When you are making something that is supposed to fall under the horror category, what is the one primary goal that you want to accomplish with your idea? The answer might not be as crystal clear as you think. Of course, most would probably expect the product in question to try to scare you, or to make you feel some sort of uneasiness, which would make sense, as for every great horror movie, game, or whatever one could point out, they have some element that either makes you uncomfortable, nervous, or just straight up scares the fuck out of you, which leads to them having much more of a lasting impression on the audience. That’s not all that a piece of horror media could do though, as they could shift gears from focusing on scaring you to giving you an action-oriented spectacle, just generally being spooky, or even to make you laugh. But, what happens when something related to horror, specifically a franchise, starts out with the intention of scaring you, only to then start to go in a completely opposite direction? Well, in this possible scenario, you could end up with something like Alone in the Dark 2.

I had a curious mindset when it came to going into this particular game, because I wasn’t quite sure what they were going to do with it compared to the first game. Based on screenshots, it didn’t look like it was going to do anything too drastically different from the original game, and the game’s promotional tie-in, Jack in the Dark, may as well be completely unrelated to this, so I figured it was just gonna be more of the same with nothing else to really show for itself. For the most part, I was right in my assumptions, but at the same time, there was something very… different about the game that I couldn’t place a finger on for the longest time, but I knew for a fact that, whatever it was that this game was trying to do, it certainly wasn’t as effective as the original game. It is still a good game though, having all of the same “lovable” elements and quirks that the original game had, but also taking a massive shift in terms of its approach that I wasn’t necessarily the biggest fan of.

The story is somewhat similar to that of the original game, which takes place three months after the original game, where a young girl named Grace Saunders is supposedly kidnapped and taken to a mansion by the name of Hell’s Kitchen (not that Hell’s Kitchen), and when a private eye named Ted Stryker goes to investigate, he mysteriously disappears as well, so it is up to Edward Carnby to go find out what happened to them and uncover the secrets hidden within the mansion, which is a simple enough set-up that you can get behind, only for it to go overboard (almost literally) in the second half of the game. The graphics are about the same as the original game and Jack in the Dark, and by that, I mean it looks like Elon Musk’s wet dream made into a game, but it does still have a certain charm about it that I can’t criticize too heavily, the music is good, even though it has that problem of being played over and over again once more, but at least the tracks themselves are good enough to where I don’t get completely sick of them, and the gameplay/controls are almost identical to the original, both to its benefit and detriment, but the approach to this style of gameplay and controls is… kinda messy.

The game is a survival “horror” game, where you take control of both Edward Carnby and Grace Saunders, alternating between the two throughout the game, go through plenty of locations, both outside and inside of the mansion, fight off against the many different zombie, ghosts and ghouls that you will find within the mansion using whatever tools you happen to find, find many different items and tools within the mansion that can help you out in numerous ways, such as healing you, giving you a means of defending yourself, or solving the game’s many puzzles, uncover the mystery behind what is going on here through many different logs you will find along the way, and try not to get scared along the way…. even though nobody would ever genuinely be scared of any of this. Any AITD veteran will know what they are getting into with this game, as it functions and plays identically to that of the previous two titles, making the game a good time for those who are adjusted to its quirks. However, the approach to all of this, like I have alluded to earlier, is slightly different to that of the original, which somewhat drags it down.

Despite the fact that the original game was not scary in the slightest, the game was at least TRYING to primarily be a horror game, with a foreboding atmosphere, a few enemies that are still deadly if you don’t know how to properly handle them, and a properly spooky environment, which is mixed with the awkward controls and camera angles to make a game that would scare whoever played it, or at the least, make them uneasy as they kept going… at least, it would’ve back in 1992. With this game, however, it shifts heavily from trying to be a horror game, and it more so focuses on the action elements of the game instead, with you now having to face against a group of pirate spirits, as well as the many other things that try to kill you in the game. This, if you ask me, was not the way that a game series like this should’ve been handled at all.

Now, I’m not saying that this ruins the game in terms of its atmosphere or presentation, because once again, these games aren’t scary, so there isn’t much to gain from that perspective either way, but what this change does ruin is how the player approaches the gameplay and the challenges it provides. From the very moment you take control of your character for the first time, you have to quickly kill an enemy that is right by you, and then you have to quickly move into a hedge maze located nearby, while fighting off whatever creatures you may encounter while doing so, or else you run the risk of dying immediately. They just throw you into the fire, without giving you any time to get adjusted to the controls or what’s going on, which may not be so bad for those who have played the previous games, but newcomers will pretty much be boned from the moment they press start.

