No matter what rating I give this game it doesn't quite feel right. It's legend can't be put into words. I mean it can and has been literally hundreds of times but you know what I mean.

You ever play a game and question why you don't like it as much as you'd hoped. Like you still like it and recognize it's many great qualities but something just feels missing? That's my thoughts on this. Maybe it's the sony game-isms like the same ui all their games use and the overt focus on story. Maybe it's that I never quite felt like the combat came together completely with me still tripping up what buttons do what even in endgame. Maybe it's the awful stealth missions I got stuck on. Despite all that the feeling of swinging around a highly detailed new york is cool and the costumes are really great. I'll probably re-review this whenever I decide to replay it.

My thoughts on this game are extremely mixed but it's always going to be one of the best realized open world cities in gaming. It just has hundreds of issues and the story missions are a game design clusterfuck.

A masterclass in 3d platforming excellence and the reason I bought a switch. Mario as a franchise CAN be like this and I wish it was like this more often.

A blood soaked eldritch delight that always beckons me back to it's elegant dream not too soon from when I had last faced it's vast well of challenge and chaotic flow. An honest to goodness masterpiece from front to back. When in darkness comfort find.

I like it when the characters in the video games feel emotions and then I feel emotions and just sit there with those emotions and some great music for a minute. Not particularly deep gameplay wise and I doubt I'd enjoy replaying it but that first playthrough hit hard.

2018

Game pass may have removed this game before I could beat it but I got damn close and I intend to settle the score one day.

Centuries, more than a lifetime, on your way towards the quest for the grail.

It's the legend of zelda and it's really rad.
When it comes to puzzles I'm really bad.
Massive open world with a lot to do
but instead I'm gonna cook spider stew.

A genuinely really fun game based on a stupid concept is always fun and this is unironically perfect for a reboot.

The messier, more challenging, even less popular younger brother of the original. Now with bugs!

One of the most visually impressive and rewarding to master games of the 16-bit era. Also #wallewithagun. No one will get that reference and I don't care.

I know this is just a repackaging of old games but I have a story here. As a kid I had played world 2 and rally religiously and I was DESPERATE for a copy of world 3. I had saved up my money for a copy for months and on my birthday we went to gamestop but alas they hadn't any. My parents, ever the generous spirits, elected to take me and my brother all across town to look for a copy. We must've hit eight different stores from gamestops to disc replays to best buys. Just as we were about to give up we decided to go to walmart to pick up some food for dinner when at the electronic section I saw this. I already had two of the games as mentioned before but those disc were thoroughly played out to the point where certain maps in rally refused to load plus inside of it was the treasure I so seeked. It was 10$ more than I had on me but my parents decided to help pay for it. I had never been so excited to experience anything in my life. (I was 10 keep in mind) I stared up and down at all three of the cases. I quickly noticed that world 2 had a different disc art but naturally the majority of my attention was in 3's direction. This holy grail of desire was finally mine. I was at peace. Nowadays it's easy to notice 3's issues but I still quite enjoy it and I'll never forget that feeling I had that day.

Oh also the version of world 2 is the later 1.1 release with some minor changes to enemy behavior and level design in some places. I discovered all of the changes myself.

Honestly found it a little disappointing. Should've been more like the genesis version of ms. pac-man.

Not gonna lie having a crowd surround me as I got a top score at dave and busters improved my self image