JoyDrift
2015
Sheesh how long has it been? Feels like forever since I reviewed a game. But I'm back and this time I went through this underrated game. I don't see people talk about this in depth or really ever a lot so it was nice to playthrough something a little less popular. Something like that.
Wolly World is basically a spiritual successor to the original game on the SNES, except this time there's no babies to worry about. I guess that's one plus. The game follows the same format with 6 worlds that have 8 main levels each. Some levels are fast paced and others are a little slower or more puzzle orientated. Something I will say though is that I think that Yoshi's Island had more preferable level design for me. At first this game was ok, but when I reached world 2 I started getting doubts. Levels like the chain chomp focused ones were boring and I started becoming less interested. However when I got to world 3 the quality for me turned up. I was pleasantly surprised with the levels because they were actually really fun. Maybe that's cause they were levels I got to play for the first time since I did try out this game like 2 years ago but only made it to world 2. Still though, I was having way more fun. The game kept this pacing for the most part all the way to the end after that. I still do think that I like the first game's levels over this one more.
Another thing that I wanna talk about is the game's music and graphics. WHY DOES NO ONE TALK ABOUT THE FACT THAT A YOSHI GAME OF ALL GAMES HAS DNB IN IT?! That was crazy to me, and it was dynamic too since it was a boss fight. The entire OST in general is filled with so much charm and I find it to be easily underappreciated. Knitty Knotty Windmill only shows up in 2 levels which sucks cause that track alone feels so nostalgic. Lava Scarves is another surprise with something metal focused. There's just so much variety and it works so well. And when you add that up with the game's art style, you get an amazing package. The hand carfted graphics of this look so charming and honestly just kind of cute. That along with the skins you can get, though I will admit I feel like I only geared towards some, but hey the customization is nice, and adds incentive to go for the yarn pieces.
Do I like this as much as SMW2? Nah. Do I think it's a worthy successor? Absolutely. The game is a charming and adorable experience. It's nothing crazy, especially as a sequel, but I think that it deserves a shot. Especially if you already liked Yoshi's Island.
Wolly World is basically a spiritual successor to the original game on the SNES, except this time there's no babies to worry about. I guess that's one plus. The game follows the same format with 6 worlds that have 8 main levels each. Some levels are fast paced and others are a little slower or more puzzle orientated. Something I will say though is that I think that Yoshi's Island had more preferable level design for me. At first this game was ok, but when I reached world 2 I started getting doubts. Levels like the chain chomp focused ones were boring and I started becoming less interested. However when I got to world 3 the quality for me turned up. I was pleasantly surprised with the levels because they were actually really fun. Maybe that's cause they were levels I got to play for the first time since I did try out this game like 2 years ago but only made it to world 2. Still though, I was having way more fun. The game kept this pacing for the most part all the way to the end after that. I still do think that I like the first game's levels over this one more.
Another thing that I wanna talk about is the game's music and graphics. WHY DOES NO ONE TALK ABOUT THE FACT THAT A YOSHI GAME OF ALL GAMES HAS DNB IN IT?! That was crazy to me, and it was dynamic too since it was a boss fight. The entire OST in general is filled with so much charm and I find it to be easily underappreciated. Knitty Knotty Windmill only shows up in 2 levels which sucks cause that track alone feels so nostalgic. Lava Scarves is another surprise with something metal focused. There's just so much variety and it works so well. And when you add that up with the game's art style, you get an amazing package. The hand carfted graphics of this look so charming and honestly just kind of cute. That along with the skins you can get, though I will admit I feel like I only geared towards some, but hey the customization is nice, and adds incentive to go for the yarn pieces.
Do I like this as much as SMW2? Nah. Do I think it's a worthy successor? Absolutely. The game is a charming and adorable experience. It's nothing crazy, especially as a sequel, but I think that it deserves a shot. Especially if you already liked Yoshi's Island.
Alright alright so I just came from beating the game for the first time and I just decided to write a review for it already, not even time to get thoughts together. So let's just go ahead already.
Touhou is a franchise that I've had interest in for quite some time. The characters always intrigued me and the music especially sounded great. I've dabbled in some of the games, but only casually and having my fun with them before leaving to do something else. This time however I wanted to dedicate myself to finally at least beating one (There was that one time where I got through this one on easy mode, but come on now. It's easy mode .). Well here we are. After a good amount of tries, I finally beat a Touhou game, and it may honestly be one of the most satisfying things I've done in a video game. I felt my heart beating and I was scared but with enough focus I was able to beat the last stage. But anyways that's enough of my personal experience, what about the actual game?
The game itself is probably the most iconic one in the series. It's the first Windows game which basically means it's the first modern one over the PC-98 games. It's got the most iconic set of characters too, and same goes for the music. As a shooter though, and I know I haven't played many, let alone try to beat them, but I really loved my time with this game. I love the learning curve of trying to dodge stuff that seemed impossible to do when you saw someone in a video play the game. The game progresses with a really good flow, allowing you to adapt to it's growing difficulty. The bombs can be used as screen nukes to get rid of everything for a second so you can realign your shots or save your skin from death. Just know that it's ok to use these regularly since they come as a set with every life. One flaw with this game that gets fixed later down the road (It's the next game I think), is that you can't see your hitbox. Now in order to help you dodge everything on screen, your hitbox is a very tiny circle that's at like the center of your character. As long as nothing touches that circle, then you're good. However this game unfortunately doesn't teach you that so you'll probably be panicking for a minute until you exactly understand how the hitbox works.
I just wanna say that my hands still feel shaky after beating the game and I honestly don't know what I'm doing reviewing the game NOW, but hey I guess I just had to get it off my chest. I guess if you wanna get into the series, this probably ain't the one. I've heard people say 7 and 8 are better choices, but as it's own game, this was still very enjoyable.
