@Ralizah nah I haven't seen it but I have had the dvd for 13 years because my media studies teacher in sixth form recommended it to me ages ago but I never got around to watching it! 😅 The trailer looks great though!
I forgot to mention in my thoughts on Doom 3, reading the emails in the PDAs had the perfect contrast on it. I know it's a weird thing to praise a game for but so many games now have text based lore that I just can't read because it burns an unbearable after image into my eyes and stops me being able to see the game properly for a good while afterward. I didn't have that problem with Doom 3! I just got reminded of it because of the text in Doom 16, which didn't have time to burn an after image in because it was too small for me to read from the distance I sit from the monitor 🤦🏻♂️
@JohnnyShoulder Someone remade Jacob's Ladder? I had no idea. Nothing is sacred in the late-stage capitalist hellhole we call modern American society.
@ralphdibny It's not really a weird thing to praise. It's important for any game with significant amounts of text to make it easy for players to read said text.
@RogerRoger I actually read War and Peace in High School. Suffice to say, I did not leave HS a Tolstoy fan. Dostoevsky, though? I can read his dense, 1000-page tomes all day.
Anyway, I always appreciate when people take the time to actually read my word dumps. As you can probably tell, I didn't really like the game, but I did want to do it justice. Regardless of my endless capacity for exasperation with this game, it's still one of the most important video games ever made. But yeah, I think people who weren't privy to the excitement of 3D Mario back in the 90's just permanently miss out on a huge layer of this game's appeal. Kinda like you'll never really understand how awesome FFVII was in the late 90's. And how all of us here will probably never understand how mindblowing it was to grow up with silent films and then to see a talkie in the cinema for the first time.
Again, thanks for the kind comments! I promise I won't be mean to any penguins who don't deserve it.
I'm planning on doing another big piece on DOOM 2016 soon-ish, actually. Maybe I'll go light with my Ys I + II piece, though. It's not like there's a ton to say about those games anyway.
Was going to start writing up my Sunshine piece, but my Switch is having connection issues and won't let me upload my screenshots (it's just an issue that pops up from time to time, and it won't let me access the eShop either when it does it).
Currently Playing:
Switch - Blade Strangers
PS4 - Kingdom Hearts III, Tetris Effect (VR)
@RogerRoger It was an interesting read given that I’ve played really quite a lot of Shadow the Hedgehog growing up despite it being a genuinely rubbish game. It’s just rubbish, too many mechanics blatantly don’t work including the shooting, the buggy objectives, the bizarrely vast levels that still manage to be too linear and the horrific plot. I respect that you somehow got some sort of fun from it but I probably would have played any other game if I had money back then to buy a new game on the PS2. Even going back to it a year or so ago, it’s just a mess, same as every console Sonic game post-Heroes. I’ll just leave this here 😂
@RogerRoger Yeah, I only had the PS2 version due to Morrisons having it on sale. Sonic Adventure 2 Battle was a more stable game despite being older and also being a bit of a technical mess, especially in the audio department. Still, as much as I think the game is garbage, I played it loads 😂
Super Mario Sunshine (Super Mario 3D All-Stars - Switch)
The GameCube was the first Nintendo home console that I missed out on as a kid (I had one briefly at a later time, but we mainly went with a PS2 that gen), and so SMS was a game I had missed out on until now, so I'm glad I finally got a crack at it. For full disclosure I finished the game with 80 (out of 120) Shines.
Gameplay:
It has the same basic structure of Super Mario 64, with an expansive hub world to play around in (this time the bustling Delfino Plaza), and by jumping through graffiti portals, going down red pipes, or being shot out of a cannon(!) you access the various large, exploratory worlds you must traverse in order to collect Shine Sprites (the game's answer to 64's Power Stars).
While 64 had 15 Worlds with 7 Power Stars each (6 Missions and a 100 Coin Star), Sunshine has 7 Worlds with 11 Shines each (8 Missions, a 100 Coin Shine, and 2 "Secret" Shines), with it's smaller World selection being in part due to a rushed development cycle (for example, the final level, Corona Volcano, while a linear platforming challenge in the final game, was intended to be a full fat World at one point, and there are one or two confirmed or rumored World cuts as well).
