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June update: 24/52
Don't have much to say about this month. Watched a lot of football (of the european sort). Played a lot of video games. Pretty nice month to be honest. Unbearably hot at times, but still nice.
19. June 3rd | Resident Evil 2 | Playstation 4 | 5h 10m | Replay | ☆☆☆☆½(/5)
Claire A - 3h 6m
Leon B - 2h 4m
I think I played the RE2 remake in July of last year. Loved it upon that first playthrough, but during this replay I found myself liking it even more.
Being a pretty big fan of the original RE2, I feel like this is almost the perfect remake. Not in the way that it's just a 1-1 game with updated graphics, but in the way it really complements the original without making ot obsolete. It's an interpretation of the original text which makes you curious about the original, and vice versa.
I love the survival horror gameplay of the original, but I think I just slightly might prefer the Remakes slower take on a third person shooter really. It's methodical like a classic survival horror, but fluid like, well, a modern game. This combined with the classic Resident Evil puzzle solving and finding keys makes for a really fun gameplay loop I didn't really think Capcom had the restraint to be able to achieve for a whole game (looking at you, final third of Resident Evil 7), but they somehow did! Upon replays it doesn't feel stale at all despite knowing what to do most of the time. Rather, it's like a dance where you've finally learned all the steps to and getting that satisfying feeling of pulling off a more advanced routine. What enemies can I avoid? Which items should I skip? Which puzzle should be done in what order? There's so much freedom to it all, even when going for an S+ rank, and the police station is just small enough that this relative freedom never gets overwhelming or anything close to it. Also - the tension from having to stand still in order to focus your aim is one of the smartest things Capcom has ever done to make the action that much more tense.
I think what also makes this game better on a replay (and a reason as to why all remakes should be replayed) is how most of the expectations from the original can be thrown out the window. I know what to expect and can just enjoy the game on its own merits. Because, yeah, the first time I was disappointed in how similar the scenarios were, the tedium of the sewers and how the final area was changed. I don't really feel any of that now, though. The scenarios being so similar is still my main disappointment (especially the fact that both Leon and Claire fight the same bosses outside of their final ones) with the game and what keeps me from giving it a perfect score along with the often pretty forgettable soundtrack, but the sewers and NEST lab aren't really an issue to me anymore. I know they're there now, and playing through them without expecting the same areas from OG 2 (which has a much worse sewer section, imo), I just experience them on their own merits, and they're really not bad! They fit the tone of the game great, and while they're obviously not as good as the absolutely incredible police station, I can't really fault them for anything major. They both have a great horror atmosphere, and both end with surprisingly fun boss fights. I complained about the chess puzzle on my first playthrough, but it really isn't that bad on this replay. Maybe because I played both Code: Veronica and 0 earlier this year and now have become completely desensitized to all sorts of backtracking and padding puzzles.
Also really enjoyed the writing, surprisingly enough. The story's not great or anything, but this being a dark, serious remake of a fairly goofy (though I guess it took itself seriously at the time) PS1 I thought it would take itself too seriously and lose much of the original's charm. Turns out I was super wrong as the character interactions might be the best of the entire series. Particularly enjoyed Leon and Ada's banter, but it was all good. Not really a fan of how Claire looks like a baby with a woman's body, but the writing for her was great, as was her relationship with Sherry.
Mr. X is Mr. X. I enjoy him, but on replays the tension of having him around lessens a bit when you know which rooms he can't enter. I realize why that is the case for something like the clocktower where he basically can't be avoided because of the cramped spaces, but he should have been able to enter the S.T.A.R.S. office which is more open. He's still a great addition and just hearing his footsteps can at times be the scariest thing in the entire game, but he should have been given even more freedom. I've seen some people complain about how you're often forced to run around the entire station to avoid him sometimes, but I actually like that aspect of having to re-route on the spot like that. Usually it's not to bad either since there are a lot of shortcuts to most parts of the map.
RE2 remake is still not my GOTY 2019, but on this replay it got even closer than it was before. I just... I love it. One of Capcom's finest achievements and one that I, even after getting the platinum trophy, look forward to playing once again sometime in the future. It's so good that I even beat all the tofu challenges, which might be some of the hardest things I've ever done in this entire series.
Soundtrack highlight:
Mournful Pursuit
20 June 4th | Yakuza 4 Remastered | Playstation 4 | 103h 3m | ☆☆☆
(I played most of this back in May)
I've written about three Yakuza games + Judgment in previous posts, and considering how similar all these games are there's not that much new for me to say by this point. This is just more of Yakuza, though with better gameplay than 3. You fight, you play mini games, do side stories and sometimes extremely manly men feel a lot of strong emotions.
