10 reviews liked by diello
PaRappa the Rapper 2
2001
PaRappa the Rapper 2 is one of those sequels that takes everything that was good about the previous games, and just makes it better!
The presentation has seen a boost thanks to the PlayStation 2's power, with more detailed environments, and slight shading on the 2D characters, which is nice to see.
The songs are also really well made, and are probably my favourite in the series, just because I was groovin' to most of them.
And they fixed the biggest issue that I had previously, the timings are now not nearly as weird as before. I was also able to improvise more on the fly now, compared to before, and get away with it, which made the gameplay feel more interesting.
I know the improv. mechanic was in previous games as well, but this time, because of the looser timings, I was able to pull it off better.
There is even a bonus game that you play a few times during the game's story, just to add more variety, and I appreciate it.
The story also is a bit more "epic" than last time, as the gang has to fight off a noodle invasion, and there's an actual antagonist now, which is interesting.
Even Lammy shows up a bit here and there in the story, and it's cool seeing PaRappa and Lammy interact, even for how small those interactions are.
Overall, PaRappa the Rapper 2 is an improvement over what came previously, and it's just a really fun rhythm game! Go check it out if you're curious.
The presentation has seen a boost thanks to the PlayStation 2's power, with more detailed environments, and slight shading on the 2D characters, which is nice to see.
The songs are also really well made, and are probably my favourite in the series, just because I was groovin' to most of them.
And they fixed the biggest issue that I had previously, the timings are now not nearly as weird as before. I was also able to improvise more on the fly now, compared to before, and get away with it, which made the gameplay feel more interesting.
I know the improv. mechanic was in previous games as well, but this time, because of the looser timings, I was able to pull it off better.
There is even a bonus game that you play a few times during the game's story, just to add more variety, and I appreciate it.
The story also is a bit more "epic" than last time, as the gang has to fight off a noodle invasion, and there's an actual antagonist now, which is interesting.
Even Lammy shows up a bit here and there in the story, and it's cool seeing PaRappa and Lammy interact, even for how small those interactions are.
Overall, PaRappa the Rapper 2 is an improvement over what came previously, and it's just a really fun rhythm game! Go check it out if you're curious.
Crash Bandicoot
1996
Ah, Crash Bandicoot. One of the earliest pioneers in 3D Platforming Action, coming out the same year as the revolutionary Super Mario 64.
Unlike Super Mario 64, Crash Bandicoot decides to opt for a more traditional approach when it comes to level design.
While Super Mario 64 was very open and sandbox-like in its level design, Crash Bandicoot is like the 2D Platformers of old, where you go from point A to B, while trying your best not to lose all your lives.
It may be simple, but Crash Bandicoot succeeds in providing fun level design... but it can get quite challenging, even early on in the game.
Some levels are long, others are challenging, and then there are some that are both. Crash Bandicoot will challenge you, and it will challenge you even more if you're trying to go for 100%!
Probably one of the most well known things about the Crash series is the fact that you can jump and spin boxes you find throughout the levels.
That's all well and good, especially because the act of breaking boxes, and hearing that ricochet sound while you're spinning them, is ultra satisfying, but you'll need to break all of them if you want to get that stage's gem, which all of them will be required to 100% the game, and get the best (?) ending.
The problem with this original game is that, it doesn't matter if you broke a checkpoint box or not, if you die once, you will not be able to get that stage's gem, which means you have to get every box without losing a life.
And with how hard these levels can get... yeah, fuck doing that.
I personally didn't 100% the game during my most recent run, simply because it just turns from something that can be fun but challenging, to something very frustrating. And that's not even accounting the colored gems that you'll get later on in the game, that you'll need to use in previous levels to get just those few missing boxes that you couldn't get to before.
I salute those who have 100% this game!
But when you're not going for 100%, even with its difficulty, I'd say Crash Bandicoot is a good game. Crash himself is a bit heavy on his jumps, but you'll get used to it, and overall, I just had a good time going through the levels and beating the bosses.
Speaking of the bosses... they're ok. They have their own obstacles to avoid, and most of them have a sort-of gimmick, like with Ripper Roo where you defeat him with Big TNT crates, or in Pinstripe Potoroo's fight where you hide behind some objects to avoid his gunfire.
They're fine, but nothing too special.
Outside of that, this game looks great for an early PlayStation game! Crash's model is not as detailed as future games, but I think it looks fine for a 1st game, and the environments that Crash goes through are really nice looking!
I remember when I was a kid, and when I saw this game for the 1st time, even though I already had much more modern games to play, I still liked looking at Crash 1, in spite of being older.
It was probably the sunsets.
The music is fine. I think they decided to go for an atmospheric sound for a lot of the stages, and it works in the moment, but not a whole lot of it I find catchy. But the main theme is classic!
In conclusion, while it gets hard quite early in the game, and going for 100% is not worth your time, Crash Bandicoot can be a pretty fun 3D Platformer!
Unlike Super Mario 64, Crash Bandicoot decides to opt for a more traditional approach when it comes to level design.
While Super Mario 64 was very open and sandbox-like in its level design, Crash Bandicoot is like the 2D Platformers of old, where you go from point A to B, while trying your best not to lose all your lives.
It may be simple, but Crash Bandicoot succeeds in providing fun level design... but it can get quite challenging, even early on in the game.
