nc02
2004
Treat this as more of a BIOSHOCK predecessor and you’ll get a lot more out of it.
Among Takumi’s best. One of the best video game soundtracks out there. Don’t know if the ending stuck the landing though.
2007
Engaging story but a tedious gameplay loop, especially in regards to mistakes. Desperately in need of quality of life improvements.
Nintendo’s edgiest Mario game. Better than PAPER MARIO in almost every way. Why these got rid of MARIO RPG’s fast travel system is beyond me; the backtracking is what really holds these back.
1986
Relying on a mental map for this is nearly impossible and dare I say, the "wrong" way to play 1986's METROID. Treat this a puzzle game akin to RETURN OF THE OBRA DJINN, that is, create a physical map and mark it as you go along, and this becomes an incredibly engaging experience. I'd honestly recommend newcomers give this and its sequel an honest shot before moving on to SUPER METROID. If you're going to play ZERO MISSION or one of the RETURN OF SAMUS remakes, play those after SUPER, as playing them before will ruin the magic of the SNES classic -- that they perfected the genre with that game, so much that nearly every METROID since has been a remake.
2023
What kind of native PS5 game has loading screens? You can painfully tell this is the development team behind SONIC FORCES attempt to recreate SONIC MANIA. Gets worse as the game progresses. Terrible boss fights. Why this got so much praise, why this was heralded as a return to form is beyond me. Retroactively makes it seem like SEGA approved SONIC MANIA only so that they could have other, more talented developers create a proper 2D Sonic engine for them.
Story wise, a little unsatisfying and a bit anticlimactic; gameplay wise, very satisfying and brain busting.
Best since SUPER MARIO WORLD. Protip: change the spoken language to its original Japanese.
2011
More bombastic but less consistent than its predecessor; the multiplayer campaign is what really puts this on par with PORTAL.
2000
MARIO RPG already serves as one of, if not the most beginner friendly RPG’s; why this further simplified many of its gameplay mechanics is beyond me. Getting rid of the fast travel system makes this a slog to get through at times.