Lickiwrath
345 reviews liked by Lickiwrath
Stardew Valley
2016
Was finally able to play multiplayer with the best buddy. They picked the name Penis, and like an hour into our game the word penis got censored only for them. Great experience.
EarthBound
1994
I wanted to check this out since it inspired Undertale, one of my all-time favorite games. I'm sorry. I know there's an interesting story and lots of funny dialogue in here, but the inventory management is ridiculous and the slow walk speed combined with the slow combat was actually putting me to sleep.
Sonic Colors
2010
Back in early 2017, I was at a bit of a low point in my personal life, and a few games in combination with my discovery of YouTube helped get me out of it. This, Kirby's Return to Dreamland, and Battle for Bikini Bottom were the main games in question, so it'll always hold a special place in my heart for that alone.
But even then, this is a really good Sonic game. It takes the boost gameplay and manages to switch it up without feeling gimmicky thanks to the introduction of the wisps. Not to mention, it looks and sounds amazing to this day. Sure, some levels aren't the greatest, the bosses are lame and the writing sucks, but in spite of all that it manages to be good, great, awesome, outstanding, amazing even.
But even then, this is a really good Sonic game. It takes the boost gameplay and manages to switch it up without feeling gimmicky thanks to the introduction of the wisps. Not to mention, it looks and sounds amazing to this day. Sure, some levels aren't the greatest, the bosses are lame and the writing sucks, but in spite of all that it manages to be good, great, awesome, outstanding, amazing even.
Mega Man 2
1989
Megaman 2 is often considered one of the best titles not only in the franchise, but one of the best games ever.
And honestly I don't buy that.
I played this game multiple times and yeah, I totally see the things that does incredibly: the movement and jump-&-shootery is fluid and fun even today, the grphics are nice, the ability to approach the game as you want was a novel concept for the time and the soundtrack is a banger to this day (Seriously, Wily Castle 1 still gives me goosebumps)
But also there is a lot of weird design choices, specifically in the later sections of the game. Some parts of the final levels are straight up unaccessible if you don't have the good equipment (ITEM-1 and ITEM-2 being so important to progress feels kinda weird too), and one specific boss (the worst mf I have ever fought) is impossible to pass if you used Crash Bomber at all before it.
Not to mention that, after playing later titles, I really felt the lack of Slide Kick, Rush and Charge Shot in thos one.
My criticism aside, there is not denying that it is a classic that everone should try, and its pros are able to outshine its cons to make it a great experience even after 30+ years.
Mega Man 2 is epic, go figure
And honestly I don't buy that.
I played this game multiple times and yeah, I totally see the things that does incredibly: the movement and jump-&-shootery is fluid and fun even today, the grphics are nice, the ability to approach the game as you want was a novel concept for the time and the soundtrack is a banger to this day (Seriously, Wily Castle 1 still gives me goosebumps)
But also there is a lot of weird design choices, specifically in the later sections of the game. Some parts of the final levels are straight up unaccessible if you don't have the good equipment (ITEM-1 and ITEM-2 being so important to progress feels kinda weird too), and one specific boss (the worst mf I have ever fought) is impossible to pass if you used Crash Bomber at all before it.
Not to mention that, after playing later titles, I really felt the lack of Slide Kick, Rush and Charge Shot in thos one.
My criticism aside, there is not denying that it is a classic that everone should try, and its pros are able to outshine its cons to make it a great experience even after 30+ years.
Mega Man 2 is epic, go figure
Mario Party
1998
The nice thing about Nintendo Switch Online for old people like me is that you get a little involuntary nostalgia hit every couple of months. I wouldn’t download and emulate Mario Party of my own volition, but something about it being readily available on my Switch just makes the access to those old memories so much more enticing - even when said memories now launch with an updated warning about how they can cause permanent damage to the palm of your hand.
Funny story about this game - my younger brother and I had it in our heads that it was possible to be skilled at it. Our misguided belief that the winner of a game of Mario Party was in some way deserving of recognition and admiration eventually came to a head when our neighbour - who didn’t own or play video games of any kind whatsoever at any time - played a round with us one rainy afternoon. He came out comfortably 3 stars ahead at the end of 50 turns, brutally shredding our fragile preteenage egos to tatters. This trauma sent my brother crazy, and he had to be locked in the bathroom for an hour because he was quite simply going completely apeshit-crackers at the notion that someone who didn’t even hold the N64 controller correctly could beat him at a game he’d played for a hundred hours. Very funny to recall his little cheeky face lying on a floor sodden with Chance Time-induced tears. Great game.
