Xial49
2022
Chill Season 2022 Review
This Game has promised at least 2 years of developement with a 3 months cycle for each update. Let's see how they've started .... well that's not a great start uh ?
OK now if we speak about the quantity of content availeable it's actaully good. 3 new Weapons to play around , 10 new Weapon Kits to experiment with , 2 new stages , a new Salmon run stage , X Battles and a whole bunch of new gear. the problem i had with this season is the quality of the content.
Let's start with the 3 New Weapons. Each of theese 3 focus more on support play , having really good paint capabilities , low damage output , good range and kits that doesn't scream : PUSH THE FUCK OUT OF EVERYONE AND SHRED !!!
Splattershot Nova is such a weak weapon that can't fight at all and it's literally forced to spam Sensors and Killerwails all the match to be of some use.
Big Swig Roller sufer the same fate of Nova , but it's in a worse situation considering the class it's part of struggle a lot cause of the open maps wthout flanks. Not to mention the awful kit.
Snipewriter 5H is a really interesting take on chargers with the loong range muli-shot , but it's bad balance whise and the kit is just a tacticooler spam.
As for weapins Kits i will say that they are decent if only 4 of theme were fucking shooters. I'm not one of thoose guys that complain about kits because they're not competitively viable (cause i'm not a competitor) , but i feel like half of them are doomed cause of balance and map design. For example Inkbrush Nuveau is awesome in maps with flanks ... if there was one ...
What about the stage ?
Brinewater Hot Springs has an interesting layout that turned out to be mincemeat 2.0 with a mid area that's just a warzone for E-Liters and Hydras. The 2 flank routes are extremely predictable and the only alternate route to escape spawn camping is a trap ... for you. This stage is ass and it's not even fun to play on it.
Flounder Heights is probably the best Splatoon 3 stage and , compared to the original , it's a downgrade. Load of uninkable wall , the size of the map has been reduced and an entire flank has been removed. It's still a good map , but it got butchered a bit.
Marooner's Bay is a returning Salmon run Stage from Splatoon 2 and , like Spawning Grounds , it confirmed my theory. Splat 2 stages on Next Wave are hell to play with randoms. The stage is really hard , cramped and on low eggsecutive levels it's almost unplayable. I like hard maps like this , but at this point it's not a good thing having a map in the rotation that you want to skip so bad everytime.
Big Run was a really fun event where you compete for high scores in normal multiplayer stages. This time was the turn of Wahoo World and it was actually good. Not the most groundbreaking thing ever , but it's nice that now Salmon Run is treated with more care. OH and the best part of this update was the Grizzco Splatana. That thing is sooooo busted as hell.
Overall the update was bad for me. Loads of content that just was mediocre at best and a lot of problems that you can actually resolve with little changes. Hope they'll done better in the future because the content is there.
This Game has promised at least 2 years of developement with a 3 months cycle for each update. Let's see how they've started .... well that's not a great start uh ?
OK now if we speak about the quantity of content availeable it's actaully good. 3 new Weapons to play around , 10 new Weapon Kits to experiment with , 2 new stages , a new Salmon run stage , X Battles and a whole bunch of new gear. the problem i had with this season is the quality of the content.
Let's start with the 3 New Weapons. Each of theese 3 focus more on support play , having really good paint capabilities , low damage output , good range and kits that doesn't scream : PUSH THE FUCK OUT OF EVERYONE AND SHRED !!!
Splattershot Nova is such a weak weapon that can't fight at all and it's literally forced to spam Sensors and Killerwails all the match to be of some use.
Big Swig Roller sufer the same fate of Nova , but it's in a worse situation considering the class it's part of struggle a lot cause of the open maps wthout flanks. Not to mention the awful kit.
Snipewriter 5H is a really interesting take on chargers with the loong range muli-shot , but it's bad balance whise and the kit is just a tacticooler spam.
As for weapins Kits i will say that they are decent if only 4 of theme were fucking shooters. I'm not one of thoose guys that complain about kits because they're not competitively viable (cause i'm not a competitor) , but i feel like half of them are doomed cause of balance and map design. For example Inkbrush Nuveau is awesome in maps with flanks ... if there was one ...
What about the stage ?
Brinewater Hot Springs has an interesting layout that turned out to be mincemeat 2.0 with a mid area that's just a warzone for E-Liters and Hydras. The 2 flank routes are extremely predictable and the only alternate route to escape spawn camping is a trap ... for you. This stage is ass and it's not even fun to play on it.
Flounder Heights is probably the best Splatoon 3 stage and , compared to the original , it's a downgrade. Load of uninkable wall , the size of the map has been reduced and an entire flank has been removed. It's still a good map , but it got butchered a bit.
Marooner's Bay is a returning Salmon run Stage from Splatoon 2 and , like Spawning Grounds , it confirmed my theory. Splat 2 stages on Next Wave are hell to play with randoms. The stage is really hard , cramped and on low eggsecutive levels it's almost unplayable. I like hard maps like this , but at this point it's not a good thing having a map in the rotation that you want to skip so bad everytime.
Big Run was a really fun event where you compete for high scores in normal multiplayer stages. This time was the turn of Wahoo World and it was actually good. Not the most groundbreaking thing ever , but it's nice that now Salmon Run is treated with more care. OH and the best part of this update was the Grizzco Splatana. That thing is sooooo busted as hell.
