Like I mentioned in my Bionic Commando review, Strider is one of Capcom's franchises that have been left to rot in comparison to some of their other bigger properties. Which is a shame too, because it is a series with a lot of cool ideas, coupled with a style and flair that I love in video games, and I wish that it was brought back at one point (again, of course, after the 2014 game). For what we did get though, it looks like a pretty solid series (with an exception or two in there), and the original Strider is no exception.

This was my first proper experience with the Strider franchise, and after playing it, I would say that it is a pretty solid first entry, and an overall really damn good arcade game. Sure, it has its problems, and it is probably outshined by sequels later down the road, but it is still worth playing today.

The story is very basic for this kind of game, but it is helped with story visuals and the presence of voice acting (even if both of these things are presented in the blink of an eye, and then they are gone), the graphics are very nice, the music is pretty well done and memorable, the control is alright, aside from one aspect I will touch upon in a second, and the gameplay is simple, yet very fun in execution paired with many elements the game presents.

The game is a 2D hack-and-slash platformer, where you move from left to right, defeating enemies, getting powerups, fighting bosses, and all the stuff you have probably seen plenty of times before, but what makes it pretty unique compared to others is the types of enemies, powerups, and bosses you run into throughout the game, with the enemies and bosses being pretty creative for the time. In addition, the powerups themselves have what you would typically expect from a game like this, but you can also gain robotic helpers, such as a robotic tiger and hawk, to help you take on what lies ahead.

In my opinion, the simple gameplay, coupled with ideas the game introduces with the enemies and powerups make this game really fun to play and very memorable. Not to mention, it is extremely satisfying to run through these stages as fast as you can, slashing through so many different goons, coupled with the extreme precision and skill you can pull off. Not too many other games (at least from this era) can replicate this kind of style and look.

Of course though, it isn't perfect, with plenty of elements that can be done a lot better. For instance, your movement and jumping in this game is pretty fucking awkward, with many different directions and ways you can jump around the screen. This is cool and all, but given how much this game throws at you, and with the precarious terrain you will most likely encounter, it can be pretty frustrating to control. This is also paired with the climbing mechanic you have in the game, which does help out a lot, yes, but it isn't all too reliable when I feel like it should be.

In addition, yes, this is an arcade game, and as such, it is pretty short, and they throw as much at you as possible to try to get money out of the poor kids that played this back in the day, and that can make the journey more stressful than it needs to be. It is doable, yes, and it is still fun, but it can be a bit of a hassle.

Overall, despite the awkward jumping/climbing and the cases of arcade syndrome, it is still a pretty solid game after over 30 years later, and it has me looking forward to what the rest of the series after this has to offer.

Game #115

Bueno, menudo viajecito. Demons souls es un juego fantástico y uno de los más importantes de los últimos 10 años aunque siento que esta tan valorado como se debe, con toda la situación del remake que "mejora" la experiencia el original a quedado un poco atrás tratado como poco más que una curiosidad histórica y nada mas, pero el juego es mucho más que eso.

Es un juego que subvierte las espectativas con su historia, cada zona del juego trata un tema diferente pero cada una sigue la idea de ocultar más de lo que parece a simple vista, incluso el propio diseño de los escenarios sigue esa idea. El mejor ejemplo es el palacio de boletaria. Lo primero que ves al entrar en la zona es una gran muralla que no deja ver mucho más allá junto a un dragón que recibe tu llegada, todo parece muy inofensivo hasta ese momento, eres un héroe valeroso que se adentra en la niebla para salvar al reino de unos demonios, una típica historia de fantasía medieval sin nada de especial.

Pero entonces comienzas a explorar y encuentras a 2 mujeres colgadas de una cornisa con cadenas, es una imagen desagradable que te avisa de que hay algo muy malo pasando y sirve para crear un aura de pesadez que se refuerza con el ambiente gris y lugubre del palacio. Una vez derrotas al primer jefe te adentras en la muralla en donde te espera una trampa, luego de que superas la emboscada te adentras por fin en el palacio y lo primero que vez son cadáveres quemados y empalados al suelo, de ahí en adelante te espera una de las zonas más difíciles del juego con constantes emboscadas y muchos enemigos.

