It's a good game, it has good graphics, the gameplay is fluid and the environment is wonderful. Despite all the positive points that the game presents and even though it is a short game, the story does not hold the player very much, which leads to a high risk of abandoning the game after around 1 hour of gameplay. But aside from that point, everything the game presents is very well done and constructed. The puzzles are not difficult at all, but they are fun to solve. It's a good game to spend a few hours and relax a little.

While I was playing Dead Space, I suddently felt the urge to replay something alongside it. I was thinking Mario Sunshine at first but ended up deciding on Mario 64 because I never finished the Switch version before. Super Mario 64 is a game I always liked but not loved. I'm a huge Mario Galaxy fan and much prefer that game overall but after replaying this game, I'm happy to say I like/appreciate it more than I did.

I think the absolute best aspect is Mario's move set when you're in an open level. It's just an absolute blast to play in stages like those, which is why I really enjoy the first 2/3rds of this game. The last third, while not bad has more linear/slower levels like rainbow ride and tick tock clock. They just don't feel as fun in comparison to the prior levels I think. Wet-Dry world is the only world I think I outright disliked this time around, idk why I just didn't find it fun. Some of the stars in general can be really annoying by the endgame, especially the 100 coin stars. While I'm not in love with those types of stars, most of the time they're fine up until the last couple courses. Those can be real rough.

A criticism I have with this game is spitting you out of levels kinda feels like padding. Don't get me wrong, I honestly wasn't annoyed by this for most of the game but when you have levels like Tick Tock Clock or Rainbow Ride where it's a linear climb/ride to the top for at least half the stars, it gets samey having to do the same portion of the level over and over again. It's really only a big issue with those levels I feel, otherwise I'm fine with it but it still does feel like padding (which is maybe another reason why I prefer Banjo-Kazooie :trxll:).

While I much prefer something like Galaxy's OST, I forgot how good 64's was. It's so iconic and is all around really great. Another thing I really like is the early 3D atmosphere this game has. I mentioned it in my Doom and Croc reviews too but something about that specific aesthetic really does it for me. Tho it also can feel a bit too early 3D for my liking, which is why i prefer something like the Banjo games aesthetics more overall.

I was watching a video recently talking about some footage that showed people playing this game for the first time and being really bad at it. This was probably their first introduction to 3D games and it really made me think just how crazy this must've been to people that experienced this game at launch. It's incredibly revolutionary and very much holds up well nowadays.

I was gonna say maybe I like this less compared to something like the Galaxy games because I'm more nostalgic for those...but I played both Banjo Kazooie games at the same time as this game and I definitely like those more so I guess it's just a me thing. Either way, while I don't absolutely love this game as much as others do, this recent playthrough made me appreciate the game more. Despite the faults I have, it's still very fun and a great game overall. I was gonna give this a 7.5 but ah fuck it, I'll give it an 8 for now.

Oh also this version is automatically worse than the NA original because no Gay Bowser :trxll: 

My first experience with a Castlevania game was Portrait of Ruin. I enjoyed it fine enough, but it didn't really stick with me all that much. Next, I played a couple levels of Castlevania IV but never came back to it. The little I played was fun but never totally hooked me. Then, at the end of the summer of 2019, I played Bloodstained Ritual of the Night. I had a blast playing it, so much so I ended up Platinuming it. This got me excited to play Symphony of the Night (which I conveniently bought at a convention a month prior to playing Bloodstained). Fast forward to March 2020 apparently (I literally thought it was October 2020, guess that year really was a blur) and I decided to finally play SOTN. I had such a great time, but thought it was more comparable to Bloodstained. A really fun time but nothing amazing. Well I'm happy to say this replay has changed my mind on this game for the most part.

The first thing you'll notice about this game, and it's one of its best aspects, is the presentation. At least from what games I played, it's the best looking PS1 game or one of the best at least. That's the power of sprites, they consistently stay appealing unlike some early PS1 titles. Plus, the really cool part is the game mixes both spritework and 3d models and it gives it this really unique look that I love. When you see those book enemies in the library or the coffin after saving, they stand out so much amidst all the 2d spritework...and they look good too!

