaunts and the first stage is not one that eases you into the game. And it only gets much, much harder from there as the situations become chaotic, the bosses become much cheaper (with the penultimate and final bosses turning part of their fights into bullet hells) and level design just becomes unfair, with the final level taking the cake in terms of cheapness. Not helped is the fact that weapon drops aren't as common as you'd expect, meaning resource management is a lot more tricky and you'll often go into situations with just your pea shooter, including bosses. Metal Slug was no cake walk but it didn't set out to murder you within the first five minutes of the game.
And it's the difficulty and cheap deaths you suffer in Dolphin Blue that lower the score. No one wants an easy Run 'n Gun and yes, this is an arcade game, so it's to be expected that the challenge would ramp up mid-game but Dolphin Blue goes above and beyond in punishing you and with comparisons to Metal Slug are unavoidable, many may feel it doesn't measure up overall, despite being the much better looking game.
However, for those who persevere, Dolphin Blue is still a fun run 'n gun game with some replay value for those who want to improve and show off. It's worth a play just to see it in action the very least, even if you don't get very far.
Rating: 7/10
Hey! It's Metal Slug but with Dolphins! It's not hard to see the similarities as both have a serious yet tongue-in-cheek scenario of having to repel invaders (this time it's Sea Nazi's!), both have distinctive levels, both have that teeth-gnashing, fist-slamming gameplay and both have a heavy-machine gun!
But look past the surface and you'll see that Dolphin Blue stands out, in good and bad ways.
To start with the presentation is fantastic. Graphics are lovely with each stage having nice colours and feeling detailed and busy, the noise is loud and crisp with the effects being punch and the enemies grunts and laughs being comedically on point. And the squeak the dolphin makes is adorable. There is a lovely charm to this game that draws you in.
However, this is a double edged sword, as because it's so busy (and very distracting on your playthrough(s), this means you can suffer cheap deaths. Even if you're concentrating, the bullets and bombs are sometimes hard to make out because of the effects of explosions, smoke or other effects.
The gameplay is another mixed bag. On the plus side it's frantic, not with just the constant enemies firing bullets of throwing bombs, but with coins and medals dropping, stages having an auto-scrolling part and a strict timer which does not allow you to be defensive or hesitate. Dolphin Blue also encourages you to be aggressive, while also not being reckless and use your special ability, where knowing when to use your special is vital to prevent losing lives and beat bosses quicker. It has three levels and it charges fast, but the action is so fast (and the strict timer) you can't just spam it at max level and wait till it recharges.
There is also some element of replayability as the collectable coins, gold bars and medals (the latter having secret ones) adds an element of seeing how high one can get a score. Also the fact you are shown how quickly you finished a stage and also ranked for your overall performance may incline those to see if they can do better. Of course, this comes with the caveat that you become so good at the game, which means persisting with the insane difficulty this game throws at you.
And it is the difficulty that Dolphin Blue trips this game up by being so brutal. Even without the distracting and hiding bullets element that was outlined above, this game will kick your ass. It only has five stages but these are not quick jaunts and the first stage is not one that eases you into the game. And it only gets much, much harder from there as the situations become chaotic, the bosses become much cheaper (with the penultimate and final bosses turning part of their fights into bullet hells) and level design just becomes unfair, with the final level taking the cake in terms of cheapness. Not helped is the fact that weapon drops aren't as common as you'd expect, meaning resource management is a lot more tricky and you'll often go into situations with just your pea shooter, including bosses. Metal Slug was no cake walk but it didn't set out to murder you within the first five minutes of the game.
And it's the difficulty and cheap deaths you suffer in Dolphin Blue that lower the score. No one wants an easy Run 'n Gun and yes, this is an arcade game, so it's to be expected that the challenge would ramp up mid-game but Dolphin Blue goes above and beyond in punishing you and with comparisons to Metal Slug are unavoidable, many may feel it doesn't measure up overall, despite being the much better looking game.
However, for those who persevere, Dolphin Blue is still a fun run 'n gun game with some replay value for those who want to improve and show off. It's worth a play just to see it in action the very least, even if you don't get very far.
Rating: 7/10
2020
Cyberpunk 2077 Redeems Itself By Becoming The Great Game It Promised To Be Years Ago
When Cyberpunk 2077 was released two years ago, to massive hype, it was seen as a letdown. But make no mistake, Cyberpunk 2077 was not an awful game back then, merely a very good game that failed to promise to be a great game.
Two years later, with CDPR refusing to give into the negative press and call it a day, buckle down to make what they felt they should have released, eerily similar to The Witcher: Enhanced Edition. The result isn’t as night and day as their first break out title, but it’s noticeable enough to push it from a very good to a fantastic game.
This review won’t go in-depth into the changes, instead looking at it as if this was the first time someone played Cyberpunk 2077.
When it comes to presentation, Cyberpunk 2077 does a great job. Night city shows one side of the glitzy and glamorous city it prides itself on being as well as the dark and grimy (arguably the true version of Night City) thanks to excellent use of colours and shading, some really imaginative art and varied NPCs. It also helps that level design is pretty solid with very few locations looking the same.
So its a good thing that this all runs without having to need an ultra-expensive PC. There’s many graphical options that you can adjust so while some will need to sacrifice a few things, you can still get a good looking game that will play very smoothly. There is some odd bugs here and there but nothing game breaking and it’s doesn’t happen enough to factor into the game’s enjoyment.
