Reddish
2015
So, after playing all of the mainline Yakuza titles prior to this in release order, I’ve finally arrived at Yakuza 0. I do like this game, but I don’t really get it like most others. People online and my friends had kept telling me about how good this game is, but I didn’t always see it. For a while during my playthrough, I was skeptical of all the praise Yakuza 0 had received, although now that I’ve reached the end, I understand it a lot better now.
Starting with the combat, I found myself enjoying it as it feels very arcadey and flows well. Heat actions did feel overly long at times, which isn’t a problem exclusive to this game, however it felt particularly annoying here. Overall, I didn’t have as much fun with Kiryu’s new styles as I did in Yakuza 5. For the record, I didn’t bother with any of the Legend styles. I thought the grinding for them was a bit too much. Majima is simply fantastic though, with a varied moveset that’s very fun to experiment with. As for the bosses, most of them were pretty solid, with only a few that were… just okay. Kuze especially was a fun boss to repeat. Like I said, I had a good time with the gameplay, but I definitely prefer Yakuza 5’s or even Yakuza 2’s.
Moving onto the story, it was great and serves well as a prequel without needing to retcon past stories for fanservice. The pacing in the beginning is a bit slow, though I can look past that since the rest of the story is so engaging. Each of the new characters are also al interesting in their own right. I really love Tachibana and Makoto’s roles in the narrative. Characters are killed off in a meaningful way, which similarly reminded me of Yakuza 1 in ways. And oh boy the finale. It’d be difficult for me to put my thoughts on it into words, so I’ll just say it’s done extremely well.
Looking at the presentation, it is insanely colorful and stylish, much like the previous entries. I was wholly surprised at how consistent it performs on PS4 due to this too. Yakuza 0 doesn’t have my favorite aesthetics in the series, especially compared to Yakuza 2 and 5, but damn is it amazing nonetheless. The music has prominent electronic and dubstep, with some great themes on top of it. Although I would still say it’s not as memorable as 1-3’s to me.
In summary, I really do owe this game a lot in the end, as it’s the entire reason I even got interested in this franchise in the first place. Yakuza 0’s popularity is what sparked my interest initially, and it’s led me to this point where I absolutely fell in love with the series as a whole. While I may not have appreciated this as much as others have, it was still a blast to play through. It’s an excellent Yakuza title all the way through. Next I tackle Yakuza Kiwami. And boy, do I have some things to say about that fucking remake.
Starting with the combat, I found myself enjoying it as it feels very arcadey and flows well. Heat actions did feel overly long at times, which isn’t a problem exclusive to this game, however it felt particularly annoying here. Overall, I didn’t have as much fun with Kiryu’s new styles as I did in Yakuza 5. For the record, I didn’t bother with any of the Legend styles. I thought the grinding for them was a bit too much. Majima is simply fantastic though, with a varied moveset that’s very fun to experiment with. As for the bosses, most of them were pretty solid, with only a few that were… just okay. Kuze especially was a fun boss to repeat. Like I said, I had a good time with the gameplay, but I definitely prefer Yakuza 5’s or even Yakuza 2’s.
Moving onto the story, it was great and serves well as a prequel without needing to retcon past stories for fanservice. The pacing in the beginning is a bit slow, though I can look past that since the rest of the story is so engaging. Each of the new characters are also al interesting in their own right. I really love Tachibana and Makoto’s roles in the narrative. Characters are killed off in a meaningful way, which similarly reminded me of Yakuza 1 in ways. And oh boy the finale. It’d be difficult for me to put my thoughts on it into words, so I’ll just say it’s done extremely well.
Looking at the presentation, it is insanely colorful and stylish, much like the previous entries. I was wholly surprised at how consistent it performs on PS4 due to this too. Yakuza 0 doesn’t have my favorite aesthetics in the series, especially compared to Yakuza 2 and 5, but damn is it amazing nonetheless. The music has prominent electronic and dubstep, with some great themes on top of it. Although I would still say it’s not as memorable as 1-3’s to me.
In summary, I really do owe this game a lot in the end, as it’s the entire reason I even got interested in this franchise in the first place. Yakuza 0’s popularity is what sparked my interest initially, and it’s led me to this point where I absolutely fell in love with the series as a whole. While I may not have appreciated this as much as others have, it was still a blast to play through. It’s an excellent Yakuza title all the way through. Next I tackle Yakuza Kiwami. And boy, do I have some things to say about that fucking remake.
Genealogy of the Holy War is almost less of a game and more like a story that you interact with. If it wasn’t for the near unrivaled mix of worldbuilding with gameplay I would not like FE4 as much as I did. Despite birthing some elements that would be integral to Fire Emblem as a franchise going forward, it’s also the most unique entry in the series by far. Even with all of its influence and acclaim, not ONE game past this has ever tried replicating everything this game did. Some of that could be attributed to the new systems being seen more as flaws rather than benefits, or the sheer complexity maybe too scary for newer players. I’m not sure.
I finished this game over a week ago, and I’ve been banging my head on the wall trying to figure out what to say. I feel like I need to get the word out of what this game is, but it’s just not fully coming to me. I’d love to write a review as long as a single enemy phase in this game but I really can’t do that as much as I try. So I’ll suffice by writing something shorter while explaining why YOU should at least experience this game once.
War. Legacy. Succession. Betrayal. Tragedy. These are all themes that Genealogy of the Holy War focuses on. Fire Emblem has.. well obviously always been about war. However Genealogy, out of all the games I’ve experienced, delves the most into the pure tragedy and unfairness of what war is. There are so many moments where you just.. can’t save everyone. The other games have similar moments, but this one melds it into the gameplay so perfectly and precisely. Every map is vast with history, communities, and density. They genuinely do feel like actual locales rather than “a video game level”. That goes both to its benefit and detriment from a gameplay perspective, but from a story perspective, it’s pure bliss. We follow our heroes through lush forests, sprawling plains, harsh mountains, scorching deserts etc. You slowly proceed through this seemingly endless war, each map becoming more and more hopeless.
I should also preface that you need to experience this story blind. I know it’s very hard to do as such with how much the middle plot twist is spoiled to everyone, but I encourage you to stay as blind as possible. Genealogy’s narrative is fantastic, not only for a Fire Emblem game but for a piece of media in general. Seliph is one of my favorite video game characters of all time because of how we follow his journey from suffering a harsh young life, but growing to become a fine young man himself capable of what his mission is. Once again, I’m not going to elaborate so the reader can find out what happens themselves, but the story is, no exaggeration, simply masterful.
Generational storytelling is one of my favorite tropes of all time. Seeing how descendants of a generation will remedy the mistakes, regrets, or failures of their predecessors has always been so engaging to me. While Genealogy's latter half isn't nearly as narratively complex as the former half, it's story about the next generation of heroes is among one of my favorites for this trope. Ily Seliph.
Presentation also goes a long way, of course. Every music track in the game adds to the atmosphere so heavily, it’s easily one of the best soundtracks I’ve heard on the Super Famicom. Some tracks were so masterfully composed I nearly shed tears, I couldn’t believe how well it played me especially when I can rarely cry at soundtracks anymore. The graphics can be hit or miss, especially with the character portraits, but the maps and environments are top notch. I could really look at them for so long.
I think that’s pretty much all I could think of to say about Genealogy of the Holy War. As a game… it’s a mess. Possibly even objectively bad. But as a story, a piece of artistry… it’s an undeniable masterpiece. It’s certainly not for everyone, I’m aware, but it is worth experiencing in full at LEAST once. Not my favorite Fire Emblem because of the gameplay, but definitely the best narrative and cast of characters in my eyes.
Also ever notice how so many of the people who say this game sucks (or other classic FE games for that matter) are Three Houses fans or have Three Houses pfps? curious ….
I finished this game over a week ago, and I’ve been banging my head on the wall trying to figure out what to say. I feel like I need to get the word out of what this game is, but it’s just not fully coming to me. I’d love to write a review as long as a single enemy phase in this game but I really can’t do that as much as I try. So I’ll suffice by writing something shorter while explaining why YOU should at least experience this game once.
War. Legacy. Succession. Betrayal. Tragedy. These are all themes that Genealogy of the Holy War focuses on. Fire Emblem has.. well obviously always been about war. However Genealogy, out of all the games I’ve experienced, delves the most into the pure tragedy and unfairness of what war is. There are so many moments where you just.. can’t save everyone. The other games have similar moments, but this one melds it into the gameplay so perfectly and precisely. Every map is vast with history, communities, and density. They genuinely do feel like actual locales rather than “a video game level”. That goes both to its benefit and detriment from a gameplay perspective, but from a story perspective, it’s pure bliss. We follow our heroes through lush forests, sprawling plains, harsh mountains, scorching deserts etc. You slowly proceed through this seemingly endless war, each map becoming more and more hopeless.
