Category Archives: Games

Yoshi’s Story Review

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Yoshi is one of those characters who has gotten his share of video games but not as many as you probably would have expected. It’s a shame because there’s a ton of potential for more adventures with him and they just don’t happen a whole lot. Either way I can safely say that this is an all right game but one that ends wayyyyyy too fast and loses some points there. They did some interesting things with the gameplay and tried to stand out but it ultimately just didn’t work as well as it could have.

The general plot is basically that Yoshi and his buddies are having fun and getting into lots of trouble. They wander across different areas and have their jollies but at the end of the day it’s always a tricky situation. You can definitely appreciate the wholesomeness of the adventure all the way through but it’s over so fast. I want to say the game probably isn’t even 2 hours long. There are 6 levels here and each one is fairly short as you just have to collect a lot of fruits. Once you have enough fruit then the level ends abruptly. Otherwise you can technically keep looping in the level as it won’t end until you eat the fruit. I didn’t realize this during the first level so I was speeding along but once you know the objective then it gets easier.

The final boss is reasonably tough though as you learn what you need to do in order to beat him. Make no mistake though, as a whole this game is fairly easy and not one that is likely to give you a big challenge or anything like that. You’re playing this for the fun visuals and gameplay. The 2D platforming is similar to Mario but different at the same time as you can of course eat your enemies which is a bit different and you can glide using Yoshi’s fancy boots. That helps to really make things a bit different as well. Even the objective of eating the fruits is unique.

You’ll have a fun time playing through the game which is why it’s a shame that it’s not longer. You can easily picture playing through 20+ levels with this style and the game would get progressively harder as you go. I am curious what would happen if you lose enough times for all Yoshis to be captured though. Would it be a game over where you start back from level 1 or would they be saved? Ultimately I never got to find that out but if you lose enough times then you may be able to pull that off.

The graphics aren’t bad here. The animation style isn’t really my thing so it hasn’t aged as well as it could have but I still wouldn’t call it bad or anything like that. The soundtrack is also a bit on the forgettable side although the Yoshi song that plays after every level is fun. They can really sing and you aren’t likely to forget the tune after you have heard it. That’s how intense it gets.

There isn’t much in the way of replay value though. No extra zones that I could see and there weren’t any collectibles in the levels anyway. Maybe there is some kind of bonus content hidden in the game but it really looks like one of those games that’s one and done. You complete it and then that’s the end of the road. Nothing wrong with a game like that of course but that’s why I can’t wholeheartedly recommend this one the way that I would like to.

Overall, Yoshi’s Island has a high level of quality put into the levels and gameplay. That much is absolutely clear while playing it but I have to imagine that the team had a very short development time window. That would explain why it’s just so short. It feels like a game that is basically unfinished and so when you can play it for free like through the Switch Online it is a good bargain but I have to imagine that I would have been pretty disappointed if I had bought the game at full price. It wouldn’t last the evening, let along a full weekend. Yoshi’s definitely had better games in the present that I would much sooner recommend over this one.

Overall 5/10

Black Clover M: Rise of the Wizard King Review

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Okay it’s time to jump into the latest mobile adventure! This game got a ton of hype when it was announced. I feel like we had to wait months and months over in America for it, but this was definitely worth the wait. It’s a very ambitious title and one that should last you for a very long time. In a way the fact that it is so ambitious is why I didn’t last very long though. It’s the kind of game you would want to sit down and play for hours but you will have to dedicate a whole lot of time to it and I wasn’t prepared to do that just yet. I played all of the available levels but I won’t be sticking around for the next few years of updates.

The game covers a good chunk of the Black Clover manga and it’ll be interesting to see when it passes the anime. I suspect it will be a very long time since the game is very detailed so far so it covers the content rather slowly. Usually this only gets more and more noticeable as the game goes on to buy even more time. Even titles like Pokemon Go do this by holding onto the Pokemon and only releasing a few at a time. So yeah don’t expect this to go all the way to the end any time soon but the more content the better right? Black Clover fans can rest easy knowing that everything will be adapted here.

