The best way to talk about this game is by spoiling absolutely nothing. I'll just say that it's very much worth playing based on the unique premise and interesting directions the story takes, and Daniel Mullins is perfectly equipped to handle both. That being said, I do have one nitpick to get off my chest. The strength of the genre parodies is WILDLY inconsistent , and just in general how much you'll get out of them depends on how familiar you are (or aren't) with the games they're spoofing. There is somewhat of a justification for this, but I guess it was worth noting. There are times where moments of the game can feel scattershot and directionless but trust me, it all comes together in the end. A game like this is only going to appeal to a very specific type of nerd (like myself) and definitely isn't for everyone, but I'm glad it exists and that I got to experience it. It's just kind of hard to rate this as a "video game" for reasons that only make sense if you've played all the way through it.

A pretty decent collection of three games that are very much worth playing. That being said I do have to dock some points because as a product it's very much outdone by just about every other compilation release ever made. Outside of being a pretty barebones meat and potatoes affair, I feel like they could have done more quality of life adjustments especially for Sunshine. For starters, a blue coin counter similar to the one Galaxy uses for purple coins, and maybe a few bug fixes here and there but that might be asking for too much. 64 feels kind of strange depending on your controller, but that could be chalked up to the slight input delay this version has. There's a part of me that wishes it was the original non-Shindou version just because I think the janky movement tech is iconic to 64 even outside of the hardcore speedrunning community, but I guess it makes sense to use the most updated release. Zero complaints about Galaxy, it feels amazing on the JoyCons and I only wish we could have had the equally fantastic Galaxy 2 playable here as well.

Also I know it's a dead horse but obligatory "the Disney Vault thing was a terrible idea" because why Nintendo.

God this game's good. Fantastic level design, wonderful music, visuals that still hold up, and somehow it's NEVER boring. There's some janky stars here and there (usually ones that require the spring mushroom) but nothing so bad it makes me want to quit, certainly not like Sunshine at its Sunshine-st. I really like the melodramatic space feel the game has and the Lumas are super precious. I'm not ashamed to admit the storybook gets me feeling every time either. In fact, the whole theme of parenthood that Rosalina and the Lumas have in their stories make me think that this could be a really nice bonding game for kids to play co-op with their parents thanks to co-star mode.

Honestly just a top notch 3D Mario from top to bottom, even if it's not the most challenging for the most part, though those purple coin missions can get kinda spicy. Truly the definition of a timeless game.

Man, I REALLY wanted to rate this one higher. The controls and movement are pristine, you can have some real fun just moving and doing stuff. I really dig the island setting and the way they tried to expand on what the typical Mario game looks like. I can understand the water mechanics not being to everyone's taste but I thought they did a pretty solid job of giving you interesting objectives that made use of it. Music is pretty nice too. Really, there's a whole vibe here that you won't get from any other Mario game. There's a lot to love here when things are going well, which to be fair is most of the time.

But man, when Sunshine falls flat, it falls FLAT. There are some missions in this game that are just absolute butt cheeks to experience, some of which are mandatory for standard completion too. It also feels like there's a bunch of things that just serve no purpose except to be tedious/obnoxious, like having to bring random fruit to Yoshi to hatch him or having to go through intro screens every time you return to the hub world. Hell I actually thought the secret linear platforming sections were neat thanks to how creative you can get with just Mario's basic movement, I just got tired of having to backtrack through the entire hubworld and manually dig up the entrance again inside the stage whenever I game overed. There's also some other weirdness with hit detection and janky level design that can easily result in you earning a shine just to die to some silly shit on your way to grab it.

This is a decent game, but there are just enough unavoidable rough bits (and they're REALLY rough) that I can't justify giving it a really good rating. I think it needed a bit more time in the oven, but barring that it would have been nice to have the Mario 64 type structure where you unlock stages through collecting Shine Sprites as opposed to repeating the same Shadow Mario chase mission (with no map at that), and you could choose what missions you want to do yourself. But I can imagine that they didn't want the game to feel too "empty" or "samey" for lack of a better term, due to having fewer stages than 64, so fair enough on that front. I think the game has enough good to justify a single normal playthrough, especially since most of the real jank is back loaded. But beyond that? I dunno man.

On the other hand Eely Mouth leaving behind a heart made of coins when I cleaned his teeth made me smile and audibly laugh, so in that moment it was a perfect 5/5.

DKC2 is one of the all time greatest 2D platformers, a cornerstone of the SNES library and a must play for anyone who likes the genre.

