Unlike Symphony of the Night, Aria of Sorrow is a much more tightly constructed, wonderfully interconnected world. It plays it a lot safer in a lot of areas which for me acted as a bit of a detriment but it is still a great game.
The soul system is a sick idea but due to it being mainly luck-based, it leads to some areas being a bit more difficult due to not having a specific enemy's ability, and switching between movement abilities on the fly sometimes feels a bit redundant since you have to go to the menu every time, akin to some games on the N64 cough Ocarina of Time cough. The game understands the Metroid formula really well for the most part, usually whenever you obtain a new item or ability there will immediately be an area that will spring to the forefront of your mind where you can use your newfound powerup.
The difficulty for the most part is fine, there's never really a point in the game where you feel overwhelmed excluding sequence breaking and going to an area where you should obviously not be (which I did multiple times on accident). Now when I say for the most part I mean practically all of the game except for the absolutely bullshit fight which is with Death, and holy SHIT is this fight completely unfair, I spent around an hour trying to beat him - which is about 1/6th of how long it took me to complete the game - and that should put everything into perspective.
The story is a story, at least with the regular ending that is so abrupt that it genuinely made me laugh when I first got it, but the true ending is pretty damn cool. The characters all have amazing designs, and the animation is gorgeous but it's Konami so this should be expected. My main gripe is just that the characters aren't too interesting or memorable, and a lot of conversations feel rushed or pointless.
Compared to SotN the soundtrack pales in comparison, where Alucard's journey took pride in beautiful, haunting pieces that were each unique in their own way and extremely memorable, Aria of Sorrow's feels derivative and honestly I can't really remember any of the music.
Overall it's a solid game, textbook Metroidvania - short and fun as hell - but whoever thought the Death fight was balanced, fuck you.
The soul system is a sick idea but due to it being mainly luck-based, it leads to some areas being a bit more difficult due to not having a specific enemy's ability, and switching between movement abilities on the fly sometimes feels a bit redundant since you have to go to the menu every time, akin to some games on the N64 cough Ocarina of Time cough. The game understands the Metroid formula really well for the most part, usually whenever you obtain a new item or ability there will immediately be an area that will spring to the forefront of your mind where you can use your newfound powerup.
The difficulty for the most part is fine, there's never really a point in the game where you feel overwhelmed excluding sequence breaking and going to an area where you should obviously not be (which I did multiple times on accident). Now when I say for the most part I mean practically all of the game except for the absolutely bullshit fight which is with Death, and holy SHIT is this fight completely unfair, I spent around an hour trying to beat him - which is about 1/6th of how long it took me to complete the game - and that should put everything into perspective.
The story is a story, at least with the regular ending that is so abrupt that it genuinely made me laugh when I first got it, but the true ending is pretty damn cool. The characters all have amazing designs, and the animation is gorgeous but it's Konami so this should be expected. My main gripe is just that the characters aren't too interesting or memorable, and a lot of conversations feel rushed or pointless.
Compared to SotN the soundtrack pales in comparison, where Alucard's journey took pride in beautiful, haunting pieces that were each unique in their own way and extremely memorable, Aria of Sorrow's feels derivative and honestly I can't really remember any of the music.
Overall it's a solid game, textbook Metroidvania - short and fun as hell - but whoever thought the Death fight was balanced, fuck you.
1998
Valve just gets game design. They fully understand how to get a player to keep pushing through their game - by cutting up chapters into short segments, they take you through different environments in quick succession, slowly building upon your arsenal while introducing new enemies or story tidbits. For the most part, this game is paced perfectly, it is almost always clear where to go (which is a pretty big deal for a game in the late 90’s), the gunplay is so satisfying yet challenging, there’s no real handicap to your weapons, and it makes certain encounters that much more tense. The storytelling is super impressive (especially the ending for me), I found that the story was quite deceptive, which other people don’t really point out, but I am pretty stupid. Some events are kind of ridiculous like the assassins, but for the most part the game does do well at replicating how an event like this would unfold in the real world - I love the whole idea to do with the marines, it kind of shocked me the first time. While there are moments of unrelenting tedium or just straight up boring chapters like “On a Rail” or the infamous “Xen”, the bigger problem for me was the steep difficulty spikes that randomly occured, which are not only frustrating, but fatal to the game’s overall pacing at times - say if you accidentally run out of ammo at a specific point you might have to restart that section from an old save - something which, as I pointed out, is crucial to what makes Valve games so good (and fun). But even with that, Half Life is still a brilliant experience, and a game that I feel everyone needs to play, to gain an understanding of how Valve continues to evolve with each new game they make.
Skyward Sword is often the punching bag for a lot of criticism. Set as a prequel to the series, it tells a strong story much like the other games, but it isn't really the focus. The motion controls are what most people find faults with, yet I never really had any problems, even around 8 years ago when I first played it. It is quite fun to strategise how to defeat enemies by altering the direction of the controller (except for some fights), but I can see how it would affect the experience if the sensor wasn't working properly. It also introduced a lot of creative ideas like the stamina wheel which was later utilised in Breath of the Wild (in a much better way I might add), upgrading your own weapons is also a really nice touch and its fun to try to gather materials.
