LSav00
One day, a younger me went to Argos with his mum, to get Mario Kart DS. Possibly because he had done well at school.
He left, however, with a copy of Cars Maternational, as said mum had balked at the price of Mario Kart DS, and had gotten this as a cheaper alternative.
Honestly? Bitterness aside, it's actually a perfectly decent game. It has a lot of variety for visuals - a level in a cave with night vision, a mountain, a cornfield, a stadium, etc. - and there's secret shortcuts you can find which reward you with unlockables, such as new characters and alternate paintjobs for your cars.
There was also different types of race, such as elimination rounds, races against rival characters, alongside your typical grand prixs - so don't let the fact it's a Mario Kart 'clone' fool you, as it actually does quite a bit different.
He left, however, with a copy of Cars Maternational, as said mum had balked at the price of Mario Kart DS, and had gotten this as a cheaper alternative.
Honestly? Bitterness aside, it's actually a perfectly decent game. It has a lot of variety for visuals - a level in a cave with night vision, a mountain, a cornfield, a stadium, etc. - and there's secret shortcuts you can find which reward you with unlockables, such as new characters and alternate paintjobs for your cars.
There was also different types of race, such as elimination rounds, races against rival characters, alongside your typical grand prixs - so don't let the fact it's a Mario Kart 'clone' fool you, as it actually does quite a bit different.
2021
A game well, WELL worth the wait. Plays like a dream on the Switch, with some amazing environmental design and tight, tough gameplay to boot.
The feeling of exploration is immensely satisfying, as is being REWARDED for sequence breaking - letting you tackle the game in all sorts of different ways.
The E.M.M.I robots are absolutely terrifying, as the name would suggest, however towards the latter half of the game, they begin to be frustrating more than anything. The music is nothing to write home about, either.
All in all, however, it's awesome. Well worth a look, even if it's not usually your sort of game!
The feeling of exploration is immensely satisfying, as is being REWARDED for sequence breaking - letting you tackle the game in all sorts of different ways.
The E.M.M.I robots are absolutely terrifying, as the name would suggest, however towards the latter half of the game, they begin to be frustrating more than anything. The music is nothing to write home about, either.
All in all, however, it's awesome. Well worth a look, even if it's not usually your sort of game!
The DS version of this game, ironically given the game's focus on dreams, is a snoozefest. Swipe left to make your character lackadaisically traipse left! Swipe right to do the same, but inverse! Oh, and there's a time limit. And you have to shout into the DS' microphone to stop a jellyfish attacking your character in their sleep and waking them up.
It's boring, it's obtuse, it's slow as molasses, and the occasional gameplay shakeup does NOT do enough to make it feel fresh.
It's boring, it's obtuse, it's slow as molasses, and the occasional gameplay shakeup does NOT do enough to make it feel fresh.
Take everything good I said about Monster Hunter Generations, and triple it. More quests. More monsters. More gameplay options. G Rank. It's as absolutely perfect as it gets, and bursting at the seams with content.
The endgame ratchets up the difficulty so much it veers into territory that is both too grindy and possibly TOO hard, but if you ever need something that will beat you mercilessly into the ground and have you dragging yourself to your feet for more, this game is there for you.
The endgame ratchets up the difficulty so much it veers into territory that is both too grindy and possibly TOO hard, but if you ever need something that will beat you mercilessly into the ground and have you dragging yourself to your feet for more, this game is there for you.
2012
Yet another shining jewel in the 3DS' library, THIS is how you bring back a dormant IP in style. Will it give you hand cramps? Oh, god, yes. Is the charming writing and fast-paced gameplay worth the hand cramps? Oh, GOD yes.
2021
Arcade-based insanity at its finest. Playing this game multiplayer and witnessing the reaction of my friend as the double-decker bus he was driving down a mountain did a front flip off my hammerhead shark (complete with laser helmet attachment on his head) and careened through the air at mach 2 is proof enough this game is the stuff of legend.
Could've done with more content, but c'est la vie.
Could've done with more content, but c'est la vie.
2020
They stuck the bastard in space, and my god does it work better than it has any tight to.
The plumber was at the top of his game with this one. Tight, focused level design that made excellent use of the game's mechanics and the Wii Remote's pointer, amazing visuals, an undefeated soundtrack, it's firing on all cylinders and never looks back.
The plumber was at the top of his game with this one. Tight, focused level design that made excellent use of the game's mechanics and the Wii Remote's pointer, amazing visuals, an undefeated soundtrack, it's firing on all cylinders and never looks back.
1999
A classic. Played it over the course of a couple of days while a friend was staying at my house, and it's still some of my fondest memories playing a game. Short, VERY sweet, and impossible to go wrong with.
2014
A shockingly robust and competent art program, given the limitations of art on the 3DS. A bit clunky, but teaches you some fantastic tips and tricks of the trade to set you on the right path.
Quite an oddity, and one that set the precedent for better (or in this case "better") tie-in versions of Pokémon games. While the bizarre cuts to obtainable Pokémon felt arbitrary and pointless, the revamped sprites for the mons and little bits of extra content here and there make it the definitive 1st gen Pokémon game.
Which isn't really MUCH of an achievement, but hey. It's something.
Which isn't really MUCH of an achievement, but hey. It's something.
2020
An all-timer. Extremely fun acrobatic movement, some properly iconic locales and music, and a shockingly solid cornerstone in the realm of 3D gaming.
...Which is pretty much what everyone else says, and with good reason!
...Which is pretty much what everyone else says, and with good reason!
A charming, extremely funny game with an amazing soundtrack and brilliant visual style. The gameplay is very, VERY hit or miss - you either love it or you hate it when it comes to the puzzle-based battle system - but even so, everything outside of that carries the game and makes it something I easily had a ton of fun with.
1994
Top-notch atmosphere, fantastic music, and slick gameplay, it's no wonder this game is so highly regarded. A couple of minor issues aside, it's well worth your time.
A direct sequel to one of the best games on the DS? They KNEW they were onto a winner, clearly. It adds far more locales and content - perhaps a little TOO much - but it is a prime example of how a sequel should be made. The fact the challenge mode difficulty has never returned is something of a crime, as it scaled just right to make you sweat bullets by the time you were at the Pokémon League.
Considered a modern classic for a reason, and given a wonderful new coat of paint that really lets the character design pop. The added QOL features make this TRULY feel like a 'definitive edition.'
...If only it had the 3DS port's soundtrack player and model viewer...
...If only it had the 3DS port's soundtrack player and model viewer...