In truth, this is essentially a tech demo for Nintendo's speech synthesizer, with just enough dressing around it to justify charging for it. But I'm so glad they went ahead with its release. While more of a toy (like a digital pet) than a game, it's still an utter delight to play with. Sure, the novelty of it all is doing a lot of the work to get the ol' dopamine flowing, but the laugh out loud humor of it all is priceless. I wish everyone could at least try it. Miitomo could never.

This game is 90% vibes, 6% scanning things, and 4% gameplay. The gameplay is basically fine, and while not in itself captivating, it's really there to facilitate the navigating of the incredible—and atmospheric—world that Retro Studios has crafted. One of the highest rated games of all time for good reason. But for those who REALLY want the nail-biting action of a fast-paced shooter, and don't care much about aesthetics... sure, maybe this one is not for you.

Perfectly designed in the same way pinball is perfectly designed. Kinetic gameplay, with simple rules, clear objectives, and immediate feedback. It's easy to learn, but hard to master. It involves skill, strategy, and luck. It offers variety, unpredictability, and replayability. All that, dressed in a nostalgic and aesthetically appealing presentation, while being playable anytime and anywhere with WiFi.

Though innovative and unique for its time, Majora's Mask is far from perfect. Its old design feels bloated and meandering, and it's often frustrating or just plain not fun. That said, it is still a Zelda game, and the dungeons are as good as ever. Beyond that, its spirit and presentation have a kind of specialness that makes it very easy to like. Ultimately, for fans, it's worth experiencing, and the 3DS version is the definitive unemulated version.

Imagine inserting this disc into your PS1 and being immediately greeted with CD quality voice audio and 3D CG, in 1996. This, at a time when the SNES was still going strong. The tech was Vandal Heart's strongest feature, but all these decades later, it doesn't quite hold up. The gameplay is fine, sure, and the story is serviceable, but it all amounts to a pretty barebones and dated TRPG. In 1996, there wasn't much like it, but now, you're likely better off playing something else.

Basically, my other life, so it's perfect. Right?

As an action RPG, the action is about as dynamic as a clicker game, and the roleplaying is somehow even less deep than the original Dragon Quest. Not everyone is in on frenetic action or deep roleplaying though, so it could be that its accessibility is its appeal. Sure, numbers go up—and that can be addictive—and it's easy to jump in and repeat. Plus, the vibes are spot on. But is it worth revisiting? Even in 1996 there were much more engaging games... and this came out in '97.

I adore this game, but it's hard to recommend. The slow pacing is often painful—especially when coupled with the backtracking—and the point and click puzzle style is clunky (oh, I had to click on the object twice to trigger it?). Still, if you're a fan of creepy aesthetics and a decent fright, you may love it too.

It's Mr. Driller! And that's about it. The PSX version is one of the best, but this arcade puzzler is actually more suitable as a quick portable game, rather than as a home console experience. So, whether you're loading an Eboot on your PSP, or some other such device, it's always a fun time that's worth atleast a brief visit.

Keep in mind that OutRun was designed to give you cheap thrills at 100¥ a pop, not to provide a long winded "campaign", "tour", or "career" sim. And what a thrill it is. An unmatched audio-visual driving experience that's beaming with personality. It's infinitely fun and being able to play it on a handheld (though somewhat compromised), anytime and anywhere, is a gift. Add this to your library if you can, because even for a few minutes here and there, your life will be better for it.

Jeremy Parish called Monster World II a "masterpiece" of the Metroidvania genre. MWIII then, is the 16-bit evolution of that masterpiece. Westone is not given enough recognition for their contribution to the medium, and I think it's notable how many modern games are still similar to this 1991 gem. It's simplistic by modern standards, sure, but that simplicity—along with its pleasant visuals—make for a comfy game that's a breeze to revisit. A classic.

When directly compared to its contemporaries, it's no wonder Auto Modelista was critically panned. However, after all this time, I'd argue that it's held up better than any other racer. Sure, visually and stylistically, nothing compares, but also—to this day—no other game captures the thrill of drifting down Mt. Akagi like Auto Modelista. And make no mistake, it's all about drifting; if you're in for that, then adding this game to your collection makes it a joy to revisit over and over.

While the gameplay is somewhat shallow and contrived, the star here is the BGM Mode and Music Maker, which—overall—contribute to a fun little package. This amounts to Otocky playing more like a toy than game, which I'm glad Toshio Iwai embraced as a concept in the culmination of Elektroplankton. A historical oddity, for sure, and worth checking out.

It's good. Everything about it is expertly executed. But it makes for a weird value proposition. The core game is fun, but the DLC takes it to another level; whether it's worth paying full price for the full package is debatable. Regardless of how much you want to invest into it though, if you like strategy games, you'll have fun with this version of Civ.

Probably the best game on GBA. I mean, it has a full drum kit?!