Shamaboy11
A sequel that fails to capture the essence of what made the original Super Meat Boy so captivating and charming. The visuals are generic, the levels feel randomly thrown together because its randomly generated, and the soundtrack is easily forgettable. This combination creates an experience that either bores me or eventually frustrates me to the point where I lose interest halfway through.
The only redeeming aspect of this game is the fully animated 2D cutscenes. The animators truly did an excellent in that department. However, everything else about the game is simply terrible.
The only redeeming aspect of this game is the fully animated 2D cutscenes. The animators truly did an excellent in that department. However, everything else about the game is simply terrible.
If this forever remains the final Metroidvania entry by Koji Igarashi and his team for the Castlevania series, what an incredible swan song it is.
Order of Ecclesia is a breath of fresh air when it comes to difficulty, especially compared to the previous games which were a piece of cake. The boss fights in this game are genuinely some of the toughest in the entire series, but they are challenging in a fair way, unlike the bosses in Circle of the Moon.
The weaknesses for enemies and bosses in Order of Ecclesia are now much more important, which means I have to constantly switch between my equipment slots. This, combined with the glyph system that has been streamlined compared to the souls' system from the Sorrow duology but still has layers to it, adds a whole new level of strategy to the game and makes combat the most engaging in all of 2D Castlevania for me.
The game's structure pleasantly surprised me, especially the hub village that gradually becomes more alive as you rescue villagers from different areas. It reminded me of Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest, but with a way better execution. Moving from one area to another feels like embarking on a journey through a vast land. The stunning visuals and incredible soundtrack, which is already a trademark of this series, further enhance the experience.
This journey is made even better by the emotional tale between Shanoa and Albus. Their story isn’t mind-blowing, but it's enough to make these two some of my favorite characters in the whole series. I genuinely care about their personal journey, even if the mystery surrounding it is predictable. Despite that, the end game is still incredibly satisfying.
I really believe that Order of Ecclesia is in my top 3 favorites in the series. However, I'm constantly debating whether this or Aria of Sorrow is my favorite Metroidvania game in the entire series. But one thing is for sure, it will go down as my favorite Metroidvania game on the Nintendo DS, and it's the perfect way to wrap up my Castlevania journey that I went through for over 2 years
Order of Ecclesia is a breath of fresh air when it comes to difficulty, especially compared to the previous games which were a piece of cake. The boss fights in this game are genuinely some of the toughest in the entire series, but they are challenging in a fair way, unlike the bosses in Circle of the Moon.
The weaknesses for enemies and bosses in Order of Ecclesia are now much more important, which means I have to constantly switch between my equipment slots. This, combined with the glyph system that has been streamlined compared to the souls' system from the Sorrow duology but still has layers to it, adds a whole new level of strategy to the game and makes combat the most engaging in all of 2D Castlevania for me.
The game's structure pleasantly surprised me, especially the hub village that gradually becomes more alive as you rescue villagers from different areas. It reminded me of Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest, but with a way better execution. Moving from one area to another feels like embarking on a journey through a vast land. The stunning visuals and incredible soundtrack, which is already a trademark of this series, further enhance the experience.
This journey is made even better by the emotional tale between Shanoa and Albus. Their story isn’t mind-blowing, but it's enough to make these two some of my favorite characters in the whole series. I genuinely care about their personal journey, even if the mystery surrounding it is predictable. Despite that, the end game is still incredibly satisfying.
I really believe that Order of Ecclesia is in my top 3 favorites in the series. However, I'm constantly debating whether this or Aria of Sorrow is my favorite Metroidvania game in the entire series. But one thing is for sure, it will go down as my favorite Metroidvania game on the Nintendo DS, and it's the perfect way to wrap up my Castlevania journey that I went through for over 2 years
2010
A very challenging game yet a satisfying experience. I highly recommend this one. The controls are simple, but very precise and responsive, providing super challenging gameplay with the levels themselves that won’t hold you back, and you will die plenty of times. Thankfully, it isn’t so frustrating due to the near-perfect controls once again, but the levels are also very short, which does make the sense of that “I want to try this one more time” mentality to not feel exhausted when running & jumping each level. The visuals evoke a sense of nostalgia, reminiscent of the old days spent playing on Newgrounds and playing so many fever dreams for me.
