Review #650: 64 Memories - Super Smash Bros.

 That one time Nintendo's Stars decided to solve their differences through violence.

 Part 1: The flashback
 I always try to make every 50th game special, although sometimes I don't come through(Mortal Kombat Trilogy? Really?) but #650 is a special one. Super Smash Bros. was the go-to staple game of every and any after-school/weekend get-together. Everyone I knew that had a N64 had this game after it came out, and we'd never fail to play this game. It was amazing. It also introduced me to Ness, so that's something.

 There's something oh so appealing about this game. I love the simple art-style they went with, still to this day I've soft spot for the official art from the original Super Smash Bros. I also adore its simple graphics, characters are very low poly, and there are a lot of 2-D objects, like Ness' yo-yo or Link's bombs. Even when I was younger I knew that by N64 standards it looked crappy, in order to maintain a somewhat stable framerate no doubt, but I still found it charming. I still think it's charming.

 Part 2: The Review
 It's Smash but worse. No, really, pick ANY other Smash game and it'll be better than this one. This is Smash before Side B specials were a thing, so characters only have 3 special moves, before you could charge smash attacks. Before the character roster got massive. Before air-dodging. Basically, it's the most barebones Smash experience you can get.

 But what is inside this cart? 8 characters, Mario, Link, Pikachu, Yoshi, Samus, Donkey Kong, Fox and Kirby, alongside 4 hidden characters, Ness, Jigglypuff, Captain Falcon and Luigi. The basics were born here: B, B+Up and B+Down are your special moves, R is used to grab the enemy and then throw them in any direction(No pummeling though!), Z can be used to block or roll to either side and, lastly, A is used to attack. Coupling it with different directions on the analog stick will produce two other attacks, either by tilting/holding a direction or flicking the stick, the latter being the infamous Smash attacks, which, as I said before, couldn't be charged in this game! The objective's the same it'd be in future installments: Attack your enemy to increase their damage percentage, which in turns makes them easier to send flying offscreen, in order to finally beat them.

 There's not much to do in this game but the basics of basics, you've got the single player stage course and then multiplayer Smash, either by stocks or based on time, battling in teams or just the good ole free for all. Honestly, that's it, I really meant it when I claimed that this was the most feature-starved entry in the series, not that it mattered back in the day when there was nothing to compare it with. On its defense, this one features unique 'Board all platforms' and 'Destroy all targets' challenges for every character. And, although it might be nostalgia speaking, I think it has one of the most memorable single player courses in the entire series. From fighting a dumb Link at the start, to the multi-man Yoshi, Kirby and Polygon team battles. What about the giant Donkey Kong?! Other games would add more variety in Single Player, which is a good think, but there's a certain charm to this set set of stages.

 Super Smash Bros. is still fun, although there's no denying that any other game in the franchise leaves this one in the dust. So I'm torn, I don't think there are many compelling reasons to come back to this one besides nostalgia. That said, Smash 64 remains one of the N64's best.
 8.0 out of 10

Review #649: Psikyo Collection vol.2

 The bullets don't stop comin'

 Onto the second volume of Psikyo's collection, everything that prefaced the first game holds true for this one: Four classic shoot'em up game bundled together in one little cart, few extras, unlimited continues. Psikyo Collection Vol. 2 is pretty barebones, but it's sure to delight any fun of the genre. While it's lacking Sol Divide, my favorite game from the previous entry, this pack is a bit more consistent as far as quality goes.

 Strikers 1945 II

 The sequel to Strikers 1945 is pretty much the same exact game as the previous installments, but it's a bit more colorful and faster, which meant I found it a bit more fun. There's been a single change to the mechanics: The charge shot's power now depends on a gauge on the lower left side of the screen that fills as you destroy enemies. If you die you lose all your charge, so sometimes it might be a use it or lose it situation. The rest of the staples are here and remain the same: Various different ships are available to play as, each one with different shooting styles as you collect power ups as well as screen-clearing bombs.

 Strikers 1945 is like more of the same but slightly better. Seeing how the various vehicles you have to destroy transform into mechas is always fun.
 6.5 out of 10

 Tengai

 You wouldn't know it just by looking at it, but this is a sequel to Samurai Aces. Everything has changed though. Now it's a horizontal shooter and you play as a flying character shooting all sorts of Samurai/mecha hybrids. As per usual, you have your normal shots, Options that get stronger as you collect Power ups as well as a charge shot(levels up alongside your shots) and a Bomb. There's an alternate route midway through the game, and it also features a 'second loop' with slight variations on the stages.

