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In Defense of the 7: Wii Exclusives

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 02/01/2023
Posted in: Blogs, Nintendo Consoles, Wii. Leave a comment

Many people use video game reviews to determine how to spend their hard-earned dollars. While as an adult I don’t take this as seriously and I now make my own money I am more forgiving of games that aren’t perfect. As kids or teens, we have limited money and are usually picked through gaming magazines to determine if that one game was worth the money because we only got a few a year. For me, it was only during Christmas time that my parents bought games. I mostly rented mine throughout my childhood and teen years. Even for rentals, I was picky as I didn’t want to be stuck on my weekend with a dud of a game. Even a 7/10 or 3.5/5 would be considered a waste of time. This was the last generation in which AAA title after AAA title would be considered fantastic and with so many exclusives it was hard to keep up with. The HD era of gaming would see budgets balloon to insane heights and game releases slowed down as a result.

In my eyes, 7/10 or 3.5/5 games are mostly ignored. These aren’t always considered hidden gems either. Some are, but some are just considered forgettable. Not awful or good, but just passes under everyone’s radar. These aren’t the “so bad it’s good” games either. A few of these games have cult followings; a few I had only heard of while compiling this list and some I played myself growing up. I compiled this list from Metacritic with games between 74-70. I feel that’s the true blue 7 range. 79 and 78-rated games usually only have about 25% of the critics giving it a 7 to bring an otherwise 8 score down some. These games are at least rated by half the critics as 7/10. While I know many people don’t listen to critics and some might feel this game should be rated higher or lower is subjective. Like it or not, critic reviews drive sales and it may be the reason why you might find a few games on this list you’ve never heard of, thought was talked about worse than you remember, or something along those lines


Marble Saga: Kororinpa – 2009

The second and final game in the Kororinpa series, Marble Saga adds enough that is new to make it feel worthwhile. It’s really addictive and fun despite the bland visuals. It has plenty of modes and a level editor as well.


Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz – 2006

The game doesn’t evolve much here. The mini-games grow tiresome and most of the overall content can get on your nerves, but the multiple control options really help.

Most Recent Entry: Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania – 2021 (NS, PS4, PS5, XONE, XSX, PC)


The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces – 2010

Motion controls were well done here, but in the end, the missions aren’t very exciting. It’s a good-looking arcade-like dogfighter on Wii, but don’t expect anything exciting.


Naruto: Clash of the Ninja Revolution 2 – 2008
Naruto Shippuden: Clash of the Ninja Revolution III – 2009

Simplistic gameplay really hampered the experience here, and the story is lame, but the online play really bolstered the longevity of the game and added challenge.

Most Recent Entry: Naruto X Boruto Ninja Tribes – 2020 (AND, iOS)


Lit – 2009

A unique horror game that used the Wii remote like a flashlight. The shadow puzzles were fun, but the game is forgettable due to a lack of a compelling story or world.


Dive: The Medes Islands Secret – 2009

A good-looking platformer that was mostly generic feeling and average. While it was fun and wasn’t bad in any way it just didn’t provide anything to stand out.


Just Dance 2 – 2010

The series was birthed on the Wii. The second major outing didn’t approve of the first very much. It’s exactly the same as before with a new song selection and slightly better visuals. The series has lived on to this day.

Most Recent Entry: Just Dance 2022 – 2021 (NS, PS4, XONE, PS5, XSX)


SSX Blur – 2007

The series made it to the Wii with motion controls and all but was hampered by cutesy visuals that clashed with the signature look and dumbed-down gameplay. The control scheme also had a steep learning curve. The series would eventually die out with a final reboot in 2012.

Most Recent Entry: SSX – 2012 (PS3, X360)


WarioWare D.I.Y. Showcase – 2010

To be accompanied by the DS game, Showcase was the classic WarioWare gameplay, but didn’t have enough content to keep people coming back for more. The connectivity to the DS was great and added some small replay value at least.

Most Recent Entry: WarioWare: Get It Together! – 2021 (NS)


Mary Party 9 – 2012

The second and final offering on the Wii it went out with a fizzle and splat. The series was growing stale at this point only changing one thing for the good and screwing up something else. The boards felt like you were too often at the mercy of chance and the content was lacking.

Most Recent Entry: Mario Party Superstars – 2021 (NS)


Pandora’s Tower – 2013

This game has a pretty nice cult following. It’s a beautiful and unique game on the system that pushed it to its limits. It’s often compared to Shadow of the Colossus and Castlevania. A little bit of each. It just has really repetitive combat and there’s lots of it.


Rayman Raving Rabbids: TV Party – 2008

The penultimate release of this weird series that no one asked for. While the Rabbids are always fun to see on screen their games are just smatterings of mini-games and slapstick humor. This game uses the Balance Board on top of the Wii remote to make you do dancing numbers. It gets old quickly and is most fun with other people around.

Most Recent Entry: Rabbids Go Home – 2009 (PC)


Animal Crossing: City Folk – 2008

Wow, wait! An Animal Crossing game?! Well yeah. The series was pretty much not doing much around this time. Not much changed from the GameCube version and many long-time fans complained about this. You can skip this game in the series and not miss anything. It’s a great jumping-on point for newcomers, however.

Most Recent Entry: Animal Crossing: New Horizons – 2020 (NS)


Art Style: Cubello – 2008

The Art Style series was short-lived but pretty popular with puzzle fans. This game was considered unique and easy to pick up and play but became too complex and difficult too quickly.

Most Recent Entry: Art Style: Rotozoa – 2010 (WII)


Disney’s Epic Mickey – 2010

Warren Specter’s (Deus Ex, The Sims) colossal failure stemmed from poor controls and an awful camera. Diehard Disney fans were able to look past this, and if you do too, there’s a genuinely good game under all of this. The sequel was so desperate to turn things around that it moved away from its Wii exclusivity.

Most Recent Entry: Disney’s Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two – 2012 (WII, VITA, PS3, WIIU, PC, X360)


Fast – Racing League – 2011

The surprise Wipeout meets F-Zero game came out of nowhere and surprised many racing fans. It looked good and had a great sense of speed but flew under everyone’s radar. The series then launched on later systems garnering more coverage and love from fans.

Most Recent Entry: Fast RMX – 2017 (NS)


Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party – 2007

Pick one DDR game and you’ve played them all. Unless you want new songs there’s no reason to buy anything else. The series never changed up the dance mat, and this game had a small amount of content and didn’t change the formula up much. It was business as usual here.

Most Recent Entry: Dance Dance Revolution II – 2011 (WII)


Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles – My Life As A Dark Lord – 2009

The Crystal Chronicles series hasn’t received much praise after its GameCube outing. The Wiiware versions were fun tower defense games but had a lot of paid DLC that could have been included. This game is considered one of the best in its genre for the system.

Most Recent Entry: Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles – Remastered Edition – 2020 (AND, iOS, PS4, NS)


Excite Truck – 2006

Talk about a ho-hum launch title. While Excite Truck had a great sense of speed and looked decent enough, the track design was very generic feeling and there was a serious lack of content including online play.

Most Recent Entry: ExciteBots: Trick Racing – 2009 (WII, WIIU)


Chick Chick Boom – 2010

A really fun party game that was praised for its visuals and fun factor, but didn’t have much overall content. It’s also best played with other people leaving solo players alienated.


Endless Ocean – 2007

Praised for its bravery in trying to create a living breathing encyclopedia, but lambasted for having zero gameplay and frustrating controls. It’s worth playing if you just want to relax and enjoy the sights. The series would get one more entry before calling lights out.

Most Recent Entry: Endless Ocean: Blue World – 2009 (WII)


Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games – 2009

No game in the series is bad, but they are very simple and don’t provide enough to come back to. Many issues were addressed from the first outing, but the game is overall too simple and easy to challenge adults.

Most Recent Entry: Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games: Tokyo 2020 – 2019 (NS)


Deadly Creatures – 2009

A super weird game that surprised everyone with how good it was. It featured AAA actors for some reason too. The creatures themselves were realistically created and felt like their real-life counterparts. This adventure game got really hard though. I personally rented this and loved it. With a bigger budget a sequel could have been awesome, but alas this game didn’t sell well.


Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage – 2009

Trying to capture that Tony Hawk magic Shaun White rode on the coattails of the legendary skater for years. With a quick succession of releases using motion controls the games were serviceable, but low effort. World Stage used the Balance Board and had clumsy controls, but was fun nonetheless.

Most Recent Entry: Shaun White Skateboarding – 2010 (PS3, X360, WII, PC)


Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars – 2008

Mushroom Men was a series I hoped would get better. There is a lot of potential here and it’s one of the most visually striking games on the system. Sadly, it feels dated and gets really repetitive. One last try squeaked by on PC to never be seen again.

Most Recent Entry: Mushroom Men: Truffle Trouble – 2015 (PC)


Dr. Mario Online RX – 2008

A remake of the SNES game RX only brought online play to the table. It’s the same gameplay without any interesting modes and won’t hold your attention for long. If you have any other version you don’t need this. Especially since the servers are shut down.

