LeSoSCL
2004
It looks/sounds good and the physics are quite accurate to a pinball cabin, but the problem resides in how the stages themselves play...
The star challenges are some of the most tedious and time constrained stuff I've ever played because of the precision they demand from the player to hit objectives, all while:
a. The ball won't go exactly where you want it to most of the time.
b. The enemies are in constant movement and/or airborne, making more room for errors.
c. There's the chance you leave the room accidentally by losing or aiming Mario towards a normal/secret route.
d. All the above.
Also, in case you get the star to lie there in the center of the room you better touch it, because everytime you get out of the room where the star is, THE WHOLE ROOM RESETS INCLUDING THE DAMN STAR! WTF WERE THEY THINKING???
Oh, and the blue coin minigames are even worse, since each of them are on a time limit to complete to destroy all enemies, and with the whiffy nature of pinball you can guess where that goes.
TL;DR it's fun for the first 5 minutes, but going for story completion is SO not worth it, let alone a 100% completion.
The star challenges are some of the most tedious and time constrained stuff I've ever played because of the precision they demand from the player to hit objectives, all while:
a. The ball won't go exactly where you want it to most of the time.
b. The enemies are in constant movement and/or airborne, making more room for errors.
c. There's the chance you leave the room accidentally by losing or aiming Mario towards a normal/secret route.
d. All the above.
Also, in case you get the star to lie there in the center of the room you better touch it, because everytime you get out of the room where the star is, THE WHOLE ROOM RESETS INCLUDING THE DAMN STAR! WTF WERE THEY THINKING???
Oh, and the blue coin minigames are even worse, since each of them are on a time limit to complete to destroy all enemies, and with the whiffy nature of pinball you can guess where that goes.
TL;DR it's fun for the first 5 minutes, but going for story completion is SO not worth it, let alone a 100% completion.
2023
"Princess Daisy likes p o r p o l :)" - Luigi
A close to 1:1 recreation of the original Purble Place on Windows Vista/7 and nothing else. No QoL features, no extra content, a bug that softlocks the bakery minigame, it's really barebones all things considered. Although it attempts to emulate the charming aesthetic from back then, something feels off, but I can't quite put my finger on what it is...
I would be completely fine with this and give it 2 stars if it didn't cost $2 to get, while the original only costed navigating two interfaces. I can't really recommend it unless it was given to you as a gift by any chance, just play the OG Purble Place.
A close to 1:1 recreation of the original Purble Place on Windows Vista/7 and nothing else. No QoL features, no extra content, a bug that softlocks the bakery minigame, it's really barebones all things considered. Although it attempts to emulate the charming aesthetic from back then, something feels off, but I can't quite put my finger on what it is...
I would be completely fine with this and give it 2 stars if it didn't cost $2 to get, while the original only costed navigating two interfaces. I can't really recommend it unless it was given to you as a gift by any chance, just play the OG Purble Place.
This review contains spoilers
Great expansion DLC in my book, essentially an alternate take on the events on Ouranos Island, and the canon one for me idc LOL
I adore the amount of details the put into this: Amy's card abilities and Tails' Cyclone are great stuff and are very fun to mess around, and while Knuckles brought back a lot of his attacks from 06' (which I appreciate a lot), he controlled the roughest in terms of overall sluggish movement and his glide maneuvering.
In terms of difficulty, this DLC is clearly an answer towards the base game being called "too easy" and it shows. The map challenges take more effort to complete, there are upgraded versions of previous guardians spread all across the island (Spider+, Master Hammer, etc.), and the obstacles to obtain collectibles like skill tree points require a lot of precision from the player, most of the time. Personally, I never found the main story too little demanding, but still it feels kind of refreshing to have tricky challenges like these.
Now onto the aspects people talk the most about: The Trial Towers. There are five in total, the last one being available after Sonic's friends get cybercorrupted. These are a completely different beast compared to the ones from Rhea, since climbing them require even more precise timings, faster reaction times and a lot of perseverence. I didn't have much problem on this aspect (besides the Dragon Trial one making me want to tear my hair out trying to reach the top xd). The trials themselves are very straight to the point, mainly defeating enemies with a specific ability while Sonic is temporarily nerfed, the lot. The most interesting of them all is Master Koco's since you fight every previous Titan with a limited amount of rings you're forced to use strategies to beat them the fastest way possible. I like that one a lot despite being frustrating at the moment, I'm sorry 💀
There are new cyberspace levels too, although basically refurbishes of the ones found in the base game, but they are good one nonetheless. These contain new challenges, like collecting Moon Rings, Number Rings and even finding little animals and taking them to safe spots, it's all really cool. Oh yeah, they also have remixes of the cyberspace OST and they're ABSOLUTE FIRE.
