2002
I was lukewarm at first. The earlier half of this game is pretty uninteresting. Luckily, that makes it pretty short. Once the second half starts, the game really ups the difficulty, makes the checkpoints more brutal, and has some really great encounters. Oltanis, Gemlik Base and Veldin were the standout levels here. The hoverboarding mini-games were also fun to go for high-scores in, with a cool trick system that could have been its own game if it there were more tracks. It also has an excellent final boss that really expects you to perform well. I recommend this one.
1998
1CC'd with Yusuke at 41 hours and 24 minutes. https://youtu.be/1xLUxvuavPI
ESP Ra.De. is not usual CAVE fare. It's still bullet hell, but the approach you take in this game is much different than in games like DoDonPachi and Mushihimesama. Patterns in this game do not require nearly as much micrododging, but the game often demands you macrododge. It doesn't like it if you try to dodge in a corner, it will wall you and force a hit. It wants you to keep moving from one side of the screen to the next. It takes it further by forcing you kill enemies quick, or you will miss out on items that both increase your score and your supply of energy. The risk/reward keeps increasing with each stage. The routing for stages 4 and 5 is very strict, demanding you make no mistakes, and the final boss tests everything you have learned, by being a moving target with a small hitbox that you need to keep on top of. It's so meticulously made and so very addicting to play. I'm not the best at reviewing, but I urge you to play this if you even have the most minuscule amount of interest in shoot 'em ups or CAVE. It's fucking peak.
ESP Ra.De. is not usual CAVE fare. It's still bullet hell, but the approach you take in this game is much different than in games like DoDonPachi and Mushihimesama. Patterns in this game do not require nearly as much micrododging, but the game often demands you macrododge. It doesn't like it if you try to dodge in a corner, it will wall you and force a hit. It wants you to keep moving from one side of the screen to the next. It takes it further by forcing you kill enemies quick, or you will miss out on items that both increase your score and your supply of energy. The risk/reward keeps increasing with each stage. The routing for stages 4 and 5 is very strict, demanding you make no mistakes, and the final boss tests everything you have learned, by being a moving target with a small hitbox that you need to keep on top of. It's so meticulously made and so very addicting to play. I'm not the best at reviewing, but I urge you to play this if you even have the most minuscule amount of interest in shoot 'em ups or CAVE. It's fucking peak.
2012
This is an excellent port of OutRun, one of the best arcade racers you can play, and my personal favorite racing game. You can customize pretty much everything from time, to amount of traffic, to assists (training wheels that make the game easier for newcomers, if you want them), and more. I cleared Continuous mode, which is a mode that allows you to play through all 15 levels at once. It's a bit too easy considering they remove the transitions since there are no paths to take so you have a lot of extra time, but I had a good time nonetheless.
If you do not have a Nintendo Switch or do not want to emulate, then go for this version. You need the rom files, but other than that, it's one of the best versions of the game. You can get it for consoles as well. It runs great on a PlayStation Vita with custom firmware, especially.
If you do not have a Nintendo Switch or do not want to emulate, then go for this version. You need the rom files, but other than that, it's one of the best versions of the game. You can get it for consoles as well. It runs great on a PlayStation Vita with custom firmware, especially.
2018
I've cleared every course in this game, including the new ones: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UXVOhvBtds
This game is still excellent no matter how many times I clear it. It is the best racing game, IMO. Combines good reaction times with good memorization skills. The cars in front of you can be RNG at times, but not so much that it's impossible to adjust. Turning feels really damn good, and maneuvering through levels feels just fantastic. Sega Ages also does allow new players to adjust their experience and set levels to have higher starting times and less cars as training wheels for higher difficulties. I recommend this version. I enjoyed the features of Cannonball but having Leaderboards, Replays, an amazing new soundtrack, and the game's visuals just getting an impressive upgrade makes this version the best Switch exclusive, IMO. The replayability is through the goddamn roof.
This game is still excellent no matter how many times I clear it. It is the best racing game, IMO. Combines good reaction times with good memorization skills. The cars in front of you can be RNG at times, but not so much that it's impossible to adjust. Turning feels really damn good, and maneuvering through levels feels just fantastic. Sega Ages also does allow new players to adjust their experience and set levels to have higher starting times and less cars as training wheels for higher difficulties. I recommend this version. I enjoyed the features of Cannonball but having Leaderboards, Replays, an amazing new soundtrack, and the game's visuals just getting an impressive upgrade makes this version the best Switch exclusive, IMO. The replayability is through the goddamn roof.
