KarrotoZetsubou
2021
Just a fantastic title. The movement is perfect and the boss fights are phenomenal, story is told in a minimalist way but still keeps itself going with excellent action-based gameplay and fun 2d platforming.
This review contains spoilers
Thank you Infinite Wealth
Like A Dragon continues its turn-based RPG approach with its current primary protagonist Ichiban and proceeds to evolve it in every way. The improvements of the job system, changing up some exclusive jobs to make them more aligned with the combat changes, such as showing markers for AOE attacks that show what area they cover, allowing you to move around in the field to align these attacks to make them pull in as many enemies at once. This allows characters like Nanba's exclusive job to be reworked to be more directly AOE focused because you don't have to sit there waiting for the enemies to bundle up to try pull them into 1 big fireball and instead can utilise the movement circle to try position him yourself and know how much coverage you have. This change alone could have been fine as an improvement but they proceeded to go the extra mile by adding new mechanics to the battles that really enhanced the experience such as knock back attacks, grapple attacks to break guards, combo attacks with your allies. This is perfect because it supports the use of normal attacks further because you can knockback lighter enemies into allies while also restoring MP a new feature that appears in this game. But what I was mostly incredibly impressed about this title is how they took the character of kiryu and translated him into an turned-based RPG setting smoothly, the mechanic of being able to break the turned based nature for a short time and it become a watered down brawler game was incredible to see but the thing I found the most exciting was how they allowed him to switch between 3 styles, rush, brawler and beast. Each with their own strengths and unique interactions that the player can utilise whenever its kiryu's turn in battle, it fits into the gameplay system perfectly with beast being able to combat the guard system and rush including more attacks, it was really sweet to see.
That's enough about the combat because in typical RGG fashion they create an abundance of side content that is incredibly charming and hooks you into its world once more and many of them including their own little bits of fun gameplay to go with it, whether that's running across the street dodging oncoming traffic as a stunt double or once again facing off with a giant roomba this game delivers in its wackiness while also bringing Hawaii, a brand new never before seen area in the franchise to life. Farming dungeons becomes more enjoyable because of the precedurely generated rooms making random layouts every time you enter with different enemies in each room makes it less samey as you grind for exp.
Personally I really loved this story, especially near the end of it, they continue to write Ichiban as an incredible protagonist and I continue to be excited to see where his next story will take him and the characters he will take into the fold, because Tomizawa and Chitose were incredible new party members that I would love to see more of.
Kiryu's story I was very worried about going into this title but all those doubts quickly faded away the further the game went on, the way he has to learn to find balance within himself by becoming more open to live for himself was incredible. I also think his own personal set of side content in particular was really touching the soul and was sweet to experience as a fan of this series.
Overall I think Infinite Wealth is a fantastic step forward for the franchise and a huge one as well, the fact they were able to improve the previous game not slightly but majorly gives me hope the next title will do the same.
Like A Dragon continues its turn-based RPG approach with its current primary protagonist Ichiban and proceeds to evolve it in every way. The improvements of the job system, changing up some exclusive jobs to make them more aligned with the combat changes, such as showing markers for AOE attacks that show what area they cover, allowing you to move around in the field to align these attacks to make them pull in as many enemies at once. This allows characters like Nanba's exclusive job to be reworked to be more directly AOE focused because you don't have to sit there waiting for the enemies to bundle up to try pull them into 1 big fireball and instead can utilise the movement circle to try position him yourself and know how much coverage you have. This change alone could have been fine as an improvement but they proceeded to go the extra mile by adding new mechanics to the battles that really enhanced the experience such as knock back attacks, grapple attacks to break guards, combo attacks with your allies. This is perfect because it supports the use of normal attacks further because you can knockback lighter enemies into allies while also restoring MP a new feature that appears in this game. But what I was mostly incredibly impressed about this title is how they took the character of kiryu and translated him into an turned-based RPG setting smoothly, the mechanic of being able to break the turned based nature for a short time and it become a watered down brawler game was incredible to see but the thing I found the most exciting was how they allowed him to switch between 3 styles, rush, brawler and beast. Each with their own strengths and unique interactions that the player can utilise whenever its kiryu's turn in battle, it fits into the gameplay system perfectly with beast being able to combat the guard system and rush including more attacks, it was really sweet to see.
