Onoe
12 reviews liked by Onoe
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
1992
Sonic 2 is a good sequel to the original that I think improves on almost every aspect of that game. Levels are now 2 zones instead of 3 which improves the flow of the game. The game feels much faster with a better balance of speed, platforming, and exploration. The spindash is a staple of Sonic, can't play any 2d game without it now. Levels are bright and colorful and have great music to accompany them (except that I don't like Hill Top zone's harmonica). Bosses difficulty ramps up nicely and provides a good challenge, especially the final zone. However, the game has a pretty obnoxious difficulty spike when it comes to Metropolis zone and everything beyond. Metropolis zone is a contender for being the worst stage in classic Sonic due it its awful enemy placement and sheer length (the only zone in the game to have 3 acts instead of 2). The special stages in this game are also pretty terrible. The ring requirements are borderline unfair in the later special stages due to their bad render distance and design. This isn't as much of an issue if you're playing only as Sonic, but the game defaults to playing as Sonic and Tails. Needing to hold on to 50 rings until the next checkpoint also changes the game into a sluggish paranoia-filled platformer, since you'll likely be hit by something if you play the game fast. Sonic 2 is worth your time, but has a frustrating finale and special stages that I wouldn't try beating (the normal ending is better anyways).
It's a Collectathon game with very basic platforming & combat. You control Scrat and pursue acorns as you progress your way through the icy plains & mountaintops.
The game is based on the movie of the same name.
I played this game purely for nostalgia reasons! It's one of those games that I got during my childhood, and I never thought much of it despite getting all the way to the end when I was a kid.
It recently popped up in my mind after I had forgotten about it for over 15 years, so I was intrigued to replay it to relive my childhood.
The game is really holding your hand at all times. There are tutorials signs for the most basic actions, such as jumping, climbing vines, attacking enemies, etc... And you see some of those tutos multiple times. I guess they really wanted the 4 years old to be able to beat the game.
The camera was bad, I was annoyed that you couldn't increase its speed. It's so slow when you need to look around you. And the camera starts panicking when you're close to a wall. But honestly it's a PS2 game, so I'll forgive it on that.
I didn't pay too much attention to the soundtrack. I did enjoy the one inside the volcano when you have to save Sid, but the rest wasn't memorable.
The short cutscenes that tell the events of the movie feel so disconnected from the gameplay segments with Scrat, it was kinda weird.
The ending was bland. You just go through your last platforming section that isn't any different from the rest of the game, then there is a 30 seconds cutscene to show you that the characters are finally safe from the meltdown, and voila... It felt a bit lazy.
There isn't much else to say about this game. It was never bad or frustrating, but it was never good either. It's a really forgettable adventure. But at least it was short !
I'm still happy I played it, but I doubt I'll look back too much on it in the future.
----------Playtime & Completion----------
[Played on 29th December 2023]
Playtime: 4 hours
I got all the way to the end. No bonus or side content in this game.
The game is based on the movie of the same name.
I played this game purely for nostalgia reasons! It's one of those games that I got during my childhood, and I never thought much of it despite getting all the way to the end when I was a kid.
It recently popped up in my mind after I had forgotten about it for over 15 years, so I was intrigued to replay it to relive my childhood.
The game is really holding your hand at all times. There are tutorials signs for the most basic actions, such as jumping, climbing vines, attacking enemies, etc... And you see some of those tutos multiple times. I guess they really wanted the 4 years old to be able to beat the game.
The camera was bad, I was annoyed that you couldn't increase its speed. It's so slow when you need to look around you. And the camera starts panicking when you're close to a wall. But honestly it's a PS2 game, so I'll forgive it on that.
I didn't pay too much attention to the soundtrack. I did enjoy the one inside the volcano when you have to save Sid, but the rest wasn't memorable.
The short cutscenes that tell the events of the movie feel so disconnected from the gameplay segments with Scrat, it was kinda weird.
The ending was bland. You just go through your last platforming section that isn't any different from the rest of the game, then there is a 30 seconds cutscene to show you that the characters are finally safe from the meltdown, and voila... It felt a bit lazy.
There isn't much else to say about this game. It was never bad or frustrating, but it was never good either. It's a really forgettable adventure. But at least it was short !
I'm still happy I played it, but I doubt I'll look back too much on it in the future.
----------Playtime & Completion----------
[Played on 29th December 2023]
Playtime: 4 hours
I got all the way to the end. No bonus or side content in this game.
Back in the day, I had this game on my Wii, and I desperately wanted to play it in coop with my older brother. Unfortunately he never wanted to, and as a result I never played the game... (I didn't want to play it in singleplayer at the time.)
