"Playing While in a Cemetary"

Sideblog of game screencaps and other game related nonsense

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Games in 2022, Part 2

My procrastination problem is getting worse

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Valiant Hearts: The Great War System: PS4 Genre: Sidescrolling Puzzle Game

I don’t have the words to describe how good this game is. It’s great, easily one of the best games to come out of Ubisoft. 

Colossus Down System: PS4 Genre: Beat Em Up

I have to be honest: I don’t think this is a good beat em up.

While I do respect the developer’s ambition (Colossus Down is the third game in its trilogy, stars the protagonists of the previous games and is a BEAT EM UP when the prior games were POINT AND CLICK GAMES), it’s obvious that the developers don’t usually make beat em ups because, if you’re a fan of beat em ups in general, there’s a lot that’s “different” (read: frustrating) about the way this game is designed. Someone described this as a beat em up you’d see on Newgrounds and that’s exactly it. It’ll seem fine for casuals, but it’s frustrating if you’re a hardcore fan of the genre.

My issues aren’t just with the gameplay however. The most disappointing thing about this game has to be its choice of main character. I get it, the plot is about Nika (and her developing as a character) but the problem is that Nika just isn’t that interesting. Agatha is the way better and more compelling protagonist... which makes it baffling that you can’t play as her outside of Co-Op Mode. While it makes sense with how the story is written, it is disappointing because this game wasn’t shy about showing off Agatha in its advertising. Like, the trailers and key art really seem like they’re co-leads but this is a Nika story first, with Agatha basically being a glorified bonus. 

There are some clever things about this game. But overall, the ones who will get the most out of this game are the Agatha Knife and MechaNika fans. It’s a hard sell for everybody else (especially hardcore beat em up fans)

Steven Universe: Save The Light System: PS4 Genre: JRPG (ATB-style combat)

This game is a real DIAMOND in the rough (please, please, hold your applause)

Seriously though. While this game has some serious issues (there are a LOT of bugs, ranging from harmless visual glitches to accidental sequence breaking to game crashing stuff) I kinda love this game for trying to be a big, console type RPG. I love the aesthetic, I love getting to explore locales from the actual series, and I really like the battle system (even if it’s got serious balance issues).

It bums me out that the sequel did its own thing (instead of building an improving on this game’s systems) because there’s real potential with the combat.

Steven Universe: Unleash The Light System: PS4 Genre: JRPG (Paper Mario style combat)

I don’t like this game as much as I love Save the Light, but it’s still good.

It’s 100% more polished, 100% more balanced and even features Lapis (you have no idea how upset I was at Lapis being teased but not added to STL) but... it’s hard to go from STL’s bigger, console production values to UTL (where you’re really just exploring rooms rather than a full world).

This game is easy to recommend, especially if you’re a Steven Universe fan. ESPECIALLY if you like Lapis, Peridot, Bismuth, Connie (or all four). Those characters get to do more in this game than they do in the entire show (:/)

Legal Dungeon System: PS4 Genre: Visual Novel

Legal Dungeon is a game that I am so conflicted on. On the one hand, it is an amazing critique of policing. If there was a textbook example of whatever the opposite of Copaganda is, it would be Legal Dungeon. I really can’t compliment the writing enough.

On the other hand, the game aspect of Legal Dungeon is honestly not great. Part of it might be an ineffective translation (Legal Dungeon is the product of South Korean game developers) but even if the game were translated better, I still think the gameplay would be a hard sell. You know how Ace Attorney games can be really obtuse? How, even if you’re several steps ahead of the case, sometimes you still get stuck because you have to present things in a very, very specific order? This game has that problem on STEROIDS. 

It’s unfortunate because, again, the game’s critique of policing is amazing. I don’t wanna spoil anything, but the way the game handles its main route and the alternate routes / endings is honestly kind of genius.

I think I can only recommend this game if it’s on sale. My line of reasoning is like this: I think the game should be played... but not without a guide... but if you play with a guide, this game is not even an hour long... so yeah, only get this on cheap and play it with a guide.

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Just finished Steven Universe: Unleash the Light

And it’s pretty fun! It’s balanced a bit better than Save the Light, though there are characters that are still way better than the others (I’m looking at you Pearl)

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So I’ve Been Playing Steven Universe: Save the Light and...

It sure has balance issues. 

(I actually like the combat. But only because it’s busted in a fun way)

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I finally got around to taking down the Ghoast in the DLC for Mystia’s Izakaya. I can’t say I’m a big fan of this fight. I legit had to do homework, with paper notes and everything, just to figure out the best way to approach this boss. 

I have full notes on this in the video’s description, but the short version is you want to use lower leveled Strength Boosting dishes and mix them with specific ingredients to please Toutetsu. It doesn’t sound so bad, except there are so many ingredients with different traits to memorize. Worse still, later phases have you pulling out random dishes from the menu (and there are legitimately like 100+ unique dishes to scroll through)

The most annoying thing is that this 30 minute video is the “fast” attempt. The only other video of this fight on YouTube (at this moment) is nearly 50 minutes long. (Assuming that Mystia’s Izakaya is getting more DLC) I am very afraid of what the next DLC boss is going to be like (and how long it’s going to take to defeat them)

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Games in 2022, Part 1

It’s strange, but I think I actually like all the games I played here

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Langrisser I & II System: PS4 Genre: SRPG

As a long-time SRPG fan, all I can say is “where has this series been my whole life?” (note: the answer to that question is “stuck in Japan this whole time”)

While plenty of SRPG’s have you controlling a party of hero units, not many have you controlling whole armies like Langrisser. The style of gameplay comes with its own ups and downs (the biggest downside is that turns and battles are always long) but nothing beats the feeling of controlling a small army.

