For this year when I beat a game I will try to do a pro/con for each game and try to explain myself for these things. This is probably a better way than just saying, good game or bad game. Hopefully this will give people more information and idea on my thoughts.
Well that was surprising that this game was on the database. Anyway this is a small project done by only a few people so I tried really hard to take that into consideration when it came to pros and cons. Which also made it almost impossible to do pros and cons.
The major pro that I would say helps this game stand out a little is the story. It may be short but it gives a strong message that even those who feel they are lonely, nothing, have nothing of worth, could end up actually learning their true meaning. The story definitely gave me some hope on a lot of things and let me learn more about myself to help strengthen my ideas and feelings.
The con.... Yeah I really do not have anything for this because I tried to think of this as a small project and not some big time game that needed a lot of things. My only con is that it ended. Of course it was going to end, but it ended a little to soon for me. Oh well. Maybe they will do more story on these two in a future game or even do more with their next project. Either way, this is a decent short read for anyone interested in trying to learn more about their own selves.
A Vega of Starlights. Oh, I was suppose to write something interesting. Oh well.
So yeah I kind of started this last year when it came out, but got distracted by other things and finally decided to finish it up. I am very glad I did.
So this is another Yuri game with magic and occult themes that tries to give the player some interesting relationship ideas and understanding of differences. There are a few minor issues, but the read is pretty good for those interested in Yuri or even those interested in just reading occult themed works.
So can we get some pros and cons with a game like this? Sort of. So I am giving this game a benefit of doubt again since it is kind of a small team again and one of their earlier works that they are still working to improve their style on. So I will be a little more lenient like I was with Lonely Yuri.
Con's: Well some of the paths are not as developed as others and they do not give the most of what they could/should to the reader. Yet, there is still decent story and interesting paths that do have some connections (due to the Harem Ending) but also deviate from the others. I just felt that some paths could have had more development and maybe felt a little rushed. Yet, I am still giving them some pluses since this is an early project for them and they could make better work in the future. The music is also a minor con, but I do not want to hurt them with this early project. They did what they could with what sources they had, and it worked.
Pro's: Yuri. Well that and the story (expecially the Human relationship) was really good and helped to give the reader some understanding of the world and what happened. There are even changes in choices and text when you get the Harem ending which makes it almost like reading a new story with the same characters as the other paths. They did put a decent amount of work into the writing and art, so that helps to make this VN more enjoyable to readers.
This is a very good Megaman game that needs some more attention from the public and is definitely worth a try if you have a DS or 3DS to play the game on. I actually was a little skeptical when I heard it was an open-world Megaman, but they did a very good job at putting the game together in an enjoyable way that still provides a decent story.
Pros: Open-World games are not always my favorite since I like to have some guide posts around helping me get through the game, but this was the correct kind of open-world that gave the guiding (mostly) I needed. While I would agree that finding locations based on the map are almost impossible, but the exploration of the game and slight memorization of the bosses/locations kind of makes it easier for the players.
The designs of the different forms that you can change into also make the character look more interesting. Instead of just a basic color change you get design changes like: Airplane-like design for the Wind Element, Water Jet design for the Ice Element, Phantom Ninja for the Shadow Element and Digging Mole design for the Fire Element. These, along with the ZX design, all have their own special abilities and models that make playing as each element a little more enjoyable. (Second Ice boss is weak to Ice Element).
Cons: I already mentioned an almost unreadable map, but that did not really interfere with my enjoyment of the game. I also understand there is a reason for only four elements, but I kind of wish they could have done some more boss elements than just the four mentioned above (in the Pros section). Also, even though you get these different forms, I mostly found myself playing Model ZX against the bosses since this model provides the Mega-Buster for range and the Z-Saber for close range combat. Though I did explore around using the different forms to get as much of the items and side content completed as possible.
This also led to some exploration of the buttons as well. They do not really tell you the button combos for the elements and I ended up pushing different button combos to learn that there are more than one attack and more capabilities for the different elements. The Wind can fly/hover around, the Ice and hover in water and keeps its depth allowing for tight exploration between spikes and traps, and so on so forth with the other elements. Yet, there is really no where shown in the statues menu that these are things you can do.
There are probably a few other positives and negatives of this game, yet I really was not bothered by most of them and I enjoyed this game very much. I will say it is creeping close on the verge of Twilight Princess, but I do not think it will overcome it when the final list does come together. Still an excellent Megaman Handheld game for those who may still like Megaman games, but not seen a good reason to play anything after the many disappointments of the past games.
It's a Mega Man (Megaman) thing!!! More based on the older Megaman games but hey, those were good games back in the days right? This game is pretty decent with it's game play, controls and some fan service.
Pro's: This game allows you to play as the other bosses of this game (4 other girls you battle as Metagal) and each boss has their own play style and mechanics that make the game unique for them. There could be enemies in certain paths while other paths will not have those enemies but different obstacles. This can get confusing trying to play them all together, but if you play each one separately then you can get use to their own unique game play.
Cons: There are only really two minor issues I had with this game. One deal with the controls not really being displayed. I understand they may not be able to do that in the game (since some will use the keyboard, while others will use a gamepad), but it was not easy to figure out some of the unique aspects of the characters without randomly pushing buttons. Not too much an issue, but can be a slight nuisance. The other one deals with the final boss. It would have been cool to have a different final boss for each character (maybe the ones they are weak to), but you get the same boss which needs to be defeated differently based on who you are playing. So there is some difference, just not that much.
