BrightGalaxy
Being a douchebag while playing co-op has never been more fun.
2019
Resident Evil 2 remake was not my first Resident Evil game, but it was the first 3rd person Resident Evil game that I have extensively played and I wish I played this sooner. The first thing worth mentioning is that the graphics are absolutely stunning and really utilize the capabilities of the consoles they were on. I'm usually not wowed by a game's visuals but this was an exception. The level of detail present adds to the fear factor of the survival horror elements present in the game.
The gameplay is fantastic. Leon and Claire both feel great to control and some of the different weapons they use help them feel somewhat unique from each other. Leon and Claire both have scenarios where you briefly play as a character present in their respective version of the story. While I didn't appreciate them as much as I did other parts of the game, they were still neat additions and a small breath of fresh air away from the main gameplay.
The survival horror elements that the original Resident Evil captured perfectly are still here. I still felt that feeling of dread running around the police station hoping I didn't run into any lickers or a bunch of zombies that I would not be able to handle all the while managing my health and inventory throughout my adventure. That feeling of tension adds a level of immersion and enjoyment that make Resident Evil 2 and really Resident Evil as a whole great.
The only thing that bothered me was that Leon's and Claire's stories outside of playing as Ada or Sherry for a short time depending on who you choose and the A & B scenarios both don't have enough changes to really make it worth playing again. Most of the same things still happen which makes the B scenario feel redundant. There is the true ending, but even that only just adds a small boss that's pretty easy to beat. I still enjoyed playing through the game with both characters, but really just wanted to see a few more differences to make each playthrough stand out.
Overall, Resident Evil 2 remake is a superb remake and game.
The gameplay is fantastic. Leon and Claire both feel great to control and some of the different weapons they use help them feel somewhat unique from each other. Leon and Claire both have scenarios where you briefly play as a character present in their respective version of the story. While I didn't appreciate them as much as I did other parts of the game, they were still neat additions and a small breath of fresh air away from the main gameplay.
The survival horror elements that the original Resident Evil captured perfectly are still here. I still felt that feeling of dread running around the police station hoping I didn't run into any lickers or a bunch of zombies that I would not be able to handle all the while managing my health and inventory throughout my adventure. That feeling of tension adds a level of immersion and enjoyment that make Resident Evil 2 and really Resident Evil as a whole great.
The only thing that bothered me was that Leon's and Claire's stories outside of playing as Ada or Sherry for a short time depending on who you choose and the A & B scenarios both don't have enough changes to really make it worth playing again. Most of the same things still happen which makes the B scenario feel redundant. There is the true ending, but even that only just adds a small boss that's pretty easy to beat. I still enjoyed playing through the game with both characters, but really just wanted to see a few more differences to make each playthrough stand out.
Overall, Resident Evil 2 remake is a superb remake and game.
1985
My first experience with the original Super Mario Bros was back when I had that bootleg NES knockoff years ago. I had a blast playing it and a handful of other NES games, but even after emulating it and purchasing it on the 3ds virtual console, I never got around to completing it. In celebration of Mario day, I decided I would play through and finally beat the original version of the game that single-handedly saved the video game industry in 1985.
After nearly 40 years, does it still hold up? Overall yes, it's still very fun traversing through the game's levels but it isn't perfect. There are instances where you aren't in complete control of Mario's movement. Because of the slippery movement, it can lead to some cheap deaths that otherwise would likely not have occurred if you were playing one of the later Mario entries. Even the Super Mario All-Stars version that was released nearly 10 years after has the same issue. Regardless, it's still a timeless classic and a piece of video game history that shall not be forgotten.
After nearly 40 years, does it still hold up? Overall yes, it's still very fun traversing through the game's levels but it isn't perfect. There are instances where you aren't in complete control of Mario's movement. Because of the slippery movement, it can lead to some cheap deaths that otherwise would likely not have occurred if you were playing one of the later Mario entries. Even the Super Mario All-Stars version that was released nearly 10 years after has the same issue. Regardless, it's still a timeless classic and a piece of video game history that shall not be forgotten.
Kingdom Hearts is a series I've had a history with for a long time. I remember the first time I caught wind of the series was when I was at GameStop back when it was called EB Games and saw the cover of Chain of Memories and a banner for KH2 that had Chicken Little on one of the images. I didn't remember the name of the series until a few years later my curiosity kicked in and I looked up the weird Disney game with humans. After this rediscovery, I became very interested in playing the KH games for the reasons mentioned in my 358/2 Days review which eventually led to me purchasing this game. After going back and finally rebeating this game years later, I can safely say that I still enjoyed it just as much as my younger self did.
The combat is extremely fun and the command deck along with the stat matrix are massive improvements over the panel system present in 358/2 Days. The clock gauge while not as powerful as the limit gauge was in 358/2 Days is a cool mechanic that allows you to use a finisher when you max out its level. It's satisfying to pull off and can get you out of some troublesome situations if you max it out in a bind. There are also a variety of finish commands that you can choose such as Faith, Mega Flare, or stronger versions of your typical fire, ice, or thunder spells. The command deck gives you a lot of freedom to choose attacks, spells, or items you want to use. The stat matrix allows you to gain abilities, magic, strength, level-up, and etc by collecting panels across the worlds you visit. I think it's a really clever way of progressively leveling up and strengthening your character since they are pretty common and there are plenty of different panels. Another cool feature you can do with the stat matrix is to change the difficulty at any time. It makes the game more accessable and noob friendly to those who either aren't that good at the game or are new players and it gives those who want more of a challenge to swap to a harder difficulty. It is really a shame most other games in the series do not have this option. Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded also gets a bit experimental as it adds small segments from a variety of different genres such as a stealth segment, a 2d platforming one, and even a part where it turns into a turn-based RPG. Some of them might have fallen flat but its something different and I appreciate it when developers toy with new ideas.
