I don't know how indie game developers do it, but every time I check off an indie game off my list, I'm left with one of the best experiences I've had in gaming. No two indie games I've played are alike either, whether it's a colletathon platformer in the vein of Super Mario 64 like A Hat in Time, an RPG Maker game with a fantastic story like Celeste, or an atmospheric journey down a world underground on the brink of ruin like in Hollow Knight. Indie games consistently bring fresh ideas to the table and you can feel the love poured into it, and Celeste is no exception. Celeste is a 2D platformer where you climb Celeste Mountain, a mountain that causes strange anomalies, and your goal is to reach the summit. It has a very simple premise, but the actual story is a lot more complex. I don't want to go too deep in the story because I truly believe this game should be played blindly, mainly because this story and its writing really hit close to home. The story goes deep into anxiety and depression and it really makes you feel for the characters, especially Madeline. Despite how nerve wracking the game can be at times, the journey is so worth it, and the final level is probably one of the best levels I've ever played in a platformer. Which by the way, I would like to note I did up to Chapter 7 in this review. I'm going to talk about the B-Sides, C-Sides, and Chapters 8 and 9 on the Farewell review. The platforming is very precise and probably the most tight platforming I've ever played, but the difficulty curve felt fair and it didn't feel like I was stuck for too long. The OST is also genuinely amazing, each song fits the levels and moments very well and has a different vibe that suits the themes of the game and tone. Anyway, I plan to continue the game with the B-Sides, C-Sides, and remaining two chapters, but I just wanted to give my thoughts on what I played so far because frankly, Celeste is a masterpiece that is definitely worth your time. Overall, Celeste manages to combine great story with a great atmosphere and challenging levels that will keep you busy for some time, but are well crafted so that they never feel unfair.

It's so hard to put into words why I love this game, but this genuinely might be one of the best video games I've ever played. As someone who had very minimal contact with the roguelites genre (like? lite? I don't know...), I can confidentially say this was one hell of a first impression. There's so many elements to this that make it so much more enjoyable for me, like the fact that I already love Greek mythology and get to see more content that I'm familiar with, like references to other stories. Somehow the game manages to capture a new side of the characters, yet stay true to their source and I heavily appreciate it a lot. The actual story itself is pretty solid as well, while it's not anything absolutely mind-boggling, it's a tragic story that becomes hopeful and has a great premise. However, the characters are what make the story so good because everyone's a delight. Whether it's Zagreus with his cocky and "done with this shit" attitude, or the Olympians each with their own quirks, or Theseus with his bloated ego, or even Achilles just being a great mentor to Zagreus, or Sisyphus being an absolutely wholesome lad (despite his actual myth), all of these characters are fun to interact with and their dialogue (and voice acting too) are just perfect. The OST is also amazing, with each song fitting the vibe perfectly and most areas having a calmer part for normal battles and a metal part for the bosses. Some songs that really stick out for me are: The Painful Way, Field of Souls, The Exalted, The King and the Bull, and God of the Dead. Now after all that, we can finally get into the gameplay (there's so much to say about this game I love it). It's simple to start, but hard to master. The difficulty curve is pretty well done for the most part, I think the ONLY gripe I'd have is Elysium feels so much harder than Asphodel, but then I realized how this kind of game works: It gets easier over time. I needed to focus more on upgrading the permanent stuff and trying out new combinations, and eventually, I got my first clear. Soon, the rest would come and I ended with a five clear win streak on the last run before credits. There are six weapons, and each weapon feels great to use and has their own pros and cons, so everything feels viable. All the combinations with the Boons are great as well, and very rarely did it ever feel like my Boons were bad enough to cost me a run, rather it felt like it was my fault and that I needed to learn. All the Boon effects are really fun as well, I like making new combinations each time and figuring out what combos I can make that feel nice to play with. My personal favourite effects are Deflect, Crit, Doom, Hangover, and Chill, though all of them are great. There's a couple of annoying enemies to fight, and the bosses can be tough at times, but that makes beating them and finding great combinations so much more satisfying. Despite the repetitive gameplay, I could keep playing this for hours and hours and I'm definitely not done with it yet, though since I've reached the credits, I might as well do this review and log it. Overall, Hades is simply a masterpiece with many amazing qualities that make this game an addictive and fun game that I would go as far as to say is a "must play" for sure.