The main cast is really well rounded, with excellent voices that really help show how they view their lives and Night City and they look pretty damn good (except for the feet. For some reason we’re still barely above 32-bit era in that regards) with the animation being on point, with the surprising highlight being their facials. This isn’t exaggerated gaming facials but ones that really do a solid job of just showing what the character is feeling about the moment or what has been said. And their personalities really do shine through, even with the ones you only interact with for a short moment. And the romance is really well done, feeling like it’s natural instead of rushed.
The music is excellent. Stand out is “Never Fade Away” by Samurai but there’s an excellent mix of genres (with many songs being a satirical stab at said genres) and the atmospheric pieces are perfect too. The ambient sounds are well done to.
Finally, it should be no surprise that CDPR have banged out a fantastic story with a lot of excellent world building via all kinds of missions and other side stuff, as well as the advertising and news bulletins you get and interacting with characters. No one is a saint but there are those who, even with selfish motives, are decent people at their core. To talk about it in-depth is potential for spoilers but one should not jump to assumptions about any situation or character until everything is played out.
So presentation is great, the story is fantastic but what about the gameplay?
Well thankfully it holds up well alongside the graphical and audio side. It’s nothing revolutionary and you don’t quite have the power fantasy element of say Skyrim but the fact you can switch around perks allows for a LOT of experimentation (tempered by the fact you can only switch stats around once) and also to somewhat undo a build you think isn’t working.
For those who like to be gung-ho, the combat itself is very fun with a fast pace that encourages you to be aggressive but also allows you to be mindful of your health and current situation and allow moments of retreat or to gather breathing room. You can even be an aggressive hacker. Stealth also allows various options and you can either be aggressive or take your time and slowly and carefully take enemies out without alerting them.
Overall you feel the power of becoming a legendary merc, who’s one man heroics feel earned as you continue to play and build up V.
Other good stuff include the photo mode being pretty damn good. It has odd hiccups and can be a bit fiddly to get the angle if your using the drone view but otherwise its really fun to capture what you view are key moments (or great views).
Also its neat that many missions are named after famous songs or other pop culture references.
So how about the negatives. Well they aren’t deal breakers more like “I wish…” kind of things.
It’d be nice if there was more romance options. The fact your choice is even more limited by your gender kind of sucks too. People may feel that quality over quantity would mean having more choice would dilute it, but CDPR have shown they are great at writing major and minor romances.
Vehicles are a missed opportunity and it would be great if there was more to do with them. The moments where you get to control a flying tank (The Basilisk) are few and far.
Another missed opportunity is lack of viewable fictional BD’s (at the very least being moddable.) There are many that are advertised but its a shame you can never view them.
The Wardrobe function is really nice but it is a bit finicky and the limited slots as well as you can’t change it on the fly is a bit restrictive. It can be fussy to create your ideal outfit as well. Still its a welcome addition
It would be nice if there was more ways to finish a main mission or side gig. Talking your way to completion would be really fun.
Crafting is pretty limited. Unless you really go out of your way, it’s really better to either loot or just do missions, where you will see that you will find or be rewarded some of the best stuff
A way to distract people without having to rely on a netrunner’s skills would be ideal as well.
At the end of the day though, these are very minor niggles that annoy you for a moment but disappear as you come to realize that Cyberpunk 2077 is a worthy Open-World game that fans of the genre should get to playing. Is it a masterpiece after all these years? Not quite but it’s been elevated to a great game and one of the best comebacks since No Man’s Sky.
Rating: 9/10
When Cyberpunk 2077 was released two years ago, to massive hype, it was seen as a letdown. But make no mistake, Cyberpunk 2077 was not an awful game back then, merely a very good game that failed to promise to be a great game.
Two years later, with CDPR refusing to give into the negative press and call it a day, buckle down to make what they felt they should have released, eerily similar to The Witcher: Enhanced Edition. The result isn’t as night and day as their first break out title, but it’s noticeable enough to push it from a very good to a fantastic game.
This review won’t go in-depth into the changes, instead looking at it as if this was the first time someone played Cyberpunk 2077.
When it comes to presentation, Cyberpunk 2077 does a great job. Night city shows one side of the glitzy and glamorous city it prides itself on being as well as the dark and grimy (arguably the true version of Night City) thanks to excellent use of colours and shading, some really imaginative art and varied NPCs. It also helps that level design is pretty solid with very few locations looking the same.
So its a good thing that this all runs without having to need an ultra-expensive PC. There’s many graphical options that you can adjust so while some will need to sacrifice a few things, you can still get a good looking game that will play very smoothly. There is some odd bugs here and there but nothing game breaking and it’s doesn’t happen enough to factor into the game’s enjoyment.
The main cast is really well rounded, with excellent voices that really help show how they view their lives and Night City and they look pretty damn good (except for the feet. For some reason we’re still barely above 32-bit era in that regards) with the animation being on point, with the surprising highlight being their facials. This isn’t exaggerated gaming facials but ones that really do a solid job of just showing what the character is feeling about the moment or what has been said. And their personalities really do shine through, even with the ones you only interact with for a short moment. And the romance is really well done, feeling like it’s natural instead of rushed.
The music is excellent. Stand out is “Never Fade Away” by Samurai but there’s an excellent mix of genres (with many songs being a satirical stab at said genres) and the atmospheric pieces are perfect too. The ambient sounds are well done to.
Finally, it should be no surprise that CDPR have banged out a fantastic story with a lot of excellent world building via all kinds of missions and other side stuff, as well as the advertising and news bulletins you get and interacting with characters. No one is a saint but there are those who, even with selfish motives, are decent people at their core. To talk about it in-depth is potential for spoilers but one should not jump to assumptions about any situation or character until everything is played out.