And finally, my absolute favorite part: The End boss fight. Hot DAMN, was that an experience! Seeing Sonic transform into Super Sonic 2 and hearing Kellin Quinn singing "I'm Here" was absolutely raw, from the way he fucking slaps away the missiles on parry, to him faking losing the transformation, to the QTE beating Supreme's ass wide open, to stealing the goddamn shotgun to be used by Eggman, the gang helping Sage with her shield AND THEN UNLEASHING CYBER SONIC TO PIERCE THROUGH THE DOGGONE MOON AGAIN WTFFFFFFFF IT WAS FUCKING AWESOME!!!!
At least Sage didn't have to sacrifice herself this time around :)
I love this update for what it is and all the great stuff it brought into the table, even if it feels bullshit sometimes because of the increased difficulty in general. What a great time to be a Sonic fan 🦔
I adore the amount of details the put into this: Amy's card abilities and Tails' Cyclone are great stuff and are very fun to mess around, and while Knuckles brought back a lot of his attacks from 06' (which I appreciate a lot), he controlled the roughest in terms of overall sluggish movement and his glide maneuvering.
In terms of difficulty, this DLC is clearly an answer towards the base game being called "too easy" and it shows. The map challenges take more effort to complete, there are upgraded versions of previous guardians spread all across the island (Spider+, Master Hammer, etc.), and the obstacles to obtain collectibles like skill tree points require a lot of precision from the player, most of the time. Personally, I never found the main story too little demanding, but still it feels kind of refreshing to have tricky challenges like these.
Now onto the aspects people talk the most about: The Trial Towers. There are five in total, the last one being available after Sonic's friends get cybercorrupted. These are a completely different beast compared to the ones from Rhea, since climbing them require even more precise timings, faster reaction times and a lot of perseverence. I didn't have much problem on this aspect (besides the Dragon Trial one making me want to tear my hair out trying to reach the top xd). The trials themselves are very straight to the point, mainly defeating enemies with a specific ability while Sonic is temporarily nerfed, the lot. The most interesting of them all is Master Koco's since you fight every previous Titan with a limited amount of rings you're forced to use strategies to beat them the fastest way possible. I like that one a lot despite being frustrating at the moment, I'm sorry 💀
There are new cyberspace levels too, although basically refurbishes of the ones found in the base game, but they are good one nonetheless. These contain new challenges, like collecting Moon Rings, Number Rings and even finding little animals and taking them to safe spots, it's all really cool. Oh yeah, they also have remixes of the cyberspace OST and they're ABSOLUTE FIRE.
And finally, my absolute favorite part: The End boss fight. Hot DAMN, was that an experience! Seeing Sonic transform into Super Sonic 2 and hearing Kellin Quinn singing "I'm Here" was absolutely raw, from the way he fucking slaps away the missiles on parry, to him faking losing the transformation, to the QTE beating Supreme's ass wide open, to stealing the goddamn shotgun to be used by Eggman, the gang helping Sage with her shield AND THEN UNLEASHING CYBER SONIC TO PIERCE THROUGH THE DOGGONE MOON AGAIN WTFFFFFFFF IT WAS FUCKING AWESOME!!!!
At least Sage didn't have to sacrifice herself this time around :)
I love this update for what it is and all the great stuff it brought into the table, even if it feels bullshit sometimes because of the increased difficulty in general. What a great time to be a Sonic fan 🦔
2017
One of the best platformers I've played, and definitely one of the hardest!
Both the soundtrack and the artstyle do such a good job in making you feel like you're actually playing a cartoon film from the 80's, especially when every sprite in the whole game is fully hand-drawn just like back in the day, giving a very genuine experience on that behalf.
Also, the bosses in this game are some of the most creative concepts ever, both characters-wise and execution-wise, and the level design is great overall on the Run-N-Gun stages, with a few bullshit moments when it comes to enemy placement and timings, but it's expectable given the difficulty.