Touhou is a franchise that I've had interest in for quite some time. The characters always intrigued me and the music especially sounded great. I've dabbled in some of the games, but only casually and having my fun with them before leaving to do something else. This time however I wanted to dedicate myself to finally at least beating one (There was that one time where I got through this one on easy mode, but come on now. It's easy mode .). Well here we are. After a good amount of tries, I finally beat a Touhou game, and it may honestly be one of the most satisfying things I've done in a video game. I felt my heart beating and I was scared but with enough focus I was able to beat the last stage. But anyways that's enough of my personal experience, what about the actual game?
The game itself is probably the most iconic one in the series. It's the first Windows game which basically means it's the first modern one over the PC-98 games. It's got the most iconic set of characters too, and same goes for the music. As a shooter though, and I know I haven't played many, let alone try to beat them, but I really loved my time with this game. I love the learning curve of trying to dodge stuff that seemed impossible to do when you saw someone in a video play the game. The game progresses with a really good flow, allowing you to adapt to it's growing difficulty. The bombs can be used as screen nukes to get rid of everything for a second so you can realign your shots or save your skin from death. Just know that it's ok to use these regularly since they come as a set with every life. One flaw with this game that gets fixed later down the road (It's the next game I think), is that you can't see your hitbox. Now in order to help you dodge everything on screen, your hitbox is a very tiny circle that's at like the center of your character. As long as nothing touches that circle, then you're good. However this game unfortunately doesn't teach you that so you'll probably be panicking for a minute until you exactly understand how the hitbox works.
I just wanna say that my hands still feel shaky after beating the game and I honestly don't know what I'm doing reviewing the game NOW, but hey I guess I just had to get it off my chest. I guess if you wanna get into the series, this probably ain't the one. I've heard people say 7 and 8 are better choices, but as it's own game, this was still very enjoyable.
Super Mario Land 2 has a lot of heart put into it, and for that alone I enjoyed it so much. It's nothing crazy, there are only 6 main worlds, 2 powerups, it's pretty easy and simple to get through, and really short, but I still really enjoyed this one.
I never played the first land game, but I have seen it in action, and what a graphical upgrade. Not only in terms of the looks, but in terms of settings as well. Mario Land 2 has one of, if not the best worlds for a Mario game to this day. A world where you go into a house as a mini Mario, a toy Mario world where you go up it with there being other toys inside as well, along with a water world with a submarine level, with other great choices as well. It's easily my favorite thing from this game.
The game only has 2 powerups with one being the established fire flower, and the other being the new rabbit power up, which lets you float down. I guess you could say it's just a worse tanooki suit, but I think it's used well throughout the game.
Before I go since I don't feel like I have too much to say on the game, I just got a funny question to ask. Where did Mario get a whole castle? How did Wario even get his hands on it. What was Mario doing, going out for a walk or something? It's just so funny, especially since this is Wario's first game which means that he just showed up here with no one knowing him, as an evil big version of Mario... I'm really sitting here thinking about the lore of Mario. I don't know if that's funny or sad.
I never played the first land game, but I have seen it in action, and what a graphical upgrade. Not only in terms of the looks, but in terms of settings as well. Mario Land 2 has one of, if not the best worlds for a Mario game to this day. A world where you go into a house as a mini Mario, a toy Mario world where you go up it with there being other toys inside as well, along with a water world with a submarine level, with other great choices as well. It's easily my favorite thing from this game.
The game only has 2 powerups with one being the established fire flower, and the other being the new rabbit power up, which lets you float down. I guess you could say it's just a worse tanooki suit, but I think it's used well throughout the game.
Before I go since I don't feel like I have too much to say on the game, I just got a funny question to ask. Where did Mario get a whole castle? How did Wario even get his hands on it. What was Mario doing, going out for a walk or something? It's just so funny, especially since this is Wario's first game which means that he just showed up here with no one knowing him, as an evil big version of Mario... I'm really sitting here thinking about the lore of Mario. I don't know if that's funny or sad.
1988
There's something about Super Mario Bros. 3 that resonates with me and I don't exactly know what it is. I feel like the first Mario game gave the idea of what this franchise could do and also saved gaming in America back in the 80s, however Mario 3 fully shows what the franchise is all about and how fun it can be. The game is packed with so much new content that gave this franchise more of an identity and I love it for that alone.
But the game itself is also a great time as well and has aged so well after all of these years. Mario's controls feel identical to how he controls in later 2D games which shows how quickly Nintendo was able to hit it on the head. I love all the power ups. The Raccoon Leaf along with it's better, but rare Tanooki Suit have become some of the most iconic power ups in the franchise, and for good reason. They're the first power ups in Mario to allow you to fly, and to do it, you need momentum which can I just say feels really good to get in this game. I love how if you know the layout and know how to get a running start, you can blitz through some levels. I was able to do one myself in the playthrough and was so shocked with what I just did. With the other power ups though, you have the frog suit which can make traversing through water levels much easier and also pretty fun. There's the goomba shoe that let's you walk on rather unsafe enemies & objects, or what about the hammer suit which lets you throw a hammer out in an arc while also being able to spam it. The fire flower returns and I just love how there is so much variety, but it doesn't feel overwhelming. No, they all feel right at home here and I appreciate that. Along with your own inventory where you can stuff things in from the world map.
