Morghini89
2018
This review contains spoilers
Despite being a game I was incredibly late on to play, Celeste was a fantastic experience 5 years later. The story is essentially a girl named Madeline who is seeking to climb the mountain called Celeste, and that she wants to reach the summit. Nothing too grandiose or detailed, just a simple plot at that.
The real reason why people enjoy this game are the characters and I really don’t blame them at all. Madeline is really climbing the mountain because she suffers with anxiety, depression, and has panic attacks. She wants to climb the mountain because she feels she has no purpose other than to accomplish a challenge. And that a ‘part of her’ is fully embodied being the fear of people accepting her based on who she is and trying to push people away. It’s such a relatable character that is being told for today’s audience, in a tough-as-nails indie game.
The gameplay is quite short, but they always have interesting gimmicks to get through the platforming. Throughout the game, Madeline has the ability to dash in the air acting as either a recovery for a jumping error, or a ways to get to an area further out. But in all of the levels, they all have certain gimmicks like traffic light blocks, orbs that move when you input a direction, or even turning yourself into light and flying around the level. It always made me learn what to do with these and how I should implement them to their fullest.
If you are thinking this will be an easier game to play since it is slightly short, there are plenty of challenges in these levels. You will be dying a lot in this game… If you want harder, there are two more chapters you get in the game that are even more difficult, especially the final one. But there are also collectibles you can grab like strawberries, which do absolutely nothing except affect the rank of your ending, cassette tapes that give you harder variants of levels and if you beat all those, you get EVEN MORE harder levels to play, and crystal hearts that help get through gates within the last two chapters.
All of that stuff is entirely optional but I did just a few B-side levels and chapter 8. I’m not that much of a masochist to do all of them just for chapter 9. But it is a solid recommendation if you or a friend are looking for a hard game to play, especially being a platformer too.
The real reason why people enjoy this game are the characters and I really don’t blame them at all. Madeline is really climbing the mountain because she suffers with anxiety, depression, and has panic attacks. She wants to climb the mountain because she feels she has no purpose other than to accomplish a challenge. And that a ‘part of her’ is fully embodied being the fear of people accepting her based on who she is and trying to push people away. It’s such a relatable character that is being told for today’s audience, in a tough-as-nails indie game.
The gameplay is quite short, but they always have interesting gimmicks to get through the platforming. Throughout the game, Madeline has the ability to dash in the air acting as either a recovery for a jumping error, or a ways to get to an area further out. But in all of the levels, they all have certain gimmicks like traffic light blocks, orbs that move when you input a direction, or even turning yourself into light and flying around the level. It always made me learn what to do with these and how I should implement them to their fullest.
If you are thinking this will be an easier game to play since it is slightly short, there are plenty of challenges in these levels. You will be dying a lot in this game… If you want harder, there are two more chapters you get in the game that are even more difficult, especially the final one. But there are also collectibles you can grab like strawberries, which do absolutely nothing except affect the rank of your ending, cassette tapes that give you harder variants of levels and if you beat all those, you get EVEN MORE harder levels to play, and crystal hearts that help get through gates within the last two chapters.
All of that stuff is entirely optional but I did just a few B-side levels and chapter 8. I’m not that much of a masochist to do all of them just for chapter 9. But it is a solid recommendation if you or a friend are looking for a hard game to play, especially being a platformer too.
Pokemon Crystal, or specifically Gen 2, is what everyone claims to be one of the best games in the series next to Gen 5, and I can kinda see why now upon beating it. The game itself has made numerous quality of life changes 3 years after the first games came out. Things that I can remember are an exp bar underneath to specify how close your Pokemon is to levelling up, your map is now stored on your phone called the PokeGear, and the select button can be used as a hotfix for any key item set there like a bicycle.
Crystal added so many new features into this that would be added, or refined, in future installments. New types were added not present in gen 1, being the Steel and Dark types, more Pokemon to play with in the Johto region AND the Kanto region when you play the post game, a radio feature which...I found pointless, new Poke Balls to create in Azalea Town, and a day and night cycle which took the Game Boy's battery and turns it into a digital clock for exclusive Pokemon in the moning, day, or night. It was such a monumental moment for Pokemon as a whole.
