I was truly surprised when this game was first announced at that one Nintendo Direct last year. Cing has been gone for over a decade now and it didn’t look like we would ever get anything else from their most notable interconnected series, Another Code and Hotel Dusk, aside from some token references in Smash Brothers so it truly feels like a minor miracle that this remake even exists and it was given this much love and care. They even actually managed to bring back the director and head writer from the old Cing crew as well. Cing was always a dev that deserved more love than they got, being a point and click adventure game dev that managed to make such memorable games during the 2000’s, the dark age of the genre in the West. Because I'm an American I never got to play Another Code R and Last Window, though admittedly I could have imported Last Window (Though foolishly passed up on it) and emulated Lost Memories but I never got around to it. Still I’m real glad I finally got to play Lost Memories after all these years and the remake’s version didn’t disappoint.

Recollection is somewhat of a tradeoff though; you see both original games' puzzles were so tied to their respective platforms' unique gimmicks, the puzzles had to be radically changed to work on Switch. I think these puzzles are serviceably fine, nothing as clever as closing your DS to solve a puzzle and nothing that will stump a genre veteran in the slightest, but there's a good variety, especially in Two Memories which has a stronger puzzle focus as you explore the Edward Mansion and exploring the mansion is fun which a nice sense of place. The puzzles do fall off some in the latter half of Journey into Lost Memories though, as you're mainly just doing RAS door puzzles and just doing button inputs in sequence. Both games are both fully 3D though so its nice to actually to be able to walk around and explore the Edward Mansion and Lake Juliet more freely.

In exchange for the somewhat compromised puzzles, is that the narrative, atmosphere, and aesthetics have been improved and it’s well worth the trade. You can clearly tell Rika Suzuki really took advantage of getting a second go at Another Code’s narrative as a whole. Now both games are more treated as two parts of a whole story and are more strongly tied thematically. There are also a bunch of revisions as well, the most dramatic changes being in Journey into Lost Memories, which having read up on it, alters its supporting cast and essentially revises the entire last half of the game for the better. I was familiar with the fact that in the OG game a major supporting character's subplot was not resolved at all, but here it is, tying up all loose ends. The main antagonist in Lost Memories is also completely changed to become a far more interesting character and who is more intrinsically tied with the games' themes of memory and being, feeling a lot more at home with the empathetic and character-driven tone of Cing games at their best. The aesthetic of the games are changed this to watercolor appearance that looks great and character dialogue in both games are conveyed through essentially comic book panel character portraits which also looks nice. The soundtrack is also just as rad as the old Cing games, filled with chill, nostalgic vibes. The remake is also now mainly fully voice-acted and I think overall it’s quite solid.

Overall I’m truly happy I finally got to experience not only Lost Memories but to play such a great remake of two games that I never expected to see. I do genuinely hope that maybe the Cing games’ cult following will get bigger and also that we get a remake for the Hotel Dusk duology too, because I adored Hotel Dusk more than the OG Another Code. Should probably finally get around to emulating Last Window perhaps. Definitely check it out if you’re a fan of the genre or just want a solidly written game with a bunch of heart.

DOOM 2016 Review

A phrase I often use in my reviews is “textbook sequel”. I define this phrase as a sequel to a highly successful and beloved title in an established series that takes almost everything that made the previous game work and refines it. Some examples that immediately come to mind include Portal 2, Metal Gear Solid 2, Silent Hill 2, and Batman: Arkham City. DOOM Eternal is very much a textbook sequel in that regard as well. It took almost everything that DOOM 2016 did right and expanded upon it to quite frankly, an overwhelming extent. The result is one of the most exciting and thrilling games that I’ve ever experienced, a game that I’ve replayed countless times at this point. From the bottom of my heart and soul, I LOVE DOOM Eternal. Every time I come back to this game, its gameplay provides a level of thrill and sheer joy that few games have ever come close to matching. It’s a game that rewards your mastery of its mechanics with an unmatched level of catharsis and satisfaction that truly makes me feel like an unstoppable, unshakeable torrent of carnage and mayhem.