But, where Skyward Sword really shines for me though, is in its dungeons and soundtrack. The dungeons are some of the best you will find in the series, every single one is distinct from one another, and wonderfully designed. The ones that stand out to me though, are the time-ship and Ancient Cistern. Both have some incredible ideas to them, whether it be gameplay or narrative wise, and their atmosphere is transcendent. The soundtrack would definitely be near the top as well, some of the songs on here are gorgeous and a lot of them fit dungeons and individual areas perfectly.
My main gripes with this game are some of the bossfights, while Koloktos may be the best ever in the franchise, and the final fight is amazing as always, a lot of the rest are mediocre or overly frustrating. Fighting The Imprisoned 3 times is the dumbest fucking idea ever. Another problem is the spirit trials, while they are tense when you first start them, they quickly form a steep difficulty curve and are again, tedious. But the biggest problem here is the Sky, much like Wind Waker with it's vast open sea, it forms the backbone of the game, you are traversing through here a lot, yet, its empty. There is absolutely nothing to do, and it wastes a lot of potential on what could have been a joy to explore. And of course, Fi, but I don't really need to elaborate on that it is probably the most noticeable flaw. I think a lot of my praise for this game is underpinned my nostalgia bias, but I also find a lot of the ideas it presents here are creative and a few of them would be the building-blocks for the next, massive entry.
8/10
But, where Skyward Sword really shines for me though, is in its dungeons and soundtrack. The dungeons are some of the best you will find in the series, every single one is distinct from one another, and wonderfully designed. The ones that stand out to me though, are the time-ship and Ancient Cistern. Both have some incredible ideas to them, whether it be gameplay or narrative wise, and their atmosphere is transcendent. The soundtrack would definitely be near the top as well, some of the songs on here are gorgeous and a lot of them fit dungeons and individual areas perfectly.
My main gripes with this game are some of the bossfights, while Koloktos may be the best ever in the franchise, and the final fight is amazing as always, a lot of the rest are mediocre or overly frustrating. Fighting The Imprisoned 3 times is the dumbest fucking idea ever. Another problem is the spirit trials, while they are tense when you first start them, they quickly form a steep difficulty curve and are again, tedious. But the biggest problem here is the Sky, much like Wind Waker with it's vast open sea, it forms the backbone of the game, you are traversing through here a lot, yet, its empty. There is absolutely nothing to do, and it wastes a lot of potential on what could have been a joy to explore. And of course, Fi, but I don't really need to elaborate on that it is probably the most noticeable flaw. I think a lot of my praise for this game is underpinned my nostalgia bias, but I also find a lot of the ideas it presents here are creative and a few of them would be the building-blocks for the next, massive entry.
8/10
Solid introduction for people that want to try some difficult games, the skill curve is way too steep especially with the last 2 levels but I find the first few to be well crafted. The pixel art on display here is absolutely gorgeous, and some bossfights function so well for their time. The weapons are really unbalanced though, spread and the homing rockets are way more effective than the others, some of them even feel like a downgrade at times. For the level design I find the top-down levels to be really interesting but their execution leaves a lot to be desired and they are almost nauseating at times, and the run n’ gun levels have some epic music to accompany them but they sometimes feel really unfair (which is a staple of the genre I guess). Either way, if you want to get into series like Contra and Ghouls n’ Ghosts (I dont know why you would want to in the first place) then check this one out.
7/10
7/10
Haven’t actually played this or seen how shit the port is, but Mori Calliope’s song compared to themes as iconic as “Snake Eater” and MGS2’s main theme is the funniest fucking thing ever. Thank you Konami.
Pure magic. Breath of the Wild is a benchmark for the medium, and a masterclass in game design.
There isn’t a whole lot I can add to the praises or critiques of Breath of the Wild as it has been played by a majority of people (whether they are familiar with the franchise or not) and this is a game completely dependent on how much you, as the player, are willing to explore and toy around with the mechanics. I never really got around to this game earlier as I’m not too fond of open-world games, I feel that their worlds usually lack a purpose to be designed how they are and come off poorly executed, which often leads to me streamlining the story. The weird thing about BotW is that it severely underperforms in areas that other open world games excel in, yet this lack of story and other crucial parts of a game somehow lead to the most enjoyable experience I’ve had with a game.
There’s a lot of cases to be made about the flaws of this game and I certainly agree with most of them, but that still didn’t stop me from having fun during the 80-90 hours I put in. I honestly cannot name a single time where I got fed up or bored of the game, and that is something I can’t apply to any other game. Gliding down from snow-covered mountains, surfing on your shield down a steep hill, flying through the air by utilising stasis, killing bokoblins in a multitude of ways at their huts, getting brutally massacred by the sudden appearance of a guardian or two (or the other way around), climbing up rocky cliffs, walking or riding a horse through lush green plains, these should get repetitive and consequently boring after a while, but it never happened to me, even with the narrow range of enemies.
