2007 (BioShock, Mass Effect, SMG, The Witcher and HL 2: Episode Two are released) WIP
Aquaria (PC, 2007/Mobile, 2011)
Subgenre: Free-Roaming Underwater-Based Shooter, Metroid-like, Similar to Ecco the Dolphin, Musical element (hit the right notes in succession to cast spells with various effects via singing - carry certain objects, projectile shield, etc.) - no rhythm requirement and the game doesn't pause while singing
Perspective: Side View, Dynamic auto-zoom feature (similar to Samurai Shodown) - zooms out when moving faster
Movement Mechanics: Mostly underwater-based, Underwater dash and dash/charge jump (cling to a surface to dash, can turn while dashing underwater), Super/spring jump by turning from nature to fish form on land while planting a thorn beneath you, Optional auto-aim (energy form shots), Can jump between bubbles floating in mid-air similar to Ecco and Sky Blazer (SNES)
Other: KB & Mouse controls option (assumed setup), Cooking (recipes let you create beneficial items with collected ingredients (healing, speed boost, etc.; similar to Wiz 'n Liz or Flink) as well as one use weapons (you'll find recipes scattered across the world, some foods give you temporary attacks for certain forms)), CPU-controlled pet allies (similar to mascots in MW3 or SotN) as well as a human NPC ally (Li - can order him to shoot or not, can make him stay at his home cave), Diary-style narration by the protagonist - also acts as a guide at times, Optional race mini-game
Playthrough - Video Review - Mini Review
Subgenre: Free-Roaming Underwater-Based Shooter, Metroid-like, Similar to Ecco the Dolphin, Musical element (hit the right notes in succession to cast spells with various effects via singing - carry certain objects, projectile shield, etc.) - no rhythm requirement and the game doesn't pause while singing
Perspective: Side View, Dynamic auto-zoom feature (similar to Samurai Shodown) - zooms out when moving faster
Movement Mechanics: Mostly underwater-based, Underwater dash and dash/charge jump (cling to a surface to dash, can turn while dashing underwater), Super/spring jump by turning from nature to fish form on land while planting a thorn beneath you, Optional auto-aim (energy form shots), Can jump between bubbles floating in mid-air similar to Ecco and Sky Blazer (SNES)
Other: KB & Mouse controls option (assumed setup), Cooking (recipes let you create beneficial items with collected ingredients (healing, speed boost, etc.; similar to Wiz 'n Liz or Flink) as well as one use weapons (you'll find recipes scattered across the world, some foods give you temporary attacks for certain forms)), CPU-controlled pet allies (similar to mascots in MW3 or SotN) as well as a human NPC ally (Li - can order him to shoot or not, can make him stay at his home cave), Diary-style narration by the protagonist - also acts as a guide at times, Optional race mini-game
- Good map feature (mini-map, shows doors/found save points (before the latter are found the direction they're in is shown on the mini-map)/teleporters and turtles/beaten boss locations, can insert your own markers (two colors, nameable!), can scroll with RMB), Can't access the map screen in certain parts of areas despite them being drawn on the map before entering them (each area's basic layout is drawn in when entering a new one - generally good and there are still surprises but also lessens the sense of discovery a bit), Can't play/move while viewing the map screen - Diablo etc.
