Now Playing: X-Men Mutant Academy 2

 An undeniable improvement.

Even the cover is better... but not by much. Is Mystique dancing?

 We've seen him skate and we've seen him swing, now he fights. Yes, another game featuring Spider-man and yes, another X-Men game. And no, this is not a X-Menathon.


 I've played with 4 of the returning characters and it's nice to see that they've got new moves. The air combos are a nice addition too, and while not much has changed, not even the HUD, it didn't really need to, considering how good the base game was.
 That said, the existence of this game makes Mutant Academy 1 obsolete, the only thing that game has that this one doesn't are those really short endings that last 5 seconds tops.

 And the fact that this game has Spider-man, Professor X(Even if he is a joke character) and Pool Party makes it still worth owning despite X-Men: Next Dimension taking the torch.

Review #460: Floating Runner - Quest for the 7 Crystals

 Float all ya want, just stop bouncing, for cryin' out loud!

That thing on the cover looks nothing like the playable characters in the game.

 Floating Runner is a platform game with all the charm of a 90s game... and all of its pitfalls. Cutesy on the outside, but wonky on the inside, Floating Runner lands flat on its face.

 There's a story in the game, but you wouldn't know it unless you read the manual, it has something to do with both characters collecting 7 colored crystals or something. What you need to know is that every crystal is made up of two stages, and each crystal-world has a health power-up and a unique weapon to find. Both heroes, Lay the boy and Cress the girl, play exactly the same and are merely a cosmetic choice. And interesting, but ultimately adds nothing to the game, mechanic is that you have to collect a crystal at the end of every stage, but the crystal at the end of the second stage will change colors, each color representing a world you haven't beaten yet, thus allowing you to select your next destination!

It plays as bad as it looks. Yikes!

 Sadly, the game is a bit of a mess. The X button allows you to jump, O is your dash and square shoots you gun. Your bullets travel in an overhead arc, so it's a bit hard to aim at enemies which makes jumping on top of them a much more viable alternative. L1 and R1 lets you do a Matrix sidejump, which looks relatively cool for what it is, but in this game... it's better not to chance it with sidejumps. As previously stated, each world has a unique weapon hidden within, and these weapons consume crystals to use. Crystals are very plentiful, enemies drop a handful when defeated, so just spam away.

 Where the game fails, however, is in level design. Stages are absolutely bland, it doesn't help that it looks so ugly, and they even had to resort to floating compass signs to point you in the correct direction... but they won't always be there for you. At times it can be really hard to know where to go next, like the end of the Swamp World, how was I supposed to know I had to drop below after climbing the stairs? To further exacerbate problems with navigation, the default camera angle is a weird downward angle that's really awkward, and the alternate camera angle... puts the camera almost on top on you, which is almost useless.

Where are my textures? I demand textures!

 Some levels are worse than others. The first forest stage features a tree that must be climbed... and it's terrible. Y'see, landing jumps is a thing of nightmares, and to add salt to injury, depending on where you land... your character will automatically perform a forward bounce upon touching the ground, plummeting you to your death... or forcing you to climb the entire tree again. This tree is such a pain to climb that I died on my first try and thus started with this level first. And it is a hassle, because the game runs on a timer and if you run out of time... you lose for good. Back to level 1, no ifs or buts. Which is a bit surprising considering that death is but a slap on the wrist: You only lose your crystals and restart back where you died.

 But the game isn't so kind in a few other aspects. Some levels, like the second lava stage or the second ice stage makes it very easy for the player to land back at the start of the level. Levels might be short, but when you're under a timer and under threat of having to redo the entire jumping ordeals again... it quickly saps any fun you might have playing the game. And by the by, you can't save your game, so either you finish the game in one sitting or you leave your console on until you can play again. On its defense, the game is mercifully short.

That's supposed to be water.... I think.

 Floating Runner isn't a very good game, but it's as 90s/early 3-D platformer as it gets which might be a selling point for quite a few, me included. But once the charm wears off, you're left off with a very poor platform game, with a few neat ideas, like hidden, permanent upgrades on each level and having the ability to pick your next stage, but none of them can save the game from sub mediocrity.
 3.0 out of 10

Now Playing: Floating Runner - Quest for the 7 Crystals

 More like jumping runner.

 So I just pop'd this game in and it was everything I wanted. The colorful, simple graphics, the peppy, charming music... it smells like 90s alright. I had never played this game, nor learned about its existence 'till I pretty much bought it, but not only did I know jack squat about it, it also seemed like one of those quirky N64 games I would rent just based on the cover alone.

