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Link Between worlds is carried by its gameplay.
Plenty of other Zelda games have told much more interesting stories, had much more memorable characters, and showcased better soundtracks and designs. Maybe it's just me, but I didn't care for how many of the characters in LBW looked. I also felt that too many plot-crucial moments and character revelations were crammed into the final few minutes of the game, and they felt very rushed and not nearly as compelling as they could have been.
All that said, the game is still worth playing. The sense of freedom the game gives is refreshing, and the item purchase system is a brilliant way to slowly introduce players to new items without overwhelming them, and still punishing them for death. The game can provide more of a challenge than most other Zelda games I've played, and the wide variety of monsters, dungeons, and collectables is a treat made even better by the freedom to tackle dungeons in whatever order you please.
The underdeveloped characters and rushed story do hold LBW back from being one of the great Zelda games in my opinion. But, even though the Link between story and gameplay wasn't as strong as I'd have liked, A Link Between Worlds is still well worth your time for the gameplay alone.
Plenty of other Zelda games have told much more interesting stories, had much more memorable characters, and showcased better soundtracks and designs. Maybe it's just me, but I didn't care for how many of the characters in LBW looked. I also felt that too many plot-crucial moments and character revelations were crammed into the final few minutes of the game, and they felt very rushed and not nearly as compelling as they could have been.
All that said, the game is still worth playing. The sense of freedom the game gives is refreshing, and the item purchase system is a brilliant way to slowly introduce players to new items without overwhelming them, and still punishing them for death. The game can provide more of a challenge than most other Zelda games I've played, and the wide variety of monsters, dungeons, and collectables is a treat made even better by the freedom to tackle dungeons in whatever order you please.
The underdeveloped characters and rushed story do hold LBW back from being one of the great Zelda games in my opinion. But, even though the Link between story and gameplay wasn't as strong as I'd have liked, A Link Between Worlds is still well worth your time for the gameplay alone.
The average of two scores:
ReMind: 2/10
Worst piece of sit DLC I ever wasted money on. I had to pay $30 just to play the main game again and re-watch a ton of cutscenes with the only added feature being the option to play as a much weaker character? It's amazing how much this DLC learns nothing from the flaws of the main game and provides debatably the worst experience in KH history. This is an outrage!
Limit Cut: 10/10
Holy sit, best boss roster in years. Each boss is challenging, distinct, loaded with great music and unique mechanics. Limit Cut offers 12 of the best bosses in KH history(Dark Riku is there too), and it doesn't stop there. I never thought Lingering Will would be topped in terms of difficulty, but I haven't beaten Yozora to this day. Be that as it may, I never found myself frustrated. This boss roster must be experienced!
Overall: 6/10
You know ReMind is bad if having one of the greatest boss collections in gaming history waiting for you at the end just barely justified the purchase. I would have much preferred it if ReMind was removed or at least shortened and the price was dropped down to at most $20, but I'll take Limit Cut however I can get it. If you buy this DLC, please don't stop playing until you finish ReMind, it will be worth it.
ReMind: 2/10
Worst piece of sit DLC I ever wasted money on. I had to pay $30 just to play the main game again and re-watch a ton of cutscenes with the only added feature being the option to play as a much weaker character? It's amazing how much this DLC learns nothing from the flaws of the main game and provides debatably the worst experience in KH history. This is an outrage!
Limit Cut: 10/10
Holy sit, best boss roster in years. Each boss is challenging, distinct, loaded with great music and unique mechanics. Limit Cut offers 12 of the best bosses in KH history(Dark Riku is there too), and it doesn't stop there. I never thought Lingering Will would be topped in terms of difficulty, but I haven't beaten Yozora to this day. Be that as it may, I never found myself frustrated. This boss roster must be experienced!
Overall: 6/10
You know ReMind is bad if having one of the greatest boss collections in gaming history waiting for you at the end just barely justified the purchase. I would have much preferred it if ReMind was removed or at least shortened and the price was dropped down to at most $20, but I'll take Limit Cut however I can get it. If you buy this DLC, please don't stop playing until you finish ReMind, it will be worth it.
The level design in this game is fantastic, everything else in the game isn't.
The Level Design:
Gex 3 seriously has some of the best levels of any 3D platformer I've ever played. No two main levels have the same theme, even the hub worlds and some of the side levels are unique. Every main level feels big and sprawling, big enough to be impressive and give a sense of accomplishment for making it to the end, but linear enough so that the player doesn't get lost. Each level is loaded with background gags, unique enemies, and objectives that are well-separated enough to cut back on backtracking when going for different remotes(most of the time). Gex's unique costumes and quips for each level are a nice touch too. I can run through most of the levels in this game a thousand times and never get tired of them.
