vlntnegrl
1991
Just play Sonic 2
2017
The best Souls game, the best Castlevania game, and the second best Metroid game.
2015
The problem with this game in one example:
I was working with The Railroad, an underground movement attempting to take down the Institute.
The Institute made me their leader after I infiltrated them for the first time.
I thought, okay, now I can go back and relay to the Railroad that I'm now the leader of the Institute. You know, the group that our whole goal is to take down.
You can't. I felt like I was going insane when I walked back to the Railroad base and desperately tried talking to everyone to reveal this critical information about the war I was participating in. In that moment, the veil was lifted. This is not a world, it's a shooting gallery.
What is the point of even having a dialogue system if this very common occurrence that the main quest forces you down creates this level of dissonance due to a lack of options? Why even have factions? Why have dialogue? The game would not be any better or worse than it is now.
Update:
So, revisiting the game now in depth for the first time since it came out, I realize: there IS a whole side section of quests dedicated to exactly what I was talking about but it didn't trigger for me on my first run! This does make me feel less insane and I'm glad the game is more functional now, but it's insane that a bug occured nearly ten years ago and colored my perception of the entire story so strongly.
I was working with The Railroad, an underground movement attempting to take down the Institute.
The Institute made me their leader after I infiltrated them for the first time.
I thought, okay, now I can go back and relay to the Railroad that I'm now the leader of the Institute. You know, the group that our whole goal is to take down.
You can't. I felt like I was going insane when I walked back to the Railroad base and desperately tried talking to everyone to reveal this critical information about the war I was participating in. In that moment, the veil was lifted. This is not a world, it's a shooting gallery.
What is the point of even having a dialogue system if this very common occurrence that the main quest forces you down creates this level of dissonance due to a lack of options? Why even have factions? Why have dialogue? The game would not be any better or worse than it is now.
Update:
So, revisiting the game now in depth for the first time since it came out, I realize: there IS a whole side section of quests dedicated to exactly what I was talking about but it didn't trigger for me on my first run! This does make me feel less insane and I'm glad the game is more functional now, but it's insane that a bug occured nearly ten years ago and colored my perception of the entire story so strongly.
Possibly the greatest fan game of all time.
The pinnacle of Fire Emblem. Amazing story and characters. Even side characters like Jill and Harr have great arcs. Every part of this game feels fully realized and fleshed out. Only flaw is that the battles are slow, but it's really not that bad, as I've beaten this on consoles several times, and 99% of people who play this in 2020 are gonna be playing on Dolphin with access to a speed-up key.
This is the bar in which I rate other Fire Emblem games, and honestly, games in general.
This is the bar in which I rate other Fire Emblem games, and honestly, games in general.
2002
The save system is actually fucking broken, and the difficulty is insane. The hardest game I've ever beaten.
The level design is far less engaging than either the original or X series, and the music is extremely lacking. The saving grace is that movement is extremely fluid and fun, and cutting up enemies with the Z Saber is a joy. However, that applies to the rest of the Zero games as well, all of which better than this one.
The level design is far less engaging than either the original or X series, and the music is extremely lacking. The saving grace is that movement is extremely fluid and fun, and cutting up enemies with the Z Saber is a joy. However, that applies to the rest of the Zero games as well, all of which better than this one.
2019
i felt as though i was in an orwellian nightmare after seeing people praise this game. the worst pokémon game by far.
2002
Super Metroid is my favorite game, and this is that game's direct sequel. Despite picking up shortly after Super, this game carries little of that game's DNA. The game opens with Samus's iconic Power Suit being corrupted, a tonesetter for how this game is going to go. Metroid Fusion follows in the footsteps of other great sequels by subverting the expectations of veterans who expected more of the same.
Fusion is a perfectly paced action adventure with horror elements that brings the 2D Metroid quadrilogy to a satisfying close. It's surprisingly wordy for a series that has been endlessly praised for it's subtle environmental storytelling, but what they go for here works. Fusion toys with the player's agency to develop an atmosphere that's down right frightening at points. Samus is being manipulated by the shadowy Galactic Federation and the claustrophobic nature of the Biological Space Lab, as you're being actively hunted by a parasitic recreation of Samus's Power Suit, all amplify this feeling. Roughly halfway through the game, the power goes out, and it's a sharp change from what came before. From there on Samus (and you, by extention) reclaims her agency, defying orders and carving her own path for the future, uncovering the truth of the research lab, the creation of the Metroids, and more. The story is a top notch conclusion to the 2D series thus far, and elegantly sets up Metroid 5. PLEASE, Nintendo.
The level design is top notch, the controls are tight as hell, presentation and music are as good as can possibly be on such limited hardware. Boss fights are the best in the series.
If you go in expecting another Super Metroid, you will be disappointed. This is not more Super Metroid in the same way that Metal Gear Solid 2 is not just "more Metal Gear Solid." I guess the devs knew they probably weren't going to surpass Super Metroid, so they didn't try. But they did something completely different, something beautiful and amazing.
5/5.
Fusion is a perfectly paced action adventure with horror elements that brings the 2D Metroid quadrilogy to a satisfying close. It's surprisingly wordy for a series that has been endlessly praised for it's subtle environmental storytelling, but what they go for here works. Fusion toys with the player's agency to develop an atmosphere that's down right frightening at points. Samus is being manipulated by the shadowy Galactic Federation and the claustrophobic nature of the Biological Space Lab, as you're being actively hunted by a parasitic recreation of Samus's Power Suit, all amplify this feeling. Roughly halfway through the game, the power goes out, and it's a sharp change from what came before. From there on Samus (and you, by extention) reclaims her agency, defying orders and carving her own path for the future, uncovering the truth of the research lab, the creation of the Metroids, and more. The story is a top notch conclusion to the 2D series thus far, and elegantly sets up Metroid 5. PLEASE, Nintendo.
The level design is top notch, the controls are tight as hell, presentation and music are as good as can possibly be on such limited hardware. Boss fights are the best in the series.
If you go in expecting another Super Metroid, you will be disappointed. This is not more Super Metroid in the same way that Metal Gear Solid 2 is not just "more Metal Gear Solid." I guess the devs knew they probably weren't going to surpass Super Metroid, so they didn't try. But they did something completely different, something beautiful and amazing.
5/5.