So presentation is great, the story is fantastic but what about the gameplay?
Well thankfully it holds up well alongside the graphical and audio side. It’s nothing revolutionary and you don’t quite have the power fantasy element of say Skyrim but the fact you can switch around perks allows for a LOT of experimentation (tempered by the fact you can only switch stats around once) and also to somewhat undo a build you think isn’t working.
For those who like to be gung-ho, the combat itself is very fun with a fast pace that encourages you to be aggressive but also allows you to be mindful of your health and current situation and allow moments of retreat or to gather breathing room. You can even be an aggressive hacker. Stealth also allows various options and you can either be aggressive or take your time and slowly and carefully take enemies out without alerting them.
Overall you feel the power of becoming a legendary merc, who’s one man heroics feel earned as you continue to play and build up V.
Other good stuff include the photo mode being pretty damn good. It has odd hiccups and can be a bit fiddly to get the angle if your using the drone view but otherwise its really fun to capture what you view are key moments (or great views).
Also its neat that many missions are named after famous songs or other pop culture references.
So how about the negatives. Well they aren’t deal breakers more like “I wish…” kind of things.
It’d be nice if there was more romance options. The fact your choice is even more limited by your gender kind of sucks too. People may feel that quality over quantity would mean having more choice would dilute it, but CDPR have shown they are great at writing major and minor romances.
Vehicles are a missed opportunity and it would be great if there was more to do with them. The moments where you get to control a flying tank (The Basilisk) are few and far.
Another missed opportunity is lack of viewable fictional BD’s (at the very least being moddable.) There are many that are advertised but its a shame you can never view them.
The Wardrobe function is really nice but it is a bit finicky and the limited slots as well as you can’t change it on the fly is a bit restrictive. It can be fussy to create your ideal outfit as well. Still its a welcome addition
It would be nice if there was more ways to finish a main mission or side gig. Talking your way to completion would be really fun.
Crafting is pretty limited. Unless you really go out of your way, it’s really better to either loot or just do missions, where you will see that you will find or be rewarded some of the best stuff
A way to distract people without having to rely on a netrunner’s skills would be ideal as well.
At the end of the day though, these are very minor niggles that annoy you for a moment but disappear as you come to realize that Cyberpunk 2077 is a worthy Open-World game that fans of the genre should get to playing. Is it a masterpiece after all these years? Not quite but it’s been elevated to a great game and one of the best comebacks since No Man’s Sky.
Rating: 9/10
1994
The First Lady Of MetroidVania's Exceptional SNES Title Still Holds Up Brilliantly 29 Years On
What can be said about Super Metroid that hasn’t already been mentioned? Well nothing but lets just go remind ourselves why this Super Nintendo masterpiece is...well a masterpiece!
This game still looks great. The effective colour choices, the shading, glowing events, design (environments and enemies) each make areas feel different, There is the issue that tile sets can be similar and of course palate swaps of the same enemy appear. But this does. There is some slowdown when things get hectic but this is to be expected from the 16-bit era and it happens so infrequently its not an issue.
This is backed up by a damn good soundtrack, helping setting the mood that you’re in a hostile location on your own and (most of the time) underground, going deeper with each new ability you find and boss you destroy. The sound effects are also solid, with the big “woosh” from the smart bombs being awesome.
The controls are overall tight and responsive. Aside from Wall-Jumping. Wall-jumping is a pain to execute, especially for those use to wall-jumping mechanics from other games. The timing and inputs are quite strict. It’s thankfully not necessary to master. Some may find Samus’ jump float, making small tight jumps or tricky jumps that bit harder but in the grand scheme, the controls do the job right.
Of course, the gameplay also holds up well. Like any MetroidVania worth its salt (after all, alongside Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, this did help popularise the (still going strong) trend), it puts a smile on your face when you use new abilities, unlock an area/item early or find a secret. The difficulty is not too hard, though there’s some difficulty spikes but nothing absurd. And boss battles are tense but have room for brute force if you’ve prepared enough.
Because it’s one of the firsts in the genre, its might not feel quite as refined as later games in the genre and it can be somewhat tough if you’re use to more forgiving entries. But overall its still a damn great game to experience and comes very highly recommended. There are many good reasons its considered a masterpiece than and a masterpiece now.
Rating: 10/10
What can be said about Super Metroid that hasn’t already been mentioned? Well nothing but lets just go remind ourselves why this Super Nintendo masterpiece is...well a masterpiece!
This game still looks great. The effective colour choices, the shading, glowing events, design (environments and enemies) each make areas feel different, There is the issue that tile sets can be similar and of course palate swaps of the same enemy appear. But this does. There is some slowdown when things get hectic but this is to be expected from the 16-bit era and it happens so infrequently its not an issue.
This is backed up by a damn good soundtrack, helping setting the mood that you’re in a hostile location on your own and (most of the time) underground, going deeper with each new ability you find and boss you destroy. The sound effects are also solid, with the big “woosh” from the smart bombs being awesome.
The controls are overall tight and responsive. Aside from Wall-Jumping. Wall-jumping is a pain to execute, especially for those use to wall-jumping mechanics from other games. The timing and inputs are quite strict. It’s thankfully not necessary to master. Some may find Samus’ jump float, making small tight jumps or tricky jumps that bit harder but in the grand scheme, the controls do the job right.
Of course, the gameplay also holds up well. Like any MetroidVania worth its salt (after all, alongside Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, this did help popularise the (still going strong) trend), it puts a smile on your face when you use new abilities, unlock an area/item early or find a secret. The difficulty is not too hard, though there’s some difficulty spikes but nothing absurd. And boss battles are tense but have room for brute force if you’ve prepared enough.
