This feels like the incredible leap from the previous game, that Mario 64 did from Super Mario World. Incredible in every way. Yeah there's a few tough and frustrating levels, but when has there not been in a Mario game?

The score for this beaut is just as incredible as the gameplay itself. A real epic and awesome score that accompanies it perfectly. Its probably my favourite music from any Mario game. Especially Gusty Garden Galaxy and the observatory hub. I thought it was pretty neat that there's an arrangement of the n64 boss level music too. Really added to the atmosphere.

The bold bright colours of some of the levels really popped off the screen, and the HD uplift of the switch version gave the visuals an overhaul that rivals a lot of recent games I've played.

Like all the best Mario's, it's an absolute joy to play. Although I must confess, I didn't get the hype back in the Wii days. I thought it was just alright. I was an idiot back then. So not much has changed.

This will be the 6th or 7th Mario I've beaten in the last month or so. Not sure if I'm gonna start a new game on Mario Galaxy 2, as that's on my Wii U and that's in the other room. Super Mario 3D World however...

After watching a review for AW2, it mentioned how much it leans into a lot of the previous intertwining Remedy games, so I figured I would casually play them while I wait to be able to afford the new game.

My first experience with Alan Wake was a love hate one. I loved it at first, really bought into it and watched the little episodic shorts that accompanied it, but by the end of the game I was more than ready for it to be over.

Revisiting via the remaster was a better experience. I don't know if it's because my tastes or expectations had changed, but this didn't feel like half the slog it did when I first played it. I actually enjoyed it for the most part.

On average I played it a chapter at a time, as to not end up resenting it by the end like I did last time. Whereas the combat left me cold last time, it was the constant narration that was my bug bear with it this time around, but luckily that was interspersed with plenty of supporting characters. Barry was a hoot and the sherrif was pretty cool, too. The story felt like it was getting lost in its own maze, but infelt it really came into focus in the last couple of chapters.

The remaster looks great. I haven't played the 360 version in a good few years, so don't know how much of an improvement it is, but there were plenty of times I just had to take in that scenery. But then I'm a suckered for anything set in that kind of environment.

I'm not sure if I'm gonna hit the dlc just yet, I might save it as a bridge between the other games. Same with American Nightmare. I'll probably give Quantumn Break a go next. I did start that a few years ago, but despite actually enjoying it, I just stopped playing, but anyway, I like Alan Wake again now, I definitely appreciate it more these few years down the line.

I remember enjoy this enough back on the gamecube, but it felt really far removed from the Mario I knew and loved at the time. I struggled to get to grips with the main idea, and although overall I thought it was alright, it was probably one of my least favourite Super Mario games at the time.

Now we've had many years and many more Mario's since, and the decent port on the Switch, I definitely appreciate this one a lot more. Its not without its bad parts, but they are far outweighed by the good, that I give it the benefit of the doubt.

Some of the levels are tight and work perfectly with the Fludd backpack, whereas others are maybe not so well done but work despite that. I did get a little impatient with some of the more traditional style levels, as they could be quite tricky. I only really went for the bare minimum of shines with this playthrough, as even though I enjoyed it, I know that some of the latter stages can be quite difficult and I did not want to sour the fun experience I have had revisiting Isle Delfino.

I know my score is pretty much irrelevant, but I did struggle over whether to give this 4 or 5, but thought I'd meet in the middle, given that I had a very good time for the most part.

I think some of the levels in this can be best described as absolute fucking bullshit. But that's just a few. And I'm not overly impressed with the boss fights, either. If anyone ever finished this on the Wii, I salute you. I don't think I ever beat the 2nd boss.

But now we've got a HD version which doesn't use motion controls, making Banana Blitz so much better. The first few worlds are probably a bit too easy, boss stages aside, but I suppose that's to get to grips with the dog shit wiimote controls back in the day. Once you hit World 5, it's the taxing, occasionally infuriating monkey ball I know and love. There was probably one stand out stage from each world from that point, that had me turning the air blue, and spending a long time trying to beat it.

Sometimes this game feels more like luck than skill, and I almost gave up on world 7. But perseverance paid off and I eventually beat the main game. Overall I've really enjoyed it, and I'm this 🤏 close to picking up Banana Mania for more monkey ball madness. It's a lot of fun. I'm wondering if playing Super Mario Sunshine at the same time has helped with my patience.

Time to play the bonus world and then suck at the mini games. This was a fiver on the eshop BTW, and was absolutely worth it.

