INTCOM_
2023
Rating: Great
Excellent remake of a WiiWare classic that I used to play semi-religiously that makes it a little more accessible for people who are a bit crap at rhythm games (like myself). Full cleared the main mode, working on 100%ing the EP levels.
Excellent remake of a WiiWare classic that I used to play semi-religiously that makes it a little more accessible for people who are a bit crap at rhythm games (like myself). Full cleared the main mode, working on 100%ing the EP levels.
2023
RATING: Good
A short but neat atmospheric experience, got a 70K run on my second attempt. Might come back when multiplayer gets added, depending how it's handled, but the atmosphere the game provides was worth the price.
A short but neat atmospheric experience, got a 70K run on my second attempt. Might come back when multiplayer gets added, depending how it's handled, but the atmosphere the game provides was worth the price.
2010
RATING: Great
A solid little search action/STG hybrid with a neat 1-bit aesthetic. Normal mode is pretty reasonable to clear with 100% even for newcomers to STGs, but hard mode certainly lives up to the name. There's also a bonus campaign that's pretty interesting.
A solid little search action/STG hybrid with a neat 1-bit aesthetic. Normal mode is pretty reasonable to clear with 100% even for newcomers to STGs, but hard mode certainly lives up to the name. There's also a bonus campaign that's pretty interesting.
2010
RATING: Great
Has some of the best writing I've seen in a game (Lonesome Road and part of Dead Money notwithstanding), but I do think having the Fallout 3 gameplay held it back. Still impressive that something put through a heavy time constraint came out so well
Has some of the best writing I've seen in a game (Lonesome Road and part of Dead Money notwithstanding), but I do think having the Fallout 3 gameplay held it back. Still impressive that something put through a heavy time constraint came out so well
TBD
RATING: game SUCKS i go to BED
This might actually be the worst game that I've played not because of technical faults, but because of how it's designed. Nothing feels satisfying. Collision is jank as hell. Progression is complete nonsense. Powerpoint slideshow frame rates in cutscenes. This was a terrible batch of homebrewed software and I'm probably going to contract methanol poisoning.
This might actually be the worst game that I've played not because of technical faults, but because of how it's designed. Nothing feels satisfying. Collision is jank as hell. Progression is complete nonsense. Powerpoint slideshow frame rates in cutscenes. This was a terrible batch of homebrewed software and I'm probably going to contract methanol poisoning.
2000
RATING: Fantastic
I can see why people love this one so much. The levels, for the most part, are pretty interestingly designed with plenty of routes to take to get where you need to be, and the game gives you a lot of useful options for dealing with enemies. All the levels are full of environmental details that flesh out the world, and the dialogue sequences are all quite nice, from simply chatting with strangers on the street to confronting corrupt special interests with your own nerves of steel. There's a lot of character and care in this janky old game.
I can see why people love this one so much. The levels, for the most part, are pretty interestingly designed with plenty of routes to take to get where you need to be, and the game gives you a lot of useful options for dealing with enemies. All the levels are full of environmental details that flesh out the world, and the dialogue sequences are all quite nice, from simply chatting with strangers on the street to confronting corrupt special interests with your own nerves of steel. There's a lot of character and care in this janky old game.
2023
RATING: Great
Very fun Mega Man type platformer with a character who has a sick moveset that's satisfying to mess around with, and cool stages paired with bosses that are thrilling to fight. It falls apart some in the finale stages, but most Mega Man games tend to anyway. The characters are peak robot design, I love how all of the circuits look like toku characters, but the regular bots are all pretty cute and have some solidly engaging writing.
Very fun Mega Man type platformer with a character who has a sick moveset that's satisfying to mess around with, and cool stages paired with bosses that are thrilling to fight. It falls apart some in the finale stages, but most Mega Man games tend to anyway. The characters are peak robot design, I love how all of the circuits look like toku characters, but the regular bots are all pretty cute and have some solidly engaging writing.
2017
RATING: Fantastic
This right here is probably my favorite "roguelike" game, thanks to having an extremely solid foundation the roguelike elements are built on top of. Weapons and their keywords feel easily comprehensible, the pool of weapons/upgrades/keywords/items is diverse but not overwhelmingly bloated, the general difficulty of the game is fair while still maintaining a good amount of challenge where run failures feel more like my own mistakes rather than bad luck, and the enemies are fun to fight against. Easily a must play for anyone who enjoys "roguelike" type games, and has plenty of secrets to uncover buried within.
This right here is probably my favorite "roguelike" game, thanks to having an extremely solid foundation the roguelike elements are built on top of. Weapons and their keywords feel easily comprehensible, the pool of weapons/upgrades/keywords/items is diverse but not overwhelmingly bloated, the general difficulty of the game is fair while still maintaining a good amount of challenge where run failures feel more like my own mistakes rather than bad luck, and the enemies are fun to fight against. Easily a must play for anyone who enjoys "roguelike" type games, and has plenty of secrets to uncover buried within.
