Vinnysuperg
It's nice to finally play one of the most famous games in one of my favorite franchises.
I've been a huge fan of 2D Metroid ever since I first played Metroid Zero Mission back in 2012. I love almost all of them, and each one has a distinct rhythm to it that never fails to captivate me. I think a large part of it is due to Samus' kit being so iconic and fun to use. Power ups like the shine spark, screw attack, and morph ball all make it so that the act of controlling Samus never gets old.
When starting Prime I was really worried about how that flow would be affected in a 3D space. A Metroid game being good to me relies on 2 key factors, control and pacing. So seeing that the control was completely changed to be a first person shooter, I was nervous that the feeling of Samus would not be as solid as the 2D games. I was super wrong though.
Samus controls like an absolute dream in this game, and the added duel stick option in the Remastered easily makes this the definitive way to play the game. The new camera shift actually makes combat a lot of fun to engage with in this game, which the developers clearly knew because this Metroid game has a larger focus on combat. There are multiple different beam types that you can swap on the fly, which create a great sense of flow that you dont typically see from a Metroid game.
The main downside to this camera angle is that it doesn't really allow for some of my favorite upgrades like the speed booster or screw-attack to exist, but I was honestly ok with it for this game. Areas feel a lot less platforming heavy, and the added boost ball ability still made moving through areas a breeze. It had a bit of a learning curve, but by the end of the game the boost ball had joined the ranks of one of my favorite abilities in the series.
Moving on to that second criteria for a good Metroid game for me, the pacing of this game is utterly fantastic. The balance between finding new areas and backtracking to old ones is a very tricky one, and I think Prime mostly nails it. By the end of the game I knew each area like the back of my hand, and I never really tired of backtracking to them (until I attempted 100% but we'll get to that.)
The atmosphere and music are incredible too, which isnt a surprise since its fucking Metroid Prime. However, the part that surprised me the most was the story. I actually found myself really engaged with it, and the way it was told diagetically through using the scan visor was really damn smart. It brought me back to my first time exploring and scanning text on planets in Outer Wilds, which made me realize that the translator in that game was probably heavily inspired by Metroid Prime (same with the parallels between the Phazon and Ghost Matter tbh).
My only real complaint with the game came from a lack of QOL features with its map. Modern Metroid does a really good job of allowing you to mark areas on your map that you want to return to, and also showing you how many items are left in each area, which makes backtracking easier. Prime doesnt have anything like this, which makes the endgame grind for 100% extremely tedious and boring. The pacing of the game got completely destroyed in the last 2 hours of my session, mainly because I kept wandering around in circles looking for the last 5% of items.
Overall, there is a reason that Metroid Prime is an absolute classic and seen as the epitome of the series. While I don't enjoy it as much as some of my favorite 2D outings (Dread and Zero Mission), I do think it has quickly risen to being one of my favorite Metroidvanias of all time.
....I just really don't like what the Remastered did to Samus' face. It's in that state of the uncanny valley that I REALLY hate.
I've been a huge fan of 2D Metroid ever since I first played Metroid Zero Mission back in 2012. I love almost all of them, and each one has a distinct rhythm to it that never fails to captivate me. I think a large part of it is due to Samus' kit being so iconic and fun to use. Power ups like the shine spark, screw attack, and morph ball all make it so that the act of controlling Samus never gets old.
When starting Prime I was really worried about how that flow would be affected in a 3D space. A Metroid game being good to me relies on 2 key factors, control and pacing. So seeing that the control was completely changed to be a first person shooter, I was nervous that the feeling of Samus would not be as solid as the 2D games. I was super wrong though.
Samus controls like an absolute dream in this game, and the added duel stick option in the Remastered easily makes this the definitive way to play the game. The new camera shift actually makes combat a lot of fun to engage with in this game, which the developers clearly knew because this Metroid game has a larger focus on combat. There are multiple different beam types that you can swap on the fly, which create a great sense of flow that you dont typically see from a Metroid game.
The main downside to this camera angle is that it doesn't really allow for some of my favorite upgrades like the speed booster or screw-attack to exist, but I was honestly ok with it for this game. Areas feel a lot less platforming heavy, and the added boost ball ability still made moving through areas a breeze. It had a bit of a learning curve, but by the end of the game the boost ball had joined the ranks of one of my favorite abilities in the series.
Moving on to that second criteria for a good Metroid game for me, the pacing of this game is utterly fantastic. The balance between finding new areas and backtracking to old ones is a very tricky one, and I think Prime mostly nails it. By the end of the game I knew each area like the back of my hand, and I never really tired of backtracking to them (until I attempted 100% but we'll get to that.)
The atmosphere and music are incredible too, which isnt a surprise since its fucking Metroid Prime. However, the part that surprised me the most was the story. I actually found myself really engaged with it, and the way it was told diagetically through using the scan visor was really damn smart. It brought me back to my first time exploring and scanning text on planets in Outer Wilds, which made me realize that the translator in that game was probably heavily inspired by Metroid Prime (same with the parallels between the Phazon and Ghost Matter tbh).
My only real complaint with the game came from a lack of QOL features with its map. Modern Metroid does a really good job of allowing you to mark areas on your map that you want to return to, and also showing you how many items are left in each area, which makes backtracking easier. Prime doesnt have anything like this, which makes the endgame grind for 100% extremely tedious and boring. The pacing of the game got completely destroyed in the last 2 hours of my session, mainly because I kept wandering around in circles looking for the last 5% of items.