My only real problem with Cuphead (the base game) is that it can become a mildly short adventure if you're good enough, even being able to beat the game in one day. Then again, this is a little more relieved with the DLC out nowadays, but I'm still seeing them as separate things for this review LOL
I remember back in 2017 hearing rumors about the developers being forced to mortgage their house in order to finish the game, and if that was the case then GOOD LORD it was worth it in the end. Congratulations to the team behind this masterpiece!
Both the soundtrack and the artstyle do such a good job in making you feel like you're actually playing a cartoon film from the 80's, especially when every sprite in the whole game is fully hand-drawn just like back in the day, giving a very genuine experience on that behalf.
Also, the bosses in this game are some of the most creative concepts ever, both characters-wise and execution-wise, and the level design is great overall on the Run-N-Gun stages, with a few bullshit moments when it comes to enemy placement and timings, but it's expectable given the difficulty.
My only real problem with Cuphead (the base game) is that it can become a mildly short adventure if you're good enough, even being able to beat the game in one day. Then again, this is a little more relieved with the DLC out nowadays, but I'm still seeing them as separate things for this review LOL
I remember back in 2017 hearing rumors about the developers being forced to mortgage their house in order to finish the game, and if that was the case then GOOD LORD it was worth it in the end. Congratulations to the team behind this masterpiece!
A more worthy fourth entry to the Crash Bandicoot series compared to the one that came out 19 years prior.
Amazing level and character design, really solid and responsive gameplay, and a very decent soundtrack despite not having as many catchy tunes as the original trilogy.
It was a very fun trip from start to finish... when it comes to the casual run, that is. I, and I really mean it when saying this, EXTREMELY don't recommend going for full completion in this game, unless you wanna have one of the most ridiculously tedious, repetitive and stressful chores in the world of platformers due to the overload of individual collectibles per stage. Trust me, I really tried to do it myself but it was just too dreadful, man :(
Amazing level and character design, really solid and responsive gameplay, and a very decent soundtrack despite not having as many catchy tunes as the original trilogy.
It was a very fun trip from start to finish... when it comes to the casual run, that is. I, and I really mean it when saying this, EXTREMELY don't recommend going for full completion in this game, unless you wanna have one of the most ridiculously tedious, repetitive and stressful chores in the world of platformers due to the overload of individual collectibles per stage. Trust me, I really tried to do it myself but it was just too dreadful, man :(
One of the ugliest, most insipid and boring games I've ever played. The graphics look like they came from the sewers, the gameplay in general is really sluggish and uneventful, the platforming sequences feel quite repetitive and/or tedious, and the puzzles are fine but can sometimes repeat themselves with minimal changes in the solution.
At least the music feels adequate to each stage, despite being forgettable at best.
The story here, to my surprise, is a lot different to the one presented by the movie, only focusing on Gru, Dr. Nefario, the Minions, Vector and building the rocket to stealing the moon, and shafting other key plot points, like the existence of the Girls and Gru's change of heart, exactly the things that made the movie have a motif, while also not doing much to compensate these aspects (other than weightless collectibles, I guess). Also, the cutscenes gag, feel like an eternity to finish and recycle the same animations every time.
By the way, can I take a moment to point at the fact that among the collectible family portraits, FUCKING MISS HATTIE IS IN ONE OF THEM?????? LMFAOOOOOOOOOO
Idek why I'm doing this review so long over a rushed, unpolished tie-in game obviously made for a quick buck, and even having that on mind I was still dissapointed. Just please don't play it if you respect yourself and your precious time.
At least the music feels adequate to each stage, despite being forgettable at best.
The story here, to my surprise, is a lot different to the one presented by the movie, only focusing on Gru, Dr. Nefario, the Minions, Vector and building the rocket to stealing the moon, and shafting other key plot points, like the existence of the Girls and Gru's change of heart, exactly the things that made the movie have a motif, while also not doing much to compensate these aspects (other than weightless collectibles, I guess). Also, the cutscenes gag, feel like an eternity to finish and recycle the same animations every time.
By the way, can I take a moment to point at the fact that among the collectible family portraits, FUCKING MISS HATTIE IS IN ONE OF THEM?????? LMFAOOOOOOOOOO
Idek why I'm doing this review so long over a rushed, unpolished tie-in game obviously made for a quick buck, and even having that on mind I was still dissapointed. Just please don't play it if you respect yourself and your precious time.