After the events of DOOM 2016, the demonic forces of Hell have begun an all encompassing invasion of Earth. In order to save his home, the DOOM Slayer goes on a journey across many different worlds in order to track down and kill the Hell Priests, a trio of wizards that are responsible for opening and maintaining the gateways that allow Hell’s forces to invade Earth. The DOOM Slayer’s mission to save his world quickly evokes the wrath of the mysterious Khan Makyr, an ancient alien being that seems to be in league with the forces of Hell. Naturally, the Khan Makyr’s anger pales in comparison to the DOOM Slayer’s righteous rage. In his eyes, the Khan Makyr is just another demonic scumbag he needs to kill.

Like I said, DOOM Eternal takes everything in DOOM 2016 and greatly expands upon it. Everything is bigger: the number of levels, the scale of the story, the amount of upgrades you can purchase for Doomguy, the roster of demons you encounter… everything in this game feels HUGE. It’s truly a lot to take in, and despite it’s best efforts, I’ll admit that Eternal doesn’t always make it easy to do so. Coming to this game with experience from 2016 might not necessarily prepare you for how much of a step up Eternal is from its predecessor. I’ll admit: I didn’t like the game nearly as much as I currently do after my first playthrough. I wasn’t prepared at all for how expansive everything is, and trying to play the game like it’s 2016 will only get you so far. It wasn’t until after I had listened to other people’s thoughts and reviews of the game, and gave it a second runthrough, that I started to really understand what the game was going for, and how to approach it in a way that’s comfortable and paced to my liking.

While the game is still structured more or less the same as 2016, the ways in which certain aspects of the game have been expanded upon makes Eternal feel a tad different. Levels still follow that classic DOOM gameplay loop: you kill demons and you find keys in order to progress through levels, and you always have the opportunity to search for hidden secrets as well. I can’t say for sure whether or not all of the levels in the game are actually longer than the ones in 2016, but they absolutely feel like they are. It might be because of how many combat arenas a level has, as well as how extensive combat can be. Either way, levels in this game definitely feel too long, and I honestly think some of them could be split up into multiple levels for the sake of better pacing. If you have yet to play DOOM Eternal, heed my advice: take breaks whenever you need to. Don’t feel compelled to finish a level if you’re feeling tired. Each level is extremely generous with its checkpoints, to the point where you can pretty much exit the game at any time and pick up right where you left off. Forcing yourself through levels when you’re tired is only going to exhaust you and cause you to resent the game, which happened to me during my first playthrough.

Platforming sections in-between combat arenas return. I’ve seen people frequently complain about the platforming, and while your initial experience with how to progress in certain areas can certainly be confusing since you don’t always know where to go, I personally never found the platforming sections to be a big issue. As I’m about to explain, Eternal’s combat can be tiring, especially when played at higher difficulties. Quite frankly, it needs the downtime the platforming sections provides. Platforming is also better here than in 2016, since failing to make a jump doesn’t result in an immediate death anymore, instead you’ll just respawn while losing a chunk of health.

Combat has been extensively reworked, to the point where it feels so much more intense and chaotic even when compared to 2016 on its hardest difficulty. The demons in Eternal feel a lot more aggressive than they did in 2016. In that game, the demons generally preferred to spread themselves apart and harass you from a distance (with some exceptions like the Hell Knight or the Pinkies). The demons in Eternal all feel like they’re bum rushing the hell outta you. Now more than ever, standing still during combat means death. You need to be constantly moving and using the environment to your advantage in order to stay alive, and Doomguy has a couple of new tools to accomplish this.

There’s the new dash ability, which allows Doomguy to quickly zoom forward in whatever direction you’re currently moving in. You have two total dashes you can use before the ability requires a cooldown. Proper use of the dash ability is extremely necessary, and an absolute must during combat, as Doomguy’s default run speed isn’t enough to outpace the demons chasing after him. There’s also the Meat Hook, an attachment for the Super Shotgun that functions as a grappling hook that pulls Doomguy towards enemies, which is a great way to not only transport yourself across the map, but also bring yourself within Glory Kill distance. The Meat Hook is extremely fun and satisfying to use. Using it to get yourself out of a jam or bring yourself closer to an enemy so that you can kill it with the Chainsaw and replenish health and ammo you desperately need makes you feel incredibly smart, but also provides a strong feeling of relief as well.