2022
Flying Wild Hog has once again proven its prowess in combat with Shadow Warrior 3. Despite a few annoying stutters and dialogue, this first-person shooter delivered a satisfying experience from beginning to end. It might be short, but it doesn't overstay its welcome. The weapons pack a punch and are a blast to use, the arena design is solid, the enemies offer decent variety, and the sound design is incredibly satisfying. Wrapped up all together with the strong art direction with the environments & designs.
I’m impressed that Flying Wild Hog did exceptional work with the combat in both Evil West & Shadow Warrior 3 which came out in the same year.
I’m impressed that Flying Wild Hog did exceptional work with the combat in both Evil West & Shadow Warrior 3 which came out in the same year.
Despite my overall enjoyment of this expansion, I must admit that it falls short in comparison to the base game…..
The Countryside map, while decent, lacks the strength of the other main maps. The smooth & satisfying experience of driving around is hindered by the constant need to find fuel or repair materials like screws, which disrupts the flow of gameplay. In my opinion, this makes navigating around the Countryside map less enjoyable than parkour around the Slums or Old Town, even at a low agility level in the base game.
However, I still think this expansion is a meaningful addition to Dying Light 1. It still offers up engaging quests, solid gameplay (despite the reduced parkour), and a much better conclusion that surpasses the base game’s underwhelming finale by a mile
It's just that the reduced parkour, which was a key aspect of the base game's appeal for me makes the expansion not as strong as the base game.
The Countryside map, while decent, lacks the strength of the other main maps. The smooth & satisfying experience of driving around is hindered by the constant need to find fuel or repair materials like screws, which disrupts the flow of gameplay. In my opinion, this makes navigating around the Countryside map less enjoyable than parkour around the Slums or Old Town, even at a low agility level in the base game.
However, I still think this expansion is a meaningful addition to Dying Light 1. It still offers up engaging quests, solid gameplay (despite the reduced parkour), and a much better conclusion that surpasses the base game’s underwhelming finale by a mile
It's just that the reduced parkour, which was a key aspect of the base game's appeal for me makes the expansion not as strong as the base game.
2015
Slicing up zombies and salvaging for items hold up well in Dying Light 1 due to the atmospheric setting of Harran, which is so intriguing to explore or look at. The skill tree system also makes character progression feel meaningful, and the cherry on top is the parkour that makes traversal movement even at agility level 1 so fun from start to completing all the base game content.
All of that makes the moment-to-moment gameplay loop of Dying Light 1 very simple but effective. Sometimes, less is more. Gameplay-wise, this is a very outstanding zombie game that knows what it wants to be.
Unfortunately, I don't have the same positive energy for the story. It's very by the books with the usual zombie cliches that you shouldn't bet to drink on what to predict. However, I don't really mind it much because it's so inoffensive and doesn't take an eternity with the pacing to bother me. I think it also helps that the main character being voiced by Sonic the Hedgehog made it slightly amusing and more tolerable. The base game finale fucking blows though.
Even with Dying Light 1's shortcomings, I still think the base game is well put together by Techland and definitely would've been my game of the year back in 2015 if I had played it all the way back. But it is also gratifying to play this for the first time years later and see that it still holds up for the most part. I will hopefully start The Following expansion soon.
All of that makes the moment-to-moment gameplay loop of Dying Light 1 very simple but effective. Sometimes, less is more. Gameplay-wise, this is a very outstanding zombie game that knows what it wants to be.
Unfortunately, I don't have the same positive energy for the story. It's very by the books with the usual zombie cliches that you shouldn't bet to drink on what to predict. However, I don't really mind it much because it's so inoffensive and doesn't take an eternity with the pacing to bother me. I think it also helps that the main character being voiced by Sonic the Hedgehog made it slightly amusing and more tolerable. The base game finale fucking blows though.
