CtheIronblooded
1989
Mega Man 2 basically took everything good about the first game, polished it and improved it in every way imaginable with more refined controls, less slippery platforming, much better stage design, iconic boss fights that provide decent challenge, more variety in the obtainable powers and improved difficulty balancing alongside another incredible banger of a soundtrack. I can totally see why this game gets the (well-deserved) praise that it gets. A legitimately fun game that I could totally see myself playing more in the future whereas I never want to touch the first Mega Man ever again.
1987
People who say Dark Souls is the hardest game ever don't know true pain. This game would be damn near unplayable without the Legacy Collection's 'rewind' feature honestly.
The very first Mega Man game and it features some ridiculously tedious platforming and insanely slippery controls. Pretty awful stage design that has some serious artificial difficulty as well, but there are still a lot of good ideas spread throughout and it has the core mechanics of the series, the game is just very unbalanced and not polished enough to utilize those mechanics properly. Certainly a rough beginning for such an iconic franchise, but at least the music is still sick and the boss fights are charming.
The very first Mega Man game and it features some ridiculously tedious platforming and insanely slippery controls. Pretty awful stage design that has some serious artificial difficulty as well, but there are still a lot of good ideas spread throughout and it has the core mechanics of the series, the game is just very unbalanced and not polished enough to utilize those mechanics properly. Certainly a rough beginning for such an iconic franchise, but at least the music is still sick and the boss fights are charming.
Insanely underrated and underappreciated game and my fave Splinter Cell. Sure it's a bad Splinter Cell game if all you want is stealth, but it's one hell of a espionage action game and basically John Wick years before John Wick ever existed. So ahead of its time. Also a great story that really gives a much more in-depth look at Sam Fisher as a person than we'd seen up to this point in the series.
There's not a whole lot to say about this game. The RPG mechanics feel almost completely superficial, tacked on and pointless (Though unlocking characters and being able to make your dream team of 4 does have its novelty) and the graphics/art style/presentation make it look like a cheap mobile game, but that doesn't change the fact that Theatrhythm has always been a celebration of Final Fantasy's history and music and Final Bar Line is the absolute best version of Theatrhythm to experience to date with over 380 songs available and more DLC featuring music from NieR and Octopath Traveler among others as well.
This is the ultimate love letter to Final Fantasy and its musical history spanning over 35 years, If you like FF and its music and enjoy rhythm games this should honestly be a no-brainer to get, I've sunk over 20 hours into it in just a few days already. My only complaints are the charting on some songs could definitely be better (No surprise with the sheer amount of songs though) and I also just wish they would've implemented a long or short version of songs option instead of just cutting every song down to a 'radio edit' version because some of us are crazy enough to want to play the entire 17 minutes of Dancing Mad, thanks.
This is the ultimate love letter to Final Fantasy and its musical history spanning over 35 years, If you like FF and its music and enjoy rhythm games this should honestly be a no-brainer to get, I've sunk over 20 hours into it in just a few days already. My only complaints are the charting on some songs could definitely be better (No surprise with the sheer amount of songs though) and I also just wish they would've implemented a long or short version of songs option instead of just cutting every song down to a 'radio edit' version because some of us are crazy enough to want to play the entire 17 minutes of Dancing Mad, thanks.
2017
Never played it, never will because it is an awful web browser/mobile game with the same horrible and predatory design as all the rest, but I am so sick of seeing this game's sponsored ads on my Facebook timeline.
Bro they legit paid Cory Chase (Yes, the porn-star) to advertise the game. Imagine your game being so bad and you knowing that it is so bad that the only way you can get people to click on it is because you paid a damn porn-star star to advertise it. I mean they don't even bother hiding the Cameo logo in the ad either lmao. That's really all you need to know about the game.
Bro they legit paid Cory Chase (Yes, the porn-star) to advertise the game. Imagine your game being so bad and you knowing that it is so bad that the only way you can get people to click on it is because you paid a damn porn-star star to advertise it. I mean they don't even bother hiding the Cameo logo in the ad either lmao. That's really all you need to know about the game.
Wo Long is the Musoufication of the souls-like genre and as far as I'm concerned the game is all the better for it since it is right up there with Nioh as one of the best non-FromSoft souls-likes I've ever played.
The narrative takes place in a fictionalized dark fantasy version of China in the Later Han Dynasty (around 200AD). We follow the silent Nameless Warrior protagonist (who we the player ourselves create) as they get wrapped up in various political conflicts and wars while searching for an evil Taoist who is influencing events from the shadows with a forbidden medicine called "Elixir" that has the ability to unleash Demonic Qi in anyone who consumes it. The Nameless Warrior goes on a journey that spans nearly 20 years as they try to form strong bonds with legendary Chinese historical war generals across the nation with the hopes of taking down the evil Taoist before their goals can be fulfilled. The game really captures the Three Kingdoms mythology well and feels like a classic over-the-top martial arts fantasy movie in the best way possible. (The campy English dub enhances this feeling even more)
Wo Long is a very aggressive and fast-paced souls-like action game that feels like a more simplified, accessible and streamlined version of Nioh's RPG mechanics mixed with the combat of Sekiro and the fast-paced movement and morale centric gameplay of Dynasty Warriors.
