List items
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Completed on January 6th (True Ending)
What a great game. I was hooked for the final hours, unlocking the last few bits of the maps getting all the spells and finding the secret items to get the true ending.
Movement feels so tactile in Harmony of Dissonance. Having both dashed on L-R shoulder buttons allows you to react super quickly to bosses and enemy attacks. The combat was also very satisfying, especially with the many combination of sub-weapons and spells that were varied and powerful.
The game however was a bit too easy. Once you get access to spells, most bosses can be powered through by hammering them with long range attacks. It was also easy to stack up recovery items at the shop in the latter half of the game.
The story was simple but enjoyable. It did feel overly similar to the one in Circle of the Moon however, with a vampire slayer and a jealous friend. The dialogue and cutscenes were short and few and far between however, allowing the gameplay to take the spotlight.
The second GBA game is a big improvement over Circle of the Moon. I am now looking forward to playing Aria of Sorrow and finally be able to move on the the DS games which have been dormant in my collection for many years.
9/10
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Completed on January 9th (True Ending)
Seeing the universal praise for this game, I came into Aria of Sorrow with pretty high expectations. The series also seemed to be on a upwards trajectory on the GBA with each game being better than the last.
After completing the game in a surprisingly short amoung of time (less than five hours), I come away from the game satisfied, but not overly impressed. It'a a very solid Castlevania entry, but in my opinion it's not quite as good as Harmony of Dissonance.
I liked the flexibility that the demon equipping system offered, but wasn't a big fan of the random factor for acquiring new souls (it was the element that I disliked the most in Circle of the Moon also). For example, there was an area that I didn't know I could reach because I was missing an optional soul that didn't drop for me when I fought the enemies that would have dropped it.
I was disappointed not to see a "second castle" twist like with the previous games. There were a lot of empty rooms and I kept thinking that they would be used interestingly in the upcoming second castle, but that never happened, they were just empty rooms. The removal of max health and mana items also meant that there were less interesting treasures to find throughout the castle. They were replaced by potions that were already easily available at the shop.
The plot was very interesting, combining new and classic elements of the Castlevania timeline. The dialogue, however, were pretty bad. I'm very interested to see where they go with the direct sequel.
Having finally finished all three GBA games, I can finally move on to the DS games, which I have owned for at least 10 years.
8/10
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Completed Final Fantasy II on January 13th
Well, it's done. I'm not sure if I dislike Final Fantasy II more than Final Fantasy XV, but it's certainly at the bottom of the list. The game deserves credit for bringing new elements to the franchise, but it's a painful game to go back to today.
The story is a nice progression from the original, adding more depths to character, a named cast and more custom events. The password system is also a great idea, but ends up being a bit underutilized.
The progression system is ... something else. It's an interesting concept, having stats that increase depending on the context. However, in practice it encourages player behavior that is not super fun. You are rewarded for entering easy fights and hitting your characters or spending all your mana in one fight. I particularily hated the progression of spells, requiring you to cast them hundreds of time before they level up. I just stayed with physical attacks most of the game since that was what I had put my time in.
The dungeons are stangely laid out. They have tons of "trap" rooms that are completely empty but have enemy ambush you on the way out. Since I played the PS1 version of the game, I used the "Memo" save system every chance I got in dungeons to make sure that I wouldn't lose progress.
I had to force myself to finish this game, even taking breaks with other games. I'm glad to finally have played Final Fantasy II, but one time will be more than enough I think.
6/10
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Completed on January 20th (Let's Go Difficulty)
My history with this game is that at the time of its release, I thought it was a bad PS1 port of Duke Nukem: Zero Hour on the N64, which I liked a lot. And so I slept on this game, not knowing that it was a totally different game, directly inspired by Tomb Raider.
The original Tomb Raider game is another gem that I thought was bad during the 90s but that I can fully appreciate now. The 3D movement and gamplay in those games is a bit slower, more methodical than with something like Mario 64.
