2023 in Review
Ranking games that I've finished in 2023
32 Games
big ups to Load Word Team for their efforts, im glad i got to play this. just fantastic, and admirable in its ambition and attention to detail. an aesthetic that holds up wonderfully.
the planes have noticeably more heft to them, trading away the arcadiness of earlier titles for something more immersive and in line with this entry's tone.
the leap in storytelling is crazy. in ac 1 and 2, the story was more a pretense for the gameplay. it almost feels like the opposite here given the sheer shift in focus, but the gameplay remains solid, if a little easy.
i love that you're treated to alternate missions and different character dialogue depending on how you clear certain missions. this sort of exhaustive branching really sells certain aspects of the story.
i might write more about the story itself once I've fully come to grips with it, there's so much more going on.
the planes have noticeably more heft to them, trading away the arcadiness of earlier titles for something more immersive and in line with this entry's tone.
the leap in storytelling is crazy. in ac 1 and 2, the story was more a pretense for the gameplay. it almost feels like the opposite here given the sheer shift in focus, but the gameplay remains solid, if a little easy.
i love that you're treated to alternate missions and different character dialogue depending on how you clear certain missions. this sort of exhaustive branching really sells certain aspects of the story.
i might write more about the story itself once I've fully come to grips with it, there's so much more going on.
1
absolutely goated, heart attack from hype type final mission. undoubtedly my favourite of the ps2 games. might write some more after I've done a replay.
whoever decided to combine planes with flamenco music and arthurian motifs is a genius.
whoever decided to combine planes with flamenco music and arthurian motifs is a genius.
2
it's amazing how well this controls 3 decades later. just so responsive, fluid and fun. that final boss is a sour way to end it and i feel sorry for people who had to practise that shit on original hardware but otherwise, an absolute banger of a SNES game. also enjoyed these bosses a lot more than the robot masters from classic mega man, even if they're a bit on the easy side. great music too.
3
i've done like a dozen playthroughs of the DS version but this was my first time finishing the original version (with a 64 controller too)
it's honestly amazing how Nintendo were able to nail Mario's 3D movement on their first try. Other than some odd behaviour on edges and slopes, he controls near-perfectly.
i don't like all the levels, but that's fine. the freedom of choice in picking levels was a brilliant idea, since it allows the game to experiment and have variety without forcing players to do the stuff they don't like. it's a really clever compromise.
and experiment Mario 64 does. it's full of fun little things like catching the monkey, or bringing the baby penguin to its mother, or having the take shelter behind a penguin so you don't get blown off a platform.
with enough knowledge and skill, the intended path instead becomes suggestion, and displaying your mastery of mario's moveset this way is always satisfying.
the most unfortunate thing about Mario 64 is its often uncooperative camera, which affected the game enough for me that i had to knock off a star. it felt like a regular hindrance to Mario's movement, which is a big detractor for such a precise, movement-heavy game. at some point i was kind of sick of dealing with it and resorted to doing that backwards long jump trick so i could go straight to the final level.
all in all though, great time.
it's honestly amazing how Nintendo were able to nail Mario's 3D movement on their first try. Other than some odd behaviour on edges and slopes, he controls near-perfectly.
i don't like all the levels, but that's fine. the freedom of choice in picking levels was a brilliant idea, since it allows the game to experiment and have variety without forcing players to do the stuff they don't like. it's a really clever compromise.
and experiment Mario 64 does. it's full of fun little things like catching the monkey, or bringing the baby penguin to its mother, or having the take shelter behind a penguin so you don't get blown off a platform.
with enough knowledge and skill, the intended path instead becomes suggestion, and displaying your mastery of mario's moveset this way is always satisfying.
the most unfortunate thing about Mario 64 is its often uncooperative camera, which affected the game enough for me that i had to knock off a star. it felt like a regular hindrance to Mario's movement, which is a big detractor for such a precise, movement-heavy game. at some point i was kind of sick of dealing with it and resorted to doing that backwards long jump trick so i could go straight to the final level.
all in all though, great time.