 Honestly, the art-direction puts this game a cut above the rest. Character design is phenomenal, if slightly oversexualized(Japan....) but it's the enemies' designs that really take the cake, you'll be fighting all sorts of weird... things.
 7.0 out of 10

 GunBird 2

 Featuring an almost entirely new cast of characters, GunBird 2 is as silly and ridiculous as the first game was. And just like the first game before it, GunBird 2 is a ridiculous new coat of paint for Strikers, albeit Strikers 1945 II this time around, so the new Charge shot mechanics are in place.

 GunBird 2 is very fun, but I wish they hadn't recycled the same exact plot from the first game. Once again you'll be stalked by a big-breasted animu villainess and her two cohorts on every level. And once again you'll fight against a wish-granting being at the end. That aside, it's still a quality game.
 7.0 out of 10

 Dragon Blaze

 Dragon Blaze is another fun one. The game's basics are the same as any other game featured in these collections, but its main gimmick is its Dragons. Each of the four characters has their own dragon, and you can press a button at any time to unmount him. While unmounted, your dragon will stay rooted to its place endlessly shooting forward. That way you can move your rider around, while shooting its weak little pellets, all the while having your dragon shooting forwards. The dragon can even collect power ups and points!

 Taking after GunBird 2 and Strikers 1945 II, chargeshots consume energy from a gauge, called mana in this game. But you get two different shots: One while mounted and another one while unmounted. This mechanic is loads of fun, but don't get too comfortable, this one is one of the tougher games featured yet. The art direction is brilliant and the concept behind the dragons is just as good. Dragon Blaze is quite clearly the underdog in the cart, and it's quite great.
 7.0 out of 10

 I'm no connoisseur when it comes to shoot'em ups, but I can tell you one thing: While Sol Divide is my favorite game yet, I can tell that this cart features a more robust and consistent collection of games. While you'd be skipping on Psikyo's orgins, with Volume 2 you're getting better games and it's not like playing the first installments is required.
 7.0 out of 10

Review #648: Psikyo Collection vol.1

 That's a lot of bullets.

 While Psikyo are long gone, their legacy is not. They made arcade shoot'em ups their bread and butter and it shows. In this volume there are 4 different games, a nice of styles, even if all of them are shoot'em ups, covering the company's origins. As far as the whole package goes, Psikyo Collection Vol.1 is fairly lacking. Every vertical shooter must be played while closeted between two sidebars, in order to keep the correct aspect ratio, but every game gets a measly two backdrops. There's a fair amount of high quality art per game, but I wish there was more. Lastly, the translation is horrible. The easiest difficulty setting is called 'Monkey'(alright, that one's brilliant) and settings for upping your lives vary between 'own machine' and 'number of my character'. Thankfully, you can customize your maximum amount of continues and lives fairly easy.

 All four games are basically the same: You play as a ship/flying human and must try to avoid enemy fire while attacking with your own, all the while trying to collect power ups and points. You can play with infinite continues, but you'll want to avoid dying since it'll reset your shot's power as well as your score multiplier. Simple, fun.

Strikers 1945

 Pretty much your standard vertical shooter, you pick an airplane and go to town. Except that you'll be battling crazy vehicles that turn into mechas. You've got your basic shot, a charge shot and a limited Bomb attack. Defeating enemies makes them drop points or power ups that increase your basic shots' power and utility. Each ship gets different bonuses, such as missiles or homing mini-bullets. Each Bomb and Charge attack is different too. Dying resets your power.

 Strikers 1945 is fine, but nothing special I think. That said, there's a reason this game became a classic and got so many sequels.
6.0 out of 10

 Sol Divide

 Now this, this is my jam. This is a very weird RPG-beat'em up-shooter hybrid and I loved it. You play as any of three characters as they fly through horizontally-scrolling levels. You also get to collect life-increasing power ups and even collect an assortment of different spells you can then use by spending mana. For a first in these games, you also get melee attacks. They had me at melee attacks.

