LSav00
A derivative Mario Party clone with hardly any minigames, no 'party mode' to speak of, and a hideous art style. I remember this game even frightened me when I was young, as sometimes after a minigame the Rabbids would loudly scream at you for no reason.
There were rhythm games, I suppose? With high-pitched versions of cheap, easily licensed songs like 'Celebration?' ...Is that really a plus?
The version I got came with a Rabbid-shaped stress ball, which I wish I still had, so I could violently cave its spongy skull in under my grip whenever I remember this game exists.
There were rhythm games, I suppose? With high-pitched versions of cheap, easily licensed songs like 'Celebration?' ...Is that really a plus?
The version I got came with a Rabbid-shaped stress ball, which I wish I still had, so I could violently cave its spongy skull in under my grip whenever I remember this game exists.
The DS version of this game, ironically given the game's focus on dreams, is a snoozefest. Swipe left to make your character lackadaisically traipse left! Swipe right to do the same, but inverse! Oh, and there's a time limit. And you have to shout into the DS' microphone to stop a jellyfish attacking your character in their sleep and waking them up.
It's boring, it's obtuse, it's slow as molasses, and the occasional gameplay shakeup does NOT do enough to make it feel fresh.
It's boring, it's obtuse, it's slow as molasses, and the occasional gameplay shakeup does NOT do enough to make it feel fresh.
One day, a younger me went to Argos with his mum, to get Mario Kart DS. Possibly because he had done well at school.
He left, however, with a copy of Cars Maternational, as said mum had balked at the price of Mario Kart DS, and had gotten this as a cheaper alternative.
Honestly? Bitterness aside, it's actually a perfectly decent game. It has a lot of variety for visuals - a level in a cave with night vision, a mountain, a cornfield, a stadium, etc. - and there's secret shortcuts you can find which reward you with unlockables, such as new characters and alternate paintjobs for your cars.
There was also different types of race, such as elimination rounds, races against rival characters, alongside your typical grand prixs - so don't let the fact it's a Mario Kart 'clone' fool you, as it actually does quite a bit different.
He left, however, with a copy of Cars Maternational, as said mum had balked at the price of Mario Kart DS, and had gotten this as a cheaper alternative.
Honestly? Bitterness aside, it's actually a perfectly decent game. It has a lot of variety for visuals - a level in a cave with night vision, a mountain, a cornfield, a stadium, etc. - and there's secret shortcuts you can find which reward you with unlockables, such as new characters and alternate paintjobs for your cars.
There was also different types of race, such as elimination rounds, races against rival characters, alongside your typical grand prixs - so don't let the fact it's a Mario Kart 'clone' fool you, as it actually does quite a bit different.
I appreciate what this game was going for. The use of rising water to make you think quickly to figure out how to traverse the stages is a fun idea, and ties into the theming of the license well.
However, the moment-to-moment gameplay is both clunky and confusing, and the natural 'timer' makes this way more stressful than it needs to be. Especially if you played it when you were young, like me.
Well, that and some of the levels are stupidly big, alongside the fact there's three characters to swap between, each with different abilities, meaning that you both have to figure WHICH character to use for each puzzle, and HOW to get them there.
And if you missed the solution, which is now under a layer of water? Then you have to do the whole thing again.
However, the moment-to-moment gameplay is both clunky and confusing, and the natural 'timer' makes this way more stressful than it needs to be. Especially if you played it when you were young, like me.
Well, that and some of the levels are stupidly big, alongside the fact there's three characters to swap between, each with different abilities, meaning that you both have to figure WHICH character to use for each puzzle, and HOW to get them there.
And if you missed the solution, which is now under a layer of water? Then you have to do the whole thing again.
The absolute peak of the Pokémon franchise.
The story is surprisingly introspective, the music - and the way the instrumentation is played with for immersion - is at the top of its game, the new Pokémon are (almost) all winners, and the relatively short nature of the campaign means it's endlessly replayable. Locking you in to ONLY using the new Pokémon was the game's hidden weapon, as it means you've got almost endless choice for teambuilding, and warms you up to all the designs far quicker as a result.
