Well, this makes part 5 of my 52 games reviews. I guess it's a good starting point seeing how I was going to bump my first review in this part anyway :p
61. Resident Evil 2 (Dreamcast): It had been at least 15-years since I last played RE2, as well as RE3, but with the upcoming remake due in a few months and it being close to Halloween I felt like replaying RE2 again. Despite beating this game when I last played it over a decade ago I remembered very little about it so in a way it was almost like playing it for the first time again. So what did I think about this venerable survival horror classic? I thought it was pretty damn good overall! While it doesn't scare me or creep me out like it used to, it's still fun and there are plenty of tense moments throughout that make you dread going down a certain hallway or into a new room. Even though I played RE2 on Normal difficulty I didn't feel like the game was very hard. There were a few occasions where I found myself low on ammo and/or health items, but I never had to contemplate my next move carefully due to not having enough items to potentially survive. I understand there is an unlockable hard mode, which may provide this extra level of survival, but to be honest I don't have a lot of desire to replay this game for a while after completing both the Claire and Leon scenarios, in that order too by the way. That leads me to another gripe I have about this game; the split scenarios. I think it's a cool idea, however the bulk of each character's scenario plays over most of the same sections of the game, with mix ups in enemies, items, and key items, but these do very little to make you feel like you having a very different experience than the one you just finished with the other character. Where things do start to look way different is towards the end of each scenario, with each character having a different boss and the scenario B final boss being a site to behold. Overall, the combined story is pretty cool and it's enjoyable to see what the other character had to deal with while you were doing something else while playing through the different scenario; personally I liked Claire Scenario A the best. The graphics are great, at least for their time and the settings are excellent as well. Monsters are also really cool. The gameplay is mostly good, but I will admit that the tank control scheme is showing its age a lot in 2018 and I'm actually looking forward to the much more refined controls of the remake. Overall though it's easy to see why RE2 is so beloved by horror game fans and why it is considered one of the most essential PS1 games ever made. It just falls short on a personal level due to too much recycled gameplay between the two scenarios and aged controls. (10/19/18) [38/50]
62. House of the Dead 2 (Dreamcast): During the 90s whenever i went somewhere with arcade cabinets, House of the Dead ad its sequel were always two of my favorites that I'd pray would be there. I think the thing I liked the most about both games was the cool horror environment, localized dismemberment mechanic, and the zombie and horror-themed enemies. When I found out they were porting House of the Dead 2 to the Dreamcast I about lost my mind, and it was one of the very first Dreamcast games I bought back when the system was new. Over the years I played the hell out of House of the Dead 2, however with time I feel like my enjoyment for it has diminished slightly. Lightgun games in general are not well known for their replayability, but for one reason or another I have enjoyed popping House of the Dead 2 in every few years and playing through it which takes the better part of a half hour. I really enjoy the campy story and characters, the so bad it's good voice acting, and the settings are great as well. I loved the dark dreary city, and even the final two levels which have a much more refined look to them. Overall this is definitely one of the best lightgun shooters imo. So why has my enjoyment of it decreased slightly over time? Probably because I've beat it hundreds of time, but it could also be it no longer has that novelty it once did for me when it was an arcade only game, or even when it first came out for the Dreamcast. Either way, it's a fun game that has a lot of sentimental value to me if nothing else. (10/20/18) [36/50]
63. Resident Evil (PS4): This was one of the last games on my old top 10-games of all time that I needed to revisit before the end of the year, and what better time than to play it during the month of October, leading up to Halloween. And just to be clear I am talking about the 2002 remake of Resident Evil here, and also this is the HD port that most newer consoles have received. Resident Evil is still the scariest game I've ever played. It's been long enough since I last beat this game that I don't remember quite a bit of it, especially towards the end, but even the parts I do remember still invoke a sense of dread and terror; opening a new door I've never walked through and feeling the tension as the door loading screen appears is a feeling that was never lost on me. Having a zombie or hunter pop out of nowhere and scare the crap out of me still happened a lot; dreading going into a room that held a boss or a Crimson Head was still with me throughout the whole game. And none of that is mentioning the outstanding graphics which still look incredible today and really add to the games rich atmosphere and very interesting setting. The music also adds to this immensely as well, no doubt making you even more scared than if the music had been handled less skillfully. As I said, the mansion and its surrounding areas are incredibly creepy and interesting at the same time, especially seeing how they are all interconnected. Despite being scared through the entire game, I had a hell of a time! The only real criticism of this game I have are the controls, which as much as I hate to admit, have not aged well. There were several times that evading enemies between camera transitions or trying to solve certain puzzles became really annoying and frustrating given the tank control scheme and how the directional pad changed depending on how you entered a new part of the area you are in. However, they were manageable for most of the game and outside of a few brief parts they didn't distract much from how amazing this game is. I wasn't quite sure if Resident Evil remake would make it back in my top 10 games given how long it had been since I last beat it and also because I've played so many great games since originally beating it, but I can definitively say that it will remain in my top 10 games of all time. (10/24/18) [44/50]
64. Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (N64): I remember how big an event Shadows of the Empire was when it came out in the mid 90s; it was like a big event, second only to the release of an actual Star Wars film and I was super excited about it back then. Having recently got a Nintendo 64 at the time I was super hyped to get this game and I did for my 10th birthday along with Doom 64. I actually haven't beat Shadows of the Empire since originally playing through it around the time I got it. I would occasionally just play the ship stages like the famous Hoth level and also the final Skyhook level, but in terms of playing through the game from start to finish, including the on foot levels, it's been probably 20-years. So my impressions after beating it; it's really good still. Sure, the muddy N64 graphics have not aged well, but for the time they were pretty good looking, as were the varied and interesting levels which seemed to really encompass that Star Wars look and feel. Combine this with the soundtrack taken right from the original trilogy, plus some good original tracks, and you have one hell of a Star Wars experience. The gameplay is varied and fun as well, even between piloting stages or on foot stages. In one you are fighting an epic space battle and another you are taking down AT-AT walkers with tow cables. The on foot missions have you riding a series of trains in one, and the next using a jetpack to explore large canyons in search of Boba Fett. The levels are mostly just the right length too so none of them feel like they've outstayed their welcome. I do have to say that especially the on foot missions, the platforming and aiming can be a bit janky, but there was never a time where I wasn't able to overcome a certain jump or obstacle after a couple of tries. This is an excellent Star Wars game and one that I forgot how great it was until now. (10/25/18) [39/50]
65. Perfect Dark (N64): Here it is; the last of my old favorite games of all time that I needed to play before the end of the year. Growing up, I loved Goldeneye, and when Perfect Dark came out promising the same gameplay, but with better graphics I was immediately interested despite it not having the familiar protagonist. I remember playing this game for hours, doing a bunch of the side activities like the shooting range and setting up bot matches to hone my skills. It was easy to understand why this game ended up being one of my favorite games of all times from when I played it during the early 2000s. So what the hell happened? Despite my nostalgia for this game I found myself struggling to want to continue playing this game; the story was nothing special and in fact delves into bad scifi later on. While there were some cool new guns, improved shooting mechanics, and alternate fire modes, the improved gameplay over Goldeneye just didn't motivate me much to want to continue playing. Also, a fairly big annoyance I had as it got later in the game was often wondering where the hell I was supposed to go next, which involved me wandering around aimlessly until I found my next objective. By then, however, I was fairly board and just wanted to quit. Graphically the game is one of the best on the N64 thanks to the use of the expansion pack, but still looks outdated by todays standards. The music was pretty good, but nowhere on par with Goldeneye. It's no doubt that Perfect Dark is a much more polished game, however all that polish just doesn't create the same level of enjoyability as Goldeneye which really stands out as being the more iconic, fun game. I have to say that I am genuinely surprised by me not liking Perfect Dark as much as I used to, but it wouldn't be the first game on my old top 10 that got bumped off the list after replaying it this year. (10/26/18) [31/50]
66. Katamari Forever (PS3): i've always found the Katamri games to be oddly addictive; essentially all you do is go around and gradually roll up bigger and bigger objects with the point of completing some objective such as creating a giant ball of objects (aka a Katamari) that's 100m in diameter or rolling up a bunch of snowy objects to give a snowman his head. The game is incredibly qwarky and Japanese, and the end result is a fun, enjoyable, addictive, and oddly relaxing game. Katamari Forever is possibly the best in the series due to it having more modes and varied challenges than the other games, if memory serves e right, as well as great graphics and a fairly stable framerate no matter how much madness is occurring on the screen. I do have to say that some of the additional challenges for rolling up objects can be more frustrating than fun given the not always responsive or accurate controls, but the game does do well enough to make this game fun despite this ongoing issue at times. Also, many of the tracks in this game are the same, just remixed in various ways, but they all seem to fit the weird look and feel to the game very well. If you're looking for a fun, easy game to pick up there are few modern games that fit the bill better than Katamari Forever or pretty much any other game in the series. Not a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination, but still a great time. (11/1/18) [38/50]
