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Star Wars: Hunters
2024
Pretty sure I download this game just to log it on here
Mega Man Zero
2002
This review contains spoilers
This game was my bisexual awakening. And what better way to celebrate Pride Month than reviewing Mega Man Zero?!?!?!
Mega Man Zero is a misunderstood classic that ranks among one of the best Mega Man games, and also as one my favorite games of all time. But honestly, yeah, it’s not surprising why it has such a mixed reception among the Mega Man community. The game is very good in my eyes, but leans pretty hard into the difficulty, which absolutely turned off some people, especially with the original GBA release (more on that at 11). However, Mega Man Zero was rereleased on most modern platforms with the release of the Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection. God, what a mouthful. I don't like abbreviating titles, but I just have to, at this point. MMZ/ZXLC (LMFAOOOOOO) added the Save Assist feature, which was essentially designated Save States with free healing. It's an optional feature, which is good, as I think it makes the games too easy in the scoring department, but most players have opted to leave it enabled. I personally leave it off, but hey, player accessibility should take priority above all else in my eyes. Having it as an option is great, for sure. And for the record, I left them on for my most recent playthrough. I've beaten all but Mega Man Zero 4 without them (and I have some major reservations about that game), and scoring really wasn't a priority for this playthrough. Even then, I still beat the game without many deaths. I've beaten Mega Man Zero several times beforehand, about… 6 or 7 times at this point? I should really start a Hard Mode playthrough at some point… But, without further ado, let's look at Mega Man Zero!
The game kicks off with a mysterious young girl, fairy, and a band of soldiers fighting off a mass of reploids, who look oddly like X. As the men continue to fall, the robots only continue to fire back. Eventually, this only leaves Ciel, and two other soldiers. As the reploids gain distance on the three, they come to a dead end, with a disfigured reploid in the same room, unconscious. Before they can take a look at the young robot, the X reploids arrive at the same room, and promptly kill the two soldiers, leaving only the girl and the fairy. Without any other options, the girl casts the fairy, named Passy, subsequently killing Passy, but revives the reploid, without memory of the past, kickstarting the first stage of the game.
Mega Man Zero takes the best elements of Mega Man X and simply adds to its already great gameplay, but with the tradeoff of having an incredibly high skill ceiling for newer players. It’s an incredibly difficult game to learn, but equally as satisfying to master. Your primary weapon of choice is the Z Saber, a close ranged combat tool, which slices enemies in two, while also doing great damage on its own, being a quintessential tool for combat. Your longer ranged option, the buster shot, is a long ranged tool, but is heavily nerfed from the X days. It does decent damage compared to the Z Saber, but can be charged up, making it a great room clearer. This balance between a great short ranged and long ranged attack plays well into Mega Man Zero’s high skill ceiling. Better players will typically wield the Z Saber a majority of the time, with efficiency and damage on it's side at the cost of putting the own player at risk, while newer players will typically stick with the Buster Shot, due to its solid damage and longer ranged potential, but not being as strong as the Z Saber. Only when you truly get great at the game will you use both in perfect conjunction, as well as the other two, optional weapons; the Shield Boomerang and Triple Rod. Both of these share similar design philosophies to the main two weapons. The Shield Boomerang deflects incoming fire, but lacks a good attack game, and the Triple Rod having a superb ground game, with a neutered air game. Additionally adding to the balance, is the Element Chips. After defeating certain bosses, the player can gain one of three Element Chips. For the love of god, DON'T skip these. They are crucial to succeeding in Mega Man Zero’s relentless combat. On top of being a part of the weakness chain of bosses, they also provide bonuses against enemies. From stunning to burn effects, one should almost always be equipped. I think these were amongst my favorite weapons in Mega Man history. I do like the weapons of traditional Mega Man, but Zero is much better in this regard. Not only do the weapons consume no ammo, encouraging experimentation, they're seamless in the combat. No potentially finicky weapons in the way of your weakness chain, charge and use your weapons like normal. It's certainly less varied, but it's so practical. Charge it up, and bam. Plus, even without elements, the Saber and Buster are needed for optimal times, rather than just spamming the same shot over and over again (hint hint, classic and x series). There's actually a strategy! The amount of depth that Mega Man Zero has is commendable for a GBA game. While the combo game would only keep improving in future games, Zero 1 is still remarkable in this regard. Look up Mega Man Zero: The Ultimate Disrespect, and you'll see what I mean. If Zero gets in Smash 6, he'd become among the most hated platform fighters in a WHILE. Combos are an entirely optional element of the Zero series, but I'm not saying that Zero lacks any tech at all. I'm not going to explain it all, but if you're curious, do look it up for yourself.
Mega Man Zero's high skill ceiling always brings me back for more and more runs. Starting out, Zero is a glass cannon. He can take some hits, but he's a pretty fragile character. This is a pretty big turn off for newcomers, but hear me out. While it's possible to turn Zero into a practically unkillable god, this would take multiple natural playthroughs to do, or takes hours of grinding, which is obviously pretty boring, and even when you do so, your rank suffers from it. Why? The Cyber Elves. These are one time use fairies that either install a permanent upgrade onto Zero, or provide a one-stage effect. Pro tip; avoid relying on these. A majority of them just aren't worth it for the hit to your rank alone. Maybe use the Health up ones, but other than that, they are almost entirely disposable. I usually never use any, except for a Health up or two, which are undoubtedly the ones that anyone should instantly feed and upgrade. But you're definitely tempted to use them, with how dishearteningly oppressive this game's world and difficulty are. Mega Man Zero is among the hardest games in my eyes, especially for casuals. You will get your shit promptly wrecked if you aren't careful. Enemies deal massive damage, instant kills are prominent, and the bosses can be pretty brutal. But MAN, crushing that A Rank always feels great. I always feel like my Rank parallels my own skill level with Mega Man Zero. And keeping that A Rank ain't easy. My 7th Grade English Teacher always told me, “You get a Free A when you enter this classroom, but you have to be able to uphold it.” Compare that to Mega Man Zero. If I'm eating shit one too many times, it always feels like my fault that I got a D Rank. The bosses and enemy design is almost perfectly fair. The stages allow you to speed through with grace, so long as you take the time to learn them. The game responds accordingly to your skill level, by adding some new boss attacks at A Rank or higher. And when you nail that A Rank, it's an immaculate feeling. Oh yeah, can I talk about the BOSSES?
First off, this gangster-ass song. Secondly, good. LORD. These bosses are goddamn awesome. The most perfectly challenging (but screw you Phantom), thrilling boss fights in gaming history. When you hear those loud-ass sirens, you know it's about to be a good beat down. The bosses truly feel intimidating, potentially even stronger than Zero himself. They can easily kill you off in seconds. They're quick, but all of their attacks are dodgeable. It's just a matter of actually getting skilled at the video game. You no longer feel like the lone Reploid. You ARE the lone Reploid, fighting for dear life, as he knows that only he Zero, can save the day. X and Axl may be gone, but Zero's still kicking ass. Anyways, what was I talking about? Oh, yeah. Anyways, the bosses are awesome. Yeah, not much more to say. All of them were bangers for the most part.
