deadparadox
I'm not against the idea of a Silent Hill game about bullying and suicide. The first game even touched on bullying a little. Someone who's been bullied would likely find the stuff here very tame though. The story here just felt very surface level and not very good. The game play, what little of it, is just running around abstract mazes with a stalker chasing you. It's glorified Pac-Man. The last maze is really annoying too, taking what little horror the game had and breaking it over its knee. The live action cut scenes are jarring. There's technically a puzzle in the middle but it's laughably easy.
I'll give it points for being different and trying something new though.
The game also gives you a suicide warning several times during gameplay, including when starting the game, and even when loading your save. It feels excessive. Though I wonder if Konami felt legally obligated to do this. Still it took me out of the experience and given how tame the story felt, it led me to expect something darker than what we got. Plus, it's a horror game. I expect unpleasant things to happen.
I'll give it points for being different and trying something new though.
The game also gives you a suicide warning several times during gameplay, including when starting the game, and even when loading your save. It feels excessive. Though I wonder if Konami felt legally obligated to do this. Still it took me out of the experience and given how tame the story felt, it led me to expect something darker than what we got. Plus, it's a horror game. I expect unpleasant things to happen.
2022
It starts out really well but the controls near the end of the game make it kind of tedious to play. Still if you bite sized metroidvanias you could do worse.
2023
A cute little metroidvania that packs a lot of punch. It's a short but for its size it has a lot to explore and a decent amount of power ups and collectibles. The art style is simple but it looks nice. It's well worth playing.
2018
It's a fun, little Metroidvania. You can complete it in one sitting. It's very basic but that doesn't mean it's not fun. Some of the challenges get a little tedious near the end with a lot of deaths that feel undeserved. But it's still worth a try.
Great game but the genre has moved on from Mario.
It's better than the entire New Super Mario series. Those games felt very cookie cutter and samey. This one has a lot of love and care in put into it. It's clear Nintendo cared about this game.
It's a great game but sadly there's a lot better 2d platformers out there. Celeste, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, Donkey Kong Country Returns/Tropical Freeze, and Rayman Legends just to name a few. But being great is still an accomplishment and makes it worth playing. You just might find yourself struggling to muster the energy to finish this one, however.
Part of the problem is there's also entirely too much unskippable dialogue for some strange reason. And the Wonder Seed gimmick, while fun, can make some levels tedious. You basically have to find the secret exit to every level so I hope you like replaying levels just to figure where those are (some are very cryptic while others are very easy).
It's better than the entire New Super Mario series. Those games felt very cookie cutter and samey. This one has a lot of love and care in put into it. It's clear Nintendo cared about this game.
It's a great game but sadly there's a lot better 2d platformers out there. Celeste, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, Donkey Kong Country Returns/Tropical Freeze, and Rayman Legends just to name a few. But being great is still an accomplishment and makes it worth playing. You just might find yourself struggling to muster the energy to finish this one, however.
Part of the problem is there's also entirely too much unskippable dialogue for some strange reason. And the Wonder Seed gimmick, while fun, can make some levels tedious. You basically have to find the secret exit to every level so I hope you like replaying levels just to figure where those are (some are very cryptic while others are very easy).
1991
One of the better early DOS platformers. There's not really much to say about it. The platforming is fun. That's more the focus than the shooting. There's fun power ups and secrets. The humor was cheesy but fun. Duke hadn't got his edge yet.
I enjoy it more than Duke Nukem 2 but that's personal preference. The sequel is more combat oriented and less about platforming.
My only complaints are: a few levels are a bit too labyrinthane and, like many games of its time, it used the internal speaker for sound. Lots of bleeps and bloops. There's no music.
I enjoy it more than Duke Nukem 2 but that's personal preference. The sequel is more combat oriented and less about platforming.
My only complaints are: a few levels are a bit too labyrinthane and, like many games of its time, it used the internal speaker for sound. Lots of bleeps and bloops. There's no music.
This review contains spoilers
This game is about as good as Time to Kill. It controls mostly the same, for better and for worse. Duke still controls like a tank. The gameplay is largely the same. However, there's 3 things that make this a worse experience.
