Detectivefail
22007 Reviews liked by Detectivefail
Probably the first NFS game I would actually consider playable.
They've finally fixed the handling. Handbrake won't send your car spinning anymore, but the collision model is still horrendous, so hitting your opponent will. There is this weird auto-correction thing going on, where every time you turn a little, your car returns to the forward direction, but that doesn't affect the gameplay much.
Visually I found the game kinda boring, there's only a couple of pretty-looking tracks. And the PC version strangely looks like an emulated PS1 version. Even on the max settings there is pop-in and that weird deformation of textures and models that you usually see in PS1 games. The music was pretty decent, but kinda forgettable.
I like how much customization you have in almost every aspect of the game. You can tweak your car's stats and handling, radically change the HUD, select the class of the cars in the race and even alter some of the track's settings. There is now an option for precipitation, and the night mode actually feels like night now, although there are still little to no streetlights, making the more urban areas look like ghost-towns. In fact I kinda hated the night-mode, it's like driving in near-complete darkness.
The one thing that prevented me from enjoying this game the most was the absolutely insane difficulty. I could not beat the first track in the tournament even on the beginner setting. The only way I was able to start winning was by playing the Single Race mode and selecting a Class A car for myself and Class C cars for opponents. But even then you gotta make little to no mistakes, as the game is unforgiving.
I would say its sequel, Hot Pursuit 2, is an improvement in pretty much every way, rendering the original obsolete. There is literally nothing here that HP2 doesn't do better.
They've finally fixed the handling. Handbrake won't send your car spinning anymore, but the collision model is still horrendous, so hitting your opponent will. There is this weird auto-correction thing going on, where every time you turn a little, your car returns to the forward direction, but that doesn't affect the gameplay much.
Visually I found the game kinda boring, there's only a couple of pretty-looking tracks. And the PC version strangely looks like an emulated PS1 version. Even on the max settings there is pop-in and that weird deformation of textures and models that you usually see in PS1 games. The music was pretty decent, but kinda forgettable.
I like how much customization you have in almost every aspect of the game. You can tweak your car's stats and handling, radically change the HUD, select the class of the cars in the race and even alter some of the track's settings. There is now an option for precipitation, and the night mode actually feels like night now, although there are still little to no streetlights, making the more urban areas look like ghost-towns. In fact I kinda hated the night-mode, it's like driving in near-complete darkness.
The one thing that prevented me from enjoying this game the most was the absolutely insane difficulty. I could not beat the first track in the tournament even on the beginner setting. The only way I was able to start winning was by playing the Single Race mode and selecting a Class A car for myself and Class C cars for opponents. But even then you gotta make little to no mistakes, as the game is unforgiving.
I would say its sequel, Hot Pursuit 2, is an improvement in pretty much every way, rendering the original obsolete. There is literally nothing here that HP2 doesn't do better.
MMORPG is the genre that requires a strong commitment and a lot of time investment. For this purpose I feel like anything that isn't the greatest MMO of all time in your eyes should not be played for more than 20 hours. I played this for 15.5 hours (that's not counting my first brief attempt years ago), and I wanted to give it a few more before finalizing my thoughts on this. I already knew I wasn't gonna commit to it, but the few additional hours would help me reaffirm myself in my convictions. Unfortunately, due to my hard drive failure last month and my subsequent distro-hopping, I had to reinstall this game thrice. And the last two times it would randomly start redownloading itself, with the first time being after it was installed, and the second time after reaching 80%. The game is 46GB in size, and my internet speed is 3Mbps. So I finally decided it's not worth the trouble just to reaffirm my thoughts on the game I am already planning to abandon.
This game had quite a challenge. Not only did it have to blend the KotOR gameplay with the MMO genre, but also somehow be a sequel to both KotOR 1 and 2, which are tonally and narratively very different games. I kinda feel that it failed at both tasks, though it's not a catastrophic failure.
Story-wise it resembles KotOR 1 much more than 2, which is a good thing in my book. I feel that the KotOR 1 tone and style of storytelling is much more fitting for an MMO anyway, as MMO's goal is to create a living and breathing world, not to convey some agenda or an overarching message. And I genuinely liked the story for how much I played through it, even though I never finished it.
The problem is how that story and the story-driven gameplay fits into the gameplay systems. And it kinda doesn't at all. I was impressed with how more than one person can participate in a conversation, but that's about the only feature that arises from the marriage of KotOR and the MMO design. Most of the time in this game you're practically playing a single-player game with some hub areas. And yet, if judged as a single-player game, it has terrible quest design (which is common, but forgivable in MMOs). The world itself, which I consider to be the most important aspect of this genre, feels very artificial and lacks interactivity. Which isn't helped by its WoW-like linearity.
Finally I want to comment on the art-style, which I consider to be an important part of any MMO, as it can make or break immersion. And here I really don't like it. It has this mobile-game cartoony aesthetic, and I just don't get why. As a sequel to KotOR 1 and 2, why does it differ so radically? This makes me not want to explore the worlds, as they all look cheap and plastic to me.
All this comes together in a Frankenstein monster of a game, different parts of which don't come together in a natural form. Rather it kinda fails as both a KotOR game and a Star Wars MMO. That being said, it is still a decent experience, as long as you're willing to invest huge amounts of time into something flawed. I am not.
This game had quite a challenge. Not only did it have to blend the KotOR gameplay with the MMO genre, but also somehow be a sequel to both KotOR 1 and 2, which are tonally and narratively very different games. I kinda feel that it failed at both tasks, though it's not a catastrophic failure.
Story-wise it resembles KotOR 1 much more than 2, which is a good thing in my book. I feel that the KotOR 1 tone and style of storytelling is much more fitting for an MMO anyway, as MMO's goal is to create a living and breathing world, not to convey some agenda or an overarching message. And I genuinely liked the story for how much I played through it, even though I never finished it.
The problem is how that story and the story-driven gameplay fits into the gameplay systems. And it kinda doesn't at all. I was impressed with how more than one person can participate in a conversation, but that's about the only feature that arises from the marriage of KotOR and the MMO design. Most of the time in this game you're practically playing a single-player game with some hub areas. And yet, if judged as a single-player game, it has terrible quest design (which is common, but forgivable in MMOs). The world itself, which I consider to be the most important aspect of this genre, feels very artificial and lacks interactivity. Which isn't helped by its WoW-like linearity.
Finally I want to comment on the art-style, which I consider to be an important part of any MMO, as it can make or break immersion. And here I really don't like it. It has this mobile-game cartoony aesthetic, and I just don't get why. As a sequel to KotOR 1 and 2, why does it differ so radically? This makes me not want to explore the worlds, as they all look cheap and plastic to me.
All this comes together in a Frankenstein monster of a game, different parts of which don't come together in a natural form. Rather it kinda fails as both a KotOR game and a Star Wars MMO. That being said, it is still a decent experience, as long as you're willing to invest huge amounts of time into something flawed. I am not.
Fascinating to experience for the historical value, this is the next step of RTS design after Dune 2. You can actually select multiple units (as much as four!) and there are two resources to manage. Although there are two campaigns, they are basically parallels of each other - you will play the same maps, just starting on opposite sides. What surprised me is the amount of missions where you can't build anything and have to complete the objective with the units given to you - this is common practice for later games in the genre, but for one released in 1994 I was expecting every map to be a base construction affair. If you're willing to get used to the ancient interface, there is fun to be had in following the simple but effective plot and overcoming entrenched opponents. With regard to balance, this game does not succeed - humans are simply more powerful with the ability to heal units, and indeed the sheer number of healers will be your primary obstacle in the Orc campaign. However, I did find the Orc units undeniably more charming. Charm is, to be sure, the primary currency of this game - the sprites are colorful and units bursting with personality, at least until you're sick of the repetitive voice lines. There is a spark of greatness here, one that is worth uncovering for fans of the genre. Just get used to holding that CTRL key.
Results:
- finished both campaigns
Results:
- finished both campaigns
Cyberpunk 2077
2020
As someone who wasn’t anticipating this release since 2012, and as a massive fan of everything they pulled from in the genre from Strange Days to Akira, I actually quite enjoyed my time cruising around Night City with this memorable cast of characters. That’s not to say twists in this weren’t predictable most of the time or that aspects of this game aren’t still janky as fuck. What sticks out like a sore thumb really foes BECAUSE the rest of this world breathes with such life and vibrancy and seediness.
An aesthetic masterclass on top of an ok shooter. I much preferred playing with quick hacks most of the time, and as someone who sucks at most FPS games I was happy sticking to the shotguns and light machine guns that tore through enemies like butter. You get exponentially stronger very early on if you just explore and do any of the side content, that I found most of the main game to be pretty easy breezy. The opening missions however I did find heavier enemies pretty threatening, but as you unlock skill trees that vulnerable feeling vanishes entirely. When I can double-jump over enemies to chop their limbs off from behind or dismantle their team with all the hacking skills I wanted out of a Watch Dogs game, I’m not particularly challenged but it feels cool as hell.