But the game however is still a little braindead with its behaviour. Such as the fact you can still go overlevel your team before the first gym, dark types are semi stronger than steel, and certain special Poke Balls not working properly. Either way you slice it, it still makes Gen 2 a solid game to play though. But just like Gen 1, you're better off playing the remake on DS. Good luck finding a copy though just like the next generation I'm tackling.
Crystal added so many new features into this that would be added, or refined, in future installments. New types were added not present in gen 1, being the Steel and Dark types, more Pokemon to play with in the Johto region AND the Kanto region when you play the post game, a radio feature which...I found pointless, new Poke Balls to create in Azalea Town, and a day and night cycle which took the Game Boy's battery and turns it into a digital clock for exclusive Pokemon in the moning, day, or night. It was such a monumental moment for Pokemon as a whole.
But the game however is still a little braindead with its behaviour. Such as the fact you can still go overlevel your team before the first gym, dark types are semi stronger than steel, and certain special Poke Balls not working properly. Either way you slice it, it still makes Gen 2 a solid game to play though. But just like Gen 1, you're better off playing the remake on DS. Good luck finding a copy though just like the next generation I'm tackling.
HoloCure was a very addicting game for me to play lately. As a Hololive fan, I got the most fun out of this game as there were so many references throughout this entire game, whether it was just through the characters, the enemies themselves, the power ups, even the music and levels are references themselves.
As a game, it is a roguelike survival-esque game where you run around and slain enemies in order to level up and get stronger. The more time you stay alive, the more stronger and challenging the enemies become. The game offers many power ups that can boost armour, stats, health recovery, or even give you new weapons to boot in order to survive. Despite this fan-game being one to one with Vampire Survivors, anyone who isn't a vtuber or Hololive fan will still get the most enjoyment out of this game.
Unique to this game are characters who have special attributes like passive skills and even specials that can turn the tide of the round. My favourite characters I enjoyed playing were Hakos Baelz, Gawr Gura, Kureiji Ollie, Vestia Zeta, and Calliope Mori, as they brought the most fun and chaos through out my matches. Another thing that Vampire Survivors doesn't have is the Holo House, a mode that lets you hire fans of their oshis and bring in cash for your upgrades, but also allows you to customise your home, grow crops to feed your fans and to also cook buffs for the next round, and to fish in order that you can either feed to your fans, cook into meals, or trade them to Bloop for money. Good luck finding the shiny fish as it took me days to complete that achievement...
HoloCure is one of the best Steam games I have played for months and I recommend it to everyone. Plus it's free on top of that and it's getting updates that adds more characters in the mix. Now we just wait for update 0.7 to drop.
As a game, it is a roguelike survival-esque game where you run around and slain enemies in order to level up and get stronger. The more time you stay alive, the more stronger and challenging the enemies become. The game offers many power ups that can boost armour, stats, health recovery, or even give you new weapons to boot in order to survive. Despite this fan-game being one to one with Vampire Survivors, anyone who isn't a vtuber or Hololive fan will still get the most enjoyment out of this game.
Unique to this game are characters who have special attributes like passive skills and even specials that can turn the tide of the round. My favourite characters I enjoyed playing were Hakos Baelz, Gawr Gura, Kureiji Ollie, Vestia Zeta, and Calliope Mori, as they brought the most fun and chaos through out my matches. Another thing that Vampire Survivors doesn't have is the Holo House, a mode that lets you hire fans of their oshis and bring in cash for your upgrades, but also allows you to customise your home, grow crops to feed your fans and to also cook buffs for the next round, and to fish in order that you can either feed to your fans, cook into meals, or trade them to Bloop for money. Good luck finding the shiny fish as it took me days to complete that achievement...
HoloCure is one of the best Steam games I have played for months and I recommend it to everyone. Plus it's free on top of that and it's getting updates that adds more characters in the mix. Now we just wait for update 0.7 to drop.
With the recent news of the 3DS shutting down its online servers in April 2024, and that Pokemon Bank will follow at an unannounced date, I have decided to start my Pokemon marathon with all the games being played and previously played games played once again.
