Veredito: não, ele não supera Chrono Trigger, mas é bom PRA CARALHO!

Não entendi muitas das críticas que vi pra este jogo aqui no site. Os personagens são todos bons (sim, inclusive os protagonistas, que convencem muito bem no seu papel de irmãos e de heróis), o sistema de batalha é ÓTIMO, e a história é maravilhosa.

Minhas críticas são outras, principalmente de polimento (às vezes era difícil batalhar bem, por exemplo porque algum personagem saía da tela no movimento de ataque) e de ritmo (dava pra cortar algumas horas da partida e nada de valor seria perdido, desnecessário por exemplo aquele começo grandão) mas nada muito grosseiro.

Mas apesar dos visuais lindos, música fantástica e batalhas excelentes, o que mais me cativou na verdade foi a sinceridade e temas do roteiro. Foi o quanto Sea of Stars trata com respeito os relacionamentos entre os personagens.

Garl se esforça para ser um bom amigo e pra ver os outros felizes, mas ele não é só um ajudante genérico pra dar suporte aos heróis, nem um bonzinho tapado que é só coração e zero cérebro. A amizade entre ele e os irmãos protagonistas é sincera, e linda de se ver.

Os dois grandes alquimistas são tratados desde o início como a personificação do bem e do mal, mas à medida que vai conhecendo o universo do jogo e a relação entre os dois você descobre que o buraco é bem mais em baixo.

Os dois irmãos não querem derrotar o mal só porque eles são os heróis e pronto, nem caem no tropo dos heróis relutantes. Eles amadurecem, eles têm sentimentos, alegrias, medos, esperanças e motivações pra fazer o que fazem.

Temas como negação da realidade à sua frente, luto, empatia, necessidade de pedir ajuda e a importância de passar bons momentos junto das pessoas que amamos, da diversão pura e simples com os entes queridos, são tratados sem medo e de forma sincera.

No fim das contas, Sea of Stars é só um JRPG inspirado pelos clássicos do Super Nintendo e PlayStation 1. Pessoalmente ele não mudou minha vida, não me ajudou a lidar com nenhum trauma, não foi nada de outro mundo. Ele tem defeitos como todo jogo.

Mas é um puta JRPG fodão pra caralho, e tenho certeza que vou rejogar ele um dia.

A long time ago, a little company by the name of Namco released a small little game known as Sim Drive at the JAMMA 1992 AM Show. As the title would apply, it was merely just a simple racing game, primarily meant to show off the technology that the game’s system board, the Namco System 22, was capable of, using gouraud shading and texture mapping to creature 3D environments that, nowadays, may look like nothing but a bunch of polygons to us, but back then, was revolutionary for the genre. While it was impressive, it was simply just a prototype for a bigger product, one that would be completed over the course of the next eight months in an effort to compete against other companies like Sega. This title would then be released to the public, and would simply be known as Ridge Racer… you know, RIIIIIIIIIIIIDGE RACEEEEEEEEEER! Remember that one?....................... look, if I didn’t make the joke, someone else was going to, so I had to take that chance.

Back before I had started reviewing games on this website, I hadn’t really played any other racing games that weren’t named Mario Kart, so I hadn’t really checked out any Ridge Racer game before this one. I had heard about it on several occasions, hearing about some of the titles being pretty good, but for the most part, I had assumed it was just your typical racing series with nothing too grand or incredible to show for it. But hey, you can’t judge a book by its cover as they say, so I decided to check out the first game in the series to see how it has held up, and yeah, at least for this title, it is just your standard arcade racing game. For what it is worth though, it is still a good game, and one that I had a decent amount of time with, but it is probably not gonna be a racing game that I am ever gonna go back to because of how barebones it ends up being at the end of the day.

The graphics are incredibly dated, which is to be expected from an early 3D racer, but for what it is worth, it was the best looking racer at the time, and it still holds up in some regards to this day, the music is pretty great, with there being several tracks that fit the vibe that the game is going for, and it gets you pumped to leave your competitors in the dust and maybe even smash into them, the control is extremely basic for an arcade racer, but one that does its job well, and the traction, speed, and turning on the car does feel pretty good while being manageable, and the gameplay is extremely basic, not offering much in terms of content, but offering plenty in terms of speed and several other factors.

