Recent reviews by Unit M4-S0N

It's the first game but better in every conceivable way.

What, were you expecting more? Nah, that's it. Go play it, it's amazing.

'Not Mega Man' games are a dime a dozen these days, after the early 2010s drought and Mighty No. 9 opening the floodgates. Which is why I'm very pleased to say this game does plenty enough to make it stand out amidst the increasingly-massive crowd.

All the usual bells and whistles are accounted for; the bosses have plenty of cool factor with distinct level gimmicks and styles, complete with multiple techniques you can take from them after defeating them, there's plenty of customization via the massive arsenal of techniques and upgrades, there are lots of secrets in every main stage, and the Eurobeat soundtrack absolutely bumps.

What makes Gravity Circuit stand apart is its combat and movement being polished to a T: it's all melee all day, with a grappling hook to moth throw yourself and bad guys around. It takes a little getting used to, but it sings once you're blasting through a level, pummeling and tossing all the enemies in your path.

There are a few speed bumps with a few levels having occasional moments of annoyance (the highway and cyberspace areas in particular), and a pretty brutal finale. Still though, I would confidently say this game stands among the best 'Mega-likes' and carves out its own unique identity.

"Sir, we've finally done it!"
"Done what?"
"We finally figured out how to make classic Sonic movement feel right!"
"Excellent! Just put it in a group of badly-designed levels with dull gimmicks and uninspired ideas, then top it with some horrifically tedious and annoying bosses."

Just go play a fan game instead, man. Even co-op can't save this one.

TL;DR: Cassette Beasts is an excellent game that made Pokemon look bad by comparison for me. Has a completely different style and vibe with a melancholic, 'comfy' feeling to play. Very enjoyable both if you're looking for a Pokemon alternative or just a solid, fun RPG.

Pros
-Strong story and setting; surprisingly melancholy tone despite its colorful idea. NPC companions that are all enjoyable to have around (and can be romanced!).
-Clever battle system: Type advantage causes unique status effects instead of extra damage, most major bosses using tricky strategies rather than just raw numbers.
-Under-the-hood: Leveling is much less annoying than in Pokemon, allowing you to freely switch between team members and experiment without having to grind. Along with that, there is an automatic level scaling system that you can adjust heavily in the settings. You can also adjust AI difficulty, and after beating the game you unlock randomizer and Nuzlocke settings.
-Charming monsters: The Mons you can encounter are a lot more 'out-there' than what Pokemon would allow, and are universally unique and enjoyable. Split evolutions abound as well, letting you personalize your team.
-Better open world than Scarlet & Violet because it actually scales.

Cons
-Postgame is a little repetitive, and ropes player into challenges they are probably not prepared for yet
-Certain mechanics are gated behind optional quests that may be overly long or obscure to find
-Bootlegs, shiny equivalents with unique types, are still obnoxiously rare

All in all, highly recommended.

Listen. Mega Man fans.
I know it's tempting. There's lots of cool art. There's a ton of characters from across the series' history. It's the only thing with the Mega Man name on it that's getting any kind of attention these days.

But no. This is not the one. This is every insidious, moneygrubbing gacha game you've ever seen and heard of, but now wearing Mega Man X's skin. It's got all the signs; the dizzying, confusing array of currencies and materials. The wait timers. The game suckering you in early then grabbing at your cash once you're invested. All the interesting elements being gated behind random gacha pulls. It's all there and accounted for.

The gameplay is designed to be shallow; movement, evasion, positioning, all those skills you built in the original games are irrelevant in the face of sheer numbers. The game is a mindless cakewalk for the first three areas, then the game takes the kid gloves off and starts the shakedown. The levels are designed to have cheap potshots at you to chip at your health, while enemies sit atop massive piles of it. The game will wear you down eventually, no exceptions.

There's really not much here for series fans, and even less here for anyone else. If you want a good Mega Man experience on Steam, the Legacy Collections are just over there. Go play a fangame, replay the core games, try one of the subseries you haven't yet--just don't bother with this. And if you do, don't spend a cent on it. That is my impassioned plea to you.