Speaking of the world map, I think it's done well here, especially for the first time in 1988. It's nonlinear and you can use things like the whistle to skip worlds, or the music box to make enemies on the world fall asleep, or the cloud to skip a level if it's too hard or you know you can easily progress somewhere else. The levels themselves are a joy and there's something about them that comforts me. I think it's how fast paced they are, along with how well they manage to convey a theme with what the level is about. Autoscrolls are introduced and I didn't dislike any of them, but I do feel that there were a little too many of them. Especially in the last world which is kind of weird. Be warned that there are a lot of maze levels in world 7 and you'll probably end up with a time up or two like I did if it's your first time. Also, the music is way too catchy. Any song feels like it could get stuck in your head.
At the end of the day, I feel like Mario 3 is just one of those games that had all the kids going crazy back then. I could just imagine conversations at a playground about someone finding out about how they found out about the whistles and being able to skip a world with it, or how they're stuck on some random level. The game itself has so much charm, and only strived to be bigger and better than it's predecessor's, and succeeded in doing so. I think it's easy to say that this is definitely one of the best if not the best game from that generation with what it did.
But the game itself is also a great time as well and has aged so well after all of these years. Mario's controls feel identical to how he controls in later 2D games which shows how quickly Nintendo was able to hit it on the head. I love all the power ups. The Raccoon Leaf along with it's better, but rare Tanooki Suit have become some of the most iconic power ups in the franchise, and for good reason. They're the first power ups in Mario to allow you to fly, and to do it, you need momentum which can I just say feels really good to get in this game. I love how if you know the layout and know how to get a running start, you can blitz through some levels. I was able to do one myself in the playthrough and was so shocked with what I just did. With the other power ups though, you have the frog suit which can make traversing through water levels much easier and also pretty fun. There's the goomba shoe that let's you walk on rather unsafe enemies & objects, or what about the hammer suit which lets you throw a hammer out in an arc while also being able to spam it. The fire flower returns and I just love how there is so much variety, but it doesn't feel overwhelming. No, they all feel right at home here and I appreciate that. Along with your own inventory where you can stuff things in from the world map.
Speaking of the world map, I think it's done well here, especially for the first time in 1988. It's nonlinear and you can use things like the whistle to skip worlds, or the music box to make enemies on the world fall asleep, or the cloud to skip a level if it's too hard or you know you can easily progress somewhere else. The levels themselves are a joy and there's something about them that comforts me. I think it's how fast paced they are, along with how well they manage to convey a theme with what the level is about. Autoscrolls are introduced and I didn't dislike any of them, but I do feel that there were a little too many of them. Especially in the last world which is kind of weird. Be warned that there are a lot of maze levels in world 7 and you'll probably end up with a time up or two like I did if it's your first time. Also, the music is way too catchy. Any song feels like it could get stuck in your head.
At the end of the day, I feel like Mario 3 is just one of those games that had all the kids going crazy back then. I could just imagine conversations at a playground about someone finding out about how they found out about the whistles and being able to skip a world with it, or how they're stuck on some random level. The game itself has so much charm, and only strived to be bigger and better than it's predecessor's, and succeeded in doing so. I think it's easy to say that this is definitely one of the best if not the best game from that generation with what it did.
I have a distinct embarrassing memory with the OG version for this game (Yes I wasted 60$ on that as well.) I went to gamestop with my dad as a little kid really wanting this game for some reason and being so excited to get it. When I come back home... it was broken. The disc couldn't work and I literally cried over it. I gotta be the first person in history to cry over New Super Mario Bros.
As for the actual game. It's definitely a Mario game. That's the best way to describe this. It's art direction is bland but I will admit, there were more types of enemies than I thought there would be. Luigi U definitely carried my enjoyment for this though since the levels are short and sweet and actually get tough.
The general gameplay of the game is simple and pretty much the same as the first game that I actually played. Honestly though at least with the vanilla game, I preferred the levels from the DS game for some reason. I don't know if I really did feel the slog of having to play basically the exact same but with different power ups, but I don't know I feel like these levels were longer than they needed to be? Again, I don't exactly get it myself, maybe I'm crazy.
One last thing about this game that's cool to me at least is the side content. You've got challenges and this thing called boost rush which I remember vaguely playing back then. The challenges are not only a neat single player addition, but they also may make you go insane. Basically they're actually tough to get gold on, which is pretty nice especially for a side mode.
It's sad to think that this game was a launch title cause I don't think it showcased the Wii U's features well. Not only that but it really is just 2D Mario. It's great to know that this gameplay format has had way more soul put into it with Wonder and hopefully it stays that way, cause man. I mean I really don't feel like I was able to say much about this game which shows. But hey if you're itching for 2D Mario, there's enough content here to maybe make a purchase worth it. I don't know it depends.
As for the actual game. It's definitely a Mario game. That's the best way to describe this. It's art direction is bland but I will admit, there were more types of enemies than I thought there would be. Luigi U definitely carried my enjoyment for this though since the levels are short and sweet and actually get tough.
The general gameplay of the game is simple and pretty much the same as the first game that I actually played. Honestly though at least with the vanilla game, I preferred the levels from the DS game for some reason. I don't know if I really did feel the slog of having to play basically the exact same but with different power ups, but I don't know I feel like these levels were longer than they needed to be? Again, I don't exactly get it myself, maybe I'm crazy.
One last thing about this game that's cool to me at least is the side content. You've got challenges and this thing called boost rush which I remember vaguely playing back then. The challenges are not only a neat single player addition, but they also may make you go insane. Basically they're actually tough to get gold on, which is pretty nice especially for a side mode.
It's sad to think that this game was a launch title cause I don't think it showcased the Wii U's features well. Not only that but it really is just 2D Mario. It's great to know that this gameplay format has had way more soul put into it with Wonder and hopefully it stays that way, cause man. I mean I really don't feel like I was able to say much about this game which shows. But hey if you're itching for 2D Mario, there's enough content here to maybe make a purchase worth it. I don't know it depends.