Even with Dying Light 1's shortcomings, I still think the base game is well put together by Techland and definitely would've been my game of the year back in 2015 if I had played it all the way back. But it is also gratifying to play this for the first time years later and see that it still holds up for the most part. I will hopefully start The Following expansion soon.
Aside from uninspired Wind quests and reused themes towards the end of the game, Portrait of Ruin continues to prove that Castlevania on the DS is consistently high quality.
That alone would satisfy me enough, but IGA and his team are still able to shake things up, like the main new feature being the dual system which lets you switch between characters or use both during gameplay, and this opens up a lot of new options or stuff to collect. It overwhelmed me at first, but I came around to it and consistently got new stuff. For me, that results in the most rewarding entry in the series, even if the level design isn’t as strong as Dawn of Sorrow.
Now, as for the new characters & tone, I came around to really liking it a lot. The character dynamics are entertaining enough to sit through the usual predictable Castlevania plots, but as I already have said in my Aria of Sorrow & Dawn of Sorrow reviews, I don’t mind that as long as the characters aren’t blank sheets and that isn’t the case thankfully while having the best final boss in the entire series. The more light-hearted tone didn’t feel as jarring as I thought it would, and that makes the anime art style more fitting compared to Dawn of Sorrow, even if it is still not my ideal Castlevania art style.
No shocker, the soundtrack fucking rules as it usually is with Castlevania games at this point, and the final thing I want to note is the amount of Rondo of Blood pandering makes me a very happy person.
Overall, Portrait of Ruin is still an amazing game despite its few shortcomings, and it really certifies that the Castlevania series for me might’ve peaked during the DS era if Order of Ecclesia keeps up the momentum and not nose-diving hard.
That alone would satisfy me enough, but IGA and his team are still able to shake things up, like the main new feature being the dual system which lets you switch between characters or use both during gameplay, and this opens up a lot of new options or stuff to collect. It overwhelmed me at first, but I came around to it and consistently got new stuff. For me, that results in the most rewarding entry in the series, even if the level design isn’t as strong as Dawn of Sorrow.
Now, as for the new characters & tone, I came around to really liking it a lot. The character dynamics are entertaining enough to sit through the usual predictable Castlevania plots, but as I already have said in my Aria of Sorrow & Dawn of Sorrow reviews, I don’t mind that as long as the characters aren’t blank sheets and that isn’t the case thankfully while having the best final boss in the entire series. The more light-hearted tone didn’t feel as jarring as I thought it would, and that makes the anime art style more fitting compared to Dawn of Sorrow, even if it is still not my ideal Castlevania art style.
No shocker, the soundtrack fucking rules as it usually is with Castlevania games at this point, and the final thing I want to note is the amount of Rondo of Blood pandering makes me a very happy person.
Overall, Portrait of Ruin is still an amazing game despite its few shortcomings, and it really certifies that the Castlevania series for me might’ve peaked during the DS era if Order of Ecclesia keeps up the momentum and not nose-diving hard.
It is so refreshing to play a new AC game that purely focuses on stabbing & stealth through enemies instead of adding unnecessary fluff that started to annoy me with this series starting with Revelations & especially AC3. It only worked out well in AC4: Black Flag & that's unfortunately the exception.
I find the setting of Baghdad so intriguing due to 2 key reasons which that the environments are beautiful to look at & the level design is surprisingly well made in terms of moving around or ticking off objectives. Due to that, the stealth is so satisfying to pull off & traversal movement does its job even if I wish that it had more depth to it.
I do have a decent amount of stuff to complain though. The story is just okay, but nothing that remarkable. The combat is just terrible or very janky, and the character models are just ugly to look at. The default controls I find to be bad and had to customize them to make the experience much smoother.
In conclusion, AC: Mirage doesn’t innovate the series at all and if you are looking for that, you will be severely disappointed. However, if you are already happy with the old AC formula, but has gotten way too much fluff over the years. I think Mirage will finally consistently satisfy you as it did for me without overstaying its welcome with the length. I’m overall happy with this game, but definitely can see why many others aren’t happy with it.
