OrangeRight
2005
The blower of the big western rhythm game bubble that spawned many sequels, copycats, and Rock Band. While the idea of playing plastic instruments to music had been done before, this game did it with a style that was unmatched at the time. From the setlist being on paper, the many jokes in the loading screens, and the result screens being newspaper headlines, the game's style really put you into the delusion of being a rock star. It also had a great song list, which was filled with a lot of great rock and metal songs like Smoke on the Water, Iron Man, and Cowboys from Hell. This game really felt like a love letter to garage bands and rock in general.
However, while the style was there, the substance was not quite there yet. A lot of this has to do with the nearly impossible hammer-on and pull-off system, but almost every gameplay aspect of Guitar Hero I was improved with its sequels. Even back then, I was not really into Guitar Hero until Guitar Hero II. It is still a very important game in rhythm game history, but there is almost no reason to go back to it.
However, while the style was there, the substance was not quite there yet. A lot of this has to do with the nearly impossible hammer-on and pull-off system, but almost every gameplay aspect of Guitar Hero I was improved with its sequels. Even back then, I was not really into Guitar Hero until Guitar Hero II. It is still a very important game in rhythm game history, but there is almost no reason to go back to it.
2009
This game attempts to simulate playing an arcade rhythm game with large, colorful buttons by having the player control a puppet that hits virtual buttons. It just barely works; a lot of the time, the on-screen character just simply doesn't hit the button you want them to hit. The game does know this, because the hardest songs in the game are rather easy, especially compared to the actual pop'n games.
While I could get some fun out of this game and the rather wacky songlist the US version has (guaranteed, this will be the only Bemani game that has "The United States of Whatever" by Liam Lynch in it), but eventually it just makes me wish I was actually hitting those large, colorful buttons instead.
While I could get some fun out of this game and the rather wacky songlist the US version has (guaranteed, this will be the only Bemani game that has "The United States of Whatever" by Liam Lynch in it), but eventually it just makes me wish I was actually hitting those large, colorful buttons instead.
2001
A really innovative cross between a shmup and a puzzle game, with a great soundtrack that melds seamlessly with the great level design. One of the few games I did not hesitate to buy more than three times on different consoles.
2006
While the leap from Guitar Hero I and Guitar Hero II may not have been as significant as, say, Street Fighter to Street Fighter II, the fixing of the hammer-on and pull-off system alone makes this game way more fun than its predecessor. The covers are slightly better, the charting is better, the bonus songs are better, and the finale is way better. While I did like Guitar Hero I at the time, it was Guitar Hero II that really got me into the series.
This game is more of a song pack for Guitar Hero II rather than a full-fledged sequel or spinoff, and I did fully understand this at the time. I remember renting this on GameFly, playing all the songs, and sending it back after I was done with it. I did eventually buy this when it went into the bargain bin. It has a great song selection; I especially love that they got a song by Limozeen, Homestar Runner's parody of 80's rock bands. I enjoyed it for what it was.
If there's one phrase that describes Guitar Hero III, it's "over the top." Over the top charting, over the top guitar battles, and an over the top style. None of that is bad at all. While I ended up preferring the more down-to-earth Rock Band to the point where I ended up continuing with that series rather than getting into World Tour and the rest, Guitar Hero III is a fantastic entry of the series that is better than II. Great songs, great story, and it is all-around great fun.
...and yes, I did buy it for the Wii. I wanted to play Guitar Hero online, and I didn't have Xbox Live at the time.
...and yes, I did buy it for the Wii. I wanted to play Guitar Hero online, and I didn't have Xbox Live at the time.
2021
A standard bullet hell shmup with not much in the way of gimmicks beyond "dodge the purple stuff" and the theme of people riding giant bugs, but a really good one nonetheless. There's a lot of flexibility when it comes to gameplay and difficulty, with four different versions of the game with their own variations, including a Novice version that's great for people who want to get into bullet hell shmups, and three difficulties that span from "medium" to "all those little maggots in the trees in stage 1 shoot hundreds of bullets at you now". Great fun!
The Switch version is the Steam release with the Ver 1.5 DLC included, with the added bonus of being on the console one could put in a Flip Grip.
The Switch version is the Steam release with the Ver 1.5 DLC included, with the added bonus of being on the console one could put in a Flip Grip.
At this point, I've accepted that this cliffhanger will never be resolved, and even if it was resolved, it'll never live up to expectations. Still a great series while it lasted.
2007
The first team-focused FPS I really got into. Sometimes I wonder how it's doing, and I do have good memories of it, but I don't know if I'll ever return to it.
2006
An Americanization of Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan that turns the cheer squad into a trio of Men In Black dancing to Madonna. It's unique, it's funny, and it's even tear jerking! The best rhythm game I've played on the DS.
2020
Sorry, I just didn't enjoy this one as much as Tetris 99. You can only play 1-1 so many times until it gets stale, even with the threat of the barrage of enemies from the other players, and a lot of matches just ended up being me going through that level over and over again with some variation inbetween. Played it for about a month, and I went back to it the day before it got taken down.
If they brought this back, I'd play it, but, and I'm really sorry to say this, but this game would have became a ghost town outside of A.I. players if they kept this up forever like Tetris 99 and Pac-Man 99.
If they brought this back, I'd play it, but, and I'm really sorry to say this, but this game would have became a ghost town outside of A.I. players if they kept this up forever like Tetris 99 and Pac-Man 99.
1996
This game defined my childhood as much as it defined 3D platformers. 3D platformer cameras did get better than this game's as time went on, and some of the later worlds just aren't as fun or memorable as the earlier ones, but this game is still a lot of fun even today.
1995
My very first shmup! Gotta love that toothpaste laser.
This was the very first beatmania IIDX version I've ever played, both on home console and arcade. There's quite a few good licenses in this one, including Night of Fire by Niko, along with a good set of Konami Originals. They also really put out all the stops for the home version. A unique mode that focuses on the music videos, "Tatsujin" videos in an era before YouTube, and a Drill Mode that really helped me get into the game with its various missions.
Would I recommend it now? Probably not. The later games have so many quality of life improvements to the main game, and a lot of the good Konami Originals this game had are also on those later games. However, I can't deny my nostalgia for this style in particular.
Would I recommend it now? Probably not. The later games have so many quality of life improvements to the main game, and a lot of the good Konami Originals this game had are also on those later games. However, I can't deny my nostalgia for this style in particular.
This collection of songs from the first three IIDX styles is pretty cool to see and play from an historical standpoint, and a lot of the songs featured in this game are exclusive to it. However, there are a lot of various issues, especially with the interface, that were ironed out in later games. I still like to go back to this one every now and then, though.