RandomContent
1992
Best one yet.
Snappy controls, fair bosses, varied levels, and good boss weapons make good video games.
Snappy controls, fair bosses, varied levels, and good boss weapons make good video games.
1991
Toad > Bright > Pharaoh > Ring > Dust > Dive > Drill > Toad
ok, sure
ok, sure
1990
And this is how you don't do a sequel.
Basically 2 again just with much more spamming and unfair level hazards and bosses. I would have at least said I liked it more than the first game, but the thing that made me decide against that was the part of the game prior to going to Wily's Castle where you fought recycled bosses from 2 in the same levels you just went through. Shameless padding, thy name is Mega Man 3.
Basically 2 again just with much more spamming and unfair level hazards and bosses. I would have at least said I liked it more than the first game, but the thing that made me decide against that was the part of the game prior to going to Wily's Castle where you fought recycled bosses from 2 in the same levels you just went through. Shameless padding, thy name is Mega Man 3.
1989
This is how you do a sequel.
Much better boss fights. More varied weapons. Levels that are less idle and better designed. Each and every aspect of the first game was improved for part two. The occasional unfair level hazard and terrible boss fight stops the game from being amazing by today's standards, but it was still a huge step in the right direction for the franchise.
Much better boss fights. More varied weapons. Levels that are less idle and better designed. Each and every aspect of the first game was improved for part two. The occasional unfair level hazard and terrible boss fight stops the game from being amazing by today's standards, but it was still a huge step in the right direction for the franchise.
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.
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.
1996
Megaman 8/10
10/10 in the pure VOICE ACTING DEPARTMENT!
10/10 in the pure VOICE ACTING DEPARTMENT!
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.
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.
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.
The ultimate podcast game.
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.
A charming nostalgic memory, it should've just stayed that.
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.
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!