I just beat __
- Thread starter Yoshiwaker
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Fanny
I hate you!
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- SHE／HER
Ori and the Blind Forest (100%)
While it was a great Metroidvania, it felt rather short and lacking in content. This feeling is strengthened further towards the end of the game, as the search for the Sunstone takes place in one area, and the journey to the Moutain is rather short, though that is partially my fault for exploring that place earlier in the game.
While it was a great Metroidvania, it felt rather short and lacking in content. This feeling is strengthened further towards the end of the game, as the search for the Sunstone takes place in one area, and the journey to the Moutain is rather short, though that is partially my fault for exploring that place earlier in the game.
Secret Service: Ultimate Sacrifice is a 2008 FPS by the reliable jank masters at Cauldron and published by Activision's budget game label. You play as an US secret service agent who tries to protect the president from an South American militia and then is embroilled in a conspiracy threatening the government.
Secret Services makes an OK enough first impression. The production values aren't too bad for a 2008 budget release, the controls make sense (with analog leaning, a feature all too rare on console shooters) and the weapons actually have a nice kick to them, which is worth mentioning when most budget FPS of the time have super flat shooting mechanics. The writing isn't anything transcendent but the barbs from your overly flippant sidekick can be smirk-worthy.
Secret Service is fun enough when it sticks to being a dumb linear cinematic shooter, but it's bogged down in many frustrating mechanics. The worst of these are the "hacking minigame" you have to do pretty every time you have to interact with an object, which consist of tile puzzles (kinda like the pipe minigame in Bioshock, but even worse). They're blatant padding and you're given not enough time to do them properly (and they're randomly picked from a pool so just can't memorize them). Another dumb mechanic is when you have to fight other service agents and you're forbidden from killing them (even when they're shooting at the president), forcing you to use a cumberslow slow firing taser to knock them out.
It could've been a decent popcorn rental but there's a lot of frustration in there.
YoshiFlutterJump
Power Star
- MarioWiki
- YoshiFlutterJump
Super Paper Mario
The third game in the Paper Mario series, Super Paper Mario differs very drastically from the first two. Despite being part of a mostly RPG-esque series, Super Paper Mario is more of a platformer with a few RPG elements mixed in. At first it seems to be loosely based off the classic 2D mainstream Mario platformers, but it proves more and more to just be its own thing, even lacking most established Mario characters aside from the playable four. It's unique, and although it could have been executed better, I still enjoy it for what it is.
The gameplay is somewhat reminiscent of the mainstream platformers, but many changes have been made to incorporate RPG elements. First of all, while turn-based battles have been thrown out the window, leveling up is still here, although in this game level is determined by your score. Just like in the mainstream platformers, you earn points by defeating enemies and collecting power-ups. However, when you collect enough points, your HP and/or attack power will increase. The game also prominently features a character-swap feature, where at any point in the game you can enter the pause menu to switch your character. The playable characters are Mario, Peach, Bowser, and Luigi, and each one has a different ability. Mario can temporarily flip into 3D, allowing him to see and access hidden areas. Peach can float long distances with her parasol, and can also use it to guard against enemy attacks. Bowser can breathe fire, and also has double attack power. Luigi can jump higher than the other characters, and can even perform a powerful Super Jump to go even higher. This game also features a partner system, where creatures known as Pixls can follow Mario around and give him their abilities, which include a hammer, a ground pound, and the ability to pick up and throw enemies. Just like the major characters, Pixls can be swapped at any time. One of them, Tippi, is Mario's primary partner throughout the adventure, and is out at all times regardless of the other Pixl you choose; her ability is to tattle enemies (much like Goombario and Goombella before her), and can also reveal invisible objects.
