Valfaris Review

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Indie games are typically low risk, high reward in terms of return on what you spend. The best indie games give an unforgettable experience that you can’t help but share with others by word of mouth. Bad indie games are forgettable and typically a dime a dozen. In 2019, developers Steel Mantis and Stage Clear Studios teamed up with publishers Big Sugar and Merge Games to release Valfaris for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. This love letter to 80s metal, gore, and platforming is one of the best games released in the last ten years. We’re head banging in this Valfaris review!

Valfaris Plot:

“After mysteriously vanishing from galactic charts, the fortress of Valfaris has suddenly reappeared in the orbit of a dying sun. Once a self-contained paradise, the grandiose citadel now plays host to an ever-growing darkness. Therion, a fearless and proud son of Valfaris, returns to his home to uncover the truth of its doomed fate and to challenge the arcane evil at its very heart.”

My Valfaris review starts with a crash landing. Therion is our hero in this game but he’s not alone. He has a helpful A.I. partner that appears digitally at save points and gives insight. After the crash on Valfaris, Therion learns that his home planet is rotting from the inside out. As the son of King Vroll, leader of Valfaris he is concerned with the current state of the planet. He decides to venture deeper into the planet and find the source of this corrupt power. Therion enters power chamber factories that were once used to harness the power of the nearby sun but it’s become overrun with alien creatures, and evil soldiers. He learns that two leaders are running the factories still and decides to meet them to discover what’s going on.

Therion defeats the two leaders of the factory but has learned that his father betrayed the planet of Valfaris and started the infection that is rotting the planet and its habitants of it. Therion disturbs the crypt of his brother Itnan and it’s revealed that the two have long had bad blood. King Vroll felt threatened by his own son, Itnan, and had him exiled deep within the planet. Itnan tells Therion that King Vroll is no more and that Therion should not have come back to Valfaris before attacking him. The two brothers battle it out with Therion killing Itnan.

Realizing that Valfaris is a lost cause, Therion decides to travel back to the surface. Fighting through giant worm tunnels, the infectious bacteria that has ruined Valfaris is everywhere. At the surface, Therion meets Furrok, King Vroll’s most trusted General. He reveals that King Vroll’s obsession with draining the sun of energy pulled Valfaris into a void that caused the bacteria to infect the planet. While Therion curses his father and labels him a dishonorable man, Furrok says that he now serves the new king of Valfaris and that he has ordered Furrok to kill Therion. Therion defeats Furrok and confronts the new king who is severely corrupted by the bacteria.

The new king transforms into a multi-headed dragon and Therion defeats him. Begging to be slain to set him free, Therion grants the king his wish and decapitates him. With Valfaris a lost cause, Therion flies away toward the void. He asks his A.I. partner to start scanning for traces of King Vroll. The A.I. responds she has found his trace on nine different planets and Therion begins plotting courses.

I liked that during my Valfaris review, there was a light plot that wasn’t too complicated or overdone. With a game that features such great gameplay, you don’t need a heavy plot. Valfaris adds just enough story and characters to keep you interested but the attraction to Valfaris is its incredible gameplay.

Valfaris Gameplay:

My Valafaris review wasn’t a long one, my run through the game took about 10 hours. Let’s first go over one of the best things about Valfaris, the soundtrack. It’s nothing but headbanging metal and it fits the entire game perfectly. One of the best things during my Valfaris review was when you obtained a new weapon. Therion would start headbanging in excitement and the music got cranked up.

Right from the beginning, Valfaris felt like a video game. I need this, I need to be distracted from how terrible this world is and I love games that do this. Most of the time I prefer to play a game that is fantastical or full of demons. I don’t need to be reminded of how crappy our world is and Valfaris for 10 hours took me to another world and a kick-ass world at that.

Valfaris’s combat is quick and deadly. You’ll kill your enemies quickly but they will kill you just as fast. Most of the game is run-and-gun action like an old-school Contra but some enemies require a bit more thought than pointing a gun and shooting at them. There’s wildlife that will jump around or charge at you. Soldiers may have shields while others are drones coming from a small base nearby that needs to be destroyed. All enemies are crafted with thought and all explode into guts and blood when killed.

To kill my enemies in my Valfaris review, I had numerous weapons at my disposal. There was a pistol weapon that I used most of the time because of the infinite ammo. Once I sighted it with a laser it was my favorite weapon to use. You’ll be able to collect various pistols that each do their own unique attacks like honing bullets, flames, or longer range. The next weapon is the power attack. These range from big missiles to huge bullets but the catch is that whenever you use the power attacks it drains your energy bar. The energy bar is attached to your shield. You can throw up your shield whenever you wish to absorb bullets and if you time it just right you can launch attacks back at your enemies. If you have no energy you won’t be able to use your shield or use your power attacks.

The last weapon in my Valfaris review is the melee attack. These are swords, axes, and limbs. Yes, you read that right, you eventually tear off a monster limb and use it to beat others senselessly or poison them. There are little tokens throughout your playthrough that will level up the weapons. Collecting tokens and finding which weapons suit you best is key for advancing through challenging levels.

Speaking of challenges, Valfaris set out checkpoints perfectly. You won’t go two or three minutes without running into one and while that seems short, you’ll need them as Valfaris can crank up the difficulty. It’s nice to know you’re never too far away from a checkpoint, especially when facing deadly swarms of enemies.

Graphically, Valfaris looks like it comes from the 16-bit era. I loved the retro feel of this run-and-gun game. Games don’t need to look realistic or have the best graphics to be fun. Valfaris sets the bar for indie games in terms of maximizing what you’re working with.

Another huge perk to my Valfaris review was all the boss fights. They are unique, challenging, addicting, and fun. There’s a strategy best suited for each boss and sometimes I learned it right away and other times I had to fight them five or six times before learning what to do. I didn’t mind dying because the fights were so fun and I knew I’d be able to win eventually. The final boss I must have fought close to 60 times. It took me two hours of straight respawning right before the fight to figure him out. I came so close numerous times and when I finally pulled it off it was so satisfying. The final boss is a perfect example of fun and addicting gameplay, dying was part of the fun and learning process.

Memories:
I’m not really sure how I discovered Valfaris but I had been eyeing it for a while. Once it arrived at my doorstep it didn’t take long for me to play as opposed to other games in my collection. I beat it within a week. It was so great and I remember thinking “whoa” almost the entire time from the headbanging music, and gnarly gore, to the tough bosses. What a ride!

Valfaris Review Score:

Right from the start of the game, Valfaris is special. From the incredible heavy metal to the boss fights that are challenging and addicting, to the small details to Therion headbanging when he finds a new weapon. Valfaris isn’t only a hidden gem, it’s a masterpiece. Pick this up as soon as possible and see for yourself.

Valfaris scores a 10 out of 10.

What would you write in your Valfaris review? What are some other hidden gem indie games? Who was your favorite boss in Valfaris? Let me know your thoughts and comments on Valfaris, I’d love to read them.

Onimusha Dawn of Dreams Review

The original Onimusha trilogy is held in high regard by almost every gamer. It combined horror, Japanese history, and beautiful combat to complete a unique and addicting series. In 2006, Capcom developed and published Onimusha Dawn of Dreams, a continuation of the universe but set 15 years later after Onimusha 3. Onimusha is one of my favorite series, but Dawn of Dreams felt different from the start. Would it be the best game in the series or would it cause the series to crash? Read my Onimusha Dawn of Dreams review to find out!

Onimusha Dawn of Dreams Plot:

It’s been 15 years since the defeat of Nobunaga at the hands of Samanosuki. Japan has been united briefly under the leadership of a man named Hideyoshi who was previously a commander for Nobunaga. Genma begins to reappear ending peace as a giant star approaches Earth. This star is known as the “Omen Star” and it has caused natural disasters to ravage Asia. Hideyoshi becomes consumed by the Omen Star’s power but his son, Soki, refuses to be part of the Genma army and rebels against his father.

Hideyoshi begins to plant Genma trees across the land. These trees give birth to Genma allowing Hideyoshi’s army to grow and capture more cities. Soki does his best to burn these mammoth trees down but he can’t keep up. He teams up with a very strange creature that I can only describe as a “man baby”. If you’ve played previous entries in the Onimusha series, this is the same creature that allows you to enter the demon realm as they hang upside down in certain areas. Anyway, this man baby named Minokichi is very annoying and comes off more like a baby than a helpful companion. He constantly whines or cries and says very awkward things during my Onimusha Dawn of Dreams review. Sometimes he even pisses himself.

