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prfsnl_gmr
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Re: Games Beaten 2022

by prfsnl_gmr Mon Aug 08, 2022 2:47 pm

First 40
1. Space Warrior (Switch)
2. Itta (Switch)
3. Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn (Switch)
4. Mask of Mists (Switch)
5. Metagal (Switch)
6. Foxyland 2 (Switch)
7. Submerged (Switch)
8. Back to Bed (Switch)
9. Thoth (Switch)
10. 140 (Switch)
11. Infinite: Beyond the Mind (Switch)
12. Ninja Striker (Switch)
13. Kid Tripp (Switch)
14. Miles & Kilo (Switch)
15. Neon Junctions (Switch)
16. Golf Zero (Switch)
17. 198X (Switch)
18. Macbat 64 (Switch)
19. Kiwi 64 (Switch)
20. Toree 3D (Switch)
21. Toree 2 (Switch)
22. #RaceDieRun (Switch)
23. Micetopia (Switch)
24. Tomena Sanner (Wii)
25. Contra ReBirth (Wii)
26. Unstrong Legacy (Switch)
27. Quarantine Circular (Switch)
28. Infernax (Switch)
29. Cosmos Bit (Switch)
30. Ape Out (Switch)
31. Return of the Double Dragon (Super Famicom)
32. Contra (Famicom)
33. Summer Carnival ‘92 RECCA (Famicom)
34. Bionic Commando (Arcade)
35. Shinobi (Arcade)
36. Super Meat Boy (Switch)
37. Chex Quest HD (Switch)
38. King’s Field II (PSX)
39. Mechstermination Force (Switch)
40. Swords and Bones (Switch)

41. The Solitaire Conspiracy (Switch)
42. Super Cyborg (Switch)
43. Blazing Chrome (Switch)
44. Son Wukong v. Robot (Switch)
45. King’s Field III: Pilot Style (PS1)
46. Kirby’s Dreamland 2 (GB)
47. Metal Gear (NES)
48. Vampire Killer (MSX)
49. Super Skelemania (Switch)

Super Skelemania is a bite-sized metroidy in which you play as a skeleton who has crash landed on an alien word. You jump around a lot, and you hit things with your skull, like Decap Attack, but fun, making it a very video game-y video game. You find a few maps and mobility upgrades, and you explore four different sections before taking on a few bosses. You can beat the game in about 90 minutes, and it’s pretty fun. Recommended if you see it on sale.
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Ack
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Re: Games Beaten 2022

by Ack Mon Aug 08, 2022 5:25 pm

1. Record of Lodoss War - Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth (PC)(Action Adventure)
2. The Citadel (PC)(FPS)
3. Gothic 3 (PC)(RPG)
4. Witchaven (PC)(FPS)
5. Unpacking (PC)(Puzzle)
6. Firewatch (PC)(Adventure)
7. Perilous Warp (PC)(FPS)

8. The Ascent (PC)(RPG)
9. Borderlands: Game of the Year Enhanced - The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned (PC)(FPS/RPG)
10. Borderlands: Game of the Year Enhanced - The Secret Armory of General Knoxx (PC)(FPS/RPG)
11. Borderlands: Game of the Year Enhanced - Claptrap's New Robot Revolution (PC)(FPS/RPG)

12. Kingdom of the Dead (PC)(FPS)
13. Monument (PC)(FPS)
14. Bloodwash (PC)(Horror Adventure)
15. Dead Estate (PC)(Isometric Shooter)

16. Lost in Vivo (PC)(Survival Horror)
17. Star Explorers (PC)(FPS)
18. Dark Souls Remastered (Switch)(RPG)
19. NAM (PC)(FPS)
20. WWII GI (PC)(FPS)
21. Necromunda: Hired Gun (PC)(FPS)
22. Quake: Dimension of the Past (PC)(FPS)

After my experiences with NAM, WWII GI, and Necromunda: Hired Gun, Popo demanded I play a good FPS. Since I hadn't actually spent any time with the Nightdive Studios remaster of Quake, I decided it was a good time to go check it out. But more specifically, I had been curious about the new episodes that MachineGames had developed, Dimension of the Past and Dimension of the Machine. DotM is a new episode that MachineGames developed for the remaster, but DotP has been around a few years, and yet I had missed it while playing through previously released Quake expansions. It was time I rectify this.

I have played a lot of DOOM and Quake episodes and games over the years, but sometimes it is nice to return to your roots to discover new things. Dimension of the Past was developed for Quake's 20th anniversary, and it asks you to do just that. Additions from previous expansions have been removed, so we're back to good old fashioned basic Quake gameplay, complete with a couple of secret levels, a style that starts futuristic but leans more dark fantasy over the course of the campaign, and deathtraps.

Apparently the explanation for why expansion content was cut is because Dimension of the Past falls between Quake and the later official expansions Scourge of Armagon and Dissolution of Eternity. Unfortunately, it more led me to wonder if it was an excuse for lacking expansion content as opposed to a legitimate decision. Using an FPS' storyline to make up for development oversight doesn't feel outlandish, but it does feel cheap. It also means that there isn't anything new to DotP that you couldn't find elsewhere.

Which is not to say DotP is overly easy, because it's not. There are plenty of enemies ready and willing to kill you in terrible ways. But it does mean the game is relying on level design and enemy placement to keep the base Quake formula interesting, and in truth? I didn't find the level design for Dimension of the Past all that interesting. There were moments where I liked a level layout, but there was never a point where I really thrilled or marveled at what I was doing. Worse yet, there were times where I felt more cheapened out by enemy placement, like getting stuck fighting a shambler in the first secret level when I didn't have the arsenal to really take it down. Then again, if you haven't spent much time melee dancing with a shambler, I suppose you haven't really played Quake.

Also, Dimension of the Past is never outright bad either. There are times when playing later expansions for the likes of DOOM and Quake where I have questioned whether a level was actually good, and I never found myself doing that with Dimension of the Past...but I never wrapped up a level and thought it was amazing either. Instead it just feels sufficient. Perhaps mediocre at times. Don't get me wrong, that is still a pretty high bar, because it is still Quake. It's just not earthshaking.

