In a vacuum this would be 5 stars, no questions asked. Galaxy is already one of my favorite games ever but adding on Sunshine and 64, two solid games in their own right, makes the entire package more than worth it. However, I'm sure you've heard more than enough people go on about how weak of a collection this is and I will keep this brief since I agree with the common consensus.

Selling three old games at a full price is already sketchy compared to what other companies are doing but not even giving a shit to include anything extra besides the soundtrack like concept art or any real enhancements beyond simple face-lifts is beyond me. Also include the fact that this game is supposedly still being printed (copies are surprisingly easy to find) even though Nintendo made it appear like it would be gone after March 31st feels really scummy. This game is just a summary of Nintendo as a whole if you think about it. Great games, lousy business practices.

This reminded me of No More Heroes in that the combat is shallow but effective. It doesn't get old, and is satisfying, cool, and empowering. It also reminds me of Sifu as in the goal is to get into a flow state where you are slashing, parrying, dodging, and activating finishers. I think it is more successful at that than Sifu because the controls are more responsive here. I didn't think the parrying worked well in Sifu. The story and characters are offbeat, funny, but they are also intriguing. The game sets up a alternate history 2022 that immediately sounds wild. It keeps a lot of the story to a minimum, but still managed to pack an emotional punch at the end. The game is buggy (crashed twice on me and some framerate drops), but it never got too bad for me.

Wanted: Dead is as befuddling as it is bloody. Players will find the plot of Soliel's slasher/shooter hybrid varying levels of coherent depending on their interpretation. What's undeniable is the fun to be had in its streamlined slaughter. Come for the demanding and gory action gameplay, and stay for the odd voice performances, anime flashbacks, and karaoke with Stefanie Joosten. It's sometimes frustrating, often satisfying, and almost always janky and weird; I can't stop thinking about it.

Full review: https://finalweapon.net/2023/02/19/wanted-dead-review/

On one hand, Wet is a very unique and stylish game. It's concept is a lot of fun, the music is kickin and Rubi is a great badass female protagonist not reliant on sex appeal that swears a lot and I really appreciated that. But on the other hand, this is a janky mess with terrible controls and questionable design choices.

The game has a lot of clear grindhouse inspiration and it gives the game a really unique feel to it. Most of the gameplay is from acrobating (i dont care if thats not a word) around in slow motion and shooting at enemies or slicing them with your sword. While this is awesome in theory, the controls are just so janky that especially for the pure platforming sections Rubi controls like a melted stick of butter wearing roller skates on ice. Admittedly this does help the combat feel more fun when it actually works, but it usually just makes things more annoying and the game feel unresponsive. This is especially annoying when paired with some really annoying checkpoints, especially ones that spawn you right before a mash qte to open a door (Rubi even swears at the door out of annoyance while doing this) so if you die a bunch you'll have to keep spamming to open the door again and again and when its platforming sections where one mistake is basically death, yeah its rough. Theres also the gunplay. Slow dodging, sliding and jumping through the air like its max payne on (even more) cocaine is great but the shooting itself is actually pretty terrible, theres a weird delay when aiming which is not great with how fast you need to react to things and a lot of enemies especially towards the end can just start to feel incredibly spongey. Theres also a lot of sections of the game where you're in a small arena and you have to block off doors to stop enemies from continuously spawning. These sections after the first few just get annoying and make the game feel very repetitive. The color pallet is also that same dull one common in this era but for once it actually fits with style of the game and this one has enough visual variety to not be too much of a bother. Final complaint is that the whole final level seemed to crank up all the annoying shit I just mentioned up to 11, so despite really getting into the game in the few levels beforehand, that kinda left a sour taste in my mouth upon completion, especially when the finale itself just felt really awkward and abrupt

All that being said, for all its jank and uneven edges Im really glad I got play this. It feels like a relic of its times, a perfect example of an experimental PS3 game full of as much jank as there is charm, a main character that runs around calling the enemies fucktards... they just dont make games like this anymore. And that makes me a little sad.

Trophy Completion - 40% (24/41)
Time Played - 8 hours 39 minutes
Nancymeter - 67/100
Game Completion #63 of 2022
May Completion #13

Wanted: Dead is an exceptional game that takes bold risks with its design, creating a PS2-themed funhouse hall of mirrors that is both audacious and captivating. This game embodies the true essence of what a game should be- free to explore, experiment and embrace creativity.