The towns and routes, too, are both chock-full of things to see and do, and look absolutely incredible, as an icing to the top of the best cake Game Freak has ever baked.
The DS has many, MANY incredible games for it, and this may just be among the absolute best ones on the system, alongside Pokémon Heartgold. Incredible game.
The story is surprisingly introspective, the music - and the way the instrumentation is played with for immersion - is at the top of its game, the new Pokémon are (almost) all winners, and the relatively short nature of the campaign means it's endlessly replayable. Locking you in to ONLY using the new Pokémon was the game's hidden weapon, as it means you've got almost endless choice for teambuilding, and warms you up to all the designs far quicker as a result.
The towns and routes, too, are both chock-full of things to see and do, and look absolutely incredible, as an icing to the top of the best cake Game Freak has ever baked.
The DS has many, MANY incredible games for it, and this may just be among the absolute best ones on the system, alongside Pokémon Heartgold. Incredible game.
2022
As much as this game improves in some aspects compared to its Switch brethren (the story, for one, is FAR better than the rest), the open world format is something that Pokémon just isn't ready for, until they have more time to flesh out the games.
The graphics are quite poor, the framerate is atrocious, there are still plenty of bugs even after patches, the new Pokémon designs are a VERY mixed bag, and overall the game just doesn't feel fun to play after a point. Feels much more like a 'proof of concept,' to be honest.
The graphics are quite poor, the framerate is atrocious, there are still plenty of bugs even after patches, the new Pokémon designs are a VERY mixed bag, and overall the game just doesn't feel fun to play after a point. Feels much more like a 'proof of concept,' to be honest.
A game that I absolutely love, with more sophistication, more to do, and new physics mechanics to play around with to make the most of your imagination.
What more can I say?
Yeah, I GUESS the structure of the story is a bit boring once you clear your second temple, but literally everything else makes up for it. Absolutely essential, and more than worth the wait.
What more can I say?
Yeah, I GUESS the structure of the story is a bit boring once you clear your second temple, but literally everything else makes up for it. Absolutely essential, and more than worth the wait.
2005
My first Sonic game, so naturally there's some bias, but it is also genuinely just a fantastic game.
The soundtrack, the high-speed gameplay with plenty of acrobatic capability for speeding through levels, the short-but-sweet nature of it, it ticks so many boxes. The bonus stages DON'T suck, and the general style and feel of the game makes it guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
The bosses are a bit shite, and later stages have an irritating amount of 'gotcha' instead death pits - a DIMPS favourite, if their work on the Sonic Advance games is anything to go by - but these don't hold it back too much from being a good game.
The soundtrack, the high-speed gameplay with plenty of acrobatic capability for speeding through levels, the short-but-sweet nature of it, it ticks so many boxes. The bonus stages DON'T suck, and the general style and feel of the game makes it guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
The bosses are a bit shite, and later stages have an irritating amount of 'gotcha' instead death pits - a DIMPS favourite, if their work on the Sonic Advance games is anything to go by - but these don't hold it back too much from being a good game.
2020
Visually, it's amazing. The gameplay is engaging and the manic pace of the campaign means that it's fun to replay to unlock more and more bonuses for future runs.
However, what this game fails at, is being a remake of Resident Evil 3. It changes so much, and takes so many liberties with locations (cutting fan favourites and replacing the abandoned factory for the final area with a secret lab SO generic it has a '2' in the name, for example), that it feels like it's trying to be its own game with the name tacked on.
The bonus multiplayer mode that must've gutted development time and attention certainly doesn't' help, given the two were packaged together - if more time and care had been put into the main game itself, it would've made the most of its squandered potential.
However, what this game fails at, is being a remake of Resident Evil 3. It changes so much, and takes so many liberties with locations (cutting fan favourites and replacing the abandoned factory for the final area with a secret lab SO generic it has a '2' in the name, for example), that it feels like it's trying to be its own game with the name tacked on.
The bonus multiplayer mode that must've gutted development time and attention certainly doesn't' help, given the two were packaged together - if more time and care had been put into the main game itself, it would've made the most of its squandered potential.