This is, of course, paired with the fact that you have to deal with the controls used for attacking foes, and the same camera angles from the original game, and you have something that I wouldn’t necessarily call fair a lot of the time. But, with all that being said, none of this makes the game any worse. Fundamentally, it is still Alone in the Dark, which means you still run around, solve puzzles, find items, and defeat enemies in the same way, and it still manages to have that old-school charm that isn’t preferable compared to what other games since this have done, but it can still be fun to mess around with. Not to mention, in terms of the camera angles, they are handled much better off here, with there being none that are too difficult to manage, and none that are zoomed out way too far to where you look like a tiny little speck, so that’s good.

Really, aside from its shift towards action-oriented elements, I didn’t have too many problems with the game as a whole. It does kind of suck that it doesn’t really do anything to change up the gameplay whatsoever, making it feel kinda bland in comparison to the original, and if I had to give one complaint to the game overall, I would say that solving some of the puzzles can be pretty cryptic at times. Yes, I did use a walkthrough to get through this game, just like with the original, but there were still points where I got stuck because things aren’t properly conveyed to the player well enough at points. There is this one part in the game where you can’t proceed forward until you have done everything in the specific area that you are in, and I for the life of me could not figure out what I was doing wrong. I did everything the walkthrough said, I was looking around all over the place, and I had defeated all the enemies, so I was clueless as to what to do next. However, then I noticed that there was one item that I didn’t get before, and the item in question was not only incredibly tiny, but the color of said item made it practically blend into the floor, meaning that the game wouldn’t let me progress all because of this one tiny, miniscule item that nobody would be able to see without knowing it was there to begin with. Yeah, that’s my fault, apparently.

Overall, despite its shift towards action elements, some cryptic parts that can go fuck themselves, as well as… pirates being a thing, I would still say that AITD II is a good game, continuing the same basic gameplay that the original game established, while also branching out the story, environments, and enemies that you fight to where it does feel unique in comparison to its predecessor, even if it is lacking in innovation. I would recommend it for those who were fans of the two previous games, as well as those who don’t mind a little jank every now and then, because despite how jank it is, it still manages to be an interesting example of survival horror in its earliest stages. Although, now I’m wondering, since we now have ghost pirates in this game, how are they gonna top themselves with the next game in terms of the enemies? Are there gonna be ghost aliens? Ghost ninjas? Ghost cowboys?................................... please tell me it doesn’t actually use one of those things.

Game #524

In an age before the internet became commonplace, I didn't have as much to entertain myself within the multiple childhood bedrooms I had. A small hand-me-down television of dubious quality eventually made it's way into my possession, albeit with no cable or antenna. Three things kept me company during those rainy lonesome weekends: toys, old video game consoles, and the trio of pencils, crayons, and discarded notebook paper.

I never liked having my room overtaken by the sound of silence, so I would often keep my fan on during even the cold winter nights. The constant noise of the fan wasn't really sufficient when I wasn't actively trying to sleep, so often I would rely on the only thing my television could produce besides static white noise, the music of my video games. This music was something that could either be easily conjured up by the sound test within the options menu, something that I could only hear in-gameplay, or if I'm lucky pausing wouldn't quiet the music. It's the reason a child would do such things like constantly replay a game to the point of being able to no-hit run it, play a racing game to drive on the same tracks over and over, or destroy countless soldiers on the battlefield for an entire evening. It was all due to the cool music.

Sonic 3 and all of it's versions didn't have a sound test, at least as far as I could see. It was quite a bother, because Sonic 2 had this. Why didn't 3 have it? I love the music so much. It wasn't until I came across the miracle of gaming magazines such as Tips and Tricks, Expert Gamer, and the like that suddenly my games would find a new lease on life, and Sonic 3 would perhaps get the most mileage out of it. Go to the vines in the first level, hit left x3, right x3, and up x3. Easy enough to remember. Sure, I get a stage select, but the sound test without any strings attached was what I truly wanted. I didn't need to constantly fight Mecha Sonic as Knuckles to hear the final boss music, even if I did find him super cool. I drew him so much...

Even when I eventually did get cable in my room, there were only like four channels I'd bother watching, and unfortunately I broke my sleep curfew a lot and stayed up like many a kid would, and advertisements would eventually start being shown instead of cartoons, pro wrestling, or stand up comedy. I'd spread my blanket across the floor of my room in front of my TV to either play something or just put music on from something I liked, then I'd draw, play my game boy, arrange my massive stash of Yu-Gi-Oh cards, etc. Was I a weird kid for sometimes enjoying the company of bleeps and bloops or some insane synth-rock music I heard in a fighting game about the anime I would catch after school every day? Maybe so, but music is music regardless of it's origin. For myself, that music represents memories of the journey I have taken through every console's library. Some are just more special than the rest...

I grow older, and I go through changes for better or worse. I live, I learn. Yet, here I am typing up this pointless nostalgia piece to the very music that inspired me to create decades prior, with the sound of the CRT speakers being replaced by some HyperX headphones, and my notebook paper replaced by a digital interface.