Of course, no game is perfect. I don’t have many major qualms with Mega Man Zero overall. It’s a foundationally solid game, but one with a few too many flaws, keeping it from a perfect 10/10 in my eyes. For one, fuck the Retry Chips system. Okay... “fuck” is a strong word. I just had to get my “fuck” quota out of the way. Anyways, on paper, the Retry System is similar to Devil May Cry’s Yellow Orbs. But the issue is that Retry Chips are scarce as hell in Mega Man Zero. In Devil May Cry, not only is Devil May Cry more forgiving in general, it's always super easy to find more. And if you can't find more, you always have the option of buying them. I'm not saying Mega Man Zero needs a shop, but upping the drop rate of them would be well appreciated. Now, as someone who's beaten Mega Man Zero several times, I could care less about not having the Retry Chips. I can very easily clear the game without any. But for newer players, this is a very punishing system. Because when you run out of Retry Chips, you're straight up out of Retry Chips. You don't get 2 extras upon finishing a mission; honestly the best way to fix this issue in this eyes. Also, note that when you Game Over, that's it. You can either give up on the mission and skip it (NEVER do this), or reload your save. And that can be a killer for some stages. Like PROTECT THE FACTORY!!! Easily the WORST stage in the game, in part to the GBA’s awful screen crunch. If I had like, 5 or 6 more pixels, this stage would be SO much better. You have these safe zones above moving platforms suspended in midair, but they're just BARELY low enough to see on the screen, so you have to awkwardly wall jump in order to see the platforms. This ruined an otherwise solid mission. I just straight up skip this mission whenever playing casually. It's too annoying to put up with. D Rank my ass for all that I care. Also, this is more of a nitpick, but I gotta say, Mega Man Zero would greatly benefit from some kind of tutorial. You're thrown into all these different systems and missions at once, and it's pretty difficult to get into the groove of things. Almost everything that I praised about Mega Man Zero is poorly explained, in my eyes. So 1 or 2 tutorials here or there would be well appreciated. And finally, a very small nitpick, Weapon Level Ups are weirdly irritating to me. I'm fine with unlocking the combos, but Charging should be a default IMO.
I usually never cover stories in my reviews, but for the Mega Man Zero series, I have to make an exception, because Mega Man Zero has a pretty cool story. It doesn’t go as hard as the following entries, but I still think it’s enjoyable from start to finish. As I previously stated, after a deep sleep, Zero awakens from his 100-year slumber, after Sigma was defeated in the X Series. But a lot can happen in a 100-year time span. Disregarding Zero, there’s seemingly no survivors from the X Series. X, Ailia, Axl? Nope. They’re all gone. After the final confrontation with Sigma, a new government, dubbed Neo Arcadia, would be formed out of what was left in the X Series. However, the Neo Arcadians are highly unjust, slaying any Reploids that come their way. Ciel, a young girl, would flee Neo Arcadia and form a Resistance, believing that the Reploids were wrongly executed. This is where Zero, in a coma at this point, comes in and saves Ciel. Zero is truly the last hope for the Resistance. As we saw in the intro, the Neo Arcadians aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty for their own sake. So, Zero agrees to help fight back, to save the Reploid race. While I did state that X was technically deceased, he lives on in two different forms. X, the X we see in Mega Man X, and Copy X, a false X, and the leader of Neo Arcadia, created by Ciel, having a crucial flaw of lacking any sense of moral judgment. X assists Zero, by giving him his saber, while Copy X only wants to see Zero’s ashes. And stopping Copy X ain’t easy either. Because, at his disposal are the Four Guardians, Sage Harpuia, the hot one, Fairy Leviathan, the one that wants the D:/ drive and fast, Fighting Fefnir, the token hothead of the bunch, and Hidden Phantom, the cool ninja one. I really like these four. They’re pretty intimidating, having a unique battle intro theme, that sounds… holy??? IDK, but it’s still cool, but who cares. Oh yeah, can I talk about Zero 1’s stellar world building? Zero 1 is a semi-open world game. Sure, you can always stick down in the Resistance, but do a few dozen wall jumps, and you’re on the surface! Almost everything is connected in Mega Man Zero, and missions also affect the world as well. After the “Retrieve Data” mission, the Underground Laboratory is permanently locked off, as the area begins to collapse when Maha Ganeshariff is defeated. It’s a nice attention to detail, and it actually made me care about what happened to the world. Speaking of the world, once all missions are fully completed, Zero can finally head straight for Neo Arcadia, with the help of Spirit X. After Ciel says her goodbyes, it’s time to get Copy X’s head on a wall! The final missions are also pretty solid, but that leaves us with the final battle. Copy X vs Zero! This is, in my opinion, the hardest of the fights in the game. Copy X, specifically his second phase, does pretty crazy damage. It’s not impossible by any means, but I did almost Game Over on my first try. But, after Copy X is defeated, Neo Arcadia begins to fall, leaving Zero alone in the Desert, with Spirit X passing over the torch to Zero. Shortly after this happens, Zero notices a horde of Reploids coming towards him. With no other option, the war on Neo Arcadia begins, as Zero tears straight through the robot, concluding Mega Man Zero
Casting aside my gripes with Mega Man Zero, Mega Man Zero is a one of a kind masterpiece. It's up there with the best GBA games in my eyes. It's one of the most challenging, but also most replayable games that I've played thus far. Its low points are definitely pretty low, though, which is why I hesitate to give it a perfect 5 star. I still do love it though, and it’s been a constant replay of mine over the years. I recommend giving it a shot if you can. If you didn’t like it at first, I may suggest turning on the checkpoints in the Switch release, which seems to be a popular option among fans. But, that’s all I have to say right now. Zero 1 is a pretty good game!
okay imma go back to bayonetta origins now i swear….
Mega Man Zero is a misunderstood classic that ranks among one of the best Mega Man games, and also as one my favorite games of all time. But honestly, yeah, it’s not surprising why it has such a mixed reception among the Mega Man community. The game is very good in my eyes, but leans pretty hard into the difficulty, which absolutely turned off some people, especially with the original GBA release (more on that at 11). However, Mega Man Zero was rereleased on most modern platforms with the release of the Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection. God, what a mouthful. I don't like abbreviating titles, but I just have to, at this point. MMZ/ZXLC (LMFAOOOOOO) added the Save Assist feature, which was essentially designated Save States with free healing. It's an optional feature, which is good, as I think it makes the games too easy in the scoring department, but most players have opted to leave it enabled. I personally leave it off, but hey, player accessibility should take priority above all else in my eyes. Having it as an option is great, for sure. And for the record, I left them on for my most recent playthrough. I've beaten all but Mega Man Zero 4 without them (and I have some major reservations about that game), and scoring really wasn't a priority for this playthrough. Even then, I still beat the game without many deaths. I've beaten Mega Man Zero several times beforehand, about… 6 or 7 times at this point? I should really start a Hard Mode playthrough at some point… But, without further ado, let's look at Mega Man Zero!
The game kicks off with a mysterious young girl, fairy, and a band of soldiers fighting off a mass of reploids, who look oddly like X. As the men continue to fall, the robots only continue to fire back. Eventually, this only leaves Ciel, and two other soldiers. As the reploids gain distance on the three, they come to a dead end, with a disfigured reploid in the same room, unconscious. Before they can take a look at the young robot, the X reploids arrive at the same room, and promptly kill the two soldiers, leaving only the girl and the fairy. Without any other options, the girl casts the fairy, named Passy, subsequently killing Passy, but revives the reploid, without memory of the past, kickstarting the first stage of the game.
