MacBlank
2012
This review contains spoilers
The original Persona 4 is my favorite video game. When I refer to it as I did in my review here, I am not exaggerating or over-simplifying - that's really my understanding of the game, at least as it applies to me. I played it at a time of my life when I most needed it, it taught me a lot of important life lessons, it expanded my worldview, and it continues to inspire me to be a better person to this day. Frankly, I don't expect that I'll ever connect with another game as intensely as I did Persona 4 (and that's okay). By way of example: I am neither someone who frequently plays long games, nor someone to frequently replay games without a good reason to do so. Yet as of this writing, I have played through the original Persona 4 three times in full, with a fourth run in-progress (and several abandoned partial attempts over the years - though I waited a good decade before this current one. Persona 4 is a sometimes food).
...I don't love Persona 4 Golden as much. I still love it to an obsessive degree, like, you have no idea. Golden didn't stop being Persona 4, after all, and silly as it sounds, I still tear up every time I watch that "Shadow World" opening. But there are a few changes that I think muddy the specific tonality I cherish from the original, and while I totally get it if this is someone's preferred version, it isn't mine. This write-up more than any other is going to get pretty nitpicky, so bear with me.
(Hey, that's not a bad joke! Hee hee.)
Good stuff first, though. There is a ton of bonus content through the "TV Listings", enough so that the game feels like a Special Edition DVD. A bonus extra-canonical quiz show, trailers for related media released around the same time as Golden, concert clips, concept art galleries with commentary, interviews with the voice actors (in the original Japanese release), educational segments explaining some of the game's theming... this is super rad stuff to have access to. Honestly, I think this sort of thing does wonders to justify the existence of an updated rerelease. If a game ends up being a megaton hit, enough so to warrant a port a couple years later, this is a shining example of what the creators should reach for. From a collector's standpoint, worth the price of admission alone.
This is without getting into the actual gameplay adjustments. I generally find that the game has been made to be a lot more user-friendly, and while I'll explain where I'm not so fond of that in a bit, I do appreciate things like making it so the player can assign inherited skills during Fusion. I didn't have access to this in the Vita release, but I really appreciate the Steam and subsequent ports' modular difficulty settings. I don't think it's something the game needed, strictly speaking, but I've also played this story four times in full and can claim no objectivity whatsoever. Vox Populi is a neat feature, one I appreciate was rolled into Persona 5, and SOS (while minor) is kind of a nice effect, too. There's also a general attempt to give party members more to do in combat, and while I don't get all of it (Bike Skills feel a bit silly, like, what is it about riding a bicycle that gives Kanji the ability to cast healing magic), stuff like the Tag Team attacks, additional S-Link skills, Cavalry Attacks, and Rise being able to contribute to All-Out Attacks is nice. Also - additional Personas are always a treat, and I appreciate that access to elements has been rebalanced so the player has access to Hama and Mudo through Chie and Yukiko; always felt like Light/Dark's distribution felt too limited for how prevalent it's meant to be in SMT games.
We got two new Social Links, too! Marie is kind of a love-her-or-leave-her character, but I like her myself. I think my buddy Gooms puts it best - that she feels superfluous to the adventure is sort of the point, like her very existence is a meta commentary on updated rerelease extras. Anywho, she leads to a lot of fun moments, like the discovery that Chie is inherently incapable of not-wearing green. And I like the tsundere poet angle, sue me. Meanwhile Adachi getting an S-Link feels like the game patching a conspicuous omission in the first release, given how often the player interacts with him throughout. Of the two, Achy-baby's S-Link is way more interesting for obvious reasons, though I do think the bonus dungeon tied to Marie's S-Link is pretty neat. I appreciate that Hollow Forest is designed around its gimmick rather than a specific level curve - means that it slots neatly between the last two dungeons of the original game.
The other most obvious thing to this game's release is the change in voice actors, with Tracey Rooney being replaced with Erin Fitzgerald for Chie and Dave Wittenberg being replaced with Sam Riegel for Teddie (among a few other smaller roles). I do personally prefer Rooney and Wittenberg respectively, mostly since their takes are the ones with which I'm most familiar, but Fitzgerald and Riegel do great jobs themselves. I think for Chie, it comes down to whether your preferred take on Chie is warm and understated (Rooney) or spunky and in-your-face (Fitzgerald). Teddie meanwhile feels like an extremely natural character for Sam Riegel to play, like I listen to Critical Role and think, "Oh, no, Sam Riegel just is Teddie" - but at the same time, there's a tiny bit of nuance to Wittenberg's performance, a little bit of melancholy he gives to this dopey bear, that I don't feel with Riegel's performance.
I suppose I'll need to get into theming and criticism of Persona 4 Golden's changes to explain what I mean. The easiest way to approach it is probably to explain that I've never shared the common objections to Teddie as a character. I generally make a point not to seek out Persona 4 discourse (*ahem*), but if I have the right of what I've seen - Teddie is an annoying little weirdo who is abruptly and randomly pervy and just doesn't know when to shut up and go away. I've never quite agreed with this take on the character, because my headcanon has always been that Teddie doesn't actually understand any of what he's saying. Teddie is someone who gloms onto sexual things like Yukiko's "scoring" line, Kanji's undetermined orientation, and the girls' measurements because he finds people's responses and discomfort funny, not because he's someone who actually gets anything out of it. I didn't know the word "asexual" when I first played the game, but that was probably how I understood him, and I still think that take generally holds.
I think part of why I came away with this perspective on the character is because I connected with him through Dave Wittenberg's performance. Like I said, the overriding emotion I get from Wittenberg's Teddie is quiet fatalistic melancholy. Like you hear it a lot more early on - when Teddie makes jokes, there's a sense that he's trying to crack through his own miserable veneer. As he starts to make connections with the Investigation Team, he starts to grow more confident and bold with his completely ridiculous comedic offers. Shadow Teddie is so striking because it's unexpected in the moment, but an examination of Teddie as a character makes its development obvious: Teddie learned to project an identity, and when confronted with the reality Rise needed to accept ("There is no real me"), the idea was so abhorrently accurate to Teddie that he couldn't accept that about himself. These are the sorts of things that I can easily believe through Wittenberg's take. Because the overriding emotion I get from Riegel's Teddie is him as a comedic goofball, I think the character becomes funnier, and I think the range Riegel shows as Shadow Teddie is a lot more striking, but there's less of a sense of Teddie pretending he's more than just empty inside.
Hanako is another character that comes to mind, where the criticism of her in popular discourse feels like a consequence of people knowing the character through Persona 4 Golden. Hanako is not a complicated character - she's an overweight classmate who acts like a belligerent boor in the few interactions she has with the party; an extremely minor antagonist in some of the game's silliest scenes. I've read that it seems hypocritical, to have a game themed entirely about self-acceptance and self-actualization where one of the characters is just a fat joke, but I don't think that applies to the original game. The joke of her is that she has no self-awareness whatsoever; her being chunky is less the punchline and more visual shorthand for the type of person she is (saying this as someone who's overweight himself). Where it DOES apply is in Persona 4 Golden, which gives her two extra scenes. In the first, she attempts to mount Yosuke's brand new scooter, and like a Vogon mounting a gazelle-thing, her fat ass snaps the thing in two. In the second, she comes onto Teddie and squishes him off-screen like a pancake, with her general rotundity. NOW she has become fat joke, the destroyer of good form.
I think a lot of the incidental scenes added throughout the game outside the new S-Link stuff do more harm than good. Like, there's that scene of the party putting on a concert at Junes. Don't get me wrong - it's cute! I love spending more downtime with the cast, and it's a fun way to incorporate "True Story" from the anime into the game. But! The scene makes a point to highlight Namatame watchin' from the shadows, and the revised dialogue with him after avoiding the Bad Endings makes it clear that this was ultimately the purpose of the scene: to expand upon Namatame's muddled role as the kidnapper and red herring. I suppose this is fair, but I also think it makes the reveal too obvious. Like, even with Adachi's true nature made obvious through spin-off material, the surprise reveal of Namatame as the kidnapper remains a strong twist in the original, since it's only subtly foreshadowed. Having Namatame actually show up in a scene, and having the game be all like "ooooo what's with thiiiiis guyyyyyy" sorta spoils that.
...also, did Golden really need to add a second Hot Springs scene? Marie just straight up having magic lightning powers in the mundane world feels like it breaks some rules, though hell if I know what exactly.
Since I mentioned gameplay adjustments before, I do find that there are a few points where the difficulty has been too flattened. Shadow Yukiko has been made considerably easier with her new Ice weakness, on which I'm sorta of two minds. On one hand, she's the first end-of-dungeon boss, so the player should probably be afforded some clemency; anyway, she's not a complete gimme and still keeps the player on their toes. On the other hand, I've always been fond of just how thoroughly Shadow Yukes bodies an unprepared player. I love the harsh difficulty spike! Really forces the player to make sure they understand the game's disparate systems, how combat can be extremely challenging in spite of how straightforward it is. Shadow Yukiko is the main place this manifests, since the game catches up with itself around Shadow Kanji, but a downstream effect happens with the final boss. Because there's now an extra dungeon's worth of leveling wedged in before the final dungeon, and because the final bosses' stats go unchanged, an only-kinda-challenging final boss has turned into more or less a complete stomp in the player's favor. Still mechanically and thematically compelling, but you spend way less time with it this go-around, and that's a bummer.
You can also kinda tell that the game's not balanced around some of the new side events you can do. I love being able to explore at night, but because the game wasn't designed around all that extra S-Linking time, it's generally less important for the player to make difficult choices in terms of who they're spending time with and when. Also, being able to grow veggies is a cute side activity, but hot hell on the Chesapeake Turnpike, was the game not designed to handle the player being able to have a replenishible stock of SP-recovery items, particularly Bead Melons! Yeah, I know they take a while to grow and you only get one at a time; doesn't matter! SP management is such a fundamental part to pacing out dungeon exploration that having easy access to anything that completely restores SP, even just the player's SP, is like getting a full 'nother day of dungeon-crawling for free. This sort-of becomes a slippery slope that goes on to inform decisions made with Persona 5's difficulty scaling, which I'll eventually get into in its own write-up, but the skinny is that this is where the Persona series went from "unapologetically difficult" on Normal to "not-braindead" on Normal.
...like I said at the top, this is ultimately pretty nitpicky. The intent is clearly that this is offset by extra higher difficulties, especially the modular difficulty options introduced in the Steam release. Now, I am someone who generally goes for as "Normal" a difficulty as I can, out of the idea that that represents the dev-intended challenge, so these changes tripped me up as being strikingly different from the dev-intended challenge of the original. But it does make it more accessible to more people, and that's ultimately the thing I care about more, so... I guess I can't grouse too much.
That's really my takeaway for Persona 4 Golden as a whole: the most important thing to me is that any version of the game exists for people to experience. Persona 4 is the game that changed my life for the better, and I want people to have the ability to experience that. Yeah, that's not gonna happen for everyone, and that's okay, too. Even if it just exists in a capacity where folks who connected with Persona 5 can see how we got there, I think that's fine as well. If Persona 4 Golden must be the means by which we get there? Well, hell, it's still a good version of an absolutely incredible game. By all means, go for it.
...I don't love Persona 4 Golden as much. I still love it to an obsessive degree, like, you have no idea. Golden didn't stop being Persona 4, after all, and silly as it sounds, I still tear up every time I watch that "Shadow World" opening. But there are a few changes that I think muddy the specific tonality I cherish from the original, and while I totally get it if this is someone's preferred version, it isn't mine. This write-up more than any other is going to get pretty nitpicky, so bear with me.
(Hey, that's not a bad joke! Hee hee.)
Good stuff first, though. There is a ton of bonus content through the "TV Listings", enough so that the game feels like a Special Edition DVD. A bonus extra-canonical quiz show, trailers for related media released around the same time as Golden, concert clips, concept art galleries with commentary, interviews with the voice actors (in the original Japanese release), educational segments explaining some of the game's theming... this is super rad stuff to have access to. Honestly, I think this sort of thing does wonders to justify the existence of an updated rerelease. If a game ends up being a megaton hit, enough so to warrant a port a couple years later, this is a shining example of what the creators should reach for. From a collector's standpoint, worth the price of admission alone.
