StoneOceans
1997
What if some of the most inspired worldbuilding and atmosphere that gaming had to offer was packaged within a near-unplayable pile of garbage?
Frustrating, Infuriating, slow, buggy, REALLY BUGGY, badly designed, and incredibly interesting.
Every time I felt like I was getting into a groove with this game it would throw some obtuse block in my way to prevent me from truly enjoying it. I tried really hard to love this game and part of me does, the other 75% of me wants to kick it down a stairwell
Frustrating, Infuriating, slow, buggy, REALLY BUGGY, badly designed, and incredibly interesting.
Every time I felt like I was getting into a groove with this game it would throw some obtuse block in my way to prevent me from truly enjoying it. I tried really hard to love this game and part of me does, the other 75% of me wants to kick it down a stairwell
2023
This game pisses me off so much, it has some of the best pure action gameplay I've experienced in the medium, with beautiful graphics and a killer soundtrack.
THAT BEING SAID, it has so much wrong with it and for the first few hours I was hating on this game HARD; I still stand by a lot of those opinions which I want to go into below:
-The writing gets better as the game goes on, but those first few hours are actually insufferable, the plot in general is incredibly standard and by the books, it was fun to riff on with my brother but if I was playing this alone I think I would be skipping cutscenes. Its physical comedy is top notch but the actual joke writing is 80% miss and 20% hit (& that's being generous)
-The character design is generic at best and pretty damn uncomfortable at worst; Chai is about as forgettable a design this game could muster for a protagonist, 2 out of the 3 female characters wear denim booty shorts and the less said about Macaron the better. It's like the rejects of Overwatch.
-The pacing at which the game shows its full hand can be a bit off at times, not giving me a parry until a few missions in is an insane move!!! It's platforming is weak and I wish there was some better downtime other than what feels like the most base level busywork in-between fights.
And despite all of that, I can't bring myself to give it a lower score because the actual combat and flair this game has is just that good
The first impression it gives off is one of trying wayyyy too hard, and it absolutely does, but like the protagonist of the game itself, Hi-fi Rush wins over the player with it's nonstop energy and just plain good game-ing
THAT BEING SAID, it has so much wrong with it and for the first few hours I was hating on this game HARD; I still stand by a lot of those opinions which I want to go into below:
-The writing gets better as the game goes on, but those first few hours are actually insufferable, the plot in general is incredibly standard and by the books, it was fun to riff on with my brother but if I was playing this alone I think I would be skipping cutscenes. Its physical comedy is top notch but the actual joke writing is 80% miss and 20% hit (& that's being generous)
-The character design is generic at best and pretty damn uncomfortable at worst; Chai is about as forgettable a design this game could muster for a protagonist, 2 out of the 3 female characters wear denim booty shorts and the less said about Macaron the better. It's like the rejects of Overwatch.
-The pacing at which the game shows its full hand can be a bit off at times, not giving me a parry until a few missions in is an insane move!!! It's platforming is weak and I wish there was some better downtime other than what feels like the most base level busywork in-between fights.
And despite all of that, I can't bring myself to give it a lower score because the actual combat and flair this game has is just that good
The first impression it gives off is one of trying wayyyy too hard, and it absolutely does, but like the protagonist of the game itself, Hi-fi Rush wins over the player with it's nonstop energy and just plain good game-ing
2000
You're gonna burn, alright.
1999
A lot of really cool ideas put into a just below average combat system and level design that gets more frustrating the longer it goes on, this combined with that classic dreamcast acting cheese makes for a very endearing package altogether.
Not a good game, but I enjoyed my time with it for sure
Not a good game, but I enjoyed my time with it for sure
2006
no
2006
Decent gameplay that only feels like it truly lives up to its concept of a guitar battle in the latter stages
The best thing I can say about this game is that the amount of heart and soul put into this project shines through everything else. It feels incredibly awkward with its story and cutscenes (especially the english dub) but I can't help but love how earnest it is.
The best thing I can say about this game is that the amount of heart and soul put into this project shines through everything else. It feels incredibly awkward with its story and cutscenes (especially the english dub) but I can't help but love how earnest it is.
1997
A fantastic experience from start to right before the end.
The pacing is some of the best I've seen in a JRPG even over two decades after its release, the characters are tropey but it feels like witnessing the beginning of those tropes, its adorable. The world and music are magical, it sells the concept of an adventure with your friends so well. Playing it for the first time in 2021, I was head over heels in love with this game.
Then in the last 3 hours it completely drops the ball with sudden forced grinding that adds absolutely nothing except unnecessary playtime to the game.
The charm is still there, and it still deserves the title of classic, it just left a sour taste in my mouth. Looking back on the experience after just beating it, I'm glad I finally played this legendary game, and over time I think ill remember the magical 30 hours I spent with it more than the slog of the last 3.
(This section of the review is dedicated to the switch port itself)
I had a total of 5 crashes with this port, 3 of which were to do with the 3x speed function, if you do use this (which I honestly do recommend for certain portions) just be careful and save frequently.
The no random encounters feature makes backtracking a lot less painful, and the godmode function does the same to grinding.
A decent port, but I haven't played on original hardware so take my opinion as that.
The pacing is some of the best I've seen in a JRPG even over two decades after its release, the characters are tropey but it feels like witnessing the beginning of those tropes, its adorable. The world and music are magical, it sells the concept of an adventure with your friends so well. Playing it for the first time in 2021, I was head over heels in love with this game.
Then in the last 3 hours it completely drops the ball with sudden forced grinding that adds absolutely nothing except unnecessary playtime to the game.
The charm is still there, and it still deserves the title of classic, it just left a sour taste in my mouth. Looking back on the experience after just beating it, I'm glad I finally played this legendary game, and over time I think ill remember the magical 30 hours I spent with it more than the slog of the last 3.
(This section of the review is dedicated to the switch port itself)
I had a total of 5 crashes with this port, 3 of which were to do with the 3x speed function, if you do use this (which I honestly do recommend for certain portions) just be careful and save frequently.
The no random encounters feature makes backtracking a lot less painful, and the godmode function does the same to grinding.
A decent port, but I haven't played on original hardware so take my opinion as that.
2015
Decent rhythm game with a hit or miss soundtrack, serviceable gameplay and okay features.
If touch controls were fully supported for the hardest difficulty this would probably bump it up to a 3.5, but as it stands it will certainly scratch the itch if you're looking for a rhythm game.
But don't expect it to blow you away in any department
If touch controls were fully supported for the hardest difficulty this would probably bump it up to a 3.5, but as it stands it will certainly scratch the itch if you're looking for a rhythm game.
But don't expect it to blow you away in any department
2018
simple, elegant, beautiful.
the best 2D platformer i've ever played with a simple and feel-good story
the best 2D platformer i've ever played with a simple and feel-good story
2019
This game sticks around for just the right amount of time, it's cute, funny, surprisingly well made mechanics and platforming, and in general just puts a smile on my face whenever i boot it up.
Multiplayer is a bit underwhelming but still a fun hour and a half with a friend.
Well worth your time and money, if you need a 4 hour experience to just enjoy for the sake of happiness, I cant think of a better game.
Multiplayer is a bit underwhelming but still a fun hour and a half with a friend.
Well worth your time and money, if you need a 4 hour experience to just enjoy for the sake of happiness, I cant think of a better game.
Pick up, play, have a blast
One of if not the best auto-runner out there
One of if not the best auto-runner out there
tennis rpg is fun
way more fun than it has any right to be, an arcane kids classic
2007
Very punk satire on video game violence and game players. Simple, short, and sweet.
2014
A tired joke that should have stayed as one, not as bad as bad rats though.