Etanks
Every man dreams at least once of being the world's strongest... It does vary a bit... but everyone dreams of it. But everyone gives up on it at some point... When they lose a fight with their brother, when they run into a bully, when they learn the pain of their father's fists...Most people wind up moving on to other dreams. But... there's still a handful of men who refuse to give up on matter what, no matter who they run into, no matter how much they age...Ridiculous as it is...
1997
They made like 12 different fully animated cutscenes depending on how well you did in the tutorial so you gotta give credit where it's due.
2006
I wonder what will the Wii Sports be for my generation. No, not in the sense of a launch title that is more tech demo than fully realized game. Moreso what entertainment device is going to be plastered over every assisted living home in ~50 years?
This review contains spoilers
(Review at ~24 Hours of gameplay)
A game letting you think you're getting away with something while still balancing accordingly is a powerful motivator to keep playing.
DQM The Dark Prince might be the highest quality turn based battling that I've played in a new release in years, the difficulty curve perfectly compliments the progression of power as you fuse stronger and cooler monsters. I'm on the verge of 12 different decision trees all converging in satisfying ways resulting in systems that feel like cheating but the game is gently pushing you along the entire time. As a consideration, I took notes while playing the game and I feel it improved my experience immensely.
At present the game has shown me 28.8% of its 500+ monster catalog. That tells me that there is not only more content to be seen, but there are plenty of gaps in my bestiary to suggest the creation of even more monster combinations of strategic growth and battle strategies.
I've performed just shy of 100 fusions, where I'm confident over 80% of them result in original species. This means I'm in a constant cycle of making new Monsters, searching for the path of evolution to make the next higher tier.
I've won 318 battles. Between the overworld encounters, arena fights, bosses, and encounters to recruit more monsters, 104 successfully ended in scouting a monster. These are important numbers because it's showing that a third of the time I got into a battle, it was building up my strength through acquiring raw resources, and 2/3rds of the time building up the strength of my team by cultivating resources I already had.
Like all great "Number Go Up" games, it comes down to resource management on a micro and macro scale. Read my Fire Emblem post if you haven't and want to, but I kind of articulate this that if you are investing your gametime into different avenues of getting more powerful, the cohesion for replaying the game is a lot stronger. Your team is getting stronger, your skills are getting stronger. It’s very engaging as you are juggling present and future investments to create the ultimate team of strong and silly guys.
I already believe I’ll put in an embarrassing number of hours into this game. Will the game stick the narrative landing? They’ve handled this game and characters with care, even if I don’t LIKE Toilin, the themes he represents about humanity being guilty and innocent on his path to seek revenge against his father as a representation of the world. The fact that the game is giving this Monsters spinoff something to work with shows that this is both a fully fleshed out game with more voice acting that 4 Treasures stapled together, and something that will appease long term fans as they wait for more information and news on mainline entries.
So this game is an instant recommendation if you enjoy making complex decision matrices, love anti-hero stories, and can’t help but like a picture of a Slime on social media.
Next update at 48 hours or credits, whichever comes first.
A game letting you think you're getting away with something while still balancing accordingly is a powerful motivator to keep playing.
DQM The Dark Prince might be the highest quality turn based battling that I've played in a new release in years, the difficulty curve perfectly compliments the progression of power as you fuse stronger and cooler monsters. I'm on the verge of 12 different decision trees all converging in satisfying ways resulting in systems that feel like cheating but the game is gently pushing you along the entire time. As a consideration, I took notes while playing the game and I feel it improved my experience immensely.
At present the game has shown me 28.8% of its 500+ monster catalog. That tells me that there is not only more content to be seen, but there are plenty of gaps in my bestiary to suggest the creation of even more monster combinations of strategic growth and battle strategies.
I've performed just shy of 100 fusions, where I'm confident over 80% of them result in original species. This means I'm in a constant cycle of making new Monsters, searching for the path of evolution to make the next higher tier.
I've won 318 battles. Between the overworld encounters, arena fights, bosses, and encounters to recruit more monsters, 104 successfully ended in scouting a monster. These are important numbers because it's showing that a third of the time I got into a battle, it was building up my strength through acquiring raw resources, and 2/3rds of the time building up the strength of my team by cultivating resources I already had.
Like all great "Number Go Up" games, it comes down to resource management on a micro and macro scale. Read my Fire Emblem post if you haven't and want to, but I kind of articulate this that if you are investing your gametime into different avenues of getting more powerful, the cohesion for replaying the game is a lot stronger. Your team is getting stronger, your skills are getting stronger. It’s very engaging as you are juggling present and future investments to create the ultimate team of strong and silly guys.
I already believe I’ll put in an embarrassing number of hours into this game. Will the game stick the narrative landing? They’ve handled this game and characters with care, even if I don’t LIKE Toilin, the themes he represents about humanity being guilty and innocent on his path to seek revenge against his father as a representation of the world. The fact that the game is giving this Monsters spinoff something to work with shows that this is both a fully fleshed out game with more voice acting that 4 Treasures stapled together, and something that will appease long term fans as they wait for more information and news on mainline entries.
So this game is an instant recommendation if you enjoy making complex decision matrices, love anti-hero stories, and can’t help but like a picture of a Slime on social media.
Next update at 48 hours or credits, whichever comes first.
1985
You can tell why this is one of the classics
2000
Insanely fun arcade style shooter where your observational skills hold a stronger sway over your success than pure reaction time and aim.
A spectacle that will make you forget it's an N64 game, with deliciously hammy line deliver carries shades of Evangelion though not nearly as pretentious.
