MMZ4 is the ending to the ongoing saga of Zero himself. It was going to be hard to top Zero 3, a game that I had nothing but glowing praise for and generally perfected the gameplay loop of the series. How does the grand finale fare?

Honestly? It's awesome. It definitely deserves the title of finale. The gameplay loop is a little weaker than before - the weapon selection is pretty uninteresting and the Z Knuckle just kinda blows. It has some interesting usages but I ended up using it very rarely. Furthermore, the crafting system - just like in previous games - feels like a waste. I didn't use it even once. Generally, just like previous entries, I found the game struggled to explain some core mechanics and features, like how to get EX abilities. However, the core gameplay loop is fantastic. It's good old Zero combat with clean level design, mostly well designed and memorable bosses and incredibly satisfying sound design. It plays like a dream. No major improvements from Zero 3 - but the core is intact, and it is glorious.
The story of Zero 4 is also super awesome, as is the final boss that tops it off. I don't want to spoil it if you somehow don't know - but it solidifies Zero as one of the coolest video game characters ever. Be sure to check it out! I really loved where they went with the character and the MMZ universe in this one.

There is nothing more to say, really. Mega Man Zero 4 is the conclusion the series deserved, and as much as I really did enjoy these games - even through my blind rage of dying a million times - I will be sad to see Zero go. I understand there are ZX and ZX Advent, but it won't be the same. Make sure to play this fantastic series, it is by far the best Mega Man has to offer.

If there's anything that was on my mind about Resident Evil 4's development, it's how it branched off into the creation of Devil May Cry. After experiencing it for myself, I can see a good chunk of DMC1's DNA in this game. Both of them are incredibly tight action-based experiences that are tonally in sync with both their oppressive atmospheres and campy storylines. The main difference I picked up on from DMC is that RE4 is a comparably more linear experience. Not to say that DMC was anything close to a search action title, but RE4 felt more like a rollercoaster ride of action. I think this works to its benefit, though. It allows RE4 to keep a strong level of momentum throughout the entire experience. In fact, I think its pacing is more similar to DMC3 in that regard. What I believe this showcases is how RE4 reflects the direction of the action games that followed it and how they focus on more linear, moment-to-moment experiences that build up over the course of the game. It makes RE4 that much more interesting to analyze as a cornerstone of gaming history.

this game's entire vibe is encapsulated by it was a good day by ice cube and that's a fantastic thing.

if i had played this game when i was younger, the nostalgia would be off the charts. like, summer nights in 4th grade driving around whetstone and los santos i can just imagine it. something bout the whetstone/mountain area specifically just seems built for nostalagia.

one of the funniest games of all time. every scene with woozie, the guy who can't stop jerking off in the studio, killing og loc's prison lover, all of the radio stations, etc.

cozy af. rockstar makes good games in spite of their shite game design. drive to red circle, drive somewhere else. shootout. repeat. character interactions and the world carry it. seriously wasn't expecting this diverse of a game map: san fierro, the desert, las venturas. just so many good locations in this game.

Call of Duty plays and feels like a slightly enhanced version of Allied Assault. It is clear that the team knew how to make an FPS game that feels mechanically strong. The set pieces are awesome and finally being able to aim down the sight is a godsend. However, a lot of these improvements are made hollow by some pretty annoying checkpoints and the enemy AI being particularly laser sighted. It just felt unfair a lot of the time. The campaign structure itself also suffers a bit from jumping around aimlessly. The missions themselves are often interesting, but there is little connective tissue and it doesn't hit as hard as it could.

I also played some MP which I had fun with although the server availability is pretty bad so the choice of maps was rather limited and I was dealing with high ping so a lot of that precision from the SP version did not apply. That being said IF you get a good populated server it is actually pretty fun and somewhere in that low 7 range.

THPS4 is a step forward in many ways. The bigger levels and expanded move set (especially the spine transfer) make the game more fun to play than its predecessors. Removing the 2-minute timer is also a good idea, but after a while, I realized almost every goal was still timed.

Sometimes goals or goal skate lines are not clear, which leads to a lot of trial and error. I noticed myself hitting "pause - retry last goal" dozens of times to complete certain goals. Too often these instances interrupt the flow of skating and distract from what is otherwise a strong entry in the series.

Has that feeling a lot of my favorite games have of being a game-mechanical nut you don’t quite know how to crack, and the early frustration of that gives way to an immense satisfaction when you do crack it, sorting out that no, there is not enough ammo to kill most of the enemies, that doing so might just make your life harder if those enemies resurrect in more ghastly forms, that your character can see and aim properly even if you can’t due to the preset camera angles with pre-rendered backgrounds, etc.