4
wow! that was pretty solid! it's starts out feeling rough but at some point it engrossed me the same way the other 2D metroids have.
i suppose my main criticisms would be that the camera, while good for atmospheric purposes, can obscure nearby enemies and combat can feel finnicky which hurts the early game in particular. the final boss bothers me a little as well but its still cool.
other than that, an acheivement for the gameboy(holy shit) in atmosphere and design, and still very enjoyable today. dont be fooled by the average rating on this site.
i suppose my main criticisms would be that the camera, while good for atmospheric purposes, can obscure nearby enemies and combat can feel finnicky which hurts the early game in particular. the final boss bothers me a little as well but its still cool.
other than that, an acheivement for the gameboy(holy shit) in atmosphere and design, and still very enjoyable today. dont be fooled by the average rating on this site.
5
have to play this one again some time. i think certain aspects of the story flew over my head but it left me feeling a way i don't think a game has before, and that alone is worth plenty.
6
im putting this here anyway because ive been playing a lot of this on fightcade lately.
what a game
what a game
7
finished with X. will do a Zero playthrough later.
these games have a really bad habit of shitting all over themselves at the very end. sigma suckkkkkkkkkkkkks but otherwise i had a really good time. looks great, plays great, voices great, yep, solid X entry.
will see if my feelings change after trying Zero.
[EDIT after finishing with Zero]
Sigma still sucks but playing as Zero definitely doesn't. I had a decent time but honestly, I wasn't a big fan of fighting the bosses as Zero. It isn't really something worth marking the game down for though. X's campaign is already a full game on its own and i came out of that fairly satisfied so the Zero side is just a nice bonus to me.
these games have a really bad habit of shitting all over themselves at the very end. sigma suckkkkkkkkkkkkks but otherwise i had a really good time. looks great, plays great, voices great, yep, solid X entry.
will see if my feelings change after trying Zero.
[EDIT after finishing with Zero]
Sigma still sucks but playing as Zero definitely doesn't. I had a decent time but honestly, I wasn't a big fan of fighting the bosses as Zero. It isn't really something worth marking the game down for though. X's campaign is already a full game on its own and i came out of that fairly satisfied so the Zero side is just a nice bonus to me.
8
haven't finished the story mode or anything yet but putting this here anyway 'cause I've had a blast with the multiplayer
loses a star because it assigns losses for things beyond my control. really frustrating during Series runs. also the matchmaking often kinda sucks
loses a star because it assigns losses for things beyond my control. really frustrating during Series runs. also the matchmaking often kinda sucks
9
takes some getting used to but once you hit that flow state, this shit rocks. that 1cc was super satisfying.
carried along by a catchy soundtrack and great sprite work, Contra is fast-paced, tense, and(mostly) fair which, for NES, you have to be thankful for.
im knocking off a star for some parts just being unreasonably punishing without foreknowledge (certain enemy placement and those spike walls in stage 7).
Laying down on the floor is essentially your best tool for evading enemy fire, and it feels good to use just before a bullet would have hit you since the state change happens so quickly. initially i found myself wishing there was a crawl, but appreciated that without it you have to put yourself in harms way to escape certain situations, which is more exciting.
Those moments where you're stuck between two enemies, say a guy on a turret and another guy running toward you, and you have to make some quick micro-movements and split-second target priority decisions to make it out alive, feel very rewarding. that said, sometimes you can just get unlucky with how the bullets are coming out and it'll feel unfair when it kills you.
the Base stages are cool as hell and very impressive. it's just, the... sense of hitbox(?i don't know to best express that) feels a little weird with the perspective, and the bullets being shot from different heights, and, when ducking, it's awkward to judge when it's okay to get back up again (until the bottom half is clear of bullets or you get killed by a grenade because you feel trapped). im not articulating myself too well there, but i hope that made some sense.
overall, good stuff, easily one of the NES's best. good bosses too. if you could just scrub away the little of the NES unfairness that remains, and perhaps give bullets more clarity, this'd be a near perfectly aged game.
carried along by a catchy soundtrack and great sprite work, Contra is fast-paced, tense, and(mostly) fair which, for NES, you have to be thankful for.
im knocking off a star for some parts just being unreasonably punishing without foreknowledge (certain enemy placement and those spike walls in stage 7).
