- This is another one of those reviews where I have to point out up front that my completion was not legitimate because of using save states. In my defense, this was not entirely my fault! It wasnât just about gittin gud.
- The system where you only have 4 continues is pretty punishing, but I could have worked through that. I lost for the 4th time once in world 3, then replayed the entire game through that point, then did it again in world 4 and played my way all the way back to it. Having to do this in a metroidvania game really sucks, but it is not what made me take the cowardsâ way out and start using save states.
- This game is exceedingly, maddeningly buggy and glitchy. I soft-locked once when entering a door in the underwater world (5?). I soft-locked once when pausing and unpausing the game while standing on a breakable block. There is SO much that you want to like about Blaster Master, but the bugs are almost too much.
- Every little youtube âhistoryâ retrospective of this game takes time to call out the fact that Blaster Master was not very popular in Japan, and acts like thatâs mysterious and no one can figure out why. Maybe it was because the Japanese didnât think it was a âbad game,â but instead didnât care for the bad craftsmanship
- Now that thatâs out of the way, I have to admit that when Blaster Master actually functions as a piece of software, it is really fun. I even liked how the final power-up you get for Sophia III is something that sounds really awesome (drive on ceilings!) but in actual reality makes things way harder.
- Fighting to keep your gun upgrades when you get them, or having to go out of your way to find more, is a thrill ride. The most-powerful gun upgrade is extremely good, so it always feels worth it to fight tooth and nail to get it back (or to not lose it by getting hit)
- Having to fight your own pet frog as a boss is diabolical. Fred did nothing wrong!
- The music here is hit-or-miss, but the rest of the sound design has a real weight to it. Piloting Sophia III and shooting her guns feels good. Soundtrack does have some bangers, but also has some stuff thatâs way too repetitive and plain annoying.
- Final verdict is that while I canât really ârecommendâ this game, I did start having fun with it once I had forgiven myself for using save states and let myself get into its world.
ă”ăŒăăŁăł CLASSIC VIDYA REVIEW
Blaster Master
(Completed on 31 Jul 2024)
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Gallery / Sections / Bryce - Renderosity →
TIL Renderosity is still around. It's a real shame that Bryce3d doesn't run on modern systems. The things you can make with it, have a style all their own.
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ă”ăŒăăŁăł CLASSIC VIDYA REVIEW
resident evil 4
(Completed on 18 Jul 2024)
- Another one which counts as âretro vidyaâ because the main game is pretty much exactly the 2005 original
- You donât get motion controls like on the Wii original, and the textures are now in HD, but I think itâs the same game besides that
- Also includes TONS of extra content for after you beat the main campaign once
- Even from a casual playthrough, it is easy to see how deep this game is and how well-thought-out the combat system is. I imagine that another run through on Pro mode, as well as the other game modes unlocked when you finish, are VERY rewarding.
- It is so deep that I really found myself wishing I would have got into it back when it came out; I bet having motion controls is really special and I would have enjoyed it a lot.
- The decision to make you, the player, an extremely fragile character, while also not taking any fall damage at all, no matter what, was a stroke of genius
- Everything that made the first 3 games what they are can be found in re4: cheesy voice acting, cartoonish characters, the feeling of claustrophobia and not knowing whatâs around the next corner. Itâs all there and it all still works
- The merchant system, and the weapon upgrades you can purchase, can potentially make each individual play through a little bit different. Itâs not really like how today every single game has completely unnecessary ârpg elements,â just something you can choose to engage with if you want.
- Considering itâs been 20 years, Iâm sure this is something everyone has complained about by now, but the quick-time-events are all extremely annoying and unnecessary. Doing it during boss fights to dodge certain attacks is fine, but having to do it during cutscenes really sucks. It breaks the flow of the game completelyâ All anybody wants to do is get back into the awesome combat system, there is no need to delay this with pointless QTEs.
- By and large, HIGHLY recommend, and it so so so much better than the remake.
ă”ăŒăăŁăł CLASSIC VIDYA REVIEW
Densetsu no Stafy
(Completed on 13 Jul 2024)
- I knew nothing about this game going in, and only happened to play it when I saw it had been added to the Switch Online
- Didnât realize how short it was and got through it (or maybe just the first loop?) the same day I started it.
- There was never an official English version of this game, but that doesnât matter at all. You can get through the whole thing without knowing how to read moon rune
- That said, there does appear to be some kind of postgame, but it is unintelligible to me
- Basic gist of the game is that you will have to retrieve items requested by different characters, in little areas that youâre gated into. You do this by solving puzzles, and occasionally some combat. Like the tiniest possible version of a âmetroidvaniaâ.
- Each of the 3-4 room areas is discreet, thereâs never a reason to do any backtracking once youâve progressed
- Wonderful characters, music, and presentation, but other than that, itâs too-easy to the point of being kinda boring.
- However, this is perfect for my use case, which is practicing easier games with muh new arcade stick so I can hopefully one day git gud at shooters with it.
- Worth it to play for 30-45 mins to see if you like it, because if you do, there are three of these games available now, so youâll have plenty to enjoy
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Take on the NES Library →
If you like the classic vidya section of this site, you will love Take on the NES Library. Seems to be fairly well-established, but I had never heard of it before now.
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