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Topic: User Impressions/Reviews Thread

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RR529

Great thoughts on Paper Mario, @Ralizah! Once I'm done with Seven Sirens it'll likely be my next Switch game. Anyhow...

Final Fantasy VII Remake (PS4) - The first part in a massive remake of the JRPG classic, and my first time with it in any form.
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Time to get to work.

Gameplay

  • Taking on more of a level based approach, most chapters are pretty linear affairs with pretty rigid progression outside of the occasional chest or other treasure right off the beaten path (it's generally more segmented off than even FFX, though this wasn't a problem for me. In fact X is my favorite FF, and this is my favorite since). That said, every few chapters take place inside a town, and these are a bit more open in that they always feature optional sidequests to complete, and sometimes even an arena, giving you opportunities to get useful gear or do some level grinding if you think you need it (though I never felt the need to grind myself, I did complete all sidequests I ran across, and did each available arena fight once).
  • Also in towns (& in a few other areas) you'll run into Chadley, a character who will reward you with unique materia for completing certain sets of goals during battle, and new summons by defeating them in boss fights.
  • Combat is mostly real time, with you being able to freely run around, dodge attacks, and use basic attacks at will, though each character has an "Active Time Battle" gauge that builds over time (faster if you're dealing damage), and only once one of it's bars are full can they use an item, magic, special ability, or summon (by opening the command menu the action slows to a crawl, giving you a taste of the title's turn based roots), meaning you can't spam items/magic willy nilly. Summons are powerful, but can only be called upon during boss fights & a few other large battles.
  • Even regular battles can be quite engaging, but I must give special props to the boss fights, which are generally fantastic. A couple of the later ones I sort of just powered through with frequent healing as there was so much going on, such as the final boss, but they're generally really engaging fights that are fun to figure out.
  • In addition to leveling, you can power up by upgrading your weapons & using materia. While different weapons have different strengths, you can upgrade them as you go along, so sticking with your starting weapons is entirely doable (it's recommended you switch out from time to time though, as using new weapons is how you learn new special attacks).
  • As for materia, they are items that slot into your equipment that let you use magic, can increase your stats, or make available some other ability/buff, which you can only use while it is equipped (while earlier weapons tend to have less slots for materia, they obtain more via upgrading). You can buy materia from shops/vending machines, but I got enough through just playing (some are found along the main path, just off the beaten path, or by completing sidequests) that I rarely did this.
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    Didn't take any battle screens, so here's a couple random pics.
  • The fighting is usually broken up by light puzzling (such as looking for a switch to unlock a door, or moving containers with a giant robotic hand) which provides a nice breather. I also enjoyed the occasional bike segment. There are a few other minigames along the way as well, such as the surprisingly fun darts game in "Seventh Heaven" (disappointed that you couldn't play the pinball tables, though).

Audio/Visual

  • The game's large budget is very apparent as this is one of the most graphically impressive JRPGs I've ever played. There are times when you'll run across the random element that looks incomplete, but for the most part it looks great, especially at night. Some of the set-pieces, particularly in the final chapter, were the most I've been wowed by a game's visuals in quite awhile.
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    Some impressive night lighting...
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    ...with the occasional incomplete textured item.
  • Aesthetically I think it looks great. Though the main cast still has a few anime-ish elements to their designs that make them stand out amongst the NPCs that largely play straight, making them any more realistic wouldn't feel right and the balance they struck I think is the right decision.
  • While some of the locations aren't that interesting (such as the sewers), in general the more contemporary/steampunk/sci-fi setting is still pretty fresh for a JRPG, and I think infinitely more interesting than the standard fantasy worlds of classic FF. I really liked some of the areas too (such as Wall Market, the Train Graveyard, the Shinra Building, and the trippy final chapter).
  • The music quality is top notch & I loved the fact that you could collect music discs (however the jukeboxes were few & far between, without much range).

Story

  • It has an interesting set-up for a JRPG given the setting, and while it seemingly starts out pretty grounded (considering), naturally things start to get out there by the end. A lot of gripping story threads are begun, but as this is just the start of a larger tale, most mysteries are left unresolved, a few even introduced in the game's final moments.
  • I'm conflicted on Cloud himself, as he's not particularly interesting character personality wise. He clearly has a mysterious past that's responsible for his stoic personality that I'm itching to learn more about, and he does some badass things, but as a human he's only beginning to open up by the end.
  • Tifa & Aerith are nice enough (with Aerith having an interesting backstory of her own & Tifa is just nice to have around), but it's Barrett that absolutely steals the show in terms of personality (and it's brilliant how he loudly sings the classic Final Fantasy fanfare theme upon some victories, keeping it alive in an organic way). Red XIII is pretty cool too, though we don't get much of him here.
  • While I don't dislike it, I'm not a huge fan of the "choose your own Waifu" approach to the romance elements in the game. I much prefer a strong central romance in a game if it's to feature one (such as Tidas & Yuna, keeping to FF), and while Cloud's choices may be whittled down if it goes on to adhere to the original story pretty tightly, there's some rumblings that it may go on to change things up.
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    Make up your mind, my man.

Conclusion

  • With satisfying combat, some of the best boss fights I've experienced in recent memory, wonderful worldbuilding, an interesting story setup, and high polish all around, this has quickly become one of my favorite FF titles, and is currently in the running for the best game I've played this year.
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    The sun sets on an epic adventure (screenshot not actually from the game's final moments).

Currently Playing:
Switch - Blade Strangers
PS4 - Kingdom Hearts III, Tetris Effect (VR)

RogerRoger

@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy Ah, that classic EA logo... yeah, that brings back memories! They really commanded a majority of the market back then, particularly in terms of licenced games. Everything or Nothing was the third-person one, and had a pair of levels on an old demo disc, yes (escaping an exploding facility in Egypt, and then riding a motorbike across a bridge in New Orleans).

I was about to say "yeah, I don't have as many EA games this generation, either" but then I stopped and counted, and realised I'd purchased six, so I'll shut up now. Reckon I might've taken advantage of the same Dragon Age: Inquisition sale as you, though!

