Someguy5649
2011
The more updates come out for this thing, the lower I'd rate it, so I'm just reviewing it now.
The impact Minecraft has had on the gaming landscape can't be overstated, it's part of many people's childhoods. The prospect of an endless world you can do anything with if you put your mind to it was and still is a fantastic concept for a game. I don't think I need to go over what Minecraft is, you probably already know, so I'll get to the heart of what this review is REALLY about; Feature creep.
For me at least, the game peaked a bit before 1.9, or the Combat Update. Most features felt like fleshed-out and worthwhile additions to the game. They increased what you can do with what you already had while still being fresh by themselves. But eventually, features started to stack on top of the game instead of adding to it. It slowly became more and more bloated. After all, what can you add to a game that was already almost perfect?
This culminated in the Nether Update, which fundamentally misunderstood a core aspect of this game and made the Nether livable. The Nether was meant to be this inhospitable fiery wasteland, it's Minecraft's version of hell. That's why beds explode there. Yet they made it just a slightly tougher and significantly less varied version of the Overworld. And it only got worse from there.
The soul of this game slips out bit by bit with every update, it's really sad to see. 6 or so years ago, I would've given it a perfect 5. When I boot this game up, I stay on 1.13 and lower. I wish I could still give it that perfect score, the amount of hours I've put into it is staggering.
The impact Minecraft has had on the gaming landscape can't be overstated, it's part of many people's childhoods. The prospect of an endless world you can do anything with if you put your mind to it was and still is a fantastic concept for a game. I don't think I need to go over what Minecraft is, you probably already know, so I'll get to the heart of what this review is REALLY about; Feature creep.
For me at least, the game peaked a bit before 1.9, or the Combat Update. Most features felt like fleshed-out and worthwhile additions to the game. They increased what you can do with what you already had while still being fresh by themselves. But eventually, features started to stack on top of the game instead of adding to it. It slowly became more and more bloated. After all, what can you add to a game that was already almost perfect?
This culminated in the Nether Update, which fundamentally misunderstood a core aspect of this game and made the Nether livable. The Nether was meant to be this inhospitable fiery wasteland, it's Minecraft's version of hell. That's why beds explode there. Yet they made it just a slightly tougher and significantly less varied version of the Overworld. And it only got worse from there.
The soul of this game slips out bit by bit with every update, it's really sad to see. 6 or so years ago, I would've given it a perfect 5. When I boot this game up, I stay on 1.13 and lower. I wish I could still give it that perfect score, the amount of hours I've put into it is staggering.
1988
What an odd specimen of a title. It started life as "Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic" in Japan. Then it got brought to the US rebranded as a sequel to the iconic Super Mario Bros., and then it got sent back to Japan as Super Mario USA.
Evidently, it's a very different game than its "prequel". Almost no power-ups, you can pick up enemies and throw them, you fight Wart instead of Bowser at the end.
This is also the first time you can play as Princess Toadstool (Peach) or Toad. Each of them also control slightly different, which is a neat touch. The controls in general are fairly polished, they feel a bit less stiff than Super Mario Bros. No complaints here.
The presentation is pretty nice for an NES title. Vibrant colors, lively sprites, the game doesn't have too much music but what's there is great.
The gameplay is the biggest complaint I have with it. Specifically the level design. It starts off well-designed, but as you go on, some parts seem to be intentionally designed to waste your time. Like the vertical castle-esque areas that make you fall all the way down if you mess up too much. Or that one level with the ridiculous amount of jars you have to scour. Enemy placement gets very unfair sometime near the midpoint. I'm looking at you World 4, with your Beezo swarms and snow golem things.
The ending is also very disappointing, making your entire adventure null and void. Even in a story-light game such as this.
Overall, Super Mario Bros 2. is a perfectly fine game, but it's not one I'd go back to often.
Evidently, it's a very different game than its "prequel". Almost no power-ups, you can pick up enemies and throw them, you fight Wart instead of Bowser at the end.
This is also the first time you can play as Princess Toadstool (Peach) or Toad. Each of them also control slightly different, which is a neat touch. The controls in general are fairly polished, they feel a bit less stiff than Super Mario Bros. No complaints here.