Overall, there is a reason that Metroid Prime is an absolute classic and seen as the epitome of the series. While I don't enjoy it as much as some of my favorite 2D outings (Dread and Zero Mission), I do think it has quickly risen to being one of my favorite Metroidvanias of all time.
....I just really don't like what the Remastered did to Samus' face. It's in that state of the uncanny valley that I REALLY hate.
2012
This is the only game that I feel like I could truly call a super game.
Final Fantasy 7 has always been one of those games that alluded me. I have probably played through Midgar maybe 3 or 4 different times in my life, and due to one reason or another I never made it much farther than that. It really wasn't due to anything from the game, it was just circumstances. Seeing how good Rebirth looks and wanting to get in on the hype, I finally decided to sit down and give this game the try and deserves, and holy shit did it not disappoint.
There is so much to absolutely love here. The characters are almost all winners, with the only one being disappointing was Vincent solely due to the fact that his side quest was way too short. The music is still genuinely fantastic, with songs like Cosmo Canyon and Highwind joining some of my favorites of all time. It is physically impossible for Uematsu to miss.
The most surprising thing that held up the most to me was the graphics though. I unironically think this game is still gorgeous, even with its blocky character models and blurry backgrounds. Whenever the game played a pre-rendered cutscene I felt the same awe I probably would of felt back in 1997. Good art direction and design is timeless.
The story also won me over, which is surprising because I heard that it could get overcomplicated and confusing. But no, the story is incredibly straight forward with a couple genuinely really fun and interesting twists. The game made me look at Cloud in a new light, and it made me appreciate him even more. I cant wait to play Crisis Core to learn more about his and Zack's friendship.
The gameplay was mostly a lot of fun, but it had a few issues. I love traditional turn based combat, so for the most part I had a blast managing and grinding my party through battles. The problem mainly comes from a lack of character identity, and the materia system being a bit too clunky to manage. The materia system makes it so that you can make any party member any class, and while a lot of fun to use, makes it so that the party does not have a lot of variation outside of limit breaks (which are awesome). Swapping materia also became a huge hassle even with the quick swap menu, and made a lot of the game slow down to a crawl. It really is the games biggest flaw because if they just ironed out this system a little more I could see it being one of my favorites.
There is still so much more to talk about with this game, but I'll leave it at this. Final Fantasy 7 genuinely made me feel like a kid again. This game came out 4 years before I was born, but while playing it, I truly felt the weight of what this game accomplished for its time. But even with that said, if Final Fantasy 7 released as is today (except for a few tweaks to the materia system), I do genuinely believe it would still be considered one of the all time greats.
A truly timeless masterpiece.
Final Fantasy 7 has always been one of those games that alluded me. I have probably played through Midgar maybe 3 or 4 different times in my life, and due to one reason or another I never made it much farther than that. It really wasn't due to anything from the game, it was just circumstances. Seeing how good Rebirth looks and wanting to get in on the hype, I finally decided to sit down and give this game the try and deserves, and holy shit did it not disappoint.
There is so much to absolutely love here. The characters are almost all winners, with the only one being disappointing was Vincent solely due to the fact that his side quest was way too short. The music is still genuinely fantastic, with songs like Cosmo Canyon and Highwind joining some of my favorites of all time. It is physically impossible for Uematsu to miss.
The most surprising thing that held up the most to me was the graphics though. I unironically think this game is still gorgeous, even with its blocky character models and blurry backgrounds. Whenever the game played a pre-rendered cutscene I felt the same awe I probably would of felt back in 1997. Good art direction and design is timeless.
The story also won me over, which is surprising because I heard that it could get overcomplicated and confusing. But no, the story is incredibly straight forward with a couple genuinely really fun and interesting twists. The game made me look at Cloud in a new light, and it made me appreciate him even more. I cant wait to play Crisis Core to learn more about his and Zack's friendship.
The gameplay was mostly a lot of fun, but it had a few issues. I love traditional turn based combat, so for the most part I had a blast managing and grinding my party through battles. The problem mainly comes from a lack of character identity, and the materia system being a bit too clunky to manage. The materia system makes it so that you can make any party member any class, and while a lot of fun to use, makes it so that the party does not have a lot of variation outside of limit breaks (which are awesome). Swapping materia also became a huge hassle even with the quick swap menu, and made a lot of the game slow down to a crawl. It really is the games biggest flaw because if they just ironed out this system a little more I could see it being one of my favorites.
There is still so much more to talk about with this game, but I'll leave it at this. Final Fantasy 7 genuinely made me feel like a kid again. This game came out 4 years before I was born, but while playing it, I truly felt the weight of what this game accomplished for its time. But even with that said, if Final Fantasy 7 released as is today (except for a few tweaks to the materia system), I do genuinely believe it would still be considered one of the all time greats.
A truly timeless masterpiece.
2021
T-O-R-E-E, THATS THE BIRD WE LIKE TO SEE
An extremely fun and short 3D platformer with a shockingly great soundtrack. Not much different to say about this game from the 1st one, its just more Toree and thats great.
An extremely fun and short 3D platformer with a shockingly great soundtrack. Not much different to say about this game from the 1st one, its just more Toree and thats great.
