Blaster Master Zero III kind of confused me. It fixed 2's biggest problem: The clutter of a toolkit in the Top-Down sections. In III, there's 5 guns (each of which upgrade individually), a selection of subweapons, a dedicated dash button, and a singular counter button. I also loved the risk-reward element that many of these dungeons had: risking your progress for even more upgrades, or playing it safe and leaving. The Top-Down sections still have problems; The progression isn't nearly as developed as in the 2D sections, the level design is still very basic and rarely makes use of all the moves, etc.... However, they were undeniably better than those of 2.

However, I think I prefer the 2D sections in 2 more than in III, for several reasons. 2 had much more level variety and felt like a much more streamlined yet still unique experience. In III, most of the locations are just cyber-hallways. The movement in 2 was also much better. You had a dash, a 'ground-pound' in the form of a drill, wall jumps, and deployable springs. III ditches the drill and springs, and has spawnable block lines. An interesting concept, but it's introduced near the very end and is underutilized.

I also wasn't a fan of the reverse dimensional rifts. It's an interesting idea: Flipping a game mechanic on it's head in fun ways. The issue is that often, the ways are not actually fun. I liked the enemies jumping when you touch a spring, but everything else was pretty forgettable. In Top-Down, the rifts are just auto-generated sections that aren't all that great.

That just reminded me of another thing that annoyed me. In the top-down sections, often you're presented with really tough enemies or constantly respawning enemies. However, fairly early on the game basically says, "Oh, just take the rifts to skip those." What? Why are you making a section intentionally annoying and encouraging the player to skip it in a game where scouring the map for collectibles is the whole point? There's nothing in said sections, so they are quite literally made to be skipped.

I know I've been ragging on this game, but I still enjoyed it more than I didn't. The visuals and sound are a bump from 2, the story is cheesy but somewhat entertaining, and most of the bosses are really good (Although a few were reused ones from previous games). However, a few dumb choices prevented this from being the true pinnacle of mutant-blasting action.

It feels weird reviewing a game like this. It's Super Mario Bros, one of the most iconic games in existence. Um... guys, in this game, you uh, run and jump through 32 levels, fight a big lizard guy named bowser, and rescue a princess. It's insane. On a serious note, I'm going to try my hardest to justify writing this review.

This game is a bit stiffer than most pure platformers. It's not on the level of Castlevania, but changing direction in midair can take a while. Mario has a weight that makes the forward momentum the funnes part of the game. Just keep going, get the coins, and try not to stop. If you do, you'll have to speed up again, and some jumps may be a bit more difficult. For a game this simple, I think that works really well.

One thing that I realized while playing this game is that this is pretty much the only Mario game where I really went out of my way to get coins. Like, most Mario games are really easy, and if you really need lives you could either farm an earlier level or use an infinite 1-Up trick. In SMB1, your farming options are limited and you can't return to previous levels, and assuming you don't use the continue trick (Which, honestly, maybe you should). As such, new players will really need to collect some coins so they can get more lives.

On another note... points contribute nothing. This is an issue in almost all of the 2D Mario games. Well, more of a non-issue, but I think it's worth pointing out because it's interesting. Points made sense in arcade games, and home games like Castlevania used them for earning lives, but in Super Mario Bros, they don't really do anything. One could argue they add replay value, and they were a part of the NWC I guess, but I never really looked at the point counter and said, 'Wow. I did great this level.' Maybe I would've if there was a tangible reward for it. As I said, this was just me pointing out an example of outdated arcade design. It doesn't really affect my enjoyment all that much.

Another issue, one that is a bit more substantial, is that there is only one boss in the entire game. Now, they do change up that one boss a little bit by giving him a new attack and placing some blocks in your way, but the strategy is always the same: Get behind Bowser and touch the axe. Even one more boss that was completely different would've been much better, although I think 4 unique bosses would be a realistic, albeit hopeful expectation.

But hey, wanna know another positive? The ability to warp to later worlds through secret passages. I'm sure few games had such shortcuts at the time of this game's release, and I'm sure even fewer executed them as well as Super Mario Bros. It can drastically change the pace of the game in a fun way, and is something that wasn't really brought back until Super Mario World.

Other than that, the general level design is fairly varied, and the game looks about as good as an NES launch title could. And of course, the music's really good.