Every decision seems intentionally made to either confound or elate, and it doesn't walk that line; it backflips on it.

Why am I watching Stefanie Jootsen spend 15 minutes teaching me how to make Lasagna? Why is there only one song in this fully fleshed-out karaoke mini-game?

Why does the ramen noodle-eating mini-game run forever until you decide to press start and quit? Why does the game have to state that the Gunsmith reeks of cat piss? Why did Maserati allow the developers to use the 1992 Shamal as the game's police cruiser?

It's unabashedly what it sets out to be, and there is beauty in that brazen confidence.

Once you understand the intricacies of guard canceling and how to correctly utilize the games firearms, the combat evolves into a dynamic interplay of visceral melee and third-person shooting.

There is "jank," but the jank serves as an intentional obstacle, adding an off-kilter layer to the combat. This distinctive blend contributes to the game's overall uniqueness.

Wanted: Dead touches on things like fascist police states, the military-industrial complex, the predatory nature of the healthcare industry, and neocolonialism, but only in passing. It all feels deliberately unfocused and, coupled with the mixed-media presentation, it results in a surreal, addictively confounding, fever-dreamlike experience.

Conversely, it has a deliberate focus on emulating the essence of a 6th-generation AA title and it adeptly accomplishes that particular aesthetic and feel.

There's truly nothing else on the market today like Wanted: Dead. While this game may not resonate with a broad audience, for the niche group it targets, it will hit like heroin.

Almost Kamige. Even ignoring the amazing gameplay, I’d argue Engage has some of the best supports between characters since the GBA games (Celine and Alcryst’s, Louis and Yunaka’s, etc), and the story is so unapologetically cartoony/anime while delivering a straightforward message that I couldn’t help but get emotional over. Honestly, the only things preventing Engage from being my favorite FE in the series is the drought of non royal/retainer units which would’ve greatly improved the narrative of this game being a celebration of the whole series, as well as a handful of little details that feel unpolished or just lazy. Despite these shortcomings, Engage is likely going to be THE fire emblem to keep coming back to thanks to the flexibility + customization that Emblems and the reworked class change system bring. I don’t know how to end this review so I’ll just say state that hearing Alear change their victory quote to “I’m not afraid anymore” once you promote them is the moment I knew this game was made for anime autists like me.

I am eternally destined to like games that are divisive because people are too joyless to appreciate em, and Fire Emblem Engage is absolutely no exception.

Don't get me wrong - my first impression of this game was far from stellar too. I had half a mind to avoid using Alear entirely because I hated their design so much.
But with every bit of gameplay features we got to see, I got more and more excited for this game - and man, I'm so glad I did. It is such a ridiculously fun game.

We haven't had such a heavy focus on player-phase combat in the series since FE12, which was already my favorite FE gameplay-wise - but this game just goes above and beyond. The Break system took me a while to get used to, but when it finally clicked it was so ridiculously satisfying.
The low deployment slots and gigantic amount of Emblem Ring combinations you could pull off means it's gonna be great fun to replay too, and I can't wait to give that a shot.

The story definitely takes a while to get going, and I don't blame anyone for losing interest relatively quickly, but I'm glad it picks up as well as it does.
Didn't think I'd ever say this about Fire Emblem but the ludonarrative harmony is what especially fascinated me about this game - there's some really impactful moments where you're supposed to feel powerless and it shows SO goddamn well through the gameplay that follows. It's incredible.

Despite the story being pretty basic at first, the characters are still as enjoyable as always - and although it takes more of a GBA FE approach of having some quick and simple supports, there's still plenty of meaningful and enjoyable ones. Ivy was a really stand-out character to me, because she's one of the few that tackles issues that are very specific to the game's setting. I think you could've taken any other character in a different setting and they'd still work - which doesn't bother me too much, honestly - but she's definitely the most layered character I've seen in the supports in my playthrough. Pleasantly surprised about that!

All in all, I'm really happy with this game. It's not perfect by any means, but I think any long-time fan should really be able to appreciate what this game's going for. Tons of subtle nods to older games and tons of direct fanservice with the Emblem Rings and how they play.
Couldn't think of a better (regrettably delayed) anniversary celebration!

Really excited for Fire Emblem's future after playing this game. Fantastic gameplay, a story that works more than well enough for what the game's supposed to be, great fanservice, incredible animations and hell - the game looks gorgeous in general, honestly.
With so much going well for it, I can't wait to see what's next!