I find that the only way someone would not have fun with this game is if they limit themselves and their mind. This is a game where creativity takes centre stage, but unlike a typical sandbox game, this creativity is intertwined with the regular gameplay. If you can dream up a way to pass a certain shrine, kill an enemy, climb a tower or something else, put it into practice and you’ll find that it most likely works. Much like cooking up a meal in this game, by combining different ingredients you can either make something that is gourmet level, or garbage, and after all, that’s the fun of it, isn’t it?
There isn’t a whole lot I can add to the praises or critiques of Breath of the Wild as it has been played by a majority of people (whether they are familiar with the franchise or not) and this is a game completely dependent on how much you, as the player, are willing to explore and toy around with the mechanics. I never really got around to this game earlier as I’m not too fond of open-world games, I feel that their worlds usually lack a purpose to be designed how they are and come off poorly executed, which often leads to me streamlining the story. The weird thing about BotW is that it severely underperforms in areas that other open world games excel in, yet this lack of story and other crucial parts of a game somehow lead to the most enjoyable experience I’ve had with a game.
There’s a lot of cases to be made about the flaws of this game and I certainly agree with most of them, but that still didn’t stop me from having fun during the 80-90 hours I put in. I honestly cannot name a single time where I got fed up or bored of the game, and that is something I can’t apply to any other game. Gliding down from snow-covered mountains, surfing on your shield down a steep hill, flying through the air by utilising stasis, killing bokoblins in a multitude of ways at their huts, getting brutally massacred by the sudden appearance of a guardian or two (or the other way around), climbing up rocky cliffs, walking or riding a horse through lush green plains, these should get repetitive and consequently boring after a while, but it never happened to me, even with the narrow range of enemies.
I find that the only way someone would not have fun with this game is if they limit themselves and their mind. This is a game where creativity takes centre stage, but unlike a typical sandbox game, this creativity is intertwined with the regular gameplay. If you can dream up a way to pass a certain shrine, kill an enemy, climb a tower or something else, put it into practice and you’ll find that it most likely works. Much like cooking up a meal in this game, by combining different ingredients you can either make something that is gourmet level, or garbage, and after all, that’s the fun of it, isn’t it?
Absolutely fucking immaculate. This game is far and away my favourite Ace Attorney experience so far and one of my favourite games ever, and I would be extremely surprised if something manages to top this.
For starters, almost everything is improved on from the original trilogy: The cases are more intriguing and there's hardly one that's not "good", the characters are so so much better (excluding maybe the prosecutor), the investigation periods are less tedious, it's funnier, and holy shit I thought Trials & Tribulations was well planned out, this game one-ups it in every single damn way, tying in practically every case in the outstanding culmination that is "The Resolve of Ryunosuke Naruhodo".
If that wasn't enough the plot twists are batshit crazy, genuinely stuff I'd never expect especially the one(s) in the final case that left me practically speechless. The time period allows for more insightful topics like Case 1 of TGAA2 although perhaps we could tone down on the slurs. For the characters, I LOVE Susato to death, she is so much more interesting than Maya (not to say that Maya is necessarily a bad character) and she doesn't explicitly give you answers and appear at the most random moments when you are about to lose (like a certain someone). Herlock Sholmes is the greatest character ever and there is no debate - I would honestly replay this game just to laugh at his antics and his stupid ass dialogue and faces. Barok Van Zieks is such a brilliant prosecutor, his reasoning for hating the Japanese is pretty ridiculous but putting that aside I love how he doesn't fuck around, he almost always has a reason to contradict what you might have found out during a summation examination or something and it feels so real, he doesn't pretend to get faked out like the prosecutors in the originals. I love Iris as well and the whole thing to do with her family is just so beautiful. The entire side cast is just so damn good it's honestly unreal that it obliterates the original trilogy, a game that already had a fantastic and endearing cast.
Ryunosuke is genuinely light years better than Phoenix as a character as well, his whole thing to do with resolve may come off as corny or uninspired at times but when it hits, it fucking HITS. When he just goes from being nervous to not giving a shit and doing anything possible to unravel the truth is so damn satisfying, especially with how quickly it tested his spirit and questioned a lawyer's morals in TGAA1.
For the gameplay it stays mostly the same although the new additions are mostly welcome, I do enjoy the summation examinations although sometimes the jury's reasonings are just complete bullshit like "Well he looks like a nice man"??? But obviously, the best addition here is the Logic and Deduction parts which are just so much fun, the music just gets you hyped up, and even though it's mostly simple it is so enjoyable to solve cases with Herlock.
The animations felt jarring at first, but once you get used to them they almost overshadow the goofy static ones from its predecessor, it allows for so much more expression from characters and makes certain parts a lot more memorable (Susato punching the air or Barok Van Zieks throwing a wine bottle for the 30th time). And god damn the music is such a banger, Kazuma's theme, Susato's, pursuing a contradiction, even indoors the music is so cozy, it's all so perfect.
