kragor
This review contains spoilers
Aside from the story, in hindsight this expac fucked up the money just a little.
It's biggest saving grace is Bozja and even then I think it fumbles a lot of experimentation with ideas that Eureka got perfectly on the first go; it does handle some stuff better, but much of it's systems and mechanics are executed in ways that feel super watered down and I'm really not super fond of it.
It's biggest saving grace is Bozja and even then I think it fumbles a lot of experimentation with ideas that Eureka got perfectly on the first go; it does handle some stuff better, but much of it's systems and mechanics are executed in ways that feel super watered down and I'm really not super fond of it.
I think the devs played too much ffxiv (negative)
2013
Short and sweet overhead action/adventure game, it clocks in a length similar to Dragon Quest 1, where you can pretty reasonably play most, if not all of the main game in one sitting. Though, there's also a pretty interesting post-game that's worth digging into at least a little here.
2.1
They got rid of a lot of the handholding with the tutorial, which is great! You can outright skip it now after a point, and my issues with the challenge race seem to have been addressed. You still gotta do some setup before starting but at the very least it doesn't feel like you're being forced to understand every little thing about the game with exhaustive detail. It's ok to not know every little thing and get lost in a game. You also unlock addons at the same time as online now, which is nice. The "Wi-Fi Warrior" and "McDonalds" passwords will still get them both unlocked if you just want to get things going asap with some friends though.
Overall I've been playing the game some more and a lot of the mechanics I was iffy on are warming on me. As I've said the tumble state still feels extremely punishing but you have a good amount of tools to get back into the race. My biggest issue with the game at this point is how much slopes will slow you down if you don't have any rings to boost up them. Like yeah it makes sense that they would slow you down a bit, but most of the time the amount they can slow you makes it feel like you're going up a much steeper surface than what you're looking at.
Also the rubberbanding in singleplayer is just a little absurd, I could get it on the higher difficulty but even on normal it really feels like you're better off playing from the middle and trying to boost into first at the last minute with how aggressive the AI gets.
If the minutiae of new features and adjustments aren't your cup of tea, SRB2K isn't going anywhere though I don't blame people for feeling divided on all the new stuff, it really does feel like a totally new game at this point, even if previous knowledge of SRB2K will still get you pretty far.
It's also kinda unfortunate that addons from SRB2K aren't forwards compatible at all. I want to play as JP Arle :(
They got rid of a lot of the handholding with the tutorial, which is great! You can outright skip it now after a point, and my issues with the challenge race seem to have been addressed. You still gotta do some setup before starting but at the very least it doesn't feel like you're being forced to understand every little thing about the game with exhaustive detail. It's ok to not know every little thing and get lost in a game. You also unlock addons at the same time as online now, which is nice. The "Wi-Fi Warrior" and "McDonalds" passwords will still get them both unlocked if you just want to get things going asap with some friends though.
Overall I've been playing the game some more and a lot of the mechanics I was iffy on are warming on me. As I've said the tumble state still feels extremely punishing but you have a good amount of tools to get back into the race. My biggest issue with the game at this point is how much slopes will slow you down if you don't have any rings to boost up them. Like yeah it makes sense that they would slow you down a bit, but most of the time the amount they can slow you makes it feel like you're going up a much steeper surface than what you're looking at.
Also the rubberbanding in singleplayer is just a little absurd, I could get it on the higher difficulty but even on normal it really feels like you're better off playing from the middle and trying to boost into first at the last minute with how aggressive the AI gets.
If the minutiae of new features and adjustments aren't your cup of tea, SRB2K isn't going anywhere though I don't blame people for feeling divided on all the new stuff, it really does feel like a totally new game at this point, even if previous knowledge of SRB2K will still get you pretty far.
It's also kinda unfortunate that addons from SRB2K aren't forwards compatible at all. I want to play as JP Arle :(
one of the twelve "Beast Mode" games
I've always personally considered getting the G rank crown special permit from beating [spoilers] the point at which you've "beaten the game", so even though I've played this one a lot over the many years its been out and in my hands, I don't think I've ever really "finished" the game until today, hence why I'm logging and reviewing the game now.
