TsukiruP
Prefaced with I did play this back before Fates released. This playthrough used "Fire Emblem Awakening Same-Sex Marriage: E X P A N D E D" (which means I had installed "Fire Emblem Awakening Same-Sex Marriage" and then some), and a plugin to have children have their "official" hair color and be registered as siblings. There was also one use of a save editor to change my name.
I know this game has slight infamy for where it took the series, vague complaints about being "too anime." I have no experience with the series before this point, but I'm not too fond of tropes and cliches myself. But here me out...
The game... Is fun. Not perfect, but fun.
It is inherintly straight forward. People can call it bland or cookie-cutter but that's not really something against it. It's not trying to be something ground breaking. It's another story of bonds, destniny, and fantasy and I'm kind of glad it doesn't try to be something more. This does make it incredibly easy to pick up and play, which is where I think it shines.
I think the characters get the most flack, having one note gimmicks or traits. Which I think is pretty fair to be bothered by, but I think ignores that these traits are meant to be put together with the support system. The gloomy Dark Mage has to deal with the absurdly strong Great Knight. The barely noticed Sentinel scares every one in the army like a ghost. The Voice of a Divine Dragon has to remind one of her devotees to see her as equals. Nothing is stellar or phenominal, but I've had to experience some funny and sweet conversations between characters. It's just neat.
On the topic of character, your Avatar is basically treated as a proper character. While it was introduced in New Mystery of the Emblem, that isn't something I played or know much of to compare with its execution. It's not much of a self insert with how they're written, and you can't influence them beyond gameplay or choices that appear at the game's endgame. It leads to a very weird disconnect if you gave them YOUR name but can't particularly connect with what's coming from their mouth. I changed my name to Robin for this very reason, and it became a lot more fun to separate myself from the game. Weird, since games are a lot about immersion but I'm not all into self-inserts. It became "who do I think Robin is best with" rather than "who do I think I would be best with."
The main plot is nothing to write home about. Nothing profound, nor does it really try to be. You just go through the motions while antagonists only sort of exist just before you massacre them. Often a weird twist of fate but only just weird choices by the end.
Gameplay-wise it's not very hard. Made worse if you have DLC and get your mind into how to make the most of EXP grinding. But again, this makes it very easy to pick up and play. I had no challenges, sure (I find resetting in FE very annoying anyways), but I did have fun in focusing on how I wanted to make my units. This class learns this later, this character has a better Magic stat than Strength, Galeforce, Galeforce, Galeforce. This extends to children, who I think are funky little guys. I don't like completely understand inheritence but I handled it, making Severa/Lucina a devistating pair-up. I felt a sort of appeal in how most fans think about super cool builds, but in baby-game because I hate not having the opportunity cost just be how much time I can invest into grinding.
The soundtrack isn't a lot but there are plenty of stellar tracks that ramp up the endgame. I do wish maps had more variety in bgm but oh well.
I know many people can just scoff at this game for its fans or how it's very clearly where the series shifted. But I don't see why that should make this game any worse for things out of its control. It's fine to not personally like this game's changes to a series you like, but keep yourself in check to only that. It's weird to extend it beyond that.
This isn't a perfect game, it has many flaws in regards to its gameplay, maps, and overarching story, and can't be what everyone wants. But it's a fun and comfy game that I enjoyed and can see myself coming back to.
I know this game has slight infamy for where it took the series, vague complaints about being "too anime." I have no experience with the series before this point, but I'm not too fond of tropes and cliches myself. But here me out...
The game... Is fun. Not perfect, but fun.
It is inherintly straight forward. People can call it bland or cookie-cutter but that's not really something against it. It's not trying to be something ground breaking. It's another story of bonds, destniny, and fantasy and I'm kind of glad it doesn't try to be something more. This does make it incredibly easy to pick up and play, which is where I think it shines.
I think the characters get the most flack, having one note gimmicks or traits. Which I think is pretty fair to be bothered by, but I think ignores that these traits are meant to be put together with the support system. The gloomy Dark Mage has to deal with the absurdly strong Great Knight. The barely noticed Sentinel scares every one in the army like a ghost. The Voice of a Divine Dragon has to remind one of her devotees to see her as equals. Nothing is stellar or phenominal, but I've had to experience some funny and sweet conversations between characters. It's just neat.