Otherwise, it is a pretty decent old school Megaman style game that has some replay-ability, and could be enjoyable to those who like these kinds of games.
Plus Version (Updated version)
A story of the Cave and how to travel through them without dying?
This is probably one of those games is is well known among gamers and is definitely worth playing. I got the normal endings and the "Jump off the island" ending, but I failed at the true ending (apparently really close to the boss, so I'll have to come back to this game and do that).
Pro: The whole game. I really do not know if there is much on the cons side. The jump can be a little floaty and there are some tricky jumps and such to make for certain events to occur, but that kind of helps with the gameplay a little. Some of the bosses can be a little hard (expecially Curly's Path) but does not really harm the player if they are willing to work out patterns and ways to defeat their opponents. For a game that came out a long time ago (even with the updated version) it is still a very solid action/platformer that works almost as well as the creator intended (if not better).
Cons: Really nothing. I will say I did have to ask for help/search internet for one thing because I did not realize there was an "Inspect" option for items. That is more my problem for not trying things and more expecting the game to tell me these things. (I have that problem with a lot of games :P). Otherwise, even the updated music,graphics and Curly Path, this is still a solid game that could keep getting better if the creator wants to add more bonus bosses or areas to give the players some more Cave Story.
I know I technically beat this like last year and did not put it on the list cause I wanted to beat the True ending, but I decided I had enough for now and will come back to it in the future. Definitely a game of the ages that will hold a strong spot in many gamers hearts and fingers.
SEQUELS HURRAY.
We all know that every sequel is better than the previous game correct? Yeah, No. There are not many sequels who are actually better than the previous game. This is probably one of those with some understanding of "Oh the previous game was not as well received, so lets change almost everything about this game and see if people like it!" That is just my thought process on what they were thinking with this game. This is just not as good as the previous game.
Cons: Too many to bring up. Voice Acting in a Mega Man game? I actually enjoyed MM8 even though many do not. The VA in this game is not that great, especially since it pauses mid sentence until you push the button to advance the text. Some of the VA is not too terrible (Vultron and Queen Bee), but others you can tell they had some poor choices or even slightly off voice work.
They got rid of the terrible map that was in ZX, but they also said "Who needs an open world?" Thus ruining the open exploration of ZX. It became more linear with a lot of teleportation mechanics.
While it is pretty cool to actually play as the boss of a certain area (with their own unique abilities and playstyles), it kind of ruined the cool outfits/designs of the Models that you could change into in ZX. Plus even if you play as a female character, you still get the VA of the boss (which in my case meant using Model ZX as Vent from ZX and having a Male Voice for my female character).
So can there be an Pro's to this game?
Sure why not. I mentioned in ZX that there was little to no way of knowing moves of a model I was using (unless you randomly pushed buttons). Well they fixed that and have a whole statues page for you to read all the abilities of the Model. As well as a small tutorial for each Model. While they still kept the same Wind, Ice, Fire and Phantom typings, they actually give you some story too it as well as the ability to play as the boss instead of playing a different colored model.
They also finish the story that was kind of just cut off from the end of ZX. I almost wish they had just added a little more to ZX to complete the story instead of giving the players this game, but hey you just go with the flow.
As mentioned before you do get to play as the boss. This actually does give you some challenges and obstacles that only a certain boss could overcome. So you may have spikes above you, so you use the turtle to avoid taking damage or need to jump high up and use the Kangaroo to jump very high up. This does help with exploration and getting items out of reach, but can also be a hindrance in boss battles.
This is not a completely terrible game and actually does add some things and fixes some things from ZX, but is no where near the enjoyment factor of ZX. If you are interested in the story, then playing this will not hurt, but you could also just watch someone else play this to learn what happens.
Rain, Rain Stay here. Fill the world with Joy and Fear.
A Camp Playstation project that actually is fairly well done and well worth trying out. It also helps that I actually enjoy the rain and just want to run outside and dance around in it every time it does rain. I will probably look at this as a small project again, since it is done by Camp Team that was probably invited at random to make a game based on a theme.
Cons: There really are not too many issues since it is a small game, but there are a few things. The story is told through Text format, which is not too problematic yet, you sometimes get text while being chased by the Shadows and have little to no time to read what the text is saying. So you could miss some things story wise.
The camera can be a little jarring when traversing the landscape, when it changes positions (especially when you are being chased) but really was not to problematic until later in the game with certain jumps.
Then there is the small use of some of their enemies. The variety is not terrible, but they have a few enemies that you only see once, or twice in the game and never use them again. It would have been cool to see them use some of the different enemies in different ways.
Pros:
This is a very atmospheric and stylish game. It has it's own kind of style using the rain to give figure to your characters, and gives you some ways of seeing your characters, even if they are inside or under locations where rain doesn't reach. They give you footprints, dust clouds kicking up or even everyday items laying around to be knocked over to show where your character is even if you can't see them. The visuals really are well done and I rarely felt like I got lost finding my character.
The music is also very well done and helps you figure out if you need to stay calm and focus on your pursuers or just relax and enjoy the surroundings. This is good in later stages when you are getting relaxed and then the music kicks and to let you know that an enemy is nearby and you need to be careful.