Some levels are long, others are challenging, and then there are some that are both. Crash Bandicoot will challenge you, and it will challenge you even more if you're trying to go for 100%!
Probably one of the most well known things about the Crash series is the fact that you can jump and spin boxes you find throughout the levels.
That's all well and good, especially because the act of breaking boxes, and hearing that ricochet sound while you're spinning them, is ultra satisfying, but you'll need to break all of them if you want to get that stage's gem, which all of them will be required to 100% the game, and get the best (?) ending.
The problem with this original game is that, it doesn't matter if you broke a checkpoint box or not, if you die once, you will not be able to get that stage's gem, which means you have to get every box without losing a life.
And with how hard these levels can get... yeah, fuck doing that.
I personally didn't 100% the game during my most recent run, simply because it just turns from something that can be fun but challenging, to something very frustrating. And that's not even accounting the colored gems that you'll get later on in the game, that you'll need to use in previous levels to get just those few missing boxes that you couldn't get to before.
I salute those who have 100% this game!
But when you're not going for 100%, even with its difficulty, I'd say Crash Bandicoot is a good game. Crash himself is a bit heavy on his jumps, but you'll get used to it, and overall, I just had a good time going through the levels and beating the bosses.
Speaking of the bosses... they're ok. They have their own obstacles to avoid, and most of them have a sort-of gimmick, like with Ripper Roo where you defeat him with Big TNT crates, or in Pinstripe Potoroo's fight where you hide behind some objects to avoid his gunfire.
They're fine, but nothing too special.
Outside of that, this game looks great for an early PlayStation game! Crash's model is not as detailed as future games, but I think it looks fine for a 1st game, and the environments that Crash goes through are really nice looking!
I remember when I was a kid, and when I saw this game for the 1st time, even though I already had much more modern games to play, I still liked looking at Crash 1, in spite of being older.
It was probably the sunsets.
The music is fine. I think they decided to go for an atmospheric sound for a lot of the stages, and it works in the moment, but not a whole lot of it I find catchy. But the main theme is classic!
In conclusion, while it gets hard quite early in the game, and going for 100% is not worth your time, Crash Bandicoot can be a pretty fun 3D Platformer!
Figment
2017
i really wanted to love this game. it should be a game right up my alley- hand-drawn art, fun music, a psychology focus. unfortunately it is so damn boring. i felt absolutely no reward from completing the puzzles and no joy navigating the game's world despite the gorgeous aesthetic. the jokes fell flat and the sidekick's voice was grating. there seems to be a lack of understanding of mental health, what is supposed to be the theme of the game, beyond rudimentary connections that cause the entire game to falter. idk someone tell me if 2 is any better
Dr. Mario
1990
Considering the Game Boy doesn't have colour, I think they did a good job translating the colors of the virus to a black-and-white screen.
Besides that, it's the same puzzle game as the NES version.
Besides that, it's the same puzzle game as the NES version.
I have forced myself to finish this game so I can properly warn everybody.
The graphics and music are good, and the gameplay itself it´s kind of fun but a little bit too repetitive, full of minigames that are hit or miss. But every good thing this game does it´s ruined by the plot and the writing.
It´s overly convoluted and doesn´t understand the appeal of the OG game. If you didn´t like the whispers before get ready for something 1000 times worse. They ruin some of the most iconic moments in gaming history.
The writing is even worse than in part one, everyone reverted to being oversimplified versions of themselves. Childish, overacted, and annoying, they are no longer the characters we used to love, especially Sephiroth. He is basically Ansen, appears out of nowhere says something cryptic, and leaves. The character is completely ruined.
Stay away from this game if you have any respect or love for the OG and good storytelling in general.
The graphics and music are good, and the gameplay itself it´s kind of fun but a little bit too repetitive, full of minigames that are hit or miss. But every good thing this game does it´s ruined by the plot and the writing.
It´s overly convoluted and doesn´t understand the appeal of the OG game. If you didn´t like the whispers before get ready for something 1000 times worse. They ruin some of the most iconic moments in gaming history.
The writing is even worse than in part one, everyone reverted to being oversimplified versions of themselves. Childish, overacted, and annoying, they are no longer the characters we used to love, especially Sephiroth. He is basically Ansen, appears out of nowhere says something cryptic, and leaves. The character is completely ruined.
Stay away from this game if you have any respect or love for the OG and good storytelling in general.
Cultist Simulator
2018
Very cool and very niche game. There's nearly no explanations or tutorials, you have to trial and error your way through. It was kinda fun at first, but it got pretty boring after a few runs, there's too much waiting around. Not my cup of tea, but I think it's pretty good and definitely worth a try if you're into the occult like me.
Overland
2019
I really wanted to like this game. I like the art style and premise but after several hours on Normal mode — the easiest difficulty in the game — I couldn't get halfway through the road trip because of insanely lucky enemies that kept blocking my paths or killing my teammates. It's not tough in a Dark Souls way, it's just impossible for regular gamers
Donut County
2018
Great game, but no extra content after main story makes it 4.5 stars.
Parasite Eve
1998
Uma experiência muito singular, tem cara própria e ousa assumindo uma mistura louca de survival horror com rpg. Mantém uma gameplay muito equilibrada, mesmo se jogando quase 26 anos depois.
PaRappa the Rapper 2
2001
Played to waste time while something was downloading but once I started it immediately hit me "oh yeah I actually fucking love this game"