The other best aspect of this game is undoubtedly the soundtrack. I remembered Dracula's Castle and Lost painting quite fondly but the entire soundtrack is absolutely fantastic. It ranges from jazz to classical to metal, it has it all. The colosseum theme became another favorite of mine among the aforementioned two. God is it so catchy, I love it. A great soundtrack can really win a game over for me and this one does not disappoint.

As for the actual gameplay, it's fun! The movement is very fluid in this game which is nice. Alucard has this backwards dash thing that's very helpful in getting around. Instead of using one whip and upgrading it a couple times like in Classicvania, Alucard has a large assortment of weapons to choose from. He still has a whip, but now he can use all different types of swords, daggers, rods etc. They have different ranges and different stab rates which just makes the combat more varied and fun. You also have these spells that require you to put in a button combo to use them. I personally never got the hang of these too much but it's really cool how you can activate from the start of the game if you know the combos. There's also a familar system which let's you assign a little fella that goes alongside you, levels up and grows stronger. I thought that was pretty neat but was more of an afterthought when I was playing.

This game gives you a lot more options as you can see, and that's because unlike past Castlevania games...this game is nonlinear. Instead of playing through levels, you go through a large interconnected castle....collecting different abilities that let you progress through even more of the castle. Thus, the vania part of Metroidvania was born. For such a groundbreaking title, how is the item progression handled in this game? I Honestly thought it was much less of a focus than the combat. There's not many progression abilities in this game, just never felt like the focus was on the exploration while using new abilities...it was moreso let's explore this part of the castle and level up and shit. Maybe that's just me but for item based exploration, I much prefer Metroid. The backtracking was not as fun as it was in something like Metroid either, there's warps which is nice but I had to constantly trek back and forth between certain areas, some more secret shortcuts or something would've been nice. Either way, the castle is a lot of fun to explore...but I guess there's actually two of them huh.

So the inverted castle overall is actually kinda cool. The game get's really easy in the mid-game cuz you become so overpowered by that point and doesn't get hard again until the inverted castle. Hoo boy tho, some parts of the inverted castle can kick your ass. The harder difficulty and the new enemies/bosses I did really enjoy when going through the castle essentially a second time. Cuz yeah, it's pretty much padding...but like it's changed enough where I didn't mind really. The OST also gets changed to the same 4 or so songs which is kinda meh but at least Lost Painting is one of them.

I forgot to mention the bosses. Most of them are just alright. A lot of them are pretty easy but nothing bad. A couple of them kinda stink, especially Beezlebub. I think that boss is the only down right bad part of the game. He's either dummy easy with certain sub weapons, or annoying as shit. I remember him giving me trouble when I initially played the game and yeah, he was no different this time around.

Hmm what else...oh yeah I actually thought the story was pretty cool for what it was. I really enjoyed the whole dynamic with Alucard, Dracula and Lisa. Those scenes were super interesting. The voice acting is obviously pretty cheesy but I think it fits incredibly well with a game like this, idk I liked it a lot. I was also trying to get 200.6% but missed a couple tiles so I got 198 something %. Pretty sure I got the best ending tho so that's good.

A couple more miscellaneous things, I really like how many secrets/little details this game has. I feel like every playthrough you'd be discovering something new. Also, the official artwork for this game absolutely fucks man, it's amazing. Alucard is so hot.

Alright I should probably end this here, it's 2:30 in the morning and I'm just here writing what might be my longest review lol. Idk man, there was a lot to say, hope I didn't ramble on for too long. It's not perfect imo but this game overall is pretty fantastic. I still prefer Super Metroid tho personally. Next is Bloodborne my beloved and hopefully I can beat that before Mario Wonder on the 20th.

