Webhead123

Huntdown beaten. This game kicks ass! The pixel art (especially the stage backgrounds with copious parallax scrolling and moving elements) is gorgeously full of color and detail and looks particularly good with the well-implemented CRT filter turned on. The music is hard-rockin' and perfectly fits the vibe. The sound design overall is quite good (one little touch I love is the way enemies scream if you knock them into a pit). The voice work is great and there's quite a bit more of it than I expected. The game has that 80's vision of a "dystopian punk-rock future" that is so very much my jam, with a very Judge Dredd/Blade Runner/Cyberpunk vibe. It also has plenty of nods to various films, including The Terminator, The Warriors, The Last Dragon and even a Star Wars reference or two...because why not. As far as game play, what I assumed was going to be a standard run 'n gun was actually mixed up a bit with a few clever-but-not-complex systems. There's a nice assortment of both primary and secondary weapons and they even let you swap between your default sidearm and your current primary in case you don't wanna waste a rocket on one little punk when your pistol will do just fine. There's a simple cover system which uses both crates, barrels and other objects that you can crouch behind (and using them is beautifully simple) as well as the means of ducking into alcoves/doorways pulled straight out of Blackthorne (and the enemies can also do this). It made certain sections and boss fights much more strategic than they otherwise would have been. Speaking of boss fights, there is some great variety on offer, both in terms of the personality of the bosses and also the way in which you have to fight them. Most of them boil down to pattern recognition (which is perfectly fine with me, I love a good learn-the-pattern boss fight) but with only one or two exceptions, the boss fights are all really enjoyable. I think they're kinda the best part of the game, just because each boss is so unique and the design of each fight makes them all feel fresh. You never really feel like any of the fights are just copy/pastes of previous ones. It was a fairly quick playthrough, although I died plenty, especially against some of the bosses. Still, there's some replay value in collectables, multiple difficulties and the three bounty hunters to choose from. Their differences are pretty minor and I kinda just found my favorite and stuck with them to the end but at least it's an option. Yeah, I could keep gushing but I was honestly surprised how quickly and thoroughly this game got my attention. It was a different (and superior) experience to what I was expecting and I was already expecting to like it. 9/10. Badass mo-fo of a run 'n gun. The devs should be proud.

Planescape: Torment is definitely deserving of high marks in the story department. What a uniquely weird and twisted game. I also can't believe I forgot about The Longest Journey. I never actually finished it (because my hard drive crashed and I lost my late-game save) but I remember being pretty blown away at the time.

While I've technically played the beginning of the first stage for about 5 minutes once, I won't count that as enough effort to have "played the game". Therefore, it gets a "never played, never will" nudge. It's a shame too, because the animated series on which it's based is probably my favorite piece of Superman media and deserved a decent game. In fact, Superman on the whole has been pretty notoriously shit on when it comes to video game adaptations.

No joke, the instruction manual to Yars' Revenge had an 8-page comic explaining the backstory behind the game and, for the time, this was a pretty mind-blowing level of detail to give what is otherwise just a single-screen Atari game. At first, I thought this was the game you were describing...until the "highest points wins" bit.

If you find these kinds of games interesting and haven't played it already, you might want to check out the absurdly-titled Dr. Langeskov, The Tiger, and the Terribly Cursed Emerald: A Whirlwind Heist. It's free and a very quick playthrough...and I mean very quick.

There are many kinds of storytelling in video games. RPGs are a classic example of games which usually have lots of "traditional" storytelling elements. While it has some minor stumbles of its own, it's honestly impressive just how well-constructed and deep the story of Baldur's Gate 3 gets at times. Not even counting the main story (which is still good), even just some of the individual companion character arcs are incredible. I dare say, a few moments tugged on the heartstrings a bit. I think it has some of the most well-developed characters in any RPG I've played. I actually rather liked the way the story stitched together and circled back on itself in Eternal Darkness, managing to bridge characters across multiple points in history. It's been quite a while since I last played but I think it's about time to revisit. Beyond Good & Evil also has a pretty intriguing story and some emotional character moments. It's sad that it's been over 20 years and we still don't have a follow-up to that game's ending. Part of me wants to give a nod to the Bioshock series...but I think those games impress more through great atmosphere and world-building than strictly their stories. I mean, they're not bad at all but maybe not amazing.