Unlike in 64 where you're able to collect a World's Stars in any order you want (with a few exceptions) and any 70 Stars (out of 120) will unlock the final level, in Sunshine you must complete a World's 8 Missions in order (with the first 7 in each World being mandatory to unlock the final level), although the next World will open up after completing the current World's first Mission, so you don't have to complete any of the Worlds in one go (just be aware that you'll eventually have to go back to complete them in order to access endgame). I think having a certain number of Shines is a secondary requirement to unlocking the final level, but it's certainly a lower number than 64's 70, and most of those will be made up of the required Shines, so any extra Shines are largely pointless unless you're going for 100% (not that they can't be fun in their own right).
the required Missions (plus the 8th one in each World) themselves are quite varied & range from boss fights (which are more plentiful & more in-depth compared to 64), completing a certain task within a World (such as cleaning up most of a dirty beach in 3 minutes, platforming to a hard to reach area, navigating a maze, etc.), Red Coin missions ( you have to collect 8 red coins, and these are tied more closely to a specific challenge than in 64 where they were more often than not scavenger hunts, and I prefer Sunshine's take on them), Shadow Mario missions (always the 7th mission in a World, these are easy missions where you have to chase Shadow Mario around and spray him with water until he falls. As far as I know there's no way to lose him & fail, if there was I certainly would have encountered it during one of the 500 times I fell off the scaffolding in Ricco Harbor & had to make my way back up to him), and of course the infamous "Secret Levels", which take you to a void & require you to complete a linear platforming challenge without the aid of FLUDD (these can be a stiff challenge, but I actually liked them).
The top screen is an example of one of the "Secret Levels" I had to traverse, while the bottom is a unique boss fight where you have to use the propulsion of FLUDD to clean a deep sea eel's teeth while avoiding being sucked in by the creature.
Outside of the main Missions, there are also a few hidden levels you can access from Delfino Plaza (similar to 64's hidden slide or Cap unlock levels inside of Peach's Castle), these tend to be linear challenges that offer up a Shine for completion (and two of these, the Pachinko & Lily Pad levels, are considered the hardest in the game. I only did the former), Blue Coin Shines (there are 30 Blue Coins to collect in each World, plus some in Delfino Plaza & Corona Volcano, and you can trade in every 10 for a Shine), the 2 Secret Shines in each World (these can be genuine secrets, but oftentimes just revolve around replaying the "Secret Levels" in a timed Red Coin variant, though you'll have FLUDD with you now) & some Shines you get for doing mundane things around Delfino Plaza (such as cleaning bell towers, uncovering a painting on a beach, etc.), including a 100 Coin Shine for the hub area. These are largely optional, and most seem like padding (especially the Blue Coins) since otherwise there'd be no way to reach 120 Shines with the smaller World count.
Platforming itself is much tighter than in 64, and while a few moves (such as the long jump) have been cut, your repitoire has generally been expanded thanks to the introduction of FLUDD, a water filled backpack device that you can use to squirt enemies or goop (which you'll often be tasked with cleaning up), with the R button locking you into place allowing you to direct the stream with the left stick (by pressing in the right stick you'll get a close up over the shoulder camera view that makes aiming easier), with R2 allows you to shoot while running (while this is less accurate, it certainly has it's uses). By pressing "X" it'll switch to "Hover" mode, in which you can instead use it to hover over large gaps or correct a misjump before you land. Via Red & Silver boxes you can swap out the "Hover" nozzle for the "Rocket" or "Boost" nozzle (Blue boxes will switch you back to "Hover"), with the "Rocket" nozzle allowing you to reach high up areas via a compressed water burst, & the "Boost" nozzle shooting you forward at Sonic speed and allowing you to run on water. These latter two abilities are usually used in specific instances & are best thought of as power ups (which the game is otherwise lacking). Using any of FLUDD's abilities will drain your supply of water, but it's usually easy to refill when low, as there are a lot of bodies of water in the environments.
