Topic: Rate The Last Game You Played

[broodwars]

I also completed The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, but if you want to see my thoughts on it I direct you to the Skyward Sword topic in the main Nintendo thread (spoiler alert: I didn't like it).

The first real game I want to talk about, though, is Teh Eldar Scrollz 5: Skirim for the PS3.  Hmm...something seems to be a little buggy about that title.  No matter.  I'll fix it 2 months down the line with a post-"post" edit when I actually give a damn.      Sadly, I put more effort into that cheap joke than Bethesda put into this port.

I can't stress enough just how abysmal the PS3 version of this game is, and how little Bethesda obviously cared about it.  I've run into at least 8-10 quests that are permanently broken, massive framerate drops, frequent crashes (many spawning corrupted save data, which if I hadn't stopped playing would have permanently damaged my PS3), and just overall weirdness all around.  It's sad because I did genuinely like this game when it worked, though I have to admit that the overall experience is kind of monotonous.  There's plenty to do and things to see, but none of it is altogether exceptional.  Even the epic "random" (yeah right...I fought so many "random" dragons in Winterhold that I swear it must be the Dragon Capital of Skyrim) dragon fights lose their edge when you've done 4-5 of them in the space of 3-4 hours just going about your business.

It's a tradition of mine to always finish a game before I talk about it, so I can have an educated opinion when talking about the full game.  Well, this time I got most of the way through the main quest (I was at the point where you need to make "Dragonsreach" live up to its name) before I just stopped out of sheer irritation with the general lack of effort and polish in this version of the game.  However, I did put in well over 120 hours into the game, so as far as I'm concerned it's perfectly fair since Bethesda couldn't be bothered to release a complete game.  As usual, Bethesda overreaches and creates a massive world full of somewhat-above-average content that they aren't talented enough to do without major issues.  Overall, even setting aside the massive technical issues I don't see how this could be a consensus "Game of the Year" title.  It's very addictive, but the overall experience is merely above-average.

And no, I'm not going to pick the game up on PC or 360.  I'm not repeating 120+ hours of content just because Bethesda can't ever be bothered to produce a quality $60 product on PS3.

The other game I want to cover is Trine 2, a game I did complete.  Overall, it's more Trine with much prettier visuals (seriously, this may be the most gorgeous game I've played this year) and fewer gameplay options, and there's really little else to it.  The only really new gameplay element added is using the environment to water plants that create platforms and bridges, and that gets old pretty fast.

As I mentioned, the game is actually nerfed somewhat from the original Trine, with some of the more interesting abilities of the original game removed (mostly involving the Wizard).  For instance, the Wizard can no longer "surf" across chasms by levitating a platform supporting a box the Wizard is standing on.  The Wizard can also no longer create a floating object in the environment that the Thief can grapple from.  The former's removal is especially baffling because it doesn't really change the game all that much.  Instead of "surfing" across chasms, you can now just stroll past many puzzles by creating a platform in mid-air, and then jumping on and off it to cross gaps as it falls.  So the game is still as broken in that regard as before, just less interesting.  Also unlike the first Trine, there is no inventory now (which makes very little sense, since that was one of the more fun aspects of the first game).

Aside from those changes, the gameplay is essentially unchanged from the first Trine, and so the game got a little monotonous for me towards the latter half of the game.  It even repeats mistakes of the original game, such as having 3-4 pretty much identical generic boss encounters.  On an interesting note, I had the Platinum for this game (#46!) around halfway through the game, because they are based around fairly simple gameplay tricks that Trine 1 players should be well-familiar with rather than progression.  I mention this because without rewards for acquiring the XP bottles (and with the player's ability to respec their characters at any time), there's really no reason to play through these levels again once completed.  That significantly diminishes the drive to explore the levels and find all their secrets.

Overall, Trine 2 is a good game that's probably a great game for players new to the franchise.  For returning Trine players, though, it's pretty same-y.  But man is Trine 2 visually astounding, every level flooded with color and detail.

[Lithium]

@broodwars

yeah thats why i decided i wont be playing skyrim until a year after it released, they have a pretty bad track record with bug riddled release software.



Gun.Smoke
This Capcom developed western themed shump has amazing music typical of NES era capcom games and tight, exhilerating gameplay. It's somewhat addictive in that "just one more try" kind of way but Gun.Smoke is a must play.

7/10

[oohhboy]

Wow, I haven't played that game for decades. It is badass. Just walking alone with a gun in each hand, blasting away at endless number of bandits. It's almost a proto twin stick shooter since every other shooter at the time had you either shooting straight ahead or in the direction of travel. Gun smoke allowed you to shoot in directions independent to your direction of travel.