- Quick travel/teleportation via blue plant portals and giant turtles (need to find a turtle to travel to its location - not the case with plant portals) - not quite enough of them though, Can't teleport from your current location to for example found save points (could've been unlocked for an area once you've beaten all bosses in it)
- A bit more non-linear than Super Metroid for example (some soft gating in the form of tougher enemies and less frequent save points, the game sometimes warns you via the narrator if you move into an area that would be tougher to do early on, ),
- Some optional bosses (these start appearing already in the first area)
- Fairly frequent save points (32 save slots per game and in total (shows current location and time taken) which also heal you, sometimes placed a bit far from boss encounters though), Save point and giant turtle right before the final boss
- On the fly transformations (Exploration-based ones: Nature form - open the blue plant portals+red plants (sometimes contain pearls/keys) and plant large thorny plants which block movement and can help with travel on land by letting you super jump (charge attack; generally you can just hop around somewhat clumsily while on land similar to clinging to walls and dashing underwater)+immunity to thorns and anemones, Beast form - travel against stronger currents+jump higher out of water+dash attack enemies and eat some of them while doing so (can eat fish and certain jellyfish for health, eating enemies that shoot projectiles lets you use this projectile for a bit afterwards), Fish form - move faster+avoid being attacked by some enemies+enter tiny paths+can trap some creatures in the bubbles you shoot and then bind them and carry them with you in default form (glowing jellyfishes), Sun form - light dark areas and lamps (small flash light while moving and the charged spell lights up a whole screen)+see the mini-map in dark areas, Spirit form - move between blue crystals+if you move close to an enemy projectile and right-click it it'll be neutralized and every 5th projectile you do this to will give you a small increase in health), Number hotkeys for the transformation songs
- Can look around by holding the middle mouse button/assigned button (similar to Boktai, less smooth with a controller)
- Does a fairly good job at creating a mysterious setting and a sense of loneliness
- No direct form of attack early on (need the energy form)
- Boss fights tend to incorporate some puzzle solving involving song abilities
- Some sequence breaking opportunities (early spirit form - push a dark jelly fish in Mithalas city to pass through a stream, unintuitive: switch to spirit form during an area transition to make it go fast enough to pass through streams (can then save and reload at a certain save point in Mithalas city after getting spirit form to skip ahead to the beast form boss, can also pass through the heart blockades in the body in boosted spirit form), advanced: can reach the veil earlier by combining bind/pick up stone with the thorn ability of the nature form - put the thorn on a stone and carry it to ride it through the stream, super duper jump by turning from nature to fish form on land while planting a thorn beneath you - lets you enter the sun temple from above, )
- Dual form is a nice way of showing the bond between Li and Naija via gameplay mechanics
- Control and sound options (you can play using either a mouse or keyboard or controller however the tutorial messages assume that you're using the mouse)
- Some good puzzles (fish cave, urchin armor, whale)
- Various neutral creatures (helps the world feel like an actual place), No penalty for killing friendly creatures though
- Carried objects (and seahorses) disappear when moving between areas, Can't carry pearls between areas (would screw up one or two puzzles however they could've ended up at the door between areas you last used like the glowing stone in the sun temple - the one in the whale can even disappear?, charges also cancel when moving between areas)
- Short in-game manual (? button in the menu)
- Alternate ending (collect all "lost memories" hidden throughout the world)
- Large world
- Some skippable cutscenes
- Can use the singing tool to play proper melodies (8 different notes, can sustain notes) which sometimes produces a visual effect on creatures but it has no effect on gameplay when not singing the various jingles you can learn
- Features a made up written language (it isn't learned by the player though sadly, can change it to english in some settings file but it looks bad)
- Plenty of dead space (riding a seahorse helps but they're somewhat rare and can't move between areas, fish form helps a lot though it takes a few hours to get to)
- Fire projectiles won't light up dark rooms
- Treasure generally has no gameplay use (just minor lore and decoration in Naija's home; one important exception is some of the armor (some have stat bonuses and one lets you ride seahorses faster and travel against currents while on them, one has a regen effect when your health dips below 50%; a few others spawn ingredients in the home cave and one gives you a third cooking slot but it's a late game item)
- No shops (would've been good for trading ingredients)
- Can't speed up dialogue on a per sentence basis
- No bestiary or artwork gallery
- Can kill various enemies from afar without them reacting to you
- Over the top audiovisual effect+slow motion when taking damage near death (can throw off your timing and is a bit distracting)
- Some enemies and creatures seem to not drop anything period (even some miniboss-like ones)
- Some backtracking (can only cook/craft 3 ingredient items at stoves and they're not that common, the game doesn't change the hazards/enemies in previously visited areas)
- Can't scroll the map screen nor re-view learned songs with an XB360 controller, Can't really aim at specific units or pearls with a controller and singing in diagonals gets annoying (XB360 pad)
Playthrough - Video Review - Mini Review
Mega Man ZX Advent (DS, 2007)
Subgenre: Metroid-like/Phantom 2040-like (Mission-based)
