TheBarrylad
A very fun side scrolling spin on good ol' Rocket League.
This package is undoubtedly thin, which is increasingly becoming a pain for first party Nintendo games which are steeply priced. But the core game here is REALLY solid. I love arcade-y sports games, and Battle League hits a lovely balance between wacky action and a respectable amount of depth so that things don't feel too arbitrary. In particular the tackle/dodge meta will separate the boys from the men with regards to online play.
Aside from the limited modes, roster and venues, my main gripe is the ally AI. As mentioned, there is a respectable amount of strategizing in this game but sometimes your AI pals are just not there for you when you're sending in crosses or through-balls. Not saying the game needs FIFA-level team management, but some sort of ability to direct teammates into the box or play more aggressively would help.
Aside from the limited modes, roster and venues, my main gripe is the ally AI. As mentioned, there is a respectable amount of strategizing in this game but sometimes your AI pals are just not there for you when you're sending in crosses or through-balls. Not saying the game needs FIFA-level team management, but some sort of ability to direct teammates into the box or play more aggressively would help.
Beautiful, rad-sounding and has some actual depth. A pitch perfect genre game.
Cute! Not sure I'll finish it but thoroughly enjoyed my time with it. People more into the type of RPG it is homaging may get more from it.
2022
An okay one of these. The timing on the parry seems really weird, and not just on the enemies with intentionally vague animations.
2022
One of those games I respect more than I like. It's doing some off-the-wall stuff and has a neat sense of style, but solving its mysteries in and of themselves wasn't enough to keep me coming back. I think a part of that is also the combat just didn't feel satisfying on any level.
2022
The Series S version of this just does not feel up to snuff. Image quality is grimy, and on my last few attempts to pick it up the enemy AI has been worse than usual, and there's been major bugs and performance hiccups. Shame, because the core stealth game here seems solid.
I was recently playing this on an emulator but then found myself at a barcade that had it, so me and my pal Andrew played it to completion for real. This is literally only possible when you have an adults disposable income. I think we both spent six quid to make it to the end.
2021
Very charming.
This may be the ultimate 'leave well enough alone' piece of nostalgia. Just like in 2003, booting Hit and Run up in 2022 initially feels incredibly novel. You're freely walking around the Simpsons garden! Hopping the fence to the Flanderseses! Taking a quick drive to the Kwik E Mart! The music is jaunty and even by modern standards the game looks great! The novelty of open world Springfield is still alive and well, and the folks behind this game did a great job stuffing it with nods, winks, references, nooks, and crannies to explore.
Unfortunately, once you get past the, say, two hour mark - it all comes flooding back. The thing we all sorta forget about our time with Hit and Run two decades ago, that is even worse with 2022 eyes; this game has maybe, MAYBE, four mission types.
It's incredibly repetitive; you're just following cars, or racing cars, or racing against the clock over and over and over again. And for the second half of the game, the way they attempt to spice it up is by trimming your objective time to a punishing degree.
Characters like Truckasaurus show up, but are relegated to cut scenes because the only bosses you battle in the game are generic four-door sedan cars and, well, very tight timing windows. There's barely even a handful of platforming levels in the game, despite being one of the more entertaining things about the game when they do crop up.
Still a wonderfully ambitious licensed game from the golden age of licensed games, but quite flawed.
Unfortunately, once you get past the, say, two hour mark - it all comes flooding back. The thing we all sorta forget about our time with Hit and Run two decades ago, that is even worse with 2022 eyes; this game has maybe, MAYBE, four mission types.
It's incredibly repetitive; you're just following cars, or racing cars, or racing against the clock over and over and over again. And for the second half of the game, the way they attempt to spice it up is by trimming your objective time to a punishing degree.
Characters like Truckasaurus show up, but are relegated to cut scenes because the only bosses you battle in the game are generic four-door sedan cars and, well, very tight timing windows. There's barely even a handful of platforming levels in the game, despite being one of the more entertaining things about the game when they do crop up.
Still a wonderfully ambitious licensed game from the golden age of licensed games, but quite flawed.
