The Mummy Demastered (Switch)
I'm a big fan of developer WayForward, so it was only a matter of time before I got my hands on this game. It is very strange to me that an indie developer was able to make a pixelated exploration platformer with a game made with a movie license, but here we are. This is a pretty standard if unremarkable exploration platformer, with a few interesting weapons and upgrades to find but nothing that's Axiom Verge-ing or Hollow Knight-ing the subgenre. One of the central mechanics of the game involves defeating the zombie of your previous player if you die. This is a terrible idea, because you respond with one bar of health and the weakest gun, while your previous incarnation has all of your previous weapons and gear, which you can only recover upon defeating him. This leads to some undeniable frustration. If you've played all the good exploration platformers out there, this one is worth trying- just don't expect greatness.
My GIPL Rating: C+
Guacamelee! (Switch)
It's one of my favorite games ever, and now I've played it on the Switch. The fourth time around, the orb challenges don't seem so bad. Who knew?
My GIPL Rating: 2, for how many platforms I own this game on now
Fast RMX (Switch)
I've had my eye on this game for several years now, especially with F-Zero's perennial absence in any and all Nintendo announcements since the GameCube era. And while not quite reaching F-Zero-levels of awesome, this futuristic racer is about as close as one can come. The game has different parts of the track that are orange/blue respectively, requiring the player to switch his engine color on the fly while also using his mind's eye just to stay on the track. It's a challenging experience, to say the least, and adds nicely to the foundation built on its Nintendo-born inspiration. The variety of racing machines are excellent, as are the several dozen unique tracks. My only complaint about this game is a lack of any structured story mode. There's only so much that one can get from this game by himself, and I live like 1200 miles from most people reading this, so
My GIPL Rating: A-
Castlevania (3DS Virtual Console)
Like I'd mentioned before about the OG Super Mario Bros, it's always bothered me that I haven't finished NES Castlevania. So $4 and a few hours later, I rectified that hole in my resume. I'm not sure how this game is possible to beat w/o save states, but with them the game was quite enjoyable, especially considering it's age. The above Death fight was the most agonizing moment, especially considering the infamous room leading up to it, but the Dracula boss is perfectly balanced and satisfying. Considering this games influence, it's a must play for those who respect video game history.
My GIPL Rating:B+
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow (GBA)
After beating the original, I felt the need to go back and play my faves. I played this one all in one sitting on a cold Saturday afternoon. Turns out it's still amazing. There's only one that tops it...
My GIPL Rating: 2035
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, Julius Mode (DS)
Since I'd dabbled in the classic Castlevania vault since playing this the first time, I was inspired to play through my favorite Castlevania game as the greatest Belmont (@ me). Unfortunately, once I started using Yoko Belnades, I never used poor Julius again. Yoko"s magic allows you to tear through the fully-open castle, searching for every boss before attempting to fight poor Soma. The challenge was difficult (no healing items allowed!), but so much fun. I love this game.
My GIPL Rating: Wait, HE is Arikado? Wow I feel dumb for not seeing that sooner
Smash Ultimate (Switch)
Man, for a while it felt like this game would NEVER come out, despite the known release date and (as far as I know) the normal flow of time. But release it did, and man it's been worth the hype. Ridley, Simon, and Dark Samus were so, so welcome to this franchise, and I'm excited to see the identity of the other planned DLC fighters. I've already sunk 100 hours into this one, and that was while I was simultaneously on 2 intense inpatient rotations. Play this one if you haven't; there's nothing I can say that hasn't already been said.
My GIPL Rating: A+
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon (Switch)
Remember when I talked about the urge to play OG Castlevania? This game is where the urge came from. After watching the excellent Castlevania anime, I wanted to play something similar. Still anticipating the release of Ritual of the Knight, I decided to play this prequel/homage to CV3. This game looks and sounds exquisite. It captures the difficulty and feel of the classic CV games, yet is somehow not as frustrating and feels more playable, even on the normal or 'classic' difficulty. The game was excellent in its own right, and built up plenty of hype for this summer's main event.
