2018
I've got no review to make on this game. I do want to thank my buddy Luke for getting it for me, thank you for the Christmas gift.
All I can say is that like, this game kind of confirmed that I'm very much not a shmup person. I can't argue the game is bad because simply put, it isn't, I just don't find any enjoyment in whatever this genre tries to do.
Hell, it might not just be this genre, I think I've just gotten to the point where playing any game will set me off and I'll say to myself "I hate this game", "Fuck this game" and then rate it 3 stars or above on this website and call it a day.
Is my anger even genuine? I don't even know at this point. Is it difficulty, have I created this belief in myself that my opinions cannot be validated because if I dislike difficult games it's my fault and not that the game has any flaws? Is it the fact that my life outside of playing games has become incredibly hollow and that gaming is the only thing that fills up the timeslots of my life? Whatever the answer is, I have no clue.
It's not like there wasn't a glimmer of hope for me with this game either. When I got to the near end of Stage 3 and got the Mech, and saw the Gurren Lagann references I was absolutely stoked, I thought I finally understood the greatness...
And then I played the fourth level and felt my soul erode.
I think the worst of it is that I had beaten the level, but somehow I got so mad that the audio went completely silent, as if to isolate me in this moment of weakness. So, because I obviously want to hear this killer soundtrack, I reset the game... and lose all my progress for the level.
I wanted to die, I wanted to die so fucking badly. I had had the only decent fucking run for that stage and I lost it because of a glitch.
And so now I sit here, questioning my enjoyment of things again.
The first time I questioned my enjoyment of the medium was because of someone else saying something along the lines of "You don't enjoy things that are difficult" and for a bit I thought, maybe they're right... but now I'm starting to think that my ability to enjoy games in general is fizzling away, I'm getting angry at all games, regardless of difficulty.
What is this uncontrollable emotion of anger? Why am I monologuing about these feelings on this public review site where someone will likely call me a little bitch for having these thoughts? I have no fucking idea but I need to vent somewhere.
Regardless I don't think I'll be playing another shmup for a long time, I'm sorry friends.
Maybe I need an honest to god break from games in general.
All I can say is that like, this game kind of confirmed that I'm very much not a shmup person. I can't argue the game is bad because simply put, it isn't, I just don't find any enjoyment in whatever this genre tries to do.
Hell, it might not just be this genre, I think I've just gotten to the point where playing any game will set me off and I'll say to myself "I hate this game", "Fuck this game" and then rate it 3 stars or above on this website and call it a day.
Is my anger even genuine? I don't even know at this point. Is it difficulty, have I created this belief in myself that my opinions cannot be validated because if I dislike difficult games it's my fault and not that the game has any flaws? Is it the fact that my life outside of playing games has become incredibly hollow and that gaming is the only thing that fills up the timeslots of my life? Whatever the answer is, I have no clue.
It's not like there wasn't a glimmer of hope for me with this game either. When I got to the near end of Stage 3 and got the Mech, and saw the Gurren Lagann references I was absolutely stoked, I thought I finally understood the greatness...
And then I played the fourth level and felt my soul erode.
I think the worst of it is that I had beaten the level, but somehow I got so mad that the audio went completely silent, as if to isolate me in this moment of weakness. So, because I obviously want to hear this killer soundtrack, I reset the game... and lose all my progress for the level.
I wanted to die, I wanted to die so fucking badly. I had had the only decent fucking run for that stage and I lost it because of a glitch.
And so now I sit here, questioning my enjoyment of things again.
The first time I questioned my enjoyment of the medium was because of someone else saying something along the lines of "You don't enjoy things that are difficult" and for a bit I thought, maybe they're right... but now I'm starting to think that my ability to enjoy games in general is fizzling away, I'm getting angry at all games, regardless of difficulty.
What is this uncontrollable emotion of anger? Why am I monologuing about these feelings on this public review site where someone will likely call me a little bitch for having these thoughts? I have no fucking idea but I need to vent somewhere.
Regardless I don't think I'll be playing another shmup for a long time, I'm sorry friends.
Maybe I need an honest to god break from games in general.
Upon coming back to this game (I managed to fix the cutscene problem I was having) after playing Here Comes The Pain, I have come to realize how much of a downgrade this is.
It's so slow by comparison, not helped by the fucking stamina bar mechanic which, while realistic I suppose, just slows the gameplay down to a complete fucking crawl and makes combat so unpleasant because you have to manage your stamina on top of the injuries you receive which will result in moments of just standing still and holding the select button in order to recover.
The story is nowhere near as compelling to go through as HCTP, mostly because the VN style choices are now super fucking limited, for the sake of having fully voiced cutscenes.
I'll admit I appreciate the cutscenes but at the same time, HCTP was incredibly special because of its freeness ensuring that no two playthroughs felt the same.
Creating a character for these is just the fucking worst, constant losses because of your stats on top of the neutered combat just makes it not worth it to me.
GM Mode is a neat little novelty though and I'm a bit surprised it got dropped after this game.
All in all, I don't think I'm gonna finish this one. It kind of leaves a sour taste in my mouth because of how sluggish it feels in comparison to its predecessor and all because they added something needless to the experience.
It's so slow by comparison, not helped by the fucking stamina bar mechanic which, while realistic I suppose, just slows the gameplay down to a complete fucking crawl and makes combat so unpleasant because you have to manage your stamina on top of the injuries you receive which will result in moments of just standing still and holding the select button in order to recover.
The story is nowhere near as compelling to go through as HCTP, mostly because the VN style choices are now super fucking limited, for the sake of having fully voiced cutscenes.
I'll admit I appreciate the cutscenes but at the same time, HCTP was incredibly special because of its freeness ensuring that no two playthroughs felt the same.
Creating a character for these is just the fucking worst, constant losses because of your stats on top of the neutered combat just makes it not worth it to me.
GM Mode is a neat little novelty though and I'm a bit surprised it got dropped after this game.
All in all, I don't think I'm gonna finish this one. It kind of leaves a sour taste in my mouth because of how sluggish it feels in comparison to its predecessor and all because they added something needless to the experience.
2022
THIS GAME GOT A FUCKING SEQUEL?! HUMANITY IS FUCKING DOOMED
Since my last review was written during an extended panic attack which I have now recuperated from (and this will be the last time I mention said panic attack since I don't want that to become a recurring theme for myself) and I didn't really go in depth on my experience, this review will be covering both my first and second runs through the story mode.
On that first run, I played as my friend Simon who would be portraying FireCop, a fictional character he made in High School. FireCop was a heel, though on a lighter shade of that spectrum. He didn't care for authority despite being a cop, and would often cheat and beat on the empire of Vince McMahon.