On the topic of character, your Avatar is basically treated as a proper character. While it was introduced in New Mystery of the Emblem, that isn't something I played or know much of to compare with its execution. It's not much of a self insert with how they're written, and you can't influence them beyond gameplay or choices that appear at the game's endgame. It leads to a very weird disconnect if you gave them YOUR name but can't particularly connect with what's coming from their mouth. I changed my name to Robin for this very reason, and it became a lot more fun to separate myself from the game. Weird, since games are a lot about immersion but I'm not all into self-inserts. It became "who do I think Robin is best with" rather than "who do I think I would be best with."
The main plot is nothing to write home about. Nothing profound, nor does it really try to be. You just go through the motions while antagonists only sort of exist just before you massacre them. Often a weird twist of fate but only just weird choices by the end.
Gameplay-wise it's not very hard. Made worse if you have DLC and get your mind into how to make the most of EXP grinding. But again, this makes it very easy to pick up and play. I had no challenges, sure (I find resetting in FE very annoying anyways), but I did have fun in focusing on how I wanted to make my units. This class learns this later, this character has a better Magic stat than Strength, Galeforce, Galeforce, Galeforce. This extends to children, who I think are funky little guys. I don't like completely understand inheritence but I handled it, making Severa/Lucina a devistating pair-up. I felt a sort of appeal in how most fans think about super cool builds, but in baby-game because I hate not having the opportunity cost just be how much time I can invest into grinding.
The soundtrack isn't a lot but there are plenty of stellar tracks that ramp up the endgame. I do wish maps had more variety in bgm but oh well.
I know many people can just scoff at this game for its fans or how it's very clearly where the series shifted. But I don't see why that should make this game any worse for things out of its control. It's fine to not personally like this game's changes to a series you like, but keep yourself in check to only that. It's weird to extend it beyond that.
This isn't a perfect game, it has many flaws in regards to its gameplay, maps, and overarching story, and can't be what everyone wants. But it's a fun and comfy game that I enjoyed and can see myself coming back to.
I don't know where to start with this one. It takes a while for things to really get moving, and I feel like integral Relics are place wherever but gaining more movement finally feels like it gets going.
Then the inverted castle happens. I'm not sure who needs to hear this but buildings are less fun to travel when they're upside down. Bosses in the inverted castle also range from piss easy to oh I'm just supposed to know this is how Mist works. Some enemies are also just the worst to deal with, Flea Men 2: Electric Boogaloo. Not a very balanced area.
I do find item usage kind of weird and cumbersome, but really all the systems are nice and straightforward.
All in all I did think this was worth the time I spent. Very cool game.
Then the inverted castle happens. I'm not sure who needs to hear this but buildings are less fun to travel when they're upside down. Bosses in the inverted castle also range from piss easy to oh I'm just supposed to know this is how Mist works. Some enemies are also just the worst to deal with, Flea Men 2: Electric Boogaloo. Not a very balanced area.
I do find item usage kind of weird and cumbersome, but really all the systems are nice and straightforward.
All in all I did think this was worth the time I spent. Very cool game.
I'm not really sure what I expected from the popularity of this series and really weird anime culture a decade ago, but I got pretty into what's basically the prologue. I felt tense and scared about what the hell was happening, all made better with the really good use of Sound in this Sound Novel. It's only really harmed by awkward issue presented likely by VNDS Vita.
2007
This game is rough to say the least. I enjoyed the original ZX when I played it but acknowledge there are so many ways to improve it, and this game tries to do that but then takes several steps back.
Take the map and using forms. ZXA's map on the bottom screen is infinitely better than ZX. However the actual areas are a pain to navigate, still managing to get lost. Not all areas are as connected as it feels in ZX, and areas just feel like a massive chore. Fuck Floating Ruins especially, with invincible enemies who shoot you and remove your ability to jump. In an area named Floating Ruins. Cool. Some areas can only be teleported to, and if you go there you have to go to the end if you want to the end, no if or buts about it.
In ZX, if you wanted to talk to some characters, you had to transform into Hu to get anything done. Annoying stuff. ZXA "solves" this by not requiring you to transform into Hu, but then also automatically transforms you into Model A if you're in a cutscene. Which is great except it does this for the entire game and I have to prepare to getting back to my desire form for a fight. Made worse in the collection because toggled saves are right next to warp points, which also force you into Model A.