Gen 1 was the start of it all; the Pokemon craze was high, and Yellow is the definitive way to play OG Pokemon. This was my first time in Kanto and I gotta say, this game has dated coming from the modern Pokemon era. So much wrong with the coding, like 100% accuracy moves missing still, easy to perform glitches like Missingno, and almost what felt like guaranteed critical hits. But I gotta be fair and that this was the first game in the series so I'll let it slide.
The game was fun with no focus on the story and to just catch all the Pokemon. However, the game is very brutal with its time-consuming grindfests for your team, annoying with its repeated ways of having to manually switch boxes to catch more, and the very limited item space in your inventory.
One thing to say about this game, is that it focuses heavily on the anime compared to Red and Blue, such as your starter is Pikachu and it has a friendship mechanic...which does absolutely nothing. It also cannot evolve into Raichu like with Ash's Pikachu which is charming but not great when you want to make it stronger thus relying on your items more. The gym leaders and elite four also have their Pokemon based on their lineup in the anime too, and certain locations for Pokemon have changed from Red and Blue, which is neat.
In terms of the Pokemon themselves, they were all pretty decent with only learning around 4-5 moves back then. Psychic types are absolutely busted for this game, due to incorrect programming and having speed tie to their attack power, which I find hilarious. And some Pokemon were driving me crazy to catch, looking at you Tangela only in the BS safari zone...took me 3 hours to get you.
For anyone who is interested in giving Gen 1 Pokemon a try, I'd say don't bother with this game unless you really are curious with this generation and catching all 151 Pokemon. If you don't have this but are curious, give the GBA remakes a look, or even Let's Go on Switch, since that is a remake on Yellow.
Gen 1 was the start of it all; the Pokemon craze was high, and Yellow is the definitive way to play OG Pokemon. This was my first time in Kanto and I gotta say, this game has dated coming from the modern Pokemon era. So much wrong with the coding, like 100% accuracy moves missing still, easy to perform glitches like Missingno, and almost what felt like guaranteed critical hits. But I gotta be fair and that this was the first game in the series so I'll let it slide.
The game was fun with no focus on the story and to just catch all the Pokemon. However, the game is very brutal with its time-consuming grindfests for your team, annoying with its repeated ways of having to manually switch boxes to catch more, and the very limited item space in your inventory.
One thing to say about this game, is that it focuses heavily on the anime compared to Red and Blue, such as your starter is Pikachu and it has a friendship mechanic...which does absolutely nothing. It also cannot evolve into Raichu like with Ash's Pikachu which is charming but not great when you want to make it stronger thus relying on your items more. The gym leaders and elite four also have their Pokemon based on their lineup in the anime too, and certain locations for Pokemon have changed from Red and Blue, which is neat.
In terms of the Pokemon themselves, they were all pretty decent with only learning around 4-5 moves back then. Psychic types are absolutely busted for this game, due to incorrect programming and having speed tie to their attack power, which I find hilarious. And some Pokemon were driving me crazy to catch, looking at you Tangela only in the BS safari zone...took me 3 hours to get you.
For anyone who is interested in giving Gen 1 Pokemon a try, I'd say don't bother with this game unless you really are curious with this generation and catching all 151 Pokemon. If you don't have this but are curious, give the GBA remakes a look, or even Let's Go on Switch, since that is a remake on Yellow.
2009
This soft reboot of Punch-Out as a whole is so god damn fun compared to the other two. This was my favourite in the trilogy as Next Level Games really brought so much life to this franchise from the '80s. The game plays exactly like the other two games, where you gotta win via TKO or by decision.
However they brought back the star punches from the NES, but changed to where they stack now rather than be an individual punch.
The boxers were so much fun to fight as their personalities shun through unlike the other two. Some of my favourites was definitely Aran Ryan, Bear Hugger, Mr. Sandman, and the new kid in the game, Disco Kid. What I didn't expect was that after you beat the game's career mode, you continue the game via Title Defence where you rematch all the fighters again but they either have a new mechanic, have faster moves, or have entirely new moves to boot.
Unfortunately, I didn't get to fight the secret character, Donkey Kong, but I still had a blast with this game. Solid recommendation for a bitesized Wii game. Now if only Nintendo could make a new Punch-Out game, that would be fire.