I should also preface that you need to experience this story blind. I know it’s very hard to do as such with how much the middle plot twist is spoiled to everyone, but I encourage you to stay as blind as possible. Genealogy’s narrative is fantastic, not only for a Fire Emblem game but for a piece of media in general. Seliph is one of my favorite video game characters of all time because of how we follow his journey from suffering a harsh young life, but growing to become a fine young man himself capable of what his mission is. Once again, I’m not going to elaborate so the reader can find out what happens themselves, but the story is, no exaggeration, simply masterful.
Generational storytelling is one of my favorite tropes of all time. Seeing how descendants of a generation will remedy the mistakes, regrets, or failures of their predecessors has always been so engaging to me. While Genealogy's latter half isn't nearly as narratively complex as the former half, it's story about the next generation of heroes is among one of my favorites for this trope. Ily Seliph.
Presentation also goes a long way, of course. Every music track in the game adds to the atmosphere so heavily, it’s easily one of the best soundtracks I’ve heard on the Super Famicom. Some tracks were so masterfully composed I nearly shed tears, I couldn’t believe how well it played me especially when I can rarely cry at soundtracks anymore. The graphics can be hit or miss, especially with the character portraits, but the maps and environments are top notch. I could really look at them for so long.
I think that’s pretty much all I could think of to say about Genealogy of the Holy War. As a game… it’s a mess. Possibly even objectively bad. But as a story, a piece of artistry… it’s an undeniable masterpiece. It’s certainly not for everyone, I’m aware, but it is worth experiencing in full at LEAST once. Not my favorite Fire Emblem because of the gameplay, but definitely the best narrative and cast of characters in my eyes.
Also ever notice how so many of the people who say this game sucks (or other classic FE games for that matter) are Three Houses fans or have Three Houses pfps? curious ….
I struggle to call Binding Blade a bad game, but I can’t really call it an amazing one either. I have both a lot to say about this game alongside absolutely nothing unique to remark on it. Maybe. I’ll do it anyway though.
Compared to the other FE reviews I don’t have much of a personal history with this one aside from knowing Roy as “the guy from smash” and trying the game on an emulator once. I dropped it after Bors died in less than one minute of gameplay because I was like “oh wow oh gee oh golly oh gosh this game really is as hard as they say!”
That’s not a hyperbole btw.
Anyway I gave the game a second chance after finishing FE7, this time with the Project Ember patch (which was a mistake) (don’t do that). Dropped it at Chapter 12 because I kept dying to the overpowered enemy units before eventually learning that PE copy pastes minibosses across the maps compared to the original. Oops! Started playing Genealogy of the Holy War instead and Binding Blade remained in the back of my head. I couldn’t stop thinking about that desire to finish it. Yeah ik the game kinda sucks but at the same time I want that satisfaction of saying I finished it alongside the fact I kept gatekeeping my FE pfps to exclusively games I finished/currently playing to completion (weird mind rabbit hole ignore it). So after I finished Genealogy I hopped on Engage while letting Binding Blade, this time the vanilla version starting up in the back burner. Yes I am clinically obsessed with Fire Emblem. How could you tell?
I finished this game before Engage too lmao. Ok let’s talk about the game now. Binding Blade is rough. This game barely functions correctly but that sort of gives it appeal. Maps are ok/mediocre/annoying, player units are ass, hit rates are less accurate than the Percy Jackson movie adaptations, the story is just ok blah blah blah. But also like, this game loops back into being entertaining because of it’s faults. Why out of all of these games, it’s FE6 that takes swordmasters, a class of dubious quality in basically any other FIre Emblem game, and transforms them into crit spamming dodge tanking Gods among men. Rutger is already a pretty good boss killer at base but the second you get him promoted his crit rate is increased by a guaranteed 30% which makes him nigh unstoppable for most of the game.
I’ll just use this to branch discussing player units into it’s own little paragraph here. FE6 player units are laughable. Like, hilarious. It’s not that this game doesn’t have good units but the bad units are just… really, REALLY bad. Both of the fighters you get early on are bad, the two unpromoted archers are bad, Gwendolyn (sadly) and her armor knight besties are bad, and don’t let me get started on Sophia. At the same time though…. that actually kinda adds to the density of this game, albeit unintentionally on the developers’ part. Because it’s entirely possible to make these trashy units viable if you try hard enough. Sophia, despite being one of the worst units in the entire franchise, CAN become actually adequate if you train her up and get stat blessed enough, which is insane. Same deal with Gwendolyn (see: Mekkah FE6 HM Ironman). Like, bad units in Fire Emblem games are fun because I like seeing how players can push them to their limits. This game is probably one of the best examples. I don’t have much to remark on the good units in comparison, but I do recommend Milady, Perceval, Rutger, Lilina (normal mode) etc.
Like for example Lilina is considered an ok-ish unit to many, but in my normal mode playthrough she became so incredibly stat blessed and dodge tanky that she was decimating most of the enemy spawns late game, to the point where I used her so much she hit the level cap after promotion. I’m sure other fans have had similar experiences, which adds to the discussion in a good way imo.
One major point of contention I have with this game is the ending system. To my knowledge this is one of the very few if not the only Fire Emblem games to have a secret hidden ending route with several chapters, and unlocking them here…. is not fun. At all. PLEASE use a guide when doing this. I’ve never seen an ending system that feels so counterintuitive to what the design philosophy of the series is. Requiring the player to keep so many specific units alive in a game where you can lose these units forever is bad design especially if they are required to see the ACTUAL ENDING OF THE GAME. On top of that, the gaiden chapters you unlock after fulfilling the requirements for each one aren’t good either. They’re long and boring. Despite having their own unique gimmicks they are probably the most uninteresting chapters in the game. To make matters worse, simply completing all these gaidens STILL isn’t enough, because if you break a single one of these (very limited usage) legendary weapons obtained from these chapters, that’s it. No true ending for you. Try again. Awful.
If you know about these requirements and use a guide beforehand, it’s manageable, but still really annoying. And that’s sorta just what this game is in general. Annoying. Enemy spam? check. Large maps? check. Same turn reinforcements? right here. Actually I’ve already said enough about the maps for now let’s talk about ambush spawns (same turn reinforcements). This is an awful mechanic. Adds nothing to the game. You could remove them and nothing of value would be lost. There’s no fun strategy or fun engagement to the concept of ambush spawns, simply having random enemies appear out of nowhere and immediately move the same turn is something completely out of the player’s control unless you know about them beforehand. It’s possible to mitigate many ambush spawns if you have prior knowledge (use a guide for chapter 21 I am begging you), but for the average player they don’t see any of this shit coming, It just happens. Thracia 776 also has many ambush spawns but that’s in a game where your player units are actually pretty durable and enemies are really weak so it somewhat balances out.
Difficulty. Chances are if you are involved in FE6 discussion online you’ve probably heard how this is one of the hardest games in the series. Uh… not really? Ok well the game certainly isn’t easy but it’s not necessarily impossible either. I think the game is moreso difficult at certain points, like chapters 7, 14, 21, 22 etc. A majority of the chapters post 7 are honestly pretty tame, annoying at worst. Chapter 24 can be kinda tough, but it’s also the best chapter in the game probably and it actually uses ambush spawns in a clever way for ONCE. I’ve also seen people call this game a “budget Thracia” or whatever, and I really have to ask: what? Thracia 776 is a hard game, sure, but that game is difficult for different reasons. Pardon if I’m incorrect on this because I haven’t played that game past chapter 2 currently, but Thracia is a hard game that gives you multiple tools to deal with it’s nonsense, which gives the game a sandboxy, creative appeal. You can’t really do that in Binding Blade. The game is hard because the enemy units are very strong while the player units aren’t. Even the most durable units can only withstand so much, they aren’t invincible. You really just have to hope for the best. Once again, there’s appeal to how imbalanced FE6 is, but the difficulty comparison to Thracia 776 is nonsensical.
