iv1632
2022
Play it
This game nails the BUILD feel so well. The messed up colormap, the lo-fi but detailed levels, the obnoxiously loud enemies, the absurd tone and humor, it has it all. Truly retro, unlike the posers out there. Also a great character study.
Art.
Art.
2007
Got exactly what I wanted out of this game: Short but polished fun.
It looks and runs great, has a satisfying moveset, varied environments and enemies and it doesn't waste your time. High quality game that could have used a higher budget and some more time, but pretty good as it is. I don't care if it's derivative, it does Devil May Cry x God of War well.
It looks and runs great, has a satisfying moveset, varied environments and enemies and it doesn't waste your time. High quality game that could have used a higher budget and some more time, but pretty good as it is. I don't care if it's derivative, it does Devil May Cry x God of War well.
If you think RtCW is still the best Wolfenstein game, you didn't actually play this
True hidden gem. First off I gotta say, while the gameplay is much better than Tail Concerto's in the sense that the controls work and it won't mess you up due to poor sensitivy or clunkiness... it still is very mindless and repetitive. There's an attempt to have some sort of in depth combat system in this, allowing you to customize your robot with different upgrades that fit in slots that you must unlock and each improving certain stats, but it never feels supper necessary to keep upgrading because the combat is just mashing A and then jumping to press A again.
With that said, I'm still glad I saw this game through. Just as with Tail Concerto, the entire thing is saved by its world and characters. Great artwork, music, and worldbuilding with way more development than Tail Concerto gives us a great peek into this world. The story actually developed in ways I wasn't expecting, which was amazing. This game is clearly a passion project for CyberConnect2 and it's a shame that they can't get the chance at a sequel or remake that could improve its lackluster gameplay. Still, worth checking out for anyone looking for a hidden gem on the DS, or furry fans.
Where's the anime though?
With that said, I'm still glad I saw this game through. Just as with Tail Concerto, the entire thing is saved by its world and characters. Great artwork, music, and worldbuilding with way more development than Tail Concerto gives us a great peek into this world. The story actually developed in ways I wasn't expecting, which was amazing. This game is clearly a passion project for CyberConnect2 and it's a shame that they can't get the chance at a sequel or remake that could improve its lackluster gameplay. Still, worth checking out for anyone looking for a hidden gem on the DS, or furry fans.
Where's the anime though?
2012
Why
Good short escape game visual novel. The puzzles made me feel stupid because I keep getting worse at solving but they have difficulty options, were all also themed according to the story, which was fun, and the plot is fun to follow too.
The game has some high production quality with great art and voices. It's free so the only thing you have to invest is time, and it's pretty short at like 1-2 hours, so check it out.
The game has some high production quality with great art and voices. It's free so the only thing you have to invest is time, and it's pretty short at like 1-2 hours, so check it out.
Brilliant game, it's the most inventive Castlevania since the likes of Simon's Quest (credit for trying), Rondo of Blood, Symphony of the Night and Aria of Sorrow. Every element here feels like an evolution of what you've found on previous games while standing on its own with a solid foundation.
First off, the anime style is gone and now we get artwork and character design by Masaki Hirooka. Not Ayami Kojima, yeah, but the artwork is really well done and fits Castlevania. This is aided by great presentation in the story. Don't get me wrong, it's extremely predictable, but the presentation overall doesn't make me uncomfortable anymore while still having silly elements to it, like cryptid hunting. Also Shanoa is up there as one of the best Castlevania protagonists.
Glyphs are a great followup to the soul system from the Sorrow games, now we have 3 different glyph sets to start with and instead of giving every enemy a collectible glyph, they focused on making a smaller amount of them that can be given more importance. Mixing different types creates Glyph Unions, which are special attacks, and using the right ones can make the difference in boss fights. Attacking is also recontextualized once more, as the MP bar is used by your regular attacks so you can't just spam them, but you can combo between 2 weapons (equipping on each hand is back!) and hearts are used by Glyph Unions. This system is compared to the Souls games by some, and I definitely see where they come from, but this game came firstand also it is better.
