slmax
2018
Pretty fun even if this game made me realise that im just not v good at 2d sonic games lol. They killed it with some of the original levels and the music kicks ass.
If theres one complaint i have is how you gotta start the whole zone over rather than the act when u get a game over. Felt like unnecessary frustration to add, and it kinda killed my motivation when i screwed up the secret final boss.
If theres one complaint i have is how you gotta start the whole zone over rather than the act when u get a game over. Felt like unnecessary frustration to add, and it kinda killed my motivation when i screwed up the secret final boss.
Yeah this slingshotted up to my top fave kirby game. Im impressed how natural it all felt having a proper 3d kirby.
Just a really enjoyable ride all around. Had a hard time putting the controller down bc i just wanted to keep going!
The levels, music, the power ups just kick alot of ass. I love the sideactivities you can fo as well.
If i had any minor complaints itd be the lack of a Try Again button for main stages. Esp if you screwed up a side mission and need to start over (felt odd also how treasure stages had one but not this...? Oh well)
But yeah. Just a really really good game that i would rec with all my heart. Think its the first kirby game i 100% bc i didnt want things to end haha
Just a really enjoyable ride all around. Had a hard time putting the controller down bc i just wanted to keep going!
The levels, music, the power ups just kick alot of ass. I love the sideactivities you can fo as well.
If i had any minor complaints itd be the lack of a Try Again button for main stages. Esp if you screwed up a side mission and need to start over (felt odd also how treasure stages had one but not this...? Oh well)
But yeah. Just a really really good game that i would rec with all my heart. Think its the first kirby game i 100% bc i didnt want things to end haha
2013
This review contains spoilers
this one ended up as my least fave mainline game sadly. loads of intresting surface stuff that never really delivers.
what i liked:
- pokemon amie!! really good and cute way to connect with ur pokemon!!!! pet them or feed them , each with their unique animations for it!!!! i love it. all the little lines of “pokemon withstood the attack so u wouldnt worry” or “i know u can do it pokemon!!” is sooooo cute i ADORE it
- the post game looker story is literally the only part of the entire narrative that like. had me invested lol. short and with a strong character (emma). were was this energy for the main plot and crew
- im glad exp share all is a thing now. less pain in the ass to level mons up (i would even say overleleved lol but w/e)
and..thats sadly it. as to why this ended up as my least fave
- the characters, really.
- i love the idea of some of them, how tierno for example just want to have a decent dance team, or shauna stumbling around trying to find a goal for herself.
- except..nothing interesting is explored with that. we dont get tiernos motivation for why he wanna have a dance team, we dont really get any further than a hint of shaunas insecurity before it kinda gets..swept away?
- the only memorable moment i had with these characters was the fireworks scene and..thats it! give me more scenes like that!!
- dont even get me started on ur neighbor rival lol. an absolute nothing character
- everything just feels underdeveloped, from the main characters, the villain and also the main plot
- i wanted to be invested in az’s whole deal but his story is inserted so oddly i was left kinda uh...ok...than anything else. this could just be a me thing tho
- i also think, beyond the narrative, that the transition to 3d is kinda rough. pokemon models look kinda washed out from the more colourful sprites in bw. the character models themselves feel kinda stiff in conversations.
- i think mega evos are cool but the focus on kanto or other regions makes kalos lose some of its unique identity. why didn't we get mega evos for our kalos starters??
- i like 2d art dont get me wrong, but the lack of 3d intros for say, the gym leaders, was such a lost opportunity to showcase their personality (in comparison to the flare admins)
- the gym leaders themselves felt largey forgettable, which is a damn shame bc i dig alot of their designs
- navigating luminose city is also a pain in the ass mostly bc how haywire the camera can get
- also why was style level a thing
overall the most lackluster of pokemon games im afraid.
what i liked:
- pokemon amie!! really good and cute way to connect with ur pokemon!!!! pet them or feed them , each with their unique animations for it!!!! i love it. all the little lines of “pokemon withstood the attack so u wouldnt worry” or “i know u can do it pokemon!!” is sooooo cute i ADORE it
- the post game looker story is literally the only part of the entire narrative that like. had me invested lol. short and with a strong character (emma). were was this energy for the main plot and crew
- im glad exp share all is a thing now. less pain in the ass to level mons up (i would even say overleleved lol but w/e)
and..thats sadly it. as to why this ended up as my least fave
- the characters, really.
