spageddystyle
2001
Tightens up many aspects of Sonic Adventure, and boils down the core experience alternating between Speed sections, Mech shooting platforming sections, and Gem Hunting.
The story is much more grown up covering themes of military occupation (cause why not) and government coverups in regards to super-weapons floating above earth. The dual story telling method is interesting seeing how the others on the Hero and Dark casts react to developments in the story.
Gameplay is snappy, though Sonic and Shadow are a bit different from the last game, where you can't just spindash anytime you want you actually have to charge it. It's still great fun but I miss the weird barely controlled mayhem of being able to spindash whenever you wanted!
Good times, good times.
The story is much more grown up covering themes of military occupation (cause why not) and government coverups in regards to super-weapons floating above earth. The dual story telling method is interesting seeing how the others on the Hero and Dark casts react to developments in the story.
Gameplay is snappy, though Sonic and Shadow are a bit different from the last game, where you can't just spindash anytime you want you actually have to charge it. It's still great fun but I miss the weird barely controlled mayhem of being able to spindash whenever you wanted!
Good times, good times.
1998
Sonic feels the most liberating to play as he has ever been, I don't think any other Sonic game in 3D has given you more thorough control of sonic, and the way you can just speed through levels with him is incredibly fun!
I do appreciate the other characters, some characters have much better stories than you'd expect (a highmark being e102 Gamma) but it's a bit inconsistent with regards to fleshing out some characters more than others.
Still a great time, a piece of history. When Sega cared about the blue blur.
I do appreciate the other characters, some characters have much better stories than you'd expect (a highmark being e102 Gamma) but it's a bit inconsistent with regards to fleshing out some characters more than others.
Still a great time, a piece of history. When Sega cared about the blue blur.
2016
The dialogue in this game flows with such distinct esoteric style, it will keep you held if you are able to put up with it's more monotonous gameplay elements of trial and error quizes and roaming through the world until you finally get the one item you were looking for and go back to wherever you had to be in the first place.
The presentation in this game is so simple but there's things you notice as you go through the chapters: Words scrolling in the background, audio levels, splashes of radio dials in the background as characters interface with each other.
This game gives me real trouble to review as I said it's got some real monotonous moments of trial and error but the character writing, situations, and commentary on the internet affecting real life and vice versa was so ahead of it's time when this was originally released in the 90s.
Absolutely necessary playing to further understand the mindset of Grasshopper Manufacture, and specifically the mind of the writer and game director, notorious Suda51!
Kill the Past!
Kill the Life!
Tokio Morishima is Mr. Internet.
The presentation in this game is so simple but there's things you notice as you go through the chapters: Words scrolling in the background, audio levels, splashes of radio dials in the background as characters interface with each other.
This game gives me real trouble to review as I said it's got some real monotonous moments of trial and error but the character writing, situations, and commentary on the internet affecting real life and vice versa was so ahead of it's time when this was originally released in the 90s.
Absolutely necessary playing to further understand the mindset of Grasshopper Manufacture, and specifically the mind of the writer and game director, notorious Suda51!
Kill the Past!
Kill the Life!
Tokio Morishima is Mr. Internet.
2012
This game is a spite filled tirade against military campaign shooting games of the time it was released (around the early 2010s)
While the themes are fantastic in regards to soldier PTSD, the over-saturation of Military shooting games where the US is always unequivocally the "good guys", it is a chore to play, with only a few wrinkles in regards to changing the enviornment with breakable objects as you shoot from cover, yet again.
A light recommendation, it's themes are interesting but not at all compelling to play
EDIT: bumped up a star as 3 and a half felt needlessly nitpicky
Even though I still stand by this game being more a time capsule criticism for the times it was birthed, few stories get you into the headspace of deeply broken people as effectively as this game.
While the themes are fantastic in regards to soldier PTSD, the over-saturation of Military shooting games where the US is always unequivocally the "good guys", it is a chore to play, with only a few wrinkles in regards to changing the enviornment with breakable objects as you shoot from cover, yet again.