There are some pretty major flaws in some of these features, however. My biggest gripe is that, while Mario's Flip ability was a heavily advertised feature of the game, the highly restrictive ability timer prevents you from appreciating the novelty of seeing each area in 3D. It just feels like wasted potential. Mario is the only character who can use it as well, and as it's a pretty integral feature of the game...let's just say you'll be using Mario a lot. Perhaps it would be better if all characters could flip, but Mario could flip for longer. But as it is...it just could have been so much more. I feel that the Pixls could have been executed better as well, as many of them grant abilities that just feel like Mario should have had them from the start (looking at you, Cudge). But hey, at least I don't have to deal with constantly switching back to Tippi, as she's always in play regardless of the other Pixl you're using.
The story is possibly the most unique thing the Mario series has ever experienced, and I sure didn't expect anything to this scale. Like in the previous game, you're on a quest to save the world, although this game incorporates a good bit of romance and mystery as well. It has a pretty epic plot twist at the end as well, and I'd even say it's almost as epic as the ending plot twist of Partners in Time. I won't spoil much though, partly because I just don't feel like typing out the whole thing. But, while it's a pretty deep story by Mario standards, that's just the thing: it just doesn't feel like something that would come out of a Mario game. Previous Mario RPGs Thousand-Year Door and Partners in Time both had dark stories as well, but still kept the general Mario charm by keeping a good amount of established Mario characters and enemies, while not forgetting the humorous writing often found in Mario RPGs to keep the story from taking itself too seriously. Super Paper Mario, on the other hand, has almost none of that. I do not recall laughing once over the course of this game, with not a single good joke to be seen, and the characters are what is known as OC Overflow, with almost no established Mario characters apart from the four main playables. OCs are cool and all, but there's a point where it's time to stop, and SPM goes far beyond that. Tippi is a genuinely great character, though; I haven't seen nearly this much character development since Mallow from the first Mario RPG, and Tippi may have taken Mallow's place as my favorite Mario RPG partner to date. On the contrary, some other characters in the game really suck. Like Luvbi. She can die and rot in a fire, right alongside Jojora from Superstar Saga.
Overall, while a couple flaws somewhat mar an otherwise great game--including the poor implementation of the Flip ability, and the story, which, while genuinely good on its own, lacks the characters and charm that are generally expected from a game with Mario's name on the box--this game is still worth playing. Even if this is one of the weaker Mario RPGs, it still earns a recommendation from me, if only for the uniqueness and novelty of the gameplay. It still oozes with creativity at every corner...even if it feels like a little too much at times.
And hey, it's still better than Seven Stars.
The third game in the Paper Mario series, Super Paper Mario differs very drastically from the first two. Despite being part of a mostly RPG-esque series, Super Paper Mario is more of a platformer with a few RPG elements mixed in. At first it seems to be loosely based off the classic 2D mainstream Mario platformers, but it proves more and more to just be its own thing, even lacking most established Mario characters aside from the playable four. It's unique, and although it could have been executed better, I still enjoy it for what it is.
The gameplay is somewhat reminiscent of the mainstream platformers, but many changes have been made to incorporate RPG elements. First of all, while turn-based battles have been thrown out the window, leveling up is still here, although in this game level is determined by your score. Just like in the mainstream platformers, you earn points by defeating enemies and collecting power-ups. However, when you collect enough points, your HP and/or attack power will increase. The game also prominently features a character-swap feature, where at any point in the game you can enter the pause menu to switch your character. The playable characters are Mario, Peach, Bowser, and Luigi, and each one has a different ability. Mario can temporarily flip into 3D, allowing him to see and access hidden areas. Peach can float long distances with her parasol, and can also use it to guard against enemy attacks. Bowser can breathe fire, and also has double attack power. Luigi can jump higher than the other characters, and can even perform a powerful Super Jump to go even higher. This game also features a partner system, where creatures known as Pixls can follow Mario around and give him their abilities, which include a hammer, a ground pound, and the ability to pick up and throw enemies. Just like the major characters, Pixls can be swapped at any time. One of them, Tippi, is Mario's primary partner throughout the adventure, and is out at all times regardless of the other Pixl you choose; her ability is to tattle enemies (much like Goombario and Goombella before her), and can also reveal invisible objects.
