@Scapetti That’s correct, and plenty of random instruments come out of there. I was expecting the Hockey stick to be predominant too, but for some reason they took it a different route.
@BloodNinja You’re welcome. The bugs aren’t deal-breakers because they’re not at all guaranteed (I had plenty of play-throughs without a hitch) and Tribute/Dotemu are actively focusing on swatting all of them. Regarding the original 1987 cartoon magic, it’s there all right, and then some!
@BloodNinja I’ve been playing it for days with no assistance whatsoever. Yes, Casey’s hockey stick is what’s expected, except he uses golf clubs in addition to several weapons sprung from a sack. All these words are my own, and if a game is bad I’m the last person to hold back with criticism. For the review I ultimately cleared the game on default without using a single credit. That should illustrate the time I put into it:
@robr Sadly you can’t! And you’re right, usually I mention those things and I think I took a note on it, but it might have been lost in an edit. I don’t find the wallpaper particularly distasteful, but I totally agree the option should be there to play without.
That’s almost a full back-portfolio, although newer articles on NLife aren’t yet visible because Muckrack’s auto-collate function seems to fail these days.
Let us all know what you find, and thanks for taking the time to read my work.
I’d recommend “Bullets & Toothpicks” and “Inside Shanghai’s Hardcore Gaming Heartbeat” as two I’m most proud of. The latter was the catalyst for Chinese players being invited to Stunfest for the first time, which I’m happy to say I participated in with visa arrangements and communications.
Some not featured there can be found here, slightly more up to date:
@Lyricana Apart from the rather shoddy frame rate in the arcade overworld, it’s technically serviceable. There’s no evident lag present as found with the Xbox release. But this all hinges on one thing: how much you enjoy Pac-Man. The variations are interesting, some superb (and personally, we had a lot of fun with 4-player Battle Royale), and there are great formula deviations like Pac n’ Roll/Pac-Land.
For the price, it’s worth it.
In regards to the review structure, that’s on me. Word count limits are a real thing, and this broke 1300 despite the synopses format (I prefer as close to 1200 as possible). To give a comprehensive understanding of what’s on offer, it was right to differentiate the titles individually, or else the layman may assume they’re all-too-similar to warrant the purchase.
Appreciate your feedback today, thank you for taking the time to engage.
@clockworktwink
We’re as familiar with each other as I am with that blogger’s review you keep referencing: not at all.
@Lyricana Appreciate your maturity and assessment. I’ve played the game twice: once in the 90s with some conviction, and as a recap for this collection. For absolute transparency, I didn’t play the entirety of Pac in Time for this review - there are 14 games here to cover and fewer than two days in which to complete the copy. But I did play it enough to remember the irritations, bugginess, sticky-wall antics that go on in the game due to rough coding. The rope physics actually aren’t bad, but they’re marred by some terribly frustrating stage design and unnecessary pitfalls as early as stage two. For the review I played through to stage 4 (I think, whatever comes after the forest stage) and that forest stage is ridiculous for obscuring scenery. There are times you’re either within secret sections or tree trunks that are two screens tall, and it’s total trial and error to figure out how to find your way clear - sometimes taking far too long. The camera is fairly zoomed in too, meaning there are places you need to use the rope to swing on, but they’re out of sight, requiring a certain amount of guesswork as to what’s overhead.
@clockworktwink clearly loves the game: he joined the site yesterday just to comment in this section, has never read any of my work here or elsewhere, and has since written a mini-novella declaring his undying allegiance to Pac in Time. I’m happy he likes it, although his method of approach to criticism needs work.
In hindsight, perhaps using “utter garbage” as a descriptor is too strong. But I don’t like the game, I don’t feel it’s worth any extended period of play when there are plenty of superior options out there.
I need to note: this is a review of Pac-Man Museum+, not a review of Pac in Time. The emphasis is on the quality of the collection and a synopsis of the 14 games that comprise it. Thankfully the majority are very good indeed, and it’s a package that can be recommended despite a few presentational issues.
I played it through when I had it as a kid on the SNES. I borrowed it for a few weeks during a summer holiday. Replaying it for this review brought back all the game’s flaws and frustrations. There are some half decent ideas and puzzle elements in there, but the execution is really lacking. It offers no information on what you’re meant to do, there are woeful problems all over the place with regard to layouts, and stage design is often very poorly conceived. The swinging mechanic is clunky, Pac sticks to walls for no reason, and there’s a lot of tedium involved when trying to kill constantly escaping enemies. Secret areas leave you completely blind if you stumble across them, and the damage ratios are totally ruined, because while wrestling with the controls your health gets decimated in seconds, and repeating stages is just laborious.
I wouldn’t waste any time with it: there are hundreds of superior platform games that are far less marred by poor design elements and under-par implementation. Anyone can learn Pac in Time, become great at it, and make something of the experience, but that doesn’t excuse the inherent (and occasionally borderline broken) problems.
