Video Game Review #517: Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga

Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga

Game Boy Advance

Nostalgia Factor:

I've been interested in the Mario & Luigi RPG series for a long time, but I have never had the means to play any of the games. All of that changed a few years ago when I obtained a fully loaded RetroPie. When I noticed this game and its sequels were on there, I made a mental note to check them out someday.

A few years passed, but I have finally circled around to this game. I've always been a bit lukewarm on Super Mario RPG and the Paper Mario games, but I've heard so many good things about this. A lot of people on the internet hype it up as the best Mario RPG out there. Why not give it a shot?

How would I feel about this game? Would it live up to the hype? Let's find out.

Story:

This game's storyline is ridiculous. But is it ridiculous in a good way or a bad way? To me, it is in a bad way. I didn't even know what the heck was going on half the time. I don't like games with "cutesy" characters and lots of cheesy comedy. The storyline plays second fiddle to bad jokes and obnoxious characters who talk too much. It annoyed me in Undertale, Sea of Stars, Super Paper Mario, Ni no Kuni, and it annoyed me in this game right here. I stopped caring and paying attention after a while. Just shut the hell up already and either let me play, or introduce an entertaining story that makes me want to push forward to see what happens next. Neither thing happens here.

Maybe the point of the game isn't to entertain you with a great story, but simply use the story as a vessel to advance the gameplay? This seems more likely, as I was never invested in the story at any point whatsoever. But people online seem to like it, so I don't really know.

What is the storyline about? It take place in the Bean Kingdom, which I guess is adjacent to the Mushroom Kingdom. The Princess's voice is stolen by a witch named Cackletta. Mario and Luigi rush in to help. Hijinks ensue between Mario and Luigi and the people of the Bean Kingdom. Get ready for a bunch of fetch quests.

Oh, the bad witch is after a powerful artifact known as the Beanstar. You have to get it before she does. Ope, it broke into a bunch of pieces. Get ready for more fetch quests! Hey look, the witch has possessed Bowser. Cackletta is now Bowletta! You must defeat Bowletta. 

Nothing is interesting here. Nothing. So if you are coming into this expecting a great story: don't. The game is not even funny, either, and they try so hard to make you laugh. I don't know how they managed to take the fun, vibrant world of Mario and make it dry and boring as fuck, but they did.

Congratulations, I guess?

Gameplay:

Okay, I am going to be nicer now, I promise. To me, the game's storyline is the worst thing about it. But we are moving on now. The gameplay is a bit better.

Action takes place from an isometric perspective. Outside of battle, things operate more like an action RPG than a regular RPG. You can jump, push things around, use your hammer, and smash question mark blocks. There is a lot of puzzle solving involved. 

Each Mario brother has a special move that can be used on the map. You can switch back and forth between the two characters. Luigi has a special high jump you can use to climb up to high ledges. Mario had a corkscrew move that floats you across long gaps. Later on in the game, the players get magical powers that give them special abilities, such as a speed boost and an electric shock move you need in order to navigate some platforming challenges.

You're going to spend a lot of time in combat. Combat is fairly simple to get a hang of. It's turn based. You pick your attacks off of a menu. What makes this game unique is that you must actively press buttons in sync with your character as you are attacking in order to unleash a more powerful attack. For example, if you are jumping on an enemy's head, you want to tap the action button just as your butt is hitting the top of his head for maximum damage.

I like how you are able to defend yourself. When enemies attack you can either jump at the right time to avoid the attack, or swing your hammer to counterattack. Almost every enemy attack can be dodged if you know what the enemy is doing and you have your timing down right. Easier said than done, though. Some of the game's boss battles can be brutally difficult. If you screw up your defense strategy you can find yourself dead in no time. I've read online that many people feel this game is very easy, but I didn't come away with that impression at all. I struggled a bit with this.

The last boss in particular is very tough. He does an attack that takes you down to 1 health, and then you have to basically play "jump rope" with his big tail as it swings around the screen. This is about halfway through the boss battle. If you get hit even once, you die and have to do the entire thing over again.

No.Thanks.

Luckily I was on my RetroPie and using save states to cheese my way through some of these tougher battles. I can't imagine playing this normally. I would have died so many times and gotten so frustrated with the game. I would have absolutely hated it. I'm already not too big of a fan, even using save states. That is not a good sign.

Graphics:

This game looks good. The graphics are bright and colorful. Pixel Mario and Luigi are very charming. Heck, all the characters in the game look really nice. So do some of the areas on the game map. Part of the fun of playing the game is seeing what environments you are going to encounter next.

That said, even with the nice visuals, the game still feels a bit dry and stiff. I can't quite put my finger on it. It's lacking personality somehow. I don't know if it is a visual issue or more of a writing issue, but I found it really hard to immerse myself in the world of this game. I feel as if this should not have been a problem with how nice the game looks. There's a disconnect somewhere. Like I said, I can't quite put my finger on it.

Sound:

The game sounds awesome. Many of your favorite Mario tunes make an appearance in some way or the other. The original music ain't too shabby either.