If this game had like 6 more months in the oven it could have been something truly incredible.
Penny's Big Breakaway was a game that I was highly anticipating since it was shown in that Nintendo Direct last year, and seeing it be shadow dropped last month excited me enough to buy it as soon as my next paycheck went through.
There is a lot to absolutely love here, from outstanding visual design, to exciting and bouncy music, all wrapped up in a world that is just fun to traverse. The environmental detail is absolutely stellar, and every nook and cranny in these levels were packed to the brim with hidden challenges and secrets that made them incredibly replayable.
The star of the show however is Penny herself. Starting out, I was a little worried because I wasn't fully clicking with how the game controlled, but after playing for a few more hours, I got to a point where I was flying through levels and pulling off incredibly fun movement combos. The game just feels good to play, and it reminded me a lot of Pseudoregalia in that regard, although not as deep. Penny's roll move where she rides on top of her YO-YO might be one of my new favorite 3D platformer movement techniques.
The issues however come from what I consider to be a surprising lack of polish. This game reminded me quite a lot of Super Mario Sunshine, where the core movement felt so good, but a plethora of bugs and strange design choices stop the game short of greatness. The amount of bugs I encountered in this game was unacceptable, and frankly made going for 100% a complete and total mess. There were dozens of times where Penny would just fly completely in the wrong direction, or the physics would not know what to do and just kill me instantly.
The lack of polish also led to a lot of moments having lackluster sound design, and boss fights not having the impact that I wanted them to have. The final fight had all sound cut out for me during it, and it just made the entire experience awkward. The combo system also felt poorly thought out, where once I found out I could double jump into a roll over and over again for an easy 100 move combo, every level had me quickly spamming that at the beginning to ensure I got the scrapbook piece at the end.
Overall, seeing that this game was shadowdropped in the most recent Nintendo Direct puts a sour taste in my mouth. I really do feel like if this team had another 6 months to iron out the strange kinks with it, this game could rival some of my favorite 3D platformers like Kirby and the Forgotten Land or A Hat in Time. But even with those issues, Penny's Big Breakaway was a thoroughly enjoyable game with some of the most fun traversal mechanics Ive used in a while.
It just bums me out that this game was just a few more weeks of QA away from true greatness.
Penny's Big Breakaway was a game that I was highly anticipating since it was shown in that Nintendo Direct last year, and seeing it be shadow dropped last month excited me enough to buy it as soon as my next paycheck went through.
There is a lot to absolutely love here, from outstanding visual design, to exciting and bouncy music, all wrapped up in a world that is just fun to traverse. The environmental detail is absolutely stellar, and every nook and cranny in these levels were packed to the brim with hidden challenges and secrets that made them incredibly replayable.
The star of the show however is Penny herself. Starting out, I was a little worried because I wasn't fully clicking with how the game controlled, but after playing for a few more hours, I got to a point where I was flying through levels and pulling off incredibly fun movement combos. The game just feels good to play, and it reminded me a lot of Pseudoregalia in that regard, although not as deep. Penny's roll move where she rides on top of her YO-YO might be one of my new favorite 3D platformer movement techniques.
The issues however come from what I consider to be a surprising lack of polish. This game reminded me quite a lot of Super Mario Sunshine, where the core movement felt so good, but a plethora of bugs and strange design choices stop the game short of greatness. The amount of bugs I encountered in this game was unacceptable, and frankly made going for 100% a complete and total mess. There were dozens of times where Penny would just fly completely in the wrong direction, or the physics would not know what to do and just kill me instantly.
The lack of polish also led to a lot of moments having lackluster sound design, and boss fights not having the impact that I wanted them to have. The final fight had all sound cut out for me during it, and it just made the entire experience awkward. The combo system also felt poorly thought out, where once I found out I could double jump into a roll over and over again for an easy 100 move combo, every level had me quickly spamming that at the beginning to ensure I got the scrapbook piece at the end.
Overall, seeing that this game was shadowdropped in the most recent Nintendo Direct puts a sour taste in my mouth. I really do feel like if this team had another 6 months to iron out the strange kinks with it, this game could rival some of my favorite 3D platformers like Kirby and the Forgotten Land or A Hat in Time. But even with those issues, Penny's Big Breakaway was a thoroughly enjoyable game with some of the most fun traversal mechanics Ive used in a while.
It just bums me out that this game was just a few more weeks of QA away from true greatness.
1991
Honestly not too much to say, just an overall great 2D platformer.
I've been meaning to get back into the classic 2D Castlevania games for a while now, so on a whim last night while bored I decided to play through this on BSnes and ended up almost finishing the entire thing in one sitting.
There isn't really much to say except its classic 2D Castlevania. A lot of really fun setpieces, fantastic music, and really engaging gameplay. My only real complaints come from not really enjoying the new whip flail attack (would activate on accident) and also some of the level design was a little too trial and error at times.
Other than that though, this was a great time and really has me excited to play more from the series. I have to decide whether I want to play Bloodlines next, or Rondo of Blood.
I've been meaning to get back into the classic 2D Castlevania games for a while now, so on a whim last night while bored I decided to play through this on BSnes and ended up almost finishing the entire thing in one sitting.
