edit: wiped rating since i'm a little less sure of it now. was 6/10, will replay

A novelty game that banks on humor - which landed for me at my time of mastering, though it's probably worn off in more modern times now that the Let's Play crowd has grown a bit older and been through 4 absolutely dreadful years.

I personally liked the gameplay and don't remember it being too monotonous, though it certainly isn't anything deeper than something silly. Going for all achievements is pretty painful though, the rarest achievement incited... a lot of rage, within me. Maybe I'll revisit this game someday, in hindsight of what the presidency came to be and with newer, more openly proud (LGBT+) eyes, and update my score. But for now, I'm going off my notes.

This game definitely feels like the end result of following a tutorial on how to make a shoot'em'up, so you can better grasp the ropes of your preferred game engine. And it has that sort of special charm that comes with it being a first, finished game. Something you made.

But that charm, more often than not, does not hold up well to your average consumer. That charm alone cannot carry you. It's not that this game does anything downright wrong per se, just sorta subpar, it's just... really, really shallow. There's nothing to behold beyond the eye of the creator.

also the music sucks lmfao

edit: old review, will redo

This is a really solid choice for your first Jackbox experience - two of the games alone can provide hours upon hours of fun, add three more (even if they're not as good) and dear god, you have yourself a party pack alright.

Quiplash XL (4.5) - This remained the crowning champion of party games, in my eyes, up until Quiplash 3 came out. If you have the right group of people then buckle up, and make sure your lungs are in good health since by god you'll be rolling on the floor a lot. It's the type of game I think everyone should play once before they die - the only thing keeping it from going higher is the fact that a good chunk of the enjoyment pivots off of who you're playing with, rather than the game itself. Which isn't a flaw per se, but a 5 game in my eyes would have to be something that's confident in itself.

Fibbage 2 (4) - This is a game that's confident in itself. Of course who you're playing with will enhance the experience, but the sheer amount of absurdity this game throws at you alongside its own spiel of deception has made it a go-to for me. It's only not a 5 due to the fact that there just isn't enough content to keep it from getting old - that, and the third game is unbelievably better. (I'd give fib 3 five stars)

Bomb Corp. (3.5) - Surprisingly challenging logic puzzler. But what is it doing here? Playing this in multiplayer is, uhm, impossible. I haven't once been able to make any sense of it. The singleplayer experience is the way to go and something I pretty thoroughly enjoyed all the way to the end. Not a whole lot else to say about it though but do prepare for the difficulty spike at the end

Earwax (2.5) - I personally really like this one, and have had a grand few laughing fits over it. But I can't look past its flaws. The game is entirely luck-based, as you only get a randomly chosen selection of sounds. If you're on the short end of that, the game sucks. Which is a shame, because conceptually I love the idea of the game! But that major flaw is what killed it for my brother - and I can't blame him.

Bidiots (2*) - this game blows

There isn't anything I can say about Cuphead that hasn't already been said. And justifiably so - the praise this game has gotten is completely deserved. It's filled to the brim with charm and challenge. Of course there are some bits that don't feel fair, whether it be certain patterns or a difficulty hiccup - but everything else this game has to offer outweighs that, to the point where i can only really fault half a star.

I don't care how good you are at games. Pick this up, and give it a whirl.

edit 2022-12-17: will re-review hopefully soon, need to probably raise my rating and write something of substance

I absolutely love this game. I think it goes about what it does beautifully, and there aren't many flaws (i have not played the newer levels tbf) that go with it.

But... it's way too short. Sure, it's justified by licensing costs above all else, but after the main storyline I found myself getting pretty tired of it pretty quickly. Which is a shame.

(i do plan on revisiting this review once i have the time to get around to the newer levels)

As an Orange_Juice fanatic, I kinda love this game. All my comfort characters are scattered all over the place in a batshit "fuck it, why not" story that I can't help but enjoy.

If you don't have that background, however, this game honestly kinda blows. If you don't know any of the characters then there's zero incentive to really follow along, and the gameplay feels completely shallow and basically out of your control. The reason I don't give a lower score is in part due to the fact that the game does have a fair amount of enjoyment in it if you're familiar with the franchise(s,) and in part due to the art. Hard to turn down a bunch of cute chibi girls. My gay heart goes boom boom.

Oh and, no, this is not a sequel to 100% Orange Juice. Not by any stretch.

In spite of this game's many flaws with balancing, (which, as a filthy fighting game casual, doesn't affect me much,) I've come to absolutely adore nearly everything about this game.

PvP shmups are very few and far between, I believe only 6 games exist (of 4 franchises,) in which this was #4 (#2,) though it's predecessor was #2 - point being, is that this is a very unique type of game, and boy oh boy does it land. It's beyond fun, with others or by yourself (for the most part, some story mode mashups are fucker motherfuckers,) and it keeps you on your toes through and through. The only thing withholding this from a higher score is due to aforementioned complaints - every pro at this game will tell you how bad some mashups are, and story mode is absolutely brutal for those with an unfavorable matchup with the final boss.

Bit of a word salad review, i'm aware (might revisit it later,) but point is, I'd recommend this to just about everyone.

edit 2022-12-15: i don't think i'll be revisiting this review--game is lovably jank and unique, as i've said, and it's a blast. maybe an 8 is a tad high but i think it's deserved, though that could be the orange_juice soft spot talking. still good in any case