One more for DOOM Enthusiast
Streets of Rage 2*** (PC)
The first SoR was pretty good, not enough to convert me into a believer of the genre but enough to make want to eventually play the rest of the series, especially considering how beautiful 4 is looking. I also think the developers did a great job with Wonder Boy and the Dragon's Trap.
To quote Bob above, "holy shitting fuck". I don't use this word often unironically, but this game is legit dope. First off, the music is so good. It may involve my philosophy of how music is a big part of making a game better than what it would be without it. This is some of the best stuff I heard made on the Genesis. Level 3 was always a joy to go through because of the music. Its setting is a carnival in the night, going on a pirate ship ride, in an arcade with bad guys playing the machines, to a horror house that is almost copy-right infringing on the Alien franchise (so extra bonus points there). The song is so fucking good.
There are 4 characters to pick from: Max, Axel, Blaze and Skater. Max is a beast that can deal out some serious damage and take a lot too, but is really slow. Axel and Blaze are very similar in terms of power and speed. Blaze has the additional benefit of being in a pleasingly short skin tight skirt. Skater is fast and very fun to use his moves, but is the weakest so he can be a bit troublesome for some bosses.
I admire the controls too. On my 4th playthrough I was still learning some moves. You can grab people and depending on what direction you hold while attacking, you'll do a different attack. If you "jump" while grabbing you'll flip over to do a suplex. On my last playthrough I learned if you attack while flipping you'll just toss them across the screen. There's surprisingly a nice bit to discover with three buttons.
That sad, it's a beat-em-up so there has to be some absolute pigs of enemies and sure enough there are a couple. Still, it's not enough to make me hate the game. I think Streets of Rage 2 finally broke down the wall. I'm gonna play 3 soon and want to try other games like Final Fight.
I played a bit all week after sessions of this game:
Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure (PC)
I've talked about how much I enjoy the Ys series, but I never played anything else by the developer Falcom. This was on sale for next to nothing so I decided to give it a go. It was made in 2004 for the PC but I swear it could have been a Dreamcast game from 2000. I wouldn't be shocked at all if I learned it was made on the same engine as Sonic Adventure. It also reminds me of when I use to rent weird N64 games from Blockbluster. It's because of these reasons this game gave me a huge feeling of nostalgia without even knowing about it until looking up Falcom's other games. Very weird, I don't think that's happened before.
I think that's a substantial reason why I love this game so much. Still, weird nostalgia aside it was a joy to play. It's an action RPG that if it was any cuter it would cause some singularity in space-time. You're a girl who moves to her Grandpa's in a town with no other kids. Most of the town works in the nearby mine. She eventually befriends a group of Monsters who lives in a parallel dimension accessed in the back allies. The enemies known as Phantoms destroys the town and scatters the Monsters. You'll rescue the townsfolk and at the end of each level you'll find something that belonged to them, like a bookshelf, boombox, rubber ducky, etc. As you return these items and make the monsters happier, more of the world map is accessible.
Combat involves using the drill as a sword. You can buy upgrades and new moves for it, along with different hats with benefits (heal on critical attacks, elemental attack bonus, have chests show up on the map, etc). It's a good system all said. I bring up Sonic Adventure because jumping has that particular jank that's really hard to explain. The camera can be finicky making platforming a bit tough at some parts.
It also took me 10ish hours and I feel like that was the perfect length for it. I unlocked hard mode and pajamas as a costume. When I went to change the outfit I noticed quite a bit of others that I didn't get so there is replay value, not sure if I will anytime soon though. There's also hidden Platinum medals throughout the game to find.
I'm really happy I played this one. The team over at Falcom are some unsung heroes for sure. They may not get a lot of attention outside their niche, but damn can they craft some enjoyable stuff. I recently read that the CEO of Falcom is a bit sad that people are turned off from their games due to their graphics. I liked what I've played by them so far visually, which is mostly older stuff, but compare the newest Ys game to what else you find on the PS4 and I can see why people would shrug them off. Still, considering how I'm more emotionally invested and fulfilled story-wise with Ys and Gurumin then I have been with Square "story DLC" Enix lately I think more people should give Ys a go.
(Sorry for that side rant)
(I now realize that I use these threads to fill the itch of writing since I no longer write for the main site - hope nobody minds)