I was so frustrated about it for so long, and I promised myself to play through it one day, even if it has to be in solo. And this day has finally come! Mind you, it doesn't mean my expectations for this game were really high.
Oh and btw I haven't played any other game in the PS2 trilogy. So I don't have any prior knowledge of the events that happened in A New Beginning & The Eternal Night.
The only other Spyro games I've played are the ones on the PS1.
As it's often the case with those PS2 games, the camera is janky and systematically decides to reposition itself without asking me. So it makes the overall camera movement unbearable.
It's a nightmare during combat. You'll always find yourself running in circles to try and get a better angle of the enemies.
And don't get me started on the enclosed/underground areas where the game doesn't allow you to move the camera freely, but always gives you the most horrendous camera angles.
It's a shame because the combat system is quite fun. It's a Beat'em up where you fight with 2 characters, Spyro & Cynder.
And you can switch between the two whenever you want.
Each of them has 4 different elements that you can upgrade throughout your adventure, and some enemies are only vulnerable to specific elements, which means you'll have to choose your spells adequately.
So the combat can be enjoyable, but it's spoiled by this one very annoying issue with the camera.
I was pleasantly surprised with the area themes and the environment aesthetics. Twilight Falls and Valley of Avalar have that mystical vibe that was really appealing to me. And the music always hit right.
I'm not a fan of the chara designs, whether it's Spyro, Sparx, or all the cheetahs. The only one I liked was Cynder's, she looks so stylish. She was the only cool character in the game to be honest.
The voice acting is really goofy at times, and Sparx is one of the most insufferable characters I've ever seen. All his lines are attempts to be funny, but it fails miserably everytime. I wish he was silent like in the PS1 games..
Flying was so-so. They did a decent job with the controls, but the invisible walls and the fact that you can't change your altitude made flying very clumsy. It's also very slow whenever you try to land, which was quite irritating.
There are some platforming segments that were really unintuitive aswell. Using the boulder spell mid-air to destroy those walls in Ruins of Warfang was so annoying.
The game had a lot of interesting puzzles with enjoyable game design. I liked the ones where you need to get one of the protagonists on a platform, and then pull it with the other dragon, thank to the chain that is shackling Spyro & Cynder together.
There's also that puzzle in Ruins of Warfang where you need to swing yourself with the chain to light the flames around the wheel. Pretty clever!
More over, the game expects you to experiment & figure out some mechanics by yourself. For example, you can get through iron gates using Cynder's shadow spell. It was satisfying to find this out without help!
If I had to summarize this game in one sentence: It's sprinkled with good ideas but bad execution.
The game is usually well paced, except on some occasions when the beat'em up parts drag on for too long (whether because there are too many enemies to defeat in a row, or because an enemy is too tanky).
The part on the Destroyer was a cool idea, when you need to break all the crystals one by one, and then go inside the beast to destroy its core crystals and escape before it implodes. But since flying is so inconvenient & clumsy, it makes this part a bit tedious, which is quite unfortunate.
The game ended on a bright note, with the Final Boss fight being very fun.
The story was really clichΓ© but it didn't bother me. Like I said earlier, what bothered me were the cheap voice acting & bad chara designs. It looks like the Elder Dragons are ALWAYS smiling in any situation. It's kinda eerie.
And if I could throw Sparx in the volcano myself, I would do it without hesitation.
Anyway, flawed game but I had a good time nonetheless. I'm glad I finally played it!
----------Playtime & Completion----------
[Started on December 30th & finished on December 31st 2023]
Playtime: 13 hours
Main story complete.
I was so frustrated about it for so long, and I promised myself to play through it one day, even if it has to be in solo. And this day has finally come! Mind you, it doesn't mean my expectations for this game were really high.
Oh and btw I haven't played any other game in the PS2 trilogy. So I don't have any prior knowledge of the events that happened in A New Beginning & The Eternal Night.
The only other Spyro games I've played are the ones on the PS1.
As it's often the case with those PS2 games, the camera is janky and systematically decides to reposition itself without asking me. So it makes the overall camera movement unbearable.
It's a nightmare during combat. You'll always find yourself running in circles to try and get a better angle of the enemies.
And don't get me started on the enclosed/underground areas where the game doesn't allow you to move the camera freely, but always gives you the most horrendous camera angles.
It's a shame because the combat system is quite fun. It's a Beat'em up where you fight with 2 characters, Spyro & Cynder.
And you can switch between the two whenever you want.
Each of them has 4 different elements that you can upgrade throughout your adventure, and some enemies are only vulnerable to specific elements, which means you'll have to choose your spells adequately.