This is definitely a game that is worth trying and I hope they keep doing these Playstation Camp projects. I would love to see more from these camps and see what people can come up with.
What do you get when you combine Bejeweled with RPG elements from games like 10 Million and You have to build a boat? Well apparently a decent gem matching game with anime girls battling their way through Hell to try to stop their fates from being ruined by an evil Deity.
Cons:
There are a few issues with the game. The game is not fully translated, which is not too problematic, but you may be confused later game when you try to figure out what a spell is doing to you (which is not hard to deal with when it does hit you and you learn). One minor issue that can be a bit problematic is the music is not as diverse. Each character has their own theme song and you will hear a few other pieces throughout the game. There is one song that is used as a Pre-boss fight but lasts for only a few bars before you get the generic music again. Sure you can choose to listen to the song and not click to advance the text, but it should stay or not even appear in the game. Or give a music library to listen to songs in the options.
Each characters abilities and stats can be a little hard to figure out (how best to use each character), but they teach you and you kind of learn as you go through the game so it is not too problematic. Some of the purchasing spells are rewards you get from 100% clearing certain stages and it can be kind of pointless to buy spells if you think you might get them after a battle.
Pro's
The art design is not too terrible and the game can be a little addictive. My first few weeks playing I did not want to stop, but I had to so I could prepare for work the next day. While you will see a lot of same enemies you can use different characters to see how they fair in battle and even later on get the chance to team up with all your allies to fight harder battles. They even give you a branch path section so you can learn which characters work best in which situations, so you can make a strategy for a future fight if necessary. While the early game was fairly easy when I figured out what to do, it did kick up a notch in difficulty as the game progressed making me have to think more and use different strategies. Plus who does not love a good gem matching game once in a while.
This is not a terrible game to try out, but probably not what everyone would be interested in. It may take some time to learn, but will end up being an enjoyable game once you find out what is needed.
Wings of the Heart!!!
I technically started this Visual Novel a while back and then never got back to it till this year. This is definitely a well worth read and should actually be tried out for VN fans and new comers to the VN scene.
Cons:
So I technically played the un-patched Steam Version which has some new scenes and added content from the original. However, that also means there are errors in grammar, spelling and kind of a rushed translation (especially Kotori's late route). There are some translation issues throughout the whole VN, but they are not too problematic and as I learned in college, if you have one mistake per five pages of content, it is usually not penalized. As I said it is mostly only during the newer content of the game where it may be a problem for readers. Otherwise there is really not much problem with the VN itself.
Pros:
What isn't to love about this amazing VN. The story is either written by people who took part in a similar club experience, or some people who have a lot of knowledge on flying in a glider. It has a lot of scientific terms and understanding of how things work with aircraft and how they actually work. As mentions, these people either were in this kind of club or did a lot of research because it is well put together into a story. Even the different love stories add some interest into the story that gives players different views on the world around them.
The music, art, character design, character portrayals, CG and even Video (yes there is video in this VN) are very well done and help players enjoy the VN to its fullest. There could be some issues with many of the songs fading out to the next scene and using the same song for that scene as well, but most of the time they switch to another song from the wonderful soundtrack.
There are too many good things to explain in just a small summary of this game, but I would gladly recommend this VN to any VN fan who wants to read about Flying through the sky and the very diverse character cast. Well worth giving a read.
The Nightmare Before Halloween… or something along those lines.
This is another small project put together by a few people who wanted to write a story about Halloween (or more like Witch Hunting). So I will be a little biased on this VN since it was not a big project and I want to actually give it a fair treatment.
Cons: As mentioned, this is a small project and I really can’t think of too many major problems for this Visual Novel. I will say that it could have used some more details in the story. They could have explained a few more things about Witch Hunting, how the location is connected and maybe a few more things about the past events. I understand that in this day and age we can always look a lot of things up online, but authors should never force their readers to do extra work to find out more.
While there is some minor translation issues, (This being originally done in Spanish, I think) they are not too problematic and most people can just read through the sentences without even realizing there are mistakes. I was also a little upset with having to go through all endings to even unlock specific character endings, but I thought about it logically and kind of gave that a pass since it actually does help with the story telling.
Pros: So even though this is classified as a Visual Novel, it is more a Sound Novel (a sub-branch of VNs). The music and sound actually do help to set the mood and atmosphere of the story. There are calming moments with decent music and then there are tense moments where the player knows something is going to happen. It works well with the story and helps readers get more connected to the story.
Again, since this is a small project by a small team I really can not complain too much about some of the misgivings. The story may lack some details, but it not that terrible. It did draw me in (I pretty much completed this short VN in a couple hours and kind of did not want to stop reading even though I had to get to bed for work the next day). So even with some lacking of details it was definitely worth giving a few hours to reading it.
If you need a short read or want easy achievements for Steam, then this would be for you. Otherwise, I really do not say this is a must read and could be passed up if you are not interested in these kinds of ideas. It could be a decent read on Halloween though. Just don’t stroll through the graveyard during Halloween night.
The Purest Form of Love (Yuriism)
So technically I have read a few of these games, but this was one that I actually decided to put on my list. Not that there is much of a reason for only this one and none of the other ones (well maybe there is).
