1995
Yeah... unfortunately, I didn't like this one too much. Don't get me wrong, I really wanted to like it, especially with how much I loved X1 and X2. But it just didn't jive with me at all, especially with how difficult it was. I like the challenge of the Mega Man X games, but I didn't like the challenge of the enemies doing so much damage or having so much health. It just was really irritating with how much they ramped that up in this one---if only it was like the prior two, then I could easily see myself liking it just as much. It just felt more like unfair difficulty to me, so I just wasn't really a big fan. So yeah, I played this one mostly on Rookie Hunter mode on the Legacy Collection, just so that I was able to at least go through this one.
There are things to like about X3 though imo. For example, I do like some of the music in this one, some of my favorites being the opening stage (which has an AMAZING remix in Project X Zone 2 that I heard it from first). Alongside that, Zero's theme in this one is really good too. Speaking of Zero, dude, I have to say, I was not expecting being able to play as him in this one. I was sure X4 would be the first game where he would be playable, but to my surprise, once that music started and I moved him, I GOT SO HYPED LMAO. That whole opening stage was easily one of my favorite parts of the game, it was really good. But just... ugh... honestly, I just wish the whole Zero implementation was handled better though. Only being able to play as him in certain sections kind of sucks... I get it since he seemed much more stronger than X with already having a super strong charged shot right off the bat, but I kind of wish they could've done that better were they were just balanced better.
The stages and stuff this time around were pretty okay. I think my favorite one was Toxic Seahorse's stage, I just thought its verticality level design and its aesthetic. It honestly reminded me of something you'd see in Metroid, and given the similarities between the two series, that's just really cool to me (he says, having barely played any Metroid lmao). I do think the abilities in this one I liked more than X2's, with Ray Splasher and Thunder Triad being my favorites. I have to say, it's really cool seeing all of these different abilities that I've seen in the Project X Zone games from X and Zero's movesets in their original form? I think I'll have a much better appreciation for those two whenever I replay those games (and I already loved those two beforehand lmao). The upgrades were also much better in this one too, with the exception of the X Buster which... man... they should've just kept that the same as the last game, I don't know what they did with it here lmao.
Anyway, so yeah, kind of my thoughts on this one. Story was kind of cool, I thought Dr. Doppler was pretty neat. It was also cool to see Vile return, but... I feel like he could've had a more grandiose sort of return? But maybe I'm just nitpicking at this point. Anyway, overall, I just feel half and half with this one. Maybe down the line if I get better at these games, I can come back to this one and like it more? For now though, idk... just wasn't my cup of tea, but I can totally understand why people would like this one though.
There are things to like about X3 though imo. For example, I do like some of the music in this one, some of my favorites being the opening stage (which has an AMAZING remix in Project X Zone 2 that I heard it from first). Alongside that, Zero's theme in this one is really good too. Speaking of Zero, dude, I have to say, I was not expecting being able to play as him in this one. I was sure X4 would be the first game where he would be playable, but to my surprise, once that music started and I moved him, I GOT SO HYPED LMAO. That whole opening stage was easily one of my favorite parts of the game, it was really good. But just... ugh... honestly, I just wish the whole Zero implementation was handled better though. Only being able to play as him in certain sections kind of sucks... I get it since he seemed much more stronger than X with already having a super strong charged shot right off the bat, but I kind of wish they could've done that better were they were just balanced better.
The stages and stuff this time around were pretty okay. I think my favorite one was Toxic Seahorse's stage, I just thought its verticality level design and its aesthetic. It honestly reminded me of something you'd see in Metroid, and given the similarities between the two series, that's just really cool to me (he says, having barely played any Metroid lmao). I do think the abilities in this one I liked more than X2's, with Ray Splasher and Thunder Triad being my favorites. I have to say, it's really cool seeing all of these different abilities that I've seen in the Project X Zone games from X and Zero's movesets in their original form? I think I'll have a much better appreciation for those two whenever I replay those games (and I already loved those two beforehand lmao). The upgrades were also much better in this one too, with the exception of the X Buster which... man... they should've just kept that the same as the last game, I don't know what they did with it here lmao.
Anyway, so yeah, kind of my thoughts on this one. Story was kind of cool, I thought Dr. Doppler was pretty neat. It was also cool to see Vile return, but... I feel like he could've had a more grandiose sort of return? But maybe I'm just nitpicking at this point. Anyway, overall, I just feel half and half with this one. Maybe down the line if I get better at these games, I can come back to this one and like it more? For now though, idk... just wasn't my cup of tea, but I can totally understand why people would like this one though.
1994
I was initially not going to do a review for this, but I decided why not. And I'm going to try and make a review short for once lmao (try being the operative word).
I think X2 is definitely a solid follow up to X1 in my opinion. In fact, I think it does a very great job creating its own identity for itself and making it distinct from X1. There's a lot to love here, whether it be the new gimmicks such as utilizing the hovercyle and air dashing, or many of the varied levels that I really loved going through. I really liked how wonderfully unique in themes the levels were this time around, such as a desert stage, a crystal mine stage, and even a volcano stage too. All of them were really well thought out and creative level designs that I really enjoyed, with really sick setpieces too (such as the climb in Flame Stag's stage as the volcano was rising). And the bosses were just as engaging to fight as they were in the last game too (even if just like in the last game, they made me pull my hair out with how difficult they could be lmao).
I also thought the music in this one was like---I don't know if this is an unpopular opinion or not, but just as good as X1's to me? Like, the soundtrack for this game REALLY slaps. I think I like pretty much every level stage theme in this game (with the exception of the junk yard stage, just wasn't my cup of tea). My absolute FAVORITE stage theme though would definitely be that of Wire Sponge's stage theme, which might just be among my favorite tracks in this entire series for me. I swear, it sounds like a fusion between music from the Classic Sonic trilogy and the Sonic Advance trilogy---if that makes sense lmao. Loved the boss themes too, such as the X Hunter's, Sigma's first theme, and of course... I mean... ZERO'S THEME IS LIKE, PEAK MEGA MAN MUSIC. I-I've known about that theme even before getting into the series (and especially the amazing MvC3 remix of it). It's just so legendary... like seriously...
But uhhh, speaking of Zero though, erm... brings me to the only thing I didn't like about X2: the X Hunter subplot of having to get Zero's parts. I know whether or not you get all the parts doesn't really matter that much, but just idk... the principle of not saving Zero the right way just didn't sit well with me lmao. I ended up restarting the game over completely just so that I could get the "good ending", even if it didn't matter that much (of course, this was before I found out about the password generator, making me facepalm). Anyway, idk, I just felt like it kind of messed up the pace and structure for me. I don't think I'd have a problem with it if it was handled differently, but it just rubbed me the wrong way though. I also do kind of wish the Zero fight was canon though, but instead of fighting real Zero, maybe we just fight the fake one. Because even though I wanted to save my boy, it still would've been pretty hype having to fight an enemy Zero even with all of the parts obtained (and then maybe real Zero shows up to deal the final blow or something). Though, it was pretty cool how in the actual story Zero just shows up and EASILY takes care of the fake one like it was nothing, what a badass lmao.
But I digress, aside from that, not really many other issues with the game. I think it definitely made some improvements over the first game, even if I think in some ways I still prefer the first game more. Story-wise, I'm happy that Zero was brought back from the dead. Of course, I knew he was never dead, being on the Internet and all, but I'm happy to see one of the coolest motherfuckers ever created to be alive and kicking again lmao. Sigma continues to be an antagonist I find to be really cool with how every time we kill him, he just keeps coming back stronger and smarter. But I like that despite that, X and Zero are going to be ready to kick his ass again each and every time---just simple good guy vs bad guy stuff is all I need sometimes, haha. And I love the growing bromance of X and Zero, it's becoming one of my favorite gaming duos for sure. Anyway, X2 was quite fun, I really enjoyed my time with it, despite a couple of frustrations here or there.
(...and this review ended up being long AGAIN, son of a---lmao.)
I think X2 is definitely a solid follow up to X1 in my opinion. In fact, I think it does a very great job creating its own identity for itself and making it distinct from X1. There's a lot to love here, whether it be the new gimmicks such as utilizing the hovercyle and air dashing, or many of the varied levels that I really loved going through. I really liked how wonderfully unique in themes the levels were this time around, such as a desert stage, a crystal mine stage, and even a volcano stage too. All of them were really well thought out and creative level designs that I really enjoyed, with really sick setpieces too (such as the climb in Flame Stag's stage as the volcano was rising). And the bosses were just as engaging to fight as they were in the last game too (even if just like in the last game, they made me pull my hair out with how difficult they could be lmao).
I also thought the music in this one was like---I don't know if this is an unpopular opinion or not, but just as good as X1's to me? Like, the soundtrack for this game REALLY slaps. I think I like pretty much every level stage theme in this game (with the exception of the junk yard stage, just wasn't my cup of tea). My absolute FAVORITE stage theme though would definitely be that of Wire Sponge's stage theme, which might just be among my favorite tracks in this entire series for me. I swear, it sounds like a fusion between music from the Classic Sonic trilogy and the Sonic Advance trilogy---if that makes sense lmao. Loved the boss themes too, such as the X Hunter's, Sigma's first theme, and of course... I mean... ZERO'S THEME IS LIKE, PEAK MEGA MAN MUSIC. I-I've known about that theme even before getting into the series (and especially the amazing MvC3 remix of it). It's just so legendary... like seriously...
But uhhh, speaking of Zero though, erm... brings me to the only thing I didn't like about X2: the X Hunter subplot of having to get Zero's parts. I know whether or not you get all the parts doesn't really matter that much, but just idk... the principle of not saving Zero the right way just didn't sit well with me lmao. I ended up restarting the game over completely just so that I could get the "good ending", even if it didn't matter that much (of course, this was before I found out about the password generator, making me facepalm). Anyway, idk, I just felt like it kind of messed up the pace and structure for me. I don't think I'd have a problem with it if it was handled differently, but it just rubbed me the wrong way though. I also do kind of wish the Zero fight was canon though, but instead of fighting real Zero, maybe we just fight the fake one. Because even though I wanted to save my boy, it still would've been pretty hype having to fight an enemy Zero even with all of the parts obtained (and then maybe real Zero shows up to deal the final blow or something). Though, it was pretty cool how in the actual story Zero just shows up and EASILY takes care of the fake one like it was nothing, what a badass lmao.
