The 25th Ward was a serviceable sequel to The Silver Case & Flower, Sun, and Rain. In terms of the story, it didn't captivate my interest quite as much as its predecessors but it was still a solid experience. My rating from favorite to least favorite parts of the game are Placebo > Matchmaker > Correctness. Gameplay wise it's an improvement though. The puzzle solving was easy for the most part and the areas where you walk around are more linear compared to The Silver Case, which prevented my dumb ass from getting lost like I did during the final part of that game. Overall this is a good game and a must for those who want to play all of the Kill The Past titles.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story was the first RPG I ever played. I also have quite a bit of history with it over the years too. Back when I first had the game, I played it quite a bit and ended up getting pretty far. The further I got, the more difficult it was to progress. The game wasn't absurdly hard for me it was that my DS shoulder pads beginning to wear out from use over the years. I ended up getting to the final boss but I could never mash fast enough when dealing with a certain part. I eventually abandoned it and sold it. Eventually Nintendo announced the 3ds remake back in 2018 and while the remake itself didn't need to exist, I was excited because that meant I'd finally get another chance at beating it. I did, and it took me over 8 years to do it. Since there is extra content and a handful of things to compare, I will probably review the remake a separate time.

The story itself isn't extremely grand or convoluted but it is better than your average Mario game and will likely keep you hooked on what happens next. The dialogue is what really makes the game and all of the characters will definitely get a chuckle out of you in some capacity. Bowser is the one who steals the show in this game though, not only is Bowser a bit of a goofball but you get to see more of his personality in general which is something you don't usually get in a Mario game. He is a fully three-dimensional character and not just a "bad guy who kidnaps damsel-in-distress."

The gameplay is a lot more engaging than most RPGs. It is turn-based but unlike most turn-based games you actually have control over your attacks for better or worse based on your timing. The same goes for enemy attacks as well since you will have to memorize their patterns and have the proper timing to avoid their moves. Even outside of the traditional combat, the game gets very unique with how it utilizes the DS's features. The stylus is used in mech fights and you do use it for certain moments where you're inside Bowser. Speaking of that, the gameplay really takes advantage of the concept of the Mario Bros being stuck inside Bowser. There are a wide variety of minigames and puzzles that make the game fun and give it a sense of immersion since you're usually shown what happens to Bowser as a result of what you're doing to him on the inside.

The soundtrack is peak Yoko Shimomura and rivals her work in the Kingdom Hearts games. The most memorable song to me is In The Final which you can obviously tell by its name plays when you fight the final boss. It makes the fight all the more badass.

This game was a fantastic experience and I'm glad it was my introduction to the RPG genre. It's easily one of the best games released on the DS. If you love Mario or/and love RPGs, you won't want to miss this one.

Like my review for the Final Mix version of the original, this review is only going over the added content in this version. I will link the review for the base game for those interested.

Base game review: https://www.backloggd.com/u/BrightGalaxy/review/570304/

Like the first game's Final Mix, this game adds more cutscenes, additional weapons for Sora & the gang, color-swapped heartless, and etc. However, there is a lot more additional content that is added this time.

Similar to proud mode in KH1 Final Mix, KH2 Final Mix adds a new difficulty that is supposed to be even harder called critical mode. This difficulty is one of the few flaws I have with the version it doesn't really feel like the step up in difficulty from proud mode that it was intended to be. Every time I play critical I swear I have an easier time with it than I do with proud mode. Later games do improve upon critical mode's difficulty and make them noticeably harder like it is intended to though, but its still weird they didn't make it less forgiving.

Sora gets a new drive form that brings back some of the iconic moves from the first game such as Sonic Blade, Ares Arcanium, and Ragnarök. Not only is this drive form a blast to use but it is almost as busted if not more so than final form.

Mushroom XIII are new heartless that act very similar to the heartless that were added in KH1 Final Mix. Some of the members function as more refined versions of those and some of them add new gimmicks like that mushroom in the Mysterious Tower that made me want to tear my hair out when I was going for the record needed to complete Jiminy's journal. Minus the few annoying ones, I really like Mushroom XIII and the minigames they bring to the table. Major improvement from the enemies added in the first game.

Unlike KH1 Final Mix, KH2 Final Mix adds a brand new area to Hollow Bastion/Radiant Garden called the Cavern of Remembrance. This area will require you to level up most of your drive forms and will really test your mobility and skill with the number of powerful enemies that also appear as you venture deeper into it. At the end lies a room containing 13 data replicas of each member of Organization XIII.

