Doctor_Nerd
This is a very chill, but intentionally jank (I assume) open-world adventure game.
I found the writing to be pretty funny. It's very laser-focused on making light of how living in our current modern hellscape just sucks in general. Even so, the game genuinely wants you to have a good time. I think this is most demonstrated during one of the mandatory racing missions you encounter 1/3 of the way through. If you lose, your competitor is just like "no big deal, I'm going to give you the reward anyway." There are lots of little moments like this in the game, making it a pretty relaxed experience while you soak up the vibes.
Sometimes someone makes a weird and goofy game that's on your wavelength. This is one of those times for me.
I found the writing to be pretty funny. It's very laser-focused on making light of how living in our current modern hellscape just sucks in general. Even so, the game genuinely wants you to have a good time. I think this is most demonstrated during one of the mandatory racing missions you encounter 1/3 of the way through. If you lose, your competitor is just like "no big deal, I'm going to give you the reward anyway." There are lots of little moments like this in the game, making it a pretty relaxed experience while you soak up the vibes.
Sometimes someone makes a weird and goofy game that's on your wavelength. This is one of those times for me.
I played this game to completion over a decade ago, and was curious to see if it held up. I think it's still pretty good!
The aesthetics, battle system, and music are all fantastic. I really vibe with where the SMT games were at in this era.
This is also the only game in the Megaten franchise that I'm aware of that dispenses with demon negotiation and fusion, and instead has you building and customizing skills and builds for a core cast of characters.
It's interesting to compare this to mainline SMT games, since the opening hours remind me a lot of of a "normal" SMT game. The storytelling is sparse at first, and leaves a lot about the world and setting unsaid initially. The characters are intentionally cold and robotic for the first few hours of the game. The plot and characterization ramps up by the midpoint of the game, but it's not really until the next installment (Digital Devil Saga 2, which is really just part two of the same story) that things really take off.
My two major complaints: I feel like the game drags in the last two dungeons, and also I have no idea what was going through the localization director's head with what they decided to do with one your main party members, Cielo. He is voiced by a white guy doing the most inappropriate and offensive fake Jamaican accent you can imagine. It's like they took some of the most questionable design decisions of the character and doubled down on them as a joke. Playing with an undub mod is recommended just for this reason alone.
If you're a long-time SMT head and haven't played this game yet, I think it's worth your time. It's not quite on the same level as Nocturne for me, but it's close.
The aesthetics, battle system, and music are all fantastic. I really vibe with where the SMT games were at in this era.
This is also the only game in the Megaten franchise that I'm aware of that dispenses with demon negotiation and fusion, and instead has you building and customizing skills and builds for a core cast of characters.
It's interesting to compare this to mainline SMT games, since the opening hours remind me a lot of of a "normal" SMT game. The storytelling is sparse at first, and leaves a lot about the world and setting unsaid initially. The characters are intentionally cold and robotic for the first few hours of the game. The plot and characterization ramps up by the midpoint of the game, but it's not really until the next installment (Digital Devil Saga 2, which is really just part two of the same story) that things really take off.
My two major complaints: I feel like the game drags in the last two dungeons, and also I have no idea what was going through the localization director's head with what they decided to do with one your main party members, Cielo. He is voiced by a white guy doing the most inappropriate and offensive fake Jamaican accent you can imagine. It's like they took some of the most questionable design decisions of the character and doubled down on them as a joke. Playing with an undub mod is recommended just for this reason alone.
If you're a long-time SMT head and haven't played this game yet, I think it's worth your time. It's not quite on the same level as Nocturne for me, but it's close.
1997
I was pretty indifferent to this game when I played it ages ago, but I end up liking it more each time I play it. At this point it's now one of my favorite RPGs. I guess you could say I've finally come around to mid 2000s Gamefaqs thought a few decades late.
2023
As a tactical game it's better than its predecessor Three Houses, but the story and characters are not as strong. With that said, it easily clears all the other entries from the past decade, and I did end up enjoying when it was a head empty Saturday Morning Cartoon thing. However, there is some pretty laughable stuff towards the latter half of the game for sure. When it tries to lean into more "serious" topics like motherhood and abuse it falls flat on its face.
The Engage system is pretty sick, and leads to some interesting strategies. It would be cool to see elaborated on, but who knows what the next entry in this series looks like at this point.
My main complaint is that I think the Somniel social stuff drags the game down. You can probably ignore it if you don't like it, but it gives you enough advantages in combat that I felt compelled to (lol) engage with it at least a little bit.
The Engage system is pretty sick, and leads to some interesting strategies. It would be cool to see elaborated on, but who knows what the next entry in this series looks like at this point.
My main complaint is that I think the Somniel social stuff drags the game down. You can probably ignore it if you don't like it, but it gives you enough advantages in combat that I felt compelled to (lol) engage with it at least a little bit.
Never thought I'd be interested in a mech game like this, but the trailers and my curiosity won me over. Controlling a robot that moves like it has a jetpack strapped to its back while on roller skates is, in fact, pretty cool.