That's enough about the combat because in typical RGG fashion they create an abundance of side content that is incredibly charming and hooks you into its world once more and many of them including their own little bits of fun gameplay to go with it, whether that's running across the street dodging oncoming traffic as a stunt double or once again facing off with a giant roomba this game delivers in its wackiness while also bringing Hawaii, a brand new never before seen area in the franchise to life. Farming dungeons becomes more enjoyable because of the precedurely generated rooms making random layouts every time you enter with different enemies in each room makes it less samey as you grind for exp.
Personally I really loved this story, especially near the end of it, they continue to write Ichiban as an incredible protagonist and I continue to be excited to see where his next story will take him and the characters he will take into the fold, because Tomizawa and Chitose were incredible new party members that I would love to see more of.
Kiryu's story I was very worried about going into this title but all those doubts quickly faded away the further the game went on, the way he has to learn to find balance within himself by becoming more open to live for himself was incredible. I also think his own personal set of side content in particular was really touching the soul and was sweet to experience as a fan of this series.
Overall I think Infinite Wealth is a fantastic step forward for the franchise and a huge one as well, the fact they were able to improve the previous game not slightly but majorly gives me hope the next title will do the same.
1992
The first Kirby game and honestly a great first entry to the series, which not only is very accessible for all ages but is great to navigate. The boss fights are charming however some feel quite repetitive from how slow they are later on in the game. It also feels like the fly ability, which allows Kirby to skip over platforming sections is very overpowered in this title because you can just fly over the entire level and hit one or two enemies that may cross your path without taking damage in most areas. I also find it interesting that the Mike ability has found itself in this title way before copy abilities which shows the potential was known from the very beginning
1993
This provides a unique Classic sonic experience
This title coming after the first Sonic the hedgehog in terms of development (As Sonic Origins proves) comes with a new method of mobility the Super-Peelout, it allows sonic to instantly reach max speed but has vulnerability compared to the spin-dash, this ability feels pretty important and becomes natural to use with the gimmick of time travel that CD introduces.
The time travel gimmick is impressive and adds lots of depth to the stage designs. This is done by passing future/past signs and maintaining max speed for a few seconds. This will warp Sonic into the past or future with different aesthetic and musical themes.
Level design: The level design of Sonic CD has the most visual flare out of all the classic games, bringing unique soundtracks with each time period also. But this sadly does not mean the layout of the levels is the strongest because some of the stages become easy to navigate without thinking within 20 seconds to beat the stage and doesn't provide too much challenge to navigate in new ways and on the other side of the coin some stages become confusing to find your way around (such as the final stage) which the difference in pace becomes very noticeable.
Bosses: The boss fights within Sonic CD are very unique, providing different ways to tackle them, these can range from jumping on stone blocks and navigating to the roof to having a race against Metal Sonic. These fights also can go back to basics in the starter stages to provide a brand new experience.
Soundtrack: The soundtrack of this game is fantastic. I played on the Steam release (that is no longer available, because of Origins) which gave me the opportunity to switch between the US and JP versions. I love the JP version of the soundtrack it feels so funky and stardust speedway is a banger. I find the US version to be really weird because despite absolutely loving the main theme Sonic Boom, there are weird cases where you question if they made the game for a younger audience with the game over screen sounding very creepy.
Overall: A gem of a sonic title that is very unique in a great way to provide a long-lasting memorable experience
This title coming after the first Sonic the hedgehog in terms of development (As Sonic Origins proves) comes with a new method of mobility the Super-Peelout, it allows sonic to instantly reach max speed but has vulnerability compared to the spin-dash, this ability feels pretty important and becomes natural to use with the gimmick of time travel that CD introduces.
