CommodoreFez
2001
This game has lived rent-free in my head for the past week as I have been going through it, and, having finished, I hope it never leaves. A lot of people have already written about what makes this game a masterpiece, so I’m just gonna bullet point random thoughts about why this game is one of my favorite games of all time:
I got the “In Water” ending, and I would have been satisfied if the game stopped after 3 different scenes. I’m so glad it continued until the very end. Maybe the best final hour in any game.
As someone who has been dealing with death and terminal illness hands on for the past 3+ months, I think this is the best interpretation I’ve seen about the grief held by loved ones (especially those choosing hospice or acting as patient surrogate in DNR decision making).
Actually a well-written examination of abuse that in (brief) instances empowers the victim while also remaining true to the ramifications of the act. Idk how so many games since have continued to fail in this regard.
The voice acting could not have been more perfect for this game, and I won’t have anyone tell me otherwise.
My favorite video game score of all time.
Some of the best sound design of any game I have ever played.
The fog.
I got the “In Water” ending, and I would have been satisfied if the game stopped after 3 different scenes. I’m so glad it continued until the very end. Maybe the best final hour in any game.
As someone who has been dealing with death and terminal illness hands on for the past 3+ months, I think this is the best interpretation I’ve seen about the grief held by loved ones (especially those choosing hospice or acting as patient surrogate in DNR decision making).
Actually a well-written examination of abuse that in (brief) instances empowers the victim while also remaining true to the ramifications of the act. Idk how so many games since have continued to fail in this regard.
The voice acting could not have been more perfect for this game, and I won’t have anyone tell me otherwise.
My favorite video game score of all time.
Some of the best sound design of any game I have ever played.
The fog.
1994
Despite being held back bay a few repetitive levels and an out of place industrial world (that is luckily redeemed by the last world), DKC is one of the best platformers I have ever played, and one of Nintendo’s best games. So excited to see how this art style, score (my god the score), collectibles, and level design evolve over the trilogy.
1986
If Death wasn’t probably my least favorite boss fight in video game history, this game would be in my top 100. Still really enjoyed it, and can’t wait to see where the series goes from here
1993
Okay yeah this game is really great. Multiple times I had to ask myself, “How is this an NES game?” Then the game would chug harder than almost any other NES game I had seen. Outside of that (which is a huge problem but I’ve heard is corrected in the 3D classics version), I’m in love with this game
2023
Didn’t realize I needed a good cry today. Incredibly personal and touching work by this team, and I’m thankful that games like this exist.
2021
Or “How I Learned That I Have a Much Longer Blink Tolerance Than the General Population.”
Absolutely gobsmacked by what this game achieved and how it achieved it. I don’t think video games can achieve emotional clarity much better than this one has, and I think this is going to stick with me for a long time.
Absolutely gobsmacked by what this game achieved and how it achieved it. I don’t think video games can achieve emotional clarity much better than this one has, and I think this is going to stick with me for a long time.
OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast may have not invented drifting, but it sure did perfect it.
A perfect game.
A perfect game.
I don’t think this game is nearly as bad as people are saying. Namely, for those who believe this story is very unbelievable in how high schoolers treat each other, it really isn’t (especially having been treating suicidal teenagers for the past few months). Also yeah it’s a walking simulator, but I’m honestly okay with that. While I do think this game doesn’t work well as a whole, there are some really good parts here that I think could lead to a good game.
Pros
Environments are beautiful
Love the narrative structure
Love the FMV cutscenes
Art direction
Some genuinely disturbing moments
Cons
Dialogue is terrible
Voice acting is very meh
Trial and error chase sequences
Tries to weave in too many “dark” themes without really tying any of them together
Weird transitions between cutscenes and gameplay
Pros
Environments are beautiful
Love the narrative structure
Love the FMV cutscenes
Art direction
Some genuinely disturbing moments
Cons
Dialogue is terrible
Voice acting is very meh
Trial and error chase sequences
Tries to weave in too many “dark” themes without really tying any of them together
Weird transitions between cutscenes and gameplay
1984
Not gonna lie idk how people are out here saying this is the worst Nintendo game or worst Black Box game. Feels like a proto-Nidhogg albeit much slower (and not as good), but still way more tactical than I see people say. Especially when you get into the late-game rounds (which there are a lot). I’m sure I would have been disappointed to buy this as a full-priced NES game back when it launched, but, playing this game today, I really enjoy the simple structure and combat.
Of all the games that needed a next gen version, Tetris Effect is not one of them. But I’m so glad that it got one.
Tetris Effect is my first real Tetris game I’ve ever played, and it’s one of the most meaningful games I’ve ever played. One of the few games that regularly makes me tear up. Sometimes it’s from the beauty of the visuals, sometimes it’s from the beauty of the music and lyrics, and sometimes it’s the beauty of the mechanics. This is one of the best versions of what is arguably the best video game of all time, and we really are lucky to be able to experience it.
