Thundercblob
1990
Finally got around to this in preparation for Mario Wonder. I've been meaning to play this for ages and knocking this off my backlog has meant I've finally got around to all the 2D Zelda's and Mario's I've got access to (apart from 2 and SMW2).
The overworld design in this one is great with the amount of secret exits and levels. The sprites are great, the new powerups like the cape are awesome, and the controls are tight. I don't think the individual levels are as good as 3 and 3's worlds have more of a clear theme (desert/big and small world etc). There are also one too many fortress and ghost house levels that reuse a lot of the same assets, lessening the variety of levels.
The game is generally a lot easier than 3, which is fine, but there are still some pretty challenging levels especially in the special zone and the later fortresses. The level design never feels as punishing or unfair as 3 with the exception of some of the special zone levels.
Other than that its pretty much exactly what I expected and wanted. The platforming is fun and beating bowser feels like an achievement. As a console launch game, this is probably tied with Halo for the best of all time. Can't really go wrong with Mario.
The overworld design in this one is great with the amount of secret exits and levels. The sprites are great, the new powerups like the cape are awesome, and the controls are tight. I don't think the individual levels are as good as 3 and 3's worlds have more of a clear theme (desert/big and small world etc). There are also one too many fortress and ghost house levels that reuse a lot of the same assets, lessening the variety of levels.
The game is generally a lot easier than 3, which is fine, but there are still some pretty challenging levels especially in the special zone and the later fortresses. The level design never feels as punishing or unfair as 3 with the exception of some of the special zone levels.
Other than that its pretty much exactly what I expected and wanted. The platforming is fun and beating bowser feels like an achievement. As a console launch game, this is probably tied with Halo for the best of all time. Can't really go wrong with Mario.
Extremely solid. You can easily see how this is the inspiration for games like Hollow Knight, but also so much more: elements of Rogue Legacy, The Messenger, and even the Soulsborne games.
The map was fun to explore and the progression was decent, although I wish some upgrades were needed more often, the double jump becomes a bit useless once you get the bat. I loved the visuals, the cheesy ridiculous PS1 dialogue, and the familiars.
It's a testament to this game that it still feels pretty modern compared to other metroidvanias. A lot of games are still emulating this formula. While I enjoyed Super Metroid a little more, I think this is pretty much nearly as good. The only negative thing is the combat really; the bosses feel a bit messy sometimes and difficult to read, and the upgrades make combat very easy by the end.
The map was fun to explore and the progression was decent, although I wish some upgrades were needed more often, the double jump becomes a bit useless once you get the bat. I loved the visuals, the cheesy ridiculous PS1 dialogue, and the familiars.
It's a testament to this game that it still feels pretty modern compared to other metroidvanias. A lot of games are still emulating this formula. While I enjoyed Super Metroid a little more, I think this is pretty much nearly as good. The only negative thing is the combat really; the bosses feel a bit messy sometimes and difficult to read, and the upgrades make combat very easy by the end.
Pretty much everything I wanted and could have asked for in a 2D Mario game. Except from the repetitive Bowser Jr. minibosses, there are almost no problems with this game.
The levels are so full of new ideas and everything is focused on pure fun. The wonder seeds, new enemies, and the overall creativity of the game makes every level feel unique and the controls and visual design make everything pop. Mario controls intuitively and the levels have never been more visually distinct. The music is good but doesn't really stand out amongst other Mario games, however.
The difficulty of the levels is pretty much perfect. It rarely gets to the extreme difficulty of later levels in Mario 3 and the challenging levels in the special world are just challenging enough to entertain those looking for more difficulty but not crazy enough to be impossible. The 'final-final trial' was exceptionally tough, but I felt a sense of achievement from finally getting through it. Saying this, the extra content is very well put together. Compared to the special zone in Mario World which feels a little tacked on, the special world in Wonder functions more like the Star World with a challenge for each main world hub. The collectible coins are rarely obnoxious and usually pretty enjoyable to find and the decision to make them function as currency was great. There is finally some function to getting them.