Laying down on the floor is essentially your best tool for evading enemy fire, and it feels good to use just before a bullet would have hit you since the state change happens so quickly. initially i found myself wishing there was a crawl, but appreciated that without it you have to put yourself in harms way to escape certain situations, which is more exciting.
Those moments where you're stuck between two enemies, say a guy on a turret and another guy running toward you, and you have to make some quick micro-movements and split-second target priority decisions to make it out alive, feel very rewarding. that said, sometimes you can just get unlucky with how the bullets are coming out and it'll feel unfair when it kills you.
the Base stages are cool as hell and very impressive. it's just, the... sense of hitbox(?i don't know to best express that) feels a little weird with the perspective, and the bullets being shot from different heights, and, when ducking, it's awkward to judge when it's okay to get back up again (until the bottom half is clear of bullets or you get killed by a grenade because you feel trapped). im not articulating myself too well there, but i hope that made some sense.
overall, good stuff, easily one of the NES's best. good bosses too. if you could just scrub away the little of the NES unfairness that remains, and perhaps give bullets more clarity, this'd be a near perfectly aged game.
10
waiting for the timer to finish (and then waiting for it all over again if you die) to complete a mission rather than being an objective-based thing was a boneheaded design choice, especially when that can go up to like 20 minutes, but otherwise, i enjoyed this. i miss the aesthetics and storytelling of 3, but i was still pleasantly surprised by the story in this. the radio chatter was pretty fun and that last mission was good way to end it. the last bit of ace combat 2 left an impression on me so having more of that was exciting.
yeah, i had a nice time.
yeah, i had a nice time.
11
really solid Genesis game when you're playing with the 6 button control scheme. having block and melee on buttons is soooo much better than the default. presentationally and mechanically a step up from II, though it suffers from similar pitfalls, namely bad, off-screen enemy placements (though far less frequent), and pitfalls. the bosses are also just kinda alright but i appreciate that the last one mirrors the player in some ways. i can see the setpieces getting annoying on repeat playthroughs (the horse one is really easy) but otherwise, i don't think they outstay their welcome. maybe kamiya's desensitized me to them.
when these frustrations don't get in the way, shinobi III is a delight to play :)
also love that when the player is in their upgraded form, you can really feel it thanks to the sick sword animations.
when these frustrations don't get in the way, shinobi III is a delight to play :)
also love that when the player is in their upgraded form, you can really feel it thanks to the sick sword animations.
12
rather liked it. :)
added the sauce i felt was missing from the first game. controls really nicely (still don't understand how you use the machine gun), music is pretty good, and just really cool vibes all around. really liked that the final mission had you flying through a tight space for the last target. loved the mission where you're flying through a city during the night.
good gaming :)
added the sauce i felt was missing from the first game. controls really nicely (still don't understand how you use the machine gun), music is pretty good, and just really cool vibes all around. really liked that the final mission had you flying through a tight space for the last target. loved the mission where you're flying through a city during the night.
good gaming :)
13
a little less good than X1 but still good. this one felt more challenging, which i welcome, but i also disliked some of the bosses, which isn't something i can say for x1 (save for the last 3). music isn't as good overall, a couple of the secrets are a bit ???, and i think i liked the sigma fight less this time around. wireframe sigma was kinda cool but the emulator i was using was having crazy slowdown which doesn't seem to be present when played on proper hardware so i can't really judge that one properly.
but yeah. i still liked it, just felt like it was lacking some juice from the original.
but yeah. i still liked it, just felt like it was lacking some juice from the original.