Movement mechanics: Temporary flight (mash the button-style), Hover jump, Air dash (l/r and upwards), Horizontal hover, Stomp/dive kick, Super jump/upwards dash from the ground, Underwater swimming and dashing, Vine/pole climbing, Wall clinging and jumping (gained after the intro level)
Other: Area 1 (the town/hq) is a partial hub connecting to 6 other areas, Areas tend to be shaped like linear action levels besides some minor detours and alternate paths here and there (generally horizontal or vertical corridor-style rooms, junkyard area is an exception to this), Two different playable chars (a bit more distinct than in the prequel, partially different story, sometimes different boss attacks, same level design), Various side missions/quests and some play like mini-games, Some optional fetch quests
Playthrough - Review - Mini Review
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii, 2007)
Subgenre: Metroid-like/FPS (Partially mission-based)
Movement mechanics: Rolling in ball form (default), Double jump and ball jump+bomb jump (default+they stay after the intro gameplay), quintuple jumps and wall jump at certain spots (screw attack), wall and ceiling climbing at magnetic rails (spider ball), grapple hook swing, boost ball jumps/charged ball jumps, Can use the grapple beam (or lasso rather) for some combat situations here - grab and pull away enemy shields and manipulate certain smaller objects to solve basic puzzles
Other: Hub map (galaxy map - interplanetary travel here and sub areas on them generally don't interconnect as much (sub areas are a bit more straightforward overall as well), Two timed escape segments, Fairly unique but also confusing intro gameplay in the spacecraft (a bit like Captain Blood; you interact by manually moving your arm and pressing unexplained buttons (you also press some alien language buttons to interact with some NPCs) - odd in that the game explains roughly the context of a part of the dashboard but not what the language buttons mean for example; the language mechanic is almost unused afterwards), Free look and examine viewing modes (see Ultima Underworld and System Shock 1-2) on Wii (Not there if using PrimeHack - a version of Dolphin that allows for FPS-style M&KB controls on PC), Occasionally gimmicky use of the wiimote (pulling, twisting and pushing to unlock or active some objects - simplified w/ PrimeHack to a button press though and it's not particularly intrusive on Wii either)
Playthrough - Video Review - Mini Review
Wario: Master of Disguise (DS, 2007)?
-Level-based and linear? (seems you can pick between two levels at a time in the level hub room)
-Permanent abilities via the disguises
-Tracks your time but it's just for records, no time limits to levels unlike in WL4
-Can return to a beaten level with new disguises to reach some treasure (optional)
Castlevania: Order of Shadows (Mobile 2007)?
Linear with very little backtracking
Gain movement abilities from defeated bosses (backdash, slide, double jump)
Item inventory (spell scrolls, healing items?)
Short (<40 mins)
The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night (GBA, 2007)? - WIP
Movement mechanics: Double jump, glide, charge, wall jump, air dive/stomp
Hub area
Breath leveling via the blue gems gained from enemies/crystal clusters/performing combos (manual stat distribution)
HP and Energy upgrades
Gain some movement abilities via the relics (double jump, glide, charge, wall jump, air dive) as well as additional attacks and elemental attacks
Basic mid-air combos
Hasslevania: The Quest For Shuteye (PC, 2007)?
Knytt Stories (PC, 2007)
Subgenre: 2D Metroid-like without combat (can't attack enemies)
Movement Mechanics: Toggled glide jump (umbrella item), double jump, wall jump/climb
Other: Includes a level/game designer tool, Flip screen (non-scrolling)
Playthrough (Speedrun) - Video Review - Mini Review
I Wanna Be the Guy (PC, 2007)?
Manoria (PC, 2007)?
The Underside (PC, 2007)? - Demo only?
Final Vision (PC 2007)? - ARPG
Space Barnacle (PC 2007)?
Hover jumps via the parachute, more?
Art of Theft (PC 2007)? - Level-based stealth game?
Konami WaiWai Sokoban (Mobile 2007)?
BioShock (PC/XB360, 2007/Multi, 2008)?
FPS/Action Adventure, Photography mechanic (used to research enemies (gain a bonus against that type of enemy, a plasmid/gene tonic or some other type of reward) and security systems (cameras, turrets, bots)+little sisters for HP and MP upgrades)
Other: Hacking mini-game (convert security system elements to your side, open safes and combination locks, reactivate bots, and reduce prices and increase stock at vending machines)
Open-ended structure? https://www.reddit.com/r/Bioshock/comments/ogsh1w/nonlinearity_and_ability_gating_in_bioshock_1/
Some ability gating (electrobolt - shuts down security systems so you can hack or photograph/research them+opens shorted-out doors+for combat, telekinesis - grab and throw back projectiles or throw objects at enemies+items out of reach+disarm trap wires+block fire with corpses, incinerate - light oil slicks and melt ice obstacles, natural camouflage - invisibility while still, )
Vending machines/shops and crafting machines (u-invent machines)
Ability/plasmid slot system for active abilities and they're fueled by MP/eve (start with 2 slots and can upgrade it to 6 slots at vending machines), Gene tonics/genetic modifications=passive abilities (generally stat buffs)
Other combat related abilities used for alternate problem solving (Hacking or Security Bullseye - lets you make cameras and turrets attack enemies, Hypnotize big daddy and Enrage - makes such enemies defend you temporarily/makes an enemy attack someone other than you, Targeting Dummy - creates a decoy that draws attacks away from you, Winter Blast - freezes enemies temporarily (can you stand on them?)+you can shatter them though you'll miss out on the loot)
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (PS3, 2007)? - TPS w/ some platforming and puzzling, Some rail shooter levels
More linear structure and levels (some optional detours in the levels, macow level and the one before it are an exception though and dinosaur world is large and open? however you never need to backtrack to previous levels)
Some new tools (flying drone - )
Outliers:
Assassin's Creed (Multi, 2007)?