Si sigues avanzando encontrarás no solo cadáveres de soldados, sino también caballos de carretas y de la servidumbre del palacio, no parece que haya nadie vivo. Y así es con todos los escenarios del juego, todos muestran las peores facetas del espíritu humano, el palacio de boletaria la corrupción de un rey seducido por el poder, el tunel colmillo piedra comienza como una serie de túneles pero oculta un antigüo templo en nombre de un dragón.

La torre de latria empieza como una prisión oscura sin más pero si lees las llaves de las celdas te encontraras con algo curioso, la torre se llama "prisión de la esperanza", parece un chiste de humor negro viendo terrorífico y deprimente del lugar, sin embargo cuando hablas con la mujer que canta en esa zona menciona que los prisioneros eran convencido de subir a la catedral de la torre para buscar la "redención" , lo cual no es más que una trampa para usar a los prisioneros como sujetos de pruebas en horribles experimentos.

El altar de las tormentas inicia con un fuerte militar custodiado por esqueletos y extraños monstruos, a medida que te adentras en el encuentras nigromantes y un altar en nombre de un dios pagano, ahora parasitado por un demonio.

El valle de la corrupción es un lugar putrefacto donde termina todo lo considerado como inútil o asqueroso, pero entonces una mujer se apiada de los seres que allí viven y utiliza un alma de demonio para ayudarlos a hacer sus vidas menos miserables, ¿Cómo reacciona el mundo exterior? Repudiandola por codearse con seres miserables y ofrecerles empatía, en el juego hay 2 personajes que despotrican contra ella (Uno de ellos además perteneciente a una facción religiosa) mostrando sus prejuicios y odio al diferente.

Demons souls es un juego que oculta mucho más de lo que parece, se esconde bajo una capa de fantasía medieval para acabar revelando una historia sobre el lado más oscuro de la humanidad

First I'll start with that I had a really good time with this game. I'm certainly not a Castelvania nut, but I can bet that this is the best unoffical continuation of a series that Konami has given up on.

I love the mechanic of gaining shards from these demons, gaining new powers and abilities. Either passive or special transportation abilities gained from defeating bosses that can get you to move past certain obsticles like large areas, a reflecting power and even a teleportation ability right near the end. You also gain huge numbers of weapons to choose from between things such as boots, whip, sword, dagger and others. There's also a huge number of secrets, making the whole game endlessly replayable to try and find all the secrets in the game and the short-cuts to new areas.

If you want my first impressions, here's the first part of my Stream of this game:
[Stream + gameplay[(https://youtu.be/YDSyPvy9QX4)

Beyond that, playing this game was an experience and I was always looking forward to my next stream of playing this game! Hope you have just as much fun as I did too!

Capcom Classics Collection Revisits #6

Varth Operation Thunderstorm is probably the polar opposite of 1941 Counterattack. It pulls no punches, it takes no prisoners and holy fucking shit it is WAY too long.

Like goddamn, thirty stages? Are you out of your mind? Especially with how relentless this game is? I place the blame fully on the boss rush at the end, did it really need to be there? Absolutely not, I'd probably rate the game a tad higher if it didn't exist. Big note to developers in the past, only bother doing boss rushes if the bosses are actually new. Just because they have a new coat of paint doesn't mean they're suddenly a new sight to see, especially when you have to awkwardly give me an "extra zone" before fighting one of them again after dying so I can get my power ups back. Thanks for the uncharacteristic generosity though!

"Boss rushes are a stable of the genre tho!"

They still suck!

The game is cool, but christ I was done with it by the time I had to fight the damn X-shaped battleship aircraft carrier boss again. The fucking train boss still gives me nightmares from when I originally beat this game as a kid on CCC Vol. 2 after like five million hours.