At the start, FireCop had it really rough. He was alone in a cold and scary world, jobbing regularly to high end talent like John Cena. That was until he was given the offer to get a manager of his own, and that manager wound up being Sable.
FireCop and Sable had a healthy partnership, and under her guidance, the man began to win. He would keep winning, and their success as a talent/manager duo was about to pay off.
However, things couldn't end as hoped. There was another man, a slimy awful man by the name of Chavo Guerrero. Chavo had made it his mission to take Sable from FireCop, not through a fair contest but by attacking her directly. Ultimately, Sable couldn't win the match, and FireCop had lost his only ally in the harsh world of SmackDown.
This turn of events ignited something furious in FireCop, who began thrashing Chavo and his brother, Eddie, with the desire to strip the tag team championship from them by any means necessary...
Enter Brock Lesnar.
Lesnar would become FireCop's tag team partner and his beastial powers would ultimately annihilate the competition. The Guerreros would leave every fight with FireCop and Lesnar bloodied and battered, there was simply no mercy to be had. This feud ultimately ended with a cage match, with the Guerreros becoming forgotten and cast aside, a fitting end for those who dared to take what was most precious to FireCop.
He was content with his victory, and simply wanted to return to a life of wrestling, but the powers that be had other plans.
Vince McMahon sought to ruin FireCop, who in his mind, had grown too big for his britches.
What followed was a near half year battle, with FireCop forming the FCPD to face off against the Corporation. FireCop, Lesnar, A-Train, Shawn Michaels and Torrie Wilson vs. Vince McMahon, Rey Mysterio, The Big Show, John Cena and Lita.
A battle for the ages, ending with FireCop being the reigning United States Champion, as well as having defeated the Undertaker.
There was only one thing left to attain... The World Heavyweight Championship.
As the months grew closer to Wrestlemania, FireCop could feel victory in his bones. He knew he had to do whatever it took, be it throwing McMahon crotch first on a sidebar, or spraying other wrestlers with Milk and Soda. He even got suspended for a time, but not even that could quell the flames.
Then his final feud emerged after the hellacious Royal Rumble. A feud with none other than STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN. Austin claimed that he had won the Royal Rumble, stating that FC had fallen first. This fight would go on for a month until FireCop ultimately kicked Austin's ass, proving once and for all that he was destined for greatness.
Then Wrestlemania arrived, and the final opponent for FireCop had arrived.
Throughout the crowd, the words "YOU SUCK! YOU SUCK!" could be heard echoing throughout, almost as if it were being spoken from the heavens to declare that the final opponent to FireCop would be none other than Kurt Angle.
The two had a history, with Angle actually being the first guy to offer to tag with FireCop, but his tendency to well... be Kurt Angle rubbed FireCop the wrong way.
The match would be a Hell in a Cell Match. Brutal falls, blood, sweat, and tears would fill the arena as FireCop ultimately got the 1, 2, 3 finish and became declared the World Heavyweight Champion.
A man who had come from nothing and became the best in the business. If this were any other story, you'd be told this was a happy ending. Even if FireCop was a heel, he was a heel with a purpose, fighting against the brutish authority that dared to control him.
However, this isn't where the story ends, and the ending is not a happy one.
Now, tell me. How many of you have heard of Viacom?
The poorest company of the richest companies, but still with a boatload of cash. Well, they sent their representative to be the newest superstar for Monday Night Raw.
Mr. Viacom is a character played by my buddy Collin, who is also a part of FireCop lore, and his story is far different from what came before.
Mr. Viacom was a smarmy, evil wrestler who would beat women and get away with it by being rich. He was Vince McMahon in everything but name, which shouldn't make it surprising that they teamed up down the road.
Mr. Viacom had his manager arc with Victoria but instead of losing her, he beat the hell out of D-Von Dudley and got together with her.
He then teamed with Goldberg for the Tag Team Championships, before focusing on being a Solo Wrestler where he allied with McMahon.
He ultimately defeated FireCop only halfway through the season, becoming World Heavyweight Champion incredibly early in the storyline. Mr. Viacom would then defend the title all the way to Wrestlemania, getting into feuds with Ultimo Dragon, Steve Austin and most notably The Rock (that feud wasn't official but the game really liked pitting me against him).
Mr. Viacom would arrive at Wrestlemania and squash his old ally Goldberg to remain Champion.
It was a saddening end to a lengthy tale.
I originally wanted it to end with FireCop vs Mr. Viacom but I think how it turned out was pretty good.
Who knows, maybe the redemption arc will come next time.
Honestly what is really impressive to me about this game is how neither of these two runs felt the same. The visual novel-esque style of storytelling dependent on your wins and losses and minor choices resulting in big twists later down the line resulted in me having radically unique experiences with each playthrough. I didn't even mention some of the cooler shit like Ric Flair showing up to fight Goldberg and Mr. Viacom having to play the ref, which resulted in me beating the shit out of Ric Flair and Goldberg just for my satisfaction, or FireCop using the Stunner on Steve Austin during their final match to secure the win. The game just creates all these cool little moments and I had a great time with it.
The gameplay is both simple to play but difficult to master, utilizing directional inputs for a variety of moves and combos. By my second run I was able to do so many things that I didn't do in my first that it made Mr. Viacom a viable threat.
It's why I'm very much looking forward to playing AEW Fight Forever when it comes out next year as it will hopefully be similar in style (helps that it's sharing the same developer). All in all I love how hard hitting and brutal this game can be and it was some of the most fun I've had for the past two months. I highly recommend it, it's the reason I've started to genuinely watch professional wrestling. It's an artform that is honestly underappreciated and great moments within these games are captured in real life.
I mean shit I just watched Action Andretti beat Chris Jericho, a jobber becoming a legend, like, that's phenomenal.
Anyways yeah, that's all I have to say.
On that first run, I played as my friend Simon who would be portraying FireCop, a fictional character he made in High School. FireCop was a heel, though on a lighter shade of that spectrum. He didn't care for authority despite being a cop, and would often cheat and beat on the empire of Vince McMahon.
At the start, FireCop had it really rough. He was alone in a cold and scary world, jobbing regularly to high end talent like John Cena. That was until he was given the offer to get a manager of his own, and that manager wound up being Sable.
FireCop and Sable had a healthy partnership, and under her guidance, the man began to win. He would keep winning, and their success as a talent/manager duo was about to pay off.
However, things couldn't end as hoped. There was another man, a slimy awful man by the name of Chavo Guerrero. Chavo had made it his mission to take Sable from FireCop, not through a fair contest but by attacking her directly. Ultimately, Sable couldn't win the match, and FireCop had lost his only ally in the harsh world of SmackDown.
