Dean0_Rocks316
For what it promises, a star wars experience in VR, it certainly delivers. The environments are really pretty, even if it's the ugly lava planet of Mustafar. I dig the adventurous high-tech aesthetic, sneaking around the castle of Darth freaking Vader! When he's standing near you, he's imposing and terrifying. Just how it should be. The story itself is pretty interesting. A superweapon that absorbs the life of entire worlds to try and bring back a loved one, seems tailor made for Anakin to prioritize. Being there, fighting these stormtroopers and ancient machines off is pretty fun. And it promises a good adventure for chapter 2 and 3. Even if the gameplay has a lot of waiting around and watching cutscenes.
Far as the gameplay itself...it's fine. The movement is fine, a little nauseating when you're climbing, but that's par for the course in VR. Most importantly, the lightsabers. They're implemented really well. The weightless blade can feel a little shaky sometimes, but it does what it sets out to do, without being too cutty so you get to enjoy it.
The gameplay really shines in the dojo. Unlike the later chapters, this doesn't have any force powers, blasters, etc. It's just you, your enemies, and your blade. It's simple, fun, and a good challenge. Especially round 40. A test of skill and patience. The rewards are also really cool. To my knowledge, it's the only one of the 3 that allows you to change arenas, which is replaced with the much lamer gloves in future installments. The fan servicey lightsabers also look and feel really nice. I do kinda wish they added dual wield, maul saber, cross guard or other specialty types, even in an update, but those come later so it's not a big deal. My only complaint is that it's very counter reactive. You wait for the enemies to do something. When you're trying to go for 3 stars on all levels (they aren't ACTUALLY stars but they're functionally the same) sometimes they won't do anything and you'll lose the perfect score because of that. That's annoying.
But overall, this is a really fun game. The story mode is a little short, and the arcade is simplistic, but for $10, I wouldn't say this is a bad VR game at all.
Far as the gameplay itself...it's fine. The movement is fine, a little nauseating when you're climbing, but that's par for the course in VR. Most importantly, the lightsabers. They're implemented really well. The weightless blade can feel a little shaky sometimes, but it does what it sets out to do, without being too cutty so you get to enjoy it.
The gameplay really shines in the dojo. Unlike the later chapters, this doesn't have any force powers, blasters, etc. It's just you, your enemies, and your blade. It's simple, fun, and a good challenge. Especially round 40. A test of skill and patience. The rewards are also really cool. To my knowledge, it's the only one of the 3 that allows you to change arenas, which is replaced with the much lamer gloves in future installments. The fan servicey lightsabers also look and feel really nice. I do kinda wish they added dual wield, maul saber, cross guard or other specialty types, even in an update, but those come later so it's not a big deal. My only complaint is that it's very counter reactive. You wait for the enemies to do something. When you're trying to go for 3 stars on all levels (they aren't ACTUALLY stars but they're functionally the same) sometimes they won't do anything and you'll lose the perfect score because of that. That's annoying.
But overall, this is a really fun game. The story mode is a little short, and the arcade is simplistic, but for $10, I wouldn't say this is a bad VR game at all.
I forgot to review this one. Played in close proximity to Mario land 2, I'm able to compare and contrast the two. While I think Mario land 2 is objectively a bit better, there's emphasis on "a bit." I may have had more fun with this one.
The biggest advantage this has over that is the controls. In my eyes, the NSMB series is 2D Mario controlling at its finest. It's super fun just to run through the levels, triple jumping, wall jumping and ground pounding the whole way through. The levels are really well designed, and can actually be a little challenging. There's some creative concepts, particularly in world 8. The bosses are a massive upgrade too, which is saying a lot since they're still pretty easy. The pixely 3D models give it a unique charm compared to the other games in it's series, and the soundtrack is fantastic. I still think the castle theme from this game is the best in any Mario game, competing with Dark Road from 64.
It's nowhere near perfect though. It's pretty easy, it's still short, and it's still an NSMB game. It's pretty generic, even if that's understandable since it was the first really modern platformer. It may not be as unique, but it's a solid entryin a fantastic series. It definitely is an NSMB game. Those are repetitive together, but really fun on their own. It's a tough game to hate, so yeah. Easy recommendation.
The biggest advantage this has over that is the controls. In my eyes, the NSMB series is 2D Mario controlling at its finest. It's super fun just to run through the levels, triple jumping, wall jumping and ground pounding the whole way through. The levels are really well designed, and can actually be a little challenging. There's some creative concepts, particularly in world 8. The bosses are a massive upgrade too, which is saying a lot since they're still pretty easy. The pixely 3D models give it a unique charm compared to the other games in it's series, and the soundtrack is fantastic. I still think the castle theme from this game is the best in any Mario game, competing with Dark Road from 64.
