Edge1337
5 reviews liked by Edge1337
Xenogears
1998
A broken game for broken people
This takes everything Prime 1 gave us and cranks it up to 11, for better or worse. The visuals music is incredible. The boss fights are the most unique in their design and mechanics. The new beams come with an ammo system that never really irritated me until the final boss. The new suits are form over function for sure, but the designs of the dark and light suit are so unique and weird compared to the rest of the suits in the series that they stand out, and I love it for that. The world itself isn't visually striking until the last third, but having to switch between the light and dark world gives us fun puzzle solving and a great atmosphere.
The whole "Metroid" part of the game isn't great though. Retro doesn't give us enough of an incentive to go back to old areas. They'll occasionally make you return to old areas to get powerups that are critical to progression, but it ruins pacing more than anything, and taking the time to get non-critical upgrades ain't worth it. 90% of the time you'll be getting missle expansions, and it's fuckin dissappointing. I don't think I even need to touch on the final fetch quest either, other than it's terrible.
Overall, I really love this game, but it (and the Prime trilogy in general, tbh) doesn't live up to the genre that it's trying to translate into 3D. They're great linear experiences, but not great metroidvanias.
The whole "Metroid" part of the game isn't great though. Retro doesn't give us enough of an incentive to go back to old areas. They'll occasionally make you return to old areas to get powerups that are critical to progression, but it ruins pacing more than anything, and taking the time to get non-critical upgrades ain't worth it. 90% of the time you'll be getting missle expansions, and it's fuckin dissappointing. I don't think I even need to touch on the final fetch quest either, other than it's terrible.
Overall, I really love this game, but it (and the Prime trilogy in general, tbh) doesn't live up to the genre that it's trying to translate into 3D. They're great linear experiences, but not great metroidvanias.
I'm afraid I'll remain skeptical about the Metroid series. I mean, what's so good about this? Other than level design, there's very little in terms of atmosphere, narrative, mechanics... the thing I liked the most is Samus' reflection on the helmet.
bad game. bad acting. bad soundtrack. bad gameplay. bad characters. bad narrative. bad controls. aged like bad wine.
Dark Souls
2011
(Played before 2023)
I know people love this game. I just don't understand it to the level they do. It is a good game with challenging gameplay aspects that are rewarding if you are determined to be the game and go through it, learning the mechanics of battles and enemies in order to complete your goal. There is a wealth of content that you have which you can choose as much or as little as you want to do. The soundtrack is wonderful, and the build variety allows you to replay it over and over. But it didn't click with me. I thought the combat was okay. The enemy design was good. The graphics are okay, and the story is just... Okay. It is a good game to me, nothing more and nothing less. I also feel from my experience it is the weakest in the franchise, even including Demon's Souls so I am glad they improved on the formula later on.
I know people love this game. I just don't understand it to the level they do. It is a good game with challenging gameplay aspects that are rewarding if you are determined to be the game and go through it, learning the mechanics of battles and enemies in order to complete your goal. There is a wealth of content that you have which you can choose as much or as little as you want to do. The soundtrack is wonderful, and the build variety allows you to replay it over and over. But it didn't click with me. I thought the combat was okay. The enemy design was good. The graphics are okay, and the story is just... Okay. It is a good game to me, nothing more and nothing less. I also feel from my experience it is the weakest in the franchise, even including Demon's Souls so I am glad they improved on the formula later on.