Some things never change.

Panzer Dragoon Orta is another one of those games I mostly remember hearing about in magazines. It received a lot of praise at the time, but being as it was an Xbox exclusive, it was forever out of reach like other well-regarded classics of that generation, like Jet Set Radio Future and Blinx the Time Sweeper. You have no idea how much I longed to play Azurik: Rise of Perathia, there was a whole universe of games just beyond my grasp!

Unlike JSRF and its own predecessors, Orta is actually fairly accessible today thanks to the Xbox marketplace, and used copies are still reasonably priced. I've been thinking of grabbing one as recent delistings has inverted my prior (psychotic) belief that I need digital backups of all my physical games. Gotta cover all my bases, I need to be able to play this grungy-ass port of the PC version of Panzer Dragoon whenever I'd like, that's important.

In any case, it's nice that I finally got to check this game off my list after 20+ years of thinking "I really should play Panzer Dragoon Orta," and I'm happy that it lived up to years of continued hype. Orta feels like a culmination of Panzer Dragoon's narrative and mechanical ideas, borrowing from all three previous games in one way or another to create what I think is the most fully realized entry in the series.

Obviously, Orta models itself after the on-rails entries rather than continuing down the turn-based RPG path laid out by Saga. That's not to say it jettisons all of that game's identity, of course. Orta is similarly narrative heavy and makes good on Saga's world building and storyline by focusing on Azel and (presumably) Edge's daughter. Look, it's a little hard to say, Azel just downloaded some DNA and I'm not about to check the file properties on that. Orta also borrows from Saga's positional combat in a way that feels very naturalistic, so much so that I had to question if it was present in Zwei.

Speaking of Zwei, the dragon yet again has the ability to grow over time, but no longer does so based on end-of-level scores. Rather, it changes shape in real-time when enough power-ups are collected in a given form to advance it to the next stage of its evolution. This feels like a natural progression from Zwei, and though the effect might seem quaint today, that level of skeletal deformation and changes to texture mapping is one of Orta's most impressive features. Being able to swap between different attack types also adds a layer of depth, and the deeper into the game you progress, the more rapidly you'll find yourself flicking between forms in order to manage different enemy types. Though I found this a bit overwhelming initially, once you find the right flow and develop an eye for what enemy types you need to counter, it feels pretty good.

Unfortunately, I live in an imperfect, shitty, fucked up world where a sequel to Saga and the overall health of the franchise was solely dependent on how well Orta performed. Since then, we've gotten a remake of the first game that released 18 years after Sega put the series on ice, and people tore it apart for reasons I still can't quite wrap my head around. I think it's safe to say the book is closed on Panzer Dragoon, and that's a shame, but I do think Orta is a good note to go out on. There's no cliffhanger ending here to weigh down on me, though Orta's story is left open, and the gameplay is so tight and refined that I'm not left with a sense that they needed one more game to get things right.

Sometimes you just gotta be grateful for the Panzer Dragoons you got.

There were quite a lot of pre-historic-themed games that were made back in the day, primarily platformers, and out of all of them, Joe & Mac/Caveman Ninja was arguably one of the best of the bunch. The game itself wasn’t really all that special, just being a typical arcade platformer themed around cavemen and dinosaurs, but it’s simple yet approachable gameplay, coupled with its cartoonish style, made it very appealing and a good time all around. The same can also be said for the game’s “sequel”, Congo’s Caper, which didn’t differ itself too much from the original, but managed to be just that more fun and challenging from the original to where I would say it is an improvement over the original. But then again, most people probably didn’t even know that game was related to Joe & Mac, because who the fuck is Congo, and why should we worry about his Caper? So, to remedy this, when making the next game, Data East would make the next game focus on the original duo once again, and it would be known as Joe & Mac 2: Lost in the Tropics.

Like with the original two games, I had first heard about this game from JonTron’s video that he made on Joe & Mac way back in the day, but I had never actually taken the time to play it myself until before typing this review. From what I had seen, it didn’t really seem like anything all too different or spectacular, just being another game in this series to keep the money rolling in, even if these games were making any money to begin with. So, it didn’t come as any surprise to me when I played the game, and it turned out to be nothing more then good. It is still a perfectly competent platformer, and the ideas it implements are… interesting to say the least, but if you have played the other games before this, you pretty much know almost exactly what to expect from this game.