The map system feels oddly natural after Portrait of Ruin. Instead of starting in Castlevania, we get to explore a bunch of loose areas that we access from an overworld map, with new ones unlocking after completing another. A few of them are unfortunately little more than a corridor, but they all have a different theme and are worth exploring depending on what item/glyph/monster you're looking for. We still get a Castle section, but it feels more like a proper fully featured Castle than in Portrait of Ruin.
Side quests evolved into them being given by different NPCs across a village which may as well be called your HQ, where completing them unlocks more items available in the shop if not a direct reward. A few of them are unfortunately tedious fetch quests, but luckily aren't required and I still found value in doing them when I was looking to take a break from exploring the final area. I didn't complete all of them though because it's not something I usually do, but I got close.
In terms of difficulty there is a big jump at the end, but there is a detail which is made way more important in this game. Never before has attacking with different types be this effective and you should really investigate what equipment works best against bosses, as well as get good at dodging their attacks as your focus to survive should usually be on your movement.
The final fight with Dracula was deceptively hard but it has great payoff, not necessarily because the ending is great, but because it felt like beating him in the original Castlevania (well maybe that one was kinda bs). Super tough, takes long, but failing is not due to having bad stats (unless maybe you're hurrying through this game) as there is space for you to do well, it's all about practice.
Overall I loved this game, for what it's doing as a first attempt and also polishing up what has been built since SOTN I can't imagine it getting things more right at the time. If the side quests were less annoying to complete and the areas that are just corridors got expanded on, this could very well be a perfect game. It's very sad that Konami didn't allow the franchise to keep going in this direction, but from the little I've seen of Ritual of the Night Miriam is basically Shanoa 2 so I'm glad it is having some influence out there.
First off, the anime style is gone and now we get artwork and character design by Masaki Hirooka. Not Ayami Kojima, yeah, but the artwork is really well done and fits Castlevania. This is aided by great presentation in the story. Don't get me wrong, it's extremely predictable, but the presentation overall doesn't make me uncomfortable anymore while still having silly elements to it, like cryptid hunting. Also Shanoa is up there as one of the best Castlevania protagonists.
Glyphs are a great followup to the soul system from the Sorrow games, now we have 3 different glyph sets to start with and instead of giving every enemy a collectible glyph, they focused on making a smaller amount of them that can be given more importance. Mixing different types creates Glyph Unions, which are special attacks, and using the right ones can make the difference in boss fights. Attacking is also recontextualized once more, as the MP bar is used by your regular attacks so you can't just spam them, but you can combo between 2 weapons (equipping on each hand is back!) and hearts are used by Glyph Unions. This system is compared to the Souls games by some, and I definitely see where they come from, but this game came first
The map system feels oddly natural after Portrait of Ruin. Instead of starting in Castlevania, we get to explore a bunch of loose areas that we access from an overworld map, with new ones unlocking after completing another. A few of them are unfortunately little more than a corridor, but they all have a different theme and are worth exploring depending on what item/glyph/monster you're looking for. We still get a Castle section, but it feels more like a proper fully featured Castle than in Portrait of Ruin.
Side quests evolved into them being given by different NPCs across a village which may as well be called your HQ, where completing them unlocks more items available in the shop if not a direct reward. A few of them are unfortunately tedious fetch quests, but luckily aren't required and I still found value in doing them when I was looking to take a break from exploring the final area. I didn't complete all of them though because it's not something I usually do, but I got close.
In terms of difficulty there is a big jump at the end, but there is a detail which is made way more important in this game. Never before has attacking with different types be this effective and you should really investigate what equipment works best against bosses, as well as get good at dodging their attacks as your focus to survive should usually be on your movement.
The final fight with Dracula was deceptively hard but it has great payoff, not necessarily because the ending is great, but because it felt like beating him in the original Castlevania (well maybe that one was kinda bs). Super tough, takes long, but failing is not due to having bad stats (unless maybe you're hurrying through this game) as there is space for you to do well, it's all about practice.