But I digress, aside from that, not really many other issues with the game. I think it definitely made some improvements over the first game, even if I think in some ways I still prefer the first game more. Story-wise, I'm happy that Zero was brought back from the dead. Of course, I knew he was never dead, being on the Internet and all, but I'm happy to see one of the coolest motherfuckers ever created to be alive and kicking again lmao. Sigma continues to be an antagonist I find to be really cool with how every time we kill him, he just keeps coming back stronger and smarter. But I like that despite that, X and Zero are going to be ready to kick his ass again each and every time---just simple good guy vs bad guy stuff is all I need sometimes, haha. And I love the growing bromance of X and Zero, it's becoming one of my favorite gaming duos for sure. Anyway, X2 was quite fun, I really enjoyed my time with it, despite a couple of frustrations here or there.
(...and this review ended up being long AGAIN, son of a---lmao.)
1993
I've been interested in this series for a very long time. I've listened to music from it, watched reviews of the series, and have heard great things about it from people/friends as well. And of course, I've definitely seen the memes from some titles, haha. However, I was always a bit hesitant on taking the plunge out of fear of the series not being my cup of tea, or it being too difficult. It wasn't until I tried out a Touhou fangame inspired by the X series that was the push I needed to finally try the series out through the Legacy Collection.
And I'm very happy I did so, because man is this game just so damn COOL. Okay, so when I first started playing, I was kind of a mess. Didn't know what I was doing at all, felt like I'd never make any progress, and was starting to feel disheartened. But I decided to keep going, look at guides/tips, videos in order to help me out, and then after that... it started to get really fun! The feeling of excitement I felt when I beat my first maverick boss was just so awesome, and it really made me feel like "Okay, maybe I can actually beat this lmao?". And so I would go on to fight Flame Mammoth, Storm Eagle, and Spark Mandrill, and then... that is when I started to get it. That is when I realized why these games were so well regarded, because of how fun and addicting the gameplay was. I loved getting more used to the mechanics---such as dashing and wall climbing. I loved being able to build my arsenal of power ups and then getting excited upon wondering "Ooooh, I wonder what this power up I got does". And I loved using said power ups against the proper bosses who were weak to them (like, my mind was blown with how fucked Spark Mandrill got from Chill Penguin's power up, I had no idea the power ups were THAT huge of game changers). And then I felt really proud of myself when I was able to beat some bosses with just the X Buster. It's like the more I played the game, the more I got my ass beat, and the more I learned... the more satisfying it was for me to actually beat them. And then when I would lose, I would be like, "Okay, I've got their ass next time", and then just try again.
...or I would also maybe try to break my controller in half, but that's on me, not the game's fault lmao.
I just really liked that sense of challenge, I feel that same way when I play Touhou too. So much so that when I put the difficulty on Rookie Hunter mode twice, I ended up turning it off each time, and even started over just so that I could do it on the game's regular difficulty. The thing about me is that with some things, I just can't let myself play on a lower difficulty. My pride would just not allow me to lower the difficulty and play the game AT ALL lmao. And it probably would've saved me less trouble and stress if I did... (but I'm incredibly stubborn with stuff like this, it might be a problem lmao). And this game was REALLY TOUGH for me, probably one of the toughest games I've played, and very frustrating too. But at the same time, that difficulty thrill is fun to me (so long as it's not like, too insurmountable lol). And so when I'm up against a difficult boss, it's fun when I finally beat it, like I really accomplished something. LIKE MAN... THIS GAME IS SO COOL DUDE, I SEE IT NOW LMAO.
Alongside that, I really loved the incredible level-design throughout the many stages, and especially the amazing attention to detail of how beating certain bosses affects the environment of another---usually making it much easier for you. Like, I'm not a game developer expert at all, but having such ambitious level design in 1993 is pretty damn sick honestly. The way this game is structured and the way its designed... it's hard to describe, but it's really well done in its execution of helping the player learn the ropes and challenge themselves just through simply playing the game. Now granted, I uhhh... looked up guides and stuff to help me out, but even taking that out of the equation, I can just tell that the game is really well-designed in that aspect. And then the music... like... yessss... I've listened to the music in the past when I was a kid, but it was really nice hearing these themes old and new to me. Chill Penguin, Flame Mammoth, and Zero's theme are definitely my favorites, and I really loved the Sigma Stage Select music too. Honestly, I really liked a lot of the Sigma themes in general.
I guess my only few gripes would be that I really wish there wasn't a life system, just a personal thing. I like being able to get back into the action, so losing all my lives and having to restock could be a bit of a chore. That and some of the upgrades were HELL to get, which I'm looking at you buster upgrade. Whoever designed getting that upgrade must have had a seriously bad day back in the office, because my fingers were aching after having to do that shit who knows how many times lmao. I mean, it was DEFINITELY worth it for the upgrade, but I would've much preferred a less taxing way to get it lmao. Other than that, not really much else that really bothered me that I can think of at the time of my head.
Anyway, I've always held a lot of respect for Mega Man. I didn't grow up with him like many others, but I had always heard such great things about the games, spin-off material, music, etc. It made me really want to one day try some of the series that really interested me, like the X series or the Legends series. And I'm really happy I ended up trying this game out and enjoyed it, it's a game I've wanted to at least try once in my lifetime. I'm really looking forward to seeing how the games expand or innovate from this one. I hope to especially see more added onto the story as well---since it's an early 1990s title, I didn't expect that much in-depth storytelling, but I really do like the overall premise and lore the X series established in this one,. And I'd really like to see more of X and Zero's characters too! I was already interested in them having seen them in crossover games and the like, so getting to play and learn more about them will be really cool. So yeah, I'm really happy I enjoyed this first entry, and I'm excited to play more of this series.
(Man, I really need to get better at writing shorter reviews... 😖)
And I'm very happy I did so, because man is this game just so damn COOL. Okay, so when I first started playing, I was kind of a mess. Didn't know what I was doing at all, felt like I'd never make any progress, and was starting to feel disheartened. But I decided to keep going, look at guides/tips, videos in order to help me out, and then after that... it started to get really fun! The feeling of excitement I felt when I beat my first maverick boss was just so awesome, and it really made me feel like "Okay, maybe I can actually beat this lmao?". And so I would go on to fight Flame Mammoth, Storm Eagle, and Spark Mandrill, and then... that is when I started to get it. That is when I realized why these games were so well regarded, because of how fun and addicting the gameplay was. I loved getting more used to the mechanics---such as dashing and wall climbing. I loved being able to build my arsenal of power ups and then getting excited upon wondering "Ooooh, I wonder what this power up I got does". And I loved using said power ups against the proper bosses who were weak to them (like, my mind was blown with how fucked Spark Mandrill got from Chill Penguin's power up, I had no idea the power ups were THAT huge of game changers). And then I felt really proud of myself when I was able to beat some bosses with just the X Buster. It's like the more I played the game, the more I got my ass beat, and the more I learned... the more satisfying it was for me to actually beat them. And then when I would lose, I would be like, "Okay, I've got their ass next time", and then just try again.
...or I would also maybe try to break my controller in half, but that's on me, not the game's fault lmao.
I just really liked that sense of challenge, I feel that same way when I play Touhou too. So much so that when I put the difficulty on Rookie Hunter mode twice, I ended up turning it off each time, and even started over just so that I could do it on the game's regular difficulty. The thing about me is that with some things, I just can't let myself play on a lower difficulty. My pride would just not allow me to lower the difficulty and play the game AT ALL lmao. And it probably would've saved me less trouble and stress if I did... (but I'm incredibly stubborn with stuff like this, it might be a problem lmao). And this game was REALLY TOUGH for me, probably one of the toughest games I've played, and very frustrating too. But at the same time, that difficulty thrill is fun to me (so long as it's not like, too insurmountable lol). And so when I'm up against a difficult boss, it's fun when I finally beat it, like I really accomplished something. LIKE MAN... THIS GAME IS SO COOL DUDE, I SEE IT NOW LMAO.
Alongside that, I really loved the incredible level-design throughout the many stages, and especially the amazing attention to detail of how beating certain bosses affects the environment of another---usually making it much easier for you. Like, I'm not a game developer expert at all, but having such ambitious level design in 1993 is pretty damn sick honestly. The way this game is structured and the way its designed... it's hard to describe, but it's really well done in its execution of helping the player learn the ropes and challenge themselves just through simply playing the game. Now granted, I uhhh... looked up guides and stuff to help me out, but even taking that out of the equation, I can just tell that the game is really well-designed in that aspect. And then the music... like... yessss... I've listened to the music in the past when I was a kid, but it was really nice hearing these themes old and new to me. Chill Penguin, Flame Mammoth, and Zero's theme are definitely my favorites, and I really loved the Sigma Stage Select music too. Honestly, I really liked a lot of the Sigma themes in general.
I guess my only few gripes would be that I really wish there wasn't a life system, just a personal thing. I like being able to get back into the action, so losing all my lives and having to restock could be a bit of a chore. That and some of the upgrades were HELL to get, which I'm looking at you buster upgrade. Whoever designed getting that upgrade must have had a seriously bad day back in the office, because my fingers were aching after having to do that shit who knows how many times lmao. I mean, it was DEFINITELY worth it for the upgrade, but I would've much preferred a less taxing way to get it lmao. Other than that, not really much else that really bothered me that I can think of at the time of my head.
Anyway, I've always held a lot of respect for Mega Man. I didn't grow up with him like many others, but I had always heard such great things about the games, spin-off material, music, etc. It made me really want to one day try some of the series that really interested me, like the X series or the Legends series. And I'm really happy I ended up trying this game out and enjoyed it, it's a game I've wanted to at least try once in my lifetime. I'm really looking forward to seeing how the games expand or innovate from this one. I hope to especially see more added onto the story as well---since it's an early 1990s title, I didn't expect that much in-depth storytelling, but I really do like the overall premise and lore the X series established in this one,. And I'd really like to see more of X and Zero's characters too! I was already interested in them having seen them in crossover games and the like, so getting to play and learn more about them will be really cool. So yeah, I'm really happy I enjoyed this first entry, and I'm excited to play more of this series.