Onto the main course, the boss fights. They added a lot more this time compared to KH1 FM which only added Xemnas. You get to fight Roxas in the main story which is not only a fun, challenging boss fight but also one of the most kino moments in the series. You get to fight the absent silhouettes of the Organization members that were only in Chain of Memories too which are all pretty easy if you're around mid-level. Then when you're at max level you'll be ready to take on the Organization XIII replica data. The data battles are essentially just more difficult versions of the same boss fights you fought in the story and post-game but more difficult and with a lot more health. These are easily the best part and addition to this version. Lastly, there is the Lingering Will who is basically a teaser for a future game like Xemnas was in the Final Mix version of the first game. He is easily the hardest boss in the game and one of the hardest bosses in the series who requires you to learn his moves and master this game if you want to beat him.

The secret ending added in this game is amazing to watch and a fantastic teaser to Birth by Sleep. With the added theater mode, you are free to enjoy it and any other cutscene you like as many times as you want too.

Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix elevates an already fantastic game to easily being one of the greatest games of all-time. If you have a PlayStation console, PC, or even an Xbox One, PLAY THIS MASTERPIECE!

This review covers only the new additions and changes made in this version. I will link the review for the base game below.

Base game review: https://www.backloggd.com/u/BrightGalaxy/review/564994/

Before this version existed, Square added a bunch of extra post-game bosses in the western releases that consisted of Sephiroth, a handful of heartless, and the Ice Titan. Since Japan never got these bosses, Squaresoft decided to release this version not even a year after the base game in Japan was released. That one adds a handful of new changes and a canon boss fight with a mysterious hooded man who would eventually play a large role in the series story.

First off, the game throws in a few extra cutscenes that give a little bit more context to the game's story as well as new Ansem reports that add to the game's lore. This game's story is pretty simple in comparison to the wild ride Nomura has crafted over years of sequels and "spin-offs" but a little extra context is never a bad thing. There is a new version of the ending, which like the added boss I will eventually go into, serves as a teaser of what was to come.

In this version, all of the heartless get a color change. Since this is the version of KH1 I've played the most, I've gotten used to the color swaps. I don't think they are ugly, but they don't replace the charm that the iconic, original designs have. Plenty of new heartless were also added with each of them having some sort of gimmick that makes them a bit more interesting to fight compared to the generic shadows and soldiers. These heartless also drop new materials which you can use to synthesize new items.

Something that I think gets glanced over a lot are the major quality of life changes that were added to Final Mix. Among the new abilities added were slapshot, sliding dash, and leaf bracer. The former two make the combat a little less clunky and leaf bracer is a game-changer in that you can still heal while being attacked. Another small QoL improvement that makes a huge difference is that you can now skip cutscenes after watching them. This makes a certain few bosses in this game MUCH more bearable in comparison to the base version that did not allow you to do this.

Proud mode is also a new addition that was not in the base game. Proud mode is essentially the game's hard difficulty and significantly boosts the game's difficulty. It's a good challenge and from my experience the best way to play the game even if it gets frustrating during some parts.

The last thing worth mentioning is the new boss fight. The hooded man who is totally not inspired by Darth Vader is a challenging but fun addition to the lineup of post-game bosses who will put your skills and ability to spam Ars Arcanum to the test. In terms of difficulty, I would put him above the heartless bosses and Ice Titan but below Sephiroth. Even with that in mind, he is still satisfying to beat and a perfect teaser for KH2.

This is easily the definitive version to play and thanks to the many rereleases can be played on almost every modern platform and for a pretty cheap price too, so I strongly suggest playing this masterpiece.

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is the sequel to an already great kart racer that is an improvement in almost every conceivable way. It takes inspiration from Mario Kart 7 and Diddy Kong Racing with the additions of planes and boats and combined with this game's high speed action manages to handle those mechanics in a way that gives them a run for their money. The game does also add some customization options for each racer's vehicle that accommodate different playstyles. The physics feels much tighter and a bit refined compared to its predecessor. You really feel the weight of your vehicle as you race with it whereas, in the first game, it felt a bit lighter most of the time until you finished your power drift. In comparison to other games in the genre, I will say that the story mode is rather lackluster. You don't get any fancy hub world to explore, but instead you pretty much just click whatever race you have enough stars to do. The last gameplay bit worth mentioning that is actually a positive is that it is much harder than its predecessor. Despite the increase in difficulty, rarely did my losses ever feel cheap and it truly tests your skill in the more advanced difficulties. Every boost, turn, and item will count if you want to win and beat some of the later levels and unlock everything in the story mode.