This is without getting into the actual gameplay adjustments. I generally find that the game has been made to be a lot more user-friendly, and while I'll explain where I'm not so fond of that in a bit, I do appreciate things like making it so the player can assign inherited skills during Fusion. I didn't have access to this in the Vita release, but I really appreciate the Steam and subsequent ports' modular difficulty settings. I don't think it's something the game needed, strictly speaking, but I've also played this story four times in full and can claim no objectivity whatsoever. Vox Populi is a neat feature, one I appreciate was rolled into Persona 5, and SOS (while minor) is kind of a nice effect, too. There's also a general attempt to give party members more to do in combat, and while I don't get all of it (Bike Skills feel a bit silly, like, what is it about riding a bicycle that gives Kanji the ability to cast healing magic), stuff like the Tag Team attacks, additional S-Link skills, Cavalry Attacks, and Rise being able to contribute to All-Out Attacks is nice. Also - additional Personas are always a treat, and I appreciate that access to elements has been rebalanced so the player has access to Hama and Mudo through Chie and Yukiko; always felt like Light/Dark's distribution felt too limited for how prevalent it's meant to be in SMT games.
We got two new Social Links, too! Marie is kind of a love-her-or-leave-her character, but I like her myself. I think my buddy Gooms puts it best - that she feels superfluous to the adventure is sort of the point, like her very existence is a meta commentary on updated rerelease extras. Anywho, she leads to a lot of fun moments, like the discovery that Chie is inherently incapable of not-wearing green. And I like the tsundere poet angle, sue me. Meanwhile Adachi getting an S-Link feels like the game patching a conspicuous omission in the first release, given how often the player interacts with him throughout. Of the two, Achy-baby's S-Link is way more interesting for obvious reasons, though I do think the bonus dungeon tied to Marie's S-Link is pretty neat. I appreciate that Hollow Forest is designed around its gimmick rather than a specific level curve - means that it slots neatly between the last two dungeons of the original game.
The other most obvious thing to this game's release is the change in voice actors, with Tracey Rooney being replaced with Erin Fitzgerald for Chie and Dave Wittenberg being replaced with Sam Riegel for Teddie (among a few other smaller roles). I do personally prefer Rooney and Wittenberg respectively, mostly since their takes are the ones with which I'm most familiar, but Fitzgerald and Riegel do great jobs themselves. I think for Chie, it comes down to whether your preferred take on Chie is warm and understated (Rooney) or spunky and in-your-face (Fitzgerald). Teddie meanwhile feels like an extremely natural character for Sam Riegel to play, like I listen to Critical Role and think, "Oh, no, Sam Riegel just is Teddie" - but at the same time, there's a tiny bit of nuance to Wittenberg's performance, a little bit of melancholy he gives to this dopey bear, that I don't feel with Riegel's performance.
I suppose I'll need to get into theming and criticism of Persona 4 Golden's changes to explain what I mean. The easiest way to approach it is probably to explain that I've never shared the common objections to Teddie as a character. I generally make a point not to seek out Persona 4 discourse (*ahem*), but if I have the right of what I've seen - Teddie is an annoying little weirdo who is abruptly and randomly pervy and just doesn't know when to shut up and go away. I've never quite agreed with this take on the character, because my headcanon has always been that Teddie doesn't actually understand any of what he's saying. Teddie is someone who gloms onto sexual things like Yukiko's "scoring" line, Kanji's undetermined orientation, and the girls' measurements because he finds people's responses and discomfort funny, not because he's someone who actually gets anything out of it. I didn't know the word "asexual" when I first played the game, but that was probably how I understood him, and I still think that take generally holds.
I think part of why I came away with this perspective on the character is because I connected with him through Dave Wittenberg's performance. Like I said, the overriding emotion I get from Wittenberg's Teddie is quiet fatalistic melancholy. Like you hear it a lot more early on - when Teddie makes jokes, there's a sense that he's trying to crack through his own miserable veneer. As he starts to make connections with the Investigation Team, he starts to grow more confident and bold with his completely ridiculous comedic offers. Shadow Teddie is so striking because it's unexpected in the moment, but an examination of Teddie as a character makes its development obvious: Teddie learned to project an identity, and when confronted with the reality Rise needed to accept ("There is no real me"), the idea was so abhorrently accurate to Teddie that he couldn't accept that about himself. These are the sorts of things that I can easily believe through Wittenberg's take. Because the overriding emotion I get from Riegel's Teddie is him as a comedic goofball, I think the character becomes funnier, and I think the range Riegel shows as Shadow Teddie is a lot more striking, but there's less of a sense of Teddie pretending he's more than just empty inside.
Hanako is another character that comes to mind, where the criticism of her in popular discourse feels like a consequence of people knowing the character through Persona 4 Golden. Hanako is not a complicated character - she's an overweight classmate who acts like a belligerent boor in the few interactions she has with the party; an extremely minor antagonist in some of the game's silliest scenes. I've read that it seems hypocritical, to have a game themed entirely about self-acceptance and self-actualization where one of the characters is just a fat joke, but I don't think that applies to the original game. The joke of her is that she has no self-awareness whatsoever; her being chunky is less the punchline and more visual shorthand for the type of person she is (saying this as someone who's overweight himself). Where it DOES apply is in Persona 4 Golden, which gives her two extra scenes. In the first, she attempts to mount Yosuke's brand new scooter, and like a Vogon mounting a gazelle-thing, her fat ass snaps the thing in two. In the second, she comes onto Teddie and squishes him off-screen like a pancake, with her general rotundity. NOW she has become fat joke, the destroyer of good form.
I think a lot of the incidental scenes added throughout the game outside the new S-Link stuff do more harm than good. Like, there's that scene of the party putting on a concert at Junes. Don't get me wrong - it's cute! I love spending more downtime with the cast, and it's a fun way to incorporate "True Story" from the anime into the game. But! The scene makes a point to highlight Namatame watchin' from the shadows, and the revised dialogue with him after avoiding the Bad Endings makes it clear that this was ultimately the purpose of the scene: to expand upon Namatame's muddled role as the kidnapper and red herring. I suppose this is fair, but I also think it makes the reveal too obvious. Like, even with Adachi's true nature made obvious through spin-off material, the surprise reveal of Namatame as the kidnapper remains a strong twist in the original, since it's only subtly foreshadowed. Having Namatame actually show up in a scene, and having the game be all like "ooooo what's with thiiiiis guyyyyyy" sorta spoils that.
...also, did Golden really need to add a second Hot Springs scene? Marie just straight up having magic lightning powers in the mundane world feels like it breaks some rules, though hell if I know what exactly.
Since I mentioned gameplay adjustments before, I do find that there are a few points where the difficulty has been too flattened. Shadow Yukiko has been made considerably easier with her new Ice weakness, on which I'm sorta of two minds. On one hand, she's the first end-of-dungeon boss, so the player should probably be afforded some clemency; anyway, she's not a complete gimme and still keeps the player on their toes. On the other hand, I've always been fond of just how thoroughly Shadow Yukes bodies an unprepared player. I love the harsh difficulty spike! Really forces the player to make sure they understand the game's disparate systems, how combat can be extremely challenging in spite of how straightforward it is. Shadow Yukiko is the main place this manifests, since the game catches up with itself around Shadow Kanji, but a downstream effect happens with the final boss. Because there's now an extra dungeon's worth of leveling wedged in before the final dungeon, and because the final bosses' stats go unchanged, an only-kinda-challenging final boss has turned into more or less a complete stomp in the player's favor. Still mechanically and thematically compelling, but you spend way less time with it this go-around, and that's a bummer.
You can also kinda tell that the game's not balanced around some of the new side events you can do. I love being able to explore at night, but because the game wasn't designed around all that extra S-Linking time, it's generally less important for the player to make difficult choices in terms of who they're spending time with and when. Also, being able to grow veggies is a cute side activity, but hot hell on the Chesapeake Turnpike, was the game not designed to handle the player being able to have a replenishible stock of SP-recovery items, particularly Bead Melons! Yeah, I know they take a while to grow and you only get one at a time; doesn't matter! SP management is such a fundamental part to pacing out dungeon exploration that having easy access to anything that completely restores SP, even just the player's SP, is like getting a full 'nother day of dungeon-crawling for free. This sort-of becomes a slippery slope that goes on to inform decisions made with Persona 5's difficulty scaling, which I'll eventually get into in its own write-up, but the skinny is that this is where the Persona series went from "unapologetically difficult" on Normal to "not-braindead" on Normal.
...like I said at the top, this is ultimately pretty nitpicky. The intent is clearly that this is offset by extra higher difficulties, especially the modular difficulty options introduced in the Steam release. Now, I am someone who generally goes for as "Normal" a difficulty as I can, out of the idea that that represents the dev-intended challenge, so these changes tripped me up as being strikingly different from the dev-intended challenge of the original. But it does make it more accessible to more people, and that's ultimately the thing I care about more, so... I guess I can't grouse too much.
That's really my takeaway for Persona 4 Golden as a whole: the most important thing to me is that any version of the game exists for people to experience. Persona 4 is the game that changed my life for the better, and I want people to have the ability to experience that. Yeah, that's not gonna happen for everyone, and that's okay, too. Even if it just exists in a capacity where folks who connected with Persona 5 can see how we got there, I think that's fine as well. If Persona 4 Golden must be the means by which we get there? Well, hell, it's still a good version of an absolutely incredible game. By all means, go for it.
1994
I went for this for two reasons: it was a curious bonus inclusion in the SEGA Genesis Mini's line-up, and I thought the clay model boxart was cute. I'd been meaning to get into Wonder Boy anyway, particularly its Master System outings, but it worked out that I first jumped into this, the... sixth...? entry in the series.
Actually, before we go further, a quick thought. What would that boxart have looked like if we got this on Genesis back in the day? Knowing how often SEGA changed up boxart at this time - heck, even within this very series - I can't imagine it would've made it to the American market. Probably we'd be looking at an airbrushed take on this pose with Asha and Pepelogoo. Not necessarily a bad thing, just nothing that would've pulled me in.
Which would've been a bummer, since I had a great time with Monster World IV.
I'm still an outsider to Wonder Boy/Monster World, so I don't know how much of this game's general thing is a logical progression from previous titles. But I like it here: 2D action platformer with a simple but fun emphasis on combat. In particular, I like the rhythm of that sword bounce attack - obviously not your go-to for most situations, but having more than just a horizontal slash does a lot to break up swordplay in these sorts of things.
The main gimmick here is the Pepelogoo. A little bit into the game, player character Asha hatches a Pepelogoo, a cute blue floating critter. Pepelogoo has a few different abilities - retrieving objects, extending jumps, etc - which are useful for puzzle-solving. But most intriguingly, Pepelogoo doesn't have all these abilities at the same time. The little dude develops over the course of the game, swapping one ability for the next at certain plot beats.
This lends itself to a unique cadence with the dungeons: it's less "this dungeon is here to test the last ability you got", like you'd see in a given Legend of Zelda title, and more "this is the dungeon where you use this ability". Subtle thing, but this means the game gets its fill of each ability with each dungeon, and the player comes to feel that something has fundamentally changed with each new story beat. That's definitely what they're going for going off the narrative, so it's a neat effect.
There's a lot to love with the game's world and story. Yes, it's not a super groundbreaking story, but I love the presentation and characterization. The Arabian influence is a very fun twist to what had been a fairly standard fantasy world. Rapadagna City is a fun central location, lots of NPCs with great dialogue and little storylines as the game progresses. Particularly the genie, much as I'm not sure what to make of his design. I love his does-not-give-a-crap attitude towards Asha and everything else going on.
But my very favorite part of the game is Asha herself. What a fun, expressive hero! I love seeing how she animates and reacts to things. I don't claim to understand why she gets so happy about filling a bucket with water, but there's such a sweet little private joy to that sprite that I keep working it into different online communities as a reaction where I can. And they even worked that sprite onto the Switch boxart for the remake!!!
Monster World IV is precisely the type of game I love to discover: lesser-known, easy to jump into, well-written and a ton of fun. It was honestly kinda worth getting the SEGA Genesis Mini for it alone, though I also appreciate that there's a general attempt to make the game accessible through stuff like a bonus bundle with the remake's Switch port and its inclusion in the Xbox Monster World Collection. Definitely worth seeking out, one way or another.
Actually, before we go further, a quick thought. What would that boxart have looked like if we got this on Genesis back in the day? Knowing how often SEGA changed up boxart at this time - heck, even within this very series - I can't imagine it would've made it to the American market. Probably we'd be looking at an airbrushed take on this pose with Asha and Pepelogoo. Not necessarily a bad thing, just nothing that would've pulled me in.