The story is pretty similar to the other games, although instead of cave-babes being kidnapped this time around, a crown is stolen instead by the evil Gork, so it is up to Joe & Mac to set out to find the Rainbow Stones (definitely not ripping off something else) and get the crown back, which is about as basic as any 90s platformer can get for a story, but hey, at least they swapped out the damsel in distress for an object… in distress? I dunno. The graphics are good, having that same cartoony style, coupled with plenty of vibrant levels to go through, but it doesn’t look any better or worse then the other two games in the series, the music is good, having plenty of pre-historic tunes fitting for your caveman escapades, and the control/gameplay is pretty close to that of the other two titles, except with some changes that can be seen that make the game different, but not for the better.

The game is a 2D platformer, where you take control of either Joe or Mac yet again, go through six different levels across grassy plains, caves, icy mountains and volcanos, defeat plenty of pre-historic enemies from cavemen to tiny little rodent freaks using whatever tool you have for the job, gather plenty of wheels and other items to give you an advantage along the way, and defeat plenty of bosses that are not only pretty easy to deal with, but also have no distinctions to make them stand out from previous bosses in the series. As is Data East tradition, you can pretty much tell here that they put no effort into actually trying anything too new or exciting for this title, but to their credit, they did try to change things up… but fell flat on their face.

For some reason, this game tries to have somewhat of an adventure game feel, where upon the start of the game, you can explore your home village, go into houses, talk to NPCs, and shit like that, as if the game was an RPG. Later after the first level, you are then given the chance to go to a town that has a shop, where you can buy plenty of items, as well as other locales that can take you to certain places or let you view parts of the map. And speaking of the map, you also have a miniature overworld you can run around as well, allowing you to choose to go through the six levels in any order you want, which is a nice change of pace. Not to mention, in one or two cases, there will be an instance where you will need to revisit a previous location, which adds to that sense of adventure that the game is trying to make.

Unfortunately though, that’s really all the benefits you do get from these unique changes, because as for everything else I have mentioned, it all feels so… underwhelming. None of it is really bad, mind you, but everything that this game tries to do in terms of new additions feels completely pointless, with you being able to ignore most of these new elements, and you will get the same experience as you would in any other Joe & Mac game. The only actual purpose that any of this serves is that you are able to buy flowers from the shop, which you can use to woo a cavewoman, who will eventually become your cave bride, and the mother of your future child in the best ending, but again, none of it feels like it has any impact on anything. It just feels like something to do for the sake of it, which is not how you wanna treat a new feature in your third game.

As for the main stages themselves, like with the previous two games, they are fun enough to play through, keeping the same basic run, jump, and attack formula that you know and love from the previous games, except now, there are a few new things added… and by that, I mean like only two real new additions. There are the animal buddies you can now find in this game, which do about what you think they would, and then there are the new types of power ups that you get in the levels, which are… not great, but I will get into that more later. These additions to the gameplay are pretty good and all, but again, like with the other shit I mentioned earlier, both of these just feel pretty underwhelming, like they were added in as a means to make the game more fun and exciting, but they end up either being inconsequential, or not all that useful.

In terms of the issues I have with this game, like I mentioned earlier, the new power ups that you get in this game kinda blow when compared to the original power ups. The boomerang, wheel, and axes from the original game are completely gone, and instead, we get a few melee weapons that can shoot short range projectiles, which are fun to use, but they definitely don’t do as much as you are hoping for. If you are wanting long-range projectiles once again, those come in the form of the various food and patches of water you find lying around, which you can then eat, and then spit back out to your advantage, which is a neat idea, but the projectiles themselves are pretty small, and they feel unreliable most of the time. Aside from that though, there is also an unneeded boss rush, accompanied by re-fights with the game’s main villain, which can only be seen as a means to drag the game’s playtime out even further.

If you haven’t already figured it out already, the main problem that this entire game suffers from is that it is extremely underwhelming. It feels like the people at Data East were looking around at all the other games coming out at the time, seeing what they were doing to enhance the platforming genre, so they decided to take those elements and put them in their own game, but they never quite figured out what made them as impactful or exciting as they did in other games. This also rings true for most of the entire game, where, if we ignore all of the new features and changes present, it is essentially just Joe & Mac again. You go through the same types of levels, fight the same type of enemies, the same type of bosses, all that shit, and none of it feels original enough for me to care anymore then I do. Granted, you could argue other franchises like Mario and Kirby also don’t get too creative with those elements either, but at least with those games, there is always a new visual style, pace, or energy to the games that makes you want to play them again and again, but with this game, it just feels like… nothing.

Overall, despite still keeping the core foundation of the game strong, and having plenty of elements that make it certainly ambitious, Joe & Mac 2 feels like a nothing sequel, one that has plenty of great ideas and a great foundation to build off of, but never quite figured out where to start, and just sorta places these elements along in the game for the sense of being there without any semblance of weight or importance. I would recommend it for those who are fans of the other two Joe & Mac games, as well as those who are fans of old-school platformers in general, but for everyone else, there are plenty of other platformers that you could be playing over this, and get a much more enjoyable experience out of. But I mean, hey, I guess if I had to give the game some credit, I would say that making an underwhelming sequel is a lot better then making a sequel that is just flat-out garbage. Looking at you, Rastan.