The game is your typical arcade racing game, where you take control of either just one car, or in the case of the PS1 version, MANY cars (you know, just in case you get tired of the color red), take on plenty of different races of varying difficulty all taking place on… one track (we’ll get more into that later), race against plenty of different opponents that will do their best to keep you behind them at all times, make sure to turn and brake at appropriate times to make sure you don’t slam straight into the wall and look like an idiot, and blast your way all the way to first place and finish all three laps before time runs out to prove that you are the ridgiest racer that ever ridged a race. It has everything you could ever want from an arcade racer while also lacking everything else that you could want from one, but to its credit, one of the things that it does have going for it at that point in time.

Before this game, there weren’t many other 3D racers that could reach this high level of quality. The only other really noteworthy 3D racer before this was Virtua Racing, which, while being a nice stepping stone for the genre to leap into the next generation, now looks like a bunch of angles and shapes trying to trick you into thinking it is a racing game. With Ridge Racer, on the other hand, it looks much, MUCH better, not only having plenty of detail given to all of the cars, but also the many different environments that you will be driving past and through. In addition to this, there is also a good amount of realism that was implemented into the game as well. There were multiple gears that you would have to shift through as you would go faster, the turning and braking feels much heavier in several occasions, and when you collide into another car, not only does the other car swivel around due to the impact, but you yourself FEEL that same impact, especially when you are in first-person view. This may not seem like anything nowadays, but again, for the time it came out, you have to admire what it did for the genre as a whole.

However, that does not save it from being one of the most barebones and basic racing games I have ever played, even more so than other ones released before it. In this game, you only get one track to race on. ONE TRACK. Sure, there are varying difficulties that increase the speed you go on on this track, and there are additional modes like a Time Trial and, for the PS1 version, a mirror mode that allows you to experience the track in plenty of different ways, but at the end of the day, it is still just one fucking track. This game desperately needs more tracks to make it more desirable to play, and they don’t even need to be that heavily different from this one. They just need to be there. In addition to this, at the end of the day, it is still just a very basic racing game. There have been plenty of other games ever since, even in the same series, that have taken what this game does and have made many better racers as a result, so there really is no reason to come back to this one at the end of the day. I guess it could be good for those who are big fans of the series, but really, they could just play future, better titles and get the exact same experience from it.

Overall, despite the limited content it has and its basic nature, the original Ridge Racer is still a competent and fun racer, one that can provide you with a speed-filled good time for a while, but it doesn’t do much to make players want to come back for more. I would recommend it for fans of the Ridge Racer series, as well as those who love racing games in general, but for everyone else, there are definitely much better titles out there that you could play over this. Although, for those of you who actually are wanting to try it out at some point, let me give you a warning: don’t look directly into the eyes of the people that are in this game. I may have done this with the girl who holds up the sign at the beginning of the race, and now I fear that I may be getting a visit from her in the near future.

Game #427

Sonic has never been a consistent series, but the sixteen years following the death of the Dreamcast and Sega's departure from the console hardware market represents it at its lowest point. Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) nearly killed the franchise where it stood, both episodes of Sonic the Hedgehog 4 failed to live up to its namesake, and Sega couldn't even get a port of the original Sonic the Hedgehog for the GameBoy Advance right. Brief flashes of triumph broke apart dire releases before swiftly returning to the status quo, and games like Colors and Generations seemed almost accidental when followed by the likes of Lost World. At a certain point it became hard not to feel like the series was held captive by a rudderless publisher and a dispassionate developer.

The "Sonic Cycle" became a popular meme during this era both within and outside of the fan community, and constant promises to "go back to what made Sonic special" felt hollow when every subsequent release was decidedly not that. By the time Sonic Boom released, there was genuine debate as to whether or not it was worse than Sonic 2006. It felt like it was time to just pull the damn plug.

Sonic's 25th anniversary party was appropriately disastrous. Audio drops, a delayed start, and constant mechanical whine piercing through the event did not engender much confidence that Sega's upcoming slate of Sonic titles would be anything to get excited over. But seven years removed, the thing I think of when reflecting on the event is the reveal of Sonic Mania. The crowd's reaction to the announcement trailer was infectious. Sure, they may have been diehard fans hopped up on room temperature Totino's Pizza Rolls™, but seeing a proper 2D Sonic game helmed by Christian Whitehead and Simon Thomley - well regarded for their contributions to the hacking scene and the excellent mobile remasters of the classic games - felt like this tremendous release of pessimism and anxiety. Finally, a Sonic game worth getting excited about rather than remaining cautiously interested in. oh yeah and Sonic Forces was there, who gives a fuck