The sound effects are equally as good. Gotta love the sound it makes when you pick up a coin. The sounds of battle, like when you hit someone with a hammer or jump on their head, is spot-on as well. Expect to hear some other famous Mario sounds, like the Yoshi noise and the jump noise. One of the few things I did find funny in the game is when Mario and Luigi would babble to one another, and it would just be nonsense jibberish words in the characters' Italian accents.

Overall:

I wish I liked this game more. I truly do. I came into it with high expectations which were not met. The game was an absolute drag to play through, especially in the middle of it. Even though I finished the game in fewer than 20 hours, it still took me months and months to do so. I hated turning this game on. It felt like such an absolute chore to play through. I'd go days or even weeks between playing sessions sometimes.

I'll admit, there are good things about the game. It looks and sounds good. The battle mechanics can be fun sometimes. If you are just looking at videos or screenshots, this looks like it would be an awesome Mario RPG. But it really isn't. Maybe that's being too harsh. It's not a bad game. It's just not one that really did anything for me. At all. Maybe if I had cared about the storyline, even just a tiny bit, I would have liked it a lot more. But I didn't.

If you are reading this and you are one of the Superstar Saga fanatics out there, I apologize for this poor review. I guess you can take comfort in the fact that it is one of the only negative reviews out there for this game. It's refreshing to see a different viewpoint from time to time, right? 

Right?

THE GRADE:

C-

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Video Game Review #516: Resident Evil 5

Resident Evil 5

PlayStation 3

Nostalgia Factor:

I have an interesting history with this game. I was an enormous fan of the Resident Evil series growing up. Resident Evil 4 was a giant departure from the formula of the main series, but I still loved the game and played the absolute heck out of it. As a result, I was really excited for Resident Evil 5. It would be coming out on a new, next generation console (the PS3) and it would likely have improved sound, graphics, and performance. Most importantly, it would expand on (and hopefully improve) the formula presented in Resident Evil 4. How could things possibly go wrong? 

Well, they went wrong. This game was an even bigger departure from the original Resident Evil series. There is nothing scary about this game. Nothing. It's all action, gun fights, and giant exploding set pieces. They had turned my beloved and creepy John Romero Resident Evil series into a freaking Michael Bay production.

The game itself wasn't bad, it just wasn't Resident Evil to me. Sure, Resident Evil 4 was a departure from the main series, but it still retained a lot of elements that made Resident Evil Resident Evil. This game, however, was nothing more than an action title. To say I was disappointed would be a bit of an understatement.

This was back in 2009. In fact, looking at my trophy list, it was June 8th of 2009 to be exact. Despite my misgivings about the game, I still managed to beat it in just one day, finishing on June 9th. I would never play the game again, however, until now: 2024.

Would my feelings for the game change after 15 years, or would I still find it to be a giant disappointment? Let's find out.

Story:

This game lost me with its storyline pretty quickly. It's a shame, too. I always liked to immerse myself in the lore of Resident Evil when I played these games on the PS1. Now, I found myself skipping story logs and zoning out during the cutscenes. 

The action takes place somewhere in Africa, where Chris Redfield and his partner Sheva are sent to investigate some bio weapons bullshit. There is absolutely nothing interesting about this game's storyline. It's basically giant battle and giant action set pieces one after the other, the storyline taking a complete backseat to everything else.

Wesker turns out to be the big bad guy. There are some tie-ins to early Resident Evil games with a surprise appearance from Jill. So much stuff happens between games that isn't really explained. It makes the game confusing sometimes. If you pick this up right after Resident Evil 4, you are going to wonder what the hell has transpired between games. This is where the lore of the series really starts to get convoluted, and I stopped caring about it.

Gameplay:

Since the format of Resident Evil 4 was such a big success, they decided to do the same thing with Resident Evil 5. It's a fairly linear over the shoulder shooter. This game places less of an emphasis on exploring and puzzle solving, and more of an emphasis on action and defeating big swarms of enemies.

I've already reviewed Resident Evil 4 a whopping three times (the Gamecube game, a re-review of the Gamecube game, and a review of the PS4 remake) so I am not going to take much time to break down the gameplay of this title. It's very similar to those other games. You shoot things, you pick up items and ammunition, you advance through the game's stages. This game seems a bit more linear in nature than its predecessor. There is no central hub, and there are no areas that you will return to after you leave them. My favorite stage is about halfway through the game. You ride a boat around an open area, collecting three items you need to open a gate in order to advance the story. It's one of the few levels that allows you to explore, and to use your brain, rather than just pushing you forward through one giant fight after another.

The main departure from RE4 is in the game's partner system. Unless you are playing the game online (which I never bothered with), your partner Sheva, who you are stuck with the entire game, is controlled by computer AI. You not only have to manage your own inventory, you have to manage hers as well. She is fairly useful in a fight, so you want to make sure she always has ammo. I like to give her only one healing item, as she often uses them when I do not want her to.

You have to watch Sheva's health, as well. If she dies, you die. I expected to hate this mechanic when I first started playing the game, but it grew on me after a while. I suppose it gives RE5 a bit of its own identity when held up against other games in the series.