Back in Junior High, I had this duo of friends who would not stop talking about Dark Souls whenever we were at our table at lunch. Dark Souls 2 had just come out and they were obsessed with it. This is the first time I ever even heard of Dark Souls, and with them always nerding out about it, it did intrigue me a bit. Fast forward to March 2017, I had just gotten a PS4 a couple months prior and I was itching to get into all these types of games I never did before. On a whim I decided to pickup both Dark Souls III and Bloodborne. Boy was that timing perfect, because the next day it snowed big time and it wouldn't let up for like an entire week so I was playing Dark Souls III nonstop. A couple weeks later I then moved on to Bloodborne. I love Dark Souls III, as you know from my reviews of that, but Bloodborne especially really captivated me. I ended up beating it months later during my thanksgiving break I think (sadly getting the bad ending and missing out on the final boss) and thought it was really great. Fast forward again to like March 2019 I think? I on a whim felt like playing Bloodborne again. I really sucked at first, struggling immensely with Gascoigne, but once I got the hang of it again, I honestly had an absolute blast and knew it would be one of my favorite games ever. The platinum and several playthroughs later, here we are and yeah it's back in my top 5 again.

The very first thing the drew me into the game, and I honestly think it's hands down the best aspect, is the Gothic-Horror Lovecraftian aesthetic and the art design as a whole. It's my absolute favorite aesthetic in any game next to Automata's post-apocalyptic world. That's like one of the main reason's I rate this game so highly tbh, it carry's so hard imo. From Central Yharnam, to Cathedral Ward and even something like Nightmare Frontier, I don't dislike any area's aesthetic. Cainhurst is the absolute highlight, just exploring a creepy gothic castle while it's snowing outside...hoo baby. Like even something like Byrgenwerth, which is absolutely tiny, is an area I like going to everytime because of the seaside aesthetics. Plus it's really lore important which is rad.

Speaking of lore and the story of the game, it's the absolute best in the Soulsborne series imo. It just makes the whole world feel so alive, first starting off with basic stuff like the hunt and then eventually delving into cosmic horror by the end. I was never too into Dark Souls lore ever but this game? Yeah I'm totally into it, the horror aspect just intrigues me way more.

Next in the combat and yeah it's a total blast. Instead of hiding behind a shield like in Dark Souls, you're totally defenseless and can only rely on your dodging skills. That may seem like it's tougher, and yeah it is but it rewards you for being super aggressive. The rally system allows you to get some HP back for a short time after being hit which means you can be more risky when fighting enemies. I just find this combat system way more fun than the souls games personally and is another reason why this is my favorite. To go along with the combat, you of course have the weapons. Unlike the souls games, Bloodborne has a much smaller batch of them but I think that's much in the games favor. Every weapon is viable and every weapon is memorable. That paired with the transformation mechanic, where if you press L1 you essentially have two weapons in one, just make these weapons the best ever imo. I usually use the kirk hammer, then Ludwig's Holy Blade and then maybe I switch it out for one of the DLC's weapons and yeah this playthrough was no different.

As I said, I really love the look of every area and that's not all, the actual areas are quite good for the most part. The beginning areas like Central Yharnam or Cathedral Ward are simply some of the best level-design wish because they're so interconnected with other areas. It's not quite Dark Souls 1 level of interconnectivity but it's really a nice change from something like Dark Souls 2 or even 3. By the end it does get more linear, but since the first half is well connected, I didn't have much of an issue with it. I think one of the most memorable moments is when you're all the way into the forbidden woods. You find this path down into a poison cave, you climb up a ladder and you end up at the very beginning of
Central Yharnam. You unlock the first gate you ever see when playing and I just think that's so cool. The game has several moments like this, like Yahar'Gul connecting to Old Yarhnam after you defeat Darkbeast Paarl, but no moment will be as good as the aformentioned Forbidden Woods interconnectivity.

Now on to the bosses, I think they're generally pretty great. Early game definitely has the more consistently good bosses, tho endgame definitely has some bangers like Gehrman and Martyr Logarius. The mid to end game definitely does have some not great bosses gameplay-wise, but some of them do have other aspects that make me not hate them. Witches of Hemwick is pathetically easy but the especially creepy atmosphere and semi-interesting way to defeat her, I really enjoyed. Plus she had one of my favorite songs in the game. Rom is somewhat annoying but at least has a beautiful area to fight her in. The one reborn is really easy too but I like the callback to Tower Knight. Celestial Emissary is um, yeah I can't really defend this one but it sure is a goofy boss. Micolash was probably my least favorite in the game before, and even tho I had a much better time with him this time, he still isn't great. What really makes up for it tho is he has hands down my favorite dialogue in the game, god it's so entertaining and goddamn whoever voiced him is amazing. The rest of the bosses I either like or love, and again even some of these I do like because of certain other aspects. I know a lot of the bosses aren't perfect but I'm surprised I never outright hated any of them, can't say the same for something like Bed of Chaos or Dragon God lole.