Mega Man Zero takes the best elements of Mega Man X and simply adds to its already great gameplay, but with the tradeoff of having an incredibly high skill ceiling for newer players. It’s an incredibly difficult game to learn, but equally as satisfying to master. Your primary weapon of choice is the Z Saber, a close ranged combat tool, which slices enemies in two, while also doing great damage on its own, being a quintessential tool for combat. Your longer ranged option, the buster shot, is a long ranged tool, but is heavily nerfed from the X days. It does decent damage compared to the Z Saber, but can be charged up, making it a great room clearer. This balance between a great short ranged and long ranged attack plays well into Mega Man Zero’s high skill ceiling. Better players will typically wield the Z Saber a majority of the time, with efficiency and damage on it's side at the cost of putting the own player at risk, while newer players will typically stick with the Buster Shot, due to its solid damage and longer ranged potential, but not being as strong as the Z Saber. Only when you truly get great at the game will you use both in perfect conjunction, as well as the other two, optional weapons; the Shield Boomerang and Triple Rod. Both of these share similar design philosophies to the main two weapons. The Shield Boomerang deflects incoming fire, but lacks a good attack game, and the Triple Rod having a superb ground game, with a neutered air game. Additionally adding to the balance, is the Element Chips. After defeating certain bosses, the player can gain one of three Element Chips. For the love of god, DON'T skip these. They are crucial to succeeding in Mega Man Zero’s relentless combat. On top of being a part of the weakness chain of bosses, they also provide bonuses against enemies. From stunning to burn effects, one should almost always be equipped. I think these were amongst my favorite weapons in Mega Man history. I do like the weapons of traditional Mega Man, but Zero is much better in this regard. Not only do the weapons consume no ammo, encouraging experimentation, they're seamless in the combat. No potentially finicky weapons in the way of your weakness chain, charge and use your weapons like normal. It's certainly less varied, but it's so practical. Charge it up, and bam. Plus, even without elements, the Saber and Buster are needed for optimal times, rather than just spamming the same shot over and over again (hint hint, classic and x series). There's actually a strategy! The amount of depth that Mega Man Zero has is commendable for a GBA game. While the combo game would only keep improving in future games, Zero 1 is still remarkable in this regard. Look up Mega Man Zero: The Ultimate Disrespect, and you'll see what I mean. If Zero gets in Smash 6, he'd become among the most hated platform fighters in a WHILE. Combos are an entirely optional element of the Zero series, but I'm not saying that Zero lacks any tech at all. I'm not going to explain it all, but if you're curious, do look it up for yourself.
Mega Man Zero's high skill ceiling always brings me back for more and more runs. Starting out, Zero is a glass cannon. He can take some hits, but he's a pretty fragile character. This is a pretty big turn off for newcomers, but hear me out. While it's possible to turn Zero into a practically unkillable god, this would take multiple natural playthroughs to do, or takes hours of grinding, which is obviously pretty boring, and even when you do so, your rank suffers from it. Why? The Cyber Elves. These are one time use fairies that either install a permanent upgrade onto Zero, or provide a one-stage effect. Pro tip; avoid relying on these. A majority of them just aren't worth it for the hit to your rank alone. Maybe use the Health up ones, but other than that, they are almost entirely disposable. I usually never use any, except for a Health up or two, which are undoubtedly the ones that anyone should instantly feed and upgrade. But you're definitely tempted to use them, with how dishearteningly oppressive this game's world and difficulty are. Mega Man Zero is among the hardest games in my eyes, especially for casuals. You will get your shit promptly wrecked if you aren't careful. Enemies deal massive damage, instant kills are prominent, and the bosses can be pretty brutal. But MAN, crushing that A Rank always feels great. I always feel like my Rank parallels my own skill level with Mega Man Zero. And keeping that A Rank ain't easy. My 7th Grade English Teacher always told me, “You get a Free A when you enter this classroom, but you have to be able to uphold it.” Compare that to Mega Man Zero. If I'm eating shit one too many times, it always feels like my fault that I got a D Rank. The bosses and enemy design is almost perfectly fair. The stages allow you to speed through with grace, so long as you take the time to learn them. The game responds accordingly to your skill level, by adding some new boss attacks at A Rank or higher. And when you nail that A Rank, it's an immaculate feeling. Oh yeah, can I talk about the BOSSES?
First off, this gangster-ass song. Secondly, good. LORD. These bosses are goddamn awesome. The most perfectly challenging (but screw you Phantom), thrilling boss fights in gaming history. When you hear those loud-ass sirens, you know it's about to be a good beat down. The bosses truly feel intimidating, potentially even stronger than Zero himself. They can easily kill you off in seconds. They're quick, but all of their attacks are dodgeable. It's just a matter of actually getting skilled at the video game. You no longer feel like the lone Reploid. You ARE the lone Reploid, fighting for dear life, as he knows that only he Zero, can save the day. X and Axl may be gone, but Zero's still kicking ass. Anyways, what was I talking about? Oh, yeah. Anyways, the bosses are awesome. Yeah, not much more to say. All of them were bangers for the most part.
Of course, no game is perfect. I don’t have many major qualms with Mega Man Zero overall. It’s a foundationally solid game, but one with a few too many flaws, keeping it from a perfect 10/10 in my eyes. For one, fuck the Retry Chips system. Okay... “fuck” is a strong word. I just had to get my “fuck” quota out of the way. Anyways, on paper, the Retry System is similar to Devil May Cry’s Yellow Orbs. But the issue is that Retry Chips are scarce as hell in Mega Man Zero. In Devil May Cry, not only is Devil May Cry more forgiving in general, it's always super easy to find more. And if you can't find more, you always have the option of buying them. I'm not saying Mega Man Zero needs a shop, but upping the drop rate of them would be well appreciated. Now, as someone who's beaten Mega Man Zero several times, I could care less about not having the Retry Chips. I can very easily clear the game without any. But for newer players, this is a very punishing system. Because when you run out of Retry Chips, you're straight up out of Retry Chips. You don't get 2 extras upon finishing a mission; honestly the best way to fix this issue in this eyes. Also, note that when you Game Over, that's it. You can either give up on the mission and skip it (NEVER do this), or reload your save. And that can be a killer for some stages. Like PROTECT THE FACTORY!!! Easily the WORST stage in the game, in part to the GBA’s awful screen crunch. If I had like, 5 or 6 more pixels, this stage would be SO much better. You have these safe zones above moving platforms suspended in midair, but they're just BARELY low enough to see on the screen, so you have to awkwardly wall jump in order to see the platforms. This ruined an otherwise solid mission. I just straight up skip this mission whenever playing casually. It's too annoying to put up with. D Rank my ass for all that I care. Also, this is more of a nitpick, but I gotta say, Mega Man Zero would greatly benefit from some kind of tutorial. You're thrown into all these different systems and missions at once, and it's pretty difficult to get into the groove of things. Almost everything that I praised about Mega Man Zero is poorly explained, in my eyes. So 1 or 2 tutorials here or there would be well appreciated. And finally, a very small nitpick, Weapon Level Ups are weirdly irritating to me. I'm fine with unlocking the combos, but Charging should be a default IMO.
