lostinheadguy
2023
Gravity Circuit is game that is elevated to amazing heights by its core gameplay and art direction, but pulled down by incredible annoyances.
Gravity Circuit's platforming controls are tight, and its beat-em-up take on the Mega Man style 2D platformer genre is fresh and exciting. It is ridiculously fun to get comfortable enough to speedrun through what would be tricky platforming segments. The game basically encourages you to essentially have the dash on all the time, with certain segments actually feeling more precise when dashing instead of taking your time going from platform to platform Celeste-style.
The pixel art is exquisite and the soundtrack is amazing. No complaints there.
No, my complaints are twofold:
Firstly, certain boss battles are challenging for the sake of being challenging, and not out of any desire for fun. There is no reason other than to waste the player's time that the first phase of the final boss battle should be repeated - especially when, if you decide to duck out and purchase different loadout items, you have to repeat the entire "third final level" all over again. It's ridiculous and insulting to the player's time.
Secondly, and more egregiously, the grapple is probably the most infuriating grapple I've ever controlled in a video game. It instantly destroys any and all momentum levels have up to the point where there is a grapple section. And any grapple section that also involves anything that moves is even more infuriating.
While I do believe it's a hot take to dislike certain parts of the game as much as I do, the game at its core is a well-polished experience that has obviously delighted the vast majority of people who have played it. I personally just would have wished for a little less "BS".
Gravity Circuit's platforming controls are tight, and its beat-em-up take on the Mega Man style 2D platformer genre is fresh and exciting. It is ridiculously fun to get comfortable enough to speedrun through what would be tricky platforming segments. The game basically encourages you to essentially have the dash on all the time, with certain segments actually feeling more precise when dashing instead of taking your time going from platform to platform Celeste-style.
The pixel art is exquisite and the soundtrack is amazing. No complaints there.
No, my complaints are twofold:
Firstly, certain boss battles are challenging for the sake of being challenging, and not out of any desire for fun. There is no reason other than to waste the player's time that the first phase of the final boss battle should be repeated - especially when, if you decide to duck out and purchase different loadout items, you have to repeat the entire "third final level" all over again. It's ridiculous and insulting to the player's time.
Secondly, and more egregiously, the grapple is probably the most infuriating grapple I've ever controlled in a video game. It instantly destroys any and all momentum levels have up to the point where there is a grapple section. And any grapple section that also involves anything that moves is even more infuriating.
While I do believe it's a hot take to dislike certain parts of the game as much as I do, the game at its core is a well-polished experience that has obviously delighted the vast majority of people who have played it. I personally just would have wished for a little less "BS".
It's a pretty good, but not amazing, Soulslike that gets additional points for its unique-for-the-genre art style and plentiful accessibility options.
The early game is Another Crab's Treasure's weakest point, with The Shallows being particularly featureless and empty. It really isn't until you exit the world's hub city New Carcinia that things get interesting and "set apart" from other Soulslikes. "It gets good after X hours" is often a turnoff for people, but there is absolutely a good game here once you get past that point.
Using found objects around the world as shells for your defense is certainly a novel idea, and is an interesting twist on a Breath Of The Wild-like durability system. But where you get a huge variety of defensive options and the special attacks to go with them, there is no weapon variety, leaving you with an upgradable single weapon for the whole game. I found this nice as I could get better at using it as the game went on, but some people might find that boring.
The combat is fine. Nothing amazing, nothing egregious. Once you start getting your Umami special attacks, it gets more interesting. The story boss designs are pretty strong, though some mid-bosses and optional bosses are effectively just reskins of each other.
However, it falls into the trap of other Soulslikes in that you cannot ever accurately get a gauge of "where you need to be" when you go up against a boss. There's a good farming spot to help you out if you do get stuck though.
The game is full of personality - what is now becoming "signature Aggro Crab". The dialogue has that slightly sarcastic "ting" that is also present in their previous game Going Under. And there are some deep cuts to Going Under for those who have played it.