 It looks weird, to say the least, and the mix-mash of elements isn't perfect, but dangit, I get to hack-and-slash my way through. Needless to say, I really, really enjoyed this one.
7.5 out of 10

 Samurai Aces

 I was about to call this game a Strikes 1945 reskin, but then I found out that this game came out first! Basically, it's Strikers 1945 but with a Samurai/Ninja/Mecha-hybrid skin. It literally plays exactly the same. And the power-ups looks the same. It's also a bit tougher.

 I liked this game a bit more than Strikers since the theme was so ridiculous/
6.0 out of 10

 GunBird

 I thought I was gonna hate this game since its cutesy generic anime-vibe wasn't quite doing it for me. But it's pretty good. It's another Samurai Aces reskin, but it's very, very silly. One of the protagonists is a pedophile, for instance, and every character gets two different comedic endings. Even the characters are silly, instead of ships you can play as a jetpack-guy, a witch on a broom or even a silly old-man on a makeshift helicopter.

  It's one of the easiest games on the collection, and one of the most colorful and ridiculous... which also made it one of the games I enjoyed the most.
 7.0 out of 10


 All in all, I fancy this is a pretty decent collection of games if you enjoy the genre. They might not have converted me, but there's a reason these games are so beloved, and I'm sure that people out there will be able to appreciate these games as much as I was able to appreciate Capcom's Belt Action collection. That said, the game could've used some more extras....
6.5 out of 10

Review #647: Bendy and the Ink Machine

 Keep circulating the tapes!

 If the last generation of videogames is gonna be remembered for something it's gonna be for the rise of the horror walking simulators, horror games focused on exploration and simple puzzles as opposed to the nonsensical collectathon-puzzles from Resident Evil or Silent Hills. Bendy and the Ink Machine comes swinging with its own take on the formula: The entire game is seen through a sepia-color filter... well, except curtains(more on this later) as you explore the studio of a fictional '60s classic: Little Devil Darlin' Bendy.

 You play as Henry, one of Bendy's co-creators, who left the company to become a family fan. Fast forward to the present day and he is told by Joey, the other co-creator, to swing by the studio 'cause he's got something to show Henry. As soon as you set foot inside the old, abandoned studio all bets are off, as the macabre quickly rears its head. Locked and lost inside the studio, Henry must survive the living ink creatures and try to escape with his life. The entire game lasts 5 hours, divided into 5 chapters. The story itself is alright, although I wasn't too fond of getting 'allies' on the last chapter, by then a lot of the horror and tension was gone. I think they got a bit too ambitious for its own sake, the charm of the setting was gone. 'Cause you see, Bendy's studio is quite a treat, you'll come across various Disney-inspired posters and even short animations featuring Bendy and his pals, really selling you on the whole setting. But a bit of the charm is lost on Chapter 5 when you get partners to come with you. It's hard to delve deeper into this without entering spoiler territory, so let's just say that Chapter 5 didn't meet my expectations.

 Moving around the environments is simple enough, but the developers saw fit to add combat into the game and it's kinda crappy. It's very crappy. Hitboxes seem rather wonky, so you have to be extra precise with your swings, while enemies seem to have a ridiculously large range on their attacks. I swear, at times it feels like it's impossible to avoid taking damage, god bless regenerative health. There's a segment in Chapter 3 in which you have to fight against the three butcher brothers, and it almost felt like a luck-based mission. Eventually I figured that if I got up on some stairs their swings wouldn't register as well, which helped me take them out without much of a hassle. Not to worry, as death is but a slap on the wrist, you'll respawn close to where you were before you died, and often times whatever you killed will remain dead. Sometimes it'll take you a bit further behind, but it's pretty rare. Chapter 5 has this nasty all-out brawl against Ink Monsters that wears out its welcome after the third or fourth wave, but it goes on and on and on, and depending on when you die, you'll have to start from scratch if you die. If the glitches don't get you first, that is.