This turn of events ignited something furious in FireCop, who began thrashing Chavo and his brother, Eddie, with the desire to strip the tag team championship from them by any means necessary...
Enter Brock Lesnar.
Lesnar would become FireCop's tag team partner and his beastial powers would ultimately annihilate the competition. The Guerreros would leave every fight with FireCop and Lesnar bloodied and battered, there was simply no mercy to be had. This feud ultimately ended with a cage match, with the Guerreros becoming forgotten and cast aside, a fitting end for those who dared to take what was most precious to FireCop.
He was content with his victory, and simply wanted to return to a life of wrestling, but the powers that be had other plans.
Vince McMahon sought to ruin FireCop, who in his mind, had grown too big for his britches.
What followed was a near half year battle, with FireCop forming the FCPD to face off against the Corporation. FireCop, Lesnar, A-Train, Shawn Michaels and Torrie Wilson vs. Vince McMahon, Rey Mysterio, The Big Show, John Cena and Lita.
A battle for the ages, ending with FireCop being the reigning United States Champion, as well as having defeated the Undertaker.
There was only one thing left to attain... The World Heavyweight Championship.
As the months grew closer to Wrestlemania, FireCop could feel victory in his bones. He knew he had to do whatever it took, be it throwing McMahon crotch first on a sidebar, or spraying other wrestlers with Milk and Soda. He even got suspended for a time, but not even that could quell the flames.
Then his final feud emerged after the hellacious Royal Rumble. A feud with none other than STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN. Austin claimed that he had won the Royal Rumble, stating that FC had fallen first. This fight would go on for a month until FireCop ultimately kicked Austin's ass, proving once and for all that he was destined for greatness.
Then Wrestlemania arrived, and the final opponent for FireCop had arrived.
Throughout the crowd, the words "YOU SUCK! YOU SUCK!" could be heard echoing throughout, almost as if it were being spoken from the heavens to declare that the final opponent to FireCop would be none other than Kurt Angle.
The two had a history, with Angle actually being the first guy to offer to tag with FireCop, but his tendency to well... be Kurt Angle rubbed FireCop the wrong way.
The match would be a Hell in a Cell Match. Brutal falls, blood, sweat, and tears would fill the arena as FireCop ultimately got the 1, 2, 3 finish and became declared the World Heavyweight Champion.
A man who had come from nothing and became the best in the business. If this were any other story, you'd be told this was a happy ending. Even if FireCop was a heel, he was a heel with a purpose, fighting against the brutish authority that dared to control him.
However, this isn't where the story ends, and the ending is not a happy one.
Now, tell me. How many of you have heard of Viacom?
The poorest company of the richest companies, but still with a boatload of cash. Well, they sent their representative to be the newest superstar for Monday Night Raw.
Mr. Viacom is a character played by my buddy Collin, who is also a part of FireCop lore, and his story is far different from what came before.
Mr. Viacom was a smarmy, evil wrestler who would beat women and get away with it by being rich. He was Vince McMahon in everything but name, which shouldn't make it surprising that they teamed up down the road.
Mr. Viacom had his manager arc with Victoria but instead of losing her, he beat the hell out of D-Von Dudley and got together with her.
He then teamed with Goldberg for the Tag Team Championships, before focusing on being a Solo Wrestler where he allied with McMahon.
He ultimately defeated FireCop only halfway through the season, becoming World Heavyweight Champion incredibly early in the storyline. Mr. Viacom would then defend the title all the way to Wrestlemania, getting into feuds with Ultimo Dragon, Steve Austin and most notably The Rock (that feud wasn't official but the game really liked pitting me against him).
Mr. Viacom would arrive at Wrestlemania and squash his old ally Goldberg to remain Champion.
It was a saddening end to a lengthy tale.
I originally wanted it to end with FireCop vs Mr. Viacom but I think how it turned out was pretty good.
Who knows, maybe the redemption arc will come next time.
Honestly what is really impressive to me about this game is how neither of these two runs felt the same. The visual novel-esque style of storytelling dependent on your wins and losses and minor choices resulting in big twists later down the line resulted in me having radically unique experiences with each playthrough. I didn't even mention some of the cooler shit like Ric Flair showing up to fight Goldberg and Mr. Viacom having to play the ref, which resulted in me beating the shit out of Ric Flair and Goldberg just for my satisfaction, or FireCop using the Stunner on Steve Austin during their final match to secure the win. The game just creates all these cool little moments and I had a great time with it.
The gameplay is both simple to play but difficult to master, utilizing directional inputs for a variety of moves and combos. By my second run I was able to do so many things that I didn't do in my first that it made Mr. Viacom a viable threat.
It's why I'm very much looking forward to playing AEW Fight Forever when it comes out next year as it will hopefully be similar in style (helps that it's sharing the same developer). All in all I love how hard hitting and brutal this game can be and it was some of the most fun I've had for the past two months. I highly recommend it, it's the reason I've started to genuinely watch professional wrestling. It's an artform that is honestly underappreciated and great moments within these games are captured in real life.
I mean shit I just watched Action Andretti beat Chris Jericho, a jobber becoming a legend, like, that's phenomenal.
Anyways yeah, that's all I have to say.
2022
This is the Drakengard of Pokémon
2004
I started playing this after I suffered my panic attack that I mentioned in my WWE review, and honestly between this and watching AEW I've been able to mostly recuperate.
Katamari Damacy is such an interesting game because I don't think there will be another that catches the unique calming, weird, goofy vibe that is brought out by both the aesthetics and the gameplay itself.
You roll the Katamari, you grow the Katamari, you hear the screams of the damned within the Katamari, and you make the Katamari into a great big star. It's simple yet difficult to do, which makes it very satisfying to me in particular.
Honestly this game would be the perfect destress if it wasn't for the alarm that plays when you have 30 seconds left in a level. The music is all peppy, covering a variety of different genres, and with the exception of one track, they were all extremely calming.
I love the dialogue from the King of the Cosmos, a very entertaining character, and his and the Prince's designs are absolutely iconic.
Honestly you're missing out if you haven't experienced this game yet, it's a genuine beauty of a game and proves that video games can be so weird and different and yet still be a joy to play.
I don't think I can fairly criticize this game though as it has gotten me through a tough time in my life. Regardless, you should try it anyway.
Katamari Damacy is such an interesting game because I don't think there will be another that catches the unique calming, weird, goofy vibe that is brought out by both the aesthetics and the gameplay itself.
