lemonous
2024
I don’t usually 100 percent romhacks. I’d say I’d have to be having a pretty good time to do so. A lot great level redesigns here and not many duds. Have to also appreciate that it’s not very difficult, either. Feels like it might become a great jumping off point for experiencing BroDute’s work instead of sifting through Star Revenge games.
2022
Imagine my shock when I hear Kuroda at the beginning of this game.
THEN imagine my disappointment when 80 percent of my time is spent tapping the same button both in and out of cutscenes. Just not interested in it.
THEN imagine my disappointment when 80 percent of my time is spent tapping the same button both in and out of cutscenes. Just not interested in it.
2023
I only have a simple story to tell here. This game got incredibly repetitive but my friends and I still decided to return after the latest update. We ended up losing the keycard to the vault on the bank level due to a bug so the rest of our time in this level was pure sandbox chaos. Someone started bringing all the grabbable items to the bathroom and the riot shield enemies/brutes started appearing so we started a final stand in the item-filled restroom. As the SWAT teams sieged the bathroom, that chaos may have been the funniest thing I’ve gotten to experience in a while.
We hid in the stalls, the doors kept opening and closing, riot shield guys started blasting us with their flashes, people got stuck on janitor carts, the whole shabang. One of us even made a gamer setup by hanging two monitors in one of the stalls.
It ended with our deaths, but man was it a hilarious experience.
Clearly, the fun had here was for all the wrong reasons. But despite that, there’s not really any moral here. I’m just glad to have played this stupid game and gained an incredibly fun memory.
We hid in the stalls, the doors kept opening and closing, riot shield guys started blasting us with their flashes, people got stuck on janitor carts, the whole shabang. One of us even made a gamer setup by hanging two monitors in one of the stalls.
It ended with our deaths, but man was it a hilarious experience.
Clearly, the fun had here was for all the wrong reasons. But despite that, there’s not really any moral here. I’m just glad to have played this stupid game and gained an incredibly fun memory.
This game's UI really reminded me of the ones from Wii party and mini-game collections though I can't put my finger on what specifically I am remembering. If it's a good game, maybe Rhythm Heaven or Warioware. If not, I guess you could say that it nailed the Wii-era shovelware aesthetic?
Either way, they gave exactly what they advertised plus a bit more so it's hard to complain. The presentation is surprisingly appealing and there's missions with rewards. I just would've preferred to get this on, y'know...my phone? They're mindless games that I would much rather play on the go instead of PC. Apparently it's on Switch but I still feel like a mobile release would've been more ideal for something like this.
Either way, they gave exactly what they advertised plus a bit more so it's hard to complain. The presentation is surprisingly appealing and there's missions with rewards. I just would've preferred to get this on, y'know...my phone? They're mindless games that I would much rather play on the go instead of PC. Apparently it's on Switch but I still feel like a mobile release would've been more ideal for something like this.
Huo Huo is so adorable. She carried a lot of this update. I have to also admit that the very heavy amount of voiced banter between Sushang, Little Gui and the rest of the squad was pretty entertaining to watch. I should also give credit to most of the writing/dialogue in this update for continuing to be just as good. I won’t lie, the Yukong section had me feeling sad for a bit. But the ghost catching battles/puzzles themselves…I was really just rushing through them.
I would also call out the banners, but it’s really just a matter of me having to deal with being patient. I have both Fu Xuan and Luocha, so it’s not necessary for me to roll for Huo Huo, but she’s probably a good character.
I would also call out the banners, but it’s really just a matter of me having to deal with being patient. I have both Fu Xuan and Luocha, so it’s not necessary for me to roll for Huo Huo, but she’s probably a good character.
2023
Gotta say, there’s not much to complain about with this remake. It looks great in 3D, the added combat effects are not disruptive to the actual mechanics and the remastered soundtrack is my new favorite way to hear these tracks.
I miss some of the old victory poses and a few names were changed, but can I really let that stop me from saying this was a great time? Kudos to ArtePiazza for making a very consistent remake.
Also the final FINAL Culex was an awesome treat. I was seriously worried I wouldn’t get to hear the remastered FFIV boss theme but then they pulled a fast one and surprised me.
I miss some of the old victory poses and a few names were changed, but can I really let that stop me from saying this was a great time? Kudos to ArtePiazza for making a very consistent remake.
Also the final FINAL Culex was an awesome treat. I was seriously worried I wouldn’t get to hear the remastered FFIV boss theme but then they pulled a fast one and surprised me.