Because it’s one of the firsts in the genre, its might not feel quite as refined as later games in the genre and it can be somewhat tough if you’re use to more forgiving entries. But overall its still a damn great game to experience and comes very highly recommended. There are many good reasons its considered a masterpiece than and a masterpiece now.
Rating: 10/10
1992
Cute But Unforgiving
Pocky & Rocky is that typical cute run 'n gun game trap. Where the graphics, while not hugely outstanding, are nevertheless charming, with the environment designs are well crafted, there's a nice variation of enemy designs and there is nice use of colours to give it a cute feel. But beneath its seemingly dorky smile is a game that is tough.
Even normal is a big challenge and you can forget about Hard mode until you’re able to memorize the game to the point of second nature and have cat-like reflexes.
A lot of this boils down to the issues the game has. The stages have cheap gimmicks, from the the enemies, bosses and, from stage 2 onwards, environments themselves. Hitbox detection is wonky so just as you think you’ve avoided a hit, you’ve lost health (or a life). And your invincibility window when hit is so small, you might as well see it as losing a life in certain events. The fact that after taking two hits you depower, so in later stages, this is all but near-certain death and while the controls are solid and you have some nifty defence and offence options, the lack of being able to lock a direction and fire while moving does add to the difficulty.
All these add to make a challenging game become cheap at the later levels. There may only be six stages and in theory this game lasts an hour but good luck progressing far into the game for a good many hours.
It's worth giving Pocky & Rocky a go, just to see the quirky nature of the game and loose story. But one can't ignore that the difficulty creep will become too much for everyone but the really determined.
Rating: 6/10
Pocky & Rocky is that typical cute run 'n gun game trap. Where the graphics, while not hugely outstanding, are nevertheless charming, with the environment designs are well crafted, there's a nice variation of enemy designs and there is nice use of colours to give it a cute feel. But beneath its seemingly dorky smile is a game that is tough.
Even normal is a big challenge and you can forget about Hard mode until you’re able to memorize the game to the point of second nature and have cat-like reflexes.
A lot of this boils down to the issues the game has. The stages have cheap gimmicks, from the the enemies, bosses and, from stage 2 onwards, environments themselves. Hitbox detection is wonky so just as you think you’ve avoided a hit, you’ve lost health (or a life). And your invincibility window when hit is so small, you might as well see it as losing a life in certain events. The fact that after taking two hits you depower, so in later stages, this is all but near-certain death and while the controls are solid and you have some nifty defence and offence options, the lack of being able to lock a direction and fire while moving does add to the difficulty.
All these add to make a challenging game become cheap at the later levels. There may only be six stages and in theory this game lasts an hour but good luck progressing far into the game for a good many hours.
It's worth giving Pocky & Rocky a go, just to see the quirky nature of the game and loose story. But one can't ignore that the difficulty creep will become too much for everyone but the really determined.
Rating: 6/10
2015
You're Gonna Have a Good Time
Taking place in the year 201X, Undertale see a young person climb a mountain, only to trip and find himself underground where monsters, who were driven out by humans in a somewhat one-sided war, dwell. Thus begins the journey to escape. (Forgive the breezy explanation of the plot, but any more would spoil Undertale.)
Undertale is not your usual RPG. For one the game is more of a hybrid genre of (deep breath) JRPG x Bullet Hell x Rhythm x Psychological x Horror x Social Commentary (phew). To say how to play or approach Undertale would do it a disservice but just don’t go in expecting the usual.
In terms of presentation, on the surface Undertale is basic. Seeing the game in action shows you that Toby Fox and co execution elevates them to have flashes of personality and visual flair that some AAA games lack. The way the characters speak, the poses they have, the dialogue, the excellent uses of music that makes what should be throwaway scenes and locations linger long after playing the game.
In terms of gameplay, it is the weakest part but a) that is somewhat by design and b) the game is very short so it just about doesn’t wear on the player. If one sees the gameplay serves as a storytelling device, then it makes sense.
Undertale is not perfect. It can be VERY frustrating at certain points and while it does fit one of the games themes, it can put many people off playing it. The storytelling can rub people the wrong way and it’s non-typical game nature can make people question playing it.
But for those that give it a good enough chance and persist, they will see why Undertale is a masterpiece. It’s probably one of the few games that defies the rule that a good story can’t overcome weak gameplay.
Rating 9/10
Taking place in the year 201X, Undertale see a young person climb a mountain, only to trip and find himself underground where monsters, who were driven out by humans in a somewhat one-sided war, dwell. Thus begins the journey to escape. (Forgive the breezy explanation of the plot, but any more would spoil Undertale.)
Undertale is not your usual RPG. For one the game is more of a hybrid genre of (deep breath) JRPG x Bullet Hell x Rhythm x Psychological x Horror x Social Commentary (phew). To say how to play or approach Undertale would do it a disservice but just don’t go in expecting the usual.
In terms of presentation, on the surface Undertale is basic. Seeing the game in action shows you that Toby Fox and co execution elevates them to have flashes of personality and visual flair that some AAA games lack. The way the characters speak, the poses they have, the dialogue, the excellent uses of music that makes what should be throwaway scenes and locations linger long after playing the game.
In terms of gameplay, it is the weakest part but a) that is somewhat by design and b) the game is very short so it just about doesn’t wear on the player. If one sees the gameplay serves as a storytelling device, then it makes sense.
