poisoneddart
A really nice, bite sized 2D Metroid. Doesn't quite hit the series highs but still showcases its better qualities - a little more explorative than Fusion, a little less sluggish than Super.
Didn't care at all for the Zero Suit section but it's only short so it's not too bad.
Didn't care at all for the Zero Suit section but it's only short so it's not too bad.
2019
Very unique sense of player-driven exploration, in terms of both the setting and its story.
Occasionally feels a little obtuse "in the moment", but that just makes it more satisfying once it all comes together.
Occasionally feels a little obtuse "in the moment", but that just makes it more satisfying once it all comes together.
Loved it - great writing, music and art alongside a simple but effective battle system that's reminiscent of something out of the Dreamcast era.
Maybe references a few too many Sci-Fi tropes, but somehow manages to weave them into a coherent, original story that constantly leaves you guessing.
Maybe references a few too many Sci-Fi tropes, but somehow manages to weave them into a coherent, original story that constantly leaves you guessing.
2021
This feels like a failed experiment to me. There's hints of things I'd like to see more of - an evolving, platforming focused open world with a great sense of discovery - but the Bowser mechanic is shockingly bad. He's annoying when he's there, he's annoying when he's not, you can't win.
It's also held back by 3D World's dull moveset and unsuitable camera. If they develop these concepts around a more suitable framework they might be onto something, but I just wasn't feeling this one.
It's also held back by 3D World's dull moveset and unsuitable camera. If they develop these concepts around a more suitable framework they might be onto something, but I just wasn't feeling this one.
2021
Interesting concept for an hour or so but the illusion shatters very easily - there's just no room for creativity. A knocked out guy with zip tied hands can get up, open multiple locked doors and headbutt you to death because it isn't how you're 'supposed' to do it, huh?
The narrative is an absolute disaster.
The narrative is an absolute disaster.
2021
Double Fine haven't missed a single beat where it really matters - the humour, character and sheer creativity that made Psychonauts so special are as sharp as ever. A lot of love went into making this game.
The combat can get a little samey, and I do miss the wildly experimental gameplay shifts underpinning each world - But the added polish to the baseline gameplay makes it feel more consistently enjoyable overall.
The combat can get a little samey, and I do miss the wildly experimental gameplay shifts underpinning each world - But the added polish to the baseline gameplay makes it feel more consistently enjoyable overall.
2020
A fun little memorial service for the types of games Sony doesn't want to make anymore, the controller feels great as you walk over their graves.
2019
As someone who's not really into the overly scripted shenanigans of 7 or 8, it's SO nice to get a modern game in that classic RE style. Just an intricately designed puzzle-box environment to explore and an overwhelming urge to 'save the good bullets'.
Sure it falls apart a little after the police station and kinda squanders the replay potential of the window boards and A/B scenarios - but it feels like a small price to pay to have a Resi game feel like this again, you know?
Sure it falls apart a little after the police station and kinda squanders the replay potential of the window boards and A/B scenarios - but it feels like a small price to pay to have a Resi game feel like this again, you know?
2010
This game may lack the grand sense of adventure from it's predecessor, but it more than makes up for it in FOCUS. Every little gameplay mechanic is explored to its absolute fullest potential, no ideas go to waste and nothing feels like filler.
It says a lot that nearly every level I thought I remembered from the first game actually comes from this one. A perfectly paced series of Mario challenges that just goes from strength to strength.
It says a lot that nearly every level I thought I remembered from the first game actually comes from this one. A perfectly paced series of Mario challenges that just goes from strength to strength.
Everything has this awkward, Dreamworks like tone of being desperate to convince you that it's as exciting, funny and charming as its characters seem to think it is - I just wish any of it actually was.
2007
Galaxy puts its best foot forward and confidently throws great ideas at you one after another. With story, music and overall presentation still unmatched by the series; it makes a fantastic first impression and remains an absolute joy to play until the credits roll.
Post-credits, the party is over... All the best food is gone and an exhausted Mario politely woohoo's as he microwaves some leftovers for you - You don't want to leave, but it feels awkward to stick around.
Post-credits, the party is over... All the best food is gone and an exhausted Mario politely woohoo's as he microwaves some leftovers for you - You don't want to leave, but it feels awkward to stick around.
2021
Dread doesn't redefine the genre or blow away its modern contemporaries, but it does feel like the right type of game to reintroduce the series with.
As much as I will always love the 'clunky' utilitarian feel of Super Metroid, Samus has evolved into a character who is effortlessly fun to play as - Intuitively zipping around an excellently paced map; deftly navigating some of the most well crafted, challenging boss fights in the series instead of simply enduring them.
I've gotta say, the E.M.M.I are a little too gamey in execution to really earn that 'Dread' title - Somehow, nearly 20 years later, the idea of being stalked by a GBA Samus sprite is still more terrifying. Nevertheless they can be immensely thrilling to play cat and mouse with around their sprawling playgrounds, far more so than any of the brutally unfair chases down the dead-end corridors of Fusion ever were.