14
can't really sugarcoat the bullshit in this one. The boss in Wily Stage 4 sucks, I wish the laser bit was more forgiving, and that bit with the teleporting blocks over the lava would be fine if it didn't have the element of trial and error (where the error costs a life). the second wily machine phase also sucks and the final boss, while a fun surprise, suffers for a similar reason as the boss from wily stage 4.
otherwise, I like this game a lot. from mega man 1, it carries over the tight controls (and the slippyness too unfortunately) but also comes with a great soundtrack, improved sprite work, stages with lots more life thanks to awesome foreground and background elements, and I think I enjoyed the bosses more? I'm still mixed on how exploiting weaknesses will generally melt bosses, but this time it felt like there was a little more effort in making the player engage with the boss attacks. only a little though.
leaf guy has the shield that blocks your saw blades, forcing you to dodge his leaves at least a little. air fellow's tiny tornadoes will block the leaf shield, and crash man's jump can avoid your tornadoes so you need to time it a bit. i mean, i guess it isn't much, but it's a step in the right direction.
i suppose it's worth criticising some of the enemy placements but honestly, it's not as egregious as 1. i'd agree it'd be better off without this aspect of having to roll with the punches, but it's not that bad. it has a couple moments where an enemy could knock you into a pit if you're unlucky but only one instance is coming to mind at the moment. at worst, you'll take a little damage that is easily recoverable thanks to health pickups which are easy to come by.
anyway, really enjoyed it. good gaming :)
also for anyone complaining about how the metal blades make the game too easy, just avoid using it unless you feel like you really have to lol. I did and still had a fun time. there's a valid criticism to be made in the balancing but also i don't really mind, it's fun to use and fun not to use it.
otherwise, I like this game a lot. from mega man 1, it carries over the tight controls (and the slippyness too unfortunately) but also comes with a great soundtrack, improved sprite work, stages with lots more life thanks to awesome foreground and background elements, and I think I enjoyed the bosses more? I'm still mixed on how exploiting weaknesses will generally melt bosses, but this time it felt like there was a little more effort in making the player engage with the boss attacks. only a little though.
leaf guy has the shield that blocks your saw blades, forcing you to dodge his leaves at least a little. air fellow's tiny tornadoes will block the leaf shield, and crash man's jump can avoid your tornadoes so you need to time it a bit. i mean, i guess it isn't much, but it's a step in the right direction.
i suppose it's worth criticising some of the enemy placements but honestly, it's not as egregious as 1. i'd agree it'd be better off without this aspect of having to roll with the punches, but it's not that bad. it has a couple moments where an enemy could knock you into a pit if you're unlucky but only one instance is coming to mind at the moment. at worst, you'll take a little damage that is easily recoverable thanks to health pickups which are easy to come by.
anyway, really enjoyed it. good gaming :)
also for anyone complaining about how the metal blades make the game too easy, just avoid using it unless you feel like you really have to lol. I did and still had a fun time. there's a valid criticism to be made in the balancing but also i don't really mind, it's fun to use and fun not to use it.
15
though i think i generally liked the missions better in this and controlling a squadron was cool, when i weigh it all out, i'd put unsung war on about the same level as shattered skies to be honest.
felt longer than it needed to be. the story has more going on, to disproportionately low payoff. 04's story was more modest, but that was enough. it achieved what it set out to do, and did so decently. it has far less going on superficially than 5, and yet i feel as though it was more affecting.
i like the increased emphasis on characters though, just wish they had more depth to them. they're sort of just personalities in planes.
if you thought having to wait for a long mission timer to finish in 04 was bad, there's a similar problem in this one with waiting for character dialogue and a problematic lack of checkpoints in between objectives. i resorted to using save states just so i wouldnt have to sit through repeat dialogue in case i died, or redo a simple but time-consuming objective. i think i'd lose my mind a little if i was playing on actual hardware.
i frequently found myself running out of ammo during missions. i thought i was just being particularly wasteful, but no, a review pointed out that the game will keep respawning enemies. it makes so much more sense now why it felt like the briefing screen was gaslighting me.
i still enjoyed myself and the game definitely made me smile at points. the final missions in these games are consistently a treat.
i've been waiting to play Zero for quite a while now. hope it doesn't disappoint.