2010
Here I am. I feel like this game personally has changed a lot for me. It means a lot to me as, it's the first Mario game I ever played. And, well I absolutely adore Mario to this day. This is probably going to be a blend of both being personal while also trying to be objective, but I can assure that this is easily one of my favorite games of all time.
Let's get the one actual flaw I have with this game so I can start gushing over everything else. The story is basically a retelling of the first game (Which I also adore.). The one problem is that well, they dumbed down everything. Instead of meeting Rosalina, you meet Lubba who honestly is pretty underrated. Unfortunately the big ol purple guy ain't saving how lame this story is. While Galaxy 1's story was simple like every Mario game, it was still climatic, and had multiple cutscenes. In that game, I felt the need to save the day with Mario that time. Here, it's weird. I still want to save Peach but with how the story is presented, in such a lamer way. It just doesn't hit like the first game did. The first game also has a way better sense of atmosphere, really making you feel like you're in space, and feeling some of the loneliness that could bring with some levels like Space Junk Galaxy or other levels that gave the feeling that Bowser had taken over galaxies. To be honest, I could totally get why someone would prefer the first game over this one for those reasons.
OKAY. I can talk about how much I LOVE this game! Ok ok ok, first of all. Cloud Mario is the best powerup in this entire franchise and no one can convince me otherwise. The design is great, the ability is awesome and used so well throughout the game, AND you can cheese the game with it! How can you not love it. Rock Mario is great too, and I wish we could use it more, but I liked what was there for it. Also, can I just say that it never bothered me how the fire flower was on a time limit in the galaxy games? I don't know why it just never really felt weird to me. Anyways, something this game definitely has over the first is the level design. It is improved and takes full advantage of the fact that it is a linear 3D platformer. Most levels here have 2 stars instead of 3 which means that there can be more fleshed out levels. I love so many galaxies in this game. Puzzle Plank Galaxy, Space Storm Galaxy, Clockwork Ruins, Sandslip, Flip Out, Cloudy Court, Tall Trunk, Haunty Halls, Sky Station, and I could keep going on, but there really isn't a single galaxy from this game that I even find ok to be honest, and I mean that in a good way. The game just had a great collection of levels and does it so well. Yoshi shows up a good amount of times throughout the adventure and is great to play with in this game. Pointing the Wii remote to aim his tongue feels really good as well. The Bowser Castle's are great as well. Especially the last one. Too bad, Bowser himself is puny there. It sucks too they made a great final boss song and everything for him, but it's not only too easy, but way too quick.
That's not all though because green stars exist. I guess this could be a spoiler but it's not like there's a sign you'll get em unless you look it up. After you beat all of the levels with all stars, including world S, and beat Bowser's Galaxy Generator again, you get access to green stars. I personally think these are a cool addition to the game. Some will actually make you explore the level and look at it in a different sense, but some can just be super easy to get, either because their in plain sight or you can already see it in the intro sequence for the level. I think these are a fun addition to the game, way better than making you play the same game, but with Luigi, who's here too where you can play as him for a level sometimes. It's odd, but he becomes fully playable after beating the game.
It feels like there is so much I could say on this game and why I love it so much. Even if the first game did everything this game did first, with this just being 'Mario Galaxy 1.5', this did it first for me personally. Even if the first game definitely had better atmosphere than this one, this one still let me see Mario travel through space first. I love both games a lot, but since I played this one more, and also played it first. Everything I think about when it comes to these 2 games mainly comes from this one. I love it to death, and after replaying it, I can confirm that after all these years, it's still one of my favorite games of all time... deja vu.
Let's get the one actual flaw I have with this game so I can start gushing over everything else. The story is basically a retelling of the first game (Which I also adore.). The one problem is that well, they dumbed down everything. Instead of meeting Rosalina, you meet Lubba who honestly is pretty underrated. Unfortunately the big ol purple guy ain't saving how lame this story is. While Galaxy 1's story was simple like every Mario game, it was still climatic, and had multiple cutscenes. In that game, I felt the need to save the day with Mario that time. Here, it's weird. I still want to save Peach but with how the story is presented, in such a lamer way. It just doesn't hit like the first game did. The first game also has a way better sense of atmosphere, really making you feel like you're in space, and feeling some of the loneliness that could bring with some levels like Space Junk Galaxy or other levels that gave the feeling that Bowser had taken over galaxies. To be honest, I could totally get why someone would prefer the first game over this one for those reasons.
OKAY. I can talk about how much I LOVE this game! Ok ok ok, first of all. Cloud Mario is the best powerup in this entire franchise and no one can convince me otherwise. The design is great, the ability is awesome and used so well throughout the game, AND you can cheese the game with it! How can you not love it. Rock Mario is great too, and I wish we could use it more, but I liked what was there for it. Also, can I just say that it never bothered me how the fire flower was on a time limit in the galaxy games? I don't know why it just never really felt weird to me. Anyways, something this game definitely has over the first is the level design. It is improved and takes full advantage of the fact that it is a linear 3D platformer. Most levels here have 2 stars instead of 3 which means that there can be more fleshed out levels. I love so many galaxies in this game. Puzzle Plank Galaxy, Space Storm Galaxy, Clockwork Ruins, Sandslip, Flip Out, Cloudy Court, Tall Trunk, Haunty Halls, Sky Station, and I could keep going on, but there really isn't a single galaxy from this game that I even find ok to be honest, and I mean that in a good way. The game just had a great collection of levels and does it so well. Yoshi shows up a good amount of times throughout the adventure and is great to play with in this game. Pointing the Wii remote to aim his tongue feels really good as well. The Bowser Castle's are great as well. Especially the last one. Too bad, Bowser himself is puny there. It sucks too they made a great final boss song and everything for him, but it's not only too easy, but way too quick.