Most Recent Entry: Dr. Mario World – 2019 (AND, iOS)


Super Swing Golf – 2006
Super Swing Golf Season 2 – 2007

I loved PangYa on PSP. It was one of the best golf games on the system. The series is clearly aiming toward the Hot Shots Golf crowd with cutesy visuals. However, the was little content to keep people coming back despite being one of the first golf games on the system.

Most Recent Entry: PangYa: Fantasy Golf – 2008 (PSP)


Shiren The Wanderer – 2010

This roguelike looked great and had potential at every turn, but just felt a bit too repetitive and formulaic to be remarkable. It’s still a visually unique game for the system. A sequel eventually bore fruit to equally mediocre results.

Most Recent Entry: Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice Fate – 2020 (NS, PC)


Spectrobes: Origins – 2009

The final game in the short-running series. This seemingly lifeless and generic action game is actually rather good. It’s a monster collecting game with decent visuals on the Wii and is great fun despite the lack of any challenge.


Driift Mania – 2009

A fun call back to 16-bit top-down racers, but the lack of solo content really hurt here. The game was designed with multiplayer in mind. Many also didn’t care for its generic-looking visuals either. However, it controlled well and had a good sense of speed.


The Munchables – 2009

A fun game with cute visuals, but this time the game does have some challenges. It gets repetitive fairly quickly, but many felt the game was worth pushing through. The controls also needed some work.


Magnetica Twist – 2008

A fun puzzle game if not ugly. This Zuma clone was hampered by poor controls and no online play despite the price point. If you can get a hold of this game you’ll have a lot of fun at least.


Let’s Tap – 2009

One thing that was common with unique Wii games that were experimented with is the fact that these games always came to packed light on content. Let’s Tap only has four mini-games and a visualizer and must be played with others to fully enjoy. The whacky nature of the whole thing makes this one of the most interesting games on the Wii.


The Kore Gang – 2011

A fun and lighthearted platformer with zany characters. Switching between them allows some form of variety, but the overall experience is let down by a short run time and some fiddly controls.


NASCAR Kart Racing – 2009

A surprisingly good game despite the license. The game has great controls and a fun track design but has no online play and the visuals are really dated. The online part might not matter anymore so it’s probably even better.

Most Recent Entry: NASCAR Rivals – 2022 (NS)


Jett Rocket – 2010

A fun and addictive game but gets repetitive fast and lacks any depth. It’s also very short clocking in at just a few hours, but it’s a fun time at least with quality design choices.

Most Recent Entry: Jett Rocket II: The Wrath of Taikai – 2013 (3DS)


Excitebike: World Rally – 2009

This did a good job of updating the original NES classic but had no local multiplayer which was a real shame. However, it didn’t advance the formula much if at all and that brought it down some.

Most Recent Entry: Excitebots: Trick Racing – 2009 (WII, WIIU)


Pearl Harbor Trilogy – 1941: Red Sun Rising – 2010

Considered one of the better dog fighters on Wii, the game was praised for great controls and mission variety but was insanely challenging. This wasn’t a pick-up-and-play arcade game at all.


Super Mario All-Stars: 25th Anniversary Edition – 2010

Yes, these are good ports and play exactly like you remember them…but that’s it! No fancy extras, no remake of any kind, no HD remaster, just the same NES and SNES games slapped onto a disc. It felt like overpriced Wiiware.

Most Recent Entry: Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury – 2021 (NS)

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In Defense of the 7: PlayStation 3 Exclusives

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 01/28/2023
Posted in: Blogs, PlayStation 3, Sony Consoles. Leave a comment

Many people use video game reviews to determine how to spend their hard-earned dollars. While as an adult I don’t take this as seriously and I now make my own money I am more forgiving of games that aren’t perfect. As kids or teens, we have limited money and are usually picked through gaming magazines to determine if that one game was worth the money because we only got a few a year. For me, it was only during Christmas time that my parents bought games. I mostly rented mine throughout my childhood and teen years. Even for rentals, I was picky as I didn’t want to be stuck on my weekend with a dud of a game. Even a 7/10 or 3.5/5 would be considered a waste of time. This was the last generation in which AAA title after AAA title would be considered fantastic and with so many exclusives it was hard to keep up with. The HD era of gaming would see budgets balloon to insane heights and game releases slowed down as a result.

In my eyes, 7/10 or 3.5/5 games are mostly ignored. These aren’t always considered hidden gems either. Some are, but some are just considered forgettable. Not awful or good, but just passes under everyone’s radar. These aren’t the “so bad it’s good” games either. A few of these games have cult followings; a few I had only heard of while compiling this list and some I played myself growing up. I compiled this list from Metacritic with games between 74-70. I feel that’s the true blue 7 range. 79 and 78-rated games usually only have about 25% of the critics giving it a 7 to bring an otherwise 8 score down some. These games are at least rated by half the critics as 7/10. While I know many people don’t listen to critics and some might feel this game should be rated higher or lower is subjective. Like it or not, critic reviews drive sales and it may be the reason why you might find a few games on this list you’ve never heard of, thought was talked about worse than you remember, or something along those lines


Calling All Cars! – 2007

This was David Jaffe’s (Twisted Metal, God of War) pet project. It got a lot of attention because it had been a few years since anyone had heard from the man. While it offered cute cell-shaded car combat it offered little in content.


Star Ocean: The Last Hope International – 2010

The game came over to PS3 hoping to garner more sales, but the small extras weren’t enough to win fans over. It still sold poorly and had more competition on Sony’s system with far more JRPGs to offer.

Most Recent Entry: Star Ocean: The Divine Force – 2022 (PC, PS5, XSX, PS4, XONE)


Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness – 2013

Compared to Disgaea 4 as not as original or innovative and not returning older beloved characters. It was very by the numbers and felt like a bob-standard game.

Most Recent Entry: Disgaea 6: Complete – 2022 (PC, PS4, PS5)


Formula One Championship Edition – 2007

The final game in the long-running series. Just dipping its toes in the next-gen world it was killed off due to poor sales. It wasn’t praised as high as previous games despite its great visuals. The physics felt off and that’s not surprising. Perhaps if Psygnosis had more time they could perfect it and keep the series going.


Atelier Totori: The Adventurer or Arland – 2011
Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk – 2013

Praised for advancing the gameplay and overall battle system, but criticized heavily for an anime-trope-riddled story and dated visuals. Fans of the series ate it up, and it continues to live on strong today. Ayesha was praised for the graphical upgrade and story, but had some mundane and repetitive questing that let it down.

Most Recent Entry: Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream – 2022 (PC, PS4)


The Guided Fate Paradox – 2013

The unique blend of randomly generated dungeons and rogue-lite RPG elements was praised, but the game moves at a snail’s pace and has outdated visuals and a forgettable story. It would try one more time before being canceled.

Most Recent Entry: The Awaneked Fate Ultimatum – 2014 (PS3)


Katamari Forever – 2009

A return to form at a fault. The game didn’t advance the series much and it was business as usual for the little prince. Fans may like more of the same, but it was a great starting point for newcomers. Many also questioned the price point as the PS2 original was released for $20.

Most Recent Entry: Katamari Damacy: Reroll – 2018 (NS, PC, PS4, XONE)


Tokyo Jungle – 2012

After growing a cult following sales for the game increased as of late. Especially with the PS3 store sunsetting soon. The game is incredibly unique and has that PlayStation feeling to it, but was disregarded for its dated visuals and lack of polish.


Tumble – 2010

One of the most unique uses of the PlayStation Move controller, Tumble was well regarded for this. The precise movements just worked. However, it’s the simple presentation and the repetitive nature of its puzzles brought it down some.


The House of the Dead 4 – 2012

Praised for using the Move controllers well, and being a good arcade port, it didn’t offer anything new and featured very dated visuals. Fans of the series or genre won’t care there. It did add some charm to it.

Most Recent Entry: The House of the Dead: Remake – 2022 (PC, NS, PS4, XONE)


LittleBigPlanet Karting – 2012

Probably one of the better Mario Kart clones out there, LBP Karting kept the series’ charm and tried to be its own thing. However, players felt the game was Mod Nation Racers with an LBP skin and the creation mode was still complex and required too much patience.

Most Recent Entry: Sackboy: A Big Adventure – 2020 (PC, PS4, PS5)


Savage Moon – 2009

A creepy alien version of Pixel Junk Monsters is what this game was compared to. It didn’t have the same charm as that series and was more RTS than tower defense. It just felt too generic to rise above but was decent enough for fans of either genre to pick up.


Funky Lab Rat – 2010

A fun use of the Move mixed with a platformer puzzler. It had a generic presentation that didn’t look all that great and was geared toward younger gamers, but the great use of motion controls won people over.


Gravity Crash – 2009

A fun game of fighting against inertia. The bright neon colors were welcomed, but the overly simple nature, frustrating difficulty, and lack of modes held it back some.

Most Recent Entry: Gravity Crash: Ultra – 2014 (VITA)


Derrick the Deathfin – 2012

Fun visuals aside, the game was too short and had very simple gameplay. If you think the game looks interesting that should be enough to play it, but overall mostly forgettable.


