Brintendo
2023
✔
Oh hell yes, we are COOKING today.
Getting this out of the way now, this game is just fantastic overall. The gameplay is fantastic, the spritework is fantastic, the soundtrack is fantastic...it's just NICE. You can tell this was a labor of love. This does have heavy Wario Land vibes, but make no mistake, this is absolutely its own delicious beast. As someone who didn't exactly get deep into Wario Land, this is ticking all the right boxes for me in terms of what I want from a game like this.
I want to elaborate a bit on the fact that the gameplay is so good, man. It's easy to pick up and hard to master, but the curve isn't impossible to learn. I struggled a bit at the start, but I've been getting pretty good ranks overall. This game fufills a strange desire of mine to run through everything at mach 350. The speed is something that new players might struggle with, but once you get a good grasp of your speed and momentum, it's a blast!
I won't be forgetting this one. I played this game during a pretty bad point this year. 2024 has not been my year so far, if I may be candid. However, I gotta say that watching this man suffer just to do what he loves was weirdly helpful to me because I could kind of relate. I could feel the stress and the worry within every sprite, so it was kind of nice to help relieve my stress by trying to help him relieve his stress.
One thing's for sure. This dish is anything but plain. I'll be coming back for seconds.
Oh hell yes, we are COOKING today.
Getting this out of the way now, this game is just fantastic overall. The gameplay is fantastic, the spritework is fantastic, the soundtrack is fantastic...it's just NICE. You can tell this was a labor of love. This does have heavy Wario Land vibes, but make no mistake, this is absolutely its own delicious beast. As someone who didn't exactly get deep into Wario Land, this is ticking all the right boxes for me in terms of what I want from a game like this.
I want to elaborate a bit on the fact that the gameplay is so good, man. It's easy to pick up and hard to master, but the curve isn't impossible to learn. I struggled a bit at the start, but I've been getting pretty good ranks overall. This game fufills a strange desire of mine to run through everything at mach 350. The speed is something that new players might struggle with, but once you get a good grasp of your speed and momentum, it's a blast!
I won't be forgetting this one. I played this game during a pretty bad point this year. 2024 has not been my year so far, if I may be candid. However, I gotta say that watching this man suffer just to do what he loves was weirdly helpful to me because I could kind of relate. I could feel the stress and the worry within every sprite, so it was kind of nice to help relieve my stress by trying to help him relieve his stress.
One thing's for sure. This dish is anything but plain. I'll be coming back for seconds.
✔
I don't want to just echo what everyone says and say "I think that if this was more like TTYD/Super blah blah blah," nothing would get done. However, I also want to talk about this game while fully backing up what I know. I 100% completed this, and I mean it. I didn't just beat the game. I experienced absolutely EVERYTHING this game had to offer, including some things that the average casual player will never see. I have explored every crease and fold of this paper world, so I think I know how to discuss it.
The main game experience is actually pretty good. There are undeniable flaws, but that stuff's for suckers. I liked the puzzle combat stuff and appreciated that the puzzles had to actually be good first and foremost. They ramped up pretty well, including some of the boss puzzles (the bosses were neat. Only one bland Mario boss in the lot, so we're stacked pretty well).
I do not think the 100% experience is worth it unless you are 100% sure you are okay doing it. Go through it and complete as much of the game as you feel comfortable, but don't do it out of obligation. I did it because I wanted to. In the end, isn't that why we play video games? To do what we want to do? Anyway, I liked this a lot. Very good game even if it doesn't hold a candle to the first three. Best modern Paper Mario by a long shot.
Oh yeah, I wrote this a month ago and just forgot to post it. Sorry.
I don't want to just echo what everyone says and say "I think that if this was more like TTYD/Super blah blah blah," nothing would get done. However, I also want to talk about this game while fully backing up what I know. I 100% completed this, and I mean it. I didn't just beat the game. I experienced absolutely EVERYTHING this game had to offer, including some things that the average casual player will never see. I have explored every crease and fold of this paper world, so I think I know how to discuss it.
The main game experience is actually pretty good. There are undeniable flaws, but that stuff's for suckers. I liked the puzzle combat stuff and appreciated that the puzzles had to actually be good first and foremost. They ramped up pretty well, including some of the boss puzzles (the bosses were neat. Only one bland Mario boss in the lot, so we're stacked pretty well).
I do not think the 100% experience is worth it unless you are 100% sure you are okay doing it. Go through it and complete as much of the game as you feel comfortable, but don't do it out of obligation. I did it because I wanted to. In the end, isn't that why we play video games? To do what we want to do? Anyway, I liked this a lot. Very good game even if it doesn't hold a candle to the first three. Best modern Paper Mario by a long shot.
Oh yeah, I wrote this a month ago and just forgot to post it. Sorry.
2006
This review contains spoilers
✔
The Mother series (or the Earthbound series if you're in America) is like the John Wick movies. All of them are 10/10 and it's valid to think one is better or worse than the other as long as Earthbound is your favorite. I knew going in that I would like it less than Earthbound, and I did, but it's still perfect. Yes, some things are imperfect, but they're wrong. Gosh, I love video games.
In terms of gameplay, not much changes other than a more accessible menu system, a musical combo mechanic in battles, and a chapter-based story structure. Just like in Earthbound, it gets easier as you go along. By the end of the game, my characters were all level 62 (except for Lucas, who was level 63), so I swept up the remaining encounters. The final battle, unlike Earthbound, was not against a big monster or some insurmountable foe. It was just your brother, stuck in his controlled state. Yes, it is similar to Giygas in the way that traditional attacks won't always work, but you have stakes in this because of his significance in the story (which I didn't get spoiled on, funnily enough).
Speaking of which, the story is gold like always. Shigesato Itoi knows how to craft great stories. There are tons of characters you'll like, of course. The bigger achievement on my mind is that Mother 3 manages to introduce not just one, but two people that you're going to hate (Fassad sucks, by the way). I will admit that it doesn't really start until Chapter 4 though. The first three chapters are mostly setting up the story, making you familiar with the world and characters. I admit that I wasn't the biggest fan of the concept, but it's executed masterfully here. If nothing else, the game is worth playing for the story.
Out of every game, Mother 3 definitely deserves the name Mother. Hinawa, your mom, is an important factor for most of the plot. Her death drives the motivation of Flint, Claus and Lucas, her presence is felt throughout the whole game, and it is her who manages to pull Claus back from Porky's clutches (Porky sucks, by the way). Mother 3 is more about family than any of the other games in the series, really emphasizing the familial connections. Even if we're not just talking about the mother, the other members of the family are represented well. Lucas and Claus spoke to me as two siblings who just didn't see eye to eye (yes, one was being controlled, but it can really feel that way sometimes). Of course, I can't forget Flint. He isn't a perfect dad, but we find out why this time instead of just seeing a phone ring. I really appreciate that during the end, he tries to make sure he doesn't lose anyone else like he lost Hinawa.
I know I didn't write nearly as much for this review as I did for Earthbound, but I enjoyed my time with Mother 3 so darn much. I wonder what they did in the timeline where it came to America. Maybe they called it Earthbound: Love or something. Maybe they changed the series name back to Mother. Maybe nothing happened like our current timeline. It's a shame that America has to resort to a fan translation or to just play it in Japanese. The Mother series deserves an audience and I think you ought to go try it out.
Oh, and don't forget. No crying until the end.
The Mother series (or the Earthbound series if you're in America) is like the John Wick movies. All of them are 10/10 and it's valid to think one is better or worse than the other as long as Earthbound is your favorite. I knew going in that I would like it less than Earthbound, and I did, but it's still perfect. Yes, some things are imperfect, but they're wrong. Gosh, I love video games.
In terms of gameplay, not much changes other than a more accessible menu system, a musical combo mechanic in battles, and a chapter-based story structure. Just like in Earthbound, it gets easier as you go along. By the end of the game, my characters were all level 62 (except for Lucas, who was level 63), so I swept up the remaining encounters. The final battle, unlike Earthbound, was not against a big monster or some insurmountable foe. It was just your brother, stuck in his controlled state. Yes, it is similar to Giygas in the way that traditional attacks won't always work, but you have stakes in this because of his significance in the story (which I didn't get spoiled on, funnily enough).
Speaking of which, the story is gold like always. Shigesato Itoi knows how to craft great stories. There are tons of characters you'll like, of course. The bigger achievement on my mind is that Mother 3 manages to introduce not just one, but two people that you're going to hate (Fassad sucks, by the way). I will admit that it doesn't really start until Chapter 4 though. The first three chapters are mostly setting up the story, making you familiar with the world and characters. I admit that I wasn't the biggest fan of the concept, but it's executed masterfully here. If nothing else, the game is worth playing for the story.
Out of every game, Mother 3 definitely deserves the name Mother. Hinawa, your mom, is an important factor for most of the plot. Her death drives the motivation of Flint, Claus and Lucas, her presence is felt throughout the whole game, and it is her who manages to pull Claus back from Porky's clutches (Porky sucks, by the way). Mother 3 is more about family than any of the other games in the series, really emphasizing the familial connections. Even if we're not just talking about the mother, the other members of the family are represented well. Lucas and Claus spoke to me as two siblings who just didn't see eye to eye (yes, one was being controlled, but it can really feel that way sometimes). Of course, I can't forget Flint. He isn't a perfect dad, but we find out why this time instead of just seeing a phone ring. I really appreciate that during the end, he tries to make sure he doesn't lose anyone else like he lost Hinawa.
I know I didn't write nearly as much for this review as I did for Earthbound, but I enjoyed my time with Mother 3 so darn much. I wonder what they did in the timeline where it came to America. Maybe they called it Earthbound: Love or something. Maybe they changed the series name back to Mother. Maybe nothing happened like our current timeline. It's a shame that America has to resort to a fan translation or to just play it in Japanese. The Mother series deserves an audience and I think you ought to go try it out.
Oh, and don't forget. No crying until the end.
This review contains spoilers
✔
When I was younger, I had a copy of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness. It's the same game as Explorers of Sky, but without the extra missions and some quality of life things. It's also one game as opposed to two (the other half originally being Explorers of Time). Ever since I got my starter, definitely not by slightly rigging the quiz, I liked the game a lot, liking it more as time went on. Ever since then, I found a way to play Explorers of Sky. My enjoyment only continued to grow. I didn't care that not everyone loved it. After all, they were wrong.
It's a comfort game for me, and honestly, I needed that. When I first started replaying this, I was not feeling great. I was dealing with a ton of stressors and needed a game that brought me closer to the positive emotions I frankly needed during that time. That's when I remembered I had this game ready to play. Why not? I could use a bit of nostalgia.
I picked up the game, started playing, and instantly felt like I was younger again. I knew the story, but the twists and turns still got reactions out of me all those years later. Team Skull still sucked, the partner was still nice to see as they grew, and the player character's mystery still intrigued me, even if I knew all the answers. In those moments, I realized that I would not get tired of playing this. Ironic, because people call it repetitive. The story was just as great as ever, leading me to play through the game. I even approached the gameplay with a lot more strategy than I had back when I was younger, and that actually caused me to have a lot more fun than usual.
