HarrisonLW
2022
Pretty cool, I just can't for the life of me play Project M. I'm too used to Ultimate.
2023
Fun and cute! I never played the original but having seen gameplay, this remake was sorely needed, and it also seems like the perfect type of remake. Very faithful, with changes made where they're needed.
Two reasons I'm abandoning this. 1, Breath of the Wild is just not as good as Tears of the Kingdom. Whenever I play this game I just want to play that instead. And 2, the new content here, while obviously impressive for a mod team, isn't really interesting enough for me to want to do a whole playthrough. That and it's kind of buggy and I don't care enough to try and fix it. Oh well.
2021
Probably the best way to play Mario 64 in the modern age. And while this port is practically perfect and while Mario 64 is a monumental classic masterpiece worthy of nothing lower than 5 stars based on sheer legacy alone, Mario 64 in general is just kind of tough to play these days, at least for me.
I know this is an unpopular opinion, but this game is very frustrating for me to play. Compared to stuff like Odyssey or Galaxy or Bowser's Fury, Mario here in 64 controls not as good. Again, compared to other 3D platformers coming out at and around 1996, it's incredible that Mario controls as well as he does, but it's not 1996 anymore. I just think people see this game's incredible legacy and let it get in their way of seeing how it hasn't aged nearly as good as they say it has.
I recently also finished the PC port of Ocarina of Time, and I had a much better time with that, I think Ocarina in general has just aged better, and that's probably just due to the simple fact that Ocarina is not a platformer, so there's a lot less 90s jank that it has.
Now, don't get me wrong, the enhancements in the Mario 64 Plus fork are amazing and improve the game experience a lot, but some of the intrinsic annoyances I have with how Mario controls, or how a lot of the stars are designed are unfixable in my opinion. I got so frustrated I just BLJ'd up to final Bowser 10 stars early.
I know this is an unpopular opinion, but this game is very frustrating for me to play. Compared to stuff like Odyssey or Galaxy or Bowser's Fury, Mario here in 64 controls not as good. Again, compared to other 3D platformers coming out at and around 1996, it's incredible that Mario controls as well as he does, but it's not 1996 anymore. I just think people see this game's incredible legacy and let it get in their way of seeing how it hasn't aged nearly as good as they say it has.
I recently also finished the PC port of Ocarina of Time, and I had a much better time with that, I think Ocarina in general has just aged better, and that's probably just due to the simple fact that Ocarina is not a platformer, so there's a lot less 90s jank that it has.
Now, don't get me wrong, the enhancements in the Mario 64 Plus fork are amazing and improve the game experience a lot, but some of the intrinsic annoyances I have with how Mario controls, or how a lot of the stars are designed are unfixable in my opinion. I got so frustrated I just BLJ'd up to final Bowser 10 stars early.
2022
I'm very familiar with Ocarina of Time, I've watched many playthroughs, speedruns, etc, but I've never actually fully beat the game for myself, until today! Thanks to this amazing fanmade PC port and its slew of enhancement options, I was able to get rid of most if not all of the minor annoyances I had with the N64 version of the game because of its age and bring this masterpiece to the present and finally beat it!
And what a masterpiece it is. I don't even know where to start. Sure the game isn't that big by today's standards, but it still feels like a grand adventure, which is what, above all else, Zelda should strive to be. This game's story is not super complex, but it's a really good one, with lots of subtext about growing up suddenly, childhood trauma, and losing your childhood.
There's seriously so much I could say about this game, but it's all been said a million times before. Ship of Harkinian is easily the best current way to play Ocarina of Time, and I look forward to their version of Majora's Mask.
And what a masterpiece it is. I don't even know where to start. Sure the game isn't that big by today's standards, but it still feels like a grand adventure, which is what, above all else, Zelda should strive to be. This game's story is not super complex, but it's a really good one, with lots of subtext about growing up suddenly, childhood trauma, and losing your childhood.
There's seriously so much I could say about this game, but it's all been said a million times before. Ship of Harkinian is easily the best current way to play Ocarina of Time, and I look forward to their version of Majora's Mask.