Perhaps my opinion will change on a Nightmare run. Or perhaps my return to other expansion content will make me rethink my position. I will have to wait and see how I feel.
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MrPopo
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Re: Games Beaten 2022

by MrPopo Mon Aug 08, 2022 7:01 pm

I went and checked up my review from last year of Dimension of the Past, and yeah, it wasn't super complimentary. Compared to Dimension of the Machine, Dimension of the Past feels like a Quake-engine level demo to get MachineGames a foot in the door somewhere.
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Blizzard Entertainment Software Developer - All comments and views are my own and not representative of the company.
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alienjesus
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Re: Games Beaten 2022

by alienjesus Thu Aug 11, 2022 11:59 am

1. Metroid Dread Switch
2. The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures Switch
3. Return of the Obra Dinn Switch
4. Policenauts Saturn
5. Pokémon Legends: Arceus Switch
6. Sam & Max Save The World Switch
7. The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve Switch
8. Dragon Force Saturn
9. Astro’s Playroom PS5
10. Kirby & The Forgotten Land Switch *NEW*
11. Yakuza Kiwami PS4 *NEW*
12. Tony Hawks Pro Skater 1+2 PS4 *NEW*
13. Blue Reflection: Second Light Switch *NEW*
14. Hatsune Miku: Logic Paint S Switch eShop *NEW*
15. Art Style: Orbient WiiWare *NEW*
16. Dragon Quest Builders 2 Switch *NEW*
17. Tales of Arise PS4 *NEW*
18. Boktai: The Sun Is In Your Hand GBA *NEW*
19. Pokémon LeafGreen GBA *NEW*


This year has been a rough year and I havent really had the mental headspace to sit and write reviews of games I've beaten. That said, I'm keen to be able to note my thoughts down so I can look back later, so here's a cut down version of my thoughts where I focus on positives and negatives for each game:

Kirby & the Forgotten Land

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+ Just so happy
+ 3D gameplay works great
+ The game is really pretty
+ Soundtrack is good times
+ Extra content is fun without being overwhelming
+Dodge roll mechanic is satisfying
+Extra tasks in levels can be fun to find and provide replayability
+Bosses are fun

-Smaller movesets in 3D mean less variety in combat
-Not being able to see extra challenges until finish the level can mean unnecessary replays of levels
-Beating bosses with no damage is tedious as there’s no restart option

Overall thoughts:
I love this game, and I am absolutely on board for more 3D Kirby games in this style. It feels super uplifting to play and also has the usual Kirby existential horrors at the end. I did most of the bonus content so it had it’s hooks in me.


Yakuza Kiwami

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+ It’s more Yakuza
+ Story is simple but compelling
+ Punching people still really fun
+ Sidequests and mini games kept me engaged

- Feels stripped back compared to Yakuza 0
- Sidequests are less interesting this time, shorter and often just one fight
- It doesn’t add anything new compared to Yakuza 0. You’ll be playing mainly for the story

Overall thoughts:
Although I seem a bit negative about the game, Yakuza 0 was a good time and I really enjoyed it. Comparing it to Yakuza 0 though, it’s clearly a step down. More Yakuza is fine by me though! I did almost all subquests and put a lot of time in so I wasn’t complaining!


Tony Hawks Pro Skater 1 + 2

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+ Faithful level remakes
+ Soundtracks are still awesome
+ New optional challenges can be fun to complete
+Just the right length
+ Mechanics from later entries in the series implement well, without ruining level designs or challenges

- Not very many interesting unlockables
- New levelling system seems pointless and grindy
- Some levels don’t hold up as well
- A few annoying challenges
- Competition stages suck

Overall thoughts:
I had a really good time with Tony Hawks 1+2. It’s a very faithful remake in many ways (for good and bad) but the more modern features and fresh coat of paint make it a joy to play.


Blue Reflection Second Light

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+ Fun active battle system that keeps you engaged
+ Likeable characters
+ Attractive visual aesthetic that looked good even on weaker hardware
+ Great soundtrack
+ It was just a generally uplifting experience

- Plot a bit complex. Without playing the original or watching associated anime, a few bits are light on details
- Game starts with some challenge but gets too easy once you start developing characters
- Gets a bit repetitive at times, even though it’s fun
- Feels like it’s fighting against it’s low budget sometimes

Overall thoughts:
I really liked my time with Blue Reflection. It’s not a masterpiece or anything but it’s charming and has enough interesting ideas with a nice enough presentation that I really enjoyed it. The story is a little complicated and a few things aren’t clear enough, but it doesn’t detract too much.


Hatsune Miku: Logic Paint S

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+ Catchy music selection
+ Tons of content to complete
+ Bright visual aesthetics
+ It’s picross. I like picross

- Could use a bit more music considering how much there is to do. You’ll hear it a lot.
- The hint system isn’t great. It’s either too generous or it’s turned off. Nintendo’s entries do it better

Overall Thoughts:
It’s Picross, so it’s good. It loses points a bit from the hint system which I found frustrating – either too generous (it marks numbers complete in situations you can know if it’s a 1 or a 2 for example), or too strict if turned off (it won’t tell you when you marked a title incorrectly). However, it makes up for this with a fun lively presentation. If you don’t like Vocaloid stuff you won’t enjoy it, but I found it a fun way to wind down every now and then by blasting through a dozen puzzles or so
.

Art Style Orbient

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+ Interesting premise
+ Slightly haunting and atmospheric despite limited interface
+ When you get it just right, it’s satisfying

- Gets too difficult too early
- Sometimes feels like you have no options
- Becomes dull after a while

Overall thoughts:
I love the Art Style series and picked this one up at launch, but it’s definitely one of my least favourites. I’m in a minority on this but I find the limited control options (increase or reverse gravity) frustrating and the game too slow to be compelling. Not one I’ll come back to much.


Dragon Quest Builders 2

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+ More Dragon Quest Builders, possibly the best spinoff of the series?
+ A ton of content
+ More flexible building options than the first game
+ No more rebuilding towns after a boss fight destroys them!
+ Ways to obtain infinite resources of common items saves time

- Dragon Quest 2 influences less compelling than the first games DQ1 setting
- Only a few major areas that go on a long time. Maybe more smaller ones would be better pacing
- Sometimes you’re forced to destroy something cool you built for story reasons.

Overall thoughts:
Dragon Quest Builders 1 was great, and Dragon Quest Builders 2 is generally an improvement in all areas. It goes on a bit too long maybe, and the DQ2 inspired setting does nothing for me, but It’s a really great game I’d recommend to anyone, not just series fans.