I know I'm not qualified to vote here because...well, the only games I've played more than 5 minutes of are: DQ1 (as Dragon Warrior), FF1, FF4, FF6 and FF7 While I have much more direct experience and nostalgia with DQ1 than FF1 (I didn't play FF1 until sometime in the mid-90's), I suppose FF1 is the better game due to the class and party systems, etc. My nostalgia is much stronger for DQ1, as it was my first RPG and I got super immersed in it at the time but if I try to set those feelings aside, I think FF1 has more to offer. That's the extent of my ability to compare the series. As for the other FF games I've played: FF4 - Great. 7/10 FF6 - Amazing. 9/10 FF7 - High side of average. 6/10

Well...nobody's perfect.

Obviously, I've not played Wonder yet, so I can't comment on it but I agree with that assessment of 3D World and the "New" series which almost certainly plays a role in why they didn't speak to me. Although my sons do occasionally play some multiplayer games with me (and we did play a touch of 3D World together when they were younger), 99% of my video gaming is strictly solitaire, so much of the appeal of those titles I simply never get to experience.

I know it's tough to talk about without getting super spoiler-y but I'd be curious to know what you felt about the overall story/parable/philosophical explorations of it and how the game handled them. I'm a bit on the fence. I certainly appreciated the game playing with some deep questions but I also wonder if most of it was a little too on-the-nose.

Agreed. Honestly, other than some incredible standouts like Odyssey, I've had a hard time getting into most mainline Mario titles in a long time. Even 3D Land and 3D World were "pretty good" but were the kind of games that didn't leave much of a lasting impression after I finished them and have no real desire to revisit. I should go back and try to finish Galaxy. I liked it...but I never could stand the Wii's control scheme, so maybe playing it on the Switch remaster would feel a lot better.

I have to give credit where credit is due. When I first saw the announcement trailer for Wonder, I actually rolled my eyes and released an audible "meh". This was partly because I had been so thoroughly unimpressed with the direction of the "New SMB" series and kind of assumed that this was just going to be more of the same. Then, there was the whole "Elephant Mario" focus in the promotional material and it felt so completely gimmicky to me. For whatever reason, a few weeks after it officially released, I ended up digging a little bit deeper. I think it all started with the announcement of Charles Martinet's retirement from the character. Little by little, I started to see the signs of so much artistry and care behind the design work of Wonder. While I don't think I'm unjustified for getting the impressions that I did from the early marketing, I'm glad I managed to see past that initial disinterest. Planning to fully dive into and complete the game this year and, based on what I've heard since release, I'm preparing myself for plenty of surprises.

Aye. 2023 was a great year of gaming for me overall. Some highly-anticipated titles that finally released and ate up many hours as well as just getting more organized with my digital collections and being able to knock out several games that I hadn't anticipated playing. I'm looking to carry that energy forward into this coming year and thank you to all you fine folks here at VGS for the continued inspiration, motivation and camaraderie!

I actually managed 8/14 with a little mad dash in December. Carrying a couple I didn't get to over into 2024 and abandoning the others for now in favor of some other titles that came to mind. I'm making an effort to try to split the backlog across multiple consoles both to give some variety as well as to not neglect any particular library. I'm trying to pin down a couple of Genesis games that I want to tackle this year but I'm not super familiar with the library beyond the most popular titles, so I have to do some digging.

All the Metal Slug games tend to run together in my head, so my rating is more of the series on the whole. A great game with tons of character. You can tell the developers were having a lot of fun putting this one together. I need to spend more serious time with it/them because I've never sat down to actually finish one but it's also just the kind of game that you can turn on and enjoy yourself for a few levels and turn it off feeling satisfied.

