Jesp
2018
A solid sweet game, unique storytelling. Short enough to show to friends briefly, but not much reason to return after experiencing the story.
2016
Solitaire card-based game, but didn't get into it much.
2024
A wonderful puzzle world, only got as far as completing all the eggs (with slight help and hints, especially finding those cat cage answers), but am in genuine awe of the amount of depth and world connectivity put into the game, thanks to the analysis of everyone online solving all the ARG mysteries to allow me to reach the final final layers (as of yet).
But also, when the Besties said there were no enemies, oh how hard they lied. The way my heart thumped during those chase sequences, or every time that kangaroo jump-scared me, I think I've lost years of my life.
Anyways, one of the best "aha" moments I've had since Obra Dinn, especially figuring out some of the eggs and even some bunnies by myself. Figuring out how to bubble-hop was great, and hearing the discourse around all of that is amazing. Fun to casually speedrun as well, once I got a feel for where everything generally was. Thanks Billy!
But also, when the Besties said there were no enemies, oh how hard they lied. The way my heart thumped during those chase sequences, or every time that kangaroo jump-scared me, I think I've lost years of my life.
Anyways, one of the best "aha" moments I've had since Obra Dinn, especially figuring out some of the eggs and even some bunnies by myself. Figuring out how to bubble-hop was great, and hearing the discourse around all of that is amazing. Fun to casually speedrun as well, once I got a feel for where everything generally was. Thanks Billy!
2022
Short and sweet little Pico-8 Metroidvania off the recommendation of Russ Frushtick off the Besties! Enjoyable progression and solid platforming.
2024
No spoilers, but after unlocking everything, I know I'm gonna be playing this for another 300+ hours.
The most exciting thing for me about this game is that it's not quite just "Hades again but more": the base mechanics are evolved, the progression feels different, and just overall the environment has such a different vibe.
Maybe that is just "Hades I but more". Oh well. Can't in good faith give it 5 stars yet since it's still incomplete, but will patiently wait for 1.0 to come out and dive back in to re-experience the whole story.
The most exciting thing for me about this game is that it's not quite just "Hades again but more": the base mechanics are evolved, the progression feels different, and just overall the environment has such a different vibe.
Maybe that is just "Hades I but more". Oh well. Can't in good faith give it 5 stars yet since it's still incomplete, but will patiently wait for 1.0 to come out and dive back in to re-experience the whole story.
2020
So funny looking through my screenshots - for a game I've continued to pump in 300+ hours of, I started and rolled credits within my first week.
Probably my favorite game of all time, and my first (and far from last) taste of Supergiant's incredible storytelling married with gameplay, mechanics, and music. Near infinite replayability from maxing out everything, and it rarely felt like a chore to me because I was trying new builds and unlocking new hyper-specific dialogue.
Could go on for 2000 more words like I did for BotW and TotK, but gotta get back to playing Hades II.
The biggest thing this inspired for me as well was a love for indie games - dove into so many after experiencing this one, from the rest of the Supergiant catalog to Celeste and A Short Hike. Thank you Supergiant for this gem <3
Probably my favorite game of all time, and my first (and far from last) taste of Supergiant's incredible storytelling married with gameplay, mechanics, and music. Near infinite replayability from maxing out everything, and it rarely felt like a chore to me because I was trying new builds and unlocking new hyper-specific dialogue.
Could go on for 2000 more words like I did for BotW and TotK, but gotta get back to playing Hades II.
The biggest thing this inspired for me as well was a love for indie games - dove into so many after experiencing this one, from the rest of the Supergiant catalog to Celeste and A Short Hike. Thank you Supergiant for this gem <3
2018
This one gets a bad rap, but for a simple party game, this was a popular go to for roommates and siblings for a long while - we'll still hop into this to play the rhythm games or the river raft teamwork game. The minigames themselves are pretty fun too, with all the different motion controls! Annoying that this game literally doesn't let you open it with more than one Joy-con, but that's as classic Nintendo as you can get. The boards themselves are definitely the weakest, but those other modes are a blast. And the random single multiplayer portion isn't bad either.
All in all, as a Mario Party game, come for the river rafting and rhythm games, stay for the mini-games, have fun with friends, and avoid the actual Mario Party game.
In retrospect, we'll go to this one for the other modes and Mario Party Superstars for the boards.
All in all, as a Mario Party game, come for the river rafting and rhythm games, stay for the mini-games, have fun with friends, and avoid the actual Mario Party game.
In retrospect, we'll go to this one for the other modes and Mario Party Superstars for the boards.
2020
Simple in concept, executed better than expected. Bit repetitive at first though, and having to unlock each stage felt annoying. Truthfully only played it like three times, and mostly on its last day to see it go down. But also rip in peace, may you return and last longer than five months next time.
Did win once, and also got a second place behind Mayro which was cool to see on the end game leaderboard!
Did win once, and also got a second place behind Mayro which was cool to see on the end game leaderboard!
A delightful package with all that classic Nintendo charm, and especially replete with satisfying sounds and haptic feedback. Could've had more, but honestly is also just perfect as a simple catalog of (mostly) simple to learn, tough to master classic games.
Do wish there were more options for playing with 3 and 4 people on one console though, but also understand that'd be tough to implement.
Favorite game is 6 ball puzzle, there I said it.
Do wish there were more options for playing with 3 and 4 people on one console though, but also understand that'd be tough to implement.
Favorite game is 6 ball puzzle, there I said it.
