If I had one word to describe my experience with Xenoblade Chronicles it would be tedious. The combat is basically going through a menu and pressing the A button, then waiting until the cooldown is gone and repeating. The enemies take forever to kill, even on lower difficulty, and there is no skill involved at all, it's basically just a stat check. Also, enemies look different, but everyone plays exactly the same from start to finish. The story is mediocre at best and plain stupid at worst. The only positive sides to this that I found are the music (which is by far the best part of the game) and that it isn't as anime-like as Xenoblade 2.

While I still like Dark Souls 1 more because it has higher highs, Dark Souls 3 is a return to form after the more disappointing second entry in the franchise. My experience with it felt much more consistent in terms of level design, combat encounter design and boss design (though there are still some that fell flat for me). The visual and sound design is just as good as always, and locations are very distinct from each other so that I never felt lost even without a map. Bosses are, as always, the highlight and enjoyed those a lot. This also seems like the best entry point for new players, as some mechanics that were a bit clunky were streamlined. I'm definitely looking forward to experiencing Sekiro and Elden Ring when I have the time.

This game speaks to me on an interdimensional level. It definitely has some major flaws, like the shallow combat system or the not so consumer friendly DLC practices. I could totally understand if someone came up to me and said "Asura's Wrath is trash" but to me, it is really unique. Describing it as over the top is an understatement, and I love that about it. The spectacle is something beyond anything other in the video game world. I hope this will get some love in the future in the form of a remaster on modern platforms, but that is probably not going to happen considering that it sold pretty badly.

Timespinner is a very solid Metroidvania that threw me back 15 years ago with its nostalgic feeling that is all around it. Its most unique aspect is that it has some light RPG mechanics in the form of different weapon types that you can mix and match to your liking, a leveling system and companions. Considering that it is quite short, I did enjoy these little additions to your standard Metroidvania. I didn't catch much of the story, it obviously involves time travel, but that felt more like it was included to jump between the same map at different times than to have a deep story or characters.

Pokemon Heartgold holds up quite well, but ultimately it's the little things that kept me from thinking this is a great game instead of just being good. The level curve is for example one thing that is often criticized, and I agree with that, but also the low variety of Pokemon until you reach Kanto, the slow battle system and the lack of some of the quality of life changes in modern Pokemon games. The sheer amount of content is incredible though, and it captures the feeling of the original games perfectly while still having some of the best sprite designs in the entire franchise.

Overall, Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones has aged incredibly well from the perspective of someone playing the trilogy for the first time in 2023. The platforming is very precise and the presentation, music and setting hold up even by today's standards. I also like the change of being able to stealth kill enemies, just because combat is its weakest part, and every tool that helps to minimize combat made the game more enjoyable to me. The bosses are absolute garbage, though. I played the entire trilogy on Steam Deck, and it played really well with community controller layouts.

Metroid Prime is less about the fast-paced combat from modern 2D Metroid's. Instead, it is more about slowly exploring every room you're presented, searching for every last detail and secret that the developers hid from you. In my opinion, it really nails that feeling of being on an unknown planet filled with dangerous flora and fauna. I also think a fast travel option or another way of travelling through the map quickly would benefit the game a lot. Now release Metroid Prime 2 and 3 on Switch you cowards!

If you're a Souls-like guy or girl looking for more of the same, then this is probably a solid experience until the next big thing by Fromsoft or other studios. Thymesia is very focused on parry mechanics and has a neat little life system in which you first have to break the shield of an enemy until you can attack its real health bar. Unfortunately, while the combat is solid enough, it is let down by being very inconsistent with its hitbox, way to spam heavy with enemy attacks, and generally having low enemy variety. The bosses are good, though!