While this is a review of the Nintendo Switch version of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, both this version of the game and the original GameCube version share many of the same strengths and weaknesses, and as such, my criticisms and praises can largely be applied to both versions. I will briefly cover my thoughts on the features of the Switch version throughout the review.

A lot of the discussion surrounding this title since its original release back in 2004 has largely been positive, with many of the louder "voices" in the online Nintendo community stapling this title as an essential for any fan of Nintendo across the board. As a self-proclaimed fan, I'm honestly not sure how this title had evaded me for so long, especially having grown up playing the original Paper Mario via the Virtual Console service on the Nintendo Wii. While I loved that game, The Thousand-Year Door was always this elusive grail to me. Now, after nearly two decades have passed since the original release, were those voices within the online Nintendo community correct? Does this title hold up well in 2024, and is this one of the most essential-to-play titles in Nintendo's history of developing and publishing games? In my opinion, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door shines amongst the ranks of Nintendo's best, and marks a crowning achievement for developer Intelligent Systems. Nearly two decades later, The Thousand-Year Door is truly an essential title for both fans and new-comers to the genre alike.
Beginning with the presentation, visual and audio design of the game, it's important to note that while this is a review of the Nintendo Switch version of the title, both versions of the game look and sound excellent in their own merit. The iconic pop-up book style that the Paper Mario series is known is a very cohesive and clever approach with many visually stunning moments, while also turning the style into more than just a "look" across several moments in the game. The NSW version is a testament to truly how well the visual art style of the title works even decades later, and remains just one of the many highlights of the game. I also want to briefly touch on the excellent audio design of the game. Extending beyond the phenomenal (and I mean phenomenal) soundtrack of the game, the audio of the world and battles of the game are brilliantly designed. Moments in battles are emphasized with distinctive audio cues, helping to engage the player further into the excitement of the battle itself. The many unique worlds are sold to the player by the beautiful tracks in this title; I found myself invested in exploring the world of Paper Mario: TTYD because of my excitement to listen to some of the many charming, exciting and melodic tracks. One of the best parts about the NSW version of this title is the newly remastered and remixed soundtrack; the new compositions are simply incredible, and the remixes are just as beautiful. While the option to switch to the original GameCube version's soundtrack is there, I found myself sticking with the new OST for most of my time spent with the game. It all adds to what was already an incredibly well-presented world and makes for one of the biggest highlights of the title for me, personally.
While many would categorize this title as a turn-based RPG, I think it's important to recognize just how prominent the role of exploration plays in the game's overall composition. There are eight chapters in the game, each filled some of the most creative and well-designed worlds that I've ever explored in a Super Mario title. Backed by some stellar tracks, the exploration plays a key role in this game, and I enjoyed almost every moment of it. That being said, there are also many moments in the game that leave the player retreading many of the same paths. I found myself spending a significant amount of my time back-tracking, be it to track down a specific item or to speak with a specific character. While I don't mind the occasional trek back and forth between objectives, I found myself frustrated at some moments in specific chapters because of how often it continued to occur. There are some changes in the Nintendo Switch version of the game made to help mitigate this, but it is still largely an issue.
The rest of your time in this game will be spent in turn-based battles against a wide array of enemies, some already established in the universe of Super Mario, while many are introduced into it. The battles within this game are presented as a stage play, something that I think fits so, so well for the title. And just as with the game's explorative moments outside of battles, the presentation of the battles also affects the gameplay, too. Your audience can interact with players and enemies alike, and also affect the charge rate of your star-power meter, depending on your performance, it's both brilliant and satisfying. The player is also given a large arsenal of attacks, too; some being exclusive to badges, others being acquired through means of upgrades found inside of particular chapters or as unique moves earned by acquiring one of seven Crystal Stars. There are so many elements at play here; each play a specific role in making each battle feel different from the last. Even decades later, I found the turn-based combat of Paper Mario: TTYD to be one of the best features of the game, and some of the best and most distinct turn-based combat that I've experienced in any game that I've played to date.
The plot of the title is nothing to sleep on, either. Throughout the course of the game, there are plenty of touching, captivating and special moments, I found myself surprisingly engaged as the plot continued to unfold. Much of your time is spent interacting with a very, very colorful and fascinating characters, one of many focal points of the Paper Mario series as a whole. Some of the most truly unique characters across the universe of Super Mario are found within this game; it's something that makes this game very special to many players including myself. In particular, I loved the X-Nauts; they're goofy, cunning, and an overall entertaining bunch that fit incredibly well in the world.
In summary, I found this game to be such a delightful adventure, through it's captivating world presented by the eccentric art style to the many gorgeous tracks across the game, and backed by the exciting cast of characters to interact with. Aside from my issue with the excessive amount back-tracking, I can confidently say that Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is a necessary experience for both fans of the franchise and those simply looking for an incredibly solid RPG. After the past 42(-ish) hours I spent with this title flew right on by, this is easily an experience I'd gladly go through all over again; I really loved my time with this game.

