2016
I put this down when I realized the only moment I had fun--and not dripping with sweat from anxiety or full of anger--was when that game-ending "VICTORY!" graphic hits the screen.
There's design here and there that's admirable, they make it feel good to movey and shooty as far as this lightly skilled FPS player can tell. But ultimately, the structure of its competitive aspect is not for me. Most aren't. So I uninstalled it during lockdown because, even with friends, I was just not having fun at all. Then the Blizzard fallout happened, and I was like "Hey what an easy boycott, avoiding Blizzard and Activision is easier than ever now!"
There's no real ethical consumption under capitalism, but hey this is the least I could do. Never playing 2 either.
There's design here and there that's admirable, they make it feel good to movey and shooty as far as this lightly skilled FPS player can tell. But ultimately, the structure of its competitive aspect is not for me. Most aren't. So I uninstalled it during lockdown because, even with friends, I was just not having fun at all. Then the Blizzard fallout happened, and I was like "Hey what an easy boycott, avoiding Blizzard and Activision is easier than ever now!"
There's no real ethical consumption under capitalism, but hey this is the least I could do. Never playing 2 either.
2013
An extremely satisfying roguelike that has great variety which easily insists on multiple playthroughs, Risk of Rain is a blast to play, especially with friends. It takes some time to understand the mechanics, and unlocking characters can be a bit of a chore, but damn is it good once you find your favorite explorer! Even more when you get those ace upgrades that help you lay waste on the otherworldly beasts.
Getting 3 other friends together and optimizing strategy as the worlds and enemies get tougher as you progress is so damn satisfying, and I love the art style. Your characters look so damn tiny, while the bosses are these gigantic, gorgeous sprites with great animation. It's always a sight to behold as you try your best to tear them down! Oh, and the music is tight.
Getting 3 other friends together and optimizing strategy as the worlds and enemies get tougher as you progress is so damn satisfying, and I love the art style. Your characters look so damn tiny, while the bosses are these gigantic, gorgeous sprites with great animation. It's always a sight to behold as you try your best to tear them down! Oh, and the music is tight.
2010
A cute little rhythm game that's pretty strict on reacting and learning the stage patterns! Bit.Trip Runner was a fairly early highlight in the indie sphere, despite first coming to fruition on WiiWare (whatever that was).
As someone that doesn't care for chiptune music most of the time, I actually found the soundtrack in this game very endearing. It has this atmosphere that's a little hard to pin down why I like it so much, but it fit the world perfectly. Not exactly ideal as a game that featured stereoscopic 3D, but I chipped time away on my 3DS with it either way.
As someone that doesn't care for chiptune music most of the time, I actually found the soundtrack in this game very endearing. It has this atmosphere that's a little hard to pin down why I like it so much, but it fit the world perfectly. Not exactly ideal as a game that featured stereoscopic 3D, but I chipped time away on my 3DS with it either way.
From what I understand, this entire package was originally to be sold as a single game, but there were troubles with its development, and SEGA saw a solution where the developers didn't have to make sacrifices, and they could essentially sell the game for twice the regular price.
Regardless how much of this was for the sake of helping out the developers or just plain ol' corporate greed, I've only ever played "S3&K" in its complete package. And . . . it's amazing! Such a huge assortment of levels, fantastic music, fun to play from beginning to end, challenging as hell (at least when I was a kid), and I loved the very light story between Sonic and Knuckles while pursuing the dastardly Eggman!
The only thing that sort of turns me off is the updated art style. Everything looked softer and more cartooney, whereas I adored Sonic 1 and 2's sharper nature. Otherwise, this is a jam-packed experience that set a precedence of what a Sonic game should be!
Regardless how much of this was for the sake of helping out the developers or just plain ol' corporate greed, I've only ever played "S3&K" in its complete package. And . . . it's amazing! Such a huge assortment of levels, fantastic music, fun to play from beginning to end, challenging as hell (at least when I was a kid), and I loved the very light story between Sonic and Knuckles while pursuing the dastardly Eggman!