Back in 2009, I was very conflicted with how I felt about this game. It was an okay game, but it just didn't feel like Resident Evil anymore. I still kinda feel the same way. I enjoyed this as a video game experience. But is it a good Resident Evil game? Not really. I held this against the game when I played it 15 years ago. I am going to try to not do the same thing this time. It may not feel like Resident Evil, but I had a good time playing it, right? I did, actually.

Graphics:

This game is a mixed bag visually. On the surface, the game looks fine. The main characters and the enemies are well designed. The environments are rich with detail. There are nice gore effects. Some big cinematic moments. There were a few times in the game where I was wowed with how impressive everything looked.

BUT. 

This game was not the technical leap I expected going from RE4 on the Gamecube to RE 5 on the PS3. I'd call it more of a lateral move than anything, but in many ways, RE4 looks much better than this. And why does everything have that greyish/yellow tint to it? Like in a movie, when the action takes place in Mexico, but it is like this for the whole game. So many other PS3 titles of this era do this same thing, and it drives me bonkers. Metal Gear Solid 4, Fallout, this game... I am sure there are many more, but I just can't think of them right now. 

I guess overall the game looks fine. But I am not exactly jumping out of my seat over the visuals.

Sound:

Nothing about this game's music or sound effects stood out to me. That's either a good thing or a bad thing. It's good because if the music and sound effects were terrible, I would have noticed. It's bad because clearly the game did nothing in this department to make it stand out from the crowd. Resident Evil 4 had some fun moments with Leon and Ashley, and is was also nice to hear the enemies yelling and saying things about Lord Saddler. And who can forget the merchant?

This game has none of that.

Overall:

As I said earlier in my review, this is a good game, but it is not a good Resident Evil game. How do I reconcile the two in my mind? I guess I'm going to go with the "it's a good game" side, even though I am not particularly happy about it. This game simply does not feel like a Resident Evil game, and I wish they'd continued making games more in the slow, tension-filled, survival horror format of the PS1 originals. Luckily, they've been coming back around to that in recent years. I look at RE5 (and RE6, which I will get to at a later time) as the dark period of the franchise.

While I was certainly disappointed in the game when it was released, I am able to come back to it with an open mind and appreciate it for being a fun game to play. I started playing this a month or two AFTER I started Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga, and I cruised through this in about a week. I'm still playing Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga, and dragging my feet each and every step of the way. That game is a critical darling while this one is not. I know they aren't really similar games to compare, but it says something that I'd rather play this game than return to the other. Give me Resident Evil 5 any day of the week.

Good game? Yes. I definitely was too harsh on it when it first came out. While I think it pales in comparison to the rest of the series, it is still a fun title and I am glad I was able to revisit it and change my mind on the game. 

THE GRADE:

B

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Video Game Review #515: Sonic Superstars

Sonic Superstars

PlayStation 4

Nostalgia Factor:

Until just two weeks ago, I had never even heard of this game before. I just so happened to be browsing the games list on Game Fly when I saw this title and thought to myself: huh, what's that? I looked it up and saw it was a 2D side scrolling Sonic game modeled after the old Genesis titles (but with modern day graphics). So, like Sonic Mania, but not quite. 

I added it to my Game Fly queue, but moved it down pretty far on my list. I was interested in the game, but it was not a priority for me. In typical Game Fly fashion, guess what title they shipped out next?

Well, now that I had the game, I wasn't going to not play it. So here we go, my review of Sonic Superstars for the PS4.

Story:

This game has a story? I know there are cutscenes and some in-game story sequences at the beginning of the game, but let's be real: they don't matter. As soon as you start playing, the story is immediately forgotten. Your goal is to make your way through the game's stages, collecting Chaos Emeralds and saving your little animal pals along the way. At the end of the game, you square off against Doctor Robotnik and you beat him. The end.

Gameplay:

Right off the bat, this feels like a classic Sonic title. The control scheme is great. You run, you jump, and you spin dash just as you did in the original Sonic titles. Only thing missing is the little invincibility flash that was introduced in Sonic 3, but I was able to live without it.

If you've played a Sonic title before, I barely need to tell you how this game works. You make your way to the end of each act, collecting rings, jumping on enemies, avoiding spikes and bottomless pits, until you reach your final destination. You fight a boss, and then you move onto the next act in the stage. Almost all stages end with a Robotnik battle.

You can earn the opportunity to obtain Chaos Emeralds by jumping into hidden giant rings located throughout the game's stages. Just like Sonic 3. Unlike Sonic 3, you earn Chaos Emeralds by participating in a "swinging" minigame. It almost feels like a Spider-Man title, but instead of swinging from building to building, you are swinging from stars, blocks, and other items that are suspended in space. You have to chase down the Chaos Emerald, which is actively trying to run from you. Touch it, and it is yours. Each Chaos Emerald gives you a new ability, like the ability to swim or see secret platforms. Nothing game breaking. I didn't invest enough time in this game to collect all the Emeralds (I mainly just worried about completing single player mode), but I am sure you can turn into Super Sonic when you get them all.

Despite the nice graphics and the added bells and whistles, this is a classic Sonic game at heart. I had a fun time playing through these stages and seeing everything there was to see. The casino stage in particular was a nice throwback to Sonic 2. There are also little minigames you can play when you cross a checkpoint, similar to the bonus stages in Sonic 1. So all three original Sonic games have little call backs to them, which I was able to appreciate.