There isn't really much to say except its classic 2D Castlevania. A lot of really fun setpieces, fantastic music, and really engaging gameplay. My only real complaints come from not really enjoying the new whip flail attack (would activate on accident) and also some of the level design was a little too trial and error at times.
Other than that though, this was a great time and really has me excited to play more from the series. I have to decide whether I want to play Bloodlines next, or Rondo of Blood.
I am so glad I finally beat this game.
Funnily enough, Dark Souls was a game I originally tried beating when I was 11 back in the Xbox 360 days, exclusively because I kept hearing how good the game was. I absolutely hated it back then, and never was able to truly understand the formula until I played Bloodborne years later. Since then, I have had revisiting this game on my to-do list for years. I am so glad I did.
Without a shadow of a doubt, Dark Souls is one of the most influential games of the last 2 decades and it is easy to see why. The world and combat flow together so elegantly in the first half of the game, and there are so many special moments of both pure joy and intense frustration. The highlight had to be Sens Fortress, which I described to my friend as the "ACME headquarters." Its an area that is designed to be frustrating and to kill you, but it does so in such a comedically slanted way that you cant help but respect and enjoy it. The moment I stepped on an elevator for two long and it crushed me against ceiling spikes, I knew this game was special.
The Artorias DLC was easily the highlight of the game for me, and it has elevated itself to one of my favorite sections in any game of the franchise. Artorias, Manus, Sanctuary Guardian, and Kalameet are all incredible fights, and it feels like the moment where From learned that they could push the difficulty of the fights even further. The visual design of this DLC was stellar as well, with every area looking absolutely gorgeous. The story and lore were also incredibly engaging, giving me characters that I actually gave a damn about. However, the standout element was the sound design. I was consistently blown away by how great the Abyss and enemies sounded in this DLC, and it was a massive step above the rest of the game.
The issues I have with DS1 aren't very unique though. Post Anor Londo does have some highlights for me like Seath's Library and New Londo Ruins, but there are WAY too many absolutely awful areas like Tomb of the Giants and Lost Izalith that it completely ruins the pacing of the game. I also found that most of the areas in the game were way too short, and that I absolutely would have taken less overall areas if it meant that some areas like Anor Londo and Sens Fortress were expanded upon.
I also found some of the bosses to be way too easy. Outside of the Artorias fights, there weren't really any that gave me any real trouble. Even known bastards like Capra Demon and O&S were way too basic to be seen as a real challenge. This is a strange complaint though mainly because its exclusively due to how the genre has developed over time. Nowadays compared to certain bosses in Elden Ring and Bloodborne, these are a cakewalk. But back then, when people werent really familiar with this type of game, these were some of the hardest fights you could face in a game. I still wish they were harder though.
Dark Souls is an absolutely incredible game, even though I really do feel it falls short in its 2nd half. But even with some of the dogshit areas, you cant help but respect this game. It and Demon's Souls essentially created a whole new genre, and that can not be undervalued. If it had stuck that landing, I could have easily seen this being up there as one of my favorites of all time.
As it is now though, I am content with saying that I had an absolute blast with DS1.....even though the Crystal Caves are complete fucking horeseshit OH MY GOD DELETE THAT FUCKING AREA
Funnily enough, Dark Souls was a game I originally tried beating when I was 11 back in the Xbox 360 days, exclusively because I kept hearing how good the game was. I absolutely hated it back then, and never was able to truly understand the formula until I played Bloodborne years later. Since then, I have had revisiting this game on my to-do list for years. I am so glad I did.
Without a shadow of a doubt, Dark Souls is one of the most influential games of the last 2 decades and it is easy to see why. The world and combat flow together so elegantly in the first half of the game, and there are so many special moments of both pure joy and intense frustration. The highlight had to be Sens Fortress, which I described to my friend as the "ACME headquarters." Its an area that is designed to be frustrating and to kill you, but it does so in such a comedically slanted way that you cant help but respect and enjoy it. The moment I stepped on an elevator for two long and it crushed me against ceiling spikes, I knew this game was special.
The Artorias DLC was easily the highlight of the game for me, and it has elevated itself to one of my favorite sections in any game of the franchise. Artorias, Manus, Sanctuary Guardian, and Kalameet are all incredible fights, and it feels like the moment where From learned that they could push the difficulty of the fights even further. The visual design of this DLC was stellar as well, with every area looking absolutely gorgeous. The story and lore were also incredibly engaging, giving me characters that I actually gave a damn about. However, the standout element was the sound design. I was consistently blown away by how great the Abyss and enemies sounded in this DLC, and it was a massive step above the rest of the game.
The issues I have with DS1 aren't very unique though. Post Anor Londo does have some highlights for me like Seath's Library and New Londo Ruins, but there are WAY too many absolutely awful areas like Tomb of the Giants and Lost Izalith that it completely ruins the pacing of the game. I also found that most of the areas in the game were way too short, and that I absolutely would have taken less overall areas if it meant that some areas like Anor Londo and Sens Fortress were expanded upon.
I also found some of the bosses to be way too easy. Outside of the Artorias fights, there weren't really any that gave me any real trouble. Even known bastards like Capra Demon and O&S were way too basic to be seen as a real challenge. This is a strange complaint though mainly because its exclusively due to how the genre has developed over time. Nowadays compared to certain bosses in Elden Ring and Bloodborne, these are a cakewalk. But back then, when people werent really familiar with this type of game, these were some of the hardest fights you could face in a game. I still wish they were harder though.