First off, the bosses range from boring to outright tedious. Second, there's several under water levels and, again, Duke moves like a tank. This is worse underwater. Third, the last levels are mostly filled with aliens using freeze throwers who launch a homing enemy at you when you're frozen. You get frozen in about one hit too, making these sections extra tedious.
It's nice seeing different enemies though. Even the aliens look unique. The story feels very Duke Nukem (well when you're not doing busy work, like going to the library). The weapons are mostly good. If you liked Time to Kill you'll probably like this one up until the end. I only rate it so low because 3rd person action games have gotten much better. Back then I'd rate it a 7, fun but far from amazing.
First off, the bosses range from boring to outright tedious. Second, there's several under water levels and, again, Duke moves like a tank. This is worse underwater. Third, the last levels are mostly filled with aliens using freeze throwers who launch a homing enemy at you when you're frozen. You get frozen in about one hit too, making these sections extra tedious.
It's nice seeing different enemies though. Even the aliens look unique. The story feels very Duke Nukem (well when you're not doing busy work, like going to the library). The weapons are mostly good. If you liked Time to Kill you'll probably like this one up until the end. I only rate it so low because 3rd person action games have gotten much better. Back then I'd rate it a 7, fun but far from amazing.
2002
This is the best FPS on the GBA but that doesn't make it good.
From a technical standpoint this game is a marvel. It looks like a stripped down version of Duke Nukem 3d while playing more little a cross between that game and Doom. Unfortunately, the poor controls and basic gameplay make this a chore to play for any length of time. Trying to turn with the d pad is especially awful. Also, the difficult curve ramps up a ridiculous amount in the last few levels. You'll likely run out of ammo a lot, being forced to replay levels over and over, running past a lot of enemies and trying to conserve ammo just to progress. Or you'll end up dying over and over trying to change weapons or turn your character in battle. It is also possible to save your game with very low health and ammo, functionally being unable to progress. Be warned.
It does have a unique story from the other games and some unique enemies and bosses. It's also surprising they managed to make the shrink ray and freeze ray work on this. But none of these make the gameplay any more fun.
From a technical standpoint this game is a marvel. It looks like a stripped down version of Duke Nukem 3d while playing more little a cross between that game and Doom. Unfortunately, the poor controls and basic gameplay make this a chore to play for any length of time. Trying to turn with the d pad is especially awful. Also, the difficult curve ramps up a ridiculous amount in the last few levels. You'll likely run out of ammo a lot, being forced to replay levels over and over, running past a lot of enemies and trying to conserve ammo just to progress. Or you'll end up dying over and over trying to change weapons or turn your character in battle. It is also possible to save your game with very low health and ammo, functionally being unable to progress. Be warned.
It does have a unique story from the other games and some unique enemies and bosses. It's also surprising they managed to make the shrink ray and freeze ray work on this. But none of these make the gameplay any more fun.
1997
Technically impressive but still a bad game.
It's amazing they got anything resembling Duke Nukem 3d on this system. But that's about it. Everything displays like a slide show. You can't turn left or right. You just slide left and right while also moving forwards. Most of the combat is in boring halls. There's a decent job at trying to hide the fact, you're playing the same thing over and over with little variation (room followed by hall followed by room). The weapons just seem to get more powerful. There doesn't seem to be a downside to them.
The voice is probably the greatest tragedy. The Duke hasn't sounded worse. Weird game. Only for masochists.
It's amazing they got anything resembling Duke Nukem 3d on this system. But that's about it. Everything displays like a slide show. You can't turn left or right. You just slide left and right while also moving forwards. Most of the combat is in boring halls. There's a decent job at trying to hide the fact, you're playing the same thing over and over with little variation (room followed by hall followed by room). The weapons just seem to get more powerful. There doesn't seem to be a downside to them.
The voice is probably the greatest tragedy. The Duke hasn't sounded worse. Weird game. Only for masochists.
2023
Starts out really good but the moment it opens up you realize it's not really a metroidvania.
I really liked the combat but once you've seen a few fights, you've seen them all. The game just add waves of enemies. There's not many enemy types.
