Siriocaz
2023
8 years have passed since Shigeru Miyamoto stated that work on a Pikmin game was "nearing completion". Well, it's finally here and I believe it was well worth the wait. 4's biggest triumph is making a beautiful tribute to the series (as usual) but specifically to the now old second entry, bringing back many elements and concepts that until some time ago seemed destined to forever remain stuck in the GameCube era.
Wonderfully, it all generally works and the game manages to build an identity of its own despite the clear inspiration and the changes that Nintendo's brought to make the series more accessible than ever. Namely, our furry friend Oatchie introduces a myriad of possibilities that weren't possible before, such as keeping Pikmin close to you so they don't lag behind, jumping and even permitting crossing bodies of water with non-water tolerant Pikmin.
However, in desiring to reach new audiences, Nintendo has fumbled some staples, like difficulty (which frankly is quite easy until the very end), the definitive loss of the angst characters had in the first two games and the introduction of a soft-locking reticle that you can't disable.
Even so, Pikmin 4 succeeds just as its 2004 brother thanks to its collect-a-thon-like gameplay, superb visuals (some of the best in the system), an exquisite atmosphere, varied fauna and a unique and cutesy sense of exploration.
Oh, and there ain't too much Dandori despite what the leafy guys might say. That might be good or bad, it all depends on what you're looking for in a game with the lovable Pikpik carrots.
Wonderfully, it all generally works and the game manages to build an identity of its own despite the clear inspiration and the changes that Nintendo's brought to make the series more accessible than ever. Namely, our furry friend Oatchie introduces a myriad of possibilities that weren't possible before, such as keeping Pikmin close to you so they don't lag behind, jumping and even permitting crossing bodies of water with non-water tolerant Pikmin.
However, in desiring to reach new audiences, Nintendo has fumbled some staples, like difficulty (which frankly is quite easy until the very end), the definitive loss of the angst characters had in the first two games and the introduction of a soft-locking reticle that you can't disable.
Even so, Pikmin 4 succeeds just as its 2004 brother thanks to its collect-a-thon-like gameplay, superb visuals (some of the best in the system), an exquisite atmosphere, varied fauna and a unique and cutesy sense of exploration.
Oh, and there ain't too much Dandori despite what the leafy guys might say. That might be good or bad, it all depends on what you're looking for in a game with the lovable Pikpik carrots.
Business as usual with Monolith with 3: a titanic game with wild highs and wild lows. There are many ideas that could've worked so much better but at the very least are held together by the time sink play style the company has been known for since 2010.
When it comes to the narrative, if 2 was all over the place, let's face it, 3 has the complete opposite problem: the pacing is glacial in this game. After a wonderful first chapter, dialogues and plot progression halt from time to time due to the characters' weird obsession of repeating their viewpoints. This is a common occurrence in both the main story and side quests, and the antagonists, worldbuilding, the plot as a whole and even the voice actors' deliveries greatly suffer from it. As the story goes on, plot holes start appearing that one may or may not notice. All in all, there's a stroy to be appreciated, albeit not quite well told and somewhat disjointed and unfocused; and the good bits come in drops and occasionally somewhat discreetly, unlike the two previous numbered entries, which are known for their plentitude of epic moments. Side content stands on a similar level 2's, but nowhere near to the excellence of X's Normal Missions (which, admittedly, might as well be the main bit of that game).
On the other hand, Xenoblade is great when it comes to immerse players with worlds with large scopes and gameplay departments that can potentially skyrocket the total game time to the several hundreds. 3 is no exception, but in true Xenoblade fashion, this massive steak comes with many caveats: class customisation that consumes way more time than necessary (unlike many other class-based RPGs that have had this long sorted, like Bravely Default) and a combat with unresponsive prompts (Ouroboros summoning) and awkward controls (character switching).
All that being said, I still love 3. The "make big numbers before the critters kill you first" and prep-first approaches remain untouched for this entry, there are many Unique Monsters that are quite challenging in Hard difficulty, and for that reason the game is fun for self-imposed challenges. The cast is very endearing and is by far my favorite in the series. The soundtrack is splendid and so is the setting (I seem to be in the minority on this one), so 3 didn't disappoint where it most mattered.
Good game overall. Segiri for the win, Sena best girl, Fiona pons the pons.
When it comes to the narrative, if 2 was all over the place, let's face it, 3 has the complete opposite problem: the pacing is glacial in this game. After a wonderful first chapter, dialogues and plot progression halt from time to time due to the characters' weird obsession of repeating their viewpoints. This is a common occurrence in both the main story and side quests, and the antagonists, worldbuilding, the plot as a whole and even the voice actors' deliveries greatly suffer from it. As the story goes on, plot holes start appearing that one may or may not notice. All in all, there's a stroy to be appreciated, albeit not quite well told and somewhat disjointed and unfocused; and the good bits come in drops and occasionally somewhat discreetly, unlike the two previous numbered entries, which are known for their plentitude of epic moments. Side content stands on a similar level 2's, but nowhere near to the excellence of X's Normal Missions (which, admittedly, might as well be the main bit of that game).
