ShockingX
1997
Short, sweet, and to the point. This on-rails game is very fun, though getting to all of the routes and secrets can be quite a challenge. With that said the controls are tight and for an early N64 game, it still looks great to this day. This is still a console staple that I can recommend to anyone looking for some old-school, on-rails fun!
Extremely boring, monotonous, and an overall waste of time.
As a huge fan of the Mario RPG series of games, I was elated to find out a new title was coming to the 3DS. However, after playing the game, I couldn't help but feel frustrated by the lack of direction and thought put into the puzzles, bored with the lackluster plot, and tired of exploring the very cookie-cutter world.
I highly suggest you avoid this game. While there is competence in that there is technically a game here, there is nothing of worth for your time. It's the worst kind of game, not one that is good or so bad that it is interesting to play or fun to mess around in.
As a huge fan of the Mario RPG series of games, I was elated to find out a new title was coming to the 3DS. However, after playing the game, I couldn't help but feel frustrated by the lack of direction and thought put into the puzzles, bored with the lackluster plot, and tired of exploring the very cookie-cutter world.
I highly suggest you avoid this game. While there is competence in that there is technically a game here, there is nothing of worth for your time. It's the worst kind of game, not one that is good or so bad that it is interesting to play or fun to mess around in.
For what it's worth, I did enjoy the gameplay... when there was any. Most of this game revolves around completing the story, which is told in dozens of slideshow cutscenes, with the occasional pre-rendered cutscene. This by far is the worst aspect since the slide shows can take up to 20 minutes to complete! The pre-rendered cutscenes do look nice, but if you don't care for the story, which is a very classic shonen battle plot, then I highly recommend avoiding this game.
As for the gameplay and combat, while it is simplistic it is also mindlessly fun, in a mobile game kind of way. The game also offers a rouge-like dungeon to explore and play around with the combat a bit which I found the most enjoyable aspect. Overall I had a good amount of fun with this game, but please wait for a sale! I wouldn't pay more than 20$ for this game.
As for the gameplay and combat, while it is simplistic it is also mindlessly fun, in a mobile game kind of way. The game also offers a rouge-like dungeon to explore and play around with the combat a bit which I found the most enjoyable aspect. Overall I had a good amount of fun with this game, but please wait for a sale! I wouldn't pay more than 20$ for this game.
A fantastic game that adds so much life to a series that felt pretty stale for a while. All of the stages, with and without the wonder flower changes, made them such a joy to play through.
I only have three complaints. Firstly, and to be fair, this is absolutely a nitpick, but I felt the controls were not as tight as I would've liked. Especially with the wall jumping, I didn't like how I needed to wait a second to cling to the wall before making the jump. For some of the harder levels, it is basically a make-or-break moment that I just kept messing up due to that.
Secondly, I wish that we had more varied boss fights throughout the game. Of the few we had, they all felt the exact same, and not to mention the final boss fight also felt a bit lackluster.
Finally, the coop that was implemented made doing some levels more difficult. I played this game with my wife and she is not an expert gamer at all. So when we would both die they would just make her the leader of the group. I wish they could make me the permanent leader since she always got nervous about having the crown.
Despite all these complaints, this is still a wonderful game and an absolute joy to play. Finding all the secrets and exploring the world was so much fun to do. Nintendo is still the master of 2D platformers, so if you want to play a new game I highly recommend this one.
I only have three complaints. Firstly, and to be fair, this is absolutely a nitpick, but I felt the controls were not as tight as I would've liked. Especially with the wall jumping, I didn't like how I needed to wait a second to cling to the wall before making the jump. For some of the harder levels, it is basically a make-or-break moment that I just kept messing up due to that.
Secondly, I wish that we had more varied boss fights throughout the game. Of the few we had, they all felt the exact same, and not to mention the final boss fight also felt a bit lackluster.
Finally, the coop that was implemented made doing some levels more difficult. I played this game with my wife and she is not an expert gamer at all. So when we would both die they would just make her the leader of the group. I wish they could make me the permanent leader since she always got nervous about having the crown.
Despite all these complaints, this is still a wonderful game and an absolute joy to play. Finding all the secrets and exploring the world was so much fun to do. Nintendo is still the master of 2D platformers, so if you want to play a new game I highly recommend this one.
