A remake of the original 2 Super Monkey ball games was a great idea, but the execution and tweaks made mean you're better off with the originals.
The main issue I have is that there were changes made to mini-games that make them far worse than their original versions. Monkey Target, by far the best mini-game from the originals, is basically unplayable due to the physics changes. Others such as baseball have inexplicable changes that you can get used to but are frustrating...why is the friction on the ground so high? And your swing is much slower?
The physics in general for the main game are also different and feel less precise, but to me that is less of an issue than what was done to the mini-games. Some like racing and fight are still fun but the package as a whole is disappointing compared to the originals. If you don't have the originals, this game is still worth picking up used as it's fairly inexpensive (you can probably get it for under $20 if you look)

An all-around excellent 2D platformer, coming up with new ideas in a genre that I thought had done everything there was to do. The soundtrack and controls are great as expected, and the graphics are charming and crisp as we'd expect from a mainline Mario game.
The level variety is excellent, and the main gimmick of each level being a unique "Wonder" event ensures that you are kept engaged each level and you don't feel like you're doing the same thing over and over. Many of the wonders are true "what is happening" moments where you have to adapt and play in a new way for a few minutes, which is usually loads of fun.

The main criticism I have is this game is on the easy side; I have played a lot of this genre, but even the post-game challenge levels are hard the first time but not incredibly difficult; I felt like the challenge of previous 2D Mario games was missing; I'm not asking for the Lost Levels 2, but some entries like NSMB Wii or NSMB had more very difficult content to keep players engaged.

A fun car combat game to play solo or with a friend. There are several single player and multiplayer modes that make for a lot of replay value if you like the core gameplay, though the missions in the quest mode are all very similar. The maps look different, but I think they could have used more variety in the size and layout, and some of the map gimmicks fall flat - for instance trying to maneuver in the snow without skies is a pain, and the alligators and sharks are just annoying.
On the plus side, there is a good variety of weapons and car types, and each character has a special weapon and vehicle with distinct attributes that can be upgraded over time - the balancing isn't great but still adds good variety.

The story is very intricate for this type of game and can get confusing, but I really enjoy it - as you play characters you learn more and more of it and see how their paths cross - pretty nifty IMO.
The main menu theme is fantastic, but otherwise the music is forgettable - not terrible, just not great. The graphics have obviously aged and it looks rough on a big screen now, but they were good for their time.
Overall not as good as Twisted Metal, but a fun alternative and certainly worth trying if you like car combat games.

It is debated whether this or Mario Kart 64 is the definitive Kart racer for the N64. Diddy Kong Racing has the edge in single-player, the adventure mode is frustrating towards the end as you have to be basically perfect, but it is still a lot of fun for the most part. Having planes and hovercraft brings some variety to the courses, though I think on average the courses are a little less interesting than Mario Kart 64 -- too many of them feel kind of empty.
The music is fun and catchy, the character sounds are charming, and the controls are intuitive but a little slippery.
Multiplayer is fun as well, but I prefer MK64 for playing with friends; the items are more fun and the battle courses in Mario Kart are top-notch. Overall anyone who likes kart racers and doesn't mind aged graphics should give this a try

A very ambitious 3D platformer/collectathon full of content. There's a wide variety of challenges, levels, characters and mini-games, and the world in general is fun to explore. The characters all bring their own charm and abilities, and the graphics are good for an N64 game.
However, back-tracking is frequently required because in general a collectible can only be picked up by 1 of the 5 kongs, and the trek to a tag barrel so you can get the right one interrupts the fun constantly. There is a mod that allows you to "tag anywhere" which would bump the rating of this game at least half a star in my book.
The framerate can drop at times especially in some of the more open areas, and the mini-games that you have to do to earn golden bananas are not well-balanced; some challenges are incredibly easy, while others are maddeningly hard.
Overall, it's a fun game, extremely impressive for its time, but it tries to do too much. Definitely worth a play for fans of 3D platformers

A great game chock-full of a variety of content, but with some big flaws that prevent it from being a classic. My favorite Sonic game after Sonic 2.
On the plus side, the number of stages, plus the 5 missions for each stage, plus the rating system, plus the chao garden means there's a ton of single player content. The Sonic and Shadow levels are for the most part peak 3D sonic, and I enjoyed most of the Knuckles and Rouge levels as well. The Tails/Robotnik levels are forgettable but not terrible. Raising chao is oddly addicting
For the drawback, first I have to mention the camera. This game has worse camera issues than Super Mario 64, and it had half a decade to improve on what SM64 did. Although most of the time the issues occur in areas that don't really hamper you, they really hurt the ability to explore the levels and figure out a path to a good score.
The other major drawback is that the levels near the end (Mad Space, Crazy Gadget, etc.) have some really frustrating sections, they are challenging for the wrong reasons (issues with controls/camera/gimmicks as opposed to requiring platforming skill or puzzle solving)