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| If bookending every other review this month with two Donkey Kong Country games was wrong, you know what? I don't want to be right! |
We monkeyed around and had a blast all month-long, starting with two classic franchises with games of varying age: Donkey Kong Country Returns HD (A-) and Bomberman 64 (B-). Both brought their respective stars back into the spotlight, and both succeeding to different degrees. We continued the bombing theme from our retro review with indie game Bombun, blasting away with a B-.
From there, another two classic series got their turn on SPC with the latest in the Ys series, Ys X: Proud Nordics, setting sail to a satisfying B grade, and the original Dreamcast Sonic Adventure, which didn't do as well decidedly, stepping into a D grade.
Lastly, Donkey Kong Country started the month, and also finished the month with a look back at Donkey Kong Country on the Game Boy Advance with a retro review. The port received a C+ grade.
April was a month of classic franchises for the most part, and that will most likely continue into May, as SuperPhillip Central participates in Mega May for the first time--a celebration of all things Mega Man! Look forward to reviews on classic Mega Man games, some more classic than others!
Until then, the SPC Review Archive is your home for all past reviews on the site, and it was very recently reorganized into categories by platform holder (e.g. Nintendo, PlayStation, Xbox, Mobile, etc.)! Enjoy, and thanks for your continued support, everyone!
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD (NSW) - A-
The very recent additions of Dixie Kong, Turbo Attack mode, and fixes to the co-op (the latter of which Returns HD introduced as a problem) make for a platformer in Donkey Kong Country Returns HD that is a superb, stellar, and banana slamma' of an experience.
While I certainly don't lament Bomberman 64's requirement for mastering bomb jumping or otherwise having a frost bomb's chance in Hell at succeeding at completing the Adventure mode, I do love this game to this day. It gets frustrating, it gets difficult, and it gets annoying at times, but with enough practice, enough patience, and enough perseverance, players will blast on through without hopefully blowing themselves up too much in the process.Bombun (PC) - B-
Short but relatively sweet, Bombun is a brief blast of a 3D action-platformer. If you're looking for an extensive romp or the idea of replaying levels for speed-running purposes does not appeal to you, you'll quickly discover that Bombun has an unremarkable and short fuse, then. For everyone else, the platforming is so tight, the stage design executed well enough to make speed-running a blast, and the game overall enjoyable all in all to make for a game that is far from a dud.
Ys X: Proud Nordics (Multi) - B
...new players to Ys X should definitely check out Proud Nordics while previous players of the tenth installment should wait for a discount (or a deep discount, at that) before that dive back into Obelia Gulf's waters. The Proud Nordics package as a whole is a fantastic one, and while the game doesn't hit the same highs for me as my favorite games in the series: Oath in Felghana and Lacrimosa of Dana, it certainly offers a majestic adventure full of heart and fun.
Where Mario jumped into the realm of 3D with absolute grace, Sonic failed and performed a faceplant in the process. There is a lot to love about Sonic Adventure, to be fair--the ideas are well intended and somewhat clever, the music is some of the series's absolute best and one of my favorite soundtracks in gaming, and the presentation, especially for 1999, is terrific--but as a cohesive package, the game flails and otherwise fails.
Donkey Kong Country (GBA) - C+
If you've played the original Donkey Kong Country countless times through the years like I have, and you want a different take on the original DKC, then the Game Boy Advance port of Donkey Kong Country is worthwhile and serviceable enough. The new additions in the form of new story elements, increased replay value through collecting all of the gallery images in the game, and some of quality of life changes don't exactly make up for the lackluster implementation of the presentation or the camera issues, but it does make for a fresh take on Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong's first adventure together.
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| Meanwhile, some highly explosive games both retro and indie were simply the bomb, both literally and figuratively! |
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