It's nowhere near perfect though. It's pretty easy, it's still short, and it's still an NSMB game. It's pretty generic, even if that's understandable since it was the first really modern platformer. It may not be as unique, but it's a solid entryin a fantastic series. It definitely is an NSMB game. Those are repetitive together, but really fun on their own. It's a tough game to hate, so yeah. Easy recommendation.
A solid Dragon Ball game. A Platformer beat-em-up was a natural choice for the series, sometimes turning into a proper fighting game. It's an adaptation of Classic Dragon Ball, which really needs the recognition. As an adaptation though, there's a couple hiccups made. Primarily, there are a couple points in the game where you're supposed to lose your battles. Against Mercenary Tao in round 1 and King Piccolo round 1. But...Not against Jackie Chun, the match that defines Goku's drive to keep training? That doesn't make sense. D: Also, Goku doesn't fight Chiaotzu in the 22nd tournament...though I guess the guy he does fight in round 1 of that wouldn't make for an engaging level.
The game's biggest flaw is that it's really repetitive. Kinda inherent to a GBA-sidescroller-beat-em-up, but it's definetly best played in short bursts. But in short bursts, it's a pretty good time. If you like Dragon Ball, this might be worth a playthrough. It's really short, so you've got nothing to lose.
The game's biggest flaw is that it's really repetitive. Kinda inherent to a GBA-sidescroller-beat-em-up, but it's definetly best played in short bursts. But in short bursts, it's a pretty good time. If you like Dragon Ball, this might be worth a playthrough. It's really short, so you've got nothing to lose.
With the advent of switch online's game boy lineup, I finally have a good way to play this one. In close proximity to the next 2D Mario, New Super Mario Bros on the DS.
They both have pros and cons, but objectively, this is probably better. I love how it's semi-open world, how you can tackle the zones in any order you want. I like the power-ups a lot. there's only 2, but they both compliment each other. One helps with an attack, the other is a platforming boost. One forces you to play the level, the other basically lets you skip it. That's neat.
Most of all, I love how creative this game is. It has some themes I really wish returned in future games. There's a world of Space which is kind of like underwater, inside of a tree, a toyland like Mario, a big house, even the water and ghost levels are cool. The final level is really well designed, especially since this is the debut of Wario! The most epicest character ever, besides Waluigi and maybe Luigi.
Unfortunately, the soundtrack is kinda repetitive, the bosses are way too easy, and it's REALLY short. But it's on a handheld, so I can excuse it.
Overall, a solid package I'd definitely recommend.
They both have pros and cons, but objectively, this is probably better. I love how it's semi-open world, how you can tackle the zones in any order you want. I like the power-ups a lot. there's only 2, but they both compliment each other. One helps with an attack, the other is a platforming boost. One forces you to play the level, the other basically lets you skip it. That's neat.
Most of all, I love how creative this game is. It has some themes I really wish returned in future games. There's a world of Space which is kind of like underwater, inside of a tree, a toyland like Mario, a big house, even the water and ghost levels are cool. The final level is really well designed, especially since this is the debut of Wario! The most epicest character ever, besides Waluigi and maybe Luigi.
Unfortunately, the soundtrack is kinda repetitive, the bosses are way too easy, and it's REALLY short. But it's on a handheld, so I can excuse it.
Overall, a solid package I'd definitely recommend.
This was the last game I've ever gotten hyped for in a Nintendo direct (so far) and by god, it was worth the wait.
It's not my favorite Kirby game, that still goes to Planet Robobot, but this one is perfect for what it wants to be. A solid 3D Kirby game. Copy abilities and all.
From the beautiful landscapes, to the magnificent score and some of the best bosses in the series, it was a joy to play this from beginning to end.
It's not my favorite Kirby game, that still goes to Planet Robobot, but this one is perfect for what it wants to be. A solid 3D Kirby game. Copy abilities and all.
From the beautiful landscapes, to the magnificent score and some of the best bosses in the series, it was a joy to play this from beginning to end.
This may come off as jarring to give this game in particular a high score, when there are several problems people have with it. Examples being 64 not in widescreen or HD, removing voice clips and BLJ that have been staples of 64 for years, and not having overall too much bonus content on top of the 3 games. That I completely understand. However, it's still a competent port of 3 solid games. This is how I primarily play them, and it allowed me to experience Sunshine for the first time. All of these games are great in their own right, hell, galaxy is my favorite Mario game. Even the controls in that game surprisingly aren't that bad. The pro controller works surprisingly well with it. Even made the rolling ball levels in that game a lot more bearable, so that's definitely a plus. I suppose I should post my individual thoughts on each game separately, but for this collection, if you're like me and don't own these games already, definitely pick it up if you can. If you already have all of the originals, I can see why you may not want to.
