This is the first Paper Mario game I ever played and I have a lot of appreciation for it. This one is pretty good despite not being a traditional Paper Mario game for whatever reason.

The story is good, the characters are charming, the writing is funny and I really enjoy how creative this game can get at times with this world it created and the way it presents it.

I had not played any other Paper Mario games before so I didn't care that this one was a 2D platformer instead of an RPG. I don't really like RPGs all that much anyway so uh...Yeah, I don't really give a shit either way.

This is a good game and the last actually good Paper Mario game they ever made, don't let the fact that it isn't an RPG fool you. It still has some of that classic Paper Mario and Mario RPG charm.

Was debating between 4 or 4.5 stars but I think I'll have to go with 4. Compared to PM64, I'd say I enjoyed this a little bit more, the story really engaged me, and I'm saying that about a Mario game, so that should speak to the quality of the story. What keeps me from putting it higher is some of the infuriating levels, cause some of them dragged on for sooooo long, and the gameplay isn’t as good as it was in PM64, but I could look past that for the sheer personality this game had. Despite sometimes getting frustrated with the game, I was always happy to turn this on daily, and although I've only mentioned the bad levels, there are some BANGERS in here that were super fun. More often than not, the levels would be enjoyable.

As I said, the story and characters are definitely the highlight, Dimentio is probably my favourite Mario character ever now. Seeing the perspective of the villains at the end of each chapter was always a treat, as you can tell they treated the characters with such care. This game is also genuinely funny, the dialogue is really good, Thudley's girth for example, was really awesome. Soundtrack was also great. This is definitely a great Mario game, albeit a very divisive one, but I think most people go into it expecting another TTYD, but if you look past that it’s really amazing in a lot of ways.

I feel like playing Sticker Star after this is gonna give me some major whiplash, probably for the worse.

Edit: upped it to 4.5 lol, i constantly look back on it very fondly

I always felt like this is a game I should’ve owned and played when I was younger but that never ended up happening. Decided recently that I wanted to play through it. This game feels almost like fan game in the way it’s presented and even its gameplay. I won’t lie the gameplay can be pretty lame at times. There’s a lot of “go through a level and get told to do some cryptic stuff somewhere near the beginning of the level.” I think the writing more than makes up for it though. This game just has so many moments that got a genuine laugh out of me and it has a solid little main overall. Definitely glad I finally got around to playing this

Rise of the Ronin is the result of a long, long build-up by Team Ninja. Everything they learned since making Nioh have been all thrown together into this one big attempt to make a meaty open world action game. Standing on the shoulders of greats such as Witcher 3, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Ghost of Tsushima, Ronin is a massive game indeed. I don't usually do this, but I feel like I had to separate my review in a few parts just to make it a bit more digestible. Anyways, let's start. This will be a fun one.

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COMBAT (on Normal difficulty)

I enjoyed the two Nioh games, particularly because of the combat system. It tastefully fits Team Ninja's hack and slash origins into a Soulslike's deliberate, lock-on dependent tendencies. Both you and the enemies would just aggressively hammer on each other, constantly looking for chances to fully decimate the other first. I'm very happy to say this school of combat is at its absolute top form here. With 9 weapon types to choose (not including the ranged sub-weapons), each with their own selection of unlockable combat styles, you have a lot of freedom to structure your modes of attack. Then you have the various combo-enabling mechanics, such as abilities that can be done after canceling attacks, being able to restore Ki (stamina) after attacking, attacks that can only be done when you switch combat styles or weapons, and so on. When you find the weapon that suits you the most, and are able to fully take advantage of it, you can end even boss fights with just 2 or 3 openings, and it's an utterly exhilarating feeling to successfully nail a planned attack.

Also, shoutout to the team for making a childhood dream of mine come true; being able to use a bayonet rifle like the Gunblade that it was meant to be. It's hard to beat the Katana just because it's easily the most flexible weapon, but it's a very close 2nd best weapon type for me.

Since the enemies are also powered by the same aggresive mechanics, you would still need to properly execute defensive moves, and boy the parries are satisfying in this game. The flashy visual effect and the clashing sound creates a strong, exhilarating feel. There's also a system where some enemy types' attacks would be best parried by certain combat styles, which allows you stagger enemies much faster with the right style. On Normal it's not necessary to strictly follow this, but I'm sure on harder difficulties it would be a much more helpful tool.