Surprisingly, I had a lot of fun with Duke Nukem: Time to Kill. Even thought the frame rate is pretty low, it's never frustrating to fight enemies or explore the levels. There are some frustrating platforming parts, but you can easily make them trivial by making sure that you always have a jetpack on hand (one of the coolest gadgets of the game).
The arsenal of weapons is large, diverse and almost all useful. The projectiles are hard to use because of the low framerate and long throw animation, but everything else feels like a blast to use in the right context.
I had fun uncovering secrets in the levels and finding my way through well balanced levels in terms of size and amount of enemies. The bosses were a fun diversion for the few times that they appeared.
The cringe macho humor has obviously not aged well, but everything else in this game stood the test of time.
8/10
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Completed on January 21st
I had pretty much zero knowledge of Genji: Dawn of the Samurai going in. I bought this game a while ago on the PS2 and never gave it much tought. I had only seen footage of the infamous PS3 follow-up and didn't bother looking up info about up the original.
Turns out that it's a pretty solid little action game. The game plays like the other character actions games of the time, but the movement of the characters is especially reminiscent of Devil May Cry.
The combat mechanics were simple but satisfying. The two characters felt very different to control but equally as useful, so you were encouraged to switch it out from time to time. I liked killing enemies in one blow with the big guy and and storming the enemies with a million hits with the other one.
The story was simple and moved along at a nice pace. It was interesting to get "town" locations in an action game, to talk to NPCs and shop for items and weapons.
I'm a little curious about the PS3 game now, we'll see if I end up exploring where the series went.
7/10
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Completed on January 24th
Extermination is survival horror game that feels like a cross between Resident Evil and Winback. There is a heavy focus on the "special ops" theme but still incorporates horror and sci-fi element throughout.
The gameplay was mostly good. Your character moves fast and can mantle objects and climb at some places. This means that you have more freedom in exploring the environments (that include verticality) than in survival horror games with tank controls.
The shooting was okay, but I didn't like the unreliability of the auto-aim, especially at shorter ranges.
The survival aspects were kind of a letdown. You use a battery to power the save machines, but there is usually an infinite recharge right next to the save point. Same for the ammo, there are plenty of ammo distribution machines all over the compound.
The story is a typical b-movie horror plot. The dialogue and voice acting however, were super bad. I would say that it falls under the "so bad it's good", but the rest of the game (mainly the written notes found everywhere) takes itself too seriously to be considered "bad-fun".
A fun game for 2001 that hasn't aged particularily well.
6/10
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Completed on January 29th (All Cups, 150cc)
This is the game that I have played the most in the series, but I never took the time to actually win every cups in any power category. After many nights of trying and improving, I finally did it, and at 150cc!
I am amazed that the SNES can run such a complex racing game with that level of performance. I always had a hard time playing pre-3D era racing games, it always felt like the vehicle was driving itself and I was just there to course correct to avoid obstacles. Super Mario Kart and F-Zero are for me the first two "real" racing games.
You are 100% in control of your cart. The controls take a while to get used to, but have a ton of depth. You can play the game as a regular racing game, slowing down before turns and gaining speed in long stretches, or you can hop and drift around like a maniac to stay at full speed for the whole time.
And to win the Special Cup at 150cc, I had to learn to drift in order to win. The first track of the cup is especially rough, you don't stand a chance if you play it safe. But, slowly but surely, you learn the mechanics and soon enough you are ZIPPING through the course and passing opponents left and right.
It feels to good to have conquered the hardest challenge of this game.
9/10
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Completed on February 6th (Practice Difficulty, True Ending)
Oh boy, this is action platforming perfection! Ghouls n' Ghosts on the Genesis is exactly what I like in classic games. There is variety in the levels, enemies and bosses. With the world map showing up between each stages, you really feel like you are embarked on a grand adventure to save the girl.