Langrisser I is a bit weak overall; the story is paper thin and the stages are a bit too simplistic with too many “kill all enemies” type stages. But the sequel? It’s an actual, forgotten classic. Langrisser II isn’t dramatically different from Langrisser I, but the better designed (and better written) scenarios elevate the game, allowing the strengths of Langrisser’s combat system to shine

The only negatives I have are of the enemy AI (it is very dumb and very exploitable) and of the different story routes (besides some routes feeling way too similar to other ones, I dislike how the routing system works). Otherwise, it’s a duology that holds up surprisingly well.

Also I need to give a shoutout to the soundtrack. It is excellent. Langrisser I’s soundtrack is rock solid but Langrisser II’s soundtrack should be put into a VGM Hall of Fame. Every Langrisser II track is a banger.

Super Time Force Ultra System: PS4 Genre: Side Scrolling Platformer / Shooter

This game is really hard to explain but in essence: I think it’s pretty neat. The time shenanigans really appeals to my inner perfectionist, and the end of level replays (showing your route thruogh a level in real-time) is perfect. It’s like the game was made for me~

Labyrinth of Touhou 2: Plus Disk System: PC (Original Ver.) Genre: Dungeon Crawling JRPG

I’ve thought about and said way too much about this game. Here’s a link to a post I made about the game elsewhere

Fuga: Melodies of Steel System: PS4 Genre: JRPG 

This is another game that feels like it was made for me. The setup is dark and angsty (furry kids escaping from furry Nazis find an ancient super weapon that uses souls as an energy source for its strongest weapon), the combat system is brilliant (if not a bit broken), and the gameplay loop is addicting (despite how repetitive it is). There are a few things that keep the game from perfection (towns and dungeons are a bit too simple, item upgrading is a bit annoying, and there are some strange mechanics that only make sense when you realize the game was a roguelike earlier in development). At the same time, I cannot stop playing this game. This combat system is very engaging to me.

I heard that they’re making a sequel, and all I can say is hell yes. The developers have discovered a winning formula, and I officially need more.

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Incomplete Games in 2021

There were a lot more of these than I remembered

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.hack Infection / Mutation / Outbreak System: PS2 (Emulated) Genre: JRPG

I have very fond memories of the first game in this quadrilogy. I think it might have been the first full JRPG I ever played (I say full because I still played a few RPG demos as a child, including a demo of FFX, Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits and Gladius all for the PS2). I was so young at the time that I legitimately thought it was an online game at first.

The whole prologue of Infection is still amazing. The atmosphere is just... so great and otherworldly. It also made me extremely nostalgic for 2000′s because it’s been decades since I last experienced static on a box-shaped TV. 

As a child, I never actually got to finish Infection (it was a rental from Blockbuster and a week was just not enough to reach the end). I thought I’d rectify it as an adult and I finally did! What’s that? How does the game hold up? Ehhhhhh...

I’ll be honest: this series really doesn’t hold up. I don’t want to get into a whole diatribe about this but the gameplay is very clunky, especially the spell casting system (which basically allows you to hold enemies in place or vice versa). It’s admittedly impressive for its time, but it certainly is novel in 2022. The game’s only saving graces are the forward thinking systems, like the random dungeon generator and the level-scaling experience system.

Unfortunately, even those systems don’t hold up well through the quadrilogy. What I mean is that it’s very obvious that the “get more EXP at a lower level and less EXP at a higher level” system is a blatantly obvious attempt to prevent the player from say, grinding up to Level 100 in the first game and then steamrolling the other three games. It’s very transparent, and it’s very unfortunate, because in a vacuum, I actually like both systems.

There’s also the story. I was expecting a more episodic story, but after trudging through three games so far, it’s painfully clear that the Quadrilogy is more like one game, that was cut into four separate games and each separate part was padded to hell and back. 

While I had to stop because my PS3 controller would no longer work with PCSX2, I think I would have stopped anyway, because playing this quadrilogy back to back (to back) was really burning me out. I’ll eventually come back to this (because I’ve already invested way too much time to not see the end) but it’s hard to say that this game holds up (on a mechanical level, at least).

Tsugunai: Atonement System: PS2 (Emulated) Genre: JRPG

So Tsugunai sure is a... game.

I.. don’t even know what to say here. Like, I honestly cannot tell if I actually love or hate this game. Like it’s got a neat combat system but it does get exhausting after a while. I like the small scale of the story, but I kind of hate the execution. The art style is ugly, but it’s ugly in a charming way.  If nothing else, it’s a very interesting game to talk about (actually playing the game is a different story...) 

I wish this game wasn’t so obscure, because the complete obscurity of this title (even on sites like GameFAQs) means that I kinda want to revisit this game. God, I wish wasn’t such a hipster for obscure videogames...

Wild Arms: Alter Code F System: PS2 (Emulated) Genre: JRPG

I legit don’t know why I decided to start Alter Code F when I didn’t even finish the last Wild Arms game I started...

