Oh man, Devil May Cry 5 is a banger game and it lets you know this right from the start. The opening cutscene features Nero cutting down demons in style while "Devil Trigger" plays in the background and it did such a good job of showing me what i'm in for. This is my first DMC game and the game did a damn good first impression for the series. It helps that this game fully embraces all the dumb shit that happens and treats it in such a cool manner. Every character had great chemistry with each other and it was enhanced by the amazing performances of the voice actors. As far as the presentation goes, it's pretty perfect.

On the side of gameplay, i love how similar yet how different both Nero and Dante feel. It's hard for me to say exactly which one i liked playing as more, both have their own little quirks that make them standout. Like i guess if you held a gun to my head and asked me to chose, i'd say Nero because he has the grapple and everybody knows that putting a grapple in your action game automatically makes it good. On the flip side, Dante has more weapons to play around with and combined with his different Styles, you can do some pretty sweet combos. That said, i mainly used Trickster because of the funny dash. Yeah, i can't decide, both characters are fun to play as.

Meanwhile, V is probably the weakest part of the entire game. Both on the gameplay side and on the character side. Gameplay-wise, i generally don't like playing "summon" characters which is very much what V is. Any mission where i was forced to play as V, i kinda just wanted to get it over with. His character didn't really do much for me either. Thankfully, you do play as him the least. I'll also say that i think the game could've been a bit, just a bit, longer. Missions 17-20 just go by pretty fast and while i wouldn't say the game ended abruptly (especially since the final battle is very hype), it does feel like there should've been a bit more. But you know, i can't really complain to much here. Devil May Cry 5 is very based and i definitely want to play the older games in the future.

I have a little story to tell here: I played Path of Radiance about two years ago but i didn't get far enough before the USB i had it on literally fell apart. I lost motivation to play and i wouldn't regain that motivation until a good friend of mine gifted me a physical copy of Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn as an early Christmas gift. So i figured now would be a good time to finally finish what i've started.

I've known the plot of both Tellius games for years. And finally playing the game has confirmed for me that Path of Radiance's story is one of the better ones of the series. It's for the most part, perfectly simple. Ike being a non-noble makes him a lot more relatable and he has one of the better arcs as far as FE Lords go. I also like that the citizens of the enemy country aren't all sunshines and rainbows. Usually in Fire Emblem, once you go into the enemy's homeland, a lot of the villagers are like "oh we didn't want this, our king just started this war because he could, please save us" but in Path of Radiance, the Daeins are like "fuck you". It was a nice change of pace from what the series is used to.

Of course, the story still falls to classic Fire Emblem pitfalls like having bad villains. The Black Knight is the only good villain and it's really more because of his appearance and relation to Ike as opposed to the character himself. Ashnard is just a generic mustache twirler with a stupid plan, the Four Riders of Daein are so underused, the only ones who have any relevance as Petrine and the Black Knight and....that's about it. There are some minor villains but i hardly have anything to say about them (Oliver's meme status isn't gonna save him). Also, i know Zelgius and the Black Knight are the same person but it's definitely an OG Darth Vader situation where they didn't think of that until much later.

Gameplay-wise, Path of Radiance is the most middle-of-the-road gameplay in the series. Right in the middle. Although i will say Ch.17 is one of the best chapters in the series. The map is basically an FE4 map except actually good because it's split into chunks and each chunk has a different objective: rout, arrive, defend and defeat boss, in that order. Unfortunately, the rest of the game failed to reach those heights but it's not like the maps were bad.

I will say, i was surprised about how i played this game differently compared to how i usually play Fire Emblem. For once, i actually used the Christmas Cavaliers all the way to the end. That never happens. I also actually waited until Lv.20 to promote for most units. I turned off battle animations. I never do that. The battle animations are insanely slow in this game. I never do that. I barely used Mages in this game, even though i always do. Ngl, maybe i did something wrong but i felt that Mages were abysmal in this game. I felt like bringing them to a fight would just be a waste and i only brought them if i had to. Archers kinda suck and by that, i mean Rolf can't kill at all and Shinon joins too weak.

As for other mechanics, between this, Xenoblade 2 and XenoblaDE, i am fully convinced that Bonus EXP needs to be the norm for RPGs. Having an extra reserve of EXP to boost your characters levels is only a good thing. BEXP was pretty easy to come across too. As for what i don't like, i really don't like the Laguz meter. Path of Radiance is easy enough to where it really isn't a detriment but i don't like how Laguz characters need to charge up a meter before they can actually do anything. Some start battles already transformed and i always prioritized using these over Laguz that needed to wait but eventually, i just slapped a Demi-Brand on Lethe (who turned out to be my second best unit) and called it a day. Lethe was pretty much the only Laguz character i used all the way. Everyone else just fell off because there's only one Demi-Brand to go around and i didn't want meter to run out for those that start transformed.

All in all, Path of Radiance is decent. As an overall package, i'd say it's at the top of B-tier in the series' rankings. If you can get GameCube games running on your PC, i'd say give it a shot.

The Legend of Zelda actually is kinda fun. Once you pull up the map that is.