A lot of preamble, but necessary context for why people went ape for Knuckles and Tails being playable characters. The oft-touted return to form seemed real now, powered by the Retro Engine, which had previously proved capable of creating a near-perfect simulacrum of Sonic's Genesis era physics and momentum-based speed. Whitehead, Thomley, and PagodaWest were so honed-in on what made the old games work that the Drop Dash, Sonic's new signature move, was indirectly and unknowingly copied from a scrapped mechanic in Sonic the Hedgehog 3.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic 3 are the main mechanical inspirations behind Mania, blending Sonic 2's speedy setpieces and knack for pushing the player forward at all times with Sonic 3's large levels, platforming, and rich exploration. This fusion results in the best balance of speed and platforming I've seen in any of the classically styled 2D games, and the way each zone's pathways intersect and split apart never feel like they box you into a single linear route or result in you getting lost. Knuckles once again has his own bespoke routes, some of which are pretty substantive, like a totally different Act 1 for Mirage Saloon and exclusive boss fight at the end of Lava Reef Zone.

My only real complaint is that there's just too much overuse of classic zones. All but four are taken from previous Sonic games, and those that are not directly lifted are referenced in some way, typically by transplanting a gimmick or enemy into another zone, like the spinners from Marble Garden which show up in Mania's Stardust Speedway, or Angel Island Zone's Catakilla Jr. floating around in Chemical Plant. Mania ends up being a remarkably comprehensive celebration of the Genesis games as a result, and while these remixed levels are still a joy to play, the real highlights are the four ground-up zones exclusive to Mania. At least everything looks incredible, the sprite art is brimming with personality and the new coat of paint each of the returning zones are given - especially in the more divergent second acts - makes them feel fresh. TeeLopes incredible soundtrack also features some of the best remixes I've ever heard for these returning levels, but much like the original zones, his new compositions are the real highlight.

According to an April 2017 Famitsu interview, the inclusion of remixed levels came at the behest of Iizuka, though I do not know who is responsible for tying Mania's story in with Sonic Forces. At face value, these creative choices seem like a hindrance, but regardless of any limitations the team faced, they walked away with a game that feels positively energetic and celebratory of a series that no doubt inspired some of them to pursue game development. And, presumably, any follow-up to Mania would feature entirely original zones, right...?

Rumors of bad blood between Mania's former development staff and Sega have been spurred on thanks to the controversy over Denuvo's inclusion in Mania's PC release, and Simon Thomley's negative experience with Sonic Origins. Whitehead has since stated that the Mania team (Evening Star) and Sega are on good terms and that some of their discussions about the direction of the classic series influenced Sonic Superstars. It's easy to take rumors to heart, and I know I certainly have in the past. After all, it's natural for heads to butt on any creative project, and Sega doesn't have the best track record. However, it's more likely Evening Star wanted to make Penny's Big Breakaway and things just didn't work out for sequel. A bummer, as what little of Superstars I've played is certainly lacking Whitehead and Thomley's touch.

Even if proper a Mania 2 never comes to be (like my cynical ass believes it won't) I am still immensely happy with Sonic Mania. It's the Sonic game I wanted for years, and inarguably a capstone entry in the series that is responsible for Sonic's popular resurgence. Well, that and the internet collectively patting themselves on the back for "fixing" what turned out to be a real middle-of-the-road video game adaption by forcing CGI artists back to the office shortly before the liquidation of their studio. In a way, that's perfect. Sonic is back! And he's back because of one fuck-ugly CG model and a single good video game. The duality of Hedgehog.

3D Land é o puro suco de Mario destilado para caber numa tela portátil. Dá para pegar ele em qualquer momento, qualquer nível, e ter uma sensação de diversão e se sentir satisfeito em coisas de minutos. É como um gerador de gratificação instantânea na palma de suas mãos.

3D Land é também, ao mesmo tempo, originalíssimo e um resgatador de legados. Ele é um novo jeito de se fazer Mario, diferente do visto tanto nos side-scrollers quanto nos 3Ds. Mas ele cria esse novo jeito pegando inspirações fortes dos Marios de NES e GB. Ele é o "verdadeiro" New Super Mario Bros. que New Super Mario Bros. jamais foi.

E, acima de tudo, 3D Land é um jogo bom. Consistentemente bom, do início ao fim. Bom, bom, bom.

Mas não excelente.

Não sei muito bem explicar essa sensação. Me diverti rejogando 3D Land do início ao fim, sem nenhum momento sequer de tédio. Até me espantei com o quão rápido zerei ele - fiz tudo em apenas umas 3 sessões de jogatina, completando de 2 a 3 mundos inteiros de uma vez só. Esse é um jogo muito fácil de pegar e só jogar, jogar, jogar.