GrimGrimoire System: PS2 (Emulated) Genre: RTS

Interesting game. The story seems intriguing and the graphics have aged gracefully. Unfortunately, this game is completely let down by the fact that it’s on console. Seriously, trying to play what is clearly a keyboard and mouse strategy game with a CONTROLLER is extremely uncomfortable. This game *desperately* needs a re-release on PC.

Sonic Mania System: PC (Epic Games Store) Genre: 2D Platformer

Epic put this up for free on the EGS. I think I’m just not into the 2D Sonic games, because I bounced off hard despite all the hype.

Fairy Tail System: PS4  Genre: JRPG

I’d call this a terrible adaptation, but it's honestly what Fairy Tail deserves...!

Okay, that was uncalled for. But seriously. This game adaptation is TERRIBLE. The complete lack of budget so painfully obvious. It only takes three chapters for the game to start recycling enemies. There are lots of cutscenes with Team Lucy talking to “off-screen characters” (i.e. characters who were important for the story, but not important enough to get actual character models). It’d be almost hilarious except that I paid a stupid amount of money for this game, meaning the joke is really on me.

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Games in 2021, Part 5

I know we’re three months into 2022, shut up

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Streets of Rage 4: Mr. X’s Nightmare System: PS4 Genre: Beat Em Up

Streets of Rage 4 is a bloody good game. That’s it. That’s all I have to say.

...

...

...

Okay I do have one other thing to say about SOR4. Dang are some of the characters designs attractive. And I’m not talking about the ladies (though I find Estelle’s design to be sooo badass). It’s Shiva. And Max. And Adam. Basically, all the playable guys except for maybe Axel (he’s cool but the wrap-around flannel shirt / skirt does NOTHING for me)

But seriously this game is sooo good if you’re into beat em ups at all. 

Cuphead System: PS4 Genre: Platformer / Shmup

...I guess it was okay?

I wanted to play this for the longest time when it was Xbox exclusive. I finally got the chance to play it (since it made the jump to PS4), I finished it in about three days and... that’s it. Outside of the Netflix show, I honestly haven’t thought about this game at all. I dunno what happened there. I still like the series conceptually but I have nothing to say other than “it’s fine”. I haven’t even gone back to replay it (like with SOR4). 

It’s just okay. I really wish I had more to say.

Mad Rat Dead System: PS4 Genre: Platformer / Rhythm Game

I bought this a while back after the demo convinced me. 

I have... mixed feelings on this game. On the positives: almost every aspect of this game is just effortlessly charming. The music is great, the visuals are fantastic. Most surprising to me was how much of a standout the writing is. Without spoiling anything, the writing is more clever than it initially seems and the plot really goes in unexpected places.

My problem with the game is the gameplay. I don’t know if I mentioned it in my short review of the demo, but the first boss level in the demo was giving me red flags due to its trial and error gameplay. Let’s just say that the final game did not disprove my concerns about the trial and error-y nature of the boss levels. 

It’s not that I have to replay the boss levels, because replaying difficult levels is  standard for the rhythm game genre. It’s just, they really do feel trial and error heavy. They don’t feel dynamic. I don’t feel like I’m reacting to a boss in real-time, it’s like I’m memorizing what they’re about to do. It just rubs me the wrong way personally. 

I still had a blast with the game and I would never take back my experience of this wonderful little title, but I can’t help but feel taht Mad Rat Dead’s brand of rhythm platforming might be a gaming design dead end.

Hot Shots Tennis / (aka Everybody’s Tennis in certain regions) System: PS4 (PS2 Classic) Genre: Sports (Tennis)

No joke, I think this was my most played game in the back half of 2021. I don’t even know why I liked this game so much, the AI was extremely easy to cheese... except for the times where it wasn’t (and was actually really annoying to play against). If I had to pin down a reason for my obsession with this game, it was probably that I haven’t played an arcade-y sports game since I was a kid. So this game was really scratching itch. 

Croixleur Sigma System: PS4 Genre: Hack and Slash

The only reason I checked this out was because of the developers. It’s the same group that worked on the Touhou fangame Azure Reflections. This group’s next game is going to be ANOTHER Touhou fangame but unlike Azure Reflections, their next game seems like it’s going to be a beat em up. Since Croixleur Sigma is the group’s previous game closest in style to their new fangame, I thought I’d check it out to see what the new fangame might be like.

...If their new game is anything like Croixleur Sigma, I’m afraid I’m going to have to pass.

In defense of the developers: Croixleur Sigma (man, that word salad title is so annoying to type up) started as a very, VERY budget doujin title. You can find footage of what the original incarnation of this game was. And from that perspective, Croixleur Sigma is actually a fairly impressive updated re-release.

The problem is that from a regular player’s perspective, Croixleur Sigma is just a really middling beat em up. I could go on about how bad the pacing is, how stupidly punishing the bosses are etc. In the end, it’s main problem is that it’s just way too basic of a hack and slash game. Do yourself and a favor and treat yourself with Streets of Rage 4. And if you’ve already done that, just do it again. God, Streets of Rage 4 is such an amazing game.

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Games in 2021, Part 4

My break from games is over

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Dimension Drive System: PC (Steam) Genre: Dual Screen Shmup

This game had a free weekend around E3 Month. I found out about the free weekend too late to get through the entire game, but what I played was crazy impressive. I have to pick this up when I can, the dual screen gimmick is mind-bendingly impressive!