Honestly, for being the first game in the series, i am surprised at how much of it isn't a certified walkthrough game like some of the early later entries in the series. Step 1: look up a map. Step 2: play. It's just that simple, the most convoluted thing in the game is finding the meat for the moblin in Level 7 that for some reason you simply cannot kill. The rest is you simply do stuff. You simply fuck around and find out. I like that and this is the exact same type of gameplay philosophy that formed the foundation for Breath of the Wild.

Of course, this game has 80s game design jank. A lot of times, you'll just get hit for like no reason. It's so easy to just die in this game. The amount of rewinds i had to do to stay sane. But honestly? Game's fun.

Ah yes, Metroid: Other M. A game which lives in infamy. "This game is an insult to fans", "this game does not deserve to exist", "we do not speak of Other M". Even when i was somebody who didn't really know anything about Metroid other than what was in Smash Bros, i have seen this game get trashed on for years. I have heard so much about this game and about how bad it is. So here we are now, i've played every 2D Metroid and i've played the Prime trilogy. As i do not care for the spin-offs, this is the last Metroid game on the list before Dread comes out.

....honestly, i'm mad. I'm mad because y'all lead me to believe this game is dogshit when it is actually a good and fun game. This review's gonna be a long one.

Let's get the elephant in the room out of the way: the story. The story is the biggest reason why Other M is so hated. Now, i must acknowledge that the localization of this game wasn't kind to it. It made a lot of changes to the script that honestly made for a worse story. But the localization is the version i played so i have to be fair and judge the game i was given. I'll make comparisons to the original Japanese script here and there but my review will not be based off the Japanese script. Anyways first things first, let's talk about Adam's role in the story and how Samus' progression is tied to his authorization. And i want to say that the amounts of complaints about this point are 100% overblown. See, before i played this game, i thought Adam would get on your ass for going off the beaten path or just doing something you weren't supposed to do. I've seen many "Adam didn't authorize that Samus" memes over the years so i thought that was something that could genuinely happen. But....it doesn't. Memes do have a tendency to overblow things but it goes to show just how much public opinion can affect someone's perception going into something. Anyways, the whole thing of Samus not using her abilities until Adam authorizes it makes perfect sense within the context of the story. This isn't like Samus' other missions were she's hired by the Federation and allowed to achieve her goals by any means necessary. Samus is there purely by chance and, given that she'll be working with regular-ass humans as opposed to the superhuman bounty hunters like in the start of Prime 3, it makes sense that Adam accepts her help on the condition that she follow his orders. The only time this gets dumb is when Adam basically waits until the last minute to authorize use of the Varia Suit. But everything else, i felt was reasonable. Of course, the Japanese version's reasoning for this being "Samus doesn't use her weapons out of spite" is better (and kinda funnier) but that's not the version i got.

And then there's the other aspect of Other M's plot: the supposed assassination's of Samus' character. I was keeping my eye on this because i've heard so many things about this......and by the end, i was kinda just rubbing my head about what exactly was supposed to be "assassinated" here. Was it Samus being subordinate to Adam? Well no, because Fusion established that Adam was the only guy Samus ever actually took direct orders from. Was it the supposed romance Samus had towards Adam? Well no because i never got the feeling that she felt that way towards him. Was it that it made Samus meek? Well no because she preforms fatalities on her enemies in this game. What's really left is the Ridley PTSD scene which i will admit was not good but it's not the fact that Samus had PTSD in the first place. I can buy that Samus had PTSD because honestly, PTSD isn't that simply in real life. It can relapse. The reason the scene sucks is because this is the first time we're actually seeing it happen because the rest of the games are hardly concerned with what goes on in Samus' mind (except Fusion, if only briefly). If other games showed us that Ridley still manages to instill some sort of fear in Samus or whatever, then maybe the scene wouldn't have come across the way it did. So yes, the infamous Ridley PTSD scene is bad but it's nowhere near as bad as everyone makes it out to be. And that still wasn't enough to make me feel like Samus' characterization was being assassinated and keep in mind i binged like the entire series over the past two months, so everything else is still pretty fresh in my mind. Again, the Japanese script does handle things better here but that's not what i played.

Honestly, Other M's plot as a whole is just average. I've seen significantly worse writing out there.

I spent two paragraphs defending the most hated aspects of Other M's plot and i'm well aware that's gonna get my Internet license revoked but please wait until the end of this review because now's the part where i talk about the gameplay. It's pretty fun. I've always preferred the 2D Metroid games over the Prime trilogy and main reason is that combat in the 2D games is so much cooler and faster. It feels good and the Prime trilogy didn't really capture the same feel (with the exception of Prime 3, it's the only one that managed). The combat in Other M is much closer to what i like about the 2D games so i liked it. The controls themselves do take some getting used to, sideways Wiimote is not optimal. I definitely would've preferred the Wiimote+Nunchuck. But (and your mileage may vary), i can adapt to most control scheme pretty quickly and it wasn't long before Other M's controls just felt natural to me. Even the whole "flip the Wiimote vertically to SearchView and use missiles" sounds awful on paper but i was surprised at how it just became second nature to me. Between all that and the satisfying SenseMoves, combat was pretty sweet and this culminates in the boss fights. They are so much fun. Never thought i'd see the day when i actually enjoyed fighting Phantoon.