Trash Panic – 2009

This is by all means one of the more unique games on the system. It’s a puzzler that becomes addictive for a short time and then the constant frustrations will push you away.


LocoRoco Cocoreccho! – 2007

This is one of Sony’s most adored series. The cute visuals, charming singing, and unique gameplay became one of the biggest favorites on PSP. The charm doesn’t translate on consoles as well, especially for a game that’s really short and was considered more of an interactive screensaver. If you love the series you probably need to get this then.

Most Recent Entry: LocoRoco: Remastered – 2017 (PS4)


rain – 2013

Considered a “must buy before the PS3 store dies” rain is a relaxing and visually stunning game in the art department, but it’s a one-trick pony. Finish the game and there’s no real reason to come back. It’s also really short.


Papo & Yo – 2012

A beautiful adventure that was praised for its atmosphere and story, but the gameplay didn’t make sense in its world. Everyone just kept saying that it also needed more polish. Overall, one of the most unique games on the system.


Wonderbook: Book of Spells – 2012

A unique use of the Move controller towards the end of its hype. The imaginative world was applauded, but it was designed for kids in the end. It was really easy and simple and bore those who aren’t easily pleased by pretty graphics and waggle moves.


Tales of Xilia 2 – 2014

While it barrowed too much from its predecessor the game boasted a more interesting story and very engaging combat. It’s still anime-trope-heavy, but fans of the series would find this a strong game in the series.

Most Recent Entry: Tales of Arise – 2021 (PC, PS4, XONE, PS5, XSX)


PAIN – 2007

This was the Goat Simulator of the day. I remember everyone playing this and streaming the game online. It was slapstick fun with a lot of DLC but overall lacked any real gameplay loop or elements to stay engaged for very long.


LocoRoco Cocoreccho! – 2007

This is one of Sony’s most adored series. The cute visuals, charming singing, and unique gameplay became one of the biggest favorites on PSP. The charm doesn’t translate on consoles as well, especially for a game that’s really short and was considered more of an interactive screensaver. If you love the series you probably need to get this then.

Most Recent Entry: LocoRoco: Remastered – 2017 (PS4)


rain – 2013

This is considered a “must buy before the PS3 store closes” game. It’s very unique, relaxing, and interesting, but has some control quirks and is over way too soon.


Papo & Yo – 2012

I remember the hype built up around this game. Many liked the world that was built and the story, but the gameplay made no sense inside it. Still worth trying out.


Wonderbook: Book of Spells – 2012

This is one of the most hyped-up Move games. I remember the long E3 presentation for this. It has charming visuals and uses the Move well, but it has almost no challenge and is geared toward kids. Imaginations are not included.


Tales of Xilia 2 – 2014

While many loved the story and characters as well as the interesting combat mechanics, the game barrowed too much from its predecessor and felt a little too familiar. It also had some very dated visuals.

Most Recent Entry: Tales of Arise – 2021 (PC, PS4, PS5, XONE, XSX)


PAIN – 2007

This was the Goat Simulator of the day. I remember everyone playing this and streaming it. It was dumb fun with a lot of DLC, but outside of wonky physics, there wasn’t a real goal or loop that kept you coming back.


Jo-Jo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle – 2014

You need to really be into the source material to enjoy this game. With a fun cast of characters and a pretty good fighting system, it lacked content and was plagued with microtransaction controversy.

Most Recent Entry: Jo-Jo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R – 2022 (PC, PS4, PS5, NS, XONE, XSX)


Top Darts – 2010

A darts game using the Move sounded like a good idea, but the lack of online play really hurt this game’s sales and potential. It had couch co-op, but at least had great motion detection to keep players engaged. It was later ported to Vita with little attention.


EyePet – 2009
EyePet: Move Edition – 2010

This creepy animal was made fun of quite a bit during its E3 showing. This launched with the Move and was praised for its inventive use of augmented reality, but also felt too simple

Most Recent Entry: EyePet Adventures – 2011 (PSP)


Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One – 2011

Probably the lowest point in the series, but by no means a bad one. This four-player co-op alienated the fans of the single players mainline series, and it was more of an arcade-like adventure and pretty easy too.

Most Recent Entry: Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – 2021 (PS5)


GTI Club + Rally Cote D’Azur – 2009

A remake of the 90s arcade title that didn’t bring much new to the series. It’s a pretty fun arcade racer that looks decent but lacks any content. It was knocked down for its steep price as well.


Piyotama – 2007

A cute and charming puzzle game that was later ported to Sony’s handhelds. For what it lacked in content and variety it made up for with sheer addictive gameplay.


Sorcery – 2012

I remember the hype this game had. People thought that the Move would finally have its killer app. The Move was on its last legs, and in fact, the entire motion control craze only lasted about two years. Between 2010-2012 was the height of this craze as Sony and Microsoft had both thrown their chips into the mix. While the game was touted for its smooth integration of the Move it lacked in depth and replay value.


Tekken Revolution – 2013

While the core game was intact this was geared toward novice fighters and people just getting into the series. It’s stripped down and simplified to the point that veterans scoffed at it. It was a free-to-play model that ultimately failed in the end.

Most Recent Entry: Tekken 7 – 2017 (PS4, XONE, PC)


Beyond: Two Souls – 2013

A visual masterpiece, David Cage and his team are able to eke out every ounce of power of the consoles his games land on. Despite the technical marvel and fantastic acting, the game falls flat with a confusing story and long stretches of boring gameplay. It was later remastered for newer systems.


Rainbow Moon – 2012

A good-looking and deep strategy title that feels flat with its story and characters. The game also had some crazy difficulty spikes that hindered many gamers.


Elefunk – 2008

A charming puzzler but steeped in trial and error and frustrations around every corner. If you don’t mind restarting puzzles a lot than this weird puzzle game is for you.


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Bravely Default – 10 Years Later

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 01/28/2023
Posted in: 3DS, Nintendo Consoles. Leave a comment

Publisher: Square Enix

Developer: Silicon Studio

Release Date: 10/11/2013


Available Exclusively On


I honestly don’t know where to begin. Bravely Default was one of the most anticipated JRPGs in years. I remember everyone playing the demo and progress would carry across into the main game. It’s good at luring you into a false sense of familiarity. You might think this is a typical JRPG with the only need to balance physical and magical attacks. There are over a dozen jobs in this game and they are crucial to getting through the many, and I mean many, dozens of bosses. Bravely Default is mostly a boss rush game with a few dungeons put in between to level you up.

The game starts out like any other typical JRPG. You have to solve a worldwide calamity, you are in a small town, you can visit shops, and you learn the ropes of the game. The main bulk of combat lies in Braving and Defaulting which allows you to borrow or save up turns. This is the key strategy this entire game and it takes trial and error to really learn when to do each of these during boss fights. You can bank up to three turns or borrow up to three. If you borrow turns in the negative you forfeit that many turns moving forward. This is great if you’re powerful and want to get the battle over with or need to heal everyone fast. In combination with the right jobs and equipment, you can overpower many foes. Half of the jobs are locked away behind optional “asterisk” bosses while some are acquired during the story. The jobs are well balanced ranging between offensive and defensive types with supporting roles as well. The downside to this many jobs is the trial and error of knowing what jobs are best against what bosses. There are 14 levels per job and they don’t level up super fast. You learn more job abilities as you level up as well.

It’s important to balance your party. You don’t want all offensive characters with none supporting you unless you’re insanely powerful. The goal of the first third of the game is to awaken four elemental crystals with four guardians you have to beat to get to them. These dungeons are full of red chests with items and equipment, but some dungeons and areas have locked blue chests which can’t be accessed until toward the end of the game. They contain some of the best equipment. There are save points usually before each major boss, and you can visit many towns to rest, and buy magic, armor, weapons, accessories, and items. The game consists of a large map that slowly opens up to you and eventually, you get a ship that can travel the entire map.

Now, I have to address the infamous final third act. These are chapters 5-8. Without spoiling anything you have to endure these chapters to see the true ending. You can skip this repetitive nightmare by breaking a crystal (I don’t want to spoil more) and ending the game there. I sucked it up and endured cleansing the same crystals 20 times (literally 20) to see this ending. This is one of those things that makes me really have JRPGs. We could have just gotten a cutscene explaining what happens during these acts instead of literally repeating the same dungeons and bosses 20 freaking times. It was insanely boring and I wound up listening to music to distract me from the frustration. A lot of gamers will most likely just quit the game here or end it early with a false ending.

On top of these repetitive chapters, you can also repeat the optional “asterisk” bosses multiple times to level up your jobs. If you missed these asterisks during the first four chapters you can get these jobs later on, but the bosses are leveled to you. The benefit of getting them as they come up early on is you can level past them and make the fights easier. If you already have all the jobs you can just use these bosses to grind XP. There are some options to ease the burden a bit which helped a lot. You can actually turn random battles off or increase them. This is great for exploring a dungeon fully and then leveling up near a save or near the entrance. I really loved this feature and used it a lot. You can also reduce the difficulty down to easy any time or increase it. These options help push JRPGs into a more modern feeling and setting.

