taigamask
1989
was recommended to play this version instead of the version of castlevania 3 released in the west... not sure if i like this or castlevania 1 more but damn the musical and graphical upgrades the famicom disk system adds are incredible for the time. both kicked my ass but gotta give 1 some brownie points for putting a checkpoint right at dracula. for this game's dracula fight i used my one and only save state bc a game over puts you right back at the beginning of the level instead and i wasnt about that shit. forgive me.... my goofy ass probably couldnt handle finishing the western version at all... i'm a fake gamer ahh....
EDIT: it was the VRC6 chip responsible for those upgrades not the famicom disk system..... i'm even more of a fake gamer now ahhhhhh.......
EDIT: it was the VRC6 chip responsible for those upgrades not the famicom disk system..... i'm even more of a fake gamer now ahhhhhh.......
1993
(writing a real review bc i cant stop thinking about this game, sorry)
My first real experience with Treasure aside from when I tried Radiant Silvergun once and couldn't quite make it past the first stage. It’s a doozy - something you get from a team that’s /really/ confident in the game’s core mechanics but also really willing to see how far they can push their own creation’s boundaries.
There’s new ideas or setpieces introduced at such an insanely fast clip that you can barely mind when one of those ideas falls a bit flat. Certain points (ok I really mean the Dice Palace) could have been a lot less frustrating with some tweaks, but when a dev team is really going for it like Treasure is here, and when controlling the player character feels as good as it does, it’s easy to forgive some slight missteps. And it’s tough to even really call them missteps; all the unforgiving checkpoints and endgame boss rushes seem very much in line with Treasure’s ethos of wanting to have the player meet the game where it’s at and rise to the occasion. They knew what they were doing with that goddamn board game level.
There’s just an insane freedom of movement and options for a run-n-gun platformer game here to the point where I’m sure mastering it feels a little bit like mastering a modern character-action game (THEY ADDED AIR GRABS?). My initial Backloggd review was me just half-jokingly saying ‘they should call rival characters “greens'' instead of vergils”’ in reference to the game’s rival character and recurring boss, and while your Vergils and Jeannes of today certainly have more rizz and general staying power, I think there’s something to be said about how the game was able to fit the whole action-game-rival-battle-sequence trope in a 2D platformer so well. That’s mostly credit to the game allowing you all these options and freedom of mobility. It feels like another example of Treasure being so insanely sure of how the game plays that they were able to fit that sort of thing in and it didn’t feel underwhelming by any stretch (I still ended up kind of cheesing it though with the chaser beam heehee).
And the game’s just charming as hell. Squeezes every drop from the Mega Drive it can to render some really impressive looking boss fights, and has art style that looks admittedly kinda jank at first but really grows on you with its expressiveness the further you play. Some really fun villains and pretty stage backgrounds, particularly in the final stages.
Some highlights:
- The entire Seven Force boss fight
- The airplane that partially leaves the the screen during a boss fight so you’re forced to fight with some verticality/limited mobility
- They just switched genres in the middle of the game and it becomes a shmup for one level?
- One of the jobber villains being We Have M Bison At Home was really funny to me
- The endgame boss rush playing out on a big ol’ security camera monitor the rogue’s gallery of villains are watching, all leaving the control room to challenge you one by one
What a game. Probably going to try out Alien Soldier next. Or Sin and Punishment. Or Contra Hard Corps. Idk
(sidenote: how the hell do you make it through radiant silvergun. Is it me? Do I just need to get good at the game or is there something I'm missing. Please help)
My first real experience with Treasure aside from when I tried Radiant Silvergun once and couldn't quite make it past the first stage. It’s a doozy - something you get from a team that’s /really/ confident in the game’s core mechanics but also really willing to see how far they can push their own creation’s boundaries.
There’s new ideas or setpieces introduced at such an insanely fast clip that you can barely mind when one of those ideas falls a bit flat. Certain points (ok I really mean the Dice Palace) could have been a lot less frustrating with some tweaks, but when a dev team is really going for it like Treasure is here, and when controlling the player character feels as good as it does, it’s easy to forgive some slight missteps. And it’s tough to even really call them missteps; all the unforgiving checkpoints and endgame boss rushes seem very much in line with Treasure’s ethos of wanting to have the player meet the game where it’s at and rise to the occasion. They knew what they were doing with that goddamn board game level.