Cons: It ENDED! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Granted they seem to do update stories with some of the characters so it does not really end. It just adds to an already decent game. Yes it is Ecchi. This could be a con (I am still a little touchy on the topic, yet I am opening up little by little).
A lot of the music is similar to the previous games as well (this is the third installment) and does not add too much variety. Sure the music works for the scene and is actually fairly enjoyable. Yet, to keep the same music and not add one or two news songs to the game is kind of a little lazy. Otherwise I’ll just be biased and say not too much is a problem.
Pros: YURI!!! ECCHI YURI (well…. let’s not go there). These stories are actually fairly developed and work decently with the cast. There could be a little more detail on the characters themselves but, as I said, they sometimes have additional games for the characters to do updates for them.
The artwork (especially the chibi CG) is really well done and cute. It fits very well with the story and the game. Otherwise these games are really not terrible and since they keep making them, they must have a fan base. Even if the fans are an ecchi fan base.
I will keep reading them since they were a birthday present from a friend. So maybe others will end up on future lists or maybe I will keep pretending I have no connection to them.
You put Zelda in my Dynasty Warriors Game! No you put Dynasty Warriors in my Zelda Game!
Either side you pick, there is a combination of repetitive hack/slash and Zelda grunts/moans in this game.
Pros: The cast and character you get to use during the journey is able to keep most Zelda fans happy and trudging along the path. There are some characters who might not be portrayed as people might not think, but they are decent and play different from the other characters. The story is fairly decent and pretty much follows the normal Legend of Zelda form with Ganon being the ending boss as usual. The adventure mode also is fairly decent and the old time Zelda one map style is really cool (especially for people who played through the original game).
The music is definitely reminiscent of Dynasty Warriors and is really well done with some remixes of the Zelda classics. They did a decent job using the orchestral sounds of DW and putting the Zelda music into a well developed soundtrack.
Cons:
REPETITIVE I think. Yes it does get pretty repetitive and kind of loses some appeal throughout the story. There is kind of a small story line cast and is pretty sad to have to play characters over and over. Sure you can repeat a stage and use different character (and there are rewards for doing so), but it is not always that great. The story was not to problematic, but the adventure map was a little to problematic. It starts off fine and is understandable that it will get harder, but they partially expect you to use characters you might not enjoy playing on harder stages that they need to level up more to beat. So it becomes more a slog to get through the map to finish the main goal (beating the dark lord).
The game is not completely terrible and does have some enjoyment for fans of DW games (maybe zelda games too), but does have some issues that really do not peak the interest for most people. I did have my moments of enjoyment (mostly the story) and my moments of defeat (the adventure map mostly).
Let's try new things and see if it works (the video game).
I actually did enjoy playing through this title. It has probably been a while since I actually used the legendaries in my party and actually put some effort into doing the end game stuff. I do have some issues with some changes, but they are not completely terrible.
Cons: I miss GYMS. Only slightly, but I do kind of wish that the trials were a little different. They pretty much consist of fight two to three battles and then the Totem Pokemon at the end. Sure that could be said with Gyms, but at least with Gyms there were trainers and different Pokemon to work around. They do have some minor changes with the trails since they are based on the type of the totem Pokemon, but they are pretty all the same format.
Team Skull (Nothing else to add. Just Team Skull).
The character designs are another issue I had. I understand they were trying to make the people and Pokemon look more accurate in size and such. Yet, the new design just throws me off a little. Maybe because I am use to the older designs and the looks more. They also limited the fashion items which is kind of sad, especially since I really liked the fashion stuff in X/Y. Yet, these things are not entirely troubling.
Pros:
They tried to make changes and most of the changes are decent. This is always a risk when it comes to games, but they did a decent job at working with the game and not completely changing things to keep the Pokemon games closely linked. Their music is really good and does a decent mood setting for battles, atmosphere and location. They still keep the game play really close to the previous ones with some added content for beginners and veteran players. The story is also very good, but I kind of feel it is more centered around the Assistant than it is on the character. Yet, even that story was very good.
I am partially saddened about the upcoming Ultra remakes (especially if they are going to be like Black/White 1 and 2) but I do hope they will be better and add some new stuff. We will have to see.
A fast paced hack/slash, RPG with interesting ideas and concepts.
So this is a rare opportunity for me to actually get a game the year it comes out and then end up beating it that same year. I usually wait and get things later, but I ended up getting a PS4 this year and decided to grab this game with the console purchase. I am exceptionally glad I did, since this is a great game that delivered on many aspects.
Can there be any Cons to this game? Sure, why not.
Cons: This is a minor con that may not affect the game play for many others. 9S being a Scanner Model is not very equipped for combat. Sure with some decent chips you can still turn him into an Assault Model. He more relies on Hacking into the machines and destroying them from the inside. While this is cool the first couple times, with smaller enemies it does get a little repetitive. You pretty much get the same hacking event, even though there may be minor changes in the pattern. The bigger enemies offer slightly harder versions of the Hacking game and actually bring some enjoyment. As I said you could turn him into an Assault Model with the right equipment, but the Hacking seems to do more damage and works faster (even if it gets a little repetitive).