Dark Souls is an absolutely incredible game, even though I really do feel it falls short in its 2nd half. But even with some of the dogshit areas, you cant help but respect this game. It and Demon's Souls essentially created a whole new genre, and that can not be undervalued. If it had stuck that landing, I could have easily seen this being up there as one of my favorites of all time.
As it is now though, I am content with saying that I had an absolute blast with DS1.....even though the Crystal Caves are complete fucking horeseshit OH MY GOD DELETE THAT FUCKING AREA
How the hell is this small little 5 hour long children's horror game one of the best survival horror games I've played in years?
Oh my god I absolutely adored this game from start to finish. This game is classic RE survival horror from beginning to end, and it absolutely nails it. Classic RE is almost like a pseudo-adventure game, with you needing to constantly solve environmental puzzles to advance, while also dealing with managing your resources (ammo, inventory, health). MFN completely understands that, with a gameplay loop that is both incredibly fun, while also at times tense.
I wouldn't say this game ever scared me, but that is absolutely not what this is going for. It is looking to be a modern day Gremlins, where it is an introduction for younger children to get into the horror genre. This just takes it one step further, and also is introducing children into the world of classic survival horror, and it absolutely nails that aspect. Atmosphere was top notch, and the music was great as well.
The puppets are mainly the star of the show here. I loved them. I thought they were all incredibly charming, and there were many points where I stopped to listen to them complete their dialogue because it was so funny. The added puzzle mechanic of being able to help the boss enemies was incredibly charming, and made me smile every time.
The only real issue I had with the game was in difficulty. There was never really a point in the game where I had to worry about my health or ammo, and I was playing this on the highest difficulty available to me (Veteran). I understand that this is a gateway survival horror game, but I did wish that I struggled a bit more. If the higher difficulties were unlocked at the beginning, I would have absolutely jumped on those.
Overall, I absolutely adore this game, and it is a crime it is not more popular. Both Szymanski brothers have yet to miss for me.
Oh my god I absolutely adored this game from start to finish. This game is classic RE survival horror from beginning to end, and it absolutely nails it. Classic RE is almost like a pseudo-adventure game, with you needing to constantly solve environmental puzzles to advance, while also dealing with managing your resources (ammo, inventory, health). MFN completely understands that, with a gameplay loop that is both incredibly fun, while also at times tense.
I wouldn't say this game ever scared me, but that is absolutely not what this is going for. It is looking to be a modern day Gremlins, where it is an introduction for younger children to get into the horror genre. This just takes it one step further, and also is introducing children into the world of classic survival horror, and it absolutely nails that aspect. Atmosphere was top notch, and the music was great as well.
The puppets are mainly the star of the show here. I loved them. I thought they were all incredibly charming, and there were many points where I stopped to listen to them complete their dialogue because it was so funny. The added puzzle mechanic of being able to help the boss enemies was incredibly charming, and made me smile every time.
The only real issue I had with the game was in difficulty. There was never really a point in the game where I had to worry about my health or ammo, and I was playing this on the highest difficulty available to me (Veteran). I understand that this is a gateway survival horror game, but I did wish that I struggled a bit more. If the higher difficulties were unlocked at the beginning, I would have absolutely jumped on those.
Overall, I absolutely adore this game, and it is a crime it is not more popular. Both Szymanski brothers have yet to miss for me.
Man, I really wanted to like this one more.
I had this game on my radar for quite a bit now, and actually heard a few people say that this was one of their favorite games of 2023. The team on social media is actually what sold me though, as a lot of the trailers for this game looked really solid.
The issue is, this game really seems like it doesn't strive to do anything except be adequate. That is really the word for it. The gameplay is fine, nothing special. It is a nice mix of Megaman and Shenobi, but doesn't really do anything to surpass either franchise in that regard. The enemies are all fine, but mainly forgettable. Most stages only last for around 12 minutes, and are all fine enough.
The most frustrating elements though are with the bosses and setpieces. Almost every boss except the final one gave me little to no trouble, and were all beaten in a very short time. No fight lasts longer than around 20 seconds, with a lot of bosses not showing me their full movesets before I mow them down. Every single one except the final one, left no impact on me. The setpieces were also an aspect I was very excited for with this game, but most of them were so barebones. The motorbike was something I was really looking forward to, but the only thing I got with it was 2 very mediocre on-rails shooter sections with it.
The only standout aspects are its visuals and music. Moonrider has gorgeous visuals, with enemies and backgrounds that really pop. Almost all tracks in this game are pretty catchy and memorable, with none really getting on my nerves by the end of the game. It is a real shame that these things are bogged down by such an average game.
Look, I don't want to be too hard on this game. I know it is made by a relatively small studio, and it seems to be one of their first outings. The issue is that I feel that the worst thing a game can be is adequate or mediocre. These devs clearly do have a lot of talent, and in the future I would really love to see them try to make something a lot less safe and mundane.
Also change the name. It is REALLY bad.
I had this game on my radar for quite a bit now, and actually heard a few people say that this was one of their favorite games of 2023. The team on social media is actually what sold me though, as a lot of the trailers for this game looked really solid.
