This game has been on my “GOAT” list for almost two decades, and revisiting it in 2021 hasn’t changed a thing.
If anything, R-Type Final 2 was great motivation to really go back and dive into the series’ history and get a deeper understanding of where this game came from. A lot of shooters are just that, but R-Type always felt more fueled by ideas. And considering Final 2’s theme of going back to learn from the past, it feels appropriate.
SaGa Frontier Remastered gives the game another chance in a totally different gaming climate, one that is much more receptive to games off the beaten path. And with its additional content and some light QoL features, this is easily the definitive way to play SaGa Frontier.
Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth really made my weekend. Not only did I have a blast with a fun-sized Metroidvania adventure, I also discovered a series with a fascinating history.
NEOGEO Pocket Color Selection Vol. 1’s timing has weird optics, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a quality compilation of underappreciated classics. The historical features are great, so is the emulation. And it helps that this is a pretty powerful set of games by themselves. The physical release is icing on the cake, and I hope this means the brand has been successful enough to keep things rolling.
I’m stoked to have more easy access to games like this, especially since we never got the original game Saviors of Sapphire Wings is based on. Experience has only been around since 2008 or so, and with this release we’ve plugged a hole of sorts in its library. Unfortunately the other hole is four games deep at this point, but progress is good!
Bravely Default II is disappointing. I’m the kind of person who goes berserk over a Job System, and there’s very little that’ll get in my way. But when the thing getting in the way is “everything else,” it’s a different story. Every time I made myself play further I just thought about the 3DS titles, and how much more compelling they are.
By itself, 3D World is a game absolutely crucial for any Super Mario fan, and having it on such an appealing platform as the Switch is hard evidence that the hardware does matter. With Bowser’s Fury and little updates like online play, it makes this the definitive way to play one of Nintendo’s biggest and best individual platformers.
I don’t think it’s a total swing and a miss like Super Neptunia RPG was, but that may have made the experience more disappointing considering all the parts I liked.
You don’t “Git Gud” at Ghosts ‘n Goblins. You suffer. You persevere until you make it to the other side. But Resurrection is the first one that doesn't hate you for trying.
As part of the collection we’ve seen several releases of now, there’s nothing surprising here in terms of bells and whistles. Code Mystics’ emulation wrapper is awesome as usual, with all the different frames, visual tweaking and multiplayer options you’ll find in all the other ones. Perhaps most importantly, Match of the Millennium appearing here means that we don’t have to worry about the Capcom licensing being a barrier.
Challenging the Musou part to fit in rather than the other way around, this game manages to catch even someone like me, a lifelong Musou evangelist, off guard. I’m here for it, at least in this specific moment.
Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends and the Secret Fairy is an excellent sequel to an already great game, and the two together really feel like a flashpoint for the series. These games have always been curious to outsiders, but hard to get into, even if you love JRPGs. But what we have here is the result of decades of iteration, and a breakthrough that gives Ryza 2 healthy audience-expanding potential.
This isn’t a huge game you invest all your brain juice in; it’s a chance for JRPG nuts like myself to take it easy but still get that dopamine hit. There isn’t a lot to it, but everything there is appropriately presented and works as you expect it to.
At the end of the day, it’s just nice to see things like this happen.
Fatal Fury: First Contact is an awesome game. It doesn’t look good if you compare it, as an individual purchase, to its peers that are also available. But those games don’t exist without this one.
Collection of SaGa contains one of the more fascinating chapters of Square Enix history, and I encourage any longtime or new Final Fantasy fans to check it out. Like I said earlier there are hurdles here, but with some real JRPG treasure on the other side.
For such a small-looking game, Monster Sanctuary is bursting with content and reasons to touch all of it. From the enticing loop of running around an ever-growing map to finding and evolving new monsters, I found myself losing hours at a time to this little gem.
Save the World never felt “wrong” or “off-model” or anything, but the remastered elements here feel like missing pieces we never knew about.
There’s a particular value in this work, a source of optimism, humor and joy emerging from a non-Nintendo developer at a time when it might be needed most. The world is an ugly place, but Immortals wants to remind us there are good parts, too.