mediocreampuf
1988
It's hard for me to believe this is an NES game. When it first came to 3DS virtual console I bought it and didn't think too much of it at the time. But I was fool. The level design is immaculate and there are so many neat things and shortcuts in almost every single one. Basically every single level has its own theme and idea that goes hand and hand with the world theme. Like Pipe Land having a level where you assend through a pipe structure or giant land having giant versions of more generic theme. The world map is also cool and goes hand in hand with the item reserve system where you can hold hammers to break rocks and make your own shortcuts, music boxes to put enemies to sleep and just warp whistle to other worlds. The controls feel lovely as well, flying with the raccoon suit is a joy and I love sliding down a slope and jumping with increased momentum. This is probably my favorite NES game. The best games are where everything fits together like a puzzle and this game does that well.
I reviewed this game about a month ago, but after Wonder was announced I decided to play/replay all of the Mario platformers. And this ones much more interesting after you've played the previous games particularly the first Land and World. Land because this is a sequel and World because is the game that released right before it. The Mario Sprites look very similar, the spin jump is here, and it also kinda has an interconnected world map. I think in comparison the World the levels are a lot more visually interesting but don't offer too much mechanically. And doesn't too much with its world map either. Its essentially a hub world where Mario goes to the 6 themed worlds to get the coins.
And compared to Land 1, while this might be a better game, there are some downgrades. Most notably I thought the soundtrack was worse but more notably Mario feels very slow. In Land 1 he could feel a little fast especially while falling but this feels like an over correction. Controlling him is much less smooth than it is on any console game that released at this point.
Still I'm going to give this game points for having extremely unique setting and different enemies in those settings(ideas that haven't really been seen in a 2D Mario since), its non-linear approach to unlocking the final level, and introducing Wario to the Mario franchise. It's not bad at all and it took me less than an hour to beat it. Try it out if you have NSO.
And compared to Land 1, while this might be a better game, there are some downgrades. Most notably I thought the soundtrack was worse but more notably Mario feels very slow. In Land 1 he could feel a little fast especially while falling but this feels like an over correction. Controlling him is much less smooth than it is on any console game that released at this point.
Still I'm going to give this game points for having extremely unique setting and different enemies in those settings(ideas that haven't really been seen in a 2D Mario since), its non-linear approach to unlocking the final level, and introducing Wario to the Mario franchise. It's not bad at all and it took me less than an hour to beat it. Try it out if you have NSO.
As a big ass Humongous Entertainment fan back in the day, I see the appeal in this sort game, and its incredibly engaging for what it is.
However confusing me to the point of having to look up answers in an adventure game to beat it is half a star off. Putt Putt would never do this to me.
However confusing me to the point of having to look up answers in an adventure game to beat it is half a star off. Putt Putt would never do this to me.
Played this for the first time via this version.
Yea Its pretty on par with the original N64 game for me which I hold in pretty high regard.
I don't know how controversial it is to say the original is better, but I think this one balances it out with a lot more content including some new content in the Switch version I haven't gotten to yet.
I honestly just really enjoy this gameplay style, and hope that this will allow Intelligent Systems and Nintendo to make more games like this. For sure pick it up if you haven't played it already.
Yea Its pretty on par with the original N64 game for me which I hold in pretty high regard.
I don't know how controversial it is to say the original is better, but I think this one balances it out with a lot more content including some new content in the Switch version I haven't gotten to yet.
I honestly just really enjoy this gameplay style, and hope that this will allow Intelligent Systems and Nintendo to make more games like this. For sure pick it up if you haven't played it already.
2023
This review contains spoilers
If my review seems overly negative, thats because I'm comparing the game to other Pikmin games, and there's quite a bit this game does worse in comparison. Frankly this is possibly the weakest one. However this is still a Pikmin game and still very fun. I highly recommend picking it up.
Positives:
-This game has 6 large beautiful areas to explore, more than any other in the series.
-The game no longer holds Pikmin from you based on story progression, my biggest gripe from 3. It actually feels like you can progress, explore and collect, like the first 2 games.
