This is an original Punch-Out fan's dream come true. I always cherished Mike Tyson's Punch-Out on the NES, and when I heard that Nintendo was finally going back to this franchise, I had to pick it up.

Oozing with charm and personality, Little Mac and his trainer, Doc Louis, once again are out to prove the doubters wrong and become World Champion. But in his way are some of the goofiest, and hilariously stereotypical, boxing personalities you will ever run across.

The personality of Little Mac and Doc Louis really shine through in the Wii title - from the mid-round banter, to the chocolate bar antics, the charming graphics and cutscenes in between rounds, and Mac's perseverance to stand tall against impossible odds!

The gameplay is the same Punch-Out you know and love - with each fighter being somewhat of a puzzle to figure out. If you're a Punch-Out vet, you will be able to blast through the first half of the game, but Title Defense is where this game really shines. Once Little Mac becomes World Champ, he then has to fight to retain his title against each boxer in a Rematch fight that changes up significantly from the previous. Even Glass Joe isn't a push-over in his rematch bout!

The music is legendary, and I really enjoyed how they remixed the "fighting" and "get up" themes for each fighter when fighting them within the Exhibition Mode.

If you've never played a Punch-Out game before, I highly recommend giving this one a try. It is one of Nintendo's least talked about IPs, but one of their best.

"In my restless dreams, I see that town... Silent Hill."

Once upon a time, I considered this to be the best survival horror game of all time. And upon further reflection... it still is up there for me, even after damn near 20+ years!

First things first... this is a game you play that you aren't necessarily going to have "fun" with. This is a very dark, depressing, psychological horror game that touches upon many horrific subjects. Also, its base gameplay is pretty terrible, if I'm being completely honest, but it makes up for it with a great setting, exploration, world building, lore, creature/enemy design (Pyramid Head is iconic and is truly a nightmare made manifest) and puzzles.

Between the two iconic, survival-horror titans, Resident Evil and Silent Hill, I always considered SH to be superior in its approach to horror, while Resident Evil was the more "fun" game to play. Some could claim, as I do, that is the point though... James Sunderland isn't a S.T.A.R.S. member or some badass who can handle himself... and with him being woefully unprepared for the horrors of Silent Hill, it elevates the terror of playing even further.

The atmosphere is dark, haunting and as oppressive as its bleak, foggy landscape... its music, as infrequently as it plays, fits the tone perfectly as well. I recommend playing in small chunks at night - lights off, headphones on, etc. (as I do with ALL survival horror games).

Promise (Reprise) - may possibly be my favorite song from a survival horror game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N_PXTGdlGw

When I played this for the first time, I got the "In Water" ending. The trauma still hasn't left me...

Even if you don't consider yourself a fan of the horror genre, this is a must-play title. This is in my top 25 games of all time.

Where the actual fuck is a remastered console release for this Square-Enix!? Jesus Christ... how long has it been!?

To put it bluntly, this is one of the greatest games of all time, relegated to an extinct, dead portable device... and it doesn't quite run all that well on said device either! Slowdown and lag are introduced when casting spells or using abilities, and the sound effects sound terrible in comparison to the original.

I LOVE the much-improved script in this one though! No more "Geronimo!" found here - instead the script is written and presented in such an elegant, flowery, quasi-Shakespearian way. I just love the old English dialogue, and have even "nerded" out before, by just reading the entire script online... I mean, look at these two lines as an example!

---- "You, no less human than we? Ha! Now there's a beastly thought. You've been less than we from the moment your baseborn father fell upon your mother in whatever gutter saw you sired! You've been chattel since you came into the world drenched in common blood!"

---- "All such tales of gods and their miracles are false. Those who would lead prefer that history suit their needs, and rewrite it to see that it does. And why shouldn't they? The fault lies not with them. The reeking masses yearn for gods and miracles. It is their opiate, and they consume it greedily. The people do not endeavor towards greatness, but rather mire themselves in their petty strifes - shackles on the feet of man. Their leaders give them no more than that for which they clamor. It is history's oldest and most oft-repeated tale. Do men exploit this weakness to dominate their fellows? Mayhap they do. But they succeed only because the people are eager to know such dominion. Gods are only illusions born of man's fear. It is they who see this charade for what it is and join in the pageantry who are to blame."