The combat is very parry/deflection heavy much like Sekiro, but Wo Long also manages to incorporate its own unique spin on gameplay mechanics like removing the traditional stamina management bar that dictates how much you can attack before becoming exhausted (Meaning you can spam the basic attack all you want, but you will also get punished for doing this) for what is called the 'Spirit Gauge' which dictates how much you can block or dodge as well as using special Martial Arts abilities and Wizardry magic attacks. The Spirit Gauge has a positive and negative axis and starts out at the middle of it at 0. When you take damage, block, dodge or use special abilities you lose Spirit and the gauge fills up on the negative side, if your gauge maxes out the negative side a single hit from an enemy will stagger you leaving you vulnerable for a few seconds, however landing basic attack strikes or deflecting your enemy's attacks build up your Spirit Gauge on the positive side allowing you to use more special attacks and dodge more without penalty, so the game rewards you for playing aggressively along the lines of something like Bloodborne. All enemies have their own Spirit Gauge as well so when you attack them your Spirit increases while there's decreases and pushes them closer to being staggered so you can land a fatal execution attack for massive damage, but the same works for when an enemy lands strikes on you, you'll lose Spirit and they gain it making you closer to being staggered. So essentially combat becomes a tug-o-war match between you and the opponent to see who can stagger who first as you always keep a watchful eye on both you and your opponent's Spirit Gauge. I think this is a super interesting and creative way to advance the Souls style formula and the gameplay also syncs up perfectly with Wo Long's general theme and style of Chinese martial arts which are based around redirecting your opponent's force.
There's also a Morale Rank system which reminds me of something you'd see in a Dynasty Warriors musou game which plays into the tug-o-war metaphor I used earlier where both you and all enemies have a number that determines their morale, you can raise this by killing more enemies and when you do you basically get a power boost, the same can be said for enemies though where if they kill you their morale increases and yours lowers, the higher morale an enemy has the harder it'll be too take them down. The bonfire checkpoint Battle Flag system plays into this as well because every Battle Flag you raise increases your base morale so when you die it'll only go down to that number instead of losing all of your morale. The Battle Flag system also gives more incentive to explore all the levels as much as possible to find all the flags and raise your morale to max before fighting the boss. However the morale system can be a double-edge sword at times due to the fact if you get your morale too much higher than your enemy it can make the fights far too easy and if your enemy's morale is too much higher they'll have a clear advantage over you, so you really just need to get a sweet spot where you both have even morale to make the game the most enjoyable.
Wo Long also incorporates another cool feature with a multi-directional parrying system where you can tilt the joystick in the proper direction of the enemy's attack alongside pressing the parry button, it's another really unique mechanic that sets itself apart from most other games of this style (Though it is optional and you can just press the basic parry button if you want), the combat is super fun and stylish with all the martial art styled weapon arts and special abilities you can do which are tied to different weapons like the weapon arts from Dark Souls III and I haven't felt such satisfying swordplay in a game since the first time I played Sekiro.
Naturally the Nioh like RPG stat attributes play into the Chinese theme as well being based on the 5 elements of Chinese mythology, wood, fire, earth, metal and water all of these stats directly influence your health, attack and Spirit Gauge by things like using Martial Arts takes less Spirit or successfully deflecting attacks increases Spirit more etc. All equipment also changes your elemental affinity as well.
I also must commend Team Ninja for listening to the feedback about the Diablo styled loot system in Nioh being overbearing and severely toning that down here. This is easily Team Ninja's best and most varied level design as well making exploring every level much more fun and engaging than it ever was in Nioh. Wo Long basically has everything I loved about Nioh and none of the down-sides.
Wo Long was one of those rare games that from the moment I started playing it, I knew I'd love it and after finishing the game in 30 hours and even going out of my way to get the platinum trophy as well, I can confirm that I loved every minute of the game. After all when you combine the satisfying combat of Sekiro with the RPG mechanics of Nioh and the stylish flair of a Dynasty Warriors game and throw in some unique mechanics and systems to give it a sense of its own unique identity, how could that not be a recipe for success?
The narrative takes place in a fictionalized dark fantasy version of China in the Later Han Dynasty (around 200AD). We follow the silent Nameless Warrior protagonist (who we the player ourselves create) as they get wrapped up in various political conflicts and wars while searching for an evil Taoist who is influencing events from the shadows with a forbidden medicine called "Elixir" that has the ability to unleash Demonic Qi in anyone who consumes it. The Nameless Warrior goes on a journey that spans nearly 20 years as they try to form strong bonds with legendary Chinese historical war generals across the nation with the hopes of taking down the evil Taoist before their goals can be fulfilled. The game really captures the Three Kingdoms mythology well and feels like a classic over-the-top martial arts fantasy movie in the best way possible. (The campy English dub enhances this feeling even more)
Wo Long is a very aggressive and fast-paced souls-like action game that feels like a more simplified, accessible and streamlined version of Nioh's RPG mechanics mixed with the combat of Sekiro and the fast-paced movement and morale centric gameplay of Dynasty Warriors.
The combat is very parry/deflection heavy much like Sekiro, but Wo Long also manages to incorporate its own unique spin on gameplay mechanics like removing the traditional stamina management bar that dictates how much you can attack before becoming exhausted (Meaning you can spam the basic attack all you want, but you will also get punished for doing this) for what is called the 'Spirit Gauge' which dictates how much you can block or dodge as well as using special Martial Arts abilities and Wizardry magic attacks. The Spirit Gauge has a positive and negative axis and starts out at the middle of it at 0. When you take damage, block, dodge or use special abilities you lose Spirit and the gauge fills up on the negative side, if your gauge maxes out the negative side a single hit from an enemy will stagger you leaving you vulnerable for a few seconds, however landing basic attack strikes or deflecting your enemy's attacks build up your Spirit Gauge on the positive side allowing you to use more special attacks and dodge more without penalty, so the game rewards you for playing aggressively along the lines of something like Bloodborne. All enemies have their own Spirit Gauge as well so when you attack them your Spirit increases while there's decreases and pushes them closer to being staggered so you can land a fatal execution attack for massive damage, but the same works for when an enemy lands strikes on you, you'll lose Spirit and they gain it making you closer to being staggered. So essentially combat becomes a tug-o-war match between you and the opponent to see who can stagger who first as you always keep a watchful eye on both you and your opponent's Spirit Gauge. I think this is a super interesting and creative way to advance the Souls style formula and the gameplay also syncs up perfectly with Wo Long's general theme and style of Chinese martial arts which are based around redirecting your opponent's force.