With the exception of the pistol (which, let’s be honest, has never really been all that useful in the history of DOOM unless you were desperate to conserve ammo), all of the weapons from DOOM 2016 return. One of the biggest problems that 2016 had was that Doomguy’s arsenal of weapons just wasn’t balanced especially well. The strength of the more powerful weapons in the game (the Super Shotgun in particular) made early game weapons feel redundant as it went on. There was definitely a massive attempt to fix this problem in DOOM Eternal through various means, some of which weren’t initially met with positive reception. However, I believe these changes to Doomguy’s arsenal makes it feel a lot more coherent and purposeful, and even late into the game, all weapons serve a purpose to some extent.

Weapon modifiers return, which plays a part in making those early game weapons remain useful. A lot of weapon mods from the previous game have been replaced with actually useful ones. Certain enemies have weak points on them, such as the laser cannon on an Arachnotron or the rocket launchers on a Revenant, and weapon mods can be used to exploit those weak points, such as the precision scope on the Heavy Cannon or the sticky bomb from the Combat Shotgun. This will stagger enemies while also depriving them of their weapon of choice, which plays a big role in making early weapons still feel relevant all throughout the game.

The most controversial change to combat is that the amount of ammo each weapon can hold has been reduced rather heavily from 2016. It’s a change that really takes a lot of getting used to. You can’t just rely on one weapon to get you through combat arenas anymore. You’re going to have to constantly be switching between weapons, not just depending on the demon you’re currently trying to kill, but also depending on how much ammo per weapon you currently have. I understand a lot of people really don’t like this change, but I honestly am a huge fan of it, especially since DOOM Eternal gives you all of your weapons at a much faster rate than before. By the fourth level, the game itself will tell you that “You have everything you need to beat DOOM Eternal” including the Super Shotgun and a majority of your heavy weapons. What makes the combat of DOOM Eternal so much fun for me are the constant decisions you have to make at a fast pace in order to massacre your enemies while staying alive, and the reduced ammo capacity plays a huge role in encouraging that fast-paced decision making.

There’s a technique in the game called quickswapping which you can use to do immensely fast bursts of damage on enemies. I’m not sure how the technique works on controller, but on keyboard and mouse, you can swap between weapons quickly by binding them to certain keys or additional mouse buttons if you have them. This allows you to quickly swap between weapons while skipping their cooldown animations. I have mixed feelings on quickswapping. There are moments where it feels like it’s overpowered, but at the same time, it’s absolutely necessary in overwhelming situations and against certain demons, the new Marauder demon in particular.

The Marauder was a huge point of contention and controversy when Eternal first came out. It can be a difficult enemy to deal with, as he is generally invincible and has multiple attacks that can shred your health if you’re not careful. To make him vulnerable, you have to stay at a specific distance from him in order to goad him into attacking you with his axe. When he goes for this attack, his eyes will flash green and you can shoot him, which stuns him for a very short period of time, and during that short period, you have to do as much damage as you possibly can. This is where quickswapping comes into play, as quickswapping between the Super Shotgun and the Ballista really shreds his health while he’s stunned. This technique was not explained in the game when it first came out, and without it, the Marauder is a much bigger pain to deal with. The game was eventually updated with a tutorial on how to perform the technique shortly before your first encounter with him. This technique is useful against all demons, not just the Marauder though, and it comes in clutch late in the game, especially on higher difficulties. I have no clue how people who play this game on a controller pull this technique off, and I wonder if that hinders their experience with the Marauder and more difficult enemy encounters.

Aside from your weapons, there’s a number of other upgrades you need to purchase throughout the game, all with their own different types of currency. One point of criticism I have against this game is that the amount of purchasable upgrades is too damn high. Some of these upgrades are very important, but there’s also a lot that you really don’t need, and it can be confusing picking out the good from the bad. This problem is especially prevalent when it comes to Suit upgrades. For Suit upgrades, you primarily need to focus on purchasing the ones in the Fundamentals category for things like decreasing your dash cooldown and refilling your dash after you use a Glory Kill on a demon. In fact, these should be purchased as soon as you are able to. The other Suit upgrades just aren’t really worth it for the most part. You don’t really need to purchase any of the exploration upgrades unless you’re hunting for secrets, and I’ve never really used grenades in this game, so I never purchase upgrades for those either, I only purchase a couple for the Ice Grenade to freeze enemies longer. Upgrades regarding resistances to environmental hazards in particular is a complete waste of currency. There aren’t enough of them in the game, nor do they do damage threatening enough to warrant purchasing them.