Easier to play now thanks to Switch Online, I implore you to give this game the hours it demands, which sometimes requires being kicked back to the beginning.
A spectacle that will make you forget it's an N64 game, with deliciously hammy line deliver carries shades of Evangelion though not nearly as pretentious.
Easier to play now thanks to Switch Online, I implore you to give this game the hours it demands, which sometimes requires being kicked back to the beginning.
2001
Very well may have been the last video game my grandfather played before his passing.
Semper games.
Semper games.
Ingenious timewaster game. The microgames are the initial allure and focus but the real prize is just the sheer lineup of variety on display.
I respect this game for knowing when to end on a proper final boss after the collection of all the dragon balls it outlines at the start, but the core concept of collecting treasures is simply not rewarding enough to keep you engaged.
To it's credit, it's called Dragon Quest Treasures not Monsters, so the lackluster enemy and by extension tamable monster variety can't be too responsible for its average quality. There are plenty of treasures to collect, beyond statues of series protagonists & weapons, there are gags that hardcore fans will chuckle at their inclusion. However reiterating my main point, you'll be watching the "digging up treasure animation" 200 times too many in a single playthrough, when what's inside the chest is just a numerical representation of your progress to the next story objective being easier to reach.
The story starts off charming enough, but in my opinion doesn't lean into its world and characters both original and returning to warrant any amount of emotional investment, if you're into that sort of thing. Maybe my sights are set a little too high for a series that spins the European Accent Roulette Wheel at every opportunity, but this game presented concepts that if properly explored, would've been welcomed to incite the player to keep progressing.
Combat once you understand it's shallow depth boils down to playing support for the toughest team of monsters you can muster, using your wellspring of wealth to purchase buffing bullets to assist your allies (see, I can write for these games). Then when the moment is right, burn special meter to bomb the entire arena, leaving you wondering exactly who thought the combat was a good idea.
This game is a fanservice title in everything but name and branding, but where the service lies is just not engaging enough even for hardcore fans to want to wade through to appreciate. I can't recommend this game to anyone but those inflicted with the most severely affected with Dragon Quest 11 brainrot. I enjoyed playing it, but was gradually worn down by the end that I was glad it was over.
To it's credit, it's called Dragon Quest Treasures not Monsters, so the lackluster enemy and by extension tamable monster variety can't be too responsible for its average quality. There are plenty of treasures to collect, beyond statues of series protagonists & weapons, there are gags that hardcore fans will chuckle at their inclusion. However reiterating my main point, you'll be watching the "digging up treasure animation" 200 times too many in a single playthrough, when what's inside the chest is just a numerical representation of your progress to the next story objective being easier to reach.
The story starts off charming enough, but in my opinion doesn't lean into its world and characters both original and returning to warrant any amount of emotional investment, if you're into that sort of thing. Maybe my sights are set a little too high for a series that spins the European Accent Roulette Wheel at every opportunity, but this game presented concepts that if properly explored, would've been welcomed to incite the player to keep progressing.
Combat once you understand it's shallow depth boils down to playing support for the toughest team of monsters you can muster, using your wellspring of wealth to purchase buffing bullets to assist your allies (see, I can write for these games). Then when the moment is right, burn special meter to bomb the entire arena, leaving you wondering exactly who thought the combat was a good idea.
This game is a fanservice title in everything but name and branding, but where the service lies is just not engaging enough even for hardcore fans to want to wade through to appreciate. I can't recommend this game to anyone but those inflicted with the most severely affected with Dragon Quest 11 brainrot. I enjoyed playing it, but was gradually worn down by the end that I was glad it was over.
2021
OOF!
Record Scratch
Right in the Guilty Gears!
Record Scratch
Right in the Guilty Gears!
2005
In Kingdom Hearts 1: Attacking enemies is like smashing a bug with a big stick you found on the ground, it takes timing and courage but you can smack em real good.
In Kingdom Hearts 2: You are effortless swinging a 3 trillion folded katana lightsaber through the air, foes are slashed in twain before you.
Summons in Kingdom Hearts 1: Call upon animal friends and magical spirits to perform unique attacks many of which are analogous to functions present in Final Fantasy games.
Summons in Kingdom Hearts 2: Chicken Little from Chicken Little (2005) is here. He is obscenely good.
In Kingdom Hearts 2: You are effortless swinging a 3 trillion folded katana lightsaber through the air, foes are slashed in twain before you.
Summons in Kingdom Hearts 1: Call upon animal friends and magical spirits to perform unique attacks many of which are analogous to functions present in Final Fantasy games.
Summons in Kingdom Hearts 2: Chicken Little from Chicken Little (2005) is here. He is obscenely good.
Lacking in polish in a lot of aspects, copy abilities, boss fights, etc. Against all this, it is far more satisfying to unlock new parts of the map and find treasures like maps and life upgrades as a result of solving "puzzles" than simply checking a collectable off a list.
2000
If this game scares you off from the depth of the mechanics, just think of all the people that call this game bad because they can't read, and power through with the smug satisfaction that you can in fact read and understand numbers.
If this game triggers your aversion towards Final Fantasy writing and tropes, suck it up.
The game looks beautiful, sounds beautiful, and is a solo dungeon crawl that rewards careful planning and masterful execution equally.
If this game triggers your aversion towards Final Fantasy writing and tropes, suck it up.
The game looks beautiful, sounds beautiful, and is a solo dungeon crawl that rewards careful planning and masterful execution equally.
2001
Pac Man Arrangement and Pac Attack got me through too many car rides for me to dislike this game.
2021
Litmus test for how badly you need to have you hand held in understanding a piece of media both mechanically and conceptually.