alithyst
2020
I get why everyone loves it and won't argue against it being game of the year, but it just didn't click for me. I absolutely adore the characters, but I just couldn't get into the gameplay loop. For me, D&D gameplay just feels dull as a computer game without the real human interactions.
Easily the best 2D Mario since World. After Mario Maker, it seemed like it was going to be an impossible task to create a new entry that felt worthwhile. But this game did it through charm and delight. The visual redesign, wonder flowers, and even the talking flowers succeed in providing an experience you can't get from the infinite Mario Maker courses available. And the somewhat-in-the-background, online co-op that seemed a bit gimmicky in the trailers actually added a lot of enjoyment to the experience.
However, for as many good things as I have to say about it, the last feeling I had for it after reaching 100% was a bit of disappointment. I think this game could have eclipsed SMB3 and World if there was a little more challenge. I think those two games do a very good job of scaling the difficulty as you progress. And World, in particular, also provides significant challenges that are not required to complete the game, but feel rewarding when you do. Whereas this game only had two courses that felt like real tests. And the final approach to Bowser's Castle feels very underwhelming compared to SMB3 and World.
However, for as many good things as I have to say about it, the last feeling I had for it after reaching 100% was a bit of disappointment. I think this game could have eclipsed SMB3 and World if there was a little more challenge. I think those two games do a very good job of scaling the difficulty as you progress. And World, in particular, also provides significant challenges that are not required to complete the game, but feel rewarding when you do. Whereas this game only had two courses that felt like real tests. And the final approach to Bowser's Castle feels very underwhelming compared to SMB3 and World.
The narrative was a bit of a let down, but the gameplay was astounding
The best version of the best game of all time.
It's still fun, but is a little dissapointing. I might be relying on false memories for this, but the joycons feel less responsive than wiimotes did. I feel like I am getting less consistency with curves in bowling. And they could have and should have introduced online modes without the loss of being able to play CPUs locally. And I don't love the elimination style to bowling - just let everyone play 10 frames.
2022
I'm about 20 hours in as of writing this.
There is a lot of great things about this game. I've bounced out of every soulsbourne and imitation game I've tried pretty early, but this one has managed to hook me in. The open world aspect does wonders. The way the game gives you just enough to figure out what to do next is super satisfying. And the options you are given to choose the extent of challenge you want to take on is well done. I agree with the popular opinion that there is a joy of discovery and accomplishment in this game that is unique and praiseworthy.
That being said, it is not a perfect game. The poor performance and stuttering shouldn't be acceptable from a $60 game, especially one that is by no means trying to be on the cutting edge graphically. And it is frustrating that the opinions on this game seem to be all or nothing. It seems that any time someone brings up a legitimate criticism about the poor UX design is brought up, they are dismissed as wanting their hand held in a Ubisoft game.
In my opinion, things like not being able to pause when you are not in a cooperative game is bad design. It is something that makes the act of playing the game more inconvenient without being a challenge of skill or strategy. I would understand not making an equipment or inventory screen pause the game, but there should be another way to pause in a single-player game. There have been a few periods of about 30 minutes where I've chosen not to play the game when I've otherwise would have because I was waiting on a delivery or something like that.
Another legitimate UX flaw are the status effects. I couldn't find any in-game explanation for the icons that appear under my HP, FP, and Stamina bars. When I went out-of-game to find explanations, the wiki that was the top Google result has "???" by a fair amount of the status icons.
While those are some serious design flaws, there are also a number of minor annoyances like not being able to exit the game without first going through the title cards and dismissing an information pop up to get back to the title menu.
I have dwelled more on the flaws, but it is only because they're made so much more frustrating from a game that is otherwise a masterpiece.
There is a lot of great things about this game. I've bounced out of every soulsbourne and imitation game I've tried pretty early, but this one has managed to hook me in. The open world aspect does wonders. The way the game gives you just enough to figure out what to do next is super satisfying. And the options you are given to choose the extent of challenge you want to take on is well done. I agree with the popular opinion that there is a joy of discovery and accomplishment in this game that is unique and praiseworthy.
That being said, it is not a perfect game. The poor performance and stuttering shouldn't be acceptable from a $60 game, especially one that is by no means trying to be on the cutting edge graphically. And it is frustrating that the opinions on this game seem to be all or nothing. It seems that any time someone brings up a legitimate criticism about the poor UX design is brought up, they are dismissed as wanting their hand held in a Ubisoft game.
In my opinion, things like not being able to pause when you are not in a cooperative game is bad design. It is something that makes the act of playing the game more inconvenient without being a challenge of skill or strategy. I would understand not making an equipment or inventory screen pause the game, but there should be another way to pause in a single-player game. There have been a few periods of about 30 minutes where I've chosen not to play the game when I've otherwise would have because I was waiting on a delivery or something like that.
Another legitimate UX flaw are the status effects. I couldn't find any in-game explanation for the icons that appear under my HP, FP, and Stamina bars. When I went out-of-game to find explanations, the wiki that was the top Google result has "???" by a fair amount of the status icons.
While those are some serious design flaws, there are also a number of minor annoyances like not being able to exit the game without first going through the title cards and dismissing an information pop up to get back to the title menu.
I have dwelled more on the flaws, but it is only because they're made so much more frustrating from a game that is otherwise a masterpiece.
2021
I was blown away by this game. The level of story telling they achieved without a character making an on-screen appearance or a word of dialogue is astounding.
I will say that a lot of the things I connected with story-wise is identity based. I think there's a good chance that a lot of subtle story telling will be missed by people who haven't had certain life experiences.
I will say that a lot of the things I connected with story-wise is identity based. I think there's a good chance that a lot of subtle story telling will be missed by people who haven't had certain life experiences.
2020
Very satisfying puzzle game with a perfect length. The last puzzle was super fun and felt like a fulfilling reward to make it to the end. My only complaint is that finding a secret does not feel rewarding. 100% of the achievements coming from just finishing the game when there are secret collectables in the game feels like a miss.
2021
Tons of fun. The grapple is amazing and the balance between traditional missions and open world is great. The lack of mission replays or a new game plus is an unnecessary annoyance though.
Didn't like it as much as a traditional Zelda experience, but it did give me many hours of fun.
2002
Had so much fun playing this with my sister
1990
This was the only game I had that could use the zapper other than Duck Hunt, but it was way too difficult for child me
1985
Ridiculous fun for being a game so early in the NES lifecycle
All I remember about this game was that there was a skateboarding minigame and two tricks were called "lemon lime" and "lime lemon" depending on the direction of your rotation
I never played it on the Wii and after playing this version, I don't understand why it was so poorly received.
There was certainly some frustration with the motion controls at times. And I could have done without a tropey, queer-coded villain. But I found the puzzles in this game to be super satisfying. And since they were bound to making a game around the wiimote, I think they made as satisfying of a Zelda game as was possible.
There was certainly some frustration with the motion controls at times. And I could have done without a tropey, queer-coded villain. But I found the puzzles in this game to be super satisfying. And since they were bound to making a game around the wiimote, I think they made as satisfying of a Zelda game as was possible.