Spin
7 reviews liked by Spin
The game that needs no introduction I suppose, I haven't touched this game since I was a wee lad 7 years agoish, I played it and loved it, its basically the first game that I played with that type of scope cause most games that I played were really linear compared to this like Devil May Cry, Batman Arkham games, crash bandicoot, Little Big Planet, Dead Space etc.
So it really opened my eyes in that department, and I grew to love more and more games like that, basically what Im trying to get at is the child-like wonder this game doused me in on my first replay in like 7 years.
Playing Ocarina of Time inspires a sense of childlike wonder is just simply the world of the game, humour me if you will; From the lush green fields of Hyrule to the dark and groovy depths of the Shadow Temple or to the funky Spirit Temple the game is full of diverse environments for a game that innovated game devlopment its still rich in areas all these years later, Each area is filled with hidden secrets, puzzles, and enemies, finding hidden secrets, puzzles and fighting new enemies always hit me with a dose of euphoira once i handle them just because its a knee slapper when you deal with them, it always just gives you a smile y'know, and I know people always push "the sense of discovery" thing with botw, which do not get me twisted its very much almost the best part about the game for me there, its still abundant as all hell here and its whats so amazing about handling these puzzles, most of the puzzles almost being an adult, yeah they're pretty easy besides the water temple, but the feeling that overwhelms me while handling them is really a treat, like sliding in some snappy comfy loafers.
Another reason why Ocarina of Time inspires that sense of wonder is its story. The game follows the journey of Link, a young hero tasked with saving the land of Hyrule from the evil Ganondorf. Along the way, Link meets a cast of memorable characters, each with their own unique personalities and quirky personalities for you to rock with, From the mischievous Kokiri children to the wise and powerful sages, the game is full of characters that are easy to care about and just chillax with. It's sort of a coming of age story in a sense, I know for damn sure im not the first nor the last person to say that but you can see it i suppose in a way when you're kid link everything is all cheery and happy go-lucky and when he's an adult its gone to shit, which im all about the indominable human spirit so i dont see that now but i get that a lot of my generation IS like that, so i think they can find some comfort in trying to fix all that here.
Perhaps the most innovative aspect of Ocarina of Time is its use of music. The game's central mechanic is the ocarina, a funkadelic instrument that i desperately need to own that Link can use to play various songs with different effects, Its genius if you think about it, basic button combos that makes you feel fulfilled when you do them very snappily, as a musician it feels frighteningly similar to when I learn songs from my favorite bands and play it tightly. Not only that but it also adds a layer of depth to the gameplay and helps create a sense of immersion in the world of Hyrule and give it's unique vibe and personality.
At the end of the day, what makes Ocarina of Time such a magical game to the whole gaming community is its ability to capture the sense of childlike wonder that we all experienced when we were younger and it's innovation in game development cannot be understated but there are thousands of essays about this tight little thing of a game so I doubt im saying anything fresh or new. The game's beautiful visuals, captivating story, and innovative mechanics all come together to create an experience that is both nostalgic and new and I will preach that till the end of time (Thats a time pun fellas). Playing Ocarina of Time again is like reliving a bit of my past I believe, and for many people who have similar experiences to me, it remains a timeless classic that will always hold a special place in all of our hearts.
But even a special thanks to it for creating the lock on system, which gee golly I cannot imagine DMC without (no fuck off the reboot).
So it really opened my eyes in that department, and I grew to love more and more games like that, basically what Im trying to get at is the child-like wonder this game doused me in on my first replay in like 7 years.
Playing Ocarina of Time inspires a sense of childlike wonder is just simply the world of the game, humour me if you will; From the lush green fields of Hyrule to the dark and groovy depths of the Shadow Temple or to the funky Spirit Temple the game is full of diverse environments for a game that innovated game devlopment its still rich in areas all these years later, Each area is filled with hidden secrets, puzzles, and enemies, finding hidden secrets, puzzles and fighting new enemies always hit me with a dose of euphoira once i handle them just because its a knee slapper when you deal with them, it always just gives you a smile y'know, and I know people always push "the sense of discovery" thing with botw, which do not get me twisted its very much almost the best part about the game for me there, its still abundant as all hell here and its whats so amazing about handling these puzzles, most of the puzzles almost being an adult, yeah they're pretty easy besides the water temple, but the feeling that overwhelms me while handling them is really a treat, like sliding in some snappy comfy loafers.