Undertale is not perfect. It can be VERY frustrating at certain points and while it does fit one of the games themes, it can put many people off playing it. The storytelling can rub people the wrong way and it’s non-typical game nature can make people question playing it.
But for those that give it a good enough chance and persist, they will see why Undertale is a masterpiece. It’s probably one of the few games that defies the rule that a good story can’t overcome weak gameplay.
Rating 9/10
2024
Send Lawyers, Guns, and Money
Around a year ago, Palworld appeared. "Pokemon with guns" was the instant cry and it was thought this would simply be a janky meme game.
Come release and, Palworld has so far survived the Big N (for now) and done incredibly well, pulling in numbers that would make most AAA studios consider sacrificing their loved ones for.
And of course, cynicism dictates that the meme has carried it and it's just the "flavour of the month" and while those are valid points, there is another one to consider. The game is good. Very good.
There is charm to the whole thing, a sort of cheeky, vibrant energy. Yes the meme is real but this is also a legit game with solid gameplay, a "one more hour" vibe to it as you work towards getting new stuff to build. Adding the capturing Pals just adds to the gameplay. And while the Pals design maybe a case of copying someone's homework, they still look pretty good visually.
It does have the usual survival genre issues in that gathering resources can be monotone, hunger is a bit too constant, the world design could be better and there's really no true goals. And keep in mind its Early Access (more so on Xbox/PC Game Pass due to how it operates, meaning updates will be behind the steam version). Which means we can witness such jankyness such as Pals pathfinding becoming wonky, lack of information input, UI being a bit of a drag to navigate and not much to do.
But, again providing it does survive in the long run, there is a foundation here that is very solid and can be built upon and have players return again and again, with the core gameplay loop being oddly a lot of fun and addictive that its enough to carry it.
We're no longer laughing at Palworld. We're laughing with it.
Rating 7/10
Around a year ago, Palworld appeared. "Pokemon with guns" was the instant cry and it was thought this would simply be a janky meme game.
Come release and, Palworld has so far survived the Big N (for now) and done incredibly well, pulling in numbers that would make most AAA studios consider sacrificing their loved ones for.
And of course, cynicism dictates that the meme has carried it and it's just the "flavour of the month" and while those are valid points, there is another one to consider. The game is good. Very good.
There is charm to the whole thing, a sort of cheeky, vibrant energy. Yes the meme is real but this is also a legit game with solid gameplay, a "one more hour" vibe to it as you work towards getting new stuff to build. Adding the capturing Pals just adds to the gameplay. And while the Pals design maybe a case of copying someone's homework, they still look pretty good visually.
It does have the usual survival genre issues in that gathering resources can be monotone, hunger is a bit too constant, the world design could be better and there's really no true goals. And keep in mind its Early Access (more so on Xbox/PC Game Pass due to how it operates, meaning updates will be behind the steam version). Which means we can witness such jankyness such as Pals pathfinding becoming wonky, lack of information input, UI being a bit of a drag to navigate and not much to do.
But, again providing it does survive in the long run, there is a foundation here that is very solid and can be built upon and have players return again and again, with the core gameplay loop being oddly a lot of fun and addictive that its enough to carry it.
We're no longer laughing at Palworld. We're laughing with it.
Rating 7/10
2022
A fantastic tribute to classic JRPGs
It's become no secret that indie developers are starting to make excellent games in genres and styles that are associated with a company or country, and Matthias Linda and his team have shown that there is now no excuse for indie's to not deliver excellent JRPGs
The gameplay is fantastic, with a nice mechanic that makes even basic battles more challenging and boss encounters requiring some thought and not just spamming your strongest moves, best buffs and debuffs and healing. The roster size and skill system allows for experimental and flexible gameplay. It's also well paced and doesn't overstay it's welcome.
On the presentation side, the visuals are excellent (with some scenes that would make for great wallpaper,) backed up by music that is high class and sound effects which sound hard and crisp.
The plot is very well done and the game doesn't shy away from dark and grim happenings. But it also shows its soft and lighter side and the humour, whether it be item descriptions or NPC dialogue will have you chuckling from time to time.
It does have a few issues; some design choices are weird, as sometimes you can find using a particular menu a bit more troublesome than usual which makes the process of selecting or selling something not as smooth as it could be. Some things aren't explained well or in-game at all (particularly status effects) and the crystal is system is not great. You can do 90% of the game without bothering with it which is nice... But that also exposes just how flawed it is.
Overall though, this is a phenomenal game that any RPG fan should get their hands on and any issues take a huge backseat to the package as a whole, which delivers big time.
Rating: 9/10
It's become no secret that indie developers are starting to make excellent games in genres and styles that are associated with a company or country, and Matthias Linda and his team have shown that there is now no excuse for indie's to not deliver excellent JRPGs
The gameplay is fantastic, with a nice mechanic that makes even basic battles more challenging and boss encounters requiring some thought and not just spamming your strongest moves, best buffs and debuffs and healing. The roster size and skill system allows for experimental and flexible gameplay. It's also well paced and doesn't overstay it's welcome.
On the presentation side, the visuals are excellent (with some scenes that would make for great wallpaper,) backed up by music that is high class and sound effects which sound hard and crisp.
The plot is very well done and the game doesn't shy away from dark and grim happenings. But it also shows its soft and lighter side and the humour, whether it be item descriptions or NPC dialogue will have you chuckling from time to time.
It does have a few issues; some design choices are weird, as sometimes you can find using a particular menu a bit more troublesome than usual which makes the process of selecting or selling something not as smooth as it could be. Some things aren't explained well or in-game at all (particularly status effects) and the crystal is system is not great. You can do 90% of the game without bothering with it which is nice... But that also exposes just how flawed it is.
