OblivionStare
41 reviews liked by OblivionStare
People really say Prime 1 is better... Foolish mortals. Where is the 6th star?
I've always said that one of the most core pillars of Metroid is atmosphere, and the queen of atmosphere is Metroid Prime 2, here. It takes a notably drearier tone than Prime 1's already fairly dark mood did. And that definitely suits the mood of the game in general; Prime 1 felt like the aftermath of a post-apocalyptic disaster, but Prime 2 makes it feel like the apocalypse is still ongoing, in part because you're the final vanguard keeping the Luminoth from going extinct. And while there is certainly something dark in having a big Chozo city with nothing but the remnants of a dead civilization around, there's something a lot darker but also kind of badass about stopping the Luminoth from suffering the same fate at nearly the last minute, but also should you fail, the Ing will be successful in their eradication.
I complimented how much Prime 1 supported its atmosphere by having visual effects appear on the visor, but Prime 2 doubles down on this with effects like blinding lights, the visual of being enveloped in sludge as an Ing attempts to possess you, even up to rather amusingly having an enemy that causes the suit's system to hard crash, making you Ctrl+Alt+Delete to reboot it.
This game's ammo system is smart, in that it forces you to balance out which weapons you use and not JUST rely on what's good. Especially since this game has a rather binary light world denizens are weak to Dark Beam, and dark world creatures are weak to Light Beam system, and both these beams really wreck the enemies they're good against. Almost too easily, but they take it as an opportunity to ramp up the difficulty a bit. Being on Dark Aether saps your health quickly, and they introduce enemies like Space Pirates and Dark Pirate Commandos (basically Chozo ghost reskins) way earlier than in Prime.
They make some really inventive dimension-hopping puzzles, only really faltered by how going through a portal means looking at a loading screen. It really feels like it pushes the Prime engine to its limit, especially with how the levels are just as, if not more expansive than the ones in Prime 1. Prime 2 also asks for a lot less between-area backtracking, the only particularly stand-out moment being going back to Torvus after getting Spider Ball in Sanctuary. But they really tone it down a lot by making it so all the areas are more conveniently interconnected, with there being a shortcut to Torvus right there in Sanctuary so long as you look for it. This also makes the end-of-game Sky Temple Key hunt far more bearable, and even then it doesn't bother me that much. You should be able to get the keys so long as you know where they are and can get to them, but you'll need Dark Visor to acquire them first. Other than that, a victory lap around Dark Aether, an area that was previously difficult and hostile to traverse is earned. Just to flex that it's your stomping grounds now.
And see like, this is why I love Echoes so much. Prime 1 was so close to being up there as one of my favorites of all time if it wasn't for the handful of faults it had, almost all of which get addressed in Echoes. Because the bosses are far more active, fun, and interesting this time around. Even the minibosses kick ass, and I don't mind that much if Spider Guardian is a bit of an asshole, I just think it's impressive that they made a boss that's fought entirely with Morph Ball.
Amorbis is the closest to being a Prime 1 boss, with it largely being three phases of the same thing But More, but they amp it up by having the worms act more aggressive when there's more of them. Chykka and Quadraxis are both awesome multi-phase epics that both almost feel like they could've been final bosses in and of themselves. Quadraxis especially asking you to act fast and figure it out, since there's no save zones in its arena. And the Dark Samus fights are just killer. And the final boss, unlike Prime 1's absolutely delivers both in challenge and scope.
Metroid Prime 2 is the ideal sequel.
I complimented how much Prime 1 supported its atmosphere by having visual effects appear on the visor, but Prime 2 doubles down on this with effects like blinding lights, the visual of being enveloped in sludge as an Ing attempts to possess you, even up to rather amusingly having an enemy that causes the suit's system to hard crash, making you Ctrl+Alt+Delete to reboot it.
This game's ammo system is smart, in that it forces you to balance out which weapons you use and not JUST rely on what's good. Especially since this game has a rather binary light world denizens are weak to Dark Beam, and dark world creatures are weak to Light Beam system, and both these beams really wreck the enemies they're good against. Almost too easily, but they take it as an opportunity to ramp up the difficulty a bit. Being on Dark Aether saps your health quickly, and they introduce enemies like Space Pirates and Dark Pirate Commandos (basically Chozo ghost reskins) way earlier than in Prime.