A great remake of the original Outrun.
There's some changes here that are good and bad, though.
Negatives; I think the game is easier. I can't really figure out why, but my guess is that they grant you more time to complete the course as my times were longer than in the Sega Ages Outrun version on the Switch and even more than in Cannonball. This is my main complaint. It's certainly not a dealbreaker, however. There's also the possible that I've just played way too much Outrun over the years, so my opinion of the difficulty may be skewed. I'm not going to knock off any points due to that.
Neutral; I think the larger vehicle sizes will make this version of the game harder for some. You can zip through some smaller spaces in the original but you will almost definitely clip vehicles when you race in this version. It's a bit more RNG for that reason but it didn't bother me much.
Positives; I think the biggest change, however, is the addition of Arrange mode. This mode legitimately rules. It is definitely the reason to play the PS2 version. It's now 7 stages long, though they converge (1>2>3>4>3>2>1). You have new courses like the Canyon and Vegas which are awesome, and you have to race against a rival per stage, and they stack. The tension of accidentally slowing down can cause a rival to speed up past you and even knock you off course. It's a very good mode. You have to play really, really well. I've read some people also didn't like the remixed music? They're good remixes. They don't touch the originals or the Switch version's music, but I enjoyed them.
I think this version of Outrun is worth playing. I beat it in 5 hours with the base settings (I played on Normal; I can't figure out the difference between Easy, Normal and Hard, but I think it's like the original's dip switch which just adds more vehicles). I cleared every original race, and the Arrange mode while beating all seven rivals. Upload here: https://youtu.be/GZGMK2XoL-8
Definitely recommending this one. It's only a 4/5 instead of a 5/5 because I do think the original game is just superior in nearly every way. If this game did not have Arrange mode, I would see no reason to come back, but the Arrange mode is worth returning for.
There's some changes here that are good and bad, though.
Negatives; I think the game is easier. I can't really figure out why, but my guess is that they grant you more time to complete the course as my times were longer than in the Sega Ages Outrun version on the Switch and even more than in Cannonball. This is my main complaint. It's certainly not a dealbreaker, however. There's also the possible that I've just played way too much Outrun over the years, so my opinion of the difficulty may be skewed. I'm not going to knock off any points due to that.
Neutral; I think the larger vehicle sizes will make this version of the game harder for some. You can zip through some smaller spaces in the original but you will almost definitely clip vehicles when you race in this version. It's a bit more RNG for that reason but it didn't bother me much.
Positives; I think the biggest change, however, is the addition of Arrange mode. This mode legitimately rules. It is definitely the reason to play the PS2 version. It's now 7 stages long, though they converge (1>2>3>4>3>2>1). You have new courses like the Canyon and Vegas which are awesome, and you have to race against a rival per stage, and they stack. The tension of accidentally slowing down can cause a rival to speed up past you and even knock you off course. It's a very good mode. You have to play really, really well. I've read some people also didn't like the remixed music? They're good remixes. They don't touch the originals or the Switch version's music, but I enjoyed them.
I think this version of Outrun is worth playing. I beat it in 5 hours with the base settings (I played on Normal; I can't figure out the difference between Easy, Normal and Hard, but I think it's like the original's dip switch which just adds more vehicles). I cleared every original race, and the Arrange mode while beating all seven rivals. Upload here: https://youtu.be/GZGMK2XoL-8
Definitely recommending this one. It's only a 4/5 instead of a 5/5 because I do think the original game is just superior in nearly every way. If this game did not have Arrange mode, I would see no reason to come back, but the Arrange mode is worth returning for.
1989
My 1CC (1,354,660): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pufTnOK3E6M
I don't know why I haven't heard of this game before. It's an excellent cabal shooter, a genre with already very few games in it. It looks cool, sounds cool, has some sick art and is really addicting to play. I'm not going to take the time to fully explain what a cabal shooter is, but it includes games like Sin and Punishment and Wild Guns where your character and cursor move in unison. Though in those games, you have a few more mechanics to play with. Here, you can also duck and move around while ducking.
Similar to those games, you go through each stage trying to destroy everything in sight for points. You have collectibles such as ammo, health and bombs. You get one bomb at 120K points and every 100K points there after. In addition, there's a boss at the end or close to the end of each level. You are graded on 3 criteria, how much you have destroyed, how fast you have killed the boss, and how much health you have left.