Entretanto, se jogar 3D Land foi uma experiência sem vales, também foi sem nenhum pico memorável. E se tem uma coisa que eu sei que essa série é capaz de fazer é criar momentos marcantes de quase êxtase.

Bom em tudo, excelente em nada. Acho que essa é o elogio mais cruel que posso dar a Super Mario 3D Land.

Finalizei o Minish Cap! 🌿

Esse é um jogo que de início chama muita atenção pela sua beleza, o mundo é vibrante e colorido, tem a pixel art mais bonita de todos os Zeldas e os personagens são fofinhos e carismáticos 🥺

MAS o que me pegou pelo coração mesmo é quando apresentam a mecânica de encolher o Link! SIM EU AMO histórias em que o personagem fica 🤏pequenininho e tem sobreviver no mundo em que todas as coisas em volta ficaram gigantes!

Os bichinhos de estimação passam a te caçar e aqueles inimigos banais se transformam em chefões de dungeons🤣

Se tiver oportunidade viva essa aventura única!

Esse jogo é uma das jóias do GBA e se tornou um dos meus Zeldas favoritos! ❤️

Se Tekken fosse um Beat 'n Up ele seria este jogo.

Gostei muito dos combos do jogo e de como eles mudam drasticamente dependendo do personagem escolhido (São 4 personagens possíveis).

A estética e gráficos me agradaram bastante, o mesmo acontece com a física do jogo em si.

Em questão de história ela é totalmente rasa, sendo apenas um background pra você descer a porrada em geral (Eu mesmo entendi 0 a história, você só sabe que tem o vilão lá e tu tem que impedir ele).

Acho que o mais caótico é a câmera do jogo (Mas afinal quase todo jogo de PS1 sofre com os problemas de câmera).

E o game ainda tem modo história em Co-op, porém desconfio que o controle da câmera no modo Co-Op fique 300x mais caótico.

PRÓS:
- Boa física de luta.

CONTRAS:
- Controle de câmera horrível.

Orochi ou Rugal? Qual é o mais apelão?

Particularmente este é o KOF que mais tenho um carinho e memória afetiva. Cresci jogando e perdendo MUITO FICHA com este clássico nos bares da favela onde eu morava.

Mas o jogo é bom??

Eu acho satisfatório a variedade de combos e personagens que existe nesse jogo, porém o que me frustra muito é como o Boss final, VULGO RUGAL, é super desbalanceado.

Tipo assim, eu entendo que o Boss final precisa ser APELATIVO mas no Rugal perderam a mão total!!! (O negócio no fliperama era feito pra papar fichar mesmo).

Tirando isso acho os sprites desse jogo o auge da série (Também tem uma das melhores aberturas).

Ralf, Iori e Benimaru...desafio qualquer um deste site.

PRÓS:
- Ótimo variedade de combos e personagens.
- Sprites lindos.

CONTRAS:
- Boss totalmente desbalanceado.

Você mata aliens nazistas, não tem como ser um jogo ruim!

Comparado com os outros dois games anteriores da franquia não vi muita diferença. Ouso dizer até que as missões deste jogo são mais curtas que as dos jogos anteriores (Exceto a missão final que é super longa e bem trabalhada, talvez a melhor missão de todos os Metal Slug).

O padrão aqui se repete: Metal Slug 3 é um jogo difícil. Ele foi feito para rodar nos arcades e ENGOLIR a maior quantidade de fichas possíveis, matando seu personagem cedo e com frequência.

Porém a gameplay do jogo continua viciante, contando até com momentos engraçados, como por exemplo ser transformado em um zumbi jorra sangue.

Acho que algo a se destacar no game é sua ótima variedade de cenário durante as missões: Você caminhará pelo deserto, caminhará pela selva, nadará no mar azul profundo, voará pelos céus e até mesmo voará para o espaço sideral.

Infelizmente a versão de Arcade ainda sofre pesado com quedas de FPS durante grandes explosões ou muitos inimigos na tela.

PRÓS:
- Cenários lindos e variados.
- Missão final muito boa.

CONTRAS:
- Quedas de FPS.

At this point in 1992, the Contra franchise was killing it, not only having two successful titles for both arcades and the NES, as well as one moderately successful one for the Game Boy, but it also had a brand spanking new installment for the SNES that, needless to say, was praised for being the best game in the series up to that point, as well as possibly the best Contra game ever made. Meanwhile, elsewhere, Konami was developing a separate game for the NES in Japan known as Arc Hound. Not much was known about this title, but it was originally supposed to come out sometime before Contra III, and based on screenshots from magazines, you could tell that it was pretty much just another Contra game in all but name. However, somewhere along the way, the game was ultimately canceled in Japan, but would see the light of day exclusively in North America, where it would take on the Contra name, thus resulting in the third and final game in the Contra series for the NES, Contra Force.