They make some really inventive dimension-hopping puzzles, only really faltered by how going through a portal means looking at a loading screen. It really feels like it pushes the Prime engine to its limit, especially with how the levels are just as, if not more expansive than the ones in Prime 1. Prime 2 also asks for a lot less between-area backtracking, the only particularly stand-out moment being going back to Torvus after getting Spider Ball in Sanctuary. But they really tone it down a lot by making it so all the areas are more conveniently interconnected, with there being a shortcut to Torvus right there in Sanctuary so long as you look for it. This also makes the end-of-game Sky Temple Key hunt far more bearable, and even then it doesn't bother me that much. You should be able to get the keys so long as you know where they are and can get to them, but you'll need Dark Visor to acquire them first. Other than that, a victory lap around Dark Aether, an area that was previously difficult and hostile to traverse is earned. Just to flex that it's your stomping grounds now.
And see like, this is why I love Echoes so much. Prime 1 was so close to being up there as one of my favorites of all time if it wasn't for the handful of faults it had, almost all of which get addressed in Echoes. Because the bosses are far more active, fun, and interesting this time around. Even the minibosses kick ass, and I don't mind that much if Spider Guardian is a bit of an asshole, I just think it's impressive that they made a boss that's fought entirely with Morph Ball.
Amorbis is the closest to being a Prime 1 boss, with it largely being three phases of the same thing But More, but they amp it up by having the worms act more aggressive when there's more of them. Chykka and Quadraxis are both awesome multi-phase epics that both almost feel like they could've been final bosses in and of themselves. Quadraxis especially asking you to act fast and figure it out, since there's no save zones in its arena. And the Dark Samus fights are just killer. And the final boss, unlike Prime 1's absolutely delivers both in challenge and scope.
Metroid Prime 2 is the ideal sequel.
SSX 3
2003
Unbeatable and unrepeatable. SSX 3 is an absolute icon of the extreme sports genre at it's finest, and it proves that through gameplay that's snappy, smooth, and satisfying. Any issues from previous titles have been ironed out, and what's left is a nearly flawless experience. All 3 peaks take you down the slopes with perfectly tuned racing and a trick system that's endlessly addictive, all accompanied by a soundtrack that fits like a glove. It's pure early '00s bliss, and a title that should be a staple of anyone's gen 6 console library.
SSX 3
2003
I have been obsessed with this game my entire life. There is nothing more fun than racing down a mountain, jumping hundreds of feet in the air whilst in 'Super Uber' mode.
Also, I have been listening to the soundtrack for this game since it came out.
Also, I have been listening to the soundtrack for this game since it came out.
SSX 3
2003
I have a dark secret to admit when it comes to this game, something that fans of SSX might not forgive me for.........SSX3 is a better game than SSX Tricky.
This game is a great example of how open-world gameplay can enhance a game. Unlike most open-world games where it's just a bunch of stuff around, SSX3's tracks are designed in a way in which the extra stuff is addition, as opposed to the main course.
Another good thing about SSX3 is that it retains the feel of the SSX series. Tricky is known for being a light-hearted affair. While this game is a little more serious, the spirit of competition definitely lives on.
The only downgrade when compared to Tricky is the removal of unique stats and only 1 type of board. It makes characters lose their identity as unique characters. This isn't the worst idea since stats are most customable than in Tricky, but it does degrade the character's uniqueness.
In short, SSX3 is one of the best games of the sixth-generation of consoles and is a must play for both sports fans and general audiences.
This game is a great example of how open-world gameplay can enhance a game. Unlike most open-world games where it's just a bunch of stuff around, SSX3's tracks are designed in a way in which the extra stuff is addition, as opposed to the main course.
Another good thing about SSX3 is that it retains the feel of the SSX series. Tricky is known for being a light-hearted affair. While this game is a little more serious, the spirit of competition definitely lives on.
The only downgrade when compared to Tricky is the removal of unique stats and only 1 type of board. It makes characters lose their identity as unique characters. This isn't the worst idea since stats are most customable than in Tricky, but it does degrade the character's uniqueness.
In short, SSX3 is one of the best games of the sixth-generation of consoles and is a must play for both sports fans and general audiences.
One of the best aged games ever. The competitive scene for this game is still alive and it has some of the best mechanics for any fighting game. It improves on the first game in every aspect. The casual content for this game is very good too.
