it's tough to write this review because i feel like it's going to just be that one tweet of ice t talking about fonv's flaws and then ending it with "...BUT I CAN'T STOP PLAYING IT"
this game inspired great moments of frustration out of me. i've always been a proponent of the mantra "if a game makes you mad, it's (probably) because you were on the verge of enjoying it", and that's definitely the case here. but still, i'd be lying if i said the controls weren't aged. the lack of a dedicated grind button really hurts this game on a mechanical level, and i also really struggle to deal with a lot of the opposition that you receive at points. i get that there's a lot of comedic value in calling in attack helicopters that fire missiles at you just for vandalism and it's meant to be a commentary on (japanese) police brutality, but also they're really fucking annoying and hard to dodge. races are also bad trial-and-error situations, and overall the momentum/physics feel a little off in a way that takes a lot longer to get used to than i'd like.
i still can't get over how fresh this feels almost 20 years later, though. i fell in love with the presentation of this game on a visual, audio, and gameplay level, and it's very difficult for me to wallow in the negative when i think about this game. i have a lot of admiration and love for this game, and any criticism i've made of this game comes with a grain of salt, because i think it's one of the most fun experiences i've had in a while.
it's rare that i'll play a game that takes half as many risks as this game did, even moreso when almost all of them pan out.
edit as of 10/9/2020: bumped from a 4.0/5.0 to a 4.5/5.0. replaying this game made my love for it grow. i don't think the attack helicopters are that bad anymore, because, at the time of writing the original review, i didn't know you could stop them from attacking. all the opposition in the game feels fair, actually, except for the assassins that appear in the golden rhino mission for kogane-cho. this is definitely a game that you're going to struggle to get the hang of for a bit, but when you finally get it and it all clicks, it's fucking outstanding.
edit 2: idc idc 5.0/5.0
this game inspired great moments of frustration out of me. i've always been a proponent of the mantra "if a game makes you mad, it's (probably) because you were on the verge of enjoying it", and that's definitely the case here. but still, i'd be lying if i said the controls weren't aged. the lack of a dedicated grind button really hurts this game on a mechanical level, and i also really struggle to deal with a lot of the opposition that you receive at points. i get that there's a lot of comedic value in calling in attack helicopters that fire missiles at you just for vandalism and it's meant to be a commentary on (japanese) police brutality, but also they're really fucking annoying and hard to dodge. races are also bad trial-and-error situations, and overall the momentum/physics feel a little off in a way that takes a lot longer to get used to than i'd like.
i still can't get over how fresh this feels almost 20 years later, though. i fell in love with the presentation of this game on a visual, audio, and gameplay level, and it's very difficult for me to wallow in the negative when i think about this game. i have a lot of admiration and love for this game, and any criticism i've made of this game comes with a grain of salt, because i think it's one of the most fun experiences i've had in a while.
it's rare that i'll play a game that takes half as many risks as this game did, even moreso when almost all of them pan out.
edit as of 10/9/2020: bumped from a 4.0/5.0 to a 4.5/5.0. replaying this game made my love for it grow. i don't think the attack helicopters are that bad anymore, because, at the time of writing the original review, i didn't know you could stop them from attacking. all the opposition in the game feels fair, actually, except for the assassins that appear in the golden rhino mission for kogane-cho. this is definitely a game that you're going to struggle to get the hang of for a bit, but when you finally get it and it all clicks, it's fucking outstanding.
edit 2: idc idc 5.0/5.0