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| Summer at SPC meant enjoyably taking a look at a mysterious book and living our best fantasy lives. |
We started this chapter of reviews on SPC with none other than Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, offering one heck of an opener to this review period, receiving an A- grade. Creating a hefty contrast soon after was Mouse: P.I. For Hire, trading in Yoshi's colorful storybook worlds with a more monochrome, yet still cartoon-y look. It got a B-.
Perfect for the summer months, we then took an island vacation virtually with Kioku: Last Summer, which unfortunately proved to be plagued with bugs and softlocks, which only allowed me to give it a D+ in its current state. From calm summer fun to fast racing action, we revved our engines after with 4PGP, getting a C+ as it crossed the finish line.
Speaking of finish lines, we weren't quite finished with racing, as we shred the surf on Sea-Doo jet skis courtesy of retro PlayStation 2 and Xbox game Splashdown, which rode and raced its way to a B- grade. After that we traded a Sea-Doo for a skateboard with a trio of Disney properties under the Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4 engine with Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure, another retro romp. This one got a B.
The months continued with a stretch of games in the B grade category, with our first Nintendo DS review in seemingly ages with Super Mario 64 DS (B), a fun cinematic platformer in the form of LIFTED (B-), and a charming and cute 3D platformer called Teeto (B-).
Rounding out this trio of summer months with some of our highest rated games this review period, we took some decidedly late looks at some truly terrific titles. One sated my thirst for Mega Man (at least until Dual Override arrives) via Gravity Circuit. Another took over 100 hours of my free time over the past year: Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time (also SPC's 1,100th review). Both of these titles received hearty recommendations and A- grades.
Phew! Are you all still with me through that lengthy journey looking back at SPC's reviews from June to August? If so, please be sure to check out the SPC Review Archive, as that has each and every one of the site's now 1,100 reviews!
Let's look forward to autumn ahead, at least in this hemisphere. In the meantime, here are some snippets and links to these past months' past reviews.
Yoshi and the Mysterious Book (NS2) - A-
Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is very much a thumping good read--or rather, play. It presents so many unique ideas within each of its 50-60 creatures that it approaches Super Mario Galaxy-levels of "new stage, new concept". Such a feat is no small task, and it's certainly no small comparison either. Yoshi's latest absolutely floored me with its exponential amount of fresh ideas, stellar level design, myriad methods the game's systems interact with each other (in almost a "how does this game not break?!" kind of way), and how it constantly rewarded me for thinking outside of the box.
Mouse: P.I. For Hire (Multi) - B-
Mouse: P.I. For Hire is a ripper of a boomer shooter for sure. As a completionist, I hated having to use a guide to play through the game, as it really killed the pacing for me, but I can't argue against Jack Pepper's investigation being a thrilling and fun one. Case closed.
Kioku: Last Summer is a short experience, as stated, and unfortunately, it's one that I would have a hard time recommending in its current state. Perhaps once the bugs and glitches I experienced on a consistent basis are ironed out and some additional polish is included, this would be an easier recommendation for breezy and cozy summer game. As is, though, you'll suffer some frustrations that are ironically the complete antithesis of the cozy vibes the development team intended. That said, I still overall enjoyed my time on the island, but if I didn't have a review to write, I would have most certainly held off until next summer.
4PGP delivers racing thrills with a modest amount of frills. While so many racing games nowadays chase after realism and simulation in the feel to their controls, 3goo's 4PGP is unapologetic in how it harks back to the classic era of arcade racing games. The lack of online multiplayer and steep challenge may turn off some players, however. For everyone else, 4PGP speeds past the finish line in sublime style while adding some subtle substance here and there to make for a worthwhile racer.
Splashdown delivers fast and frenetic aquatic racing action, yes, but it also doesn't do much else. The amount of tracks and environments is immensely impressive, and the difficulty is tough but fair. Career mode essentially being the same for each racer means you'll race the same series of tracks against progressively more challenging opponents, which is about as repetitive as it sounds. Still, for a game you pick up on the used market for cheap nowadays, if you possess a PS2 or OG Xbox, Splashdown's small number of issues are a drop in the bucket compared the oceans of fun you can end up having with it.Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure (PS2, GCN, XBX) - B
Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure is exactly what you'd expect from the cover--a super competent skateboarding game for the kid and tween market, and also those Disney adults who who can't get enough of Tony Hawk-style skateboarding gameplay. It's not anywhere near as complex as a THPS game--and that's to be expected for the audience it was trying to capture--but Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure manages to make for a marvelous skateboarding gaming experience that lands its tricks much more than it bails on them.Super Mario 64 DS (DS) - B
Super Mario 64 DS doesn't long jump past the original Nintendo 64 game. It more takes some jumps to the side in improvements as well as complaints. Is Super Mario 64 DS the definitive version of Mario's first full foray and adventure into three-dimensions? That's a difficult question to determine the answer to, because it's totally conditional. From a content point of view, there's no question. From a control perspective, not so much. That's why I surmise that Super Mario 64 DS is more of a side-grade to the original Super Mario 64 than a total upgrade or downgrade. Either way, you'll be jumping for joy and the occasional--but not insurmountable--frustrations, too with this Nintendo DS launch title.LIFTED (PC) - B-
LIFTED is indeed a short adventure that some may balk at the $20 asking price, but I find there's plenty to like and even love about this charming cinematic journey that Ari and the Professor set on. Some checkpoint-ing quirks do annoy, and some camera angle issues do less than delight. However, in the end, the overall package is one that I am glad I had the opportunity to check out. I might even go back and complete the final six achievements that I'm missing, which is something I seldom have the motivation to do nowadays, so that certainly speaks to LIFTED's quality.Teeto (NS2, NS2, PS5, PC) - B-
Teeto shines in its simplicity, whether that's its platforming gameplay or its graphical style. Its transforming mechanic, used to solve environmental puzzles and perform platforming, lends itself naturally to the gameplay without feeling shoehorned in. Glitches and bugs aside that will no doubt be cleaned up as time and patches roll on, between the co-op, fun objectives, craftily hidden collectibles, and level of charm, Teeto was a game I enjoyed hitting 100% completion on. While it isn't a title that hits the same highs of Banjo-Kazooie, Spyro the Dragon, or any other 3D platforming titan Teeto might have inspiration from, it's a wonderful game all the same.Gravity Circuit (Multi) - A-
While Gravity Circuit isn't a perfect encapsulation of everything I love about Mega Man, the devs and designers clearly did their research, or at the very least grew up with Mega Man like I did and know what makes these classics so enduring and endearing. Gravity Circuit is a wonderfully paced, action-packed romp that doesn't outwear its welcome, delivers delightful run and jump gameplay, insanely smart level design, and plenty of platforming, boss battles, and other combat scenarios that will test every player's mettle.Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time (Multi) - A-
Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time is a game that after such a long development time and arguable development hell, it shouldn't work as well as it does, and perhaps it's a miracle for that reason. Between its complementing gameplay systems that hardly ever clash against one another, the "play as you want and as the mood strikes" level of freedom you eventually get, utterly massive post-game, and stupendous visual style and presentation, Fantasy Life i is an easy game to get lost in and lose hundreds of hours to. I admittedly did and have no regrets either. Not when the game is such so lovingly crafted and well done as a whimsical adventure.
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| Whether you wanted Mega Man-likes or Super Mario 64-likes, SPC had you covered this summer! |
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