1988
This could be more of a Doki Doki Panic review, but at this rate that game is more famous as Mario 2 than it is DDP. It may not be a sequel to the first, but I argue it actually serves its job better than the actual sequel (which is complete s#!t, by the way.) Either way, it's a fun romp from beginning to end.
The levels are much longer than the first, though there are less of them. The bosses are the best of any Mario game on NES, The graphics are leagues above it, and while I am disappointed they got rid of multiplayer and power-ups, I'm willing to accept it for different characters. Peach is my favorite, followed by Luigi, Mario, then Toad. The powerups here are great too. Chucking turnips or yeeting enemies into each other feels surprisingly good. Doors, extra health mechanics, more clever warp zones, and much better enemies. It's a bit harder than the first too, which has grown to be pretty easy to me. A nice balance between extreme ease and difficulty.
Overall, I find this game to be very, very fun. It's a happy, upbeat journey from start to end. Super Mario Bros 2: Mario Madness deserves being called the successor to the original.
The levels are much longer than the first, though there are less of them. The bosses are the best of any Mario game on NES, The graphics are leagues above it, and while I am disappointed they got rid of multiplayer and power-ups, I'm willing to accept it for different characters. Peach is my favorite, followed by Luigi, Mario, then Toad. The powerups here are great too. Chucking turnips or yeeting enemies into each other feels surprisingly good. Doors, extra health mechanics, more clever warp zones, and much better enemies. It's a bit harder than the first too, which has grown to be pretty easy to me. A nice balance between extreme ease and difficulty.
Overall, I find this game to be very, very fun. It's a happy, upbeat journey from start to end. Super Mario Bros 2: Mario Madness deserves being called the successor to the original.
This is, without a doubt in my mind, the worst Mario game ever created. I may not have played Time Machine, Mario is missing, Mario clash, Tennis VB and many more. But as far as the mainline series goes, this is by far the worst. Nintendo made the right move keeping this in Japan, because holy s#@t it's so difficult. Thing is, it doesn't appear so. Similar to something like DDLC, it invites you in promising a calm, relaxing experience. Only to hit you with something completely different like a falling steamroller. Unlike DDLC, instead of horror, it's unyielding rage.
If the first is an example of how to game design right, this is how to do it wrong. It's clear that several of these levels weren't play tested, as there's tons of bs moments. Jumps you can only make with invisible blocks, looping castles, warps that take you backwards that are easier to find than the normal ones, piss poor enemy placement and fixing none of the first games problems like the fact you can't go backwards. Speaking of, barely anything is upgraded from game one. It actually somehow looks worse. The music isn't changed, the multiplayer is gone, and, oh yeah, Luigi controls like a soap bar being wielded by a being of half melted ice. What could be worse, oh yeah, there's 4 separate worlds that can only be unlocked by beating the game 8 times without warps.
In conclusion, this game blows.
If the first is an example of how to game design right, this is how to do it wrong. It's clear that several of these levels weren't play tested, as there's tons of bs moments. Jumps you can only make with invisible blocks, looping castles, warps that take you backwards that are easier to find than the normal ones, piss poor enemy placement and fixing none of the first games problems like the fact you can't go backwards. Speaking of, barely anything is upgraded from game one. It actually somehow looks worse. The music isn't changed, the multiplayer is gone, and, oh yeah, Luigi controls like a soap bar being wielded by a being of half melted ice. What could be worse, oh yeah, there's 4 separate worlds that can only be unlocked by beating the game 8 times without warps.
In conclusion, this game blows.
1985
I shouldn't explain the history behind this one. I don't know if there's much to say on it at all. It's the gold standard for games, it revived the industry back in '85. Without this, an industry would be dead, and we wouldn't have many pieces of media including the very website I'm writing this on. With all that said, does it still hold up to this day? In my opinion, yes it does.
Super Mario Bros. Is still a prime example of good game design. The momentum feels just right, the enemies are well placed, and while it isn't incredibly difficult, it doesn't need to be. It's incredibly simple, but that's what makes it so special. It doesn't particularly excel in anything compared to other games or the franchise, but fun to power on from time to time.
Super Mario Bros. Is still a prime example of good game design. The momentum feels just right, the enemies are well placed, and while it isn't incredibly difficult, it doesn't need to be. It's incredibly simple, but that's what makes it so special. It doesn't particularly excel in anything compared to other games or the franchise, but fun to power on from time to time.