Broke my arm playing this game when I was a kid (combination of the game glitching like MAD, basement's cement floor, and me being an idiot for where I was sitting on the couch) so finally beating it now as an adult feels like I rectified that harrowing/dumbass core moment of my childhood. I will not say where I was in the game when it broke because it's only even more embarrassing lol. This does bring up the question: does breaking a bone while playing a video game make you just the absolute HARDEST gamer out there? The answer to that is don't ever fucking call me a gamer.

Definitely not the best Mario game but definitely up there and maybe the best vibes of all of them? This SNES update is just gorgeous. Totally a-okay not to like this one, of course, but anyone complaining that this isn't a REAL Mario game/Mario 2 is probably anti-art. God Birdo.

Very much enjoyed my time with this. Extremely relaxing and satisfying. Knows it's job and gets it done. However, I'm only giving stars for every player that is allowed to play campaign mode with you (including yourself) because it is absolutely fucking stupid that you can only play it with one other friend (at least make another campaign mode that you can progress through with more people) and I SHOULD be giving this ONE STAR for the even more STUPID fact that only the host can earn trophies and enhanced equipment (more or less) in campaign mode while the person helping their campaign along doesn't get ANYTHING (more or less). Along with other little tedious issues here that also shouldn't at all be a problem, this game is an excellent example of how all the stupid little things can add up and taint a pretty solid product. Absolutely no regrets with my time spent beating the campaign with my friend (while the game forced us to leave our others friends behind to DIE) and some solo stuff I did but also COME ON.

Pretty sure I would not have gotten into this game so soon had I not seen it blow up on Twitter for a good bit when it was first released. From the clips on there I immediately found the Vietnam, Starship Troopers, Terminator hell zone vibe incredibly attractive with all the absolute insanity around every corner. Then I saw the John Woo diving going on in there and immediately told my friends we NEED this. Haven't looked back since. Blessed $40 game. Mission/gameplay variety might become a problem later on down the line, but for the time being with how smooth it plays and shockingly performs and the constant updates that keep rolling out the future looks very bright for this one. I also know my history with these kinds of games so I'm keeping my expectations well in check. For right now, with this and Lethal Company I haven't enjoyed online gaming this much in what feels like years so I will graciously be living in these moments for the time being with hope for their futures.