I think Another Crab's Treasure is definitely worth a playthough so long as you set expectations accordingly. This isn't going to be a Bloodborne or a Lies of P or anything. But it's definitely a fun and interesting change of pace for those who enjoy the general Soulslike genre.
The early game is Another Crab's Treasure's weakest point, with The Shallows being particularly featureless and empty. It really isn't until you exit the world's hub city New Carcinia that things get interesting and "set apart" from other Soulslikes. "It gets good after X hours" is often a turnoff for people, but there is absolutely a good game here once you get past that point.
Using found objects around the world as shells for your defense is certainly a novel idea, and is an interesting twist on a Breath Of The Wild-like durability system. But where you get a huge variety of defensive options and the special attacks to go with them, there is no weapon variety, leaving you with an upgradable single weapon for the whole game. I found this nice as I could get better at using it as the game went on, but some people might find that boring.
The combat is fine. Nothing amazing, nothing egregious. Once you start getting your Umami special attacks, it gets more interesting. The story boss designs are pretty strong, though some mid-bosses and optional bosses are effectively just reskins of each other.
However, it falls into the trap of other Soulslikes in that you cannot ever accurately get a gauge of "where you need to be" when you go up against a boss. There's a good farming spot to help you out if you do get stuck though.
The game is full of personality - what is now becoming "signature Aggro Crab". The dialogue has that slightly sarcastic "ting" that is also present in their previous game Going Under. And there are some deep cuts to Going Under for those who have played it.
I think Another Crab's Treasure is definitely worth a playthough so long as you set expectations accordingly. This isn't going to be a Bloodborne or a Lies of P or anything. But it's definitely a fun and interesting change of pace for those who enjoy the general Soulslike genre.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Torna The Golden Country is in some ways superior, some ways inferior, to the Xenoblade Chronicles 2 base game.
Let's start with the ways that it's better.
First and foremost, tripping the game of its stupid gachas and replacing field skills with natural progression. There were very few times during TTGC's sidequests where I felt cheated or walled from progression due to a lacking field skill. Contrast this to the base game, where you can, mathematically, be walled from the main story because the gacha won't give you a blade with the skills you need.
This goes in conjunction with what I think is the single biggest improvement - giving each human character multiple blades that are theirs and theirs alone during the story's natural progression. Not only did this help from a gameplay perspective, but it was also justified from a story perspective as well, though one blade in particular was somewhat underused narratively.
The Xenoblade 2 base game had one of my favorite casts of characters in any video game I've played, and TTGC just adds to the roster. Lora and Jin are phenomenal both apart and together, as are Mythra and Addam. Hugo, well, he's cool, but it's obvious he and his blades are just along for the ride.
The combat for me compared to the base game was a bit of a wash, there were certain aspects I preferred in the base game, and others TTGC. But like the base game, when the combat clicks, it absolutely clicks and feels amazing.
TTGC, like the base game, absolutely chugs. It is remarkable that Nintendo and Monolith were able to pump this out on the Switch but there are times when, graphically, the game looks and feels like garbage.
However, what absolutely kills this game, like the base game's gacha, are the points in the story where you are forced to raise the Community (sidequest progression) level to proceed. That is one of the silliest game direction decisions I have ever experienced, and exists solely to pad the runtime of what would be a very short experience. I will say that the sidequests do help to minimize grinding through the main story... but I still find it unacceptable.
Torna The Golden Country is a worthwhile expansion to Xenoblade 2, but it shares some of its problems. It's worth the download, but unless you're a collector (like me), don't waste your money on the standalone physical edition.
Let's start with the ways that it's better.
First and foremost, tripping the game of its stupid gachas and replacing field skills with natural progression. There were very few times during TTGC's sidequests where I felt cheated or walled from progression due to a lacking field skill. Contrast this to the base game, where you can, mathematically, be walled from the main story because the gacha won't give you a blade with the skills you need.
This goes in conjunction with what I think is the single biggest improvement - giving each human character multiple blades that are theirs and theirs alone during the story's natural progression. Not only did this help from a gameplay perspective, but it was also justified from a story perspective as well, though one blade in particular was somewhat underused narratively.