An interesting couple of weird games. Mysteries of Lake Ophelia was a pretty chill fishing game until I finished it, and then it was a fever dream.

Fatum Betula is an even weirder title, with several ways of finishing it. I've managed the first two, but got a little lost when trying out others, so I'll probably revist it again sometime.

Aside from the delightful PS1 style visuals, which are pretty bang on, one of the most interesting aspects for me is the music. Subtle, understated, and in the case of the fishing game, very underused, but very good. Reminds me a bit of Angelo Badalamenti. Ethereal, beautiful and ominous.

Would I recommend this? Maybe. I guess? Would I have paid more than the 89p I got it for in the sale? Probably not. I admire the games for what they are, but at the end of the day, were little more than a curio. But one I'm glad I finally looked into.

The busy work in Starfield had me convinced I was having a good time. Hours felt like minutes, with each expansive quest going from one place to another. And I was fine with this at first. The game looks great, and from an interface point of view, it's basically another elder scrolls.

But scratch beneath the surface and it's just another videogame. The character relationships, while seemingly deep and complex at first, just end up being a series of pressing the right answers. I accidentally asked someone to marry me, and they went from intelligent, independent space badass, to googley eyed obsessive at the flip of a switch. With uncomfortable dialogue to assist. It wasn't very nice. These almost sentient characters suddenly becoming besotted and at you beck and call. Weird to say the least.

Then there's the space travel. I clearly invented how it will happen in my head, but seeing it in action was crushingly disappointing. You can't fly between planets, you have to press a button on the map/hud so you fast travel. Space is just a series of arenas over each planet, with not much more to it than that. The dog fights are alright, but I was hoping there'd be a little more interactivity with the interstellar travel.

And once again, there's a few main factions. All of which have their own moral grey areas so you don't really want to commit to any of them. Again, I accidentally pressed a dialogue option and ended up joing the space cowboys. Not the worst choice I guess, but I didn't want to be dragged into anyone's squabbles. I guess it was unavoidable.

I probably played about 24 hours of this before I ran out of steam. I'm not sure how far in the story I've progressed, quite far I'm hoping, as I'm sure I'll pick this up again eventually.

There's a great big budget sci-fi vibe that's running throughout. In terms of presentation I can't fault it, but I just ended up seeing the game as a series of button presses to advance the missions, with the odd bit of combat thrown in. And characters that end up out staying their welcome. Maybe I just fell victim to the hype?

This is one I've had on my wishlist since I got my switch 6 years ago. It was holding it up. But I've finally gone for it. It wasn't quite what I was expecting, in terms of story at least. Surprisingly philosophical for a cute game about an elephant.

The puzzles were pretty decent as were the dungeons, although the isometric view sometimes hindered depth perception. Otherwise, a decent enough puzzle oriented rpg, which very much has influence from zelda and final fantasy etc. It looks pretty good, too. Big, bright, bold colours. Very Nintendo.

I'm glad I finally got this off the wishlist at least.

What can be said that hasn't a gazillion times already? Trailblazing, awesome, entertaining, endlessly fun (if a tad frustrating at times, but that can be overlooked by just how good the overall game is).

So many times throughout this I was just in awe at how great it is. I was playing it on switch with my n64 controller. Still trying to justify that price, but it plays like a dream, so I'm happy.

On to sunshine next, I guess?

Whilst I enjoyed the core gameplay of this, the story was uninteresting to the point where I would just let the dialogue run on auto while I zoned out and did something else.

The game looks great, I actually quite liked the interface as well. Nice clean and shiny menus. Good battle mechanics and that. But I simply do not care about a bunch of mopey teens training to become pop stars.

If there was as much emphasis on the gameplay as the story in the first few hours, I'd probably have stuck with it a bit longer. But 20 minute conversations about trivial bullshit and idiot teens was too much for me.

For all its incredible visuals, great characters, ingenious levels and overall great vibe, there are some fucking aggravating stages, and if I hear baby Mario crying one more time...

There are some really good boss fights and I think some of my favourite stages were the fortresses and castles. I'm glad I included this in my Mario game play through, as despite some of the more irritating aspects, overall, it's a really well made game and quite entertaining for the most part.

I'd played this a couple of times previously, and I did have it on the gba back in the day, but because it wasn't a traditional Mario platformer, I dismissed it too early on. But at least I got to enjoy it this time around.