That’s mainly what I wanted to talk about with this game. I know it was mostly negative but I still think the game is alright, but easily my least favorite in the series so far. It’s worth playing at least once to see the beautiful mess that was IS having their first go at a Fire Emblem game without Kaga, but the other GBA games are much better. I still like the game for it’s positives (graphics, music, character designs, the actually good maps), but I’m probably done with this game unless I play the “Plus” hack which actually looks pretty enjoyable. Also don’t be like Mister Magical Mage and play this game 776 times despite saying you hate it. I know what you are.
Compared to the other FE reviews I don’t have much of a personal history with this one aside from knowing Roy as “the guy from smash” and trying the game on an emulator once. I dropped it after Bors died in less than one minute of gameplay because I was like “oh wow oh gee oh golly oh gosh this game really is as hard as they say!”
That’s not a hyperbole btw.
Anyway I gave the game a second chance after finishing FE7, this time with the Project Ember patch (which was a mistake) (don’t do that). Dropped it at Chapter 12 because I kept dying to the overpowered enemy units before eventually learning that PE copy pastes minibosses across the maps compared to the original. Oops! Started playing Genealogy of the Holy War instead and Binding Blade remained in the back of my head. I couldn’t stop thinking about that desire to finish it. Yeah ik the game kinda sucks but at the same time I want that satisfaction of saying I finished it alongside the fact I kept gatekeeping my FE pfps to exclusively games I finished/currently playing to completion (weird mind rabbit hole ignore it). So after I finished Genealogy I hopped on Engage while letting Binding Blade, this time the vanilla version starting up in the back burner. Yes I am clinically obsessed with Fire Emblem. How could you tell?
I finished this game before Engage too lmao. Ok let’s talk about the game now. Binding Blade is rough. This game barely functions correctly but that sort of gives it appeal. Maps are ok/mediocre/annoying, player units are ass, hit rates are less accurate than the Percy Jackson movie adaptations, the story is just ok blah blah blah. But also like, this game loops back into being entertaining because of it’s faults. Why out of all of these games, it’s FE6 that takes swordmasters, a class of dubious quality in basically any other FIre Emblem game, and transforms them into crit spamming dodge tanking Gods among men. Rutger is already a pretty good boss killer at base but the second you get him promoted his crit rate is increased by a guaranteed 30% which makes him nigh unstoppable for most of the game.
I’ll just use this to branch discussing player units into it’s own little paragraph here. FE6 player units are laughable. Like, hilarious. It’s not that this game doesn’t have good units but the bad units are just… really, REALLY bad. Both of the fighters you get early on are bad, the two unpromoted archers are bad, Gwendolyn (sadly) and her armor knight besties are bad, and don’t let me get started on Sophia. At the same time though…. that actually kinda adds to the density of this game, albeit unintentionally on the developers’ part. Because it’s entirely possible to make these trashy units viable if you try hard enough. Sophia, despite being one of the worst units in the entire franchise, CAN become actually adequate if you train her up and get stat blessed enough, which is insane. Same deal with Gwendolyn (see: Mekkah FE6 HM Ironman). Like, bad units in Fire Emblem games are fun because I like seeing how players can push them to their limits. This game is probably one of the best examples. I don’t have much to remark on the good units in comparison, but I do recommend Milady, Perceval, Rutger, Lilina (normal mode) etc.
Like for example Lilina is considered an ok-ish unit to many, but in my normal mode playthrough she became so incredibly stat blessed and dodge tanky that she was decimating most of the enemy spawns late game, to the point where I used her so much she hit the level cap after promotion. I’m sure other fans have had similar experiences, which adds to the discussion in a good way imo.
One major point of contention I have with this game is the ending system. To my knowledge this is one of the very few if not the only Fire Emblem games to have a secret hidden ending route with several chapters, and unlocking them here…. is not fun. At all. PLEASE use a guide when doing this. I’ve never seen an ending system that feels so counterintuitive to what the design philosophy of the series is. Requiring the player to keep so many specific units alive in a game where you can lose these units forever is bad design especially if they are required to see the ACTUAL ENDING OF THE GAME. On top of that, the gaiden chapters you unlock after fulfilling the requirements for each one aren’t good either. They’re long and boring. Despite having their own unique gimmicks they are probably the most uninteresting chapters in the game. To make matters worse, simply completing all these gaidens STILL isn’t enough, because if you break a single one of these (very limited usage) legendary weapons obtained from these chapters, that’s it. No true ending for you. Try again. Awful.
If you know about these requirements and use a guide beforehand, it’s manageable, but still really annoying. And that’s sorta just what this game is in general. Annoying. Enemy spam? check. Large maps? check. Same turn reinforcements? right here. Actually I’ve already said enough about the maps for now let’s talk about ambush spawns (same turn reinforcements). This is an awful mechanic. Adds nothing to the game. You could remove them and nothing of value would be lost. There’s no fun strategy or fun engagement to the concept of ambush spawns, simply having random enemies appear out of nowhere and immediately move the same turn is something completely out of the player’s control unless you know about them beforehand. It’s possible to mitigate many ambush spawns if you have prior knowledge (use a guide for chapter 21 I am begging you), but for the average player they don’t see any of this shit coming, It just happens. Thracia 776 also has many ambush spawns but that’s in a game where your player units are actually pretty durable and enemies are really weak so it somewhat balances out.
Difficulty. Chances are if you are involved in FE6 discussion online you’ve probably heard how this is one of the hardest games in the series. Uh… not really? Ok well the game certainly isn’t easy but it’s not necessarily impossible either. I think the game is moreso difficult at certain points, like chapters 7, 14, 21, 22 etc. A majority of the chapters post 7 are honestly pretty tame, annoying at worst. Chapter 24 can be kinda tough, but it’s also the best chapter in the game probably and it actually uses ambush spawns in a clever way for ONCE. I’ve also seen people call this game a “budget Thracia” or whatever, and I really have to ask: what? Thracia 776 is a hard game, sure, but that game is difficult for different reasons. Pardon if I’m incorrect on this because I haven’t played that game past chapter 2 currently, but Thracia is a hard game that gives you multiple tools to deal with it’s nonsense, which gives the game a sandboxy, creative appeal. You can’t really do that in Binding Blade. The game is hard because the enemy units are very strong while the player units aren’t. Even the most durable units can only withstand so much, they aren’t invincible. You really just have to hope for the best. Once again, there’s appeal to how imbalanced FE6 is, but the difficulty comparison to Thracia 776 is nonsensical.
That’s mainly what I wanted to talk about with this game. I know it was mostly negative but I still think the game is alright, but easily my least favorite in the series so far. It’s worth playing at least once to see the beautiful mess that was IS having their first go at a Fire Emblem game without Kaga, but the other GBA games are much better. I still like the game for it’s positives (graphics, music, character designs, the actually good maps), but I’m probably done with this game unless I play the “Plus” hack which actually looks pretty enjoyable. Also don’t be like Mister Magical Mage and play this game 776 times despite saying you hate it. I know what you are.
While not discussed in many circles online, Shadow Dragon is probably one of the most important Fire Emblem games, being the last true “classic” styled entry. Upon it’s original release, the game wasn’t generally favored, and alongside rather poor sales in the United States it left Fire Emblem in a tricky place. Where the series would go after this will be explained in some other review i do in the future, as for now I want to talk about this game. Like a majority of this franchise, I had much interest in trying this game, as it was a remake of Marth’s very first adventure after all. But just like the many other games in the series I wanted to play, it wasn’t very accessible.
In the current day when FE8 and 7 started my obsession with this series I had hopped onto 6 immediately afterwards. I was not very impressed. Ok-ish map design tied with lackluster player units and absolute beasts of enemy units led me to frustration into dropping the game after only 13 chapters. I was done. So I decided to hop into this game instead, it was also on a handheld and I had heard some good things about it before. So I started playing.
This is a contender for my favorite Fire Emblem game so far from its gameplay alone. While rejecting a few gameplay systems from previous entries and retaining certain cryptic NES jank, the game itself is very speedy and easy to just pick up and play. Maps aren’t very long if you play smart, you can turn off pointless enemy turns to save time, and the game rarely feels like it's wasting your time. That being said… the certain carryovers from the original can be pretty annoying at points. Only Marth can enter villages, and there’s no rescue system which can leave your weaker units in a lot of trouble sometimes. I miss the rescue system because it added an extra layer of possible risk vs reward and gave cavaliers and fliers even more usability. But it's not too major of a blow.
Reinforcements are another element of this game that can be obnoxious. It’s a complete coin flip on whether they will spawn from unattended forts or the sides of the map, and like other FE games with reinforcements you would only know this from previous knowledge or using a guide. With some maps it's a fine enough hindrance for not playing efficiently enough, but in others it’s such a pain in the ass, especially when 90% of the time these reinforcements are horse riders or flyers, meaning they will dash after your ass IMMEDIATELY.