The gameplay may be awesome, but the story feels mostly like a filler arc. There is a small bit of important info that is relevant in the end, but for 90% of the game you're pretty much wandering around the same locations we've all previously been to multiple times just in digitized form. This leads to my other criticism. The worlds in this game are almost exactly the same as they were in KH1 with the exception of Castle Oblivion at the end. All of these worlds are in multiple games and revisiting them with little to no changes starts to get old. 358/2 Days was guilty of this too but even that game managed to add something new to previously visited worlds like Neverland and Agrabah (which is also in this game).
While I can understand the reasons why this game is disliked among fans, I don't think it deserves as much hate as it gets. There is a lot of fun to be had gameplay wise and it is more accessible to people of all skill levels with the added ability to swap difficulties at any time. Unless you only care about the story, I'd give this one a try.
The combat is extremely fun and the command deck along with the stat matrix are massive improvements over the panel system present in 358/2 Days. The clock gauge while not as powerful as the limit gauge was in 358/2 Days is a cool mechanic that allows you to use a finisher when you max out its level. It's satisfying to pull off and can get you out of some troublesome situations if you max it out in a bind. There are also a variety of finish commands that you can choose such as Faith, Mega Flare, or stronger versions of your typical fire, ice, or thunder spells. The command deck gives you a lot of freedom to choose attacks, spells, or items you want to use. The stat matrix allows you to gain abilities, magic, strength, level-up, and etc by collecting panels across the worlds you visit. I think it's a really clever way of progressively leveling up and strengthening your character since they are pretty common and there are plenty of different panels. Another cool feature you can do with the stat matrix is to change the difficulty at any time. It makes the game more accessable and noob friendly to those who either aren't that good at the game or are new players and it gives those who want more of a challenge to swap to a harder difficulty. It is really a shame most other games in the series do not have this option. Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded also gets a bit experimental as it adds small segments from a variety of different genres such as a stealth segment, a 2d platforming one, and even a part where it turns into a turn-based RPG. Some of them might have fallen flat but its something different and I appreciate it when developers toy with new ideas.
The gameplay may be awesome, but the story feels mostly like a filler arc. There is a small bit of important info that is relevant in the end, but for 90% of the game you're pretty much wandering around the same locations we've all previously been to multiple times just in digitized form. This leads to my other criticism. The worlds in this game are almost exactly the same as they were in KH1 with the exception of Castle Oblivion at the end. All of these worlds are in multiple games and revisiting them with little to no changes starts to get old. 358/2 Days was guilty of this too but even that game managed to add something new to previously visited worlds like Neverland and Agrabah (which is also in this game).
While I can understand the reasons why this game is disliked among fans, I don't think it deserves as much hate as it gets. There is a lot of fun to be had gameplay wise and it is more accessible to people of all skill levels with the added ability to swap difficulties at any time. Unless you only care about the story, I'd give this one a try.
2012
The first time I started this game was on the Vita back in 2016. I remember JSR getting a good amount of representation in the Sonic & All-Stars Racing games and I thought this game looked fun so it caught my attention. Then when I got around to playing it, I dropped it immediately after the tutorial. Partly because of the jank and me just being lazy with games in general. Got the game on Xbox 360 to see if it was any different and the rest is history.
Is the game as janky as I remember it being? Yes, but this time I'm playing it on a much better controller, the Xbox Series X controller, so it's a little bit more bearable. Everything else about the game is great though. The music kicks ass, the art style pops and still looks great to this day, and the characters look pretty cool with Beat being my favorite. The final boss was also pretty unique and stood out to me despite how annoying the last phase of it was. However, what keeps this game from being a truly great one is constantly fighting with this game's physics to get my character to move how or do what I want them to. It's a frustrating experience and it made me nearly drop the game a couple of times, but luckily I prevailed and made it to the end. Despite my rating, I will still say it is good, but a deeply flawed game. I hear Jet Set Radio Future is a major improvement so I hope it either gets added as a backwards-compatible title on Xbox or gets a remaster in the near future.
Is the game as janky as I remember it being? Yes, but this time I'm playing it on a much better controller, the Xbox Series X controller, so it's a little bit more bearable. Everything else about the game is great though. The music kicks ass, the art style pops and still looks great to this day, and the characters look pretty cool with Beat being my favorite. The final boss was also pretty unique and stood out to me despite how annoying the last phase of it was. However, what keeps this game from being a truly great one is constantly fighting with this game's physics to get my character to move how or do what I want them to. It's a frustrating experience and it made me nearly drop the game a couple of times, but luckily I prevailed and made it to the end. Despite my rating, I will still say it is good, but a deeply flawed game. I hear Jet Set Radio Future is a major improvement so I hope it either gets added as a backwards-compatible title on Xbox or gets a remaster in the near future.
1998
Similar to Donkey Kong 64, this was a game that was also stuck in my backlog for a very long time. I don't remember exactly when I got Quest 64 but I remember starting it around 2012-2013-ish which was not too long after my initial unfinished DK64 playthrough. Similar to that game, I had around 2 unfinished playthroughs before I decided I would put an end to the journey through it once and for all years later. Despite what a lot of players and critics think, I find Quest 64 to be a guilty pleasure of mine.