Sadly, though, this is probably my least favourite Yakuza game. It plays well and has some of my favourite substories that are a real treat to people who've played the previous games to completion. I also absolutely love how Yakuza 4 acknowledges how extremely powerful Kiryu is, but the story as a whole just never clicks for me. It's extremely ambitious with how it revolves around four protagonist with wildly different stories and play styles, but it never comes together into anything remotely satisfying. Even the game seems to be aware of this when the final chapter is just "let's put a lot of money on the roof and see which bad guy comes to try and claim it". This lack of any real urgency or emotional core also, sadly leads to the least interesting final chapter in a series that usually sticks the landing better than most other games could ever wish to. The final of the four final bosses is also probably the worst boss fight in any single Yakuza game that I've played as of yet (still haven't touched 5 or 7). The music is obviously fantastic even during this bit, but I want to be at least a bit emotionally satisfied and here I'm just left extremely cold. Too bad since the story had a lot of potential if it had just been slightly rewritten. I'd also complain about how uneven the difficulty is, but considering how easy it is to just stack up on health items in these games, it's not really an issue.
Most of 4 is still fun and very Yakuza, but the flaws are too great for me to really enjoy it as much as previous games in the series. If you're insane like me and has to 100% all of these games, it also might be the worst with all the hostess mini-games you have to do. I also never want to play pool again.
Soundtrack highlight:
Four Face
21. June 7th | Resident Evil 3 | Playstation 4 | 4h 23m | ☆☆☆½
I'm not a huge fan of the original RE3. I've played through it several times, gotten the A rank and feel like I gotten enough out of it to be able to say that. It's a fun little diversion, but it's not a gread survival horror/action hybrid and I always saw Nemesis as more of an annoying obstacle than something to be scared of.
Just like 3, the remake feels very much like a lesser game than its predecessor. I do think, even though it cuts areas from the original that maybe should have been here, that it succeeds far better as an action game than 3, while also still retaining the same feel of 2. It's an extremely linear game, very short, and the script certainly isn't anything that'll win any awards, but I had a lot of fun with it for the short time we shared. Thinking back to the game's pacing, it never really feels rushed or as if something was missing so I'm not even sure if I can complain about it being too short. It's at a pretty perfect length for what it is, which just so happens to be quite short.
Playing RE3 feels great. The modified RE2 gameplay fits the more fast placed gameplay so good while still retaining some of the "stand still to aim better" aspects for heightened tension here and there. The dodge mechanic, while I'm not especially great at it, feels about a million times better than it did in the PS1 original, and even though it is a bit disappointing how extremely linear the game is, maybe that linearity also led to every area feeling more distinct and being given a lot of small but charming details. I'd say the enemy variety is really good as well, with zombies, hunters, dogs and other classic RE enemies coupled with a few new ones (this might not sound like much, but remember that this is a very short game). Nemesis is implemented in a pretty fun way too and fighting him this time feels like a much better use of your time than it did in the original, even though he doesn't really hold a candle to Mr. X's more unpredictable nature. The boss fights against him are also, like, a million times better than they were in the OG. Except for the final one, maybe. I really enjoyed that one in RE3PS1 for some reason. The final boss in the remake is okay, but more of a spectacle and showcase of the game's great graphics than a fun fight.
Not as good as Remake 2, but better than original 3 in my mind. The final area is maybe too different from the original's but it makes a lot more sense story-wise and connects 2 and 3 together in a much more satisfying way than ever before. I do, however, think it says something about how this game's level designs might be a bit lacking when the short section inside the police department feels so much better to play than basically every other area in the game. They are all distinct, yes, but not as much fun to actually play.
And yes, this is the greatest version of Jill the series has ever had.
Soundtrack highlight:
Credits Theme
22. June 14th | Super Mario Sunshine | Switch | 20h | ☆☆☆½
I don't know how far back me and Super Mario Sunshine go. It's a very nostalgic game at least, and while I do remember playing it at a friend's house when it was fairly new, my strongest memories from it are from 2008 when me and two other friends just played Nintendo games for an entire night. DoubleDash, Melee, Mario Party 6 and Sunshine (probably something else too) made for a great time, and specifically Sunshine, when played during winter, really made an impact on all of us and we would later have more of these nights and always have Sunshine be part of it. We did eventually beat it, even though I wasn't the one to actually beat the bizarre final boss (which is why I can't really say this is a replay). Don't think I've really had the same experience playing games with friends since then, but then again - I was 12-13 back then and am an old man now. It would be impossible to replicate the same feelings today, but at least I have the memories of it all.