Out of all the early Contra games, this is definitely the one that is the least talked about, as most people, even fans of Contra, probably don’t know it exists. I myself didn’t know about it until earlier this year when I saw an incomplete playthrough of it, and judging from what I saw, I was pretty unimpressed. It looked like every other Contra game, except somehow worse, and it definitely made me not wanna touch it any time in the near future. But hey, it has been almost a year since I initially saw that playthrough, so who knows, maybe my past judgment was a little harsh. After all, you don’t know how good a game is until you actually try it for yourself, right? So, I tried it and… yeah, it is very mediocre. It is not necessarily terrible by any means, and it does do some things differently from the other titles, but if you have already played either of the other NES Contra titles, then you have no reason to seek out this one.

The story is to take down an evil terrorist organization threatening the city of… Neocity, so hey, if you didn’t like killing aliens, but you LOVE killing terrorists, then this game is right up your alley, the graphics are pretty good, but then again, they look about as good as any other game on the NES at the time, and when compared to the previous two games for the system, it isn’t much of an upgrade, the music is also pretty good, being on the same level as the previous two games, but it is pretty standard stuff for the series, so no reason to go any further then this, the contra is about the same as every other Contra game on the system, but with some extra features that don’t really change things up too mechanically, so no need to worry, and the gameplay is pretty much what you would expect from Contra at this point, but with a few more bells and whistles added on to it.

The game is a run ‘n gun platformer, where you take control of either Burns, Irons, Smith, and… Beans (well, that’s the worst name for a military soldier I have ever heard), take on a set of five levels, ranging from the regular side-scrolling ones and the top-down ones seen in Super C and Operation C, and they are varied, but blend in enough with each other without much of a difference, take out many different soldiers that will try to take you down along the way, gather plenty of powerups to help you upgrade yourself and get an advantage on the enemies along the way, and take on several bosses that will test your skill in either standing completely still and shooting in one direction, or actually providing a challenge that will keep you on your toes. Yes, it is very standard stuff, especially for a Contra game, but there are some things that make this game stand out from the others, even if these elements aren’t too exciting.

As mentioned before, you do get powerups in this game, which, rather than upgrading you immediately, they instead work in a similar way to Gradius, where it highlights a bar at the bottom left that you can activate any time you want. To be honest, I prefer this style of upgrades much more than the typical style in Contra, as it allows you to choose the powerups you want rather than accidentally grabbing one you didn’t want. Unfortunately, the upgrades themselves are pretty lackluster, such as one that allows more bullets on screen, one that allows you to hold down the button for constant fire (which isn’t available right from the start, WHY), and one where you are invulnerable to damage when jumping. But, there is more firepower to be found with the other characters, who each have their own individual stats, and who you can swap with anytime, and take control of in the stages. Not only that, but you can also temporarily spawn a partner in with you to help you out during fights, which can be pretty handy in dire situations.

Now, all of that is fine and dandy, but is any of that enough to save this game? Honestly… not really. It is more or less just another Contra game, and while it is neat that we have all these neat new bells and whistles added on, it is all clearly just more of the same, and while that is usually not a bad thing, it doesn’t help that this game doesn’t feel that good to play. It feels very sluggish and clunky, almost like you are in complete control, but not really, and what doesn’t help it is the sheer amount of slowdown that is present here. You will rarely see instances where the game will function at a proper speed whenever action is taking place on screen, and you could argue “Oh, it’s an NES game, so slowdown is inevitable”, but this was made after two previous Contra games for the system, both of which had little slowdown compared to this, so there is no excuse for this. Aside from that though, it doesn’t have that many problems, so if you somehow played this as your first Contra, you’d probably love it, but for others, not so much.

Overall, despite a lot of neat little gameplay changes, as well as having the spirit and energy of Contra, this game really pales in comparison to the previous two NES titles, and simply just stands as being “ok” and nothing more. I would recommend it if you are a die-hard Contra fan, but for those who have already played plenty of Contra beforehand, or are unfamiliar with the series, then you’d best stick to the other games. We can leave all of those soldiers out to die in their battle, especially Beans. You know what you did, you son of a bitch.

Game #358

A fun classic!

Never played strider before so I decided to change that ! having the capcom Arcade stadium collection I thought It would be a good way to experience this game for the first. With that being said I had a really good time and am excited to dig deeper into the series and play them all!.