EDIT:
after letting it sit fot a bit i think id actually put it below 04 and 2. its got 04 beat in terms of gameplay, but it's just too bloated for its own good. 2 beats it in vibes.
felt longer than it needed to be. the story has more going on, to disproportionately low payoff. 04's story was more modest, but that was enough. it achieved what it set out to do, and did so decently. it has far less going on superficially than 5, and yet i feel as though it was more affecting.
i like the increased emphasis on characters though, just wish they had more depth to them. they're sort of just personalities in planes.
if you thought having to wait for a long mission timer to finish in 04 was bad, there's a similar problem in this one with waiting for character dialogue and a problematic lack of checkpoints in between objectives. i resorted to using save states just so i wouldnt have to sit through repeat dialogue in case i died, or redo a simple but time-consuming objective. i think i'd lose my mind a little if i was playing on actual hardware.
i frequently found myself running out of ammo during missions. i thought i was just being particularly wasteful, but no, a review pointed out that the game will keep respawning enemies. it makes so much more sense now why it felt like the briefing screen was gaslighting me.
i still enjoyed myself and the game definitely made me smile at points. the final missions in these games are consistently a treat.
i've been waiting to play Zero for quite a while now. hope it doesn't disappoint.
EDIT:
after letting it sit fot a bit i think id actually put it below 04 and 2. its got 04 beat in terms of gameplay, but it's just too bloated for its own good. 2 beats it in vibes.
16
doesn't outright suck, and i think the fact that i still got some decent enjoyment out of this is a testament to the strength of X's core movement mechanics, but yeah it's very rough.
- music's an obvious step-down.
- enemies feeling like they do obscene damage at times
- very questionable level design at points. swear this game has a fetish for death pits you can't react to on the first pass.
- i dunno if it's just been a while since i played the previous entries but enemy placement and respawns felt particularly obnoxious
- not being able to swap enhancement chips and being locked to one before knowing what they're all capable of is absolute Ass
- the ride armour stuff feels superfluous
- hated bit, byte and vile
- those ice physics in buffalo's stage are bizarre but actually kinda fun, wish the stage itself was designed more around it
- hitboxes felt kinda off at times?
unlikely to come back to this one.
- music's an obvious step-down.
- enemies feeling like they do obscene damage at times
- very questionable level design at points. swear this game has a fetish for death pits you can't react to on the first pass.
- i dunno if it's just been a while since i played the previous entries but enemy placement and respawns felt particularly obnoxious
- not being able to swap enhancement chips and being locked to one before knowing what they're all capable of is absolute Ass
- the ride armour stuff feels superfluous
- hated bit, byte and vile
- those ice physics in buffalo's stage are bizarre but actually kinda fun, wish the stage itself was designed more around it
- hitboxes felt kinda off at times?
unlikely to come back to this one.
17
it's certainly easier than i'd want from a mega man game but honestly, if they tightened up that difficulty some more (maybe a bit more drip too), this'd probably be the best one so far (of what I've played up to this point).
yeah ok so the charge shot might be a bit overpowered, almost like overcorrecting how underwhelming it felt last time. i do think they succeeded in making it feel much better, it just needs a litttttle balancing.
i think this is the best set of bosses yet (bar dark man and charge man who suck). just using the weaknesses doesn't decimate them immediately and they have attacks that you have to engage with. i much prefer this! just wish there more intensity overall.
hee hee spinny mega man :)
yeah ok so the charge shot might be a bit overpowered, almost like overcorrecting how underwhelming it felt last time. i do think they succeeded in making it feel much better, it just needs a litttttle balancing.
i think this is the best set of bosses yet (bar dark man and charge man who suck). just using the weaknesses doesn't decimate them immediately and they have attacks that you have to engage with. i much prefer this! just wish there more intensity overall.
hee hee spinny mega man :)
18
gave up at the last boss, absolutely dreadful
more mega man.
it looks cute at least
more mega man.
it looks cute at least
19
yep. more mega man. not much to say really. the bosses were okay. i mean, visually, the game's very good, so there's that. the alternative mega man forms are a cool idea but they don't have very interesting uses.
yep. that was more mega man. time to play X.
[EDIT (several hours after beating 6)]
i wanted to see how other people felt about the bosses in mega man and honestly im kinda taken aback that people find them to be the best parts. i'd been using weakness walkthroughs the whole time, but maybe that was a mistake. if i was to do a buster only run it would force me to learn every nuance in each robot master fight. maybe it'd result in a fairer evaluation of them as boss fights. that learning phase is still very much at odds with the lives system though. just bin the whole idea of sending me back to the start of a level when I've reached the boss, they're hard enough as is. i do not blame the use of save states.
yep. that was more mega man. time to play X.
