Cute! Wallace & Gromit is one of those things where I don't think about it a whole lot, but when I do, I remember just how much I like it. A video game hits a real sweet spot for me, then, particularly a tried-but-true 3D platformer.

The game definitely gets what it means to do Wallace & Gromit in the context of a video game. You play as Gromit and not Wallace; Wallace's contributions are in the inventions and weapons (all food-based, naturally) and in trying but largely failing to be part of the action pieces. There's very little dialogue, with most vocal lines delivered by an unsupportive narrator and Wallace monologuing to Gromit. Feathers McGraw - the penguin from "The Wrong Trousers" - is back, with the game's story acting as a sequel to his debut short. There are throwaway nods to the shorts scattered throughout, like the box of "Meatabix" (completely missed that pun as a kid). And as a cute legacy nod, animal designs are reused from "Creature Comforts" where applicable.

There's also a motif throughout of the game sneaking in nods to other video games. It's all on the sly, so don't expect any big parodic send-ups like you'd see out of Conker or Asterix. But if you're paying attention, you'll catch that the first room of the Panda enclosure is specifically homaging Metal Gear Solid, down to the sight gag involving Mei Ling's Codec number, and the Penguin enclosure boss fight being an Asteroids nod, down to the ice floes having the distinct wedge missing like the original Asteroids. It's my favorite type of reference humor, where they're made unobtrusively, and the game maintains its integrity even if you don't get it.

Like, they have a gorilla throwing barrels - the single most stock "I'm referencing a video game" joke you see in media. But it doesn't feel trite because the gorilla throwing the barrel isn't underlined by the text of the work; it's just part of the tapestry of the game world. It makes sense for the gorilla to throw barrels in the context of the narrative: Feathers has enslaved the other zoo animals to do his bidding and perform menial tasks; mindlessly chucking barrels as an ambiguous part of some machine is right in line with that. Does it matter if it's a reference? Nah, but that just makes it a cute shout-out.

I'll say the game's rarely interesting as a platformer. Platformers tend to be the safest genre you can develop in, and I don't think Project Zoo offers anything unique to the formula outside its theming. The weapons are cute but invite unfavorable comparisons with Ratchet & Clank. Gromit has a decently robust moveset, including an analogue to Mario's side somersault, but most of his moves feel stiff; Gromit definitely jumps more like an Ice Climber than a Plumber. That extended sequence in the Zebra Enclosure(?) is fun, though; running on an endless track through the belly of a great machine makes for a very Aardman set piece. But notice how it leans more on weapon-puzzles than platforming challenges?

Okay, but, like, speaking of that machine, you're spending the whole run trying to keep a cute baby polar bear with glasses from getting hurt. And if you fail, you have to watch the poor little guy get hurt and keel over! It's so heartbreaking!

Alright, alright. If you're looking for more Wallace & Gromit, this game will fit the bill nicely. If you're just looking for a 3D platformer, you could do better. But it ain't bad, and between its short length and solid variety of mechanics and set pieces, it shouldn't have trouble holding your interest.

A hugely endearing jank-fest from the days when the biggest companies in the business could afford to put major weight behind strange, experimental curios. An awful factory level at the mid-point drags it down, but otherwise, this is a riot. At just two or three hours long, there's no reason not to just sit down and give this thing a go.

I genuinely think a sequel would be an incredible time if they worked around some of the more awkward bits of design here. Unfortunately, the absurd cost of AAA development means that throwing the equivalent weight behind a sequel is a practical impossibility, which is just yet more reason to dismantle the entire games industry and start over from scratch.

It's also one of the most aesthetically pleasing games ever made and I'm not even remotely kidding. Possibly my favourite menus...ever????

Games don't have to be good to be great.

Holy shit, this is good. Tons of different modes, even better soundtrack(BLADE CHORD fucks tremendously), and every single character is super fun to play. 3D cutscenes in Story Mode were a little boring to watch though, considering characters don't move their faces at all, very stilted in that sense.

It also sucks that I had no one else to play this with. Obviously not the game's fault that none of my friends are into Musou, but I can only imagine how fun it'd be to play it with someone.

When I come back to Basara after this revisit, it'll either be this or 3/Utage.

The place where Hsu Hao's legend began.
All jokes aside, MK Deadly Alliance wasn't the sharpest sword in the bunch but it wasn't the dullest either.
Looking back at the roster, it wasn't a bad roster, it introduced a lot of new kharacters, be they even jobbers. (The song from the kharacter select screen is a certified hood classic)
Some fatalities were quite dubious, the gameplay was not the best thing ever, but at least it felt like MK.
The game suffered in my opinion because of the lack of game modes. The story mode they offered was very basic and uninteresting.

MK Deception brings memories to me, it was the best MK out of the 3D era ones. Huge improvement from Deadly Alliance which was pretty bad.
That intro where Onaga is introduced as the new main Villain is awesome, Raiden joins forces with the Deadly Alliance but they still can't even get a scratch on Onaga, what a great way to present a new kharacter.
The Konquest mode is where its at in this game. It was such a great adventure, exploring all the realms (Netherrealm, Earthrealm, Edenia, Outworld, Chaos Realm and Order Realm) in third person while doing quests. A game within a game, truly something to remember. I remember some of the voice acting was so atrocious it was actually funny:))
And while Shujinko wasn't the best kharacter ever, it was still cool to see him go from a child to an old master on his search for the Kamidogu.
Its definitely a top 5-3 in the MK Series and i wish they bringed back the Konquest mode.

This is, for a game from 1999, simply amazing. I grew up playing tycoon games mostly on Roblox (I know, kill me), and always had a fascination towards those that let me actually customize, or create my own world; and my god if only I had known about this game. It takes the idea of being a park manager, and perfectly encapsulates it within a pill of gaming greatness. Designing parks, dealing with complaints, expanding, trying new ideas, having a good selection of maps to play with; the customization of rides alone seems insanely cool to me for such an old game. All of this coming together to make a timeless feeling experience for me, and one that I can not wait to see expanded on in the next entries I explore.