Open World Action Adventure? (leveling/rank system, some optional side missions - saving citizens, flags, templars - basically mini-bosses that you duel), Stealth (low profile and high profile movement modes, if guards are alerted then you'll have to hide until they lose track of you by breaking line of sight (can be done by blending in with scholars, sitting on a bench, diving into hay, and rooftop gardens))
Movement Mechanics: Can climb walls by default
Investigation skills (Pickpocket - steal items mini-game, Eavesdropping, (violent) Interrogation, reaching view points located on the top of buildings)
Informers/quest givers - do stealth kill and collectathon missions for info
Ability gating? - Apparently you start the game with all your weapons and abilities, then you lose them pretty quickly and slowly regain them over the course of the game while gaining ranks
Upgradeable carry capacity
AA:
God of War II (PS2, 2007)
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PS3, 2007)
The Godfather: Blackhand Edition (WII, 2007)
Tomb Raider: Anniversary (PS2/PC/XB360, 2007)
Ninja Gaiden Sigma (PS3, 2007)
The Godfather: The Don's Edition (PS3, 2007)
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS, 2007)
Tomb Raider: Anniversary (PSP, 2007)
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (PS2, 2007)
I Wanna Be the Guy: The Movie: The Game (PC, 2007)
Chibi-Robo! Park Patrol (DS, 2007)
Manhunt 2 (PSP, 2007)
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus (PSP, 2007)
Folklore (PS3, 2007)
Silent Hill: Origins (PSP, 2007)
Lost in Blue 2 (DS, 2007)
Penumbra: Overture (PC, 2007)
Overlord (PC/XB360, 2007)
Crackdown (XB360, 2007)
Lost in Blue 3 (DS, 2007)
Prince of Persia Rival Swords (PSP, 2007)
ARPG:
The World Ends with You (DS, 2007)
Monster Hunter Freedom 2 (PSP, 2007)
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (PSP, 2007)
.hack//G.U. vol. 3//Redemption (PS2, 2007)
Mega Man Star Force 2: Zerker x Ninja (DS, 2007)
Mega Man Star Force 2: Zerker x Saurian (DS, 2007)
Odin Sphere (PS2, 2007)
Star Ocean: First Departure (PSP, 2007)
Tales of Destiny 2 (PSP, 2007)
Super Paper Mario (WII, 2007)
Titan Quest: Gold Edition (PC, 2007) & Titan Quest: Immortal Throne (PC, 2007)(Expansion)
Jade Empire: Special Edition (PC, 2007)
The Witcher (PC, 2007)
Summon Night: Twin Age (DS, 2007)
Shining Force EXA (PS2, 2007)
Tales of Innocence (DS, 2007)
Phantasy Star Universe: Ambition of the Illuminus (PS2, 2007)
Subgenre: Metroid-like/Phantom 2040-like (Mission-based)
Movement mechanics: Temporary flight (mash the button-style), Hover jump, Air dash (l/r and upwards), Horizontal hover, Stomp/dive kick, Super jump/upwards dash from the ground, Underwater swimming and dashing, Vine/pole climbing, Wall clinging and jumping (gained after the intro level)
Other: Area 1 (the town/hq) is a partial hub connecting to 6 other areas, Areas tend to be shaped like linear action levels besides some minor detours and alternate paths here and there (generally horizontal or vertical corridor-style rooms, junkyard area is an exception to this), Two different playable chars (a bit more distinct than in the prequel, partially different story, sometimes different boss attacks, same level design), Various side missions/quests and some play like mini-games, Some optional fetch quests
- Can transform into beaten non-human sized bosses here (on the fly; Buckfire=can dive kick/ground slam diagonally and dash upwards to break some obstacles (can't climb ladders and wall climbing is clunkier), chronoforce=underwater swimming and dashing+time slow (also affects hazards) although the casting animation is too long (can't move on land), rospark=climb vertical background vines+temporarily stun some traps, queenbee=energy-based flight (Alex Kidd-style)+carry certain blocks, argoyle=ghost/clone that lets you reach the other side of walls at some points (more like a key)+throws bombs (pretty weak however), etc.; can also transform into/use the suits of the bosses from ZX1 later on and some have different abilities compared to the prequel)
- Partially non-linear structure after a short intro level and first mission (choose between 2 missions at a time for a few missions (then the game gets linear again for two missions), need an electricity form to access the oil field area, after the villain reveal you can choose between 4 missions and then 3 more after finishing those and meeting ZX, can do various side quests (optional) in any order however you can't do them without first triggering the quest with the relevant NPC - if you go to the location where it would happen first then nothing happens there). Separate final area
- Some backtracking with new forms for optional items and a few times to progress
- Only five areas connect to more than one other area. 7/16 areas are disconnected from the rest of the game world
- Save points which also serve as teleporters (5 slots)
- Teleporters and warp points (can warp to found and activated warp points but not from them, can teleport from transerver pads but not to them), Transervers tend to be placed after bosses here so you don't have to backtrack to report on a mission
- Top down view map (two side view maps in layers like in Goonies 2 or Aquaria would've been better, at least gives a bit more info than the one in the previous game), Named rooms, Can get a zoomed in view of the map but then it only shows the room you're in
- Detailed moves info in the options menu (Kirby's Adventure?)