[EDIT (several hours after beating 6)]
i wanted to see how other people felt about the bosses in mega man and honestly im kinda taken aback that people find them to be the best parts. i'd been using weakness walkthroughs the whole time, but maybe that was a mistake. if i was to do a buster only run it would force me to learn every nuance in each robot master fight. maybe it'd result in a fairer evaluation of them as boss fights. that learning phase is still very much at odds with the lives system though. just bin the whole idea of sending me back to the start of a level when I've reached the boss, they're hard enough as is. i do not blame the use of save states.
20
yeah i mean megaman 2 is still my personal favourite but it's tempting to call 4 the most consistent one so four... far.
i dunno though, im not huge on the bosses and it's still got some annoying little things. you'd hope they'd figured out the hitboxes by the fourth entry but some enemies man. the bosses especially.
the music's fine, couple tracks stood out to me. they fixed the shooting issue i outlined in 3 and the weapon menu is nicer. probably the best wily machine bosses so far but i still think they could've lightened up the difficulty a little bit. not much else i have to say really. i think it really is just the robot masters causing the most frustration this time.
proto man still sick.
i dunno though, im not huge on the bosses and it's still got some annoying little things. you'd hope they'd figured out the hitboxes by the fourth entry but some enemies man. the bosses especially.
the music's fine, couple tracks stood out to me. they fixed the shooting issue i outlined in 3 and the weapon menu is nicer. probably the best wily machine bosses so far but i still think they could've lightened up the difficulty a little bit. not much else i have to say really. i think it really is just the robot masters causing the most frustration this time.
proto man still sick.
21
an NES game that feels impressively tight and responsive in its controls. could've done without the weird slipping though.
well-timed shots and jumps just feel great man and having a varied weapons belt that grows over time was an awesome idea.
that said, what the fuck was the thought process behind those unreliable platforms that move in random directions that also shoot from their sides and also putting them over death pits? i think a lot of the level design holds up honestly but this game has its moments man. the wily stages is where it's really at its worst.
i also think that, while it's cool that the game incentivizes you to route out levels with boss weaknesses in mind, it's a little lame that the reward for using the right weapon is just a damage increase, to the extent that you can just spam em and the boss fight is over. sort of like it's overcorrecting the alternative where you're usually fighting an overly punishing boss but maybe asking for any more than that would be too much. also the big yellow guy sucks. could be a genuinely fun and tense fight if it was a little more generous about damage and the spacing of the goo projectile attack thing.
anyway, fun game all in all with with some bumpin tracks and charming visuals. the other mega man games are probably better but for a first outing, i think it's decent!
well-timed shots and jumps just feel great man and having a varied weapons belt that grows over time was an awesome idea.
that said, what the fuck was the thought process behind those unreliable platforms that move in random directions that also shoot from their sides and also putting them over death pits? i think a lot of the level design holds up honestly but this game has its moments man. the wily stages is where it's really at its worst.
i also think that, while it's cool that the game incentivizes you to route out levels with boss weaknesses in mind, it's a little lame that the reward for using the right weapon is just a damage increase, to the extent that you can just spam em and the boss fight is over. sort of like it's overcorrecting the alternative where you're usually fighting an overly punishing boss but maybe asking for any more than that would be too much. also the big yellow guy sucks. could be a genuinely fun and tense fight if it was a little more generous about damage and the spacing of the goo projectile attack thing.
anyway, fun game all in all with with some bumpin tracks and charming visuals. the other mega man games are probably better but for a first outing, i think it's decent!
22
not bad! neat stuff but it still feels like its lacking something? definitely on the right track though.
still, having finished the game with half of the tiles still missing, i'm not sure the core gameplay is enjoyable enough to warrant going after the rest of the collectables. Certainly a treat for people who enjoy the gameplay though. Have to appreciate the amount of stuff in this gameboy game.
still, having finished the game with half of the tiles still missing, i'm not sure the core gameplay is enjoyable enough to warrant going after the rest of the collectables. Certainly a treat for people who enjoy the gameplay though. Have to appreciate the amount of stuff in this gameboy game.