As far as stuff that isn't the combat, one of the biggest complaints this game gets is that it's too linear and that you unlock new abilities when Adam tells you to and that there isn't really much exploring. But honestly, to me, it sounds like people are complaining that this game is something that it isn't. This game is not meant to play like a normal Metroid game. It's a more action-based Metroid, making it play like a normal Metroid game probably wouldn't have worked. Or maybe it would've. Either way, that was never the intent. The game is just different and i'm totally fine with that. And honestly, does it really matter if your abilities are "authorized" by Adam? Sequence-breaking aside, Metroid games have an intended point of when you're supposed to get each upgrade. Adam's authorizations are simply this game's intended upgrade points. You could replace those moments with a Chozo Statue that gives you the same upgrades in the exact same moment and it would not have changed a thing....except Varia Suit, that part's still dumb. Come the epilogue, you're free to explore the rest of the ship with all of your abilities, going into places you previously couldn't to 100% if you so wish.....just like.....in other Metroid games. Yeah i take it back, this game does kinda play like a normal Metroid game. It's still a different take, sure, but it works well. I get the linearity and lack of sequence breaks being an issue for some (even if the only game that was actually designed with sequence breaks was Zero Mission) but the rest? Yeah, y'all are just being mean.

As for my actual complaints with this game, the actual worst part of the game's writing is that the whole traitor subplot just kinda ends. Like it didn't matter. On the gameplay-side of things, i really would've preferred to see item and health pickups over "filp the Wiimote vertically and hold A to recharge" deal. Cause that makes the game a little too easy at times although maybe Hard Mode actually balances this out. I was gonna 100% this game but then chose not to because the item locators do jack shit. I spent like 30 minutes in one room trying to figure out where the fuck the item was before i just gave up. The forced SearchView and third-person angles where you walk slow are pretty cringe but most of them are frontloaded towards the beginning of the game so it wasn't a huge dealbreaker. Also the music. Man, and here i thought Super Metroid's music was unmemorable. In Other M, there is only one song, which just so happens to be the best rendition of Vs Ridley. It's pretty cool but it's the only song that exists. I could not tell you a single thing about this game's soundtrack besides that.

This game's good, 8/10, y'all are just mean, i hope Anthony makes another appearance in the future. He's cool.

On a whim, I decide to replay this game after not touching it in 10 years. I think i have a newfound appreciation for this game. Especially in the boss fight department.

It's....weird honestly because i struggle to think of any actual flaws with this game. I mean there are frame drops here and there but it's the Game Boy so whatever. I think there are better Kirby games than this one but even Forgotten Land, the best one, still has a small few things i don't like about it. But this game? Kirby's Dream Land is probably the most flawless 8/10 i've played.

THIS IS A REVIEW OF THE WII VERSION PLAYED ON WII U

You know what, i'm just gonna come out and say it: Metroid had a rough transition to 3D. Everyone always regards Metroid Prime as one of the best Metroid games and it kickstarted a whole debate over which style of Metroid is better. But honestly, Metroid Prime is just a rough game that tried too hard to just be Super Metroid but in 3D (which granted, there wasn't really any other reference at the time).

To start with the positives, i do think this game is an alright first attempt at what it was trying to do. Rough, but there was legitimate potential. And early on, the game is actually pretty good. Combat is nice, the game manages to achieve the same atmosphere that Super had and it was generally really nice to see Samus' missions from the first person perspective. I really liked scanning those logbooks and getting the story and worldbuilding through a non-traditional way (pour one out for those poor Space Pirates who attempted to replicate Morph Ball technology only to be met with fatal results). Oh and the Wii motion controls actually worked really well. Very nice.

But i played through the game more and more, the cracks started to show and where it's most apparent is in it's backtracking. Backtracking is a Metroid staple but in the 2D games, it was fine because you move through the areas pretty fast. But my God, if you're gonna make me backtrack in an FPS, either give me teleport stations or don't make me move slow as shit. Why is backtracking in an FPS even a thing? This is particularly at it's worst during the Phazon Mines (worst area in the game btw) where you have to backtrack like three different times to like three different areas. And to make matters worse, once all is said and done, once you've gotten every major upgrade, you still have to backtrack to get 12 pointless mcguffins in order to let you access the final area. I wasn't gonna do that btw, i just went and downloaded an 100% save cause lol. It also just doesn't help that this game is trying too much to be Super Metroid but in 3D. Super Metroid is already the weakest of the 2D Metroids but at least Super Metroid played really nice and really only had the "what the hell do i do now" moments that drag it down. Metroid Prime has those same moments plus tedious backtracking and quite honestly boring bosses. Never seen a Metroid game drop the ball on it's bosses like this before.

It's honestly a shame cause like i said earlier, Metroid Prime does start out strong. It just sorta, falls apart the more you play and while i have more Metroid games i have yet to play, i can say, as of this review, that this has been my least favorite Metroid experience so far.