A massive thing that I have to appreciate is how many enemy movesets there are, especially the bosses. There is a LOT of characters in this game, and everybody wants to spar with you, friend or foe. Even rematch bosses would have new attacks and patterns that make it feel like you have never fought them before. And there's a dojo where you can fight against the characters you have met so far, I gotta say it's quite addicting to just start one of these fights and keep grinding until you get a better score.

When all is said and done, what you get is basically an fast-paced "anime" action game with a grounded historical theme in realistic clothing. Just sit on that for a second, imagine all those embellished folktales of swordsmen of yore, with such skill that allows them to strike faster than light, deliver multiple stabs within a second, and so on. Ronin is bringing that to life.

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STORY ELEMENTS

The way Team Ninja approaches the story continues the maximalist approach that they have been happily leaning on. The game wants to have as many story arcs and scenes as possible, and it becomes this dramatized history action show that definitely feels cramped and too fast paced in some places, because it doesn't necessarily show these story arcs in detail. You'll often feel like relationships are progressing a bit too quickly. This isn't such a huge flaw to me because ultimately the game still delivers solid emotional moments, but it's definitely something to keep a note of.

What I like the most about the story is the romantic portrayal of its historical characters. Even when people from opposing sides meet, if they each have the chance to show their strength, then no matter how it ends, they will usually gain respect for one another. It's a oddly wholesome thing to have in the midst of this bloody struggle for Japan's future. It's not to say that pure animosity and degeneracy doesn't exist, but through this romantic lens, you get this strong feeling that all the characters want a better future in their own ways, and because of that, everyone's stories are worth paying attention to. There's also a handful of lighthearted story moments, and the game never feels like it takes itself too seriously. I can't speak at all to how it compares to actual historical facts, but I do want to read up on some history right after this, and surely it means that the game is doing something right.

Like I said before, there's a lot of characters to meet, even when you're in the final hours of the game already. It is definitely too many characters to fully keep track of, but I'll say that the game does a good job with the characters that takes the most prominent roles. A lot of them have more elaborate personal side missions (called bond missions) that makes them stand out as well, and they're usually quite worthwhile from the story standpoint. You can also get closer to some characters and initiate romances if you gift them enough nice stuff or do enough missions for them. I got locked in with three lovely people; they didn't seem to mind the polygamy, and the intimate scenes are pretty sweet and wholesome, so no complaints from me.

I think the most disappointing thing about the story is the endings being basically the same, despite having to make some choices that feels like they would matter more. It would be way more fun if they have more actual endings, mostly because the story really allows for a lot of potentially satisfying places for it all to end up on.

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OPEN WORLD

The open world areas are pretty standard for the most part, structure-wise. It's very Ubisoft-inspired, you can see the entire map of the region you're currently in from the start, you just have to unlock fast travel points by lighting bonfires. Other than the main/side missions, there's some stand out activities like collecting cute cats, and the shooting gallery & gliding challenges, which I wish they had more of.

In exploration, you have a glider that you can use anytime and anywhere provided enough height, and I have to admit that it was kinda underwhelming until I got the upgrade that allows you to glide faster. You can also drop firebombs from above later on, which is quite situational but still fun. Then you have a grappling hook that you can use to grapple onto certain spots of the environment. There's not a lot of grapple spots, which is disappointing. You can use it to hook onto enemies, which is the most fun usage of the hook, since you can use it either aggressive or defensively in an active combat scenario. Overall, I think they could have done more to make these traversal mechanics more useful. The open world design doesn't lean on these mechanics enough, IMO. I'm not necessarily expecting something like Insomniac's Spider-Man where you would just swing and zip and glide all over the place like a madman, but I wish the exploration has the same level of flashy pizzazz that the combat has.

I do love the quality of life stuff that they figured out, like being able to find out locations of collectibles by doing enough activities in a local sub-area. Basically you can earn XP to progress a "Bond level" for a sub-area, and when you level up 2-3 times, the collectibles locations are revealed. It makes the side activities more rewarding because you're essentially being led straight into more rewards right after.

I also love the overall setting of the open world, this specific era of Japan is just so interesting to me. It's so cool to see how the previously closed world of Japan is being interwoven with effects from the outside world, it's like a place stuck between two different periods of time. I don't think this era of Japan is well-explored in pop culture, so Team Ninja really did well to strike gold.