Overall the update was bad for me. Loads of content that just was mediocre at best and a lot of problems that you can actually resolve with little changes. Hope they'll done better in the future because the content is there.
2023
We need more games like this. Remakes of old and less accessible titles. I was really happy when they've announced this game and , after finishing it i can clearly say that ... every other Mario RPG after this is far better.
Now i still stand by the point i made above. WE NEED games like this. Before , excluding emulation , RPG was only availeable on the Wii U Eshop wich , in case you don't know , has been shutted down.
I want to make clear that this is NOT a bad game , far from it. In fact it's one of the most accessible RPGs for the majority of people due to it's short duration (around 11 hours) and pretty simple mechanics. We live in a period where RPGs have a lenght of 50/80 hours per game and that's not approacheable for a lot of folks if Games aren't their hobby.
Super Mario RPG is quite simple ... everywhere , but in a short amount of time it manages to offer a great variety of content. Plot is simple but extremely goofy and characters don't behave like they are used to. For example Mario is the perfect good guy , virtuos and kind to everyone. in this game he comes to a point where he wants to beat up a child's ass. It's that kind of Square Enix old touch that you can see in a lot of their classics.
Enemies , bosses , locations , minigames ... there are a lot of them with unique designs and writnig and all of this in a 10 hours adventure. Seems cool but then ...
Well i personally find this game too simple for my taste to just say " ok the writing and variety saves it ". Having a lot of characters , enemies and ecc. doesn't mean that the game is really good. Sure it's original but the execution isn't the best for me. Battles are too simple. Ok all comands have timed inputs that determinates how much damage you can deal. You can also parry enemies attacks wit this system. Outside of this there isn't much more other than elemental and status weakneses. Strat. is nonexistent and the only thing that offers a sort of stimulating challenge are some of the extra bosses. As for exploration it's good for a classic RPG. Platforming is actually well incorporated for a game like this. I really liked Bowser castle with all of it's mini challenges.
Super Mario RPG is a perfect entry to the genre and a fun adventure for everyone that don't want to tackle a tough and lenghty adventure. It's also a really faithful and well crafted remake except for some frame drop issues.
It's a fun and delightful adventure , but nothing that really stands out to me.
[ 7.0 / 10 ]
Now i still stand by the point i made above. WE NEED games like this. Before , excluding emulation , RPG was only availeable on the Wii U Eshop wich , in case you don't know , has been shutted down.
I want to make clear that this is NOT a bad game , far from it. In fact it's one of the most accessible RPGs for the majority of people due to it's short duration (around 11 hours) and pretty simple mechanics. We live in a period where RPGs have a lenght of 50/80 hours per game and that's not approacheable for a lot of folks if Games aren't their hobby.
Super Mario RPG is quite simple ... everywhere , but in a short amount of time it manages to offer a great variety of content. Plot is simple but extremely goofy and characters don't behave like they are used to. For example Mario is the perfect good guy , virtuos and kind to everyone. in this game he comes to a point where he wants to beat up a child's ass. It's that kind of Square Enix old touch that you can see in a lot of their classics.
Enemies , bosses , locations , minigames ... there are a lot of them with unique designs and writnig and all of this in a 10 hours adventure. Seems cool but then ...
Well i personally find this game too simple for my taste to just say " ok the writing and variety saves it ". Having a lot of characters , enemies and ecc. doesn't mean that the game is really good. Sure it's original but the execution isn't the best for me. Battles are too simple. Ok all comands have timed inputs that determinates how much damage you can deal. You can also parry enemies attacks wit this system. Outside of this there isn't much more other than elemental and status weakneses. Strat. is nonexistent and the only thing that offers a sort of stimulating challenge are some of the extra bosses. As for exploration it's good for a classic RPG. Platforming is actually well incorporated for a game like this. I really liked Bowser castle with all of it's mini challenges.
Super Mario RPG is a perfect entry to the genre and a fun adventure for everyone that don't want to tackle a tough and lenghty adventure. It's also a really faithful and well crafted remake except for some frame drop issues.
It's a fun and delightful adventure , but nothing that really stands out to me.
[ 7.0 / 10 ]
2012
Am i still in time to play this ? No ? Fine ...
Jokes aside this is a really important title in gaming history , how could i play this at the 23rd year of my life ? Well i procrastinate a lot when it comes to old RPGs. I like them but they also need a fair amount of patience given the time they require , the constant random battles and overall slow speed of theese games. Final Fantasy VII surprised me because , even with the ass game design of that era , it still managed to surprise and angage. Wasn't expecting much but here i am !
The setting is BEAUTIFUL , lot more interesting than what modern Final Fantasy tried to do. It feels you're there to just see what the world has to offer. Midgar is such a brilliant idea with all the plates and the Slums quarters. Exploration in rewarded really well with objects that comes in hand in a lot of various situations. Dialogues are short but impactful for the most. Characters manage to be more likeable than other Flat or stereotyped characters that submerges you with walls of text. The game is filled with so many secret and it's all up to you on discover them. There is a lot of missable content in this game due to story progression and usually i despise this , but hey it wasn't that bad here.In a few words exploration is satisfyng , rewarding and talking to other characters isn't an hassle.
Writing also surprised me , it's one of theese stories that seems complex but are actualy simple on their roots , making good use of story telling and plot twists. I can't deny that not always you can get the game seriously since with all the mini poligonal models and the huge amount of goofy moments the game throws at you it's hard to imagine a dark moment when needed.