Tales of Arise

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+ Fun battle system that expands the further you get
+ (Eventually) likeable cast with trope-y but fun character arcs
+ Batshit crazy story that keeps you guessing
+ Fun variance in battle styles between characters
+ Good sidequests
+ Very challenging boss fights

- Characters are annoying early on
- Full of predictable anime tropes
- A little light on side content compared to Symphonia
- Storyline feels a bit abrupt in the final act

Overall Thoughts: As a teenager I adored Tales of Symphonia and played through it loads of times. This is the second game in the series I’ve played and it hooked me just as much – enough that I 100% complete it and got the platinum trophy. Some story beats feel predictable, and it tries a little too hard to be angsty and edgy early on, but it’s a good time and it’s encouraged me to play other entries in the series.


Boktai: The Sun Is In Your Hands

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+ Solar sensor mechanic is interesting
+ Challenging bosses
+ Lots to do within it’s runtime
+ A few cool puzzles
+ Stealth mechanics worked well

- Isometric gameplay
- Story is weak
- Not given much direction in game
- Putting GBA in sun for too long is a bad idea!
- Sun not actually required a lot of the time
- Sun absolutely essential for bosses, limiting play time
- Some tough and tedious block puzzles

Overall Thoughts:
Boktai was an interesting time with a fun premise. The gameplay of an action adventure with stealth elements is fairly fun, but the game doesn’t do enough to make areas stand out or to allow your character to develop. The solar sensor is a bit gimmicky and not well balanced. You can get by without it for 90% of the time (although it definitely helps!) but it is practically essential to be in very hot direct sun for some bosses. I thought I had destroyed me GBA screen due to this at one point (half of it went black) but luckily it was OK once it cooled down. A neat novelty, but only a decent game.


Pokémon LeafGreen

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+ It’s Pokémon
+ Lots to do
+ Variety in teambuilding
+ Nice remake of the original

- Battling feels slow by modern standards
- Gen 2 pokemon locked to postgame
- Doesnt do much new

Overall Thoughts:
Of course I’ve played this one before, this was a replay to work on completing pokedex in gen 3. I used only Pokémon I’ve never used in game before, resulting in the oddball team of Nidoking, Farfetch’d, Porygon, Tauros, Kabutops and Moltres. I had a good time because it is a good game.
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Re: Games Beaten 2022

by Ack Thu Aug 11, 2022 6:38 pm

1. Record of Lodoss War - Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth (PC)(Action Adventure)
2. The Citadel (PC)(FPS)
3. Gothic 3 (PC)(RPG)
4. Witchaven (PC)(FPS)
5. Unpacking (PC)(Puzzle)
6. Firewatch (PC)(Adventure)
7. Perilous Warp (PC)(FPS)

8. The Ascent (PC)(RPG)
9. Borderlands: Game of the Year Enhanced - The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned (PC)(FPS/RPG)
10. Borderlands: Game of the Year Enhanced - The Secret Armory of General Knoxx (PC)(FPS/RPG)
11. Borderlands: Game of the Year Enhanced - Claptrap's New Robot Revolution (PC)(FPS/RPG)

12. Kingdom of the Dead (PC)(FPS)
13. Monument (PC)(FPS)
14. Bloodwash (PC)(Horror Adventure)
15. Dead Estate (PC)(Isometric Shooter)

16. Lost in Vivo (PC)(Survival Horror)
17. Star Explorers (PC)(FPS)
18. Dark Souls Remastered (Switch)(RPG)
19. NAM (PC)(FPS)
20. WWII GI (PC)(FPS)
21. Necromunda: Hired Gun (PC)(FPS)
22. Quake: Dimension of the Past (PC)(FPS)
23. Quake: Dimension of the Machine (PC)(FPS)
24. Quake: Scourge of Armagon (PC)(FPS)
25. Quake: Dissolution of Eternity (PC)(FPS)


Since I had just played through the Quake expansion Dimension of the Past, I decided I should check out the most recent expansion from MachineGames, Dimension of the Machine, which was specially developed for the Nightdive Studios remastered release of Quake last year. I also wanted to compare it to the original expansions, so firing up Scourge of Armagon and Dissolution of Eternity to refresh my memory of them and also compare felt like a no brainer. It's an interesting experience, revisiting these classics, because my memory sometimes contradicts the reality I'm experiencing. But to see what devs who now have a few years of Quake experience under their belts can come up with 25 years later? Oh man, that's a treat.

Dimension of the Machine is incredible. Instead of simply giving a bunch of levels in a traditional episode like Dimension of the Past, instead MachineGames opted to go with a large hub world and a handful of micro-episodes consisting of usually only a couple of very large levels. With each of these areas now a thematic piece to the story, the level creators then went wild; Dimension of the Machine has some of the most awe-inspiring official Quake levels there are. For example, the Realm of the Astrologers now features a start in a pseudo-space setting, only to have the player taken prisoner aboard a spaceship. Blasting your way through your foes, you end up following up this level with a second focused on the excavations on an alien world of these bad guys, which you must thwart as well as find a mystical rune to help power the titular Machine. Another realm features a massive cathedral that bores deep into the earth, while the second level is the same cathedral, now upside down as you progress to what was previously the belfry, only now under a blood red sky looking up at you. The effect is amazing, and more than once I found myself stopping to just breathe in the surroundings as I encountered some incredible new vista.

Is there a downside to Dimension of the Machine? Well, yes, sort of. It's all base Quake content again, and just like in previous expansions and the base game where the player loses all weapons between episodes, you do it here. As a result, you get an armory built up really fast of devastating weapons, but you'll see all the foes you'll encounter possibly in the first level you choose to play. Also, it ends with a revamp of the Cthon fight from the original Quake, and it's just not good because it relies on putting 2 and 2 together to get 4 without telling you about that second 2... So this means the wow factor must come entirely from level design, which...hell, I already said it did. But it would have been nice to see some of the other expansions' best ideas get incorporated somehow.

Speaking of which, how are those other expansions? Well...