Overall though, this is a phenomenal game that any RPG fan should get their hands on and any issues take a huge backseat to the package as a whole, which delivers big time.
Rating: 9/10
2018
The Black Sheep of the Ryu Ga Gotoku games is still a fun, if very flawed and frustrating, game.
Even when it was released on the PlayStation 3, Yakuza 3 was seen as a black sheep. Not because of (at least for the western release) cut content but due to the mechanics, the (initial) change in location and how the game feels somewhat stiff at times.
This is not to say that Yakuza 3 was seen as a terrible game or a misstep. Far from it. It was just that it was something that felt different and took a while getting use to but also paradoxicality not feeling like much has changed in the formula (this was felt even more in the West, due to how long it took for us to get it and again cut content.)
Which is what puts Yakuza 3 Enhanced in a weird spot. 1 and 2 got revamped with Kiwami, but Yakuza 3 Enhanced is basically just updated graphics with all content from the Japanese version. But the gameplay remains unchanged from the PlayStation 3 version. No revamp to the awkward combat, the experience and many of the mini-games are a shell of what you’d come to expect from Yakuza Zero, 1 and 2 Kiwami and the visuals don’t leap out like before. And if you’ve come from those games, it’s going to be an even rougher experience.
There’s the level up system which feels very restrictive. It may have been done to prevent grinding to make Kiryu into a near-overpowered badass early into the game but it also feels gated.
The same feeling goes for getting heat actions, weapons and armour, with the game’s modding system not being noteworthy until very late into the game and even then the available options still feel limited. It’s justifiable to not have Kiryu once again become overpowered early/midway into the game, but it’d be nice if Yakuza 3 Remastered was more generous in what you could unlock.
The combat feels off. It feels like they had to nerf Kiryu and so you don’t feel as badass as before. Some heat actions don’t feel as epic and it does have an awkward feel. This is especially noticable against bosses and tough opponents (e.g. the ones you face in the Coliseum activity), where it seems you have to cheese them more than use what you’ve learned up to that point. It’s not a total disaster, as its still solid enough to be enjoyable but you do feel like a handicapped badass.
Visually, even considering the time frame and how this is only a remastered and not a remake/overhaul like the Kiwami games are, it’s still a let down to an extent. This wasn’t a huge leap back in the PS3 and you can see the age and rough edges still present, such as sudden pop-up and sometimes NPC’s having derpy or dead-eyes look.
And of course, it has its own set of Yakuza restrictiveness: Save points are really far apart, you can’t accept more than one hitman mission, can’t buy more than one food at a time, item inventory is always a pain.
Again though, this must be stressed that DESPITE these issues Yakuza 3 Enhanced is still overall a fun game. When it hits its stride, the dopamine hits hard and you remember why you love the series;
Kamurocho feels like an old friend, vibrant, looking different but also similar and hiding its share of secrets underneath all the glitz and glamour and while Ryukyu isn’t Sotenbori (Osaka), it still has its character and charm, feeling like a place to visit and absorb a different aspect of Japan. While the visuals might not pop out, its still an impressive showcase of packing cities with details and small touches that still make it fun to explore and just run around.
The music is banging, as expected with the Ryu Ga Gotoku library (and this being Sega, who rarely drop the ball when it comes to music,) with a mix that ranges from techno to J-pop (and that’s not getting into the Karaoke songs.)
There is always moments that are dramatic or comedic (sometimes swinging around in the same scene) that make one actually care what is taking place and invest in characters, even those who just appear in a small substory. Speaking of those, the substories once again reveal the soul of Yakuza/Ryu Ga Gotoku series, with some amusing (and even downright heart-warming) scenes.
And yes, some of the activities aren’t that engaging or fully fleshed out (hostess ones spring to mind) but Yakuza 3 still has a lot of content that it hits more than it misses and just when you begin to flag or tire of one thing it throws something else to keep you hooked.
Yakuza 3 Enhanced is often seen as the “worst” of the games in the franchise and it is justifiable line of opinion. But it also hides a truth about it; That even the “worst” games in the Ryu Ga Gotoku franchise are still solid b-tier fun. This is enhanced (ahem) by the fact that the price of the game is dead-cheap (it’s also part of the Yakuza Remastered Collection, again a fantastic bundle).
It is best to come to Yakuza 3 Enhanced with expectation in check but also the fact that you’re still going to have a lot of enjoyment pounding solutions into people’s faces.
Rating: 7*/10
(*More towards a 6 than an 8)
Even when it was released on the PlayStation 3, Yakuza 3 was seen as a black sheep. Not because of (at least for the western release) cut content but due to the mechanics, the (initial) change in location and how the game feels somewhat stiff at times.
This is not to say that Yakuza 3 was seen as a terrible game or a misstep. Far from it. It was just that it was something that felt different and took a while getting use to but also paradoxicality not feeling like much has changed in the formula (this was felt even more in the West, due to how long it took for us to get it and again cut content.)
Which is what puts Yakuza 3 Enhanced in a weird spot. 1 and 2 got revamped with Kiwami, but Yakuza 3 Enhanced is basically just updated graphics with all content from the Japanese version. But the gameplay remains unchanged from the PlayStation 3 version. No revamp to the awkward combat, the experience and many of the mini-games are a shell of what you’d come to expect from Yakuza Zero, 1 and 2 Kiwami and the visuals don’t leap out like before. And if you’ve come from those games, it’s going to be an even rougher experience.