I will say that, although multiplayer can be fun in its own ways, I WOULD NOT recommend it as the primary environment in which to learn and experience the game for the first time. I think this is a game that benefits from being able to take your time with it, learn the nuances and explore the world and the ways in which you can interact with it. Putting yourself in a multiplayer game sets certain restrictions and places certain pressures that I don't think make for the best experience your first time through. The genre isn't for everyone and even within the genre itself, BG3 is not the easiest to pick up or the quickest to master. I've got 400+ hours in the game and I'm still discovering features, interactions and systems that I didn't know about. Let it be a game about discovery, experimentation and refining your skills and I think you will enjoy it more. Also...there is quite a lot to explore in the game, so absolutely do not go into it hoping or expecting to find every interaction, fight every monster and complete every quest. That just isn't going to happen, so let your journey develop more organically and don't worry about completionism.

I've gotten to Macho Man on multiple occasions but I've never beaten him. The prospect of trying to get the perfect timing down to beat Tyson doesn't exactly fill me with giddy anticipation.

I did enjoy GLaDOS as a villain, although I always felt she was kinda like a quirkier-but-less-menacing SHODAN. Would be pretty terrifying to put those two together.

They did Queen so dirty. Ugh, what a nightmare.

"My whims will become lightning bolts that devastate the mounds of humanity. Out of the chaos, they will run and whimper, praying for me to end their tedious anarchy. I am drunk with this vision. God. The title suits me well."

Not gonna lie, Dark Queen (alongside Jessica Rabbit, Elvira and a few other provocative female figures) was one of the early catalysts for my stumblings into sexual awakening.

One of the defining games of my early years getting into PC gaming. While the game shows its age today, it is still very playable and (IMHO) still quite fun. Baldur's Gate 2 is an updated and improved version in just about every way and Baldur's Gate 3 is quite possibly the pinnacle of the CRPG genre. So, by comparison, the original game may not be the one to choose but it is still responsible for being the most authentic digital D&D experience of its day and created many memorable characters and moments. And I'll never forget discovering the fan-made "Lewd Hobbit" hero pack, complete with unforgettable voice lines. 8 out of 10 for the original (9 for BG2 and a straight 10 for BG3). "Magic is impressive...but now Minsc leads! Swords for EVERYONE!"

The movie isn't great. It has a few neat ideas and...well...Kim Basinger but it was clearly just an attempt to replicate the success of Roger Rabbit and it didn't work out. I've long heard the game was terrible, so I've never even booted it up.

Honestly, there are way too many to name on both ends of the spectrum. Despite the general reputation, there are honestly quite a few movie-license games that are fun. If I have to give a quick, "off-the-top-of-my-head" answer while avoiding games already mentioned, here goes: Best: Spider-Man 2 (Gamecube/X-Box/PS2) Worst: Oi vey, where to start? How about Batman Forever (SNES/GEN)

Guardian Legend is done. What a little gem of a game. It's one of those titles that I didn't even know existed until I started getting back into NES in the early 2000's and I kept hearing its name but never really put more than 5 minutes of effort into it. It's not perfect. Navigating the huge mazes can get intimidating sometimes, especially when you're trying to backtrack to that one shop or portal you need but didn't have enough doodads to make use of the first time you found it. And while at least the game gives you a map screen, it's not always as helpful as it could be, since the map doesn't show you pathways, only the relative position of room tiles. I have to admit that, at a few points, I caved and looked up some level maps and guides to help get through some sections quicker. Still, the whole adventure is incredibly well-made and very ambitious for the NES. It was no surprise to me when I discovered it was developed by Compile, who made some of the most awesome games of the 8 and 16-bit era. It's part Zelda, part Blaster Master and part Gun-Nac. What a combination and who would have ever thought it would work so well?