Still, the story managed to get me invested enough to really care when it came to the climax and I really felt the relationships I had built up between the characters, while somewhat shallow, paid off in a way I found really satisfying. Loved how you can’t really get an ending that’s not bittersweet in some way. V’s male voice actor kinda sounds like an east coast caricature and that never really changes, but the rest of the voice cast is pretty great. I didn’t max out any build completely because I felt more than equipped to beat the game, and I’m not sure if I’ll return to night city because, much like the V I ended the game with, it’s like I already got all the city had to offer me. Maybe I’ll return there someday down the road…
An aesthetic masterclass on top of an ok shooter. I much preferred playing with quick hacks most of the time, and as someone who sucks at most FPS games I was happy sticking to the shotguns and light machine guns that tore through enemies like butter. You get exponentially stronger very early on if you just explore and do any of the side content, that I found most of the main game to be pretty easy breezy. The opening missions however I did find heavier enemies pretty threatening, but as you unlock skill trees that vulnerable feeling vanishes entirely. When I can double-jump over enemies to chop their limbs off from behind or dismantle their team with all the hacking skills I wanted out of a Watch Dogs game, I’m not particularly challenged but it feels cool as hell.
Still, the story managed to get me invested enough to really care when it came to the climax and I really felt the relationships I had built up between the characters, while somewhat shallow, paid off in a way I found really satisfying. Loved how you can’t really get an ending that’s not bittersweet in some way. V’s male voice actor kinda sounds like an east coast caricature and that never really changes, but the rest of the voice cast is pretty great. I didn’t max out any build completely because I felt more than equipped to beat the game, and I’m not sure if I’ll return to night city because, much like the V I ended the game with, it’s like I already got all the city had to offer me. Maybe I’ll return there someday down the road…
Witchy Life Story
2022
The plot
You are a witch and you have a job to go to some village and help with a harvest festival. There you meet 6 characters who play a serious part in creating the festival. Each one of them has some problem that you help with for a duration of 2 weeks. I want to say there's more, but that's it, everything else is not significant.
Your character and your choices
I really liked the customisation! First of all, I like the style and that there are a lot of fun and pretty clothes. And the hats! There are so many nice hats, aww, I want to wear everything from this wardrobe. The only bad thing I can say about clothes is that there are not that many masc options. For me personally it was not a problem, because I always make my characters very femme, but if you want to create someone more masculine, you'll probably end up disappointed.
In terms of an actual character you won't be able to express yourself. The choices are shallow and don't influence the ending at all. The only thing they influence is romance — sometimes you'll see an option with a heart symbol. If you always choose them, you can go out on a date in your ending.
The main problem with the main character is they are always annoying and unnecessarily rude. I get that it's part of the plot, and in the second part of the game they change and become friendlier. But it's just so hard and boring to read, ugh.
Your quests and your new friends
Almost every day you'll receive a few letters where your new acquaintances explain their problems and ask for help. You buy stuff you need, tend your garden, and collect flowers to make a potion, incense, etc. Every flower is associated with a planet, theme, and a color, and you'll have to choose your ingredients based on that. It might sound difficult, but in reality the game creates recipes for you, you simply need to follow instructions. The mechanics are so easy, they become boring very fast.
After that you deliver the orders to your clients. Of course, usually you also spend some time with them. The dialogues are okay, nothing special, because the characters are pretty dull.
Looks and sounds
These are perfect in every way possible. I want to praise the people who drew everything in the game because I was looking at every piece of art with freaking heart eyes. People, the garden, the village, tarot cards, potions! Potions are especially pretty... Just look at the screenshots, you'll get what I mean.
Random stuff I want to mention
❤️ 1. You can customize your altar. I've never known I needed this this hard! You can choose the crystals, the flowers, the tarot cards. There is not much need in that, but I loved this anyway.
❤️ 2. There is a tarot-spread option. Cool!
❤️ 3. Closer to the end the main character educates their friends on some practices which are good for your mental health.
💔 1. Autosave only. Why?? It's very uncomfortable if you want to replay the game from a certain point. You messed up with some orders and don't want to get a bad ending? You'll probably need to start a new game.
💔 2. Strongly connected to my previous point, but I want to talk about this separately. You want to collect all of the achievements? You will have to replay the game at least SEVEN times. You will have to do the same orders again and again, skip the meaningless dialogue again and again, tend to your garden again and again. This is just cruel, guys.
I'm a person who likes to collect all of the achievements, and I spent so so much extra time collecting them in this game. I'm not new here, I've even tried messing with save files to load the one I need manually. Couldn't do it, unfortunately.
Steam Deck
Works perfectly fine. In the beginning you'll have to use keyboard to enter your name and then to press some button during the tutorial. Other than that you can use touchpad or customize the layout, as I did. I also liked to use the screen and simply tap the stuff I need, it was easier that way.
Conclusion
If you still want to play this, probably wait for a sale. And if you're a achievement hunter, be ready for some pain as you'll become close acquaintances very fast.
You are a witch and you have a job to go to some village and help with a harvest festival. There you meet 6 characters who play a serious part in creating the festival. Each one of them has some problem that you help with for a duration of 2 weeks. I want to say there's more, but that's it, everything else is not significant.
Your character and your choices
I really liked the customisation! First of all, I like the style and that there are a lot of fun and pretty clothes. And the hats! There are so many nice hats, aww, I want to wear everything from this wardrobe. The only bad thing I can say about clothes is that there are not that many masc options. For me personally it was not a problem, because I always make my characters very femme, but if you want to create someone more masculine, you'll probably end up disappointed.
In terms of an actual character you won't be able to express yourself. The choices are shallow and don't influence the ending at all. The only thing they influence is romance — sometimes you'll see an option with a heart symbol. If you always choose them, you can go out on a date in your ending.
The main problem with the main character is they are always annoying and unnecessarily rude. I get that it's part of the plot, and in the second part of the game they change and become friendlier. But it's just so hard and boring to read, ugh.
Your quests and your new friends
Almost every day you'll receive a few letters where your new acquaintances explain their problems and ask for help. You buy stuff you need, tend your garden, and collect flowers to make a potion, incense, etc. Every flower is associated with a planet, theme, and a color, and you'll have to choose your ingredients based on that. It might sound difficult, but in reality the game creates recipes for you, you simply need to follow instructions. The mechanics are so easy, they become boring very fast.
After that you deliver the orders to your clients. Of course, usually you also spend some time with them. The dialogues are okay, nothing special, because the characters are pretty dull.
Looks and sounds
These are perfect in every way possible. I want to praise the people who drew everything in the game because I was looking at every piece of art with freaking heart eyes. People, the garden, the village, tarot cards, potions! Potions are especially pretty... Just look at the screenshots, you'll get what I mean.
Random stuff I want to mention
❤️ 1. You can customize your altar. I've never known I needed this this hard! You can choose the crystals, the flowers, the tarot cards. There is not much need in that, but I loved this anyway.
❤️ 2. There is a tarot-spread option. Cool!
❤️ 3. Closer to the end the main character educates their friends on some practices which are good for your mental health.
💔 1. Autosave only. Why?? It's very uncomfortable if you want to replay the game from a certain point. You messed up with some orders and don't want to get a bad ending? You'll probably need to start a new game.
💔 2. Strongly connected to my previous point, but I want to talk about this separately. You want to collect all of the achievements? You will have to replay the game at least SEVEN times. You will have to do the same orders again and again, skip the meaningless dialogue again and again, tend to your garden again and again. This is just cruel, guys.
I'm a person who likes to collect all of the achievements, and I spent so so much extra time collecting them in this game. I'm not new here, I've even tried messing with save files to load the one I need manually. Couldn't do it, unfortunately.
Steam Deck
Works perfectly fine. In the beginning you'll have to use keyboard to enter your name and then to press some button during the tutorial. Other than that you can use touchpad or customize the layout, as I did. I also liked to use the screen and simply tap the stuff I need, it was easier that way.
Conclusion
If you still want to play this, probably wait for a sale. And if you're a achievement hunter, be ready for some pain as you'll become close acquaintances very fast.
Fire Emblem Engage
2023
Finally pushed through and finished this one after months of putting it off. Engage is a great game, don't get me wrong. This game had a chokehold on me for the first half of it but as it went on, the story got way too unnecessarily ambitious. There were way too many twists and turns that it turned into something I didn't care to be invested in by the end. That being said, the ending was absolutely beautiful and specifically the cutscene with all the emblems right before the final battle. (shoutout to my boyfriend for pulling up the cutscene on youtube when I accidently skipped it). It got me excited for a fight the first time in awhile.
The gameplay was great for the most part. I loved the engage feature, it made fights more fun, finding new and creative ways to take down enemies. The maps were very fun, with terrain effects and gimmicks that made the game not as repetitive.
The characters were enjoyable but compared to the close-knit groups in three houses, they fell short. This game made it a lot harder to achieve A-Support with units that by the end, I was disappointed with the amount of content I wasn't able to see. I can see it being easier if you grind support with a few select characters but me being me, I like to give everyone a chance to participate and Somniel activities and battle (Except Saphir and Lindon, screw them. Literally had to just look up their names, that's how much I don't care about them). A few of these characters became very dear to me, my favorite being Zelkov. Honorable mentions include Pandreo, Amber, Alcryst, Rosado, and Merrin.