After remembering having a good time playing Crash of the Titans, I was looking forward to try its succesor, and it was... kind of an experience, huh.
Besides many of the mutants from Titants making a comeback while being redesigned in the process (some of them even getting an overhaul, i.e Stench), there are also new ones here... only two though, TK and Grimly, which coincidentally are some of my favorites because of how goofy, eccentric and fun to use they are. I also like how all of them can now jump, climb ledges and have more attacks on their movesets to further improve the combat dynamic, a really welcome move on that behalf. Some of them can even use their powers to affect your surroundings and open new paths, which is very cool. Still, fuck Magmadon man, shit is too slow doing anything!
However, every other aspect of the game has been dumbed down from my perspective: The controls scheme and new combat mechanics are less intuitive than before, the environments look dull and empty most of the time, the story is more basic and very little imaginative, and many of the main characters got redesigned again, and they look even worse than they did on Titans.
The "open world" aspect this time around is also a negative for me, they mostly expect you to know exactly where to go to complete a story mission, while also not giving you any kind of guidance beyond the tutorial mission. May I add that """world map""" (if it can even be called that) is the poorest piece of shit I've ever seen??? I'm think I'm staying with episodic format from Titans, thank you very much...
With all these big issues on mind, I see myself obligated to give credit where it's due. The cutscenes in this game are some of the best I've seen in the whole franchise, the different artstyles and references are very charming and funny. Another thing I'm glad I can call a positive is the OST, which I really enjoyed because of how upbeat it is while exploring, but then it knows when to go dummy during combat. My favorites are definitely "Bandicoot Sanctuary", "Big Fight #2" and "The Wastelands".
Besides many of the mutants from Titants making a comeback while being redesigned in the process (some of them even getting an overhaul, i.e Stench), there are also new ones here... only two though, TK and Grimly, which coincidentally are some of my favorites because of how goofy, eccentric and fun to use they are. I also like how all of them can now jump, climb ledges and have more attacks on their movesets to further improve the combat dynamic, a really welcome move on that behalf. Some of them can even use their powers to affect your surroundings and open new paths, which is very cool. Still, fuck Magmadon man, shit is too slow doing anything!
However, every other aspect of the game has been dumbed down from my perspective: The controls scheme and new combat mechanics are less intuitive than before, the environments look dull and empty most of the time, the story is more basic and very little imaginative, and many of the main characters got redesigned again, and they look even worse than they did on Titans.
The "open world" aspect this time around is also a negative for me, they mostly expect you to know exactly where to go to complete a story mission, while also not giving you any kind of guidance beyond the tutorial mission. May I add that """world map""" (if it can even be called that) is the poorest piece of shit I've ever seen??? I'm think I'm staying with episodic format from Titans, thank you very much...
With all these big issues on mind, I see myself obligated to give credit where it's due. The cutscenes in this game are some of the best I've seen in the whole franchise, the different artstyles and references are very charming and funny. Another thing I'm glad I can call a positive is the OST, which I really enjoyed because of how upbeat it is while exploring, but then it knows when to go dummy during combat. My favorites are definitely "Bandicoot Sanctuary", "Big Fight #2" and "The Wastelands".
2018
Absolute masterpiece right here, I don't even know why I didn't play this before!
Celeste is definitely one of the most incredibly polished 2D platformers out there. The music is amazing, the graphics are very detailed while also keeping the pixel art simple and appealing, and also has a very good sense of humor.
Of all the aspects of the game, I think the storytelling takes the cake for me. The game takes itself very seriously when it comes to topics like mental health, something that's heavily related to Madeline and the Celeste mountain during the whole journey. In the end, she was climbing the mountain to conquer her own insecurities (reflected on the Badeline character), while also treating her depression and anxiety so she could prove herself "she can do this".
I got to beat all chapters from 1 through 9, and also obtaining all blue crystal hearts and the red ones from the B-Sides, but there's no way I can beat the C-Sides, let alone get the golden strawberries LOL
I VERY highly recommend it, especially for those who are looking for a challenging experience. You are not going to regret it :)
Celeste is definitely one of the most incredibly polished 2D platformers out there. The music is amazing, the graphics are very detailed while also keeping the pixel art simple and appealing, and also has a very good sense of humor.