You can play through the game with Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and a few other characters. Beating the base game unlocks a second story mode, where you play as a side character named Trip. I didn't bother beating the game with Trip. Everything I've read online says that his quest is absurdly difficult and rage inducing. No thanks. I was already tired of the game due to its obnoxious, overly long boss battles. The final boss in particular was a pain in the butt. The last checkpoint starts you off right before the boss, so each time you die you have to make it to the boss, sit through a cutscene, and then fight through the boss's multiple different attack forms JUST to make it back to the part where you died. I found myself dying on this boss quite often, so having to replay five plus minutes of the battle each and every time was quite tiresome and annoying.

Graphics:

Honestly, the game looks great. This is the 2D Sonic side scroller with next-gen graphics that I've been wanting for years and years. The world of the game feels like a living, breathing cartoon world. Sometimes I would just put the controller down and soak in what I was seeing onscreen. Just seeing Sonic standing there, and how he is fully fleshed out and animated in 3D, looking like he stepped out of a Pixar movie, would have blown me away as a kid. Nevermind the gorgeous backgrounds, giant set pieces, and colorful special effects. This is a very good looking game.

Sound:

Sonic games are recognizable when you aren't even in the room solely because of their sound effects. There is no mistaking the sound of a Sonic game. The sound of collecting a ring has always been very satisfying, just as the sound it makes when you are hit and you lose them is equally distressing. The jump and spin dash sound effects are equally recognizable and iconic as well. I am so glad they've kept these sound effects the same over all these years. They are truly a staple of video game history.

Overall:

This is a fun game, although I feel as if it may be too little, too late. I would have loved to play a gorgeous 2D Sonic title like this about 20 years ago, not here in 2024. Even with improved graphics and added features, it is hard to get too excited for a Sonic game - because you've already been there and done that dozens of times already. If you've played the Genesis games, this is essentially more of the same, but with shinier bells and whistles.

I do like the game, but as I said, it is hard to really get too excited over anything about it. It follows the standard 2D Sonic formula closely. It's good for a nice little playthrough, and you will probably have fun playing it, but it is fairly forgettable in the long run. In the future when you get the urge to play a Sonic game, you aren't going to pick this one. You're going to pick a Genesis game, or maybe even Sonic Mania.

That said, it is still a Sonic game, and a fun one at that. It is definitely an above average title, but I don't know if it is quite memorable enough to make the B range. So I guess a fair compromise would be going with a C+. I feel like that might be a bit too low, considering I did have fun, but oh well. In three months I am going to remember nothing about this game. So I think this is fair.

THE GRADE:

C+

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Video Game Review #514: Kirby's Dream Land

Kirby's Dream Land

Nintendo Game Boy

Nostalgia Factor:

I've never played a single Kirby game in my life. I don't know how I managed to make it to the age of 42 without playing a single game in one of the most iconic Nintendo franchises out there, but I did. It's time to finally change that. I have decided to start from the beginning: Kirby's very first video game appearance - Kirby's Dream Land for the Game Boy. Let's go.

Story:

This must be one of those games that outlines the story in the instruction manual, because nothing is explained in-game. I played it on my RetroPie, so I had no idea what was going on.

After beating the game, a brief cutscene shows Kirby floating through the air, carrying a giant castle. Kirby drops the castle, but it is upheld by six stars, presumably the stars you spend the whole game collecting. Then the game ends.

Gameplay:

This is a pretty simple game to get the hang of. It's a 2D side-scroller. The D-pad controls Kirby. Kirby can jump, fly, and he can inhale enemies. Flying is interesting, because in order to do so, you have to press the up button. This makes Kirby inhale a big gust of air, and then he starts floating around the level. Press the "inhale" button and he spits out a projectile (a big wad of air?) and falls back to the ground. Mastering the art of flying and attacking your enemies is essential to doing well in this game. Kirby can also inhale regular enemies and then spit them out as projectile weapons. 

The main goal of the game is to make it from the starting point to the end of the stage. There are four normal stages. At the end of each stage, you fight a boss. Beat the boss, and you move onto the next stage. The fifth and final stage consists of a boss rush where you have to beat all the bosses over again, followed by a final confrontation with King Dedede.

There is not much variety in the gameplay, but enough to keep things fresh and fun. For example, there is a boss fight that is essentially a shoot 'em up battle, like what you'd see in Super Mario Land. You can also pick up items to give that give Kirby special powers momentarily. But for the most part, you'll be doing the same thing in each level. Moving forward, flying, inhaling enemies, and trying to stay alive.

I remember reading that this was an easy game that takes less than an hour to beat. For the most part, that is true. It was a little more challenging than I expected, and I died a small handful of times before I was finally able to beat the game. What I didn't know is that there is a "hard mode" that is unlocked after beating the game. Remember how in Super Mario Bros, once you beat the game, a hard mode is unlocked where all the koopa troopas turn into beetles? It's like that, but more extreme. The game is definitely a LOT harder in this mode. Enemies are everywhere, and hits take off a bigger chunk of your health bar than they did before.