As far as units go, this game has some broken characters. I can literally send Merrin off on her own to take out a large group of enemies and she is fine. No one even comes close to even hitting her. A few characters who also are very close to that level of broken are Panette, Kagetsu, Diamont, Yunaka and Timerra. Most of these units can be pretty self-sufficient and were a consistent staple in my army.
I found the game overall enjoyable. It wasn't perfect by any means but it wasn't bad at all. I thought the running sibling theme really worked for a game like this. Maybe it was because I didn't get supports up all the way up but some of the characters didn't even feel like they were close to the characters who were written to be close with other characters. EX: Diamont/Amber, Merrin/Timerra. To me, that just takes away from the close-knit feeling that games like three houses gave me. So perhaps that's why I wasnt as emotionally invested in this story. Some of these characters who are saving the world together felt like absolute strangers. Overall, I'm glad I got to play this game and I'm glad I got to know some of these characters from the franchise that I didn't know about before. For a long time fire emblem fan, I can see this being a great crossover game and a solid stand-alone game with its own story. I usually can tell by the end of a game if its something I'll ever go back to. For this one, I can't tell. Mainly because 'New Game+" isn't an option. If it were, I might be tempted to get support conversations that I wasn't able to get in my first playthrough. But since its not, going back to it feels pointless and starting a new game would feel like a chore. So for now, I'm done with it. It was fun for what it was :)
The gameplay was great for the most part. I loved the engage feature, it made fights more fun, finding new and creative ways to take down enemies. The maps were very fun, with terrain effects and gimmicks that made the game not as repetitive.
The characters were enjoyable but compared to the close-knit groups in three houses, they fell short. This game made it a lot harder to achieve A-Support with units that by the end, I was disappointed with the amount of content I wasn't able to see. I can see it being easier if you grind support with a few select characters but me being me, I like to give everyone a chance to participate and Somniel activities and battle (Except Saphir and Lindon, screw them. Literally had to just look up their names, that's how much I don't care about them). A few of these characters became very dear to me, my favorite being Zelkov. Honorable mentions include Pandreo, Amber, Alcryst, Rosado, and Merrin.
As far as units go, this game has some broken characters. I can literally send Merrin off on her own to take out a large group of enemies and she is fine. No one even comes close to even hitting her. A few characters who also are very close to that level of broken are Panette, Kagetsu, Diamont, Yunaka and Timerra. Most of these units can be pretty self-sufficient and were a consistent staple in my army.
I found the game overall enjoyable. It wasn't perfect by any means but it wasn't bad at all. I thought the running sibling theme really worked for a game like this. Maybe it was because I didn't get supports up all the way up but some of the characters didn't even feel like they were close to the characters who were written to be close with other characters. EX: Diamont/Amber, Merrin/Timerra. To me, that just takes away from the close-knit feeling that games like three houses gave me. So perhaps that's why I wasnt as emotionally invested in this story. Some of these characters who are saving the world together felt like absolute strangers. Overall, I'm glad I got to play this game and I'm glad I got to know some of these characters from the franchise that I didn't know about before. For a long time fire emblem fan, I can see this being a great crossover game and a solid stand-alone game with its own story. I usually can tell by the end of a game if its something I'll ever go back to. For this one, I can't tell. Mainly because 'New Game+" isn't an option. If it were, I might be tempted to get support conversations that I wasn't able to get in my first playthrough. But since its not, going back to it feels pointless and starting a new game would feel like a chore. So for now, I'm done with it. It was fun for what it was :)
[Valve Index]
Pretty much any game developer can tell you that making a title for virtual reality isn't as simple as "hitting the VR button." A lot of work goes into making a VR title—especially one worth actually playing. That makes it all the more annoying that it really does feel like Bethesda just hit the "make it VR" button when porting The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition to VR. Aside from half-baked hand tracking and a custom starting area, very little care was put into making Skyrim an interesting VR game. While it's neat to explore Tamriel in a more immersive way, the game lacks the physicality that VR promises. There's very little in the way of physics interactions—your hands barely interact with the environment, either phasing through people and items or sending them flying erratically. Without collision, melee combat feels like whiffing at the air. Congratulations, you're playing Skyrim again, but this time, you're doing it standing up. To add insult to injury, players are expected to purchase this rush-job separately from the desktop version of Special Edition—which I still don't even own. If they were going to put so little effort into it, it should have been a free update to Special Edition and not a full-price standalone purchase.
As my score suggests, however, not all is lost. I had quite a good time playing Skyrim in virtual reality, but that's despite Bethesda—not thanks to them. If you're willing to spend half a day modding the game and learning how to correctly apply confusing shit like DynDOLOD, Skyrim VR is more than just a salvageable experience—it's one worth getting into. The Elder Scrolls fan community has done an amazing job of making this port worth playing. With a handy guide and a bit of patience on the player's part, it's possible to make the world of Tamriel a beautiful, jaw-dropping experience worth exploring for the visuals alone. The combat and gameplay... well, it's still Skyrim. That said, I feel like the notoriously same-y combat is made a bit more interesting when the swings of your sword, the drawing of your bow, and the casting of your spells are done with your own hands' movements. There's an additional layer of immersion there that makes the combat feel more worthwhile than the one-button-mashing of the desktop version. If you have a headset, an attachment to Skyrim, and some time to burn, I think it's worth trying out the game after modding it. Just... don't buy it. Bethesda could do without the encouragement.
Pretty much any game developer can tell you that making a title for virtual reality isn't as simple as "hitting the VR button." A lot of work goes into making a VR title—especially one worth actually playing. That makes it all the more annoying that it really does feel like Bethesda just hit the "make it VR" button when porting The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition to VR. Aside from half-baked hand tracking and a custom starting area, very little care was put into making Skyrim an interesting VR game. While it's neat to explore Tamriel in a more immersive way, the game lacks the physicality that VR promises. There's very little in the way of physics interactions—your hands barely interact with the environment, either phasing through people and items or sending them flying erratically. Without collision, melee combat feels like whiffing at the air. Congratulations, you're playing Skyrim again, but this time, you're doing it standing up. To add insult to injury, players are expected to purchase this rush-job separately from the desktop version of Special Edition—which I still don't even own. If they were going to put so little effort into it, it should have been a free update to Special Edition and not a full-price standalone purchase.
As my score suggests, however, not all is lost. I had quite a good time playing Skyrim in virtual reality, but that's despite Bethesda—not thanks to them. If you're willing to spend half a day modding the game and learning how to correctly apply confusing shit like DynDOLOD, Skyrim VR is more than just a salvageable experience—it's one worth getting into. The Elder Scrolls fan community has done an amazing job of making this port worth playing. With a handy guide and a bit of patience on the player's part, it's possible to make the world of Tamriel a beautiful, jaw-dropping experience worth exploring for the visuals alone. The combat and gameplay... well, it's still Skyrim. That said, I feel like the notoriously same-y combat is made a bit more interesting when the swings of your sword, the drawing of your bow, and the casting of your spells are done with your own hands' movements. There's an additional layer of immersion there that makes the combat feel more worthwhile than the one-button-mashing of the desktop version. If you have a headset, an attachment to Skyrim, and some time to burn, I think it's worth trying out the game after modding it. Just... don't buy it. Bethesda could do without the encouragement.
Lost Judgment
2021
Anti-Bullying PSA the game.
Lost Judgment did what I was hoping it would do - it took the core foundations of Judgment and improved on them tenfold. The combat feels more refined, with a new style focusing on speed and deflection of attacks, as are the detective moments - it also adds in a few new brief ‘minigame’ like scenarios with stealth and parkour - though, the stealth could have been left out.
The story this time around felt way more realistic and grounded (even if some aspects stick to the standard Yakuza/Like A Dragon over-dramatics) and had me so hooked I barely touched upon the side content - which, I will be completing - centring around murders as a result of bullying in school(s).
The addition of Ijincho as an explorable area really helps to expand more past the typical Kamurocho setting (though, I’m aware it’s yet another repeat location from a Yakuza/Like A Dragon game).
The skateboard as a method of getting around the cities is an absolutely welcomed method making it so much faster to traverse both.
Hands down my favourite Ryu Ga Gotoku studio game to date of which I’ve played and I’m so hoping a third one will be developed.
Lost Judgment did what I was hoping it would do - it took the core foundations of Judgment and improved on them tenfold. The combat feels more refined, with a new style focusing on speed and deflection of attacks, as are the detective moments - it also adds in a few new brief ‘minigame’ like scenarios with stealth and parkour - though, the stealth could have been left out.
The story this time around felt way more realistic and grounded (even if some aspects stick to the standard Yakuza/Like A Dragon over-dramatics) and had me so hooked I barely touched upon the side content - which, I will be completing - centring around murders as a result of bullying in school(s).