A light recommendation, it's themes are interesting but not at all compelling to play
EDIT: bumped up a star as 3 and a half felt needlessly nitpicky
Even though I still stand by this game being more a time capsule criticism for the times it was birthed, few stories get you into the headspace of deeply broken people as effectively as this game.
This review contains spoilers
A follow up to the game that had no real spring off points, No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle is Travis Touchdown's return to the bloody world of the UAA ranks established in the first.
This game is generally looked at as lesser, not just for the law of diminishing returns, but lesser in regards to it's writing.
I do have to agree that the writing is not nearly as sharp and captivating as No More Heroes, there is still a more subtle theme of the game itself fighting against the idea it has to be a wacky hack and slash follow up.
Travis Touchdown starts out as a parody of himself from the first game, with a flimsy reasoning for going through the ranking battles again for revenge on a character that was not even a main character in the first game!
Throughout the game however, he starts to be more opposed to his type-cast and lashing out not only at the characters in the story, but at us the audience. Ryuji is when this theme hit me as you have a great boss fight with him, an essential equal to Travis, is gunned down by Sylvia.
That awakens the anger in Travis, and moves him past a parody of himself and into something more, remorseful, understanding of the world around him as he's inadvertently affected it.
His fights with Captain Vladimir and Alice Twilight finally drive that point home, Travis respecting his opponents in this game of death as people, living through their own stories and screaming that at Sylvia, and at us.
The parody concludes with Travis fighting against a mockery of a boss in Jasper Batt Jr. as he goes from a man child in a toy car, to an obscenely gaudy wrestling outfit clad steroid freak, to a literal Macy's Day Parade balloon character, which Travis destroys and finally becomes a true character, no longer a parody.
That is an aspect of it's story I feel is missed out on, it's not perfect, but it is there and there is more to it than let on.
Gameplay wise I do love switching beam katanas, I do love that there are different types of goons Travis can vivisect, the game feels faster in some ways in regards to actual pacing of combat, but there is points where it just keeps throwing enemies at you that are very tanky and beam katana swordplay feels a bit more button mashy than the original.
A solid recommendation, not nearly as tight as the first, has more of the themes of a pulp fiction film.
This game is generally looked at as lesser, not just for the law of diminishing returns, but lesser in regards to it's writing.
I do have to agree that the writing is not nearly as sharp and captivating as No More Heroes, there is still a more subtle theme of the game itself fighting against the idea it has to be a wacky hack and slash follow up.
Travis Touchdown starts out as a parody of himself from the first game, with a flimsy reasoning for going through the ranking battles again for revenge on a character that was not even a main character in the first game!
Throughout the game however, he starts to be more opposed to his type-cast and lashing out not only at the characters in the story, but at us the audience. Ryuji is when this theme hit me as you have a great boss fight with him, an essential equal to Travis, is gunned down by Sylvia.
That awakens the anger in Travis, and moves him past a parody of himself and into something more, remorseful, understanding of the world around him as he's inadvertently affected it.
His fights with Captain Vladimir and Alice Twilight finally drive that point home, Travis respecting his opponents in this game of death as people, living through their own stories and screaming that at Sylvia, and at us.
The parody concludes with Travis fighting against a mockery of a boss in Jasper Batt Jr. as he goes from a man child in a toy car, to an obscenely gaudy wrestling outfit clad steroid freak, to a literal Macy's Day Parade balloon character, which Travis destroys and finally becomes a true character, no longer a parody.
That is an aspect of it's story I feel is missed out on, it's not perfect, but it is there and there is more to it than let on.
Gameplay wise I do love switching beam katanas, I do love that there are different types of goons Travis can vivisect, the game feels faster in some ways in regards to actual pacing of combat, but there is points where it just keeps throwing enemies at you that are very tanky and beam katana swordplay feels a bit more button mashy than the original.