The Xenoblade 2 base game had one of my favorite casts of characters in any video game I've played, and TTGC just adds to the roster. Lora and Jin are phenomenal both apart and together, as are Mythra and Addam. Hugo, well, he's cool, but it's obvious he and his blades are just along for the ride.
The combat for me compared to the base game was a bit of a wash, there were certain aspects I preferred in the base game, and others TTGC. But like the base game, when the combat clicks, it absolutely clicks and feels amazing.
TTGC, like the base game, absolutely chugs. It is remarkable that Nintendo and Monolith were able to pump this out on the Switch but there are times when, graphically, the game looks and feels like garbage.
However, what absolutely kills this game, like the base game's gacha, are the points in the story where you are forced to raise the Community (sidequest progression) level to proceed. That is one of the silliest game direction decisions I have ever experienced, and exists solely to pad the runtime of what would be a very short experience. I will say that the sidequests do help to minimize grinding through the main story... but I still find it unacceptable.
Torna The Golden Country is a worthwhile expansion to Xenoblade 2, but it shares some of its problems. It's worth the download, but unless you're a collector (like me), don't waste your money on the standalone physical edition.
Super Mario Bros Wonder is easily Nintendo's most creative wide-release game in over a decade.
Which is weird to say because, at its core, it's "another 2D Super Mario platformer". Move from left to right toward a flagpole goal, avoiding hazards and getting three collectibles along the way.
But where SMB Wonder really sticks out amongst its modern Mario platformer brethren is in its heart and style. It really feels like a modern interpretation of the pudgy Super Mario art style of the 80s and 90s and even what you see on the game's box art really does not do the art direction justice.
The level structure and progression are both great, and it was such a good idea to mix up linear and non-linear world maps. That kind of player agency is so appreciated.
But the game's party pieces are the Wonder effects, which were dose after dose of "surprise and delight". Anything that you can think would be considered for a Mario game and eventually cut for content is here in small, digestible chunks. And it's all so creative and interesting.
The minor flaws come from certain Wonder effects and their levels being more frustrating than entertaining. For me, that was both levels which involved sets of blocks that appear and disappear based on a rhythm with an increasing tempo. Very few - but some - levels feel like they were just not tested well enough before being put into the game.
Super Mario Bros Wonder truly makes the 2D Mario platformer feel fresh again. In a world where heavyweight indies like Celeste and Hollow Knight exist, Super Mario Bros Wonder proves that Nintendo's creative brain trust still has that zest in them to make something that you want to go back and play over and over again... just for fun.
Which is weird to say because, at its core, it's "another 2D Super Mario platformer". Move from left to right toward a flagpole goal, avoiding hazards and getting three collectibles along the way.
But where SMB Wonder really sticks out amongst its modern Mario platformer brethren is in its heart and style. It really feels like a modern interpretation of the pudgy Super Mario art style of the 80s and 90s and even what you see on the game's box art really does not do the art direction justice.
The level structure and progression are both great, and it was such a good idea to mix up linear and non-linear world maps. That kind of player agency is so appreciated.
But the game's party pieces are the Wonder effects, which were dose after dose of "surprise and delight". Anything that you can think would be considered for a Mario game and eventually cut for content is here in small, digestible chunks. And it's all so creative and interesting.
The minor flaws come from certain Wonder effects and their levels being more frustrating than entertaining. For me, that was both levels which involved sets of blocks that appear and disappear based on a rhythm with an increasing tempo. Very few - but some - levels feel like they were just not tested well enough before being put into the game.
Super Mario Bros Wonder truly makes the 2D Mario platformer feel fresh again. In a world where heavyweight indies like Celeste and Hollow Knight exist, Super Mario Bros Wonder proves that Nintendo's creative brain trust still has that zest in them to make something that you want to go back and play over and over again... just for fun.
2024
I played Persona 3 FES. I played Persona 3 Portable. Both of them had niggling problems that took me out of the experience. Then I watched the Persona 3 movies. They hit me, but not as hard as I probably should have been.
But finally, Persona 3 Reload is the game to make me absolutely adore Persona 3.