This stems from Model A's Trans-On mechanic, letting you copy the data of enemies, biometal/livemetal or pseudodroid. So you're not really just changing armor, but literally becoming someone else. Conceptually it's cool, but it's kind of lame compared to actually getting parts of enemies. In execution it makes the transform menu feel bloated, with plenty of very limited use Forms. Take Model F and Bifrost. There a blocks that Model F can break, and breaks that Bifrost can break on top of that. I think it would've been better if they had just made the Livemetals have more utility in the world than just have an entire different set that isn't as fun to use. The only one I think is worth it's while is Chronoforce, only because Time Bomb is definitely not balanced.
The boss fights also are kind of annoying. The instant you get Chronoforce and your last Livemetal copied, much of them just becomes a silly joke.
There's also a lot of busy work. The blocks mentioned above will constantly respawn, making it kind of stupid as a way to make shortcuts if I have to do it every time. And sidequests vary from just item hunts to "find 50 enemies and don't know how many you're at." I was almost done with all the Item B chips but then it does this.
I couldn't find a reason to care for the plot and eventually started skipping cutscenes just to get a move on. It's not like it acts all that connected to ZX.
Couldn't care about much of the music either, the only one I liked off the top of my head is a returning track from ZX.
To say something nicer, I do like that BM/LM energy can be regenerated while waiting. Yeah.
I'm just disappointed in a sequel for a game I thought was super cool and could be cooler.
Take the map and using forms. ZXA's map on the bottom screen is infinitely better than ZX. However the actual areas are a pain to navigate, still managing to get lost. Not all areas are as connected as it feels in ZX, and areas just feel like a massive chore. Fuck Floating Ruins especially, with invincible enemies who shoot you and remove your ability to jump. In an area named Floating Ruins. Cool. Some areas can only be teleported to, and if you go there you have to go to the end if you want to the end, no if or buts about it.
In ZX, if you wanted to talk to some characters, you had to transform into Hu to get anything done. Annoying stuff. ZXA "solves" this by not requiring you to transform into Hu, but then also automatically transforms you into Model A if you're in a cutscene. Which is great except it does this for the entire game and I have to prepare to getting back to my desire form for a fight. Made worse in the collection because toggled saves are right next to warp points, which also force you into Model A.
This stems from Model A's Trans-On mechanic, letting you copy the data of enemies, biometal/livemetal or pseudodroid. So you're not really just changing armor, but literally becoming someone else. Conceptually it's cool, but it's kind of lame compared to actually getting parts of enemies. In execution it makes the transform menu feel bloated, with plenty of very limited use Forms. Take Model F and Bifrost. There a blocks that Model F can break, and breaks that Bifrost can break on top of that. I think it would've been better if they had just made the Livemetals have more utility in the world than just have an entire different set that isn't as fun to use. The only one I think is worth it's while is Chronoforce, only because Time Bomb is definitely not balanced.
The boss fights also are kind of annoying. The instant you get Chronoforce and your last Livemetal copied, much of them just becomes a silly joke.
There's also a lot of busy work. The blocks mentioned above will constantly respawn, making it kind of stupid as a way to make shortcuts if I have to do it every time. And sidequests vary from just item hunts to "find 50 enemies and don't know how many you're at." I was almost done with all the Item B chips but then it does this.
I couldn't find a reason to care for the plot and eventually started skipping cutscenes just to get a move on. It's not like it acts all that connected to ZX.
Couldn't care about much of the music either, the only one I liked off the top of my head is a returning track from ZX.
To say something nicer, I do like that BM/LM energy can be regenerated while waiting. Yeah.
I'm just disappointed in a sequel for a game I thought was super cool and could be cooler.
2011
I called the console version a missed opportunity, but man does this embody being a missed opportunity.
Elephant in the room, Modern and Classic are both 2D. Which would be fine if classic was dedicated to the basics and Sonic being like Rush. However, the 3DS does not lend itself to 2D platformers in my opinion, and I loathe the dpad placement. And 3 zones in they give Classic a homing attack/jump dash, blending the hedgehogs together.
In terms of content, levels, and bosses, this game lacks anything I'd call charm from the console version. Would've been a great opportunity to focus more on handheld games, but we only walk away with one Rush level and technically a Colors DS level. Rival battles also reuse zone assets on top of being already super annoying.
Actual bosses are hit and miss. Big Arm kinda sucked. Biolizard is a weird choice but honestly it's a concept I wish they messed more with. Egg Emperor is neat but... Feels weird for a game with no Heroes stage.
Time Eater is better but not by much.