Also Square was really obsessed with mini games. , even useless ones. This is a plus since the game feels a lot varied and constantly stimulate the player with other activities other than battles AND ...
... speaking of battles the combat system is good. It tries to be a little dynamic and action oriented. Battles themselves aren't that complex but GOD if there is so much to explore. The materia system is a good way of fit each character into a role that you like. there are a lot of combinations to experiment and to test o enemies. It's that type of combat system that you can pass by simply mashing A and farming for the most , but that heavily rewards you if you explore it enough alongside enemy drops. The thing i like more in this game is that almost everything you find has a purpose. A lot of modern RPGs fail in this so badly (looking at you XV and XVI).
If there is a thing i don't like is how poorly the endgame content is treated. Ok the superbosses were really cool , but only 2 of them tests the limit of the game. Ruby weapon is a great example since it requires a good exploration of the entire game and combat system. I really like how you have to further explore the world in order to unlock the final Limits for each characters instead of grinding battles to death ... but after that ?
The endgame dungeon is where you'll spend most of the time grinding like an animal for maxing the party and ... it doesn't feel satisfyng at some point. I know it's a really old game that pushed the PS to the limit , but hey at least reduce the quantity of exp required for leveling both Materia and characters.
The soundtrack was another surprise for me. I never was a big fan of FF VII music , but hearing in game is a whole other story. Cosmo canyon and the main battle theme were the 2 i enjoyed the most.
Final Fantasy VII is strange to me. There are a lot of things i don't like when it comes to game design , but it's so much fun to explore and the game has depth , more than what you can imagine. Had a really good time despite the age. At least i do understand why this game is considered a masterpiece , and i can't deny that.
[ 8.4 / 10 ]
Jokes aside this is a really important title in gaming history , how could i play this at the 23rd year of my life ? Well i procrastinate a lot when it comes to old RPGs. I like them but they also need a fair amount of patience given the time they require , the constant random battles and overall slow speed of theese games. Final Fantasy VII surprised me because , even with the ass game design of that era , it still managed to surprise and angage. Wasn't expecting much but here i am !
The setting is BEAUTIFUL , lot more interesting than what modern Final Fantasy tried to do. It feels you're there to just see what the world has to offer. Midgar is such a brilliant idea with all the plates and the Slums quarters. Exploration in rewarded really well with objects that comes in hand in a lot of various situations. Dialogues are short but impactful for the most. Characters manage to be more likeable than other Flat or stereotyped characters that submerges you with walls of text. The game is filled with so many secret and it's all up to you on discover them. There is a lot of missable content in this game due to story progression and usually i despise this , but hey it wasn't that bad here.In a few words exploration is satisfyng , rewarding and talking to other characters isn't an hassle.
Writing also surprised me , it's one of theese stories that seems complex but are actualy simple on their roots , making good use of story telling and plot twists. I can't deny that not always you can get the game seriously since with all the mini poligonal models and the huge amount of goofy moments the game throws at you it's hard to imagine a dark moment when needed.
Also Square was really obsessed with mini games. , even useless ones. This is a plus since the game feels a lot varied and constantly stimulate the player with other activities other than battles AND ...
... speaking of battles the combat system is good. It tries to be a little dynamic and action oriented. Battles themselves aren't that complex but GOD if there is so much to explore. The materia system is a good way of fit each character into a role that you like. there are a lot of combinations to experiment and to test o enemies. It's that type of combat system that you can pass by simply mashing A and farming for the most , but that heavily rewards you if you explore it enough alongside enemy drops. The thing i like more in this game is that almost everything you find has a purpose. A lot of modern RPGs fail in this so badly (looking at you XV and XVI).
If there is a thing i don't like is how poorly the endgame content is treated. Ok the superbosses were really cool , but only 2 of them tests the limit of the game. Ruby weapon is a great example since it requires a good exploration of the entire game and combat system. I really like how you have to further explore the world in order to unlock the final Limits for each characters instead of grinding battles to death ... but after that ?
The endgame dungeon is where you'll spend most of the time grinding like an animal for maxing the party and ... it doesn't feel satisfyng at some point. I know it's a really old game that pushed the PS to the limit , but hey at least reduce the quantity of exp required for leveling both Materia and characters.
The soundtrack was another surprise for me. I never was a big fan of FF VII music , but hearing in game is a whole other story. Cosmo canyon and the main battle theme were the 2 i enjoyed the most.
Final Fantasy VII is strange to me. There are a lot of things i don't like when it comes to game design , but it's so much fun to explore and the game has depth , more than what you can imagine. Had a really good time despite the age. At least i do understand why this game is considered a masterpiece , and i can't deny that.
[ 8.4 / 10 ]
Super Mario Bros. Wonder did something that the 2D saga wasn't doing for a really long period : innovating.
I actually felt the game was really a breath of fresh air after 5 New SMB Titles. It's charming and , artistically speaking , one of the best production in the platformer scene. Everything from new mechanics , animations , the talking flowers and more ... make for a great experience for every level you play. Each stage feels unique , lively , and it's not filled to the brim with coins in every corner so your life counter is take in check.
However there is something wrong with this game and i realized that the moment i completed it and started to replay all the levels with different badges ... i think it falls off in the replayability department and that's a thing that i consider a lot in platformers. Too many cutscenes , auto-scroll sections and overall controlled pace in a lot of the game sections. It's far from being slow sure , but it doesn't make me want to replay levels that much , even speedrunning a lot of them feels too easy or not that rewarding and ... yeah content is barebones , just the man campaign. Nothing wrong with that , but after completing the main game i didn't feel the urge to play more of it.