23
got as far as 6-4 before deciding id played enough. it's got impressive movement options considering its time, and clever level design here and there, but i don't really feel compelled to see it through completely. good game but not 101 stages good.
24
that was pleasant :)
i like when kirby go =|
i appreciate the existence of Extra Mode too :O
i like when kirby go =|
i appreciate the existence of Extra Mode too :O
25
that was aight. controls well enough, just a bit lacking in variety and sauce. has an alright soundtrack too.
26
ok so i'll start with the stuff i liked. proto man and his theme are sick and i liked his involvement in the ending. the slide is cool, i like rush, and visually 3 is as good or arguably better than 2. i didn't like the soundtrack as much this time around but it had some nice stuff like needle man's theme.
okay, the stuff i didn't like, which was a lot.
- so laggy, which is super unfun during boss fights and precision platforming.
- some of the bosses kinda.... blow? in ways that bosses from previous games didn't. hard man just pauses the fight every time he lands (which is often) and i hated dodging his fists, snake man felt almost impossible to dodge, and shadow man's slide which comes out instantly and quickly also sucks.
- speaking of, what was the logic behind the boss order this time? I don't get it
- the doc bots felt like shitty padding and really killed the pace for me.
- there's a transitionary state when you change direction while running. i noticed that there's no weird slidiness anymore which is nice so i wondered if that was the reason for it. however, as a consequence of not being able to turn instantly, you can't react to and shoot at enemies behind mega man as quickly as you could before. you could press the opposite direction, then shoot, and mega man will first shoot in the direction he's already facing and then turn. i'm not sure trading away the responsiveness was worthwhile but maybe the next game fixes that.
- i really wish they didn't make the weapon switching menu feel slower to navigate.
- the slide is actually a good fit for the Yellow Devil so i enjoyed that fight a bit more this time but also why is its design worse than from the first game lol. also it sucks so bad that the hard knuckle causes mega man to stay in place for a moment which basically gives YD a free hit. why???
- really didn't like the second wily phase, it's so awkward to dodge and time.
- are people actually able to tell the difference in the warp animations during the mega man hologram fight. it happens so fast
- the top spin..... what happened there...
it might seem odd to rank mega man 3 below 1 since it's probably the better game overall but it also annoyed me a lot more. it's also the third entry so it makes its mistakes harder to forgive.
probably won't be playing this one again.
okay, the stuff i didn't like, which was a lot.
- so laggy, which is super unfun during boss fights and precision platforming.
- some of the bosses kinda.... blow? in ways that bosses from previous games didn't. hard man just pauses the fight every time he lands (which is often) and i hated dodging his fists, snake man felt almost impossible to dodge, and shadow man's slide which comes out instantly and quickly also sucks.
- speaking of, what was the logic behind the boss order this time? I don't get it
- the doc bots felt like shitty padding and really killed the pace for me.
- there's a transitionary state when you change direction while running. i noticed that there's no weird slidiness anymore which is nice so i wondered if that was the reason for it. however, as a consequence of not being able to turn instantly, you can't react to and shoot at enemies behind mega man as quickly as you could before. you could press the opposite direction, then shoot, and mega man will first shoot in the direction he's already facing and then turn. i'm not sure trading away the responsiveness was worthwhile but maybe the next game fixes that.
- i really wish they didn't make the weapon switching menu feel slower to navigate.
- the slide is actually a good fit for the Yellow Devil so i enjoyed that fight a bit more this time but also why is its design worse than from the first game lol. also it sucks so bad that the hard knuckle causes mega man to stay in place for a moment which basically gives YD a free hit. why???
- really didn't like the second wily phase, it's so awkward to dodge and time.
- are people actually able to tell the difference in the warp animations during the mega man hologram fight. it happens so fast
- the top spin..... what happened there...
it might seem odd to rank mega man 3 below 1 since it's probably the better game overall but it also annoyed me a lot more. it's also the third entry so it makes its mistakes harder to forgive.
probably won't be playing this one again.
