LSav00
Playing this game for the first time in 2023 - eleven years after it first released - means that, compared to the average person who got IMMENSELY tired and fed up with these games, I have a newfound appreciation for it.
The visuals, while 'safe,' DO look bloody lovely, and the overworld system is a nice touch to spice things up.
I'd put this game up there with the original New Super Mario Bros. as the best of the lot - perhaps the second best - as it has plenty of content to keep you occupied, and is competently made.
The visuals, while 'safe,' DO look bloody lovely, and the overworld system is a nice touch to spice things up.
I'd put this game up there with the original New Super Mario Bros. as the best of the lot - perhaps the second best - as it has plenty of content to keep you occupied, and is competently made.
2017
On one hand, the additions to this version mean it's what the original versions of these games SHOULD have been.
On the other, they do nothing to fix the issues the previous game had, meaning the story is even MORE slower paced, and the new additions are sparse enough to make this new version not feel entirely justified in existing.
If it had been a cross-generation thing, and launched on the Switch, I think it would've at least gotten a pass for that novelty - but alas.
On the other, they do nothing to fix the issues the previous game had, meaning the story is even MORE slower paced, and the new additions are sparse enough to make this new version not feel entirely justified in existing.
If it had been a cross-generation thing, and launched on the Switch, I think it would've at least gotten a pass for that novelty - but alas.
2005
Bought this as part of a '3 for £5' deal at Game several years ago, and I still have yet to see the appeal of this. It has Pictochat functionality! ...Which requires closing the game to open Pictochat.
Things like that are what make this game feel far more like a tech demo that would be SLIGHTLY more excusable as a pack-in title with the DS. Except, it launched almost a year after the DS did. Pointless.
Things like that are what make this game feel far more like a tech demo that would be SLIGHTLY more excusable as a pack-in title with the DS. Except, it launched almost a year after the DS did. Pointless.
2022
As much as this game improves in some aspects compared to its Switch brethren (the story, for one, is FAR better than the rest), the open world format is something that Pokémon just isn't ready for, until they have more time to flesh out the games.
The graphics are quite poor, the framerate is atrocious, there are still plenty of bugs even after patches, the new Pokémon designs are a VERY mixed bag, and overall the game just doesn't feel fun to play after a point. Feels much more like a 'proof of concept,' to be honest.
The graphics are quite poor, the framerate is atrocious, there are still plenty of bugs even after patches, the new Pokémon designs are a VERY mixed bag, and overall the game just doesn't feel fun to play after a point. Feels much more like a 'proof of concept,' to be honest.
2016
A unique step forward for Pokémon, that dared to do something different. The opening is slow, TOO slow, but once it starts getting going it tells one hell of a story, with one hell of a unique setting. Pushed the 3DS to its limits, and was a very refreshing change of pace.
1996
Fun for a time, but compared to other Mario Kart games - with more content and more refined gameplay - it can be hard coming back to this one. Still worth a go, especially with friends and drinks.
2011
A very solid selection of tracks, a disappointingly small and somewhat bizarre character roster (Metal Mario? The Honey Queen?!) mean this game is a mixed bag that errs more on good than it does bad. The introduction of the kart customisation was a stroke of genius.
2010
A childhood classic, with amazing visual presentation and a brilliant soundtrack, but held back by an overreliance on gimmicks in the form of the Wisps. Not bad by any means, though - still one of Sonic's best outings.
2018
Fun for a couple of rounds, but not really anything more special than that. Excellent use of the Joycons for some of the minigames, though.
A ridiculously impressive port, and a mighty fine way to show off what the New 3DS was capable of. Genuinely a perfectly fine way to play the game, though with the advent of the Switch and the subsequent remaster, the only real merit to this version is the soundtrack player and model viewing feature.
I remember feigning illness to get a day off school to play this nonstop. Smash Bros, in the palm of your hand... It was like nothing else. Pretty solid roster of characters, and Smash Run was genius. Many hours of fun were had with this game.
The go-to choice for multiplayer with friends, but didn't quite hit the same heights as its 3DS counterpart for me. The side modes just weren't there. Seriously, where was Smash Run?!
2007
While it's impressive for the DS' capabilities, the brutal difficulty spikes made this hard to stomach. Grinding to defeat a boss, only for the first enemy in the next area to wipe my team, is what made me give up on seeing this through to the end.
Takes the missed potential of the previous game, and refines it into something truly special. The endgame is absolute bunk, and the framerate on Switch atrocious, but everything else is extremely solid - perfect Pokémon alternative if you're looking for something to scratch that same itch.
Fantastic postgame content, brilliant updates to Diamond and Pearl that SHOULD have been in those games to begin with... The definitive version of the Sinnoh games, and one easily stands the test of time to be considered one of the best.