Quest 64 is the textbook definition of basic. Most of the areas you explore look basic, the NPCs are generic, the fact you only have 4 elements to cast spells from, the story (or what little there actually is of it), and even the MC's name are all so plain and average it would put most people to sleep. However, I'm an average person with a sometimes below-average taste in video games so it isn't too surprising I would enjoy it. Mini rant aside, its simplicity is also one of Quest's greatest qualities.
Before I get deeper into the game, the first thing I'd like to mention is how pretty the graphics look for its time. It's classic N64 eye-candy and played a big role in my curiosity in trying this game out. Quest 64 has 4 types of spells, water, rock, fire, and wind. Each of them have attacks that are of those 4 elements, but some additional perks like being able to heal or weaken your enemies' defenses are linked to leveling up certain elements. It isn't much, but having more doesn't always equate to being better. There are two ways to level up your spells, the first way is to do it the regular way by fighting enemies and watching your spirit/exp build up and the second is by searching for spirits scattered all around the game's towns and overworld. Collecting spirits is a clever way of leveling up as it not only benefits you for going slightly out of your way but also heavily reduces the need to grind. You also gain more MP by using spells and HP by either using your staff to attack or by taking damage. Since you will be doing that by simply playing the game, you won't have trouble building those stats and should have more than enough HP & MP by the time you reach the endgame. Quest 64 is pretty short for an RPG. It only took me about 8-10 hours long and it doesn't overstay its welcome for very long. Even though I appreciate a lot of what Quest 64 does, it still has some obvious problems.
The spells are not well-balanced at all. Besides leveling up wind for the first boss, it & fire become pretty much irrelevant for the rest of the game. A lot of RPGs have broken spells and abilities but for a game as simplistic as Quest 64, they definitely could have found a way to make each element useful. The characters have virtually no personality. It may not have the most complex story or anything, but I wish that the MC, his dad, and the villains had at least SOME personality and more information about them. The overworld and dungeons also could have included more details that could indicate where you are or/and also add a little more variety to them. I couldn't count how many times I got lost despite its linearity. This was a problem that greatly contributed to why it took me so long to beat the game.
It's certainly no Final Fantasy killer but Quest isn't as bad as people say it is and it had the potential to become a good franchise had the sequel have gotten released. For those who are new to RPGs or just want something that isn't very complex, Quest 64 isn't as terrible of a choice as one may be led to believe.
Quest 64 is the textbook definition of basic. Most of the areas you explore look basic, the NPCs are generic, the fact you only have 4 elements to cast spells from, the story (or what little there actually is of it), and even the MC's name are all so plain and average it would put most people to sleep. However, I'm an average person with a sometimes below-average taste in video games so it isn't too surprising I would enjoy it. Mini rant aside, its simplicity is also one of Quest's greatest qualities.
Before I get deeper into the game, the first thing I'd like to mention is how pretty the graphics look for its time. It's classic N64 eye-candy and played a big role in my curiosity in trying this game out. Quest 64 has 4 types of spells, water, rock, fire, and wind. Each of them have attacks that are of those 4 elements, but some additional perks like being able to heal or weaken your enemies' defenses are linked to leveling up certain elements. It isn't much, but having more doesn't always equate to being better. There are two ways to level up your spells, the first way is to do it the regular way by fighting enemies and watching your spirit/exp build up and the second is by searching for spirits scattered all around the game's towns and overworld. Collecting spirits is a clever way of leveling up as it not only benefits you for going slightly out of your way but also heavily reduces the need to grind. You also gain more MP by using spells and HP by either using your staff to attack or by taking damage. Since you will be doing that by simply playing the game, you won't have trouble building those stats and should have more than enough HP & MP by the time you reach the endgame. Quest 64 is pretty short for an RPG. It only took me about 8-10 hours long and it doesn't overstay its welcome for very long. Even though I appreciate a lot of what Quest 64 does, it still has some obvious problems.
The spells are not well-balanced at all. Besides leveling up wind for the first boss, it & fire become pretty much irrelevant for the rest of the game. A lot of RPGs have broken spells and abilities but for a game as simplistic as Quest 64, they definitely could have found a way to make each element useful. The characters have virtually no personality. It may not have the most complex story or anything, but I wish that the MC, his dad, and the villains had at least SOME personality and more information about them. The overworld and dungeons also could have included more details that could indicate where you are or/and also add a little more variety to them. I couldn't count how many times I got lost despite its linearity. This was a problem that greatly contributed to why it took me so long to beat the game.
It's certainly no Final Fantasy killer but Quest isn't as bad as people say it is and it had the potential to become a good franchise had the sequel have gotten released. For those who are new to RPGs or just want something that isn't very complex, Quest 64 isn't as terrible of a choice as one may be led to believe.
2016
I've always been fond of the ocean and its beauty for as long as I can remember. It's one of the main reasons why I love it when games have good-looking water graphics, why I can tolerate most water levels, and why Jolly Roger's Lagoon is my favorite world in Banjo-Tooie. So when I saw this game was on sale, I was intrigued enough to buy it at a cheap price it was at. Now having finally finished it, I can say it was a small purchase worth the money I bought it at.
The main and really only issues I found with the game are that the game is a bit too linear and there isn't much that you can do and your character doesn't always move the fastest. Sometimes you're able to move but half of the time it feels a little bit on the sluggish side. Back to the linear complaint. Given this game is really about just exploring around and witnessing the visual spectacle around you, I think this is one of the cases where it would have benefitted from having a more open-ended world to explore that would have added to the experience. Instead, you're just moving from one corridor to the next.