1992
[emulated]
I still have a soft spot for this -- it looks and sounds great, with the Game Boy recreations of the characters being very charming, especially Road Runner. It's rock solid as a platformer of the era with nice, responsive movement and some secrets to be found. It's kind of funny that the two most popular characters, Bugs and Daffy, have weird generic 'frisbee' weapons for their levels, as I guess they don't lend themselves to themed levels as well as Road Runner or Speedy.
I still have a soft spot for this -- it looks and sounds great, with the Game Boy recreations of the characters being very charming, especially Road Runner. It's rock solid as a platformer of the era with nice, responsive movement and some secrets to be found. It's kind of funny that the two most popular characters, Bugs and Daffy, have weird generic 'frisbee' weapons for their levels, as I guess they don't lend themselves to themed levels as well as Road Runner or Speedy.
Wish I played this in the 90s so I could have based my entire personality around it. Insanely cool.
Obligatory disclaimer that this is an arcade game so I was only able to finish it by emulating it and making liberal use of the 'add credit' button. This would bankrupt a working class family to beat using actual currency.
Obligatory disclaimer that this is an arcade game so I was only able to finish it by emulating it and making liberal use of the 'add credit' button. This would bankrupt a working class family to beat using actual currency.
That ending was a whiff, in my opinion. Probably the worst one of these from SuperMassive, although still a satisfying adventure romp.
The most important thing about these games is that there are several legitimate forks in the road that mean the story I get, and the story you get, are unlikely to be the exact same.
The most important thing about these games is that there are several legitimate forks in the road that mean the story I get, and the story you get, are unlikely to be the exact same.
2022
This review contains spoilers
An incredibly satisfying action game. It's very tough but one of the best examples I've played of a game where the tools to get better are all there before you; and one of its best rewards is just the act of getting better.
Spurring you on all the way is the unbelievable animations and moves which, coupled with the tropey settings, really let you feel like you're recreating scenes from some of the greatest action movies ever. And once you get the mechanics down (it will take a while!) you'll feel like a total badass.
One stumble at the final hurdle, and why I have this review spoiler tagged; the final boss doesn't let you use special 'focus moves,' I guess to truly test your grasp on the core mechanics. Fine, in theory, BUT! Focus Moves are a thing you can dump copious amounts of XP and other currency into over the course of the game -- at the expense of other upgrades. So for what is effectively a skill tree choice to be completely null at the final fight is, to me, a crazy design choice -- even if I get what they were going for. It would be like telling someone who spec'd an entire Souls run into a particular style of play that the style in question was no longer useable at the climax. SiFu's ultimate battle is still winnable and I did feel amazing when I finished it using just my basic blocks and strikes, but it did trivialize the entire game's previous sense of progression and upgrading; with each previous boss encouraging you to learn a new facet of the game; not strip something away.
Spurring you on all the way is the unbelievable animations and moves which, coupled with the tropey settings, really let you feel like you're recreating scenes from some of the greatest action movies ever. And once you get the mechanics down (it will take a while!) you'll feel like a total badass.
One stumble at the final hurdle, and why I have this review spoiler tagged; the final boss doesn't let you use special 'focus moves,' I guess to truly test your grasp on the core mechanics. Fine, in theory, BUT! Focus Moves are a thing you can dump copious amounts of XP and other currency into over the course of the game -- at the expense of other upgrades. So for what is effectively a skill tree choice to be completely null at the final fight is, to me, a crazy design choice -- even if I get what they were going for. It would be like telling someone who spec'd an entire Souls run into a particular style of play that the style in question was no longer useable at the climax. SiFu's ultimate battle is still winnable and I did feel amazing when I finished it using just my basic blocks and strikes, but it did trivialize the entire game's previous sense of progression and upgrading; with each previous boss encouraging you to learn a new facet of the game; not strip something away.
2021
The tonal whiplash in these games is getting to be very funny. Getting a serious actor to do very serious acting as a fascist, only to have the actual game still be Just Cause style wackiness is a great bit. Cockfighting! Sausage dog companions!
Anyway, no matter how oversaturated it is, I will always have a soft spot for the Far Cry formula. But this is bidding farewell from my PS5 hard drive for now as I definitely don't have the drive to keep clearing this comically large map.
Anyway, no matter how oversaturated it is, I will always have a soft spot for the Far Cry formula. But this is bidding farewell from my PS5 hard drive for now as I definitely don't have the drive to keep clearing this comically large map.