You don't really explore. There's a world map but there's not a lot of back and forth between areas. Even in the same area there's usually only one path to travel. There are branching paths but those are usually there to punish you for not paying attention. They'll send you to the beginning of an area. So basically there's no real reason to explore, unless you just like being punished.
I didn't hate it but I didn't love it.
I really liked the combat but once you've seen a few fights, you've seen them all. The game just add waves of enemies. There's not many enemy types.
You don't really explore. There's a world map but there's not a lot of back and forth between areas. Even in the same area there's usually only one path to travel. There are branching paths but those are usually there to punish you for not paying attention. They'll send you to the beginning of an area. So basically there's no real reason to explore, unless you just like being punished.
I didn't hate it but I didn't love it.
It's a really good game. The first game made you feel like Spider-Man. The sequel raises the bar by making you feel like you're 2 Spider-Men. And somehow the game manages to make it work. The story is really compelling, for the most part, and gameplay mechanics have been largely improved since it's predecessor. Both Miles and Peter are given time to shine. And there's a great deal of stuff lifted from the comics with lots of fan service without it feeling like too much (though with an Insomniac twist). I was skeptical about the web wings but I ended up loving them. They're great for traveling long distances quickly and there's a lot of places where it's better to just rely on swinging.
The game, however, is not perfect. I had more trouble with the auto targeting system than the first game. I'm not sure why. Maybe there's just more going on in this game or maybe I'm doing something wrong. But it caused issues occasionally. Though it worked for the most part. I also felt the Kraven section of the game started to overstay its welcome. Also the way side missions unlock means if you do them when they appear you'll be doing several versions of what is basically the same mission over and over with nothing breaking it up. This is because only I've side quest type unlocks at a time. I would have preferred the side quests to unlock with a little more variation. It can make the game feel a little bit repetitive if you're seeking out all those rewards when they unlock. You might be better off skipping some of them until more unlock. Then you can mix them up a bit and not get burnt out playing it.
Still it's a great game and gets the characters right. And there's lots of stuff from the comics implemented in really clever ways. In fact, I prefer some of the story here to source material. I preferred the first game but this is pretty close in quality.
The game, however, is not perfect. I had more trouble with the auto targeting system than the first game. I'm not sure why. Maybe there's just more going on in this game or maybe I'm doing something wrong. But it caused issues occasionally. Though it worked for the most part. I also felt the Kraven section of the game started to overstay its welcome. Also the way side missions unlock means if you do them when they appear you'll be doing several versions of what is basically the same mission over and over with nothing breaking it up. This is because only I've side quest type unlocks at a time. I would have preferred the side quests to unlock with a little more variation. It can make the game feel a little bit repetitive if you're seeking out all those rewards when they unlock. You might be better off skipping some of them until more unlock. Then you can mix them up a bit and not get burnt out playing it.
Still it's a great game and gets the characters right. And there's lots of stuff from the comics implemented in really clever ways. In fact, I prefer some of the story here to source material. I preferred the first game but this is pretty close in quality.
2011
It's kind of basic. There's not a lot of content or enemy types. But it's also not very long so that probably doesn't matter as much because of this.
It's a non-traditional horror game. It's more tense than scary though. It's a fun little experiment. I just wish there was more content.
It's a non-traditional horror game. It's more tense than scary though. It's a fun little experiment. I just wish there was more content.
It's a subpar Batman Arkham Asylum type of game. If you liked that game, you'll probably find something to like here. There's a lot of depth to some of the game's systems. A lot more than Arkham Asylum.
So why l am not rating this higher? Well, the game also has a lot of jank. It can really break you out of the experience. I've had multiple times the game just breaks and you can't progress on one playthrough, for example.
The combat is a lot more solid but you have to get a good feel for doing things the way the game expects you do to not break the illusion. Combat works well when it works too. But there's a lot of room for things to go wrong or for jank to come into play.
I overlooked these faults when it came out. And while I wish no game being lost to time, you're probably not missing out on much for this entry.
So why l am not rating this higher? Well, the game also has a lot of jank. It can really break you out of the experience. I've had multiple times the game just breaks and you can't progress on one playthrough, for example.
