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Video Games Finished in 2019


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Welcome to Video Games Finished in 2019! 

 

The 2020 version of this thread is located here.

 

If you participated in prior years, you probably have an idea of what you're getting into. But if you haven't? Welcome! We encourage you to play video games. And more than just play, we encourage you to beat those video games! Do you have a backlog? Let's try to reduce that! 

 

As I'm flying by the seat of my pants here, there will be some kinks to iron out. But one thing we know is we'll be beating video games! So, without further ado...

 

GAMES BEATEN:

We're using the same criteria as the past few years:
When you beat a game, post the name and the system. That’s it. 

No photo needed. We're going by the honor system here! So don't lie! After all, it's your backlog, so the lie hurts you most of all. 

You are encouraged, but by no means required, to comment upon or rate the games you've beaten. Was it good? Was it garbage? Let us know! Or don't! It's all up to you! 

 

If you want a way to keep track of your backlog, go to backloggery.

 

RULES:

1) Make a new post when you beat a game, so I can easily see it and count it. Game and system is all you have to post. However, having either your first post be a master post or keeping a running total on each new post helps me double check and make sure scores are accurate.
2) NO EMULATORS UNLESS YOU ACTUALLY OWN THE GAME (or otherwise stated).

3) You may finish a game you started playing in a prior year and count it. That's fine. HOWEVER, please do not open up a save file from years ago that is right before the final boss, beat it, and then claim beat the game. That's cheap.
4) You can however, feel free to go back to a game you haven't played for year(s), start from the beginning and beat it and count it. That's fine. It is OK to beat the same game multiple years in a row. 

5) Beating a game multiple times in the same year will only count once. This includes the same game on different consoles, remakes, etc. Consideration is offered to DLC campaigns, such as the Octo Expansion and Torna: The Golden Country. 

6) There is no Rule 6. 

7) Digital downloads count for the system you played it on, physical copies count for the system they were made for. 

8) Mobile games in the nature of gatcha, slight story, etc such as; Fire Emblem: Heroes, Puzzle & Dragons, Star Wars: Heroes, etc, can all be considered complete after beating all stages. For example, every story mode and paralogue stage in FE:H, all normal stages in P&D, all light, dark, cantina, and mod battles in SW, etc. These requirements can change if more story missions or stages are added. Just finish the levels available to you. I won't hold it against you if you claim a gatcha game as beaten and more levels are added later. Of course, if this happens, you can't claim to beat the game a second time in the same year. 

 

Categories:
1) Console – Switch, Xbox One, PS4, Switch eShop, PSN, XBLA, Atari Jaguar, etc.
2) Handheld – 3DS, DS, Vita, PSP, GBC, 3DS eShop, PSN, Game Gear, etc
3) PC – PC and Steam Box
4) Mobile – Phone and Tablet games. 
5) Overall – Add up all categories above to get a total

 

NOTE: Since some PSN games have cross save functionality, you pick whether you beat it on PS4/PS3/PSV (if applicable).
NOTE: Physical copies of games count for their original system, digital copies of games count for the system you beat them on. You might remember this as Rule 7! 
NOTE: Emulators count as the copy of the game you must own for it to count. Owning a physical copy of that game counts as the original system, owning a digital copy counts as the system you beat it on (usually PC in this case).

 

Prizes:

Whoever beats the most games will earn the "Gamer of the Year" rank.

 

CHALLENGES:

As in years past, picture proof is required for challenges. In fact, we're just recycling the rules from last year.

 

You beat the challenges, you earn points! This might just be a for-fun sort of thing right now, as I haven't set up any prizes, but we'll see what we can do!

 

RULES:
1) You must provide picture proof of each.

2) Your Ninfora username must be visible in the picture.

3) Each person may only beat each challenge once.

4) If beaten on an emulator, you must provide proof of ownership of the legitimate copy (unless otherwise stated).

5) Challenges will be added periodically as people beat the older ones.

6) If a previously beaten game with proof completes a newly added challenge, just make a note of it in your next update post.

7) You are in charge of keeping track of this section if you are participating. I will only be checking to make sure the games you are claiming for each challenge actually meet the credentials. I will not be pouring over games beaten lists to see if you beat challenges and did not post about them.

 

Bronze (Worth 1 point each) 

1) Tenth Anniversary: Beat a game initially released in 2009.

2) And They're Off: Beat a racing game.

3) Simply Spooky & Scary: Beat a horror game

4) When In Rome: Beat a game with a Roman numeral in the title

5) Do You Guys Not Have Phones?: Beat a mobile game.

6) Super Title 64 Advance: Beat a game with Super, 64 or Advance in the title. 

7) The Power of Disney: Beat a Disney game (non-Marvel/non-Star Wars)

8) Portmanteau: Beat a Metroidvania game. 

9) Baker's Dozen: Beat 13 games.

10) Winner Winner Victory Royale With Cheese: With a Battle Royale multiplayer match. 

 

Silver (Worth 3 points)

1) Three's a Crowd: Beat a Trilogy of games (Such as the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, the Spyro Reignited Trilogy or the Metroid Prime trilogy). 

2) For Shovelry: Beat three games featuring Shovel Knight.

 

Gold (Worth 5 points)

1) 50/50 Raffle: Beat 50 games

 

Platinum (Worth 10 points)

TBD

 

Challenge Game of the Month:

Each month, I will select a newly released video game as a "Challenge Game." Treat this as a bronze challenge. If you beat the Challenge Game, it counts as one challenge point! 

January: Kingdom Hearts III

February: Steins;Gate Elite

March: Yoshi's Crafted World

April: BOXBOY! + BOXGIRL!

May: Shakedown: Hawaii

June: Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

July: Fire Emblem: Three Houses 

August: Astral Chain

September: The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

October: Luigi's Mansion 3

November: Pokemon Sword or Pokemon Shield 

December: Cadence of Hyrule: Octavo's Ode

 

RANKINGS:

Username - Games Beaten - Challenge Score

 

Eliwood8 - 118 - 22

XLW - 82 - 0

ArmoredFrog - 34 - 0

Tyranogre  - 26 - 0 

blcdude1 - 18 - 4

Irondog666 - 18 - 1

Laclipsey - 12 - 0

Malkon - 11 - 0

EH_STEVE - 7 - 1

/0 - 6 - 0

purple_beard - 6 - 0

Igneous42 - 5 - 0

JimTheborg - 4 - 0

Young P - 3 - 0

Art_de_Cat - 3 - 0 

Pichi - 2 - 0

DLurkster - 2 - 1

mikecamper - 2 - 0

Sir Grim Locksmith VIII - 1 - 0

Shadow118 - 1 - 0

 

Updated through this post.

Edited by blcdude1
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Because I'm a greedy, greedy boy, I'm reserving a post for myself!

 

Console: 14

Handheld: 3

PC: 1

Mobile: 0

Overall: 18

Challenge: 4

 

 

Games Beaten:
1. Katamari Damacy Reroll, Switch

2. Adventures of Lolo, Switch

3. Donkey Kong, Switch

4. Nekopara Extra, PC

5. Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes, Switch

6. Senran Kagura Reflexions, Switch

7. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Switch

8. Pokémon Let's Go: Eevee, Switch

9. Yoshi's Crafted World, Switch (March Challenge) 

10. BOXBOY! + BOXGIRL!, Switch (April Challenge)

11. Donkey Kong Jr., Switch

12. Super Mario Bros. 2, Switch

13. Noitu Love: Devolution, 3DS

14. Runbow Pocket, 3DS

15. Severed, 3DS

16. Senran Kagura: Peach Ball, Switch

17. Untitled Goose Game, Switch

18. One Piece Pirate Warriors 3, Switch

 

Challenges: 4

Game of the Month: 

March: Yoshi's Crafted World  (1 point)

April: BOXBOY! + BOXGIRL! (1 point)

 

Bronze

6)Super Title 64 Advance: Beat a game with Super, 64 or Advance in the title. (Super Smash Bros. Ultimate)

9) Baker's Dozen: Beat 13 games.

Edited by blcdude1
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Eliwood8's Games Beaten in 2019

 

C : 118

H: 2

P: 0

M: 0

O: 120

Challenges: 22 points

 

Full games list:

Spoiler

January:

1. Double Cross (Switch) [image]

2. Golf Story (Switch) [image]

3. Undertale (Switch) [image]

4. Spider-Man (PS4) [image]

5. Dead Cells (Switch) [image]

6. YIIK: A Postmodern RPG (Switch) [image]

7. Inside (Switch) [image]

8. Bayonetta (Switch) [image]

9. Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes (Switch) [image]

10. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe (Switch) [image]

 

February:

11. Tales of Vesperia (Switch) [image]

12. Mutant Mudds (Switch) [image]

13. Moonlighter (Switch) [image]

14. Mutant Mudds Super Challenge (Switch) [image]

15. Gunhouse (PS4) [image]

16. LEGO: DC Super-Villains (Switch) [image]

17. Almost There: The Platformer (Switch) [image]

18. The Raven Remastered (Switch) [image]

19. Yooka-Laylee (Switch) [image]

20. Red Dead Redemption 2 (PS4) [image]

 

March:

21. Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition (PS4) [image]

22. Liar Princess and the Blind Prince (Switch) [image]

23. RICO (Switch) [image]

24. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered (PS4) [image]

25. Kirby Super Star (SNES Classic) [image]

26. Mega Man X (SNES Classic) [image]

27. Aragami: Shadow Edition (Switch) [image]

28. Bayonetta 2 (Switch) [image]

29. Windscape (Switch) [image]

30. Cosmic Star Heroine (Switch) [image]

31. Trüberbrook (Switch) [image]

32. Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy (Switch) [image]

 

April:

33. Yoshi's Crafted World (Switch) [image]

34. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (PS4) [image]

35. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey (3DS) [image]

36. SteamWorld Quest (Switch) [image]

37. Night Trap (Switch) [image]

38. The Office Quest (Switch) [image]

39. Baba is You (Switch) [image]

40. Bendy and the Ink Machine (Switch) [image]

41. Masquerada: Songs and Shadows (Switch) [image]

42. 2064: Read Only Memories (PS4) [image]

 

May:

43. Final Fantasy VI (SNES Classic) [image]

44. Shakedown: Hawaii (Switch) [image]

45. Overcooked! (PS4) [image]

46. What Remains of Edith Finch (PS4) [image]

47. Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack (Switch) [image]

48. Mortal Kombat 11 (Switch) [image]

49. Retro City Rampage DX (3DS) [image]

50. Resident Evil 2 (PS4) [image]

51. Cytus α (Switch) [image]

52. Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age (Switch) [image]

53. Team Sonic Racing (Switch) [image]

 

June:

54. Ape Out (Switch) [image]

55. Picross S2 (Switch) [image]

56. Danmaku Unlimited 3 (Switch) [image]

57. Katana Zero (Switch) [image]

58. The Flame in the Flood (Switch) [image]

59. OPUS: The Day We Found Earth (Switch) [image]

60. OPUS: Rocket of Whispers (Switch) [image]

61. Final Fantasy XV (PS4) [image]

62. Wargroove (Switch) [image]

63. Graveyard Keeper (Switch) [image]

64. Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled (Switch) [image]

 

July:

65. Sonic Mania (PS4) [image]

66. LOST ORBIT: Terminal Velocity (Switch) [image]

67. Super Mario Maker 2 (Switch) [image]

68. Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon (Switch) [image]

69. Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition (Wii U) [image]

70. Streets of Rogue (Switch) [image]

71. Borderlands 2 (PS4) [image]

72. God Eater 3 (Switch) [image]

73. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order (Switch) [image]

 

August:

74. Fire Emblem: Three Houses (Switch) [image]

75. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night (Switch) [image]

76. Red Faction: Guerrilla Re-Mars-tered (Switch) [image]

77. Mass Effect: Andromeda (PS4) [image]

78. Sniper Elite 4 (PS4) [image]

79. Banner Saga (Switch) [image]

80. Collection of Mana – Final Fantasy Adventure (Switch) [image]

81. Creature in the Well (Switch) [image]

 

September:

82. Collection of Mana – Trials of Mana (Switch) [image]

83. Bomb Chicken (Switch) [image]

84. Darksiders 3 (Switch) [image]

85. Collection of Mana – Secret of Mana (Switch) [image]

86. Bubsy: Paws on Fire! (Switch) [image]

87. Celeste (Switch) [image]

88. Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice (Switch) [image]

89. Daemon X Machina (Switch) [image]

90. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Switch) [image]

91. Spyro Reignited Trilogy – Spyro the Dragon (Switch) [image]

92. Spyro Reignited Trilogy – Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage! (Switch) [image]

93. Spyro Reignited Trilogy – Spyro: Year of the Dragon (Switch) [image]

 

October:

94. Cuphead (Switch) [image]

95. Little Town Hero (Switch) [image]

96. Anthill (Switch) [image]

97. Minit (Switch) [image]

98. Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age (Switch) [image]

99. Untitled Goose Game (Switch)

100. Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden Deluxe Edition (Switch) [image]

101. Gato Roboto (Switch) [image]

 

November:

102. My Friend Pedro (Switch) [image]

103. The Last of Us Remastered (PS4) [image]

104. Astral Chain (Switch) [image]

105. Banner Saga 2 (Switch) [image]

106. Dead End Job (Switch) [image]

107. Pokémon Sword (Switch) [image]

 

December:

108. Banner Saga 3 (Switch) [image]

109. New Super Lucky's Tale (Switch) [image]

110. Titanfall 2 (PS4) [image]

111. Ori and the Blind Forest (Switch) [image]

112. EarthNight (Switch) [image]

113. Life is Strange 2 (PS4) [image]

114. Shovel Knight Showdown (Wii U) [image]

115. Shovel Knight: King of Cards (Wii U) [image]

116. Sayonara Wild Hearts (Switch) [image]

117. Cadence of Hyrule (Switch) [image] Octavo's Ode

118. Luigi's Mansion 3 (Switch) [image]

119. Sparklite (Switch) [image]

120. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel (PS4) [image]

 

 

Challenges:

Spoiler

Challenge games completed:

Yoshi's Crafted World

Shakedown: Hawaii

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

Astral Chain

Pokémon Sword

Cadence of Hyrule: Octavo's Ode

 

Bronze (1 point):

2) And They're Off: Beat a racing game (Team Sonic Racing)

3) Simply Spooky & Scary: Beat a horror game (Bendy and the Ink Machine)

4) When In Rome: Beat a game with a Roman numeral in the title (YIIK: A Postmodern RPG)

6) Super Title 64 Advance: Beat a game with Super, 64 or Advance in the title  (New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe)

8) Portmanteau: Beat a Metroidvania game (Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night)

9) Baker's Dozen: Beat 13 games

 

Silver (3 points):

1) Three's a Crowd: Beat a Trilogy of games — Banner Saga trilogy

 

Gold (5 points):

1) 50/50 Raffle: Beat 50 games

 

Edited by Eliwood8
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Console - 66
Handheld - 9
PC - 4
Mobile - 3
Overall - 82

 

1/14- 

 

Kirby Super Star Ultra for DS. 

 

It's a fun game, even though it crashed on me a few times. 

 

Kirby Star Allies for Nintendo Switch. 

 

Just as fun as I remembered it be. 

 

Persona 5 for PS4. 

 

I'm somewhat of an RPG guy, so going into one that hit close to me and has modern conventions really made my purchase. Everything fits together, and although I sometimes found enemy AI cheap at times, I only wanted to get better and improve. I have so much to say about Persona 5... but it would take forever to sum up everything here. You might see it on my Top 100 now... currently at #4.  

 

2/2- Resident Evil 2 Remake for PS4.  

 

In short: GO BUY THIS GAME!

 

I played RE0, the REmake, and Resident Evil 3 in preparation of this game and to know what transpired beforehand. Still, I also heard that this game borrowed the over-the-top-shoulder camera from Resident Evil 4, the gunpowder mechanic from Resident Evil 3, and the REngine from Resident Evil 7. Could this remake be just as scary as the original, or possibly even scarier? The game stars Claire Redfield, sister of S.T.A.R.S. member Chris Redfield, and Leon S. Kennedy, a Raccoon City Police Department officer on the first day of his job, as they unexpectedly meet and head to Raccoon City. Although the city of full of zombies, Claire is searching for Chris, while Leon is searching for survivors. A truck rams into the car they're in, and even though they make it out alive, they're separated by an immediate explosion. The two promise to find each other at the police station not far from them. What starts as a rescue turns into a ominous and bizarre night. Claire helps a little girl named Sherry escape, while Leon tries to find the truth behind the whole mess with the assistance of the mysterious Ada Wong, who claims to be an F.B.I. agent. The story might have taken some notes from the first Resident Evil, but the city is a lot bigger than a mansion, and although the city is a lot more explorable in Resident Evil 3, there are few places unique to Resident Evil 2, the Underground Parking Lot and the Sewers. Plus, the cast of Leon, Claire, Sherry, and Ada separate themselves very well from the S.T.A.R.S. group too.  

 

The music is just as suspenseful as always, and even though there are moments where the contrast of colors seems to murky the sets, this game is really beautifully and a lot more vibrant compared to the other games I've played. The voice acting, like the REmake, is just as good and authentic. 

 

Now, this is where the game shines the most: the gameplay. Unlike the other games, the two characters get scenarios. The first character a player chooses is the main story, while the other one is a parallel story. Both characters not only have access to different items and weapons, but different entrances, rooms, and locations. It's not like going through the whole mansion as either character in Resident Evil 1, and because of this small change, Resident Evil 2 is one of the most highly replayable games in the series. Leon and Claire don't have any pros and cons compared to Chris and Jill, but they have different moments in their own stories.  

 

The only few I can recall that make a true return are the amount of items and different assortment of guns, defensive weapons, and ammo, puzzles, typewriters and item boxes, and the ZOMBIES! The map is even a combination of 0's and the REmake's item layout system.   

 

But, there are a couple of things that make Resident Evil 2 and the remake stand out. First, while inside the police station, a player has the option to barricade some windows with wood. If they don't... more zombies will come later. It's like the lighter fluid in the REmake in that regard. There are a good amount of unique creatures as well, like the Lickers, and even though the boss count is rather poor in comparison to the other games, the bosses themselves, Mr. X and G... are really tough. I was so afraid of Mr. X and his boots, that I turned the volume on mute to calm myself. Mr. X leaves a huge impression as a villain because of his size, his appearance, the sounds his boots make, and his stone-cold face.  

 

But, there's more to this remake! The camera is free-roaming, compared to the fixed angles of yesteryear, and the controls, like the REmake, don't have to be tank in design! Still, the game's scary even without restrictions! Even though item management is still a thing, the process of collecting, using, combining, and examining items has been significantly improved, because hip pouches increase the amount of slots in the inventory screen... and there are no load times. That goes especially for opening doors! And, I think the puzzles are probably the best to date, AND even though backtracking is still a thing because of that key system it borrowed from Resident Evil (or the remake), it's not as bad as the others games because there are NO LOAD TIMES. In the other modes that aren't hardcore, saving is unlimited. The regular zombies don't fall down after one shot to the head and they are capable of opening doors, even MR. X! Yes, Mr. X is a boss, but like Nemesis in 3, he's capable of going to many places where one least expects it. He's also a Tyrant, one of the most formidable creatures in the series. Unlike Resident Evil, I felt a lot more compelled to play through both characters because not only are there the differences in each story, but also because beating both campaigns unlocks the final boss encounter and the true ending. There are other modes to play with too, but like Resident Evil 3's Mercenaries mode, I'm not too hardcore. There are bonus collectibles as well, like models and costumes. There is paid DLC as well, like the original soundtrack, but I didn't bother.  

 

So, even though it borrows from other games in the series, it looks a little washed out at times, and it's a little bit unfair at times, those points don't detract from how wonderful this remake is. This game, along with 4 and 7 (which I haven't played yet), are probably the most accessible games in the series to date. I'm not a true fan of the survival-horror genre, but that doesn't mean I cannot appreciate the care that this game got after a long time. I highly recommend RE2make, and if this long paragraph doesn't convince you, watch the LPs of this game. SERIOUSLY, GO- *gets neck bitten*.

 

2/6- Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc for PC. 

 

 

 


 

Although I've played all of the localized Ace Attorney games and a few Professor Layton titles, I've never played any of the Danganronpa titles. Until I noticed some playthroughs from one YouTuber who played both Ace Attorney and Danganronpa, I never even heard of the series... well, maybe just the mascot Monokuma, but that's all. Was it more of a cult classic case like what happened with Earthbound, where it slowly got more attention by people actually recommending it? My murder mystery background aside, I had no real urgency to play the first game. But, I suddenly played through the whole game. And what I played was rather unique. 

 

The beginning starts with a teenager, named Makoto, going to a school. But, this isn't any normal school; it's Hope's Academy, where the best and talented of students are selected. To be selected, the students have to be the "ULTIMATE" of something, like sports or science. However, Makoto was just lucky, as he was randomly chosen from a lottery. Nevertheless, he heads inside, and... loses consciousness. When he wakes up, he's inside a classroom, with the windows bolted with metal and a surveillance camera. He soon meets up with the rest of his class, who don't know what's happening as well and are desperately trying to escape. They cannot, as all of the exits have been been sealed and shut, and a big huge contraption blocks the main entrance. After a weird voice tells them to go to the gym, they meet Monokuma, a teddy bear monster. It tells the teenagers that they can either stay in the school for the rest of their lives, or in order to go outside... one of them will have to get away with murdering one of their own classmates! The teens tell the bear that they wouldn't possibly do that... still, things go horribly wrong for the group day after day. It's a murder mystery, but a lot of details for each murder makes things a lot more interesting. Some are red herrings, some are bizarre truths, and some are better twists that anything M. Night Shyamalan could ever write. Trust me, the story is well and concisely developed. Though, that's not to say most of the characters were. Some work well with the story, but the rest fall into a trope *looks at Hifumi*. I know that they all have "Titles", but that is what initially drew me away from some of the other classmates. Still, some of the cast have a unique quality to them, so not all of them are 1:1 stereotypes. Monokuma's erratic behavior is probably the entire highlight of the game. A player will never know what it will say moment to moment, or how it will react. 

 

Danganronpa has a very cartoony and anime style that does not detract from some of the weirdest stuff that happens. Characters often express in over-the-top fashion and over dramatically. Sometimes during cutscenes, it goes full 3D, but whether it's character models or the background, it mostly stays in a 2-D plane, like gingerbread men. The music is also diverse. When there's a calm and soothing moment, the music is cheerful; but, when something suspenseful happens, the music is eerie and grim. It's never out of place, like an Ace Attorney game. Moonbeam's theme... is just Monokuma's theme. 

 

Gameplay is a big complaint for me. A lot of the keys and the mouse clicks are used constantly, and some keys are used for multiple purposes. I would frequently forget which key did what and mess up certain actions, and although there was a "HELP" feature, the key used for it is simply the most unintuitive= EXIT/ESC. And, there is ONE mini-game in particular that I did horribly with, but at the very END of the game did better. Quick traveling is also a pain at times, since the game doesn't allow the player to access rooms, rather than only hallways. Those problems aside, I had no difficulty interacting with the other classmates, investigating, and solving crimes during trials with the rest of what the other mini-games had to offer. Some stuff was rather vague or really complicated to figure out, but it was often 75% the opposite: clear and concise. The gameplay gets deeper as the game goes on, so I'll stop with the basic stuff. It's maybe the only weak point I can think of. 

 

Even though using I had a little bit of a hard time adjusting to its controls at time, this game is better than I expected. And seeing as there are two other games, maybe I'll enjoy them too. But, not right now.  

 
 

 

 

Valentine’s Day- Metal Slug for Nintendo Switch.  

 

I used to play this once when I went skiing. Now that I finally beat it, I can say... for an arcade shooter, it’s not bad. I don’t know what the plot is (but war is happening), but everything else works in this game’s favor... Although I’m glad I put in some quarters, since the main character dies easily. I beat it within an hour, and I feel like I got the 7 dollars worth of this game. And who doesn’t love the screams?  

 

2/16- Dragon's Lair for Nintendo Switch. 

 

 

  

 


 

I've seen some Don Bluth movies in my past. Not to the point of remembering the stories, but more for the animation, which Don Bluth excels at. And I'm a fan of video games. What do both things have in common? Dragon's Lair. 

 

Dragon's Lair stars Dirk the Daring, a normal knight that adventures inside the lair to rescue Princess Daphne. Along the way, he will face many enemies and evade countless traps. It might be a plain story, but Dirk is simply the highlight for his numerous screams and death animations. 

 

Dragon's Lair was innovative for being the first animated arcade game of the time. It wasn't Pac-Man nor Donkey Kong, and it really stood out. Don Bluth has said time and time again that he worked really hard to fit the reactions for each player's actions. The music, although minimal, is usually a death or a victorious jingle. It's mostly sound effects, like the cues telling Dirk where to go next, his amount of grunts and yells, or the sound of his sword hitting enemies. 

 

Onto gameplay, the only buttons the player will have are the directional and sword buttons. Now, it seems perfect from what I said, but the game is still tricky. First, although there are visual cues of what Dirk can do, some of the cues are trap themselves. For example, there's one instance where Dirk is holding onto a slanted floor above a pit, and there's a path to the left and a rope or whatever in front of him. Both the path and the rope are visuals cues, but only one of them is right. Next, some actions have to be timed just right within each interval. Some have to be immediately followed after others (like the ones during the face-off against the electrical knight), and others after a few moments of waiting for others to resume (like the ones during the blacksmith area). The visual cues sometimes can be vague (like the direction Dirk has to escape), and some rooms are mirrored during the same play-through. Last, the sequences, except for the last few moments, happen randomly. Because of all of these factors, a 100% run is next to impossible. Thankfully, modern technology has made the arcade port much easier, but even with or without the settings, the game is a little difficult to master for a first-time player. I beat it within an hour, but that was after Dirk died a good amount of deaths. Still, Dirk's death animations are priceless. 

 

I really had fun with Dragon's Lair. It's a real good hour time-waster. This game was bundled with the sequel and Space Age, so I'll give them a try later on.

 

 

 

2/16- Mega Man X3 for Nintendo Switch (MMLC) 

 

I played X, X2, and X4, and beat them last year. X2 was alright, but I thought X4 and X were really good. So good, that they're still in my Top 100 as I'm still writing this. But one might be asking me, "What about X3? How come you didn't finish it until recent-" BECAUSE IT WAS UNFAIR AND DIFFICULT AT TIMES! ... Let me explain that. 

X3 stars X and Zero, who try to stop Reploids from fighting each other and try to save the world and mankind. Not only are there eight new Mavericks, but there are also three new Reploids called the Nightmare Police commanded by Dr. Doppler. Dr. Doppler was a scientist that was so good with stopping the Maverick Virus, that he was dedicated his own city. However, Dr. Doppler has suddenly become Maverick too, so X and Zero have to stop him. I'll give X3 credit for having a better story than X4, although I don't think it's as great as X and X2's.  

X3 retains the details of X and X2's sprite-work, including X2's Cx4 chip. But, there's only a few moments when it has to get polygonal, compared to X2's quantity. The soundtrack takes a more hard rock feel compared to the other three games I mentioned. It's not bad, as there a good amount of songs like the first stage and Dr. Doppler 1. Though, the flame rate horribly drops when there's too much action.

Okay, so there are some new things for the game. X can collect enhancement chips to further improve his armor, the new armor to collect is not too bad, and there are four new ride armors that have specific traits, like the Frog Armor that is good for underwater. Last, Zero is playable... but he sucks in this game. He can't fight bosses, but he has his nifty Z-Sabre. 

So, why did I turn away from the game original- BECAUSE IT'S DIFFICULT SOMETIMES. ENEMIES CAN A GOOD CHUNK OF HEALTH, AND THE AMOUNT OF ENVIRONMENTAL TRAPS IS HORRENDOUS! ... I got stuck in a part where the walls are closing in. I had to... play my 3DS to see if I could do it there... and I did. What annoyed me for a good while was no longer a threat within an half hour. But, the last boss is totally hard to defeat. Also, I did actions I neither wanted to do, or not did them at all. Laaaaaaaaaaaaaag was also an issue sometimes. X3 is better in some aspects, but its difficulty is sometimes backwards.  

 

2/20- Star Fox 64 3D for 3DS. 

 

 

 

I played Star Fox Zero when it came out. I loved everything, but it was the controls that were the biggest issue, because looking at the gamepad and the TV hurt it my overall happiness with it. It did not detract from my overall appreciation for what this game tried to accomplish. It's rough around some edges, but it was the new Star Fox game in about ten years. It's been about five years later, and sadly, no new news on a new Star Fox game, though the Switch could work for a definitive edition of Zero. Since I've been trying to get into franchises that I have unfamiliar territory with and have been buying some highlights of each of them, I thought to finally check off one of the best Nintendo 64 games, Star Fox 64. I got the 3D version because I heard it's a lot more beautiful and sounds a lot nicer. 

 


 

Star Fox 64 begins with the tale of the evil scientist Andross, who was banished from Corneria for being evil. Andross plans on taking over the Lylat System, but the mercenary group Star Fox, comprised of Pigma, Peppy and their leader James, try to stop him. However, things go horribly wrong when Pigma betrays his crew, and both Peppy and James are captured by Andross' forces. Peppy escapes thanks to James, but James is presumed MIA. A few years later, Andross attack the Lylat System once more. This time, Star Fox, comprised of Falco, Peppy, Slippy, and their leader and James' son Fox, defend their world from Andross. I love this story, not only because it's a story about legacy, but the story is simple to follow, even if it's another war game. The player knows who is good and bad from the very start and the stakes involved. 

 

Star Fox 64 3D is beautiful. It has some of the best locations, with my personal favorite being Zoness, even if it has a really horrible gimmick. The game also has some of the best music as well, with the main theme and Star Wolf's theme being really amazing. The original game came bundled with the Rumble Pack, which paved way for rumble in all of controllers ever since. The cast is hammy, funny, and expressive. A good amount of the stuff they say are memorable, and the voice acting is legendary. 

 

Star Fox 64 has some really great controls, compared to Zero. Thankfully, there's a training mode, so I could get ready to fire at stuff, move around, and do a barrel role. The 3D game has gyroscoping, but I never used it. There's also rail shooters and all range mode, where the first part mentioned of the stage is on a set path,  and the latter is moving around an arena to beat something up. Make sure not to accidentally hit the companions. Go for the ships after them, because the companions are needed in some moments. Thank gosh they have different colored pointers to distinguish which ship is whose. Last is the route system, where a player can get certain routes to different planets based on how they finished a previous one. In fact, Star Fox is original there too because in order to get to the other planets, a player must retry former missions. I beat the game twice, because there's a bad and good ending. Fox can drive a submarine ship, and it's not that bad. 