Halo 2 and 3 were the games I was most excited for going into this collection, and I'm glad I got to play them. Every single little thing from CE and 2 that I had an issue with is fixed here, I genuinely have zero complaints here. The story is just as great as it was in 2, the level design is the very best I've seen in the series so far, the OST is amazing as per usual, the characters are all great (I love the Arbiter) and the set pieces are genuinely intense and get you hyped up. From fighting the Scarabs during The Storm, breaching The Citadel in The Covenant, or the final Warthog Run in Halo, each level has many action packed moments that make this game intense and really make it feel like the climax to the war, a perfect follow up to the cliffhanger of Halo 2. Overall, I would say this is a very impressive campaign and somehow managed to exceed the high expectations I had for it.

Kirby's Dream Land 3 is a game I wish I could love more, but unfortunately, while it's not bad or anything, it doesn't live up to the expectations I had for it. I was hoping this would be my favourite of the three Dream Land games, but in all honesty, I think 2 was the one that gave me the best time. I didn't 100% either 2 or 3 but I found that you get more out of trying to 100% this game rather than actually just going through the levels, since the true final boss is behind it and every level has a side quest to do to unlock it. Now I wouldn't have an issue with this, if side quests were obscure in objective for most and the game didn't feel awkward to play. I found that the movement just felt off, most likely since it feels a lot slower than every other Kirby game I've played so far. The Animal Friends also felt like a downgrade this time around, with a lot of them being a lot slower or having very close range attacks with the Copy Abilities. The old ones were fine, but the new ones, specifically ChuChu I didn't really like, though I do really like Nago and Coo felt slower this time around. I mainly stuck with Nago + Fire but I still felt like a lot of the combos killed your movement and just didn't feel as smooth to use as something like Sword in Kirby Super Star for instance. There's still some great things about this game, it has a lot of charm, mainly due to the art style and cute OST, and the final boss is pretty fun too. I played this on Nintendo Switch Online so there was the special mode that had a full save file, so I opted to do that over the side missions because I got tired of them after Level 2. The true final boss is pretty fun to fight and probably my favourite part of the game because it isn't plagued by any issues that I mentioned earlier like movement, but it's a hassle to get to for only four minutes of gameplay. I don't know, I wouldn't say this game is anywhere near bad but I would say I was a bit disappointed that this didn't live up to my expectations. Overall, the game has a lot of charm and personality, but it doesn't quite live up to the expectations I had for it.

To be honest, I wasn't expecting too much from this. I figured because it's on the Game Boy and has all the Mario enemies that I wouldn't like it, but it was honestly a lot better than I expected. To clarify on the Mario enemies thing, I thought it would be something that would take me out of the game, and it kind of does, but at the same time, this game never really felt super immersive, rather just trying to tell a simple but lighthearted story. The story is serviceable, definitely better than A Link to the Past's but that both games have the bare minimum, which is fine for its time. Anyway, the main meat of the game comes from the dungeons and exploration, which are both fine but if I'm being honest, I definitely enjoyed myself playing A Link to the Past and A Link Between Worlds a lot more. This game doesn't feel clunky, but some parts feel more obscure than in the other two, especially the former. Some dungeons like Key Cavern, Eagle's Tower, and Turtle Rock felt really confusing and had a lot of backtracking, though there are some great dungeons in here as well, mainly Angler's Tunnel, Catfish's Maw, and Face Shrine. As such I would definitely say the middle of the game is the best part easily, though the beginning is fine too. I think one thing that mainly holds this game back for me compared to the other two (even though I still really enjoyed this one) is how much you have to open the menu. Some items feel like they should've just been a passive thing and not something I have to constantly switch buttons for, especially the Power Bracelet, which ends up really killing the flow of the game. DX also has the Color Dungeon which as far as I know is one of the only differences in DX outside of adding color itself, and that dungeon, while short, was actually really good as well, and I had a ton of fun with that and other parts of the game. The 2D platforming sections aren't bad but they definitely feel a bit clunk and always having to use the Roc's Feather is a little annoying, though understandable. Lastly, running into blocks and having slow text pop up also really kills the flow of the game, though that's a more minor complaint. Regardless, I still had a ton of fun with this one and I do plan on getting to the remake one day, which will hopefully fix a lot of my issues and make this game one I like even more. Overall, very enjoyable game that has some issues due to its hardware that can really slow the pace.