67. Street Fighter Alpha 3 (Dreamcast): The Street Fighter Alpha series has long been an enigma to me, even when the games were coming out in the mid to late 90s. I only knew Street Fighter 2 and it's many versions, and I expected to get Street Fighter 3 next, so when the next installment was "Alpha" it had me slightly confused. But having access to all three Alpha titles, I decided to play the 3rd since I've heard it's the best one and I can easily see why people say that. The gameplay is among the most polished, solid, and balanced I've ever seen in any fighting game. With the exception of the final boss fight against M. Bison the game feels fair, balanced, and dynamic the whole time. There are no weird balancing issues or annoying gameplay quarks that hinder your enjoyment of how much fun this game is to play. Graphics-wise, Alpha 3 looks excellent, although it does use spritework that had been recycled among many Capcom fighting games for a while, and when compared to Street Fighter 3 which came out less than a year later, it looks noticeably less polished. The music is above average, but the sort of drum and bass techno tracks do little to distinguish themselves from the other tracks, which is a shame since Street Fighter games typically have excellent OSTs. This is definitely one of the best Street Fighter games, and certainly one of the most fun to play. (11/9/18) [39/50]
68. Dragon Ball FighterZ (PS4): Being a big fan of Dragon Ball Z I was pretty excited about this game when it was announced, and having played it for a decent amount of time I can say that it's a about what I expected. Its developer, ArcSys, developers of the Blazblue and Guilty Gear games, is good at making games that are flashy, colorful, and fast paced, however I feel like their games are usually just okay in terms of gameplay and keeping my interest. Fortunately DB FighterZ is slightly better than that, feeling more similar to Marvel vs. Capcom 2 than it does either of the ArcSys games mentioned above. Despite this, there is still a lot of ArcSys' style over substance calling card in this which is part of the reason I can't place this game on the same level as Marvel vs. Capcom 2. While we're making comparisons with MvC2, FighterZ lacks the relay value of that game, by allowing you to unlock 3 characters only, no new stages, and a variety of avatar and other trivial crap that does little to incentivize multiple playthroughs. Also, the story mode in this game is bad, like really boring; I've never watched Dragon Ball Super, but I pray it's not as boring as the ultra flat, derivative story in FighterZ. I also thought the music in this game lacked the punch of the soundtrack from the anime, but luckily the voice acting cast was there. This is definitely a well made, entertaining fighting game, and possibly the best ArcSYS ever made, but it lacks what it takes to be among the greats. (11/24/18) [35/50]
69. Super Smash Bros Ultimate (Switch): Before Smash Ultimate came out I was certain it would play and feel very similar to Smash 4 on the Wii U, with some minor balancing tweaks to characters, a few new stages and modes, but overall I thought I'd be playing an enhanced port of Smash on the Wii U. How wrong I was. This is by far the most refined, well balanced, and well made Smash game hands down, and not only that but it's one of the best fighting games I've ever played in that regard. There is an insane amount of content in this game and the best part is that most of it is unlockable. It was a joy to play as most characters in this game, many of which I've never really cared for in previous Smash games. Perhaps the biggest surprise was be finding myself enjoying characters like Captain Falcon and the Mii Fighter way more than I thought I ever would. Also Link, a staple of the franchise and someone whom I've never been that good with, somehow became my best character. I was also very surprised by the Spirits system and how addictive it was to try and collect all of them (which I am still far from completing btw). However, the Spirits system is also among my biggest gripes as well since many of the conditions for unlocking certain spirits I found to be way more annoying, tedious, and cheap than fun. I have zero criticisms of the OST in this game; it's so comprehensive and massive that it's impossible for me to say a bad thing about it. However, much of the voice acting in this game, not that there is a ton, is fairly average. Despite this, there is just so, so, so much content to love and enjoy, and while it does get a bit repetitive after a while, this game has been very hard to put down since it came out last week. (12/16/18) [44/50]
70. Sega Ages 2500 Vol. 16: Virtua Fighter 2 (PS2): Outside of having the arcade cabinet of Virtua Fighter 2, this is the version of VF2 that I've wanted the most since learning of its existence. It's by far the most arcade perfect port of this game out there, and the level of quality between this and the other home console ports, mainly the Saturn port which is the port I've spent the most time with, is pretty impressive. The biggest level of difference is the visuals which carry none of the compromises found in the Saturn port and look and feel just like they did in the arcade. The sound is pretty similar, especially the OST, but the sound FX are definitely better. Gameplay also surprisingly felt a lot better than the Saturn version, which is still far from perfect, but does not have the same amount of cheapness that I've been used to when playing through the Saturn version. Essentially the PS2 version renders the Saturn version obsolete, and I dare say makes owning an actual cabinet for Virtua Fighter 2 seem redundant. Given how much I adore this series and especially the first two games in it, this game is an absolute treat to experience. It's definitely not up there with the best fighting games i've ever played, but it's a welcome improvement to other versions of it that I've been forced to play for decades now. (12/25/18) [37/50]