Nontheless even if my opinion isn't one of the highest i still think this is a classic that every platformer lover should consider to play. The first time is a really unique experince !
[8.6 / 10 ]
I actually felt the game was really a breath of fresh air after 5 New SMB Titles. It's charming and , artistically speaking , one of the best production in the platformer scene. Everything from new mechanics , animations , the talking flowers and more ... make for a great experience for every level you play. Each stage feels unique , lively , and it's not filled to the brim with coins in every corner so your life counter is take in check.
However there is something wrong with this game and i realized that the moment i completed it and started to replay all the levels with different badges ... i think it falls off in the replayability department and that's a thing that i consider a lot in platformers. Too many cutscenes , auto-scroll sections and overall controlled pace in a lot of the game sections. It's far from being slow sure , but it doesn't make me want to replay levels that much , even speedrunning a lot of them feels too easy or not that rewarding and ... yeah content is barebones , just the man campaign. Nothing wrong with that , but after completing the main game i didn't feel the urge to play more of it.
Nontheless even if my opinion isn't one of the highest i still think this is a classic that every platformer lover should consider to play. The first time is a really unique experince !
[8.6 / 10 ]
This Remake is actually really good. It feels fast and in line with modern Mario & Luigi. I can get that with the new graphics the game looses a bit of it's goofiness , but it's still fine. playng this however made me realize how the game actually aged in terms of item management and exploration. Lots of gears just feel useless. Overall a good way to play the Superstar Saga , definitely reccomended.
The only real downside is the side mode " Minion Quest ". There isn't that much depth to explore in a mode that's just Auto-Battle and endless grind. Strategy sometimes feels useless and it's the same old story with Rock/Paper/Scissor mechanics that don't go that far outside of that. Add some RNG to shake up the battles and we are done. Something that i didn't enjoy that much. The story was pretty though.
[ 7.5 / 10 ]
The only real downside is the side mode " Minion Quest ". There isn't that much depth to explore in a mode that's just Auto-Battle and endless grind. Strategy sometimes feels useless and it's the same old story with Rock/Paper/Scissor mechanics that don't go that far outside of that. Add some RNG to shake up the battles and we are done. Something that i didn't enjoy that much. The story was pretty though.
[ 7.5 / 10 ]
2022
[ 2nd Review after the 3 Updates ]
I'm really happy that , despite the numerous problems the game have , that now Sonic Frontiers feels actually complete.
The Battle Rush and Cyberspace Challenge were a really nice addition if you're into Arcade Marathons , seeing how good you can score facing all the levels or bosses in a single session. While i had a lot of fun with the Cyberspace Challenge the Battle Rush made me realize how janky the combat still feels even knowing the tricks to surpass it with ease.
The Jukebox was another godsend from the developers. Not only incentivize the players to explore remote angles of the maps that before felt useless , but it gives you something else to listen instead of the usual island themes that get stale after a while if you're going for full exploration.
Finally we have Extreme Mode , unlocked after getting S rank in all of the Battle Rush phases. It felt lazy not gonna lie. You get one shotted by everything that does damage here. While it makes you approach combat and exploration with much more care (and i appreciate that) i'm a little bit tired that increasing the difficulty just means more damage on you and less on others without interesting changes.You also can't level up Sonic Stats. Extreme also lowers the time requirements for S-ranks in Cyberspace Levels and theese were really good. They are a lot more strict now (except 1-2 because it was already ridicolous) and really pushes you on finding optimal routes while having good execution.
The 2nd update added a new UI themed around Sonic's Birthday and while it's a fun and nice touch it also makes the game a lot more chaotic to understand. Not a big fan of that. Then we have New Cocos to find paired with new platforming challenges for reaching them. Boy if theese challenges were good because they push mechanics in a way you wouldn't excpect in a game like this. Also some of them are actually hard and not that much automated. The last addition were Special score challenges scattered troughout the maps and they weren't something this special. Basically you have a score multiplier that you can increase by collecting yellow spheres and performing all sort of actions in the open zone. Then you're given a score based on your performance so it's a sort of " find a good place to make a lot of tricks ". Another way to mess around in the world , but not their best addition. Getting S-Rank in all of theese challenges anlock the Spindash and it's a sort of powered boost that let's you cover long distances with a jump if you find a ramp to elevate Sonic. Super fun to traverse everything with this , shame that's locked behind a pretty tedious task.
Finally we have an alternative mode called Final Horizon. It's an alternattive finale were you get to play with Amy , Knuckles and Tails as you find another way to defeat The End.
Let's start by sayng that i LOVE the level design in this mode. All of the challenges proposed for getting ability points for the various characters or unlocking chunks of the map are fantastic. They compliment so well the different playstyles of the trio and automation is barebone present. This means that it's up to you and your ability. Not to mention how well designed and out of mind they feel compared to the entirety of the main campaign. Puzzles also steps up in terms of difficulty without feeling like childs play for more experienced players. The new Final battle alongside his sequences NOW lives up to the rest of the other titans , redeeming the mediocre and rushed thing that was the Supreme fight. This game has now a real finale worth of the rest and it's a great thing. Also Super Sonic has never benn so edgy and cool as in this fight before. Another goated aspect about this expansion are the new Cyberspace levels. They are also greatly designed with really challenging courses , new collectibles for each stages alongside secret exits that are actually a little bit challenging this time to find and really cool gimmicks. There are a lot of paths this time to take and exploring the various levels feels fun with how open they are. Not to mention how they make great use of the spindash.