The time travel gimmick is impressive and adds lots of depth to the stage designs. This is done by passing future/past signs and maintaining max speed for a few seconds. This will warp Sonic into the past or future with different aesthetic and musical themes.
Level design: The level design of Sonic CD has the most visual flare out of all the classic games, bringing unique soundtracks with each time period also. But this sadly does not mean the layout of the levels is the strongest because some of the stages become easy to navigate without thinking within 20 seconds to beat the stage and doesn't provide too much challenge to navigate in new ways and on the other side of the coin some stages become confusing to find your way around (such as the final stage) which the difference in pace becomes very noticeable.
Bosses: The boss fights within Sonic CD are very unique, providing different ways to tackle them, these can range from jumping on stone blocks and navigating to the roof to having a race against Metal Sonic. These fights also can go back to basics in the starter stages to provide a brand new experience.
Soundtrack: The soundtrack of this game is fantastic. I played on the Steam release (that is no longer available, because of Origins) which gave me the opportunity to switch between the US and JP versions. I love the JP version of the soundtrack it feels so funky and stardust speedway is a banger. I find the US version to be really weird because despite absolutely loving the main theme Sonic Boom, there are weird cases where you question if they made the game for a younger audience with the game over screen sounding very creepy.
Overall: A gem of a sonic title that is very unique in a great way to provide a long-lasting memorable experience
1994
I played Virtua Fighter 2 through the Yakuza franchise many a time and I have to say, play it enough times and you realise how annoying this game can be, the AI most definitely cheats as is tradition for these arcade fighters but this one is easier to cheese.
It's still a game that I can appreciate in ways, especially when you fight a friend but I think Street Fighter 2 is better.
It's still a game that I can appreciate in ways, especially when you fight a friend but I think Street Fighter 2 is better.
2023
An experience that takes a 'different' direction without taking away from the franchise
The combat for this title is incredible, I finished the game with 66 hours of playtime and was still discovering new things you could do with the action. The way the different Eikons work makes the experience fresh, with its unique feats. Boss fights will pull you in with the insane action, with some exciting sequence breaks between them to invoke excitement, and find no boss except 1 to be underwhelming.
The Eikon battles were a big part of the marketing of this game and I found they did not disappoint the sheer scale of them draws you in as you experience pure spectacle.
Now the story and characters in this title drew me in, I love the cast and this carried over when I completed all the side quests within the game, the characters are fascinating. An example of this is a specific side character's placement within the world of Valisthea and how side quests allowed you to learn more about them naturally without needing the power of a story DLC to do so. Speaking more specifically about the side quests is that they only truly start to kick off during the second half of the game, where their impact starts to break out of a compressed circle and can influence even the whole world. The main story can be bad in pacing sometimes, making you have to do the most monotonous of activities when you are at an exciting point, but overall is a strong narrative.
However, I didn't like how the ending was left to interpretation, I completed all the side quests that provided more groundwork in doing that but still left me yearning for a more clear conclusion
Overall I love this title so much and struggle to see another game take its place as my GOTY, I have taken half a rating away because the destination of the story did not really do it for me but in terms of a game, it will measure up to many hours of fun. I will definitely be doing New Game + to conquer that platinum trophy
July 30th Update:
Never mind I think this game is a masterpiece and the ending has grown on me.
The combat for this title is incredible, I finished the game with 66 hours of playtime and was still discovering new things you could do with the action. The way the different Eikons work makes the experience fresh, with its unique feats. Boss fights will pull you in with the insane action, with some exciting sequence breaks between them to invoke excitement, and find no boss except 1 to be underwhelming.
The Eikon battles were a big part of the marketing of this game and I found they did not disappoint the sheer scale of them draws you in as you experience pure spectacle.