Soki recruits the help of Jubei. (No, not that one from Onimusha 2) Jubei is the granddaughter of Jubei from Onimusha 2 and has taken the family name up in defeating the new Genma threat. She has a demon eye and is quite the nimble ninja. She is set on defeating a traitor from her clan after her grandfather instructs her to complete the mission.

After discovering the source of the Genma trees, Soki runs into his childhood friend and crush, Ohatsu. She’s a gun-wielding woman who clearly has feelings for Soki but was forced into a marriage to another man. She reveals some secrets to Soki about the Genma invasion but is forced to abide by Munenori who was the Jubei Clan’s traitor. It turns out he has poisoned her with the Genma and holds her life at his whim if she doesn’t obey his orders. Ohatsu under the influence of the Genma tries to fight Soki where he defeats her in battle but the poison courses through her veins. Soki goes into the demon realm to find the cure and barely escapes with his own life. Once Ohatsu is cured, she joins Soki and Jubei in the fight against the Genma. Jubei and Ohatsu both have crushes on Soki and sometimes they both flirt with Soki when he chats with them or makes jealous comments about each other.

Soki and his crew run into a white-haired mysterious monk who has been searching for the Black Oni for quite some time. This Black Oni is actually Soki as he has demon powers and has been prophesized as the one who will bring down the Omen Star. This monk named “Nankobo” joins up with Soki and the rest as his goal is to save the land from the Genma. The group runs into a man named Roberto Frois, who is a heavy hitter with his fists of steel. I’ll pause for a second in this Onimusha Dawn of Dreams review to recognize that Roberto Frois is a Christian missionary. Most Christians portrayed in video games are those who are involved in cults are extreme groups, Roberto was crafted as a well-rounded and humble man, a rarity to see Christian characters designed like that in games. It was refreshing to not see the “crazy Christian trope”.

Roberto is stubborn at first as he wants revenge on a former friend who has turned to the Genma but decides to help serve Soki and the others after he is rescued by them. The team discovers that there is a “dark stone” that is powering Hideyoshi and sets out to destroy it. With the powerful fists of Roberto, the stone is destroyed while the others encounter Claidus, a powerful Genma who tells them that the Omen Star will revive the Genma God once it reaches Earth and set a new era of Genma upon the land. After destroying the second dark stone that is power the Genma, the group has six days to reach Kyoto before the Star arrives which is an impossible task. Minokichi does perhaps the only useful thing in the game and transports the group closer to Kyoto to save the world but the process kills Minokichi. His sacrifice allows them to continue toward their mission of stopping the Genma.

As Soki and the group close in on Hideyoshi, each member of the group splits off to face their personal plot point in the game. Soki reaches Hideyoshi who is planning to be the vessel for the Genma God. Defeating his father, Hideyoshi has the Genma seed ripped from his body killing him in the process. The seed goes around like a hot potato before it finally is used releasing Fortinbras, the Genma God. Recognizing that this is Soki’s fight, Nankobo, gives him his Oni Gauntlet and confirms what everyone already thought, Nankobo is Samanoske from the original trilogy! Soki goes into an epic battle against Fortinbras and after defeating him, sacrifices himself to destroy the remaining Genma trees around the world.

In the credits, characters from the group are seen living normal lives again.

Onimusha Dawn of Dreams Gameplay:

During my Onimusha Dawn of Dreams review, I was surprised at some of the aspects of the gameplay. There was a formula for the first three in the series and this formula worked. Onimusha Dawn of Dreams veers off this path and offers something different. Instead of giving the player the ability to explore areas on their own, the game pushes the player in a more linear path through chapters that are levels. These levels last anywhere from 10 – 20 minutes and the formula is a simple one. Kill all the enemies in the area, rescue a person or solve a puzzle, make your way through the area picking up useful items, and fight the boss at the end of the stage. It’s a familiar formula in gaming, but the previous entries allowed the player to explore more on their own and discover what the next move was. Onimusha Dawn of Dreams pushes the player in the direction they need to go instead of a natural progression.

Despite Onimusha Dawn of Dreams being the fourth game in the series, it arguably looks the worst. It feels cheap from the graphics, character design, and how the story is told. There are a few cut scenes, but the majority of the dialogue is told through cheap interactions with characters. When the characters speak their mouths don’t even move. I was disappointed at this cheap feeling during my Onimusha Dawn of Dreams review. There were also the extremely enthusiastic movements of body parts during these interactions which led to very comical moments.

The camera angle is another gripe I have. Maybe I’m in the minority but I prefer fixed camera angles in my Capcom games. You get full control of the camera but it became more of a hassle to adjust it, especially during combat. You are constantly spinning the camera to view your surroundings whereas earlier entries had an overhead single camera angle that gave players a view of the area.

Once you complete a level, you are typically transported to a HUB area where you can save, talk to other characters, craft items, and enter the demon realm for training or treasure hunting. I didn’t mind this aspect during my Onimusha Dawn of Dreams review. I liked the ability to talk to other characters and discuss why they were fighting the demons, their history, and their input on our adventure.

The soundtrack choice didn’t seem to fit in the game either. Usually, I only notice the soundtrack if it’s extremely well-done or poor choices. Unfortunately for my Onimusha Dawn of Dreams review, it was a poor choice. It was weird techno mixes for some parts of the game that really pulled me away from the feeling of the ancient Japanese environments.

Combat is unique compared to the other Onimusha games where you will almost always have a partner. You can choose your partner before you play the level but there are areas where you will have to choose a certain person who has a special ability. There are doors that need to be destroyed, explosions that need to be set off, and little entryways that are too small for others, that require you to bring a specific character along to get passed the area. I think in that aspect, the game did a good job of forcing you to use all your partners. You can play as either Soki or your partner and you can command the other by inputting a simple style of play. You can have your partner be aggressive, mimick your movements, defend themselves or hang back while you take care of the enemy. There were instances where I chose all four styles but mainly had them mimic my movements. You can level them up with experience but you’ll gain experience with them regardless of whether you use them or not which was welcomed. I didn’t want to have someone sitting on the sidelines and then bring them out for five minutes and have them be completely useless in combat. I was able to accumulate experience with them whether they fought or not.

Upgrading weapons are not as important in this entry of the Onimusha series. Before, you’d find three to four weapons and slowly upgrade the power and magic behind them. In Onimusha Dawn of Dreams, the focus is on skills and combos. You’ll be able to upgrade a forceful kick or a certain type of sword attacks like a swing or counter. It will also unlock combo moves when you put the experience into an attack. All the characters have a unique style of fighting and it’s best to master all the styles because of the ending.

Do you like bosses? Great. You’re going to play a ridiculous amount at the end of the game. I love boss fights and even I thought the end was ridiculous. The team makes their way toward the final confrontation and slowly split off on their own. One member will stay behind and fight their final boss. This all sounds cool, and it is to a degree but it is tiresome. Soki needs to get to the final battle against Hideyoshi and the Genma so your team will do everything in their power to get Soki there. This means branching off and defeating large bosses who are attacking the group. For each character, you’ll need to master their combat. I saved up tons and tons of medicine and magic power-ups for the final battle and it really helped when I needed it.

Once Soki finally reaches the end, he will face NINE bosses in a row. You read that correctly. It was an insane amount of combat and I was frustrated by all the false endings. After defeating numerous bosses, the game will act like you did it and beat the finale just for the boss to regrow or some dumb revival where they are even more powerful. It took me two or three times to defeat the nine bosses. When I finally defeated him, I could barely believe it. Sometimes, the end of a game doesn’t need to be that complicated and Onimusha Dawn of Dreams pushed it.

Overall, while the combat and gameplay during my Onimusha Dawn of Dreams were adequate, the whole vibe of the game just felt “off” compared to the rest of the series. If the title of Onimusha wasn’t attached, I may have enjoyed it more. I think the game does some good things but it veered off the path a little too much for my taste and it did this all cheaply.

Memories:
This was the first Onimusha game that I didn’t play right away after its release. I didn’t know Capcom released another Onimusha game until a few years after Dawn of Dreams was released, probably due to poor marketing and low budget. I really wanted it after loving the trilogy, so I sought it out, but it was always a little too pricey for me. My wife ended up buying it for me as a Christmas gift, and I was very thankful.