Seems pretty good so far , but this expansion has it's fair amount of issues and they're not little. First i want to talk about how they awfully handled difficulty distribution. I get that Sonic team took seriously the fact that players found the game too easy , but there are some insane difficulty spikes here that blocks preogression for a lot of people. The Master trials oscillates from stupidly difficult to mere joke to complete softlock on the highest difficulty (yeah i'm looking at you frame perfect parry). The new buffed guardians are awful to fight. The new characters weren't design with combat in mind and , in fact , battling guardians with them feels a lot awkward and clunky. Not to mention how sometimes they pull of unreactable moves and ridicolous amounts of projectiles without stopping for a moment. With Sonic it's doable , but on extreme ... oh boy it feels like they forgot this mode exist. Not only guardians have a stupidily high amount of health , but you can't increase your attack stat. Theese battles are an waful long drag that you don't know when they'll finish considering the amount of bullshit going on. Another aspect i didn't like that much was how each of the character could wasily unlock broken moves for platforming. Amy has a really high jump with the ability to fluctuate while Tails and Knucles have basically infinite flight. Tails also has complete range of motion in the air. I like that theese options are here , but i would have preferred them as rewards for doing other things. I get that using theese abilities is a choice , but what's the point of having really good and well designed challenges if you have a really easily accessible cheat button ?
Well... Frontiers needs a lot of polishing AGAIN and the updates didn't resolve the big problem of how collectibles feels useless sometimes to get. The core gameplay loop is still flawed , but now the game actually feels complete. Not to mention how they just took really good and interesting directions with the latest update , especially in level design. I had a lot of fun replayng this game with all the updates and that's a really good sign. Hoping that now this is gonna be a great new start fo Modern Sonic.
[ 7.4 / 10 ]
I'm really happy that , despite the numerous problems the game have , that now Sonic Frontiers feels actually complete.
The Battle Rush and Cyberspace Challenge were a really nice addition if you're into Arcade Marathons , seeing how good you can score facing all the levels or bosses in a single session. While i had a lot of fun with the Cyberspace Challenge the Battle Rush made me realize how janky the combat still feels even knowing the tricks to surpass it with ease.
The Jukebox was another godsend from the developers. Not only incentivize the players to explore remote angles of the maps that before felt useless , but it gives you something else to listen instead of the usual island themes that get stale after a while if you're going for full exploration.
Finally we have Extreme Mode , unlocked after getting S rank in all of the Battle Rush phases. It felt lazy not gonna lie. You get one shotted by everything that does damage here. While it makes you approach combat and exploration with much more care (and i appreciate that) i'm a little bit tired that increasing the difficulty just means more damage on you and less on others without interesting changes.You also can't level up Sonic Stats. Extreme also lowers the time requirements for S-ranks in Cyberspace Levels and theese were really good. They are a lot more strict now (except 1-2 because it was already ridicolous) and really pushes you on finding optimal routes while having good execution.
The 2nd update added a new UI themed around Sonic's Birthday and while it's a fun and nice touch it also makes the game a lot more chaotic to understand. Not a big fan of that. Then we have New Cocos to find paired with new platforming challenges for reaching them. Boy if theese challenges were good because they push mechanics in a way you wouldn't excpect in a game like this. Also some of them are actually hard and not that much automated. The last addition were Special score challenges scattered troughout the maps and they weren't something this special. Basically you have a score multiplier that you can increase by collecting yellow spheres and performing all sort of actions in the open zone. Then you're given a score based on your performance so it's a sort of " find a good place to make a lot of tricks ". Another way to mess around in the world , but not their best addition. Getting S-Rank in all of theese challenges anlock the Spindash and it's a sort of powered boost that let's you cover long distances with a jump if you find a ramp to elevate Sonic. Super fun to traverse everything with this , shame that's locked behind a pretty tedious task.
Finally we have an alternative mode called Final Horizon. It's an alternattive finale were you get to play with Amy , Knuckles and Tails as you find another way to defeat The End.
Let's start by sayng that i LOVE the level design in this mode. All of the challenges proposed for getting ability points for the various characters or unlocking chunks of the map are fantastic. They compliment so well the different playstyles of the trio and automation is barebone present. This means that it's up to you and your ability. Not to mention how well designed and out of mind they feel compared to the entirety of the main campaign. Puzzles also steps up in terms of difficulty without feeling like childs play for more experienced players. The new Final battle alongside his sequences NOW lives up to the rest of the other titans , redeeming the mediocre and rushed thing that was the Supreme fight. This game has now a real finale worth of the rest and it's a great thing. Also Super Sonic has never benn so edgy and cool as in this fight before. Another goated aspect about this expansion are the new Cyberspace levels. They are also greatly designed with really challenging courses , new collectibles for each stages alongside secret exits that are actually a little bit challenging this time to find and really cool gimmicks. There are a lot of paths this time to take and exploring the various levels feels fun with how open they are. Not to mention how they make great use of the spindash.
