RemyRaccoon
Ah. This used to be one of my favourite games ever made but after a recent playthrough, its issues are glaring. I think Kanto should have been scrapped because all it does is pad out the game with dozens of unchallenging battles and lock NEW Pokémon into the post-game, when they would have been fun to use in the main game.
Yet, there’s still lots to love. The graphics are a huge step up and the music is SO good oh my god I love Route 42 so much
Yet, there’s still lots to love. The graphics are a huge step up and the music is SO good oh my god I love Route 42 so much
2002
These are a lot better than I remember! I love the visuals, it’s got a great selection of Pokémon, and the evil goons are actually somewhat threatening here.
I think “too much water” is accurate, though. There are too many water types, which negatively affects the composition of your team to balance around fighting them so often, and it gets a little exhausting.
I think “too much water” is accurate, though. There are too many water types, which negatively affects the composition of your team to balance around fighting them so often, and it gets a little exhausting.
Gen IV is not bad at all, but Diamond and Pearl are ruined by glacial pacing. Battles are slow. Surfing is slow. Walking through snowy routes is slow. Why does this game not respect my time it LITERALLY HAS THE GOD OF TIME ON THE COVER
Having the game revolve around an entirely new Pokedex (at least before post-game) was the smartest thing Game Freak ever did. It also helps that the story’s actually engaging this time around, but also Unova is one of the best regions in the series. It’s a little, I dunno, darker? More… real feeling? I’m not sure how to articulate how I feel about Unova but man. Gen V is so good
2013
I think Gen VI is ok. Kalos is a really pretty region I think! And for their first real crack at a 3D Pokemon game, it works pretty well - but the story blows and the characters blow harder. Challenge is also non-existent, even with the EXP share turned off, and there are less than 70 new Pokémon this time around, leading to a feeling of the devs focusing more on nostalgia baiting players rather than risking offering something new and interesting.
Anyway they did Diantha dirty she did not deserve to be such a pushover :(
Anyway they did Diantha dirty she did not deserve to be such a pushover :(
2016
Visually speaking, Gen VII kicks ass. Also a whole bunch of cool new Pokémon, a visually distinct region and a more involved (if plodding) story.
For all their attempts at trying to mix up the formula though, it doesn’t really feel much different to what came before, and the hand holding and constant cutscenes makes repeat playthroughs less enjoyable.
For all their attempts at trying to mix up the formula though, it doesn’t really feel much different to what came before, and the hand holding and constant cutscenes makes repeat playthroughs less enjoyable.
2019
The first Pokémon game I did not finish. Incompetent in so many areas, most notably visually, but it’s also laughably easy, the story is insulting, and the lack of polish in almost every facet of the game is maddening. The only reason this gets more than half a star is because of Cinderace.
2021
You’ll get as much out of this as you put in. The first time I played it, my party members were my fursona, Kazuma Kiryu, Dr Nefarious and Gordon Ramsey, and I lost interest so fast. Second time around, I used all my OCs, and suddenly I was invested like nothing else.
It’s a fairly hands-off experience that I wish had more unique scenarios, but there are few things that have gotten me to care more about a video game than building up my OCs to be badass fighters, hanging out with them and watching them do silly things together, only to see them kidnapped and have to go rescue them.
Screw Tomodachi Life.
It’s a fairly hands-off experience that I wish had more unique scenarios, but there are few things that have gotten me to care more about a video game than building up my OCs to be badass fighters, hanging out with them and watching them do silly things together, only to see them kidnapped and have to go rescue them.
Screw Tomodachi Life.
2007
Coming back to this after playing other faux-instrument games is weird. The engine’s rough and the song selection is on the easier side (stuff like Tom Sawyer by Rush and Welcome Home by Coheed and Cambria are in the second last guitar tier, yeesh) but it’s hard to deny the impact this game really had. The additions of drums and vocals and the (usually) more sensible charting are what push this beyond Guitar Hero III to me.
Putting this in the same category as other band-centric games is giving it too much credit because this is basically the guts of Rock Band 1 with a 20-song setlist comprised entirely of samey AC/DC songs. Aside from the setlist, there’s basically nothing AC/DC about this, and coupled with the more questionable charting of this era, this one’s worth a skip.
2008
Basically Rock Band but better. The career mode’s more involved (especially for single player) and the setlist is one of the best in the genre with almost no duds. The engine with its silly strum limit is the only thing holding this back.
2010
I acknowledge that this one’s overall a bit worse than Rock Band 2, with its crummier career mode and less interesting setlist, but this is my rating DANGIT, and considering all the hours I’ve got from this - be it from official DLC, mods or even playing my own charts on it - I would feel weird if I gave it any less than five stars.
Underground’s pretty good for the first two thirds before the difficulty ramps up near the end in a very unsatisfying and borderline frustrating way, but this was still such a good new direction for not only the series, but racing games in general. This feels quite humble compared to its sequels but is still worth revisiting.
A better game than the first in basically every aspect. Bayview’s a great open world and the level of customisation is almost unmatched even today, though I wish the career was a bit less repetitive and there was a greater sense of speed. Still, this one’s great, and apparently good enough to be fondly remembered even by those who don’t really like racing games much.
One of the best in the series. I can’t understate how engaging the pursuits are, and no game has been able to match the intensity of Most Wanted’s police chases ever since. Also helps that the racing’s fun and the soundtrack rips (SPLIT YOUR LUNGS WITH BLOOD AND THUNDER and all that). Physics are… a bit silly at times, but it’s so easy to get sucked into this one.