- Some minor puzzles related to using different forms and/or their abilities and some timing-based switch puzzles (junkyard, carrying blocks as queenbee in the biolab, weight puzzles)
- Instant death pits and spikes
- Difficulty options (beginner, normal, expert (enemies attack more and are slightly stronger, no power-ups and only 1 sub tank))
- Unlockable secret ending (have to complete the game on Expert Mode and play the game in normal mode with both PC's over and over)
- Special weapon energy/MP regen however it's very slow. Shared energy bar between forms here
- Off screen enemy respawning (sometimes annoying)
- Can't transform while one of your shots is on screen
- While there's a side quest log it doesn't actually give any information about the quests
- Boss gauntlet in the final area
- Static difficulty curve (doesn't dynamically change depending on the mission order picked)
- Killed mini-bosses don't stay dead+don't drop health
- Some forms are very situational and/or have overly limited movesets
- Uneven difficulty
- Some control/interface issues (kinda vague map - no room topology or even shape shown+can't quickly tell which door in a sub area/room leads to another area, can't dash with L while charging model A's or ZX's alternate weapon (homing/gun, can do it with double-tapping!), switching back to model a in mid-jump while underwater makes you lose your forward momentum (but not if switching from it to another form), automatically transform back to model A when talking to NPCs (sometimes your default form, sometimes this happens when encountering a boss too), etc)
- Some tedious aspects (movement abilities being energy-based when forms also have a shared energy bar and the regen is slow, can't warp from a warp point (only to it) and can't warp to a transerver pad (only from it) - bullshit but the large amount of warp points does help, some grinding required to activate all warp points, etc)
- Trial & error (some shots from off screen, some one-way doors - rough map, tower/bee level fire trap rooms, sometimes a room ends without there being a wall there so it looks like an exit, door maze part in junkyard, various boss patterns and some enemy and hazard placements)
- Lives system (sometimes leads to grinding for health so you don't die and get a game over leading to having to replay the mission you're on from the beginning)
- Usually can't get out of later mission areas after entering them without finishing them
- Unskippable cutscenes
- Kinda lame how the secret disks just give database (bestiary and NPC) info when there are platforming/movement challenges leading up to them
Playthrough - Review - Mini Review
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii, 2007)
Subgenre: Metroid-like/FPS (Partially mission-based)
Movement mechanics: Rolling in ball form (default), Double jump and ball jump+bomb jump (default+they stay after the intro gameplay), quintuple jumps and wall jump at certain spots (screw attack), wall and ceiling climbing at magnetic rails (spider ball), grapple hook swing, boost ball jumps/charged ball jumps, Can use the grapple beam (or lasso rather) for some combat situations here - grab and pull away enemy shields and manipulate certain smaller objects to solve basic puzzles
Other: Hub map (galaxy map - interplanetary travel here and sub areas on them generally don't interconnect as much (sub areas are a bit more straightforward overall as well), Two timed escape segments, Fairly unique but also confusing intro gameplay in the spacecraft (a bit like Captain Blood; you interact by manually moving your arm and pressing unexplained buttons (you also press some alien language buttons to interact with some NPCs) - odd in that the game explains roughly the context of a part of the dashboard but not what the language buttons mean for example; the language mechanic is almost unused afterwards), Free look and examine viewing modes (see Ultima Underworld and System Shock 1-2) on Wii (Not there if using PrimeHack - a version of Dolphin that allows for FPS-style M&KB controls on PC), Occasionally gimmicky use of the wiimote (pulling, twisting and pushing to unlock or active some objects - simplified w/ PrimeHack to a button press though and it's not particularly intrusive on Wii either)
