Connor Nichols's Reviews
Even if Thunder Force IV may have turned you off like it did me, due to it’s brutal difficulty and weird vertical scrolling, I’m happy to say TFAC is a much more balanced and fun game, offering a fair challenge on its default setting with bonus content that makes this game fully deserving of the $8 pricepoint. (Or even 1000 Yen, if you were like me and imported this ASAP) There’s only one AGES game remaining, and here’s hoping the other Technosoft gem gets the same amount of love and care as this title did…
Still, I am confident enough to give this game a solid recommendation nevertheless, if you’re an RPG fan wanting something lengthy and enjoyable with fast-paced battles to play. If you were in my boat of dismissing the original or thinking it was perhaps too much akin to the other anime styled RPGs you’ve seen, then please, I do truly implore you to make an exception and give this game a shot: It’s truly great, and one I’m more than happy to have started a journey with! Here’s hoping I continue to have a good time as I play it through the coming months.
When the only gripes I have are some online flaws and a bit of lacking variety with certain enemy types, that’s pretty much a good sign that the game is solid all around. Still a bummer that the online situation isn’t fixed yet, but at the very least, local-play and the 1v1 battle modes are still absolutely worth your time, and I cannot recommend this game enough. It just misses the bar for being a perfect game in my book, but I still consider this to be the best in the SOR series, proving that you can return to an old franchise and make it even better.
In conclusion, Toy Tanks is an OK arena action game. What kills most of the fun in this game are the strange controls, with nothing that’s really practical. Thus, Toy Tanks just feels a lot more clunky and complicated than a game like this has every right to be, but if you can somehow get over the crazy hurdle of this game’s control schemes, then you do have a decent, sixty-level experience to blast through, along with a goofy two player battle mode. So at the end of the day, Toy Tanks isn’t a bad game, just a very clunky one with some weird learning curves, leaving a middle of the road experience in its place.
In conclusion, Heroes Trials was just an utter bore. Little of interest, barely anything to write home about, and the limited fun I had with the ranged character doesn’t save the game from being really shallow and uninteresting. The whole game feels like a reject mobile project from five years ago, with little polish and nothing that I’d miss if I had a life where I never played it to begin with. Sad to say, but action RPG fans should look elsewhere, and maybe pick up a better game like Kamiko or Oceanhorn.
I still feel that Smilebasic 4 is absolutely worth the $30 pricetag for all the creative and excellent games that the peticom community have released already, thanks to an earlier launch in Japan, and I’d argue a few of the user-creations like several of the vertical shooters are of equal, if not higher quality to some actual, full-fledged indie eShop titles. It’s a pretty incredible platform, and for budding BASIC creators, USB Keyboard and mouse support makes this far more practical as a tool than the 3DS touch screen. Definitely an excellent application worth your cash, especially if you were a fan of the previous applications!
Overall, I felt that G-Loc was a very impressive port. It’s still a very fun, seldom-ported scorechaser at the end of the day, and while some may not like the cockpit perspective or dated visuals, it’s still a solid way to kill time and go for new scores. The AGES mode didn’t really add much else besides some QOL improvements, but to be blunt, I couldn’t think of much else to add, since none of the missing stuff from the Game Gear port is worth getting upset over, as the pacing of this arcade version is far better.. All in all, a very solid port of a fun gem, and I’m glad I imported it! With only two AGES releases to go, the twilight days for the line seem to be upon us… Here’s hoping this is the start of a great finale.
In conclusion, Plus Alpha is a fairly typical vertical shooter, but it’s one of Jaleco’s best. The enemy placement feels just right, the weapons are incredibly fun to use, (low amount of powerup icons non-withstanding) and the stages are usually the perfect length. As a score chaser, Plus Alpha excels at being addicting and well-polished, but otherwise, the game really doesn’t do much new for the time, and there’s not even two player co-op.
In conclusion, oOo was an average, middle of the road game. It’s a fun little maze game that tests your speed, offering fun obstacle courses to dodge and deal with, but there really isn’t much worth talking about here. It’s good, basic fun, but after three worlds I felt like I already saw everything there was to see, and got rather bored, since it felt like a bunch of the other sorts of “maze to the goal” games I played in the computer lab during school.