There's also a Morale Rank system which reminds me of something you'd see in a Dynasty Warriors musou game which plays into the tug-o-war metaphor I used earlier where both you and all enemies have a number that determines their morale, you can raise this by killing more enemies and when you do you basically get a power boost, the same can be said for enemies though where if they kill you their morale increases and yours lowers, the higher morale an enemy has the harder it'll be too take them down. The bonfire checkpoint Battle Flag system plays into this as well because every Battle Flag you raise increases your base morale so when you die it'll only go down to that number instead of losing all of your morale. The Battle Flag system also gives more incentive to explore all the levels as much as possible to find all the flags and raise your morale to max before fighting the boss. However the morale system can be a double-edge sword at times due to the fact if you get your morale too much higher than your enemy it can make the fights far too easy and if your enemy's morale is too much higher they'll have a clear advantage over you, so you really just need to get a sweet spot where you both have even morale to make the game the most enjoyable.
Wo Long also incorporates another cool feature with a multi-directional parrying system where you can tilt the joystick in the proper direction of the enemy's attack alongside pressing the parry button, it's another really unique mechanic that sets itself apart from most other games of this style (Though it is optional and you can just press the basic parry button if you want), the combat is super fun and stylish with all the martial art styled weapon arts and special abilities you can do which are tied to different weapons like the weapon arts from Dark Souls III and I haven't felt such satisfying swordplay in a game since the first time I played Sekiro.
Naturally the Nioh like RPG stat attributes play into the Chinese theme as well being based on the 5 elements of Chinese mythology, wood, fire, earth, metal and water all of these stats directly influence your health, attack and Spirit Gauge by things like using Martial Arts takes less Spirit or successfully deflecting attacks increases Spirit more etc. All equipment also changes your elemental affinity as well.
I also must commend Team Ninja for listening to the feedback about the Diablo styled loot system in Nioh being overbearing and severely toning that down here. This is easily Team Ninja's best and most varied level design as well making exploring every level much more fun and engaging than it ever was in Nioh. Wo Long basically has everything I loved about Nioh and none of the down-sides.
Wo Long was one of those rare games that from the moment I started playing it, I knew I'd love it and after finishing the game in 30 hours and even going out of my way to get the platinum trophy as well, I can confirm that I loved every minute of the game. After all when you combine the satisfying combat of Sekiro with the RPG mechanics of Nioh and the stylish flair of a Dynasty Warriors game and throw in some unique mechanics and systems to give it a sense of its own unique identity, how could that not be a recipe for success?
2023
So in Atomic Heart you play as a sarcastic asshole who is constantly spouting off Duke Nukem style action hero one-liners while bantering back and forth with his talking glove that let's him telekinetically move objects and use elemental powers?
Bruh, this shit is just Forspoken for Men™
With that said. I honestly don't mind P3's personality or the one-liners that much. I actually like P3 and he gives off those 80s/90s action hero vibes well, it doesn't feel nearly as Marvel-y or Netflix teen drama as Forspoken and he's pretty entertaining and funny at times, but holy shit the bantering and dialogue is just NON-STOP and it is TOO much at times to where it just becomes annoying.
I was honestly relatively excited for this game, but after about 9 hours of playing the game it just feels like a boring slog to me and I don't want to suffer through it anymore. My time is too valuable to waste playing things I'm just not having fun with at this point in my life.
The combat itself is very Eurojank (And not in a good way), the enemies are overly bulletspongey and the story just isn't interesting to me. The world is pretty weird and unique, I'll give it that, but when enemies constantly re-spawn thanks to the awful detection and alert system, it never gives you any time to truly appreciate or explore your surroundings and the game would've been so much better if it was completely linear and didn't have a tacked on open world. The game has potential, but you can certainly tell it was the first game made by this developer because Atomic Heart is a game with an identity crisis, it doesn't know whether it wants to be a Bioshick style immersive sim or a DOOM style shooter and so many gameplay and design choices are just so weird and contradict others so it just isn't that fun to play for me and at the end of the day all I want from a game is something that is fun.
Atomic Heart is a game I wanted to like and a game I wish I liked, but I just don't and I don't care enough to keep trying. You're better off just playing Prey (2017), Bioshock or DOOM Eternal.
Bruh, this shit is just Forspoken for Men™
With that said. I honestly don't mind P3's personality or the one-liners that much. I actually like P3 and he gives off those 80s/90s action hero vibes well, it doesn't feel nearly as Marvel-y or Netflix teen drama as Forspoken and he's pretty entertaining and funny at times, but holy shit the bantering and dialogue is just NON-STOP and it is TOO much at times to where it just becomes annoying.
I was honestly relatively excited for this game, but after about 9 hours of playing the game it just feels like a boring slog to me and I don't want to suffer through it anymore. My time is too valuable to waste playing things I'm just not having fun with at this point in my life.