Touhou Soccer Moushuuden System: PC Genre: Sports RPG

While this isn’t my first time playing Touhou Soccer, this was my first time actually completing the Main Scenario... yes, my first time playing this game was solely on its side mode. I actually cleared Travel Mode, on the hardest route, and even beat that monstrosity that is Travel Mode’s final match... though I may have used more than a few retries for that last one ;D  

One thing that struck me is that this game is really, really good at building the hype. More than having some of the most ridiculous, over-the-top animations ever, the game’s use of cuts is honestly masterful; they really know how to build the tension. Another thing struck me, but this was less of a positive; this game’s difficulty is kinda broken. Maybe it was my previous playthrough of the game, but almost nothing about the Main Scenario troubled me. The only match I actually struggled with was the final match... and only because the other team had a literal gamebreaker on their side (i.e. PC98 Reimu and then Rinnosuke).

The exact same thing happened with my Travel Mode replay too. I breezed through the game (mostly. I mighta “lost” the first fight against VIVIT, though I technically had more points) and then Rinnosuke, again, literally stopped me in my tracks because he’s just that broken in Touhou Soccer. Finding the game to be too easy (except for the times the CPU had a literal gamebreaker on their team) really ruined some of the magic for me. I still beat both modes and I still had a fun time, but it’s disappointing to find it doesn’t hold up so well.

Ratchet and Clank (2016) System: PS4 Genre: Platformer / Third-Person Shooter

I finally got around to playing this and honestly? It’s fine. Just fine. The discourse around the game “being inferior” to the original made me expect a bad game. It’s not a bad game at all. It’s perfectly fine. I can only see this being bad if you thought this was an attempt to replace the original game which... it wasn’t. In fact, it was a pretty obvious attempt to cash in on the (bad) movie adaptation. 

Yakuza: Like a Dragon (aka Yakuza 7) System: PS4 Genre: JRPG

Unpopular opinion but: I didn’t think this game was terribly great. I didn’t hate my time with the game. But the stuff I enjoyed about Yakuza 7 had little to do with the actual change in gameplay. The actual RPG gameplay just isn’t there... yet. At its worst, the game is janky (like with its targeting system), frustrating (like with its difficulty spikes) and uninteresting (with its dungeon design). At its best, the game is still incredibly imbalanced. No joke, some of the best skills are the ones unlocked first (like Ichiban’s Teamwork skill, or a certain assassin’s Head Trauma move). That this mediocre gameplay came at the expense of certain aspects that I enjoyed about the series (like the fast-paced levels, the tense boss fights and the brutal heat moves) makes the game even harder to love. 

Now while Yakuza 7 wasn’t terribly good, I will admit something; it did get me excited for the series again. I was big on the series during the PS3 days but fell off around the time of Yakuza 0. Yakuza 7 may not be that great in and of itself, but it sure has me excited in the series again. Aside from making me want to catch up (just so I can see how Kiryu’s story finally ends) the game has me hopeful of Yakuza 8. I may not like the RPG combat, but it really does have potential. Also, for all my rattling on about gameplay, I didn’t hate Ichiban and his friends at all.

Here’s to hoping that Yakuza 8 delivers.

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Games in 2021, Part 3 (End of May Edition)

In which I thank Epic for all these free games (thank you Epic)

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Costume Quest 2 System: PC (Epic Games Store) Genre: RPG

I wish there was more to say other than this “this was a neat and charming little game”. Because the game really is as short as it is charming; I had it fully complete in about 5 hours and was just left wanting more.

I should really get around to playing the first game. And watching the show (which is a thing that absolutely exists)

The Textorcist: The Story of Ray Bibbia System: PC (Epic Games Store) Genre: Typing / Bullet Hell Hybrid

As a person who is actually competent at both typing and shmups I was expecting to love this game. Alas, this game was more frustrating rather than difficult. It feels like it was developed story first rather than gameplay first and it’s very obvious in the annoying boss gimmicks (like one boss mixing numbers into words, or another boss turning words upside down, or that super form which makes sense from a story POV but adds very little to the gameplay other than prolonging fights).

I think a shmup and typing game hybrid could be good, I just don’t agree with the Textorcist’s idealization of that concept.

The Darkest Dungeon System: PC (Epic Games Store) Genre: WRPG / Roguelike

One of the hardest games I’ve ever played (and not for the usual reasons). First the game was killing me because of the cold and calculating mindset you’re required to have (this game gets called an "adventurer manager sim” game, and for very good reason). Then the game was killing me because of the IRL stress damage. I, no joke, cannot play a session of this game without becoming a mess (my hands end up shaking, my foot is just fidgeting like crazy, butterflies in the stomach etc.)

Props to this game; I respect what it does, even though I absolutely CANNOT play this game myself.

Into The Breach System: PC (Epic Games Store) Genre: SRPG / Puzzle

Another game I expected to love but didn’t. I love SPRG’s. But this was way more like a Roguelike Puzzler than an actual SRPG. While the concept was very novel for me, Into The Breach just fails to replicate what I personally find to be fun in the genre, and I ended up dropping this after a few hours.