It certainly didn’t click like the other Onimusha games, but it was a solid experience and one that I’m happy that I was able to finally play. My curiosity has been satisfied.

Onimusha Dawn of Dreams Review Score:

From start to finish, my Onimusha Dawn of Dreams review felt like a budget playthrough. If the name Onimusha wasn’t attached to this game, it would have scored higher but certain franchises are held to high standards, and Onimusha is one of them. Dawn of Dreams feels cheap in just about every way. Besides the outdated graphics used, poor character dialogue, and annoying camera angles, there’s also the ridiculous ending that sees you defeating almost every character in the game. There is still plenty of good to Onimusha Dawn of Dreams, including some likable characters, unique enemies, and fun exploration. Titled something else, it would have a higher score but with Onimusha attached, it’s a longshot from the original trilogy.

Onimusha Dawn of Dreams scores a 6.9 out of 10.

What would you write in your Onimusha Dawn of Dreams review? Where does it rank for you in the Onimusha series? Who was your favorite character from it? Did you enjoy it more than I did? Let me know your thoughts and comments on Onimusha Dawn of Dreams, I’d love to read them.

Stranded Sails Review

Underrated Nintendo Switch games are a dime a dozen. Casual farming games? They have oversaturated the market as gaming has become mainstream for everyone. In 2019, developer Alchemist Interactive and publisher Merge Games worked together to put out Stranded Sails, a survival farming game on the Nintendo Switch. Would we find a paradise of farming and exploration? Keep reading this Stranded Sails review to find out!

Stranded Sails Plot:

Stranded Sails starts at a dock, as a crew of about 10 people are leaving port soon. You play as the Captain’s son and quickly are tasked with various missions to get the boat ready for sea. The people aboard the ship are leaving town for good in search of a better life. Sounds like the pilgrims, but the timeframe seems more like the 1800s.

Once at sea and midway through the journey, a huge storm comes and ravages the ship destroying it. Everyone is washed up upon a few islands that are scattered close by. As the protagonist, it’s your job to round up everyone and look for the survivors. When you find your father, he looks to be in grave danger. He’s badly wounded and needs to be transported to a cabin that was washed ashore.

After turning some of the islands into farm lands and building shelters for the crew, you start to unravel the mystery behind the islands. Running into the Ghost Pirate Captain, you learn he put a curse around the islands that crash any ships that try and sail by. By appeasing him and doing errands for him, he lifts the curse for you and the crew to safely leave the islands after rebuilding your ship.

Stranded Sails Gameplay:

At 20 hours to complete the game, this Stranded Sails review was perfect for my wife who loves casual gaming. It’s a mix of exploration, farming, and some very light combat. Let’s dive a little bit further into this Stranded Sails review for gameplay.

Farming: This aspect of the game is one of the most popular subgenres of gaming. Lovers of Harvest Moon, Story of Seasons, or Stardew Valley will feel right at home turning some of the islands in Stranded Sails into production fields for the crew. You’ll be able to grow many different crops by finding seeds throughout the islands and you’ll need to water them to keep them growing. Once the food is ripe, you can make stews with it to power yourself up.

Exploring: This is key to progressing the story. There are various islands to explore each with some secrets or objects for you to do. You can find other crew mates that have washed ashore or find valuable objects to help build shelters. There are also fishing spots and plenty of treasures to find by exploring every corner of the island. Sometimes you’ll run into a monkey and will need to corner it to get a valuable item, other times you may find a crypt where there are ghost pirates which leads to my next aspect of this Stranded Sails review.

Combat: There’s a light element of battling enemies in Stranded Sails. Combat is not challenging and if you know how to move a joystick and swing the sword, you’ll be able to defeat the Ghost Pirates and other enemies. Ghost Pirates can shoot objects at you or attack you in hand-to-hand combat but it’s easy to see their attacks coming and you can restore your health by carrying food around. You will need to defeat pirate ghosts in certain areas to complete an objective or find a key item.

The gameplay for Stranded Sails is as casual as it gets and you’ll be able to progress the story at your pace. If you want to farm the land for 100 hours you’re free to do so but whenever you want to advance the plot you’ll have that option. There’s also a strange decorating aspect to Stranded Sails that involves customizing the shelters for the crewmates. You can pick up hammocks or dressers by building them with the pieces of wood, rope, and other items you find scattered throughout the island.

Stranded Sails looks fine but it’s not going to blow any players away. The style of graphics reminds me a bit of Windwaker but a little more polished. I’m just so used to seeing these types of aesthetics that they’ve lost their touch on me and I associate this style with children’s games. Stranded Sails isn’t a children’s game, but it’s close.

Memories:
A few years ago, I was researching games to buy my wife for Christmas. She loves her Nintendo Switch and also loves farming games. She’s beaten a handful of Harvest Moon games, but I try and get her outside her comfort zone with other farming simulators. Stranded Sails popped up and I looked into it. I wanted to make sure it wasn’t just for kids and that there was some substance to the experience. It didn’t review the best but I know my wife doesn’t care about reviews, so I thought I’d give it a shot and buy it for her.

After Christmas was over, she picked Stranded Sails to play first out of the handful of games that I bought her. She ended up beating it in a week as she couldn’t put it down. She really seemed to enjoy herself, and I was delightedly surprised.

Stranded Sails Review Score:

My wife was able to complete her playthrough of Stranded Sails in 20 hours. The game allows you to move at your own pace giving you the option to play through how you want. There are plenty of small quests for farming, collecting, and building but if you want to advance the plot you’ll need to get into the light combat. It’s a casual game that offers a little bit of everything. It’s a good game for players who just want a chill experience without stress.

Stranded Sails scores a 7.5 out of 10.

What would you write in your Stranded Sails review? What other great farming simulators are out there besides Harvest Moon, Story of Seasons, and Stardew Valley? Is there another game that has a perfect mix of different genres? Let me know your thoughts and comments on Stranded Sails, I’d love to read them.

Brave Story New Traveler Review

The PlayStation Portable was one of the most underrated handheld gaming systems. Released in 2005, Sony’s handheld featured so many iconic and hidden gems. One hidden gem, is Brave Story New Traveler, a JRPG released in North America in 2007. Developed by Game Republic and published by XSeed Games, players controlled the adventure of a young boy who is whisked away to another dimension to help save his deathly ill friend. Do our dreams come true in this Brave Story New Traveler review?

Brave Story New Traveler Plot:

Doing a little research for my Brave Story New Traveler review, I discovered that this game was actually a book first! It’s based on the novel Brave Story by Miyuki Miyabe. While there are some characters from the book, most of the characters in the PSP game are unique and were created for the game adaptation.

Tatsuya

The story begins with a boy (maybe 11?) and a girl sitting on a bench outside. Miki is gossiping to Tatsuya who is too busy to listen as he plays his PSP. She grows annoyed with Tatsuya and walks away. A few minutes later, Miki’s dog starts barking and grabs the attention of Tatsuya. He makes his way to where the dog is barking and discovers Miki is passed out near lifeless. Miki goes to the hospital and is put into a bed where the doctors are having a hard time figuring out what’s wrong with her. Tatsuya leaves her room and goes to the roof of the hospital where he hears a voice speaking to him. The voice tells Tatsuya that he can save his friend by entering another dimension in which large doors appear out of thin air. Tatsuya who is a silent protagonist walks into the entry and is transported to another dimension.

In order to have his wish granted, Tatsuya must find the five gems scattered throughout the land for the sword that was gifted to him upon entry to this new dimension. The land around him is magical and filled with creatures of all kinds including monsters. It’s a stark difference from the busy city that Tatsuya left in the real world. During my Brave Story New Traveler review, I encountered many unique and fun characters who helped me on my journey to retrieve the gems. Tatsuya is special as he’s hailed as a “traveler” but he isn’t the only traveler searching for the gems. Others have entered the land to have their wishes granted too.

Let’s take a look at some of the characters from my Brave Story New Traveler review.

Yuno

Yuno: She’s a kitten, well, a cute girl with cat ears and a tail. She’s flirty, emotional, and tries to be very encouraging and helpful. I really found her refreshing as a female character and thought she was a great addition to the team with her bows and arrows. She develops a crush on Tatsuya and is a bit jealous that he’s better friends with Miki. She decides to help Tatsuya after he rescues her in a forest when being outnumbered by monsters.