Then you got a horse and the automatic lever actions.

[BeautifulShy]

Just finished Skyward Sword the other day and I would give it a 9 overall. The only real gripes I have with the game is that the begining was kinda slow and there was a bit to much dialog when you messed up. I will have to say that the difficulty was balanced and it ramped up at a good pace and that there was enough game play variaty to make it enjoyable for long stretches. I did like the bosses in the game and they made good use of the Motion plus combat. I did see a few references to older Zelda games in Skyward Sword which was nice. The music I have to say was nice and it fit the area well and I liked the minor touches like the music changing depending on where you were in the Bazzaar. Overall it is a outstanding game.

[lolmonade]

The first real game I want to talk about, though, is Teh Eldar Scrollz 5: Skirim for the PS3.  Hmm...something seems to be a little buggy about that title.  No matter.  I'll fix it 2 months down the line with a post-"post" edit when I actually give a damn.      Sadly, I put more effort into that cheap joke than Bethesda put into this port.

I can't stress enough just how abysmal the PS3 version of this game is, and how little Bethesda obviously cared about it.  I've run into at least 8-10 quests that are permanently broken, massive framerate drops, frequent crashes (many spawning corrupted save data, which if I hadn't stopped playing would have permanently damaged my PS3), and just overall weirdness all around.  It's sad because I did genuinely like this game when it worked, though I have to admit that the overall experience is kind of monotonous.  There's plenty to do and things to see, but none of it is altogether exceptional.  Even the epic "random" (yeah right...I fought so many "random" dragons in Winterhold that I swear it must be the Dragon Capital of Skyrim) dragon fights lose their edge when you've done 4-5 of them in the space of 3-4 hours just going about your business.

It's a tradition of mine to always finish a game before I talk about it, so I can have an educated opinion when talking about the full game.  Well, this time I got most of the way through the main quest (I was at the point where you need to make "Dragonsreach" live up to its name) before I just stopped out of sheer irritation with the general lack of effort and polish in this version of the game.  However, I did put in well over 120 hours into the game, so as far as I'm concerned it's perfectly fair since Bethesda couldn't be bothered to release a complete game.  As usual, Bethesda overreaches and creates a massive world full of somewhat-above-average content that they aren't talented enough to do without major issues.  Overall, even setting aside the massive technical issues I don't see how this could be a consensus "Game of the Year" title.  It's very addictive, but the overall experience is merely above-average.

And no, I'm not going to pick the game up on PC or 360.  I'm not repeating 120+ hours of content just because Bethesda can't ever be bothered to produce a quality $60 product on PS3.

I've made it a rule for myself to wait for the GOTY edition of Bethesda games because of this.  I just started Fallout 3 because of this same problem.  I'll post comments after I get more than 2 hours into it.

[ejamer]

Quick ratings for games I've been playing over the holidays:


Pushmo (3DS)
Good puzzle game with interesting concept and lots of content. My only real complaint is that puzzles - even tricky ones - tend to be pretty straightforward if you stop and think before moving around. The real value here isn't in the collection of puzzles included though, but the ability to create and share unique levels using QR codes. Endless replay value due to that great addition.
8/10


FreakyForms (3DS)
Expected to get tired of this quickly because the "action" portion of the game is very simplistic and doesn't really change or progress significantly as you continue playing... however, FreakyForms has chalked up a huge amount of playtime because of several factors: it's fun to see what you can create using the limited shapes available, there is a steady stream of unlockables goading you on, and the sharing aspect (via streetpass or QR codes) is hilarious. Not much of a "game" in the traditional sense, but a great buy for creative types.
9/10


Suikoden Tierkreis (DS)
(Still in progress.) Wasn't sure what to expect going in, but have really enjoyed my time with this game. The voice acting and video clips are nice additions in a portable RPG and the story was good enough to keep me coming back. The biggest downsides are that the quest has felt a bit guided and that combat seems decidedly old-school -- something that might limit the audience somewhat, although it didn't hurt my enjoyment at all.
7/10


Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii)
First impressions weren't entirely favorable - graphics didn't wow me (although they are good considering the hardware) and the game felt a bit overwhelming with dozens of help screens explaining the various in-game systems. But the more I played the more engrossed I became. The affinity system that measures character relationships is neat, the combat is easy to pick up and always enjoyable, the soundtrack is beautiful, and the huge number of mini-quests and areas to explore is wonderful. This is a game that can easily suck hours out of your life as you become more involved in the game world.
10/10

Mario vs Donkey Kong: Minis March Again (DSiWare)
Although the base game is quite short and easy, the ability to create and share your own content gives this game nearly endless replay value. It's fast, fun (except for the annoying boss battles), and best of all free until Jan 10, 2012 -- as long as you don't mind dropping 150 Club Nintendo coins, that is. Definitely worth playing and very entertaining for puzzle fans.
8/10

[Lithium]

I've made it a rule for myself to wait for the GOTY edition of Bethesda games because of this.  I just started Fallout 3 because of this same problem.