27
it's an improvement over the first one for sure but... man that final level was dreadful. i respect the idea of a tense gauntlet to end the game on, and in theory i don't mind that you lose the golden coins if you game over since it adds some good stakes. in execution however i got what felt like certain issues tying together in the worst ways possible.
The camera feels too zoomed in, resulting in unfair hits or even deaths. The jumps feel inconsistent, as do collisions. Too many moments where I was sure I landed on an enemy only to have taken a hit instead. These problems are at their worst in the final level, making it feel more trial and error-y than it needs to. it just doesn't feel satisfying or entirely fair, and then you gotta spend time collecting all the coins again if you fail? this might sound a little rich coming from a rainworld fan but... come on now, there's no fun in wasting my time like that. Just a sour way to end what's otherwise a pretty decent game.
on a more positive note, there's a bunch of fun visual stuff going on and i'd like to personally thank whoever decided to have the goombas wear ski masks in the spooky levels.
The camera feels too zoomed in, resulting in unfair hits or even deaths. The jumps feel inconsistent, as do collisions. Too many moments where I was sure I landed on an enemy only to have taken a hit instead. These problems are at their worst in the final level, making it feel more trial and error-y than it needs to. it just doesn't feel satisfying or entirely fair, and then you gotta spend time collecting all the coins again if you fail? this might sound a little rich coming from a rainworld fan but... come on now, there's no fun in wasting my time like that. Just a sour way to end what's otherwise a pretty decent game.
on a more positive note, there's a bunch of fun visual stuff going on and i'd like to personally thank whoever decided to have the goombas wear ski masks in the spooky levels.
28
got to stage 8, fighting hard on only a single life, see the claw guy again, "fuck it", resign myself to fate
playing sor2 before this one, the gulf in quality is visible but that isn't completely fair so I'm gonna try judging this on its own merits.
there's definitely a simple enjoyment derived from doing a short combo on the enemy, then, thanks to the hitstun, going in for a grab and using that guy to knock down several others guys. it's a little too samey to last a whole game though and stages feel like they drag on as a result. this is compounded by lacking enemy variety. overall though, it's decent fun and there's definitely appeal in exploiting the hitstun.
it's pretty funny how enemies will rush in to get a punch on you, though it feels kinda un-reactable and cheap at times. and the bosses are pretty bad.
that elevator level music though? thank you yuzo koshiro :)
the beach level with the rain coming in every so often is pretty sick too
playing sor2 before this one, the gulf in quality is visible but that isn't completely fair so I'm gonna try judging this on its own merits.
there's definitely a simple enjoyment derived from doing a short combo on the enemy, then, thanks to the hitstun, going in for a grab and using that guy to knock down several others guys. it's a little too samey to last a whole game though and stages feel like they drag on as a result. this is compounded by lacking enemy variety. overall though, it's decent fun and there's definitely appeal in exploiting the hitstun.
it's pretty funny how enemies will rush in to get a punch on you, though it feels kinda un-reactable and cheap at times. and the bosses are pretty bad.
that elevator level music though? thank you yuzo koshiro :)
the beach level with the rain coming in every so often is pretty sick too
29
hey hey, first finished game of 2023. pretty decent but the weird physics and misaligned-feeling collisions hold it back pretty often. some levels feel kinda trial and error-y too.
30
"Please Retry"
yeah no enjoy your new tree trunk house wario.
cumbersome but i gotta give it points for character. i love how wario looks in this game. i also really liked the jet hat thing and wished that was the entire game lol.
hope i don't sound too dramatic when i say this genuinely felt torturous to play at points. just glad its over now, hope the next ones are better.
yeah no enjoy your new tree trunk house wario.
cumbersome but i gotta give it points for character. i love how wario looks in this game. i also really liked the jet hat thing and wished that was the entire game lol.
hope i don't sound too dramatic when i say this genuinely felt torturous to play at points. just glad its over now, hope the next ones are better.
31
Check out my in-depth analysis here:
https://www.backloggd.com/u/nubbish/review/661422/
https://www.backloggd.com/u/nubbish/review/661422/
32
4 Comments
how do people even finish games
nvm
better year than the last :)
nubbish
1 year ago