Game #522

This is maybe the biggest “this would be great if it was good!” game I’ve ever played. I absolutely loved Billy Hatcher but it is just a kind of middling platformer that makes the wild choice of pushing its worst levels at you first, therefore only reaching its height of “kinda fun!” halfway through, before ending with a stupidly bad final boss.

I think I’m just one of the few people who really would get as much joy from this game as I did, as frustrating as that is for me to say. Its graphics and character design and GBA link cable support add up to something that is so incredibly up my alley I became kind of obsessed! But if you just aren’t that interested in seeing kinda cute GameCube graphics animals pop out of colorful eggs then there is absolutely nothing else in the game to hook you. And its biggest flaws wouldn’t even be that hard to fix, either! I think polishing up the final boss and removing the lives system would instantly make the game leaps and bounds better.

I think if you do have some sort of interest in playing this game, whatever the reason is, it is worth trying. If you play it on emulator and don’t mind abusing save states then doubly so. I really, really hope a remake comes out someday that is more easily recommendable to more people but as is it’s still a game I enjoyed a lot.

When I was in my early 20's I had to go to London for an appointment. I had time to wait for a few hours so my mum said we should go to Westminster Abbey as it was nearby. I can't say this thought really interested me but that line of thinking soon changed when I actually entered the building. It's amazing how much you take your own country's landmarks and history for granted sometimes. Westminster Abbey is such a stunning cathedral full of history. Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Laurence Olivier, Geffery Chaucer, Charles Dickins, Winston Churchill, Rudyard Kipling among others are buried there. This is nothing compared with the architecture, artifacts (the coronation chair is located here) and atmosphere of the building. I've had a real interest in church and gothic architecture ever since. It was an eye opening experience that sometimes you can miss what is right in front of you.

How is any of this relevant to The Pillars of the Earth? It brought back that same feeling. That impression that I take more interest in other culture's history and landmarks than my own, this especially hit when I had to look up to see if King Stephen in this story was a real monarch (He was). You see this game is a work of historical fiction based on the novel by Ken Follet which much to my chagrin I also haven't read. It's set in 12th century England about the building of a cathedral, the clergy and monks, lords, politics and ordinary people around it over several years. There is a surprising amount of content included here with the game split into three sections called books where the characters vary as the story gets told from different perspectives. The characters are all extremely well written and the dialogue and pacing of the story wrapping everything together works far better than I had anticipated it would though it's very slow and mundane at times. It's not super thrilling or action packed but feels like a very mature and often disheartening story as I would expect based on the original source.

What really brings the characters and world together though is the games superb cast. The voice acting for each character just feels like perfect casting and considering the bulk of the game is these conversations it was imperative they got that right and I couldn't find a single fault. The games entire presentation is stunning actually. The game is 2D art and almost every scene just felt like a stunning painting with carefully calculated backgrounds and prominent character art and colours. It's often bleak in setting but gorgeous in visuals and sound. I never got tired of looking at it and I don't think I can praise it's presentation enough.

Whilst not admiring the vistas or enjoying the conversations, Pillars of the Earth from a gameplay perspective is a point and click. It really doesn't get much deeper than that, you pick up key conversations or items that you can use on characters to progress various quests or unlock more information. The items have a wheel or you can quick select on the d-pad. I appreciate there isn't anything bonkers like the Discworld games. Everything here is fairly straight forward and logical for the most part. It's clearly more about pushing the flow of the narrative of the source material rather than in engaging or challenging puzzles. The overall story is set but small actions you make or don't can have impact on aspects of it even if they seem small initially. Each chapter will highlight these decisions for you at the end.

Whilst I've been positive overall I did have some technical issues like once when loading my game I couldn't move my character at all, completely frozen meaning I had to restart a couple of hours of content as well as a crash and some audio issues which brought my enjoyment of the game down slightly. Despite that though I would really recommend it. It's like no point and click I've played or seen. The visual and audio quality are sublime mixed with an interesting period of history I really should learn more about.

+ Stunning artwork.
+ Great voice acting and casting.
+ Engrossing story.

- A few technical issues.
- Can feel slow at times, especially playing a lot it one sitting.

It wasn’t quite as big of a jump in quality from the original like with another franchise that I name-drop way too often, but Thunder Force II was quite the improvement from the original Thunder Force in just about every way. Not only did it feel like a game that I actually wanted to play without needing to break my hand, but it managed to mix different types of space shooters together pretty well, while also making the gameplay simple, fun, and challenging, despite it not being all the creative, nor it reaching the same heights as other shmups at the time. Despite that though, it managed to get pretty positive reviews back in the day, and it did sell enough to where the series would not only be getting sequels for years to come, but also becoming a regular series for Sega that one would find on their Sega Genesis. So, only after one year since the previous game, we would get the follow-up to that game, Thunder Force III.

