JoyDrift
1992
This is definitely the first Kirby game. I wanted to play it's sequels, but I know how short this is, so why not. It's also Kirby's first adventure, and it really feels like it.
Not even the copy ability was here yet. It's just an easy, cozy, short 2d platformer. There's not really an actual point in playing it today, but it's a nice historical kind of thing, since this is not only Kirby's first game, but it's also his first look. He's gray, you've got iconic bosses like Whispy Woods and King Deedee showing up here along with him. There's only 5 levels, with the last one being a boss rush ending with the final boss, so yeah it's REAL short.
It's odd, because I really don't have too much to say about this one. I feel like it's real simple for what it is. The fact that this pink circle went from beating up a penguin to killing gods and souls is real funny to me though, I'll say that.
Not even the copy ability was here yet. It's just an easy, cozy, short 2d platformer. There's not really an actual point in playing it today, but it's a nice historical kind of thing, since this is not only Kirby's first game, but it's also his first look. He's gray, you've got iconic bosses like Whispy Woods and King Deedee showing up here along with him. There's only 5 levels, with the last one being a boss rush ending with the final boss, so yeah it's REAL short.
It's odd, because I really don't have too much to say about this one. I feel like it's real simple for what it is. The fact that this pink circle went from beating up a penguin to killing gods and souls is real funny to me though, I'll say that.
2006
So I've been casually messing around with this game for quite a while due to just being bored and having ear issues (Allergies suck am I right?), and after all this time, I can't help but really REALLY enjoy this one now. I feel that if Sega kept on going with this sub-series then they would've had something to stand up to Mario Kart for sure, but hey I enjoy the kart racers too. I will say that this is definitely a more fitting concept for Sonic.
The game itself just has so much sauce that I love. The art style for the renders, the characters all getting their own fits meant for this type of futuristic setting. The club banger that the soundtrack is, focusing on something that's like a mix of Acid House and Trance music, everything about this game just exudes cool, and I love it.
Unfortunately the reason, I (At first when I was like a child), and a lot of other people couldn't get with this game was because of the fact that it just kind of sucks at teaching you how to play it. This is definitely not a Mario Kart like game, and there's a lot of depth. Unfortunately for some reason the game just barely teaches you any of it. Sure there's a tutorial, but honestly it really doesn't go over too much that's actually important and would help you win races easier. For example, if you go down on the control stick, you go higher, while if you go up, then you go farther. This helps you reach alternate paths, and also makes tricking more naturally fun. The tutorial doesn't teach you any of that from what I remember, and therefore, you're really only gonna get that information from either messing around or going on the internet, and finding about it (You're welcome if you wanna play the game.).
Other than that big issue, when you get the hang of things, this game becomes addicting. Especially when you buy more of the gears from the shop, which by the way, this game is not balanced at all. I mean the Advantage S which was only 1000 rings made winning the Grand Prix's so much easier for me. Probably cause of how good the shoes are, and the fact that the CPU's use the default board for some reason. The game moves at a fast pace, having you take sharp turns with a really satisfying drift mechanic, though it feels more like a slide if you ask me. They're also tricks that were previously mentioned. These not only reward you back your air that you use to ride the boards on track, but also are rank based depending on how many tricks are pulled off. This makes it satisfying and gives you multiple reasons to wanna perform these well, while also not getting too reckless and messing up. There are also these weird QTE like interludes in all tracks where you turn the control stick around like it's Budokai or something and that also refills your air, but at the same time, why are these here? Not that I have a problem with them, but they just feel unnecessary, even if some are cool like the rocket ships in Babylon Garden.
There's a story mode that's just really goofy in a good way. At the same time, like always with Sonic, they find a way to introduce a ton of lore... for HOVERBOARDING. I find it impressive if anything. Like they don't even have to try this hard, but they do a lot to make the Babylon Rouges actual characters with a backstory and everything. It's really cool. Other than that, there's your usual grand prix, a mission mode that's fun, although some later missions kinda made me go coo coo crazy, whether that's cause of the game's jank or me being kind of stupid and not realizing the strat to get a gold medal(It was the latter more often believe it or not.). Speaking of jank, yeah this game's got it, but I feel that you just kind of get use to it eventually as frustrating as it is. The track list is on the small side with only 8 unique locations. 16 tracks total. Even for 2006, I feel this is a little puny. I say a little because most of the tracks here are actually really fun. The tracks are filled with visual details which just make this game look good especially for the 6th generation of games.