Sogreth: He’s a large gator humanoid who is overprotective of his son. After Tatsuya helps rescue his son from trouble, Sogreth decides to tag along on the adventure. He is a very powerful ax wielder, but he doesn’t fall into the troupe of overlarge dumb characters, he has input in conversations and can even make a joke every now and then.

Sogreth

Meladee: She’s a Highlander Cheif who commands the respect of her unit. Tatsuya and Yuno want to join the Highlanders, a group of adventures who go on quests but are perceived to be too young. Meladee and her unit are found lost in an underground cavern surrounded by monsters where Tatsuya saves them. To thank him, she joins his quest and makes them true Highlanders. She wields double blades.

Ropple: He’s a super-genius magic user who only stands 3’9. He’s all about logic and science and the others continue to convince him to look at the world in others ways which is the typical “friends make us stronger” troupe. I probably used him the least amount but his magic was helpful during battles. He joins Tatsuya after his professor tells him he needs to better understand people.

Meladee

Leynart – He’s a Beastkin which means he is part beast. He has large horns and his skin is gray. Leynart patrols the borders and makes sure that travelers are abiding by the laws. At first, he believes Yuno and Sogreth as thieves but after a side quest, they help bring down the real thieves to prove their innocence. He has a large shield and lance and joins the team to help fight.

Now that you know the characters from my Brave Story New Traveler review, let’s discuss what happens!

Ropple

Once Tatsuya learns the rules of the other dimension called Vision, he is set free to find the five gems to fit into his sword. With his sword, he can summon the Goddess of Destiny and reverse Miki becoming sick. Picking up the forementioned characters in his travels, Tatsuya is also in a fight against Rei, who I would describe as a dick. He’s out to mess up your journey and make sure you don’t complete your wish. On occasion, Tatsuya has the ability to transport back to the real world to see Miki after he collects a gem. Later on, Rei begins to taunt Tatsuya and shows up in the real world threatening to kill Miki. The two battle on occasion before Tatsuya defeats him.

Leynart

Near the end of the game, things aren’t adding up. There are multiple travelers who are hoping to have their wishes granted but Tatsuya doesn’t fit the mold of the typical traveler. He reaches the tower that is home to the Goddess of Destiny but she refuses to open the doors because he isn’t a true traveler. Instead, Tatsuya is greeted by a young girl who asks to have his sword. He refuses, as the girl grows increasingly angry trying to tempt Tatsuya by pretending to be Miki. He continues to refuse and the girl transforms into a giant toad named Onba. Onba lured Tatsuya to Vision with the hope of saving his friend but she is powerless to do so. It was all a trapt so he’d collect the gems and give her the sword to overthrow the Goddess of Destiny.

Together with the help of his friends, Tatsuya defeats Onba. The Goddess of Destiny invites Tatsuya to meet but he must leave his friends behind forever. He leaves the group and meets with the Goddess who informs him she cannot grant his wish as he isn’t a traveler. However, since Onba was the one who put the curse on Miki and since Tatsuya defeated Onba, his wish will come true regardless. The game ends with Tatsuya returning to the real world and talking to Miki about a dream she had that involved a giant toad with Tatsuya rescuing her.

Brave Story New Traveler Gameplay:

There are a few things that I love about JRPGs and Brave Story checks the box on a few of them. First, Brave Story’s gameplay for battles is random encounters. During battles, you’ll be able to pull up a menu with the commands of attack, defend, items, bravura, unity, and escape. Four of those commands are self-explanatory. Bravura are special moves that deal more damage. These special moves are available as long as you have some Bravura points which you accumulate after every regular attack. I almost never ran out of BP unless it was a boss fight in which I had to drink some BP restoration potions. Almost every battle you can fill the BP meter so it’s a big part of the game. Unity allows active characters in your party to combine attacks for mega damage. It was fun to earn new unity moves as my characters leveled up and they deal a great deal of damage. Like Pokemon, there are some weaknesses, and strengths with move sets. It doesn’t play a huge role, but some bosses and enemies are easier when you discover what they are weak against.

There’s a world map that you can travel on foot, wagon or dragon. Once you get the dragon, it’s very easy to transverse the area and clear out any dungeons you missed. For the most part, you won’t get lost or stuck. The story is very intuitive and missions move along at a nice pace. You’ll be able to upgrade your weapons and armor as each character has a specific weapon that they command. Yuno has a bow, Meladee has the twin blades, Sogreth has the ax, etc…

Some JRPGs are nothing but serious interactions and dialogue, I have to admit there were a few times when I laughed out loud with Brave Story. One particular moment was when Tatsuya falls into a hole and someone finds him and guesses his name as it was written on his sleeve. They retort to him “What type of doofus writes his name on his sleeve”. The writing is clever in most circumstances and having a laugh or two is always appreciated. There was also a bee joke that I found funny but I can’t recall it. While this was comical, I think it would be better to have it fixed but when Tatsuya runs it looks like he has to crap his pants and he’s running to the bathroom.

You can save the game only by reaching save points that are scattered throughout the land. This is one of the rare instances in which I was very frustrated with my Brave Story New Traveler review. I had just finished slogging through a quest that took nearly three hours but I didn’t see any save points. A cut scene occurred and I was transported back to a city where we could rest and heal. For some reason, I thought the game auto-saved and so I shut my PSP off. Unfortunately, it only saves at save points so I lost three hours of work. Needless to say, I was pissed.

I’m not an expert in JRPGs, I enjoy them and I can switch out equipment and grind to level up but once you get into expansive tactics and gameplay elements I tend to zone those out and just go for raw power. Brave Story New Traveler was on the easier side of JRPGs. I beat it within 25 hours and I only died twice in battle. Once from a random encounter in which I got lazy, and the other time was facing the final boss the first time. The final boss battle is a doozy and I thought it’d take me a few times to beat it but I ended up winning my second try although it’s lengthy at about 30 minutes.

One aspect that I didn’t get into during my Brave Story New Traveler review was Goalfinche battling. It’s a mini-game where you battle opponents with Goalfinches, a super cute fluffy breed of bird. They have different colors and you can hunt them in certain areas. You hunt them by capturing them in a net so it’s all pleasant and non-violent. Once you have a few you can challenge other Goalfinche hunters. I only played a few times but I can tell that it could get addicting. As I wanted to play on with my Brave Story New Traveler review, I knew I wouldn’t have time to master this but it was a fun mini-game to play while taking a break from the story.

Something very cool that I did not know during my Brave Story New Traveler review was that once you beat the game you can unlock the “Epilogue” which allows the player to unlock characters from the story. These side characters of Meena, Kee Keema, Wataru, Mitsuru, and Kutz are all available for you to insert into your party at your leisure. They all come at level 60+ with good equipment and abilities.

Memories:
This was one of the first “big” spenders in my retro gaming collection which is laughable now after all the money I’ve spent. When I was just starting to collect, I would allow myself to spend $30 a week on retro video games. That quickly went out the window after a few months but during that time, I went to a retro video game store where I saw Brave Story New Traveler CIB for $35. Now, that was over my spending limit for the week, but I had never heard of or seen it in person and it looked really cool. The cover art is sideways so it drew me to it and the characters looked appealing. I ended up buying it and I’m thankful I did because I haven’t seen it since.

I played Brave Story New Traveler a year later and it was such a delight. I loved the characters and their interactions. It was such a refreshing JRPG with the character designs and troupes. I spent a lot of time in bed at night playing through it.

Brave Story New Traveler Review Score:

This really was a treat to play as it hit the sweet spot for many elements. It was a great length at 25 hours, not too short but not overwhelming as a grind fest. The characters were charming, refreshing, and weren’t afraid to have traditional roles and personalities. There’s plenty to do after the game ends and it looks great on the PSP.

Brave Story New Traveler scores a 9 out of 10.

What would you write in your Brave Story New Traveler review? Are there other great JRPGs out for the PSP? Who was your favorite character in Brave Story New Traveler? Let me know your thoughts and comments on Brave Story New Traveler, I’d love to read them.

Aces of the Luftwaffe Squadron Review

Shoot ’em ups were in a renaissance in the late 2010s. It seemed like indie, and small-time developers had found a niche market for old-school lovers of the shmup genre. In 2018, Handy-Games GmbH developed and published Aces of the Luftwaffe for the Xbox One. This Shmup would combine nazis, futuristic technology, and a cast of pilots. Would the combination fly high or would it be shot down before getting off the ground? Hop in that cockpit, we’re flying into this Aces of the Luftwaffe review.