Of all the aspects of the game, I think the storytelling takes the cake for me. The game takes itself very seriously when it comes to topics like mental health, something that's heavily related to Madeline and the Celeste mountain during the whole journey. In the end, she was climbing the mountain to conquer her own insecurities (reflected on the Badeline character), while also treating her depression and anxiety so she could prove herself "she can do this".
I got to beat all chapters from 1 through 9, and also obtaining all blue crystal hearts and the red ones from the B-Sides, but there's no way I can beat the C-Sides, let alone get the golden strawberries LOL
I VERY highly recommend it, especially for those who are looking for a challenging experience. You are not going to regret it :)
A surprisingly neat ROM hack with a lot of heart put into it, at least way more than the vanilla NSMB games nowadays, anyways.
The level design here is definitely one of the biggest highlights of the game, they are really varied in terms of structure, and many of them have an exclusive gimmick per world, which are really good considering the limited editing tools back in the day.
The music was pretty okay most of the time, but sadly not much past that imo. There were some pretty nice original tunes like "Underwater" or "Fire" but even then, they are not very memorable. Other than that, I also detected a lot of rearrangements of soundtracks from other mario games, like Yoshi's Island, NSMB DS and even damn Wario World, and they are... not that good, I'm sorry :(
Overall, definitely the best New SMB Wii ROMhack out there, and also one I have a lot of respect for, even though I'm not in love with everything it has to offer. Hopefully there will be more updates about the upcoming Newer Deluxe version soon!
The level design here is definitely one of the biggest highlights of the game, they are really varied in terms of structure, and many of them have an exclusive gimmick per world, which are really good considering the limited editing tools back in the day.
The music was pretty okay most of the time, but sadly not much past that imo. There were some pretty nice original tunes like "Underwater" or "Fire" but even then, they are not very memorable. Other than that, I also detected a lot of rearrangements of soundtracks from other mario games, like Yoshi's Island, NSMB DS and even damn Wario World, and they are... not that good, I'm sorry :(
Overall, definitely the best New SMB Wii ROMhack out there, and also one I have a lot of respect for, even though I'm not in love with everything it has to offer. Hopefully there will be more updates about the upcoming Newer Deluxe version soon!
2022
Pretty good Pac-Man collection if you ask me, and the selection of games isn't bad either. There are many bangers one can really get a fun time out of, like Pac-Mania, Arrangement and my guilty pleasure, Pac-Man 256.
There are some other games to which this collection also helps to come out of obscurity a little bit such as Pac-Land or Pac & Pal, both very interesting takes on the original formula IMO, and Pac-Land, which I love for its uniqueness compared to the rest of games in the collection.
Oh and yeah, Pac In Time can suck it LOL
In technical terms of the games themselves, it's really lackluster overall. No video modes (beyond a CRT filter), DIP switches, button mapping or even save states for games that really need them (i.e OG Pac-Man). Most of the achievements are pretty fine too, although there are some instances which are either too challenging or require a lot of grinding, making it annoying at times. Also, the emulation sometimes can take a dive in FPS, so it's not too good either.
Now, I quite liked the game's presentation. I love the concept of the game giving you the chance to customize your own arcade with guest characters appearing over time, that's a nice detail.
I'm not getting everything for the moment because normally I play Pac-Man for the nobility's sake. I recommend it still, but it could have been so much better...
There are some other games to which this collection also helps to come out of obscurity a little bit such as Pac-Land or Pac & Pal, both very interesting takes on the original formula IMO, and Pac-Land, which I love for its uniqueness compared to the rest of games in the collection.
Oh and yeah, Pac In Time can suck it LOL
In technical terms of the games themselves, it's really lackluster overall. No video modes (beyond a CRT filter), DIP switches, button mapping or even save states for games that really need them (i.e OG Pac-Man). Most of the achievements are pretty fine too, although there are some instances which are either too challenging or require a lot of grinding, making it annoying at times. Also, the emulation sometimes can take a dive in FPS, so it's not too good either.
Now, I quite liked the game's presentation. I love the concept of the game giving you the chance to customize your own arcade with guest characters appearing over time, that's a nice detail.
I'm not getting everything for the moment because normally I play Pac-Man for the nobility's sake. I recommend it still, but it could have been so much better...