Now onto the other aspects this game has to offer, the roster and tracks. Losing Billy Hatcher, the ChuChus, and the Bonanza Bros were definitely a big loss but they are replaced with better options such as Vyse, Joe Musashi, and Nights & Reala. I do wish Banjo-Kazooie came back for the 360 version and that we got more DLC characters like Ristar, Kiryu, and Toejam & Earl but overall I'm satisfied with what we got even if some of the guest choices were strange like Danica Patrick and Wreck-It-Ralph. AGES was also a really cool callback to Sega's older games and the Dreamcast that I figured was worth mentioning. In terms of tracks, there is a lot more variety in this entry than in the original where you had 3 casino tracks, 3 final fortress tracks, and 3 seaside hill tracks. Every track is unique in this one and that's something I greatly appreciate.

In conclusion, it is a kart racer that not only is a worthy rival to Mario Kart & Crash Team Racing, but also an amazing game that serves as a love letter to Sega's history. I would normally recommend playing this on any version, but PC has by far the most exclusive content so if you do pick this up I'd go with that one. Either way, it is still fantastic and very much worth playing.

This game came out at a pretty awkward time in Japan. Not too long before the release of Smash 4 this game got announced and released a little after the 3ds version first launched in Japan. Despite Smash being all the craze both on my mind and in general, I also started watching One Piece not too long ago as well so this game caught my interest. Time passes and during that time they even did a crossover promotion with Smash in the form of amiibo costumes for some of the roster, but this game's localization never came. Naturally, I was pretty disappointed even though the US never got the 2 Gigant Battle games on the DS. I did casually try this game out a couple of years ago, but I didn't extensively play or finish it until now.

Gameplay-wise, it is similar to Smash Bros and even copies its score-based and coin collection modes. However, it looks pretty much identical to the Gigant Battle games and Jump Ultimate Stars which also take a lot of influence from Smash. This time though they went with the more chibi-looking art style of the older Grand Battle games that were released on the PlayStation 2 and GameCube. Each of the characters have a different feel to them and a moveset that showcase their powers and abilities. The game also adds a sizable cast of assist characters that allows for some popular, iconic characters that didn't make the cut into the roster to have a chance to shine. Speaking of the roster, there are a handful of unique roster choices such as Shiki, Zephyr, Kin'emon & Momonosuke, Trebol, and Diamante. All of whom with Kin'emon being the exception, I am certain will never be playable characters in a One Piece game again. Some of those oddball choices like Trebol may not have been the best choices especially when fan favorites like Eneru or Lucci could have been picked instead, but I see them as something that makes the game stand out a little and worth visiting. My biggest flaws though are that the story mode gets repetitive rather quickly and I did not appreciate that there are branching pathes that require you to play through some of the chapters twice if you want to unlock everyone. Overall, the core gameplay is very fun, and the uniqueness of almost every character makes them all worth trying at least once. If you're a One Piece fan and either have a modded 3ds or Citra then I highly suggest playing this.

The first time I started this game was on the Vita back in 2016. I remember JSR getting a good amount of representation in the Sonic & All-Stars Racing games and I thought this game looked fun so it caught my attention. Then when I got around to playing it, I dropped it immediately after the tutorial. Partly because of the jank and me just being lazy with games in general. Got the game on Xbox 360 to see if it was any different and the rest is history.

Is the game as janky as I remember it being? Yes, but this time I'm playing it on a much better controller, the Xbox Series X controller, so it's a little bit more bearable. Everything else about the game is great though. The music kicks ass, the art style pops and still looks great to this day, and the characters look pretty cool with Beat being my favorite. The final boss was also pretty unique and stood out to me despite how annoying the last phase of it was. However, what keeps this game from being a truly great one is constantly fighting with this game's physics to get my character to move how or do what I want them to. It's a frustrating experience and it made me nearly drop the game a couple of times, but luckily I prevailed and made it to the end. Despite my rating, I will still say it is good, but a deeply flawed game. I hear Jet Set Radio Future is a major improvement so I hope it either gets added as a backwards-compatible title on Xbox or gets a remaster in the near future.

