52 Games Challenge 2025!!!

[bikingjahuty]

17. Star Fox (SNES)

Seeing how much I adore Star Fox 64, I expected that when I finally got around to playing its predecessor, I'd fall in love with it to, or at least find it mostly enjoyable. Unfortunately, I found a game way, WAY too ambitious for the hardware it was released on, even with the assistance of the Super FX chip that enabled this game to have its 3D polygon graphics. Star Fox is nearly unplayable. Between the terrible framerate, poor stage design, and completely broken aiming system, this game is all flash and almost no substance...I mean, if you want to call horrendous 3D graphics on a console that was never meant to have them "flash." This game's gross presentation is only rivaled by its way more gross gameplay which made it very difficult to hit anything and to avoid getting hit, especially in the later stages. I will give the game some credit with its bosses, but again, playing Star Fox is like playing a game inside of a slideshow rather than a game that's supposed to be fluidly animated. I will give credit to the OST which I found decent, but nothing to wrote home about. I never thought Star Fox on the SNES would be as good as 64, but I can safely say it's a game that should have waited to come out on the N64, or any console that could have actually handled what Star Fox was trying to do, but failed at miserably. (2/24/25) [20/50]

[bikingjahuty]

18. Super Mario Kart (SNES)

I got on a bit on an SNES kick tonight so I decided to revisit a game I played a lot of as a kid, but haven't touched for nearly 30-years.


For what it was at the time, Super Mario Kart created the kart racer sub genre of racing games and while the game hasn't necessarily aged all that well, it's still pretty fun to play. Not only that, but it reminded me why I used to spend hours at one of my neighbors houses growing up playing this game and getting better and better at it. Unfortunately the skill ceiling in Super Mario Kart isn't that high despite the game getting noticeably more difficult in the higher CC races, but still, the overall lack of dynamic gameplay makes it easy to get used to the tracks and win pretty consistently. I found items difficult to use strategically or effectively for the most part, but their inclusion certainly adds to why this game was pretty memorable. As for tracks, there isn't nearly as much variety as there would be in later franchise installments, and many of the tracks looks like alternative versions of each other which also adds to the lack of track diversity in this game. There are also only 8 racers, but for the most part all the main Mario stables of the time are there to select. The OST in this game is super catchy and is still very enjoyable to play. As I said, this game hasn't aged the best seeing how far the genre has come since its humble beginnings with Super Mario Kart. Still, whether or not you have a past connection with this game, it's still easy to have fun with it despite most other Kart racers released in the past decade being a fair amount better. (2/25/25) [32/50]

[kashell]

24. Mega Man X

Not my GoaT, but still a GoaT. If I finished X2 - X4, then I had to finish the original. It was a nice way to kill some time and relive some memories yet again. I did as little backtracking as possible, which was fun since I only had to visit Spark Mandrill's stage (that music!!) once. I also got the hadoken which took out Vile and Sigma's pup in one, lovely hit.

[Cartagia]

Superhot didn't take long to beat at all.  I really wish there was more of it.  It's a hyperstylized FPS where nothing moves unless you do, so it's really more of a puzzle game.  I had a lot if fun figuring out the levels.  I could have easily played a couple of more hours.

[bikingjahuty]

19. Pokemon Gold (3DS)

Pokemon Gen 2 (Gold/Silver/Crystal) marks a bit of a bitter sweet period in the series for me. I was an early adopter of Pokemon in North America and was one of the first kids at my middle school to start playing Red/Blue version before Pokemon would eventually explode into the global phenomena it would become about a year later. I adored Red version, caught all 151 Pokemon, and consumed every bit of Pokemon merchandise and media I could get my hands on. More or less, Pokemon was my life in 1999 and the better part of 2000s. Unfortunately while I waited for the highly anticipated Gold and Silver versions to come to the west, my fandom had begun to fade gradually following Pokemon the Movie 2000's release. It wasn't that I didn't like that movie, but rather like most things kids get really into, it was an interest of mine that ran its course until it was replaced by something else (anime, in case you were curious). By the time Pokemon Gold and Silver finally released, I was about a quarter the Pokemon fan I was about a year ago and subsequently not nearly as much into m newly bought Gold version as I was Red version back when I first played it. By the time Pokemon 3: The Movie came out aroun mid-2001, I was barely into Pokemon at all anymore. What this essentially meant for my initial playthrough of Pokemon Gold is I never finished it, getting about halfway through the initial Johto campaign before abandoning the game.