2017
wea mala
1996
Parappa the Rapper is without a doubt one of the most interesting and unique games in the entire PS1 library, let alone its entire era. Its colorful and rather bizarre art style of 2D characters in 3D environments (kind of like Paper Mario does), fun rhythm-based gameplay, humorous story and a selection of catchy songs with a hip hop style all come together to deliver a solid and entertaining experience.
There are some downsides, though: The game is quite short on nature, with it only taking 1½ hour to complete. If you wanna go for the a 100% mark with all the "COOL!" ratings, that'll take you a little more, around 2 hours in total, but even so it's still a lackluster lenght. Another thing I'd like to mention is that the button timings are not exactly as merciful as you'd expect: Make an input a tad too early/late and you'll already be in danger of descending to lesser ratings, so you gotta make sure to get every single input on-point, especially if you wanna get the "COOL!" rating and maintain it, which is not exactly comfortable, especially with the BPM of some tracks.
Still, it's still a completely fine, innocent game one can really get attached to because of the charming characters and world it introduces, if not 'cause of the unique (although not always functional) mechanics and addictive OST.
There are some downsides, though: The game is quite short on nature, with it only taking 1½ hour to complete. If you wanna go for the a 100% mark with all the "COOL!" ratings, that'll take you a little more, around 2 hours in total, but even so it's still a lackluster lenght. Another thing I'd like to mention is that the button timings are not exactly as merciful as you'd expect: Make an input a tad too early/late and you'll already be in danger of descending to lesser ratings, so you gotta make sure to get every single input on-point, especially if you wanna get the "COOL!" rating and maintain it, which is not exactly comfortable, especially with the BPM of some tracks.
Still, it's still a completely fine, innocent game one can really get attached to because of the charming characters and world it introduces, if not 'cause of the unique (although not always functional) mechanics and addictive OST.
It was only fair to finally give my favorite game of all time a corresponding review, so here it goes LOL!
Many of this game's aspects are top notch in my opinion, especially for a 2D platformer about a funni limbless hero guy and his friends:
-> The OST is extremely solid, with each song captivating the theme of every level in such an epic way for the player.
-> The level design is really good, it constantly invigorates you to always be on the move, interacting with the surroundings to activate special gimmicks on a stage and looking out for items and secrets that require precision to get, but have a big payoff. It's never a dull moment, honestly.
-> The graphics and artstyle combine together in such a fantastic way here. Every world has its own colorful and vivid vibe to them, and they are filled with so many cool little details, I love it so much.
-> The game itself has a lot of content to it, with a huge amount of collectibles, many different costumes for every main character, online challenges and minigames, and a wide variety of levels, including the majority from Origins and the Murfy version of some levels from the Wii U release, it's really cool.
-> I feel like the music levels at the end of every world needed their own section in this review because GODDAMN these are fun, easily the most iconic part of the entire game. Most of them are licensed songs like "Eye of the Tiger" and "Black Betty", but rearranged exclusively for these levels. The tone of each song blends in perfectly with the timings of your actions, and it's all so damn fun and satisfying when done right.
This game seems to have it all... except lore.
Unlike its predecessor Origins, Legends doesn't actually have a story, you could say this game is essentially a level pack of all things. The intro may look like the building of a bigger event throughout the game, but it only covers the first world and that's it.
And it's weird to me, given the fact that the Rayman series has always had a deep lore behind it, especially with Rayman 2 and 3. Even (again) Origins, the game that was stated as a "reboot" to the main series, had a story to tell with the dark teensy threatening the heart of the world, the fairies getting trapped and every king on the land being transformed into beasts.
Then again, that didn't stop me from enjoying the hell out of this game. At its core, Rayman Legends is all about fun over any other aspect. Its frenetic and chaotic gameplay (even more with 3 other players) and inmersive levels make it all up for an outstanding experience, solid at worst. If you like 2D platformers, this here is a solid must buy.
Many of this game's aspects are top notch in my opinion, especially for a 2D platformer about a funni limbless hero guy and his friends:
-> The OST is extremely solid, with each song captivating the theme of every level in such an epic way for the player.
-> The level design is really good, it constantly invigorates you to always be on the move, interacting with the surroundings to activate special gimmicks on a stage and looking out for items and secrets that require precision to get, but have a big payoff. It's never a dull moment, honestly.