@crimsontadpoles Alas, that's exactly what they did. It's criminal that this broken PC game shares the same name as the PS2 version, because it's like night and day. I'd usually say that, if you're an aficionado of any game, checking out a different take would be of some interest, but I simply can't be that cruel. It really isn't worth it. Stick with your favourite; it's definitely the best, by a country mile.

***

@RR529 Always interested in a newcomer's take on Final Fantasy VII in any form, because I'm similarly fresh to the game and soon to start the PS4 port of the original. Your thoughts on Cloud and the other characters are particularly interesting; thanks for breaking them down! Great write-up, and excellent accompanying screencaps (incomplete textures notwithstanding)!

"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."

PSN: GDS_2421
Making It So Since 1987

Ralizah

@RogerRoger šŸ˜‚ Great review of that Bond game, Rog. I really need to play one, at some point, someday. No idea where I'd start. What would be the ideal James Bond game for a newbie to this surprisingly diverse world?

The elevator thing is funny, and reminds me of games where characters can survive all sorts of ridiculous stuff, but die the moment they encounter in a small decline in their environment. I do have to thank you for the amazing mental image of Pierce Brosnan jumping up and down in a state of sweaty terror on a moving elevator because he's afraid he'll die if he doesn't. I'll admit: I'd have called it quits the moment I encountered that particular... ah... design choice. You're truly a dedicated connoisseur of interactive James Bond experiences.

Although, to be fair, if this were Connery, I'm not sure he'd mind a quick tussle in the back seat of a car as a reward for completing a difficult mission, although it does make it less "suave super spy" and more "horny teenager terrified of trying to sneak his girlfriend into the house."

@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy Yeah, Rock Man sounds rather like someone who would shoot boulders at people, doesn't he? The name was an awkward attempt at sounding cool with an English name: it's actually a reference to the phrase "rock and roll," which is why his sister is named "Roll." That latter name was never changed in English. I'm pretty sure I remember reading some Capcom exec changed the English title (and, resultantly, character name) because he realized it would sound stupid in English speaking countries.

And yeah, Capcom did an amazing job scouting voice talent back in the PS1 days.

RE: Origami King, looking back at the stream footage, it seems like they completely removed setpieces and narrative crucial to the build-up of that one colored pencil boss. Otherwise, all I can say about it is that the game is significantly more fun to actually play than it is to watch someone play.

I can't complain about the difficulty, either. The last boss I fought wiped me a couple of times before I figured out a strategy to take it down, and I still maintain that the ring battles are more interesting than 'Pressing A to attack.' I've also died more in TOK than I did in the entirety of TTYD, and they're not what I'd call unfair deaths.

And yeah, in terms of both the song and the atmosphere created by the animation, I get a distinct Disney vibe from Wind's Nocturne as well. I love the Lunar games. Once I'm through with this next set of JRPGs, but before the SMT-fest that's coming next year, I need to revisit the first two games.

@RR529 Great FF7R review! I'm glad there's finally one up. I was planning to write one, but no review of mine would ever measure up to the fullness of my feelings about this game, so I'm glad someone else took up the challenge. I've felt for a while like the art of the boss fight is an important one in JRPGs, and that's probably the best aspect of FF7R: the boss fights are bombastic, challenging spectacles that blow anything comparable in the original out of the water.

And yeah, the presentation is interesting. Most of it feels super premium and SO visually rich, but then you get something like a background that could have been ripped from a PS1 game, or Aerith's really terrible looking flowers.

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It's fine, though. The parts of the game that are important look amazing.

RE: the "choose your own waifu approach," I thought it was interesting how they kind of left the romantic elements in the player's hands this time around, which can lead to some radically different cutscenes. It makes me wonder how much more involved The Gold Saucer will be in the Remake, considering that was the only section of the game that seemed to take your interactions with the characters into consideration.

I will say this, though: Squeenix could have pitted them against each-other, but they wisely chose to emphasize the growing friendship between Tifa and Aerith this time around, and I'm glad they did. There's some friendly competition over Cloud in the game, but it never... turns ugly, which seems to be the case in so much media with more than one romantic interest.

Edited on by Ralizah

Currently Playing: Advance Wars 1 + 2: Re- Boot Camp (NS)

PSN: Ralizah

nessisonett

@RogerRoger Nightfire on the Cube was soooo good and I still bring out my Wii U to play a few rounds of the multiplayer with my brother. The PC version sounds awful though, I have no idea how they managed to screw it up that badly.

Plumbingā€™s just Lego innit. Water Lego.

Trans rights are human rights.

RogerRoger

@Ralizah Glad to have given you a few laughs. Whether or not I can be equally glad for giving you that mental image of Pierce Brosnan in an elevator depends on what dreams / nightmares [delete as applicable] you have later tonight. It'll either be that, or I'm deeply sorry!

As for your question... hmm, not sure. Many of my opinions about old Bond games are weighted by nostalgia, so I'll disconnect that part of my brain for a moment.

Not wanting to do your capacity for retro gaming a disservice, I reckon the PSone trilogy I wrote about before is just tipping over into "prohibitively clunky" nowadays (and I've heard the same said about GoldenEye 007 on the N64, too). You're probably best considering the PS2 era. Agent Under Fire is surprisingly playable for something that was hastily thrown together from the wreckage of a cancelled next-gen The World is Not Enough game; it's also the first genuine success story for EA, blending together FPS levels, driving, rail-shooting and a proper local multiplayer mode. But it's a bit bare bones in terms of presentation (there's a generic Bond, the story is partly conveyed by pre-mission paragraphs of prose, etc.) so might feel underwhelming to newcomers like yourself.

NightFire and Everything or Nothing are true greats. The former takes the above and runs with it, giving everything a cinematic flair, proper cutscenes and a little more variety in its levels (an early one of which is quintessential Bond). It's also got, for my money, the best multiplayer mode in any Bond game, with bots, gadgets, remote control mini-vehicles and dozens of different and inventive modes. Everything or Nothing, meanwhile, is a lost Bond movie. It's a third-person adventure, with a robust hand-to-hand combat system featuring grapples, counters and throws blending seamlessly with Uncharted-style cover-based shooting (and the by-now-prerequisite driving levels, rail-shooter segments and even a bit where you fly a helicopter). The gadgets are doubled, the levels are shorter but more varied, and the cast? Pierce Brosnan, Judi Dench, John Cleese, Willem Dafoe, Shannon Elizabeth, Heidi Klum, Richard Kiel and Misaki Ito... oh, and Mya, who also sings the theme song.