 Luckily combat is not too frequent, most of the time you'll be wandering around, searching for items needed in order to proceed. Something that bothered me was that a LOT of times you'll walk right past key-items, but you aren't allowed to interact with them until Henry himself knows that he needs them. It makes sense and it's more realistic this way, but it's also more annoying, since once I reach a door I'll have to either rattle my brain as I try to remember just where I thought I saw the key item or spend time backtracking for the required items. Neither choice is very fun. Sadly, most of the game feels like a giant fetch quest. You explore the environment until you reach a closed door and discover that you need certain items, so now you backtrack in order to find the items and go through the door. Once through the door you'll explore the new environment until the next fetch-quest list pop ups. Chapter 3 is particularly egregious, as an NPC will task you with about 3 or 4 different collectathon missions that have you going through 4 different floors. It was boring the first time around, now imagine a fourth.... Chapter 5 also has a doozy, there's a part in which you have to traverse a labyrinthine hall of offices trying to find a blob of Ink to produce pipes(it makes sense in-context) to fix a machine. Problem? You are unarmed and the offices are being patrolled by the three butcher brothers who can kill you in two hits at most. Three times. You have to enter the labyrinth three times, follow the same exact route(Unless a Butcher brother forces a detour) three times to collect the SAME item in the SAME place three times. THREE TIMES. And you'll probably die a dozen times or so on your first attempt as you explore the labyrinth figuring out what doors and which halls take you where. It was easily one of the worst parts about the game, and chapter 5 is already the weakest one.

 Oh, Chapter 5, I've already let a few glimpses slip into how terrible it gets. Firstly, the entire game is full of bugs and glitches. If you start an audio-log and get away from it, you'll never hear its audio again until you reload. Sometimes the subtitles won't load correctly. Chapter 5 has unsynched subtitles at the start. Curtains flash red for who knows what reason, and near the end of the game, some ink-tubes would have red ink flowing through them, which actually made it creepier. In Chapter 5 there's a humanoid boss, if you hurry into its starting spot and kill him before he gets out the game will soft-lock since he won't be able to get out and trigger the next event. And I found about that one because I wanted to get through that boss fight quickly since right after that fight your two allies will come to help you fend off and ridiculously long brawl against ink-creatures. But, more often than not, ink-creatures will get stuck walking against your allies, rendering them invincible and thus preventing you from advancing through the game. The cherry on top is the spotty framerate.

 So, Bendy and the Ink-Machine is a bit dull. The presentation is absolutely top-notch, and the setting is brilliant, but when the game can be reduced to a collection of dull fetch quest then you know you've got a problem. Combat could've added much needed variety, but it's so bad that the game would've been better without it. But even if the game itself was better, the Switch port is so poor that it's kind of a bummer. That said, I think they pulled off so well the aesthetics and world of Bendy that the game is worth a look just because of that.
 4.0 out of 10

Review #646: Oxenfree

 Ollie ollie, oxen free!

 Hope you like dialogue, because Oxenfree is an adventure game all about it. This is what you'd call a laid back game, there's no action, no explosions, just a few puzzles and a whole lotta conversations

 You play as Alex, a teenage girl out on a trip to Edwards Island with her step-brother, Jonas, her friends, Ren and Nona, as well as her not-so-friend Clarissa . Things quickly go amiss when Alex and Jonas mess with a radio while inside a cavern, and now ghost-like beings are out to get them. The rest of the game is about the group of friends trying to regroup and find a way out of the Island before their new incorporeal playmates use their bodies to get out of their prison. The game lasts about 5 hours, give or take, although quite a bit of time is taken up by numerous, lengthy loading screens. The progressions is pretty linear, you always know where you have to go, but there are a few decisions Alex can make that'll change how a few things pan out, there are also hidden messages you can find hidden throughout the Island to further your understanding of what's going on as well as unlocking the best ending.

 The game will have you running around the Island as Alex, while solving simple puzzles or using your Radio to clear even simpler puzzles by tuning into the right channels. Alex is always joined by another character, Jonas most of the time, and these secondary characters will talk. A lot. You'll have a ton of different opportunities to interject with dialogue of your own, by pressing any of three different buttons on the joycon(The other one reserved for context-sensitive actions), signifying different responses. You can also opt not to speak and watch characters interact with each other or see how they take your silence. A few dialogue choices will change a few events, but most often than not they'll change how characters perceive you, which, in turn, will affect the ending.