The combat itself is very Eurojank (And not in a good way), the enemies are overly bulletspongey and the story just isn't interesting to me. The world is pretty weird and unique, I'll give it that, but when enemies constantly re-spawn thanks to the awful detection and alert system, it never gives you any time to truly appreciate or explore your surroundings and the game would've been so much better if it was completely linear and didn't have a tacked on open world. The game has potential, but you can certainly tell it was the first game made by this developer because Atomic Heart is a game with an identity crisis, it doesn't know whether it wants to be a Bioshick style immersive sim or a DOOM style shooter and so many gameplay and design choices are just so weird and contradict others so it just isn't that fun to play for me and at the end of the day all I want from a game is something that is fun.
Atomic Heart is a game I wanted to like and a game I wish I liked, but I just don't and I don't care enough to keep trying. You're better off just playing Prey (2017), Bioshock or DOOM Eternal.
2023
I am never touching this game, not because of the controversy surrounding it, but simply because I watched a friend play through most of it and it looks like one of the most bland, soulless and casualized open-world "RPG" experiences since fucking Skyrim and I know it'll be a waste of money and I'll hate it.
Slap one of the biggest names in fiction on something like Skyrim and it's just guaranteed to be a hit with the most casual, entry level gamers so no wonder it's selling like crazy, this wasn't made for people who actually enjoy gaming. It exudes nearly every trope in modern gaming that is simply popular because people who have never played a game before in their lives eat that shit up, bland open world, checklist collectathon, MMO elements like glam and gear level, the most barebone RPG elements "choices matter!", ffs you don't even get experience for fighting enemies, just from completing "challenges" Excuse me for coming across as a gatekeeper, but this is WHY RPGs weren't meant to be made for everyone. RPGs have always been meant for the most hardcore fantasy nerds since the earliest days of D&D so making it appeal to the casual market might make a best selling game due to appealing to more people, but it will also alienate your core demographic and make the final product just come off as corporate and soulless.
Also if that isn't bad enough the combat in this game is just as shallow as everything else, no matter what spells you use or what enemy you fight every encounter ends up feeling the same, there's no depth at all and you will get insanely bored of it because it just becomes repetitive after the initial awe wears off.
Legit the only redeeming quality of the game is that it captures the lore and setting of the Wizarding World™ very well and I'm sure for hardcore HP fans who aren't big gamers that'll be enough for them to think the game is amazing, but for the rest of us? There's really just nothing here you haven't seen done before over the past decade of gaming.
Slap one of the biggest names in fiction on something like Skyrim and it's just guaranteed to be a hit with the most casual, entry level gamers so no wonder it's selling like crazy, this wasn't made for people who actually enjoy gaming. It exudes nearly every trope in modern gaming that is simply popular because people who have never played a game before in their lives eat that shit up, bland open world, checklist collectathon, MMO elements like glam and gear level, the most barebone RPG elements "choices matter!", ffs you don't even get experience for fighting enemies, just from completing "challenges" Excuse me for coming across as a gatekeeper, but this is WHY RPGs weren't meant to be made for everyone. RPGs have always been meant for the most hardcore fantasy nerds since the earliest days of D&D so making it appeal to the casual market might make a best selling game due to appealing to more people, but it will also alienate your core demographic and make the final product just come off as corporate and soulless.
Also if that isn't bad enough the combat in this game is just as shallow as everything else, no matter what spells you use or what enemy you fight every encounter ends up feeling the same, there's no depth at all and you will get insanely bored of it because it just becomes repetitive after the initial awe wears off.
Legit the only redeeming quality of the game is that it captures the lore and setting of the Wizarding World™ very well and I'm sure for hardcore HP fans who aren't big gamers that'll be enough for them to think the game is amazing, but for the rest of us? There's really just nothing here you haven't seen done before over the past decade of gaming.
All classics, some of the best Mario games out there, but what a fucking joke of a collection/bundle on Nintendo's part.
The definitive way to experience one of the best and most revolutionary, classic platformer games ever made.
Let's talk about Fire Emblem 4: Genealogy of the Holy War because boy do I have a lot to say about this game (Not done with it yet, currently on chapter 8 with like 55 hours and I think that is merely 3/4 of the way through)
I have such a massive love/hate relationship with Genealogy. This is a game that I respect the hell out of and appreciate as a piece of art for how boldly it tackles some of the darkest subject matter I've seen in any game and how revolutionary and important to the series it was for being the first to implement many future staple mechanics (Like the iconic Weapons Triangle) more so than I actually have fun while playing it.
To me, whether or not a game is 'fun' is the most important thing at the end of the day and since 'fun' is such a subjective term it can come in various ways to various people. Some find fun in just experiencing a great story, others want engaging gameplay etc. For me I'd prefer both, but I won't lie when I say that if the story in this game wasn't as good as it is, I would've quit long before the point I'm at now because I just don't find the gameplay fun in the slightest. I did when I first started, but it has vastly worn out its welcome.
The gameplay is marred by insanely archaic and cryptic choices. You have to place certain units in certain spots on the map to get secret items that are very important, the recruitment conditions for a lot of units are very confusing and to say I would be lost if I wasn't using a guide is an understatement. The game is damn near unplayable without one and you should take this statement from me very seriously because I hate using guides for games, I don't even do it with Trails and people always complain about that series being cryptic and archaic as well (It's nowhere near as much so as this game)
However the worst part of all is the fucking map design.