Over the years since then, I felt as thought I made a critical mistake in dropping Pokemon Gold as a kid, seeing how it offers practically everything I loved about Pokemon Red and amplifies it by several magnitudes. On paper, it should be my favorite Pokemon game by a mile, but after finally beating the game nearly 25 years after initially dropping the game, I can say with absolute certainty that it's not.


Make no mistake, Pokemon Gold is an improvement over all its Gen 1 Gameboy counterparts in nearly every way. Not only does it boost the roster of Pokemon by 100 new creatures, but they maintain the same degree of quality as Gen 1's roster. Then of course, there's all the additions the games presentation and gameplay such as better battle animations, more detailed Pokemon sprites, and of course color thanks to being released on the more advanced GBC. As mentioned, gameplay was also improved by making battling a much more deep and dynamic system then before, the addition of many new moves and new Pokemon types, and a much more interesting story that ties it all together. I found your rival and antagonist in Gold to be a way more compelling character than the one found in Red/Blue/Yellow as well. There are also the additions of berries and items Pokemon can hold and use in combat, acorns which can be used to craft specialized types of Pokeballs, people you can friend and call, or annoying be called by at inopportune times, and a day and night system that can impact what types of Pokemon you see or when certain characters appear in specific areas. And perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of Pokemon Gold is the fact that the game is only about halfway over by the time you beat the Pokemon League and see the credits roll. The game completely opens up to the Kanto region for you to revisit old areas, characters, and gyms from Gen 1, albeit as future versions of themselves seeing how Gen 2 is also a canonical sequel to Gen 1. This all sounds like a massive leap forward compared to Gen 1, and in many ways it absolutely is. Yet, even years later I still don't personally enjoy it more than Pokemon Red despite Gold and Silver being objectively better games.


Perhaps the only area of Pokemon Gold, and by extension Silver and Crystal version I don't think is an objective improvement is the game's audio. I prefer the OST of Red version more, and as for the sound effects and Pokemon noises, they all mostly sound the same as the previous game. I can't say I like one more than the other, but at the very least I enjoy them the same.


Pokemon Gold is a fun, enjoyable game, no questions there whatsoever. Unfortunately, the simplicity and my own personal connection to Pokemon Red and Gen 1 as a whole makes those games a more enjoyable experience for me personally. I sorely wish I liked Pokemon Gold more seeing how its technically the superior game, but it just doesn't do it for me the same way my beloved Red version does. On a side note, Red version isn't even my favorite Pokemon game. Years back before I started reviewing and scoring my games, I played Pokemon Omega Ruby and that game holds the distinction as the best Pokemon game I've ever played. I wonder if I'd still feel that way if i went back and replayed it, but that's a review for another time. If you're a fan of Pokemon, especially a way bigger fan than me currently, which would not be difficult to achieve, you will probably adore this game, or its newer remake Pokemon Heartgold. It's definitely a fun, enjoyable gameplay and definitely raised the bar for Pokemon as a series when it originally came out. (2/26/25) [36/50]

[bikingjahuty]

20. Mario Kart Arcade GP DX (Arcade)

I've seen Mario Kart Arcade GP DX at the many arcades I've frequented for years, but outside casually playing a race or two a handful of times, I've never actually sat down with the game to really take it in and see how good it actually is. Well, that's exactly what I did tonight and after nearly $30 in quarters, I played through every cup and track in GP DX and am ready to give it a full review!


