2004
The vibe, presentation and fun factor make up for the occasional jank. Also the climax is absolutely perfect
2022
literally the only fun thing in this game is the dumb secret final boss hidden behind hard mode. and it's completely disconnected from everything else the game established
2001
if this game had a rerelease or sequel that ironed out some of its minor gameplay kinks (and changed or shortened one of the songs) this game would be absolute peak fiction. but for now it's only mostly peak fiction. which is still a lot more than most other games can muster
2005
genuinely more fun than sonic heroes. still a piece of shit though
2003
this game was only marginally fun for like 7% of its runtime. beyond that, it was utter drivel.
I have many conflicting thoughts on this game. It has some really rough patches, particularly in dark mode, but the peaks of this game are SUPER high. Especially the whole final chapter and boss fight. Any game can easily win me over with a great conclusion, and this one really fuckin delivered. Though there wasn't enough good to justify completely overlooking the bad, this was overall a pretty damn good experience.
2010
I wouldn't say it fucks as hard as Super Star Ultra, but it's pretty close to perfect for what it is. Very relaxing and fun, just a good ass time. I didn't really feel incentivized or compelled to do much of the post-game or extra content, but I appreciate that there's a decent amount there. Its concepts and ideas are VERY well executed, and I love the hell out of the aesthetic.
Just about everything I wanted from a 3D Kirby. It feels like a true evolution of the franchise that future games hopefully take notes from. My only real issue was that it didn't expand on Mouthful Mode as much as I'd hoped, making it feel more like a gimmick than a fully fleshed out mechanic. The Mouthful segments were plenty of fun, but they didn't capitalize on the idea as well as Planet Robobot did with its "gimmick."
2019
this game would be an easy 10/10 if making levels didn't feel like dogshit
2015
this game is better than metroid fusion
2014
as a sequel, this game sucks ass. on its own, it's fine. the visuals and story are really where this game shines. the presentation is gorgeous, and despite the watered-down combat, fighting angels does occasionally feel good. overall though, it's a huge disappointment, and i fear the overwhelmingly positive feedback gave platinum all the wrong ideas for bayo 3.
2021
I can't in good faith say it's "perfect," but god I wish I could. Metroid is back and this game absolutely owns.
This game is absolutely fantastic. I loved practically everything about it. It's got atmosphere, it's got polish, it's got visual storytelling, and GOOD GAMEPLAY. The moveset is fairly simplistic, but it's used in tandem with the level design really well. There is an impressive amount of consistency with the rules of the world and how you can interact with it. It feels like every aspect of this game was made so meticulously and with a level of care/love seldom seen in video games. It really is something best experienced first-hand, so I highly recommend it. I can only hope the sequel delivers nearly as well as this did.
They actually did it. Toys For Bob have actually made a good Crash Bandicoot sequel. It took almost 22 years, but it finally happened. Crash Bandicoot 4 not only exceeded my expectations, but very quickly became my favorite game in the franchise. Anything that's ever gone wrong in the Crash Bandicoot series is resolved, and everything great about the original trilogy is made even better. Through some insane miracle, Crash 4 manages to be the most beautiful, fun, engaging, and well designed game in the entire series. Even looking beyond the series and judging it purely as a platformer on its own, this game is absolutely incredible and does things that not many platformers are doing these days. It controls like an absolute dream, which isn't something that can confidently be said about the N. Sane Trilogy (as much as I love the remakes, they definitely aren't perfect). Above all else, this game set out to recapture the spirit of the originals, and harness what Naughty Dog were going for. In my opinion, they succeeded in strides. Every aspect of Crash 4 exudes exactly what the original games wanted to do. The bouncy and incredibly animated cutscenes, the beautiful art style, the absolutely perfect character designs (sans Cortex)... not to mention the countless nods and references to the history of Crash Bandicoot. If I were to nitpick anything, I'd say that Cortex's design is definitely a downgrade, the depth perception is a bit weird, and Crash's shadow should be more visible without the highlighted circle. I think this is a damn near perfect platformer and a perfect sequel, absolutely earning the title of Crash Bandicoot 4.
Upon a second playthrough, I've come to love this game even more. Despite the fact that there are still portions of the game that I genuinely despise, I think this might actually be the best game ever made. It's everything a video game should be. It's no wonder why it's essentially Hideki Kamiya's favorite child