The presentation is pretty nice for an NES title. Vibrant colors, lively sprites, the game doesn't have too much music but what's there is great.
The gameplay is the biggest complaint I have with it. Specifically the level design. It starts off well-designed, but as you go on, some parts seem to be intentionally designed to waste your time. Like the vertical castle-esque areas that make you fall all the way down if you mess up too much. Or that one level with the ridiculous amount of jars you have to scour. Enemy placement gets very unfair sometime near the midpoint. I'm looking at you World 4, with your Beezo swarms and snow golem things.
The ending is also very disappointing, making your entire adventure null and void. Even in a story-light game such as this.
Overall, Super Mario Bros 2. is a perfectly fine game, but it's not one I'd go back to often.
2011
Solid conversion of 2D Mario gameplay to 3D. It doesn't take many liberties and risks compared to the "true" 3D games like 64/Sunshine/Odyssey, but if you want 2D Mario but with an extra dimension, this game has you covered. There's also a shocking amount of content within it, especially for a launch title of a portable console. Great time all around, a must-have for 3DS owners.
1991
This review contains spoilers
This game may be primitive, but I think 1991's Sonic the Hedgehog still holds up surprisingly well. The bare bones of the series are all there, but it doesn't feel compromised much.
I know it's a bit antithetical to the foundation of the Sonic franchise, but I actually enjoy the more present platforming challenge here. Some of the later games ( cough cough Rush ) feel like all you do is mindlessly move forward with no further thinking involved. I even kinda liked Marble Zone ( for the most part ).
Of course, there's problems here. The three Act structure was a poor choice when the Acts are barely different in function and appearance, and I'm glad it's just two in the newer titles. The level design could be tightened up in spots, and Sonic lacks his iconic spindash. The bosses are also just less impressive than even the other titles on the system. From what I saw, the final boss is Eggman.... In a metal tube. Slowly moving up and down. That's it. Riveting.
Despite the game's age and apparent "first game syndrome", Sonic the Hedgehog is still a fun time and I recommend it if you're new to the series. There's first entries out there that've aged a lot worse.
I know it's a bit antithetical to the foundation of the Sonic franchise, but I actually enjoy the more present platforming challenge here. Some of the later games ( cough cough Rush ) feel like all you do is mindlessly move forward with no further thinking involved. I even kinda liked Marble Zone ( for the most part ).
Of course, there's problems here. The three Act structure was a poor choice when the Acts are barely different in function and appearance, and I'm glad it's just two in the newer titles. The level design could be tightened up in spots, and Sonic lacks his iconic spindash. The bosses are also just less impressive than even the other titles on the system. From what I saw, the final boss is Eggman.... In a metal tube. Slowly moving up and down. That's it. Riveting.
Despite the game's age and apparent "first game syndrome", Sonic the Hedgehog is still a fun time and I recommend it if you're new to the series. There's first entries out there that've aged a lot worse.
Arguably the best "regular" Mario platformer on the monochrome brick, but it's anything but regular. It features tons of ideas and locations that haven't shown up in a Mario title before or since, along with the brand new Carrot power-up. Wario came from this game, what is there not to like? Highly recommended for anyone hankering for a fun portable Mario adventure.
1986
As much nostalgia as I have for this game playing it on the GBA, I can't rate it any higher than this. It set the stage for one of my favorite series, but that's all it is; the foundation. Nothing else on top. No map, no saves (on the American version), no refill spots, no nothing. It still gets bonus points for its openness and its hilarious translation, though.
This review contains spoilers
A solid entry in the line-up of 2D Mario's. It's very weird, sort of like Super Mario Land 2, but I feel like it tries a bit too hard to be quirky.
The graphics are fine overall. They're not ugly, they have a lot of charm to them. Everything's perspective is just off, though. Mario and enemies face too much towards the camera when the game is almost a complete side profile view. Yoshi's face when he has something in his mouth will give me nightmares.
The levels themselves and the new enemies are really well-designed, though. They look like they're from an alternate universe Super Mario World sometimes.
The music isn't much to write home about, in terms of memorability. There's exceptions, like the Piranha Plant... choir... song things, the excellent Metal Cap remix, and some others. It's all very high-quality, as one would expect for a 2D Mario.