The game is superb mechanically, it just stops a little short of really pushing what Metroid is capable of in terms of music, story-telling and atmosphere. I'm dying to break away from these vaguely Prime-themed labyrinths of conveniently placed SNES puzzle blocks and explore some truly lived in, alien worlds again. Perhaps that's a job for the next game, if so I can't wait to see it.
As much as I will always love the 'clunky' utilitarian feel of Super Metroid, Samus has evolved into a character who is effortlessly fun to play as - Intuitively zipping around an excellently paced map; deftly navigating some of the most well crafted, challenging boss fights in the series instead of simply enduring them.
I've gotta say, the E.M.M.I are a little too gamey in execution to really earn that 'Dread' title - Somehow, nearly 20 years later, the idea of being stalked by a GBA Samus sprite is still more terrifying. Nevertheless they can be immensely thrilling to play cat and mouse with around their sprawling playgrounds, far more so than any of the brutally unfair chases down the dead-end corridors of Fusion ever were.
The game is superb mechanically, it just stops a little short of really pushing what Metroid is capable of in terms of music, story-telling and atmosphere. I'm dying to break away from these vaguely Prime-themed labyrinths of conveniently placed SNES puzzle blocks and explore some truly lived in, alien worlds again. Perhaps that's a job for the next game, if so I can't wait to see it.
2019
A lightning fast, tightly controlled exercise in perfectionism. The real star for me was the presentation of the story, which caught me off guard with how cleverly done it could be at times.
The pacing feels a bit off towards the end, briefly teasing new ideas before snatching them away again. That 'routineness' may be intentional but it overstays its welcome - clearing out familiar enemy compositions with the basic moveset feels a bit stagnant when you know the game has more to offer.
The pacing feels a bit off towards the end, briefly teasing new ideas before snatching them away again. That 'routineness' may be intentional but it overstays its welcome - clearing out familiar enemy compositions with the basic moveset feels a bit stagnant when you know the game has more to offer.
FFXII is a weird one - It's still one of the most fully realized FF worlds, with its brilliant artstyle, character designs, music, history, dialogue and wonderfully grounded tone. Yet for all these apparent strengths, it was also the point where a younger me had to begrudgingly accept that FF wasn't my go-to for great character stories anymore - because there simply isn't one. Nada. Nothing!
Where it really shines, especially in the Zodiac Age, is its mechanics - the heart of the game lies in the planning phase, the refining of a strategy until it's damn near perfect. It scratched a programming itch I didn't even know I had; hitting fast forward like a proud parent knowing that my team wouldn't need my help - their battles having already taken place in my mind's eye, the path to victory laid out before them by my own design.
"It plays itself" you might say - but hey, maybe once you've developed a good enough strategy to defeat a Sewer Rat you don't actually need to fight every single one manually to feel like you've achieved something, yeah? That puzzle is solved, you move onto a bigger one.
So yes, within this majestic and beautifully fleshed out world is a very dry, technical game that forgets to tell its own story - which makes it difficult to recommend to most people - but it's still one of my favourites. I can only dream of another attempt at the gambit system, fully unchained from the limitations of being a PS2 game... maybe an Ivalice game with some actual characters and a fully developed plot, while I'm still dreaming.
Where it really shines, especially in the Zodiac Age, is its mechanics - the heart of the game lies in the planning phase, the refining of a strategy until it's damn near perfect. It scratched a programming itch I didn't even know I had; hitting fast forward like a proud parent knowing that my team wouldn't need my help - their battles having already taken place in my mind's eye, the path to victory laid out before them by my own design.
"It plays itself" you might say - but hey, maybe once you've developed a good enough strategy to defeat a Sewer Rat you don't actually need to fight every single one manually to feel like you've achieved something, yeah? That puzzle is solved, you move onto a bigger one.
So yes, within this majestic and beautifully fleshed out world is a very dry, technical game that forgets to tell its own story - which makes it difficult to recommend to most people - but it's still one of my favourites. I can only dream of another attempt at the gambit system, fully unchained from the limitations of being a PS2 game... maybe an Ivalice game with some actual characters and a fully developed plot, while I'm still dreaming.
Torna is a microcosm of everything *I* want out of Xenoblade. Rhythmic, combo driven battles with a solid endgame; perfectly sized, otherworldly environments; great music; and an appropriately weighty story with a likeable cast - who can share lighthearted moments without the tonal whiplash of XC2.
It suffers the series usual shortcomings - namely the arbitrary road blocks that punish you for skipping side content - but by comparison it's a lot more manageable here than in the larger games.
It suffers the series usual shortcomings - namely the arbitrary road blocks that punish you for skipping side content - but by comparison it's a lot more manageable here than in the larger games.