The controls are absoluetely perfect and the game didn't have any slowdowns that I noticed. Arthur responds perfectly to your inputs and depending on the weapon can PELT the enemy with projectiles. The is very well balanced, and I never felt cheated out of a life by the game. The checkpoint system is very generous and the infinite continues make me feel like I could probably take on this game on the "Professional" difficulty without too much trouble.
This was a new experience for me, having never played this entry in the franchise. I have only completed the 3D Maximo games other than that. I think I'll try the SNES game to see if I have as much success.
9/10
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Completed on February 11th (Normal Difficulty, 2 lives per continue, True Ending)
I was pumped to have beaten Ghouls 'n Ghosts, but the game was so good that it also left me wanting more. I decided to boot Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts to see if I would be able to make it farther then when I played the game (miserably) as a kid.
Turns out that I was able to beat the game, both loops! Admittedly, I didn't do it on my first run, not even on my second. It took me two tries and almost all my continues to defeat the true final boss, but I finally did and it felt like an amazing accomplishment.
I think the reputation of this game is super undeserved. People call the controls "stiff", but once you master the double jump mechanic you discover that you actually have a lot of control over your jumps - you just have to think strategically about your moves.
Same goes for the difficulty. People call this game "frustrating", but there are just a couple of areas where randomness plays a role, everything else is always the same (and thus can be learned). The bosses are super easy also. I had trouble with the last stage on the second loop because the game forces you to beat the game with the magic weapon, which objectively sucks (shoots slowly and has short range). This was though, especially the bosses of level 7.
Although, with enough practice, I mastered the level, then the first boss and finally the second boss. The true final boss was a pushover like the other bosses.
Again, I had a great time going through the experience of mastering an old game and improving my play on every run. I'll try to find another challenge ... Contra 3 maybe?
9/10
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Completed on February 12th
For some reason, I wasn't looking forward to playing Star Wars Jedi: Survivor each night. Even though the game has a lot of good elements, it didn't gel together for me. I also think that I am getting tired of cookie-cutter AAA character action games.
The main story was fairly entertaining, but the plot and events felts like something I had seen a million times before. Some elements weren't enough fleshed out and the motivation of most characters seemed paper thin at most.
The combat was good when engaging enemies one-on-one, but felt frustrating when fighting against enemies. The AI wasn't tuned to wait their turn to attack you, so you were almost always taking hits while fighting one of the enemies, being stuck into an animation that you can't cancel.
I think what bored me the most what that exploration didn't reward you with anything significant. The health and force upgrades were barely noticeable and the cosmetics were hit and miss.
The game was also FULL of jank and bugs. The characters always spent a couple of seconds in T-pose in the ship before going into space. At some point, my secondary weapon just stopped functionning when I pressed triange. Another time, I lost performance mode and got into sub-30 FPS territory until I unlocked the next cutscene which sent me back to 60 FPS afterwards.
The game isn't without its charms, but it's definitely an uneven experience that made me realise that I'm not enjoying AAA games as I once was.
7/10
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Completed on February 18th (Normal Tracks + 1 Extra)
Ridge Racer was probably an excellent showcase of the PS1 power when it came out at the console's launch. The graphics are pretty impressive for first generation PS1 and everything in the game feels arcade-snappy (I don't think there are any loadings besides the initial one). Even at 30 FPS, Ridge Racer feels super smooth to play and look at.
The cars feel great to control. I especially loved how different each of the four starting cars felt from one another. I ended up using almost every car at least once to win all of the four tracks. Some of them have great acceleration and speed, but go into drift mode super easily so you have to learn to control it during those times. Other cars grip the asphalt and allow you to do very thight turns even at max speed.
The game is very slim on content. I ended up winning the original four tracks and one of the extra (mirror) tracks. I'm not a huge fan of the "reverse" track thing, especially when the signaling on the road isn't reversed and leads all the time to turn in the wrong direction.
Definitely curious to see this series evolve over time and refine its gameplay.