Sometimes there's so much beauty in the world of Skyrim, I feel like I can't take it, and my heart is just going to cave in...

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[broodwars]

I've finished my first game of 2012, Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath HD off PSN.  Overall, it's an interesting title that's worth checking out if you're curious, but it's also one that infuriated me for at least 2/3 of my 12.5 hour playthrough.  The game starts out decently enough, pitting you as a mysterious bounty hunter running around taking down bounties with "live" ammunition to pay for an important "operation".  Unfortunately, the next 9 game hours are spent regurgitating the same formula: walk into town, get a bounty, go to the bounty's location (which you can usually only ever go to if you have accepted the mission, and you can never return there), take out all his henchmen, take out the boss, return to town to cash-in your bounties, wash, rinse, repeat.  This gets incredibly monotonous after about the 4th or so bounty (especially if you only use the non-lethal ammo to maximize your profit with live captures), and there are 9+ in the game.

However, 2/3 of the way into the game, some major (and genuinely good) plot twists are revealed and the gameplay gets changed up to...shooting/capturing waves of dudes in a glorified corridor shooter.  Ugh.  Granted, it's not the same "bounty capture" formula, but it's just as monotonous.  I was ready for this game to be over about 4 hours before it actually did, and the final few game hours are full of incredibly cheap sections of bad game design.  For an example, there's a race against a timer near the end where the game barely gives you enough time to reach the goal, while filling the "track" (which is not very well-marked) with high-damaging enemies you don't have time to stop and heal from.  Plus, because this game saves like an old PC game, if you don't make a save near the beginning of the "race" you can easily lock your progress 12 hours into the game by reaching the end of the race with too little time but having no previous save to return to to better your time.  I nearly did this, and I almost rage quit out of sheer frustration.  This sequence is followed by a double boss fight that's one of the cheapest I've ever seen, with both bosses having an unlimited combo if they pin you against a wall (which, considering their main move pins you in a single spot and that combo sends Stranger flying, happens a lot).  It's very poor game design, and should have been addressed when this game was picked up for a remake.

I also thought the story got pretty muddled by this point, as a lot of it is told through NPCs that are fairly difficult to understand.  I had to read on a Wiki later exactly what my character's motivation was during this point in the game, and what was going on with the villain.   The voice acting is also terrible.  I'd be shocked if there were more than half a dozen voice actors for the entire game, and Stranger's is particularly bad.  I can see what the voice director was trying for with him, but rather than a low; slow; western drawl he just sounds like he has some sort of mental disability.  In fairness to the game, though, it is an interesting and unique experience, just one that went on for way too long and had some cheap sections at the end.  This is also one of the best HD conversions I've ever seen, as the game looks great (including the cinemas, which look like they could be for a modern game).

It's a very uneven experience that's so reliant on formula it feels like padding, but it's not a bad game.  It's just a very frustrating one.

[Lithium]

Metroid Fusion

Since this is my first time playing through the game and I had already played thorugh Metroid: other M  I was initially surprised that the story wasn't horrible considering how this is another game where Sakamoto worked on the script. It helps that there was no voice acting with the story downplayed compared to the Prime series and especially other M.  This is definitely a case where less is more.

While it eschews the traditional format of flinging the player into a world with no direction in favor of objectives and story, Fusion is still a well made addition to the series as the tight controls, platforming and even exploration are still here.

9/10

I'd like to see a sequel to this game provided Sakamoto isn't involved with scriptwriting, there's some interesting places the story could potentially go placed in the right hands.

-----------

edit: January 7th 2012

Donkey Kong Country

Can't believe it took me this long to get around to it. This was an awesome game. (man old games are hard to write about in length)

9/10

[FZeroBoyo]

Mighty Switch Force! (3DS)


Controls are great, the graphics are fantastic, and I find it very replayable. There's not much of an incentive to get the par times unless you're a completionist. Recommended.