Seems pretty good so far , but this expansion has it's fair amount of issues and they're not little. First i want to talk about how they awfully handled difficulty distribution. I get that Sonic team took seriously the fact that players found the game too easy , but there are some insane difficulty spikes here that blocks preogression for a lot of people. The Master trials oscillates from stupidly difficult to mere joke to complete softlock on the highest difficulty (yeah i'm looking at you frame perfect parry). The new buffed guardians are awful to fight. The new characters weren't design with combat in mind and , in fact , battling guardians with them feels a lot awkward and clunky. Not to mention how sometimes they pull of unreactable moves and ridicolous amounts of projectiles without stopping for a moment. With Sonic it's doable , but on extreme ... oh boy it feels like they forgot this mode exist. Not only guardians have a stupidily high amount of health , but you can't increase your attack stat. Theese battles are an waful long drag that you don't know when they'll finish considering the amount of bullshit going on. Another aspect i didn't like that much was how each of the character could wasily unlock broken moves for platforming. Amy has a really high jump with the ability to fluctuate while Tails and Knucles have basically infinite flight. Tails also has complete range of motion in the air. I like that theese options are here , but i would have preferred them as rewards for doing other things. I get that using theese abilities is a choice , but what's the point of having really good and well designed challenges if you have a really easily accessible cheat button ?
Well... Frontiers needs a lot of polishing AGAIN and the updates didn't resolve the big problem of how collectibles feels useless sometimes to get. The core gameplay loop is still flawed , but now the game actually feels complete. Not to mention how they just took really good and interesting directions with the latest update , especially in level design. I had a lot of fun replayng this game with all the updates and that's a really good sign. Hoping that now this is gonna be a great new start fo Modern Sonic.
[ 7.4 / 10 ]
2022
[ 1st review after Platinum Trophy ]
Sonic Frontiers had a real weight on his shoulders. This past decade was a disaster for the franchise on the videogame department. Just when we tought that Sonic Mania was gonna be the new start in quality for the franchise BOOM Sonic Forces came out and ... it was bad ... AGAIN.
When the first footages of gameplay were released people were scared because gameplay looked clunky , repetitive and too much automation was involved. The fans were expecting a new disaster but , as we'll going to see in this review , it actually was the spark that ignited a a new flame.
Sonic Forntiers tries a new formula in game design and decides to follow the steps of his old rival Super Mario. Open world exploration divided into different zones. They've declared that this was called open zone like it was something revolutionary but hell nah it just was a new way of marketing the game. In theese Open Zones you can freely move at mach speed collecting a bunch of things that will help with your progression with the story. The themes this time are a little more serious than the usual and i appreciated this. The game also present classic levels with a finish line to complete in the form of cyber-space levels. Here there are also collectibles and a few performance requirements for getting higher grades and , again , objects to progress with the main campaign.
Another aspect that this game tries to develop is combat. This time Sonic has an entire moveset for kicking enemies as much as he wants. The map is also filled with mini bosses and each of them requires different strategies and moves in order to be taken down.
If i have to be honest the game is actually really fun to traverse , combat is fast and satisfyang at times and exploring is actually ... well it's too good to be true uh?
This game is heavily flawed in it's progression system and game design. It is meant to be a sort of collectathon with action involved into it. The problem is that the object scattered around the map are pretty much USELESS. To progress with the story you really need a few of them compared to the massive amount scattered in the entire map. Minibosses drops gears that you'll need to acess cyberspace , but guess what ?? You'll have so many of them at one point that getting them will result USELESS. Combat is good but the game is SO FULL OF JANK and some interactions with bosses are just so clunky to the point it feels really uncontrollable.
Scattered around the map there are some puzzles you need to complete in order to unlock chunks of the map and giving you the locations of other key objects. Theese rewards you with specials seeds that will increase your stats because YES there are parameters on your character. Here is the question , why the fuck i can only get 1 level for every inetraction i have with the guy that boosts you ? The stats can be boosted up to 99 times and i have to level them 1 at a time.
Another thing that i really found annoyng was the Starfall minigame that casually appears from time to time. Here you'll collect shards of stars scattered in all of the map and getting theese will permit you to try a spin on the slot machine that will give you other bonuses. Thing is there is so much shit on the screen and it's difficult to understand something especially if you're tryng to explore for collectibles.
Seems too much negative , but as i said the game reignited something. In each island your main obejective is to collect the 7 chaos emeralds in order to transform into Super Sonic and take down the big guy patrolling the area. Turns out the bossfights were one of the best spectacles i've ever seen in a Sonic Game and the new OSTs for them were straight up fire. Loved theese moments so much. But here lies another one of the many problems the game have. The final 2 islands were empty and the final section of the game felt really underwhelming compared to the rest of the game. Feels like it was RUSHED UH ? Not to mention how the fishing with Big on the final island lets you buy main collectibles without limits. this means that you can skip exploration with fishing and i found it really stupid.
Have to be real here. This game is a mess in a lot of ways , but the core experience and the hype moments really do make up a bit for all of this. It has been too long since a modern Sonic game made me feel something that wasn't plain cringe or delusion. Even if the exploration isn't that useful i found it fun at the very least. This isn't a definitive review of the game since there are gonna be 3 other updates so ... we'll see again when the game's gonna be complete. For now this is what i actually feel.
[ 6.6 / 10 ]
Sonic Frontiers had a real weight on his shoulders. This past decade was a disaster for the franchise on the videogame department. Just when we tought that Sonic Mania was gonna be the new start in quality for the franchise BOOM Sonic Forces came out and ... it was bad ... AGAIN.
