Part 5
40. Horizon Chase Turbo (Switch): I haven't played a ton of modern, retro-inspired games, but I was immediately attracted to this one because I got a heavy Outrun/Cruis'n USA vibe from it. While it shares more in common with the former, it's still a different type of game in that you race around circuits rather than going on some journey like you are in Outrun towards your eventual goal. I dramatically prefer the gameplay in Outrun despite the various regions you race in Horizon being unique and different than the last. I also appreciated the weather effects as well in this game. But again another area of Outrun I preferred was that you just raced, that's it. In Horizon you can literally run out of fuel and have to refill mid race by collecting fuel icons that float on various places on the track. While this wasn't a big deal most of the game, I ran out of fuel during several races, forcing me to restart, which was more than a little annoying. There are also other icons that float on the track such as additional nitros and also bonus point icons which you'll need to collect all of them to get a perfect score on each stage. The soundtrack is pretty good! It's a lot of synthwave and retrowave, however the limited number of songs and the fact that the sound fx are nothing special mean this game's overall sound is little more than above average in the end. Funny enough, playing this game made me realize that I often just wish I was playing an actual retro game rather than a modern game that is trying to imitate that retro experience. Horizon Chase Turbo is a pretty good game overall, but if given the choice to play this or Outrun, I'd definitely go with the latter. (8/2/19) [33/50]
41. Super Buster Bros (PS1): I've mentioned a retro gaming facebook page I belonged to before in my R-Type review. Anyways this group holds a monthly gaming tournament where a game is chosen and people in the group compete for the high score over the course of the month. This month was none other than Super Buster Bros, a game I've played a little, but never spent any significant amount of time playing. I found out why I never sunk any real time into this game while going for a high score. The game is fairly simplistic; you have a gun that shoots what looks like a dagger on the end of a rope (think the Hook Shot from Zelda) and you are tasked with destroying balls that bounce all over the stage. You also are given other obstacles and foes to deal with that increase the difficulty of this game. While this might sounds really fun, I found the game pretty boring and lost interest super fast despite playing long enough to have the current high score for this month so far (565,600 points in case you were curious). I just couldn't get into the game and I found the gameplay to be fairly primitive and overly simplistic, almost like a game you would have played on Atari back in the early 80s. However, the graphics are fun and cheerful and the music is upbeat, albeit not that memorable, but still decent. This isn't a game I could really see myself wanting to play again. (8/4/19) [27/50]
42 and 43. Metal Slug (PS2) and Metal Slug 2 (PS2): I have very foggy memories of playing one of the Metal Slug games, maybe several of them at various arcades growing up, but beyond being aware of it I was never really into this franchise when I was younger. I feel like now i have a greater appreciation of it, but still my limited of experience with it inspired me to take a look at it again and see what my current opinion of these games are. While there are quite a few of these games I decided to play the first one as well as its sequel as it was likely one of these two games, possibly both of them, that a played when I was younger. The first Metal Slug is a pretty fun, entertaining game. It's graphics and overall presentation are definitely the highlight of the game with very cool, war-like settings with a splash of anime, sci-fi and steampunk. The character animations are excellent as well and there weren't many 2D games in the arcade or otherwise that looked as good as this game in 1996. The sound in the first game is decent although it does little than to keep the game entertaining as you play it, and there weren't any particular tracks or other audio that caught my ear while playing. The gameplay is fairly simplistic as you're a lone soldier against a literal army of enemy soldiers, tanks, and other war machines as you make your way through the games different levels. There is always a lot going on on the screen which keeps things fun and interesting in a genre that can get fairly repetitive after a while, which Metal Slug certainly suffers from, but not to a fault like with other run and gun games. As for Metal Slug 2 it looks better and in some ways plays better in that you are given more vehicles, enemies, and level diversity, as well as something that might resemble a plot in how each level and various other themes seem to progress through the game, which definitely dulls the monotony described above, but not to a significant degree. Still, Metal Slug 2 is definitely an improvement on its sequel and the one I'd be more likely to go back and play if I ever do replay either of these games. (9/7/19) Metal Slug [33/50], Metal Slug 2 [35/50]