Elephant in the room, Modern and Classic are both 2D. Which would be fine if classic was dedicated to the basics and Sonic being like Rush. However, the 3DS does not lend itself to 2D platformers in my opinion, and I loathe the dpad placement. And 3 zones in they give Classic a homing attack/jump dash, blending the hedgehogs together.
In terms of content, levels, and bosses, this game lacks anything I'd call charm from the console version. Would've been a great opportunity to focus more on handheld games, but we only walk away with one Rush level and technically a Colors DS level. Rival battles also reuse zone assets on top of being already super annoying.
Actual bosses are hit and miss. Big Arm kinda sucked. Biolizard is a weird choice but honestly it's a concept I wish they messed more with. Egg Emperor is neat but... Feels weird for a game with no Heroes stage.
Time Eater is better but not by much.
2011
A cute tribute game, especially with how much fun they have remaking level aesthetic, Speed Highway is lovely for that. Though bloated with missions and not any actual real content. More stages or more use of the premise would've been nice.
Classic Sonic feels bad and it's not made better with mods for levels not designed for them. Modern Sonic feels super fucking good though, best he's been.
Time Eater gate is super cool. Time Eater sucks.
And obviously can be made better with mods, be they levels, models, or just UI. Personally used the Double Jump for Modern Sonic, Unleashed HUD, Unleashed Objects, Quick Hoot+, Classic Sonic Improvement Mod, Discord Generations, and Time Eater Fixed Forever.
Classic Sonic feels bad and it's not made better with mods for levels not designed for them. Modern Sonic feels super fucking good though, best he's been.
Time Eater gate is super cool. Time Eater sucks.
And obviously can be made better with mods, be they levels, models, or just UI. Personally used the Double Jump for Modern Sonic, Unleashed HUD, Unleashed Objects, Quick Hoot+, Classic Sonic Improvement Mod, Discord Generations, and Time Eater Fixed Forever.
An enigma, as it was promptly forgotten years later with very few traces of its existence. Or maybe it was something made up by a select few.
Calling it a fighting game is putting a lot of work on the words "fighting" and "game." There is no rhyme or reason for any decision that led to it's result, in its controls and movement or just all weirdly small it all fears.
Calling it a fighting game is putting a lot of work on the words "fighting" and "game." There is no rhyme or reason for any decision that led to it's result, in its controls and movement or just all weirdly small it all fears.
Just more standard Kirby stuff, making it kind of boring. Near the end they try to twist some thing but it's also where I think the most questionable design rounds its head and just gets super annoying.
2012
This is one of the coolest video games ever, with an entire cast of reoccurring and side characters that all have their own charm, and writing that manages to meta or comedic whilst still having stakes in its entirety. Difficulty can be kind of much, controls not helping, but man does this game rock. Super pretty and charming for a 3DS game, and it only came out a year after the console started out.
Just the scale and scope of this game has so much SOUL, it's no wonder a sequel isn't planned: How the hell do you beat this?
Just the scale and scope of this game has so much SOUL, it's no wonder a sequel isn't planned: How the hell do you beat this?
"Abandoned" is a bit harsh, as I liked a lot of the Main Games included. However, my main objective was to 100% this collection, and I ended up only getting to 98% and giving up. I do just wish more of this was a whole one focused game rather than feel so disjointed, cause it makes it harder to feel about as one whole. So I've decided to try and comment on every Main Game as best as I could.
Spring Breeze: Essentially a remake of Kirby's Dream Land, with copy abilities of course. It's straight to the point, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Dyna Blade: More of Spring Breeze styled gameplay. Still fun!
The Great Cave Offensive: A more adventure-styled experience focused on collecting treasures and using abilities to find more treasures. Lacks a map and a few of the treasures I had to turn towards a guide, but I enjoyed it a lot. Kind of a bother that you do not save your copy ability or Helper when you load a file again.
Gourmet Race: 3 short races against Dedede. It exists I guess.
Revenge of Meta Knight: More Spring Breeze styled levels with a focus on a time limit. It's fine but I wouldn't go back to these.
Milk Way Wishes: My favorite Main Game. Instead of gaining abilities from enemies, you find them through worlds and have access to them at all times. My favorite approach to all these abilities and using them to find more. Last ability was kind of weird to come across but still, very very cool and I hope it comes back.
Revenge of The King: Meh. Spring Breeze Encore Mode. I hate every single boss.
Meta Knightmare Ultra: Permanent Sword ability, with a few more niche moves but mixed with a point system for buffs. Meta Knight goes through areas from the previous games for reasons beyond me. It's cool but I think could be a lot more.
