2004
There's a type of design philosophy that I have been trying to define when it comes to shoot 'em ups. A combination of the feeling of a perfect level of speed, combined with excellent enemy placement and bullet patterns that never slow down, with music complimenting the action that creates an incredible feeling of adrenaline with each and every action the player takes; a "high" that lasts for the entire duration of the game, that never ends, until you hit that credits screen, and you're ready to do it all over again, because it was a meditative experience that comes once in a lifetime.
That is Mushihimesama. My favorite shoot 'em up, and one of the best games ever developed. For the love of Ikeda, play this one.
That is Mushihimesama. My favorite shoot 'em up, and one of the best games ever developed. For the love of Ikeda, play this one.
A very solid action platformer by CAProduction. Great movement, smart enemy placement and really good boss fights. The game rewards memorization and solid strategies for each section, and the more you have memorized, the faster you'll get through the game -- a thrilling combination.
My only criticisms are that bombs and health pickups, as well as 1-ups, are RNG drops from enemies, who all drop an item upon death. I feel this makes the game much easier than it should, and all those should instead be carefully placed items in certain stages. It didn't take me long to get a No-Death clear, around 8 - 12 hours, if I had to estimate. However, that was due to the hardest two stages in the game, which killed several runs, 1-4 and the Final Boss, which is a chase sequence involving good knowledge of the platforming tools you have. This would have been a far faster clear without those two run killers.
There's a large variety of interesting tools you can use for various situations, and I never felt any tool was just for show. I ignored the more overpowered super attacks and backflips, but you can easily find many different ways to approach stages and bosses.
Worth a play. It's no Shinobi, but it's still a great action platformer that's well worth your time.
My only criticisms are that bombs and health pickups, as well as 1-ups, are RNG drops from enemies, who all drop an item upon death. I feel this makes the game much easier than it should, and all those should instead be carefully placed items in certain stages. It didn't take me long to get a No-Death clear, around 8 - 12 hours, if I had to estimate. However, that was due to the hardest two stages in the game, which killed several runs, 1-4 and the Final Boss, which is a chase sequence involving good knowledge of the platforming tools you have. This would have been a far faster clear without those two run killers.
There's a large variety of interesting tools you can use for various situations, and I never felt any tool was just for show. I ignored the more overpowered super attacks and backflips, but you can easily find many different ways to approach stages and bosses.
Worth a play. It's no Shinobi, but it's still a great action platformer that's well worth your time.
2003
My rating is based off the gameplay alone.
I can't in good conscience recommend this as a game, because the gameplay is just godawful. It's a 3D beat 'em up and the game is mission-based, separated into two-types of missions. The ground missions are musou but worse, and the aerial missions, while serviceable, are very boring. There are two really good boss fights, out of several, and that's all you get. I fell into Stockholm syndrome, and eventually just got used to it, but it's not good. If you're insane enough to go through it anyway, you'll be greeted with an interesting meta-narrative that escalates extremely well until the final cutscene. It's full of "this is just okay enough that we won't get sued"-style Berserk references, which as a Berserk fan, kept me engaged enough to continue. The narrative only begins to pick up after you get a couple of endings. However, the narrative gets so wild beyond that, that I think it's very worth experiencing. If you're willing to put up with a lot of shit, you'll get rewarded by the end. Make sure to get every ending.
I can't in good conscience recommend this as a game, because the gameplay is just godawful. It's a 3D beat 'em up and the game is mission-based, separated into two-types of missions. The ground missions are musou but worse, and the aerial missions, while serviceable, are very boring. There are two really good boss fights, out of several, and that's all you get. I fell into Stockholm syndrome, and eventually just got used to it, but it's not good. If you're insane enough to go through it anyway, you'll be greeted with an interesting meta-narrative that escalates extremely well until the final cutscene. It's full of "this is just okay enough that we won't get sued"-style Berserk references, which as a Berserk fan, kept me engaged enough to continue. The narrative only begins to pick up after you get a couple of endings. However, the narrative gets so wild beyond that, that I think it's very worth experiencing. If you're willing to put up with a lot of shit, you'll get rewarded by the end. Make sure to get every ending.