Mario Kart Arcade GP DX is a pretty awesome game for what it is. The presentation of this game is by far its greatest asset, as the stages are all vibrant, interesting, and full of Nintendo characters and charm. Because this game was codeveloped by Namco, it also has touches from various Namco properties as well including a few of their characters as playable racers. Speaking of racers, as you'd expect, the racers all have their own stats, pros, and cons, which make this game feel fairly dynamic to play...sort of. While the presentation is amazing, the gameplay is good, but not great. Likely because of it being an arcade game, the gameplay is noticeably more shallow and simplistic than most other console Mario Kart games. In particular I really didn't care for you kart and the items available to you being selected at random before the stage, and your item drops being limited to just three types. The preselected items you can get during a race really limit any competitiveness and depth this game could have had otherwise, and it's even more of a shame since many of the items you can get are among the most unique of any Mario Kart game. Luckily, despite this the controls of GP DX are smooth, fluid, and relatively easy to get a handle on. The drift mechanic is fun to execute with the physical brake pedal on the machine, and the tracks are well suited to the abilities granted to you by the way each kart controls. I had never once felt like leaving GP DX prematurely before finishing all the races, which was in large part to how enjoyable this game is to play despite its gameplay limitations and overall shallowness. Finally, the game's OST is pretty good as well. There weren't any tracks that blew my mind, but it is all appropriate and serviceable to the action going on in front of you, and definitely adds to the game's charm and enjoyment. While Mario Kart Arcade GP DX may lack the iconic feel of racing games like Daytona USA or Crazy Taxi, it's still nearly just as much fun to play which is a massive win for modern arcade goers in my book. Drop some change on this one if you haven't already, it's pretty fun. (2/27/25) [35/50]

[bikingjahuty]

21. Dead or Alive Dimensions (3DS)

Funny enough, DOA Dimensions was the very first 3DS game I ever played, at least a demo of it. I was at a Best Buy around the time the 3DS first came out and they had a demo kiosk for Nintendo's then new handheld in the video game section. I remember thinking the 3D effect was a cool gimmick, and as for the game, I was impressed it was able to run DOA so well and with the faithfulness of some of the earlier console releases like DOA2 on the Dreamcast. Years later, I finally played the full version of DOA Dimensions, beating the Campaign mode and unlocking the entire roster of playable characters, and I can say this is definitely a worthwhile entry in the series despite some compromises to get it running on a 2011 handheld system.


For the most part, DOA Dimensions looks great. While it lacks the fidelity and framerate of the console releases, it still faithfully captures the looks, feel, and gameplay of those console games. The framerate issues mostly cropped up during cutscenes, which is fine since they were almost non existent during matches. There is also an odd mix of still character model cutscenes, fully animated 3D cutscenes with the in game models, and then fully rendered 3D cutscenes taken from the various character endings from DOA4 and a few other entries. Speaking of DOA4, as well as its three mainline predecessors, Dimensions acts as a bit of a dream match, greatest hits that brings together all the characters from the first four DOA games and allows you to play as all of them. There are also a good mix of stages, music, and other attributes from DOA 1 through 4 that made this a cool way to revisit those older titles. However, the single best thing about reperesenting DOA 1, 2, 3, and 4 in one game is a very well done recap of all their stories, all excellently brought together in the game's campaign mode. This mode is where I spent the bulk of my time playing this game, and I learned many things about the DOA story and specific characters I was completely unaware of despite having played all the previous mainline DOA games. Finally, the audio of Dimensions is excellent, bring back some of the best tracks of DOA 1 through 4. I feel like DOA2's OST might have been a bit over represented in this game, but I'm not complaining since it's the strongest of the original 4 DOA games imo. There is also some very well done voice acting for each of the characters, filled to the brim with anime melodrama and various other soup opera like tropes that makes lots of more over the top Japanese media so entertaining. I am happy I finally got to play DOA Dimensions, and surprisingly like it more than various mainline games in the series. That's definitely something I never thought I'd be saying after my time with DOA Dimensions, but I suppose crazier things have happened. (2/28/25) [36/50]

[marvelvscapcom2]

12. Madden NFL 25 [PS5] Finished - Feb 27th, 2025



I count beating the game as winning the superbowl and playing all 19 games to get there. A full season. No skips. No simulations. Felt like a beat to me.

