Ghost Trick is a sprawling narrative that finds a way to interconnect its many storylines in a unique and meaningful way. It did a great job of setting up its world and narrative while still keeping the experience enjoyable, and, when it was time to execute its twists, it did not hold back at all. It has a great mix of events that I was able to predict with events that came out of nowhere and blew me away. The ending is impactful, complex, and digestible with great ending scenes to cement the experience for me.

The story is great all by itself, but this game has the intangibles out of the wazoo. Firstly, the art style is beautiful, and I absolutely love it. The pixel art is stunning and the cutscenes are extremely well done which is all the better when you realize the gameplay is hugely linked to breaking down the events in those cutscenes. Not to mention the character portraits which are great in their own right. The puzzles are fun and engaging and fit the identity of the game extremely well. The soundtrack is extremely Ace Attorney-esque but just saying that is not giving it enough credit. The songs and character themes especially go so hard in this game which adds even more identity and flare to an already great lineup of characters.

It is an absolutely stellar experience from a game that I was not entirely sure what to expect.

Skyward Sword has all the components of a great Zelda game: good dungeons, a mix of fun and well-developed characters, a soundtrack with many jams, and a charming story. I really enjoyed my time with the game; there are so many high points. For example, Skyloft is very cool, great vibe and song. The Ancient Cistern and the Sandship are uniquely elite Zelda dungeons that were very fun to explore. Koloktos was a standout boss that I refuse to fail to mention because smashing his chest with the big sword is an empowering experience. Also, Groose brings a lot to the table as a character, and I liked his development and involvement in the story when he could have easily been thrown to the side. Skyward Sword was also Impa's and Zelda's best game as characters which was great to see. Not to mention Beedle who is an absolute Chad in this game.

However, this game is held back a bit by a few things. For one, the game is limited by the surface map in my opinion. The constant revisiting of areas was a very mixed experience for me. I enjoyed a few revisits, especially the sand sea revisit, but far too often I was getting a bit fatigued by the whole process. In general, the non-dungeon surface areas of Skyward Sword lack a bit of the sense of wonder that other Zelda games have. Lastly, the Imprisoned was a mistake, why do I have to fight him 3 times, 5-6 times if you count the boss rush mode?

Overall though, I really enjoyed the game, and I appreciate what it brings to the table for the Zelda series.

It seems like a lot of people view partners in time as one of the weakest Mario and Luigi games, but I really enjoyed my time with it. It is one of the best-paced titles in the series. None of the areas really drag on too long, and I enjoy how each of them carves out their own identity. The idea of the babies is fun and I think it is executed pretty well for the most part. I don't think they got all that creative with the overworld functions of the babies, but the combat is pretty fun in this game. Utilizing all the buttons in attacks and counter-attacks is a cool way to spruce up the series in my opinion. Not to mention the adorable cutscenes of Mario, Luigi, and the Toadsworths attempting to cheer them up and any time baby Mario or baby Luigi says "thank you very much." The bosses were unique and, as always for Mario and Luigi, really fun. However, I was playing on the US version which made the boss HPs obnoxious, but it did help make the final boss very challenging and memorable for me (especially with the banger playing). Speaking of music, Partners in Time excels. The title screen, thwomp volcano, Yoshi mountain, and the time-hole music all also go off. Overall, I think partners in time is not talked about as an upper-echelon Mario RPG, but it absolutely deserves to be. Soul levels off the charts with this one.

As far as gameplay goes, Neon White is pretty close to perfect. The levels are very well made and have a lot of variety. Some make you really think outside of the box to get a good time while others are focused on mastering the main path. Figuring out the best route and executing your plan is a blast. I feel like some of the later levels got away from that creativity, but outside of that, I have no real qualms with the gameplay. I also really liked the pacing of the soul cards. I think they did a great job of introducing new mechanics and moving on to new ones. I like the visuals, but they definitely feel pretty unoriginal. They kind of give off the CSGO surf map vibes which is fine for a movement-based game like this, but they just don't stand out all that much. I did like some of the late-game cut-scenes though. As far as the story and writing go for this game, it is a mixed bag. Right out of the gates, they hit you with some of the most diabolically cringe lines of dialogue, and they hardly ever stop until the mid-point of the game when they start to go away a little. Honestly, its kind of funny just to see what they're gonna say next, but this game certainly does not have good writing which made me hate a few of the characters in the game. The story grew on me despite this though. It's nothing earth-shattering, but it was pretty neat to see how the pasts of the characters still affected them in the afterlife and the angels were a fun wrinkle. Overall, Neon White is a really fun game that is very rewarding to 100%.