 

The bosses aren't too bad, and the Star Wolf team is iconic. This game can be beating in 1-2 hours, depending on trying to get the best stages and trying to see the other zones. It's a solid game, and I think it's better than Zero. Maybe.

 

 

 

3/5- The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past for 3DS 

 

 

 

 


 

A few years back, I played and defeated A Link Between Worlds, a sequel to the critically acclaimed A Link To The Past. I loved the heck out of the former for how it was different from the current linear 3D Zeldas and because it was bringing Zelda to its roots. But... I never played and finished the latter. There are a few Zelda games I haven't finished, but owned: Wind Waker, Skyward Sword, and A Link To The Past. A Link To The Past is regarded to one of the best SNES games and one of the best, if not THE best Zelda game. People have argued and debated that either A Link To The Past or Ocarina of Time is the best one. While I do love the 3DS remake of Ocarina of Time, I do agree that the games following the original in the series tried to copy and paste a good amount of what Ocarina of Time did well. Still, it's currently higher over A Link Between Worlds on my favorite games last. However, now that I finally beat A Link To The Past, what I do think of it, and how might it change my opinion on A Link Between Worlds? 

 

The game gives a little introduction to The Golden Land and The Golden Power, before it throws the player into the first scene. In a stormy night at Link's house, Zelda telepathically tells him in his sleep that the castle has been taken over by Agahnim, an evil sorcerer, and that she is being locked up in the dungeon. Link's uncle gets ready to head towards the castle, and warns Link not to go outside. Link disobeys him and goes to the castle with a lamp. Although the castle guards tell Link to leave, Link finds a secret entrance to the sewers. Link finds his uncle in a dire condition, and with his last words, the uncle gives Link his sword and shield. Link roams around the castle while battling the guards, who are most likely brainwashed by Agahnim. He finds Zelda, and they both leave through a secret area. Once they arrive in the sanctuary, an old man promises to keep Zelda safe and tells Link to find an old sage named Sarasaland. The old sage says the Master Sword is the only weapon that can hurt Agahnim, but in order to pull it from its pedestal, Link will have to retrieve three pendants. There's more to the story, like Agahnim's motivations and The Golden Power, but I'll keep it brief, because the game is very good with its storytelling and lore. It's really simple. 

 

This game has some of the best visuals ever, like the different locations and variety of townsfolk and creatures. The world map has the famous Mode-7 thing going for it, and although it looks weird up close, thank gosh there's a zoom option. Still, the game tends to slow down a few times when there's too much going on (perhaps it's the 3DS' fault), and Link's hair... is pink. Sure, it makes him stand out compared to the other Links, but... why? Why not blue or green? How did he get it that way? Is there pink lotion in Hyrule that can do that? Maybe I'll never understand why or how. The music is tremendous. A great variety of the Zelda music originated in this game, like Zelda's theme, the Dark World's theme, and Kakariko Village. It's so good, that Ocarina took some of it and made it a little better. But, that's not to say the soundtrack is horrible. Because, it isn't. I think this game, Ocarina of Time, and Majora's Mask have the best soundtracks of the series.  

 

Well, how does Link fare in combat and puzzle-solving? Link has a lantern at first, which drains the magic meter. Unlike A Link Between World's magic meter, it does not replenish on its own. There are other tools that need to use the magic meter, so plan wisely. He then obtains the sword and shield. Link can stab in a forward motion repeatedly, and can hold his blade long enough in order to do a spin attack. Link can block projectiles with his shield, but he has to not use anything else and his shield can only block a few things at first. He'll later obtain bombs and a bow with arrows, which both have limited ammo which can be bought in shops, found underneath pots and bushes, and dropped by enemies. There are other items that are used for combat and/or exploration, and most of them can be accessed within dungeons around the world. Unlike the method used in A Link Between Worlds, some items are stored in big chests that need the Big Key. The Big Key also opens other doors other keys can't within a dungeon, and some of the items don't need to be used to beat a boss or can be used for any other boss. 

 

So, with how much arsenal Link gets, the game is easy as Ocarina of Time, right? Well, no. First off, some enemies tank a lot of hits, even the bosses. And they too hit hard... and some of them are obnoxiously annoying, like the knights who constantly pursue Link and the Zora who pop in and out of the water and spit fire. The dungeons themselves have some rooms that have the most obnoxious trap and enemy layouts and enemy variety. Imagine a room with spikes, conveyer belts, and enemies that electrocute Link even with a touch of his sword. One might say that's not too difficult to manage, but there are rooms I think have too much going on for one to process what to do and avoid. Compared to the other Zelda games I've played, it's possibly the hardest or second-hardest with Breath of The Wild somewhere there. But, it's not like all of the rooms are like that, and I think each dungeon has a good balance of fair and hard rooms. Except for ONE of them, but I will be nICE about it and won't give it away which one I'm referring to. It's really refreshing getting items that are useful for progressing and more heart containers, it's nice when a lot of secrets are discovered using the items, and it's cool seeing Link hold such things up in the air. Link has abysmal health at the beginning of the game, and even though he gets healthier, there will be times he will need faeries and the player will get game over screens. Link thankfully starts at the entrance of each dungeon, cave, and the like if he died inside. If he doesn't... he'll have to make a quick trip from a select few places. I kind of liked Link's Awakening approach more, since there will be a warp point after a midboss if defeated, and he starts at the nearest entrance when he dies outside. I think the invincibility frame doesn't last a good while in this game as well.

 

I really enjoyed my time with A Link To The Past, even though there were some BS moments I think some people tend to forget. Once I beat the final boss, I celebrated my victory with an apple. It'll be interesting where I place it, and maybe even A Link Between Worlds now that I have a better appreciation for its predecessor. 

 
 

 

 

3/11- Castlevania for 3DS. 

 

 

 


 

Before I began playing this game, I felt a little sick. I knew playing scary games was not on my menu... but, I immediately threw out that thought when I played the original Castlevania. I beat the game within a day... but, that was thanks to the Virtual Console's save feature or whatever. I knew Castlevania was too hard, so I had to cheat the system. But, why is it one of the hardest games? 

 

Castlevania stars Simon Belmont, a man who is a descendant of the vampire-killing Belmont bloodline. Somewhere in Eastern Europe, Dracula is hiding in his castle, full of demons and traps. Simon must stop Dracula from doing evil. ... That's what I got from playing the game. I never really saw backstory in the introduction screen, nor did I read any supplementary items, like an instruction manual. But, the premise is really simple: Simon is a vampire killer, Dracula is a vampire and evil, stop him! 

 

The layout of the castle itself is very strange. Some rooms are inside, while a few are outside, and one is in a sewer-like area. However, most of the rooms don't stray from the dungeon-like feel of the castle, and, the paths are linear. In terms of level design, I think Castlevania is one of the weakest when it comes to variety. The rooms have a similar feel, but there are no set-pieces making each stand out. If it wasn't for the different enemy types, every room would feel the same. And although the palette makes the atmosphere a lot better, it doesn't make the rooms breathe life, for the most part. Outside levels have pitch-black skies, and some of the blocks have mossy green finishes. The enemies on the other hand, and even Simon, work well with their defining colors and pop out... Maybe except for hunchbacks, unless they are carried by birds. A good amount of them come from the usual horror movie tropes, like the skeletons and the ghouls. Even the bosses are memorable, such as a vampire, Igor and The Monster, and Death himself! And, each of the enemies' movements would convey how they would react to Simon coming to their home. Some enemies make an angry ambush towards him, while others would jokingly throw their bones at him. And the music... is my favorite thing of this game. The opening track, Wicked Child, and a few others make the game feel a little moody, but there a few parts in each that makes it seem that Simon can triumph through it all. Still, one will have to hear the death jingle. A lot. Like, 95% of the time. And if one doesn't know... 

  

The worst parts of this game are the controls, random enemy patterns, and the difficulty. Now, the controls are simple enough. Simon does the Belmont strut, a slow walk when moving. One button is for using the classic Vampire Killer, a whip. Simon can only whip in front of him. Simon can also jump, but it's the stiffest jump and jump arc in all of gaming history. Sub-weapons can be found within enemies and candelabras, and can be used by using both the UP and whip buttons, provided that one has the ammunition, or hearts to do so. My favorite sub-weapons are the holy water, the cross, and the stop-watch. Hearts can also be found within candelabras, with other goodies too. Candelabras are a little high up, and even though Simon can hit his whip in mid-air... It's a little difficult to pull off. With all of these things at his disposal, why is Castlevania hard? First, pressing the whip button over and over will not make the whip come out each time, thus Simon can be hit be projectiles and enemies left and right. Also, without the use of sub weapons, Simon can be hit from stuff from above, from below, and even behind. Simon sucks at maneuverability. He is also a victim of the worst thing implemented in video game history: KNOCK-BACK. He falls very fast, and because this game also has bottomless pits, even places that have stairs... expect to die a lot. Next, some enemies can take advantage of Simon Belmont's speed and range. The hunchbacks move and hop around, the medusa heads go up and down in an arch, and the knights retreat when Simon tries to hit them. Also, some clearly cheat and glitch into walls. Why no one has talked about that glaring mistake is beyond me. And don't give me the "home advantage" excuse. It's bad programming. It's cheap. It's obnoxious. Last, the difficulty. Enemies, even bosses hit hard. The maximum that enemies can deal in normal mode is four bars, about a fourth of Simon's health. Unless Simon gets the famous roast and eats it, he won't survive the night. 

  

 

When I defeated Dracula, I had a huge sigh of relief. The game is difficult, but beating it felt gratifying. In the end, it's an alright game.

 

 

3/13- Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy Kong's Quest for WiiU 

 

 

 


 

I thought I had the original Donkey Kong Country for the WiiU... and the 7th Fire Emblem game as well, but nope. I plan on getting them and playing them ONE day... but not now. I do have the sequel for DKC, because of... The Completionist. He said that if were to air the last episode, then he would of course go with his favorite childhood game. I never personally grew up with the SNES, and although I came back to see my play time for this game, I had yet to defeat the first boss. I can't remember where my mind was then, but maybe other games were in my way. So, with more free time currently, I can put to rest another video game. And this time, my first Rare game. I have an old copy of Banjo and Kazooie collecting dust... I'm kind of doing a roulette thing of how I am choosing my games right now, so no thanks. 

 

This games brings back Diddy Kong, and brings in the newcomer Dixie Kong, who is Diddy's sister, cousin, or girlfriend. But, where is Donkey Kong? After what transpired in the last game, K. Rool and his Kremlings of course have captured and kidnapped him. Not only do the duo have to stop K. Rool from taking over the world, but have to rescue their leader. Now, since I never knew how Donkey Kong controlled in his first game, and the only point of reference I can really make are his Smash appearances, I can't say his time out of the spotlight was detrimental or beneficial, or if anyone had any problems with Dixie. It somehow worked for this game, but I heard the third game's inclusion of Kiddy Kong... was not as well received. But, Donkey Kong's kidnapping makes this story a lot more personal than the usual resources of bananas. Well, the Kongs need to protect their hoard too, but their leader is a first priority, and it's not like the game is ever about them as much as the first. 

 

This game is no doubt beautiful and full of color. Like the original, it uses pre-rendered 3D into 2D images, from the backgrounds to the characters. The Kongs visit many different and wacky locations, like weird mines, dark forests, ships that have drowned, thorny trees, and... honeycomb caves. Still, nothing really felt out of place or felt off. A lot of the movement is natural too, except for maybe the barrel Kremlings, cause i don't remember them moving their feet. When the Kongs face off against a boss, their eyes become really big for a second, it's really hilarious. I never like it when they lose a life though, cause their animations are sad to watch. I'm not sure how iconic the music is compared to the first, but when I went to Bramble Brast... I knew the song immediately. (Though, I prefer the remix of Brawl's.) Still, the music is rather catchy, and each songs fits ideally with the location and the situation. 

 

Now, since I haven't played the game in a while, I was forced to get back into how the controls worked. And, they work fine, for the most part. Both Kongs can jump, swim, hold onto stuff and throw them, crouch, and climb and slide down. The two have a little difference between them. Diddy can cartwheel into enemies and run really fast. Dixie can spin around and attack with her hair and can even glide with her hair. Since this is a game about platforming, she obviously was my go-to character. But, not all of the situations are best accommodated for her, especially when it comes to ice, so Diddy has some few bright moments. Also, her glide goes in a downward motion, so it's not overpowered, and some enemies can take advantage of that too. The camera has this weird focus as well, so it's even hard to know sometimes where she's going. The game brings back Animal Buddies, with Rambi and Enguarde returning, Squawks finally playable, and Rattly and Squitter. Rambi can charge into and bounce onto enemies, even those with spikes. Enguarde can swim in water and also charge. Squawks can fly and pelt enemies. Rattly can bounce onto enemies, and can perform a super-bounce after charging his energy (the latter ability I only used in one level after finding it by accident), and Rattly can shoot webs and make webs into platforms (the latter again).  

 

Now, I have a few nitpicks with this game. One: the map selection, or rather how to select a map, is kind of counterintuitive. There are six worlds, and until a boss is defeated, or one flies on Funky's plane, there is no way to get to the "overworld" screen. Wouldn't it be annoying if in Super Mario World one couldn't back to another place and the only way to traverse back was to lend Luigi 70 coins, or in Kirby's Adventure Metaknight blocked the way to going back because he taunts the player? There is no reason to handicap the player like this from returning to other worlds. Next, saving. Think of any game that naturally saves after beating a boss or clearing a level. This game requires the player to go to granny's house. And after the first FREE save, she orders the player to get two coins. She presents herself as kind and endearing, but she's a Scrooge McDuck in disguise. (So, yeah, I used the WiiU's save feature thing to cheat, cause I won't get fooled again.) Last, I swear I make some jumps and lands perfectly, but the game sometimes doesn't register that way. Or the game thinks I'm stupid enough to fall off a cliff, when I don't ever mean to. It's not like that all of the time, but the platforming is sometimes never in my favor. Getting a game over is the equivalent of getting it in Super Mario Bros. 3: one will have to traverse a few levels in order to get back where they messed up at. But, you're sent back to granny's. 

 

The boss fights... are actually really well designed, and for how hard they are, fighting them are like puzzles themselves. All of them are just dodging, and waiting for a specific item to drop down for the Kongs to attack the bosses with... except for a rather unique boss that involves and Animal Buddy. The last boss maybe goes on for too much, but dodging Kaptain K. Rools' attacks never requires the same strategy, as he uses different means each time he's hit. 

 

In terms of some controls and the map and save features, those are the only things I think haven't aged well. But, I can see where The Completionist is coming from. This game really stands tall as one of the best games of the SNES, and I can't get over the charm of what Rare did for the series.

 

 

3/14: Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 for WIIU 

 

 

 


 

It had been some time since I played Super Mario Bros. on the All-Stars pack for the Wii. In his first game, I felt like Mario felt a little slippery, Bowser being the only boss was weird, and something about the level design and enemy placement. The other aspects are fine and the game itself is a gaming classic. After I played the first game... I began to play other games, probably the hottest new one. I think it was also because of my frustration with controlling Mario. So, finally about a year later, when I had a lot more time on my table, I decided to finally go after some games I needed to finish. Super Mario Bros. 3 was one of them. I knew the US version of SMB2 was a redesign of another game and the game's story is basically ALL A DREAM, and the real version of SMB2 is ridiculously hard. I beat Castlevania... but I'm not THAT hardcore. So, I logically skipped to the best of the NES trilogy. But, why is it the best of them, or possibly the best 2D Mario game? 

 

Super Mario Bros. 3 begins with a different mission compared to most Mario games. Instead of Peach getting kidnapped, seven kings have been robbed of their magic scepters and have been transformed. King Koopa/Bowser and his Koopalings, six of his nephews and one niece, are the ones at fault and are controlling the kings' lands. Mario must defeat his enemies and retrieve the scepters in order to change the kings' physical appearances back to normal. Different, but simple. 

 

One thing that immediately stands out is that the third game has an overworld for each world. Instead of going from level to level as usual without breaks, Mario and Luigi can roam around and also go to Toad Houses and fight overworld enemies, like Hammer Bros. And each world is unique. For example: the first world is the usual grassy plains, whereas the sixth world is filled with ice. There's also the Big World, where everything sans Mario is TALLER! Because of the changes in scenery, the choices of color was heavily expanded. Ice has the white and blue feel to it, while the deserts are filled with tan orange color with green palm trees mixed in. And although Super Mario Bros. will always have some of the most iconic songs of video gaming history... I think the soundtrack of this game is phenomenal. Each overworld theme, the Toad House theme, the ground theme, and even the boss themes are very energetic. Easily, one of my favorite OSTs in a while. (I know the game I played isn't really good when it comes to sound, but that's not to diminish the original or the All-Stars version.) 

 

So, how does Mario feel in his third venture? Well... I will say he's still as slippery to control, but maybe now that I played this and DKC2, maybe my reaction time is at fault. But, maybe I'm not the only person who has this problem, so I can't let it slide as easily. But, he controls better compared to his first ride. One: slope transversal affects Mario's movements a lot more. Two: the charge button that makes Mario run also works with the new P-meter. To coincide with that, three: Mario has new power-ups, like the leaf that transforms him into Raccoon Mario and allows him to fly for a while after charging up the P-meter, or the hammer suit that transforms him into Hammer Mario and allows him to use the destructive force of the Hammer Bros. Like I said, the overworld is new way of getting around, but with the returning castles are the new airships, the real boss levels. Castles house the fabled mini-boss Boom Boom... who grows wings after getting hit once! WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT BEFORE HE RETURNED DECADES LATER?! How cool would he be if he was to spin in mid-air?! Maybe that would be too hard, but I did not expect that! The airships house the Koopalings... *looks up* Iggy, Lemmy, Roy, Ludvig von, Wendy O, Larry, and Morton. They attack similarly, and are defeated in a similar manner. Back to the overworld, there are also obstacles that can be broken by hammers, and pipes that lead other places. There are a few other secrets I intend to leave out. Each level corresponds with their world, and there is a good amount of variation when it comes to enemies. In a few desert levels, THE SUN ATTACKS YOU, while in some water levels, THIS HUGE CHEEP CHEEP NAMED BIG BERTHA CAN SWALLOW MARIO WHOLE. Besides that, there's a lot more enemies compared to the first game, and a few spins on some old ones, like a Blooper having children, or a Goomba in a boot!  

 

The game can be difficult at times, I strangely had a lot more fun and amusement. I was planning on playing the All-Stars version of this game, but my Wii bar wasn't with me, so I settled for a decent replacement. Sure, this is basically a re-remake, but I finally understood why people consider this to be a stellar Mario game. If not for the wacky costumes, it must be the wacky worlds. It looks odd in some places, but this game is the definition of strange, in a clever way. I highly recommend any version of Super Mario Bros. 3

 

 

3/20- Fire Emblem (Blazing Sword) for WiiU   

 

 

 

 


 

Out of the many Fire Emblems games that have come out in the West, I had yet to beat Path of Radiance and Blazing Sword, the latter being the first to be brought everywhere. My first experience with Fire Emblem was Sacred Stones, the game that came after Blazing Sword. Years passed by, and even though I knew Blazing Sword existed, I never thought about finishing it. Blazing Sword is more than fifteen years old, and the recent games have made some of Fire Emblem's mechanics a lot fresher. As for why I hadn't defeated both it and Path of Radiance... it's because they were not in the back of my mind when I was younger. I was in school, and I think I played a lot more Poke'mon. And maybe it was because of one of the series' most defining traits. I currently have a lot more time on my hands, and Blazing Sword was on the chopping block for games I wanted to finally take care of.   With other Fire Emblem games in my head, how does Blazing Sword hold up today? 

 

Blazing Sword has a bit of a backstory behind it, as humans and dragons once lived together in the continent of Elibe. However, that soon changed when a war between both broke out; a war which was called "The Scouring". Humans fought and forced the dragons to be exiled behind the mythical Dragon's Gate. The details behind the war become a lot more clearer during the game, but the real story begins when Lyn, a Sacaen woman, wakes up a person lying in bed (the player, the tactician). After fighting a few enemies and finding new allies, she hears that her grandfather of noble descent has been waiting for her. The grandfather has never seen Lyn, and might not get the chance, as he is slowly dying, and there is someone who is preventing her from seeing by means of armies. Lyn has to overcome the odds to see her grandfather before it's too late. The true story picks up after a third of the game later, and a year later after what happens in Lyn's story. I won't spoil anything, but I think it's just as great, if not better than: Sacred Stones, Shadow Dragon, Fates, and even Echoes. The game has the same motion of "not every enemy is inherently evil", and even though it's a strategy RPG, the plot is mostly simple, and there a good amount of characters one can relate too. When good and bad moments happens, they feel real. Not since Fates, or even Awakening have I felt such rushes of emotion. 

 

The music is really amazing, and the standouts are by far the first map theme, the attack theme, the recruitment theme, and the Black Fang theme. Not sure if it personally beats Sacred Stones in that regard, and I think besides Shadow Dragon it's not better than the rest of the later Fire Emblem soundtracks. It's still enjoyable to listen to anyway. I always thought Sacred Stones did well with sprite work, and it's just as great in this game. And I'm pretty sure this game has a lot more enemy variation and maps and their variations compared to its following game. And cutscenes. 

 

Blazing Sword has tutorials for everything, but one of the main mechanics is the weapon triangle system. Lances beat swords, swords beat axes, and axes beat lances, and same goes for magic. What Blazing Sword brought to the table are support conversations, where two allies just talk. The conversations not only expands on some of the ensemble, but they're also stat buffs. It's not as fleshed out as Awakening's, but it's still as good as the rest.  The conversations require a lot of killing... but, hopefully not one of the allies! Permadeath exists in this game, and because most of the crew are really good and memorable, I had to reset the chapter... or use the WiiU's broken save feature. This game can be really hard at times, and some enemy and obstacle placements can be the worse. Even the places sometimes have environmental roadblocks, like snow restricting movement or the night making things difficult to see enemies. 

 

However, even though the game is challenging, some of the bosses are memorable, such as the Black Fang quartet special ops Four Fangs. I had to regretfully restart even when one of my characters died. The game can be tricky, but if one knows which unit they should take to the field, then the allies could be hits or... disasters. I think some of the recruitments are not worth it. I won't talk about another "mode", because it's really cool and I don't want to spoil it, but please note that it adds a good amount of replayability for the game. I love Blazing Sword, and who knows if it will top Sacred Stones.

 

 

 

3/31- Final Fantasy VII for Nintendo Switch 

 

 

 

 


 

About twenty years ago, Final Fantasy VII graciously arrived to everyone everywhere on the PlayStation. Square left Nintendo for the higher quality CDs of Sony that would bring a lot more flair to the gaming world. Final Fantasy VII was going to be bigger, grander, and better than VI. It would have cutscenes, pre-rendered backgrounds, polygons, and 3D character art. And because the game was leaning towards a more steampunk and modern environment, it would stand out against the usual fantasy and renaissance vibes of the last six games, even though some of the later games tried to emulate that feeling with less success. It also marked the era of the emotional main character that had weird hair and/or a big grand sword. It was revolutionary, and is considered to be one of the best Final Fantasies, if not one of the best games ever. But, that was close to twenty years ago, so has Final Fantasy aged at all? 

 

Before I start with the story, I have heard about the extended lore thanks to The Completionist... even though his original videos are no longer on YouTube due to some legal issues. Crisis Core is the prologue to this game, but because it's on PSP, I couldn't bother playing it, so again, thanks Completionist. At the start of the game, the action takes place in the city of Midgar, the center of the planet Gaia and the most industrious city. A cutscene introduces the player to the flower girl, who will have a pivotal role in the story, the city, and a train about to land. The music changes to something dire, as a group of people get off and attack some nearby guards. They are part of AVALANCE, a group of mercenaries who want to stop the big bad company Shinra from wasting the planet's life energy, known as Mako. Their leader is Barret, a huge man with a gun as a hand, and the newest recruit is Cloud, the main protagonist with spiky hair and a huge sword, Ex-Soldier 1st Class. Their mission is to blow up the nearest Mako Reactor, one of Shinra's buildings. Sounds simple, right? NOOOOOOOOOOOOO. What I just said is about 1/50th of the whole story. For there is a lot to take in with this game: revenge, grief, anger, sorrow, confusion, loneliness, happiness, shock, loss, sadness, angst, acceptance, identity, goals, relief, fun, and frustration. All of the nine characters, even the optional two playable characters, go through moments of character development and moving on from their pasts and mistakes. But, isn't there one big person I've leaving out?... Sephiroth. He and Kefka are the most notorious villains from the Final Fantasy series, and even though Kefka's clearly the better one, that doesn't diminish how much pain Sephiroth inflicts on the whole world and the cast. Although his goal is really heinous, his motive is somewhat understandable and maybe relatable. Still, how he goes about to get his goal doesn't excuse him very much.  

 

The visuals themselves are a little bit of a mixed bag. About fifty-percent good, fifty-percent bad. The cutscenes, the pre-rendered backgrounds, the battle locations, and the character models in battle are all execute nicely. Buuuut... the character models outside of battles and the overworld "boundary-popping" have aged the game a little poorly compared to the earlier games. And, the camera is perhaps the most finicky thing to work with. The map can be zoomed in... to some extent, and locations on it are barely visible. Last, interacting with the environments at times can feel rather clunky. Some of the dialogue also have errors and some childish and immature swearing, even if it's presented in the magical language of "%$^" . I know the mid-90s was full of "extremity", but that just shows its age. ... Or maybe not, if one can give me a modern T- or R- rated RPG that's full of cursing. The music... is legendary, and is perhaps the only thing that is timeless about this game. From the first cutscene song, to the battle and boss themes, to Aerith/Aeris's theme, the overworld theme, the Gold Saucer theme, and Sephiroth's theme, don't tell me that there's one song that feels out of place.  

 

Most of the stuff from the last six games, from visiting towns and dungeons, finding items, talking to people, battling, and buying and selling stuff is similar or the same. So, what makes Final Fantasy unique in terms of gameplay? One, the game has a good amount of side-quests and mini-games not seen before, but for those wondering, I won't say more... Two, along with the ATB bar, characters now have Limit Breaks, but they're only available after a character receive the right amount of damage. Each character have unique limit breaks, and there are four levels for each that require time and patience. Each level, except for the fourth and some other instances, have two limit breaks that can be gained naturally. Still, the first level of limit breaks is the fastest for getting the limit break bar to fill up, compared to the later levels. But, pulling off a level-4 limit break is really rewarding. Unfortunately, if a character loses their life, the Limit Break Bar will reset to zero, so getting hit is still a hassle. Even Cloud uses most of his limit breaks in his Smash appearances, including Omnislash as his Final Smash. Unlike the other games where the characters' abilities could be used at any time, the game demands the player to wait a little bit. Last, there's Materia. Now, similar to Magicite, the characters can learn and level up the different kinds of Materia, and the stats of the characters change with each Materia equipped. However, unlike Magicite, the Materia only have one kind of use, they level up with AP themselves, and they can be equipped to the weapons and armor. The characters don't inherit the Materia's power, and there are different kinds of Materia. The armors and weapons have slots which can house Materia, and some Materia can be linked to have different effects. For example, when linking "Restore" and "All", instead of just one character getting HP, all of the characters can receive HP. There's a lot of Materia to find and buy, but I just only got the ones needed to help me on my way.  

 

Now, what's the deal with the Switch version? One: one can turn off random encounters with the press of the L3 and R3 buttons... The buttons to move stuff ... Now, the player cannot avoid bosses, so grinding is still necessary. It's only really needed in the cases of backtracking and needing to find a save point for health. Two: there's a fast-forward button. Summoning is a lot better, and getting the ATB bar to fill this way might be fine. But, this too is double-edged, as the enemies can attack while one is off-guard, and the player cannot skip past the cutscenes and certain moments, as much as they want to speed-run. Those are the only two things I've really noticed, so maybe there's more I haven't seen yet.

 

With the exception of a few bosses, and THOSE EVIL SUPER-DUPER-BOSSES THAT MAKE ME FEEL LIKE I'VE BEEN THROUGH A SIMILAR SITUATION BEFORE, the game can be a breeze for the most part. When it came to the 3rd part of the game... I spent about fifty percent of it trying to level up my characters. ... All for nothing, because of a hard roadBLOCK. The last third is maybe where I got the most bored, as I got my team to 90, with the exception of Cloud, who went to 99. But, it made some optional fights and the last boss a complete joke by the end. And, I spent the other fifty finding and collecting stuff that would work for beating the last boss too, so it wasn't all that bad. Comparing it to VI will be tricky, since both games did things better than the other. One might see this later on my TOP 100 soon. With the Switch getting ports of some of the games, I might defeat IX, XII, and XV to find a place where they fit in my Top Ten Final Fantasies later. I’m not going to play II, VIII, XI, and XIII for good reasons. I might play X, though I know parts of it are horrible, and I might get into XIV, even though it won’t be on my list because it’s an MMORPG.   

 

 

4/5- The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages for 3DS 

 

 

 


 

About seven years ago, I returned and beat one of my favorite games, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX.  Since it was one of the first games I ever played in my childhood, I hold it with really high regards to this day, even though there's some parts that might be not as great as I thought they would be. As I began to return to games that I have played but never beaten, I finally took notice of Oracle of Ages. I do remember playing it too, but I don't remember why I... I... I... in comparison to Link's Awakening. Was it because it felt similar to Ocarina of Time in name alone, was it because it felt similar to other games in terms of nearly everything, or was it because of the bonus element of the game?  

 

The story starts off with Link, as he is chosen to save the world. Link then lands in the world of Labrynna, and later meets Nayru, the Oracle of Ages. After she sings for a while, a sorceress named Veran takes her, and they both go back in the past. Veran takes control of Nayru and plunges the past and present of Labrynna into chaos. Link meets Impa, who tells him to seek the Maku Tree. After the Maku Tree tells him to find the eight Essences of Time, and Link is bestowed with the Harp of Ages somewhere in the intro, Link begins his quest. He not only has to save Nayru, but has to stop Veran from completing the Black Tower and disrupting the flow of time in Labrynna. And I'll stop right there. Not only does it take the cues of saving the world once more, but the eight essences thing was copied over from Link's Awakening. I would say A Link To The Past too, but one has to save Maidens, even though the end goal is similar. 

 

The game takes a good amount of cues when it comes to the art style and music of Link's Awakening DX. Sure, there might be new characters and enemies, but most of the stuff feels recycled from the past games. Now, since I never played A Link To The Past before Link's Awakening DX, and Link's Awakening had some new elements because it was the first Zelda handheld, I felt like Link's Awakening DX was unique compared to its processors. Other than Maple, the cute witch who bumps into Link from time to time, and the new main characters, I couldn't tell what was original in this game. Even Zoras and Gorons make a return. And, for the most part, the goes for the music too. There are some new themes, but the overworld for both the past and present feel the same as the first and fourth games.