 A simple game like this shouldn't have any control issues, but this one kinda does. Moving around the environments can be kinda tough at times, since roads throughout the island are pretty rigid, so, for example, if you want to take a curve you have to follow the exact perfect line the game considers as the 'road', otherwise Alex will turn on her tracks. A couple of pathways can be a bit finicky with how they'll let Alex go through, but, luckily, the Switch version allows for touchscreen control, so if you get annoyed you can simply touch where you want Alex to go and she'll figure out the way herself.

 This is a fairly simple game as far as looks go, featuring simple 3-D models walking on beautiful hand-drawn environments... which begs the question: Why does it run so poorly on Switch? Besides the previously mentioned excessively long loading screens, the game will sometimes freeze for a frame as you move around. The framerate leaves something to be desired as well. Needless to say, this is a poorly optimized game, which kinda blows since it sucks a bit of fun from the game.

 Oxenfree is a fairly decent game, even if I feel like it's nothing to special. That said, the Switch port leaves a lot to be desired, issues like the long loading screens completely turned me off from exploring the Island in order to collect the hidden messages. Issues like this prevent it from being as good as it could be.
6.0 out of 10

The DLC Report: Dead Cells - Rise of the Giant

 Dead fashionista.

 Dead Cells is one of the best games I've played this generation. Easily. Rise of the Giant is its first real piece of DLC, free of charge, and it's quite a doozy. Enemies, bosses, areas, weapons and even costumes, this DLC has a little bit of everything.

 The new are is the Cavern, reached by going through the Graveyard after defeating Conjonctivictus. It features a slew of new monsters as well as a vertical design not unlike the Clock Tower. I'm not particularly fond of this new area, but it's not bad by any means. Once cleared you can fight the new Boss, the giant. He's a fun new fight, although, unlike other bosses, he drops no Cells, making him a bit of a bummer to defeat. Beating the game on the hardest difficulty setting while possessing the final boss unlocks a second new boss as well as a new ending. There's also an entirely new set of common enemies that are only found on the higher difficulty setting.

 With new enemies also come new weapons, powers and mutations. There's quite a few fun ones, but the magic projectile was easily my favorite. The giant-slayer isn't bad either. But that's not the only reason you're back here, oh no, now we've also got costumes. While most costumes can only be found as loot from fallen enemies on harder difficulty settings, a few costumes can be collected on the basic difficulty, so no one gets left out. Custom Run has been tweaked a bit so that now you can even turn on Health Fountains on the harder difficulty settings, in case you've been having trouble.

 I've been longing to play Dead Cells again and Rise of the Giant was the perfect excuse to do so, I've been having a blast unlocking new costumes and weapons. This DLC is the complete package and makes an already fantastic game EVEN better. This is pretty much the gold standard of what DLC could be, and the fact that it's entirely free makes it all the better.
 10 out if 10

Review #645: Asterix & Obelix XXL 2

 With an extra large serving of bugs and glitches.

 As average as it was, I've always held a soft spot for Asterix & Obelix Kick Buttix(AKA XXL1), a simple but fun action-platform game on the PS2, and always lamented how its sequel never made it outside Europe. Well, the gods have smiled upon us, because for whatever reason the developers saw fit to port the sequel, but not the original for whatever reason, to all modern consoles. I finally get to experience what I've been missing for all these years. But maybe, that's the way it should've stayed.

  As per usual, the story follows the endless conflict between the Gauls and the Romans. This time around, Getafix, the Gaulish druid, seems to have betrayed every Gaul village, so Asterix and Obelix set out to rescue the captured druids and figure out the mystery behind Getafix's betrayal. The story has a few attempts at humor, but it's pretty, so unless you are a kid you'll probably find it falls flat upon its face. With Asterix & Obelix XXL 2 the developers went for a full videogame parody/tribute theme, so you'll be fighting Raymanesque Romans, superSonic Romans and even a mustachoed Roman called Pablo, equipped with a water-pumping machine. Heck, Caesar's new right-hand man is a Tomb Raider parody called Larry Croft. I'll admit that seeing all the tributes did bring a smile to my face a couple of times, and it was always fun discovering murals or other less explicit references.