Let's get the criticisms out of the way. No, P3 Reload is not the "definitive" version that everyone wanted. It sucks. It's a huge bummer. I am one of the many who wishes that the female protagonist route from P3 Portable would have been included. Maybe not for me personally (though I like her social links more), but for those who appreciate the additional player agency.
The game suffers from the occasional weird pacing issue. During big story moments, you really don't get enough time to process the events that have transpired before being shot straight back to peppy happy school life. Is that symbolic, I don't know, but it hurts the drama.
Graphically, the game has wonderful outdoor lighting, all the character models are great, Tartarus is actually interesting... But in many interior scenes the game suffers from a lack of ambient occulsion which makes it look really bad.
All that aside... There is so much here. The "Linked Episode" content for certain party members is some of the best content in the game, and the additional "dorm events" for every character really fleshes them out and helps you to appreciate them more.
All the new voice talent is excellent. The GUI is excellent. The general polish is, well, excellent. Despite the omissions, it really feels like the development team cared about and understood what people loved about the original Persona 3. And at the time of this writing, we still have the Episode Aigis DLC to look forward to.
While it is still my least favorite of the "NewSona" games, the space between P3 and P4 / P5 on my list has grown a whole lot smaller after playing Reload. I finally understand why people consider the P3 narrative to be so special.
I give this 4 and a half stars, or an "A", only because I don't want to rank it and the others the same (P5 is an "S" for me, P4 is a top ten of all time for me). I played through the main story in 75 hours, letting most voiced events play out at "auto" dialogue speed, spending some time playing with Persona fusions, and having to repeat two bosses once each.
I would not even remotely hesitate to recommend P3 Reload to someone who is looking to experience the P3 narrative for the first time. Looks great, feels great, plays great, makes you cry. Perfect.
But finally, Persona 3 Reload is the game to make me absolutely adore Persona 3.
Let's get the criticisms out of the way. No, P3 Reload is not the "definitive" version that everyone wanted. It sucks. It's a huge bummer. I am one of the many who wishes that the female protagonist route from P3 Portable would have been included. Maybe not for me personally (though I like her social links more), but for those who appreciate the additional player agency.
The game suffers from the occasional weird pacing issue. During big story moments, you really don't get enough time to process the events that have transpired before being shot straight back to peppy happy school life. Is that symbolic, I don't know, but it hurts the drama.
Graphically, the game has wonderful outdoor lighting, all the character models are great, Tartarus is actually interesting... But in many interior scenes the game suffers from a lack of ambient occulsion which makes it look really bad.
All that aside... There is so much here. The "Linked Episode" content for certain party members is some of the best content in the game, and the additional "dorm events" for every character really fleshes them out and helps you to appreciate them more.
All the new voice talent is excellent. The GUI is excellent. The general polish is, well, excellent. Despite the omissions, it really feels like the development team cared about and understood what people loved about the original Persona 3. And at the time of this writing, we still have the Episode Aigis DLC to look forward to.
While it is still my least favorite of the "NewSona" games, the space between P3 and P4 / P5 on my list has grown a whole lot smaller after playing Reload. I finally understand why people consider the P3 narrative to be so special.
I give this 4 and a half stars, or an "A", only because I don't want to rank it and the others the same (P5 is an "S" for me, P4 is a top ten of all time for me). I played through the main story in 75 hours, letting most voiced events play out at "auto" dialogue speed, spending some time playing with Persona fusions, and having to repeat two bosses once each.
I would not even remotely hesitate to recommend P3 Reload to someone who is looking to experience the P3 narrative for the first time. Looks great, feels great, plays great, makes you cry. Perfect.
A very good update to one of the better Kirby games. Return to Dream Land, or RTDL, kicked off a new era of Kirby platformers that lasted through the 3DS all the way to Star Allies on the Switch. But being released way late in the Wii's life, I don't think it got the attention it should have until now.
The game is just so freaking pretty. Its art style is simplistic, but the world is stitched together so well that it looks as good as games on platformers that are far more powerful than the Switch. The updates extend to the UI and graphic design as well, bringing it solidly into the HD era, being stuck at 480p before.