Disregard what I said in my Smash Ultimate review about Subspace Emissary. This mode is amazing. It's not perfect, but it's really good. The best part is obviously the cutscenes, but the gameplay itself is still really strong.
The biggest problems I have with Subspace lie with Brawl's gameplay. Brawl is just excruciatingly slow. Pair that with the fact that you're playing a platformer in a game that is not a platformer, and it can get pretty jank and frustrating sometimes. If I play this again, it will most definitely be on Project M. Brawl gameplay just sucks.
But besides that, Subspace is really quite impressive. Here we have like 39 characters that all move and behave differently, yet the platforming is just functional enough (most of the time) to make everything work for everyone.
When we get deep enough into viewing Smash as a fighting game, we can lose sight of what it actually is. There's no coincidence that besides Ultimate, Brawl is the Smash game that is celebrated the most as the video game crossover it is. To see all these characters interacting with each other in a really cool story about joining forces to save the world is a huge treat and reminds us just what Smash Bros. is all about.
The biggest problems I have with Subspace lie with Brawl's gameplay. Brawl is just excruciatingly slow. Pair that with the fact that you're playing a platformer in a game that is not a platformer, and it can get pretty jank and frustrating sometimes. If I play this again, it will most definitely be on Project M. Brawl gameplay just sucks.
But besides that, Subspace is really quite impressive. Here we have like 39 characters that all move and behave differently, yet the platforming is just functional enough (most of the time) to make everything work for everyone.
When we get deep enough into viewing Smash as a fighting game, we can lose sight of what it actually is. There's no coincidence that besides Ultimate, Brawl is the Smash game that is celebrated the most as the video game crossover it is. To see all these characters interacting with each other in a really cool story about joining forces to save the world is a huge treat and reminds us just what Smash Bros. is all about.
Nearly five hundred hours, and I still suck. But I think I'm finally ready to retire this one once and for all (excepting when I want to play with friends of course).
A crowning achievement so incredible and nigh-impossible it became a societal phenomenon. 89 playable fighters from around the gaming world all come together to duke it out in a love letter to the medium and artform of video games. I have vivid and fond memories of many of the character reveals. I remember that fateful day in March 2018, seeing the burning Smash Ball glow in the Inkling's eye. I remember E3 of that same year, how everyone collectively lost it the moment Solid Snake appeared on screen with the words "EVERYONE IS HERE". I remember watching the reveal in Vinesauce Joel's stream, and being so hyped I typed gibberish in the chat and got timed out. I remember waking up super early in the mornings leading up to the release to watch Nintendo and Smash directs. I remember my brother in the bedroom next to mine texting me to quiet down because I was super hyped at the Simon Belmont reveal. I remember when Joker was revealed at the Game Awards mere minutes before the game's launch. I remember 9:00 PM on December 6, 2018, and trying over and over again to launch the stupid game on my stupid Switch.
Getting a little more personal, I remember the state of my life during this time. Because of separate reasons, I was in a deep depression that pervaded all aspects of my life so deeply that I barely did anything with my life aside from Smash Bros. Seriously, it was bad. It's a weird thing because I'm not gonna say that it gave me "solace" or whatever, because it didn't. It was a negative coping mechanism. But you don't spend hundreds of hours of your life within the timespan of a few months on one thing and not have fond memories of it.
Lucina is my main. Some people would say that she's too boring or basic of a swordfighter, but I think with her more restrained moveset comes a lot of creativity and flow. Because of this, I gained an interest in Fire Emblem: Awakening, her source game, a game which I absolutely love and is one of my all-time favorites (and which I will be replaying in the near future).
Eventually I was admitted into an inpatient therapy/school program. There I became the undisputed king of Smash Bros. I missed out on some of the character reveals because of the nature of the inpatient facility, but my brother still sent me emails about them. I remember reading that Sans was added as a Mii costume, and dying of laughter in the locker room where I read it. I similarly remember dying of laughter when he told me that another Fire Emblem character was added.
To continue to stroke my ego, I had predicted the additions of Minecraft Steve (who is apparently so broken and good that he's banned competitively which is hilarious) and Pyra/Mythra as a dual character in a time when most people thought it would be Rex instead.