However they brought back the star punches from the NES, but changed to where they stack now rather than be an individual punch.
The boxers were so much fun to fight as their personalities shun through unlike the other two. Some of my favourites was definitely Aran Ryan, Bear Hugger, Mr. Sandman, and the new kid in the game, Disco Kid. What I didn't expect was that after you beat the game's career mode, you continue the game via Title Defence where you rematch all the fighters again but they either have a new mechanic, have faster moves, or have entirely new moves to boot.
Unfortunately, I didn't get to fight the secret character, Donkey Kong, but I still had a blast with this game. Solid recommendation for a bitesized Wii game. Now if only Nintendo could make a new Punch-Out game, that would be fire.
1994
Playing this straight after the original on NES was what I felt would be a fun contrast to the game and, in my opinion, would be much better than the original. However, when I played it, I felt like I was having a not-so-fun time with this game. I don't know whether it's because I'm just dogshit at this game, but I got my ass handed.
The changes they made to this game was okay. They removed the star count and replaced it with the knockout punch, with the same function except you charge it by landing punches on the opposing boxer and losing some of it if you get hit. However, the meter doesn't disappear if you use it meaning you can just swing with the knockout punch as much as you want if you don't get hit. They added a duck feature to avoid punches and changed how blocking works which is cool as it utilises the SNES graphics for blocking, but it was just annoying how I wanted to block but ducked instead.
Some of the new boxers were pretty cool to see like Dragon Chan, Aran Ryan, and even Masked Muscle. But they changed Glass Joe to Gabby Jay which felt insulting. For the record, I made it to World Circuit and lost to Mad Clown, so I didn't get to see the final boxer, nor did I get to the special circuit.
Also, this game is weird because Little Mac is...not Little Mac. Just some brown haired man who is meant to be him...okay???? Maybe I'll have a better time with the next game...
The changes they made to this game was okay. They removed the star count and replaced it with the knockout punch, with the same function except you charge it by landing punches on the opposing boxer and losing some of it if you get hit. However, the meter doesn't disappear if you use it meaning you can just swing with the knockout punch as much as you want if you don't get hit. They added a duck feature to avoid punches and changed how blocking works which is cool as it utilises the SNES graphics for blocking, but it was just annoying how I wanted to block but ducked instead.
Some of the new boxers were pretty cool to see like Dragon Chan, Aran Ryan, and even Masked Muscle. But they changed Glass Joe to Gabby Jay which felt insulting. For the record, I made it to World Circuit and lost to Mad Clown, so I didn't get to see the final boxer, nor did I get to the special circuit.
Also, this game is weird because Little Mac is...not Little Mac. Just some brown haired man who is meant to be him...okay???? Maybe I'll have a better time with the next game...
2023
Almost 20 years later, and we finally get a brand new F-Zero game! Now admittedly, I have never played an F-Zero game in my life as of now, but this spin-off was so enjoyable every moment I played.
It captures what I loved with Tetris 99, and Mario 35 with its frantic gameplay of 99 people against each other in a game that you don't expect with this. Racing through the courses in this game with so many players made me worry about the performance, but it was so buttery smooth it was damn impressive. The nice tweaks they add in the gameplay like spin attacks via the triggers, the golden machines you can bump into for orbs and the skyway is so neat, especially the skyway which you can use to get to higher places easily.
However, with all that, I don;t understand why it has to be the first F-Zero game and not something like X or GX. Who knows...but one other gripe I have with this game is that there is so much going on to keep track with, like your boost meter which is also your health, the spin attack cooldown, and the skyway gauge to fill up as well all while you're racing at high speeds. If you haven't played this game yet, it's for free for Online members only, and if Nintendo is using this to see if F-Zero is popular with the current audience, then definitely play this while you can. PLEASE DO NOT DISCONTINUE THIS GAME!
It captures what I loved with Tetris 99, and Mario 35 with its frantic gameplay of 99 people against each other in a game that you don't expect with this. Racing through the courses in this game with so many players made me worry about the performance, but it was so buttery smooth it was damn impressive. The nice tweaks they add in the gameplay like spin attacks via the triggers, the golden machines you can bump into for orbs and the skyway is so neat, especially the skyway which you can use to get to higher places easily.