44. Deathsmiles (360): I feel like it's been a while since I reviewed a good shmup, and Deathsmiles is certainly a good one. While I have played much better shooters in my day, this game does not disappoint. Probably its two biggest draws are it's creative, colorful levels, characters, and enemies, as well as the gameplay which is among the most balanced I've played. The scoring system is also pretty fun too, which is why I initially started playing this game, as well as it being very Halloween themed with its various monster enemies and bosses. Unfortunately like most Cave games its OST was nothing special or memorable for the most part. While this game was pretty fun and enjoyable there was just something missing from it that really sucked me in the same way games like Radiant Silvergun, or even other Cave games like Mushihimesama Futari and Dodonpachi do. I guess it just felt very run of the mill modern-shmup to me, although saying that is denying it some well deserved credit for being a pretty fun game, and certainly one with checking out. (10/6/19) [36/60]
45. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PS1): See page 13 for full review (10/12/19) [47/50]
46. Grand Theft Auto III (PS2): I have a lot of fond memories of this game back around the time it came out in 2001. My best friend at the time and I were having a sleepover on a Friday night and we went to a local Blockbuster to try and find something to rent for the night. Unable to find anything that at least interested me, my friend suggest we rent Grand Theft Auto III which is a game I didn't even realize was out at the time. My only exposure to the series prior to this was one of the earlier top down titles that I'd briefly played and wasn't a big fan of, so to say my optimism and expectations of GTA3 were low would be an understatement. But unable to find anything else we felt like renting I reluctantly went along with my friend and we rented it for the night. And oh what a night that was! I don't think I've ever been so surprised by a game as I was with GTA3 that first night my friend and I played it. We were both absolutely addicted to this game and if memory serves me right we literally didn't sleep all night. Neither of us had ever played a game like it before, and what was supposed to be a one night sleepover turned into the whole weekend of us working jobs for the mob, running over innocent pedestrians, and stealing cars. For its time GTA3 was revolutionary and unlike anything anyone had played. However, a long time has passed since then and we've got multiple sequels to GTA3, each progressively better than the last. Because of this GTA3 has become somewhat of a relic of its time, which it's still a fun game, but unless you really want to scratch that early 2000s itch, GTA3 has been outdone in every possible way by all of its sequels. Regardless the gameplay is pretty good aside from some floaty car mechanics and clunky on-foot controlled. The shooting controls which rely on a lock on mechanic are also a but spotty, but mostly work. However, all of these mechanics work well together to allow you to fulfill all your wildest crime fantasies, with limitations of a game released in 2001 of course. There are various other problematic features in this game like having to go all the way back to where you receive a mission if you fail, which given how big the open world is can be very annoying and time consuming. There are also a few missions which are fairly tedious and cheap that I didn't like, but luckily there were only a handful of these. Aside from the gameplay, the music is decent, but what really steals the show in the audio department is the voice acting which utilizes some famous actors lending their voice to several characters. The graphics are nothing special, however the scope of Liberty City and the amount of detail and variety in a game from this era definitely require recognition as it was unmatched for its time. While GTA3 was a remarkable game back in the early 2000s, it's still a great game that really helped lay the foundation for future open world Rockstar games, as well as many copy cats, and even other games belonging to other genres. The importance of this game cannot be understated, however it has certainly been outdone repeatedly over the years. If you really want to see where it all began, or you have a lot of nostalgia for this game like me, it's definitely worth playing. (11/5/19) [38/50]
47. Alien vs. Predator (Arcade): This was never a game I played or even saw in the arcades growing up. I'm very familiar with other famous arcade beatem' ups of the 90s like The Simpsons and Die Hard Arcade, but I never knew about this one until well after all the arcades had sold off or scrapped this classic. I believe I found out there was a 2D AvP game in the mid 2000s when I was researching how to get Mugen working on my computer, which ended up being very surprising and awesome news. But anyhow, I've played this game several times via MAME and tonight I decided to play it with a more critical eye for the sake of this review. AvP is an excellent Beatem' Up, however it suffers from the same issues that plague virtually all other beat'em up; the fact that it's a beat'em up. I do enjoy this genre for the most part, but I'm also the first to admit its repetitiveness, not just in gameplay, but in enemy variety, bosses, and power ups. AvP is no different, however where it certainly stands above many other games of the genre is the outstanding presentation via its beautiful, detailed sprite graphics and its source material as well. Unlike a lot of beat'em ups AvP actually has a story, albeit a fairly generic one, but when combined with the Aliens and Predator lore it just works. It also helps motivate you to