When I reached the ending, I felt happier. Sure, the horizon was still there, but I felt as though I could face it now. There's a lot I still need to do, but if I could conquer time itself in this game, I could conquer some stressors in real life. After all, only this game would be ballsy enough to leave off on a downer ending and still have an incredible story in my eyes. I know it's not permanent, but the fact that they did that still matters. They were willing to leave the player in a state of sadness, letting that same player feel relief with a sense of closure and hope that not a lot of other games provide.
I really hope that one day, there is a new game in this series (and I don't just mean a remake). It may need an overhaul, as some of the elements in this game are elements that I know people don't like. However, while I could talk about how perfect this game is and how other people are wrong, that won't lead to a new game. Regardless, the fact that I want a new one should be a testament to how strong this game is on its own. No game before or since, sub-series or otherwise, has matched it for me.
You know what? This is my favorite video game.
When I was younger, I had a copy of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness. It's the same game as Explorers of Sky, but without the extra missions and some quality of life things. It's also one game as opposed to two (the other half originally being Explorers of Time). Ever since I got my starter, definitely not by slightly rigging the quiz, I liked the game a lot, liking it more as time went on. Ever since then, I found a way to play Explorers of Sky. My enjoyment only continued to grow. I didn't care that not everyone loved it. After all, they were wrong.
It's a comfort game for me, and honestly, I needed that. When I first started replaying this, I was not feeling great. I was dealing with a ton of stressors and needed a game that brought me closer to the positive emotions I frankly needed during that time. That's when I remembered I had this game ready to play. Why not? I could use a bit of nostalgia.
I picked up the game, started playing, and instantly felt like I was younger again. I knew the story, but the twists and turns still got reactions out of me all those years later. Team Skull still sucked, the partner was still nice to see as they grew, and the player character's mystery still intrigued me, even if I knew all the answers. In those moments, I realized that I would not get tired of playing this. Ironic, because people call it repetitive. The story was just as great as ever, leading me to play through the game. I even approached the gameplay with a lot more strategy than I had back when I was younger, and that actually caused me to have a lot more fun than usual.
When I reached the ending, I felt happier. Sure, the horizon was still there, but I felt as though I could face it now. There's a lot I still need to do, but if I could conquer time itself in this game, I could conquer some stressors in real life. After all, only this game would be ballsy enough to leave off on a downer ending and still have an incredible story in my eyes. I know it's not permanent, but the fact that they did that still matters. They were willing to leave the player in a state of sadness, letting that same player feel relief with a sense of closure and hope that not a lot of other games provide.
I really hope that one day, there is a new game in this series (and I don't just mean a remake). It may need an overhaul, as some of the elements in this game are elements that I know people don't like. However, while I could talk about how perfect this game is and how other people are wrong, that won't lead to a new game. Regardless, the fact that I want a new one should be a testament to how strong this game is on its own. No game before or since, sub-series or otherwise, has matched it for me.
You know what? This is my favorite video game.
2013
✔
This game was unfinished, so I will also be leaving this review unfinished.
French Pokémon needed a few more years to cook. After all, there are a lot of things in this game that seem unfinished. Barely anybody in Kalos has 6 Pokémon in their party, I hardly had to use any HMs (though that's probably a good thing), and the game is so easy. You have to jump through hoops to challenge yourself. There's no sauce in these games at all. None. A lot of people might point to Red and Blue when looking for the most basic Pokémon game, and you can hold that, but X and Y are the most basic Pokémon games overall. Even Mega Evolutions don't spice things up (they're a cool idea executed badly).
I have a theory as to why that is. Game Freak decided to release the game in an unfinished state because
This game was unfinished, so I will also be leaving this review unfinished.
French Pokémon needed a few more years to cook. After all, there are a lot of things in this game that seem unfinished. Barely anybody in Kalos has 6 Pokémon in their party, I hardly had to use any HMs (though that's probably a good thing), and the game is so easy. You have to jump through hoops to challenge yourself. There's no sauce in these games at all. None. A lot of people might point to Red and Blue when looking for the most basic Pokémon game, and you can hold that, but X and Y are the most basic Pokémon games overall. Even Mega Evolutions don't spice things up (they're a cool idea executed badly).
I have a theory as to why that is. Game Freak decided to release the game in an unfinished state because
✔
If you looked up the definition of unnecessary in the video game dictionary, you'd probably get this.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong is not bad, to make things clear. It is a fun arcade-style game that I can recommend if you haven't played the original game and are unable to access it. However, that is the key word. If you have access to the original or if you have played it, I don't think you would find this to be a necessary purchase. Yes, it's 50 big ones instead of 60 like they usually charge, but that hardly matters, as the full price would have been worth it if this was a pitch by pitch remake.
The game removes some of the charm of the original. Mario no longer speaks full sentences, the cutscenes are all the same, and the animation sometimes feels lifeless. Yes, they use Charles' voice clips, but most of them feel canned. The only ones that don't? The clips from the original, and even then, those are used sparingly. There are a few animations missing from this version of the game, replaced with in-engine ones that aren't that great.
Personally, I don't think they should've removed the charm. It felt to me like Nintendo was afraid of Mario speaking full sentences and they don't want him to get angry at all. I dislike both of these choices. Mario saying full sentences is charming, and him getting a bit mad is justified because Donkey Kong isn't our protagonist. Yes, if they made him less mean, that'd be okay. Characters can evolve over time...but not when they lose charm.
The gameplay is basically the same as the original. However, this is where the most positive comment I have stems from. The game has two fully new world themes, and if the game is worth playing for any reason, it's for the new levels that these themes bring. They're so fun that they feel like they were always part of the game. Many remakes have areas that feel tacked on. These new areas do not fall into that trap.
With that one bit of optimism, I leave you with this: play the original game instead. Or, actually, play 1994's Donkey Kong on the GameBoy. That game is the best version of this formula. Actually, I'm going to play DK '94 soon. Anyway, I know this review has been largely negative, but I did have fun playing this game. If you really have no other options, this is a perfectly fine game to play and I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself. It's just been outdone by everything that came before it.
If you looked up the definition of unnecessary in the video game dictionary, you'd probably get this.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong is not bad, to make things clear. It is a fun arcade-style game that I can recommend if you haven't played the original game and are unable to access it. However, that is the key word. If you have access to the original or if you have played it, I don't think you would find this to be a necessary purchase. Yes, it's 50 big ones instead of 60 like they usually charge, but that hardly matters, as the full price would have been worth it if this was a pitch by pitch remake.
The game removes some of the charm of the original. Mario no longer speaks full sentences, the cutscenes are all the same, and the animation sometimes feels lifeless. Yes, they use Charles' voice clips, but most of them feel canned. The only ones that don't? The clips from the original, and even then, those are used sparingly. There are a few animations missing from this version of the game, replaced with in-engine ones that aren't that great.
Personally, I don't think they should've removed the charm. It felt to me like Nintendo was afraid of Mario speaking full sentences and they don't want him to get angry at all. I dislike both of these choices. Mario saying full sentences is charming, and him getting a bit mad is justified because Donkey Kong isn't our protagonist. Yes, if they made him less mean, that'd be okay. Characters can evolve over time...but not when they lose charm.
The gameplay is basically the same as the original. However, this is where the most positive comment I have stems from. The game has two fully new world themes, and if the game is worth playing for any reason, it's for the new levels that these themes bring. They're so fun that they feel like they were always part of the game. Many remakes have areas that feel tacked on. These new areas do not fall into that trap.
With that one bit of optimism, I leave you with this: play the original game instead. Or, actually, play 1994's Donkey Kong on the GameBoy. That game is the best version of this formula. Actually, I'm going to play DK '94 soon. Anyway, I know this review has been largely negative, but I did have fun playing this game. If you really have no other options, this is a perfectly fine game to play and I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself. It's just been outdone by everything that came before it.
2021
This review contains spoilers
✔
Dread is still my favorite Metroid game. Full stop. I'll elaborate, but I wanted to get that out of the way now. I also want to address that I've edited a few of my earlier reviews. I'm not a fan of how some of my earlier reviews don't say a lot, so I figured I'd edit some. If they look different, that's why. However, I won't just be editing those reviews and leaving those games to die, as I intend to replay some of them, starting with one of my favorite games of all time. I recently replayed Dread, opting to beat it 3 times and 100% complete it during the second time. I wanted to do a run-through of Dread Mode, but I figured I'd just do everything again and build up to it, seeing how my skills changed. I ended up having so much fun that I played it many times. This is what happened.
I started on a fresh save with Normal Mode. You have to unlock Hard Mode and Dread Mode (and I'm not doing Rookie Mode), so I had work cut out for me. The plot was just as fun this time as it was last time. Metroid games don't usually go story first with a few exceptions, but Dread manages to balance its story without it becoming boring or overbearing. This is the final piece of this story. We may get more stories with Samus, but this arc is done.
The story isn't why you're here though. The gameplay is where things truly shine. Dread is MUCH better than Samus Returns and I like the controls a bit more than Super Metroid (which, I promise, is not just because Super is older). Dread just feels faster and snappier. Your shots can be more precise with the aim feature from Samus Returns and the upgrades you get are all so fun to use. However, Dread KNOWS what it's giving you and dishes it out right back. Even on Normal Mode, some of the bosses can get a little tough. The harder difficulties (especially the hardest one) test your skills in an impressive way. Some may hate the hardest difficulty but I LOVE it. Your skill goes up as you play and as you understand the mechanics. This game will test you.
Speaking of, I've played this game long enough to where I've started to try and speedrun a bit. Not competitively, of course, but I'm going through the game faster and faster. I've also dabbled in a bit of sequence breaking. Yes, this game does include sequence breaks just like older Metroid games. You're able to do a fair few things out of order and the fact that this is still part of Metroid's structure says a lot about how much Mercury Steam cares.
All in all, I could say a lot more about Metroid Dread, but I have to stop myself before it gets too long. Play this if you can, even if you're sure it won't be your favorite. It's absolutely worth it.
Dread is still my favorite Metroid game. Full stop. I'll elaborate, but I wanted to get that out of the way now. I also want to address that I've edited a few of my earlier reviews. I'm not a fan of how some of my earlier reviews don't say a lot, so I figured I'd edit some. If they look different, that's why. However, I won't just be editing those reviews and leaving those games to die, as I intend to replay some of them, starting with one of my favorite games of all time. I recently replayed Dread, opting to beat it 3 times and 100% complete it during the second time. I wanted to do a run-through of Dread Mode, but I figured I'd just do everything again and build up to it, seeing how my skills changed. I ended up having so much fun that I played it many times. This is what happened.
I started on a fresh save with Normal Mode. You have to unlock Hard Mode and Dread Mode (and I'm not doing Rookie Mode), so I had work cut out for me. The plot was just as fun this time as it was last time. Metroid games don't usually go story first with a few exceptions, but Dread manages to balance its story without it becoming boring or overbearing. This is the final piece of this story. We may get more stories with Samus, but this arc is done.
