TheMirzai
21 Reviews liked by TheMirzai
Simultaneously a step forward and backward for the series. The advances made with the convenience of the level design, controls, and the balance between explorability and linearaity make this a fun and well-paced experience. Unfortunately, it is also a game that suffers from repetition due to its enemies - especially the 40 Metroid bosses - and mostly similar topography throughout SR388. It also doesn't have a single lick of a narrative aside from the prologue and literally the final section of the game. Still, a worthwhile glimpse into the future of Metroid gameplay, the likes of which I hope gets expanded upon with Metroid Dread.
this is what you come home to when you ask for crash bandicoot warped and your mother responds with "we have crash bandicoot warped at home"
Yes, it's aggressively uncool and geeky beyond compare, but this series is a cosy blanket of idyllic exploration and bingeworthy melodrama, and this game is no exception. Alex is perhaps the most likeable protagonist to date, the empathy powers are straightforward but allow for some targeted commentary on agency and interactive narratives plus the setting is gorgeous to explore. Setting this in largely one location helped not only deliver the best visuals of the series, but also to give the player a real feeling of belonging, a far cry from the (also excellent) road trip structure of LIS2. Not sure where I'd ultimately place it against the others, but it's the most consistent entry in the series at least and a marked improvement from Deck Nine.
JFK Reloaded
2004
I have good memories of shooting JFK with my cousin.
That doesn't sound right.
I have good memories of shooting JFK in this game with my cousin.
Still doesn't sound right.
You get what I mean.
That doesn't sound right.
I have good memories of shooting JFK in this game with my cousin.
Still doesn't sound right.
You get what I mean.
You see, the scene where Snake stares at EVA's tits is actually very important, because later when he stares at her face instead, that's when you know it's true love. That's character development
Biggest criticism is that the main mode actually has the inverse of a difficulty curve; the game starts out challenging and intense, but you soon get so many power ups and potions and buffs that by the end of the game you can pretty much just tank through everything without much thought. It's sad that early on I felt encouraged to learn enemy patterns, whilst by the end of the game putting in any effort to learn new patterns felt unnecessary.
In general it was pretty fun and charming, though, and this re-envisioned Hyrule was a lot of fun to explore. Worse than Crypt from a gameplay perspective, but the added flavour makes the experience worthwhile regardless.
In general it was pretty fun and charming, though, and this re-envisioned Hyrule was a lot of fun to explore. Worse than Crypt from a gameplay perspective, but the added flavour makes the experience worthwhile regardless.