Knights of the Card Table System: PC (itch.io) Genre: “RPG” (Puzzle)

This one was actually from the BLM bundle from last year. This was another I game ended up dropping after realizing it was another “surprise puzzle game”. The gameplay is way too simplistic, with too many “filler levels” (I didn’t even get to the point shown in the thumbnail above; I was 2 hours in and still fighting beginner level enemies).

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Games in 2021, Part 2 (February to May)

I just haven’t felt like playing much this year TBH

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Dynasty Warriors 3 (2001/2002) System: PS2 (Emulated) Genre: Hack N Slash / Musou Subgenre

Despite DW3 being the game of my childhood, and despite clocking about 30 hours of this game in February, I didn’t feel particularly compelled to write about this game. It’s just not that fun in 2021. At best, it’s a weird game that is somehow a huge improvement and not enough of an improvement on DW2.

Enter The Gungeon (2016) System: PS4 Genre: Bullet Hell / Dungeon Crawler

Picked this up for free on the PS4. It’s quite good! And hard. Definitely hard. I dunno what else to say... well actually. I do sometimes wish Enter the Gungeon wasn’t a dungeon crawler, bc some of these weapons are inspired. I’d love to play a spinoff that let you choose guns (instead of leaving it up to chance).

Touhou Kouryuudou ~ Unconnected Marketeers (2021) System: PC (Demo) Genre: Bullet Hell / Vertical STG

Finally checked this out. It’s also good. It’s also really hard. Dunno what else to say since this is just a demo... well I do like the card system. It easily made the Unconnected Marketeers demo the longest Touhou demo I’ve stuck with. 

I can’t wait for the full release in May.

Terra Feminarum (2018) System: PC (itch.io, Steam) Genre: Bullet Hell / Vertical STG

“What if Touhou but Finnish? And horny?”

...Okay, I’ll admit that description is a bit reductive. While it’s not wrong to call it “Touhou but with Finnish mythology”, or to point out that the character designs are really horny, the game has more going for it than that.

I think what I enjoyed most about this game is the Story mode. It still has the typical 6/7 stages that an Arcade-inspired shmup might have, but Story lets you run through each Stage one at a time, making it quite achievable to newbies.  The actual plot is interesting. I mean, I certainly enjoyed the Finnish mythology inspired characters... Even if the horniness made it hard to take the actual plot seriously (there’s this moment where you’re talking to an underworld maiden about the profoundness of human suffering and it’s place in the universe of Terra Feminarum... the person you’re talking to is wearing a transparent dress and  like HALF a leotard).

I will say, I really like the actual shooting system. There’s not really a bombing system, but there is a hyper mode that cancels bullets on activation, can cancel bullets again if you get hit, and lets you melt bosses with firepower with losing the score bonus. It does get to Len’En levels of imbalanced (for example, two characters get side abilities like “become invincible” and “destroy and freeze bullets”. The third characters gets nothing to work with. Also the scoring system seems busted) but it’s quite fun.

If you can stomach the designs, this is an easy game to recommend since it’s free on Steam

Bust A Groove (1998) System: PS1 (Emulation) Genre: Rhythm / Fighting Game

I wanted to confirm that this could actually run on my “new” laptop without the audio de-syncing. I ended up completing the whole game again (I say again, but I didn’t exactly “complete” it when I was a kid).

...To be honest, I don’t know how to talk about this game. This game was my childhood. More than that, this game practically shaped my tastes in gaming. In 2000 it was great, and in 2021 it still owns (IMO). Even though the gameplay is very, very simple (with winning really just coming down to “don’t mess up, or don’t mess up more than your opponent) the gameplay loop just works.

Even though the sequel probably wins out in sheer content, the original still can’t be beat when it comes to style or music.

Bust A Groove 2 (1999) System: PS1 (Emulation) Genre: Rhythm / Fighting Game

If I were to say I only discovered this game existed as an adult, would it surprise you if I said I didn’t like this as much? Because I don’t like Bust A Groove 2 as much. It sounds unfair and it is. I blame whoever the hell didn’t bring this game over here (Bust A Groove 2 never released in Europe).

To play Devil’s Advocate: this sequel does a lot right. There are nice quality of life mechanics (like an actual autosave system, or highlighting your button presses) and there’s an actual story (provided that your copy of the game wasn’t the American release). There are also extra play options (for example, you can play in the classic Bust A Groove 1 style, but you can also make things easier and harder). Unfortunately, these are the only unanimously good things there are about the sequel.

Everything else is a mixed bag for me. Let’s address the elephant in the room: Bust A Groove 2 cut characters. Not only did they cut characters, they cut *my* characters. I mean, I don’t miss Hamm; dude had a cool solo, but was lame in the English version and straight up gross in the Japanese version (and for that version of the game? Good riddance). But cutting out Gas-O and Frida? They fucked up with that. While I also don’t like the changes made to certain characters (like Kelly and Shorty), the cuts are egregious.

Then there’s the gameplay. It seems like an apparent improvement from a surface level, but they’ve tweaked mechanics in ways I dislike. Like I respect the sequel for giving characters unique movesets (in Bust A Groove 1, everyone had the same button presses, except for the Solo sections) but I dislike how they completely streamlined the movesets. There’s no choice anymore; instead of choosing between two routes, what you see on screen is what you get.