That being said, I feel as a tradeoff this game is honestly kinda broken. Units such as Caeda, a General Setger, and any Ballista user will be your best friend for a majority of the game, especially when properly exploiting the forgery system on the Wing Spear or Ballista weapons. There’s this one map I was really struggling on until I realized that I can just warp Setger to the central part of the map and have him sit there while taking literally no damage and killing every single enemy + reinforcement for almost the entire session. It’s little moments like these that make me kinda love this game, it’s busted and exploitable in areas to a comical degree but almost as a balance to this there are a lot of reinforcements and later maps are fine with having enemy healers out of your range constantly.
Permadeath, permadeath, permadeath. It’s impossible to discuss any Fire Emblem game prior to 12 without mention of this ever so infamous punishment for poor play, the ability to permanently lose any of your units at any time. It’s easy to be intimidated by it. What if I lose an integral character from my team and I can’t beat the game because of it? Shadow Dragon seems to try something a bit different with this concept by also fusing it with another frequent feature of Fire Emblem: the gaiden chapters. In previous games, the gaiden chapters could only be accessed by certain parameters, to my knowledge mainly related to recruiting certain units or finishing a chapter in a turn limit (and they were also required to beat FE6. lol.). This game’s approach to gaiden chapters was rather different- instead, they are used rather as a failsafe for players who are losing too many units. I’ve seen many players complain about this feature and how they don’t like the game is “forcing” them to lose units for it, but that’s entirely missing the point- the game isn’t forcing you. It’s there for players who might be struggling or decide not to constantly reload their game upon failure. If you feel that you are falling behind and might not be able to make it to the end, the game encourages you to keep going and gives you backup to put the player in a much more comfortable position. Now obviously, you still have to try if you want to see things to the end, but it’s there to keep you going regardless.
I think this take on the concept of permadeath is an insanely smart way of still keeping the punishing system it always has been, but creating new ways to make the player not feel discouraged from finishing the game. As early as the prologue, you are forced to sacrifice a single unit- with you even being told to accept your losses and move on. This is war, there is no playing around.
Replayability is another focus of Shadow Dragon. The game itself isn’t very long, consisting of 25 chapters that are all relatively short. However, this is taken advantage of by incorporating several difficulty options. Each difficulty progressively gets harder in a natural scale, starting with normal and slowly increasing the BS factor. It’s a way to keep you coming back, and topping that with Shadow Dragon’s addictive nature it fits like a glove.
The graphics have always been a major turnoff. After the simply beautiful GBA games with plenty of colors and smooth battle animations, going to the ugly pre-rendered look of this game alongside the “meh” looking animations may turn away most players. As much as it is to say “graphics aren’t everything” presentation still means a lot to a game in the long run, especially if it’s in a series with previous entries that looked much better. They’re graphics I can simply tolerate, but it did leave me disappointed especially with the potential of visuals the DS could pull off. The promotional art is a different story, though. Composed by Ghost in the Shell manga artist Masamune Shirow, they’re splendid pieces that fit Fire Emblem while being distinctive and stylish pieces in their own right. Unfortunately, he didn’t make that much art for this game, aside from some promotional pieces and some other artwork that you can’t even see outside of an art book he published, but they’re great nonetheless.
This game, while being fantastic in it’s own right, also marked the end of an era for Fire Emblem. The sequel would be the introduction to modern FEisms such as casual mode and a player avatar, which would soon be followed up be Fire Emblem Awakening, an absolute game changer in both Fire Emblem and Nintendo’s history, but that’s a story for another time. It’s a shame that this game wasn’t ever really given it’s moment to shine, especially when it’s a very solid package with a lot of fun quirks alongside being a great remake. Hopefully it will someday be given the recognition that it deserves, and I hope that this review will encourage readers to try it out themselves. Come join us, together we ride!
I've been meaning to settle the score with Fire Emblem 7 for quite some time. For whatever reason I've always been fascinated with FE7, going back to the days when I was into Smash Brothers. "Oh, this is the one with Lyn and Roy's dad!" When looking into the series on my own time back then, I had read on a lot of pages that this one was considered one of the easiest FE games alongside the first available in English, so it made me want to start there. One problem though. The game was EXPENSIVE. Even back then mfs on eBay were scalping the hell out of these games, so my hopes of ever getting to play it dwindled.
That was until I was introduced to the world of emulation, and shortly after one of my priorities was this game. I started it... And stopped playing. Why? I forgot. Then this other time I borrowed my girlfriend's Raspberry Pie which had this game loaded on it, so I tried going through the game again. Dropped it. Then I tried an emulator a second time, starting from the beginning because I had switched emulators. I stopped playing. For the life of me I could not stick to finishing this game because I kept changing my method of playing it.
Fast forward a year or two and I had randomly been enticed to play a Fire Emblem game from start to finish, that being The Sacred Stones, and I really liked it! "Now that I'm a fan of this series, maybe this is my chance to finish 7 already!" I said, so I started playing aaaaand... I put it on hold. Yakuza had already consumed my life at that point. THEN after two months I picked up this game again and was absolutely motivated to finish it, and I FINALLY GOT IT DONE.
So onto the game itself, it's very similar to the other one I had played, Sacred Stones, which isn't a bad thing actually. I really liked the gameplay of that one so hopping into this felt really easy to do. I still had to trudge through the overly long tutorial (which at this point I had experienced nearly 5 times), but once I got to Eliwood's story things started to pick up. The gameplay of the GBA Fire Emblems is very quick and snappy, combined with stellar presentation and battle animations. I like the class system and weapon triangles which add an extra layer of depth to the combat mechanics. As for the maps, I liked most of them although the later ones can suck shit at times, especially with enemy spam. The final boss chapter was also just awful, I almost wanted to stop playing from how unforgiving and long it was. But still, I managed to pull through.
Fire Emblem 7 really stuck the landing for me because of it's characters. I already mentioned Lyn and Eliwood but HECTOR steals the show for me, he's so cool and immensely overpowered at points, alongside just being a cool character. Priscilla, Florina, Rebecca, and Marcus were also some characters I really liked, just to name a few. While many of them aren't really deep in terms of writing, they deliver by being distinct and charming in their own ways. Eliwood especially goes through a lot of tough shit throughout the story, I felt kinda bad for the guy. At the time of this review I still haven't played Hector mode but I definitely will in the future, because it adds a lot of characters and story moments to make the experience more complete. Even so, FE7 as is has a simple but fun and engaging narrative with a cast of very likable helpers.
So was it worth the wait and countless resets to finish Fire Emblem 7 to me after all this time? I'd say so. While the game is definitely very flawed, and I can see why in the grand scheme of the franchise it isn't very special, it means a lot to me because of my needlessly complex history and fascination with it. Definitely would recommend at least trying this one!
That was until I was introduced to the world of emulation, and shortly after one of my priorities was this game. I started it... And stopped playing. Why? I forgot. Then this other time I borrowed my girlfriend's Raspberry Pie which had this game loaded on it, so I tried going through the game again. Dropped it. Then I tried an emulator a second time, starting from the beginning because I had switched emulators. I stopped playing. For the life of me I could not stick to finishing this game because I kept changing my method of playing it.
Fast forward a year or two and I had randomly been enticed to play a Fire Emblem game from start to finish, that being The Sacred Stones, and I really liked it! "Now that I'm a fan of this series, maybe this is my chance to finish 7 already!" I said, so I started playing aaaaand... I put it on hold. Yakuza had already consumed my life at that point. THEN after two months I picked up this game again and was absolutely motivated to finish it, and I FINALLY GOT IT DONE.
So onto the game itself, it's very similar to the other one I had played, Sacred Stones, which isn't a bad thing actually. I really liked the gameplay of that one so hopping into this felt really easy to do. I still had to trudge through the overly long tutorial (which at this point I had experienced nearly 5 times), but once I got to Eliwood's story things started to pick up. The gameplay of the GBA Fire Emblems is very quick and snappy, combined with stellar presentation and battle animations. I like the class system and weapon triangles which add an extra layer of depth to the combat mechanics. As for the maps, I liked most of them although the later ones can suck shit at times, especially with enemy spam. The final boss chapter was also just awful, I almost wanted to stop playing from how unforgiving and long it was. But still, I managed to pull through.