That's not all though because green stars exist. I guess this could be a spoiler but it's not like there's a sign you'll get em unless you look it up. After you beat all of the levels with all stars, including world S, and beat Bowser's Galaxy Generator again, you get access to green stars. I personally think these are a cool addition to the game. Some will actually make you explore the level and look at it in a different sense, but some can just be super easy to get, either because their in plain sight or you can already see it in the intro sequence for the level. I think these are a fun addition to the game, way better than making you play the same game, but with Luigi, who's here too where you can play as him for a level sometimes. It's odd, but he becomes fully playable after beating the game.
It feels like there is so much I could say on this game and why I love it so much. Even if the first game did everything this game did first, with this just being 'Mario Galaxy 1.5', this did it first for me personally. Even if the first game definitely had better atmosphere than this one, this one still let me see Mario travel through space first. I love both games a lot, but since I played this one more, and also played it first. Everything I think about when it comes to these 2 games mainly comes from this one. I love it to death, and after replaying it, I can confirm that after all these years, it's still one of my favorite games of all time... deja vu.
2000
What a goofy lil cute game. I always loved Wario as a character, but never actually played one of his own games. So this is my first one, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. There's a good chunk of levels to visit and they went a metroidvania route! How interesting especially since I love how satisfying metroidvania's can be. They have a good list of moves here that get used well throughout the game. It's not easy to get lost either since the temple figure will always tell you where you NEED to go which is nice.
One funny thing about the game is how you can't even take damage. I heard that Wario is actually immortal because he just simply doesn't wanna die which is hilarious to me. Also explains how he's able to live from all this. There will be enemies that you give a "power up" changing Wario's moveset. Stuff like the bats that turn you into a vampire, fire burning you to a crisp with a benefit, zombies that turn you into ghosts which can help you or just be annoying... Oh yeah. Annoying.
My one major problem with Wario Land 3 is that it feels like you NEED to be patient if you're able to enjoy it. If you can and want too (And you probably want too) use save states. This game will love to force you to backtrack back where you were, if you make even one mistake and it gets frustrating easily. It doesn't help that Wario is pretty slow with the only way of going faster being his dash attack. It's a shame and maybe the 4th one does better with the concept of not even being able to get hurt but I don't know.
If you ask me, you'll probably wanna use a guide too. This game's got those moments where you end up feeling stupid with a puzzle... Well at least me. But I feel that Wario Land 3 is a fun platformer. Though if you have a short temper or a lack of patience, I would probably stay away from this game. Me personally though, I had a fun time with this game. I mean. How can anyone not enjoy Wario's presence?
One funny thing about the game is how you can't even take damage. I heard that Wario is actually immortal because he just simply doesn't wanna die which is hilarious to me. Also explains how he's able to live from all this. There will be enemies that you give a "power up" changing Wario's moveset. Stuff like the bats that turn you into a vampire, fire burning you to a crisp with a benefit, zombies that turn you into ghosts which can help you or just be annoying... Oh yeah. Annoying.
My one major problem with Wario Land 3 is that it feels like you NEED to be patient if you're able to enjoy it. If you can and want too (And you probably want too) use save states. This game will love to force you to backtrack back where you were, if you make even one mistake and it gets frustrating easily. It doesn't help that Wario is pretty slow with the only way of going faster being his dash attack. It's a shame and maybe the 4th one does better with the concept of not even being able to get hurt but I don't know.
If you ask me, you'll probably wanna use a guide too. This game's got those moments where you end up feeling stupid with a puzzle... Well at least me. But I feel that Wario Land 3 is a fun platformer. Though if you have a short temper or a lack of patience, I would probably stay away from this game. Me personally though, I had a fun time with this game. I mean. How can anyone not enjoy Wario's presence?
I remember getting this on the Wii U Eshop a while back (RIP). It's the first one in this "milked" sub-series, and they did a great job I feel. This game must've been great for Mario fans back in the day who didn't get a new 2D Mario game in years!... Then they kept doing the same thing until U which is when people were actually done with this, but hey! Wonder's out and that was great. My point still stands though.
The game has only 8 worlds, and while I do wish that it had a world 9 like it's sequels. It doesn't. That's ok though considering the game's levels are really fun to play. Just letting ya know Star Coins, and any optional collectable in my platformer, is an instant win in my book. The game's got these scattered across the levels, some in plain sight, others you have to look out for. I didn't get them all cause I played this casually, but I feel you can enjoy either route of being a completionist or just playing the game normally. That's not all though. You get tower and castle levels which are fun, but end with bosses. Now as usual for Mario these bosses are pretty easy. I mean for crying out loud, take any fire flower with you to the end of a tower level and Bowser Jr will immediately see the light for a second. However the boss ideas are probably the best in this game since you get a whole lot of enemies to fight.
Speaking of the Fire Flower that I mentioned earlier, it's back along with some new power ups. The shell is an odd case if you ask me, since it feels weird to control and the momentum with it is just odd. When you get it rolling though, have fun fighting for your life, fighting the thing to stay alive. It's really situational which explains why it hasn't been brought back, but I feel like you could things with this awesome concept. The mini mushroom however, I adore. It makes you mini of course, allowing you to do moon jumps, run on water, but you'll have to be extra careful with it since you're back to being small technically. That, and you can only ground pound enemies if you want to kill them.