Onto to what we really played this game for, the atmosphere. In Abzu's case, I think it nails it in the atmosphere department. In each area you can swim around and the soothing music used really capture that whimsical charm of looking at an ocean full of sea life and swimming in the beautiful, deep blue water. It may not have a lot of gameplay but it more than makes up for it in the artistic department. Abzu is a perfect example of how video games are a form of art and I think the industry can use more games like this.
The main and really only issues I found with the game are that the game is a bit too linear and there isn't much that you can do and your character doesn't always move the fastest. Sometimes you're able to move but half of the time it feels a little bit on the sluggish side. Back to the linear complaint. Given this game is really about just exploring around and witnessing the visual spectacle around you, I think this is one of the cases where it would have benefitted from having a more open-ended world to explore that would have added to the experience. Instead, you're just moving from one corridor to the next.
Onto to what we really played this game for, the atmosphere. In Abzu's case, I think it nails it in the atmosphere department. In each area you can swim around and the soothing music used really capture that whimsical charm of looking at an ocean full of sea life and swimming in the beautiful, deep blue water. It may not have a lot of gameplay but it more than makes up for it in the artistic department. Abzu is a perfect example of how video games are a form of art and I think the industry can use more games like this.
2006
Sonic 06 was the Sonic game I was most interested in completing due to hearing conflicting opinions about it. I remember a couple of friends from long ago telling me that Sonic 06 wasn't that bad but when I looked up reviews for it, I saw that it was critically panned for reasons that I would eventually realize when playing the game. After beating Sonic 06, I think both sides of what I heard are kind of right. Don't get me wrong, Sonic 06 is a buggy piece of shit, but if Sega actually took the time to polish it, I think it would be just as good as the Sonic Adventure games.
I'll start off with what I think Sonic 06 does right. The music kicks ass. His World is one of the best songs in the whole series. If you can't get hyped listening to it, I don't know what would. Just like in Sonic Adventure 1 & 2, the Sonic & Shadow levels are still entertaining. It will never not be enjoyable running around as Sonic or/and Shadow kicking bots and taking names.......when it works. Silver while not as fun to use as the former two is a nice change of pace compared to them and at least somewhat enjoyable to use. From what I remember Silver's story was the most tolerable one when it comes to glitches. Mephiles was a villain who was not only interesting but also managed to be very intimidating in contrast to Eggman who I don't think really fills that role anymore.
Now onto the bad parts of Sonic 06 that everyone is very familiar with, the glitches. I hear the Xbox 360 version is the better version which explains why I didn't encounter as many bugs as I thought I would, but when they happen they are VERY annoying. A few at the top of my head I can think of are the numerous tries it will take to beat Silver anytime you fight him due to him grabbing you repeatedly, losing control of my character when using a boost pad or just in general, and just the lack of polish the game has in general. There were times when I felt the game was running on a string especially when the camera would shake around occasionally. All of these bugs made it a rage-inducing experience to go through, especially if it was a lengthy level. You don't just play as the big 3, but also most of the important characters like Tails, Knuckles, Rouge, Blaze, Omega, and Amy Rose. While adding more characters to the roster seems like a positive, most of them were either average or just plain unfun, especially when you encounter glitches. The hub world looks and feels like Sonic Adventure 1's but bloated and uglier. In Sonic Adventure 1, it was quick to get to wherever you needed to go in the hub world, in Sonic 06 it doesn't feel nearly as fast and is way bigger than it needs to be. Running around in the forest as anyone but Sonic is as slow as molasses which is ironic since you're playing a game about a speedy, blue hedgehog. The last thing I think is worth mentioning is that Sonic 06 gave us this abomination of a cutscene https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yk6cgp7RcL8.
While I haven't played Sonic Heroes due to being either incredibly lucky or unlucky that the one disc I ordered came super scratched, but the impression that I have gotten is that every 3d Sonic game after Adventure 2 has had something holding it back whether it be time constraints or a mechanic that overstays its welcome. Even though Sonic 06 is widely regarded as one of the worst games ever made, it had a lot of potential to be special had Sega taken the time to ensure it wasn't a buggy mess.
I'll start off with what I think Sonic 06 does right. The music kicks ass. His World is one of the best songs in the whole series. If you can't get hyped listening to it, I don't know what would. Just like in Sonic Adventure 1 & 2, the Sonic & Shadow levels are still entertaining. It will never not be enjoyable running around as Sonic or/and Shadow kicking bots and taking names.......when it works. Silver while not as fun to use as the former two is a nice change of pace compared to them and at least somewhat enjoyable to use. From what I remember Silver's story was the most tolerable one when it comes to glitches. Mephiles was a villain who was not only interesting but also managed to be very intimidating in contrast to Eggman who I don't think really fills that role anymore.
Now onto the bad parts of Sonic 06 that everyone is very familiar with, the glitches. I hear the Xbox 360 version is the better version which explains why I didn't encounter as many bugs as I thought I would, but when they happen they are VERY annoying. A few at the top of my head I can think of are the numerous tries it will take to beat Silver anytime you fight him due to him grabbing you repeatedly, losing control of my character when using a boost pad or just in general, and just the lack of polish the game has in general. There were times when I felt the game was running on a string especially when the camera would shake around occasionally. All of these bugs made it a rage-inducing experience to go through, especially if it was a lengthy level. You don't just play as the big 3, but also most of the important characters like Tails, Knuckles, Rouge, Blaze, Omega, and Amy Rose. While adding more characters to the roster seems like a positive, most of them were either average or just plain unfun, especially when you encounter glitches. The hub world looks and feels like Sonic Adventure 1's but bloated and uglier. In Sonic Adventure 1, it was quick to get to wherever you needed to go in the hub world, in Sonic 06 it doesn't feel nearly as fast and is way bigger than it needs to be. Running around in the forest as anyone but Sonic is as slow as molasses which is ironic since you're playing a game about a speedy, blue hedgehog. The last thing I think is worth mentioning is that Sonic 06 gave us this abomination of a cutscene https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yk6cgp7RcL8.
