26 public written reviews
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Despite being nearly 30 years old, Blaster Master for the NES holds up. Blaster Master Zero is much of the same, and those familiar with the original game will find the same Metroid-Vania style exploration while in the side-scrolling missions, and gunplay from the top-down perspective. The more compelling of these two games has always been the side-scrolling areas, and while the top-down missions are not bad, the…
This is a review for Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. I have also reviewed Heavensward, the expansion to this game in much more depth. That review is available here . Everything I have previously stated about Heavensward also remains true about the base game. The types of people this game tends to attract are some of the worst people ever-- people who take the game way too seriously and rage at newer players over…
Read the full review Final Fantasy XIV Online: A Realm Reborn
It took me over half a year to be able to internalize and put into words my thoughts on Final Fantasy XIV. The game is extraordinarily difficult to review because it has so much content and it takes months before you are truly able to ascertain what the game even is. At first, my time with the game was great. After the initial honeymoon period however, I began to realize the reason this game and practically every…
Voez is a rhythm game, and works much like what Pop'n Music would if it was on a touch screen. I played the game on the Nintendo Switch and got around 100 songs for the price of $25, which is an incredible value. I have heard however, that on the other platforms the song packs have to be purchased piecemeal, which may be a much worse value. It is worth noting most of the songs are music only, and very few have voice…
While the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is not perfect, I think this is a game everyone should play. At it's core is incredible exploration, often done better than any other game. Shortly after the start of the game, you can go anywhere and complete challenges in any order you would like. It is breathtaking being able to see something way off in the distance and within a few moments to have traveled there. In…
Read the full review The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Final Fantasy XV was an excellent game in nearly every aspect; however, the Episode Gladiolus DLC is a departure from the base game and not in a good way. Instead of RPG elements such as questing and dungeon crawling, you control the ridiculously-large-sword wielding Gladio through a series of boss encounters. The game controls much like a poor man's Ninja Gaiden or Devil May Cry, and often you feel like the…
Read the full review The Mechanics of an RPG Shoehorned Into a Character Action Game
For over a decade, the Yakuza series has been overlooked, despite critical acclaim. One of the reasons for this would be due to the game series having a rough start in the US, with poor localization of the first game and very late second and third entries, of which the third entry was notoriously censored. However, someone at Sega has finally realized they are sitting on a goldmine and did a fantastic job localizing…
This is a review for the Deadly Premonition Director's Cut for the PS3. I also reviewed the original X360 version, and everything I have said previously still stands here. This version of the game fixes a large number of issues in the original game. The controls are now RE4 style, the game's graphics aren't quite as bad thanks to what appears to be an enhanced color palette, and some of the audio mixing issues from…
Deadly Premonition at first glance looks like an awful game. The graphics are dated, the sound effects are hilariously bad, and the 'walking tank' controls are clunky. The rational person inside of me makes me want to hate this game. For a game as busted as this, I was surprised to find that I couldn't stop playing it. I was becoming attracted to the characters and the story, and even began finding silver linings in…
Super Mario Bros. 3 is quite possibly the greatest game ever made, and I do not say that lightly. Of all the things I could say about Super Mario Bros 3, none of them are negative-- the game's controls are near perfectly tuned, the powerups are all unique and useful, the worlds each have a distinct look and feel which keeps the game fresh, the levels are all unique and memorable, and finally, the game's difficulty…
The Legend of Zelda was an innovative game for its time. In Zelda, one will acquire a lot of gear, hearts, and weapons, but what made this game groundbreaking for its time is you can carry those items over to your next playthrough thanks to a save feature. Having a game which you could play for an hour or two, and were able to progress slowly over several days, weeks, or even months was the kind of game the creators…
Mega Man II is one of the best games on the NES, and a game which inspired many clones of it to come in its wake. Like many games of its time, it is very hard; however, Mega Man II is also a fair, skill-based game which will become easier as you improve. After completing each level, you are awarded with a new weapon, some of which function very different than your normal weapon or can even provide devices which can…
Metroid was an ambitious game when it was released. Having a large area to explore with no correct path to explore it, upgrades to your character which unlock areas for further exploration, and plenty of secrets, the game can feel daunting for first timers. Especially since Metroid does not provide any direction or hint of where the player needs to go. There is also no in-game map and many of the screens look very…