There’s the level up system which feels very restrictive. It may have been done to prevent grinding to make Kiryu into a near-overpowered badass early into the game but it also feels gated.
The same feeling goes for getting heat actions, weapons and armour, with the game’s modding system not being noteworthy until very late into the game and even then the available options still feel limited. It’s justifiable to not have Kiryu once again become overpowered early/midway into the game, but it’d be nice if Yakuza 3 Remastered was more generous in what you could unlock.
The combat feels off. It feels like they had to nerf Kiryu and so you don’t feel as badass as before. Some heat actions don’t feel as epic and it does have an awkward feel. This is especially noticable against bosses and tough opponents (e.g. the ones you face in the Coliseum activity), where it seems you have to cheese them more than use what you’ve learned up to that point. It’s not a total disaster, as its still solid enough to be enjoyable but you do feel like a handicapped badass.
Visually, even considering the time frame and how this is only a remastered and not a remake/overhaul like the Kiwami games are, it’s still a let down to an extent. This wasn’t a huge leap back in the PS3 and you can see the age and rough edges still present, such as sudden pop-up and sometimes NPC’s having derpy or dead-eyes look.
And of course, it has its own set of Yakuza restrictiveness: Save points are really far apart, you can’t accept more than one hitman mission, can’t buy more than one food at a time, item inventory is always a pain.
Again though, this must be stressed that DESPITE these issues Yakuza 3 Enhanced is still overall a fun game. When it hits its stride, the dopamine hits hard and you remember why you love the series;
Kamurocho feels like an old friend, vibrant, looking different but also similar and hiding its share of secrets underneath all the glitz and glamour and while Ryukyu isn’t Sotenbori (Osaka), it still has its character and charm, feeling like a place to visit and absorb a different aspect of Japan. While the visuals might not pop out, its still an impressive showcase of packing cities with details and small touches that still make it fun to explore and just run around.
The music is banging, as expected with the Ryu Ga Gotoku library (and this being Sega, who rarely drop the ball when it comes to music,) with a mix that ranges from techno to J-pop (and that’s not getting into the Karaoke songs.)
There is always moments that are dramatic or comedic (sometimes swinging around in the same scene) that make one actually care what is taking place and invest in characters, even those who just appear in a small substory. Speaking of those, the substories once again reveal the soul of Yakuza/Ryu Ga Gotoku series, with some amusing (and even downright heart-warming) scenes.
And yes, some of the activities aren’t that engaging or fully fleshed out (hostess ones spring to mind) but Yakuza 3 still has a lot of content that it hits more than it misses and just when you begin to flag or tire of one thing it throws something else to keep you hooked.
Yakuza 3 Enhanced is often seen as the “worst” of the games in the franchise and it is justifiable line of opinion. But it also hides a truth about it; That even the “worst” games in the Ryu Ga Gotoku franchise are still solid b-tier fun. This is enhanced (ahem) by the fact that the price of the game is dead-cheap (it’s also part of the Yakuza Remastered Collection, again a fantastic bundle).
It is best to come to Yakuza 3 Enhanced with expectation in check but also the fact that you’re still going to have a lot of enjoyment pounding solutions into people’s faces.
Rating: 7*/10
(*More towards a 6 than an 8)
Continuing the great story and challenging gameplay from Trails in the Sky FC
Pretty much similar to Trails in the Sky FC (because the game was so huge, it was split into 3 parts, hence SC standing for Second Chapter, hence why it's very similar to FC)
This is a very good jRPG game that offers very challenging gameplay with an engaging story, helped by excellent characters, dialogue and excellent music, as well as well executed visual placing that still holds up despite the Trails in the Sky SC's age.
Even despite questionable gameplay design choices (even with, again, the game's age taken into account) and the story a few times being a bit too twee, this is highly recommended if you enjoyed the firs (of course, if you didn't like FC, there's no way you're liking SC.)
Rating: 8/10
Pretty much similar to Trails in the Sky FC (because the game was so huge, it was split into 3 parts, hence SC standing for Second Chapter, hence why it's very similar to FC)
This is a very good jRPG game that offers very challenging gameplay with an engaging story, helped by excellent characters, dialogue and excellent music, as well as well executed visual placing that still holds up despite the Trails in the Sky SC's age.
Even despite questionable gameplay design choices (even with, again, the game's age taken into account) and the story a few times being a bit too twee, this is highly recommended if you enjoyed the firs (of course, if you didn't like FC, there's no way you're liking SC.)
Rating: 8/10
2022
A True Masterpiece Of Gaming
When it comes to video game awards, more often than not, they feel meaningless. Plenty of games have been awarded "Best of show" and achieved "WINNER OF 50 AWARDS!" only to be released and, at best, merely be very good and, at worst, not that good.
Elden Ring deserves all the praise it gets. It is an absolute modern masterpiece and one that will age like fine wine.
This is a souls-like game refined with an open world approach that in no way is bloated but instead uses it to its advantage. Take the visuals. The world of Elden Ring is lovely and bleak. Beautiful and sorrow. Its a testament to FromSoftware that they have done a grand job of world building, lore and visually. There is a minor blemishes but nothing to ever take away that fantasy immersion of sheer wonder and terror that Elden Ring provides. The audio is just fantastic from is orchestral score to the ambience being done to perfection.