What made it so fun?

The game is very simple but it works very well and will provide you with a good time. There aren’t many power ups besides getting a partner that will shoot orbs , Longer range on your sword swing and the many men strider mode as I like to call it. This isn’t really much of an issue however as each powerup is fun although I wish you had more chances to use many men mode. Furthermore, traversing through each level is fun as the movement feels very open ended since you can latch onto anything and climb your way through segments of each level. In addition , fighting was consistently fun hearing that SHING sound effect never got boring once and is honestly such a classic sound. Having such a short playthrough time there really isn’t much else to talk about with Strider , it is simply a good time that I do recommend if you have yet to dabble into the series.


Some issues?

While I enjoyed my time with the game I do have a few complaints that aren’t game ruining but will hinder certain segments of the game. First off, while the movement can be very fun it can also be VERY awkward as there were times I could clip through the level , miss jump and jump in the direction I did not intend to. Furthermore, there are downhills slopes in which you run fast as you walk down it but this can be annoying since certain points of stages may have enemies at the bottom pretty much making you take a hit for no reason. In addition to this , the boss pool really wasn’t memorable; they were all pretty basic besides the final boss which had a few cool ideas.


In the end

I am glad I finally got around to this title and am very excited to play more titles in it ! It's a classic for a reason. I was surprised to see how well the arcade game holds up. It honestly still looks great even in this generation. Highly recommend giving this one a playthrough !

While it may have a reputation for being one of the hardest games from the 8-bit era, the original Ghosts ‘n Goblins, especially the NES version, wasn’t too good. Yeah, there were some admirable qualities about it, and you felt completely unstoppable for conquering what the game throws at you, but it was a pretty ugly and poorly designed product at the end of the day, and only really serves to kickstart the series and lay the groundwork for what other games would do going further. The sequel Ghouls ‘n Ghosts, on the other hand, is a completely different story. That game was a wonderful way to continue the series, making sure to keep things pretty similar to what came before it, while also improving upon it in every way, such as with better graphics, better controls, more weapons, more powerups, and more options for survival. Of course, it still kept the bullshit difficulty and two-playthrough requirement, but it still managed to provide a very entertaining and incredibly satisfying experience. So, after one miss and one hit, Capcom thought it was time to make another game, one specifically for the new hot sensation sweeping the nation, the Super Nintendo. After a few years of development, they would then bring the torturous terror of GNG to this console with Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts.

I had wanted to check out this game for a LONG time, not only because I was already a fan of the Ghosts ‘n Goblins series, but because it was the most iconic title in the series, right alongside the original, and from what I have heard, it is considered to be the best in the entire series. I do feel somewhat bad that I put it off for so long, especially after I had covered the first two games, as well as Gargoyle’s Quest, a long time ago, so to make it for it, I finally checked it out. After playing through it, I can definitely see why people would consider this to be the best in the series, but honestly, I may prefer Ghouls ‘n Ghosts just that liiiiiiiitle bit more, as that one just felt more fun and more satisfying for me. Either way, I still though that this was a pretty good way to bring this series to consoles, and while it does have its issues, both familiar and new, it still managed to deliver in all the ways you would expect it to.

The story is the exact same as the previous two games, so there is no need to go into it further then that, the graphics are pretty much the exact same as Ghouls ‘n Ghosts, but of course, it doesn’t look as good since it had to match the SNES’s limitations, but even then, it still looks pretty damn great, the music is that same ol’ menacing, yet delightful goodness you would expect from a game from this series, and the tracks do get you pumped up, while still being nervous enough, to take out any of these ghouls and ghosts that stand in your way, the control is what you would expect from a Ghosts ‘n Goblins game, so if you didn’t like it in the previous two games, you aren’t gonna like them here either, and the gameplay is pretty similar to the original two games, which in this case, I don’t really mind as much, as it still manages to be fun and satisfying.

The game is your typical 2D platformer, where you take control of Sir Arthur, go through plenty of colorful, yet deadly levels that will get in your way as much as the enemies do, defeat plenty of ghoulish creatures of all shapes and sizes that want nothing more then to see you suffer and perish, gather plenty of points, weapons, and suits of armor to help give you that slight edge over the horrors you will face, and take on several large bosses that will… not give you that much trouble in comparison to the main enemies. That seems like a recurring theme with this series as well. But anyway, it is your basic Ghosts ‘n Goblins game, which takes everything from the original game and Ghouls ‘n Ghosts, combines them all, and manages to deliver another brutally challenging package for the SNES. There really aren’t that many new elements to be found here, but honestly, unlike other games like Splatterhouse 2, I actually don’t mind it too much here. No, I swear, it is not because of my undying love for Capcom. Not this time, anyway.