The two new abilities are fine but forgettable. It's unfortunate that the game took away two of the challenge stages from the original to give them to the new abilities. Something that would have made this game even more "deluxe" would have been to incorporate all of the extra challenge stages that were included in Kirby's Dream Collection.
The additional Magolor Epilogue content is good and is a nice change of pace from what is a bit of a wrung-out formula. The final boss of that mode is particularly challenging, and in Kirby's EX mode, some of the bosses have been given new attacks and different behavior to be more challenging than the original game.
I rank this four stars, or a "B" in my book, only because there are still games that do this formula a little better, like Planet Robobot for the 3DS. I played through the main mode, Magolor Epilogue, and Extra mode. If you ever were to be asked, "which Kirby game should I play to get hooked on the series", this game will surely make newcomers fall in love with Kirby's world.
The game is just so freaking pretty. Its art style is simplistic, but the world is stitched together so well that it looks as good as games on platformers that are far more powerful than the Switch. The updates extend to the UI and graphic design as well, bringing it solidly into the HD era, being stuck at 480p before.
The two new abilities are fine but forgettable. It's unfortunate that the game took away two of the challenge stages from the original to give them to the new abilities. Something that would have made this game even more "deluxe" would have been to incorporate all of the extra challenge stages that were included in Kirby's Dream Collection.
The additional Magolor Epilogue content is good and is a nice change of pace from what is a bit of a wrung-out formula. The final boss of that mode is particularly challenging, and in Kirby's EX mode, some of the bosses have been given new attacks and different behavior to be more challenging than the original game.
I rank this four stars, or a "B" in my book, only because there are still games that do this formula a little better, like Planet Robobot for the 3DS. I played through the main mode, Magolor Epilogue, and Extra mode. If you ever were to be asked, "which Kirby game should I play to get hooked on the series", this game will surely make newcomers fall in love with Kirby's world.
It's one thing for a game to excel at telling you a good story, it's a completely different thing for a game to excel at immersing you in its story. VA-11 Hall-A does just that and it just results in a wonderful experience.
Every character has meaning, every character story has meaning, every loose end gets tied up (so long as you play the prologue too), and it's all wrapped up in an experience that looks and feels great.
The three "lead characters at the bar" are so relatable and have such good chemistry, Jill is probably one of my favorite protagonists in any video game. And it is incredibly satisfying to see the stories of the "client" characters begin to weave and overlap as the game goes on.
And the soundtrack over top of it all... Perfection.
Every character has meaning, every character story has meaning, every loose end gets tied up (so long as you play the prologue too), and it's all wrapped up in an experience that looks and feels great.
The three "lead characters at the bar" are so relatable and have such good chemistry, Jill is probably one of my favorite protagonists in any video game. And it is incredibly satisfying to see the stories of the "client" characters begin to weave and overlap as the game goes on.
And the soundtrack over top of it all... Perfection.
It is truly fascinating how a game can get it so right and so wrong at the same time.
Let's get the wrongs out of the way first, most of them revolving around the gacha system.
First of all, the gacha system itself is absurdly awful. They try to justify it in the narrative by showing you right away, hey, you don't know which blade will bond with you if you touch a crystal. But that applies to you, too, and you wind up opening crystal after crystal just to get something even remotely close to what you need.
It could be that your party member is missing coverage and can't get it. Or it could be a treasure chest that you can't open because you don't have enough lockpicking skill. It is remarkable just how much of an annoyance it is.
And that annoyance becomes straight-up bad game design when, near the climax of the story, you are walled from progression by a skill check. It happens at least twice and forces you to play a game that is technically possible for you to not win. The game "should" be finishable only using blades you either naturally obtain through the story, and that you can obtain as rewards from sidequests. But it isn't, and that's unfortunate.
Moving onto something more neutral, the "anime"-ness of the game can be a turnoff to some people. It's the usual trappings - cartoony sound effects, cringe dialogue, the power of friendship, silly melodrama, and lots of the "stupid" kind of fan service. One character in particular got done dirty by the anime gods and it was frustrating to see.