- i love the idea of some of them, how tierno for example just want to have a decent dance team, or shauna stumbling around trying to find a goal for herself.
- except..nothing interesting is explored with that. we dont get tiernos motivation for why he wanna have a dance team, we dont really get any further than a hint of shaunas insecurity before it kinda gets..swept away?
- the only memorable moment i had with these characters was the fireworks scene and..thats it! give me more scenes like that!!
- dont even get me started on ur neighbor rival lol. an absolute nothing character
- everything just feels underdeveloped, from the main characters, the villain and also the main plot
- i wanted to be invested in az’s whole deal but his story is inserted so oddly i was left kinda uh...ok...than anything else. this could just be a me thing tho
- i also think, beyond the narrative, that the transition to 3d is kinda rough. pokemon models look kinda washed out from the more colourful sprites in bw. the character models themselves feel kinda stiff in conversations.
- i think mega evos are cool but the focus on kanto or other regions makes kalos lose some of its unique identity. why didn't we get mega evos for our kalos starters??
- i like 2d art dont get me wrong, but the lack of 3d intros for say, the gym leaders, was such a lost opportunity to showcase their personality (in comparison to the flare admins)
- the gym leaders themselves felt largey forgettable, which is a damn shame bc i dig alot of their designs
- navigating luminose city is also a pain in the ass mostly bc how haywire the camera can get
- also why was style level a thing
overall the most lackluster of pokemon games im afraid.
this ended up as my top fave 2d gen of the bunch
- i adored the characters. cheren, bianca and n’s devolpmetn was great and i was completely invested in all of them
- the PRESENTATION man!!! the cities!! the different angles as u walk around!! the grande feeling of it all!!!! the badge gates!!!! the elite 4 intros!!! they went above and beyond
- the idle animations for all the pokemon ....holy shit
- speaking of i adored so many of the designs and god damn was it bold of them to have an entire region consist of only new mons!! only gen1 has technically does that lol. shame they wont seem to be doing this anytime soon.
- some of the gameplay hiccups is still there but alot of the battles felt faster and smoother overall? youre not obligated to use the hms as much as before
-also thank god u can apoint the y button to more than one thing now lol.
- also hey reusable tms! takes away the tension of decision making but now i dont feel like i screwed up 4ever by using one
- the postgame felt a bit lackluster at times i admit but some things had my attention
- not sure how bw2 is gonna top this! im excited to try it!
- i adored the characters. cheren, bianca and n’s devolpmetn was great and i was completely invested in all of them
- the PRESENTATION man!!! the cities!! the different angles as u walk around!! the grande feeling of it all!!!! the badge gates!!!! the elite 4 intros!!! they went above and beyond
- the idle animations for all the pokemon ....holy shit
- speaking of i adored so many of the designs and god damn was it bold of them to have an entire region consist of only new mons!! only gen1 has technically does that lol. shame they wont seem to be doing this anytime soon.
- some of the gameplay hiccups is still there but alot of the battles felt faster and smoother overall? youre not obligated to use the hms as much as before
-also thank god u can apoint the y button to more than one thing now lol.
- also hey reusable tms! takes away the tension of decision making but now i dont feel like i screwed up 4ever by using one
- the postgame felt a bit lackluster at times i admit but some things had my attention
- not sure how bw2 is gonna top this! im excited to try it!
-first the enviromental design! the updated visuals/3d really made the cities feel a bit more daunting, and the colour palette was pretty striking in some enviroments!
-i did feel they didnt nearly take advantage of the weather like emerald did. the snow was nice but it was no melechony rain or volcano ashes ya know?
-i also think the pokemon animations were super neat! mustve been a lot of work
-i found myself digging the characters compared to emerald. brendan and professor birch didnt leave much of an impact, and i think thats due mostly bc they didnt really involve themselves in the main criminal team like rowen and barry did
-even if i liked barry i didnt feel like he lived up to his full potential. there's some intrestign stuff with his dad but it kinda fizzles out at the end, leaving me wanting
lucas/other protag was kinda boring :(
-cynthia and cyrus were pretty fun! i did feel cyrus story had more to tell also
-music was solid. giratina, team galaxy grunt theme, snow point city were some of my faves tracks i think
-thank god you dont have a limited inventory anymore. i did feel like the sorting could've been executed better tho
-same complaints ive had since before. leveling is still a pain, so are th4e hm system, hate caves etc etc.