See you next mission.

PLAYED VIA ZERO/ZX LEGACY COLLECTION ON NINTENDO SWITCH

Oh man, i hate to be putting this out on the game's 20th anniversary but this game is uh, not good. Level design is non-existent, what little of it that does exist isn't very good. Boss fight quality is low, the music gets very repetitive. Zero is a non-character and i get that he's supposed to lose his memory in this but like....c'mon. The only way to even have fun in this game is to turn on Easy Scenario, because it makes the game go by quicker but then at that point, just don't play this game. This game's only redeeming factor is that the controls are actually really good.

"It's a wild ride, this passage of fate".

Guys i gotta be real with you, writing a review of this game was hard. As of the writing of this, it's basically been a week after i've finished the game (I got the game a week early) because i just have so many thoughts to go through. Xenoblade 3 has not impacted me in a way any other game has since......well since Xenoblade 2. I had to actually sit and sort out my thoughts on this game because there truly is a lot. I guess i should begin with my favorite aspect of this game: the characters.

Xenoblade 3 contains probably my new favorite cast of characters in any video game. Their interactions and their development is so expertly crafted and this is further enhanced by the direction of the scenes they are in. Unlike most games, the main party of Xenoblade 3 is together from basically the start of the game. This actually works to a unique advantage as the game is able to frontload all of the character introductions instead of needing later chapters to introduce someone new. I can think of one other game i've played that did this: Baten Kaitos Origins, another game i've praised for it's excellent cast. But that game only had a party of three. This game has a party of six and the fact that it balances each and every one of them so well is genuinely impressive. It's very easy for a JRPG to develop what i like to call "character irrelevancy syndrome", where some characters are just there for the ride. How much depends on the game. Looking at this series' past, character irrelevancy syndrome was at it's worst in Xenogears and Xenoblade 1. It impacted the Xenosaga trilogy less, Xenoblade 2 and Torna actually avoided the issue for the most part and Xenoblade X is too different. Xenoblade 3 avoids the issue completely and uniquely because the entire party is the main character here. Noah, Mio, Eunie, Taion, Lanz, Sena, all six are the main characters. I feel like if i start going into too much detail, this review will never end but one storytelling device i really like in this game is how each character in a pair has access to the other's memories, which allows for some interesting character moments. The character moments are so good in fact, that you honestly won’t even notice Heart-to-Hearts are gone, at least in the traditional sense.

When it comes to the story, this is probably the most character-centric story in the entire series. As I mentioned above, the character introductions are frontloaded so the story itself is able to get moving much more quicker, in a natural way. This game only has seven chapters but the content of each of them is very much worth telling and practically every chapter contains at least several moments of raw kino. The good news is that, despite this game taking place a large, unspecified amount of time after Xenoblade 1 and 2, you do not need to play those two games to understand this game. That being said, your appreciation for the game will be much greater if you have. I can’t go into too much detail when it comes to the story as i’d rather not give too much away but it is very good and even manages to get away with things i would normally criticize, namely, the villains in this game. The villains in this game are not personally engaging in my opinion (outside of one i guess) and yet, they serve their roles in the story very well, which saves them from me tearing them open a new one like i usually do with bad and mediocre villains in RPGs. When the villains narratively work, even if i don't like them, i will allow them.

But of course, this is a video game so there is the gameplay to discuss. Simply put, this game feels like an amalgamation of the best elements out of previous entries. Now to be honest, i still think Xenoblade 2 has the best flow of combat thanks to stutterstepping but the amount of options you have in this game are so good. You’re constantly unlocking classes that all play differently from each other, the Gem system is handled at it’s best, the implementation of Chain Attacks is at it’s best. Fusion Arts, Arts that allow you to fuse the effects of two Arts into one, is one of this game’s greatest strengths because it allows you to do some really funny things. And then there’s the main gimmick of this game: Ouroborous. Two characters fusing to create what is basically a mech that both looks cool and is cool to play. The cool thing about Ouroboros is that while they are incredibly powerful, at no point do they trivialize the game. They are a powerful boost to your abilities but they also have clear drawbacks, which is neat because this game does admittedly have a balancing problem, that is, Agnian Classes are superior to Kevesi Classes (even if the latter are fun too) because Takahashi said Xenoblade 2 superior. The entire combat system is enhanced by the incredible soundtrack, as this game might just contain the best variety of combat tracks yet.