These maps are MASSIVE, ridiculously so. Every map is like a whole damn continent where you have multiple objectives to clear and a single chapter in this game would be the equivalent to like 3-4 chapters in any normal FE title and while I respect what they're going for and how it helps enhance the world-building with gameplay and plot cohesion and it really gives you that feeling of a massive war that went on for years, that was the priority when designing them, making them fun was not and it is obvious because simply put it just IS NOT FUN. Am I supposed to like taking 5 turns just to get to the bulk of the map? Am I supposed to enjoy waiting over and over while I move all my units from one end of the map to the next? Who thought it was a good idea to give this game forest and sand terrain that hinders movement to like 2-3 spaces despite it already taking like an hour just to move all my units across the map without that movement hinderance and in doing so making the pacing of the game even slower than it already is?
Plus I'll be honest, I am no casual or new to the tactical RPG genre, but this game is one of the hardest ones I've ever played, the RNG rates are just downright not fair at times and I can't tell you how many times I've had to re-load to save units because they miss both their attacks at like 80% hit chance and get hit by a unit that has a 2% crit chance and just die instantly. It makes the game super tense, I'll give it that, but it certainly isn't fun having to constantly re-load and figure out the 1 proper combination of moves to make sure all my units stay alive. Ngl, the game would be damn near unplayable without emulated save states as well.
With all this said, I still adore the game, I really truly do. The narrative, the characters, the world-building, the music, the grand stakes and sense of tension and atmosphere this game gives, the art direction and sprite work. It's all perfect, no exaggeration. This is legit one of the best political/war drama stories I've ever seen in a game and maybe in the top 10 stories I've experienced in a game in general, insanely impressive for a game that came out in 1996. I see where 3H took a lot of influence from this story, but honestly 3H wishes it was this well written and deep. To me Genealogy is what happens when you take the generational storytelling of something like Jojo's Bizarre Adventure (Hell Sigurd is very similar to Johnathan Joestar in personality as well and his nemesis feels like a mix between Dio and Griffith from Berserk) and mix it with the dark fantasy political style of A Song of Ice and Fire. It's a story that will stick with me for years to come and I have not even reached the conclusion to it yet.
I honestly just hope the game does get that rumored, fabled remake because if this game had some much needed quality of life improvements to the gameplay and kept EVERYTHING else the EXACT same (Knowing modern Nintendo they'll censor the hell out of the story, but one can hope that doesn't happen), it truly would be the absolute best and perfect Fire Emblem game.
I have such a massive love/hate relationship with Genealogy. This is a game that I respect the hell out of and appreciate as a piece of art for how boldly it tackles some of the darkest subject matter I've seen in any game and how revolutionary and important to the series it was for being the first to implement many future staple mechanics (Like the iconic Weapons Triangle) more so than I actually have fun while playing it.
To me, whether or not a game is 'fun' is the most important thing at the end of the day and since 'fun' is such a subjective term it can come in various ways to various people. Some find fun in just experiencing a great story, others want engaging gameplay etc. For me I'd prefer both, but I won't lie when I say that if the story in this game wasn't as good as it is, I would've quit long before the point I'm at now because I just don't find the gameplay fun in the slightest. I did when I first started, but it has vastly worn out its welcome.
The gameplay is marred by insanely archaic and cryptic choices. You have to place certain units in certain spots on the map to get secret items that are very important, the recruitment conditions for a lot of units are very confusing and to say I would be lost if I wasn't using a guide is an understatement. The game is damn near unplayable without one and you should take this statement from me very seriously because I hate using guides for games, I don't even do it with Trails and people always complain about that series being cryptic and archaic as well (It's nowhere near as much so as this game)
However the worst part of all is the fucking map design.
These maps are MASSIVE, ridiculously so. Every map is like a whole damn continent where you have multiple objectives to clear and a single chapter in this game would be the equivalent to like 3-4 chapters in any normal FE title and while I respect what they're going for and how it helps enhance the world-building with gameplay and plot cohesion and it really gives you that feeling of a massive war that went on for years, that was the priority when designing them, making them fun was not and it is obvious because simply put it just IS NOT FUN. Am I supposed to like taking 5 turns just to get to the bulk of the map? Am I supposed to enjoy waiting over and over while I move all my units from one end of the map to the next? Who thought it was a good idea to give this game forest and sand terrain that hinders movement to like 2-3 spaces despite it already taking like an hour just to move all my units across the map without that movement hinderance and in doing so making the pacing of the game even slower than it already is?
Plus I'll be honest, I am no casual or new to the tactical RPG genre, but this game is one of the hardest ones I've ever played, the RNG rates are just downright not fair at times and I can't tell you how many times I've had to re-load to save units because they miss both their attacks at like 80% hit chance and get hit by a unit that has a 2% crit chance and just die instantly. It makes the game super tense, I'll give it that, but it certainly isn't fun having to constantly re-load and figure out the 1 proper combination of moves to make sure all my units stay alive. Ngl, the game would be damn near unplayable without emulated save states as well.
With all this said, I still adore the game, I really truly do. The narrative, the characters, the world-building, the music, the grand stakes and sense of tension and atmosphere this game gives, the art direction and sprite work. It's all perfect, no exaggeration. This is legit one of the best political/war drama stories I've ever seen in a game and maybe in the top 10 stories I've experienced in a game in general, insanely impressive for a game that came out in 1996. I see where 3H took a lot of influence from this story, but honestly 3H wishes it was this well written and deep. To me Genealogy is what happens when you take the generational storytelling of something like Jojo's Bizarre Adventure (Hell Sigurd is very similar to Johnathan Joestar in personality as well and his nemesis feels like a mix between Dio and Griffith from Berserk) and mix it with the dark fantasy political style of A Song of Ice and Fire. It's a story that will stick with me for years to come and I have not even reached the conclusion to it yet.