Well, I think I have gone on long enough without talking about any kind of Capcom game, so I figured it's about time I return to the status quo and do just that! And not only that, but I also figured I should choose a game from the Arcade Stadium, just to make sure that I truly had reached the status quo that I loved so much. So, after looking through the selection, I saw Varth: Operation Thunderstorm, I thought the name sounded really cool, and I decided to stick to that game. I hadn’t played this game before this, but I had seen its logo from time to time, and based on screenshots, I thought it was just yet another typical Capcom scrolling shooter. Assuming I was going to be correct, I then ventured forth and took on the game, and WHADDYA KNOW, it was yet another typical Capcom scrolling shooter! Thankfully though, these types of games generally tend to be good, and yeah, I can say that Varth: Operation Thunderstorm is a good game. It doesn’t do much from your typical scrolling shooter of the early 90s, but it does have some unique elements that make it somewhat different from previous titles like 1942, and it was fun to blast through regardless.

The story is, at this point, not really original, with there being a supercomputer that is overtaken by an evil force, leading to an all-out war amongst the humans, so it is up to two fighter pilots to take this evil force down, which is cool and all, but we have seen this story plenty of times before, so you all know what to expect, the graphics are what you have come to expect from a Capcom arcade title, but it does still look pretty good, with plenty of explosions and flashing colors to draw someone like me in, the music is good, but also incredibly forgettable, as I can’t remember a single track from that entire game, and it is usually drowned out by the sound effects anyway, the control is exactly what you would expect from an arcade shooter, so nothing else needs to be said, and the gameplay is familiar, yet it does expand on it in some small ways that do make it somewhat interesting to play.

The game is an arcade scrolling shooter, where you take control of either the Saber of Scimitar fighter jets, take on a set of 30 different levels, shoot the everloving fuck out of every single enemy, object, or THING that is seen on screen to ensure that you can survive, using either your regular shot or plenty of bombs that can do massive damage, gather plenty of powerups to not only upgrade your arsenal to take down your foes, but also to experiment with them to see which loadout is best for you, and take on plenty of big, bad, and dangerous bosses, that will make sure to test out your reflexes and to see just how many bullets you can dodge. If you are familiar with scrolling shooters, this will all be ingrained in your brain, so you can easily just jump right in and get to blasting. Not only that, but like with other scrolling shooters, there are one or two traits that make it stand out from the crowd.

One addition to the formula that makes things somewhat different are the pods that you can get throughout the game. These can not only help you deal damage to enemies, but also deflect most firepower that comes their way so that you can avoid any oncoming danger, and what’s cool about this is that, from the start, you can either have these pods in a fixed position, to where they will always remain in front of you, or you can have it to where they will rotate around you in a 180 degree motion to block any projectile near you. In addition to this, you can also gain different powerups and weapons to try out for the pods as well, such as a regular missile shot that does about what you expect, or even options like homing missiles, which do less damage, but will definitely hit the targets more often. Aside from that though, there is one other additional change I can get behind: unlike other games, where you have to grab additional bombs from enemies in order to use them once again, here, you automatically have three bombs that regenerate after a certain amount of time, which makes things really helpful, especially when you are in a tight spot.

Sadly though, with these typical gameplay mechanics and new additions also come the typical hindrances and problems as well. While these new additions are neat to see for a game like this, if you aren’t one who cares too much about small changes, and wants something more grand and exciting from their scrolling shooter, then you will be out of luck here, as there isn’t much it has going for it. Aside from that though, there are two other problems holding this game back. For one thing, much like 1942, it is way too long, with those 30 stages taking quite a while to get through, not only because the stages themselves are quite lengthy, but also because of the amount of things that you are required to get through in order to win. And finally, there is an unnecessary boss rush in the game, and you all know how much I love boss rushes! I love them just as much as getting tased in the dick.

Overall, despite it overstaying its welcome and having yet another boss rush I had to slog through, I would still say that, for an early 90s shmup, Varth: Operation Thunderstorm is a good time, and it will most likely satisfy any shmup fan. I would definitely recommend that any shmup fan check it out, as well as for anyone that was a fan of Capcom’s other scrolling shooters like 1942, or even something a little more unique like Forgotten Worlds, because while this game may not blow your mind, it is sure to give you and a friend a good time. Just, you know, don’t play through the entire thing in one sitting like I did. I didn’t think it was possible, but there was only so many explosions and bombs that I could take in one go.