The addition of Ijincho as an explorable area really helps to expand more past the typical Kamurocho setting (though, I’m aware it’s yet another repeat location from a Yakuza/Like A Dragon game).
The skateboard as a method of getting around the cities is an absolutely welcomed method making it so much faster to traverse both.
Hands down my favourite Ryu Ga Gotoku studio game to date of which I’ve played and I’m so hoping a third one will be developed.
By now, it’s very common knowledge that Battle Network 2 is universally superior to its predecessor in just about every regard. Technically speaking, we’re dealing with all the same qualifications here, but it’s clear Capcom and co. learned a lot from the rough patches of the first game and sought to improve the experience tenfold. The biggest improvements come from the refined UI of the Battle System and the navigability of the net. The often cryptic directions the game gives you can still be an issue, but the distinct renderings of the various areas within the net make surveying it for some kind of objective far less painful. The improved Battle System manifests in the form of many optimized small changes. Notably, the appearance of chip codes on the select menu itself, a permanent “Run” option from battle, a refined “Add” option which maintains the increased chip amount for the remainder of the battle, and small details such as enemy names being displayed at the start of combat now. Additionally, I felt an increased access to a variety of chips with similar codes being made available, making it easier for the player to optimize their folder and build more synchronous strategies to get through their folder faster in battle. I can’t be certain this is truly the case, but regardless, by the end I had a selection of chips I felt I could suit more to differing playstyles than I think anything in the first game ever managed to offer.
Another new feature which distinguishes the personalization of the combat in Battle Network 2 is the introduction of the Style Change function. Early on, Mega Man is given the ability to change his appearance and abilities based on the playstyle the player has prioritized up until that point. Each style comes with a random element attached which effects the performance of Mega Man’s buster attack. You’re able to collect multiple styles throughout the game, swapping around and leveling up which you enjoy best, or is most suited to your current situation. This is a really great new feature which incentivizes and rewards the player for engaging in combat in different ways, ensuring a unique experience tailored to the individual’s particularities and strengths. The only thing from the first game’s Battle System I could even possibly miss is the full healing you’d get after each encounter. It made slogging through that game’s horrendous dungeon designs less punishing at least. Luckily, they didn’t simply take it away and force you to stuff healing chips into your folder for 2. The addition of Sub Chips as an additional resource you can use outside of combat ensures you can always heal up if you ever get low on health, as well as allowing you to dispel enemy encounters for a while or repeat certain encounters if you’re searching for a particular enemy to fight. Both of these features were continued in the next game as well, proving their significance in further refining the Battle Network experience.
Narratively, Battle Network 2 expands on the scope of the first entry by spreading the conflict across a greater expanse of locales. The world of Battle Network opens up for the first time here, starting with the second dungeon, which takes you out of the familiar location of ACDC Town and Dencity and into the rural scenery of Okuden Valley. This varying of locations is an essential element of the series building upon the strong impressions of a lived-in world established by the first game. It’s important in helping us invest further in the denizens of this world, as we continue to familiarize ourselves not just with the recurring characters, but the places they inhabit and effect, too. It’s especially important for this entry, which aims to amp up the tension of the latest cyber threat by involving multiple other countries in the sweep of its effect. The increasing grandiosity of Battle Network’s story doesn’t necessarily register in full, especially as its central villain remains completely obscured until the game’s very final moments, dumping some hackneyed backstory after the final fight has concluded in order to drum up some kind of contrived purpose for the antagonistic force to perpetuate to begin with. They kind of did this in the first game as well with Dr. Wily’s backstory dump, but he was at least a constant presence in the game with intermittent cutscenes sprinkled throughout. Gospel is a far more nebulous threat, although the opponent Navis are generally superior in both design and combat to the first game’s cast of villains. The various dungeons, much like the vastly-improved net, are far more enjoyable here, with no particular puzzles proving intolerably frustrating. The final scenario before the endgame sees you going on a ludicrous fetch quest back and forth across the net, which alone tests the player’s remaining patience for the game by this point, but everything preceding it is totally reasonable, leaving this one untenable area mostly forgivable.
If the first Battle Network was a promising new IP that reinvented the philosophy of Mega Man, but suffered from poor design elements that constantly hindered the experience of the gameplay itself, then Battle Network 2 is the first complete realization of those innovative conceptions without insanely detrimental flaws. The expansion of the world in tandem with the refinement of the Battle Systems demonstrate incredible progress in the shaping of what elements made the first game so endearing, while the increased customization provided by the Style Change system and increased chip variety ensure a unique experience for every player, and every playthrough. The back half of the game is tainted slightly by an excruciatingly lengthy and tedious backtracking sequence, as well as an ending that narratively carries little weight. Some obtuse solutions persist throughout the early game as well (the invisible item fetch quest in the second scenario immediately springs to mind), as well as a bizarrely offensive depiction of international travel as instinctively predatory, also stand out as frustrating experiences, but by and large the game expands and improves upon the enticing groundwork of the first game. A robust amount of post-game content compels me to further explore the enthralling gameplay of Battle Network 2 now that the main game has reached its conclusion, which itself is all the indication needed to demonstrate how much of a drastic improvement this sequel is over its progenitor.
Another new feature which distinguishes the personalization of the combat in Battle Network 2 is the introduction of the Style Change function. Early on, Mega Man is given the ability to change his appearance and abilities based on the playstyle the player has prioritized up until that point. Each style comes with a random element attached which effects the performance of Mega Man’s buster attack. You’re able to collect multiple styles throughout the game, swapping around and leveling up which you enjoy best, or is most suited to your current situation. This is a really great new feature which incentivizes and rewards the player for engaging in combat in different ways, ensuring a unique experience tailored to the individual’s particularities and strengths. The only thing from the first game’s Battle System I could even possibly miss is the full healing you’d get after each encounter. It made slogging through that game’s horrendous dungeon designs less punishing at least. Luckily, they didn’t simply take it away and force you to stuff healing chips into your folder for 2. The addition of Sub Chips as an additional resource you can use outside of combat ensures you can always heal up if you ever get low on health, as well as allowing you to dispel enemy encounters for a while or repeat certain encounters if you’re searching for a particular enemy to fight. Both of these features were continued in the next game as well, proving their significance in further refining the Battle Network experience.
Narratively, Battle Network 2 expands on the scope of the first entry by spreading the conflict across a greater expanse of locales. The world of Battle Network opens up for the first time here, starting with the second dungeon, which takes you out of the familiar location of ACDC Town and Dencity and into the rural scenery of Okuden Valley. This varying of locations is an essential element of the series building upon the strong impressions of a lived-in world established by the first game. It’s important in helping us invest further in the denizens of this world, as we continue to familiarize ourselves not just with the recurring characters, but the places they inhabit and effect, too. It’s especially important for this entry, which aims to amp up the tension of the latest cyber threat by involving multiple other countries in the sweep of its effect. The increasing grandiosity of Battle Network’s story doesn’t necessarily register in full, especially as its central villain remains completely obscured until the game’s very final moments, dumping some hackneyed backstory after the final fight has concluded in order to drum up some kind of contrived purpose for the antagonistic force to perpetuate to begin with. They kind of did this in the first game as well with Dr. Wily’s backstory dump, but he was at least a constant presence in the game with intermittent cutscenes sprinkled throughout. Gospel is a far more nebulous threat, although the opponent Navis are generally superior in both design and combat to the first game’s cast of villains. The various dungeons, much like the vastly-improved net, are far more enjoyable here, with no particular puzzles proving intolerably frustrating. The final scenario before the endgame sees you going on a ludicrous fetch quest back and forth across the net, which alone tests the player’s remaining patience for the game by this point, but everything preceding it is totally reasonable, leaving this one untenable area mostly forgivable.
If the first Battle Network was a promising new IP that reinvented the philosophy of Mega Man, but suffered from poor design elements that constantly hindered the experience of the gameplay itself, then Battle Network 2 is the first complete realization of those innovative conceptions without insanely detrimental flaws. The expansion of the world in tandem with the refinement of the Battle Systems demonstrate incredible progress in the shaping of what elements made the first game so endearing, while the increased customization provided by the Style Change system and increased chip variety ensure a unique experience for every player, and every playthrough. The back half of the game is tainted slightly by an excruciatingly lengthy and tedious backtracking sequence, as well as an ending that narratively carries little weight. Some obtuse solutions persist throughout the early game as well (the invisible item fetch quest in the second scenario immediately springs to mind), as well as a bizarrely offensive depiction of international travel as instinctively predatory, also stand out as frustrating experiences, but by and large the game expands and improves upon the enticing groundwork of the first game. A robust amount of post-game content compels me to further explore the enthralling gameplay of Battle Network 2 now that the main game has reached its conclusion, which itself is all the indication needed to demonstrate how much of a drastic improvement this sequel is over its progenitor.
Sonic Frontiers
2022
Sonic Frontiers é o mais novo jogo do Sonic, porém, ele não é só mais um jogo qualquer da franquia, é a nova direção da série, sendo tão diferente quanto Adventure e Unleashed, mas será que Sonic Frontiers é um bom jogo mesmo com algumas polêmicas ? A resposta é sim, ele é um ótimo jogo !