The issue is, this game really seems like it doesn't strive to do anything except be adequate. That is really the word for it. The gameplay is fine, nothing special. It is a nice mix of Megaman and Shenobi, but doesn't really do anything to surpass either franchise in that regard. The enemies are all fine, but mainly forgettable. Most stages only last for around 12 minutes, and are all fine enough.
The most frustrating elements though are with the bosses and setpieces. Almost every boss except the final one gave me little to no trouble, and were all beaten in a very short time. No fight lasts longer than around 20 seconds, with a lot of bosses not showing me their full movesets before I mow them down. Every single one except the final one, left no impact on me. The setpieces were also an aspect I was very excited for with this game, but most of them were so barebones. The motorbike was something I was really looking forward to, but the only thing I got with it was 2 very mediocre on-rails shooter sections with it.
The only standout aspects are its visuals and music. Moonrider has gorgeous visuals, with enemies and backgrounds that really pop. Almost all tracks in this game are pretty catchy and memorable, with none really getting on my nerves by the end of the game. It is a real shame that these things are bogged down by such an average game.
Look, I don't want to be too hard on this game. I know it is made by a relatively small studio, and it seems to be one of their first outings. The issue is that I feel that the worst thing a game can be is adequate or mediocre. These devs clearly do have a lot of talent, and in the future I would really love to see them try to make something a lot less safe and mundane.
Also change the name. It is REALLY bad.
It's a good sign for the year when I start off with a game that has quickly become one of my favorites of all time.
Easily the best story ever put into a game. It truly enthralled me like no other game. I cant even put into words how much I loved it. I usually write a couple paragraphs about my thoughts of the game as a whole, but there is way too much I could gush about.
All Ill say is this, it made me feel every emotion in the book. True joy, sadness, disgust, heartbreak, and even existentialism. It is a masterpiece of a game.
I would die for Kim Kitsuragi and Lenval Brown could narrate my entire life and I would be eternally happy.
Easily the best story ever put into a game. It truly enthralled me like no other game. I cant even put into words how much I loved it. I usually write a couple paragraphs about my thoughts of the game as a whole, but there is way too much I could gush about.
All Ill say is this, it made me feel every emotion in the book. True joy, sadness, disgust, heartbreak, and even existentialism. It is a masterpiece of a game.
I would die for Kim Kitsuragi and Lenval Brown could narrate my entire life and I would be eternally happy.
Superstar Saga is another in a long list of games that I played as a child but never beat.
This game is an absolute delight from start to finish. I really think it is hard to screw up a Mario RPG, but this one deserves its spot as one of the best in the franchise. I don't think it's perfect by any means, but like Super Mario RPG which I played earlier this year, it is a joy from start to finish.
The elements that really set this game apart from others in the franchise are its setting and characters. Superstar Saga is unique in the fact that it created a whole new kingdom, filled with multiple completely new races and characters that are unique from what is usually seen in the franchise. Almost all of them are winners, with the standout characters being Prince Peasley and Fawful.
The thing I respect most about this game is just how perfect it is for newcomers in the turn-based RPG genre. The battle system is simple, yet fun and engaging for newcomers. This game wasn't my introduction to turn based games (that was Bowser's Inside Story), but I know people who's first RPG was this game, and they all say they adore the battle system. It refined a lot of the action commands that were seen in games like Paper Mario and Mario RPG, while also making something that feels so unique to it.
Sadly, the main issues I have with the game boil down to that simplicity. Compared to the games later in the series, the combat is much more simpler with a lot less systems for the player to engage with. It is not too bad mainly because of the short length of the game, but even by the 12 hour mark I was starting to get tired of the repetitive nature. Thankfully, this is an issue that is fixed by the time the next few games roll out.
Overall, I do still love this game. If anyone out there is looking for a great introduction into the wonderful world of turn-based RPGs, then they should definitely pick up this game.
Be prepared for Cackletta's Soul tho. Even as an adult that shit was hard as hell.
This game is an absolute delight from start to finish. I really think it is hard to screw up a Mario RPG, but this one deserves its spot as one of the best in the franchise. I don't think it's perfect by any means, but like Super Mario RPG which I played earlier this year, it is a joy from start to finish.
The elements that really set this game apart from others in the franchise are its setting and characters. Superstar Saga is unique in the fact that it created a whole new kingdom, filled with multiple completely new races and characters that are unique from what is usually seen in the franchise. Almost all of them are winners, with the standout characters being Prince Peasley and Fawful.
The thing I respect most about this game is just how perfect it is for newcomers in the turn-based RPG genre. The battle system is simple, yet fun and engaging for newcomers. This game wasn't my introduction to turn based games (that was Bowser's Inside Story), but I know people who's first RPG was this game, and they all say they adore the battle system. It refined a lot of the action commands that were seen in games like Paper Mario and Mario RPG, while also making something that feels so unique to it.
Sadly, the main issues I have with the game boil down to that simplicity. Compared to the games later in the series, the combat is much more simpler with a lot less systems for the player to engage with. It is not too bad mainly because of the short length of the game, but even by the 12 hour mark I was starting to get tired of the repetitive nature. Thankfully, this is an issue that is fixed by the time the next few games roll out.
Overall, I do still love this game. If anyone out there is looking for a great introduction into the wonderful world of turn-based RPGs, then they should definitely pick up this game.
