ElJimbo
2002
I have the absolute fondest memories of this game so going back and being hit with a face full of shoddy map design shaped retrospect was a little disappointing.
In a way I'm quite nostalgic for it, but it definitely suffers from the early pixar-esque melted cheese CGI look. There's almost a sense of uncanny valley, where the maps should be full of life, and there are elements of life but they're so few and far between that they actually kind of exasperate the emptiness.
Top tier mini games though IMO, and at the end of the day that's what matters
In a way I'm quite nostalgic for it, but it definitely suffers from the early pixar-esque melted cheese CGI look. There's almost a sense of uncanny valley, where the maps should be full of life, and there are elements of life but they're so few and far between that they actually kind of exasperate the emptiness.
Top tier mini games though IMO, and at the end of the day that's what matters
1988
By far the best of the original Mario games.
I do not feel like elaborating.
I do not feel like elaborating.
2005
The era of the DS was beautiful in the way that Nintendo still had the creative confidence to just fuck around a bit, even in it's most popular IPs. NSMB DS, Bowser's Inside Story, this, etc. all had a bit of extra flair that sequels in their respective series seemed to sanitise.
The mission mode, playing on the DS stage, drawing your own emblem were all the sickest fucking thing and it's such a shame they were just straight up dropped.
The mission mode, playing on the DS stage, drawing your own emblem were all the sickest fucking thing and it's such a shame they were just straight up dropped.
2021
Super Auto Pets has consumed my life over the past week. I live Super Auto Pets, I dream Super Auto Pets. It's such a perfect 5 minute (/2 hour) time killer.
In it's current state I think it's hard capped at a 4, but the prospect of an expanded verison of the game is salivating. Although there's a plethora of different strategies, and the fun of the game comes from tinkering and finding your own, after a while the runs do start to feel a little samey. It's just a bit of a shame the content packs are behind such a heavy paywall. If there was an alternative way to unlock more animals, and a deeper singleplayer mode this could go crazy on the ratings.
In it's current state I think it's hard capped at a 4, but the prospect of an expanded verison of the game is salivating. Although there's a plethora of different strategies, and the fun of the game comes from tinkering and finding your own, after a while the runs do start to feel a little samey. It's just a bit of a shame the content packs are behind such a heavy paywall. If there was an alternative way to unlock more animals, and a deeper singleplayer mode this could go crazy on the ratings.
This was my GTA
This game fucks.
Not that good? I dunno. I think maybe I just over saturated my childhood with FRLG content, but they're just a bit... bland? In some ways it feels too primitive to be fun, but in others it's not primitive enough to have the charm of gen 1 and 2 on the Gameboy. I think the root of the problem is really just that Kanto is actually quite boring and the gen 1 story is relatively dull. It's Pokemon in it's purest form - there's nothing really wrong with it, just every other game (until the switch releases, anyway) has a bit more flair to it.
It's hard to argue with the raw value of this collection - two games that are commonplace in the "GOAT Game" debate, and Sunshine isn't exactly bad either.
Nevertheless, it does leave you wanting more. A bit more flair. A bit more love. Three top tier games dressed to the fives. Masterpieces shackled by mediocrity and laziness.
Also, it's equal parts funny and sad that Galaxy looks on par with (or even better than) a lot of modern switch releases. It's nearly 20 years old...
Nevertheless, it does leave you wanting more. A bit more flair. A bit more love. Three top tier games dressed to the fives. Masterpieces shackled by mediocrity and laziness.
Also, it's equal parts funny and sad that Galaxy looks on par with (or even better than) a lot of modern switch releases. It's nearly 20 years old...
2015
The enjoyment of Rocket League is like the ECG of having a heart attack. There're peaks and troughs, but ultimately you flatline.
At it's core it's a brilliant execution of a simple, yet entertaining concept. Put ball in net. Drive small cars. Wonderful. Rocket League is at it's most enjoyable in a lobby full of relative newbies, where nobody has any mechanics or forethoughts about specific plays. Just basking in the chaos of the unpredictability that comes from hitting the ball in vaguely the right direction.
The problem arises with competitive progression. I completely understand that for some people the grind of learning the intricacies and mechanics of the game is a rewarding one, and for them, I'm happy. But I feel the modern toxicity of the gaming hivemind whereby everyone has to be good is rife within the game and the community. Due to skill-based matchmaking it's not even as simple as 'just playing casual'. You will naturally get better at the game over time, playing better and better opponents, eventually hitting a wall where the only way to progress is to dedicate real time at getting better. Again, some will enjoy this, but it damn near ruins the game for me.