8/10 

[Halbred]

Earthworm Jim HD.

Look, I like Earthworm Jim. I know the game has some really horrible missions and questionable game design (don't let that submarine touch anything!) but this is a good HD remake, and it's basically the special edition of the original game with new content and completely remixed graphics. Good stuff, and it's on sale on the PSN for like $3. Can't turn that down!

[lolmonade]

As mentioned before, among the pile of games I got during the steam sale was Fallout 3: GOTY edition.  Playing it on the PS3 was a frustrating process due to glitches as well as what I thought was sloppy controls.  I repeatedly hear the benefits of PC gaming, and at a price point of approx. $7, I don’t feel bad about taking a 2^nd look.
 
This is a game that feels like it was meant for a keyboard.  One thing I can greatly appreciate is being able to set hotkeys for the weapons, and being able to manually assign weapons to the number keys.  I’m not up to date on other FPS, but this is a design change I hope has become the norm.  I feel much more comfortable walking, fighting, and navigating the Pip boy with the keyboard/mouse than with the dualshock.
 
I was less impressed with the stability of the game.  In the 5 hours of playing the game, I’ve encountered a glitch that gets me stuck in the ground twice and one game freeze in the grocery store mission mid-combat, all forcing me to restart from my last save point.
 
In regards to gameplay, I do like the VATS system, as well as the RPG/FPS blend it provides.  A problem I have is that I seem to have no warning when monsters/raiders show up on the map, so they’re usually able to take a few pot shots at me before I can respond with my own attack.  Maybe it’s a sign of needing to upgrade my stealth attribute.  I can appreciate the sense of exploration I’ve gotten from exploring the wasteland, but it lends itself to getting lost.  Biggest gripe so far in gameplay mechanics is not having someplace to store all this stuff.  I get encumbered too easily, but I don’t want to sell/toss a lot of the stuff I find.  Anyone know a solution to this?
 
I’ll keep soldering on, because my overall experience has been more positive than expected, and I imagine that I’ll be more competent when I learn how to play the game better.
 
Tentative Rating: 7/10

[FZeroBoyo]

Kirby's Return to Dream Land (Wii)


People dismissed it quickly for not bringing anything new to the table, but I found it doesn't have to. It's a finely tuned platformer with a good amount of challenge and more content than I initially thought. The inclusion of The Arena and its harder counterpart brought back painful memories of Super Star Ultra.


9/10

[broodwars]

Darksiders - I checked out the demo for this game a year or two ago, and I remember not being particularly impressed with the game.  But a couple of years later, the game's garnered a fair amount of critical praise and it was on sale on PSN for $15 so I decided to check it out (Platinum #47, btw  ).

Overall, I had a fair amount of enjoyment with the game (certainly more than I did with Skyward Sword), but man this game hurts for any amount of originality, as it blatantly rips off its entire design document (without really adding anything new) from the likes of God of War; Zelda; and even (strangely enough) Portal; Gears of War; and Panzer Dragoon.  I still hate this game's gray and warm colors-centric art style, and the world is still not particularly interesting to look at (or particularly well-themed beyond generic "flames and destruction").  The story is pretty paper-thin as well, though at least there's some attempt at telling it well with above-average voice acting and some memorable characters.

Where the game succeeded for me is in basically how well it completely rips-off the better elements of Zelda: the emphasis on exploration, puzzle-solving, and discovering secrets.  It gets the Zelda "flow" just right, as the game moves very smoothly with only a minor 1 hour hitch at the end with a last-minute, gameplay-padding fetch quest.  It's basically what I found woefully lacking in Skyward Sword, and even if it does have a little padding it's far more enjoyable; shorter; and straightforward than what Skyward Sword did.  The boss fights are generally well-designed (complete with Zelda's emphasis on using your tools to exploit weaknesses), and the combat is...tolerable, if not very exciting.

I just wish the developers had narrowed their focus to only emulating the experience from 1 or 2 sources, such as the Zelda and God of War (easily the two most pronounced influences).  Instead, for what I can only assume is the sake of variety, we have elements like mediocre/monotonous Gears of War-style gunnery sections and a single lame Panzer Dragoon-style sequence.  These sections really don't add anything to the game, and they aren't very well-done.  It makes me wonder how much better the game would have been if the team had just focused their efforts on making the Zelda-style level design and God of War-style combat the best it could be.

So yeah, Darksiders is good but falls very short of "great" IMO due to the developers seemingly not sure what they wanted to make with the game.  Hopefully, Darksiders 2 (which I am now interested in) will be a much more cohesive and focused experience, rather than the shotgun approach taken here.

