A controversial, but intriguing addition to the Paper Mario series. This was the first step away from the traditional turn-based combat of the first two games into a platformer/RPG hybrid that can be isolating for fans of one genre over the other. The gameplay is fun but lacks impact, platforming is solid but narrows what can be done with level design, basically not good enough to be mainline platformer perfection, but still serviceable. The real star of the show is the story which is shockingly heartfelt and engaging to the player. The game is not afraid to be silly but knows when to dial it back to make story revelations the most impactful. This is likely the darkest and most story-heavy game in the Mario series, and it does not disappoint. I found myself emotional at various points in the game, further helped by a fantastic musical score to punch up the scenes for the most impact.
All in all, it is fun, but lacks the uniqueness of the previous entries. Largely, play for the story, as without it, there is not much to make this game particularly memorable. The story is worth it, especially for those who go in blind.

Personally: one of my favorite games of all time. Probably the most unique Fire Emblem game in the series, it is separate into different arcs and storyline perspectives until it ultimately comes together in part 4. This method of storytelling helps to lend tighter gameplay in having limited means to progress through individual chapters, due to the amount of characters usable and progression being erratic; this does cause issues in part 3 and 4, as the majority of the characters steamroll ahead or will wind up drastically unbalanced. The game is most certainly not perfect; the story can be underwritten, especially in part 4, not helped by new characters lacking backstories to make them equal to the old ones, especially due to the new support system. The support system is unique but lacks the charms of the rest of the series as it does not lead to unique conversations or character establishment, but is consistently helpful and varied in gameplay. Biorhythm is the biggest issue, being more of an irritant to make guaranteed hits that can be calculated miss and lead to killing a character, but typically it impacts nothing other than occasionally being annoying.
While this is negative, these things never bothered me, and the gameplay and constant changing of dilemma kept me engaged to the point that every playthrough felt different, due to self-imposed challenge or new strategies to try out.
All in all, a great step forward in some aspects, but a big step back in others. While subjective, I have such a fondness and always find something else to enjoy when playing the game, despite near 20 playthroughs, which is not something I am keen to do with videogames.

This is porn. This is fun, engaging porn that does not feel as though it is desperately trying to gross you out and get you off simultaneously. Nudity and sex is used in this game as a farce, to which it helps to make the situation wonderfully absurd and engrossing.
Game-play wise, this is city builder with the goal to make enough money and destroy your rivals for capitalistic gain. The gameplay is simple and enjoyable, with no real mechanics that ruin the experience, rather add a tediousness that prolongs the game, but for me, it helped to allow more time for the date activities. Dating is the main draw of the game, where you get to meet and potentially sex your business partners. Your partners are nuts, but they fit into this wacky world where debauchery is an normal as breathing.
For those who do not like porn, the game presents options to play SFW, but doing so, at least to me, somewhat defeats the purpose of this unhinged game.
Negatively, the game is not endless and you will always reach a point where it is too impractical to go on, which can sully the experience for those seeking to get everything without starting from scratch.
All in all, a goofy game that is addictive to play and titillating to look at, if that's your thing.

Immediately, I was hooked into the world of this game. Each character felt fleshed out and intriguing, along with their personal reasoning to engage in what is essentially a death game. I enjoyed how the game overlapped and chess-like strategy each of the characters engage with when confronting other "cursed" characters. The game is stylish and visually striking to look at, with nary a moment of boredom on the screen, with dialogues that last long enough to be impactful, but not too long to seem dull.
Without spoilers: I felt the ending was not satisfactory, as it felt like I was waiting for some big confrontation moment, just for it be taken away. I find it intriguing the twist that was utilized, but it still led to a rather quiet ending to what was an engrossing story.
All in all, a great experience, but one that goes with a whimper rather than the bang it deserved.

Ultimately: a huge letdown. First and foremost: the game is gorgeous, with beautiful vibrant colors and dynamic style. That is about where the good ends, as it was largely the reason I chose to pick it up. The issues lie in how unintuitive the game was; with a gimmick like time travel, battle were often cumbersome to complete, especially due to how long they could be, as well, it never felt like you did anything impactful.
The game just kinda meanders with characters you are not given reason to care about, a world you cannot care about, and gameplay that does not hook you. I eventually game it up soon after getting the fourth party member and noticing how much work would be used to make him competent and realized I did not have the care or patience to play it any longer.
As well, numerous tech issues, the game frequently crashed for me, as well, going in and out of battles took a century, which made me lament each time a random battle took place.
Perhaps there is a good game hidden past the very specific time which I quit, but I somehow doubt it; if I play as many hours as I did and remain annoyed throughout, it perhaps is not worth it.