2003
A really fun, yet challenging, sequel to the Pokemon Stadium games on the N64. Like the Stadium games, this functions as a 3D battle simulator for Pokemon Ruby and Saphire, if you have the link cable for it of course, however unlike its prequels this is much more than that. It also has a unique story mode that is remembered quite fondly by the fans.
The story revolves around Wes, a former Team Snagam member who stole their Snag Machine after quitting, and Rui, a woman with the ability to see Pokemon whose hearts have been sealed away and have become what's known as "Shadow Pokemon". Together, they work to steal these Shadow Pokemon away from their captors, a different evil team known as Cipher, and try to stop this team from taking over the region of Orre.
This plot is much more simple than I let on, but the premise alone is unique, especially for a Pokemon game. What stands out more in this game however would be the battles, and not the story. Each battle is done in Doubles format, meaning you are always fighting with 2 Pokemon and are fighting against 2 Pokemon. This makes each encounter more complex since you need to account for unique strategies that can only be used in this format. On top of that, your selection of Pokemon is limited to the Shadow Pokemon that trainers have, most of them being "missable" during large sections of the main story. This makes for a very challenging, yet fun, game.
This game does have its faults though, as the Shadow Pokemon you save can be a hassle to purify. Most of them will only know the one move, Shadow Rush, until it gets purified and the move will always inflict recoil. As well, Shadow Pokemon cannot level up or gain experience until it is purified. Not that you really can grind experience, since there are also no wild Pokemon battles, only set trainer battles and they cannot be refought.
This game is hard, but if that is what you are looking for then I cannot recommend it enough. It was a fun playthrough, and I had a blast experiencing it. If you can get your hands on a copy of the game I would recommend trying it out.
The story revolves around Wes, a former Team Snagam member who stole their Snag Machine after quitting, and Rui, a woman with the ability to see Pokemon whose hearts have been sealed away and have become what's known as "Shadow Pokemon". Together, they work to steal these Shadow Pokemon away from their captors, a different evil team known as Cipher, and try to stop this team from taking over the region of Orre.
This plot is much more simple than I let on, but the premise alone is unique, especially for a Pokemon game. What stands out more in this game however would be the battles, and not the story. Each battle is done in Doubles format, meaning you are always fighting with 2 Pokemon and are fighting against 2 Pokemon. This makes each encounter more complex since you need to account for unique strategies that can only be used in this format. On top of that, your selection of Pokemon is limited to the Shadow Pokemon that trainers have, most of them being "missable" during large sections of the main story. This makes for a very challenging, yet fun, game.
This game does have its faults though, as the Shadow Pokemon you save can be a hassle to purify. Most of them will only know the one move, Shadow Rush, until it gets purified and the move will always inflict recoil. As well, Shadow Pokemon cannot level up or gain experience until it is purified. Not that you really can grind experience, since there are also no wild Pokemon battles, only set trainer battles and they cannot be refought.
This game is hard, but if that is what you are looking for then I cannot recommend it enough. It was a fun playthrough, and I had a blast experiencing it. If you can get your hands on a copy of the game I would recommend trying it out.
This is undoubtedly the best Paper Mario game in the series, one of the best Gamecube games ever to be released, and quite frankly one of the best RPGs ever made. From the story, to the art and graphical fidelity, to the characters and mechanics, everything comes together almost seamlessly and it is quite the sight to behold.
There are only 2 aspects that I think hold this game back from being truly perfect, and they are pretty small. Firstly, The backtracking does get a bit tiresome in this game. It isn't as bad as some people in the community make it out to be, but it is there and having something more seamless or interconnected would make the world feel much larger. The second thing is the limitations on your partners. Each partner is creative and unique, so being limited to only one in a fight means picking a favorite and investing in them. For the remake, I hope that switching partners will be a free action so that I can experiment with the whole cast of characters.
Other than what I mentioned above, this game is worth your time even if you aren't a fan of RPG games. Try this game out.
There are only 2 aspects that I think hold this game back from being truly perfect, and they are pretty small. Firstly, The backtracking does get a bit tiresome in this game. It isn't as bad as some people in the community make it out to be, but it is there and having something more seamless or interconnected would make the world feel much larger. The second thing is the limitations on your partners. Each partner is creative and unique, so being limited to only one in a fight means picking a favorite and investing in them. For the remake, I hope that switching partners will be a free action so that I can experiment with the whole cast of characters.