[Halbred]

Personally, I like the game's art style. It's all very post-apocolyptic without being Fallout 3. The Zelda elements are great--I've said before that Darksiders was the Zelda game that year. You're absolutely right about there not being an original bone in the game's body, but I don't care--the wierdest thing was the Portal Gun (that's what it is) but it's used well.

[jrlibrarian]

Well, I WAS playing Final Fantasy III. I had just gotten to the Opera House boss fight, when the game glitches out on me. I reset the system... And my save file has been deleted. I love what I had played up to that point (I blasted through in about a 2 day period) but now I don't know if I really want to go back through all that right away. Can you guys help remotivate me to pick it back up?

[broodwars]

Well, I WAS playing Final Fantasy III. I had just gotten to the Opera House boss fight, when the game glitches out on me. I reset the system... And my save file has been deleted. I love what I had played up to that point (I blasted through in about a 2 day period) but now I don't know if I really want to go back through all that right away. Can you guys help remotivate me to pick it back up?

TBH, I really liked Final Fantasy VI, but you've seen all the best parts of that game.  You're nearing the end of the 1st half of the game, and the game's really downhill from there IMO.

On the flipside, FF VI is one of the best paced Final Fantasy games, so if you want to work your way back up there as you've seen it doesn't take long.

[ejamer]

I disagree that he's seen all the best parts if quitting at the opera house. Some of the most interesting (and most moving) parts of the story come in the second half*, and if you haven't made if that far then you really should pick the game back up and try again.

Of course, the second half is also where FFVI changes from a fairly linear, story-driven affair into a game that relies on you to explore and make your own decisions about where/how to progress. Sometimes that doesn't work out so well - and it definitely changes the pace of the game. But there are plenty of hidden secrets to uncover if that is your thing.

*Memorable parts that really need to be seen include (spoilers):

• Dungeons that you have divide your party and work through in stages
• Kefka destroying the world as you know it
• Waiting for Shadow, any scenes that allow you to learn more about his past
• Celes fishing, and her decision on the cliff
• Gogo, the Yeti, and massive XP from dinosaurs
• Finally reuniting your party (if you choose to)
• Of course, the final battle and game ending

If the game had glitched out a little bit later - a little while after getting past the mid-point - then maybe it wouldn't be worth going back for more. But as it stands now there are too many epic moments missed to not recommend playing through again.

[HaloEliteLEGEND]

The last game I played was probably Pokemon Soulsilver because I was feeling overwhelmingly bored, stuck in a random game, and started playing.


The game is pretty long. While I was playing, I beat the Pokemon league and took my first steps into Kanto. The cruise was fun.


I'm not sure this counts as a review.

[broodwars]

Red Faction: Armageddon - A pretty average game overall, though I did enjoy the mindless vehicle sections and I thought the overall sense of destruction was pretty good as well.  The story is bland and forgettable and only a handful of weapons are really worth using (especially the shotgun), but for a game that killed its franchise it's not that bad.  Its crime is being merely an average Dead Space knock-off with gameplay that really doesn't deviate outside of the vehicle sections, and I enjoyed it more than critical darling Red Faction Guerilla (which, as opposed to having a bland story just doesn't have one altogether).  It wasn't that hard of a Platinum, either (#48).

I did have to laugh, though, at the game's ending.  This series owes a lot to Total Recall, so it was hilarious to see the ending basically boil down to "Give these people Ayyyyyyyyyyyaaaaaaaaaaarrrrr!"  :

[Lithium]

Illusion of Gaia

 As someone who isn't wearing rose tinted glasses most accounts I've heard of the game's story are overblown. True it mentions heavy subjects like slavery, gambling and environmental messages it mentions these in passing and aren't really a major part of the story (save for environmentalism) which is really just the typical JRPG fare. That's not to say that the game's story doesn't deserve praise, because even though the story is only mildly different from your typical JRPG story its the presentation of the story that sets it apart, the famous raft scene comes to mind.  Just don't let people's nostalgia lead you to believe that this is a mature story. Like Little King's Story, this falls into the "kiddie, but macabre" category and considering the era that this game was released in this is fairly unique.

The music in the game is passable, it fits the situation it's placed in but the composition seems plain with a few tracks being overused. I ended up turning the volume off and listening to podcasts in the background.  Those looking for something similar to a Link to the past should give this game a shot. Though there is no overworld or much in the way of exploration, the combat is very similar to a Link to the past, the dungeons have lots of variation and the boss fights are pretty enjoyable.