Aces of the Luftwaffe Plot:

In my Aces of the Luftwaffe Squadron review, I was able to take control of two different squadrons each with a set of different characters. On one side are the Nazi pilots, while the other side has the Allies. There isn’t a ton of plot to this shmup, and that’s okay I wasn’t expecting one. Most Shmups are judged on the gameplay with plots being a bonus. Here’s a brief blurb on the plot for my Aces of the Luftwaffe Squadron review.

“Every end is a new beginning! When Europe seemed to be freed, a secret German commando called The Aces of the Luftwaffe took their chance to strike back and invade the USA! It’s your duty to restore peace and liberty by climbing aboard deadly wings of steel and fight against their fearsome war machines in bombastic air battles!”

Each squad has different character tropes with a leader commanding the way, two personality-driven characters, and then one really strange character who is silent, crazy, or stupid. I didn’t care much for the characters, not because they didn’t connect with me, but because they came off as… well not important.

Aces of the Luftwaffe Gameplay:

Aces of the Luftwaffe is a totally forgettable experience and that’s a good thing so I can erase this mess from my head. Booting up the game will take you back to 1995 PlayStation era loading times. I couldn’t believe how long it takes to load a level. At first, I made note of it, and then another 30 seconds went by so I wrote again how long it took, and then another minute goes by and I had time to write more notes on just how long it takes for missions to boot up. I have no idea why, the graphics are as plain jane as it gets and the action isn’t anything mind-blowing.

God bless the Aces of Luftwaffe marketing team for trying to hype this game up. Here’s what the marketing materials say paired with my thoughts from my Aces of the Luftwaffe review.

Action-packed Shoot ’em up with explosive special effects. (I saw zero special effects during both runs of my campaigns)

Captivating storyline with fully voiced characters. (The absolute worst voice acting I’ve heard in my gaming history. It could have been anyone that they pulled off the street and said “hey, do a cowboy accent”.

Epic co-op multiplayer for up to 4 players. (This may have been fun just to experience how bad this was together with friends but I didn’t try out multiplayer)

25 new levels and exciting missions. (More crap for you to slog through)

6 Brand New spectacular boss fights (I’ll give credit where credit is due. I enjoyed the boss fights)

Skill trees with individual abilities for each wingman (I didn’t see much difference in the improving my fighters but I’m sure it helped a little bit)

Challenging achievement system (I would win an achievement if I played the game on mute)

Creative Hapotics for gameplay and cut scenes (cut scenes? What cut scenes?)

Epic movie-like orchestral soundtrack (I don’t recall the music or soundtrack which isn’t a good thing)

So while the marketing was trying to push an epic game, that’s not what I received (and that’s okay) Here’s what I did like from my Aces of the Luftwaffe Squadron review.

Boss fights were really fun. For the most part, I could beat them in a try or two with a few of them ranging from medium to challenging. Bosses like The Professor, The Lokfuehrer, and the Terror Twins would more on the easier side. I liked that each boss taunted you and had a personality before taking them out. One boss who kicked my ass a ton was The Alchemist. He had a scorpion-shaped ship that spread poison everywhere. These gas clouds would fill the screen giving you only a few spaces of safe haven. Eventually, the entire screen would be filled with gas if you didn’t kill him quick enough. That fight took me 20-30 times but my issue was that I simply wasn’t powered up enough to deal credible amounts of damage before his poison spread everywhere.

There is an upgrade system where you can receive small perks and bonuses but I didn’t feel like it impacted my play style. On the big bosses there are small sections where you make a run at their ship (think Star Wars heading toward the vent hole) and these vary between difficult and almost pointless. Many times I’d make the run over and over and feel like I wasn’t doing any damage on the ship. It was frustrating to deal with all the enemies and then make a run for no payoff.

Some other frustration was the lack of control from my squadron. Whether you play as the good or bad guys, each one will have a character who goes “crazy” on some levels. They will fly off on their own and you’ll either have to stay close to their plane to protect them or avoid their gunfire. I understand the concept, it just wasn’t fun. Each level also comes with a “side mission” that are little bonus objection for you. These are simple things like collecting enough boxes or bombing a certain number of bases.

I don’t fault the creators for the lack of polish or shine on the game. There’s plenty of fun to be had in small-budget shmups, but they tried to implement their own recipe and it just didn’t work. I applaud them for trying something new but in the end, I need fun and I didn’t get that in my Aces of the Luftwaffe Squadron review. It felt slow, the characters incredibly stupid with terrible voice acting, and an upgrade system that didn’t see benefits. They have the bosses down, those worked great and were fun for the most part. If the levels were tweaked and received some attention this could creep into the “average” game category but it doesn’t do that.

Memories:
Aces of Luftwaffe was one of the games that I picked up at CEX during my vacation to Ireland. It was such a fun time and my wife surprised me with the trip during my birthday week. We were able to explore all over Ireland and visit many CEX stores. Aces of the Luftwaffe were one of the games that I snagged on one of those visits.

Aces of the Luftwaffe Review Score:

I can understand that small dev teams don’t always have the budget to bring incredible graphics and gameplay to their creations. What I do expect is for the major pain points of a game to be addressed before being released. The voice acting is some of the worst I have heard in gaming and the load times will have you sitting for five minutes before losing interest. It’s a very average shooter at best but coupled with those complaints this is a game that should be avoided.

Aces of the Luftwaffe scores a 4.9 out of 10.

What would you write in your Aces of the Luftwaffe Squadron review? What game has the worst voice acting that you’ve played? What modern shmups do you enjoy? Let me know your thoughts and comments on Aces of the Luftwaffe, I’d love to read them.

Alan Wake Review

In 2010, Remedy Entertainment developed while Microsoft Studios published Alan Wake, a rare exclusive for the Xbox 360. This mystery-thriller would develop a cult following while reaching commercial and critical success. Would the darkness find me in this Alan Wake review or would the light shine through?

Alan Wake Plot:

Alan Wake stars… you guessed it, Alan Wake! He’s a very successful writer, but he’s recently gone through a tough stretch of writer’s block that has lasted over two years. With a push from his agent, Barry, and his wife, Alice, Alan travels to a small town in Washington to try and spark his creativity again.

Along with suffering from writer’s block, Alan has recently begun to suffer from nightmares about shadowy figures and needs to fight them off with the power of light. After arriving in the tiny town, Alan goes to pick up the keys to a cabin where he encounters a strange woman dressed in all black that gives him the keys. The cabin is located on an island on Cauldron Lake, a giant crater that was created by a volcano.

As Alan and Alice settle in the cabin, she informs him that she wants Alan to see a psychologist who specializes in helping break through mental blocks so Alan can continue his work. Now, to me, that sounds a bit greedy from Alice. I’m sure she is coming from a good place, but I can see how Alan might take it the wrong way. He does and explodes on Alice as it starts a big fight. One thing, I enjoyed during my Alan Wake review, is how “real” Alan is. He’s not a perfect person or even likable at times. He comes off as a dick, and there are moments where he acts like one. The fight between Alice and Alan felt like a real relationship.

Alan leaves Alice as he tries to cool off, but she is deeply afraid of the dark. He hears her screams from the cabin while he is on a hike, and returns to see her being abducted by a force and dragged into the lake. Alan jumps into the lake to try and retrieve Alice but blacks out in the process.

Fast-forward a week, and Alan comes back to reality in a car on the side of the road. He has no memory of the past week besides remembering that Alice was dragged into the lake. Alan begins to explore his surroundings which are often wooded areas filled with dark shadowy figures of men. Just like in his dream he uses the light from a flashlight to defeat them.

While exploring, Alan begins to find pages of a manuscript that he apparently wrote. The descriptions and stories in the manuscript give a hint at what’s to come as they often come true. Alan turns to the police and informs them that his wife has been kidnapped but they tell him there’s no cabin or island on Cauldron Lake because it was sunk years ago in a volcanic eruption. Confused, but still determined Alan comes into communication with a man who claims he is behind the kidnapping of Alice and gets Alan to meet him. It turns out the man was a pawn of the old woman who gave Alan the keys to the cabin. The woman sends a massive black tornado at Alan who sucks him up. He wakes up in a psychiatric ward under the care of the psychologist that Alice wanted him to see in the first place.