Overall I loved this game, for what it's doing as a first attempt and also polishing up what has been built since SOTN I can't imagine it getting things more right at the time. If the side quests were less annoying to complete and the areas that are just corridors got expanded on, this could very well be a perfect game. It's very sad that Konami didn't allow the franchise to keep going in this direction, but from the little I've seen of Ritual of the Night Miriam is basically Shanoa 2 so I'm glad it is having some influence out there.
2004
I find it strange how easily dismissed this version of the game is due to the controls. It's true, it's not the same to use the d-pad instead of an analogue stick but after adjusting for a few minutes, maybe a couple of stages, I was playing this game all well and good.
They improved the camera controls, graphics are way more lively with better textures and updated character designs, the extra levels are nice (except for Mario's unlock stage) and switching characters is actually far from annoying thanks to being able to pick up their caps and transform into them, usually near where you need them.
I just had a lot of fun playing this version for the first time even while being very nostalgic for the original. The mix of nostalgia and also surprise at whatever was new makes my brain happy, and even though they could be more distinct, playing as different characters still helps make this game even more lively.
Just as much as this was a technical showcase of the N64, it proves to be a technical showcase of the DS as well. The textures and models are heavily improved, with levels even being given some more detail while at it. I honestly always hated the look of filtered N64 games, even when I was playing them constantly, and luckily this version of the game gives me something my eyes like a lot more despite being on a smaller screen.
I think this is definitely better than the original game and I wish it got a new release, with analogue controls, so more people could come around to it. Sadly, just as with the original I find that the best stages happen early on in the game, with the later ones even often being annoying to play that I just want to tap out. By the time I get to the stages near the infinite staircase I just get tired of going through them, so I'm happy just getting enough stars to beat Bowser and leaving the game there. If it wasn't for this issue mostly being unaddressed I'd rate this even higher.
They improved the camera controls, graphics are way more lively with better textures and updated character designs, the extra levels are nice (except for Mario's unlock stage) and switching characters is actually far from annoying thanks to being able to pick up their caps and transform into them, usually near where you need them.
I just had a lot of fun playing this version for the first time even while being very nostalgic for the original. The mix of nostalgia and also surprise at whatever was new makes my brain happy, and even though they could be more distinct, playing as different characters still helps make this game even more lively.
Just as much as this was a technical showcase of the N64, it proves to be a technical showcase of the DS as well. The textures and models are heavily improved, with levels even being given some more detail while at it. I honestly always hated the look of filtered N64 games, even when I was playing them constantly, and luckily this version of the game gives me something my eyes like a lot more despite being on a smaller screen.
I think this is definitely better than the original game and I wish it got a new release, with analogue controls, so more people could come around to it. Sadly, just as with the original I find that the best stages happen early on in the game, with the later ones even often being annoying to play that I just want to tap out. By the time I get to the stages near the infinite staircase I just get tired of going through them, so I'm happy just getting enough stars to beat Bowser and leaving the game there. If it wasn't for this issue mostly being unaddressed I'd rate this even higher.
1998
This is such a charming game. The relaxed atmosphere, characters and voice acting are nothing short of adorable. There's a good mix of signature cheesiness and awkwardness in the voices, but also a fair amount of great performances. The anime cutscenes look great too, and I really enjoyed the music as well.
Unfortunately I can't like this as much as I wish I could due to the controls, the analogue movement feels overly sensitive and the d-pad movement just imprecise, as well as only being able to change the height of the camera with a few set values, with it struggling to keep up with you often. This isn't an issue with how simple most of the levels are, but some really focus on platforming and show off this huge flaw, especially the final one.
I still had a pretty good time with this though and it's only 3-4 hours long (took me 4:36), so it's worth playing if you're interested.
Waffle is the best boy!
Unfortunately I can't like this as much as I wish I could due to the controls, the analogue movement feels overly sensitive and the d-pad movement just imprecise, as well as only being able to change the height of the camera with a few set values, with it struggling to keep up with you often. This isn't an issue with how simple most of the levels are, but some really focus on platforming and show off this huge flaw, especially the final one.
I still had a pretty good time with this though and it's only 3-4 hours long (took me 4:36), so it's worth playing if you're interested.
Waffle is the best boy!