There’s a fiddliness and patience required to come to terms with the design that adds to the anxious fear. I understand why games as a medium have moved away from requiring that level of patience (what busy adult has the time anymore and how many more busy adults are the target market of games now than they were back then?) but when that sort of design hits, it’s really special.

Also, the pre-rendered backgrounds melded with character/enemy models that the full rendering force of the Gamecube can be thrown at still accomplishes a shockingly effective, grimy vibe of dread, I think it’s a gorgeous game in that way, at least when sort of blurred together into cohesion by the phosphors of an old crt tv. God, I’m an old-man gamer hipster now, aren’t I? But what are ya gonna do?

This is everything that the original Jet Set Radio was meant to be. The controls feel so much smoother and your character is just a little faster for that extra oomph. The combat has been improved and simplified so all you need to do is knock them over in the streets and spray by holding down a button. And the graffiti is simplified too so you can spray on the go and you don't have to stay in one place doing a fancy dance while hoping the police don't catch you. The game is technical and filled with depth, yet it provides plenty of learning opportunities through tutorials and excellent level design. Add to the fact that this game has an outstanding soundtrack and looks better than many games from the 2010s, and you've got yourself one of the greatest games of all time. SEGA really is doing themselves a disservice by not polishing this in a modern port, but regardless, do whatever it takes to play this game if you like stylish games that are a blast to move and jump around in. One of my favorite games that I played this year.

All the fun of the original and more. I'm glad this is the sole game working flawlessly on the xbox emulator so I could enjoy it. The artstyle still looks beautiful today, the gameplay is smooth and the music is super funky with the exception of birthday cake which made me want to tear my eardrums out every time it came on. The areas are fun to traverse and painting all over the place is still really satisfying. One thing I prefer in the original is the cast of player characters but I do prefer Beat and Gum's new designs so I just alternated between them. The bosses were all pretty fun to fight though the extendable arm dude got out of his vulnerable state way too fast and the flamethrower chick was hardly even a fight. The bit of voice acting in the game by professor K and gouji is great and really livens things up. The game is just oozing with personality from top to bottom. I don't have many problems with the game, just birthday cake, weak camera control, and the few areas where you can fall down but not die causing you to waste a lot of time going back to where you were.

When reviewing Outlast, I mentioned how constant checkpoints and unlimited supplies can prevent a feeling of vulnerability that I think is important to horror games. Oddly enough, this is another survival horror game focused around using a camera, and it has the exact same design flaw. In this case, it’s how the save points scattered around the haunted mansion can be used as many times as you like and provide you with an unlimited supply of film for your ghost-exorcizing camera. While moving from room to room should be a tense experience where you’re unsure when ghosts will strike, having a HUD element to tell you when one is nearby so you can ready your infinite ammo weapon eliminates that possibility. The design of the ghosts themselves is spectacular, but this visual aspect is the only place where horror actually manifests itself. Fighting them is also a shallow and repetitive process, pointing at them until your indicator changes color and snapping the picture. The story isn't enough to rescue it either, sitting comfortably among the bog standard plots of the horror genre. There are enough good ideas here to where the potential of the sequels intrigues me, but I can say that this entry doesn’t live up to the series’ reputation.

I was surprised to hear so much negativity over this game on here, compared to the first, because this game outclasses it in almost every way. The levels feel like they were designed with the limitations of the Spider-Man engine in mind, you won't be chasing someone and have them escape while waiting for your camera to readjust like you used to. It's more varied, with every level presenting a new challenge, and more variety in the types of locations you visit. The framerate is an issue, but far from unplayable, and I do cut some slack for issues like this on 5th generation games.
Then you may ask then, why is this game rated the same as the original for me? Because the bosses are flat out terrible. The villain lineup, is stronger than the first game but every boss is a downright damage sponge, sometimes taking over 25 phases of repeating the same move to beat, lookin' at you Electro, and Sandman. So, for the love of god PLEASE don't play on hard.

Played on Duckstation emulator, but I've played and completed on original hardware too.

There's something slightly...off about this game that I was always unable to put my finger on. It expands on everything present on the first game, with added features of different times of day, more abilities, and being able to explore street-level areas. But as someone who played a lot of the original game and was well-versed with the limitations of it, I think it's these new features that gives me that weird feeling. It feels like a cracked-mirror version of the original and the stories of it being re-worked so close to release due to the 9/11 terrorist attacks further add to that uncanny feeling I have.