In conclusion, Metagal is an utter mess. Floaty controls and lackluster presentation aside, I still found the weapons to be useful for the type of enemies fought in this game, even if they aren’t nearly as helpful as a Mega Man weapon would be. The boss battles are still fun, when you can get to them, but the game is filled with a ridiculous amount of cheap deaths and obstacles that you’re more likely to die to microscopic spikes over mistiming a jump. Combine that with a trophy set that literally gives up one stage into the game, (you can platinum this whole thing in under 20 minutes, it’s kinda absurd) and you have a game that could have used a lot more polish.
In conclusion, Voxelgram offers a fully functioning and enjoyable take on the Picross 3D formula. It really doesn’t do much besides offer a new set of puzzles to take up in the absence of Jupiter’s offerings, but considering how much 2D picross-esque games have been milked on the Switch eShop as of late, it’s very nice to see the other side of the formula given some love, and while Voxelgram still has some clunky controls and doesn’t bother to add much new or do anything to the formula, it still was a fun puzzler and will definitely fill the Picross 3D void in your heart.
In conclusion, my feelings on Electric Super Joy are pretty much the same as they were back in 2015: It’s a super solid yet challenging platformer with plenty of replay value, thanks to the bonus content, collectibles, and in-game achievements to unlock, and since this one isn’t the censored one from the Wii U days, this is pretty much on par with the Steam version, so you have a really good port of a fun platformer to enjoy.
For now, 140 just felt average, middle of the road. It all works well, but feels like stuff I’ve seen done a thousand times before, but better, with games such as Kuso having simplicity while also being a lot more polished and charming. Not a bad pick for a platformer, but not a unique one either.
My only main gripes come from the map spites remaining mobile-esque no matter what you do, along with the lack of any options to outright skip the enemy turns like in modern Fire Emblem titles, or an art gallery/history section. Besides that, these games are very enjoyable and well worth your time. Strategy fans waiting for a new fix, it has arrived in the form of Langrisser I & II.
At the end of the day, the game is still very barebones and doesn’t offer much in terms of variety. Considering how clunky Access feels to control thanks to the DS4 touchpad and buttons, you’re also better off buying this game on a touch-compatible device if you have that option, and once you beat all the puzzles, there’s really little reason to go back, since the platinum unlocks after you do them all. For $5, it’s fine, but you’d probably enjoy a brainteaser like this a bit more elsewhere.
Newcomers and fans of metroidvania titles, or the old days of going through games like the original Metroid without a guide and finding your own path need to owe it to themselves to check this adventure out at all cost. Either through the physical bundle with 2, or the standalone $15 eShop method, this is a no brainer pickup, and is in all honesty, probably my new favorite metroidvania to ever grace this earth. Do not miss out on this adventure of a lifetime, and I do hope when I spend more time with 2, that lives up equally as well!
While it doesn’t add as much as ST did, if you’re like me and only played Late, or never played any prior versions of the game, then this is still absolutely the one to go with, and is one that’s fairly fun to pick up and learn too, thanks to the crazy in-depth tutorial and huge gallery of content to unlock. Just don’t expect much of a bump up of content if you played ST previously, especially on PS3 or Vita.
In conclusion, Salamander/Life Force is as still as outstanding of a shooter as it has ever been, and this Arcade Archives release maintains all of that perfectly, even adding more options compared to the version in the Anniversary Collection. Combine that with the inclusion of Japanese Life Force, an oft-forgotten take on Salamander with a new power up system and some balancing tweaks, and you have one of the best Arcade Archive releases to ever exist.
Still, if you like the 16-bit Sonic 2, and especially if you like playing as Knuckles in Sonic 2, then this is still a must-own for platforming fans as it’s a very solid version of the game, and completely eliminates the input lag that plagues the version in Sega Genesis Classics. Definitely worth looking at regardless!
Still, the only thing “new” to this version I can really praise is the endurance mode, ditching the stupid progression system of the original game, but I find the offset mechanic to be a bit too tug-of-war like for my tastes, and as a score chaser it feels a lot less addictive than the original. If you have local friends to play this with or don’t mind waiting for a match, then this is the Puyo game to get for multiplayer, but if you’re a scorechaser like me, you’re better off sticking to the first game for high-score chasing.