Tis beautiful, and could bring a tear to one's eye... the localization team really did excellent work here.

I hope that Square eventually pulls their head out of their ass when it comes to Tactics... I hated those stupid as shit Tactics Advance games. Throw those in the damn garbage bin, and let's get this masterpiece on PS5 soon dammit!

See my FF Tactics PS1 review for more thoughts on the game itself.

My favorite setting of the golden age GTA games - the 80's Miami aesthetic was gorgeous and beautiful back in the day. The soundtrack in this one is absolutely spectacular, and most likely my favorite in the entire series.

I loved the improvements they made from GTA III, such as the ability to own property, go into certain buildings, and the many different weapons. Things could get incredibly violent with some of the new melee weapon additions.

Looking back on the 3 classic GTA games, I just cannot rank them (truly a 1A, 1B, 1C situation) - they all were so amazing, built off each other, and each have their own claim to be at the top of the list.

From a purely gameplay standpoint, Rockstar perfected the GTA formula with San Andreas. The last of the golden era of GTA games.

The amount of customization you can do with the main character CJ is astronomical in comparison to the previous titles. Improve his strength and muscular appearance by hitting the weights at the gym, improve stamina by running, get fat by eating at Clucking Bell one too many times...

Driving/shooting/weapon stats can also be improved throughout the game - and there are many clothing/tattoo/hair styles that can be changed to create your very own version of CJ.

The game's map felt enormous back in the mid-2000s. 3 distinct cities (mirroring real life cities: Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Las Vegas) the countryside, mountains, and desert areas in between made traversal a blast. The soundtrack/radio stations reflects the 90's era, in which the game is set, and the diverse locations perfectly.

There are so many mini-games too that can keep you occupied throughout the game - turf warfare, billiards, all the casino/gambling games, arcade machines, etc.

The voice talent on display here is AAA level - who can ever forget Officer Tenpenny being voiced by Samuel Jackson as the primary and stand-out antagonist throughout the game.

An overall amazing gameplay experience, that I cannot believe is close to turning 20 years old...

"Find something to believe in. And find it for yourself. And when you do, pass it on to the future."

What a technological leap this was from MGS1 to MGS2... The wait and anticipation I had for this game was on another level - I eagerly scooped up gaming magazines to read anything I could about Kojima's next generation masterpiece prior to its release. I couldn't wait to play it and experience the full power of the PlayStation 2!

Once I finally got my hands on it, it didn't disappoint. The opening of the game with Harry Gregson-Williams' incredible score playing in the background was spectacular. It is by far the best version of the MGS theme and served to hype up the game even more. The graphics were jaw dropping - seeing Solid Snake in his PS2 debut, the rain/wind/smoke effects, Metal Gear Ray's introduction, etc. made me think graphics were never going to be better than this.

The initial Tanker mission brought back fan favorites Solid Snake, Otacon, and Revolver Ocelot and it was incredible seeing them in all their PS2 glory. The first act lived up to the immense amount of hype I had going into it.

Unfortunately, it didn't last for me... to this day, I will never get over the "bait and switch" after the prologue mission... I'm one who still doesn't like Raiden, and it is all because of his nasally, whiny, annoying self. He is purely the anti-thesis of Snake in each and every way. Whether he is slipping on pigeon shit, getting pissed on, getting felt up by the President of the United States, doing naked cartwheels, or getting into arguments with his girlfriend Rose, I found him to be unbearable. And I still didn't enjoy him in future titles, as I felt they tried to swing the pendulum in the exact opposite direction to try to make him "cool" that it just felt ridiculously forced (just look at his appearance in MGS4 and MG Rising: Revengeance).