Scourge of Armagon is three episodes of violence in a more traditional path of levels. You don't get much choice, but the game tries to ease you in with basic grunt fodder enemies at first and facilities. While it does eventually go castle-style and forget that the regular gun-wielding types exist, it does give us new enemies, new guns, and a new boss. The levels are ok, depending on whether you prefer your Quake to be more industrial or more medieval, starting strong with military compounds. There are a few highlights, like one level taking place in a mining complex, but ultimately it turns into just more Quake. I found my favorite level was the secret one in the third episode, because it felt more like a multiplayer map and broke up the monotony of traditional Quake design.

Unfortunately, the new enemies and guns aren't great. The first new enemy is a scorpion that shoots nails and likes to dodge your fire, while the second is a gremlin that eats corpses to heal and can steal your guns and use them. The gremlin makes for an interesting opponent, of limited ability unless you let it get to close, but you can manipulate it by killing other enemies. In a fight with a lot of these guys, shoot one and walk away, and they'll start feasting on the corpse. That's a prime opportunity for a rocket, folks. It's a change to the general AI that I appreciate, because it makes the enemy feel unique. The scorpion, on the other hand, just likes to dodge. Constantly. The easiest way to kill it is to trap it against a wall by making it dodge into it repeatedly, but fighting one in the open can be frustrating beyond belief. To combat this in particular, the new weapons added in are all based around area denial: a proximity mine launcher, a hammer that does an area effect attack, and a gatling that fires bouncing lasers. None of these are that impressive, and I rarely used them. If anything, I got more annoyed they were cluttering up my weapon swap more than anything.

That said, this ends with a boss fight against Armagon, and he's actually an interesting fight. Most FPS bosses consist of being a puzzle or circle-strafing, but Armagon has a few nasty tricks where he leads the player properly. Keep circle-strafing, and you'll take a laser to the face, or worse, artillery. And his artillery packs a punch. He's an opponent you can fake out to miss wildly, but you have to stay on your toes. While most FPS bosses suck, I appreciate Armagon makes me work for the win, sticking to cover and maneuvering while adjusting based on his tactics. Honestly, he was probably the highlight of his whole episode.

And then we have Dissolution of Eternity...

...which is fantastic, and it gives both a precursory feel to what Dimension of the Machine would give me as well as adding more content that mostly feels great. There are two separate campaigns, one of which is more tech-focused until it turns into a run through Hexen-esque cathedrals, culminating in a big bad wraith boss, while the other pulls an Egyptian theme that is unique and a lot of fun. Both campaigns are good in my opinion, both feel unique from each other, and both do a great job of highlighting the level design. Yes, bigger open areas like what we get later in Machine would have been welcome, but what we do get are some brilliant uses of level layout to convey stories and grant an experience. The second campaign in particular feels like you're plundering ancient tombs, with lots of traps and lots of well hidden secrets. Dissolution hides its secrets the best of all Quake in my opinion.

But what of the guns? Gone are the Armagon additions; you don't have Armagon gear, and you don't have Armagon foes for that matter. Instead, you get alternate ammunition for several of the weapons. Lava nails now burn their way into your foes, cluster bombs and multi-warheads blast out from your explosives, and the lightning gun now gets a blast mode which makes it a cannon. And they're all good. While I almost never used the Armagon guns, I was practically begging to lay waste with Dissolution's. They took the rocket launcher and made it BETTER. And the items? There are new things to grab, like the anti-grav belt which gives you slow fall and can be abused to find secrets as well as great firing positions.

Unfortunately, it lags somewhat in the enemy department. The new additions are hit-or-miss. For example, the new aquatic enemy is an electric eel that hits in an area around it. That's cool, I guess. There are also now variants on the knight enemies that appear to be statues until you activate them, as well as tougher versions of the zombies that look like mummies. There is a level-specific mini-Cthon variant that works really well thematically, as well as a pharaoh-like guardian to battle at the end of certain levels. And then you have the new ghost enemies, which fire seeking explosive projectiles that move faster than you do and are similar in color to their bodies, so you lose track of them really fast, meaning you're gonna take that to the face. I like the enemy overall, but I don't like that projectile, so it turns them into a major and immediate threat regardless of what else is in the room with me. Dissolution's greatest "oh shit" moments involved me turning a corner and coming face to face with one of these ethereal bastards...and it's greatest "shit yeah" moments involved me then pulling out the multi-rocket launcher and unleashing a wave of death to slap that flying SOB like a Buick windshield taking out a housefly. It gets juicy.

End this with a fight against a dragon. Yeah, Quake made me fight a dragon. Dissolution of Eternity is awesome.

So, in order of release:

Scourge of Armagon: Ugh.
Dissolution of Eternity: Hell yes.
Dimension of the Past: Meh.
Dimension of the Machine: Wow.

Play Quake.
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Re: Games Beaten 2022

by Markies Thu Aug 11, 2022 8:46 pm

Markies' Games Beat List Of 2022!
*Denotes Replay For Completion*

1. Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster (PS3)
2. Max Payne 2: The Fall Of Max Payne (XBOX)
3. Streets of Rage 4 (NS)
4. The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time Master Quest (GCN)
5. Dirge Of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII (PS2)
6. Darkstalkers (PS1)
7. Evolution: The World Of Sacred Device (SDC)
8. Ogre Battle 64: Person Of Lordly Calibur (N64)
9. Draogn Quest VI (SNES)
10. Batman: The Video Game (GEN)
11. Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! (NES)
12. Mario Kart: Super Circuit (GBA)
13. Pokemon Red (GB)
14. Wii Sports (Wii)
15. Splatoon (WiiU)
16. Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (PS2)
***17. Final Fantasy IX (PS1)***
***18. Out Run (GEN)***

19. Assassin's Creed (PS3)

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I beat Assassin's Creed on the Sony Playstation 3 this evening!

When I beat my Backlog, I was looking for new games for all of my consoles. One of the most daunting was the PS3 because I had so many games on my Wishlist. I was able to narrow them down and I eventually settled on a specific amount of games for each console. One of the first games I found was Assassin's Creed for the PS3 because it is so cheap and readily available. Even though I have played a few games on my more modern systems, I haven't felt like I have played a new one that is solely a modern game. Thankfully, I thought Assassin's Creed would fit that niche perfectly, so I decided to play it along with my large PS3 backlog.