The Everything Else:
This game's story was likely the inspiration for Sonic 06. I find it hilarious that this random woman who never appeared in the previous games is suddenly the driving force behind the plot, and not hilarious in the way the game intended. The soundtrack is pretty good and Gex's quips are occasionally funny, but if you feel the need to throw your TV out a window by the end of the story after hearing Gex's 15th flirty conversation with a human playboy model, I won't blame you. The actual gameplay can be pretty stale and repetitive, and the 100 fly coin objective in each level would probably ruin the game for me were the levels not so good. The boss fights are joke(Rez excluded) and most of the collectables are worthless, only feeding into a lame 100% completion reward that is not worth your time. The main villain never has a speaking line in the whole game, making Gex 3's connection to the previous 2 games feel tenuous; this game has the Sly Cooper 3 problem. This game is unpolished and lackluster in many ways.
Altogether, I loved this game for the level design alone. If great levels themselves are enough to spark your interest, Gex 3 will scratch that itch. If that isn't enough for you, then I'm sad to say this is a game to skip.
The Level Design:
Gex 3 seriously has some of the best levels of any 3D platformer I've ever played. No two main levels have the same theme, even the hub worlds and some of the side levels are unique. Every main level feels big and sprawling, big enough to be impressive and give a sense of accomplishment for making it to the end, but linear enough so that the player doesn't get lost. Each level is loaded with background gags, unique enemies, and objectives that are well-separated enough to cut back on backtracking when going for different remotes(most of the time). Gex's unique costumes and quips for each level are a nice touch too. I can run through most of the levels in this game a thousand times and never get tired of them.
The Everything Else:
This game's story was likely the inspiration for Sonic 06. I find it hilarious that this random woman who never appeared in the previous games is suddenly the driving force behind the plot, and not hilarious in the way the game intended. The soundtrack is pretty good and Gex's quips are occasionally funny, but if you feel the need to throw your TV out a window by the end of the story after hearing Gex's 15th flirty conversation with a human playboy model, I won't blame you. The actual gameplay can be pretty stale and repetitive, and the 100 fly coin objective in each level would probably ruin the game for me were the levels not so good. The boss fights are joke(Rez excluded) and most of the collectables are worthless, only feeding into a lame 100% completion reward that is not worth your time. The main villain never has a speaking line in the whole game, making Gex 3's connection to the previous 2 games feel tenuous; this game has the Sly Cooper 3 problem. This game is unpolished and lackluster in many ways.
Altogether, I loved this game for the level design alone. If great levels themselves are enough to spark your interest, Gex 3 will scratch that itch. If that isn't enough for you, then I'm sad to say this is a game to skip.
2007
Dr. Nefarious and Andrew Ryan have the same voice actor? Armin Shimerman is the Brando of video game antagonists.
2005
There's plenty I like about Psychonauts, but I don't like it as a game.
The game is worth experiencing at least once for sure, providing a surreal, charming, and unconventional experience which could only have come from the mind of Tim Schafer. Psychonauts brings to life such entertaining characters and ingenious levels that I would recommend at least watching a playthrough to see this delightfully absurd tale you couldn't have seen anywhere else. But, this doesn't change the fact that I don't think the game is fun to play.
Item collecting in this game can be insanely-tedious, the platforming is often frustrating, and the combat is shallow and underwhelming. The countless abilities provided to you in the game feel cluttered and unhelpful. I rarely made use of them and when I did I still didn't enjoy the combat or the platforming. The ideas were brilliant for sure, but the gameplay wore me down with its repetition and lack of polish too much for a second playthrough to be appealing.
I don't love this game, but I really wish I did. I would love to say I enjoyed this game as much as Grim Fandango, but that game just provided an experience that, while certainly shorter and less varied; was much more polished, compact, and focused. To those out there who love Psychonauts to death, that's great. I honestly wish I could relate. Perhaps part 2 will provide the 3D platforming bliss I'd wanted in part 1. I'm going to start it soon, fingers crossed!
The game is worth experiencing at least once for sure, providing a surreal, charming, and unconventional experience which could only have come from the mind of Tim Schafer. Psychonauts brings to life such entertaining characters and ingenious levels that I would recommend at least watching a playthrough to see this delightfully absurd tale you couldn't have seen anywhere else. But, this doesn't change the fact that I don't think the game is fun to play.