The gameplay is your classic turn based combat title. You have several attacks to choose form and you can use synergy to attack with combo moves. The gameplay is fairly simple and it’s also customizable so you can turn attack animations off to save time or have the computer play automatically for you. Of course the drawback there is that the AI is intentionally not very good so they will often make a whole lot of mistakes. It’s the price to be paid for convenience I suppose. You will get the hang of the game very quickly although mastering it is another story entirely.

See this is where the game gets a little too fancy. There are so many things to customize that it’s hard to know where to start. Characters have their gear to equip, attacks to level up, attacks to equip and leave on the bench, character ranks you have to use in order to get further level ups, bond ratings you have to improve, food, stats for the pyramid, etc. It just keeps on going and the UI gets very cramped very quickly. I think this could have absolutely been presented in a much clearer way to avoid all of the clicking. You’ll be clicking around through the menus constantly and it gets really distracting after a while. Particularly when you keep on getting collectibles and EXP at a high rate so you have to enter again and again and again.

There needs to be some shortcuts and such to make this faster. Fire Emblem Heroes for example still has the cleanest menus for a busy game like this. I was never confused or clicking on the wrong icon. Dragon Ball Legendz was another good one. I think Clover’s devs need to take some time to make the menus more polished. It’s great that they want to have so much content and for the people who take the game very seriously there will be a whole lot of depth to the gameplay. It’s just overwhelming for the casual gamer. I wouldn’t even call myself casual and it was a whole lot to take in.

I can already see how the game is poised to make a ton off of micro transactions with so many ways to make your characters stronger. If you want to style on your friends and beat people up then just pay some money and you can immediately get stronger. It’s that kind of game but that’s really all gatcha titles to an extent. So you can absolutely still play this as a freemium player and have access to all of the tools and items. It will just take you a little longer of course.

The graphics here are definitely impressive from start to finish. The game’s animations are very faithful to the anime and make good use of the CG character models. You won’t find much better looking graphics on the mobile and especially with the sheer number of cutscenes that are here. It almost feels like a full remake of the anime just with CG. The soundtrack is also very good. There are a good amount of tracks in the game although it would have been awesome if they could have grabbed the anime’s openings and ost in general. The cutscenes here don’t hit quite as hard without those.

It also goes without saying that as a mobile game there is a near infinite amount of replay value here. You could play this for years and likely not get to the end of the gameplay. That’s just how much content there is here and it’s an area where mobile does tend to dominate the competition. Gatcha games can only succeed for as long as they can churn out more and more content with the developers are quite aware of.

Overall, I do think this is a great game. It’s clear that a ton of time and resources was put into it. It could seamlessly make the jump over to consoles to be honest as there are so many cutscenes and such a big cast of characters. In a way that’s why it’s hard to do as a mobile title though because those games I am typically just playing a bit here and there with the exception of Pokemon Go which was made to be an outdoors experience. So I absolutely recommend this game but definitely treat it like a full console experience and you’ll be all set.

Overall 8/10

Dr. Mario 64 Review

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My Nintendo marathon continues with the classic Dr Mario title! This one definitely goes way back to the point where I can’t say that I really knew anything about it. Well, I’m proud to say that the game surpassed my expectations all the way through as it had a real story to help enhance the overall gameplay. It’s definitely a tough game so get ready to have to react very quickly. The blocks definitely don’t wait around and you need to get rid of all the viruses ASAP!

Basically the story involves an evil scientist deciding to spread a disease to everyone and he has an army of monsters protecting him. You get to choose at the start of the game who you want to play as, Wario or Dr. Mario. Naturally I went with the Doctor and from there on your adventure continues. Can you stop the scientist in his mad quest for power or is it all over for humanity? One thing’s for sure, without Bowser here this should be a little easier for the heroes compared to usual.