You can't go wrong with either of those games. Then you've got GoldenEye: Rogue Agent (a quirky idea executed badly; hard pass) and From Russia With Love (a poor man's copy of Everything or Nothing, only this time with Sean Connery) before EA lost the licence to Activision.

Who eventually drove it into the ground. Quantum of Solace came out on everything and the PS3 version isn't the worst thing ever, but it also isn't the best. I preferred the PS2 version (even if it was painfully short) and the DS version (for which you're required to hold the console portrait). Then there was GoldenEye 007 on the Wii, later ported to HD consoles as GoldenEye 007 Reloaded, which re-imagined the story as a contemporary tale starring Daniel Craig in the lead role. It's pretty good for what it is, which is CoD in a tux, so if that sounds appealing, have at it. The PS3 also got Blood Stone 007, putting Bond back in third-person for an Uncharted game. It's really fun, if a little short (and it ends on a cliffhanger, with the planned sequel cancelled due to poor sales; I don't know about you, but that kinda thing really irritates me). These last two also got DS versions, and they're fine.

Lastly, there's 007 Legends. We don't speak about 007 Legends. Never, ever play it.

Apologies for what became a bit of an essay there (hey, at least now I don't have to write any more Bond game retrospectives). In case you're short on time, or my droning on has triggered some kind of latent narcolepsy, I'll do what I probably should've done five paragraphs ago.

Recommended
James Bond 007: NightFire (PS2)
James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing (PS2)
Blood Stone 007 (PS3)

Very Retro
GoldenEye 007 (N64)
Tomorrow Never Dies (PSone)
The World is Not Enough (N64 and PSone)
007 Racing (PSone)

Once You've Played Every Other Game You Ever Wanna Play
James Bond 007 in... Agent Under Fire (PS2)
From Russia With Love (PS2)
007: Quantum of Solace (PS3, PS2 and DS)
GoldenEye 007 Reloaded (Wii, PS3 and DS)
Blood Stone 007 (DS)

Avoid Like Herpes
GoldenEye: Rogue Agent (PS2)
007 Legends (PS3)

Everything that says "PS2" up there is also available on the GameCube. Sometimes it ran better, sometimes it ran worse, but at least it's another option if you're curious.

@nessisonett There were a couple comparisons with the console version I didn't make above, but that absolutely baffled me. Remember that gorgeous "Chain Reaction" level, set in the abandoned nuclear power plant at sunset, packed with snipers? Its equivalent on PC takes place inside it, and is just a bunch of grey service corridors and power generators. Everything is just cheap and lazy. It's awful.

The multiplayer is fantastic, though. It's a shame it doesn't have some of the modifiers from Agent Under Fire, like increased running speed and low gravity, but those remote control mini-vehicles more than make up for it. I could chase my flatmates with a helicopter no matter where they ran.

Right, that's quite enough from me. Let's all enjoy Bond playing Mario Kart DS and leave it there.

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"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."

PSN: GDS_2421
Making It So Since 1987

Ralizah

@KratosMD Nice post. I've eyed this game for years, but never took the plunge. When you battle people, does it lock you into combat like in Yakuza, or does the combat happen in the open world like in GTA?

Currently Playing: Advance Wars 1 + 2: Re- Boot Camp (NS)

PSN: Ralizah

Thrillho

@RogerRoger I enjoyed ā€œLift and Let Dieā€ there! Did QA just not exist back in the day??

@RR529 Nice thoughts on FF7R, especially from someone who hasnā€™t played the original. As such, itā€™s funny to hear you say you enjoyed the extra biking section!

Do you have any plans to replay it on hard mode? I found the combat much more enjoyable the second time around as it is much more strategic with such limited MP but great to have all the gear. The grinding I did to prep for it was a bit tedious but laid off in the end.

Thrillho

Ralizah

Erica

Platform: PS4

Playthroughs: 2

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Erica is what is known as an FMV game, where footage of real actors is combined with light adventure game mechanics. I've never played one, so when this became available via PSPlus, I thought it was a good opportunity to expand my horizons a bit.

Erica is a decent speculative horror tale that follows the daughter of a brutally murdered researcher who begins receiving grotesque 'gifts' in the mail, perhaps from her father's own killer. She's moved by the police to Delphi House, the mental care facility where her father previously worked, but it quickly becomes clear that not everything is right in paradise.

The "game," if it can be called that, largely plays out in a similar manner regardless of what is chosen until the very end of the game. Erica plays out largely as a live-action movie with brief elements of interactivity sprinkled throughout to keep the player invested.

Erica is a playlink-compatible title that allows the player to use their smartphone as a touch screen controller, which is a bit more intuitive than controlling the entire game via the DS4's touchpad. The player makes simple motions and gestures to unlock doors, open drawers, and whatnot throughout the experience. The player will also be able to drag their finger around like a stylus to point Erica toward an interactive vector in the environment.

I enjoyed my time with this title, although I don't know how much it has sold me on FMV games are a concept. There are no NG+ features to help with replayability. Even if this game is short, it's irritating to sit through the same scenes over and over to try and find new endings and moments of interactivity. Additionally, the quality of the acting is very forced, taking away from the filmic quality of the production. I can't help but feel this would have been a better overall product as a film with better acting, less filler, and a stronger narrative push toward a particular ending.

6/10

***

Mega Man 9

Platform: Nintendo Switch (via Mega Man Legacy Collection 2)

Playthroughs: 1.5

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Mega Man 9 was the glorious return of the Blue Bomber after twelve years of dormancy. This entry, along with Mega Man 10, was created by the often brilliant talents at Inti-Creates (a name you should keep close to your heart if you like retro-style games; after all, they created the Mega Man Zero and ZX games as well, along with Blaster Master Zero/Zero-II, the Azure Striker Gunvolt games, Mighty Gunvolt Burst, and the brilliant spinoff classicvania Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon), who took more than a little inspiration from the acclaimed Mega Man 2.