I usually never cover stories in my reviews, but for the Mega Man Zero series, I have to make an exception, because Mega Man Zero has a pretty cool story. It doesn’t go as hard as the following entries, but I still think it’s enjoyable from start to finish. As I previously stated, after a deep sleep, Zero awakens from his 100-year slumber, after Sigma was defeated in the X Series. But a lot can happen in a 100-year time span. Disregarding Zero, there’s seemingly no survivors from the X Series. X, Ailia, Axl? Nope. They’re all gone. After the final confrontation with Sigma, a new government, dubbed Neo Arcadia, would be formed out of what was left in the X Series. However, the Neo Arcadians are highly unjust, slaying any Reploids that come their way. Ciel, a young girl, would flee Neo Arcadia and form a Resistance, believing that the Reploids were wrongly executed. This is where Zero, in a coma at this point, comes in and saves Ciel. Zero is truly the last hope for the Resistance. As we saw in the intro, the Neo Arcadians aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty for their own sake. So, Zero agrees to help fight back, to save the Reploid race. While I did state that X was technically deceased, he lives on in two different forms. X, the X we see in Mega Man X, and Copy X, a false X, and the leader of Neo Arcadia, created by Ciel, having a crucial flaw of lacking any sense of moral judgment. X assists Zero, by giving him his saber, while Copy X only wants to see Zero’s ashes. And stopping Copy X ain’t easy either. Because, at his disposal are the Four Guardians, Sage Harpuia, the hot one, Fairy Leviathan, the one that wants the D:/ drive and fast, Fighting Fefnir, the token hothead of the bunch, and Hidden Phantom, the cool ninja one. I really like these four. They’re pretty intimidating, having a unique battle intro theme, that sounds… holy??? IDK, but it’s still cool, but who cares. Oh yeah, can I talk about Zero 1’s stellar world building? Zero 1 is a semi-open world game. Sure, you can always stick down in the Resistance, but do a few dozen wall jumps, and you’re on the surface! Almost everything is connected in Mega Man Zero, and missions also affect the world as well. After the “Retrieve Data” mission, the Underground Laboratory is permanently locked off, as the area begins to collapse when Maha Ganeshariff is defeated. It’s a nice attention to detail, and it actually made me care about what happened to the world. Speaking of the world, once all missions are fully completed, Zero can finally head straight for Neo Arcadia, with the help of Spirit X. After Ciel says her goodbyes, it’s time to get Copy X’s head on a wall! The final missions are also pretty solid, but that leaves us with the final battle. Copy X vs Zero! This is, in my opinion, the hardest of the fights in the game. Copy X, specifically his second phase, does pretty crazy damage. It’s not impossible by any means, but I did almost Game Over on my first try. But, after Copy X is defeated, Neo Arcadia begins to fall, leaving Zero alone in the Desert, with Spirit X passing over the torch to Zero. Shortly after this happens, Zero notices a horde of Reploids coming towards him. With no other option, the war on Neo Arcadia begins, as Zero tears straight through the robot, concluding Mega Man Zero
Casting aside my gripes with Mega Man Zero, Mega Man Zero is a one of a kind masterpiece. It's up there with the best GBA games in my eyes. It's one of the most challenging, but also most replayable games that I've played thus far. Its low points are definitely pretty low, though, which is why I hesitate to give it a perfect 5 star. I still do love it though, and it’s been a constant replay of mine over the years. I recommend giving it a shot if you can. If you didn’t like it at first, I may suggest turning on the checkpoints in the Switch release, which seems to be a popular option among fans. But, that’s all I have to say right now. Zero 1 is a pretty good game!
okay imma go back to bayonetta origins now i swear….
Dragon's Dogma II
2024
Dragon's Dogma II is a weird, complicated, somewhat frustrating, yet ultimately fun and rewarding experience. It does not hold your hand, it's often janky, but the overall game was mostly a fun time.
Combat is great, aided by your ability to change vocations at anytime while also finding new vocations throughout your run. They all play very differently and it's a blast to try out a new one when you get them. Unfortunately, they have mastery attached to them, which was only an issue as I found two unique vocations VERY late in the game and I just could not use them for lack of funds for weapons and armor as well as just being unable to deal significant damage. It was a bummer.
The pawns are also a fascinating choice. You're given one permanent pawn who you create and can change their inventory and vocation whenever you want, but you can also hire two additional pawns to help, which seems like a prerequisite if you want to survive some of the harder fights. They are mostly intelligent with how they combat enemies, although sometimes fall to their death in very annoying ways. I wish there was an online co-op element, but that would change the game in large ways, so I understand it's omission. Still, I feel this would had made the game a bit more fun, as near the back half, things begin to feel a bit samesy.
The enemy variety is simply not wide enough, and endgame fights are mostly annoying and pointless besides certain larger creatures and bosses. Without spoiling anything, there are parts near the end that require a lot of travel on foot, albeit with some fast travel available, and after the 12th monster interruption on your path, my sighs could not have been louder. Travel in general was extremely challenging, long, and arduous and it was very fun in the beginning! However, 20-30 hours in, it becomes more annoying than anything else.
The game is a fun time despite its often cryptic nature. I don't like checking online for what to do, and I try to avoid it as often as possible, but there were at least two points where I simply had no idea what was going on or what to do in a situation that I KNEW something needed to happen in order for me to progress. One wound up being a bug, which sucked but I was able to circumvent it, but the other had an answer I simply would have never thought of. There's cryptic, and then there's Simon's Quest red orb tornado shit cryptic. Like, don't do that, that's dumb and bad and not fun. Stop it. That being said, I still find myself enjoying being lost and a little confused, as you often don't get that from major video games anymore. It's thrilling not knowing exactly what to do, up to a point, and I'm glad it's here despite my gripes.
The story is good, but not great, with well written characters but often mediocre voice acting. They definitely need to hire more people as it was painfully obvious half of the voices were the same people just pitched up or down, which is KINDA embarrassing. The main characters, however, are generally great. There is a love interest part, but it's mostly meaningless which is a shame.
I feel like a New Game Plus run of this down the line will be fun, as you keep all your items and levels, so playing some of the other vocations will be more doable the second time through. Despite some finicky quests that just aren't clear and some lacking enemy variety, the game as a whole a very fun experience. Capcom knows what they're doing and this is proof of that yet again.
Also your pawns just talk too much. Like goddamn, shut up dude, PLEASE shut up.
Combat is great, aided by your ability to change vocations at anytime while also finding new vocations throughout your run. They all play very differently and it's a blast to try out a new one when you get them. Unfortunately, they have mastery attached to them, which was only an issue as I found two unique vocations VERY late in the game and I just could not use them for lack of funds for weapons and armor as well as just being unable to deal significant damage. It was a bummer.
The pawns are also a fascinating choice. You're given one permanent pawn who you create and can change their inventory and vocation whenever you want, but you can also hire two additional pawns to help, which seems like a prerequisite if you want to survive some of the harder fights. They are mostly intelligent with how they combat enemies, although sometimes fall to their death in very annoying ways. I wish there was an online co-op element, but that would change the game in large ways, so I understand it's omission. Still, I feel this would had made the game a bit more fun, as near the back half, things begin to feel a bit samesy.
The enemy variety is simply not wide enough, and endgame fights are mostly annoying and pointless besides certain larger creatures and bosses. Without spoiling anything, there are parts near the end that require a lot of travel on foot, albeit with some fast travel available, and after the 12th monster interruption on your path, my sighs could not have been louder. Travel in general was extremely challenging, long, and arduous and it was very fun in the beginning! However, 20-30 hours in, it becomes more annoying than anything else.
The game is a fun time despite its often cryptic nature. I don't like checking online for what to do, and I try to avoid it as often as possible, but there were at least two points where I simply had no idea what was going on or what to do in a situation that I KNEW something needed to happen in order for me to progress. One wound up being a bug, which sucked but I was able to circumvent it, but the other had an answer I simply would have never thought of. There's cryptic, and then there's Simon's Quest red orb tornado shit cryptic. Like, don't do that, that's dumb and bad and not fun. Stop it. That being said, I still find myself enjoying being lost and a little confused, as you often don't get that from major video games anymore. It's thrilling not knowing exactly what to do, up to a point, and I'm glad it's here despite my gripes.