The gameplay is your classic Dr. Mario style but if you’re not familiar with it, I’ll explain. Basically blocks fall down from the sky and you have to carefully organize them so that they land on the virus of the same color. Once you have 3 blocks connected to the virus for a total of 4, all of them will be destroyed. You win the level when all of the viruses are destroyed but if the opponent does this first then you lose. Another thing to watch out for here is that when your opponent makes matches of his own, it causes extra blocks to fall on your side. That can mess up your strategy so be ready to adapt on the fly. Ultimately it doesn’t change your objective but if there’s a lot of debris on the top you may have to clear out some normal blocks from the bottom to shift things around.

Speed is absolutely your best asset here so move as fast as you can and you should be good. Always try to be a few steps ahead of your opponent and you’ll be fine. Obviously this is easier said than done though which is why I say that the game is very difficult. The more levels you go through, the faster the blocks start falling down and by the end it’s seriously hard to focus. Without access points you will probably have to replay the levels a whole lot of times. The worst part is when you make an error because that can sabotage a whole run. The game is very unforgiving in that area and of course there is still some RNG in the mix too as it all rides on how quickly your opponent moves. Underestimate him at your own peril.

The graphics are definitely pretty solid here. I won’t say they’re at the highest grade or anything like that but you always know what’s going on and the character models are on point. The soundtrack is a little more on the forgettable side but they work well enough to keep you calm while moving the blocks around. Would I prefer rock music? Yes, most definitely but it’s okay. I wouldn’t say the soundtrack is bad or anything like that.

The game’s overall length is fairly quick. It won’t take you long to beat the game and I couldn’t tell if there was any real replay value to be found here. I guess maybe in increasing your score and multiplayer but I do think the game could stand to have more content. With how easy the gameplay is from a development point of view, they really could have made dozens of levels here. I don’t get why more games don’t just make a super long story mode. Maybe they’re worried it would drag on? I figure having more content is almost always a good thing though.

Overall, Dr. Mario 64 is definitely a fun game. It’s one that is absolutely enhanced by the fact that it has a real story mode which is why more games should do that. It just makes the whole experience more memorable and it will stand out against other games in the same genre. The fact that it has more dialogue than the average Mario game is just an extra bonus. This is a game that really got forgotten by most so I recommend checking it out and seeing this little gem in Mario’s history. You just don’t want to miss it and I loved the Dr. Mario mobile game so this shows that the franchise still has a ton of untapped potential. Lets see Nintendo bring this one back into the spotlight already!

Overall 7/10

Pokemon Snap Review

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Pokemon Snap is one of those games I was heavily aware of but never really got to try playing back in the day. It looked like fun but at the same time I wasn’t about to shell out the big bucks back in the day just to take pictures of Pokemon. Well now with the Switch Online I can finally give it a shot and it is a lot of fun. It’s a little on the short side but it did take me two batches to complete it so maybe 4-5 hours total. There are 7 worlds where you get to go around and catch a bunch of Pokemon although the final world only has one as a final boss fight so maybe I should really say that there are 6 worlds.

Basically Todd is hired by Professor Oak to take a lot of pictures of each Pokemon to fill up the dex and this is really a top priority mission. When taking a picture you want to get the maximum amount of points and so there are a few criteria for this. First is the size of the Pokemon, the larger it is in your picture, the more points you get. Then you get points if you got the Pokemon in a cool pose. If the Pokemon is in the center of your photo then you get a X2 bonus. Finally if you got more than one of the same Pokemon in your shot then you get even more points.

Points are extremely important here because that’s how you unlock new powers and new worlds. The other factor is how many species you have taken a picture of so even if you don’t have a great shot, make sure you snap a picture of every Pokemon. You will keep on replaying the levels in order to get better shots until you’ve unlocked the next area and even then you can go back. In fact it’s not even that you can go back but that you must. See, there will always be some Pokemon you can’t get initially until you have their power up. For example you will unlock the apples to lure Pokemon to you, the Pester Ball to wake them up, and the whistle to make them dance and use their special abilities.