However, with all that, I don;t understand why it has to be the first F-Zero game and not something like X or GX. Who knows...but one other gripe I have with this game is that there is so much going on to keep track with, like your boost meter which is also your health, the spin attack cooldown, and the skyway gauge to fill up as well all while you're racing at high speeds. If you haven't played this game yet, it's for free for Online members only, and if Nintendo is using this to see if F-Zero is popular with the current audience, then definitely play this while you can. PLEASE DO NOT DISCONTINUE THIS GAME!
1990
The game that technically started it all, if you don't count the arcade version that is. 'Punch-Out!!' is a very unique title that released early in the NES's life. The only thing I knew about Punch-Out as a whole is Little Mac and his coach, but upon playing this, I learned that the game is moreso learning what your opponents do and countering with dodges, blocks, or even punches to defend yourself in the match.
Just like real boxing, if you counter at a perfect moment, Little Mac gains a star and if you press start, you use the star punch which deals more damage to your opposing boxer. This was a fun mechanic for the game, however if you get hit or run out of time in the round, you lose the star count, and it can stack up to 3, which makes it very easy to lose if you are inexperienced with this game.
I made it all the way to the end, and fought Mr. Dream (aka Mike Tyson in the OG release) and I couldn't beat him. Wiped me out the first round, but hey. I had fun either way with this game, even if Bald Bull, Super Macho Man, Mr. Sandman and especially Soda Popinski kicked my ass. But hey, that's what Switch save states are for.
Just like real boxing, if you counter at a perfect moment, Little Mac gains a star and if you press start, you use the star punch which deals more damage to your opposing boxer. This was a fun mechanic for the game, however if you get hit or run out of time in the round, you lose the star count, and it can stack up to 3, which makes it very easy to lose if you are inexperienced with this game.
I made it all the way to the end, and fought Mr. Dream (aka Mike Tyson in the OG release) and I couldn't beat him. Wiped me out the first round, but hey. I had fun either way with this game, even if Bald Bull, Super Macho Man, Mr. Sandman and especially Soda Popinski kicked my ass. But hey, that's what Switch save states are for.
When I heard that there was DLC coming for Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, I was reminded about how Sword and Shield’s DLC were - decently sized ‘campaigns’ with a lot of both new and returning Pokemon to catch.
Fast forward to when I played this, and it was exactly what I expected. A fun and charming story with the player on a school trip meeting Carmine and Kieran from the Blueberry Academy as you explore the Kitakami region, discovering Pokemon native there and to celebrate the Festival of Masks.
The region itself is not as massive as Paldea was in the base game, but then again, the previous gen’s DLC was also decently sized maps. The Pokemon, however, I’m mixed with. There are a lot of returning Pokemon (my personal favourite being Gligar), but there was not a lot of new creatures to capture - outside of the 4 legendaries, there were 3 to register for the hardcore Pokemon fans to collect.
This DLC is looking to keep my expectations high with the second DLC soon. Although it still has the frame rate issues and huge pop in issues like the base game does, it’s still a fun time sink to play. Also, I won’t spoil, but there is something there for people who loved Pokemon Legends: Arceus, really nice surprise.
Fast forward to when I played this, and it was exactly what I expected. A fun and charming story with the player on a school trip meeting Carmine and Kieran from the Blueberry Academy as you explore the Kitakami region, discovering Pokemon native there and to celebrate the Festival of Masks.
The region itself is not as massive as Paldea was in the base game, but then again, the previous gen’s DLC was also decently sized maps. The Pokemon, however, I’m mixed with. There are a lot of returning Pokemon (my personal favourite being Gligar), but there was not a lot of new creatures to capture - outside of the 4 legendaries, there were 3 to register for the hardcore Pokemon fans to collect.
This DLC is looking to keep my expectations high with the second DLC soon. Although it still has the frame rate issues and huge pop in issues like the base game does, it’s still a fun time sink to play. Also, I won’t spoil, but there is something there for people who loved Pokemon Legends: Arceus, really nice surprise.