Item collecting in this game can be insanely-tedious, the platforming is often frustrating, and the combat is shallow and underwhelming. The countless abilities provided to you in the game feel cluttered and unhelpful. I rarely made use of them and when I did I still didn't enjoy the combat or the platforming. The ideas were brilliant for sure, but the gameplay wore me down with its repetition and lack of polish too much for a second playthrough to be appealing.
I don't love this game, but I really wish I did. I would love to say I enjoyed this game as much as Grim Fandango, but that game just provided an experience that, while certainly shorter and less varied; was much more polished, compact, and focused. To those out there who love Psychonauts to death, that's great. I honestly wish I could relate. Perhaps part 2 will provide the 3D platforming bliss I'd wanted in part 1. I'm going to start it soon, fingers crossed!
If you play Resident Evil 7, you need to play this version.
The base game of RE7 was already a strong experience: with a thick atmosphere, decent gameplay, and gripping story. But, Gold Edition takes everything that made the base game good and builds on it beautifully. The different side modes add new story details and character moments that bring closure to the main game and make it better in hindsight. The added gameplay variety is an excellent touch as well; there are a whopping 8 sidemodes added in this package, at least doubling the amount of content from the standard game, and no two modes play alike. I liked every single side mode to some degree, and I can't imagine the game without them.
Re7's DLC package may be among the best in gaming history, and I can't recommend the game without it.
The base game of RE7 was already a strong experience: with a thick atmosphere, decent gameplay, and gripping story. But, Gold Edition takes everything that made the base game good and builds on it beautifully. The different side modes add new story details and character moments that bring closure to the main game and make it better in hindsight. The added gameplay variety is an excellent touch as well; there are a whopping 8 sidemodes added in this package, at least doubling the amount of content from the standard game, and no two modes play alike. I liked every single side mode to some degree, and I can't imagine the game without them.
Re7's DLC package may be among the best in gaming history, and I can't recommend the game without it.
A charming nostalgic memory, it should've just stayed that.
The fact that I have to give a 1/10 to a Spyro game makes me profoundly sad.
The true tragedy of Spyro Orange is that a crossover between Crash and Spyro could have been amazing. It's a fantastic idea the game took no advantage of and instead opted to turn the game into a sequence of lame, generic minigames. The gameplay of Spyro Orange is so dreadful that the mere process of walking from left to right in the hub world is remarkably tedious. I hope beyond hope that the purple dragon and the orange marsupial try the crossover thing again. A fabulous crossover between these two could tear away this game's last shred of relevance. Judging by the other scores I've seen for this game, I'm guessing you'd all be fine with that.
The true tragedy of Spyro Orange is that a crossover between Crash and Spyro could have been amazing. It's a fantastic idea the game took no advantage of and instead opted to turn the game into a sequence of lame, generic minigames. The gameplay of Spyro Orange is so dreadful that the mere process of walking from left to right in the hub world is remarkably tedious. I hope beyond hope that the purple dragon and the orange marsupial try the crossover thing again. A fabulous crossover between these two could tear away this game's last shred of relevance. Judging by the other scores I've seen for this game, I'm guessing you'd all be fine with that.
The ultimate podcast game.
Why did I bother to review this again?
Pokemon pinball: That's what it advertises; that's what it provides. Take it for what it's worth.
Pokemon pinball: That's what it advertises; that's what it provides. Take it for what it's worth.
2001
I thoroughly enjoyed the FF7 remake, but I was nervous when I heard it would be split into three chapters. After all, when you add three to seven, you get ten, and I didn't want that.
Final Fantasy ten is really bad. The characters are all frustrating and obnoxious in their own special way(Auron excluded), the repeated enemy encounters are irritating, the voice acting is embarrassing, and the story is contrived nonsense. I could only sit through so may hours of ear-bleeding, un-skippable cutscenes before I shelved the game. The only reason I don't give it a lower score is because I don't feel like I can get away with it, having not played the game in a while. I really don't want to play it again, so we'll settle on this. Perhaps the latter parts of the game are far better, and perhaps the remake is fantastic, in which case, I'll look like a fool; but, honestly, I doubt it.
I had an aggressive bias against Final Fantasy for years, and I blame this game for why honestly.