You can jape endlessly about the unfairness of the original Mario Partys, but there’s nothing you can really say that’s more amusing than participating in it. Taking huge inspiration from the capitalist chaos of Monopoly, this is definitely one of Nintendo’s most postmodern games, directly stating on many occasions that the rules are made up and the coins don’t matter. It revels in unfairness and mean-spiritedness (literally, with the inclusion of a robber Boo) in a way I imagine Shigeru Miyamoto would frown very hard at, and I presume the meaning of Bowser hollering “That’s often the way things go in life!” while tap-dancing on the spot as Mario wails about being mis-sold a suspicious “super duper star” for the tidy sum of 200 coins just completely passed me by as a kid. Just like the game of Life, the lesson to be learned here is that no matter how carefully plot your course and how hard you twirl your joystick, all the money in your bank can be swept away in an instant because some stupid prick stepped on a big red button with your face on it.
Funny story about this game - my younger brother and I had it in our heads that it was possible to be skilled at it. Our misguided belief that the winner of a game of Mario Party was in some way deserving of recognition and admiration eventually came to a head when our neighbour - who didn’t own or play video games of any kind whatsoever at any time - played a round with us one rainy afternoon. He came out comfortably 3 stars ahead at the end of 50 turns, brutally shredding our fragile preteenage egos to tatters. This trauma sent my brother crazy, and he had to be locked in the bathroom for an hour because he was quite simply going completely apeshit-crackers at the notion that someone who didn’t even hold the N64 controller correctly could beat him at a game he’d played for a hundred hours. Very funny to recall his little cheeky face lying on a floor sodden with Chance Time-induced tears. Great game.
You can jape endlessly about the unfairness of the original Mario Partys, but there’s nothing you can really say that’s more amusing than participating in it. Taking huge inspiration from the capitalist chaos of Monopoly, this is definitely one of Nintendo’s most postmodern games, directly stating on many occasions that the rules are made up and the coins don’t matter. It revels in unfairness and mean-spiritedness (literally, with the inclusion of a robber Boo) in a way I imagine Shigeru Miyamoto would frown very hard at, and I presume the meaning of Bowser hollering “That’s often the way things go in life!” while tap-dancing on the spot as Mario wails about being mis-sold a suspicious “super duper star” for the tidy sum of 200 coins just completely passed me by as a kid. Just like the game of Life, the lesson to be learned here is that no matter how carefully plot your course and how hard you twirl your joystick, all the money in your bank can be swept away in an instant because some stupid prick stepped on a big red button with your face on it.
“But, since we're all gonna die, there's one more secret I feel I have to share with you: I did not care for The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.”
“What?”
“Did not care for Wind Waker.”
“How can you even say that, Dad?”
“Didn't like... didn't like it.”
“Peter, it's so good. It's like the perfect adventure game.”
“This is what everyone always says whenever...”
“Eiji Aonuma, Takashi Tezuka... I mean, you never see... Koji Kondo!”
“I know. Great, great composer. Did not like the game.”
“Why not?”
“Couldn't get into it.”
“Explain yourself. What didn't you like about it?”
“It insists upon itself, Lois.”
“What?”
“It insists upon itself.”
“What does that even mean?”
“'Cause it has a valid point to make, it's insistent!”
“It takes forever getting in, and then you go through this really terrible stealth section, and then, I can't even get through it. I can't even finish the game. I've never even seen the ending.”
“You've never seen the ending?!”
“How can you say you don't like it if you haven't even given it a chance?”
“I agree with Stewie. It's not really fair.”
“I have tried, on three separate occasions, to get through it, and I... I get to the part where you have to power up the Master Sword…”
“Yeah. That's a great part. I love that scene.”
“It's noted in every annal.”
“And you’re just going from place to place through the dungeons. Like, it’s really repetitive and the stuff you’re doing isn’t that interesting. That's why I lose interest and I go away.”
“It’s giving you freedom of exploration!”
“It’s offering you a wonderous adventure through a magical world, something you don't understand.”
“I love Link’s Awakening. That is my answer to that statement.”
“Exactly.”
“Well, there you go.”
“Whatever.”
“I like that game, too.”
“What?”
“Did not care for Wind Waker.”
“How can you even say that, Dad?”
“Didn't like... didn't like it.”
“Peter, it's so good. It's like the perfect adventure game.”
“This is what everyone always says whenever...”
“Eiji Aonuma, Takashi Tezuka... I mean, you never see... Koji Kondo!”
“I know. Great, great composer. Did not like the game.”
“Why not?”
“Couldn't get into it.”
“Explain yourself. What didn't you like about it?”
“It insists upon itself, Lois.”
“What?”
“It insists upon itself.”
“What does that even mean?”
“'Cause it has a valid point to make, it's insistent!”
“It takes forever getting in, and then you go through this really terrible stealth section, and then, I can't even get through it. I can't even finish the game. I've never even seen the ending.”
“You've never seen the ending?!”
“How can you say you don't like it if you haven't even given it a chance?”
“I agree with Stewie. It's not really fair.”
“I have tried, on three separate occasions, to get through it, and I... I get to the part where you have to power up the Master Sword…”
“Yeah. That's a great part. I love that scene.”
“It's noted in every annal.”
