What a game. This was my second time through Banjo-Kazooie, nabbing all the old collectables and new achievements. It is the best collectathon on the N64, and you can fight me over that! I'll be talking about the XBLA version's differences, cause some were good and some were not so good.

The models still look amazing in HD and have held up very well. I appreciate the updated HUD, but I prefer the original spritework. The colors of the Jinjos don't match their appearance and I think Banjo's face looks uncanny in the health meter. Minor issue. The widescreen was lovely and well worth it.

Lets get controversial! Obviously, the big QOL here was keeping music notes and jinjos after leaving a level. Works great for most levels, but I would argue that keeping notes was a hinderance for Click Clock Wood, Gobi's Valley, and Rusty Bucket Bay. There are so many small rooms with 3 or 4 notes together that I would prefer getting the notes in one run, instead of backtracking through every part of the stage trying to remember where you have and havent been. Click clock wood especially since each season is quite large and it's very easy to forget where you already looked. When I completed the N64 version, I made a route to get every note, but I had to double or triple check locations in the XBLA version. It's a 'me' issue, I'm sure most players won't feel this way, so lets move on.

I liked the inclusion of stop n' swop and achievements this time around. I never bothered with Bottle's puzzle on the N64 since it wasn't tied to completion, but it needed to be cleared for an achievement this time. Actually not the worst thing in the world. Yeah, the controls were overly sensitive, but it only took half an hour and it could've been much worse than that.

Overall, I really love this game. It's one of the few collectathons that would make me consider completing it more than once. The N64 version is fantastic, but the XBLA version is definitely superior. I legit wish there was an xbox controller with c-buttons for this game. If you haven't played Banjo-Kazooie yet, give it a go! It's easy to pick up and play for short sessions and is a great time.

Extremely faithful to the original. The quality of life improvements were numerous and especially noticeable after I went back to the SNES version to beat Culex. I thought the new postgame was kinda lacking, it was essentially just a boss rush with a few new gimmicks. I would've liked to see some more unique content added, but I totally get the vibe that they were trying to be as faithful as possible with this remake.
This is the best way to play this SNES classic today, hands down! It's an easier RPG but is a great choice for someone who may be new to the genre. I can't wait to see the TTYD remake later this year, since Mario RPG is so well done I am expecting great things from Paper Mario!

I won't dwell on the praises that many others have repeated. This game is a wonder-ful time! I waited to review it until I got 100% and I'm glad I did. The difficulty felt easy at first but the difficulty progresses nicely until you reach the apex of the game: The Final-Final Badge Challenge. It's a doozy of a level but a very rewarding challenge. The secret badge that you get is hilarious and totally worth completing the game for IMO (not to mention experiencing all the creative wonder effects).
Compared to recent 2D Mario games, Mario Wonder feels refreshing, new, innovative, and honestly fun. I did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did. There's something here for all types of players: Speedrunners, Casual players, Completionists, Challenge setters, Even the couch co-op crowd is accounted for.
If you're waiting to play Mario Wonder, don't. It's seriously the best 2D Mario game in a long time.

The last wave is here. This DLC started poorly, the visuals looked like a port from MK Tour, and then one thing happened that usually doesn't happen. Nintendo listened to the fans.
Now, they didn't go back and fix what had already been put out (the grass in toad circuit pains me) but they did bump up the quality for the last 3 waves. We got a few original courses alongside slightly better visuals, and they eventually decided to expand the roster too. The last wave even includes a music player.
That's not to say the DLC is awesome, it still has many flaws in each wave, but I think that it is better than it could've been. Imagine 6 waves of MK Tour ports and no new characters... shiver. at least the DLC turned around near the end. It's not bad, it's not great, but at least Nintendo listened to our collective criticism.

...I just wish we got Mario Kart 9 instead.

I hadn't played this since it came out, and with a remaster on the horizon I decided to return to Dark Moon and complete the game. Dark Moon does a lot of things right. It's a mansion-crawling puzzle game with a focus on small missions unlike the original Luigi's Mansion. Dark Moon has a lot of slapstick humor (for better or worse) and the environments are brighter, more colorful, and cartoony. These tweaks really changed the vibe from the original. At the time I did not like the tone shift, but after giving the game some time (and another series entry) I gotta say that Dark Moon aged really well. The new control scheme works great on the 3DS and the mission oriented gameplay lends itself well to short handheld sessions. However, the missions make me wonder how well Dark Moon will hold up on switch since the game seems so handheld oriented.
Completing the game was straightforward enough, lots of the gem puzzles were clever and well thought out. The mission structure made it easier to go gem hunting than in Luigi's Mansion 3, but the boos scattered in each mission were a little lackluster. It's difficult these days to get every scarescraper ghost too so that was the one thing I skipped. It isn't hard to view a list online and I didn't want to waste 50 hours of my life grinding for them.
Personally, this is still the weakest entry in the Luigi's Mansion series. I still prefer the darker tone of the original and I am not alone in saying that. However, revisiting this game a decade after it's release allowed me to have a fresh set of eyes and see that this game is better than I remember. It was a good time!

Pikmin 4 was fantastic! It was everything I hoped it could be and more. I can't come up with any negative points to say about my experience with the game. If you liked previous pikmin titles or you enjoy RTS games, I highly reccomend giving Pikmin 4 a go.

The game oozes with charm and character. I never got bored or frustrated while playing, which I can't say about other games I've played recently! The difficulty was just right; a good blend between leisurely and difficult. And if you really crave a spicy challenge, the platinum medals on each dandori battle and timed challenge are quite lofty goals. Nintendo really knocked it out of the park with Pikmin 4 and I can't wait to see what Pikmin 5 is like... in a decade or two!

Beat it last year, came back recently to finish off 100%. Wario Land 4 is a fantastic little platformer, and has a lot to offer on the GBA. The secrets are well hidden and the platforming is solid. Fun level designs too! I really wish they would revive this series, Wario Land has so many fun experimental gimmicks and mechanics that Mario is missing! (pun not intended). It's a must play title for any Nintendo fan.

...And yeah, I might still have rose tinted glasses for Shake It. Wario Land 4 is my personal close second in the series! However, this game really does have some fantastic platforming and satisfying puzzles. It lives up to all the talk surrounding it and has aged nicely.

Mr. Sandman came out of the screen and ripped my thumbs off.

Jokes aside, this was a great time and you can tell that Next Level Games was passionate about the franchise. There is a lot of challenge here while still being easy to pick up and play for a few minutes!

No but really, Mr. Sandman was a real test of my patience, reaction time, and button-mashing stamina.