All in all, a really good game. I thought about giving it an 8/10, but the lack of boss variety bumped it down to a 7. Obviously though, you should play this game.

I think the best way to describe this game is that it is to independent game development what Super Mario Bros was to console game development. Despite being made by only one guy as a non-profit side project, it's still one of the best games ever made. It's inspired by several NES games, but seemingly most of all Blaster Master. The subpar implementation of the weapon upgrades in Blaster Master has been transformed into one of the best game mechanics for encouraging the player to engage with enemies. It's a consistent game of trying even harder not to get hit while collecting crystals to increase your gun's strength. Even though the alternate endings are decided by seemingly irrelevant player choices, I still love replaying the game because of the different possibilities of what guns and upgrades you can have. The gameplay is super engaging and I love it.

The story is also pretty good, but moreso in how it's presented. While the main narrative going on is solid in and of itself, certain details are left for the player to discover themselves. It's the perfect sweetspot between uncovering important mysteries and a satisfying main narrative.

The visuals and sound depend on the version you're playing. You really shouldn't pay for this game, as it is still free for the PC, but I'd be lying if I said some of the visual options in the paid versions weren't better. The music though? Original all the way, and in general an incredible soundtrack.

Even if this game was just 'OK', what it represents is extremely important: Pure creative expression in the form of a game. It deserves to be remembered in the vein of games like Super Mario Bros, Final Fantasy VI, Street Fighter II, Ocarina of Time and many others. You need to play this game.

Ah yes. The 'Castle' in Castleroid. In my opinion, this is the best of this style of Castlevania. While it is true that games like Aria of Sorrow are more streamlined, I think Symphony of the Night has more mystique in terms of its systems and exploration. The fighter-esque spell combinations that are available from the beginning but are learned later in the game, the freedom in how you can equip items, and some surprisingly advanced movement really elevate the skill ceiling for the game.

Combine this with excellent visuals and what is quite possibly the best soundtrack in gaming and you have something that's automatically special despite some flaws. Yeah, I agree with many of the criticisms. The inverted castle is an interesting way to extend the game, but it's not as tightly designed as the early game. The RPG style level up system is a great way to reward exploration and battling, but combining that with every other form of progressions results in an easy endgame assuming you explore the castle thoroughly. You also can't sell duplicate pickups of items, so they're just kind of useless. These are all things later games improved on, and as a result the belief that they're better is understandable. However, this is still a must play in my opinion.

I meant to buy the first Blaster Master Zero, but I somehow accidentally bought the second, so here I am.

Blaster Master Zero 2 is the second in a revival series of the NES game Blaster Master. It's kind of a Castleroid, but not really. While the game does indeed have a somewhat interconnected map and upgrades, there are several planets that you unlock in different levels. While there is interplanetary backtracking, very rarely will one be required to return to a planet after doing the main object (Unless you want the good ending, that is). Even so, the game never feels restrictive and does give freedom in how you tackle many of the missions. It also helps that the Tank sections are really fun. Most of the weapons are fun to use, and while movement options like Dashes, Wall Jumps, and Ground Pounds, and hovers are ridiculous to see a Tank do, they're pretty fun.

The Top-Down sections are good too, but I had a few issues. You see, in the Tank sections are pretty simple. The basic guns are your bread and butter. The special moves use gaia power, which is recharged by... jumping from a high place. It's pretty simple.

The Top-Down sections have the upgradeable blaster, a selection of grenades, and multiple counter moves. I think that there's a bit too much to deal with here. All of the 8 blaster settings are somewhat different, but I rarely felt compelled to use half of them. The same goes with many of the grenades. The counters are interesting and executed fairly well (Although I kinda wish the dash move was independent of it so I could use it without countering). Apparently Blaster Master Zero 3 simplified it with only one counter and Five Blaster Options with statistical upgrades, which sounds much simpler and funner.

Aside from that, these Top-Down sections are designed just fine, but they're pretty simple. There's really no moments where you have to use any unique powerups to progress, besides grenades breaking cracked walls. There are a few interesting level design gimmicks, but it's not as diverse or engaging as the Tank sections.

Obviously I didn't play the first game so I was kind of thrown into the story, and I can't say I'm too impressed. It's kind of neat that the other pilots you meet are references to Sunsoft titles, and they have fine enough personalities, but they aren't particularly special. I did like how occasionally gameplay mechanics were used to inform the story, such as how the gaia system was used near the end, but other than that, it's alright.