(Man, I really need to get better at writing shorter reviews... 😖)
2024
If I had to say, Tekken is probably my favorite fighting game franchise. For a lot of reasons, whether it be for the fun gameplay, the incredible music, and especially for the story and characters. I know that's a weird thing, liking the story and characters of a fighting game more than other aspects of it, but that's just how I feel about some fighting game series, and especially Tekken which has my favorite story content in a fighting game.
Been playing Tekken since Tekken 4 back on the PS2, which I know is considered the black sheep of the franchise and did not do as well as the prior titles. But I have many fond memories of that game as my entry to the series, especially in regard to its story, atmosphere, and music. I had a lot of fun playing through the various' characters story routes and learning about their backgrounds and history. Of course, I was only about 7 or 8 at the time, so I couldn't really understand some of their stories (Most likely the whole Devil Gene thing probably went over my head, seeing as how genetics wasn't something I was learning as a 1st or 2nd grader lmao). But I was just so fascinated by the fun gameplay, presentation and storytelling that I fell in love with the series. So when I get older, I ended up looking more into the other games---their stories, and everything just clicked with me about the premise of a generational blood feud. Sure, it can be kind of nonsensical at times, but I mean, that's what's so good and interesting about it imo. I just love that premise so much, and also the interconnected or separate stories of the other characters as well.
With the announcement of Tekken 8, I was both excited yet a little worried. I had played Tekken 7, and while I enjoyed the game itself, the story really disappointed me aside from a few good things that I liked here or there. And the treatment of other characters made me really worried about Tekken going forward. So while I was absolutely pumped for Tekken 8, I was still worried about how the story would be done. I honestly just wanted the story to be just okay, or even just a bit better than 7's. But... to my surprise, it exceeded my expectations wholeheartedly. I now see the Harada vision... lmao, because he really went all out with the story for this game. Getting to see so many characters I've grown to love play even just a small part was incredible, and of course, that final segment is probably one of my favorite final segments in not just fighting games, but possibly video games in general. It's definitely up there for me with how it was constructed in terms of its bombastic and emotional impact. I was very happy, and truly pleased with how the story ended up, and it honestly makes me want to play parts of it again as I'm writing this, haha. The music also in this game I also think is really good---not my favorite Tekken OST, but I think there are definitely a lot of standout tracks in this, whether it be Storm Rising, Time Will Reveal, and my favorite Liberation. I didn't think Solitude could be beaten as my favorite Tekken menu theme, but Liberation just fits the vibe of this game so well. I can't describe exactly why, but it just strikes a chord with me so hard tbh. Also the Jukebox is once again a wonderful addition tht should be in Tekken forever lmao. Love the option of being able to set my own tracks for the menus and stages, just like back in Tekken 7.
Now as for the gameplay itself, I'm not really a... Tekken expert lmao. I've played the games a good bit, but I'm no competitive player or anything (though it would be nice to be at least middle of the pack in terms of being good lmao). But everything in the game feels just as good as other Tekken games I've really liked such as 7 or Tag 2. I think the heat system in this game is really cool, and I love all the different features they give you in terms of learning how to play the game, even a feature that's dedicated to punishing training which is really cool. The presentation of this game is absolutely stunning with how amazing the characters, stages, and visual effects look in game, alongside the awesome camera angles during rage arts, activating heat, and other things as well. It's funny how back when 7 was the new game, I couldn't see them topping the visuals of that one, but now with 8 being out, it makes 7 look like it came out ages ago, and like, 7 is still a really good looking game imo lmao. I also really appreciate the special characters interactions that occur at the beginning of a battle between characters as well, I feel like that was a really nice addition. It may be rather problematic to be a fan of this, but... I just want Kazuya and Jun to live a happy life together lmao. Maybe they can use the Vegeta clause for Kazuya to be redeemed in some possible way, but idk, lmao. Truthfully, I'm very biased towards Kazuya as he's my favorite character in the series, for his nuance and how there could still be potential humanity left in him, despite him being so dickish and comically evil almost all of the time. His relationship with Jun is also one of my favorite aspects of the series, and I hope we get to see more of that going forward as I feel Jun may perhaps be the only person in Kazuya's life who he actually cares about. The only thing I guess I wish this game had was Team Battle. It's one of my favorite modes in Tekken, and it's a shame it seems to be absent in this game like it was in Tekken 7. Hopefully it could be added via an update or DLC, alongside more offline modes as well. It's cool how they even went out of their way to add an "adventure mode" sort of thing with your own avatar in order to learn the game and stuff. Like, they didn't have to add something like that, but it's really cool that they did so honestly.
Really happy and satisfied with how much Tekken 8 really exceeded my expectations. It's an important series for me, and I'm really glad that it ended up being one of my favorite games of this year, especially with how much I was anticipating it as well. Also Lili de Rochefort is absolutely amazing, and I love her, and I just feel like that's just an important fact that needs to be shared. She is a very ho---precious ojou-sama (insert flushed face lmao).
Been playing Tekken since Tekken 4 back on the PS2, which I know is considered the black sheep of the franchise and did not do as well as the prior titles. But I have many fond memories of that game as my entry to the series, especially in regard to its story, atmosphere, and music. I had a lot of fun playing through the various' characters story routes and learning about their backgrounds and history. Of course, I was only about 7 or 8 at the time, so I couldn't really understand some of their stories (Most likely the whole Devil Gene thing probably went over my head, seeing as how genetics wasn't something I was learning as a 1st or 2nd grader lmao). But I was just so fascinated by the fun gameplay, presentation and storytelling that I fell in love with the series. So when I get older, I ended up looking more into the other games---their stories, and everything just clicked with me about the premise of a generational blood feud. Sure, it can be kind of nonsensical at times, but I mean, that's what's so good and interesting about it imo. I just love that premise so much, and also the interconnected or separate stories of the other characters as well.
With the announcement of Tekken 8, I was both excited yet a little worried. I had played Tekken 7, and while I enjoyed the game itself, the story really disappointed me aside from a few good things that I liked here or there. And the treatment of other characters made me really worried about Tekken going forward. So while I was absolutely pumped for Tekken 8, I was still worried about how the story would be done. I honestly just wanted the story to be just okay, or even just a bit better than 7's. But... to my surprise, it exceeded my expectations wholeheartedly. I now see the Harada vision... lmao, because he really went all out with the story for this game. Getting to see so many characters I've grown to love play even just a small part was incredible, and of course, that final segment is probably one of my favorite final segments in not just fighting games, but possibly video games in general. It's definitely up there for me with how it was constructed in terms of its bombastic and emotional impact. I was very happy, and truly pleased with how the story ended up, and it honestly makes me want to play parts of it again as I'm writing this, haha. The music also in this game I also think is really good---not my favorite Tekken OST, but I think there are definitely a lot of standout tracks in this, whether it be Storm Rising, Time Will Reveal, and my favorite Liberation. I didn't think Solitude could be beaten as my favorite Tekken menu theme, but Liberation just fits the vibe of this game so well. I can't describe exactly why, but it just strikes a chord with me so hard tbh. Also the Jukebox is once again a wonderful addition tht should be in Tekken forever lmao. Love the option of being able to set my own tracks for the menus and stages, just like back in Tekken 7.
Now as for the gameplay itself, I'm not really a... Tekken expert lmao. I've played the games a good bit, but I'm no competitive player or anything (though it would be nice to be at least middle of the pack in terms of being good lmao). But everything in the game feels just as good as other Tekken games I've really liked such as 7 or Tag 2. I think the heat system in this game is really cool, and I love all the different features they give you in terms of learning how to play the game, even a feature that's dedicated to punishing training which is really cool. The presentation of this game is absolutely stunning with how amazing the characters, stages, and visual effects look in game, alongside the awesome camera angles during rage arts, activating heat, and other things as well. It's funny how back when 7 was the new game, I couldn't see them topping the visuals of that one, but now with 8 being out, it makes 7 look like it came out ages ago, and like, 7 is still a really good looking game imo lmao. I also really appreciate the special characters interactions that occur at the beginning of a battle between characters as well, I feel like that was a really nice addition. It may be rather problematic to be a fan of this, but... I just want Kazuya and Jun to live a happy life together lmao. Maybe they can use the Vegeta clause for Kazuya to be redeemed in some possible way, but idk, lmao. Truthfully, I'm very biased towards Kazuya as he's my favorite character in the series, for his nuance and how there could still be potential humanity left in him, despite him being so dickish and comically evil almost all of the time. His relationship with Jun is also one of my favorite aspects of the series, and I hope we get to see more of that going forward as I feel Jun may perhaps be the only person in Kazuya's life who he actually cares about. The only thing I guess I wish this game had was Team Battle. It's one of my favorite modes in Tekken, and it's a shame it seems to be absent in this game like it was in Tekken 7. Hopefully it could be added via an update or DLC, alongside more offline modes as well. It's cool how they even went out of their way to add an "adventure mode" sort of thing with your own avatar in order to learn the game and stuff. Like, they didn't have to add something like that, but it's really cool that they did so honestly.
Really happy and satisfied with how much Tekken 8 really exceeded my expectations. It's an important series for me, and I'm really glad that it ended up being one of my favorite games of this year, especially with how much I was anticipating it as well. Also Lili de Rochefort is absolutely amazing, and I love her, and I just feel like that's just an important fact that needs to be shared. She is a very ho---precious ojou-sama (insert flushed face lmao).
2023
I've only had the game for a couple of days, I've barely played enough of it for it to be considered "completed", but this game is absolutely fantastic.
I've played Street Fighter here or there throughout my life, and it's a really great series! I don't think it's ever been my favorite fighting game series, but I'm always up for playing it with friends. I also quite enjoy the characters and their individual stories as well. Funnily enough, I'm probably one of the only people in the world who likes and enjoys the story and lore of fighting game series as much as the actual games themselves, like Tekken for instance (which probably has my favorite story stuff in fighting games).
