darklink20001
GBA Version Score: 3.5/5
A bit of a step down from 2 on GBA sadly, mainly because while the console version of 3 feels like a monumental leap in quality from 2, this just feels like the same game with some new moves added. Which isn't a bad thing necessarily! But it doesn't feel that innovative. Maybe I'm thinking a bit too hard about these downgraded ports, but idk. Still fun! The levels are way bigger in this and the revert is definitely a nice addition. There's also Sponsor Mode which I've barely dipped into yet but it adds more gameplay to the game which is nice.
A bit of a step down from 2 on GBA sadly, mainly because while the console version of 3 feels like a monumental leap in quality from 2, this just feels like the same game with some new moves added. Which isn't a bad thing necessarily! But it doesn't feel that innovative. Maybe I'm thinking a bit too hard about these downgraded ports, but idk. Still fun! The levels are way bigger in this and the revert is definitely a nice addition. There's also Sponsor Mode which I've barely dipped into yet but it adds more gameplay to the game which is nice.
GBA Version Score: 4/5
You'd think that a GBA port of THPS2 would suck, but Vicarious Visions did the absolute best they could in making this as close to the original game as they could on a portable. And it delivers! Most of the levels are here and preserved pretty well, and the 3D gameplay is replaced with a 2.5D isometric style view. It can be hard to gauge where collectibles or gaps are at times, but for the most part it works! I like the soundtrack here, made up of all original little fun loops. And most importantly, this game feels almost EXACTLY the same control wise as the console version, which is unbelievable. Highly recommend this to people who love the series and want to experience a different take on it.
You'd think that a GBA port of THPS2 would suck, but Vicarious Visions did the absolute best they could in making this as close to the original game as they could on a portable. And it delivers! Most of the levels are here and preserved pretty well, and the 3D gameplay is replaced with a 2.5D isometric style view. It can be hard to gauge where collectibles or gaps are at times, but for the most part it works! I like the soundtrack here, made up of all original little fun loops. And most importantly, this game feels almost EXACTLY the same control wise as the console version, which is unbelievable. Highly recommend this to people who love the series and want to experience a different take on it.
This was my first experience with the downgraded portable versions of the Tony Hawk games. I played THUG 2 Remix recently but that's basically a straight port of a PS2 game so I wouldn't really count it along side these.
Anyways, would it be blasphemous of me to say I liked this more than Wasteland? I know this game is a bit clunky and really short but I had such a great time while playing it. It feels like a true Tony Hawk game just made to fit on a DS, complete with a classic mode too! Also I love the random features such as being able to use the touch screen to draw your own deck and use the microphone to record (shitty sounding) sounds that can be heard when you bail or do a special trick. They even have a soundtrack with tracks ripped straight from the main game! They really tried with this, this is not just a cash grab. This clearly had a lot of love and effort put into it and I think it really delivers because of that.
Anyways, would it be blasphemous of me to say I liked this more than Wasteland? I know this game is a bit clunky and really short but I had such a great time while playing it. It feels like a true Tony Hawk game just made to fit on a DS, complete with a classic mode too! Also I love the random features such as being able to use the touch screen to draw your own deck and use the microphone to record (shitty sounding) sounds that can be heard when you bail or do a special trick. They even have a soundtrack with tracks ripped straight from the main game! They really tried with this, this is not just a cash grab. This clearly had a lot of love and effort put into it and I think it really delivers because of that.
Gonna be posting more thoughts when I beat the original version which is apparently better, especially because I don't have to do extra shit to get the true ending (i got the bad ending here). Great game though and pretty solid remake it seems.
2006
A very nice chibified version of the original Mega Man. I personally like this one more than the original, thanks to what feels like a more balanced game difficulty wise. But overall, it still has some of the problems that made the original a kind of frustrating experience.
I think the best remakes are the ones that both feel like the original but also feel like a wholly new experience. In this category, Link's Awakening on the switch is one of the best remakes of all time.
I dont know what it is about that ending, but it gets to me. Maybe its just the fact that The Ballad of the Wind Fish might be my favorite song in the franchise and makes me emotional every time I hear it, whether in 8-bit or newly arranged. Its a simple story executed beautifully.
I dont know what it is about that ending, but it gets to me. Maybe its just the fact that The Ballad of the Wind Fish might be my favorite song in the franchise and makes me emotional every time I hear it, whether in 8-bit or newly arranged. Its a simple story executed beautifully.
2019
Incredibly fun game that I could definitely play a lot more of. I only have about 5 hours, but they were a blast.
It's hard for me to call this the definitive version of this game with all the technical hiccups. Cutscenes are greatly downgraded and have weird graphical glitches, audio is delayed in many areas, the game overall is just not as polished presentation wise. But god damn, this is Underground 2 as you know and love it on a portable system with more content! This is far from a bad version, it's still insanely fun and honestly impressive that a PS2 game can run at all on a portable system.
2002
I technically just watched the ending on YouTube, but I DID get to the final boss. Anyways, ok game. Hope the rest of the games are better.
I think this game is underrated. Yea its really easy and pretty derivative, but this is definitely a fun and worthwhile entry in the series.
I'm disappointed by this because I was genuinely enjoying this at the start, but the game is seriously plagued by a dull and repetitive map and just awful, broken boss fights.