Trapt
2005
This review contains spoilers
BACKOFF
I'LL TAKE YOU ON
HEADSTRONG
TO TAKE ON ANYONE
I KNOW THAT YOU ARE WRONG
AND THIS IS NOT
WHERE YOU BELONG
I'LL TAKE YOU ON
HEADSTRONG
TO TAKE ON ANYONE
I KNOW THAT YOU ARE WRONG
AND THIS IS NOT
WHERE YOU BELONG
A very good adaptation of the Pokemon TCG to a video game format. Running around the different gyms and challenging opponents so you can grind out lots of booster packs to build more decks is a ton of fun. The only real issues this game has kind of comes from the TCG itself. A lot of cards rely on coin flips, and the RNG on the coin flips feels rigged in the favor of your opponent. There are also a few deck builds that just annihilate everything in the game.
I need to revisit the PC version of this with all the fan mods some day. This game is probably one of the more inspired Simpsons games. A lot of love clearly went into it. It's just a shame that so many of the missions are so difficult and/or frustrating to play.
This review contains spoilers
For personal reference more than anything. Have done spoiler warning just in case though.
First time doing a complete playthrough after being one of my most played games when I was a child and even trying and failing to complete it around a decade ago.
This game really doesn't feel like the kind of thing I should've actually completed, just so that I can keep my nostalgic memories of it mostly intact, messing about in it, kicking various pedestrians and exploring Springfield should probably have been what I remember this game as but considering the relationship I used to have with it, its one that just felt right to actually complete.
The plot is kinda there but nothing to write home about and it a lot of the story feels like filler so that the game could keep to its 7 mission structure for all 7 levels meaning that you'll get a bunch of missions in a row that don't really progress anything and even an entire level which is barely even related to the major story. I'm not particularly bothered about any of this but it was still something I noticed.
The characters are kind of difficult to really talk about as there were certainly funny lines from just about every character but storywise the characters don't really get to act like themselves as they either need to do something for someone or progress the main story which results in a few out of character moments like in the very first level where Homer notices the black vans which he assumes are surveying the town and quickly goes to investigate which doesn't really feel like something he'd do. There are some in character moments like Lisa freeing a bunch of fish destined to be restaurant food and Marge's level mainly coming from a place of wanting to investigate because she wants to help Bart but they are few and far between. Another thing that does not really matter in the grand scheme of things but just kind of struck me as odd even if I understand that it was like that so that we'd have a game.
The biggest issue I had with the characters though were the repeated voice lines, as I kid I mainly enjoyed hearing these and they never wore out their welcome, but now they were a constant source of annoyance and were genuinely irritating after a while. This gets even worse when you have certain characters who get a second level where you have to hear all the lines repeated over and over again or when you have to keep redoing a mission with a random side character driving you around who is just kind of annoying (Comic Book Guy) or doesn't seem to have many lines so you hear the same ones even more than the main characters (Grampa). There were a couple of decent characters who didn't get too annoying and if they had more than one mission then they were properly spaced out (Snake) but they were the exception to the rule.
The game itself is unfortunately not quite what I remembered or even expected going in, I read on the Wikipedia page that it was supposed to be a sequel to Road Rage where I don't even think you can leave your car and it explained why so many missions were a type of vehicle stage with what I found to be 3 out of about 49 actually having at least a big enough section where you actually wander around on foot (mainly to pick up collectibles). Other than this it is like 5 different types of vehicle stage repeated constantly meaning that if I liked a mission type to begin with I probably didn't by the end and this was even worse for the mission types that I wasn't even keen on to begin with like the bash into a vehicle and pick up the items it drops stages.
This gameplay loop then runs into another issue when the game remembers it needs to be difficult some of the time, there are a few too many missions in this game for my liking that I never want to play again and it comes from a number of things; vehicles getting in the way, controlling a vehicle that you're forced to use but isn't suited to the mission, very short time limits, the game not even being remotely consistent with how hitting something with your car affects you or it and lack of checkpoints. The missions in this game are thankfully really short so its not the biggest deal in the world if you need to restart one but there are many which have multiple sections where one might be ok but kind of long and the other might be incredibly difficult meaning that you'll need to redo all of it all over again which is just annoying but in all honesty I've never been the biggest fan of having to do something again just because I failed so maybe it was just more annoying to me because of that. The game does also have a skip mission option that I while I didn't use, I am grateful its there as its at least something for if I was really and I mean REALLY struggling with a mission in particular.
