__Before we jump into the batch of mini reviews from the past month, I'd like to mention that I got my first jab just yesterday.😀 It was very impromptu; my sister told me she was at our local health centre, and that I could also get mine if I came immediately. Fortunately, it was just around the corner, about five minutes away on foot. They must have had a surplus, because neither of us were expecting to be vaccinated for a while yet: it's those in their early forties that are currently the focus in Ireland. But here we are.🙂 A remarkable stroke of luck!
__Now, to business.😀
__First of all, two of the most recent Angry Video Game Nerd episodes concerned movies that I hadn't seen yet, so I decided to watch the movies themselves first to make sure I was in on all possible jokes.
The movie is so silly that the drama falls flat, but it's fascinating to see how the Universal horror films (particularly The Invisible Man) influenced Sam Raimi, and how this film in turn would later be echoed in his Spider-Man trilogy.
My rating: 50%.
The camerawork and energised acting nail the feeling of a drug-induced frenzy, but not even the dialogue made sense to me (though I'm not sure how much of that was intentional). It's mostly a barrage of raving pessimism.
My rating: 45%.
__And now on to the video games that have been the main thing occupying my time.🙂 There are fewer than in last month's post because not only are they starting to get longer, but although I did still resort to watching YouTube longplays for many of them, I actually did play through some of them myself, which meant each one took several days to complete.
__On that note, some of them are Nintendo 64 games, and I should make something clear before we begin. Based on my experience with the emulator and USB controller, the Nintendo 64 is by far the worst console I have ever played! (Maybe something got lost in translation, but it's what I'm working with.) I flat-out hate the N64 controller! The clunky joystick and often uncooperative camera angles make it virtually impossible to steer your character right! It severely hindered my enjoyment of Super Mario 64, and by the time I got to the "Protect the Twinklies" minigame in Banjo-Kazooie, I just couldn't take it anymore; I had to stop playing before my rage gave me a heart attack!
__I'm playing the first Half-Life right now, so that'll be the first game I comment on next month. After that, there are a few more N64 games on my list, including Zelda: Ocarina of Time, but because of my issues with the controls, I'm honestly really dreading them. Once I'm done with the N64 (or at least the emulator), I'm really not going to miss it!
__So, with that rant out of the way, let's get started.🙂
The music is good, but almost nothing has changed about the gameplay; it's getting old. The anime cutscenes are very much of their time, complete with bad dubbing. Mega Man has about the last voice I would have imagined – more like Mega Boy!
My rating: 60%.
The camera and controls are beyond frustrating, but the traditional Mario charm and delightful music entice you to keep playing regardless. I love the idea of exploring the rooms and collecting the power stars in any order you like.
My rating: 85%.
The fun in exploring a giant maze to see what you can and can't access is boosted by the story-based rewards for thorough exploration. The music is great, and I like how it integrates some 3D graphics into its 2D world.
My rating: 95%.
More or less a repeat of the first game. Again, it recycles the same handful of stages, to the point that Air Crash is a misnomer. The plot is slightly more interesting, although why Crash trusts Cortex is beyond me.
My rating: 60%.
Apparently revolutionary for the time, but extremely outdated by today's standards. It's slow, clunky, and the control is incredibly awkward. The best part is the pre-mission briefings imbued with the personalities of M, Q and Moneypenny.
My rating: 40%.
More RPG than action, with a focus on choosing the best equipment from a huge assortment of weapons and upgrades. It's quite fun at times, but for the most part, it feels very sluggish and barren, and the story never quite won me over.
My rating: 55%.
The invigorating action and music, combined with the plot centred on a tragic misunderstanding, make this my new favourite of the X series, replacing X3. Visually it looks identical to the 16-bit games, but the soundtrack is much fuller.
My rating: 80%.
In accordance with this being an enhanced remake, far more than just the squadmates angered me this time! The tutorials inundated me with too much information at once, not helped by my disdain for the N64 controller.
My rating: 40%.
Not nearly as formulaic as the first game, but still fairly tedious because every level is a convoluted maze that's not always clear how it relates to your goal. The light and dark side branching paths are impressive.
My rating: 60%.
A delightful game where the fun lies not only in the charm of the setting and characters, but from exploring the open levels to find all the necessary collectibles. The only problems I have with it are my issues with the N64 in general.
My rating: 85%.
I'd say this sequel is about equal to the first game. It's superior in terms of graphics, lighting and an expanded move set, not to mention you can save at will, but I still prefer the story and unnervingly quiet atmosphere of the original.
My rating: 85%.
I was never a big fan of this series, and the formula is unchanged here. Cortex is at his funniest, and I like how Aku Aku has more agency. I always thought it sounded like he says "rutabaga" when you collect his power-up.😀
My rating: 60%.
One of the most successful jumps to 3D. They outdid themselves with a huge crowd of thirty racers, and you truly feel the speed this time! You're so fast that sometimes the ground or ceiling patterns make it look as if you're barely moving!😀
My rating: 85%.
__As Tomb Raider II is the last 1997 game on my list, I had intended to play it before Banjo-Kazooie, but I had issues running it on Steam, so I had to buy the PlayStation version instead (downloaded on the PS3, of course). A long time ago, I actually had physical copies of the first five Tomb Raider games on PC (which I later sold), but the only one that I ever completed was the first one. In two's case, I got stuck at the Barkhang Monastery level.
__I also started playing Final Fantasy VII, hoping it would hold my attention better than two and three (or rather four and six) did, but alas, no. Again, there was no clear indication of how far through the story I was, so all I kept thinking about was how much of the game was left according to video walkthroughs, and I gave up before even leaving Midgar. Sorry, guys. It really is the sheer length of the Final Fantasy games that keeps putting me off, combined with the fact that the story seems to just perpetually ramble on – there's no sense of rising action. I simply can't get through them on my own, so I think, for me, the best approach would be to watch a friend play them.
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