Mega Man 9 is very close to MM2 in a variety of ways: from how some of the weapons work (the Plug Ball, for example, bears a striking resemblance in terms of how it can be used to MM2's Bubble Lead, as well as it being the primary weakness of the last boss' final form, also like in MM2), to the streamlined structure of the game itself (eight stages, a small handful of Wily Castle stages, rematches against the robot masters you fought earlier, and then on to the final boss), to Mega Man's limited moveset (as in MM2, you merely run and jump; no charge shot or sliding for Mega Man, which were innovations introduced in the third and fourth NES games). Even certain setpieces recall that Capcom classic. With that said, "borrowing" elements from one of the best action platformers ever made is not necessarily a bad thing, and, IMO, Mega Man 9 is the strongest game in the series overall since the original NES trilogy

There are differences, of course: the in-game narrative is actually presented throughout with cute, brief cutscenes instead of relegating story to a series of screens at the very start and very ending of the game. Although, and this might seem like anathema to certain hardcore Mega Man fans, story doesn't really matter in any of these. There's also an in-game store that you can buy items from, akin to other later games in the series.

Mega Man 9 also has a series of built in trophies to clear, challenges to complete that were added to the Legacy Collection, multiple additional difficulty modes, and, most notably, a Proto Man Mode, which, obviously, allows you to play the game again as Proto Man. Unlike Mega Man, he's actually able to slide and charge his buster weapon, meaning he controls like MM did in 4 - 6. So there's quite a bit here to dig into.

8/10

@RogerRoger Thanks for the detailed breakdown. šŸ˜‚ Where'd that gif come from, btw? I'm not sure why that exists, but it's fantastic.

Edited on by Ralizah

Currently Playing: Advance Wars 1 + 2: Re- Boot Camp (NS)

PSN: Ralizah

RogerRoger

@Ralizah No idea who made that GIF, but it's been doing the rounds for a while now! The scene itself is from Tomorrow Never Dies, when Bond drives his BMW via a remote control embedded in his phone, which opens up landscape and features a touchpad beneath a screen (just like a DS, only it was made in 1997). Somebody obviously noticed the similarity and went to town!

Thanks for your thoughts on Erica. I was gonna add it to my Library, but the more I heard about it, the less I felt like taking the risk. You're one of its more positive players, but you've nevertheless reinforced my suspicion that it might not work for me. I'm glad you didn't hate it.

Mega Man 9 sounds pretty darn good, though! I remember when that came out... 2008, wasn't it? Made a lot of classic Mega Man fans happy, from what I recall. Nice!

"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."

PSN: GDS_2421
Making It So Since 1987

Ralizah

@RogerRoger Yeah, Erica falls squarely in that "I don't mind that I got to play it for free" category for me. It was... different. Not an experience I regret, but also not one I'd recommend people spend much money on.

Too horror-ish for your liking, I take it?

And yeah, Mega Man 9 was fantastic. Not only was the IP dormant for the longest time, but the last two games... like, you know I enjoy Mega Man 8, but it's an atypical Mega Man experience. And Mega Man 7... well, I skipped over that one right now, because I really don't feel like replaying it. It's actually the reason I'm doing these separate impression pieces instead of talking about the package as a whole.

With Capcom releasing all this Mega Man stuff lately, I'd love to see them do a collection of the PS1 Mega Man Legends games. They were initially going to do a MML3 for the 3DS, but that fell through, much to the consternation of the series' hardcore fans.

Currently Playing: Advance Wars 1 + 2: Re- Boot Camp (NS)

PSN: Ralizah

JohnnyShoulder

@Arugula I only add games that I've an interest in. I've got too many games that I've not started to be adding stuff that i have zero interest in.

Life is more fun when you help people succeed, instead of wishing them to fail.

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.

PSN: JohnnyShoulder

Ralizah

I add everything. There's literally no reason not to.

Who knows? I could get brain damage one day and wake up wanting to play a sports game, and then I'll be glad I have NBA 2Kwhatever on my account.

Currently Playing: Advance Wars 1 + 2: Re- Boot Camp (NS)

PSN: Ralizah

RogerRoger

@Ralizah No, the horror elements of Erica weren't what stopped me (although you're one of the few sources to prominently mention them). I just felt that, if I wanted to watch a half-decent movie, I wouldn't wanna be periodically interrupted by the need to push buttons. Despite my attempts at tolerance towards all media, I recognise that I can be quite curmudgeonly when it comes to things picking a lane. Be a movie, or be a game. Don't try to be both, and end up failing at being either.

Remasters and re-releases are fast becoming more viable during the current pandemic, as they're easier to accomplish remotely and less labour-intensive for developers, so maybe that Mega Man Legends compilation is closer than you think. I'll keep fingers crossed for you!

***

@Arugula I wish I could do that, but my OCD demands I keep a tidy Library. There have been a couple occasions where I've gone to purchase things that were once offered via PS Plus, and I've mentally kicked myself for doing so. I'm trying to be a bit more assertive, though. There are a couple titles in my Library which I may never play, but are semi-likely to get a look-in once I've cleared more of my backlog.

"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."

PSN: GDS_2421
Making It So Since 1987

RR529

Shantae & the Seven Sirens (Switch), the latest entry in the cult series.
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Ret-To-Go!

