638 Reviews liked by bwoe


The high school rooftop stage with its blaring harmonica theme is, to me, the purest essence of shounen. A really great busted fighter, with an unforgettable cast and setting. Super loose and accessible, too.

The first part is my review of the game, the second is my rant over Xbox.

Review: WOOOAAA-OOOOOOH YEEEEEAAA-AAAAAAH

Xbox fans love to defend Microsoft buying out studios because Sony does it too, but at least when Sony does it, they don't IMMEDIATELY shut down an entire 14 year old studio a year after they put out their first exclusive for the company, which also happens to be the best game on their platform in DECADES just to line the pockets of their executives.

Japan Studio's closure was the worst thing Sony ever did. But in the bleakest of perspectives, it makes sense as their games were never financially profitable, and were bleeding money for over a decade, especially after the development hell The Last Guardian went through, only to sell a little over a million copies.

Hi-Fi Rush was a much smaller game that reached universal acclaim with 3.5 million sold copies in just a little over a year. That is insanely good for a mid-budget game. Microsoft had zero reason to shut down the studio to prop up Bethesda with their most mediocre game yet that even IGN gave a 7/10, along with an extraordinarily generic Indiana Jones game and a generic Marvel tie-in game.

Not even to mention that Microsoft is a TRILLION($3,000,000,000,000+) dollar company that has zero reason to purge studios that make successful games.

Hi-Fi Rush was one of the most unique games we've gotten in years and now it will never receive a follow-up thanks to corporate greed and incompetency from the worst company in the entire gaming industry. Far worse than EA or Ubisoft.

Apparently having a beloved studio with extremely talented employees isn't enough. Apparently having an award winning game isn't enough. Having a succesful game isn't enough. Fuck microsoft, fuck phil spencer, fuck sarah bond, fuck matt booty, fuck the gaming industry for letting talent like this die.

To former Tango Gameworks employees, thank you for incredible contributions to the gaming industry with The Evil Within, Ghostwire Tokyo, and Hifi Rush.

this was my 2023 goty
fuck microsoft

Apparently even when you develop one of the most unique and beloved games in years you’ll still get shut down. Fuck Xbox and all these western publishers who seem to be shutting down studios and laying off thousands just for the hell of it.

Trent Reznor you are indeed my perfect drug

Hi-Fi Rush is incredible. I'm here to mourn Tango's passing, and to tell a story.

I graduated from high school in 2010, got into my second choice college, and lasted exactly 1 semester before getting thrown out. Long story, it was only partially my fault. Point is, coming back home after that was weird. Working full time, doing community college, making and losing friends, meeting the woman I'd eventually marry, I was busy. Busy meant a lot of driving. Driving meant listening to a lot of music. Music meant listening to the local indie station, who, among many other bands, started playing a little Welsh rock group called The Joy Formidable. Of everything they gave airtime, it was their work that resonated with me the most.

As I was playing through Hi-Fi Rush for the first time over a couple sitdowns I joked with friends that the game felt personalized for me and me alone. Rhythm character action cel-shaded comedy? You couldn't concoct a more Demetri-ass concept without also serving me a hot gyro. I enjoyed every single decision made, particularly in the audio department. So imagine my reaction when I get to the surprisingly impactful climax and its gorgeous, massive construction zone, only for one of the most emotionally charged songs of my entire life to start thumping in my ears.

There's not an ounce of embarrassment in my heart when I tell you that I teared up hearing Whirring in the final level of Hi-Fi Rush, and I wouldn't have dared pause to wipe them away. I cannot think of another video game level that made me feel so much so strongly so quickly. I don't know anybody at Tango Gameworks, but I feel like I do. Or should. At the very least I want to thank them personally.

Hi-Fi Rush may not be perfect for everyone, but it is for me. Together we're unstoppable.

Phil Spencer you complete fuck-up! what have you done! there is absolutely no love for games as an art form with xbox's current shitty business model and I genuinely believe that awful ass company is not long for this world.

if anyone from tango is reading this - you made a spectacular game that had a profound impact on me and for that I can only really say thank you

This game will now join the sequel graveyard because we will never get another game like this thanks to the shit sundae that is Microsoft's incompetent leadership. I will forever love this game and the people who made it. Tango Gameworks, You did not deserve to go out like this.

Fuck Microsoft and fuck Phil Spencer

I'm not even able to play this game at least right now, but it's not hard to notice just how much love and passion was poured into Hi Fi Rush just from the trailers alone. Fuck Microsoft, the folks at Tango deserved better.

I've not played this game (yet) but it's not hard to see how much of an impact this game had last year and I do wanna join in, in saying "Fuck Phil Spencer"