The people are right there are too many collectibles, swap barrels are tedious, and there are way to many repeated mini-games. In fact, I've heard Beaver Bother is a common torture method at Guantanamo. However, for me, it is not enough to sour all the good that DK64 has going for it. The worlds are a lot of fun to explore, and they have the signature Rare Nintendo 64 charm. The characters, cutscenes, and bosses are full of life. DK isle is the GOAT N64 hub world, and the final boss fight and ending goes crazy. I recognize that this game's got so many flaws, but, for someone like me who loves 3D platformers with collectibles and the Kongs, I still love this game.

This one probably works better as an idea than a game, especially with how dated it is at this point. The cutscenes are a mess, the characters are baffling and insufferable, and the gameplay is clunky (just load up the game and try moving around for the first time lol). The story is pretty good. It's not really something that's gonna stay with me too much. I feel like it's a little too artsy and cryptic for my taste. I liked the atmosphere, music, and haunting nature of it which helped the moment to moment, and, although the puzzles were hit or miss, I enjoyed their charm.

I originally though this was going to be another indie zoomer game that has a high score because of a low player base, but there is a lot to this game. The story of If Found is very compelling, and the characters are well written. I really liked the story telling devices used in this game. The mix of journal entries and cutscenes/dialogue kept me on my toes. The plot never felt stagnant at all. The erasing mechanic was fun in execution and added a foreboding layer to the narrative. The main character, Kasio, is really interesting, and I honestly learned a lot from her (and not just talking about her hometown and Ireland culture). I definitely recommend it to anyone interested in a worthwhile narrative.

Two main things hold this game back for me. These are just my opinions, but I did not like the side story of Cassopeia, the astronaut, much at all. It felt so vague and ultimately pointless in my eyes, especially compared to Kasio's side of things. Consequentially, I felt the ending didn't exactly stick the landing. I do not feel a lot of closure with the story at all to be honest which is a bit of a bummer.

Pokemon snap for the enlightened.

Alba is a charming and quaint love letter to nature and family that had me smiling from ear to ear very often. I like that it is a short game that makes you feel at home on the island without feeling restricted by it. The setting is this game's selling point. It's a vivacious island with tons of cool sights and inhabitants. It definitely scratched my Short Hike itch in that way, but this game brings a lot to the table in its own right. The characters are very charming as I would easily enlist in both world wars for Alba's Grandfather. Taking photos of all the different wildlife is super neat and never got old. I wish there were more non-birds, and it'd be cool if they had more quests where you lured animals out like the fox. But for what it is, it's fun and its a great tool for the player to interact with the island. The music is also very enhancing, and I loved the moments they wove together with fun tunes.

There's a lot to love and a lot to hate, but it basically breaks down to this: if you are in a town and interacting with NPCs, it's a blast. If you are in a dungeon fighting obnoxious enemies for all of eternity, you are not having fun. The world, music, characters, and dialogue is great and there is a charming story to be enjoyed. I really like the first half of this game. I love the short focused stories that revolve the main areas. The first four towns are super neat. But as I got more and more tired of the gameplay, the experience started to wear on me. Not to mention, the final three to four hours of Earthbound being straight up garbage save a few moments and the ending cutscenes and credits.

If you are looking for traditional 3D Zelda operating at peak performance, this is the one. It really is the true successor to Ocarina of Time. Its got a ton of dungeons, most of them being very fun. Snowpeak Ruins is now officially in the running for best Zelda dungeon. The game oozes with charm throughout. The characters, the areas, and the music, all of it. I simply love the Ordonians, and Kakariko village was always fun to return to. The story was pretty good, I definitely liked how it wrapped up, but I don't know if I was hooked on it all the way through. I really like how Zant's true character is revealed though. It's another great Zelda OST with a lot of varied hits. Overall, Twilight Princess is 3D Zelda in its purest form which is fine by me because they executed on the formula very well.