Now the story and characters in this title drew me in, I love the cast and this carried over when I completed all the side quests within the game, the characters are fascinating. An example of this is a specific side character's placement within the world of Valisthea and how side quests allowed you to learn more about them naturally without needing the power of a story DLC to do so. Speaking more specifically about the side quests is that they only truly start to kick off during the second half of the game, where their impact starts to break out of a compressed circle and can influence even the whole world. The main story can be bad in pacing sometimes, making you have to do the most monotonous of activities when you are at an exciting point, but overall is a strong narrative.
However, I didn't like how the ending was left to interpretation, I completed all the side quests that provided more groundwork in doing that but still left me yearning for a more clear conclusion
Overall I love this title so much and struggle to see another game take its place as my GOTY, I have taken half a rating away because the destination of the story did not really do it for me but in terms of a game, it will measure up to many hours of fun. I will definitely be doing New Game + to conquer that platinum trophy
July 30th Update:
Never mind I think this game is a masterpiece and the ending has grown on me.
Goomba, Aqua Goomba, Paragoomba, Ghost Goomba, and lastly the legendary Jason Vorhees Goomba.
oh yeah, and the level design and bosses are fantastic.
oh yeah, and the level design and bosses are fantastic.
This was certainly a journey. It had many ups and downs...first, i want to start with the pros:
Soundtrack: I absolutely loved the soundtrack, they really added onto the experience and fit the theme of the stages really well, it is definitely the strongest soundtrack out of the classic sonic games.
Characters: The idea of having different storylines between sonic/tails and knuckles is really enjoyable and adds extra levels of replayability
Special Stages: I think the special stage minigame is exciting and captures a trial-and-error system well. Minus the fact I struggled against 1 stage for the super emeralds in particular it felt rewarding to get the emeralds. However, the way to get special stages becomes a con for me.
Shields: I love this system! The idea of having different elemental shields was so enriching for the experience. not only does it add an extra hit, but it also adds extra bits of situational advantages to the gameplay, such as the bubble shield adding water breathing and a BOUNCY effect to a lightning shield magnetizing rings to sonic and granting a double jump and resistance to electric attacks and lastly the fire shield granting invulnerability to fire-based attacks and granting a dash. The shields feel at home in this title, especially because of how HUGE the stages are in comparison to previous entries.
Boss battles: DEFINITELY the best bosses out of the previous entries, adding a variety of different gimmicks the bosses utilize the theme of the stages to grant a positive challenging experience. There is also mini-bosses in act 1 that are just as enjoyable.
CONS
Getting special stages: I didn't really like the idea of having to search all over an already huge act within 10 minutes to find giant rings to access these special stages. Sonic 2 had a system that rewarded players for collecting 50 rings and avoiding obstacles with precision once they reached a checkpoint to grant them the opportunity to get a chaos emerald that felt more natural and within the flow of a speedy game, this game. However, it forces you at multiple times to take it slow to check a wall that may break and reveal a big ring just so you may get a chaos emerald which just rubbed me the wrong way
Obstacle placement: I think some of the obstacles in this game were out to get me just outrageously, however not as bad as sonic 1 level design and sonic 2's Metropolis zone.
Soundtrack: I absolutely loved the soundtrack, they really added onto the experience and fit the theme of the stages really well, it is definitely the strongest soundtrack out of the classic sonic games.
Characters: The idea of having different storylines between sonic/tails and knuckles is really enjoyable and adds extra levels of replayability
Special Stages: I think the special stage minigame is exciting and captures a trial-and-error system well. Minus the fact I struggled against 1 stage for the super emeralds in particular it felt rewarding to get the emeralds. However, the way to get special stages becomes a con for me.
Shields: I love this system! The idea of having different elemental shields was so enriching for the experience. not only does it add an extra hit, but it also adds extra bits of situational advantages to the gameplay, such as the bubble shield adding water breathing and a BOUNCY effect to a lightning shield magnetizing rings to sonic and granting a double jump and resistance to electric attacks and lastly the fire shield granting invulnerability to fire-based attacks and granting a dash. The shields feel at home in this title, especially because of how HUGE the stages are in comparison to previous entries.