8/10
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Completed on February 19th (Normal Tracks)
Ridge Racer Revolution feels like an expansion pack to the original. The core gameplay is almost exactly similar, but for some reason I feel like the graphics or the controls aren't as snappy at the previous game.
The track design was also pretty good, but there were too many "narrow" parts of tracks that made you constantly bump into things and slow down. The slower, "grippier" car was super useful in those instances where the track was so slim that drifting didn't make sense.
Again, I did the original tracks (only three this time) and tried a bit the "mirror" tracks before concluding that this challenge wasn't fun for me.
7/10
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Completed on February 20th (Extra Levels)
Jumping Flash is a super well executed take on the 3D platformer. Years before Metroid Prime, the game gets everything right about navigating a 3D space in first person. The jumping feels good, the camera and controls are well adjusted and the level designed compliments all the mechanics.
The levels are well varied, with different themes and even types of layout (open/closed, with/without floors, etc.). The game isn't very challenging but still asks you to engage with the mechanics in order to complete both loop of the levels.
The boss fights were all great and varied. The "attack from above" felt a little bit too useful, however.
Overall I loved Jumping Flash and I want to immediately dig in the sequel to the more of this awesome concept.
8/10
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Completed on February 21st (Extra Levels)
Jumping Flash 2 is really an expansion pack in all but name. Even most of the menu music and animations are reused from the original game. That being said, since the first was quick and breezy, it didn't bother me that the formula didn't change in the sequel.
The level design was as good as the original, but I liked how much the second loop changed the levels so much that they felt like different levels from the first loop. Even the boss fights were altered to that the extra level really seem like the second part of the game and not just another go of the same levels.
I'm interested to see where the series end with the Japanese exlusive third game. But I think I'll take a jumping break for now.
8/10
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Completed on February 25th
Shatterhand is a competent action platformer that came out late in the NES life. I never played it at the time and only became familiar with it because of its cult following online.
The game was well designed for the most part. The levels challenge you with different arrangements of platforms and enemies. The checkpoint and continue systems make it easy to progress through the game, and you can even select your stage Megaman-style.
The controls are what keeps this game for being better in my mind. The character is a bit hard to control when he's in the air and depending on the animation it sometimes feel like there is a small amount of lag before a jump registers. This made some parts a little frustrating, especially the gravity switch levels where holding the jump button for a second too long could have you electrocuted.
The special weapon system using a combination of three "L" or "B" characters was very engaging. Different weapons had their use at different times. The "double" mechanic of becoming an invicible robot was also interesting. You could plan your run to obtain the last character just before a boss to pummel him to death while still in super robot form.
Speaking of bosses, they were great to fight. The all had learnable, precitable patterns and were all beatable in your base form.
Overall, an enjoyable NES game.
7/10
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Completed on February 29th (Normal GP)
The main thing that Rage Racer added from its predecessors is the progression system. You race through a series of increasingly difficult GP and each win earns you cash to buy new cars or upgrade the ones you own.
I wasn't a fan of how that system was implemented. The GP levels are linked to the cars levels, meaning for example that you need a Grade 4 car to be able to compete in the Grade 4 GP. You can always enter with a Grade 3 car, but you most probably won't win. That meant that I often had to grind money in lower level GPs to be able to afford a car that would allow me to compete adequately in the GP that I had just unlocked.
Aside from that, it's still the same competent racing game that the two previous games were. I think I liked the track more in this game than in Ridge Racer Revolution but I think the car handling wasn't as good.
Looking forward to closing the PS1 quadrilogy with Ridge Racer Type 4 soon.
7/10
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Completed on March 4th
Ridge Racer Type 4 is the ultimate RR game on the PS1. The graphics are genuinely impressive for the system. The tracks are dense with details and the light effects are a nice added touch.
The driving seems more refined than the previous iterations. Playing with an Dual Shock also made a big with finer movements for things like overtaking opponents or gently taking a turn.