If you want to check my writing history, I’m on Eurogamer.net too. If you want to complain directly to the site’s management about my appraisal of Pac in Time and whether or not I should write for NLife, just scroll down to the footer to find the contact to field the complaint.
@Bmartin001 It has save states that can be applied anywhere and a rewind feature - it’s all listed in the review. The Mega Drive titles had (and still have) in-built save points because they’re role-playing games.
@twztid13 My review of Pac-Man Museum+ is up already. We already discussed input lag, and while there are technical issues cited in the review, this wasn’t one that I noticed to any great effect.
@farrgazer I didn’t notice any input lag issues in-game - at least nothing that stood out. Using a 55” Sony Bravia known for extremely low lag. That said, nothing obvious in handheld either. Pac-Land plays perfectly and for Pac-Man, you generally pre-empt corner turns by holding the direction early, so it’s hard to detect lag on those.
@bluemage1989 I’ve seen you ask for comparisons to Snow Bros in both my recent reviews! Just not sure why. Personally? I think Snow Bros is an excellent little puzzle-action game and the recent Switch release is definitely recommended for fans of the original or the formula generally.
At the same time, opinions vary, and we need to respect the way the author who covered it felt about it.
@Lyricana I can answer this. We are given a press release well before the game is available for sale. Details provided there inform the review. No mention of DLC including additional games was provided, therefore we can’t provide that information in the review.
Still, the point stands. There’s no reason to charge additionally for more games, when technically they can easily be included in the base package. And the Strictly release doesn’t just feature 6 titles, but every format and region variation for those titles - none of which is present here.
See the recent Pac-Man Museum+ for an example of how it should be handled.
Aw, this saddens me Stuart! Snow Bros is honestly a great take on the single screen puzzle format as long as you constrict yourself to single credit runs, attempt to go the distance, and do your best to increase your personal scoring. Credit feeding any arcade game is boring!
@HalBailman But it came out in 1987 in an arcade machine where the 28” monitor was vertically oriented. Regardless, this Switch release can be rotated horizontally both ways, so your wish is granted. In fact 95% of vertical scrollers released today have this option built in.
@NintendoJunkie To some people this would be a 10. Totally depends on your gaming sensibilities. An 8 is accurate to its quality, in relation to the genre.
@HalBailman Just rotate or flip-grip your Switch, or turn a monitor on its side.
@JaxonH We will have to agree to disagree on the assumption that retro type games aren’t as fun as modern AAA titles. It just needs to be understood that they come from an era with a totally different set of disciplines, that make them no less valid as superb games. People who approach difficult retro games with the idea of hitting continue for an hour will reap little to no enjoyment from the experience, and find them quite repetitive. Those who approach them with a view to master them, to varying degrees: either a one credit clear or even a one life clear, OR, as tends to be the most enduring, shoot for the highest possible score, will find genuine elation in the experience and achievement.
Personally, I’m fine with old-school and current - but a lot of current gen output doesn’t have a skill requirement that I can appreciate. Games that look cinematic but rely on a single button press to do every acrobatic trick in the book tend to feel underwhelming for me.
@JaxonH It’s a very interesting observation, although several factors are involved. I cover a lot of retro/retro-styled/retro-indie type games here, and they assign them to me because they’re my field of expertise. They wouldn’t necessarily give me a game like Triangle Strategy, for example, because someone else is better equipped to handle that.
And then, we need to judge everything within its own specific bracket. How does a game like Eschatos or Andro Dunos II line up against other games within their genres, how does Pocky & Rocky: Reshrined relate to existing games within its series, etc. In some cases, we consider the entire library (for example, how were Tengo Project’s previous two titles received, and is this better/worse or as good as?).
As mentioned elsewhere in this comment section, Ganryu 2 - an indie retro action game - was recently only awarded a 4, so it’s not a case of everything old-school receiving unequivocal praise.
Finally, on a personal note, I dislike scoring generally, precisely because of its ambiguity and perceived inconsistencies - but people still like the system enough for it to be maintained.
@-wc- Of course, and that content is within the review. Reading the review is all you need to understand the score. Pros and Cons are a simple summary and have no direct relation to the final score at all. Ganryu 2 has 3 pros and 3 cons - it still got 4/10.
@DashKappei You’re very welcome, thank you for the kind words. There are actually 9 degrees of scanline intensity options! And I commented on frame rate in the comment just above yours. If there were frame rate issues, I would definitely mention them (see my recent Ganryu 2 review for clarification).
@Tobiaku As I explained above, it’s a review written for the broadest possible audience, and not for a niche. Articles have a form: introduction, explanation, appraisal, conclusion. The “Hikikomori” phenomenon was cited to provide context for the layman to understand the game’s appeal. You may consider this an extreme and a category you don’t belong to, and if that’s the case it wasn’t actually directed at you. If you feel insulted by this, I apologise. The important aspect is the critical analysis, and as it happens, the game scored well based on how it appeals to its target audience, and the fact that it’s playable. We can’t easily write articles on this kind of subject matter and pander to one particular audience unfortunately - a broader scope is required.