With all of that said the graphics are pretty and the music is great if repetitive. The same world map and dungeon songs will repeat a lot, but they aren’t bad songs. The English voice acting is horrendous so I suggest the Japanese audio, and the story, while it does have a nice twist in the third act, isn’t worth the extra dozen or so hours it will take to get through that third act to get the true ending. It’s awful, boring, frustrating, tedious, and just plain not fun, and I can’t forgive the game for this. No matter how good the rest of the game might be, or how unique the combat is, this third act is abhorrent and an obvious excuse to pad game time. I really hate, I mean hate, JRPGs that do this. It doesn’t add anything to the game that a cut scene couldn’t solve. Shame on Square Enix for this.

On a side note, there is some StreetPass integration. You can pass buddies off to each other to summon during battles for extra help. You also have a village you can build to forge some of the better equipment in the game and this requires more helpers to reduce the countdown timer. I never really used these features much, and if you don’t use StreetPass you’re going to miss out on some content.

Overall, I’m not the biggest JRPG fan so others will like this more than I did, but that third act is unforgivable. I also felt there were too many jobs and the game’s difficulty is through the roof. Towards the end of the game, you need to be doing close to the 9,999 damage limit to finish the game. To really finish this game and see everything that’s here you will most likely need to hit the 99-level max at some point. This is an insanely hardcore JRPG and the casual Final Fantasy fans will probably quit during chapter 2 like I did when the game was first released. You will need to sink a good 100 hours just to see everything in the game including the bonus final dungeon that grants you the best stuff in the game to finish off the optional boss. While the graphics, music, and overall aesthetic of the game is pleasing this is a hate-it-or-love-it type of game.

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In Defense of the 7: Xbox 360 Exclusives

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 01/25/2023
Posted in: Blogs, Microsoft Consoles, Xbox 360. Leave a comment

Many people use video game reviews to determine how to spend their hard-earned dollars. While as an adult I don’t take this as seriously and I now make my own money I am more forgiving of games that aren’t perfect. As kids or teens, we have limited money and are usually picked through gaming magazines to determine if that one game was worth the money because we only got a few a year. For me, it was only during Christmas time that my parents bought games. I mostly rented mine throughout my childhood and teen years. Even for rentals, I was picky as I didn’t want to be stuck on my weekend with a dud of a game. Even a 7/10 or 3.5/5 would be considered a waste of time. This was the last generation in which AAA title after AAA title would be considered fantastic and with so many exclusives it was hard to keep up with. The HD era of gaming would see budgets balloon to insane heights and game releases slowed down as a result.

In my eyes, 7/10 or 3.5/5 games are mostly ignored. These aren’t always considered hidden gems either. Some are, but some are just considered forgettable. Not awful or good, but just passes under everyone’s radar. These aren’t the “so bad it’s good” games either. A few of these games have cult followings; a few I had only heard of while compiling this list and some I played myself growing up. I compiled this list from Metacritic with games between 74-70. I feel that’s the true blue 7 range. 79 and 78-rated games usually only have about 25% of the critics giving it a 7 to bring an otherwise 8 score down some. These games are at least rated by half the critics as 7/10. While I know many people don’t listen to critics and some might feel this game should be rated higher or lower is subjective. Like it or not, critic reviews drive sales and it may be the reason why you might find a few games on this list you’ve never heard of, thought was talked about worse than you remember, or something along those lines


Dead Rising 2: Case West – 2010

An exclusive standalone title bringing back Frank West. It was too little too late as the second game wasn’t a big enough improvement for most people. I personally don’t care for this series but die-hard fans at this one up.

Most Recent Entry: Dead Rising 4 – 2016 (PC, XONE)


Capsized – 2013

This indie title was well-liked for its visuals and atmosphere as well as old-school challenge, but its combat and exploration were a bit one-note and didn’t hold most people’s attention for long


Ridge Racer 6 – 2005

A console launch title that was met with a lot of hype. It was just average. There were better arcade racers at the time and it didn’t advance the series enough to be groundbreaking. For a console launch title, it also didn’t show off the power of the 360 at the time like it did with the PSP.

Most Recent Entry: Ridge Racer: Draw and Drift – 2016 (iOS, AND)


Kinectimals – 2010

One of the most hyped Xbox 360 games to date. This was shown off during the Kinect unveil at E3 and people went nuts. It’s probably the best Kinect game out there and while it was praised for its imagination and whimsy it didn’t have much gameplay or content to keep you coming back.


Comic Jumper: The Adventures of Captain Smiley – 2010

Comic Jumper was praised for innovative gameplay and fun characters, but lacked depth and became very repetitive. It felt like an older Xbox game at best.


Dance Dance Revolution Universe – 2007

A competent yet underwhelming debut on next-gen consoles. The graphics were sub-par and there was no addition of custom soundtracks which many stated was a missed opportunity. It was just more DDR on Xbox 360.

Most Recent Entry: Dance Dance Revolution II – 2011 (WII)


Your Shape: Fitness Evolved – 2010

The short-lived series made its mark at the launch of the Kinect and many praised it for using the device well, but underneath was simply a workout simulator and nothing more.

Most Recent Entry: Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2013 – 2012 (WIIU)


Jetpac Refueled – 2006

A cheap reimagining of the classic Atari game. It worked well enough, but if you aren’t a fan of high-score games then this wasn’t for you. It didn’t do anything to evolve the series enough.


Motocross Madness – 2013

The final game in the long-running series. Its console debut, and reboot, featured cute avatar characters, and looked good, but had very little content outside of multiplayer.


NBA Baller Beats – 2012

Not to be confused with Midway’s NBA Baller series. It was an ambitious title and probably one of the most unique for the Kinect. You used a real-life basketball and dribbled to a rhythm game. It was great for practicing and a good workout, but hindered the visuals and content department. People also complained of needing said basketball and a hard surface. Anyone living with downstairs neighbors was also left out.

Most Recent Entry: NBA 2K23 – 2022 (PC, XONE, PS4, PS5, XSX, NS)


Hybrid – 2012

Even if you wanted to play this game you can’t. It was online only with no bots and isn’t for purchase any longer. Now it’s just a relic and time capsule. The game was praised for doing interesting things, but was priced too high, had no offline play, and had weird controls.


Small Arms – 2006

An early title that launched with Xbox LIVE Arcade. This four player brawler had a charming roster and fun combat, but didn’t offer much in terms of longevitiy or depth. It’s still available today to play on Xbox One.


Raiden Fighters Aces – 2009

For a budget retail title it offered three Raiden games that hardcore fans would love. Other than that the game wa questioned for being double the price of most LIVE Arcade games and only including three.

Most Recent Entry: Raiden IV x MIKADO remix – 2021 (NS)


Zumba Fitness Rush – 2012

Fitness games were everywhere for the Kinect and motion devices. It was an unstoppable plague. Zumba Fitness was considered one of the better ones, but each version lacked a variety of content.

Most Recent Entry: Zumba: Burn It Up! – 2019 (NS)


Kinect: Disneyland Adventures – 2011

Of course this was going to happen. Riding the apex of the Kinect’s popularty you can take a trip down a virtual Disneyland. The game was praised for capturing the magic of the theme park, but lacked content or challenge.


Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action – 2007

Trivia games have always had their audience and Scene It? burned up and fizzled out fast. This one was exclusive on Xbox 360 for some reason and was crtiqued for having triva that only 20 something’s (who are in their 30’s now) would get and understand. It wasn’t great for family night.

Most Recent Entry: Scene It?: Movie Night – 2011 (X360, PS3)


Kinect Sports – 2010

The most popular Kinect game, it launched with the device, and it was a direct rival to Wii Sports. It didn’t have the same charm sadly. While the games were fun the motion controls didn’t register accuretly and it lacked overall content. The series would try one last time on the Xbox One before fading out of existence.

Most Recent Entry: Kinect Sports: Rivals – 2014 (XONE)


Crimson Alliance – 2011

Praised for it’s bright visuals and fun take on the Diablo formula, but was really short and didn’t offer much in terms of content. It was also best played with other people as the AI wasn’t very good.


Omega Five – 2008

A fun yet shallow side scrolling shooter. It looked really good as well with lots of nice effects, but it didn’t have a unique hook or visual style and in the end many people lost interest.


Race Pro – 2009

A racing sim that was praised for it’s realism but lacked content and felt too similar to othe PC racing sims. It just couldn’t compete with the likes of Forza and Project Gotham Racing.


Amped 3 – 2005

A system launch title and originally Microsoft’s answer to SSX Amped had it’s following and crowd. Amped 3 was well…amped up to launch and was one of the better selling games. Despite this the game lacked content despite looking next-gen, but looked bland and the game just didn’t have much flair or style to it. It played like a generic snowboarding game.The series would end here.


Gel: Set & Match – 2009

An original puzzle game indeed, but it just felt like it wasn’t enough or didn’t reach its full potential. It wasn’t super accessible and also not challenging enough at the same time.


Star Ocean: The Last Hope – 2009

Xbox 360 exclusie JRPGs weren’t pentiful and none of them were stellar. Many kept playing them until FFXIII would surface, but Star Ocean hasn’t been a good franchise in over a decade. The Last Hope was full of long drawn out cut scenes, an uninteresting story, and gameplay that was boring and average. However, regular JRPG lovers will find enough to like here. It would later relase on PS3 with little fanfare.