You will even be able to accelerate your car later on to bump into Pokemon and cause them to turn around. Note that you can’t control the car to move in any direction or anything like that but just speeding up is handy. Of course the car is already fast at some points which makes snapping the photos tricky so you want to keep that in mind. You need to have quick reaction times at all times in order to stay ahead or you will be putting yourself in a rather tricky predicament. Just try, try again until you’ve perfected your craft.

At the end of each level you choose one of each photo of a unique Pokemon that you’ve taken to give to Oak. If it’s your first time then there’s nothing to compare it to and it will be accepted right away but if you’ve already taken a photo before it will be compared and you can keep the better photo. Sometimes a photo that you think is better will end up having a lower score due to some of the criteria I mentioned earlier. It’s all very seamless though and I have to give the game massive credit for how clear the menus are. It never feels like a hassle to hand in the photos. All of the menus are very intuitive.

There are a ton of quality of life features within the game that make this feel like a AAA title. The levels are bite sized so they go over fast and the music is very calming. The soundtrack is really quiet solid all the way through and the graphics are nice too. This is definitely one of the higher end Nintendo 64 titles in those regards. Then the replay value is also considerable because there are so many ways you can try and tackle each level. Do you focus on apples or pester balls? Learning the reactions to each Pokemon will take time and then there’s RNG involved so sometimes a Pokemon will appear and other times it won’t. You have to memorize different chains of events for some while just waiting for others.

There’s just a whole lot of content here even if the main story isn’t very long. Also the decision to make the final photo with Mew an actual boss battle was brilliant. That was a lot of fun and just really stuck out next to the catches. It was a pretty fun way to end the game. Having a proper final boss is always a great idea after all and even once I beat the game there were plenty of secrets that I did not explore.

Overall, Pokemon Snap is a game that was developed very well. I had a lot of fun with this one. I still would have hesitated to buy this game at full price without a doubt but playing it now I can really appreciate the effort into it. I’ll definitely buy the new Pokemon Snap at some point although I would definitely like to wait for a true sale because again, as long as it’s around $50 or so it’s just not tempting enough to purchase. Granted, I’m sure the new one is longer with more Pokemon so maybe I should research just how long it is. In the meantime I recommend checking this one out.

Overall 7/10

Pokemon Stadium Review

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Pokemon Stadium was a huge game in my childhood. I played that game for so many hours back in the day! Well it’s good to have a proper revisit to the title and I have to say that it lives up to the hype. It’s also way more difficult than I remember though so I don’t know how I actually beat it so easily as a kid. Seriously these gym leaders and trainers are no joke and I died a considerable amount of times during this latest playthrough. Well what’s a game without a little challenge right?

There are a lot of different modes in this game as the content is truly impressive. You’ve got your classic battles of course but also quite a few minigames. The minigames are also quite a bit of fun, I definitely enjoyed playing through all of them real quick. The meat of the game is in the campaign mode though as you try to face off and defeat all of the gym leaders, their 3 trainers protecting them at every gym, and the elite four. You’re looking at close to 50 battles here and you have to win 4 battles in a row every time. If you lose at the third then you go all the way back. Without access points you would really be in a pickle I must say.

Part of what makes this tricky of course is that you have to select a team of 6 Pokemon and can’t switch after that until you beat the 4 opponents. So that’s 24 Pokemon to deal with and the trainers usually have different types than the Gym Leaders so you have to really try to bring a wide mix yourself. Type advantages are massive here as you will often oneshot your opponent if you’re super effective vs his Pokemon and the same is true of the reverse. Do you know what this means? It means you have to always strike first or it’s over. I beat all 3 Pokemon in one shot at times and my opponent did the same to me.

I would personally recommend picking 3 Pokemon who are super effective vs the gym leader and then 3 generally strong ones. Often that would mean Alakazam and two of the legendary birds on my team like Moltres and Articuno. At times I would have all 3 but it didn’t always work out. Another thing to really look at are movesets here. For example it can actually be better to pick Ivysaur than Venosaur based on the moves. It’s a little weird I know, took me some getting used to there. The downside of course is that they have lower stats so that can really be a problem as well. You definitely need to balance it a lot. Hey I still say whatever you do, make sure Alakazam is on your team, he hits like a tank!