Early game side quests are another issue. Some side quests are chapter based and need to be finished before you advance to a certain chapter. Now I do not know if a lot of the early side quests can be delayed till after you get the Fast Travel system (since I pretty much did the quests when I got them and did not know they would give me a Fast Travel system), but if they are like the rest of the game it may not be possible. I wish they had given the Fast Travel system earlier, but that is also more a flaw in my thinking and understanding of the game. So I will not give it too much hatred for something I did myself. Yet, it would have been nice to know on your first play through. There is always a future play through that could probably let you do those quests anyway.
Pros: There are way too many good things to talk about with this game. The music/art style and Atmosphere are very well done and fit the scenes and events perfectly. The game play and the story all suit each other and make for a wonderful experience. I would like to talk about a couple things that I did enjoy a lot.
Possible Spoilers!!!
The story explores a post-apocalyptic world where Androids are humanities last hope for returning to the Earth. This story is brought through the eyes of three characters 2B, 9S and A2. The way that they connect the story by having it be episodic, (where you play as one character through one path and switch to the next character after beating the game once for another path and repeat and repeat {4 play throughs}), definitely fits the game and story very elegantly and well thought out. It was very interesting in the last play through going between characters and being able to see how each one eventually comes to the top and meet each other in the final events of the game.
Even with the story being very well done, I do wish there was more interaction with the Operators/Bunker than just a few moments and lines that occur. Maybe there are more and if I just played the game longer there would be more interaction, but that kind of seems like a sad way to hide scenes and events. It would have been more enjoyable to get more contacts and updates from operators or the commander. Yet, these do not interfere too much with the story and still make the game enjoyable.
Another interesting thing is character specific side quests. Since each character is slightly different, it does make sense to give them different side quests. They pulled this off very well and made each side quests (except early ones) enjoyable to hunt out. Most of the time side quests tend to distract from the game, but some of them only seemed to add to the game and make me want to play as many to learn more about the characters and their actions.
Though there were some side quests that characters got and you could not finish them until the next play through. Those ones were upsetting to go and try and do and then find out that you do not have the needed skill to actually finish the quest. It would have been better for them to remove them from the character and only give it to the ones who could finish them. Yet, even these were not terrible and are few and far in between.
As a final note, this is definitely a game that is worth trying, whether on the PC or on a PS4. Hopefully the PC version is better than they say and those who did get that version do enjoy it. I would definitely recommend this game to those who are interested in this kind of game and maybe see how other fair with the games story and concepts.
A Collection of some very great Mega Man games! Maybe...
So I was not sure how I was going to put this on a list since it is four games in one. Yet, I think I will talk about it as a collection and not each individual game. I will mention which one I enjoyed the most however.
As a whole this is a fairly decent Mega Man game that follows Zero as the main character (sort of). I partially think Ciel is the main character, but that is a different story.
Cons: The earlier titles were not as diverse and pretty much stuck to the same areas with very little environmental change. The bosses changed for the mission you were doing, yet you may end up exploring the same location (almost exactly the same level) with some minor changes. The later titles (3,4) do improve a bit more on this however.
The upgrade system for how you get more health, better stat boost and such to make Zero stronger was not very understandable in the first title, but did get easier with the later titles. I did not see a good place for gathering supplies to get these upgrades unless I wanted to grind the same area for hours on end. This does not seem as bad for the later games, until they change it up even more in four.
Pros: The story through the whole collection works very well together. It sets up Zero and the resistance force's background and ideas and goes into how they are battling against Neo Arcadia. The games each focus on certain events ranging from the Mega Man X (Copy X), The Dark Elf, Omega (Zero) and Dr. Weil. This allows the player to see how all the events connect and how the past game brings about the future installments.
The collection offers Easy Mode which allows the player to play through all four titles without having to switch cartridges/quitting to the title screen. This gives players who are not good with this genera an entry point and allows people who only want the story to play through the events to get their fill. They also offer normal/hard mode for those who think Easy is not enough a challenges. Though you do have to select each title individually with these modes and you do not get a continuous flow of story this way.
By far I would say that MMZ 3 was probably my favorite. It gives more environments, very good story that connects to previous games and next installment and some more enjoyable game play features (like the new weapons and rolling slash). Even the boss fights felt enjoyable and worth while.
Yet, sadly the series ended and they did put a good amount of effort into this series. It would be cool to see more from this series or even the characters in the series. This is definitely worth trying if you have a DS or 3DS.
This is one of those odd platforming/puzzle games that has ideas that are interesting but fail to really apply them into a more defining aspect. I tend to get games that are colorful and look interesting and that was one of the reasons for getting this (plus it was cheap).
Con: Well as I mentioned the creators had some great ideas and concepts for the game, but were not entirely capable of applying what they wanted to make into the game. I am not saying this is a completely terrible game, but while playing through the first few areas I enjoyed the concepts but found them to get a little redundant and repetitive. So they did at least try different things, but had trouble with getting the ideas they wanted to work properly. Also there are some minor bugs or invisible objects that will cause most people to yell or scream because they did not get hit by anything, but got hit anyway.
Pro: This game may have slightly failed with their aspects and ideas, but they actually put in some great enemies and objects that help the player figure out different strategies for how they will get through the level. The enemies may be mostly different colors of their previous self, but act slightly different. Either shooting out something or moving faster, they change how you may have to act in order to make it through the levels.
So even though, this game may not be fully designed to be what the developers may have wanted, it still has some decent play and interesting enemies/puzzles that will give some enjoyment to those willing to try this game out.