A lot of QoL changes have been made with the Pikmin AI.
-The best looking Pikmin game and one of the best looking games on Switch.
- A lot of content, particularly after the first sets of credits roll. Olimars Shipwrecked Tale and the Trial of the Leaf Sage in particular are very fun.
Major Negatives:
-Night missions suck. Its just boring tower defense mode that doesn't even have the decency to adequately reward the player for suffering through them. No medals even, like the Dandori battles or challenges. I stopped doing them about halfway through the game. They don't count for any areas completion as far as I'm aware.
-Despite how lovely the stages look, I don't think a lot of them are well designed Pikmin levels. There are very few moments where it feels like they type of Pikmin you brought with you impacts your progression, and this is almost as true in challenge stages. This is probably because of the new Onion system. Pikmin of any type can be found pluckable in caves but more can't be created without an Onion. Only the Pikmin 1 trio onions are found early, and only the Ice Pikmin onion can also be found before the credits. I think the thought process was not to make a Pikmin type too necessary, as well as having the areas feel less like video game levels. I thought previous games were much more smartly designed around this and it's possible the act of juggling 8 Pikmin types was too much for them.
-The main story is too easy. Oatchi trivializes most combat encounters both by protecting Pikmin riding on him and by melting enemies he charges into. While the dash has a cool down there is almost no punishment for charging in with reckless abandon. Exploration is also easy since he has the ability to swim and you can even upgrade him to basically be a second captian. Its possible this is related to my previous point but I believe even without Oatchi it would still stand.
Minor Negatives:
-I don't like the games attempts to be basically like every other game. Currency for upgrades, large hub area, that sort of thing.
-Side missions are pointless. Most characters basically want you to things that you're probably already doing and just rewarding you raw materials for it. They also don't auto give you the reward you have to talk to them. A simple achievements system would have worked better.
-The flow is very disconnented. If day missions lead into night missions I might hate them less.
- Characters are annoying and speak when your doing anything. I tend to skip most of the dialogue here. Even Olimar will talk to himself when he's supposed to be alone.
-Despite how much I like the gameplay of Olimar's story, it basically just retells Pikmin 1 but worse.
Positives:
-This game has 6 large beautiful areas to explore, more than any other in the series.
-The game no longer holds Pikmin from you based on story progression, my biggest gripe from 3. It actually feels like you can progress, explore and collect, like the first 2 games.
A lot of QoL changes have been made with the Pikmin AI.
-The best looking Pikmin game and one of the best looking games on Switch.
- A lot of content, particularly after the first sets of credits roll. Olimars Shipwrecked Tale and the Trial of the Leaf Sage in particular are very fun.
Major Negatives:
-Night missions suck. Its just boring tower defense mode that doesn't even have the decency to adequately reward the player for suffering through them. No medals even, like the Dandori battles or challenges. I stopped doing them about halfway through the game. They don't count for any areas completion as far as I'm aware.
-Despite how lovely the stages look, I don't think a lot of them are well designed Pikmin levels. There are very few moments where it feels like they type of Pikmin you brought with you impacts your progression, and this is almost as true in challenge stages. This is probably because of the new Onion system. Pikmin of any type can be found pluckable in caves but more can't be created without an Onion. Only the Pikmin 1 trio onions are found early, and only the Ice Pikmin onion can also be found before the credits. I think the thought process was not to make a Pikmin type too necessary, as well as having the areas feel less like video game levels. I thought previous games were much more smartly designed around this and it's possible the act of juggling 8 Pikmin types was too much for them.
-The main story is too easy. Oatchi trivializes most combat encounters both by protecting Pikmin riding on him and by melting enemies he charges into. While the dash has a cool down there is almost no punishment for charging in with reckless abandon. Exploration is also easy since he has the ability to swim and you can even upgrade him to basically be a second captian. Its possible this is related to my previous point but I believe even without Oatchi it would still stand.