2023
One of the best indie games I have ever played in a while honestly. Pizza Tower is such a high, frantic game that has the most bizarre cast of characters for a platformer. The gameplay is one-to-one like how Wario Land 4 would play...from what I've heard, and I can kinda see it.
The game encourages you to pick up the pace in the levels and dash around at mach speeds, mowing down enemies and keeping the combo going for a better rank, with secrets all around like bonus rooms, toppins to save for cash to access boss stages, and even certain power-ups in the stages like turning into a ghost, breathing fire, or turning into a knight.
It doesn't end there as when you reach the end of the level, you then run back to the start within a time limit, before Pizza Face gets you - opening up new paths to explore and secrets alike. And if you are really going for the P rank, you can do a 2nd lap back to the start of the stage for bonus points if you wanted to. Throughout my adventure with Pizza Tower, I had sucha big ass smile on my face as I enjoyed almost all the levels, and some moments were beyond charming; giving me a chuckle every now and then. This game is an absolute must for gamers alike, and especially for platformer fans. I don't know if I'll get the achievements done or not, but I will think about that.
The game encourages you to pick up the pace in the levels and dash around at mach speeds, mowing down enemies and keeping the combo going for a better rank, with secrets all around like bonus rooms, toppins to save for cash to access boss stages, and even certain power-ups in the stages like turning into a ghost, breathing fire, or turning into a knight.
It doesn't end there as when you reach the end of the level, you then run back to the start within a time limit, before Pizza Face gets you - opening up new paths to explore and secrets alike. And if you are really going for the P rank, you can do a 2nd lap back to the start of the stage for bonus points if you wanted to. Throughout my adventure with Pizza Tower, I had sucha big ass smile on my face as I enjoyed almost all the levels, and some moments were beyond charming; giving me a chuckle every now and then. This game is an absolute must for gamers alike, and especially for platformer fans. I don't know if I'll get the achievements done or not, but I will think about that.
2017
Minecraft is a very influencial game that was originally an indie game. I would be incredibly surprised if no one knows anything about Minecraft in 2023, but it is a fun time to play with friends and even by yourself if you wanted to.
After seeing Steve in Smash Bros., I got very curious and wanted to try the game again...3 years later, after the recent update dropped, I tried the new caves and cliffs update. The cave system was completely overhauled for something new and I really enjoy exploring. However, because of the recent updates, I feel like the game has gotten much harder in terms of more mobs spawning in. I was playing this with no cheats and single player so each time I died, I got extremely frustrated because I lost everything, but that's the punishment with dying which entices you to be very careful with your actions. My main goal was to defeat the Ender Dragon, and did I manage to do that? No, but I came very close to when fighting him. Fell off the End with my stuff and died, which caused me to stop. But that was my fault.
After seeing Steve in Smash Bros., I got very curious and wanted to try the game again...3 years later, after the recent update dropped, I tried the new caves and cliffs update. The cave system was completely overhauled for something new and I really enjoy exploring. However, because of the recent updates, I feel like the game has gotten much harder in terms of more mobs spawning in. I was playing this with no cheats and single player so each time I died, I got extremely frustrated because I lost everything, but that's the punishment with dying which entices you to be very careful with your actions. My main goal was to defeat the Ender Dragon, and did I manage to do that? No, but I came very close to when fighting him. Fell off the End with my stuff and died, which caused me to stop. But that was my fault.
It seems that another Marvel game I have played has also turned out to be amazing. After the release of Marvel's Avengers, it seems that the people from Eidos Montreal wanted a redemption arc, and boy did they deliver.
Guardians of the Galaxy was a very immersive game with characters we already know from the comics and movies, but as different versions of course. The story is worth playing this game as it is the strongest aspect of the journey - brief summary is that you play as Star-Lord, aka Peter Quill, and you are on a mission to a designated planet. Peter finds a stone and grabs it only to be attacked by a weird creature. The Nova Corps show up and arrest the Guardians for their mischief, only for things to go out of hand very fast.