 

And it doesn't stop there. The structure of finding a dungeon's key, finding the dungeon, navigating the dungeon, fighting the midboss, finding the thing that might take down the boss, finding the boss key, finding the boss door, and beating the boss is taken straight out of Link's Awakening. Some of Link's Awakening's weapons and items return because some are in the other, and only a few are brand new, like the main item the Harp of Ages. The Harp of Ages starts out restricted like its ocarina counterpart, but can do much more with a few more songs. The Oracle games also bring in Moosh, a flying bear which can hover over pits, Ricky, a kangaroo boxer that can jump over pits and punch stuff, and... Dimitri, a lizard thing that can swim. But, after Link gets a few items, they aren't really useful.

 

So, if the game is a hybrid of the third and fourth games and only added a few gameplay elements, where's the enjoyment out of the game? Labrynna isn't as memorable as Koholint, and that goes for the cast too. Well, Oracle of Ages compared to Link's Awakening is a lot more puzzle oriented. And though I have no problem with puzzles, some of the solutions are really cryptic. I got stuck a good amount of times and had to look up the solutions online. The 7th dungeon itself is basically THE WATER TEMPLE of Ocarina of Time. That doesn't mean the whole of them is bad. The eighth dungeon is straightforward at first, but gets a lot more complicated as Link traverses down the dungeon. Heck, the fifth/sixth dungeon is an underwater dungeon that is mechanically similar to the Spirit Temple of OoT as well. 

 

After I beat the game, one of the most shocking things I have ever seen is presented after the credits. It basically says I have to beat Oracle of Seasons to get the TRUE ENDING. Sure, Resident Evil 2 and Octopath Traveler did a similar thing, and Sonic 3 & Knuckles is kind of like that, but the Oracle games were meant to be two distinct games... three from what was supposed to happen. That means, in order to give this a fairer rating, I have to beat Oracle of Seasons, which I heard was much more combat-oriented. Even with the other game aside, the game I feel is mediocre. I've seen a lot of this before. What can Oracle of Seasons do to make me think more highly of it?

 

  

4/19- Super Dragon Ball Heroes: World Mission for Nintendo Switch 

 

 

 

 


 

I'm a fan of Dragon Ball. I'm a fan of card games. I'm a fan of video games. When I heard that the elusive arcade game Dragon Ball Heroes would be coming to the Switch as the above title, I... was really happy. I wondered how the game would turn out, since I was curious how the arcade game would transition to the console, like how Street Fighter II did to the SNES. I bought the game... and a wave of emotions came out, for better... and for worse. 

 

 The game's story is about stopping a time-traveler named Sealas from creating time anomalies. Though he says he is doing it for the greater good, Trunks and the Supreme Kai of Time won't allow his plan to come to fruition. It then shifts to a kid who is entering a SDBH tournament building. They're a rookie at first, but THE GREAT SAYAIMAN 3 recognizes his potential and asks their help to save the world. Along the way, the kid will meet a group of allies, who sport different race teams, so that they can stop Sealas from changing time itself. Alright, so even though technically Xenoverse did it first internationally, the whole time-travel shenanigans technically came first from the DBH arcade, which this game is based off of. Plus, it has a brand new villain with different goals. Still... not only has the game have its fair share of side-stories and missions... but the arcade mode features what's currently in the arcade game. Yep. There's a lot. It's probably overwhelming because not only are there hundreds of missions... but, I'll get to the real meat and potatoes soon enough. 

 

The one thing that everyone complains about is that the game looks like it borrows heavily from the Budokai 3 art style, and that it looks ugly and rugged and like PS2 graphics. As a guy who really loves Budokai 3, I didn't care. I have another part of the game to complain about anyways. But, it's not the music. The title theme is really great, some battle themes are rocking... overall, the soundtrack is decent compared to other games, like Budokai 3's and FighterZ. 

 

Now, gameplay is a hard thing to talk about. Because like the story, it's a little overwhelming. A person's deck can have only seven cards. Each one fits into a Hero, Beserker, Elite, or Special type. If memory serves, Hero cards are well-rounded, Elite have great defenses and stamina but not much power, and Elite have a lot of power but their defenses and stamina are worse. Stamina is equivalent to speed... and stamina is basically essential to the game. The cards also have abilities, special attacks, and different special abilities that can turn the tide to one's favor. One can increase the Hero Energy of the team +1. Hero Energy is determined by the amount of team power the team accumulates, and for each 3000 increase of team power, the Hero Energy builds up to 10. Hero Energy is essential for abilities and special attacks. As for the placement of the cards, one has to be picky if they need a card to recover stamina in the Support area, or to go all out in the Attacker area. Unless something happens, stamina is lost constantly for each attacker, and if a card receives major damage, they have a chance to be stunned. If another card attacks a stunned card, the stunned card cannot defend and gets more damage dealt to the team's HP. When the team's HP goes to 0, a player loses. That's the basic gameplay, but the game throws in a bit more complicated stuff, like the stuff that requires touch controls or the circle pad. It gets either really hectic or repetitive at times. 

 

... So, what's the real problem of this game? I thought this game was going to be really fun and exciting with all the card combinations I could use. It all happens to go to the CI bar, one of the most ridiculous ways to determine the defense and offense. I think it came from Budokai 3, but that was only for the Ultimate attacks. Anyways, the slider or whatever goes up and down, and the one with the bar filled up the most wins. Let's get into the BS: the speed sometimes can go from really slow to really, really fast. And that partially is because of stamina. And the success of Special attacks also depend on winning that kind of stuff. It's nerve-wracking seeing what the enemy fills up... AND IT REALLY SUCKS IF THE EMENY GETS A PERFECT. The odds of a draw are 10%, but that just raises the speed even more. It's a real game of luck and chance, even though I thought this game was going to be mostly skill-based. Oh, and there's the fact that the computer AI cheats with a good amount of BS abilities, like getting their stamina back and getting more power. And that kind of BS also happens in what the game sometimes classifies missions as NORMAL TWO STAR MISSIONS. And, THERE'S MORE! If one has seen the ULTRA COMPLETION, they have to do really basic stuff like not getting stunned to WINNING A BATTLE WITH PERFECT CI, which is sometimes impossible. And the Ultra Completion is needed for destroying the roadblocks that are covering side missions. It's padding, it's annoying, it's not fun, and I can't believe I get suckered in into finding them on my way to completing the story. ... So, in order to save everyone the trouble, just look for seven of the strongest cards, grind for accessories, the tournaments, grind the avatar's level, and get Super Shenron wishes. (I did not stutter, he's basically Shrenron from B3.) ... And there's no skip scene for really big attacks. I can understand online, but I want the game to move on like how one can turn off the battle animations in Poke'mon. It takes like a minute for Goku to charge up his Spirit Bomb and finally throw it at the enemy very slowly. The pacing of battles can be boring once one has seen a variation of the move. 

 

Now that I think about it, some story missions probably feel like padding as well. The Hero team has to split up occasionally, in which one has to control an ally NOT the avatar, and when I thought I was done with those stupid quests, I have to defeat an enemy just out in the over-world. And I wish I could have liked the whole splitting up thing better, IF I COULD EDIT MY ALLIES' TEAMS! The game locks me into using one of two BS decks I would never use in the game. it's not fun or clever, and I just get upset when I see a branching pathway.  

 

I mentioned the two modes, but the game also has a creation mode, where one can create cards using stuff from the shop. The shop has creation stuff, accessories, and cards. In order to get cards, one must win battles to get gacha tickets in order to put them in several gum-ball machines so that they can collect a card. Basically like a loot-box. The rest can be bought with Zeni. The game also has online battling and created mission battling. I mentioned the tournaments, and the game also has tutorials, if one is lost. The avatar can also change their type and their special attack. But, the races can only be changed by the Super Shenron wish. Yes, the avatar can be a card themselves. Using them might not be practically as other cards, because leveling up the avatar cards become a chore after a while. 

  

So, even though I bashed the gameplay and some story elements... why did I bother playing this game for about two weeks or so? I wanted to see the silly off-trails stuff, I wanted to see Sealas get his butt kicked, and I love the card designs and customization, even though trying to get all of that requires as much patience as an RPG. As I said, I love Dragon Ball. And getting Super Attacks to go for a lot of damage once I knew how to 75% 1 round each match is really satisfying. It has some cracks because of probably archaic choices... but, there's nothing quite like it internationally. Maybe not my favorite Dragon Ball game, but it will have enough drawing power thanks to the incoming stuff. 

 

I think it's mediocre right now, but if Bowser's Inside Story isn't as fun as everyone says it was, I'll put this in the back-burner of my mind. 

 

 

4/25- ARMS for Nintendo Switch 

 

 

 


 

I've never been one for fighting games. Except for maybe Tekken. The competitive nature of them always made turn away from them. Not to mention, they have the weirdest of stories, and try too had to be mature at times. As I was looking to take care of some games that I haven't beaten yet, ARMS was one of them. I never played it because it was never going to reach the Mario Party, Splatoon, or Smash Bros. levels of multiplayer fun. Surely it wouldn't be THAT fun... right? 

 

Like any other fighting game, the story revolves around a tournament. But, the game doesn't have any stakes to it except for being the best. With added content, one controls one of I think twelve characters. I immediately jump... picked Spring Man, cause he's the star of the story, like Little Mac to Punch-Out. (Almost fell for the pun.) It's simple, but like Street Fighter II, it adds a few mini-games to spice up the grand prix. 

 

ARMS is vibrant. From the wacky characters to each of their stages. Like Overwatch, it goes for a colorful comic book look. I love how each characters' interactions with everything. And the music... not all of it has stuck with me, but the songs are really energetic and pumping. Not Splatoon levels, but still as bumping. 

 

The gameplay is interesting too. It's a 3D arena fighting game, like that of the Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm series. But, where it differentiates from that game are the controls. One can use the basic or the joypad options. I dug the joypad controls, but could never find out how to move properly, so I went with basic. It was hard to focus my attacks with basic for a little while, but I'm adapting. If one is asking, the game has the block, punch, special, grab, move, and dash motions of a usual 3D arena fighting game. But, in this game, the player has the option to move the trajectory of the punches. Each punch in the game is basically spring-like in nature. Each punch extends for a long distance. It gets a little trickier because the other player can guard, dodge, grab, jump away from, and cancel out one's punches too. Each punch could be advantageous or disadvantageous for each player. And it gets way complex because of the character selection, and the arms customization. Not one battle will feel alike. The stages themselves have unique layouts, and there are different objects that will make each outcome random. Basically, easy to learn, hard to master. 

 

I went to see the online players, asking if there was such an audience. I was shocked to see that there was, and like the arcade mode, there were mini games too, including this one where there was this miniboss that kicked my teammates' and my butts. There's also tag team fights as well. ARMS might not be as BIG as Splatoon 2 right now, but that's not to say I have a problem with ARMS. It's a cool game I can't wait for an inevitable sequel of.  

 

 

5/3- Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance for GCN 

 

 

 

 


 

So, besides another visit to Radiant Dawn I plan on making, I'm officially done with the Fire Emblem series as of beating this game. This was yet another instance of me coming back to a game after a long time. I think I haven't played this game since its release, and the strange thing is that I have beaten its sequel, Radiant Dawn. Because the newer games have improved a lot of what I felt was flawed with the series, is it really worth playing Path of Radiance now? 

 

Instead of the usual main protagonist Lord character the game is often known for, the game goes for a mercenary named Ike. He has a father who is in charge of the self-titled Greil Mercenaries and a sister who cares for the both of them. After they complete a few local favors, they find out that the country of Daien plans on invading the country of Crimea. The Greil Mercenaries unluckily get involved during it, and they soon realize they saved the secret princess of Crimea, Elincia. With her country snatched by Daien, Elincia asks the group to take her to Gallia, home of a race known as laguz who are part human and part animal. Ike and his team now must find Elincia help to take back her kingdom and stop Daien from ruling the continent of Tellius. What's unique about Path of Radiance is the relationship between the beorc, humans, and laguz, and the underlying tones of racism. The laguz are strong beings, but some beorc fear, hate, and district them out of the fact that they're different. Because of that, some laguz hate what the beorc do to them. The laguz race consists of beasts, crows, hawks, dragons, and the nearly extinguished herons. Tensions between both races are bit rocky at the start.  

 

Path of Radiance is one of the best looking GameCube games, from the different locations and characters. Although the series has never come back to the 3D models since the sequel, the grid-layout design does not damper the life of the game. Every character moves perfectly, even though the move speed is quite... average and not as quick and sharp as 2D sprites. And even though I think Radiant Dawn edges out on this game for music, there are some really good songs, like Clash and the first two map themes. Path of Radiance also introduced cutscenes, even though the volume quality is poor and the acting is sub-par. 

 

The core gameplay for Fire Emblem is present in Path of Radiance, so what makes this game special? First, the laguz are able to transform into creatures. However, there is a "timer" for when they can transform and how long they can be in their animal forms. I only used one per battle because I needed to train my regular units to level up. Laguz are potentially game-breaking, but they come at a cost. Not to mention, there are weapons that can deal massive damage to them like an Armorslayer would do for a knight. Next is award/bonus exp, which varies when certain chapter conditions have been met. Anyone can use the bonus exp, thus the need for grinding goes a little bit down. A thing I never got was the biorhythm mechanic, which makes enemies and allies stronger based on the turn, I guess. I'm glad later games removed that system. Last is the base. It has the preparations stuff, a shop, an armory, a forge, the support stuff, and a few other things. One can make different kinds of weapons at the forge. Although I used it in Awakening, I never used it in PoR. ... And now that I beat the game, I think maybe using it might have been a good idea. 

 

 For all of the praise I'm giving it, is there any problem with it? Well, some of the above stuff, and maybe it's me, but like Echoes, there is a lot of RNG BS sometimes. There's also loads of enemy reinforcement karma. And, I've never been one for permadeath. Maybe it's just me, but I somehow found Path of Radiance harder than Radiant Dawn. Still, the game has good moments and great bosses, like the Black Knight, who is a juggernaut of an opponent. Although I know the pricing of Radiant Dawn, I'll have to give the game a try again to see how different my viewpoints changed with that game, along with another game that eschewed was bad. PoR might not be my favorite Fire Emblem game, but I'm glad it exists.

 

   

5/6- Professor Layton And The Unwound Future for DS 

 

 

 


 

I planned on beating this game after Diabolical Box about two years ago. ... And then other games came around. Until a game marathon kind of thing came along, I had no reason to come back to Unwound Future. I kind of hated Diabolical Box for how hard some of the puzzles were, and since I don't have much in terms of complex riddle solving, I didn't like it compared to Curious Village. So, what hardships did I face with The Unwound Future? 

 

Professor Layton and Luke Triton go to a scientific unveiling that is presenting a time machine. However, the machine explodes, and a few scientists and the prime minister have vanished. Later on, a mysterious letter from FUTURE LUKE says that his world is in danger, and that the duo must help him stop whoever is causing trouble. And the person responsible for making the future a worse time is... FUTURE PROFESSOR LAYTON. There are a lot of interesting turns in this game that I won't say, but this currently my favorite story of the series. Layton has a lot more personal stakes this time around, not only because of his future self, but also because of events that happened in his past.  

 

For a DS game, the character models, environments, and music are really charming. The voice acting is average, but Professor Layton and Luke have a lot more emotion to their characters this time around. The cutscene quality is good, even though on a New3DS it looks a little odd. 

 

The game follows the tried and true puzzle formula, interacting and moving with the stylus, and getting information from people. And now that I think about it, there's one thing that has bothered me a little bit when it comes to the series as of this game. They sometimes needlessly halt progression through puzzles. Sometimes when it's for the sake of story, it's fine. But, when it's with some random character, it gets rather monotonous. And then there are those times when one has to complete an absurd amount of puzzles to get through a roadblock. Most of these puzzles this time around are okay. Some of the final ones were a little bit too hard that I had to look online for their solutions. I just wanted to see where the story was going, not to find out the liar among truth-sayers.

 

Unwound Future could be my favorite of the series... even though a certain crash left my save file corrupted, and I had to start from another save from another player. It's emotionally gripping, and save for some "puzzle-roadblock nonsense" attitude I acquired through playing the game now, it's a  beautifully constructed game.  

 
 

 

 

5/13- Mortal Kombat (Reboot) for PC  

 

 

 


 

I've never been much for fighting games. My main go-to series was Tekken for a while, and although I like Street Fighter... it does have a few things that I don't like. Now I'm going to talk about the third in the trifecta I've always looked away from: Mortal Kombat. And as for KOF... *throws it out the window*. I heard that this game was a reboot of the first game... or three, and it revolves around time travel. With the original game being the one indirectly responsible for the ESRB rating back in the day, and since I've never been one for blood, guts, and the like, how does the first in the modern trilogy hold up? 

 

The game starts with only Raiden and Shao Khan as the only fighters left, and Armageddon soon arriving. With basically no hope left in the present, it's all in the hope of... the past. It begins with the last nine out of ten Mortal Kombats to determine the fate of the Earthrealm, where the first game basically began. But, the Raiden of the past gets dire warnings to stop the future from turning bad, so he decides to change certain outcomes. But, even though some changes are beneficial... others make the timeline a little worse. Although Raiden is trying to save the world, others often question his predictions, as lives are still lost or hurt either way. And a good amount of them are tragic, like Sub-Zero being forced into becoming a cyborg, and the same for a soldier after he becomes a human barbecue. The cast borrows the cast of the first to third MK games, so if you haven't played those games, this is a good alternative. The game's story is structured by chapters, and each chapter is a different character. Some are fun to use, others, like Cyber Sub-Zero, are difficult to master. Not to mention, each character basically has a boss at the end of their arc, so... it's not all sunshine and rainbows.

 

Still, during cutscenes, some of the details are a little pixelated and when they began, they slow down a bit. That's the only problem I have with the game, because everything else is really amazing. As for the blood... I've been conditioned with the first three Resident Evil games, and except for a few parts, nothing really crept me out. The game is also known for... THAT, but honestly THAT rarely got my focus when playing the story. The music is atmospheric too. Maybe not my favorite of fighting soundtracks, but it's still really cool to listen to. 

 

Alright, the game-play. It's a must to go to the controls first if one's a newcomer because the special moves behave a little different from other fighting games. (Actually, I think it should be a "law" for fighting games to have those.) I think without the tutorial, MK9 is maybe the hardest to master in my opinion. The game featured the X-Ray move, where when a fighter fills three bars of their Super Meter, a devastating and often bone-crushing attack is played out in mostly slow-mo. It's honestly really fantastic to pull those off. Other than that, it's a really fun game to play and master.  

 

The story can have cheap fights at times, even at the BEGINNER setting. Still, the cast is one of my favorites, like Street Fighter Alpha 3, Street Fighter III 3rd Strike, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, and King of Fighters XIV. It's a same I was in college by the time this game was out.

 

 

5/14- Mortal Kombat XL for PS4 

 

My browser restarted unexpectedly, so I'll just say this: fun new gameplay additions, great DLC, great story, I like 2/3rd of the new cast, about 2/3rd of the old cast (that includes those who weren't in the last game), and the places and music. It's hard to think which is better. Still, the story still has the horrible moments of difficulty, again even at VERY EASY.  

 

But, as much as I tried both of these Mortal Kombats don't come close to my favorite games list.  

 

5/15- Mortal Kombat 11 for PC 

 

 

 


 

Okay, maybe I was a little harsh with my review of the Mortal Kombat reboot because I just found a working PC controller, and it worked wonders playing MK11. But back to the matter at hand, I felt like the last game improved some things while making a few poor choices. The run button was not my cup of tea, some of the old cast were worse, some of the new cast was iffy, the difficulty was like the last game, and the game once again left on an odd cliffhanger. So, i finally decided to play the latest game in the series, which is no doubt one of the strongest of the series, but has been criticized for a certain problem. How does it hold up to MK9 or MKX? 

 

The story begins with an all out assault of the Neverealm, after the defeat of Shinnok in the last game. The Special Forces plan to detonate bombs in the temple, headed by Cassie Cage and co. The team is successful, but it comes at the cost of Cassie's mother. The Revenants Liu Kang and Kitana know it's over for them, but Kronika, mother of Shinnok, plans to erase the events Raiden created by turning back time and... erasing Raiden for good. She brings fighters from another timeline, some good and some evil, to keep Raiden and company at bay while she gains power and completes an hourglass that can change time. The good warriors of the past and present must stop her from rewriting history. Like the last two games, I like the whole time concept, this time with both past and present. As for the character selection... I like about 80% of the returning characters because some of them aren't undead nor are worse than their children nor their younger counterparts. I wanted Kung Jin to return because he never had any time with his cousin Kung Lao. By the way, what about Cyrax, Sektor, Reptile, and Sheeva, who are clearly seen in cutscenes? Okay, maybe Cyrax and Sektor could be considered clones next to each other, and Reptile is a semi-clone, but Sheeva could've been a missing Goro in this game. Poor Nightwolf, Smoke, and Sindel were never given proper conclusions. Nightwolf and Sindel were really fun characters... still, Smoke is another ninja. Maybe the DLC can make the roster a little better. As for the new characters... Cetrion and Geras have cool powers, but I don't like Kollector. The cast is a step up from X in my books... even though it will never be as grand as a reunion as MK9's cast. As for the story progression... third time's the charm with inconsistent difficulty. 

 

The music and locations are as beautiful as always. A little less frame issues with this game. The best looking Mortal Kombat game by far. 

 

As for the gameplay, I'm glad it got rid of the run, but the X-Ray Specials are somewhat gone in execution. Fatal Blows are their replacement... but they require 30% of health and restart each round. And now for the B.S.: Character variation. Not only does it go for skins, but different attacks. And how must one require skins and different attacks now? Meeting certain character requirements. I can't vow for the attacks, but the skins are not the same as costumes. There's no real nostalgia like the last two games. Plus, the micro-transaction debacle made this game a little worse. 

 

 Mortal Kombat 11... is potentially worse than the last two games. For me, the X-Ray Specials were cool, the villain is not as impactful as Shinnok and Shao Khang even though she is stronger, the difficulty is still at odds, the ending is another cliffhanger, and the micro-transactions make this game a little worse. I feel like the series will go down another spiral if the creators make more baffling decisions.

 

 

 

5/18- Chrono Trigger for Wii  

 

 

 


 

It's about time that I have finally sit down and defeated one of the greatest RPGs of all time. I'm not joking: Chrono Trigger is one of the most timeless games ever. Not only does it share some gameplay elements from Final Fantasy, time travel, and character designs from Akira Toriyama, the legendary creator of Dragon Ball, but it also has a great story, one of the best casts ever, amazing music, and very emotional moments. I began playing Chrono Trigger because of a review by a YouTube personality... currently under scrutiny. Regardless of the current situation, I wanted to get into the game because of word of mouth. And I was for the most part impressed. 

 

The game begins with an unconventional beginning, as a boy named Crono is about to tend the Guardia Millennial Fair. He meets a girl named Marle, and the two spend a little time together having fun. All seems peaceful. The two later meet Lucca, Crono's childhood friend and a scientist, and her invention: time travel devices. While Lucca does an experiment, Marle is sent through the portal, with Crono giving chase. They both land in 600 A.D., four hundred years earlier from the game's present of 1000 A.D. After events happen, the group finds out that a creature named Lavos will cause chaos in 1999 A.D.: apocalypse. With time travel on their side, the group must stop Lavos from achieving his mayhem before it's too late. Yes, that is a simplified version, because a lot of moments in this game are so incredible that I shouldn't put it all in a review. Crono Trigger has one of the best stories and even side-quests because of their relevance to Lavos. Everything is connected in some way or another. And the time travel aspect is done very well, from the beginning of man to the future. Better than Ocarina and Majora's Mask. All of the main protagonists are lovable too. 

 

The game is beautiful. From the scenery to the character sprites, nothing seems out of place... well, maybe the over-world main party sprites. What is up with Crono's hair in particular?! The environments complement each era as well. As for the music... There are some powerful and emotional songs, like Battle Theme 1, Crono's Theme, Frog's theme, and the 600 A.D. music. This game seemingly has little-to-no flaws. Can the gameplay ruin that? 

 

Well... no! The battle controls are as follows: attack, tech, or items. The first and second are explanatory, but techs are different techniques or magic. Like Final Fantasy, some characters are good at packing punches, healing, making magic attacks, defending, and being balanced. And most of the cast have different magic attacks, like only Crono can use Thunder attacks. Still, it gets crazy when Double, and even Triple Techs are introduced. The Double and Triple Techniques are used by certain character combinations only, like Crono and Frog's X-Slash. The tides are changed when they are executed. Finding the next location or next part of a place can be difficult, if one does know where to go. I looked up online where I needed to go, because the game had a little problem communicating the next destination nor had a detailed map where each setpiece was. Crono Trigger may not be perfect, but it's still a great game. 

 

Some bosses were challenging, and the last one was especially annoying to work with until my team grinded up to level 60. But, when the last boss is defeated, this is where the game truly shines: New Game + and other endings. Chrono Trigger has over 10 endings, and I'm okay where I'm at because I'm good with the ending I got. Chrono Trigger is simply magnificent and pure.

 

 

6/4- Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 for PS4 

 

It's one of my favorite games of all time, currently sitting at number 20 where the PS3 version was for me. Even though there is some imbalance for certain characters, I'm fine with the roster as is. (HINT HINT.)

 

To be frank, I played Marvel vs. Capcom 2 recently, and... I didn't like it as much as this game. The Dreamcast controller buttons feel a little more stiff, at least twenty percent of THAT roster hasn't aged well (compared to MVC3's ten percent), pulling off supers or whatever feels a lot more complicated... and I hated the arcade mode. Least to say, you won't see me ever putting that game here. I'm semi-casual when it comes to video games and casual when it comes to fighting games, so don't tell me to GET GOOD. I play fighting games to have fun, not to be the best or most competitive. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 falls in line with a veteran crowd, something that I'm not really a part of. It's just like Melee all over again.  

 

6/4- Ultra Street Fighter IV for PS3 

 

 

As I was preparing for college around the time the base game came out, and because I was never a Street Fighter fan in my teenage years, I didn't know what to expect from the base game. The last real fighting game I ever played was Tekken 3... Smash Bros was not that complex in comparison. But, I think it was advertisement of Ryu and Ken fighting in this flowing moving of art with intense music that really got my eye. And sure, enough I got it... and the later installments. This was before I knew that Capcom did this kind of practice before. I got a little back into Tekken around that time too... but I never touched MK because I was probably not mentally capable of playing anything from that series. For some reason, I got rid of my Arcade version which had the content for USFIV. Recently, I re-bought the Ultra version. But, why? I've been in a fighting game mood as of now, ever since the Mortal Kombat reboot, plus I own the Street Fighter 30th anniversary collection, so I know I am acquainted with most of the roster now. But, will anything change, or will it not be on my favorite games list... forever? 

 


 

 The story is about S.I.N., a secret project of crime syndicate Shadaloo, preparing a creation to face the best fighter in the world. Or something like that; all one needs to do is fight other competitors, some of whom are from Shadoloo, and defeat the monstrosity. Each fighter has a motive to win the tournament, like Guile has to stop Shadoloo once and for all and avenge his fallen friend, and Dan has to get people to enroll in his dungeon. Some are more important and canon than others, but the final boss... in retrospect kind of sucks and is bland, even though they have some of the fighters' powers. Endings vary with mileage. 

 

One of Street Fighter IV's best parts is the art direction. Most of the game feels like it's a wet painting, and I think the designers meant to go in a more Asian tone, or whatever it looks like. Some times it looks ugly, but the distinction still stands. The music... is okay. Unless it's the iconic Volcanic Rim Stage or the character themes, some of the other stages don't seem to stand out too much.  

 

Okay, so the SFII games brought combos, supers, stun, and maybe other stuff, which is all carried into this game. So, what makes this game so special? Ultra Combos, which are like Super Combos, and in the Ultra editions case, characters can use two for less damage. That's really much it. The games came with and online mode too, but... goodbye PS3 fun. Everything else is basic in design. Back to Ultra Combos, some are easy to pull off, some are harder to master. LOOKING AT YOU GUILE. Using the D-Pad or left R-Stick to input directional stuff felt clunky at times, so I would never be able to pull off all the time. Plus, Ultra Combos require one's fighter to lose enough health to pull them off. It's kind of like the Fatal Blow system in Mortal Kombat 11. As for the roster, some are clearly better than others, but I'm glad there's a good variety, and I'm glad that some of the new ones came back in V. Maybe a few more will make Street Fighter V... a lot more tolerable. 

 

 It's going to take some time to see where this game might rank. Playing the other Street Fighter games made me appreciate how different the gap between 3 and 4 and what changed since then.

 

 

6/21- Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled for PS4 

 

 

In my childhood, the original CTR was one of the few games I owned on the classic PlayStation. I was never a Mario Kart or Diddy Kong Racing guy back then, so this was my first exposure to a racing game. ... And this is before I picked and played the three games he was in beforehand. I think I played Crash Bandicoot and thereafter gave up because of the controls back then. But, CTR was different because it was the first Crash game I ever defeated. When the N. Sane Trilogy came out, I was waiting the day when one of my favorite games would get the reimagining bug. Because even though I have little to no experience with Crash, I loved the memories I had trying to beat the objectives. And, two years after the N. Sane Trilogy came out, it finally happened. Crash Team Racing... Nitro-Fueled. Believe it or not, this remake actually incorporates many things from its sequel Crash Nitro Kart, which I think is a bit inferior to the first racing game. But, will the game go higher where I originally placed it, or burn down from its over reliance on turbo? 

One day, Crash, Coco, and Cortex are just racing, when suddenly AN ALIEN! His name is Nitros Oxide, and he wants to face the fastest racer on Earth. If he loses, he goes away; but if he wins, he'll turn Earth into a parking lot and will force everyone to be his slaves. The story's main premise is still the same, as the villains and heroes race each other to see who is the best among them. What actually surprised me and shocked me were the boss intros and defeats. Instead of standing in their karts and monologuing of how they're the best, they actually show how menacing and/or crazy they can be, and spite the main racer when they lose. The map layouts are still the same, and the blinking lights indicate where the next track is. However, I wish there was one area that had a few more exits/entrances, and that there was a warp mechanic to get the other tracks from one's distance. The story might be simple, but there are no real problems with it, and I feel like it has aged well and it's maybe the best racer so far. But, I'm getting ahead of myself. 