A solid recommendation, not nearly as tight as the first, has more of the themes of a pulp fiction film.
2019
A sprawling, religious, violent experience as you wander around Cvstodia as the Penitent One enacting horrific biblical nightmarish pain upon the monsters, biblical figures as they do the same to you.
Visually striking pixel art, wonderful animations, great sense of exploration and a connected feeling world, with a wonderful and religiously dark and macabre story!
A modern classic, people will look back on this as a great triumph!
Visually striking pixel art, wonderful animations, great sense of exploration and a connected feeling world, with a wonderful and religiously dark and macabre story!
A modern classic, people will look back on this as a great triumph!
Much more rigid in regards to how you interact with mobsters, soldiers, goons, whatever you face in between it's branching, non-linear story.
The enemy sight-lines are near infinite, their reaction speed is unfair, and there is no cover, no where to hide as they are much faster, much more deadly and smarter.
For story purposes, this fits and it's story and characters are fascinating and deeply effective in regards to looking at the "success" and "legacy" of Hotline Miami.
Playing Hotline Miami felt like a rush after doing lines, and playing Hotline Miami 2 is the hangover from that night of partying. I did not like hurting people as much this time around.
The enemy sight-lines are near infinite, their reaction speed is unfair, and there is no cover, no where to hide as they are much faster, much more deadly and smarter.
For story purposes, this fits and it's story and characters are fascinating and deeply effective in regards to looking at the "success" and "legacy" of Hotline Miami.
Playing Hotline Miami felt like a rush after doing lines, and playing Hotline Miami 2 is the hangover from that night of partying. I did not like hurting people as much this time around.
2012
Diabolical sequences of disarming thugs, mutilating them, blowing them to hell with double barrel shotgun blasts and slicing them in two with samurai swords and butchers cleavers.
This game asks "Do you like hurting other people?"
After this game, with it's presentation, neon colors, thumping soundtrack, incredible violence and pulse pounding exchanges between dozens of mobsters out for blood almost as much as your character is...I'm afraid of the answer to that question.
This game asks "Do you like hurting other people?"
After this game, with it's presentation, neon colors, thumping soundtrack, incredible violence and pulse pounding exchanges between dozens of mobsters out for blood almost as much as your character is...I'm afraid of the answer to that question.
While it is great fun to play with friends, upon taking the whole package of the game, along with all the dlc characters that have been added post launch, it's very overwhelming and piles on characters and characters and stages and characters and features without furthering the actual combat mechanics (aside from character specific gimmicks) past Smash 4.
It brings back many aspects of previous RE games (primary RE4) in regards to pacing, presentation, and gameplay functions like the Attache case, but what it also brought over from RE4 is a final act that just drags on far past the point you have mastered the mechanics. Still great fun, wonder how that DLC's gonna play.
1994
When I think of games with fantastic stories and scenery and characters with just the most tedious possible gameplay, I think of Earthbound.
Actually playing it feels like work with item management, cumbersome turn based combat without being strategically in depth, and some aimless wandering of the game's world.
The charm is so abundant, so persistent, and so off-beat it carries it so much higher to the point where it is a part of the pop culture conscience of gamers.
A great example of how to build a wonderful, unexpected world in a video game, and an example of how to not set up turn based combat in a video game.
Actually playing it feels like work with item management, cumbersome turn based combat without being strategically in depth, and some aimless wandering of the game's world.
The charm is so abundant, so persistent, and so off-beat it carries it so much higher to the point where it is a part of the pop culture conscience of gamers.
A great example of how to build a wonderful, unexpected world in a video game, and an example of how to not set up turn based combat in a video game.
2019
A monument to player control and expression, Devil May Cry 5 is stuffed to the gills with features, ways to delay your combos and add further variation upon the amazing combos you can pull off!