It's so fitting that it's called the Great Ace Attorney since it truly is that, a game that just improves upon everything that made its predecessors so loveable.
For starters, almost everything is improved on from the original trilogy: The cases are more intriguing and there's hardly one that's not "good", the characters are so so much better (excluding maybe the prosecutor), the investigation periods are less tedious, it's funnier, and holy shit I thought Trials & Tribulations was well planned out, this game one-ups it in every single damn way, tying in practically every case in the outstanding culmination that is "The Resolve of Ryunosuke Naruhodo".
If that wasn't enough the plot twists are batshit crazy, genuinely stuff I'd never expect especially the one(s) in the final case that left me practically speechless. The time period allows for more insightful topics like Case 1 of TGAA2 although perhaps we could tone down on the slurs. For the characters, I LOVE Susato to death, she is so much more interesting than Maya (not to say that Maya is necessarily a bad character) and she doesn't explicitly give you answers and appear at the most random moments when you are about to lose (like a certain someone). Herlock Sholmes is the greatest character ever and there is no debate - I would honestly replay this game just to laugh at his antics and his stupid ass dialogue and faces. Barok Van Zieks is such a brilliant prosecutor, his reasoning for hating the Japanese is pretty ridiculous but putting that aside I love how he doesn't fuck around, he almost always has a reason to contradict what you might have found out during a summation examination or something and it feels so real, he doesn't pretend to get faked out like the prosecutors in the originals. I love Iris as well and the whole thing to do with her family is just so beautiful. The entire side cast is just so damn good it's honestly unreal that it obliterates the original trilogy, a game that already had a fantastic and endearing cast.
Ryunosuke is genuinely light years better than Phoenix as a character as well, his whole thing to do with resolve may come off as corny or uninspired at times but when it hits, it fucking HITS. When he just goes from being nervous to not giving a shit and doing anything possible to unravel the truth is so damn satisfying, especially with how quickly it tested his spirit and questioned a lawyer's morals in TGAA1.
For the gameplay it stays mostly the same although the new additions are mostly welcome, I do enjoy the summation examinations although sometimes the jury's reasonings are just complete bullshit like "Well he looks like a nice man"??? But obviously, the best addition here is the Logic and Deduction parts which are just so much fun, the music just gets you hyped up, and even though it's mostly simple it is so enjoyable to solve cases with Herlock.
The animations felt jarring at first, but once you get used to them they almost overshadow the goofy static ones from its predecessor, it allows for so much more expression from characters and makes certain parts a lot more memorable (Susato punching the air or Barok Van Zieks throwing a wine bottle for the 30th time). And god damn the music is such a banger, Kazuma's theme, Susato's, pursuing a contradiction, even indoors the music is so cozy, it's all so perfect.
It's so fitting that it's called the Great Ace Attorney since it truly is that, a game that just improves upon everything that made its predecessors so loveable.
2005
My favourite RE game, generic pick but it deserves it. RE4 is more action oriented than its predecessors but still manages to retain the horror RE is known for at its best moments. It does have a bit of a goofy story but manages to keep an unnerving tension till the end with some fun characters to witness. One of the strongest parts of RE4 is its pacing, it never really drags on in individual areas and is constantly exposing you to different places with unique atmospheres that are suffocating. Another strong point is its gameplay, by limiting Leon's actions while aiming there's a lot of pressure while shooting but it makes the gameplay far better, and by utilizing an upgrade system and a solid melee foundation, it does impact the seriousness of some moments but it also reinforces its goofy ideas and I love when games aren't afraid to go through with something different. RE4 also introduced the industry to QTE sequences so you can take that as a positive or negative, but it’s implementation of a third-person camera was also genius and its unique way of sorting the inventory may put some people off, but it’s somehow fun. Ashley’s part does bring some pretty steep lows, but navigating an AI will never be fun gameplay. Overall, it's just a great time through and through and nails the hybrid between action and horror.
9.5/10
9.5/10
2013
Much like the rest of Rockstar’s games, GTA V's gameplay leaves a lot to be desired. The mechanics that were a fatal flaw in RDR1 have been reinvented although the cover system is still absolutely horrendous which is hardly a surprise. Anyway the main story is actually pretty strong, a lot of the missions are really well paced and they usually include a variety of weapons/vehicles to use and different playstyles, sometimes youre guns blazing others, its a stealth level. Some of them feel like they were not playtested at all as there is a severe difficulty spike for no reason whatsoever (the drug farm mansion mission whatever, who the fuck thought it was balanced) and the plane flying missions are a pain in the ass because the controls are so janky but it helps that they can be skipped. For the actual characters and plot, I didn’t get super far in (only around 15 hours) but a majority of the cast is just written to be the most unlikeable pricks although Trevor is pretty funny at his best moments, Michael I couldn’t stand at all and Franklin is pretty chill, but up to the point I got to I found the story to be kind of interesting.
