Tag Archives: PS4

Injustice 2 Review

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As with My Hero, I had to buy the sequel to this one right away after completing the first. Injustice was a great title with a really interesting plot and the same is true of the sequel here. It really picks up right where the first one left off but with extra content and a really big character roster. I definitely blasted through this one because you will not want to put the game down.

It starts off after the first game with Superman behind bars and most of his allies running off to bide their time. Batman has the tough mission of protecting the planet while also preventing Superman from being broken out. Meanwhile Wonder Woman and Black Adam are raising Supergirl so that she can help them rescue Superman and bring the world to its knees. A third party is around though in the form of Brainiac. He doesn’t care about the sides that the heroes have split into, he just wants to destroy the world. Will the superheroes be able to stop him or is it all over?

Yeah there’s a lot going on here the whole time and I like the fact that Brainiac was thrown in because it does make sense that villains aren’t going to wait until this civil war is over. They’re just going to jump in and take names. If anything it’s the perfect time to be a villain with how divided the heroes are. It means that there is less opposition to stop them…much less!

It’s fun to be jumping between the two teams in the chapters. Batman’s team is still the heroic one of course but at least most of the folks on Superman’s team have started to be less crazy. The big exceptions to this are Black Adam and Wonder Woman. Adam’s usually evil anyway so that fits but yeah Wonder Woman really went off the deep end in this universe. She is really a far cry from her usual self. Superman is also permanently traumatized at this point. Even when he is playing ball for a little while, he feels a lot edgier than he usually is. Definitely not someone I’d want to trust.

The gameplay is top notch. The 2D movement is very quick so something is constantly happening. At times it feels like watching a fight scene in a movie with how many attacks are being thrown out. It helps that I don’t block much and the same goes for the computer so we’re really trading blows. For the most part the game’s not too hard but I would lose a life on occasion. Sometimes they would just have me beat with the attacks. It happens from time to time. Just keep calm and you’ll take them out. They usually can’t block the final smash so keep that in the back pocket. Also if you absolutely have to, just block a bit. It really throws them off and then you can counter.

I found the easiest thing to do is hit them with a jumping attack and then a 3 hit combo. Almost every character has the ability to do this so just learn what the easy link combos are and get to work. Once you learn those it makes the whole game a lot easier. The story mode’s length is reasonable with around 13-14 chapters and each one has around 3 fights. There are a ton of cutscenes also so it’s not like you’re just fighting and then leaving the game. It goes without saying that there is really unlimited replay value here with the trophies that you can obtain as well as the high quality multiplayer mode that you can play.

This is a fighting game that really plays to its strengths. A ton of time was clearly put into the combat itself and it paid off. This is definitely one of the stronger fighting games that I’ve played in terms of gameplay. In a way it reminds me a lot of Tekken in that it has great gameplay while also keeping up a very compelling story. Definitely impressive all the way around.

The graphics are really solid here of course. As with the last game, I will say that the art style does make all of the characters look a bit on the ugly side. Like they’re all brutes and I suppose that’s just unavoidable with this look. The game could easily look way better with a more vibrant approach but it definitely would clash with the tone of the game a bit. The soundtrack is solid enough although I can’t really think of any stand out tunes here. It was all a bit more on the forgettable side.

I got the Legendary edition so a bunch of bonus characters are playable here. It’s cool to have Hellboy and one of the Ninja Turtles at the ready. Definitely pretty cool I have to say. My mains will tend to be the DC characters but I do like experimenting. In terms of pure gameplay I found Batman and Harley Quinn to be two of the best characters. Their combos are very fast which makes it easy to land a ton of hits. I tend to prefer characters like that than the slow ones. Sure the damage is intense but it can be hard to land hits.

Overall, Injustice 2 is definitely a great game. The gameplay is top notch as always and of course they did not hold anything back on the story either. The whole game is very smooth to play with all of the menus being straight forward and there are no long loading times. I’d definitely be hyped to see them make an Injustice 3 at some point. There’s definitely a whole lot more you can really do with this verse before calling it a day.