More Visual Novels and Yuri !!! Yeah I got nothing.
So this is another VN by Razzart (the people/person) who did Starlight Vega, yet I partially feel like this was one of their earlier projects and then when they felt confident enough to put it out, they did so after another project they did. While there are some things about this VN that differ from Starlight Vega, it is definitely done by the same person/people and still has some downsides.
Cons: Let's start with this first since there are some issues that make this not as enjoyable, but still a decent read. There were some editing issues near the beginning of the VN that seem like they were not caught or were ignored during patching and updates of the VN. They are not too bad, but can deter some people from wanting to continue. The errors get fewer and fewer as you get into the story, so it is not a big issues unless you do not want to continue after the majority near the beginning.
There are also some issues with the music. The music itself is not to bad, but I recognize a few songs. One of them I do believe is an actual free to use song that I have heard in others games or even on free podcasts that use these kinds of free music options. However, there is one song that is very close to a song done by an actual successful Japanese individual (I could be wrong). If this is the case, then they may want to do something to make sure they do not get in trouble.
Pros: Well there are probably some more issues that I could talk about, but they were not really much of a bother. This is a fairly decent story about two sisters who find out they are related after never knowing each other existed until recently. A big note, I really do not condone this kind of behavior between relatives and I am not saying it is correct, but in stories they can get away with it. Anyway, the story ends up with the big message of those around you (friends and family) will still be willing to accept you and your choices as long as it brings you happiness. This is a powerful message for this period of time since many people struggle to find acceptance for themselves. Yet, with some friends/family around who will accept you, is the most important part of how to improve people's impressions of themselves and others.
So this VN may have some minor issues (or major if they stole a song), but it does convey the kind of message and story that would help others and make for an enjoyable read.
Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception
Roughly translated “Legendsung” or “One who is sung of.”
This ninety percent Kinetic Visual Novel and ten percent Strategy Role Playing Game, combines together to form a well distinguished story following the extinction of humans and the new world that comes from it.
Cons:
This is a very well done game/VN that does not really have a lot of problems, yet there can be some issues for those who think the pacing is off or the story is not informing enough. One minor (but could be big) problem would be the SRPG sequences that cut off the VN aspects. These segments, while actually enjoyable and help to connect the player to the game more, come few and far in between. You may get your first glimpse of action in the first two or three hours of the game, only to be disappointed that you need to read another five to ten hours for the next battle to take place. This is not too problematic early on and late game where they place battles close to each other. Yet, when you are reading for ten hours straight and still have no action going on, I can see some people would struggle to get through the story or even stop playing. They did place these battles in decent locations and they do help to deter some of the story that players are reading. Yet, they come so rarely mid-game that you may be doing a lot of free battles, just to keep yourself entertained. Yes there are free battles and they are worth doing on hard mode for the extra (in battle XP) and Battle Points, used to upgrade characters, but they are pretty much the same battle as the first time.
While the story is very exceptional and is definitely worth a read, there are sometimes I felt that the story was side tracking into some odd event that could have been removed and still kept the story together. These side tracks can confuse the player and maybe even make the player question why they were added in the first place. These are not as common, but they also do occur in some odd moments while the story may be trying to make a point.
Now this may not be as bad, since I did some research and thought I found this was only a first part of the story, but they do add some ideas and concepts that do not get explained very well (if at all). This is more common with enemies disappearing and not reappearing, or with events happening and very little gets explained about what happened or how they will try to fix the problem. This is especially a problem in one battle where the enemies change suddenly and then dissolve into a substance. They do not explain why this change occurred or why they change into the substance when defeated. Yet as I mentioned, I do believe that I read somewhere that this was only a part one and they will have a second one coming out, maybe, to explain the rest of the story.
Pros:
For a Visual Novel fan, like myself, the story is definitely a must read. It is so well developed, has a wide range of characters and goes through a very detailed explanation on the world. Sure there are some minor mishaps in details, or a few side track scenes, but those are few and far in between that the main story can provide enough for the readers. It follows an amnesiac protagonist, probably didn’t see that coming, as they travel through the world of Yamato recruiting allies and completing jobs for the Imperial Court. The group is put into various jobs ranging from patrol duty, cleaning the market place, harvesting supplies and event war. We learn a lot about the characters and they all connect to each other bringing their own personalities, strengths and weaknesses. There is some fan service with baths scenes, tentacle hugs and clothing mishaps, but these are small scenes that add to characters personality. One minor issue I had is that I like to save some of the CG images and share them with friends, yet this game pretty much blocks out eighty percent of the game through the PlayStation Scene Blocking mechanic on the PS4.
I know I mentioned the SRPG moments in the cons, yet I was more mentioning the frequency and not the actual gameplay itself. The battles themselves are actually really enjoyable and once you have your first taste of action in this game, you will want more. That is why the frequency of the battles kind of ruins this game a little. They do not call them QTEs, but they are similar to that concept. You try to push the button (pretty much X) at the right timing to add critical damage to your attacks or spells. There may be a shrinking ring that you wait till it gets to a full circle to push the button or a giant circle where you hold the button until it fills up all the way. These two combinations can help diversify the actions you take and keep the player on toes for when and what timing they need to use. They are actually not very hard to do once you get use to them and they do help quite a lot in the later battles. They even give you some flashy Final Strike attack when you unlock it, which does a large amount of damage, and helps with some of the tougher foes that you may encounter.