The tracks of course have been upgraded, and I have to say: it's definitely a lot colorful. Even tracks like Dragon Mines now have a dragon or two, Cortex Castle has flags with Nina on them, and Hot Air Skyway has other Potoroo-like people on these flying machines. The level of detail has been tremendously upgraded. Though, I think there's too much bloom at times, especially when one has to look for the CTR tokens. As for the soundtrack, I like some tweaks to the songs like Dragon Mines and Crash Cove. However, what was once a big baseline in Blizzard Bluff is sorely absent. And when I was looking for and playing reviews of the old CTR, I heard that CTR was probably not really good. That really hit my heart hard, because I think most of the soundtrack is really good. Some of it is not really memorable, but they do fit the songs of each track. And the fact that I can recall the guitar wail of Crash Cove, the harmonica part of Dragon Mines, and the instrument that plays in Hot Air Skyway makes me appreciate this game a little bit more than other reviewers. Then again, CTR was a childhood game of mine, so maybe there's some bias here, and most other people only heard the sound effects in full force.

 Now for the meat and potatoes of this game, Crash Team Racing handles its racing, items, and collectibles a bit differently from Mario Kart and Diddy Kong Racing. The weight of the cars are more grounded and less floaty than Mario Kart, and the implementation of power boosting relies a lot on the characters and the space to execute such. Drifting is a lot more accentuated in CTR, and jumps and bumps provide that intensity of speed. It was so good back in the day that I think that the Mario Karts took some pointers from it. But, I think the drifting at times can be odd at times, and I can never seem to jump off ledges perfectly here and there. The items in CTR are those similar to those in Mario Kart, but some work a little bit differently. When a driver knocks into a TNT crate, they'll have a few seconds to jump to remove the crate, and bowling bombs are like green Koopa Shells, but they explode after a less amount of time. And the red potion might have been the precursor of the lightning thing in Mario Kart Wii, but maybe that's my imagination. Wumpa Fruit act like the balloons from Diddy Kong Racing and collecting the some colored brick in Lego Racers. The more the Wumpa Fruit a driver has, the more powerful an item becomes, like the TNT becoming Oxide or whatever. Last, are the collectibles. Each trophy will unlock other tracks, and eventually the boss doors. Defeating the bosses will nab the player a boss key, which will open more areas in adventure mode. Then, the player can hunt for crystals in arenas, race in tracks again while this time trying to get the letters that spell out "CTR", and last get the time trial relics by beating the minimum amount of time. Getting some of these collectibles is a breeze, while others are just cheap and unfair at times. It was mostly jumping over bumps and hills and wonky hit detection. Looking at you, third arena B.S.

Like I said, I defeated CTR once before. But, I never actually completed it on my own terms. This time, I did everything in Adventure mode. There's still the Time Trials, but I don't think I'm that skilled to defeat N. Tropy's times yet. Also, there's the fact that this game brought over most if not all the tracks from Nitro Kart. Defeating those times might be nightmare for me and not worth it. Yes, I did say Nitro Kart stuff was in this... including their racers! To unlock some of those characters, the player must buy them at the Pit Stop using... fruit coins, I think, which can be earned by racing. I don't know the coin distribution works, some times I get 20-60 after each race. Characters aren't the only unlockables this time around. Karts, stickers, paint jobs, and costumes can be accessed by playing the game and buying them at the Pit Stop. A few other things are hidden behind other means too. There's going to more content for this game, including Spyro. I loved CTR as a kid, and I think most of the current version holds up well. It might not be perfect, but I'm glad I got the pre-order Nitros Oxide Edition. Playing as Nitros was actually kind of fun.  

 

 

6/24- Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back for PS4 

 

Ever since the N. Sane Trilogy came out and I finished Crash Bandicoot, I haven't touched the other games until now. My experiences with the first game did not go well, as it was perhaps the hardest of the trilogy. I was genuinely more interested in the possibility of the Spyro trilogy remaster... and then it came and I defeated the Reignited Trilogy within a week. So, why was I so determined to finish this game, and eventually this trilogy now? Simple: Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled. I reminded myself I still had unfinished business, even though I had a bad feeling and knew what I was getting myself into. But, maybe the sequel is a lot better, and a lot better than I thought it would be. 

After the events of the last game, Neo Cortex falls into a cave, where he discovers a crystal. He plans on taking over the world with his new found resource, but his lackey N. Gin says it will take a lot more crystals to power up Cortex's ship. Cortex hatches up a plan to let his rival, Crash Bandicoot, do all the dirty work, since Crash isn't the brightest to begin with. Meanwhile, after Crash's sister Coco tells Crash to find a new battery for her laptop, she is immediately kidnapped by Cortex. Again, Crash doesn't know what Cortex is planning and what happened to her sister. The player knows that Cortex is still bad, but because Crash is an imbecile, the player will have to collect the crystals anyways. Coco's addition to the roster is an appreciated welcome, since she's somewhat a foil to Crash's odd nature. The plot might be not be the best, but because Crash is a lovable goofball, the player will just have to roll with the silly premise. 

Because Crash is no longer restricted to the Wumpa Island thanks to Cortex's warps, that means the locations expand to more places outside of the jungle, cave, ruins, stream, boulder, and castle tropes. First are the lovely but treacherous ice levels, which bring in okay ice physics. Next are the sewer levels, which play similar to the castle levels, but also include electrical eels and robotic animals. Last are the futuristic levels, which house annoying enemies and hazards. Most of the other themes return, but all of them are beautiful. There's less cohesion than the first game, but I'll accept the change. And, I think the music in Crash 2 is a lot better in my opinion.

Now, playing the game is where I thought I was going to have the most problems. And it still is... but, Crash 2 has a lot of improvements. The slide and belly flop made hitting enemies and traversing though levels a bit easier. Though, the belly flop is a lot more situational, whereas the slide is more useful. And that's all. Crash still has the same controls as the last game, but was given two more abilities to make playing Crash 2 a bit easier. I also think the layouts of the levels are more forgiving... for the most part. Landing collision at times still feels a bit wonky, and I swear at times I did the right inputs. But, Crash has gotten some other new additions that are level gimmicks, including the aforementioned stuff. First are the rocket boards, which Crash can traverse water on. Next are the turbo pads that are somewhat a double-edged sword in some cases during autoscrollers. Replacing the horrible hog levels from the first game are the polar bear levels, which control a lot better. And, BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES! ...*ahem* There two other ones, but I think they're so fun, that spoiling them might not be a good idea.  


Except for one that is really tricky to defeat, none of the bosses are hard or unfair. They're more impressive than what the first game had. Crash 2 is in the middle of the road when it comes to difficulty... but I'd argue that it's a correct progression curve. Crash 2 is definitely better than Crash, and who knows where it might place on my Top 100.  

 

6/25- Crash Bandicoot 3: WARPED! for PS4 

 

It's done. I've finally defeated the N. Sane Trilogy like the Reignited Trilogy. Even though I hated the first Crash with the amount of B.S. I had to go through, I found the second game to be a bit easier but still a little bit tricky. So, it's come to this. What do I personally think of Crash 3?

The story begins with a darker tone, as Uka Uka, an evil deity and twin brother to Aku Aku (the mask that saves Crash countless time), has broken free from his prison thanks to the ending of the last game. He gets really angry towards Dr. Neo Cortex for failing to conquer the world twice, but is grateful that he is no longer imprisoned. Uka Uka will help Cortex this time, and brings along a new villain, N. Tropy, a master of time portals. Meanwhile, Aku Aku warns Crash and Coco about his twin's release, and tells them that in order to stop Uka Uka and Dr. Cortex, they have to go through the many time portals to gather the crystals before the villains do. Yes, this game sort of has time travel. Because the stakes are much higher and because it doesn't center around Crash being totally clueless, I think this is the best Crash story. The villains even pop in from time to time to break Crash's spirit. Not only is it personal because of the "sibling rivalry", but also because of the bad guys' taunts.  

Crash 3 throws out most of the level themes of the last game, and brings in Medieval, Chinese, Arabian, Jurassic, Egyptian, 50s, World War 1, Underwater, and Pirates inspired ones. The only returning one would be futuristic. Crash 1 wins the world-building category, but Crash 3 wins in terms of variety and newer set-pieces. Not only are the places gorgeous, but the music accompanying them is really catchy too. Even I've heard of the main theme thanks to... CRASH... BASH...  

Now, since Crash 2 made some improvements to better Crash's mobility and attack range, what does Crash 3 do to perfect it? Coco becomes a playable character. (This was her first playable appearance, even if the N. Sane Trilogy allowed her to be playable in all three.) Joke aside, not much at first. Like the last game, the new mechanics mostly come from level gimmicks. Coco rides Pura, a pet tiger, over the Great Wall of China, and although I think Polar controlled a bit better, there's no doubt the death animation is a lot cuter. Arabian brings back the rail climbing from the last game in a few sections, while Jurassic brings back the autoscroller sections with no turbo pads and triceratopses chasing Crash during some intervals. Egyptian has three different gimmicks, and Crash goes scuba diving in the Underwater levels. The 50s, World War 1, and Pirates stages are all vehicle-based, with the Pirates stages being notoriously worse in the N. Sane Trilogy (even though I didn't have much problem with them myself). But, Crash does acquire more abilities after he defeats the bosses, like a double jump and consecutive spins. And guess what the abilities are needed for? TIME TRIALS. Like collecting the gems, I didn't bother with getting those, even if it meant a better ending and more stages. Guess what I think handled collectibles better? CTR Nitro-Fueled and the Spyro Trilogy. Except for N. Tropy, everything in CTR Nitro-Fueled is possible to obtain within days of playing the game, and the Spyro Trilogy are a lot easier to play. And, to be honest, it's still because of the landing stuff and my probably bad depth perception.  

The bosses in this game are my favorite of the series. They are harder than the last two games and are actually more threatening, but are a lot more impactful to defeat. It's not only because of their taunting, but their patterns are a lot more erratic in nature. One boss fight even has a cool gimmick, and the last is maybe one of gaming's best. But, I won't ruin the surprise. Now that I think about it, because of Crash's new moves and I think the level design is near-perfect, Crash 3 is perhaps the easiest of the three, and could be my favorite game of the trilogy. But who knows if it's Top 100 material.

 

  

 6/28- Contra for Nintendo Switch

 

Never beat this beforehand. But I know it's one of the most difficult games of all time. THANK GOSH FOR SAVESTATESCUMMING FOR NINTENDO SWITCH CONTRA COLLECTION! 

Story: Aliens or whatever are invading, and the player plays a buff army dude with no shirt, a bandana, and a gun that can get upgrades. SAVE THE WORLD!

The game is from the NES era, and it actually looks really good. The first stage song is maybe the only thing people really remember about this game (because of the obvious), but I think the other songs are decent too. 

The player shoots one bullet or a rapid fire at a time, jumps, and crawls. Sometimes, he can nab upgrades that are great to next to useless.  

But, let's be honest: the game is rather difficult. In fact, maybe too difficult. Besides the current way of SAVESTATESCUMMING, the game came had a rather infamous code. THE CODE. The KONAMI CODE. TWO UP TWO DOWN LEFT RIGHT LEFT RIGHT B A START! Other than that, the enemies and bosses seem really generic, when they're not trying to kill the buff army guy. I eventually beat it, and now that I beat a hard ninja game, the first Castlevania, and now this game, I'd say I'm somewhat decent at some wild and difficult games.

 

 

7/1- Super C for Nintendo Switch 

 

 

Okay, so Contra is no doubt one of the hardest games ever. I defeated it, but there was a lot of frustration while playing it, and I didn't feel as satisfied when I did. I didn't even place it on my top 100. I know it's because it's an old game, and things were a lot simpler back then. The game is not bad. It's just mediocre. ... So, why did I think playing Super C afterwards was a good idea? What does Super C bring to the table to improve on the basics of the first. 

The game basically takes a lot of its cues from the first game when it comes to the story, graphics, and music. I don't mind that, because the story is still the same and is simple, and it looks and sounds great. Why fix what wasn't broken? So, how does the gameplay fare better? Except for maybe a few power-ups that I didn't get (because I was having too much fun with the spread gun this time around), controlling the army dude is still the same as before. Still, the game feels a lot faster, and there are times when the game goes for an overhead view instead of the back view of the soldier at times. The overhead view works a lot better because there's better mobility of the character isn't as restricted as before, and he can move around in a multiple of directions.  

It's perhaps I played the first game beforehand, but Super C is maybe easier than the first. The patterns feel a little more predictable, and I didn't die as much as I did with Contra. Sure, I savescummed like before, but maybe not that much. The Konami Code also helped, though it was barely noticeable. The enemies might have been given an overhaul, but the bosses were still on the generic side. I think Super C is better by a slim margin, so maybe Contra III can make my day brighter.

 

 

7/6- Contra III: The Alien Wars for Nintendo Switch

 

So, after I played Super C, I was really hoping Contra III was going to be the best of the series, and on a high recommendation for my top 100. So, how does Contra III improve on its predecessors? 

The story is still the same as before, as aliens have invaded Earth once more. Although there is a cinematic intro before the title screen, the player has obviously been here before. Sure, townspeople and cities are once more devastated, but Bill and Lance will save the day for the third time. It's a lot better reading from the manual, for sure. 

Because the game was first released on the SNES, that meant the graphics and music got a lot more detailed. Although it's the same story, it really looks like the Earth is in real peril this time. The first stage throws in fire, while later stages go back to the same alien fortress, but now more scary. But, I'm not a fan of two maps because of the thing I'll go into detail with. 

 I'm glad to say that the gameplay is a little better too. First, not only can the heroes bring in their selection of guns, but both can switch the gun they use and store two at a time, and they also carry mines or whatever. One of the powerups is a shield that lasts for a few moments. Next is wall jumping, which is not really easy to do at first. After that comes climbing and, whether it's going up and down, left and right, and going on a moving platform. Last is maybe the worst: moving overhead in MODE SEVEN! Sure, the player can shoot and move freely, but camera control is a little bit odd, and enemies tend to respawn out of nowhere. I know that's the same with the third person part as well, but at least there the element of surprise was intriguing to know where the came from. In MODE SEVEN, they seem to come out of nowhere.  

Now, with that said, is the game hard? Yes. Even on easy mode. The bosses were even harder to predict this time around because some need mastery of the new things introduced in this game, and worse... there's another I missed because I played Easy Mode. I didn't even get the regular credits. To finally do that, I must beat it on... HARD MODE. I might attempt to do it, but I'm good knowing I defeated it once. 

 

Edit: I did it. I beat hard mode. Savecummed, but I did it. #%#$%$# me!

 

 

7/14- Secret of Mana for Nintendo Switch! 

 

 

Secret of Mana is an RPG I played years ago, but never truly finished. It was because of the Completionist that I got the game to begin with. But, that was a while since my original purchase on the Wii Shop, the show I loved changed since then, and even though there was a remake of this game for newer consoles, it kind of sucked in comparison, from what I heard. When E3 2019 came along, news of the Mana Collection, which even had the international debut of Trials of Mana, got me interested in the series again. Although I thought about getting it for my birthday, I knew I had unfinished business with the second game. I don't think I have any thoughts about playing FF Adventure soon, and I heard Trials of Mana is really hard. I'll just wait for the remake of the third game in the meantime. Because of CTR Nitro-Fueled, I almost gave up on playing Secret of Mana. But, no, this time I was determined. So, I finally defeated it. And... it's a really fun game, despite some hiccups. 

The story begins 15 years after a legendary hero saves the world and its mana (magic life-force) from an evil empire and the vengeful Mana Beasts. Two village boys and the main protagonist, Randi, are walking on a long log over a huge waterfall, and even though they were told it is forbidden to leave the village, they heard of a treasure somewhere beyond their town. However, Randi slips off and falls into a riverbed. Because a mysterious presence told him to do so, and Randi's road to his town is barricaded by tall flowers, Randi retrieves the closest sword. But, monsters soon appear out of nowhere, and the mayor soon finds out that the sword Randi pulled out is none other than the legendary Mana Sword, which once shielded the town from any harm. Until the recent monster dilemma is taken care of, Randi is exiled from his own town. In order to save the world, Randi must find the eight Mana seeds to get their power. However, the same empire from years prior is seeking to destroy the seeds in order to bring back the Mana Fortress. Still, Randi's not alone in his quest. Later on, a noble girl known as Primm and an amnesia sprite named Popoi soon join him for personal reasons. Two of Primm's friends become brainwashed by the main antagonist, and Popoi needs to found out who he really is. And, I'll stop right there, because the game does well with the pacing of its story and characters. The trio of playable characters work off each other really well, making for some really comedic and really tragic moments. 

The graphics are really amazing, and Square no doubt were on top when it came to the Super Nintendo. Nothing sticks out or looks odd... Except for maybe in the heat of battle. When I defeated a few bosses, the information box would sometimes have inverted colors, but that only happened rarely, and that problem didn't last forever. Props to the creator(s) of the monster designs, too. Some of really cute, terrifying, or just cool. And, the music is terrific. It might not be my favorite soundtrack for the system (that so far goes to A Link To The Past, perhaps), but it is really bouncy and energetic when it needs to be. The boss battle theme is perhaps my favorite. 

The gameplay is unique compared to most RPGs of that time. First, it's the first real-time action RPGs, or most notable at the time. Instead of waiting for turns, or just standing in place waiting for a timer to fill up, the player can attack whenever they want to. However, when the timer goes to 100% is when more damage can be dealt, and there is a cooldown system for magic. Next, all three of the characters can be selected at any time. This is useful, because in most other RPGs when the main character dies, the game is over. Not in Secret of Mana. Third, instead of the usual menus, Secret of Mana has a ring system in place. The screens show a character's magic, the items, the weapons, and other useful stuff. Although Randi doesn't use magic, the other two get seven types of magic, with three spells per type. Primm is more of a white/green mage while Popoi is a black mage. There are different amount of weapons that are short-ranged and long-ranged. I gave Popoi long-ranged ones, since I think his defense is the worst. Meanwhile, Primm is pretty versatile, since she's a healer, and she's great as a melee user. Randi is just the best when it comes to close quarters. Each weapon can be upgraded up to their level 9s by giving orbs to a traveling blacksmith. Each charge means more damage to an enemy, even if the enemy has a higher chance to hit a character while they're charging. Items and equipment can be bought from a dancing merchant... and Neko, a feline who tricks players to give up more money than needed. The merchant also hosts the inns, which is good for HP and SP recovery. 

Is the game perfect? No. In my version, sometimes actions would be interpreted as going to the left, even though I didn't input that direction. Next, sometimes magic wouldn't be executed for no reason. I clearly meant to use magic, but sometimes the game refuses to do it. Next, the ally AI can be stupid at times when it comes to moving around walls. Third, sometimes enemies can do a "continuous" attack, which doesn't seem cheap, but it is really annoying. Although, when my character and friends pull it off, it's really satisfying. Some of the status effects are just really lame too, like the balloon and snowman one. And, when leveling up and defeating bosses, even though the HP is restored, why never the SP? There are times when recovering SP is a necessity, so why can't it be regular? Backtracking is not really a friend in this game at times. Also, I don't know why I can only hold four of each consumable item at a time. Faerie walnuts are a blessing, and I wish I could hold onto more Cup of Wishes. And don't get me started on spammable enemies. The ones that just make another version of themselves and repeat ad naseum because of BS hitboxes and evasion. 

Despite that, most of the bosses were fun and creative. The final ones can be a nightmare if not properly prepared. Also, there is a fun trick to make one weapon even more deadly, but it can corrupt save files, so bring a backup. Yes, it does work for the Switch port too. The ending also was a bit bittersweet, but it's a game I had a lot of love for... with a little sprinkle of hate. 

Edit: Forgot the map kind of sucked.  

 

It was so close on being in my Top 100, BTW.

         

7/27- Metal Gear Solid for PS 

 

 

So, on a trip of games I've never played or finished, one that eluded me for a while was Metal Gear Solid. I heard about its impact on video game cinematography, narrative, and backstory. Heck, it had a great importance for stealth as a gameplay option, and Solid Snake is still known as one of the greatest video game characters ever. But, it's been decades since this game released, and many games have improved upon the mechanics of this game. Is Metal Gear Solid a legend... or a myth? 

Here's where I usually talk about story, but... Metal Gear Solid has a huge plot to begin with. So, I'll just have to make a Cliffnotes version. It's the late 90s, and a group of terrorists have taken over an Alaskan territory known as the Shadow Moses Island, home to a nuclear test site. (I think; I skipped over the opening cutscene many times.) Solid Snake is sent by the US government to find out what the terrorists want and to stop their plans. But, things get heavily complicated the further Solid Snake infiltrates the area. A good amount of deception, grey morality, and revenge become intertwined in this game. And, I love and feel bad for Solid Snake, because he doesn't view himself as a hero, but just a mercenary who just is looking for the next mission. The further the plot goes, one gets a feel for what he thinks during his Codec conversations. He doesn't have an ordinary life, and he's grown to accept that, even though he doesn't know what he wants out of the world. The story also delves into the politics of The Cold War... and I'm going to stop there, because I'm not here to start a debate. The writers might have intended for people to think about this kind of stuff, but never thought of future ramifications or possibilities. And, this is as far as I will go. 

Now, graphics and detail are tricky to talk about. The enemies and locations look wonderful and decent, considering this is a PS game. The cutscenes are the true highlight as well, even if the game uses the stuff for a lot of backstory. The Codec call animations are clean and well done too. The only thing that probably hasn't aged are the close-up model of characters. For example, Solid Snake's eyes are never seen, and are instead replaced with a black line. Who knows if it was a stylistic choice or just the tech at the time. When it comes to presentation, another thing to remember is the voice acting. Metal Gear Solid has perhaps some of the best deliveries and lines of that decade, and perhaps of all time. Solid Snake's grunty voice is iconic to this day, thanks to David Hayter. As for the music... it's mostly atmospheric, like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The only song people really remember is "Encounter", because that song often plays when Snake is... well, found. 

The gameplay is where things get really complicated. The mission of this game is not to be found. It's hide-and-seek for 90% of the game. Snake will have to use a variety of items to find vantage points, to camouflage himself, and recover health. There is a map radar system that gives the view and distance of the enemy. Did I mention that this game is more stealth than action? Snake can crouch, hide, and misdirect enemies; but if he's found, the radar will be jammed, the music will play, and enemies will shoot at him. Sure, Snake can use weapons to kill his foes, but there is no lock-on feature, and enemy reinforcements will appear. It's better to hide, hide, hide. Boss fights require the same tactics as well, but they at least don't have minions to back them up. Speaking of backtracking... there will be a few moments of that, even to Snake's dismay. Even of easy difficulty, the game is no cakewalk. 

But, take away the cutscenes and so on, and one will find that this game is about ten hours long. As long as one knows what they're doing, the game can be finished in a week. I know there's a few things I didn't get into, like the VR training stuff, but as a standalone story and game, it's fine. Is Metal Gear Solid a great game? Sure. Some of the stuff has wore its wear, but for being one of the defining games of stealth action, Metal Gear Solid wears its legacy well. Now, because I know Metal Gear Solid 2 is a mixed bag, I'll jump into the third game, which I heard is maybe the best of the series.

 

 

7/31- Fire Emblem: Three Houses... Blue Lions route for Nintendo Switch 

 

 

It's strange. After playing both Blazing Sword and Path of Radiance, I never intended to conquer another Fire Emblem soon. And, after the so-so predecessors Fates and Echoes, I was unsure about the future of Fire Emblem, and especially Three Houses. What really caught me off guard was the roster of playable characters, because it was perhaps the shortest of the series. And, the main character was going to be a professor, who trains one of three teams: The Blue Lions, The Black Eagles, or the Golden Deer. I was a bit skeptical at first, because if Fates didn't work narratively, Three Houses was going to be just as mediocre. But, then I saw the reviews... and immediately digitally ordered the game. I was on vacation at the time, and there were no electronic places nearby. So, I played it for what felt like an eternity. But, why was that, and how much did I appreciate the route I played? 

The game begins with a battle between Nemesis, the King of Liberation, and Seiros, the grand knight of the goddess. Seiros comes out the victor, to avenge her family's death. Jump to a couple hundred years, and the world of Fodland is divided by an empire, a kingdom, and an alliance. (From which I thought they stole from Sacred Stones, since it did that kind of thing first.) A person canonically named Byleth is dreaming of a mysterious woman named Sothis. Much to their surprise, only Byleth can hear and see Sothis. Immediately afterwards, three teenagers, who turn out to be leaders of their respective lands, are attacked by a team of bandits. The woman is caught off guard by one of them, but Byleth jumps in to save her. Byleth dies, but Sothis turns back the hands of time to save him. The scene plays out once more, but this time, Byleth kills the bandit the right way. The teenagers, Byleth and Jeralt, Byleth's father, head out to the... center monastery, the name of which still eludes me. The teenagers are to learn at the Officer's Academy, and thanks to a recommendation from a former friend at the monastery, Jerald once more joins the Holy Knights of Seiros, and Byleth becomes a professor. Byleth then must choose one of the Three Houses: The Blue Lions, headed by Dimitri, The Black Eagles, headed by Edelgard, and The Golden Deer, headed by Claude. 

After looking carefully, I choose The Blue Lions. During the school year, there is a group of villains who want to destroy the holy power of the church and their leader, Rhea. Their motives unclear and their M.O.s unknown, The Blue Lions swear to stop anyone from tearing down the monastery. As for Dimitri, his tale is rather grim and sad. His parents died during a huge tragedy that happened five years ago, and he himself wants vengeance for his parents' murderers. Things go horribly wrong around the last fourth of the school year, as Jeralt is killed by a sinister person, the person behind the invasion of the church is revealed, and during a frontal attack on the monastery, Byleth falls into a dark passage, presumed dead.  

Byleth wakes up five years later, and hears that the monastery is in shambles. With nowhere else to go, Byleth heads out to the place he once taught. Dimitri, thanks to a horrible realization and the invasion that took place, is an utter mess and desires revenge even more. His friends arrive to help out the two of them and rebuild the monastery. The Blue Lions want peace and to take back their kingdom, as a coup happened during the five years, even if Dimitri's sanity is still in question.  

And that's all I'll say for now. The rest of the gang also have their side stories as well, with one of them being a real head-spinner, but The Blue Lions route mainly showcases Dimitri's slow spiral into mental unstableness. There's even a month where he refuses to listen or talk to anyone, making support conversations unavailable for him for a little while. And since Byleth has no family by the end of the first act, he has to keep Dmitri from walking a dark path. 

Now, this is once of the best looking Fire Emblem games to date. The cutscene models look less robotic than the ones I've seen in Echoes, everyone looks wonderful, and the locations are beautiful. The support conversation and talking animations are more expressive, and with each beginning of every month, a drawing of what each moon brings springs into life and detail. It's like a painter making an event come to life! The only thing that is troubling is the moments of pop-ups and slow frame-rates. Then again, maybe it's not a problem with a physical release. As for the music... the first map music is maybe weak compared to others, but the rest of it fits the world of Fodland and its inhabitants. If there's one thing to say, Fodland might be middle in the road from my rankings of the Fire Emblem countries. It's not as diverse and much in lore as Gallia, Ylisse, the three Fates places combined, and Valentia. In fact, before I remembered that Judgral has vast plains and maps of nothing for most of their games, I placed Fodland in the lower tier. The only reason why it's not lower is because of the placement of the kingdom, alliance, empire, and monastery. 

The biggest surprise to get into was the gameplay. Three Houses does away with the free roaming and chapter based structure of missions, and goes with a monthly calendar kind of thing. Not only is this game like Harry Potter, but now it's getting awfully similar to Persona. Every Sunday of the month is a free day, where one can explore the monastery, do sessions, battle (similar to the current games), and rest. Only one of these things can be done, and most events within exploration and battling take up an activity point. After each point is wasted, the free day ends. The battling, sessions, and battling are easy to get into, but exploration is the true meet of the game. One can roam the monastery to talk to other characters, buy and sell items, accept battle and monastery missions, fish, cook, plant food, and so much more. Some of these activities boost the Professor skill, which is necessary to build. Blue lights indicate items, some of which are lost items and gifts. If given to the right people, those two things restore motivation. Another important thing is to study from the professors as well. Because... as I found out, characters from other Houses won't be recruited until certain stats and skills are at the right level. And, I found out too late, because there's a point of no return in this game, and I was only able to recruit two more characters.  

Mondays are instruction days, where the Professor can teach each member of their house which skill to improve at, from swords to riding. Remember the motivation thing? There's a meter of how much a character can learn each Monday for how much motivation a person has, up to four chances/bars. The chances of leveling up a skill depends on a bad, good, great, or perfect rating. When a person gets a bad rating, they lose double the motivation, but when they get a perfect rating for the first time, they regain a bar. But, a person can recover a bar from a bad rating if they are either consoled or critiqued. One can also set goals for up to two skills for a character to get better at. Some characters might not excel at some skills more than others, so pay attention. Then, there's the exercise things or whatever, in which two characters can get better in the riding, heavy armor, and flying skills (since they're not teachable in sessions). After the instruction begins, the whole week up to Saturday moves on. Experience in skills goes up for each character... rather slowly. This is kind of a chore at times, because to get to a new class, a character must take a certificate exam. Yes, there are no longer master seals, and one might find out the leveling bar is no longer existent in Fire Emblem. To get to a new class, one must take the appropriate exam. But, there are requirements, such as the skill's and the character's level, and the right seal. Sure, a character can take an exam underneath the required skill levels, but the character must at least have 30% of passing. Even then... passing is not guaranteed. And some seals and classes are hidden by unorthodox means, like beating this really powerful boss. Last, there are Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, and Master classes. I did not joke, it feels like Radiant Dawn all over again. By the end of my game, about two of my characters were in Advanced classes, while the rest where in Master.

As for battling... battalions and authority skill, new combat skills and combat points, brawling, and monsters (with huge HPs boxes, ways of attacking, and different weak points) are new. Yes, no more of daggers and shuriken, but brawling is still just as fun (because of the 4x hit speed). Durability for items and weapons are back. The weapon triangle has not returned, but this time for the better. Magic, both white and black, is like Echoes' mechanics, but thank gosh they don't need HP to be used. And, the rewind mechanic is very simple, but is limited for how much time can be rewinded. Even though Prologues have returned, the child system is gone, and there's a matter of time when they can be finished.  

The game can take up to at least two days to beat. The enemy AI and bosses are no pushovers at times, especially at the second half. The game does have some faults, but it's still wonderful to play. Now, since I have yet to play the other routes... *plays the game* Thank gosh for New Game Plus. Who knows if this may beat Awakening any time soon.

 

 

 

8/3- Fire Emblem: Three Houses... Black Eagle Route for Nintendo Switch! 