Courses vary in quality and I swear I'm not crazy for thinking that. The final pack felt weirdly on par with the main game compared to the rest of the packs. You can tell which ones were ripped straight from Tour with little change or graphical enhancement and which ones actually had some improvements made.
As someone who adores Pocket Mirror, it is incredibly hard for me to say that this is a million steps upwards from it in every way but...I think it is without a doubt. LGTS is beautiful. That much is clear from even a quick glance at it. There's the 90s anime aesthetic, but it grabs from a ton of other styles and will constantly introduce newly themed sections. Crude drawings, the main character portraits, sections focused on the folktale theming, there are quite a few genres and design styles celebrated and I loved every minute of it.
I also found myself enjoying most of the puzzles significantly more than in PM, though I'm not confident that I'd be able to give a specific reason why. Some of them felt more cleverly thought out, but also easy enough for my dumb brain to comprehend so that I won't be wandering through the same area for hours. Then the implementation of strategy, managing hunger, romance, suspicion, etc...it was all very good at keeping every day engaging.
Same for the story, which is absolutely miles better than it was in Pocket Mirror (at least in execution). I'm glad for it, too. Gone are the days where you would have to read into every piece of evidence before being explicitly told what was going on at the very end of the game. There was a steady pace, characters I enjoyed seeing interact (the romance is peak btw), and both the options for a very depressing conclusion/bridge into Pocket Mirror, or a much brighter new world alongside one of Elise's partners. I think this game was well worth the wait and I'm glad to have experienced it. To be honest I reaaalllly hope they revisit Pocket Mirror a THIRD time...or at least do something with the characters in it (perhaps another sequel?) because I think they would absolutely thrive in an environment like the one LGTS has.
I also found myself enjoying most of the puzzles significantly more than in PM, though I'm not confident that I'd be able to give a specific reason why. Some of them felt more cleverly thought out, but also easy enough for my dumb brain to comprehend so that I won't be wandering through the same area for hours. Then the implementation of strategy, managing hunger, romance, suspicion, etc...it was all very good at keeping every day engaging.
Same for the story, which is absolutely miles better than it was in Pocket Mirror (at least in execution). I'm glad for it, too. Gone are the days where you would have to read into every piece of evidence before being explicitly told what was going on at the very end of the game. There was a steady pace, characters I enjoyed seeing interact (the romance is peak btw), and both the options for a very depressing conclusion/bridge into Pocket Mirror, or a much brighter new world alongside one of Elise's partners. I think this game was well worth the wait and I'm glad to have experienced it. To be honest I reaaalllly hope they revisit Pocket Mirror a THIRD time...or at least do something with the characters in it (perhaps another sequel?) because I think they would absolutely thrive in an environment like the one LGTS has.
2019
Man I wanted to like this game a lot but it just wasn't hitting the spot. The music is great, UI and visuals look excellent, but the mechanics are incredibly annoying. The time limit and constant rummaging through the same areas left me feeling bored pretty quickly, and you're dealing with a lot of the same areas. Yume Nikki repeated a lot of stuff, yes, but you could also move through these areas way faster and were given the time to interact with things and investigate. This game was sitting in my library for a while so I don't feel too disappointed but it definitely looked way more interesting than it actually was.
Charming. I like the direction 2D Mario is heading currently much more than the one it’s been going in for the past 15 years. Playing through a mainline Mario as Daisy was an opportunity I never expected to have, but I’m happy I did.
Nothing has ever made me feel such a resentment towards touch controls as much as this game has.
Kafka my beloved
1999
Weirdly surreal to think about playing a Dino Crisis game before ever playing a Resident Evil game, but that’s what I did!
2011
Yeah, this game is bad. Like, verrry bad. Nothing about it works right down to the core mechanics, and it’s amazing that this is the case considering the other kinds of stuff RGG has been able to make. I played this with a significant frame drop from what I would’ve gotten on an actual PS3 once a certain amount of zombies came on screen (at least I’d assume) but even taking that into account this game is annoying as hell.
Aiming is not completely terrible but if you try to aim down sights you can end up accidentally going in the complete wrong direction. Because of how slow your cursor moves, you’re likely to get hit when this happens. If you’re just using the standard lock-on it’s not that bad, which is a relief otherwise I don’t think I’d have been patient enough to get through this. The enemies are infuriating and completely unfun to fight by time you are halfway through the game.