  As far as gameplay goes, not much has changed from the first game. You play as Asterix with Obelix in tow, while there's no multi-player you can swap characters at will, even though both play exactly the same. They can slap enemies around, double jump, ground pound or even grab dizzy enemies to use as whips. Hitting enemies continuously will eventually activate 'Rage' which makes you attacks faster, and after a few upgrades, stronger. Regardless, the game falls into the SAME EXACT pitfall as the first game did: The combat isn't good, but dang it, if they aren't gonna force it on you. Combat is way too frequent, and too often does the game force you to defeat X amount of enemies before you can continue. Sometimes it tries to be different by endlessly spawning enemies until you throw a certain amount of them into a target or a Roman toilet. The combat isn't even hard, it's just tedious, something that you just want to get done with but rarely is there a way to do so. Every now and then a 'bonus' will trigger, in which an enemy designated by a 'Gift' label will require a specific combo to be hit with, upon which you'll get rewarded by health, currency multipliers or, if you are lucky, the druid's potion, which will make combat end faster, particularly once you purchase the mighty potion-moves. Sadly, it seems like the potion power-up bonus only appears on the very last few levels.

 When you aren't fighting you might have to do a bit of light platforming or simple puzzles, like figuring out how to get a bomb to a Tetris wall. Sometimes you'll have to make use of Asterix size, to get through tight walls or Obelix's strength to punch down metal walls(Although I think this only happened a single time in the entire game, during the last level). These moments are a more palatable, and while simple, they don't wear out their welcome. However, I must admit that I felt like the environments weren't as varied or as fun as the ones from the previous game. The developers also removed costumes, one of the best and most rewarding parts about the first game. As a matter of fact, collectibles in this game have absolutely no purpose besides bragging rights. Postcards, 4 per level, offer nothing more than non-funny gags while diamond helmets, 5 per level, do absolutely nothing....

 ...although, maybe, that wasn't always the case. Y'see, I did some digging, and, apparently, Diamond Helmets used to be worth 1000 helmets(The in-game currency). But in this game they are worth nothing. That's not the only thing they changed, the new graphics are a bit of a mixed bag. While most of character models look like their PS2 originals, they changed the lighting effects to be more realistic, which is fine, but a lot of color was lost in the port. Things like collectible helmets used to have this vividly colorful glow, which is gone, and even the druid's potion had better effects. A lot of various special effects were either completely removed or changed into something more boring. While this game might look sharper, it's decidedly less colorful, which for a game based on a cartoon is a terrible change. To top it all off, the Switch version runs at 30 FPS or less, which is completely baffling as this is little more than a dolled up PS2 game. Plus, the camera loves to get stuck on walls and/or corners, I don't know if it was a problem in the original, but it's a problem now. I never died or lost health due to the camera getting stuck(Not that it matters, since you have infinite continues), but it was quite annoying since it was so frequent, even if it wasn't all that hard to get it behind Asterix again.

 And then we have the glitches. A ton of them. It happened to me first when I first entered a level, either the third or the fourth one, that during the 'LOADING' screen the game crashed into the dashboard. Then, the game didn't crash again during my initial playthrough, but I noticed that a lot of areas in the WCW level were missing music. Was it like that in the original? I dunno, but it feels weird. The last level was missing music in a few parts as well. Sometimes you have to light torches to progress, well, the WCW has a lot of torches that never turn on, even though it seems like the camera pans towards them as if trying to tell you that they caught fire? It didn't stop my progression, but it looked quite weird. The Pirate Shore level is absolutely bugged, every time you enter the level, or even when you try to exit it, it will play the level introduction cutscene in which it pans out through the entire are. It's the only level with this problem, but it's quite dumb. But, whatever, I finished the game, but I was missing a few collectible items that you can buy with helmets, so I traveled back to the second stage and... the game crashed. Once I loaded up my file again and try to get there again it worked, but it seems like the game is prone to crashing. Lastly, traveling to the first city, and its first checkpoint, will make an awful 'opening door' sound repeat endlessly until you get far, far away from a nearby door. Did anyone test this thing?

 I'm gonna be entirely honest here, Asterix & Obelix XXL2 is as average as the first one, having the same problems that one did, but lacking a few of its more positive qualities, like costumes and more variety in its levels. But I could've dealt with that. I was having fun with this simple game thanks to its nostalgic retro charm. But the bugs, man.... they really didn't care at all, did they? Bugs and glitches aside, there's no reason as to why they had to sap away all the color and life from the graphics, this is a game based on a comic-book, it has to be colorful!
 3.5 out of 10