DMan_AA
28 reviews liked by DMan_AA
ICHIBAN YOU MOVE MOUNTAINS
Words cannot emphasize how happy I am to see one of my all top favorite video games get a remake. I was fairly certain this game would never get a remake or remaster, and if it did, not as soon as it did!
Another Code is a must have for your Nintendo game library. Not just so a Cing title can get huge support to release more remasters/remakes from the now defunct developer Cing, but also because the story and art style of this game is absolutely wonderful. The near water paint aesthetic of the world combined with the modest 6th gen looking graphics reminds me of a simpler time; which is funny because the original game reminded me a lot of 5th gen graphics like the PS1 but smoother.
The story itself still has the same short but satisfactory pacing and original plot. No unnecessary modifications to the story which Im glad to see; also the game is treated to cinematic cutscenes that are voiced out and very well blocked out! I'd like to note that the voice actor for Ashley does an incredible job voicing her. You get the bits of angst and existentialism from a teenager from her voice acting. Im just really happy to see Ashley come to life as I think she's an excellent example of good writing for a teenage girl. Multifaceted and honest.
I will admit however, as with any remake, this game is not 1:1. As this is a remake of a DS game, some gameplay mechanics do not translate all that well to the switch, but the story and design is still genuine and authentic to the game. It's just disappointing how uninspired some of the puzzles are. The whole appeal of the original game was the intuitive and literal outside of the box thinking the game required out of the player, so to not see much of that with the switch was a bummer. Still though, I'll take a near perfect remake of a perfect video game than a perfect video game fading to obscurity.
I cannot thank Nintendo and Arc System Works for giving this title life again. Its truly a great privilege seeing some form of preservation made to an important game like Another Code.
Another Code is a must have for your Nintendo game library. Not just so a Cing title can get huge support to release more remasters/remakes from the now defunct developer Cing, but also because the story and art style of this game is absolutely wonderful. The near water paint aesthetic of the world combined with the modest 6th gen looking graphics reminds me of a simpler time; which is funny because the original game reminded me a lot of 5th gen graphics like the PS1 but smoother.
The story itself still has the same short but satisfactory pacing and original plot. No unnecessary modifications to the story which Im glad to see; also the game is treated to cinematic cutscenes that are voiced out and very well blocked out! I'd like to note that the voice actor for Ashley does an incredible job voicing her. You get the bits of angst and existentialism from a teenager from her voice acting. Im just really happy to see Ashley come to life as I think she's an excellent example of good writing for a teenage girl. Multifaceted and honest.
I will admit however, as with any remake, this game is not 1:1. As this is a remake of a DS game, some gameplay mechanics do not translate all that well to the switch, but the story and design is still genuine and authentic to the game. It's just disappointing how uninspired some of the puzzles are. The whole appeal of the original game was the intuitive and literal outside of the box thinking the game required out of the player, so to not see much of that with the switch was a bummer. Still though, I'll take a near perfect remake of a perfect video game than a perfect video game fading to obscurity.
I cannot thank Nintendo and Arc System Works for giving this title life again. Its truly a great privilege seeing some form of preservation made to an important game like Another Code.
This was so much fun! Reasonably challenging. Funny and lovable characters. A twist that I barely saw coming and a happy ending that soothes the soul. Yeah I like this one.
I will think about Missile for the rest of my life
One of my all time favorite PS2 games remastered with some new content.
We Love Katamari is peak Katamari and one of the best entries in the series and this remaster is probably the best way to play it, the enhanced resolution makes it much easier to play and see things, the new Royal Reverie stages are a fun bonus (if a little light on content imo) and the achievements are extremely easy to get, only requiring you complete most of the stages, get all of the cousins and roll up the king and queen. As relaxing and fun as it was all those years ago, if you want to try a Katamari game make it this one!
Also I think a new game could be fun these remasters have been extremely high quality so far!
We Love Katamari is peak Katamari and one of the best entries in the series and this remaster is probably the best way to play it, the enhanced resolution makes it much easier to play and see things, the new Royal Reverie stages are a fun bonus (if a little light on content imo) and the achievements are extremely easy to get, only requiring you complete most of the stages, get all of the cousins and roll up the king and queen. As relaxing and fun as it was all those years ago, if you want to try a Katamari game make it this one!
Also I think a new game could be fun these remasters have been extremely high quality so far!
I finished it 100% today and honestly its hitting me that this part of Xenoblade is well and truly over. I'll keep this short without getting into spoilers, but I loved it. Many loose ends were wrapped up and it was just a treat for people really into the lore of Xenoblade, with hints towards the next step in the series and overarching narrative. The combat was great its a nice spin on the already great XB3 and honestly my only real complaints about this DLC are:
1. its a little on the short side, like its not SHORT but man I was hoping it wouldnt end!