Another reason why Ocarina of Time inspires that sense of wonder is its story. The game follows the journey of Link, a young hero tasked with saving the land of Hyrule from the evil Ganondorf. Along the way, Link meets a cast of memorable characters, each with their own unique personalities and quirky personalities for you to rock with, From the mischievous Kokiri children to the wise and powerful sages, the game is full of characters that are easy to care about and just chillax with. It's sort of a coming of age story in a sense, I know for damn sure im not the first nor the last person to say that but you can see it i suppose in a way when you're kid link everything is all cheery and happy go-lucky and when he's an adult its gone to shit, which im all about the indominable human spirit so i dont see that now but i get that a lot of my generation IS like that, so i think they can find some comfort in trying to fix all that here.
Perhaps the most innovative aspect of Ocarina of Time is its use of music. The game's central mechanic is the ocarina, a funkadelic instrument that i desperately need to own that Link can use to play various songs with different effects, Its genius if you think about it, basic button combos that makes you feel fulfilled when you do them very snappily, as a musician it feels frighteningly similar to when I learn songs from my favorite bands and play it tightly. Not only that but it also adds a layer of depth to the gameplay and helps create a sense of immersion in the world of Hyrule and give it's unique vibe and personality.
At the end of the day, what makes Ocarina of Time such a magical game to the whole gaming community is its ability to capture the sense of childlike wonder that we all experienced when we were younger and it's innovation in game development cannot be understated but there are thousands of essays about this tight little thing of a game so I doubt im saying anything fresh or new. The game's beautiful visuals, captivating story, and innovative mechanics all come together to create an experience that is both nostalgic and new and I will preach that till the end of time (Thats a time pun fellas). Playing Ocarina of Time again is like reliving a bit of my past I believe, and for many people who have similar experiences to me, it remains a timeless classic that will always hold a special place in all of our hearts.
But even a special thanks to it for creating the lock on system, which gee golly I cannot imagine DMC without (no fuck off the reboot).
Ape Escape 3
2005
Honestly, feels like a more polished and refined Ape Escape 2, that LEVEL VARIETY LADIES AND GENTS, 2 and 3 just knock it out of orbit with that, it just hits all the spots, 2 got a little something something that i cant put my finger on i aint gotta explain myself, they pretty much equal.
Some of the most creative platformers that got some type of joyfulness I ain't feel from the newer generations. Quite literally, a PS2 game.
Oh yeah final thing, only problem with these games is that the last 2-3 levels got me fidgeting in my seat wondering when we gonna wrap up but other than that, nothing but greatness.
Some of the most creative platformers that got some type of joyfulness I ain't feel from the newer generations. Quite literally, a PS2 game.
Oh yeah final thing, only problem with these games is that the last 2-3 levels got me fidgeting in my seat wondering when we gonna wrap up but other than that, nothing but greatness.
You know this shoots a new life blood to your standard Ace Attorney fare since the GOAT shu takumi left the director's chair after Apollo Justice, the funky 1800s Britain setting I haven't seen It be used in such a way in other media except like Shanghai Knights I suppose, from the characters that I honestly didn't think I'd like specifically ryunosuke, herlock and Van Zeiks but they all great memorable and charming and got that Shu takumi oomf that Dual Destinies can never ever dream of obtaining or Spirit of Justice lacking in for most of the game.
Though, I gotta say is it just me or do these fellas talk A LOT LOT more than the og trilogy, sometimes it felt like it dragged on forever and ngl sometimes it felt a bit underwhelming from the peakest of fiction that is the og Ace Attorney trilogy but that final case and case 3 are fuego don't get me twisted.