@X68000 I’ve spoken to the developer about an Infinos port and he says it’s unlikely to happen. They’re brothers, yes, Ryo and Satto - I’ve added all this info in the recent review.
I did note (in the review) that it’s essentially nothing to do with the original Andro Dunos and more a Trojan horse IP to get wider recognition. So I know where you’re coming from. Either way, it’s superb fun, and a really great effort from such a small indie dev.
@MARl0 Hadn’t had time to look in here, but I caught it and contacted the editor to update it yesterday. You were right though, good spot and thank you for mentioning it.
@NinjaSyao
The Castle of Shikigami reference is actually more to do with the dash attack, which resembles certain attacks in that game, and the feel of it (enemy destruction, bonus hoovering). Dragon Maid is more clearly bullet hell, and bullet heavier during boss fights unless you drop the difficulty settings (which makes it too easy, honestly).
For reference: Vertical shmup (aka YOKO), horizontal shmup (aka TATE), bullet hell/danmaku, are all phrases that should help you discern what’s what.
@RedKhan Oh I see, apologies for the confusion. I’m not familiar with PJ’s reviews for this particular series. Worth noting: it’s common for a reviewer to approach games of this type with an element of humour. That’s not really a sleight, but the perception among fans is that it’s making fun of the fandom. It isn’t. It’s for entertainment purposes and to meet the expectations of a broader audience curious about the title.
@RedKhan I don’t have kids, and I don’t think this would be a qualifying factor in terms of judgement even if I did. The review is written for the broadest possible audience, rather than a niche who make purchases purely based on levels of ecchi material. In light of this, the review content and its score - both based on the quality of the title - are appropriate and fair, I believe.
@Guile Ha ha, well, that wouldn’t be up to me. Perhaps the NLife powers will make a special allowance for the console’s farewell physical release, but honestly it’s either going to go one of two ways: It will either be just as good but in glorious 3D, or have some hardware-related drawbacks that need highlighting.
Appreciate all of this input. It sounds as though it was reconsidered at a much later date for a rating that ultimately went through. The internet has made far less noise about this than they did for its initial rejection, making it less clear as to what the ratings board actually did. Censorship in this type of game would be hard, since it’s more the overarching theme that poses problems (the only amendment that might work would be adding ages to the character profiles that detail them as 20+).
Hey there. Perhaps it wasn’t explicitly clear, but the banning referred to was for Gal Gun 2’s previous 2018 release. I cross-referenced the information in several areas:
Thanks for the kind words, I’m glad I helped you toward making a decision.
You might be right about how engaged you will be by Sol Cresta, but at the same time you might be surprised at how much you get into it. Its scoring is more tied to survival and use of formation icons to down enemy waves. I did enjoy the scheme of having a lead ship colour to open colour-codes crates and fly through scoring rings - but it’s a tad unintuitive for precise scoring in its regular mode, I’d say.
Ultimately a lot of this comes down to pricing. $40 is a big ask. At $15 I’d probably say it’s worth your time - although it wouldn’t impact my scoreline either way.
I’ve seen you comment on other reviews I’ve put up, so thank you for being there to engage, I really appreciate it.
Actually, this is a conversation I’ve had with the editor several times. The Pros and Cons aren’t meant to dictate the score: they’re literally just a list of bullet points. If they were supposed to directly correlate with score, we wouldn’t need a review at all. As it stands, they simply summarise some of the review’s key features.
On a scale of 10, a 6 is above-average and a 7 is a pretty decent score, denoting a work that will provide enjoyment for people invested in a particular genre; but letting the content of the review guide you is probably the best way to make a decision about where you put your hard-earned money.
Appreciate the reply and engagement, many thanks and happy gaming.
Hello to all commenters. Firstly, thank you all for reading the review, hopefully in its entirety. I understand many of you feel the score doesn't match the overall tone of the review. Hopefully, I can shed some light on how this works.
Review scores are very arbitrary. Ideally, not having scores would be better, allowing the content of the review to guide the reader toward a decision. However, scores are a popular format, so therefore we are compelled to use them.
Sol Cresta has flaws people should be aware of, and it's my job to try to break down, in both an honest and entertaining fashion, exactly what they are. Reviews that break a 1200 word threshold are something I try to avoid as a matter of good practice, and even here it ran slightly over. That means that there is a limited amount of space to provide history, backstory, and run through the finer details of what works and what doesn't.
To get to the point, then, Sol Cresta deserves a 7 purely based on the fact that, in spite of its flaws, it's still a pretty fun shoot-em-up. It has a certain amount of depth and intrigue in its formation mechanic, that can be toyed with. It's not hugely difficult, but it's also not an instant 1CC. There's increasing challenge in its last three stages (on default) that will keep you actively pressing for a while.