Dr. Hartman claims that Alan is suffering from mental breakdowns and that everything he has been seeing is just his imagination. At this point, Barry, Alan’s agent comes to town and breaks Alan out of the ward. Dr. Hartman reveals he knows about the island on Cauldron Lake and that his intentions aren’t good. The care clinic comes under attack from shadowy figures as Alan and Barry fight their way through the horde escaping Dr. Hartman and the shadowy figures.

Barry and Alan investigate Cauldron Lake and discover from the townsfolk that a Dark Presence is trapped there. This presence can influence people throughout the town and turns them into shadowy figures who are shells of themselves. The presence tries to find ways to escape and discovered that writings around the lake become a reality which is why it wants Alan to write it free with his manuscript.

Alan and Barry are arrested but once the shadowy figures come, the police believe them, setting Alan and Barry free to help fight the figures. One cop, named Sarah, helps Alan and Barry find a woman who knows about the presence and how to defeat it. Alan travels to Cauldron Lake where he is transported to an alternate reality where Alice is held. He defeats the dark presence by finishing the story where Alice is freed but to balance the story, Alan is trapped in an alternate reality.

This concludes my Alan Wake review section on plot, but I thoroughly enjoyed most of it. As a writer myself, the lines blurred for Alan and myself on whether he was being demonized by self-doubt about his skills or whether it was really shadowy figures creeping in on him.

Alan Wake Gameplay:

My Alan Wake review wasn’t too difficult to finish. You’ll play as Alan throughout the entirety of the game in a third-person view. While some may be frightened by the shadowy figures, I wouldn’t count the game in the horror genre but there were some suspenseful moments along with some creepy environments like abandoned cabins, or dark woods.

The combat is easy to grasp. To hurt any enemy, you’ll need to first “stun” them with the light. Keeping the flashlight beam on them as they weaken is the only way to kill them with bullets from your gun. Once they are weakened, they will stay that way until you kill them. Firing your gun at unweakened shadows is useless.

Immediately, the voice acting stuck out. I was blown away by the quality of it and it made me believe I was playing an interactive drama. It’s some of the best voice actings I’ve come across in gaming. The characters are the stars in this game and you’ll have a love/hate relationship with Alan. Barry, on the other hand, I thought was going to be a stereotypical annoying partner but he turns out to be quite funny. On the flip side, there were some frame-rate issues with my Alan Wake review. I was playing on my Xbox One with an Xbox 360 disc. Sometimes combat was slowed down while other issues included smoothing objects. On occasion, a truck or plant looked undetailed and in basic form.

Speaking of trucks, there are times when you’ll drive a vehicle. I don’t think this was necessary and didn’t add much to the gameplay. You can use the headlight to kill the shadow figures but other than that, it was clunky controls. There are also a lot of secrets to uncover in Alan Wake. Some are found by following hidden arrows revealed by light, while others are the manuscript pages or water bottles which acted as collectible items.

My favorite part of the game was when Alan and Barry travel to an old farm that was home to old rockstars. A horde of shadow figures makes their way to the farm and Alan puts on a rock show with all the lights, fireworks, and flares. It was a bit of ridiculous gameplay that was needed to break up the somewhat series tone of the game. Alan and Barry also get very drunk at the farm which was quite hilarious.

The presentation throughout Alan Wake was excellent with a great soundtrack. There are chapters in Alan Wake and each time you completed one it was like finishing a chapter in a book that left you on a cliffhanger. It made me want to keep playing my Alan Wake review.

Weapons include a pistol, shotgun, rifle, flare gun, grenades, and various flashlights. It was a good rotation of weapons, but I rarely needed to switch to my shotgun or flaregun to defeat shadow figures. I’m good with a gun so maybe others who need more help might find the higher-powered weapons better suited.

The end of Alan Wake was a bit of a disappointment. As you enter the other dimension, you’ll finally fight the “end boss” which turns out to be a giant dark tornado. It felt a bit lame and was pretty easy. You evaporate it with the light to reach the dark presence.

Memories:
I had heard about Alan Wake and all the hype about it as an original Xbox 360 exclusive. Funny enough, it came to the PS4 in a remaster, but the version I played was the original Xbox 360 version, and I’m glad I played it. After so many years of hearing about how great Alan Wake was, I was able to complete my Alan Wake review.

Alan Wake Review Score:

There was a lot of hype around Alan Wake and I can see why for the most part it was warranted. The voice acting is superb, and the battle mechanics of weakening your opponents with light before shooting them was unique. While the plot was predictable, it was still an enjoyable one to playthrough. Alan Wake walks a fine line between thriller and horror and blurs the lines between reality and dreams.

Alan Wake scores an 8.5 out of 10.

What would you write in your Alan Wake review? Did you or do you plan on picking up the remastered version? What other games have this type of quality voice acting? Let me know your thoughts and comments on Alan Wake, I’d love to read them.

Streets of Rage Review

One of the greatest beat ’em ups in video game history was released in 1991 on the Sega Genesis. Developed and published by Sega, Streets of Rage was a combination of engulfing atmospheres, a soundtrack of absolute perfection, and an addicting difficulty that made gamers try again and again. Streets of Rage was reason enough to get a Sega Genesis. We’re calming the streets in this Streets of Rage review!

Streets of Rage Plot:

For this Streets of Rage review we turn to the manual to get the plot:

“What was once a happy, peaceful, productive city, full of life and activity, has fallen into the hands of a secret criminal syndicate. The leader of the syndicate has somehow managed to keep his identity a secret. The organization soon absorbed the city government (anyone can be had if the price is right). They even have the metropolitan police force in their back pocket. Looting, random violence, and destruction are rampant. No one is safe walking the streets, day or night…

As the chaos continued at full strength, three young police officers tried to establish a special attack unit. They were repeatedly refused by their superiors, most of whom had either been bought by the organization or were too afraid to make a stand. One day, when they could no longer stand by and watch their city being demolished, they quit the force!

Adam Hunter, Axel Stone, and Blaze Fielding decided to forego their careers in legal law enforcement and put their lives on the line. They are without weapons, but each possesses great hand-to-hand combat abilities. Take them into the heart of the city and battle the most dangerous wave of bad dudes and chicks ever assembled. Make the city a place where people no longer have to walk the Streets of Rage!

Streets of Rage Gameplay:

For my Streets of Rage review, I played with Axel Stone. Each fighter has different stats for the three main categories of power, jumping, and speed. Adam and Axel are both great with power but lack in either jumping or speed. Blaze, the girl, has little power but can jump well and has great speed. You’ll be able to play Streets of Rage with a friend and cooperatively defeat the thugs together but I opted to complete my Streets of Rage review by myself.

In most of my reviews, I don’t mention the soundtrack to games unless they are exceptional. The very first notes when I started my Streets of Rage review completely had me hooked. I was so impressed by the soundtrack I had to look up who was the composer of this master track. The genius behind the Streets of Rage soundtrack is Yuzo Koshiro who is still a legend in the video game composing industry.

When we get to the meat of the game, it’s a beat ’em up. Scroll to the right, beat up the bad guys, repeat until the level ends. Nothing wrong with that. Streets of Rage separates itself from a ton of other beat ’em ups with its addicting and fair nature. I swear if I just got one more crack at that boss, I’d beat him. If I had one more power-up, I would have beat that stage. It’s a fair game that will have you thinking you’ll be able to defeat the level if you have just one more chance.

During my Streets of Rage review, I found myself in danger quite a few times. Being surrounded by punks who were getting the better of me, I’d call for backup using a special power up. This power up was awesome and always gave me a laugh. Speaking into a walkie-talkie, you call for backup as a police car is seen pulling up. The window rolls down and a bazooka is unleashed as they bomb the hell out of your opponents. It’s awesome and is a big help in clearing out any tough enemies.

Streets of Rage has so much personality. It’s the small details that really do it for me. The bright neon lights flashing as you walk by them, the posters on the walls blowing in the wind, or the guy swinging at your head with a lead pipe like he’s in a baseball game. All these and more made my Streets of Rage review so enjoyable.

