9
Products
reviewed
957
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in account

Recent reviews by Edge

Showing 1-9 of 9 entries
1 person found this review helpful
2.2 hrs on record (2.0 hrs at review time)
I'm going to write this review primarily about the Sonic 3 & Knuckles component of Origins, since that's where all my time went.

I'm not sure what to say for this one. I've been pretty hyped for Origins, since S3&K is genuinely one of my favorite retro titles and we haven't seen any kind of re-release for it in some time. Unfortunately it seems like we didn't actually get that, and instead we ended up getting something dancing around trying to pretend it's S3&K. As someone who plays through the original on a very regular basis, this port just feels *off*.

Sonic does NOT handle smoothly. You seem to stick to some surfaces, mid-air control is nonexistent, some surfaces will send you flying at weird angles, and some gaps will be "fine" one second and then randomly crush you the next. The original genesis Sonic titles were always about fast paced gameplay with extremely tight controls and it feels like NONE of that transitioned over. There seems to be an inconsistent input latency layered on top of everything, as some times Sonic would wait before responding to my jump, while other times I had to purposefully slow down my input of spin dashing because the game would arbitrarily decide to respond to the jump button BEFORE the fact that i was holding down.

Maybe the included versions of Sonic 1 / 2 / CD are great (since they use the pre-existing mobile ports), but the attempt at S3&K most certainly is not. I could forgive the $40 pricetag for yet another re-release, the lack of original licensed music, the use of Denuvo, or even the blatant cash grab DLC; But somehow Sega took a nigh perfect game, and found a way to drain the fun out of it. So please don't reward Sega for such a shoddy effort. Just go play Sonic 3 AIR instead.
Posted 23 June, 2022. Last edited 23 June, 2022.
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3.2 hrs on record (0.2 hrs at review time)
Best remaster I've ever played, which really just highlights how lazy other similarly named projects have been.

Devs actually put in the effort to completely revamp graphics rather than slapping on crappy filters. Sound has been remastered, new remixes added, and you can select exactly which variants of every song you want to play. UI has been polished, and also given new quality of life changes from later titles that quite frankly improve the game. (Queuing up build order, more space on the sidebar, more details on power usage, etc) All of the game content is there, in terms of campaigns and expansion packs.

They even brought back the DOS installer montage, FFS!

There's really not much more I can say. This is the original C&C + Red Alert that you remember and love, *properly* brought into the era of 4k gaming. If you enjoyed those games at all in the past, this purchase is a legit no-brainer. It's an example of an actual remastering, unlike other companies that attempt to sell you games you already own with a lazy re-packaging.
Posted 5 June, 2020.
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1 person found this review helpful
13.0 hrs on record (3.5 hrs at review time)
Early Access Review
A fantastic fusion of roguelike elements and metroidvania esque platforming. The game runs great with smooth, beautiful animation while featuring extremely tight controls and gameplay that feels "just right". So far the game has never felt unfair, just punishing if and when you make mistakes.

The game was easily worth the price earlier on in Early Access, and has only had more features + gameplay added to it with time. The level of polish already rivals many other "complete" games I've experienced on Steam, and I only see that being improved upon as well. If "early access" has it feeling more complete than other titles, I'm very excited to see what the eventual finished product will bring to the table.

So yeah. For anyone who enjoys platformers and a bit of punishing difficulty to their game, I can't recommend this enough.
Posted 30 December, 2017.
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1 person found this review helpful
7.2 hrs on record
There's really no way to write this review without mentioning Nintendo's "Metroid". While many games have spawned from the platforming exploration genre it defined, few have been as true and accurate of a love letter as Axiom Verge. This is not to say that Axiom Verge is a rip-off. Not by any means! If anything, it's a tribute that knows exactly what made Metroid great, and pays homage to those elements.

The title starts in typical fashion with an extremely large (and unforgiving) world/map that you can only access scraps of, at the game's beginning. Each navigation item acquired opens up more of the map, until eventually the player feels like a space ninja, with nothing out of their reach or bounds.