Even after countless playthroughs, this game still rules. As a kid, Paper Mario's alluring charm and cartoony aesthetic drew me in, and to this very day it holds up astonishingly well. The vibrant world is brought to life by the colorful cast of characters (shoutouts to the NOA localization team), this game is really just bursting with creativity and charm. While some may think that the gameplay is pretty shallow for an RPG, I believe Intelligent Systems nailed it--we're talking about a JRPG in the Super Mario universe, after all. While the amount of options you have inside of in-game battles feels limited, the flexibility of Paper Mario's gameplay comes from the Badge mechanic. There are plenty of unique badges that can be equipped, keeping things fresh and engaging throughout Mario's adventure.
In summary, Paper Mario is a fun little romp, an essential experience for all fans of Super Mario and a great choice for those looking for a simple, pick-up-and-play RPG. Highly recommended.

I'll begin by expressing my appreciation for Persona 3 Portable. Not my first foray into the world of Megami Tensei, but one that resonated with me greatly. So much charm, so much character. It shined in a sea of JRPGs, a genre I was only knee-deep in. It's phenomenal story would cement its place in my memory for years to come.
For this reason it's easy to ramble about my opinions of this remake, so much so that I find it difficult to narrow down my thoughts and write a cohesive review of this remake. In short, it's great: it checks all the boxes of what you'd expect from a remake, but is it the second coming of Christ that the new-gen Persona fans have made this out to be? Not quite; I found it to be perhaps a little too faithful to the original, with flaws that cannot be ignored. But don't let that dissuade you from playing this, it is an exceptional title through and through, one demanding of your time and attention entirely.
My biggest problem with the game was how easy it is. While I may be a more experienced player in the Megami Tensei franchise, this has to be the most undemanding title in the franchise, at least in terms of skill and gameplay comprehension. Physical attacks are unbalanced, and the introduction of Theurgy skills strip the game of any remaining challenge. There are maybe one or two bosses that are balanced around these Theurgy attacks, with the rest of the game being an easy feat because of them. I cleared the game on the "Hard" difficulty setting without any significantly challenging moments, save for the optional Reaper fight.
While MegaTen (and JRPGs in general) aren't games that I play for the graphical fidelity, I found this entry to be pretty underwhelming in visuals. There are scenes in the game where it looks arguably worse than Persona 5 (2016). That being said, I think it's important to stress that this is all subjective to the player and that for maybe 90% of the game the visuals are plenty serviceable. Again, underwhelming would be the best term to describe the visuals.
The gameplay borrows quite a bit from previous entries in the Persona franchise, namely Persona 5 Royal, which stood out in a crowd of JRPGs for it's unique and ground-breaking gameplay. As such, playing Persona 3 Reload felt like reuniting with a long-lost friend, with it's iconic cast of characters and tight gameplay to boast. Despite my aforementioned grievances with the title, I greatly enjoyed the time I spent just playing the game; from exploring Tartarus and grinding out battles against shadows, to just kicking back and watching the story unfold, there is plenty of fun and enjoyment to be had here.
In summary, this is an exceptional JRPG and a worthy entry to the Persona/MegaTen franchise that both newcomers and returning veterans can--and should--enjoy. In my 96 hours with the title, I found that while the developers may have played it a little too safe in this remake, returning to the world of Persona 3 was delightful, and I'm glad I was able to reunite with the its wonderful cast and experience the captivating story once more.