On paper, I get the change. In Bust A Groove 1, the meta could be boiled down to two aspects: don’t mess up, and always choose the highest scoring routes (the second route during main sections, and using secret / high score moves during solo’s). If you were serious about winning, the first option might as well not exist. So on one hand, I understand the streamlining. But on the other hand: this is also a dancing game man. Choosing the lower scoring route when you’re ahead, just to style on the other player, is part of the fun too.

Though I’m getting off-point; it’s not just about style. Bust A Groove 1 also had a mechanic that allowed you to skip over specific inputs. Let’s say that there’s this route that goes like this:

O -> down O -> left O -> up up O -> up down left right O etc.

You could actually skip over the first three steps if you wanted to. So long as you put in the correct inputs (and you’ve also followed the default route at the start of the song) and you can skip to “up down left right O”. This sounds all very pedantic but if you’ve played enough of Bust A Groove 1, you know how useful this system is (it’s one of the other big parts after the meta, along with using attacks to stall players from getting a full route or stealing a solo)

This is a lot of words to basically say: there’s less depth in the sequel. Bust A Groove 1 is very simple but there’s a surprising depth to its mechanics (specifically when it comes to the routing of stages). The sequel retains some of the depth (e.g. they made solo stealing a proper mechanic) but they streamlined the systems so much that gameplay is more about technical skill (i.e. just pressing the right buttons). It’s fairly obvious if you fight Bust A Groove 2′s secret boss; the difficulty is in doing 5, 6 button commands with the song’s BPM. It’s hard, sure, but it’s not the same as the original.

Aside from not liking the changes, I kinda hate how they handled the sequel period. There isn’t a definitive version I can just play like Bust A Groove 1; if you play it in English, you’re trading off the endings and the Japanese versions of the songs; if you play it in Japanese, you’re trading off certain quality of life changes (like colored inputs) and the English versions of the songs. It sucks that I have to switch between versions. Also let’s be real; the music in 2 just ain’t as good. Bi-O and Comet have good themes. The secret boss’ theme is a bop. Everything else is hit or miss (and even the hits don’t reach the highs of Bust A Groove 1).

Erm, but don’t get the wrong impression... I don’t hate this game. There are aspects I like about the game (certain characters and stages are impressive, some music is good, even if it’s not “I could listen to this track without ever getting tired of it” level of good). I didn’t hate my time with the game, and I could never say no to more Bust A Groove. 

I think this is just an example of my mind on “something I played as a kid vs. something I played as an adult”. I find it so hard to say anything meaningful about the original beyond “I love this so much” and so easy to actually analyze the sequel.

[evilisk-played]

List of PS4 games that are unplayable without a working down (d-pad) button

After downloading Horizon Zero Dawn and discovering the tutorial is unbeatable because you need to use the down button at least once, I am making a list of games that are unplayable without a down button

This will be updated whenever I discover another one of these games

= = =

Games that don't work without a down button because it's part of gameplay:

Crypt of the Necrodancer

Horizon Zero Dawn (Tutorial)

Games that don't work without a down button because it's d-pad only for the menus:

Rez Infinite

Jak X

Games where having no button is very inconvenient:

Dragon Quest Heroes 2 (down is used to cancel Monster Transformations)

Yakuza: Like A Dragon (down button is needed for some mini-games)

[evilisk-played]

Wanted to mention that I discovered an infinite against Emperor Kang. I think this combo actually works on most enemies, I was just surprised that it worked on Kang specifically (since other late bosses, like Shiva and Cain, have combo breaking mechanics). Very, very cathartic after how troublesome this was to do with Nezha

[evilisk-played]

Mystic Heroes: Lani Playthrough

...And Lani’s run of the game is complete. I was lead to believe that Lani played worse than the other characters, but that’s not really true. Lani is quite frail at the start but her default magic and higher magic stat make up for this. Almost every level lets you get away with sniping mobs using Lani’s target magic. The only challenge here is trying not to be bored of that playstyle.

[evilisk-played]

Mystic Heroes: Naja Playthrough

I don’t usually do this but here’s a playlist of my full playthrough of Mystic Heroes as Naja (aka Nezha). I decided to upload this since Mystic Heroes is so obscure that you can’t even find walkthroughs for all four playable characters. I’m strongly considering  doing a playthrough for the last character (Lani) just so that she’s not missing out

[evilisk-played]

Games in 2021, Part 1 (January)

I have decided to play through all the Musou games I can get my hands on. Let’s see how long I last before I regret this decision.

= = =

Dynasty Warriors 2 System: PS2 Genre: Hack and Slash, Musou subgenre

I am committed to replaying the entirety of the Dynasty Warriors series this year, though technically I’ve never played Dynasty Warriors 2 before...

Anyway, I have seen this game likened to a tech demo and... yeah, that’s basically what it is. It was probably impressive for its time but in the year 2021, there’s no real reason to revisit this game.

It’s the Musou formula in its basest form. To give a sense of what that’s like, just picture Dynasty Warriors 3 but with less features. You don’t unlock rare or even new weapons (you’re stuck with that four hit combo all game baby), you don’t unlock or equip items, you don’t have much voice acting during stages and you can’t save from the pause menu mid-battle.

What is here is *checks notes* a system where, for some reason, if you knock an opponent down, they have a chance to fully heal themselves. You also have a counter attack that staggers enemies, which would be great except oops, this counts as a knockdown, so this just helps the enemy instead. Great.