I'll admit to struggling a bit with this hard mode. It was almost embarrassing. Here is this game, that everyone says is super easy, and here is me: resorting to save states to make my way through it. I didn't feel bad doing it though, because a lot of the hits I was enduring and deaths I was experiencing seemed very very cheap. If a game is difficult on its own merits, I am willing to forgive that. But when things start to feel cheap, I lose patience quick. No doubt, I would have been able to devote the time to the game in order to master hard mode as a kid. But now, with a world of responsibilities and a million different games to play out there, I just don't have the time to dedicate to playing this game over and over again. So I cheated. Sue me.

Graphics:

I am shocked at how good this game looks. I think I expected it to look primitive, as this is:

A. a 32 year old game

B. The first ever Kirby game

C. A freaking Game Boy game

But it looks good! Even though it is in black and white, you can still feel the cartoonish energy just oozing through the game's presentation. You don't even notice it is black and white after a while. It is very easy to picture this game in full, vibrant color.

The animation is very good as well. Everything is silky smooth. The bosses look good, and they match the unique personality of  each of the game's stages. Again, I am very impressed.

Sound:

This game sounds very good as well. I guess Kirby is famous for a reason. It's fun, it looks good, and it sounds good too. Crazy I've slept on this series for so long!

While I won't say the game's soundtrack left a major impression on me (I couldn't hum a single tune from this song, and I've played through the freaking game twice in the last few days), I know that it fits the fun and unique atmosphere of the game. Everything works in harmony to give you a very solid gaming experience.

Overall:

If you were paying attention, you probably noticed that I said this was a "very solid" gaming experience. I didn't call it good. I didn't call it great. I called it very solid. And I think that's pretty accurate.

The game is fun, I'll give it that. It looks good, it sounds good. The gameplay has withstood the test of time. And it is relatively challenging, and keeps you coming back for more.

On the negative side, it is very short. The gameplay is very simplistic. The hard mode feels unfairly cheap at times, to the point where it actively turned me off to playing the game.

Should you play Kirby's Dream Land? Absolutely. Again, I'm shocked I've made it to the age of 42 without playing this game. What the heck have I been doing? This is a very solid first entry in the Kirby series, and easily one of the best Game Boy games I have played (although admittedly I have not played many). There's a reason Kirby developed into such a big success for Nintendo: the game is fun! If future Kirby games are as good as this one, I am going to be in for a real treat.

THE GRADE:

B

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Video Game Review #513: A Plague Tale: Innocence

A Plague Tale: Innocence

PlayStation 4

Nostalgia Factor:

I've been interested in A Plague Tale: Innocence for several years now. I rented it from GameFly back in 2019, and unfortunately my copy of the game did not work, so I had to send it back. Well, five years later, I finally got my hands on a working copy of the game. Would it be worth the wait? Let's find out!

Story:

You control a young woman named Amicia, who is living in France in the 1300s. She has a sick little brother named Hugo, and her mother has been working hard to find a cure for him. One day, the Spanish Inquisition raids Amicia's home, murdering her father and looking to capture both Hugo and Amicia's mother.

Amicia takes Hugo and runs off, leaving everyone behind presumably dead. A good portion of the game follows the brother and sister as they travel across this plague ridden landscape, evading the Inquisition, crazed villagers, and deadly plague-carrying rats.

I'm not going to recap the entire game, but Amicia and Hugo find out that their mother is still alive, and that she has been captured by the Inquisition. They want her because of her research, and they want Hugo because apparently he can control the plague rats with his mind. I didn't really like the last part of the game. The first 70% is fairly grounded and realistic, but then it starts to veer into supernatural territory.

Hugo and Amicia end up saving their mother and defeating the leader of the Inquisition, who has used Hugo's blood to give himself the same rat-controlling power that Hugo has. A giant battle results in the good guys winning, the Inquisition withdrawing, and things going back to normal.

Gameplay:

I wasn't sure what to expect of this game coming in. I thought it was going to be a walking simulator, but it ended up being much more involved than that. Closest thing I can compare it to is something like The Last of Us with its stealth action and its focus on collecting items for crafting. 

Things take place from a behind the back perspective. What is interesting here is that if you get hit by an enemy once, you die. It is meant to be realistic, at least from that perspective. No way some 16 year old girl could survive a spear through the chest like you see in other games. Early on, the focus is on sneaking around and avoiding combat. You throw rocks and cause distractions in order to draw enemies away from where you need to go.

As you progress through the game, you learn how to fight. Amicia uses a sling that she uses to launch rocks at enemies' heads. The main focus shifts to avoiding giant swarms of plague rats. These rats don't like fire, so you have to stay by bonfires and light torches to make your way through the swarms. Other areas require some creative puzzle solving to get by the rats. I like when you have to manipulate the rats to take out enemy guards for you. It always feels so very satisfying.

That pretty much describes the gameplay. Sneak around and don't get spotted because one hit kills you. Avoid the plague rats. Throw rocks at your enemies' heads. Solve puzzles. Collect items and find upgrades for your sling. Some upgrades include an acid you can launch that burns enemy helmets, a fireball that lights piles of wood to scare off the rats, and an herb concoction that draws the rats to a certain specific location so you can get by them. 