Which would've been a bummer, since I had a great time with Monster World IV.
I'm still an outsider to Wonder Boy/Monster World, so I don't know how much of this game's general thing is a logical progression from previous titles. But I like it here: 2D action platformer with a simple but fun emphasis on combat. In particular, I like the rhythm of that sword bounce attack - obviously not your go-to for most situations, but having more than just a horizontal slash does a lot to break up swordplay in these sorts of things.
The main gimmick here is the Pepelogoo. A little bit into the game, player character Asha hatches a Pepelogoo, a cute blue floating critter. Pepelogoo has a few different abilities - retrieving objects, extending jumps, etc - which are useful for puzzle-solving. But most intriguingly, Pepelogoo doesn't have all these abilities at the same time. The little dude develops over the course of the game, swapping one ability for the next at certain plot beats.
This lends itself to a unique cadence with the dungeons: it's less "this dungeon is here to test the last ability you got", like you'd see in a given Legend of Zelda title, and more "this is the dungeon where you use this ability". Subtle thing, but this means the game gets its fill of each ability with each dungeon, and the player comes to feel that something has fundamentally changed with each new story beat. That's definitely what they're going for going off the narrative, so it's a neat effect.
There's a lot to love with the game's world and story. Yes, it's not a super groundbreaking story, but I love the presentation and characterization. The Arabian influence is a very fun twist to what had been a fairly standard fantasy world. Rapadagna City is a fun central location, lots of NPCs with great dialogue and little storylines as the game progresses. Particularly the genie, much as I'm not sure what to make of his design. I love his does-not-give-a-crap attitude towards Asha and everything else going on.
But my very favorite part of the game is Asha herself. What a fun, expressive hero! I love seeing how she animates and reacts to things. I don't claim to understand why she gets so happy about filling a bucket with water, but there's such a sweet little private joy to that sprite that I keep working it into different online communities as a reaction where I can. And they even worked that sprite onto the Switch boxart for the remake!!!
Monster World IV is precisely the type of game I love to discover: lesser-known, easy to jump into, well-written and a ton of fun. It was honestly kinda worth getting the SEGA Genesis Mini for it alone, though I also appreciate that there's a general attempt to make the game accessible through stuff like a bonus bundle with the remake's Switch port and its inclusion in the Xbox Monster World Collection. Definitely worth seeking out, one way or another.
1996
That long anime opening isn't just for show - this was the series' big anniversary release! 10 years, internationally! Somehow, this translated to Mega Man 8 being the least-traditional entry in the series.
It's not a bad game by any means. Actually, I might even prefer it to a decent chunk of its predecessors. But it is very different in its overarching philosophies. If Rock himself wasn't the main character, and we were instead playing as... oh, I dunno... a robot named Beck, or something like that... then I wouldn't even register this as a Mega Man game, just something drawing influence from it. But stuff like the Mega Ball, the JUMP JUMP SLIDE SLIDE segments, the three-act structure carried over from MM7, the swimming - wildly different from the cadence that the cozily repetitive previous games fell into.
But like I said, I don't think it's a bad thing. The JUMP JUMP SLIDE SLIDE twitch reflex tests notwithstanding, most of the design choices here make the game feel more puzzle-oriented. The Mega Ball is a weird but honestly fun idea, leading to a very disjointed projectile with lots of angled application. There's actually some really neat mechanical challenges to some of the more high-concept stages, like Sword Man's and IM CLOWN MAN's (and, as a result of swimming, Aqua Man's).
There's also the story. Where Mega Man 7 flirts ever-so-briefly with complex themes about autonomy and transhumanism, Mega Man 8 has an alien robot coming to Earth to track down "Evil Energy". Sorta speaks for itself. But it's funny, and the anime cutscenes and dub voice actors are fun, and you're not really here for all that anyway.
I think if you're looking for a more traditional take on Mega Man as an eighth entry in the series, you're better off looking into Mega Man & Bass (well, I think you are, anyway; still on my to-do list). But as its own one-off experiment, Mega Man 8 is a decent enough time. Sort of a weird capstone to the series, at least from 1996 to 2008, but that's not really a concern anymore with subsequent entries.
It's not a bad game by any means. Actually, I might even prefer it to a decent chunk of its predecessors. But it is very different in its overarching philosophies. If Rock himself wasn't the main character, and we were instead playing as... oh, I dunno... a robot named Beck, or something like that... then I wouldn't even register this as a Mega Man game, just something drawing influence from it. But stuff like the Mega Ball, the JUMP JUMP SLIDE SLIDE segments, the three-act structure carried over from MM7, the swimming - wildly different from the cadence that the cozily repetitive previous games fell into.
But like I said, I don't think it's a bad thing. The JUMP JUMP SLIDE SLIDE twitch reflex tests notwithstanding, most of the design choices here make the game feel more puzzle-oriented. The Mega Ball is a weird but honestly fun idea, leading to a very disjointed projectile with lots of angled application. There's actually some really neat mechanical challenges to some of the more high-concept stages, like Sword Man's and IM CLOWN MAN's (and, as a result of swimming, Aqua Man's).
There's also the story. Where Mega Man 7 flirts ever-so-briefly with complex themes about autonomy and transhumanism, Mega Man 8 has an alien robot coming to Earth to track down "Evil Energy". Sorta speaks for itself. But it's funny, and the anime cutscenes and dub voice actors are fun, and you're not really here for all that anyway.
I think if you're looking for a more traditional take on Mega Man as an eighth entry in the series, you're better off looking into Mega Man & Bass (well, I think you are, anyway; still on my to-do list). But as its own one-off experiment, Mega Man 8 is a decent enough time. Sort of a weird capstone to the series, at least from 1996 to 2008, but that's not really a concern anymore with subsequent entries.
1995
The first "throwback" Mega Man? I know this is sometimes regarded as a step back by folks who were there when Mega Man X changed the game. It's funny to think about that now from a modern perspective, knowing that Classic and X are separate subseries. But I suppose that assurance wouldn't have existed at the time, so, fair enough, I guess.
MM7 definitely feels like it's trying to apply lessons learned from Mega Man X. The presence of an opening stage, plus the increased emphasis on things like cutscenes, hidden power-ups, and narrative themes feel like a deliberate choice to backport X's contributions. In particular, you have that ending, where Mega Man grapples with Asimov's First Law of Robotics. I can only assume this exists here since Mega Man X introduced robots that have free will. Ergo, it stands to reason that Rock Light, for as much as he's presented as a little boy with a strong sense of justice, would still be beholden to Asimov's Laws, at least in part.
...of course, this is futzed with somewhat in the localization, but hey. Incidentally: the reason Mega talks so slowly there is because the text was changed, but the text speed is consistent between versions. The original script simply had him say "...", so that slow speed effect would've been impactful. Having Mega speak a full line of dialogue at that speed, not so much.
It is insane to me that this game was developed in three/four months. If this was another NES title, that would still seem too short - Mega Man 2 had a hellish 8-month dev cycle, remember. But effectively having to build a game and its engine from the ground up in half that time? Yet by all accounts, the team had a ton of fun making this one! I guess it made for a fun challenge, kompressing development time and working to meet the challenge?
With this in mind, while I do have some criticisms, I actually find that there aren't any I specifically pin on this crunched dev cycle. Maybe how a couple of the stages (Slash Man, Turbo Man) are a little lackluster, despite how high-concept they are? But, like, the ridiculous difficulty spike of the Wily Capsule is clearly a deliberate decision, not a consequence of crunch. The Super Adaptor's implementation is a progression of existing Rush Adaptor ideas from 6 more than anything unique to this game.
Heck, the team was able to sneak in stuff like secret moves and boss fights, despite the crunch! Commendable for sure.
But for me personally, the game's biggest impact will always be Bob & George, and the downstream consequence of the sprite comic scene coming into existence out of Mega Man 7. True, Neglected Mario Characters predates Bob & George (and was a personal favorite, at least in its heyday); true, Mega Man 7 is relevant to Bob & George more out of coincidence than anything; true, sprite comics probably would've come into being anyway. Doesn't matter; I cannot look at a single main character sprite from this game without thinking about the long, long history of sprite comics and recolored OCs to stem from its iconography. I can't really rate the game based on that, but I'd be lying if I didn't mention it.
MM7 definitely feels like it's trying to apply lessons learned from Mega Man X. The presence of an opening stage, plus the increased emphasis on things like cutscenes, hidden power-ups, and narrative themes feel like a deliberate choice to backport X's contributions. In particular, you have that ending, where Mega Man grapples with Asimov's First Law of Robotics. I can only assume this exists here since Mega Man X introduced robots that have free will. Ergo, it stands to reason that Rock Light, for as much as he's presented as a little boy with a strong sense of justice, would still be beholden to Asimov's Laws, at least in part.
...of course, this is futzed with somewhat in the localization, but hey. Incidentally: the reason Mega talks so slowly there is because the text was changed, but the text speed is consistent between versions. The original script simply had him say "...", so that slow speed effect would've been impactful. Having Mega speak a full line of dialogue at that speed, not so much.
It is insane to me that this game was developed in three/four months. If this was another NES title, that would still seem too short - Mega Man 2 had a hellish 8-month dev cycle, remember. But effectively having to build a game and its engine from the ground up in half that time? Yet by all accounts, the team had a ton of fun making this one! I guess it made for a fun challenge, kompressing development time and working to meet the challenge?
With this in mind, while I do have some criticisms, I actually find that there aren't any I specifically pin on this crunched dev cycle. Maybe how a couple of the stages (Slash Man, Turbo Man) are a little lackluster, despite how high-concept they are? But, like, the ridiculous difficulty spike of the Wily Capsule is clearly a deliberate decision, not a consequence of crunch. The Super Adaptor's implementation is a progression of existing Rush Adaptor ideas from 6 more than anything unique to this game.
Heck, the team was able to sneak in stuff like secret moves and boss fights, despite the crunch! Commendable for sure.
But for me personally, the game's biggest impact will always be Bob & George, and the downstream consequence of the sprite comic scene coming into existence out of Mega Man 7. True, Neglected Mario Characters predates Bob & George (and was a personal favorite, at least in its heyday); true, Mega Man 7 is relevant to Bob & George more out of coincidence than anything; true, sprite comics probably would've come into being anyway. Doesn't matter; I cannot look at a single main character sprite from this game without thinking about the long, long history of sprite comics and recolored OCs to stem from its iconography. I can't really rate the game based on that, but I'd be lying if I didn't mention it.
2017
I have exactly one criticism for this game, and it's quite the nitpick: A Hat in Time feels a little too cynical for the genre style it's going for. It's not much, and it's really only in a handful of places - for example, that throwaway line about Hat Kid's soul feeling "the normal amount of empty". It's a really funny line! But it does take me out of things just a little bit.
Everything else, though? Some of the most fun I've had in what's easily my most comfortable type of video game. 3D platformers are comfort food for me, so I was quite excited when this game's Kickstarter was announced. A modern 3D platformer, deliberately evocative of GameCube titles I'd grown up on like Super Mario Sunshine and Wind Waker? I didn't kick in, since admittedly there have been very few games I've backed on Kickstarter, but I was very excited to follow the game's progress.
Then it came out, and it was even better than I could have imagined.
There's an immediate joy to this game. Hat Kid has to be one of the most likable protagonists - cute and fun-loving, but impulsive, rude, and little concerned with the troubles she finds herself drawn into. There are all these hints at the world being fairly dark, what with those character vaults hinting at all the major players' tragic backstories, but this almost never intersects with the actual narrative of the adventure. Hat Kid almost feels like Kirby in this regard: an adorable hero in a sweet world with dark overtones. Only Kirby himself is not wired to interface with tragedy, just friends and foes, while Hat Kid is kinda annoyed by everyone (besides Bow Kid) and is content to cavalierly do her own thing.
Which makes for a great complement to the game's "anything goes" approach to level design! This is one of those games where there isn't really a "tutorial" world, nor is there any point in having one, since what every level asks ends up being so unique. This isn't to say that the game leaves the player in the lurch; "Mafia Town" very naturally shows off what Hat Kid can do and gives the player a ton of space to explore. And then every other world does something wildly different.
"Battle of the Birds" is quite simply one of the most fun and engaging video game worlds, period. What a fun way to bring together wildly divergent ideas! I'm curious about the original "science owls" concept mentioned in the Kickstarter, but I honestly can't imagine preferring it to what we got: two inexplicable rivals, a funky penguin and a train conductor... thing... trying to win an annual film director award. Dead Bird Studios and the respective train/moon film sets make for cool, divergent environments with their own challenges, and while I have a definite favorite (The Conductor), the whole thing's great.