The story is good, but not great, with well written characters but often mediocre voice acting. They definitely need to hire more people as it was painfully obvious half of the voices were the same people just pitched up or down, which is KINDA embarrassing. The main characters, however, are generally great. There is a love interest part, but it's mostly meaningless which is a shame.
I feel like a New Game Plus run of this down the line will be fun, as you keep all your items and levels, so playing some of the other vocations will be more doable the second time through. Despite some finicky quests that just aren't clear and some lacking enemy variety, the game as a whole a very fun experience. Capcom knows what they're doing and this is proof of that yet again.
Also your pawns just talk too much. Like goddamn, shut up dude, PLEASE shut up.
Pepper Grinder
2024
Ah. That’s more like it.
As the one person I know who likes Donkey Kong Country, Drill Dozer, and that one burrowing escape sequence from Ori and the Will of the Wisps, I knew Pepper Grinder was going to be right up my alley. What impressed me though, was just how precisely the game melded its influences into something that felt simultaneously fresh yet familiar. The level design is classic obstacle escalation (introduce a concept, scale it up, throw in a twist, and then run the player through a final exam into their victory lap) with DKC inspired secrets with skull coin collectibles for unlocking secret levels. Many of the usual formula beats are present as well to force execution tests, from the usual moving parts in the forms of cannons, rope swings, and grappling points, to constantly present sources of danger like the freezing ocean or the temporary dirt patches created from cooling lava. What sets Pepper Grinder apart however, is that the terrain itself is the main obstacle. It feels like such a natural pairing to seamlessly mesh environmental navigation with the course’s very foundation, and the best moments of the game lean into funneling the player through various layers of shifting and isolated terrain while tearing through all that may stand in their way.
That said, I think to really understand the nuances of Pepper Grinder, one has to readily commit to its time attack mode. I could have been sold on the game-feel alone as an amalgam of Donkey Kong Country’s momentum physics and Drill Dozer’s force feedback, but playing under circumstances that force you to squeeze every possible second out of the timer gives the player a better appreciation of its movement mechanics. Pepper is not very fast on foot, nor can she naturally jump very far. Therefore, you’d think that most speed comes from tunneling through terrain, but it’s not quite that either. Rather, the player has to maintain momentum through the interplay of drilling and jumping by exiting terrain via the drill run (boosting right as you’re about to leave a patch of dirt), which commits the player to the projected arc leaving the terrain but with the reward of significantly more speed. The result is some of the weightiest and most satisfying movement I have ever experienced in any platformer. I was constantly figuring out new ways to save seconds by timing by boosts both within terrain and right before exiting terrain (since you can’t just spam boost and using it too early can lock you out from getting the necessary boost jump out of terrain), skipping certain obstacles entirely with well-placed drill runs, and figuring out how to manage my health to bypass unfavorable cycles and damage boost past mines and thorns. Some of those gold time attack medals were tight ordeals, but I absolutely savored every moment of the grind.
Bosses as a whole are a significant improvement from the usual quality of those in Donkey Kong Country. You’re not safe just waiting above ground, and burrowing to dodge attacks forces you to at least dash-dance underground since drilling means you can’t stay in one place. As a result, the player is constantly on the move, and you’re incentivized to do so anyways given that most of the bosses require multiple hits to defeat and aren’t the usual “invincible until they’re done attacking” crop from DKC. The biggest complaint I can levy here is that boss hit/hurtboxes can feel imprecise; I’ve heard that many players have had difficulty figuring out how to correctly drill into the beetle boss’s underbelly, and while I had no issues there, I did die a few times from the skeleton king’s heel hitbox where there was no visible attack in its vicinity. Still, I much prefer these boss fights over many of its peers, and figuring out when and how to best aim drill runs from the ground to speedrun bosses was just as much of a pleasure as speedrunning the courses themselves.
There are a few questionable design choices that could be touched upon here. Firstly, there’s a shop system present where you can purchase optional stickers from a gacha machine as well as temporary health boosts. The former is mostly forgivable given that they don’t impact the gameplay otherwise and can be cleared in about three minutes of purchasing and opening capsules. That said, I feel as if the latter could be removed entirely given that I never felt pressured to purchase insurance for courses and bosses, especially because I was often taking hits anyways to skip past obstacles and because you’re not going to regain the extra health capacity in-level once it’s gone. Secondly, bosses in time-attack mode force you to watch their opening unskippable cutscenes before getting to the action, and this gets extremely irritating when you’re constantly restarting fights to get better times. Finally, Pepper Grinder has a few gimmick areas in the forms of a couple of robot platforming segments, two snowmobile sections where you just hold forward on the control stick, and a couple of run-and-gun levels with little drilling involved. I can look past most of these given that they don’t take up much time and that I enjoyed all the minecart levels from DKC as is, though I do wish that they spaced the gimmicks apart a bit more given that levels 4-3 and 4-4 both have significant run and gun segments sending each course off.
If I did have any lasting complaints, it would be that I just want more of this game. Most players will finish adventure mode in under four hours. That said, even despite a lack of polish here and there, I absolutely adore Pepper Grinder. At this time of writing, I’ve 100%ed the game and even gone back to a few time trials after snagging all the gold medals just to further polish my records. It’s often difficult for me to pin down what makes a game feel good to play, but in this case, I just know. Pepper Grinder feels like an adrenaline rush made just for me, and though its execution barriers and short length will likely make this a tough sell for many, it is undoubtably some of the most fun I have had with a game this year. If you’re curious or enjoy anything that I’ve discussed in this write-up, please give the demo a shot. They don’t make 2D platformers like this anymore, and Pepper Grinder’s existence leaves me wondering why when they absolutely killed it on their first try.
As the one person I know who likes Donkey Kong Country, Drill Dozer, and that one burrowing escape sequence from Ori and the Will of the Wisps, I knew Pepper Grinder was going to be right up my alley. What impressed me though, was just how precisely the game melded its influences into something that felt simultaneously fresh yet familiar. The level design is classic obstacle escalation (introduce a concept, scale it up, throw in a twist, and then run the player through a final exam into their victory lap) with DKC inspired secrets with skull coin collectibles for unlocking secret levels. Many of the usual formula beats are present as well to force execution tests, from the usual moving parts in the forms of cannons, rope swings, and grappling points, to constantly present sources of danger like the freezing ocean or the temporary dirt patches created from cooling lava. What sets Pepper Grinder apart however, is that the terrain itself is the main obstacle. It feels like such a natural pairing to seamlessly mesh environmental navigation with the course’s very foundation, and the best moments of the game lean into funneling the player through various layers of shifting and isolated terrain while tearing through all that may stand in their way.
That said, I think to really understand the nuances of Pepper Grinder, one has to readily commit to its time attack mode. I could have been sold on the game-feel alone as an amalgam of Donkey Kong Country’s momentum physics and Drill Dozer’s force feedback, but playing under circumstances that force you to squeeze every possible second out of the timer gives the player a better appreciation of its movement mechanics. Pepper is not very fast on foot, nor can she naturally jump very far. Therefore, you’d think that most speed comes from tunneling through terrain, but it’s not quite that either. Rather, the player has to maintain momentum through the interplay of drilling and jumping by exiting terrain via the drill run (boosting right as you’re about to leave a patch of dirt), which commits the player to the projected arc leaving the terrain but with the reward of significantly more speed. The result is some of the weightiest and most satisfying movement I have ever experienced in any platformer. I was constantly figuring out new ways to save seconds by timing by boosts both within terrain and right before exiting terrain (since you can’t just spam boost and using it too early can lock you out from getting the necessary boost jump out of terrain), skipping certain obstacles entirely with well-placed drill runs, and figuring out how to manage my health to bypass unfavorable cycles and damage boost past mines and thorns. Some of those gold time attack medals were tight ordeals, but I absolutely savored every moment of the grind.