Most boss fights were fun and somewhat fair, but there was one pair of twin sisters who were so frustrating to deal with. They don’t deal massive damage but their elusiveness is near impossible. I failed multiple times fighting them not because they damaged me but because the time limit kept expiring. This was the most frustrating part of my Streets of Rage review but after looking up how to defeat them, and with some practice, I was able to put the twins down for good. I suppose another gripe I had was repeating bosses like the Wolverine guy. When you reach the final boss, he will give you an offer to join him. If you select “yes” it will transport you back to level six and you’ll have to work your way back to him. That’s a fun little tidbit but I’d hate to be the gamer who wanted to join the gang only to be transported back.

Memories:
Completing my Streets of Rage review is a long time coming. I’ve heard of this series throughout my entire adulthood but never experienced it. I was blown away at how incredible it was with the combination of music and addicting action. I cruised through Streets of Rage but I can only hope the sequels are just as good.

Streets of Rage Review Score:

Streets of Rage is an incredible combination of a perfect soundtrack and addicting fighting mechanics. Calling for back up was one of my favorite elements but the entire game is phenomenal. Any video gamer would love to get their hands on this classic.

Streets of Rage scores a 9.8 out of 10.

What would you write in your Streets of Rage review? What’s the best soundtrack in video game history? Which character did you choose? What’s your favorite Streets of Rage game in the series? Did you play it with friends? What are your thoughts and memories of Streets of Rage? I’d love to read them.

Cotton Reboot Review

Originally released in 1991 in the arcade and various systems, Cotton saw a remastered edition released in 2021. Coming home to the PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch, gamers were treated to one of the cutest shoot ’em ups available. Take control of the candy-loving witch, Cotton, as she helps her fairy friends restore light to this world. Don’t forget to take tea time in this Cotton Reboot review!

Cotton Reboot Plot:

The plot for Cotton Reboot is a simple and silly one. Cotton is a cute witch who loves candy! She’ll do just about anything for her sweet tooth. One day, the land turns dark the fairies of the world start to become unhappy with all this darkness caused by an evil fairy named Wool. The fairies beg Cotton for help and bribe her with tons of candy if she can defeat their enemies and restore light to the world. Cotton decides the candy is worth it and hops on her broomstick to save the world. Throughout her journey, she gets testy with the fairies as the candy isn’t always what she wants but in the end, she defeats the evil fairy. It turns out that the fairies lied to Cotton and they didn’t have a huge candy stash. Cotton gets so upset she turns to stone but the fairies quickly tell her a rumor of more candy in the next land that was stolen by thieves. Hearing this news she comes back to life and whisks her fairy friends away to the next land.

Cotton Reboot Gameplay:

My Cotton Reboot review started as soon as I got my hands on this game. I had heard that it was on the shorter side so I set aside some time that week to play it. Little did I know that I’d only need an hour to complete my Cotton Reboot review.

Cotton Reboot has all the charm of a silly and cute shoot ’em up. All the graphics have been magnificently upgraded and are full of color. I can’t speak highly enough of the backgrounds, enemies, and unique bosses. The story is presented in short slideshows between levels. It’s nothing impressive but it suits the game perfectly with the aesthetics. You’ll have the ability to play both the original game and the remastered version. I played the remastered version for my Cotton Reboot review. After I beat it, I played a small amount of the original but the remastered far surpassed it.

Most shoot ’em ups have an insane amount of action on the screen. Cotton Reboot is no different but instead of a ton of enemies, it’s numbers and gems. High score chasers will foam at the mouth with all the potential and complicated ways to increase your score. I just wanted to beat the game which is quite easy to do so as you can just keep continuing if you die. There’s a unique score system in Cotton Reboot. Cotton can shoot through gems that are littered throughout the level. Depending on the gem color, points are doubled. The more you shoot a gem, the more points you get as it changes colors until it is considered a “dead” gem. You pick up the gems and add them to your high score. It’s beneficial to shoot through the gems as they deal more damage too. Cotton Reboot was almost as much a gem collecting game as it was a shoot ’em up.

Unless you have insane reflexes or have memorized the enemy patterns and level layouts you’ll die quite a bit. It is an arcade game so the difficulty is still there but I was pleased that they allowed you to continue even if you die. It’s a great way for everyone to have a high score and play through some of the best parts.

One of the best things from my Cotton Reboot review was facing the insane bosses. I say insane because they are just so unique and weird. It’s a good thing and I liked facing these weird monsters. Most bosses are challenging but fair and you’ll always have that moment of anticipation when you see the boss life bar show up. You know you’re in for a wild ride.

The last thing that stood out in my Cotton Reboot review was “tea time”. It was a cute little bonus section after boss fights where Cotton must collect items to boost her score. It reminded me of Fantasy Zone the way they had Opa-Opa collect money after defeating a boss. It was a fun little mini-game that can make or break your high score. Honestly, my only real complaint about Cotton Reboot is that the game is so short and I’m simply not a score chaser. Other gamers who are will adore and love this.

Memories:
I don’t recall seeing any of the Cotton games as a kid but the character of Cotton seems familiar. When I saw the cover of the game and realized it was a shoot ’em up, I couldn’t pass it up. She was too cute and the price wasn’t terrible although I recall many Twitter friends saying it was a short game. Boy, they were right! When Cotton Reboot arrived I beat the game in about an hour. While there’s tons of replayability, I didn’t feel the need to do it. Some day I may want to replay it but I wouldn’t pay more than $20 for this game if you don’t have it in your collection.

Cotton Reboot Review Score:

Cotton Reboot is a wonderful remastered version of the original. This is a perfect game to play in the car or to have a high score challenge with a friend, but that’s it. You won’t find much replayability if you aren’t a high-score chaser. If you are, you may love this game but if not, there are plenty of other games to occupy your precious time.

Cotton Reboot scores a 6.5 out of 10.

What would you write in your Cotton Reboot review? Which version of the game did you prefer to play? What other cute shoot ’em ups exist? What’s your high score? Let me know your thoughts and comments on Cotton Reboot, I’d love to read them.

Quest For Glory II Review

Following up on an incredible game is never easy. Sierra On-Line found that out the hard way when they released Quest For Glory II: Trial By Fire in 1990 for the MS-Dos. The first Quest For Glory is nothing short of a masterpiece but the second title in the series had numerous fatal flaws that saw a departure from the original. The magic carpet has crashed, and I’m not sure we’re getting out of the desert in this Quest For Glory II review.

Quest For Glory II Plot:

Gone is Speilburg, the lovely German-inspired town in the valley of mountains, replaced by the hot desert sands of Shapier and its inhabitants of the Katta people. Our hero has arrived after traveling on a magic carpet from Speilburg with his Katta friends and merchant. After a less-than-perfect landing, the hero learns that Shapier is in a ton of trouble.

Shapier continues to be ravaged by the elements of fire, wind, water, and earth. The bad news doesn’t stop there, as the sister city to Shapier, Raseir is under tyrannical control and its leader has gone missing. Making his way through the desert and city of Shapier our hero cleverly defeats the four magical elements restoring Shapier to its proper state of peace. He then travels to Raseir and discovers an evil Wizard has imprisoned Raseir’s king and unleashed a foul Genie who is controlling much of the city. Attacking the palace, the hero defeats both Wizard and Genie and restores the king to proper power.

Quest For Glory II has an incredible plot filled with fun characters, interesting missions, and humorous outcomes. My Quest for Glory II review praises that but the next section is what makes this game almost unplayable.

Quest For Glory II Gameplay:

My Quest For Glory II review began just like the one I did for the original. I was dropped into a strange town with tons of problems to solve. It’s a point-and-click adventure game meaning you’ll have to explore and carefully search for key items and speak to many people as you solve problem after problem. It’s worth noting that I played the AGD Interactive Studio version which was an update with graphics and a simplified version of the town but more on that later. I also want to say what a wonderful job AGD Interactive did putting together Quest For Glory II with all the updates. As to how this review ends up is not on them.

The disaster that is my Quest For Glory II review comes down to three key elements of the gameplay. First, and probably the biggest issue hindering Quest For Glory II is the disastrous navigation of the hub town, Shapeir. Much of the game takes place in Shapeir, but it’s anything but easy to navigate. Every alleyway and street looks almost identical, and it takes about two seconds before you are lost. You may be told to go visit someone, and it might take you an hour to discover where they are walking the same streets over and over. This terrible maze was simplified by AGD Interactive Studio in the remake but it is still a mess. Many times I’d start my journey out with confidence in believing that I knew where I was going only to get lost and frustrated. When you are dropped into a maze to begin the game, you lose patience real quick. There needed to be some sort of distinguishing features for the streets. Make the walls different colors, or have different types of gates. This was the first nail in the coffin for my Quest of Glory II review.