You roll the Katamari, you grow the Katamari, you hear the screams of the damned within the Katamari, and you make the Katamari into a great big star. It's simple yet difficult to do, which makes it very satisfying to me in particular.
Honestly this game would be the perfect destress if it wasn't for the alarm that plays when you have 30 seconds left in a level. The music is all peppy, covering a variety of different genres, and with the exception of one track, they were all extremely calming.
I love the dialogue from the King of the Cosmos, a very entertaining character, and his and the Prince's designs are absolutely iconic.
Honestly you're missing out if you haven't experienced this game yet, it's a genuine beauty of a game and proves that video games can be so weird and different and yet still be a joy to play.
I don't think I can fairly criticize this game though as it has gotten me through a tough time in my life. Regardless, you should try it anyway.
An incredibly fun character creator that has one of the more interesting, borderline VN story modes for this kind of game where winning and losing actually determine the storyline that you go through.
The gameplay itself is simpler than SmackDown vs Raw 2006 which I played earlier last month, but still hits the same level of satisfaction when you beat your opponent into a bloody broken pulp and then pin them.
The only other thing of note is that I beat this game while suffering from a panic attack, so truly, anything is possible in the WWE.
I'm still having anxiety while writing this, so that's fun.
The gameplay itself is simpler than SmackDown vs Raw 2006 which I played earlier last month, but still hits the same level of satisfaction when you beat your opponent into a bloody broken pulp and then pin them.
The only other thing of note is that I beat this game while suffering from a panic attack, so truly, anything is possible in the WWE.
I'm still having anxiety while writing this, so that's fun.
2018
动态网自由门 天安門 天安门 法輪功 李洪志 Free Plague Doctor 六四天安門事件 The Sephirah protests of 2022 天安門大屠殺 The Ppodae Massacre 反右派鬥爭 The Anti-Angela Struggle 大躍進政策 The Day One Reset文化大革命 The Great Hod Revolution 人權 Human Rights 民運 Abnormalities 自由 Money 獨立 One Sin and One Hundred Good Deeds 多黨制 Aleph Breach 台灣 臺灣 Nothing There 中華民國 Republic of Malkuth 西藏 土伯特 唐古特 Abnormalities 達賴喇嘛 Jeff Bezos 法輪功 Elon Musk 新疆維吾爾自治區 The Yesod Information Team 諾貝爾和平獎 Noon Ordeal 劉暁波 Michael Roa Valdamjong 民主 言論 思想 反共 反革命 抗議 運動 騷亂 暴亂 騷擾 擾亂 抗暴 平反 維權 示威游行 李洪志 法輪大法 大法弟子 強制斷種 強制堕胎 民族淨化 人體實驗 肅清 胡耀邦 趙紫陽 魏京生 王丹 還政於民 和平演變 激流中國 北京之春 大紀元時報 九評論共産黨 獨裁 專制 壓制 統一 監視 鎮壓 迫害 侵略 掠奪 破壞 拷問 屠殺 活摘器官 誘拐 買賣人口 遊進 走私 毒品 賣淫 春畫 賭博 六合彩 天安門 天安门 法輪功 李洪志 Opened Can of WellCheers 劉曉波动态网自由门
2022
Sonic Frontiers is going to be one of those Sonic games I think. One that determines the direction of the series going forward, for better or worse.
The type of game that will have Youtube "Reviewers" make statements similar to "Sonic has had a rough transition to 3D", I mean it's not like certain Youtube "Reviewers" haven't already tried to completely shoot this game out of the sky like they're trying for a High Score in Duck Hunt.
Hell, I'm sure there will be a review in the near future that will completely demonize this game and refuse to see any remote positives whatsoever, because that's just what Sonic as a franchise gets at this point.
So moving on from this preamble, what exactly is Sonic Frontiers?
Well, I would make the comparison that it is what Sonic CD attempted to be. A sandbox game focused on using Sonic's movement in satisfying ways, but instead of having completely dogshit levels and the horrid Robot Generators, we have other, not spectacular collectathon stuff.
Yeah, I won't beat around the bush, the general collectathon stuff this game has you do isn't really too interesting. You mostly go through little obstacle courses and do short little bursts of Sonic to get a collectable, usually the one to progress the plot.
However, while these sections aren't really that amazing, the process of traveling in the open world is the most fun I've had in a 3D Sonic game since Generations in 2011. The sheer amount of flying off of things at super sonic speeds to traverse over miles worth of land all while doing air tricks is just inherently satisfying to me. Drop Dashing down a long slope and rolling super fast across the ground, using the maximum boost, all of it was just a joy for me.
They even fixed what I thought was most broken about the boost, that being that it no longer damages enemies. This forces the player to consider their movements more than they had to in the previous boost games.
It also puts an emphasis on combat which... isn't good, but it is nowhere near the sense of tedium and misery of Sonic Heroes. Combat is much faster, and very automated, which while resulting in a boring CAG feel, is much better than the absolute sloggy shit from Heroes and 06 where enemy health bars were massive and took so long (and in Heroes' case you had to do everything FOUR FUCKING TIMES OVER).
The Cyberspace Levels were fun, but yeah they're not nearly as good as Generations, made even more noticeable when the game outright uses level design from that game wholesale with barely any changes. The best levels were easily the ones referencing SA2, but even then I still don't like one specific thing about them.
The Cyberspace Levels only have 4 aesthetics, two of which I am already tired of.
Short little rant here: I am so tired of seeing Green Hill and Chemical Plant. They've been borderline stock aesthetics for Sonic for the past half decade now and I am fucking exhausted of seeing them. Please, Sonic Team, use any other fucking level aesthetics I beg of you. I get that Green Hill and Chemical Plants are staple levels of the franchise but still, they've been overused so much to the point of just being a visual bore.
Another major issue I have with this game does come down to the worlds themselves aesthetically. None of the worlds feel like a place Sonic would belong.
For what I think, and keep in mind this is just me being subjective, a better concept would be to use the "Zone" concept of the classic games to have Sonic go through more colorful areas, and have them all connect to one another like a Metroidvania. That way we can have beautiful, cartoony areas to run through with hopefully less melancholic music as we blaze through loops and the like.
This is because while I enjoy boosting through these islands, I still think that they don't suit Sonic as a character. Maybe that's the point, but I'd still prefer something that goes back to the visuals of Classic/Adventure Era Sonic, or hell even the early boost games like Unleashed and Colors, because what we have in this game is just incredibly forgettable as a world.
Boss Fights are peak, I'm not gonna spoil on that, just know I think they're peak.