Going into this one, I was somewhat skeptical as to how it would turn out, because when compared to the other two games in this series at that point, it completely lost its own original identity. Those top-down stages from the previous two games are completely gone here, and instead, the side-scrolling shmup stages take up the whole game, playing more closely to any other traditional shmup than ever before. That in itself kinda sucks, considering how those top-down stages weren’t all too bad in the previous games, but thankfully, unlike with ActRaiser 2, these changes made to the formula ultimately benefit the game significantly. It may not do that much to innovate on the genre or change much up at all, but Thunder Force III managed to be an incredibly solid shmup, one that manages to create a short, yet fun enough experience when you blast through it in one sitting, and it is one of the best shmups that I have played for the system………. although, full disclosure here, I did end up playing Thunder Force AC over the original version, because that version is more accessible compared to the original, but they are pretty much the same game, so who cares.

The story takes place immediately after the events of the second one, where despite the Galaxy Federation being able to fend them off in the last game, the ORN Empire manages to conceal themselves using cloaking devices so that the federation cannot fire back, so they create a new spacecraft, known as the Fire LEO-03 Styx, to go infiltrate these bases and take down the ORN Empire once and for all, which is about as basic of a plot as you can get, but again, if you are playing a shmup for the story, you need to get your priorities straight. The graphics are pretty good, looking about how you would expect for a shmup on the Genesis, but still managing to be as bright, flashy, and bombastic all the while, so that’s all good in my book, the music is also good, having plenty sci-fi tracks that will accompany you throughout the game, even if none of the tracks stuck out to me personally, and the control/gameplay are pretty much the same as the original game, but there are some new features to help make this game stand out from its predecessor.

The game is a horizontal shmup, where you take control of the Fire LEO-03 Styx (yes, the name is in all-caps), go through eight different stages across plenty of planets across the galaxy, shoot down anything that comes your way from the front or the back using whatever tools are necessary for the job, get plenty of different powerups that you can use to not only deal much more damage, but also increase your range to stand a better chance against your foes, and take on plenty of bosses that are… actually pretty easy, but they can still be challenging for those of you who aren’t that much into shmups. What you see here is pretty much what you got from the horizontal segments of Thunder Force II, but not only are they much more fun to go through in this game, but they also manage to switch things up slightly so that it makes the game more interesting and accessible.

Remember how in the previous game where, whenever you got a bunch of different powerups, you were able to swap between them at any point? Well, not only does that return in this game, but you now only lose the weapon you have equipped whenever you die, which is extremely helpful in certain situations. But that’s not all, because not only can you change what weapon you are using during the game, but you can also adjust your speed as well, choosing to go from either being blindingly fast as you obliterate everything in your way, or being slow enough to where you can get through some tight obstacles. I had never played any other shump before this that allowed you to adjust your ship’s speed on the fly, so seeing that feature in this game was not only pretty interesting, but also made me realize that I’d kill to have this kind of feature in any shmup game ever.

That’s really it though when it comes to the new features in this game, which for the sake of this title isn’t a bad thing at all. Unlike with the previous game, there is a proper balance here when it comes to gameplay, as you are not constantly switching between two different gameplay styles. As such, since the devs only had to focus on one type of gameplay, they refined it to where it is the best of the series yet, being as fun, fast, and explosive as any shump should be. This feeling is backed up by the powerups that you get access to in the game, which not only have plenty of versatility for when the situation calls for it, but can also be extremely powerful, such as with the Hunter shot, which I used for pretty much the entire run whenever I could. What can I say, I like homing shots, especially ones as fast and powerful as that one is.

If you have been burnt out by shmups overtime though, then this one won’t do anything to help remedy that, as it is yet another generic shooter at the end of the day. It still manages to be pretty fun when you try it out for yourself, and the slight changes that are made to the gameplay do make it an interesting experience, but for the most part, you have seen what this game offers in plenty of other games before this. Also, I did some research, and I figured out that in the original Genesis version of this game, you are actually able to select what stages to tackle in your own order (at least for the first five stages), so that is pretty neat………… too bad the AC version doesn’t have that. That doesn’t make the game any worse, really, but it is just kinda strange. I’m pretty sure they could’ve found a way to include that in the AC version, but whatever, who cares about trying.