Boss battles: DEFINITELY the best bosses out of the previous entries, adding a variety of different gimmicks the bosses utilize the theme of the stages to grant a positive challenging experience. There is also mini-bosses in act 1 that are just as enjoyable.
CONS
Getting special stages: I didn't really like the idea of having to search all over an already huge act within 10 minutes to find giant rings to access these special stages. Sonic 2 had a system that rewarded players for collecting 50 rings and avoiding obstacles with precision once they reached a checkpoint to grant them the opportunity to get a chaos emerald that felt more natural and within the flow of a speedy game, this game. However, it forces you at multiple times to take it slow to check a wall that may break and reveal a big ring just so you may get a chaos emerald which just rubbed me the wrong way
Obstacle placement: I think some of the obstacles in this game were out to get me just outrageously, however not as bad as sonic 1 level design and sonic 2's Metropolis zone.
Wow, what a title, it took everything from the previous titles and made it so much more. With the original spider-man PS4 I felt strongly that it was a fantastic take on the hero with great swinging mechanics but was weighed down by the simplicity of the combat that quickly got repetitive. You had the inclusion of many more gadgets and suit powers as a means to try to keep the gameplay loop satisfying but it failed at that in my opinion because the fundamentals of the combat remained the same, but I will say that combat wasn't completely terrible still
This game, however, revamped this, fixing the gadgets to 4 using the right bumper and face buttons to simplify it while also fixing their usefulness because they all feel equally useful compared to its predecessor. Furthermore the title incoperates 2 playable spider-men each with their own unique abilities that they will develop throughout the game at certain points in the story as a means to provide an easy-to-understand and impactful fresh approach to the combat while building on the fundamentals of the combat itself by including brand new types of attacks you have to adapt and tackle to avoid damage, such as attacks you will have to jump over or parry. This took a while for me to adapt to which I loved because I felt like any wrong input and I would be punished which added a whole new level of challenge that I enjoyed on the spectacular difficulty.
The story of this title was great, the voice acting was just even more incredible, the only thing i was a bit ehh about was how they moved into the final act of the game but just outside of that, they absolutely crushed it with this game.
The side quests are just wonderful as well! I will not be going into them in this review but they're just a treat with some fantastic storytelling.
The slight issue I had with the game was just going through a lot of bugs that would make me have to restart the game or load checkpoint, even worst once load a manual save.
But overall: This is just a spectacular game, a spectacular Spider-Man you could say.
This game, however, revamped this, fixing the gadgets to 4 using the right bumper and face buttons to simplify it while also fixing their usefulness because they all feel equally useful compared to its predecessor. Furthermore the title incoperates 2 playable spider-men each with their own unique abilities that they will develop throughout the game at certain points in the story as a means to provide an easy-to-understand and impactful fresh approach to the combat while building on the fundamentals of the combat itself by including brand new types of attacks you have to adapt and tackle to avoid damage, such as attacks you will have to jump over or parry. This took a while for me to adapt to which I loved because I felt like any wrong input and I would be punished which added a whole new level of challenge that I enjoyed on the spectacular difficulty.
The story of this title was great, the voice acting was just even more incredible, the only thing i was a bit ehh about was how they moved into the final act of the game but just outside of that, they absolutely crushed it with this game.
The side quests are just wonderful as well! I will not be going into them in this review but they're just a treat with some fantastic storytelling.
The slight issue I had with the game was just going through a lot of bugs that would make me have to restart the game or load checkpoint, even worst once load a manual save.
But overall: This is just a spectacular game, a spectacular Spider-Man you could say.
1992
A fantastic sequel to the first game, that puts a huge focus on its momentum and speed.
The platforming is much better, where mastering the pathing is satisfying, and the boss fights are fun as obstacles with gimmicks that just work.
The entry for super-sonic works really well, as mastery of the special stages comes with early game rewards as you can overpower stages obstacles as an immense force.