The plot itself, while I don't think is super deep, I do like how the characters all interact. For the first time in years we probably have the best character writing I've seen in a Sonic game. They don't feel like one-dimensional jokes, but rather multifaceted people all with their own sets of problems. Amy goes from being one of the most obnoxious characters to being a sensible girl who wants to spread positivity to the world around her, Knuckles and Sonic easily have my favorite dynamic in the entire game with their rivalry being given a good focus as we see them goof off with one another and even having Knuckles have an introspective moment on his place in the world. They even fixed the problems with Tails that were made in Forces, making him not fully dependent on Sonic, and given that Tails is my favorite Sonic character, this made me super happy.
If I had to say who the best written characters were though, the relationship between Eggman and new character Sage takes the cake. I will not go into details, though I will say it's kind of fucked up that the stuff showing their relationship is locked behind Big the Cat fishing, because it's so fucking good.
Oh yeah, Big the Cat fishing, almost forgot. This is basically an alternate way to get the collectables the game provides. It's really simple and honestly a relaxing break, it also is the only way to get the Eggman Records which I definitely recommend getting.
The ending too, god it's so good.
Minor Spoilers Ahead:
Firstly, this game gets the "forced shmup section" right by
A. Having you experience the gameplay multiple times before hand so you get practice instead of it completely blindsiding the player.
B. It's essentially optional as it's only in the Hard Mode of the game, and there isn't anything other than a different ending theme locked behind it.
This is how you get me to want to play shmups, not shoving the shit in at the last minute and calling it a day, resulting in a complete halfassed section.
Then there's the scene right before the credits...
Egg
Spoilers over
I'm sure in time this game will be culturally reevaluated as either the game that sent Sonic down an even worse downward spiral or as the beginning of a new era of Sonic titles that people genuinely enjoyed. I'm hoping for the latter, but as a Sonic fan, I can never be too sure.
There was another review I saw here that complimented how Sonic as a franchise is always experimenting, and how admirable that is. I think that's ultimately what's kept me coming back to the Blue Dude in these past 10 years. Regardless of whether it absolutely sucks or is a great time, Sonic isn't afraid of shaking things up. It's what makes it more than just another platformer to me.
So I salute you Frontiers, may you be the stepping stone to a brighter future to the Snarky Speedster.
The type of game that will have Youtube "Reviewers" make statements similar to "Sonic has had a rough transition to 3D", I mean it's not like certain Youtube "Reviewers" haven't already tried to completely shoot this game out of the sky like they're trying for a High Score in Duck Hunt.
Hell, I'm sure there will be a review in the near future that will completely demonize this game and refuse to see any remote positives whatsoever, because that's just what Sonic as a franchise gets at this point.
So moving on from this preamble, what exactly is Sonic Frontiers?
Well, I would make the comparison that it is what Sonic CD attempted to be. A sandbox game focused on using Sonic's movement in satisfying ways, but instead of having completely dogshit levels and the horrid Robot Generators, we have other, not spectacular collectathon stuff.
Yeah, I won't beat around the bush, the general collectathon stuff this game has you do isn't really too interesting. You mostly go through little obstacle courses and do short little bursts of Sonic to get a collectable, usually the one to progress the plot.
However, while these sections aren't really that amazing, the process of traveling in the open world is the most fun I've had in a 3D Sonic game since Generations in 2011. The sheer amount of flying off of things at super sonic speeds to traverse over miles worth of land all while doing air tricks is just inherently satisfying to me. Drop Dashing down a long slope and rolling super fast across the ground, using the maximum boost, all of it was just a joy for me.
They even fixed what I thought was most broken about the boost, that being that it no longer damages enemies. This forces the player to consider their movements more than they had to in the previous boost games.
It also puts an emphasis on combat which... isn't good, but it is nowhere near the sense of tedium and misery of Sonic Heroes. Combat is much faster, and very automated, which while resulting in a boring CAG feel, is much better than the absolute sloggy shit from Heroes and 06 where enemy health bars were massive and took so long (and in Heroes' case you had to do everything FOUR FUCKING TIMES OVER).
The Cyberspace Levels were fun, but yeah they're not nearly as good as Generations, made even more noticeable when the game outright uses level design from that game wholesale with barely any changes. The best levels were easily the ones referencing SA2, but even then I still don't like one specific thing about them.
The Cyberspace Levels only have 4 aesthetics, two of which I am already tired of.
Short little rant here: I am so tired of seeing Green Hill and Chemical Plant. They've been borderline stock aesthetics for Sonic for the past half decade now and I am fucking exhausted of seeing them. Please, Sonic Team, use any other fucking level aesthetics I beg of you. I get that Green Hill and Chemical Plants are staple levels of the franchise but still, they've been overused so much to the point of just being a visual bore.
Another major issue I have with this game does come down to the worlds themselves aesthetically. None of the worlds feel like a place Sonic would belong.
For what I think, and keep in mind this is just me being subjective, a better concept would be to use the "Zone" concept of the classic games to have Sonic go through more colorful areas, and have them all connect to one another like a Metroidvania. That way we can have beautiful, cartoony areas to run through with hopefully less melancholic music as we blaze through loops and the like.
This is because while I enjoy boosting through these islands, I still think that they don't suit Sonic as a character. Maybe that's the point, but I'd still prefer something that goes back to the visuals of Classic/Adventure Era Sonic, or hell even the early boost games like Unleashed and Colors, because what we have in this game is just incredibly forgettable as a world.
Boss Fights are peak, I'm not gonna spoil on that, just know I think they're peak.
The plot itself, while I don't think is super deep, I do like how the characters all interact. For the first time in years we probably have the best character writing I've seen in a Sonic game. They don't feel like one-dimensional jokes, but rather multifaceted people all with their own sets of problems. Amy goes from being one of the most obnoxious characters to being a sensible girl who wants to spread positivity to the world around her, Knuckles and Sonic easily have my favorite dynamic in the entire game with their rivalry being given a good focus as we see them goof off with one another and even having Knuckles have an introspective moment on his place in the world. They even fixed the problems with Tails that were made in Forces, making him not fully dependent on Sonic, and given that Tails is my favorite Sonic character, this made me super happy.
If I had to say who the best written characters were though, the relationship between Eggman and new character Sage takes the cake. I will not go into details, though I will say it's kind of fucked up that the stuff showing their relationship is locked behind Big the Cat fishing, because it's so fucking good.
Oh yeah, Big the Cat fishing, almost forgot. This is basically an alternate way to get the collectables the game provides. It's really simple and honestly a relaxing break, it also is the only way to get the Eggman Records which I definitely recommend getting.
The ending too, god it's so good.