Where GTA V really stagnates for me though is the time between missions, not only does it keep the traditional style of “drive to the mission only to drive from point A to B to get to the actual start of the mission” (which is so fucking outdated I really hope 6 fixes this) but even the freedom-centric gameplay that made GTA stand out in the first place (many years ago I might add) gets boring over time. It’s fun at first to just drive like a lunatic and try and get as many stars as possible for a cop chase but this also becomes less enjoyable over time - especially when the criteria of getting a 5* is bullshit. Even the side missions are repetitive and dull, unlike previous entries where you could pass your time by having an entirely different job like an ambulance or taxi driver, the missions here are just participate in a running race or race in your car or cycle, which is just straight up boring half the time.
Overall, it is a good game, and it does have its moments where it shines but they are too few and far between, and a lot of potential is squandered by not trying anything new. Sure having the liberty to do whatever you wanted back when GTA 3 and San Andreas came out, but it was 10 years since then (at least when this game initially released) there’s got to be a different way to make your game engaging instead of relying on past mechanics, and even then downgrading some parts of the game for no apparent reason is a weird choice, either way its an iconic game that practically everyone has played so there’s not much new I can say about it.
7/10
Where GTA V really stagnates for me though is the time between missions, not only does it keep the traditional style of “drive to the mission only to drive from point A to B to get to the actual start of the mission” (which is so fucking outdated I really hope 6 fixes this) but even the freedom-centric gameplay that made GTA stand out in the first place (many years ago I might add) gets boring over time. It’s fun at first to just drive like a lunatic and try and get as many stars as possible for a cop chase but this also becomes less enjoyable over time - especially when the criteria of getting a 5* is bullshit. Even the side missions are repetitive and dull, unlike previous entries where you could pass your time by having an entirely different job like an ambulance or taxi driver, the missions here are just participate in a running race or race in your car or cycle, which is just straight up boring half the time.
Overall, it is a good game, and it does have its moments where it shines but they are too few and far between, and a lot of potential is squandered by not trying anything new. Sure having the liberty to do whatever you wanted back when GTA 3 and San Andreas came out, but it was 10 years since then (at least when this game initially released) there’s got to be a different way to make your game engaging instead of relying on past mechanics, and even then downgrading some parts of the game for no apparent reason is a weird choice, either way its an iconic game that practically everyone has played so there’s not much new I can say about it.
7/10
Ocarina of Time’s Hyrule and Majora’s Mask Termina are both technically “open” worlds - the individual areas are segmented and limited to one place but most importantly, you can go anywhere you want, yet they still feel limiting and almost like a “hub-world”. But with Wind Waker, Nintendo took this formula and went absolutely crazy with it: Vast open-seas that you can sail across - littered with secrets like mini-games, fairy islands, indimidating enemies and side quests - the “fake” freedom that was present in OoT and MM has vanished, you can go to any part of the map and more than likely find something to do there - sound like any other game?
What makes Wind Waker so special to me though is its characters. The iteration of Ganon is far and away my favourite, the impact he makes during his short time is incredible, and I love the route they took with him; a full contrast to the man we saw in OoT. The rest of the cast is also strong, I love Tetra and the Red Lion King, and regular npcs are fun to talk with. Even the combat and general movement is improved immensely - the clunkiness that was present in the prior games while in combat is gone, and your traversal is made better because rolling is actually useful and there is now a grappling hook and a more polished hookshot. And god damn the soundtrack, Zelda games never miss the target with it but that triumphant music as you glide across the seas with the wind pushing you forward is unrivalled. The upbeat tunes of Dragon Roost and Outset island are iconic, and the evil, villainous music that plays when you enter a fight is epic. Hell, even the title track is a hit. The art style is especially notable here, at first it was downplayed when the trailer was shown but then the game released and everyone loved it. In comparison to both OoT’s and MM’s murkiness and oppressive style, Wind Waker’s is a lot more childish and artsy, which I think fits perfectly.
My only real gripe with the game is the dungeons. While the actual boss fights are incredible, I can’t help but feel underwhelmed by the actual dungeons themselves, especially when comparing them to OoT’s. Really the only good one is Forsaken Fortress, and even then I’m unsure whether to call that a dungeon, but the rest feel generic and rushed. It feels like all of the time went in to creating the world (which is completely fair). My only other nitpick is from the original game, changing the wind direction is interesting at first, but it quickly gets stale and frustrating. The remaster completely fixes this via the fast sail, a perfect addition that is only able to be obtained at a specific time, which doesn’t fully nullify the wind mechanic, but also arrives just in time for when it may get boring - fantastic game design.
Wind Waker for me is a very important game. It’s the first Zelda I ever played, and introduced me to the wonderful franchise. While I think it is an incredible game that could easily be considered a masterpiece, it feels like a premature vision of Breath of the Wild in all its ways, yet it still stands out among its contemporaries with brilliant character writing, and a world that is a joy to discover.