I honestly just hope the game does get that rumored, fabled remake because if this game had some much needed quality of life improvements to the gameplay and kept EVERYTHING else the EXACT same (Knowing modern Nintendo they'll censor the hell out of the story, but one can hope that doesn't happen), it truly would be the absolute best and perfect Fire Emblem game.
2007
Such a crazy fever dream of a game. A Fire Emblem styled tactical RPG that is set in an alternate historical WWII setting drenched in the occult with werewolves, vampires, dragons and even featuring real life war figures and Hitler himself as the main villain? Seriously, what kind of drugs was the writer on when they came up with this? Sounds like the most ridiculous 80s action B-movie ever. The gameplay is pretty unbalanced, but I still remember having a lot of fun with it back in the day and the game just has too many unique and cool things about it for me to dislike it. Truly nothing else out there like it from a thematic point of view. Leaving this trapped on the 360 is a crime.
2023
Wanted: Dead is a great game and I'll die on that hill, it's just super fun and entertaining above all else. I won't pretend the game isn't rough around the edges and the gameplay isn't pretty janky because it is for sure and there's no denying that, but many miss the fact that is also kinda the point considering the game is trying to emulate the sixth gen of consoles (in every way, even the ones most would consider outdated) where a lot of the games were exactly that, rough around the edges and janky though there's also so much creativity, charm and passion put into every inch of the product that it is simply impossible for me to not love it.
I will tolerate no slander or hate against the devs and especially the creative director and writer Sergei Kolobashkin because he never lied nor did he ever give false promises and the game is exactly what he said it would be. A passionate love letter to the sixth gen of consoles back when devs weren't afraid to do different and unique things and put out games that simply weren't going to be for everyone and wouldn't get critical praise, but they put these games out because they had a vision and they wanted to make it a reality. That's exactly what Wanted: Dead is for better or for worse because I have never played anything else quite like Wanted: Dead which reminds me heavily of many things like Deadly Premonition, Ninja Gaiden, Yakuza, Metal Gear Rising and basically anything with Suda51's name attached to it all rolled into one insane hybrid fever dream of a game.
Wanted: Dead is unapologetic about its influences down to its core and everything from the unique blend of gory, flashy melee hack and slash and 3rd person cover shooter combat (Which just gets better the more you play as you unlock more skills and abilities) to the over-the-top and slightly convoluted B-movie plot about a group of former war-criminal inmates who get a second chance at freedom and become an elite team of police officers that also happen to get tangled up into a corporate conspiracy complete with eccentric archetypal characters (Like the loose canon katana wielding badass cop who plays by her own rules Hannah Stone, the awkward pop culture referencing, cat loving genius gunsmith Viviane or the ramen connoisseur and ladies man Herzog) and influenced by Hong Kong action cinema and 80s/90s Cyberpunk anime like Ghost in the Shell or the purposefully amateurish voice acting done by the devs themselves, the awkwardly lip-synched cut-scenes, self-aware goofy dialogue, weird mini-games and especially the linear to a fault level design and punishing difficulty with checkpoints few and far between (I would go as far to say that your enjoyment of the game could hinge upon how good you are at action games with nuanced controls) was all deliberately added to further fully encapsulate that PS2 era charm in every way possible.
Wanted: Dead feels like a long-lost classic PS2 game in the best (and some of the worst) ways possible and while that isn't going to be for everyone, hell it won't even be for most people, but I personally adore it and respect the creator for sticking entirely to their creative vision and simply putting out a game for no other reason than it was something they were passionate about and wanted to release for the ones who will enjoy and truly "get" it and for the ones that do "get" it, you'll get an incredible retro throwback to a time when games weren't afraid to just be weird and fun.
P.S. I can already tell that much like games such as Deadly Premonition, NieR, God Hand, Killer7 or Killer is Dead this is the epitome of a truly misunderstood gem of a game that will be heralded as a cult classic 5 or 10 years from now, but for now it has already reached that status for me.
I will tolerate no slander or hate against the devs and especially the creative director and writer Sergei Kolobashkin because he never lied nor did he ever give false promises and the game is exactly what he said it would be. A passionate love letter to the sixth gen of consoles back when devs weren't afraid to do different and unique things and put out games that simply weren't going to be for everyone and wouldn't get critical praise, but they put these games out because they had a vision and they wanted to make it a reality. That's exactly what Wanted: Dead is for better or for worse because I have never played anything else quite like Wanted: Dead which reminds me heavily of many things like Deadly Premonition, Ninja Gaiden, Yakuza, Metal Gear Rising and basically anything with Suda51's name attached to it all rolled into one insane hybrid fever dream of a game.
Wanted: Dead is unapologetic about its influences down to its core and everything from the unique blend of gory, flashy melee hack and slash and 3rd person cover shooter combat (Which just gets better the more you play as you unlock more skills and abilities) to the over-the-top and slightly convoluted B-movie plot about a group of former war-criminal inmates who get a second chance at freedom and become an elite team of police officers that also happen to get tangled up into a corporate conspiracy complete with eccentric archetypal characters (Like the loose canon katana wielding badass cop who plays by her own rules Hannah Stone, the awkward pop culture referencing, cat loving genius gunsmith Viviane or the ramen connoisseur and ladies man Herzog) and influenced by Hong Kong action cinema and 80s/90s Cyberpunk anime like Ghost in the Shell or the purposefully amateurish voice acting done by the devs themselves, the awkwardly lip-synched cut-scenes, self-aware goofy dialogue, weird mini-games and especially the linear to a fault level design and punishing difficulty with checkpoints few and far between (I would go as far to say that your enjoyment of the game could hinge upon how good you are at action games with nuanced controls) was all deliberately added to further fully encapsulate that PS2 era charm in every way possible.