The combat is a lot more solid but you have to get a good feel for doing things the way the game expects you do to not break the illusion. Combat works well when it works too. But there's a lot of room for things to go wrong or for jank to come into play.
I overlooked these faults when it came out. And while I wish no game being lost to time, you're probably not missing out on much for this entry.
2023
It's a good game held back by some weird flaws.
First off, this is a very different Final Fantasy game than most the series. It's more of a spectacle fighter than an RPG. I think it works for this game but know what you're getting into.
The combat is really good. There's lots of abilities and variety. My only complaints are two for. One , some of the enemies have way too much health. It doesn't make the game harder. It just means you'll run out of interesting things to do partway through a fight. Also there's area of effect spells some enemies have that feel like they were balanced around a different movement system. It can sometimes be hard to get away from these. Some are instant death, which can feel unfair when you're fighting the controls.
The story is good but it's paced really weirdly. The story crawls to a halt at certain points. There's a lot of good though. It's more a return to medieval fantasy. It's very complex. There's also lots of lore for you to dig into too.
The graphics are amazing. But there's a caveat. About half the in game cutscenes are animated really well. They look almost lifelike. The other half look really stilted and bad. It's like watching a digital puppet show. They look Final Fantasy 7 Remake side quest bad. Maybe even a little worse.
Overall I think the good outweighs the bad but it's far from perfect.
First off, this is a very different Final Fantasy game than most the series. It's more of a spectacle fighter than an RPG. I think it works for this game but know what you're getting into.
The combat is really good. There's lots of abilities and variety. My only complaints are two for. One , some of the enemies have way too much health. It doesn't make the game harder. It just means you'll run out of interesting things to do partway through a fight. Also there's area of effect spells some enemies have that feel like they were balanced around a different movement system. It can sometimes be hard to get away from these. Some are instant death, which can feel unfair when you're fighting the controls.
The story is good but it's paced really weirdly. The story crawls to a halt at certain points. There's a lot of good though. It's more a return to medieval fantasy. It's very complex. There's also lots of lore for you to dig into too.
The graphics are amazing. But there's a caveat. About half the in game cutscenes are animated really well. They look almost lifelike. The other half look really stilted and bad. It's like watching a digital puppet show. They look Final Fantasy 7 Remake side quest bad. Maybe even a little worse.
Overall I think the good outweighs the bad but it's far from perfect.
It's good but it's a bit overpriced. You get 2 characters and a survival mode. The survival mode, the reason I bought this, is fun but once you figure out how it works, it loses a lot of the magic.
You play in static stages. There's a wide variety of backgrounds but most the levels are basically the same. There's fun power ups and it seems like everything is random. It almost feels like a pseudo-roguelike. It's a lot of fun at first.
However, if you want to collect crystals you have to spend a long time playing. It also seems like you can only collect the crystals in order so if you die before getting the last one, be prepared to collect all the other ones first. It's also very inconsistent how many crystal fragments you get. Sometimes you'll get one or two, if that, on a stage. Sometimes you'll get like 20 to 30 on a stage. This means you can play a long time without making any progress.
The fact that the enemies are random means you can start out with several stages in a row of harder enemies. Though the game tries to balance this by making the game harder every crystal you collect so it feels like there is a sense of progression, even if the difficulty is inconsistent.
It's good but it feels under baked.
You play in static stages. There's a wide variety of backgrounds but most the levels are basically the same. There's fun power ups and it seems like everything is random. It almost feels like a pseudo-roguelike. It's a lot of fun at first.
However, if you want to collect crystals you have to spend a long time playing. It also seems like you can only collect the crystals in order so if you die before getting the last one, be prepared to collect all the other ones first. It's also very inconsistent how many crystal fragments you get. Sometimes you'll get one or two, if that, on a stage. Sometimes you'll get like 20 to 30 on a stage. This means you can play a long time without making any progress.
The fact that the enemies are random means you can start out with several stages in a row of harder enemies. Though the game tries to balance this by making the game harder every crystal you collect so it feels like there is a sense of progression, even if the difficulty is inconsistent.
It's good but it feels under baked.