- Linear overarching structure up until the end of the game besides exploring (most of) the valhalla ship** (can only go to Norion after the intro gameplay and there you only have one mission to choose from at a time there+the spoke areas connecting in the middle of it are very straightforward, the first few upgrades are basically handed to you without exploration, can choose between two planets after Norion however you can't really get anywhere on Elysia without hyper ball so you might as well go to Bryyo (and you get that upgrade after basically completing Bryyo), after getting the grappling hook and the map in the first sub area on Bryyo you can choose between two new areas there but can't get far in the western one until exploring most of the eastern, sub area to sub area progression stays linear until ?, **can explore more and more of the ship as you find energy cells and you need only 6/9 in total to get to the room that lets you get the password to the space pirates' battleship+you can get most of these cells in any order (after getting to eastern skytown that is) - however you still need to finish all other areas before you can complete it since you'll need the hyper grapple and nova beam to do so, can also explore the rest of Norion (generator b area) after getting the weilding beam+ice missile+multi lock-on, need ship carrying upgrade (from skytown federation landing site) to fully complete bryyo), Some backtracking to previous planets to progress (screw attack, spider ball) as well as previously visited parts of sub areas
- Sub objectives are marked on the map and often given to you by a superior (the Aurora computer) via voiced transmissions (but not the path there thankfully, not optional like in previous games)
- Some human NPC interaction in-game (silent protagonist however)
- Some good environmental storytelling (marine corpses, broken down machinery and falling debris, seeing Ridley attacking NPCs off in the distance in the same area (and foreshadowing of later rooms in some sub areas like Bryyo west and east, some neutral creatures and machines (the data pods), )
- At certain outdoors locations you can call on your ship to use it as a mobile base (save+heal, ) or to remove certain obstacles+move certain objects in place as a key
- Difficulty options (normal, hard/veteran, unlockable very hard/hyper)
- Stats menu inside your ship
- Various scripted scenes
- A few fast travel points within sub areas and some shortcuts (there could've been some more of both however and/or some of the one-way ones could've been two-way)
- New enemies appear when backtracking through areas
- Some decent puzzles
- Decent sense of vulnerability at times (in skytown your ship getting attacked and being temporarily stranded there, later on when you defend the bomb inside the spire against the pirates and then have to escape the spire using an escape pod although this part is a bit too easy, squad protection mission and some rooms with respawning or invulnerable enemies)
- Get harassed by some bosses before fighting them properly (meta ridley)
- Some sequence breaking opportunities (minor skips using an unintended triple jump (jump towards the camera in ball form then transform and jump again), earlier Grapple Voltage after reaching the pirate homeworld - can immediately go to Pirate Research through Transit Station 3-B by getting over the gate in Lift Hub with a precise 2BSJ (2 bomb jump into space jump - tricky to pull off however) and carefully moving through the middle part while avoiding the acid rain), Hazard Shield "skip" - can disable the barrier in command courtyard by standing in the corner of the barrier without getting hit by the rain; a lot more with glitches (early elysia exploration by going out of bounds near the entrance for example))
- One optional boss (metroid hatcher - very easy though)
- Your shots tend to bounce off of NPCs but sometimes triggers a defense system
- Various death pits however like in Zelda you just lose a bit of HP and respawn where you jumped/fell off
- New beams and missile types stack here (good for obstacles but removes a bit of strategy from the combat)
- Can't fly the gunship (your spaceship) manually - only used like a teleporter when traveling with it
- Version diferences
- Still has some issues with delays on opened doors after shooting them! (these mask loading times), About 20 seconds of loading when traveling between areas on the hub map
- Some control/interface issues (see the spacecraft interface above, no jump height control, the database in the intro base's info is in VA only (slow) and the terminals being diegetic means less detail on things you're looking at, having to hold the scan button to read the short description on something and then another button to go into the logbook for a longer description is a little clunky, the mini-map is still too zoomed in and shows the current room only, can't speed up dialogue scenes (in-game cutscenes) on a per sentence/paragraph basis, can't place map markers, still can't see the mini-map while in TP view, just minor slopes will make you roll in ball form which discourages using it to bomb jump or experiment with other shortcuts, etc.)