Halo 2 improves a lot about what I liked about Combat Evolved while adding a lot more meat to areas that I thought needed it. The big improvement comes from the story. Combat Evolved had a story, though it wasn't what I was mainly looking forward to for the most part. I knew Halo had some good lore, and Combat Evolved had some interesting parts but that wasn't the highlight for me (though the Keyes mission was really good). In Halo 2, the story takes more importance, even going as far as to have a second playable character and that was a really cool perspective. The other elements of the game are also improved like the level design, music, and graphics, though I feel like some missions were a little weaker than in Combat Evolved (though that's a minority of missions). Still, I had a lot of fun playing this and it definitely was a step up from Combat Evolved, though I wouldn't say it's perfect, just really great. Overall, very great game with improved elements to its predecessor.

Portal 2 is the prime example of a game that truly lives up to the hype it has amassed over the years. Every single little thing about this game is just perfect. I'm not too big of a puzzle game fan because I'm more of a platformer and RPG fan but there's elements in this game I really appreciate since I'm not familiar with puzzle games. Once again, the portal gimmick is still amazing but also the new features such as the coloured goos and the tractor beams (I don't remember the names) were really fun to use in tandem with the existing things. I think the best part of this game is the shift to a more narrative direction. Portal was more about its puzzles with an escape sequence that was really well done, but Portal 2 amplifies everything and has a fun and engaging story with two very wonderful characters on the forefront that make the journey so much better. Just having banter and even music as well made the experience so much better. It's also impressive that most, if not all jokes landed. I streamed it to a friend and I had an absolute blast playing this, and there's a co-op campaign as well that I want to try out as well, though for my review here I'm going over the single-player one. Overall, this game is a really engaging and fun puzzle game with a pretty solid story and great gimmicks and it truly deserves all the hype it gets.

I've 100% this game before, but some of my friends started talking about it and I had the urge to play it again, this time I only wanted to do any percent and clear at least three Stars per world. I gotta say, this was a blast to play through. Almost every world in the game provides a lot of fun content through its unique level themes and gimmicks. The only world I actively disliked was Shifting Sand Land, though doing only three Stars in it made my overall experience much better. I definitely did have to do some annoying Stars, but I think some parts are less of the fault of the levels themselves and more of the game. I feel like there's some levels where you can slip too easily, mainly in Tiny Huge Island when you're trying to get to the top, the bridge is just too small that you end up slipping on the side often. That or the first Star of Jolly Roger Bay where you drain the water in the sunken ship and have to climb back up it, it's easy to slip on the side of the ship while you're trying to get up and stuff like that becomes really annoying. The Wing Cap also feels really janky to control, mainly because of another issue: the camera can really suck at times. Granted most of the time the camera is fine, but there are parts where it feels like I'm fighting for control with the camera. Side note: I found Tower of the Wing Cap harder than Wing Mario Over the Rainbow, which probably shouldn't have been the case but whatever. Anyway, the Stars are pretty fun to get, there are a few that are really obscure and hard to figure out, but those are mainly in the third section of the game (Snowman's Land and above). Some of my favourite areas include: Cool, Cool Mountain, Lethal Lava Land, Tall, Tall Mountain, Tick Tock Clock, and Rainbow Ride. I think if I put each World in a tier list, a lot of them would be placed on the higher side since they have a lot of great Stars and fun platforming challenges that add a lot of replayability to this game. Overall, I find that while it definitely has aged a little poorly in some areas, this is still a really fun platformer that I would honestly say still holds up in many areas today.

