ade
2002
My brother and I were spellbound by this when we were kids, but I'm not convinced that we ever knew how to progress. As an adult, I'm even more fascinated with it, and I've finally seen multiple endings. Seriously, this game just drops you into its world and trusts you to figure it all out through trial and error. As a first-time player, you will get into fights that you never intended to, and you will die. In Way of the Samurai, death means restarting your playthrough. You can quicksave during time changes, but that's about all. Nearing death in the heat of combat? Well, you'd better make yourself an opening to pick up food from the ground, and you'd better clear your eating animation that feels just a bit too long. The question then becomes, are you hooked enough to keep banging your head on this thing? I was, and it was worth the frustration. This is a truly enrapturing game with many, many flaws, but it's an experience that I won't soon forget.
-How do you see your operator, this “Lan”? What is he to you?
-He’s my best friend!
The original Battle Network gets a lot of points for completely upending the Mega Man formula that we know and love. It’s not an awful game, but there are more than a few kinks to iron out, most of which are navigation-based. Regardless, this is a good start that introduces a lovable cast, an interesting new world to explore, an insane twist ending, and one of the best JRPG battle systems of all time.
-He’s my best friend!
The original Battle Network gets a lot of points for completely upending the Mega Man formula that we know and love. It’s not an awful game, but there are more than a few kinks to iron out, most of which are navigation-based. Regardless, this is a good start that introduces a lovable cast, an interesting new world to explore, an insane twist ending, and one of the best JRPG battle systems of all time.
2001
Even if I die, I will destroy you.
Onimusha Warlords may have very well replaced Dino Crisis as my favorite Capcom-developed-tank-controls-fixed-camera-late-90s-slash-early-2000s-survival-horror-slash-action title. Also, yes, I like both games more than any of the classic Resident Evil titles. This is just outstanding.
Combat, while simple, has a kinetic flow—much more focused on watching your enemy’s movements and reacting in turn than it is on drawing tension out of tight spaces and limited resources. Samanosuke’s movement adds to that kineticism, but the game isn’t without tension. Actually, it’s far from an easy ride. It doesn’t shower you with healing items at anywhere near the same frequency as a Resident Evil or a Dino Crisis, and if your magic bar is depleted at the wrong moment, you’ll likely be in a lot of trouble. Save mirrors are few and far between, too. Playing as Kaede is even more nerve-wracking! It isn’t the hardest game on the planet, but it demands your attention in ways that I found extremely compelling.
Outside of that, though, the game is also a visual showstopper with great audio design. Maybe it’s because of the reduced screen size (I emulated this on the Steam Deck), but, outside of a couple of the character models, I couldn’t really believe that this was an early PS2 title. Visually, it’s an outstanding showcase of everything that Capcom had learned up to that point—beautiful fixed angles, imaginative creatures, complex animations, and so on.
All of this said, there are a couple of problems that keep the game away from all-time greatness. First of all, Onimusha’s central “Keep” isn’t quite the Spencer Mansion or the Raccoon City police station. The puzzles are elementary, and I couldn’t help but think that Capcom could’ve done more with the whole “feudal Japan overrun by demons” things. Just as well, the story gets the job done and not a whole lot else. Unlike many others, though, I’m not going to hold the game’s script or voice acting against it. We don’t hold those things against the classic Resident Evil games. Why should we for Onimusha?
Anyway, yeah. This scratched an itch that I didn’t even know I had. I cannot wait to revisit the rest of the series.
Onimusha Warlords may have very well replaced Dino Crisis as my favorite Capcom-developed-tank-controls-fixed-camera-late-90s-slash-early-2000s-survival-horror-slash-action title. Also, yes, I like both games more than any of the classic Resident Evil titles. This is just outstanding.
Combat, while simple, has a kinetic flow—much more focused on watching your enemy’s movements and reacting in turn than it is on drawing tension out of tight spaces and limited resources. Samanosuke’s movement adds to that kineticism, but the game isn’t without tension. Actually, it’s far from an easy ride. It doesn’t shower you with healing items at anywhere near the same frequency as a Resident Evil or a Dino Crisis, and if your magic bar is depleted at the wrong moment, you’ll likely be in a lot of trouble. Save mirrors are few and far between, too. Playing as Kaede is even more nerve-wracking! It isn’t the hardest game on the planet, but it demands your attention in ways that I found extremely compelling.
