Recent reviews by daicon

Feeling sort of like an quick mod for a late 90's FPS game, I had a good impression and a few hours fun with the $2 "Rampage of the Dead". Rampage is kind of like an early, primitive version of "Killing Floor", an undead wave shooter with purchasable weapons, but straining with self-taught, quick implementations that are functional but clunky.

I feel like this game is just about 2 or 3 more polish passes and adjustments from being a decently good arcade-like wave shooter for mucking about in and earning achievements, because many of its parts already feel pretty well tuned. The gunplay feels pretty good, the difficulty ramps up smoothly and gets satisfyingly frantic during later waves, and it seems like care went into balancing the weapons and their prices. It's just getting up to those later, hectic waves that can take time, but that's where I really enjoyed myself.

And if it could go beyond just some polishing, maybe some fresh assets and better presentation well, I could see it being a pretty fun game to push yourself in for a high score. As it is now, for $2, I think it's a pretty good amateur project.

If it isn't clear, Wanted:Dead is one odd package. Its filled with weird cutscenes. Sometimes characters say things and I don't know what they mean. Stephanie Joosten is a character, "Tom Cruise" a boss, and its a shooter and slasher that seems to disorient fans of both. It also has a reception ranging from "frustrating mess", "doesn't know what it wants to be" to "just what I've been wanting".

The most direct comparison is also an unfairly loaded one. To compare Wanted:Dead to the Wii U exclusive "Devil's Third" might as well be a kiss of death if you ask many, but the comparison is unavoidable: They have the same DNA, even as they take two different but similar paths. They also have the same frantic, punishing angle to action that seems to be Itagaki's style which it likewise shares with Ninja Gaiden, if nothing else.

Whether a comparison to Devil's Third should be a red flag is something I question, but with that formula and no less jank than before, it's not hard to see why this title has people so split down the middle. At the same time, I don't know if I can adequately explain why I played through it several times and thought about it so much.

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Wanted's flaws are really upfront and trivial to expose. Wanted struggles with aiming that can behave strange and levels designs that don't always favor the cover gameplay. The blend of melee and shooting results in each compromising for the other, like cover that doesn't quite stick when you want, aiming that occasionally snaps off center and awkward movement in melee combat. Worse is enemy AI that can go spastic, darting from cover spots at jet-speed to pop in and out at rapid intervals to tease out missed headshots that matter not just for your precious ammo pool, but skill points.

Swordplay offers no crutch either, as enemies block and punish sloppy button-mashing where death comes quick and a poorly timed parry can lay you flat without a chance to use heals. While this feels (usually) fair on its own, sparse checkpoints can make these missteps lead to lengthy setbacks, as Hannah (unlike Ivan) doesn't have the modern-game kit of rejuvenating health and frequent checkpoints.

During portions of the game, you can be left questioning if you've even been playing right at all when some segments feel off-balanced and solutions you carve out often feeling in-spite of the presented gameplay. Its not until later that you realize how disregarding certain mechanics set you on a road from mindless fun to frustration. You may find yourself trying to avoid the dangerous melee, but HardMode starves you of enough ammo for the more durable foes, forcing you into perilous sword fights that feel like erratic difficulty spikes.

Most of these complaints dissolve once you get into the whole loop. Enemies don't feel so spongey when you learn to parry. Reviewers who just wanted to get through the game struggle when they realize you can't always ignore the melee for the shooting. If you do, Wanted feels turbulent when in actuality, it's just not being met on its terms. For one, the parry and counter windows couldn't be any more generous.

When Wanted gets it right, it has moments of bliss. The (many) melee finishers fall within a sweet spot between brief and spectacular, and never disrupt the player's camera either, aiding an open feel between melee and shooting. When a segment spills enemies at you, both melee and ranged, it can be frantic and engaging going between the two, showing Wanted's combat really does have something going on.

There's no puzzle solving, escorts, venturing off the main path or any deviating from an arcade-y base. I see why some called Wanted's combat repetitive, but instead I appreciated it not wasting time outside what it does well. You only get variety in the waves of enemies and areas you fight them in with few gimmicks. In its defense, if it needs it, there are minigames and a surprising amount of attention given to weaved them into the story. One is a full in-universe arcade shmup.

The minigames make up about half the heap of bonus content stuffed in, like a number of (pretty damn great) cover songs, a whole albums worth of Stefanie Joosten tracks I didn't expect to like as much as I did, other collectibles, and the in-universe cooking show. The carefree flexibility allowed in the story is here, and the appeal is definitely not lost on me. Not everyone will appreciate it all, but I couldn't call the package bare.

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Wanted's story is frankly amazing. With a basket of cyberpunk narrative tropes, it doesn't attempt to remain coherent, not because of scope, but of sheer creative choice it seems. There's what feels like light mimicry of blockbuster films: A scenes where the police chief throws things and yells at your brash team, sure, and then it goes off in its own and you're in a ramen eating minigame. Why? To show that your sniper Herzog has deep knowledge of ramen, I think.