The gameplay has several things I want to address, so they get individual sections.
The Wonder effect can be hit or miss, but the misses aren't too common. The slime transformation one, the one that puts you on the wall, and the Goomba one are memorable in particular. The only really lame ones I'd say are the palace/airship ones. It's the exact same effect each time, with little variation.
The badge system is interesting, but you'll only use a few naturally in your playthrough unless you're challenging yourself with the Expert Badges, or going through courses that require them.
By far the actual worst part of this game are the bosses. They got rid of Boom Boom, but made Bowser Jr. take his place. Every single time. He was a lot more manageable in New Super Mario Bros. (DS) because he was only the mid-fortress of each World. He's the only boss you're fighting here 90% of the time. Those 10 second sequences at the end of airships barely count as bosses. People hype the final boss with Bowser up a lot, but it felt like it never really began for me. It felt like build-up the whole time, until you beat him.
With that out of the way, the game has a lot of very clever concepts in each level. The aforementioned new enemies plus the Wonder effect and fresh set pieces separate it from the New Super series. It felt like Nintendo finally got to roam free with ideas like they did in the (S)NES era of titles again.
I might have complained a lot here, but it's a pretty great game in total. I don't know if I'll be playing it from the start again, though. Fully 100% completing it was so much effort, especially the final level.
The graphics are fine overall. They're not ugly, they have a lot of charm to them. Everything's perspective is just off, though. Mario and enemies face too much towards the camera when the game is almost a complete side profile view. Yoshi's face when he has something in his mouth will give me nightmares.
The levels themselves and the new enemies are really well-designed, though. They look like they're from an alternate universe Super Mario World sometimes.
The music isn't much to write home about, in terms of memorability. There's exceptions, like the Piranha Plant... choir... song things, the excellent Metal Cap remix, and some others. It's all very high-quality, as one would expect for a 2D Mario.
The gameplay has several things I want to address, so they get individual sections.
The Wonder effect can be hit or miss, but the misses aren't too common. The slime transformation one, the one that puts you on the wall, and the Goomba one are memorable in particular. The only really lame ones I'd say are the palace/airship ones. It's the exact same effect each time, with little variation.
The badge system is interesting, but you'll only use a few naturally in your playthrough unless you're challenging yourself with the Expert Badges, or going through courses that require them.
By far the actual worst part of this game are the bosses. They got rid of Boom Boom, but made Bowser Jr. take his place. Every single time. He was a lot more manageable in New Super Mario Bros. (DS) because he was only the mid-fortress of each World. He's the only boss you're fighting here 90% of the time. Those 10 second sequences at the end of airships barely count as bosses. People hype the final boss with Bowser up a lot, but it felt like it never really began for me. It felt like build-up the whole time, until you beat him.
With that out of the way, the game has a lot of very clever concepts in each level. The aforementioned new enemies plus the Wonder effect and fresh set pieces separate it from the New Super series. It felt like Nintendo finally got to roam free with ideas like they did in the (S)NES era of titles again.
I might have complained a lot here, but it's a pretty great game in total. I don't know if I'll be playing it from the start again, though. Fully 100% completing it was so much effort, especially the final level.
This is not Kirby's strongest outing. At least half of previous copy abilities are missing here, including some ones that've become mainstays. Like some other reviewers here, I don't exactly see why they made them upgradable. The level design is rather plain and unexciting. Kirby has always had a height limit in the 2D games but it feels a lot more evident (and lower) this time around. The setting is also just... Strange for a Kirby game. Don't get me wrong, it looks pretty, it just feels out of place for a Kirby title. Most of the bosses aren't anything that'll stick in your brain. Although I like aspects of this game, I don't think I'll be coming back to finish this one anytime soon.
...What did they DO to Dedede!?
...What did they DO to Dedede!?
The definitive classic Sonic experience, and the blue blur's biggest adventure on the Genesis, full-stop. It caps off the Death Egg saga with a bang and introduces mainstay character Knuckles. Amazing soundtrack, and they really cleaned up Sonic's sprites. I haven't completed it yet but I've still played this over and over.
