I really want to like this game more than I do, being a big fan of 3D platformers that encourage creative movement and level skips. But it just doesn't hit for me. 3 worlds in and the levels just feel a bit too basic and easy, and the moveset while expansive just doesn't feel quite as fluid as I'd like. It might just be a me thing, this game seems to be very heavily inspired by Mario 64 which I also can't get into. Also a smaller thing but as a fan of monster and demon designs, most of the NPCs are pretty ugly and bland aside from the MC's friends. Also the combat is annoying and a total pace-breaker.

It's not bad, it works and I can see why someone would love it, but I just can't. And that sucks.

Honestly, while this game defintely has its jank due to being an older game, and doesn't quite match the 'hype' of more recent games, I just had too much damn fun playing it to even care. Sidequesting around Kamurocho is as fun as ever, and I enjoy Okinawa even if it's a little small. Reminds me a lot of the beach towns I'd visit as a kid.

Combat's not as bad as people make it out to be tbh, though keep in mind I was playing on Normal rather than Hard like usual. Can be annoying when enemies fall to the ground sometimes since sometimes there's not many options available besides waiting for them to get up or awkwardly finding the right place to grab them (if the option presents itself) but that's about it.

The sidequests are really good, some are a bit whatever, but the good ones are really good. They even have cutscenes sometimes, which the newer games don't really seem to do apart from the remakes. Also enjoyed the Revelations even if having to rewatch them to get the correct answer at the end can be annoying. Also the story's pretty great, not quite the highest caliber the series has to offer but never really lost me or had me taken out of the experience. There's some pretty slow stuff near the start regarding the orphanage and stories regarding the kids that really should have been side quests, but after that it's pretty much smooth sailing with some great moments.

All in all DON'T SKIP THIS ONE! If this really is the worst the series has to offer like some say, then I'm glad I'm getting deeper and deeper into such an amazing series. I had a blast with this one.

On Hard, the first half or so of the game is amazing and super fun, but in the second half it gets a little too spammy with enemies and some annoying platforming challenges (All my homies hate Luna Base).

I honestly think most projectile-based enemies should have been removed from the game entirely, they can snipe you from across the entire length of the screen with barely any telegraphing. At least on Normal you have the HP to tank the more annoying parts.

That said, it's still fun most of the time, just with many pain points later into the game. Abilities are enjoyable to use and mess around with, the bosses are generally great, cool spectacle with challenge that feels fair. Most levels have lots of moments to blast through super fast which feels great. Oh, and the soundtrack is awesome.

Just that, unlike Spark 2, which if you play it the right way, is a speedrunning game, this is more of an action platformer with Sonic elements thrown in, meaning the more precise platforming and combat moments are thrown off a bit with Spark's more slippery movement.

I still think this game is worth playing if you're into these kinds of games. I only wish the experience as a whole was a bit smoother throughout, but the strides Spark 2 made in that area defintiely show marked improvement. Can't wait for Spark 3!

It took me a while to warm up to this one. At first, I thought it paled in comparison to the Hyrule Warriors before it. However, I've grown to appreciate it for what it is and enjoy it, even if I like the first slightly better.

It feels like for everything this game does better than Hyrule Warriors, it comes with a drawback:

Characters are more unique with their own gimmicks making them more fun to play, but there's also characters that range from less fun to downright horrendous to play.
The addition of perfect dodging adds a huge layer of fun to combat and mastery over it, but the game also removes pretty much all of the strategy of the battlefield.
Enemies are more varied, but they're all monsters you've already, fought hundreds of times in Breath of the Wild, adding to the feeling of repetition.
Smaller enemies will now sometimes group up to attack you, which is cool, but they also take much more time to kill, which is less satisfying when having to juggle them for ages.

Finally, combat just felt a bit snappier in Hyrule Warriors, and I'm not sure if that's due to an engine change or the framerate being lower (which I didn't have as much of a problem with as others but it also wasn't amazing).

Overall though, I would say this is a worthy successor to Hyrule Warriors despite my issues. It still offers hours of grinding and side stuff to do just like the first, and the roster of characters is impressive considering they all pull from only one Zelda game. I also didn't mind the story as much as others, while it still has that melodramatic tone that makes me not like BoTW's story, the time travel elements don't ruin it for me. I think the game does a decent job of showing how things would have played out if Terrako had not shown up, and seeing an alternate timeline of the characters banding together to stop the Calamity was fun to see.

One last thing: I made a quick tier list of characters in the game, ranked by how much fun they are to play:

https://ibb.co/mTNTdt3

I'll probably be going back to this game, I'll likely update it once I play some of the characters I haven't unlocked yet.

It's more playable than people act like, but despite that it's one of the most disappointing games I've played. Especially since it cements that Nintendo don't actually care about Star Fox, happy to hand it off to Miyamoto for his wacky Wii U Gamepad shenagins.

Theming wise it's basically a reboot of Star Fox 64, which is not only boring as sin but it also understands none of what made the original exciting in its presentation. The notion that Platinum came within 50 feet of this game almost insulting. Missions play out at least somewhat competently but with zero flair or ambition. The 'best' parts of this game are just stuff pulled from the older games. At least Assualt, for all its flaws, actually tried to push the series into new territory and actually feels like a follow-up. Don't even get me started on the Gyrocopter, which is so boring it legitimately feels like one of those training simulation games used to train people at their jobs.

Overall, it feels like the people in charge of this game barely cared. And the worst part is, Nintendo likely saw the sales of this game and assumed it's because Star Fox doesn't sell, and not, you know, because it's a trash game even a Star Fox simp like me dislikes.

Honestly pretty underrated in my eyes, has better flow in level design than the original Rush to me but haven't played that one in a while. Plant Kingdom, Machine Labyrinth and Ghost Ship are all classics, and the other levels are just decent instead of painful which is a liberty not every Sonic game can claim to have.

Don't really mind the sailing sections, though that might be my sailing game bias talking. They're pretty straightforward and easy minigames, and you can replay levels without having to do them again so I don't find them an issue like most do.

Also that music is pretty great even by Sonic standards.