After hearing a lot of praise for this title, I definitely wanted to try it out for myself, and was happy to have gotten it for Christmas this year. And honestly, this game absolutely SLAPS. The controls feel so great, you're given different styles for you to play around with and experiement to which is the one you like the most, and the attacks, combos, and animations just FEEL satisfying to land and feel the impact from. And also, it's campaign mode is absolutely excellent, this is what I was looking forward to trying out the most. You're given so much flexibility with the campaign mode of creating your character with so much customization options, alongside being able to train under your favorite Street Fighter characters, and also just being able to explore and learn a lot about the game's mechanics in fun ways.
I-I'm very much looking forward to being a student of Ms. Cammy... f-for practical reasons of course! (insert flushed face lmao).
I also absolutely LOVE the soundtrack of this game, and just the whole urban aesthetic of the game. It's very nostalgic for me, growing up with hip hop music as a kid and that sort of aesthetic. I'm not like, a hardcore hip hop/rap music guy, but it's like, the music in this game just speaks to me. The positive and motivational vibes from the main theme, stage theme, and character select theme are so goooddd... it really brings me home and makes me feel cozy listening to it. I-I know that's cheesy to say, but it's genuinely how I feel whenever I listen to the music from this game, it's really class stuff. I mean, I was already a fan of the music Third Strike had, so seeing them go back to this sort of music style is really great honestly.
I'm not the most competitive fighting game player ever, nor do I play fighting games as much as others. But I think this is DEFINITELY a must play for anyone interested in these games, as I feel it has something for everyone, even if you're not big into fighting games. I'm really glad I tried this game out, it's really something special, totally worth giving a go in my book if you're somewhat interested.
I've played Street Fighter here or there throughout my life, and it's a really great series! I don't think it's ever been my favorite fighting game series, but I'm always up for playing it with friends. I also quite enjoy the characters and their individual stories as well. Funnily enough, I'm probably one of the only people in the world who likes and enjoys the story and lore of fighting game series as much as the actual games themselves, like Tekken for instance (which probably has my favorite story stuff in fighting games).
After hearing a lot of praise for this title, I definitely wanted to try it out for myself, and was happy to have gotten it for Christmas this year. And honestly, this game absolutely SLAPS. The controls feel so great, you're given different styles for you to play around with and experiement to which is the one you like the most, and the attacks, combos, and animations just FEEL satisfying to land and feel the impact from. And also, it's campaign mode is absolutely excellent, this is what I was looking forward to trying out the most. You're given so much flexibility with the campaign mode of creating your character with so much customization options, alongside being able to train under your favorite Street Fighter characters, and also just being able to explore and learn a lot about the game's mechanics in fun ways.
I-I'm very much looking forward to being a student of Ms. Cammy... f-for practical reasons of course! (insert flushed face lmao).
I also absolutely LOVE the soundtrack of this game, and just the whole urban aesthetic of the game. It's very nostalgic for me, growing up with hip hop music as a kid and that sort of aesthetic. I'm not like, a hardcore hip hop/rap music guy, but it's like, the music in this game just speaks to me. The positive and motivational vibes from the main theme, stage theme, and character select theme are so goooddd... it really brings me home and makes me feel cozy listening to it. I-I know that's cheesy to say, but it's genuinely how I feel whenever I listen to the music from this game, it's really class stuff. I mean, I was already a fan of the music Third Strike had, so seeing them go back to this sort of music style is really great honestly.
I'm not the most competitive fighting game player ever, nor do I play fighting games as much as others. But I think this is DEFINITELY a must play for anyone interested in these games, as I feel it has something for everyone, even if you're not big into fighting games. I'm really glad I tried this game out, it's really something special, totally worth giving a go in my book if you're somewhat interested.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is easily one of---if not my favorite Mario game, at least concerning the 2D entries.
The controls feel so incredibly nice and tight, easily my favorite control in a Mario game. The game has such a vibrant and beautifully designed presentation, and I absolutely adore this game's art direction and style; with such attention to detail to something as simple as Mario going in or out of a warp pipe.
The level design in this is really creative and innovative, and I absolutely loved the gimmick of the Wonder Flower, and seeing what ridiculous or silly aspect it would change the level into. I also really enjoyed the badge system in the game, and how it gave you so many different ways to play and approach the game, with my favorites being the parachute cap and grappling vine. The new power ups in this were fun as well; my favorite being the bubble flower because I really liked trying to use the bubbles as platforms (though I wasn't very good at it lmao). The music in this game is also really great too, whether it be the world themes, level themes, or even the occasional remixes I would often find myself enjoying.
I'd honestly say the game's biggest downside for me would be the bosses. I really liked the final boss, but the airship bosses were a bit of a let down. I did like some of the Bowser Jr. fights, but it is a shame that he was the only boss for the castles though, not much variety in terms of that. It's also a shame too that they removed player collision with this in multiplayer. I get why they did it, to prevent the chaos could happen during multiplayer (it could be pretty frustrating at times bouncing off each other's heads lmao). Personally, I played through the game through Co-Op myself and I didn't mind there being no collision, but still I think it would've been nice for them to have made that a toggle for those to turn it on or off at their leisure, especially since the chaotic nature of multiplayer Mario could be fun and also hilarious lmao.
But yeah, other than those few gripes, absolutely fantastic Mario game and platformer in general. I really hope they keep going in this direction with 2D Mario games because I really enjoyed playing this one, and I could easily see myself replaying it in the future.
The controls feel so incredibly nice and tight, easily my favorite control in a Mario game. The game has such a vibrant and beautifully designed presentation, and I absolutely adore this game's art direction and style; with such attention to detail to something as simple as Mario going in or out of a warp pipe.
The level design in this is really creative and innovative, and I absolutely loved the gimmick of the Wonder Flower, and seeing what ridiculous or silly aspect it would change the level into. I also really enjoyed the badge system in the game, and how it gave you so many different ways to play and approach the game, with my favorites being the parachute cap and grappling vine. The new power ups in this were fun as well; my favorite being the bubble flower because I really liked trying to use the bubbles as platforms (though I wasn't very good at it lmao). The music in this game is also really great too, whether it be the world themes, level themes, or even the occasional remixes I would often find myself enjoying.
I'd honestly say the game's biggest downside for me would be the bosses. I really liked the final boss, but the airship bosses were a bit of a let down. I did like some of the Bowser Jr. fights, but it is a shame that he was the only boss for the castles though, not much variety in terms of that. It's also a shame too that they removed player collision with this in multiplayer. I get why they did it, to prevent the chaos could happen during multiplayer (it could be pretty frustrating at times bouncing off each other's heads lmao). Personally, I played through the game through Co-Op myself and I didn't mind there being no collision, but still I think it would've been nice for them to have made that a toggle for those to turn it on or off at their leisure, especially since the chaotic nature of multiplayer Mario could be fun and also hilarious lmao.
But yeah, other than those few gripes, absolutely fantastic Mario game and platformer in general. I really hope they keep going in this direction with 2D Mario games because I really enjoyed playing this one, and I could easily see myself replaying it in the future.
2023
A very solid Sonic experience overall. Despite me being more of a 3D Sonic fan than I am a 2D Sonic fan, I still really like and respect the 2D entries, and this is another great addition to the catalogue.
The game feels great, love how the characters control in this. And it's great to see Amy playable in another classic 2D Sonic game too, they made her pretty fun in this game. Solid and fun zones all around, with some really cool concepts too. In particular, my favorite zones in this had to be Lagoon City and Egg Fortress, they had really nice gimmicks that I really enjoyed. Lagoon City with its neat water elements and pleasant aesthetic, and Egg Fortress---while pretty difficult, was pretty damn fun, and I HELLA loved what they did with Act 2 for it... man that was so cool. Quite the fun final zone, I always love when a final level in Sonic gives me a really great time. Although, while the game plays great, the camera did leave me feeling conflicted at times. I was confused as to if the camera was a bit too zoomed in or not for me, but eventually I kind of just got used to the camera, so it didn't bother me as much. I can totally understand people not liking the camera being a bit too zoomed in though, they could've zoomed it a bit more out honestly.
Also, loved the Chaos Emerald abilities in this, and I also love how they didn't require you to get them or need them for any of the levels (during the normal campaign anyway). Getting the Chaos Emeralds in Sonic games with special stages was always treated as a side option for you to do, so I liked how they didn't force you to get them if you didn't want to. I do wish they didn't make it so that you could only get one Chaos Emerald per zone though. I much prefer how they did it in the earlier games where you could get all the Chaos Emeralds much quickly if you were good at finding their special stage locations. But eh, that's only a nitpick really, nothing too bad. But yeah, I loved abusing the abilities in this, especially Burst and Slow, those were my two favorite ones to use for sure. Although... I'm positive Slow is just... Chaos Control, right? I mean, the ability to manipulate time and space is what Chaos Control is all about, so... uhhh... was that the precursor to Chaos Control in the time line, or was that always Chaos Control...?
Erm, anyway, the bosses! The bosses in this are... middling to say the least. A lot of them operate on the waiting to attack structure, and you're often waiting a while for a single hit. I feel as though the bosses in this could've definitely been better if they took less hits, especially the boss of Golden Capital, which has the boss go in the background three whole times as you do an autoscrolling section. And there are some bosses in this I do genuinely like with cool ideas, but they could've definitely been better had they been refined, took less time, and less hits. And as for the final bosses... whew... they are cruel. Firstly, there is the normal campaign's final boss which was something else, what with its annoying missiles and the like, and then there is the second campaign's final boss which is... true evil. I never want to see that purple rat bastard near my Trip again lmao. What he put that poor girl through was cruel, and it took like three hours of my life away lmao. Also, there should really be checkpoints between the final boss phases. Especially with how long they take and such, that was definitely something that was incredibly frustrating having to deal with. And then the true final boss (yes, this game has three final bosses lmao), was definitely frustrating too. Admittedly, probably the boss I liked the most of the three, and is probably the one I took the less time with compared to the other two bosses. As a Super Sonic boss fight, not my favorite, but I don't think it was too bad, but definitely could've been less frustrating at parts though. And I feel like they could've definitely guided you more on what you had to do during certain sections, which I feel could also be said for the other final boss fights too honestly, because sometimes it really did feel like unfair, trial and error sort of stuff tbh.
