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Gaming / Re: Backlog 2020/2021
« on: February 01, 2022, 04:53:24 AM »
Every game I beat this past January + some rambling and unconcise thoughts on them:
Metroid Dread (2021) for the Nintendo Switch - 9/10
: This was just about everything I wanted it to be. I've always loved the Metroid games—Super Metroid remains my favorite game of all time—but for not getting a proper 2D Metroid game in almost two decades, and for passing development over to MercurySteam, the people who made those dumbass Castlevania: Lords of Shadow games, this truly exceeded my expectations. The simple act of moving around in this game feels better than, without exaggerating, probably any other game that I've played. I honestly can't think of anything else that feels this satisfying, this buttery smooth. They also totally nailed the atmosphere, and I found myself thoroughly engaged with the storyline as well. The ending was fucking awesome. To be honest, I don't even care about Metroid Prime 4 anymore—this was really what I wanted all along. The only thing I found myself somewhat disappointed with was the music. It's not bad by any means, but none of the tracks really stuck out to me. Previous Metroid games found a way to make ambient music stick with you forever—but I don't think they really pulled that off here. It's a fairly minor issue in the grand scheme of things, but music is a pretty important aspect to me, so I think it's worth bringing up. Regardless, this is the best game I've played since Breath of the Wild, and I fully endorse it.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (1991) via Nintendo Switch Online's SNES app - 9/10
: Super Metroid is my favorite singular game, but The Legend of Zelda is my favorite series. A Link to the Past is a game I played all the time as a kid, so if I'm such a big fan, you might be surprised to learn that I haven't already beaten this one. The truth is, I mostly played Zelda games back then not necessarily to beat them, but just to dick around in their massive worlds. The amount of little surprises there are to uncover in this game, even if you're not making any forward progression, is actually pretty immense for a game of this era. If I ever did wander off into a dungeon, I'd usually pass the controller to my dad after getting beaten up by the boss, and he's take care of it for me—so, this was my first playthrough of this game without getting any help. Suffice to say, I think it holds up pretty fucking well. The miniscule ways in which the game could be said to have "aged" ultimately don't factor into the game's overall quality, as far as I'm concerned. It's still one of the best games ever created, and I challenge you to find a better game made in 1991.
Sin and Punishment (2000) via Nintendo Switch Online's N64 app - 8/10
: I've been on somewhat of a rail shooter kick lately, and I think this one's probably the best of the bunch that I've finished. It's one of those games that never got a physical release stateside, but managed to get a spike in popularity and interest thanks to being referenced in Super Smash Bros. After Brawl came out, the game was added to the Wii's Virtual Console service, so people outside of Japan could play it for the first time—it, along with Chrono Trigger, happens to be the last game I bought on that service before they shut it down a few years ago... and then they went and added it for free to the N64 service... resulting in $10 down the drain for me. Oh well. The game itself is pretty awesome, but there's not much to say about the gameplay. It's pretty much just nonstop shooty action on top of some really cool set-pieces. For being made up of shitty polygons, it's pretty stylized, and it's probably one of the best-looking N64 games. The setting and story, which I had trouble making complete sense of, did give me some major Evangelion vibes, as well, which I thought was pretty cool. Overall, I thought it was a gas. I wouldn't be surprised if it ended up being in my top 10 games for the system.
Banjo-Kazooie (1998) via Nintendo Switch Online's N64 app - 7/10
: One of those games I never played as a child, even though I probably should have. For a long time, I've had it in my head that collect-a-thons are stupid, because what could possibly be fun about going around a big world and just collecting random junk that doesn't do anything tangibly useful for you? Maybe it's because I was raised on Zelda and Metroid, where pretty much everything you pick up is immediately useful, that I had this prejudice—and in my defense, there are definitely some collect-a-thons out there that make the act of collecting things extremely boring—but I'm pleased to report that I don't think Banjo-Kazooie is one of them. Well, for the most part. I hate having to collect 100 musical notes per level, because that really is just an arbitrary and tedious task, but collecting jigsaw pieces is a lot more fun because of how creative they get with their hiding places. I've always said that the best games should be about getting you to appreciate the journey apart from the destination, and surprisingly, I think Banjo-Kazooie fits the bill on that. I do have some major issues with the game—collecting musical notes sucks (especially considering you have to re-collect them upon death), the controls aren't the best, and the final boss was super janky and way more frustrating than it needed to be. That said, I still enjoyed the game overall, and I regret not playing it as a child. I'm sure I would've loved it, with its Saturday morning cartoon energy and incredibly juvenile sense of humor.
Panzer Dragoon (1995) for the Sega Saturn - 7/10
: Played this for my '95 project, primarily. Classic rail shooter. Cool dragons. Cool setting. Awesome music. Lots of fun. Simple stuff.
Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling (2019) for the Nintendo Switch - 7/10
: Since Nintendo has shown zero interest in returning the Paper Mario series to its story-heavy turn-based RPG roots, an indie Panamanian developer took it upon themselves to make their own Paper Mario-esque game—but this time, with a slightly darker and more mature story and a greater emphasis on challenging, complex combat. It's neat! I found myself drowned by the number of boring fetch quests the game throws at you, though, and the story doesn't really pick up until the fifth chapter or so. It's also very, very similar to Paper Mario—which is the point, I get it—but I mean that it's similar in ways that it didn't necessarily need to be, if that makes sense. I think it struggles to find its own voice, at times, but it was still fairly enjoyable. I'd play a sequel, if they ever made one.
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (1987) via Nintendo Switch Online's NES service - 4/5
: The "black sheep" of the Zelda franchise—or as I like to call it, the ultimate casual filter. Lots of people hate this game, but lots of people are dumb. This game is great. I've technically already finished it, but similar to A Link to the Past, I had lots of help from Internet guides as well as my dad. This was the first time I beat the game without anyone's help, and it was a blast. It's definitely flawed, though—I think if there's any game in the series that deserves a remake of some kind, it's this one.
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (2018) for the Nintendo Switch - 7/10
: Cute and creative little puzzle game. You're essentially just going from point A to point B in a small 3D environment, but you can't jump, so you have to use your wits to figure out how to reach every goal. With a few exceptions, no two levels are similar; they're always throwing new ideas at you. Not too challenging, though. The camera rotates the world instead of orbiting around Toad, allowing you to observe each level from their every angle, revealing things that would otherwise be hidden if the camera was locked over Toad's shoulders. It almost gives the impression of rotating a physical object, like a Rubik's cube, which was definitely an interesting sensation that a game has never made me feel before.
Castlevania: Dracula X (1995) via the Castlevania Advance Collection for the Nintendo Switch - 6/10
: Butchered port of Castlevania: Rondo of Blood. It provides a base level of Castlevania fun, but nothing more. This version of the game was said to have the hardest iteration of Dracula in the series, and I agree with that assessment—but it's not necessarily a fair or fun fight.
Bug! (1995) for the Sega Saturn - 4/10
: Just one of those stupid failed mascot platformers of the '90s. My uncle had a Sega Saturn, and he let me play a handful of games on it—this being one of them. I liked it as a kid, and I've always wanted to beat it, but having done so has only made me completely turn my back on this game. It's an utterly miserable experience, partly because it's one of the hardest games I've ever played in my life, but mostly because it's just super shitty and unfair. It gets points for being a 3D platformer before Super Mario 64 came out, which I think earns it a respectful nod... but yeah, I just get sad when I think about this game now. I wish I had the patience to beat it as a kid, so I wouldn't have felt the need to beat it as an adult.
Currently playing:
- Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
- Rayman
- Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
- Pokémon Legends: Arceus (once it gets delivered)
Metroid Dread (2021) for the Nintendo Switch - 9/10
: This was just about everything I wanted it to be. I've always loved the Metroid games—Super Metroid remains my favorite game of all time—but for not getting a proper 2D Metroid game in almost two decades, and for passing development over to MercurySteam, the people who made those dumbass Castlevania: Lords of Shadow games, this truly exceeded my expectations. The simple act of moving around in this game feels better than, without exaggerating, probably any other game that I've played. I honestly can't think of anything else that feels this satisfying, this buttery smooth. They also totally nailed the atmosphere, and I found myself thoroughly engaged with the storyline as well. The ending was fucking awesome. To be honest, I don't even care about Metroid Prime 4 anymore—this was really what I wanted all along. The only thing I found myself somewhat disappointed with was the music. It's not bad by any means, but none of the tracks really stuck out to me. Previous Metroid games found a way to make ambient music stick with you forever—but I don't think they really pulled that off here. It's a fairly minor issue in the grand scheme of things, but music is a pretty important aspect to me, so I think it's worth bringing up. Regardless, this is the best game I've played since Breath of the Wild, and I fully endorse it.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (1991) via Nintendo Switch Online's SNES app - 9/10
: Super Metroid is my favorite singular game, but The Legend of Zelda is my favorite series. A Link to the Past is a game I played all the time as a kid, so if I'm such a big fan, you might be surprised to learn that I haven't already beaten this one. The truth is, I mostly played Zelda games back then not necessarily to beat them, but just to dick around in their massive worlds. The amount of little surprises there are to uncover in this game, even if you're not making any forward progression, is actually pretty immense for a game of this era. If I ever did wander off into a dungeon, I'd usually pass the controller to my dad after getting beaten up by the boss, and he's take care of it for me—so, this was my first playthrough of this game without getting any help. Suffice to say, I think it holds up pretty fucking well. The miniscule ways in which the game could be said to have "aged" ultimately don't factor into the game's overall quality, as far as I'm concerned. It's still one of the best games ever created, and I challenge you to find a better game made in 1991.
