Kremdanieko
When you think about licensed games released in the early 2000s for the 6th generation of consoles, you probably don't think of the Cat in the Hat.
However after playing through the game for the first time since I was a very small child I can confidently say that this game maybe shouldn't be slept on quite as much as it is.
There's this genuine sense that the developers cared about the project they were working on. Despite being relatively short with only 10 regular stages, a bonus stage, and 3 almost identical boss fights, each regular level is filled to the brim with visually interesting backgrounds, each stage having its own set of dozens of unique assets slotting in perfectly with its theme.
Character & enemy models are fairly low poly, and there is some level of mismatched aesthetics in regards to general visual consistency, however these did little to impact my enjoyment of the creativity on display.
Mechanically, the game is a 2.5D platformer without a large suite of mechanics. The cat can jump, hover, shoot bubbles to capture enemies or goo and then shoot them at things, stomp the ground with his umbrella, and cower in fear under it. The goo acts as an explosive projectile that can break certain metallic objects as well as regular wooden breakables.
There are some minor hiccups within these mechanics. Turning 180 degrees at a standstill forces you to wait for the turnaround animation before the cat moves, which can be awkward, especially considering this doesn't happen if you turn while in motion. Teleport pads always without fail cause the cat to launch off them slightly, forcing you to stop holding the directional pad in mid air so you don't miss the pad and potentially fall to your doom.
Attempting to aim at objects in the background with a projectile can be finnicky depending on the camera angle you're given, which can cause some frustration if you need to backtrack.
Given its status as a tie-in licensed movie game, it's generally surprising the developers had the foresight to allow you to backtrack throughout any entire level to collect stray collectables you might have missed. This is something I've rarely encountered even in renowned sidescrolling games and I have to give the developers credit for taking this into consideration. On my journey to get 100% in the game I would backtrack in several levels because I missed something, so it's much appreciated.
Unfortunately the audio is a mixed bag. The game features a sleuth of generic stock sounds youv'e heard a million times before, and the soundtrack is a lot of fairly generic "licensed game" music, with some standout moments in each track that made the songs bareable. However the voice acting is surpisingly solid. The majority of voice acting talent is given to the cat (Chris Edgerly) and the goldfish (Nolan North). While this may not be their best performances, it's solid, and you can tell they gave it their all to add emotion to these quite frankly weird looking models.
The Cat in the Hat isn't some magnificent hidden gem waiting to be uncovered by the masses, but it's not deserving of middling to low scores. It's a generally entertaining 2.5D platformer with some well thought out elements to make the ride smooth. Interesting & varied visuals, okay sound design, pretty good level design, and decent mechanics are what makes the game worth a look at the bare minimum.
However after playing through the game for the first time since I was a very small child I can confidently say that this game maybe shouldn't be slept on quite as much as it is.
There's this genuine sense that the developers cared about the project they were working on. Despite being relatively short with only 10 regular stages, a bonus stage, and 3 almost identical boss fights, each regular level is filled to the brim with visually interesting backgrounds, each stage having its own set of dozens of unique assets slotting in perfectly with its theme.
Character & enemy models are fairly low poly, and there is some level of mismatched aesthetics in regards to general visual consistency, however these did little to impact my enjoyment of the creativity on display.
Mechanically, the game is a 2.5D platformer without a large suite of mechanics. The cat can jump, hover, shoot bubbles to capture enemies or goo and then shoot them at things, stomp the ground with his umbrella, and cower in fear under it. The goo acts as an explosive projectile that can break certain metallic objects as well as regular wooden breakables.
There are some minor hiccups within these mechanics. Turning 180 degrees at a standstill forces you to wait for the turnaround animation before the cat moves, which can be awkward, especially considering this doesn't happen if you turn while in motion. Teleport pads always without fail cause the cat to launch off them slightly, forcing you to stop holding the directional pad in mid air so you don't miss the pad and potentially fall to your doom.
Attempting to aim at objects in the background with a projectile can be finnicky depending on the camera angle you're given, which can cause some frustration if you need to backtrack.
Given its status as a tie-in licensed movie game, it's generally surprising the developers had the foresight to allow you to backtrack throughout any entire level to collect stray collectables you might have missed. This is something I've rarely encountered even in renowned sidescrolling games and I have to give the developers credit for taking this into consideration. On my journey to get 100% in the game I would backtrack in several levels because I missed something, so it's much appreciated.