Since I'm going through all the different worlds anyway - "Subcon Forest" is probably the other easy candidate for someone's favorite world. Having Super Mario Bros. 2 in my foundational gaming background, I went in expecting a very dreamlike world (i.e. Subconscious). And while that is the case, it's a dual meaning, since you spend the whole world Subcon-tracting. The Snatcher is suuuuuuch a fun villain, adding a ton of loud personality to what's otherwise a very melancholy, quiet world. I love the scattershot flow that comes from this world, where you can get saddled with contracts in one level that won't even be addressed for another level or two. Makes the whole thing feel way more sprawling than you'd expect.
Speaking of sprawling, there's Alpine Skyline! I've heard it called the also-ran world of this game, and it's hard to argue with that. I do still think it's quite good, though! A big world of pure platforming challenges makes for a fun counter-offer to the game's usual character-driven design. Like you definitely miss the presence of other characters, but there's something nice and silently contemplative to all the obstacle courses that characterize this place.
...other levels I'll cover if/when I get around to doing reviews for the DLC. This write-up just covers the base game.
But, like, I've spent a lot of words articulating a simple point - A Hat in Time is a wonderful, wonderful game. One of those where everything, from the cast to the level design to the writing to the MUSIC, contributes to one of the most enjoyable games I can think of. An easy personal recommendation for anyone.
Everything else, though? Some of the most fun I've had in what's easily my most comfortable type of video game. 3D platformers are comfort food for me, so I was quite excited when this game's Kickstarter was announced. A modern 3D platformer, deliberately evocative of GameCube titles I'd grown up on like Super Mario Sunshine and Wind Waker? I didn't kick in, since admittedly there have been very few games I've backed on Kickstarter, but I was very excited to follow the game's progress.
Then it came out, and it was even better than I could have imagined.
There's an immediate joy to this game. Hat Kid has to be one of the most likable protagonists - cute and fun-loving, but impulsive, rude, and little concerned with the troubles she finds herself drawn into. There are all these hints at the world being fairly dark, what with those character vaults hinting at all the major players' tragic backstories, but this almost never intersects with the actual narrative of the adventure. Hat Kid almost feels like Kirby in this regard: an adorable hero in a sweet world with dark overtones. Only Kirby himself is not wired to interface with tragedy, just friends and foes, while Hat Kid is kinda annoyed by everyone (besides Bow Kid) and is content to cavalierly do her own thing.
Which makes for a great complement to the game's "anything goes" approach to level design! This is one of those games where there isn't really a "tutorial" world, nor is there any point in having one, since what every level asks ends up being so unique. This isn't to say that the game leaves the player in the lurch; "Mafia Town" very naturally shows off what Hat Kid can do and gives the player a ton of space to explore. And then every other world does something wildly different.
"Battle of the Birds" is quite simply one of the most fun and engaging video game worlds, period. What a fun way to bring together wildly divergent ideas! I'm curious about the original "science owls" concept mentioned in the Kickstarter, but I honestly can't imagine preferring it to what we got: two inexplicable rivals, a funky penguin and a train conductor... thing... trying to win an annual film director award. Dead Bird Studios and the respective train/moon film sets make for cool, divergent environments with their own challenges, and while I have a definite favorite (The Conductor), the whole thing's great.
Since I'm going through all the different worlds anyway - "Subcon Forest" is probably the other easy candidate for someone's favorite world. Having Super Mario Bros. 2 in my foundational gaming background, I went in expecting a very dreamlike world (i.e. Subconscious). And while that is the case, it's a dual meaning, since you spend the whole world Subcon-tracting. The Snatcher is suuuuuuch a fun villain, adding a ton of loud personality to what's otherwise a very melancholy, quiet world. I love the scattershot flow that comes from this world, where you can get saddled with contracts in one level that won't even be addressed for another level or two. Makes the whole thing feel way more sprawling than you'd expect.
Speaking of sprawling, there's Alpine Skyline! I've heard it called the also-ran world of this game, and it's hard to argue with that. I do still think it's quite good, though! A big world of pure platforming challenges makes for a fun counter-offer to the game's usual character-driven design. Like you definitely miss the presence of other characters, but there's something nice and silently contemplative to all the obstacle courses that characterize this place.
...other levels I'll cover if/when I get around to doing reviews for the DLC. This write-up just covers the base game.
But, like, I've spent a lot of words articulating a simple point - A Hat in Time is a wonderful, wonderful game. One of those where everything, from the cast to the level design to the writing to the MUSIC, contributes to one of the most enjoyable games I can think of. An easy personal recommendation for anyone.
2006
Given Tomb Raider's British heritage, a game themed around Arthurian legend was probably long overdue. Granted, Legend plays pretty fast and loose with the Arthurian cycle, casting it as part of a common global legend in the same way that multiple ancient cultures have a flood myth, but that sort of syncretic blend of world legends is part of the fun of these globetrotting treasure-hunting narratives.
I probably owe Tomb Raider: Legend a revisit at some later point, once I've better put the Tomb Raider series into context. As of this writing, this is the only mainline, non-Survivor Tomb Raider I've finished. I know Legend is sort-of the start to its own reboot trilogy, but I feel like I'm missing why it was well-received by not tracking the original run of Tomb Raider's decline in quality through Chronicles and Angel of Darkness. As its own thing, I found Legend fine, not really remarkable but not really offensive. But I suspect that sort of game was precisely what Tomb Raider needed at that point in time: a fresh run in a new set of hands several years after Angel of Darkness broke the series' foundation.
Um, game's a bit janky. A lot of the general jumpy climby stuff in what I've played of the original series feels like that, where it's easy to fling one's self off a cliff in a wild direction despite the game's best efforts, so I sort of feel like that's a problem a lot of this genre ran into before Uncharted really smoothed out gameplay feel (or maybe that's just a consequence of my playing on PC?). But there are a few set pieces that feel very much of its era, taking big swings that don't completely connect. Those motorcycle sequences, for example: neat idea, something that you couldn't really do on PS1, barely something you could do on PS2 if this game is anything to go by. That one bit where you're climbing down a tall, tall chamber is surprisingly rough, too, since between the crumbling platforms and some of the jumps down, it was easy to overshoot and wind up taking too big a jump and ragdolling on the next platform. Plus there was that one boss fight against the guy (don't remember his name) who just kept screaming "DAMN YOU LARA BET YOU WISH YOU COULD DO THAT HUH BET YOU WISH YOU COULD DO THAT HUH FINE WE'LL DO IT YOUR WAY FINE WE'LL DO IT YOUR WAY DAMN YOU LARA DAMN YOU LARA BET YOU WISH YOU COULD DO THAT HUH". Like, dude, chill.
But Legend is one of those where jank adds to the experience, so don't read this as much of a complaint. I do think all the ideas the game advances are sound, even if they are rough in execution. Anyway, the times where the game really does come together are quite fun. Not a lot of the game's stuck with me, but that one level, where you start out at a crummy roadside tourist trap about King Arthur that transitions into Arthur's actual tomb, is suuuuch a fun concept. Definitely worth the visit for me all on its own.
I don't know how to wrap this one up, so here's a video I took during my playthrough that I titled "tombraiderlegends.mp4".
I probably owe Tomb Raider: Legend a revisit at some later point, once I've better put the Tomb Raider series into context. As of this writing, this is the only mainline, non-Survivor Tomb Raider I've finished. I know Legend is sort-of the start to its own reboot trilogy, but I feel like I'm missing why it was well-received by not tracking the original run of Tomb Raider's decline in quality through Chronicles and Angel of Darkness. As its own thing, I found Legend fine, not really remarkable but not really offensive. But I suspect that sort of game was precisely what Tomb Raider needed at that point in time: a fresh run in a new set of hands several years after Angel of Darkness broke the series' foundation.
Um, game's a bit janky. A lot of the general jumpy climby stuff in what I've played of the original series feels like that, where it's easy to fling one's self off a cliff in a wild direction despite the game's best efforts, so I sort of feel like that's a problem a lot of this genre ran into before Uncharted really smoothed out gameplay feel (or maybe that's just a consequence of my playing on PC?). But there are a few set pieces that feel very much of its era, taking big swings that don't completely connect. Those motorcycle sequences, for example: neat idea, something that you couldn't really do on PS1, barely something you could do on PS2 if this game is anything to go by. That one bit where you're climbing down a tall, tall chamber is surprisingly rough, too, since between the crumbling platforms and some of the jumps down, it was easy to overshoot and wind up taking too big a jump and ragdolling on the next platform. Plus there was that one boss fight against the guy (don't remember his name) who just kept screaming "DAMN YOU LARA BET YOU WISH YOU COULD DO THAT HUH BET YOU WISH YOU COULD DO THAT HUH FINE WE'LL DO IT YOUR WAY FINE WE'LL DO IT YOUR WAY DAMN YOU LARA DAMN YOU LARA BET YOU WISH YOU COULD DO THAT HUH". Like, dude, chill.
But Legend is one of those where jank adds to the experience, so don't read this as much of a complaint. I do think all the ideas the game advances are sound, even if they are rough in execution. Anyway, the times where the game really does come together are quite fun. Not a lot of the game's stuck with me, but that one level, where you start out at a crummy roadside tourist trap about King Arthur that transitions into Arthur's actual tomb, is suuuuch a fun concept. Definitely worth the visit for me all on its own.
I don't know how to wrap this one up, so here's a video I took during my playthrough that I titled "tombraiderlegends.mp4".
2019
Mario Maker 2 is an overall improvement on the first game in most ways that count, but at the cost of Costume Mario. I do get it - renegotiating all those licenses would've been a total nightmare, and especially doing them for something as trivial as a palette swap could not have felt like an ideal use of time. Sadly, as someone with only the most casual connection to the Mario Maker scene, this means that the one thing I really cared about in the long run isn't there, and I kinda prefer the original by consequence.
But there's a good deal that's been added, too, so let's not dwell on what's missing. A new suite of level archetypes is nice to see, plus nighttime to add a new layer of depth. Slopes were conspicuous in their absence last time, so they're very welcome here. A ton of other things feel like game changers, too, like On/Off Switches, additional checkpoints, and keys. New enemies are always appreciated, and the Lemmy's Land Tourist in me will always appreciate the Koopalings being relevant.
Super Mario 3D World's inclusion as a special level archetype is a curious one. I think adding something new to proceedings is cool, but it seems weird to convert an explicitly 3D Mario entry into purely 2D design. But (1) it comes with its own suite of power-ups/enemies/obstacles and (2) the mechanics are a bit different, so it makes for a pretty decent complement as its own thing. I do think it's strange that 3D World is the only game presented as this sort of Extra Style; I had Super Mario Bros. 2/USA pegged as an Extra Style that'd be added in a patch, but that never really shook out. Though we got SMB2 controls later as a unique power-up, so... I guess it evens out?
Speaking of power-ups as theme consolation prizes - the Superball Flower and the Master Sword feel like this, too. Obviously the Master Sword is way more interesting, since turning into Link gives Mario a wildly different moveset. From what I've seen, Link levels tend to be a lot more puzzle-oriented by consequence, which feels like a very accurate expression of Zelda's whole thing in the template of a Mario game. I would've loved to see other character-based movesets like this (Samus, maybe?), but just the one is neat.
...but Superball is cool, too! Definitely not something I would've ever expected to see come back, since I figured Superball was just poor man's Fire Flower. Super Mario Land is probably the only other obvious pick for an Extra Theme, since Yoshi's Island/Wario Land is a bit too removed from standard Mario and all the other New Soups/Mario Advances would feel redundant with what's already in-game (and Super Mario Land 2 is mostly just a slower Mario World). So it's neat to see SML repped in its own way.
I didn't spend much time if any with the course creator, but I did have a ton of fun running through the game's campaign. I'm sure the story mode is mostly just your in-road into the creative side, but I love the little story they make for these characters. Toadette as the strict forewoman of a construction project is... not at all a role I would've pictured, but I kinda love this take on her? Toad the Toad being relevant is always nice, and I like all the little character details you can pick up on if you read between the lines of the "anonymous" course creators. For example, Bowser gives his son a weekly 40-coin allowance! When else are you gonna learn something like that?