Everything is just so well designed and this game just perfectly embodies how an extremely talented group of developers, given the time and resources they need and the encouragement to be creative and bold (this game had no set deadline or budget), can deliver something of almost unparalleled quality. The attention to detail, the quality of life features, the creativity. Everything is here.
2D Mario hasn't been this good since the 90s. Tied with Resident Evil 4 for GOTY for me.
The levels are so full of new ideas and everything is focused on pure fun. The wonder seeds, new enemies, and the overall creativity of the game makes every level feel unique and the controls and visual design make everything pop. Mario controls intuitively and the levels have never been more visually distinct. The music is good but doesn't really stand out amongst other Mario games, however.
The difficulty of the levels is pretty much perfect. It rarely gets to the extreme difficulty of later levels in Mario 3 and the challenging levels in the special world are just challenging enough to entertain those looking for more difficulty but not crazy enough to be impossible. The 'final-final trial' was exceptionally tough, but I felt a sense of achievement from finally getting through it. Saying this, the extra content is very well put together. Compared to the special zone in Mario World which feels a little tacked on, the special world in Wonder functions more like the Star World with a challenge for each main world hub. The collectible coins are rarely obnoxious and usually pretty enjoyable to find and the decision to make them function as currency was great. There is finally some function to getting them.
Everything is just so well designed and this game just perfectly embodies how an extremely talented group of developers, given the time and resources they need and the encouragement to be creative and bold (this game had no set deadline or budget), can deliver something of almost unparalleled quality. The attention to detail, the quality of life features, the creativity. Everything is here.
2D Mario hasn't been this good since the 90s. Tied with Resident Evil 4 for GOTY for me.
2009
Most underrated game of all time
Better than Ghost of Tsushima, you get to ride down a mountain in a hat and fish for sushi
Better than Ghost of Tsushima, you get to ride down a mountain in a hat and fish for sushi
I didn't enjoy this as much as the first for a few reasons, which is disappointing considering that this is so highly regarded.
This game does make improvements over the original, especially in its boss design. Bosses are far more varied and interesting in this game, although the king bee is a real pain. Similarly, the controls and hit detection have been more finely tuned and so this entry feels fairer in its platforming.
However, I can't say I enjoyed the setting, characters, or level design of this game.
The pirate theme is fine, but it leads to a lot of overused assets. All the water levels are visually identical and a pirate ship seems to appear in every zone to make sure they can use the masts and rigging for a few levels. This makes the whole game feel a little samey. When this is compounded by the fact a lot of the worlds don't have a coherent theme, it makes the game feel lacking in any sort of progression. Beehive levels are thrown in almost at random, and the theme-park area has only two relevant-looking levels. There are 3 bee levels, a swamp level, and two bramble levels in this area, which vary wildly in design and make the order of levels just feel random.
The soundtrack is great and deserves all its praise, but the way it's implemented leaves a lot to be desired. The starting area has one of the weaker selections of tracks and makes the first few levels feel lacklustre as a result. When better songs such as stickerbush symphony are eventually used, the levels are often weaker, lessening the impact of the soundtrack.
The level design is fine but feels focused more on gimmicks and tricks than solid platforming. I can't see why this is praised as better than the first game in this capacity. For every few good levels, you have to ride a slow spider, jump as a snake, or ride a balloon. Most of the non-animal levels are similar. What if this water level was dark? What if the whole level was just jumping through barrels? How about the same mast level you've played 4 times but the waters rising below you? All this feels surface-level, cheap, and ultimately uninspired. There is a sizeable portion of this game that could easily be cut out and it really makes you see why this only took a year to make.
I don't hate this game though, it's got enough to it that it's worth a play, especially if you already enjoyed the first one.
This game does make improvements over the original, especially in its boss design. Bosses are far more varied and interesting in this game, although the king bee is a real pain. Similarly, the controls and hit detection have been more finely tuned and so this entry feels fairer in its platforming.
However, I can't say I enjoyed the setting, characters, or level design of this game.