Other than what I mentioned above, this game is worth your time even if you aren't a fan of RPG games. Try this game out.
A fantastic sequel to a great series. While there were some aspects of the game I wish were more fleshed out, and while there were definitely some bugs that caused my game to crash or glitch out, I had a great time playing through the story and playing as both Spidermen. I highly recommend playing this if you liked the first game or Miles Morales.
The third game of the 3rd generation of Pokemon games, this one improves on the original versions quite heavily. A more interesting story, with an expanded villain plot where teams Aqua and Magma are evil and at odds with one another, culminating in a really fun and memorable battle near the end of the game.
More Pokemon can be found here, including some of the elusive Johto region Pokemon, and an entirely new area to explore called the Battle Facility. The new area alone has had players put hundreds of hours into this game, as it is both difficult and different from the main gameplay loop.
Other than that, this is the same as Pokemon Ruby or Saphire version but I recommend getting this game over those two. It is that much of an improvement.
More Pokemon can be found here, including some of the elusive Johto region Pokemon, and an entirely new area to explore called the Battle Facility. The new area alone has had players put hundreds of hours into this game, as it is both difficult and different from the main gameplay loop.
Other than that, this is the same as Pokemon Ruby or Saphire version but I recommend getting this game over those two. It is that much of an improvement.
2003
In concept, this game is very interesting. Being able to play as 3 different characters in one stage, where each member is vital for different sections of the level could make for a very expansive and intricate level design ripe for both speedrunning and exploration at the same time. Unfortunately, the concept falls flat on its face due to poor controls and lack of originality.
They ruin this concept in several ways. Firstly, the traits of each character feel unbalanced. Each team has a Speed, Power, and Flight partner, where Speed is the fastest, Power is the strongest, and flight allows for flying and long-range attacks.
This is all centred around a game where you want to get to the end fastest, so speed makes sense and flight allowing you to get to new areas at the cost of speed also makes sense, but Power is mainly used for fighting enemies, who are now these tanky monstrosities that take forever to kill, and to break certain bricks. It makes the entire game come off as a cheap gimmick with a lack of passion.
To backtrack a bit, I mention that flight could be used to find routes off the beaten path, but I can think of one time that happened. What they provide instead are some secrets that can be found like extra lives or rings, and certain gates that need to be cleared like with the Power characters. So Flight characters are just as useless as the Power characters.
Another squandered idea is the different teams you can play as. There are 4 in total, each with their own "unique" experience. This amounts to an easy mode (Team Rose), a normal mode (Team Sonic), a hard mode (Team Shadow), and the god-awful mission mode (Team Chaotix). All teams play the same, and even the levels are the same with the difference being the length for each team, and missions in the case of Team Chaotix. This is all pointless padding to a game that didn't need it, and it would've been easier to just implement a difficulty bar instead.
It also controls so poorly, it's so slippery and sluggish that I could never get a good grasp on the handling of any character. It feels like a step down from Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, which already had some control issues. It's a shame too, because the level design is interesting even if it's a bit basic. The themes of each level are good too, and the colors are vibrant giving this game a really good visual aesthetic. Also, the music still slaps, by far the best part of the game.
I would skip this game unless you are a die-hard fan and want to experience everything about the sonic universe. It was a very disappointing experience.
They ruin this concept in several ways. Firstly, the traits of each character feel unbalanced. Each team has a Speed, Power, and Flight partner, where Speed is the fastest, Power is the strongest, and flight allows for flying and long-range attacks.
This is all centred around a game where you want to get to the end fastest, so speed makes sense and flight allowing you to get to new areas at the cost of speed also makes sense, but Power is mainly used for fighting enemies, who are now these tanky monstrosities that take forever to kill, and to break certain bricks. It makes the entire game come off as a cheap gimmick with a lack of passion.
To backtrack a bit, I mention that flight could be used to find routes off the beaten path, but I can think of one time that happened. What they provide instead are some secrets that can be found like extra lives or rings, and certain gates that need to be cleared like with the Power characters. So Flight characters are just as useless as the Power characters.
Another squandered idea is the different teams you can play as. There are 4 in total, each with their own "unique" experience. This amounts to an easy mode (Team Rose), a normal mode (Team Sonic), a hard mode (Team Shadow), and the god-awful mission mode (Team Chaotix). All teams play the same, and even the levels are the same with the difference being the length for each team, and missions in the case of Team Chaotix. This is all pointless padding to a game that didn't need it, and it would've been easier to just implement a difficulty bar instead.