In addition to the Suit upgrades, there’s also other upgrades you can get whenever you find a separate currency called Sentinel Crystals, which not only will increase your health, armor, and ammo capacity, but also grant you random buffs like reducing the cooldown of the Flame Thrower or letting you pull in resource drops from dead enemies while you’re farther away. Then there are Runes, which also grant you random buffs as well, such as letting you perform a Glory Kill from farther away or increasing your ability to control Doomguy while he’s in the air. If this all sounds confusing or too much take in, well, it kind of is in-game as well. You do eventually get a grasp on it all, but to be completely honest, all of these different currencies and customizable buffs really need to be consolidated in the future. Get rid of the more superfluous upgrades and try to keep almost everything to one menu. These upgrades are genuinely great and unlocking them over the course of the game does feel rewarding, but they’re also a huge pain to keep track of for how vital they are, and figuring out the good from the bad is not very newcomer friendly at all.

I think the biggest area where DOOM Eternal is lacking, and the only thing that’s a downgrade from the previous game, is its narrative and its approach to storytelling. 2016’s narrative was a simple one that was very easy to follow and digest. Eternal’s story is not. The worldbuilding for DOOM is expanded immensely in Eternal, which goes as far as to introduce completely new worlds and races to its universe. The problem is that the story itself barely provides any context whatsoever for these aspects of the story. Even the very beginning of the game is confusing if you come to it after having played 2016. Minor spoiler warning for the end of 2016 to follow: that game ends with a cliffhanger, but when Eternal begins, it doesn’t continue from that cliffhanger. It’s clear a lot of time has passed since then but what exactly happened in between both games is never explained in the main story itself.

Instead, this context for all of these new story elements can be found in this game’s collectable codex entries. I’ve briefly talked about this in other reviews, but I really don’t like it when a game has key elements to understanding the narrative hidden away in collectables like this, unless that’s the main point of the game. I think that codex/journal entries in games are fine as supplemental material to the main narrative (even if I’m not especially interested in hunting them down), but not if they contain context and history that’s necessary to understand the plot. I think this was done in an attempt to try and appease people who don’t care about the story in DOOM or in other video games, and they weren’t confident enough they could present their story with all of these expansive new details in a way that captures their interest, so they just brushed it off to the side. Thing is, the people who don’t care about story in DOOM are just going to skip the cutscenes anyway, all this storytelling approach does is cause confusion for anyone who might actually be interested in the narrative. They might’ve thought this would motivate people to search for the hidden codex entries and read them, but personally, I’m more likely to just look that up on a Wiki or watch a YouTube video explaining it or something. The narrative itself ends in a rather sudden and lukewarm manner, though there is the Ancient Gods DLC campaign which expands on it and acts as a proper conclusion to the story.

DOOM Eternal got a major visual overhaul from 2016 that was very much for the better. As I mentioned in my review for 2016, the visual design of environments in that game would often blend together, since the game primarily took place either in Mars or Hell, and while there were some elements to both settings that made them look a bit more distinct from one another, it didn’t help all that much. In comparison, Eternal is an explosion of color. You travel to far more distinct locations with extremely vibrant and varied visual designs. The scale of the environments is also massive. Every single time I come back to this game, I am in sheer awe at how detailed the backgrounds of each location in this game is. Words seriously don’t do them justice. The enemies have also been overhauled visually as well. Most of them have been given redesigns that make them more closely resemble those of their original appearance. It’s especially noticeable with the zombie troopers, as well as the introduction of “The Tyrant”, which is literally just the Cyberdemon from classic DOOM, and I will continue to refer to it as such because that’s a helluva better name.