It is a grotesque-looking game, but aesthetics can (and should!) be looked past in light of whether or not the game is playable. And it is. A 7 isn't a bad score, and Sol Cresta isn't a bad game - it's just a game that probably doesn't warrant its current price tag, could have been improved in several key areas, and certainly doesn't beat out other competition in the genre.
Because of the process of reviewing and some of the limitations I have as an author trying to express the details, there are times when content and tone might not match your score expectation. This is sort of a curse of the process, and one of the reasons why scores are kind of detrimental to the reviewing process. It's not always easy to think about which digit makes the most sense in relation to how well a game plays, or, importantly, in relation to similar games in the field.
I hope this helps to explain a little about why the score might not match your expectations. It's not a perfect science, but I've done my best to be informative.
Thank you very much for reading both the review and this reply, I appreciate you all being here to read my work.
Comments 313
Re: Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge - The Best Turtles Beat 'Em Up Ever Made
@Scapetti That’s correct, and plenty of random instruments come out of there. I was expecting the Hockey stick to be predominant too, but for some reason they took it a different route.
@BloodNinja You’re welcome. The bugs aren’t deal-breakers because they’re not at all guaranteed (I had plenty of play-throughs without a hitch) and Tribute/Dotemu are actively focusing on swatting all of them. Regarding the original 1987 cartoon magic, it’s there all right, and then some!
Re: Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge - The Best Turtles Beat 'Em Up Ever Made
@BloodNinja I’ve been playing it for days with no assistance whatsoever. Yes, Casey’s hockey stick is what’s expected, except he uses golf clubs in addition to several weapons sprung from a sack. All these words are my own, and if a game is bad I’m the last person to hold back with criticism. For the review I ultimately cleared the game on default without using a single credit. That should illustrate the time I put into it:
https://twitter.com/supercancelhgj/status/1537105816179904513?s=21&t=Yup1GBjwLojA0SFV9kpaTg
Re: Review: Wonder Boy Collection - Four Well-Presented Wonders In A Stingy Standard Package
@robr Sadly you can’t! And you’re right, usually I mention those things and I think I took a note on it, but it might have been lost in an edit. I don’t find the wallpaper particularly distasteful, but I totally agree the option should be there to play without.
Re: Review: PAC-MAN MUSEUM+ - A Gaming Legend's Best Collection Yet
@Lyricana My pleasure! Thanks for reading.
Re: Review: PAC-MAN MUSEUM+ - A Gaming Legend's Best Collection Yet
@clockworktwink Great stuff, you’re doing God’s work out there. Be very thorough. We have our popcorn ready.
Re: Review: PAC-MAN MUSEUM+ - A Gaming Legend's Best Collection Yet
@clockworktwink Have fun, and let me speed it up for you:
https://muckrack.com/tom-massey/portfolio
That’s almost a full back-portfolio, although newer articles on NLife aren’t yet visible because Muckrack’s auto-collate function seems to fail these days.
Let us all know what you find, and thanks for taking the time to read my work.
I’d recommend “Bullets & Toothpicks” and “Inside Shanghai’s Hardcore Gaming Heartbeat” as two I’m most proud of. The latter was the catalyst for Chinese players being invited to Stunfest for the first time, which I’m happy to say I participated in with visa arrangements and communications.
Some not featured there can be found here, slightly more up to date:
https://muckrack.com/tom-massey/portfolio
Re: Review: PAC-MAN MUSEUM+ - A Gaming Legend's Best Collection Yet
@Lyricana Apart from the rather shoddy frame rate in the arcade overworld, it’s technically serviceable. There’s no evident lag present as found with the Xbox release. But this all hinges on one thing: how much you enjoy Pac-Man. The variations are interesting, some superb (and personally, we had a lot of fun with 4-player Battle Royale), and there are great formula deviations like Pac n’ Roll/Pac-Land.
For the price, it’s worth it.
In regards to the review structure, that’s on me. Word count limits are a real thing, and this broke 1300 despite the synopses format (I prefer as close to 1200 as possible). To give a comprehensive understanding of what’s on offer, it was right to differentiate the titles individually, or else the layman may assume they’re all-too-similar to warrant the purchase.
Appreciate your feedback today, thank you for taking the time to engage.
@clockworktwink
We’re as familiar with each other as I am with that blogger’s review you keep referencing: not at all.
Re: Review: PAC-MAN MUSEUM+ - A Gaming Legend's Best Collection Yet
@Lyricana Appreciate your maturity and assessment. I’ve played the game twice: once in the 90s with some conviction, and as a recap for this collection. For absolute transparency, I didn’t play the entirety of Pac in Time for this review - there are 14 games here to cover and fewer than two days in which to complete the copy. But I did play it enough to remember the irritations, bugginess, sticky-wall antics that go on in the game due to rough coding. The rope physics actually aren’t bad, but they’re marred by some terribly frustrating stage design and unnecessary pitfalls as early as stage two. For the review I played through to stage 4 (I think, whatever comes after the forest stage) and that forest stage is ridiculous for obscuring scenery. There are times you’re either within secret sections or tree trunks that are two screens tall, and it’s total trial and error to figure out how to find your way clear - sometimes taking far too long. The camera is fairly zoomed in too, meaning there are places you need to use the rope to swing on, but they’re out of sight, requiring a certain amount of guesswork as to what’s overhead.