The story isn't why you're here though. The gameplay is where things truly shine. Dread is MUCH better than Samus Returns and I like the controls a bit more than Super Metroid (which, I promise, is not just because Super is older). Dread just feels faster and snappier. Your shots can be more precise with the aim feature from Samus Returns and the upgrades you get are all so fun to use. However, Dread KNOWS what it's giving you and dishes it out right back. Even on Normal Mode, some of the bosses can get a little tough. The harder difficulties (especially the hardest one) test your skills in an impressive way. Some may hate the hardest difficulty but I LOVE it. Your skill goes up as you play and as you understand the mechanics. This game will test you.
Speaking of, I've played this game long enough to where I've started to try and speedrun a bit. Not competitively, of course, but I'm going through the game faster and faster. I've also dabbled in a bit of sequence breaking. Yes, this game does include sequence breaks just like older Metroid games. You're able to do a fair few things out of order and the fact that this is still part of Metroid's structure says a lot about how much Mercury Steam cares.
All in all, I could say a lot more about Metroid Dread, but I have to stop myself before it gets too long. Play this if you can, even if you're sure it won't be your favorite. It's absolutely worth it.
✔
New Super Mario Brothers. What a game. This was one of the first DS games I ever played, which is kind of surprising that a game that came out almost 20 years ago is the peak of its own sub-series in Mario's 2D lineup. As good as the other NSMB games are, none of them felt quite as unique as NSMB did. In fact, the only 2D Mario game that has reached that fun tier has been Wonder, and that game definitely had some of those weird roots attached to this game.
The gameplay is your standard 2D Mario stuff though. Run and jump to get to the end of the flagpole, maybe collecting 3 star coins along the way if you so choose. However, NSMB definitely seems wacky in its execution because it feels to me like they took the Super Mario 64 DS characters and enemies and placed them in a 2D Mario adventure. It's why Mario still has his triple jump, why Unagi are in the game, and why Dorrie doesn't feel out of place.
The new stuff isn't lost on me. On top of introducing a ton of new enemies, including the Snailicorn (objectively the best one), it also has the most unique bosses in the NSMB line of games. Not one Koopaling in sight. On top of that, there are a lot of mini-boss battles with Bowser Jr., who made his 2D debut in this game. In fact, he's the star of the show, kidnapping Peach himself in lieu of Bowser himself.
As you can probably tell, this game had a lot of new ideas at the time. Unfortunately, that was only at the time. After four other NSMB games, a lot of the stuff in here became standard. The new world themes became standard and stale, the bosses became Koopalings and the music just became a lot of bah bahs. It's unfortunate that the legacy of this DS game was kind of ruined by the rest of the series, but I hope people see that this game was worth it all on its own.
This game rocks hard. Play it if you want a fun Mario experience. Oh, and if you want access to a ton of minigames and one of the best versus modes in Mario history. Yeah, I forgot to mention those because I didn't play them a lot this time, but the minigames rock and the versus mode rocks just as hard. I'll probably be playing a lot more DS games, so I figured starting off with this classic would be worth my time. Needless to say, it was.
New Super Mario Brothers. What a game. This was one of the first DS games I ever played, which is kind of surprising that a game that came out almost 20 years ago is the peak of its own sub-series in Mario's 2D lineup. As good as the other NSMB games are, none of them felt quite as unique as NSMB did. In fact, the only 2D Mario game that has reached that fun tier has been Wonder, and that game definitely had some of those weird roots attached to this game.
The gameplay is your standard 2D Mario stuff though. Run and jump to get to the end of the flagpole, maybe collecting 3 star coins along the way if you so choose. However, NSMB definitely seems wacky in its execution because it feels to me like they took the Super Mario 64 DS characters and enemies and placed them in a 2D Mario adventure. It's why Mario still has his triple jump, why Unagi are in the game, and why Dorrie doesn't feel out of place.
The new stuff isn't lost on me. On top of introducing a ton of new enemies, including the Snailicorn (objectively the best one), it also has the most unique bosses in the NSMB line of games. Not one Koopaling in sight. On top of that, there are a lot of mini-boss battles with Bowser Jr., who made his 2D debut in this game. In fact, he's the star of the show, kidnapping Peach himself in lieu of Bowser himself.
As you can probably tell, this game had a lot of new ideas at the time. Unfortunately, that was only at the time. After four other NSMB games, a lot of the stuff in here became standard. The new world themes became standard and stale, the bosses became Koopalings and the music just became a lot of bah bahs. It's unfortunate that the legacy of this DS game was kind of ruined by the rest of the series, but I hope people see that this game was worth it all on its own.
This game rocks hard. Play it if you want a fun Mario experience. Oh, and if you want access to a ton of minigames and one of the best versus modes in Mario history. Yeah, I forgot to mention those because I didn't play them a lot this time, but the minigames rock and the versus mode rocks just as hard. I'll probably be playing a lot more DS games, so I figured starting off with this classic would be worth my time. Needless to say, it was.
1994
This review contains spoilers
✔
Earthbound is one of my new favorite games. I don’t say this with hyperbole or recency bias because I know myself well enough that this game’s experiences will matter to me. Like Super Paper Mario, not everything in this game is objectively perfect, but feelings don’t care about “facts,” especially when those facts are wrong. This is going to be so long that it may as well be an abridged walkthrough, but that’s the best way I can get my thoughts across. This is your final spoiler warning because I will be spoiling the ENTIRE game. No stone unturned.
Ahem.
I was greeted by Ness, a kid from Onett who liked pasta, video games and mint ice cream, waking up to a lot of noise outside. He heard reports of a meteor falling, but when he wanted to go investigate, someone blocked his way. Pokey, his neighbor, was someone Ness despised despite not knowing much about him. He didn't want to talk to Pokey anymore, so Ness went back home. Unfortunately, Pokey followed him and asked for his help. This was the extent of my knowledge when it came to this story (well, that and the "bad" menus that I was wrong about), but if I had only pressed on a little further.
Ness and Pokey (ugh) went back to the top of the hill where Pokey said his brother was, spotting a bee...no, I'm kidding. A bee he was not. Buzz Buzz, as he called himself, told Ness that he and three others would be destined to save the world. Pokey hoped he wouldn't be one of those kids and Ness fully agreed. Ness, Pokey and Picky walked back down, spotting a Starman (not from Mario). Ness, Buzz Buzz and Picky fought back. Pokey mainly sat like a useless pile of useless. The trio defeated the Starman, happy that they managed to fight him off. Buzz Buzz talked to Ness as they were heading back to Picky's house (yeah, Picky's house. I'm not acknowledging Pokey here. I don't have a reason to dislike Picky, and neither did Ness). Unfortunately, every person except for Picky is the worst because his mom KILLED Buzz Buzz! Before he died, Buzz Buzz told Ness that his first big Sanctuary would be in Giant Step, just outside of Onett. Ness knew that would be blocked off, but he'd handle that in the morning after sleeping this off. He went back home, ready for a day of walking around his town.
Onett, a town Ness knew incredibly well, was dealing with a small problem. A gang of sharks were convening at the arcade. This was the biggest thing Ness had ever faced (oh, how little he knew). He headed to the arcade, meeting up with Frank, the leader. Ness proceeded to fight him and his big robot, winning! Frank must have vowed to disband the sharks, as Ness saw the other sharks in the arcade being a lot calmer. Ness suddenly realized that he now had a way to get to Giant Step. He asked to meet with the Mayor, who actually agreed? Ness got an easy path to Giant Step, heading in. The enemies were certainly tough, but he eventually made it to the step. This was one of eight locations that he'd have to visit in order to hear eight melodies. The next one would be just south of Onett, so Ness headed down (after beating up some cops of course. Definitely no commentary in that at all).
Welcome to Twoson, Ness thought to himself as he wandered around town. He knew he wouldn't be sticking around long because he had to head out of town, but he decided to head over to a few places like the theater, the park and of course, Apple Kid's house. Apple Kid came in clutch, actually, offering Ness the Pencil Eraser. Wouldn't you know it, a giant metal pencil was standing between him and the village at the edge of town. Ness was still feeling a little weak, but he knew he'd just have to push forward...and of course he did, because just as he was about to rescue a new friend, he saw POKEY AGAIN. Ugh. Ness fought off the enemies and ignored Pokey entirely, heading in the house.
That's when he met Paula, the first new member of his party.
Ness was immediately entranced and agreed to help, but neither one of them saw an easy way to get out. She handed him the Franklin Badge and asked him to help. Ness nodded, heading off to go defeat the Carpainter, who Paula mentioned would be a goal. Ness held the badge, ready to take out the Carpainter...but the badge actually managed to do most of the work. Taking the key off of Carpainter, Ness headed back to Paula to release her. The party finally brought together, Ness and Paula knew they had one more major stop before going back to the town proper. That would be Lilliput Steps. After that second sanctuary, they walked back to explain that Paula needed to go with Ness. He felt a bit bad for her, so he took her to see The Runaway Five (now free with Ness' help). They watched show together, but he had to interrupt their nice moment when he asked The Runaway Five for a ride to Threed.
When Ness and Paula arrived in Threed, they saw a very dark and sad town overrun by ghosts and zombies. Ness felt a bit scared, so Paula took him to the nearby hotel to rest. Unfortunately, the room was already occupied by monsters who took the both of them down. Some time passed, but Ness slowly came to. He looked around, seeing Paula trying to call someone for help. Then he saw that he was in a room underground with no other exits except for a door. He tried to open the door, but they were locked in. All Ness could do was hope that Paula's call reached someone, so he sat down next to her and waited for a while.
Suddenly, BOOM! A giant ship crashed into the area where Ness and Paula were, and wandering out of the wreck was Jeff, the third member of the party. Jeff told Ness the story of how he braved the Winters cold, saying goodbye to Tony and heading on the back of Nessie to his dad...I mean Dr. Andonuts. I was quite happy that Jeff joined them, in part because Jeff was another party member and in part because my friends told me he'd be so powerful. They were right...but that'll be later. For now, the gang was off to a new place.
That place would be the one other piece of knowledge that I had in my mind. Saturn Valley and the Mr. Saturns were so nice to see, even if Ness hadn't ever met them before. Unfortunately, they were being taken advantage of by a pile of stink. While Ness went to take that out, preparing to advance to Milky Well's sanctuary afterward, he thought about the fact that he wasn't getting tired. His dad called him and asked if he should take a break a few times by now, but Ness was fine. He felt a lot more powerful too, able to do a lot of damage every turn. This feeling of high energy carried through as Ness and the gang crossed the Dusty Desert Dunes, heading to Fourside.