Buying DLC to play single player Tetris on the Tetris game made for multiplayer. Helps to grind more tickets to unlock more themes, CPU and Marathon are decent. Don't do the 2P Share battle local multiplayer - it's awful.
2019
Similar to Mario Maker 2, continually jumping back into this one all the time to grab the new Maximus cup themes. A solid game to hop in and out of - I mean, it's battle royale and Tetris, and a perfect combination at that.
Bought the DLC just for more Tetris, some training in Marathon, and the ability to grab more tickets to unlock more themes. Local multiplayer on this is awful though - having the two Tetris boards stacked on top of each other makes playing even on the TV difficult to see.
Bought the DLC just for more Tetris, some training in Marathon, and the ability to grab more tickets to unlock more themes. Local multiplayer on this is awful though - having the two Tetris boards stacked on top of each other makes playing even on the TV difficult to see.
2019
Logged so many hours on this when I was really into the community, following creators and trying their levels up to the easier Kaizo courses. Only made a few levels myself (code if you want it here: RSC-WX0-QSF), but being able to play the different styles and all their power-ups is great.
What kept me coming back was the Ninji speedruns, though, those really got me going! Bite-sized speedrun levels, being able to see other players around your level play, and a constantly updating leaderboard. Every month or so that those came out (and then fewer and fewer through 2021), would pick this back up and play for that whole active period. Usually managed to place within the top 1000, first getting to bronze or silver star with my own method, then watching Panga streams and copying the strats.
Super Worlds were a fun update, but wish they came earlier and weren't announced as part of the "last update ever" - took the wind out of the sails for this game. Still though, an active community, and if there's ever an interesting level I find on my feed, I enjoy jumping back into this and trying it out. Currently still holding the record on a few courses here and there, including Haelian's level!
If a 3rd one came out, would definitely be interested in picking that up. Probably prefer to keep it in 2D though, keep it simple. A mode in the Wonder style feels ripe to add in!
What kept me coming back was the Ninji speedruns, though, those really got me going! Bite-sized speedrun levels, being able to see other players around your level play, and a constantly updating leaderboard. Every month or so that those came out (and then fewer and fewer through 2021), would pick this back up and play for that whole active period. Usually managed to place within the top 1000, first getting to bronze or silver star with my own method, then watching Panga streams and copying the strats.
Super Worlds were a fun update, but wish they came earlier and weren't announced as part of the "last update ever" - took the wind out of the sails for this game. Still though, an active community, and if there's ever an interesting level I find on my feed, I enjoy jumping back into this and trying it out. Currently still holding the record on a few courses here and there, including Haelian's level!
If a 3rd one came out, would definitely be interested in picking that up. Probably prefer to keep it in 2D though, keep it simple. A mode in the Wonder style feels ripe to add in!
Not my typical genre, but wow this game has a vice grip on me and my phone screen time. Simple and yet still strategically complex turn based strategy.
Understanding more of the mechanics and starting to be able to 3* some runs! Haven't dipped and probably won't dip into multiplayer, Crazy bots are enough enjoyment for me.
Understanding more of the mechanics and starting to be able to 3* some runs! Haven't dipped and probably won't dip into multiplayer, Crazy bots are enough enjoyment for me.
2017
As I go through my Switch catalog, I'm astounded by how quickly I devoured these first party games compared to the impression they left on me. 80+ hours in a little over two months to find 999 power moons. What a wonderful game.
Though I'll always have a soft spot for the Galaxy games, this one's no doubt the best 3D Mario as of yet. Kills me that they didn't add anything else to it besides Luigi's Balloon World, but hey. Stunning vistas with a built in camera mode, really took advantage of all the Switch's systems like HD rumble for those few moons, and a perfect level curve, especially with Dark and Darker side - those last few scarecrow Darker side ones were a blast. And the final challenge definitely fits the exquisite lineage of final 3D Mario levels.
Of course, there were some duds - all the Toadette moon (sorry, star) challenges really inflated the count, and some of the most obtuse moons were downright annoying (Thanks ProZD). Had to look up a few here and there, like that racecar one in New Donk, and it did get a bit formulaic in the side challenges in each kingdom - one main moon, one hidden moon.
Still, what a blast. The New Donk City sequence perfectly paced to give you a big semblance of a win in the middle of the story, and then the final escape sequence on the moon. Pure fun!
Though I'll always have a soft spot for the Galaxy games, this one's no doubt the best 3D Mario as of yet. Kills me that they didn't add anything else to it besides Luigi's Balloon World, but hey. Stunning vistas with a built in camera mode, really took advantage of all the Switch's systems like HD rumble for those few moons, and a perfect level curve, especially with Dark and Darker side - those last few scarecrow Darker side ones were a blast. And the final challenge definitely fits the exquisite lineage of final 3D Mario levels.
Of course, there were some duds - all the Toadette moon (sorry, star) challenges really inflated the count, and some of the most obtuse moons were downright annoying (Thanks ProZD). Had to look up a few here and there, like that racecar one in New Donk, and it did get a bit formulaic in the side challenges in each kingdom - one main moon, one hidden moon.
Still, what a blast. The New Donk City sequence perfectly paced to give you a big semblance of a win in the middle of the story, and then the final escape sequence on the moon. Pure fun!
Honestly, didn't get into this - got too motion-sick, and the gameplay didn't continue to hook me after the first few hours. Fiddling around with motion blur helped a bit but still not enough for longer sessions. Maybe playing on the PS2 on the old TV was better for me. Got through a few of the first few worlds in the first game. If I ever pick this back up, may try Ripto's Rage which is definitely the one I used to have on the PS2. But probably staying abandoned.