The pirate theme is fine, but it leads to a lot of overused assets. All the water levels are visually identical and a pirate ship seems to appear in every zone to make sure they can use the masts and rigging for a few levels. This makes the whole game feel a little samey. When this is compounded by the fact a lot of the worlds don't have a coherent theme, it makes the game feel lacking in any sort of progression. Beehive levels are thrown in almost at random, and the theme-park area has only two relevant-looking levels. There are 3 bee levels, a swamp level, and two bramble levels in this area, which vary wildly in design and make the order of levels just feel random.
The soundtrack is great and deserves all its praise, but the way it's implemented leaves a lot to be desired. The starting area has one of the weaker selections of tracks and makes the first few levels feel lacklustre as a result. When better songs such as stickerbush symphony are eventually used, the levels are often weaker, lessening the impact of the soundtrack.
The level design is fine but feels focused more on gimmicks and tricks than solid platforming. I can't see why this is praised as better than the first game in this capacity. For every few good levels, you have to ride a slow spider, jump as a snake, or ride a balloon. Most of the non-animal levels are similar. What if this water level was dark? What if the whole level was just jumping through barrels? How about the same mast level you've played 4 times but the waters rising below you? All this feels surface-level, cheap, and ultimately uninspired. There is a sizeable portion of this game that could easily be cut out and it really makes you see why this only took a year to make.
I don't hate this game though, it's got enough to it that it's worth a play, especially if you already enjoyed the first one.
2014
I thought I'd find this extremely dated compared to the remakes but I ended up loving it and really appreciating not only what this game did for the franchise but for survival horror as a whole.
Yes, the game looks and plays pretty janky. Yes, the puzzles are often obtuse and the door animations are overly long. But there's a magic in this game that kept me hooked for two whole playthroughs as both Jill and Chris. I think all the modern complaints about restrictions like inventory space and fixed camera angles just don't 'get it', these restrictions essentially are the gameplay. The constricting corridors and spongy enemies couple with these restrictions to create a constant feeling of unease and a need to plan ahead.
This game nails the atmosphere and the Spencer Mansion as a location is my favourite in the series alongside the police station from 2. I just love the slow, backtracking gameplay of the earlier games in this series where I'm constantly worrying about how I'm going to move through the mansion to get to the next puzzle. The sound and art design are also excellent and only act to complement this.
For a game that's 21 years old, this stands shoulder to shoulder with the recent remakes in terms of enjoyability, atmosphere, and in some cases even gameplay. A classic that I think everyone should play. If you liked the 2 remake, this feels very similar in terms of progression.
Yes, the game looks and plays pretty janky. Yes, the puzzles are often obtuse and the door animations are overly long. But there's a magic in this game that kept me hooked for two whole playthroughs as both Jill and Chris. I think all the modern complaints about restrictions like inventory space and fixed camera angles just don't 'get it', these restrictions essentially are the gameplay. The constricting corridors and spongy enemies couple with these restrictions to create a constant feeling of unease and a need to plan ahead.
This game nails the atmosphere and the Spencer Mansion as a location is my favourite in the series alongside the police station from 2. I just love the slow, backtracking gameplay of the earlier games in this series where I'm constantly worrying about how I'm going to move through the mansion to get to the next puzzle. The sound and art design are also excellent and only act to complement this.
For a game that's 21 years old, this stands shoulder to shoulder with the recent remakes in terms of enjoyability, atmosphere, and in some cases even gameplay. A classic that I think everyone should play. If you liked the 2 remake, this feels very similar in terms of progression.
2018
Pure quality from start to finish. So easy to see how this has become a classic and how its focus on characters has informed the modern JRPG. The game is not going to blow you away if you've played the games that take inspiration from it, but the fact there is almost no filler is amazing. The music is awesome, the characters are very likeable, and the locations are varied and interesting enough for it to never hit those dull lows of longer JRPGs that have you grinding and completing fetch quests to drag out the game length.
