Despite how awkward it feels to control at times, as well as the length and weirdness of the game, the original Super Mario Land was still a decent enough game, and it proved that a Mario game could work just as well on a smaller system as it does on a console. So, as one would expect, a sequel was going to be made, and for this sequel, the development team wanted to create something much more unique compared to the other Mario games that have been made so far………… only to then go back on this decision to create a game very similar to that of Super Mario World. However, some of this uniqueness would carry over, not just with the game itself, but also with the plot being changed from what players were used to seeing from these games. So, after almost a year of development, they then released the sequel to the original Mario Land known as Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins.

In terms of mainline handheld Mario games, this entry in particular is usually held in pretty high regards, not just with delivering the same timeless and fun gameplay that we have all grown to love, but also with implementing worlds and elements never seen in any other Mario game before or since then. And I am gonna have to agree with that general consensus, because taking inspiration from Super Mario World was definitely the right choice, rather then whatever it was that they originally had intended. As a followup to Super Mario Land, this is a MASSIVE improvement over what we were given in that game, and as a game on its own, it is fantastic. Is it anything too special compared to other titles in the series, and it is absolutely flawless? No, but for being a simple handheld Mario game, it is pretty damn impressive, especially for 1992, and it holds up very well to this day.

The story is NOT about saving any damsel in distress, but instead taking back your castle from a mysterious new foe, which is probably more important to Mario then saving a princess for the millionth time, the graphics are Game Boy graphics, with the artstyle and sprites being much better and more detailed then what we got in Super Mario Land, the music is very catchy, bouncy, and enjoyable, with some very replayable tracks out of the bunch, the control is what you would expect for a Mario game, and it is as tight and seamless as ever, and the gameplay is, again, what you would expect from a Mario game, but in comparison to the last game, it is a significant step in the right direction.

The game is yet another 2D platformer, where you go through many different side-scrolling levels, defeat many of the enemies that stand in your way, avoid dangerous platforming hazards, gather many different powerups, coins, and extra lives along the way, and take on easy, yet creative and enjoyable bosses. It is what you would expect from a 2D Mario title, but it still remains pretty fun and imaginative to this day. In terms of new features to this game, there aren’t really that many new powerups, except for one known as the Magic Carrot, which turns you into Bunny Mario, who can… flutter down very slowly when you push the button. So basically, it’s just like the Tanooki Leaf from Mario 3, except you can’t fly upwards or attack enemies. That’s kind of lame, but hey, it is still fun to use. Not to mention, this game takes plenty of inspiration from, like I said, Super Mario World, where there is an overworld map, you can tackle levels in any order you want (for the most part), and there are several secret levels that you can find by reaching alternate exits in specific levels. These levels aren’t really all that spectacular, and they don’t last long at all, but they are a nice bonus for those who are wanting more out of the game.

One of the best aspects that this game has going for it, like I mentioned earlier, is the amount of creativity that was put into this game. Sure, the main gameplay mechanics aren’t changed up significantly whatsoever, but everything around the gameplay does stand out as being unique to this day, such as with the worlds and the enemies in levels. I’m sure we are all familiar with the types of worlds Mario games have you go through: Grass World, Desert World, Beach World, Forest World, Snow World, Cliff World, Sky World, and Hell World. These world themes aren’t bad by any means, but we have seen them so many times in Mario games, you tend to get sick of the lack of variety.

However, in Mario Land 2, there are plenty of interesting world themes, with some pretty unique levels to go along with them. We have the usual shit, like your regular grass levels and a world inside of a tree, but then we have a world in space, a world inside a spooky Jack-O-Lantern, a world where you get shrunken down and have to traverse through a regular house, and even one where you climb through a giant mechanical Mario robot! Sure, most of these themes aren’t too creative, but they are ones that we have never seen in any other Mario game before and since this one, and they are very memorable and fun to traverse through. And in terms of the enemies, there is a great variety of old and new ones, like ants, moles, angry stars, Cow-Fish things, Goombas wearing hockey masks like Jason Vorhees, and even a tiny little Dracula that is adorable. Again, like with the worlds, you don’t see these types of enemies in most other Mario games, making this one stand out much more, and in turn, being even more fun and memorable.