Outside of that, though, the game is also a visual showstopper with great audio design. Maybe it’s because of the reduced screen size (I emulated this on the Steam Deck), but, outside of a couple of the character models, I couldn’t really believe that this was an early PS2 title. Visually, it’s an outstanding showcase of everything that Capcom had learned up to that point—beautiful fixed angles, imaginative creatures, complex animations, and so on.
All of this said, there are a couple of problems that keep the game away from all-time greatness. First of all, Onimusha’s central “Keep” isn’t quite the Spencer Mansion or the Raccoon City police station. The puzzles are elementary, and I couldn’t help but think that Capcom could’ve done more with the whole “feudal Japan overrun by demons” things. Just as well, the story gets the job done and not a whole lot else. Unlike many others, though, I’m not going to hold the game’s script or voice acting against it. We don’t hold those things against the classic Resident Evil games. Why should we for Onimusha?
Anyway, yeah. This scratched an itch that I didn’t even know I had. I cannot wait to revisit the rest of the series.
I want to talk to you about something. It's about when I first met you in Accumula Town. I was shocked when I heard what your Pokémon was saying. I was shocked because that Pokémon said it liked you. It said it wanted to be with you.
Okay, so, my Mega Man marathon was going really well... and then, out of nowhere, I was bitten by the Pokémon bug. I've always wanted to play the Gen 5 games, and I'm glad to finally be doing so. I've heard a lot about them over the years—how they supposedly have the best story in the series (yes, that's a low bar, but, admittedly, the story here is much better than I anticipated), how polarizing some of the new Pokémon designs are, how well-realized Unova is as a region, and so on.
I'm glad to say all of this was true. I'm not sure how they accomplished it, but, for my money, this is the best a Pokémon game has ever looked. Pairing those jaw-dropping visuals with an excellent cast (of course, N and Ghetsis are the biggest draw here) and a gameplay loop refined to a science ensures that Gen 5 makes a strong impression. Also, I don't want anyone to say that Pokémon is too easy if they haven't played this game. The Elite Four, in particular, are absolutely psychotic here. Honestly, the final act of this game is not unlike something you'd see in Final Fantasy. It's awesome.
Still, it's not all perfect. With this UI, it can be pretty cumbersome to accomplish even the most basic of tasks, such as switching Pokémon out of your party or customizing held items. Also, I assume it'll be difficult for players to access this game's long-shuttered online features, which make up an enormous portion of the optional content. If you're emulator-savvy and you know how to connect to a fan DNS server, you can get it done, but most will not be privy to how to do any of that. All of this could be Pokémon Black's age showing, but it's worth mentioning in 2024.
Anyway, yeah, this game rocks. On to Black 2.
Okay, so, my Mega Man marathon was going really well... and then, out of nowhere, I was bitten by the Pokémon bug. I've always wanted to play the Gen 5 games, and I'm glad to finally be doing so. I've heard a lot about them over the years—how they supposedly have the best story in the series (yes, that's a low bar, but, admittedly, the story here is much better than I anticipated), how polarizing some of the new Pokémon designs are, how well-realized Unova is as a region, and so on.
I'm glad to say all of this was true. I'm not sure how they accomplished it, but, for my money, this is the best a Pokémon game has ever looked. Pairing those jaw-dropping visuals with an excellent cast (of course, N and Ghetsis are the biggest draw here) and a gameplay loop refined to a science ensures that Gen 5 makes a strong impression. Also, I don't want anyone to say that Pokémon is too easy if they haven't played this game. The Elite Four, in particular, are absolutely psychotic here. Honestly, the final act of this game is not unlike something you'd see in Final Fantasy. It's awesome.
Still, it's not all perfect. With this UI, it can be pretty cumbersome to accomplish even the most basic of tasks, such as switching Pokémon out of your party or customizing held items. Also, I assume it'll be difficult for players to access this game's long-shuttered online features, which make up an enormous portion of the optional content. If you're emulator-savvy and you know how to connect to a fan DNS server, you can get it done, but most will not be privy to how to do any of that. All of this could be Pokémon Black's age showing, but it's worth mentioning in 2024.
Anyway, yeah, this game rocks. On to Black 2.