Short of Aria of Sorrow Alter this might be my favorite CV up to this point. There's not much grinding to do for money this time, the castle is less of a focus with the locations of the portraits being where most of the action is. there's killer music and bosses are actually engaging to go into.
Technically a lot of the stuff from Dawn of Sorrow is here as well, like 2 sets of items evolving into having 2 separate characters and monsters dropping abilities, except all the annoying touch screen gimmicks are gone and it's just overall more polished.
The castle is both a hub and its own fully fledged map with different areas and bosses, while the portraits are their own maps with distinct themes. This is like if Harmony of Dissonance's two castles mechanic mixed with Lament of Innocence's hub castle, except it's well designed and not confusing here as the pacing maintains itself with focus throughout.
Playing around with both characters is great. Jonathan is focused on more physical attacks and weaponry while Charlotte is focused on magic and spells. Spells can be charged for an extra damage/boost and are very varied in function. You can choose to have both characters out at once or use only one, while there also being a button that calls for the other character to use their special ability. When you mix all different attacks and abilities the game really opens up and it's pretty fun to see how much damage you can dish out with different builds, this is probably the only Castlevania game where I took the weaknesses of enemies into account very often. I miss the soul system from Aria and Dawn a bit, but they certainly cut down on the tedium by balancing these 2 characters instead.
Only big complaint I got is that the generic anime aesthetic and tone is still not gone which unfortunately also has an adverse effect on the story.
Technically a lot of the stuff from Dawn of Sorrow is here as well, like 2 sets of items evolving into having 2 separate characters and monsters dropping abilities, except all the annoying touch screen gimmicks are gone and it's just overall more polished.
The castle is both a hub and its own fully fledged map with different areas and bosses, while the portraits are their own maps with distinct themes. This is like if Harmony of Dissonance's two castles mechanic mixed with Lament of Innocence's hub castle, except it's well designed and not confusing here as the pacing maintains itself with focus throughout.
Playing around with both characters is great. Jonathan is focused on more physical attacks and weaponry while Charlotte is focused on magic and spells. Spells can be charged for an extra damage/boost and are very varied in function. You can choose to have both characters out at once or use only one, while there also being a button that calls for the other character to use their special ability. When you mix all different attacks and abilities the game really opens up and it's pretty fun to see how much damage you can dish out with different builds, this is probably the only Castlevania game where I took the weaknesses of enemies into account very often. I miss the soul system from Aria and Dawn a bit, but they certainly cut down on the tedium by balancing these 2 characters instead.
Only big complaint I got is that the generic anime aesthetic and tone is still not gone which unfortunately also has an adverse effect on the story.
2007
Very impressive title for the DS, it has a great atmosphere with nice sound design, some dynamic lighting and high resolution textures while staying at 60 FPS. Unfortunately the gameplay is just really really boring, I'd even prefer to have no combat over what is there since it's way too clunky. The writing doesn't feel particularly interesting either, so outside of the atmosphere I'm not compelled to keep going.
A little disappointed with this one.
A little disappointed with this one.
I miss this series dearly. EBA + Ouendan are the peak of rhythm games for me, sure we got a clone in the form of "Osu!" but since it's more of a platform to make song charts with the same mechanics rather than its own full fledged game it is naturally lacking personality.
Ouendan 1 was a nice albeit unpolished experiment, Elite Beat Agents was a great evolution with QoL improvements and its own particularly charming group of characters with a sillyness aided by the adoption of North American stereotypes that are simply silly and fun.
Unfortunately I find Ouendan 2 to be a bit of a step down from EBA. A few of the songs simply have kinda boring and tedious charts as well as characters that don't always feel as compelling. However, this could be seen as subjective and we have some nice additions like 2 groups of Ouendan which develop a rivalry during the game, which I love seeing clash and then come around. The gameplay is also the most polished its ever been, thanks to this being the final game in the series.
Despite the language barrier, the stories are mostly easy to follow through illustrations that convey the characters pretty well. However, context will still be lost so I'd recommend following along with translations that are up on youtube or gamefaqs. Even if I don't find these as compelling, they still ooze with the signature charm of iNiS at the time and culminate in a great story of finding the drive to keep going in the face of adversity.