- Using the grapple hook to remove certain obstacles is a cool idea that would've been more fun if it was more free like the tractor beam/grav gun in Half-Life 2
- Some tedious aspects (unskippable cutscenes (usually short but pretty frequent, some slows ones such as when traveling by ship between sub areas) - fixed in trilogy ver.?, dead space, some boring backtracking (eastern bryyo) - generally no fast travel within sub areas, too much minor stuff to scan at times, the energy cell fetch quest near the finale however you do get generous hints towards their locations here, kinda drawn out seed boss on Bryyo, machineworks bridge room, etc.)
- Some trial & error (the voiced countdown during the Norion generator mission really is a countdown - could've shown the timer on screen as well, some one-way shortcuts such as in Bryyo west, etc.)
- The game is a bit too obvious about where to find the next upgrade in a pretty jarring way (communicated as voice messages from the computer aurora)+these instructions also can't be turned off)
- Scanning tends to spoil puzzles
- Can't use the boost ball on the travel cannon mechanisms to actually aim them in a direction of your choosing (letting you, you know, explore?)
- Overly small Bryyo Ice area (nice atmosphere here)
- Some items don't feel worth going back to later on (too many missile tanks, gold credits that unlock concept art and a music test)
- Some invisible walls when trying to explore using screw attack
Playthrough - Video Review - Mini Review
Wario: Master of Disguise (DS, 2007)?
-Level-based and linear? (seems you can pick between two levels at a time in the level hub room)
-Permanent abilities via the disguises
-Tracks your time but it's just for records, no time limits to levels unlike in WL4
-Can return to a beaten level with new disguises to reach some treasure (optional)
Castlevania: Order of Shadows (Mobile 2007)?
Linear with very little backtracking
Gain movement abilities from defeated bosses (backdash, slide, double jump)
Item inventory (spell scrolls, healing items?)
Short (<40 mins)
The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night (GBA, 2007)? - WIP
Movement mechanics: Double jump, glide, charge, wall jump, air dive/stomp
Hub area
Breath leveling via the blue gems gained from enemies/crystal clusters/performing combos (manual stat distribution)
HP and Energy upgrades
Gain some movement abilities via the relics (double jump, glide, charge, wall jump, air dive) as well as additional attacks and elemental attacks
Basic mid-air combos
Hasslevania: The Quest For Shuteye (PC, 2007)?
Knytt Stories (PC, 2007)
Subgenre: 2D Metroid-like without combat (can't attack enemies)
Movement Mechanics: Toggled glide jump (umbrella item), double jump, wall jump/climb
Other: Includes a level/game designer tool, Flip screen (non-scrolling)
- Somewhat non-linear structure (can grab some ability items in any order (double jump and high jump, more?), alternate path above the spike creature that you're supposed to use the hologram to get past in the west - lets you bypass the final area)
- Frequent save points (one slot per game only - leads to backtracking)
- Some interesting abilities (hologram/clone - not attacked by enemies so can be used to bypass them and grab certain items)
- One hit deaths
- Difficulty options (easy-hard but can only pick easy or normal at first)
- Some shortcuts
- Various neutral creatures (can't interact with them however)
- Your avatar glows when near false walls
- Some environmental changes when backtracking (black eastern area after getting the eyeball to see invisible enemies and blocks, after beating the game)
- One alternate ending (go to the top right of the post-game congratulations room then find the two keys that are left then go through the red key gate in the blue spiky area)
- Decent and optional tutorial though it doesn't explain all mechanics and items
- Silent protagonist and some NPCs don't say anything
- No pause menu means you have to use a key combination or the window menu for restarting from the last save point
- Control config - can't remap the controls after you start playing however
- No map
- No fast travel
- Some one-way paths early on
- Too many empty rooms and not enough hidden paths or items
- Some backtracking
- Very short (below 1h if you know where to go)
Playthrough (Speedrun) - Video Review - Mini Review
I Wanna Be the Guy (PC, 2007)?
Manoria (PC, 2007)?
The Underside (PC, 2007)? - Demo only?
Final Vision (PC 2007)? - ARPG
Space Barnacle (PC 2007)?
Hover jumps via the parachute, more?
Art of Theft (PC 2007)? - Level-based stealth game?
Konami WaiWai Sokoban (Mobile 2007)?
BioShock (PC/XB360, 2007/Multi, 2008)?