In the end, this game can be viewed as what started the plague of the samey 2D Mario games, but it did a lot in bringing this back. Not only that, but it's not like the game is bad. Not at all. I think the controls as well can be a little wonky since wall jumps feel like they have a delay behind them, but when you get used to it, it controls very well. Also before I go, I completely forgot about the minigames, which are just cool to have and add to the factor of this game being so good for the DS. Not only that, but, and while I haven't played it. Mario vs Luigi always looked like a fun side game. Just a game that allows you to always try something with it, and that's great.
The game has only 8 worlds, and while I do wish that it had a world 9 like it's sequels. It doesn't. That's ok though considering the game's levels are really fun to play. Just letting ya know Star Coins, and any optional collectable in my platformer, is an instant win in my book. The game's got these scattered across the levels, some in plain sight, others you have to look out for. I didn't get them all cause I played this casually, but I feel you can enjoy either route of being a completionist or just playing the game normally. That's not all though. You get tower and castle levels which are fun, but end with bosses. Now as usual for Mario these bosses are pretty easy. I mean for crying out loud, take any fire flower with you to the end of a tower level and Bowser Jr will immediately see the light for a second. However the boss ideas are probably the best in this game since you get a whole lot of enemies to fight.
Speaking of the Fire Flower that I mentioned earlier, it's back along with some new power ups. The shell is an odd case if you ask me, since it feels weird to control and the momentum with it is just odd. When you get it rolling though, have fun fighting for your life, fighting the thing to stay alive. It's really situational which explains why it hasn't been brought back, but I feel like you could things with this awesome concept. The mini mushroom however, I adore. It makes you mini of course, allowing you to do moon jumps, run on water, but you'll have to be extra careful with it since you're back to being small technically. That, and you can only ground pound enemies if you want to kill them.
In the end, this game can be viewed as what started the plague of the samey 2D Mario games, but it did a lot in bringing this back. Not only that, but it's not like the game is bad. Not at all. I think the controls as well can be a little wonky since wall jumps feel like they have a delay behind them, but when you get used to it, it controls very well. Also before I go, I completely forgot about the minigames, which are just cool to have and add to the factor of this game being so good for the DS. Not only that, but, and while I haven't played it. Mario vs Luigi always looked like a fun side game. Just a game that allows you to always try something with it, and that's great.
The Pac is BAAAAAAAAACK. With a sleeper! HA! So lil young me had some weird phase where I really liked Pac-Man which led to me getting random games about him. The Pac-Man World games. Some Pac-Man kart racer which I should try out some time. Then this and the 1st game. Now I would limp through the first game as well, but the disc broke. I am not aboutta buy another copy of that for sure. But, have no fear! The sequel works just fine! Defintely has a better box art than the first game, have you SEEN how generic and odd that one looks?
So, this is a rather generic platformer that was clearly put out to coexist with the show like the first game. From what I remember the first was worse than this, but not by some long shot. This is one of those platformers, that's just... boring, and feels soulless. I can tell it's better than the first. Doesn't make it good though. I honestly don't even know what to say about the gameplay to be honest. It's barebones that's for sure. The power ups are less "power ups" and more so obligated gameplay switch ups. Nothing wrong with that, but it just starts to get so stale and boring eventually. It never really gets interesting. It feels decent to control too which makes it even weirder. Those shooting levels aren't much better though. VERY boring and slow. Way too easy as well. Also this game floods you in lives. You probably won't be seeing a game over screen any time soon.
The dialogue. Its cheesy and not in a good way. Weird thing is uh. I can't remember it. Wow the more I think about it, the more I start to realize this game has been phasing through my brain ever since I beat it. Sure was a funny time though. I don't even know what happened in the story and I doubt anyone really cares. Only thing I can even get out of it is the fact that this was one of Erica Mendez's first roles apparently which I find funny. Even funnier cause she did a good job voicing Pac-Man here. She probably doesn't like to think about this ever happening a lot though.
But yeah. That's Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2 for ya. Honestly I should ACTUALLY watch the whole show sometime just to get an idea of it. For the meme of course.
So, this is a rather generic platformer that was clearly put out to coexist with the show like the first game. From what I remember the first was worse than this, but not by some long shot. This is one of those platformers, that's just... boring, and feels soulless. I can tell it's better than the first. Doesn't make it good though. I honestly don't even know what to say about the gameplay to be honest. It's barebones that's for sure. The power ups are less "power ups" and more so obligated gameplay switch ups. Nothing wrong with that, but it just starts to get so stale and boring eventually. It never really gets interesting. It feels decent to control too which makes it even weirder. Those shooting levels aren't much better though. VERY boring and slow. Way too easy as well. Also this game floods you in lives. You probably won't be seeing a game over screen any time soon.
The dialogue. Its cheesy and not in a good way. Weird thing is uh. I can't remember it. Wow the more I think about it, the more I start to realize this game has been phasing through my brain ever since I beat it. Sure was a funny time though. I don't even know what happened in the story and I doubt anyone really cares. Only thing I can even get out of it is the fact that this was one of Erica Mendez's first roles apparently which I find funny. Even funnier cause she did a good job voicing Pac-Man here. She probably doesn't like to think about this ever happening a lot though.
But yeah. That's Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2 for ya. Honestly I should ACTUALLY watch the whole show sometime just to get an idea of it. For the meme of course.
2003
Alright so. I just remembered that I beat this a while back and yeah... yeah I really REALLY wanted to at least like this game, but it's so frustrating to play, and it hurts to finally admit that myself. Yeah yeah I know I was playing the worst version of the game, but that really isn't a valid excuse. Besides I already own the game, might as well play it that way.
Anyways let's the good out of the way. This game is very fun and vibrant and I love it. The music is great as always from a Sonic game, and it feels like a fitting end to the "dreamcast" era of Sonic. I also enjoyed my time with Team Sonic which honestly. If you wanna have fun with the game then dip. Just play Team Sonic. Even then it's not guaranteed which means I get to talk about my problems with the game!