What makes Wind Waker so special to me though is its characters. The iteration of Ganon is far and away my favourite, the impact he makes during his short time is incredible, and I love the route they took with him; a full contrast to the man we saw in OoT. The rest of the cast is also strong, I love Tetra and the Red Lion King, and regular npcs are fun to talk with. Even the combat and general movement is improved immensely - the clunkiness that was present in the prior games while in combat is gone, and your traversal is made better because rolling is actually useful and there is now a grappling hook and a more polished hookshot. And god damn the soundtrack, Zelda games never miss the target with it but that triumphant music as you glide across the seas with the wind pushing you forward is unrivalled. The upbeat tunes of Dragon Roost and Outset island are iconic, and the evil, villainous music that plays when you enter a fight is epic. Hell, even the title track is a hit. The art style is especially notable here, at first it was downplayed when the trailer was shown but then the game released and everyone loved it. In comparison to both OoT’s and MM’s murkiness and oppressive style, Wind Waker’s is a lot more childish and artsy, which I think fits perfectly.
My only real gripe with the game is the dungeons. While the actual boss fights are incredible, I can’t help but feel underwhelmed by the actual dungeons themselves, especially when comparing them to OoT’s. Really the only good one is Forsaken Fortress, and even then I’m unsure whether to call that a dungeon, but the rest feel generic and rushed. It feels like all of the time went in to creating the world (which is completely fair). My only other nitpick is from the original game, changing the wind direction is interesting at first, but it quickly gets stale and frustrating. The remaster completely fixes this via the fast sail, a perfect addition that is only able to be obtained at a specific time, which doesn’t fully nullify the wind mechanic, but also arrives just in time for when it may get boring - fantastic game design.
Wind Waker for me is a very important game. It’s the first Zelda I ever played, and introduced me to the wonderful franchise. While I think it is an incredible game that could easily be considered a masterpiece, it feels like a premature vision of Breath of the Wild in all its ways, yet it still stands out among its contemporaries with brilliant character writing, and a world that is a joy to discover.
1994
While I prefer Mother 3, I still find Earthbound to be a masterpiece. Even though the gameplay is less refined and some parts have questionable additions that make the game more frustrating, at its core Earthbound is a game full of passion. It was a surprise to me when I heard that, at its launch it wasn’t really received well but after looking at the marketing it makes more sense - the entire way the game was presented was appalling, it didn’t even come close to showing how meaningful and special this game truly is.
Looking at the individual aspects, Earthbound’s comedy comes almost effortlessly, the timing is almost always on point and the game never really misses, creating a huge cast of lovable and endearing characters that make their mark, even random npcs that only have one-liners will make you laugh, and the ending only serves to reinforce this, something I really wish more games would implement. As I said the gameplay is pretty hit-or-miss, Mother 3 practically takes all the negatives and throws them away - such as the large amount of unnecessary debuffs that are a pain in the ass, but I also find that PSI is utilised a lot better here and your main 4 get a lot more opportunities. Something I also really appreciate is its completely unique art-style that works so well, every area has something to note about it and I respect the courage to do something like this in a period where many games wouldn’t have the balls to change up (clearly this choice didn’t work too well at its launch but the opinion of it has changed heavily over time).
The main focus here though is again the story, I can’t talk much about it without spoiling but I’ll highlight my favourite moment. Of course I have to comment on Magicant, one of the most iconic areas of the game but it isn’t praised for no reason, this area is absolutely stunning not only in the ideas it presents but how well it executes them. It is an otherworldly experience walking around Ness’ mind and talking to all of the people you have passed by, simultaneously being fun and unnerving, and I adore how this game focuses so much on it, it really hammers home the main themes of Mother and the transition from child to adult.
All in all, another must play, so many games have taken inspiration from this stellar achievement and some have even tried to surpass it, but for me not much will ever come close to the transcendent experience I had while playing this, except of course, the sequel.
10/10
Looking at the individual aspects, Earthbound’s comedy comes almost effortlessly, the timing is almost always on point and the game never really misses, creating a huge cast of lovable and endearing characters that make their mark, even random npcs that only have one-liners will make you laugh, and the ending only serves to reinforce this, something I really wish more games would implement. As I said the gameplay is pretty hit-or-miss, Mother 3 practically takes all the negatives and throws them away - such as the large amount of unnecessary debuffs that are a pain in the ass, but I also find that PSI is utilised a lot better here and your main 4 get a lot more opportunities. Something I also really appreciate is its completely unique art-style that works so well, every area has something to note about it and I respect the courage to do something like this in a period where many games wouldn’t have the balls to change up (clearly this choice didn’t work too well at its launch but the opinion of it has changed heavily over time).
The main focus here though is again the story, I can’t talk much about it without spoiling but I’ll highlight my favourite moment. Of course I have to comment on Magicant, one of the most iconic areas of the game but it isn’t praised for no reason, this area is absolutely stunning not only in the ideas it presents but how well it executes them. It is an otherworldly experience walking around Ness’ mind and talking to all of the people you have passed by, simultaneously being fun and unnerving, and I adore how this game focuses so much on it, it really hammers home the main themes of Mother and the transition from child to adult.