As I have mentioned previously, the brutal challenge these games provide, as well as the immense satisfaction you get from conquering them, is one of the biggest appealing aspects of this game. I hate to make this comparison, but I feel it has the same appeal that a game series like Dark Souls has, except it is more suited for retro gaming fans. There isn’t much versatility or variety to be found here like in Dark Souls, but it does still manage to provide extreme challenge time and time again that you must overcome, and when you do, nothing could ever come close to that feeling of triumph you get afterwards. And even then, the game itself still manages to be fun. Like with Ghouls ‘n Ghosts, it manages to provide a pretty difficult experience, yet also gives you enough help and support to where you can take on everything the game throws at you, such as with all of the powerups you get, as well as the options you get, like difficulty options and the amount of lives you can give yourself.

Of course, there are still those problems that this series carries around with it like badges of honor. Yes, the game is absolutely brutal, so if you aren’t used to hard-as-hell games, then I urge you to stay as far from this as possible, as it will show you almost no mercy. Not to mention, like with the last two games, you have to play through the game twice to get the true ending, and while you still get this new weapon that makes going through it feel like a breeze, it can still be a bit of a slog in that sense. Unrelated to those two issues however, there are several other issues with this game, such as with the continues. In the first two games, you had infinite continues, as long as you had enough credits, so that is all good, but in this game, you only get six continues. That may seem like a lot, but trust me, any fan of this series knows you need TEN TIMES that amount in order to even get close to beating the game. Aside from that though, there is one more major issue I have with the game: the slowdown. Yes, it is to be expected, not just because it’s a Capcom game, but also because it is an early SNES title, but it gets pretty obnoxious as points, and does show up much more often than you think.

Overall, despite the usual GNG problems being present, as well as the continues and slowdown not helping things, this manages to be a pretty good way to bring the series onto home consoles, and it is definitely one of the best entries in the series. I would definitely recommend it for those who are fans of the series, or for those who want another challenge to face, because this game will certainly give you that, but for those who are more casual gamers, then you should probably avoid it like the plague. But anyways, glad I finally got that taken care of. So, when’s the next mainline title gonna come out?.......... 2006? Well great, guess we gotta deal with all the weird stuff before we get there.

Game #353

Have you ever had a game that you didn’t really know how to rate it? Like, you know for a fact that the game is of a certain quality that should be acknowledged for, but your own personal feelings are getting in the way of you doing so. That is what I am feeling right now with The Revenge of Shinobi, the third game in the Shinobi series, and one of the launch titles for the Sega Genesis. Now, when it came to the original Shinobi, as well as Shadow Dancer, while I didn’t think they were the best arcade games out there, or even the most original, I still overall had a good time with them, despite how much of the arcade syndrome leaked through those games. However, when it comes to this game in particular, by the time that I beat it, I felt nothing but complete anger, exhaustion, and hatred seething through me.

This is why I am contemplating how I should rate this game. On one hand, this is without a doubt the best game in the Shinobi series so far, having plenty that the last two games could have really benefited from, but on the other hand, I had a much more difficult time with this game in comparison to those two, making me question if I actually liked the game, and I am usually able to look past/tolerate a lot of those issues in old games. Or maybe I just suck at the game, but honestly, it can’t be that, because I was playing ON EASY, and I still had a very hard time, more then any other game in a hot minute. That being said, I will just let future me decide what to properly rate this game, and I will stick by it from then on.

The story is more in depth then the previous two, while also still remaining relatively simple, even though the opening text reads like it was written by a 1st grader, the graphics are pretty good, and definitely show off the power of the Sega Genesis, the music is really fucking good, the control is almost the same as the original games, except now you have a double jump, which not only functions very awkwardly, but also functions as the button you use to travel between the foreground and background (and yes, it is as poorly thought out as you think it is), and the gameplay is pretty similar to that of the other two games, but enhanced with plenty differences and features.

The game is still a 2D platformer, where you traverse through stages, defeating enemies, gathering ammo and powerups to assist you along the way, and defeat plenty of challenging bosses. It is basically the same as the original game, but there are several elements changed around to make it stand out in comparison to the other games. First and foremost, instead of saving hostages or collecting items like the previous two games, you just have to reach the end of the stage, which is not as involved as previously, but it is simpler, and this time around, you even have a health bar, which is MUCH more helpful then dying in one hit. In addition, you also get access to four separate powerups that you can use once or twice in stages, such as a higher jump or a shield to protect yourself. While they are simple, they actually help out a tremendous amount against what this game throws at you, which brings me to my main gripe with this game, and the one that overall made me have a conflicting time with it.