Overall, despite a lack of major innovation and some minor gripes here or there, Thunder Force III/AC/Spirits/WhateverMakesYouSleepAtNight is a pretty great shmup, definitely the best in the series so far, and one that any shmup fan would be able to jump into and have a good time with, even without those innovations I brought up earlier. I would recommend it for those who were fans of the previous Thunder Force games, as well as those who are big shmup fanatics in general, because while it doesn’t focus too much on changing things up, what it does focus on instead is refining the gameplay to the best it has ever been, and that’s all that matters at the end of the day. I’m now looking forward to playing that next game at some point in the near future. I sure hope it doesn’t do anything weird like, I dunno, have a pretty weird alternate title…. that also happens to be misspelled…. only for North America…………… that would be silly.

Game #521

After playing the first level or two of Mario vs. Donkey Kong -- a modern remake of the GBA classic -- I thought there'd be no chance I'd make it all the way through. I'd just finished playing Mario Wonder, and there is a STARK difference in the controls, and especially the movement, between the two. It was pretty jarring at first. But, once I started to get the hang of the timing, the jump distance, and what I was really supposed to do, I was hooked.

I ended up not only getting gold stars ("Perfect" rank) on all 8 of the original worlds, but after rolling credits, I got gold stars on all of the Plus levels AND the Expert levels, too (though, admittedly, I bumped the difficulty down for the Expert levels bc I was kinda ready to move on to something else).

In short, this game does a lot right: the bite-sized levels on Classic difficulty come with a nice balance of push-and-pull as you make your way through each world; the world/enemy variety is nice and no gimmick seems to wear out its welcome too quickly; the boss fights were OK given you're just fighting DK over and over, but they do spice it up a little at times as they become more challenging (if you're going for the "Perfect" rank). And, most importantly, it was just a flat-out fun time for 95% of my 15 hours with it.

Sure, there were moments where I wanted to pull my hair out because the platforming wasn't always precise, and the story (like most Mario games) was pretty lacking -- I still have no idea why DK's so obsessed with these little Mini Mario toys and why he needs to steal an entire factory's worth??? -- but, overall, I enjoyed this way more than I thought I would and would absolutely consider this an under-the-radar drop from Nintendo this year.

I loved the original version of this on the GBA when it came out 20 years ago and this remake on the Switch not only keeps the spirit alive but shows that this type of game is still a lot of fun, despite a few flaws.

As a puzzle game fan, I'm really glad this exists! I would've never expected Nintendo to bring back this series because it never seemed like anyone cared about it, despite it having a few sequels.

You play as Mario, traversing levels, collecting presents, unlocking doors and freeing mini Mario toys that Donkey Kong has stolen from the toy company.

The physics in the game are much different than they are in a normal 2D Mario game. If you're new to this series, it controls much more like an original Donkey Kong game, where Mario doesn't jump as high and he doesn't move quite as quick. Some will find this off putting but as a guy who played Donkey Kong growing up, I think it's great to have a throw- back like this available, even if it's not precise and takes a little getting used to.

I love trying to find out how to get all the presents within a level and get that gold star. Chances are, if you stumped on one, you'll go to a future level and learn a new technique only to return to the level that stumped you and get that gold star. It's a great feeling.

While I do quite enjoy the game, there are a few fiddly things. One is that the enemy hit box is strangely aligned or something, as there were times when I felt like I died on an enemy for no reason. I felt as though I landed on the enemy's head, not anywhere else. Dying isn't a huge issue because the levels are so quick to play, but it can still be annoying when you're right at the exit and this happens.

Speaking of dying, can we just get rid of the lives system for these games already? What's the point of it these days?

I would've also liked a bit more guidance on what the mini Marios can do. At times, playing with the mini Marios following can feel a bit trial and error and there are a few levels with them that will have you scratching your head a little. In the extra levels that unlock after you complete the main game, they're all mini Mario based. By this point, you'll probably have figured out all the mini Mario tricks but it would've been nice to know they can do certain things up front.

Because of this, I would've liked some kind of "preview mode" where you can look at the level before you start, as there is a timer and it starts ticking as soon as you begin.

I would've also loved a toggle mode to bounce between the GBA graphics and the current, as so many remasters do these days, but unfortunately since it's remake, that isn't an option.

But what is here is an enjoyable puzzle game with a ton of levels and replay-ability with time trials and gold stars to collect. While there is no real reward for 100% in the game (It would've been nice to get a gold Mario to play as or something) solving all of these levels is a lot of fun.

Back in the day, I was a huge fan of the Wii U. I got one for Christmas a month after it came out and for a long while, I would get every single big release. Mario 3D World, Pikmin 3, Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze, some great titles released early on into the consoles life cycle so I was always looking forward to the next big Wii U game. Fast forward to May of 2014, I got my hands on Mario Kart 8 the day it came out. I loved 7 back in the day and was absolutely ecstatic for 8's release. Once I finally was able to play it, I knew it would be THE game I'd be playing with friends for a long while. Though honestly in retrospect, while I still played it a decent amount with my buds, I ended up playing Smash 4 and even it's better version Mario Kart 8 Deluxe a lot more. Still, even if there's no reason to go back to this one when Deluxe is a thing, it's still great in its own right.