2014
I have a lot of fun with Sims 4 ( my 1000+ hour playtime is a testament to that ) but it is so objectively flawed and a downgrade compared to Sims 3. The base game didn't even have pools, the increasingly greedy DLC, and much of said DLC doesn't expand the gameplay but rather stack on top of it. I don't blame anyone who gives it a lower rating.
1993
This game by all means should've been a slam dunk. Fresh crisp soundtrack? Check. A whole mini planet to explore? It has it. It has a frickin' Terminator Sonic in it. But the gameplay just is NOT there. Having to deal with getting the Time Stones and the time travelling shenanigans for each Zone to get the actual ending makes this one rigged against you unless you fancy having a guide glued to your eyes at all times. The Zones themselves are also just unusually easy to get lost in, too. Easily the weakest Sonic platformer on the Genesis, sadly.
2005
This thing started the boost era of Sonic, something the series still hasn't recovered from. Amazing presentation and some really interesting characters put on top of the start of a tragedy. I couldn't bear to finish this one, sorry Rush fans.
This review contains spoilers
I had a lot of fun with this one, but I'll air out the complaints first.
It is nowhere NEAR as open as the NES original or Super Metroid. The final boss doesn't give much of a challenge unless you go out of your way to make it one. This is just personal preference, but I'm not a fan of the comic book-esque artstyle used for the backgrounds.
With the complaints out of the way, this otherwise completely eclipses the original in every other way. More power-ups. More bosses. Varied environments. Less spending 10 minutes of your life grinding for energy pick-ups every time you die. And finally, you can save! The last third of the game is also surprisingly enjoyable, you'd never think long-term stealth gameplay would work in a Metroid title but they did it. There's even a copy of the original on this thing if you just wanted that on the go.
It is nowhere NEAR as open as the NES original or Super Metroid. The final boss doesn't give much of a challenge unless you go out of your way to make it one. This is just personal preference, but I'm not a fan of the comic book-esque artstyle used for the backgrounds.
With the complaints out of the way, this otherwise completely eclipses the original in every other way. More power-ups. More bosses. Varied environments. Less spending 10 minutes of your life grinding for energy pick-ups every time you die. And finally, you can save! The last third of the game is also surprisingly enjoyable, you'd never think long-term stealth gameplay would work in a Metroid title but they did it. There's even a copy of the original on this thing if you just wanted that on the go.
This review contains spoilers
An excellent game marred by performance issues, an odd story and the empty and disappointing nature of the Depths. I would've given it 5 stars if BOTW didn't already exist, as it is in the same world and general map of it.
Note: The Champions of the previous game almost feel like they were never there in this one.
Note: The Champions of the previous game almost feel like they were never there in this one.
2021
This review contains spoilers
I wish so badly I could give this a five star review. It's the first unique 2D Metroid title since 2001. It's on the Switch. Where could it go wrong?
Let's begin with the controls.
They are very similar to Metroid: Samus Returns' controls. That is to say, MercurySteam tried to use every single button on the device for no discernible reason. I found myself constantly doing actions I didn't intend to throughout my entire playthrough. And my hands are nimble and precise. I know analog sticks aren't the best for 2D platformers, but even compared to its brethren on the system, Samus goes in directions you don't want her to. The only compliment I can give is that Samus' physics are as tight as ever, but it's hard to appreciate that when it feels like you're dealing with flight simulator levels of control complexity sometimes.
Next up, the graphics. The Switch is an aging piece of hardware that's the better part of a decade old at this point. But most of the first and second-party games still look amazing since Nintendo knows how to squeeze every drop of performance out of what they make. This? It looks like MercurySteam is still back on the 3DS in spots. Close-ups of Samus' face in particular can be downright uncanny. A lot of textures are muddy when the camera isn't zoomed out. Metroid Prime Remastered, which released 2 years later, shows how Metroid can look good in HD. There are a few pretty locales, but it's overall quite a bit weaker than previous titles.
The art direction in general is very dull compared to the vibrant colors of almost every single game in the series since Super Metroid. Most of the enemies look like your typical sci-fi beastie with none of the flair of its predecessors. Even Kraid just looks gross compared to his last appearance.