I think I wanted to say more but honestly it's just that these games make me so happy: following the troubles of the people in this wacky world and helping them overcome their hardships through song and dance is great satisfaction and fun and makes me kinda feel less alone. Yet again, the songs, writing, illustrations and gameplay all come together in a style that simply can't be replicated. While I'm sad this is the end, I'm very glad it happened and I'll always cherish these games as something to put on when I'm having a hard time to simply find my groove and get lost in for an hour.
The final song is just great. I am not getting over this one.
Ouendan 1 was a nice albeit unpolished experiment, Elite Beat Agents was a great evolution with QoL improvements and its own particularly charming group of characters with a sillyness aided by the adoption of North American stereotypes that are simply silly and fun.
Unfortunately I find Ouendan 2 to be a bit of a step down from EBA. A few of the songs simply have kinda boring and tedious charts as well as characters that don't always feel as compelling. However, this could be seen as subjective and we have some nice additions like 2 groups of Ouendan which develop a rivalry during the game, which I love seeing clash and then come around. The gameplay is also the most polished its ever been, thanks to this being the final game in the series.
Despite the language barrier, the stories are mostly easy to follow through illustrations that convey the characters pretty well. However, context will still be lost so I'd recommend following along with translations that are up on youtube or gamefaqs. Even if I don't find these as compelling, they still ooze with the signature charm of iNiS at the time and culminate in a great story of finding the drive to keep going in the face of adversity.
I think I wanted to say more but honestly it's just that these games make me so happy: following the troubles of the people in this wacky world and helping them overcome their hardships through song and dance is great satisfaction and fun and makes me kinda feel less alone. Yet again, the songs, writing, illustrations and gameplay all come together in a style that simply can't be replicated. While I'm sad this is the end, I'm very glad it happened and I'll always cherish these games as something to put on when I'm having a hard time to simply find my groove and get lost in for an hour.
The final song is just great. I am not getting over this one.
2006
Some boys kiss me, some boys hug me
I think they're OK
If they don't give me proper credit, I just walk away
They can beg and they can plead
But they can't see the light (that's right, that's right)
'Cause the boy with the cold hard cash is always Mister Right
'Cause we are living in a material world
And I am a material girl
You know that we are living in a material world
And I am a material girl
Some boys romance, some boys slow dance
That's all right with me
If they can't raise my interest, then I have to let them be
Some boys try, and some boys lie
But I don't let them play (no way, no way)
Only boys that save their pennies make my rainy day
'Cause we are living in a material world
And I am a material girl
You know that we are living in a material world
And I am a material girl
Living in a material world
And I am a material girl
You know that we are living in a material world
And I am a material girl
Living in a material world (material)
Living in a material world
Living in a material world (material)
Living in a material world
Boys may come, and boys may go
And that's all right, you see
Experience has made me rich, and now they're after me
'Cause everybody's living in a material world
And I am a material girl
You know that we are living in a material world
And I am a material girl
Living in a material world
And I am a material girl
You know that we are living in a material world
And I am a material girl
A material, a material, a material, a material world
Living in a material world (material)
Living in a material world
Living in a material world (material)
Living in a material world
Living in a material world (material)
Living in a material world
Living in a material world (material)
Living in a material world
I think they're OK
If they don't give me proper credit, I just walk away
They can beg and they can plead
But they can't see the light (that's right, that's right)
'Cause the boy with the cold hard cash is always Mister Right
'Cause we are living in a material world
And I am a material girl
You know that we are living in a material world
And I am a material girl
Some boys romance, some boys slow dance
That's all right with me
If they can't raise my interest, then I have to let them be
Some boys try, and some boys lie
But I don't let them play (no way, no way)
Only boys that save their pennies make my rainy day
'Cause we are living in a material world
And I am a material girl
You know that we are living in a material world
And I am a material girl
Living in a material world
And I am a material girl
You know that we are living in a material world
And I am a material girl
Living in a material world (material)
Living in a material world
Living in a material world (material)
Living in a material world
Boys may come, and boys may go
And that's all right, you see
Experience has made me rich, and now they're after me
'Cause everybody's living in a material world
And I am a material girl
You know that we are living in a material world
And I am a material girl
Living in a material world
And I am a material girl
You know that we are living in a material world
And I am a material girl
A material, a material, a material, a material world
Living in a material world (material)
Living in a material world
Living in a material world (material)
Living in a material world
Living in a material world (material)
Living in a material world
Living in a material world (material)
Living in a material world
2005
A few days ago I was looking at the Quake games on Steam and realized something: I had not only not played Q4 since I was very young and I also happened to remember pretty much none of it, not even that much of the cutscene everyone knows this for. I was in the mood for something quick to play so I installed it and gave it another go.