I find the setting of Baghdad so intriguing due to 2 key reasons which that the environments are beautiful to look at & the level design is surprisingly well made in terms of moving around or ticking off objectives. Due to that, the stealth is so satisfying to pull off & traversal movement does its job even if I wish that it had more depth to it.
I do have a decent amount of stuff to complain though. The story is just okay, but nothing that remarkable. The combat is just terrible or very janky, and the character models are just ugly to look at. The default controls I find to be bad and had to customize them to make the experience much smoother.
In conclusion, AC: Mirage doesn’t innovate the series at all and if you are looking for that, you will be severely disappointed. However, if you are already happy with the old AC formula, but has gotten way too much fluff over the years. I think Mirage will finally consistently satisfy you as it did for me without overstaying its welcome with the length. I’m overall happy with this game, but definitely can see why many others aren’t happy with it.
2014
Strider made a wonderful transition into the Metroidvania genre due to the immensely fun gameplay that has a rhythm to it with the combat which makes slicing up enemies so satisfying and with consistently getting new abilities/upgrades, it never gets old. Cherry on top are the boss fights that aren’t too hard, but still require a lot of attention that further elevates the combat.
My main complaint with this game is the visuals. It looks like an Xbox 360 Arcade title and just a downgrade compared to Strider 2. My other issue is that backtracking gets annoying due to the lack of fast travel options.
Overall, the gameplay carries this game so much to have a blast from start to finish to give it a strong recommendation if you are looking for a Metroidvania experience that makes you feel like a badass at a very low price which does make my complaints not sting as much. It is the best 3 euros that I have spent for sure.
My main complaint with this game is the visuals. It looks like an Xbox 360 Arcade title and just a downgrade compared to Strider 2. My other issue is that backtracking gets annoying due to the lack of fast travel options.
Overall, the gameplay carries this game so much to have a blast from start to finish to give it a strong recommendation if you are looking for a Metroidvania experience that makes you feel like a badass at a very low price which does make my complaints not sting as much. It is the best 3 euros that I have spent for sure.
2021
The first half of this game is some of the best moments in the entire series, but the second half completely derails into the worst game in the series. I felt so drained out by the end of it and that upsets me because it started so strong, but it couldn’t hold itself together throughout its entirety.
A mixed-bag conclusion to the Crysis trilogy, but I still overall think that this series is one of the better shooters during the 7th gen consoles that have mostly held up, and as someone who got into it for the first time recently. I had a good time with it and I’m curious to see how Crysis 4 turns out.
Here are my Crysis 1 & 2 reviews:
https://www.backloggd.com/u/Shamaboy11/review/1200529/
https://www.backloggd.com/u/Shamaboy11/review/1206450/
A mixed-bag conclusion to the Crysis trilogy, but I still overall think that this series is one of the better shooters during the 7th gen consoles that have mostly held up, and as someone who got into it for the first time recently. I had a good time with it and I’m curious to see how Crysis 4 turns out.
Here are my Crysis 1 & 2 reviews:
https://www.backloggd.com/u/Shamaboy11/review/1200529/
https://www.backloggd.com/u/Shamaboy11/review/1206450/
2021
(Disclaimer: Played this via PS5 with backwards compatibility, so I don’t have much to complain about performance on consoles)
It's a big step up from Crysis 1 in almost every regard despite its change to a more linear structure, but I still find that it focuses on very open combat arenas that give you plenty of tools to kill or skip through enemies and with much smoother gunplay, more variety of weapons, and enemies to fight. I find combat to be much more engaging than Crysis 1. It feels like more Halo & F.E.A.R than Call of Duty, which I was concerned about going into it.
It's no surprise that the visuals as always are impressive and the set pieces have aged well, but I also like how the game is pacing itself to earn these moments instead of doing these bombastic set pieces every 5 seconds that Call of Duty is obsessed with. Not a single mission was a drag unlike Crysis 1 and it just knew when to end.