All in all, this is a Visual Novel that has some Strategy Role Playing Game aspects in it, that may interest anyone who prefers Visual Novels. Players who enjoy SRPGs may also enjoy this if they can get past all the reading (fifty hours), but they may find the reading to interfere with their normal concept of playing. With the rise of VNs recently, it has always been hard to find a fan base, since it requires a lot of reading, yet if there are players out there who are willing to give this game a try, they should not be that disappointed with their choice.
My Mega Man interest has finally faded away. HURRAY!!!
Another collection game, like the Zero Collection, that contains Mega Man 7-10. This collection contains the easiest (MM8) and the Hardest (MM9) of the games in the series (in my opinion). I pretty much got this for MM8, since it was the game I played when younger (I still have the PS1 version) and I wanted to be able to play it again on the PS4. This collection may not contain the more prominent earlier games, but the later games try to bring back the nostalgia of the originals.
Cons:
Mega Man 9.
No Really! I’m not kidding!
I usually do not swear a lot and I really do hate it when others will swear around me. Yet this is one of those games actually got me swearing quite a bit. Mostly during the challenges for each game, but MM9 was hard enough that it did present some word play on my part. I also usually do not like to rage quit on games, but I had a few times (MM7 Wily, MM10 Strike Man, MM9 (in general) and Devil bosses) where I just got so angry with the game that I had to quit. Luckily I am not a “throw things” rage quitter, or I might have broken some things. I cannot entirely blame the games themselves since I have only played eight and I probably should have practiced before recording, but I wanted the initial (or mostly initial) experience from my first play through.
Pros:
Mega Man 8 .
Actually I did enjoy a lot of the other games as well since it was like playing a game for the first time and trying to figure out who was weak to what. It was like a puzzle for figuring out what would be best where. Even though I did have a lot of trouble with nine, I did not mind it’s difficulty too much. Probably because of a special option they gave us.
EXTRA ARMOR MODE ACTIVATED.
Yes they added an option to have extra armor mode. This allows players, like me, who are not good at MM games to be able to make it through the game taking less damage from enemies or bosses. I did not have to use it for MM8, but I did need to use it for the Wily stages of 7, 9 and 10. It does also add to some fun when you just want to play the game and not worry about trophies or dying a lot.
The challenges they have also add to the content. I enjoyed trying to get gold ranks on most of the challenges and even learned some things. The challenges actually helped me learn weaknesses of some bosses and mid bosses for a future play through. I also kind of like the challenges since you can just fight the bosses or mid bosses without doing the stages or even speeding through the stages without the bosses at the ends.
As a collection, it is something a dedicated Mega Man fan or even someone who likes one of these games specifically would enjoy. Yet, those who may want the earlier games would probably stick with the first legacy collection instead. Either way, I enjoyed my time with it and probably learned that I do not want any more Mega Man games for a little while now.
Pew Pew Pew!!! Yeah I got nothing.
I have little knowledge of Metroid games and have only played maybe two other games in the series. I decided to pick this up since I am running out of games to play on my 3DS until Pokemon Ultra Series comes out. I will say it is not a terrible game and has its fun moments. Though there are some moments in the game that can be a little upsetting or aggravating.
Cons:
I found the quick action hitting of enemies to be a little hard to time in some cases or just not as useful. Obviously later in the game you get so powerful that you can destroy everything in a few shots, but early on it was not always easy to get the timing right. This was especially a problem with the Metroid fusion monsters when they charged you but you may time the attack wrong or not see the indicator in time. I will say that the indicator does give you some time to prepare for it, yet it could also make you time your attack a little too early and end up getting hurt instead of parrying.
I never played the original that this game is based off of so I do not know how bosses and enemies were in that game. I just felt that the lack of bosses (maybe three in total, not counting Ridley) came as a slight shock to me. I have watched some Metroid games and usually there seems to be a boss per area. Yet, this game could have been different back then and that is why they made it this way. The fusion Metroid kind of act as mini bosses (until you get to the harder ones) but they do not really seem like actual boss fights for the most part.
Speaking of the fusion Metroids, those things get a little bit too complicated later game. Each time I encountered a new one I usually was like: “Please do not let me encounter that again. Let me encounter the previous one instead.” Sadly that was a common thing especially with the later raptor/dinosaur like versions. They just seemed to get harder and harder, which makes since for a game. I just was losing interest in the game as I had to advance and know that something strong may be around the corner at any time. Though I will say the challenge did help change the pace of the game and it was not exceptionally hard.
Pros:
Samus becomes a Mother! YEAH! So it is not an actual biological human (whatever race she is) child, but she does get a cute little Metroid baby that follows her around. The baby even helps he get hidden items and through hidden puzzles that you could not get through previously. I did actually 100% the game and I did feel a little over powered, but it made the game more enjoyable that way at least.
Even though there were very few boss battles in the game, I actually did enjoy the boss battles themselves. Next to Ridley, the Robot Sentry boss was probably my favorite fight in the game. It actually required strategy and thinking on how to hit the robot. All the boss battles were enjoyable (to an extent) enough that they helped make the game seem more polish and fleshed out for the players. Maybe with a few more bosses added to the game, they could have made a more enjoyable experience besides the Metroid hunting aspect of it.