I'm definitely gonna check out the other games. It's a fun retro revival that I'm gonna give a 7/10.

Each Wario Land game was better than the last, but I knew not to expect that here coming off of Wario Land 4. Even still, I was kind of disappointed with the game. It was a pretty mixed bag overall.

Speaking of bags, there's a lot of treasure bags in this game. And the only way to get the coins inside is to shake it until money comes out. Problem is, the money flies everywhere, so if you want to get all of it, you better find an enclosed place to shake the bag in. There's another? Better bring it to the same place and shake again. And again. Multiple times in each stage.

This isn't the only instance of unnecessary motion control. Aiming your throws is a pretty solid expansion of Wario Land gameplay, but it's done by tilting the wiimote. I'm fine with motion controls in games like Wii Sports or Metroid Prime because they do something there that Control Sticks either can't do or aren't as well equipped to, but such is not the case with Wario Land: Shake it.

There's other motion control gimmicks, but the worst is the Subwarine levels. My gosh. It's like a perfect storm of bad design. First, it's an unnatural extension of the main gameplay. Then it's an autoscroller. Thirdly, it has motion control to move. But not entirely, no. You tilt to aim your Subwarine, but use the d-pad to move forward and back. It's a tank controls abomination. Also, there are branching paths that, if you want to get a treasure chest, you just have to... guess the right path. All of the Subwarine levels are genuinely awful.

If one was to remove all of the issues I discussed, it would probably be a serviceable platformer, but it still has issues. Not only as a game, but as a Wario Land game. Wario Land 4 backpedaled on many of the unconventional mechanics that Wario Land 2 established, but Wario Land: Shake it goes even further. There's a health bar and besides few exceptions, it has none of the unconventional powerups. It's closest in style to Wario Land 1, really. That's not automatically bad, but aside from motion control, there's no consistent design decisions.

It lifts the 'hurry up' mechanic from Wario Land 4 where one runs through the stages backwards, which I mostly found fine, but it also takes two of the unconventional 'powerups': Fire and Snowball Wario. The problem with this is the mission system. Each stage has multiple missions, one of which is often 'Don't take damage'. Now, Wario Land 4's health system wasn't optimal for a system where enemies hitting you could actually be a powerup (One of the few flaws with that game), but I'd say it's more of a problem in Shake it. There's about 3 levels where these powerups are used, so if this was the first Wario Land game you played and you saw a block that had a flame on it, you may think, "Huh. Maybe I break that block with this fire enemy. I probably shouldn't touch it though, since I want to beat that 'Don't get damaged' mission."

The ironic thing is that if the game wanted to simultaneously have these mechanics and also reward good play while also making the game accessible, It could've just made Wario immortal like in 2 or 3. There are fragments of old Wario Land design, but they go against the game GoodFeel was trying to make: A by-the-books 2D platformer. When it's that and there's little to no motion control, it's fairly good. But those moments are few and far between.

Dang. I started this review thinking the game was a 5/10, but it might actually be a 4/10. But still, there were good elements. The bosses, for the most part, were pretty good. There were a few issues (The final boss at one point combo'd me with unavoidable attacks and I lost half of my health), but they were good regardless.

I also liked the idea of a shop, but it was very half-baked. All you can really by is required maps and health upgrades/restorers. Regardless, making the treasure have value besides and endgame reward is a solid idea and I appreciate the thought.

Visually, the game is pretty good. The animations are nice and the backgrounds are good. In terms of sound, the music was alright. I can't really remember many tracks though.

Point is, this game disappointed me. I may have liked it a bit more if I hadn't played the other Wario Land games, but I stand by my review. However, if this is the first/only Wario Land game you played, tell me how you feel/if my scenario about the fire powerup applied to you. Anyway, Wario Land 2, 3, and 4 are far more worth your time than this.

Good game design is eternal. The way all of Mario's moves connect so beautifully, with pretty much all of them contributing to a diverse moveset that is extremely satisfying to master. The variety being a natural extension of the main gameplay, with platforming, sliding, and light combat. The compact maps that (For the most part) use their space to the fullest extent. All of this was good in 1996, and is still good today.