@clockworktwink clearly loves the game: he joined the site yesterday just to comment in this section, has never read any of my work here or elsewhere, and has since written a mini-novella declaring his undying allegiance to Pac in Time. I’m happy he likes it, although his method of approach to criticism needs work.
In hindsight, perhaps using “utter garbage” as a descriptor is too strong. But I don’t like the game, I don’t feel it’s worth any extended period of play when there are plenty of superior options out there.
I need to note: this is a review of Pac-Man Museum+, not a review of Pac in Time. The emphasis is on the quality of the collection and a synopsis of the 14 games that comprise it. Thankfully the majority are very good indeed, and it’s a package that can be recommended despite a few presentational issues.
Re: Review: PAC-MAN MUSEUM+ - A Gaming Legend's Best Collection Yet
@clockworktwink I think you nailed it with “possibly”.
This is literally the silliest conversation about a video game I’ve ever engaged in.
Re: Review: PAC-MAN MUSEUM+ - A Gaming Legend's Best Collection Yet
@clockworktwink
Someone really likes Pac in Time.
I played it through when I had it as a kid on the SNES. I borrowed it for a few weeks during a summer holiday. Replaying it for this review brought back all the game’s flaws and frustrations. There are some half decent ideas and puzzle elements in there, but the execution is really lacking. It offers no information on what you’re meant to do, there are woeful problems all over the place with regard to layouts, and stage design is often very poorly conceived. The swinging mechanic is clunky, Pac sticks to walls for no reason, and there’s a lot of tedium involved when trying to kill constantly escaping enemies. Secret areas leave you completely blind if you stumble across them, and the damage ratios are totally ruined, because while wrestling with the controls your health gets decimated in seconds, and repeating stages is just laborious.
I wouldn’t waste any time with it: there are hundreds of superior platform games that are far less marred by poor design elements and under-par implementation. Anyone can learn Pac in Time, become great at it, and make something of the experience, but that doesn’t excuse the inherent (and occasionally borderline broken) problems.
If you want to check my writing history, I’m on Eurogamer.net too. If you want to complain directly to the site’s management about my appraisal of Pac in Time and whether or not I should write for NLife, just scroll down to the footer to find the contact to field the complaint.
Re: Review: Wonder Boy Collection - Four Well-Presented Wonders In A Stingy Standard Package
@Bmartin001 More than welcome!
Re: Review: Wonder Boy Collection - Four Well-Presented Wonders In A Stingy Standard Package
@Bmartin001 It has save states that can be applied anywhere and a rewind feature - it’s all listed in the review. The Mega Drive titles had (and still have) in-built save points because they’re role-playing games.
Re: Review: Wonder Boy Collection - Four Well-Presented Wonders In A Stingy Standard Package
@twztid13 My review of Pac-Man Museum+ is up already. We already discussed input lag, and while there are technical issues cited in the review, this wasn’t one that I noticed to any great effect.
Re: Review: PAC-MAN MUSEUM+ - A Gaming Legend's Best Collection Yet
@Clyde_Radcliffe It’s a confusion between Mario Bros (83) and Super Mario Bros (85), and an error. Appreciate the spot, I’ll have it amended.
Re: Review: PAC-MAN MUSEUM+ - A Gaming Legend's Best Collection Yet
@farrgazer I didn’t notice any input lag issues in-game - at least nothing that stood out. Using a 55” Sony Bravia known for extremely low lag. That said, nothing obvious in handheld either. Pac-Land plays perfectly and for Pac-Man, you generally pre-empt corner turns by holding the direction early, so it’s hard to detect lag on those.
Re: Review: PAC-MAN MUSEUM+ - A Gaming Legend's Best Collection Yet
@bluemage1989 I’ve seen you ask for comparisons to Snow Bros in both my recent reviews! Just not sure why. Personally? I think Snow Bros is an excellent little puzzle-action game and the recent Switch release is definitely recommended for fans of the original or the formula generally.
At the same time, opinions vary, and we need to respect the way the author who covered it felt about it.
Re: Review: Wonder Boy Collection - Four Well-Presented Wonders In A Stingy Standard Package
@Lyricana I can answer this. We are given a press release well before the game is available for sale. Details provided there inform the review. No mention of DLC including additional games was provided, therefore we can’t provide that information in the review.
Still, the point stands. There’s no reason to charge additionally for more games, when technically they can easily be included in the base package. And the Strictly release doesn’t just feature 6 titles, but every format and region variation for those titles - none of which is present here.
See the recent Pac-Man Museum+ for an example of how it should be handled.
