BubbleRevolution
2012
Part one of my all-time favorite gaming duology. The character interactions are great, the sprite visuals are nice, and the strategy-based gameplay is fun.
It oozes fanservice, though I do wish some of the cast from Namco × Capcom that wasn't in this title showed up in this or its sequel.
It oozes fanservice, though I do wish some of the cast from Namco × Capcom that wasn't in this title showed up in this or its sequel.
Probably the best Contra game.
2007
Very enjoyable game that's regarded as a classic for good reason.
Holds up very well as a successor to 3D Land, and Bowser's Fury is a fun addition.
It's good until you get into the King Piccolo arc, where the side-scrolling beat-'em-up sections get thrown completely out the window and it makes you do 3D arena-style fighting game battles for the rest of the game that unfortunately don't play very well.
Still a lot of fun despite that.
Still a lot of fun despite that.
One of my favorite Wii games. With an incredibly emotional narrative that tugs at your heartstrings and an amazing sense of atmosphere, there's really not any other game like it. I absolutely loved every second of it.
The combat's kind of jank but it's definitely worth playing regardless.
The combat's kind of jank but it's definitely worth playing regardless.
2021
Fun entry to the series, I enjoy the combination of Odyssey's more open and dynamic camera with more traditional Mario elements. Fury Bowser coming back every 10 minutes got really old after a while and it also has the same issue Odyssey does where after you're done exploring the entire map, the game just turns into a not-very-fun scavenger hunt to find the remaining Cat Shines. Other than that, though, it's pretty dang good.
2013
Probably one of my favorite Sonic games.
The visuals take a ton of influence from the early entries in the series like Sonic 1 and Sonic CD, and looks completely gorgeous, I was extremely happy that Forces took a lot of influence from this title's sense of design and hope to see that aspect return in future entries of the series. The enemy designs also feel very reminiscent of those early games, retaining a lot of the charm the looks in Colors and Generations lacked. The Spin Dash and Homing Attack mechanics are some of my favorite incarnations of those abilities in the series, the Flying Kick is also a really fun addition. The game does feel a bit short at times, but longer than most of the boost games, which is nice. The Time Attack mode in particular is one of my favorites to do in any Sonic game, as it makes for a pretty engaging challenge in trying to S-Rank all the levels.
I feel the plot could have been a bit better, it's less quippy and self-referential than the previous two entires in the series, but still retains some of those qualities. The Deadly Six are a fun addition to the Sonic cast but they feel a bit one-note here, I would have liked to see more cutscenes focusing on them or their dynamic as a team.
I have 100%ed this game 3 times so far and will likely do so again in the future. Fun game.
The visuals take a ton of influence from the early entries in the series like Sonic 1 and Sonic CD, and looks completely gorgeous, I was extremely happy that Forces took a lot of influence from this title's sense of design and hope to see that aspect return in future entries of the series. The enemy designs also feel very reminiscent of those early games, retaining a lot of the charm the looks in Colors and Generations lacked. The Spin Dash and Homing Attack mechanics are some of my favorite incarnations of those abilities in the series, the Flying Kick is also a really fun addition. The game does feel a bit short at times, but longer than most of the boost games, which is nice. The Time Attack mode in particular is one of my favorites to do in any Sonic game, as it makes for a pretty engaging challenge in trying to S-Rank all the levels.
I feel the plot could have been a bit better, it's less quippy and self-referential than the previous two entires in the series, but still retains some of those qualities. The Deadly Six are a fun addition to the Sonic cast but they feel a bit one-note here, I would have liked to see more cutscenes focusing on them or their dynamic as a team.
I have 100%ed this game 3 times so far and will likely do so again in the future. Fun game.
2021
A fine addition to the Metroid series. It plays extremely well, there's very few issues mechanically, and it's overall just a blast to play.