 So I bought it. And I was not disappointed... on the nostalgia factor. The game itself is pretty lackluster, but it makes up for it in 90s charm. I just game over'd on the Forest World, that climbing section is absolute garbage.

 Oh well, I might give it another run later today.

Month Overview: August 2017

 Tally:
Dead to Rights II 6.0
Mortal Kombat 4 6.5
Dead to Rights - Reckoning 8.0
X-Men Legends 6.0
X-Men Legends II - Rise of Apocalypse 7.5
Dead to Rights - Retribution 8.5
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 7.0
War Gods 3.0
Mortal Kombat Trilogy 4.5
Marvel Ultimate Alliance(PSP) 7.0
Dragon Ball GT - Final Bout 0.5
Bloody Roar 7.0
Marvel Ultimate Alliance(PS3) 7.0
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2(DS) 4.0
X-Men - Mutant Academy 6.5
Gladiator - Sword of Vengeance 6.0
Shin Megami Tensei IV 8.0
Street Fighter EX2 Plus 8.0


 The month of Franchises? I played the rest of Dead to Rights, played almost the entire Marvel Rpgs from Raven Software, and played two Mortal Kombat games as well as War Gods, MK 4's predecessor. More interestingly, one year later I finally finished SMT IV, the bastard! I absolutely hated how much they Persona-fied it, but it's still a quality game... but I don't think I'll be picking up SMT IV: Apocalypse any time soon, they even added Beach/Swimsuit DLC, because Persona-fying the main branch of SMT is a smart idea. Damn you, Atlus! I also picked up Monster Hunter 3 back, so maybe I will finally finish it this year, eh?

 Game of August:

This cover is NOT pretty, but...

 Dead to Rights Retribution was phenomenal, it was everything I wanted it to be and more. I still can't understand how underrated this game is, and I can't understand how many people would describe it as 'generic'. This is as good as arcadey shooters get!

 Runner-up:

...at least it's not this ugly. Who gave the OK to this cover? The European and Japanese covers are so much better it ain't even funny.

 Street Fighter EX2 Plus was almost as good as I remembered it to be, almost. Perhaps... perhaps it's as good as it's ever been, but other fighting games that came after it spoiled me? Alas, it's still a great time to be had, although I don't think I'll be coming back to it as often as I once did.

Review #459: Street Fighter EX2 Plus

 I need to stop using the really good openers on my first impressions!

Videogame covers should've never involved character renders. They're awful!

 Way back when, Capcom managed to bring their flagship fighting game franchise, Street Fighter, into the third dimension by not making it themselves, thanks to Arika's EX series. Woefully underrated, Street Fighter EX2 stands as what I believe to be the best in the EX franchise.

 The game is a bit lacking in modes, we've got an Arcade ladder(7 opponents and 2 bonus rounds(Mini-games), Practice, Trials(From very basic 'perform the move' affairs to a bit more complicated combos), Bonus Mode(Play the bonus stages by themselves, and a few extras), VS and VS Team(Both against Player or CPUs) and finally, Director, in which you can make highlight reels if you, for whatever reason, are interested in that. Fighting game staples such as Survival or Time Attack are nowhere to be seen and characters don't even get endings. At least the character roster is fairly large, featuring 24 different characters, 10 veterans as well as 14 Arika originals. Returning characters have new moves, altered moves and even new animations so they feel relatively fresh.

A perfect example of Arika's hit or miss designs. One of these characters' awful design, while the other is all kinds of awesome... but it depends on who you ask.

 The game works with Street Fighter's classic 6 button set-up, three kicks and three punches, blocking is done by holding back against the opponent and throws are performed by pressing strong attacks when you're as close as possible to your opponent. The game might have 3-D graphics, but it plays entirely in 2-D. There's an ever-present three-tier energy gauge, which is filled by doing or receiving damage, which can be spent in Super Moves, Excel or Guard breaks. Super Moves consume a single energy bar, or you can spend all three to use a devastating Meteor Move, Excel is performed by pressing Medium Punch with Light Kick and, for a short while, makes everything combo into everything, sorta like Alpha 3's custom combo. Lastly, Guard Break is an attack that costs a single energy bar and is done by pressing a punch and a kick of the same strength, which breaks an enemy's guard and staggers them. To be honest I didn't felt the need to use them and Excel seemed more worthwhile. The game plays like a dream, it's pretty fast and performing combos works pretty well, it's a bit more lenient than your usual Street Fighter game.