The game is a solid 20 hours and for all that time I was completely engaged. The combat is also pretty unique and I'm surprised it hasn't been emulated more. It's more time-based than turn-based with battles that happen within the levels themselves and without uninspired random encounters. Overall, it's pretty easy throughout and you don't really need to grind much. Some of the bosses are really good though, especially the final gauntlet of bosses.
The only negative thing is the padding added by the DS and PC versions in the form of optional dungeons and quests. I stumbled into the Lost Sanctum questline and played it for a few hours, but most of the added content only serves to disrupt the tight pacing of the original. I just didn't play it and had a much better time for it.
The game is a solid 20 hours and for all that time I was completely engaged. The combat is also pretty unique and I'm surprised it hasn't been emulated more. It's more time-based than turn-based with battles that happen within the levels themselves and without uninspired random encounters. Overall, it's pretty easy throughout and you don't really need to grind much. Some of the bosses are really good though, especially the final gauntlet of bosses.
The only negative thing is the padding added by the DS and PC versions in the form of optional dungeons and quests. I stumbled into the Lost Sanctum questline and played it for a few hours, but most of the added content only serves to disrupt the tight pacing of the original. I just didn't play it and had a much better time for it.
2002
I like this as a follow-up to Super. It's linear, but feels more like a narrative mission than other Metroid games and the space station feels unique from the other games which all take place on alien planets. It has some great visual design, great movements and controls, and the puzzles are all really good.
The bosses in this game are a little wonky though. Some are really easily spammable like Ridley, while others are gimmicky and simple. There are a few harder ones but they don't match the clever bosses of Super or especially Dread.
Overall though I like how this is markedly different from Super. As a sequel, it feels fresh and I preferred the X parasites to the Metroids.
The bosses in this game are a little wonky though. Some are really easily spammable like Ridley, while others are gimmicky and simple. There are a few harder ones but they don't match the clever bosses of Super or especially Dread.
Overall though I like how this is markedly different from Super. As a sequel, it feels fresh and I preferred the X parasites to the Metroids.
1985
Still holds up. I have almost no nostalgia for the NES original and grew up with New Super Mario Bros. on DS. In fact, I am not really a fan of NES games because they're usually clunky and have awful hitbox detection.
However, they pretty much got it all right on the first go with this one. Level design is engaging and deaths usually feel pretty fair. I was taken aback by how difficult this one is though compared to modern Mario. Power-Ups become super rare in the late game.
However, they pretty much got it all right on the first go with this one. Level design is engaging and deaths usually feel pretty fair. I was taken aback by how difficult this one is though compared to modern Mario. Power-Ups become super rare in the late game.
Super weird and I am here for it. Almost every level has a unique twist and the different zones all have really strong themes. Feels so creative for what could have easily been phoned in.
A lot of fun and definitely the scariest in the franchise. The opening few hours are genuinely freaky and later areas like the greenhouse and child's room are tense and unsettling.
Despite dialling up the horror, RE7 still manages to get most of the key aspects of a great RE game down well. The exploration is great, especially in the first part of the mansion where you have no weapons and are avoiding Jack. The mansion as a whole is great. Later areas get a bit more linear and the action ramps up whilst the scares get fewer and fewer (which is pretty standard for RE). The atmosphere is great throughout and, whilst it's not my favourite setting, the Baker estate earns its place as an iconic location for the franchise.
There was obviously a lot of love put into rebooting the franchise and I was thoroughly impressed how this game still feels like RE despite all the changes such as the first-person mode. Despite what critics say, there are a lot of level design quirks that remain in line with earlier games. It's a fresh coat of paint, but sticks to the franchise's key gameplay loops and for that I think it's one of the best soft reboots we've ever had.
The DLCs are also a lot of fun. They play differently to the main game and are more action heavy but the change of pace is exciting and they don't last long enough to detract from the main experience. Both Not a Hero and End of Zoe add some interesting worldbuilding to the main story and twist the mechanics enough to stand out as unique.