Wanted: Dead feels like a long-lost classic PS2 game in the best (and some of the worst) ways possible and while that isn't going to be for everyone, hell it won't even be for most people, but I personally adore it and respect the creator for sticking entirely to their creative vision and simply putting out a game for no other reason than it was something they were passionate about and wanted to release for the ones who will enjoy and truly "get" it and for the ones that do "get" it, you'll get an incredible retro throwback to a time when games weren't afraid to just be weird and fun.
P.S. I can already tell that much like games such as Deadly Premonition, NieR, God Hand, Killer7 or Killer is Dead this is the epitome of a truly misunderstood gem of a game that will be heralded as a cult classic 5 or 10 years from now, but for now it has already reached that status for me.
2023
Engage is one of the best anniversary projects I've ever seen and a truly beautifully passionate love letter to Fire Emblem. Engage feels like a modern take on a game I would've played on the GBA back in the day and I mean that in the best way possible.
Sure I could talk about how it is a return to form for the series with the combat system being much more of the focus instead of the social elements, but so many people have talked about that so there's no point, but don't get me wrong though, the combat is incredible (Arguably the best it has ever been thanks to the additions of the Emblems, the Break mechanic and the triumphant return of the iconic Weapons Triangle) I could also talk in depth about how much more enjoyable the map designs are compared to other recent entries. However those are not the reasons I love the game as much as I do, no that is because of the story which seems to be an unpopular opinion, but I thought the story was thoroughly incredible despite what people say.
Engage's story is best described as a Tokusatu styled 90s shounen anime all about how nothing is impossible with the power of your friends and family by your side. Yeah it's simplistic and dated and more 'childish' and nowhere near as dark or mature (Though there certainly are some dark and emotional moments), but not every story has to be a gritty war epic about the nature of morality so Redditors can have 200+ comment chain political arguments about who is 'right' just to validate their own personal beliefs to be a good story. Honestly sometimes you just want a feel good, wholesome story about the unbreakable bonds of friendship and family and that's exactly what Engage excels at and the fact the cast of characters are just a bunch of eccentric goofballs and they have fantastic chemistry with each other certainly helps as well.
Engage is so ridiculously cheesy, but genuinely earnest and passionate about its message that it is just as endearing as it is cheesy. I cried multiple times and I teared up even more, not even because I was sad most of the times, but because I was just so happy and constantly smiling ear to ear while playing.
Everything about Engage from the cheesy opening anime theme song to the literal Super Sentai roll call in preparation for the final boss battle just gave me this massive nostalgic feeling like I was a kid again watching Power Rangers before school or 4Kids anime on Saturdays. As a game by itself it is still very good, but as an anniversary title and celebration of the series as a whole, it is truly a work of art.
Sure I could talk about how it is a return to form for the series with the combat system being much more of the focus instead of the social elements, but so many people have talked about that so there's no point, but don't get me wrong though, the combat is incredible (Arguably the best it has ever been thanks to the additions of the Emblems, the Break mechanic and the triumphant return of the iconic Weapons Triangle) I could also talk in depth about how much more enjoyable the map designs are compared to other recent entries. However those are not the reasons I love the game as much as I do, no that is because of the story which seems to be an unpopular opinion, but I thought the story was thoroughly incredible despite what people say.
Engage's story is best described as a Tokusatu styled 90s shounen anime all about how nothing is impossible with the power of your friends and family by your side. Yeah it's simplistic and dated and more 'childish' and nowhere near as dark or mature (Though there certainly are some dark and emotional moments), but not every story has to be a gritty war epic about the nature of morality so Redditors can have 200+ comment chain political arguments about who is 'right' just to validate their own personal beliefs to be a good story. Honestly sometimes you just want a feel good, wholesome story about the unbreakable bonds of friendship and family and that's exactly what Engage excels at and the fact the cast of characters are just a bunch of eccentric goofballs and they have fantastic chemistry with each other certainly helps as well.
Engage is so ridiculously cheesy, but genuinely earnest and passionate about its message that it is just as endearing as it is cheesy. I cried multiple times and I teared up even more, not even because I was sad most of the times, but because I was just so happy and constantly smiling ear to ear while playing.
Everything about Engage from the cheesy opening anime theme song to the literal Super Sentai roll call in preparation for the final boss battle just gave me this massive nostalgic feeling like I was a kid again watching Power Rangers before school or 4Kids anime on Saturdays. As a game by itself it is still very good, but as an anniversary title and celebration of the series as a whole, it is truly a work of art.
2023
I might edit this and go more in-depth and detailed when I finish the game, but this is after about 25 hours of gameplay time and over halfway through the main story so I feel pretty confident in my opinions on the game right now.
The more I play Engage, the more I enjoy it and I honestly just don't understand the hate at all, this is not even close to being the worst FE title let alone the worst game ever in general. Even the story is nowhere near as bad or offensive as people make it out to be, it's just very dated and simplistic.
If you can get past the extremely flamboyant, V-tuber, modern anime character designs (Personally I like a lot of them as they're very vibrant and colorful, but I get why they're not everyone's cup of tea), this is the most "classic" feeling Fire Emblem game post-Awakening with the most polished and arguably the best gameplay the series has ever had.