Final Fantasy ten is really bad. The characters are all frustrating and obnoxious in their own special way(Auron excluded), the repeated enemy encounters are irritating, the voice acting is embarrassing, and the story is contrived nonsense. I could only sit through so may hours of ear-bleeding, un-skippable cutscenes before I shelved the game. The only reason I don't give it a lower score is because I don't feel like I can get away with it, having not played the game in a while. I really don't want to play it again, so we'll settle on this. Perhaps the latter parts of the game are far better, and perhaps the remake is fantastic, in which case, I'll look like a fool; but, honestly, I doubt it.
I had an aggressive bias against Final Fantasy for years, and I blame this game for why honestly.
Do you want to play Battle for Bikini Bottom with fewer playable characters, less-interesting levels and objectives, and having the whole game be linear for some reason? No: well this game is hard to recommend.
Honestly, this game is fine in its own right. But, when compared to BfBB, it feels like a step backwards in so many ways. The charming characters, world exploration, and interconnectedness of the previous game played a huge role in making it such a classic. By comparison, this one ironically has the same issue Spongebob and Patrick have in the movie, taking themselves too seriously and pretending to be something they're not.
Still, if you loved BfBB, you'll probably like this one fine.
Honestly, this game is fine in its own right. But, when compared to BfBB, it feels like a step backwards in so many ways. The charming characters, world exploration, and interconnectedness of the previous game played a huge role in making it such a classic. By comparison, this one ironically has the same issue Spongebob and Patrick have in the movie, taking themselves too seriously and pretending to be something they're not.
Still, if you loved BfBB, you'll probably like this one fine.
1996
Megaman 8/10
10/10 in the pure VOICE ACTING DEPARTMENT!
10/10 in the pure VOICE ACTING DEPARTMENT!
2010
I've played some amazing sequels in my day; this is not one of them.
Strap in yall, this one is going to be long.
Part two is a step backwards in every conceivable way. The fascinating themes, implicit characterization, haunting atmosphere, sharp writing, subtle worldbuilding, and air-tight cohesion of the first game is mostly, if not completely gone. The sad thing is that many of Bioshock 2's ideas are good, many of its characters have promise, and many of the changes made to gameplay were for the better. Hell, the game fixed my two biggest issues with the previous game(the pipe minigame and the binary endings). I feel like these ideas would have worked brilliantly in a different game, but they don't fit here.
Sophia Lamb could have been a strong antagonist, but she doesn't fit the world of Bioshock at all; she feels more like a Harry Potter villain than a Bioshock villain, and she could never compare to Andrew Ryan in terms of dialogue, presence, or ideology. Some changes to gameplay were improvements, but they take away from the atmosphere just as much as they add to the fun. It is hard to be scared when I'm this overpowered and the enemies need to be this ludicrous in order to pose a challenge. I played the game on the highest difficulty and rarely felt in any danger. I also feel the emotional connection between Elanor and Delta could have been very strong, but the two needed more time together for it to resonate, and the game's structure didn't allow for that. And, both as a follow-up to Bioshock 1, and as a story on its own, this game has far too many plot holes.
The next paragraph is just plot holes
How is the city still habitable with all those leaks from the first game? Why were Lamb, Alexander, or Sinclair never mentioned in the first game? How did all these non-splicer characters survive in Rapture for ten years? Why is Delta the only Big Daddy who can use plasmids!? How was Elanor able to revive Delta and why did she wait ten years to do it!?! How are there still so many splicers in the city eight years after Jack left!!?!! If Lamb could sever Delta and Elanor's bond by temporarily stopping her heart WHY DIDN'T SHE DO IT SOONER!!!!!? Why don't the splicers attack the little sister I take control of when I use her to gather ADAM? THEY ATTACKED EVERY OTHER TIME, AND SHE'S RIGHT THERE!!! Why... in her great wisdom... did Elanor choose to revive Delta ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE CITY!!!!!!!!?!!!!!!!! You could have brought me back at the chamber right outside your room! THANKS FOR NOT SAVING ME A TRIP ELANOR.
So, it sounds like I'm not the biggest fan of this game... I'm not. You may ask the question, 'why recommend it at all? Why a score as high as even a seven?' A valid question, the answer: Minerva's Den.