Minor Spoilers Ahead:
Firstly, this game gets the "forced shmup section" right by
A. Having you experience the gameplay multiple times before hand so you get practice instead of it completely blindsiding the player.
B. It's essentially optional as it's only in the Hard Mode of the game, and there isn't anything other than a different ending theme locked behind it.
This is how you get me to want to play shmups, not shoving the shit in at the last minute and calling it a day, resulting in a complete halfassed section.
Then there's the scene right before the credits...
Egg
Spoilers over
I'm sure in time this game will be culturally reevaluated as either the game that sent Sonic down an even worse downward spiral or as the beginning of a new era of Sonic titles that people genuinely enjoyed. I'm hoping for the latter, but as a Sonic fan, I can never be too sure.
There was another review I saw here that complimented how Sonic as a franchise is always experimenting, and how admirable that is. I think that's ultimately what's kept me coming back to the Blue Dude in these past 10 years. Regardless of whether it absolutely sucks or is a great time, Sonic isn't afraid of shaking things up. It's what makes it more than just another platformer to me.
So I salute you Frontiers, may you be the stepping stone to a brighter future to the Snarky Speedster.
2022
I know to a good number of people this game is going to be written off as the "Sonic 06 of its franchise", an absolutely broken mess littered with slowdown, ripe with glitches and very obviously not polished in any sense.
But beyond all of that, I see a game with a soul that recaptures much of the same essence that Legends Arceus did prior.
Go where you want to go, do what you want to do.
This was a guideline for the first two generations of Pokemon. After a certain point in the games you'd essentially have the freedom to tackle whichever Gym or Evil Team related fights in whatever order you pleased. Do you fight Sabrina first and deal with her incredibly powerful psychic Pokemon, or do you take down Team Rocket in a single stroke. The choices are yours, and yours alone!
What Scarlet and Violet achieves is taking this nonlinear freedom and applying it to everything.
Every gym in whatever order, every Evil Team admin in whatever order, every Titan Pokemon... I think you get the point.
What this allows is for a fully player curated experience where the difficulty is completely up to your own design. It can make this game either be the easiest Pokemon game, or one of the hardest.
For instance, you could go from the academy straight to where Grusha (the intended Final Gym Leader) is, and challenge him the moment you start the Victory Road storyline. Of course it'll be hard as fucking nails, but the possibility exists. (Thinking of trying to do Grusha% Speedruns myself tbh)
And because of this freeflowing sense of progression, I finally felt like I got the Pokemon game I have been craving since Gen 6. A region to explore at my own pace, doing what I want. It is shocking that the closest thing to capture this vibe is the fan PokeMMO game.
However, I do agree with the general consensus that this game needed way more time in the oven, in fact, I still think this game is too soon.
Legends came out less than a year ago and this game, while taking some mechanics, halfheartedly I should add, could have obviously refined them a lot more than it wound up doing.
The lockon feature is a joke and barely works, the Let's Go Auto Battle mechanic though is definitely a great tool but also kind of makes combat in general feel very secondary especially by the end game.
And the slowdown, god the slowdown in this game can be outright abysmal at points, especially in the area with the Fairy Type Team Star Admin, Ortega.
Other than that, I myself didn't encounter too many glitches other than the time my game crashed, but friends I know have had their fair share of softlocks and stuff, so I guess I'm just lucky.
I genuinely hope that we retain this formula going forward because regardless of the unfinished nature of it, it's still got something that actually has some value unlike SwSh or Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee.
I just wish Game Freak didn't have to be forced to pump out these games every fucking year, it's way too much and it is honestly resulting in complete messes of games that will keep getting berated until Nintendo (because it's definitely Nintendo pushing this) realizes how far gone shit is.
Anyways the music is great, Toby Fox is a fucking legend. Especially that final boss track, mmmmmmmmmmm, sooooo good.
But beyond all of that, I see a game with a soul that recaptures much of the same essence that Legends Arceus did prior.
Go where you want to go, do what you want to do.
This was a guideline for the first two generations of Pokemon. After a certain point in the games you'd essentially have the freedom to tackle whichever Gym or Evil Team related fights in whatever order you pleased. Do you fight Sabrina first and deal with her incredibly powerful psychic Pokemon, or do you take down Team Rocket in a single stroke. The choices are yours, and yours alone!
What Scarlet and Violet achieves is taking this nonlinear freedom and applying it to everything.
Every gym in whatever order, every Evil Team admin in whatever order, every Titan Pokemon... I think you get the point.
What this allows is for a fully player curated experience where the difficulty is completely up to your own design. It can make this game either be the easiest Pokemon game, or one of the hardest.
For instance, you could go from the academy straight to where Grusha (the intended Final Gym Leader) is, and challenge him the moment you start the Victory Road storyline. Of course it'll be hard as fucking nails, but the possibility exists. (Thinking of trying to do Grusha% Speedruns myself tbh)
And because of this freeflowing sense of progression, I finally felt like I got the Pokemon game I have been craving since Gen 6. A region to explore at my own pace, doing what I want. It is shocking that the closest thing to capture this vibe is the fan PokeMMO game.
However, I do agree with the general consensus that this game needed way more time in the oven, in fact, I still think this game is too soon.
Legends came out less than a year ago and this game, while taking some mechanics, halfheartedly I should add, could have obviously refined them a lot more than it wound up doing.
The lockon feature is a joke and barely works, the Let's Go Auto Battle mechanic though is definitely a great tool but also kind of makes combat in general feel very secondary especially by the end game.
And the slowdown, god the slowdown in this game can be outright abysmal at points, especially in the area with the Fairy Type Team Star Admin, Ortega.
Other than that, I myself didn't encounter too many glitches other than the time my game crashed, but friends I know have had their fair share of softlocks and stuff, so I guess I'm just lucky.
I genuinely hope that we retain this formula going forward because regardless of the unfinished nature of it, it's still got something that actually has some value unlike SwSh or Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee.
I just wish Game Freak didn't have to be forced to pump out these games every fucking year, it's way too much and it is honestly resulting in complete messes of games that will keep getting berated until Nintendo (because it's definitely Nintendo pushing this) realizes how far gone shit is.
Anyways the music is great, Toby Fox is a fucking legend. Especially that final boss track, mmmmmmmmmmm, sooooo good.
While I have never been in the experiences that Taylor McCue has, which make up the semi-autobiographical narrative of this game, I can definitely relate to the sheer level of trauma and pain that is conveyed.
The visuals express a form of terror and horror that only such experiences could create, and it allows the situation to really sink in deep as you read through these nightmarish scenarios.
My chest feels tight, I want to throw up, the game did it's job at showing me Taylor's pain and sadness of being a sex worker when you don't want to.