2017
RATING: Pass
The sheer effort put into the animations and sound design of pretty much everything in the game is a treat and commands my absolute respect, but unfortunately I feel like it's kind of held back by the gameplay. The problem isn't that it's difficult, but more that it just starts to feel tedious after a while. It's a visually stunning game that unfortunately just doesn't hit that satisfying feeling in how it feels to play, and it upsets me more than it should because I wanted to love this game.
The sheer effort put into the animations and sound design of pretty much everything in the game is a treat and commands my absolute respect, but unfortunately I feel like it's kind of held back by the gameplay. The problem isn't that it's difficult, but more that it just starts to feel tedious after a while. It's a visually stunning game that unfortunately just doesn't hit that satisfying feeling in how it feels to play, and it upsets me more than it should because I wanted to love this game.
2018
RATING: Fantastic
An excellent gateway game into the shooting game (STG) genre, with solid design and gameplay that, while certainly difficult, isn't painfully punishing, and fills its stages full of cool set pieces and encounters, with allusions to other STGs t hat fans of the genre can pick up on and appreciate. The TLB sequence is a work of beauty, and is best experienced blind.
An excellent gateway game into the shooting game (STG) genre, with solid design and gameplay that, while certainly difficult, isn't painfully punishing, and fills its stages full of cool set pieces and encounters, with allusions to other STGs t hat fans of the genre can pick up on and appreciate. The TLB sequence is a work of beauty, and is best experienced blind.
2014
RATING: Good
(Preface: I've cleared Shovel of Hope and Plague of Shadows, gotten reasonably far in Specter of Torment, and lost interest in King of Cards.)
I wouldn't call Shovel Knight anything particularly special, even back in 2014 when I first played it, but it is generally a pretty well-designed game with a lot of heart behind it, and doubtlessly an important game in the indie space that helped widen the audience for smaller developers.
In terms of the game's campaigns I found Plague of Shadows to be the most fun thanks to Plague's kit that can be customized with a variety of combinations that almost all felt useful.
(Preface: I've cleared Shovel of Hope and Plague of Shadows, gotten reasonably far in Specter of Torment, and lost interest in King of Cards.)
I wouldn't call Shovel Knight anything particularly special, even back in 2014 when I first played it, but it is generally a pretty well-designed game with a lot of heart behind it, and doubtlessly an important game in the indie space that helped widen the audience for smaller developers.
In terms of the game's campaigns I found Plague of Shadows to be the most fun thanks to Plague's kit that can be customized with a variety of combinations that almost all felt useful.
1996
RATING: Fantastic
This is the one. The very first video game I had ever played, and the one that sparked my love for the entertainment medium as a whole. Moving Mario around was fun, exploring the levels trying to find all the stars and coins I could, even trying to jump the mountains in front of the castle thinking there was something behind them... it's hard to consider any other game my absolute #1 favorite, when Super Mario 64 exists and influenced me to such a magnificent degree.
This is the one. The very first video game I had ever played, and the one that sparked my love for the entertainment medium as a whole. Moving Mario around was fun, exploring the levels trying to find all the stars and coins I could, even trying to jump the mountains in front of the castle thinking there was something behind them... it's hard to consider any other game my absolute #1 favorite, when Super Mario 64 exists and influenced me to such a magnificent degree.
2013
RATING: Fantastic
This game was criminally underlooked back in 2013-2014 when I played it. An extremely fun homage to various tokusatsu series with solid controls, a cast of fun characters and character designs paired with funny writing that knows when to be serious, absolutely amazing set pieces (especially during the major boss encounters!), even the myriad genre-shifting segments are all pretty solid diversions from the core gameplay. This game was peak Platinum.
This game was criminally underlooked back in 2013-2014 when I played it. An extremely fun homage to various tokusatsu series with solid controls, a cast of fun characters and character designs paired with funny writing that knows when to be serious, absolutely amazing set pieces (especially during the major boss encounters!), even the myriad genre-shifting segments are all pretty solid diversions from the core gameplay. This game was peak Platinum.
2017
RATING: Good
It's a good game, and I do recommend playing it, but it's not a game that particularly clicks with me nor can I really agree that it's the "best" search action game out there. I liked some of the characters and some of the boss battles (Defender and the TLB in particular), but I didn't really care for some segments of the game aesthetically or gameplay-wise
It's a good game, and I do recommend playing it, but it's not a game that particularly clicks with me nor can I really agree that it's the "best" search action game out there. I liked some of the characters and some of the boss battles (Defender and the TLB in particular), but I didn't really care for some segments of the game aesthetically or gameplay-wise
2008
RATING: Fantastic
One of my all time favorites right here. The way enemies use the same weapons as you do, the big open levels full of little secrets to discover, the simplistic yet fluid art style, connected with an engaging story with plenty of background lore that reacts to the player's actions, it all combines to create an absolutely great experience.
One of my all time favorites right here. The way enemies use the same weapons as you do, the big open levels full of little secrets to discover, the simplistic yet fluid art style, connected with an engaging story with plenty of background lore that reacts to the player's actions, it all combines to create an absolutely great experience.