Of course, how could I forget about one of the defining features of this game, that being the brand new villain of the game. This villain was created specifically out of spite for working on a game that the developers didn’t primarily create, which is ironic, considering this character would come to be one of the best characters in the entire franchise, as well as one of the greatest and most iconic characters in video game history. I am, of course, talking about Wario. He may just be a bad version of Mario (quite literally), but he has become so much more than that over the years. He is fat, he is rude, he is insanely greedy, and he cares about nobody other than himself, stomping anyone down in his path to get whatever the hell he wants…….. and I absolutely love him for all of those reasons. There is a reason why he has gotten multiple series of his own games, even all the way to this day.

I know I have been raving on and on about this game for this entire review, but honestly, there aren’t really that many complaints that I have with the game overall. It is an immensely solid title that I had an absolute blast replaying for this review, and it does still hold up very well. I guess if I did have some complaints I could give, I would say that the game is kind of short, as well as kind of easy, but considering all of the levels you can play through, with some being pretty challenging, I don’t really see this as much of an issue. This could also be said for the fact that, if you get a Game Over, any of the 6 golden coins you have gathered at that point are taken away from you, and you have to get it back. That does kind of suck, but again, the game is somewhat easy, as it gives you lives a plenty, so even then, you probably won’t get a Game Over in the first place.

Overall, despite there being some very minor issues that I can see with it, Super Mario Land 2 is an almost perfect follow-up to the original Super Mario Land, one with a great amount of creativity for a Mario game, and one that is still very fun to blast through even to this day. I would definitely recommend it for anybody, as well as Mario fans in general, even if you didn’t like the original Mario Land at all. Trust me, it is definitely worth it. Now I just can’t wait to see what Super Mario Land 3 has in store next! someone whispers into my ear....... Whassat? Oh… well… that didn’t take long at all.

Game #302

the opening hour is fucking masterful. the louisana swamps and southern horror and mia is literally ethel cain. great mystery and increasing tension, good scares just great great great. some of the best to come out of the re series. then ur introduced to the family which is also just great this is probably capcoms best world to date and the characters are all so distinct and the house section gives me that re1 vibe but with the thoroughline of the family. also looks pretty good for 2017, but def a bit muddy. the first half is great but def needs enemy variety, the bug section is annoying and the mia and zoe choice is pretty dumb bad ending/good ending whatever. the ship section is bad and disorienting, the mia and eveline stuff is weird and i don't get it and story is servicable and the ending section is just weird, granny twist is a bit of a meaningless twist and the boss looks funny. the jack not dying gag is fun, lucas sections is good i mean it's all jus pretty good all throughout. good revival and return to survival horror. the dlc are also good and fun even though they are some story contradictions but whatever u dont play these games for the story. good!

Westerado is a game I'm hoping develops more of a cult-following, maybe not because it's anything mind-blowing at all on its own, but because it at least tries to execute the ideas I've been hoping to see rise over the past few years. Yes, it's a souped-up browser game and that limited scope is almost lethal to the games success, given missions have you doing not much more than going to Point A and Point B to either talk or shoot, but it's the way it wants you to talk and shoot, and how it ties that into everything else, that makes it so interesting. The entire game strings you through a long trail of breadcrumbs to figure out who your (randomly-selected) family's murderer is and every quest ties back into it usually with either money to get you further on your quest or a clue given detailing what he looks like, and sometimes you'll have every quest tying into every other quest with them either solving or failing themselves due to unexpected interactions they have. It's a very emergent style of storytelling, further bolstered by the ability to just pull a gun on anyone to change how they act, and sometimes it gets to the point that even bandits will begin to fear you and hesitate to attack from what you've done. The game has a lack of much content for you to do, but the connections and threads are constantly keeping it interesting and add to the replay value in a way I crave for other games, as it follows the sentiment of "actions speak louder than words" in a way similar games really don't usually, and it always gives you something to latch onto even without much of a strong main plot, just due to how deeply interwoven everything is. If any of this sounds interesting: go forth and play it, it's nothing amazing on its own, but it's an example for the future; a microcosm of design choices that I hope future role-playing games and adventure games pull from.