Bosses as a whole are a significant improvement from the usual quality of those in Donkey Kong Country. You’re not safe just waiting above ground, and burrowing to dodge attacks forces you to at least dash-dance underground since drilling means you can’t stay in one place. As a result, the player is constantly on the move, and you’re incentivized to do so anyways given that most of the bosses require multiple hits to defeat and aren’t the usual “invincible until they’re done attacking” crop from DKC. The biggest complaint I can levy here is that boss hit/hurtboxes can feel imprecise; I’ve heard that many players have had difficulty figuring out how to correctly drill into the beetle boss’s underbelly, and while I had no issues there, I did die a few times from the skeleton king’s heel hitbox where there was no visible attack in its vicinity. Still, I much prefer these boss fights over many of its peers, and figuring out when and how to best aim drill runs from the ground to speedrun bosses was just as much of a pleasure as speedrunning the courses themselves.
There are a few questionable design choices that could be touched upon here. Firstly, there’s a shop system present where you can purchase optional stickers from a gacha machine as well as temporary health boosts. The former is mostly forgivable given that they don’t impact the gameplay otherwise and can be cleared in about three minutes of purchasing and opening capsules. That said, I feel as if the latter could be removed entirely given that I never felt pressured to purchase insurance for courses and bosses, especially because I was often taking hits anyways to skip past obstacles and because you’re not going to regain the extra health capacity in-level once it’s gone. Secondly, bosses in time-attack mode force you to watch their opening unskippable cutscenes before getting to the action, and this gets extremely irritating when you’re constantly restarting fights to get better times. Finally, Pepper Grinder has a few gimmick areas in the forms of a couple of robot platforming segments, two snowmobile sections where you just hold forward on the control stick, and a couple of run-and-gun levels with little drilling involved. I can look past most of these given that they don’t take up much time and that I enjoyed all the minecart levels from DKC as is, though I do wish that they spaced the gimmicks apart a bit more given that levels 4-3 and 4-4 both have significant run and gun segments sending each course off.
If I did have any lasting complaints, it would be that I just want more of this game. Most players will finish adventure mode in under four hours. That said, even despite a lack of polish here and there, I absolutely adore Pepper Grinder. At this time of writing, I’ve 100%ed the game and even gone back to a few time trials after snagging all the gold medals just to further polish my records. It’s often difficult for me to pin down what makes a game feel good to play, but in this case, I just know. Pepper Grinder feels like an adrenaline rush made just for me, and though its execution barriers and short length will likely make this a tough sell for many, it is undoubtably some of the most fun I have had with a game this year. If you’re curious or enjoy anything that I’ve discussed in this write-up, please give the demo a shot. They don’t make 2D platformers like this anymore, and Pepper Grinder’s existence leaves me wondering why when they absolutely killed it on their first try.
Resident Evil 4
2023
An absolute masterclass in how to remake a game from several generations back, Resident Evil 4 keeps everything you remember being cool and updating things you forgot were outdated and does it all with style and perfection.
The story is B movie excellence and I love every second of it. Leon is a quip machine and a hell of a hero and every other character is wonderfully realized. Ashley, in particular, is someone I truly care about getting off the island alive and well. Luis is a suave and shady wingman. Ada, despite some flat voicework now and again, is a perfect self-serving yet still on-your-side counterpart. Even Mike the chopper pilot is a great addition and you can't even see his face! The story and characters sing at every moment, and the villains also bring a much needed screen-chewing presence. I love Krauser a LOT.
The gameplay is also top notch, setting a standard that I'm sure will be replicated for years to come. Precise aiming controls, great change ups to how you fight enemies throughout the game, and some truly memorable boss fights culminate in an absolutely stunning experience for the full playthrough.
I'm a big fat dumb baby when it comes to horror, but the balance between scary moments and action thrills is JUST right here. The Regenerators had me pausing the game and just cursing to myself, like it would make them go away. But an hour later I'd be blasting ganados with a shotgun and grinning as they all flew down a staircase.
I watched other people play the original 2005 game (see: big fat dumb baby) and the changes they made here like removing QTEs and updating character dialog and story (Ashley is massively improved) are all exactly what it needed to maintain both a remembrance for what came and an update for what is.
RE4 is a blast to play from beginning to end. Highly recommend. (It also has a gun called Killer7 which not only kicks ass as a weapon, but references one of my absolute favorite games.)
The story is B movie excellence and I love every second of it. Leon is a quip machine and a hell of a hero and every other character is wonderfully realized. Ashley, in particular, is someone I truly care about getting off the island alive and well. Luis is a suave and shady wingman. Ada, despite some flat voicework now and again, is a perfect self-serving yet still on-your-side counterpart. Even Mike the chopper pilot is a great addition and you can't even see his face! The story and characters sing at every moment, and the villains also bring a much needed screen-chewing presence. I love Krauser a LOT.
The gameplay is also top notch, setting a standard that I'm sure will be replicated for years to come. Precise aiming controls, great change ups to how you fight enemies throughout the game, and some truly memorable boss fights culminate in an absolutely stunning experience for the full playthrough.
I'm a big fat dumb baby when it comes to horror, but the balance between scary moments and action thrills is JUST right here. The Regenerators had me pausing the game and just cursing to myself, like it would make them go away. But an hour later I'd be blasting ganados with a shotgun and grinning as they all flew down a staircase.
I watched other people play the original 2005 game (see: big fat dumb baby) and the changes they made here like removing QTEs and updating character dialog and story (Ashley is massively improved) are all exactly what it needed to maintain both a remembrance for what came and an update for what is.
RE4 is a blast to play from beginning to end. Highly recommend. (It also has a gun called Killer7 which not only kicks ass as a weapon, but references one of my absolute favorite games.)
Myst
2020
my gf and i played it and the game was fine but the s*x afterward was fire
Somewhere inside hides
a compelling score of 10.
Fleshed out and built up.
Vibrant colors fall
like leaves enveloping the
labyrinth in charm.
Beckoned to explore,
find secrets, and discover
truth, this was heaven.
Yet an ending came
for which I was not prepared.
I still wanted more.
A second act was needed.
Perfection, just missed.
a compelling score of 10.
Fleshed out and built up.
Vibrant colors fall
like leaves enveloping the
labyrinth in charm.
Beckoned to explore,
find secrets, and discover
truth, this was heaven.
Yet an ending came
for which I was not prepared.
I still wanted more.
A second act was needed.
Perfection, just missed.
Really enjoyable but sadly cut short, this is basically an indie castlevania clone with its own flourishes so if you like sotn style castlevania games (with multiple weapons and spells and such) you’ll probably love this. Infact, gameplay wise, I may even like it more than sotn and aria of sorrow, which is high praise, because it offers a really interesting and unique elemental spirit system that is fun to use and a bunch of welcome quality of life changes like being able to strike diagonally and upwards. The bow is also a great addition but can be a little awkward to control. There’s a great range of weapons, and though its very linear, the action is constant and rewarding, encouraging aggressive, close quarters fighting instead of hunkering down and fighting from a distance, since you want to keep your elementals’ ‘meters’ up to dish out max damage and gradually restore hp.