Of course there's still a couple tougher monsters I'll one day have to take care of, and I'm not even at the point of being able to try Lv140 GQ monsters, so overall there's still a LOT left for me to do in the game. Tutorial complete I guess.
I've been feeling pretty sentimental the past month, because I picked up the game again and have been hunting online again with some friends. This game came out during a bit of a rough part in my life that I'm still feeling the aftereffects of to this day, and it was my first Monster Hunter game. The online shutting down really feels like the end of an era. If I've ever been having a rough time this was one of my go-to's and I knew that even if friends weren't around to hunt together, there was always something I could chip away at on my own, or there was probably at least one person still playing the game that I could get to know for a couple rounds of hunting.
Looking at it now, MH4U is probably one of my favourite games period. Playing off and on over these 8-9 years, I feel like there's always been a new challenge around the corner. G rank in the older MH games really does not fuck around and being totally honest, it took me many years of chipping away at this game's, and also jumping between other MH games before I got to a level where I really felt like I could contend with the monsters at their quickest and smartest. Even then I still get caught out by shit all the time and it still feels like I have more to learn and improve on. I think the same can easily be said for most monster hunter games but it's just something that really jumped out at me coming back to this one.
Overall, it's a fantastic game. The loss of the online functionality is a tragedy and I really hope a project like pretendo network will be able to get the servers up and running again. Maybe one day Capcom will port some of the older MH games with some upscaling for larger displays, and a better-constructed online mode that won't have to inevitably shut down one day. I still plan to do as much online hunting as I can in these last few days, but for now I'll just say it's been real, you legends.
Of course there's still a couple tougher monsters I'll one day have to take care of, and I'm not even at the point of being able to try Lv140 GQ monsters, so overall there's still a LOT left for me to do in the game. Tutorial complete I guess.
I've been feeling pretty sentimental the past month, because I picked up the game again and have been hunting online again with some friends. This game came out during a bit of a rough part in my life that I'm still feeling the aftereffects of to this day, and it was my first Monster Hunter game. The online shutting down really feels like the end of an era. If I've ever been having a rough time this was one of my go-to's and I knew that even if friends weren't around to hunt together, there was always something I could chip away at on my own, or there was probably at least one person still playing the game that I could get to know for a couple rounds of hunting.
Looking at it now, MH4U is probably one of my favourite games period. Playing off and on over these 8-9 years, I feel like there's always been a new challenge around the corner. G rank in the older MH games really does not fuck around and being totally honest, it took me many years of chipping away at this game's, and also jumping between other MH games before I got to a level where I really felt like I could contend with the monsters at their quickest and smartest. Even then I still get caught out by shit all the time and it still feels like I have more to learn and improve on. I think the same can easily be said for most monster hunter games but it's just something that really jumped out at me coming back to this one.
Overall, it's a fantastic game. The loss of the online functionality is a tragedy and I really hope a project like pretendo network will be able to get the servers up and running again. Maybe one day Capcom will port some of the older MH games with some upscaling for larger displays, and a better-constructed online mode that won't have to inevitably shut down one day. I still plan to do as much online hunting as I can in these last few days, but for now I'll just say it's been real, you legends.
Nothing like some classic frog and fraction action
they turned granblue into an action rpg they turned granblue into an action rpg
only thing it's really missing is danchou's job system from the mobile game, I can see why they dropped it but if they had sprinkled a little more FFIII/V in here it would be even more insane, similar feeling towards summons being mechanically present but I feel like SBA fulfills a similar enough purpose. Only really one mission where I feel like they missed, otherwise it's all bangers, lots of fun bosses and I find it very easy to draw parallels to a certain Kingdom Hearts the Second (also peak). Honestly even just hitting the ground and getting into that opening mission, hearing granblue music in a real ass RPG had me feeling some raw emotions for a moment
also it's got monster hunter lobbies and postgame quest progression
simply put, it's peak, rebirth and destruction my dudes
only thing it's really missing is danchou's job system from the mobile game, I can see why they dropped it but if they had sprinkled a little more FFIII/V in here it would be even more insane, similar feeling towards summons being mechanically present but I feel like SBA fulfills a similar enough purpose. Only really one mission where I feel like they missed, otherwise it's all bangers, lots of fun bosses and I find it very easy to draw parallels to a certain Kingdom Hearts the Second (also peak). Honestly even just hitting the ground and getting into that opening mission, hearing granblue music in a real ass RPG had me feeling some raw emotions for a moment
also it's got monster hunter lobbies and postgame quest progression
simply put, it's peak, rebirth and destruction my dudes
This review contains spoilers
I love RPGs and I loved playing this game! The story is filled with intrigue, there are some really great characters and the gameplay is fantastic; not huge on drawing direct comparisons but think dragon quest with some sci-fi thrown in, a burst mechanic for good measure and a dash of some final fantasy-esque party building. It feels like the perfect follow-up to Xenogears in many regards, there are even mechs that you can have the party jump into, but compared to gears it feels like the big robots kinda take the back seat in this one, even with some expansive changes to the system in Saga.