The last part of the game introduces the ability for Hugo to control the rat hordes. So they stop hurting you and instead work along side you. This completely changes the tone of the game from stealth (avoiding rats and enemies) to more action-oriented, where you are controlling giant hordes of rats to destroy your enemies.

I had fun the whole way through the game. The story was interesting enough to keep me engaged, and I enjoyed the stealth and puzzle solving aspects of the gameplay as well. Some reviews call the game boring and repetitive, but to me that could not be any further from the truth.

Graphics:

This is a very beautiful game. Right away, I was drawn in by the autumn leaves and the serene setting of the French landscape. The castles, the vistas, all of it is very pleasing to the eye. As the game progresses, things get dark and grim. The crumbling villages, the piles of bodies, the swarms of rats - it all looks really good. This is a five or six year old PS4 game. I've said it before and I'll say it again: why exactly do we need a PS5 again? No wonder the system has been somewhat of a flop so far. The PS4 still looks perfectly fine.

The characters and cutscenes all look very good, too. We are far removed from the days of Resident Evil on the PS1. Everyone looks and acts like real people.

Sound:

The music is good, the ambient sound effects are good, and the voice acting is good. I really don't have anything to complain about here. This game really does a great job drawing you in and making the atmosphere as authentic as possible.

Overall:

I had fun with this game. I devoted all of my free time to playing this, rather than watching movies or TV shows like I normally do. I was hooked! It took me about five or six playing sessions to beat the game - so it is pretty short. I think it takes about 11 or 12 hours total to complete. But that is okay. I would rather play something that gripped me for 11 or 12 hours than something that is longer but is more of a chore to play (cough, Death Stranding, cough cough).

I would absolutely recommend A Plague Tale: Innocence to anyone interested in the game. I found it to be such a pleasant surprise. Great story, graphics, gameplay, atmosphere, everything. I think it may even have a sequel out now, which I need to check out. 

I hesitate to give this game a grade in the A range, probably because I just cruised through it. It's a good game, no doubt, but now that I am done playing it, I don't find myself thinking about it that much, or wanting to come back and play it again. It's a good, solid title that is absolutely gripping to play, but forgotten once you are done with it, like a good popcorn flick.

If you are on the fence about this game, play it. I understand some people may not like it as much as I did, but it is definitely worth playing and making that determination on your own.

THE GRADE:

B+

For a complete index of all my past posts and game reviews, click

>HERE<

2024 Movie Rankings: May

Another eventful month of movie watching, as I watched 13 movies in the month of May. As usual, I will go through these movies and select 5 of them to move onto my year end ranking, where I rank my favorite movies of the year from worst to best. Which movies will move on, and which will be tossed to the side? Let's find out.

But first, here are the 13 movies I watched in May:

Halloween 6

Halloween H20

Halloween Resurrection

Identity

Ghost

Rear Window

12 Years a Slave

Halloween II (2009)

Doctor Sleep

Mary and the Witch's Flower

The Disaster Artist

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker

Not Moving On:

Identity

This is like the fourth time I have watched this movie. Each time I don't like it. Then I read about how good it is. Then I give it another chance. Then I find that I still don't like it. Rinse and repeat. It has an interesting premise, and I feel like I should like it. That's why I keep giving it more chances. But I don't. Time to finally put the movie to rest.

Halloween 6, Halloween H20, Halloween Resurrection, Halloween II (2019)

None of these four Halloween movies are good enough to move on. Not that I hate them or anything. I found most of them enjoyable - even the Rob Zombie movie. While they are fun, they just aren't impactful enough to move on. Enjoyable but forgettable. If you ask me in five months to recap each of these movies, I'd be like "uhhhhhhh...." 

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

I'm a little behind on my MCU movies, mainly because the quality of the films has taken a nosedive since Endgame. I've heard this movie sucked, and lo and behold - it does. The whole thing just seems stupid and irrelevant. It feels like they tried to rip off the concept behind Thor Ragnarok but failed miserably. I ended up looking at my phone for about 80 percent of the movie.

12 Years A Slave

I kind of feel bad for not liking this movie. I understand it is well acted and well directed. I just don't enjoy it. It is not even that the subject material is too grim for me. Heck, Requiem for a Dream is one of my favorite movies of all time. It's just a bit too long and it really doesn't do anything for me.

Mary and the Witch's Flower

This is a beautifully animated movie, and it came close to cracking my top 5. I feel like it would have been better suited if they trimmed off 15 minutes or so. It drags in places. I watched this a few years ago and struggled to stay awake during it - and the EXACT same thing happened this time as well.

Moving On:

The Disaster Artist

I'm not one of those people that is obsessed with The Room, but I was curious about this movie - as it dives into the odd story behind the making of The Room. I enjoyed it a lot, and I have a new appreciation for The Room and why it has such a cult following.

Ghost

One of my favorite movies of all-time. It is as close to a perfect movie as you can get. I haven't seen it in many years, so coming back to it at age 41, I was able to notice some things I wouldn't have picked up on before. Great movie, and a contender to finish strong on my year end ranking.