The graphics are really good here. The character models are really high quality and it’s clear that a lot of time was put into them. The sound effects and ost are also extremely nostalgic. I remember them all so clearly after hearing them again and it’s awesome. If nothing else, play this game for the nostalgia because it’s amazing. Even if you’ve never played the game before you will be able to appreciate the heart in it.

Don’t be afraid of losing a lot as that will be natural. This game is super hard but also very satisfying to complete. There’s so much bonus content here as well and the replay value is extensive. If not for Pokemon Stadium 2 existing this is the kind of game you would basically keep on playing over and over again. It’s always impressive that Pokemon has so many great games although not surprising as it is one of the most successful franchises of all time. I should be back before too long with some Stadium 2 adventures so stay tuned!

Overall, Pokemon Stadium is definitely a game you should check out. It’s really a lot of fun and captures the Pokemon experience way better than most games. To date I wish they would make more titles in this series because it was so much fun. Yeah Battle Revolution doesn’t count because the gameplay mechanics were so bad there. I like the idea of every Pokemon level here being equalized and it’s all about the strategy of figuring out which Pokemon team to choose. Admittedly this means that RNG will always have a pretty strong hold over the matches to an extent but at least you are actually picking your own team. Bonus points for actually having minigames too as bonus content. You get a ton of bang for your buck on this one.

Overall 8/10

F-Zero X Review

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It’s time to jump back into the world of F-Zero thanks to the Switch Online expanded pack! I’ll be having quite a few reviews coming up soon so get ready for that folks. This one’s fairly basic but you can see how it would eventually lead to the ultimate F-Zero title for the Gamecube. I also have to give it some serious props for the soundtrack which was already really solid by this point. Definitely well ahead of its time.

There isn’t really a story mode here so you just jump straight into the races. There are 3 cups with 6 races left. Each race is a little under 2 minutes so long story short, you won’t be here very long. The stages are over as soon as you blink but the designs and level maps are good. You are having fun while you play these stages because of how fast you are moving. It can feel a little tough to control as you get used to the speed but once you do then you are set. The gameplay is very smooth after all and it’s high quality so you won’t be feeling any issues here. That is why F-Zero cannot be stopped.

There is a decent character roster here as well and the boosting after level 1 is a fun mechanic. It’s something that the series has always stuck with and that was a smart move. Basically when you boost, it eats up your health so you have to choose between going too fast and conserving health for the turns. If you die during the race after all then you will finish in last so you don’t want to do that. You have to focus up and just get ready but of course the more you master the stages, the more you can afford to be reckless.

The graphics are definitely pretty good, they are well ahead of their time. The colors are striking and the backgrounds are really good. You always know what is happening. I already spoke about the soundtrack of course which is really high tier. The fast paced music matches with how fast the cars are going. I can see it having a ton of replay value in the multiplayer setup even if that isn’t true for the single player experience. 18 levels can only go so far after all no matter how fun the game is.

Of course you’re playing it for free if you have the membership so I’d still recommend giving it a play. Paying full price back in the day would have been a little trickier. I think that is in part why it would ultimately die out as a series next to the other racers. It has enough unique features to make it stand out from the pack but aside from that you also need a good amount of content which is an area where it will end up lacking in the end. It’s the classic tale of a really fun game that is just over as soon as it has begun.

Another fun feature here is how you can choose between having super good acceleration or high max speed. I usually kept my meter in the middle but going all the way in one direction or the other is an interesting way to go. I can’t see any argument for using the lowest speed but having the highest speed could make sense if you’re an expert player who masters all the turns. After all, otherwise if you bump then with low acceleration you will be completely stuck so that would not be a good deal for you to make. You would really be sabotaging yourself.

So when starting out I would recommend doing what I did and just keeping the meter in the middle. Also take a look at which racer you want to use since they all have different stats. Captain Falcon is one of the weakest in overall stats so ironically you want to stick away from him to have a better chance of winning. You’d think he would be a good character with high stats for beginners…but that is not the case this time.