Unfortunately the audio is a mixed bag. The game features a sleuth of generic stock sounds youv'e heard a million times before, and the soundtrack is a lot of fairly generic "licensed game" music, with some standout moments in each track that made the songs bareable. However the voice acting is surpisingly solid. The majority of voice acting talent is given to the cat (Chris Edgerly) and the goldfish (Nolan North). While this may not be their best performances, it's solid, and you can tell they gave it their all to add emotion to these quite frankly weird looking models.
The Cat in the Hat isn't some magnificent hidden gem waiting to be uncovered by the masses, but it's not deserving of middling to low scores. It's a generally entertaining 2.5D platformer with some well thought out elements to make the ride smooth. Interesting & varied visuals, okay sound design, pretty good level design, and decent mechanics are what makes the game worth a look at the bare minimum.
1986
As a fan of the Zelda games, it's taken me an almost shocking amount of time to properly indulge in the original title of the series. The game that every successive game still takes ideas and concepts from to form the baseline core of this longstanding series.
The Legend of Zelda is an interesting relic from its time. Relatively quaint and rather short for its massive franchise, the game generally manages to not overstay its welcome, however certain elements of the game are purposefully obtuse, some to the point of being a bit unfair without some sort of guide. This is mostly only an issue with minor caves, but unfortunately also an issue with discovering the entrance to one of the major required levels of the game.
I'd hesitate to say it succeeds in making the journey feel like a proper adventure with its shockingly small map, but discovering secrets and powering Link up throughout is generally satisfying overall, and being able to discover late game dungeons before even finding earlier ones, and challenging yourself with them gives a sense of freedom that other Zelda games still fail to replicate for the most part.
Unfortunately, the game gets rather frustrating in later levels and even in the overworld with certain enemies seemingly designed to do nothing but frustrate and get in the way, several with awkward random movements that make it hard to land hits without getting hurt yourself.
A decent curiosity to be sure, one worth visiting if you're already a fan of Zelda and want to peek into where it all began, however it's only something I could possibly reccommend to people with patience and a tolerance for older, stiffer games.
The Legend of Zelda is an interesting relic from its time. Relatively quaint and rather short for its massive franchise, the game generally manages to not overstay its welcome, however certain elements of the game are purposefully obtuse, some to the point of being a bit unfair without some sort of guide. This is mostly only an issue with minor caves, but unfortunately also an issue with discovering the entrance to one of the major required levels of the game.
I'd hesitate to say it succeeds in making the journey feel like a proper adventure with its shockingly small map, but discovering secrets and powering Link up throughout is generally satisfying overall, and being able to discover late game dungeons before even finding earlier ones, and challenging yourself with them gives a sense of freedom that other Zelda games still fail to replicate for the most part.
Unfortunately, the game gets rather frustrating in later levels and even in the overworld with certain enemies seemingly designed to do nothing but frustrate and get in the way, several with awkward random movements that make it hard to land hits without getting hurt yourself.
A decent curiosity to be sure, one worth visiting if you're already a fan of Zelda and want to peek into where it all began, however it's only something I could possibly reccommend to people with patience and a tolerance for older, stiffer games.
2023
RE5 was a better remake of 4 than this.
2008
Dead Space lives up to its reputation with solid gunplay, gorgeous visuals, and somewhat interesting lore. The main story isn't great, but it serves its job of pushing you forward well enough.
Having to aim for limbs rather than the usual head or body shots is novel, and the way enemies will retract themselves or throw you off makes this a decent and engaging challenge all the way through.
Very solid action horror romp.
Having to aim for limbs rather than the usual head or body shots is novel, and the way enemies will retract themselves or throw you off makes this a decent and engaging challenge all the way through.
Very solid action horror romp.
Ugly, drab, dull, any other word you can think of similar to that would be how to describe Resistance.
Coming hot off the heels of Ratchet & Clank, Insomniac decided their best course of action would be to make a generic corridor shooter set in world war 2 starring a gruff, bald american soldier that becomes a living legend throughout the games narrative. The twist on the formula is that instead of Nazis, the american hero fights off aliens with an arsenal of mostly alien weaponry. Unfortunately, your arsenal is a collection of slightly different machine guns. The one unique weapon I acquired before giving up out of boredom did less damage than my generic machine gun arsenal.
The colour palette is as dull as dishwater, and the alien tech setting roots in traditional warzones has slight potential, but is about as uninteresting to look at as anything else. If you want a first person shooter about aliens taking over earth, just play Half-Life 2. If you want a shooter with inventive and interesting weapons, play any of the Ratchet & Clank games. Resistance simply isn't worth playing.