While I haven't played Sonic Heroes due to being either incredibly lucky or unlucky that the one disc I ordered came super scratched, but the impression that I have gotten is that every 3d Sonic game after Adventure 2 has had something holding it back whether it be time constraints or a mechanic that overstays its welcome. Even though Sonic 06 is widely regarded as one of the worst games ever made, it had a lot of potential to be special had Sega taken the time to ensure it wasn't a buggy mess.
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story was the first RPG I ever played. I also have quite a bit of history with it over the years too. Back when I first had the game, I played it quite a bit and ended up getting pretty far. The further I got, the more difficult it was to progress. The game wasn't absurdly hard for me it was that my DS shoulder pads beginning to wear out from use over the years. I ended up getting to the final boss but I could never mash fast enough when dealing with a certain part. I eventually abandoned it and sold it. Eventually Nintendo announced the 3ds remake back in 2018 and while the remake itself didn't need to exist, I was excited because that meant I'd finally get another chance at beating it. I did, and it took me over 8 years to do it. Since there is extra content and a handful of things to compare, I will probably review the remake a separate time.
The story itself isn't extremely grand or convoluted but it is better than your average Mario game and will likely keep you hooked on what happens next. The dialogue is what really makes the game and all of the characters will definitely get a chuckle out of you in some capacity. Bowser is the one who steals the show in this game though, not only is Bowser a bit of a goofball but you get to see more of his personality in general which is something you don't usually get in a Mario game. He is a fully three-dimensional character and not just a "bad guy who kidnaps damsel-in-distress."
The gameplay is a lot more engaging than most RPGs. It is turn-based but unlike most turn-based games you actually have control over your attacks for better or worse based on your timing. The same goes for enemy attacks as well since you will have to memorize their patterns and have the proper timing to avoid their moves. Even outside of the traditional combat, the game gets very unique with how it utilizes the DS's features. The stylus is used in mech fights and you do use it for certain moments where you're inside Bowser. Speaking of that, the gameplay really takes advantage of the concept of the Mario Bros being stuck inside Bowser. There are a wide variety of minigames and puzzles that make the game fun and give it a sense of immersion since you're usually shown what happens to Bowser as a result of what you're doing to him on the inside.
The soundtrack is peak Yoko Shimomura and rivals her work in the Kingdom Hearts games. The most memorable song to me is In The Final which you can obviously tell by its name plays when you fight the final boss. It makes the fight all the more badass.
This game was a fantastic experience and I'm glad it was my introduction to the RPG genre. It's easily one of the best games released on the DS. If you love Mario or/and love RPGs, you won't want to miss this one.
The story itself isn't extremely grand or convoluted but it is better than your average Mario game and will likely keep you hooked on what happens next. The dialogue is what really makes the game and all of the characters will definitely get a chuckle out of you in some capacity. Bowser is the one who steals the show in this game though, not only is Bowser a bit of a goofball but you get to see more of his personality in general which is something you don't usually get in a Mario game. He is a fully three-dimensional character and not just a "bad guy who kidnaps damsel-in-distress."
The gameplay is a lot more engaging than most RPGs. It is turn-based but unlike most turn-based games you actually have control over your attacks for better or worse based on your timing. The same goes for enemy attacks as well since you will have to memorize their patterns and have the proper timing to avoid their moves. Even outside of the traditional combat, the game gets very unique with how it utilizes the DS's features. The stylus is used in mech fights and you do use it for certain moments where you're inside Bowser. Speaking of that, the gameplay really takes advantage of the concept of the Mario Bros being stuck inside Bowser. There are a wide variety of minigames and puzzles that make the game fun and give it a sense of immersion since you're usually shown what happens to Bowser as a result of what you're doing to him on the inside.
The soundtrack is peak Yoko Shimomura and rivals her work in the Kingdom Hearts games. The most memorable song to me is In The Final which you can obviously tell by its name plays when you fight the final boss. It makes the fight all the more badass.
This game was a fantastic experience and I'm glad it was my introduction to the RPG genre. It's easily one of the best games released on the DS. If you love Mario or/and love RPGs, you won't want to miss this one.
2023
Between Ronald, the Hamburglar, Birdie, and the other McDonald Land characters, Grimace was always my favorite one out of the bunch. I thought he looked cool and he always gave off a friendly, wholesome vibe even if he was originally introduced as a villain. Upon hearing the news that McDonald's was celebrating Grimace's birthday, I was pleased because McDonald's has finally begun to start acknowledging the McDonald Land gang again, even moreso that they used my favorite character for their promotion.
The story is pretty much in the title. Its Grimace's birthday and he wants to celebrate, but his friends are missing and he has to go find them. Along the way, you collect as many shakes as possible for everyone who is attending the party.
It's both a platformer and a skating game. You go from point A to point B grinding on rails and collecting shakes in the process. Like some of the previous McDonald's games that came before it, it is an entertaining platformer. I'd list more of the positives, but for how short this game is there isn't much else to say.