Gameplay

  • It's a pretty standard side scrolling "Metroidvania" action/platformer, though it has a touch of classic Zelda as well (you obtain most of your required upgrades while exploring themed dungeons where you ultimately use your new ability to reach & defeat it's boss).
  • In addition to the ability upgrades you get by working through the game's dungeons, you can upgrade your health by collecting Heart Squids scattered around the world (each dungeon has three, and there's a bunch in the overworld too), augment your abilities by obtaining equippable stat altering Monster Cards (most are dropped by enemies, but the most powerful ones based on the game's bosses can only be obtained by trading Golden Nuggets, another of the game's collectables, for them in Towns), and by buying permanent upgrades in Town Shops, such as increased attack power & speed, and even a shield that invokes total invincibility (these are optional upgrades, and you can turn them on & off in the menu, if you decide you don't want to use them).
  • In addition to your various upgrades, you can buy consumable health & magic regenerating potions and weapons (such as fireballs or boomerangs) in Town Shops, and enemies regularly drop health regenerating food items as well. Along with the various upgrades mentioned before (one of which is an ability that lets you heal yourself with magic), it is entirely possible to be completely OP by at least the half way point if you so choose, as you have so many options to heal & reduce damage.

Audio/Visual

  • It's by no means a technical marvel, but it has a pleasingly crisp bright & happy look and for the most part runs smoothly (there are one or two spots with a lot going on where it can briefly slow down), and there are some unique biomes in the overworld that buck cliche trends, such as a laboratory and even a small area themed around an Otaku/Nerd's hideout, pictured below.
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  • Of particular note are the high quality (although generally short, given it's budget) anime style cutscenes, such as the one pictured below before a boss fight.
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  • I'd say it's soundtrack fits the game, but as I've mentioned before I'm not someone who gets really fussed over music in a game.

Story

  • The story itself isn't anything particularly noteworthy, though there was no indication that the underground city was really a ship, so it does have it's twists, but where it shines is in it's self awareness. It knows you're here to have a fun time so it revels in the silliness of the female characters wearing almost nothing for armor, and other punny moments, such as the one pictured below where you're tasked with collecting the "Dagron Balls".
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  • Characters are generally fun, if not very deep (I will say I look forward to each game's Squid Baron moments).

Overall

  • It's not the deepest game around, but it's nice comfort food and is just a game to smile along to.
    Untitled
    Time to celebrate!

Currently Playing:
Switch - Blade Strangers
PS4 - Kingdom Hearts III, Tetris Effect (VR)

Ralizah

DOOM 3: BFG Edition

Platform: PC

Playtime: 15 or so hours


DOOM 3 was released in 2004 by id Software for the PC. A reboot of sorts, the game treads similar ground in terms of subject matter to previous DOOM releases, but distinguished itself with its dramatically improved id Tech 4-powered graphics and notable changes to pacing, level design, and overall atmosphere. The version of the game I recently played, however, was the 2012 BFG Edition for PC, a sort of HD remaster of the original that also makes certain controversial changes to the original game. I did previously play the original DOOM 3 when it was still a new and highly advanced PC game, so I also want to briefly compare aspects of the two releases.

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In the first of its many innovations, DOOM 3 (as well as the BFG Edition) is something of a story-driven experience. You, of course, fill in the shoes of the nameless Doomguy, a random space marine who discovers that he's very, very good at killing demons. As with previous games, you're a random nobody, but there's actually a supporting cast of characters you'll kind of come to know over the course of your adventure. Three personalities stand out: Dr. Malcolm Betruger, the primary antagonist of the game, who is corrupted by demonic influences after being transported into hell during one of his teleporter experiments, and who masterminds the invasion of the UAC facility on Mars by the hordes of hell; Thomas Kelly, your commanding officer, who works in tandem with Doomguy to try and curb the demonic invasion; and Counselor Swann, who was sent to investigate the curious goings-on and the UAC base and eventually find himself indirectly butting heads with Sergeant Kelly.

And what curious goings-on there are. Previous games in the series never really give the player a sense of what happened in the build-up to the apocalyptic events that take place, but the same absolutely cannot be said for DOOM 3. In a heavily System Shock 2-inspired change of course (like Bioshock, the entire game feels like it was heavily influenced by the design of that legendary horror-scifi-fps-rpg), DOOM 3 includes a massive amount of narrative and worldbuilding via the use of audio logs found around the base. The scientists and marines locked inside of this base have noticed weird and alarming goings-on leading to the invasion that starts off the game for months, and, lacking any other outlet, they start spilling their guts into their audio diaries. To be honest, I always find the use of audio logs to be a lazy and inorganic method of worldbuilding and storytelling, but the technique wasn't overdone in 2004, and I can buy that people trapped in a stressful environment like this might record their feelings of apprehension over various events happening around them.

But, uh, DOOM games have always been about the gameplay. Fast, fierce games with marines and demons and hell; the series has always had a very METAL identity. And now players were being given a sequel where they were being asked to slow down and appreciate the ambiance. Even as a person who loves story-heavy RPGs, I found myself quickly growing impatient with the countless audio logs where a spooked scientist would ramble about weird behavior among the higher-ups and spooky sounds at night for a minute at a time, and even moreso with the logs where some technician would start discussing some highly technical aspect of the UAC facility's operation. You don't actually have to stop when you're listening to one of the logs, of course, but good luck trying to concentrate on Dr. Spooks-a-Lot whimper about his personal problems with you walk five steps away from the location you retrieved the log and get ambushed by demons. Perhaps this was the intended playstyle. It would explain why the game feels like it almost completely lacks music (even the ambient moans and screeches of DOOM 64). No time for moody or exciting tunes as you're listening to logs, or listening to NPCs talk, or listening to some sort of automated display. There's a LOT of listening in this game.

Which, to be fair, ties into the original design philosophy of this game. DOOM 3, much to the chagrin of long-time fans, has always been more of a slow paced game. I mean, it's still a shooter (you tote around a rocket launcher, for god's sake), but DOOM 3 has always been a game designed to get you to stop, or at least slow down momentarily. Which is where the first conflict with BFG's changes come into play. The original DOOM 3 famously included a flashlight as an item in a separate weapon slot, meaning the player can't illuminate shadows and use a gun at the same time. Players have joked for years about DOOM 3 Doomguy being too stupid to duct-tape his flashlight to the muzzle of a gun, but, in the context of this game, the decision was the correct one. The player could, theoretically, just charge through the entire game with a weapon equipped, but that's a very easy way to run headlong into the waiting claws of an imp. The player had to stop and scope out their surroundings a bit before proceeding, which tapped directly into the pacing and tone of the game.