 

 

My experience:

Not as dramatic as the Blue Lions, skipping the cutscenes I've seen, a little anti-climatic at the end, really frustrating at that ONE PART before the time-skip, New Game Plus makes this game a breeze when on other playthroughs, there's always new battles (grinding is never restricted, and money always comes; just don't do the "!" stuff), recruiting everyone is not ideal when there's a time limit and experience goes way too slow (just choose favorites), dark=sorcerer stuff, black magic=anima, there's no weapon triangle (there's still the armor, riding, and flying breaking stuff), and I was left dissatisfied by the end of this route. Route is shorter too. Hopefully, Golden Deer pulls through, since there's one plot thread I never saw resolved. 

On another note, Three Houses by far has one of the best well-rounded rosters, even if it's in the middle of the road for quantity of who I like. I think I'd personally choose Awakening and Sacred Stones over it... and maybe Blazing Blade.

 

 

8/8- Fire Emblem: Three Houses... Golden Deer Route for Nintendo Switch! 

 

 

So, my last playthrough with Three Houses ended with maybe the seemingly black sheep of the routes. With Dimitri on a path of revenge, and Edelgard on a path to change, what could the third wheel Claude provide the story with? 

The story plays out like Dimitri's route, where Edelgard invades the monastery and declares war on the other countries as usual. But, Claude questions the secrets of the church, who the professor really is and their role in the plot, and why Fodland had to be separated not only by lines, but by social status. He also wonders about the true intentions of those "who slither in the dark", and what they are scheming. Still, even though he's looking for a brighter Fodland, the war dampens his plans for a while. Like the Kingdom, some of the Alliance side with the Empire. Until the professor shows up again years later, the Alliance is divided on matters and can't do anything. Claude declares war on the Empire to save Rhea and get answers for everything. Claude, personality-wise and motivation-wise, is different from the other two. He's a laid-back person, but gets serious when the situation calls for it. Claude is a strategist, and mostly thinks about the smaller pieces of a picture and schemes. He doesn't even care about resorting to getting people sick, even if his professor and friends tell him no. He means well, and it's because of his calm-headedness that more people come out alive in his story. Again, he's another foil for his opposites. Claude is about the present, secrets, and making people see Fodland's horizons. At least his story is longer, and his ending leaves no questions unturned.

Now, thinking about it, there's two quests I don't like: the fetch quest, and supply run quest. Although I finally ended the latter... apparently, that one recycles. Nothing good comes out from the first, but renown points. I at least think there should've been more renown points for playing a new game + file.

 

 

 

8/20- Soul Caliber II for GCN

 

 

Back on my nostalgia quest, I decided to next take on one of the biggest arena fighters: Soul Caliber II. Interestingly enough, this wasn't my first introduction to the series, as it was the PS3 version of Soul Caliber IV, which had Darth Vader and Yoda, I think. Also, it's not my first time I dealt with 3D arena fighters, as I believe Tekken 3 was one of the most defining games of that genre. But, what makes the series stand out are that each character carries weapons, whether it's axes, dual swords, or even claws. But, is this game rightfully acclaimed as many people make it out to be, or is it just a broken shard of a distant generation? 

Soul Caliber II is about the search for the Soul Edge, a demonic blade that bathes in power. Some warriors search its power to take over the world, while others want it obliterated. The current host of Soul Edge is Siegfried, a holy knight. To get rid of Soul Edge's mind-control, Siegfried searches for the Soul Caliber, Soul Edge's equal. And, that's pretty much it. But, Soul Edge's power is so deep, that fighters from across countries, from England to Japan want to see its power. It's a world epidemic to put it simple. 

Soul Caliber II has some of the prettiest backgrounds and some the best models to grace gaming history. Like Street Fighter, most characters have their own unique stages that never look out of place and have their own charm. And, the voice acting is phenomenal, even if there's only one or two sentences of dialogue. As for the music, it definitely fits each stage and character. There was even an amazing surprise for a character I chose. 

Soul Caliber II's mechanics are some of the strongest in a fighting game. There's heavy and light attacks that corresponds with directions, a block button, and free movement. I even found a kick button. Combos are a plenty, and there's a grab button... which I have yet to find. It's just really simple and fun to play around with. 

Now, because I played Mortal Kombat 9-11 beforehand, and dealt with a lot of BS fights and so on, I thought it was going to be a pain in the butt playing an older fighter too. Some fighters back then had really tough enemy AI back in their day. But... that wasn't the case with Soul Caliber II. I lost here and there, but that's because I needed to block when able, and attack when necessary. That really came in handy when fighting Inferno, because not only is there only one fight against him, but Inferno switches weapons two times during their fight. Inferno is a tough battle, but I was able to end his reign. And, then the Arcade mode ends. I know there's a few other characters to unlock, but I'm okay with who I got to play with. If one doesn't know, the three versions of Soul Caliber II had different exclusives, and the GameCube version had Link. Ocarina of Time Link. His move-set fits perfectly in the Soul Caliber setting, and I wish that Bandai-Namco had put the other games on other Nintendo consoles. Imagine Pit, Shulk, and Ike being playable in those games! If anything, I want Soul Caliber to come back to Nintendo one day. I mean, some second and thirty party companies have seen the potential of the Switch more and more. Only a matter of time... right? I'm just glad I finally played this game. Even though it's not on my Top 100, I still recommend this game. 

 

8/21- Super Mario World for Wii U. 

 

I've played Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 3, some of the most iconic games on the NES library. After five months from playing the third title, I decided to play the next game I haven't touched: Super Mario World. Although I played the All-Stars versions of those two games, Super Mario World is Mario's true jump into the 16-bit era. Super Mario World has been heralded as one of Mario's best games, if not one of the best video games of all time. With Super Mario Odyssey perfecting the 3D formula, is Super Mario World still as fun to play today? 

Super Mario World takes the adventure from the usual Mushroom Kingdom to a new world called Dinosaur Kingdom. Within the kingdom lies the popular Yosh'is Island, an island full of the cutest creatures ever. Mario, Luigi, and Peach decide to take a vacation to Yoshi's Island. But, after a while, Peach is kidnapped. By Bowser. Mario and Luigi must explore the kingdom to retrieve her. Now, even though the plot is still about saving Peach, and Bowser and the Koopalings are at it again, the new location makes the tired trope more unique.     

Super Mario World is a lot more colorful thanks to the transition to the SNES. And, to be fair, the change of scenery makes this game stand out a lot more. From the greens of Yoshi's Island to the spooky maze known as the Forest of Illusion, not one part of the kingdom feels the same nor out of place. In fact, some of these locations return in Super Mario Kart, such as the Donut Plains and the new Ghost Houses (which are home to some of the most scary yet adorable ghosts: the Boos). The soundtrack is one of the greatest to be composed. Not only does every song fit each stage, but there's a certain mechanic that adds more them. 

Super Mario World is also solid in the game-play department. Although only the mushroom, the fire-flower, and star power-ups return, the game adds the cape feather, which acts similarly like the P-Wing in the last game. The cape feather is necessary to access secrets and other routes. Next is the spin attack, which can damage foes if stomping on their heads don't work (i.e. the Chargin Chucks). There's also the P-Balloon. Which is not really fun to control. Last, but most importantly, is Yoshi. Not only does Yoshi add percussion to the soundtrack, but he's a valuable partner. See an apple? Eat it. See an enemy? Eat it. See a Koopa Shell? Find out what the shell does, and use it! Yoshi also acts as a power-up, where upon being hit, it flees. One can just try to jump on it again, or find another Yoshi egg in a random block. Still, Yoshi's sadly a tool in some cases, where one needs to sacrifice it for getting extra height to access a secret area. There's other moments of fun in each level as well, but I don't want to spoil it all. 

Although I had some control hiccups at times, Super Mario World is a fun game and a lot more accessible than the first three games. The enemies and bosses, old and new, feel right at home in this game and the Mario universe. I hated like only 5% of the stages, but the rest of them are solid. Super Mario World also has its share of secrets and bonus content, in the form of the hidden switches. Most of the worlds have one, so it's very important to explore each stage. Some stages even have different end routes and objectives, like putting a key in a keyhole. I'm not going to try going for THOSE WORLDS, but I'm glad such a surprise existed. Super Mario World has held up really well in a modern setting, and I'm glad I can put it on this list. 

 

 

8/22- Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards for Wii. 

 

Kirby's probably one of the only franchises to have never jumped into the 3D era. Sure, the designs have changed from 2D to 3D, but never the core platforming. This is what is also known as 2.5, where the main playable characters are locked in the foreground while everything else is either in the background or can move between the spaces. The camera changes angles to make it look like the action is in 3D, but the playable characters are not allowed to move in a three dimensional plane, Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards is one of the best examples of 2.D mastery. 

Kirby 64's story is refreshing. A dark entity, most likely Dark Matter, has taken over Ripple Star, a heart-shaped planet full of fairies. One fairy named Ribbon flies off with a crystal, but is pursued by parts of the matter. The matter knocks Ribbon off the crystal, and she crashes into Popstar. Well, she crashes into Kirby. Ribbon has one shard of the crystal, while the other shards scattered onto not only Popstar, but other planets. Kirby agrees to help her find the other shards and save Ripple Star from Dark Matter. Along the way, Kirby fights a corrupted Waddle Dee, Adeleine (a painter), and King Dedede. After they are rescued by Kirby, they follow and help Kirby too. Yes, Super Star did something similar with Milky Way Galaxy, but Kirby 64 also has cutscenes during Kirby's adventure. From first encountering Ribbon to Ribbon's return to Ripple Star, each cutscene is full of charm and laughter. And, since there's no dialogue, each character had to express themselves by movement and facial animation.  

Kirby 64 is cute. I know that's to be said of all Kirby games, but it never gets dull or boring. It's colorful and beautiful. Even Adeleine makes food and so on with his portraits or whatever. This game also has one of the most expressive Kirbys to date, and that's largely due to the cutscenes. As for the music... It's a Kirby game. When does Kirby NOT have a pumping and atmospheric soundtrack?! 

Kirby 64 plays like most other Kirby games, but there are a few things that make it stand out. The jump is mapped to A and Y, and there's none of the automatic Up stuff for floating. Not to mention, the floating only lasts for a few moments. Waddle Dee, Adeleine, and King Dedede join Kirby at certain times, whether it's to provide Kirby clues, go sledding, or break through certain obstacles. By collecting stars, Kirby will get a one-up. At the end of mostly every stage, Kirby has a chance to nab an item from a picnic blanket by jumping correctly. If he doesn't get one, he'll cry. Please don't make Kirby cry. Last, and most importantly, are the copy combinations. After Kirby inhales a power, he's not only able to exhale the power out, but he can throw it at another enemy with a power to make a copy combination. What Kirby can do depends on the combination itself. Some combinations, like the cut-stone one, are cute but not really effective, but others, like flame-rock, have plenty of ground to cover.   


Kirby 64 has some really challenging but fun boss fights as well. Not only are some really creative, but most have two phases to boot. Now, as much as I like Kirby 64, there is one thing I don't really like. The Crystal Shards. Some of them require defeating a boss or just plain observation... but others require a certain copy combination. Yes, there's online walkthroughs now, but going through that without any hints is a little bit annoying. To be fair, this game isn't the only one guilty, and it's not the only one to hide its true boss by means of collecting stuff. Still, Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards is a fun game and worth playing after nearly two decades.

 

8/23- F-Zero for WiiU 

 

I've been a fan of some really fun and whacky racing games, like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, CTR Nitro-Fueled, and Diddy Kong Racing. But, I never really played F-Zero, one of the most hardcore racing games ever. I kind of hated F-Zero because of A LOT OF THINGS, but with the WiiU's save feature, I finally took care of that beast. Was F-Zero a game I thought was too difficult, or maybe it was easier than I thought it was? 

F-Zero doesn't really have a plot, at least in the actual game. One can play as one of four racers/cars, but the one everyone remembers is Captain Falcon with his Blue Falcon. There's three cups with fifteen tracks total. F-Zero also ups the stakes that if one doesn't get third place by the end of the last lap, they lose a life. Each car has a power meter, which not only impacts the speed of the car, but is also the life bar in a sense. It's kind of an interesting premise, as other kart games never dealt with lives and continues as grimly as F-Zero.  

The locations are wonderful. From Mute City's ever-changing streets to Fire Field, the backgrounds change here and there. Though, I wish the course layouts themselves were improved in some regards. Some paths are too narrow for more cars to go through at times, and I got bumped into other cars and obstacles in cheap ways. Also, screw the magnet bars. But, the music itself rocks. The soundtrack is perhaps the best part of F-Zero. 

And, this is where the game's shortcomings come into effect. One's racer must accelerate and drift at all times. There's a boost button... never use it. There's no items. Pure skill. Like I said before, the more the car gets hit, the less power and life it has. Thank gosh there's also a pit stop in the future as well.  

But, that won't stop my thoughts on F-Zero being a hard game. Not only are some obstacles a pain to work with, the layouts are too narrow at times, and each car has a life bar, but the enemy AI at times is cheap. There's an urgency for the racer to at least be third place, but some cars, even those who should be out of the race, bump into me like no one's business. And, what does one get for beating F-Zero? Higher difficulties. That's all. It's not as rewarding as getting the Star Cup or whatever in Super Mario Kart. F-Zero is sadly a game I think people give too much credit for. Yes, Captain Falcon is a great character, but F-Zero is just... lame. It's my least favorite of the racing genre right now. 

 

 

8/23- Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins for 3DS 

 

I thought I was done with Mario for a little while, but since I only had a handheld at the time of this review, I thought about doing one of the most nostalgic handheld games ever- Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins. Super Mario Land was the first GameBoy game (and maybe first portable game ever), but the only real impact of that game came from Tatanga and Princess Daisy, the latter who would finally be a Smash character as a Peach "echo". Super Mario Land was new and fresh, but its length is really, really short. So, the sequel had to be better, right? 

SML2 takes place after the events of the first Land game. Mario returns to his own island, only for it to be taken over by his evil rival: Wario. Unlike Mario who is fit and good, Wario is fat and bad. In fact, Wario is a play on Mario and the Japanese word for bad. Mario must retrieve the titular 6 golden coins to unlock his mansion and to get Wario off his property. Simple, but the rivalry with Wario is a lot more refreshing than Mario vs. Bowser. 

SM2 might be black and white, but it's full of charm. Mario and his enemies look a lot wonderful compared to the first outing on the Game Boy. The lands Mario visit are fun and clever too. From Tree Zone to Pumpkin Zone, everything feels unique and fun. The music fits the usual Mario vibe, and I think it's such an underrated soundtrack. Seriously, has there been any songs from this game that has appeared in another Mario or Smash game? I can't remember. 

SM2 is admittedly a little weak compared to the NES and SNES brethren in terms of power-ups. By that, I mean it uses the mushroom and fire flower ability from the past games. The only unique power-up is the Bunny one, in which Mario can hover in the air to have better positioning for landing. But, the raccoon, tankooki, and cape power-ups have done it better, even if Bunny Mario is great to use in this game. Still, it doesn't impact how fun this game is. 

SM2 is one of the most fun and easiest games on the Game Boy, even if it can be finished in a day and most the bosses are a little bit lame. The last level and the last boss are a bit more challenging, so it's not a total breeze. Wario actually makes use of Mario's Fireflower and Bunny powers, so it's a lot more interesting than Bowser just throwing hammers and whatever and butt-jumping. I was surprised of how different the game was, since I'm a handheld guy myself. Might not be in my Top 100, but it's still a fun time-waster. 

 

 

8/24- Sonic Adventure 2 Battle for PS3  

 

So, after I completed the classic series a while ago, it was inevitable that I was going to play some of Sonic's other well-known 3D adventures. But, where next? I know that Sonic Adventure is a very divisive game, since although it had really fun mechanics with Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, the gameplay of Amy, Gamma... and Big were not as well received. So, it's onto Sonic Adventure 2, which was Sega's last hurrah for being a console company. Dreamcast sales weren't cutting it, so to celebrate Sonic's supposed swan song and his tenth anniversary, Sonic Adventure 2 was going to make a huge bang. It's no joke to think that it was the biggest game of that console. Years later, the unthinkable happened: Sonic and other Sega games were being put on other consoles, such as their old rival Nintendo. Sonic Adventure 2 was ported to the GameCube with "Battle" in the title. Yes, 2P battle was a main selling point for the GameCube port, and I think all of the unlockable characters were accessible from the beginning. One didn't need to progress through the game is what I mean. The game also got HD ports years later for the PS3 and XBOX360. As much as Sonic Adventure 2 was applauded for its time, new criticisms have shown up to make it seems that it wasn't as grand or epic as people made it out to be. By the time I wrote this, it's been nearly 20 years since Sonic Adventure 2 graced the world. So, how much has Sonic Adventure 2 and its "Battle" port held up? 

Sonic Adventure 2, like its predecessor, focuses on differing storylines, but puts two sets of characters in the "HERO" and "DARK" campaigns. In the "HERO" campaign, Sonic is branded as a traitor for committing crimes he didn't do. He escapes (*plays music*) momentarily and finds another hedgehog named Shadow. Sonic figures out that Shadow framed Sonic for his crimes, but Shadow outmaneuvers Sonic using Chaos Control. Chaos Control in this instant allows Shadow to teleport and flee the scene. Sonic is captured once again. Meanwhile, Knuckles and another new face, Rouge The Bat, argue over the Master Emerald. Knuckles is the rightful owner, but Rouge is a treasure hunter. Eggman swoops in to take the Master Emerald, but Knuckles shatters it into pieces. Knuckle's part in his story is to find the pieces of the Master Emerald. Tails flies to Prison Island to rescue Sonic, but also finds Amy cornered by Eggman. After fighting Eggman, Tails helps Sonic escape. Sonic then crosses paths with Shadow again. After their battle, Sonic runs off as fast as he can, as a bomb has been set to blow up the island. After a while, Eggman fires a laser from the Space Colony ARK and blows up part of the moon thanks to the Eclipse Cannon. Tails and Amy then cross paths with Knuckles, and Tails finds out that the President is getting a call from Eggman. Tails finds the President in a limo, and overhears Eggman's demands. Thanks to Tails tracking the signal, he and the rest of the heroes find Engman's base in the desert. The four board a space shuttle, but because the Master Emerald shards fly off due to a collision with an asteroid, Knuckles separates from the crew. While Knuckles is looking for the shards, Tails plans on using a fake Chaos Emerald to destroy the Eclipse Cannon from within. Knuckles fights Rouge for the last time, and go off their ways. Sonic finds out that Eggman kidnapped Amy and demands the Chaos Emerald. However, Eggman knows that the Emerald that Sonic is carrying is fake, and shoots Sonic into the void of Space. Tails gets his revenge by defeating Eggman. Sonic pulls off a miracle by using Chaos Control with the Fake Emerald. (Yes, this is one of the most shark-jumping moments in gaming history.) He lands back on the ARK, and fights Shadow one more time. Sonic then destroys the cannon thanks to the Fake Emerald... but it is clearly seen moments before that Eggman took the last Chaos Emerald while no one was looking. That ends the "HERO" side.

In the beginning of the "DARK" campaign, Dr. Eggman searches Prison Island to find notes of his grandfather, Gerald Robotnik. He unexpectedly awakens Shadow, who calls himself the Ultimate Life Form. Eggman and Shadow plan to find and use the Chaos Emeralds to power the ARK and Eclipse Cannon. They run into Rouge, who promises to help the two for... some reason. The three go to Prison Island, because that is where the Chaos Emeralds were. The events of the "HERO" side still take place, like Shadow encountering Sonic and Eggman holding Amy at gunpoint. Rouge is trapped on the island with the rest of the Chaos Emeralds, so Shadow decides to save her before the bomb goes off. After the power of the Eclipse Cannon is shown, Rouge notifies the others of where the last Chaos Emerald is... or who has it. They chase after Tails, but they don't realize that Tails and the rest are going to the ARK. While the events of the ARK goes down, Rouge looks around the area to find information about Project Shadow. She is actually a government spy sent to track down the movements of Shadow and Eggman. After knowing some details, Shadow confronts her, but he runs off to take care of business. The bad guys win in the "DARK" side.  

But, after both sides are done, the LAST STORY opens up. Assuming most of the events take place from the last two stories, the gang of heroes and villains feel a tremble on the ARK. What they find out is shocking: the ARK is on a collision course to Earth! Because Gerald Robotnik lost his grandchild Maria during a raid on the ARK 50 years ago, he went insane and swore revenge on humankind for her death. So, both the heroes and villains decide to stop the ARK from destroying Earth, by using the power of the Master Emerald to neutralize the Chaos Emeralds. Shadow doesn't care, since he was really close to Maria, and her death also sparked his desire for revenge. Amy gets through to Shadow, and says not all people are evil. Although Shadow had fuzzy flashbacks to his time with Maria, the last one he receives makes things clearer. Before she sent Shadow to Earth, she asked him to protect and save mankind. Realizing he made a huge mistake, Shadow goes off to right his wrong. The gang find the core, which is a temple, and a huge lizard, which is known as the Prototype. Shadow battles it, but although the gang tries to use the power of the Master Emerald, the Prototype uses Chaos Control to merge with the ARK. With no time left, Shadow and Sonic go Super to battle the creature. The Prototype is destroyed, the Ark stops moving, and Sonic uses Chaos Control to warp back to the ARK. Shadow? He... falls into orbit, assumed dead. The rest congratulate on a job well done, and say goodbye to Shadow.  

Sonic Adventure 2 has one of the most complex stories I tried to summarize. It's not as simple as the Classic games, as every character has their own mission. But, it's not as big as Sonic Adventure, since one didn't need to complete six stories to reveal the true ending. But, it was a little jarring to go from a simple plot about saving the world to a complex story about justice, revenge, and the truth. And, although there are obviously some cracks in the plot with notable small details, the rest of it still holds up. About 75% of it anyways... maybe 70%. 

 Sonic Adventure 2 might be dated with some of the models and designs, but it still feels like a Sonic game. From the simple urban environments to the open desert mazes, nothing feels out of place. And, the unique gimmicks don't make each feel the same. Still, there are some gimmicks which can go in a garbage can and be set on fire. I'm looking at you, turn-things in one of Shadow's space stages. Most of the cutscenes are visually impressive, but the sound mixing with the character lines, lip-synching, and music that doesn't fit perfectly. And some character models in a few are just... ugly. Now, although the music is too loud in some instances, the soundtrack is diverse and catchy at times. Sonic and Shadow go metal, Tails and Eggman go industrial, Knuckles goes rap, and Rouge goes... jazz? Well, it's still interesting. Also, who hasn't heard Escape From The City nor Live and Learn in today's world?!  

Gameplay... like Sonic Adventure is also hit and miss. Sonic and Shadow play like the ordinary "GO FAST" mode. They require moments of platforming and running. Knuckles and Rouge go hunting for stuff in huge and massive worlds. I don't like their stages because they're are too spacious, and finding stuff can be a chore after about ten minutes or so. The radar doesn't help as well, and each death means a new location for the stuff. Last, but not least are Tails and Eggman. They ride in their mechs and shoot stuff. Basically, like Gamma in the last game. Tails wasn't originally going to be playable, but fan outrage demanded he had to be. Tails' inclusion was the reason for Shadow's and Rouge's creations. Now, there are some elements which I like from this game. The ability to nab new power-ups is alright, since it's like a progression system. The sense of speed during some Sonic and Shadow levels are intense. But, the rest of it is really garbage. Sonic and Shadow's homing attack doesn't work all the time. I unexpectedly fall off a stage or die due to weird programming I swear is buggy or unintentional. Some enemies are ridiculous to take down. The camera is not my best friend at times. Some obstacles and gimmicks, like I mentioned, are annoying to deal with. Some enemies appear out of nowhere and make contact damage.  

Couple some of my frustrations with some really annoying boss fights and their stages, and I think Sonic Adventure 2 is not as grand as people make it out to be. There's some additional stuff, like the emblems, ranking, and Chao Garden, but I'm not into that stuff like I was years ago. And I don't have time to do the "Battle" mode right now with a friend. There are some good aspects of this game, but it doesn't change the fact that this game is... mediocre. 

 

 

8/29- Banjo-Kazooie for N64... and XBONE

 

Banjo-Kazooie has been a game that was under my radar for some time now. I got the game because of The Completionist and because of its legacy, and before the duo were announced for Smash. Heck, I even have a memory of watching and/or playing the game at an old friends' house when I was a kid. But, there were other games that came out that I had to play, and Super Mario Odyssey was perfect in the 3D platforming genre. Until THAT TRAILER came along, I had no urgency. Still, with a good amount of time on my hands now, I was able to finally take down what many people call the pioneer of the collectathons.  
 

Banjo-Kazooie starts off with a witch named Gruntilda, who desires to be the most beautiful creature in the world. However, Tooty, Banjo's sister, is declared the most beautiful, so Gruntilda kidnaps her in order to swap their beauties. Banjo and Kazooie hear the news, and rush off the defeat Gruntilda and save Tooty. During the adventure, Gruntilda chimes in to mock the pair and praise herself by rhyming. A few characters, who clearly hate Gruntilda, help out the duo. Brentilda, Grunty's nicer sister, gives Banjo and Kazooie personal details about her ugly sister. I'm not sure if Wicked was in some way inspired by Brentilda's shade-throwing. The Tildas had to be references to the Wizard of Oz characters. Still, it's a fun narrative, and like Kid Icarus: Uprising and Metal Gear Solid, some characters even through in meta-humor. If there's one thing I dread about this game, it's saving. After saving, the game shows the success of Grunty's plan, and Tooty even scolds the player for not saving her. The save data is not erased, but it's the only game I can think of that haunts the player for leaving the game for a bit or while. That's just plain rude. Imagine Super Mario Odyssey or Breath of The Wild pulling that off! Bowser marries Peach, and Hyrule is forever doomed by Calamity Ganon! The player is trying hard to stop those events from happening, but at the same time... they need their rest. 

 Okay, the game might not be in HD and looks odd in some places (especially underwater), but I won't deny that Banjo-Kazooie is a colorful game. From the termite enemies to the squirrel who loves acorns, from Treasure Trove Cove to Click Clock Wood, everything screams attention and most of them feel unique. Heck, the NPCs that aren't the main characters talk about their woes and such with distinct voice patterns. Instead of just talking in a familiar language, the game pulls a Star-Fox with noises. Grunty's reflects how maniacally evil she is, while Kazooie's takes on a sassy nature. And do I need to go over the soundtrack? Thanks to Grant Kirkhope and co, this is one of the best gaming soundtracks. PERIOD. When the game starts up, Banjo, Tooty and friends even play the theme song in a cute cutscene. That's a neat touch I'll never forget. Other games, like, Luigi's Mansion, the Fire Emblem Fates trilogy, Octopath Traveler, the Splatoon games, and the 64 Zelda games pull off somethings similar.  

The controls and platforming are not perfect, but are still decent. Banjo can run, jump, punch, roll, and do a ground pound. Thanks to Bottles, new abilities and moves are handed to the pair within the first half of the game. Kazooie can sprint (which is really useful for some slopes), jump, and peck things. Since Kazooie is also in Banjo's backpack, the two can pull off a beak barrage and an aerial flip. Using certain items, Kazooie can throw eggs from her beak and butt, Banjo can use her as a timed shield, and Kazooie can soar into the skies. But, some of the powers also require a pad (flying and high-jumping), or shoes (running really fast and hazard traversal). The shoe power-ups are timed, so don't think they'll make the game easier. While in the air, Kazooie can also charge at an enemy (which for me did not work a lot). There's also swimming, but it too is probably one of the worst aspects of the game. That's not all. In some stages, a shaman named Mumbo Jumbo will be able to transform Banjo into certain creatures. The guy needs a good amount of skulls to do that though. Still, the transformations allow Banjo to enter places that are otherwise inaccessible and to interact with certain NPCs and enemies. So, what's the problem? Some platforming parts I tried to perfect were at times unreasonably denied. Falling da... damage. The reach of some attacks and platforming moves are questionable. There's no Z-targeting, so there's no way to indicate from what angle is good to throw eggs and such. The camera is not a friend at times. One of the transformations has a really difficult mini-game. And have I mentioned the mid-air and swimming controls?!  

 Couple that with some horrible objectives and the fact that if one loses a life, they have to get all the notes and Jinjos in the world from scratch, one may think not all of the game is fun. Seriously, if Banjo can hold Jiggies (the main collectibles), eggs, feathers, and skulls, why not those certain items? They're required items, and Majora's Mask did it better when ALL of the key items were able to be brought back in time. How is that fair or fun? The notes open doors in Grunty's place, and the Jiggies open the worlds. Why was such a restriction in this game? This is why I like Super Mario Odyssey more. Cause I don't need to retry ENTIRE STAGES just to get stuff I might fail at again. Still, not all of the Jiggies and Notes are required to beat the game, and the completing the game is kind of bittersweet. But, imagine spending about thirty minutes at a time collecting notes, only for an enemy to blind-side the pair and make them lose a life. Is that okay?   


It might seem I hate the game, but I don't. Helping out the NPCs and taking care of the bosses felt satisfying when one figures out what they need to do. The final moments of the game were probably some of the most intense things I've ever done. The final level is a board game that tests one's knowledge of the game. Those Brenty hints? Necessary. After that, Grunty hands over Tooty. There's a fake credits scene, and after opening one last note door, and one last puzzle door, the final battle begins. Grunty first flies at the pair with her broom, then she resorts to shooting fireballs, then she resorts to shooting fireballs while high up in the air, then she resorts to shooting fireballs while high up in the air and guarded by a magical shield, and then she finally resorts to shooting fireballs and a seemingly indestructible ball of magic while guarded by a magical shield. And most of the moves the pair learned are instrumental to defeating her. To top it all off, in the last two phases, statue Jinjos arrive to help take Gruntilda down. I hated this final battle at first because it seemed like Gruntilda's AI was cheap and unfair, but once I learned the patterns, I finally finished her off. The real credits roll this time, and some surprises about the sequel are mentioned by the lovable shaman. The thing is, since the sequel is out, i have no reason to find any more of the items. Especially the notes. Some of the locations and stuff are hidden maybe a bit too much as well. With my frustrations aside, Banjo-Kazooie is a cornerstone of the collectathon genre and gaming history. It has quirky characters and worlds that are wonderful and engaging, and elements Super Mario Odyssey, in my opinion, perfected. My thoughts on archaic game design don't detract much of how important this game is. 