1999
This is a review of the more technical aspects of a 10 Star run in Silent Hill and my experience with the scoring system. I managed full 10 star run of the original Silent Hill with no saves or continues.
You technically can use a continue, but I didn't want that. Once I finished the hospital, I was feeling real good about my accuracy. I use the glitch at the amusement park to save a minute or so. I used the rifle against Incubus to make absolutely sure I gain some accuracy back, since I fucked up against the worm with too many missed shotgun shots. All my runs seem to be around the 1h and 27m mark plus or minus 2 minutes.
The game's requirements for a 10 star run create this amazing atmosphere of heavy tension even after the initial playthrough, keeping that tension no matter how many times you've played it because any small error in routing could destroy your whole run. The fact that they managed that type of tension for ten of my playthroughs makes this game an absolute triumph. This game's in my top 10, no doubt. The gameplay's focus on spacing during gunplay makes it extremely satisfying to engage in combat. I wish modern games had a bit more of this. More focus on routing, more focus on spacing, more focus on memorization, and good strategies to fight bosses and enemies. And more tank controls. They're so good.
Sure, you can play badly and still do pretty well, but you still need a base level of competence and a path routed for enemy kills and item pickups. Not many games have requirements that test you to this level anymore. This felt as good as clearing an arcade game. If you have not played this game, go do it. I cannot begin to describe how good it is. Not a single one of my ten playthroughs was ever tiring, just unbelievably tense and fun. "Masterpiece" is a word that's been used so much, it's lost its meaning, but this game really is just that.
You technically can use a continue, but I didn't want that. Once I finished the hospital, I was feeling real good about my accuracy. I use the glitch at the amusement park to save a minute or so. I used the rifle against Incubus to make absolutely sure I gain some accuracy back, since I fucked up against the worm with too many missed shotgun shots. All my runs seem to be around the 1h and 27m mark plus or minus 2 minutes.
The game's requirements for a 10 star run create this amazing atmosphere of heavy tension even after the initial playthrough, keeping that tension no matter how many times you've played it because any small error in routing could destroy your whole run. The fact that they managed that type of tension for ten of my playthroughs makes this game an absolute triumph. This game's in my top 10, no doubt. The gameplay's focus on spacing during gunplay makes it extremely satisfying to engage in combat. I wish modern games had a bit more of this. More focus on routing, more focus on spacing, more focus on memorization, and good strategies to fight bosses and enemies. And more tank controls. They're so good.
Sure, you can play badly and still do pretty well, but you still need a base level of competence and a path routed for enemy kills and item pickups. Not many games have requirements that test you to this level anymore. This felt as good as clearing an arcade game. If you have not played this game, go do it. I cannot begin to describe how good it is. Not a single one of my ten playthroughs was ever tiring, just unbelievably tense and fun. "Masterpiece" is a word that's been used so much, it's lost its meaning, but this game really is just that.
Fun game. I didn't expect much after the NSMB series of games but the level of creativity on display here is up there. It's got a slow start since World 1 doesn't pick up until the end, but it gets going after that. My major complaint is the difficulty curve. I had to introduce my self-imposed challenges to make up for it, but the game's easy to the point where some levels have nothing in them. I hope they increase the difficulty for future entries instead of leaving the challenging levels until the end. I don't think Nintendo gives enough credit to new players being introduced to the franchise.
1998
1CC'd with Yusuke at 41 hours and 24 minutes. https://youtu.be/1xLUxvuavPI
ESP Ra.De. is not usual CAVE fare. It's still bullet hell, but the approach you take in this game is much different than in games like DoDonPachi and Mushihimesama. Patterns in this game do not require nearly as much micrododging, but the game often demands you macrododge. It doesn't like it if you try to dodge in a corner, it will wall you and force a hit. It wants you to keep moving from one side of the screen to the next. It takes it further by forcing you kill enemies quick, or you will miss out on items that both increase your score and your supply of energy. The risk/reward keeps increasing with each stage. The routing for stages 4 and 5 is very strict, demanding you make no mistakes, and the final boss tests everything you have learned, by being a moving target with a small hitbox that you need to keep on top of. It's so meticulously made and so very addicting to play. I'm not the best at reviewing, but I urge you to play this if you even have the most minuscule amount of interest in shoot 'em ups or CAVE. It's fucking peak.