Coming hot off the heels of Ratchet & Clank, Insomniac decided their best course of action would be to make a generic corridor shooter set in world war 2 starring a gruff, bald american soldier that becomes a living legend throughout the games narrative. The twist on the formula is that instead of Nazis, the american hero fights off aliens with an arsenal of mostly alien weaponry. Unfortunately, your arsenal is a collection of slightly different machine guns. The one unique weapon I acquired before giving up out of boredom did less damage than my generic machine gun arsenal.
The colour palette is as dull as dishwater, and the alien tech setting roots in traditional warzones has slight potential, but is about as uninteresting to look at as anything else. If you want a first person shooter about aliens taking over earth, just play Half-Life 2. If you want a shooter with inventive and interesting weapons, play any of the Ratchet & Clank games. Resistance simply isn't worth playing.
2019
Very short and linear, but my patience was pushed to the limit with ridiculous difficulty spike boss fights that felt like they were designed for a completely different game with better controls.
Realistically, I should've known it wouldn't be worth my time after the first joke in the game is "42069".
Realistically, I should've known it wouldn't be worth my time after the first joke in the game is "42069".
Counter-Strike: Condition Zero - Deleted Scenes is a strange footnote in the Counter-Strike series. A collection of scenarios that feel simultaneously like a tech demo for goldsrc and a series of fanmade minicampaigns that they bundled together into a single package.
Deleted Scenes has no real narrative to speak of and the counter-terrorism ops the game sends you on have varying degrees of production value and length. Some have opening scenes setting up your helicopter crashing or simple debriefing before a mission, while others spawn you straight into the combat zone with a simplistic objective displayed on the HUD. Level design is haphazard. At times it feels like I'm making progress in unintended ways, except it's the only way forward. The level designers have a habit of placing terrorists behind walls or doors that you're bound to go past to try and catch you off guard which gets predictable and somewhat dull through the short runtime.
Enemies themselves fall into a few different categories you're probably used to, with different tactics they employ in combat and are decent, if a bit stupid. The satisfying gunplay propping up most of the titles enjoyment.
Graphically the game is on par with later goldsrc releases and at times looks quite pleasant. Voice acting is hit or miss and the soundtrack is fine when it's there.
Condition Zero - Deleted Scenes is a fine enough title to play through in an afternoon if you're bored and feeling up for some solid but simple first person shooting action. It feels good to play, but the overall package lacks the cohesive quality that Valve's other singleplayer offerings have.
Deleted Scenes has no real narrative to speak of and the counter-terrorism ops the game sends you on have varying degrees of production value and length. Some have opening scenes setting up your helicopter crashing or simple debriefing before a mission, while others spawn you straight into the combat zone with a simplistic objective displayed on the HUD. Level design is haphazard. At times it feels like I'm making progress in unintended ways, except it's the only way forward. The level designers have a habit of placing terrorists behind walls or doors that you're bound to go past to try and catch you off guard which gets predictable and somewhat dull through the short runtime.
Enemies themselves fall into a few different categories you're probably used to, with different tactics they employ in combat and are decent, if a bit stupid. The satisfying gunplay propping up most of the titles enjoyment.
Graphically the game is on par with later goldsrc releases and at times looks quite pleasant. Voice acting is hit or miss and the soundtrack is fine when it's there.
Condition Zero - Deleted Scenes is a fine enough title to play through in an afternoon if you're bored and feeling up for some solid but simple first person shooting action. It feels good to play, but the overall package lacks the cohesive quality that Valve's other singleplayer offerings have.
2003
Lucia's tale alone, a cruel sonnet of self realization wrapped in a story seeped in religious overtones, is reason enough to buy this game.
As someone that's never dabbled in any MMO for more than an hour at most, Corporate Clash's vice grip on me for the past month has been an interesting experience for me.
Deciding to give it a chance since some of my friends play it, I wasn't expecting a game with such a simple set of rules and mechanics to hook me as much as it has. Perhaps it's the simplistic desire for a game to pass the time with, but the combat mechanics are simplistic enough to understand easily and nuanced enough to require coordination to get through tougher encounters unscathed. Combat never feels too tedious to get through, and all the animations associated with the various gags are great. The bosses that have been recently added with the update I started on are great tests of your game knowledge too. They feel appropriate and are genuine tests of cooperation and synergy between players.