 

An update: This is one of the Rare cases I did something interesting. I bought an XBONE right after I beat the game the first time. I plan on getting and playing other games for the system, but one of the games on my list was the exclusive Rare Replay. Shocking, since Microsoft was sort of responsible for their downfall. But, surprisingly, the Rare Replay version of Banjo-Kazooie is actually rather better. The game looks miles more beautiful, even if there were some odd glitches here and there. Controlling the pair is still not perfect, since even though the swimming is better with analog control, sometimes I accidentally pull of the Wonderwing move by accident because where it's mapped, and the camera is stuck in the past. However, the music notes and Jinjos don't go away after one loses a life, which made completing the game that more fun. That still doesn't forgive the game for some archaic platforming. And I misinterpreted the information about the secrets. Besides the stuff for the sequels, getting most if not all of of the music and Jiggies grants the duo twice the amount of eggs, red feathers, and gold feathers... or full refills if the player already inserted the cheats. Yes, I forgot to talk about Cheato, Grunty's cheating spell-book, and Bottle's puzzle thing. Cheato will give the player three cheat codes, provided that you find it in three locations of Grunty's lair. As for Bottles, the two can return to Banjo's house and complete timed jigsaw puzzles for seven cheats, that just make the two bigger or Banjo a washing machine. Cheato's cheats are much more reasonable, but maybe some people like making the pair silly. I had a lot more fun with the Xbone version this time around. Because I heard that the sequel is... mediocre in comparison to the first, I won't play Banjo-Toole for a while. 

 

8/31- Killer Instinct 2013 Definitive Edition for XBONE 

 

 

As a gamer who knows some of the video game industry drama, I know that Microsoft is perhaps not the best of companies. Kinect is not really golden, the XBOX360 ring of death is stuff of nightmares and legends, and they were responsible for the decline of a famous 3rd party: Rare. For a while, I was okay with not having the current next generation, mostly because Microsoft scolded backwards compatibility, though they eventually made that possible. I used to have an XBOX 360 with my bro, but college among other things decreased my faith for the Microsoft brands. Even a few franchises that were Microsoft exclusives and such slowly went into decline. But, a miracle before my 29th birthday happened: I bought an XBOX One, or an XBONE to make it sound nicer. But, why? Well, it was first because of the updated version of Banjo-Kazooie from Rare Replay (I plan on playing the other games in that package, I just want to appreciate Banjo-Kazooie a bit more), but there were other exclusives that I've been missing out on, including Killer Instinct. Killer Instinct was originally made by Rare, and I heard really good things about the current game. I've played Tekken, Mortal Kombat, and Street Fighter games to know that a fighting game does well when its characters, stages, music, and means of combat blend together. Tekken 3 is still my favorite of the fighting game genre, but now that I played the 2013 reboot of Killer Instinct, has my opinion changed? 

Killer Instinct 2013 is about the shady organization Ultratech, a company that deals with making super soldiers of the future. Depending on the character, they want justice and vengeance against the monstrous corporation, or to help them out. Now, the story is maybe nothing new. Street Fighter has Shadaloo, Mortal Kombat has Shang Tsung, Quan Chi, and Shao Khan, and Tekken has the Mishima Zaibatsu. Sadly, one never gets to battle the leader of Ultratech, but instead a robot named ARIA. What makes a roster stand out is its characters. Sabrewulf is a werewolf, Glacius is an alien that has an ice figure, Riptor is basically Yoshi but way deadlier, Hisako is vengeful spirit, Aganos is a war golem, and Cinder is an evil Human Torch. The rest are basically variations of the fighting game archetypes, but I won't lie in that B. Orchid is cool, and TJ Combo is an underrated boxer compared to Balrog, Striker, and Steve Fox. It's not as diverse and other-wordly as Mortal Kombat, but it feels a bit more diverse than Street Fighter and Tekken. I'll go and say that Killer Instinct has grossly underrated characters. You don't hear Jago or B. Orchid in the same breath as Johnny Cage, Ryu, and Jin Kazama. Or even Siegfried. Now, like the current Mortal Kombat games, there's arcade and story modes. It confused me at first because of the "Season" monikers, but they play like the traditional stuff we now have. 

Okay, I got to give Killer Instinct credit in its character designs and stages. With a few exceptions, everyone stands out, and the Definitive Edition even has classic skins for older characters. I played arcade mode with classic B. Orchid, cause her design is cool... HOT... The stages go from buildings to a city to even a web. I think I might be looking over some stages, but each stage is set at night. This is the game I can think of that doesn't use daytime. I'll have to check that again later. I haven't gotten into the music yet, but I remember having no problems listening to it when battling.  

Now, what makes Killer instinct unique in its fighting system? I know it sounds not as impressive or important, but the sense of speed is clearly present, compared to today's contemporaries. Even when playing slower characters, no one feels sluggish. The combo system is a hidden gem. Pressing different buttons in a fast manner means more hits and more combos. And I feel like there's more actions when doing such compared to modern fighting games. Because of the combo system and the speed, Killer Instinct feels a lot more offensive than defensive. But, that's not to say that defense is not vital, since blocking and dodging the combos saves the chances of winning more. There's also a Shadow Bar, which acts like a Super Meter. in order to pull it off, a combo must be initiated, and then a button must be pressed, either LB or LT. And then, there's the Ultra Combos. Pulling this off requires the enemy to be down on their last peg of health. But, it's so cool to pull off. Maybe there's an easier way to pull it off, but doing it at that moment is fun. It's a FINISHER from Mortal Kombat, but I feel like the Ultra Combo is more satisfying. And I don't know how it works, but COMBO BREAKERS are fun too. Last, each fighter has two health bars. Now, this might not seem out of the ordinary, but it's kind of like Marvel vs. Capcom and Dragon Ball FighterZ, where each character has their own health bar and a character is switched out when they're defeated. After a health bar is finished, the next round begins. But, the player who won that round still keeps the health they had and their health doesn't replenish. Because of that health system, fighting also becomes a tactic in some regards. For the person with less life, how are they going to make a comeback, and for the person with more, how can they capitalize on that? It makes the fights more dire and deadly, which I think is what Killer Instinct intended. It knows it's a little bit unfair.  

And that's all I got through. I'm sure the multiplayer is good, and playing more characters makes the game a lot more fun. I even got all of the characters, like General RAAM, The Arbiter, and Rash. I wonder why there hasn't been a new Killer Instinct, because it's been nine years since this came out. Maybe the sales weren't as good. Still, Killer Instinct 2013... is a fun game, and I wish people talked about it more. Tekken is my only fighting game on my top 100, but I'll be darned in saying that Killer Instinct 2013 is bad. 

   

9/8- Dragon Quest III: Seeds of Salvation for iOS 

 

 

As a person who played the first seven Final Fantasy games, I questioned if there was any point to playing the Dragon Quest games. It was owned by Enix, who would later merge with Square, but even then, not much people talked about Dragon Quest. And, compared to Final Fantasy, less people played the Dragon Quest line. So, what changed? ... I NEED A HERO!... Sorry, The Hero from Dragon Quest XI arrived as a DLC fighter for Smash Ultimate. It wasn't just The Hero from XI, it was also the ones from III, IV, and VIII. So, with Dragon Quest getting more praise, I wanted to know what made the series stand out. From what I know, III is the best of the NES trilogy and is a prequel to the events of I and II, so I'll start there. 

The game begins with THE HERO (commonly known as Erdrick, so I'll call him that for now on) dreaming. A sage gives Erdrick a mission to stop the Archfiend Baramos from trying to take over... EARTH, or the DQ version of it. But, with many monsters out and about, Erdrick also takes three other customizable companions with him. It's awfully similar to Final Fantasy, because the means of progression is nearly note-to-note, and there is a huge twist. In this case, about 2/3rds into this game, Erdrick and co. land in the world which would be known as Alefgard in DQ I. Now that I think about it... *checks*... It does seem like its ideas could have influenced FFIII. But, that's just a thought. There's also a bit of personal involvement, since Erdrick's father also went to stop Baramos, but there have been news of his disappearance... or death. Erdrick not only has to save the world, but also to find out what really happened to his father. Right now, it definitely beats the first three Final Fantasy games in terms of story.  

Since I played the game on the iOS, the game got a visual overhaul, and it looks better because of it. It's not perfect, because some dungeons and towns looked the same even with different layouts. But, because the world is based on the real Earth, the way to really distinguish a place from another is the NPC's dialogues and dialects. And the map. Personally, I think the worlds in this game stand out more than the ones in the first six Final Fantasy games. But, maybe not the one in VII. Still, even though I know the music is great, I sadly turned the volume down here and there. There's not much variation when it comes to the towns, enemies, and overworld. Heck, even some bosses have the same music as the regular enemies. It does get better when the twist happens, but not much. It that regard, anything from the Final Fantasy series, blows DQIII's out of the water. 

Now, because I've played a similar series, trying to enjoy DQIII's gameplay was going to be a challenge and interesting. Dragon Quest III has similar classes, but one of the buddies can be a merchant and other distinct builds, and there is a place where one can hire and drop any of their customizable teammates. Actually, DQIII was the first to have the class system. Still, compared to FIII, the quantity of how much characters one makes means little because of the party size, and when a character changes class, they'll have to start from level 1. The only upside from switching classes is still taking certain spells and the like. A mage can still use healing spells, a priest can still cast damaging magic, and so on. The camera of battles, unlike Final Fantasy, is locked onto the enemies. The only controllable person is Erdrick. The rest follow tactical commands, which sometimes will work out right. Last, and this is what stunk, there's no way to choose Erdrick's target for each turn. True, he can hit one group of enemies, but there's no way to choose the same one for each turn. And, who knows if the teammates will follow suit and hit the same target. As a Final Fantasy fan, it felt completely backwards. But, thankfully the game's AI is merciful, for the most part. Even though I'm lost about how the equipment system works, most of the spells in the games are fun to use. Well, when one knows what they do. Seriously, who made ZOOM the name of the Teleport spell?! (But, the ZOOM spell also made its debut here, so I'm grateful there's that.) I almost forgot the day-night system that the Pokemon games would later include, but it just became a nuisance to wait for day to arrive. I always hated nighttime, because most of the stores were closed, except for the inn.  

There's a few other nitpicks and problems with the game. One: navigation and progression. I had no idea where to go or what to do for at least half of the game. Sure, the NPCs help at times, but they sometimes mention stuff that I don't know where it is. The map doesn't even say anything, and until I knew about ZOOM, I wandered aimlessly on the main world. (Apparently, the game's scope was larger than I and II's.) Despite being available around the same time, I somehow knew where to go in Final Fantasy I, and to an extent FFIII. Next, some enemies have those stupid desperation attacks, and can even attack twice or attack every one of my characters. One could argue the same for the first three Final Fantasy games, but at least I know that they changed the battle system for the better for the later games. Last, the bosses. Not only does the music not fit the tone of them sometimes, but does it feel like there should have been a few more? I often wandered in a dungeon to think how I'll take down the boss of that area, when... all I had to do was find an item. It felt anticlimactic and disappointing. And, this is where I noticed the often poor excuse of the enemy quality. Of course, Final Fantasy has a similar problem, but never have I been bored at looking at the same creatures. And it somehow gets worse in the other world! I fought a Slime, one of the most easiest creatures in the universe, there! Not only is the quality weird, but the game balancing too! ... The monster arena is also new, but I rarely touched it, since I never won most of the time. 

However, that's not to say I hate this game. Like I said, I love the story and worlds. Some of the spells are amazing, and, some of the bosses were a joy to defeat. It's just that I had to compare this to a beloved RPG series I played more of, and to see how it holds up in comparison. Dragon Quest III is a good game, but there are flaws that can't be overlooked. Especially for an RPG. Overall, it's just okay. Hopefully, the later games pick up most of the slack.

 

 

9/9- Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Edition for XBONE

 

In my teenage years, the Halo series was one that I was sort of familiar with. My childhood friends and I would often play multiplayer matches when the games hit their biggest impact with 3 and Reach. In fact, my brother got the Halo 3 XBOX360 when the game came out, and we kind of had a blast with it. But, we moved on since then, and the series never captured that moment since Bungie no longer worked on Halo. The XBOX360 was also sold when I went to college, and I never came back to the XBOX line until recently. For old times sake, I thought it would be a great idea to buy THE HALO COLLECTION, which had Halo 1-4. Sadly, no Reach, but that was sort of a prequel to begin with, and maybe not many people play it nowadays. Still, like Splatoon before it, I never really played through the story mode. To this day, I wondered why the MASTER CHIEF became an icon in gaming history, and why so many people want him in Smash. He might never be, but his story was one that always eluded me. 

Halo: Combat Evolved starts off in media res, in the middle of a war. The UNSC, or the Earth's forces, are trying to fend off The Covenant, an alien race who wants to take over the world. The Covenant's second goal is to obtain Cortana, the Earth's... information, I'm guessing, but it's bad news if they take the female AI. The captain of The Autumn commands his underlings to open up and wake up a certain person who's been cryogenic sleep for a long time. MASTER CHIEF. Although the crew needs him to get ready, there's no time. The Convenant attack The Autumn, and the captain orders his men and Master Chief to take Cortana with him. Some of the crew and Master Chief flee, but they land/crash on the nearby surface of a Halo ring. Only Master Chief survives the crash, and with nowhere else to go, his mission is to find out where he is, to find any other survivors, and to save the world from The Covenant. Things become worse, however, when Master Chief learns more. Halo: Combat Evolved reminds me a bit of the usual space opera stuff, but with each stage, the action and suspense only tenses up. There's never a dull moment in the game, because there's hordes of enemies in nearly every room and world, to the point of near exhaustion. Although Master Chief regularly meets other marines and talks with Cortana in his mind, the game is a solo mission. ... Unless, one has a buddy with them. But, I don't right now, and Master Chief usually feels alone in his adventure, so that would ruin the immersion. 

Okay, I love the new setting of Halo, and the variety of color for each location, but if there's one thing I knock Halo off for, it's level design and layout. Because the color palette for each stage does not change for the most part, it was hard to distinguish one room for another. It got really old, really fast by the second half, where I swore I got to the end, only to find out there was more. Not only that, but many of these levels are too spacious. And, with Master Chief's walking speed... expect for nothing to happen as one gets lost. There's a radar, but I wish there was a map at least. If Cortana is able to download any information, where the heck was a map feature? The game pauses when I pull out a menu, so it can't be because of that. As for the music... it's atmospheric. Besides the main theme, not many of these tunes are catchy and memorable. And, is it me, or is the music too loud, or the voice over work too soft? I couldn't hear my party most of the time. 

Back in the day, Halo was praised for being an innovator in the FPS genre. Since I know Doom, Wolfenstein, and Goldeneye 007 games came out before, there had to be a reason for its legacy. Multiplayer could hold up to sixteen players (which was impractical back in the day), the science fiction nature lends itself to new vehicles and weapons, the health system is unique, a player can attack and throw bombs while holding a weapon or two, and the AI is not really that bad. Honestly, it's not that bad... though, I wish the vehicles were better to control. Still, because of the success, the series was often the most dominant FPS line of the 2000s, so I'll give it that.

There's still a few things i have a problem with. There... were no bosses. Just hordes of enemies over and over again. And, fighting wave after wave of enemies with no payoff got very boring and frustrating, until a certain thing was available. In fact, there were too many enemies in the later stages, that I sadly just wanted to sprint and get them over with. Even the ending felt lame, because I was so excited to see how all my efforts as an amazing war hero paid off. It... didn't. It was like the people at Bungie were so focused on the multiplayer, that they didn't really test the game for its story campaign. It's not a bad story, but it was disappointing.  

Halo: Combat Evolved is a cornerstone of gaming legend. Though it's rough by today standards, its importance to a genre that would become larger in later years is most notable. I might not ever touch it again, since later games are perhaps better, but I'm glad that it at least exists. Not one of my Top 100, but I can't say it's bad. 

 

 

9/15- River City Girls for Nintendo Switch 

 

Although I rarely go back to it nowadays, I love some aspects of River City Ransom. Not only is it a beat-em-up, but it has RPG elements and a currency system. The more enemies one beats up, the more powerful they get. Most other games of the genre had characters that were just buff and strong from the start, but with River City Ransom, one had to earn that strength. Although it's not on my Top 100, I can still say that River City Ransom is a unique experience. Decades later, we got a similar approach with Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game. I love that game and movie to death, and it still ranks highly for me. But, beat-em-ups are really rare today. Sure, there's been some new Double Dragon games, but not much else. That was until recently, when I discovered River City Girls. Little did I know at first that it was part of another series, but I didn't care. It's a spiritual sequel to a game that I think is overlooked and under appreciated. So, how does River City Girls play homage to the series and does it bring anything new to the table?

The story begins with two high school females, Misako and Kyoko, in detention. They clearly don't want to be there. Suddenly, one of them (I forgot which), gets a text and picture that their boyfriends, Kunio and Riki, have been kidnapped. Although the teacher wants them to pay attention, the girls say screw it, and go on an adventure to save their boyfriends. THAT'S THE POWER OF LOVE. *guitar riff*. I love the simple premise, and the game is full of fun meta-moments that make fun of the usual gaming tropes. For example, before a boss fight, a boss is explaining their motive, and Kyoko, the meaner of the duo, just wants the fight to begin and doesn't really care. In fact, the two girls remind me a little bit of Banjo and Kazooie in that regard, and of course Misako is the Banjo of the pair. I just love it when a game tries to balance both the tense and comedic moments. Sure, the game is set in a franchise and world that's not really known, but the story is simple enough that I didn't need any background information or Wikipedia to look up.  

I'll keep this short: the game is vibrant. The pixel art work is a homage to the SNES and Genesis beat-em-ups, and it works well. Not only that, but there are boss intro cutscenes and comic book panels that play out certain scenes and backstories. The voice-over work is amazing, and there are a few people from YouTube who voiced some of the characters and cameos in this game. And the music... YES! Not only is it bouncy and energetic, but there's a character that plays off part of the soundtrack. I love it, I love it, I love it!

So, it's time to talk about the combat. The game has co-op, and there's an option to have friendly fire. (Uh, what? In a beat-em-up?) The character can jump, punch, kick, do combos, and defend. Like Final Fight before it, the girls can pick up and use weapons to beat up enemies. And... they can even pick up and use enemies too, which was a first for me. Throwing weapons and enemies can happen as well. When an enemy is stunned, the girls can beat them up even more or throw them. But, here's a twist. If an enemy is begging, one can beat them up some more, or... recruit them. A recruit can jump in and attack like normal, but only for a moment, and if they're hit too much, they're gone. Think of them as assist trophies in Smash Ultimate. Leveling up a character not only restores their life, but they get stat growths, and can learn more moves and even special moves. Where can one learn the special moves? At a dojo... headed by certain cameos! The girls need money to learn the special moves, however, so the girls must get cash by beating up the enemies. 

The girls have cell phones which not only have a map, but other stuff, like accessory and food management. To get food, the girls need to buy it at stores with cash, just like River City Ransom. But, they can either eat the food now, or just hold on to it. Okay, so the only real complaint I have with this game is when a game over happens, the girls lose a real good amount of money. I have seen a wallet go from around 500 to 400. It's annoying. Plus, getting back the money isn't really easy, when some enemies drop like $2 each time, and some of these enemies surprise attack out of nowhere and even unfairly chain combo. But, why is it important, if I can just buy food to replenish health? Simple, I want to buy lessons for special attacks. But, some of the specials cost around up to 400 dollars. Sure, I could leave the area if an enemy is giving me a hard time, but then... there are some stages which momentarily lock the player out of leaving, until they defeat a wave of enemies. And if there's a game over... they start in that area, and have to stay in that area until that wave is defeated. It's not like some of the specials are worth it, but the headstand and dropkick moves were vital enough for me. The latter was kind of necessary during a very lame section that I felt was not needed in this game. 

Annoying currency problems aside, that's not to say the game is impossible. The waves are manageable, and although each boss comes with their own challenges, defeating them is actually satisfying. Sure, there's some cheapness, but with enough time and patience, beating the bosses are worth it. And, the ending is kind of hilarious compared to most beat-em-ups. If anyone is in a mood of beating up random people, River City Girls is a high recommendation, even if they never played the series this game is really a spinoff from. It pays respect to the genre it is a part of, while adding a few new sparkles to make it interesting. It's not my favorite, as Scott Pilgrim can testify, but there's enough heart to give it a try. And although this too is not on my Top 100, I'll give it an honorable mention! 

 

 

9/15- Assassin's Creed for PS3 

 

 

 

 


 

I'll say it now: I have never been an Assassin's Creed fan. I know that it's an open sandbox stealth genre with inspiration from many different timelines and eras, but... I can't remember why I never played any of the game. Maybe it was because I was in college around then, and didn't have my PS3 with me at all times. It was until Far Cry 4 for the PS4 that I never got into that kind of exploration. So, why now? Simply, I played this game during a time of learning: September. Other than that, I had no real reason to play it. But, maybe there has been something that I missed all those years that ignited a passion for finally playing this game.  

 

The game begins with Altair, a master assassin, retrieving an interesting item from a holy place, along with two brethren. The plan goes horribly wrong thanks to his pride, as one of this brethren is killed, while the other one is gravely injured. Things become worse, as a Crusader attack, thanks to the efforts of the Templars, takes place at the assassin's quarter. Though he saves the headquarters, his superior, Al Mualim, strips Altair of all of his equipment. Altair is ordered to take down nine Templar leaders to restore peace to The Holy Land. Although Altair surely but slowly regains his rank, he later begins to have doubts about his targets. Back in the real world, a company named Abstergo and one of its leaders Dr. Vistic forces a man named Desmond Miles to relieve Altair's memories so they can... do something. Desmond is held captive, and the only thing he can do is go into the Animus, a machine that can make genetic memories into virtual reality. He's kind of playing a video game, in that regard. In order to unlock the later memories, he must play the events that took place before it. Like Altair before him, Desmond is barely told any information about Abstergo, and does not know why he's in one of there headquarters. Both Altair and Desmond are looking for questions, but... what they find out is shocking. Truth be told, the premise is kind of cool. A virtual reality machine that can link a person with an ancestor's memory is very unique, and it can lead to different kinds of possibilities. Still, there's the consequence of using past information to shape the future of the world. And, there is a lot of interesting historical and moral discourse, like who knows if a person is doing the just thing, even if it's not by good means. And, although Altair views himself as a hero for those who don't know it, the Templars think that what they are doing is for the benefit of mankind.  

 

In regards to the design, it's really interesting to think about. The team used real locations and events during THE THIRD CRUSADE as an influence of what to do. A few places, including Jerusalem, were used as templates for Altair to roam and move around. Because of the research and amount of detail that goes into the game, I cannot praise it high enough. That level of commitment is noteworthy. The music is atmospheric and nothing more. 

 

At the beginning of the game, the game tries to give Desmond too much information at once, so like Altair, he has to start from square one. The Animus gives him a tutorial the basics, around the time when Altair loses all of his rank. It's kind of like Metroid. To learn more stuff and reacquire his weapons, Altair must take down his targets in each city. But, where to start? Altair must locate the Assassin's Bureau in a each city, synchronize his eagle vision to reveal important NPCs, and do three tasks to know what each Templar leader is doing. Because it is a stealth game, citizens will be curious about his presence, and the guards will either do nothing or attack Altair on site. Thank gosh is the combat is fair and useful, somewhat similar to Ocarina of Time. If there's too much trouble, Altair can hide in certain places before his status becomes normal again. I have to say, climbing on buildings and ledges is fun, even if the controls are a little awkward. 

 

The game becomes a lot more intense when Altair gets more weapons, and because the enemies' patterns are not easy to predict at times. I wish Altair would kill each guard for each counter, but oh well. Still, the only other thing that really bothers me is Desmond. He just talks and walks, and does not really do much else. Other than that, he's no Altair. The first Assassin's Creed might be a bit basic at times, but there was genuine thought when it came to the story, so, I thank Ubisoft once. If there's a few things I hate... it's those darn street beggars and completely weird men that randomly push Altair because they're jerks for no reason. Not on my Top 100, but still a really impressive game. 

 
 

 

 

9/16- Fatal Fury: King of Fighters for Nintendo Switch 

 

 

When one thinks of fighters, what usually comes to mind? Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, and Tekken, the trilogy of classics. But, there has always been one lurking in the distance: King of Fighters. (And Killer Instinct.) With its tag team 3 vs 3 system, it surely is talked about much in the competitive scene, right? Not really in modern times. When one thinks of the pivotal fighting characters, people tend to talk about Ryu, Sub-Zero, Jin Kazama always. There are rare and scarce conversations about Mai Shiranui and such. With the underdog series in people's subconscious, why is there any need now to play these games? ... Simply, Terry Bogard. His inclusion is Smash Ultimate has made the series well known again. I'm not sure if it will mark a rise in KOF sales, or will make Nintendo consider putting the upcoming KOF game on the Switch, but it's a start. And, other brands, like EarthBound and Fire Emblem, have benefited from representation in Smash. Weirdly enough, this could be my second King of Fighters game I've beaten in a sense, since Fatal Fury is considered a prequel or such to the current fighting series. I played KOF 14, but because I was unfamiliar with the series, there were some things that flew over my head. Like the other characters before him, I wanted to know if there was any reason why he and his series is now represented. 

The game is about Terry Bogard, a man who wants to avenge the death of his father. A man named Geese Howard killed Terry's father ten years before the plot of the game. With the help of his brother Andy and his friend Joe, Terry sets out to participate in the King of Fighters tournament. Okay, so maybe it's not as grand as Street Fighter II, and the character roster is weaker, but Fatal Fury does one thing a little better than Street Fighter II, possibly Mortal Kombat, Killer Instinct, and Tekken. The main antagonist, Geese Howard, is shown through cutscenes between fights. He talks about Terry trying to thwart his plans and thinks about fighters who could stop him. From a narrative standpoint, Geese intrigues me more, because there's true motivation to try to defeat him. And, the characters the trio have to defeat talk about Geese like he's untouchable and strong. No other fighting game around that time made their main antagonists felt like they were just going to be hard until the boss finally shows up. Maybe Mortal Kombat, but most of the characters from Outworld are super strong too.   

From a visual standpoint, Fatal Fury is beautiful. Even though the game takes place in a local setting, compared to Street Fighter being international, the stages are different enough to work. And, the one thing I really like that makes this game stand out is the changes of scenery. The first round takes place in the morning, the second in the evening, and the last at night. One stage even has rain! Not much people talk about that cool effect, and it's rare to see such things in fighting games. The music is... okay. The only real song stuck in my head is the final battle against Geese Howard. 

The gameplay is weak as well. Compared to SFII, there's not much in terms of special attacks, and the speed is kind of slow. But, the one unique thing little to no other fighters have done are foreground and background switching. Fighting on different planes calls for different strategies. But, there's no 1 vs 1 combat, so... Street Fighter II wins this category as well. 

I do hate the enemy AI at times because they're cheap, and some of their attacks are too much. Looking at you, Billy Kane. And although the grab is powerful, its hitbox is questionable. And I don't know if the cheapness actually makes or breaks the game, because from a narrative standpoint, there is real tension. Terry wants to beat up his father's killer, but the tournament is not going to be a walk in the park. The final fight with Geese Howard has been the most intense I've had in years, ever since Ogre from Tekken 3. Not only is he powerful, but if one is defeated, he kicks them out of his building. I don't know of another fighting game that does that to such a brutal effect. (Not counting the fatalities, cause duh.) But, defeating him is possibly even more satisfying than other games as well. Any one of the trio kicks Geese out of his own building, and is proclaimed the hero of South Town. It gives the game a sense of closure, compared to other fighting games. ... Street Figher II comes close, and Tekken third. Sure, Geese comes back, somehow, but the ending cutscene is really satisfying. I think the foundation for King of Fighters is definitely there, and since I also bought KOF '94... it's time to see what I've been missing.

 

 

9/17- King of Fighters '94 for Nintendo Switch 

 

A cool premise of uniting SNK characters and featuring three vs. three gameplay with great visuals and music cannot hide the shady and cheap enemy AI, the broken power bar system, and health gained for the one who won a round. In order to even defeat the game, I had to: turn the enemy AI to LEVEL 1 (and even then it's no cakewalk), rapid-fire my buttons, configure my button layout, make the timer faster, save-scum, and... 1 vs. 1 the matches. Something's wrong when I have to turn off the one thing this game is known for. There's great potential, but my rough experience with it hindered my appreciation for it. King of Fighters XIV is leagues better, and hopefully '95 is too. In the end, I was felt disappointed.   

 

9/18- Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island for Nintendo Switch 

 

 

Super Mario World is one of the best games of the SNES, and perhaps all time. No one can take away its legacy. So, following it up would be nearly impossible, right? No, not really. The next game in the series would have to do something really different. It would have to be... a prequel! I used to play the GBA version when I was a kid, but never beat it. It was one of the few video games I took years later to defeat, like Link's Awakening. I eventually beat Yoshi's New Island... which was a BIG mistake, and still have the Yoshi's Woolly and Crafted World games, which I still haven't defeated. I don't know why I'm taking so long to defeat Yoshi games, since they're notably easy. I mean, I play Kirby games all the time, so what's going on?  

The game starts with a stork carrying a bag of two brothers. THE BROTHERS. The stork is sending the children to their parents. However, the stork collides with Kamek, a magikoopa who wants the two siblings out of the picture. One of the brothers, Baby L, is kidnapped by Kamek, while the other one falls from the sky. Thankfully, the kid lands on a nearby Yoshi, and it is discovered that the kid is non other than MARIO. The Yoshi takes Baby Mario to the rest of its tribe, and they decide to help the kid out and reunite the children. But, it won't be easy, because Kamek is determined to stop the Yoshis and kidnap Baby Mario as well. It's never really clear what Kamek plans on doing with the siblings, but the player knows he's up to no good.  

I think it's really obvious that this game not only pretty, but a lot more visually beautiful compared to the game before it. And the video game community  has the wonderful MODE-7 to thank for its wonderful details and animation. But, the hand-drawn style also compliments the game as well. It feels like a kid drew the game inside out, and that's not a bad thing at all, considering who the main protagonists are! Although it might not be as memorable of Super Mario World's, the soundtrack still has a good amount of highlights. The title theme, the overworld theme, and the final boss battle theme are still as amazing over two decades ago. If anything is bad about the sound design, it's obvious. BABY MARIO. If any Yoshi gets hit, he cries and cries and cries. It's annoying, and I think it was intentionally made to make people frustrated to get him.  

But, enough about children whining, I'll talk about the great parts of this game. The game stars Yoshi, and not Mario. Yoshi can jump and swallow stuff like before. But, not only can he jump, he can do a flutter jump, which can make aerial maneuvering and landing smoother. And, not only can he swallow stuff, but he can spit the stuff out or turn it into eggs. The eggs can be thrown in any direction, and can ricochet off of any platform and certain enemies. Yoshi can also do a ground pound, which works for some enemies who can't be eaten. Some items, the watermelons, can be used in different ways, like a fire or ice breath. Using these techniques, especially throwing eggs, is essentially for progression, as some objects, like the question-marked and flying clouds, are needed to be hit. And some objects reward the player for using the techniques in unique ways. Yoshi can also transform into three vehicles: an airplane, submarine, and a mole tank. Even Baby Mario can transform into a caped version, where he can float and is indestructible. However, they are for a short time. Speaking of Baby Mario, he's the only real drawback of this game. Like mentioned before, if Yoshi gets hit, he cries and cries. He also floats in a bubble, waiting to be rescued. If he isn't rescued in time, Toadies, Kamek's henchmen, take him way, and a life is lost. Each level starts off with ten seconds for the timer, and Yoshi can replenish the seconds by waiting. Yoshi can also add more time by going into the checkpoint markers and by collecting stars.