The only thing that sort of turns me off is the updated art style. Everything looked softer and more cartooney, whereas I adored Sonic 1 and 2's sharper nature. Otherwise, this is a jam-packed experience that set a precedence of what a Sonic game should be!
1999
A competitive [REDACTED] in the style of sumo rules! Super Smash Bros. was EVERYTHING to me when I was 8 goddamn years old. I never experienced a crossover of such proportions (12 characters and I only liked about 7 of them). This was a brilliant swan song to the Nintendo 64 that probably didn't know it would start a monumental movement of BO brawlers for decades to come!
The gameplay is simplistic, but extremely satisfying. The sound effects are especially remarkable, and something the sequels never really captured after this. It's hard to explain, but I just love the audio feedback to nearly everything in this game, especially the heavy attacks that launch away the opponents! It's nice looking back at this franchise's humble beginnings.
While not being too aware of the entire cast at the time, I was absolutely floored the first time I unlocked Captain Falcon, being one of the few that knew who he was before this game. He's been my main ever since.
The gameplay is simplistic, but extremely satisfying. The sound effects are especially remarkable, and something the sequels never really captured after this. It's hard to explain, but I just love the audio feedback to nearly everything in this game, especially the heavy attacks that launch away the opponents! It's nice looking back at this franchise's humble beginnings.
While not being too aware of the entire cast at the time, I was absolutely floored the first time I unlocked Captain Falcon, being one of the few that knew who he was before this game. He's been my main ever since.
1996
Standing in the place of Sonic as a new generation of gaming opened up a new dimension to compete with Mario, Crash Bandicoot is a competent platformer with impressive presentation, especially for the mid-90s. The only thing that really holds it back from being a classic is how obtusely irritating a lot of the stage designs are. Perhaps it was to ensure players would take their time and hone their skills at this panicky platformer with a panicky protagonist, but this game wouldn't really meet legitimate quality in the sum of all its parts until the sequel!
The liberties they took to alter the ending to Travis Strikes Again's original story is a bit annoying (especially considering what little value that gave in the sequel), but that blemish is triumphed by the undeniably best Death Ball stage in the entire game, which is Killer Marathon. The best music, the most unique design, and the most challenging run that was clearly intended to be a trial-of-all-trials for those that have played through the main game (as it should be).
The interactions the characters have with its main boss at the end being completely unique between each-other was a very nice extra as well. This DLC piece still manages to be a fine closer to Travis Strikes Again as a whole.
The interactions the characters have with its main boss at the end being completely unique between each-other was a very nice extra as well. This DLC piece still manages to be a fine closer to Travis Strikes Again as a whole.
2006
Possibly as straight-forward as a sequel can get. Guitar Hero II builds upon the roaring foundation of the original game, and simply adds more to the experience, that's especially the case for the diverse music.
There isn't a lot to say about this experience, although its expanded multiplayer features were nice, such as the added bassline for all the songs. A slumbering beast that will soon awaken . . .
Also, the X-plorer guitar that came with the Xbox 360 port is amazing. It's still the best peripheral ever made for modern rhythm games.
There isn't a lot to say about this experience, although its expanded multiplayer features were nice, such as the added bassline for all the songs. A slumbering beast that will soon awaken . . .
Also, the X-plorer guitar that came with the Xbox 360 port is amazing. It's still the best peripheral ever made for modern rhythm games.
2003
It's neat looking back on this game and seeing how a rushed project can go so horribly wrong. What's more agitating than neat is thinking about all the awesome games Capcom could be porting, but one of their most hated/poorly reviewed games ever continues to survive on Playstation 4, Xbox One, Playstation 5, Xbox Series X, FUCKING NINTENDO SWITCH because it's simply part of this trilogy. There are underpaid programmers out there that make sure this game runs from beginning to end just as shitty as it did in 2002 or whatever on the latest hardware because of this factor. It's so strange to think about.
Anyway, game plays like ass, but don't skip it if you're getting into the series. It's bad, but at least it's easy. You don't deserve DMC at its 3 if you won't have it at its 2.