Overall 8/10

My Hero: One’s Justice 2 Review

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After the first My Hero game, I knew it was time to quickly buy the sequel and round out the story. This one really takes a lot of cues from the first game so you’re able to jump right in. Personally I dare say that it might have taken a few too many cues from it. The loading screens are the same and much of the UI is unchanged as well. There is a new story of course but for the most part it feels like they copy and pasted the last game with a new title. I can only imagine that buying it day 1 would have probably been pretty interesting.

But hey, the first game was pretty fun so if this is the same thing but with more characters and story then that just means that I’m guaranteed to have fun right? At least that’s the way that I figured it. The story is reasonably long with close to 50 chapters and then you can play through the story again from the villain’s point of view which will basically double the size of the story. The game may not have much in the way of cinematics or anything like that but it does have full voice acting with the English Dub which I definitely appreciate.

Outside of the story mode you do have a bunch of other options like Vs Mode and Mission Mode. You can have some good fun in there and of course as a fighting game this is really where the bulk of your time will be going anyway. The story won’t really last you more than a few hours but you can keep fighting against other players and the computer for a super long time. That part really doesn’t have to end any time soon. The replay value here will be unlimited as a result, particularly since there has not been a Justice 3 yet.

There are also quite a lot of trophies to obtain as well. I imagine it’ll be a long while before you have the Platinum and that will buy you more time. The going price for the game is also super cheap at the moment so that’s another thing to keep in mind. It’s not like you’re dropping $60 on this title. You can probably get it for around 10-15 if you’re looking in the right place.

The graphics look good here. I wouldn’t say that this is a top tier title by any means but it works well enough. Likewise the soundtrack is good. It has a lot of the classic tunes that you will recognize from the show. This also helps the story since there aren’t many big cutscenes, you at least want to hear the passion and the energy in the songs. I would say the game definitely succeeds there. It can even be funny how random some of the story battles are, so that will keep you chuckling when the serious music is playing.

The 3D gameplay may not be the most popular in a competitive sense, but I still enjoy it. I can see how there’s probably a little less depth to it and it’s certainly not as fast paced but it’s fun seeing the attacks fly in a 3D environment like this. The energy effects are good and every character has a good amount of techniques at their disposal. I particularly enjoyed playing characters like Deku who could chain really long combos together. I get the feeling that the game isn’t super well balanced as there are some characters who can land a 12 hit combo off of one jab while others only get a few hits. Ironically Bakugo is an example of a character who didn’t seem to be very good there.

I know every character will have their own strategies and playing styles so I wouldn’t assume to know the optimal way to play them all but all I can say is that the characters just feel like they’re on different tiers at times. That’s just my two cents though. At the end of the day you just need to try them out and in story mode at least you do get the chance to try a bunch of the characters.

Also I liked the way that the final boss goes because there was some good effort there to make it unique. You are forced to lose the first two times due to an unblockable final attack there but the villain doesn’t use it until the end so each time you think you have a shot. Then after that an option shows up to beat him once and for all. In the final round you get unlimited energy so you are encouraged to spam final smashes the way Deku kept using his abilities in the manga since Eri kept healing him. So that was an example of the game going the extra mile there since I was just expecting another normal boss fight. They even made a huge character model for the final boss so it felt more spectacular than usual. I think it shows a glimpse of what the game could be like if it treated everything with this same energy.

Overall, One’s Justice 2 is a pretty good game. It really is just a glorified port of the first title in a lot of ways as the company clearly took the easy way out of just reusing all of the assets instead of leveling up. It’s certainly a cost effective way of doing things and I can’t really fault them for it. At the end of the day the big thing is still if the game is fun and it is. It’s like Madden, I can keep playing the same game over and over as it hasn’t felt played out yet. With just two games for now, I would definitely say that this game is not played out. It may not compete with the bigger fighting games out there but every series had to start somewhere. This one will likely get better with every installment.