The soundtrack in this game is definitely erm... controversial, haha. Personally for me, while there are tracks in this I didn't particulary care for, I honestly think there are a lot of tracks I ended up liking more than that I disliked. A lot of bangers for the level themes, with my favorites being the Bridge Island Zone Act themes, the Egg Fortress Act themes, and Pinball Carnival Zone Act 1. I even liked a few of the Jun Senoue tracks, even though clearly his best work is in the 3D titles rather than the 2D ones. And then the final boss themes ABSOLUTELY SLAP, LIKE INCREDIBLY SO. Both for the normal campaign, and the second campaign. And like, out of all three final bosses, the second campaign's final boss frustrated me all to hell. But I have to say, the theme for that final boss went unbelievably hard though, it's become one of my favorites from the soundtrack for sure. Whoever the composers were for the two final boss themes, I really want to know. Because they go absolutely CRAZY, like seriously. It's just too bad when I was playing them, I wasn't really paying attention to them too much because I was way too focused and frustrated on trying to beat them lmao.
Story and characters in this are great! Love the return of a classic character like Fang, and it's cool to have another antagonist added to Sonic's rogue gallery. Though I want him to stay far away from final boss territory now after him traumatizing me lmao. And then Trip is a wonderfully precious new addition to the cast. I really hope she gets to show up in the modern continuity. Despite this being more of a show don't tell story much like the other classic Sonic games, I enjoyed the small narrative and lore bits this had to offer, especially when they revolved around Trip and her interactions with the other characters. The animation sequences that play in the intro and ending cutscenes for these also look absolutely stellar, I hope they keep doing that for these games, they're really great.
In all, loved the game, despite the gripes I did have with it. If I had to place where I'd put this game when ranking the classic Sonic games, I'd probably put it at fourth, below 3&K, Mania, and CD for me. But yeah, if you're a fan of the classic titles, would totally recommend trying it out (but perhaps wait for a price drop). Honestly, I'd love to see them continue making more classic 2D Sonic games like this, especially if they expand upon this title and such, that'd be really cool.
The game feels great, love how the characters control in this. And it's great to see Amy playable in another classic 2D Sonic game too, they made her pretty fun in this game. Solid and fun zones all around, with some really cool concepts too. In particular, my favorite zones in this had to be Lagoon City and Egg Fortress, they had really nice gimmicks that I really enjoyed. Lagoon City with its neat water elements and pleasant aesthetic, and Egg Fortress---while pretty difficult, was pretty damn fun, and I HELLA loved what they did with Act 2 for it... man that was so cool. Quite the fun final zone, I always love when a final level in Sonic gives me a really great time. Although, while the game plays great, the camera did leave me feeling conflicted at times. I was confused as to if the camera was a bit too zoomed in or not for me, but eventually I kind of just got used to the camera, so it didn't bother me as much. I can totally understand people not liking the camera being a bit too zoomed in though, they could've zoomed it a bit more out honestly.
Also, loved the Chaos Emerald abilities in this, and I also love how they didn't require you to get them or need them for any of the levels (during the normal campaign anyway). Getting the Chaos Emeralds in Sonic games with special stages was always treated as a side option for you to do, so I liked how they didn't force you to get them if you didn't want to. I do wish they didn't make it so that you could only get one Chaos Emerald per zone though. I much prefer how they did it in the earlier games where you could get all the Chaos Emeralds much quickly if you were good at finding their special stage locations. But eh, that's only a nitpick really, nothing too bad. But yeah, I loved abusing the abilities in this, especially Burst and Slow, those were my two favorite ones to use for sure. Although... I'm positive Slow is just... Chaos Control, right? I mean, the ability to manipulate time and space is what Chaos Control is all about, so... uhhh... was that the precursor to Chaos Control in the time line, or was that always Chaos Control...?
Erm, anyway, the bosses! The bosses in this are... middling to say the least. A lot of them operate on the waiting to attack structure, and you're often waiting a while for a single hit. I feel as though the bosses in this could've definitely been better if they took less hits, especially the boss of Golden Capital, which has the boss go in the background three whole times as you do an autoscrolling section. And there are some bosses in this I do genuinely like with cool ideas, but they could've definitely been better had they been refined, took less time, and less hits. And as for the final bosses... whew... they are cruel. Firstly, there is the normal campaign's final boss which was something else, what with its annoying missiles and the like, and then there is the second campaign's final boss which is... true evil. I never want to see that purple rat bastard near my Trip again lmao. What he put that poor girl through was cruel, and it took like three hours of my life away lmao. Also, there should really be checkpoints between the final boss phases. Especially with how long they take and such, that was definitely something that was incredibly frustrating having to deal with. And then the true final boss (yes, this game has three final bosses lmao), was definitely frustrating too. Admittedly, probably the boss I liked the most of the three, and is probably the one I took the less time with compared to the other two bosses. As a Super Sonic boss fight, not my favorite, but I don't think it was too bad, but definitely could've been less frustrating at parts though. And I feel like they could've definitely guided you more on what you had to do during certain sections, which I feel could also be said for the other final boss fights too honestly, because sometimes it really did feel like unfair, trial and error sort of stuff tbh.
The soundtrack in this game is definitely erm... controversial, haha. Personally for me, while there are tracks in this I didn't particulary care for, I honestly think there are a lot of tracks I ended up liking more than that I disliked. A lot of bangers for the level themes, with my favorites being the Bridge Island Zone Act themes, the Egg Fortress Act themes, and Pinball Carnival Zone Act 1. I even liked a few of the Jun Senoue tracks, even though clearly his best work is in the 3D titles rather than the 2D ones. And then the final boss themes ABSOLUTELY SLAP, LIKE INCREDIBLY SO. Both for the normal campaign, and the second campaign. And like, out of all three final bosses, the second campaign's final boss frustrated me all to hell. But I have to say, the theme for that final boss went unbelievably hard though, it's become one of my favorites from the soundtrack for sure. Whoever the composers were for the two final boss themes, I really want to know. Because they go absolutely CRAZY, like seriously. It's just too bad when I was playing them, I wasn't really paying attention to them too much because I was way too focused and frustrated on trying to beat them lmao.
Story and characters in this are great! Love the return of a classic character like Fang, and it's cool to have another antagonist added to Sonic's rogue gallery. Though I want him to stay far away from final boss territory now after him traumatizing me lmao. And then Trip is a wonderfully precious new addition to the cast. I really hope she gets to show up in the modern continuity. Despite this being more of a show don't tell story much like the other classic Sonic games, I enjoyed the small narrative and lore bits this had to offer, especially when they revolved around Trip and her interactions with the other characters. The animation sequences that play in the intro and ending cutscenes for these also look absolutely stellar, I hope they keep doing that for these games, they're really great.
In all, loved the game, despite the gripes I did have with it. If I had to place where I'd put this game when ranking the classic Sonic games, I'd probably put it at fourth, below 3&K, Mania, and CD for me. But yeah, if you're a fan of the classic titles, would totally recommend trying it out (but perhaps wait for a price drop). Honestly, I'd love to see them continue making more classic 2D Sonic games like this, especially if they expand upon this title and such, that'd be really cool.
2022
This review contains spoilers
Whew, what an absolute blast Frontiers was. I don’t normally do reviews for games (mostly because I'm not really good at writing them). But I just felt like I had to do one for this game in particular. Sonic is one of my favorite franchises of all time, and this game was an excellent ride all the way through. I can't really say this will be much of a "professional review", more like me passionately rambling on about a blue hedgehog I've loved ever since I was 7 years old lmao. But I really enjoyed my time with this game blind, so I just wanted somewhere to release my personal thoughts on this game. I broke it up into sections as I found this review to be quite long, and so it made it much easier for me to categorize my thoughts much better.
Story and Character Writing:
Firstly, I want to talk about the story and character writing. I think this had some of the best storytelling and character writing the series has had in a very long time. The amount of effort and love that went to the characters in this game completely took me by surprise. I really want to thank Ian Flynn for bringing back these wonderful characters we’ve missed for a whole decade. I've loved his work in the IDW Sonic comics, and I'm glad he didn't disappoint here. I really loved him giving these characters satisfying character introspection and development. And I also loved how he provided interesting new directions for these characters as well, such as Tails wanting to venture out on his own, and Dr. Eggman’s relationship with his precious daughter Sage. The development of their relationship is actually one of my favorite parts of the story, and I feel like it adds more complexity to Eggman as a character. As for Sage herself, she's a wonderful new addition to the Sonic cast, and I'm really looking forward to seeing her in future games.
I also very much appreciated the more serious tone of this story as well. Personally, I’m a really big fan of the more Shonen-esque ambition and gritty tone that the stories of the Sonic games in the 2000s had. They weren’t perfect, but they just had this Shonen ass energy to them that really drew me into the series when I was a kid. So I'm very happy this game brought back that atmosphere, because I'm an absolute sucker for that kind of anime stuff considering I'm Shonen trash lmao.
Now, I do think that the last act of the game did feel... a bit rushed? Not that I think it was particularly bad, but just that I felt like the pacing for the last stretch of the story did feel significantly faster to me compared to how the story had been consistently well paced up until that point. Don't get me wrong, I still thought there was some incredible emotional beats, and I genuinely really liked the ending of the game. But... I do feel like the pacing could've been handled much better during the last act though. So I'd say that's probably the only real issue I had with Frontiers' story tbh. But other than that, I really loved it, and I'd say it's definitely up there for me as one of my favorite stories of any Sonic game.