I would give this game a much higher rating in metropolis zone never existed, as it makes the game fall quite a lot with unfair obstacle placements that challenge momentum in an obnoxious way, with enemies on the roof, etc, and corkscrews that just go against the speedy nature of the game by wasting minutes spinning it.
The platforming is much better, where mastering the pathing is satisfying, and the boss fights are fun as obstacles with gimmicks that just work.
The entry for super-sonic works really well, as mastery of the special stages comes with early game rewards as you can overpower stages obstacles as an immense force.
I would give this game a much higher rating in metropolis zone never existed, as it makes the game fall quite a lot with unfair obstacle placements that challenge momentum in an obnoxious way, with enemies on the roof, etc, and corkscrews that just go against the speedy nature of the game by wasting minutes spinning it.
A fantastic Sonic title that I feel has honestly gone above and beyond but may be suffering from the port.
THE GOOD
This game introduces multiple stories that grant different perspectives of the overall plot (albeit with some goofy plot points). I think it's really interesting to note that despite the dialogue aging in a manner where you can't help but laugh at delivery, it still manages to maintain itself as lore rich, and captures multiple different themes for each individual characters development. This also makes the stories stay unique to the character from a gameplay element, by creating a more "laid back" formula for Big The Cat with his fishing minigame. Furthermore, when creating the title they wanted to ensure it could showcase what the hardware of the Dreamcast can accomplish so it starts to make sense why minigames like this exist in alignment with the goal. But the flaw I do find with the stories is how Big The Cat is introduced, he really doesn't have any relevance to the story and is kind of forced into it with a very half-baked plot device.
The spindash in this title feels very satisfying to use and when you've mastered the mechanic with spindash jumping you can really push the level design of the game and do things you had not done on previous playthroughs which leads to another positive point:
The level design is crafted in clever ways and has left it open for players to think outside of the box and find smart shortcuts to clear the levels at record times. The level design also shines with the other character stories because of how they branch out with different routes to explore and not making it just explore the same level multiple times with no changes (sonic heroes)
Eggman is so amazing in this game. I actually love him a lot, he's witty and not overbearing in terms of his position in the plot, he has such a simple motivation for using a god and this just plays well on his character.
THE NEUTRAL
I find the models for the DX version I am very mixed about, because while in gameplay the models really look great and can praise the change from a gameplay perspective. When it comes to the cutscenes I find some of the scenes are very unnatural and the eyes of the models will kind of overlay over the head in a weird way. There's also a bit of an awkwardness because in multiple instances in the game the character models will become the Dreamcast version an example is Amy getting grabbed by the robot and feels like it wasn't converted as perfectly.
THE BAD
The collision is a huge negative, you will gain some momentum and it will all be lost because it would be as though you went through 100 walls in an instant, except those walls are actually slight bumps.
Amy's gameplay is mind-numbingly annoying. Her hammer allows her to high jump which creates great momentum and allows you to speed through levels however it's kind of hard to consistently do this as you have to reach a certain speed to use this ability in the first place and her movement is so slow and easily interrupted.
Overall I absolutely loved this game and would have rated it higher if I didn't come across some really annoying stuff that really lowered the mood while playing because its concept has aged incredibly well more than 2 decades later and set off its generation of sonic games with an incredible start.
THE GOOD
This game introduces multiple stories that grant different perspectives of the overall plot (albeit with some goofy plot points). I think it's really interesting to note that despite the dialogue aging in a manner where you can't help but laugh at delivery, it still manages to maintain itself as lore rich, and captures multiple different themes for each individual characters development. This also makes the stories stay unique to the character from a gameplay element, by creating a more "laid back" formula for Big The Cat with his fishing minigame. Furthermore, when creating the title they wanted to ensure it could showcase what the hardware of the Dreamcast can accomplish so it starts to make sense why minigames like this exist in alignment with the goal. But the flaw I do find with the stories is how Big The Cat is introduced, he really doesn't have any relevance to the story and is kind of forced into it with a very half-baked plot device.