Mutants become your worst enemy when you get to aggros who will constantly chase you and dodge all of your bullets (even with a shotgun or gatling) then force you into a knockdown animation. And honestly this knockdown might be the biggest reason why this game is so annoying. Whenever a mutant is around, this is bound to happen no matter what and it just puts into a loop of getting up taking a few shots then getting knocked down again. Thinking about trying to put distance between you and an aggro? Too bad they are fast enough to always catch up before you get back up so you’re just gonna have to dodge and pray their never ending attack animations don’t hit you while you reposition your aim. This isn’t even accounting for other mutants and the hordes that very frequently respawn (the respawn pools are wayyyy too big). Think that your allies might be able to help? Too bad they almost always suck (especially if they have a handgun) and will just end up getting grabbed by a zombie that you HAVE to shoot off yourself. Now this is on top of the tedium that is walking all of the overworld for side quests, many of which are some of the most boring in the series. Areas are blocked off all over forcing you to take long trips to destination with zombies respawning every single time a map change occurs. This includes mutants! Even with higher level weapon upgrades, which require a good bit of grinding to even get, this stuff is still a problem.
When it’s not the annoying enemies, it’s tedium. When it’s not tedium, it’s a shallow story. There’s really not much I can say was redeeming here. Like Goda and Majima are great fanservice, but it’s not at all able to distract from a terribly aggravating game to play. I’m glad I got it out of the way I guess, completing my obligation of hearing Goda’s VA sing, teaming up with Arase and doing the Daigo substory. And seeing the…shaving thing. But everything else? I won’t be looking back on it very fondly.
Aiming is not completely terrible but if you try to aim down sights you can end up accidentally going in the complete wrong direction. Because of how slow your cursor moves, you’re likely to get hit when this happens. If you’re just using the standard lock-on it’s not that bad, which is a relief otherwise I don’t think I’d have been patient enough to get through this. The enemies are infuriating and completely unfun to fight by time you are halfway through the game.
Mutants become your worst enemy when you get to aggros who will constantly chase you and dodge all of your bullets (even with a shotgun or gatling) then force you into a knockdown animation. And honestly this knockdown might be the biggest reason why this game is so annoying. Whenever a mutant is around, this is bound to happen no matter what and it just puts into a loop of getting up taking a few shots then getting knocked down again. Thinking about trying to put distance between you and an aggro? Too bad they are fast enough to always catch up before you get back up so you’re just gonna have to dodge and pray their never ending attack animations don’t hit you while you reposition your aim. This isn’t even accounting for other mutants and the hordes that very frequently respawn (the respawn pools are wayyyy too big). Think that your allies might be able to help? Too bad they almost always suck (especially if they have a handgun) and will just end up getting grabbed by a zombie that you HAVE to shoot off yourself. Now this is on top of the tedium that is walking all of the overworld for side quests, many of which are some of the most boring in the series. Areas are blocked off all over forcing you to take long trips to destination with zombies respawning every single time a map change occurs. This includes mutants! Even with higher level weapon upgrades, which require a good bit of grinding to even get, this stuff is still a problem.
When it’s not the annoying enemies, it’s tedium. When it’s not tedium, it’s a shallow story. There’s really not much I can say was redeeming here. Like Goda and Majima are great fanservice, but it’s not at all able to distract from a terribly aggravating game to play. I’m glad I got it out of the way I guess, completing my obligation of hearing Goda’s VA sing, teaming up with Arase and doing the Daigo substory. And seeing the…shaving thing. But everything else? I won’t be looking back on it very fondly.
2023
Dandori is now one of my favorite words to describe the cult-like yet charming behavior of the Pikmin species. And Pikmin as a game? Well…Pikmin is weird. Pikmin is fun. Pikmin is brutal. Pikmin is Pikmin. Simple as that. But Pikmin 4; it’s even more. It’s every little thing that made the other games unique. It’s the cave system, versus mode, time management, the fruit collecting, trinket collecting, every previous type of Pikmin plus the new ones (except Bulbmin rip), terrifying night tower defense mode, the really deep and touching Olimar interactions, the weird shenanigans of Louie, the taxology lore, the ACTUAL lore and, of course, two amazing dogs that I love with all my heart. It’s everything I could want from this series. And now I’ve played literally everything Pikmin 4 has to offer which makes me sad but…I’m happy I played it. Remember to always maintain good dandori friends.