Beyond the combat, the game just has numerous quality of life improvements as expected. The Follow Ball from Xenoblade X returns but better, Unique Monster graves serve as fast travel points, you can spend Nopon Coins to craft things that you don’t have the materials too, the game tells you how to upgrade each class, etc. Exploring the world of Aionios is also a treat. While Planet Mira still wins in terms of being truly open world, Aionios is a wonderful world to explore that has enough references to previous games that fans will point to them like Leonardo DiCaprio while also just serving as it’s own world. While it may not be as visually interesting as Bionis, Alrest or the alien wonder of Mira, (though Xenoblade 3 as a whole is the best looking game in the series) Aionios surprised me by having the most living world in the series. The side quests in this game are unmatched and i was not expecting this because the only Xenoblade game before to have actually good side quests was X and to a lesser extent, Torna. And yet, not only did Xenoblade 3 match the bar that X set, in some ways, it exceeded it. While Xenoblade X wins in the department for crazier side quests, especially the ones that have actual branching paths that matter, Xenoblade 3 guarantees that each side quest features unique input from the party and the fact that every quest feels like a mini short story, especially the Hero Quests. And as of this writing I’m still doing quests, i haven’t finished that part, because each and every one of them is worth it in this game. For a world trapped in a forever war, it truly feels alive. But the game does remind you that there is a war going on. Many have pointed out that the area’s themes are nowhere near as bombastic as the previous games. There is no comparison to Gaur Plain, Mor Ardain, Noctilum here. You’re not going on some grand adventure like in the previous games and that is reflected in this game’s area themes, they are much more atmospheric, i guess is the word. Good songs of course, it’s ACE+, but if you’re someone who says that the area themes are the weakest they’ve been, I honestly wouldn’t disagree.

Any real gripes i have with this game are honestly miniscule in the grand scheme of things. For some reason, leveling down, a default feature of Xenoblade 1 Definitive Edition, is arbitrarily locked behind post-game/NG+. We’ve gone back to single item collection spheres, which wouldn’t be so bad if we had a vehicle outside of Erythia Sea and, on that note, the game could use a sprint button. Aionios is actually gargantuan and while it’s not true open world, it is probably bigger than Xenoblade X at least as far as point A to point B goes. The Chain Attack theme bangs but i wish there was a toggle to not override certain themes. Honestly that shouldn’t need a toggle but here we are. There’s also some things i could say about the plot that i felt didn’t hit but it’s not something hugely detrimental to me. I wouldn’t be able to talk about it without going into spoilers anyways.

Monolith Soft is absolutely crazy. Xenoblade Chronicles X and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 are both 10/10 games, it’s not every day a series gets two 10/10 games in a row. And it’s not every day a series does that a third time. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is the latest gaming masterpiece from the absolute chads at Monolith Soft and honestly….I think this is my new favorite game of all time. I thought long and hard about this, because taking the spot of my favorite game of all time is not something that is done lightly. No other game has challenged it, not even Xenoblade X. I have so many fond memories of Xenoblade 2 and whenever i would think about this, i would shift back to those memories. But of course i would, i’ve replayed Xenoblade 2 so many times now, I basically know that game like the back of my hand. And sure, there are some things i still think Xenoblade 2 does better. But you know, just like how i’ve played Xenoblade 2 so many times now, I know that Xenoblade 3 will also be a game i’ll be revisiting for years to come.

The Switch has been a console where long-running Nintendo franchises have found ways to reinvent themselves. You have Breath of the Wild, you have Mario Odyssey and now we have Kirby and the Forgotten Land. I'm just going to come out and say it: this game is one of the best games released in recent years. This is so much charm and fun in this game and if you find yourself unable to enjoy that, then i'm going to assume your soul is made of stone.

While it's not Kirby's first time going into the third dimension, it is his first proper adventure to do so and i'm glad the devs got it so right. I was worried that Kirby's infinite floating ability would trivialize the game, but thankfully, that is not the case, as you can only stay in the air for so long and you can't gain altitude without the ground level going up in the first place. This change to one of Kirby's signature powers makes me appreciate the level design way more, whereas in past Kirby games, the level design was simply a means to an end. And by appreciating the level design, it allows for new creative ideas to be put in place. Stuff like the Ultra Abilities and Robobot were cool but they're limited to the limits of two dimensions. In a three dimensional space, the Mouthful Mode abilities are able to shine to their brightest extent and i love that there's not a single one where it's just a one-off thing.

Speaking of abilities, there's only 12 Copy Abilities in this game, which seems low compared to other games until you find out that these abilities can be upgraded, with each tier of upgrades being better than the last. The upgraded Copy Abilities had me using more abilities than i actually would've have in prior Kirby. Fire Kirby, for example, is not an ability i particularly cared for in past games but upgrading that to Volcano Fire Kirby and then later Dragon Fire Kirby had me regularly swallowing fire enemies and taking their power for myself. I will say tho, i do wish the upgraded tiers had other uses besides just being better. There is like one instance where i actually needed an upgraded ability to unlock something within a level but other than that, the levels don't have any specific instances where you'd need to upgrade an ability. This aspect of the game is mitigated by the Treasure Roads, special challenges where you're forced to use an ability (Mouthful or Copy) for the duration of that challenge. These were fun to do and i'm glad that even if there's an ability i didn't like using that much (hello bombs), the game had courses specifically designed for them.