Anyway, game plays like ass, but don't skip it if you're getting into the series. It's bad, but at least it's easy. You don't deserve DMC at its 3 if you won't have it at its 2.
1989
I was always confused why Mega Man 2 was regarded as one of the greatest games of all time. This is honestly so much like the original Mega Man, that it only gets the merit of a slightly higher score from me because the level design is noticeably less obtuse. They made this game in under a year, so I wouldn't give them much flack for not really attempting to evolve the design in any meaningful way. Perhaps a sign for how this franchise would be handled for decades to come.
Even so, Mega Man 2 is a satisfying little action platformer that I can enjoy from time-to-time. Something I have to force myself into doing is experiment with the different weapon types against things other than the bosses. I think that's where the real meat is, which I missed on back when I was a kid.
Even so, Mega Man 2 is a satisfying little action platformer that I can enjoy from time-to-time. Something I have to force myself into doing is experiment with the different weapon types against things other than the bosses. I think that's where the real meat is, which I missed on back when I was a kid.
A $40 tech demo, Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D is cool in its own right. Especially when you were there in the 3DS' early days. It's very impressive how smoothly this game plays close to Resident Evil 4 and 5! And the novelty of reusing assets from those games isn't really too much of a blight, since you've never seen them "demade" in this way before.
Unfortunately, that only takes the experience so far. Enemy variety is extremely underwhelming, which is a huge misstep when the entire game is centered around slaying enemies and not much else. There's a lot of potential material (all from Resident Evil 4 and 5), but any RE veteran at the time will constantly think something is missing.
The playable characters themselves have plenty of variety, but it gets old when you're fighting the same exact ghouls and beasts over and over again. And over a decade later, the novelty of this game is kind of lost, especially since pretty much all Resident Evil games are playable on multiple handheld systems these days.
Unfortunately, that only takes the experience so far. Enemy variety is extremely underwhelming, which is a huge misstep when the entire game is centered around slaying enemies and not much else. There's a lot of potential material (all from Resident Evil 4 and 5), but any RE veteran at the time will constantly think something is missing.
The playable characters themselves have plenty of variety, but it gets old when you're fighting the same exact ghouls and beasts over and over again. And over a decade later, the novelty of this game is kind of lost, especially since pretty much all Resident Evil games are playable on multiple handheld systems these days.
1987
This does NOT reflect the NES port, as the original arcade version is practically a different game. A decent run-n-gun, but the sub-par controls and poor sense of movement makes it very underwhelming. I wouldn't give it too much flack, as it's one of the very first games of this subgenre.
2012
A pretty good shmup with tough patterns and gratifying weapons. The large enemy designs are also pretty charming, and I'm kind of a sucker for andromorphic characters that look groaty and disheveled. It makes them feel more real, if that makes sense. The story they carry is also mildly interesting, with gripping bits here and there. I also like that they kept the original Hungarian voice-acting.
The challenge of the bosses and their projectile trajectory is the real meat, and the game's story mode is pretty lenient with its continues and checkpoints. Apparently diagonal bullets are considered bad faux pas, but I wouldn't really know, this is not my subgenre at all.
The atmosphere is what helps me remember this game, goes for a good tech-y steampunk vibe, and Akira Yamaoka's contributions as head composer shine throughout.
The challenge of the bosses and their projectile trajectory is the real meat, and the game's story mode is pretty lenient with its continues and checkpoints. Apparently diagonal bullets are considered bad faux pas, but I wouldn't really know, this is not my subgenre at all.
The atmosphere is what helps me remember this game, goes for a good tech-y steampunk vibe, and Akira Yamaoka's contributions as head composer shine throughout.
1996
Contra STOPPED walking in the mid-90s so Metal Slug could run . . . AND GUN. And boy howdy, did this game run! Metal Slug 1 is such an impressive game with its expressive characters, giant enemy vehicles, and beautiful sprite work of this war between SD mercenaries and soldiers!