All in all, another must play, so many games have taken inspiration from this stellar achievement and some have even tried to surpass it, but for me not much will ever come close to the transcendent experience I had while playing this, except of course, the sequel.
10/10
2011
Amazing puzzle game accompanied by a really intriguing narrative. The portal gun is a joy to use, and the introduction of gels only made it better. The actual puzzles are sort of difficult to figure out, but once it clicks it's awesome to complete them, and the game has this great sense of movement which keeps you engaged throughout, which is only further improved by the changing environments and the swift introduction of new machines. For the actual narrative, the writing is especially strong. GLaDOS is a very enthralling "antagonist" and both her and Wheatley serve as some great comedic relief, but what really stunned me is the gorgeous ending sequence. A wonderful, unique experience that is a must-play.
9/10
9/10
Fun ass game through and through. Every mission is well paced and have many different sections where youll have to use different weapons. Each individual area stands out thanks to MW2’s use of colours which future and past games ignore. The score is exceptional here, Hans Zimmer’s monstrous soundtrack makes you feel like a badass whenever the missions climax and its just a thrill to play. Even the ending of the game is amazing, so many crazy plot twists and tense fights that will have you on the edge of your seat. One of the few Call of Duty games that live up to their hype.
8/10
8/10
This review contains spoilers
It’s quite the challenge to analyse Zero Mission, especially as someone who adores the entire series. On one hand I think it is arguably the best introduction for someone who wants to get into the Metroid franchise, and on the other I find it to be an odd balance between Fusion and Super. Obviously, it is an amazing remake. You don’t need me to tell you that.
While Fusion’s linear design leads the gameplay and map-exploration to be constrictive and limiting, it works really well for what the game is going for. Similarly with Super Metroid, its completely open map that can technically be accessed (albeit with glitches and/or precise skill) at any point in the game again accompanies the game perfectly. Zero Mission is kind of stuck in a limbo between the two, while it has an “open” map, your objectives are restrained due to the Chozo statues, and it doesn’t really bode well most of the time as your freedom ends up feeling like practically a facade at times, but again not as smoothly as Dread deals with it. It really is quite a tricky bit to break-down.
For the overall gameplay though, Zero Mission again flips some of its mechanics around. Your movement is much tighter than in Super, and wall jumps make you physically cling to the wall, allowing for some interesting movement options and the odd sequence break. The power grip is a strong addition here, one of my few gripes with Super is its lack of something like it, and it makes general traversal a lot easier (which you could argue is better or worse, whereas Super’s movement is reliant entirely on skill, Zero Mission takes away some of the challenge). And that seems to be the main divisor on what people think of this game, newcomers may find it easier than Super and Fusion due to its general difficulty being lower and the fact that there’s no real bullshit part (ie getting stuck on a badly programmed/not so obvious what to do section). However, in complete contrast to this, Zero Mission’s 100% is actually quite difficult to achieve, getting this requires a mastery of basically all the powerups especially the shine spark (and ballspark) which is not easy. The rest of the powerups and whatever are pretty basic, you have the typical beams, screw attack etc but the difference here is the so-called “unknown items” which leads me on to my next point.
The progression in this game is absolutely stellar, and for me the strongest part. I find what makes it work so well is just how much of a surprise the second half is, it comes out of absolutely nowhere. Getting dropped into a completely unknown area with nothing to defend yourself is a bold move and I feel it’s executed really well, you truly feel lost as you take control of Samus and there’s no “invisible” hand directing you where to go. It is probably one of my favourite moments in the entire franchise even if it is tedious at times, solely based on how well it captures the true spirit of a Metroidvania, that unnerving feeling of being alone in a foreign area and also the powerlessness that takes centre stage. The entire Space Station is a labyrinth of multiple different paths, the space pirates are constantly chasing you and if you get hit you are more than likely to die, some areas that seem safe will crumble beneath you and again you’ll get into a chase sequence hurrying to find somewhere to hide. On top of all of this there are “seekers” that will spot you and sound an alarm if you’re not careful enough.
As you progress through the labyrinth you’ll eventually end up in a vastly different room, a short cutscene will play showing some statues of the Chozo species, some epic music will kick in (didn’t feel the need to elaborate on the soundtrack as it’s obviously amazing) and finally the reveal of a bigger statue that’s holding a mirror. This bossfight is pretty cool, I love the idea of the mirror reflecting all your actions and shooting while it's not in its “proper” form will damage Samus, anyway the fight gets a little more tricky towards the end as everything is moving faster and eventually you’ll defeat it. The moments after this are pure bliss, it is such a relief that you finally get your fully powered suit back and on top of that the “unknown” items have been unlocked, giving you access to the gravity suit, space jump and the plasma beam. From here you have all power, enemies that you struggled with before get eviscerated before your new beam and your attacking options are multiplied, and THIS is what a Metroid game should do - give the player entire freedom towards the end of the game and make them feel like a total badass - and I feel it's perfectly encapsulated in Zero Mission, even more so than Super.