It's Madden. No frills about that. However its probably the most concise and sorted out Madden since my childhood days with the franchise. Then running mechanics feel tight. The passes and especially defensive plays on zone coverage feel like they give more user control than before. The soundtrack harkons back to old maddens from 2005 to 2016. The icons. And overall. It looks and plays smooth. A fairly decent madden. Considering most of the recent ones suck.  I also think the coaching system is well oiled and the play schemes are clear. Had fun with it.

Rating - 85/100

[marvelvscapcom2]

13. South Park: The Fractured But Whole [PS4] Finished - Feb 28th, 2025




South Park to me is a legacy franchise, it is up there with the simpsons and things like king of the hill but as a child I definitely watched it more.  This game is one big glorious 40 hour south park episode.  And that is a sell and a half.


The game follows the story of "new kid" again but this time as a 4th grader with an unorthodox time warping ass that farts different power abilities in an ever expanding super hero franchise battle between coon and friends (marvel) and freedom pals (DC).

The town of south park is free to explore at liesure. It is brimming with easter eggs from the show. From Mr. Hankey. To towlie. To shows on the tv being Terrence and Phillip.  Cameos of pretty much every main character. Its flawless south park fan service. It really is.

I wanted to be free with other creatures like me but now I got my wish.... because I know that im a gay fish lol.


The game focuses on things such as pronouns, gender, religion, income brackets. And you aquire artificats that upgrade your individual attributes and can choose between many different attack abilities. Its a full fledged grid style RPG. And a really epic one.  The show may be jokes but the gameplay is nothing but. It is serious. It is deep. And it's really freaking FUN.


I have beaten this game twice now. But this is genuinely one of the best games based off a tv show ever. It is funny. Very S13 southpark.  Super heroes. Puns. Insults. And brutal crude humor. 

You literally fart on a crab people, aliens, a weed sobriety towel, evil woodland critters and a alcoholic Randy with a time bending burrito gas made by morgan freeman.  I leave with no context. If that dont sell the game. Nothing will.


Collecting memberberries, yaoi art (craig and tweek hentai) and also the toilets leave a lot to explore.  What a sick, gross and crude but overly hilarious game.

Rating - 97/100

[bikingjahuty]

13. South Park: The Fractured But Whole [PS4] Finished - Feb 28th, 2025




South Park to me is a legacy franchise, it is up there with the simpsons and things like king of the hill but as a child I definitely watched it more.  This game is one big glorious 40 hour south park episode.  And that is a sell and a half.


The game follows the story of "new kid" again but this time as a 4th grader with an unorthodox time warping ass that farts different power abilities in an ever expanding super hero franchise battle between coon and friends (marvel) and freedom pals (DC).

The town of south park is free to explore at liesure. It is brimming with easter eggs from the show. From Mr. Hankey. To towlie. To shows on the tv being Terrence and Phillip.  Cameos of pretty much every main character. Its flawless south park fan service. It really is.

I wanted to be free with other creatures like me but now I got my wish.... because I know that im a gay fish lol.


The game focuses on things such as pronouns, gender, religion, income brackets. And you aquire artificats that upgrade your individual attributes and can choose between many different attack abilities. Its a full fledged grid style RPG. And a really epic one.  The show may be jokes but the gameplay is nothing but. It is serious. It is deep. And it's really freaking FUN.


I have beaten this game twice now. But this is genuinely one of the best games based off a tv show ever. It is funny. Very S13 southpark.  Super heroes. Puns. Insults. And brutal crude humor. 