Re: Hands On: Final Vendetta - The Ultimate Love Letter To Final Fight And Streets Of Rage?
@SoulChimera I’d wait for the full review before drawing any assumptions about it. You might be pleasantly surprised.
Re: Hands On: Final Vendetta - The Ultimate Love Letter To Final Fight And Streets Of Rage?
@SoulChimera @WaveBoy This isn't in any way related to Konami's Crime Fighters/Vendetta series. It's an original game.
Re: Review: Snow Bros. Nick & Tom Special - A Tired Bubble Bobble-Alike That's Finally Affordable
@bluemage1989 I think I do a pretty good job here - and for publications past. I’m fine with criticism, but “amateur” would be pushing it.
Re: Review: Snow Bros. Nick & Tom Special - A Tired Bubble Bobble-Alike That's Finally Affordable
@bluemage1989 I find this comment incredibly insulting.
Re: Review: Snow Bros. Nick & Tom Special - A Tired Bubble Bobble-Alike That's Finally Affordable
Aw, this saddens me Stuart! Snow Bros is honestly a great take on the single screen puzzle format as long as you constrict yourself to single credit runs, attempt to go the distance, and do your best to increase your personal scoring. Credit feeding any arcade game is boring!
Re: Review: Toaplan Arcade Garage: Hishou Same! Same! Same! - M2 Delivers Two Seminal Sharky Shmups
@HalBailman But it came out in 1987 in an arcade machine where the 28” monitor was vertically oriented. Regardless, this Switch release can be rotated horizontally both ways, so your wish is granted. In fact 95% of vertical scrollers released today have this option built in.
Re: Review: Toaplan Arcade Garage: Hishou Same! Same! Same! - M2 Delivers Two Seminal Sharky Shmups
@NintendoJunkie To some people this would be a 10. Totally depends on your gaming sensibilities. An 8 is accurate to its quality, in relation to the genre.
@HalBailman Just rotate or flip-grip your Switch, or turn a monitor on its side.
Re: Review: Layer Section & Galactic Attack S-Tribute - A Solid Switch Port For An Epic Space Shmup
@WaveBoy Those boys and these boys are the same boys: City Connection.
Re: Review: Layer Section & Galactic Attack S-Tribute - A Solid Switch Port For An Epic Space Shmup
@NinChocolate No need to wonder: read the review and your questions will be answered.
Re: Review: Pocky & Rocky Reshrined - A Thrilling New Interpretation Of A SNES Classic
@JaxonH Each to their own mate. I can’t possibly agree with you on it, because I adore them. But either way, play what you enjoy!
Re: Review: Pocky & Rocky Reshrined - A Thrilling New Interpretation Of A SNES Classic
@JaxonH We will have to agree to disagree on the assumption that retro type games aren’t as fun as modern AAA titles. It just needs to be understood that they come from an era with a totally different set of disciplines, that make them no less valid as superb games. People who approach difficult retro games with the idea of hitting continue for an hour will reap little to no enjoyment from the experience, and find them quite repetitive. Those who approach them with a view to master them, to varying degrees: either a one credit clear or even a one life clear, OR, as tends to be the most enduring, shoot for the highest possible score, will find genuine elation in the experience and achievement.
Personally, I’m fine with old-school and current - but a lot of current gen output doesn’t have a skill requirement that I can appreciate. Games that look cinematic but rely on a single button press to do every acrobatic trick in the book tend to feel underwhelming for me.
Different strokes, of course.
Re: Review: Pocky & Rocky Reshrined - A Thrilling New Interpretation Of A SNES Classic
@JaxonH It’s a very interesting observation, although several factors are involved. I cover a lot of retro/retro-styled/retro-indie type games here, and they assign them to me because they’re my field of expertise. They wouldn’t necessarily give me a game like Triangle Strategy, for example, because someone else is better equipped to handle that.
And then, we need to judge everything within its own specific bracket. How does a game like Eschatos or Andro Dunos II line up against other games within their genres, how does Pocky & Rocky: Reshrined relate to existing games within its series, etc. In some cases, we consider the entire library (for example, how were Tengo Project’s previous two titles received, and is this better/worse or as good as?).
As mentioned elsewhere in this comment section, Ganryu 2 - an indie retro action game - was recently only awarded a 4, so it’s not a case of everything old-school receiving unequivocal praise.
Finally, on a personal note, I dislike scoring generally, precisely because of its ambiguity and perceived inconsistencies - but people still like the system enough for it to be maintained.
Re: Review: Pocky & Rocky Reshrined - A Thrilling New Interpretation Of A SNES Classic
@-wc- Of course, and that content is within the review. Reading the review is all you need to understand the score. Pros and Cons are a simple summary and have no direct relation to the final score at all. Ganryu 2 has 3 pros and 3 cons - it still got 4/10.
Re: Review: Pocky & Rocky Reshrined - A Thrilling New Interpretation Of A SNES Classic
@-wc- No, it would have been a 9. Pros and Cons have nothing to do with score, and never have.