It's also the first 3D Mario title to feature a rideable Yoshi (and the only one in this collection), and while it's fun at first, you're abilities actually seem to be a bit limited when riding him, so you'll likely only saddle up when an objective needs him (for example, there is certain goop that can only be melted by the juice Yoshi holds in his stomach, which by the way if Yoshi runs out he'll disappear & you'll have to hatch a new one if he runs out. It automatically drains, and drains further if you use any, so be sure to keep an eye on the guage & eat a fruit if he's running low). He'll also automatically disappear if he comes into contact with water...
It's also considered to be the glitchiest of the 3D Mario titles, and though I had a couple issues, it's not something I found to be a particular problem, other than annoyingly the final boss, where you have to destroy parts of the arena with a butt stomp and platform up the cracked area back to the main arena before it falls off (you can glitch through the cracked floor upon impact, dying before even getting a chance to climb back up).
The only other issue I encountered is the humorous one above, where Mario got stuck between this flipping grate & a wall, causing a shower of "star sparks" (usually 4-5 show up when you run into a wall at high speed) while he was stuck.
Audio/Visual:
Like most 6th gen titles I think it cleaned up really well in HD, with water & heat effects that look good to this day, and the cartoony look certainly helps as well.
Interestingly for a Mario game, the entirety of the game takes place within a single overall locale, the tropical Isle Delfino (the different Worlds are really just the different regions of the island), and they go through great lengths to make sure every little platform is organically built into the environment (with the exception of the "Secret Levels") & you can usually see one or two (or more) of the other Worlds from the one you're currently in, giving the game world a sense of cohesiveness that you just don't see elsewhere in the franchise.
While this could give rise to the fear that the Worlds themselves could be samey, that couldn't be further from the truth. While an aquatic theme carries across everything, over your journey you'll explore an industrial fishing harbor, an amusement park, a haunted hotel that looks ripped straight from a 60's Elvis movie, huge seaside ruins, & more.
Noki Bay pictured just above is absolutely huge! You start out on one of those little platforms in the water below, and can climb up the shell towers as well as a series of ruins built along the entirety of the cliff wall that surrounds the bay. Many of the worlds have high up vertical platforming that's quite impressive.
It has a nice tropical infused soundtrack that fits the theme, plus some classic remixes in the "Secret Levels".
Story:
Mario, Peach, & Toadsworth (a character both introduced & dropped in the 00's) are looking forward to a nice vacation on tropical Isle Delfino, but when they get there they find out that the place has been trashed, the Shine Sprites (the island's power source) have scattared, and thinking Mario is the culprit(!) the local Pianta population jails him & tasks him with cleaning up the place, all the while our hero tries to clear his name.
Final Fantasy this is not, but it is one of the deeper Mario "narratives" (eclipsed probably only by Galaxy), and while things end up in a pretty predictable manner, the journey there is a bit unique. Plus, it's the only game where Bowser has spoken dialogue!
Sonic isn't the only platform mascot in the 6th gen to get a Shadow...
Each of the 7 main Worlds has a sort of little narrative of it's own (tying into the set order you have to get it's Shines). Usually nothing particularly noteworthy or even particularly coherent (the mission in Serena Beach where you clean up the electric goop would have made more sense following the Phantom Manta fight in Mission 1, for example, rather than being Mission 5 or 6 which it is), but there are some more coherent Worlds too, such as the aforementioned Noki Bay, where most of it's missions tie into attempts at cleaning up the purple poison polluting it's waters.
Conclusion:
Definitely a step up from 64, IMO. Despite a few rough edges with the ocassional glitch, Sunshine feels & looks relatively modern, with generally tight platforming around some quite impressively expansive Worlds, inside the most cohesive game world in Mario cannon. Outside of the varied main missions it feels a bit padded out, but that's not necessarily a bad thing when it has such a strong core. Some may balk at the fact that it largely lacks the freeform progression of it's predecessor (outside of some unintended glitches you can take advantage of), but it's not something that particularly bothered me, especially when the rest of the game is just so much better.
