Finny
S'ok, kinda underwhelming. The soundtrack is great, possibly the best in the series, but it's still plagued by several of the usual suspects - misleading hitboxes, a dogshit primary weapon before upgrading, overly floaty air movement, and the dreaded backwards jump momentum. Played the JP version, which might be a little too easy, but could see NA being a frustrating experience, especially considering the issues outlined above.
2005
Delightfully creative and wildly funny. Genuinely some of the best humor I've personally found in a video game. Unfortunately, the gameplay itself has aged like milk. The controls are clunky, design decisions are frequently obtuse, and there are multiple areas where the pacing slows to a crawl. I lost interest and was unable to finish, but I gained an immense amount of respect for Schafer's writing. One of the few times where I'll say something would benefit from a modern remake/remaster.
1994
2021
2024
2023
Possibly the best presentation of any Genesis game, but the gameplay is insufferable. Levels are overly long, there are way too many goddamn enemies on screen and, unless you can beat the game without dying, you're never going to have enough firepower. Don't get me started on the 20+ minute shmup stage...
1991
Filled with insufferable design choices and absolutely dogshit hitboxes, but seeing it through is incredibly rewarding. Features immaculate presentation for the era and inspired genre mashups that laid the foundation for many interesting ideas we would later see fully fleshed out in the Donkey Kong Country series.
Fun, but wish it had been more challenging. A lot of the stages tend to be overly short or simple, as the overall level design is obviously influenced by NSMB, rather than SMW or SMB3. It would’ve benefited from being the other way around or, better yet, abandon most of the traditional Mario elements and embrace full insanity Wonder mode. I prefer the 3D offerings at this point in my life.
2023
1993
1992
1990