But the positives of the game are immensely positive.
First, the cast. The main party is probably one of my favorite JRPG parties I've ever played with. I was invested in all of them and when something bad happened, it hurt. A lof of JRPGs kind of fall into the concept of found family, and in mu opinion, Xenoblade 2 does it right. Even most of the villains were multi-dimensional, with the exception of one, though they attempt to explain that away.
The combat is also one of my favorite combat systems in any JRPG, successfully marrying three genres into something cohesive. It feels so freaking good to stack a combo together. It's a marked improvement over that of Xenoblade 1, which made you concentrate on menuing, and frequently interrupted the battle with future sight. Here, it keeps going, and stacking, and when you can successfully fire off a chain attack, it is so rewarding.
And the story itself is good. Not amazing, but good. Everything flows well together, betrayals feel real, but it does sometimes feel a bit samey. I feel the same way about Xenoblade 1.
The world design of Xenoblade is some of my favorite in all of gaming, and Xenoblade 2 doesn't change that. The overworlds don't feel empty, everything is vibrant and colorful. But like in Xenoblade 1, the cities end up being too big and empty, and you feel less like people live there.
Overall, I liked Xenoblade 2 slightly better than Xenoblade 1, and I'm looking forward to playing Torna The Golden Country soon, and Xenoblade 3 eventually.
Taken on its own, I place Xenoblade 2 in my own personal "B Tier". Total play time approx. 75-80 hours for the main story and likely about 2/3 of the optional sidequests.
Let's get the wrongs out of the way first, most of them revolving around the gacha system.
First of all, the gacha system itself is absurdly awful. They try to justify it in the narrative by showing you right away, hey, you don't know which blade will bond with you if you touch a crystal. But that applies to you, too, and you wind up opening crystal after crystal just to get something even remotely close to what you need.
It could be that your party member is missing coverage and can't get it. Or it could be a treasure chest that you can't open because you don't have enough lockpicking skill. It is remarkable just how much of an annoyance it is.
And that annoyance becomes straight-up bad game design when, near the climax of the story, you are walled from progression by a skill check. It happens at least twice and forces you to play a game that is technically possible for you to not win. The game "should" be finishable only using blades you either naturally obtain through the story, and that you can obtain as rewards from sidequests. But it isn't, and that's unfortunate.
Moving onto something more neutral, the "anime"-ness of the game can be a turnoff to some people. It's the usual trappings - cartoony sound effects, cringe dialogue, the power of friendship, silly melodrama, and lots of the "stupid" kind of fan service. One character in particular got done dirty by the anime gods and it was frustrating to see.
But the positives of the game are immensely positive.
First, the cast. The main party is probably one of my favorite JRPG parties I've ever played with. I was invested in all of them and when something bad happened, it hurt. A lof of JRPGs kind of fall into the concept of found family, and in mu opinion, Xenoblade 2 does it right. Even most of the villains were multi-dimensional, with the exception of one, though they attempt to explain that away.
The combat is also one of my favorite combat systems in any JRPG, successfully marrying three genres into something cohesive. It feels so freaking good to stack a combo together. It's a marked improvement over that of Xenoblade 1, which made you concentrate on menuing, and frequently interrupted the battle with future sight. Here, it keeps going, and stacking, and when you can successfully fire off a chain attack, it is so rewarding.
And the story itself is good. Not amazing, but good. Everything flows well together, betrayals feel real, but it does sometimes feel a bit samey. I feel the same way about Xenoblade 1.
The world design of Xenoblade is some of my favorite in all of gaming, and Xenoblade 2 doesn't change that. The overworlds don't feel empty, everything is vibrant and colorful. But like in Xenoblade 1, the cities end up being too big and empty, and you feel less like people live there.
Overall, I liked Xenoblade 2 slightly better than Xenoblade 1, and I'm looking forward to playing Torna The Golden Country soon, and Xenoblade 3 eventually.
Taken on its own, I place Xenoblade 2 in my own personal "B Tier". Total play time approx. 75-80 hours for the main story and likely about 2/3 of the optional sidequests.