Overall, F-Zero X is a pretty fun game. I have to dock some points for how quickly it ends but you’ll have a good time which is ultimately the most important part. I really wish Nintendo would give this series another chance in the current day. If they handled it right with a good amount of content I bet it would sell incredibly well. Every series makes a comeback eventually so I suppose we just have to wait…but hopefully we don’t have to wait much longer. I need my futuristic racing content and I need it stat!

Overall 6/10

Wave Race 64 Review

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It’s time to venture into the world of racing. Wave Race is a fairly unique racing game when you think about it because there aren’t a lot of games about racing on the water. Unfortunately it still isn’t able to really break the mold and be a top tier contender. The game’s just way too limited with not a whole lot of levels to play with. The few that we do get quickly start to become repetitive as well which is not a good sign. Ultimately you can do better than this one.

There is really just the one main mode for racing and you have to always worry about the circles. See, if you miss too many rings while heading to the goal then you lose points and eventually lose the match. You also move slower by not going through the rings so long story short…you gotta go through all of the rings. The controls can be a bit sloppy with the waves constantly hitting you so that’s already a bit of a tough ask. I get that they wanted the water to be really realistic but me personally? I’d have preferred to just be able to drive really smoothly.

I also think these gimmicks just take away from the race itself. When you’re racing you want to be able to just go to the goal and call it a day. Having to go down a super specific path takes away from the freedom of it. I can see people enjoying this style too of course but I just prefer pure freedom. Let me chart my own path and then I’m really set and ready to rock and roll.

The graphics have aged pretty well for this game though so I’ll give some credit there. It’s certainly better than a few of the other N64 titles I’ve played recently. It’s all very colorful and really sticks out. You won’t get lost or bump into an object because of how clear everything is. So it is all on you as far as getting to the end of the race goes. The soundtrack is more on the forgettable side so nothing much to write home about there.

At the end of the day the other problem is the lack of content like I mentioned in the intro. Even if you really like the game there isn’t much to do after an hour or two. There is multiplayer which will have to suffice I suppose but it’s still not quite the same. There are too many other racing games trying to grab your attention for you to spend any time on this one. I still say the series has a ton of potential but it needs to change things.

Ordinarily I wouldn’t recommend throwing items into the mix but that would have at least made it more exciting. I also just say get rid of the rings and make this a straight race to the finish. I feel like some devs avoid this for fear of the game feeling too standard or even boring to the average audience but I just don’t think that will be the case. So long as the gameplay is good, people would love playing a racing game like this. You really don’t have to get fancy sometimes, just trust in your gameplay and the execution. So long as that is on point then you will be set.

Overall, Wave Race wasn’t one of my favorite games but if you have the Nintendo Switch Online then you should give this one a try. There’s no real downside to doing that after all. It’s just not going to end up being all that hype so I would say to keep your expectations reasonably low. Maybe see if someone wants to play it with you and that’ll give it a boost. In the meanwhile I’m confident that the next Nintendo 64 titles I play will beat this one.

Overall 5/10

Pilotwings 64 Review

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It’s time for another Nintendo Switch Online title. This time we’re into the classic Pilotwings adventure and I remember this one vaguely from back in the day. It’s fairly fun although there isn’t a ton of content here so I feel like you wouldn’t be thrilled if you bought this at opening day. In the span of around 2 hours I completed most of the content and I was still getting used to the controls. Still if you’ve got the subscription you may as well give it a go since it’s free.

There are 3 main control schemes in this game and each one has 4 levels. You can play with the hang glider and the idea is to pass through a bunch of rings to score points. Once you have passed them all then you have to head to the landing zone. Landing is the most difficult with this one because the wind will shift your glider all over the place and it can be really hard to steady yourself. You have to basically ride with the wind and then plan your landing accordingly. You can see how this would be the trickiest one because you have a lot to consider here. I definitely had a really hard time trying to get past the latter levels with this one.