You literally fart on a crab people, aliens, a weed sobriety towel, evil woodland critters and a alcoholic Randy with a time bending burrito gas made by morgan freeman.  I leave with no context. If that dont sell the game. Nothing will.


Collecting memberberries, yaoi art (craig and tweek hentai) and also the toilets leave a lot to explore.  What a sick, gross and crude but overly hilarious game.

Rating - 97/100

I loved this game, but definitely prefer Stick of Truth. I'm with you about the series though; I've been watching South Park since season 1 (when I was probably way too young to be watching it) and still love it to this day. I haven't been as big of a fan of the Specials format over the last few years, and it would be nice to get actual seasons again that are at least 8 episodes long.

[marvelvscapcom2]

13. South Park: The Fractured But Whole [PS4] Finished - Feb 28th, 2025




South Park to me is a legacy franchise, it is up there with the simpsons and things like king of the hill but as a child I definitely watched it more.  This game is one big glorious 40 hour south park episode.  And that is a sell and a half.


The game follows the story of "new kid" again but this time as a 4th grader with an unorthodox time warping ass that farts different power abilities in an ever expanding super hero franchise battle between coon and friends (marvel) and freedom pals (DC).

The town of south park is free to explore at liesure. It is brimming with easter eggs from the show. From Mr. Hankey. To towlie. To shows on the tv being Terrence and Phillip.  Cameos of pretty much every main character. Its flawless south park fan service. It really is.

I wanted to be free with other creatures like me but now I got my wish.... because I know that im a gay fish lol.


The game focuses on things such as pronouns, gender, religion, income brackets. And you aquire artificats that upgrade your individual attributes and can choose between many different attack abilities. Its a full fledged grid style RPG. And a really epic one.  The show may be jokes but the gameplay is nothing but. It is serious. It is deep. And it's really freaking FUN.


I have beaten this game twice now. But this is genuinely one of the best games based off a tv show ever. It is funny. Very S13 southpark.  Super heroes. Puns. Insults. And brutal crude humor. 

You literally fart on a crab people, aliens, a weed sobriety towel, evil woodland critters and a alcoholic Randy with a time bending burrito gas made by morgan freeman.  I leave with no context. If that dont sell the game. Nothing will.


Collecting memberberries, yaoi art (craig and tweek hentai) and also the toilets leave a lot to explore.  What a sick, gross and crude but overly hilarious game.

Rating - 97/100

I loved this game, but definitely prefer Stick of Truth. I'm with you about the series though; I've been watching South Park since season 1 (when I was probably way too young to be watching it) and still love it to this day. I haven't been as big of a fan of the Specials format over the last few years, and it would be nice to get actual seasons again that are at least 8 episodes long.

I have stick of truth downloaded on my PS4 because I loved FBW so much and am eager to try it. I loved how accessible south park was in this game. Felt like living an episode. Is the combat system the same in SOT or does it go more Final Fantasy style turn based? 

I had a similar experience with southpark. Def began young lol. Seasons 1 to maybe 21 were so consistent. A lot of the episodes have a time capsule effect too. I used to watch free episodes on south park studios back when they had most episodes free. Now they limit it to like 10. So I had to get HBO Max to watch    But then I sorta lost keeping up with it and never got around to the Pandemic specials even though I heard good things.  South Park is like a piece of social commentary that catalogs America from 1998-2020s in a very smart way. Rewatching old episodes makes me miss the times too.


I also had a big Family Guy phase but South Park has aged much better for me and the humor hits adult me much more consistently. 

[dhaabi]

I have stick of truth downloaded on my PS4 because I loved FBW so much and am eager to try it. I loved how accessible south park was in this game. Felt like living an episode. Is the combat system the same in SOT or does it go more Final Fantasy style turn based? 