Assassin's Creed always interested me because I love games or anything that takes place in a historical setting. And some of the settings for games later in the series have been fantastic. So, the setting was my initial excitement for the game and it was very interesting traipsing around Jerusalem during the Crusades. It's obvious that Assassin's Creed takes inspiration from Grand Theft Auto and then Breath of the Wild takes inspiration from Assassin's Creed. It is fun to explore the cities, climb and jump around on rooftops and silently kill your enemies. Also, walking around in a thriving city is very exciting as well. When all goes right and all is new, you kind of feel like you can do anything and nobody can stop you.

Unfortunately, it takes a bit to get there as you don't get necessary powers until a good part into the game. So, the beginning part kind of drags. Then, the game gets really repetitive as you have to do these side missions to find these 9 men and then eventually kill them all. Once you get going, it is fun, but when you have a few left, it begins to drag. You are doing the same side missions and the same assassinations over and over again. And it only gets harder as the world is more aware of you and it is harder to mix into the crowd along with the crowd becoming more hostile.

Overall, I thought Assassin's Creed was a very okay game. I really enjoyed the middle part because that was when the difficulty and excitement for the missions mixed the best. The beginning took a while and the end became tiresome and then annoying. I am still interested in trying out the series as the setting still excites me and the game has some built a nice foundation for other games to follow. It is a series I will keep on my radar.
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Re: Games Beaten 2022

by Markies Sun Aug 14, 2022 9:40 pm

Markies' Games Beat List Of 2022!
*Denotes Replay For Completion*

1. Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster (PS3)
2. Max Payne 2: The Fall Of Max Payne (XBOX)
3. Streets of Rage 4 (NS)
4. The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time Master Quest (GCN)
5. Dirge Of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII (PS2)
6. Darkstalkers (PS1)
7. Evolution: The World Of Sacred Device (SDC)
8. Ogre Battle 64: Person Of Lordly Calibur (N64)
9. Draogn Quest VI (SNES)
10. Batman: The Video Game (GEN)
11. Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! (NES)
12. Mario Kart: Super Circuit (GBA)
13. Pokemon Red (GB)
14. Wii Sports (Wii)
15. Splatoon (WiiU)
16. Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (PS2)
***17. Final Fantasy IX (PS1)***
***18. Out Run (GEN)***
19. Assassin's Creed (PS3)

20. RBI Baseball 2 (NES)

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I completed RBI Baseball 2 on the Nintendo Entertainment System this afternoon!

Much like old school RPG's, NES Baseball Games are a comfort food for me. There are so many good ones out there and I like to play one at least once a year. It is one of the few games that I actually played a ton of as a child and playing them brings me back to that feeling. Usually in the summer, I get an urge to pop one in and play an old baseball game. So, when I beat my Backlog, picking up the next game in the RBI Baseball franchise was high on my list. Actually, I almost bought it before I beat my Backlog, but I put a stop to that. Now that I had freedom, I made certain to correct that error and that quickly shot up my list of games to play.

At first glance, not much has changed when it comes to RBI Baseball 2. It still plays exactly like the original RBI Baseball. However, one of the nicest improvements in the game is that every team is represented in the game. In the original, they only had 12 teams, 5 from each league and the 2 All-Start Teams. Here, every single team is represented along with every single player from that team and their stats. It is a large amount of data for a NES Baseball game and really cool to see. Also, the game has added a nice little replay feature for whenever you hit a Homerun or make a great defensive play. Besides that, the game still plays and feels like a great NES Baseball game. By the first pitch, I felt at home and I knew exactly what I was doing.

I would say though that I missed the chubby guys from the first RBI Baseball game. They changed the sprites and now they look like characters from a Victorian Baseball game. The Chubby guys were cute, brought character to the game and I like the sound of the ball hitting the bat more as it normally sounded like a rocket. Also, the computer can be a little unfair. Quick line outs that turn into double or triple plays, hits that only the computer would make and throwing away from the plate constantly made it feel a bit cheap at times.

Overall, it is hard for me not to like a NES Baseball Game of this style. With that being said, I think I prefer and just have more nostalgia for the first game. I would go back to that one to play it more than once. For RBI Baseball 2, I felt like once was enough. It was a good and enjoyable play through, but I don't think it will stick around with me for years to come.
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Re: Games Beaten 2022

by prfsnl_gmr Mon Aug 15, 2022 8:45 am

Great review, Markies. I adore the fact that RBI Baseball 2 is licensed by the MLBPA, but NOT by Nintendo. :lol:
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Re: Games Beaten 2022

by Ack Mon Aug 15, 2022 2:35 pm

1. Record of Lodoss War - Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth (PC)(Action Adventure)
2. The Citadel (PC)(FPS)
3. Gothic 3 (PC)(RPG)
4. Witchaven (PC)(FPS)
5. Unpacking (PC)(Puzzle)
6. Firewatch (PC)(Adventure)
7. Perilous Warp (PC)(FPS)

8. The Ascent (PC)(RPG)
9. Borderlands: Game of the Year Enhanced - The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned (PC)(FPS/RPG)
10. Borderlands: Game of the Year Enhanced - The Secret Armory of General Knoxx (PC)(FPS/RPG)
11. Borderlands: Game of the Year Enhanced - Claptrap's New Robot Revolution (PC)(FPS/RPG)

12. Kingdom of the Dead (PC)(FPS)
13. Monument (PC)(FPS)
14. Bloodwash (PC)(Horror Adventure)
15. Dead Estate (PC)(Isometric Shooter)

16. Lost in Vivo (PC)(Survival Horror)
17. Star Explorers (PC)(FPS)
18. Dark Souls Remastered (Switch)(RPG)
19. NAM (PC)(FPS)
20. WWII GI (PC)(FPS)
21. Necromunda: Hired Gun (PC)(FPS)
22. Quake: Dimension of the Past (PC)(FPS)
23. Quake: Dimension of the Machine (PC)(FPS)
24. Quake: Scourge of Armagon (PC)(FPS)
25. Quake: Dissolution of Eternity (PC)(FPS)

26. Huntdown (PC)(Run and Gun)

Huntdown is a synthwave cyberpunk run and gun, where you play a bounty hunter going after gang leaders at the behest of your employer, Wolfmother. Wolfmother likes to knit in the shadows while she tells you about each gang, and you then go through, taking out lieutenants before eventually dropping each gang's leader. Every level ends in a boss fight, all of which feel original and entertaining while also amping up the challenge.