Overall 7/10

Tekken 7 Review

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All right, it’s time to dive into one of the biggest fighting game series around. It’s been so many years since I played Tekken 6 and 7 definitely throws you right back into the mix. I really like how strong the continuity is in this series. The events from Tekken 6 play a massive part in this one and it’s why Jin is basically out of commission the whole time. This is definitely a great game that you will absolutely want to have some fun with.

The story mainly focuses on Heihachi as the main character this time around. He has returned to lead the Mishima Zaibatsu once again. With Jin temporarily incapacitated, it is his chance to finally take down Kazuya/G Corporation and rule the world. The game even teases a tournament briefly but that is more of a fun little moment for fans. This deep into the story I feel like it’s unlikely that we will ever get such a big tournament again. There are ways you could definitely write that in but I don’t love its odds. Meanwhile you have the main character of 6 (Lars) getting some screentime as well.

It’s pretty fun to still be getting more information on what happened with Heihachi and Kazuya even this deep into the series. I can definitely say that Kazumi is a very interesting character now to be sure. Her arc definitely went into a bit of a different direction than I was expecting but it does make a whole lot of sense based on what we know about Kazuya. The bloodline had to turn at some point after all. It also does make Heihachi a much more tragic figure than he used to be.

This game might be a bit heavy handed in trying to make you feel bad for him though. Like I’m not completely convinced since in the older games he was so antagonistic. Sure it all could be a front but I just have the feeling that this origin wasn’t fully in mind back in the day. Maybe it was since certain story elements do go back that far but I’m 50/50 on it. Either way Heihachi is still a villain either way, sympathetic motives or not. It was fun to have a game from his POV though.

The only part of the story that I think should have been cut out was the reporter. Each chapter starts with this guy monologuing about stuff but he does it in the most bored voice possible. Even when he says stuff like “I was shocked!” he says it in a super deadpan way. I don’t feel like these moments added to the story at all and the whole time I’m just getting ready to go back to the good parts. It doesn’t help that these moments tend to just be illustrations with no actual animation.

The gameplay is a lot of fun as always. To date no series has made the attack sound effects quite as brutal and intense as Tekken. In this game you really feel every punch and kick. I love the electric type effects that accompany every blow as well. It really helps take things to the next level and the movement is very crisp. When you execute on a good combo you really feel good. You can also see how the skill ceiling for this game would be absolutely immense.

For the most part the story mode isn’t super tough but the final boss really goes crazy. You have to beat someone 3 times and on that last attempt he has complete super armor the whole time. It’s super hard to play around that because he can and will counter everything that you do. It took me a lot of tries but hey I eventually pulled through! So you just gotta keep it up and eventually you will make it through. I recommend just doing a lot of blocking which is something I wasn’t doing for most of the game. At least for phase 2 you absolutely need to do it because he loses his super armor after launching the final smash attack.

Meanwhile the graphics are definitely top tier here. This is a very high end PS4 title that looks like a PS5 game. A lot of effort clearly went into both the big CG cutscenes as well as the gameplay. The title was confident enough to even have cutscenes that lead straight into the gameplay. Of course there is a difference but it’s not super massive and still looks really good on both ends. Then you have the soundtrack which is definitely great. In particular the final boss theme is incredible. It’s super memorable and is a song that I’ll definitely be adding to my playlist. It really works well as the end to an era. (Although of course 8 will possibly be the true ending)

I also have to give the game a shoutout for actually making a crossover character really relevant. The fact that Akuma actually does stuff here as opposed to just being in vs mode is incredibly impressive. That means no matter what, he will always be a part of the mythos. He also gets a good amount of respect. Yeah he’s not good at finishing the job to be honest but in a fight we see that he is the strongest. Nobody’s touching that guy which makes sense. He’s always virtually unbeatable in the Street Fighter series and I’d expect the same to be true here as well. Just look at Asura’s Wrath for evidence on just how busted this guy is.

