GAME CRITIQUE AND ANALYSIS
PLATFORMER
Opinion of this genre:
I have a lot of nostalgia for the 3D platformer genre since thats what dominated N64 and early GameCube. Notable games were Banjo-Kazooie, Banjo-Tooie, Mario 64, Mario Sunshine, Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg, and Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. The collectathon is a subgenre that really hits home for me, especially out of some of these examples.
Definition of a "good game" in this specific genre:
For 3D platformers, making use of 3D space is really important. A lot of games use one level for multiple different objectives and either have you play through it multiple times on different paths, or just have you explore around it until you get everything there. If there's only one path to take to get to the goal, it doesn't fully utilize the benefits of having 3D space.
Best examples of this genre:
Banjo-Kazooie is gonna be a shameless nostalgia based favorite for me. Hub worlds in games were something I always loved. Instead of just choosing a level off of a menu, hub worlds make everything feel more connected. Menus break up gameplay and pull the player out, so being able to just exit a level and still be playing a platforming just to get to the next level preserves gameplay and immersion. You can also add things to hub worlds like hidden collectibles and objectives that are only accessible after the player unlocks different things throughout the levels. This gives the player the feeling that the hub world grows with them, and becomes more open to them as they progress. Banjo-Kazooie has large levels with multiple objectives scattered throughout it, giving each level a lot of replay value and different kinds of gameplay. Each level will have regular platforming puzzles, flying areas, some levels have under water parts, and then each stage has it's own unique thing that the player can transform into, each with its own different type of gameplay for it.
Worst examples of this genre:
Glover was a weird game. It was a platformer that was based on carrying a ball with you throughout the entire level. You can transform the ball into a bouncy ball for jumping, bowling ball for being heavy, a marble to sink under water, and a crystal to end the stage. The game only let you cycle through these in one direction, and the crystal was fragile and breaking it was an immediate death. It gets tedious having to stop moving and cycle through these, or accidentally passing the one you want and cycling again, especially in a platformer where momentum is key. A lot of gameplay was either slow or hard to control with the ball rolling around or you having to throw it and it landing in the wrong spot or rolling away from you. Things that break up movement in a platformer tend to be frustrating and this game had a lot of it. In addition to that, levels just tended to be big with only one specific path. This made a lot of stages feel empty and lacking of things to do.
HACK AND SLASH
Opinion of this genre:
Recently I've been really getting into this genre through Platinum Games, with stuff like Neir Automata and Bayonetta. It's a really fun genre. It's great as just a stress release while on easy mode, or a challenge when trying to accomplish specific goals or playing on harder difficulties.
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Definition of a "good game" in this specific genre:
Combos are a huge part of this genre. The player wants to feel powerful and in control, so having a wide variety of attack options that get bigger the better combos you do is a great way to make the player feel empowered. Another thing is bosses. If the player only fights small weak enemies, it's hard to feel that strong. Good hack and slash games have huge bosses that come off as obnoxiously powerful, so that when the player triumphs over them, they really feel like they're unstoppable.
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Best examples of this genre:
Recently I've been playing a lot of Neir: Automata. This game gives you a variety of weapons that you can mix and match, giving you different combos you can pull off with different combinations. The game has great boss fights with giant machines where you get to go from fighting on the ground and dodging attacks, to flying in a mech and shooting at it, to "hacking" machines where you turn into a small 2D ship and play a small bullet hell mini game. Pulling off combos and fighting tons of machines at once is really satisfying in the game. In addition to everything that makes it a good hack and slash, it also has a lot of other unique things going for it, like its open world aspect and bullet hell like shooting and dodging mechanics.
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Worst examples of this genre:
Castle Crashers was a game I really enjoyed as a kid, but I think the beat em up mechanics didn't really compare to those of other games in the genre. All weapons had near the exact same combo system, making it really tedious and repetitive after a while, even if you kept getting new weapons. There also wasn't a good dodge or block mechanic system in the game. Most hack and slash games have it so that if you are really good at dodging, you can make it through most parts of the game without getting hit once. This doesn't really work in Castle Crashers, and a lot of the game becomes grinding levels instead of using skill learned through playing. The game was one of my favorites, but I can definitely admit that the experience gets repetitive and the combat gets old really fast. One thing that does keep it fresh and enjoyable however is the few unique boss fights they have scattered throughout the game, along with the games humor.