This allows for a lot to master. Sure, bosses have strategies where you can cheese them, but as you can see from my run, you will not get max score this way. You lose a hell of a lot of points. You also get 100K points at the end of the game for each bomb you don't use (for a max total of 8 bombs or 800,000 points), so here's a ton of optimization in this game, where I can't even begin to describe what a perfect route would look like.
All this makes for a high replayable romp that I could not put down for just over a couple of days of grinding. I spent around 9-10 hours on this one. A clear, IMO, is not hard to get if you use all your bombs and know how to cheese the bosses (which may sometimes be necessary), but that's not the point of this one. Play well and score well. My score here is quite modest, as the world record is around 1.7m points, but the optimization and routing are very, very strict the higher you want to go, making for a wonderful time.
I don't know why I haven't heard of this game before. It's an excellent cabal shooter, a genre with already very few games in it. It looks cool, sounds cool, has some sick art and is really addicting to play. I'm not going to take the time to fully explain what a cabal shooter is, but it includes games like Sin and Punishment and Wild Guns where your character and cursor move in unison. Though in those games, you have a few more mechanics to play with. Here, you can also duck and move around while ducking.
Similar to those games, you go through each stage trying to destroy everything in sight for points. You have collectibles such as ammo, health and bombs. You get one bomb at 120K points and every 100K points there after. In addition, there's a boss at the end or close to the end of each level. You are graded on 3 criteria, how much you have destroyed, how fast you have killed the boss, and how much health you have left.
This allows for a lot to master. Sure, bosses have strategies where you can cheese them, but as you can see from my run, you will not get max score this way. You lose a hell of a lot of points. You also get 100K points at the end of the game for each bomb you don't use (for a max total of 8 bombs or 800,000 points), so here's a ton of optimization in this game, where I can't even begin to describe what a perfect route would look like.
All this makes for a high replayable romp that I could not put down for just over a couple of days of grinding. I spent around 9-10 hours on this one. A clear, IMO, is not hard to get if you use all your bombs and know how to cheese the bosses (which may sometimes be necessary), but that's not the point of this one. Play well and score well. My score here is quite modest, as the world record is around 1.7m points, but the optimization and routing are very, very strict the higher you want to go, making for a wonderful time.
1999
This game was made when Takumi took the phrase "I'm rubber, you're glue, whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you" too seriously.
A reflect bomb is such a crazy idea but Takumi took that idea and ran with it. This game is a bullet hell, but that twist allowed them to create bullet patterns where using your reflect was extremely advised. The best part of it is that this game has been cleared without using the reflect, so they even took self-imposed challenges into account when designing this monster of a shoot 'em up.
If you're unaware, you have a special sort of bomb in this game that allows you to reflect bullets and gives you a few seconds of invulnerability. It's on a cooldown, but it's pretty short, and you'll be using that reflect a lot during your play through. As the stages get harder, due to the ranking system where bullets get faster and the distance between them gets shorter, the density of the bullet patterns become harder and harder to micrododge, further reinforcing the use of your reflect. You'd want to anyway. Do you have any idea how good it feels to send hundreds of bullets hurdling back at your enemies?!
Your choice of four characters comes down to preference since all of them are pretty strong, except for that one guy who's really bad, but even he's good enough to get a clear with. The first 3 stages are random based on that selection and, much like ESP Ra.De., Strikers 1945, and several other shmups, have different difficulties based on the order of the stages.
The real game starts at Stage 5, however, which was the bane of my existence. Routing it was difficult, as a small mistake could easily extinguish one of your lives. I saved almost all my bombs for that stage, as I felt the penultimate boss and the final boss (only accessible if you're going for a 1CC), were easier to route. That stage has fast bullets, and tons of enemies. It's a big step up in difficulty. But man, is it fun to play.
I could go on, but a game to me has to play well to even be considered a 5/5, and this one plays too well. The music is probably a sticking point for some as I felt it was samey, the artwork is really nice on the eyes, and the visibility of the bullets is clear. I never felt like one snuck up on me, unless I just was not paying attention. If you care about presentation, you'll still get your fill, with some big explosions and spectacles coming from the bosses. The final pattern in this game is just hundreds of bullets that create an excellent feeling of slowdown and you ram them up the final boss's ass for stalking you the entire game.
Fuck you, man, I got a reflect bomb, and it makes reflect noises. 5/5. 10/10. Capcom, why the hell did you stop funding shoot 'em ups?!