“And you’re just going from place to place through the dungeons. Like, it’s really repetitive and the stuff you’re doing isn’t that interesting. That's why I lose interest and I go away.”
“It’s giving you freedom of exploration!”
“It’s offering you a wonderous adventure through a magical world, something you don't understand.”
“I love Link’s Awakening. That is my answer to that statement.”
“Exactly.”
“Well, there you go.”
“Whatever.”
“I like that game, too.”
Dark Souls III
2016
i’m always just dazzled by dark souls 3. it’s very nearly a perfect game, this is where i think fromsoft really like “got it”. brought in everything that worked in previous games to create a vision of the end of the world that is fast and tremendous and terrifying and a complete thrill to experience despite pissing me off big in some parts
truly, truly incredible. dare i say, underrated? (obviously not but they always say either bloodborne or elden ring. show ds3 some love!!)
truly, truly incredible. dare i say, underrated? (obviously not but they always say either bloodborne or elden ring. show ds3 some love!!)
Spelunky
2012
i dont get it
highlight by a wide margin is the inherent comedy of seein a little pixel man eat absolute shit, that never gets old
highlight by a wide margin is the inherent comedy of seein a little pixel man eat absolute shit, that never gets old
World of Goo
2008
Alright World of Goo; you asked for the truth, now here it is.
I love you: you're beautiful, you're charming, and I can't fucking stand you.
Some may look at your art style and see it as derivative, the amalgamation of Invader Zim-ian quirky-and-edgy joy through the scope of Newgrounds circa 2007, but I love it all the same; It reminds me of the best of times and the worst of times all same.
Even your music, simple and stylistically homogenous as it is, still brought a smile to my face...
No, I'll tell you the reason I truly can't stand you anymore.
I wish there was a nicer way to say it, but... It's your physics. Uncooperative, clunky, grueling, by any other name the word is just as true: My time with you was one of constant struggle. I would labor on marvelous constructions, towers to symbolize all you stood for, and a meager misplacement would have minutes of work, as many as five, or ten even, crumbling to the floor.
First, I blamed God, for forsaking me once more; then, my crosshairs were directed at gravity, the loathsome force; but eventually, I knew the true patron of my patronization.
It was you, World of Goo.
My towers, my creations, meant nothing to you. You would scoff at my attempts, laugh at my failure, and refuse to even glance my way at my myriad victories. It was you -- It was always you.
So knowing this, I have no choice but to part ways with you, wistful World, glorious Goo, Opulent of. You give me no choice, and your bitter banter at my behest broke my brain. Our time was short, but a single second longer in your company could only spell disaster...
Farewell,
Roxy S. Gaming
I love you: you're beautiful, you're charming, and I can't fucking stand you.
Some may look at your art style and see it as derivative, the amalgamation of Invader Zim-ian quirky-and-edgy joy through the scope of Newgrounds circa 2007, but I love it all the same; It reminds me of the best of times and the worst of times all same.
Even your music, simple and stylistically homogenous as it is, still brought a smile to my face...
No, I'll tell you the reason I truly can't stand you anymore.
I wish there was a nicer way to say it, but... It's your physics. Uncooperative, clunky, grueling, by any other name the word is just as true: My time with you was one of constant struggle. I would labor on marvelous constructions, towers to symbolize all you stood for, and a meager misplacement would have minutes of work, as many as five, or ten even, crumbling to the floor.
First, I blamed God, for forsaking me once more; then, my crosshairs were directed at gravity, the loathsome force; but eventually, I knew the true patron of my patronization.
It was you, World of Goo.
My towers, my creations, meant nothing to you. You would scoff at my attempts, laugh at my failure, and refuse to even glance my way at my myriad victories. It was you -- It was always you.
So knowing this, I have no choice but to part ways with you, wistful World, glorious Goo, Opulent of. You give me no choice, and your bitter banter at my behest broke my brain. Our time was short, but a single second longer in your company could only spell disaster...
Farewell,
Roxy S. Gaming
Now this is how a Pokémon experience should be, as a life long Pokémon fan I for whatever reason have never went back to play any of the games before X and Y, I chose Platinum because it was probably the game a knew least about and what a choice it was. Platinum made me feel like I was a kid again playing Pokémon for the first time, it had everything you could want out of a Pokémon game, a great cast of characters one of the best in the franchise with characters like Looker and Cynthia, an amazing region easily one of my personal favourites, some really good Pokémon with some of my favourites in the franchise and a given with any Pokémon game a incredible soundtrack. Sinnoh has made me fall back in love with Pokémon and has genuinely made me excited to play through the rest of the franchise.
Team:
PenPen - The Empoleon
Eva - The Luxray
Nero - The Staraptor
Asuna - The Roserade
Rikka - The Espeon
Pochita - The Garchomp
Team:
PenPen - The Empoleon
Eva - The Luxray
Nero - The Staraptor
Asuna - The Roserade
Rikka - The Espeon
Pochita - The Garchomp