To do this, you play as one of three bounty hunters, each with a basic pistol and basic throwable, though more weapons and throwables can be found and used for great effect. For instance, you might find an uzi, a flamethrower, or a laser cannon, and you might get to throw shuriken, incendiary bombs, or sentry turrets to help you take out the trash of minions that stand between you and your payday. And each is done under the neon lights of what we now consider the classic synthwave of cyberpunk: mohawks, bright lights, movie quotes, pumping synth tunes, and a whole lot of violence.

Each level also offers challenges, to get a certain number of kills, to find three hidden stashes, and to get through without dying. None of these are necessary to advance, but complete them all, and you unlock a special cheat menu. As it is, the highest difficulty is unlocked simply by taking out the final boss, so it's up to you how much of a challenge you want. And it is a challenge. Some of the enemy arrangements can be downright cruel, and bosses are best memorized to handle their general patterns. You better be quick on the controls to get past all of these crazies.

If you enjoy running and gunning, exchanging fire from cover against goons decked out in blazing gang colors, fighting ninjas with a shotgun, dodging machine gun fire from helicopters while leaping over oncoming motorcycles, all to a hell of a beat, Huntdown is likely a game you will enjoy immensely. I certainly did.
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Re: Games Beaten 2022

by PartridgeSenpai Fri Aug 19, 2022 4:16 am

Partridge Senpai's 2021 Beaten Games:
Previously: 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
* indicates a repeat

1. Dandy Dungeon: The Legend of Brave Yamada (Switch)
2. Dandy Dungeon 2: The Phantom Bride (Switch)
3. Mon Amor (Switch)
4. Terraria (PC)
5. Puppeteer (PS3) *
6. Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon (PS1)
7. Project Altered Beast (PS2)
8. Devil Summoner II: Soul Hackers (Saturn)
9. Kirby Star Allies: Heroes in Another Dimension (Switch)
10. Kirby's Dream Land 2 (GB)
11. Tales of Vesperia (PS3) *
12. Art Style: BOXLIFE (DSi)
13. Super Robot Wars F (Saturn)
14. Super Robot Wars F Final (Saturn)
15. Super Robot Wars 64 (N64)
16. Knight Gundam Monogatari (SFC)
17. Knight Gundam Monogatari 2 (SFC)
18. Mega Man Legends 2 (PSP)
19. Mighty No. 9 (PC)
20. Mega Man Xtreme (GBC)
21. Mega Man Xtreme 2 (GBC)
22. Super Robot Wars Alpha (PS1)
23. Super Robot Wars Alpha Gaiden (PS1)

24. Vampire Hunter D (PS1)

This is a game a close friend of mine has talked to me about on several occasions as a game she remembered being just awful to control and a rough experience all around. Therefore, when I saw a copy at Book Off for the low low price of 500 yen, I knew I had to jump at the chance to play through it with her at some point x3. She watched me play through it over the course of two Twitch streams. I played the Japanese version on real hardware on my PS2 (it just wouldn’t work at ALL on the PS3), and it took me about 6.5 hours in total with the best ending.

Now a cursory glance at the English title would give the very reasonable impression that this is based on the film of the same name, but this game actually beat the film to release by a good few months. There are enough narrative differences outside what could be considered gameplay convenience to the point that I believe it’s simply based on the same source material from the VHD books, rather than being an adaptation that happened to beat the movie to launch (which does genuinely happen from time to time). The story is all about our titular vampire hunter, D, and his post-apocalyptic quest to save the daughter of a wealthy man from the vampire lord who kidnapped her. Being a classic-style Resident Evil clone, this game doesn’t exactly have an incredible story, but it’s pretty good and fun and campy for what it is. It doesn’t quite hit the levels of campy fun that the original RE did, but it’s not too far away, and manages to be a nice adaptation of the source material at any rate~.

The gameplay, as mentioned, is very much a survival horror game in the making of the original PS1 RE games, with tank controls, fixed camera angles, and resource management. There are, however, some important differences though that makes this a lot more palatable than the classic RE games to someone like me who doesn’t get on too well with those. For starters, this game cuts a lot of the fat in terms of puzzle solving or player inconvenience. While there are indeed items to collect, rooms to explore, and puzzles to solves in the giant Mirelurk Castle, where to go next is always signposted very well, and I was never stuck on where to go next (only using a guide to reference how to get the best ending). You also have no limit on your inventory, so you need not mess around with inventory boxes and such, and you even have the ability to save anywhere even more generously than in Ocarina of Time! Just save where you are, and when you reload, you’ll be put right back at the start of the room you left off at. It’s a really well put together experience for someone like me who doesn’t really get on with survival horror games that well.

All that said, there are some other things that don’t exactly add good things to the overall experience. You don’t really have different weapons like you do in RE games. D just has his sword that he can melee monsters with. You have a limited amount of consumable items you can find and use, but I almost never used any of them as most enemies can and should just be run past, as there’s no benefit to fighting them. I ended up burning through literally all of my consumables against the final boss, but that was more down to poor preparation and conservation of healing items on my part than anything. The bosses are relatively well designed, or at least as well as they can be for a game that controls like this one does. There is a bit of a weird focus on the melee combat though, with the ability to strafe and backstep by the use of a lock-on to your enemies. It’s almost never REALLY needed, save for against the harder bosses, and the weird focus on melee combat is easily the most awkward part of this game’s design.

Touching back on my friend’s comments about the controls, I don’t think it really controls any better or worse than other tank control horror games of the era, though this game DOES have some amount of platforming in it, as our boy D can jump! Upon first starting the game, this was something I was understandably quite worried about, as platforming is 1000% NOT what RE games needed to make them more fun, but I was pleasantly surprised at how its implemented in this game. While it is indeed nice to have the option to not just run past but also leap over enemies to avoid them, there are very few genuine platforming puzzles in this game, and the ones that are here are super forgiving even if they aren’t super easy. This is another case where I’m not sure the addition of this mechanic to the formula exactly makes the game better, per se, but I also wouldn’t say it really makes it meaningfully worse either.

The presentation of the game is very budget 1999 PS1 flair in many ways. It’s hardly the nicest looking PS1 game for the time, but I also wouldn’t call it ugly either. The VA is well done and fun, and character models in particular have that old low-polygon charm that so many games from that era still have. Mirelurk Castle is hardly the Spencer Mansion when it comes to how distinctive it looks, and the soundtrack isn’t exactly particularly memorable either, but on all counts the presentation is very solidly adequate either way.