Minor Negatives:
-I don't like the games attempts to be basically like every other game. Currency for upgrades, large hub area, that sort of thing.
-Side missions are pointless. Most characters basically want you to things that you're probably already doing and just rewarding you raw materials for it. They also don't auto give you the reward you have to talk to them. A simple achievements system would have worked better.
-The flow is very disconnented. If day missions lead into night missions I might hate them less.
- Characters are annoying and speak when your doing anything. I tend to skip most of the dialogue here. Even Olimar will talk to himself when he's supposed to be alone.
-Despite how much I like the gameplay of Olimar's story, it basically just retells Pikmin 1 but worse.
I'm very happy Nintendo has put this out officially. As a big emulation buff, getting their quirkier titles to run on a PC or Portable Emulation machine was always more trouble than its worth so I'm glad I have a way to play this game, for the most part, as it was intended and I hope this continues with Yoshi Topsy Turvy and especially WarioWare Twisted.
The game itself benefits greatly from coming with something I pay for anyway, because I wouldn't have bought this by itself. Its more a novelty albeit one I had a decent amount of fun with for the brief time I played it. The idea well runs pretty dry in the second half as a lot of the levels feel similar, and 5 of the 8 bosses are the same thing on different arenas.
The game itself benefits greatly from coming with something I pay for anyway, because I wouldn't have bought this by itself. Its more a novelty albeit one I had a decent amount of fun with for the brief time I played it. The idea well runs pretty dry in the second half as a lot of the levels feel similar, and 5 of the 8 bosses are the same thing on different arenas.
2007
With the remake of this game on the horizon I thought I’d play the original first to see what I’ve missed. Not by purchasing the widely available Portable version, or by modding or emulating this game to fix its problem but by buying this version from a retro game store. So I guess my feelings on the game are kinda my fault.
I definitely had some positives in comparison to 4 and 5 though. I think the most obvious thing is how much more levels and social links mattered in comparison to 5 (and possibly 4. I haven’t played it since 2020 but I don’t remember feeling like this there). Yea Persona 5 had bonuses tied to all confidants that let you cheese battles and make them a lot easier, but I'm mostly talking about Persona fusions.The Personas you have feels way more important in this game than in future games mostly cause you constantly have to build them up throughout. (unlike in 5 where you can just unlock the ability to fuse any Persona about half way through the game)(I’m not sure why I didn’t feel this about 4. I’ll probably replay it at some point.) I also like Margarets Quest and how they reward you with more Persona to fuse. Feels like a mix between Persona 4 barely rewarding you for quests and Persona 5 giving you one of the most powerful social links in the game.(Counting the Twins Confidant as a “Quest” because it's effectively the same thing”) I kinda wish they weren’t sequential, not that you can see them all at once but have them pop up you get to a certain level. Same with her fusion spell quests, which, speaking of those, are good ideas and pretty powerful even if a few them kinda suck.
Other aspects of combat and Tartarus though….. Not great, which appears to be a popular opinion. I don’t think it would be that bad if standard enemies posed more of a challenge, instead of running away from you once you get even moderately ahead of them. Another problem is the lack of anything else to do in the evening. You kinda run out of social stats to increase and social links to progress at night. I think I know why Persona 4 and 5 have their Persona combat sections during daytime.On top of that, standard combat’s kinda boring, mostly because of your AI controlled allies. They didn’t mess me up as much as people said they usually do but the tactics system is far less intuitive than I was hoping, especially since it resets after every battle. I just really didn’t feel like adding an extra step to the battling process. There’s no real way to get your allies to do what you want. Did you know that Akihiko has all of the -kunda skills? I didn’t until I looked at his Persona. Is there any tactic I could use to get his AI to use them? A lot of weird downgrades (or I guess future upgrades) as well. Getting up after being knocked down takes up a turn, its nice to use against enemies, fucking shit when the enemies use it against you, since you are the only fighter who can really do anything. Also you only get a one more if you knock down all enemies with your attack, so ma- skills are a little less valuable.