My biggest criticism towards this game though is the nanosuit abilities. They are so nerfed compared to Crysis 1 that you might as well treat the armor & speed mode more so as buffs rather than abilities. Fortunately, the cloak & high jump don’t suffer from that, but then I find the nanosuit upgrade system to be half-fasted since only a few made noticeable differences from my experience.
Overall, I'm happy to report that Crysis 2 is one of the few shooters during the 7th Gen that hasn’t aged like milk despite the shift to get more mainstream audiences, but it still feels like a quality shooter that you would see around the mid-2000s minus looking insane. I strongly recommend it if you are looking for a solid first-person shooter.
Here's my Crysis 1 review: https://www.backloggd.com/u/Shamaboy11/review/1200529/
It's a big step up from Crysis 1 in almost every regard despite its change to a more linear structure, but I still find that it focuses on very open combat arenas that give you plenty of tools to kill or skip through enemies and with much smoother gunplay, more variety of weapons, and enemies to fight. I find combat to be much more engaging than Crysis 1. It feels like more Halo & F.E.A.R than Call of Duty, which I was concerned about going into it.
It's no surprise that the visuals as always are impressive and the set pieces have aged well, but I also like how the game is pacing itself to earn these moments instead of doing these bombastic set pieces every 5 seconds that Call of Duty is obsessed with. Not a single mission was a drag unlike Crysis 1 and it just knew when to end.
My biggest criticism towards this game though is the nanosuit abilities. They are so nerfed compared to Crysis 1 that you might as well treat the armor & speed mode more so as buffs rather than abilities. Fortunately, the cloak & high jump don’t suffer from that, but then I find the nanosuit upgrade system to be half-fasted since only a few made noticeable differences from my experience.
Overall, I'm happy to report that Crysis 2 is one of the few shooters during the 7th Gen that hasn’t aged like milk despite the shift to get more mainstream audiences, but it still feels like a quality shooter that you would see around the mid-2000s minus looking insane. I strongly recommend it if you are looking for a solid first-person shooter.
Here's my Crysis 1 review: https://www.backloggd.com/u/Shamaboy11/review/1200529/
2020
(Disclaimer: Played this via PS5 with backwards compatibility, so I don’t have much to complain about performance on consoles)
Despite not having smooth gunplay, a few missions dragging on, and the final boss is terrible. I still had a pretty good time with Crysis 1 despite its rough edges due to the free flow structure which combined with these nanosuit abilities carries holds the combat together to be fun as hell despite not controlling smoothly even when I’m fighting against the aliens which I know is a hot take.
It's also no secret that this game is a technical marvel to look at, but I like that it isn’t just all about the graphics. It also showcases the crazy physics that makes stuff like throwing objects or enemies much more satisfying or chaotic. Overall, I’m happy to have checked out this game years later after hearing so much about it and I mostly don’t regret my time with it.
Despite not having smooth gunplay, a few missions dragging on, and the final boss is terrible. I still had a pretty good time with Crysis 1 despite its rough edges due to the free flow structure which combined with these nanosuit abilities carries holds the combat together to be fun as hell despite not controlling smoothly even when I’m fighting against the aliens which I know is a hot take.
It's also no secret that this game is a technical marvel to look at, but I like that it isn’t just all about the graphics. It also showcases the crazy physics that makes stuff like throwing objects or enemies much more satisfying or chaotic. Overall, I’m happy to have checked out this game years later after hearing so much about it and I mostly don’t regret my time with it.
What an impressive transition into the Nintendo DS but I’m not that surprised. By Aria of Sorrow, IGA & his team were getting back into their groove of making consistent quality Castlevania games after their bit of rocky reintroduction with Harmony of Dissonance.
Dawn of Sorrow is just taking the formula that Aria of Sorrow has refined at this point and cranking it up with upgraded visuals & soundtrack whiles improving on the combat due to having 2 load-outs to customize your equipment or souls that you switch on the fly that makes the combat flow less intrusive and boss fights aren’t as piss easy as Aria of Sorrow at times. Due to the upgraded presentation and more out of the box themes, Dawn of Sorrow's Castle somehow surpasses Aria of Sorrow's Castle by a bit, which is impressive.