There's just so many memories I have in relation to this game. A lot of them include the controversial story mode, World of Light.
Now I can understand why people dislike it, but let me plead my case. Subspace Emissary goes hard, there's no denying that, but let's be real here. The gameplay in Subspace is not the best. Smash Bros is a fighting game, not a platformer. Everyone hates the Great Maze. And another thing. I love the cutscenes as much as the next guy, but let's stop pretending they're Scorsese or something.
World of Light understands what a Smash Bros adventure mode should be a lot better. A series of fights that reference series across the gaming spectrum. It's certainly not without its flaws, but it's still a solid 30 hours of fun. I'm not saying that Subspace is better or worse than WoL though, cuz in all honesty I think their pros and cons equalize each other out. Expect a Subspace review at some point.
I've gone on far too long here. The biggest stain on this game's magnificence is the absolutely inexcusably bad netcode and online ranking system. Seriously, it's terrible and at times unplayable. Nintendo is literally the richest company in Japan. They should be able to figure out how to make a functional and consistent netcode for a super precise fighting game. But even that is not enough to lower the score of this masterpiece of culture.
Makes me wonder what Smash 6 is gonna look like. If it was up to me, I would just port Smash Ultimate to the next console with a few new characters or something (Waluigi?). Or they could go the complete opposite direction, and reduce the roster to like 30 or 40 and transform it into a 3D fighter or something. Who knows. Well I guess Sakurai knows.
A crowning achievement so incredible and nigh-impossible it became a societal phenomenon. 89 playable fighters from around the gaming world all come together to duke it out in a love letter to the medium and artform of video games. I have vivid and fond memories of many of the character reveals. I remember that fateful day in March 2018, seeing the burning Smash Ball glow in the Inkling's eye. I remember E3 of that same year, how everyone collectively lost it the moment Solid Snake appeared on screen with the words "EVERYONE IS HERE". I remember watching the reveal in Vinesauce Joel's stream, and being so hyped I typed gibberish in the chat and got timed out. I remember waking up super early in the mornings leading up to the release to watch Nintendo and Smash directs. I remember my brother in the bedroom next to mine texting me to quiet down because I was super hyped at the Simon Belmont reveal. I remember when Joker was revealed at the Game Awards mere minutes before the game's launch. I remember 9:00 PM on December 6, 2018, and trying over and over again to launch the stupid game on my stupid Switch.
Getting a little more personal, I remember the state of my life during this time. Because of separate reasons, I was in a deep depression that pervaded all aspects of my life so deeply that I barely did anything with my life aside from Smash Bros. Seriously, it was bad. It's a weird thing because I'm not gonna say that it gave me "solace" or whatever, because it didn't. It was a negative coping mechanism. But you don't spend hundreds of hours of your life within the timespan of a few months on one thing and not have fond memories of it.
Lucina is my main. Some people would say that she's too boring or basic of a swordfighter, but I think with her more restrained moveset comes a lot of creativity and flow. Because of this, I gained an interest in Fire Emblem: Awakening, her source game, a game which I absolutely love and is one of my all-time favorites (and which I will be replaying in the near future).
Eventually I was admitted into an inpatient therapy/school program. There I became the undisputed king of Smash Bros. I missed out on some of the character reveals because of the nature of the inpatient facility, but my brother still sent me emails about them. I remember reading that Sans was added as a Mii costume, and dying of laughter in the locker room where I read it. I similarly remember dying of laughter when he told me that another Fire Emblem character was added.
To continue to stroke my ego, I had predicted the additions of Minecraft Steve (who is apparently so broken and good that he's banned competitively which is hilarious) and Pyra/Mythra as a dual character in a time when most people thought it would be Rex instead.
There's just so many memories I have in relation to this game. A lot of them include the controversial story mode, World of Light.
Now I can understand why people dislike it, but let me plead my case. Subspace Emissary goes hard, there's no denying that, but let's be real here. The gameplay in Subspace is not the best. Smash Bros is a fighting game, not a platformer. Everyone hates the Great Maze. And another thing. I love the cutscenes as much as the next guy, but let's stop pretending they're Scorsese or something.