Social links are kinda shit mechanically, at least in comparison to future games. The main problem is you’re forced to romance all female classmates and if you hang out with another one they will sometimes get jealous with no indication. You just have to look at the social link menu and see that the link is reversed or see that they are just pissed in the overworld and take valuable time to assure them that the relationship’s ok. Story and character wise they are pretty hit and miss. It feels like with most adult social links you tell them about a problem and then you meet up with them next time to see how the problems are getting fixed. Not all classmates are winners either but they tend to be a bit better at least. Highlights were definitely Temperance, Sun and Hierophant.
And discussion of the story, which a lot of people claim is Persona 3’s strongest aspects, potentially because character development isn’t optional content in this one. And I disagree. It’s certainly not a bad story but there’s a lot of other media that cover the same basic themes of death and the meaning of life that I’ve been more impressed by although this has a much darker tone than much of those which I do appreciate. But anyway I don’t think the SEES characters did anything for me, didn’t hate them, didn’t love them. They were kinda just there, aside from Aigis who is pretty good. The story does have a lot more moving parts with a conspiracy and new characters and plot points constantly being introduced through but I don’t think it pulled it off very well. Kinda gave off the vibe that it was being written episodically, like a TV show with some troubled production that needed to make something interesting with what they could do, and I think I prefer the simple stories that 4 and 5 went with. Also Strega are the worst villains of any modern Persona games.
I did enjoy my time with Persona 3, but I think it's mostly because I played the modern games and know what a good version of this game looks like, and I’m very excited for that good version to release in February or maybe even just purchase Portable while it's on sale. From what I know it already fixes a lot of what I had a problem with. Anyway, as you might’ve guessed this isn’t the version of Persona 3 I recommend playing, I haven’t played the Answer yet but from what I’ve heard it's unlikely to make up for this good but messy experience.
I definitely had some positives in comparison to 4 and 5 though. I think the most obvious thing is how much more levels and social links mattered in comparison to 5 (and possibly 4. I haven’t played it since 2020 but I don’t remember feeling like this there). Yea Persona 5 had bonuses tied to all confidants that let you cheese battles and make them a lot easier, but I'm mostly talking about Persona fusions.The Personas you have feels way more important in this game than in future games mostly cause you constantly have to build them up throughout. (unlike in 5 where you can just unlock the ability to fuse any Persona about half way through the game)(I’m not sure why I didn’t feel this about 4. I’ll probably replay it at some point.) I also like Margarets Quest and how they reward you with more Persona to fuse. Feels like a mix between Persona 4 barely rewarding you for quests and Persona 5 giving you one of the most powerful social links in the game.(Counting the Twins Confidant as a “Quest” because it's effectively the same thing”) I kinda wish they weren’t sequential, not that you can see them all at once but have them pop up you get to a certain level. Same with her fusion spell quests, which, speaking of those, are good ideas and pretty powerful even if a few them kinda suck.
Other aspects of combat and Tartarus though….. Not great, which appears to be a popular opinion. I don’t think it would be that bad if standard enemies posed more of a challenge, instead of running away from you once you get even moderately ahead of them. Another problem is the lack of anything else to do in the evening. You kinda run out of social stats to increase and social links to progress at night. I think I know why Persona 4 and 5 have their Persona combat sections during daytime.On top of that, standard combat’s kinda boring, mostly because of your AI controlled allies. They didn’t mess me up as much as people said they usually do but the tactics system is far less intuitive than I was hoping, especially since it resets after every battle. I just really didn’t feel like adding an extra step to the battling process. There’s no real way to get your allies to do what you want. Did you know that Akihiko has all of the -kunda skills? I didn’t until I looked at his Persona. Is there any tactic I could use to get his AI to use them? A lot of weird downgrades (or I guess future upgrades) as well. Getting up after being knocked down takes up a turn, its nice to use against enemies, fucking shit when the enemies use it against you, since you are the only fighter who can really do anything. Also you only get a one more if you knock down all enemies with your attack, so ma- skills are a little less valuable.