At it's core it's a brilliant execution of a simple, yet entertaining concept. Put ball in net. Drive small cars. Wonderful. Rocket League is at it's most enjoyable in a lobby full of relative newbies, where nobody has any mechanics or forethoughts about specific plays. Just basking in the chaos of the unpredictability that comes from hitting the ball in vaguely the right direction.
The problem arises with competitive progression. I completely understand that for some people the grind of learning the intricacies and mechanics of the game is a rewarding one, and for them, I'm happy. But I feel the modern toxicity of the gaming hivemind whereby everyone has to be good is rife within the game and the community. Due to skill-based matchmaking it's not even as simple as 'just playing casual'. You will naturally get better at the game over time, playing better and better opponents, eventually hitting a wall where the only way to progress is to dedicate real time at getting better. Again, some will enjoy this, but it damn near ruins the game for me.
2012
'FIFA' is a sports simulation. This, is the beautiful game.
Football is an art, a form of expression, and in a world of transfers and business deals it can be easy to forget that. It may not be amazing, and the core gameplay loop may just be wiggling the right stick about, but 'FIFA Street' at least attempts to embrace the soul and flair of football. And for that, I commend it.
Football is an art, a form of expression, and in a world of transfers and business deals it can be easy to forget that. It may not be amazing, and the core gameplay loop may just be wiggling the right stick about, but 'FIFA Street' at least attempts to embrace the soul and flair of football. And for that, I commend it.
2001
This is the best damn case study for video games being art. Seriously. Most of the imperfections that people complain about are what makes it so perfect, especially with the original Gamecube release. It's not an objectively flawless game or anything, but it gives the strongest account of the uniqueness of video games as an interactive media.
The controls and camera are clunky and unfamiliar, Pikmin don't go where you want them to and have a mind of their own. While occasionaly frustrating, these flaws are what provide the sense of immersion - you've crash landed on a foreign planet and have to command an army of sentient beings, of course it's going to be disorienting and awkward. The atmosphere of the game rhymes with it's control scheme in a way that no other game, Pikmin or not, has achieved since.
The controls and camera are clunky and unfamiliar, Pikmin don't go where you want them to and have a mind of their own. While occasionaly frustrating, these flaws are what provide the sense of immersion - you've crash landed on a foreign planet and have to command an army of sentient beings, of course it's going to be disorienting and awkward. The atmosphere of the game rhymes with it's control scheme in a way that no other game, Pikmin or not, has achieved since.
I think it must be hard to actually appreciate this game for what it is, without the bias of the series' current state of stagnancy. This was fresh, fun, and exciting for it's 2006 release. Unique bosses. Poker with Luigi. Versus Multiplayer. It's a damn good game.
There's a universe out there were the sequels iterated on the creativity of this title, rather than regressed on it.
There's a universe out there were the sequels iterated on the creativity of this title, rather than regressed on it.
I tried. I really did.
I like my Zelda bombastic, triumphant, and linear. I can appreciate the beauty in the ambience, maybe even if it simply wasn't under the 'Zelda' title I would have enjoyed it, but it just leaves me yearning for a feeling of adventure. Ironic, since I'm sure that's exactly what the aim of going open world was trying to achieve.
No doubt a truly excellent game, but it's not for me.
I like my Zelda bombastic, triumphant, and linear. I can appreciate the beauty in the ambience, maybe even if it simply wasn't under the 'Zelda' title I would have enjoyed it, but it just leaves me yearning for a feeling of adventure. Ironic, since I'm sure that's exactly what the aim of going open world was trying to achieve.
No doubt a truly excellent game, but it's not for me.
2011
'Minecraft' was once a piece of media that I truly believe deserved to be under the category of art, a liminal masterpiece. More so in it's alpha and beta releases, but true nonethless up until the Microsoft acquisition.
In terms of being 'a game', sure, it improved, but the plethora of new features have come at the expense of aesthetic, of atmosphere, and of soul.
It was so lonely. And that was beautiful.
In terms of being 'a game', sure, it improved, but the plethora of new features have come at the expense of aesthetic, of atmosphere, and of soul.
It was so lonely. And that was beautiful.