Currently Playing:
Switch - Blade Strangers
PS4 - Kingdom Hearts III, Tetris Effect (VR)
@RogerRoger nice review of shadow. I do have it on gcn but I barely remember playing it. I think all I can remember is sliding around on his slidey feet and shooting. Not sure if I got very far with it! I think I got it as a Christmas present on a year that might've had some other nice games out. Do you know roughly how long it took you to beat all the endings by any chance? It's weird this game doesn't have a pc/modern console port, I wonder if sonic heroes is the same.
Wow! That's a really detailed and passionate defense of Shadow the Hedgehog. Very informative, too: if I ever want to play it, I'll make sure I do so AFTER playing Adventure 2. It's a pity the marketing and whatnot for Shadow the Hedgehog is so amusingly edgy (including the opening video you linked, lmao: the grimacing, gun posing, motorcycle riding, and bad rock music all feed into that image), as it sounds like it disguises a very decent experience overall. It also sounds like the game's embrace of choice is actually a lot stronger than most games that opted for "choice-based gameplay" in that era, as the choices in those games often either didn't change much and/or led to only a small number of possible endings. Sounds to me like Shadow the Hedgehog is a game that commits to its choices and gives you an array of different possible possibilities as a result (before the True End, at least).
I also totally relate to coming back to something you weren't super into years later with a renewed interest and contextual appreciation.
The music you linked is... interesting. Definitely not as catchy as the stuff you've been linking for most of the other Sonic games, but it's OK. At least it's not whatever the hell was going on in The Dark Brotherhood musically.
One of your best pieces to date. Made for nice reading!
BTW, that phone picture is clean. I've tried using my phone to take pictures of my CRT for PS2 games, but it honestly looks awful. What kind of TV did you play this on?
On the "alternative methods" front, all I'll say is this: emulation, in and of itself, is perfectly legal, and absolutely nobody is being hurt or wronged if you download some out-of-print game that's not making money for the publisher.
It's too bad Nintendo opted for those weird mini-DVDs, though, as I'd just recommend buying a hard copy otherwise. PS2 games are SO easy to rip image files from for PC playback, but, looking into it, GC rips are a massive pain, comparatively.
@RR529 Nice. You're playing the hell out of this collection. I broadly agree with your assessment: Sunshine has some issues, but the cohesive setting, improved camera and controls, wide variety of bosses, and the large-ish moveset afforded by the FLUDD made it a joy to play compared to 64. It's also an extremely good looking GameCube game.
Good review. It was never my favorite Mario game, but I've long thought Sunshine was very under-appreciated compared to 64, and this collection gives it a chance to shine for new players.
I'm only 21 or so sprites into my playthrough on Switch. I think, like with 64, I'll be going for a 100% playthrough (RIP me when it comes the lily pad/pachinko levels and tracking down all of the blue coins, though!).
@Ralizah I had no idea it was difficult to rip GC games, I thought they were just mini dvds and would rip as such. Ive never tried it though because I've never had a good enough computer to bother running dolphin at any reasonable settings that would be better than playing it on a GameCube or Wii. (Or one of the few Wii-makes on the Wii U).
I am curious though because I've heard the NTSC versions of GC games include all sorts of high Res shenanigans like 480p (on original hardware). All our PAL games let us do was switch between 50hz and 60hz.
@ralphdibny I use my Wii to rip my GC games. You can put them directly onto an SD or USB and then transfer over to PC. Way I see it, I bought the game and I’m not distributing it so I might as well be able to do what I want with it.
@nessisonett you are spot on, it's your disc, if youre allowed to break it in half and scribble on it in crayon then you're allowed to rip it and play the game on better hardware.