Doctor Sleep

I dragged my feet when it came to watching this movie because I thought it would suck, but it was surprisingly good. I could not take my eyes off the movie. Even the psychic vampire storyline delivered the goods, and to me it was one of the worst things about the book. I loved revisiting the Overlook and all the call backs to the original Shining. If you were sleeping on this movie like I was: don't. It is very good.

Rear Window

This one almost didn't make my top 5. I understand it is a good movie, and I know people love it. I do think it drags and gets a little boring from time to time. But I do love the concept of the film and the mystery surrounding the main plot. This is one of those movies (like a Tarantino film) where most of it is just people talking. But it is still interesting.

The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker

I've been aware of this documentary for a while now, but I never got around to watching it because I thought it was "just another" serial killer documentary. I fired it up and I was instantly hooked. How have I never heard of Kai and his viral video, or any of the controversy surrounding it? I was fascinated by the whole thing. Watch it if you haven't.

With these 5 movies advancing, here is a look at the top 25. 5 months down, 7 to go! At the end, we'll have 60 movies - 5 from each month that move on. And then I will determine my favorite.

Old

Doctor Sleep

A Star is Born

Mystic River

Legends of the Fall

Cloverfield

The Shape of Water

Milo and Otis

Gerald's Game

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Extended Edition

Ghost

Milk

Fried Green Tomatoes

The Four Falls of Buffalo

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Open Water

The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker

Dumb and Dumber

The Skeleton Key

The Illusionist

The Prestige

Rear Window

Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Extended Edition

The Disaster Artist

Halloween

Past rankings:

January

February

March

April

2024 Things (May)

January 2024

February 2024

March 2024

April 2024

5.1.24: Watched 2 episodes of The Challenge (38.16 and 38.17). Listened to 1 episode of Sega Saturn Shiro podcast (BONUS 48). Listened to 1 episode of The Losers Club podcast (Needful Things Pt. 2). Listened to 1 episode of Ear Biscuits podcast (ep 35). Watched 1 episode of X-Men '97 (ep 8). 

5.2.24: Watched 1 episode of Survivor (46.10). Watched movie: Halloween VI: The Curse of Michael Myers. Watched 2 episodes of Death Note (1.35 and 1.36). Listened to 1 episode of Fantasy Football Happy Hour podcast (5/2/24 episode). 

5.3.24: Watched 1 episode of Death Note (1.37). Listened to 1 episode of Arcade Attack podcast (The Bitmap Brothers Tribute). Watched 2 episodes of Killing Eve (1.01 and 1.02). Listened to 1 episode of Staff Picks podcast (The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training). Watched 1 episode of The Challenge (38.18).

5.4.24: Watched 4 episodes of The Challenge (38.19, 38.20, 38.21, and All Stars 3.01). Listened to 1 episode of Cartridge Club podcast (ep 127). Listened to 1 episode of Arcade Attack podcast (Sonic Movie Review). Watched 1 episode of Killing Eve (1.03). 

5.5.24: Watched 1 episode of 30 for 30: O.J.: Made in America (ep 1). Watched movie: Halloween H20: 20 Years Later. Watched 1 episode of Killing Eve (1.04). Listened to 1 episode of Collateral Gaming podcast (Anniversary Special Part 2: Fable II). Listened to 1 episode of Cartridge Club podcast (CC Portable #3). Listened to 1 episode of Retrograde podcast (ep 170). Listened to 1 episode of Digging Six Feet Under podcast (s03e07).

5.6.24: Listened to 1 episode of Cartridge Club podcast (CC Weekly #60). Listened to 1 episode of Losers Club podcast (It Chapter Two Review with Anthony Breznican).  Listened to 1 episode of Digging Six Feet Under podcast (s03e08). Watched movie: Ghost.

5.7.24: Listened to 1 episode of Losers Club podcast (Checking Into The Institute). Watched 2 episodes of The Challenge All Stars (3.02 and 3.03).

5.8.24: Watched 1 episode of The Challenge All Stars (3.04). Watched movie: Rear Window. Watched 1 episode of X-Men '97 (ep 9). Listened to 1 episode of the Stephen King cast (ep 62). Listened to 1 episode of Arcade Attack podcast (Virtua Racing).  

5.9.24: Watched movie: Halloween Resurrection. Listened to 1 episode of Staff Picks podcast (The Founder). Listened to 1 episode of Dynasty Happy Hour podcast (ep 398).

5.10.24: Watched 1 episode of Survivor (46.11). Finished video game: Yoshi's Story. 

5.11.24: Watched 1 episode of The Challenge All Stars (3.05). Listened to 1 episode of Fantasy Football Happy Hour podcast (5/9/24 episode). Finished video game: Himno. 

5.12.24: Watched 1 episode of 30 for 30: O.J.: Made in America (ep 2).

5.13.24: Watched movie: Halloween II (2009). Listened to 1 episode of Collateral Cinema (ep 31). Listened to 1 episode of Staff Picks podcast (Honeymoon in Vegas). Listened to 1 episode of Cartridge Club podcast (CC Weekly #61). 

5.14.24: Watched 1 episode of Killing Eve (1.05). Watched 1 episode of The Challenge All Stars (3.06). Listened to 1 episode of Cartridge Club podcast (CC Weekly #62). Listened to 1 episode of the Loser's Club podcast (Muschietti and Wallfisch on It: Chapter Two). Watched movie: 12 Years a Slave.