Re: Review: Pocky & Rocky Reshrined - A Thrilling New Interpretation Of A SNES Classic
@DashKappei You’re very welcome, thank you for the kind words. There are actually 9 degrees of scanline intensity options! And I commented on frame rate in the comment just above yours. If there were frame rate issues, I would definitely mention them (see my recent Ganryu 2 review for clarification).
Re: Review: Pocky & Rocky Reshrined - A Thrilling New Interpretation Of A SNES Classic
@solidox I honestly didn’t notice any slow down, even when the screen is busier. It’s just a slightly slower game, overall, than the original.
@MARl0
There are no frame rate issues here, not to worry. If so, I would have mentioned them.
Re: Review: Gal*Gun: Double Peace - One To Avoid Playing On Public Transport
@Tobiaku As I explained above, it’s a review written for the broadest possible audience, and not for a niche. Articles have a form: introduction, explanation, appraisal, conclusion. The “Hikikomori” phenomenon was cited to provide context for the layman to understand the game’s appeal. You may consider this an extreme and a category you don’t belong to, and if that’s the case it wasn’t actually directed at you. If you feel insulted by this, I apologise. The important aspect is the critical analysis, and as it happens, the game scored well based on how it appeals to its target audience, and the fact that it’s playable. We can’t easily write articles on this kind of subject matter and pander to one particular audience unfortunately - a broader scope is required.
Re: Andro Dunos 2 Switch Physical Edition Pre-Orders Fly Into View
@X68000 I’ve spoken to the developer about an Infinos port and he says it’s unlikely to happen. They’re brothers, yes, Ryo and Satto - I’ve added all this info in the recent review.
I did note (in the review) that it’s essentially nothing to do with the original Andro Dunos and more a Trojan horse IP to get wider recognition. So I know where you’re coming from. Either way, it’s superb fun, and a really great effort from such a small indie dev.
Re: Andro Dunos 2 Switch Physical Edition Pre-Orders Fly Into View
@X68000 It has more in common with Infinos than the original Andro Dunos, but a “reskin” makes it sound like it’s the same game. It’s not though.
Re: Review: Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid: Burst Forth!! Choro-gon Breath - A Middling Shmup Affair
@MARl0 Hadn’t had time to look in here, but I caught it and contacted the editor to update it yesterday. You were right though, good spot and thank you for mentioning it.
@NinjaSyao
The Castle of Shikigami reference is actually more to do with the dash attack, which resembles certain attacks in that game, and the feel of it (enemy destruction, bonus hoovering). Dragon Maid is more clearly bullet hell, and bullet heavier during boss fights unless you drop the difficulty settings (which makes it too easy, honestly).
For reference: Vertical shmup (aka YOKO), horizontal shmup (aka TATE), bullet hell/danmaku, are all phrases that should help you discern what’s what.
Re: Andro Dunos 2 - A Knockout Shmup Success That Nails The '90s Arcade Feel
@MostHandsieBoy An informative, honest, and well-measured review exists right here on NLife:
https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/switch-eshop/sol-cresta
Re: Review: Gal*Gun: Double Peace - One To Avoid Playing On Public Transport
@RedKhan Oh I see, apologies for the confusion. I’m not familiar with PJ’s reviews for this particular series. Worth noting: it’s common for a reviewer to approach games of this type with an element of humour. That’s not really a sleight, but the perception among fans is that it’s making fun of the fandom. It isn’t. It’s for entertainment purposes and to meet the expectations of a broader audience curious about the title.
Re: Review: Gal*Gun: Double Peace - One To Avoid Playing On Public Transport
@RedKhan I don’t have kids, and I don’t think this would be a qualifying factor in terms of judgement even if I did. The review is written for the broadest possible audience, rather than a niche who make purchases purely based on levels of ecchi material. In light of this, the review content and its score - both based on the quality of the title - are appropriate and fair, I believe.
Re: Andro Dunos 2 - A Knockout Shmup Success That Nails The '90s Arcade Feel
@Guile Ha ha, well, that wouldn’t be up to me. Perhaps the NLife powers will make a special allowance for the console’s farewell physical release, but honestly it’s either going to go one of two ways: It will either be just as good but in glorious 3D, or have some hardware-related drawbacks that need highlighting.
Re: Andro Dunos 2 - A Knockout Shmup Success That Nails The '90s Arcade Feel
@KingMike It’s available for preorder now on Pixelheart.eu - I ordered it this morning. There are both EU and US region options.
Re: Andro Dunos 2 - A Knockout Shmup Success That Nails The '90s Arcade Feel
@koekiemonster It does.
Re: Review: Gal*Gun: Double Peace - One To Avoid Playing On Public Transport
@PtM @Manah
Appreciate all of this input. It sounds as though it was reconsidered at a much later date for a rating that ultimately went through. The internet has made far less noise about this than they did for its initial rejection, making it less clear as to what the ratings board actually did. Censorship in this type of game would be hard, since it’s more the overarching theme that poses problems (the only amendment that might work would be adding ages to the character profiles that detail them as 20+).