So the combat can be enjoyable, but it's spoiled by this one very annoying issue with the camera.
I was pleasantly surprised with the area themes and the environment aesthetics. Twilight Falls and Valley of Avalar have that mystical vibe that was really appealing to me. And the music always hit right.
I'm not a fan of the chara designs, whether it's Spyro, Sparx, or all the cheetahs. The only one I liked was Cynder's, she looks so stylish. She was the only cool character in the game to be honest.
The voice acting is really goofy at times, and Sparx is one of the most insufferable characters I've ever seen. All his lines are attempts to be funny, but it fails miserably everytime. I wish he was silent like in the PS1 games..
Flying was so-so. They did a decent job with the controls, but the invisible walls and the fact that you can't change your altitude made flying very clumsy. It's also very slow whenever you try to land, which was quite irritating.
There are some platforming segments that were really unintuitive aswell. Using the boulder spell mid-air to destroy those walls in Ruins of Warfang was so annoying.
The game had a lot of interesting puzzles with enjoyable game design. I liked the ones where you need to get one of the protagonists on a platform, and then pull it with the other dragon, thank to the chain that is shackling Spyro & Cynder together.
There's also that puzzle in Ruins of Warfang where you need to swing yourself with the chain to light the flames around the wheel. Pretty clever!
More over, the game expects you to experiment & figure out some mechanics by yourself. For example, you can get through iron gates using Cynder's shadow spell. It was satisfying to find this out without help!
If I had to summarize this game in one sentence: It's sprinkled with good ideas but bad execution.
The game is usually well paced, except on some occasions when the beat'em up parts drag on for too long (whether because there are too many enemies to defeat in a row, or because an enemy is too tanky).
The part on the Destroyer was a cool idea, when you need to break all the crystals one by one, and then go inside the beast to destroy its core crystals and escape before it implodes. But since flying is so inconvenient & clumsy, it makes this part a bit tedious, which is quite unfortunate.
The game ended on a bright note, with the Final Boss fight being very fun.
The story was really clichΓ© but it didn't bother me. Like I said earlier, what bothered me were the cheap voice acting & bad chara designs. It looks like the Elder Dragons are ALWAYS smiling in any situation. It's kinda eerie.
And if I could throw Sparx in the volcano myself, I would do it without hesitation.
Anyway, flawed game but I had a good time nonetheless. I'm glad I finally played it!
----------Playtime & Completion----------
[Started on December 30th & finished on December 31st 2023]
Playtime: 13 hours
Main story complete.
NieR: Automata
2017
This review contains spoilers
/!\ /!\ /!\ HEAVY SPOILERS /!\ /!\ /!\
NieR Automata's main strengths are its story, atmosphere & music.
I enjoyed the combat aswell. They did a great job with the character fighting animations, and it made the combat really thrilling. You can start doing sick combos if you use all your arsenal, especially with Pod Programs like [Wire] and [Slow]. Doing all that isn't necessary by any mean, but it feels very rewarding. It felt like I was playing Devil May Cry sometimes π
I want to discard the game's flaws before moving on to the good stuff:
- The prologue has an issue. It's way too long with countless fights and 2 Bosses you need to defeat. There isn't any checkpoint, so dying at any point during this 40 minutes prologue immediatly sends you back to the very beginning. Clearly not the best way to start your adventure. I'm pretty sure it filtered a lot of players right at the start of the game, which is quite unfortunate.
- The difficulty levels weren't handled really well in my opinion. Playing on [Normal] made the combat effortless, and playing on [Hard] made it very easy to die in a single hit. There is too much of a gap in enemy's damage between the two.
- The loading screens felt a bit too long at times. I actually counted how long exactly, and it was about ~20 seconds for me.
My PC isn't even bad.
- I'm nitpicking here, but the 3D map isn't really ergonomic. Sometimes when you're looking at a marker for a quest, you don't understand where the marker is exactly, and you have to rotate the map in all directions to have a better idea of where it is.
That's pretty much the only negatives I can think of!
NieR Automata is full of unforgettable moments:
- Following the epic battle between 2B, 9S and the Goliath in the middle of City ruins, the area is completely ravaged by the Goliath's self-destruction, and you have to explore the caves under the city. Those tunnels were really creeping me out π
I remember being blown away when Adam told them the truth about the aliens, and their extermination by the machines.
I certainly didn't expect this kind of twist, but I was happy to be taken aback by the story
- The section in Copied City was so intense, with the fight against Adam. 2B successfully manages to kill him and rescue 9S at the same time. And It was really interesting to experience this event again during route B, but from 9S' perspective.
