chemergency
1993
Fuck the atheist haters, this is actually one of the better Wisdom Tree games and a surprisingly fun and unique party game in its own right for the NES, Christian-themed or not.
2017
This game's definitely more about the vibe and the presentation than the gameplay, but if you're into dark, edgy cyberpunk aesthetics and challenging, violent top-down shooter combat reminiscent of Hotline Miami albeit with less polish you'll have a good time with it.
The presentation and visuals are top-notch as to be expected from Naughty Dog, the gameplay is well-refined from the original, and the bleak, oppressive tone the game's going for with its ambitious story is respectable, though unfortunately its writing and storytelling crack under the weight leaving a sour taste in the mouths of both players looking for a safe and consistent sequel to the original and those looking for a more challenging, risky narrative that commits to complex themes at the expense of beloved characters.
A terrific follow-up to Remake that expands the game's scope, exploration, and combat in some startlingly-compelling ways for fans of the original, though its storytelling can get way too self-indulgent for its own good at the worst possible moments which holds it back from being a true rival to the original game. Definitely worth playing for those who know the original inside and out though.
The great granddaddy of the RTS genre takes drastic liberties with its source material to great effect, making for a simple-yet-addictive precursor to Command & Conquer that remains easy to pick up and play over 30 years later.
The brimstone-level voice acting is so fucking funny that it makes it difficult for the player to take the game's attempted scariness seriously, and the game is clearly-embattled by a lack of polish emanating from budget constraints, but I definitely give it credit for trying a novel new idea for a survival horror game with its first-person found footage type perspective and gameplay scenarios, which games like Outlast would execute to a significantly more effective degree in the years since.
2016
Its gimmicky control scheme is honestly a cool idea on-paper, but Star Fox Zero quickly falls-apart with how unwieldy its crosshair aiming is in-practice and the specialized vehicle segments and bossfights are just a tedious slog more than anything. Sad way for the Wii U's legacy to conclude and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see why this still hasn't yet been ported to the Switch (and likely never will at this late in the Switch's life).
2020
Over three years into the PS5's lifecycle and this pack-in platformer remains one of its standout titles. While at it's core it's a basic 3D platformer, its execution of tried and true mechanics while mixing in some fun level design and controller gimmicks in Nintendo-esque ways and copious amounts of fun easter eggs and references make it a joy to play, as tragic as it is that this wound-up being Japan Studio's swansong.
I honestly quite admire the level design and gameplay improvements to be found in Part 1 over the base game here, with it being more in-line with the spirit of the original BioShock albeit somewhat more linear, though the story turns an already confusing and inconsistent narrative into a plothole-ridden mess that doesn't add anything of value to the canon of BioShock 1 or even Infinite for that matter. And unfortunately Part 2's gameplay is a drawn-out, tedious stealth section that really drags the whole experience down.
1994
Honestly there's some good ideas in here, but the thoroughly-unpolished story and presentation and befuddling platforming mechanics really fuck this game into the dirt and keep it from being fun for either series veterans or newcomers.
1999
Though some of the game's technical qualities are rough around the edges (particularly in the subpar Dreamcast port), Slave Zero's gritty setting and lore and strong level design and art direction give a great sense of scale to the chaotic mech shooting action.
A decently-fun entry in the franchise that has all the series' tropes you've come to expect- including ninja zombies, fat zombie dudes with chainsaws, little slug monsters, and some truly awful voice acting. My friend alleged that the reason these games have such bad voice acting is because you're not intended to hear them clearly in an arcade environment? I dunno, the sound mixing is weird too but if you've enjoyed these games up to this point it's a fun but fleeting way to spend an hour in Round 1 or Dave & Buster's. My only major criticism would be the lack of blood & gore compared to earlier HotD games, and if it had gotten a console port it'd likely be the first game in the series to end-up with a T rating.
Oh yeah- there's no console port is there? Well- if you can figure out how to set up TeknoParrot and don't mind playing with a mouse or you're savvy enough to set up a Sinden light gun or use Lichtknarre to set up a Wii remote, it actually is possible to play this game on PC since it runs on Sega's ALLS arcade board which is basically just a gaming PC running on an i5 6500 and a GTX 1070. I ran it on an i7 8700k with an RTX 2070 Super and had an arcade-accurate experience more or less so it's something to consider if you don't have easy access to an arcade with one of these machines. Though I don't condone piracy so spend a few bucks playing through a level or two in the arcade if you ever get the opportunity.
Oh yeah- there's no console port is there? Well- if you can figure out how to set up TeknoParrot and don't mind playing with a mouse or you're savvy enough to set up a Sinden light gun or use Lichtknarre to set up a Wii remote, it actually is possible to play this game on PC since it runs on Sega's ALLS arcade board which is basically just a gaming PC running on an i5 6500 and a GTX 1070. I ran it on an i7 8700k with an RTX 2070 Super and had an arcade-accurate experience more or less so it's something to consider if you don't have easy access to an arcade with one of these machines. Though I don't condone piracy so spend a few bucks playing through a level or two in the arcade if you ever get the opportunity.
An overly-ambitious idea that killed its respective franchise and proved the Kinect had little utility for gamers looking for an immersive (or for that matter- playable) experience.
2023
I could see the argument that this is more of a glorified DMC-type action game than an RPG that's a bit on the easy side, and its tone and characters are decidedly unFinal Fantasy in a lot of ways, but XVI still manages to wear the heart of the franchise on its sleeve through its amazing atmosphere, strong worldbuilding, and excellent soundtrack. And overall I still find the combat to be more engaging than XV, the characters and story more compelling than XIII, and it feels like the first non-MMO mainline game in a while to feel like a cohesive, uncompromised vision as-opposed to a messy product of development Hell and contrasting perspectives.
1992
An impressive achievement for running on SNES unaided by any enhancement chip, but with the censorship and goofy sound effects it really feels like Wolfenstein: Playskool Edition.