On the subject of levels, while the game is easy because Kirby, the meat of the challenge comes from getting all the Waddle Dees. These still aren't difficult mind you, but definitely made the levels more fun to play through. If there's really only one aspect where level design falls short, it's the boss arenas. The bosses themselves are good and each one has a no damage challenge for all the gamers out there but the arenas themselves are kinda....too big, which is especially an issue when you consider that Tier 3 (and the exclusive Tier 4 for two specific abilities) abilities really break the game's difficulty, what little there was of it. If the bosses did more to influence the arena they were in, i think things would be a little bit better but there's only like three that do so. Also, if you want to see everything, you have to go through hard mode remixes of all the levels, which, it's Kirby so it's not that hard in the long run (especially with how busted abilities can become) but......if i had a nickel for every 2022 game i've played where i have to go through a harder version of the game to see everything, i'd have three nickels. Which isn't a lot, it's just weird that it's happened thrice in one year. But at least this time, those hard mode remixes are more of a "greatest hits" from each world and not the whole thing.

The game is also oddly missing some QoL. There's no "retry from checkpoint" option, forcing you to redo an entire level if you want to complete one of the challenges in a level that can only be done once per run of that level. Buying stock items to use later is neat but you can only buy one at a time so if you ever wanted to stock up on stat boosts, you have to buy all that individually. Even stuff like the Present Codes for goodies, you have get each one individually, as opposed to giving several codes and getting all that at once.

The music in this game is very good, as expected from a Kirby game. Lots of pleasant tunes and good boss themes. There's an anime OP song at the start, which caught me off guard because i wasn't expecting it but it's a bop. Roar of Dedede is definitely the hardest King Dedede's theme has ever gone but i think the one that truly steals the show is at the end. The final boss theme of this game surpasses C-R-O-W-N-E-D from Return to Dream Land. Two Planets Approach the Roche Limit is one of the hardest names for a song and it's a Kirby song of all things.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a very good game, definitely one of the best to be released in recent years and i can't wait to see where the series goes from here. The only thing i ask is that Waddle Dees be completely removed from Kirby's rogue gallery from now on, because after running around Waddle Dee town for hours, i can't go back to hitting these little guys.

It's kinda hard to talk about this one without giving too much away so i'll make it quick. Future Redeemed is so good. For the love of God, do not play this without at least having watched the cutscenes of the previous games (cause these are like 80-100 RPGs, i get it you know). You will miss out on a lot.

What makes Future Redeemed so good is that despite the large amount of series fanservice, it doesn't let it get in the way of the story and themes being told. I've seen some people say this is what Xenoblade 3 should've been, i disagree fundamentally, this is more like the cherry on top of an already fantastic masterpiece. The character moments are all absolutely fantastic. Matthew is full-on meathead shounen energy at a glance but he means well. A is cool as hell. Seeing a matured Shulk and Rex was fantastic. I'd say the weakest links were Nikol and Glimmer but that's only in comparison. It's kind of a side effect of this being an expansion but tbf, there are sidequests that do explore their characters a bit more (like Xenoblade 3 and also X, there's more to the story if you do the sidequests).

Like the other expansions, Future Redeemed's combat is streamlined from the base game. No Ouroboros forms, no Heroes and Class Changes, Daze status is just gone. Instead, you get your Union Strikes and the ability to customize characters' Chain Attack effects. I really like that they streamlined it while not taking away the customization aspect. I feel that's one aspect that was lost in Torna when that game streamlined Xenoblade 2's combat. However, the tools aren't always readily available, you need to find expansion kits, either through exploring or doing sidequests, so that's another incentive to do those. You only explore the center of Aionios in this game but it's still a big area, one that has no loading screens at that. The new music also goes hard. The area themes in the main game were more atmospheric in a way but here comes Future Redeemed with Aurora Shelf, that song goes hard.

By the time i wrapped up the final boss (mechanically the only part of the game that sucks, even if story wise it's good), i was ready to give it the easy 9/10. Then the fucking credits rolled. Hearing Future Awaits, the ending theme sung by Joanne Hogg, who also sung Xenogears' ending theme Small Two of Pieces felt like a neat callback. It wasn't just a callback man, they took the flutes from Xenogears and put it into this song man. If you haven't played Xenogears that's not as significant but when i heard those flutes, i honestly teared up a bit. Takahashi did it. He finally told his story without executive meddling getting in the way. He can finally rest as the sun rises on a grateful universe. Honestly just for that, i'm giving this a 10. Xeno truly is something special.

Being a fan of the Azure Striker Gunvolt fan since the very beginning, I was understandably hyped when this game was announced. It was a completely unexpected announcement, especially since Azure Striker Gunvolt 3 has yet to come out and the fact that we would've gotten two of these Gunvolt Chronicles games before the proper third installment would've surprised anyone. It's clear that this game was meant to tide us over until Gunvolt 3 came out but the question is, is the game good or is it a rare Inti Creates L? Well, it's good but it's....kinda weird.

