Bottle
1983
A much better Space Invaders derivative than N-Sub. It's just as mechanically simple but the pace is far more hectic and makes for a more compelling arcade experience. I especially like how the time of day changes as the rounds go on, a simple yet effective reminder of the story of the Yamato itself. One of the better early SG-1000 offerings.
1983
Let down by its interface, making the whole affair feel imprecise and not much fun. It came out before the genre would be defined, so its faults are acceptable I guess, but there is a reason the genre to this day takes cues from Nintendo's Golf which was released a year later and not this. I'm sure it was fine in 1983, but don't bother now unless you're curious about SEGA's early console offerings.
Great Music, addictive gameplay and even some callbacks for those who played the first two Ys games and/or Origins. It may never reach its full potential, and the ending came across as abrupt, but even an "okay" Ys game is a very good time indeed.
1983
I'm sure the arcade version is much better, and there was clear work put into it, but the SG-1000 version at least is an assault on the senses, with its cacophony of noises and constant judder from the consoles lack of smooth scrolling making for a miserable version of what I assume to be an okay Space Invaders derivative. It tries its hardest but you'd be better off sticking to Galaga if I'm being honest.
2013
Played this during a trip to Joypolis in 2020. There isn't much skill here as its more of a theme park attraction than anything else. I did get first place however so contrary to popular belief it is actually me who is the fastest thing alive.
1991
The remake easily outclasses it, but this original version has its charms. It has the same issue as most early Ys games with its sudden and random difficulty spikes, but its manageable enough considering how fast you level. Music is great, bosses are not so great. Good fun.
It's more Time Crisis with some small QOL improvements and less interesting levels. Good if you like that sort of thing.
Despite the issues I had with it, I can't deny the game has a stellar presentation, with some great music and animated scenes being really quite impressive. The remake is clearly the definitive way to experience the story, but I enjoyed my time with this original vision regardless of its faults.
An absolutely bizarre game in which Mega Man fights an Air Conditioner. I think it says a lot that even though this came out after, people considered Mega Man and Bass to be the last classic Mega Man game during that 10 year gap between releases. I did like the stage that used the vertical orientation and the callback to the Game Boy Mega Man II was cool I guess. But honestly, this whole game just has big bootleg energy. Worth playing just to say you have, but don't expect anything that great.
1990
It's a Batman game that homages Pac-Man of all things, even using that exact maze layout for one of its stages. It's an okay game, levels are quick and the music is fantastic, but I can imagine being quite upset if I got this as a kid as outside of the aesthetic, this is barely Batman. It has big reskin energy to be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if this was originally supposed to be something else entirely.
I can't in any good conscious call this good. The new characters feel awful compared to their Sonic Adventure counterparts which came out 25 years ago, the trials range from braindead to requiring perfect inputs to proceed, and while the Cyberspace levels are imaginative the level design feels like spaghetti with no cohesion. I actually found myself just skipping as much content as I could to get it over faster. After having to repeat the same initial run-up on Wyvern for the 10th time I just called it quits. The base game was actually a lot of fun with a fair amount of promise, this update is so unlike that, that I'm starting to reconsider if those initial feelings were warranted.
It's free at least, but I don't understand why Sonic Team always seems to fumble the ball at the last minute. Being hard is one thing, but it has to be at least satisfying to play. Did they forget this is a game series predominantly aimed at children? This exemplifies all the worst parts of Frontiers, it's the biggest disappointment of 2023.
I swear to god, if Superstars isn't the second coming of Christ...
Edit: Went back to it after reading some cheeses for the boss rush (seriously what were they thinking) and finished the campaign. I've softened on it a little bit but the issues are way too big to ignore. I doubt I'll play this again, the original ending sequence was better anyway imo.
It's free at least, but I don't understand why Sonic Team always seems to fumble the ball at the last minute. Being hard is one thing, but it has to be at least satisfying to play. Did they forget this is a game series predominantly aimed at children? This exemplifies all the worst parts of Frontiers, it's the biggest disappointment of 2023.
I swear to god, if Superstars isn't the second coming of Christ...
Edit: Went back to it after reading some cheeses for the boss rush (seriously what were they thinking) and finished the campaign. I've softened on it a little bit but the issues are way too big to ignore. I doubt I'll play this again, the original ending sequence was better anyway imo.
The first "modern" (2003!) Ys ended up being one of the lesser entries for me.
There are unfortunate pacing issues, a story with thin characterization even by Ys standards, just "okay" music and quite possibly the worst long jump mechanic I've ever had the misfortune of using (luckily you only need to use it a handful of times but I'm so glad they never brought it back). The original release didn't even have fast-travel! It's clearly a hybrid of the classic games and what would define the series moving forward, both of which are great on their own, but when mixed together leaves the experience feeling incomplete. Its a real shame because this could've been one of the better Ys stories too...
its not a bad game by any means but it doesn't have that same appeal that draws me to other games in the series. It doesn't really excel in any one area which places it near the bottom of my favorite Ys games.
There are unfortunate pacing issues, a story with thin characterization even by Ys standards, just "okay" music and quite possibly the worst long jump mechanic I've ever had the misfortune of using (luckily you only need to use it a handful of times but I'm so glad they never brought it back). The original release didn't even have fast-travel! It's clearly a hybrid of the classic games and what would define the series moving forward, both of which are great on their own, but when mixed together leaves the experience feeling incomplete. Its a real shame because this could've been one of the better Ys stories too...
its not a bad game by any means but it doesn't have that same appeal that draws me to other games in the series. It doesn't really excel in any one area which places it near the bottom of my favorite Ys games.