Talking about the game’s soundtrack is difficult because of the infuriating and unfortunate controversy regarding it (man, this game had a lot of controversies looking back at it…). Since this review is as long as it is, I’m going to hold off giving my extended thoughts about it for now, and I’ll save them for when I review The Ancient Gods Part 1. All I’ll say is that Marty Stratton is a piece of shit, and for now, I’m just going to give my thoughts on the in-game music. Given the positive fan feedback towards the guitar heavy tracks from 2016’s OST, Mick Gordon’s approach this time around involved a lot more usage of guitar, and it’s an extremely welcome approach. As a result, Eternal’s soundtrack has songs that I feel stand out a lot more in comparison to the bass heavy electronic music that made up much of 2016’s OST. These tracks amplify my adrenaline and aggression TENFOLD when I hear them, and they compliment the intensity of the combat so perfectly that I feel separating the two would honestly make the combat slightly worse as a result. That might not make much sense on paper, but that’s just how intrinsically tied the music is to the combat. The music plays such a key role in fully immersing myself in the gameplay, making it some of the most effective video game music I’ve ever heard in my life. Just like BFG Division from the previous game, Mick Gordon put out a couple of tracks that I believe to be anthems for the series: The Only Thing They Fear Is You and Meathook. I hear these tracks and I immediately lock the fuck in like someone just uttered my sleeper agent codeword. I can’t think of too many other video game songs that have this effect on me. I personally believe Eternal without a doubt has the best tracks Mick has recorded over the course of his entire career, and Marty Stratton deserves the absolute worst for the way he treated Mick.

Despite controversy after controversy popping up after it’s release, in my eyes, DOOM Eternal remains the greatest first person shooter I have ever played, and one of my top 5 personal favorite games of all time based purely off of its fun factor alone. For new players, it may be a bit difficult to digest all of the different upgrades and get used to how intense the combat can be as well as how long the levels are. If by any chance I’ve convinced you to give the game a try someday, I hope that over the course of my review I’ve provided you with tips that improve the experience. I really, truly love DOOM Eternal. Getting good at this game feels euphoric. Killing hordes after hordes of demons makes me feel like a god, and I say that without any sense of exaggeration or a tinge of regret. It’s an experience that always manages to get me pumped even after several playthroughs, and even if there’s another DOOM game or FPS out there that manages to be even bigger and better than Eternal, there’s a part of me that feels like I’m always going to end up coming back to it eventually, and in that regard, the game truly does live up to its namesake.

I remember taking family trips to the beach when I was a kid and note being able to be apart from my PS2. I remember this specific trip where I knew there was going to be a TV on this small tropical beach we were visiting and I secretly took the PS2 with me. I remember playing Okami the whole week and starting to realize that games could actually be influenced by other games (I was quite mindblown as a kid by this) and I remember very excitedly pointing out all the similarities to previous Zelda games I had played over the years. A very wholesome and ultra artistic experience.

So at the risk of me not coming off as pretentious, I think this game is actually pretty decent, not amazing, but decent. Crashes stiff control makes for some tense platforming but my biggest issue is that this games 100% completion is so fucking backwards. You basically have to go through every level and break every box without dying a single time and that's the kind of stress I don't need in my life, I think the N sane trilogy version of this game is way more manageable given that they made it more fair to accomplish. While I didn't entirely hate my time playing this game, it was definitely something I know I probably won't go back to. An interesting first entry in the series, but that's how it goes with these multi-media franchises.

Yeah Idk what you guys saw in this that I couldn't, but I've played many 3D platformers in my time and none were as mixed as Corn Kidz 64, but i'm getting ahead of myself here. Let me explain my entire experience with this game.

To start off, that damn wall jump and wall climb can go fuck itself. That is the most unintuitive unresponsive inconsistent move this goat has. Every time you think you're against the wall, it looks like you weren't lol oh well fall back down 3 floors and try again. I've tried so many times to learn what I did wrong and every time its something different. The fall damage, why in the ever living christ did you think it was a good idea to give this type of precise platforming game fall damage. That's like giving the getting over it dude fall damage. it works with Mario and Banjo because those games don't require you to do pin point precision platforming. This is a different case, and I swear every time you fall in this game there is nothing more infuriating than just being teleported to your save and having to sit through that death animation and pointless game over screen over and over again. When death has no consequence in this game I wonder why there's even a game over screen to begin with. Just play the death animation and teleport me back to the start. It's that easy.