When a story tries to be quirky (as a plea to humor), its pretty apparent. With Wanted it's hard to know which parts, if any, are meant to be tongue-in-cheek with its air of sincerity. Everything out-of-place is in-place. It's a mood you can't force or imitate and a big part of what makes the story so enjoyable.

That's no small part due to the cast, as I can't quite say enough how I love this cast of characters. I really grew to like Zombie Unit by the end, and Hannah as a protagonist. She's written more like a heroine of an indie comic than a game character from Japan, whose personal story has some jarring implications and her voice, delivered slightly clumsy, makes her something special. I only wish we got to spend a bit more time with her.

Wanted's story has the feeling of being rushed; Cinematics are cut strange. They still blind-side you in wonderful and unexpected ways, but they do leave gaps in the flow that feel unintentional. It leaves me curious why, but when I find myself hoping I'll get to see these characters in a future game somehow, I think they made something really special with these guys.

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So I'm surprised more people aren't talking about Wanted: Dead. Between the strange cuts, violence, the characters and even Joosten, it obtains its odd personality so effortlessly. Add in a craving for the kind of action games that often graced seventh gen and its authentically what many are wanting.

At the same time, it's clearly not appealing to the every-gamer, but that's on them. If what makes a game good is polish and the parts all fitting nearly, its an easy job to rip into. But often the criticism just doesn't fit, exposing weird misunderstandings. Some reviews were bewildered to find Hannah's not a godlike Bayonetta or Dante in ability. It's an echo of when major gaming outlets heedlessly slung criticism at Devil's Third in such exaggerated fashion, reasonable takes were drown out. Wanted's thankfully been given more slack, likely owing to presentation that better communicates it as a throwback (so the tone didn't fly over the average reviewer's head).

Still, no one can pretend Wanted isn't a very flawed game. There's a constant roughness and the technical issues glare. I wish it spent more time in the oven, because there's so much good here that just needed to go down smoother, and the story given an extra chapter. Do I think Wanted is a gem among flawed games or cult hit? I think so, but its price asks you to overlook many flaws.

It may not be apparent unless reading between the lines here, but I really freakin' love this game. Not for the era it represents. Not ironically. It could be a number of things, but Wanted has lots of heart, enough to makes me want more and I think they really cared about what they were making, even as they needed to cut back and make compromises. At the end of a third playthrough, I was left thinking "I hope there's a sequel someday". Maybe I'm crazy but I really do wish that.

This is an intensely fun solid shooter where everything feels, looks and sounds just right and nothing gets in the way of its solid essence.

Fast enemies and bullets make it hard to resist holding down the fire button for dear life, but rewards you for letting off of it to charge your shot's strength for bursts of power (key to score-chaining and melting boss HP efficiently). That's about as far as gimmicks go, which is how I personally like my shooters: Solid and focused. And can I say how refreshing it is to have no bombs to dilemma yourself with?

It's also one of those shooters that punishes hard for losing a ship, but recovering back to full upgrades is fairly quick and there's a forgiving shield power up at least once on every stage. It feels like just the right amount of tension for my middling skill level, where losing a ship doesn't ruin a 1CC run on its own, but it keeps your attention satisfyingly focused. For difficulty, I'd say it's tuned just right on Hard mode for most regular shmup players. The difficulty is fair and it's a very achievable 1CC for almost anyone.

It's worth noting that Terra Flame is singleplayer only, much like the Thunder Force series that we can assume inspired it. Despite I always value a 2P options in shmups, it's clear how much of a poor fit it would be for this type of game.

If Moon Dancer is like RayForce and Raging Blasters is to Star Soldier, Terra Flame shows that TERARIN can do Thunder Force just as well, and understands exactly how to give that intense style of action and a suitably excellent soundtrack.

Amazing spritework and just a solid game. Even if you play the SFW version, it's just a good adventure platformer not too unlike Zelda 2, Monster World series and the like.

Golden Fantasia is a very pick-up and play friendly fighting game, which has had some deem its combos and gameplay as very "ABC". Does that necessarily fit? I'd say it does, but with some very special tricks and additions that sets its gameplay up in interesting ways (and exceptional cinematic flair).

In truth, the best reasons to play Fantasia should already be apparent to fans of the series: one's appreciation for the Umineko characters, the music, together with gameplay that's a distinct spectacle so fit for the series that you get to see these elements come to life with all the imagination a 2D fighter could possibly grant. Done so well, I'd say with some confidence even those who've never even heard of the series will find characters they'll like enough to remember.