It is also a step down in every way possible from the first game.

Both of these things can be true, and they are.

There are definitely more challenging classic Castlevanias, but this is the one I always find myself going back to the most. In fact, replaying Super CV4 is an October tradition for me. Yes, it's much easier than the NES games, Bloodlines or even Rondo, especially on repeat playthroughs. But with the great level design and atmosphere this game provides, I don't really care cause I'm always in for a great time when I load it up. Whipping in 8 directions just feels cool, and if you're a classicvania nerd like me it's pretty satisfying to abuse against some of the enemies that were a bit trickier to fight in the other games. The more forgiving difficulty and pace also make it a fine gateway drug for newcomers.

Of course there are parts of this game that are easy to criticize, especially in the mid-late game, but overall Super CV4 is one of those classics that just feels good to play. Maybe it won't demand your best play like the others, but the fun moment to moment gameplay and uniquely spooky vibe ensure I have a great time on every single revisit. Halloween just ain't over til the castle crumbles.

When I think of Street Fighter as a brand, the first things that come to mind are either the classic SF2 series or the new hit SF6. But for my money, this is the game that embodies what I like about SF. You've got a roster full of essential fan favorites (except Cammy sadly, although the console ports do remedy that problem) including the series debut of Sakura, who has become an all time classic character in her own right. You've got a colorful and expressive art style that brings out the best in these iconic fighters. That classic Street Fighter spirit is alive and well here and is at the forefront of every battle.

Now as a fighting game nerd I gotta talk about gameplay mechanics. If you're more comfortable with the conventions that began with SF3 you might find this one a bit hard to go back to, but for me it scratches a very specific classic fighting game itch without feeling TOO stupid. I love fast walk speeds, I love normals with dedicated uses/ranges/purposes, and honestly I even kinda love popping reversal custom combo and vaporizing someone's lifebar. And for a fighting game from the mid 90s it actually controls pretty well, aside from the very tight window for CC activation. Probably my favorite SF overall, but I'm pretty open to most of them.

Just enough of a step down from the first to be a slight disappointment but not nearly enough a step down that it's not still a great time from start to finish. Most of the problems with this game are only going to bother you if you're an elitist action game nerd like me, and at the very least they don't totally invalidate what a solid combat system Bayo 2 still has. There's some really weird stages and mechanics that I don't think are very fun to interact with, and the boss fights are more of a mixed bag but what's here works for the most part. At this game's very worst it's just kind of meh, but still has more than enough quality action game goodness to keep me engaged, even if nothing QUITE hits the same highs as the first game.

On the bright side the QTEs are gone! Fuckin thank you.

My first experience with Bayonetta was on the PS3 version. Suffice to say I did not have a good time. I revisited the game with Nintendo's port and holy shit I had so much fun.

I won't lie, there is some weird stupid shit in this game that you can clearly tell comes from Kamiya not having anyone take him aside and tell him that his idea isn't the best. But the combat system is so fantastic that I don't think it significantly hurts the game. I know some people disliked the After Burner, Space Harrier and turret sections and that's fair, but they didn't really bother me enough to detract from my enjoyment. The QTEs though? Yeah those suck. But even with those rough edges this is still a great action game that I find myself addictively revisiting, refining my play every time and being actively impressed with some of the stuff I can pull off once I get going. I'm not crazy about every boss fight but the Jeanne fights and the final two are some of the most engaging I've ever played in an action game.

If you're a DMC fan, please keep an open mind going into this game. Don't think of it as off brand DMC or "DMC but better." I must stress that it is a SPIRITUAL successor, it keeps the same flavor of style and genre but executed very differently. Also whatever version you play, do NOT touch the PS3 port as it is glitchy and janky as shit. I can't vouch for the PC or PS4 versions but I'm sure they're fine.

I think Wario Land 4 is really the one that really sells the idea that you're playing a game about Mario's doppelganger. Mario games are linear platforming challenges, WL4 is a weird puzzle platformer with open ended exploration. Mario power ups give him neat superpowers, Wario's mutate him into hideous alternate forms. Mario soundtracks are poppy and melodic, this game's soundtrack is full of eclectic weirdness. Mario fights goofy looking cartoon creatures and a giant turtle, Wario's enemies are uncanny valley nightmares.

In case it wasn't clear those are all points of praise. Wario Land 4 is just a dub all around. Weird. Wild. Wonderful. Wario.