This is also a gorgeous looking game with some really wonderful pixel art and animations. There’s weight and intensity behind all attacks and genuine expressiveness in its characters and sentimental moments which is often missing from similarly styled games. Deedlit is a cool character with a fabulous design and the story is quite lean and easy to follow, but still meaningful and drives the game forward nicely.
Despite the lovely animations and effects in isolation though, boss fights can be a bit of a visual mess, with too much busyness to keep track of things, especially when you need to watch your tiny hp, ap and both elemental bars whilst you’re fighting. Its nice having enemy health bars onscreen mind you, and sometimes the cluttered visuals were cool in their own right during particularly frantic encounters, but there’s also times where the very intentional, methodical vania style combat verges on being a bullet hell game and it doesn’t really work too well. This, the length and maybe some grating audio does hold it back a little, but not enough to make this anything but a great metroidvania that is 100% worth checking out.
This is also a gorgeous looking game with some really wonderful pixel art and animations. There’s weight and intensity behind all attacks and genuine expressiveness in its characters and sentimental moments which is often missing from similarly styled games. Deedlit is a cool character with a fabulous design and the story is quite lean and easy to follow, but still meaningful and drives the game forward nicely.
Despite the lovely animations and effects in isolation though, boss fights can be a bit of a visual mess, with too much busyness to keep track of things, especially when you need to watch your tiny hp, ap and both elemental bars whilst you’re fighting. Its nice having enemy health bars onscreen mind you, and sometimes the cluttered visuals were cool in their own right during particularly frantic encounters, but there’s also times where the very intentional, methodical vania style combat verges on being a bullet hell game and it doesn’t really work too well. This, the length and maybe some grating audio does hold it back a little, but not enough to make this anything but a great metroidvania that is 100% worth checking out.
Another excellent side-scrolling adventure in the Mario series, Wonder finally updates and changes the godawful "New" series of games that everyone was tired of (and I personally hated). This entry continues the Mario formula of every level having a brand new, fantastically fun concept that is introduced, mastered, and then immediately dropped in favor of something else. Every level is a wild thing to try and master and it continually feels brand new every single time.
Wonder also introduced badges, a kind of "always on" power like higher jumping or the ability to touch lava or poison once per stage and not die. These are a fun addition, especially the badge challenge stages that ask you to master these powers in rapid succession. The new powers, like Elephant and Bubble, are also a lovely addition.
The signature "Wonder Flower" also randomly changes each level into it's own minigame, often with crazy challenging results or, when not that difficult, still wildly fun to play. On top of that, the Special World, with all the insanely difficult levels, is slowly dolled out through the game instead of coming ALL at once at the end. This keeps the challenge fresh, coming every once in a while instead of in bulk, and makes them a blast to conquer throughout the playtime. Some of these levels are...well, I swore at my TV a handful of times. A choice two or three are pretty rough, but I 100% the game because it's incredibly rewarding to do so.
As per usual, the bosses are a joke and a pushover. The story doesn't matter and all the characters play the exact same. The new voice actor for Mario and Luigi, however, does a very good job! Certain phrases that Luigi says don't always land, but it's just hard not to think of Charles, as he IS Mario and has been since 1996 (technically even before that!). "Woowie-zoowie" is maybe the worst thing they could have added? Don't do that anymore.
It feels great to finally play a side-scrolling Mario game again with a fresh art style, fun mechanics, and perfectly designed levels. If you're wanting to just beat the game, you'll likely find it to be a baby game for babies. However, if you go for completionism, you'll find a deeply challenging and rewarding game with a charm that's hard to ignore.
HOWEVER - one of the medals, end game items for completing certain tasks, is for literally owning all the standees, which are stupid pointless things that don't matter. That sucks and is dumb and bad. It's one of the few objectively poor choices and I'm mad I wasted so much time to get it. But you know, I needed that 100% so...
Wonder also introduced badges, a kind of "always on" power like higher jumping or the ability to touch lava or poison once per stage and not die. These are a fun addition, especially the badge challenge stages that ask you to master these powers in rapid succession. The new powers, like Elephant and Bubble, are also a lovely addition.
The signature "Wonder Flower" also randomly changes each level into it's own minigame, often with crazy challenging results or, when not that difficult, still wildly fun to play. On top of that, the Special World, with all the insanely difficult levels, is slowly dolled out through the game instead of coming ALL at once at the end. This keeps the challenge fresh, coming every once in a while instead of in bulk, and makes them a blast to conquer throughout the playtime. Some of these levels are...well, I swore at my TV a handful of times. A choice two or three are pretty rough, but I 100% the game because it's incredibly rewarding to do so.
As per usual, the bosses are a joke and a pushover. The story doesn't matter and all the characters play the exact same. The new voice actor for Mario and Luigi, however, does a very good job! Certain phrases that Luigi says don't always land, but it's just hard not to think of Charles, as he IS Mario and has been since 1996 (technically even before that!). "Woowie-zoowie" is maybe the worst thing they could have added? Don't do that anymore.
It feels great to finally play a side-scrolling Mario game again with a fresh art style, fun mechanics, and perfectly designed levels. If you're wanting to just beat the game, you'll likely find it to be a baby game for babies. However, if you go for completionism, you'll find a deeply challenging and rewarding game with a charm that's hard to ignore.
HOWEVER - one of the medals, end game items for completing certain tasks, is for literally owning all the standees, which are stupid pointless things that don't matter. That sucks and is dumb and bad. It's one of the few objectively poor choices and I'm mad I wasted so much time to get it. But you know, I needed that 100% so...
Another wonderful, and unfortunately final, game from Mimimi Games. Following in the footsteps of their other two real-time tactical strategy gems Desperados III and Shadow Tactics, this game takes those ideas and expands them with a huge cast of eccentric undead pirates as you explore islands searching for treasure and ghostly mysteries.
The voice acting is all extremely fun and adds a lot to the world and some of the personal stories for each pirate are as surprisingly touching as they are charming. The gameplay, like the others Mimimi excels at, is sharp and refined, giving you full control over how to stealthily take down your enemies without ever raising an alarm. The thrill of setting up a complex multi-character plan and pulling it off without a hitch always feels super satisfying.
The games have always been very upfront about save-scumming being integral to the overall way to enjoy the game by trying new tactics if something goes awry, but the story here manages to incorporate a reason for it happen since the plotline has more fantastical/magical elements to it. It's a welcome little addition!
There are not enough islands to explore so it starts to feel a bit repetitive in the back half. Also, although the giant cast is great, it hurts the overall story with less focus. The side stories are also cute but ultimately worthless. They add nothing other than some simple backstory, which is mostly annoying to get through as it's just busywork with paragraphs of dialog. Desperados III used mo-cap for cutscenes and it hurts to see it absent here, replaced with still images (that are very pretty!) and voiceover.
It's a shame then that Mimimi is closing shop, but they'll always has these fantastic games for all to play. The DLC and post game content here has legs, so you'll not be wanting. A stellar way to end their time in the video game field, but here's hoping we'll see them again one day.
The voice acting is all extremely fun and adds a lot to the world and some of the personal stories for each pirate are as surprisingly touching as they are charming. The gameplay, like the others Mimimi excels at, is sharp and refined, giving you full control over how to stealthily take down your enemies without ever raising an alarm. The thrill of setting up a complex multi-character plan and pulling it off without a hitch always feels super satisfying.
The games have always been very upfront about save-scumming being integral to the overall way to enjoy the game by trying new tactics if something goes awry, but the story here manages to incorporate a reason for it happen since the plotline has more fantastical/magical elements to it. It's a welcome little addition!