-underground... i dont have any comments on...kinda got bored after a minute
-same with contests :( i think it was a really good alt way to make use of pokemon that wasnt battling but it lacking some sort of narrative left me disinterest in exploring it
- i did enjoy the pokewatch apps (the berry map was needed lol) even if it sometime felt like the devs didnt know what to do with the second screen as u were exploring lol
-i also dont like how alot of the events are locked behind completing ur main dex :/ wanted to see the shaymin/darkrai stuff
not too shabby basically! a rank above meerald but not on my top list. onwards to bw
-i did feel they didnt nearly take advantage of the weather like emerald did. the snow was nice but it was no melechony rain or volcano ashes ya know?
-i also think the pokemon animations were super neat! mustve been a lot of work
-i found myself digging the characters compared to emerald. brendan and professor birch didnt leave much of an impact, and i think thats due mostly bc they didnt really involve themselves in the main criminal team like rowen and barry did
-even if i liked barry i didnt feel like he lived up to his full potential. there's some intrestign stuff with his dad but it kinda fizzles out at the end, leaving me wanting
lucas/other protag was kinda boring :(
-cynthia and cyrus were pretty fun! i did feel cyrus story had more to tell also
-music was solid. giratina, team galaxy grunt theme, snow point city were some of my faves tracks i think
-thank god you dont have a limited inventory anymore. i did feel like the sorting could've been executed better tho
-same complaints ive had since before. leveling is still a pain, so are th4e hm system, hate caves etc etc.
-underground... i dont have any comments on...kinda got bored after a minute
-same with contests :( i think it was a really good alt way to make use of pokemon that wasnt battling but it lacking some sort of narrative left me disinterest in exploring it
- i did enjoy the pokewatch apps (the berry map was needed lol) even if it sometime felt like the devs didnt know what to do with the second screen as u were exploring lol
-i also dont like how alot of the events are locked behind completing ur main dex :/ wanted to see the shaymin/darkrai stuff
not too shabby basically! a rank above meerald but not on my top list. onwards to bw
pretty solid! the upgraded visuals is a cool sight to see, especially when it comes to the diverse areas.the added weather effacts, like the rain or the floating ashes really added to the overall atmosphere.
when it comes to the plot, the champion stuff is rather run of the mill. thats why i did find myself more invested in the aqua/magma stuff rather than the champion route. brendan (or also may i assume) whille an ok rival, feelt a tad lacking? esp compared to like silver. wally was rather more intresting to me.
pokemon contests was a really cool new feature even if i sucked at it lol. when it comes to the sevret bases, i found them to be more of a chore than anything else. there doesnt seem to be a way to keep track of it either, unless you keep it close to town. some of the decoration options felt pretty restrictive to me as well (no desk on the mats??)
when it came to the battles, pokemon abilities made things intresting in a strategic sense. same with double battles. this game would not make u forget they existed lmao (also thank god you dont have to manually change boxes anymore)
leveling up is still a pain in the ass, as it is with the older games. i dont mind the occasional grind, but it really is a chore sometimes to make your low level mon stand a chance later on, even with exp share.
i also have to give shout out to the most complicated dex gathering in any pokemon game i've seen. shout out to those that managed to complete it bc i sure as hell didnt bother.
so yeah. pretty solid overall, even if this one didnt reach my personal favorite level, but i didnt really expect it'd be.
when it comes to the plot, the champion stuff is rather run of the mill. thats why i did find myself more invested in the aqua/magma stuff rather than the champion route. brendan (or also may i assume) whille an ok rival, feelt a tad lacking? esp compared to like silver. wally was rather more intresting to me.
pokemon contests was a really cool new feature even if i sucked at it lol. when it comes to the sevret bases, i found them to be more of a chore than anything else. there doesnt seem to be a way to keep track of it either, unless you keep it close to town. some of the decoration options felt pretty restrictive to me as well (no desk on the mats??)
when it came to the battles, pokemon abilities made things intresting in a strategic sense. same with double battles. this game would not make u forget they existed lmao (also thank god you dont have to manually change boxes anymore)
leveling up is still a pain in the ass, as it is with the older games. i dont mind the occasional grind, but it really is a chore sometimes to make your low level mon stand a chance later on, even with exp share.
i also have to give shout out to the most complicated dex gathering in any pokemon game i've seen. shout out to those that managed to complete it bc i sure as hell didnt bother.
so yeah. pretty solid overall, even if this one didnt reach my personal favorite level, but i didnt really expect it'd be.
an alright pokemon game. the qol stuff def makes this less tedious than colosseum (you can SAVE everywhere, purifying is less of a chore) but it doesn't really introduce much stuff beyond that.