In short, this is one of the best 3D platformers to release in the past decade, founded by it's unique and innovative movement system and perfectly crafted level design, unfortunately plagued by game-breaking bugs. I've loved every minute of my time spent with this game so far, but through the crashes, clipping and collision issues, and overall lack of polish, this is a tough game to recommend.
I think it's important to begin with the positives of this game, plenty of which make this game sound like the best $30 anyone could spend right now. Like I mentioned previously, the controls and movement of this game make it stand out from any other platformer of recent memory; it embraces quick movement and jumping through the various techniques that can be performed right from the very start of the game. Moving and speed-running your way through levels and racking up a high score is the bread and butter of this title, it's simply loads of fun. Not to mention the level design; each stage is bursting with creativity, something I haven't seen in a 3D platformer since Super Mario 3D World. Lastly, the graphical design and music contribute to the overall aesthetic of this title, painting itself to be something of a late Sega Genesis or Saturn era game; it's simply beautiful in every aspect.
Unfortunately, this game is also the product of perhaps a rushed launch, lacking polish overall with bugs and crashes to supplement this theory. In my time with the game, I experienced plenty of moments where I would randomly clip through the world, causing many unlucky deaths. Not to mention the times where Yo-Yo, the protagonist's sidekick and means of movement, would randomly clip to objects and get stuck on them, leading me to have to restart levels often. Also, this game seems to crash on me every time a cutscene appears in-game or when a tutorial pop-up would appear on screen. This would happen every time I tried to view a cutscene or a tutorial pop-up, without fail, and unfortunately is what led me to making this review. Oddly enough, however, this would not happen when played on my Steam Deck, indicating that it seems to run perfectly on SteamOS? So if you do own a Steam Deck or some other handheld PC capable of operating on SteamOS, maybe that's the way to go if you're interested in this game.
At the time of writing this review, the game has only been released for a total of 4 days, and I'm sure plenty of these bugs and issues will be patched shortly. However, I feel it's important to spread awareness of these issues, as they lead to a much less enjoyable experience and could make-or-break someone's decision to purchase future titles from this developer. While I've greatly enjoyed my time spent with this game so far, I can't help but feel hesitant when recommending this. While it is only $30, a small price to pay for such a charming and delightful title, the bugs and issues I've experienced hold this back from what could have been an astonishing overall product.

It's hard to describe how perfect Tears of the Kingdom is without acknowledging the feats of its predecessor, Breath of the Wild. That game captured lightning in a bottle, perfecting the open world genre (which at the time was becoming increasingly over-saturated and quite stale), and defined what it meant to build a world that would envelop the player from the very beginning. Tears of the Kingdom succeeds in building off of its predecessor in nearly every way possible, an almost impossible feat by most standards. It not only greatly expands the world created by the predecessor, but gives the player the tools they need to conquer it in any way they may choose to do so. The amount of creativity this game is undeniably incredible. Any puzzle or any combat challenge you encounter, there are almost limitless ways to achieve the goal, it really is hard to describe in words just how creative this game enables the player to be. The new set of abilities is much better than in Breath of the Wild; the obvious standout ability being Ultrahand, but also I really enjoyed using rewind and ascend. These abilities would not work in any other open world game, but with the foundations established in Tears of the Kingdom, these abilities are what allows the game to thrive with creativity. Much more akin to the series' traditional dungeons, Tears of the Kingdom has 5 major temples spread across the land of Hyrule. I found these to be much more enveloping and enjoyable than Breath of the Wild's Divine Beasts, with excellent music, fun boss fights and story beats that really hit home. I even found the story to be much stronger than the predecessor, though this isn't necessarily a narrative masterpiece by any means (not that it needs to, if the game is fun that's what matters most). The story is largely written by the player, and the journey they embark on. Every path you take, mountain you climb, sky island explored; it's all part of the story forged by the player. This is all what Breath of the Wild already accomplished however, where Tears of the Kingdom succeeds in this aspect is through the story told in the memories. I found these cutscenes to be much more entertaining and kept me intrigued in the story being told. There was a greater sense of mystery surrounding much of the story, something Breath of the Wild lacked and what made me enjoy Tears of the Kingdom's story more. All in all, this game will remain unforgettable and will always hold a special place in my heart as one of my all time favorite games. After my 160 hours with this game, I am confident in saying that this game is the pinnacle of action-adventure games and is an achievement in the medium; I really love this game.