Although, for once, the final case didn't feel to me like it was this grand conclusion that's gonna have to simmer with me for weeks to come, it just felt like another great case.
But hey, i hear these games are more so like a connected chronicle if you will.
Though, I gotta say is it just me or do these fellas talk A LOT LOT more than the og trilogy, sometimes it felt like it dragged on forever and ngl sometimes it felt a bit underwhelming from the peakest of fiction that is the og Ace Attorney trilogy but that final case and case 3 are fuego don't get me twisted.
Although, for once, the final case didn't feel to me like it was this grand conclusion that's gonna have to simmer with me for weeks to come, it just felt like another great case.
But hey, i hear these games are more so like a connected chronicle if you will.
Without a doubt in my mind, the best Ace Attorney game out of the 3DS era, and one of the best in the entire series. DGS2 takes everything that was good about DGS1 and amps it up to absolute perfection. Here's some general notes I took:
Case Quality
Not a single bad one here. Even the least interesting one is B-tier at minimum. Although, just like Gyakuten Kenji 2, the last 3 cases are the highlight of the game for me. Nonstop thrilling and engaging cases leaving the player wanting to solve more of the mysteries hidden throughout this complex and amazing plot. Cases 4 and 5 tie into each excellently (once again similarly to GK2), and GOT DAMN that final trial was absolutely fantastic.
Gameplay
Basically the same as DGS1, which means I find the dance of deductions really fun, they're one of my favorite mechanics in the series. It also helps that this game is MUCH better then the boring and sluggish pace of DGS1. It's still a VERY long Ace Attorney game, but the game isn't spending a bunch of time meandering like the first one was to me.
Music
The way this game uses musical association is great. While about 80% of the OST is reused from DGS1, it makes the new tracks stand out even more. One of my favorite examples is the new prelude to the pursuit theme, making the normal pursuit theme arriving hit even harder. This game also introduced one of my flat out favorite tracks in the entire series, which uses musical association for a certain character in Case 4/5 (if you've played the game you know exactly who I'm referring to) and it goes SO HARD. And COME ON, who DOESN'T like Partners, that theme SLAPS. Love this score.
Summary
I really loved this game. After the promising but rather boring DGS1, DGS2 is a MASSIVE improvement over the first game, and creates one of the most well written stories in the whole series. Sorry if this was a bit of a scattered review, I just wanted to freak out over this amazing game while my mind was still on it after I started playing the DR series lol. Thank you Shu Takumi and your wonderful team for creating this masterpiece of a visual novel. If it wasn't for the absolutely shattered state that the mainline Ace Attorney series is in because of DD and SOJ, I would accept this as the Ace Attorney franchise finale, it's that perfect.
Case Quality
Not a single bad one here. Even the least interesting one is B-tier at minimum. Although, just like Gyakuten Kenji 2, the last 3 cases are the highlight of the game for me. Nonstop thrilling and engaging cases leaving the player wanting to solve more of the mysteries hidden throughout this complex and amazing plot. Cases 4 and 5 tie into each excellently (once again similarly to GK2), and GOT DAMN that final trial was absolutely fantastic.
Gameplay
Basically the same as DGS1, which means I find the dance of deductions really fun, they're one of my favorite mechanics in the series. It also helps that this game is MUCH better then the boring and sluggish pace of DGS1. It's still a VERY long Ace Attorney game, but the game isn't spending a bunch of time meandering like the first one was to me.
Music
The way this game uses musical association is great. While about 80% of the OST is reused from DGS1, it makes the new tracks stand out even more. One of my favorite examples is the new prelude to the pursuit theme, making the normal pursuit theme arriving hit even harder. This game also introduced one of my flat out favorite tracks in the entire series, which uses musical association for a certain character in Case 4/5 (if you've played the game you know exactly who I'm referring to) and it goes SO HARD. And COME ON, who DOESN'T like Partners, that theme SLAPS. Love this score.