Also I was more invested in the story than I thought I'd be. Plenty of cool moments and nice characterization touches.
Also I was more invested in the story than I thought I'd be. Plenty of cool moments and nice characterization touches.
1988
This review contains spoilers
Splatterhouse feels like the "road not traveled" for what beat-em-ups could be, as this game has more in common with something like Altered Beast than the more popular Konami/Capcom-style of beat-em-up.
The gameplay is pretty simple--you move left to right on a single plane while killing a stream of enemies that charge at you, all while avoid some pretty basic obstacles. It's pretty straightforward, but it never stops being satisfying hitting an enemy with a melee weapon and watching them gorily explode over a wall in the background.
There are also pretty neat set-pieces throughout the game that keeps the pretty basic gameplay from getting stale. At the end of an early level, there's a room filled with possessed furniture you have to smash your way out of. In a later level, you have to battle a shadow clone of the player character that continually emerges out of a hall of mirrors. The bosses are pretty brutal in general as well, but it never gets to the point of unfair, for the most part.
Surprisingly, Splatterhouse also has some quietly sad moments that still stuck with me after beating it (the short scenes that play after beating Stage IV and V being the standouts here). These moments are all enhanced by the excellent soundtrack. The haunting music box-style theme that plays at the end of the game, as Rick stands over the wreckage of the house he spent the game in, is going to be etched in my memory for a while.
It's still a goofy horror pastiche with over-the-top gore, but I found it charming. I'd recommend giving it a shot if you like arcade brawlers at all.
The gameplay is pretty simple--you move left to right on a single plane while killing a stream of enemies that charge at you, all while avoid some pretty basic obstacles. It's pretty straightforward, but it never stops being satisfying hitting an enemy with a melee weapon and watching them gorily explode over a wall in the background.
There are also pretty neat set-pieces throughout the game that keeps the pretty basic gameplay from getting stale. At the end of an early level, there's a room filled with possessed furniture you have to smash your way out of. In a later level, you have to battle a shadow clone of the player character that continually emerges out of a hall of mirrors. The bosses are pretty brutal in general as well, but it never gets to the point of unfair, for the most part.
Surprisingly, Splatterhouse also has some quietly sad moments that still stuck with me after beating it (the short scenes that play after beating Stage IV and V being the standouts here). These moments are all enhanced by the excellent soundtrack. The haunting music box-style theme that plays at the end of the game, as Rick stands over the wreckage of the house he spent the game in, is going to be etched in my memory for a while.
It's still a goofy horror pastiche with over-the-top gore, but I found it charming. I'd recommend giving it a shot if you like arcade brawlers at all.
This review contains spoilers
I was hoping I'd be a sicko for Dragon's Dogma after all the praise it gets from its boosters, but unfortunately I thought it was mostly boring. There is some cool stuff here, especially in the last quarter of the game, but you have to grind through a bunch of uninspired samey dungeon layouts, too frequent enemy mob encounters, and awkward combat to get there.
The set-up for the post-game that is often talked up is legitimately cool, but my enthusiasm for it dried up when it became clear it was leading to another grind in mostly identical areas to get a bunch of enemy drops. The big narrative swings the game takes in the final act(s) would have also landed a lot better for me if it had given me any reason to care about its world or characters at all. The cast you encounter on your journey feel barely more fleshed out than your random AI pawn partners.
I hope the DD2 team got the time and resources they desperately needed for the sequel.
The set-up for the post-game that is often talked up is legitimately cool, but my enthusiasm for it dried up when it became clear it was leading to another grind in mostly identical areas to get a bunch of enemy drops. The big narrative swings the game takes in the final act(s) would have also landed a lot better for me if it had given me any reason to care about its world or characters at all. The cast you encounter on your journey feel barely more fleshed out than your random AI pawn partners.
I hope the DD2 team got the time and resources they desperately needed for the sequel.
I never played the Game Gear original, but I thought this was pretty cute.
My only major gripe is that the final level is kind of weak compared to the other 2D Sonic games, but that seems less like a failing of this remake and more of the original Triple Trouble. Hit detection can also be wonky at times.
The ridiculous and over-the-top final battle that you get when you gather all the emeralds makes up for those shortcomings, though. There are lots of extras and unlockables for beating the game as well. Definitely worth checking out for 2-D Sonic heads.
My only major gripe is that the final level is kind of weak compared to the other 2D Sonic games, but that seems less like a failing of this remake and more of the original Triple Trouble. Hit detection can also be wonky at times.
The ridiculous and over-the-top final battle that you get when you gather all the emeralds makes up for those shortcomings, though. There are lots of extras and unlockables for beating the game as well. Definitely worth checking out for 2-D Sonic heads.
2010
This game matters a lot to me, personally, because it made me realize that a game can just be...this. It's a short, funny, experimental game that a human could conceivably make in a (by game dev standards) short amount of time. A game you make doesn't have to look or play like something a big developer would put out!
Games like this obviously predated Space Funeral, but this is the first one I played, and I think the developer's message is clear in a way I appreciate.
Games like this obviously predated Space Funeral, but this is the first one I played, and I think the developer's message is clear in a way I appreciate.
