essemkato
real gamers remember the project m netplay build that had the first random encounter theme playing on battlefield
1989
🗿
1996
has some winners like maps 13 and 28. the rest is dominated by maps consisting of half-formed gobs of level design connected by giant, empty hallways or featureless outdoor spaces, and all of it is filled with constant boring fights against imps and hitscanners. early FPS level design can be aimless but still fun because the excitement of building in a 3D engine still shines through. this wad is a case study in finding exactly where that endearment runs out.
2011
whatever. the bowser fights being extended platforming challenges is honestly a lot more interesting than any bosses the series had done before but the rest of the game is sloppy seconds from the galaxy games wearing the aesthetics of better games from the 80s. also since it's a near-launch title it has to bear the burden of justifying the system's gimmick, which means it frequently intentionally picks bad camera angles to goad the player into turning up the 3DS's trademark headache and motion sickness slider. gross.
2020
uh, take it or leave it i guess. mostly carried by the new art and sound design that is way more cohesive and atmospheric than the original two. unfortunately the levels blend together around the middle of the game (64 really likes its six-layer switch hunts) and some of the balance changes are genuine head-scratchers. like why is the pain elemental SO strong lol
pistol started this time too. on the whole better than the first barring like 3 stinker maps. the highs it hits (eg inmost dens and abandoned mines) and the expanded enemy roster are enough to forgive some failed level design experiments.
1995
played it with pistol starts and no saves this time. not the "intended" way but it makes secret hunting and triggering infights way more worthwhile. the extra engagement is enough to save some of the boring maps in the mid-game lull.
episode 4 is way better than anyone gives it credit for, E4M2 and E4M6 are real clinics on the art of asshole level design (laudatory)
episode 4 is way better than anyone gives it credit for, E4M2 and E4M6 are real clinics on the art of asshole level design (laudatory)
NES emulation: Mastered.
Game boy advance emulation: MAstered.
Playstation emulation: Heres when they start trying to trick you
Super Nintendo emulation: This ones hard
Game boy advance emulation: MAstered.
Playstation emulation: Heres when they start trying to trick you
Super Nintendo emulation: This ones hard
certainly more ambitious than the "third versions" that came before it but it feels like a retreat back to normalcy after how fresh BW1 was. it falls back into the comfort food tier of RPG and to get that fix i would rather play FRLG or GSC again.
2023
around the end of the second stratum it shorted something in my brain and i could not stop playing it for hours and hours in one go. it's refreshingly straightforward but still mysterious and rewarding enough to really get lost in. and yuzo koshiro's soundtrack here is an instant classic.
it's good but tbh the most memorable thing about it is it is the absolute furthest i've progressed into a fire emblem before turning battle animations off
bowser did woodstock 99
1996
undiluted median 90s anime aesthetic pandering goop and i have no choice but to love it. kohran forever.
the thing about IC's mega man games is the NES installments of that series, especially the latter three, are pretty "polished" by modern standards so the modern sheen on 9 and 10 wasn't that distracting. but taking NES castlevania and buffing out all the rough edges really breaks the mood bad. those games were cold and foreboding owing not only to their timeless art direction but also their willingness to throw you into some downright evil corners. meanwhile COTM just feels like some game.
1998
the actual racing is so toothless it would make mario kart blush, but honestly, who cares. this is one of the most effortlessly slick games ever. even after 20 years and a hundred thousand times more transistors per console no one can come up with an effect cooler than the way tail lights streak in the dark here.