If you haven't played the original Half-Life, or are looking to revisit the Half-Life universe, I can safely say that this fan-made remake of the original title exceeded my expectations and is an exemplary model of what a fan-made remake should achieve. While it largely sticks close to its source material, Crowbar Collective wasn't afraid to shy away from it either in an effort to improve upon the mistakes of the original title. Half-Life's universe defined my teenage years, due in part to its excellent world building, atmosphere, and gunplay. Black Mesa lives up to the standards set by Valve Software, building a world made to envelop you as you set foot in the Black Mesa Research Facility, and beyond as seen in the later chapters. As a fan, I loved exploring every nook and cranny of the research facility, there really is an admirable level of attention to detail. That being said, I think it's important to mention its faults too; I found a few chapters (notably Xen) to really drag on. Love it or hate it, this game isn't without its fair share of Source Engine jank, but to say that this title doesn't push the engine to its limits feels like an understatement. In my 20 hour journey across the BMRF, I found myself falling in love with universe of Half-Life all over again, and I owe that to the extraordinary efforts of the Crowbar Collective with this impressive remake.

Coming from a long time fan of the Sonic the Hedgehog series: this is genuinely one of the worst games I’ve played in a good while. The graphics aren’t good and pale in comparison to earlier titles like Sonic Mania or even Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles. The music is a mixed bag, containing mostly putrid tracks that aim for a “retro” theme that doesn’t match the tone of the game. I even found the Tee Lopes compositions to be rather uninteresting. Remember the times when you could always count on Sonic the Hedgehog to bring us absolute bangers? The level design is pretty poor too; the layout of stages do not promote speed like previous 2D Sonic games do, and there are lots of traps that lead to many, many frustrating moments. The worst offender has to be the boss fights; they drag on for so, soooo long. I can’t recall a single boss fight in this game that left me feeling satisfied, not even the game’s true final boss. Not to mention the many aggravating attacks and traps that the bosses in this game will use, many of which do not feel fair. Due to these unfair fights and poor level design, the game can feel really challenging at times. I have a hard time imagining what 4 player co-op must feel like to play. I immensely regret the $30 and roughly 12 hours I’ve spent on this title and cannot recommend this to anyone, not even fans of the franchise. Sega continues to let players and fans down with this release.