This leads to how exploration is implemented. One one hand Elden Ring is all about exploring and taking your time in getting more powerful and skillful, knowing when you can push through and when to retreat and come back to an area/boss when you're more powerful/capable. Rushing or just being stubborn will just see you get your ass handed to you again and again with very little, if any progress. Therefore exploring is highly encouraged but instead of it just being a chore, it becomes a thrill. Not just in curiosity sake (you may find something that makes you more powerful or becomes a vital aid, you may find an area that is too tough which then serves as a goal) but in different kind of environments you can find. Elden Ring is so visually diverse that just finding a new area is a reward in itself.
And boy does Elden Ring make you work for it. If you're not familiar with Dark Souls type of gameplay, lets just say its punishing gameplay that pushes trial and error to the forefront, making you memorize enemies and environment hazards well enough to overcome them. Yes, you will get frustrated, angry and stressed in places. But this is part of the beauty of these types of games. They build up, knowing that, if you keep trying and learn, you will eventually overcome what is causing such pain and those emotions turn into feelings of relief and satisfaction, which make it very gratifying. And to Elden Ring's credit, its not as harsh as past FromSoftware games like Dark Souls trilogy, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice or other well known "Souls-Like" such as Nioh.
This is mainly because Elden Ring also expects you to be smart rather then overcome via 100% skill and hard work. Yes, it's all well and good being able to dodge roll and exploit openings from your enemies. But sometimes, you can take advantage of the level design, hiding in a room and cheesing the enemy with a bow while it thrashes around, doing its powerful attacks in futility. Or using a summon to distract the enemy and use hit and run attacks. it's all about "work smarter, not harder" Make no mistake, you will be working hard but you'll also find ways to make the burden less so.
Even its issues can be a blessing? A Boss exhibiting dumb AI? Enemies falling to their deaths? In most games, that lessens the experience. In Elden Ring? That's a reprieve. A "thank god it's happening" moment. You don't scoff at the small mercies Elden Ring provides, you breath a sigh of relief. And in terms of actual issues, its really hard to fault the game. Maybe you can poke at the lack of lore? Well welcome to a FromSoftware game. It can feel longer than a usual souls-like game but that's just the nature of it being an Open-world game.
In reality, the only reason to not give Elden Ring a chance is because you don't like Action-Adventure and/or Open-World games. Otherwise, you owe it to yourself to play Elden Ring. Beautiful, fantastic gameplay with a ton of replayability. It's the kind of game to make you have faith in AAA games. It's a masterpiece.
Rating: 10/10
When it comes to video game awards, more often than not, they feel meaningless. Plenty of games have been awarded "Best of show" and achieved "WINNER OF 50 AWARDS!" only to be released and, at best, merely be very good and, at worst, not that good.
Elden Ring deserves all the praise it gets. It is an absolute modern masterpiece and one that will age like fine wine.
This is a souls-like game refined with an open world approach that in no way is bloated but instead uses it to its advantage. Take the visuals. The world of Elden Ring is lovely and bleak. Beautiful and sorrow. Its a testament to FromSoftware that they have done a grand job of world building, lore and visually. There is a minor blemishes but nothing to ever take away that fantasy immersion of sheer wonder and terror that Elden Ring provides. The audio is just fantastic from is orchestral score to the ambience being done to perfection.
This leads to how exploration is implemented. One one hand Elden Ring is all about exploring and taking your time in getting more powerful and skillful, knowing when you can push through and when to retreat and come back to an area/boss when you're more powerful/capable. Rushing or just being stubborn will just see you get your ass handed to you again and again with very little, if any progress. Therefore exploring is highly encouraged but instead of it just being a chore, it becomes a thrill. Not just in curiosity sake (you may find something that makes you more powerful or becomes a vital aid, you may find an area that is too tough which then serves as a goal) but in different kind of environments you can find. Elden Ring is so visually diverse that just finding a new area is a reward in itself.
And boy does Elden Ring make you work for it. If you're not familiar with Dark Souls type of gameplay, lets just say its punishing gameplay that pushes trial and error to the forefront, making you memorize enemies and environment hazards well enough to overcome them. Yes, you will get frustrated, angry and stressed in places. But this is part of the beauty of these types of games. They build up, knowing that, if you keep trying and learn, you will eventually overcome what is causing such pain and those emotions turn into feelings of relief and satisfaction, which make it very gratifying. And to Elden Ring's credit, its not as harsh as past FromSoftware games like Dark Souls trilogy, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice or other well known "Souls-Like" such as Nioh.
This is mainly because Elden Ring also expects you to be smart rather then overcome via 100% skill and hard work. Yes, it's all well and good being able to dodge roll and exploit openings from your enemies. But sometimes, you can take advantage of the level design, hiding in a room and cheesing the enemy with a bow while it thrashes around, doing its powerful attacks in futility. Or using a summon to distract the enemy and use hit and run attacks. it's all about "work smarter, not harder" Make no mistake, you will be working hard but you'll also find ways to make the burden less so.
Even its issues can be a blessing? A Boss exhibiting dumb AI? Enemies falling to their deaths? In most games, that lessens the experience. In Elden Ring? That's a reprieve. A "thank god it's happening" moment. You don't scoff at the small mercies Elden Ring provides, you breath a sigh of relief. And in terms of actual issues, its really hard to fault the game. Maybe you can poke at the lack of lore? Well welcome to a FromSoftware game. It can feel longer than a usual souls-like game but that's just the nature of it being an Open-world game.
In reality, the only reason to not give Elden Ring a chance is because you don't like Action-Adventure and/or Open-World games. Otherwise, you owe it to yourself to play Elden Ring. Beautiful, fantastic gameplay with a ton of replayability. It's the kind of game to make you have faith in AAA games. It's a masterpiece.
Rating: 10/10