1994
Love the aesthetic. Unfortunately, this is one of those games from this era that tries to make up for its short length with some really cheap segments. This is made worse by pretty long levels with no checkpointing to speak of. If you die or fall off a ledge with a mistimed jump, you're sent back to the very start of the level. The controls are also a bit floaty, and the level design is fairly basic.
Realistically it's 2.5 stars, but I'm adding .5 for the ending song and cinematic. Also this guy is a cooler keyblade user than Sora KingdomHearts.
Realistically it's 2.5 stars, but I'm adding .5 for the ending song and cinematic. Also this guy is a cooler keyblade user than Sora KingdomHearts.
Some disappointing plotting and characterization issues made me not like this game quite as much as Rebirth, though I still had a good time overall. It's way too long, though, if you even casually engage with the side stuff at all.
Yuffie is hilarious, and I'm glad she gets more to say and do in this game compared to the original Final Fantasy VII.
Yuffie is hilarious, and I'm glad she gets more to say and do in this game compared to the original Final Fantasy VII.
I thought this was really good! Also, these games are too big, and take too much time and manpower to develop, and everyone should stop making them immediately.
I ended up liking ToTK more than BotW due to the dungeons and major questlines feeling more substantial, as well as the emphasis on experimentation to make the silliest weapons and devices possible.
I ended up liking ToTK more than BotW due to the dungeons and major questlines feeling more substantial, as well as the emphasis on experimentation to make the silliest weapons and devices possible.
This is a pretty significant improvement from Spark 2 in terms of controls. Spark feels a lot more responsive than his robot frenemy Fark ever did.
You're getting a good amount of game here, since Spark 3 also includes all the Spark 2 stages, in addition to a lot of optional challenge stages and collectables to find in each level. It's a good capper to this trilogy of off-brand Sonic games.
You're getting a good amount of game here, since Spark 3 also includes all the Spark 2 stages, in addition to a lot of optional challenge stages and collectables to find in each level. It's a good capper to this trilogy of off-brand Sonic games.
1992
I ended up really liking the first Splatterhouse, so it was a little bit of a bummer bouncing off its sequel. Unlike its arcade predecessor, Splatterhouse 2 is a console exclusive, and it feels like the devs worked overtime to bump up the game difficulty so the people playing it at the time couldn't beat it in a weekend.
The main character, Rick, was always slow and ponderous to control in the first game, but it generally felt tuned to match your move set. In Splatterhouse 2, I was really straining against what the game design expected of me versus how sluggish Rick is to control. Enemies felt quicker and more aggressive this time around, and often I felt like I didn't have enough time to react and move Rick out of harm's way before eating shit. It's one of those games that really incentivize rote memorization to beat some segments (looking at the elevator segments in particular). There's also less enemy variety overall than in Splatterhouse 1, so you're going to be punching the same weird looking-alien guys a lot.
When you combine that with the fact that you have limited lives, and can't pump virtual quarters into MAME or whatever to breeze past segments, it just compounded the frustration for me. You're going to die and get booted to the beginning of the stage a lot.
I actually wished I like this game more, because there are definitely some cool parts. The bosses in general are more interesting than the first game (outside of one or two really horrendously bullshit ones), and the music continues to be stellar. The plot is also pretty basic, but I do like that it deals with un-fucking Rick's life after the events from the first game. These games do tell a complete story over all three of its installments, which is rare to see in beat-em-ups. Overall though, this was a game I enjoyed way more watching someone else play on Youtube.
The main character, Rick, was always slow and ponderous to control in the first game, but it generally felt tuned to match your move set. In Splatterhouse 2, I was really straining against what the game design expected of me versus how sluggish Rick is to control. Enemies felt quicker and more aggressive this time around, and often I felt like I didn't have enough time to react and move Rick out of harm's way before eating shit. It's one of those games that really incentivize rote memorization to beat some segments (looking at the elevator segments in particular). There's also less enemy variety overall than in Splatterhouse 1, so you're going to be punching the same weird looking-alien guys a lot.
When you combine that with the fact that you have limited lives, and can't pump virtual quarters into MAME or whatever to breeze past segments, it just compounded the frustration for me. You're going to die and get booted to the beginning of the stage a lot.
I actually wished I like this game more, because there are definitely some cool parts. The bosses in general are more interesting than the first game (outside of one or two really horrendously bullshit ones), and the music continues to be stellar. The plot is also pretty basic, but I do like that it deals with un-fucking Rick's life after the events from the first game. These games do tell a complete story over all three of its installments, which is rare to see in beat-em-ups. Overall though, this was a game I enjoyed way more watching someone else play on Youtube.
2023
Abby Howard's drawings are great, and I was impressed by the sheer amount of branching scenarios available. The writing does a good job alternating between amusing and tragic.
I don't think people who play a lot of visual novels are going to be blown away by this one, but it's an interesting spin on some well-worn VN ideas.
I don't think people who play a lot of visual novels are going to be blown away by this one, but it's an interesting spin on some well-worn VN ideas.