When the first footages of gameplay were released people were scared because gameplay looked clunky , repetitive and too much automation was involved. The fans were expecting a new disaster but , as we'll going to see in this review , it actually was the spark that ignited a a new flame.
Sonic Forntiers tries a new formula in game design and decides to follow the steps of his old rival Super Mario. Open world exploration divided into different zones. They've declared that this was called open zone like it was something revolutionary but hell nah it just was a new way of marketing the game. In theese Open Zones you can freely move at mach speed collecting a bunch of things that will help with your progression with the story. The themes this time are a little more serious than the usual and i appreciated this. The game also present classic levels with a finish line to complete in the form of cyber-space levels. Here there are also collectibles and a few performance requirements for getting higher grades and , again , objects to progress with the main campaign.
Another aspect that this game tries to develop is combat. This time Sonic has an entire moveset for kicking enemies as much as he wants. The map is also filled with mini bosses and each of them requires different strategies and moves in order to be taken down.
If i have to be honest the game is actually really fun to traverse , combat is fast and satisfyang at times and exploring is actually ... well it's too good to be true uh?
This game is heavily flawed in it's progression system and game design. It is meant to be a sort of collectathon with action involved into it. The problem is that the object scattered around the map are pretty much USELESS. To progress with the story you really need a few of them compared to the massive amount scattered in the entire map. Minibosses drops gears that you'll need to acess cyberspace , but guess what ?? You'll have so many of them at one point that getting them will result USELESS. Combat is good but the game is SO FULL OF JANK and some interactions with bosses are just so clunky to the point it feels really uncontrollable.
Scattered around the map there are some puzzles you need to complete in order to unlock chunks of the map and giving you the locations of other key objects. Theese rewards you with specials seeds that will increase your stats because YES there are parameters on your character. Here is the question , why the fuck i can only get 1 level for every inetraction i have with the guy that boosts you ? The stats can be boosted up to 99 times and i have to level them 1 at a time.
Another thing that i really found annoyng was the Starfall minigame that casually appears from time to time. Here you'll collect shards of stars scattered in all of the map and getting theese will permit you to try a spin on the slot machine that will give you other bonuses. Thing is there is so much shit on the screen and it's difficult to understand something especially if you're tryng to explore for collectibles.
Seems too much negative , but as i said the game reignited something. In each island your main obejective is to collect the 7 chaos emeralds in order to transform into Super Sonic and take down the big guy patrolling the area. Turns out the bossfights were one of the best spectacles i've ever seen in a Sonic Game and the new OSTs for them were straight up fire. Loved theese moments so much. But here lies another one of the many problems the game have. The final 2 islands were empty and the final section of the game felt really underwhelming compared to the rest of the game. Feels like it was RUSHED UH ? Not to mention how the fishing with Big on the final island lets you buy main collectibles without limits. this means that you can skip exploration with fishing and i found it really stupid.
Have to be real here. This game is a mess in a lot of ways , but the core experience and the hype moments really do make up a bit for all of this. It has been too long since a modern Sonic game made me feel something that wasn't plain cringe or delusion. Even if the exploration isn't that useful i found it fun at the very least. This isn't a definitive review of the game since there are gonna be 3 other updates so ... we'll see again when the game's gonna be complete. For now this is what i actually feel.
[ 6.6 / 10 ]
I definitely think this is the best version of the game. Graphics are good , controls ARE BETTER and there are 38 more levels to explore other than the base game. Theese levels are great (except the usual first remakes of Super Mario Bros.1 levels) and add a good amount of challenge for experienced players. Also there are plenty of collectibles to find. The only downside to all of this is Luigi , wich feels like he was added at the last moment. A lot of levels seems just studied to be played with Mario and with Luigi ... they feel like shit to play.
Overall if you have to play Supre Mario Bros. 3 play this version. It's the best one by far and adds a good amount of quality content.
Overall if you have to play Supre Mario Bros. 3 play this version. It's the best one by far and adds a good amount of quality content.
Nothing to add here from my experience on the SNES Version. It's the same game , but with worse audio quality and some quality of life changes.
I like that now you have a list of levels where you can see collectibles , exits and teleport instantly to levels without slowly traversing the entire map.
Luigi is significantly worse to use compared to Mario and meìakes me feel like the game is in slow mode for some reason. I don't aunderstand this Super Mario Advance trend of putting Luigi as a playable character if it's so unfun to play.
So what's better , this or the SNES Version ? Personally i suggest to play the SNES Version since there aren't much changes or added content and Audio is just better.
I like that now you have a list of levels where you can see collectibles , exits and teleport instantly to levels without slowly traversing the entire map.
Luigi is significantly worse to use compared to Mario and meìakes me feel like the game is in slow mode for some reason. I don't aunderstand this Super Mario Advance trend of putting Luigi as a playable character if it's so unfun to play.
So what's better , this or the SNES Version ? Personally i suggest to play the SNES Version since there aren't much changes or added content and Audio is just better.
2001
This game made everything in order to fix what Super Mario Bros. 2 was lacking. Collectibles incentivize exploration a lot more and the game is visually more appealing than the other versions. SCORE IS FINALLY HERE and it resolve the main problem i had with this game of not being satisfyng to play. Other little extras like bigger enemies and vegetables were added in order to hit multiple enemies in a row with a throw. Hearts spawns a lot more frequently and levels are filled with them making the experience a lot less frustrating.