Most Recent Entry: Star Ocean: The Divine Force – 2022 (PC, PS4, XONE, XSX, PS5)


Phantom Breaker: Battlegrounds – 2013

This is a hardcore beat ’em up similar to Castle Crashers, however it’s not as accessible. Some claimed it was too complicated, some said it had gameplay mechanics that weren’t the best. Overall, if you like this genre there’s something here for you. It’s also getting a new game this year.

Most Recent Entry: Phantom Breaker: Omnia – 2022 (PC, NS, XONE, PS4)


South Park: Let’s Go Tower Defense Play! – 2009

Considered the best South Park game at the time, but that’s not a big shoe to fill. You either needed to be a South Park fan or love tower defense to enjoy this. It offered very little variety and not much outside of multiplayer.

Most Recent Entry: South Park: The Fractured But Whole – 2017 (PC, PS4, XONE, NS)


Axel & Pixel – 2009

A great looking original point-and-click adventure that was praised for being brave enough to bring this genre back, but the story wasn’t interesting enough to garnish sales for a sequel. If you love the genre and haven’t played this then you’re in for a visual treat.


Hexic 2 – 2007

A new game by Tetris creator Alex Pajitnov is exciting. Hexic 2‘s Xbox 360 exclusivity wasn’t a surprise, but it wasn’t much more than the original. The first Hexic game was the first ever LIVE Arcade game I played as it came with my system bundled in. I never bothered with the sequel, but my sister was obsessed with this game. Many complained the game cost too much for how little it offered.


The Splatters – 2012

A unique and fun physics based puzzle game, but players felt the game was too hard, unfair, and overall rough around the edges. It’s still fun for puzzle fans as there’s nothing else like it.


Nike+ Kinect Training – 2012

Nike threw their hat into the Kinect ring a little too late and what we got was a pure training simulator with almost no game. It wasn’t fun, it was very serious, and didn’t have the best motion detection setup. If you had one training sim for your Kinect you had them all.


Meteos Wars – 2008

The DS phenomenon came to Xbox 360, but was hamepered by an overly aggressive AI and no online play. Despite the name you’d mistake this for an online only game. While the core gameplay was intact, it didn’t have a lot to offer. This would be the final nail the series’ coffin.


Lips – 2008
Lips: Number One Hits – 2009

If the name wasn’t dumb enough the karaoke genre was overflowing with shovelware at this point. Despite this one-off game for the 360 being decent as a simulator. It wasn’t really a game. You just sing to the words like any other game with no modes or actual fun.


Fruit Ninja Kinect – 2011

Does anyone remember Fruit Ninja? It was a smartphone phenomeon. It also got a giant arcade version which I actually got to play. While this is one of the better Kinect games it was way overpriced and this hurt sales and reviews. It had about the same of content as the smartphone versions at nearly full retail price. It’s a great title to own if you have one collecting dust somewhere.

Most Recent Entry: Fruit Ninja 2 – 2020 (AND, iOS)


Easy Golf: Course Architect – 2008

This was a more high-profile indie game that was made by the community. It looked simple, but played well enough and had a robust course editor. It was best played online. However, the rather ugly visuals and UI hampered the experience a bit.f


Chromehounds – 2006

If the cover isn’t the most generic thing you’ve ever seen it doesn’t end there. The game didn’t look up to snuff for the era, but offered a robust customization suite with great online play, but lacked everywhere else. It’s a decent mech game that was exclusive to the system, but quickly forgotten about.


Crackdown 2 – 2010

The first Crackdown was loads of fun and felt original. Sadly, due to the surprising popularity the sequel was greenlit too fast and we got more of the same which wasn’t really a good thing for an open world game. It felt like an expansion if you can say that. The sreies never reached the heights of the original after.

Most Recent Entry: Crackdown 3 – 2019 (PC, XONE)


Bubble Bobble Neo! – 2009

Another arcade version of Bubble Bobble. Nothing new or innovative and incredibly hard, but if you love arcade games then this is for you. At this point in time any form of Bubble Bobble was heeded with groans as it was a series Taito had beaten into the ground at this point.

Most Recent Entry: Bubble Bobble 4 Friends – 2019 (NS, PS4)


The Outfit – 2006

A hyped up exclusive that got attention everywhere. It was firstly looked down upon due to its dated visuals which didn’t look next-gen. It was also a slower paced strategy title which would automatically neuter sales. In the end the game had fun multiplayer, but was really repetitive. It would have done better as a PC title.


Bomberman Live: Battlefest – 2010

Better than the abysmal 360 exclusive, but plays it too safe to set itself apart from other games. The online play was a good addition, and the visuals are charming, but that’s about it.

Most Recent Entry: Amazing Bomberman – 2022 (MAC, iOS)


Full Auto – 2006

A very short lived series and a not-so-surprising Sega exclusive on Xbox. This was a generic feeling car battler at its core despite the high octane thrills and average track design.

Most Recent Entry: Full Auto 2: Battlelines – 2007 (PSP, PS3)


Haunt – 2012

This Kinect title was late to the game, but provided a charming haunted house to travel through. Ultimately it was over in a few hours and didn’t have much gameplay or depth to keep you coming back.


Ticket to Ride – 2008

There wasn’t anything inherently wrong with the game. It was for hardcore boardgame players really. It had a dry presentation and was simple to learn but hard to master. I feel if it had flashier visuals it would have appealed to more people.


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In Defense of the 7: GameBoy Advance Exclusives

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 01/20/2023
Posted in: Blogs, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo, Retro Consoles. Leave a comment

Many people use video game reviews to determine how to spend their hard-earned dollars. While as an adult I don’t take this as seriously and I now make my own money I am more forgiving of games that aren’t perfect. As kids or teens, we have limited money and are usually picked through gaming magazines to determine if that one game was worth the money because we only got a few a year. For me, it was only during Christmas time that my parents bought games. I mostly rented mine throughout my childhood and teen years. Even for rentals, I was picky as I didn’t want to be stuck on my weekend with a dud of a game. Even a 7/10 or 3.5/5 would be considered a waste of time. This was the last generation in which AAA title after AAA title would be considered fantastic and with so many exclusives it was hard to keep up with. The HD era of gaming would see budgets balloon to insane heights and game releases slowed down as a result.

In my eyes, 7/10 or 3.5/5 games are mostly ignored. These aren’t always considered hidden gems either. Some are, but some are just considered forgettable. Not awful or good, but just passes under everyone’s radar. These aren’t the “so bad it’s good” games either. A few of these games have cult followings; a few I had only heard of while compiling this list and some I played myself growing up. I compiled this list from Metacritic with games between 74-70. I feel that’s the true blue 7 range. 79 and 78-rated games usually only have about 25% of the critics giving it a 7 to bring an otherwise 8 score down some. These games are at least rated by half the critics as 7/10. While I know many people don’t listen to critics and some might feel this game should be rated higher or lower is subjective. Like it or not, critic reviews drive sales and it may be the reason why you might find a few games on this list you’ve never heard of, thought was talked about worse than you remember, or something along those lines


Dr. Mario / Puzzle League– 2005

The game is addictive fun. Both games are something you can pick up and play for a few minutes or hours. However, the presentation was rather bland and there wasn’t a lot of content. Your reliance on the formula is what kept you coming back.

Most Recent Entry: Dr. Mario World – 2019 (AND, iOS)


Classic NES Series: Zelda II: The Adventure of Link – 2004
Classic NES Series: Castlevania – 2004

The Classic NES Series on GBA are highly collectible but necessary. Did we really need these games as full physical releases in 2004? Probably not. While the Wiiware store was yet to come, the only other way to play these was through the original consoles or emulators. While the ports are fine, they are just that. There aren’t any extra features or enhancements.


GT Advance 3: Pro Concept Racing – 2003

The third and final game in the racing sim series on GBA. It was an incredibly impressive third outing with even better visuals, smooth framerate, and great physics. The downside was the lack of content. At this point, you can play any of the three games and it would be hard to spot the difference.


Spyro: Season of Ice – 2001
Spyro: Attack of the Rhynocs – 2003

The Spyro Season games were a great attempt to put the purple dragon in a top-down isometric adventure and still capture the charm of the PS1 classics. It did a great job of this but felt a bit tedious and repetitive. Season of Flame would improve on some features a year later. Attack of the Rynocs removed the platforming and made the game more of an RPG which worked for the most part, but felt like a step backward.

Most Recent Entry: Spyro: Reignited Trilogy – 2018 (PC, PS4, XONE, NS)


Hot Potato! – 2001

A fun and cute puzzle game that gets the job done, but isn’t very addictive and can be really frustrating. A lot of people loved the visuals but didn’t stick around very long to see it through until the end.


Driver 2 Advance – 2002

Trying to make an open-world game on the GBA is pretty much impossible. Driver 2 looks good and has decent missions, but the performance is spotty and it just doesn’t know what it wants to be most of the time. It’s still a decent 3D title on the system.

