Nocturne's Game Reviews- for when he's bored

[mikey]

Plus if you wanna be cool you gotta do what the cool kids be doing

http://forum.ninsheetmusic.org/index.php?topic=6705.msg273213#msg273213

http://forum.ninsheetmusic.org/index.php?topic=6705.msg354195#msg354195

http://forum.ninsheetmusic.org/index.php?topic=6705.msg361193#msg361193

http://forum.ninsheetmusic.org/index.php?topic=6705.msg379364#msg379364

http://forum.ninsheetmusic.org/index.php?topic=6705.msg381217#msg381217

[blueflower999]

Great review.

[MaestroUGC]

Boo! You're a hack who can't write!

[mikey]

I would appreciate a little less sarcasm, you of all people should know it takes time to write reviews! 

The Legend of Zelda:  A Link Between Worlds
For Nintendo 3DS


Story: 5/7 (How central was the story to the game?  Was the story unique and riveting?  Did it add to overall enjoyment?)

Spoiler

If the basic story hadn't been done before, it would have been amazing.  As it is, they did a fantastic job making it feel fresh, with colorful villains and well-written cutscenes.

[close]

Character Development: 6/7 (How well were the main characters exposed?  Did you feel connected to them by the end of the game?  Did they have noticeable quirks that made them unique?)

Spoiler

Gulley is quite frankly amazing.  All of the sages have their own attitudes that you can quickly pick up on (looking at you Irene).  I have to say though, Ravio is the most mysterious yet hilarious and epic deuteragonist I've ever seen in a Zelda game.  However, I can't quite figure out why Queen Oren has bloating problems??

[close]

Reward Factor: 6/7 (Did getting through a certain part of the game feel rewarding?  Was the game difficult enough to enjoy a challenge?)

Spoiler

I'll admit it; I'm kinda bad at video games and that makes me a sucker for the slightly lower difficulty ones.  I feel like ALBW set a good bar, and with Hero Mode afterwards, does not disappoint more hardcore gamers.

[close]

Art: 7/7 (Does the art style do a good job of getting the overall vibes of the game across?  Is the art visually appealing?  Does the art match the particular mood of the game at its current time?)

Spoiler

The art direction chosen for ALBW is absolutely stunning and really portrays the idyllic world that is Hyrule compared to the absolute mess of a kingdom called Lorule.  Even better, it's in 3D which has absolutely beautiful effects on the environment.

[close]

Music: 6/7 (Does the music evoke certain emotions that are being portrayed in game?  Does the music match up well with the art?  Does the music have a tone unique to this particular area?)

Spoiler

While most of the music is remixes from ALttP, it had an amazing soundtrack by itself and this is no exception.  The remixes are fresh and do a good job of illustrating the slight differences between ALBW and ALttP.

[close]

Gameplay: 4/7 (Are the controls easy to learn but capable of multiple processes?  Is the interaction with the environment logical and natural?  Are the different areas of the game well constructed and thought out?)

Spoiler

If any part of the game is lacking, I feel it's this part.  A few of the bosses were very unique and stellar, but very many of them were just the same thing over and over.  The touch screen Quick Item Switch was very counterintuitive and I would much rather pause the game to swap items out.  I think the Dark Palace was my absolute favorite dungeon ever made and is a good example of what your average dungeon should be like.  I'd like to mention Tower of Hera as the greatest disappointment of the bunch.  So much design space was wasted here, it felt overhyped.

[close]

Overall: 34/42
While The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is a great Zelda game and a great 3DS game there are many other Zelda games that outclass it.  I do feel Nintendo taking a step in the right direction with this one, however, adding a few great bosses to the mix and a couple of fantastic dungeons.
Stay tuned for another terrible pun in my review of Skyward Sword!

[Maelstrom]

I disagree quite a bit with that. It was the gameplay that made the game so good, and the graphical style was literally the most bland thing in a Zelda game since that lava place Subrosia in Oracle of Seasons.

[MaestroUGC]

I would appreciate a little less sarcasm, you of all people should know it takes time to write reviews! 

That's why you don't make the thread until the review is actually written.

[mikey]

I disagree quite a bit with that. It was the gameplay that made the game so good, and the graphical style was literally the most bland thing in a Zelda game since that lava place Subrosia in Oracle of Seasons.

I honestly think it was hyped way too much.  The whole idea of renting items just meant you had all the items right away rather than having to pick and choose thanks to games like Fortune's Chance!  While the other parts of the game almost certainly lived up to expectations I feel it wasn't the grand step forward nintendo might have been planning with this particular installment.

[Maelstrom]

*gameplay
Meaning how everything controlled. I wouldn't call Ravio's shop "gameplay."

[mikey]

Maybe not, but it was an integral part of the gameplay and was one of the main selling points of the game itself

[Maelstrom]

Ehh. It might have been nice if you could only buy them or died more often. I think the non-linearity was what made the game so good, along with great boss designs.

[mikey]

Yes, the ability to change the dungeon order was nice.  And some of the boss designs were good Quite a few of them were just "Eye with protection around it" though

[mikey]

EarthBound
With a Capital B


Story: 7/7

Spoiler

Okay, is 7 too high of a score?  No way.  The story grabs you right off the bat and sets a unique niche in rpg stories as a sci-fi rather than fantasy setting.  Even the fact that everyone seems ok with a kid being destined to save the world somehow makes sense.  All boys leave home someday.  That's what it said on TV.  By today's standards the story is very simplistic but I feel like alien invasions don't have a lot of representation in video games, so EarthBound doesn't have much competition.  The story isn't perfect, of course - after all, it is an rpg- what would they do without a final boss fight story device?  It also loses micro points for a cliche ending.

[close]

Character Development: 5/7

Spoiler

A large part of the story is Ness growing as a hero and a majority of this score belongs to that change alone.  It's really hard to describe this one but all the important characters in the story really change.  A good example of this is the relationship between Jeff and his dad.

[close]

Reward factor: 6/7

Spoiler

So apparently this game isn't actually that hard after all, but playing through it the first time it was seriously challenging for me and the fact that I finished the game speaks volumes to how rewarding the game feels.

[close]

Art: 4/7

Spoiler

Well, it has its strong suits.

[close]

Music: 6/7

Spoiler

The only reason it doesn't get a 7 here is because I didn't like the entire soundtrack.  That being said, the ost did a good job of characterizing the game and showing off how unique the game was for its time.

[close]

Gameplay: 5/7

Spoiler

So it would be really nice if the game let you know that L was the actual A button.  There also wasn't a lot of space for innovation in the battle system, as it is just an rpg.  The background was also mildly distracting at times, but the game doesn't lose points for that.

[close]

Overall: 34/42
This is a mobile review so I can't fully give the game justice, but it is thoroughly the most enjoyable rpg I have ever played, and I'd recommend everyone give it a try no matter your taste in gaming, because it really is in a class of its own.


Inb4 comment about great SS review

[Dudeman]

great undertale review

[cashwarrior1]

great undertale review

Everything is wrong about this statement.

[SlowPokemon]

EarthBound is hella cool and I love it but I've never found the motivation to finish it. I stopped at the desert town before and just never went back to it, and that was my third time trying. I'll play it all the way through someday.

Did you review the SNES, Wii U, or New 3DS version?