Tetris Effect is my first real Tetris game I’ve ever played, and it’s one of the most meaningful games I’ve ever played. One of the few games that regularly makes me tear up. Sometimes it’s from the beauty of the visuals, sometimes it’s from the beauty of the music and lyrics, and sometimes it’s the beauty of the mechanics. This is one of the best versions of what is arguably the best video game of all time, and we really are lucky to be able to experience it.
2023
Having beaten around 35 runs so far, I can safely say that this is one of the most creative and enabling immersive sims, single-screen platformers, and roguelikes that I have played.
An incredibly easy-to-understand ruleset that allows for some incredible experimentation, Mosa Lina enables me to recognize my own genius (or, more often, stumble into it). By providing a multitude of "verbs" in the form of its 21 tools and 1330 tool combinations, Mosa Lina continually forces me to be creative, discover new interactions, and either reap the rewards or laugh at my failures. The brilliantly simple level design allows the player's actions to decide the fate of the world around them, a staple of immersive sims but a rarity in platformers. The platforming is equally solid, with the tight controls necessary to quickly respond to the unintended consequences of my own actions.
All of this variety and interaction could be hampered by getting stuck on a level or having to restart an hours-long run, but Mosa Lina avoids the roguelike grind that plagues the genre. The level switch mechanic diverts any mounting frustration into solving a different level with a new set of items, and, in the dozens of hours I've spent with the game, I have never gotten angry with the outcomes of a level. The short runs make restarting feel like a new opportunity rather than a burden or a setback, and I never feel cheated when I choose to give up on a run. Instead, I just get excited to see what batshit ideas I come up with next.
The only other addition Stuffed Wombat could have made to encourage more creativity would have been to give us a level editor. So, of course, they are currently developing one (it's availabe in the Beta branch). Hundreds of new user-generated levels have already been created and are available to download and play, meaning there are hundreds of thousands of new weapon-stage combinations to try in a given run. From vanilla-style levels to spike-and-mushroom-covered hellscapes to mini campaigns with thematic coherence, there is no end to what has been and can be created in this game. This is just the start for Mosa Lina, and, with new tools and developer stages also in development, I cannot wait to be along for the ride.
An incredibly easy-to-understand ruleset that allows for some incredible experimentation, Mosa Lina enables me to recognize my own genius (or, more often, stumble into it). By providing a multitude of "verbs" in the form of its 21 tools and 1330 tool combinations, Mosa Lina continually forces me to be creative, discover new interactions, and either reap the rewards or laugh at my failures. The brilliantly simple level design allows the player's actions to decide the fate of the world around them, a staple of immersive sims but a rarity in platformers. The platforming is equally solid, with the tight controls necessary to quickly respond to the unintended consequences of my own actions.
All of this variety and interaction could be hampered by getting stuck on a level or having to restart an hours-long run, but Mosa Lina avoids the roguelike grind that plagues the genre. The level switch mechanic diverts any mounting frustration into solving a different level with a new set of items, and, in the dozens of hours I've spent with the game, I have never gotten angry with the outcomes of a level. The short runs make restarting feel like a new opportunity rather than a burden or a setback, and I never feel cheated when I choose to give up on a run. Instead, I just get excited to see what batshit ideas I come up with next.
The only other addition Stuffed Wombat could have made to encourage more creativity would have been to give us a level editor. So, of course, they are currently developing one (it's availabe in the Beta branch). Hundreds of new user-generated levels have already been created and are available to download and play, meaning there are hundreds of thousands of new weapon-stage combinations to try in a given run. From vanilla-style levels to spike-and-mushroom-covered hellscapes to mini campaigns with thematic coherence, there is no end to what has been and can be created in this game. This is just the start for Mosa Lina, and, with new tools and developer stages also in development, I cannot wait to be along for the ride.
2010
Absolutely adore this games vibes, stories, characters, etc. Perfectly nails what is going for. And I am incredibly excited to see how they play with this world in the sequel.
I do think most of the complaints about the combat would be resolved if it were trimmed by about ~2 hours, but I found it engaging for most of the adventure.
I do think most of the complaints about the combat would be resolved if it were trimmed by about ~2 hours, but I found it engaging for most of the adventure.
You heard me
1985
Man I really wanted to like this one. Excellent concept with extremely poor execution. At least we got a smash level out of this.
1993
The track is beautiful, and I dig the soundtrack, but damn this is not fun to play. Steering feels way off, and the drifting just doesn’t work for me at all. I’m excited to see the series get better, partly because it’s difficult to get worse than this.