When Ness and the gang got in town, they found that The Runaway Five were in debt again, but thanks to a diamond from the Dusty Desert Dunes mine, they were free to leave. Ness and the gang had other business to attend to though, ignoring the talk of someone named Electra begging for some yogurt or something, and part of that business was buying some new equipment for Ness and Paula. Jeff was fine, repairing a lot of his old stuff. On their way out though, the lights cut out. When they turned back on, Ness looked at the gang to make sure they were okay. Jeff was fine, and so was-...wait, where was Paula? Ness and Jeff were told to come to the office to find her, but after defeating the foe ahead, there was no Paula. Ness was scared for her. She knew more PSI than he did and he really liked having her around, but Jeff promised Ness they'd find her. Ness didn't feel great though, so he just wandered over to the cafe to get a drink. After bumping into Everdread from Twoson and stumbling into the cafe, Jeff brought him over to the counter, suddenly sending them both to Moonside. Ness was a bit confused how they got here and Jeff told him to pay a bit more attention to the world if they wanted to save Paula. After traveling across the entire town, he fought a giant Mani Mani statue, destroying it in a blaze of glory...and poof, he realized he was in an illusion. The statue was being weird and mean. While Ness picked himself up from that shocking revalation, Jeff helped him leave the building.
That's when Ness got a call from Apple Kid about a yogurt machine that got dropped in the caves near the Dusty Desert Dunes. Wait. Electra mentioned something about yogurt, didn't she? Ness and Jeff looked at each other, putting the pieces together. A quick detour to the Monkey Caves later, Ness came back with the Yogurt machine to give Electra. While she was distracted with that, Ness and Jeff took out a small robot with the help of the Runaway Five inside the Monotoli building. After heading past the robot, Ness was finally reunited with Paula. Unfortunately, this moment was stopped by Pokey showing up AGAIN. Ness was getting so tired of seeing him, but Ness knew that he'd be able to distract himself with a short detour to Jeff's home to visit Rainy Circle.
After meeting Dr. Andonuts in Winters, the gang headed off to Summers. Summers really seemed like a paradise, but Ness started off a bit rocky since they crashed the ship again...or in Ness' case, they crashed for first time. Ness and the gang were ready to head on a boat to their next location, but the Captain asked him to go to the Stoic Club first and talk to his wife. Ness, knowing that love was a weird thing, decided to oblige. When he got in, talking to the captain's wife was pretty easy, but he did have to eat a magic cake. That wasn't a problem, Ness thought as she left him and the gang behind for her stand outside. Ness did like cake.
The gang walked out of the Stoic Club, seeing the stand. Ness smiled, realizing that all he would have to do was eat some food. Unfortunately, the second Ness ate it, he felt weird. Everything got all trippy for a moment. With some help from the gang, Ness shook that off, looking around. Oh, they was on the beach now. Interesting. Suddenly, Ness saw a guy walk up to him, telling him that he was the fourth member of their group named Poo. Finally, the party was formed. With the help of Poo's ruby, the gang knew they had to go to Scaraba to solve the pyramid. To get Poo up to speed with some of the adventures though, Ness and the gang stopped by Fourside again to head over to Magnet Hill. Poo, in kind, decided to show Ness and the gang the Pink Cloud at his home in Dalaam. With all of that under the gang's belt, they were ready to go on the next step of their journey.
Ness, Paula, Jeff and Poo returned to Summers to speak with the captain who would take them across the sea. He headed off, hiding away as Ness and the gang handled the Kraken, but they eventually did get to Scaraba. Jeez, it was hot here. Ness got a bit too paranoid and bought a bunch of wet towels to survive the harsh heat...even if he'd have to sell them later because he didn't use them. Luckily, solving and surviving the pyramid wasn't as long as Ness thought it would take. In fact, it took less than twenty minutes if Ness recalled correctly, only taking an Eagle Eye with him. Unfortunately, just after the gang got out of the pyramid. Poo left to learn a secret technique. Luckily, that would easily be replaced with Dungeon Man, a person that Jeff seemed to recognize. Ness did not, but he did trust Jeff's judgement. Dungeon Man actually offered the gang a submarine to cross the sea, entering the darkness. The Eagle Eye did help them see through the dark, but just before Ness could get to the next spot on his journey, Poo returned, using Starstorm to take out a pile of barf. Yuck.
Tenda Village was a little odd. The little Tendas were really shy, but Ness was about to get handed a lifeline. There was a book called "Overcoming Shyness" that Apple Kid, the person calling him, had read. He was going to give both the book and a new device to him, but he was suddenly kidnapped and taken away. Ness, unsure where to go, remembered that Apple Kid wanted to meet with Dr. Andonuts. Back to Winters they went! Apple Kid's little mouse handed Ness the Eraser Eraser, and Jeff told Ness where he saw an eraser. Right under Stonehenge. Ness smiled, getting the gang ready to fight whatever adversities lay below the stones. It turned out it was just a factory, and Ness actually used the factory to feel a bit better about himself. The gang was taking out enemies in practically one turn. Speaking of the enemies, some of them apparently had a very rare chance to drop some important things, and the first of those was the Sword of Kings from a Starman under Stonehenge. Poo took the sword with honor and Ness just looked at it without really realizing that he was really lucky. After fighting a more evil Starman, Ness got thanks from Apple Kid, but not the book. The book was returned to Onett.
After popping by the library in Ness' hometown to grab a book for Tenda Village, Ness and the gang made their way through Lumine hall. During their trek through, Jeff picked up a Broken Antenna from an Uncontrollable Sphere. I forgot if Jeff repaired it or not, but Ness certainly remembers. None of the party knew what it was until after the journey ended, and I only realized it would be important after the fact. Oh well. Regardless, after they walked through the hall, they would run into a very shocking surprise.
Dinosaurs were still alive in the Lost Underworld! Of course, Ness and the gang didn't know where they were at first, but he got his bearings after speaking with a rock. He had to head to the Fire Spring. When Ness got there, getting the final piece of the sanctuary equation, he fell into a deep slumber...before he woke up in a palace of his own creation. Magicant. He wandered around, finding a lot of pieces of his mind. He had a bit of help from his courage that he dubbed Flying Man. As he went deeper into his mind, he couldn't help but feel a feeling in his heart (partially due to the faint music in his mind playing). He had to fight the dark part of his heart, but he finally woke up, realizing that he needed to head back to a location he had been to before.
As Ness headed off to Saturn Valley, he saw Dr. Andonuts again, almost knowing he'd be back there again. Dr. Andonuts told Ness and the gang that he had a solution to the Giygas problem, but he would need a meteor piece in order to get his Phase Distorter working...and that would be the easy part. Ness accepted the task, bringing the piece from Onett's meteor. While Ness walked down the path he started this whole journey on, he felt a lot more powerful than before, but that strength turned to fear when he saw the enemies he was up against. Sure, he got the meteor, but he didn't think the foes he fought would be this beefy.
Soon after his return, Ness and the gang were told they would have to sacrifice their souls in order to go back in time. Ness gasped when he heard the news, realizing that he needed to prepare for the journey ahead. Jeff got a bunch of rockets, Poo was decked out in kingwear and Paula reassured Ness that a frying pan could still do major damage. Ness and the gang were ready, inhabiting the souls of robots to go back in time. Most were indistinguishable, but the Ness robot still had his iconic cap. When they stepped out of the Phase Distorter in a dark cave, Ness and the gang realized they had made it to the past. They looked ahead and saw the lair where Gigyas might just be hiding. Ness headed deeper into the cave, taking a Gutsy Bat off of a Bionic Kraken on the way (much to my personal surprise because Ness was seriously getting lucky and my friends asked me for pictures at this point. I was getting a bit scared that something bad was about to happen).
Finally, Ness was standing in front of Gigyas along with all his friends. Nothing could ruin this moment…except for POKEY. God, I thought he was done! Ness and the gang proceeded to kick his teeth in, but Pokey wouldn’t even give them the satisfaction of a good death, basically making Giygas attack us instead. Ness and the gang were stuck, doing damage to this entity that didn't seem affected at all. Ness' stress wasn't stopping him from going ahead, but he knew he'd be fine with his friends helping. The gang seemed like they were stuck between a rock and a hard place, and they soon realized their attacks wouldn't work. They began to defend themselves as Ness put up a PSI shield, but Paula didn't defend. Instead, she prayed, hoping her call would reach someone. While Ness was a bit confused, he could feel a response. Everyone they met gave their energy to help the gang, dealing damage to Giygas when the gang couldn't, but Paula could feel the grip slipping away. One of her prayers was even consumed by darkness, which really got Ness stressed. He urged her to try one more time, so she did...
…and I heard them. I answered their call, hoping they could win. I wanted Giygas to fall, so I sent my best wishes hoping they would get granted. When my prayers reached them, Giygas took damage and static filled my screen. They did it.
The war against Giygas was over.
The four souls made their way back to Saturn Valley, finally able to breathe. Unfortunately, the group would now be split. Poo had to head back to Dalaam and Jeff reunited with his dad, finally calling him dad on purpose. Ness and Paula were all that was left. Ness agreed to escort her home, but he had another plan in mind while the two walked back home from Saturn Valley. The duo took a trip throughout all of Eagleland, saying hello to everyone they met on their journey. Ness had time to contemplate his journey, realizing that Eagleland was a lot smaller now that he knew all of it. A few people even changed for the better, including Frank, all the way back in Onett. That's right, Ness didn't go back to Twoson. He showed Paula around his hometown. The arcade, the burger shop, his home that he bought, everything. All that culminated in the slow walk home to his place where Ness' family greeted him with open arms. They wanted to show him and Paula a photo album, but only after Ness did everything he wanted to do. Ness accepted, knowing he did. As Ness, his family and Paula flipped through the photo album, I felt like I could take the time to process everything for the first time in a while...
WAIT, POKEY’S STILL AROUND?! Aw crud…I guess I’ll deal with him later.
As I sat on the couch, thinking about what to do next, I realized something. Earthbound is going to be important to me going forward. Not just because I played it all the way through for the first time and had a good time and not just because I could relate to it on a deeper level, but because I shared the experience with a couple of good friends. Not to mention my epic Earthbound street cred (I got the Sword of Kings, the Gutsy Bat and the Broken Antenna and I will brag about it), but I digress. As much as I had fun with other games this year, I think this is certainly my favorite. It brought me out of a pit that I was stuck in, and I really think it helped me internalize a lot. I won’t forget the journey Ness and his friends took and I won’t forget my own experiences helping them, which is why I felt it would be best to describe the events I saw. It was that significant. All that said, thanks for sticking around this long. Happy new year, everyone.
Earthbound is one of my new favorite games. I don’t say this with hyperbole or recency bias because I know myself well enough that this game’s experiences will matter to me. Like Super Paper Mario, not everything in this game is objectively perfect, but feelings don’t care about “facts,” especially when those facts are wrong. This is going to be so long that it may as well be an abridged walkthrough, but that’s the best way I can get my thoughts across. This is your final spoiler warning because I will be spoiling the ENTIRE game. No stone unturned.
Ahem.