There are not enough islands to explore so it starts to feel a bit repetitive in the back half. Also, although the giant cast is great, it hurts the overall story with less focus. The side stories are also cute but ultimately worthless. They add nothing other than some simple backstory, which is mostly annoying to get through as it's just busywork with paragraphs of dialog. Desperados III used mo-cap for cutscenes and it hurts to see it absent here, replaced with still images (that are very pretty!) and voiceover.
It's a shame then that Mimimi is closing shop, but they'll always has these fantastic games for all to play. The DLC and post game content here has legs, so you'll not be wanting. A stellar way to end their time in the video game field, but here's hoping we'll see them again one day.
Pokémon Blue Version
1996
C'mon, it's the first Pokemon game I played. It's magic. I got Blue, my brother got Red, and the rest is history.
Super Mario RPG
2023
I adore the original release of this game and it will likely always be in my top ten. When I saw the announcement trailer, my heart skipped a beat and then, almost immediately upon seeing it in action, I felt very worried.
Unfortunately, the worries were warranted. The game does has plenty going for it: a wonderfully nostalgic feel, beautifully remade music by the same composer Yoko Shimomura , and a battle system that has aged like fine wine. Timed hits and blocks make RPG battles consistently fun and the same holds true with this remake.
The downside comes with almost everything else. It's far, far too easy. The original SNES was never a crazy challenge, but this version has made it significantly less so with attacks that seemingly do more damage coupled with a "splash" effect that damages other enemies when a timed hit is done. It makes most battles trivial and boss battles an absolute joke. On top of that, a new mechanic is added where a gauge can be filled to 100% and a triple move can be preformed with the three party members currently on the field. It's very powerful and, despite being flashing and fun to look at, I simply stopped using it because it did TOO much damage in a game that's already a pushover.
On top of that, you can switch party members mid-battle AND the item inventory is insanely huge. Previously, party members could not be swapped during a fight, calling for strategic planning beforehand. Item management was crucial as space was very limited, but I didn't even think about items once because whenever you have any overflow, it just automatically sends them to a box for you to pull from later. I never even opened that box once.
The art direction is an odd one for me. The updated graphics are nice at a glance, but in practice, they feel somehow worse than the original. The animations are stilted, which I understand is a way to evoke the SNES, but it feels cheap and undercooked here. On top of that, cutscenes have been added for key plot beats or openings to certain boss fights. These, too, feel underwhelming, as half of them don't have basic sound effects until they sometimes occasionally do, making it feel rushed and second-rate.
The game also desperately needs a harder difficulty. A lot of these quality of life improvements would go great with a game that challenged you a bit, but other than two fights, both of which take place in the same area, almost nothing requires more than passive button pressing if you know how to time attacks and blocks. There is a post game boss challenge, but it's somewhat tedious and absolutely too little too late.
Super Mario RPG is a unique and amazing game on original hardware. It has an excellent cast of characters, a fun and engaging story, and a battle system worthy of praise. As a Switch remake however, it simply doesn't do enough to bring any of that into the present and makes notably poor choices in dumbing down an experience that could have used more challenge, a better art direction, and some fun changes and updates. It truly is faithful to a fault, for better and worse. I had some fun and the nostalgic bliss certainly rushed over me, but it's grossly undercut by some glaring and unignorable issues.
I can and will wholeheartedly recommend the game, but only the original.
Unfortunately, the worries were warranted. The game does has plenty going for it: a wonderfully nostalgic feel, beautifully remade music by the same composer Yoko Shimomura , and a battle system that has aged like fine wine. Timed hits and blocks make RPG battles consistently fun and the same holds true with this remake.
The downside comes with almost everything else. It's far, far too easy. The original SNES was never a crazy challenge, but this version has made it significantly less so with attacks that seemingly do more damage coupled with a "splash" effect that damages other enemies when a timed hit is done. It makes most battles trivial and boss battles an absolute joke. On top of that, a new mechanic is added where a gauge can be filled to 100% and a triple move can be preformed with the three party members currently on the field. It's very powerful and, despite being flashing and fun to look at, I simply stopped using it because it did TOO much damage in a game that's already a pushover.
On top of that, you can switch party members mid-battle AND the item inventory is insanely huge. Previously, party members could not be swapped during a fight, calling for strategic planning beforehand. Item management was crucial as space was very limited, but I didn't even think about items once because whenever you have any overflow, it just automatically sends them to a box for you to pull from later. I never even opened that box once.
The art direction is an odd one for me. The updated graphics are nice at a glance, but in practice, they feel somehow worse than the original. The animations are stilted, which I understand is a way to evoke the SNES, but it feels cheap and undercooked here. On top of that, cutscenes have been added for key plot beats or openings to certain boss fights. These, too, feel underwhelming, as half of them don't have basic sound effects until they sometimes occasionally do, making it feel rushed and second-rate.
The game also desperately needs a harder difficulty. A lot of these quality of life improvements would go great with a game that challenged you a bit, but other than two fights, both of which take place in the same area, almost nothing requires more than passive button pressing if you know how to time attacks and blocks. There is a post game boss challenge, but it's somewhat tedious and absolutely too little too late.
Super Mario RPG is a unique and amazing game on original hardware. It has an excellent cast of characters, a fun and engaging story, and a battle system worthy of praise. As a Switch remake however, it simply doesn't do enough to bring any of that into the present and makes notably poor choices in dumbing down an experience that could have used more challenge, a better art direction, and some fun changes and updates. It truly is faithful to a fault, for better and worse. I had some fun and the nostalgic bliss certainly rushed over me, but it's grossly undercut by some glaring and unignorable issues.
I can and will wholeheartedly recommend the game, but only the original.
Street Fighter 6
2023
The best iteration of the series yet. The addition of Modern controls makes all the difference in the world for adding new players, and I loved seeing friends who would have never got into the game otherwise thriving.
Online runs great, new characters are wonderful, DLC looks fantastic. I can't wait to play more.
Online runs great, new characters are wonderful, DLC looks fantastic. I can't wait to play more.
Pikmin 4
2023
All Pikmin games are a joy and this was absolutely no different. The charm is off the charts and the gameplay has never felt better.
In typical Nintendo fashion, the game introduces new elements at every corner for you to master. New Pikmin types are introduced at a great pace, constantly changing how you can play and interact with the world. It feels AWFUL when you lose a chunk of a Pikmin, but you always know it's your own fault for sending them in unprepared.
The game is also massive in terms of things to do. Beating the main game opens up more missions, and there are side quests featuring past main character Olimar that are wonderfully fun. On top of collecting items and logging monsters, the amount to do is overflowing in the best way possible.
In typical Nintendo fashion, the game introduces new elements at every corner for you to master. New Pikmin types are introduced at a great pace, constantly changing how you can play and interact with the world. It feels AWFUL when you lose a chunk of a Pikmin, but you always know it's your own fault for sending them in unprepared.
The game is also massive in terms of things to do. Beating the main game opens up more missions, and there are side quests featuring past main character Olimar that are wonderfully fun. On top of collecting items and logging monsters, the amount to do is overflowing in the best way possible.
F-Zero 99
2023
This is a dumb simple game but I have to admit the simplicity is fun. Is it the F-Zero anyone actually wanted? Not at all. Will it even be playable in a year? Doubtful. Does Nintendo understand, in any way, that they sit on wonderful franchises and do nothing with them for years on end?
No. No they don't.
No. No they don't.