ESP Ra.De. is not usual CAVE fare. It's still bullet hell, but the approach you take in this game is much different than in games like DoDonPachi and Mushihimesama. Patterns in this game do not require nearly as much micrododging, but the game often demands you macrododge. It doesn't like it if you try to dodge in a corner, it will wall you and force a hit. It wants you to keep moving from one side of the screen to the next. It takes it further by forcing you kill enemies quick, or you will miss out on items that both increase your score and your supply of energy. The risk/reward keeps increasing with each stage. The routing for stages 4 and 5 is very strict, demanding you make no mistakes, and the final boss tests everything you have learned, by being a moving target with a small hitbox that you need to keep on top of. It's so meticulously made and so very addicting to play. I'm not the best at reviewing, but I urge you to play this if you even have the most minuscule amount of interest in shoot 'em ups or CAVE. It's fucking peak.
2018
I've cleared every course in this game, including the new ones: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UXVOhvBtds
This game is still excellent no matter how many times I clear it. It is the best racing game, IMO. Combines good reaction times with good memorization skills. The cars in front of you can be RNG at times, but not so much that it's impossible to adjust. Turning feels really damn good, and maneuvering through levels feels just fantastic. Sega Ages also does allow new players to adjust their experience and set levels to have higher starting times and less cars as training wheels for higher difficulties. I recommend this version. I enjoyed the features of Cannonball but having Leaderboards, Replays, an amazing new soundtrack, and the game's visuals just getting an impressive upgrade makes this version the best Switch exclusive, IMO. The replayability is through the goddamn roof.
This game is still excellent no matter how many times I clear it. It is the best racing game, IMO. Combines good reaction times with good memorization skills. The cars in front of you can be RNG at times, but not so much that it's impossible to adjust. Turning feels really damn good, and maneuvering through levels feels just fantastic. Sega Ages also does allow new players to adjust their experience and set levels to have higher starting times and less cars as training wheels for higher difficulties. I recommend this version. I enjoyed the features of Cannonball but having Leaderboards, Replays, an amazing new soundtrack, and the game's visuals just getting an impressive upgrade makes this version the best Switch exclusive, IMO. The replayability is through the goddamn roof.
This is a review of the more technical aspects of a 10 Star run in Silent Hill 2 and my experience with the scoring system. I managed full 10 star run of Silent Hill 2 with no saves or usage of the Green Hyper Spray. Unlike the first, this game does not place enough enemies en route to meet the 75 shooting kill requirement, so there is grinding that is done after the hospital, although, it's not too bad as it's on the way to your next location.
You can use 2 saves here, but I did the first with no saves, and I wanted to do the second with no saves. You still need to finish this game in the allotted time. Though it is way more generous at 3 hours. The biggest source of difficulty is that this game has a damage requirement. You must take less than 500 points of damage or you lose. Like the first game, this creates an amazing atmosphere of heavy tension even after the initial playthrough. While timing was made more generous, I would absolutely say the damage made this game much stricter with how you deal with bosses and enemies. You need to watch your spacing more carefully and have preset strategies for bosses. You can't just spam healing items.
It's harder than the first, and that's very appreciated, because no matter how good you get, you can probably still fuck up against the penultimate and final bosses which have very specific strategies you must use. This is due to the fact that this PC version has bosses moving at 2x speed. My heart was pounding at the final boss, because while everything you did before the final boss matters, the final boss is by far the most important part of the game to get right. If you fuck it up, it's all over, and it's super easy to rack up damage against it.