 While Ex2 Plus is missing a ton of fluff and fat, it hits all the right notes when it comes to what makes a fighting game good. The fighting is fast, satisfying, easy to understand but with layers of depth for those willing to invest their time. And while there aren't a whole lot of modes, there's 24 different characters, with only Ken and Ryu sharing moves, and even then, Arika did a fantastic job in making both of them feeling very different. Arika's original characters are weird and diverse to say the least, so there's going to be at least a few that you'll like and a few that you'll hate.

Get used to Skullomania, whether you like it or not, he's sort of become Arika's mascot.

 There's not much else to say about Street Fighter EX2 Plus. It's a game worthy of carrying the Street Fighter name, although it's not as deep as Street Fighter III, heck, or even as deep as IV, but there's a good amount of tools for players to delve into. Characters have a good amount of basic moves, special and super moves, and Excel allows for fancy shenanigans, if you know what you're doing, or mashing to your heart's content if you don't. And while it lacks some of the gimmicks EX3 added, I think that EX2 offers a purer and more refined experience, everything flows better in this game, plus, Sakura at the cost of losing Hayato was a steep price to pay, if you ask me.
 8.0 out of 10

Now Playing: Street Fighter EX2 Plus

 Street Fighter IV before Street Fighter IV.

Ken's got an ugly case of the 'early 3-D' disease.

 God, that cover is ugly. I used to be familiar with the European one, this one:

C'mon, how badass is that?

 Which is so GOOD it ain't even funny. As for the game itself, well, when I was younger there were three PS1 fighters I used to spend hours on end playing: Marvel VS Capcom, Bloody Roar 2 and... Street Fighter EX2 Plus. A few years ago, close to when I started this blog I think, I wrote about EX3 and claimed that it wasn't as good as EX2 and... it wasn't.

 I've played Arcade Mode with three characters already, and boy is it fun. Sure, it's not a particularly good looking game, just compare it with Tekken 3 or, well, Bloody Roar 2, but it tried, it really tried. For starters, veteran Street Fighter characters have new moves or have new animations for older moves that make them look more painful than before. Arika's original characters are hit or miss, but Kairi and Garuda are undeniable badasses.

 Street Fighter usually got flak for not making a good transition into 3-D, but people are wrong. EX2 works and plays as well as any Street Fighter game worth its salt. Granted, it's not as deep or complex as Street Fighter III, but not every game needs to be.

Review #458: Shin Megami Tensei IV

 The perfect example of Atlus' decline.

 While I can't say I've been a fan of Shin Megami Tensei since forever, I can say that I am... or rather was a fan of the franchise. They are fun, dark and grim JRPGs that feature atypical characters and intricate plots. But Atlus has changed a lot, and Shin Megami Tensei IV is a clear example of said change. It attempts to lure in long-time fans of the franchise by looking like Shin Megami Tensei, but it's clearly a game for their new-found Persona fans.

 The game has you playing as a mute hero from the land of Mikado, the land of Samurai, who have learned to muster the power of Demons to protect their city against other Demons. A land stuck in the past, victim to classicism born out of castes. Joining the hero are Walter, a Samurai that came from humble origins, Jonathan, one of the highest caste and the token girl Isabeau. If you know your Shin Megami Tensei you'll already figured out that each companion represents a different alignment: Law, Chaos and Neutrality. As something of a departure from the franchise, all three heroes will be accompanying the main character throughout most of the quest, but sadly, this doesn't necessarily mean more depth. Characters are rather bland, and while the story has some fantastic twists, such as the revelations once you come upon the world below Naraku, they can't hide the fact that characters are walking anime tropes. Which would be understandable if this was Persona, but it is not. Isabeu is far removed from previous heroines, being a walking waifu archetype that loves manga, and Walter and Jonathan's motivations draw from cliched plot devices. Mind you, it's not a bad story by any means, but it falls short of what one would expect from Shin Megami Tensei. Heck, even the art direction suffered, it's hard to take Medusa seriously when she sports the goofiest face I've seen.

 As far as gameplay goes, it plays like most modern Shin Megami Tensei games, using tried and true turn-based battles with the Weakness 'one more' system as well as having the player talk with demons in order to have them join his cause. The Samurai are equipped with an armlet that has an AI named Burroughs that not only lets them manage their roster of demons, but also save their game(How meta) or purchase enhancements, such as healing HP or MP while walking, discounts for summoning demons you've already obtained, bonuses when leveling up demons and many others. Yes, you can save and load your game at any time, as well as lower the difficulty if you so see fit. Dying can be remedied by paying Macca(in-game currency that's rather hard to come by) or Play coins. And you'd think that this is a way to handhold players, and maybe it is, but it's also a bit of a necessity, you see...