I was greeted by Ness, a kid from Onett who liked pasta, video games and mint ice cream, waking up to a lot of noise outside. He heard reports of a meteor falling, but when he wanted to go investigate, someone blocked his way. Pokey, his neighbor, was someone Ness despised despite not knowing much about him. He didn't want to talk to Pokey anymore, so Ness went back home. Unfortunately, Pokey followed him and asked for his help. This was the extent of my knowledge when it came to this story (well, that and the "bad" menus that I was wrong about), but if I had only pressed on a little further.
Ness and Pokey (ugh) went back to the top of the hill where Pokey said his brother was, spotting a bee...no, I'm kidding. A bee he was not. Buzz Buzz, as he called himself, told Ness that he and three others would be destined to save the world. Pokey hoped he wouldn't be one of those kids and Ness fully agreed. Ness, Pokey and Picky walked back down, spotting a Starman (not from Mario). Ness, Buzz Buzz and Picky fought back. Pokey mainly sat like a useless pile of useless. The trio defeated the Starman, happy that they managed to fight him off. Buzz Buzz talked to Ness as they were heading back to Picky's house (yeah, Picky's house. I'm not acknowledging Pokey here. I don't have a reason to dislike Picky, and neither did Ness). Unfortunately, every person except for Picky is the worst because his mom KILLED Buzz Buzz! Before he died, Buzz Buzz told Ness that his first big Sanctuary would be in Giant Step, just outside of Onett. Ness knew that would be blocked off, but he'd handle that in the morning after sleeping this off. He went back home, ready for a day of walking around his town.
Onett, a town Ness knew incredibly well, was dealing with a small problem. A gang of sharks were convening at the arcade. This was the biggest thing Ness had ever faced (oh, how little he knew). He headed to the arcade, meeting up with Frank, the leader. Ness proceeded to fight him and his big robot, winning! Frank must have vowed to disband the sharks, as Ness saw the other sharks in the arcade being a lot calmer. Ness suddenly realized that he now had a way to get to Giant Step. He asked to meet with the Mayor, who actually agreed? Ness got an easy path to Giant Step, heading in. The enemies were certainly tough, but he eventually made it to the step. This was one of eight locations that he'd have to visit in order to hear eight melodies. The next one would be just south of Onett, so Ness headed down (after beating up some cops of course. Definitely no commentary in that at all).
Welcome to Twoson, Ness thought to himself as he wandered around town. He knew he wouldn't be sticking around long because he had to head out of town, but he decided to head over to a few places like the theater, the park and of course, Apple Kid's house. Apple Kid came in clutch, actually, offering Ness the Pencil Eraser. Wouldn't you know it, a giant metal pencil was standing between him and the village at the edge of town. Ness was still feeling a little weak, but he knew he'd just have to push forward...and of course he did, because just as he was about to rescue a new friend, he saw POKEY AGAIN. Ugh. Ness fought off the enemies and ignored Pokey entirely, heading in the house.
That's when he met Paula, the first new member of his party.
Ness was immediately entranced and agreed to help, but neither one of them saw an easy way to get out. She handed him the Franklin Badge and asked him to help. Ness nodded, heading off to go defeat the Carpainter, who Paula mentioned would be a goal. Ness held the badge, ready to take out the Carpainter...but the badge actually managed to do most of the work. Taking the key off of Carpainter, Ness headed back to Paula to release her. The party finally brought together, Ness and Paula knew they had one more major stop before going back to the town proper. That would be Lilliput Steps. After that second sanctuary, they walked back to explain that Paula needed to go with Ness. He felt a bit bad for her, so he took her to see The Runaway Five (now free with Ness' help). They watched show together, but he had to interrupt their nice moment when he asked The Runaway Five for a ride to Threed.
When Ness and Paula arrived in Threed, they saw a very dark and sad town overrun by ghosts and zombies. Ness felt a bit scared, so Paula took him to the nearby hotel to rest. Unfortunately, the room was already occupied by monsters who took the both of them down. Some time passed, but Ness slowly came to. He looked around, seeing Paula trying to call someone for help. Then he saw that he was in a room underground with no other exits except for a door. He tried to open the door, but they were locked in. All Ness could do was hope that Paula's call reached someone, so he sat down next to her and waited for a while.
Suddenly, BOOM! A giant ship crashed into the area where Ness and Paula were, and wandering out of the wreck was Jeff, the third member of the party. Jeff told Ness the story of how he braved the Winters cold, saying goodbye to Tony and heading on the back of Nessie to his dad...I mean Dr. Andonuts. I was quite happy that Jeff joined them, in part because Jeff was another party member and in part because my friends told me he'd be so powerful. They were right...but that'll be later. For now, the gang was off to a new place.
That place would be the one other piece of knowledge that I had in my mind. Saturn Valley and the Mr. Saturns were so nice to see, even if Ness hadn't ever met them before. Unfortunately, they were being taken advantage of by a pile of stink. While Ness went to take that out, preparing to advance to Milky Well's sanctuary afterward, he thought about the fact that he wasn't getting tired. His dad called him and asked if he should take a break a few times by now, but Ness was fine. He felt a lot more powerful too, able to do a lot of damage every turn. This feeling of high energy carried through as Ness and the gang crossed the Dusty Desert Dunes, heading to Fourside.
When Ness and the gang got in town, they found that The Runaway Five were in debt again, but thanks to a diamond from the Dusty Desert Dunes mine, they were free to leave. Ness and the gang had other business to attend to though, ignoring the talk of someone named Electra begging for some yogurt or something, and part of that business was buying some new equipment for Ness and Paula. Jeff was fine, repairing a lot of his old stuff. On their way out though, the lights cut out. When they turned back on, Ness looked at the gang to make sure they were okay. Jeff was fine, and so was-...wait, where was Paula? Ness and Jeff were told to come to the office to find her, but after defeating the foe ahead, there was no Paula. Ness was scared for her. She knew more PSI than he did and he really liked having her around, but Jeff promised Ness they'd find her. Ness didn't feel great though, so he just wandered over to the cafe to get a drink. After bumping into Everdread from Twoson and stumbling into the cafe, Jeff brought him over to the counter, suddenly sending them both to Moonside. Ness was a bit confused how they got here and Jeff told him to pay a bit more attention to the world if they wanted to save Paula. After traveling across the entire town, he fought a giant Mani Mani statue, destroying it in a blaze of glory...and poof, he realized he was in an illusion. The statue was being weird and mean. While Ness picked himself up from that shocking revalation, Jeff helped him leave the building.
That's when Ness got a call from Apple Kid about a yogurt machine that got dropped in the caves near the Dusty Desert Dunes. Wait. Electra mentioned something about yogurt, didn't she? Ness and Jeff looked at each other, putting the pieces together. A quick detour to the Monkey Caves later, Ness came back with the Yogurt machine to give Electra. While she was distracted with that, Ness and Jeff took out a small robot with the help of the Runaway Five inside the Monotoli building. After heading past the robot, Ness was finally reunited with Paula. Unfortunately, this moment was stopped by Pokey showing up AGAIN. Ness was getting so tired of seeing him, but Ness knew that he'd be able to distract himself with a short detour to Jeff's home to visit Rainy Circle.
After meeting Dr. Andonuts in Winters, the gang headed off to Summers. Summers really seemed like a paradise, but Ness started off a bit rocky since they crashed the ship again...or in Ness' case, they crashed for first time. Ness and the gang were ready to head on a boat to their next location, but the Captain asked him to go to the Stoic Club first and talk to his wife. Ness, knowing that love was a weird thing, decided to oblige. When he got in, talking to the captain's wife was pretty easy, but he did have to eat a magic cake. That wasn't a problem, Ness thought as she left him and the gang behind for her stand outside. Ness did like cake.
The gang walked out of the Stoic Club, seeing the stand. Ness smiled, realizing that all he would have to do was eat some food. Unfortunately, the second Ness ate it, he felt weird. Everything got all trippy for a moment. With some help from the gang, Ness shook that off, looking around. Oh, they was on the beach now. Interesting. Suddenly, Ness saw a guy walk up to him, telling him that he was the fourth member of their group named Poo. Finally, the party was formed. With the help of Poo's ruby, the gang knew they had to go to Scaraba to solve the pyramid. To get Poo up to speed with some of the adventures though, Ness and the gang stopped by Fourside again to head over to Magnet Hill. Poo, in kind, decided to show Ness and the gang the Pink Cloud at his home in Dalaam. With all of that under the gang's belt, they were ready to go on the next step of their journey.
Ness, Paula, Jeff and Poo returned to Summers to speak with the captain who would take them across the sea. He headed off, hiding away as Ness and the gang handled the Kraken, but they eventually did get to Scaraba. Jeez, it was hot here. Ness got a bit too paranoid and bought a bunch of wet towels to survive the harsh heat...even if he'd have to sell them later because he didn't use them. Luckily, solving and surviving the pyramid wasn't as long as Ness thought it would take. In fact, it took less than twenty minutes if Ness recalled correctly, only taking an Eagle Eye with him. Unfortunately, just after the gang got out of the pyramid. Poo left to learn a secret technique. Luckily, that would easily be replaced with Dungeon Man, a person that Jeff seemed to recognize. Ness did not, but he did trust Jeff's judgement. Dungeon Man actually offered the gang a submarine to cross the sea, entering the darkness. The Eagle Eye did help them see through the dark, but just before Ness could get to the next spot on his journey, Poo returned, using Starstorm to take out a pile of barf. Yuck.
Tenda Village was a little odd. The little Tendas were really shy, but Ness was about to get handed a lifeline. There was a book called "Overcoming Shyness" that Apple Kid, the person calling him, had read. He was going to give both the book and a new device to him, but he was suddenly kidnapped and taken away. Ness, unsure where to go, remembered that Apple Kid wanted to meet with Dr. Andonuts. Back to Winters they went! Apple Kid's little mouse handed Ness the Eraser Eraser, and Jeff told Ness where he saw an eraser. Right under Stonehenge. Ness smiled, getting the gang ready to fight whatever adversities lay below the stones. It turned out it was just a factory, and Ness actually used the factory to feel a bit better about himself. The gang was taking out enemies in practically one turn. Speaking of the enemies, some of them apparently had a very rare chance to drop some important things, and the first of those was the Sword of Kings from a Starman under Stonehenge. Poo took the sword with honor and Ness just looked at it without really realizing that he was really lucky. After fighting a more evil Starman, Ness got thanks from Apple Kid, but not the book. The book was returned to Onett.
After popping by the library in Ness' hometown to grab a book for Tenda Village, Ness and the gang made their way through Lumine hall. During their trek through, Jeff picked up a Broken Antenna from an Uncontrollable Sphere. I forgot if Jeff repaired it or not, but Ness certainly remembers. None of the party knew what it was until after the journey ended, and I only realized it would be important after the fact. Oh well. Regardless, after they walked through the hall, they would run into a very shocking surprise.