Be prepared for Cackletta's Soul tho. Even as an adult that shit was hard as hell.
2023
ZORTCH HEADS STAY WINNING
I was absolutely not expecting to like this game as much as I did. I heard through word of mouth that Zortch was a surprisingly excellent little Boomer Shooter, but looking at how crude it looked, I honestly expected it to be overhyped. I was wrong.
Zortch is a classic FPS that takes a lot of inspiration from Half-Life, Quake, and most surprisingly Turok. The art style is very low-poly, almost looking like it came right off of the N64, but it works really well. The crude nature of some of the art also really adds to the alien atmosphere of the entire game. The atmosphere in general is fantastic, with the soundtrack honestly being one of the high points of the game for me due to how alien and atmospheric it was.
However, what stole the show for me was the enemy variety. There are like 30 different enemy types in this game, and they are almost all unique. It really adds to the entire experience, and makes the entire 4 hours feel consistently fresh as they keep adding more enemies to deal with. The shooting feels great too.
My only real major downside is that I found the level design to be amateurish at times. Its the area that really struggles, with a lot of levels feeling samey and uninteresting. The lack of a map feature and landmarks also makes navigating some of them an absolute nightmare, but thankfully most levels are still pretty short. It's not the worst issue in the world.
Zortch was a surprisingly really fun and unique shooter in a genre that is beginning to sadly grow oversaturated and stale in the past few years. I honest to god hope for a Zortch sequel because I think this developer has the potential to make something even better.....or at least even weirder.
I was absolutely not expecting to like this game as much as I did. I heard through word of mouth that Zortch was a surprisingly excellent little Boomer Shooter, but looking at how crude it looked, I honestly expected it to be overhyped. I was wrong.
Zortch is a classic FPS that takes a lot of inspiration from Half-Life, Quake, and most surprisingly Turok. The art style is very low-poly, almost looking like it came right off of the N64, but it works really well. The crude nature of some of the art also really adds to the alien atmosphere of the entire game. The atmosphere in general is fantastic, with the soundtrack honestly being one of the high points of the game for me due to how alien and atmospheric it was.
However, what stole the show for me was the enemy variety. There are like 30 different enemy types in this game, and they are almost all unique. It really adds to the entire experience, and makes the entire 4 hours feel consistently fresh as they keep adding more enemies to deal with. The shooting feels great too.
My only real major downside is that I found the level design to be amateurish at times. Its the area that really struggles, with a lot of levels feeling samey and uninteresting. The lack of a map feature and landmarks also makes navigating some of them an absolute nightmare, but thankfully most levels are still pretty short. It's not the worst issue in the world.
Zortch was a surprisingly really fun and unique shooter in a genre that is beginning to sadly grow oversaturated and stale in the past few years. I honest to god hope for a Zortch sequel because I think this developer has the potential to make something even better.....or at least even weirder.
I really liked it!
To me, this is what I wanted End of Zoe in RE7 to be. The beginning of the DLC was a throwback to classic Resident Evil with limited ammo and mobility, and I absolutely loved that. The addition of Rose's powers having limited ammo was a nice touch, as it added even more strategy to the gameplay. Honestly, if the whole DLC was just this type of survival horror, I would probably consider it as one of my favorites.
The problems come from the rest of the DLC. The section in House Bienvenido went on way too long, and I feel like it reused way too much from the base game. It felt like padding in an already short DLC, and it really hampered my enjoyment.
The final boss with Miranda was fantastic though, and is one of my new favorite final fights in the franchise. The added abilities has me very excited for the future of RE if they continue with Rose.
The story was mostly predictable and at times a little too sappy, but I'm not gonna lie I still really enjoyed it. I just love Ethan too much as a character, that anything to do with him I will adore.
It's a shame that the middle of the DLC holds this back because if it wasn't for House Bienvenido being a slog, and the rampant reuse, we could of had a winner on our hands.
To me, this is what I wanted End of Zoe in RE7 to be. The beginning of the DLC was a throwback to classic Resident Evil with limited ammo and mobility, and I absolutely loved that. The addition of Rose's powers having limited ammo was a nice touch, as it added even more strategy to the gameplay. Honestly, if the whole DLC was just this type of survival horror, I would probably consider it as one of my favorites.
The problems come from the rest of the DLC. The section in House Bienvenido went on way too long, and I feel like it reused way too much from the base game. It felt like padding in an already short DLC, and it really hampered my enjoyment.
The final boss with Miranda was fantastic though, and is one of my new favorite final fights in the franchise. The added abilities has me very excited for the future of RE if they continue with Rose.
The story was mostly predictable and at times a little too sappy, but I'm not gonna lie I still really enjoyed it. I just love Ethan too much as a character, that anything to do with him I will adore.
It's a shame that the middle of the DLC holds this back because if it wasn't for House Bienvenido being a slog, and the rampant reuse, we could of had a winner on our hands.
2005
The definition of slop.
2019
One of my new favorite Boomer Shooters of the modern era.
Ion Fury is a game that I have heard a lot of great things about over the years, but I never actually got around to trying out. I honestly thought the hype around this game was going to be overblown, but it turns out I was completely wrong. This game absolutely owns and it proves that the Build Engine is the undisputed GOAT of FPS games.