Like I said at the top, I probably like the first Mario Maker better for what it represented, but Mario Maker 2's at least as good in its own right. By now, almost every major Wii U game has been reincarnated on Switch, and I gotta respect that Ninty did more than just opt for a (second) port of the previous game. I don't expect we'll be seeing another Mario Maker any time soon, but I'm glad they let people experiment once again.
But there's a good deal that's been added, too, so let's not dwell on what's missing. A new suite of level archetypes is nice to see, plus nighttime to add a new layer of depth. Slopes were conspicuous in their absence last time, so they're very welcome here. A ton of other things feel like game changers, too, like On/Off Switches, additional checkpoints, and keys. New enemies are always appreciated, and the Lemmy's Land Tourist in me will always appreciate the Koopalings being relevant.
Super Mario 3D World's inclusion as a special level archetype is a curious one. I think adding something new to proceedings is cool, but it seems weird to convert an explicitly 3D Mario entry into purely 2D design. But (1) it comes with its own suite of power-ups/enemies/obstacles and (2) the mechanics are a bit different, so it makes for a pretty decent complement as its own thing. I do think it's strange that 3D World is the only game presented as this sort of Extra Style; I had Super Mario Bros. 2/USA pegged as an Extra Style that'd be added in a patch, but that never really shook out. Though we got SMB2 controls later as a unique power-up, so... I guess it evens out?
Speaking of power-ups as theme consolation prizes - the Superball Flower and the Master Sword feel like this, too. Obviously the Master Sword is way more interesting, since turning into Link gives Mario a wildly different moveset. From what I've seen, Link levels tend to be a lot more puzzle-oriented by consequence, which feels like a very accurate expression of Zelda's whole thing in the template of a Mario game. I would've loved to see other character-based movesets like this (Samus, maybe?), but just the one is neat.
...but Superball is cool, too! Definitely not something I would've ever expected to see come back, since I figured Superball was just poor man's Fire Flower. Super Mario Land is probably the only other obvious pick for an Extra Theme, since Yoshi's Island/Wario Land is a bit too removed from standard Mario and all the other New Soups/Mario Advances would feel redundant with what's already in-game (and Super Mario Land 2 is mostly just a slower Mario World). So it's neat to see SML repped in its own way.
I didn't spend much time if any with the course creator, but I did have a ton of fun running through the game's campaign. I'm sure the story mode is mostly just your in-road into the creative side, but I love the little story they make for these characters. Toadette as the strict forewoman of a construction project is... not at all a role I would've pictured, but I kinda love this take on her? Toad the Toad being relevant is always nice, and I like all the little character details you can pick up on if you read between the lines of the "anonymous" course creators. For example, Bowser gives his son a weekly 40-coin allowance! When else are you gonna learn something like that?
Like I said at the top, I probably like the first Mario Maker better for what it represented, but Mario Maker 2's at least as good in its own right. By now, almost every major Wii U game has been reincarnated on Switch, and I gotta respect that Ninty did more than just opt for a (second) port of the previous game. I don't expect we'll be seeing another Mario Maker any time soon, but I'm glad they let people experiment once again.
2015
I got this on launch, but I never got super deep into the game's community. No indictment on the game by any means, just not something I spent a lot of time on myself. Normally I make a point to only cover stuff I've completed one way or another, and that's not really possible for this game. But since online's been shuttered, I suppose there's no harm in giving some quick thoughts.
I think it is so cool that Super Mario Maker exists. A 30-year anniversary celebration of Super Mario Bros. (down to coming out right around the original Japanese release date: Friday the 13th in September), placing the power of game design in the players' hands. True, things like Lunar Magic had existed in an unofficial capacity for years, and especially these days there's way more you can do with ASM. But Mario Maker is a GREAT tool for general access. Taking its cues from Mario Paint, the UI is perhaps initially intimidating but quite easy to navigate once you settle in and start poking around.
Being able to switch between game styles is suuuuper cool. I definitely wish the different games (Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, New Super Mario Bros. U) all retained their own physics, instead of just reusing the New Soup physics - a subtle thing, but you notice it when comparing to the source material. But I get why you'd want all of Mario Maker to feel the same, and New Soup is a solid enough physics engine. Besides, the real fun of each style is seeing all the hallmark elements of each game, as well as seeing reinterpretations of game elements across games. It must've been a fun challenge, for example, to reinterpret the Ghost House and Doomship level archetypes for the games that didn't originally have them.
The main thing I've always loved was the crossover stuff with Costume Mario. Like, okay, cute idea, getting in all the Mario characters as alternate costumes. Amiibo support was the REAL treat, meaning that all the other characters in Smash Bros. got to have some fun. Including third-party characters! Playing as Sonic in a Mario platformer was a little mind-bending. But then they just kept going! I don't claim to understand why Shaun the Sheep or Hello Kitty are here, but I'm not inclined to complain. And even within Nintendo, the picks got enjoyably obscure. Ayumi Tachibana? A lady from the Japanese team in NES Volleyball? Friggin' Master Belch??? There's sort of this feeling like all these characters were invited to Mario's birthday party, it's great. Granted, I dunno why you'd invite Master Blech to a birthday party, but hey...
Like I said, I didn't spend a ton of time with the game, but I did make a small handful of levels. There were two I was pretty proud of. One was called "Buddy Beetle", and it was a SMB3-themed one where the player worked with a big ol' Buzzy Beetle to collaborate on puzzles and get to the end. The other was "Koopa Troopa's Walk", a SMW-themed one where a Koopa Troopa navigated a straight line at the top while a player navigated an obstacle course and tried to keep up. Both pretty simple high-concept ideas, but I had fun telling little stories through the level design.
...I guess they're lost now with everything else, huh? Still, for a good 8-9 years, an innumerable amount of people would've interfaced with them. I wonder who all played them, and what they got out of 'em? Were my levels part of peoples' rush to beat everything before the service shut down? I hope folks had fun.
I think it is so cool that Super Mario Maker exists. A 30-year anniversary celebration of Super Mario Bros. (down to coming out right around the original Japanese release date: Friday the 13th in September), placing the power of game design in the players' hands. True, things like Lunar Magic had existed in an unofficial capacity for years, and especially these days there's way more you can do with ASM. But Mario Maker is a GREAT tool for general access. Taking its cues from Mario Paint, the UI is perhaps initially intimidating but quite easy to navigate once you settle in and start poking around.
Being able to switch between game styles is suuuuper cool. I definitely wish the different games (Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, New Super Mario Bros. U) all retained their own physics, instead of just reusing the New Soup physics - a subtle thing, but you notice it when comparing to the source material. But I get why you'd want all of Mario Maker to feel the same, and New Soup is a solid enough physics engine. Besides, the real fun of each style is seeing all the hallmark elements of each game, as well as seeing reinterpretations of game elements across games. It must've been a fun challenge, for example, to reinterpret the Ghost House and Doomship level archetypes for the games that didn't originally have them.
The main thing I've always loved was the crossover stuff with Costume Mario. Like, okay, cute idea, getting in all the Mario characters as alternate costumes. Amiibo support was the REAL treat, meaning that all the other characters in Smash Bros. got to have some fun. Including third-party characters! Playing as Sonic in a Mario platformer was a little mind-bending. But then they just kept going! I don't claim to understand why Shaun the Sheep or Hello Kitty are here, but I'm not inclined to complain. And even within Nintendo, the picks got enjoyably obscure. Ayumi Tachibana? A lady from the Japanese team in NES Volleyball? Friggin' Master Belch??? There's sort of this feeling like all these characters were invited to Mario's birthday party, it's great. Granted, I dunno why you'd invite Master Blech to a birthday party, but hey...
Like I said, I didn't spend a ton of time with the game, but I did make a small handful of levels. There were two I was pretty proud of. One was called "Buddy Beetle", and it was a SMB3-themed one where the player worked with a big ol' Buzzy Beetle to collaborate on puzzles and get to the end. The other was "Koopa Troopa's Walk", a SMW-themed one where a Koopa Troopa navigated a straight line at the top while a player navigated an obstacle course and tried to keep up. Both pretty simple high-concept ideas, but I had fun telling little stories through the level design.
...I guess they're lost now with everything else, huh? Still, for a good 8-9 years, an innumerable amount of people would've interfaced with them. I wonder who all played them, and what they got out of 'em? Were my levels part of peoples' rush to beat everything before the service shut down? I hope folks had fun.
2015
I mentally lump this game together with Hey! Pikmin, which should clue you in on what I think of this game. Truthfully, this game isn't nearly as stinky as that one, but it definitely bums me out way more. Hey! Pikmin is just a failed experiment by a studio that could seemingly orchestrate murder and still sucker a publisher into hiring them. Zip Lash was a final, last-ditch effort to save the franchise, in much the same way Fire Emblem Awakening was a last-ditch effort to make something of Fire Emblem. Only Awakening catapulted Fire Emblem from a D-list franchise to one of Nintendo's A-listers (for better and for worse), while Zip Lash failed so thoroughly that it killed the studio that made it. A slow death at that, wasting away for years with nothing to show for their agony but a slow retreat from society and a forgotten, desiccated husk discovered long after the fact.
Zip Lash is a conga line of bizarre decisions. Turning a quiet, character-driven open world game that defies genre into a 2D platformer is itself strange, but I at least get that one - desperate for something that would stick with Nintendo's audiences, skip Ltd. turned to an extremely safe and marketable genre. I also think the titular Zip Lash, while weird in the context of Chibi-Robo (how do you extend plug), is a decent idea. Actually, it lends itself to some decently cerebral moments in level design, trying to line up your shot and taking ricochet into account. At a certain plug length it doesn't really matter where you're aiming, since you're pretty much guaranteed to hit the foe anyway, but it's something.
What I don't get is the level roulette. So each world (well, continent, since you're globe-trotting Earth) contains six levels. You need to clear each of these levels before you can fight the boss and move on to the next continent. Standard stuff. Only, for some reason, you cannot select a level to go to - you have to play a roulette mini-game at the end of each level. This roulette contains numbers 1-3. Whichever number you roll is how many levels ahead you go. So, like, if you've just finished Level 2, and you spin a "1", you move on to Level 3. But if the spinner lands on a "3", your next level is 5.
Kind of a quirky, fun way of blitzing through the game, right? Well, no, not really. In fact, not at all. Ignoring the fact that this dumb thing legitimately adds a minute or two's worth of fiddling around between levels, this doesn't change the fact that you still have to clear all levels within a continent. So in my previous example, the player skipped Levels 3 and 4, moving straight into Level 5. This presents an issue: those two levels still need to be completed. But the levels do exist within a loop, so Level 1 comes after Level 6 in this roulette progression thing. What this means is that, ideally, the player would clear Level 5, spin a 1 to move on to Level 6, then spin a 3 to skip ahead to Level 3. Because - yes - if you spin a 1 or a 2, you are returned to a level you have already cleared, and you are expected to play that level again!!! It is necessary to finish a level to get that roulette, so you can't just stick your head in and dip out. It's a good thing four out of the six options on that roulette are "1", so you have good odds of playing the video game normally. Because if you try for another option to shake it up, there's a great chance you'll be replaying a buncha dumb levels you've already played as punishment for engaging with the systems at play.
Another weird choice is the battery system. So like previous Chibis-Robo, this game's hero has a finite amount of battery, which needs to be recharged here and again. My thought would be to use this as a themed health system, the way previous games sorta implicitly do - falling from a great height or getting roughed up by Spydorz in the first game quickly drains Cheebo's battery. But, for some reason, this game includes a separate health system. Battery is instead a separate resource for the player to manage. Throughout each level are outlets, acting as mini-checkpoints. The player must always keep an eye on the battery level, and when it's running low, they must drop everything they're doing to find one of these outlets. Sometimes, this means backtracking. I guess I've seen this sort of thing done before (off-hand, I think of Sandopolis Act 2 in Sonic & Knuckles, where you have to keep pulling the switches to reset the lights), but given how much ceremony Chibi-Robo puts behind plugging in and charging up, it's something else that bogs down the action.
Also, may I just say: in a game where you're roaming the Earth, wandering outside for the whole adventure, it sure is handy that there are so many Type A outlet designs lying around. No universal adapters necessary!
There's also the product placement! This game uses real-world snacks as collectables. In each continent, a tertiary goal is to find all the snacks you can to feed a toy. I know that sounds strange, but don't worry, it's a different toy in each continent. I'm not opposed to product placement, not even in a Nintendo game; Pikmin 2's product placement is nothing short of genius. But it worked there because it juxtaposed these clean sterile images of, like, friggin' Vlasic Pickles with a would-be cultural anthropologist trying to reason out what role this thing had within this fallen society. Here you're just getting promotional praise. So if you ever wanted a cymbals monkey to give you a straight ad read of UTZ REGISTERED TRADEMARK SYMBOL CHEESE BALLS, well, I guess this is what you've been waiting for.