In terms of length, the main campaign is fairly short. I’d say probably about 3 hours or so, a bit less if you don’t die as many times as I did near the end. However there is a ton of replay value here like with the Arcade mode, character stories, and trying to get the Platinum trophy. Additionally this is a fighting game which means that it already has unlimited replay value in the vs mode. That’s always going to be a massive perk of any fighting game title. It’s really hard to beat that and when the gameplay is top tier like this, even more so.

Overall, Tekken 7 is a must buy not only for Tekken fans but for any fighting game enthusiast. It’s incredibly well polished with a whole lot of content to have fun with. There are so many possible combos and different attacks to play around with. I never really got the hang of using the final smashes because the button combinations are rather difficult but that just shows that you really need to stick with this one for a while.

Overall 8/10

My Hero: One’s Justice Review

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My Hero Academia is a pretty huge franchise so it was only a matter of time before it got a big fighting game like this one. I was glad to finally get it, but it is safe to say that the game isn’t super high budget. So it delivers on getting you a fun fighting experience but you aren’t likely to be picking this one up over its rivals anytime soon.

The game starts off with Deku being trained by Gran Torino. He has to use his One for All abilities more efficiently and this is the way to do it. He will have to move very quickly though because the villains are on the move. They aim to kidnap one of the students and then destroy All Might. If the Symbol of Peace goes down then we could be entering a new era of darkness. Can Deku really stop the madness??

So the gameplay is your classic 3D fighter type. You have your standard attacks, power moves, unblockable moves, super attacks, and your assist moves. There are a decent amount of moves but most tend to just be worse than the basic combo. There’s not much need to ever touch some of those attacks but granted I’m not sure how things look at the highest levels of competition. It could be very different there. The balancing just seems a bit off. Like Deku’s standard combo is close to 10 hits long and does a ton of damage while Bakugo’s just lands like 5 hits without nearly as much damage. It’s an odd combination to be sure.

As far as the graphics go, this is one where I think the game did pretty good. I like how bright the colors are and in particular All Might really stands out. They aced his costume here and the guy feels powerful to play as. He’s basically a stronger version of Deku here. There are a lot of fun special effects to the environment and buildings as you fight and there are even some fighting cutscenes where we see the fighters go at it. Again it’s not what I’d call a very high budget title but it looks good enough.

The soundtrack may be limited but the tunes are really good. I definitely liked the main danger theme quite a lot and fortunately it plays a ton of times. In terms of replay value, there is a good amount here. The actual story mode is only about 2 hours long, but there are a ton of side stories. Over double that of the main campaign in terms of levels since you have the villain story on top of that. So all together you’re probably looking at 5-6 hours for completing all of the story mode missions and then after that you still have mission mode and the classic vs mode. Certainly a good amount of stuff considering that the game is super cheap.

I think the game should have been dubbed since that would have made things more exciting but I was glad that the story mode was fully voice acted at least. That was a pretty nice decision. Instead of the comic panel format though, I would have preferred full cutscenes all the way, even if it meant just showing scenes from the anime or something. I’ll be curious just how similar the second game looks. If it’s almost identical to this one or if it goes for something a lot different.

Either way though, finally getting a big video game is an important step. Of course it has quite a few mobile titles and the free to play online one but a console fighter is always a good idea. A lot of titles don’t necessarily start out with the best one out of the gate and things should only get better from here. 3D fighters may not always be the most popular form of gameplay but I’ve played a ton of really great ones so I can definitely tell you that it’s possible.

In a way this game will take you back to a more nostalgic time of the Gamecube/PS2 fighters. A fairly simple fighting game with a limited roster but one you can have a good time with. At the end of the day you want a game that is entertaining and this one definitely does achieve its goal there. You’ll get an extra bump of excitement if you’re a huge MHA fan but as long as you like a good fighting game then you’re set either way.

Overall, One’s Justice is a pretty good game. It’s definitely not great though. The combat itself is a bit sluggish and more limited than the average 3D fighter. You wind up spamming the same moves over and over again. After all, why bother risking your chance at an ultimate move when your standard hit combo does around the same damage with far less risk? Still, I always enjoy a good fighter and there is a decent amount of side content here. That’s definitely something to keep in mind. I look forward to seeing how the sequel goes.