Then you have my favorite control method, the personal jetpack. This is the only mode out of the 3 where I was able to complete every level. Basically you fly around and land on objects or go through rings and then land. The fun part is that you don’t need to worry about the wind here because your jetpack is stronger than the wind. Do you know what this means?? You hold all the power! It makes this more of a conventional platformer type which is really fun and it’s still one of the more in depth jetpack gameplays that I’ve seen.

Finally you have the long plane where it’s sort of a mix of the two. It’s too heavy for the wind to mess with it too much but when you turn you will feel how the wind tries to slow you down. You have a little rocket launcher which you can use to destroy targets before you head off for the landing. The landing zone is a bit less obvious than the other two though so I never quite understood it. It looks like a full airplane landing strip so I’d aim for the middle but I always lost a lot of points. Maybe I had to go for the end? Either way I would get enough points to win the level but it had me confused.

To unlock the next level you would have to get a certain amount of points. Typically they would ask you to get 70 out of 100. Your score is based on how quickly you complete the level, how many times you bumped into things, and any bonus objectives you completed. 70 isn’t very hard as long as you have a good landing so that’s really key. If you fumble the landing then you have just fumbled your score as well. Trust me you don’t want to let that happen.

The graphics aren’t particularly good for the character models here but I do really love the backgrounds and everything. It’s got a lot of energy all the way around so it does look good as a whole. I wonder if the character models were intentionally sandwiched the way that they were. It’s definitely possible since they look so out of place. The soundtrack is fun enough too. It matches with the overall bright aesthetic.

Overall, Pilotwings is a pretty good game. I didn’t really care for the glider gameplay which is ironic since that’s usually the selling point here but the other two modes were definitely good. You really get to test your balance here that’s for sure. Ultimately there just isn’t a whole lot of content so you will likely be done with this game quickly but the important thing is that you will have a good time while you’re playing it. Definitely worth giving a look.

Overall 6/10

The Grinch: Christmas Adventures Review

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The Grinch is definitely a book that just about everyone is familiar with. It’s a Christmas classic and it’s fun to have the adventure get its own game. The book is even included inside of the game so that’s a nice plus. It’s really a serviceable platformer all the way through and the only real issue you can say is that it’s super basic. The game is not very ambitious at all and would get clobbered by just about any other platformer in a head to head fight. Make no mistake, this is not the game that will change your world but if you want a quick adventure then why not right? You’ll have a good time here and that’s what counts.

The story starts with the Grinch deciding to spoil Christmas by stealing everyone’s gifts. We cannot let him get away with that and so it’s time to put an end to this. Well that’s what you’d think except you actually play as the Grinch here so get ready for a lot of stealing. There are 18 levels here, 15 of them are platformers with 3 being boss type levels where you have to slide down mountains and such. Those 3 levels are super fast and easy while the platforming ones can actually reasonably long at times.

Each level has 8 collectibles which you will want to grab so that you get the automatic platinum at the end of the game. Additionally you need to get a good chunk of them to unlock the powers needed to complete the game so why not just grab them while you can right? With the exception of maybe 3-5 pieces, they aren’t really hidden either so just playing through the game will get you to them. You just have to enter every door and really look around.

In terms of gameplay, it’s a super basic platformer. You run and jump as you’d expect those things to go. You can jump on just about any enemy to take it out or you can freeze them with snowballs once you learn that ability. You get that fairly late in the game. There aren’t really any benefits to defeating the enemies though so you could really just ignore them and keep on moving too. That’s a super valid choice and it’s not hard. This game is fairly short so you will be done in a few hours no sweat. Sometimes it feels like the cutscene introducing the level can be just as long as the actual platforming.

The cutscenes aren’t very high budget though. Most levels just start with the book being read out loud to you and then you move on to the next stage. I’d have liked some real cutscenes to be honest but I’ll take what I can get. As for the soundtrack, it’s fairly generic so you won’t be remembering too much about it. This game is really about the gameplay after all. The gameplay is good enough to cover it all up. Look in terms of budget this might be the lowest budget platformer I’ve played in a while but at least its fun.