The music isn't bad by any means but it's all ambience and no melody for most of the soundtrack. Metroid Fusion, the one that leaned into the horror aspect the most (and was bound by the shackles of the GBA's tinny speakers) still had bombastic tunes that you would listen to outside the game. "Facing a Huge Reaction" and Serris-X's battle theme come to mind. Meanwhile, I forget Dread's tracks even exist half the time.
The gameplay is probably the strongest point of Dread. You're still running around gradually improving Samus' arsenal, doing fun puzzles and engaging in decent boss fights. My only major gripe here is the E.M.M.I. More specifically, when it catches you. You barely have a chance to counter it. Ignoring the SA-X's sometimes goofy AI, it gave you a very good challenge but wasn't impossible to survive an attack from. I can count how many times I successfully countered one of those robots on my hands.
I think it's the story that's the nail in the coffin, for me at least. The Chozo are implied to be almost gone by the time Samus is around. Nearly every game contains some of their ruins. The fact they shove two alive ones in only to kill them both almost reminds me of fanfiction from the mid-2000's. Something about Samus' "Metroid DNA awakening" sounds wrong to me, too. Wouldn't that have happened in Fusion? The Metroids were made to be the X's predators. The story feels woefully not thought out, when I was so excited to see where Samus would go next after Fusion.
Overall, it's not the worst game I've played. But the fact it's so mediocre in a series full of shining gems saddens me a bit. It could've been great.
Let's begin with the controls.
They are very similar to Metroid: Samus Returns' controls. That is to say, MercurySteam tried to use every single button on the device for no discernible reason. I found myself constantly doing actions I didn't intend to throughout my entire playthrough. And my hands are nimble and precise. I know analog sticks aren't the best for 2D platformers, but even compared to its brethren on the system, Samus goes in directions you don't want her to. The only compliment I can give is that Samus' physics are as tight as ever, but it's hard to appreciate that when it feels like you're dealing with flight simulator levels of control complexity sometimes.
Next up, the graphics. The Switch is an aging piece of hardware that's the better part of a decade old at this point. But most of the first and second-party games still look amazing since Nintendo knows how to squeeze every drop of performance out of what they make. This? It looks like MercurySteam is still back on the 3DS in spots. Close-ups of Samus' face in particular can be downright uncanny. A lot of textures are muddy when the camera isn't zoomed out. Metroid Prime Remastered, which released 2 years later, shows how Metroid can look good in HD. There are a few pretty locales, but it's overall quite a bit weaker than previous titles.
The art direction in general is very dull compared to the vibrant colors of almost every single game in the series since Super Metroid. Most of the enemies look like your typical sci-fi beastie with none of the flair of its predecessors. Even Kraid just looks gross compared to his last appearance.
The music isn't bad by any means but it's all ambience and no melody for most of the soundtrack. Metroid Fusion, the one that leaned into the horror aspect the most (and was bound by the shackles of the GBA's tinny speakers) still had bombastic tunes that you would listen to outside the game. "Facing a Huge Reaction" and Serris-X's battle theme come to mind. Meanwhile, I forget Dread's tracks even exist half the time.
The gameplay is probably the strongest point of Dread. You're still running around gradually improving Samus' arsenal, doing fun puzzles and engaging in decent boss fights. My only major gripe here is the E.M.M.I. More specifically, when it catches you. You barely have a chance to counter it. Ignoring the SA-X's sometimes goofy AI, it gave you a very good challenge but wasn't impossible to survive an attack from. I can count how many times I successfully countered one of those robots on my hands.
I think it's the story that's the nail in the coffin, for me at least. The Chozo are implied to be almost gone by the time Samus is around. Nearly every game contains some of their ruins. The fact they shove two alive ones in only to kill them both almost reminds me of fanfiction from the mid-2000's. Something about Samus' "Metroid DNA awakening" sounds wrong to me, too. Wouldn't that have happened in Fusion? The Metroids were made to be the X's predators. The story feels woefully not thought out, when I was so excited to see where Samus would go next after Fusion.
Overall, it's not the worst game I've played. But the fact it's so mediocre in a series full of shining gems saddens me a bit. It could've been great.