The spindash in this title feels very satisfying to use and when you've mastered the mechanic with spindash jumping you can really push the level design of the game and do things you had not done on previous playthroughs which leads to another positive point:
The level design is crafted in clever ways and has left it open for players to think outside of the box and find smart shortcuts to clear the levels at record times. The level design also shines with the other character stories because of how they branch out with different routes to explore and not making it just explore the same level multiple times with no changes (sonic heroes)
Eggman is so amazing in this game. I actually love him a lot, he's witty and not overbearing in terms of his position in the plot, he has such a simple motivation for using a god and this just plays well on his character.
THE NEUTRAL
I find the models for the DX version I am very mixed about, because while in gameplay the models really look great and can praise the change from a gameplay perspective. When it comes to the cutscenes I find some of the scenes are very unnatural and the eyes of the models will kind of overlay over the head in a weird way. There's also a bit of an awkwardness because in multiple instances in the game the character models will become the Dreamcast version an example is Amy getting grabbed by the robot and feels like it wasn't converted as perfectly.
THE BAD
The collision is a huge negative, you will gain some momentum and it will all be lost because it would be as though you went through 100 walls in an instant, except those walls are actually slight bumps.
Amy's gameplay is mind-numbingly annoying. Her hammer allows her to high jump which creates great momentum and allows you to speed through levels however it's kind of hard to consistently do this as you have to reach a certain speed to use this ability in the first place and her movement is so slow and easily interrupted.
Overall I absolutely loved this game and would have rated it higher if I didn't come across some really annoying stuff that really lowered the mood while playing because its concept has aged incredibly well more than 2 decades later and set off its generation of sonic games with an incredible start.
Fire Emblem Echoes tells a fantastic story with a great cast of characters (albeit just a few are 1 dimensional) but is weighed down by some frustrating gameplay.
This is evident in the fact that with Alms side of the story you mostly come across plains with lots of soldiers that you tactically navigate around. While on Celica's side...You come across some of the most painful map designs ever, with a prime example being Dead Man Mire which is flooded with swamp tiles that deal 5 hp per turn and are slower to navigate and I ALSO HATE CANTORS. I also do like the inclusion of dungeons overall but there were a lot of aspects that were just exhausting to get through such as Duma Tower and think the game is incredibly grindy.
I genuinely think that the time wheel as an addition to this remake is a huge saving grace because I would not like to feel what it was like to tackle these areas in Gaiden.
But there is more good to say about this title and that is, I love Hidari's art style and want to consume more games with them behind it like the Atelier Dusk trilogy because it just is so charming.
The soundtrack is phenomenal with this title and helps sell the scenarios that you are undergoing throughout the game, really allowing you to take in each environment that has a special track to go with it.
Overall: I enjoyed how this title came together, with its excellent voice acting, its art style, and the way it sounds. The title delivers those aspects. It's if you want to go into this title expect some real garbage maps because it will force you to go through pain.
This is evident in the fact that with Alms side of the story you mostly come across plains with lots of soldiers that you tactically navigate around. While on Celica's side...You come across some of the most painful map designs ever, with a prime example being Dead Man Mire which is flooded with swamp tiles that deal 5 hp per turn and are slower to navigate and I ALSO HATE CANTORS. I also do like the inclusion of dungeons overall but there were a lot of aspects that were just exhausting to get through such as Duma Tower and think the game is incredibly grindy.
I genuinely think that the time wheel as an addition to this remake is a huge saving grace because I would not like to feel what it was like to tackle these areas in Gaiden.
But there is more good to say about this title and that is, I love Hidari's art style and want to consume more games with them behind it like the Atelier Dusk trilogy because it just is so charming.
The soundtrack is phenomenal with this title and helps sell the scenarios that you are undergoing throughout the game, really allowing you to take in each environment that has a special track to go with it.