Fire Emblem 7 really stuck the landing for me because of it's characters. I already mentioned Lyn and Eliwood but HECTOR steals the show for me, he's so cool and immensely overpowered at points, alongside just being a cool character. Priscilla, Florina, Rebecca, and Marcus were also some characters I really liked, just to name a few. While many of them aren't really deep in terms of writing, they deliver by being distinct and charming in their own ways. Eliwood especially goes through a lot of tough shit throughout the story, I felt kinda bad for the guy. At the time of this review I still haven't played Hector mode but I definitely will in the future, because it adds a lot of characters and story moments to make the experience more complete. Even so, FE7 as is has a simple but fun and engaging narrative with a cast of very likable helpers.
So was it worth the wait and countless resets to finish Fire Emblem 7 to me after all this time? I'd say so. While the game is definitely very flawed, and I can see why in the grand scheme of the franchise it isn't very special, it means a lot to me because of my needlessly complex history and fascination with it. Definitely would recommend at least trying this one!
2005
I've started playing Yakuza 0 as of late, and while that's all fine and dandy, it's not the only Yakuza game that's been on my mind currently, and of course I'm alluding to the original title, this one. In fact, this game in specific has refused to leave my headspace ever since I initially played it back in July.
Whether it be a relisten to the soundtrack, shilling this game to my friends, reading or watching reviews, I somehow just cannot get enough of Yakuza 1. The aesthetics of PS2 Kamurocho, thriving with atmosphere. The amazing depiction of the city showing the dirty underbelly of the streets, containing drunkards, the homeless, and of course yakuza. That reverb drum beat sound upon entering a battle as those head bumping, sample heavy tunes begin to intensify, getting your blood pumping. Impactful and crunchy sounds blare out of the speakers as the quick, but brutal heat action animations flash onscreen in your fight for survival. Taking a breather in an almost Resident Evil type save room, organizing your inventory and slowly healing. knowing that in this moment you're safe from the brutality of the yakuza world.
Accompanied by the somewhat slow at times but immersive exploration and combat segments you invest into the city of Kamurocho, chock full of secrets, personality, alleyways, and stores. Maybe take a moment off-course from your main quest and do a substory, many of which have fully animated and voiced cutscenes. Every single pixel of Yakuza is seeping with detail and ambition, and despite being a rather short game, feels like a complete experience.
Even four games later, I still can't let go of Yakuza. While I do agree with the general sentiment that Yakuza 2 is the better game, and hell it's my favorite over this one, but the original has always left me wanting to return back to it someday, and I plan on letting that happen again. If you couldn't tell by now, I sort of consider both Yakuza 1 and 2 some of my favorite pieces of media ever, and I doubt that could ever change. These two games get dismissed by people so frequently despite their great qualities, and I feel it's about time that they get the recognition they deserve.
Whether it be a relisten to the soundtrack, shilling this game to my friends, reading or watching reviews, I somehow just cannot get enough of Yakuza 1. The aesthetics of PS2 Kamurocho, thriving with atmosphere. The amazing depiction of the city showing the dirty underbelly of the streets, containing drunkards, the homeless, and of course yakuza. That reverb drum beat sound upon entering a battle as those head bumping, sample heavy tunes begin to intensify, getting your blood pumping. Impactful and crunchy sounds blare out of the speakers as the quick, but brutal heat action animations flash onscreen in your fight for survival. Taking a breather in an almost Resident Evil type save room, organizing your inventory and slowly healing. knowing that in this moment you're safe from the brutality of the yakuza world.
Accompanied by the somewhat slow at times but immersive exploration and combat segments you invest into the city of Kamurocho, chock full of secrets, personality, alleyways, and stores. Maybe take a moment off-course from your main quest and do a substory, many of which have fully animated and voiced cutscenes. Every single pixel of Yakuza is seeping with detail and ambition, and despite being a rather short game, feels like a complete experience.
Even four games later, I still can't let go of Yakuza. While I do agree with the general sentiment that Yakuza 2 is the better game, and hell it's my favorite over this one, but the original has always left me wanting to return back to it someday, and I plan on letting that happen again. If you couldn't tell by now, I sort of consider both Yakuza 1 and 2 some of my favorite pieces of media ever, and I doubt that could ever change. These two games get dismissed by people so frequently despite their great qualities, and I feel it's about time that they get the recognition they deserve.
After a morning of work my bestie C_F opted that we get this game nailed down since I recently finished the *R* arc of the Sailor Moon anime. We actually had a pretty fun time but admittedly this game is super rough.
So I actually find this game very comparable to the season of the anime it's based on, where in contrast to the first beat em up on SNES (conversely based on the first season), this game has some little improvements and qol that give it an edge over it's predecessor. HOWEVER, just like that season, it also has some really dumb hindrances that sour the experience a bit. Enemies in this game are super relentless at times, especially the rolling ones that can easily drain a ton of your health, or enemies that specialize in grabs that you cannot mash out of. Luckily for our sailor scouts, throws are absolutely overpowered and easy to pull off in this game, giving it a bit of balance. The game is incredibly inconsistent in it's difficulty, some areas we completely mopped the floor with everything in site, and in others we were the ones being mopped. But I wouldn't lie if I said it was unengaging, as despite being a home console game there are limited continues. That remained a threat for us... Until we realized that co-op mode does NOT share continues and we both have five each, and after gaining this knowledge we became absolutely reckless LMAO.
It's a fun time, but I would overall recommend the arcade game more for it's speed and presentation. That being said, if you have a fellow sailor senshi to play with you then it's worth spending an hour doing so!
Also the stage intro screens are a recreation of the intermission screens from that season of the show and it's adorable.
So I actually find this game very comparable to the season of the anime it's based on, where in contrast to the first beat em up on SNES (conversely based on the first season), this game has some little improvements and qol that give it an edge over it's predecessor. HOWEVER, just like that season, it also has some really dumb hindrances that sour the experience a bit. Enemies in this game are super relentless at times, especially the rolling ones that can easily drain a ton of your health, or enemies that specialize in grabs that you cannot mash out of. Luckily for our sailor scouts, throws are absolutely overpowered and easy to pull off in this game, giving it a bit of balance. The game is incredibly inconsistent in it's difficulty, some areas we completely mopped the floor with everything in site, and in others we were the ones being mopped. But I wouldn't lie if I said it was unengaging, as despite being a home console game there are limited continues. That remained a threat for us... Until we realized that co-op mode does NOT share continues and we both have five each, and after gaining this knowledge we became absolutely reckless LMAO.
It's a fun time, but I would overall recommend the arcade game more for it's speed and presentation. That being said, if you have a fellow sailor senshi to play with you then it's worth spending an hour doing so!
Also the stage intro screens are a recreation of the intermission screens from that season of the show and it's adorable.
2021
Miitopia is an odd game because I actually have a deep history with it that goes back to its original english release checks calendar SIX YEARS AGO?? I uh... wow. When the demo first dropped I remember my younger self dismissing it as another random mii game, but after trying it... I was so hooked. I just wanted to keep playing. But as all demos do, it came to an end, and I couldn't progress in the story further, and this was before I could get income for myself so it was basically it for me. About half a year later, I had saved JUST enough Christmas money to finally buy a copy.
To say that I loved it was an understatement. To my younger self it was my favorite game ever. I played it nonstop, playthrough after playthrough, casting all these characters as my friends. I couldn't get enough of it. But then, I started getting into other games, I started to expand my horizons beyond Nintendo because of Final Fantasy VII, and its importance floated away slowly. It didn't help that nobody really played the game either aside from two friends I had at my old school, and me not being on social media at all during the time. Flash forward to 2021 and the Switch version with new QoL dropped, exposing it to a wider audience. It was certainly... interesting seeing what people had to say about this game, especially as someone who was a fan during the original release. I didn't bother picking up this version until 2022 and played it on and off for a while.
The game isn't as good as I used to think it was, I won't lie. Do I think it's bad? No, absolutely not. But the game has so much potential and doesn't do very much with that, restricting exploration to "levels" which are a straight line with scripted enemy encounters and "routes" that force you to go through the stage multiple times to find everything. To say it gets repetitive is an understatement, and the combat does not help. There are some unique ideas with how you manage your team during battles but having your other party members AI controlled is lame. Even Dragon Quest has more complex systems than this game with real status effects and such. There's also a relationship system but compared to Tomodachi Life it is significantly shallower and dumbs down to "level up by being in an inn room together or random event". On the topic of Tomodachi Life, it has a similar problem to that game where there's not that many quirky random events in the game so you end up seeing repeats of the same event a LOT, except now in a 25 hour JRPG.