I've said all I can say in my Silent Hill 1 description. This game's not quite as good, imo. It's more straight forward with dungeons and the grinding drags it down -- however, even with my qualms, this is one of the greatest games ever made. These complaints are minor at best. The dungeons are still very satisfying to complete. It's satisfying to route and satisfying to play. On top of that, it has one of the best narratives I've experienced in the medium. I have no regrets calling it a masterpiece, just like the first game. I played it through 12 times, and I would gladly play it again.
You can use 2 saves here, but I did the first with no saves, and I wanted to do the second with no saves. You still need to finish this game in the allotted time. Though it is way more generous at 3 hours. The biggest source of difficulty is that this game has a damage requirement. You must take less than 500 points of damage or you lose. Like the first game, this creates an amazing atmosphere of heavy tension even after the initial playthrough. While timing was made more generous, I would absolutely say the damage made this game much stricter with how you deal with bosses and enemies. You need to watch your spacing more carefully and have preset strategies for bosses. You can't just spam healing items.
It's harder than the first, and that's very appreciated, because no matter how good you get, you can probably still fuck up against the penultimate and final bosses which have very specific strategies you must use. This is due to the fact that this PC version has bosses moving at 2x speed. My heart was pounding at the final boss, because while everything you did before the final boss matters, the final boss is by far the most important part of the game to get right. If you fuck it up, it's all over, and it's super easy to rack up damage against it.
I've said all I can say in my Silent Hill 1 description. This game's not quite as good, imo. It's more straight forward with dungeons and the grinding drags it down -- however, even with my qualms, this is one of the greatest games ever made. These complaints are minor at best. The dungeons are still very satisfying to complete. It's satisfying to route and satisfying to play. On top of that, it has one of the best narratives I've experienced in the medium. I have no regrets calling it a masterpiece, just like the first game. I played it through 12 times, and I would gladly play it again.
2003
This is a review of the more technical aspects of a 10 Star run in Silent Hill and my experience with the scoring system. For a quick review -- this is one of the best "survival horror" games on the market. Do yourself a favor and play it. It's almost perfect and one of the best games I've ever had the pleasure experiencing. It's a masterpiece, just like the first two games, and it's even more tense than they were, since you have a very small window of screw-ups that can just destroy any potential run. I played it so much, that I feel completely burned out on it, but you bet I'll be coming back in the future for replays.
I managed full 10 star run of Silent Hill 3 on the highest difficulty -- Extreme X. This game is interesting in that there's plenty of enemies for you to get every kill you need on the way to the end, but the fastest method is grinding for melee kills in the hospital. Shooting kills are easy to get, but melee kills are much harder, as Heather's kick is not an instant death, unlike with Harry and James in the previous two games.
This is easily the most difficult of the three Silent Hills, built for people who want an even more difficult challenge from the series. You have to play it on each difficulty as they unlock if you start out on Hard. So Extreme 1, Extreme 2, Extreme 3, all the way to Extreme X. They get more difficult as you progress as well. Enemies have better tracking and do more damage. The biggest obstacle, however, is the fact that there's several moments in this game where can just die immediately on Extreme X. Grabs from the Split Heads or Slurpers, getting knocked down by the Closers or Slurpers (if they are in groups, they can kill you on the ground), and the Borley Haunted Mansion hallway.
You also have similar requirements to Silent Hill 2. You need under 500 points of damage (technically under 450 points as you take some mandatory damage in the Underpass), 75 fighting kills, 75 shooting kills, at least 100 item pick-ups + the 5 special items, and new to Silent Hill 3, you need to kill each boss in under a certain time limit. There are also several places in the game that can be considered run killers on Extreme X, such as the Nightmare Hilltop Center, the Missionary boss, the Nightmare Hospital, Leonard's boss fight, and Borley Haunted Mansion hallway.
All this made for a very tense experience. I got a 10 Star run three separate times, and I must have played this game 30 - 40 times through the course of getting to Extreme X, including runs that were failures. I had a great time with it. It's the most action-packed of the first three titles, and it has some of the most interesting dungeons. While I prefer the first game, I think this is a very, very, very, very, very, very close second.