(misc thought: felt that rovi would be our companion this time around (she even has a bike animation!) so this jounrey felt kinda lonely compared to colosseum i think)
i also personally think it lacks the "boldness" that came with colosseum and thus dont really have much to say on it overall. i do have to comment on the trainer animations, which felt less akward than the loser animations in colosseum
basically, it's fine, but it felt strangely lacking and while it plays better than colosseu, it didnt have much of an impact on me all in all. (except for the npc names, those were fun)
(misc thought: felt that rovi would be our companion this time around (she even has a bike animation!) so this jounrey felt kinda lonely compared to colosseum i think)
i also personally think it lacks the "boldness" that came with colosseum and thus dont really have much to say on it overall. i do have to comment on the trainer animations, which felt less akward than the loser animations in colosseum
basically, it's fine, but it felt strangely lacking and while it plays better than colosseu, it didnt have much of an impact on me all in all. (except for the npc names, those were fun)
2003
probably the best word to describe this game setting is "bold"
i mean...you arent a upstarting trainer but an ex-criminal! you already have two mons who are implied to have been with you for some time! you dont steal pokemon, you snatch em away from other trainers! alot of the npcs you meet are outlaws! so yeah pretty bold compared to the mainline series..or what im used to at least
the gameplay has been changed, in that it's always double battles. they pretty much throw you out there without holding your hand, which is interesting in some aspects, but caused me to stumble on a few areas (didnt know you could "pick a starter", didnt know timeflutes effects etc).
i have to give props to the designs/score as well. the designs is pretty bonkers (in a memorable way) and the different battle themes are dang solid.
i also have to highlight all the pokemon animations. decattys haughty walk, all the fish pokemon rising up like they're dead when fainting, jigglypuff turning flat, some examples that really stuck with me and just shows the amount of effort that went into making every pokemons animation unique. it's awsome, really.
the game has some frustrations tho. while the animations are cool theyre pretty drawn out and can make battles feel slow. this added with the pre-exp share all era makes grinding a pain the ass. having shadow pokemon appear during important battles also causes the action to come to a screeching halt, due to having me focus on catching the pokemon rather than beating the opponent. these frustrations , combined with how you can only save at designated spots, is what caused me to lose interest in the post game stuff.
all in all, a really cool take on what pokemon can be like, but due to gameplay decisions i dont really vibe with, a game im not interested in exploring more than once.
i mean...you arent a upstarting trainer but an ex-criminal! you already have two mons who are implied to have been with you for some time! you dont steal pokemon, you snatch em away from other trainers! alot of the npcs you meet are outlaws! so yeah pretty bold compared to the mainline series..or what im used to at least
the gameplay has been changed, in that it's always double battles. they pretty much throw you out there without holding your hand, which is interesting in some aspects, but caused me to stumble on a few areas (didnt know you could "pick a starter", didnt know timeflutes effects etc).
i have to give props to the designs/score as well. the designs is pretty bonkers (in a memorable way) and the different battle themes are dang solid.
i also have to highlight all the pokemon animations. decattys haughty walk, all the fish pokemon rising up like they're dead when fainting, jigglypuff turning flat, some examples that really stuck with me and just shows the amount of effort that went into making every pokemons animation unique. it's awsome, really.
the game has some frustrations tho. while the animations are cool theyre pretty drawn out and can make battles feel slow. this added with the pre-exp share all era makes grinding a pain the ass. having shadow pokemon appear during important battles also causes the action to come to a screeching halt, due to having me focus on catching the pokemon rather than beating the opponent. these frustrations , combined with how you can only save at designated spots, is what caused me to lose interest in the post game stuff.
all in all, a really cool take on what pokemon can be like, but due to gameplay decisions i dont really vibe with, a game im not interested in exploring more than once.
the positive? the best the gameplay has ever been. you dont need to change screens to see what ur pokemon can do. they ditched the ranking system so now you immediately have 7 spots to fill. you can accept more than one damn quest at a time! hot damn. they also introduced flying battle a la touho and chase sequences to break up the monotone gameplay, which i welcome.