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In DOOM 3: BFG Edition, the player has a flashlight mounted on their armor, which can be activated independently of anything else they're doing. Meaning they can simultaneously see in the dark AND use their weapon. I imagine this change in the 2012 remaster was made after years of loud fan complaints about this design choice. But I want to reveal an open secret of sorts, here and now, to anyone listening. An inconvenient truth.

The loudest voices on the internet are usually the ones not worth listening to.

Look, I get the frustration with a DOOM game being a slow-paced horror affair, but, for better or worse, that was the direction the game took, and any QoL changes that conflict with the core design philosophy are not necessarily going to lead to a better game. DOOM 3 was clearly designed around the limitation of not being able to see clearly in the dark environments, and strapping a flashlight to your shoulder kind of ruins certain setpieces in this game as well. For example, in one section, you're in this lab, and some sort of conveyor device is dragging a luminescent tube through an expanse of darkness. The intention of this segment is clear: you're supposed to stick by it and shoot at the enemies who pop out at you from the surrounding darkness when they become illuminated. But the omnipresent flashlight makes this segment pointless. You can just barrel through this location with your flashlight turned on, quickly dispatching the enemies waiting to jump out at you before they know what hit them.

The changes to ammo availability also somewhat goes against the design philosophy of the original. In the original, you actually had to scrounge around to find enough ammo to feel comfortable creeping further into the UAC base's winding corridors. Hunting around dingy rooms for scraps of ammo to use against monsters is a time-tested horror game tradition. For whatever reason, though, the game likes to utterly overload the player with ammo. And not even just shotgun ammo. I was never out of heavy arms, and never felt any particular reason to conserve my ammo and actually, I dunno, fall back on my handgun or other smaller weapons, because the game stuffs its environments with so many high-level goodies. Scarcity confers value on resources and also incentivizes certain types of behaviors. I was always loaded to the teeth, so the only incentive I had to poke around most of the time was to find audio logs where someone would whine for five minutes about their personal problems with the chain of command. That is to say, no such incentives existed.

Which isn't, of course, to say that the game's horror trappings are always effective. DOOM 3's reliance on generic spooky locations, monster reinforcements that often pop up out of the shadows, random jump scares like demonic cackling that will issue when you enter a room, and hammy intercom taunting from Dr. Betruger throughout the game (the dude actually says "Your soul will be mine!" at one point during the game, like Shang Tsung from the Mortal Kombat movie, lmao) gives the game something of a haunted house flair to it. Not like an actual haunted house, mind you, but rather, like one of those places where you pay to walk around so that people dressed up like zombies or mad scientists can jump out at you and try to scare you. This impression is strengthened as you bear witness to plot events throughout, but always from a safe distance, like in a separate room where you're separated by a pane of glass.

(Dr. Betruger in another life, probably)

Speaking of ammo, I just want to say that I don't like whoever decided it was a good idea to rob me of all my carefully cultivated BFG rounds near the end of the game and make me start from scratch (for plot reasons). The ammo balancing leads to me building up a healthy collection of arms, of course, but those unused BFG rounds still haunt me.

DOOM 3's weapons game is pretty strong, although not revolutionary. Nearly all of the old weapons return here sans the super shotgun (the normal one in DOOM 3 feels sort of... piddly... I didn't use it much). There are two new additions, though: a machine gun, which is really effective against smaller enemies when you don't need the power of the chaingun, and grenades, which... honestly, only got used when there was a long hallway and something slow coming toward me, because these do splash damage, and a LOT of enemies in this game like to aggressively charge the player. For immediate long-range devastation, a rocket launcher was always preferable, and for anything closer, chainguns and beam rifles are just safer.

I'm not sure what it is, but I will say that a lot of the weapons don't have the visceral punch they did in some of the previous games. The chaingun, especially, feels less impactful compared to the one in DOOM 64.

With that said, the last weapon you get in this game, the Soul Cube, is pretty fun. Every five kills or so, you can use this supernatural cube...thing to instantly kill nearly any enemy in the game. It works quite well when you gun down a bunch of smaller enemies on the way to something particular large and annoying, and then take it down with your Rubiks-Cube-of-Death. It even replenishes your HP!

The level design in DOOM 3 can feel a bit claustrophobic throughout (there's a distinct lack of wide-open arenas to run around like in previous DOOM games, opting instead for cramped hallways and rooms loaded with boxes and industrial equipment. This fit, perhaps, with the slower, more horror-based pacing and tone of the original, although it gives it a different flavor than traditional DOOM. The levels start off almost painfully linear, although the maps do eventually increase in complexity and require some backtracking. This is perhaps a good thing, given the frustrating lack of maps (!) in this game. I rarely got lost, though, and backtracking is typically fairly limited and streamlined compared to what you might find in other games (or, indeed, other DOOM games)

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One of the strongest aspects of DOOM 3 is the enemy variety. Almost all of the classic enemies return, often in reimagined form, in addition to a host of new additions.

There are zombies in this game now. A lot of them. Like, classic Romero-type zombies that stumble around and barely know how to even use tools. These are easily dispatched. The demon soldiers are back as well, though, and there's also a lot of them. In an interesting change of pace, you can actually hear their radio chatter when they're in the area nearby, although nothing intelligible is ever said. These guys can pack pistols, shotguns, shields, or, annoyingly, even chainguns. Thankfully, no matter how potent their firepower, it's relatively easy to put them down.

The version of the Arch-Vile that shows up in DOOM 3 is a massive pain in the ass, though. Previously, they only had the power to resurrect fallen demons, and although their attack was un-dodgeable, you could prevent it by breaking line of sight with them. These guys have no such limitations: they continuously spam spells that summon new demons and their attack is now this devastating column of fire that can hit you from several feet away. Very irritating. I used my strongest weapons to put them down ASAP when they showed up.

Lost Souls also get kind of an interesting change. Instead of being flaming skulls like in previous games, they're now fleshy, eerie humanoid faces that fly around and try to bite you. Thankfully, these nuisances have been vastly nerfed compared to previous games, and they hardly register as a threat unless they flank you while you're fighting something else.

