- It’s kinda another one of those retro games you “have to” play, being such a classic and all. This was my first time through it, I never played as a kid.
- The first 20-30% of the game: Extremely fun! After that…. kinda a slog in places
- There are some rough edges where it’s really obvious that everyone was still figuring out “this whole 3d thing.”
- The ending pictured is what happens when you go straight through the regular levels, not the 100% ending. This game is too hard for my boomer reflexes, and the checkpoint system is too annoying, for me to attempt getting all the emeralds for the good ending.
- Speaking of the checkpoint system, the one here in Crash Bandicoot might be the worst one I have ever encountered. You are only allowed to save your game when you collect 3 of a certain token on a stage, and then you have to play a “bonus stage” to the end in order to get to the Save point. You can die in this bonus stage, get sent back to the level you were on, and finish it without ever saving. At that point, you have to decide whether to attempt the level again just to get a save, or keep going and hope there are Checkpoint tokens in the next level (usually there aren’t, in back to back levels)
- The deeper into the game you get, the worse the balancing is. I beat the final boss on my very first try. It took me probably 10 tries to beat the second boss in the game. I’m not sure this is because my skills were improving.
- While all of the bosses are pretty easy compared to the stages themselves, even the stages get weird at the end, difficulty-wise. The last 3-4 levels are not bad at all compared to some of the really awful ones in the middle of the game.
サーフィン CLASSIC VIDYA REVIEW
Crash Bandicoot
(Completed on 19 Feb 2024)
サーフィン WEB SURFIN
Wi-Fi jamming to knock out cameras suspected in nine Minnesota burglaries →
Stay safe out there frens. And remember, internet-of-shit devices NOT ALLOW
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サーフィン CLASSIC VIDYA REVIEW
Dead to Rights
(Completed on 2 Feb 2024)
- I played this because The Electric Underground said in one of his videos that it was a great action game. He was not wrong!
- Extremely well-told and fleshed out story, not just for a game of this age but overall.
- The voice acting is good, the music is great, the settings and characters are well made, and yet somehow none of that stuff gets in the way of gameplay like they would in a modern game. There are no unskippable cutscenes, no long walks where you don’t do anything, no “RPG elements.” The gameplay is all killer no filler.
- That being said, there are some segments which are a little too long or which just re-use settings from earlier in the game (this is the Gamecube we’re talking about; there obviously are limits to how much stuff you can put on a disc). Specifically Chapter 13 really feels like a slog. Not because it’s a break in the action, but because it’s pretty repetitive.
- I am not familiar with any of the creators of this game, but it is amazing that they managed to make both the gunplay and the unarmed fight sequences feel so good. Both are also simple on the surface, but surprisingly deep.
- The Shadow mechanic is also very fun and rewarding 🐕
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サーフィン CLASSIC VIDYA REVIEW
Super Castlevania IV
(Completed on 17 Jan 2024)
- It’s a little bit of a shame that I’ve already done the original Castlevania on NES, because this would be a great place to start
- This was made at a time when Konami could still make a character control with a “Castlevania feel,” the same way there’s a “Mario feel”
- Overall slightly easier than the original Castlevania, with a couple really brutal spots in some levels. The platforming is a lot more generous though
- Most boss fights aren’t too bad, and all of them are really fun
- Being able to whip in all directions feels awesome
- S-Tier soundtrack
- Something about the color palette used for text and UI elements is very comfy and nostalgic
サーフィン WEB SURFIN
Clicks Physical Keyboard →
This is so funny. I thought it was fake at first but apparently not?
サーフィン CLASSIC VIDYA REVIEW
Earthbound
(Completed on 2 Jan 2024)
- This had been on my list for a while, and since I got a pretty long uninterrupted Christmas Break this year, I figured now is the time. Nothing about it is particularly “wintery” — no season would be an inappropriate time for Earthbound
- Another one to file under “deserves the hype it gets.” It’s not perfect, and it’s not a ‘mystery’ why it didn’t sell very good in its day, but it still holds up really really well.
- I will keep the commentary about the ‘art style’ and ‘aesthetics’ and ‘setting’ to a minimum, however, I have to make mention that the soundtrack is like nothing you have ever heard. At times, it’s not even ‘music.’ Maybe I should say “sound design?” While there are real songs, some of which are great, there are also areas where the audio is designed to be grating/scary/nerve-racking. It really, really works.
- For an RPG, the game loop is very tight. Rather than feeling like you’re constantly grinding for levels, you can save outside of the next place you want to clear, and keep reloading and throwing yourself at it until you come up with a good strategy.
- One of the most satisfying battle systems of all time. The sounds are perfect, the attack animations are exciting, and every win feels earned. There is also a mechanic where if you run into an enemy who is way too weak for you, you automatically win instead of having to waste your time going in and out of the battle screen.
- 1990’s Japan’s vision of 1990’s America is completely unmatched, aesthetically. It is so hopeful, and so beautiful, it’s enough to bring you to tears if you’re a boomer like me who actually did live in that America and has memories of it.