Summary
I really loved this game. After the promising but rather boring DGS1, DGS2 is a MASSIVE improvement over the first game, and creates one of the most well written stories in the whole series. Sorry if this was a bit of a scattered review, I just wanted to freak out over this amazing game while my mind was still on it after I started playing the DR series lol. Thank you Shu Takumi and your wonderful team for creating this masterpiece of a visual novel. If it wasn't for the absolutely shattered state that the mainline Ace Attorney series is in because of DD and SOJ, I would accept this as the Ace Attorney franchise finale, it's that perfect.
This review contains spoilers
Crisis Core is an interesting product of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. Unlike it's predecessors in the lineup, Crisis Core is generally well received, and I'm inclined to agree here. This is a bit of a harder review for me (it IS a spinoff of FFVII, which is another game I have trouble jotting thoughts on), but I'll do my best to give this game justice.
Presentation
Square has almost always been proficient at giving fantastic presentation for their games, putting the hardware in question to it's almost absolute limit. Crisis Core is a good example of this. The environments can end up being very "hallway"-ish, kinda like FFX and FFXIII, but the detail is nice, and I can excuse this world design due to the hardware limitations. When the cutscenes are using the high poly models for the characters, the animation is unbelievably good looking for the PSP, and the general direction is solid, even today. As a byproduct, it makes the use of low poly models in some cases feel cheap and somewhat jarring. The dub for this game is also great, with Zack, Cloud, and Sephiroth's voices especially being fantastic. The UI also just has that mid-late 2000's feel to it in this unexplainable way to me, I love it.
The music is composed by the one and only TAKEHARU ISHIMOTO, and if you know me, you know what ost he also composed that I love. Crisis Core is meant to be a different interpretation of the Final Fantasy VII universe, and this soundtrack helps add to that. Ishimoto went for a much more 2000's rock-heavy sound, and I absolutely dig it, with tracks such as "The Iron Beast" and "Black Wing Unfurled" being some of my favorites. He also has several tracks of the more acoustic variety, most notably the iconic "The Price of Freedom". It's a great soundtrack with plenty of action packed and somber tunes that I could re-listen to on a whim.
Gameplay
I'm a bit mixed on this aspect. Overall, Crisis Core plays fine, and it's satisfying to win battles, but it can definitely get repetitive at times. It doesn't help that this game is on average pretty easy, which makes the random difficulty spike bosses more apparent. I was a complete dumbass here and forgot to mess with the materia fusion system, which made me almost put the game down during the last few hours. The game also uses the unique roulette wheel (Konami joke goes here) style mechanic, the DMW. The DMW is what's used for this game's somewhat equivalent of limit breaks, with Zack being aided by friends (or in some cases foes) when you roll 3 of that same character. These can sort of get intrusive, as you cannot skip the animations (& cutscenes in this game in general) every time which becomes monotonous in longer play sessions. Each roll also has a number value, which can restore HP, MP, or AP. Rolling all 7s will give you a level up, and certain number rolls will level up your materia. The DMW is completely random, which yes, means leveling up in this game is completely luck-based. Luckily, (for the most part anyway), the game is designed with this in mind, which sort of goes back to the game being sorta easy.
But in short, this game was still fun to play, albeit flawed in some aspects. Most of the bosses were pretty good, and it was generally SICK and COOL to take down baddies as my bestie Zack Fair. In a way, it's comparable to the flaws that ORIGINAL Final Fantasy VII had, with the system still being fun, but could make the game a bit too easy as a result.
Character Writing
Yeah, this game's characters are pretty great. With an exception here or there, I think this game's ensemble is good. Zack is obviously the focus here, and he's a fun and deep protagonist you want to see succeed. This game perfectly depicts pre-full out sicko mode Sephiroth, showing that he was generally a nice guy at one point (something the original game sort of stumbled at). Cloud is also good here, being probably the best and most accurate interpretation of his character throughout the entire compilation LMAO. The only issue here is mf GACKT himself, Genesis. Genesis is a character who genuinely sucks, the game tries to make him important and deep, but he mostly amounts to reciting loveless which adds NOTHING to his character, and the game even leaves a CLIFFHANGER in what happens to him. What an embarrassment. Luckily the other big new character here, Angeal is really good! I like how he bounces off of Zack, and you can tell that they are genuinely good friends. A decent cast overall.
