Going back to F-Zero in 2021 ticks different boxes to what it would've ticked upon its original release. It's no longer a top-of-the-pile graphical tour de force and as a racing game it has been bettered by not only its direct sequels but a lot of other games on the SNES.

It's a weird one. It isn't really a racing game, the four enemy cars that make up the chasing pack aren't really difficult to beat and the countless non-ranked additional vehicles are simply obstacles to avoid. Finishing in the qualification spaces is almost a formality, but that's not really what the game is about. F-Zero is a game about track mastery at high speeds and still satisfies in that regard. Being able to utilise the shoulder buttons to turn sharper and the way that dropping and firing up the engines instantly changes movement direction makes cornering feel fantastic and there's so much in the way of subtle changes you can make to improve your racing line.

This is all stuff that was refined and improved upon in F-Zero X but it is nice to see that, even when stripped back to its most basic form, the things that make F-Zero so good to play hold up and its no surprise the series has the reputation it has, given that the base it has been built upon remains solid.

Everyone who has played Johnathan Blow's The Witness knows there is an "oh shit" moment that absolutely changes how you understand the world of the game, and makes you appreciate it so much more. A mechanic that blows your mind, and you didn't even know it was always there.

I did not keep count, but if I had to guess, I'd say that Outer Wilds hits you with that moment every twenty two minutes or so.

I could tell you that the ending at one moment had me absolutely frozen in apprehension, then immediately followed with something so beautiful I couldn't hold back tears at how perfect it was, wrapped in melancholy and so much meaning I couldn't even choose a thesis if I had to write a paper on it.

I could tell you that the characters were so warm and lovable that in my second play-through I went through every dialogue tree yet again, even though I knew what they were all going to say, because the writing is so well written that every word is filled with care and brilliant world-building. In some cases, you don't realize how brilliant until reflecting on the game, pulling marshmallows out of your pantry hours after.

I could tell you that the music is soothing, motif-filled, and immensely calming, and I find myself listening to my favorite tracks from it even weeks after I finished the game, gone through every ending, and filled out the ship's log.

I could tell you that my first instinct upon seeing the game on Steam was to consider buying it several times over and giving it to all of my closest friends.

I could tell you all of this and more yet I don't think that anyone who hasn't played the game would really understand that this game is so monumental and incredible that I am exaggerating none of this and my reaction to the events I described to you here was completely genuine. To be honest, when my brother told me about how it was his favorite game of all time, when I saw it receive accolades from my favorite youtubers and writers, when I heard Kelsey Beachum was hired by the team of The Outer Worlds (a completely different game, by the way) based just off her incredible design for this masterpiece alone, I thought they were all exaggerating, too. Yet it really did it. It took my expectations, and blew them out of the water like a geyser into the great beyond before landing on two legs and gracefully bowing.

I know using all of these words makes me sound like an emotional person, yet most of the time, I'm really not. The game makes you emotional, no matter who you are. This is one of the best games I ever played, and even though the puzzles are frustrating and confusing at points (if you get stuck, ask a friend instead of a guide) it all feels so worth it at the end. Pure masterpiece.