In terms of potential shortcomings, Saga EP 1 is very quiet. The soundtrack is pretty small, and there are often long stretches of game with nothing but ambient noise and the (very good!) battle theme. But, with that being said when the rest of the soundtrack does kick in, it's fantastic and used well, with only really one example of a song that sometimes feels like its overstaying its welcome. That aside, there isn't a moment where the music doesn't fit what's going on, and it really strengthens what's happening with its presence.
Overall, its great! Xenosaga Ep 1 gets my glowing recommendation.
Also, KOS-MOS is cute. love me a mysterious murder android with messiah-analogue jumpscares
In terms of potential shortcomings, Saga EP 1 is very quiet. The soundtrack is pretty small, and there are often long stretches of game with nothing but ambient noise and the (very good!) battle theme. But, with that being said when the rest of the soundtrack does kick in, it's fantastic and used well, with only really one example of a song that sometimes feels like its overstaying its welcome. That aside, there isn't a moment where the music doesn't fit what's going on, and it really strengthens what's happening with its presence.
Overall, its great! Xenosaga Ep 1 gets my glowing recommendation.
Also, KOS-MOS is cute. love me a mysterious murder android with messiah-analogue jumpscares
it's peak...
I still like 4U better, but monster hunter is monster hunter, the difference between the games I like and the games I love isn't really that big. this is a very fun celebration of the series up to this point
VALSTRAX IS FUCKING COOL
I still like 4U better, but monster hunter is monster hunter, the difference between the games I like and the games I love isn't really that big. this is a very fun celebration of the series up to this point
VALSTRAX IS FUCKING COOL
2019
pretty great tower defense/strategy RPG game, the story is bonkers on some alternate history shit and the characters are very cool. When I first got into it I got super hooked and was playing nearly daily, but nowadays I've chilled out a bit and usually just log in when I feel like it.
Some things working against the game: gacha mechanics like limited operators make it a bit of a hard sell, and it's also using a live service model, and as with pretty much every live service game there's no offline client and as far as we know, no real contingency if the game ever becomes unprofitable enough that servers shutting down would enter the conversation, which is something that generally makes me wary regardless of how successful the game may be.
Some things working against the game: gacha mechanics like limited operators make it a bit of a hard sell, and it's also using a live service model, and as with pretty much every live service game there's no offline client and as far as we know, no real contingency if the game ever becomes unprofitable enough that servers shutting down would enter the conversation, which is something that generally makes me wary regardless of how successful the game may be.
2024
there were things about it I wasn't crazy about, but also some fun ideas. Definitely feels like this game had like a week or two in the spotlight and then just disappeared though
2005
this game fucks. Definitely one of Falcom's best
2023
Really great action-exploration game, took me by surprise because it wasn't on my radar at all but I saw a trailer and decided to give it a shot. Visually and sonically this game is bleeding with PSX/Saturn style and it plays perfectly to me. The power-up progression feels really great and you can even do some sneaky sequence breaking if you intuit how to use certain abilities in certain ways. Also really like how every room has a distinct enough layout that building a mental map of the castle isn't too hard. Not including a map can be a pretty bold decision, especially in games that are host to labyrinthine layouts, but here the world is just the right size and it shows the dev(s) working on this were confident in the gameplay-language behind what they built. I only needed to look up the location of one item required to progress and that was only because I had forgotten about the side-room leading to it, but even if I hadn't I likely would have found it eventually.
really cool adventure game