The platforming is difficult. I'm ok with challenging platforming, if your protagonist controls well and isn't fighting me half of the time. I think this game asks too much of the player that progression goes from 0 to 100 really fast. Combined with very poor level gimmicks like those stupid owls that you have to hit into place all the time because their dumbass can't stay in one position. It becomes frustrating so fast. The humor misses the mark a lot and while there maybe a good one or two jokes here it's not enough to make me care about what's happening on screen. I mainly stuck around for as long as I did for the platforming aspect. The platforming can be fun, when you're swinging together move after move seamlessly and you're in a platforming flow state I think that's where this game shines, but whenever I have fun i'm reminded of how annoying it is for the level design to send you back like 3 floors after falling. This game shines the most with its visuals and atmosphere, it has the perfect hazy N64 vibe and I enjoy it a lot. It's definitely one of the two reasons I kept playing at least. The music itself is also just ok, some are fine but there are tracks in here that I don't really find myself caring about all too much.

There's definitely a good foundation for a full game here but what i'm playing feels like a tech demo at most, for 7-8$ you get what you paid for but i've played cheaper games that are more fun than this. Check this one out at your own cost, I didn't like it, but I know a lot of people did.

so far, stellar blade might be game of the year for me. the combat, once upgraded and refined with the five different skill trees, feels surreal. one of the most fun combat systems i’ve experienced in quite a while. i get vibes from a few different games, ranging from nier, soulsborne titles, tomb raider and a bit of resident evil with some of the infected areas and secret research labs. the soundtrack is phenomenal and has become one of my favorites in gaming as well. eve herself is an entertaining character to watch grow and develop— even if i was a bit uninterested in her at first. the customization is really unique and the outfits are gorgeous, and as a girl, its clothing consists of styles i could see myself cosplaying in the future. the exploration alongside can/outfit collecting is never dull and feels so rewarding.

please consider playing this game, and don’t listen to the coomers on twitter that ruin the experience for casual gamers looking for a fun, new experience. there’s quite a bit of fan service but never does it in a distasteful way.

You’re trying to tell me these are mechs? They look like potential rayman characters

One of the last games released for the famicom during the shift to the super famicom in Japan, joy mech fight was nintendo’s last attempt to create a fighting game for the famicom (like what they did with urban champion). This game was actually never brought to the west until Nintendo switch online a year ago so uhh…good job Nintendo. Good to see the game finally got a localisation! Oh wait-

So because I can’t read what’s going on, I’m currently going off of what it says on the Wikipedia page. Dr. Emon and Dr. Walnuts create these really cool robots until walnuts steals them and plans world domination. Thankfully, Emon brings a robot called sukapon and turns him into a military robot to fight back against Walnuts and all his robots. Pretty simple plot.

Gameplay is your typical fighting game, though it has quite a lot of charm to it. In the story mode, you eventually get 36 available fighters, each with their own abilities that you can use. These can also be played in the multiplayer modes, and some are extremely easy to master. The story mode consists of beating 7 fighters per level until having to face a boss at the end. After finishing the boss, you move onto the next level.

Overall, whilst not the best game on the famicom, I must admit that joy mech fight has a really nice charm to it. And as one of the last famicom games, it has a really nice presentation that I love and it doesn’t feel stiff at all. It is probably one of the best fighting games on the famicom, but whether it is on a similar level to that of street fighter 2 or tekken is possibly a very big stretch.

Fun gameplay, really nice presentation, neat music, rayman if it was a fighting game

First off, can I just say how much I LOVE THE LOOK OF THIS GAME?? THIS IS SUCH A COOL LOOKING GAME THAT I'VE NOT SEEN DONE IN A LONG ASS TIME. If you weren't already charmed by this games visuals you'll be happy to hear that it doesn't slack on anything else either, how the fuck is a game that looks better than most Triple A titles on the market only 30 DOLLARS?? But i'm getting ahead of myself here, Hi-Fi Rush is a unique game because instead of following the conventional action game mechanics they decide to have a focus on rhythm based fighting. What does that mean? Well everything in this game is tweaked to sync with the in-game music, so when a beat happens you know exactly when an enemy will strike or move. All you have to do is get with the rhythm of it and plan accordingly, now this may seem like it'd be complicated but I assure you this game is very accessible when it comes to people who suck at rhythm games. So even if you're having trouble the game is not shy to throw you a bone, but once you get it, holy shit it's one of the most satisfying combat systems i've ever had the pleasure of playing with. This games levels aren't just combat though they also like to put a spin on it by having it be like a mini 3D platformer with puzzle elements and I appreciate that a lot. It's not just boss to boss as you'd think.

