Replayed: Castlevania Symphony of the Night

A must play PS1 classic 

Game no: 558

Genre: Action (Metroidvania)
Platform: PS1
Release Date: 1997

This is one of the best games I played. This can be considered at one of my top 10 games I play of all time. The key indicator of an amazing game is that even with cheats this game is still fun to play. That is what I did. I installed some cheats. The most notable cheats is the ability to walk through lock doors and walls, also high attack damage. Playing this game in such way makes me appriacte how complex is a Metroidvania game.But the cheat does cause certain things to trigger unexpectedly which is okay by me. Overall the combat is great, the enemies are fast and responsive and you'll get hit a lot of times. 

I got the talisman which prevents me from taking damage. After that this game is really about exploring the castle and all its secret. What makes this game stands out from the others. Discovering a hidden passage or a new secret makes me want to continue exploring the castle. The game has a lot of powerups that you get through the game. You'll end up to be a bit floaty once you get the jump higher and float power. It just makes the game a bit slower but not a big deal. In the end I beat the game with the inverted castle (which really makes the game go on to hard mode since its very difficult). Overall this is one of the best PS1 every. A must play. I'll give this game an S-Rank.

Replayed: CTR - Crash Team Racing

PS1 answer to Mario Kart.

Game no: 555

Genre: Racing
Platform: PS1
Release Date: 1999

I remember playing this game when I was young. Since we can't get that many games I played this game extensively. CTR is basically all the Crash Bandicoot characters in a kart setting. What makes this different than Mario Kart is that this game has a very robust single player mode. You have a central hub where you go around to race in differnt tracks. The gameplay is almost similar as Mario Kart. The difference is that if you collect 10 fruits your weapon will get an upgrade. Once you get 10 fruits you are practically unstopabble. There is a story to all of this but I wasn't interested that much in the story aspect. After finishing the story mode and beating the final boss. You have the chance to get bonus items like coins and relics. Overall this is a great ps1 game. I certainly had fun so I am giving this an A-Rank 

Replayed: Bushido Blade 2

It is much better the 2nd time around 

Game no: 552

Genre: Fighting
Platform: PS1
Release Date: 1998

It's been close to 10 years since I played this game. I think I have a better appriciation of this kind of games and I wonder why 30 years later there is no game eqivalent to like this. A game with no time, no health bar just pure timing on who will get the first strike. This game has potiential but because of the hardware limitation of the PS1 the game feels a bit rigid. The controls feels clunky, the move set is limited. The gameplay is in a loop where its just the same types of enemies. The bosses from the stages have a bit of variety. One of them have a rifle and the other uses magic where makes it harder to hit. After playing it for a couple of round I got what the game is going for. This game is nothing special but this game is really special in its own way. I wish we will get a remake one day or something better. I will give this game a B-rank

Replayed: Bloody Roar 2

Better than the first one 

Game no: 548

Genre: Fighting
Platform: PC
Release Date: 1998

What can I say about this game that I didn't tell before. Nothing much. It is just a better than the previous one. Improve graphics, better controls and new characters. The graphics are so much better that this is one of the hardest titles to emulate on the ps1 due to a lot of particle effects. For 1998 that is considered a techincal marvel. But the fighting is a stiff as usual. The thing with most ps1 3D fighting games is that I think running a game in 3D eats up resources which means you can't have it top fluid. But it is a still a fun game to play nontheless. Played it again just to see that if it holds up. Yes it does. I give it a B-Rank 

Replayed: Bloody Roar

Classic PS1 fighting game 

Game no: 546

Genre: Fighting
Platform: PS1
Release Date: 1997

In the begining of the PS1. Fighting games were really quite basic. There are no complicated combos to do. It is mostly who gets to land the hits first. Bloody Roar took that formula and added a beast mode function to the game a little more interesting. The transformation will give you and extra advantage in power. Different move sets does give it an advantage in the game. But in the end, its a fighting game. If you are not that great with it, you are going to suck anyway. Played until the final boss and I consider the game is done. I give this game a B-Rank