It also controls so poorly, it's so slippery and sluggish that I could never get a good grasp on the handling of any character. It feels like a step down from Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, which already had some control issues. It's a shame too, because the level design is interesting even if it's a bit basic. The themes of each level are good too, and the colors are vibrant giving this game a really good visual aesthetic. Also, the music still slaps, by far the best part of the game.
I would skip this game unless you are a die-hard fan and want to experience everything about the sonic universe. It was a very disappointing experience.
2005
One of the greatest action RPGs of this generation, and still holds up today as one of the best in its genre, this game truly cemented the series as one of the best crossovers and one of the best games ever made.
Unlike the first game, this story is much more complex, though surprisingly this game has a great balance of lore, character moments, and twists mixed in. It is the last in the series to not have a convoluted plotline, but there is intrigue and tragedy here, which is a shock coming from a Disney game.
This game looks and sounds fantastic, each world is well-designed and looks like it came from the movie that it was based on, not to mention the music and sound design fits each world's theme perfectly, with one major exception of course. The original set pieces and original music are also phenomenal, from whimsical and delightful to haunting and foreboding. I could listen to the music all day.
The combat here is the most addictive system I've ever had the pleasure of playing. Each button press is so snappy, and connecting each attack, combing in spells and other abilities, while also weaving in dodges, it just works so well. The character customization here is also really fun to tweak around, letting you build Sora however you see fit. The entire game is so cinematic, with cutscenes weaving into gameplay, and the QTE's being so fun to experience.
I have no complaints about this game at all. I highly recommend this game to any and every Disney, Final Fantasy, and action RPG enthusiast out there. This is truly one of the greatest games ever made.
Unlike the first game, this story is much more complex, though surprisingly this game has a great balance of lore, character moments, and twists mixed in. It is the last in the series to not have a convoluted plotline, but there is intrigue and tragedy here, which is a shock coming from a Disney game.
This game looks and sounds fantastic, each world is well-designed and looks like it came from the movie that it was based on, not to mention the music and sound design fits each world's theme perfectly, with one major exception of course. The original set pieces and original music are also phenomenal, from whimsical and delightful to haunting and foreboding. I could listen to the music all day.
The combat here is the most addictive system I've ever had the pleasure of playing. Each button press is so snappy, and connecting each attack, combing in spells and other abilities, while also weaving in dodges, it just works so well. The character customization here is also really fun to tweak around, letting you build Sora however you see fit. The entire game is so cinematic, with cutscenes weaving into gameplay, and the QTE's being so fun to experience.
I have no complaints about this game at all. I highly recommend this game to any and every Disney, Final Fantasy, and action RPG enthusiast out there. This is truly one of the greatest games ever made.
For a licensed game from the 90's, there weren't a lot of expectations going into this. However, I was quite surprised by the quality of this.
It is a 3D platformer, in the same vein as Super Mario 64 or Banjo-Kazooie, with tight controls and plenty to do in each area. While the maneuverability of Buzz wasn't as much as I would have liked, it still got the job done and was still fun.
If this game somehow ever gets re-released, I think it would be a worthwhile purchase. It's an interesting quirk from the late 90's and a surprisingly good time.
It is a 3D platformer, in the same vein as Super Mario 64 or Banjo-Kazooie, with tight controls and plenty to do in each area. While the maneuverability of Buzz wasn't as much as I would have liked, it still got the job done and was still fun.
If this game somehow ever gets re-released, I think it would be a worthwhile purchase. It's an interesting quirk from the late 90's and a surprisingly good time.
1993
This game is fine, a completely passable pinball title that has a cute Kirby aesthetic attached to it. the controls feel responsive, and it isn't broken in any significant way... at least when I played through it. This is just a pretty basic, and honestly pretty boring, pinball game. If you are in the mood to play it then it's a good time-waster, but there are better pinball games out there, especially for the Gameboy.
1999
There is a saying that goes "You can never have too much of a good thing." This game proves that saying wrong. While extremely enjoyable, with tight controls, diverse play styles, a quirky and interesting story, and loads of things to do... there is almost too much to do. I do recommend this game, as just beating it is not a huge challenge and the methods for which to do that make replaying this game great, but getting 100% is exhausting.