The part that I really relate to the most is the feeling that nobody will ever love you because of your past decisions, it's something I've also coped with over these past four agonizing years of adulthood as I've felt entirely alone and unloved because of my failings as a person.
But I think that He Fucked The Girl Out of Me makes the argument that even though that feeling may be there, we should never give into it. Love will find a way, it always has.
I definitely recommend reading this, though do be advised the themes get very intense very quickly, so make sure to check the triggers before you truly get into it.
The visuals express a form of terror and horror that only such experiences could create, and it allows the situation to really sink in deep as you read through these nightmarish scenarios.
My chest feels tight, I want to throw up, the game did it's job at showing me Taylor's pain and sadness of being a sex worker when you don't want to.
The part that I really relate to the most is the feeling that nobody will ever love you because of your past decisions, it's something I've also coped with over these past four agonizing years of adulthood as I've felt entirely alone and unloved because of my failings as a person.
But I think that He Fucked The Girl Out of Me makes the argument that even though that feeling may be there, we should never give into it. Love will find a way, it always has.
I definitely recommend reading this, though do be advised the themes get very intense very quickly, so make sure to check the triggers before you truly get into it.
2015
Axiom Verge is a title I had been curious about for quite some time, in fact I've owned the game for several years at this point but for some reason never decided to pick it up and play it.
There was something intriguing about the grim artstyle the game was going for, as well as its blatant homage to the Metroid franchise. Then there was the fact that it was developed by a single person, one Thomas Happ, which maximized my interest because games developed by a single person tend to show a lot of their vision and personality through the work.
To summarize Axiom Verge though, I can only say this:
It is aggressively ok.
What I mean by this is that the game never truly gets to be genuinely interesting especially considering its genre.
Your movement options are extremely limited, with not many upgrades that change that.
Level design is very inspired by Metroid, and by Metroid I mean the 1986 NES game, which if you don't remember, had a lot of samey looking locations with copy/paste level design. A lot of areas can feel very familiar, especially the vertical shafts, and this game loves its shafts.
It very much feels more like a derivative of Metroid rather than its own experience at points, and these things kind of kill what could be a stellar game because there are ideas I genuinely enjoy about it.
The glitching mechanics are a unique way of traversing the environment and dealing with enemies. You can glitch through walls to progress into hidden areas, or use your gun to glitch enemies causing different effects depending on the enemy themselves.
You can have an enemy glitch and they'll constantly shoot health at you, or you can have them glitch and fly away. Of course, the variety eventually gets limited as some enemies just do the same thing as others, but the idea is fun in practice.
Then there's the sheer number of weapons you can acquire from a typical blaster to a shotgun like electric shock to a bomb to a flamethrower, the variety is impressive. However, I didn't feel much of a need to experiment because a lot of the guns also feel situational and on top of that... they're not really used for puzzles and the like.
For most of the game I stuck with the Electric Shotgun because it does a fuck ton of damage to pretty much all regular enemies, and until I got the other Electric Gun that tracks enemies down it was my go to weapon.
Not to say all the weapons are bad and I'm sure you can do all sorts of things with them, but for me I will pick what works best.
I also dig how the password system is used to solve puzzles though some puzzles and shit are hidden behind notes you have to collect and its a bit tedious.
I don't think the game should be as disliked as it is but in the same vein, it's just not a very interesting time. This is a game you play once and then never again because why play this over AM2R, Super Metroid, Symphony of the Night, etc.
I will forever remained impressed by Thomas Happ singlehandedly developing everything for this game, but yeah, it's a pump and dump Metroidvania.
Also the story is ok, I don't think there's really much to talk about other than I liked some of the twists.
There was something intriguing about the grim artstyle the game was going for, as well as its blatant homage to the Metroid franchise. Then there was the fact that it was developed by a single person, one Thomas Happ, which maximized my interest because games developed by a single person tend to show a lot of their vision and personality through the work.
To summarize Axiom Verge though, I can only say this:
It is aggressively ok.
What I mean by this is that the game never truly gets to be genuinely interesting especially considering its genre.
Your movement options are extremely limited, with not many upgrades that change that.
Level design is very inspired by Metroid, and by Metroid I mean the 1986 NES game, which if you don't remember, had a lot of samey looking locations with copy/paste level design. A lot of areas can feel very familiar, especially the vertical shafts, and this game loves its shafts.
It very much feels more like a derivative of Metroid rather than its own experience at points, and these things kind of kill what could be a stellar game because there are ideas I genuinely enjoy about it.
The glitching mechanics are a unique way of traversing the environment and dealing with enemies. You can glitch through walls to progress into hidden areas, or use your gun to glitch enemies causing different effects depending on the enemy themselves.
You can have an enemy glitch and they'll constantly shoot health at you, or you can have them glitch and fly away. Of course, the variety eventually gets limited as some enemies just do the same thing as others, but the idea is fun in practice.
Then there's the sheer number of weapons you can acquire from a typical blaster to a shotgun like electric shock to a bomb to a flamethrower, the variety is impressive. However, I didn't feel much of a need to experiment because a lot of the guns also feel situational and on top of that... they're not really used for puzzles and the like.
For most of the game I stuck with the Electric Shotgun because it does a fuck ton of damage to pretty much all regular enemies, and until I got the other Electric Gun that tracks enemies down it was my go to weapon.
Not to say all the weapons are bad and I'm sure you can do all sorts of things with them, but for me I will pick what works best.
I also dig how the password system is used to solve puzzles though some puzzles and shit are hidden behind notes you have to collect and its a bit tedious.
I don't think the game should be as disliked as it is but in the same vein, it's just not a very interesting time. This is a game you play once and then never again because why play this over AM2R, Super Metroid, Symphony of the Night, etc.
I will forever remained impressed by Thomas Happ singlehandedly developing everything for this game, but yeah, it's a pump and dump Metroidvania.
Also the story is ok, I don't think there's really much to talk about other than I liked some of the twists.
I ain't gonna go too in depth on this.
I'm not super huge into wrestling, though I think it is a solid source of entertainment (and watching a few videos on the subject has piqued my interest) but I wouldn't say this game is perfect at it.
It is initially really confusing for how it works mechanically, and there are a lot of mechanics. After you figure it out it's pretty fun, but it's also incredibly imbalanced.
Basically, just play the Undertaker. You will literally never lose with him because he does so much damage and takes very little.
I tried the Season Mode and... god it's not pleasant. If you're playing as a created character you might as well not even bother, you're fighting a losing battle most of the time. Since you barely get EXP if you lose, your character will quite literally be scraping by and sometimes the game will flat out put you in scenarios where the chances of success are insanely slim on purpose.