Summary
And that's about all I have to say about Crisis Core. It's an amazing although flawed spinoff of Final Fantasy VII, but compared to about every other result of the compilation, it ends up amounting to a very solid video game. If you're a fan of Final Fantasy VII, I highly recommend giving this a shot if given the chance, it's pretty awesome I'd say. It's not a particularly long game if you play the main story (I clocked in about 14 or so hours), and once again it's not some difficult game. Yes, It does suck that this game is locked to the PSP, and resellers have been spiking up prices for the Black Label versions. but if you can find a Greatest Hits copy or have a PC that can run PPSSPP, you should be fine. See you all when I inevitably cover either Before Crisis or Dirge of Cerberus.
Presentation
Square has almost always been proficient at giving fantastic presentation for their games, putting the hardware in question to it's almost absolute limit. Crisis Core is a good example of this. The environments can end up being very "hallway"-ish, kinda like FFX and FFXIII, but the detail is nice, and I can excuse this world design due to the hardware limitations. When the cutscenes are using the high poly models for the characters, the animation is unbelievably good looking for the PSP, and the general direction is solid, even today. As a byproduct, it makes the use of low poly models in some cases feel cheap and somewhat jarring. The dub for this game is also great, with Zack, Cloud, and Sephiroth's voices especially being fantastic. The UI also just has that mid-late 2000's feel to it in this unexplainable way to me, I love it.
The music is composed by the one and only TAKEHARU ISHIMOTO, and if you know me, you know what ost he also composed that I love. Crisis Core is meant to be a different interpretation of the Final Fantasy VII universe, and this soundtrack helps add to that. Ishimoto went for a much more 2000's rock-heavy sound, and I absolutely dig it, with tracks such as "The Iron Beast" and "Black Wing Unfurled" being some of my favorites. He also has several tracks of the more acoustic variety, most notably the iconic "The Price of Freedom". It's a great soundtrack with plenty of action packed and somber tunes that I could re-listen to on a whim.
Gameplay
I'm a bit mixed on this aspect. Overall, Crisis Core plays fine, and it's satisfying to win battles, but it can definitely get repetitive at times. It doesn't help that this game is on average pretty easy, which makes the random difficulty spike bosses more apparent. I was a complete dumbass here and forgot to mess with the materia fusion system, which made me almost put the game down during the last few hours. The game also uses the unique roulette wheel (Konami joke goes here) style mechanic, the DMW. The DMW is what's used for this game's somewhat equivalent of limit breaks, with Zack being aided by friends (or in some cases foes) when you roll 3 of that same character. These can sort of get intrusive, as you cannot skip the animations (& cutscenes in this game in general) every time which becomes monotonous in longer play sessions. Each roll also has a number value, which can restore HP, MP, or AP. Rolling all 7s will give you a level up, and certain number rolls will level up your materia. The DMW is completely random, which yes, means leveling up in this game is completely luck-based. Luckily, (for the most part anyway), the game is designed with this in mind, which sort of goes back to the game being sorta easy.
But in short, this game was still fun to play, albeit flawed in some aspects. Most of the bosses were pretty good, and it was generally SICK and COOL to take down baddies as my bestie Zack Fair. In a way, it's comparable to the flaws that ORIGINAL Final Fantasy VII had, with the system still being fun, but could make the game a bit too easy as a result.