Sorry bit of a weird analogy but it's the first thing that came to mind 😅
@RogerRoger, @Ralizah, thanks for reading! To be fair, I probably wouldn't have noticed the rushed elements (outside of the few glitches) too much if it weren't for all the discussion about the game by more familiar people over on NL (apparently you're able to do crazy stuff like access blocked off areas early by jumping just the right way while holding fruit due to the glitches, which people like for speed running or sequence breaking, which I wouldn't have thought possible).
And yeah, I've already moved on to Galaxy, which is the only one I've completed before (though it's been over 10 years). I'm immediately in love with how creative & joyful it's Worlds are. I'd never noticed it until it was pointed out on NL, but Honeyhive Galaxy is totally a Sunshine concept (it just has so much water, and the Bee transformation works just like FLUDD's "Hover" mode).
Great piece on Shadow the Hedgehog BTW. I remember being really interested in it back in the day (I was probably 12-14 at the time, so at the right age for it to speak to me, lol), as my friend had Adventure 2: Battle for GameCube so I wanted to pick up a Sonic game for my PS2. I ultimately went with Heroes, which I didn't care for in the end.
Currently Playing:
Switch - Blade Strangers
PS4 - Kingdom Hearts III, Tetris Effect (VR)
I've reached the end of Bravely Second on 3DS. It's a sequel to the 3DS game Bravely Default, and not to be confused with the upcoming Switch game Bravely Default 2. Essentially, Bravely Second is a direct sequel of Bravely Default, and features the same world and various returning characters. On the other hand, Bravely Default 2 will take place in a different world and has a separate story.
It was a fairly decent JRPG, but nothing groundbreaking or anything. The Brave and Default system helps to mix up battles. The player can use Default to save up moves for a later turn, as well as defending. On the other hand, Brave lets you use multiple moves in a single turn, though that can leave a character defenceless afterwards if they don't have any moves saved up. So there's strategy with deciding when to attack as much as possible, and when to conserve your moves.
The job system in this game is also pretty cool. Characters start out as a generic Freelancer class, and can switch to different classes after defeating certain bosses. There's the standard melee fighting classes, magic casting classes, and status afflicting classes, but there's also lots of other weird and wacky classes as well. There's 30 different classes in the game, and it's fun to play around with as many different ones as possible.
The locations are a bit lacking though. The dungeons are fairly easy to navigate through. They normally consist of a few small areas, with the map on the bottom screen making it quite simple to figure out where to go. Plus, a lot of the dungeons and the overworld in general will look familiar to players who played the first game.
The story is interesting enough, but it can drag on at times. I'd put it on par with the story in the first game. There's a lot of small talk that I feel could have been condensed down to improve the pace.
Players who were fond of Bravely Default and want more of the same will enjoy Bravely Second. For players that weren't so keen on the original, Bravely Second isn't going to change their minds about the series.
For players who haven't played Bravely Default, I cannot recommend starting with Bravely Second. Bravely Second begins by summarising the events from Bravely Default, including various major spoilers. The rest of the game also regularly references what happened in the first game. For new players, starting with Bravely Default or waiting for Bravely Default 2 will be their best options.
@mookysam cheers yeah Doom 3 is good but very very long for the type of game it is! I've only done two levels of the Doom game club playthrough but hopefully I get some time this week to finish it off!
@ralphdibny DOOM 3 imo is a very solid survival horror game and I can't deny how ahead of its time it was technologically, but it still lacks the essential characteristics of what I like about DOOM which makes it easily my least favorite in the series. Still a solid write up
Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series (PSVR)
Time to strap in & step into a Galaxy far, far away.
Gameplay:
Originally an Oculus exclusive released in an episodic format, it arrives on PSVR only as an all encompassing bundle, though each episode is still separate on the PS4's dashboard. Each episode has two gameplay modes, "Story" & "Lightsaber Dojo", plus a "Settings" menu, which even allows you to adjust the VR settings (I went with the standard experience, but there are all sorts of comfortability options for those more prone to motion sickness).