The gameplay is great too, with easy-to-understand mechanics and playing with a buddy can be a blast too! While the sequels would thrive with fantasy elements of all kinds, this was the only Metal Slug game that purely focused on "war" aspects and cartoon versions of actual military weapons and vehicles. Metal Slug X and 3 would be the peak of this game series, but I still love this original title and everything it stood for.
The gameplay is great too, with easy-to-understand mechanics and playing with a buddy can be a blast too! While the sequels would thrive with fantasy elements of all kinds, this was the only Metal Slug game that purely focused on "war" aspects and cartoon versions of actual military weapons and vehicles. Metal Slug X and 3 would be the peak of this game series, but I still love this original title and everything it stood for.
A very genuine--albeit vanilla--love letter to the Batman franchise. Batman: Arkham Asylum marks the first time a game company successfully blends two (of three) Batman's main aspects of crime-fighting. Stealth, and hand-to-hand combat (implementing actual detective work that meant more than using a visual filter would be something explored more thoroughly in the sequels).
The story itself is fairly strong, and offers some great moments that rivals other Batman-related media, a particular highlight would be the hallucination segments when confronting The Scarecrow. The rogue gallery first featured in this game are also a delight and bare designs that aren't ashamed of its over-the-top comic book origins. Most notably Bane and Killer Croc (might be a weird thing to harp about, but seeing later DC-related games merely try to ape the live action films' designs is depressing to think about).
The combat is pretty simple as far as brawlers go, but the way it's designed emphasizes how much you have to get through confrontations relatively unscathed, as enemies can bombard you pretty easily, but it just takes focus, positioning, and decent reaction-time to overcome. The game somewhat rewards you for being stylish with your attacks, as it grants more upgrade points, thus unlocking your full potential sooner. Stealth maps are also fun as they can sometimes let you be creative at how aggressive or discreet you can be.
Speaking more on comic-like visuals, I love the HUD and menus. All these blank white canvases covered in a heavy-black imagery of Batman, and all the character profile portraits drawn by David Hego were fantastic as well. I love how they provided homages to nearly all of Batman's villains, and scanning them provided full character profiles complete with a beautifully detailed drawing. This emphasizes how much this was a love letter to the franchise, and perhaps they thought they should give these characters some love since Rocksteady likely had no idea how well the game would sell.
Topped off with a Metroid-like world design, this newly-pillaged Arkham Asylum is really fun to explore and find all of its secrets! There are certain aspects the sequels would manage to improve upon, but as a pure Batman game, I don't think this series ever reached the peak that was the beginning.
The story itself is fairly strong, and offers some great moments that rivals other Batman-related media, a particular highlight would be the hallucination segments when confronting The Scarecrow. The rogue gallery first featured in this game are also a delight and bare designs that aren't ashamed of its over-the-top comic book origins. Most notably Bane and Killer Croc (might be a weird thing to harp about, but seeing later DC-related games merely try to ape the live action films' designs is depressing to think about).
The combat is pretty simple as far as brawlers go, but the way it's designed emphasizes how much you have to get through confrontations relatively unscathed, as enemies can bombard you pretty easily, but it just takes focus, positioning, and decent reaction-time to overcome. The game somewhat rewards you for being stylish with your attacks, as it grants more upgrade points, thus unlocking your full potential sooner. Stealth maps are also fun as they can sometimes let you be creative at how aggressive or discreet you can be.
Speaking more on comic-like visuals, I love the HUD and menus. All these blank white canvases covered in a heavy-black imagery of Batman, and all the character profile portraits drawn by David Hego were fantastic as well. I love how they provided homages to nearly all of Batman's villains, and scanning them provided full character profiles complete with a beautifully detailed drawing. This emphasizes how much this was a love letter to the franchise, and perhaps they thought they should give these characters some love since Rocksteady likely had no idea how well the game would sell.
Topped off with a Metroid-like world design, this newly-pillaged Arkham Asylum is really fun to explore and find all of its secrets! There are certain aspects the sequels would manage to improve upon, but as a pure Batman game, I don't think this series ever reached the peak that was the beginning.