Probably one of the games that formed my very understanding of an utterly engrossing experience. Growing up, I was a well-behaved and responsible child to a fault, never buying an M-rated game beforehand. For Christmas, this game intrigued me like nothing before and I bit the bullet. What I found was a story that still plays in my head to this day.
I could talk about he story and characters all day, but simply said they are fantastic. I came out of this game hooked to the fictional lives of these characters, as well as almost feeling like I was experiencing the story with them, as diagnosable as that may sound.
To keep it short, I enjoyed the puzzles, but that is not the reason to stay involved, the story goes places surprising and enlightening, and when I would figure something out, it would continue to twist that impression that I made.
This was a fantastic experience for myself and a good starting point for others who are interested in this genre of game without going into something more complicated. Serious when necessary, silly in doses, but never obnoxious, it hits the right notes for emotional impact and lighthearted character building that will leave a long impression on the player.

After finishing the first game, my first thought was "I cannot wait for a second game" and when this finally arrived my thought was "it was okay". I would not say the game does anything worse than the previous game, but more so that it does not exceed what was already established beforehand. The major difference is that the game is split between two new protagonists: the previously seen Mizuki and the new Ryuki. The game is primarily established to give more context to Mizuki and it does that in some rather ludicrous ways; without spoilers: almost everything previously learned about her is altered, for better or worse. Ryuki, on the other hand, does not measure up, he is a more serious character, but it leads him to be harder to care about, especially considering how much he was meant to act as the opposite of Date.
Another issue with the cast for this game is that they would routinely drag characters from the previous game to this one, often times just for the cameo, to which they somewhat took time away from establishing the new characters. The new characters are likable and endearing, especially in how they are involved in the overall story of the game.
The plot is significantly less gory, but no less horrific. As well, the structure is fascinating in how it manipulates the player's perspective on events. The overall story and conflict is equally, in my opinion, as the first game, but the path to get there is more tumultuous.
Gameplay-wise, the Somniums continue to be fun, but can be annoying in this early mistakes are almost impossible to recover from, which can be annoying depending on the player.
All in all, a solid sequel with an interesting story, but lacks what the French say "that one thing" to really make the experience impactful at the deepest level.

As a fan of Werewolf-style games, this was a story I found myself enraptured by with a constantly evolving cast and story revelation and twists. The game begins slow with allowing the player to get acquainted to the world as an outsider to the actions before getting them involved in it. As well, much of the game subverts the expectation of the player, especially in how players would likely jump to the conclusion that their actions will be the proper solution when that is quickly proven incorrect.
The pacing is an exercise in removing the player from the player insert character. Haruaki Fusaishi is most certainly not a conventional protagonist, with him spending the majority of the story being both selfish, self-centered, and conniving, but never to the point of being the active villain in the story, which was very surprising to see.
Gameplay-wise, issues for players may arise. The game is almost strictly visual novel, with the only player input being from branching path choices, which will largely be pointless as most lead to game over screens. Mileage may vary for each player, but for me, I was not bothered due to the strength of the mystery and character interactions. Additionally, the game is very wordy and does not have a dubbed option, so while I would have preferred to have had the option, I was able to get through it.
All in all, this is a game best liked by people who can handle a strict visual novel, but quite frankly if it doesn't hook you after the first trial, you'll likely never get hooked. I may be rating it too highly for its faults, but even years after playing it, it still revisits my mind, so the impact was apparent.

Initially, I was interested in the series due to having the same writer as the Zero Escape series and in that I was not disappointed. The game is funny and largely light-hearted, despite being centered around brutal murders and a serial killer on the loose. The story has good twists and turns with some being more surprising, but more obvious when you look back with foresight.
On the topic of the story, I think it has a good balance of keeping the comedy and serious aspects appropriate. This may not be the case for everyone, but for myself, I was never bothered when the transition happened.
Gameplay can occasionally get too silly or perverted which distracts from what your goal is, but the options during the Somniel portions are always entertaining, even when you screw up.
All in all, this game is good for those who enjoy murder mysteries and do not mind silly anime nonsense. It separates it, both positively and negatively, the degree in which is subject to the viewer.