World of Light understands what a Smash Bros adventure mode should be a lot better. A series of fights that reference series across the gaming spectrum. It's certainly not without its flaws, but it's still a solid 30 hours of fun. I'm not saying that Subspace is better or worse than WoL though, cuz in all honesty I think their pros and cons equalize each other out. Expect a Subspace review at some point.
I've gone on far too long here. The biggest stain on this game's magnificence is the absolutely inexcusably bad netcode and online ranking system. Seriously, it's terrible and at times unplayable. Nintendo is literally the richest company in Japan. They should be able to figure out how to make a functional and consistent netcode for a super precise fighting game. But even that is not enough to lower the score of this masterpiece of culture.
Makes me wonder what Smash 6 is gonna look like. If it was up to me, I would just port Smash Ultimate to the next console with a few new characters or something (Waluigi?). Or they could go the complete opposite direction, and reduce the roster to like 30 or 40 and transform it into a 3D fighter or something. Who knows. Well I guess Sakurai knows.
2021
Played this once before when it first came out, got about 70-something shines. This time I just got the required 50 to beat the game. My main purpose in replaying this is because of all of the rumors of the upcoming "open-world" 3D Mario game for Switch 2, I wanted to see the game that is the first foray into that kind of thing.
This really feels like Nintendo dipping their toes in the water with the idea of an open world Mario game. And I think they succeeded! This game is quite a bit on the short side, and that's really the only reason this falls a half star short of a perfect score. That and the weir Mario 3D World camera and controls. That being said, this is still 3D Mario so it controls a hell of a lot better than 99% of other video games.
I am a sucker for a good open world. And on the flipside I absolutely detest lazy open worlds. This proves that Nintendo knows what they're doing with this concept. This isn't a Unreal Engine 5 demo of Mario running around a massive empty green field "NINTENDO HIRE THIS MAN" style, this is a big Mario world, a collection of individual levels seamlessly put together on an ocean you can ride around on the back of Yonka Dingo, and it's great! The main purpose and goal of Super Mario is to just be pure, unbridled fun, and there's no fun to be had in loading screens. So how's about we separate our levels with actual gameplay and traversal and platforming, instead of those lame, antiquated loading screens. That's what Nintendo's philosophy feels like in this game, and it's genius.
Dunkey put it best, "This is just an appetizer to some masterpiece off in the distance." Now that that masterpiece is rumored to be not so distant, here's hoping that 1) it's real and 2) it truly will be a masterpiece.
I love Mario games so much dude.
This really feels like Nintendo dipping their toes in the water with the idea of an open world Mario game. And I think they succeeded! This game is quite a bit on the short side, and that's really the only reason this falls a half star short of a perfect score. That and the weir Mario 3D World camera and controls. That being said, this is still 3D Mario so it controls a hell of a lot better than 99% of other video games.
I am a sucker for a good open world. And on the flipside I absolutely detest lazy open worlds. This proves that Nintendo knows what they're doing with this concept. This isn't a Unreal Engine 5 demo of Mario running around a massive empty green field "NINTENDO HIRE THIS MAN" style, this is a big Mario world, a collection of individual levels seamlessly put together on an ocean you can ride around on the back of Yonka Dingo, and it's great! The main purpose and goal of Super Mario is to just be pure, unbridled fun, and there's no fun to be had in loading screens. So how's about we separate our levels with actual gameplay and traversal and platforming, instead of those lame, antiquated loading screens. That's what Nintendo's philosophy feels like in this game, and it's genius.
Dunkey put it best, "This is just an appetizer to some masterpiece off in the distance." Now that that masterpiece is rumored to be not so distant, here's hoping that 1) it's real and 2) it truly will be a masterpiece.
I love Mario games so much dude.
2023
Idk, I mean I really didn't play much of it but the controls seemed like there's a bit of a learning curve there that I don't have the patience to learn right now. This isn't to say that I won't ever play this, but at least not for the foreseeable future. Oh well.
2018
sus
Call me a Zoomer, but I don't think I can get past how this game feels to play. Mario's speed is really weird and stuff and it doesn't feel as satisfying as something like Mario Wonder. This is a really good game and a really good remake, I just don't think I can continue to force myself to try to play it.