Once again, the story isn’t anything mind-blowing, nor are the villains that great, but they make the plot work & it is nice to see more of Soma, Julius, Genya, Yoko, and Hammer which who I have grown to appreciate by the end of Aria of Sorrow, but this game elevates them to my favorite cast of characters in the series so far.
I do want to get my few complaints out of the way. The magic seal system is unsurprisingly not a fun gimmick that gets on your nerves, your luck stat doesn't work, and I really dislike the anime-style art.
However, this game is still an excellent Metroidvania that I enjoyed from start to finish and even beat Julius mode, which is by far the best unlockable mode in the series so far. A very strong start for Castlevania on the DS. I'm curious to see how Portrait of Ruin & Order of Ecclesia stack up since I have heard nothing but good things about these ones
Dawn of Sorrow is just taking the formula that Aria of Sorrow has refined at this point and cranking it up with upgraded visuals & soundtrack whiles improving on the combat due to having 2 load-outs to customize your equipment or souls that you switch on the fly that makes the combat flow less intrusive and boss fights aren’t as piss easy as Aria of Sorrow at times. Due to the upgraded presentation and more out of the box themes, Dawn of Sorrow's Castle somehow surpasses Aria of Sorrow's Castle by a bit, which is impressive.
Once again, the story isn’t anything mind-blowing, nor are the villains that great, but they make the plot work & it is nice to see more of Soma, Julius, Genya, Yoko, and Hammer which who I have grown to appreciate by the end of Aria of Sorrow, but this game elevates them to my favorite cast of characters in the series so far.
I do want to get my few complaints out of the way. The magic seal system is unsurprisingly not a fun gimmick that gets on your nerves, your luck stat doesn't work, and I really dislike the anime-style art.
However, this game is still an excellent Metroidvania that I enjoyed from start to finish and even beat Julius mode, which is by far the best unlockable mode in the series so far. A very strong start for Castlevania on the DS. I'm curious to see how Portrait of Ruin & Order of Ecclesia stack up since I have heard nothing but good things about these ones
2023
Sonic Dream Team is a really well-made mobile game and if that's all you wanted to know, I can say it succeeded on that front for most of it.
However, once I start judging this game as an overall video game experience and compare it to other Sonic games. It is still a good game, but something about the experience just doesn't quite fulfill me or leave a big impact to confidently say that it satisfied me more than Sonic Frontiers or Superstars which I know is gonna be a controversial opinion considering how many people seem to think that this is the best modern Sonic experience in a while.
I unfortunately don’t agree with that as I personally don’t see myself having the desire to eat up everything that Dream Team has to offer like how I felt with the other recent Sonic games.
This a very effective simple 3D platformer on Apple Arcade that is fun, but I wouldn't exactly sacrifice myself to play it if I didn't own an iOS device.
However, once I start judging this game as an overall video game experience and compare it to other Sonic games. It is still a good game, but something about the experience just doesn't quite fulfill me or leave a big impact to confidently say that it satisfied me more than Sonic Frontiers or Superstars which I know is gonna be a controversial opinion considering how many people seem to think that this is the best modern Sonic experience in a while.
I unfortunately don’t agree with that as I personally don’t see myself having the desire to eat up everything that Dream Team has to offer like how I felt with the other recent Sonic games.
This a very effective simple 3D platformer on Apple Arcade that is fun, but I wouldn't exactly sacrifice myself to play it if I didn't own an iOS device.
While being very short and not as strong as Rondo of Blood. Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth still manages to be a very strong classic-vania entry in the series with its stunning visuals, strong level design, tough but fair boss fights, and another banger soundtrack that is just expected from a series like Castlevania consistently. Impressive work from a studio like M2 this is their first developed Castlevania game
Unfortunately, though this game is stuck digitally in the WiiWare, and since that got shut down. There are no legal ways to get it as of now which is a huge same. Play this gem however you can!
Unfortunately, though this game is stuck digitally in the WiiWare, and since that got shut down. There are no legal ways to get it as of now which is a huge same. Play this gem however you can!