Oh, and I guess bodyguards are still a thing. And archery was actually in this (I expected this to be an addition to DW3, but no, turns out this was in DW2). Also the draw distance for DW2 is like the draw distance for DW3′s co-op mode, except it’s for the entire game, not just co-op, and also there is no option for co-op. It’s a really weird experience. It’s like running into Lu Bu in Hu Lao Gate but Lu Bu doesn’t have theme music, no one is telling you to not pursue him and also he’s not that much harder than any of the other generals (if that example sounds overly specific, that’s because that’s exactly how Lu Bu is in this game.)

To be a bit more positive, the game has a whopping 28 character roster for its first game (even if that number is achieved through copious weapon cloning). There are also some fascinating oddities about this game. The lack of voice acting, for example actually makes battle messages / updates happen way faster. As someone who is currently replaying DW9 and has to sit through its horribly, horribly slow battle update system, this is quite amusing. I also mentioned the in-battle save system; you can’t pause and save whenever you want... but what you can do is break open a pot and pick up an item that *does* let you save. Putting aside the surreal imagery of picking up a giant sized PS2 memory card in the middle of an ancient Chinese battlefield, I actually quite like this system. From a game design perspective, this seems like a much fairer and less cheesier way of doing in-game saves. 

Also the horses in this game are ridiculous. They still control like they do in DW3 (i.e. really badly) but in this game, enemies get hit by them like they’re being hit by cars. I think you can even infinitely juggle enemies with a horse (so long as you get them against the wall).

Though the later games have improved on a lot, it seems not everything they left behind was actually bad. With all that said, Dynasty Warriors 3, really does supersede this title. While you might find value in playing DW4 and DW5 for the differences in storytelling and characters interpretations, there’s not much to say since DW3 is really just a more complete version of DW2. There’s no stage in DW2 that’s not in DW3, all of “DW3′s music” is actually DW2′s, and most of the characters got very light touch ups to their designs (with some exceptions, like 80′s hair-Zhang Jiao and bucket helmet-Yuan Shao).

Mystic Heroes System: PS2 Genre: Hack and Slash (Musou subgenre, sort of)

How come no one told me that this game had kid Taigong Wang and female Nezha in it

Anyway, Mystic Heroes is a Musou-lite game by Koei that released after Dynasty Warriors 2 and 3. It is based on the Fengshen Yanyi, sort of. Koei apparently has this entire Fengshen Yanyi trilogy of games, with Mystic Heroes technically being the third in the trilogy. As for why the first two are so obscure, it’s because those games never made it out of Japan.

Mystic Heroes isn’t really a Musou game, hence the Musou-lite descriptor. It is very, very obvious that it uses the DW2/DW3 engine but it has differences (like less focus on AI allies and morale, and all characters having stronger crowd control moves) that it’s more like a beat em up. As for whether a dumbed down Musou game could be any good, it’s... okay. Not bad, but not terribly good either. The game is at its best during the battlefield levels. On such levels you can aggro every enemy, gather everyone in one spot and then decimate them with your invincibility-frame laden special attacks.

It’s a shame that the more ambitious parts of the games (like the boss fights) feel very clunky. Mystic Heroes’ combat system is great when you get into a chaotic brawl but when the game asks you to act more precisely to avoid a bosses attacks, it it can be a very frustrating experience.

...Nothing to say about the game’s other aspects. The story had me completely lost (I’m not particularly familiar with the Fengshen Yanyi) though I’m pretty sure Daji and Yang Jian are also in this game (albeit as NPC’s). Oh! I did love this game having female Nezha. It’s probably that early 2000′s deal where “Japan does effeminate male design, localizers mistake character for female” since there’s another character in the game who is mistaken for a girl (who has an animal form that is basically ‘topless anthropomorphic bird person’), but it was still cool to see.

[evilisk-played]

Incomplete Games in 2020

They can’t all be winners

Minecraft vs. Zombies 2 System: PC Genre: Tower Defense (PVZ Subgenre)

Yes, you read that right. There exists a Plants vs. Zombies fangame... featuring Minecraft... and also Touhou for some reason... and it’s not even the ONLY game with all of these identifiers. It’s actually a neat game despite the layers of bootlegness here. The only reason I didn’t finish this is because one level, 2-11, is really dumb. Without spoiling anything, it has an interface screw that not only makes it near impossible to win, but I’m pretty sure is gonna send the wrong type of person into a seizure. Now, it may have just been my computer settings (I’m looking at footage at this, and the flashing lights aren’t nearly as bad on other people’s playthroughs) but on my version of the game, with my laptop? Holy shit is the effect disconcerting, and I’m not even an epileptic person.

It’s a neat game with some great ideas for what a PVZ sequel should have been, but fuck doing that level. That game needs an update, and that update needs to remove the flashing lights.

Suikoden System: PS3 (PS1 Classics) Genre: JRPG

I’ve been meaning to play this since that Suikoden spiritual successor got crowdfunded. I gave this game about three hours before dropping it. It just felt like a slog. Nothing in the three hours I played was interesting from a story perspective (oh gee, I sure am surprised that the empire ordering me to collect overdue taxes was actually super duper corrupt*) to the gameplay (three hours in and still no skills. Also JRPG’s with random encounter systems that aren’t like Labyrinth of Touhou or Etrian Odyssey are the worst)

*seriously, has there even been a JRPG where the words “taxes” have been uttered and they haven’t been connected to some super corrupt evil empire?