I'm very happy to see the iconic weapons triangle return and I love the new additions with the break and smash mechanics and of course the whole gimmick of Engaging with Emblems which you'd think would be overly OP, but since the entire game was designed around it and even enemies can Engage as well it is pretty well balanced and the game will really give you a challenge even on normal, but the one thing I honestly do miss is weapon durability.
I think a lot of the disappointment just comes from people who were expecting this game to be like 3H and don't get me wrong, I love 3H, it's great in its own way, but it is a Persona game in disguise with a Langrisser combat system. Nearly nothing about that game feels like Fire Emblem. It was a cool experiment, but I wouldn't want every future Fire Emblem to be like that and I'm very happy Engage actually feels like a real Fire Emblem game.
Engage feels like a true love letter to the series past (Which makes sense considering it is an anniversary title), I especially see so much influence and inspiration from the GBA titles everything from the animations to the over-world map making a return to the stripped down and more simplistic support events (Note: Most of the characters don't have a lot of depth, but I still find them likable and charming enough, however Alear is the best protagonist Fire Emblem has had in years) and even the very old-school 90s-like narrative with a classic tale of good vs evil, a band of heroes traveling around various kingdoms to collect magical artifacts to stop an evil dragon complete with a very campy 4Kids sounding Saturday morning cartoon dub and that really makes me feel nostalgic.
Also want to mention how much I love the side mission Paralogues which let you re-live iconic battles and maps from the classic games even with remixes of that game's music as well.
I also want to say that I am not a fan of the Somniel. Glad they cut down the Monastery-like content (Despite actually enjoying it in 3H for the most part), but I would've been happier if they removed it all together because while raising the Guardian Spirit, adopting animals, working out and eating meals with your friends are all cute side activities they feel like inconsequential fluff that could easily be skipped entirely if you wanted to and I think it was developed like that on purpose due to the criticisms of many people saying the Monastery parts of Three Houses went on for too long. The main thing that your base offers which is mandatory is the shops and smithy where you can buy new equipment and upgrade it.
One last thing to note, the animations and cut-scenes are very smooth and look better than ever thanks to the improved graphical fidelity and I haven't had a problem with the performance overall yet which is a miracle considering most newer games run horribly on the Switch.
Overall if you got into the series with 3H or 3H is your favorite in the series you'll probably be disappointed because Engage is nothing like it and in a way kind of dated, but if you've been a long-time fan and prefer old-school FE compared to the more modern titles I think you'll be pleasantly surprised and satisfied with Engage.
The more I play Engage, the more I enjoy it and I honestly just don't understand the hate at all, this is not even close to being the worst FE title let alone the worst game ever in general. Even the story is nowhere near as bad or offensive as people make it out to be, it's just very dated and simplistic.
If you can get past the extremely flamboyant, V-tuber, modern anime character designs (Personally I like a lot of them as they're very vibrant and colorful, but I get why they're not everyone's cup of tea), this is the most "classic" feeling Fire Emblem game post-Awakening with the most polished and arguably the best gameplay the series has ever had.
I'm very happy to see the iconic weapons triangle return and I love the new additions with the break and smash mechanics and of course the whole gimmick of Engaging with Emblems which you'd think would be overly OP, but since the entire game was designed around it and even enemies can Engage as well it is pretty well balanced and the game will really give you a challenge even on normal, but the one thing I honestly do miss is weapon durability.
I think a lot of the disappointment just comes from people who were expecting this game to be like 3H and don't get me wrong, I love 3H, it's great in its own way, but it is a Persona game in disguise with a Langrisser combat system. Nearly nothing about that game feels like Fire Emblem. It was a cool experiment, but I wouldn't want every future Fire Emblem to be like that and I'm very happy Engage actually feels like a real Fire Emblem game.
Engage feels like a true love letter to the series past (Which makes sense considering it is an anniversary title), I especially see so much influence and inspiration from the GBA titles everything from the animations to the over-world map making a return to the stripped down and more simplistic support events (Note: Most of the characters don't have a lot of depth, but I still find them likable and charming enough, however Alear is the best protagonist Fire Emblem has had in years) and even the very old-school 90s-like narrative with a classic tale of good vs evil, a band of heroes traveling around various kingdoms to collect magical artifacts to stop an evil dragon complete with a very campy 4Kids sounding Saturday morning cartoon dub and that really makes me feel nostalgic.
Also want to mention how much I love the side mission Paralogues which let you re-live iconic battles and maps from the classic games even with remixes of that game's music as well.
I also want to say that I am not a fan of the Somniel. Glad they cut down the Monastery-like content (Despite actually enjoying it in 3H for the most part), but I would've been happier if they removed it all together because while raising the Guardian Spirit, adopting animals, working out and eating meals with your friends are all cute side activities they feel like inconsequential fluff that could easily be skipped entirely if you wanted to and I think it was developed like that on purpose due to the criticisms of many people saying the Monastery parts of Three Houses went on for too long. The main thing that your base offers which is mandatory is the shops and smithy where you can buy new equipment and upgrade it.
One last thing to note, the animations and cut-scenes are very smooth and look better than ever thanks to the improved graphical fidelity and I haven't had a problem with the performance overall yet which is a miracle considering most newer games run horribly on the Switch.
Overall if you got into the series with 3H or 3H is your favorite in the series you'll probably be disappointed because Engage is nothing like it and in a way kind of dated, but if you've been a long-time fan and prefer old-school FE compared to the more modern titles I think you'll be pleasantly surprised and satisfied with Engage.