Social links are kinda shit mechanically, at least in comparison to future games. The main problem is you’re forced to romance all female classmates and if you hang out with another one they will sometimes get jealous with no indication. You just have to look at the social link menu and see that the link is reversed or see that they are just pissed in the overworld and take valuable time to assure them that the relationship’s ok. Story and character wise they are pretty hit and miss. It feels like with most adult social links you tell them about a problem and then you meet up with them next time to see how the problems are getting fixed. Not all classmates are winners either but they tend to be a bit better at least. Highlights were definitely Temperance, Sun and Hierophant.
And discussion of the story, which a lot of people claim is Persona 3’s strongest aspects, potentially because character development isn’t optional content in this one. And I disagree. It’s certainly not a bad story but there’s a lot of other media that cover the same basic themes of death and the meaning of life that I’ve been more impressed by although this has a much darker tone than much of those which I do appreciate. But anyway I don’t think the SEES characters did anything for me, didn’t hate them, didn’t love them. They were kinda just there, aside from Aigis who is pretty good. The story does have a lot more moving parts with a conspiracy and new characters and plot points constantly being introduced through but I don’t think it pulled it off very well. Kinda gave off the vibe that it was being written episodically, like a TV show with some troubled production that needed to make something interesting with what they could do, and I think I prefer the simple stories that 4 and 5 went with. Also Strega are the worst villains of any modern Persona games.
I did enjoy my time with Persona 3, but I think it's mostly because I played the modern games and know what a good version of this game looks like, and I’m very excited for that good version to release in February or maybe even just purchase Portable while it's on sale. From what I know it already fixes a lot of what I had a problem with. Anyway, as you might’ve guessed this isn’t the version of Persona 3 I recommend playing, I haven’t played the Answer yet but from what I’ve heard it's unlikely to make up for this good but messy experience.
Nothing much to say about it. Enjoyable but forgettable
2000
I played this in anticipation for the upcoming TTYD remake, which I have yet to play. Honestly its probably one of the best aged N64 game and 5th generation RPG. Every little part of the game just feels so crafted and calculated, and I find the basic story pretty charming in comparison to Mario & Luigi games, somewhat wackier and darker plots. I just ,in general, love RPGs that reward you for exploring every inch of their world, and Paper Mario does that really well, even given, or perhaps because of, its lesser scope. This game is just so good and I don't think I'll stop enjoying it even after playing TTYD.
2024
This game is pretty good. It reminds me of the Retro Studio Donkey Kong games as weird of a comparison that might be, mostly with how its presents it content, with a big world map and optional paths and a time trial mode once you've beaten a level.
The games main drill is pretty fun to use and most levels have some sort of gimmick to them to keep each one feel unique, for better or for worse. Generally any power-up that took over your main drill attack tended to be much slower going and not as fun. There's also not as many levels as I would have liked. This game follows the basic platform game formula of bunch of levels, boss, next world and for some reason it only has 4 worlds? I would have liked one more at least, 5 feels rounded out nicely.
I've also encountered a few glitches on the Switch version, nothing major, but worth mentioning.
-I've been pretty frequently been placed on the wrong level after finishing it
-The was a breakable object in a level that just wasn't breaking properly until I restarted it.
- The final boss music just cut out in between attempts and I was just trying to fight it in creepy silence.
I haven't done all the optional content yet, but the time trials have medals to go for which is pretty cool, and each world seems to have at least one optional level per world. Definitly give it a try if you are fond of 2d platformers.
The games main drill is pretty fun to use and most levels have some sort of gimmick to them to keep each one feel unique, for better or for worse. Generally any power-up that took over your main drill attack tended to be much slower going and not as fun. There's also not as many levels as I would have liked. This game follows the basic platform game formula of bunch of levels, boss, next world and for some reason it only has 4 worlds? I would have liked one more at least, 5 feels rounded out nicely.
I've also encountered a few glitches on the Switch version, nothing major, but worth mentioning.