So that's about it. It's unfortunate that a lot of people aren't able to appreciate this game and what it does right, because the game itself doesn't really tell you how to enjoy it. Sure there's a tutorial video buried in the extras section (See what I mean?), but even if you access that video, it only tells you so much. Pretty much the basics. As much of a disappointment as I think it's successor, Zero Gravity is, they at least learned their lesson, and made sure to include a proper tutorial in there. Aside from that, this game is a great foundation to me. It just sucks that they never really decided to do more completely other than dumb down the experience, and then just make it motion control garbage with Free Riders on the Kinect (Not saying that game is bad cause I haven't played it myself yet, just that it's pretty much what killed the series.). At least the Sonic community as always though it seems, found a way to care for this concept with stuff like Sonic Riders Tournament Edition or DX being around to improve this game. I guess that's one way to end everything off on a happy note.
The game itself just has so much sauce that I love. The art style for the renders, the characters all getting their own fits meant for this type of futuristic setting. The club banger that the soundtrack is, focusing on something that's like a mix of Acid House and Trance music, everything about this game just exudes cool, and I love it.
Unfortunately the reason, I (At first when I was like a child), and a lot of other people couldn't get with this game was because of the fact that it just kind of sucks at teaching you how to play it. This is definitely not a Mario Kart like game, and there's a lot of depth. Unfortunately for some reason the game just barely teaches you any of it. Sure there's a tutorial, but honestly it really doesn't go over too much that's actually important and would help you win races easier. For example, if you go down on the control stick, you go higher, while if you go up, then you go farther. This helps you reach alternate paths, and also makes tricking more naturally fun. The tutorial doesn't teach you any of that from what I remember, and therefore, you're really only gonna get that information from either messing around or going on the internet, and finding about it (You're welcome if you wanna play the game.).
Other than that big issue, when you get the hang of things, this game becomes addicting. Especially when you buy more of the gears from the shop, which by the way, this game is not balanced at all. I mean the Advantage S which was only 1000 rings made winning the Grand Prix's so much easier for me. Probably cause of how good the shoes are, and the fact that the CPU's use the default board for some reason. The game moves at a fast pace, having you take sharp turns with a really satisfying drift mechanic, though it feels more like a slide if you ask me. They're also tricks that were previously mentioned. These not only reward you back your air that you use to ride the boards on track, but also are rank based depending on how many tricks are pulled off. This makes it satisfying and gives you multiple reasons to wanna perform these well, while also not getting too reckless and messing up. There are also these weird QTE like interludes in all tracks where you turn the control stick around like it's Budokai or something and that also refills your air, but at the same time, why are these here? Not that I have a problem with them, but they just feel unnecessary, even if some are cool like the rocket ships in Babylon Garden.
There's a story mode that's just really goofy in a good way. At the same time, like always with Sonic, they find a way to introduce a ton of lore... for HOVERBOARDING. I find it impressive if anything. Like they don't even have to try this hard, but they do a lot to make the Babylon Rouges actual characters with a backstory and everything. It's really cool. Other than that, there's your usual grand prix, a mission mode that's fun, although some later missions kinda made me go coo coo crazy, whether that's cause of the game's jank or me being kind of stupid and not realizing the strat to get a gold medal(It was the latter more often believe it or not.). Speaking of jank, yeah this game's got it, but I feel that you just kind of get use to it eventually as frustrating as it is. The track list is on the small side with only 8 unique locations. 16 tracks total. Even for 2006, I feel this is a little puny. I say a little because most of the tracks here are actually really fun. The tracks are filled with visual details which just make this game look good especially for the 6th generation of games.
So that's about it. It's unfortunate that a lot of people aren't able to appreciate this game and what it does right, because the game itself doesn't really tell you how to enjoy it. Sure there's a tutorial video buried in the extras section (See what I mean?), but even if you access that video, it only tells you so much. Pretty much the basics. As much of a disappointment as I think it's successor, Zero Gravity is, they at least learned their lesson, and made sure to include a proper tutorial in there. Aside from that, this game is a great foundation to me. It just sucks that they never really decided to do more completely other than dumb down the experience, and then just make it motion control garbage with Free Riders on the Kinect (Not saying that game is bad cause I haven't played it myself yet, just that it's pretty much what killed the series.). At least the Sonic community as always though it seems, found a way to care for this concept with stuff like Sonic Riders Tournament Edition or DX being around to improve this game. I guess that's one way to end everything off on a happy note.