Verdict: Recommended. If you’re someone who really likes PS1 survival horror games, you’ll likely enjoy your time with this pretty well, but if you aren’t into the genre, this isn’t really one to track down (or more likely emulate, given how hideously expensive the English version is these days). While this certainly wouldn’t’ve been blowing anyone’s socks off in 1999 compared to the RE games of the period, I think the hate this game got upon its release was totally unjustified. While perhaps not worth most folks’ time, it’s a perfectly fine game and a nice survival horror hidden gem of sorts on the PS1.


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25. Super Robot Wars Alpha 2 (PS2)
Continuing my current Super Robot Wars obsession, I moved on to the next game in the Alpha series, and Banpresto’s first proper PS2 game in the series (with Impact technically coming out before this, but that game both not being by Banpresto and also primarily reusing assets from Alpha Gaiden rather than ones made for the PS2). Given that this game is the first one to use the new squad system, I knew I’d be in for a bit of a learning curve, but it all ultimately grew on me in the end. These games still don’t count playtime, so I can only guess at how long it actually took me to beat this over the weeks I was playing it, but it was easily 80~90 hours if not longer to beat the game on real hardware (and I’ve also begun to suspect that other games I’ve played in the series have been closer to that mark as well).

This game picks up two years after the end of Alpha Gaiden, with the world relatively peaceful in the intervening years but things slowly getting more turbulent as they lead to the new oodles of returning old threats and brand new threats facing Earth. The new additions to the larger franchise in this game are Brain Powerd as well as Steel Jeeg and GaoGaiGar, while we also have some old favorites like Tosho Daimos and Go Shogun joining the fray as well (though my beloved Dancouga is left absent from this story TwT).

This story goes back to including more Banpresto original characters as well as a player main character after having virtually none of either in Alpha Gaiden, so I was a bit nervous about how this game would be written, but I was very pleasantly surprised with what I found here. Banpresto has gotten a LOT better at writing both their original characters as well as their protagonists since Alpha 1, and from the licenced characters to the original plot and themes, I really liked the story here. Perhaps the other protagonists have stories a bit worse or a bit better, but I really enjoyed playing through the male super robot pilot’s route~.

The gameplay is mostly very familiar to past SRW games. You have a Fire Emblem-style tactics game with separate units and pilots, spirit abilities that each pilot can cast as spells, mechs upgradable with money, support attacks and defense, items to find and equip, and a difficulty point system with optional objectives you can complete to dynamically change the difficulty (and that’s all they do in this game, as they don’t affect secret stages, endings, or units in any way this time around). There are a couple of more minor changes, as the bazaar to buy and sell items and mechs that Alpha Gaiden had is gone, the UI in general has gotten a really serious usability improvement, numbers in general have changed (all around values are like 1.5 to 2 times higher), and you can now use the new resource of Pilot Points to directly give pilots new passives, better terrain affinities, and better stats (and completing difficulty point objectives give everyone in the army a +5 bonus to their Pilot Points). But the most major and obvious addition is the squad system, and it is by this squad system that your enjoyment of Alpha 2 will live or die.

Likely as an effort to allow you to use more of the massive cast of the game without having you actually manage 30~40 individual units on each map, Alpha 2 introduces a system that still has you controlling 10~15 units (depending on the map), but each of these units is a squad composed of 1 to 4 individual mechs. Each mech has a new Cost stat, and each squad can either have a maximum of 4 units or a maximum of 5 cost. You can change who the head of a squad is mid-mission, but not who is within a squad. Once the mission starts, a squad is a squad, but thankfully you almost always have a pre-deployment secondary intermission prep phase, so you can alter squads or item distributions as needed depending on how the mission has gone up to that point. Only the unit at the head of the squad can attack, but there are new mechanics to help make more sense of having squads of units instead of individuals.

For starters, all weapons now have the factor of being either single-target or ALL target, as well as being able to be fired as support weapons. A single-target move will hit the guy at the head of the enemy squad, and it can also be backed up by support attacks by other squad members (though for these intra-squad supports, they’re weakened versions of those attacks). Additionally, while members within your squad can potentially take a hit for you just like adjacent units could in prior games, if you have support attacks, those defenders will only defend against those supports, and the leader of their squad is still hit by your leader’s attack. Finally, while an ALL-target attack can’t be blocked against, it also can’t have support attacks help it out either. This change to single vs ALL attacks also means that MAP attacks are significantly rarer than they were in past games, and those that are here tend are often comparatively weaker attacks than they used to be.

While the squad system isn’t bad per se, as once you get past the learning curve, it’s a pretty simple system, I found it really fails to meaningfully justify its inclusion. As just mentioned, it’s ultimately a pretty simple system. It doesn’t really do anything to change the flow of battle because it’s so limited in how it’s implemented. It comes off as more of a side-grade than an upgrade, and while that sort of thing isn’t often a problem, it’s a problem here in how it adds SO much time to your playtime in terms of micromanaging ALL of these units. Now instead of a core of 15 or 20 units you’ll always use, now you’ve gotta manage 40+ units to outfit your 12~15 main squads worth of units. That includes everything from balancing who gets what item and who gets money to get upgraded to the much more clunky and menu-heavy task of arduously popping a whole squad’s worth of spirit abilities, one at a time, EVERY turn before they attack.

Presentation-wise, this game is NUTS compared to what came before it. Putting Alpha Gaiden and Alpha 2 side by side, it’s not hard to see why people were so damn hyped for the PlayStation 2. While I’ll always mourn my beloved karaoke mode which stopped appearing in these games at the start of the PS2 generation, everything in Alpha 2, from the music to especially the animations, is a whole new heckin’ world of flash and detail from what came before. The old animations were pretty impressive compared to the non-animations from before, but now we’ve gone from good animations to nearing the point where it’s like watching an anime scene for each attack. I know that later games, including this game’s own sequel, push that boundary even further, but god damn is the level of detail the PS2 allowed for impressive and a hell of a way to kick off the console generation.