Character Writing
Yeah, this game's characters are pretty great. With an exception here or there, I think this game's ensemble is good. Zack is obviously the focus here, and he's a fun and deep protagonist you want to see succeed. This game perfectly depicts pre-full out sicko mode Sephiroth, showing that he was generally a nice guy at one point (something the original game sort of stumbled at). Cloud is also good here, being probably the best and most accurate interpretation of his character throughout the entire compilation LMAO. The only issue here is mf GACKT himself, Genesis. Genesis is a character who genuinely sucks, the game tries to make him important and deep, but he mostly amounts to reciting loveless which adds NOTHING to his character, and the game even leaves a CLIFFHANGER in what happens to him. What an embarrassment. Luckily the other big new character here, Angeal is really good! I like how he bounces off of Zack, and you can tell that they are genuinely good friends. A decent cast overall.
Summary
And that's about all I have to say about Crisis Core. It's an amazing although flawed spinoff of Final Fantasy VII, but compared to about every other result of the compilation, it ends up amounting to a very solid video game. If you're a fan of Final Fantasy VII, I highly recommend giving this a shot if given the chance, it's pretty awesome I'd say. It's not a particularly long game if you play the main story (I clocked in about 14 or so hours), and once again it's not some difficult game. Yes, It does suck that this game is locked to the PSP, and resellers have been spiking up prices for the Black Label versions. but if you can find a Greatest Hits copy or have a PC that can run PPSSPP, you should be fine. See you all when I inevitably cover either Before Crisis or Dirge of Cerberus.
The Bouncer
2000
this game is a doozy, firstly i just wanna say that its gotta be one of the most unintentional HILARIOUS games i have played in a while, everything that happens is wild and the pacing is all over the place but i genuinely cant help but smile through whatever these bar bouncers go through
literally some shit the breakfast crew would go through.
the gameplay gets a lil repetitive, yeah sure, and the lack of a 3 player in the story is a bummer but its still a fun time cause of everything else
its like this weird fusion of a nickelodeon movie and rush hour thats all i could think about for some reason throughout the whole ride.
clean hour and a half game doesn't overstay its welcome just a neat piece of square history i feel.
would love to see a refined sequel but thats probably never gonna happen and im def not gonna be super duper antsy about like waiting for the next DK game to come out.
final thing of note, this feels like a "yeah i just got a ps2" typa game.
humble 6/10.
literally some shit the breakfast crew would go through.
the gameplay gets a lil repetitive, yeah sure, and the lack of a 3 player in the story is a bummer but its still a fun time cause of everything else
its like this weird fusion of a nickelodeon movie and rush hour thats all i could think about for some reason throughout the whole ride.
clean hour and a half game doesn't overstay its welcome just a neat piece of square history i feel.
would love to see a refined sequel but thats probably never gonna happen and im def not gonna be super duper antsy about like waiting for the next DK game to come out.
final thing of note, this feels like a "yeah i just got a ps2" typa game.
humble 6/10.
This review contains spoilers
deadass the best ace attorney game, it has easily the best cases in the series especially 1 and 4, Apollo is a really fun protag tho i like phoenix some more, i really love the way they handled phoenix in this game as well, seeing him be so mature and being a father is something i never thought would work so well, klavier is probably the most unique porsector but he's not my favorite coming to a close second losing to godot.
the ost is really the best in the series especially the track trance logic or the pursuit theme my lord are they some good ass tracks.
coming back on phoenix i adore his story here with how he was caught using "forged" evidence and was forced to give back his attorney's badge and becoming a pianist and a parent and the way its all connected, also the way apollo reacts with essentially seeing his idol act like that is really amazing and human.
and kirstoph is one of the few villains? iig in the series and he's easily the best one, character-wise.
10/10 get on thisssssss
the ost is really the best in the series especially the track trance logic or the pursuit theme my lord are they some good ass tracks.
coming back on phoenix i adore his story here with how he was caught using "forged" evidence and was forced to give back his attorney's badge and becoming a pianist and a parent and the way its all connected, also the way apollo reacts with essentially seeing his idol act like that is really amazing and human.
and kirstoph is one of the few villains? iig in the series and he's easily the best one, character-wise.
10/10 get on thisssssss