Bottle
2001
If 'Silent Hill' was Japanese Indie Horror, 'Silent Hill 2' is the Cannes Film Festival entrant. It's certainly more mature in terms of storytelling and theming but I personally find the first game more endearing, both from an artistic and historical standpoint.
I knew this game wasn't considered to be very good but holy moly, this is borderline insulting to the brand lmao.
Maybe you'd like it if you never played a 'Silent Hill' game but I'd reckon you'd be better off never playing the franchise at all if this is your only choice. It's a boring, tedious slog of a game with admittedly some nice music that to be honest, just makes me wish I was playing something better.
Maybe you'd like it if you never played a 'Silent Hill' game but I'd reckon you'd be better off never playing the franchise at all if this is your only choice. It's a boring, tedious slog of a game with admittedly some nice music that to be honest, just makes me wish I was playing something better.
Clearly incredibly ambitious for the time, and the constant genre shifts did keep me interested. However there is a huge divide between what it does well (the story and investigation mechanics) and what it does poorly (travel and combat). In fact, you'll probably spend 70% of your time not even touching the keyboard, as your ship jitters from place to place with the autopilot (unless you want to control it manually, flight sim is just another game mode here lol)
For what its worth I didn't hate my time with it and I look forward to seeing how the franchise evolves from here.
For what its worth I didn't hate my time with it and I look forward to seeing how the franchise evolves from here.
God exists and he's a party dude.
My friend done got bit by a copperhead 😔
Short and Sweet, you can really feel the heart put into this one. I honestly wish more games were this wholesome, real food for the soul.
It's more Time Crisis with some small QOL improvements and less interesting levels. Good if you like that sort of thing.
2002
Its 60fps, it's widescreen, Its basically the same game as the first but less interesting!
I enjoyed it but it does feel like it lost something in the transition to more powerful hardware, esp when it comes to the art style and level design. The extra features don't really add much, and the increased humor is inoffensive enough. The music is nowhere near as good as the first though, I get its personal preference but it just doesn't hit the same. Still, its worth playing if you didn't get tired of aping out the first time.
I enjoyed it but it does feel like it lost something in the transition to more powerful hardware, esp when it comes to the art style and level design. The extra features don't really add much, and the increased humor is inoffensive enough. The music is nowhere near as good as the first though, I get its personal preference but it just doesn't hit the same. Still, its worth playing if you didn't get tired of aping out the first time.
2005
A much better game than the 2nd in almost every respect.
The film-parody-based humor is inspired, the controls feel just that bit more smooth, and the outfit transformations are a lot more fun than the gimmick gadgets of the second game. I'm not sure if it's better than the first, as the novelty of the concept was getting a little tired by this point, but this is an excellent platform-puzzler nonetheless.
The film-parody-based humor is inspired, the controls feel just that bit more smooth, and the outfit transformations are a lot more fun than the gimmick gadgets of the second game. I'm not sure if it's better than the first, as the novelty of the concept was getting a little tired by this point, but this is an excellent platform-puzzler nonetheless.
1987
A pretty blatant effort to market a pretty bishoujo heroine with a so-so game, I can see why this took so many years to see an international release.
Unfortunately Wonder Momo is a repetitive, clunky "kill the enemies to fill the power meter, transform, (hopefully) beat the boss and then repeat for 16 levels" type of game. Think Altered Beast but on a single screen rather than a repeating level layout. It appears simple at first but enemies swarm you, and Momo never feels as responsive as you'd like her to be. Even for the era there are other arcade games that do the bishoujo action lead better (Athena released the year earlier and Psycho Soldier would come out a week after Momo's debut).
It all makes sense when you consider Japan's growing fascination with idol culture starting to really solidify itself as a pop-culture movement when this released. Momo really did fit all the criteria for what was appealing to Japanese youth at the time, and she clearly took a hold of a subset as Wonder Momo still appears as a recognizable face of Namco's Japanese arcade history. I just wish it was attached to a game I'd actually want to replay.
Unfortunately Wonder Momo is a repetitive, clunky "kill the enemies to fill the power meter, transform, (hopefully) beat the boss and then repeat for 16 levels" type of game. Think Altered Beast but on a single screen rather than a repeating level layout. It appears simple at first but enemies swarm you, and Momo never feels as responsive as you'd like her to be. Even for the era there are other arcade games that do the bishoujo action lead better (Athena released the year earlier and Psycho Soldier would come out a week after Momo's debut).
It all makes sense when you consider Japan's growing fascination with idol culture starting to really solidify itself as a pop-culture movement when this released. Momo really did fit all the criteria for what was appealing to Japanese youth at the time, and she clearly took a hold of a subset as Wonder Momo still appears as a recognizable face of Namco's Japanese arcade history. I just wish it was attached to a game I'd actually want to replay.
1992
Splatterhouse Part 2, like its predecessor, is carried by its visual design and tone. It's basically more of the same but that's definitely not a bad thing as the simplistic controls and short length make this a great pick-up and play title.
I played the Japanese version and would recommend doing so if you were looking for a more balanced experience.
I played the Japanese version and would recommend doing so if you were looking for a more balanced experience.
1990
Saw this one played on Nick Arcade and thought it looked interesting but unfortunately its nothing special. Cyber-Lip is this close to being a decent game, but there’s little here that hasn’t been done better in other games. Ending is wild though, I'll give them that.
1992
The scariest part of this game is the platforming, and maybe that frog too.
2006
I told myself I'd never review this game but... I'm afraid I have no choice....
sigh Sonic.... had a rough transition to 3D....sighs, but even louder
sigh Sonic.... had a rough transition to 3D....sighs, but even louder
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.