My only problem with the game is as mentioned, it is too short. Around the time I thought I was halfway finished with the game, I saw the ending play and the credits roll. I came in expecting to beat it in at least 45 minutes to an hour, but it took me about 20 minutes and probably even less than that if I had to guess. I know its sole purpose is to advertise a limited edition milkshake, but I would have appreciated if they made it just a little bit longer.
In the end, it's a neat little promo they made and it shows that they put a lot more care & effort into advertising the Grimace shake than they ever needed to. Sadly, I never tried out the Grimace shake and it took me serveral months after the celebration for me to get around to playing this game. I may have been late to the party but I still got to celebrate the birthday of my favorite purple goofball from the McDonald Land crew.
The story is pretty much in the title. Its Grimace's birthday and he wants to celebrate, but his friends are missing and he has to go find them. Along the way, you collect as many shakes as possible for everyone who is attending the party.
It's both a platformer and a skating game. You go from point A to point B grinding on rails and collecting shakes in the process. Like some of the previous McDonald's games that came before it, it is an entertaining platformer. I'd list more of the positives, but for how short this game is there isn't much else to say.
My only problem with the game is as mentioned, it is too short. Around the time I thought I was halfway finished with the game, I saw the ending play and the credits roll. I came in expecting to beat it in at least 45 minutes to an hour, but it took me about 20 minutes and probably even less than that if I had to guess. I know its sole purpose is to advertise a limited edition milkshake, but I would have appreciated if they made it just a little bit longer.
In the end, it's a neat little promo they made and it shows that they put a lot more care & effort into advertising the Grimace shake than they ever needed to. Sadly, I never tried out the Grimace shake and it took me serveral months after the celebration for me to get around to playing this game. I may have been late to the party but I still got to celebrate the birthday of my favorite purple goofball from the McDonald Land crew.
There was a point in time after I initially completed the 3ds remake of Ocarina of Time when I was fascinated with Zelda and was clamoring for more. However, there was a problem, I was a kid who only got money on a few occasions throughout the year. Because of this inconvenience, it took me a pretty long while before I finally got to purchase most of them, but by that time, the Zelda craze I had was long gone so I didn't get far into playing them. Now that I've finally beaten Wind Waker, all I can say is I wish I played this sooner.
In terms of visuals, Wind Waker is a game that I personally don't think needed too much of an improvement as it still looks a lot more presentable than og OoT and MM partly in thanks to its cartoonish art style. Even with that in mind, the remake was still successful in improving how the game looks since it looks more beautiful than ever in HD.
For the most part, it's your typical 3d Zelda which pretty much entails that you will be exploring the overworld doing quests, venturing through dungeons, and solving puzzles. There is one key difference though and that is how you explore the overworld, sailing. It may not always be the most convenient way of traveling as you will have to change the direction of the wind multiple times, but exploring the seas is a fresh take for Zelda that I still enjoyed. The dungeons in the game were pretty enjoyable and filled with plenty of puzzles that while not absurdly difficult or cryptic will still kick your noggin into gear. Another thing that I wanted to point out is how quickly you go from each dungeon. While I did enjoy exploring around Hyrule in OoT and doing certain tasks before exploring dungeons, I still appreciated that you pretty much just go from one dungeon to the next until a certain infamous part of the game.
The Triforce quest while significantly toned down in this version based on what I've read was still an annoyance. Having to find the Triforce charts adds a repetitive step in getting the Triforce pieces and having Tingle decipher the Triforce charts is not cheap and also makes the quest more bothersome. The reduced amount of 3 charts to find and as a result, the fewer amount of times you have to visit the weird fairy-obsessed man, luckily only makes the whole quest slightly annoying. I can't imagine what it was like in the GameCube version knowing you have to find 8 charts and spend a ridiculous amount of rupees to decipher them all.
Triforce quest aside, its a fantastic Zelda game, GameCube game, and an even more fantastic Wii U game.
In terms of visuals, Wind Waker is a game that I personally don't think needed too much of an improvement as it still looks a lot more presentable than og OoT and MM partly in thanks to its cartoonish art style. Even with that in mind, the remake was still successful in improving how the game looks since it looks more beautiful than ever in HD.
For the most part, it's your typical 3d Zelda which pretty much entails that you will be exploring the overworld doing quests, venturing through dungeons, and solving puzzles. There is one key difference though and that is how you explore the overworld, sailing. It may not always be the most convenient way of traveling as you will have to change the direction of the wind multiple times, but exploring the seas is a fresh take for Zelda that I still enjoyed. The dungeons in the game were pretty enjoyable and filled with plenty of puzzles that while not absurdly difficult or cryptic will still kick your noggin into gear. Another thing that I wanted to point out is how quickly you go from each dungeon. While I did enjoy exploring around Hyrule in OoT and doing certain tasks before exploring dungeons, I still appreciated that you pretty much just go from one dungeon to the next until a certain infamous part of the game.
The Triforce quest while significantly toned down in this version based on what I've read was still an annoyance. Having to find the Triforce charts adds a repetitive step in getting the Triforce pieces and having Tingle decipher the Triforce charts is not cheap and also makes the quest more bothersome. The reduced amount of 3 charts to find and as a result, the fewer amount of times you have to visit the weird fairy-obsessed man, luckily only makes the whole quest slightly annoying. I can't imagine what it was like in the GameCube version knowing you have to find 8 charts and spend a ridiculous amount of rupees to decipher them all.