Game design is also subjective, and what works for one game may not work for another. A lot of people say the game shouldn't boot Mario out of the painting after getting a star, but this can work better than the alternative of keeping Mario in the level. In Bob-omb Battlefield, Koopa the Quick is at the beginning of the stage, so being booted back is more convenient.

However, such is not the case in a stage like Tick Tock Clock, where the majority of the stars are in a linear set of obstacles, with each a bit further than the rest. This was bad design in 1996 and is also bad design today, and Tick Tock Clock wasn't the only stage with such issues.

I can forgive a bad camera, some spotty visual design, and even short length, but repetitive content I cannot. Don't take this as a knock against the game; It's aged extremely well for such a pioneer. However, some of the mistakes it made have nothing to do with the new dimension it explored, but instead fundamentals that apply in 2D as well.

I'll start with negatives: The way coins were handled. The only use they have is to play that dumb golf minigame (That I'll get to). I had 999 coins, the max amount, for a majority of the playthrough. Also, the 8 big coins in each stage reset if you don't collect them all. What do you get if you collect them all? Our friend from about 4 sentences ago, that dumb golf minigame.

The golf minigame isn't particularly hard or detrimental, but it's undeniably poorly designed. The courses seem random; Sometimes they were extremely hard, the next would be extremely easy. Many times you'd have to make a blind shot due to the strict number of shots and the Gameboy's poor visibility. It rarely took me more than three times to beat, but it's a shame that the only minigame in here is bad.

Anyway, let's get into the goods: The game keeps a lot from Wario Land 2. The unconventional 'powerups' and general moveset are the same. However, the general design and structure is very different. In Wario Land 3, you don't lose coins for getting hit. Instead, getting hit is usually punished with one of the 'powerups' or just getting knocked down from a platforming section. Like I said, coins aren't really that valuable here, so I'm fine with that (Although coins COULD'VE been more valuable in a game about Wario). This also let the creators experiment more with the level design. Here's an example: The spring powerup makes Wario constantly jump around for a while. This is a positive for certain platforming sections. However, it can be a negative if put in a bossfight with several platforms above it, because Wario will jump out of the arena in spring form and can't return easily. As such, a button to undo this powerup isn't an option, as it could ruin a boss' difficulty. This could mean the player would have to wait for Wario to exit spring form in many cases, which could be annoying. HOWEVER, spikes knock Wario out of spring form, and they're often conveniently placed near the spring powerup. So now, just like the spring, the spikes can be beneficial or detrimental depending on context. In my opinion, this is brilliant game design that challenges the player to always think about their surroundings and current state.

This doesn't even touch the non-linear structure with powerups earned overtime. That's right, Wario Land 3 is a Castleroid of sorts. I'm not gonna lie, having to wait a good third of the game before being able to pick up stuff irked me a bit after playing WL 1 and 2, but Wario Land 3 did what it needed to do with most of its powerups: Something interesting. Some were pretty unimpressive, like an upgraded charge, but the high jump, throwing, ground pound, and others are all pushed in interesting directions. I imagine the structure of this game would make replays vastly different, as there's a fork in which stages you can tackle pretty early on.

Honestly, I'm almost tempted to give this game a 9/10. However, it has some clear flaws, so an 8/10 for now. Play this game. Play every Wario Land game. The series gets better with every entry (Note: I haven't played Shake It!! yet).

Hypnospace Outlaw is one of the best games I've ever played. I wasn't using the internet in the 90's, but aside from a few specific references, Hypnospace Outlaw isn't a game that rides off of the coattails of 90s Nostalgia; It takes what stuck out about that era and uses it as a blueprint for it's own dense world.

Every word of text, every troll page, every crappy drawing serves to characterize HypnOS and its users in a way that makes exploring its many secrets extremely satisfying. I doubt I'll be bored at all returning to this one; I'd be surprised if I ever found everything Hypnospace Outlaw has in store. It's a game that shows the industry does have somewhere else to go besides up: out. Out into incredible experiences not sold by the size of the map, and but by creators trying to make something unique and beautiful.

Play it.

This game has some great ideas that are barely expanded upon or executed well. Going into top-down sections for supplies is a great idea, but it's execution is meh. The top-down gun upgrades are lost when you get hit and are extremely sparse in placement, so unless you're really good you probably won't keep it. This problem is made greater by the fact that every boss is in the top-down section. Why half of the bosses aren't in the SOPHIA sections is beyond me, since you also get ammo for SOPHIA from the top-down sections, who controls much better than Jason. In fact, why couldn't every boss be with SOPHIA? The game would instantly be better.