Second time I've played through this, as I had it one the Wii U virtual console before. That said, I seemed to get a little more stuck in places this time around. But nevertheless, it was still good fun.

Despite the fact that TotK and BotW are probably my favourite games in the series, I enjoy playing the top down ones a lot more. And this one is cracking. I love the gba style. It's got a real distinct look that I feel adds to the overall character of the game.

I'm still not sure about the kinstone stuff, as at times it was fun but others it felt like a lot of repetition. The areas were all fun and were a bit different to what we'd seen up until this point, and obviously the shrinking aspect was a nice novelty as well, especially when you are in the tiny villages and dungeons etc.

Maybe one of my favourite Zeldas in this style? 3rd to A Link to the Past and the Links Awakening remake.

This is my second time playing through this game. When I completed it back in 2019, I was more than done with it. The pace, the back tracking, that darn cat, all left me feeling fed up and pleased it was over, by the time I finished the game. It even took me a few attempts at the final boss, just because I was trying to rush it and get it over and done with.

It's something that's stuck with me since, and just starting the game up this time around felt like a chore. But I wanted to play a spooky game as it's that time of year. I enjoyed the opening hour or so, and I stuck with it. And something strange happened. I didn't stop enjoying it. Even the annoying back tracking bits were fun. I guess because I knew what was coming, it wasn't as frustrating this time around. I recall getting to the ancient Egyptian themed area the first time and being ready for the game to end.

When I got there this time around, I was so into it I didn't want it to end. Maybe I was just playing it to complete it back then, rather than enjoy the game. There's quite a few of the later stages that I really liked this time around, that I remember having really soured on before.

Even the goofy shit like Luigi absolutely shiting it whenever he sees something move or hears a noise, had me grinning like a fool, all the way to the end. Hoovering up stuff, collecting money, and ghosts, is a lot of fun. I had a great time, and glad I re-evaluated this, because up until last week when I started playing it again, I would not have recommended it. Now I'm quite the opposite. If you love all the silly bits, the toads, the almost self parody of Mario as well, you'll probably have a great time. Like some games, the forced back tracking and detours often feel unwelcome (Gears of War 4 springs to mind, one of the worst offenders), but if you didn't have these little diversions, the game would probably be an hour or two shorter. But given how much I enjoyed it this time around, I'm glad it was there. Its not to be rushed, it's to be savoured. I'm looking all the more forward to the remaster of 2 after playing this. It would be great if the first game got given the same treatment as well. The Nintendo GameCube remasters have all been brilliant so far.

That said, I do own them all on their original formats, but that would mean having to go to a different room. I'll wait...

Quite simply, one of the best video games ever made. I've lost count of the amount of times I've played this. Which considering it was the only game I had on my snes for years, means it's been a lot of times, I still enjoy it as much as I did 30 odd years ago.

Every level is impeccably designed, filled with bonuses and secrets, yet nothing feels like it's a chore. Even the more difficult levels are fun and rewarding. Everything fits perfectly. A perfect game, a 2d platformer that has yet to be bettered.

Granted, I always feel I've cheated myself if I don't finish this with all 96* levels. Which I didn't do this time. However, I want to keep playing more Mario games. I'm probably going to go with Yoshis Island next as that's Super Mario World 2. And I clearly hate myself.

Magic, eh? It's really something playing the first three Mario games back to back. Seeing how they progress over the years. Obviously, 2 has a bit of an exception, but it still fits in perfectly.

But playing through each level, you really appreciate the meticulous effort put into to building the game. The stages, locations, level types, all fit perfectly. And while it does get frustrating in the later levels, it never stops being fun. It's definitely the pinnacle of platforming games on the NES, and a game I've played to death on the All Stars cart, but like 2, I'd never beaten the original until now. I remember getting up to Dark World as kid when playing it at my cousins house, but getting absolutely railed on those first couple of levels on world 8. Well I'm not a stupid kid any more. I'm a stupid adult, who just beat Super Mario Bros 3 on the NES.

Next up is Super Mario World, I suppose. I can only wonder if its any better than this (I'm lying, it's one of my all time favourite videogames).

Mario madness, indeed. I really enjoyed my time with this again. First time I have beaten the original, actually. I've played the Mario all stars version a gazillion times (when it's one of few games you have as a kid, you tend to go through the same ones quite often), but only really played this one on NSO and the Smash Bros demos on Wii U. And the one time my mum took me to a game shop in Humberstone where I played the display NES and this blew my mind.

Good fun. On to Super Mario Bros. 3, next.