Much like a player who accidentally hit a number greater than 1 on the level roulette, I could go on and on all day with this. But the bottom line is that this game shows a shocking lack of the single most fundamental aspect of the first game: humility. Chibi-Robo in this game is a global superhero, who lives in outer space, in his own satellite and flies down to Earth to solve global crises. Everyone in the world knows and loves him! He's the object of ladies' affection! He's a shoe-in for the intergalactic space patrol! Aliens fear him! Not to spoil the ending or anything, but the final boss is a mecha fight, with Chibi-Robo piloting a giant mecha modeled after himself! Yeah, isn't he so cool? Don't you wish you were like Chibi-Robo?
It... this game breaks my heart. I feel so bad for the human beings who were tethered to this game's success, who needed to produce something that could be a tentpole title, to prop up their failing studio and keep them in business. This game needed to be a very specific thing to even have a chance at being that, and that specific thing was as far as you could get from what I loved about the first game. The original Chibi-Robo is quiet, introspective, mature, and offers no easy answers to life: just characters doing their best and making small steps in the right direction. But something quiet and modest like that couldn't sell; hell, it had failed to sell over and over again. Yet, even turning their back on all that, getting full support from Nintendo, skip Ltd. couldn't make something to save them. And in the end, they had to watch their world fade away.
It was worth it to me to buy this game brand new. The original Chibi-Robo was so important to me that I actually voted for the little guy in the Smash Bros. Fighter Ballot (I suppose that makes me in part responsible for the Mii costume we got in Smash Ultimate?), so supporting the do-or-die last release was not even a question for me. Plus, it came packaged with that amiibo of Cheebo sitting down, holding his plug overhead - one of the best amiibo, I think, since it really captures the little guy's understated personality. But devoid of that context, if you're looking at the game now as something to play, I don't think I could ever recommend it as anything but a showcase of what not to do, of what desperation will make of something once-great.
Zip Lash is a conga line of bizarre decisions. Turning a quiet, character-driven open world game that defies genre into a 2D platformer is itself strange, but I at least get that one - desperate for something that would stick with Nintendo's audiences, skip Ltd. turned to an extremely safe and marketable genre. I also think the titular Zip Lash, while weird in the context of Chibi-Robo (how do you extend plug), is a decent idea. Actually, it lends itself to some decently cerebral moments in level design, trying to line up your shot and taking ricochet into account. At a certain plug length it doesn't really matter where you're aiming, since you're pretty much guaranteed to hit the foe anyway, but it's something.
What I don't get is the level roulette. So each world (well, continent, since you're globe-trotting Earth) contains six levels. You need to clear each of these levels before you can fight the boss and move on to the next continent. Standard stuff. Only, for some reason, you cannot select a level to go to - you have to play a roulette mini-game at the end of each level. This roulette contains numbers 1-3. Whichever number you roll is how many levels ahead you go. So, like, if you've just finished Level 2, and you spin a "1", you move on to Level 3. But if the spinner lands on a "3", your next level is 5.
Kind of a quirky, fun way of blitzing through the game, right? Well, no, not really. In fact, not at all. Ignoring the fact that this dumb thing legitimately adds a minute or two's worth of fiddling around between levels, this doesn't change the fact that you still have to clear all levels within a continent. So in my previous example, the player skipped Levels 3 and 4, moving straight into Level 5. This presents an issue: those two levels still need to be completed. But the levels do exist within a loop, so Level 1 comes after Level 6 in this roulette progression thing. What this means is that, ideally, the player would clear Level 5, spin a 1 to move on to Level 6, then spin a 3 to skip ahead to Level 3. Because - yes - if you spin a 1 or a 2, you are returned to a level you have already cleared, and you are expected to play that level again!!! It is necessary to finish a level to get that roulette, so you can't just stick your head in and dip out. It's a good thing four out of the six options on that roulette are "1", so you have good odds of playing the video game normally. Because if you try for another option to shake it up, there's a great chance you'll be replaying a buncha dumb levels you've already played as punishment for engaging with the systems at play.
Another weird choice is the battery system. So like previous Chibis-Robo, this game's hero has a finite amount of battery, which needs to be recharged here and again. My thought would be to use this as a themed health system, the way previous games sorta implicitly do - falling from a great height or getting roughed up by Spydorz in the first game quickly drains Cheebo's battery. But, for some reason, this game includes a separate health system. Battery is instead a separate resource for the player to manage. Throughout each level are outlets, acting as mini-checkpoints. The player must always keep an eye on the battery level, and when it's running low, they must drop everything they're doing to find one of these outlets. Sometimes, this means backtracking. I guess I've seen this sort of thing done before (off-hand, I think of Sandopolis Act 2 in Sonic & Knuckles, where you have to keep pulling the switches to reset the lights), but given how much ceremony Chibi-Robo puts behind plugging in and charging up, it's something else that bogs down the action.
Also, may I just say: in a game where you're roaming the Earth, wandering outside for the whole adventure, it sure is handy that there are so many Type A outlet designs lying around. No universal adapters necessary!
There's also the product placement! This game uses real-world snacks as collectables. In each continent, a tertiary goal is to find all the snacks you can to feed a toy. I know that sounds strange, but don't worry, it's a different toy in each continent. I'm not opposed to product placement, not even in a Nintendo game; Pikmin 2's product placement is nothing short of genius. But it worked there because it juxtaposed these clean sterile images of, like, friggin' Vlasic Pickles with a would-be cultural anthropologist trying to reason out what role this thing had within this fallen society. Here you're just getting promotional praise. So if you ever wanted a cymbals monkey to give you a straight ad read of UTZ REGISTERED TRADEMARK SYMBOL CHEESE BALLS, well, I guess this is what you've been waiting for.
Much like a player who accidentally hit a number greater than 1 on the level roulette, I could go on and on all day with this. But the bottom line is that this game shows a shocking lack of the single most fundamental aspect of the first game: humility. Chibi-Robo in this game is a global superhero, who lives in outer space, in his own satellite and flies down to Earth to solve global crises. Everyone in the world knows and loves him! He's the object of ladies' affection! He's a shoe-in for the intergalactic space patrol! Aliens fear him! Not to spoil the ending or anything, but the final boss is a mecha fight, with Chibi-Robo piloting a giant mecha modeled after himself! Yeah, isn't he so cool? Don't you wish you were like Chibi-Robo?
It... this game breaks my heart. I feel so bad for the human beings who were tethered to this game's success, who needed to produce something that could be a tentpole title, to prop up their failing studio and keep them in business. This game needed to be a very specific thing to even have a chance at being that, and that specific thing was as far as you could get from what I loved about the first game. The original Chibi-Robo is quiet, introspective, mature, and offers no easy answers to life: just characters doing their best and making small steps in the right direction. But something quiet and modest like that couldn't sell; hell, it had failed to sell over and over again. Yet, even turning their back on all that, getting full support from Nintendo, skip Ltd. couldn't make something to save them. And in the end, they had to watch their world fade away.
It was worth it to me to buy this game brand new. The original Chibi-Robo was so important to me that I actually voted for the little guy in the Smash Bros. Fighter Ballot (I suppose that makes me in part responsible for the Mii costume we got in Smash Ultimate?), so supporting the do-or-die last release was not even a question for me. Plus, it came packaged with that amiibo of Cheebo sitting down, holding his plug overhead - one of the best amiibo, I think, since it really captures the little guy's understated personality. But devoid of that context, if you're looking at the game now as something to play, I don't think I could ever recommend it as anything but a showcase of what not to do, of what desperation will make of something once-great.
2004
As a kid, this was easily my favorite Mario Sports outing, even over Mario Superstar Baseball (which, like I mentioned before, I only recently came to appreciate). Revisiting it really hammers in that, yes, there really is something to Power Tennis.
Revisiting this around my Mario Tennis 64 playthrough really hammers home how much has been improved. Gameplay overall feels a lot tighter, and I feel like I have way more control over where the ball's going. Characters feel markedly different from one another, even within the same character class. This is in large part due to the Power Shots, that high concept that the original game sorely needed to keep things interesting. Power Shots are often character-defining, but they're far from the only unique thing each character has going for them - think of them more as your inroad to each character.
The unlockable characters most clearly exemplify this, so let's run through them. Petey Piranha is a fairly standard Power character, with low movement and high volley speed, Petey is so huge that he barely needs to move around. Paratroopa this time around is a Technique character, but he has a ridiculously fast lunge that lets him catch tricky shots from his opponents. Fly Guy can fly like a helicopter, so he always faces forward - no need to account for turnaround time when chasing the ball. Wiggler is my favorite inclusion - he's a very inspired character pull/redesign, whose long body means he has little trouble keeping on top of the ball. There's a strong sense that who the characters are factors into their individual styles, on top of the classes they slot into.
I also have to say, I'm extremely impressed by what the game is as a celebration of the extended Mario franchise. This is definitely something I didn't catch as a kid; before, I saw that there were TWO dumb Mario Sunshine courts and thought they were just giving the new game needless lip service. And, like, I'm not gonna pretend that the Ricco Harbor (oh, sorry, Gooper Blooper) Court doesn't seem excessive to me.
But, like, lookit the other courts! The Luigi's Mansion Court is to be expected, perhaps, but what about that Donkey Kong court, with Klaptraps and Kritter models pulled from Donkey Kong 64? A Wario court themed after WarioWare but with Wario World music? A court themed after arcade Mario Bros., specifically? Oh, but you might think, that's all well and good, but there's no Yoshi court. True, but Yoshi's Island and Yoshi's Story get their due. Shy Guy turns into a Spear Guy for his Power Shots, Wiggler turns into Flutter, Fly Guy exists... heck, Thunder Lakitu of all enemies shows up on the Donkey Kong court! The team could've picked any number of enemies for the desired effect, but no, they went with such a specific Yoshi's Island character. The game sort of presents this vision of what a greater Mario series celebration could look like, and all this exists in some random tennis spin-off, not a tentpole anniversary title.
...Wario Land 3 music plays at one point! Would've thought for sure that game was on the fast track to obscurity at this point.
I think these days I do ultimately prefer Superstar Baseball, for the sheer depth of mechanics at play. But this is an easy runner-up! My favorite turn at the wheel Camelot's had with these characters, at least of what I've played. Would love love love to see another game like this someday.
...a new OC would've been fun for this game, like when we got Waluigi in Tennis 64. Walpeach would explain a lot of stuff here, but I also like that rejected Potato character, she coulda been fun.
Revisiting this around my Mario Tennis 64 playthrough really hammers home how much has been improved. Gameplay overall feels a lot tighter, and I feel like I have way more control over where the ball's going. Characters feel markedly different from one another, even within the same character class. This is in large part due to the Power Shots, that high concept that the original game sorely needed to keep things interesting. Power Shots are often character-defining, but they're far from the only unique thing each character has going for them - think of them more as your inroad to each character.
The unlockable characters most clearly exemplify this, so let's run through them. Petey Piranha is a fairly standard Power character, with low movement and high volley speed, Petey is so huge that he barely needs to move around. Paratroopa this time around is a Technique character, but he has a ridiculously fast lunge that lets him catch tricky shots from his opponents. Fly Guy can fly like a helicopter, so he always faces forward - no need to account for turnaround time when chasing the ball. Wiggler is my favorite inclusion - he's a very inspired character pull/redesign, whose long body means he has little trouble keeping on top of the ball. There's a strong sense that who the characters are factors into their individual styles, on top of the classes they slot into.
I also have to say, I'm extremely impressed by what the game is as a celebration of the extended Mario franchise. This is definitely something I didn't catch as a kid; before, I saw that there were TWO dumb Mario Sunshine courts and thought they were just giving the new game needless lip service. And, like, I'm not gonna pretend that the Ricco Harbor (oh, sorry, Gooper Blooper) Court doesn't seem excessive to me.