Most Recent Entry: Driver: Speedboat Paradise – 2015 (AND, iOS)


Lady Sia – 2001

While the gameplay and platforming might be pretty average, the game looks great which is why it got as much attention as it did. Sadly, the sales didn’t pan out, but this is one of the most unique-looking games on the system.


It’s Mr. Pants – 2005

Another unique-looking game for the system with a questionable title. The puzzle elements are very trial and error which brings the experience down some, but the game is better than the sum of its parts. Puzzle fans will get a kick out of this one.


Blender Bros. – 2002

A cute and charming platformer that has a cult following. The gameplay itself might feel too easy at times, but overall gets the job done. Despite the great art direction, the game was also really short. It was later released on Steam in 2020.


Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors – 2004

Another half-decent DBZ fighting game. This was the first and only outing on the GBA. It looked great but had very simple controls and a fighting system. It was best played with another person. The direct sequel would be released on DS.

Most Recent Entry: Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot – 2020 (PS4, PC, XONE)


WWE Road to Wrestlemania X8 – 2002

A good-looking WWE game that got the job done with simple controls. There wasn’t much content either, but it was a good entry for wrastlin’ fans on the go.

Most Recent Entry: WWE 2K Battlegrounds – 2020 (NS, PS4, XONE, PC)


Fire Pro Wrestling 2 – 2002

While it’s considered the best wrestling game on the GBA it didn’t add much from the original game. It still had a large roster and a fun gameplay system, but that was about it.

Most Recent Entry: Fire Pro Wrestling World – 2017 (PC, PS4)


Sword of Mana – 2003

This was one of only three games I ever bought new for my GBA as a young teen. I picked this up because I wanted a long game to play on my GBA that would take a while to finish. Thankfully, for me at least, the game was rather easy and had a decent length. It looked good and had great music, but many criticized the game for being too simple and easy compared to the SNES game.

Most Recent Entry: Echoes of Mana – 2022 (AND, iOS)


Shaman King: Master of Spirits 2 – 2005

The final game in the GBA franchise, Master of Spirits 2 looked great and had solid gameplay, but for newcomers, it threw you into the middle of the story without any explanation. It was also not well-liked for how repetitive it was. This was mostly for fans of the anime.


Yu-Gi-Oh!: Worldwide Edition – Stairway to the Destined Duel – 2003

It may not look like much and has a steep learning curve, but it has longevity and strategy that will keep you busy. You also really need to like the source material to even bother here. This isn’t for the casual card dueling fan.

Most Recent Entry: Yu-Gi-Oh!: Master Duel – 2022 (PC, NS, PS4, XONE, PS5, XSX)


Justice League Heroes: The Flash – 2006

The GBA got an exclusive Flash game which is cool and it got the concept right. The Flash’s combat is very fast-paced, but it’s very average and by the numbers beat ’em up.

Most Recent Entry: Justice League VR: The Complete Experience – 2017 (PC, PS4)


Hamtaro: Ham Ham Heartbreak – 2003

Do you remember the Hamtaro anime? I sure do, and it was popular with the nerdy girls at school. The games actually aren’t all that bad. They’re cute, fun, and have nice visuals that complement the show. This game just has a lot of trial and error that irked some players. The series stuck to just the handhelds and would come to an end in 2008.

Most Recent Entry: Hi! Hamtaro: Little Hamsters Big Adventures – Ham-Ham Challenge – 2008 (DS)


Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever – 2002

The weird choice of putting a movie license exclusively on the GBA is what gives this series a cult following. 3D FPS games on the GBA are a novelty and not much as improved in this sequel. It was praised for the great gunplay and controls, but the muddy visuals brought it down a few pegs.


Banjo Kazooie: Grunty’s Revenge – 2003

While it wasn’t a true 3D platformer the isometric gameplay hindered the gameplay overall. I personally found the level design to be confusing and poorly laid out, but it kept the series’ charm we’ve all grown to love. I also found the visuals a bit buddy and so did others.

Most Recent Entry: Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts – 2008 (X360)


Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation – 2006

If you want a deep strategy game on the go this one is great. However, due to the heavy anime-themed story you need to like that or the source material at the very least to enjoy this. The series is incredibly popular and lives on to this day.

Most Recent Entry: Super Robot Wars 30 – 2021 (PC, PS4, NS)


Defender of the Crown – 2002

A rework of the original 80’s PC game. It’s a good strategy game, but you will have to stomach the boring visuals to get through it. It was a good port but didn’t bring anything new from the original and excluded multiplayer which is a real shame here.

Most Recent Entry: Defender of the Crown: Heroes Live Forever – 2007 (PC)


Wings – 2003

Another classic PC game ported to GBA. It looked good and the dog fights were fun, but it lacked variety and felt repetitive after a short time. It’s still a very unique game on the system.


The Scorpion King: Sword of Orsiris – 2002

While the movie is infamous for its terrible effects and acting, the GBA game is actually a rather good platformer. It was just critiqued for being overtly hard and not having a good checkpoint system.


Aero the Acro-Bat – 2002

A fun platformer that was ported from the 16-bit era of consoles. It does the job well, but is too simple and short providing little replay value.


CT Special Forces – 2004

This series has a cult following due to having three solid entries on the GBA and being quite good for what is it. It’s mindless platforming fun with pretty much no story, but it works. It would get one final FPS game in 2005 and then disappear.

Most Recent Entry: Special Forces: Nemesis Strike – 2005 (PS2, PC, Xbox)


Shrek: Hassle the Castle – 2002

Yep, I’m just as surprised as you are. A good Shrek game?! Apparently, this one had multiple difficulty levels so kids and avid gamers could play it with some challenge. It had charming visuals and played well. Overall, you need to be a Shrek fan to really like this, but it’s there. The series struggled to provide a single decent game and ended with a mobile game a few years back.

Most Recent Entry: Shrek Sugar Fever – 2017 (AND, iOS)


Phalanx – 2001

A port of the SNES game with good results. It was simple yet very difficult and it irked players in this regard. If you love your SNES side-scrolling shooters then this should be a fun one for you.


Game & Watch Gallery 4 – 2002

The final game in the long-running series. At this point, it felt like it was being milked to death or could have been a complete collection. The games are solid fun, but you either love these or hate them. They are simple pick-up and play high-score games with a single goal. Many felt it was too dated for the GBA and for the price point.


Rampage: Puzzle Attack – 2001

A fun puzzle game despite the license, however the lack of battery backup saves and addictive gameplay means you will have fun but get bored after a while.

Most Recent Entry: Rampage: Total Destruction – 2006 (GC, PS2, Wii)


Zone of the Enders: The Fist of Mars – 2002

Going from an action game to a slower strategy game is risky, but it had to be done on the system’s limited hardware. First of Mars had some good strategy elements, plus it looked pretty good but didn’t offer multiplayer to extend replay value.

Most Recent Entry: Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner – MVRS – 2018 (PS4, PC)


Ultimate Muscle: The Kinnikuman Legacy – The Path of the Superhero – 2003

This bizarre Saturday morning cartoon wrestling game was quirky and hilarious despite its simple design. Thankfully the multiplayer kept people coming back for more, but the lack of depth kept it from shooting to the stars.


Contra Advance: The Alien Wars EX – 2002

The Contra series has had so many ups and downs. It’s insane. While the SNES port plays and looks good on the system, the hardware itself would bring the overall experience down. The zoomed-in view makes the game even harder than it needs to be and an overall lack of extra content.

Most Recent Entry: Contra Returns – 2021 (AND, iOS)


Wing Commander: Prophecy – 2003

A surprising port of the PC game, Prophecy played surprisingly well but suffered from poor controls and muddy visuals. Many applauded the effort, and it didn’t go to waste. A space sim on the GBA is a daunting task.


Turbo Turtle Adventure – 2002

The GBA was no stranger to puzzle games, and this weird one didn’t stand out. It had some fun elements and addictive nature, but the trial and error really got to people and brought the experience down some.


DK: King of Swing – 2005

While not the only DK game on GBA it was the only unique one. Using the shoulder buttons to swing across vines rather than run was pretty fun. Its downside was its own control gimmick. The game became frustrating fast and many would need a lot of patience to finish it.

Most Recent Entry: Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars – 2015 (3DS, WIIU)


Gekido Advance: Kintar’s Revenge – 2003

A lot of people love this game. It’s one of the few fighting games on the system, but it doesn’t come from a larger franchise. It’s considered one of the best-looking games on the system and plays really well. Sadly, it lacks content and modes.


Sega Arcade Gallery – 2003

Yeah, you can play these on other consoles with better iterations of them, but for the GBA these were four of Sega’s most popular arcade games. They played and ran very well, but that was it. It was just four short arcade games with nothing else to keep you coming back.


Columns Crown – 2002

This was Sega’s last attempt at a unique game in the series without it being a port. The cutesy anime-style graphics won people over, but it didn’t change the overall gameplay formula much. It just felt like a coat of new paint.


CIMA: The Enemy – 2003

Despite the generic-sounding name, this was a good attempt from Natsume to bring a turn-based RPG to the system. It was well-liked but it suffered from a wonky interface and complicated controls.