My 1CC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aBpaB7r5S0
A reflect bomb is such a crazy idea but Takumi took that idea and ran with it. This game is a bullet hell, but that twist allowed them to create bullet patterns where using your reflect was extremely advised. The best part of it is that this game has been cleared without using the reflect, so they even took self-imposed challenges into account when designing this monster of a shoot 'em up.
If you're unaware, you have a special sort of bomb in this game that allows you to reflect bullets and gives you a few seconds of invulnerability. It's on a cooldown, but it's pretty short, and you'll be using that reflect a lot during your play through. As the stages get harder, due to the ranking system where bullets get faster and the distance between them gets shorter, the density of the bullet patterns become harder and harder to micrododge, further reinforcing the use of your reflect. You'd want to anyway. Do you have any idea how good it feels to send hundreds of bullets hurdling back at your enemies?!
Your choice of four characters comes down to preference since all of them are pretty strong, except for that one guy who's really bad, but even he's good enough to get a clear with. The first 3 stages are random based on that selection and, much like ESP Ra.De., Strikers 1945, and several other shmups, have different difficulties based on the order of the stages.
The real game starts at Stage 5, however, which was the bane of my existence. Routing it was difficult, as a small mistake could easily extinguish one of your lives. I saved almost all my bombs for that stage, as I felt the penultimate boss and the final boss (only accessible if you're going for a 1CC), were easier to route. That stage has fast bullets, and tons of enemies. It's a big step up in difficulty. But man, is it fun to play.
I could go on, but a game to me has to play well to even be considered a 5/5, and this one plays too well. The music is probably a sticking point for some as I felt it was samey, the artwork is really nice on the eyes, and the visibility of the bullets is clear. I never felt like one snuck up on me, unless I just was not paying attention. If you care about presentation, you'll still get your fill, with some big explosions and spectacles coming from the bosses. The final pattern in this game is just hundreds of bullets that create an excellent feeling of slowdown and you ram them up the final boss's ass for stalking you the entire game.
Fuck you, man, I got a reflect bomb, and it makes reflect noises. 5/5. 10/10. Capcom, why the hell did you stop funding shoot 'em ups?!
My 1CC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aBpaB7r5S0
2003
My rating is based off the gameplay alone.
I can't in good conscience recommend this as a game, because the gameplay is just godawful. It's a 3D beat 'em up and the game is mission-based, separated into two-types of missions. The ground missions are musou but worse, and the aerial missions, while serviceable, are very boring. There are two really good boss fights, out of several, and that's all you get. I fell into Stockholm syndrome, and eventually just got used to it, but it's not good. If you're insane enough to go through it anyway, you'll be greeted with an interesting meta-narrative that escalates extremely well until the final cutscene. It's full of "this is just okay enough that we won't get sued"-style Berserk references, which as a Berserk fan, kept me engaged enough to continue. The narrative only begins to pick up after you get a couple of endings. However, the narrative gets so wild beyond that, that I think it's very worth experiencing. If you're willing to put up with a lot of shit, you'll get rewarded by the end. Make sure to get every ending.
I can't in good conscience recommend this as a game, because the gameplay is just godawful. It's a 3D beat 'em up and the game is mission-based, separated into two-types of missions. The ground missions are musou but worse, and the aerial missions, while serviceable, are very boring. There are two really good boss fights, out of several, and that's all you get. I fell into Stockholm syndrome, and eventually just got used to it, but it's not good. If you're insane enough to go through it anyway, you'll be greeted with an interesting meta-narrative that escalates extremely well until the final cutscene. It's full of "this is just okay enough that we won't get sued"-style Berserk references, which as a Berserk fan, kept me engaged enough to continue. The narrative only begins to pick up after you get a couple of endings. However, the narrative gets so wild beyond that, that I think it's very worth experiencing. If you're willing to put up with a lot of shit, you'll get rewarded by the end. Make sure to get every ending.
1987
This review contains spoilers
A linear top-down stealth action game and the first game in the Metal Gear franchise. The gameplay loop involves moving from screen-to-screen and outsmarting guards by moving past them without being seen and getting an alert, which results in several guards chasing you until you kill all the ones on screen. You progress through the game by finding key items that will help you fight bosses and get past blockages so you can access new areas. It's a very classic formula seen in later games like Resident Evil and Silent Hill. I'm not sure what game was the progenitor, but this title stays faithful to this style of progression, which I find immensely enjoyable.
