A surprisingly good 3D Sonic game, while it isn’t as fully fleshed out as the Adventure games it follows a similar formula with linear levels that you replay multiple times with different objectives. What is a fun twist is there are 6 playable characters split into three types that shake up the gameplay just enough to keep it fresh, and you often can hit swap mid level to find secret routes. Playing with a controller I had no issues and it felt good to play, minus a few camera issues (not a new issue in Sonic sadly). Also shout out the new character in the story, I liked the whole concept of the game and the comic cutscenes were a nice touch.

A really interesting 2D action game with a big emphasis on the story. Alongside a pretty sad revenge story is a very unique, living world full of interesting side characters that I found myself attached to. Gameplay was solid, they do a good job reusing areas but keeping them fresh. The gunbrella is a fun weapon, it is primarily a shotgun but also has other ammo types that help out in certain situations. Then you open the umbrella part to block bullets or gain height for platforming or getting a drop on the enemies. It’s a cool unique weapon that led to a solid game, I was just surprised how serious and dark the tone was based off the concept of an umbrella gun, not that it was a bad thing.

I have been a Pokémon fan most of my life, while I’m not as into it as I was many years ago I do like to play each new generation and see how things are going in the series. This was a big leap above Sword and Shield, I like that it took the open areas from that game, combined with Arceus elements, and just made that the whole game. After the usual slow start it is cool to just be set out into the world to complete the different objectives and find Pokémon without hand holding.

The usual 8 gyms are here (combined with some bizarre pre-fight mini games/tasks) but there are also a couple other interesting sets of primary objectives: titans and bases. The titans are large scale Pokémon fights (with a surprisingly tender story) and the bases are a little gimmicky but I did like this twist on the typical Pokémon villain “team”. Exploring the world gets better as it goes too, you get moves that make it faster and easier which is nice. Combat is what you’d expect, the new terra mechanic seemed a bit pointless to me but otherwise it’s solid and I enjoyed a lot of the new Pokémon.

The story that unfolds in the last third of the game I actually found super interesting which I can’t believe I’m saying, but I did actually find this to be entertaining. Where I have to dock the game is of course performance, I am not someone who is a stickler about this but it’s pretty rough. Drake drops, studdering, horrible draw distances, times where you can’t throw your Pokémon out to roam cause it can’t load, and full cutscenes with no sounds. A Switch 2 could elevate this game a lot, as it stands for me this is my fav generation since the original Nintendo DS and I see a great path forward between this and Arceus.

This was such a unique idea for a game: make a minigame collection where the games are based off the mobile game ads we’ve all seen countless times. Move the parked cars out of the lot? Check. Pull the pins to get the explorer to the treasure safely? Check! The 5 different games each have anywhere from 25 to 100 stages that mix up the formula, but your enjoyment will vary between those 5 game types. I wish the stage balance was a bit more even because the game I liked most (the cars) didn’t have nearly enough stages. Clever idea for a game, had fun for sure and now I don’t have the urge to click those ads as much as before…. for now

This is the third game in the series I’ve played now and I’ve come to realize these games really resonate with me, even though all three have been quite different than each other. Seven Sirens is a true Metroidvania, even more than Pirate’s Curse was, and while the settings aren’t particularly unique after a while it’s still a satisfying gameplay loop. I love the different transformation powers and dances you learn, and the combat is just complex enough with items and upgrades that it never got stale for me. The plot is light and fun, I really enjoy the world of Shantae and all the mainstays are here once again. You also get to learn a bit more about the genies and meet more half genies, and of course unravel the mystery of the sirens.

I am not a fighting game player really, but I really enjoy playing through the Mortal Kombat campaigns. I find the characters fun and the plot surprisingly interesting, this one is no different. Mixing a very cinematic story with the constantly swapping fighters keeps you entertained, even though I suck at the fighting.... The story is satisfying for people who have played the other games, having played 9, X, and 11 there were a lot of things I picked up on that made for cool moments and plot lines. I look forward to playing the next campaign one day, I will not be playing more cause I am too bad and scared to go online.

I hadn't played this game in almost 15 years so it was wonderful to go back to it and discover it still held the same charm it did for me all those years ago. Navigating the house as tiny little Chibi-Robo just brings me great joy, making every day house items is such a fun concept to me. The different tools keep things fresh and the story/characters are much more in depth and developed than you would think. I won't spoil but the story goes pretty crazy and wonderful places, while also still hitting close to home which is a wonderful narrative balance. I played Chibi-Robo Clean Sweep earlier this year and I do wish this game had some of the gameplay improvements that one introduced, but I can't hold it against it too much because the gameplay groundwork created here is very unique, special, and worth seeing for yourself. I wish this franchise was loved by more people as much as I love it, but it will always remain a wonderful hidden gem in my eyes.

This game is so close to be a top tier platformer for me, but falls just short. The first half of the game relies mainly on linear platforming and that is when it is at it's best, navigating the obstacles and finding collectables feels really good, as well as a great mechanic where you can place your own checkpoints (but you only have a limited number so it is a risk reward feeling). As you go through the game you unlock different moves that bring changes to the stage design which is a fun idea, including going back to every stage to play a reworked form and find a different set of collectables. Other than times I felt the game was a little unresponsive the core platforming loop here is satisfying.

However they also added combat to this game, and boy does it suck. You are dropped into little arenas to fight enemies where you die in one hit and they can only be killed by being pushed into red spikes or pits just feels tedious and annoying. The boss fights aren't a whole lot better either sadly. The second half of the game starts adding these huge aimless type levels also, which I felt took away from the strength of the game when you are just wandering looking for where to go.

For completionists this is a game for you, i spent 10 hours in the game and easily could double that if I was going for the 100%. There is a full hub world with mini games like golfing and an arcade, and the characters/story are pretty charming. The art style is divisive but seeing it in action was a lot better than how it looks in photos in my opinion. All in all the positives definitely outweigh the negatives and I look forward to trying Color Splash because I hear that is even better.

I can tell this was a very impressive influential platformer when it came out. It is a lot different than its contemporaries Mario 64 and Banjo Kazooie, instead of the open 3D worlds it sticks to the linear style but shifted to 3D. mechanically it still holds up today, as well as a N64 era platformer can. Rayman feels good and minus some clipping/perspective issues the jumping and hovering feel good. The combat was also a surprise, it was fun dodging enemy blasts while shooting rocket fist energy at them.

The presentation was probably awesome back then but obviously doesn’t hold up super well, though it’s still charming. There is a large variety of levels which keeps things fresh, flying levels, non stop running stages, and sliding all are unique but come with their own set of issues in a modern lens. Controls and checkpoint issues can drive you a bit crazy but I still have to give it credit because I can see the vision and how much future games would take from this game.