Anyway - Super Mario Sunshine gets a lot more criticism than it deserves. Yeah, if I were to rank all missions in 3D Mario games, all of the bottom ones would be from Sunshine, but outside of the sporadic garbage (which also includes every single thing related to Yoshi), it's a lot of fun. Mario controls like a dream, the stages are so imaginative and makes me nostalgic about Nintendo's more experimental Gamecube era, and the summer atmosphere has yet to be topped by other games. I also really enjoy how several of the stages has some sort of ongoing story from mission to mission, making it feel more like a journey to get all the shines than the checklist feel of Mario 64 (which is a game I still prefer over this one, but not in every single way). The fact that I always try to go for 100% in Mario games might also make the fact that you need to get seven sprites in every stage less of an issue to me as getting all of them before moving on is what I always do. I'm also not an idiot, by which I mean I just used a guide to get all the blue coins, also not really making them that big of an issue.
Delfino Plaza might also be the bet hub out of any 3D Mario (though I guess there really are only two good ones, so the competition isn't exactly steep). I spent a lot of time just running around here and finding secret shines instead of actually playing the normal stages. I really enjoy most of those actual stages by the way. They all encourage using the super smooth controls and FLUDD (one of Nintendo's best ever gimmicks in my mind) to their fullest and offer a good variety of missions of a very varying degree of difficulty. The experimentation with different gameplay styles doesn't always work, i.e. the entirety of Isle Delfino, but they're still appreciated and I wouldn't say the game ever made me bored. Also love the music on each and every stage.
I do realize why people dislike Sunshine, but I just can't do it. There's a lot of nostalgia and childhood memories that I just can't shake off when talking about it, but I also simply find it to be a very fun game. The controls does take time to get used to and the camera can be your worst enemy at times, but after getting used to it there's a flawed but good game here. It doesn't land every idea it has in a particularly great way, but it dares to dream and be different, and that ambition does come through in a positive way for most of the experience. It's not a game at the levels of 64 or Odyssey, but then again most games aren't. I would understand anyone who turns the game off when they hear the voice acting though.
Soundtrack highlight
Noki Depths
23. June 25th | Resident Evil Village | Playstation 4 | 9h 51m | ☆☆☆☆
At last, after playing through the Resident Evil series since November of last year I've finally reached the final game. Not that I'm bored of the series or anything, but it does feel good to be done with it for the time being. There're obviously going to be more Resident Evil games and I'll most likely play most of them, but those are adventures for another day.
This was a really fun way to end my marathon! It's not my favourite game in the series and I'm not even sure if I prefer it over 7, but it's a lot of fun either way. The gameply itself is actually really good, and if we're just talking about actually playing the game this is close to the top for me. I love the metroidvania feel of the village, the much improved gunplay over 7, the big weapon variety and how the inventory from 4 has been brought back with a vengeance. Again, just talking gameplay I can't really fault the game at all. All of the locales you go through are designed really well and outside of a later factory are a lot of fun to go through with some freedom in exploration without there ever being a risk of the player getting lost. Bosses are nice and varied too, with the final boss being one of my new favourites in the series. It's not really grand or anything like that, just a solid, fun fight which really puts you to the test.
I do, however take issue with a lot of the storytelling and characterisations. First of all: everyone in this romanian village is an american, which really ruins all semblance if immersion the setting could have had, and the human villagers are all killed off way too soon. Would have been fun to at least meet some friendly characters along the way, but that sadly isn't the case. Also wasn't a fan of how the story so clearly sets up these four lords as video game bosses to take down in a certain order. Resident Evil games are always like this, but they at least don't say from the start "here are these characters, and you will kill them in this exact order". I usually don't have an issue with games feeling like games, but this was a bit too much for me. No matter how much Capcom tries to make Ethan into interesting character, he remains their most boring protagonist to date- He does do more than swear this time around, but not much. Chris, who barely shows up in the game, is such a joy of a character to meet every time Ethan happens to meet up with him. All of the villains are pretty fun too, but their limited screentime can't compensate for Ethan's incredibly bland personality.
So yeah. I absolutely love playing Village, but the story and script are poor. I enjoyed the game quite a lot and look forward to playing it again, but I can't shake the feeling that it could have been a lot better script wise. I do have to say, though, that it's incredible how good this game both looks and runs on a base PS4.
Soundtrack Highlight:
Final Boss Fight
24. June 30th | Super Mario Galaxy | Switch | 13h 30m | Replay | ☆☆☆
Here's the thing: Super Mario Galaxy looks great, Rosalina's storybook is absolutely amazing, the music is incredible and the ending is, while almost too grand when compared to the rest of the game, super memorable. It's also incredibly boring to actually play. That's all I have to say about it for now :).
Soundtrack Highlight:
Luma
Currently playing:
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition (Switch)
Super Mario 3D World (switch)
Persona Q2 (3DS)