Don't really have much to say about the OST besides the fact it's great like most other souls games. My favorite tracks were the aforementioned Witches of Hemwick theme, the Cleric Beast theme, Micolash's theme, the hunter's dream theme and Gehrman's theme. Those were definitely the standout songs.

My take on the Chalice dungeons are they're a nice distraction from the base game but I probably won't play them again on future replay's. I only dived into them on that playthrough in 2019, and while they were cool they do get tedious if you're going for them all. It is nice how they have unique bosses in them, but yeah not super keen on them. Tho I never hated them like other people and I don't think they detract from the game because it feels more like a side thing which I'm fine with.

Before I end of my review, I just wanted to list off a couple issues with the game. Blood vials are obviously a big point of contention for some people and yeah it is annoying how you might have to eventually grind them if you run out, I never really had an issue with this personally. It's really easy to get them naturally and there's a really good early grinding spot right next to the first lamp in the game lol. Speaking of lamps, I guess people find it annoying how you have to warp back to the Hunter's Dream every time and then warp to another place from there? I guess it's a minor convenience but it never bothered me ever. Now this being 30 FPS is definitely jarring when going from games like Dark Souls III or Sekiro (I know I was taken aback when I came back to this after DS3) and while it would be so awesome if a remaster came out (please no remake dear god) I again never had a major issue with it. People saying it makes the game unplayable, I don't get you lol.

Anywho, this was another long ass review from me but I just absolutely adore this game despite some small flaws. It just gets even better with the DLC which I also beat this time around. Look out for that review very soon!

So I actually didn't play this DLC until a couple years after I first played Bloodborne. On a whim I finally decided to bite the bullet and spend the $20 on it. Once it downloaded and I jumped right into it, I couldn't put it down! It was a set of brand new weapons, bosses and areas from one of my favorite games ever. I played it all day on Christmas Eve 2020 and finished it early Christmas morning. What an interesting Christmas that was, slicing and dicing up beasts lol.

Speaking of slicing and dicing, let's talk about the new weapons. This DLC added a whopping 11 weapons and 5 firearms. That amount is insane, and not only that...they're some of the best and coolest weapons in the game. Special mentions go to Whirligig saw, Rakuya and Holy Moonlight Sword. Of the DLC weapons, those are the three I've used before and they're a ton of fun. Several others are really out there and weird too, like the Amygdalan Arm and the Kos Parasite. Never used any of the new firearms but they seem cool.

This DLC added three new areas and they're some of the best in Bloodborne. The Hunter's Nightmare has you going through a remixed version of Cathedral Ward. You can really see the parts of Cathedral Ward early on but it slowly twists into something unrecognizable and very different. That's one reason why it's awesome, it feels like a spin on an old area while also feeling mostly unique. It's also a very good pvp spot from what I'm told. Research Hall has you going through a very Tower of Latria-esque area. Tower of Latria in Demons Soul's was one of the most atmospheric areas in that game and this area's no different. It's extremely creepy and feels very unique compared to the base game's areas. I just feel bad killing the blob head guys because they're all failed experiments. Still, for the atmosphere alone this place is great but besides that, it's cool going room to room and up the giant staircase. The last area might be the best, the Fishing Hamlet is absolutely one of the most distinct areas yet. An aquatic area where you go through a village of fish creatures was not what I would expect from Bloodborne but its amazing. Holy shit though, fuck those giant whale enemies they are INSANE. They're harder than most of the base game bosses lol. Still though, it has a decent variety of enemies and a lot of new enemies at that. That plus the amazing aesthetics and really unique setting makes it a top tier area imo and a great end to the DLC.

Now for the big kahunas, the bosses. Right away we start with my favorite boss in the DLC, in Bloodborne and one of my favorite in the entire series, Ludwig. Holy goddamn is he amazing. He's just so fun to fight, that plus he has the best song in Bloodborne and his 2nd phase get's even better, top tier boss fight man. The first time I fought him, I beat him first try. I thought I got lucky but this time around again, I beat him first try. I guess he just isn't super hard, doesn't detract from how great of a fight it is.