That's not to say the game is altogether easy. There are some really challenging platforming bits, and some enemies and bosses are a bit of a threat. Bandits want to grab Mario as soon as they see him, and there are these flying puff-things that make Yoshi dizzy and distort the stage around them. Still, the bosses have really fun strategies of taking them down, and they're just upgraded goons that Kamek made stronger by using his magic. I kind of like that kind of thought in mind, and I sometimes wish some other bosses these days were created similarly to that. But, nothing compares to the awesomeness that is the final battle. It's simply one of the best boss fights I have ever beaten, and it needs no more than that to describe it. And, the ending is wonderful... even if the later games kind of ruin it, but we don't talk about them as much. And, I never got a game over, thanks to the amount of lives I got. I love Yoshi's Island, and I wish I could have appreciated it more when I was a kid. it's so good. Sorry for saying this, but I kind of like this game more than Super Mario World, and I even replaced it on my list. I just like this game's... everything more. Super Mario World is still a great game, I'm just stuck in nostalgia. 

 

     

9/22- Streets of Rage 3D for 3DS 

 

Thanks to the game River City Girls, I had a huge hunger for trying other beat-em-ups. One of them was the big STREETS OF RAGE, Sega's to rival Nintendo's Final Fight. I known Streets of Rage thanks to Axel Stone's inclusion of Project X Zone 2, but other than that... I never played it. I just personally think the new beat-em-ups are superior to the old school ones. This is none other apparent, when I tried to play Double Dragon for the NES. Yeah, I game over-ered in that game around Mission 3. So, why did I play this before Final Fight?... I'm currently without my WiiU to play Final Fighter Zero.  

The game is about three cops, possibly vigilantes, trying to rid their town of a crime syndicate. ... And, that's basically it. Sorry, but Final Fight is better in that regard. At least Final Fight had a muscular mayor, a ruffian, and a ninja. Not only that, but the only real boss who stands out in Streets of Rage is Mr. X. The bosses in this game get put in as minibuses later on, and it's disappointing. But, to add to that, the visuals are amazing, and the soundtrack is pumping and underrated.  


The gameplay is simple too. Punch, kick, grapple, use items, and throw to hurt enemies. At least Streets of Rage has health items. Most of the enemies are tame, but the bosses... are really cheap. There's no way around it: the two acrobatic women are a pain to defeat. Thankfully, this game has a lenient continue system, a difficulty option, and the timer restarts for a character's death. At least in the 3D version. Otherwise, it would just be painful as DD. Yes, I'll say Double Dragon hasn't aged well. Still, it doesn't take away from the B.S. boss design. At least Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and River City Girls are fair when it comes to bosses.   


Sorry, but I think Scott Pilgrim will forever be my favorite beat-em-up. Streets of Rage is just... okay.

 

 

9/22- Strider for Sega Genesis Mini 

 

 

No... no... nooooooooooooooooooo! Those were my exact thoughts when I finally got around the playing Strider again. On the Wii, it was one of the few games that I vowed never to play again. Sorry, but some games have not aged well, and that's because arcade games were designed to be challenging just to get the quarters. Strider was one of THOSE. When I heard the Sega Genesis Mini had the game, I thought the save feature meant that I could get away with finally taking care of this beast. But, boy was I in for a surprise. How I managed to beat it in one inning was kind of shocking. Could playing The Messenger beforehand make things better? What makes Strider stand out above Ninja Gaiden? 

The story focuses on Strider Hiryu, a top ranked ninja, and his journey to take down the Grandmaster, an evil sorcerer and dictator in the dystopian year of 2048. ... Oh, wait, it's one of those games. *checks Wikipedia*  Yep, that checks out. 

If there's one thing I can compliment Strider for are its visuals and level design. First off, Strider Hiryu's in Russia, then in the air, then somewhere where dinosaurs are! It's totally insane compared to Ninja Gaiden. And, the music is really amazing. If there's anything the Genesis was really good with, it was the sound and bass. And with Strider, it's no different.  


Now, the gameplay is where I have the most trouble. All Strider does is strike with his really amazing blade. Honestly, it's really, really cool in action. But, he doesn't excel in ranged combat. And with some enemy bullets coming from nowhere... expect some cheap hits and deaths. And my real complaint is with the Genesis Mini D-Pad. It's not intuitive, and maybe that's the real problem with Genesis controllers as a whole. Plus, unless Hiryu gets a health or health booster capsule, his health is at three bars, and even at the easy difficulty, it's not really easy. And once all the lives are lost, and there's no more continues... it's GAME OVER. Top of the game. 


Some bosses and mini-bosses, like the shinobi-formed cyber dragon and the robotic ape thing are really fun spectacles. But, then there's stuff like the anti-gravity thing, which somehow hurts the player by landing anywhere. I'm truly lost how I get hit by NOTHING. And Hiryu doesn't take falling damage. The Grandmaster... is kind of lame. Heck, I didn't even get to see him die. It was that lame. But, the ending credits is a joy.  

Strider is not a horrible game. But, game design like continues and artificial difficulty should be forgotten to time. That's why I like The Messenger more. 

 

 

9/23- Double Dragon for 3DS 

 

 

Double Dragon for the NES is one of the grandaddies of the beat-em-up genre. Although the NES version did not feature the tag team action the series is well known for, it still had 2 player options, and even a battle mode. But with recent and later beaters making the genre better, does Double Dragon still have an impact in the gaming industry?  


Double Dragon is about a pair of karate experts, Billy and Jimmy, who are rescuing their friend Marian from her kidnappers. I don't want to say 'girlfriend', because I'm pretty sure the duo would just fight over her. Simple, but it moves the plot forward. 

The game is not the prettiest or really beautiful, compared to Streets of Rage or River City Girls, but one can still find out where their location is. From the streets to the final boss' lair, nothing is repeated. And although the soundtrack is short, one listen to the title theme makes things all better. 

It's the gameplay that maybe hasn't aged well, and that's perhaps because of hardware limitations. A is to kick and grab. B is to pick up and use items and punch. Using both buttons executes a high kick. And, that's all. The instructions also say that gaining hearts increases the amount of moves the duo can do, but I've never seen or used them. Thanks to a YouTube glitch video, I was able to master the trick that allowed me to obtain all hearts as soon as the second level. But, when in doubt, use the high kick. The enemies are LIKELY to fall down. 

I say LIKELY, because the enemy AI is kind of annoying sometimes. They are cheap as heck, and after they dodge, they waste no opportunity to pulverize the player. Oh, and that's not my only complaint. The bosses for the most part are recycled. For a game that came out in 1989, I kind of find that lazy. Double Dragon might have been a game-changer in the genre, but there's simply no reason to finish this game today with better alternatives. Sure, it's an NES classic, but it's really outdated. Not bad, but just okay.

 

 

9/24- Streets of Rage 2 for Sega Genesis Mini 

 

A better Streets of Rage with perfect difficulty, wonderful music and stages, and a good story. That special move meter thing can go to heck, however. Might not be on my Top 100, but I will give SoR its due. 

 

9/24- Gunstar Heroes for Sega Genesis Mini 

 

A cartoony and fairer Contra that has a better story and customizable power-ups. Its soundtrack isn't bad too. Not a Top 100 contender, but it's not bad at all.   

 

9/25- Mega Man for Sega Genesis Mini 

 

An update in graphics doesn't mean much if the gameplay is still unfair. Not as bad as as the NES classic, but still not an improvement. Now to play my favorite of the series: 2 & 3! ... And someday the Wily Tower! 

 

9/25- Mega Man 2 for Sega Genesis Mini 

 

Like the last game, but because there isn't a normal mode, the game is a bit harder. 3, here I come! 

 

9/26- Mega Man 3 for Sega Genesis Mini 

 

Wily Tower, here I come! ... This game is great. 

 

9/26- Wily Tower for Sega Genesis Mini 

 

Best reason to get the Wily Wars! Or a Sega Genesis Mini! 3 more Robot Masters, and the customization is huge, because Mega Man's arsenal is from 1-3. For those who like the classic Blue Bomber, I highly recommend this!  

 

10/1- Final Fight One for WiiU 

 

 

I've been on a roll with beat-em-ups for a while, so I guess the next one to look at is Final Fight. 

Metro City has been ruled by the underworld power known as the Mad Gear Gang, but a new Mayor and ex-Wrestler Mike Haggar plans to stop their sinister ways. However, Mad Gear kidnaps Jessica, Haggar's daughter, in order for his cooperation. Mike recruits Cody, Jessica's boyfriend, and Guy, Cody's friend, in order to rescue his daughter and to stop Mad Gear once and for all. Simple, but effective. 

I love the details of the characters and the places, even though I admit they don't stack up to Streets of Rage. By that, I just felt like there was more variety in the latter when it came to locations. When it came to enemies, Final Fight trumps anything Streets of Rage has, even though Streets of Rage can handle more enemies. As for the bosses, I'm sorry, but Final Fight has the better ones, excluding the final boss. Mr. X is a lot more intimidating. The music is okay, too. Not sure if it trumps Streets of Rage, or the reverse, come back to me later. 

Final Fight mostly has normal punches, grabs and throws, a high jump kick, and a spin kick. It's just a basic beat-em-up. That's not really a problem... But, what is are the confusing times I swear I hit the enemy first. Not only that, but when any one of the three get up, there's not a moment of invincibility. Meaning, if any of them are trapped while they're on the floor... it's not pretty. If it wasn't for the food and savescumming, the game's nearly unplayable.  

Now, I played One because of the additions which the original US version left out: another stage, and Guy. There's also co-op, but it requires another "LINK-CABLE", and who's willing to play with me now? I'm an older gamer. Still, it does leave out a controversial enemy: Poison. Poison is one of the earliest cases of LGBT video game characters, in that she's transgender. Now, I get it: beating her up would cause a stir. That's why the dev had to remove her. Still, she jumped into the scene when Street Fighter III came around, so good for her. 

Speaking of which, I think it was because of the game's success that players were able to see some characters cameo in latter Street Fighter games, starting with the Alpha series. No Mike Haggar, though, even if he's been in the Marvel vs. Capcom series for some time. It's a decent game to add to the library of games, even if it's not perfect. It's just fun.

 

   

10/2- Super Castlevania IV for SNES Classic 

 

Alright, I'm in the mood for being scared, and why not pick a classic: Super Castlevania IV? Now, my time with the first Castlevania hasn't been friendly, and I've heard that 2 is just... bad, and 3 is just way too difficult. So, why this game? Why not Rondo of Blood or Symphony of the Night? Well, it's one of the best of the series, and that's all that's needed to know. 

Super Castlevania IV is a remake of the original Castlevania, in a sense. Simon Belmont has to get rid of Dracula and his terrifying creatures. Like I said before, as long as a story is simple and not at all confusing, I'm okay with that. But, this time, Simon has to traverse to many more locations, and all of them are unique in their own way. 

SCIV is a step above its predecessors when it comes to detail. There's more enemies, the locations are grand, and the little background moments are cool. And, the music... I really love it. Not only are there a few homages, but Dracula's theme and Simon Belmont's theme are some of the greatest pieces in video gaming history. 

SCIV makes the whip a better weapon. It can attack in more directions, including diagonal. Simon Belmont doesn't need to use the sub-weapons as much, but there are some moments where the sub-weapons feel very useful. (I know a certain YouTuber would say otherwise, but I feel like the whip doesn't cover too much ground. It isn't broken.) Using the whip, he can also cling onto these loops on the wall to traverse over pits and spikes.  

Because of the upgrade in range and mobility, Super Castlevania IV is easier than Castlevania. But, that doesn't mean that the game is still full of challenges, including the bosses. The penultimate stage is where I nearly gave up, thanks to Death. Still, when the sun rose, I was able to beat Dracula once and for all... for now. It's not on my Top 100, but it is a really fun game. 

 

 

10/5- Castlevania: Rondo of Blood for PS4 

 

I've fought my way through the first Castlevania, and I've fought my way through Super Castlevania IV. Before I headed into the grand Symphony of the Night, there was one last challenge: Rondo of Blood. As I've heard the story, until the PSP got a port and a remake of Rondo of Blood and Symphony of The Night under the Dracula X Chronicles moniker, people outside of Japan never got the original TG16 version. Instead, international audiences got Castlevania Dracula X, which was an inferior version because of a few things, mostly two unplayable characters and Maria as a playable character. Because of Rondo of Blood is the prequel to Symphony of the Night, I decided to take a look at the original game to see if there was a reason it stayed in Japan for some time.  


It's that time when Dracula becomes resurrected again, and this time thanks a sorcerer named Shaft. Dracula not only wants to take over the world, but wants to drain four young maidens of their youth. Richter Belmont is on the hunt to take down Dracula, but he's also personally involved because one of the maidens is his girlfriend Anette. Later on, after fulfilling a few requirements, Richter also saves Anette's sister, Maria. Like I said, Maria is a playable character, and she too wants to defeat Dracula. I love the simplicity of the Castlevania stories, but I also like the additional personal motivation Richter has to deal with.  

Okay, so Rondo of Blood is in the middle when it comes to visuals. During the actual game, the detail changes from location to location, and every place is a spectacle. Nothing is out of place. BUT, the cutscenes themselves are kind of weak. The PS4 version is oddly pixelated, and the voice acting is out of synch. I don't have any real problems with the actors, by the way. The music is really catchy, though. The prologue stage might be weak, but the first stage... is rocking. That bass in the intro sells it. There's also some homages as well, like Vampire Killer. The only issue I have with the audio is that is tends to end... before it loops. I don't know why that is, but other songs I've listened to at least properly repeat. 

Now, as much as I love mostly everything else, the combat for me seems to have taken a few step backs. Richter can whip, jump, and use sub weapons. A few interesting additions are his back-jump and the ultra powerful item crash, which uses the sub weapons as a grand attack at the cost of a lot of hearts. The real downside is... he can't whip diagonally, which was really jarring. But, Richter's controls are fine enough that it wasn't a real hassle. As mentioned twice before, Maria is playable. She can make two synchronized attacks, attack while moving, double jump, and can use different sub weapons. She's also a glass cannon, so she's also balanced in a sense. Her cutscenes are also different from Richter's. I mostly played as Maria, because although she was sometimes a pain to work with, her movement speed and attacks aren't anything to scoff at.  

By the end of it, I beat Rondo of Blood with Maria. Not with Richter until... you know. Rondo of Blood is alright, but the invincibility frames are way too short to make this game really fair. Some bosses were easy, but others were really difficult. I know patterns are the best way to beat these bosses, but the last boss is kind of cheap. Their second phase hitbox is lame for Richter. Not only did I beat Rondo of Blood, but I managed to rescue all of the maidens. They're not totally necessary to beat the game, but the game has alternate routes to get to Dracula. One of them is only open after defeating Dracula. Almost on my Top 100, but I still like it nonetheless. 

 

 

10/6- Celeste for Nintendo Switch 

 

Just keep breathin', and breathin', and breathiiiiiin'... Sorry if I felt a little bit of a number coming to me, but it felt appropriate to the game at hand. For a while now, I've heard about an indie game that spread like wildfire for months, named Celeste. It was one of the biggest hits of 2018, and I'm sad I didn't get to play it until just recently. The game tackles matters not usually discussed in video games lately: anxiety, stress, and depression. Now, this especially hit hard with me, as I suffer a bit from anxiety here and there. But, I'm glad this game reinforced the fact that I'm not alone in this problem. I felt it was appropriate to play this during Halloween-time, since the biggest monsters humans usually face are none other than inner demons. But, besides being a story about facing those difficult topics, how well does the game handle and compliment them?  

The story is about a girl named Madeline trying to climb a mysterious and dangerous mountain named Celeste. It's not at all clear why she is at first, but after a while, the player learns that Celeste suffers from anxiety, depression, and panic attacks. Her climbing that mountain is both a literal and mental goal, as not only does she want... needs to get to the summit, but she also wants... needs to face her self and to find a solution to her situation. Still, it's a rough time for her, because she's not only facing the perils of the mountain, but she has to deal with PART OF ME, a physical manifestation of her ugliest of traits. PART OF ME, or Badeline, tries to stop Madeline from reaching the top through actions and words and tries to make things worse for Madeline. That doesn't mean Madeline is alone in her journey, as she meets a quirky and peppy old lady who clearly has some history with the mountain, and Theo, another traveler who tries to find what the mountain will mean to him. The old lady knows more than she'll tell Madeline, and Theo is trying to reflect on what he wants in life. The two form interesting bonds with Madeline, as they try to comfort and help her from time to time, and Madeline tries to help Leo in some situations. Madeline doesn't like them... or maybe trusts them at first, but she later opens up her worries and cares to them, which results in her own health and her relationships with the two becoming better. And, with the support she gets from them, she eventually tackles her situation with Badeline. If one couldn't tell, I love this story. It's personal, and even though I could never do the stuff Madeline does in this game, or think about climbing a mountain at all, I too have my own issues and ways to cope with them. Taking care of mental health is no laughing matter.  

Celeste is also full of different and colorful locations, such as the dark base of the mountain to the eerie and broken Celeste Resort. Some places are gorgeous, while others show the age of wear of the mountain. The character models are kind of bland or whatever, but it's the dialogue boxes that make this game shine. I just wish the dialogue wasn't in beeps and boops, but the emphasis on some words are genuine. The music is phenomenal. The game has some songs which sound triumphant, and others, like the Chapter Complete song, are smooth and welcoming. 

So, how does Celeste play out? It's a platformer, in the barest of senses. Madeline can run, jump, climb onto walls, and dash. That's pretty much it for most of the game. She doesn't attack, but that's okay, since Madeline is likely a pacifist... Unlike Badeline, who tries to impede her progress by attacking in some stages. But, each chapter brings in a unique gimmick that compliments her controls, like a yellow diamond that restores stamina, and bouncy clouds.  Stamina is important, because Celeste can only dash once, and she can climb for about only 30 seconds. After that, she falls. If she hits an obstacle, that's all. Each room brings in their own variation of the stage gimmick, so players will have to use their mind to beat the puzzles and tricks. Some rooms can be just frustrating at times. 

BUT, the game is fair. There's no game over screens, the players reset from where they enter, and the game encourages trying and trying again. Heck, there's even an assist mode, which has an INVINCIBILITY feature that can bypass the spikes and other things. But, other than that, I still had the normal stamina amount, and I turned off assist mode when a level wasn't too much of a challenge. Heck, the game even says that the collectables, the strawberries, are just bragging rights. There's no true ending, and all of that. I had a legitimate fun time with Celeste.  

 

 

10/10- Castlevania: Symphony of the Night for PS4 

 

 

My experience with the Castlevania series has been mixed. I hate Castlevania, I somewhat like Rondo of Blood, and I really like Super Castlevania IV. And I'll never touch Simon's Quest and Dracula's Curse because the former is bad, and the latter is too hard. Not sure about playing Bloodlines any time soon, or the other portable games. But, I had to see the big deal behind what is one of the best entries of the series: Symphony of the Night. 

SOTN takes place four years after Rondo of Blood. It stars Alucard, Dracula's son, who rises from his eternal sleep and wonders why he woke up. Dracula's Castle has once again risen, and Maria is there looking for Richter, who disappeared a while ago. After a bit of exploration, Alucard finds Richter, who claims to be the lord of the castle and has seemingly become mad. Maria is shocked that her old friend would turn evil, and asks Alucard to help Richter come back to his senses. (Alucard killing Richter would result in the bad ending, so...) It turns out that Maria was right; Richter was being controlled, and it was by Shaft the Dark Priest's command. Shaft summons another upside-down castle, and plans the return of his master, Dracula. After more exploration, Alucard defeats Shaft, and eventually his own father. Like I said with Rondo of Blood, I love it when personal motivations are a key factor of the story. In the last game, Richter had to save his girlfriend, but in Symphony of the Night, Alucard has to remember his mother's death and has to come to grips with facing his father. Alucard's existence is tragic, because he is not really wanted by humans, but Alucard has no desire to destroy mankind. 

Symphony of the Night is gorgeous. I think it's an improvement over SCIV and Rondo of Blood by a long shot. And although I think the map layout is maybe too spacious at times, the different locations and enemies make the game stand out. And, I love how each enemy is destroyed in this game. I've never talked about enemy death reactions before, but I like it when an ax armor explodes and makes a grunt. No other game I've played gives me that satisfaction. The music is really chilling too, and I especially like the Colosseum theme. It's orchestral in some places, and groovy and rocking in others. Now, I played the Requiem version, which unfortunately does not have the cheesy voice acting. But, the voice acting in this game is solid enough... even if the dialogue is not in synch with the text. It's the same problem I had with Rondo of Blood's cutscenes. The few cutscenes in SOTN... are kind of stale, even if they were cool back then. 

Still, I play a game for how it controls, some of the times. Unlike the usual linear platforming games the series is known for, SOTN is an open-world RPG. I know that Simon's Quest technically did that first, but... no one likes that game compared to SOTN. And, SOTN has better level design and RPG elements. The game teases the player by controlling Richter, but it's actually Alucard now. Alucard is so powerful in the beginning, that Death strips him of his own equipment. With only his bare fists as weapons, Alucard begins to wander around the castle. It's not easy at first, since some enemies do a lot of damage. But, by acquiring more equipment, various items, and heart and life potions, Alucard becomes stronger and stronger. Like I said, this game is an RPG, and Alucard gains EXP and levels up. Exploration is required, because not only does Alucard gain more power and new gear, but some he also gains transformations, power-ups to those transformation, and familars. Familiars act as uncontrollable ally that only attack, but not in the case of the faerie that heals. And, they too level up. Alucard can attack with a multiple of weapons, and block attacks with shields. By far, this is the best main protagonist with the most potential in a Castlevania game, even if Alucard doesn't use a whip.  

Symphony of the Night, like I said, is an open-world RPG, and it helped define what players nowadays call Metroidvanias. The game's difficulty is rather weird, because of the nature of this game. A player could have a cakewalk defeating certain enemies in some rooms with ease, but find it really difficult with some enemies. That goes with the bosses as well, who are really fun to beat, once one knows their patterns and are ready enough to face them. But, exploration is a must if one also wants to 200.0% this game. Alucard must be in the present box of the map for it to register as .1 of the game. Still, there is a problem with the open-world aspect. Some of the rooms feel barren, feel copied, and should have not existed at all, unless it was for the sake of one of the other castle rooms which had more. Most of the items found cannot be sold to the librarian, unless they're gems. Most vendors in RPGs are okay with buying items that become useless after a while, so why can't I get rid of the 16 cloth tunics what are a waste of space in my inventory? Sure, I could rearrange my inventory, but that takes time. Some secret rooms require Alucard to destroy parts of walls, floors, and ceilings that are otherwise normal and require him to solve puzzles that are somewhat vague. For example, there's a wood platform that blocks another part of the castle, but Alucard needs an enemy to throw a barrel on fire for it to be gone. Unless a player knew it beforehand, they would get stuck forever. And, that's why I had no shame using a map and guides, because secrets like those are not worth my time. And, I said 200%, because both the normal and inverted castle count. But, the ending is better if the map reaches a certain percentage, and it's not worth it to reach all 200%. I don't remember the amount, but it IS possible to have the best ending without reaching all of the game. I also did some trophy stuff here and there, but not all of it. SOTN is a fun game to defeat, but completing it is maybe a double-edged sword. After a few days, I easily took down Shaft and Dracula, and saved the day. I even got the best ending, even if I felt like getting to that point was a hassle at times. Secret B.S. aside, SOTN is a fair and challenging game compared to its predecessors. I think it's even the best of the series, and near perfect. It's good enough to be in my Top 100.

 

 

10/13- Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon for Nintendo Switch 

 

 

I thought I was done with castles after Symphony of the Night! I was partially wrong, because I almost forgot about the new Bloodstained games. They're basically the new spiritual successors of Castlevania. First up is Curse of the Moon, which is a homage to the 80s Castlevanias. And I mean it, because it takes its cues from the first in terms of the name, monsters and difficulty, from the second in terms of difficulty, and from the third in terms of four playable characters and branching pathways. 


The game stars Zangestsu, a swordsman who was cursed by demons. He wants revenge against all of the demons because of his curse. He meets three other powerful characters who join his party, but he hates them because of their affiliations with demons. And, that's all. Like the Castlevanias mentioned, Curse of the Moon is also simple in story.  

But, that's not the only choice Curse of the Moon takes inspiration from. The visuals are similar to the old school Castlevania style. The enemies move and attack in motions similar to the enemies in Castlevania, such as the frogs behaving like the Flea Men. And, the music... is good, get back to me on how it stacks with the Castlevania tracks. 

Curse of the Moon starts off with Zangetsu, a swordsman. Think him like a ninja from Ninja Gaiden, but without the wall jumping. He's no Belmont, as his attack range is small. But, he moves and jumps like the old Belmonts. So, what's with the other three playable characters? There's a woman that jumps higher, has a slide, and has a whip that acts like the Vampire Killer! She's the most similar to the Belmonts, and thus I mostly chose to play her over Zangetsu most of the time. Then, there's a wizard who has pathetic health and is shorter compared to his comrades, but makes up for it in magical attacks, including a barrier with questionable hitboxes. Last, there's a man that... acts like Alucard in the CIII. He transforms into a bat. But, Zangetsu can choose to take them along with him... or kill them for his own purposes. I chose the former, because character arc to darned for the latter. A big thing to note is that hearts are finally health pick-ups, and potions and elixirs act like stamina pick-ups.  

Now, this game might play and feel like the old Castlevania games, but this game has one thing that makes it better than the NES games. Casual and veteran mode. Casual mode is infinite lives, and no KNOCKBACK. Veteran mode is classic Castlevania design. I chose the former because screw knockback. It's an archaic design philosophy I'm glad most games nowadays choose to leave out for those who just want to enjoy a game without frustration. And, there's different pathways in the game, like with CIII, but the routes mostly lead to the same boss encounter. The bosses might be as big and grand as those in the Castlevania games, but they still challenge the players fairly. And to top it all off, if Casual Mode is chosen, this game can take at least eight hours to defeat... maybe less. The ending might be a set-up for Ritual of the Night, but honestly, it's perhaps a welcome homage to the old school Castlevania vibes. Like I mentioned with The Messenger, it respects both the new and old school players with its choices of difficulty. It might not be in my Top 100 like The Messenger was, but I honestly think Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon is a decent game. Please do not miss out on this fantastic game. 

 

 

 10/13- Fatal Fury Special for Nintendo Switch 

 

Fatal Fury, better in some regards, but difficulty is still hard, and not as memorable final boss. I don't think I'll get the next game in the series.  

 

10/14- King of Fighters '96 for Nintendo Switch 

 

 

NO! I MEANT TO BUY '95! NOOOOOOOOOOOO! ... *looks at reviews* Wait, it's harder than '94?!... Pass on '95 then, even if it's the introduction to Iori and the Orochi Saga. But, in all joking aside, '96 is considered to be one of the best games in the series. it has new characters, better difficulty balancing, and a setup to a new arc. Could this be the King of Fighters game I've been waiting for?! 

The story revolves around the new King of Fighters tournament, after Rugal Bernstein was defeated... twice. But with Bernstein gone, what's going on? What new evil is planning on taking on the contenders? It turns out that a new organization, the Orochi, is in town. Kyo and Iori are asked to take down the Orochi, since they are both from clans that have the power to take Orochi down, but their rivalry is planning to make things worse. Will the two set aside their rivalry for saving the world? Or will they make things worse and allow the Orochi to conquer the world? 

Judging from the way it looks, '96 looks way better than the rest of the games. The sprites and locations don't look pixelated. And even though I'm sure Stormy Saxophone was in the last game, it sounds wonderful in '96, along with some other really good remixes. 

'96 just plays better. The characters aren't stiff, the special attacks are easier to pull off, the pace of the game is faster, the difficulty is perfect, and the power bar system has been given an overhaul. '96 just feels more fluid and fun. The last two bosses might be cheap, and the final boss is just a minion for a higher power to come, but I had no qualms with King of Fighters '96 compared to the other games I've played.  

I felt a lot more safe using the 3 vs. 3 system, and I didn't have to save scum as much. Everyone says '96 is one of the best games in the series. And I agree. I haven't even mentioned the new characters introduced, like Vice and Mature, and familiar bosses. Forget '94 and '95, 'cause 

'95 is where the series should have really started. Not top 100, but close. 

 

 

10/16- King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match Final Edition for PC 

 

So, my history with King of Fighters has been interesting so far. I played KOF XIV without any knowledge of the series beforehand, I played '94 and really hated that game, and I skipped to '96 but ended up loving that game. Still, nothing could compare to the masterpiece that is known as '98, the fans' definitive King of Fighters. Nearly everywhere I went, '98 is put upon the pedestal of the series' finest. I skipped '97, because even though it concludes the Orochi Saga... '98 Ultimate Match Final Edition has all of the characters from the last four games. I said '98 UM FE, because not only did UM bring EVERYONE back, but FE made some crucial gameplay balancing... except for maybe the Orochi characters. Orochi himself is OP as heck. But, is '98 really the highest point of the series?  

'98, to my surprise, does not have a conventional story. Sure, it does have the usual arcade mode, but the tournament in question is actually... a dream match. In the UM FE edition, every one of the fighters from '94 to '97, from the forgotten US team to the New Faces team, is playable. The team edit mode is back, so one can make a team of... Kyo, Art of Fighting 2 version of Ryo, and Real Bout Fatal Fury version of Terry. Yes, alternate costumes and versions of characters are available as well. The variety and combinations are quite shocking. My first team was Geese Howard, Rugal Bernstein, and Orochi, the main bosses of the series. The amount of teams to face is incredible, and the bosses are all different depending on certain factors. 

'98 looks like '96, but better. Better animations, environments, and music. Okay, I have heard that the UM FE version kind of makes the game inferior in these regards, but I couldn't find the problems people were talking about. It still looks and sounds fine. However, I have yet to play the vanilla version, so maybe they have a point. There's a corny rap that plays in the beginning, but I couldn't tell if the rap in the UM FE version keeps the swearing players talk about. The opening and ending credits do look incredible. 

'98 changes things up compared to '96. There's no power bar meter, so attacks don't do too much damage after some time. But, I'm not used to the current advantage system or whatever, since I don't know the kinks to that. Still, the core fighting is a blast, and supers are still fun to use. I don't know how to dodge as well, but like I said, most of the attacks hit fairly. 