Overall: I enjoyed how this title came together, with its excellent voice acting, its art style, and the way it sounds. The title delivers those aspects. It's if you want to go into this title expect some real garbage maps because it will force you to go through pain.
I wish we got another.
Universe at War: Earth Assault was planned to be the first of a series that came to life. It featured an interesting story, where humanity was quickly shown to be underpowered against the main alien force - the Hierarchy. As such you don't spend your time playing as the humans, as they are spread thin and play as the Hierarchy, Novus ( A robot civilization) and lastly the Masari (ancient human-like aliens that have technology far more advanced than the other factions)
In terms of RTS, this game didn't really do anything that made itself stand out from the crowd in terms of gameplay mechanics but it just honed in on its aesthetic. It would have been great to see the universe get expanded more by seeing how far the Hierarchy spans while also finding its own identity as a strategy game.
Universe at War: Earth Assault was planned to be the first of a series that came to life. It featured an interesting story, where humanity was quickly shown to be underpowered against the main alien force - the Hierarchy. As such you don't spend your time playing as the humans, as they are spread thin and play as the Hierarchy, Novus ( A robot civilization) and lastly the Masari (ancient human-like aliens that have technology far more advanced than the other factions)
In terms of RTS, this game didn't really do anything that made itself stand out from the crowd in terms of gameplay mechanics but it just honed in on its aesthetic. It would have been great to see the universe get expanded more by seeing how far the Hierarchy spans while also finding its own identity as a strategy game.
2001
From toddler to "Advance" gamer
This game has a horrific difficulty spike from it being smooth sailing at the start (a lot of automation) to the final act just being so unnecessary in terms of its layout, so many death pits and just ughhh so annoying.
This title also has a lame soundtrack without anything of interest, something I quite like with the classic formula titles is that you can go into a zone and feel the soundtrack and pick up on a vibe they are going for. With this game, however, you feel nothing, just another level to combat without any joy.
Overall: A bland title.
This game has a horrific difficulty spike from it being smooth sailing at the start (a lot of automation) to the final act just being so unnecessary in terms of its layout, so many death pits and just ughhh so annoying.
This title also has a lame soundtrack without anything of interest, something I quite like with the classic formula titles is that you can go into a zone and feel the soundtrack and pick up on a vibe they are going for. With this game, however, you feel nothing, just another level to combat without any joy.
Overall: A bland title.
Is what it says, I can put it in my pocket and it can certainly take me on an adventure
Sonic Pocket Adventure takes Sonic 2 and 3, blends their level themes together, yet creates unique 8-bit level layouts. But this game isn't perfect at all.
The screen crunch makes this title unsatisfactory in many ways, an example of this is in the aerobase zone where you can't really see where to go for most of the jumps that leads to death, nor can you figure out shortcuts without taking the risk and just diving off the stage.
Special stages are in the deep end as it only gives you one shot to beat the stage if you fail you lose the chaos emerald making you unable to get to the true final boss, so be prepared to tear your hair out.
Overall though, I think this title captures the classic titles perfectly by providing its pocket-sized adventure that takes elements of its predecessors before Sonic Mania, keeping the speed of the hedgehog but be prepared to tackle this game more than once for some of the unfair challenges ahead
Sonic Pocket Adventure takes Sonic 2 and 3, blends their level themes together, yet creates unique 8-bit level layouts. But this game isn't perfect at all.
The screen crunch makes this title unsatisfactory in many ways, an example of this is in the aerobase zone where you can't really see where to go for most of the jumps that leads to death, nor can you figure out shortcuts without taking the risk and just diving off the stage.
Special stages are in the deep end as it only gives you one shot to beat the stage if you fail you lose the chaos emerald making you unable to get to the true final boss, so be prepared to tear your hair out.
Overall though, I think this title captures the classic titles perfectly by providing its pocket-sized adventure that takes elements of its predecessors before Sonic Mania, keeping the speed of the hedgehog but be prepared to tackle this game more than once for some of the unfair challenges ahead