O jogo foi anunciado na Sonic Central de Maio de 2021 e desde aquele dia, eu fiquei bastante hypado, mas ao mesmo tempo com medo de ser um "Sonic Forces 2", o que eu estou dizendo com isso é que eu não queria que fosse só um jogo Boost mediano e sim uma revolução dentro da franquia, muito tempo se passou e em junho de 2022 finalmente tivemos uma gameplay, postada no canal da IGN e isso gerou uma baita polêmica na época, eu particularmente tinha gostado bastante do jogo mesmo com aqueles vídeos ruins da IGN, mas a internet ficou bastante decepcionada por causa que além da IGN jogar que nem uma lesma fazendo natação no Sesc, o jogo estava "vazio" e os mundos estavam bem realistas ao estilo Sonic na Unreal Engine, o que estranhou quase todo mundo, depois disso tudo, o jogo foi mais bem recebido pelos fãs, eu sempre estive bastante otimista com esse jogo e não fiquei decepcionado.
Agora falando do jogo mesmo, os gráficos são bastante bonitos, finalmente temos um jogo mais bonito que o Unleashed ? Eu diria que sim, o sistema de dia e noite ficou muito bonito, as Open Zones possuem cenários realistas mas ficaram muito bonitos, mesmo sendo bem diferente dos jogos do Sonic, eu joguei pelo Nintendo Switch e até no Switch o jogo está bastante agradável, não tenho nada a reclamar da versão do Switch, no geral é com certeza bem mais caprichado do que o Forces !
A história é outro ponto alto, fazia muito tempo que Sonic não tinha histórias tão interessantes como a série Adventure e Unleashed, Sonic Frontiers provavelmente tem a melhor história da série, eu adorei o fato deles lembrarem personagens e eventos do passado, como os Black Arms do jogo do Shadow, a batalha do Eggman e Tails na Station Square e até mesmo aquela vergonha do Chaos 0 e Tails no Forces... Os amigos do Sonic como Tails, Knuckles e Amy estão nesse jogo, eles estão presos no Cyberspace e não podem interagir com o Sonic fisicamente, assim o Sonic precisa coletar os itens mnemônicos, eles são necessários para o decorrer da história, a Sage é a nova personagem de destaque desse jogo, no começo ela aparentemente é uma vilã mas depois ela muda com o passar da aventura, gostei bastante dela, além disso, o jogo apresenta uma nova raça chamada Os Antigos (ou The Ancients), eles são seres misteriosos que envolvem os Kocos e que possuem um grande papel na história do jogo contada em Flashbacks, em questão de aparência lembram bastante o Chaos 0, já existem teorias que ele é um dos Antigos também, era esse tipo de coisa que faltava no Sonic, porque isso aumenta o universo da série e fica muito mais interessante, o Ian Flynn definitivamente fez um ótimo trabalho e espero que ele continue a participar dos jogos !
Os mundos desse jogo se chamam Open Zones, eles as áreas grandes do jogo, existem 5 ilhas que compõem o arquipélago chamado Starfall Islands:
1- Kronos Island: a primeira ilha do jogo, é um lugar que possui florestas e etc, o Titã da ilha é o Giganto.
2- Ares Island: a segunda ilha do jogo, basicamente é um deserto gigante, o Titã da ilha é o Wyvern.
3- Chaos Island: a terceira ilha do jogo, é um local que possui um vulcão e lava, o Titã da ilha é o Knight.
4- Rhea Island: a quarta ilha do jogo, é bastante parecida com Kronos Island com a presença de torres, essa ilha não possui um Titã.
5- Ouranos Island: a quinta e última ilha do jogo, bastante parecida com Kronos Island também, o Titã da ilha é o Supreme.
No geral, é bastante divertido explorar essas ilhas, o mapa começa bem limitado, mas cada vez que você concluí um Puzzle, uma parte do mapa é liberado, quando todos os Puzzles resolvidos, além do mapa completado, você pode usar o Fast Travel (apesar de que isso não vai ser útil porque você já fez tudo nele), as ilhas não são tão grandes ao ponto de encher o saco, na verdade se comparar com outros jogos de mundo aberto, são bem pequenas, não tenho uma ilha favorita mas a Rhea Island infelizmente é a mais fraca, já que o único objetivo é ir até as torres, ela não tem exploração.
O Sonic possui um sistema de combate, além dos movimentos clássicos dele como Homing Attack, agora o Sonic tem uma Skill Tree, ele pode lançar vários socos, chutes, tornados, raios e etc ! Os golpes são bastante poderosos e apelões, eles facilitam bastante as coisas.
Nas Open Zones, temos também os Kocos Ancião e o Eremita, eles aumentam os atributos do Sonic, o Koco Ancião pode aumentar a velocidade e a quantidade de anéis se você levar uma certa quantidade de Kocos e o Eremita pode aumentar a força e a defesa, além de conseguir podem alterar a distribuição de níveis de anéis e velocidade, eles são bem úteis pois são a única maneira de melhorar o Sonic.
Existe uma área isolada do resto do jogo que o Big the Cat retorna, sim, o Big the Cat em um jogo principal da série depois de tanto tempo ausente, a mecânica de pesca está de volta, basta coletar as moedas roxas que estão espalhadas nas Open Zones e aí você poderá pescar, ela está BEM melhor e mais simplificada também, o Sonic pode pescar várias coisas, como peixes e outros animais do mar, além de tickets para você pescar sem gastar moedas roxas, itens bastante específicos como alguns inimigos clássicos e a placa do final de fase dos jogos clássicos, mas os principais itens são os Egg Memo, são áudios do Dr. Eggman que ajudam aumentar a lore do jogo, fazem referências aos jogos passados também.
Agora que já falei brevemente das Opens Zones, temos as fases de Cyberspace, elas são boas... Mas podiam ser um pouquinho mais criativas, principalmente nos temas, existem só 4, Green Hill, Chemical Plant, Sky Sanctuary e Cidade, isso fica bastante repetitivo, as fases em si na grande maioria são fases recicladas do Sonic Adventure 2, Unleashed e Generations, são bem divertidas porque são as fases dos jogos anteriores, o Level Design é idêntico, o que muda são apenas os gráficos, meu problema com essas fases é que a SEGA não falou (e nem fala) em nenhum momento que as fases são uma homenagem aos jogos antigos e blá blá blá, parece que só pegaram pra agilizar o desenvolvimento do jogo, foram os fãs que perceberam essa maracutaia, não estou reclamando do fato de serem recicladas mas sim da SEGA falar como se todas as fases fossem novas.
Os chefes desse jogo são outro ponto alto, com certeza são os melhores chefes da franquia, os Titãs estão em todas as ilhas (com excessão da Rhea Island), nessas batalhas usamos o Super Sonic para lutar com eles ! Isso dá uma imersão muito épica, os Titãs são muito legais, os meus chefes favoritos são o Giganto, Supreme e o Chefe Final, falando dele, ele só está disponível se você jogar na dificuldade Difícil, a gameplay muda bastante com ele, meu único problema com ele é o design que não vou falar por motivos de Spoilers mas é bem decepcionante.
Para terminar, a trilha sonora, ela é excelente como na grande maioria das vezes, as músicas cantadas são as melhores músicas do jogo e algumas das melhores da franquia, temos em torno de 6 temas principais ! Não vou mencionar as minhas favoritas porque eu já falei disso na minha lista das trilhas sonoras favoritas, hoje em dia não mudou tanta coisa desde o dia que postei a lista.
Sonic Frontiers é um excelente jogo e virou o meu Sonic favorito de todos, eu não sei explicar, gostei de tudo nele, estou bem satisfeito com esse jogo, não estou decepcionado de jeito nenhum, na verdade superou minhas expectativas, mas ainda assim felizmente foi anunciado que o jogo vai receber 3 Updates de graça ! O primeiro deles lançou hoje mesmo (22 de março) e tem bastante coisa, mas o verdadeiro Update será o 3, que vamos jogar com outros personagens ! Enfim, nós nos vemos na próxima Review e FALOUUUUUUUUU !
O jogo foi anunciado na Sonic Central de Maio de 2021 e desde aquele dia, eu fiquei bastante hypado, mas ao mesmo tempo com medo de ser um "Sonic Forces 2", o que eu estou dizendo com isso é que eu não queria que fosse só um jogo Boost mediano e sim uma revolução dentro da franquia, muito tempo se passou e em junho de 2022 finalmente tivemos uma gameplay, postada no canal da IGN e isso gerou uma baita polêmica na época, eu particularmente tinha gostado bastante do jogo mesmo com aqueles vídeos ruins da IGN, mas a internet ficou bastante decepcionada por causa que além da IGN jogar que nem uma lesma fazendo natação no Sesc, o jogo estava "vazio" e os mundos estavam bem realistas ao estilo Sonic na Unreal Engine, o que estranhou quase todo mundo, depois disso tudo, o jogo foi mais bem recebido pelos fãs, eu sempre estive bastante otimista com esse jogo e não fiquei decepcionado.
