GIPL 6

Before we get started on this edition of GIPL, I want to say a few words on the point of this series and my rating system. Like many folks, I’m not a huge fan of breaking down the multi-faceted experience of playing a video game into a number. This leads people to believe that the same numbers are equal games, which is obviously gross oversimplification. This was one of the main reasons I used a lettering system, but this still can leave the interpretation that my feelings about Wario Land 4 and Axiom Verge are similar, when the only thing those games really have in common is how much I like them. Which brings me back to my intent for this series and my “GIPL Rating”: I want this feature to be a casual, one-way (because it’s MY blog, dammit!) conversation about what kind of games I’ve been spending my time on, and the ratings are simply how strongly I recommend that you play a particular game based on my experience with it. Here’s basically what I mean with each rating:

S – I think all people should play this ASAP

A – I think all people should play this at some point

B – I think you should play this if my synopsis sounds interesting to you

C – You’re probably not missing out on much if you don’t play it

D – I don’t recommend you play this

F- I’ve actually never given a game an F, mostly because I don’t intentionally play bad games.

The +’s and –‘s just help spread out the tiers.

Maybe you already knew that. If so, well, you can just deal with that little rant. Anyway, on to the good stuff!

Doki Doki Literature Club (PC)

I’ve written at length about my personal experience (and despite this game’s substantial presence on YouTube, this game really works best as a personal experience) with DDLC, so I won’t belabor any points here. Don’t let this game’s popularity irk your inner hipster; if you haven’t played this yet (and have thus far managed to play spoiler-free), do yourself a favor and check out this free visual novel. You’ll regret it, but in the best way possible.

My GIPL Rating: S

Fire Emblem 7, Hector Route (GBA)

Follow me on Twitter for a few days, and you’ll probably hear me going on about this Hector fellow. Well this was his original game, and I finally played the version of the story that focused on him. The gameplay is supposed to be harder than the Eliwood route. I must be a lot better at Fire Emblem now, because I got through it without any trouble (except when Matthew got sniped by Ursula RIP QQ). The story is the same as Eliwood’s, but the added development of a character who is already so incredibly well-developed that he embarrasses every other character in the series (strong statement, I know, but I think I can back it up…maybe someday I will!) makes the game even more enjoyable the second time.

My GIPL Rating: A+

Star Wars: TIE Fighter (Main Campaign) (PC)

 

Improving on its predecessor, X-Wing, in every way, TIE Fighter really shines as a Star Wars flight sim. It has aged incredibly well. Not only are the story missions more engaging both in the setup of each particular battle and said battle’s win conditions, but the plot of this game is so refreshing even in this Annual Star Wars Movie world we live in. Playing as a soldier in the Empire, this game presents the perspective of some normal jack-off in the Imperial Navy as surprisingly un-evil. The missions you are completing are liberating worlds, suppressing terrorist insurrections, and even rescuing the Emperor himself. Not once does the game go in the cliché direction of the protagonist realizing he’s on the “wrong side” or anything stupid. You fight for the Empire, and nothing is ever suggested that the Empire is on the bad side. I like it. It’s probably not for everyone, but if you ever watched Porkins get shot down and thought, “Hey, that looks kind of fun!” this is the game for you.

My GIPL Rating: B+

Katawa Shoujo (PC)

So, Doki Doki Literature Club was my first visual novel, but its interesting direction in the second act created in me a curiosity to play a more straightforward visual novel. Based on recommendations from a few friends, I tried the free, fan-created Katawa Shoujo. Basically, you play as a dude with a newly-diagnosed heart arrhythmia, and enroll in a boarding school for people with disabilities. Your romance options include a refined blind girl, a feisty deaf girl, an artsy girl without arms, an athletic girl with no legs, and a shy girl with severe burn scars. It’s a pretty good visual novel (not sure what I’m really basing that statement on), but the art could probably be better. But hey, it’s free, so check it out if it sounds appealing.

My GIPL Rating: C+

The Danny Elfman Spider-Man 2 Main Theme just came on my playlist. Let me just throw this out there: what a great movie!

Fire Emblem Awakening (3DS)

 

 

Since Awakening was my first experience in the series, and I’ve since explored some of the other releases, I went back to re-visit this one to see if my perspective on it has changed. Here’s my conclusions: 1) This game be hella easy on normal mode. 2) Lucina, is like, a horribly one-dimensional character who doesn’t have any redeeming qualities (like being sexy or riding a wyvern). I have no clue why she’s so popular. 3) A lot of the supporting cast is pretty great, specifically Gregor, Gauis, Kellam, and Cherche (who happens to be sexy AND ride a wyvern!). The story is fine. TL;DR, this game isn’t as bad as I remember, but not nearly as good as a lot of people make it out to be. Make mine Conquest.