I think the biggest things this game gets right are its guns, enemies, and aesthetics. Every weapon has its niche, and there was never a point where I felt that I was underutilizing a certain weapon. Bowling Bombs and the Disperser especially were 2 of the most fun weapons in the game, and some of my new favorites in the entire genre. The enemies also all felt incredibly unique, and other than the little head spiders, none of them were particularly annoying.
The visuals are a particular high point, as the art direction shows that the Build Engine still has incredible potential when it comes to its graphical capabilites. Most levels were a joy to look at, with a lot of little details that stood out and made the whole experience feel so lively. That, and also the great performance from Shelly.
My issues mainly come from the fact that I feel the game loses a lot of steam in its last 3 episodes. There are some absolute winner levels in there, a standout being Eskel's Estate in my opinion, however the levels begin to start dragging on and on without stopping. The last few levels all have their own individual loading zones in them, which make them feel like they will never end. Add in one of the worst clusterfucks of a final boss I have seen in an FPS in a while, and you have a game that tragically doesnt stick the landing.
Even with its bleh final episodes, Ion Fury absolutely deserves its reputation of being a fantastic modern Boomer Shooter. I really hope Phantom Fury is just as good as this, but from what I have seen of the demo, vibes are at an all time low.
Can't wait to play Aftershock tho. I need my Sherry fix.
Ion Fury is a game that I have heard a lot of great things about over the years, but I never actually got around to trying out. I honestly thought the hype around this game was going to be overblown, but it turns out I was completely wrong. This game absolutely owns and it proves that the Build Engine is the undisputed GOAT of FPS games.
I think the biggest things this game gets right are its guns, enemies, and aesthetics. Every weapon has its niche, and there was never a point where I felt that I was underutilizing a certain weapon. Bowling Bombs and the Disperser especially were 2 of the most fun weapons in the game, and some of my new favorites in the entire genre. The enemies also all felt incredibly unique, and other than the little head spiders, none of them were particularly annoying.
The visuals are a particular high point, as the art direction shows that the Build Engine still has incredible potential when it comes to its graphical capabilites. Most levels were a joy to look at, with a lot of little details that stood out and made the whole experience feel so lively. That, and also the great performance from Shelly.
My issues mainly come from the fact that I feel the game loses a lot of steam in its last 3 episodes. There are some absolute winner levels in there, a standout being Eskel's Estate in my opinion, however the levels begin to start dragging on and on without stopping. The last few levels all have their own individual loading zones in them, which make them feel like they will never end. Add in one of the worst clusterfucks of a final boss I have seen in an FPS in a while, and you have a game that tragically doesnt stick the landing.
Even with its bleh final episodes, Ion Fury absolutely deserves its reputation of being a fantastic modern Boomer Shooter. I really hope Phantom Fury is just as good as this, but from what I have seen of the demo, vibes are at an all time low.
Can't wait to play Aftershock tho. I need my Sherry fix.
2023
SO CLOSE to being a truly great Metroidvania.
I loved a lot about this game, and I think for the developers first outing, it's an absolute achievement. Moving around and platforming in this game is excellent, with some of the most fun movement abilities I've EVER used in a 3D platformer. I loved how quick and snappy everything feels, and the versatile movement abilities led to a couple instances where I had fun sequence breaking the game. Movement is really the star of the show, and it carries the entire game.
The issues I have with the game come from 2 areas: level design and combat. Level design in this game is not necessarily bad, but the world feels a little too samey. I was so sick of seeing the same tile sets and environments over and over again, which was made even worse by the baffling decision to not include a map feature. I probably spent at least an extra hour of my time with the game running in circles because of the lack of a map feature.
Combat is also a low point in the game, due to the fact that it never really feels good. Enemy hit detection is especially really unclear at times, and it leads to a lot of unfair hits. The decision to have heavy attacks make your character drop their weapon is also one of the most infuriating and baffling aspects of this game.
Even with how negative all that sounds, I truly do believe that the movement carries this game. A lot of Pseudoregalia feels amateurish, but I still feel like this developer has a winning formula on their hands if they just work out a few of the kinks.
I feel a potential Pseudoregalia 2 could be a modern day classic.
I loved a lot about this game, and I think for the developers first outing, it's an absolute achievement. Moving around and platforming in this game is excellent, with some of the most fun movement abilities I've EVER used in a 3D platformer. I loved how quick and snappy everything feels, and the versatile movement abilities led to a couple instances where I had fun sequence breaking the game. Movement is really the star of the show, and it carries the entire game.
The issues I have with the game come from 2 areas: level design and combat. Level design in this game is not necessarily bad, but the world feels a little too samey. I was so sick of seeing the same tile sets and environments over and over again, which was made even worse by the baffling decision to not include a map feature. I probably spent at least an extra hour of my time with the game running in circles because of the lack of a map feature.
Combat is also a low point in the game, due to the fact that it never really feels good. Enemy hit detection is especially really unclear at times, and it leads to a lot of unfair hits. The decision to have heavy attacks make your character drop their weapon is also one of the most infuriating and baffling aspects of this game.
Even with how negative all that sounds, I truly do believe that the movement carries this game. A lot of Pseudoregalia feels amateurish, but I still feel like this developer has a winning formula on their hands if they just work out a few of the kinks.
I feel a potential Pseudoregalia 2 could be a modern day classic.