It really is unfortunate with this game. Personally, I still like it, but compared to it's predecessor, this game is really disappointing. I think the first Riders game has a lot of flaws, but at the end of the day it's still a very fun game packed with an arcade like vibe to it. While I do get those vibes here, it's just not as good, and I guess Sega saw critics be overly hateful towards the first game, and thought "Whelp, better get rid of all the sauce.", and then we end up with this.
Zero Gravity is weird. Cause like it's a sequel, but it really doesn't feel like one. It feels slower, the tracks aren't as fast paced feeling, and the tricks have been simplified to timing. It's mechanic which is manipulating gravity to move around which sounds cool. And it is. But after a while you start to realize that it's just a glorified drift that you only have to do on rather generic sharp turns. It's boost looks cool too. And it is. Until you realize that it's only usable on straightaways with objects. There's also gear changing which is just dumb. Feels like a good concept which just isn't used to it's full potential. These new features aren't enough to substitute for what's missing here.
If there are positives about this game and there are, the presentation is WAY better than the first game. I love the OST for this game, even more than OG Riders. It's more orchestral focused, but with some electronic influence in there, but the best part is that it's dynamic. See, every time you use one of the gravity techniques successfully, the music changes to a different phase, usually getting more intense, and I love it on here. It's not only the music though. The graphics look better, especially in the story. Speaking of the story. It's taken a lot more seriously, but at the end of the day, it's nothing crazy. Well, except for Babylonian lore, but other than that. It's just a fun ride. Weird thing is that your racing on these tracks, but in the story they're running away from the robots that want their gravity powers. Just find that funny. As lame as tricks are in this game, I love the various camera angles that come with doing them. In one of the tracks, almost every trick has this electric energy come with it since you're riding over fields of them, and when you land, a shockwave comes. It's just for dramatic flair, but still, that's really satisfying to me.
There's missions like in the first game, which are a fun side thing, a grand prix that's only 2 cups... so yeah. Which is honestly the worst thing about the Riders subseries in general. Even for their time, the track count is honestly just pathetic. Especially since half of them are just different versions of a track. Don't get me wrong, both have some fun tracks with very cool set pieces, so I guess I can give them that.
It's sad, because after this came Free Riders. I haven't played that, but what I do know is that it pretty much killed the series. To go from something that laid a great foundation, to this is really unfortunate. But hey, All Stars Racing exists so I guess Sonic has some kind of racing game even with Mario Kart. I still would love to see this get revived one day though.
Zero Gravity is weird. Cause like it's a sequel, but it really doesn't feel like one. It feels slower, the tracks aren't as fast paced feeling, and the tricks have been simplified to timing. It's mechanic which is manipulating gravity to move around which sounds cool. And it is. But after a while you start to realize that it's just a glorified drift that you only have to do on rather generic sharp turns. It's boost looks cool too. And it is. Until you realize that it's only usable on straightaways with objects. There's also gear changing which is just dumb. Feels like a good concept which just isn't used to it's full potential. These new features aren't enough to substitute for what's missing here.
If there are positives about this game and there are, the presentation is WAY better than the first game. I love the OST for this game, even more than OG Riders. It's more orchestral focused, but with some electronic influence in there, but the best part is that it's dynamic. See, every time you use one of the gravity techniques successfully, the music changes to a different phase, usually getting more intense, and I love it on here. It's not only the music though. The graphics look better, especially in the story. Speaking of the story. It's taken a lot more seriously, but at the end of the day, it's nothing crazy. Well, except for Babylonian lore, but other than that. It's just a fun ride. Weird thing is that your racing on these tracks, but in the story they're running away from the robots that want their gravity powers. Just find that funny. As lame as tricks are in this game, I love the various camera angles that come with doing them. In one of the tracks, almost every trick has this electric energy come with it since you're riding over fields of them, and when you land, a shockwave comes. It's just for dramatic flair, but still, that's really satisfying to me.
There's missions like in the first game, which are a fun side thing, a grand prix that's only 2 cups... so yeah. Which is honestly the worst thing about the Riders subseries in general. Even for their time, the track count is honestly just pathetic. Especially since half of them are just different versions of a track. Don't get me wrong, both have some fun tracks with very cool set pieces, so I guess I can give them that.
It's sad, because after this came Free Riders. I haven't played that, but what I do know is that it pretty much killed the series. To go from something that laid a great foundation, to this is really unfortunate. But hey, All Stars Racing exists so I guess Sonic has some kind of racing game even with Mario Kart. I still would love to see this get revived one day though.
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.