And to be clear, none of that is meant to be apologetic for the gameplay, as it really needs no defending to stand on its own. Fantasia is easy to grasp, but may be such a blast to play because of that, while the Metaworld mechanic, also easy to grasp, allows for memorable back-and-forth moments between opponents. I suspect that if the original Comiket release had come a number of years earlier, it might have been as noted and referenced as the Melty series, if not maybe considered the less rushdown oriented doujin sibling (of which I feel is a fair comparison to make).

When it comes to community, there's a humble following still around, there netplay serves as a good example of how these obscure fighters should be improved and kept alive online. And I feel Golden Fantasia will be one of several ways the Umineko series will stay alive amongst its fans for years to come. It's a fine doujin fighter, and well worth picking up to try or add to your fighting game collection.

After exploring (what I assume is) all of Worlds.com, I wanted something else dream-like and confusing. Underlight is abit more cohesive than that, but instead offered memorable encounters with strangers that make this early realm their hangout. Under the right circumstances, I might have done the same. I'll pass through it again, someday.

Reminds me of a pretty cool Pokemon custom map I used to play

It's hard to believe this game is now over 10 years old, but it's still one of my favorite games of all time.

Cave Story simple expressive pixel style has quietly been influencing indie games abroad ever since, from Fez to Momodora and countless others. It's simple, but you spend some time with it you'll see it's not at all coming from a lack of artistic talent, effort or personality. Large boss battles really show off the fluid action and animations best, and are never boring to look at.

The story is no small part of this gem's appeal, with multiple endings, characters you won't forget, well-hidden secrets and alot of love behind these seemingly simple low-rez characters. This is the kind of game you'll want to play through again and experience the endings and see the things you've missed. And it definitely stands up to the test of time a decade later in humor and heart.

Lastly I feel like this games soundtrack is just something unforgettable. The remastered music in this package is optional, and in personal opinion I feel the original music is much better, so I'd recommend anyone's first playthrough consider switching to the 'old' music. I'm so adament about that because it's just -that- good, it feels wrong for people to miss it as it originally was.(imho)

It's been a long time since I downloaded this freeware game, but it's still so easy to gush about it. Everyone comes away from this game with something about it they love personally, whether it's the music, memorable boss battles or a specific character they connect with. All created by just one man, do yourself a favor and play this labor of love.

Magic is slowly leaving the world, wizards have grown complacent and selfish, and as the young Archmage Domino, you have 3 years to turn the two main heroines, Aria and Kaya, into full-fledged mages within Grimoire Academy. They also happen to be considered Grimoire's worst students, making the 3 years limit a challenge. Domino, however, yearns to explore and push the boundaries of the arcane, and he's eager to train them well.

Littlewitch's story takes off well from the beginning thanks to the highly imaginative art put into it. Even the male characters, often neglected in visual novels, are drawn with care and skill, and the same elegant style extends even into the games menus and overlay. Ashito Oyari's style is immediately distinct and enjoyable during all parts of the game, where it fits the nature of the setting so perfectly it makes you wonder whether the art preceded and inspired the entire project.

Gameplay is reminiscent of Princess Maker in scope, but it plays much closer to a voiced visual novel with puzzle/stat oriented gameplay attached to give a sense of progress to Domino's goals of teaching and raising the heroines. Between quests and events, there's more than enough to fill several playthroughs in order to see everything within your 3 years in-game time limit. During which, each of the multiple endings are strongly built up, and when they come there's heavy payoff, as you'll want to sit quietly and soak in events unfolding. Thankfully there's a New Game+ mode which retains spells learned during lessons into the next playthrough.

This is one of those instances where an ambitious game pays off, where all of the talented components fit together, from the inspired art, sincere story, voicework, and even to the accurate and faithfully nuanced translation JAST has a reputation for, all complimenting each other into an experience above many of its peers in the visual novel space.

If you are at all looking for a wonderful story with plenty of magic and imagination, a nostalgic fan of the Princess Maker series, or just in the market for a good VN, I'd highly recommend Littlewitch Romanesque.

Stage one you're running through Akihabara beating up some creepy otaku and gyaru girls, even fighting through 'Hey' arcade and eventually other areas in Tokyo .. You'd probably have to be familiar with Phantom Breakers to get what the characters are grudging over, but none of that gets in the way.

Enemies are amusing, and often they heavily reference enemy types from Streets of Rage and sometimes even TMNT in some very humorous ways and the art may be taking some visual cues from the Scott Pilgrim beat-em-up (and that's a great thing). That in my opinion is the best part of this game, is all the references that are packed in, the care put into the backgrounds and how it all just comes together with really fun and slick controls. If you're a fan of these things, from Akiba culture to beat-em-up references, you'll love the subtle treats they have in store for you.

If you have the controllers, this game is well worth it whether it's to play co-op TMNT style or to play it solo. There's 5 difficulty modes, characters to level up and plenty of challenge in this package. And even if you just wanted to show 5pb. there's a place for them or Steins;Gate on Steam, you can't go wrong.