Anyway, you can also play as Jason in the 2D sections, but he's way worse to play as than SOPHIA. There's only two moments where playing as him in the overworld is necessary, and I think there could've been more honestly, because what we got was pretty basic. Still, those two moments were pretty neat.

The backtracking is also a neat idea, but its execution is dumb. You go from stage 1 to 2 to 3 to 4, then back to 1 with new abilities, from there get to 5 and 6, go back to level 1 and then 2, go to level 7, back to 2 and then 3, and then 8. Why was it straightforward for half the game before the developers said, "Now go back to the very beginning"? It should've had level 1 be a center world where you go to each level, get a powerup, go back to 1, then go to the next stage through there. Or, just a completely interconnected map.

And then there's the final level, which it seems was made by someone who hates videogames. Extremely precise jumps, a jank wall climb, and general timewasting is present all throughout. Why? I don't know, I guess developers were still used to arcades where you don't want people to finish your game.

Oh yeah, obligatory 'Play the Japanese Version because they removed unlimited continues in the US versions because of rentals or something'. I actually played the US version, but I used save states. I know, I'm too far gone. Other than that, the game is fine. 6/10 for now, but it could go lower after I play Blaster Master Zero.

Well then. I'm sure you all know Kirby (Or, at least, know of him). I certainly have for quite a while. Many people regard it as a series with no bad games. I would say that this game is clear evidence to the contrary.

From the Kirby games I've played, I've noticed that there's two ways to make the gameplay engaging:

1. Small sections that are built around a copy ability that can be easily obtained beforehand. These sections are fun and often reward the player for keeping the copy ability with lives or something else.

2. Pure combat sections in which the player can choose a copy ability to use. Fun here is derived from using varied moves to defeat a boss or something of the sort.

I haven't played every Kirby game, and I'm sure there's another way to make a Kirby game engaging, but regardless, a Kirby game needs to be accessible to children but still pique the interest of adults in some way. Kirby's Dream Land 3 does neither, and is an abject failure in being interesting in any way.

Copy abilities have regressed from Superstar into being the simple one-attack abilities from previous entries. This already greatly limits the potential of Kirby design #2. Not automatically an issue, as I think Kirby's Adventure on the NES is one of the best in the series, because it uses Kirby design #1. Levels feel best when using the copy abilities acquired in them, but are still beatable without them. However, would you believe me if I said Dream Land 3 had LESS THAN A THIRD of the copy abilities from Adventure? Once again, not automatically bad, as the animal buddies that help kirby actually change the way copy abilities are used. But there was one fatal mistake. Everything else aside, one thing doomed this game.

Around 80% of the time, the animal buddies are a worse option than just using Kirby by himself.

Imagine if you were playing as Yoshi in super Mario World, except Yoshi is a bit slower and can't jump as high as Mario. That is a rough equivalent of the animal buddies in Kirby's Dream Land 3. Kirby can float, so why would I use Riki, who can only jump once? Coo and Kine are slower than Kirby, so why use them? Even if one may fit a situation, you have to grapple with the altered copy abilities, which can be ridiculously niche in terms of use compared to Kirby's. The only one who was fairly consistently fun to use was Nago, because he was fairly fast, could jump two times in midair (Which was usually good enough), and usually had good copy abilities. The others are almost always detrimental to use in one way or another. Unfortunately, though, I didn't always get to use Nago, as there's usually only around half of the animal buddies in a given stage placed at checkpoints. Despite this, I rarely ever got the feeling that the levels were designed with the animal buddies in mind. Even when they're designed with copy abilities in mind, it's usually just 'hit this block with this copy ability to break it', the laziest way to do it.

There are several other issues. Kirby often outruns the camera, which results in enemies landing cheap shots. the level select and optional content is barebones compared to even Kirby's Adventure. Gooey, the player 2 character, is useless. The game loves autoscrolling sections for no reason. All of the secrets are super obscure and not fun to find. It only contributes even more to the low quality.