2017
Easily the greatest racing video game to ever grace the Earth. Anyway here's my stupid 96 course tier list-
F TIER
96. GBA Cheese Land
95. Wii Mushroom Gorge
94. Bone-Dry Dunes
93. Ninja Hideaway
D TIER
92. N64 Yoshi Valley
91. GBA Sky Garden
90. GBA Sunset Wilds
89. Tour Tokyo Blur
88. 3DS Toad Circuit
87. Tour Paris Promenade
86. Tour New York Minute
C TIER
85. 3DS Rock Rock Mountain
84. Water Park
83. GBA Snow Land
82. N64 Toad's Turnpike
81. Sweet Sweet Canyon
80. GBA Boo Lake
79. Cloudtop Cruise
78. GCN Dry Dry Desert
77. N64 Choco Mountain
76. 3DS Rosalina's Ice World
75. Wii Moo Moo Meadows
74. Wii Grumble Volcano
B TIER
73. Sky-High Sundae
72. Mario Circuit
71. Twisted Mansion
70. Dolphin Shoals
69. DS Peach Gardens
68. SNES Donut Plains 3
67. Tour Amsterdam Drift
66. GBA Mario Circuit
65. DS Wario Stadium
64. DS Shroom Ridge
63. Tour London Loop
62. SNES Mario Circuit 3
61. Wii Wario's Gold Mine
60. Rainbow Road
59. Thwomp Ruins
58. GCN Sherbet Land
57. 3DS Piranha Plant Slide
56. Tour Bangkok Rush
55. Tour Rome Avanti
54. Mario Kart Stadium
53. Shy Guy Falls
52. Wii Daisy Circuit
51. Electrodrome
50. 3DS Neo Bowser City
49. DS Mario Circuit
48. Tour Los Angeles Laps
47. SNES Rainbow Road
A TIER
46. Squeaky Clean Sprint
45. Ice Ice Outpost
44. Super Bell Subway
43. SNES Bowser Castle 3
42. N64 Kalimari Desert
41. Wii Koopa Cape
40. 3DS DK Jungle
39. Bowser's Castle
38. GBA Riverside Park
37. Tour Madrid Drive
36. GCN DK Mountain
35. Mute City
34. GCN Waluigi Stadium
33. Dragon Driftway
32. Tour Berlin Byways
31. Wild Woods
39. DS Cheep Cheep Beach
29. Merry Mountain
28. 3DS Music Park
27. Tour Sydney Sprint
26. GCN Daisy Cruiser
25. Animal Crossing
24. Tour Athens Dash
S TIER
23. Piranha Plant Cove
22. Tour Vancouver Velocity
21. Excitebike Arena
20. Wii Moonview Highway
19. Wii DK Summit
18. Hyrule Circuit
17. Tour Singapore Speedway
16. N64 Rainbow Road
15. DS Tick-Tock Clock
SS TIER
14. Wii Coconut Mall
13. N64 Royal Raceway
12. GBA Ribbon Road
11. GCN Yoshi Circuit
10. Toad Harbor
9. Sunshine Airport
SSS TIER
8. GCN Baby Park
7. Yoshi's Island
6. Wii Maple Treeway
5. Big Blue
4. Wii Rainbow Road
3. DS Waluigi Pinball
2. Mount Wario
1. 3DS Rainbow Road
F TIER
96. GBA Cheese Land
95. Wii Mushroom Gorge
94. Bone-Dry Dunes
93. Ninja Hideaway
D TIER
92. N64 Yoshi Valley
91. GBA Sky Garden
90. GBA Sunset Wilds
89. Tour Tokyo Blur
88. 3DS Toad Circuit
87. Tour Paris Promenade
86. Tour New York Minute
C TIER
85. 3DS Rock Rock Mountain
84. Water Park
83. GBA Snow Land
82. N64 Toad's Turnpike
81. Sweet Sweet Canyon
80. GBA Boo Lake
79. Cloudtop Cruise
78. GCN Dry Dry Desert
77. N64 Choco Mountain
76. 3DS Rosalina's Ice World
75. Wii Moo Moo Meadows
74. Wii Grumble Volcano
B TIER
73. Sky-High Sundae
72. Mario Circuit
71. Twisted Mansion
70. Dolphin Shoals
69. DS Peach Gardens
68. SNES Donut Plains 3
67. Tour Amsterdam Drift
66. GBA Mario Circuit
65. DS Wario Stadium
64. DS Shroom Ridge
63. Tour London Loop
62. SNES Mario Circuit 3
61. Wii Wario's Gold Mine
60. Rainbow Road
59. Thwomp Ruins
58. GCN Sherbet Land
57. 3DS Piranha Plant Slide
56. Tour Bangkok Rush
55. Tour Rome Avanti
54. Mario Kart Stadium
53. Shy Guy Falls
52. Wii Daisy Circuit
51. Electrodrome
50. 3DS Neo Bowser City
49. DS Mario Circuit
48. Tour Los Angeles Laps
47. SNES Rainbow Road
A TIER
46. Squeaky Clean Sprint