Honestly, I wasn't expecting to enjoy this game as much as I did. The first time around, I saw a shooter with clunky pacing and 'meh' combat. Digging deeper and getting into tabletop RPGs helped me appreciate it more, and I can give it a hearty recommendation--with a heavy IF that's what you're looking for.

Pros:
-Excellent story and world
-Character-building options out the wazoo
-Tons of ways to approach and resolve problems
-Lets you roleplay in a singleplayer game, an impressive feat in itself

Cons:
-Slow, kinda-awkward combat
-World gets a bit too big with not enough in it at times
-Buggy, crashes to desktop unpleasantly often (Mods fix it, but I'm reviewing the game on its own!)
-Graphics that aren't outright ugly but aren't great to look at

If you're here for the story and roleplaying aspect of it, it's totally worth it. If you're looking for a more mechanically interesting shooter or RPG, I suggest a different game.

No weak ♥♥♥♥ was promised, and lo, it was delivered.
In all seriousness, Lethal League Blaze is the epitome of what a sequel should be. It takes everything good about the first game and ramps it up to 11 with deeper mechanics, excellent visuals, much better netcode, and more stuff to do. If you liked the first games, or want to try a more unconventional or simpler fighting game, I implore you to try this.

PROS
-The netcode runs very smoothly for me at least. Lots of people have been complaining about it, I don't see what they're on about. It could be regional issues or bad connections?
-The ports run flawlessly. These points combined make for easy online that's a lot of fun.
-The lobby system is fast and lets you jump between games easily, as compared to switching lobbies and waiting for the game to connect.
-Save states for playing arcade mode so you have more than one shot at taking down Bison in Alpha 3.
-Training mode without having to finagle emulation for the console versions.
-Included cheat codes, lots of old art, a music player, and other fun goodies.
CONS
-Only Hyper Fighting, Super Turbo, Alpha 3, and Third Strike have online and training mode. I'm mostly in it for Alpha 3 and Third Strike anyway so it doesn't bother me much, but it is a shame that we can't play the other games online as well.
-The PC settings are pretty weak; no resolution settings if you're in windowed mode, the game is too quiet with no volume control, and no setting up button macros so stuff like EX moves and Alpha 3 throws can get annoying if you're playing on pad.
-No added stuff from later console versions like the massive roster boost that later versions of Alpha 3 got or the presentation improvements in Third Strike OE.
-Lobbies run fast but are a bit threadbare: No in-game chat, and no instant-rematch function.
OVERALL
If you're looking for a more comprehensive way to experience the classic SF games than FightCade, and can't be bothered with setting up netplay for a Dreamcast or Playstation emulator, this is the way to go. Overall a well-done collection, good to see Digital Eclipse maintaining their form after the excellent Mega Man collections.

Sentinels is one of the most fun card games I've ever played, with all the fun of having your own unique deck, deep strategy, fun card interactions, and best of all it's CO-OP, something I can totally get behind. It should be noted that you can also play this game on Tabletop Simulator via the Workshop, but this version is still worth it due to the automation; Does all the bookkeeping and fiddly stuff for you, making the game much faster-paced and more enjoyable, especially if you're playing solo or are new to the game. The one major downside is that unless you buy the multitude of expansions that have come out since Sentinels launched, you'll have a pretty major lack of content. But it's all pretty cheap, so that's not too much of a big worry.

Pretty much everyone has a consensus on this game: The presentation is drab and unpleasant, the roster is sorely lacking new and interesting characters, and the story mode is completely forgettable. BUT the gameplay is the absolute best in the entirety of the Marvel vs. Capcom series, with the combo and tag system being more enjoyable to use than ever before. So whether you'll like this game really comes down to what you're looking for. If you're more interested in the gameplay than anything else, it's a worthwhile game to get (Maybe when it's on sale, overpriced as all hell). If you just want to see Marvel and Capcom characters fight and don't care about the intricacies of the gameplay, get Marvel 3.