-I've been pretty frequently been placed on the wrong level after finishing it
-The was a breakable object in a level that just wasn't breaking properly until I restarted it.
- The final boss music just cut out in between attempts and I was just trying to fight it in creepy silence.
I haven't done all the optional content yet, but the time trials have medals to go for which is pretty cool, and each world seems to have at least one optional level per world. Definitly give it a try if you are fond of 2d platformers.
2023
A spiritual successor to the Wario Land franchise, kinda. While clearly some elements were inspired by the Wario Land games, such as environmental powers ups and ,from 4 specifically, having you run back through the level on a time limit. However unlike something like Bug Fables which felt pretty similar to the first two Paper Mario games (not a bad thing), this game has quite a few differences like an emphasis on speed and getting a high score. Peppino is more agile than Wario ever was, and I like the direction this adds. Gives the games more replayablity and allows mastering the move set and level design of each completely unique level extremely satisfying.
If I were to give one complaint its that the game kinda hides what you are supposed to do and its common for you to run back in order to get a power you destoryed or jump from a higher area. Thankfully the game isn't too punishing unless you're going for a high score and if you are you've likely memorized the level layouts already. Otherwise this is an absolute indie game classic in my eyes.
If I were to give one complaint its that the game kinda hides what you are supposed to do and its common for you to run back in order to get a power you destoryed or jump from a higher area. Thankfully the game isn't too punishing unless you're going for a high score and if you are you've likely memorized the level layouts already. Otherwise this is an absolute indie game classic in my eyes.
1994
A decent start to the DKC series. The visuals look pretty and the music is nice. Unfortunately, there's more than a couple of moments of this game are just plain unfair, and I don't feel the need to 100% it.
It's not as daunting as a you for think for a Metroidvania without a map. The game is split up into sections where you eliminate all of the Metroids in an area and then move on to the next. The game really doesn't ask you to backtrack to the extent that Super Metroid or Dread might. This is probably the Metroidvania where I had to consult the internet the least, although the best method ro defeat the final boss is fairly obtuse. That said you should probably play it within the span of a weekend or so, rather than just pick it up and finish it later, so you'll have a stronger mental map.
To give this game a bit more criticism, I wish there was more than 2 area themes. I implied it's easy to find your way to the end, and it is, but some different tunes would be appreciated . Still this is one of the best Gameboy games in my opinion and definitely has all the Super Metroid vides down( as much as you can given the vastly weaker hardware).
To give this game a bit more criticism, I wish there was more than 2 area themes. I implied it's easy to find your way to the end, and it is, but some different tunes would be appreciated . Still this is one of the best Gameboy games in my opinion and definitely has all the Super Metroid vides down( as much as you can given the vastly weaker hardware).
2004
Decided to continue my Mario platformer marathon, that I've started when Wonder got announced and I just kinda quit half way through, and I very much enjoy playing this over the original, despite its control problems. I like the extra content it adds, the extra mission don't feel too out of place, at least the star switch ones. The Silver stars can get annoying and its a bit weird they don't show up unless you select the mission. I mean, the extra characters don't add much, since you pretty much always want to be Mario, but it adds some more exploration and permanent power ups for doing so, which is appreciated. The addition of the balloon and owl made some pretty bs cannon based missions actually tolerable now, and i think for the most part this game is easier than the original in general, which is a positive.
I mean its still not perfect. Its not too controversial to say that Mario 64's level design peaks pretty early, and the camera still is rather annoying. And the added star where you have to get 8 glowing bunnies sucks,as from what I've seen the spawn rates completely RNG. But this is the closest thing to a direct Mario 64 sequel we are going to get, and I appreciate it for that.
I mean its still not perfect. Its not too controversial to say that Mario 64's level design peaks pretty early, and the camera still is rather annoying. And the added star where you have to get 8 glowing bunnies sucks,as from what I've seen the spawn rates completely RNG. But this is the closest thing to a direct Mario 64 sequel we are going to get, and I appreciate it for that.
1986
I have a hard time naming a better first entry in a franchise from this time period.