Dinosaurs were still alive in the Lost Underworld! Of course, Ness and the gang didn't know where they were at first, but he got his bearings after speaking with a rock. He had to head to the Fire Spring. When Ness got there, getting the final piece of the sanctuary equation, he fell into a deep slumber...before he woke up in a palace of his own creation. Magicant. He wandered around, finding a lot of pieces of his mind. He had a bit of help from his courage that he dubbed Flying Man. As he went deeper into his mind, he couldn't help but feel a feeling in his heart (partially due to the faint music in his mind playing). He had to fight the dark part of his heart, but he finally woke up, realizing that he needed to head back to a location he had been to before.
As Ness headed off to Saturn Valley, he saw Dr. Andonuts again, almost knowing he'd be back there again. Dr. Andonuts told Ness and the gang that he had a solution to the Giygas problem, but he would need a meteor piece in order to get his Phase Distorter working...and that would be the easy part. Ness accepted the task, bringing the piece from Onett's meteor. While Ness walked down the path he started this whole journey on, he felt a lot more powerful than before, but that strength turned to fear when he saw the enemies he was up against. Sure, he got the meteor, but he didn't think the foes he fought would be this beefy.
Soon after his return, Ness and the gang were told they would have to sacrifice their souls in order to go back in time. Ness gasped when he heard the news, realizing that he needed to prepare for the journey ahead. Jeff got a bunch of rockets, Poo was decked out in kingwear and Paula reassured Ness that a frying pan could still do major damage. Ness and the gang were ready, inhabiting the souls of robots to go back in time. Most were indistinguishable, but the Ness robot still had his iconic cap. When they stepped out of the Phase Distorter in a dark cave, Ness and the gang realized they had made it to the past. They looked ahead and saw the lair where Gigyas might just be hiding. Ness headed deeper into the cave, taking a Gutsy Bat off of a Bionic Kraken on the way (much to my personal surprise because Ness was seriously getting lucky and my friends asked me for pictures at this point. I was getting a bit scared that something bad was about to happen).
Finally, Ness was standing in front of Gigyas along with all his friends. Nothing could ruin this moment…except for POKEY. God, I thought he was done! Ness and the gang proceeded to kick his teeth in, but Pokey wouldn’t even give them the satisfaction of a good death, basically making Giygas attack us instead. Ness and the gang were stuck, doing damage to this entity that didn't seem affected at all. Ness' stress wasn't stopping him from going ahead, but he knew he'd be fine with his friends helping. The gang seemed like they were stuck between a rock and a hard place, and they soon realized their attacks wouldn't work. They began to defend themselves as Ness put up a PSI shield, but Paula didn't defend. Instead, she prayed, hoping her call would reach someone. While Ness was a bit confused, he could feel a response. Everyone they met gave their energy to help the gang, dealing damage to Giygas when the gang couldn't, but Paula could feel the grip slipping away. One of her prayers was even consumed by darkness, which really got Ness stressed. He urged her to try one more time, so she did...
…and I heard them. I answered their call, hoping they could win. I wanted Giygas to fall, so I sent my best wishes hoping they would get granted. When my prayers reached them, Giygas took damage and static filled my screen. They did it.
The war against Giygas was over.
The four souls made their way back to Saturn Valley, finally able to breathe. Unfortunately, the group would now be split. Poo had to head back to Dalaam and Jeff reunited with his dad, finally calling him dad on purpose. Ness and Paula were all that was left. Ness agreed to escort her home, but he had another plan in mind while the two walked back home from Saturn Valley. The duo took a trip throughout all of Eagleland, saying hello to everyone they met on their journey. Ness had time to contemplate his journey, realizing that Eagleland was a lot smaller now that he knew all of it. A few people even changed for the better, including Frank, all the way back in Onett. That's right, Ness didn't go back to Twoson. He showed Paula around his hometown. The arcade, the burger shop, his home that he bought, everything. All that culminated in the slow walk home to his place where Ness' family greeted him with open arms. They wanted to show him and Paula a photo album, but only after Ness did everything he wanted to do. Ness accepted, knowing he did. As Ness, his family and Paula flipped through the photo album, I felt like I could take the time to process everything for the first time in a while...
WAIT, POKEY’S STILL AROUND?! Aw crud…I guess I’ll deal with him later.
As I sat on the couch, thinking about what to do next, I realized something. Earthbound is going to be important to me going forward. Not just because I played it all the way through for the first time and had a good time and not just because I could relate to it on a deeper level, but because I shared the experience with a couple of good friends. Not to mention my epic Earthbound street cred (I got the Sword of Kings, the Gutsy Bat and the Broken Antenna and I will brag about it), but I digress. As much as I had fun with other games this year, I think this is certainly my favorite. It brought me out of a pit that I was stuck in, and I really think it helped me internalize a lot. I won’t forget the journey Ness and his friends took and I won’t forget my own experiences helping them, which is why I felt it would be best to describe the events I saw. It was that significant. All that said, thanks for sticking around this long. Happy new year, everyone.
This review contains spoilers
✔
Metroid: Samus Returns did a lot with what it was given. If you’ve played the GameBoy original, you’ve played a very good chunk of what this has to offer. However, even if it’s still Metroid 2, Samus Returns has a few surprises that are worth sticking around for. It’s not worth playing instead of the original in my opinion, but I do think you should play both.
Mercury Steam, the studio behind this game, knows what they’re doing most of the time. It’s why I’m glad they were brought back for Dread after this. While, yes, this feels a bit clunky because they’re working with the GameBoy original as a base, it’s much smoother than the first couple of games in the series. Not to say this makes it better, but for newer Metroid fans, it may be easier to start here instead of Metroid 2. I still think you should play Metroid 2 to get an idea of what this game is borrowing from.
I won’t spend the whole time talking about Metroid 2 though. Samus Returns has some strengths that aren’t thanks to the original game. The world is a lot bigger and much easier to navigate thanks to a lot of minor tweaks to the game’s structure. The overall structure is the same, but how you can choose to navigate it is a bit different. There are a few new tools in Samus Returns that definitely work to the player’s benefit, and there are a few new pieces in this puzzle that make starting this journey worth it. The melee counter is a bit of a pace breaker at times, but it’s so useful in the early game. The four aeon abilities were nice to use, even if I only used two most of the time. Oh, and I can’t forget the 360 degree aiming. All three are so fun to use and will only get better in future titles. Samus Returns’ use of these three is clunky in comparison to those future outings, but this is a damn strong start.
I’d say my biggest complaint with Samus Returns is the music. It ain’t bad, but there weren’t a lot of songs that stuck out to me. I could count the number of tunes I remembered on my fingers. Not every tune has to be memorable, but in a series like Metroid, I value at least a few good tunes. It doesn’t help that one of the songs that stuck out was for a less than positive reason, and you’ll know once you reach any hot area. The soundtrack also takes a lot from other games in the series, which isn’t bad, but it doesn’t remove a lot of potential for original tracks.
One thing that stood out to me is the narrative and characterization. Samus in this game is a badass bounty hunter who can take a hit and throw a bigger one back. The intent of the game is to make you feel like you’re getting stronger. Even if the game scales with you, you have to take out all the threats ahead because you know with enough patience and time, you can. It sounds very heroic. However, I don’t fully subscribe to that. In this version of the story, at least in my interpretation, you’re not the hero.
The original game is just you versus the Metroids. There was no other outside source. Just you and a genocidal mission. The ending was super impactful because of this. However, we didn’t know what we know now. Samus Returns is different. It distracts you from the fact that you’re doing something bad…and it’s worse in this game. Knowing what we know now, you’re not supposed to be here. You’re making the wrong choices. You’re a pawn, breaking a system that didn’t need to be broken, and this will have consequences later on…but you don’t really reflect on anything. This has two effects. If you haven’t played the original game, you might not notice. If you have, that sinking feeling makes you realize that you’re not contemplating what you’ve done. You don’t have time to walk down an empty corridor. You’ve got other things to do right now. I won’t deny that the original game’s ending might be more impactful within the game’s context, and those who have played the original might not like it, but Samus Returns’ ending managed to make an impact outside of the context of the game (in part due to one of the best fights in the entire Metroid series).
With all that said, this is mostly my interpretation. The game is such a fun time that it doesn’t matter if I’m right or wrong. Samus Returns is a version of Metroid 2 that is so fun to play that it makes you forget your place in the narrative. It’s not my favorite, but I’ll probably be replaying it soon.
Metroid: Samus Returns did a lot with what it was given. If you’ve played the GameBoy original, you’ve played a very good chunk of what this has to offer. However, even if it’s still Metroid 2, Samus Returns has a few surprises that are worth sticking around for. It’s not worth playing instead of the original in my opinion, but I do think you should play both.
Mercury Steam, the studio behind this game, knows what they’re doing most of the time. It’s why I’m glad they were brought back for Dread after this. While, yes, this feels a bit clunky because they’re working with the GameBoy original as a base, it’s much smoother than the first couple of games in the series. Not to say this makes it better, but for newer Metroid fans, it may be easier to start here instead of Metroid 2. I still think you should play Metroid 2 to get an idea of what this game is borrowing from.
I won’t spend the whole time talking about Metroid 2 though. Samus Returns has some strengths that aren’t thanks to the original game. The world is a lot bigger and much easier to navigate thanks to a lot of minor tweaks to the game’s structure. The overall structure is the same, but how you can choose to navigate it is a bit different. There are a few new tools in Samus Returns that definitely work to the player’s benefit, and there are a few new pieces in this puzzle that make starting this journey worth it. The melee counter is a bit of a pace breaker at times, but it’s so useful in the early game. The four aeon abilities were nice to use, even if I only used two most of the time. Oh, and I can’t forget the 360 degree aiming. All three are so fun to use and will only get better in future titles. Samus Returns’ use of these three is clunky in comparison to those future outings, but this is a damn strong start.
I’d say my biggest complaint with Samus Returns is the music. It ain’t bad, but there weren’t a lot of songs that stuck out to me. I could count the number of tunes I remembered on my fingers. Not every tune has to be memorable, but in a series like Metroid, I value at least a few good tunes. It doesn’t help that one of the songs that stuck out was for a less than positive reason, and you’ll know once you reach any hot area. The soundtrack also takes a lot from other games in the series, which isn’t bad, but it doesn’t remove a lot of potential for original tracks.
One thing that stood out to me is the narrative and characterization. Samus in this game is a badass bounty hunter who can take a hit and throw a bigger one back. The intent of the game is to make you feel like you’re getting stronger. Even if the game scales with you, you have to take out all the threats ahead because you know with enough patience and time, you can. It sounds very heroic. However, I don’t fully subscribe to that. In this version of the story, at least in my interpretation, you’re not the hero.
The original game is just you versus the Metroids. There was no other outside source. Just you and a genocidal mission. The ending was super impactful because of this. However, we didn’t know what we know now. Samus Returns is different. It distracts you from the fact that you’re doing something bad…and it’s worse in this game. Knowing what we know now, you’re not supposed to be here. You’re making the wrong choices. You’re a pawn, breaking a system that didn’t need to be broken, and this will have consequences later on…but you don’t really reflect on anything. This has two effects. If you haven’t played the original game, you might not notice. If you have, that sinking feeling makes you realize that you’re not contemplating what you’ve done. You don’t have time to walk down an empty corridor. You’ve got other things to do right now. I won’t deny that the original game’s ending might be more impactful within the game’s context, and those who have played the original might not like it, but Samus Returns’ ending managed to make an impact outside of the context of the game (in part due to one of the best fights in the entire Metroid series).