The Arena: A Boss Rush mode with limited resources, randomized order and abilities to choose from. Could be worse.
Helper to Hero: A shorter arena but you're limited to essentially only one copy ability. Bonkers/Hammer is stupid strong.
The TRUE Arena: The Arena but worse. This is where my remaining 2% is. Limited to only all the new bosses introduced in Ultra, which are all the bosses I do not want to deal with, paired with no maximum tomatoes and an even smaller pool of copy abilities (with one always being Sleep). Noooo thank you.
Spring Breeze: Essentially a remake of Kirby's Dream Land, with copy abilities of course. It's straight to the point, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Dyna Blade: More of Spring Breeze styled gameplay. Still fun!
The Great Cave Offensive: A more adventure-styled experience focused on collecting treasures and using abilities to find more treasures. Lacks a map and a few of the treasures I had to turn towards a guide, but I enjoyed it a lot. Kind of a bother that you do not save your copy ability or Helper when you load a file again.
Gourmet Race: 3 short races against Dedede. It exists I guess.
Revenge of Meta Knight: More Spring Breeze styled levels with a focus on a time limit. It's fine but I wouldn't go back to these.
Milk Way Wishes: My favorite Main Game. Instead of gaining abilities from enemies, you find them through worlds and have access to them at all times. My favorite approach to all these abilities and using them to find more. Last ability was kind of weird to come across but still, very very cool and I hope it comes back.
Revenge of The King: Meh. Spring Breeze Encore Mode. I hate every single boss.
Meta Knightmare Ultra: Permanent Sword ability, with a few more niche moves but mixed with a point system for buffs. Meta Knight goes through areas from the previous games for reasons beyond me. It's cool but I think could be a lot more.
The Arena: A Boss Rush mode with limited resources, randomized order and abilities to choose from. Could be worse.
Helper to Hero: A shorter arena but you're limited to essentially only one copy ability. Bonkers/Hammer is stupid strong.
The TRUE Arena: The Arena but worse. This is where my remaining 2% is. Limited to only all the new bosses introduced in Ultra, which are all the bosses I do not want to deal with, paired with no maximum tomatoes and an even smaller pool of copy abilities (with one always being Sleep). Noooo thank you.
1995
Bigger and cuter than the first game which caught me by surprise. I think the Animal Friends are cute but comes in trade with a LOT of auto scrolling, and I'm not a fan of the Rainbow Drops hunt. I think it still carries the questionable design past Level 4, and it starts piling up.
1992
A cute short game, but I think design near the end does certainly become a little prickish. Typical first in the series stuff.
Can be a fun time to shoot the shit with some people, absolutely dreadful and not fun when the most obnoxious type of players make it feel no different than putting down the controller. Could make the argument that fighting games also probably aren't for me, and I have no fun in learning like a test.
The first game in the series, so I will give it some slack when it comes to how awkward it has aged since its initial release on the PS2. Honestly it's not the worst to play, it's amazingly straightforward especially with Stop and Gravity spells at your disposal. There are a couple of obnoxious bosses, especially near endgame where I would not blame someone for quitting, but by then you already got the gist of it. Some ideas they abandon here I wish they kept consistent throughout, but that's for another time.
2001
A short story plus a few character interactions on the side. It's not a lot but it is a bonus disc after all, not a full meal.
"Alliance of Illusionary Eyes" is a really neat post ending tale with only one real twist but I think it's neat.
Geccha and Geccha 2 are some metanarratives featuring the heroines and a stupid cat that give more details behind the scenes. Only get as uncomfortable as the original when they needlessly talk about h-scenes that I skipped and found bad/needless to start. Does make me interested in reading/looking at other extra material.
I have no idea what Kinoko's Masterpiece Experimental Theater was and I'm likely not supposed to.
The included html pages are easily the best part, they're cute. "Life isn't easy" - Kohaku-chan.
"Alliance of Illusionary Eyes" is a really neat post ending tale with only one real twist but I think it's neat.
Geccha and Geccha 2 are some metanarratives featuring the heroines and a stupid cat that give more details behind the scenes. Only get as uncomfortable as the original when they needlessly talk about h-scenes that I skipped and found bad/needless to start. Does make me interested in reading/looking at other extra material.
I have no idea what Kinoko's Masterpiece Experimental Theater was and I'm likely not supposed to.
The included html pages are easily the best part, they're cute. "Life isn't easy" - Kohaku-chan.