The only real problem is the combat. There's not really enough variation in the main campaign and sometimes the molded just feel placed there for the sake of it. Compared to games like REmake and the RE2 remake the default enemies aren't really threatening and the focus on killing them takes away from some of the fight-or-flight mechanics of earlier games.
Overall though, this was a solid 8.5/10 and I'd recommend to anyone looking for a great first-person survival horror.
Despite dialling up the horror, RE7 still manages to get most of the key aspects of a great RE game down well. The exploration is great, especially in the first part of the mansion where you have no weapons and are avoiding Jack. The mansion as a whole is great. Later areas get a bit more linear and the action ramps up whilst the scares get fewer and fewer (which is pretty standard for RE). The atmosphere is great throughout and, whilst it's not my favourite setting, the Baker estate earns its place as an iconic location for the franchise.
There was obviously a lot of love put into rebooting the franchise and I was thoroughly impressed how this game still feels like RE despite all the changes such as the first-person mode. Despite what critics say, there are a lot of level design quirks that remain in line with earlier games. It's a fresh coat of paint, but sticks to the franchise's key gameplay loops and for that I think it's one of the best soft reboots we've ever had.
The DLCs are also a lot of fun. They play differently to the main game and are more action heavy but the change of pace is exciting and they don't last long enough to detract from the main experience. Both Not a Hero and End of Zoe add some interesting worldbuilding to the main story and twist the mechanics enough to stand out as unique.
The only real problem is the combat. There's not really enough variation in the main campaign and sometimes the molded just feel placed there for the sake of it. Compared to games like REmake and the RE2 remake the default enemies aren't really threatening and the focus on killing them takes away from some of the fight-or-flight mechanics of earlier games.
Overall though, this was a solid 8.5/10 and I'd recommend to anyone looking for a great first-person survival horror.
Starts off pretty fun with a rehash of castle Dimitrescu which I enjoyed. The creepy doll house bit was fun. Every area is just an asset flip though you literally only explore areas you've already been to in the main story. At least RE4 Separate Ways or RE7's DLCs had new areas and new mechanics. This just feels incredibly samey.
The story is also easily the worst of anything I've played in RE, including 5. The sappy Fast & Furious 'family' trope is overdone and it's just too much here. The plot twist is beyond obvious. The plot is even more contrived than the base game. The main character is as plain and boring as they come, especially for this series. I could go on, but ultimately this is just a lazy asset flip with some cool ideas thrown in like the mannequins.
Top that all off with the janky third person mechanics that feel so shoehorned in and this becomes something that is not really worth playing to be completely honest. Please don't let this be the future direction for the franchise. For all the complaints people had about the End of Zoe DLC for 7, at least it had new areas, new enemies, and completely revamped combat. This has 'hold R1 to get rid of moldy obstacles in the corridor'.
The story is also easily the worst of anything I've played in RE, including 5. The sappy Fast & Furious 'family' trope is overdone and it's just too much here. The plot twist is beyond obvious. The plot is even more contrived than the base game. The main character is as plain and boring as they come, especially for this series. I could go on, but ultimately this is just a lazy asset flip with some cool ideas thrown in like the mannequins.
Top that all off with the janky third person mechanics that feel so shoehorned in and this becomes something that is not really worth playing to be completely honest. Please don't let this be the future direction for the franchise. For all the complaints people had about the End of Zoe DLC for 7, at least it had new areas, new enemies, and completely revamped combat. This has 'hold R1 to get rid of moldy obstacles in the corridor'.
2023
Some good characters but my god is this game padded to a ridiculous extent. For a 40 hr game, it's about 20 hrs too long.
Side quests are filler with overly verbose dialogue in need of cutting and editing that adds very little to the experience. They are 90% of the time fetch quests that feel plucked out of an MMO.
The combat is fine, but it goes nowhere. There is no real progression and the few attacks you have are not enough to carry the repetitive combinations of enemies. What starts off fun quickly becomes a slog.
The story is fun initially and hooks you with its medieval political drama but sort of falls apart in the second and third acts as it becomes a standard JRPG 'let's all kill God' adventure and forgets pretty much everything about the world its been building for the last 20 hours.