With all that said, this is mostly my interpretation. The game is such a fun time that it doesn’t matter if I’m right or wrong. Samus Returns is a version of Metroid 2 that is so fun to play that it makes you forget your place in the narrative. It’s not my favorite, but I’ll probably be replaying it soon.
1985
✔
I can't believe this was the first video game ever made.
This holds up well, obviously, but that's not why you're here. You're here to hear what I think about Super Mario Bros (1985). The problem with that is that I don't think I could add anything to the conversation. Genuinely. Why would I talk about the game when we all know it's great. I'd like to instead talk about why I played this. I know this is a short review, but this is a short game (and my next review is going to be a LOT longer).
I wanted to play a short game and this game is very short. Even shorter games actually hold up. This one's replayable and easy to pick up. It is hard to master though, so be prepared to die at least once if you haven't played games. There's not much to this one, but that does not make this bad.
In fact, the only thing holding this game back is the fact that people won't want to play it because it's old. I'm here to say this. Old games are not always bad because they are old. There's a lot of games that hold up despite being older. This is one of the good ones. Go play it if you can.
(Also, for anyone coming over here to tell me this wasn't the first video game, I know. Shush).
I can't believe this was the first video game ever made.
This holds up well, obviously, but that's not why you're here. You're here to hear what I think about Super Mario Bros (1985). The problem with that is that I don't think I could add anything to the conversation. Genuinely. Why would I talk about the game when we all know it's great. I'd like to instead talk about why I played this. I know this is a short review, but this is a short game (and my next review is going to be a LOT longer).
I wanted to play a short game and this game is very short. Even shorter games actually hold up. This one's replayable and easy to pick up. It is hard to master though, so be prepared to die at least once if you haven't played games. There's not much to this one, but that does not make this bad.
In fact, the only thing holding this game back is the fact that people won't want to play it because it's old. I'm here to say this. Old games are not always bad because they are old. There's a lot of games that hold up despite being older. This is one of the good ones. Go play it if you can.
(Also, for anyone coming over here to tell me this wasn't the first video game, I know. Shush).
✔
The Indigo Disk finally brought the story back to normal by hiring the usual Pokémon writers instead of hiring a bunch of hacks. This was a much better experience than The Teal Mask. However, if you didn't like base-game Scarlet overall, you might not change your mind. My thoughts on Pokémon Scarlet and The Teal Mask are linked here.
Now I admit I'm biased. The Indigo Disk mostly takes place in Blueberry Academy in the Unova region, and I am a Gen 5 fan. There's a lot of references to Unova that made it very fun for me. I loved Gen 5 and still do, which is why this is both amazing and worrying because I genuinely do not trust GameFreak to make a Gen 5 remake.
In terms of story, this was a massive step up from The Teal Mask. It feels like Pokémon Scarlet was extended instead of a badly written mini-episode just for the sake of making DLC. Yes, there were problems with the story, but these were the usual Pokémon story problems as opposed to actually annoying character work.
I have a few complaints. One was the seemingly required group quest ask. The idea that the online functionality was required for extra content sucked. Speaking of, I also found the lack of new Pokémon annoying. A lot of them were returning and it was so nice to see some of them, but it was just a bit sad that the new Pokémon were either legendaries, Paradoxes or evolutions. No solo Pokémon to speak of, sadly.
Weirdly enough though, none of these complaints annoyed me because I played with friends. Yeah, shocking that it took this long. Surprisingly, doing the group tasks with other people was really fun, especially with us all enjoying each other's company. If it wasn't for them, I don't know if I would have enjoyed it as much.
One thing I was very impressed by was the difficulty. It seemed as though the team actually took time and effort to make the battles harder. In the base game and The Teal Mask, my death count was low (if not 0). Here though? I easily died mo than one time. This is partially due to the emphasis on more competitive battles. The format is double battles, just like competitive battles in tournaments for Scarlet and Violet. On top of that, even with my party in levels that were close to 100 (and actually 100 in some cases), they were countering me quite well. If difficulty was the only thing keeping you from getting this, I'm pleased to report that it's not "mash a to win" on the battles that matter. You actually have to think a little.
Overall, this was much better than The Teal Mask. In fact, this makes me think The Teal Mask was rushed out to satiate fans until The Indigo Disk. The moral of the story is that nostalgia can sometimes trump quality (it can't, but I still liked this). The 100% grind was a little annoying, but I was still quite happy to do it, especially online with friends. Even though I'm not done with RPGs this year, the Pokémon Scarlet 300% run is finally over.
The Indigo Disk finally brought the story back to normal by hiring the usual Pokémon writers instead of hiring a bunch of hacks. This was a much better experience than The Teal Mask. However, if you didn't like base-game Scarlet overall, you might not change your mind. My thoughts on Pokémon Scarlet and The Teal Mask are linked here.
Now I admit I'm biased. The Indigo Disk mostly takes place in Blueberry Academy in the Unova region, and I am a Gen 5 fan. There's a lot of references to Unova that made it very fun for me. I loved Gen 5 and still do, which is why this is both amazing and worrying because I genuinely do not trust GameFreak to make a Gen 5 remake.
In terms of story, this was a massive step up from The Teal Mask. It feels like Pokémon Scarlet was extended instead of a badly written mini-episode just for the sake of making DLC. Yes, there were problems with the story, but these were the usual Pokémon story problems as opposed to actually annoying character work.
I have a few complaints. One was the seemingly required group quest ask. The idea that the online functionality was required for extra content sucked. Speaking of, I also found the lack of new Pokémon annoying. A lot of them were returning and it was so nice to see some of them, but it was just a bit sad that the new Pokémon were either legendaries, Paradoxes or evolutions. No solo Pokémon to speak of, sadly.
Weirdly enough though, none of these complaints annoyed me because I played with friends. Yeah, shocking that it took this long. Surprisingly, doing the group tasks with other people was really fun, especially with us all enjoying each other's company. If it wasn't for them, I don't know if I would have enjoyed it as much.
One thing I was very impressed by was the difficulty. It seemed as though the team actually took time and effort to make the battles harder. In the base game and The Teal Mask, my death count was low (if not 0). Here though? I easily died mo than one time. This is partially due to the emphasis on more competitive battles. The format is double battles, just like competitive battles in tournaments for Scarlet and Violet. On top of that, even with my party in levels that were close to 100 (and actually 100 in some cases), they were countering me quite well. If difficulty was the only thing keeping you from getting this, I'm pleased to report that it's not "mash a to win" on the battles that matter. You actually have to think a little.
Overall, this was much better than The Teal Mask. In fact, this makes me think The Teal Mask was rushed out to satiate fans until The Indigo Disk. The moral of the story is that nostalgia can sometimes trump quality (it can't, but I still liked this). The 100% grind was a little annoying, but I was still quite happy to do it, especially online with friends. Even though I'm not done with RPGs this year, the Pokémon Scarlet 300% run is finally over.
✔
This game was EXCELLENT! AlphaDream may be gone, but the legacy they left behind is incredible. This game rocks so hard and I will never regret playing it. I guess longer reviews might just be my new standard, but I've earned this one.
This was my first exposure to Mario spinoff games outside of Super Paper Mario and it always stuck with me. A game where you could play as the king of awesome himself, Bowser? Sign me up. I loved this game as a wee lad and I've played it more than a few times. I picked it up recently because I needed a bit of comfort and it did not disappoint.
While this game is certainly not hard, it doesn't pull punches when it needs to. I found myself dying once or twice and occasionally making careless mistakes. I really hope that if Nintendo makes another Mario & Luigi game, they keep in the level of timing and difficulty present here.
The main conceit of this game, as said before, is controlling Mario and Luigi alongside Bowser. The brothers end up inside Bowser's body, so you have to control them both, helping them get through the game together. While this certainly wouldn't have been made the same way nowadays, this was such a fun concept back in 2009. Navigating Bowser's body while the big guy walked around the overworld and having both sides affect one another? The gameplay was so good that even my kid self could get behind it.
Speaking of gameplay, aside from the cutscenes and tutorials, everything moves at a faster pace than usual RPGs. Movement within the battles is very quick and the overworld gameplay isn't nearly as slow or boring as some RPGs can be. I found my time with the game to be a lot quicker this time around, mostly because I knew what to do. Battles are turn-based, but if you play your cards right, you don't have to take any damage during most battles. You could walk away with a net gain of EXP without any damage taken and I think that's beautiful.
This will always be one of my favorite games. In fact, this was so good that I changed my top 5 on Backloggd to add this. The revisit was just as good as it was back when I first played it. In fact, this has been and will probably continue to be my favorite traditional Mario RPG. Ever. Even though Super Paper Mario is my favorite in that spinoff circle, nothing else comes close to the perfection that this title achieves.
I didn't replay the remake this time. It doesn't matter though. This game didn't need one.
This game was EXCELLENT! AlphaDream may be gone, but the legacy they left behind is incredible. This game rocks so hard and I will never regret playing it. I guess longer reviews might just be my new standard, but I've earned this one.
This was my first exposure to Mario spinoff games outside of Super Paper Mario and it always stuck with me. A game where you could play as the king of awesome himself, Bowser? Sign me up. I loved this game as a wee lad and I've played it more than a few times. I picked it up recently because I needed a bit of comfort and it did not disappoint.
While this game is certainly not hard, it doesn't pull punches when it needs to. I found myself dying once or twice and occasionally making careless mistakes. I really hope that if Nintendo makes another Mario & Luigi game, they keep in the level of timing and difficulty present here.
The main conceit of this game, as said before, is controlling Mario and Luigi alongside Bowser. The brothers end up inside Bowser's body, so you have to control them both, helping them get through the game together. While this certainly wouldn't have been made the same way nowadays, this was such a fun concept back in 2009. Navigating Bowser's body while the big guy walked around the overworld and having both sides affect one another? The gameplay was so good that even my kid self could get behind it.
Speaking of gameplay, aside from the cutscenes and tutorials, everything moves at a faster pace than usual RPGs. Movement within the battles is very quick and the overworld gameplay isn't nearly as slow or boring as some RPGs can be. I found my time with the game to be a lot quicker this time around, mostly because I knew what to do. Battles are turn-based, but if you play your cards right, you don't have to take any damage during most battles. You could walk away with a net gain of EXP without any damage taken and I think that's beautiful.
This will always be one of my favorite games. In fact, this was so good that I changed my top 5 on Backloggd to add this. The revisit was just as good as it was back when I first played it. In fact, this has been and will probably continue to be my favorite traditional Mario RPG. Ever. Even though Super Paper Mario is my favorite in that spinoff circle, nothing else comes close to the perfection that this title achieves.
I didn't replay the remake this time. It doesn't matter though. This game didn't need one.