Triforce quest aside, its a fantastic Zelda game, GameCube game, and an even more fantastic Wii U game.
As a kid, I remember being very interested in playing the Kingdom Hearts games for a pretty long while due to its combat and the Disney worlds. During that time I had a DS so when I found out this game existed I was excited and eager to buy and eventually play it. It was on sale at Target when I finally was able to get the chance to buy it. Did I? Nope, I got something else and heard that Re:Coded was coming out in the not-very-distant future so I waited to buy that the next time I had money. Boy am I glad I did because I do not think I would be into what is my favorite video game franchise if it was not for that decision.
The combat is fine but it isn't as fun as most of the other KH games including Re:Coded. The best thing about 358/2 Days combat is the ability to use Limits. Limits are incredibly useful in dealing with a lot of the tough enemies you will encounter on your missions, but outside of them there isn't anything to write home about. The best part of the game by far is the story. While I think other Organization XIII members could have used a little bit more screentime (Marluxia is my favorite one), the Sea Salt trio are easily my favorite trio in the series and I loved the dynamic they all had with each other. It makes the emotional scenes in the game hit that much harder especially when you reach the game's ending.
Everything else about the game I didn't really enjoy. The panel system was a nuisance and outside of the ability to get double, triple, and even quadruple-level panels, I really didn't like the concept of it given how it ties to pretty much everything including magic, items, and even down to the keyblade you use. The command deck in the other handheld games wasn't perfect, but at least you had a bit more freedom to choose what spells, items, and abilities to put in it nor did you have a limit to how many times you could use your commands. The mission-based structure and the missions that come with it make the game feel more like a chore than a video game you're supposed to enjoy. Exploring worlds in Kingdom Hearts is generally more enjoyable when the game keeps them to one visit per playthrough instead of being forced to revisit them multiple times. The last thing is that this game has two of the worst story bosses in the entire series, Leechgrave and Ruler of the Sky. They not only are quite powerful but the way both of these bosses are designed will really test your patience.
I believe this game did have multiplayer functionality that looks fun and with some cool secret characters which I believe would make the game a bit more tolerable if I had people to play it with. Similar to what I said with Sonic Unleashed, I do think this game would also benefit from a remaster that makes changes where they are needed and with online multiplayer for the multiplayer mode. Until Re:358/2 Days becomes a reality, I would suggest only watching the movie in the collections to get the 358/2 Days experience.
The combat is fine but it isn't as fun as most of the other KH games including Re:Coded. The best thing about 358/2 Days combat is the ability to use Limits. Limits are incredibly useful in dealing with a lot of the tough enemies you will encounter on your missions, but outside of them there isn't anything to write home about. The best part of the game by far is the story. While I think other Organization XIII members could have used a little bit more screentime (Marluxia is my favorite one), the Sea Salt trio are easily my favorite trio in the series and I loved the dynamic they all had with each other. It makes the emotional scenes in the game hit that much harder especially when you reach the game's ending.
Everything else about the game I didn't really enjoy. The panel system was a nuisance and outside of the ability to get double, triple, and even quadruple-level panels, I really didn't like the concept of it given how it ties to pretty much everything including magic, items, and even down to the keyblade you use. The command deck in the other handheld games wasn't perfect, but at least you had a bit more freedom to choose what spells, items, and abilities to put in it nor did you have a limit to how many times you could use your commands. The mission-based structure and the missions that come with it make the game feel more like a chore than a video game you're supposed to enjoy. Exploring worlds in Kingdom Hearts is generally more enjoyable when the game keeps them to one visit per playthrough instead of being forced to revisit them multiple times. The last thing is that this game has two of the worst story bosses in the entire series, Leechgrave and Ruler of the Sky. They not only are quite powerful but the way both of these bosses are designed will really test your patience.
I believe this game did have multiplayer functionality that looks fun and with some cool secret characters which I believe would make the game a bit more tolerable if I had people to play it with. Similar to what I said with Sonic Unleashed, I do think this game would also benefit from a remaster that makes changes where they are needed and with online multiplayer for the multiplayer mode. Until Re:358/2 Days becomes a reality, I would suggest only watching the movie in the collections to get the 358/2 Days experience.
1996
The developers deserve an Accolade for creating such an abomination.
2023
GoldenEye 007 is a game that piqued my interest for a pretty long time for a handful of reasons. I've heard this game constantly being referred to as one of the greatest FPS games of all time as well as one of the greatest games ever made. Because of this, its influence on the FPS genre & video games as a whole, and me being the Rare fanboy I am, I decided to finally give GoldenEye 007 a try. When I finally did, I ended up being rather disappointed by it all in the end.
The first thing that made me realize right off the bat this may not be what I was expecting was the objective-based missions for each level. Given its a James Bond game its pretty fitting, but going around trying to figure out what to do before the end of each level just bothered me, especially when I would technically beat the level but still have to do it all over again because I missed something. Something I feel I should clarify is I beat it on Secret Agent difficulty. This issue likely wouldn't be as prevalent if I played Agent difficulty, but whenever I play games I always prefer to play on the normal difficulty and I wasn't changing that tradition for this game. The level design is pretty hit or miss. There are some levels that I thought were fine like the first level, the cave, and the final level, but then there were parts where I wanted to permanently delete the game off my Series X and never play it again with levels such as Control, Bunker 2, and Train. Switching through your weapons feels slower than most other games and for the type of game that GoldenEye 007 is, that isn't good. It's pretty slow in the first two DOOM games but it is usually a bit more tolerable in those because generally you are given more space to move and they have more of a focus on moving around to avoid enemies.
