 |
| Sports both extreme and decidedly NOT too extreme with some skateboarding and golf topped the review highlights for the month of September. |
September is over, and that, of course, makes way for spooky season with October. Before we bid adieu to September completely, let's take our routine, traditional look at the reviews that were for the month with none other than the Review Round-Up.
We started with a trio of titles of varying genres, bringing the variety immediately to SPC. We flew to the skies above, as well as the world of light and dark, too, with the Metroidvania Aggelos 2, soaring to a B- grade. From there, we took a flight and trip to Lou's Lagoon for some action, exploration, and crafting fun, but not without a lack of polish, which gave this game a C. The final of our first set of games, Marsupilami 2 - Salsa Palombia, ran, jumped, and climbed its way to a B+ with a superb Donkey Kong Country-like adventure.
Moving on, one of our two top graded games of September took the tee with Mario Golf: Advance Tour, a retro review on the links, as it were. This game scored an A- for an impressive RPG and golf game outing featuring Mario and a decidedly small cast of the Mushroom Kingdom crew.
Two more indies marched into the lineup of September reviews: a clever Zelda-like called Isle of Reveries (B-) and the Malagasy culture and folklore-rich Kalanoro (C+).
Finally, we stepped on our skateboards and ollie'd with the pros in the super well done Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4, which nailed most of its tricks, earning an A- for its extreeeeeme performance.
As stated, October is spooky season, so my hope is to have some reviews of both the modern and retro variety to fit into that theme! Until then, check out some snippets from September's reviews (complete with links to said reviews) as well as the SPC Review Archive for all 1,100+ reviews ever published in SPC's 18+ year life.
Aggelos 2 is all-in-all a solid Metroidvania that delivers lots of sweaty palm-inducing action, especially with its level of challenge and difficulty when it concerns its boss battles. Perhaps the greatest challenge, however, comes in a less than stellar way, with its confusing navigation due to a lackluster map system and quality of life features that are entirely absent. Aggelos 2 doesn't necessarily rise up to Heaven, but it also doesn't plummet into the depths of Hell, either.
Lou's Lagoon (NS2, PS5, XBS, PC) - C
...its inventory and crafting systems should be updated if even a little bit to help with the grind, and polishing and debugging for the presentation and multiple technical issues are required for certain. Even with all of my gripes with the game, I deeply enjoyed the adventuring aspects, the platforming, the exploration, the massive amounts of customization, and much of the colorful cast of quirky characters. As it is now, Lou's Lagoon is a tough game to wholeheartedly recommend in its current shape when half of the experience is mired and betrayed by its design.
Marsupilami 2 - Salsa Palombia (PS5, NSW, XBS, PC) - B+
Marsupilami 2 - Salsa Palombia is every thing a sequel should be: It improves upon pretty much all aspects of the original--gameplay, level design, and presentation--adds more features and content, and is just an overall greater adventure. The three protagonists play uniquely to one another, each have their own special uses, short detours and paths through levels they can access, and all I would consider useful to play as. The local co-op could be better, and Salsa Mode especially desperately needs a quick retry option--but otherwise, Marsupilami 2 - Salsa Palombia certainly got me into a very good groove.
Mario Golf: Advance Tour (GBA) - A-
Mario Golf: Advance Tour is a remarkable adaptation of the franchise in portable, pixelated form. It makes me a bit sad that we haven't seen an RPG mode with this much depth from the series since this installment.
Isle of Reveries offers an overall worthwhile and well designed Zelda-like adventure. The game's starring duplication mechanic is a massive boon to making for some seriously challenging and engaging puzzles, as does the roster of wonderful tools and items. Although aspects like the quickly depleting energy gauge, lack of logical flow in otherwise cleverly designed dungeons, and some major clutter in the visuals do detract from the experience, all in all, Isle of Reveries is yet another Zelda-inspired indie game this year that "owl" probably return to in the future. It's one I also think you should give a "hoot" about, too.
Glitches, poor combat, and some unfortunate, disappointing design decisions aside, Kalanoro is an above average platformer that I'm glad I was able to play. My introduction to Malagasy culture and folklore was a massive bonus as well in playing this game. With a ton of lovely charm, good vibes, and some decent, but not great level design, Kalanoro might not necessarily be a must-play for platforming fans, but it certainly made this reviewer pleased to play it.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 (Multi) - A-
While the way THPS 4's levels and goals were incorporated into this package might feel like Iron Galaxy jammed a square shape through a circle hole, it worked for me, overall. I realize that this won't necessarily be the case for true blue fans of the original THPS 4, though. That said, with a lovely suite of multiplayer modes, accessibility options, and the enhanced Create-a-Park included with the well-designed levels and great feel of the controls, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4, like the Birdman infamously with a 900, successfully sticks the landing for one stellar skating experience.
 |
| Also during the month of September, we took some virtual trips around the world in the form of plays and reviews of both Marsupilami 2 - Salsa Palombia and Kalanoro. |