ESPM Final Round Golf 2002 – 2001

The one and only ESPN-branded golfing game. It was a good attempt on the GBA however it wasn’t very challenging and lacked content compared to the Tiger Woods games.

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Rhythm Thief & The Emperor’s Treasure – 11 Years Later

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 01/14/2023
Posted in: 3DS, iOS, Mobile Reviews, Nintendo Consoles. Leave a comment

Publisher: Sega

Developer: Xeen

Release Date: 07/10/2012


Also Available On


Paris. A thief by night and regular Joe by day. A strange symbol your father left you. An Anti-Christ that has risen from the grave. This all sounds like an epic recipe for some crazy National Treasure sequel, and honestly, this kind of feels like an anime version of that movie. You play Phantom R and are trying to uncover an ancient mystery that your dad left you as a small boy while stopping the evil Napoleon Bonaparte himself from taking over Paris.

The story really takes itself too seriously for how silly the plot is. During the 5 hours you will spend with this game I honestly felt no attachment to the characters or story. They’re very cookie-cutter and don’t really develop any type of personality. The spotty voice acting doesn’t help either. There are a lot of characters for such a short game and many of them only get a few seconds of screen time to shout at you and that’s about it. It’s a very forgettable game, not just in the story. The visuals are your bog-standard anime-style graphics. The game plays like a rhythm version of Professor Layton on top of all that.

Once you get a hold of your character and can explore the map you will be presented with still backgrounds on the bottom screen like in Professor Layton. You then tap away ferociously until stuff happens. You can collect two hidden presents per screen for golden coins that are used to buy aids during mini-games. Some screens will have secrets such as notes that need to be found to find a secret music page, soundtrack CD, or objects that produce sounds that are needed to build the master instrument. These hidden items eventually unlock hidden chapters, but I honestly didn’t care enough for any of the characters to learn any backstory here from said chapters.

The meat of the game is the rhythm sections and these are fairly simplistic, but frustrating in nature. In most rhythm games you can get good at it by following the beat of the song. In this game, you don’t ride the entire beat like in most rhythm games. Small sections are cut out with button presses. For example, you do a sequence with A or B buttons like A-B-B-A-B and that section follows the beat of the song. This would be fine if the entire game wasn’t a Simon Says game disguised as a rhythm game. You have to listen to a sequence of notes and repeat them regardless of the beat of the song. I wound up failing many mini-games because I wanted to naturally tap or press buttons in time with the beat, but just mashing the buttons worked. Increased difficulty means more prompts to remember and they sometimes play so fast that it’s almost impossible to remember the sequence on the first try.

While I praise the game for giving a variety of mini-game types they do repeat very often. The games usually require you to tap two buttons or swipe on the screen in certain directions. That’s it. In between the rhythm games are mini-game puzzles that are fairly easy and offer no challenge. There are a few Simon Says ones in here too, but the sequence is remembered so if you mess up you just start at the last note you messed up on. That offers no challenge and allows you to basically mash all the buttons and not care about the order. While I could find a groove with some rhythm mini-games there were many that I just couldn’t get into or kept messing up on and didn’t understand why.

Overall, Rhythm Thief is a Simon Says game disguised as a rhythm game. There’s no true rhythm here outside of repeating every pattern in time with a beat. I could do that without a beat. The increased difficulty isn’t about more complicated songs, but just increased speed and more prompts in a shorter time frame. That’s not challenging just frustrating. The story is nonsensical and takes itself too seriously with characters that are one note and don’t have any time to build a personality to care for. While the visuals are nice it feels way too much like a cousin to Professor Layton and not its own thing.

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Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 01/10/2023
Posted in: Microsoft Consoles, Nintendo Consoles, PC Reviews, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Sony Consoles, Steam Deck Playable, Steam Deck Verification, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S. Leave a comment

Publisher: Atari SA

Developer: Digital Eclipse

Release Date: 11/11/2022


Also Available On


The 8-bit era of Atari was before my time. I started the next generation with the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo as a young toddler. I still respect and have enjoyed iterations and ports of Atari 8-bit games over the years. What hasn’t been done well is anything outside of bundles of seemingly random collections. They’re nearly countless at this point and have spanned to nearly every console imaginable. Atari anniversary collections, various Atari-themed packs, and various retro packages with fancy UIs or presentations. However, no single retro package has been as cohesive or beautifully created as Atari 50. Even Sega’s recent Genesis Collection with its retro 90’s bedroom and bookshelf display can’t beat this.

The entire game is presented like an interactive history lesson. You go through four timelines. Atari’s origin story and their arcade routes. You get to see photos, printouts, commercials, and interviews with various Atari developers and industry veterans such as Tim Schafer (Psychonauts) and Cliff Bleszinski (Gears of War). These are presented in chronological order. A game is presented when its release comes up in the timeline. Some games have cover art, photos, and even comics underneath them to view. As you advance in the timeline you get a feeling like you’re playing an interactive museum tour. There are no fancy 3D menus or anything, but the clean and simple UI works well. There are a few surprises peppered in like unreleased prototypes and Digital Eclipse’s own recreations of iconic games like Yar’s Revenge and Haunted House.

As you advance to the home console and PC timeline things get more interesting. You will eventually get to Atari 5200 and 7800 games which are a bit more advanced. You will also get to play a few PC games for the Atari home computers. Then you will finish up in the 90s with the Atari Lynx and Jaguar. Sadly, there aren’t many games in this timeline, and the biggest issue with this entire game is the lack of third-party titles. You only get to play Atari-published and own games. That’s very limiting, and while I understand this is Atari’s own history there are many games that helped make their systems great outside of internal developers. The few Jaguar games range from Cybermorph to Tempest 2000 and Missle Command 3D. They aren’t great, but interesting to dive into. That’s another thing about this whole collection. Very few games are fun to play longer than five minutes. Some are pretty clunky and bad. This isn’t a “greatest of” collection which I really appreciate. You will most likely go back to the more fun games like Missle Command, Centipede, Millepede, Tempest, or their latest versions in this game. You get special bezels, backgrounds, overlays, and control options for every game as well. You can also select various modes and some games support save states which is cool. You also get a digital view of every manual for the game including the arcade operator’s manuals. They didn’t leave anything out.

By the time I spent around 5 hours in the game, I got to the end of the timelines. You can go back and play any game in the library view and pick your favorites. These games run really well and look great, but many gamers who didn’t grow up in the 80s will probably find this nothing more than a history lesson. Even more, will find pretty much every game boring or uninteresting. However, that’s not a knock to the games, but just a warning to younger audiences. Anyone younger than 30-35 will most likely not find this game interesting or fun. If you have a curiosity about Atari’s history or games then this is the best place to get that. If you have an itch for trying out 8-bit games or want to go back without emulating anything then this will give you nearly 100 games. I also appreciate how few ports and copies of the same game are in here. Each game was hand-picked and placed with relevancy.

Overall, Atari 50 is one of the best retro packages you can ever play. Telling an entire developer’s history with games placed in their correct time slots and even including unreleased games and reimaginings of some is just fantastic. The videos are entertaining and interesting and you will learn a lot. There are so many details added from commercials, print ads, posters, manuals, customizable controls, save states, and more. It’s a complete and cohesive package for Atari lovers out there. Just be warned that there are no third-party games and less of the 90s stuff.

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Signalis

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 01/10/2023
Posted in: Microsoft Consoles, Nintendo Consoles, PC Reviews, PlayStation 4, Sony Consoles, Switch, Xbox One. Leave a comment

Publisher: Humble Games

Developer: Rose Engine

Release Date: 10/27/2022


Also Available On


What would happen if you combined Resident Evil with Silent Hill? Probably a game with crazy enemies, creepy music, inventory management, and tank controls. Well, that’s exactly what Signalis is. It combines the best of PS1 horror and shoves it into a nice retro package with great controls and animations. Developer Rose Engine might be a bit on the nose with its inspirations, but it does do a good job of making it feel more modern with a retro flair.

The weakest part of the game is its story. I will get that right out of the gate. While most PS1-era horror titles had convoluted and messy stories that usually made no sense or were open for player interpretation, Signalis is very cryptic, but the overall journey has a twist ending that is pretty eyebrow-raising. It will leave you stunned a bit and is a great payoff outside of almost no world-building or lore to get into. You get the occasional note similar to Resident Evil that tells a little snippet of what happened just before the current event. See, you’re some sort of AI controller robot in some dystopian German world. That’s all I really got out of the story and the few cut-scenes peppered throughout the game.

Just like the horror games that inspired Signalis you have limited inventory space, very little ammo for your weapons, fewer healing items, and lots of backtracking. I will praise Rose Engine for making backtracking in Signalis less painful than games of the PS1 era. There is a good map system that even marks puzzles that require items. The final area of the game has no map, but you will learn to remember landmarks. The level design in Signalis is fantastic. A game with a lot of backtracking needs good landmarks so you remember where every room is. If you are familiar with the 32-bit era of horror games this style of progression won’t bother you. There were some puzzles that had me write stuff down (math puzzles) or take photos of diagrams. You get a radio about halfway through the game and you can use the frequencies to help solve puzzles. I will admit that inventory management is a little too tight here. You only get 6 inventory slots and there are no upgrades in this game. I wish I had at least eight. I constantly had to leave healing items and ammo behind to dump puzzle items and backtrack a couple of times. At least in my first playthrough, I was able to preserve quite a bit of ammo. I didn’t even end up using two of the weapons. You can easily run from most enemies which I recommend later on when you enter rooms with four or more enemies.