- Finding out about the machine cult was fascinating. The way they eventually all throw themselves into the lava was quite disturbing. Oh and by the way... "π½ππΎπππ πΌπ πππΏπ ! βͺ π½ππΎπππ πΌπ πππΏπ ! βͺ" was stuck in my head for a long time π
- 2B's death at the very beginning of route C completely devastated me emotionally... I was so mad with the game when it happenedπ Honestly, I was salty that they killed 2B, because I got so attached to her.
It took me quite some time to appreciate A2, but I eventually got used to her. Plus she has a cool fighting style, and she looks amazing with long brown hair & destroyer outfit π€
- When you revisit the abandoned factory during route C, the area is completely pitch-black, and you have to make your way through it using your flashlight. Exploring the factory in those conditions was really haunting & memorable.
- The relation between Pascal and the kids from the machine's village was so heartwarming. Witnessing their demise in route C was gut-wrenching...
- And of course there's route E where I think many players cried. It's just... I don't even know what to say.
Despite the overall seriousness of the story, there are lots of moments to lighten up the mood.
It was so funny to see 9S being enthusiastic over the tiniest things, especially during the first part of the game, and being completely shut down by 2B everytime. "Feelings are prohibited π "
There are several other moments that made me smile: Emil goofing around City Ruins on his motorcycle; the little sister machine asking 2B & 9S how to make babies; the Romeo and Juliet play in the Amusement Park; Jean-Paul's side quests; and many more encounters with silly machines throughout the game...
And can we talk about the fact there is a hidden boss fight against the CEOs of PlatinumGames & Square Enix? (Yes this is a real thing, I'm not joking). They really didn't take themselves seriously, breaking the 4th wall like that. It was surprising and quite fun!
The game also has callbacks to NieR Replicant, but I only became aware of it after I played that game a few months later. Whether it's the masked machines in the Trial of Sand being a reference to Façade; the presence of Devola & Popola in the Resistance Camp; the Library from Replicant's inside the Tower; Emil and his search for Lunar Tears; Kainé's shack near 2B's grave; all the documents related to Project Gestalt; etc...
It was very cool to realize all those connections between the two games when I played Replicant for the first time!
I have to reiterate, but the atmosphere in NieR Automata is unmatched.
After the battle in the Pacific and the mission to rescue 9S, you can eventually come back to the Flooded City. And I don't know if it's the music, the lighting, or the fact that you can see the giant machine you just fought standing in the middle of the ocean, but holy shit, chilling here is mesmerizing.
The same thing happened when I discovered the Bunker, Resistance Camp, Desert Zone, Amusement Park or Machine Village for the 1st time. This game's atmosphere & music are just out of this world. Contender for my #1 favorite OST ever.
I was so obsessed with this game that I immediatly did a 2nd playthrough right after I deleted my save file at the end of route E, but aiming for 100% completion this time around.
After doing all of that, I was still avid for this universe and its characters, so I started looking for all the content available outside of the game. I read all the short stories, and I watched the concert & the stage play.
I felt so empty when I finally exhausted every side material related to NieR Automata, these memories will stay with me for a long time!
----------Playtime & Completion----------
[Played between late January & early February 2022]
Playtime: 70 hours
100% Completion
NieR Automata's main strengths are its story, atmosphere & music.
I enjoyed the combat aswell. They did a great job with the character fighting animations, and it made the combat really thrilling. You can start doing sick combos if you use all your arsenal, especially with Pod Programs like [Wire] and [Slow]. Doing all that isn't necessary by any mean, but it feels very rewarding. It felt like I was playing Devil May Cry sometimes π
I want to discard the game's flaws before moving on to the good stuff:
- The prologue has an issue. It's way too long with countless fights and 2 Bosses you need to defeat. There isn't any checkpoint, so dying at any point during this 40 minutes prologue immediatly sends you back to the very beginning. Clearly not the best way to start your adventure. I'm pretty sure it filtered a lot of players right at the start of the game, which is quite unfortunate.
- The difficulty levels weren't handled really well in my opinion. Playing on [Normal] made the combat effortless, and playing on [Hard] made it very easy to die in a single hit. There is too much of a gap in enemy's damage between the two.
- The loading screens felt a bit too long at times. I actually counted how long exactly, and it was about ~20 seconds for me.
My PC isn't even bad.
- I'm nitpicking here, but the 3D map isn't really ergonomic. Sometimes when you're looking at a marker for a quest, you don't understand where the marker is exactly, and you have to rotate the map in all directions to have a better idea of where it is.
That's pretty much the only negatives I can think of!