My GIPL Rating: B

 

Mother 3 (Fan Translation Mod of Japanese ROM)

 

 

Again, wrote about this one before, so I'll try not to rant. A more focused, less expansive sequel to EarthBound, one of the most mind-blowingly good games I've ever played. This one doesn't quite escape the shadow of its predecessor (in my book), but has a few exceptionally memorable characters and is a master class in storytelling through visuals, text, and even music. If you're a "thinking gamer" (again, whatever that means), you should absolutely check this one out. Don't wait for the official localization, it's probably never happening.
My GIPL Rating: A

Shantae: 1/2 Genie Hero (PC)

I tell ya, these Shantae games just keep getting better. While Pirate’s Curse was an exceptionally well-presented if relatively standard exploration platformer (that just hurt my fingers to type), ½ Genie Hero is a brilliant, novel hybrid of platformers of the traditional and exploration persuasion. Split into distinct, mostly linear stages, the player will unlock a host of new transformations that change the twice-titular Shantae into various animals that all have unique movement abilities. This allows the seemingly one-track levels to open up countless (hyperbole!) hidden areas where optional upgrades and necessary collectables are hidden. I realize that this game doesn’t sound that unique based on my less-than-stellar description, but trust me, I haven’t played a game with this type of level design before. Shantae and friends also make the transition from Pixel-art to a smoother Flash-style quite nicely. This game looks and sounds better than any of its predecessors, which is quite an accomplishment. I can’t wait to dig into some of the DLC. I also feel obligated to mention that this game isn’t nearly as thirsty as Pirate’s Curse, which is probably a good thing.

My GIPL Rating: A+

Xeodrifter (3DS)

 

 

Exploration platformers don’t always have to reach Axiom Verge-ian levels of size and depth. Sometimes you just want to have a little non-linear romp that lasts a few hours. If so, check out Xeodrifter. Taking control of a space explorer who’s stranded in a system of four planets without a hyperdrive, you’ll roam between the four worlds looking for movement upgrades that ultimately lead you to a new power source. Gun upgrades are stat points that change the features of your sole weapon (such as power, rate of fire, etc.), which is an interesting touch. The game is actually quite linear, and there’s only one boss that shows up frequently throughout the game, each time getting progressively stronger. There’s a mechanic where the character can move back and forth between the traditional foreground and a distant background, which looks especially good on the 3DS screen. Overall, this a fun, bite-sized adventure (took me about 2.5 hours total), but not the best exploration platformer out there. Get it if it’s on sale.

My GIPL Rating: C+

F-Zero (3DS Virtual Console) 

 

As one of the select few that’s finished F-Zero GX (#NotSoHumbleBrag), I wanted to go back and check out the roots of the series. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised. The illusory power of the Super FX chip totally sells the exact feel of violent, high-speed racing that you get from the newer, truly 3D sequels. You can’t really beat this game, but I won the simplest Grand Prix on Expert, which earned myself the credits screen, so I’m allowing myself to say I beat it. If you’re into racing games or have enjoyed one of the other two games in the series, you should absolutely play this one.

My GIPL Rating: A-    

Mighty Switch Force 2 (3DS)

 

 

I’ve had it on a wish list forever, so I finally pulled the trigger on this sequel. It’s more or less DLC for the first game, using all of the same mechanics but to a greater degree and swapping a police theme for a firefighting one. It’s a fun pick-up-and-play puzzle platformer with a variety of unique mechanics that provides a decent challenge. Sometimes, I wish they would hide the completely-not-required-to-finish-the-game “par” times for each course in separate speed running mode. The pars are quite lofty, and will only be achieved by nearly flawless runs after a substantial amount of practice. Failing them so miserably made me feel like a garbage gamer (maybe for good reason). In typical WayForward fashion, this game looks and sounds outstanding. Probably only worth buying during a sale.

My GIPL Rating: B-

Sonic Mania (PC)

 

 

 

I always feel bad when all of my micro reviews in a GIPL series are positive, but luckily Sonic Mania came to save the day. This is probably gonna be a pretty controversial call, but I really didn’t care for this game at all. Look, Sonic the Hedgehog was my first video game ever, but in all honesty the only thing that really stands out about classic Sonic games is their visual style. While they still look pretty good today (and by extension, Mania does look good), the 2D platformer has changed so much since 1991 (has it really been that long???) that the classic Sonic formula is beyond stale by now. Games like Limbo and Shovel Knight (just to name a couple…I could extend this list ad infinitum) make simple running and jumping through mostly the same levels that I “held right” through 20 years ago make me yawn now. It still has antiquated mechanics (like LIVES…*shudders*) and the boss fights are often frustrating. It just FEELS like a fan game, ya know what I mean? Probably not, everybody freaking loves this game. Didn’t do it for me, though.

My GIPL Rating: D

Cuphead (Co-Op) (PC) 

Oh boy. THIS game. So obviously Cuphead might have one of the greatest visual styles of any game ever made, and that certainly counts for quite a bit. The bosses all were interesting in design and concept, but gosh dang this game has some huge issues. In the version I played, there were several major glitches, including a very distracting glitch that caused my controller’s rumble to go ham with no way to stop it. Additionally, it has been well-documented by now how many hazards can appear on screen at once, but the problem with all of these moving parts is that their cycles are not synced in a pre-planned pattern. So the game can put you in situations where you are forced to take damage. And before you cry “git gud”, I’ve played a lot of rage games. I’ve beat Super Meat Boy, F-Zero GX, I’m currently blazing through The End is Nigh, and a whole bunch of others. So I know which games execute difficulty to perfection and which fall flat, and unfortunately this beautiful game falls into the latter category.

My GIPL Rating: C-

That’s all for now, squad. I’m not really sure what game I’m gonna check out next, so HMU with any recommendations! In honor of the great Vash the Stampede, I bid you all Love and Peace!  

PS: A HUGE thanks to Mickey for editing this post for me. He'll be doing editing work for all of my posts until he can't take it anymore. This makes it way more fun for me to write, and undoubtedly way more fun for you to read.