Game #395

As a big fan of both Layton and Phoenix Wright, I found this to be a pretty enjoyable experience. The trials are generally weaker than the average PW game and the puzzles are generally weaker than the average PL game but it still ends up being a solid combination with a compelling mystery and fun interactions. The introduction of magic in the court trials puts an interesting spin on the usual formula and the original characters fit well with the styles of both series. I held off on playing this game for a long time because I had only heard that it featured the most absurd plot twist of all time, which ended up being pretty accurate. This is pretty standard fare for Layton games, so I don't think it should ruin the game for anyone and personally I found it very entertaining.

This is the most fun I've had with the gameplay in an RE game since the original trilogy. It's sorta like the remedy to all my complaints with RE4. Ammo does not drop from enemies and you are incentivized to search the environment for resources, and the control scheme is really great. Dodging enemy attacks through the i-frames of an evade is dope and it's nice to not have some weird QTE mechanic for dodging. This game also has my favorite partner system yet, no longer will you switch to playing as Chris with absolutely no items and effectively soft lock yourself, no longer will you have a partner that consumes ammo and can die at any moment, no longer will you have a partner that is invincible and serves no purpose but to make you wait at every single door you try to open. Revelations 2 solves every previous issue with partners, they don't consume ammo or herbs because they don't use firearms and they regen health when taking damage. But you still need to be aware of them and protect them, and you also don't need to wait at every door for them to waltz on over THANK GOD. The mechanic of switching to a character who is defenseless but can find resources or give you info about an enemies weakspot adds such a fun dynamic to the moment to moment gameplay as well.
Unfortunately it seems almost tradition at this point for every RE game to absolutely nail some things but to fall flat on many other vital parts of like... a good game. I really, really, disliked the environments in this game. It's just brown and brown and grey forests and generic rusty scary abandoned buildings, it feels so incredibly uninspired for a series that usually goes to a lot of unique places. It also isn't scary at all when it feels like it's trying so incredibly hard to scare you in the first place.
The writing and story here is also pretty terrible, there are so so many plotholes and the characters are so insufferable. Claires campaign is nearly nonstop swearing and random interjections from your companion making jokes and her entire character is essentially I HATE MY DAD!!!!! and her character arc after being off screen for an hour is I LOVE MY DAD!!!!
The level design is also varied in quality, some sections were super fun to play through and some sections were absolute slogs. I really hated carrying a crate while walking at a snails pace through a grey ass mining facility but sometimes the game will lock you in an area and have you backtrack and search for items and do some basic puzzles which was always fun and a nice way to change pace. They were so close to making the game RE6 was trying to be, where it can retain a lot of what makes the original trilogy so great while also embracing the action of RE4.

One of the wierd Resident Evil that came out as an experiment from Capcom trying to recover from the shitmess they did with RE6. It's not particulary amazing, the campaing has a kinda shit coop where the second player pretty usless. The best part of the game is Raid Mode (better than most Mercenaries imo, come fight me y'all), a secondary mode where you play short maps, get money for better guns and repeat. Also has coop which it's enough to waste many hours of my friend and my time into it. Overall a decent RE game.

Sadly, this game just isn't for me. The movement is smooth and satisfying when traversing the city overall, but I often got frustrated when trying to navigate to a specific part of an enclosed space. The combat is a real highlight, as there are a lot of options for dealing with various enemy types and Spidey really feels super-heroic without being overpowered; however, there are so many options that I often felt overwhelmed by choice.

What killed this game for me is how samey each element becomes. Yes, there are an enormous number of options for combat and movement, but I found myself relying on tried and true tactics too often after attempting some unsatisfying variation. The collectibles and side missions are largely just traversal busywork, but they are mandatory to unlock more powers, gadgets, and suits.

What really saves this game is the impeccable graphics, story, and overall tone. Insomniac really nailed the Spider-Man feel, so if that's your thing you will probably breeze right past my issues and love every second of this immaculately crafted experience. Content junkies will also love ticking off the plethora of open-world checkboxes. To me, so much of the presented content felt so generic it could have been procedurally generated, and the story missions didn't strike me as particularly interesting any more than the superhero blockbusters they are based on.