Normally in my reviews, i like to start with what i liked and then proceed with what i didn't like but i need to address the White Tiger in the room: Inti Creates completely overhauled Copen's gameplay in this game. In both Gunvolt 2 and Luminous Avenger 1, Copen was characterized as an aerial mobility character. He had a number of air dashes that you could use at any time and colliding with an enemy during these air dashes (or just normal dashes too) would lock-on to them, allowing your attacks to home in. The key to Copen's gameplay in those games was to dash around the level, ideally chaining as many kills as you can without touching the ground. This was extremely satisfying to do and seeing my score go up with each kill light up the neurons in my brain. In Luminous Avenger iX 2, this style of gameplay is gone....sort of. You can do it while in Overdrive, which is obtained by gaining 1000 Kudos (points) or more during any level, or by activating Anthem, which has a chance of happening if you die. Obviously conditions need to be met here so how does Copen play when you're not in either of those two states? He has one air dash. One. No way to increase it, no way to do multiple air dashes without being in Overdrive or Anthem. This massive change tremendously fucked me up, this is not how Copen is supposed to play. In addition to those changes, Copen now has a three-hit melee attack, which is admittedly pretty cool as we haven't really had melee options in these games before (i can't believe Copen robbed Kirin of being the first melee Gunvolt character). Outside of skills and collecting each of the emblems in each stage, this three-hit attack is what'll net you the most Kudos. And while attacking with that buzzsaw is really neat, the changes to Copen's gameplay style as a whole kinda made me wish that this was just a completely different character. Idk, make Blade be the main character here, we haven't had an Azure Striker be playable since Gunvolt 2 in 2016. These changes also mean a complete rehaul of the Kudos system. In previous games, you had the ability to choose how you wanted Kudos to be handled. You had options between: not losing them at all, losing them all after taking three hits or losing them all after taking one hit. In this game, those options are gone and you effectively are on that first option always. This means that it's much easier to obtain Overdrive but that means getting Overdrive isn't as satisfying. That rush of getting the most points possible or risk losing them all isn't here. The closest thing is Lola's new heal ability, which completely heals you in exchange for banking your Kudos and resetting the counter to zero. Using this during Overdrive means you lose Overdrive but besides that, there's no limit to that heal ability. That definitely does make the game easy but you can also just not use it, much like how you can choose to not use the damage-negating Prevasion of the previous games.

Thankfully, Copen still keeps his signature EX Abilities, which allows him to copy the powers he gets from bosses Mega Man style and as i unlocked more, i got more and more used to Copen's changes. Once i found ways to just tear through enemies and get that satisfying feeling that i've loved about these games, i became ok with these changes, though I still prefer how Copen plays in the previous games.

As for the things that didn't leave me in a conflicted state, i've got to say, this is probably the best looking Inti Creates game so far. The decision to Isekai Copen away from the traditional Gunvolt setting of futuristic city was a perfect breath of fresh air, as it allowed the background visuals to be much more varied. The sprites themselves are also the best yet, i've got to say. The music has also received a buff. While the vocal songs in Gunvolt have always been great, the regular tunes have always been overshadowed. In this game, the regular tunes are quite good and i wouldn't say they've been overshadowed at all. Overall, the presentation is good. If there's on critique i have to make here, it's the special attack cut-ins. The previous games would have a little haiku show up before the character calls out their special attack, which is 1000% anime and i loved it. In this game, that's completely gone, instead being replaced by a more animated cut-in. While there's nothing wrong with this cut-in, i miss the anime corniness that came with the cut-ins of the previous games.

Sadly, the mid-stage dialogue is still missing and it kinda ends up feeling like the Gunvolt Chronicles subseries isn't as character-focused as the mainline series, which is a bit of a bummer. I still like the characters but Copen, Lola, and Kohaku are carried by the fact that we've met them before. The new character, Null, is alright but she's probably the weakest heroine character in this entire series. But the one affected by the lack of mid-stage dialogue the most are the bosses, as i hardly get any personality from them outside of their pre-battle dialogue. This was an issue in the first Luminous Avenger as well but Gunvolt 1 and 2 didn't have this issue so hopefully this is just a Gunvolt Chronicles thing and Gunvolt 3 will have mid-stage dialogue when it finally rolls around.

When i consider all things, i can definitely see this game being more divisive among fans. In my opinion, this game is an 8/10........had it not been for a decision so unlike Inti Creates that i had to take off a whole point: the decision to lock the true ending behind a stupidly difficult Hard Mode. Unlocking Hard Mode in this game is already kind of obscure but to get the true ending, you have to beat the whole game on Hard Mode. That sounds straight-forward except, completely out of the blue, Inti Creates introduced a lives system to this series. Yes that's right, you have lives in Hard Mode and if you lose them all, it's back to the beginning of the stage for you, checkpoints be damned. Add in the fact that Hard Mode also removes the ability to heal or upgrade or even level up and Inti Creates is basically asking for a flawless playthrough if you want to see the full story. Inti Creates is no stranger to very difficult boss fights in order to see the true ending (Gunvolt 1, Gunvolt-route Gunvolt 2, Blaster Master Zero 3) but that's just it: in those instances, it was one boss fight that was very difficult, not the entire game. And none of those games had a lives system anyway. None of those games forced you to play on Hard Mode if you wanted to see everything. And because i knew trying to master iX 2's Hard Mode on a lives system would eat away at my sanity, i simply looked up the true ending on YouTube. It is a nice ending, a shame it's locked behind such a dumb decision.

Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX 2 is, in my opinion, the weakest entry in the series. Weakest, however, does not mean bad. Inti Creates is one of the very few game developers that has completely earned my trust and, in my opinion, the only L they've taken so far is Dragon: Marked for Death. Luminous Avenger iX 2, despite being the weakest Gunvolt game, is still a very solid 7/10. I would not recommend it as your first Gunvolt game (really, this entire subseries is better enjoyed after playing mainline Gunvolt) but if you're looking for a solid action platformer, put this game (and this series) on your radar.

Curse of the Moon 2 is pretty much the same as the first game. That classic-old school Castlevania feel but with a few more playable characters and that is fine. But whereas Curse of the Moon was pretty straight-forward, this game goes a little bit more wacky. I mean, one of the playable characters is a CORGI PILOTING A STEAMPUNK MECH so really, what else is there to say. The game's a masterpiece.

Ok jokes aside, the game isn't a masterpiece. While the core gameplay is fine, for some reason, Inti Creates decided that if you wanted to beat the game, you'll have to replay each of the seven levels three times before you can access the final level. And this honestly left a bad taste in my mouth. It's not that the levels themselves are bad but going through them three times with minimal variation just felt tedious. Curse of the Moon 1 was fine but nothing special but that game didn't force you to repeat levels. This one does, for some reason, and i was honestly prepared to give it a 5/10 but that last level saved it for me and i brought the score up to a 6/10. Both the level itself and the way you got there was honestly really cool and i ain't gonna question it because this is a game where one of the playable characters is a corgi in a mech.

Now my rating of this game is based on the single player but if you're able to bring a friend and play multiplayer, this game shoots up to like an 8/10. Just based on my experience with the multiplayer, this game is a blast to play with friends, especially when you can laugh at each other's incompetence.

Who knew that the last Fire Emblem game i'd end up playing before i could say that i've played every Fire Emblem would turn out to be the best one in the series.

For a long time, i've always argued that Conquest had the best gameplay out of any Fire Emblem game and it is a very solid game in that department. However, after playing Radiant Dawn, i realized that the true chad king of best gameplay belonged to Radiant Dawn, although Conquest is still a very close second. I really liked the height mechanic, as it not only gives ranged attackers an extra niche but also served to make certain defense maps more interesting. 2-E and 3-13 rank among the best defense maps in the series for me. I also liked that Wyverns exchanged their flying weakness for thunder weakness, as an attempt to make them not just better Pegasus Knights. I mean, they still are, but it's a good distinction that helps them stand out more.

The highlight was Part 3, i felt that it had some of the maps there had interesting design or objectives. Like in 3-P where you take control of ballistas to somewhat clear a path on the other side for the Laguz allies. Or in 3-3 where you have to burn all the supplies in a set number of turns. Or once again, 3-13, a unique take on the defense map where instead of just protecting a certain tile(s), you have to defend a perimeter. If an enemy unit crosses the line at the map's halfway point, you lose. These are just some examples, i found the maps to be pretty interesting in other Parts too. 3-E probably has the best gameplay/story integration in the series imo.

Story-wise, this is definitely Fire Emblem's most ambitious title. Of course, it's still a Fire Emblem game, so it does fall into some of the pitfalls that plagues the series. Such as how most of the villains are poorly-written, the worldbuilding and whatnot is pretty much exclusively telling, not showing. The Blood Pact plot device is dumb (although it's not this horrendous can of worms that some people made it out to be imo) and the whole thing about the Branded is kinda just shoved in. The game makes it a point about how Branded have to hide their brand, lest they be turned into outcasts but Soren is a Branded and he was walking around with the Brand on his forehead in plain sight, not giving a damn. And he still doesn't. Nobody seemed to care, yet being a Branded is considered a bad thing in this universe.

Despite all that though, this is probably Fire Emblem's best plot in my opinion. I really liked the different perspectives throughout the game and the fact that two of the factions were not on the same side (even if they join forces eventually) is something that i'd like to see in future games. And not in a branching path style like in Fates or Three Houses. Micaiah is one of the series' better Lords in my opinion, even if she suffers from Ike stealing her spotlight. Although, now that i have full context, it could've turned out a lot worst.

The biggest problem with this game is the lack of Support Convos. Now, most of the cast are returning characters from Path of Radiance so the lack of Supports really only hurts the brand new characters (especially Nailah and Volug, we know jack shit about Hatari and Supports would've helped there) but having Supports would've still meant only good things. As such, Fire Emblem is a rare case where my favorite game in a franchise does not have the best cast in that franchise. I'd still argue that Echoes and Three Houses have the best cast of characters in the series.

Honestly though, a lot of Radiant Dawn's faults don't bother me as much because playing through this game reminded me of a time when i considered Fire Emblem to be my favorite video game series of all time. I would never say that i lost interest in Fire Emblem but the series' flaws have made itself more appearent to me over the years and while i still like it a lot, i don't hold it in as high regard anymore. But Radiant Dawn reminded me of the time i did.