As mentioned before, I have little Metroid experience yet I felt like my little experience did come in handy. The game does a decent job at explaining what you might need to do in order to advance through the game, but sometimes it tries to give you a moment where they want you to use memory of past games or past experience. This came true for the Metroids near the end of the game. I actually died a few times trying to figure out what to do, until I remembered a past game I played. I then used the same weapons from that game and sure enough it actually worked. It felt like I actually accomplished something through memory of past games. It was a good experience.
All in all, this is not a terrible game to try out if you have a 3DS, and would make a good game to try experiencing if you are interested. It will have some good and bad moments, but with some trial and error the players will be able to find things they like about the game.
A sad tale about loneliness and entrapment, with some enjoyable happy tones for flavor.
This Kinetic Visual Novel is not the most enticing of stories, but if you can get drawn into the story you may find some enjoyable moments.
Cons:
The writing is done very well, maybe a little too well. My friend said he had to quit after a certain amount of time of reading and I can understand why. It is a little too detailed and has a little bit of a dull start. It kind of reminded me a little of Katahane (which I also enjoyed, but was not the most enticing). It does pick up a little as you get further into the story, but it really does not develop a whole lot more after the escape. You can kind of see the ending coming really early on into the story, but still need to get through five more hours of reading before they actually give you the ending. However, this is not a complete problem and actually does add some enjoyment if you can get past some of the slow nature of the writing.
Pros:
I usually do not care too much for voice acting when I am reading a Visual Novel. Yet, this one felt right for having voices. The character’s emotions are well brought out and they help connect the reader to the story. The art and some of the music also works very well with the game and makes it more enjoyable to read along.
This is a decent, eight to ten hour read for most people and is not a big problem for anyone interested who can get past some of the early slowness/dullness of the opening. Otherwise, maybe let a friend who likes these kinds of stories read it and have them explain the story for you.
The Ultimate Yuri connection!!!
This is a very enjoyable and well done school life Visual Novel that does lead to discovery of the main characters thoughts and ideas towards friends and her lover.
Cons:
The Visual Novel ENDS NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
In all seriousness though, there are not many issues I had with this VN. It is enjoyable especially for those who are interested in this kind of thing. One minor issues I did have was that I actually enjoyed the VN when they were just doing the school life story line for the characters. Then it kind of started to get a little too into the Yuri aspect that actually pushes the school life story to the side a little too strong. Even for someone who enjoys Yuri, this can be a little pushy or forceful for someone who was enjoying the story of the game before it gets too romantic. Though this is not that big of a deal because it still continues the school life story, with the thoughts of the characters in their romance life. It just feels a little off changing the story a bit fast.
Pro's:
What is not great about this. The story is very well done. The characters are enjoyable and help to connect the players to the story. The music and art are also enjoyable to help with the atmosphere and visuals. The really good part of the story is getting additional character thoughts from the point of view of each character. This allows the readers to connect more into each persons life and learn how they go about their school life with a romance interest. These side events are very enjoyable and let you learn which characters you can relate to and which ones you may not like. There are even events for the different choices that you make and these add more to the story when you finish the main story. I would have liked to have some more events to learn more about their school life or more about their romantic relations. I think there are some DLC radio (video I do not know) that does add some interest for those who want more. I have not gotten them yet and will try to see what they are when I can.
In the long run, this is a good read that is worth trying out, especially for those who like Yuri or are interested in a school life style Visual Novel. I would definitely recommend for many reads who want to give this a try.
UnderTale
Cave Story the RPG!
This small project has a diverse range of interesting concepts that not only bring out some of the best in gaming genera’s, but also the different playstyles of gamers.
Cons:
There is technically a “Check” option that usually gives a hint on how to do a pacifist run, yet some of them are a little vague or not as well defined. In the case of bosses, it can be a little harder to figure out as well. Though with a little thought, trial and error and understanding of how the battles goes, you can eventually make it through some of the battles without doing any harm to the underworld denizens.
This may not be a problem and may have just been my experience in general, but there were times where I wanted to try buying something from the store or spiders and never really had the money for it. I do not know if encounters are random or just scripted. It felt more scripted to me since I only had a hand full of encounters most of the time. Yet, there could be a random factor in the game and I just lucked out with limited encounters or something. This is only a big problem if you want to get better equipment for you play-through.
Pros:
The bullet hell patterns for almost every fight are unique the monster or boss you are fighting. This gives some challenge to learning how to best dodge attacks and how to get through a boss fight. While not as hard as some bullet hell games I have played in the past, this concept does make it enjoyable. Even the bosses seem to have their own unique pattern styles that make the battle worthwhile. Whether it is being turned a different color and forced to follow certain rules of the fight or even going from horizontal to vertical attached to a web, each fight seems to be unique in its own way.
The characters and monsters you will encounter also make the story and game very enjoyable. Each ones has their own tale of what they have had to endure being forced to live in their realm and how they wish to only return to the above world. These stories help the player feel more connected to the character and let them understand what their actions might be doing to these monsters. It is a great way for the creator to give the player some actual understanding into how their actions might be affecting others (not just in game, but real life).
Over all, this is a well-made game with some decent life lessons that can help people open up more and understand how they are affecting the world around them. This is a game worth trying if you are interested and would like to see what everyone else is buzzing about in the gaming community.