✔
The Teal Mask was both a really fun time and a peek behind the curtain at what some Pokémon fans complain about, at least for me. I'm going to say this right out of the gate. If you liked Scarlet and Violet, you'll like this. If you don't, this won't change much. I already talked about the main game and you can click there if you want my thoughts on Pokémon Scarlet.
When you get to Kitakami, you'll probably immediately realize that the gameplay is the exact same. The areas are still largely uninteresting and open, not giving the player many locations to marvel at outside of maybe one or two places. This area is much smaller than Paldea proper, so there's even less room to find interesting locations. There are way more returning Pokémon than new ones, and the new ones are fine. One of them stands out as amazing, but this is only within the context of the story. Otherwise, that Pokémon was not as memorable as I assumed it would be.
The story was the biggest new thing on offer, and it was sadly a coin toss for me. On one hand, I liked it. On the other, I finally understood why people hate the stories in Pokémon because I really hated some of the writing choices made here. The characters in it feel like they're being sent down a linear path and you can't really influence anything. The worst part about the writing in this is how much potential there could have been, especially with how they could paint your character in a negative light, but this is Pokémon. They won't ever do that.
This first part will NOT take you long to complete. In fact, outside of three exceptions, I practically completed the Pokédex by just going through the land and catching. This may sound like what you'd do normally, but there was no cleanup. This is mostly easier than the main game and that's saying a fair amount.
Honestly, this feels like a rushed product to build hype for the seemingly more exciting second part. I did 100% complete this one too, but this didn't feel like nearly as much of a "give me my trophy" moment. It felt more like they gave me a participation trophy. I had a good time with this though! My complaints are all real, but that didn't stop me from enjoying myself.
The Teal Mask was both a really fun time and a peek behind the curtain at what some Pokémon fans complain about, at least for me. I'm going to say this right out of the gate. If you liked Scarlet and Violet, you'll like this. If you don't, this won't change much. I already talked about the main game and you can click there if you want my thoughts on Pokémon Scarlet.
When you get to Kitakami, you'll probably immediately realize that the gameplay is the exact same. The areas are still largely uninteresting and open, not giving the player many locations to marvel at outside of maybe one or two places. This area is much smaller than Paldea proper, so there's even less room to find interesting locations. There are way more returning Pokémon than new ones, and the new ones are fine. One of them stands out as amazing, but this is only within the context of the story. Otherwise, that Pokémon was not as memorable as I assumed it would be.
The story was the biggest new thing on offer, and it was sadly a coin toss for me. On one hand, I liked it. On the other, I finally understood why people hate the stories in Pokémon because I really hated some of the writing choices made here. The characters in it feel like they're being sent down a linear path and you can't really influence anything. The worst part about the writing in this is how much potential there could have been, especially with how they could paint your character in a negative light, but this is Pokémon. They won't ever do that.
This first part will NOT take you long to complete. In fact, outside of three exceptions, I practically completed the Pokédex by just going through the land and catching. This may sound like what you'd do normally, but there was no cleanup. This is mostly easier than the main game and that's saying a fair amount.
Honestly, this feels like a rushed product to build hype for the seemingly more exciting second part. I did 100% complete this one too, but this didn't feel like nearly as much of a "give me my trophy" moment. It felt more like they gave me a participation trophy. I had a good time with this though! My complaints are all real, but that didn't stop me from enjoying myself.
2022
✔
GameFreak cooked, but they probably should've left it in the oven a little longer. That's precisely how I'd describe this title. This is gonna be a longer one than usual, so grab a snack and get comfy.
Pokémon Scarlet is probably best described as my Cyberpunk 2077: a video game broken at launch that I had such a fun time with, even though the flaws are so obvious to me that I won’t be defending those. I’d like to preface that the bugs I dealt with were minimal at best. I didn’t get any crazy glitches or anything. I just got graphical bugs and the occasional weird goofy thing. The Switch could absolutely run this game no problem, but the fault is with the developers who didn't give the game enough time to get properly optimized for the system it was running on.
The gameplay is largely the same as most Pokémon titles. Catch, battle, and do what you have to do to be the very best. One of the big hooks is that you're running around in a big open world. While I do like the freedom this allows, I think this also causes the routes and paths the game takes you on to lose some of that Pokémon sparkle. Even Generation 8, as bad as Sword and Shield were objectively, had unique areas that stuck out in the mind (Ballonlea, as an example). Scarlet and Violet had maybe two or three places that stuck out in my mind and for a game with many places you can go to, that isn't great. The game feels less "free" and more "unrestricted" at times, if that makes sense. You're able to go wherever you want, but you can only do the things you want if you do them correctly.
The other big hook is Terastalization, the Mega Evolution/Z-Moves/Dynamax of this generation. This is where things get a bit spicier (even though I hardly used Terastalization during my playthrough). This mechanic essentially allows you to change a Pokémon's type during battle. This has a LOT of potential both casually and competitively (I hear, because I'm not in the competitive scene that much, admittedly).
However, the gameplay is where my bigger complaints come in. The Pokédex grind still sucks and in order to have a seamless 100% experience, you need one of three things to be true. You have to have both versions, you have to know someone who has your opposite version, or you have to get extremely lucky with raids (which is really difficult when the raids don't have Pokémon you need). This also becomes a problem when the online functionality for raids requires payment for an online service. The game is also fairly easy, with battles not really scaling to your level if you're going in order (and if you're not, there's a good chance you'll die your first time around). Despite that, I really think that some of the battles in this game are amazing. When you get to the late-game, the battles may not be hard, but they go hard.
You know what else goes hard? The music. This is in no small part thanks to Toby Fox coming on to compose the best tunes in this game. There's a certain theme in the postgame that rocks so hard that he composed and I'm listening to it as I write this. Despite the bangers on this OST, there is one weird song choice that was by someone you probably wouldn't associate with Pokémon normally. You'll know it when you hear it, but it's in the main story.
Speaking of the main story, let's talk about that for a second. It was the one thing that caught my attention. I know not a lot of people come to Pokémon for the story (and I also don't to an extent), but ever since I played Mystery Dungeon, I wanted to see the main series hit that stride. I'm happy to say that while Scarlet and Violet still have the usual Pokémon story, they manage to pace it a lot better than in most of the 3D era (Generation 6 onward).
One more small complaint. I really don’t like how the shiny sound and sparkle from Legends: Arceus is gone. It’s such a small change, but it’s the feature I miss the most. They’d better bring that back in a patch or in the next generation because it’s so easy to unfairly miss a shiny Pokémon now.
Missing those shinies is even more of a shame since I really liked a lot of the Pokémon this generation. Koraidon, the mascot of Scarlet, is a doofy lizard that I adore. Quaxly, one of the starters, is in the running for my top 10 favorite base form starters. Oh, and who could forget Clodsire? My bumbling muddy boy makes me smile every time I see him. There weren't as many misses this time in comparison to things like Dhelmise or Bruxish from Alola for example.
On the whole, I liked it a lot, but it is 100% not without its shortcomings. The bugs can be annoying, the Pokédex grinding was pretty annoying, and some of the online components were less than ideal. None of that bothered me enough to hate it.
Also, yes. I 100% completed the Paldea Pokédex. I'll take my trophy now.
GameFreak cooked, but they probably should've left it in the oven a little longer. That's precisely how I'd describe this title. This is gonna be a longer one than usual, so grab a snack and get comfy.
Pokémon Scarlet is probably best described as my Cyberpunk 2077: a video game broken at launch that I had such a fun time with, even though the flaws are so obvious to me that I won’t be defending those. I’d like to preface that the bugs I dealt with were minimal at best. I didn’t get any crazy glitches or anything. I just got graphical bugs and the occasional weird goofy thing. The Switch could absolutely run this game no problem, but the fault is with the developers who didn't give the game enough time to get properly optimized for the system it was running on.
The gameplay is largely the same as most Pokémon titles. Catch, battle, and do what you have to do to be the very best. One of the big hooks is that you're running around in a big open world. While I do like the freedom this allows, I think this also causes the routes and paths the game takes you on to lose some of that Pokémon sparkle. Even Generation 8, as bad as Sword and Shield were objectively, had unique areas that stuck out in the mind (Ballonlea, as an example). Scarlet and Violet had maybe two or three places that stuck out in my mind and for a game with many places you can go to, that isn't great. The game feels less "free" and more "unrestricted" at times, if that makes sense. You're able to go wherever you want, but you can only do the things you want if you do them correctly.
The other big hook is Terastalization, the Mega Evolution/Z-Moves/Dynamax of this generation. This is where things get a bit spicier (even though I hardly used Terastalization during my playthrough). This mechanic essentially allows you to change a Pokémon's type during battle. This has a LOT of potential both casually and competitively (I hear, because I'm not in the competitive scene that much, admittedly).
However, the gameplay is where my bigger complaints come in. The Pokédex grind still sucks and in order to have a seamless 100% experience, you need one of three things to be true. You have to have both versions, you have to know someone who has your opposite version, or you have to get extremely lucky with raids (which is really difficult when the raids don't have Pokémon you need). This also becomes a problem when the online functionality for raids requires payment for an online service. The game is also fairly easy, with battles not really scaling to your level if you're going in order (and if you're not, there's a good chance you'll die your first time around). Despite that, I really think that some of the battles in this game are amazing. When you get to the late-game, the battles may not be hard, but they go hard.
You know what else goes hard? The music. This is in no small part thanks to Toby Fox coming on to compose the best tunes in this game. There's a certain theme in the postgame that rocks so hard that he composed and I'm listening to it as I write this. Despite the bangers on this OST, there is one weird song choice that was by someone you probably wouldn't associate with Pokémon normally. You'll know it when you hear it, but it's in the main story.
Speaking of the main story, let's talk about that for a second. It was the one thing that caught my attention. I know not a lot of people come to Pokémon for the story (and I also don't to an extent), but ever since I played Mystery Dungeon, I wanted to see the main series hit that stride. I'm happy to say that while Scarlet and Violet still have the usual Pokémon story, they manage to pace it a lot better than in most of the 3D era (Generation 6 onward).
One more small complaint. I really don’t like how the shiny sound and sparkle from Legends: Arceus is gone. It’s such a small change, but it’s the feature I miss the most. They’d better bring that back in a patch or in the next generation because it’s so easy to unfairly miss a shiny Pokémon now.
Missing those shinies is even more of a shame since I really liked a lot of the Pokémon this generation. Koraidon, the mascot of Scarlet, is a doofy lizard that I adore. Quaxly, one of the starters, is in the running for my top 10 favorite base form starters. Oh, and who could forget Clodsire? My bumbling muddy boy makes me smile every time I see him. There weren't as many misses this time in comparison to things like Dhelmise or Bruxish from Alola for example.
On the whole, I liked it a lot, but it is 100% not without its shortcomings. The bugs can be annoying, the Pokédex grinding was pretty annoying, and some of the online components were less than ideal. None of that bothered me enough to hate it.
Also, yes. I 100% completed the Paldea Pokédex. I'll take my trophy now.