This game also got a bit cutscene heavy for my liking... unlike before where I felt they did a much better job in the original MGS1 striking a more perfect balance between story and gameplay. As for the game's story, I didn't like it at all back when I was a kid (especially when it goes off the rails at the end), but after multiple playthroughs and the passage of time itself, I've come to understand and appreciate it much more... especially with how Kojima seemingly predicted the future with the game's messaging and themes: the inherent dangers of the internet, an overwhelming amount of information in a digital world, misinformation and censorship, artificial intelligence, etc. It is really quite good when looking back on it.

The best thing about this game though was the gameplay and technical improvements that were made from the PS1 era - the ability to use First Person makes aiming your weapon much easier, holding up enemies and shaking them down for their dog tags, hiding in lockers, the vastly improved enemy AI, cover mechanics, unique boss fights, etc.

This truly felt like a next-gen title back in 2001 with many unique ideas and game mechanics, and while it isn't at the level of MGS1 or MGS3 in my opinion, this was a required evolution of the Metal Gear series, and is a must-play game for any Metal Gear or Hideo Kojima fan.

"Listen to my story. This may be our last chance."

This is a Top 5 Final Fantasy game, and in my opinion, the last great Final Fantasy numbered title (not counting remakes, remasters, or spin-offs).

Looking at the release date of 2001, it is incredibly sad to me that Squaresoft was able to release so many legendary titles within such a short period of time... now as of February 2023, we literally only have 3 new single-player Final Fantasy titles within 20+ years... and none of them hold a candle to the older games.

But enough about that - let's talk about what makes FFX so special! This was the FF that made the leap onto the PS2, and what a leap it was - this is an early PS2 title, and graphically, I still find that it holds up relatively well today, 20 years later. This was also the first FF game to introduce voice acting, and perhaps this is a "hot take", but I thought then, and I still do now, that it was a very solid and well-done dub. Laughing scene be damned! Speaking to that scene for a moment, I just feel people saw the meme and didn't understand the context surrounding the scene... is it cringe/awkward? Sure, but it was supposed to be. It also spawned some hilarious and abominable creations - like someone remaking the entire FFX soundtrack into a Tidus laugh track... I mean, that's just amazing!

The world and setting of Spira is hauntingly beautiful and depressing. Just like the famous Yuna "sending" scene demonstrates, this world is full of death, and is utterly devoid of hope. The people willingly distract themselves with the sport of blitzball, but only the few summoners and their pilgrimage they undertake to defeat Sin, offer a small glimpse of hope for a better tomorrow...

Auron sums it up perfectly with his line: "Spira is full of death. And Sin returns only to bring more death. It is a spiral of death, spiraling endlessly." (I cut it down in its entirety due to spoilers)

I absolutely adored the game's storyline, tone, world/setting, design, music, symbolism, imagery, religious themes, etc. The cast of characters are all great too, and Tidus is honestly the perfect "everyman" and stand-in for the player - as he learns about the world of Spira and how it operates, we do as well.

From a gameplay standpoint, I highly enjoyed the Sphere Grid leveling system. It is somewhat restrictive at first, but eventually opens itself up to a great deal of character customization on how you want to build your party. Also, the ability to switch characters out on the fly, with each party member being strong/weak against certain types of fiends, lends itself to a great battle system. I also love what they did with the summons in this iteration - the "aeons", as they are known in FFX, are vital to the story's plot, and can be summoned by Yuna in battle... and this time it isn't just an attack animation. Now they have their own HP/MP and abilities, and can participate actively in battle.

The only real complaints I have with the game are relatively minor - first, the lack of a world map/airship and the freedom to fully explore really bothered me back in the day. Now, I can say, that while I prefer the older titles and their freedom to explore a world map, FFX does the best job it can with such a limited space to explore. Unlike FFXIII (stares menacingly in its direction)... even if the design philosophy was the same - and they both could be negatively described as "hallway simulators", only XIII feels like one to me. FFX's world feels much more alive and real, that there is just no comparison. It's blasphemous to even compare the 2 titles.