5.15.24: Watched 2 episodes of The Challenge All Stars (3.07 and 3.08). Watched 1 episode of X-Men '97 (ep 10). Watched 1 episode of 30 for 30: O.J.: Made in America (ep 3). Watched 1 episode of Killing Eve (1.06). Listened to 1 episode of Dynasty Happy Hour podcast (ep 399).

5.16.24: Watched 1 episode of The Challenge All Stars (3.09). Watched 1 episode of Killing Eve (1.07). Listened to 1 episode of 7th Rule podcast (ep 234).

5.17.24: Watched 1 episode of Survivor (46.12). Watched 1 episode of The Challenge All Stars (3.10). Listened to 1 episode of Dynasty Happy Hour podcast (ep 2). Listened to 1 episode of Digging Six Feet Under podcast (s03e09).

5.18.24: Watched 1 episode of Killing Eve (1.08). Watched 2 episodes of The Challenge All Stars (2.01 and 2.02). Watched 1 episode of Survivor (22.01). Listened to 1 episode of Fantasy Football Happy Hour podcast (5/16/24 episode). Watched 1 episode of 30 for 30: O.J.: Made in America (ep 4).

5.19: Listened to 1 episode of Retrograde podcast (ep 171). Listened to 1 episode of Staff Picks podcast (A Christmas Horror Story).  Listened to 1 episode of Dynasty Happy Hour podcast (ep 3). Listened to 1 episode of Cartridge Club podcast (ep 128).

5.20: Watched movie: Doctor Sleep. Listened to 1 episode of Dynasty Happy Hour podcast (ep 4).

5.21: Watched 1 episode of Survivor (22.02). Listened to 1 episode of the Loser's Club podcast (Shudder's Creepshow Review). Watched 1 episode of The Tourist (2.01). Watched movie: Mary and the Witch's Flower. 

5.22: Watched movie: The Disaster Artist. Watched 1 episode of The Challenge All Stars (2.03). Watched 1 episode of The Tourist (2.02). Listened to 1 episode of Ear Biscuits podcast (ep 36).

5.23: Watched 1 episode of The Tourist (2.03). Watched 1 episode of Survivor (46.12). Watched 1 episode of 30 for 30: O.J.: Made in America (ep 5).

5.24: Watched movie: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Watched 1 episode of The Tourist (2.04). Watched 1 episode of The Challenge All Stars (2.04). Watched 2 episodes of Survivor (22.03 and 22.04). Listened to 1 episode of Collateral Gaming podcast (ep 43).

5.25: Watched 1 episode of Survivor (22.05). Watched 1 episode of The Challenge All Stars (2.05). Listened to 1 episode of Dynasty Happy Hour podcast (ep 5). Listened to 1 episode of Arcade Attack podcast (Matt Pritchard Interview).

5.26: Watched 1 episode of Survivor (22.06). Watched 1 episode of The Tourist (2.05). Watched Netflix production: In Vitro. Listened to 1 episode of Dynasty Happy Hour podcast (ep 400). Listened to 1 episode of Staff Picks podcast (Popstar). Listened to 1 episode of Fantasy Football Happy Hour podcast (5/23/24 episode). Listened to 1 episode of 7th Rule podcast (ep 235).

5.27: Finished video game: Psychonauts. Watched 1 episode of The Tourist (2.06). Listened to 1 episode of Retrograde podcast (ep 172). Watched 1 episode of Batman: The Animated Series (The Cape and Cowl Conspiracy). Watched 1 episode of The Fall of the House of Usher (1.01). 

5.28: Watched movie: Identity. Finished video game: Mega Man: The Wily Wars. Listened to 1 episode of Digging Six Feet Under podcast (s03e10). Watched 1 episode of The Challenge All Stars (2.06). Watched 1 episode of Jurassic World: Chaos Theory (1.01).

5.29: Watched 1 episode of The Fall of the House of Usher (1.02). Watched movie: The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker. Watched 1 episode of The Challenge All Stars (2.07).

5.30: Listened to 1 episode of the Survivor Historians podcast (ep 67). Listened to 1 episode of the Arcade Attack podcast (Ico for PS2). Listened to 1 episode of Dynasty Happy Hour podcast (ep 401). Listened to 1 episode of Collateral Cinema podcast (Indie Movie Mega-Review pt 1). 

5.31: Watched 1 episode of The Challenge All Stars (2.08). Listened to 1 episode of the Retrograde podcast (BONUS - The Simpsons Watch Along). Watched 1 episode of Survivor (22.07). Finished video game: A Plague Tale: Innocence.

24 episodes of The Challenge watched.

13 movies watched.

11 episodes of Survivor watched.

8 episodes of Killing Eve watched.

8 episodes of Dynasty Happy Hour played.

6 episodes of The Cartridge Club played.

6 episodes of The Tourist watched.

5 episodes of Staff Picks played.

5 episodes of Arcade Attack played.

5 episodes of the Loser's Club played.

5 episodes of 30 for 30: O.J.: Made in America watched.

5 video games finished.