The initial aspect I noticed all those years ago was just how damn amazing this game looks. And yeah, it still looks amazing to this day. Idk what Nintendo was cooking but this was easily the best-looking Wii U game like ever, with Pikmin 3 coming right behind it. Not only are the new tracks all so vibrant and just super clean looking with its more realistic shading and texture work, all the retro courses got this treatment too and they're simply wonderful to look at. Like I said, this game still looks beautiful to this day, and it's almost 10 years old at this point! It's crazy really.

A big reason this game's tracks look so good visually is due to the game's new gimmick. While underwater driving and gliding are still in the game, Mario Kart 8 also added zero gravity. This leads to some amazing looking and feeling track design with how the track can curve all around any which way. It gives new tracks so much character and retro tracks are better than ever because of it. Like for example GBA Mario Circuit. Very boring track outside of 8 but 8's anti gravity section has a section of the track totally elevated off the ground and just makes an otherwise unmemorable track, super memorable. Same thing happens with Toad's Turnpike where you can literally drive on the walls, passing a lot of traffic if you choose to do so, and this wall driving happens in several other courses too. Underwater driving is meh, gliding is cool but anti-gravity as a gimmick is just so awesome and I'm glad it's used so well and so often in 8.

Going into more depth on the track selection, it's actually really great overall. While I still think Wii easily wins in the original track selection department, 8 just uses the anti-gravity mechanic so well it's hard not to like 8's selection too. Cloudtop Cruise was always my favorite but you have some other really good tracks like Mario Circuit, Mount Wario, Thwomp Ruins, Sunshine Airport and Toad Harbor. My favorites from Wii's selection definitely trump most of these but this is still one of the better selections of original tracks in the series. Now with the retro tracks, I know I said 7 has the best selection but thinking on it, 8 probably has the best in the series. The anti-gravity additions to many of the tracks just adds so much and the glide pads also added to a lot of them was nice too. It would've been cool if every retro stage had anti-gravity added to them but they added it to a good chunk of them so I can't complain. All this plus these retro tracks just look absolutely gorgeous.

However, there weren't just 8 cups this time around. If you got the DLC, which I did, you were able to race on 12 cups in total. It was $12 for both DLC packs and it added 4 cups, 6 new characters and 8 new vehicles. The 4 new cups have some alright tracks, some solid ones and some absolute bangers like Wario's Gold Mine, SNES Rainbow Road and Ribbon Road. It also added an excite bike course, an Animal Crossing course, a Zelda course and two F Zero Courses. It was basically a crossover pack since with the characters, it also added Link and the villagers. While it is a bit weird seeing non-Mario characters in the game, it's still really cool and is also really amazing value wise. Also with this DLC came a free update which gave players the option to race on 200cc. This is a cool addition, and more content is always nice, tho it was never my preferred way to play since it can just be so awkward going that fast on these courses. Still, it can be fun just seeing your friends rage when they fall off the track going that fast. At this point, this was the most amount of characters and courses in any Mario Kart game so you'd think it'd be hard to not call it the ultimate Mario Kart game. Well, sadly there's a couple issues I have outside of the stuff I mentioned.

The biggest issue people have and yeah, it's a pretty big one for me too, is the bad battle mode. Instead of having battle mode specific courses, they decided to pick a handful of race courses for you to play on instead and it just doesn't work. More enclosed and smaller maps works well for battle mode since players will always be in the action. But with normal race courses, a lot of the time it's hard to find players unless you deliberately stay on each other's asses the whole time. Bottom line is, it just doesn't work really and there's a reason people shat on it when the game came out.

Another, smaller issue I had, was the character selection. It's better than 8's but not only did they add another baby in baby Rosalina (which makes no sense if you know her back story), they added all 7 koopalings as separate characters and something as dumb as pink gold peach. Having something like pink gold peach but not diddy kong or birdo or boswer jr.?
Just disappointing on the new character selections even if I mained Ludwig back in the day. Still, at least this game has Waluigi and the DLC at least added Dry Bowser back as well the crossover characters.

Even with the less than great character roster and possibly the worst battle mode in the series, the other things this game does so well, it elevates it to still being great in my eyes. There may be absolutely no reason to play this version of 8 when deluxe is a thing, but I can't deny this game's immense quality when it comes to the racing. Though honestly I do think Wii is the best in the series up to this point, we'll see how Deluxe stacks up when I get to that next. So look forward to that one as it will be the finale of this Mario Kart marathon!