Verdict: Recommended. As much as I moaned and complained (rightfully so) about the squad system both in this review and to any friend that would listen while I was playing through the game, Alpha 2 is still a damn good SRW game. It’s SUCH a shame the squad system is as rough as it is, because every other facet of this game, from the presentation to the writing to the mission design, is SO well polished, it’d easily be the best one yet if it didn’t have that self-placed stone around its own neck. Still, this is an excellent SRW game, and if the time commitment involved in dealing with the squad system doesn’t put you off of it, it’s a worthy successor to Alpha Gaiden and well worth playing if you can read Japanese~.


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26. Super Robot Wars Alpha 3 (PS2)

I was getting a little burned out on Alpha 2, but by the end of it, I was as ready as ever to hop right into the next SRW game on my list~. Dealing with the squad system in Alpha 2, I was very happy that I only had one more game in the series that uses it, Alpha 3. There were a fair few changes I was hoping they’d make here, and for the most part those dreams came true! Alpha 3 is a sequel in every sense of the word, as it sits down with the biggest problems that its predecessor had and sets to work at solving them (even as it makes some new ones in the process :b). I played this on original hardware, and as I once again am forced to guess my playtime, I reckon about 80 to 90 hours easily if not a bit longer to get the good ending.

Alpha 3 is very much narratively the sequel to Alpha 2, and while it’s not as iron-clad as the connection between Alpha and Alpha Gaiden, it’s a bit more connected than Alpha Gaiden to Alpha 2. After only a few months since the end of Alpha 2, the shaky state of Earth and earthlings in space is coming under turmoil yet again. This is an all-around more space-centric adventure, as we’re not only adapting the second half and sequel OVA to GaoGaiGar, we’re also bringing back the Macross crew (among others) as we go through the story of Macross 7~. The other most interesting new series adapted here is Gundam SEED, which while definitely a weaker narrative and a pretty poor choice for a game like this (it’s narrative is very hard to follow when its split up like this, especially if you skip one of the routes that its in at a route split), it’s very interesting to see SEED injected into a world where U.C. Gundam also exists, and Amuro & Co. have already gone through the events of Char’s Counterattack.

The writing has once again taken a big step up. The original characters, particularly the player protagonist (of whom I picked the female real robot pilot this time around), who not only manage to be less annoying than ever, but even just all around well written characters whose appearances I was happy to see. We’re not just getting meaningful character growth and pathos via how a licensed series is adapted, but also finally among the originals as well. The central theme of “fighting against fate, and the ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ ways to do it” is a really interesting one, and this game does the best job I’ve seen yet of tying together the themes and plots of the different series into one well functioning whole. It’s so nice to finally get to say that I can recommend the writing of a SRW game beyond just campy crossover fun or how well a licensed series is represented. I didn’t think I’d ever feel that way, frankly, but it rarely has felt so good to be wrong~.

Mechanically, this is still very much SRW as you’ve known it, especially if you’ve known Alpha 2. Separate pilots and units, units can be upgraded with money while pilots level up and upgrade with pilot points, spirit abilities act like spells for each pilot, you have scads of units and squads of 1~4 units that they operate in, and difficulty points to dynamically determine the difficulty (though while kill counts on respective units influence special unit acquisition rather than difficulty points this time around, we not only have a good vs. normal ending determined by how many difficulty points you have (57 out of 59), but you also can’t surpass a total turn count of 420 turns for that good ending either). As far as differences go, on the more subtle level, I’d say they have a much better handle on how to design missions around having the squad system. This whole game just flows so much nicer and faster than Alpha 2 did largely because missions drag so much less despite the game taking about as long to play.

As for more major changes, most of them are on UI or quality of life improvements, particularly the one I most wanted to see which was allowing you to select multiple spirit abilities within a squad to trigger all at once. That saves SO much time compared to how you had to do it one at a time for each member and each skill in Alpha 2, and I’d also go as far as to say that that improvement is significantly responsible for how much better paced this game feels over Alpha 2. You also have training modes for the squad system as well as a squad auto-creation feature for if you’re not too comfortable taking on that system from the start, which was also very nice to see.

The main and kinda only negative change I’d say this game has is that it brings back route splits that split the party up, of which Alpha 2 had none. In Alpha 2, the route you picked more so only changed the order in which things happened, where here we’re back to splitting the party up into different groups to take on different challenges simultaneously. While this does make for more faster paced and better designed missions, Alpha 3 REALLY could have used a feature to save squad layouts, as after almost every major splitting or rejoining of the team, you need to completely remake ALL of your squads complete with giving all the items back to whoever had them. I never trusted the automatic squad maker to make good squads, admittedly, but it took AGES to put my 15~20 squads back together each time, and I’m talking like 30 minutes to an hour. It ain’t a short process. Given everything else that Alpha 3 improves on from the last game, it’s a shame it still makes a rod for its own back in this way, but given that you only gotta do this a handful of times, if this is the worst problem Alpha 3 has, then things are looking pretty good I’d say.

As for presentation, this is very much like Alpha to Alpha Gaiden was. We’re still pretty clearly using the same engine and reusing most of the same assets, but a good few units have new attacks, new animations, and even sometimes new sprites, and that’s on top of the larger, nicer character portraits this game uses as well as to all of the new units it adds to the stock that Alpha 2 had. Still no karaoke mode (as there never will be again TwT) and the weird omission of some very iconic songs that in some cases Alpha 2 even had (like no Anime Janai (the ZZ Gundam them) which both Impact and Alpha 2 have, and Dancouga also doesn’t have its most iconic theme either and uses a much worse one instead) are some unfortunate marks against the music in this game, but on the bright side, we have a bunch more new tracks from many series (like the Great Mazinger using Tetsuya’s Theme instead of the Great Mazinger them) as well as rearrangements of old favorites (my personal favorite of which being the Daitarn 3 theme) AND the ability at long last to pick and choose everyone’s used theme music individually and from any series~.

Verdict: Highly Recommended. Even with squad system nonsense, this does such a better job of justifying its inclusion than Alpha 2 did on top of everything else design and presentation related that this game does so well that it’s easily the best SRW game that had been made up to that point. As I was with the similarly flawed and similarly short-lived demon loyalty system in the SMT Devil Summoner games, I’m not really sad to see that this is the last time Banpresto tries anything with the squad system, but I’m glad that the improvements made to it are done so well and that they allow what’s otherwise a great SRW game to keep on being so darn great~.
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