The Stick of Truth is a much more straightforward game that utilizes a standard turned-based combat system that's simple to understand when compared to its sequel entry The Fractured but Whole. In my experience playing them, they were very much two different games regarding gameplay, but I enjoyed them both. The former is a short experience which I think works in its favor, while the latter takes about twice as long to complete and did overstay its welcome some toward the end. The Stick of Truth felt more like an episode, and The Fractured but Whole felt more like an ongoing narrative that's told over the course of an entire season. I don't think I necessarily enjoyed one more than the other, though—they both have their strengths.

[dhaabi]

12. Life Is Strange: Double Exposure || PlayStation 5 || 02.27.25



Before writing my final thoughts for Life Is Strange: Double Exposure, I referred to my notes about my time playing the previous series entry. My closing statement then was that future entries needed better grounding to be successful, and I think that the game's writers may have understood that too. As a result, the latest game serves as a formal sequel to the very first, which a majority of series veterans consider to be the best.

Set ten years after the events of Life Is Strange, Double Exposures features Max Caulfield who reprises her role as the game's protagonist. Having been scarred from that time, she's departed her home and has since traveled the country on her own. But in recent months, she's settled down on the opposite side of the country where she now acts as some sort of faculty figure on a college campus to teach photography. For a while, it seems as if Max has largely been able to overcome her past trauma while maintaining a more ordinary lifestyle, yet this positive growth fully backtracks as, just like in the first game, she's forced to grapple with the murder of someone close to her. With all this said, it would be in players' best interest to play the preceding entry prior to Double Exposure, as there are numerous plot references and general character development that relies upon the player's knowledge of such context; nevertheless, players can choose to begin with this sequel entry, but they will naturally miss out on a more comprehensive experience.

Moving forward, Max is not your average person as she's able to control time in various capacities. However, unlike her previous ordeal where Max was able to manipulate time by rewinding it, her powers have since changed, much to her surprise. Now, Max has become able to shift between two distinct timelines—one with the murder having happened and the other without—after creating a rift in reality. Additionally, these newfound powers grant her the ability to have a sort of preview sense of what's happening in the other timeline. Despite there being only one difference in how time has moved forward in each timeline, the murder serves as the catalyst, which means that the events following such moment in time vary significantly. With the goal of trying to solve who her friend's murderer is while simultaneously working toward prevent it from happening in this altered timeline, Max freely moves between the two. For much of the game, players will need to gather information in each of the two timelines to solve the mystery. While prioritizing story-focused gameplay that features choice-based outcomes, Double Exposure also incorporates light puzzle and even stealth sections to achieve goals.

Presented as a murder mystery of sorts, there is unexpectedly a lot of information to sift through, and much of it feels superfluous. To the game's credit, though, a high percentage of the game's dialogue and written text is optional as it serves world-building and character development purposes. Nevertheless, there are way too many things connected to Max's phone which serves as the information hub to the point where it obtrusively feels like micromanaging. With nearly every action taken—no matter how inconsequential it may be—some social media post, text message, journal entry, or character profile is being updated. And, to make things worse, the information is nearly doubled as those first two items are unique to each timeline. Apart from information directly related to characters, there is also a high number of items to observe and comment on during any given moment. Again, it's entirely optional, but I imagine many players fond of these types of games will want to seek out as much written dialogue there is. As somewhat of an aside, I also routinely found Max to be annoying. Despite being ten years older than she was previously shown in the first game, there doesn't seem to be much character growth by way of personality. In many circumstances, she comes across as a self-justified and nosy Nancy Drew type character as she decides to delve into the secrets of people's personal lives.

To be upfront, Double Exposure will not appeal to everyone, including those who are more drawn to this kind of story-driven adventure game. The game clearly has its own audience that it's written for, and that fact permeates all throughout the gameplay experience. Perhaps because of the game's setting of a college campus and that the majority of the game's cast are still relatively young, there seldom is a conversation where some sort of romantic issue isn't being mentioned. Alongside this fact also lies the level of writing which, in truth, was regularly cringey and especially so when dialogue concerns personal lives and not the overarching plot itself. Apart from these subjective aspects, vocal performances are generally okay. For some reason, there is a lot of auditory interruptions to be experienced, and it's made worse by just how much plays automatically while wandering about even when wanting to interact directly with something else. At the same time, there are some minor visual issues such as assets not loading in correctly, but these were few and far between.