Speaking of Sonic, now, I think I want to talk about the Blue Blur himself for the rest of this section. Sonic is one of my favorite characters in all of fiction, but it’s been quite hard for me to like him as much as I used to. I’m mainly referring to how he had been written since the release of Colors as I just couldn’t really connect with him as a character like I used to. I think I just found his character to be way too reliant on joking around, and not taking anything seriously at all. However, in this game, I absolutely LOVED how he was written. He was everything that made me love Sonic in the past; his cheesy snark, his emotional maturity, and just his sheer tenacity to make sure that the people he cares about are safe even at the expense of his well being.
When I see this precious blue hedgehog, climbing these large ass towers, despite the amount of pain he’s in because of his cyberspace corruption, that was probably one of the most hard hitting scenes I’ve seen from Sonic himself in a long ass time. And it genuinely hurt me having to make him do that (although, climbing those towers was fucking cool as hell though, so oops lmao). And that's another aspect of this game that I liked, which was Sonic’s physical vulnerability in this game. He’s not at all invincible here on the Starfall Islands, like my man has to go into his Super form just to stand a chance against the titans in this game. And I love how there are moments where he really has to escape from these powerful opponents as well. I just really liked the tension that provided throughout the story, and it just further reinforced how determined Sonic is to save his friends, which I’m a sucker for that anime friendship bullshit, haha.
Also… Ian Flynn sure is a fan of my boy Sonic going through it for his ideals lmao. N-Not saying it’s a problem, I actually quite love it, but I also hate it at the same time because Sonic suffering hurts to watch lmao.
Lastly, I think what made me really love Sonic in this game is Roger Craig Smith’s excellent performance as him. Personally, I’ve never been a fan of Roger’s take on Sonic. Don't get me wrong, I can totally understand why he had his fans, but for me, he just didn’t resonate with me other than his performances in spin-off material such as Sonic Boom. It just sort of seemed like the voice he used for Sonic just didn't fit him in the main games imo.
But this game really changed my opinion on his Sonic, as I just found him to be absolutely stellar as him in this game. Specifically, the moments where Sonic is speaking to his friends in their moments of insecurity or reflection. I absolutely adore main protagonists who possess such a strong level of emotional and interpersonal awareness (such as Luffy from One Piece, who is also one of my favorite characters in all of fiction lmao). I just loved the firm, yet empathetic tone he gave Sonic as he was giving his friends and even his enemies the insight and advice that they needed in order to help them grow. And like, I knew Roger was a talented voice actor, but I felt like he was able to truly bring out his all for Sonic in this game rather than in the past. Honestly, I think all he really needed was a better script and voice direction. I still think I have Jason Griffith as my favorite VA for Sonic, but I really look forward to seeing Roger Craig Smith’s full potential as Sonic in future games for sure. Honestly, the whole cast in this game were pretty good, they really brought their A game this time around, especially Mike Pollock (who also killed it in this game too, haha).
Gameplay: Open World Exploration:
Aside from the story, this was another aspect of the game I was really looking forward to experiencing. The idea of an open world Sonic game left me intrigued, however I was skeptical at first. It was the first time Sonic Team had ever done anything like this before, so I was worried about how it could be done. Especially with a character like Sonic who could cover so much ground in a short amount of time, that it made me wonder how exploration could really feel satisfying. And while there are a few things that are rough around the edges here and there, I think they did a really great job with this foray into an open-world game. It honestly felt really satisfying to me running around at the speed of sound as this blue hedgey while traversing grasslands, rivers, mountaintops, etc. I have to admit, controlling Sonic felt sluggish to me at first. But then the more I played the game, the more I began to get a hang of how Sonic controlled, and it became really fun controlling him tbh. Overall, it was just incredibly addicting doing the regular Sonic things such as boosting, doing tricks, going through orange rings, especially with the privilege of having large islands to explore as a fast blue hedgey. Another thing I quite liked was the Cyloop as well. It was really fun spamming it as I was exploring to see what I could find (and to grind for rings and memory tokens lmao). I also really liked using it on those blue flame thingies that revealed stuff as well. While I wouldn't say these islands were as fleshed out and engaging to explore as the areas in the Xenoblade games, I still think they did a pretty good job on their first attempt at an open world setting.
And honestly, I never really found myself getting lost all that much either as I was exploring. I found the compass at the top of the screen to be very useful in helping me navigate to find puzzles, story progression, portals and other things as well. Well, that's not true, I did find the third island to be quite hard to navigate tbh, but other than that, it was pretty easy to get around these islands. I also just found it very cathartic filling out parts of the map as well by doing the puzzles in this game. And tbh, I think it was satisfying just doing things in general as I was exploring these islands. I haven't played many open world games, but I think simply finding things to interact with, clearing puzzles, and overall, just charting out more of the map is what draws people into this genre, and I think I love that as well. Just the freedom of being able to explore in the way you want to has such a strong appeal, and I think that sort of freedom really suits the Sonic series very well.
Gameplay: Cyberspace Stages:
When it comes to the Cyberspace Stages... I'm quite mixed on them. To get the negatives out of the way, I can't say I was the biggest fan of the 2D Cyberspace Stages. Honestly, I'm not sure why Sonic Team is so insistent on the boost games having 2D sections, or in this case having stages that are entirely 2D. I mean, sure, some of the 2D Cyberspace stages were fun, and they weren't particularly long, so they were rather inoffensive. But eh, most of them were kind of whatever to me tbh. However, I really enjoyed the 3D Cyberspace Stages though, especially the ones that were modeled after levels from prior 3D Sonic games. I thought that was really cool when I learned about that, and it made me appreciate the stages more knowing that tbh. I know the subject of nostalgia and reusing assets in Sonic games is a rather hot topic. I can't say I'm a big fan of it myself, but I didn't mind it too much here. Although, I did think it was kind of lame that they only used four different stages for aesthetics though, with two of them being Green Hill and Chemical Plant. Which personally, I think those stages have definitely overstayed their welcome lmao.
But despite that, I think some of my favorite Cyberspace stages were the ones modeled after Sonic Adventure 2's stages, like Sky Rail and Metal Harbor. Idk, I just thought those were really fun to see in the boost formula. And I think what I really liked about doing these Cyberspace stages was doing the missions. I felt like it gave me the incentive to keep re-trying a stage and get better at it. And I have to admit, it was pretty rewarding completing all four missions (especially when you do it on your first try as well). And that chill ass results music you hear after completing a level is really damn good too.
Personally, while I used to love the boost games, I became pretty indifferent to them over time as I felt like I enjoyed the more grounded speed and level design of the Adventure era 3D Sonic games more than the boost games. But I feel like this boost game to me felt different though. I don't know exactly why, but I actually liked using the boost in this game. Probably because it wasn't as fast as it is in the other games? I also really loved using the air boost as well, as I found it to be very useful in helping me clear stages faster. And the stomp was really fun to use as well, alongside doing homing attack chains (which are fun in any Sonic game honestly lmao). So yeah, I had a lot of fun playing through the Cyberspace stages for the most part.
...though, I really hope Sonic Team stops making their stages have 2D sections in them lmao. I mean, they are harmless for the most part in this game, even when exploring the islands (I actually quite like them there), but I'd prefer if my 3D Sonic game were just 3D pls lmao.
Gameplay: Combat System and Bosses:
Now I want to talk about one of the things I really loved about the gameplay: the combat system. As a Sonic Heroes fan, one of my favorite aspects of that game was its combat system, so I was really interested in seeing how they did it in this game. NGL though, this dude Sonic actually having combat moves kind of weirded me out at first lmao. I don't mean that in a bad way, just that Sonic doesn't normally fight like that in the main games, so it was kind of surreal seeing it lmao. But despite that, I instantly fell in love with how the combat was in this game, and I really liked how fresh and flexible it made taking out enemies be. You can still kill enemies normally with the homing attack, but I think it's really cool how you can use melee moves after your homing attack (similar to how Shadow operated in Sonic 06). I think the level up system Sonic had in this game was pretty cool too. I thought it added a lot to the overall gameplay, and made things a lot more interesting. I did think it was rather clunky how they handled leveling up your Speed and Ring levels through the Elder Koko though. I feel like they should've made it more like the Hermit Koko where you get your Speed and Ring levels all at once, rather than one level at a time. Speaking of rings, I also thought it was very cool how Sonic had a sort of health bar in this game. Like, Sonic doesn't just lose all his rings when he gets hurt, it's all dependent on what level his defense is, and that's really cool honestly. I also really liked the skill tree in this game as well. You can give Sonic some really sick ass moves that I loved chaining together with his regular melee moves, such as his Homing Shot, Loop Kick, Stomp Attack, etc. Honestly, this game made me feel like Sonic was a DBZ character, and I'm all about that life lmao. And I haven't even got around to talking about the bosses in this game yet, with some of them REALLY making Sonic seem like a DBZ character lmao.
And so, I guess that leads me into talking about the bosses now lmao. I think the bosses in this game are easily my favorites in any Sonic game. I think the guardian bosses were really fun to run into while I was exploring the islands, and I found most of them be quite engaging (except Caterpillar, that thing can go fuck itself). And then as for the titans... whew... fighting the titans in this game goes absolutely crazy dude. I'd say they were definitely one of the highlights of the game for me. Like, they are easily some of my favorite bosses in any game EVER. They were so much fucking fun to fight, and the fact that they let you use Super Sonic more than once in the story aside from the climax is so fucking cool. I really hope they do that more often. I also just love the way these bosses are structured, like the more Shonen anime ass approach to fighting these giant robots is the type of shit I love seeing in my Sonic game. Also, controlling Super Sonic felt really satisfying as well, especially with the free range he was given such as in the Giganto boss. Like, I've always loved playing as Super Sonic in any Sonic game, but I think the combat system made him really fucking fun to play as in this game, and I really looked forward to fighting each titan because of that.
I think if I had to pick a favorite titan boss, it would most certainly be the Wyvern boss. As much as I loved the Giganto boss as it set the stage for how these bosses would be, I think I liked the Wyvern boss just a bit more. Honestly, just everything about it, from scaling the tower to reach it and then running on its digital energy trail; flying alongside it as Super Sonic as you gaze upon the island you spent the past five hours exploring on foot, and then just parrying its attacks and beating the shit out of was really sick too. It's just an overall really damn good boss fight, and I love the QTEs added to these titans too. It made the experience all the more exciting for me as the amazing cinematography just got to go crazy, as this 3 ft, Super Saiyan hedgehog dodge the missiles of a giant ass robot wyvern, as he guides them back to the Wyvern in question, and then as the Wyvern chomps down on that hedgehog, the hedgehog holds its mouth up with his bare hands, kicks its open, and then has it eat its own missiles.