Overall 7/10

Override: Mech City Brawl Review

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This game didn’t make too many waves when it came out to be honest. It was around and then just as quickly as it came out, everyone forgot about it. The main problem is that it just didn’t really have a big hook to it. No singular reason why you would play it over some other mech game or anything like that. Still, the sequel brought in Ultraman so I figured…okay let me give this one a shot so I can go play the sequel soon and in the end it was pretty good.

The game actually does have a brief story mode even though there really isn’t much to it. Basically you have to help protect the world from alien invaders that are trying to take over. The only way to beat them is with your giant mech suit that has a ton of power at its disposal. Sounds easy enough, but you are outnumbered. You’re also a rookie so nobody takes you seriously yet. Can you defy the odds and save the world?

You’ll have the game beaten in a matter of hours so don’t worry about any of that. This is definitely not what I would call a really hard game at all. Just keep on punching the enemies away and the game will be over before the difficulty can really spike up at all. Considering that this is a PS4 title I do think they could have done more with the voice acting and budget to make this feel like a modern game. Because otherwise it just doesn’t really feel like it unlocked all of the latent potential. You could have made this game on the PS2 and it would be about the same.

The gameplay itself is fairly basic. You have your standard hits, power blows, and a super attack. Some attacks are so weak that you will never use them though. For example the main character has an energy blast, but it is slow and short range. What’s the point of an energy blast that is short range? I play long range fighters in fighting games for the spamming potential. That’s what I live for but if I can’t even do that then I’m absolutely going for the close range fighter all the way. There wouldn’t be much point in doing anything else at that point.

The gameplay can also be a bit slow. I’d say that using robots isn’t really an excuse for that either because I’ve seen plenty of faster ones. This game definitely could have stood to speed things up a notch but this is starting to sound negative for the gameplay so let me just clarify that the gameplay is still solid. I did have a good time with it because in general I love combat gameplay. You really can’t go wrong with it. It may not hold up against some other titles but I was still having fun. The game is also so cheap nowadays that it makes the value go up.

What this title really needed though was a larger cast, more modes to play, and a longer story. Throw those elements in and we’re talking about a whole new adventure at this point. If I bought this on opening day then I’d be super sad but buying it now, well it works out pretty well. The graphics are pretty decent. Nothing amazing but they’re fun and remind me of the old Godzilla Gamecube title. I also like how you can destroy just about every part of the city just by walking around. It helps show you the true scale of just how absolutely massive these robots are. Everything in their way is basically begging to be destroyed. The soundtrack’s more on the forgettable side though so don’t really worry about that.

In terms of replay value, this is mainly a multiplayer game so of course right off the bat that’s a ton of replay value. Just find some friends who enjoy the game and you can have fun playing against them for a while. Additionally you can work on getting the Platinum. I didn’t really look into how difficult that would be though. It all depends on if they included any online trophies or not but without a doubt it will add onto your overall playing time too. It’s why I still love trophies as a concept.

Overall, Override Mech is a pretty fun game. It’s not particularly ambitious nor does it have the sheer volume of content to compete with most mech titles but it’s a quality title. I always like seeing a new IP try to get out there and survive. This one at least does that and evidently did well enough to get a sequel. Unfortunately that one got rid of the stakes in the story although I’m very early on so that could change. At the end of the day if you like mecha fighting games then you should definitely pick this one up. Trust me you won’t regret it. This is the kind of game that you need to dive into especially when you see the low price.

Overall 7/10

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

Skull Island: Rise of Kong Review

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It’s time that we sat down and had a serious conversation about this game. It’s been getting grilled in the reviews and destroyed online for the poor looking graphics and short run time. Just how bad is it though? Ultimately I ended up pre ordering this game and while I can confirm that it’s not worth the full price..it’s not a bad game. It manages to do enough things right to stay in the middle and honestly that’s not the worst spot to be in. It’s a game that will constantly keep you guessing and wondering just what is going on.