The only other real gripe I have with FFX are the mini-games... honestly, they are my least favorite part of the game. I can't stand them... and in all honesty, the more that I think about them... they may very well be my most hated mini-games of any JRPG. Blitzball, butterfly chasing bullshit, chocobo racing/balloon pickup/ball & bird dodging all while trying to get a time of 0.0, dodging 200 bolts of lightning, some cactuar nonsense in the desert that I can't specifically remember, etc. All of it was pretty horrendous, but it is optional, for the most part (unless you want to power up the team's ultimate weapons).

Mini-games and nitpicks aside though, this is a real gem of a JRPG. I still give it a 5/5 rating, as I feel the positives far outweigh any minor imperfections there may be. I loved this game back when I was in middle school, and I still look fondly back on my time spent in Spira today. It is one of my favorite, emotionally devastating, journeys I've ever undertaken. A special and magical game.

So I'm just going based off of my memory here from playing this 20+ years ago... my pre-teen self despised this game with every fiber of his being. All I remember is the gameplay being atrocious, and the game being unbelievably ugly. I especially HATED the stamina/power meter going down as you ran which tied into your attack strength output... I never did get very far in this game though as I opted to play almost any other game I owned instead of this.

Color me shocked as I look and see this was one of From Software's early games... that is a crazy revelation to me. Since now when I think back on it... I see very early pre-Souls like design here. How far From Software has come since these days is honestly incredible...

This game just didn't click with me... and most of that can attributed to the game's battle system. I did not enjoy how it played similarly to an offline MMORPG. Then with the addition of the Gambits, it felt like the game was playing itself.

I love Final Fantasy Tactics and the setting of Ivalice, so the game's world and setting knock it out of the park. This might be the only thing I really loved from FFXII. This is easily one of the best looking PS2 game graphically - the towns, cities, and many open areas/dungeons are both diverse and impressive in scale and scope.

Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for the game's characters. It felt like it went the FFVI approach without a true lead protagonist, but was done even worse here. There were only a couple of characters I even liked, and even then, none of them were on the same level as FF game's before... Vaan and Penelo are especially poor, that I questioned why they were even there to begin with...

Music was mostly a miss for me, outside of the Empire theme which is an all timer. Didn't like the espers/summons not being FF mainstays (although I understand the Tactics/Ivalice Zodiac connection), wasn't a huge fan of the license board, or the game's Quickenings either...

Now saying all this, I last played this game close to 16 years ago... I'd be willing to give the remastered version on the PS4 another chance, as I've heard it made many improvements to the gameplay/battle/job system, which is where many of my issues with it come from... we'll see, maybe I'll understand and like the storyline better the next go around, because as it stands now, I didn't like this particular Final Fantasy.

"I am what the gods have made me!"

My favorite GoW of the original trilogy. This game had all the best action set pieces, epic moments, and legendary boss battles. The size and scale from the previous game was improved upon even more - it is hard to believe the PlayStation 2 was able to run this game.

This was truly the PS2's swan song. This game is a blast to play, and is one of the greatest action-adventure / hack-and-slash games of all time.

Easily still holds up to this day. This game forever changed the Castlevania franchise - while it dabbled in some 3D iterations, the future 2D titles took SOTN as inspiration for their design. The game's RPG-like elements, equip-able items/weapons, Dracula's large expansive castle to explore (and the hidden 2nd half of the game - its upside-down castle), secret areas/rooms, and overall gameplay design are spectacular. None of the frustrations that were found in Castlevania 1-3 on the NES, are found here.

In my opinion, Alucard is such an improvement over the Belmonts of past titles - from his character, design, and gameplay style; I find Alucard far more fun to play as.

Along with Super Metroid, Castlevania: SOTN was the birth of the Metroidvania genre. One of the all-time classics.

"Richter: Tribute!? You steal men's souls, and make them your slaves!
Dracula: Perhaps the same could be said of all religions...
Richter: Your words are as empty as your soul! Mankind ill needs a savior such as you!
Dracula: What is a man? A miserable little pile of secrets. But enough talk... Have at you!"