Ultimately, Life Is Strange: Double Exposure is a game that will immediately alienate many potential players due to its content, themes, and tone, but I think this enables it to be the kind of game it's wanting to be without shame while better attracting more of that niche demographic. It is not without its faults on a more objective level, but I did find it to be one of the more successful entries within the series. The direction that's being taken for the series seems to now be fully grounded in Max's story with this latest entry, and I think that may have been the best decision for it in some time. I'm not particularly interested in extended series with one direct sequel following another, but I am curious to see what the follow-up game will be like, and hopefully this specific story can reach its close then.

[bikingjahuty]

22. Shinobi Legions (Saturn)

Despite owning a Genesis throughout most of the 90s, I never played Revenge of Shinobi or Shinobi III on that system. For better or worse, my introduction to the Shinobi franchise was actually Shinobi Legions on the Saturn which I played for the first time in the late 2000s when I first began collecting retro video games. I never beat Shinobi Legions, but have been meaning to go back and replay it for nearly 20 years at this point. I finally decided tonight was the night and fired it up on my Saturn. Unfortunately, the game fell way, way short of what I was hoping to get out of it.


Shinobi Legions is not a fun game to play. In fact, it's gameplay is okay at the best of times, and terrible at the worst. Poor level design throughout 2/3 of the game, annoying enemy types, unresponsive and annoying gameplay mechanics (mainly the double/spin jump, and some poorly designed boss fights make this game mostly an annoying slog to get through. Luckily there are in stage checkpoints which helped alleviate some of the frustration, but the fact that there are limited continues almost entirely negates this. In fact, the one thing that kept me going in Shinobi Legions had nothing to do with the gameplay at all, but rather its memorable visual presentation and audio.


I have to give Shinobi Legions credit for being the most unique and maybe even the most memorable game in the franchise. The game uses digitized graphics (ie. Mortal Kombat, Pit Fighter) which add to the games charm in a way, even if they can be somewhat ugly at times. The in game graphics and stages exude mid 90s video game charm when the industry was in a very experimental phase, and many different graphics styles and gameplay styles were being explored by big budget studios. Legions totally embodies this in its presentation, however that's not even the best part of the game's visuals. Between stages there are live action cutscenes that piece together the game's story which combined with the low budget costumes and sets, bad acting, nearly incoherent plot,  and crappy special effects, feels right out of some direct to video ninja movie you would have have as a VHS rental back in 1991. It's honestly so bad and cheesy, it's amazing if you're into some of those crappy ninja movies from the 80s and early 90s. These live action cutscenes are 90% of the reason I kept on playing, just to see what nonsensical direction the story would go in next. The other 10% why I kept playing mostly had to do with Shinobi Legions's surprisingly good audio.


The OST in this game is way better than it has any right to be. I guess there are audio differences between this game, and the PAL release, but for what it's worth, the US/Japanese OST is awesome with some very cool Japanese instrumental tracks scattered throughout. Sound effects are also good, but the real appeal to the ears had to do with the aforementioned soundtrack is needs to be heard.


I really wish I'd enjoyed playing Shinobi Legions more. It really is a unique, interesting game from an equally interesting period in video game history, but the gameplay and overall design is just too poorly designed and implemented to recommend this game. I'd actually recommend people skip this game entirely and just listen to the soundtrack and watch all the cutscenes on youtube to get most of what the game has to offer without having to suffer through playing it. The gameplay does have a few redeeming qualities, but not nearly enough to warrant a playthrough despite the game's fairly short length. (3/2/25) [26/50]