On the topic of navigation and exploration, Axiom Verge is much more true to its roots than many recent titles in the genre. There's no color coded doors or blocks. When you get an item that expands your ability to traverse the landscape, it's on YOU (the player) to figure out or remember where said item can be applied. While this can result in a bit of frustration and backtracking, I found it to feel a lot more satisfying.

As for other factors:
* The graphics are great (Pixel art, but with very intricate and detailed designs)
* Music is phenomenal (the game does a great job of capturing the feeling of isolation and an alien environment through the insturment choice and composition.)
* The story was really enjoyable for me (A lot of things are left unresolved, but done so tastefully as to keep the player thinking about it long after beating the game. Lots of great worldbuilding, and plenty of room for a hopeful sequel.)
* Gameplay in general is also great. (Fairly fast paced, good flow of enemy and platforming difficulty, with some real fun boss fights)

The best way I can really put it is that Axiom Verge is quite frankly the best "Metroid" game to come out in quite some time. (Not Metroidvania, Metroid. Thomas Happ is doing the genre better than Nintendo themselves at this point.) The elements of the Metroidvania genre (platforming, exploration, gatekeeping through items) are handled in a superb manner, and the game has enough personality to be memorable, standing apart on its own. For anyone who is remotely a fan of the genre (especially of the earlier NES and SNES titles) I can't recommend this title enough.
Posted 27 November, 2016. Last edited 27 November, 2016.
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7.4 hrs on record (5.3 hrs at review time)
This game feels like an extremely solid Metroidvania title, in a similar vein to the Souls (Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, Bloodborne) series.

RUtM features extremely tight and precise controls and gameplay, with an excellently natural difficulty curve that is punishing but not unfair or discouraging. While low resolution, the sprites are fantastic with a lot of detail, charm, and nuance behind them. The soundtrack is also phenomenal, helping set the mood for the game's backdrop. The game features a large open ended world, with a large amount of backtracking and exploration as you'd expect from the genre, including a large number of shortcuts. (Much akin to Souls titles)

Overall I can't recommend this title enough. It feels like there's been a bit of a drought for solid Metroidvanias, and this game has succeeded in delivering something wonderful. The game is charming with a lot of love put into it, and is sure to please any fan of 2d exploration-heavy platformers.
Posted 26 June, 2016.
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3.3 hrs on record (2.2 hrs at review time)
An insane game that hearkens back to and recaptures the sheer fun of online stick figure kung fu Flash movies. The game itself is very simple and easy to pick up, with a quickly ramping difficulty that tests your reactions and requires precision timing. (Attack too soon, and you'll miss - leaving yourself wide open and being penalized on score!)

A very simple, but super enjoyable way to spend downtime. Would highly recommend!
Posted 20 December, 2015.
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1.1 hrs on record
A fun little puzzle platformer, featuring 2d side scrolling with a teleport gun. (Think a portal gun, but only a 1-way 'port.) Pretty short if you blitz through, with the majority of game time being in exploration for all of the different collectibles. Very charming graphics and soundtrack. Story isn't terribly strong, but the gameplay is great enough to make up for it. Difficulty felt just right - difficult but not too punishing and not discouraging.

Overall, a very fun experience. Would definitely recommend!
Posted 4 November, 2015.
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20.7 hrs on record (12.2 hrs at review time)
An absolutely fantastic Metroidvania title filled with love, laughter, and personality. A bit short (Have almost 100%ed it just short of 8 hours) but a very well made title. Plenty of exploration to do, fun combat, and lots of good writing + great humor. Had me grinning the entire way through. Would wholeheartedly recommend!
Posted 30 May, 2014.
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3.2 hrs on record (1.6 hrs at review time)
Probably my favorite Shmup of all time. While the gameplay mechanics themselves aren't too complex (You absorb similarly colored shots and deal double damage to the opposite color) the game manages to stay fun. The levels are well designed and the enemy designs are fairly unique, with an EXCELLENT soundtrack and an ESPECIALLY EXCELLENT Final Chapter. If you missed out on this for Dreamcast/Gamecube/XBLA, I'd definitely recommend getting it!
Posted 6 March, 2014.
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Showing 1-9 of 9 entries