The story is simple and that's absolutely fine, but that ending is one of the most satisfying things you can see in an action game built with the greatest spectacle combat in mind!
People have done absolute magic with self-expression with Dante and Nero and even V, even though V is much more stripped down than the other two, he is still challenging and rewarding to play as you have to manage 3 different entities in the heat of combat!
A victory for video games, a game that can make YOU an artist with the combos you can perform and the way you can play the game!
The story is simple and that's absolutely fine, but that ending is one of the most satisfying things you can see in an action game built with the greatest spectacle combat in mind!
People have done absolute magic with self-expression with Dante and Nero and even V, even though V is much more stripped down than the other two, he is still challenging and rewarding to play as you have to manage 3 different entities in the heat of combat!
A victory for video games, a game that can make YOU an artist with the combos you can perform and the way you can play the game!
2014
The game is at once, one of the funniest RPGs I've ever played, and on the other, absolute emotional devastation. It truly prods you to be the absolute worst of humanity possible, and it does it without flinching, without compromise and with mountains of scorn and judgement. Then you throw a fireball out of your hands at a fish man.
There are bits that are sketchy and rather tasteless even for the game itself, but there's something to be said in all the misery and cynicism.
There are bits that are sketchy and rather tasteless even for the game itself, but there's something to be said in all the misery and cynicism.
A great historical article of a game that I feel holds up more as a part of history than an actual piece of life changing art that you must play.
I played it back on the Zelda: Collector's Edition for GameCube and did like it, it laid down building blocks for the series as it went on but going back to this recently with that Nintendo Switch subscription, I can absolutely feel it's age.
Good to go back to for seeing how far the series has come in regards to design and presentation and general appreciation of video game history, on it's own sadly due to the passage of time, it feels weak.
EDIT: keeping the previous review up for accountabilitie's sake but this review sucked ass.
This is like, really a foundation for so many games, and while it quickly became beat out by it's successors, Ocarina of Time still has such a wonderful vibe and that weird spark of game publisher's doing everything they could with 3d, this game really pushed the N64 to it's limits back then.
This is also just such a cozy game, there's something reassuring of the soul trotting along Hyrule Field from Kakariko Village, to Gerudo Valley, and back to the Lon Lon Ranch. Horse galloping, music swelling, you feel like a goddamn superhero.
Ignore my old review earlier, that shit sucked ass what the Hell was I talking about?!
I played it back on the Zelda: Collector's Edition for GameCube and did like it, it laid down building blocks for the series as it went on but going back to this recently with that Nintendo Switch subscription, I can absolutely feel it's age.
Good to go back to for seeing how far the series has come in regards to design and presentation and general appreciation of video game history, on it's own sadly due to the passage of time, it feels weak.
EDIT: keeping the previous review up for accountabilitie's sake but this review sucked ass.
This is like, really a foundation for so many games, and while it quickly became beat out by it's successors, Ocarina of Time still has such a wonderful vibe and that weird spark of game publisher's doing everything they could with 3d, this game really pushed the N64 to it's limits back then.
This is also just such a cozy game, there's something reassuring of the soul trotting along Hyrule Field from Kakariko Village, to Gerudo Valley, and back to the Lon Lon Ranch. Horse galloping, music swelling, you feel like a goddamn superhero.
Ignore my old review earlier, that shit sucked ass what the Hell was I talking about?!
A very cute calming game that I lost my drive to engage with.
While it is the most freeing AC game in regards to decorating your island, your home, and your own characters styles, it still feels that you've seen everything the game has to offer you.
I do appreciate my friends and others making beautiful little vistas and themed houses and sharing them with me, but I just don't have the drive to attempt anything of that calibur myself.
While it is the most freeing AC game in regards to decorating your island, your home, and your own characters styles, it still feels that you've seen everything the game has to offer you.
I do appreciate my friends and others making beautiful little vistas and themed houses and sharing them with me, but I just don't have the drive to attempt anything of that calibur myself.