But, like, lookit the other courts! The Luigi's Mansion Court is to be expected, perhaps, but what about that Donkey Kong court, with Klaptraps and Kritter models pulled from Donkey Kong 64? A Wario court themed after WarioWare but with Wario World music? A court themed after arcade Mario Bros., specifically? Oh, but you might think, that's all well and good, but there's no Yoshi court. True, but Yoshi's Island and Yoshi's Story get their due. Shy Guy turns into a Spear Guy for his Power Shots, Wiggler turns into Flutter, Fly Guy exists... heck, Thunder Lakitu of all enemies shows up on the Donkey Kong court! The team could've picked any number of enemies for the desired effect, but no, they went with such a specific Yoshi's Island character. The game sort of presents this vision of what a greater Mario series celebration could look like, and all this exists in some random tennis spin-off, not a tentpole anniversary title.
...Wario Land 3 music plays at one point! Would've thought for sure that game was on the fast track to obscurity at this point.
I think these days I do ultimately prefer Superstar Baseball, for the sheer depth of mechanics at play. But this is an easy runner-up! My favorite turn at the wheel Camelot's had with these characters, at least of what I've played. Would love love love to see another game like this someday.
...a new OC would've been fun for this game, like when we got Waluigi in Tennis 64. Walpeach would explain a lot of stuff here, but I also like that rejected Potato character, she coulda been fun.
1982
I blame the podcast "372 Pages We'll Never Get Back" for this playthrough. Mike Nelson and Conor Lastowka had just started reading Ernest Cline's "Bridge to Bat City", and they glommed onto the oddly specific details of (1) main character Opal playing Atari games with Buddy Holly music in the background and (2) Opal's uncle gifting her a copy of MegaMania before taking her to her mother's deathbed. Figured it was worth giving that a go.
Strictly speaking, developer Steve Cartwright got the idea for this game off Astro Blaster, not Space Invaders. But Space Invaders makes for a fairly easy shorthand these days: fixed-screen space shooter dealing with waves of alien enemies, where each of the enemies is modeled after normal Earth things (in Space Invaders' case, sealife; in MegaMania's case, food and household objects). On top of the waves of enemies moving in different patterns (and some decent stuff there - I like seeing the Space Dice roll through), the gimmick for MegaMania is its Guided Missiles in Games 1 & 2, which follow the player's movements.
This ain't bad, but it is strikingly weird. Straightforward enough to program, since it's basically just applying the player's movement to a second sprite, but pretty different from how a lot of games think of their projectiles. I can't tell you how many times I went to line up a shot and retreat from counterfire, only for this to make my missile weave around the enemy. You kind of have to play less defensively than you do in a lot of these space shooters to make the Guided Missiles work. Kinda different than my usual playstyle, but not bad - gives the game its own identity, firing and tracking down an enemy to line up your shot. But if you're not a fan, you can just pick Games 3 & 4 for Straight Missiles, which completely ignore the player's inputs. Nice to have the option.
I kinda wish there was more of a story to this. It's ultimately pretty inconsequential, since a lot of these early games don't really need a narrative, but I love seeing how much effort Atari would put into manuals of this era (the Swordquests and Yar's Revenge come to mind). I haven't played a lot of Activision's efforts in this era; maybe this was pretty typical for them? Nice of them to actually credit Steve Cartwright, though.
Let the record show, my play improved substantially after I muted the game audio and played Buddy Holly's "Everyday" in the background, so maybe Opal's onto something. Ended up with over 62,000 points, so per the manual, I am eligible to become an official MegaManiac. I expect Activision to send me the official emblem in the mail in 8 to 10 business days.
Strictly speaking, developer Steve Cartwright got the idea for this game off Astro Blaster, not Space Invaders. But Space Invaders makes for a fairly easy shorthand these days: fixed-screen space shooter dealing with waves of alien enemies, where each of the enemies is modeled after normal Earth things (in Space Invaders' case, sealife; in MegaMania's case, food and household objects). On top of the waves of enemies moving in different patterns (and some decent stuff there - I like seeing the Space Dice roll through), the gimmick for MegaMania is its Guided Missiles in Games 1 & 2, which follow the player's movements.
This ain't bad, but it is strikingly weird. Straightforward enough to program, since it's basically just applying the player's movement to a second sprite, but pretty different from how a lot of games think of their projectiles. I can't tell you how many times I went to line up a shot and retreat from counterfire, only for this to make my missile weave around the enemy. You kind of have to play less defensively than you do in a lot of these space shooters to make the Guided Missiles work. Kinda different than my usual playstyle, but not bad - gives the game its own identity, firing and tracking down an enemy to line up your shot. But if you're not a fan, you can just pick Games 3 & 4 for Straight Missiles, which completely ignore the player's inputs. Nice to have the option.
I kinda wish there was more of a story to this. It's ultimately pretty inconsequential, since a lot of these early games don't really need a narrative, but I love seeing how much effort Atari would put into manuals of this era (the Swordquests and Yar's Revenge come to mind). I haven't played a lot of Activision's efforts in this era; maybe this was pretty typical for them? Nice of them to actually credit Steve Cartwright, though.
Let the record show, my play improved substantially after I muted the game audio and played Buddy Holly's "Everyday" in the background, so maybe Opal's onto something. Ended up with over 62,000 points, so per the manual, I am eligible to become an official MegaManiac. I expect Activision to send me the official emblem in the mail in 8 to 10 business days.
1998
Trades the prequel's strong theming for mechanical adjustments. This isn't to say theming isn't present; the story and characters are way more prominent this time around. But it's clear Lightweight was interested in cleaning up the fighting game experience this go-around. Controls are simplified, weapon differences are more pronounced, and certain characters even have unique stances - for example, Gengoro trades the standard katana mid-stance with an iaidō moveset. Which admittedly seems redundant in a game where any strike is a killing blow, but heck if it ain't fun.
I would've thought for sure that POV Mode would've been removed in the sequel, but it's actually been expanded quite a bit. Most of the core modes have a version of it available, and wireframes have been added for the player character. It's kind of a strange effect, since it's not true first-person anymore, but it works once you get used to it. Actually, the player character's tendency to look at the opponent is useful for orienting yourself. The Story Mode bosses are especially obnoxious in POV Mode, though.
Oh, yeah, the story mode's final bosses. In an interesting move, each of the respective final bosses has a unique gimmick: characters of the Shainto school fight a final boss who teleports away from every strike, while the Narukagami students face off against an armored final boss. It's an interesting idea, where the former tests your ability to double-strike (since dude's vulnerable while recovering from his teleport) and the latter tests your ability to literally stab him in the back (as he isn't armored there). Though in practice, it feels like more of an annoying binary check than a proper test. Ah, well.
While I appreciate everything done to streamline this game's experience, I do kinda feel like the deliberate intentionality of the original's been lost. The Bushido Code only really exists from a narrative perspective, since it's not reinforced by the gameplay. There aren't any branching paths, save the Shainto students getting to renege on their whole revenge plot at the last second. Even the buttons have sort of lost their purpose, since you no longer have that cool rise/fall, advance/retreat effect from the first game; parry is done automatically, and the stance-shift button is now separate from the raise up/lower down buttons.
I still like this game, and I think that if you're strictly interested in multiplayer/fighting game shenanigans, this is the one to look to. But I probably prefer the tone of the original a bit more. Theoretically, you'd have a complete winner combining the two games' approaches, but as a little duology, it ain't bad, either.
A few things that made me go WTF - a lady in underwear gunning me down with an M-16, a funky black guy in an afro and shades inexplicably showing up in this bushido story, Black Lotus turning into the Phantom of the Opera and developing a pronounced Irish brogue, a very rude Kilroy showing up on one stage. Game's kinda weird.
I would've thought for sure that POV Mode would've been removed in the sequel, but it's actually been expanded quite a bit. Most of the core modes have a version of it available, and wireframes have been added for the player character. It's kind of a strange effect, since it's not true first-person anymore, but it works once you get used to it. Actually, the player character's tendency to look at the opponent is useful for orienting yourself. The Story Mode bosses are especially obnoxious in POV Mode, though.
Oh, yeah, the story mode's final bosses. In an interesting move, each of the respective final bosses has a unique gimmick: characters of the Shainto school fight a final boss who teleports away from every strike, while the Narukagami students face off against an armored final boss. It's an interesting idea, where the former tests your ability to double-strike (since dude's vulnerable while recovering from his teleport) and the latter tests your ability to literally stab him in the back (as he isn't armored there). Though in practice, it feels like more of an annoying binary check than a proper test. Ah, well.
While I appreciate everything done to streamline this game's experience, I do kinda feel like the deliberate intentionality of the original's been lost. The Bushido Code only really exists from a narrative perspective, since it's not reinforced by the gameplay. There aren't any branching paths, save the Shainto students getting to renege on their whole revenge plot at the last second. Even the buttons have sort of lost their purpose, since you no longer have that cool rise/fall, advance/retreat effect from the first game; parry is done automatically, and the stance-shift button is now separate from the raise up/lower down buttons.
I still like this game, and I think that if you're strictly interested in multiplayer/fighting game shenanigans, this is the one to look to. But I probably prefer the tone of the original a bit more. Theoretically, you'd have a complete winner combining the two games' approaches, but as a little duology, it ain't bad, either.
A few things that made me go WTF - a lady in underwear gunning me down with an M-16, a funky black guy in an afro and shades inexplicably showing up in this bushido story, Black Lotus turning into the Phantom of the Opera and developing a pronounced Irish brogue, a very rude Kilroy showing up on one stage. Game's kinda weird.
2000
I’m given to understand that Camelot’s handheld golf outings are actually quite good. They’re the basis for the excellent Golf Story, after all - little RPG narrative adventures where you build up the player character’s stats over the course of a fun golf training arc. I think Mario Tennis GBC is going for the same sorta thing, but as it turns out, the effect doesn’t translate across sports.
It bears mention before getting into what Tennis GBC does with its campaign: the main issue at play with this game is how rough the AI is. It’s actually extremely easy to cheese it here, particularly in Singles: do a drop shot to one corner of the court, then either smash a return or do a lob shot to the opposite side. The AI naturally responds to the drop shot by running up to hit it, and most AI opponents lack the reach or speed to respond to this trickery. Once you figure out how to do this, and once you fall into a good cadence with this, most opponents are helpless before you.
It turns out that this is sort of a blessing in disguise. Annoyingly, the standard match length in the game’s story is 3 Sets, 6 Games per Set. For comparison, console Mario Tennis I don’t think ever forces the player to do more than 2 game Sets? Starting out the gate with best of 3 Sets and moving into Best of 5 Sets just feels like padding. I don’t even really like it when console Mario Tennis does that, but the gameflow is at least fast enough in console tennis that a climactic 3- or 5-Set Match feels like a well-paced struggle. Everything moves sooooo sloooooowly on GBC.
You also gain EXP and stats from minigames rather than standard tournament play, so you’re expected to intersperse these slow-ass games with slow-ass grinding sessions. In my experience, Mario Tennis GBC ended up being something to play while I had something else on out of necessity; I actually spent a decent amount of time playing this while meeting up with some out-of-state friends, while we were just loafing around and watching TV. I sort of have fond memories of the game for that reason, but boy does the game not earn it.
Speaking of earning things, you have to earn the right to get Mario characters into the game’s primary narrative! You spend most of the time in a rookie-to-success string of tournament arcs amid OCs, and it’s only after you clear the final tournament that you get the privilege of traveling to the Mario World to face off against interdimensional tennis superstar Mario (and Peach, in Doubles). I don’t necessarily object to relegating the Mario cast to legendary figures you have to earn the right to play against, but there ends up being no references to Mario until the credits roll like two or three times, grinding out the campaign. It’s a very curious decision to make in a game called Mario Tennis.
And it’s hardly the most important thing, but since Tennis is such a limited sport compared to Golf, it takes to having stapled-on RPG stats a lot less elegantly than Golf does. I know I would’ve ground things out, but for the life of me I can’t remember what nuance these stats added, on top of making me able to compete with the higher-end foes.
Looking at what the game offers, I’m willing to accept that I’m inherently missing something by playing Mario Tennis GBC in a vacuum, as a lot of its side content ties in to connecting the game with the N64 console version (transferring characters and mini-games, etc). I think of how it goes for Pokémon Stadium, where the intention is that the console game benefits from its connectivity with the handheld game. But Pokémon Stadium still represents a largely complete experience even without the handheld games. I guess Mario Tennis GBC can stand alone, but there's so little to it that if you're not inherently sold on the core loop of playing slow tennis with some dude against easily-duped boofheads, you're just wasting your time. Too bad.