It's a bit sad seeing this game in a new light, because I know the IP has so much that it can do. I'd love to see the world of Miitopia in a more traditional JRPG format with actual systems and exploration to mess with, but knowing Nintendo's lack of interest in Mii games I doubt a sequel would happen. I still like this game a lot, it still means so much to me, and I doubt this will be my last playthrough even with the numerous flaws it has. This game is just too damn charming. I don't really know if I can recommend Miitopia, but this is the definitive version of the game with its new features. Just don't expect much from this game outside of it's main charm of being able to cast every single character as anything you want. I guess growing up will change your perspective on things sometimes.
To say that I loved it was an understatement. To my younger self it was my favorite game ever. I played it nonstop, playthrough after playthrough, casting all these characters as my friends. I couldn't get enough of it. But then, I started getting into other games, I started to expand my horizons beyond Nintendo because of Final Fantasy VII, and its importance floated away slowly. It didn't help that nobody really played the game either aside from two friends I had at my old school, and me not being on social media at all during the time. Flash forward to 2021 and the Switch version with new QoL dropped, exposing it to a wider audience. It was certainly... interesting seeing what people had to say about this game, especially as someone who was a fan during the original release. I didn't bother picking up this version until 2022 and played it on and off for a while.
The game isn't as good as I used to think it was, I won't lie. Do I think it's bad? No, absolutely not. But the game has so much potential and doesn't do very much with that, restricting exploration to "levels" which are a straight line with scripted enemy encounters and "routes" that force you to go through the stage multiple times to find everything. To say it gets repetitive is an understatement, and the combat does not help. There are some unique ideas with how you manage your team during battles but having your other party members AI controlled is lame. Even Dragon Quest has more complex systems than this game with real status effects and such. There's also a relationship system but compared to Tomodachi Life it is significantly shallower and dumbs down to "level up by being in an inn room together or random event". On the topic of Tomodachi Life, it has a similar problem to that game where there's not that many quirky random events in the game so you end up seeing repeats of the same event a LOT, except now in a 25 hour JRPG.
It's a bit sad seeing this game in a new light, because I know the IP has so much that it can do. I'd love to see the world of Miitopia in a more traditional JRPG format with actual systems and exploration to mess with, but knowing Nintendo's lack of interest in Mii games I doubt a sequel would happen. I still like this game a lot, it still means so much to me, and I doubt this will be my last playthrough even with the numerous flaws it has. This game is just too damn charming. I don't really know if I can recommend Miitopia, but this is the definitive version of the game with its new features. Just don't expect much from this game outside of it's main charm of being able to cast every single character as anything you want. I guess growing up will change your perspective on things sometimes.
As a fan of the Igavania format, I felt very disappointed and bored by this game’s predecessor, Dawn of Sorrow. It was a game that truly didn’t improve upon Aria’s core strengths alongside all of its new inclusions being implemented with the grace of an elephant in a china shop. DoS also sorta went to prove that Iga had pretty much perfected the standard, singular castle metroidvania format in Aria of Sorrow. So where do you go after that?
Portrait of Ruin is the answer to this question. PoR puts a new spin on the series by cutting down the density of the titular castle to add in the painting worlds, little mini stages with plenty of both visual and level design variety. While much more linear as a result, I didn’t mind it too much because it felt refreshing and the levels themselves were still really, really fun. Do I still prefer the bigger and denser castle over this? Definitely. But I can’t devalue how well this was done. The only part about the levels I didn’t like was the repeated levels towards the end, it’s like the reverse castle in terms of shitty enemy placement and not really doing anything interesting.
We also get another new innovation with the partner system, becoming the partner idea from Castlevania III but taken to a new extreme. Now there’s only Jonathan and Charlotte to play as, but you can now call assists like it’s a Marvel vs Capcom game or something alongside huge magical screen nukes that take up a bunch of MP. Towards the beginning of the game I was more into just playing as Jonathan because his style fits me more, but Charlotte gets some really powerful spells that make her no slouch in the combat department.
The story isn’t half bad either. Jonathan’s arc is very much the tropey anime coming of age kind of thing but I still like both him and Charlotte a lot as a duo. The ties to Castlevania Bloodlines of all things was an odd sequel choice but it’s pretty neat. Definitely a step up from Dawn’s extremely plot-hole ridden and snoozefest of a story.
The presentation is solid. The character sprites are smooth and colorful, with plenty of stage themes to occupy the player. It still has those lame anime styled portraits like Dawn of Sorrow but actually somehow worse, but they aren’t necessarily bad. It’s just uninteresting compared to Ayami Kojima’s absolutely masterful works.
Overall, Portrait of Ruin is a very, very solid Castlevania game. I never see anybody talk about this one, which is a huge shame! I think more people should play it. Make that DS collection happen already Konami. In short, this is the vastly superior platformer game about jumping into paintings and I will die on this hill. Castlevania freakin’ rules.
Portrait of Ruin is the answer to this question. PoR puts a new spin on the series by cutting down the density of the titular castle to add in the painting worlds, little mini stages with plenty of both visual and level design variety. While much more linear as a result, I didn’t mind it too much because it felt refreshing and the levels themselves were still really, really fun. Do I still prefer the bigger and denser castle over this? Definitely. But I can’t devalue how well this was done. The only part about the levels I didn’t like was the repeated levels towards the end, it’s like the reverse castle in terms of shitty enemy placement and not really doing anything interesting.
We also get another new innovation with the partner system, becoming the partner idea from Castlevania III but taken to a new extreme. Now there’s only Jonathan and Charlotte to play as, but you can now call assists like it’s a Marvel vs Capcom game or something alongside huge magical screen nukes that take up a bunch of MP. Towards the beginning of the game I was more into just playing as Jonathan because his style fits me more, but Charlotte gets some really powerful spells that make her no slouch in the combat department.
The story isn’t half bad either. Jonathan’s arc is very much the tropey anime coming of age kind of thing but I still like both him and Charlotte a lot as a duo. The ties to Castlevania Bloodlines of all things was an odd sequel choice but it’s pretty neat. Definitely a step up from Dawn’s extremely plot-hole ridden and snoozefest of a story.
The presentation is solid. The character sprites are smooth and colorful, with plenty of stage themes to occupy the player. It still has those lame anime styled portraits like Dawn of Sorrow but actually somehow worse, but they aren’t necessarily bad. It’s just uninteresting compared to Ayami Kojima’s absolutely masterful works.
Overall, Portrait of Ruin is a very, very solid Castlevania game. I never see anybody talk about this one, which is a huge shame! I think more people should play it. Make that DS collection happen already Konami. In short, this is the vastly superior platformer game about jumping into paintings and I will die on this hill. Castlevania freakin’ rules.
As of recent times I've been on a bit of a Konami binge, playing a handful of Castlevania games, checking out Twinbee for the first time, and lastly giving a proper revisit to a very special title in their vast library known as Tokimeki Memorial. This was a game in a genre I overall don't really approve of or have much interest in, but upon learning about it's infamous "difficulty" and hidden game mechanics I felt enticed to try this out.
As an endless checkerboard pattern scrolls down the edges of the screen as the in game months pass by, with countless failures, frustrations, and dates, I felt engaged by Tokimeki Memorial the entire time. Tokimeki is a game that does not play around. It is not some cookie cutter male power fantasy dating sim that makes you some Chad hero who every girl in the world likes, no. It's a game that isn't afraid to punch you down for being a bad friend or partner to the girls, or point out your own problems with not attending your studies, exercise, or overexerting yourself. You have to earn the friendships with these characters, you need to plan things out, always prepare for the unexpected, and do your best! The gameplay loop is super satisfying to pull off, which made me come back wanting for more.
Now of course the most important part of any game in this genre of course, are the characters. I liked them! I didn't get to see all of them, but they're fun and I struggled to dislike one. The game puts much emphasis on Shiori Fujisaki, who for all intensive purposes is the character the game obviously wants you to go after, but I'd save to disagree honestly? I think Shiori is a better character as just a friend to the protagonist, someone there for him at the right time, but maybe I'm thinking too much into it. Regardless, she's still a fun character like the rest.
The presentation is comfy and endearing. The music has this very nostalgic feel to it that made them a fun listen in game. Alot of the characters sprites have that 90s VN jank to them, but they're still colorful and charming for the time. Also all the girls are absolutely dripped out in some way, especially Yuko lol. 90s fashion in fictional media never fails to wow me I guess.