A particular quality that I noticed about the overall open world design is that it feels like they made a handful of Nioh-style linear, smaller levels, and made in-between areas to connect them. Or maybe it's the other way around? Anyways, it's an approach that I have noticed more lately. Horizon Forbidden West had a similar feel, where I would stumble upon certain areas of the map that feels more deliberate and detailed in its design, and then I find out that a specific quest would take place in said area. It's probably a good way for a open world newbie like Team Ninja to start with, it's not like they did a bad job overall here. Finding a little nook in the map that feels intimately designed, taking a guess whether or not a quest will used that place as its backdrop, and finding out that you're right is a neat little meta-game.

There's also the neat detail of having other players' characters in the game. Every once in a while you'll stumble upon an NPC with an user name above them, and these are other people's MCs. You can see them just walking around the map, being held hostage in spots overrun by thugs, or even serving the antagonist's side as a hired ronin. It's a fun little touch that makes the game feel grander than it is.

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There's a lot more that I can talk about, but I want to end on how fashionable this game is. There's a lot of cool looking outfits/armors and weapons to collect. I probably spent maybe 5-6 hours total just trying to mix and match all the clothes and weapons I have. And it's all because you can just transmog your equipment so easily, so you don't have to worry about the stats. A lot of the coolest outfits/weapons are in the late game bond missions too, so you're getting rewarded for caring about the story of the characters. This whole fashion aspect of the game easily compensates for the horribly bloated loot system that Team Ninja carries from the Nioh games.

Now, that'll be enough. I had a lot of fun with Ronin. Although the open world aspects are far from perfect, it's clear to me that this is the way forward for Team Ninja. The claustrophobic and limited feel of their previous games always felt like the main obstacles for me to fully enjoy them. The open world approach fits Team Ninja because it always feels like they just want to do a lot of things at once, and in Ronin we finally get to see that desire unshackled. It's definitely my favorite Team Ninja game so far (although I'm not too familiar with their games before Nioh). They has successfully expanded their expertise, and that's good news for all of us.

Ratchet and Clank: Into the Nexus, Review,
Spoiler Free,

As a huge fan of this series of games I was so excited to check this one out as I never got around to playing it when it first released.

I quite enjoyed Ratchet and Clank: Into the Nexus, getting the Platinum trophy was a blast. The gameplay as per usual for a Ratchet and Clank game is absolutely superb with creative weapons, a diversity of amazing worlds and is something that just feels right at home for me. This is a legendary series and the story takes an interesting turn which is deeper explored in Rift Apart. The implementation of the jet pack and jet boots are welcome additions and the new gadgets are really satisfying to use and tie into the platforming really nicely.

In terms of negatives, I think that the game is just far too short. It felt so disappointing to go to the fifth planet knowing that was it. The Clank sections in this are also awful, I finished the game 3 times and they never grew on me due to being frustrating, tedious and feels so lack of anything creative.

Overall, Ratchet and Clank: Into the Nexus is a great and worthwhile entry into the franchise. If you haven't checked this out yet I do think its worth your time and gives you so much context for Rift Apart.

Having now beat it twice, I feel pretty conflicted on this game. The combat and bosses can be really awesome when they get a chance to shine. The music has clear inspirations but is beautiful all the same. However, most of the story has no heart, the writing is terrible, the side missions are almost exclusively mid, and the art direction has no cohesion.
The only thing more stale than most of this game is the conversation surrounding it. But when the game has as hype as a final few hours as it does, its hard to not be excited for a possible sequel

Mechanically, this is the best game in the entire franchise. The amount of creativity on display with the levels, characters, and the time-based game mechanics, really give this game an air of wonder. It doesn't hurt that the trademark of the series, the weapons, are firing on all cylinders here, with a solid selection to choose from, all balanced nicely to complement each other.

There's a pretty good story in here too, one that explores the 2 leads in a way that the franchise hasn't really attempted to do before, and arguably since. The dichotomy between playing as Ratchet and playing as Clank really keeps the game paced to never allow any one style of gameplay to become too repetitive too quickly.

This game is just pure fun, a game that looks great, plays great, and is written to keep things light and comedic while still telling an engaging narrative. Games like this are just cozy, and fun no matter when you play it. It may not be my personal favourite in the series, but I can't deny that this is the best Ratchet & Clank game made so far.