The yoshi challenge was ... ok i guess ?? Felt unncessary to me , but i think they wanted to expand exploration on the other dimension of levels. Other than all of this positives the game's level design still lacks a lot and , as i always felt , Super Mario Bros.2 lacks the charm and fun i have with a lot of other platformers even if this is by far the best version and barely saves the title for me.
The yoshi challenge was ... ok i guess ?? Felt unncessary to me , but i think they wanted to expand exploration on the other dimension of levels. Other than all of this positives the game's level design still lacks a lot and , as i always felt , Super Mario Bros.2 lacks the charm and fun i have with a lot of other platformers even if this is by far the best version and barely saves the title for me.
This is the definitive way of playng the original Super Maio Bros. on the NES. Game in general and controls feel way smoother than the original. There is also a leaderboard that you can share with your friends and a VS Mode. Challenge mode is awesome and it pushes the arcade aspect of the game by filling each level with other collectables and score requirements that are actually pretty tight if you don't know the tricks. As a good extra there are also a Vs. Boo mode where you can challenge him in a race inside some levels specifically studied for it nd a gallery with images that you can unlock by doing certain things in game. In other words there are achievements. WOW this game is packed with awesome features and Extra ! So ... why is the score is so low ? The main problem that i PERSONALLY have with this game is the screen resolution and how much it screws the game sometimes , especially in levels where cheep cheeps jump out of nowhere and sometimes you cant even react. It's too little for my taste and even if it didn't take too much for me to adapt it still felt terrible most of the time. There is also Super Mario Bros The Lost Levels (shit game) included in the pacakage and OH BOY some levels are literally unplayable (7-3 fuck you).
Really ... i wish for this version to came on console one day.
Really ... i wish for this version to came on console one day.
1990
I think that this is the Mario title with the most inventive ideas. Mario revolutionized platforming again. This time you can explore levels as much as you want since you can replay them. The map this time is connected instead of being divised making the experience more cohesive. Levels constantly thows at you wacky ideas after the others creating an experience that never gets boring or stale and the cape is one of the best addition to the Mario universe. Sprinting so fast and having the ability to flight risking to hit something is so much fun. Feels like an extension of the Tanooki suit from Super Mario Bros. 3. From throwing object in all directions and the spin Jump that lets you jump on spiky enemies/obstacles , to levels filled to the brim with secrets and alternate exits , Super Mario World is just one of the most inventive and fun platformers out there and for sure another piece of History in Nintendo's library.
However i have some criticism towards a title like this. Level Design doesn't always feel organized or balanced. In the final 2 worlds the diffculty spike rise up a lot in no time , especially in castles. The game has a lot of ideas , but level design lacks some polish. I can understand that for the time it seemed perfect , but with modern Super Mario i think the team demonstrated how much level design has evolved in the years.
Still this game remain a classic and nothing will change that !
However i have some criticism towards a title like this. Level Design doesn't always feel organized or balanced. In the final 2 worlds the diffculty spike rise up a lot in no time , especially in castles. The game has a lot of ideas , but level design lacks some polish. I can understand that for the time it seemed perfect , but with modern Super Mario i think the team demonstrated how much level design has evolved in the years.
Still this game remain a classic and nothing will change that !
A lot better than the predeccessor. Still a litle bit strange in terms of locations and presentation , but with the usual familiar style. Lot of levels to explore with secrets and alternate exits. I also like how coins are balanced in this game. Instead of giving you a life for every 100 coins they give you the possibility to get lives on a slot machine. You'll be able to win more lifes the more coins you spend in a shot WITH the possibilty to get nothing in return. While it's not completely balanced i think it's a better system than the classic 100 coins that would've made the game a lot easier for starters. I had a fun time with this one , buuut there are a lot of other better options than this you know ...
Oh and the flyng cap is awful to me. I don't know , it just doesn't click.
Oh and the flyng cap is awful to me. I don't know , it just doesn't click.
Super Maroi All Stars is a collection of the first 4 Super Mario Bros. titles on the NES.
The improvements in graphics are in line with the SNES titles and i appreciate it a lot. I'm a fan of the style. Now what this game accomplished for me was to make Super Mario Bros. and Lost Levels more enjoyable to play. I don't know if changes were made , but in all the titles i felt more in control of my character , but with the sloppy momentum that theese games are famous for. Super Mario Bros. 2 despite the improvements it's still shit. Pretty solid collection overall with great improvements on visuals , but why Fire Flowers in Mario 3 are still blue ??
The improvements in graphics are in line with the SNES titles and i appreciate it a lot. I'm a fan of the style. Now what this game accomplished for me was to make Super Mario Bros. and Lost Levels more enjoyable to play. I don't know if changes were made , but in all the titles i felt more in control of my character , but with the sloppy momentum that theese games are famous for. Super Mario Bros. 2 despite the improvements it's still shit. Pretty solid collection overall with great improvements on visuals , but why Fire Flowers in Mario 3 are still blue ??
Ok another Re-PLay because i told myself are you suffering severe skill issues ?? And here i am. I completed the game on the NES version , even World A to D and i have to say that i get to appreciate the game more and the high level of challenge it provides. After a while it felt satisfyang BUT still believe that some levels and overall quality of the game are lacking. Like Hammer Bros. are busted and the most bullshit part of the original Mario Bros. AND they've decided to spam those fuckers everywhere.