The game starts off on a rather emotional note as a giant dinosaur appears and murders King Kong’s parents. Yes King Kong’s got his superhero origin in this game. He manages to survive in the wild but it’s not an easy journey and the narrator even notes that he grew up in fear. Many years pass and now King Kong is old enough to defend himself. He aims to turn Skull Island upside down until he finds this dinosaur and has his revenge. One Shall Stand….One Shall Fall! Nobody is getting in the way of this monstrous fighter.

I respect the attempt at the story here. There is actual voice acting and a serious story going on. While that may sound a bit condescending, I wasn’t expecting either to be honest. So that’s a nice little tough. The game is still way too short as some have beaten it in under 3 hours but granted I got lost so many times it was more like 6-7 for me. So the length is there even if it is for the wrong reasons. Also if we’re being honest it still should have been at least 10 hours.

The game has 5 levels with the first level easily being the longest one. I want to say it takes up at least half of the game and in part that is because you are still learning all of the attacks at this point. You’re trying to figure out how to navigate through the game since the map is completely broken. I’m not sure if I got hit with a glitch or something but the map never shows where you are. So it is completely pointless and even for this game I just don’t see how that’s possible. So either I’m missing something, I’m overrating the game, or it’s a glitch.

I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s the latter because I got hit with glitches 3-4 times where I had to reset the game. There was really not a lot of quality testing on this one. I can also confirm that the graphics really are awful. There was no real time or effort put into these. I’ve certainly seen worse of course but for a PS4 game you really are expecting a whole lot better. You may enjoy it in an ironic sense since that can make the whole thing a little on the humorous side but in a way you can say that’s just coping by that point. Deep down we all wanted top notch graphics here or at least something solid. There’s not much of a soundtrack either.

What the game does well is the combat. It’s nothing fancy I’ll grant you that but it’s a classic beat em up where you stomp a bunch of enemies. There is no EXP system though which means there is no incentive to fight the minions. As a result I recommend skipping literally every optional minion. There are times where you have to beat a few to complete a mandatory challenge but outside of that don’t give them the time of day. There’s seriously just no benefit or reason to beat them. Not to mention that they endlessly spawn anyway.

You can cheese the gameplay a lot as well. Your roll stun locks an enemy so the trick I found is to roll, land 3 hits, then roll again, 3 hits, etc. Outside of bosses this will take out any minion without you getting hit. Now the bosses can be a little tough for sure and may take you some attempts. Best thing is to just try and hit them as fast as possible. There is rarely a lot of strategy that you have to use and I wouldn’t even try to make big plans. The camera angles will likely mess you up if you try anything too intricate so you want to be careful about that. Just go in and smash stuff, trust me it works pretty well.

King Kong himself feels pretty out of character. I get why the underdog story is appealing for a lot of characters but that’s never been King Kong’s thing so it feels really forced here. Personally I would have just kept him as a pure threat the whole time. You can still have his parents get bumped off as it’s well established that Kong is the last of his race but make him look tough or put up a fight and lose in the intro. Then the rest of the game is his quest to avenge them. Immediately it’s a much more compelling story right?

Overall, King Kong is a game that surprisingly will not be forgotten because of just how bad the rep is. Make no mistake this is not a good game but it’s not as awful as you may be thinking. Personally I recommend giving it a shot when the game inevitably drops down to the $5 bargain bin. Once that happens then there isn’t really a downside to giving it a chance right? You can at least see the potential while playing through the game even if the awful level designs and lack of a map hold it back. It’s too bad that this will likely send the King Kong game franchise back at least 50 years. You never forget the rep of a title like this.