It bears mention before getting into what Tennis GBC does with its campaign: the main issue at play with this game is how rough the AI is. It’s actually extremely easy to cheese it here, particularly in Singles: do a drop shot to one corner of the court, then either smash a return or do a lob shot to the opposite side. The AI naturally responds to the drop shot by running up to hit it, and most AI opponents lack the reach or speed to respond to this trickery. Once you figure out how to do this, and once you fall into a good cadence with this, most opponents are helpless before you.
It turns out that this is sort of a blessing in disguise. Annoyingly, the standard match length in the game’s story is 3 Sets, 6 Games per Set. For comparison, console Mario Tennis I don’t think ever forces the player to do more than 2 game Sets? Starting out the gate with best of 3 Sets and moving into Best of 5 Sets just feels like padding. I don’t even really like it when console Mario Tennis does that, but the gameflow is at least fast enough in console tennis that a climactic 3- or 5-Set Match feels like a well-paced struggle. Everything moves sooooo sloooooowly on GBC.
You also gain EXP and stats from minigames rather than standard tournament play, so you’re expected to intersperse these slow-ass games with slow-ass grinding sessions. In my experience, Mario Tennis GBC ended up being something to play while I had something else on out of necessity; I actually spent a decent amount of time playing this while meeting up with some out-of-state friends, while we were just loafing around and watching TV. I sort of have fond memories of the game for that reason, but boy does the game not earn it.
Speaking of earning things, you have to earn the right to get Mario characters into the game’s primary narrative! You spend most of the time in a rookie-to-success string of tournament arcs amid OCs, and it’s only after you clear the final tournament that you get the privilege of traveling to the Mario World to face off against interdimensional tennis superstar Mario (and Peach, in Doubles). I don’t necessarily object to relegating the Mario cast to legendary figures you have to earn the right to play against, but there ends up being no references to Mario until the credits roll like two or three times, grinding out the campaign. It’s a very curious decision to make in a game called Mario Tennis.
And it’s hardly the most important thing, but since Tennis is such a limited sport compared to Golf, it takes to having stapled-on RPG stats a lot less elegantly than Golf does. I know I would’ve ground things out, but for the life of me I can’t remember what nuance these stats added, on top of making me able to compete with the higher-end foes.
Looking at what the game offers, I’m willing to accept that I’m inherently missing something by playing Mario Tennis GBC in a vacuum, as a lot of its side content ties in to connecting the game with the N64 console version (transferring characters and mini-games, etc). I think of how it goes for Pokémon Stadium, where the intention is that the console game benefits from its connectivity with the handheld game. But Pokémon Stadium still represents a largely complete experience even without the handheld games. I guess Mario Tennis GBC can stand alone, but there's so little to it that if you're not inherently sold on the core loop of playing slow tennis with some dude against easily-duped boofheads, you're just wasting your time. Too bad.
2000
Years ago, on a Super Mario messageboard I used to frequent (Lemmy's Land Forums), we played this elimination game involving like 50 different Mario games. The idea was that each person would "Save" one game, so at the end of the round, the last game to be "Saved" would be eliminated, and play would restart. I dunno if this sort of game is really played much anymore, but it's the sort of thing you used to see all the time on messageboards. Anyway, this one guy really liked the original Mario Tennis - if I remember correctly, his love was based entirely around playable Paratroopa - and would make a point to rush in and "Save" it at the top of each round. It got to a point where "Save Mario Tennis" became an in-joke around the community, and any time Mario Tennis on the Nintendo 64 was mentioned, someone would be quick to "Save" it. Or that just became the name of the game itself: "Save Mario Tennis".
I mention this because, after a few non-starter attempts at unlocking both characters and one finally successful one, I can't really get the adoration for this title.
Mario Tennis is an extremely important Mario game. Since Camelot needed to pad out the roster with Doubles partners, the team got creative with their picks for playable characters. This is the game that introduced Waluigi as Wario's Doubles partner, and while that's not the move I would've made (personally I probably would've stuck Captain Syrup in there - yeah, they're enemies, but that's what Wario deserves), I'd be lying if I didn't say I loved what the lanky loser has become over the years. This is also the game that brought back Princess Daisy and Birdo, elevating these two supporting ladies into fairly prominent roles going forward (as well as cementing the pairings of Daisy/Luigi and Birdo/Yoshi). Playable Boo and Shy Guy would become common sights going forward, but this is where they got their start. Yes, Paratroopa over Koopa Troopa is a fun pull, even if it was probably just made because animating flight is easier than animating walking. The only real non-starter advanced by this game in the roster department is Donkey Kong Jr., since Diddy Kong would make for a far more logical Doubles Partner for DK going forward and Petey Piranha would fill in as the usual fourth Power character - but DK Jr. is a fun inclusion all the same, just someone who wouldn't see much of an expanded role in the future.
But I'll be honest, the roster is the main thing Mario Tennis has going for it. Apart from that, the game is shockingly dry as a tennis simulator. Yeah, it lets you play tennis, and yeah, the characters have some different properties, but that's pretty much it. I guess if you really like regular ol' tennis, this is a decent enough simulator for that, if a bit stiff - I never feel like I have as much control over the ball as I want (but then I mostly play Speed/Power/Tricky characters). Personally, I find the whole thing pretty wanting for some sort of high concept, even if it's just a big aesthetic change in one of the courts. For goodness sakes, all of the unlockable courts are just reskins of the regular court with JPEGs of the Mario cast printed on 'em! Playing this after growing up with Mario Power Tennis, it was a huge disappointment.
The side content is a'ight, but pretty limited, especially for singleplayer. Ring Shot is probably the game at its mechanical strongest, since it teaches the player how to rally, and there's a nice tense cadence to building up points. Piranha Challenge is okay - fun to see the Piranha Plants doing something, even if they're basically little more than pitching machines here.
Bowser Stage is a fun idea and a weird assertion of Mario Kart in a non-Mario Kart setting, but I actually find the items themselves a little lackluster. The issue with using Mario Kart items is that you think they'll do Mario Kart things, so I kept trying to use the Starman to tank hits when it's just a power-up in this game. Shells are probably most interesting, since both lock down where the opponent's able to move, but they can't hold this mode on their own. Actually, it's the stage itself I like best, since it has a gimmick of leaning towards whichever side's weighted down - really would've liked to see more courts experiment with gimmicks like this.
I like the idea of Mario Tennis more than I like what it actually does, I think. Tennis is a sport I like to play, and the idea of stapling Mario characters on in there is a fun idea. I especially like the consequences the game's had on shaping the series, perhaps more than any other non-mainline Mario game outside some of the Mario Karts. But as its own thing? I'd much rather Save a later Mario Tennis.
I mention this because, after a few non-starter attempts at unlocking both characters and one finally successful one, I can't really get the adoration for this title.
Mario Tennis is an extremely important Mario game. Since Camelot needed to pad out the roster with Doubles partners, the team got creative with their picks for playable characters. This is the game that introduced Waluigi as Wario's Doubles partner, and while that's not the move I would've made (personally I probably would've stuck Captain Syrup in there - yeah, they're enemies, but that's what Wario deserves), I'd be lying if I didn't say I loved what the lanky loser has become over the years. This is also the game that brought back Princess Daisy and Birdo, elevating these two supporting ladies into fairly prominent roles going forward (as well as cementing the pairings of Daisy/Luigi and Birdo/Yoshi). Playable Boo and Shy Guy would become common sights going forward, but this is where they got their start. Yes, Paratroopa over Koopa Troopa is a fun pull, even if it was probably just made because animating flight is easier than animating walking. The only real non-starter advanced by this game in the roster department is Donkey Kong Jr., since Diddy Kong would make for a far more logical Doubles Partner for DK going forward and Petey Piranha would fill in as the usual fourth Power character - but DK Jr. is a fun inclusion all the same, just someone who wouldn't see much of an expanded role in the future.
But I'll be honest, the roster is the main thing Mario Tennis has going for it. Apart from that, the game is shockingly dry as a tennis simulator. Yeah, it lets you play tennis, and yeah, the characters have some different properties, but that's pretty much it. I guess if you really like regular ol' tennis, this is a decent enough simulator for that, if a bit stiff - I never feel like I have as much control over the ball as I want (but then I mostly play Speed/Power/Tricky characters). Personally, I find the whole thing pretty wanting for some sort of high concept, even if it's just a big aesthetic change in one of the courts. For goodness sakes, all of the unlockable courts are just reskins of the regular court with JPEGs of the Mario cast printed on 'em! Playing this after growing up with Mario Power Tennis, it was a huge disappointment.
The side content is a'ight, but pretty limited, especially for singleplayer. Ring Shot is probably the game at its mechanical strongest, since it teaches the player how to rally, and there's a nice tense cadence to building up points. Piranha Challenge is okay - fun to see the Piranha Plants doing something, even if they're basically little more than pitching machines here.
Bowser Stage is a fun idea and a weird assertion of Mario Kart in a non-Mario Kart setting, but I actually find the items themselves a little lackluster. The issue with using Mario Kart items is that you think they'll do Mario Kart things, so I kept trying to use the Starman to tank hits when it's just a power-up in this game. Shells are probably most interesting, since both lock down where the opponent's able to move, but they can't hold this mode on their own. Actually, it's the stage itself I like best, since it has a gimmick of leaning towards whichever side's weighted down - really would've liked to see more courts experiment with gimmicks like this.
I like the idea of Mario Tennis more than I like what it actually does, I think. Tennis is a sport I like to play, and the idea of stapling Mario characters on in there is a fun idea. I especially like the consequences the game's had on shaping the series, perhaps more than any other non-mainline Mario game outside some of the Mario Karts. But as its own thing? I'd much rather Save a later Mario Tennis.
2013
This review contains spoilers
I don't really want to have a conversation on this game. At the same time, I have a set of criteria for the games I talk about on Backloggd, and Depression Quest meets them: it's a game I've completed, I know when I completed it, and I am confident of my opinions on it. Actually, while I wouldn't call it a favorite by any means, I did find I ultimately connected with it, enough so that I still catch myself thinking about it now and again. Because of that, it's important to me that I somehow preserve those opinions.
After thinking about it for a while, I've decided I'm just going to present my opinions as isolated bullet points. No further summation, no point I want to drive at, just my naked opinions.
- It was very polite to release this game for free following Robin Williams' suicide
- Presenting choices, then striking them out and blocking the player from selecting them, is an effective analogy for experiencing crippling depression
- The moment where the player character is able to notice his hands shaking as a consequence of his bottled up tension, and that awareness of physical response to mental stimuli, is a familiar turning point for... a lot of things, in my experience
- I appreciate that the player can choose whether to address depression through drugs or therapy. I appreciate as well that neither is more correct, and each respective approach has its own ramifications.
- Adopting a kitten - and thus having another life to care for, as a means of combatting depression - is also familiar.
- I have no desire whatsoever to revisit this game to explore less-than-best endings and see what commentary the game holds there. Having said that...
- I am given to understand that the worst ending explains that the player character has given up on life but is too unmotivated to commit suicide; regardless, no happy ending is possible for him. I don't know if this is the text of the game. This is just what I have read elsewhere. Assuming this is true, I have mixed feelings on this. I do not want anything in this world to contribute to suicide rates, and I respect an artist trying to steer clear of that. At the same time, it would represent the lone pulled punch in a game that otherwise has an extremely frank conversation about depression.
After thinking about it for a while, I've decided I'm just going to present my opinions as isolated bullet points. No further summation, no point I want to drive at, just my naked opinions.
- It was very polite to release this game for free following Robin Williams' suicide
- Presenting choices, then striking them out and blocking the player from selecting them, is an effective analogy for experiencing crippling depression
- The moment where the player character is able to notice his hands shaking as a consequence of his bottled up tension, and that awareness of physical response to mental stimuli, is a familiar turning point for... a lot of things, in my experience
- I appreciate that the player can choose whether to address depression through drugs or therapy. I appreciate as well that neither is more correct, and each respective approach has its own ramifications.
- Adopting a kitten - and thus having another life to care for, as a means of combatting depression - is also familiar.
- I have no desire whatsoever to revisit this game to explore less-than-best endings and see what commentary the game holds there. Having said that...
- I am given to understand that the worst ending explains that the player character has given up on life but is too unmotivated to commit suicide; regardless, no happy ending is possible for him. I don't know if this is the text of the game. This is just what I have read elsewhere. Assuming this is true, I have mixed feelings on this. I do not want anything in this world to contribute to suicide rates, and I respect an artist trying to steer clear of that. At the same time, it would represent the lone pulled punch in a game that otherwise has an extremely frank conversation about depression.