Main characters are extremely likeable, Chai and the others have some fun interactions between them, the story is pretty enjoyable and for a rhythm based game the music is rad as hell. It uses a lot of licensed music but you have the option to turn that off to listen to this games actual ost which i'd also recommend before you start. This game has endless loads of replayability because for starters its not a long game, so beating it will net you possibly the biggest post-game i've seen especially with the DLC add-ons in the newer versions of this game. I played on the PS5 and it was a perfect experience, no frame drops, everything ran well, and little to no bugs.

Yeah I mean if I haven't made it obvious, just buy this game, if you got a PS5 or an Xbox Series X you're doing yourself a disservice by not playing it, this used to be an Xbox exclusive but then they realized how peak this game is and they NEEDED to bring it to other consoles cause they were missing out on it. So happy it did finally come and I got to experience a new personal favorite game of all time. Will definitely be playing this one for weeks after I finished it.

This is what you're buying the Castlevania Advance Collection for, probably the most solid game in the series because can you believe after 2 attempts with Circle of the Moon and Harmony of Dissonance they would give us Aria of Sorrow. Everything about this game just hits and I think the soul mechanic is the best to date, the map is fun, there's tons of customization with Soma and his kits, and the replayability factor is huge because of it. It baffles me how good this game is after the previous 2 like seriously, they really cleaned up their act and locked in when making this one. It's so good it stands toe to toe with Symphony as the best Metroid Castlevania style game. If you were turned off by the previous two entries you gotta play this one, you'll be pleasantly surprised by its quality.

Well it's in every sense of the word a downgraded version of Rondo of Blood, cutscenes are removed, maria is no longer playable, alternate paths are gone, level select is gone, basically anything that made the original rondo so great is gone. What we have is a Richter who has a mid air control jump but also feels pretty stiff to control in general. Level design has seen a big hit in how they spam every level with those spear enemies and if you were to do a drinking game based on how many spear guys they plaster on the levels you'd probably die. The final dracula fight sucks, bottomless pits everywhere for the sake of making the boss challenging when in reality its just annoying.

Yeah this one just kinda sucks maybe don't play it.

Buckshot Roulette is a short and simple game of shotgun Russian Roulette between you and a… thing that calls itself “The Dealer”. The Dealer loads up the shotgun with a random number of shells and blanks, and you each take turns shooting the shotgun at either yourselves or your opponent. If you opt to shoot yourself, your opponent’s turn is skipped. You’re each hooked up to a defibrillator with a certain amount of charges that will bring you back to life if you get shot, but there is a limited number of times the defibrillator can be used. The game ends when either you or The Dealer run out of chances to use the defibrillator.

The game does spice things up a little bit by giving you items at the beginning of rounds that you can utilize to help yourself get an advantage. You can get a knife to saw off the end of the shotgun which causes it to do twice the amount of damage, a magnifying glass which lets you peek and see what round is currently loaded into the gun, handcuffs that prevent your opponent from taking a turn, a can of beer that lets you eject whatever round is currently loaded, and a pack of cigarettes that will restore a chance to use the defibrillator. However, The Dealer is also given these exact same items. This adds another layer of strategy to the game, where you’ll have to think about when you want to use the items you’re given, while also considering the items The Dealer has and when they will use them as well.

The game has a pretty cool, yet measured concept. Despite how intriguing The Dealer and the setting are, there isn’t really a narrative to speak of. If you win, you get a results screen and a case full of money. That’s all. The game itself can be figured out pretty easily and beaten in about 30 minutes. The core gameplay, while decent, doesn’t make for something that’s especially replayable in my opinion. I love its low-poly artstyle, and I really dig the techno track that plays in the background. Its presentation in general is really strong and immersive, especially given the game’s setup.

There’s just not a whole lot to this game, which is its only real issue. I had managed expectations going into Buckshot Roulette. I didn’t think that it’d be anything mindblowing considering it’s on sale for $3 on Steam (actually, I guess it technically is mindblowing now that I think about it…). I expected a short, but decent time and that’s exactly what I got. It’s a fun little flavor of the month type of indie game that I do think is worth the $3. Just know ahead of time that you’re really not going to get a whole lot of mileage with it.