sopholophagus
This is one of my games that I'll defend to the death because it's a great game that gets a bad rap due to outside circumstances. When this released there was a ton of hype for a new Animal Crossing title and so people were really pissed that instead of working on that, Nintendo released a spin-off.
What I liked: This does exactly what it says on the tin. You decorate a house for each animal and you unlock new furniture as you progress. And that's pretty much it, and it does that beautifully. This is the perfect game to open up and play before bed, you decorate one house and then close your 3DS and drift off. Is it something to play for hours on end? No, but it's great for here and there gameplay, which is what the greater franchise is all about.
What I didn't like: There's not a ton of direction when you're decorating other than "use these 2 or 3 furniture pieces somewhere". This can be a good and a bad thing - you get to be creative with some of the prompts but it would also be nice to have a bit more of a challenge where you need to try to "get it right".
What I liked: This does exactly what it says on the tin. You decorate a house for each animal and you unlock new furniture as you progress. And that's pretty much it, and it does that beautifully. This is the perfect game to open up and play before bed, you decorate one house and then close your 3DS and drift off. Is it something to play for hours on end? No, but it's great for here and there gameplay, which is what the greater franchise is all about.
What I didn't like: There's not a ton of direction when you're decorating other than "use these 2 or 3 furniture pieces somewhere". This can be a good and a bad thing - you get to be creative with some of the prompts but it would also be nice to have a bit more of a challenge where you need to try to "get it right".
2009
This is nothing. I can't believe I played the entire thing
2017
Guess what, I didn't really like this game that much, alright?
What I liked: Jump Up, Superstar is a genuine banger. The fan service was fun and this game obviously has that immaculate Nintendo polish. New Donk City was very cool. The hat gimmick was fun enough although I wouldn't miss it if we never saw it again.
What I didn't like: There are too many moons. Finding one isn't that exciting when it's literally your 700th moon and the last one you found was just like, in a random garbage can in an alley. Stars or their equivalents in previous games felt very rewarding to get and were a big deal. I also didn't really like a lot of the levels honestly. The dinosaur and food ones were especially stinkers. Idk, just not my vibe I guess.
What I liked: Jump Up, Superstar is a genuine banger. The fan service was fun and this game obviously has that immaculate Nintendo polish. New Donk City was very cool. The hat gimmick was fun enough although I wouldn't miss it if we never saw it again.
What I didn't like: There are too many moons. Finding one isn't that exciting when it's literally your 700th moon and the last one you found was just like, in a random garbage can in an alley. Stars or their equivalents in previous games felt very rewarding to get and were a big deal. I also didn't really like a lot of the levels honestly. The dinosaur and food ones were especially stinkers. Idk, just not my vibe I guess.
2023
What I liked: The aesthetics/graphics are immaculate and they hold this game together. The story is pretty entertaining as well, and the combat/spellcasting was interesting, although tough for me to get the hang of as someone who's not great with complex combat. The room of requirement is also a fun way to inject some creativity which always scores points with me.
What I didn't like: I think what it comes down to is that I wanted this game to be something it's not. I wanted this to be a Hogwarts simulator with a story and it's just not a simulation game. Castle life and the NPCs feel incredibly lifeless. The students don't really talk to you unless they are part of a story line and you have no regular schedule, you don't eat, you don't have to sleep unless it's part of the story. I think what we all fell in love with about the Harry Potter franchise was the friendships and relationships within the castle and this game completely lacks that.
What I didn't like: I think what it comes down to is that I wanted this game to be something it's not. I wanted this to be a Hogwarts simulator with a story and it's just not a simulation game. Castle life and the NPCs feel incredibly lifeless. The students don't really talk to you unless they are part of a story line and you have no regular schedule, you don't eat, you don't have to sleep unless it's part of the story. I think what we all fell in love with about the Harry Potter franchise was the friendships and relationships within the castle and this game completely lacks that.
What I liked: I played this for the first time as an adult, so I don't have any nostalgia for it, but I still thought it was totally solid. I'm a sucker for those late 90s early 00s graphics and the tycoon game aesthetic. Building your own park is fun and there's a surprising amount of room for creativity.
What I didn't like: This game made me feel like an idiot a lot of the time because there are a lot of very complicated mechanics that are really not explained, so I felt like I was constantly having to google how to do everything. I also didn't like how a lot of the game modes involved accomplishing a goal by a certain date because it made it hard to "role play" and gave me no time to do fun stuff like decorating. It also felt like half the time I wasn't "allowed" to put in like 90% of the coasters and I wasn't sure why.
What I didn't like: This game made me feel like an idiot a lot of the time because there are a lot of very complicated mechanics that are really not explained, so I felt like I was constantly having to google how to do everything. I also didn't like how a lot of the game modes involved accomplishing a goal by a certain date because it made it hard to "role play" and gave me no time to do fun stuff like decorating. It also felt like half the time I wasn't "allowed" to put in like 90% of the coasters and I wasn't sure why.
What I liked: Well, pretty much everything. This is one of my all-time greats. I love any game involving base-building and creative freedom but my biggest gripe with that genre is that it tends to feel very purposeless and "lonely". You're playing Valheim and you make a cool fire pit but there's no one there to sit by it. You build a hotel in your Minecraft village and no one comes to stay. DQB2 fixes all that because the NPCs actually use everything you build, and they have distinct personalities, preferences, and stories, which makes even the end-game sandbox mode feel extremely purposeful and alive. The story is also fun and gives you a lot of direction even if you aren't normally into the creative aspect of builder games.
What I didn't like: The only thing I can knock is that the performance can be rough when your sandbox island is really built up. If you're playing on the Switch expect literally like 5 FPS. It's better on Xbox but still not great.
What I didn't like: The only thing I can knock is that the performance can be rough when your sandbox island is really built up. If you're playing on the Switch expect literally like 5 FPS. It's better on Xbox but still not great.
2011
This review contains spoilers
What I liked: Obviously it's a classic with many merits. Huge variety in items/building mats, feels like I barely scratched the surface with what you can get and build. Fun to play with another person. I also like that you can gather NPCs for your base that actually serve a purpose and have preferences and opinions.
What I didn't like: One of the best things about Terraria for me is the base building, so the fact that the ugly corrupted biome spreads unless you do a huge amount of work building a "hellivator" past the halfway point of the game is a downer. I always stop playing when it's time to build the hellivator because it's tedious and burns me out. I also feel like the world itself is really small. I wish there was an option to make it bigger than the largest size.
What I didn't like: One of the best things about Terraria for me is the base building, so the fact that the ugly corrupted biome spreads unless you do a huge amount of work building a "hellivator" past the halfway point of the game is a downer. I always stop playing when it's time to build the hellivator because it's tedious and burns me out. I also feel like the world itself is really small. I wish there was an option to make it bigger than the largest size.