On the other hand, Xenoblade is great when it comes to immerse players with worlds with large scopes and gameplay departments that can potentially skyrocket the total game time to the several hundreds. 3 is no exception, but in true Xenoblade fashion, this massive steak comes with many caveats: class customisation that consumes way more time than necessary (unlike many other class-based RPGs that have had this long sorted, like Bravely Default) and a combat with unresponsive prompts (Ouroboros summoning) and awkward controls (character switching).
All that being said, I still love 3. The "make big numbers before the critters kill you first" and prep-first approaches remain untouched for this entry, there are many Unique Monsters that are quite challenging in Hard difficulty, and for that reason the game is fun for self-imposed challenges. The cast is very endearing and is by far my favorite in the series. The soundtrack is splendid and so is the setting (I seem to be in the minority on this one), so 3 didn't disappoint where it most mattered.
Good game overall. Segiri for the win, Sena best girl, Fiona pons the pons.
I can attest this was one of the first games I ever played. Typical and simple platformer, though it looked fairly nice, and the FMV dinos killing you after a game over were nice. But yeah, nothing special about it.
Good fanservice game. Watching Mythra getting roasted until the very end was the mod
2007
Poor motion controls, boring boards, not too many spectacular minigames. The board about the hotels is genius, though, but then again, you also have the super basic DK and linear beach ones. Also, wasn't a fan of the candies in replacement of the orbs.
However, I'll give this game that it had the very brave shaking soda minigame, Hudson went out of the business with a bang for that one.
However, I'll give this game that it had the very brave shaking soda minigame, Hudson went out of the business with a bang for that one.
2005
Fairly stuffed for a party game. Don't really know for certain whether the other GameCube Mario Party games were like this, too, but this game has like a quadrillion modes, both for single player and multiplayer. I played it when I was a child solo and with friends and it was pretty fun, but now that I did it as an adult not too long ago... Yeah, it's awkward. Too many pauses and slow actions, so it's a tough sale for certain demographics.
Also, it's one of those rare GameCube games that used the mic accessory (and it does it badly) and it also features an 8-Player mode, which is fairly amusing, to be honest.
The minigames were fun, btw.
Also, it's one of those rare GameCube games that used the mic accessory (and it does it badly) and it also features an 8-Player mode, which is fairly amusing, to be honest.
The minigames were fun, btw.
Humorous and resourceful, this once unexpected and hilarious crossover works rather well. The atmosphere feels kind of flat sometimes, many scenes are supposed to resemble chaotic cartoonish moments but they generally fall short. I think animators could've stepped up their game there.
Combat is very good, though, never thought Rabbids would eventually get such an elaborate game, and props to the devs for coming up with this.
Combat is very good, though, never thought Rabbids would eventually get such an elaborate game, and props to the devs for coming up with this.
Back when I played this for the first time in 2014, I got enamored by the visuals, and still are, honestly, best thing of the game without a doubt. Next would be the music, it's soothing and perfectly complements the fairytale setting. Down to a Dusty Plain still is one of my favorite video game tracks ever, it transports me to an undescribable ethereal state of pure peace (kinda makes me high).
Still do a playthrough or two every year just to relax a little, and in that sense, I sometimes wish this was a platforming game and not an RPG perhaps it could've worked out better, I don't really know. The RPG component isn't bad but it gets old rather quickly, and the game isn't particularly hard even on its hardest difficulty. Character progression takes proportionally forever, it takes a good while to get skill upgrades, so I feel like you get stuck with your powers quite frequently.
Story is serviceable, but the poetic dialogues... nah. They don't work neither in English or Spanish.
Still, this is a solid game, not particularly memorable but if you're looking for certain a e s t h e t i c s and f e e l s, this is a good start.
Still do a playthrough or two every year just to relax a little, and in that sense, I sometimes wish this was a platforming game and not an RPG perhaps it could've worked out better, I don't really know. The RPG component isn't bad but it gets old rather quickly, and the game isn't particularly hard even on its hardest difficulty. Character progression takes proportionally forever, it takes a good while to get skill upgrades, so I feel like you get stuck with your powers quite frequently.
Story is serviceable, but the poetic dialogues... nah. They don't work neither in English or Spanish.
Still, this is a solid game, not particularly memorable but if you're looking for certain a e s t h e t i c s and f e e l s, this is a good start.
2017
I'll admit I wanted to like it really bad. It obviously runs on a cute twist on the genre and while it's kind of flat on the presentation side, it's colorful and decently crafted. Never got around the controls, unfortunately, and dropped it on World 2 or something. Have watched a few playthroughs of people with an impressive mastery of the mechanics, kind of sad I never was patient enough to reach that level.
VIII gives me strong Barbie movie vibes, at least in the beginning... Yeah. I'll add that such a thing is not necessarily bad, but it explains this game remains unique among Final Fantasy entries and really among RPGs. I like the setting and most of the characters, but the whole romance and Junction thingies are hits or misses, and altogether they never clicked with me. Laguna flashbacks are annoying, too, but it was hilarious seeing his condition later on.
I think this is the best Zelda, man. Everything about it is just so cool, it felt fantastic sailing on everyone's salty tears over the art style.
2007
I've always been fascinated with this game, it's got such an atmosphere. I think the gunplay is kind of whack but the presentation really makes it stand out like very few things out there.
2011
This review contains spoilers
DOM! NO!
Still hurts, man.
Still hurts, man.
Wolfy game.
Decent for the price.