Never actually played an FPS campaign before, so a lot of this is very new territory to me. Regardless of that, I had a ton of fun with it, especially because I played it multiplayer with a friend of mine who loves this series, and it's not hard to see why. I went in with low expectations because the game is kind of old, but I was pleasantly surprised with the quality, whether it's the campaign, the guns, or the level design. Now that's not to say it was perfect, I did have some nitpicks like not being able to zoom in with certain guns and I found some of the controls to be a little weird, but I got used to them. I think the only main flaw that brings this game down for me is that some levels have really repetitive design. I know I just praised the level design a bit ago, but sometimes it can be a little lacklustre. Some missions drag on for a long time, which can work in the favour of some (Assault on the Control Room) and really ruins others (The Library). The Library in specific was really monotonous and definitely was the only mission I actively disliked. Back to more good, I really like the application of music and set pieces. The beginning of The Silent Cartographer and the very last part of The Maw were really highlighted by the great main theme and intense action. My personal favourite missions were the two I just mentioned, Assault on the Control Room, and Keyes. The ambience in the game is also really well done, being really creepy when it needs to be but also the game is really epic as well. Overall, a very solid campaign for a game I didn't know much about, and now I'm really excited to go to the next games as well.

Honestly, there's not much I want to say about this one since I feel like my feelings are pretty similar to how they are with the first one. I think the better spritework is very nice and the power meter definitely makes the game a lot more enjoyable. The difficulty also feels better handled than the original. At the same time, I don't think this game does enough for me to want to put it a whole point higher, especially since I don't believe it meets the enjoyment level I had with some of the games in the next tier, so I think I'll leave it at an 8 with the original, but do know I like this one a bit better. Overall, pretty solid sequel that gives us more of the enjoyable playstyle of Punch-Out!! while having some upgrades from the original.

Yeah this game's pretty solid. I know this is considered one of the bests and I both agree and disagree, though the existence of Ultra doesn't help this version's case. I know both versions have pros and cons but I definitely enjoyed Ultra more when I played it two years ago. The selection of minigames is pretty solid, though there are parts I find to be somewhat weaker. For this review, I'll rank each minigame and explain why.

7. Spring Breeze: This one's just really short and I don't really care for it too much. It's about 10 minutes long and it's a smaller version of Kirby's Dream Land. I don't dislike it or anything, but I'm very neutral about it. I know it's intended for beginners but I really think Dyna Blade is fine since it's not that much harder or longer for that matter.

6. Dyna Blade: This genuinely feels like it could've replaced Spring Breeze because it's not that much longer and gets the job done well. Pretty solid levels but definitely one of the weaker parts.

5. The Arena: This is where the ranking gets tricky. I'm going to put The Arena here because while it's a great concept and I love to see it (and the True Arena) in other titles, it's not a game mode I would see myself going back to much. Bosses in Kirby are pretty good but they're not exactly the highlight for me, though they are pretty fun for the most part.

4. Revenge of Meta Knight: I love the cooperation and banter of Meta Knight and his crew, and the music is really damn good. I think this one gets the short end of the stick for me because I don't particularly like the levels outside of The Halberd, but that's just me.

3. Gourmet Race: Can't go wrong with it, it's a very short minigame but it's a fun one with great and iconic music to boot. Definitely the most replayable one of the list.

2. The Great Cave Offensive: As someone who really likes Amazing Mirror, this definitely works out well for me. While Metroidvania Kirby definitely still needs work, I think it was executed pretty well here. I didn't go for all the treasures here like I did with my prior playthrough of Ultra from my time pre-Backloggd, but I enjoyed it a lot when I did it back then.

1. Milky Way Wishes: Genuinely such an interesting concept with great gameplay and levels to boot. The Heart of Nova and Marx fights are also a great way to end the game (other than The Arena but technically we can just count this as the ending).

So yeah, most of these are pretty good minigames. I don't think the entire package is perfect here, especially since there's less minigames than in Ultra, but it's a pretty fun time for a majority of its runtime. Overall, very solid collection of minigames that are really creative and iconic.

