LithOrbane
Easily the best reverse driving mechanics in any video game to date.
I remember renting this game from Blockbuster as a kid and me and my brother being unable to make any real progress in it. The controls are easily some of the worst in gaming history. Grating sound effects, no real story, bad graphics; I could go on, but everything bad about this game has already been said.
In high school, I got sick with walking pneumonia and was out of school for two weeks. During that time, I downloaded a ROM of this game and played it again for the meme. While I never beat it, I got STUPIDLY good at the ring flying sections without even using a controller, just keyboard. One of my most useless gaming talents for sure.
In high school, I got sick with walking pneumonia and was out of school for two weeks. During that time, I downloaded a ROM of this game and played it again for the meme. While I never beat it, I got STUPIDLY good at the ring flying sections without even using a controller, just keyboard. One of my most useless gaming talents for sure.
1998
I remember this game being an incredibly confusing mess, not giving me much direction in what to do, and the controls were so slippery sensitive. Game also just has really weird vibes, it always kinda creeped me out.
2000
Calling this an "adventure game" feels like a stretch.
I did not want this game I did not ask for this game why did I have this game
1999
This game is not great but turning around and driving in the opposite direction, ploughing into rival drivers in head-on collisions at speeds approaching 180 mph, blowing out all four of my tires and sustaining major damage to the body of my car, only to hear the announcers say "Nothin' a little duct tape can't fix!" is an all time gamer moment.
Not necessarily a "bad" game entirely but it's just worse than it's predecessor in basically every way that matters. Would probably be okay if the original didn't exist, but it just looks worse by comparison.
2007
Really weird game hindered by its controls. I'm not one to hate motion controls in concept, in fact I often defend them, so long as they're implemented thoughtfully and feel fluid. They just felt awkward to me in this game though. A personal matter for sure, I'm sure if the controls don't bother you the game is fine, they didn't work for me though.
Still, ignoring the control issue, this still just feels weaker than SSX Tricky in pretty much every way.
Still, ignoring the control issue, this still just feels weaker than SSX Tricky in pretty much every way.
This review contains spoilers
Armondo Ootbagh is Crash's father.
2021
This game was a pleasant surprise, one I had not even heard of, that my girlfriend got me for Christmas. What a delight it turned out to be. The game absolutely oozes charm, from its wonderful artistic style, to its simple yet endearing cast of characters, including the fantastic narration and its amusing commentary. The world feels beautifully quaint, full of mystery, and surprisingly gritty and gruesome all at once, balancing these tones superbly. The combat is enjoyable, with some real stand-out bosses, though not all are made equal.
I do think that the beginning of the game is better than its later sections, though I still found it solid all the way through. I do wish some of the "side quests" were more varied, and that they felt more like true side quests, instead of being, for the most part, required, somewhat slowing the game's pacing down. As well, a few of the bosses, especially some of the later ones, felt weaker in design than many of the early/mid-game bosses. Still, I did not find any truly awful, perhaps just a bit underwhelming. As a final note, the game could do with explaining a few of the mechanics and equipment intricacies, as some are not the most intuitive, and took a bit to understand.
These flaws are not major detriments though. I absolutely adored this game, and the short length is making me consider giving it another replay in the future. A real gem of a game, that I'm glad I got the chance to play.
I do think that the beginning of the game is better than its later sections, though I still found it solid all the way through. I do wish some of the "side quests" were more varied, and that they felt more like true side quests, instead of being, for the most part, required, somewhat slowing the game's pacing down. As well, a few of the bosses, especially some of the later ones, felt weaker in design than many of the early/mid-game bosses. Still, I did not find any truly awful, perhaps just a bit underwhelming. As a final note, the game could do with explaining a few of the mechanics and equipment intricacies, as some are not the most intuitive, and took a bit to understand.
These flaws are not major detriments though. I absolutely adored this game, and the short length is making me consider giving it another replay in the future. A real gem of a game, that I'm glad I got the chance to play.
2000
This game holds up even better than I remember it being as a kid. This was one that I rented a few times, but never owned. Glad to be able to play it whenever I want on Switch now. One of the best Mario sports games in my opinion.
1998
Still one of my favorite games of all time, glad to get back to it for the first time in about a decade. The ability to play this portable on the Switch was great.
1997
Still a masterpiece and one of my favorite games of all time, revisiting it only further cements that fact.
Also I beat finally beat my Area 6 high score I set when I was 13 I feel so accomplished.
Also I beat finally beat my Area 6 high score I set when I was 13 I feel so accomplished.
Genuinely enjoyed this more than when I was a kid, and I already loved this game. Fantastic level design with variety that can go from emphasizing platforming to exploration and even puzzle-solving elements at times. Does a really great job of making levels have distinct identities while not being overly reliant on gimmicks to do so (and when they do show up, they're generally welcome and well done). Artstyle and music also really stand out here, game has such a distinct look it often doesn't even feel like an SNES game.
Glad I got back to this one, the fresh perspective helped me appreciate it even more than I used to.
Glad I got back to this one, the fresh perspective helped me appreciate it even more than I used to.
2023
This review contains spoilers
Took me awhile to get this game finished after taking a few months off about halfway through, glad I did though.
Gameplay in this entry is in my opinion some of the best in the series. The new mechanics such as Break and Engage offer something new to consider when strategizing, and go a long way toward making the gameplay of this one feel distinct and stand out from the others in the series. Game generally feels well balanced, both in the character roster and class design. I personally found the difficulty well done, levels felt challenging without veering into overly frustrating or poorly designed. Map design is some of my favorite in the series, while not every map is created equal I found most of them memorable and enjoyable and some I would consider some of my favorite in the series (shoutouts to Chapter 17).
The game does have its faults though, and I would say that's most apparent in the story. I'm personally am fine with this game having a straightforward and simple story, especially coming off the heels of Three Houses, and given that it seems to be a series celebration title. I was able to enjoy it for what it was for the most part for the first half or so, but after that it felt rather inconsistent, and by the final third or so I had lost all interest with how needlessly convoluted and contrived it was making everything.
Despite any criticisms of plot or some of the character designs not really being to my tastes, the gameplay is so good I couldn't help but enjoy myself while playing this game. Other than a few slight missteps with a handful of maps or other gameplay aspects, the core of this game is solid. If I decide to play again I probably won't worry much on the story or Somniel activities and instead just focus on the great gameplay this game has to offer.
Gameplay in this entry is in my opinion some of the best in the series. The new mechanics such as Break and Engage offer something new to consider when strategizing, and go a long way toward making the gameplay of this one feel distinct and stand out from the others in the series. Game generally feels well balanced, both in the character roster and class design. I personally found the difficulty well done, levels felt challenging without veering into overly frustrating or poorly designed. Map design is some of my favorite in the series, while not every map is created equal I found most of them memorable and enjoyable and some I would consider some of my favorite in the series (shoutouts to Chapter 17).
The game does have its faults though, and I would say that's most apparent in the story. I'm personally am fine with this game having a straightforward and simple story, especially coming off the heels of Three Houses, and given that it seems to be a series celebration title. I was able to enjoy it for what it was for the most part for the first half or so, but after that it felt rather inconsistent, and by the final third or so I had lost all interest with how needlessly convoluted and contrived it was making everything.
Despite any criticisms of plot or some of the character designs not really being to my tastes, the gameplay is so good I couldn't help but enjoy myself while playing this game. Other than a few slight missteps with a handful of maps or other gameplay aspects, the core of this game is solid. If I decide to play again I probably won't worry much on the story or Somniel activities and instead just focus on the great gameplay this game has to offer.