I mean, yeah, this game is a masterpiece. Everyone knows that. I'm a bit more critical of it than most, I think, mostly because I don't think age has been particularly kind to it. The controls feel a little stiff and clunky, and the critical path is occasionally a little too obtuse for me to consider it good design. For example, the part towards the end where you have to just walk through a completely solid-looking wall. But any criticisms I could level at this game are tiny in comparison to its triumphs. It's a very good game.

This is a genuinely cute way to reexperience the story of Harry Potter if that's something you're interested in. If you've played a lego game you already know the gist, but for anyone unfamiliar, they're basically really fleshed out collect-o-thons that have a ton of replay value and you unlock different characters to play as over the course of the story. This one works a bit differently because instead of unlocking the characters you play as in the story, you open them up in the shop, so unlocking characters takes a bit more effort. The huge cast of characters is kind of nice, but that also means there's a lot people like Michael Corner and Bob Jones the Hufflepuff and stuff like that, but all the most iconic faces are still here so that's good. Hogwarts was kind of a pain to navigate, which you're going to need to do a lot if you want 100%. Other than that they're both pretty good. It's a very good value, particularly on sale, since you're basically getting 2 games for the price of one. If you like lego games and have even a passing interest in Harry Potter, it's definitely worth checking out.

This game is very different from basically every game in the series. The best way I can describe it is that this is the closest that any game in the series has come to capturing the feel of Kaga's games after he left. To say it breaks the mold is an understatement. It tries so many interesting and unique ideas. It doesn't stick the landing on all of them, but the novelty is enough to keep the game engaging. People looking for a traditional Fire Emblem experience will not find it here, and I don't mean that in an elitist "to be fair you need to have a very high IQ to understand Radiant Dawn." It's just a fact. If you're familiar with Shadows of Valentia or Genealogy of the Holy War, and you're ok with how they shake up the formula, then you might enjoy this. Story has some bad moments but is very strong for the most part. It's obviously not worth the comically large price tag but that's beside the point. It's 2022 you can figure it out.

Unquestionably my favorite FE game and I've put dozens of hours into it. An excellent experience despite its flaws.

God I played the shit out of this game and loved every minute of it. Being entirely honest, have there been other games that have built upon this game's style and done it better? Absolutely. But I will never forget the time I spent with this game, and how truly memorable some of its ideas were. This game laid the foundation for how to do a REAL spider-man game, not just some side scrolling platformer or a level based beat-em-up, but a game that really...sigh...makes you feel like spider man. Personally I still find it a lot of fun to return to, but that may just be nostalgia talking. Either way, I think my time with it as a kid/teenager more than justifies its score.

One of the best Pokémon games out there. I think these remakes really demonstrate how solid the core game design of the originals was, even though they're borderline unplayable by modern standards. It's weird to see debates about non-linearity in pokemon considering how cleanly they worked it into the very first games. The game is really open and the majority of the map can be accessed with just a few badges. This allows for a lot of replay value and flexibility in team building, while still having a competent level curve to provide some good challenge. A surprisingly polished game that still stands as one of the best in the series.

One of the best Pokémon games out there. I think these remakes really demonstrate how solid the core game design of the originals was, even though they're borderline unplayable by modern standards. It's weird to see debates about non-linearity in pokemon considering how cleanly they worked it into the very first games. The game is really open and the majority of the map can be accessed with just a few badges. This allows for a lot of replay value and flexibility in team building, while still having a competent level curve to provide some good challenge. A surprisingly polished game that still stands as one of the best in the series.

I tried. I really tried. After absolutely fucking hating the second game, I came at this one with a fresh mind ready to be blow away again, and it just didn't happen. I played this game for 75 hours, and I can probably count the number of times I enjoyed myself on one hand. The main story was boring, the characters were mediocre at best, the side quests were all boring and samey both narratively and mechanically, and the gameplay was a very mixed back. I have absolutely played worse games, and I might even come back to finish this game one day, but I seriously doubt it.

Skyward sword is truly one of the most mixed games I've ever played. In some ways, it far outshines its predecessors and even some of its successors. It has some of the best dungeons and bosses in the series, one of the best scores, a beautiful art style, one of the only stories in this entire series that's actually worth paying attention to, and some of the best combat in the series when the controls decide to work properly.

But on the other hand, this is one of the worst Zelda games in many other regards. No other Zelda game is this painfully linear with barely any exploration to be seen. No other Zelda game forces this many tutorials and unskippable dialogue from your companion character. No other Zelda game recycles this much content, especially this much BAD content (the imprisoned). No other Zelda game relies this much on gimmicky controls that are annoying at best and downright non-functional at worst.

I fully believe that in spite of all its flaws, there is a truly excellent game to be found here. But I cold absolutely not fault anyone for not pushing past the game's abundant issues to get to that point. For me, it's one of my favorite Zeldas, but I was able to find the fun. Not everyone will.