The best redesign in DOOM 3, IMO, is the way the Pinky demon was changed. The mostly harmless, melee only enemy from previous DOOM games that was only dangerous amongst an encroaching horde of demons has been reimagined as something more feral and less bipedal, like a large, demonic dog. I remember the first one you encounter in the game scared the crap out of me when I was younger. In an intense setpiece, the thing violently starting ramming itself into the locked door leading into the room your character is in, warping the metal, before moving over to a glass pane and shattering it with a charge, forcing the panicked player to quickly dispatch it. 15 years on from when I first played it, there's not so much panic now, but it's still a cool moment.

Certain other designs tend to stay constant throughout the series. The Revenant, for example, is STILL just a skeleton with rocket launchers on its shoulders, although its lower half is covered in translucent skin instead of gore like the original design. Their missiles are particularly difficult to hit in this game, since they seem to move away from your bullet fire. I have to resort to spamming my pulse rifle in a circular motion to destroy their projectiles.

Imps are also broadly similar in design, although their appear WAY more often in DOOM 3 (seriously, you can't go more than a couple of rooms without running into an Imp in this game; they're easily the most common type of enemy) and if they get close to the player, in kind of a cool change, they're crouch down and pounce.

Barons of Hell, Mancubi, and Cacodemons return without huge alterations, although the Cacodemons are much faster and flit around a lot this time.

DOOM 3 introduces the Wraith, a smaller, melee-only creature that teleports around the level, trying to catch the player off-guard along with the Cherub, which look like small, winged babies that like to flit toward the player and bite them. There are also at least two new spider-like enemies that show up, often swarming the hallways ahead of you. They don't take a lot to kill, but they can easily overpower a less cautious player.

The Commando returns from DOOM II, although his form and function are so different that he's basically a new enemy. Anyone who has played Resident Evil 3: Nemesis is likely to get flashbacks to that game's eponymous monstrosity as this muscular hulk charges toward the player and tries to impale them with a large tentacle arm. These games react so quickly and aggressively that I had an issue with them throughout the game. As soon as I saw one of these, the rocket launcher came out.

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The game has a handful of boss encounters. While they still show up sort of randomly, I'd say these fights are more engaging and memorable than boss encounters from previous DOOM games, and can actually require some modicum of strategy. Crucially, their difficult isn't dependent on being impossible to dodge when hiding behind a column of some sort. So, yeah, this is definitely the strongest DOOM game to date on that front.

The soundtrack in this game is extremely ambient, like DOOM 64's. Now, that worked for DOOM 64 because of how silent that game was when you weren't fighting demons, but this is pretty much environmental noises: the game. There's so much whirring and buzzing and narration in the background that it can be hard sometimes to even find a quiet place to listen to an audio log. Going to youtube, the soundtrack isn't half-bad, but I'd be lying if I said I even noticed music throughout this game, so I'm going to call this the weakest DOOM game for me on that front. Aside from the decent main theme, you're never going to hear anything that gets your blood pumping, or even much that's particular atmospheric, since you're so busy listening to everything else in this game.

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DOOM 3: BFG Edition on Steam features achievements, but good luck unlocking them if you like to take screenshots. For whatever reason, in a widely documented bug that was apparently never patched out, taking screenshots in this game via the Steam overlay triggers an anti-cheat measure that disables the player's ability to unlock achievements.

Technically, DOOM 3: BFG Edition barely feels like an upgrade from the original, being a very slight HD remaster that allowed the game to run smoothly on modern operating systems and widescreen displays. Texture work is still very low-res, too, which becomes clear if you try actually examining most of the displays in your environment. With that said, DOOM 3 was a massive techncial achievement when it first released thanks to a combination of cutting-edge graphics and excellent art design, and, thanks to that, the game still looks really good today. In some ways, the original looked even better: in addition to the shoulder flashlight, the game has been brightened a bit overall, dulling some of the raw dread provoked by its corridors, destroyed by demons and caked in thick shadows But the overall artistic direction still results in a world that's easy to lose yourself in.

What else to mention? DOOM 3: BFG Edition adds in a new autosave system when you hit certain checkpoints in a level, which might have been useful on consoles, but on PC, where you literally only need to hit F5 to quicksave at pretty much any given point, it felt... needless. I guess the good thing is that the player almost never has to worry about losing much progress.

I wasn't sure where to fit this in, but I also really like the security robots in this game. There'll be these interesting setpieces throughout where you'll activate a little security robot, and it'll lead you through the darkness (in the original DOOM 3, anyway). In an amazing turn of events, though, the cute little guys are also armed to the teeth with machine gun rounds, and will viciously mow down any monster that happens to be in its pre-programmed path. I think you're supposed to defend it from enemies, but I found that they killed enemies so quickly that they barely needed any input from me. Granted, I also contributed, as it wouldn't be fair to let them do all the work.

Oh, and, when it comes to difficulty settings, go with Veteran. The only real difference between the difficulty settings (other than the bottom one, which appears to be some sort of safety mode) is in how much damage you take from enemy attacks, and, on the Marine difficulty (or, god forbid, the even lower Recruit difficulty), you can shrug off most attacks with ease. Combine this with the ease of access to health packs and healing centers, and the ammo strewn literally everywhere, and you wind up with a pretty radically easy game, devoid of much of a sense of danger. Veteran difficulty alleviates this by actually making it dangerous to take damage, although it doesn't seem to balance anything else. For all intents and purposes, it's this game's Normal difficulty.