Another aspect of the game is the hit and run feature where if you cause another damage to someone or something you'll get the police on your arse until they either catch you and charge you 50 dollars or you manage to avoid them for a certain length of time. This ended up being a problem in the later levels and some missions essentially require you to drive pretty quickly and recklessly in the path of pedestrians, other vehicles or breakables and just ended up feeling like yet another annoying aspect to the missions. But admittedly while it was a problem for a bit it wasn't half as bad as I thought it would get and I quite like the feature outside of missions as it always used to be a fun punishment to try and avoid if I was being enough of a nuisance.
The camera is another problem however and comes up most when you're trying to do platforming in the couple of missions that require it or if you're going for the collectors cards which I was sort of doing if more to get more money which was usually around the cards as it becomes vital to have enough to progress the story as you'll usually reach a point where you need to buy a vehicle or outfit. The camera itself likes to get stuck in certain places or not show you an area from a good position to be able to see what you're doing. When driving though its not really a problem outside of rare-ish moments so that's something at least.
The combat is quite basic which makes sense as there are only two types of enemies (wasps and shielded wasps) who can be disposed of very easily and vending machines/boxes which need to be broken to get money from inside. The game probably could have even done without combat but as someone who enjoys kicking other characters quite a bit in this game I'm very glad its there and wouldn't want it to go at all.
There are only three locations in the game which get repeated and this feels fine as they try to differentiate them with time of day and also music from what I could tell. Each has a number of iconic places from the show and are fun to explore even if they have parts that are annoying in missions (the boardwalk). Reusing the areas also makes it easier to learn them so you can find all the shortcuts and get around quickly which becomes very necessary in later missions as quite a few enemy vehicles will even use some shortcuts themselves to try and stay ahead of you.
There were many little things I enjoyed like the collectors cards in level 7 being Treehouse of Horror themed, the bort licence plate card, various areas that you can explore even if they don't get used in a mission like the tv set in Krustylu Studios and a probably weird thing to be happy with but as someone who if asked to mention a couple of episodes from the show would probably come out with the one where Marge buys the expensive outfit and constantly retools it to try and fit in with the higher class women, it felt like a cool addition to have that outfit be one she can wear in her level.
Overall the game has many issues and if we were ever to see a remaster or remake I feel like it wouldn't hurt if they kept the general idea of the game but changed quite a lot to have it not feel as repetitive as the original does, I still can't really say I dislike it or that I never want to come back to it. For me, its probably a game that unless it gets a re-release of some kind I won't ever try to replay it in its entirety but to just come back to and mess about in feels like the correct way for me at least to play it. I kinda liked this experience and despite the problems I'm glad I've finished this game.
First time doing a complete playthrough after being one of my most played games when I was a child and even trying and failing to complete it around a decade ago.
This game really doesn't feel like the kind of thing I should've actually completed, just so that I can keep my nostalgic memories of it mostly intact, messing about in it, kicking various pedestrians and exploring Springfield should probably have been what I remember this game as but considering the relationship I used to have with it, its one that just felt right to actually complete.
The plot is kinda there but nothing to write home about and it a lot of the story feels like filler so that the game could keep to its 7 mission structure for all 7 levels meaning that you'll get a bunch of missions in a row that don't really progress anything and even an entire level which is barely even related to the major story. I'm not particularly bothered about any of this but it was still something I noticed.
The characters are kind of difficult to really talk about as there were certainly funny lines from just about every character but storywise the characters don't really get to act like themselves as they either need to do something for someone or progress the main story which results in a few out of character moments like in the very first level where Homer notices the black vans which he assumes are surveying the town and quickly goes to investigate which doesn't really feel like something he'd do. There are some in character moments like Lisa freeing a bunch of fish destined to be restaurant food and Marge's level mainly coming from a place of wanting to investigate because she wants to help Bart but they are few and far between. Another thing that does not really matter in the grand scheme of things but just kind of struck me as odd even if I understand that it was like that so that we'd have a game.
The biggest issue I had with the characters though were the repeated voice lines, as I kid I mainly enjoyed hearing these and they never wore out their welcome, but now they were a constant source of annoyance and were genuinely irritating after a while. This gets even worse when you have certain characters who get a second level where you have to hear all the lines repeated over and over again or when you have to keep redoing a mission with a random side character driving you around who is just kind of annoying (Comic Book Guy) or doesn't seem to have many lines so you hear the same ones even more than the main characters (Grampa). There were a couple of decent characters who didn't get too annoying and if they had more than one mission then they were properly spaced out (Snake) but they were the exception to the rule.