There’s just an insane freedom of movement and options for a run-n-gun platformer game here to the point where I’m sure mastering it feels a little bit like mastering a modern character-action game (THEY ADDED AIR GRABS?). My initial Backloggd review was me just half-jokingly saying ‘they should call rival characters “greens'' instead of vergils”’ in reference to the game’s rival character and recurring boss, and while your Vergils and Jeannes of today certainly have more rizz and general staying power, I think there’s something to be said about how the game was able to fit the whole action-game-rival-battle-sequence trope in a 2D platformer so well. That’s mostly credit to the game allowing you all these options and freedom of mobility. It feels like another example of Treasure being so insanely sure of how the game plays that they were able to fit that sort of thing in and it didn’t feel underwhelming by any stretch (I still ended up kind of cheesing it though with the chaser beam heehee).
And the game’s just charming as hell. Squeezes every drop from the Mega Drive it can to render some really impressive looking boss fights, and has art style that looks admittedly kinda jank at first but really grows on you with its expressiveness the further you play. Some really fun villains and pretty stage backgrounds, particularly in the final stages.
Some highlights:
- The entire Seven Force boss fight
- The airplane that partially leaves the the screen during a boss fight so you’re forced to fight with some verticality/limited mobility
- They just switched genres in the middle of the game and it becomes a shmup for one level?
- One of the jobber villains being We Have M Bison At Home was really funny to me
- The endgame boss rush playing out on a big ol’ security camera monitor the rogue’s gallery of villains are watching, all leaving the control room to challenge you one by one
What a game. Probably going to try out Alien Soldier next. Or Sin and Punishment. Or Contra Hard Corps. Idk
(sidenote: how the hell do you make it through radiant silvergun. Is it me? Do I just need to get good at the game or is there something I'm missing. Please help)
2015
some of the greatest anti-british propaganda to ever be brought to life
2020
they gotta stop writing actual plots for these things. i dont care
1971
made it to oregon first time. some of yall wouldnt know what thats like tho...
2019
The brutality of Hotline Miami but totally recontextualized as slapstick comedy. Gabe Cuzzillo and the gang made this game specifically for me but also for everyone that has ever had the innate primal urge to go monkey mode. Doesn’t outstay its welcome, controlling Mr Ape is simple yet fluid, the pop-art inspired graphics and dynamic jazz percussion soundtrack really make this thing shine. This whole thing really clicked for me during the office level where you can just toss dudes out of windows and have them plummet to the cityscape below. Really addicting, captivating stuff. I love monky
2012
we gotta start using the term “a tight ten hours” for games like film aficionados use the term “a tight 90.” jet set radio is a tight ten hours
2016
it's a bad remake! feels more like an expansion to yakuza 0 than anything else and i'd easily recommend just playing the original PS2 game (emulate it if you have to) over starting with this as a substitute, and kind of assumes the player has already played yakuza 0 to begin with, both within its gameplay design and added story content. it feels like the RGG team didn't want to choose between just making a straight up remaster and making a full-blown, completely different remake, so the lion's share of the original game's content is all intact with JUST enough tweaked mechanics and new content available to make it different.
how they handle the main plot is kind of a reflection of this - a lot of the clunky story beats from the original game are still there and aren't really improved, and you can REALLY tell they just straight up lifted a lot of the PS2 cutscenes and just painted over them with nicer looking textures rather than just completely re-doing them. this is REALLY evident when you contrast it with the new cutscenes involving main antagonist nishikiyama that actually look like they were made with the PS4's graphical capabilities. it's like the new blood showing the old guard up! the "majima everywhere" mechanic is also an example of this weird both-waysing deal kiwami's got going on. the mechanic is definitely a fun addition, gameplay wise! but the entire thing cuts into majima's character so badly that it kind of overtakes his role in the actual plot from the original game.
that being said! it's still a yakuza game, and there are way worse games you could lift game mechanics from than yakuza 0. i had fun with it - and if i'm being honest, it's not SIGNIFICANTLY worse than the original version of yakuza 1 (in fact, it definitely plays better, gameplay wise) - but i'd still recommend just starting with the original playstation 2 game for series newcomers and playing through the series in release order, if only because it's satisfying seeing the progression of everything as the series continues. i guess i just wish the RGG team took more care with making kiwami to rationalize remaking yakuza 1 in the first place.