Agora falando do jogo mesmo, os gráficos são bastante bonitos, finalmente temos um jogo mais bonito que o Unleashed ? Eu diria que sim, o sistema de dia e noite ficou muito bonito, as Open Zones possuem cenários realistas mas ficaram muito bonitos, mesmo sendo bem diferente dos jogos do Sonic, eu joguei pelo Nintendo Switch e até no Switch o jogo está bastante agradável, não tenho nada a reclamar da versão do Switch, no geral é com certeza bem mais caprichado do que o Forces !
A história é outro ponto alto, fazia muito tempo que Sonic não tinha histórias tão interessantes como a série Adventure e Unleashed, Sonic Frontiers provavelmente tem a melhor história da série, eu adorei o fato deles lembrarem personagens e eventos do passado, como os Black Arms do jogo do Shadow, a batalha do Eggman e Tails na Station Square e até mesmo aquela vergonha do Chaos 0 e Tails no Forces... Os amigos do Sonic como Tails, Knuckles e Amy estão nesse jogo, eles estão presos no Cyberspace e não podem interagir com o Sonic fisicamente, assim o Sonic precisa coletar os itens mnemônicos, eles são necessários para o decorrer da história, a Sage é a nova personagem de destaque desse jogo, no começo ela aparentemente é uma vilã mas depois ela muda com o passar da aventura, gostei bastante dela, além disso, o jogo apresenta uma nova raça chamada Os Antigos (ou The Ancients), eles são seres misteriosos que envolvem os Kocos e que possuem um grande papel na história do jogo contada em Flashbacks, em questão de aparência lembram bastante o Chaos 0, já existem teorias que ele é um dos Antigos também, era esse tipo de coisa que faltava no Sonic, porque isso aumenta o universo da série e fica muito mais interessante, o Ian Flynn definitivamente fez um ótimo trabalho e espero que ele continue a participar dos jogos !
Os mundos desse jogo se chamam Open Zones, eles as áreas grandes do jogo, existem 5 ilhas que compõem o arquipélago chamado Starfall Islands:
1- Kronos Island: a primeira ilha do jogo, é um lugar que possui florestas e etc, o Titã da ilha é o Giganto.
2- Ares Island: a segunda ilha do jogo, basicamente é um deserto gigante, o Titã da ilha é o Wyvern.
3- Chaos Island: a terceira ilha do jogo, é um local que possui um vulcão e lava, o Titã da ilha é o Knight.
4- Rhea Island: a quarta ilha do jogo, é bastante parecida com Kronos Island com a presença de torres, essa ilha não possui um Titã.
5- Ouranos Island: a quinta e última ilha do jogo, bastante parecida com Kronos Island também, o Titã da ilha é o Supreme.
No geral, é bastante divertido explorar essas ilhas, o mapa começa bem limitado, mas cada vez que você concluí um Puzzle, uma parte do mapa é liberado, quando todos os Puzzles resolvidos, além do mapa completado, você pode usar o Fast Travel (apesar de que isso não vai ser útil porque você já fez tudo nele), as ilhas não são tão grandes ao ponto de encher o saco, na verdade se comparar com outros jogos de mundo aberto, são bem pequenas, não tenho uma ilha favorita mas a Rhea Island infelizmente é a mais fraca, já que o único objetivo é ir até as torres, ela não tem exploração.
O Sonic possui um sistema de combate, além dos movimentos clássicos dele como Homing Attack, agora o Sonic tem uma Skill Tree, ele pode lançar vários socos, chutes, tornados, raios e etc ! Os golpes são bastante poderosos e apelões, eles facilitam bastante as coisas.
Nas Open Zones, temos também os Kocos Ancião e o Eremita, eles aumentam os atributos do Sonic, o Koco Ancião pode aumentar a velocidade e a quantidade de anéis se você levar uma certa quantidade de Kocos e o Eremita pode aumentar a força e a defesa, além de conseguir podem alterar a distribuição de níveis de anéis e velocidade, eles são bem úteis pois são a única maneira de melhorar o Sonic.
Existe uma área isolada do resto do jogo que o Big the Cat retorna, sim, o Big the Cat em um jogo principal da série depois de tanto tempo ausente, a mecânica de pesca está de volta, basta coletar as moedas roxas que estão espalhadas nas Open Zones e aí você poderá pescar, ela está BEM melhor e mais simplificada também, o Sonic pode pescar várias coisas, como peixes e outros animais do mar, além de tickets para você pescar sem gastar moedas roxas, itens bastante específicos como alguns inimigos clássicos e a placa do final de fase dos jogos clássicos, mas os principais itens são os Egg Memo, são áudios do Dr. Eggman que ajudam aumentar a lore do jogo, fazem referências aos jogos passados também.
Agora que já falei brevemente das Opens Zones, temos as fases de Cyberspace, elas são boas... Mas podiam ser um pouquinho mais criativas, principalmente nos temas, existem só 4, Green Hill, Chemical Plant, Sky Sanctuary e Cidade, isso fica bastante repetitivo, as fases em si na grande maioria são fases recicladas do Sonic Adventure 2, Unleashed e Generations, são bem divertidas porque são as fases dos jogos anteriores, o Level Design é idêntico, o que muda são apenas os gráficos, meu problema com essas fases é que a SEGA não falou (e nem fala) em nenhum momento que as fases são uma homenagem aos jogos antigos e blá blá blá, parece que só pegaram pra agilizar o desenvolvimento do jogo, foram os fãs que perceberam essa maracutaia, não estou reclamando do fato de serem recicladas mas sim da SEGA falar como se todas as fases fossem novas.
Os chefes desse jogo são outro ponto alto, com certeza são os melhores chefes da franquia, os Titãs estão em todas as ilhas (com excessão da Rhea Island), nessas batalhas usamos o Super Sonic para lutar com eles ! Isso dá uma imersão muito épica, os Titãs são muito legais, os meus chefes favoritos são o Giganto, Supreme e o Chefe Final, falando dele, ele só está disponível se você jogar na dificuldade Difícil, a gameplay muda bastante com ele, meu único problema com ele é o design que não vou falar por motivos de Spoilers mas é bem decepcionante.
Para terminar, a trilha sonora, ela é excelente como na grande maioria das vezes, as músicas cantadas são as melhores músicas do jogo e algumas das melhores da franquia, temos em torno de 6 temas principais ! Não vou mencionar as minhas favoritas porque eu já falei disso na minha lista das trilhas sonoras favoritas, hoje em dia não mudou tanta coisa desde o dia que postei a lista.
Sonic Frontiers é um excelente jogo e virou o meu Sonic favorito de todos, eu não sei explicar, gostei de tudo nele, estou bem satisfeito com esse jogo, não estou decepcionado de jeito nenhum, na verdade superou minhas expectativas, mas ainda assim felizmente foi anunciado que o jogo vai receber 3 Updates de graça ! O primeiro deles lançou hoje mesmo (22 de março) e tem bastante coisa, mas o verdadeiro Update será o 3, que vamos jogar com outros personagens ! Enfim, nós nos vemos na próxima Review e FALOUUUUUUUUU !
Ace Combat 2
1997
"Communication mode: Level 5
Operation code : TC2012
Communication description :
A coup d'état broke out in the military corps' general area code 'NA-P2700'.
They saw an opportunity during a time when their leaders were away from the country on a diplomatic mission.
After the forces occupied the centre of administration, they seized control of important facilities in each district. They are expanding their influence while strengthening their fighting power.
Their military capabilities include air and sea forces. It has also been confirmed that they are in possession of extra powerful cruise missiles.
To respond to the rebel's forces, the military corps' headquarters made a decision to use the special tactical fighter squadron, "Scarface" which consist of you, my fellow pilots.
We want you to go on this mission and suppress the coup d'état immediately. you will receive all-out support from our military corps. Full information regarding the rebels, full co-operation through our intelligence division, and military supplies.
The situation is tense, and there is no time to waste, take on this mission immediately.
That is all."
Ace Combat 2.
The amount of times that intro monologue has been stuck inside my head is astounding, along with the fantastic 'Dystopia' soundtrack, which brings a dire, gloomy situation the fictional nation is at the moment, with it's only hope in establishing a special air force unit in order to change the tide of war in their favour.
So Ace Combat 2 is in all sense superior to Ace Combat 1, better controls, better graphics, fantastic soundtrack and improved gameplay.
So a perfect sequel.
A childhood classic/favourite.
Operation code : TC2012
Communication description :
A coup d'état broke out in the military corps' general area code 'NA-P2700'.
They saw an opportunity during a time when their leaders were away from the country on a diplomatic mission.
After the forces occupied the centre of administration, they seized control of important facilities in each district. They are expanding their influence while strengthening their fighting power.
Their military capabilities include air and sea forces. It has also been confirmed that they are in possession of extra powerful cruise missiles.
To respond to the rebel's forces, the military corps' headquarters made a decision to use the special tactical fighter squadron, "Scarface" which consist of you, my fellow pilots.
We want you to go on this mission and suppress the coup d'état immediately. you will receive all-out support from our military corps. Full information regarding the rebels, full co-operation through our intelligence division, and military supplies.