I've always been fond of the ocean and its beauty for as long as I can remember. It's one of the main reasons why I love it when games have good-looking water graphics, why I can tolerate most water levels, and why Jolly Roger's Lagoon is my favorite world in Banjo-Tooie. So when I saw this game was on sale, I was intrigued enough to buy it at a cheap price it was at. Now having finally finished it, I can say it was a small purchase worth the money I bought it at.

The main and really only issues I found with the game are that the game is a bit too linear and there isn't much that you can do and your character doesn't always move the fastest. Sometimes you're able to move but half of the time it feels a little bit on the sluggish side. Back to the linear complaint. Given this game is really about just exploring around and witnessing the visual spectacle around you, I think this is one of the cases where it would have benefitted from having a more open-ended world to explore that would have added to the experience. Instead, you're just moving from one corridor to the next.

Onto to what we really played this game for, the atmosphere. In Abzu's case, I think it nails it in the atmosphere department. In each area you can swim around and the soothing music used really capture that whimsical charm of looking at an ocean full of sea life and swimming in the beautiful, deep blue water. It may not have a lot of gameplay but it more than makes up for it in the artistic department. Abzu is a perfect example of how video games are a form of art and I think the industry can use more games like this.

DuckTales Remastered is another example of how remasters and remakes should be done by going out of their way to deliver an experience that surpasses the original. Not only does it look much better than the original, but they also got most if not all of the old voice actors from the cartoon to reprise their roles for the added in-game cutscenes that enhance the experience and make it feel like an authentic continuation of the old TV show. Another addition added that the original did not have was a prologue level that serves as a way to get comfortable with the controls and how the game plays. You can even dive and swim in Scrooge's money bin like he does in the old cartoon. I haven't played many of WayForward's games but if the Shantae games all have the dedication & care that they put into this remaster then I'm definitely in for a great time.

Deadly Premonition is a game that I've heard is very divisive and you either love it or hate it. I'm on the camp that absolutely loves it. It's a game that is just oozing with personality. All of the characters have their goofy quirks and that is one of the many things that made me fall in love with this game. York quickly became one of my favorite protagonists since I took a liking to his character and how he is the perfect blend of serious and comedic. The story was great and kept me hooked the entire time. The ending was pretty weird but also really captivating and satisfying that gives the game a proper conclusion. I hear the other versions of the game add sequel bait which sucks since this is one of those games where I can safely say it didn't really need one.

Gameplay-wise, it's discount RE4 but even with that in mind, I still had fun shooting down enemies as I explored areas for clues. The driving sections were also enjoyable since hearing York interact with Zach and sometimes a few of the other supporting characters made for some funny moments and we get to see some of York's personality shine too. The only times I was really annoyed with the driving was when you had to drive long distances or when you made a wrong turn and had to go back to a place where you are familiar with. Maybe it's because I played this on an Xbox Series X, but I had very few framerate issues or technical problems during my playthrough. The worst I dealt with was the framerate dropping during the sections where you run from the Raincoat killer but even then it may have been designed that way.

Deadly Premonition was one of the few games I played over the course of 2022 that I absolutely fell in love with and I would definitely recommend it, specifically this version since I hear the other versions perform worse or add unnecessary stuff like the sequel bait. Speaking of the sequel, I really want to get around to playing it and I hope it doesn't disappoint.

Bonus: My favorite cutscene in the game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-41YUSZ9VAg

The first time I saw this game was at a GameStop inside a mall and thinking to myself that it was "just another shovelware game" on the Wii and either bought something else or nothing at all. How wrong 10-year-old me was. It doesn't surpass the charm of the original game but it is still a quality remake that has its own charm to it.

Klonoa may look like a mix between a Sonic and Kingdom Hearts character in this version, but I still really like his design. The game still looks pretty good even with the graphic overhaul and while the voice acting is reminiscent of a mediocre anime dub, it also gives the remake a little extra charm that helps it stand out from the original. They even took the time to add a few extra costumes too which include his appearances in the original version, Klonoa 2, and an original costume. After playing this, the newer remaster feels a bit lackluster in comparison since in that version there is no option for an English dub, worse graphics, and costumes locked behind a paywall. This remake is a perfect example of how a remake should be done and feels like a labor of love from the developers.