While the Guardians have their characterisations based on the source material, the story can get serious at certain points, with one of my favourite moments involving Drax. There are moments in the story where you get to influence what happens in the story, for instance, you meet the Nova Corps and before you answer a call, you can either hide parts from then onboard your ship, or you hide a stowaway. Either options would not lead to an alternate ending, it just makes the path to the endgame very different.
However, the actual gameplay I can't be too nice upon. While going through the linear story, the gameplay has you only playing as Star-Lord, shooting your way through puzzles and enemies with his guns. Just like Spider-Man PS4, you can upgrade him with permanent perks, and even your teammates to gain more moves in their kit. You can also command your teammates on what to do with each enemy you target. This is a great aspect of battles since this is how you'll deal with certain situations...at first, since later in the game, you can just blitz through the enemies by spamming their moves when not under cooldown, and it makes the combat very basic and repetitive.
The soundtrack for this game is decent in terms of the main Marvel goodness, but the Guardians shine for their music being 80s' based, and there are moments of licensed music being played on the Milano and even in battles with the 'huddle up' mechanic - a gimmick that boosts all of your strength and health if you successfully rally the Guardians up. Some great hits include Take on Me, The Final Countdown, Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, and even a fictional band made for this game called 'Star-Lord' with their songs too! However, with the huddle up mechanic playing any song at random, you could get Never Gonna Give You Up playing at a serious boss fight. Happened to me with the final boss playing 'Don't Worry Be Happy'.
Although I played this on base PS4, the game ran fine. There were a few hiccups in framerate and even graphics taking a dip slightly, and pixels missing at some points which were distracting. Audio bugs were present with lines missing at certain points and even out of sync. If you are hesitant to play this game after hearing or even playing Avengers, don't be as this is still a fantastic Marvel game that is worth playing. However, don't go for the completion route of getting everything since you can't go back. Oh, and any platform is fine to play this on...except Switch. Fuck cloud gaming.
Guardians of the Galaxy was a very immersive game with characters we already know from the comics and movies, but as different versions of course. The story is worth playing this game as it is the strongest aspect of the journey - brief summary is that you play as Star-Lord, aka Peter Quill, and you are on a mission to a designated planet. Peter finds a stone and grabs it only to be attacked by a weird creature. The Nova Corps show up and arrest the Guardians for their mischief, only for things to go out of hand very fast.
While the Guardians have their characterisations based on the source material, the story can get serious at certain points, with one of my favourite moments involving Drax. There are moments in the story where you get to influence what happens in the story, for instance, you meet the Nova Corps and before you answer a call, you can either hide parts from then onboard your ship, or you hide a stowaway. Either options would not lead to an alternate ending, it just makes the path to the endgame very different.
However, the actual gameplay I can't be too nice upon. While going through the linear story, the gameplay has you only playing as Star-Lord, shooting your way through puzzles and enemies with his guns. Just like Spider-Man PS4, you can upgrade him with permanent perks, and even your teammates to gain more moves in their kit. You can also command your teammates on what to do with each enemy you target. This is a great aspect of battles since this is how you'll deal with certain situations...at first, since later in the game, you can just blitz through the enemies by spamming their moves when not under cooldown, and it makes the combat very basic and repetitive.
The soundtrack for this game is decent in terms of the main Marvel goodness, but the Guardians shine for their music being 80s' based, and there are moments of licensed music being played on the Milano and even in battles with the 'huddle up' mechanic - a gimmick that boosts all of your strength and health if you successfully rally the Guardians up. Some great hits include Take on Me, The Final Countdown, Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, and even a fictional band made for this game called 'Star-Lord' with their songs too! However, with the huddle up mechanic playing any song at random, you could get Never Gonna Give You Up playing at a serious boss fight. Happened to me with the final boss playing 'Don't Worry Be Happy'.
Although I played this on base PS4, the game ran fine. There were a few hiccups in framerate and even graphics taking a dip slightly, and pixels missing at some points which were distracting. Audio bugs were present with lines missing at certain points and even out of sync. If you are hesitant to play this game after hearing or even playing Avengers, don't be as this is still a fantastic Marvel game that is worth playing. However, don't go for the completion route of getting everything since you can't go back. Oh, and any platform is fine to play this on...except Switch. Fuck cloud gaming.