First of all. The movement in this game is dookie. It's way too slippery, can feel very glitchy, and overall I would rather just play about any other Sonic game over this in terms of control. TIP: Do NOT play as the speed characters most of the time. It will NOT end well. I feel like you've failed with your control in a PLATFORMER, if I have to be so anxious about falling off of cliffs because of how the game plays, not because of my own skill. The game's attempt at combat is mindless at best honestly. You just stop, switch to the power character, and get to mashing. I know I shouldn't be expecting anything crazy, and yeah, I know they want you to be fast with beating the enemies, but it's just not fun.
Remember the "Team Sonic" thing I mentioned before? I'm bringing that up again because they're 3 more campaigns! Now you would think you would get new experiences with these other stories, right? Nah, how about beating the same game, but Team Dark is just harder, (And honestly bad level design at times.), Team Rose is baby mode, yet still mandatory, and Team Chaotix... Backtracking, and missions in linear levels is not a good mix. With all 4 of these stories (Including Team Sonic), you NEED to beat them all if you want the last story. Like in the Adventure games right? However, NOW you need to get the Chaos Emeralds along the way just like in the Classic games. The way of achieving these is fine on paper, but when you get the games jank, it becomes a nightmare, ESPECIALLY on Team Dark. You need a key, and THEN you can't get hit or fall off a cliff. Finding the keys isn't that hard, since some are just in plain sight. The problem is getting through these levels without a scratch on you with them. THEN there's the special stages themselves... Yeah they suck. If you can't get it in the first 10 seconds, there's a 90% chance you're gonna fail as I believe SomecallmeJohnny said. Which is basically true. They control terribly as well. Like the rest of the game pretty much.
The story itself is a lot more simpler and actually a break from the Adventure games trying to be more cinematic and heavier. You can like or dislike this. Honestly I'm ok with it. It's not much substance, but the character interactions can be nice to see as well. Even if those rival fights make no sense story wise- Oh yeah! I forgot about the bosses! They also suck, gee what a surprise! They're either way too easy, or frustratingly difficult, because of jank.
Honestly I really wish I could be like others, and say "Yeah! I liked that one." When it comes to Heroes. It's just... I really don't have too many good things to say about the game, and what I do like about it. I typically like in every other Sonic game! I guess at the end of the day I was just a villain along... I'll leave now, I just didn't know how to end the review so I ended it with that terrible joke.
Anyways let's the good out of the way. This game is very fun and vibrant and I love it. The music is great as always from a Sonic game, and it feels like a fitting end to the "dreamcast" era of Sonic. I also enjoyed my time with Team Sonic which honestly. If you wanna have fun with the game then dip. Just play Team Sonic. Even then it's not guaranteed which means I get to talk about my problems with the game!
First of all. The movement in this game is dookie. It's way too slippery, can feel very glitchy, and overall I would rather just play about any other Sonic game over this in terms of control. TIP: Do NOT play as the speed characters most of the time. It will NOT end well. I feel like you've failed with your control in a PLATFORMER, if I have to be so anxious about falling off of cliffs because of how the game plays, not because of my own skill. The game's attempt at combat is mindless at best honestly. You just stop, switch to the power character, and get to mashing. I know I shouldn't be expecting anything crazy, and yeah, I know they want you to be fast with beating the enemies, but it's just not fun.
Remember the "Team Sonic" thing I mentioned before? I'm bringing that up again because they're 3 more campaigns! Now you would think you would get new experiences with these other stories, right? Nah, how about beating the same game, but Team Dark is just harder, (And honestly bad level design at times.), Team Rose is baby mode, yet still mandatory, and Team Chaotix... Backtracking, and missions in linear levels is not a good mix. With all 4 of these stories (Including Team Sonic), you NEED to beat them all if you want the last story. Like in the Adventure games right? However, NOW you need to get the Chaos Emeralds along the way just like in the Classic games. The way of achieving these is fine on paper, but when you get the games jank, it becomes a nightmare, ESPECIALLY on Team Dark. You need a key, and THEN you can't get hit or fall off a cliff. Finding the keys isn't that hard, since some are just in plain sight. The problem is getting through these levels without a scratch on you with them. THEN there's the special stages themselves... Yeah they suck. If you can't get it in the first 10 seconds, there's a 90% chance you're gonna fail as I believe SomecallmeJohnny said. Which is basically true. They control terribly as well. Like the rest of the game pretty much.
The story itself is a lot more simpler and actually a break from the Adventure games trying to be more cinematic and heavier. You can like or dislike this. Honestly I'm ok with it. It's not much substance, but the character interactions can be nice to see as well. Even if those rival fights make no sense story wise- Oh yeah! I forgot about the bosses! They also suck, gee what a surprise! They're either way too easy, or frustratingly difficult, because of jank.
Honestly I really wish I could be like others, and say "Yeah! I liked that one." When it comes to Heroes. It's just... I really don't have too many good things to say about the game, and what I do like about it. I typically like in every other Sonic game! I guess at the end of the day I was just a villain along... I'll leave now, I just didn't know how to end the review so I ended it with that terrible joke.