All in all, I’m not entirely sure how to feel about Zero Mission, as you can see it excels in some areas that give a Metroidvania their identity, but it also falls flat in others, I didn’t even talk about most of the boss fights and even the atmosphere as I feel they dont live up to the standard of a Metroid game. Either way, Zero Mission is a divisive game, for some, it may have elements that they feel make the game better, and for others the opposite. For me, I think it strikes a fine balance between the two.
8/10
While Fusion’s linear design leads the gameplay and map-exploration to be constrictive and limiting, it works really well for what the game is going for. Similarly with Super Metroid, its completely open map that can technically be accessed (albeit with glitches and/or precise skill) at any point in the game again accompanies the game perfectly. Zero Mission is kind of stuck in a limbo between the two, while it has an “open” map, your objectives are restrained due to the Chozo statues, and it doesn’t really bode well most of the time as your freedom ends up feeling like practically a facade at times, but again not as smoothly as Dread deals with it. It really is quite a tricky bit to break-down.
For the overall gameplay though, Zero Mission again flips some of its mechanics around. Your movement is much tighter than in Super, and wall jumps make you physically cling to the wall, allowing for some interesting movement options and the odd sequence break. The power grip is a strong addition here, one of my few gripes with Super is its lack of something like it, and it makes general traversal a lot easier (which you could argue is better or worse, whereas Super’s movement is reliant entirely on skill, Zero Mission takes away some of the challenge). And that seems to be the main divisor on what people think of this game, newcomers may find it easier than Super and Fusion due to its general difficulty being lower and the fact that there’s no real bullshit part (ie getting stuck on a badly programmed/not so obvious what to do section). However, in complete contrast to this, Zero Mission’s 100% is actually quite difficult to achieve, getting this requires a mastery of basically all the powerups especially the shine spark (and ballspark) which is not easy. The rest of the powerups and whatever are pretty basic, you have the typical beams, screw attack etc but the difference here is the so-called “unknown items” which leads me on to my next point.
The progression in this game is absolutely stellar, and for me the strongest part. I find what makes it work so well is just how much of a surprise the second half is, it comes out of absolutely nowhere. Getting dropped into a completely unknown area with nothing to defend yourself is a bold move and I feel it’s executed really well, you truly feel lost as you take control of Samus and there’s no “invisible” hand directing you where to go. It is probably one of my favourite moments in the entire franchise even if it is tedious at times, solely based on how well it captures the true spirit of a Metroidvania, that unnerving feeling of being alone in a foreign area and also the powerlessness that takes centre stage. The entire Space Station is a labyrinth of multiple different paths, the space pirates are constantly chasing you and if you get hit you are more than likely to die, some areas that seem safe will crumble beneath you and again you’ll get into a chase sequence hurrying to find somewhere to hide. On top of all of this there are “seekers” that will spot you and sound an alarm if you’re not careful enough.
As you progress through the labyrinth you’ll eventually end up in a vastly different room, a short cutscene will play showing some statues of the Chozo species, some epic music will kick in (didn’t feel the need to elaborate on the soundtrack as it’s obviously amazing) and finally the reveal of a bigger statue that’s holding a mirror. This bossfight is pretty cool, I love the idea of the mirror reflecting all your actions and shooting while it's not in its “proper” form will damage Samus, anyway the fight gets a little more tricky towards the end as everything is moving faster and eventually you’ll defeat it. The moments after this are pure bliss, it is such a relief that you finally get your fully powered suit back and on top of that the “unknown” items have been unlocked, giving you access to the gravity suit, space jump and the plasma beam. From here you have all power, enemies that you struggled with before get eviscerated before your new beam and your attacking options are multiplied, and THIS is what a Metroid game should do - give the player entire freedom towards the end of the game and make them feel like a total badass - and I feel it's perfectly encapsulated in Zero Mission, even more so than Super.
All in all, I’m not entirely sure how to feel about Zero Mission, as you can see it excels in some areas that give a Metroidvania their identity, but it also falls flat in others, I didn’t even talk about most of the boss fights and even the atmosphere as I feel they dont live up to the standard of a Metroid game. Either way, Zero Mission is a divisive game, for some, it may have elements that they feel make the game better, and for others the opposite. For me, I think it strikes a fine balance between the two.
8/10
2008
Everytime I play this game I go straight down memory lane, I’ve put so much time into it and it only brings back good times. I really hope future games adopt their racing mechanics from here because every other game just feels lackluster in comparison, inside-drifting bikes are amazing and the freedom they give for shortcuts and general movement is unrivalled, sure it results in some unbalanced characters and vehicles but who cares, Funky Kong and Daisy are awesome. The tracks here are also pretty consistent, some iconic ones like Mushroom Gorge, Maple Treeway, Koopa Cape, DK Summit and Coconut Mall really hit the mark, and the retro tracks are well built from the ground up. If the base game isn’t enough for you then there is a whole other fan-made mod which includes so many more custom tracks and modes made by players, and a way to play online again. A fine example of a game that reinvented the wheel perfectly.
9/10
9/10