There are some pretty major flaws in some of these features, however. My biggest gripe is that, while Mario's Flip ability was a heavily advertised feature of the game, the highly restrictive ability timer prevents you from appreciating the novelty of seeing each area in 3D. It just feels like wasted potential. Mario is the only character who can use it as well, and as it's a pretty integral feature of the game...let's just say you'll be using Mario a lot. Perhaps it would be better if all characters could flip, but Mario could flip for longer. But as it is...it just could have been so much more. I feel that the Pixls could have been executed better as well, as many of them grant abilities that just feel like Mario should have had them from the start (looking at you, Cudge). But hey, at least I don't have to deal with constantly switching back to Tippi, as she's always in play regardless of the other Pixl you're using.
The story is possibly the most unique thing the Mario series has ever experienced, and I sure didn't expect anything to this scale. Like in the previous game, you're on a quest to save the world, although this game incorporates a good bit of romance and mystery as well. It has a pretty epic plot twist at the end as well, and I'd even say it's almost as epic as the ending plot twist of Partners in Time. I won't spoil much though, partly because I just don't feel like typing out the whole thing. But, while it's a pretty deep story by Mario standards, that's just the thing: it just doesn't feel like something that would come out of a Mario game. Previous Mario RPGs Thousand-Year Door and Partners in Time both had dark stories as well, but still kept the general Mario charm by keeping a good amount of established Mario characters and enemies, while not forgetting the humorous writing often found in Mario RPGs to keep the story from taking itself too seriously. Super Paper Mario, on the other hand, has almost none of that. I do not recall laughing once over the course of this game, with not a single good joke to be seen, and the characters are what is known as OC Overflow, with almost no established Mario characters apart from the four main playables. OCs are cool and all, but there's a point where it's time to stop, and SPM goes far beyond that. Tippi is a genuinely great character, though; I haven't seen nearly this much character development since Mallow from the first Mario RPG, and Tippi may have taken Mallow's place as my favorite Mario RPG partner to date. On the contrary, some other characters in the game really suck. Like Luvbi. She can die and rot in a fire, right alongside Jojora from Superstar Saga.
Overall, while a couple flaws somewhat mar an otherwise great game--including the poor implementation of the Flip ability, and the story, which, while genuinely good on its own, lacks the characters and charm that are generally expected from a game with Mario's name on the box--this game is still worth playing. Even if this is one of the weaker Mario RPGs, it still earns a recommendation from me, if only for the uniqueness and novelty of the gameplay. It still oozes with creativity at every corner...even if it feels like a little too much at times.
And hey, it's still better than Seven Stars.
Finally beat Metroid Prime 2 after getting stuck on the Boost Guardian for so long. Everything else afterward was significantly easier. Unfortunately, the GameCube crashed as I was enjoying the ending.
Sad tale in three images: https://twitter.com/PMAlexBodine/status/1170448001698910208
Sad tale in three images: https://twitter.com/PMAlexBodine/status/1170448001698910208
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle: Donkey Kong Adventure (DLC)
I was waiting for the Donkey Kong Adventure DLC for Mario + Rabbids to go on discount, and the day has finally come: last month was the two year anniversary of this game, and to celebrate, two DLC were on discount for the first time: The entire DLC and the DK DLC. I opted for just the DK one because I don't feel like going through the Ultra Challenges since so long had passed when I last played it.
The game clearly mentioned that this DLC cannot be selected until the player has conquered the main game's World 1, as the events showed the literal downfall of Rabbid Kong, and what happened later on. Rabbid Kong was sent to handle the Time Washing Machine but some mishaps sent him and some other Rabbids into it. While the commotion was going on, Rabbid Peach was nonchalantly attempting to plug her smartphone in an outlet on the machine, only to be sent to the same world as the other Rabbids (and Beep-o because he had to tell Rabbid Peach it was a bad idea). After they were sent to the tropical area, they met Donkey Kong and Rabbid Cranky when they were in danger since Rabbid Peach's main weapon was used for cooking. This basically meant that Rabbid Peach's weapons are different from the main game.