Thank god, the money progression system of Rage Racer is gone. We instead have a story mode with vignettes between races. They are mostly uninteresting but don't take too much time, so I didn't mind them too much.
Overall a fun racing game, but you can tell that this is the fourth game and that the series is due for some innovation on PS2.
8/10
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Completed on March 7th
Shadow Man is definitely a game that grew on me the more that I played it. I really wasn't sure to like it at first. Your character is weak, the environments are gaudy and the enemies aren't very plentiful.
As you progress however, you unlock abilities that allow you to explore more and more of the world and your objectives multiply. At the end of my journey, I had a pretty good mental map of Deadside (even though I used the in-game map a ton also).
It took me about 10 hours before I noticed that this was basically a horror take on Zelda and Tomb Raider. I loved the open-ended progression through the levels. The game does not hold you hand in the slightest. For the first few hours, I was never sure if I was doing the right thing (in fact, it always felt like the bad thing to do).
Eventually, everything clicked and I knew every step I had to take to finish the game. Even though the game doesn't hold your hand, it still gives you everything you need to need progress. The in-game map is excellent and the hint system was a life saver to know in which area I could go to progress.
The story was interesting and the atmosphere (mostly the sound design) was absolutely chilling for such an old game. The environments felt oppressive and dark, and complimented well the enemy design.
The star of this game is the level design. The levels are MASSIVE in scope but also have logical layouts that make them fun to explore. It made me think hard about where I was in relation to my objectives and how I could get there.
Overall, I really appreciated my time with Shadow Man. I wasn't a fan at first, but the game sold me on its concept about halfway through.
8/10
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Completed on March 20th
I tried playing Pocky & Rocky: Reshrined a couple of times but it never clicked with me. I found the game too hard and wasn't sure about how I was fumbling through the game.
Yesterday I played the SNES original and it finally clicked with me. I understood how to manage the incoming enemies, dash at the right time, use the different types of weapons depending on the situation and deflect projectiles.
I wasn't able to complete the game since I was playing on the MiSTer which doesn't have a save state function for the SNES core (and my son wanted us to continue our Nightmare Before Christmas game), but I made it almost to the end of the game. It made me wonder if I would have a better time now, going back to reshrined.
And I sure did! Pocky & Rocky: Reshrined is a wonderful update on the original game. The sprite work is absolutely superb, the levels and enemies and nice and varied and the challenge is well balanced. The checkpoint and continue systems are super generous, making it easy to beat the game.
I think it's a good introduction to the series, now I'm curious about going back to the original again to try to beat it, and try the sequel as well.
8/10
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Completed on April 12th (Expert Championship)
Wave Race 64 is one of the three games that we got for Christmas 1996, along with Super Mario 64 and Mortal Kombat Trilogy. For some reason, my brother, my father and myself each ended up latching to a different game. I was all about Super Mario 64, my brother was a Mortal Kombat fanatic and my father was a casual racing game enthusiast. So at first it was mostly him playing Wave Race 64.
I remember watching and being amazed at the wave physics and the graphics for the stages and the racers. I was not into racing games at the time, but there was something about Wave Race 64 that made it fun just to drive around the jet-skis, whether you were winning or not.
Replaying this game today on the newly release MiSTer N64 core, it was every bit as good as I remembered it. In fact, it was even better. In my mind the framerate of every early N64/PS1 was horrendous, but this was definitely not the case there. The game runs without a hitch and looks incredible for a first racing effort on Nintendo's part.
Aside from the wave physics, I think that the courses design is the game's strongest point. The tracks are all have a different theme, each contain different types of hazard and change between difficulty levels and even between laps. It keeps you on your toes but also makes it so you can learn the layouts to optimize you path and time.
Ever racer felt very different to control. The beefier racers have less agility when turning but make for it in top speed. It makes for interesting choices depending on your playstyle.
Overall, a great racing game that makes me want to explore the N64 library more.