...that's my favorite part of the boss, yes lmao. Seriously, that went way too fucking hard than it needed to lmao.
Unfortunately, not all of the titans were winners though. While I loved Giganto, Wyvern, and Knight, I can't say I really cared for Supreme that much despite it being the final titan you face. I mean, it was a perfectly fine boss fight, but I just found it to be pretty anticlimactic, and I don't think it was as exciting as the prior three titans. But eh, at least the true final boss was really cool. I can't say I expected to play a game of Touhou as the final boss of a Sonic game, but hey, as a Touhou fan, I was all for it lmao.
The Soundtrack:
Like most Sonic games, the music in this game was absolutely incredible, specifically the vocal songs imo. I think my favorites in this had to be Undefeatable and Break Through It All. When I first heard the opening lyrics of Undefeatable when Sonic transformed into Super Sonic against Giganto, I remember it sending chills down my spine. Like, I made it my mission to stay away from most content released for Frontiers before I played the game, and I'm glad I did so, because experiencing these amazing vocal songs for the first time was an absolute delight.
I mean, come on dude, when you have lyrics in a song such as...
WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES BACK AROUND AGAINNNN
AND IF WE DON'T COME DOWN... WE'LL BE LOST IN THE WINDDDDD
You know your game's soundtrack goes fucking hard lmao.
Some of my other favorite tracks in this game are Ouranos Island's theme, Cyberspace 1-2's theme, and the music that plays when you're doing the chill fishing minigame with Big (which I'm not even sure how he ended up at the Starfall Islands, but hey, I won't question it lmao). But anyway, the soundtrack in general is just really great honestly. This is definitely some of Tomoya Ohtani's best work in quite some time, and I really loved the variety of techno, hard metal, orchestral, and EDM compositions in the soundtrack as well. I wouldn't say this game has my favorite Sonic soundtrack, but it's definitely a strong one in the series that's for sure.
Final Words:
I think this game was definitely a step in the right direction for the series. I've been a fan of the franchise since the mid to late 2000s, so while I can't say I'm an "experienced veteran" of the series like people who grew up with it back in the 90s, I'm just really glad this game brought back the elements that made me love the Sonic series back in the mid 2000s. And alongside it adding new elements (whether they be gameplay or plot related) that I'm really looking forward to being explored in the future as well.
I'm honestly really hoping this game gets some really sick post game updates or DLC. I'd really like it if there was a boss rush mode, and it would be really cool if there were more islands to explore as well. Oh, and PLEASEEE give us DLC where we can play as Super Sonic exploring the islands. I was really upset finding out that he wasn't something you could unlock after beating the game. Having that as DLC would certainly raise the game up for me, because like, after seeing what Super Sonic can do in this game, who wouldn't want to be able to transform as him, and just become absolutely BUSTED lmao.
All in all, Sonic Frontiers is not a perfect masterpiece. It definitely has its flaws, and there are certain things about it that definitely rubbed me the wrong way. But I think that's okay, after all, no game is perfect imo. Even the games I've rated 5/5 on this site, I have issues with as well. I had really been anticipating this game ever since it was announced, and while I was cautiously optimistic about it, I was really pleased with the end result. I genuinely really enjoyed the story, gameplay and music of this game, and it made me pretty happy playing it, and I think that was all I needed from it. I absolutely adore this blue hedgey and his series, and no matter the highs or lows he faces, I'm always going to be a fan of his till the very end, haha.
Story and Character Writing:
Firstly, I want to talk about the story and character writing. I think this had some of the best storytelling and character writing the series has had in a very long time. The amount of effort and love that went to the characters in this game completely took me by surprise. I really want to thank Ian Flynn for bringing back these wonderful characters we’ve missed for a whole decade. I've loved his work in the IDW Sonic comics, and I'm glad he didn't disappoint here. I really loved him giving these characters satisfying character introspection and development. And I also loved how he provided interesting new directions for these characters as well, such as Tails wanting to venture out on his own, and Dr. Eggman’s relationship with his precious daughter Sage. The development of their relationship is actually one of my favorite parts of the story, and I feel like it adds more complexity to Eggman as a character. As for Sage herself, she's a wonderful new addition to the Sonic cast, and I'm really looking forward to seeing her in future games.
I also very much appreciated the more serious tone of this story as well. Personally, I’m a really big fan of the more Shonen-esque ambition and gritty tone that the stories of the Sonic games in the 2000s had. They weren’t perfect, but they just had this Shonen ass energy to them that really drew me into the series when I was a kid. So I'm very happy this game brought back that atmosphere, because I'm an absolute sucker for that kind of anime stuff considering I'm Shonen trash lmao.
Now, I do think that the last act of the game did feel... a bit rushed? Not that I think it was particularly bad, but just that I felt like the pacing for the last stretch of the story did feel significantly faster to me compared to how the story had been consistently well paced up until that point. Don't get me wrong, I still thought there was some incredible emotional beats, and I genuinely really liked the ending of the game. But... I do feel like the pacing could've been handled much better during the last act though. So I'd say that's probably the only real issue I had with Frontiers' story tbh. But other than that, I really loved it, and I'd say it's definitely up there for me as one of my favorite stories of any Sonic game.
Speaking of Sonic, now, I think I want to talk about the Blue Blur himself for the rest of this section. Sonic is one of my favorite characters in all of fiction, but it’s been quite hard for me to like him as much as I used to. I’m mainly referring to how he had been written since the release of Colors as I just couldn’t really connect with him as a character like I used to. I think I just found his character to be way too reliant on joking around, and not taking anything seriously at all. However, in this game, I absolutely LOVED how he was written. He was everything that made me love Sonic in the past; his cheesy snark, his emotional maturity, and just his sheer tenacity to make sure that the people he cares about are safe even at the expense of his well being.
When I see this precious blue hedgehog, climbing these large ass towers, despite the amount of pain he’s in because of his cyberspace corruption, that was probably one of the most hard hitting scenes I’ve seen from Sonic himself in a long ass time. And it genuinely hurt me having to make him do that (although, climbing those towers was fucking cool as hell though, so oops lmao). And that's another aspect of this game that I liked, which was Sonic’s physical vulnerability in this game. He’s not at all invincible here on the Starfall Islands, like my man has to go into his Super form just to stand a chance against the titans in this game. And I love how there are moments where he really has to escape from these powerful opponents as well. I just really liked the tension that provided throughout the story, and it just further reinforced how determined Sonic is to save his friends, which I’m a sucker for that anime friendship bullshit, haha.
Also… Ian Flynn sure is a fan of my boy Sonic going through it for his ideals lmao. N-Not saying it’s a problem, I actually quite love it, but I also hate it at the same time because Sonic suffering hurts to watch lmao.
Lastly, I think what made me really love Sonic in this game is Roger Craig Smith’s excellent performance as him. Personally, I’ve never been a fan of Roger’s take on Sonic. Don't get me wrong, I can totally understand why he had his fans, but for me, he just didn’t resonate with me other than his performances in spin-off material such as Sonic Boom. It just sort of seemed like the voice he used for Sonic just didn't fit him in the main games imo.
But this game really changed my opinion on his Sonic, as I just found him to be absolutely stellar as him in this game. Specifically, the moments where Sonic is speaking to his friends in their moments of insecurity or reflection. I absolutely adore main protagonists who possess such a strong level of emotional and interpersonal awareness (such as Luffy from One Piece, who is also one of my favorite characters in all of fiction lmao). I just loved the firm, yet empathetic tone he gave Sonic as he was giving his friends and even his enemies the insight and advice that they needed in order to help them grow. And like, I knew Roger was a talented voice actor, but I felt like he was able to truly bring out his all for Sonic in this game rather than in the past. Honestly, I think all he really needed was a better script and voice direction. I still think I have Jason Griffith as my favorite VA for Sonic, but I really look forward to seeing Roger Craig Smith’s full potential as Sonic in future games for sure. Honestly, the whole cast in this game were pretty good, they really brought their A game this time around, especially Mike Pollock (who also killed it in this game too, haha).
Gameplay: Open World Exploration:
Aside from the story, this was another aspect of the game I was really looking forward to experiencing. The idea of an open world Sonic game left me intrigued, however I was skeptical at first. It was the first time Sonic Team had ever done anything like this before, so I was worried about how it could be done. Especially with a character like Sonic who could cover so much ground in a short amount of time, that it made me wonder how exploration could really feel satisfying. And while there are a few things that are rough around the edges here and there, I think they did a really great job with this foray into an open-world game. It honestly felt really satisfying to me running around at the speed of sound as this blue hedgey while traversing grasslands, rivers, mountaintops, etc. I have to admit, controlling Sonic felt sluggish to me at first. But then the more I played the game, the more I began to get a hang of how Sonic controlled, and it became really fun controlling him tbh. Overall, it was just incredibly addicting doing the regular Sonic things such as boosting, doing tricks, going through orange rings, especially with the privilege of having large islands to explore as a fast blue hedgey. Another thing I quite liked was the Cyloop as well. It was really fun spamming it as I was exploring to see what I could find (and to grind for rings and memory tokens lmao). I also really liked using it on those blue flame thingies that revealed stuff as well. While I wouldn't say these islands were as fleshed out and engaging to explore as the areas in the Xenoblade games, I still think they did a pretty good job on their first attempt at an open world setting.
And honestly, I never really found myself getting lost all that much either as I was exploring. I found the compass at the top of the screen to be very useful in helping me navigate to find puzzles, story progression, portals and other things as well. Well, that's not true, I did find the third island to be quite hard to navigate tbh, but other than that, it was pretty easy to get around these islands. I also just found it very cathartic filling out parts of the map as well by doing the puzzles in this game. And tbh, I think it was satisfying just doing things in general as I was exploring these islands. I haven't played many open world games, but I think simply finding things to interact with, clearing puzzles, and overall, just charting out more of the map is what draws people into this genre, and I think I love that as well. Just the freedom of being able to explore in the way you want to has such a strong appeal, and I think that sort of freedom really suits the Sonic series very well.
