Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards is yet another entry of the Kirby franchise and the only one released on the Nintendo 64. Unlike many other series of the time, Kirby didn't move its gameplay to 3D and instead just adopted 3D graphics while keeping its traditional style. The game's main gimmick is the ability to combine abilities, which is done by combining 2 abilities into a new one. Although this mechanic is quite fun, it came at the cost of a small set of copy abilities with very limited movesets.

Overall, I liked this game. Visuals are very charming and the gameplay's simple but fun, especially thanks to the combination mechanic. Recommended.

Doom 64 is a good game. The level design is generally pretty good, certainly much better than Final Doom's. The aesthetics are pretty damn interesting; the game absolutely nails the dark and gloomy atmosphere it's going for. I was especially impressed with how the hellish levels towards the end felt more like Hell than almost anything in Doom 2. The soundtrack isn't the best dark ambient I've heard, but it sets a tone of dread well. Maybe a little too well...even the more action-packed arena levels are still comprised of low, rumbling tones instead of something that would elevate the action.

Some of the mazes are pretty lame. When the levels are intuitive and I don't get stuck in a cumbersome switch-hunt to progress, they can be great fun. But every five or so levels, I found myself getting hit with some bullshit as the game likes to hide this switch behind pressing this other switch there then moving over to this area really quick. I found myself hugging walls more than Doom 1 and 2 ever did. That was the worst part of those games and it was even worse here.

Another thing: the game's lighting and sound and creepier monster designs are all very well presented...but by 1997, I expect a game to at least have an actual ending cutscene. On that note, aside from the graphics this doesn't really feel like much of an advance from Doom 2 despite coming out 3 years later. I get that it was a side game made by Midway and as such, sure, it's understandable that it wouldn't be as polished as a full-on third game. But it would've been nice to feel a little more of an advancement than just the visuals and less cliché sound effects.

But it's still good old classic Doom, which means it's still inherently enjoyable to play. It's Doom at its scariest, which is an interesting choice that sets it apart from the loud, colorful classics. It's also definitely one of the better third-party games on the N64, though I played the PC remaster. The newer PC release is good, but I wish they added the ability to mouselook up and down like in GZDoom. That's all it's missing for me though.

Project M and its community is incredibly important to the internet and gaming as a whole. It proves that no matter what hurdles a company throws you, dedicated fans and talented people will always overcome them. Following the depressing closure of Project M due to fear of a C&D from Nintendo, from the ashes rises Project +. It's everything you loved about Project M except with a plus. More stages, more gameplay tweaks and of course: Knuckles the Echidna. Installing Project+ isn't as complicated as one might think, so I definitely think it's worth a play

Sidenote: this is my 500th review what the hell

This was a lot better than the first one. The visuals are fantastic. This game looks incredible and even the few animated scenes are great. Such awesome twisted and surreal visuals, really carried the game for me. The main character is also incredibly cute, and all of her expressions combined with the surprisingly good and funny writing come together to make a really likeable character. The music/sound design is also great. Unfortunately, I dont think I could give this game higher than a 4/5 simply because I didnt get it. None of the endings clear anything up and outside of mental health issues, I really couldn't tell you what the game is trying to say. I dont really like open endings and this game kinda feels like its the "story is what you make of it" type deal, but that just doesnt do anything for me. Thankfully the dialogue and presentation is just so strong, and even if the endings arent very clear they can range from interesting to seriously quite unnerving. While I feel like the game could of conveyed its message better, it was a great time overall

Achievement Completion - 100%
Time Played - 3 hours 18 minutes
Nancymeter - 81/100
Game Completion #42 of 2022
April Completion #11

5 FUCKING YEARS WHERE THE FUCK IS SAIN FIRE EMBLEM YOU FRAUDSSSSS

Edit: Greatest game of all time I'm afraid.......

Edit 2: THEY FUCKING ADDED MARK FIRE EMBLEM THIS GAME IS SO BALLSY ITS PEAKKKK