RichCrisps
2006
The only reason why it doesn't get a half star is because it has pretty good music. It's kind of a tragic work considering it's extremely rushed, being an very compromised work. You can have get some enjoyment if you're making fun of it with friends, but otherwise yeah obviously avoid
2018
ZeroRanger really delivers in both being a great entry point into the genre of shmups while also being a fantastic game in its own right. It's such a love letter to older shooters and mecha anime while also defining itself from the rest of the pack due to its presentation, moments and story. The music is fantastic and the visuals are clear, making the presentation only enhance it's gameplay and offering some great set pieces.
It's story and narrative has so much heart, full of sincerity. It's the kind of experience that can only be done via a video game, and it's just good elements get raised to be so much more than the sum of their parts. The less you know about the games structure and story the better, it's one of the best indie games ever made.
It's story and narrative has so much heart, full of sincerity. It's the kind of experience that can only be done via a video game, and it's just good elements get raised to be so much more than the sum of their parts. The less you know about the games structure and story the better, it's one of the best indie games ever made.
2023
Gravity Circuit is an excellent action platformer, up there with it's inspirations in terms of quality. The controls are fantastic, movement is so precise and satisfying. The combat with it's melee and grappling hook along with the enemy design mix to create combat that is fast, frenetic and just feels cool. Grabbing things with the grapple hook just to toss them back at an enemy, then grabbing that dead enemy to toss at the next guy creates this excellent flow to the stages. The fact that you can chain together super moves against bosses is so sick, ending a boss with a spinning pile driver feels like nothing else.
The story is nice as well, there is some interesting details to the characters that is really appreciated. The visuals are clear, the animation is fluid and crisp, and the music is stellar. This game is a bit tough, and there are some upgrades that you can earn to help out. This game is difficult, but that makes victories feel that much more satisfying. It also helps that there is no life system, so you don't have to worry about that if lives bother you. Just keep the difficulty in mind if you haven't played these kinds of games before.
Regardless, this game is a 2023 GOTY contender for me, in an already stacked year. This is easily getting put into the rotation of Megaman games that I constantly replay, up there with X1, X2, X4 and Zero 3. If you like these games at all, I think this is a must play.
The story is nice as well, there is some interesting details to the characters that is really appreciated. The visuals are clear, the animation is fluid and crisp, and the music is stellar. This game is a bit tough, and there are some upgrades that you can earn to help out. This game is difficult, but that makes victories feel that much more satisfying. It also helps that there is no life system, so you don't have to worry about that if lives bother you. Just keep the difficulty in mind if you haven't played these kinds of games before.
Regardless, this game is a 2023 GOTY contender for me, in an already stacked year. This is easily getting put into the rotation of Megaman games that I constantly replay, up there with X1, X2, X4 and Zero 3. If you like these games at all, I think this is a must play.
2005
Quintessential. Nearly everything in this game has purpose and adds to instill a specific feeling. The action is tense and extremely fun, the inventory management and preserving resources remains engaging to this day, and this might be the best version of quick time events integrated into both cutscenes and gameplay. The game effortlessly balances the fear due to the atmosphere with how funny the dialogue is. The dialogue being so cheesy and funny helps reset the tension, keeping the pacing well balanced.
While the controls can be weird if you aren't used to tank controls, it isn't inherently worse. Mastery of these controls is extremely satisfying, and it proves that having a homogenized control scheme isn't always going to be a good thing if a team wants their game to achieve different things.
Even though this game has a remake which is also amazing, the original will always be a fundamental work and worth playing on it's own merits. Don't let there being a prettier and newer version have you miss out on peak video games. The game is iconic for a reason.
While the controls can be weird if you aren't used to tank controls, it isn't inherently worse. Mastery of these controls is extremely satisfying, and it proves that having a homogenized control scheme isn't always going to be a good thing if a team wants their game to achieve different things.
Even though this game has a remake which is also amazing, the original will always be a fundamental work and worth playing on it's own merits. Don't let there being a prettier and newer version have you miss out on peak video games. The game is iconic for a reason.