2006
A very fun rhythm game on the DS, which nowadays is compared to another rhythm game, 'Osu!', that looks interesting to me. The plot is very humorous with the power of music that only the EBA can use to fix problems, but it's pushed as a side aspect. The music was all licensed music which was a breath of fresh air for all the rhythm games I have played so far, which was amazing. They had songs like 'Sk8er Boi', 'YMCA', 'I Was Born to Love You', 'September' and many more which is fun.
I don't understand why this is in the Touch! Generations lineup of games for the DS, maybe because of the music? Idk, but it's very replayable. Definitely wouldn't mind trying to play the game again in a higher difficulty, for sure.
I don't understand why this is in the Touch! Generations lineup of games for the DS, maybe because of the music? Idk, but it's very replayable. Definitely wouldn't mind trying to play the game again in a higher difficulty, for sure.
1998
This review contains spoilers
Xenogears blew my mind upon playing through the whole game. I was really intrigued by this title since this was the first game with the 'Xeno' moniker before Xenoblade existed and that this was the only game by Square. The main thing that everyone praises about this game is the story, and my god this is one of the only stories I have ever felt so deep with, with how it explores a lot of concepts and themes from religious backgrounds, the human mind in itself, and the world being somewhat similar to what's going on today.
The characters were very lovable, especially Fei and Elly to me. Some had their moments like Bart and Billy, but then there were a few characters that after their big moment, they were just in the sidelines. For instance, after breaking out of Kislev and freeing Rico, he doesn't really interact much with the crew often. Another thing that I found a little slow in the story was when Margie was to be rescued within Aveh and the pacing was dragging for me. The big twist with Deus being the god and was in the ship from the intro, was crazy to me.
The gameplay itself was alright. The combat can be fun with the use of the face buttons depicting strengths of attacks and even doing combos with them for even more damage, but I found that it got old really quickly. Even with the gears that are used for giant enemies/bosses, they were dumbed to just lvl 1 deathblows or just mash X until you get enough for more deathblows.
The game was great, minus the grinding I had to do for the Deus final boss, that wasn't great. The story was fantastic, and I'm looking forward to seeing the other games in the Xeno series.
The characters were very lovable, especially Fei and Elly to me. Some had their moments like Bart and Billy, but then there were a few characters that after their big moment, they were just in the sidelines. For instance, after breaking out of Kislev and freeing Rico, he doesn't really interact much with the crew often. Another thing that I found a little slow in the story was when Margie was to be rescued within Aveh and the pacing was dragging for me. The big twist with Deus being the god and was in the ship from the intro, was crazy to me.
The gameplay itself was alright. The combat can be fun with the use of the face buttons depicting strengths of attacks and even doing combos with them for even more damage, but I found that it got old really quickly. Even with the gears that are used for giant enemies/bosses, they were dumbed to just lvl 1 deathblows or just mash X until you get enough for more deathblows.
The game was great, minus the grinding I had to do for the Deus final boss, that wasn't great. The story was fantastic, and I'm looking forward to seeing the other games in the Xeno series.
2014
Ultimate NES Remix was a very fun time killer. It served as a 3DS version of NES Remix 1 & 2 from the Wii U as one big compilation. Now of course, there are some omissions from this game such as the various NES sports games, Urban Champion, Clu Clu Land, and even Wario's Woods. But I think it was a great move since it was both boring to go through those and with Wario's Woods case, too confusing to understand.
The modes from the Wii U versions return in Ultimate being Super Luigi Bros., where you can play through SMB1 as Luigi mirrored, and the Championships mode, a score based mode between SMB1, SMB3, and Dr. Mario together. But one mode that appears if you get 3 stars in every stage is the Famicom mode. This is essentially the same game again but with the Famicom system instead, which is a neat bonus, but not worth playing the game again for.
The modes from the Wii U versions return in Ultimate being Super Luigi Bros., where you can play through SMB1 as Luigi mirrored, and the Championships mode, a score based mode between SMB1, SMB3, and Dr. Mario together. But one mode that appears if you get 3 stars in every stage is the Famicom mode. This is essentially the same game again but with the Famicom system instead, which is a neat bonus, but not worth playing the game again for.