From the beginning this game gives off DOOM 3 vibes more than anything, except the horror atmosphere isn't the focus, guns feel punchier and action is almost immediate.
Already an hour in I was feeling like this game was utilizing the idtech 4 engine way better, as it had a lot of pretty lighting in detailed areas with rich textures, but without making things overly dark and also making levels more fast paced. Sure, the initial walking speed is a bit annoyingly slow, but the levels are designed in such a way that I never felt too slow even while backtracking.
I think there's something to be said about the presentation of this game, the story continues right from the ending of Quake II and follows a silent protagonist alongside a squad of veteran soldiers. None of the characters are very deep or noteworthy, but they have some good voice work and the showing of different squads advancing through Stroggos in coordinated assaults gives a more natural tone of war that was absent in Quake II. The Strogg are designed in more interesting ways as well, giving us new foes with gruesome character design and a bunch of returning enemies a new spin, like the Berserkers having lighting attacks or the Iron Maidens being able to teleport and float. In general enemies use a wider variety of weapons as well, making them less monotonous when encountering the same enemy type. Unfortunately the Strogg still look too human like to my liking, with not many indications of them really being a galactic civilization that existed away from humans for a long time, but that problem is inherited from Quake II and not a particular issue with this game.
Unfortunately the AI isn't all that great, enemies have pretty predictable behaviors and ally squad members aren't always good at following you or finding a good spot, however levels are also designed well enough around this and will rarely show these weaknesses to a big degree.
Speaking of ally squad members, they're honestly nice to have around but aren't too much of a big deal. They do mostly stay alive without your supervision but can still die so it's a bad idea to let big enemies get a hold of them. A few sections with them are actually tricky to manage while trying to keep everyone alive which I welcome. They'll also provide you with weapon upgrades throughout the game, a system that's very clearly a last minute addition but helps the pacing as you get new reasons to use your weapons.
Weapons themselves all feel great, they all are good options during firefights and can still serve different roles. Of note are the lighting gun and nail gun which return, redesigned, from the first Quake game and the very versatile assault rifle and shotgun. Disappointingly the rail gun requires an upgrade to pierce enemies and the SSG is not here, but the arsenal is very robust and feels powerful which is what matters.
Going on, the game has a big moment in the middle which we all know as the Stroggification scene. I am not as impacted by it as others, but getting turned gives you a boost to player speed, health and armor. After this the game really picks up and gets more confident in throwing big enemies in higher numbers at you, which creates a lot of intense combat arenas that are very fun to get through.
The only points in which the pacing of the game is really bogged down is by the vehicle sections. I don't find them frustrating at all and at moments they're a good show, but they feel completely unnecessary and I would not miss them if they were cut. Polishing up the weapon upgrade system or getting more enemy variety could have been a better use of resources than the vehicles, but still, they're at least over quickly and I don't find them to ruin the game.
The final stretch of the game is the most fast paced and action heavy part and I really love it, it feels like the Strogg are giving way too much attention to you as an individual due to how much you're foiling their plans and it's great. The final boss is a pushover just like with Quake II, but at least it's harder to cheese as you can't just pop out a Quad Damage and Invulnerability to get through it quick.