more of the same, but also just more in general. having played these games back-to-back, the improvements on the gameplay in this were felt immediately. comboing mobs was so much more fluid and satisfying. there are actual air combos now, and your actions can be more easily linked by super moves on the ground and in the air. fighting and building up the hit count was an absolute blast. also, assists actually work now. for some reason they were super finicky and unresponsive in the first game, but i had no issues with that here.

unfortunately, the guard break feels kind of janky. there's no way (that i found) to work a guard break into a combo because you've gotta stop what you're doing to hold the heavy button and break the flow of combat. it's great for sending floored enemies up into the air, however. on the player side, guarding seems to be useless for the most part. might just be my unga bunga brain using offense as the best defense.

all the charm from the first game is here, including the hit or miss humor. the map is somewhat expanded on and has a few additional areas with a good number of new characters to interact with. there are now player hideouts spread across the map that let you to respawn in whatever part of the city you died in, allowing you to avoid some backtracking.

great game. had a ton of fun turning my brain off and mashing away.

You're Gonna Have a Good Time

Taking place in the year 201X, Undertale see a young person climb a mountain, only to trip and find himself underground where monsters, who were driven out by humans in a somewhat one-sided war, dwell. Thus begins the journey to escape. (Forgive the breezy explanation of the plot, but any more would spoil Undertale.)

Undertale is not your usual RPG. For one the game is more of a hybrid genre of (deep breath) JRPG x Bullet Hell x Rhythm x Psychological x Horror x Social Commentary (phew). To say how to play or approach Undertale would do it a disservice but just don’t go in expecting the usual.

In terms of presentation, on the surface Undertale is basic. Seeing the game in action shows you that Toby Fox and co execution elevates them to have flashes of personality and visual flair that some AAA games lack. The way the characters speak, the poses they have, the dialogue, the excellent uses of music that makes what should be throwaway scenes and locations linger long after playing the game.

In terms of gameplay, it is the weakest part but a) that is somewhat by design and b) the game is very short so it just about doesn’t wear on the player. If one sees the gameplay serves as a storytelling device, then it makes sense.

Undertale is not perfect. It can be VERY frustrating at certain points and while it does fit one of the games themes, it can put many people off playing it. The storytelling can rub people the wrong way and it’s non-typical game nature can make people question playing it.

But for those that give it a good enough chance and persist, they will see why Undertale is a masterpiece. It’s probably one of the few games that defies the rule that a good story can’t overcome weak gameplay.

Rating 9/10

I gave this game a fair chance, I really did, but this is one of the few games I will never see through to the end because of how tedious and confusing it is. It's a JRPG without a traditional levelling system and yet the enemies get stronger as you progress traditionally. You'd instead level up specific attacks instead of your characters overall level but the game doesn't tell you the difference between similar moves and most stats and mechanics that are important are either hidden away or aren't shown to you at all (Or at least I couldn't find them when digging through the game and looking it up). You are punished for fleeing battles by sending you back to the start of the zone but most long and tedious encounters will sometimes not drop any money and you wont see progress towards levelling up moves. I could not find anywhere in the game that shows how far away I was from gaining a new level on a move. And there's also extreme difficulty spikes and sometimes surprise forced encounters if things weren't bad enough.
Can't really recommend this game to anyone, there's far better JRPGs on the 3DS that are much more worth your time.