A timepiece to a sense of nostalgia I have no relation or memory of having, but I can still feel through the work itself. A delightful story with twists and revolutions that constantly shifts the player's interpretation of the story as it goes on. It is rather short and simple, but the story is worth it for home much impact it made in such as short time. Puzzles can be a bit questionable, some being fun, others being tedious, as well as having a bit of a "guide dangit" when it comes to specific triggers and collection points. As well, the game could be a bit slow to work through, as you somewhat move pretty slow. All in all, the story and characters are a real hit and make the experience all worth it.

This was my first (and probably only, I am rather intimidated by the other games) Pikmin game and it did not disappoint. It is a game of satisfying feelings. The feeling of collecting useless junk and adding meaning to it, the feeling of caring for pixels because they made sad sounds when they die, the feeling of euphoria when a dandori goes just the way you wanted it to. This was a surprising feel-good game that I could not take my hands off and it seeps good vibes out of its core.
All in all, don't worry, just dandori.

Life is Strange 2 is the Super Mario Bros. 2 of the series. Good for what it is, but very different in ways that does not feel like Life is Strange. The first game made such a strong impression that it was always going to be difficult to follow up the first game, and in my opinion, they did a good job.
The major theme of the game is in how the player values the brotherly relationship, if you act moral, Daniel does too, as well as the opposite. The real theme of the game is that it only takes one thing to derail your entire life never to recover. This is a tragedy in nearly every way, no matter the decision that gets made, something terrible comes right after it. It is an exercise in how many terrible things you can witness and continue to keep going.
Gameplay-wise, there is almost no psychic activity, which keeps the gameplay a little more bland than the other games, as you can only influence rather than directly control the events of the game.
All in all, a good sequel that does not seem too related to the first game, nor the later games. This may be due to having a male protagonist or in general different themes that are more broadly political rather than simply moralistic. It is still an interesting experience that is worth having if you enjoy these types of games.
On a personal note: this game was a cathartic experience for me. At the time of playing this, I had just left a job I loved due to stress and had no idea what I was doing with my life, but this game did help me to feel things and process it positively, so for that, I will always be fond of my experience with it.

The Life is Strange series is one that will constantly be compared to the first game, as it sets the precedent for how players engage with the rest of the series. True Colors has a lot that is similar to the first game, but with a more positive outlook. Whereas the first game was a tragedy with good scattered throughout, the second game was a tragedy that got worse as it went along, and the third game is a tragedy that gets better and shows the positives of life.
While bad things do happen, the player gets to experience something the other games do not show: healing. The mood is largely nice and does not revel in the misery of its characters allowing them to grow beyond the situation.
Saying all that, it does lead to the game being less impactful than the rest of the series. I played this game far more recently than Life is Strange 1, but remember far more than I do from True Colors.
Gameplay-wise, the game has everything I like it: you get to explore fairly freely, talk to whoever you want, see others develop without your influence, and use empathy to interesting effects. While empathy is the least impactful power in this series, it is used well, just with fairly obvious conclusions that come from choices regarding it.
All in all, a nice departure from the trends of the series that blends tragedy with hope to provide a more light experience than the rest of the series.

As someone who has never played Dangan Ronpa, but has seen others play it (where I can skip the cringe and boring), this did not endear me to these types of games. I love mystery novels and this provided an adequate experience.
I did not find myself too invested in any of the plots of the cases, as I was able to figure out the culprits, simply due to how few characters there were and how easy they were to eliminate. Most of the twists I had formulated long before they were revealed, with only seldom being surprised at an event. This was enjoyable, but not fully engaging and did not leave me thinking the same way something like Ace Attorney does.
Character-wise is where I have issues, as the majority of the side characters range from okay to intolerable, with Shinigami doing so between dialogue boxes. I found myself struggling to care about the cases when the tone fluctuated so unevenly, if something was serious there would be too many times a silly, goofy thing would happen that would break immersion.
Atmosphere-wise, this game is stunning. It looks gorgeous and invites so much awe at the sound of the rain, the neon in the dark, the sense of danger, and the collective grief that comes through from the state of the city.
Gameplay is so-so, it works but is just a movable visual novel, which I do enjoy, it helps to keep the player attentive and does not bog down the player with seemingly endless text. I hope to never see a game of hangman again; it ruins the immersion of the game, it is stupidly complicated, and never seems beneficial to play.
In conclusion, the game is enjoyable, but not particularly memorable in story or character. I would play a sequel, which seems to be implied by the ending, but fine-tuning the mysteries and how the gameplay intersects could turn this series into something special.