The situation is tense, and there is no time to waste, take on this mission immediately.
That is all."
Ace Combat 2.
The amount of times that intro monologue has been stuck inside my head is astounding, along with the fantastic 'Dystopia' soundtrack, which brings a dire, gloomy situation the fictional nation is at the moment, with it's only hope in establishing a special air force unit in order to change the tide of war in their favour.
So Ace Combat 2 is in all sense superior to Ace Combat 1, better controls, better graphics, fantastic soundtrack and improved gameplay.
So a perfect sequel.
A childhood classic/favourite.
Air Combat
1995
Ah yes Ace Combat (or Air Combat in the US).
The first Ace Combat for consoles, technically the third of the well respected arcade flight-sim, with Ace Combat (1993) and Ace Combat 22 (1995) both only available in Arcades.
For a first (console) entry, it really pulls no punches. It showcases the gameplay staples of the franchise, such as:
- a large collection of fighter/attacker/multi-role planes to purchase and sell.
- mission variety, from intercepting a bombing raid, to escorts missions, to search and destroy targets, to a ravine run, and an assault on a super weapon.
- and a Top Gun - style rocking soundtrack!
A gameplay mechanic that I think should be in more Ace Combat entries is the permanent loss of your fighters after getting them destroyed in a mission. They, of course, can be re-purchasable in the hangar after completing missions. Lorewise, it would (kinda) make sense, since you play as a mercenary to help combat an insurrection of an un-named terrorist organisation against some un-named allied nations.
But then again Ace Combat Zero and 3: Electrosphere, has you play as mercs for allied nations, NGOs, and/or Corporations, respectively.
While many would dismay this game's very primitive 3D low poly graphics, in reality, Namco merely ported Ace Combat 22 and sproused it up for the PS1, much like many of their titles in the early years of the PS1 (except for Tekken, since they used an arcade system that's literally a PS1 in arcade form). I think it adds to the charm of early PS1 games that it's underappreciated. It's like a showcase on how the game developers' thought process were back in 1994-1995 when making games for the then very advanced PS1 console.
Namco really done an excellent job in porting a more complete experience of Ace Combat 22!
The first Ace Combat for consoles, technically the third of the well respected arcade flight-sim, with Ace Combat (1993) and Ace Combat 22 (1995) both only available in Arcades.
For a first (console) entry, it really pulls no punches. It showcases the gameplay staples of the franchise, such as:
- a large collection of fighter/attacker/multi-role planes to purchase and sell.
- mission variety, from intercepting a bombing raid, to escorts missions, to search and destroy targets, to a ravine run, and an assault on a super weapon.
- and a Top Gun - style rocking soundtrack!
A gameplay mechanic that I think should be in more Ace Combat entries is the permanent loss of your fighters after getting them destroyed in a mission. They, of course, can be re-purchasable in the hangar after completing missions. Lorewise, it would (kinda) make sense, since you play as a mercenary to help combat an insurrection of an un-named terrorist organisation against some un-named allied nations.
But then again Ace Combat Zero and 3: Electrosphere, has you play as mercs for allied nations, NGOs, and/or Corporations, respectively.
While many would dismay this game's very primitive 3D low poly graphics, in reality, Namco merely ported Ace Combat 22 and sproused it up for the PS1, much like many of their titles in the early years of the PS1 (except for Tekken, since they used an arcade system that's literally a PS1 in arcade form). I think it adds to the charm of early PS1 games that it's underappreciated. It's like a showcase on how the game developers' thought process were back in 1994-1995 when making games for the then very advanced PS1 console.
Namco really done an excellent job in porting a more complete experience of Ace Combat 22!
Ultrakill
2020
TLDR - Give Hakita and New Blood your money NOW
Apologies for the longer review. I really love this game and have been meaning to dump my thoughts somewhere, just so happens to be 4am once again on a day off, after another playthrough up to the end of Act 2. Spoilers for the little story this game has, characters, some secrets and some bosses. Don't expand this review if you don't want to know.
The most effective ADHD medication ever created.
No, in seriousness - this game fucks. It fires on literally every single cylinder. The movement is full of well-designed and great feeling mechanics that flow together like water. Restoring health through blood splatter is genius and encourages the player to play aggressive, which literally all of the mechanics of the game are based around, to stay alive. The weapons are all incredibly creatively designed, feel like God himself gave you them and allow a shitload of player expression with many, many interactions between weapon variations, let alone other weapons entirely. The enemy design is well-tailored around your abilities so you can't just completely autopilot, and nearly all of them feel amazing to fight. Every single sound in this game is visceral, distinct, and quickly implants a clear image of what's going on into your brain at all times. The atmosphere, graphical style and level design, while obviously taking heavy influence from PS1 games, are strikingly memorable, distinct and look really damn beautiful overall. There's a lot of secrets, some being simple powerups, some being new weapons, some of them entire secret missions that are love letters to other games and even genres as a whole, some are unique experiences using the game's mechanics to it's advantage; one is even a very touching talk with a Mirage of V1 about nihilism and depression, taken straight from Hakita's (lead developer and creator) own experiences, in the form of a visual novel. The OST is some of the most adrenaline pumping, heart pounding, and insanely memorable music I've ever heard in a game - and that's not even mentioning the game's narrative, a factor I feel a lot of people don't talk about much.
I don't know what it is about Ultrakill's admittedly lowkey and simple narrative, but I've never felt so engrossed to characters that have such low screentime yet such high impact. Gabriel is a prime example. He shows up twice, yet he's quickly rocketed into a favorite of mine. Sure, part of it is his voice actor - Gianni is really funny outside of the game and has some INCREDIBLE talent inside, some of those voicelines during Gabriel II gave me chills before he beat my ass - but Gabriel has a surprising amount of history behind him that you naturally discover as you tear through Hell.
I feel like that's a really big catch with it's narrative; V1 is not the protagonist. Gabriel is. V1 isn't the one trapping once respected leader's souls in flesh prisons for stepping out of line. V1 isn't the one blindly following a Council of Angels pulling the wool over his eyes. V1 isn't the one that reconsiders his place in the world after 2 fights. V1 is not the one slaughtering the Council for having a tyrannical rule over Heaven, a paradise even echoing real world problems, after God seemingly left them all behind. V1 is just tearing through hell to keep it's fuel going. You just wake behind Gabriel's path as he tries to rend apart everything that lead up to what's happening in both Heaven and Hell, making your own blood-covered trail in the process as you try to keep serving V1's purpose as a war machine.
It feels like this narrative, while simplistic and could probably be done outside of games as a medium; it's something about you controlling the bloodthirsty machine, the completely brutal and absolutely merciless killer, the deadly rival and main threat to someone trying to use his potentially final 24 hours to serve what he believes is long-needed justice to Heaven as he comes into his own, and you know you're gonna completely dunk on his ass, alongside Heaven's prisoners in Minos, Sisyphus and whoever the 3rd Prime Soul ends up being - it just makes it surprisingly compelling to me at least, what with the main incredible gameplay being nothing but a backdrop as V1 and Gabriel push forward to further their own goals. The Right Hand of God putting an end to a system that his master has long abandoned, serving as an immovable beacon of what he thinks is right; and an unstoppable war machine only programmed to kill anything and everything in it's way, any means necessary, only interacting with beings like demons and angels because it's programmed to constantly kill and refuel itself - you. It's no highbrow subversive genre-bending story that'll get thrown around as such, but I love thinking about it and I constantly come back to about how this story might end, because it can go so, so, so many different ways.
Maybe I'm reading way too much into this incredibly violent, admittedly silly game and my meathead side is showing bright as day but I genuinely can't help but feel like this game is up there in terms of "greatest games of all time", at least for me. While I won't pretend it's flawless (some enemies are not so great to fight but are rare or even a one time occurrence in the main game, there's a handful of weapon variations feel redundant and/or useless if we count alternate versions, some levels can have really rough patches, etc.) - no game really is flawless. There's only a few games out there that even come close to replicating my feelings for this game. And this game hasn't even fucking finished development yet.
Mankind is dead.
Blood is fuel.
Hell is full.
Apologies for the longer review. I really love this game and have been meaning to dump my thoughts somewhere, just so happens to be 4am once again on a day off, after another playthrough up to the end of Act 2. Spoilers for the little story this game has, characters, some secrets and some bosses. Don't expand this review if you don't want to know.
The most effective ADHD medication ever created.