Overall it's a pretty polished game that doesn't feel like it wastes my time. Despite being very derivative of Quake II and DOOM 3 I think it does a bunch of things better than those, particularly just being way better at pacing than DOOM 3 ever was, and is overall a very polished experience. It's maybe not one of the greats or as historically significant but it's still a good time and it has aged very well. Take it from someone that has a lot of nostalgia for Halo: it does not at all feel like Halo or CoD as some say, it really just feels like something that would naturally come after DOOM 3 mixed in with Quake II and I enjoy that a fair bit.
From the beginning this game gives off DOOM 3 vibes more than anything, except the horror atmosphere isn't the focus, guns feel punchier and action is almost immediate.
Already an hour in I was feeling like this game was utilizing the idtech 4 engine way better, as it had a lot of pretty lighting in detailed areas with rich textures, but without making things overly dark and also making levels more fast paced. Sure, the initial walking speed is a bit annoyingly slow, but the levels are designed in such a way that I never felt too slow even while backtracking.
I think there's something to be said about the presentation of this game, the story continues right from the ending of Quake II and follows a silent protagonist alongside a squad of veteran soldiers. None of the characters are very deep or noteworthy, but they have some good voice work and the showing of different squads advancing through Stroggos in coordinated assaults gives a more natural tone of war that was absent in Quake II. The Strogg are designed in more interesting ways as well, giving us new foes with gruesome character design and a bunch of returning enemies a new spin, like the Berserkers having lighting attacks or the Iron Maidens being able to teleport and float. In general enemies use a wider variety of weapons as well, making them less monotonous when encountering the same enemy type. Unfortunately the Strogg still look too human like to my liking, with not many indications of them really being a galactic civilization that existed away from humans for a long time, but that problem is inherited from Quake II and not a particular issue with this game.
Unfortunately the AI isn't all that great, enemies have pretty predictable behaviors and ally squad members aren't always good at following you or finding a good spot, however levels are also designed well enough around this and will rarely show these weaknesses to a big degree.
Speaking of ally squad members, they're honestly nice to have around but aren't too much of a big deal. They do mostly stay alive without your supervision but can still die so it's a bad idea to let big enemies get a hold of them. A few sections with them are actually tricky to manage while trying to keep everyone alive which I welcome. They'll also provide you with weapon upgrades throughout the game, a system that's very clearly a last minute addition but helps the pacing as you get new reasons to use your weapons.
Weapons themselves all feel great, they all are good options during firefights and can still serve different roles. Of note are the lighting gun and nail gun which return, redesigned, from the first Quake game and the very versatile assault rifle and shotgun. Disappointingly the rail gun requires an upgrade to pierce enemies and the SSG is not here, but the arsenal is very robust and feels powerful which is what matters.
Going on, the game has a big moment in the middle which we all know as the Stroggification scene. I am not as impacted by it as others, but getting turned gives you a boost to player speed, health and armor. After this the game really picks up and gets more confident in throwing big enemies in higher numbers at you, which creates a lot of intense combat arenas that are very fun to get through.
The only points in which the pacing of the game is really bogged down is by the vehicle sections. I don't find them frustrating at all and at moments they're a good show, but they feel completely unnecessary and I would not miss them if they were cut. Polishing up the weapon upgrade system or getting more enemy variety could have been a better use of resources than the vehicles, but still, they're at least over quickly and I don't find them to ruin the game.
The final stretch of the game is the most fast paced and action heavy part and I really love it, it feels like the Strogg are giving way too much attention to you as an individual due to how much you're foiling their plans and it's great. The final boss is a pushover just like with Quake II, but at least it's harder to cheese as you can't just pop out a Quad Damage and Invulnerability to get through it quick.
Overall it's a pretty polished game that doesn't feel like it wastes my time. Despite being very derivative of Quake II and DOOM 3 I think it does a bunch of things better than those, particularly just being way better at pacing than DOOM 3 ever was, and is overall a very polished experience. It's maybe not one of the greats or as historically significant but it's still a good time and it has aged very well. Take it from someone that has a lot of nostalgia for Halo: it does not at all feel like Halo or CoD as some say, it really just feels like something that would naturally come after DOOM 3 mixed in with Quake II and I enjoy that a fair bit.