Tokimeki Memorial is a trial and error filled game with repetitive writing and gameplay, but it makes those special moments feel even more unique. I couldn't really get myself to dislike this game. It's a fun subversion of the otherwise anti-game genre that is the dating sim, that is super engaging especially towards it's latter half with the "bomb" system. I can't really recommend this to the average player, but it's worth checking out if you want to play an oddly popular little series in Konami's catalog. Because flaws and all, when I got to that ending under the tree of legends, it was an immensely satisfying feeling to see the curtain close on this archaic but earnest title in gaming history.
As an endless checkerboard pattern scrolls down the edges of the screen as the in game months pass by, with countless failures, frustrations, and dates, I felt engaged by Tokimeki Memorial the entire time. Tokimeki is a game that does not play around. It is not some cookie cutter male power fantasy dating sim that makes you some Chad hero who every girl in the world likes, no. It's a game that isn't afraid to punch you down for being a bad friend or partner to the girls, or point out your own problems with not attending your studies, exercise, or overexerting yourself. You have to earn the friendships with these characters, you need to plan things out, always prepare for the unexpected, and do your best! The gameplay loop is super satisfying to pull off, which made me come back wanting for more.
Now of course the most important part of any game in this genre of course, are the characters. I liked them! I didn't get to see all of them, but they're fun and I struggled to dislike one. The game puts much emphasis on Shiori Fujisaki, who for all intensive purposes is the character the game obviously wants you to go after, but I'd save to disagree honestly? I think Shiori is a better character as just a friend to the protagonist, someone there for him at the right time, but maybe I'm thinking too much into it. Regardless, she's still a fun character like the rest.
The presentation is comfy and endearing. The music has this very nostalgic feel to it that made them a fun listen in game. Alot of the characters sprites have that 90s VN jank to them, but they're still colorful and charming for the time. Also all the girls are absolutely dripped out in some way, especially Yuko lol. 90s fashion in fictional media never fails to wow me I guess.
Tokimeki Memorial is a trial and error filled game with repetitive writing and gameplay, but it makes those special moments feel even more unique. I couldn't really get myself to dislike this game. It's a fun subversion of the otherwise anti-game genre that is the dating sim, that is super engaging especially towards it's latter half with the "bomb" system. I can't really recommend this to the average player, but it's worth checking out if you want to play an oddly popular little series in Konami's catalog. Because flaws and all, when I got to that ending under the tree of legends, it was an immensely satisfying feeling to see the curtain close on this archaic but earnest title in gaming history.
After hearing so much of the hype surrounding this game, I honestly expected more. I've owned this game for almost over a year at this point and I've only played it for a total of three hours. It's just not very engaging to me especially compared to most of KOF '94-XI.
Firstly, let's talk about the presentation, because this is what everyone who discusses this game ever will bring up. I honestly just think it looks ok. The sprites are cool I guess but most of them just don't really feel like the characters they're meant to represent, like Ryo, Yuri, and Leona for example. I like a couple of the new sprites, especially Athena and K', those are cool! Also the stages are so boring. I see people give KOF XI shit for having boring stages but these are infinitely worse. Where is all the color? Actually that applies to the sprites too, why is everything so desaturated looking. I might be crazy but it seems that the sprites have some sort of anti aliasing on them, which just makes them look blurry and ugly. I don't think the game looks bad, but I feel it looks lamer than alot of the earlier games, especially '97-'00.
The gameplay is just your average KOF fare. It's very combo focused compared to other entries and that's neat. Even as someone who loves KOF XI I don't really miss the tag feature much, but I feel they should've kept it in this one just to stay consistent with the other two games in the saga. What I don't like about the gameplay is that most character movesets feel kinda gimped which is lame. KOF has always had an issue of adding and removing moves for characters every entry, but it's stripped down a fair margin here which is disappointing.
The bosses in this game are also boring. What is it with the Ash Saga and having bosses that aren't even shitty in an ironically funny way like the original SNK and Eolith era, instead just being giant enemies that spam projectiles and command grabs everywhere? They're just annoying.
I legitimately do not care for the music in this one, none of the tracks I heard during gameplay made me feel enticed to listen to them in my free time unlike many of the other entries. The music isn't bad, but compared to '94-'00 and XI it's not as impactful.
I don't hate this game. I think it's pretty solid, and I understand why so many fans love this game. But for me, this one just is missing something that many earlier entries had. Especially after the super unique and fun KOF XI, this is such a basic return to form that it hurts. After three hours of game time, I feel like I have exhausted almost all entertainment from this game, and that's honestly kinda sad. Hopefully I can pick up KOF XV this christmas and possibly enjoy that one though!
Firstly, let's talk about the presentation, because this is what everyone who discusses this game ever will bring up. I honestly just think it looks ok. The sprites are cool I guess but most of them just don't really feel like the characters they're meant to represent, like Ryo, Yuri, and Leona for example. I like a couple of the new sprites, especially Athena and K', those are cool! Also the stages are so boring. I see people give KOF XI shit for having boring stages but these are infinitely worse. Where is all the color? Actually that applies to the sprites too, why is everything so desaturated looking. I might be crazy but it seems that the sprites have some sort of anti aliasing on them, which just makes them look blurry and ugly. I don't think the game looks bad, but I feel it looks lamer than alot of the earlier games, especially '97-'00.
The gameplay is just your average KOF fare. It's very combo focused compared to other entries and that's neat. Even as someone who loves KOF XI I don't really miss the tag feature much, but I feel they should've kept it in this one just to stay consistent with the other two games in the saga. What I don't like about the gameplay is that most character movesets feel kinda gimped which is lame. KOF has always had an issue of adding and removing moves for characters every entry, but it's stripped down a fair margin here which is disappointing.
The bosses in this game are also boring. What is it with the Ash Saga and having bosses that aren't even shitty in an ironically funny way like the original SNK and Eolith era, instead just being giant enemies that spam projectiles and command grabs everywhere? They're just annoying.
I legitimately do not care for the music in this one, none of the tracks I heard during gameplay made me feel enticed to listen to them in my free time unlike many of the other entries. The music isn't bad, but compared to '94-'00 and XI it's not as impactful.
I don't hate this game. I think it's pretty solid, and I understand why so many fans love this game. But for me, this one just is missing something that many earlier entries had. Especially after the super unique and fun KOF XI, this is such a basic return to form that it hurts. After three hours of game time, I feel like I have exhausted almost all entertainment from this game, and that's honestly kinda sad. Hopefully I can pick up KOF XV this christmas and possibly enjoy that one though!
1994
I actually enjoyed this more than I ended up expecting to. Tekken 1 is a neat game that was one of the pioneers of 3D fighting games, and that does come with the usual jank of the subgenre at this time. IMO, this game feels ok-ish to play. Not amazing, but it works, even if things like getting up from knockdown take absolutely forever. Inputs also don't exactly feel responsive, but that could be a skill issue? Not sure.
I think the main draw of this game is its... well for a lack of better terms unbelievable presentation. I'm a total sucker for old 3D graphics, I get that, but this is one of those titles where it leans so far into cursed territory. Like look at Jack's player model, it looks like something out of a fever dream. Or this peculiar as hell character select screen. Yoshimitsu's render on here was definitely used as creepypasta material at some point. Or just the entire game's visuals lol. There's also the infamous cutscenes and... they are nothing short of amazing. Green screen kids my beloved, or Law losing his everloving mind at money, and you KNOW the other famous one. This feels more like a random Japanese only PS1 game ThorHighHeels would show off in a video and not an actual well known revolutionary title.
The music and stages are also neat. I listened to the arranged soundtrack mostly, and almost every track has some kind of dated feel to them, but they make up for it by having some cool "atmospheric" part to the song (like the Chicago theme, which is probably the best track in the game). Doesn't have anything on 2 or 3's osts, but it's a nice listen.
Tekken is a very neat series with rather strange beginnings, and it was cool to see its foundations. The only reason this isn't rated higher is because of the super obnoxious cheating AI, otherwise this would be like a 6/10 or something. I actually got into this series because of my friend Tony (go read his review btw), who was ironically a person I was shilling the genre to him to begin with. Funny how it works like that sometimes. If you like Tekken, and want to see its odd beginnings, this is worth at least one arcade mode run, just be very tolerant to evil AI.