In that same area is Laurence. Laurence is one of two fights in the DLC that I don't think are bad, but just aren't nearly as good as the big 3. The main reason for that is he's a reskin of Cleric Beast, just on fire and he has a 2nd phase. I do really like how we finally get to see him, after hearing about him so much in the base game. Laurence however is certainly the hardest imo, took me like 5-6 tries. Definitely one of the toughest in the game.

In the Research Hall, after pushing the lever at the top of the staircase, you unlock the Living Failures. Nothing really much to say about them, they're alright. The lore implications with the rest of the area's citizens and how they were supposed to turn into these guys is really cool, but other than it's just too easy of a boss and yeah I beat them first try.

Immediately after that though, we have another awesome boss. Lady Maria was a boss I was honestly a bit conflicted on before. When I first beat her years ago, I parried nonstop and she was the easiest boss in the DLC. Coming back to it again and this time doing the fight parry-less, it's way harder and way more fun. It's not nearly as hard as something like Friede in DS3, but it definitely wasn't braindead easy like it was with parries. Still easy enough for me to beat her first try tho lol, but yeah she was a ton of fun.

Last on the list of bosses is Orphan of Kos and hoo boy is he a doozy. He's absolutely one of the most aggressive and tough fights in the game but at the same time he feels completely fair. He telegraphs his attacks and combos quite well and he makes for a blast of a fight. Not as good as Gael imo but still an amazing way to end off the DLC. Also, I was so pissed this time around because I almost beat him first try, however I celebrated prematurely and lost with one hit left. I beat him on my 2nd go around but that still stung lole.

All in all this DLC is absolutely fantastic. It has some of the best areas and bosses in the series and despite having two not so great bosses imo, those two are still not bad and does not change the fact that this is my favorite DLC to any game. It's peak Bloodborne, which is insane because Bloodborne was already peak.

So after playing Mario Wonder and generally enjoying it, I wanted to replay my favorite 2D Mario. I wanted to see if it was total nostalgia that was keeping me from not liking Mario Wonder as much as this and well maybe it still is? Either way, as I did with my other playthroughs, I had an absolute blast playing this and still consider it peak 2D Mario and one of my favorite platformers ever.

I think the main reason I really love it, is there's just so many secrets to find. There's 96 different exits in this game and like at least a third or more are secret exits. They're everywhere and they're really fun to find. Some of them can be quite tricky for newcomers, tho I've played this game so much that I know where everything is. Finding a secret exit in a normal level and then finding a secret exit in that secret level you just unlocked, man it's just so cool. Every single time I start a new playthrough, I always go to the star world really early, it's super fun.

I also love just how weird and wacky this game is, a lot of the stages can feel very dream like with how out there they are. In general the level design is very fresh and there's new ideas thrown out you even until the very end of the game. The game is also chock full of brand new enemies, even ones exclusive to this game that never returned to future titles.

The general gameplay is more slippery than Mario 3 and while some players may dislike this change, I enjoy it. It takes a little getting used to it at first but once it clicks, it feels great. It's more skill based but also never frustrating at least for me. I also think the game as a whole is never super frustrating (well maybe some of those special stages lol) but also never a walk in the park. I think this game has a perfect difficulty curve, it can get a bit challenging in certain levels near the middle and end. Though you could also easily get 99 1-UPs from that one level with the immense amount of Koopas lole.

I really love the OST, it's very simplistic with how it's just different renditions of the same song for most of it but it really works. I absolutely adore the end credits theme too. Another awesome thing this game did was give Mario a lot of personality. Whether it's his hat bobbing up and down when he jumps, to those really wacky cutscenes that play when you beat a castle, this game is full of personality.

Even though I've played this game many times, I still have trouble with it at certain points. I had a really rough time trying to get the secret exit for Cheese Bridge Yoshi-less, and then some of the special stages (specifically Tubular and Mondo) always give me a hard time. Some castle levels also trip me up sometimes too, I don't think this game is super easy like I've heard some people say idk.

So in the end, yeah it may just be nostalgia talking but I truly think this game is peak and definitely peak Mario, at least for me. I love this game so much man.