While I personally believe that it still feels lacking in comparison to other top-notch 2D platformers as of late, Super Mario Bros. Wonder stands tall among the rest. It earns its title as an elite among platformers of the past decade with its stellar gameplay, founded by solid controls and platforming physics. It pushes the series forward with the introduction of Wonder Flowers, a new series gimmick that can modify levels in absolutely random ways that keep the game moving and feeling continuously fresh through and through. Badges are new too, acting as a method for the player to experiment with the series' iconic gameplay, further pushing it to new boundaries. Nintendo also brings many new quality-of-life changes to the table, such as allowing the player to choose from a roster of exemplary characters from the world of Super Mario. While not exactly the groundbreaking 2D platformer some may have hoped for, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is an exceptionally solid release from the big N. I thoroughly enjoyed my 100% playthrough of the game (which took me around 25 hours, for those curious) and would highly recommend this to both fans of the series and newcomers alike.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is a successful follow up to its predecessor that I had an enjoyable time with, despite its apparent flaws. My grievances with this title largely stem from its lackluster first act, where the narrative is noticeably slow and prominently features its weaker characters of the narrative. I disliked this part of the game, largely because of Insomniac's portrayal of Miles (a consequence of exposure to the superb Miles Morales of Into the Spider-Verse? Maybe). His weaker character, and more importantly uninspired character arcs, really dragged down this story for me. There's worse characters in the story, notably MJ, but I'll leave it at that. Not off to a strong start. However bad the story in the first act of the game may be, what kept me from abandoning this was its great combat and gameplay. Fights with baddies still flow just as well as they did in the predecessor, now featuring cool and flashy new moves to keep them feeling just a little more fresh and engaging than before. Arguably the most important part of any Spider-Man video game, movement is awesome. The simple act of swinging around is still just as satisfying as before, and the web wings are an excellent addition that I really felt added to the overall flow of the game. Okay, looking better already! What really redeemed Marvel's Spider-Man 2 for me though lies in its 2nd and 3rd acts. It's during this portion of the game where the narrative starts to shape, forming around Peter (Insomniac's portrayal of Peter Parker is still peak, btw) and his close friends. Without breaching spoiler territory, there is one standout mission in particular where things begin to really pick up, and our roller coaster ride of a superhero story begins to take off. Insomniac quickly sets the dial to 11, and manages to keep that very same momentum all the way until the credits roll. Save for a weak first act and an underwhelming final boss fight, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 was an enthralling action-adventure game, earning its spot among the ranks of superhero video game goats. After my roughly 35 hours (full 100% platinum playthrough) with the game, I can confidently recommend this to anyone with a PlayStation 5 and a knack for some web-swinging.

Simply put, 2018's God of War is nothing short of an innovation in story telling and narrative-driven media, backed by its superb quests and standout gameplay. It pushes the medium forward, leaving you at the edge of your seat from start to finish with its powerful means of story-telling. The narrative of God of War, told in the perspective of a one-shot film (a little detail I loved), is a complex story of parenthood, vengeance and redemption. Kratos, our titular Greek God as well as the protagonist of the title, walks a fine line in raising his son and takes the player on a wild ride as they uncover the mystery surrounding their place in the realm of Midgard. Combat flows extremely well and both side and mainline quests are engaging and rewarding, keeping the player attached to their controller as they fight their way through hordes of Norse monsters and Gods alike. God of War was an enthralling 25 hour journey for me, one that I can easily recommend to anyone who loves a good narrative or great combat (or both!)

One of 2023's more memorable releases for me. Before this title, the only Final Fantasy title I had previously beaten was 2020's FFVII remake, and having enjoyed that I figured this would be a quality (despite it being the first true action game in the Final Fantasy mainline series). Boy was I right. The action/combat in this game is superb, carried mostly by it's excellent flow of Eikon attacks that the player is encouraged to cycle through in battle. While I noticed a lack of special attacks that required specific button inputs, there was a good flow of various attacks based on the many Eikon abilities the player receives throughout the story of the game. Speaking of which, FFXVI's strongpoint is absolutely, 100% its narrative; it's exciting and captivating, covering many mature themes across the board. FFXVI isn't afraid to tug at your heart's strings at times, while also consistently leaving you smile with its excellent roster of charming and witty characters, befitting of a mainline Final Fantasy title. Without dragging this on for too long, FFXVI is absolutely worth your time.

My personal GOTY for 2023. So much personality, so much charm, with phenomenal gameplay. The game basically turns the whole action game genre on its head with its rhythm mechanics. Controls are tight, precise and fluid, combo and special move executions literally always feel rewarding. The game is always keeping itself fresh by rewarding the player with exciting boss fights, a consistent flow of new mechanics that add to the game's superb action-rhythm gameplay, and charming characters. Lastly (and almost the most important part), the game has an excellent soundtrack. Play this game!!!