Re: Review: Gal*Gun: Double Peace - One To Avoid Playing On Public Transport
@BTB20 @Manah
Hey there. Perhaps it wasn’t explicitly clear, but the banning referred to was for Gal Gun 2’s previous 2018 release. I cross-referenced the information in several areas:
https://twitter.com/inticreatesen/status/961302412903424000?s=21
https://twitter.com/ricedigital/status/961253052262113280?s=21
https://nintendoeverything.com/galgun-2-refused-classification-in-germany-essentially-banned/
https://www.reddit.com/r/PS4/comments/7vx81v/gal_gun_2_banned_in_germany/?
If you feel this information is incorrect and needs to be amended, please let me know with your sources, and I’ll be happy to address it.
Re: Review: Sol Cresta - PlatinumGames' Intriguing Shmup Doesn't Do Enough To Stand Out
@OorWullie
Thanks for the kind words, I’m glad I helped you toward making a decision.
You might be right about how engaged you will be by Sol Cresta, but at the same time you might be surprised at how much you get into it. Its scoring is more tied to survival and use of formation icons to down enemy waves. I did enjoy the scheme of having a lead ship colour to open colour-codes crates and fly through scoring rings - but it’s a tad unintuitive for precise scoring in its regular mode, I’d say.
Ultimately a lot of this comes down to pricing. $40 is a big ask. At $15 I’d probably say it’s worth your time - although it wouldn’t impact my scoreline either way.
I’ve seen you comment on other reviews I’ve put up, so thank you for being there to engage, I really appreciate it.
Re: Review: Sol Cresta - PlatinumGames' Intriguing Shmup Doesn't Do Enough To Stand Out
@FishyS
Actually, this is a conversation I’ve had with the editor several times. The Pros and Cons aren’t meant to dictate the score: they’re literally just a list of bullet points. If they were supposed to directly correlate with score, we wouldn’t need a review at all.
As it stands, they simply summarise some of the review’s key features.
On a scale of 10, a 6 is above-average and a 7 is a pretty decent score, denoting a work that will provide enjoyment for people invested in a particular genre; but letting the content of the review guide you is probably the best way to make a decision about where you put your hard-earned money.
Appreciate the reply and engagement, many thanks and happy gaming.
Re: Review: Sol Cresta - PlatinumGames' Intriguing Shmup Doesn't Do Enough To Stand Out
@gojiguy @Vyacheslav333 @OorWullie @Rayquaza2510 @UglyCasanova @Savage_Joe @denpanosekai @FishyS
Hello to all commenters. Firstly, thank you all for reading the review, hopefully in its entirety. I understand many of you feel the score doesn't match the overall tone of the review. Hopefully, I can shed some light on how this works.
Review scores are very arbitrary. Ideally, not having scores would be better, allowing the content of the review to guide the reader toward a decision. However, scores are a popular format, so therefore we are compelled to use them.
Sol Cresta has flaws people should be aware of, and it's my job to try to break down, in both an honest and entertaining fashion, exactly what they are. Reviews that break a 1200 word threshold are something I try to avoid as a matter of good practice, and even here it ran slightly over. That means that there is a limited amount of space to provide history, backstory, and run through the finer details of what works and what doesn't.
To get to the point, then, Sol Cresta deserves a 7 purely based on the fact that, in spite of its flaws, it's still a pretty fun shoot-em-up. It has a certain amount of depth and intrigue in its formation mechanic, that can be toyed with. It's not hugely difficult, but it's also not an instant 1CC. There's increasing challenge in its last three stages (on default) that will keep you actively pressing for a while.
It is a grotesque-looking game, but aesthetics can (and should!) be looked past in light of whether or not the game is playable. And it is. A 7 isn't a bad score, and Sol Cresta isn't a bad game - it's just a game that probably doesn't warrant its current price tag, could have been improved in several key areas, and certainly doesn't beat out other competition in the genre.
Because of the process of reviewing and some of the limitations I have as an author trying to express the details, there are times when content and tone might not match your score expectation. This is sort of a curse of the process, and one of the reasons why scores are kind of detrimental to the reviewing process. It's not always easy to think about which digit makes the most sense in relation to how well a game plays, or, importantly, in relation to similar games in the field.
I hope this helps to explain a little about why the score might not match your expectations. It's not a perfect science, but I've done my best to be informative.
Thank you very much for reading both the review and this reply, I appreciate you all being here to read my work.
Tom
Re: Review: Swords & Bones - Ghosts 'N Goblins-Style Indie Action, With A Dash Of Castlevania
@MeloMan You're very welcome!
Re: Review: Eschatos - A Boldly Unique And Historical Shmup Package
@riccyjay @-wc-
Thanks to you both for your responses, I appreciate your understanding.