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I was curious how I'd feel about this game. Ultimately, while I think it's an interesting experience in its own right, it's easy to see how this would disappoint someone looking for a DOOM experience in the vein of the previous games. This has all the trappings of DOOM, but it's missing the attitude. Additionally, the HD remaster, while probably a better fit for modern PCs, feels like it's at war with itself, and dialing back elements that made the original DOOM 3 so controversial. But, well, no superficial change is going to alter the fact that this is more horror than it is metal. I'm glad I got to experience it again, though, and I'm hoping to complete its expansions sooner than later. 6.5/10

@RogerRoger

Edited on by Ralizah

Currently Playing: Advance Wars 1 + 2: Re- Boot Camp (NS)

PSN: Ralizah

HallowMoonshadow

Very nice review there @Ralizah as always

There is a few things you put in here that remind me of DOOM 2016 like the grenades (That I always forgot about (Though I've never really liked the Rocket Launcher as a weapon either tbh)) & the bosses (That seem to play out in a similar to the brief mention you put there)

You'll be pleased to know that there's only 6 or so audio logs in DOOM 2016 too. Though there are numerous "Data Logs" for extra text based info on the weapons, areas, demons and the likes

I've admittedly only ever heard vague hearsay regarding DOOM 3 before so it's pretty neat to finally get some actual perspective on this entry from the detailed musings of both you and RogerRoger.

It's a bit of a shame some of the unique design of it's original "controversial" incarnation was lost in the porting/updating of it as I did actually find myself quite liking the sound of it from what you've said Ral (I assume the torch is not available as a standalone weapon slot choice now seeing as it's armour mounted).

Not to mention the video you linked showcasing the updated/new Pinky demon is quite effective in setting itself up to me as a slower paced and more horror like tone.

I'll be sure to give a look/purchase sometime in the future to try myself!

Edited on by HallowMoonshadow

Previously known as Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy
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"You don't have to save the world to find meaning in life. Sometimes all you need is something simple, like someone to take care of"

RogerRoger

@Ralizah Well, first and foremost, I've gotta say that this is perhaps your funniest, most relaxed and conversational review yet, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it beyond my "I also played this recently" interest. Several bits made me laugh out loud; loved it, thanks for the tag!

Beyond that, I found myself agreeing with almost every observation you made about DOOM 3. I say "almost" because I doubt I'd have been able to finish the game had the original flashlight still been a thing, so I was actually grateful for its shoulder-mounted replacement. That being said, I recognise the controversy, and how its inclusion damaged what the original release stood for (one of the earliest examples of fan outrage leading to change, perhaps?) and I even had the exact same thought as you did, in the exact same room, the one with the blue luminescent status pods being moved through the darkness.

I'm just too big of a wimp when it comes to horror. I'm also somebody who doesn't like to be frustrated or slowed by challenge and so, despite having settled for Marine myself, I completely agree with your comments about the difficulty levels. Health was plentiful, there was an abundance of ammo and overall, other than wrestling with the atmosphere and jump-scares, it was a ridiculously easy game for me. I also spammed that quicksave function like it was going out of fashion.

So we approached it from slightly different angles, perhaps, but we still agree that it's certainly a unique experience, and one that seems kinda at odds with itself at times. I'm glad to have played it, and am equally glad that you're glad to have, too (...yeah, me English good).

Although I'm sorry to hear you struggled taking screencaps, and am grateful that you managed to snap a few good ones for this review all the same! As much as I'm enjoying PC games of late, I think it was a better fit for me on PS4, especially playing on one of the lower difficulty settings. Not sure if I'd have been able to turn and aim quick enough with a DualShock4 if I bumped it up to Veteran.

Best of luck with the expansions. I'm gonna go watch the Mortal Kombat movie!

"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."

PSN: GDS_2421
Making It So Since 1987

Ralizah

@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy Thanks!

šŸ˜‚Thank god the omnipresent audio logs are gone. The way you describe it in DOOM 2016 sounds a LOT like Metroid Prime, where the game left you to play it in piece and then allowed you to optionally scan stuff to learn more about the setting, establish lore, etc. I don't mind optional narrative, but making me stop every ten minutes and listen to a dude slowly ramble to himself so that I can learn a code to a weapons locker (or, sometimes, a door I need to pass through to progress in the game) got annoying quickly.

I forgot to mention this, but there was actually one point where I had to look at an email in my PDA in order to obtain a code I needed! It took me forever to figure that out, because there just aren't very many emails in this game, and, when I'm playing DOOM, the last thing that comes to my mind after chainsawing an Imp is "Gee, I should clean out my spam folder!"

Yeah, the flashlight isn't an item anymore like it was in the original.

I think it's worth a playthrough if you like horror games or shooters. It got a bad reputation for being so different from classic DOOM, but, taken on its own terms, its an effective game, and still highly playable today. And I imagine all of the environmental noises are quite paranoia-inducing with headphones on!

@RogerRoger Great to hear! I feel like my write-ups err a bit on the dry side at times, so I'm trying to balance that out a bit. It doesn't come close to your wittiness, but I appreciate the positive feedback.

I wouldn't mind the inclusion of the shoulder flashlight as an optional thing in the remaster. Honestly, just add an "Original Mode" where the flashlight returns as an item and it'd appeal to everyone, I think. I am glad it allowed you to enjoy the game, though.

So there's a quicksave function on console, too? It's a nice QoL feature, but its presence on consoles makes me wonder why they even bothered adding checkpoint autosaves. For the people who like to press their luck and/or just forget to save their game, I guess. Years of unexpected party wipes in JRPGs have taught me to save as often as humanly possible.

I couldn't change the difficulty officially after starting a file on the Marine difficulty, so I changed the Steam load parameters so that it automatically went to Veteran difficulty when I loaded my save. I don't think I got official credit for completing it on that difficulty, but, as established, the screenshot weirdness meant that I didn't get credit for a bunch of other stuff, either, and years of Nintendo preferentialism alongside my experience with older consoles has made me less emotionally reliant on games awarding me "trophies" than a lot of other people I know.

The ideal arrangement for me in games with shooting is still dual analog + gyro, but I've been trying to train myself to get better at controlling my character with the keyboard. I'm getting better, but I'm still far too reliant on the mouse wheel for scrolling through weapons. I just can't seem to memorize those hotkey locations.

Thankfully, there's not a lot of platforming involved with this game. I might opt for DS4 + gyro aim for DOOM 2016/Eternal, though. We'll see.

RogerRoger wrote:

I'm gonna go watch the Mortal Kombat movie!

Such a classic B-movie.

Edited on by Ralizah

Currently Playing: Advance Wars 1 + 2: Re- Boot Camp (NS)

PSN: Ralizah

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