There are several cool areas to wade through on Outer Heaven, and each areas has a unique palette to it, keeping the visuals pretty fresh on repeat playthroughs. The game only sports a few tracks, but I enjoyed them at best and found the lesser ones inoffensive at worst. The weapons here feel good to use, and the bosses are fun to figure out, especially when you're going for higher ranks on repeat runs. The only negative here is that sometimes the game can be unwinnable, or at the very least, will force you to backtrack to get items you need if you don't have them for specific situations. If you miss the antidote, you can easily die in the scorpion desert with its RNG. If you don't have the correct amount of plastic explosive, you can't beat Metal Gear. Since the game is so short, I really didn't mind, but I can see this annoying some.
The best part of the game, however, is the ranking system. This ranking system is reminiscent of the one in Metal Gear Solid and Silent Hill, which are sister series when it comes to going for high endgame ranks. On Original difficulty, you need to beat the game in under 45 minutes, have no continues, only use a single ration, kill no one, and only get the 8 mandatory narrative alerts (so essentially, no player caused alerts). You also can't use the infinity bandana given to you on future playthroughs. You have as many saves as you want though, but the run I did only used one save, and I think the game is better when you limit yourself, much like you do in an arcade game for continues/lives.
The routing in this game is extremely satisfying and figuring out how to take care of tasks, run by guards, time cameras, find items, and kill bosses as fast as possible rules. The game does have a few sections that can be RNG, but I do believe you can somewhat mitigate a lot of the game with some skill. The scorpion desert still has RNG, and you can accidentally kill a guard in one part of the game, but those might be the only two sections where you can't at least get decently consistent at. I really enjoyed routing this one, and it's just an excellent game when you take the endgame into account. It's super fun even if you just play it once, but it really shines when you're memorizing exactly where you need to go.
I rate games based on enjoyment and especially replayability, one of the most important factors in games for me. This has both, and it's a super cool title, and get the highest recommendation from me.
My run is here (https://youtu.be/2LdHMbBhlrM) if you want to check it out. My timestamps also include the infamous roof, which is the run killer for many a Metal Gear Big Boss rank runner. This was my cleanest roof run by far. Funniest part about my run though is that I got stung by scorpion before I saved, and saving fixed that!
There are several cool areas to wade through on Outer Heaven, and each areas has a unique palette to it, keeping the visuals pretty fresh on repeat playthroughs. The game only sports a few tracks, but I enjoyed them at best and found the lesser ones inoffensive at worst. The weapons here feel good to use, and the bosses are fun to figure out, especially when you're going for higher ranks on repeat runs. The only negative here is that sometimes the game can be unwinnable, or at the very least, will force you to backtrack to get items you need if you don't have them for specific situations. If you miss the antidote, you can easily die in the scorpion desert with its RNG. If you don't have the correct amount of plastic explosive, you can't beat Metal Gear. Since the game is so short, I really didn't mind, but I can see this annoying some.
The best part of the game, however, is the ranking system. This ranking system is reminiscent of the one in Metal Gear Solid and Silent Hill, which are sister series when it comes to going for high endgame ranks. On Original difficulty, you need to beat the game in under 45 minutes, have no continues, only use a single ration, kill no one, and only get the 8 mandatory narrative alerts (so essentially, no player caused alerts). You also can't use the infinity bandana given to you on future playthroughs. You have as many saves as you want though, but the run I did only used one save, and I think the game is better when you limit yourself, much like you do in an arcade game for continues/lives.
The routing in this game is extremely satisfying and figuring out how to take care of tasks, run by guards, time cameras, find items, and kill bosses as fast as possible rules. The game does have a few sections that can be RNG, but I do believe you can somewhat mitigate a lot of the game with some skill. The scorpion desert still has RNG, and you can accidentally kill a guard in one part of the game, but those might be the only two sections where you can't at least get decently consistent at. I really enjoyed routing this one, and it's just an excellent game when you take the endgame into account. It's super fun even if you just play it once, but it really shines when you're memorizing exactly where you need to go.
I rate games based on enjoyment and especially replayability, one of the most important factors in games for me. This has both, and it's a super cool title, and get the highest recommendation from me.
My run is here (https://youtu.be/2LdHMbBhlrM) if you want to check it out. My timestamps also include the infamous roof, which is the run killer for many a Metal Gear Big Boss rank runner. This was my cleanest roof run by far. Funniest part about my run though is that I got stung by scorpion before I saved, and saving fixed that!