Playing this game feels like choking on sprite. I love it.

Also on a serious note I think a game with nothing but Mario in a submarine/plane/etc levels would actually be kinda sick? Like I'd play that for sure those levels are the best part of this game.

played on NSO Gameboy (I own the physical game but playing on switch is just easier boohoo)

(Third Playthrough)
...April 30th?

Calling this work of art my favorite video game ever made doesn't do it justice. A lot of people say video games change their lives, but this game actually changed my life. This game isn't just my favorite video game ever, It's my favorite piece of art ever, It's my favorite piece of storytelling ever. It's been about 2 years since I played it for the first time and cemented it as my favorite. This game will always be the most personal piece of art ever created for me and I will continue to cherish this fantastic work of fiction for the rest of my life.

anyway im gonna go play as raiden in fortnite now

Super Mario 64 was made at a time when Bubsy 3D was considered the staple 3D platformer. And holy shit did it improve that genre. The system’s controller itself was built around making that game play as fun as possible. Regardless of whether you’re a Nintendo fan, a Sony fan, or just someone who emulates everything, you can’t deny just what made it stand above and beyond the competition, and to this day is still held to such high regard, that it has become the gold standard of the 3D platforming genre. Other Mario games have come up and given it a run for its money, but twenty years later, every developer still looks back to this timeless classic as what they should aspire to achieve. After this award, we’re sure a few of you will boot it up for old time’s sake, but whether you’re speedrunning stages or breaking reality with half A-presses, Super Mario 64 takes the winner spot for this award.

Great game. Played this right after 2, which I loved, and this one was also fun.

Liked the initial stage, was eh on the next 2 (australia and holland) and was thinking about dropping the game momentarily. Too much focus on new cast and too many eh missions, some even downright trash.

Game picked up in China for me and then the last 2 areas were phenomenal. Glad we got some focus on the main trio near the end, and a lot of good missions too. These games live and die by their mission quality which is why this game is an 8/10 for me while Sly 2 is a 10/10.

Oh and why the fuck did they downgrade Carmelita's Voice actress?

What a POLARIZING experience this was. Really high highs, very low lows. Overall I think I enjoyed my time with the game more than I disliked it, but this is absolutely a one and done experience. I don't think I ever want to play it again fghgfghj

The first thing that jumped out to me was the story—it's better than any of the more recent Zelda titles that have released in the last ten years (I'm looking at you TotK). The characters are so fun and expressive, and it even gave us the best version of Link and Zelda's situationship. They are SO cute in this game, that even as a raging lesbian I can appreciate them. It also gave us Byrne—he kicks ass.

I hear a lot of people complain about them but I never had much issue with the touch controls. They were responsive and the enemies are just slow enough to get around the bit of discrepancy you'd have as opposed to having button controls. I think we need more games with silly controls, that's kind of a lost art, and it brings charm to a game.

The pan flute was fun at first, it was just a silly little instrument that you blow into the microphone to use, but then I got to the fire sanctuary. That. That right there. That's the reason I will never play this game again. The fire and sand sanctuary songs are SO finicky, it took me HOURS to complete both. Everywhere else it's fine! The first three sanctuaries? Not a problem. Using it in the overworld? Not a problem. Just. Those last two sanctuaries make my blood BOIL.

Train's fine. I didn't really see much issue with it aside from the stupid one-hit kill demon trains. (Especially that last area, jesus christ why are they FASTER than you?) But oh my god it is impossible to upgrade your train in this game? I got three parts. THREE. I DIDN'T EVEN COMPLETE A WHOLE SET. You don't even unlock the ability to customize your train until you unlock the water realm so I just didn't think you could do it! Also you don't unlock fast travel until way too late. Like it's appreciated but they're so out of the way and come in so late that I basically never got to use it.

That's another thing, this game is so backloaded with sidequests, that I did like three before making it to endgame. Once I realized that you were basically forced to marathon all the sidequests in one go if you wanted to 100% it, I lost interest. It's all bunnies and ferrying people around anyway so who cares, I'd probably just get another pearl necklace for my troubles.

I do like that you can wear the conductor's outfit tho.

Anyway this game is definitely fun and worthwhile if you're a Zelda fan—especially since it comes packaged in with Zelda's most important role in the whole series. Seriously Nintendo, why can't we play as her yet? Why is she always being sidelined as a damsel in distress? Her name is in the fucking title for god's sake.

replayed this to help get over a recent silly heartbreak and could barely stop sobbing through the last couple hours. this game is shallow, jank and extremely inconsistent… but also beautiful, deranged and ungodly raw. i think it’s time i stopped pretending it isn’t still one of my favourites. spm, like love, will constantly disappoint with surprisingly boring space and cloud levels and is basically overrated but fuck, when that memory theme hits and tippi reminds herself she still has hope after everything, would i not let it beat me to death one last time :’)

jk jk i mean the level design is pretty good but sometimes speech bubbles look like they’re coming out of the wrong places. 9/10

Excellent game. A ton of variety with the levels and missions, and I mean a TON of variety. All the missions would surprise me with how different it would be. 99% of them were fun as hell.

Excellent music, especially in Paris, loved that first level.
Excellent voice cast.

Only negative was 1 of the areas of the game, the 3rd one, was a pain in the ass to traverse or navigate. Sour spot on the whole game but I still loved my time with this game and the missions in the area. Definitely an essential play for the ps2.

(Winner of the "Pixels Are XIrt Award" for most pretentious indie game, speech below)

So you’re probably expecting a long-winded speech or something.

But you know who won in the end. A fan game releasing 26 months before the original, with KO-OP banning anyone stupid enough to namedrop it. And some random writer coming out of retirement just to post a hit piece on Kotaku. All because of 4chan. All because the wrong people made the right game.

Look, Snoot Game wasn’t on the ballot this year, and we’re not exactly an impartial source. But if there was no Snoot Game, we would have never graduated Volcano High. You got two universes. Two worlds to get lost in, make fanart of, have fun playing or to talk shit about. You guys got two cakes, man. You won.

The best thing to do is to play both games, even though one wants to be petty and jealous and make you take a side. But there’s plenty to love elsewhere, tonight, in Volcano High.