Gameplay: Cyberspace Stages:
When it comes to the Cyberspace Stages... I'm quite mixed on them. To get the negatives out of the way, I can't say I was the biggest fan of the 2D Cyberspace Stages. Honestly, I'm not sure why Sonic Team is so insistent on the boost games having 2D sections, or in this case having stages that are entirely 2D. I mean, sure, some of the 2D Cyberspace stages were fun, and they weren't particularly long, so they were rather inoffensive. But eh, most of them were kind of whatever to me tbh. However, I really enjoyed the 3D Cyberspace Stages though, especially the ones that were modeled after levels from prior 3D Sonic games. I thought that was really cool when I learned about that, and it made me appreciate the stages more knowing that tbh. I know the subject of nostalgia and reusing assets in Sonic games is a rather hot topic. I can't say I'm a big fan of it myself, but I didn't mind it too much here. Although, I did think it was kind of lame that they only used four different stages for aesthetics though, with two of them being Green Hill and Chemical Plant. Which personally, I think those stages have definitely overstayed their welcome lmao.
But despite that, I think some of my favorite Cyberspace stages were the ones modeled after Sonic Adventure 2's stages, like Sky Rail and Metal Harbor. Idk, I just thought those were really fun to see in the boost formula. And I think what I really liked about doing these Cyberspace stages was doing the missions. I felt like it gave me the incentive to keep re-trying a stage and get better at it. And I have to admit, it was pretty rewarding completing all four missions (especially when you do it on your first try as well). And that chill ass results music you hear after completing a level is really damn good too.
Personally, while I used to love the boost games, I became pretty indifferent to them over time as I felt like I enjoyed the more grounded speed and level design of the Adventure era 3D Sonic games more than the boost games. But I feel like this boost game to me felt different though. I don't know exactly why, but I actually liked using the boost in this game. Probably because it wasn't as fast as it is in the other games? I also really loved using the air boost as well, as I found it to be very useful in helping me clear stages faster. And the stomp was really fun to use as well, alongside doing homing attack chains (which are fun in any Sonic game honestly lmao). So yeah, I had a lot of fun playing through the Cyberspace stages for the most part.
...though, I really hope Sonic Team stops making their stages have 2D sections in them lmao. I mean, they are harmless for the most part in this game, even when exploring the islands (I actually quite like them there), but I'd prefer if my 3D Sonic game were just 3D pls lmao.
Gameplay: Combat System and Bosses:
Now I want to talk about one of the things I really loved about the gameplay: the combat system. As a Sonic Heroes fan, one of my favorite aspects of that game was its combat system, so I was really interested in seeing how they did it in this game. NGL though, this dude Sonic actually having combat moves kind of weirded me out at first lmao. I don't mean that in a bad way, just that Sonic doesn't normally fight like that in the main games, so it was kind of surreal seeing it lmao. But despite that, I instantly fell in love with how the combat was in this game, and I really liked how fresh and flexible it made taking out enemies be. You can still kill enemies normally with the homing attack, but I think it's really cool how you can use melee moves after your homing attack (similar to how Shadow operated in Sonic 06). I think the level up system Sonic had in this game was pretty cool too. I thought it added a lot to the overall gameplay, and made things a lot more interesting. I did think it was rather clunky how they handled leveling up your Speed and Ring levels through the Elder Koko though. I feel like they should've made it more like the Hermit Koko where you get your Speed and Ring levels all at once, rather than one level at a time. Speaking of rings, I also thought it was very cool how Sonic had a sort of health bar in this game. Like, Sonic doesn't just lose all his rings when he gets hurt, it's all dependent on what level his defense is, and that's really cool honestly. I also really liked the skill tree in this game as well. You can give Sonic some really sick ass moves that I loved chaining together with his regular melee moves, such as his Homing Shot, Loop Kick, Stomp Attack, etc. Honestly, this game made me feel like Sonic was a DBZ character, and I'm all about that life lmao. And I haven't even got around to talking about the bosses in this game yet, with some of them REALLY making Sonic seem like a DBZ character lmao.
And so, I guess that leads me into talking about the bosses now lmao. I think the bosses in this game are easily my favorites in any Sonic game. I think the guardian bosses were really fun to run into while I was exploring the islands, and I found most of them be quite engaging (except Caterpillar, that thing can go fuck itself). And then as for the titans... whew... fighting the titans in this game goes absolutely crazy dude. I'd say they were definitely one of the highlights of the game for me. Like, they are easily some of my favorite bosses in any game EVER. They were so much fucking fun to fight, and the fact that they let you use Super Sonic more than once in the story aside from the climax is so fucking cool. I really hope they do that more often. I also just love the way these bosses are structured, like the more Shonen anime ass approach to fighting these giant robots is the type of shit I love seeing in my Sonic game. Also, controlling Super Sonic felt really satisfying as well, especially with the free range he was given such as in the Giganto boss. Like, I've always loved playing as Super Sonic in any Sonic game, but I think the combat system made him really fucking fun to play as in this game, and I really looked forward to fighting each titan because of that.
I think if I had to pick a favorite titan boss, it would most certainly be the Wyvern boss. As much as I loved the Giganto boss as it set the stage for how these bosses would be, I think I liked the Wyvern boss just a bit more. Honestly, just everything about it, from scaling the tower to reach it and then running on its digital energy trail; flying alongside it as Super Sonic as you gaze upon the island you spent the past five hours exploring on foot, and then just parrying its attacks and beating the shit out of was really sick too. It's just an overall really damn good boss fight, and I love the QTEs added to these titans too. It made the experience all the more exciting for me as the amazing cinematography just got to go crazy, as this 3 ft, Super Saiyan hedgehog dodge the missiles of a giant ass robot wyvern, as he guides them back to the Wyvern in question, and then as the Wyvern chomps down on that hedgehog, the hedgehog holds its mouth up with his bare hands, kicks its open, and then has it eat its own missiles.
...that's my favorite part of the boss, yes lmao. Seriously, that went way too fucking hard than it needed to lmao.
Unfortunately, not all of the titans were winners though. While I loved Giganto, Wyvern, and Knight, I can't say I really cared for Supreme that much despite it being the final titan you face. I mean, it was a perfectly fine boss fight, but I just found it to be pretty anticlimactic, and I don't think it was as exciting as the prior three titans. But eh, at least the true final boss was really cool. I can't say I expected to play a game of Touhou as the final boss of a Sonic game, but hey, as a Touhou fan, I was all for it lmao.
The Soundtrack:
Like most Sonic games, the music in this game was absolutely incredible, specifically the vocal songs imo. I think my favorites in this had to be Undefeatable and Break Through It All. When I first heard the opening lyrics of Undefeatable when Sonic transformed into Super Sonic against Giganto, I remember it sending chills down my spine. Like, I made it my mission to stay away from most content released for Frontiers before I played the game, and I'm glad I did so, because experiencing these amazing vocal songs for the first time was an absolute delight.
I mean, come on dude, when you have lyrics in a song such as...
WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES BACK AROUND AGAINNNN
AND IF WE DON'T COME DOWN... WE'LL BE LOST IN THE WINDDDDD
You know your game's soundtrack goes fucking hard lmao.
Some of my other favorite tracks in this game are Ouranos Island's theme, Cyberspace 1-2's theme, and the music that plays when you're doing the chill fishing minigame with Big (which I'm not even sure how he ended up at the Starfall Islands, but hey, I won't question it lmao). But anyway, the soundtrack in general is just really great honestly. This is definitely some of Tomoya Ohtani's best work in quite some time, and I really loved the variety of techno, hard metal, orchestral, and EDM compositions in the soundtrack as well. I wouldn't say this game has my favorite Sonic soundtrack, but it's definitely a strong one in the series that's for sure.
Final Words:
I think this game was definitely a step in the right direction for the series. I've been a fan of the franchise since the mid to late 2000s, so while I can't say I'm an "experienced veteran" of the series like people who grew up with it back in the 90s, I'm just really glad this game brought back the elements that made me love the Sonic series back in the mid 2000s. And alongside it adding new elements (whether they be gameplay or plot related) that I'm really looking forward to being explored in the future as well.
I'm honestly really hoping this game gets some really sick post game updates or DLC. I'd really like it if there was a boss rush mode, and it would be really cool if there were more islands to explore as well. Oh, and PLEASEEE give us DLC where we can play as Super Sonic exploring the islands. I was really upset finding out that he wasn't something you could unlock after beating the game. Having that as DLC would certainly raise the game up for me, because like, after seeing what Super Sonic can do in this game, who wouldn't want to be able to transform as him, and just become absolutely BUSTED lmao.
All in all, Sonic Frontiers is not a perfect masterpiece. It definitely has its flaws, and there are certain things about it that definitely rubbed me the wrong way. But I think that's okay, after all, no game is perfect imo. Even the games I've rated 5/5 on this site, I have issues with as well. I had really been anticipating this game ever since it was announced, and while I was cautiously optimistic about it, I was really pleased with the end result. I genuinely really enjoyed the story, gameplay and music of this game, and it made me pretty happy playing it, and I think that was all I needed from it. I absolutely adore this blue hedgey and his series, and no matter the highs or lows he faces, I'm always going to be a fan of his till the very end, haha.
That time Keiichi spoke facts for about 20 hours.
Love it~
Love it~
2006
Severely underrated, imo. Unfortunately, that might be because of it not receiving an official localization.
It has an incredibly creative koma system, which I really enjoyed. Beautiful sprite work and wonderful music; overall, it's a really fun Smash Bros party fighter with your favorite Shonen Jump characters.
It has an incredibly creative koma system, which I really enjoyed. Beautiful sprite work and wonderful music; overall, it's a really fun Smash Bros party fighter with your favorite Shonen Jump characters.