I only have a few issues. I wasn't huge on Samus acting as a silent protagonist, it felt like a step back from Fusion in some regards. Mercury Steam's art direction is also a mixed bag; some things look great, but other elements feel lacking in comparison to the rich sprite-based visuals of Zero Mission or Fusion, or the excellent visual design work Team Ninja did in Metroid: Other M. It definitely looks better design-wise compared to Samus Returns, though.
Overall, it's a great game and I sincerely hope we get more 2D Metroid entries.
I only have a few issues. I wasn't huge on Samus acting as a silent protagonist, it felt like a step back from Fusion in some regards. Mercury Steam's art direction is also a mixed bag; some things look great, but other elements feel lacking in comparison to the rich sprite-based visuals of Zero Mission or Fusion, or the excellent visual design work Team Ninja did in Metroid: Other M. It definitely looks better design-wise compared to Samus Returns, though.
Overall, it's a great game and I sincerely hope we get more 2D Metroid entries.
2019
Pretty good racing game, but feels lacking in some aspects. The use of Wisps as the power-ups a la Mario Kart is a fun addition, but there's a significant lack of course variety and the roster is ridiculously small. Not bad at all, though.
2008
Probably the best boost game, though not without its faults. The art direction is very nice and technically impressive, but the more realistic graphics cause it to lose some charm in comparison to other 3D Sonics, and there's a number of glitches and performance issues.
It's overall a really fun game though, the Werehog stages aren't that bad, though the day stages are the highlight of the game.
It's overall a really fun game though, the Werehog stages aren't that bad, though the day stages are the highlight of the game.
1990
This game rules
2011
Solid game, but WAY too short. They should have put in a level from Sonic CD or the Advance games or something, I'd love to have seen Stardust Speedway get a full level. Hell, if asset creation was an issue, I think making multiple acts per level for each gameplay style could have worked.
I also kind of wish the Genesis levels felt more true visually to the Genesis games in regards to art style, Forces stuck a bit closer to that which I liked.
The gameplay itself is really solid though, I just wish there was more of it.
I also kind of wish the Genesis levels felt more true visually to the Genesis games in regards to art style, Forces stuck a bit closer to that which I liked.
The gameplay itself is really solid though, I just wish there was more of it.
Probably one of the best fighting games of all time.
The spritework is still gorgeous to this day, and the gameplay itself and roster is a lot of fun.
My only nitpick is that I wish there was a bit more diversity of character choice, as there's a massive abundance of Street Fighter characters on the Capcom side, though that's due to the fact that only 8 out of the 56 playable characters were actually made for the game. The rest of the cast is repurposed almost wholesale from other titles, assets and all, though that's a big part of why the game was able to get such a big roster as it is. I also kind of wish they had shelled out for another character instead of giving Wolverine two separate slots with few differences between them, would have been cool to see another Marvel character done in the CPS2 artstyle since the only two new additions on that side were Cable and Marrow.
The spritework is still gorgeous to this day, and the gameplay itself and roster is a lot of fun.
My only nitpick is that I wish there was a bit more diversity of character choice, as there's a massive abundance of Street Fighter characters on the Capcom side, though that's due to the fact that only 8 out of the 56 playable characters were actually made for the game. The rest of the cast is repurposed almost wholesale from other titles, assets and all, though that's a big part of why the game was able to get such a big roster as it is. I also kind of wish they had shelled out for another character instead of giving Wolverine two separate slots with few differences between them, would have been cool to see another Marvel character done in the CPS2 artstyle since the only two new additions on that side were Cable and Marrow.
2004
A charming game that's pretty historically important as literally the first JRPG ever made.
Some people who come in used to a lot of JRPG conventions might be a bit put off by this game lacking a number of those, but as a gaming milestone, and as a game on its own, it holds up pretty well and has a lot of heart in it.
Some people who come in used to a lot of JRPG conventions might be a bit put off by this game lacking a number of those, but as a gaming milestone, and as a game on its own, it holds up pretty well and has a lot of heart in it.