A pretty good baseball sim that still can't figure out how to scale difficulty in a fair way. The basic mechanics feel accurate but the outcomes can have widely different results which just feels like a random number generator. The game modes on offer are pretty complete but I do wish the gambling/card pack mechanics didn't have to permeate into Road to the Show and Franchise modes. It's fun for a bit but then becomes a grind to get you to collect them all.

I'll probably pick this up again in the future when I want something simple to play but I do wish these sports games would start to think about how to create a difficulty approach that feels authentic.

The game is good, but there are better games than this game. This game is still worth playing, but only as a jumping off point to the better games. There is also a better version of this game (PS1) that’s available on more modern systems that also includes one of the better games.

Lastly…


ska

A very straightforward TONY HAWK'S PRO SKATER 2 clone that is practically identical in design but miles away in polish and craft. The physics and controls are loose, floaty, and occasionally quite frustrating, especially when going for high scores in some of the more amateurish stages. Even by THPS2, Neversoft's work was so solid that if you played it long enough you could almost control it by thought. Here, you'll be raging at dropped inputs and yelling, "WHY AREN'T YOU MANUALING" at the screen from time to time. It makes you really appreciate just how good the Hawk games were in that regard.

Even with the problems, there's a bit of familiar fun to be had here. Just prepare to be patient if you want to get all the way through it.

Hot diggity dog was this adorable! Imagine if you took Breath of the Wild, made it super adorable and then made it fun! Also, you made it much shorter so that it didn't wear on you until you felt like the game was your job. That's basically Lil Gator Game! There are homages to other games in here, but the basic premise is your sister is home from college. She's too busy working on an assignment to play, so you and your friends make up an entire "Hero of Legend" world with cardboard enemies and stuff to get her interested.

I do have a couple gripes. First, the only map is just a park map you can find throughout to get a general lay of the land. Second, it doesn't do the best job of reminding you of your quest. Not even where to go, but just what it was you were doing.

When you finish the game, you get items to find the remaining monsters and friends you can meet! I saw one of the trophies was "destroy everything" and thought there was no way I would find it all, but you totally can!

You play as Smushi, a little mushroom who lives in the forest by a lake with their siblings. But then Smushi is suddenly snatched up by a bird and carried away far from home. How do you get back? Have an adventure, meet new friends, and find the way back home eventually.

Visuals

Smushi Come Home is done in a 3D low-poly style, and it's very cute! Smushi and their siblings are the cutest little mushroom buddies, and you'll meet lots of other cute little critters along the way.

The environments are simple, but they look full and lush without being cluttered. It's pretty easy to navigate and remember where you are in relation to other landmarks without too much need for the map.

Sound Effects + Music

I really liked the music in Smushi Come Home! It's very chill and very cute and never got annoying.

There's no voice acting, just little bleeps and bloops for dialogue. Smushi does have a cute little jumping noise though.


Gameplay + Controls

Smushi Come Home is a 3D exploration game with platforming and puzzles. It's everything I adore in a cozy game. Smushi travels through multiple environments on their journey back home. You'll meet new friends who need help along the way, which are also the key to progressing through each area.

As you explore, Smushi will gain new items and abilities, such as gliding and a sword to cut through vines. If you stumble upon an obstacle you can't get through, just keep going and you'll find what you need soon enough. Some backtracking is necessary to find everything, but it's not too much of a hassle.

There are also smaller mini games scattered throughout. These vary in mechanics and goals, but you'll want to do them for the great rewards!

Replayability

Smushi Come Home has a built in Speedrun Mode, so it already has multiple playthroughs in mind! You can keep exploring after Smushi makes it home in order to clean up any tasks and secrets you didn't get to, so it's not necessary to start over to earn all achievements if you missed some. However, it's super short and cute, so it's no hardship to play again.

Overall

I adored Smushi Come Home! It's too freaking cute, and I enjoyed exploring the forest and solving the puzzles.

You play as a mail scout in training (choose their name, appearance, and pronouns) as they're about to make their first delivery! Post Master Janet gives you a letter for Greg, but no information on where to find him. Now, it's up to you to talk to the other forest residents, help them with their tasks, and find the mysterious Greg.

Visuals

Mail Time is the coziest looking 3D game. The colors are soft and relaxing, nothing is ever too bright or too dark or too flashy. It's not dull though! There's always something pretty too look at. It's not super detailed, but everything looks the way you'd expect it to look. The animal friends are all super cute, although it is a bit strange how they just stand there staring blankly into the void. The player character is the cutest thing in the world and much more expressive.

The character sprites for the dialogue are super duper cute, and I loved their expressions and they talk to your mail scout.

Sound Effects + Music

The background music is very chill and calm. I mostly forgot it was even there as I was playing, which tells me it never got annoying or repetitive. But that also means it didn't really stand out either. It was just a nice accompaniment for the gameplay.

Gameplay + Controls

Mail Time is mainly an exploration game with some platforming and a lot of fetch quests. You go around the forest to find all of the animal friends, talk to them, and deliver letters to wherever they need to go. You also need to find some items for them and complete collections. It's all very straight forward, but I never got bored with it. Especially, since the game is so short.

The controls are find. I played on PC, using an Xbox controller. You simply move around with the Left stick, adjust the camera with the Right stick, interact with B, and jump/glide with A. Jumping is a little floaty, but precision really isn't an issue here. There were plenty of times when I landed floating on the side of something instead of missing.

I only experienced two glitches during my playthrough. Both of them were my mail scout couldn't move after talking to a resident. I just opened my journal, closed it, and got back control.

Replayability

Mail Time is just about 2 hours long, depending on how much exploring and collecting you do, so it's a quick game to play multiple times if you want to. There are missable achievements that you may have to replay the game to get. I missed four, so I may go back some day to get them.

Overall

I absolutely adored Mail Time. It's just the cozy game that I hoped it would be! I loved getting to know all of the forest critters a bit, and it just made me smile.

In the few hours I spent with Spider-Man 2, it became clear that this is exactly the game I expected it to be. Which, for most people, is a very good thing. From the jump, it's clear that Insomniac has greatly refined its sense of pace and scale, throwing the player into this big, dynamic Sandman battle that's not just a technical spectacle but a generally well-executed boss fight. It's a fantastic start.

But it didn't take long for the game to reveal itself to me is just more of the same - more check-boxy open-world upgrade tree beat 'em up faux-cinematic adventuring that exemplifies everything that most people like from AAA games but that I do not.

There's no doubt that the feel is here, but the feel is a familiar one, the context a familiar one. I think I'm just burnt out on this archetype. It's not broken, it's just not for me. The rationale for its incredibly high scores is plainly visible in just a few hours, but I can confidently table this one knowing that it's not going to appeal to my tastes and let others enjoy it in my place.