Xpert74
2019
1990
1996
This is a very fun, charming horizontal shmup, and definitely worth giving a try. But my gosh it is hard. Almost every Gradius or Gradius/adjacent game I've played has been absurdly difficult for me – I have no idea if I'll ever come close to 1CCing any of them. But regardless of my lack of ability to do well at this game, it's at least fun to mess around with.
I think this is one of the worst Nintendo games I've ever played, easily. I'm struggling to think of anything positive to say about it. Terrible pacing, clunky combat that lasts way too long for its own good, overworld traversal that feels like a chore, a perspective that's too zoomed in for a low-resolution Game Boy Advance display, a ton of tedious minigames that contribute nothing to the overall game - and also maybe the worst escort mission I've ever experienced in a game. I'm astounded by how awful it is.
2000
Really solid take on space shooter gameplay. It feels kind of like Asteroids, but spread across multiple tiny stages that take seconds to beat, which you select from a hexagonal map screen, as a global timer is constantly counting down. The mix of shooting gameplay with an overall strategy layer (deciding which spaces to tackle at the right time is key to victory), and a brisk WarioWare-esque pace, makes for a genuinely pretty cool time. This would work quite nicely as an arcade game.
My second Shinobi game I beat. This feels more in the vein of the arcade original, but it does feel more fair in its overall design. You still die in one hit here, so it does demand a certain degree of memorization and quick reflexes. It's a fine game. Worth playing, but not necessarily the best Shinobi out there.
2020
Interesting indie FPS. Kind of a mash-up of multiple gameplay elements and ideas; the aesthetics and level design are very clearly inspired by classic FPSes like Wolfenstein and Doom, yet there are several modern FPS elements in this game's design, such as aiming down sights, holding down a button to sprint, leaning, etc. Kind of a curious hybrid of ideas, but I think it generally works, in spite of itself. I mostly just wish the stamina/food/etc. meters weren't a thing, here.
Game is very gory, and almost all of the enemies are anime girls. This tends to lead people to feel uncomfortable with the game's level of gore and violence toward them. I wasn't really bothered by it personally, but I guess it's worth being aware of.
Game is very gory, and almost all of the enemies are anime girls. This tends to lead people to feel uncomfortable with the game's level of gore and violence toward them. I wasn't really bothered by it personally, but I guess it's worth being aware of.
1995
What the fuck. This game is incredible. Why does no one talk about this? Oh my gosh. I would put it up there alongside games like Ninja Gaiden and Castlevania: Rondo of Blood as being one of the absolute greatest action-platformers I've ever played in my life. Great balance between challenging platforming, methodically-paced combat, and boss fights that demand both a mastery of the mechanics, as well as the patience to learn their attack patterns. It's a disservice that more people don't talk about this one.
I 1CCed this game. mwehe
I 1CCed this game. mwehe
1992
It's fine. Main appeal is the presentation, and the spectacle attached to it – a graphical adventure game with lots of voice acting, some CD music, and plenty of colorful, detailed art that straddles the line between cute magical girl fare and badass mecha action. Story had its entertaining moments here and there, but parts of it fell a bit flat. I mostly just wish the story was a little more compelling, and that the characters were more interesting. Also I wish the turn-based combat wasn't just strategy-less RNG mashing – at least you can redo failed fights immediately after losing them, so it's not a huge inconvenience – mostly just a time-waster. All in all, this is an okay game for what it is, but it could have been better.
1988
2020