45. Ice Ice Outpost
44. Super Bell Subway
43. SNES Bowser Castle 3
42. N64 Kalimari Desert
41. Wii Koopa Cape
40. 3DS DK Jungle
39. Bowser's Castle
38. GBA Riverside Park
37. Tour Madrid Drive
36. GCN DK Mountain
35. Mute City
34. GCN Waluigi Stadium
33. Dragon Driftway
32. Tour Berlin Byways
31. Wild Woods
39. DS Cheep Cheep Beach
29. Merry Mountain
28. 3DS Music Park
27. Tour Sydney Sprint
26. GCN Daisy Cruiser
25. Animal Crossing
24. Tour Athens Dash
S TIER
23. Piranha Plant Cove
22. Tour Vancouver Velocity
21. Excitebike Arena
20. Wii Moonview Highway
19. Wii DK Summit
18. Hyrule Circuit
17. Tour Singapore Speedway
16. N64 Rainbow Road
15. DS Tick-Tock Clock
SS TIER
14. Wii Coconut Mall
13. N64 Royal Raceway
12. GBA Ribbon Road
11. GCN Yoshi Circuit
10. Toad Harbor
9. Sunshine Airport
SSS TIER
8. GCN Baby Park
7. Yoshi's Island
6. Wii Maple Treeway
5. Big Blue
4. Wii Rainbow Road
3. DS Waluigi Pinball
2. Mount Wario
1. 3DS Rainbow Road
This is exactly what 2D Mario needed! The New Soups aren't bad games, but they felt very generic and formulaic. This game really feels like the devs just had a blast coming up with ideas and implementing them.
The obvious and main feature of this game are the Wonder effects. I am not exaggerating when I say there's a unique one for every single level. Well, maybe I am. Some of the basic concepts are repeated, and there are some "levels" here that are more like 2 second breaks to change up the pace temporarily, but it really isn't incorrect to say that every level has a unique effect. The effects are amazing, too. Super fun and inventive and visually interesting.
But even beyond the Wonder effects, each level also has a central gimmick going on that keeps every one of them feeling unique and distinct from each other. Like, for example, the level with the roller guys, or the level with the bullet guys, or the level with the hippo guys. Each one of these feels like its own thing, which is something the New Super Mario games can't really say about their levels.
In short, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a masterpiece of 2D platforming and, in my opinion, is up there with the big boys of 2D Mario, Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World, and is a must-play.
The obvious and main feature of this game are the Wonder effects. I am not exaggerating when I say there's a unique one for every single level. Well, maybe I am. Some of the basic concepts are repeated, and there are some "levels" here that are more like 2 second breaks to change up the pace temporarily, but it really isn't incorrect to say that every level has a unique effect. The effects are amazing, too. Super fun and inventive and visually interesting.
But even beyond the Wonder effects, each level also has a central gimmick going on that keeps every one of them feeling unique and distinct from each other. Like, for example, the level with the roller guys, or the level with the bullet guys, or the level with the hippo guys. Each one of these feels like its own thing, which is something the New Super Mario games can't really say about their levels.
In short, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a masterpiece of 2D platforming and, in my opinion, is up there with the big boys of 2D Mario, Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World, and is a must-play.