Also it just gets tiring fighting the same two characters back to back when there's so many other characters to face.
Not a bad game by any stretch but I think I'd rather play NASCAR... or watch the Hololive girls play 2K22.
I'm not super huge into wrestling, though I think it is a solid source of entertainment (and watching a few videos on the subject has piqued my interest) but I wouldn't say this game is perfect at it.
It is initially really confusing for how it works mechanically, and there are a lot of mechanics. After you figure it out it's pretty fun, but it's also incredibly imbalanced.
Basically, just play the Undertaker. You will literally never lose with him because he does so much damage and takes very little.
I tried the Season Mode and... god it's not pleasant. If you're playing as a created character you might as well not even bother, you're fighting a losing battle most of the time. Since you barely get EXP if you lose, your character will quite literally be scraping by and sometimes the game will flat out put you in scenarios where the chances of success are insanely slim on purpose.
Also it just gets tiring fighting the same two characters back to back when there's so many other characters to face.
Not a bad game by any stretch but I think I'd rather play NASCAR... or watch the Hololive girls play 2K22.
2011
Good god I finally did it.
I managed to stomach a full Robot Generator run of Sonic CD.
Did this remotely change my outlook on this game that I have fervently hated for the past year?
No.
Sonic CD is still a game where I do not get the inherent appeal of its setup. The search for the Robot Generators can either feel superficial or extremely tedious and it isn't so much based on your skill as it is which level you're in and the gimmicks surrounding it.
I had a way more miserable time in both Collision Chaos and Wacky Workbench than I did in any other area because their level gimmicks center around springs or bouncing mechanics and you wind up not really having much control over Sonic. The pinball physics here are nowhere near as good as Sonic 2's Casino Night Zone or Sonic 3K's Carnival Night Zone and it just makes the whole exploration aspect exhausting and genuinely unpleasant.
Y'know what else makes exploring unpleasant? The timer. Honestly for what they wanted to go for in this game they either needed to extend the amount of time you have per stage or just get rid of it all together because with how the Robot Generator shit works. I timed out twice in this game looking for Robot Generators specifically in the two zones I mentioned earlier because the constant bouncing would cause me to wind up losing a fuck ton of time while searching.
I simply don't understand why this game suddenly started getting praise in recent years, genuinely. It doesn't commit to either gameplay style it tries to go for. You either have one of the most boring "Go Right to Win" 2D Sonic games where there's barely any difficulty because enemies feel so spread out, or you have an exhaustive exploration game that can get outright miserable just from the sheer tedium of it all.
At least I know that I never have to go back to this game anymore, I did the one thing I hadn't done and I no longer care to experience Sonic CD any further. It has a good soundtrack, it looks very pretty but fuck if it isn't one of the most unpleasant Classic Sonic titles I've ever experienced.
Why is it that all the games featuring Metal Sonic as a direct antagonist suck the most in this series?
I managed to stomach a full Robot Generator run of Sonic CD.
Did this remotely change my outlook on this game that I have fervently hated for the past year?
No.
Sonic CD is still a game where I do not get the inherent appeal of its setup. The search for the Robot Generators can either feel superficial or extremely tedious and it isn't so much based on your skill as it is which level you're in and the gimmicks surrounding it.
I had a way more miserable time in both Collision Chaos and Wacky Workbench than I did in any other area because their level gimmicks center around springs or bouncing mechanics and you wind up not really having much control over Sonic. The pinball physics here are nowhere near as good as Sonic 2's Casino Night Zone or Sonic 3K's Carnival Night Zone and it just makes the whole exploration aspect exhausting and genuinely unpleasant.
Y'know what else makes exploring unpleasant? The timer. Honestly for what they wanted to go for in this game they either needed to extend the amount of time you have per stage or just get rid of it all together because with how the Robot Generator shit works. I timed out twice in this game looking for Robot Generators specifically in the two zones I mentioned earlier because the constant bouncing would cause me to wind up losing a fuck ton of time while searching.
I simply don't understand why this game suddenly started getting praise in recent years, genuinely. It doesn't commit to either gameplay style it tries to go for. You either have one of the most boring "Go Right to Win" 2D Sonic games where there's barely any difficulty because enemies feel so spread out, or you have an exhaustive exploration game that can get outright miserable just from the sheer tedium of it all.
At least I know that I never have to go back to this game anymore, I did the one thing I hadn't done and I no longer care to experience Sonic CD any further. It has a good soundtrack, it looks very pretty but fuck if it isn't one of the most unpleasant Classic Sonic titles I've ever experienced.
Why is it that all the games featuring Metal Sonic as a direct antagonist suck the most in this series?
2003
Since I'm now on my arc of just enjoying what I'm interested in, it may be strange that I'm reviewing NASCAR Thunder 2004.
I mostly got curious about this game as I am currently in my rewatching old EmpLemon videos mood that I get once a year and his NASCAR videos in particular always interest me. This game was specifically mentioned in one of his videos about the decline of video games as the last good NASCAR title.
And yeah I'd have to agree this is just good old fashioned entertainment. The game allows you to customize your car, cause massive pileups, forge friendships and rivalries on the track and have your engine destroyed six ways from Sunday.
The fact that there are mechanics where debris can fall off from the cars and cause tire damage makes this game so fucking interesting to me, but I've also not played many racers so I can't speak on if this is a unique feature or not, but it's very engaging.
My favorite track is Martinsville, as it easily results in some of the most chaotic racing you can possibly see, massive pileups that take up an entire segment of the track, turning it into a burning hell of steel.
Really isn't much more to say other than that it's making me interested in watching NASCAR at some point. Give it a shot, you'll probably enjoy yourself.
I mostly got curious about this game as I am currently in my rewatching old EmpLemon videos mood that I get once a year and his NASCAR videos in particular always interest me. This game was specifically mentioned in one of his videos about the decline of video games as the last good NASCAR title.
And yeah I'd have to agree this is just good old fashioned entertainment. The game allows you to customize your car, cause massive pileups, forge friendships and rivalries on the track and have your engine destroyed six ways from Sunday.
The fact that there are mechanics where debris can fall off from the cars and cause tire damage makes this game so fucking interesting to me, but I've also not played many racers so I can't speak on if this is a unique feature or not, but it's very engaging.
My favorite track is Martinsville, as it easily results in some of the most chaotic racing you can possibly see, massive pileups that take up an entire segment of the track, turning it into a burning hell of steel.
Really isn't much more to say other than that it's making me interested in watching NASCAR at some point. Give it a shot, you'll probably enjoy yourself.