My GIPL Rating: A+
Celeste (Switch)
Maybe no indie game since Super Meat Boy has had so much acclaim and hype associated with it. As a so-called 'rage' platformer, I, as a platform enthusiast, eventually got around to playing it. The gameplay was tight and fun, if not terribly groundbreaking. Reports of its difficulty were severely over-exaggerated; yes, parts were challenging, but the core story came nowhere near breaking me like Super Meat Boy did. The story was nice but again, not nearly as profound as I kept hearing. Definitely no Mother 3. I did really enjoy the temple level, which was very non-linear and kind of played out like a Metroid-lite sequence. It's worth checking out if you haven't already.
My GIPL Rating: B
Transistor (Switch)
By the devs of Bastion, one of my favorite indie games ever, Transistor adds narrative voice-acting to another isometric action game. The combat is built around planning moves in advance and executing them in a sequence. Personally, I think the action falls flat on its face. It basically involves you setting up the same combos over and over again, watching them happen, then hiding from the enemies until your moves recharge. It was cool that each 'attack' could also be used to add a passive bonus or augment another ability, but few of these options fundamentally changed you play the game. The story, like Bastion's, was cryptic and unfolded slowly and mysteriously throughout the game. Unlike Bastion, the late-game reveals didn't really hit home for me. To sum up, this one fails to live up to its predecessor.
My GIPL Rating: C
Pokemon Blue (GB)
Feeling nostalgic, I completed my 279th playthrough of this game. I used an Omanyte and Omastar, which was awesome.
My GIPL Rating: H for Helix
Yoku's Island Express (Switch)
This is the most beautiful blend of two genres I've ever seen. A true non-linear exploration platformer with a core pinball mechanic that feels great. Taking control of a dung beetle postman traversing the island to lift a curse on the island's deity, you'll stumble across environmentally-integrated pinball tables of various shapes and sizes. The world is beautiful and fun to explore, and the pinball tables are easy to navigate even for pinball dopes like me. Introducing interesting mechanics and full of motivation to explore, this one is a lot of fun that more people should be talking about.
My GIPL Rating: A
Specter of Torment (3DS)
Well, King of Cards got delayed, so I expressed my sorrow by replaying this one. This game absolutely rules, not much else to say about it.
My GIPL Rating: SSS (Spooky Specter Scythe)
9 Hours 9 Persons 9 Doors (DS)
Played this one on recommendation from my Ranked Rehab co-host. It follows a kidnapped college student named Junpei who is trapped on an early 20th century boat with 8 other folks. They have to go through a series of numbered doors, each containing environmental puzzles, to slowly unlock the mysteries of their situation, and most importantly, escape. The 'point-and-click' puzzles were a lot of fun, and the story was interesting and took some unexpected turns. There's two more games in the series that I'm planning on getting around to eventually. For more of me n Craig's thoughts on this game, be on the lookout for our next episode of Ranked Rehab, hopefully out soon...
My GIPL Rating: A-
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn (Wii)
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| It's hard to find an interesting FE screenshot |
This is it, my new favorite Fire Emblem game. What's weird, there are a lot of individual components of this game that I don't care for. The support system is limited and doesn't show any unique dialogue between units. The story, especially anything that has to do with Micaiah, really goes off the rails towards the end. All of the armies and units are so disjointed and the availability of some of my favorite units (Lucia) is extremely low. But on the flipside, having two lengthy games to get to know these characters builds fond familiarity, and the over-arching story that has been building over these two games leads to easily the most epic final chapter in the franchise. The maps are very well-designed and adequately challenging, and the best elements of Path of Radiance's gameplay, such as bonus experience, sick around as well. Despite some of the drawbacks, this one is still numero uno in my book. If you're a fan of the series, you've GOT to play this one if you haven't yet. But, you know, play PoR first.
My GIPL Rating: S
I know its been a long time since I've dropped anything on this blog. It's been a pretty transitional time in my life, so I haven't been super motivated to put out content. Thanks as always for those of you who've made it this far. A winner is you.