continue through the slog of killing hoards of enemies, which luckily are of a decent variety as you'll go against a variety of aliens, humans, machines, and even zombies. There are some cool bosses too, however the game literally recycles every single one, including the final boss, but because it's the alien queen it's somewhat excusable. The OST is unfortunately nothing to admire, nor is the limited voice acting of grunts and incoherent mumbling from the human and predator characters. I tried not to make this review sound negative, because it certainly was not a negative experience playing through AvP, but there are many things this game suffer from due to its genre and a variety of other factors that drag this title down.Otherwise though it's an excellent example of one of the better beat'em ups from the 90s. (11/5/19) [35/50]
48. The Simpsons (Arcade): Unlike AvP I actually do remember seeing this one in several arcades I visited growing up and played it a handful of times. Despite being a big fan of the show during the 90s, I don't remember ever being enamored with this game like many others Simpsons and arcade fans. Replaying it now gives me a glimpse into why that might be. It's a beat'em up, but unlike a lot of beat'em ups, this one is very, very basic gameplaywise; you have an attack button and a jump button, with the ability to do a jump attack if you'd like. That's it. Sure, Marge has a vacuum and bart has his skateboard, but it's all essentially the same. You can pick up various items to use, but this does very little to make the overall gameplay more appealing. The difficulty of the game doesn't lend itself well to these basic controls either, as it is punishingly difficult at times, to the point of downright cheapness. Despite the gameplay being a low point for this game, The Simpsons theme and setting makes this game appealing, especially for fans of the show. Konami got very creative with the levels, some of the enemies, and various other aspects to make this game feel very authentic with the source material. While the graphics do fit the look of the show well, there is a general lack of variety in most of the enemies which is a common sin of beat'em ups, and The Simpsons is no different. Still, the creativity in a lot of the levels makes up for this slightly. And then finally their in the OST which is pretty good as it uses a combination of original tracks and tracks from the show. Breaking all this down, this game is more interactive fan service for an early 90s Simpsons fan, more than a captivating arcade game. Still, it manages to have its moments despite being fairly perfunctory for the most part. (11/6/19) [31/50]
49. Sonic Mania Plus (Switch): I played through Sonic Mania once before on the PS4 back when it first came out and was digital only. When they announced it would be getting an enhanced physical release I knew I had to have this game, again. Ironically my preferred platform for Sonic games ever since Sega's demise on the console market has been on Nintendo consoles. So buying Sonic Mania Plus on the Switch was a no brainer. But anyhow, what do I think of Sonic Mania Plus; it's outstanding! As it one of the best 2D platformers I've ever played. What is most remarkable about Sonic Mania is that it feels like it very well could have been the successor to Sonic and Knuckles back in the late 90s; the game looks like it could have been made for the Saturn, and one can fantasize about an alternative universe where we got Sonic Mania instead of Sonic 3D Blast or Sonic Jam. The gameplay of Sonic Mania takes everything that made Sonic 3 and Sonic and Knuckles on the Genesis and makes it even better somehow. The controls absolutely feel very polished and arguably better than its 2D predecessors, however there is something to be desired in regards to the stage design of certain stages. I absolutely applaud Christian Whitehead and the team that made this game in creating new and original levels, however many of the newest levels are the weakest in terms of level design. Half the stages are remixed versions of old Sonic levels from previous games which feel right at home in this game, and the design is noticeably better on most of these stages. Sonic Mania is a gorgeous game with so much attention to detail, and amazing sprite based 2D graphics. It's one of those games that makes me wish more devs actually made their retro throwbacks in this style and give it the care and attention to detail that Sonic Mania displays. I'd go as far as to say it might be the best looking newer 2D games I've played in the last 15-years. Audio is absolutely incredible as well; I still think Sonic 3 and Sonic and Knuckles have the best Sonic OSTs of the entire franchise, but this one isn't far off. The game uses a combination of new tracks and remixed older tracks which all sound excellent and compliment this game in nearly every way. As I said, this game feels like it should have been released on the Saturn in 1997; it literally feels that authentic and true to Sonic's original 2D glory days. On a personal level I was very surprised to see that I actually like this game a hair more than Sonic 3 which is not only my main Sonic game from my childhood, but absolutely one of the most sentimental games for me, period. The improvements in gameplay, the incredible graphics, and absolutely awesome soundtrack literally give this game the edge over my fondness for Sonic 3 and all that games objective merits, Sonic Mania is just that good! (11/9/19) [41/50]