Good luck with the puzzles above Normal difficulty. On Hard, you have to be some sort of magic man to be able to solve them without some assistance. They are insane.
I managed full 10 star run of Silent Hill 3 on the highest difficulty -- Extreme X. This game is interesting in that there's plenty of enemies for you to get every kill you need on the way to the end, but the fastest method is grinding for melee kills in the hospital. Shooting kills are easy to get, but melee kills are much harder, as Heather's kick is not an instant death, unlike with Harry and James in the previous two games.
This is easily the most difficult of the three Silent Hills, built for people who want an even more difficult challenge from the series. You have to play it on each difficulty as they unlock if you start out on Hard. So Extreme 1, Extreme 2, Extreme 3, all the way to Extreme X. They get more difficult as you progress as well. Enemies have better tracking and do more damage. The biggest obstacle, however, is the fact that there's several moments in this game where can just die immediately on Extreme X. Grabs from the Split Heads or Slurpers, getting knocked down by the Closers or Slurpers (if they are in groups, they can kill you on the ground), and the Borley Haunted Mansion hallway.
You also have similar requirements to Silent Hill 2. You need under 500 points of damage (technically under 450 points as you take some mandatory damage in the Underpass), 75 fighting kills, 75 shooting kills, at least 100 item pick-ups + the 5 special items, and new to Silent Hill 3, you need to kill each boss in under a certain time limit. There are also several places in the game that can be considered run killers on Extreme X, such as the Nightmare Hilltop Center, the Missionary boss, the Nightmare Hospital, Leonard's boss fight, and Borley Haunted Mansion hallway.
All this made for a very tense experience. I got a 10 Star run three separate times, and I must have played this game 30 - 40 times through the course of getting to Extreme X, including runs that were failures. I had a great time with it. It's the most action-packed of the first three titles, and it has some of the most interesting dungeons. While I prefer the first game, I think this is a very, very, very, very, very, very close second.
Good luck with the puzzles above Normal difficulty. On Hard, you have to be some sort of magic man to be able to solve them without some assistance. They are insane.
1993
Batsugun is the last shoot 'em up by Toaplan before they went defunct. It is considered the first real bullet hell, or at least an early prototype of one. Toaplan eventually formed into the CAVE. You can really tell, because the bees in DoDonPachi, the stage 3 boss in Mushihimesama, and probably a lot more, were ideas that were likely conceived by Batsugun, whether artistically or more gameplay-oriented. It is a short game. You have a big hurtbox as well. I used Type B, but on the player 2 side, as I liked Alteeno's design more.
You have an experience bar, you increase it by killing enemies and destroying environmental objects. You fill it to level-up, with a max level of 3, and get a power increase each level. Each time you fill it up after level 3, you get a bomb. Stage 4 was my favorite level, requiring a mix of memorization and reflexes, and sporting some very, very cool background work, as well as an awesome tune that just keeps you going. This game's soundtrack is all adrenaline. I enjoyed every minute from start to finish.
You have an experience bar, you increase it by killing enemies and destroying environmental objects. You fill it to level-up, with a max level of 3, and get a power increase each level. Each time you fill it up after level 3, you get a bomb. Stage 4 was my favorite level, requiring a mix of memorization and reflexes, and sporting some very, very cool background work, as well as an awesome tune that just keeps you going. This game's soundtrack is all adrenaline. I enjoyed every minute from start to finish.
1987
Your goal to is save a set amount of hostages in each stage, while fighting off baddies by jumping between the foreground and the background. Each level consistently increases in difficulty, and provides one of the best action platformer experiences ever released in arcades. The enemy placement in this game is just pristine. Go for the clear.
2019
Blazing Chrome is a 2019 video game released by Joymasher, a Brazilian-based indie developer. Strong Contra: Hard Corps and Metal Slug vibes. I was recommended this game, and I managed to get every achievement, as well clear Normal and Hardcore mode with my character of choice, Mavra.
