HOLD THE FORT. You mean to tell me that Tetsuya Mizuguchi and Masahiro Sakurai collaborated on a falling block puzzle game in 2006 and I'm just now finding out about it??

In short, this game rules. Sakurai brings the Melee orchestral soundfont, quirky game menus, charming art direction and scenario, and simple twist on a beloved genre that completely reinvents its gameplay. Mizuguchi brings the snappy gamefeel, reactive sound design, and overall dopamine-inducing game design. Together, they've made an addicting little time waster that's perfect as a pre-bedtime ritual.

Notably, this game is designed in such a way that I can't imagine it working on anything but the DS due to the touchscreen. Maybe a modern smartphone or even Switch port is possible, but Meteos is one of those classic victims of innovation left in the dust by the modern games industry.

Having embarked on the journey of Red Dead Redemption several times over the years, spanning from its original release on the Xbox 360, to a second time on the 360 back in 2020, to now on an upscaled, emulated Switch version, I've finally finished it.

Having completed the original Red Dead Revolver, I found it to be bogged down by monotony. However, Red Dead Redemption did a great job blending the finer elements of its predecessor with the tried-and-true formula Rockstar honed through their Grand Theft Auto series. There's a noticeable synergy between the game's mechanics and narrative, reminiscent of Rockstar's signature style from that era.

The game's allure was immediate, drawing me into its world with a magnetic pull during the early stages. Yet, there were moments where my engagement waned during the middle. Nevertheless, it managed to reclaim my attention, steadily building momentum as it approached its climax.

Quantum Break offers a fantastic blend of gaming and live-action storytelling that had me hooked from the start. One of the first things that struck me was how well the visuals held up for a 2016 release. I feel that usually games that opted for more realistic graphics at the time suffer when looking back at them, but this was not the case here. Aside from eye candy; the game boasts an impressive cast that brings depth and authenticity to the characters.

The narrative is where Quantum Break truly shines, seamlessly weaving together gameplay and live-action episodes to create an immersive experience. It seems like it was a love or hate thing, but the risk of using live action episodes between each act really worked for me. I also enjoyed the gameplay of mixing gunplay with time-bending abilities a lot more than I thought I would.

However, the game isn't without its flaws. While I appreciated the rich lore and environmental storytelling scattered throughout the world, I often felt rushed to move on by other NPCs, even when I wanted to take my time to explore and absorb the details. This tension between wanting to delve deeper into the lore and the pressure to keep moving forward sometimes detracted from the experience, although it did improve towards the end of the game as I became more comfortable with the pacing.

Additionally, I encountered occasional issues with repeated dialogue during exploration, which broke immersion and pulled me out of the experience. Despite these drawbacks, Quantum Break remains underrated in my opinion.

Bonus points go to the soundtrack, which features a track from Paramore. And of course, a special shoutout to Beth Wilder, who has my whole heart.

I was totally vibin' with this and considering it a perfectly satisfying portable Monkey Ball experience (note: I have not played the original GCN games) up until the first level of the "advanced" courses completely filtered me. If it takes 5 continues to beat Level 1-1 then I simply do not care to experience the rest of those levels!

Side note: this era of gaming gives me serious "dead mall" vibes at times. For instance, the top-level menu of this game has a dedicated Facebook icon that, when selected, tells you that its functionality, whatever that used to be, is no longer supported. Had the same experience with Touch My Katamari and its "near"-powered Buddy Plaza. Feelin' like a ghost in the machine with how many Vita features just no longer work in 2024.