The only other positive thing I can really mention besides the amount of influence this game had on the gaming industry is the multiplayer. It's been a pretty long while since I have played it but I played it at a friend's house once and I remember it being pretty decent. Overall, the game as a whole was a mixed bag for me. I tried to enjoy it but at the end of the day, I couldn't help but feel that it didn't live up to the expectations that I built for it. I do plan on playing Perfect Dark sometime in the near future so I hope that one will be a more enjoyable adventure from Rare Ltd.
The first thing that made me realize right off the bat this may not be what I was expecting was the objective-based missions for each level. Given its a James Bond game its pretty fitting, but going around trying to figure out what to do before the end of each level just bothered me, especially when I would technically beat the level but still have to do it all over again because I missed something. Something I feel I should clarify is I beat it on Secret Agent difficulty. This issue likely wouldn't be as prevalent if I played Agent difficulty, but whenever I play games I always prefer to play on the normal difficulty and I wasn't changing that tradition for this game. The level design is pretty hit or miss. There are some levels that I thought were fine like the first level, the cave, and the final level, but then there were parts where I wanted to permanently delete the game off my Series X and never play it again with levels such as Control, Bunker 2, and Train. Switching through your weapons feels slower than most other games and for the type of game that GoldenEye 007 is, that isn't good. It's pretty slow in the first two DOOM games but it is usually a bit more tolerable in those because generally you are given more space to move and they have more of a focus on moving around to avoid enemies.
The only other positive thing I can really mention besides the amount of influence this game had on the gaming industry is the multiplayer. It's been a pretty long while since I have played it but I played it at a friend's house once and I remember it being pretty decent. Overall, the game as a whole was a mixed bag for me. I tried to enjoy it but at the end of the day, I couldn't help but feel that it didn't live up to the expectations that I built for it. I do plan on playing Perfect Dark sometime in the near future so I hope that one will be a more enjoyable adventure from Rare Ltd.
1992
McDonald's Treasure Land Adventure was not the first advergame made for McDonald's. There were two other games before it, one made for the Famicom that I will probably get around to playing eventually and this game, M.C. Kids. However, this was this first McDonald's game I heard about as I watched the AVGN video on M.C. Kids many years ago. I had pretty much forgotten about it until McDonald's released Grimace's Birthday for the Game Boy. All of a sudden memories came back to me and I took interest in playing this and the other advergames released for McDonald's over the years.
Instead of some random aliens being the villian, our antagonist is the Hamburgular who stole Ronald's magic bag. Instead of going to look for the bag himself, Ronald, being the selfish clown he is, decides its a good idea to let two children go on a dangerous journey to retrieve it. Those two children being, the M.C. Kids.
Compared to other platformers, it is fairly unique in the sense of how you progress through the game. In each level, you will be tasked with finding all of the cards of Ronald's pals in order to move onto the next world alongside just beating the level. It may not be the most ideal as far as design goes, but its different enough in that its not "just another Mario clone."
With that being said, its a decent platfomer and most of the cards are fairly easy to find even if you have to backtrack a little to get them sometimes. Difficulty-wise, it was definitely harder than Treasure Land Adventure but not as difficult as the majority of the NES library. There were a few annoying cards to get but overall it wasn't too bad. The final boss on the other hand has a weird limit that was both confusing as it was infurating.
The biggest glaring flaw the game has is that in order to beat the final boss, you need to reach the farthest right side of the goal in as many levels as you can. The fewer times you do this, the less ammo you will have against the final boss. You run out of blocks, you don't get them back. It's like if you needed to reach the top of the flag pole every time you beat a level in Mario if you want a chance at defeating Bowser. It's the dumbest design choice I've seen in a video game and it makes what was a fun platformer a worse expirence.
Besides how horribly designed the final boss was, I mostly had fun with the game. I don't know if I'd ever play it again though. Overall, I'd say M.C. Kids is a game worth playing at least once, especially if you're into those weird advergames.
Instead of some random aliens being the villian, our antagonist is the Hamburgular who stole Ronald's magic bag. Instead of going to look for the bag himself, Ronald, being the selfish clown he is, decides its a good idea to let two children go on a dangerous journey to retrieve it. Those two children being, the M.C. Kids.
Compared to other platformers, it is fairly unique in the sense of how you progress through the game. In each level, you will be tasked with finding all of the cards of Ronald's pals in order to move onto the next world alongside just beating the level. It may not be the most ideal as far as design goes, but its different enough in that its not "just another Mario clone."
With that being said, its a decent platfomer and most of the cards are fairly easy to find even if you have to backtrack a little to get them sometimes. Difficulty-wise, it was definitely harder than Treasure Land Adventure but not as difficult as the majority of the NES library. There were a few annoying cards to get but overall it wasn't too bad. The final boss on the other hand has a weird limit that was both confusing as it was infurating.
The biggest glaring flaw the game has is that in order to beat the final boss, you need to reach the farthest right side of the goal in as many levels as you can. The fewer times you do this, the less ammo you will have against the final boss. You run out of blocks, you don't get them back. It's like if you needed to reach the top of the flag pole every time you beat a level in Mario if you want a chance at defeating Bowser. It's the dumbest design choice I've seen in a video game and it makes what was a fun platformer a worse expirence.
Besides how horribly designed the final boss was, I mostly had fun with the game. I don't know if I'd ever play it again though. Overall, I'd say M.C. Kids is a game worth playing at least once, especially if you're into those weird advergames.