how they handle the main plot is kind of a reflection of this - a lot of the clunky story beats from the original game are still there and aren't really improved, and you can REALLY tell they just straight up lifted a lot of the PS2 cutscenes and just painted over them with nicer looking textures rather than just completely re-doing them. this is REALLY evident when you contrast it with the new cutscenes involving main antagonist nishikiyama that actually look like they were made with the PS4's graphical capabilities. it's like the new blood showing the old guard up! the "majima everywhere" mechanic is also an example of this weird both-waysing deal kiwami's got going on. the mechanic is definitely a fun addition, gameplay wise! but the entire thing cuts into majima's character so badly that it kind of overtakes his role in the actual plot from the original game.
that being said! it's still a yakuza game, and there are way worse games you could lift game mechanics from than yakuza 0. i had fun with it - and if i'm being honest, it's not SIGNIFICANTLY worse than the original version of yakuza 1 (in fact, it definitely plays better, gameplay wise) - but i'd still recommend just starting with the original playstation 2 game for series newcomers and playing through the series in release order, if only because it's satisfying seeing the progression of everything as the series continues. i guess i just wish the RGG team took more care with making kiwami to rationalize remaking yakuza 1 in the first place.
2023
Dudes rocking is back on the menu.
Not quite sure I like this as much as the original but I still had a total blast. Presentation-wise there’s enough fun stuff here that makes it worth playing even if you’re in the same frame of mind as me. There was definitely a deliberate choice made to make this version more palatable to the more cinematic, immersive experience that audiences writ large are flocking to with their AAA game releases.
That kind of supplants the original’s more arcade-y feel, which is fine and the gameplay still stands tall on its own. My real big complaint here is that this shift really reduces the amount of actual encounters in favor of exploration, especially in the early-game village segment. It’s Resident Evil 4! Just let me shoot things. That being said, this does become less of a problem as the game progresses, and those RE Engine-crafted environments look gorgeous, so it’s not the worst thing in the world.
It also feels like there’s a bit less precision on where your shots are going but the guns still feel pretty good (though it did take a bit of adjusting coming right off a vanilla playthrough, especially with regards to how the Ganados react to your attacks, limb shots, etc). Melee attacks are also meaty and satisfying.
Speaking of, the added focus on melee attacks/parries is a pretty neat change and one that differentiates the core gameplay loop enough to where combat does feel different enough from RE4 ‘05. This shift is also really welcome in certain encounters against tougher enemies; parrying an attack from a Garrador or an axe in midair is one of the most satisfying things I’ve done in a game in recent memory.
And though I do prefer vanilla RE4 overall, there are certain sections and setpieces here that do end up outshining the original. Some immediate examples I can think of include the cabin sequence and the castle minecart bit, and some of the decisions the dev team made to streamline the stages a bit are very much welcome. I didn’t even realize they had cut one of the late-game bosses until it was pointed out to me.
As far as character writing goes, I thought Luis and Ashley were the real standout improvements. The extended sequence with Luis really helped add depth and charm to a character that had like, four scenes in the original game. And as someone who already liked the original Ashley more than a solid amount of people seem to, everything about her characterization in the remake really endeared her to me. The decision by the devs to keep her around Leon for more extended periods of the game really paid off, too. Getting to see the duo’s bond solidify as the story progresses was a great touch.
The villain stable, though, actually felt weaker to me this go-around (except for Krauser, who decided to lean even further into being Leon’s Vergil-equivalent, which rules). I think this is a casualty of Capcom wanting the REmakes to be a little more grounded (as far as that goes with this series). We don’t get any of the one-liners or codec banter from Salazar or Saddler, which really bummed me out. Salazar in particular had his goofy Saturday-morning-cartoon-esque monologues totally watered down this go-around. The villains calling Leon just to talk shit like a demented wrestling heel was a highlight of the original games for me, and having that aspect completely removed was disappointing. Their presence here isn’t bad by any means, but it does feel like Capcom left a lot on the table (again, except with Krauser, who rules).
I’ll probably need to do another playthrough on hardcore or professional mode to really cement my opinion on RE4make, but these are my general thoughts after a 16-hour playthrough on standard difficulty.
Not quite sure I like this as much as the original but I still had a total blast. Presentation-wise there’s enough fun stuff here that makes it worth playing even if you’re in the same frame of mind as me. There was definitely a deliberate choice made to make this version more palatable to the more cinematic, immersive experience that audiences writ large are flocking to with their AAA game releases.