Technically, the game is a mixed bag. It looks great (apart from the stiff character animations), but stutters a lot even in PS5 performance mode. There are no real game-breaking bugs though.
This is my first Final Fantasy game, so I have no real insight into the franchise, but I think I would probably prefer the turn-based games. The game is basically straddled between action and RPG and the RPG elements are so light they might as well not exist.
Side quests are filler with overly verbose dialogue in need of cutting and editing that adds very little to the experience. They are 90% of the time fetch quests that feel plucked out of an MMO.
The combat is fine, but it goes nowhere. There is no real progression and the few attacks you have are not enough to carry the repetitive combinations of enemies. What starts off fun quickly becomes a slog.
The story is fun initially and hooks you with its medieval political drama but sort of falls apart in the second and third acts as it becomes a standard JRPG 'let's all kill God' adventure and forgets pretty much everything about the world its been building for the last 20 hours.
Technically, the game is a mixed bag. It looks great (apart from the stiff character animations), but stutters a lot even in PS5 performance mode. There are no real game-breaking bugs though.
This is my first Final Fantasy game, so I have no real insight into the franchise, but I think I would probably prefer the turn-based games. The game is basically straddled between action and RPG and the RPG elements are so light they might as well not exist.
2022
Honestly quite disappointing.
The characters we love are still here, and they are given a lot of meaningful development throughout. The new characters of Thor, Heimdall, and Odin are also interesting and make for interesting antagonists.
However, the quiet, introspective narrative that made the first game so impactful has been replaced with a Marvel-esque plot and the tight-knit cast has been expanded tenfold. Not all of these new characters are interesting, necessary, or well-acted, and the plot often feels tangential and contrived. 'Ragnarok' also features very little in this game; when we come to the final battle, it only lasts around 20 minutes.
I feel like this game suffers from just being more for the sake of more. We could have spent more time with Odin and Thor but a lot of time is spent introducing new, irrelevant characters and areas. The combat feels worse and a lot of the boss fights (berserker especially) are phoned-in and ganky. The menus are somehow even worse than in 2018 and the RPG elements feel increasingly unnecessary.
I don't want to take away from the effort Santa Monica has put into this game and the love they've put into this God of War reboot, but I feel like God of War III did nearly everything this game tried to do (except from the characters), but better.
The characters we love are still here, and they are given a lot of meaningful development throughout. The new characters of Thor, Heimdall, and Odin are also interesting and make for interesting antagonists.
However, the quiet, introspective narrative that made the first game so impactful has been replaced with a Marvel-esque plot and the tight-knit cast has been expanded tenfold. Not all of these new characters are interesting, necessary, or well-acted, and the plot often feels tangential and contrived. 'Ragnarok' also features very little in this game; when we come to the final battle, it only lasts around 20 minutes.
I feel like this game suffers from just being more for the sake of more. We could have spent more time with Odin and Thor but a lot of time is spent introducing new, irrelevant characters and areas. The combat feels worse and a lot of the boss fights (berserker especially) are phoned-in and ganky. The menus are somehow even worse than in 2018 and the RPG elements feel increasingly unnecessary.
I don't want to take away from the effort Santa Monica has put into this game and the love they've put into this God of War reboot, but I feel like God of War III did nearly everything this game tried to do (except from the characters), but better.
I played this for like 3 months straight every day last summer and in September I just sort of stopped for some reason. The game is fun for a while but I think there's just too little things to do and progress towards after you finish the 'campaign'.
I think you have to have a lot of patience and creativity to make steady progress through the post-game where your efforts are focused on terraforming, decorating, and redesigning your island and I didn't really have the motivation to stick it through. Maybe I'll jump back in sometime in the future.
I think you have to have a lot of patience and creativity to make steady progress through the post-game where your efforts are focused on terraforming, decorating, and redesigning your island and I didn't really have the motivation to stick it through. Maybe I'll jump back in sometime in the future.