2.I wish there were more main game unlocks to mix up future playthroughs.
See you for the next title in what is one of my favorite series now. Hopefully X remake next?
1. its a little on the short side, like its not SHORT but man I was hoping it wouldnt end!
2.I wish there were more main game unlocks to mix up future playthroughs.
See you for the next title in what is one of my favorite series now. Hopefully X remake next?
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.
Guilty Gear: Strive
2021
being an axl main is awesome. everyone hates you and routinely skips past playing you for the simple crime of forcing them to play a bit of neutral. you prevent them from running their twenty second lockdown pressure drills for a bit and it’s the end of the world; they’d much rather go up against the litany of other rushdown characters who can all do that or the guy that can eat your healthbar in three decisions.
the game is fine. as far as its pace is concerned, strive is essentially rocket tag, and that’s a fine thing to enjoy. it just comes at the obviously infamous cost of representing a departure from xrd (or prior entries but i won’t pretend to be knowledgeable in this arena). this has invited natural comparisons to street fighter (super turbo in particular) and samurai shodown, but i think the core system mechanics manage to carve their own niche within the high damage subgenre. for all the debate around simplification, it seems clear to me that arcsys’s goal was to create a fighting game that the majority of people familiar with the genre can learn simply through relevant match experience, avoiding the confines of the training room and bringing the title in line with an older arcade experience. again, totally fine thing to be. i do think i prefer xrd’s brand of bullshit but not because it’s inherently more cerebral or anything - matches just tend to feel more dynamic. it’s an instance where strives emphasis on creatively using meter’s hundreds of applicable permutations to open holes in opponents defense is somewhat negated by the lack of opportunities to tap in per round and by how viciously quick some of these rounds can close out.
i strongly dislike the menus, user interface, and lobby system, but this aside it’s curious to me that strive represents an artistic departure from the rest of the series as well and this aspect has mostly been swept under the rug by the community. i assume this is fine for most because it’s pretty and because we will never escape the fondness gamers have for the metal gear rising/anarchy reigns soundtrack. still, its very much an intentional continuation of xrds aesthetic sensibilities - understandable given that titles landmark reception - but it feels worth mentioning that we are at this point quite far removed from the grungy, muted, and punk tone of earlier entries. but giovannas hot so who can say whether this is bad or not
the game is fine. as far as its pace is concerned, strive is essentially rocket tag, and that’s a fine thing to enjoy. it just comes at the obviously infamous cost of representing a departure from xrd (or prior entries but i won’t pretend to be knowledgeable in this arena). this has invited natural comparisons to street fighter (super turbo in particular) and samurai shodown, but i think the core system mechanics manage to carve their own niche within the high damage subgenre. for all the debate around simplification, it seems clear to me that arcsys’s goal was to create a fighting game that the majority of people familiar with the genre can learn simply through relevant match experience, avoiding the confines of the training room and bringing the title in line with an older arcade experience. again, totally fine thing to be. i do think i prefer xrd’s brand of bullshit but not because it’s inherently more cerebral or anything - matches just tend to feel more dynamic. it’s an instance where strives emphasis on creatively using meter’s hundreds of applicable permutations to open holes in opponents defense is somewhat negated by the lack of opportunities to tap in per round and by how viciously quick some of these rounds can close out.
i strongly dislike the menus, user interface, and lobby system, but this aside it’s curious to me that strive represents an artistic departure from the rest of the series as well and this aspect has mostly been swept under the rug by the community. i assume this is fine for most because it’s pretty and because we will never escape the fondness gamers have for the metal gear rising/anarchy reigns soundtrack. still, its very much an intentional continuation of xrds aesthetic sensibilities - understandable given that titles landmark reception - but it feels worth mentioning that we are at this point quite far removed from the grungy, muted, and punk tone of earlier entries. but giovannas hot so who can say whether this is bad or not
banger story that doesn't waste a single beat and makes use of every single character in a refreshing, fulfilling narrative style that took me by surprise. I got stuck in this game way more than I did any other but I also found myself very invested in its characters which the game shows a lot of respect for.
it's a shame that it'll never be localized but I can kinda understand why. at the end of the day, a spin-off such as this is pretty niche but I gotta hand it to the team for dedicating their work towards preservation of what we love about ace attorney over making it more generic and marketable to everyone else. good show!
it's a shame that it'll never be localized but I can kinda understand why. at the end of the day, a spin-off such as this is pretty niche but I gotta hand it to the team for dedicating their work towards preservation of what we love about ace attorney over making it more generic and marketable to everyone else. good show!
banger.