I think the main draw of this game is its... well for a lack of better terms unbelievable presentation. I'm a total sucker for old 3D graphics, I get that, but this is one of those titles where it leans so far into cursed territory. Like look at Jack's player model, it looks like something out of a fever dream. Or this peculiar as hell character select screen. Yoshimitsu's render on here was definitely used as creepypasta material at some point. Or just the entire game's visuals lol. There's also the infamous cutscenes and... they are nothing short of amazing. Green screen kids my beloved, or Law losing his everloving mind at money, and you KNOW the other famous one. This feels more like a random Japanese only PS1 game ThorHighHeels would show off in a video and not an actual well known revolutionary title.
The music and stages are also neat. I listened to the arranged soundtrack mostly, and almost every track has some kind of dated feel to them, but they make up for it by having some cool "atmospheric" part to the song (like the Chicago theme, which is probably the best track in the game). Doesn't have anything on 2 or 3's osts, but it's a nice listen.
Tekken is a very neat series with rather strange beginnings, and it was cool to see its foundations. The only reason this isn't rated higher is because of the super obnoxious cheating AI, otherwise this would be like a 6/10 or something. I actually got into this series because of my friend Tony (go read his review btw), who was ironically a person I was shilling the genre to him to begin with. Funny how it works like that sometimes. If you like Tekken, and want to see its odd beginnings, this is worth at least one arcade mode run, just be very tolerant to evil AI.
Special thanks to my friend C_F for helping me out on this one!
This is the third Sailor Moon game I've played in full so far, and WOW what a massive spike in quality from the last two I played. The presentation is great, the sprites remind me alot of early CPS2 titles with how they're shaded and animated. There's also these cut in animations for your super moves which are animated SUPER smooth and look straight out of the anime, love it. It's a damn good looking '95 arcade game, which says a lot considering the competition at the time.
The gameplay is your average beat em up fare. You got three buttons, an attack, a jump, and a screen nuke super move. Very simplistic. However, like many other games in the genre of similar simplicity, it's still super cathartic and fun to absolutely pulverise the shit out of everything in your path, especially with a friend. That being said, this game does have a few problems, one of them being the difficulty. This is a quarter muncher game. You're gonna be dying a lot not only from enemies, but possibly your friends because this game has friendly fire enabled. I'm not sure if you can turn it off in the settings, but it can be super irritating mainly when you're throwing enemies and it happens to collide with your bestie. The game is also stingy with the amount of screen nukes you can use, it's only one per quarter unless you pick up a rare item that allows a second one. Pair that with the fact that you only have two lives per coin used, and that machine is gonna be pumped with quarters by the end of your run.
But in the end, this game is super fun and charming as hell. However, I cannot recommend playing this by yourself. Definitely get a friend to do it with you, because it's super entertaining and less than an hour.
Also Jupiter has a headfirst dive move that looks exactly like T-Hawk and I found that funny.
This is the third Sailor Moon game I've played in full so far, and WOW what a massive spike in quality from the last two I played. The presentation is great, the sprites remind me alot of early CPS2 titles with how they're shaded and animated. There's also these cut in animations for your super moves which are animated SUPER smooth and look straight out of the anime, love it. It's a damn good looking '95 arcade game, which says a lot considering the competition at the time.
The gameplay is your average beat em up fare. You got three buttons, an attack, a jump, and a screen nuke super move. Very simplistic. However, like many other games in the genre of similar simplicity, it's still super cathartic and fun to absolutely pulverise the shit out of everything in your path, especially with a friend. That being said, this game does have a few problems, one of them being the difficulty. This is a quarter muncher game. You're gonna be dying a lot not only from enemies, but possibly your friends because this game has friendly fire enabled. I'm not sure if you can turn it off in the settings, but it can be super irritating mainly when you're throwing enemies and it happens to collide with your bestie. The game is also stingy with the amount of screen nukes you can use, it's only one per quarter unless you pick up a rare item that allows a second one. Pair that with the fact that you only have two lives per coin used, and that machine is gonna be pumped with quarters by the end of your run.
But in the end, this game is super fun and charming as hell. However, I cannot recommend playing this by yourself. Definitely get a friend to do it with you, because it's super entertaining and less than an hour.
Also Jupiter has a headfirst dive move that looks exactly like T-Hawk and I found that funny.
I recently watched through the first season of Sailor Moon, and if you can't tell by my profile (at the time of this being written), I kind of liked it haha. Not sure what exactly but it clicked with me on a real personal level and has became a comfort media for me in a way. Anyway, because of my current brainrot it inspired me to check out some of the games that were released during the era the show released in, and I was SHOCKED at how many of these things exist holy shit.
The first, as well as the shortest Sailor Moon game is this one. I'm not going to write some deep analysis on this game because... it's pretty bad lol. The levels suck, controls are limited and slow, the bosses are just sort of plopped in there, it's a mess. What's a shame is that I really jive with alot of what this game could do, but I'm guessing this game just sort of apparated into existence before any thought was put into how it should be designed. That being said, there's still a bit of charm to this, I like the character portraits during cutscenes for example, and hearing an 8-bit version of Moonlight Densetsu is cute.
Considering this is a licensed anime tie in game from 1993 for the Gameboy of all things, it could've been worse. Luckily this game isn't very long nor difficult so if you want to waste like 30 minutes this isn't a terrible option I guess. This does make me interested in seeing what other games this franchise would spawn, and if you have any recommendations please let me know! This show rocks, and if anyone makes fun of you for liking it, then tell them to fuck off because you are simply too cool for them.
The first, as well as the shortest Sailor Moon game is this one. I'm not going to write some deep analysis on this game because... it's pretty bad lol. The levels suck, controls are limited and slow, the bosses are just sort of plopped in there, it's a mess. What's a shame is that I really jive with alot of what this game could do, but I'm guessing this game just sort of apparated into existence before any thought was put into how it should be designed. That being said, there's still a bit of charm to this, I like the character portraits during cutscenes for example, and hearing an 8-bit version of Moonlight Densetsu is cute.
Considering this is a licensed anime tie in game from 1993 for the Gameboy of all things, it could've been worse. Luckily this game isn't very long nor difficult so if you want to waste like 30 minutes this isn't a terrible option I guess. This does make me interested in seeing what other games this franchise would spawn, and if you have any recommendations please let me know! This show rocks, and if anyone makes fun of you for liking it, then tell them to fuck off because you are simply too cool for them.
2016
Despite the fact I finished this game two months ago and never wrote or really said much about it, it kind of stayed in the back of my head and would crawl to the forefront at random times. Just the sheer existence of it is so... odd. What even is this game? The plot becomes so mind boggling at points while also having many grounded elements to it. The almost crazy prediction of what the internet would become, or scenes like Tokio at the bar which are just so awkward, and yet they feel real. I remember hearing people were upset about the translation having so much swearing but adults are vulgar man, they talk like this in real life. There's no anime nonsense or corniness to this dialogue in the slightest, it's straight to the point and realistic.
The aesthetic is, quite possibly, one of the coolest in a video game ever, and yet it's unsettling. Every session my heart was beating so hard because there's this paranoia, this sort of dread and despair I felt from the mundane environments I was exploring. Masafumi Takada's masterful OST cements the atmosphere that the game is going for, it's eerie, funky, emotional, thoughful, and so many other things at once. The art style always shifts in some way, whether it be going from Transmitter or Placebo, or Parade having a vastly different style than the rest of the game (both on PlayStation and the remaster). Or whenever the game shows live action footage of something, or decides to whip out an anime styled FMV. It has this uncanny element to it that sort of creeps me out, but is extremely stylish and memorable.
I don't entirely "get" The Silver Case. Maybe I never will. But that doesn't mean I hated it. In fact, I didn't dislike it at all. I loved it, and Suda51 has gained my upmost respect as a director because of his ambition, creativity, writing, and most importantly, style.
The aesthetic is, quite possibly, one of the coolest in a video game ever, and yet it's unsettling. Every session my heart was beating so hard because there's this paranoia, this sort of dread and despair I felt from the mundane environments I was exploring. Masafumi Takada's masterful OST cements the atmosphere that the game is going for, it's eerie, funky, emotional, thoughful, and so many other things at once. The art style always shifts in some way, whether it be going from Transmitter or Placebo, or Parade having a vastly different style than the rest of the game (both on PlayStation and the remaster). Or whenever the game shows live action footage of something, or decides to whip out an anime styled FMV. It has this uncanny element to it that sort of creeps me out, but is extremely stylish and memorable.
I don't entirely "get" The Silver Case. Maybe I never will. But that doesn't mean I hated it. In fact, I didn't dislike it at all. I loved it, and Suda51 has gained my upmost respect as a director because of his ambition, creativity, writing, and most importantly, style.