There are six stages in this game, each more difficult than the last, though you can play the first four in any order you want. The enemy design and placement in this game is some of the best I've seen from an indie retro-inspired title. The difficulty selection to Hardcore mode changes things by adding more enemies and making them more aggressive, forcing you to adapt and building on what you learned in Normal mode. My only criticism is I wish it had more difficulty modes. Hardcore felt like it should have been the Normal mode.
The game also has a Halloween skin, which is pretty cool.
There are six stages in this game, each more difficult than the last, though you can play the first four in any order you want. The enemy design and placement in this game is some of the best I've seen from an indie retro-inspired title. The difficulty selection to Hardcore mode changes things by adding more enemies and making them more aggressive, forcing you to adapt and building on what you learned in Normal mode. My only criticism is I wish it had more difficulty modes. Hardcore felt like it should have been the Normal mode.
The game also has a Halloween skin, which is pretty cool.
The Ninja Warriors Once Again is the second remake/remaster from Natsume-owned studio, Tengo Project. This studio is a group of individuals, originally from Natsume, that have reuinited and, for the past few years, have been on a mission to remake the games they've worked on years past. The first one was Wild Guns Reloaded, a fully loaded remake of the SNES 1994 original, Wild Guns. The second one is The Ninja Warriors Again, a fully equipped remake of the SNES 1994 original, The Ninja Warriors Again. They've struck gold once again, because this remake, and all their remakes, are blueprints of what remakes should be like.
The Ninja Warriors Once Again is a beat 'em up. Unlike most other beat 'em ups, this one is not a belt-scroller, but a side-scroller. You can play as one of five characters, two of which are unlockable by completing Normal and Hard mode. Each one has their own moveset and combo strings. They are all very different and play very different, which offers a lot of replayability to this title. I struck a cord with Ninja, a big robotic grappler who has a lot of really strong throws that assist with crowd control.
I cleared this one, and the only real walls I ran into were Stage 5's boss, Jubei, who's just insane to run into after playing the first 5 levels. He's fast and strong, and you need to preempt and block a lot of his attacks to get an opening. The second is Stage 7's boss, Zelos. The boss himself isn't bad, but in Hard mode, he gets a lot of fodder that you need to kill or avoid or throw at him in order to do some good damage. I died to them several times on my runs, but once you get through, you're pretty home-free for Stage 8. Just be careful with the final boss.
I wholly recommend this game if you're looking for a great 2D beat 'em up in an era where there are so few.
The Ninja Warriors Once Again is a beat 'em up. Unlike most other beat 'em ups, this one is not a belt-scroller, but a side-scroller. You can play as one of five characters, two of which are unlockable by completing Normal and Hard mode. Each one has their own moveset and combo strings. They are all very different and play very different, which offers a lot of replayability to this title. I struck a cord with Ninja, a big robotic grappler who has a lot of really strong throws that assist with crowd control.
I cleared this one, and the only real walls I ran into were Stage 5's boss, Jubei, who's just insane to run into after playing the first 5 levels. He's fast and strong, and you need to preempt and block a lot of his attacks to get an opening. The second is Stage 7's boss, Zelos. The boss himself isn't bad, but in Hard mode, he gets a lot of fodder that you need to kill or avoid or throw at him in order to do some good damage. I died to them several times on my runs, but once you get through, you're pretty home-free for Stage 8. Just be careful with the final boss.
I wholly recommend this game if you're looking for a great 2D beat 'em up in an era where there are so few.
1994
Demon's Crest is a spin-off of the much more popular Ghosts 'n Goblins franchise by Capcom. In it, you play as the dreaded Arremer, Firebrand, who was possibly responsible for the many deaths of Arthur in previous titles. This is an excellent action platformer by Capcom. It has a cool world map that is used as a stage select area, excellent levels with tons of secrets and collectibles, and really awesome bosses. It reminds me a lot of Mega Man X's level design. A super tight experience that I consider a must-play.
2009
This game has the audacity to exist.