Overall 5/10

Sonic Superstars Review

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It’s time we had a talk about the latest Sonic game. I’ve always been more of a 3D Sonic fan to be honest and tend to mention that at every opportunity but the 2D games are fun enough. It just feels like they go against the nature of Sonic which is to run really fast. Ironically you are allowed to blast through stages at full speed much more often in Super Mario Bros. Wonder, another example of Mario just dominating in the 2D space. Sonic needs to stick to 3D and this game has all the issues the 2D titles tend to have. That said, it is still a pretty good game but I don’t think it will remain in most peoples’ memories for very long.

The general plot is that Fang and Trip are working for a mad genius known as Dr. Eggman. Eggman wants to destroy a blue speedster known as Sonic The Hedgehog and by utilizing the powers of the chaos emerald and time reversal technology, he may actually have a chance this time. Fortunately Sonic has his friends at the ready. Tails, Amy, and Knuckles are around to do their part and back Sonic up. Together there is no foe that can overcome this force for good!

There is barely a plot in the game though so you are really playing for the gameplay. I don’t really get why Sega refuses to let the 2D games have their own big stories. Sure you want to keep it distinct from the 3D titles but you could absolutely have fun plots with voice acting and everything in the 2D days. Just look at how top tier titles like Shantae handle this. You can interpret the general story from the animations we get of course but it won’t end up feeling quite as grand that way.

For the gameplay I don’t really have any issues. It’s very classic with how you can jump, run really fast, and spin dash. You maneuver through the levels by activating different devices and defeating enemies. At the end of the level naturally you will end up going against a giant boss as well. There is a lot of variety with the bosses and they’re all solid except for the final boss where I had issues with the sheer length. Difficulty isn’t a problem, it’s good when a final boss is tough but having to replay long segments can always be annoying. That final battle took me quite a few tries.

One thing I would recommend is using your chaos emerald powers as much as possible. They make a massive difference in combat. Fortunately the chaos emeralds are all in spots that are easy to find. I managed to gather them all during a normal playthrough which was nice since it meant I wouldn’t have to try and search them out later on. Now that’s really nice since usually they can be super hard to find. It can just be tough to get in the habit of using the powers since you’re so used to just using the normal platforming tricks but trust me when I say that it’s highly worth it. In particular summoning an army of mini Sonics does a lot of damage during boss battles.

The graphics are really great. The game feels like its in true HD the whole time and the character models are on point. It’s one of the clearest games I’ve played in some time. I would say the retro art style actually does a lot to support the game’s graphics there since there is less to load up and it can all be processed really quickly. The soundtrack is less memorable though as there are no real standout tracks here. You’ll forget them as soon as they have ended which is definitely not ideal. I suppose it’s better than having a bad soundtrack though.

The actual story is fairly short so you should beat it in 4-5 hours or so. There is some replay value though as you can play through the game again as Trip. Then there is also the journey of trying to get the Platinum trophy for this game which should also be a fairly long task at least. It doesn’t look particularly difficult but I’m betting it will add another 6-8 hours of playtime which is always cool. There is also a multiplayer mode here and while I didn’t get to try it yet, it looks like they really did put a good amount of effort into i.

If you’ve enjoyed the previous Sonic 2D games then you will enjoy this one. It’s really as simple as that. That said, it just feels like the devs could have pushed this a lot harder. Give us more true cutscenes during the story, incorporate more characters, and also just make the game longer. I wouldn’t blame someone for waiting until there is a price drop to pick this one up because it really is over in the blink of an eye. It doesn’t feel like the $60 experience even if it is polished. Also for all the marketing about Fang returning he pretty much played 0 role in this game. There wasn’t much point to his inclusion particularly as he doesn’t get a 1 on 1 boss fight where you have to deal with his gun. He’s always in a mech for some reason but I suppose Sonic The Fighters spoiled me on that one.

Overall, Sonic Superstars is definitely a fun game. The experience doesn’t last as long as you’d like but the technical elements are really up to par. The game looks really great and while the soundtrack isn’t the best, you’ll still enjoy the tunes while you play through the game. It’s why I would say this embodies what it means to be a very good game. It’s not great or anything but there’s never a moment where you’re wishing that it would be over already.

Overall 7/10