The biggest positive I can give this game is that it's a beautiful game. It has great style and animation. Everything else? Okay at best. This brings us back to the statement, "there are no bad Kirby games". Honestly, as bad as this game was, it was, at the end of the day, really easy. I rarely got actually frustrated as a result. However, I never got particularly happy playing it either. I rarely felt anything. Honestly, I think that's one of the worst things a game can be: Absolutely nothing. This game isn't legendarily bad; It's just... boring bad. And I'll probably never play it again.

Usually, I have a really hard time putting into words why I love games I rate 10/10 so much, but I think I can finally, at the very least, explain the genius of Majora's Mask.

You've probably played a really hard game, right? Whether it's cryptic or just unforgiving, a hard game can be really fun- when you get good at it. Sometimes, that takes a while. Sometimes hours. Sometimes you have to play through the game all over again to 'truly enjoy it'. A bit of hyperbole, but point is, many games are better on replay as a result. There's an argument to whether or not the first or subsequent playthroughs are more important when rating a game. Personally, I feel the best games are great on a first play and even better on replay. And what's so genius about Majora's Mask is that it emulates this experience in a single playthrough.

Let's say you're playing the game. You're at the Great Bay Temple. You get near the end, and now the moon is about to kill everyone. You get annoyed, and you play the song of time. Ok, now you gotta restart. You know what to do this time though, and you have a limited amount of time to do it. And you DESTROY the dungeon. And you probably feel really good. Your mileage may vary, of course. AVGN played the game in 2020 and the 3 Day mechanic annoyed him thoroughly. But to me, what should be a tedious mechanic combines with what is a really steep learning curve and creates an extremely satisfying experience!

All of this ignores some great stories, an interesting world, excellent music, NPCs that run on schedules, excellent side content, incredible atmosphere, and some of the best and most creative dungeon design in gaming, and so many other positives. Point being, it's an extremely unique yet still well-made game that I'm happy has recieved the acclaim it deserves.

Quite possibly the greatest 2D platformer ever created. Everything here feels so genius and well-made. Whether the effects of an enemy or item is positive or negative is always dependent on the level design, which leads to more thinking on the player's part. The 'hurry up' mechanic where you have to rush back to the beginning highlights this recontextualization of level design and mechanics. The controls suit this frantic energy well, with energetic dashes, throws, and ground pounds that are pushed to their limit in these gauntlet-like puzzle challenge rooms.

The main problem people point to with the game is that it's really short. The game was definitely designed with replayability in mind, but I do agree that a few more levels couldn't have hurt. Then again, all the levels are so well-made and unique that it's almost a moot point that would be counter intuative with the game's strengths. My main problem is with the minigames. At the end of a world, you can spend money to play minigames to earn tokens. These tokens can buy items to use against a boss. A solid idea, but there's only 3 minigames, and they aren't particularly in-depth. You'll be playing the same 3 minigames each time if you really want an item.

That one blemish doesn't mean much though. This is still an absolutely fantastic game you should definitely play.

The Way is a puzzle platformer about a man wanting to revive his dead wife.

I thought this was an interesting experience. I wish there were more games like it. The puzzles are all really good, the locations look great, the music is good, and I think that's what the game really got right.

However, I was kind of disappointed with the story and the other gameplay elements. The story is about as basic as it gets. Man's wife dies, he goes on a quest to an alien planet to bring her back to life. It's not even a big focus, oddly enough. Any development we get on the main character and his wife are minimal, and the story's main goal, it seems, is to just get the main character to new locations. To use a comparison, It's treating the story like a Mario game would, when it should treat it more like a Zelda game (If that makes any sense).

To make more comparisons, on a scale of NES Castlevania to Ori, The Way... runs past Castlevania. The controls are super stiff and you die from jumping like 10 feet down. Now, for the record, Castlevania III is one of my favorite games ever, because its level design and gameplay is built around those controls. While the level design is alright, and the controls work fine for puzzles, when it's trying action, the game is pretty dull. It doesn't go for action too much, but the game should've made all of its action scenes more puzzle-based if it wanted to have it at all.

I'd like to give this game a 6/10, but there's just too much I don't like. I wish there were more puzzle platformers like this that were actually good. I guess there's just not a market for this kind of game. If any of you guys know of games akin to this one, please let me know. Anyway, if The Way looks interesting to you, you might enjoy it, but there's a lot better you could play. If you want a sidescroller with good puzzles and story, play Iconoclasts.