The game itself is unfortunately not quite what I remembered or even expected going in, I read on the Wikipedia page that it was supposed to be a sequel to Road Rage where I don't even think you can leave your car and it explained why so many missions were a type of vehicle stage with what I found to be 3 out of about 49 actually having at least a big enough section where you actually wander around on foot (mainly to pick up collectibles). Other than this it is like 5 different types of vehicle stage repeated constantly meaning that if I liked a mission type to begin with I probably didn't by the end and this was even worse for the mission types that I wasn't even keen on to begin with like the bash into a vehicle and pick up the items it drops stages.
This gameplay loop then runs into another issue when the game remembers it needs to be difficult some of the time, there are a few too many missions in this game for my liking that I never want to play again and it comes from a number of things; vehicles getting in the way, controlling a vehicle that you're forced to use but isn't suited to the mission, very short time limits, the game not even being remotely consistent with how hitting something with your car affects you or it and lack of checkpoints. The missions in this game are thankfully really short so its not the biggest deal in the world if you need to restart one but there are many which have multiple sections where one might be ok but kind of long and the other might be incredibly difficult meaning that you'll need to redo all of it all over again which is just annoying but in all honesty I've never been the biggest fan of having to do something again just because I failed so maybe it was just more annoying to me because of that. The game does also have a skip mission option that I while I didn't use, I am grateful its there as its at least something for if I was really and I mean REALLY struggling with a mission in particular.
Another aspect of the game is the hit and run feature where if you cause another damage to someone or something you'll get the police on your arse until they either catch you and charge you 50 dollars or you manage to avoid them for a certain length of time. This ended up being a problem in the later levels and some missions essentially require you to drive pretty quickly and recklessly in the path of pedestrians, other vehicles or breakables and just ended up feeling like yet another annoying aspect to the missions. But admittedly while it was a problem for a bit it wasn't half as bad as I thought it would get and I quite like the feature outside of missions as it always used to be a fun punishment to try and avoid if I was being enough of a nuisance.
The camera is another problem however and comes up most when you're trying to do platforming in the couple of missions that require it or if you're going for the collectors cards which I was sort of doing if more to get more money which was usually around the cards as it becomes vital to have enough to progress the story as you'll usually reach a point where you need to buy a vehicle or outfit. The camera itself likes to get stuck in certain places or not show you an area from a good position to be able to see what you're doing. When driving though its not really a problem outside of rare-ish moments so that's something at least.
The combat is quite basic which makes sense as there are only two types of enemies (wasps and shielded wasps) who can be disposed of very easily and vending machines/boxes which need to be broken to get money from inside. The game probably could have even done without combat but as someone who enjoys kicking other characters quite a bit in this game I'm very glad its there and wouldn't want it to go at all.
There are only three locations in the game which get repeated and this feels fine as they try to differentiate them with time of day and also music from what I could tell. Each has a number of iconic places from the show and are fun to explore even if they have parts that are annoying in missions (the boardwalk). Reusing the areas also makes it easier to learn them so you can find all the shortcuts and get around quickly which becomes very necessary in later missions as quite a few enemy vehicles will even use some shortcuts themselves to try and stay ahead of you.
There were many little things I enjoyed like the collectors cards in level 7 being Treehouse of Horror themed, the bort licence plate card, various areas that you can explore even if they don't get used in a mission like the tv set in Krustylu Studios and a probably weird thing to be happy with but as someone who if asked to mention a couple of episodes from the show would probably come out with the one where Marge buys the expensive outfit and constantly retools it to try and fit in with the higher class women, it felt like a cool addition to have that outfit be one she can wear in her level.
Overall the game has many issues and if we were ever to see a remaster or remake I feel like it wouldn't hurt if they kept the general idea of the game but changed quite a lot to have it not feel as repetitive as the original does, I still can't really say I dislike it or that I never want to come back to it. For me, its probably a game that unless it gets a re-release of some kind I won't ever try to replay it in its entirety but to just come back to and mess about in feels like the correct way for me at least to play it. I kinda liked this experience and despite the problems I'm glad I've finished this game.
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