This game has some of the most agonizing and annoying enemy placement and level design that I have ever seen in a retro game. There are plenty of points in the game, as early as Round 3, where there is plenty that hurt/kill you throughout, and it is thrown at you in plenty of scenarios where it is really fucking difficult to properly take them out without getting harmed in some way. Yes, it could just be because I suck, but a lot of the difficulty from the enemies and level designs greatly had an effect on my enjoyment with the game, and I usually don’t ever let tough difficulty dictate my enjoyment of a game.

Not to mention, there were several moments in the game where I could not jump onto a platform whatsoever without the use of some powerup for assistance, because they were spread out WAY too far from each other, to where you need to be pixel perfect on where you jump and land. And yes, it is possible to land on it without powerups, but it is still needlessly stretched out to where you will have trouble landing most of the time. You don’t need me to tell you how annoying that shit is. And finally, as the cherry on top of this pain-filled sundae, just like Bubble Bobble, in order to get the good ending of the game, you have to collect an item in the final level of the game. And after all that I experienced, uh… yeah, no.

And yet, despite all of that, I can’t find it in myself to truly hate this game. Like I said earlier, it is definitely the best Shinobi game so far in terms of features and progression, but it is just held back by those design choices. It does still have the charm that the previous two games had, and in particular with this games, the bosses in particular kept me from stopping. So, during development, the director of the game, Noriyoshi Ohba, had designed a lot of them based on characters from films and comics (and by based on, I mean literally copied), and meant to make changes to them later to make them original. However, he forgot to, and so, a select few of the bosses in the game just turn out to be Spider-Man, Batman, The Terminator, and even Godzilla. Not gonna lie, when I first saw these guys in the game, I was absolutely dumb-founded, and it made me laugh hard, so at least the game has that going for it.

Overall, while it is fundamentally on the same level as the previous two games, as well as having a HILARIOUS selection of bosses, the difficulty and design of the game keeps me from enjoying it more then this, and I am at least glad to finally get this out of the way so I will never have to touch this game again. Now, with all that being said, I will gladly wait for someone to prove that I really do suck ass at this game, and this game is actually extremely easy.

Game #232

The Revenge of Shinobi is easily my favorite of the Sega Genesis' launch line up, not that the bar was ever set high to begin with. Whereas other launch games like Altered Beast stumble in their attempt to bring the arcade into the home, Shinobi excels by understanding that a console game should be made with the idiosyncrasies of home gaming in mind.

Unlike the original Shinobi, there are no longer multiple hostages to rescue, and Joe Musashi is a fair bit tougher to kill (though the game is still pretty challenging.) A larger emphasis on story further sets it apart, though to be perfectly honest I don't really remember any of it other than your girlfriend being kidnapped. Shoutout to anyone else who also lets her die every single time. Look, it's not that I'm cruel, I'm just bad at video games.

The soundtrack by Yuzo Koshiro is terrific, which should just go without saying. While Koshiro is a well accomplished composer and still produces some incredible music today, his body of work on the Genesis is easily my favorite among his entire catalog. There are tracks in The Revenge of Shinobi that truly deserve to be called "iconic," and if nothing else this game is just damn good to just listen to. Did you know Yuzo Koshiro also created a theme song for Inugami Korone?

Fun Weatherby Fact: I once flooded my apartment because I was watching Korone stream Mario games with my headphones on and didn't hear my washing machine overfill. I'm 34-years-old!

The greatest weakness of Revenge of Shinobi is that it's not Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master, a game that accomplishes everything this one does with so much more flourish and polish that it renders Revenge nearly moot. The Revenge of Shinobi's only real value to me today is its role in Sega's history and early success in the 16-bit era, the sort of game you sit down with to appreciate more for its legacy than its gameplay. It is then worth noting that anyone looking to play this game today should put some consideration into which revision they play. It's no secret that a number of copyrighted characters were put in the game as boss fights, supposedly due to some miscommunication between Noriyoshi Ohba and the lead character designer. Each revision makes some change to how these characters appear, with Not Spider-Man in particular eventually just outright becoming Spider-Man due to a licensing agreement between Marvel and Sega. My preference is the original version of the game because it's the most "raw."

Anyway, that's all I have to say about The Revenge of Shinobi. I'm going to lay down now and do some Ninja Magic (DMT), thank you for reading my review!