Pyroma1niac
31 reviews liked by Pyroma1niac
Dynasty Warriors 3
2001
(Played using BetterSADX, Dreamcast Conversion and JP Retranslated mods)
"Aged poorly" is a meme phrase at this point but SA1 genuinely has. It must not be forgotten that these graphics and setpieces were mind blowing compared to the competition in 1998. It was well recieved in its day. The stage design and mechanics are a genuinely great adaptation of 2D Sonic to 3D no matter what Nintendo YouTubers said about "rocky transitions", it shows a dramatic emotional story from 6 different connected perspectives and has a killer soundtrack. At this point the Sonic series went full shonen. But playing it today you're really gonna feel the extreme jank, the emptiness of hub worlds, the pathetically easy boss fights, the awkward animations and timing in cutscenes, the lifeless English voice acting.
Most games that get remakes don't need them - I have never truly desired for something to be remade more than SA1. It has so much heart and should be able to wow people again. Today's Sonic Team are not the ones capable of doing it justice though
"Aged poorly" is a meme phrase at this point but SA1 genuinely has. It must not be forgotten that these graphics and setpieces were mind blowing compared to the competition in 1998. It was well recieved in its day. The stage design and mechanics are a genuinely great adaptation of 2D Sonic to 3D no matter what Nintendo YouTubers said about "rocky transitions", it shows a dramatic emotional story from 6 different connected perspectives and has a killer soundtrack. At this point the Sonic series went full shonen. But playing it today you're really gonna feel the extreme jank, the emptiness of hub worlds, the pathetically easy boss fights, the awkward animations and timing in cutscenes, the lifeless English voice acting.
Most games that get remakes don't need them - I have never truly desired for something to be remade more than SA1. It has so much heart and should be able to wow people again. Today's Sonic Team are not the ones capable of doing it justice though
Haunting Ground
2005
In 2005 Capcom released two of the best survival horror gameplay experiences, but sadly only RE4 got the attention it deserved... This was a constant thrill. Its expansive interconnected castle still looks amazing and somehow has zero load times on PS2, meaning the stalkers can follow you room to room basically anywhere and you have to learn how to lose them. You can hide in designated spots like wardrobes or under beds, but also just in the shadows, behind doors.. Eventually your pursuers will learn how you're tricking them. Something this ambitious, with an AI dog partner no less, could have been a disaster but the mechanics are really functional. It just doesn't hold your hand at all. I can see why it probably won't get rereleased today due to its themes (and the most disturbing game over screens ever) but it's something more people should try out... on PCSX2. I'm lucky to have a copy