'98 is fun to play. The only real problem was the end boss: Omega Rugal. I heard he was cheap in '95, but I didn't know he'd be too hard. So, how did I defeat him? Orochi's special spammed. I have no qualms of cheating if the end boss cheats too. The ending might be lame, but '98 was never about the story to begin with. It was about the endless team possibilities. '98 UM FE... is a fine game. And, from what I have seen, most of the other KOFs are a bit worse. But, except for maybe XIV. So, I'll end my time with the series here... but as for Fatal Fury...

 

 

10/16- King of Fighters XIV for PS4 

 

So weird playing this one again, now with better knowledge of the game's backstory beforehand.  

 

10/24- THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: LINK AWAKENING REMAKE FOR THE NINTENDO SWITCH... and thoughts. 

 

 

 

 


 

21 years. It's been 21 years or so years since I first played Link's Awakening DX for the Game Boy Color. It was one of the first memories I had of being a casual gamer, and I'll never forget playing it when I went to the beach all those years ago. It, alongside the first Pokemon games, were my first steps into what would become one of my things I have done over the years. Play video games.  

 

But, back then, the adventure was kind of scary for eight year old me. I never properly finished it. Jump to around 2010-2011. It was on the 3DS Virtual Shop for around 10 bucks. So, I bought the game, and treaded old ground. This time, I was more prepared, and I was able to battle the NIGHTMARES that once haunted me as a kid. I was able to travel through the world known as Koholint with a brand-new pair of eyes. I preserved, and never gave up like I did in my past. Once I finally beat the game, I felt the power of joy, relief, and happiness. To finally have a victory over that game was amazing! I love Link’s Awakening.   

 

To this day, Link's Awakening DX is one of my top ten. Why should it drop down, when I have a clear bias and nostalgia for this game?! I know there were a few things wrong with it, but I didn't mind. I love the game to death.  

 

So, skip to an early Nintendo Direct 2019. I think it was the last video... when it showed the remake for the Nintendo Switch! I didn't like the art style at first, but over time grew to love it. It was a game I loved, and now it was getting a remake! I was shocked and floored to see it happen. Many people think A Link To The Past should've gotten one. I didn't care. Not in a million years did I think this would happen! 

 

I waited, and heard news of the Special Edition. Bought that sucker early on eBay. Too bad the things were never sold inside the United States, and it cost a lot. But, I didn't mind. The game was so so much for me. 

 

When the day finally arrived... it didn't come. The heck?! I tried to get in contact with the seller. None. Turns out... I was fooled. It was a ghost. They robbed me of my money. A lot of drama soon came following this. I eventually got a refund, and got a cheaper Special Edition that had another item. I waited. I waited. I waited. And then it FINALLY came. 

 

 I checked out everything else before I checked game. The additional stuff, including the art book, made me feel teary-eyed. Things that were old were now fresh again.  

 

And, then... I played. The opening cutscene played out. I was my eight year old self again. THIS... IS LINK'S AWAKENING FOR THE NINTENDO SWITCH! 

 

 

 

Link's Awakening takes place sometime after the events of A Link To The Past. Link is on a raft, when a storm tries to take his life. He clings onto the raft as much as possible, but a bolt of lightning catches him off guard. A girl, named Marin, catches him unconscious on the beach of Koholint. Koholint, where Link's new adventure begins. Link wakes up, and Marin tells him that she doesn't know Zelda, he's on this island, and that she found his shield lying next to his body. Link treks to the beach, and eventually finds his sword. An owl tells Link that in order to return to Hyrule, he'll need to defeat the nightmares, find all of the siren instruments, and wake the Wind Fish. With his trusty sword and shield in hand, Link goes on a new journey. As this was the precursor to the other games like Majora's Mask that didn't have Zelda, it was new at the time not to have the usual Zelda story trope. But, as this was my first game, I didn't know about that, and didn't care. As long as a game has a good story, I'm always good to play the game I have. 

 

Do I need to repeat how cute this game is? The people, creatures, and enemies are incredible to look at. Although it does kind of make the bad guys look weaker and less dangerous in comparison, they still behave like they did in the original game. Some creatures from Mario invade Koholint, even the ANTI-KIRBY! Sure, the fogginess of the game is kind of jarring, and the game's speed is incredibly slow, but I kind of semi-excused the former as a stylistic choice (maybe it wan't intentional), and there was never too many moments where i needed to rush anything for the latter (except for Eagle Tower shenanigans). There are those who won't like what I say, and that's fair. I appreciate the difference. In most other games, that kind of speed is unforgivable for an action packed game. I also love the new art directions for the places and dungeons, and it makes them feel even newer.

 

Most of the music turns up the 10 to YES! I love the overworld theme and Tal Tal Heights theme a lot. It wasn't easy to make the shift regarding the new instrumentation, but I soon grew to love it. And, there are some of Game Boy sounds in some tunes. Still, there are some songs that have gotten worse. Animal Village, anyone? With all that said, however, the game tries to be as close to its roots as possible in regards to story, the art design, and such. And even the sound effects feel just as fun. Link does a little tap dance before he dashes and I love it. 

 

The gameplay itself has gotten a noticeable overhaul. The power bracelet, pegasus shoes, sword, and shield now have different corresponding buttons, and don't need to be swapped in and out like the Roc's Feather or Hookshot. Speaking of which, does the jumping arc feel more refined in this version, or is it just me? Attacking in multiple directions is a lot more fun in a top down setting. The flow of Link dashing feels clunky when he changes directions, since he has to tap dance overtime, and that really killed my time with one of the latter mid-bosses. The game has a lot more heart pieces, so dying should not be a big problem this time around. 

 

Still, dying was barely an issue in this game. With the amount of stuff to do, I was able to take on the lass best and defeat them with 1/2 health left. Most of the mini-bosses and bosses can go down real easy, with the right weapon. I think the hardest before the last boss was definitely clown in a jar. And most of the puzzles are simple to solve. I think either the Face Dungeon or Eagle Tower is the worst culprit of being way too confusing. I think the routes to the fourth and seventh dungeons and the means to enter were a little bit confusing, but that's much about it for navigation.  

 

Not only does the game have more heart pieces, but more secret seashells. The seashells give Link a better sword, but I just used the regular sword for fun. Plus, thanks to a trade sequence, I got the boomerang once more. It may not be as useful as before, but the boomerang packs a punch. Bottles also appear (three instead of the usual four now), and fairies can be used to gain health, but they're not life-savers as usual. One would have to get medicine or a witch's potion to make it work. The Color Dungeon from the DX version has come back with the blue and red garbs, and I chose blue wisely. This version doesn't have the Game Boy picture feature, but it does have some photos. The one thing most people have mixed feelings about is Dampe's House dungeon creator. It's like Super Mario Maker... but it only uses dungeon room layouts from all nine dungeons. It's just barebones here, but a Super Zelda Maker would make this concept work. Plus, one would have to buy the certain Link amiibo to share the dungeons. ... I bought the amiibo anyways as a huge fan of the game to begin with. I just stuck with the main story overall.  

 

My time with the Link's Awakening remake has been mostly positive. Except for some odd music choices, the dashing, how fairies work in this game, and Dampe's House, I loved the changes that were instrumental in making this a better game. The game might be short... about 8-9 hours short, might seem a bit easy, and might not warrant full price, but as an avid fan of Link's Awakening... I didn't care that I spent a lot on the Special Edition. This remake is a lot more important for my gaming history, for thinking of the good old days, and how much the industry and myself have grown up since then. This trip started from my childhood and as of this review reached what seems like my peak of adulthood. Sure, it's not the best Zelda game in my opinion, but it's a game I'll go back a lot more than the other Zeldas nowadays. Link's Awakening... Awakened that childhood spirit once more, and I'll always be thankful for that.

 

  

10/25- Garou: Mark of the Wolves for Nintendo Switch 

 

 

I'm now at the end of my King of Fighters and Fatal Fury marathon run. I've played some good and bad classics, but here I am. After King of Fighters '98 UM FE, I played King of Fighters XIV once more. Although I didn't get the DLC... because of the current wait for XV, the base game itself was really fun as I remember it was. But, I knew that my trip down the Fatal Fury series wouldn't end there. I still had to take on the finale and perhaps a spinoff of the series- Garou: Mark of the Wolves. 

Garou takes place a long time after the Fatal Fury series. Terry Bogard, maybe out of guilt or revenge for his rival Geese Howard, takes in his son Rock as his pupil. Years go by, and South Town has mostly cleaned up its act. A new tournament has begun, and Rock enters it. The actual story seems less dire than the former games, and some of the translation during cutscenes seem sloppy at times. But, the twist occurs during the final round of the game, when Rock learns the truth about his parents. The only character that has returned is Terry, and the other combatants are offspring or pupils of former Fatal Fury characters. It makes the connection to the old game really tight. 

Garou feels like a natural upgrade to the series. Animations are faster, and the characters and locations are livelier than before. Things like Rock throwing his coat feels like a nice homage to Terry throwing his hat. The music... is okay. Maybe it's because I've grown accustomed to the other games' soundtracks that this game feels tame in comparison. 

Garou is a little bit odd when it comes to controls. Special attacks feel easier to perform, and attacking feels much more responsive. However, at times I would block when I thought I was going to attack. It happened at random, so it didn't cause too much problems. I also don't get the new super bar and the health system thing where a chunk is red. Maybe the super special moves have more punch when the bar is at the right place. I don't know. Still, when a super special move lands... it's amazing. And, they're not too hard to pull off. 

Garou is very fun to play as well. In arcade mode, I only had a few moments of frustration. Sure, the last boss is kind of cheap, but it doesn't take too long for him to go down after a bit of practice. The ending is kind of weird as Rock Howard, and it's too bad there was never another Fatal Fury game after this. Still, Garou: Mark of the Wolves is a solid game. Like the other games in the FF and KOF series, it won't be in my Top 100, but I still recommend it. 

 

 

10/26- Metal Slug 2 for Nintendo Switch 

 

I should've gotten Metal Slug X instead. These games and their finishing touches! 

 

10/27- Skullgirls: Second Encore for Nintendo Switch 

 

 

I've had a lot of interesting times with fighting games this year, even if it was mostly Fatal Fury and King of Fighters. In October, another fighting game made its way to the Nintendo Switch- Skullgirls: Second Encore. I've heard a lot about this game because of its wacky characters, but I never really gave it a try. I associated it with Arc Systems at first, but found out recently that they helped publish it in Japan. Still, the timing of the game was right, so I figured what's a better way to celebrate the spooks and terrors than to play a Gothic-styled fighting game. 

Skullgirls is about the fabled Skull Heart, a powerful and magical artifact that can make any woman's wish come true, provided that they are pure of heart. If they are not, they will become a Skullgirl, a powerful monster of destruction. The setting takes place in New Meridian, and like I said before, an ensemble of crazy characters show up, ranging from a girl who has a parasite in her hair to a pro wrestler who uses chairs and a giant's hand for attacks. Unlike most fighting games that have no cutscenes or valuable information between fights, Skullgirls does. And, each fighter has a valid reason for obtaining the Skull Heart, such as the pro wrestler trying to prove that he is the best at what he does. ... The game explains it better than I will. 

The game is beautiful and lively, and it's thanks to the old cinema vibe that the game presents. The cutscenes are enough to make the game feel like a movie as well. And, of course, the characters and locations are animated wonderfully, even if they are based on horror tropes. In fact, the cinema and gothic styles never clashed with each other, and the combination is perfect. The music is filled with jazz and big band numbers that feels right at home, and there are some songs that play to the horror moments as well. But, sometimes the game would play two songs at the same time, which really confused me. Still, it's nothing to get mad at. 

The controls are really odd to get used to, because each character has a different and unique move set. The special attacks are also triggered by different "joystick" controls, like the pro-wrestler's diving arrow attack and the parasites girl's hairball attack. Even though finding a character's greatest potential takes time, it is amazing when some attacks are executed perfectly. Attacking might make the health bar go down slowly, like a punch only doing 1% damage, but pulling off certain combos and special attacks makes things go way faster. In fact, the whole game feels fast, like Killer Instinct 2013 Reboot fast. Attacks are quick, and recoveries happen within seconds.  

I played the game on sleepwalking and easy mode for single player, so another player's mileage may vary. I think it's one of the most under-looked fighting games as well, even if its roster might not stack up to other fighting games. The story mode is really fun, but there are some fights that seem a little too harsh for beginners. However, that does not excuse the last boss, because even though they lose health, they never fall down or react to being hurt at all. That should be a sin for fighting games. And, their range is too big for the fighters that work well with close combat. Aside from my gripes with the final boss, Skullgirls: Second Encore is a fun and zany game. If one is looking for a "cult" fighting game, Skullgirls: 2nd encore is an easy recommendation.

   

10/29- Metal Slug X for Nintendo Switch 

 

Metal Slug 2 but without the slowdown and more tweaks added.  

 

10/29- Samurai Shodown for Nintendo Switch 

 

Fatal Fury, but with samurais, essentially. I bought it because my brother bought the latest game in the series that came out this year, but like Fatal Fury, it has aged a bit with its difficulty.  

 

10/30- Metal Slug 3 for Nintendo Switch 

 

Like Metal Slug X, but even crazier and wackier.  

 

11/9- Fire Emblem Heroes: Season 3 for iOS 

 

 

 

 


 

Season 3 has a story mode involving the ruler of the Underworld and how to deal with her. And, it also brought fourth beasts, Three Houses characters, and dual characters. I think it was also responsible for Rival Domains, Forging Bonds, Grand Conquests, Rokkr Sieges, Lost Lores, and the Aether Raid stuff. There was more stuff for characters I couldn't care less about. It's FEH as usual, but with a lot more stuff that might seem complicated as is, but... I still like it.

 

 

 

11/9 Final Fantasy Brave Exvius Season 2 for iOS 

 

Speaking of which, Final Fantasy Brave Exvius is a game that improved a lot since the first season. There's more bonus characters, like Sora from Kingdom Hearts, and Olberic from Octopath Traveler. The Standard and Fusion/Sale units are separate. There's 7* Star Characters, which perhaps breaks the game in some cases. There's 5* Selectable Tickets. There's exchange shops. There's SUPER TRUST REWARDS. Some characters got new better versions that are 5*! There's more!

The story... I think went on way too long. What starts as a mission to find a friend in a new world ends with another big boss that wants to rule both Lapis and Paladia, the second which is introduced in this game. Still, some former enemies actually become allies in the new story and have new and better designs. The main cast get redesigns and even 7* models. 

The game is the same combat-wise. But, the attacks are also given more explanation to what they are, and that even goes for the roles each unit plays into. 

The story may have gotten too tedious, but the game's fanbase has not because of the new characters and new redesigns that come each month. Fire Emblem might have a better and simpler story, but FFBE definitely has the better and extensive content.  

... And even with a really good conclusion, they had the nerve to make a THIRD SEASON tease. WHAT. THE. %$%$#%?!

 

 

11/16- Monster Hunter World: Iceborne for PS4 

 

Monster Hunter World was one of the best video games I ever played last year. It currently ties with MHGU in my Top 100. Still, a lot of people say that the monster variation in the game was maybe lacking compared to MHGU. I am one of those too. So, when Iceborne was announced, a lot of people were excited to fight against Nargacuga and Tigrex once more. There were newer monsters too, like a large deer creature, if I can recall, and a new location to explore. Since Iceborne is an expansion of the base game, how well does it make things newer and fresher? 

Iceborne picks up after the events of the base game. The duo of the hunter and the handler explore the Ancient Forest to do some research, when a swarm of Legiana fly far away to a new icy world. But, the handler also detects a certain song, which means there's another monster at work. Not only that, but the ecosystem of the New World is rapidly changing. Older monsters have become more dangerous, and newer monsters have appeared out of nowhere. The handler says that the answer to all of these problems and questions may lie in the new undiscovered world, and even though the chief of Astera says it's far too dangerous, he agrees and makes plans for a hideout in this new location. After the hunter takes down a new creature, a new town called Selina is created, and a new chief is appointed. So, the quest begins to solve these mysteries. I love how the expansion expands on the lore of the New World, and the ending to this game leaves on a cliffhanger that might be resolved in another expansion.  

The game still looks and sounds wonderfully, so how has the game changed at the core? New variations of monsters and new monsters have appeared, as said before. A new Master Rank was created for this expansion alone. New weapons and armor can be made, including the new lawyered set which increases cold durability and defense. It doesn't replace the basic armor set at all. A new winter setting is included, which means more hot drink consumption. A new activity at the Steamworks creates items by using ore, crystals, and so on. The hunter has a new house that can have furniture put in places and play music leisurely. It's just to hang out. New gadgets, like the Clutch Claw, allows players to get onto monsters a lot easier than mounting. However, hitting monsters takes away stamina, so it's risk vs. reward. Maybe the Clutch Claw existed before then, but the new stuff in this game makes things more accessible.  

The game is challenging, but rewarding as usual. And, with the events, like the Resident Evil 2 stuff, this game will still keep on going. But, maybe there will be another expansion in the works, since the ending still feels like more questions have appeared. But, Iceborne is worth getting the base game, if one hasn't done so.

 

 

12/16- Poke'mon Sword for Nintendo Switch (Major spoilers)

 

 



 

It's a very grim future for the world of Pokemon. The detailed variety of gyms and leaders, the Elite Four and Champion, rivals, routes and towns, evil teams, and Pokemon seemed to have drastically gone downhill. Now, this might be weird, as I will defend the choices made in Sun and Moon and their sequels from a narrative perspective, and how the trials were an interesting spin on the gym challenges thing. Plus, I love Alola, since it took inspiration from Hawaii, which I also love. Sword, and to an extent Shield... are perhaps the most critically divisive since Pokemon Generation 3... maybe 6. As a fan of the series, there's a couple of things to enjoy from Generations 3 and 6. 3 had abilities, weather, some really amazing Poke'mon, the tight Battle Frontier, tight music, and great gym leaders, Elite Four, and champion. 6 brought in Fairy Types, which made the meta a bit more balanced, Mega Evolution (which doesn't happen much anymore), 3D models, and really good Pokemon. But, Sword and Shield are different. These two games are on the Nintendo Switch, the evolution of console and handheld gaming. And, the Switch has amazing games, such as Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey. Because of the high expectations of a new Pokemon game, people were understandably frustrated and shocked to see the underperformance of one of Nintendo's highest-grossing series. What went wrong, and what glimmers of hope might there be for the third installation... or perhaps sequels? 

 

The story is about a kid who lives in the world of Galar, a United Kingdom-inspred region. His next door neighbor is... Hop. Yes, Hop. Hop's brother, Leon, is the Poke'mon champion. The new kid and Hop get starter Poke'mon from Leon and begin their quest to defeat Leon. The Galar Region handles gyms differently, because it's more akin to soccer/football (where each gym has a stadium and there's thousands of people cheering the challengers on), and there's the Gym Challenge. The Gym Challenge is the same as the usual League battles, but there's more than one trainer at a time now who wants to beat Leon and be the champ, and the people who win all eight badges face each other in the last stretch. In fact, there's no Elite Four this time at all, and it takes some cues from the last generation. But, to even enter the Gym Challenge, the kid has to be endorsed. And, who else to endorse the kid, but the champ?! Along the way, the kid will also run into Marlie, a girl who is constantly cheered by Team Yell (the worst), and Bede, who is endorsed by Chairman Rose (the one responsible for the Gym Challenge). Remember how unique Blue, Silver, Wally, Cheren, and Gladion were? Blue was a jerk, Silver was just a criminal bad boy, Wally had self-esteem issues, Cheren just wanted to learn and make his Pokemon stronger (which may have got him his later job), and Gladion... had that catchy theme music with the cool bass. There is nothing really special that makes Marlie and Bede stand out from other rivals now. So, the Gym structure is the same, the evil team SUCKS, and the rivals aren't even great. I will give the games some points. I love Opal and her Gym, Kabu's Gym, Piers' battle, and Raihan's Gym and battle (even if it isn't the first time we've seen Raihan's gimmick). The rest are just mediocre and safe for Poke'mon standards. The stuff about the Darkest Day isn't entirely new, but it does juxtapose the existence of these games' big gimmick, so it gets somewhat of a pass. Overall, it just feels like a weaker Gen 7 plot. And it might get worse from there. 

 

Everyone has talked about how contradictory both games look. The games have the unique charm of making every place stand out from one another. But, that's maybe the only positive. Let's get into the big problems: the games reuse models of the last generation, but makes them look better, and some objects, like the Wild Area trees, are downright awful and lame. And don't get me started on the slow frame rate during internet play in the Wild Area, the pop-in, and the route design. Although the Wild Area is huge, the designers must have forgotten how to make interesting paths... and maybe even towns. There's basically nothing to do in towns but get clothes and go heal and shop as usual. I think the game's length really show how weak that all is. But, if there's one saving grace of the games, it's the soundtrack. Honestly, the Gym Leader- final Poke'mon song is so catchy, that the fans even sing along to it. 

 

Okay, so here's the big one: game-play. Dynamaxing makes every Poke'mon get bigger, and use high-powered moves. Unlike Mega Evolution, Dynamaxing doesn't last too long, and it's not really game-breaking. Seriously, against most of the Gym Leaders, I refused to use Dynamaxing, because I was too overpowered (although that's because the EXP Share cannot be removed this time, to a detriment for many). I was too good. I only used Dynamaxing for at least five to seven battles. Some Poke'mon can wander about, but some Poke'mon are shy until an "!" appears. So, it's the mix of Let's Go and Gen 7 I wanted. Speaking of which, the Wild Area includes a lot of areas and Poke'mon, and the places called Power Spots hold Max Raid Battles and/or Watts. Watts are used for getting some items and so on. The Max Raid Battles feature really strong Dyna/Gigamaxed Poke'mon. When fighting a Poke'mon in this state, one can locally or by the way of the internet battle the Poke'mon with up to three other players. The Wild Area also changes weather in each part every night (which changes which Poke'mon will be there, the Power Spots and other things will randomly appear and respawn, and there are a lot of Poke'mon... that wander around and might destroy a player if they don't have the best badges. Yes, the open-world nature of the Wild Area has a bit of a downside. One might think of going after a Poke'mon... until they realize how much "strong-looking" they are. Going up to an Onix after the first time of arriving might not be a good ideal. The same goes for Max Raid Battles. Like Alola, Galar has a good amount of regional variants, like Galarian Ponyta and Farfetch'd, and new... Poke'mon. 

 

Alright, there's no time to roam around the bush that needs to be beaten... the Galarian Poke'dex controversy has been a huge mess for the fans. The developers said it was because of graphical fidelity and probably Dynamaxing that a whole lot of Poke'mon were... cut. And there will be no way to transfer every Poke'mon into Sword at the very Poke'mon. The ones that are in the Poke'dex and are coded in the games will be able to be transferred. But, because the art style isn't really solid and the dynamaxing felt like it was totally unnecessary, I think there should have been more time to work on the games to include all of the Poke'mon. But, for whatever reason, it felt like these games were rushed... To be honest: THEY WERE. Poke'mon game cycles come around at least every three to four years now. But, for a Triple-A Nintendo Switch title, Game Freak didn't do its fans any favors. Now, some of the replacements felt like necessary goods, but like I said before, there's no method of consistency. I wrote ten evolutionary lines that would've benefited from the game's royal theming, but since then, it's been only the Dragonite, Kingdra, Miltank, Kritcketune, and Pyroar lines. At least 95% of my complaints were solved when I played the game. If Game Freak had a better time-frame to make games, and weren't also working on a new IP the same year, the Sword and Shield games would have fared better. And, if anything's to go by, Dynamaxing might as well came and went like Mega Evolutions and Z-Crystals. They too will be left behind, like most of the series' best ideas. It's only a matter of time Game Freak will make another gimmick that will divide the community.  

 

The post-game also feels lackluster. In the last generation, there was a really amazing plot which involved certain past individuals. It was insane! But, there's nothing there now. Except for catching more Poke'mon in the Wild Area, these games... might have the worst stuff afterwards. And camping with Poke'mon is rarely fun. The games have good ideas that might be left out in the next bunch. If they don't fix what needs fixing... we're doomed. 

 

As I tried to make a review for this game in particular, I tried to catch a Shiny Wooloo. Instead, a got a Shiny Rookadee. That's right: this game is a gray bird. Sure, this game has serious problems that might jeopardize the series with its strange exterior, but at the core of the matter, there are some really good bright beacons that could either make or break Poke'mon as we know it. Game Freak, just please listen. Take your time. Make the anime go as long as needed so you have enough time to make the best Poke'mon game you can. You need to slow down before things go horribly wrong. The community deserves better right now. Work on the models, work on the gameplay, and get working on those models we'll eventually see in 2024. I... We believe in you.

 

Edited by XLW
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Making my post just to say I'm canonically the first N4A user to beat a game in 2019.

 

Console - 3
Handheld - 0
PC - 0
Mobile - 0
Overall - 3

 

Jan. 3 - Katamari Damacy Reroll - Switch

This game is wonderful. I wish it was longer.

 

Jan. 16 - New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe - Switch

I might as well have replayed NSMB Wii. This is kind of a bland, safe sequel. Not particularly sorry I missed it on Wii U.

 

Jan. 21 - Donut County - Switch

Loved everything about this.

Edited by Young P
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I mostly wasn't able to participate last year, but challenges were neat. I think it would be worth brainstorming some good ones.
I still don't understand the emulator rule, though. If I play on a flashcart, does that count over emulator, because it's functionally identical to having a cartridge?
Does Virtual Console not count because it's also an emulator?

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3 hours ago, Pichi said:

I mostly wasn't able to participate last year, but challenges were neat. I think it would be worth brainstorming some good ones.
I still don't understand the emulator rule, though. If I play on a flashcart, does that count over emulator, because it's functionally identical to having a cartridge?
Does Virtual Console not count because it's also an emulator?

I've always taken the intent of the emulation rule to mean if you own the game, you can play it on an emulator for the purposes of this thread. I am not terribly knowledgeable in the area of flashcarts, but I believe the intent is the same. One of the goals of this thread has been to beat the backlog of games we own. 

 

The Virtual Console has counted in past years and continues to count. The same is true of the Nintendo Switch NES app, as well as "Classic" consoles like the NES Classic, SNES Classic and PlayStation Classic. 

5 hours ago, Young P said:

Jan. 3 - Katamari Damacy Reroll - Switch

This game is wonderful. I wish it was longer.

And, while I'm here, I'll note my first beat of the year as well. Like Young P, it was Katamari Damacy Reroll for the Switch. 

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On 1/4/2019 at 3:08 PM, Pichi said:

what if I want to play games i don't own instead of games i do? y;

You can play whatever you want.

 

But for the purposes of this thread, when it comes to emulation, we ask that you own the game.

 

I've also posted the first batch of challenges. Feel free to suggest your own!

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1st game beaten of the year. Shining Force: Sword of Hayja on 3DS VC. Easily the best Game Gear title I have ever experienced.  It is the first Shining Force game I have ever beaten. I would say it's just as good as the Fire Emblem series but without the "permadeath" and it is a Damn shame Camelot doesn't make these types of games anymore. 

 

C:

H: 1

PC:

M:

O: 1

 

Challenges:

 

Games Beaten:

1. Shining Force: Sword of Hayja (3DS VC) 1/6/2019

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suggestions: make 100-games challenge worth 10-points or make it 50 games. beating a game every 4 days on average is crazy. unless you play super short ones.
make a silver challenge for beating a roguelike/lite for the first time cause those games take loads of hours to get decent enough to beat

 

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A few things.

 

First, two more beats for me: Adventures of Lolo and Donkey Kong (both Switch, on the NES app). Lolo is a first time beat, Donkey Kong might as well be an annual tradition. Photos of these (and Katamari Damacy Reroll) in spoiler below.

 

Second, I've added rankings into the first post. It's kind of silly at this point, but at least it's there and hopefully will encourage me to keep it (somewhat) current throughout the year, rather than wait until the last minute to count everybody up. It's a start. I'll probably create a spreadsheet later.

 

Third, Chrom said he can make the "Gamer of the Year" rank happen. That's been updated into the main post.

 

Fourth, Pichi makes a good suggestion about the 100 games challenge. Looking at the prior thread, not many people managed to achieve that last year. I might make one of the two proposed changes there, it's a matter of picking one.

 

 

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Second game of the year down with the first Shining Force. Beat it on the Sega Genesis Collection for Switch. Just as good as Fire Emblem and in some ways it is better. Found it interesting that Camelot made these games back before they did the Golden Sun titles (which are the best GBA exclusive RPGs imo).  Just started Shining Force II and on a serious tactical RPG kick. 

 

C: 1

H: 1

PC:

M:

O: 2

 

Challenges:

 

Games Beaten:

1. Shining Force: Sword of Hayja (3DS VC) 1/6/2019

2. Shining Force (Switch) 1/13/2019

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1st game beat of 2019.

 

3-D World Runner  (NES)

 

I'm one of the lucky few to open a CIB copy that even has the old-school anaglyphic red/blue tinted 3-D specs. 

I had much longer post than this originally, but I hit the wrong button on my keyboard along the way and lost over 30-minutes worth of shit.    Maybe I'll redo it later but for now I just want to get this posted and get on with my day.

 

 

 

 

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First update of the year!
 
- Double Cross (Switch)
I was really excited to see the next title from 13AM Games, and while this one doesn't feel as fresh and unique as Runbow, it's still a fun 2D platformer. [image]
 
- Golf Story (Switch)
A cute little golf game, though I found myself getting a bit tired of it by the end of the story. [image]
 
- Undertale (Switch)
Would've been nice to play this completely fresh, without having heard hype from its fanbase constantly over the past few years. I still enjoyed it, though not, perhaps, as much as said fanbase. [image]
 
- Spider-Man (PS4)
What a great game, love how well it captured the simple joy of web-swinging through New York City. The Batman Arkham formula works perfectly for Spider-Man, and I even enjoyed pretty much all of the open world padding. And the story was excellent as well—really looking forward to what the developers could do with a sequel. [image]
 
- Dead Cells (Switch)
Finally defeated the Hand of the King with the help of a bow and amulet that gave me 50% damage reduction. Like I said in my game of the year thread, the combat mechanics are really excellent in Dead Cells; I'll probably do some more runs to explore other regions. [image]
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My first game of 2019 is Breath of the Wild! Spent 65h 24m on it according to the Wii U stats.
It wasn't technically my very first play, but previously I had borrowed it from a friend and stopped partway through.
Did 50-some shrines, the divine beasts and all memories before taking on Ganon. Did a few of the big shrine quests and side stuff.
Streamed it all on Twitch, but will probably play the rest of it on my own.

 

 

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Edited by Pichi
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