Crypt of the Necrodancer System: PS4 Genre: Roguelike / Rhythm Game

Add this to the list of games that become unplayable without a functioning d-pad. Seriously, it’s only the one button (the down button) but apparently that’s all it takes

Wild Arms 3 System: PS4 (PS2 Classics) Genre: JRPG

The game I’m most disappointed in not finishing. I’m actually really starting to enjoy the complexity of the battle system (despite how slow it takes for actual battles to play out). No one says I can’t finish it next year, of course, but I do regret putting this game off for so long.

Unravel System: PS4 Genre: Puzzle Platformer

Not sure why I decided to play this as I do not like puzzle games or platformers, let alone puzzle platformers. It’s a perfectly okay game for everyone else, just not for me

Demon Crystals  System: PS4 Genre: Twin Stick Shooter (with RPG elements)

Okay so I’m not actually ashamed to say I didn’t finish this. I picked this up on the cheap, gave it a few levels and eventually dropped it since it didn’t feel worth finishing. Instead of having tailor made levels with interesting challenges like a good little shmups, this game has randomly generated enemies and powerups on each level. The only reason this game is beatable is because 1) it has unlimited continues and 2) there’s a leveling system to ensure that eventually, you’ll be able to clear a level, not because of skill, but because you’re a high enough level to tank more hits.

I really wanted to like this, just because it has a neat, Ghosts N Goblin-style aesthetic but this just ended up being whatever. As a game, it is as passible and playable as it is forgettable.

[evilisk-played]

Games in December (2020)

Almost nearly burnt out on games this month

The Guitar Hero series System: PS3 Genre: Rhythm Game

Call it a pre-mid-life crisis but I felt the sudden urge to back and revisit all the Guitar Hero games. Despite my concern, this still ended up being a fun time. The games, from order of most enjoyment to least enjoyment, are:

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock

Guitar Hero Metallica

Guitar Hero 5

Guitar Hero 3

Band Hero

Guitar Hero Aerosmith

-Warriors of Rock is still my favorite. It’s kinda gimmicky for sure, but I like treating it as the “Halloween themed Guitar Hero” (which it basically is)

-Metallica was surprisingly good. That was one of the last GH games we picked up before officially getting tired of the series a few years back, so I never really got around to playing it. It’s quite good, with a good difficulty curve even on the lower difficulties. It’s definitely the best GH spinoff IMO.

-Guitar Hero 5 gets by on my nostalgia for the series. That was the GH game I first jumped into, and I quite liked revisiting the songs, even if I now realize how dire the full setlist is.

-Guitar Hero 3 was okay. I didn’t hate it, but I also don’t find it as fun as because it’s pure guitar (I’m more into playing drums and bass)

-Band Hero is Guitar Hero 5 but with pop aesthetics. It honestly isn’t that good but I kinda dig the tacky costumes for all the characters (I’ve also always kinda loved Midori’s BH outfit)

-Guitar Hero Smith is dire. It’s like Band Hero is for Guitar Hero 5, but for Guitar Hero 3 instead, and also so much worse than BH since the tracklist is tiny. You also don’t even get any new costumes (just recolors of all the GH3 ones).

Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate System: PS4 Genre: Hack N Slash (Musou subgenre)

It’s pretty fun. I was ready to be down on it because of how broken magic is and, yeah, magic is pretty broken, but I think everyone forgot to mention how fun the game is despite the imbalance... or rather because of the imbalance. Seriously, I know everyone loves WO3U, but this game has its own charm. I love WO3U as much as anyone else, but even that game still had characters that sucked no matter what upgrades you put on their weapons.

I appreciate being able to put together a team that i want to use, with magic as a crutch, over having grind for dozens of hours before making them usable first.

The only real disappointment so far is Infinity Mode. It really is just a gimped version of Gauntlet Mode and while I don’t hate the mode (the game really needs an endgame mode with how disgustingly OP some characters get) disappointment really is accurate.

It’s not a bad game. It only looks bad compared to WO3U and let’s not forget that WO3U is quite possibly the best in the entire subgenre, so a game “not as good as that” is still pretty good. I now understand people’s disappointment though. Even if I don’t agree, and am having a blast playing all the new characters (seriously, the new characters are so broken it’s amazing)

Klonoa: Door to Phantomile System: PS1 Genre: 2.5D Platformer

It’s not really the game’s fault, but I can’t enjoy this game because of its sequel.

So disclaimer: I never actually played Klonoa 1 despite Klonoa 2 being one of my childhood classics. After quickly playing through it, my thoughts now are that Klonoa 1 isn’t *bad* but it’s so hard to go backwards from Klonoa 2 which is just an improvement in so, so many ways. 

It’s not a bad game at all but my special connection to the original game made it super hard to enjoy this game on its own merits. Man I really need to play Lunatea’s Veil again.

Lunatic Red System: PC (itch.io) Genre: RPG (RPG Maker)

Can’t remember how I stumbled onto this (I think I saw fan art of Clover on my dash?? and that instantly got me to play the game) but I loved this little demo. My favorite feature had to be the party chat function. I have played a LOT of RPG Maker games in my time but this small addition helps give the game a lot more personality. I hope the creator gets around to finishing this, we need more RPG’s with characters like the ones here.