FPS/Action Adventure, Photography mechanic (used to research enemies (gain a bonus against that type of enemy, a plasmid/gene tonic or some other type of reward) and security systems (cameras, turrets, bots)+little sisters for HP and MP upgrades)
Other: Hacking mini-game (convert security system elements to your side, open safes and combination locks, reactivate bots, and reduce prices and increase stock at vending machines)
Open-ended structure? https://www.reddit.com/r/Bioshock/comments/ogsh1w/nonlinearity_and_ability_gating_in_bioshock_1/
Some ability gating (electrobolt - shuts down security systems so you can hack or photograph/research them+opens shorted-out doors+for combat, telekinesis - grab and throw back projectiles or throw objects at enemies+items out of reach+disarm trap wires+block fire with corpses, incinerate - light oil slicks and melt ice obstacles, natural camouflage - invisibility while still, )
Vending machines/shops and crafting machines (u-invent machines)
Ability/plasmid slot system for active abilities and they're fueled by MP/eve (start with 2 slots and can upgrade it to 6 slots at vending machines), Gene tonics/genetic modifications=passive abilities (generally stat buffs)
Other combat related abilities used for alternate problem solving (Hacking or Security Bullseye - lets you make cameras and turrets attack enemies, Hypnotize big daddy and Enrage - makes such enemies defend you temporarily/makes an enemy attack someone other than you, Targeting Dummy - creates a decoy that draws attacks away from you, Winter Blast - freezes enemies temporarily (can you stand on them?)+you can shatter them though you'll miss out on the loot)
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (PS3, 2007)? - TPS w/ some platforming and puzzling, Some rail shooter levels
More linear structure and levels (some optional detours in the levels, macow level and the one before it are an exception though and dinosaur world is large and open? however you never need to backtrack to previous levels)
Some new tools (flying drone - )
Outliers:
Assassin's Creed (Multi, 2007)?
Open World Action Adventure? (leveling/rank system, some optional side missions - saving citizens, flags, templars - basically mini-bosses that you duel), Stealth (low profile and high profile movement modes, if guards are alerted then you'll have to hide until they lose track of you by breaking line of sight (can be done by blending in with scholars, sitting on a bench, diving into hay, and rooftop gardens))
Movement Mechanics: Can climb walls by default
Investigation skills (Pickpocket - steal items mini-game, Eavesdropping, (violent) Interrogation, reaching view points located on the top of buildings)
Informers/quest givers - do stealth kill and collectathon missions for info
Ability gating? - Apparently you start the game with all your weapons and abilities, then you lose them pretty quickly and slowly regain them over the course of the game while gaining ranks
Upgradeable carry capacity
AA:
God of War II (PS2, 2007)
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PS3, 2007)
The Godfather: Blackhand Edition (WII, 2007)
Tomb Raider: Anniversary (PS2/PC/XB360, 2007)
Ninja Gaiden Sigma (PS3, 2007)
The Godfather: The Don's Edition (PS3, 2007)
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS, 2007)
Tomb Raider: Anniversary (PSP, 2007)
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (PS2, 2007)
I Wanna Be the Guy: The Movie: The Game (PC, 2007)
Chibi-Robo! Park Patrol (DS, 2007)
Manhunt 2 (PSP, 2007)
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus (PSP, 2007)
Folklore (PS3, 2007)
Silent Hill: Origins (PSP, 2007)
Lost in Blue 2 (DS, 2007)
Penumbra: Overture (PC, 2007)
Overlord (PC/XB360, 2007)
Crackdown (XB360, 2007)
Lost in Blue 3 (DS, 2007)
Prince of Persia Rival Swords (PSP, 2007)
ARPG:
The World Ends with You (DS, 2007)
Monster Hunter Freedom 2 (PSP, 2007)
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (PSP, 2007)
.hack//G.U. vol. 3//Redemption (PS2, 2007)
Mega Man Star Force 2: Zerker x Ninja (DS, 2007)
Mega Man Star Force 2: Zerker x Saurian (DS, 2007)
Odin Sphere (PS2, 2007)
Star Ocean: First Departure (PSP, 2007)
Tales of Destiny 2 (PSP, 2007)
Super Paper Mario (WII, 2007)
Titan Quest: Gold Edition (PC, 2007) & Titan Quest: Immortal Throne (PC, 2007)(Expansion)
Jade Empire: Special Edition (PC, 2007)
The Witcher (PC, 2007)
Summon Night: Twin Age (DS, 2007)
Shining Force EXA (PS2, 2007)
Tales of Innocence (DS, 2007)
Phantasy Star Universe: Ambition of the Illuminus (PS2, 2007)