My next complaint is the time-sensitive missions. In Quest For Glory I, you could explore all day and not have to worry about missing something. My Quest For Glory II review was crunched by an ever-persistent schedule that required you to have completed certain missions or have certain items by a specific day or else you’d miss the next step of the game. Your only hints on what to do next was a poet who read poems at at the inn and a gypsy who helped you with the elements. This probably isn’t a game you’ll be able to play and beat your first go around, as it will take many playthroughs to understand the layout and places you need to be. Perhaps these issues wouldn’t have been such a hazard to me but I was coming off one of my most beloved games in the original.

The final complaint I have in my Quest For Glory II review is the battle mechanics. Quest For Glory I had a very simple and effective battle menu on the bottom right-hand corner. There were four commands. If you were the fighter you could slash, stab, parry and dodge. Quest For Glory II replaced this menu with a keyboard command battle system and no visual buttons on the screen. Your character and enemy freely roam the screen and to engage you need to get close to them. I did not care for this implementation and it felt like a waste of time to continue to track down my enemy. The first Quest for Glory had it perfect with a static screen where you controlled your motions with clicks. Battling in Quest For Glory II was a large difficulty curve that resulted in your death. A lot!

If there’s something I enjoyed from Quest for Glory II it was the continued plot that was filled with clever writing, hilarious jokes, and lovable characters that were brought over from the first game. I wish these characters got a proper sequel because they are loved in my book and I wanted to continue their story. Although I almost forgot there was a super weird strip tease dance by Shema, who was is cat-like creature. I felt very uncomfortable during, almost like a “what the hell” moment.

Memories:
It never occurred to me to play the sequels to one of my most beloved games until I was around 20. Quest For Glory I by all means is a perfect 10 to me, and so why wouldn’t I want to see what the follow-up to it was? It was difficult to find Quest For Glory II with a compatible computer system as the systems I had were too new. I finally was able to get it to work, but playing Quest For Glory II didn’t hook me in, and I shoved my attempt at a Quest For Glory II review for nearly 10 years. Fast forward to 2020, and I redownloaded Quest For Glory II determined to play it.

It was a disaster. Sierra completely overhauled the fighting system, and the city map was a wreck. I tried to stick with it, but it was difficult, and after a few days of dabbling in it, I turned it off. I gave it one more shot this year and saw it through, but it was so disappointing. How could a sequel be so far apart from what I had loved so much?

Quest For Glory II Review Score:

Quest For Glory II is the complete opposite of Quest For Glory. The fighting mechanics are disastrous with the missing commands, the city hub is potentially the worst part of the game as you get lost everywhere you go, and the timed trigger events add a pinch of panic. What happened to Quest for Glory II, and why did it fall so far from perfection? The formula was already perfect, but they decided to shake it up. Shake it up they did but for much worse.

Quest For Glory II scores a 4.5 out of 10.

What would you write in your Quest for Glory II review? What character did you choose? How many times did you get lost in the city? Who was your favorite character? Did you actually enjoy Quest For Glory II? Let me know your thoughts and comments on Quest For Glory II, I’d love to read them.

Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball Review

When you take the hottest roster of fighting girls and whisk them away to a private island for a volleyball tournament you get Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball. Developed by Team Ninja and released by Tecmo in 2003 for the Xbox, Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball had every middle school boy giggling and secretly renting this game. The swimsuits are tiny, the boobs big, and volleyball well actually quite fun. Put your suntan lotion on, we’re about to spike this Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball review!

Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball Plot:

Does my Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball review actually have a plot section! Yes, it does! Our favorite girls from DOA have been invited to Zack Island (Zack is a character from DOA) because they think the next tournament is being held there. For whatever reason, Zack thinks it’s a great trick to play on them but the girls instead of getting upset take this in stride and has a slumber party two-week sleepover on Zack Island. There’s plenty of activities to do and they enjoy the casino, fine dining, and working on their tans. At the end of the two weeks, however, a volcano erupts destroying Zack Island sinking it for good so the girls head on back to their regular lives.

Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball Gameplay:

The opening cinematic video is fantastic. DOA games nail the soundtracks for the series and Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball is no different. Watching the opening I was blown away by the gorgeous graphics (and girls who were half-naked) paired with a catchy tune. My Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball review truly felt like a vacation on Zack Island with an amazing soundtrack throughout my stay.

There are many elements to this game and some are great while others are questionable. The majority of the game that takes place in a two-week period is playing volleyball against the girls of DOA. Controls are very simple, with “set” and “return” buttons. This works well and the girls control with ease. Depending on how sensitive you push the button also changes the power of the spike or serve. For as many elements that are wrapped into this game, the volleyball portion is not only playable but fun. Once I got the hang of two matches, my team won about 80 percent of the time. There were challenges and you had to learn when to score and when to play defense but overall it was an enjoyable experience playing volleyball.

You’ll have to recruit a partner to play with you and this is where I gripe in my Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball review. If you lose your first match, the partner that is given to you will probably leave you. You’ll be required to court a new partner with gifts like swimsuits, accessories, and treats. I hated this. It wasn’t easy and my first playthrough with Lei-Fang resulted in me playing one match the entire time over two weeks because no one wanted to play with me and my shitty gifts were being thrown in the trash. Each girl has different tastes but it’s hard to know which one to court. My second playthrough was much better as I won my first match and then my partner stuck with me the entire two weeks allowing me to play a match a day.

I wish they would have implemented a tournament mode or crowned a champion at the end of the two weeks. That would have been awesome and gave you a goal to go after instead of just collecting more swimsuits. Don’t get me wrong, the swimsuits or lack thereof look good on the girls. It’s just I’m a competitive person and would have enjoyed a trophy or tournament.

Aside from playing volleyball you can go to the casino and gamble with slot machines, blackjack, roulette, and craps. You can use the money you earned from winning volleyball matches to gamble and buy more swimsuits and apparel. I don’t enjoy gambling in real life so I didn’t care too much for it during my Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball review but I guess it’s cool for those who enjoy gambling although I don’t know how much of a rush you’ll get.

Mini-games are another section of the game mainly by the pool. You can have your girls hop across the pool on floating platforms. They’ll jump as hard as you press the button so some skill is required or else they fall in the pool. Getting across the pool earns more money, which you guessed can be used for swimsuits.

If you’re a volleyball enthusiast who is obsessed with collecting swimsuits while ogling over hot girls, this is your dream game. Let’s talk about the girls. They jiggle in all the right places with skimpy little swimsuits on. In 2004, this was the best nerds could get with video game girls. The graphics have aged just a bit but the boobs errr I mean girls still look awesome. You can take them to deserted sections of the island and Ummm watch them? They’ll sunbathe or playfully splash in the water or stand against trees. The view always came off that I was a voyeur who was about to murder these girls in some secluded location instead of just being a perv. I have no issue with this being in the game I just wish that there was a bit more interaction with the girls during these portions. Perhaps there could have been a conversation tree and you can learn more about the girls as they talk to you about their history or hobbies while they frolic around naked.

The best collectibles were the Dead or Alive commercials that spanned the entire series. It was cool to see the history of DOA and I got more excited to watch some short videos instead of a new swimsuit. I didn’t see much value in replaying my vacation but for collectors, they’ll get to keep everything they earned and then restart.

Memories:
I remember a big feature of Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball when I was a kid in my Xbox magazine. They made a huge deal about it because of all the girls and that was back when you could make these games with everyone being excited about it. My mom once bought me DOA3 randomly and I mentioned that I wanted this game. As a 13-year-old boy I thought I was subtle but I’m sure my mom thought much better of it. I think I even pushed the “they continue the plot” line. I never got it until I was in my late 20s. It sat on my shelf for a bit and then I finally decided to play it this past month.

Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball Review Score:

There is a certain charm about Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball as it takes you back to a time when you could make these types of games without backlash. Sure, the girls from DOA look good but the volleyball is actually fun. The gift system is there for people who love to collect and unlock items but the partner system was too much of a chore. This would have been a fun weekend rental instead of a full purchase.

Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball scores a 7.1 out of 10.

What would you write in your Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball review? Which girl was your favorite to play with? Did you enjoy the gift system? Do any of your friends give you crap for playing it? Let me know your thoughts and comments on Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball, I’d love to read them.