-> The graphics and artstyle combine together in such a fantastic way here. Every world has its own colorful and vivid vibe to them, and they are filled with so many cool little details, I love it so much.
-> The game itself has a lot of content to it, with a huge amount of collectibles, many different costumes for every main character, online challenges and minigames, and a wide variety of levels, including the majority from Origins and the Murfy version of some levels from the Wii U release, it's really cool.
-> I feel like the music levels at the end of every world needed their own section in this review because GODDAMN these are fun, easily the most iconic part of the entire game. Most of them are licensed songs like "Eye of the Tiger" and "Black Betty", but rearranged exclusively for these levels. The tone of each song blends in perfectly with the timings of your actions, and it's all so damn fun and satisfying when done right.
This game seems to have it all... except lore.
Unlike its predecessor Origins, Legends doesn't actually have a story, you could say this game is essentially a level pack of all things. The intro may look like the building of a bigger event throughout the game, but it only covers the first world and that's it.
And it's weird to me, given the fact that the Rayman series has always had a deep lore behind it, especially with Rayman 2 and 3. Even (again) Origins, the game that was stated as a "reboot" to the main series, had a story to tell with the dark teensy threatening the heart of the world, the fairies getting trapped and every king on the land being transformed into beasts.
Then again, that didn't stop me from enjoying the hell out of this game. At its core, Rayman Legends is all about fun over any other aspect. Its frenetic and chaotic gameplay (even more with 3 other players) and inmersive levels make it all up for an outstanding experience, solid at worst. If you like 2D platformers, this here is a solid must buy.
2006
After so long as a Sonic fan myself and people talking so badly about this game, I finally gave it a try, and I wish I never did xd
I can AT LEAST see what they were trying to conceive with this game, it hurts my whole being to see such a huge potential go to waste...
The game itself is beyond rushed in so many aspects: Absolutely terrible loading times, barebones controls and full to the brim with bugs and glitches, not to mention the game's performance is atrocious at best. Everything that could've gone wrong here REALLY did.
In terms of level design, it's a 50/50 to me: Some levels are fair towards the player with their structure, while others are a total mess, especially in the sense of objects and enemy placings.
The story of the game is not exactly a good one, either. The dialogues between some characters feel lazily written and kinda forced, and a few of them (i.e Elise) were pretty much only present for the sake of the story and I didn't feel like they had a real motive to do what they do, honestly. Although, I appreciate the majority of the main cast being in character, that was really nice to see.
I guess it does have some redeemable factors, like the decent graphics and, of course, the awesome OST that distinguishes the Sonic series so much, but it quickly gets overshadowed by how messy and unpolished every single other aspect of the game is. It's infuriating, pathetic and most importantly, NOT FUN.
Played it for a few days and honestly, it's a really good racing game.
The graphics are some of the best I've seen for a kids game, the controls are great and the stage roster (based on the movie, of course) is really varied and suits the gameplay really well, it even brings back some Cars 2 stages. Also, many of the game modes the previous entry introduced are more polished and the mechanics work even better. Oh, and I guess the Thomasville open zone was nice too...
Although I gotta admit, they really gimped the character roster this time around, compared to Cars 2: The Videogame. We went from having like 50+ playable cars to less than half the amount, like WHO THE FUCK IS CAM SPINNER I JUST WANNA PLAY FUCKING CHICK HICKS LOL
But yeah, while I personally had more fun with Cars 2 overall, Cars 3: Driven to Win is worth playing as well. I main Fabulous Lightning Mcqueen btw
The graphics are some of the best I've seen for a kids game, the controls are great and the stage roster (based on the movie, of course) is really varied and suits the gameplay really well, it even brings back some Cars 2 stages. Also, many of the game modes the previous entry introduced are more polished and the mechanics work even better. Oh, and I guess the Thomasville open zone was nice too...
Although I gotta admit, they really gimped the character roster this time around, compared to Cars 2: The Videogame. We went from having like 50+ playable cars to less than half the amount, like WHO THE FUCK IS CAM SPINNER I JUST WANNA PLAY FUCKING CHICK HICKS LOL
But yeah, while I personally had more fun with Cars 2 overall, Cars 3: Driven to Win is worth playing as well. I main Fabulous Lightning Mcqueen btw