9/10
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Completed on April 13th (Ultra Viscera Difficulty)
These days, I appreciate more and more the design philosophy of classic FPS games. The mix of big, intricate levels, varied enemy types and a huge arsenal of weapons never gets old for me. Games like Doom, Duke Nukem 3D and GoldenEye are perfect examples those.
Enter Ion Fury. One of the indie titles leading the new "boomer shooter" renaissance by building new experiences inspired by classic FPS games. In this case, the game takes mostly from Duke Nukem, even being built on the same engine. The pixelated graphics and angled level design go a long way into making Ion Fury feel just like on of the oldies.
The game starts a bit slow, but once you get your whole arsenal of weapons and more enemy types start appearing in levels, the game get more interesting. The level design was good and enemy placement was interesting. The sound effects and music were exquisite and fit very well with the theme and general mood of the game.
I played the game on Hard difficulty and it made me use most of my weapons in different situations with different enemies, and I appreciated that.
Overall I enjoyed my time with Ion Fury, but it doesn't quite reaches the highs of the titans of the genre.
8/10
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Completed on April 21st (Normal Difficulty)
Like many early adopters of the N64, Shadows of the Empire was one of the games that I rented a couple of times in late 1996 and early 1997. I always thought of it as a fun but super though game. I don't think I could make it past the second level when I was young. Every time I rented the game I hoped that there would be a save with the later levels unlocked on the cart for me to try them (and I often did).
Fast forward to today, I am coming into this game with the intent of beating it once and for all. I was able to finish it, but not without difficulties, especially with the bosses.
Visually, Shadows of the Empire is super impressive for an early 3D game. The animation of the characters when they are shooting at you or when you defeat them is fluid and realistic. Each level as a strong sense of atmosphere and I like how the "fuzz" of the N64 makes the game look like it has a strong film grain that fits perfectly with its vibe.
On the gameplay side, the game is hit and miss. The character controls and fine, but a little awkward. The level design is generally well suited to the floaty jumps and auto-aiming.
The big problem comes from the bosses, which had many issues for me. In general, they feel unbalanced compared to the rest of the game. The enemies are super agressive and target you almost instantly, and since you can't circle strafe, you have to stop to shoot at them (and take a ton of damage). They only way that I found to fight most of the bosses was to abuse the floaty jumps by jumping around the enemy, quickly turning (while in the air) towards them, manually aiming up to them and shooting a couple of shots. Not fun.
The vehicles section however were very well done and a nice change of pace from the third person shooting levels.
I'm glad that I have finally finished this early N64 game (and seen all the levels for myself), but I won't be coming back to it anytime soon.
6/10
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Completed on April 23rd
I saw this game for the first time in a video game store around the time that it came out. One of the employees was playing it on their display TVs and I was very impressed with it. It's a small thing, but the way that the cursor moves in 3D space (almost like a laser pointer) was mind blowing to me.
Soon after, I rented the game and had a great time with it. Like with most games that I played I that time, I didn't get very far and never saw the vast majority of the game. I bought the game many many years later and finally started a playthrough, which I quit halfway through for some reason.
Well, I just picked that save back up and finished the game. This is a game that didn't super gracefully, but is still entertaining nonetheless.
Visually, the game looks "okay" for an N64 game, but the frame rate is really all over the place and can tank to low single digit numbers when there are multiple enemies on screen. The blurry and dark visuals only work for some of the settings that the game takes place in.
On the gameplay side, Duke is pretty easy to control with the default Turok-style control scheme. The auto-aim is tweaked just right to allow you to move around and shoot enemies while still asking you to have your crosshairs in the general direction of the enemies.
The level design was disappointing, especially the instant-kill hazards placed at the end of levels, which forced me a couple of times to replay some levels that I had basically completed.
While I still think that Zero Hour is a fun game, my opinion is now that Time to Kill is the better third person Duke Nukem game.
7/10
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Completed on April 27th
[TO DO]
5/10
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