This DLC campaign is everything the main game should have been. It's a bit shorter obviously, but most of Bioshock 2 felt like filler anyway, so a more concise game was a nice change of pace. Minerva's Den brings back the atmosphere and sophisticated storytelling from the first game, as well also having a plot twist that, while it certainly wouldn't rival that of the first game's plot twist, is still gripping and well-deserved reveal. Minerva's Den is also a blast to play, adding so many new weapons and plasmids to make it really stand out from the main campaign. This is honestly one of the best DLCs out there, and I enjoyed it quite a bit more than the main game. The protector trials were fun too.
I must recommend this game, just to experience Minerva's Den. Play the main campaign if you want.
Strap in yall, this one is going to be long.
Part two is a step backwards in every conceivable way. The fascinating themes, implicit characterization, haunting atmosphere, sharp writing, subtle worldbuilding, and air-tight cohesion of the first game is mostly, if not completely gone. The sad thing is that many of Bioshock 2's ideas are good, many of its characters have promise, and many of the changes made to gameplay were for the better. Hell, the game fixed my two biggest issues with the previous game(the pipe minigame and the binary endings). I feel like these ideas would have worked brilliantly in a different game, but they don't fit here.
Sophia Lamb could have been a strong antagonist, but she doesn't fit the world of Bioshock at all; she feels more like a Harry Potter villain than a Bioshock villain, and she could never compare to Andrew Ryan in terms of dialogue, presence, or ideology. Some changes to gameplay were improvements, but they take away from the atmosphere just as much as they add to the fun. It is hard to be scared when I'm this overpowered and the enemies need to be this ludicrous in order to pose a challenge. I played the game on the highest difficulty and rarely felt in any danger. I also feel the emotional connection between Elanor and Delta could have been very strong, but the two needed more time together for it to resonate, and the game's structure didn't allow for that. And, both as a follow-up to Bioshock 1, and as a story on its own, this game has far too many plot holes.
The next paragraph is just plot holes
How is the city still habitable with all those leaks from the first game? Why were Lamb, Alexander, or Sinclair never mentioned in the first game? How did all these non-splicer characters survive in Rapture for ten years? Why is Delta the only Big Daddy who can use plasmids!? How was Elanor able to revive Delta and why did she wait ten years to do it!?! How are there still so many splicers in the city eight years after Jack left!!?!! If Lamb could sever Delta and Elanor's bond by temporarily stopping her heart WHY DIDN'T SHE DO IT SOONER!!!!!? Why don't the splicers attack the little sister I take control of when I use her to gather ADAM? THEY ATTACKED EVERY OTHER TIME, AND SHE'S RIGHT THERE!!! Why... in her great wisdom... did Elanor choose to revive Delta ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE CITY!!!!!!!!?!!!!!!!! You could have brought me back at the chamber right outside your room! THANKS FOR NOT SAVING ME A TRIP ELANOR.
So, it sounds like I'm not the biggest fan of this game... I'm not. You may ask the question, 'why recommend it at all? Why a score as high as even a seven?' A valid question, the answer: Minerva's Den.
This DLC campaign is everything the main game should have been. It's a bit shorter obviously, but most of Bioshock 2 felt like filler anyway, so a more concise game was a nice change of pace. Minerva's Den brings back the atmosphere and sophisticated storytelling from the first game, as well also having a plot twist that, while it certainly wouldn't rival that of the first game's plot twist, is still gripping and well-deserved reveal. Minerva's Den is also a blast to play, adding so many new weapons and plasmids to make it really stand out from the main campaign. This is honestly one of the best DLCs out there, and I enjoyed it quite a bit more than the main game. The protector trials were fun too.
I must recommend this game, just to experience Minerva's Den. Play the main campaign if you want.
1987
I can't recommend this game without the rewind feature from the legacy collection.
This playthrough reminded me a lot of the original DKC. While I think that game is dated and frustrating by today's standards as well, it still boasts a timeless art style and great soundtrack: This game can't even boast that. The game is simply ugly with uninspired levels and enemies. Your playthrough will be short and unsatisfying if you are very good, and a tedious slog otherwise.
As stated before, the legacy collection's rewind feature at least turns the game into a moderately-amusing way to spend an hour, but the game simply isn't worth playing without it.
This playthrough reminded me a lot of the original DKC. While I think that game is dated and frustrating by today's standards as well, it still boasts a timeless art style and great soundtrack: This game can't even boast that. The game is simply ugly with uninspired levels and enemies. Your playthrough will be short and unsatisfying if you are very good, and a tedious slog otherwise.
As stated before, the legacy collection's rewind feature at least turns the game into a moderately-amusing way to spend an hour, but the game simply isn't worth playing without it.