That kind of supplants the original’s more arcade-y feel, which is fine and the gameplay still stands tall on its own. My real big complaint here is that this shift really reduces the amount of actual encounters in favor of exploration, especially in the early-game village segment. It’s Resident Evil 4! Just let me shoot things. That being said, this does become less of a problem as the game progresses, and those RE Engine-crafted environments look gorgeous, so it’s not the worst thing in the world.
It also feels like there’s a bit less precision on where your shots are going but the guns still feel pretty good (though it did take a bit of adjusting coming right off a vanilla playthrough, especially with regards to how the Ganados react to your attacks, limb shots, etc). Melee attacks are also meaty and satisfying.
Speaking of, the added focus on melee attacks/parries is a pretty neat change and one that differentiates the core gameplay loop enough to where combat does feel different enough from RE4 ‘05. This shift is also really welcome in certain encounters against tougher enemies; parrying an attack from a Garrador or an axe in midair is one of the most satisfying things I’ve done in a game in recent memory.
And though I do prefer vanilla RE4 overall, there are certain sections and setpieces here that do end up outshining the original. Some immediate examples I can think of include the cabin sequence and the castle minecart bit, and some of the decisions the dev team made to streamline the stages a bit are very much welcome. I didn’t even realize they had cut one of the late-game bosses until it was pointed out to me.
As far as character writing goes, I thought Luis and Ashley were the real standout improvements. The extended sequence with Luis really helped add depth and charm to a character that had like, four scenes in the original game. And as someone who already liked the original Ashley more than a solid amount of people seem to, everything about her characterization in the remake really endeared her to me. The decision by the devs to keep her around Leon for more extended periods of the game really paid off, too. Getting to see the duo’s bond solidify as the story progresses was a great touch.
The villain stable, though, actually felt weaker to me this go-around (except for Krauser, who decided to lean even further into being Leon’s Vergil-equivalent, which rules). I think this is a casualty of Capcom wanting the REmakes to be a little more grounded (as far as that goes with this series). We don’t get any of the one-liners or codec banter from Salazar or Saddler, which really bummed me out. Salazar in particular had his goofy Saturday-morning-cartoon-esque monologues totally watered down this go-around. The villains calling Leon just to talk shit like a demented wrestling heel was a highlight of the original games for me, and having that aspect completely removed was disappointing. Their presence here isn’t bad by any means, but it does feel like Capcom left a lot on the table (again, except with Krauser, who rules).
I’ll probably need to do another playthrough on hardcore or professional mode to really cement my opinion on RE4make, but these are my general thoughts after a 16-hour playthrough on standard difficulty.
2006
mikami can't keep getting away with it
2004
dont really have much else to offer when talking about how extremely influential title this is but i was really struck by how short and sweet the game was. cute little experience, knocked it out in the span of like a day. shoutout to yuji horii and the gang for taking a bunch of complicated RPG mechanics and streamlining them into something so compact
1990
YOU ARE A SUPER PLAYER
2021
not certain how much of it was because of the rebalancing on the remasters' part but i kind of vibed with the leveling system up to a certain point. kept me engaged with all the actions i was doing in regular battles instead of just mashing through my strongest moves to win and it was an interesting way to mold my party according to my own desires. guy was an insane dual wielding barbarian freak by the end of the game and was doing like 2k damage per hit by the end of it. it was sick. that being said once my party got powerful enough i was kind of mashing through battles anyway so does it really matter in the end...
the emperor coming back from hell to take back his throne before your rival boss fight can even happen is an all-time hater move
the emperor coming back from hell to take back his throne before your rival boss fight can even happen is an all-time hater move
2011
probably the most replayable game of all time, ESPECIALLY on professional difficulty. locking in the game's difficulty slider really makes you hyper aware of your situation at all times and not only makes things more tense but it also kind of forces you to use all of leon's resources and game mechanics to their fullest (my favorite is capping a ganado in the knee and making them fall over).
you can say that about any game's hard mode i guess but when the mechanics are as airtight as RE4's it makes everything about controlling leon even more satisfying than it already was playing on normal
you can say that about any game's hard mode i guess but when the mechanics are as airtight as RE4's it makes everything about controlling leon even more satisfying than it already was playing on normal
the ice palace can smdftb