I suppose that’s why there isn’t much to say about this one though. Already I can tell that I’m starting to repeat myself here. There also isn’t much replay value past the few hours because you should be able to get the platinum in around the same time as beating the game. You’ll be able to get most of the collectibles naturally and the few you have to seek out won’t take very long at all. It’s a short game from start to finish so make sure you keep that in mind when looking for the right price to purchase the title.

Overall, The Grinch is a good game. It has no frills, whistles, or any kind of big advantages that would make it super memorable but at its core it is a solid game and that’s really all it needed to be. I can’t imagine buying it for full price but I got this one just about free thanks to a gift card I had (Ended up spending $2) so that really worked out well. It’s really hard to mess up a platformer if you ask me. So long as the level designs are good enough where you can just peacefully jump through the stages then you should be set. The genre tends to be a very happy one and this game is no exception.

Overall 6/10

Excitebike 64 Review

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I’m gonna be brutally honest here for a minute. I was never a huge fan of the Excitebike series. I loved Excitetrucks when I played that for the Wii and to this day I’d say it’s up there with Asphault 3D as the most underrated racing game of all time. That said, the bikes could never keep up and this game really embodies all of the reasons for why that is. Your bike’s too weak so you’re always being thrown off of the track and the extra issue I have here is that even driving in a straight line is rough because all of the stages are circular. You don’t get to have fun just driving most of the time due to the level designs.

There is a season/tournament mode here but no real story so you can just have fun driving or go into those tournaments to try and test your luck. I’ll tell you those levels are not easy in the slightest. I managed to conquer the first tournament due to a lot of luck with the computers taking turns winning so my consistent 3-4th place was enough to keep up. With the second I wasn’t so fortunate and so I ended up getting wrecked. Most of the stages are almost the same though so I’d argue that you really aren’t missing much here. So just play for as long as you find it fun and then you’re set.

So like I said I do have an issue with the level designs here. In every level there are so many bumps in the road that you’re hopping up and down without being able to drive. Just let me drive for a while and see how I turn the corners. Instead these interruptions happen and there is nowhere to go. There’s probably a way to handle the bumps better as I see the computers jumping ahead but it’s still not really driving per say. I want to just be in there taking names. Also every time you even lightly bump an opponent you end up spilling into the ground.

It just feels so fragile and then you have to be careful about bumping into anyone in addition to trying to finish the race. That’s not the way to go here. The game basically eliminates all of the main reasons for finding the genre fun to begin with. I want the freedom of being able to just jump in there and do my thing. It’s why I’m playing a racing game in the first place. Then if you crash at all you better hope it’s a full crash and you aren’t stuck sideways. If it’s the latter then you are completely doomed and will end up placing in last. It’s a pretty tough feeling because you feel like you could and should have placed a lot better but one single mistake ended up being fatal.

It’s an old game so there are some quirks like that which you can let slide but they all add up. The graphics also aren’t all that impressive. It definitely does not hold its own against most of the other Nintendo 64 titles. After just playing quite a few of them, it’s clear that a game of this generation could and should look a whole lot better. The fact that it doesn’t is just pretty rough to be honest. The soundtrack is more on the forgettable side as well. Technically there is a lot of replay value here if you do find the gameplay fun though. Because then you’ll need to try and conquer all of the stages which is no easy feat, particularly as they don’t even open up until you’ve beaten all of the levels on various difficulty levels.

Overall, Excitebike 64 is definitely not one of my favorite racing games. You’re so busy just trying to survive the levels that you aren’t even doing much racing. That is a massive problem right off the bat and holds it all back. I’d like to see them change things and put a lot more power into the races. Let me crash into everyone and set the stage. The sooner that happens, the sooner I can really start to dominate! In the meantime there just isn’t much reason to play this one when you could be having a good time in Mario Kart or F-Zero. Both of which are massively better than this one.

Overall 4/19