Torna giveth, and then Torna taketh away.

This game hits the ground running at a moderately smooth pace. Perhaps the game realized it'd go a little too quick if one were to bum-rush the plot, so it also made to season our plot with a bit of mandatory side-quests. Nice save!

Truthfully, though, the game never reaches a point where it's a waste of time, which I must commend it for. I cannot understate how good the combat is this time around. Who knew the removal of the gacha system, and the streamlining that comes with that choice, would be exactly what Xenoblade 2's gameplay loop needed?

Torna is an excellent prequel indeed, a true cherry on top of the Xenoblade 2 sundae. When playing this game, I was given a little, but the experience was worth a lot.

Mega Man 11 is truly a well-oiled machine of a game. I love when a game keeps me coming back in an attempt to reach its high skill ceiling. Mega Man 11 delivers.

The crux of it is the level design. When they made these levels, they made them meticulously. They test you, and it pays off. They're a bit of a lengthy romp; the first time I played the game, I'd ask myself "Are we at the boss yet?" However, as I progressed and familiarized myself, I realized I honestly liked progressing through every single stage. They were tried-and-true obstacle courses.

Of course, the bosses themselves were also a breath of fresh air. I had a habit in previous games of totally invalidating bosses by standing there and spamming their weaknesses like a maniac, but 11 doesn't let you get away with that play. Generally speaking, they'd get me on my toes. The Final Boss felt a mite anticlimactic, maybe? Nonetheless, I liked the bosses. A respectable, quirky, and funny bunch of warriors they were.

After I completed the main campaign, I was spurred to also do the bonus challenges, which not only built upon the established level design, but truly made me appreciate the tools available to Mega Man himself.

Usually, when it comes to playing as Mega Man, I'd be the type who only used weapons sparingly or during boss fights, and use the buster 95% of the time. In 11's case, though... I freakin' loved these weapons! Impact Man's especially. The mobility is insane! And I can't forget about the Gears. Truth be told, they felt like cheating, but they're balanced in such a way that you couldn't power trip too much with them. So I ended up using them quite liberally. It made the game feel so... expressive! I dig that, man!

I dig this whole game, man! My apologies to the hard working voice cast, though. It came to a point where it was more ideal for me to play with the voice dial turned down to 0. Nevertheless, play this game. Capcom was cooking here.

This game is a miniscule addendum to a game that may not need one.

I am fond of the principle of using a rerelease to incorporate content that developers did not have a chance to use in the original versions, and the Bionis Shoulder area is alright. It doesn't feel out of place, and is just as fine of an area as the rest of the ones in the main game, but also not enough to really call Future Connected a must-play.

The plot, although well-acted, doesn't do much for the heart strings. The combat is a bit more shallow than the main game, and the side-quests are absolutely nothing to write home about.

All in all though, this is more Xenoblade. If you're itching for that after your playthrough of the main experience, go ahead and give it a try.

This might be a weird thing to be fond of the game for, but I seriously think that Persona 3 Reload is the most respectful instance of voice actors being recast in gaming history. To my knowledge, at least!

But, besides that, I was actually the type of person who felt like this game's existence was redundant when I initially heard of it. That said, the only version of Persona 3 I had played at the time was Portable, and I wasn't one to knock things before trying them. After playing it for myself, it was evident the jump from that version to this one was impressive, and I was silly to be doubtful.

I went from experiencing Persona 3 in my hands, on a rinky-dink, budget Android phone using the PPSSPP emulator, to experiencing it in HD, 60fps, on my fancy-schmancy PlayStation 5. When I was dead broke, man, I couldn't picture this.

It's really not just about the fidelity, though. Although there have definitely been artistic compromises in the transition from old to new, a lot of tact was exhibited, considering the fact that this new coat of paint was applied by folks who hadn't touched the original. They had a delicate job on their hands, and in my book, they succeeded.

This game is fantastic. What it does best is enhance Samus combat-wise better than she's ever been utilized before, and the bosses make use of it. They're the best boss fights I've encountered in gaming. The rest of what makes Metroid what it is is also improved, naturally, but the combat is what makes Dread particularly unique compared to the rest. This game is among the finest on the entire Switch console, and just another entry in Nintendo's most top-tier franchise, so I implore you all to play it.

"WHAT is Mario doing holding that thing on the box art? This ain't Breakout!"

Curiosity got me, and I played it. It really ain't Breakout. I don't quite feel bamboozled, but I find it funny to have a minigame like that as the focal point of the box art. I get that it's Mario holding that thing, but it ain't Pinball, and it ain't Breakout. It's just a side serving, carried by Mario!

As for the main course, the Pinball part of Pinball is fine and serviceable... I liked it as much as I could... but...

Oh, I think I hear Sonic Spinball calling me. I have to go now.

I'm here to tell you that this port had use for me, even in the year of our lord 2024. I got a hand-me-down laptop from my sister, and the first thing I did was try to run a bunch of my favorite PC games. I'm afraid to say that this PC is a pathetic, sad little machine. It's just not all that capable.

But when it came to Sonic & Knuckles Collection, it didn't matter. This port doesn't care how weak your machine is, it's gonna run, and it's gonna run pretty. Touch it up with a mod that includes the OG Genesis music, or something that will change the soundfont of the MIDIs. Either way, that's one thing this adorable port can do that even the fancy schmancy modern Sonic Origins Plus remake of Sonic 3 can't do!

Bottom line is, I got my machine to run my favorite game in a time of need... Sonic 3 & Knuckles.. God bless this collection.