As far as downsides go, the game feels somewhat scattered. Obviously polished in several areas, and clearly unpolished in others. Not every street has a pond to fish in, some of the new streets are great to navigate in, but it highlights how tedious a lot of the old streets are. A couple of the new streets added are also undeniably bad and feel like a first attempt in a level editor rather than something that should've been added to the game. Some tasklines are pure tedious filler. While combat doesn't feel too repetitive, being given tasks that force you to go back and forth a long winding road to get to a shopkeeper absolutely IS repetitive. The game also does a poor job of preparing you to do facilities. They're not particularly difficult, but the game doesn't guide you towards doing them before the final taskline of a playground, in which you have to do all 10 in a row if you neglected to grind these out earlier while doing other tasks.
The lack of an NPC telling you it's a good idea to go and do these feels like a misstep when the playgrounds before daffodil gardens didn't have any such area to help grind tasklines in. It's not a natural conclusion to come to.
This is more of a ramble than a review at this point, but to cut a long story short: I think Toontown: Corporate Clash is worth your time. It's completely free, has no microtransactions, has no subscription, nothing to goad you into spending real money on it. And that, alongside its aesthetic, is a big pull in its favour. If that was the only things it had going for it, I would just point you towards the hundreds of free flash games out there in the world. But it's not. It has large amounts of content and work put into it, and its retooling of mechanics and functions make it an enjoyable and engaging MMO to tinker away at.
Deciding to give it a chance since some of my friends play it, I wasn't expecting a game with such a simple set of rules and mechanics to hook me as much as it has. Perhaps it's the simplistic desire for a game to pass the time with, but the combat mechanics are simplistic enough to understand easily and nuanced enough to require coordination to get through tougher encounters unscathed. Combat never feels too tedious to get through, and all the animations associated with the various gags are great. The bosses that have been recently added with the update I started on are great tests of your game knowledge too. They feel appropriate and are genuine tests of cooperation and synergy between players.
As far as downsides go, the game feels somewhat scattered. Obviously polished in several areas, and clearly unpolished in others. Not every street has a pond to fish in, some of the new streets are great to navigate in, but it highlights how tedious a lot of the old streets are. A couple of the new streets added are also undeniably bad and feel like a first attempt in a level editor rather than something that should've been added to the game. Some tasklines are pure tedious filler. While combat doesn't feel too repetitive, being given tasks that force you to go back and forth a long winding road to get to a shopkeeper absolutely IS repetitive. The game also does a poor job of preparing you to do facilities. They're not particularly difficult, but the game doesn't guide you towards doing them before the final taskline of a playground, in which you have to do all 10 in a row if you neglected to grind these out earlier while doing other tasks.
The lack of an NPC telling you it's a good idea to go and do these feels like a misstep when the playgrounds before daffodil gardens didn't have any such area to help grind tasklines in. It's not a natural conclusion to come to.
This is more of a ramble than a review at this point, but to cut a long story short: I think Toontown: Corporate Clash is worth your time. It's completely free, has no microtransactions, has no subscription, nothing to goad you into spending real money on it. And that, alongside its aesthetic, is a big pull in its favour. If that was the only things it had going for it, I would just point you towards the hundreds of free flash games out there in the world. But it's not. It has large amounts of content and work put into it, and its retooling of mechanics and functions make it an enjoyable and engaging MMO to tinker away at.
2022
If you ever wanted to play a much worse bloodborne, look no further than this. I got stuck in the floor at one point and decided that was a good sign to stop playing.
2019
Probably the most mixed Yakuza game in the series yet. Some really good highs, but it drags its feet hard to get to them. And nobody shuts up about dreams.
It makes me dizzy and kind of motion sick. Level design in the very first level is confusing and enemies keep respawning.
1998
A great sequel to the first game that ups the ante on action, drama, and replayable content. With 2 campaigns split between Leon and Claire thanks to the A/B system, there's reason to play through and see the full story. As well as fun extra modes like the 4th survivor, tofu, and EX battle.
Possibly one of the best plot twists in gaming.
2021
A rather short but sweet "zen" game about unpacking things into rooms. The most exciting aspect of the game is how the developers weave the story going on in the background into the mechanics of certain levels.
However, the limitations on where you're allowed to put items can be rather arbitrary, and it could do with some keyboard binds but those are my only major gripes with the game.
If you have gamepass it's a decent way to pass the time.
However, the limitations on where you're allowed to put items can be rather arbitrary, and it could do with some keyboard binds but those are my only major gripes with the game.
If you have gamepass it's a decent way to pass the time.