No, in seriousness - this game fucks. It fires on literally every single cylinder. The movement is full of well-designed and great feeling mechanics that flow together like water. Restoring health through blood splatter is genius and encourages the player to play aggressive, which literally all of the mechanics of the game are based around, to stay alive. The weapons are all incredibly creatively designed, feel like God himself gave you them and allow a shitload of player expression with many, many interactions between weapon variations, let alone other weapons entirely. The enemy design is well-tailored around your abilities so you can't just completely autopilot, and nearly all of them feel amazing to fight. Every single sound in this game is visceral, distinct, and quickly implants a clear image of what's going on into your brain at all times. The atmosphere, graphical style and level design, while obviously taking heavy influence from PS1 games, are strikingly memorable, distinct and look really damn beautiful overall. There's a lot of secrets, some being simple powerups, some being new weapons, some of them entire secret missions that are love letters to other games and even genres as a whole, some are unique experiences using the game's mechanics to it's advantage; one is even a very touching talk with a Mirage of V1 about nihilism and depression, taken straight from Hakita's (lead developer and creator) own experiences, in the form of a visual novel. The OST is some of the most adrenaline pumping, heart pounding, and insanely memorable music I've ever heard in a game - and that's not even mentioning the game's narrative, a factor I feel a lot of people don't talk about much.
I don't know what it is about Ultrakill's admittedly lowkey and simple narrative, but I've never felt so engrossed to characters that have such low screentime yet such high impact. Gabriel is a prime example. He shows up twice, yet he's quickly rocketed into a favorite of mine. Sure, part of it is his voice actor - Gianni is really funny outside of the game and has some INCREDIBLE talent inside, some of those voicelines during Gabriel II gave me chills before he beat my ass - but Gabriel has a surprising amount of history behind him that you naturally discover as you tear through Hell.
I feel like that's a really big catch with it's narrative; V1 is not the protagonist. Gabriel is. V1 isn't the one trapping once respected leader's souls in flesh prisons for stepping out of line. V1 isn't the one blindly following a Council of Angels pulling the wool over his eyes. V1 isn't the one that reconsiders his place in the world after 2 fights. V1 is not the one slaughtering the Council for having a tyrannical rule over Heaven, a paradise even echoing real world problems, after God seemingly left them all behind. V1 is just tearing through hell to keep it's fuel going. You just wake behind Gabriel's path as he tries to rend apart everything that lead up to what's happening in both Heaven and Hell, making your own blood-covered trail in the process as you try to keep serving V1's purpose as a war machine.
It feels like this narrative, while simplistic and could probably be done outside of games as a medium; it's something about you controlling the bloodthirsty machine, the completely brutal and absolutely merciless killer, the deadly rival and main threat to someone trying to use his potentially final 24 hours to serve what he believes is long-needed justice to Heaven as he comes into his own, and you know you're gonna completely dunk on his ass, alongside Heaven's prisoners in Minos, Sisyphus and whoever the 3rd Prime Soul ends up being - it just makes it surprisingly compelling to me at least, what with the main incredible gameplay being nothing but a backdrop as V1 and Gabriel push forward to further their own goals. The Right Hand of God putting an end to a system that his master has long abandoned, serving as an immovable beacon of what he thinks is right; and an unstoppable war machine only programmed to kill anything and everything in it's way, any means necessary, only interacting with beings like demons and angels because it's programmed to constantly kill and refuel itself - you. It's no highbrow subversive genre-bending story that'll get thrown around as such, but I love thinking about it and I constantly come back to about how this story might end, because it can go so, so, so many different ways.
Maybe I'm reading way too much into this incredibly violent, admittedly silly game and my meathead side is showing bright as day but I genuinely can't help but feel like this game is up there in terms of "greatest games of all time", at least for me. While I won't pretend it's flawless (some enemies are not so great to fight but are rare or even a one time occurrence in the main game, there's a handful of weapon variations feel redundant and/or useless if we count alternate versions, some levels can have really rough patches, etc.) - no game really is flawless. There's only a few games out there that even come close to replicating my feelings for this game. And this game hasn't even fucking finished development yet.
Mankind is dead.
Blood is fuel.
Hell is full.
Pokémon Moon
2016
This game is very inconsistent, to put it bluntly. It is both at times the best mainline pokémon game I've ever played (I played every game up to gen 7), and the absolute worst, almost in equal parts.
The main problem that bogs everything down is the pacing, which is ultra-glacial for the most part, but at times it kicks into gear and becomes overbearing with the amount of battles you have to do in a row. Enormous stretches of slow-moving cutscenes followed by exhaustingly large strings of battles.
Other major issues are with the overall progression of the game, namely the newly introduced (and never repeated) "trials" system. I appreciate that these black-sheep games exist and switch up the formula, but much like in Final Fantasy 8 or Castlevania 2, it just didn't work. It's way less interesting fighting one regular pokémon who just happens to be bigger than normal as opposed to a themed gym with it's own particular type, puzzle, town and leader. I missed that a lot, this was not only a big part of what composed the "Pokémon" feel of the games, but also just plain fun. It was a formula that worked and still keeps working.
The routes are way too linear, they feel like Final Fantasy 10-esque corridors and for a hawaiian setting there's not enough water (much to IGN's relief lol). This system that doesn't feel rewarding to go through combined with the erratic pacing makes for a really tiresome experience. As a matter of fact, I had this game dropped for almost seven years just because the pacing of the first half was so horrid.
All of that having been said, this game also features a completely gorgeous setting that reminds me of everthing I loved from Hoenn, only with graphics that can obviously better represent it. The soundtrack is amazing and the pokémon designs are some of the best ever, in my honest opinion.
The biggest positive aspect in this whole experience is how personal this game made me feel with it through both the story and cast and the pokémon recovery mechanic. Being able to actually pet, feed and treat my pokémon at any time, physically tending to their status effects or general ailments, made me legitimately care for these little dudes way beyond just a sprite that has the moves I need. In fact, I didn't change my party the entire game just because I got so attached to them and I wanted to raise their affection to the maximum level, something that happened right before the fight against the region champion.
Complementing this, the story was actually surprisingly engaging, for once. It very much still is a kids game with a very basic plot and simplistic, one-note characters, but within these boundaries it managed to be entertaning. The concept of ultra-beasts from other dimensions, the tension point of having to torture Nebby to achieve that and the colorful cast of characters (who happens to be way more present in your journey this time around given the amount of cutscenes) made for a way more memorable experience compared to every other game in the franchise so far. I never cared at all about the stories in any pokémon game, even Black/White I felt were extremely over-glorified, but this one worked for me.
Overall, it's a pretty decent entry, but I'd recommend emulating it and fast-fowarding every non-important cutscene. Shouldn't be an issue with anyone now that the 3DS's store has been shut down.
The main problem that bogs everything down is the pacing, which is ultra-glacial for the most part, but at times it kicks into gear and becomes overbearing with the amount of battles you have to do in a row. Enormous stretches of slow-moving cutscenes followed by exhaustingly large strings of battles.
Other major issues are with the overall progression of the game, namely the newly introduced (and never repeated) "trials" system. I appreciate that these black-sheep games exist and switch up the formula, but much like in Final Fantasy 8 or Castlevania 2, it just didn't work. It's way less interesting fighting one regular pokémon who just happens to be bigger than normal as opposed to a themed gym with it's own particular type, puzzle, town and leader. I missed that a lot, this was not only a big part of what composed the "Pokémon" feel of the games, but also just plain fun. It was a formula that worked and still keeps working.
The routes are way too linear, they feel like Final Fantasy 10-esque corridors and for a hawaiian setting there's not enough water (much to IGN's relief lol). This system that doesn't feel rewarding to go through combined with the erratic pacing makes for a really tiresome experience. As a matter of fact, I had this game dropped for almost seven years just because the pacing of the first half was so horrid.
All of that having been said, this game also features a completely gorgeous setting that reminds me of everthing I loved from Hoenn, only with graphics that can obviously better represent it. The soundtrack is amazing and the pokémon designs are some of the best ever, in my honest opinion.
The biggest positive aspect in this whole experience is how personal this game made me feel with it through both the story and cast and the pokémon recovery mechanic. Being able to actually pet, feed and treat my pokémon at any time, physically tending to their status effects or general ailments, made me legitimately care for these little dudes way beyond just a sprite that has the moves I need. In fact, I didn't change my party the entire game just because I got so attached to them and I wanted to raise their affection to the maximum level, something that happened right before the fight against the region champion.
Complementing this, the story was actually surprisingly engaging, for once. It very much still is a kids game with a very basic plot and simplistic, one-note characters, but within these boundaries it managed to be entertaning. The concept of ultra-beasts from other dimensions, the tension point of having to torture Nebby to achieve that and the colorful cast of characters (who happens to be way more present in your journey this time around given the amount of cutscenes) made for a way more memorable experience compared to every other game in the franchise so far. I never cared at all about the stories in any pokémon game, even Black/White I felt were extremely over-glorified, but this one worked for me.
Overall, it's a pretty decent entry, but I'd recommend emulating it and fast-fowarding every non-important cutscene. Shouldn't be an issue with anyone now that the 3DS's store has been shut down.
Yume Nikki
2004
Amazing atmosphere, visuals and imagery, but good luck playing that without a guide or the bicycle. The mysterious nature of the game is both it's greatest strength and it's worst flaw when it comes to gameplay. I'm giving it props based on it's pioneer status and how influential it was (and still is) to the indie scene as a whole, but in all honesty, all this wandering around aimlessly and confused was a chore that bogged down the excitement of discovering a new event or location, specially when the maps loop infinitely and you can get lost for quite a long while.