An odd game. I wouldn't call it bad, by any means, but relatively forgettable, even with the art style and all leaning far more on barbed wire thanks to Shinji Mikami's influence. The endgame (especially the final couple of bosses) are extremely annoying and the load times were snooze-worthy, I remember that much.
Raid Mode, however, is a godsend. Endlessly addictive, and with SO much to unlock and play around with, I wish we had gotten a third instalment to improve on it even more!
Raid Mode, however, is a godsend. Endlessly addictive, and with SO much to unlock and play around with, I wish we had gotten a third instalment to improve on it even more!
2021
A game well, WELL worth the wait. Plays like a dream on the Switch, with some amazing environmental design and tight, tough gameplay to boot.
The feeling of exploration is immensely satisfying, as is being REWARDED for sequence breaking - letting you tackle the game in all sorts of different ways.
The E.M.M.I robots are absolutely terrifying, as the name would suggest, however towards the latter half of the game, they begin to be frustrating more than anything. The music is nothing to write home about, either.
All in all, however, it's awesome. Well worth a look, even if it's not usually your sort of game!
The feeling of exploration is immensely satisfying, as is being REWARDED for sequence breaking - letting you tackle the game in all sorts of different ways.
The E.M.M.I robots are absolutely terrifying, as the name would suggest, however towards the latter half of the game, they begin to be frustrating more than anything. The music is nothing to write home about, either.
All in all, however, it's awesome. Well worth a look, even if it's not usually your sort of game!
A good step forward for the Pokémon franchise, and a gameplay shakeup it sorely needed after so long. The story is compelling, the gameplay is refreshing, and the watercolour artstyle is quite nice!
However, it gets a bit long in the tooth quite fast, and once the credits rolled I didn't feel much drive to return to it, given how much of a slog the traversal and Pokédex completion grind felt in the lategame.
However, it gets a bit long in the tooth quite fast, and once the credits rolled I didn't feel much drive to return to it, given how much of a slog the traversal and Pokédex completion grind felt in the lategame.
The absolute zenith of the Xenoblade franchise. A fantastically told and compelling tale about the importance of life, with some of the best atmosphere for the locations across the games, and the best supporting cast too. The Heroes are just as much protagonists as the main party are - which is one of the best of any RPG - and the soundtrack is sublime.
An impressively ambitious game, even by Monolith Soft standards, and one that is beyond proof that they are at the top of their game when it comes to the genre. One of the best games on the Switch, and of all time.
An impressively ambitious game, even by Monolith Soft standards, and one that is beyond proof that they are at the top of their game when it comes to the genre. One of the best games on the Switch, and of all time.
2021
Takes the modern trappings of Monster Hunter World, and translates them to a more action-oriented format, like previous 'Portable' Monster Hunter games before it. To say it 'succeeds' would be a understatement.
The presentation is superb for a Switch game, with amazing visuals, and textures for the models that, while low-res, look brilliant in moment-to-moment gameplay.
The monster variety is almost perfect, with the lack of Brute Wyverns (the bipedal freaks) being the only glaring flaw, and the music is among the best in the franchise.
The base game's only major flaw is that it's too easy, and even then, the DLC expansion Sunbreak released, not only fixing that issue, but adding PLENTY more incredible monsters to the lineup.
It doesn't get much more perfect than this. One of the best games on the Switch, bar none.
The presentation is superb for a Switch game, with amazing visuals, and textures for the models that, while low-res, look brilliant in moment-to-moment gameplay.
The monster variety is almost perfect, with the lack of Brute Wyverns (the bipedal freaks) being the only glaring flaw, and the music is among the best in the franchise.
The base game's only major flaw is that it's too easy, and even then, the DLC expansion Sunbreak released, not only fixing that issue, but adding PLENTY more incredible monsters to the lineup.
It doesn't get much more perfect than this. One of the best games on the Switch, bar none.
One of the best damn DLC expansions to a game out there. Fills in the gaps, asks a few more questions, and has an utterly brilliant cast of characters for its 30~ hour runtime. The ending is guaranteed to make any Xeno fan teary-eyed, and the plot revelations present will blow your mind, too.