NieR Automata is full of unforgettable moments:
- Following the epic battle between 2B, 9S and the Goliath in the middle of City ruins, the area is completely ravaged by the Goliath's self-destruction, and you have to explore the caves under the city. Those tunnels were really creeping me out π
I remember being blown away when Adam told them the truth about the aliens, and their extermination by the machines.
I certainly didn't expect this kind of twist, but I was happy to be taken aback by the story
- The section in Copied City was so intense, with the fight against Adam. 2B successfully manages to kill him and rescue 9S at the same time. And It was really interesting to experience this event again during route B, but from 9S' perspective.
- Finding out about the machine cult was fascinating. The way they eventually all throw themselves into the lava was quite disturbing. Oh and by the way... "π½ππΎπππ πΌπ πππΏπ ! βͺ π½ππΎπππ πΌπ πππΏπ ! βͺ" was stuck in my head for a long time π
- 2B's death at the very beginning of route C completely devastated me emotionally... I was so mad with the game when it happenedπ Honestly, I was salty that they killed 2B, because I got so attached to her.
It took me quite some time to appreciate A2, but I eventually got used to her. Plus she has a cool fighting style, and she looks amazing with long brown hair & destroyer outfit π€
- When you revisit the abandoned factory during route C, the area is completely pitch-black, and you have to make your way through it using your flashlight. Exploring the factory in those conditions was really haunting & memorable.
- The relation between Pascal and the kids from the machine's village was so heartwarming. Witnessing their demise in route C was gut-wrenching...
- And of course there's route E where I think many players cried. It's just... I don't even know what to say.
Despite the overall seriousness of the story, there are lots of moments to lighten up the mood.
It was so funny to see 9S being enthusiastic over the tiniest things, especially during the first part of the game, and being completely shut down by 2B everytime. "Feelings are prohibited π "
There are several other moments that made me smile: Emil goofing around City Ruins on his motorcycle; the little sister machine asking 2B & 9S how to make babies; the Romeo and Juliet play in the Amusement Park; Jean-Paul's side quests; and many more encounters with silly machines throughout the game...
And can we talk about the fact there is a hidden boss fight against the CEOs of PlatinumGames & Square Enix? (Yes this is a real thing, I'm not joking). They really didn't take themselves seriously, breaking the 4th wall like that. It was surprising and quite fun!
The game also has callbacks to NieR Replicant, but I only became aware of it after I played that game a few months later. Whether it's the masked machines in the Trial of Sand being a reference to Façade; the presence of Devola & Popola in the Resistance Camp; the Library from Replicant's inside the Tower; Emil and his search for Lunar Tears; Kainé's shack near 2B's grave; all the documents related to Project Gestalt; etc...
It was very cool to realize all those connections between the two games when I played Replicant for the first time!
I have to reiterate, but the atmosphere in NieR Automata is unmatched.
After the battle in the Pacific and the mission to rescue 9S, you can eventually come back to the Flooded City. And I don't know if it's the music, the lighting, or the fact that you can see the giant machine you just fought standing in the middle of the ocean, but holy shit, chilling here is mesmerizing.
The same thing happened when I discovered the Bunker, Resistance Camp, Desert Zone, Amusement Park or Machine Village for the 1st time. This game's atmosphere & music are just out of this world. Contender for my #1 favorite OST ever.
I was so obsessed with this game that I immediatly did a 2nd playthrough right after I deleted my save file at the end of route E, but aiming for 100% completion this time around.
After doing all of that, I was still avid for this universe and its characters, so I started looking for all the content available outside of the game. I read all the short stories, and I watched the concert & the stage play.
I felt so empty when I finally exhausted every side material related to NieR Automata, these memories will stay with me for a long time!
----------Playtime & Completion----------
[Played between late January & early February 2022]
Playtime: 70 hours
100% Completion
Neo Turf Masters
1996
this game just fucking rules in every way imaginable
a quaint modern mmo experience, the best the market seems able to offer as of right now. almost fell asleep just walking around gridania tbh
Half-Life 2
2004
I like Dog :)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
Half-Life
1998
Very fun shooter. On first playthrough it can feel really stanky and enemies can come outta nowhere, but once you know where to go and what to do it's really enjoyable. Horrid final boss though and the platforming was a little much to be desired. But all throughout I had a blast.
Halo: Reach
2010
i love halo
a slight bit more imaginative then old iron king, but dare i say still very expected fare from the dlc offerings for this game. i didnt really dig the enemies and locations that much, and apart from that final fight was definitely something fresh and unique, but other than that, nothing much else to say. god ive grown so exhausted of ds2