Nyo
1997
Finished Sonic World. This is a showcase for what Sonic Adventure could have been on the SEGA Saturn. This is proof that the Nights engine was truly capable of doing beautiful 3D environments with little performance issues. This is a proof of concept that could have been dismissed, but kept as a bonus for Sonic fans wanting a full 3D adventure. This is Sonic Team bringing new SEGA fans into the series with 4 classic games. This is...Sonic Jam!
2023
The bird scared the fuck out of me.
Pop-Up Kirby is officially...found media! I enjoy Return to Dream Land back on the Wii, even finished it when I rented it from Blockbuster with my brother. Those were fun days as a kid... This truly was Kirby's return after a decade of Super Star's style left to sit there other than the DS remake. I plan to try the epilogue mode soon, but the minigame mode is a real treat of fanservice!
It's fascinating just how far the Kirby GCN iceberg goes. Once a late GameCube title canned and moved onto the Wii for a 3D action game. Then restarted development and shifted to a 2D pop-up book style game, which eventually became the game we know today. Assets reused for Smash Bros Brawl, Subspace possibly being inspired by Kirby GCN, and beta songs from all 3 iterations of Return to Dream Land. You can hear a specific motif that was truly made for Pop-Up Kirby and GCN, like yeah this totally would fit a storybook Kirby game. All of those assets were in the Wii game and still in this Switch remake, it's kinda crazy! This is just my space to ramble about Kirby GCN cuz it looked so damn cool...
(Edit: 2/13/24) Magalor Epilogue is a fun mode that adds some extra challenge to the mix. I like the moveset, upgrades and action focused level design a lot. I wish I could have tried it in co-op, but it’s a good, short experience in single player.
It's fascinating just how far the Kirby GCN iceberg goes. Once a late GameCube title canned and moved onto the Wii for a 3D action game. Then restarted development and shifted to a 2D pop-up book style game, which eventually became the game we know today. Assets reused for Smash Bros Brawl, Subspace possibly being inspired by Kirby GCN, and beta songs from all 3 iterations of Return to Dream Land. You can hear a specific motif that was truly made for Pop-Up Kirby and GCN, like yeah this totally would fit a storybook Kirby game. All of those assets were in the Wii game and still in this Switch remake, it's kinda crazy! This is just my space to ramble about Kirby GCN cuz it looked so damn cool...
(Edit: 2/13/24) Magalor Epilogue is a fun mode that adds some extra challenge to the mix. I like the moveset, upgrades and action focused level design a lot. I wish I could have tried it in co-op, but it’s a good, short experience in single player.
I don’t think I want to finish this game. I have put Tears down multiple times and anytime I pick it back up, I just don’t enjoy playing the game much. Leaves me concerned for the future of the series and open world games as a whole.
Feels good to finally enjoy a Donkey Kong Country title! A challenging 2D platformer with a unique blend of ideas and bosses throughout the game. After not jiving with Country Returns, I was uncertain if I’d like this game when I played it back on Wii U. I like the Funky Mode, but the original experience is also here for the purists. See, that’s one Wii U to Switch port that doesn’t have an asterisk on notable changes that leave your head scratching!
Early PS2 era brought about a slew of unique games that utilized powerful next generation technology at the time and Zone of the Enders is no exception. From the “High Speed Robot Action” to the stylish menu ui, this game has the feels, looks, and sounds that encompass the rather short journey ahead. It’s pretty repetitive and I wish there were more hub areas to explore, but Zone of the Enders is more than just an excuse to get you the Metal Gear Solid 2 demo! If only they didn’t cancel the PS Vita port of the HD Collection or Zone of the Enders 3…
2005
Between this, Genji: Dawn of the Samurai and Wild ARMs 5, JapanStudio's late era PS2 titles showcased an unprecedented budget and mastery of the PlayStation 2 hardware as the PS3 was out on the market. The attractive maps to explore, upbeat soundtrack, and even more aggressive monkeys push Ape Escape 3 beyond what its sequel was able to achieve early into the PS2's life. The movie theming is humorous, though the monkey names didn't make it through the localization process well.
It's a shame that Ape Escape 4 never happened, but I am not sure what JapanStudio could have done as the PlayStation 3 crippled them permanently. I hope that one day, we learn what that Ape Escape tease was for the 20th anniversary alongside their canned project after Gravity Rush 2. Also thanks Konami for making sure this game never gets rereleased...
It's a shame that Ape Escape 4 never happened, but I am not sure what JapanStudio could have done as the PlayStation 3 crippled them permanently. I hope that one day, we learn what that Ape Escape tease was for the 20th anniversary alongside their canned project after Gravity Rush 2. Also thanks Konami for making sure this game never gets rereleased...
2022
Talk about a mess from start to finish, narrative and gameplay wise. Open world exploration mixed with action combat is not what I want from Bayonetta, and even if I did, it’s not fun here! They should have left this for Astral Chain and NieR: Automata, since those are action rpgs. Multiverse story is lame, and the ending, lol.
I think if Platinum were to continue with this action rpg style, they should look into Game Republic’s Genji: Dawn of the Samurai for inspiration. A gorgeous late PS2 title from Onimusha lineage that mixes tight and satisfying action combat with rpg style exploration and storytelling for newcomers and veterans to master. I don’t think a live service title like Babylon’s Fall is the future for Platinum, but they insist otherwise…
I think if Platinum were to continue with this action rpg style, they should look into Game Republic’s Genji: Dawn of the Samurai for inspiration. A gorgeous late PS2 title from Onimusha lineage that mixes tight and satisfying action combat with rpg style exploration and storytelling for newcomers and veterans to master. I don’t think a live service title like Babylon’s Fall is the future for Platinum, but they insist otherwise…
1999
A good sequel that polishes up the original DoA experience with some neat new additions too. It holds up visually today even on the Dreamcast, truly feels like a next gen step for the series and gaming as a whole. I especially like the stage mechanics and switching here, makes the fast, frantic action only more exciting with each match.
1998
(Not) Die Hard is pretty good experience, even if it is quite brief. I like short games and there is nice replayability in the characters and choices in the intro, but wow it flies by so quickly! Also gives me a reason to play a Dreamcast game proper, even if it's technically an arcade game and has a PS2 port shuuuuush be quiet...
Quite a joyful game from start to finish! All the joy-con integration put a big smile on my face as someone who enjoy the weird tech inside these controllers. Wonder flower is a funny little mechanic and gives extra life to the fun level design. I have pretty good faith for the future of the Super Mario series, which is something I can’t say much for the Zelda series… Also the talking flowers are hilarious, I wonder what they taste like!
2004
Now THIS is how you do a sequel! Full of the whimsical and quirky humor that made WarioWare so special. It's also more in line with the original's style, which was what made Touched so tame in comparison. And that rumble support, I would kiss it on the lips alongside Drill Dozer for elevating the already magnificent experience...
When you get 0 on the final track so no extra stage to try :( Also the game over screen is gold
I don’t know why they had to change Copen in this game, maybe they let someone who worked on Dragon: Marked for Death sneak into production…It’s just so strange to limit his signature dash and have this basic melee combo with disc lock-on. It does mean they make the level design built around his limitations more, but ehhhhhh it’s just all kinda blends together in its 2 hour runtime. Disappointing sequel if anything, so that leaves just Gunvolt 3, which doesn’t have Copen it seems. Booooooooring!
L move on Bandai Namco & Hamster for not providing the PS1 translation for the Arcade Archives. Would be a huge shame if I couldn't understand some crucial information because SOMEONE didn't want to provide the sauce! Good shmup x jrpg hybrid, might look into the PC Engine port in the future.