I wish we were still getting cool Bond games.

The early 2000s had quite a few attempts to live up to Goldeneye, and the one that came closest was definitely Nightfire. It ended up being one of the games I put the most hours into as a teenager, not only due to great multiplayer in which you could load up to 12 bots for extra mayhem (we played SO MUCH Capture The Flag against all of the bots), but because the campaign had immense replay value. Much like Goldeneye, you would try to finish a level in a certain amount of time for a reward, but there were loads of other challenges you needed to nail for those sweet, sweet platinum medals. The very idea of having 100% weapon accuracy in a Bond game is ludicrous, but you’d better believe I made it happen.

One of the best things in the campaign is the inclusion of “Bond Moves”. These are optional moments when you do something specific that feels like it would happen in a movie, like shooting out the tires of a car that’s chasing you, finding a secret passageway, or using the grappling hook in your wristwatch to swing to a hard-to-reach spot. These moments, which thankfully return in Everything or Nothing, are the most charming inclusions in the Bond game franchise.

All in all, the weapons are good, campaign levels and multiplayer maps are well-designed and memorable (though the best multiplayer map doesn’t allow bots for some reason), the story’s characters are fun, and the multiplayer brings back nearly the entire rogues gallery from Bond’s past. For 2002, this was a console FPS masterpiece! The controls don’t hold up terribly well 20 years later, but I’d still recommend it if you’re a Bond nut.

I love the Bond IP, and it's really absurd that we haven't gotten a solid new entry in the series in ages. Fingers crossed that IO Interactive knocks it out of the park!

This is, without a doubt, the best campaign of any Bond game. The presentation and the third-person action both knock it out of the park. The variety of gadgets is beyond any other entry in the franchise. The levels feature engaging, memorable set pieces. Willem Defoe is the villain! The co-op is also rock-solid, and is a completely different storyline from the single player campaign, featuring random no-name agents.

The biggest flaw of this game is that the competitive multiplayer is LAAAAAME. Instead of a split-screen mode, this has some nonsensical isometric view of a single room, which feels more like Mario Party than Bond. In all likelihood, if you're picking this game up now, you're not looking for deathmatches, so it doesn't take make a huge difference anymore, but it was a serious disappointment at launch.

I love 3D Zelda. I like 2D Zelda.

This game was weird. Much like Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee, it's really odd to play a simple Game Boy game with HD graphics. In an attempt to make a classic game grander, it actually feels more underwhelming.

When you play an old, simple game, the dated graphics are part of the experience. They remind you of the time capsule you've opened, and you're playing the game just as it was meant to be played back in '93. The game design is a product of the hardware's limitations, and it makes sense in that context. But when you leave that gameplay mostly unchanged while giving the visuals a gorgeous overhaul, it creates a disconnect.

There are a few things that this version does much better than the GB original. The biggest is simply having a controller with more buttons. The constant switching of button assignments in the original seems horribly tedious after playing this new version. The visuals are certainly pretty and the music has been arranged very well, but I don't know if those upgrades actually improve the experience.

When it comes down to it, Link's Awakening is a GB classic. But hiding that same old game under a lavish mask only creates a gaming experience that's more forgettable than the original masterpiece.

My 5-year-old son asked me to play Smash Bros. Ultimate with him. He said he was going to be the "Scaredy Cat". I asked who that was, and he replied "Luigi!"

This led to an unnecessarily serious conversation.

We had just recently completed Luigi's Mansion 3 (A-Rank with $91k), and his impression of Luigi was that he was scared all the time, and that Mario was the brave one. I explained to him that Luigi is the bravest character in Smash BECAUSE he's always scared. Mario does whatever he feels like without hesitation, concern, or remorse. Luigi does what needs to be done DESPITE his crippling fears.

LM3 is the best-looking game on the Switch to date, no question. The environments are gorgeous, the lighting is properly dramatic, and the scale of larger rooms and challenges is enough to make you stop and just stare a while. But the key component of what makes the visuals so impressive is the detail in Luigi's face and his body language. There are varying degrees of fear that Luigi is constantly bouncing between, and his personality really shines through. Luigi's fearful determination and optimism is oddly inspiring.

The game handles very well, with all functions performable with shoulder buttons so you never have to take your thumbs off the sticks. It's also nice to feel HD rumble actually being used effectively, which is getting rarer and rarer.

I felt the game's length was perfect, not overly long, while not being disappointingly short. The cutscenes are delightful, and the whole experience was joyful.

Anyway.

No, son. Luigi is no scaredy cat.

This is one of the weirdest games I've ever played.

The campaign is based around using a giant, ethereal pool cue to knock sentient pool balls into holes with your smiley cue ball character.

Most of the balls have legs.

But seriously, if it goes on sale, pick this up for the MULTIPLAYER. The mini-games are flat-out wacky. They clearly went to the WarioWare school of tutorials, so you'll have to just figure them out as you go with no instruction, but they're 110% a BLAST.

Banjo-Kazooie and Tooie are masterpieces. The reveal teaser trailer for this game just showed Spiral Mountain and the new character designs, and I was elated.

But the way it turned out still gets me down.

It's not a terrible game. But it's a terrible Banjo game. These cars depress me.