Okay wow, wasn't expecting this to be as tough as it was from the get go. Never really played a game like this but it was a pretty cool experience. I like that each fighter has a pattern you need to learn and a way to counter in order to beat them, though some are really hard to time, maybe because I played it on NSO. The music is pretty good too, I always picked the modern remix whenever I went Boxing Ring in Smash since it was one of my favourites in there. There's not too much I want to say about this game since it's one of those games where what you see is what you get, but it's a pretty fun NES game. Overall, really fun but challenging NES game.

And now, I'm finally done with the four New Super Mario Bros. titles. This one's definitely better than the other three, but the bar really isn't exactly the highest now, is it? Now, the thing is the New Super Mario Bros. games range from literally mediocre to pretty decent at best, so they aren't exactly bad games. The main issue I have with all four titles is that there's nothing that sets them apart from each other after you've already played one of them, and the one I first played when I was younger just so happened to be my current least favourite, that being 2. Now, I definitely think that these games are better than a good chunk of the older games like the original, both versions of 2, and both Land games, but these games are just serviceable at best and don't strive to be anything like the bests such as 3, World, and Wonder. That's what pisses me off about this game in particular, because I feel like this one TRIED to be more unique in a way, but at the end of the day, it's just another New Super Mario Bros. game. There ARE instances of creativity in the level design or background or both (like the Starry Night level), but then there's also levels that are just more of the same and as a result, I'll only remember this game for having like, a few distinct levels at most while the rest blend in with the other games. At the very least I'll give credit to this game for having things I'll remember it by, and it wasn't annoying or lackluster for the most part, but oddly enough, despite the fact that I did enjoy it to a degree, I still feel really disappointed and as such, I can't rank it any higher. Overall, it's a fine 2D Mario game but it's really dragged down by being another New Super Mario Bros. game, which means it's mostly more of the same thing we've already seen three times before.

Not much to say here, it feels similar to DKC2 but a bit worse, mainly because the difficulty is toned down for most of the game. I found that the game to be a lot easier than the first one for most of the game but then the last two areas had somewhat of a difficulty spike. Sometimes the levels felt less fun due to its challenge and more tedious, especially with the Animal Buddies once again. Those levels that mainly use the Animal Buddies just weren't fun to me, especially Krack-Shot Kroc which was a worse version of a level I already didn't like in DKC2. The bosses were also just really tedious, most of them aren't very visually clear or have really annoying gimmicks I don't like dealing with, and some of them even change the gameplay style which I wasn't too much of a fan of. Regardless, it's still DKC which all three were pretty solid platformers, but I personally found that each new game was a score less for me, so hopefully Returns and Tropical Freeze don't follow that pattern (especially since I've been anticipating playing those two for a while). Overall, I find DKC3 to be weaker than its predecessors, but it's still a solid game on its own.

This is a tough one to score, mainly because my enjoyment of this game is so high, but the issues I have with it are too significant to ignore. Starting with the good, I think this game looks and plays really well and it's got a good fluid pace going for it. The areas are pretty fun to explore and the Copy Abilities are all really fun to use in a Metroidvania style game. However, the main problem with the game comes from its Metroidvania qualities, mainly the map and the one-way paths. Rather than telling you where you need to go, the map tells you where you are, and it's honestly more useful for telling you where you went than where you're going. This is a problem because of the one-way paths, which means you have to go straight to a goal instead of the boss if you go the wrong way and you can't turn back. Luckily, I didn't have too many issues getting to the bosses, but there were a couple times that I hit a goal that could've been easily avoided had the map actually been useful. I genuinely think this game would be a 4.5 or even a 5 if either the map was fixed to be more useful as a guide or the goals were removed, preferably the former. I still give it a 4 though because it is a genuinely enjoyable game but the map and goal problem does really bring it down for me just by a bit. The final boss is also just REALLY long for no reason but this isn't too big of an issue because at least there's healing in between and you can call the other three NPC Kirby's to fight with you, making the bosses much easier. The ending is really odd though since the credits roll as soon as you deal the last damage and the cutscene plays after. Those things I don't mind too much but it's still something worth pointing out. Overall, it's a really fun game with lots of smooth gameplay, but the map/goal is a major flaw that prevents this game from being perfect.