The menu that greets you upon opening one of the episodes, it's immediately clear Move is required, as you must interact with the in-game buttons to progress.
If I hadn't known going in that it was originally an Oculus exclusive, I would have assumed it was a first party effort on Sony's part, as the Story mode follows the PlayStation exclusive single-player template to a tee. You're funneled along a linear path from one impressive setpiece to another, with simple puzzles, ledge platforming (though you use the Move controllers to "physically" climb ladders/handholds, grip your way across ledges & overhead monkey-bar style elements, giving these segments much more immersion than you get on a TV), and the occasional combat scenario (with you in place fighting off a few waves of enemies or a boss) to break things up. Each episode's story mode picks up exactly where the last one left off, combining into a cohesive whole that took me about 3 hours to clear.
The top image is an early example of a puzzle, where you must turn a knob in order to examine a hologram of your ship, while the bottom image features a boss fight against a Tie Fighter.
As for the combat itself, new elements are added in each new chapter. In chapter 1 you get your first lightsaber about halfway through & learn to physically duel & deflect blaster fire. Chapter 2 gives you probably the biggest upgrade in which you can manipulate objects/enemies with the Force with a free hand(s), which is also used in puzzles (you also gain the ability to throw & recall your lightsaber as well). Chapter 3 rounds things out with the ability to steal & use Stormtroopers' blasters & grenades (the former of which requires quite some skill to get a good shot in).
This leads us into the other gameplay mode in each chapter, the "Lightsaber Dojo". Each variant of it asks you to master what you know (up to that point) in order to clear 40 increasingly difficult combat scenarios (so 120 across all 3 chapters). Each level grades you on your performance (you usually have a set group of adversaries, and are graded on the time it takes you to clear them & how much damage you take, though there are also scenarios where you're instead graded on how many enemies you can take out in an timed onslaught), earning you 0-3 Commendations (think Stars) depending on how well you do. While you can move on even if you clear a level with 0 Commendations, for every 6 you earn you obtain an aesthetic unlock such as a new color lightsaber (or gloves, lamely enough) & eventually can unlock the specific lightsabers used by certain famous characters. These again are only aesthetically different though (as far as I've unlocked), so only the most die hard of Star Wars fans will likely find the encouragement to really care about the Commendations. Plus, unlocks don't carry across chapters, so each Dojo has it's own sets of unlocks (which means you'll have to start out unlocking the basic color options each time), though episode 3's dojo quickly lets you unlock dual lightsaber weilding (which as far as I'm aware doesn't feature in the first 2 Dojos).
I thought I had taken some decent screens in the Dojo, but in the end this shot of me deflecting the blast of some sort of orb drone was the best I got. In the end I think things get quite hectic around any given Dojo's round 20, with so much going on it can be hard to accurately interact with what you want (particularly with the Force), so I haven't pushed much further than that in any of them. You do feel totally awesome when things are lining up just right though, and it can be a good workout.
Audio/Visual:
As I've mentioned before, in many ways it feels like a first party Sony effort, and that extends to the presentation. Things look detailed, and even on my Slim model I didn't feel like I had an issue with blurriness (outside of a generally soft image due to the resolution of the set itself).
They even match Sony's effort in spectacle IMO, and while these moments continue throughout the entire adventure, I'll try my best to explain with the game's starting moments...
You start out finding yourself high above the atmosphere of Mustafar, and soon an Imperial Star Destroyer (sorry if that's not the right terminology, I'm not up on my Star Wars knowledge) flies in from directly overhead in a truly awe inspiring moment...
After being taken down through the cloud cover you find yourself above the planet's harsh surface with a menacing structure far in the distance...
As you approach the building it's size becomes apparent as it towers above you as you fly into a hanger (at this point I'm looking straight up to get a view of it's peak).
The game has the iconic soundtrack & sounds of the Star Wars franchise to work with, and they're used to good effect (especially that buzz of the lightsaber).