 The first 10 or so hours of the game are absolutely grueling because of poor game design. Shin Megami Tensei games have always been challenging, but fairly so. This time around it feels like it's entirely luck based. Something that holds true from the very start to the very end of the game is the fact that whoever gets the first turn will win the battle. Y'see, hitting an enemy with a weakness will give you an extra turn, considering your party is made up of the hero and up to three other demons you can get a total of 8 turns... which the enemy hordes can also earn. The problem is that every spell has a base damage, and even low-level spells dish a ton of damage at a base level, so it's entirely possible to die without having a chance if an enemy caught you by surprise. This also means that a boss that decimated you in one turn, because he had the first turn, can be absolutely demolished in a single turn if you go first. And this happens because who goes first in a boss battle is entirely random. If you hit an enemy with an element it resists then you lose a couple of turns and give the enemy a one-turn boost in damage. Remember how I mentioned that the supporting cast traveled with the main character? Well, they get a turn after your turns, and they are so stupid that it's entirely possible that they will hit the enemy with a spell they are strong against, thus giving them said buff for their next turn. Fun. The first hours are harder because your HP, as well as your demons', is very low, so an enemy hitting a weakness can mean death. So yeah, sure, you can lower the difficulty, save at any time or save yourself from death for price... but they are all there to compensate for how much luck can factor in a battle. It's not easy to recuperate from a mistake, such as having a single demon weak to Force on which enemies can profit in order to maul the rest of your team.

 The exploration part of the game is a bit lacking too. If you've played SMT before you know that they like using simplified maps for the overworld, but the map this time around is... too small and cramped, so it's not much use. Exploring dungeons is more straightforward but they added a weird gimmick in which you must move the camera up or down in order to climb surfaces or crawl through small openings. Why? What does that add to the game? What a useless gimmick. And while Burroughs keeps track of your quests and sidequests, sometimes can be a bit disconcerting figuring out where to go. And since I'm at it, this game has the most random Negotiating that I've ever seen in a SMT game, even demons from the same family can react differently to your choices, and it seems like negotiating always goes against the player, so have fun losing turns and HP as you try to sway an enemy to your cause.

 Waifus and character stereotypes? Check. Atlus tax? Check. They tried to justify the extra 10 dollars by adding a guide that nobody wanted, but still. What else is next in the Modern Atlus checklist? Ah! Yes, DLC, which this game has up the wazoo. Remember the four angels? Staples of the franchise, which you get to fight most of the time. Well, they have been redesigned and do have a part to play in the story... but can only be fought if you buy the DLC. Macca is hard to come by, need more? DLC fights to earn Macca. Your level is too low? DLC fights for extra experience. There's so much DLC it ain't even funny, there's even DLC armor, which is kinda ridiculous considering how you can only see your main character when exploring dungeons. So yeah, scummy Atlus' DLC? Check.

 I also want to touch upon the presentation. I'm a strong supporter of the 'graphics don't make a game' camp, but what the hell is this? I mean, I know what it is, in their effort to lure in long-time fans they most of the game look like the SNES classics. Enemies are represented by rather lackluster sprite-art, although at least they stay true to Kazuma Kaneko's designs, well, the enemies that still use his designs anyways, as I've previously stated, some of the new designs are rather poor and amateurish. The 2-D character portraits scream 'Generic Anime' as well, looking as if they came out of Persona 3-4 rather than SMT. Heck, important NPCs are represented by static 2-D sprites as well. The only time the 3DS' muscle is used is when exploring dungeons. Look, the 3DS can do MUCH better than this, and Shin Megami Tensei has looked MUCH better than this, just pick any game from the PS2 era. It's off-putting how many corners they cut with their flagship franchise.

 Shin Megami Tensei is very disappointing for a Shin Megami Tensei game, but it's still a great game on its own. Which is why it was hard to set apart what I wanted out of the game with what it actually is. After you get through the hardest, unfairest part of the game it actually gets fun, and the challenge becomes more fair(even if luck is an ever-present factor). For as disappointing as the story and characters are, there's no denying that SMT's brand of dark horror is still present, even if to a smaller degree. But it's time to accept that Atlus has changed, and with it, Shin Megami Tensei as a whole. Goodbye, it was a good ride.
 8.0 out of 10