Throughout the game, you are designated three characters without a chance of switching them, resulting in more focus on the game's challenge since some characters in the main campaign felt more useful than others, namely Luigi, Rabbid Mario and Rabbid Luigi.
Donkey Kong: The star of the show, Donkey Kong has the best movement options out of any character due to his ability to use the Dandelion pads to move across the map more easily. Plus, he has the ability to move another block or a Rabbid (friend or foe) with him on his trip! He also possesses a banana weapon that can chain multiple enemies at once, with each link getting a weaker hit. If the weapon has a critical hit, it affects all enemies that it hits, which goes well with his overwatch since DK's weapons have status effects that move the enemies around. If the status doesn't kick in there's the Magnet Groove where DK uses his drums to make the enemies move closer to him, which can either trigger the overwatch or be comboed with his ground slap attack, which is multi-hit but also has a large area of effect. Basically Donkey Kong is a close range attacker similar to Rabbid Mario.
Rabbid Cranky: The surprise addition to this roster is this guy, because I don't think anybody expected a Rabbid version of Cranky Kong (it's also more surprising that the original Cranky Kong doesn't appear at all). So, Rabbid Cranky is about making area-of-effect damage, since every one of his weapons does it: a thrown grenade and a catapult gun that has flexible damage output based on range. Unlike the other Rabbid allies in the main game, Rabbid Cranky doesn't have a shield but instead has overwatch like the Mario characters, and his Team Jump is the same as Yoshi except he guarantees a Freeze when at least one enemy is in range. He also has a very handy exclusive Technique that puts an entire area of enemy Rabbids to sleep, which is really game-changing.
Rabbid Peach: The only returning character from the main game, Rabbid Peach uses the same abilities from the main game. In my opinion, Rabbid Peach is not exactly the best character to use when more characters are unlocked, so this game allowed Rabbid Peach to shine the best. For example, Rabbid Peach doesn't compete with Mario (a mandatory character) for the weapon he used, or with Luigi because he too has a Sentry among other benefits (like having a long-range weapon). In this game, Rabbid Peach's weapon has the longest range so that instantly made her stand out, among other things that other characters does better than her.
The game's enemies are all at the same level of strength throughout the game, but they also introduce stronger enemy types later on to make up for it. In this way, the game is paced properly since the heroes eventually gain more flexibility in their skill tree, and access to new weapons with increasing strength and probability of a critical hit + status effect. This applies to the challenges, where every challenge aren't necessarily super easy or super difficult (except Ultimate Challenge 2, the most difficult one), unlike the Mario side of things where some challenges became trivial as the characters became stronger.
As to my opinion for this game: more Mario + Rabbids is a great thing, and I am glad to finish everything the game has to offer. In fact, I have enough bananas to buy every weapon in the game since the challenges provided a huge surplus of them! It provided a different form of gameplay to wrap around on, but it's still rewarding to use the characters' abilities to their maximum potential. I would love more Mario + Rabbids to come in the future, although I am going to hold off for a Gold Edition since they are more likely to discount that compared to the DLC (who I remind you only happened last month for the first time).
Thank you for reading.
- Pronouns
- She/her
- MarioWiki
- Smasher
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (100%)
took me a little under 9 and a half hours lol. game has held up well and deserves its common description as one of the best SNES games out there. don't really have much else to say except I really enjoyed it
Untitled Goose Game
really really short, but fun for what it is. would have liked a little more content but it's not like I expected a game about a goose bugging the hell out of people to be lengthy anyway
edit: and I just 100%'d it as well, go me
took me a little under 9 and a half hours lol. game has held up well and deserves its common description as one of the best SNES games out there. don't really have much else to say except I really enjoyed it
Untitled Goose Game
really really short, but fun for what it is. would have liked a little more content but it's not like I expected a game about a goose bugging the hell out of people to be lengthy anyway
edit: and I just 100%'d it as well, go me
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Princess Céline
It's teatime!
All missions in Perfect Dark Zero on Perfect Agent difficulty, now I have to beat them all one last time in solo mode on Dark Agent difficulty, then, on all 4 difficulties again in Co-Op mode