Story:
As a "Spice" smuggler captured by the Empire, luck shines on you when it's revealed that only you have the ability to access an ancient Mustafarian artifact known as the Bright Star, which Vader seeks to gain immortality (and more personally, a twisted desire to revive Padmé into the world, no matter who else has to parish). Soon you find yourself bouncing between being Vader's apprentice & the appeals of the Mustafarian resistance, who urge you to destroy the Bright Star before Vader can use it to bring destruction to the universe.
Once an episode you'll be treated to a painterly vision, such as the one above that features a nightmarish vision of Vader bearing down on you. Word's can't describe how cool it looks in the headset.
I can't say it's filled with memorable characters, but your Droid ZO-E3 (pictured above above the Tie Fighter image) provides much needed comic relief, and Vader strikes an imposing figure.
Conclusion:
Just a really cool experience when all is said & done. It was my first Move VR game, and it left a really good impression, despite the occasional need to readjust things (which an issue with the tech rather than the game itself I'd imagine). I can't imagine how mind blowing it'd be to a Star Wars die hard.
You've done well to make it this far.
@TheFrenchiestFry cheers, it's a long running series so it's bound to have plenty of differently styled entries. I quite like that about big franchises though, they can sort of keep all the lore, atmosphere and characters quite similar but offer you vastly different game play experiences. Mortal Kombat a good example because you have the retro style, the PS2 era and the modern era which are all quite different from eachother but are all buckets of fun and tell an awesome story (that was helped along a bit by the movies, TV shows, web series andof course the Saturday morning cartoon!) The donkey Kong series is another, you've got the arcade style, the country series, king of swing, konga, the neo-country series and 64. Even Mario games are mostly vastly different from their predecessors, the only Mario games I'm not as big a fan of pretty much happen to be the sequels in the same style (new SMB, 3d world) but I love the DS NSMB and 3D land!
I am here to talk about Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze which I am playing on my Switch. I never played it on my Wii U because I was so ashamed of the console that I couldn't even look it in the eye. Now that it's on the Switch and the Wii U has been catapulted into the sea, I can finally give this game a chance so here is my user impressions/review of it.
I like the way Donkey Kong looks and I like his fur. Considering this is a last-gen Nintendo game it still looks great, which I guess is because most Nintendo games have a cool art style and look great. This is what happens when you don't strive for realism. Anyway, he's a sweet monkey.
I am playing without Funky because he's a dirty cheater. I've just got Diddy and the girl one. I know I technically have Cranky too but I don't like Cranky so I'm not using him. Anyway, the characters look great. I like the new baddies too. Penguins make top villains. For other evidence of this, see The Wrong Trousers.
The game is hard but it's not a pad snapper. I'm not finding it particularly frustrating because when I'm dying I know that it's because I'm terrible at video games and I should be ashamed of myself, and not because the game is unfair. A bad workman blames his tools, and I am at the very least a mediocre workman. I know I'm dying because I stink.
Anyway, it's tough in parts but I'm mostly through the game. I'm in the Donkey Kong Island world which I assume is the last one and I'm near the end of it.
The bosses are great and the most challenging bit of the game. I love the levels that are a bit different, like the ludicrous flappy bird ones, and the ones where you're in a mine cart. Mine cart levels in anything are cool.
I give Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze Land a solid 8/10. If we're using silly .5s I might even go to an 8.5. I think I prefer it to that New Super Mario Bros. game that was on Wii U that got ported to Switch which I also played and enjoyed. Maybe they're about the same. Either way I like them.
@Rudy_Manchego, glad I could bring to your attention. I'll definitely be checking out Squadrons myself eventually.
@johncalmc, Tropical Freeze is a great game, and probably my favorite 2D platformer on Switch. Glad you're enjoying it.
@Kidfried, I liked Yakuza Kiwami (which I got thanks to PS+), and have been intending to check out the rest of the series, but haven't yet gotten around to it. I'll keep an eye on Judgment for it's different perspective.
Currently Playing:
Switch - Blade Strangers
PS4 - Kingdom Hearts III, Tetris Effect (VR)
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