1994
One of the best kept secrets of the Super Nintendo!
Unicycles. 2D racing. Ugly menus. It’s not something that screams hidden gem right away. But the more you play, the more the influences it had on future games like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater or SSX Tricky start to seep in. It may not be polished. It may not be pretty. But its solid gameplay and skill ceiling will surprise you.
Unicycles. 2D racing. Ugly menus. It’s not something that screams hidden gem right away. But the more you play, the more the influences it had on future games like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater or SSX Tricky start to seep in. It may not be polished. It may not be pretty. But its solid gameplay and skill ceiling will surprise you.
It's like technicolor but for videogames!
There's a lot of good parts here that unfortunately don't come together well enough to make a good, cohesive game. The stage design is top tier but doesn't mesh well with the slippery controls. The mini games are fun but feel rushed. You get the feeling if the developers pointed to any one aspect thrown at the wall and stuck with it, we'd have something you wouldn't need nostalgia glasses to enjoy today.
There's a lot of good parts here that unfortunately don't come together well enough to make a good, cohesive game. The stage design is top tier but doesn't mesh well with the slippery controls. The mini games are fun but feel rushed. You get the feeling if the developers pointed to any one aspect thrown at the wall and stuck with it, we'd have something you wouldn't need nostalgia glasses to enjoy today.
2013
This girl goes through some hell!
Gone are the days of the invincible polygon edged fearless adventurer. Welcome to a new, younger, and more human Lara. Parkour? Check. Gun fights? Check. Death defying leaps? That's a big ol' check! With a dark tonal shift and a wonderful supporting cast of characters, this reboot for the series promises a much needed fresh direction.
Gone are the days of the invincible polygon edged fearless adventurer. Welcome to a new, younger, and more human Lara. Parkour? Check. Gun fights? Check. Death defying leaps? That's a big ol' check! With a dark tonal shift and a wonderful supporting cast of characters, this reboot for the series promises a much needed fresh direction.
1990
Were games back then harder than they are now? Yes!
It sports a simple control scheme but proves less is more. Strategizing enemy positions, controlling traffic with your special attack, and bosses that make a lasting impression. Difficulty used to be a part of our games and not just an optional afterthought.
It sports a simple control scheme but proves less is more. Strategizing enemy positions, controlling traffic with your special attack, and bosses that make a lasting impression. Difficulty used to be a part of our games and not just an optional afterthought.
2008
1994
The story is robust. The attention to detail fills in a game that's as massive as it is complex. The characters are interesting with their own unique gameplay mechanics that synergize with each other in fun and inventive ways. Is this the greatest Final Fantasy ever made? I think that falls entirely on what you want out of a RPG. But you'd be hard pressed to find someone that doesn't consider it in their top 3.
This isn't a platformer for the faint of heart. It's hard! I think that's important to mention upfront because there's a lot here that's done right. The music, animation, level design, it all feels reminiscent of the SNES games with some nice little additions. Not enough to reinvent the franchise but do we really want that? Sometimes it's nice to just jump on things!
It looks better. It plays better. But it’s not better. How does that work? Kojima wasn’t heavily involved in the development. This lead to cutscenes dialed up to insane levels of camp, generic techno replacing iconic music, and tonal changes that bring it closer to The Matrix sequels. On paper, this should be the remake we all wanted. An entry point the fans could direct newcomers to for years to come. As it stands, you’d be better off taking the plunge into the harder sell of the original.
2005
2002
1999
Playing this game is like immersing yourself in a David Lynch movie. The game's atmosphere and intense focus on fleeing from your enemies, often straight into the darkness, creates a semi-open world experience that heightens the scare factor to levels rarely seen in the horror genre. Despite some graphical limitations, the game still holds up remarkably well by today's standards and is definitely worth revisiting for its unique storyline and memorable characters.
1999
With a heavier focus on puzzle solving, this little forgotten gem from the tank control survival horror genre mostly holds up thanks to it's intricate level design and mysterious location. When dinosaurs ruled our cinemas, this allowed us to put ourselves at the center of the action and made them scary!
1999
The attempt to give Ethan Winters the RE4 treatment ends up feeling more like RE3R than it does RE2R. It's not a bad game but it opts to go for more action than horror. The combat and level design is some of the best it's ever been. But the story is bloated and disjointed. The characters are fun and a welcome addition to the lore but the semi-open map design ends up feeling like more of a proof of concept than it does an actualized vision.