Sin and Punishment (2000) via Nintendo Switch Online's N64 app - 8/10
: I've been on somewhat of a rail shooter kick lately, and I think this one's probably the best of the bunch that I've finished. It's one of those games that never got a physical release stateside, but managed to get a spike in popularity and interest thanks to being referenced in Super Smash Bros. After Brawl came out, the game was added to the Wii's Virtual Console service, so people outside of Japan could play it for the first time—it, along with Chrono Trigger, happens to be the last game I bought on that service before they shut it down a few years ago... and then they went and added it for free to the N64 service... resulting in $10 down the drain for me. Oh well. The game itself is pretty awesome, but there's not much to say about the gameplay. It's pretty much just nonstop shooty action on top of some really cool set-pieces. For being made up of shitty polygons, it's pretty stylized, and it's probably one of the best-looking N64 games. The setting and story, which I had trouble making complete sense of, did give me some major Evangelion vibes, as well, which I thought was pretty cool. Overall, I thought it was a gas. I wouldn't be surprised if it ended up being in my top 10 games for the system.
Banjo-Kazooie (1998) via Nintendo Switch Online's N64 app - 7/10
: One of those games I never played as a child, even though I probably should have. For a long time, I've had it in my head that collect-a-thons are stupid, because what could possibly be fun about going around a big world and just collecting random junk that doesn't do anything tangibly useful for you? Maybe it's because I was raised on Zelda and Metroid, where pretty much everything you pick up is immediately useful, that I had this prejudice—and in my defense, there are definitely some collect-a-thons out there that make the act of collecting things extremely boring—but I'm pleased to report that I don't think Banjo-Kazooie is one of them. Well, for the most part. I hate having to collect 100 musical notes per level, because that really is just an arbitrary and tedious task, but collecting jigsaw pieces is a lot more fun because of how creative they get with their hiding places. I've always said that the best games should be about getting you to appreciate the journey apart from the destination, and surprisingly, I think Banjo-Kazooie fits the bill on that. I do have some major issues with the game—collecting musical notes sucks (especially considering you have to re-collect them upon death), the controls aren't the best, and the final boss was super janky and way more frustrating than it needed to be. That said, I still enjoyed the game overall, and I regret not playing it as a child. I'm sure I would've loved it, with its Saturday morning cartoon energy and incredibly juvenile sense of humor.
Panzer Dragoon (1995) for the Sega Saturn - 7/10
: Played this for my '95 project, primarily. Classic rail shooter. Cool dragons. Cool setting. Awesome music. Lots of fun. Simple stuff.
Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling (2019) for the Nintendo Switch - 7/10
: Since Nintendo has shown zero interest in returning the Paper Mario series to its story-heavy turn-based RPG roots, an indie Panamanian developer took it upon themselves to make their own Paper Mario-esque game—but this time, with a slightly darker and more mature story and a greater emphasis on challenging, complex combat. It's neat! I found myself drowned by the number of boring fetch quests the game throws at you, though, and the story doesn't really pick up until the fifth chapter or so. It's also very, very similar to Paper Mario—which is the point, I get it—but I mean that it's similar in ways that it didn't necessarily need to be, if that makes sense. I think it struggles to find its own voice, at times, but it was still fairly enjoyable. I'd play a sequel, if they ever made one.
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (1987) via Nintendo Switch Online's NES service - 4/5
: The "black sheep" of the Zelda franchise—or as I like to call it, the ultimate casual filter. Lots of people hate this game, but lots of people are dumb. This game is great. I've technically already finished it, but similar to A Link to the Past, I had lots of help from Internet guides as well as my dad. This was the first time I beat the game without anyone's help, and it was a blast. It's definitely flawed, though—I think if there's any game in the series that deserves a remake of some kind, it's this one.
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (2018) for the Nintendo Switch - 7/10
: Cute and creative little puzzle game. You're essentially just going from point A to point B in a small 3D environment, but you can't jump, so you have to use your wits to figure out how to reach every goal. With a few exceptions, no two levels are similar; they're always throwing new ideas at you. Not too challenging, though. The camera rotates the world instead of orbiting around Toad, allowing you to observe each level from their every angle, revealing things that would otherwise be hidden if the camera was locked over Toad's shoulders. It almost gives the impression of rotating a physical object, like a Rubik's cube, which was definitely an interesting sensation that a game has never made me feel before.
Castlevania: Dracula X (1995) via the Castlevania Advance Collection for the Nintendo Switch - 6/10
: Butchered port of Castlevania: Rondo of Blood. It provides a base level of Castlevania fun, but nothing more. This version of the game was said to have the hardest iteration of Dracula in the series, and I agree with that assessment—but it's not necessarily a fair or fun fight.
Bug! (1995) for the Sega Saturn - 4/10
: Just one of those stupid failed mascot platformers of the '90s. My uncle had a Sega Saturn, and he let me play a handful of games on it—this being one of them. I liked it as a kid, and I've always wanted to beat it, but having done so has only made me completely turn my back on this game. It's an utterly miserable experience, partly because it's one of the hardest games I've ever played in my life, but mostly because it's just super shitty and unfair. It gets points for being a 3D platformer before Super Mario 64 came out, which I think earns it a respectful nod... but yeah, I just get sad when I think about this game now. I wish I had the patience to beat it as a kid, so I wouldn't have felt the need to beat it as an adult.
Currently playing:
- Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
- Rayman
- Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
- Pokémon Legends: Arceus (once it gets delivered)