also ukulele pichu? having a companion with an active personality and mechanic that doesnt bog you down like plusle/minun and more memorable than any past poke companion? really god damn good move
the downside? the writing is pretty dull. a large part of this is the sub par loc/translation i think. its serviceable. you understand what they're saying. but alot of characters just....either sound the same, sound weirdly formal or just have sentences that sounds...off. completely devoid of the charm from the first two games.
unlike in shadows in almia where i talked to every npc or explored flavor text, this one i just skipped trough due to how lifeless the dialogue could feel. which is a damn shame bc the visuals on this one is the best so it sucks there isnt any flavor text in the same quality.
so...it's an alright game. it's just a shame the plot/writing doesnt match it's gameplay, which is the best in the series. this one does have my fave villain theme tho
also ukulele pichu? having a companion with an active personality and mechanic that doesnt bog you down like plusle/minun and more memorable than any past poke companion? really god damn good move
the downside? the writing is pretty dull. a large part of this is the sub par loc/translation i think. its serviceable. you understand what they're saying. but alot of characters just....either sound the same, sound weirdly formal or just have sentences that sounds...off. completely devoid of the charm from the first two games.
unlike in shadows in almia where i talked to every npc or explored flavor text, this one i just skipped trough due to how lifeless the dialogue could feel. which is a damn shame bc the visuals on this one is the best so it sucks there isnt any flavor text in the same quality.
so...it's an alright game. it's just a shame the plot/writing doesnt match it's gameplay, which is the best in the series. this one does have my fave villain theme tho
alot more sincere than i thought itd be?? a fun time with some solid art to the boot
2019
a very weird and charming game. i feel like if i played this when i was a kid, the sense of wonder wouldve been invoked in me.
i tried to play this game blind but i just couldnt get a hang of things, even if the manual helped alot. not sure how i couldve 100% it without a guide at all really. the game isnt v good at telling u really useful things (the fast travel system, for one). also, fuck the fishing contest.
but even with these problems i still had a good time playing it, and some of the scores was a joy to listen to. i can also see why they named it the anti-rpg, with less focus on killing momsters and more about observing and helping those around you. that is love indeed...
i tried to play this game blind but i just couldnt get a hang of things, even if the manual helped alot. not sure how i couldve 100% it without a guide at all really. the game isnt v good at telling u really useful things (the fast travel system, for one). also, fuck the fishing contest.
but even with these problems i still had a good time playing it, and some of the scores was a joy to listen to. i can also see why they named it the anti-rpg, with less focus on killing momsters and more about observing and helping those around you. that is love indeed...
the sequel put in some much needed improvments from the first one (you dont start over when scewing up the loop, different partner pokemons) but it sadly doesnt take away the repetivness from the core gameplay mechanic (drawing circles)
another thing is the annoyance of having to capture a pokemom EVERYTIME you needed to fasttravel somewhere...
i will say tho the npc dialouge/flavortext, sidequests and charaters overall brought a more overall charm to the game in a greater level compared to the first one.
another thing is the annoyance of having to capture a pokemom EVERYTIME you needed to fasttravel somewhere...
i will say tho the npc dialouge/flavortext, sidequests and charaters overall brought a more overall charm to the game in a greater level compared to the first one.
2006
this one ended up being a mixed bag for me. i did like some aspects of it (the villain team, the npcs in general really) but i think the core gameplay gets dull and frustrating after a while. having minun/plusle as a your main partner also severely limits you if youre out of poke assistants.
This review contains spoilers
a good step forward from red. all the intro animations theyve added for all the mons are super cool. i also enjoyed the rivals devolpment trough the game which felt lacking in red. also some smaller details like decorating ur room and the phone convos are super charming.
also (SPOILERS )
them adding in the entire damn kanto region was a really cool suprise. i knew that you would face red in the end but i had no idea you would revisit the entire region. all the remixed songs from the original game was also pretty cool to hear.
still a pain in the ass to lvl up pokemon tho lmao. i also didnt realize how limiting it is sometimes to be forced to have hp moves. also also the internal clock--while probably neat at the time--was an annoyance more than anything else
also (SPOILERS )
them adding in the entire damn kanto region was a really cool suprise. i knew that you would face red in the end but i had no idea you would revisit the entire region. all the remixed songs from the original game was also pretty cool to hear.
still a pain in the ass to lvl up pokemon tho lmao. i also didnt realize how limiting it is sometimes to be forced to have hp moves. also also the internal clock--while probably neat at the time--was an annoyance more than anything else
Dont really have much to say beyond that im intruiged and that the visuals are damn beautiful.