7/10
 In the end it's still an enjoyable game, the gameplay isn't as tight as A link to the past and the music ranges from boring and generic to decent but people looking to play somthing like a 2-d zelda game should give this a shot.

[jrlibrarian]

I actually just snagged Illusion of Gaia in an Ebay lot the other day. Should be here sometime next week.

[broodwars]

Bloodrayne: Betrayal - This recently went up for sale on PSN for half off (and still is for PS+ users as of this writing), and I'm really surprised at how much I enjoyed this game.  I've never played any of the PS2 Bloodrayne games or seen the reportedly godawful Uwe Boll movies, but I am now somewhat curious about the PS2 games.  I see this game compared a lot to the 2D Castlevania games due to its gothic, heavily-stylized visuals, but what doesn't get mentioned a lot is how similar this game is to the Mega Man X games.  Sure, you spend a considerable portion of the game slicing various monsters to ribbons or sucking their blood for health, but there's also an incredibly heavy emphasis on reflex-intensive, pixel-perfect platforming with wall-climbing and air-dashing straight out of the Mega Man X games.  You use perfect platforming skills to uncover hidden items ala the MM X games, as well.

Like both series, though, Bloodrayne Betrayal is almost sadistically difficult near the end of the game, with sequences that require swift and precise movement over and around spike traps; buzz saws; acid pools; laser traps; cannon balls; etc.  One moment of hesitation often means sudden and very violent death.  Checkpoints are fairly frequent; you can find hidden skulls to increase your maximum health and bullets; and Rayne can drink the blood of most enemies for a quick health restore, but this is a hard game reliant on quick reflexes and excellent pattern recognition.  Also, like WayForward's other works the animation is gorgeous and fluid, but unfortunately it is very easy to get trapped in animation routines that lead to cheap hits and death.  Thankfully, the dash and Rayne's aerial combat moves can help alleviate these problems, but it is a serious issue.

I also have to give WayForward praise for the game's final boss, which is both very strange and awesome: a giant minotaur that shoots eye lasers and shatters reality...with the power of WYLD STALLYNS! *air guitar*  I'm dead serious.  He's riffing on an electric air guitar as he's kicking your ass, and it's a surreal and awesome experience.   :

I can see how this game could not appeal to people, because it can come off as very cheap in its difficulty, but despite not being very fond of old 2D Castlevania for that very reason I really enjoyed this game.  The music's good, the art and animation are great, and the flow of the game is very fast and smooth.  Highly recommended if you're a fan of the old Mega Man X games or pre-Symphony of the Night 2D Castlevania.

[Halbred]

I'm at the bitter end of Bloodrayne and I love it, but it's a punishing game. I haven't played a 2D pixel-perfect platformer like this in a loooong time. The one thing I dislike about the game is that it's virtually impossible to get anything other than a C-grade on the levels in the 2nd half of the game. There's also kind of a dearth of enemy types. However, Bloodrayne's idle animation makes up for a lot (although it takes like 35 seconds to trigger).

[broodwars]

The one thing I dislike about the game is that it's virtually impossible to get anything other than a C-grade on the levels in the 2nd half of the game. There's also kind of a dearth of enemy types.

Yeah, the game is way too hard to get a good score on, which is why I abandoned trying to do a 100% trophy run on the game, despite really liking it.  I don't think I ever got above a C rating on any level, even ones where I got all the treasures I could find and really racked-up the points.

As for the lack of enemy types, I thought the variety was sufficient for a 5-hour game.  Here's a list of the standard non-boss enemies just for sake of argument:

- standard walking zombie/vampire w/ handgun
- fleshy mass that springs out of the ground and explodes
- electric frog w/ spawning eggs that litter the environments
- mosquitos/flies w/ respawning hives that litter the environments
- "Needler"-style zombie/vampire that charges at you on the ground
- Lady vampires in Victorian gown that throw ricocheting fans around the environment
- Lady vampires in Chinese dress & hat that throw explosives across the battlefield.
- Large, Monstrous blobs that spew toxic gas and wield a hammer.
- Armored vampires that charge at the player and wield a short-range weapon.

And because this is also largely a platforming game, I'd also note all the platforming traps I noted earlier as enemies to be conquered as well (but in a different way).  I think that variety's pretty good for a short game like this, and it's about on-par with the older platforming-based Castlevania games.  But I can understand wanting more enemy types to kill.

I've also completed another new game, but I'll go into that in my next post for the sake of ease of reading.