You can only shoot enemies while standing still. There is an aim button that auto-locks and you can fire. Enemies will fall down and you have to stomp on them to temporarily kill them. Yes, after the first area, you get thermite which will permanently burn enemies and keep them from rising. This is why I recommend only killing enemies in main corridors that require you to frequent them often. Most rooms are a one-time entrance. You run in, grab everything, and leave. Rooms with puzzles and save rooms don’t have enemies so this helps. Just like games of this genre, you will eventually unlock shortcut doors to get back to the main puzzle areas or save rooms which help cut down on a little bit of the backtracking.

Enemies themselves are very Silent Hill-like. Almost exact copies. There are EULR enemies which look exactly like the Bubble Head Nurses from Silent Hill 2. The STCR enemies look like the Closer enemies from Silent Hill 3 or the Siam from Homecoming. Everything aesthetic and atmosphere-wise is very close to Silent Hill. Even the music is similar. The entire game looks similar to the Otherworld from Silent Hill as well. I have to say I like it a lot. We need more Silent Hill and this is the closest you will get. There’s a little cyberpunk infusion with the AI robots and dystopian world. It’s a great fusion and I couldn’t get enough of it.

I didn’t find much of the game frustrating. Puzzles are fairly straightforward. You may have to look up one or two, but the solutions were mostly right in front of me and I just didn’t see it. There are only two boss fights in the game and they are pretty fun, but not very challenging. The challenge in the game’s combat arises from getting swarmed. As long as you run you will always be safe. Enemies usually have to stop to swing and unless you’re backed into a corner you won’t get hit. The variety of weapons helps and you can store everything in your save room chests and go back to get what you need. I did finish the game with plenty of healing items and ammo. I can’t express enough how much running helps in this game. There were occasional rooms that needed my flashlight too.

Overall, Signalis nails the feeling and atmosphere of Resident Evil and Silent Hill. The monster designs are great, the music is haunting, and the level design is done in such a way that memorizing the layout of an area isn’t that hard which is key for games that need a lot of backtracking. Puzzles aren’t insanely vague or obtuse, and it’s obvious what items go where once you find both. I just wish there were more than six inventory slots. It just adds artificial fluff to the play time by constantly having to go back to your storage chest and dump off items. I also wish the overall story and world-building were better. The game is only about 6 hours long so there isn’t much time or room for character or world-building anyways. Thankfully the atmosphere, enemy design, tight controls, and well-designed areas are all nailed down tight. This is easily the best retro horror game to be released in the last couple of decades.

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Rage of the Gladiator – 10 Years Later

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 01/06/2023
Posted in: Wii, Mobile Reviews, Nintendo Consoles, iOS, Android, 3DS. Leave a comment

Publisher: Gamelion

Developer: Ghostfire Games

Release Date: 09/19/2013


Also Available On


Infinity Blade was a big deal when it was released. It was the Dark Souls of mobile games at the time before Dark Souls even came out. Chair Entertainment started a revolution that many tried to copy and failed. It was a rogue-lite that had you dying over and over to only use the gold and XP you acquired to level up and get further each time. Some consider it a repetitive grind, but others feel it makes them want to get further and further and find the chiseling of progression addictive. Rage of the Gladiator tries this and doesn’t do any of it very well. Forget a story, it’s pretty much nonexistent outside of a few stills with text.

There are ten bosses to fight through. Each one does more damage, has faster moves, and more of them. Despite this sense of progression in difficulty, the game is very easy. You have to dodge left or right in first person, jump, and then swing your sword left or right, and even kick when you successfully dodge. You can get a max of a 5-hit combo in unless you use a special move before that fifth hit. There’s no strategy involved, and I only died one time during my entire play-through. Moves are easy to predict and rather slow. The repetition gets worse when you have to win three rounds per boss. That’s 30 rounds in total before unlocking the medium difficulty. Yeah, you work your way up through hard, but the moves are just faster and one or two more are thrown in. You also take more damage.

You can buy weapons, shields, armor, mana, and health potions, acquire passive and offensive abilities and increase stats. You win gold after each match and earn one measly XP per match. Yes, it’s a complete grind and this is leftover from this being a mobile game. At the end of the tenth boss, I was only able to buy two new weapons, a single shield, and an armor piece. You can use gold to buy XP, but this system is in favor of grinding or slowing you down enough to make you buy this stuff via microtransactions, but these aren’t on the 3DS version. So, instead of rebalancing the game, they kept the grind in.

This would be fine if the game was as epic or good-looking as something like Infinity Blade. Instead, we get generic Greek mythology bosses, a ninja, and a Chinese martial arts master, and that’s about it. Medium and Hard difficulties have one additional boss at the end, but they’re not exciting. However, the animations are stiff, the visuals are ugly, and everything is just on repeat forever. There’s no strategy involved in the fights or even how to go about your attacks. Instead of adding a parry system that allows you to counter an attack you just dodge. There are a few attacks that can be paired, but it’s only on a few of the bosses. It would even be cool to change up the background, but instead, it’s the same Roman arena forever.

Overall, Rage of the Gladiator is a repetitive, boring, easy, and weak attempt at a genre that has been done better and to death. There’s no rebalancing of the shop or winnings so you’re grinding as if you can buy these things to advance quicker. The bosses are uninteresting and boring, the game is ugly and drab, and there’s no story to speak of. Shoving a mobile game onto the 3DS was a bad move and it shows here.

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A Little to the Left

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 01/05/2023
Posted in: Android, iOS, Mobile Reviews, Nintendo Consoles, PC Reviews, Switch. Leave a comment

Publisher: Secret Mode

Developer: Max Inferno

Release Date: 11/08/2022


Also Available On

As time goes on I’ve learned to appreciate engaging casual games that don’t require intense focus. Small adventure games that only take a few hours to beat, relaxing puzzle games that don’t really have an ending, and anything in between are fun to enjoy and veg out on. It’s the same effect for me as binge-watching a show. A Little to the Left tries to be that. It has engaging puzzles and serotonin-squirting organization puzzles along with cute visuals, but it does come with issues.

The game’s puzzles start out fairly simple. There are around 75 puzzles in the main game with 365 daily puzzles. Puzzles start out with just straightening photos on a wall, putting cat toys in a basket, arranging a dinner set, aligning colored pencils in a certain order, stacking rugs, etc. These first dozen puzzles are relaxing and really give you a taste of what this game could be. Yes, I said could be as the game quickly ramps up the abstractness, and even with a full-on guide and accessible hint system in the game it still doesn’t make sense. The arrangement puzzles are the absolute worst. These are abstract shapes that don’t snap together but instead are arranged in a specific pattern. The patterns usually make no sense since the pieces are so far apart. These puzzles will frustrate most players and lead you into a false sense of relaxation and simple organization and stacking.

That’s not to say I don’t like a challenge. One puzzle has you sliding a mirror to the left and right and arranging the objects according to the reflection. Another has you stacking cat food cans in colored columns that match. These puzzles were enjoyable. My favorite was the organization puzzles. Put all the junk in the correct cubbies. That’s a lot of fun with the process of elimination. Sadly, there are only about four of those puzzles and I wanted more. The difficulty is all over the place, but it’s the artificial difficulty. The puzzles are just so obscure sometimes that most people may quit the game.

I also found the snapping system pretty broken. Sometimes you place an object in the right spot and it will snap into place and make a faint ding sound. However, abstract pattern puzzles require two symmetrical objects in the same spot in the scene before they will snap into place. This hinders progress as there are no tactile hints that you are making progress. There is a hint system that shows you the solution by erasing and uncovering. This was nice as I would try to just erase one part and still be able to solve the rest on my own. However, even the hints sometimes make zero sense.

Thankfully, you can still move on with the “Let It Be” system that skips the puzzle for you. There are some puzzles that have two or more solutions such as sorting from highest to shortest, then by color, and then by matching an image on the same object. While the first solution may seem easy to spot the additional solutions can be insanely abstract and obscure. I really tried to solve as many as I could on my own, but in the end, I solved maybe a quarter of the puzzles by myself. There were just too many that were frustrating or I felt I wasn’t making any progress. Some were just me overthinking the puzzle, but some were just poorly designed.

The visuals are cute. It has a pastel minimalistic look. Lots of colored pencils, charcoal, and watercolor art designs. The music is great and relaxing to listen to in the background it’s just too bad the game isn’t as relaxing. In the end, A Little to the Left is misleading in its first dozen puzzles and quickly ramps up the abstractness and obscurity too much requiring too many puzzles to be skipped. The most enjoyable ones are too few. This isn’t a bad game at all. There are fun puzzles peppered throughout the bad ones, and the overall cat aesthetic is enjoyable with great music.

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