I only got this game as a kid because they bundled in a copy of the Final Fantasy XII demo with every purchase. My brother and I are big fans of the Final Fantasy series, so we were hyped to try out the next-numbered title. Surprisingly though we never really tried the demo out, and that is because we were both enthralled by the world, characters, gameplay, graphics, and overall feeling of this game.
This game is dense, there is just so much to do and discover and explore in this world. From the different cities and dungeons to find, to the items and equipment to discover and create through alchemy, and the characters you control and customize.
The story is also very well told, it's simple like most Dragon Quest games but extremely effective with its storytelling. I would even say it's one of the best stories in the whole series. This game is also stunning, even after all this time the game looks and plays smoothly, and it is genuinely timeless.
My only gripe with the game is that it is excessively long and has some pretty big difficulty spikes. The team could have cut out a few of the character moments and still had an effective story, but at the same time, it adds so much to the characters you play with. I recommend this game to every JRPG fan out there, this is a true classic and deserves to be experienced.
This game is dense, there is just so much to do and discover and explore in this world. From the different cities and dungeons to find, to the items and equipment to discover and create through alchemy, and the characters you control and customize.
The story is also very well told, it's simple like most Dragon Quest games but extremely effective with its storytelling. I would even say it's one of the best stories in the whole series. This game is also stunning, even after all this time the game looks and plays smoothly, and it is genuinely timeless.
My only gripe with the game is that it is excessively long and has some pretty big difficulty spikes. The team could have cut out a few of the character moments and still had an effective story, but at the same time, it adds so much to the characters you play with. I recommend this game to every JRPG fan out there, this is a true classic and deserves to be experienced.
I really liked the original Animal Crossing on the Gamecube. Having a cozy life to manage in a new neighbourhood, with little to no stress was something I had never experienced in a game before. So when they said they were bringing a sequel out for the DS, a portable system, I was very excited.
So the game came out and it ended up being exactly as I had expected, the Gamecube original but portable. This is both for better and for worse. Just to get this out of the way, the game does not have many significant updates to the gameplay loop. You still start your day, do tasks for the villagers, and hang out around the town. You can now make new flowers, or build your constellations in the sky, but these are just minor minigames to the core of this game.
This by itself would be a bad thing, if not for 2 major differences. Firstly, its portable nature allows you to access your town and play wherever you would like. Unlike the GameCube game, where it was required to set time aside for your town, the portability allows more flexibility with when and where to play. It makes the game a lot more inviting.
Secondly, and most importantly, is that this game was one of the first to include access to the Nintendo Wifi Connection system. To put it bluntly, You could do local and worldwide multiplayer with up to 4 friends who own this game. This was an absolute game changer and allowed for a level of creativity and silliness that Nintendo is known for. The number of memories I have playing this with some of my grade-school friends, adding pitfalls or playing tag, are truly countless.
Nowadays, you would be much better off with either New Leaf or New Horizons, as they are much more fleshed out and interesting. However, this game introduced some of the core features that would be vital in their success, and to me, that makes this such a pivotal game. At the very least, check out this game for what it has done for the franchise.
So the game came out and it ended up being exactly as I had expected, the Gamecube original but portable. This is both for better and for worse. Just to get this out of the way, the game does not have many significant updates to the gameplay loop. You still start your day, do tasks for the villagers, and hang out around the town. You can now make new flowers, or build your constellations in the sky, but these are just minor minigames to the core of this game.
This by itself would be a bad thing, if not for 2 major differences. Firstly, its portable nature allows you to access your town and play wherever you would like. Unlike the GameCube game, where it was required to set time aside for your town, the portability allows more flexibility with when and where to play. It makes the game a lot more inviting.
Secondly, and most importantly, is that this game was one of the first to include access to the Nintendo Wifi Connection system. To put it bluntly, You could do local and worldwide multiplayer with up to 4 friends who own this game. This was an absolute game changer and allowed for a level of creativity and silliness that Nintendo is known for. The number of memories I have playing this with some of my grade-school friends, adding pitfalls or playing tag, are truly countless.
Nowadays, you would be much better off with either New Leaf or New Horizons, as they are much more fleshed out and interesting. However, this game introduced some of the core features that would be vital in their success, and to me, that makes this such a pivotal game. At the very least, check out this game for what it has done for the franchise.