Super Mario Bros 2 is actually a game called Doki Doki Panic. When Nintendo brought Doki to the United States, changes to the game were made and the Mario Characters and name was added. That being said, it was created by the same team at Nintendo and while it is a huge departure from other Mario games, it is a great game in its own right. Having the ability to choose between 4 different characters, each with…
Mike Tyson's Punch-Out is as much of a puzzle game as it is boxing. In order to progress, one must learn their opponent's patterns and how to respond, and when you are able to defeat a difficult opponent it feels oh so satisfying. The game requires quick reflexes, especially the final few fights which for some people may end up being impossible. Nintendo games weren't always designed to be winnable, and while…
Final Fantasy is a classic RPG with great music, solid game mechanics, and a lot of places to explore; however, the game's biggest achievement is bringing together all of these features to provide an overall great experience. Most of the classic Final Fantasy tropes are present. There is an airship, gaining experience and leveling up, random encounters, restoration items, and magic. There is not however, a character…
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse is a great classic Nintendo game, which like many other games of its time is extremely difficult and unforgiving. Naming your character "HELP ME" gives you 10 lives instead of 3, which in all honesty is the only way I was able to make it to the final level of the game. Thankfully, there are unlimited Continues, because you will die a lot as you get used to each level. When you beat a…
Shenmue was an ambitious game, and one of the highest budget and most hyped games of its time. Many love it and many hate it, and both sides have valid arguments as to why. The game is very heavily story driven, but the story progression is slow as molasses. There is a lot of voice acting; however, much of it is terrible mostly due to Yu Suzuki's insistence that he be present for all voice recording, forcing the…
Tetris is one of the best games ever created, and the NES version of Tetris does not dissapoint. Being colorful and having a few selections of background music-- it is really all one needs for a barebones game of Tetris. Let it be known however, that Tengen Tetris for the NES has competitive multiplayer and more modes-- so while the NES version of Tetris is great, the rare Tengen version of Tetris is better. The…
I really wanted to like Never Alone. Conceptually, the game is very interesting, being a platforming co-op game based on Inuit folklore. Unfortunately, the platforming is generic, the controls are somewhat slippery, and the puzzles are all straightforward and brain-dead easy to solve. The game itself can be beaten in a few hours and has no replay value, especially since you now know the solution to every puzzle in…
Persona 4 is the kind of game that only comes around once every decade or so. It is a game which proves that traditional, turn-based JRPGs are not dead and does so with some of the most likable and believable characters, not to mention a compelling story which will leave you on the edge of your seat. Moreover, the game has a terrific sense of humor and is self-aware of how ridiculous and crazy it can sometimes be.…
Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga is a game with a fun and quirky sense of humor and a lot of charm for kids, as well as adults who are nostalgic about Star Wars. The core gameplay for the game is competent-- where one is exploring levels on foot and collecting studs; however, the vehicle sequences are all terrible, and the co-op game is hindered by a bad camera which forces players to either be close to one another…
Dead or Alive is often portrayed as a fanservice game with mediocre fighting mechanics; and while the game certainly has fanservice, the core fighting mechanics are balanced and remarkably solid. Having attended Final Round in Atlanta, I have come to know some of the tournament-level DOA players and have seen what remarkable skill both in math and reflexes one must master to play this game at a competitive level.…
Dragon Warrior III is a classic RPG which despite its age, is still fun to go back to today. Fans of RPGs will immediately recognize the classic RPG tropes of having to choose a character from preset classes-- my favorite character being the "Goof-off", as well as a battle system with attacking, defending, magic, and items. The locations and monsters in the game are memorable and varied, and the dungeons and boss…
Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X is a fantastic Rhythm game at it's core; however, this experience is detracted by a lame story mode and smaller than usual catalog of songs. Clocking in at 30 songs, the game feels a little thinner than usual, especially when considering the massive amount of unlockables with over 300 costumes available. If you wish to unlock everything, you will find yourself playing the same songs…
To be frank, after nearly a decade of delays I was expecting Final Fantasy XV to be awful. What I was not expecting; however, was a uniquely Japanese take on the open-world genre. To say that FFXV exceeded my expectations would be an understatement. The game completely shattered my expectations and blew my mind. Between the main story, hunts, side quests, and dungeon crawling, there is more than a hundred hours of…