I woke up and just thought about randomly reviewing one of my biggest childhood games. This and a couple of other games are what made me crave Sports/Racing games that have tons of unlockables and content in them. It's a great kart racer. I don't really like to call things that aren't Mario Kart, "Mario Kart clones", because Mario Kart, I feel, pioneered the whole subgenre, but that doesn't mean that there aren't shameless cash grabs that just try to get a quick buck that basically do nothing to differ from Mario Kart. This however, isn't one of those games. The tracks are all beautifully crafted and feel like adventures. The transformation mechanic is a great one, since all 3 modes control well. Don't worry if you don't like inverted controls on the plane sections, then you can just turn them off. Some people hate the character roster, but to be honest. I just find it funny, seeing Danica Patrick casually appear in this game and be unlocked like it's nothing, it's hilarious to me. Speaking of unlockables or more so, content. This game's got it. I love campaigns in Racing games with multiple modes that test your skills. The A star missions are actual challenges, and if that wasn't enough for you, the devs just decided to add in an S Class difficulty after you beat the main bulk of the campaign. Be warned though that the CPUs can be kinda stupid sometimes in these. You can also unlock "mods" for characters that give them different stats depending on the type of mod. I know these aren't crazy, but I just like the customization options. There's your standard Grand Prix as well. The remixes for each track are great as well. I just love a lot about this game, even if some of it comes from nostalgia. I mean for crying out loud just go into the options and mess around with the announcer and see what happens. It's great. Just a fantastic kart racer all around.
2011
This along with Mania proves to me that Nostalgia can be done right when handled well. That aside, Generations is a great entry and really did make everyone think Sonic was going in the right direction again... then Lost World happened (But I actually don't think that game is that bad so hey.)... then Boom. Yeah hopefully in the future with Frontiers 2 or whatever they're cooking, Sonic gets back on the right track which seems to be the case. Anyways I'm getting sidetracked. This game oozes of love and charm and I adore it. The stage picks are all great, and even better. They're all very fun to play! Now I know people don't like Planet Wisp, but honestly and I don't know if this is a hot take or not, but I personally think it's a good final level and enjoyed both acts, but that's just me. Point is, the levels are beautifully crafted and I love how sometimes you can feel the familiarity, but also something brand new with these levels. The boost levels are pure bliss and amazing to play. So amazing that it unfortunately makes it harder for most people to play the Act 1 levels again. I mean look at the modding community. Most level mods are just more boost levels with the occasional Classic level. Even then, there's nothing wrong with Classic Sonic. He doesn't feel as good as he did in the original games, but he still feels like a blast to play as, along with his set of levels. The challenges are a nice side offering and can offer extra fun to be had. That along with the songs that you may get from them. The bosses are a lot better than I remember actually too. Although the last one is not only too easy, but annoying to chase down, and doesn't feel satisfying at all to fight (Not like Final bosses in Sonic are really supposed to be hard, but they at least had the spectacle, and are still fun.). Overall this is an amazing celebration to Sonic and I would easily recommend it if you want to start somewhere with this franchise. It's aged well in terms of everything, and has two sides of a coin.
2011
I can definitely see why this is considered a pioneer for other Superhero games. It did a lot for the genre. Arkham City improves on Asylum's already good gameplay by adding tweaks and improvements just to streamline the whole experince. Instead of an Island, you can run and glide around a whole city which acts as a prison, which I just personally think of as a cool concept. The story is well done even if there are some silly things like the devs clearly forcing a way for Mr. Freeze and Batman to fight. The gadgets have been given way better purpose and with the quickfire ability make using them way easier and quicker. There are more options for stealth. The smoke pellet is here like it should be. Catwoman is playable and even if it is kind of just Batman but with different movement options and situational ceiling climbing, it still feels really cool. The boss battles are way better. Like I said, they're just tons of neat little improvements that help what makes an already good formula from the last game, even better. This game aged gracefully, and truly does deserve the praise it gets for the direction it gave to future Superhero games.
This is probably one of my biggest guilty pleasures, but this game is unironically good. It’s surprising how a spin off is what was able to showcase Sonic’s personality best arguably. The story in general is good. The gameplay can be fun, but sense it relies on motion controls, it can be frustrating sometimes. Don’t expect crazy combat, but it does get the job done. The graphics look real good as well for a Wii game. The short length of it as well allows it to not stay its welcome, but there are some nice optional missions that you can do just in case you want more. There’s also a battle mode, but I never even saw gameplay of it, but I’m sure there’s some fun to be had. Overall… Knight of the Wind is the best Crush 40 song and I will DIE on that hill.
What a great start to this series. I’m gonna get my favorite thing out of the way with this game. The atmosphere is truly amazing. I love how it really does feel like I’m in an high level security asylum. Whether it’s the crazy sociopathic criminals that you have to beat the snot out of. The place itself. The dark muddy sky and ground. Not only that but how things could suddenly change like with Scarecrow and his fear toxin, or Poison Ivy’s plants taking over the place. The combat is simple yet really fun. It relies on reaction time, but also skill with the Critical Strike. If you wanna go crazy, you can’t just mash, and I really like that. Same for the stealth, which really can keep you on your toes sometimes. It’s also just real fun to knock these criminals lights out. Like really fun. The progression feels real satisfying as well. It felt nice getting each main gadget throughout the game. I feel the most disappointing part of this whole game is easily the bosses. Scarecrows set pieces were really cool and you have so much potential for him as a boss, but uh, it’s just an easy enemy gauntlet. Poison Ivy wasn’t anything special either. Killer Croc shouldn’t even count. Bane legit besides the final boss feels like the only real boss here if you ask me. Even then the variety with the bosses is really lacking. You’ll realize how they always have to spawn reinforcements for you to beat up, just to give these bosses some kind of substance. Also, yeah I know this game came out in 2009, but uh wow these models. Wow they did not age well. Batman looks like he’s constipated. The length of the game is actually really refreshing. I appreciate it. It doesn’t feel like some grand adventure but it’s not too short of one either. It feels like it hit the sweet spot for something like this. Overall, I think Arkham Asylum laid a great foundation for this series, and I bet it still has some merit to it to this day with how it handles things.