Over the last few months, I have watched my roommate play through Nier: Automata, and playing it vicariously through him has cemented my views on this game as not only one of the best video games ever made, but also as one of the most important games ever made.

There's a lot of reasons for this and I think the first thing to address is this game's thematic identity. I think more so than maybe any other game, the themes carry Nier: Automata over any other element of the story. That isn't to say that the plot, characters, or setting are lacking, just that its themes are not only so vast and complex, but also so well realized and constantly present throughout the game that they take center stage. The human condition, nihilism, the value of life, theodicy, honoring others, hope, fate and defiance, the cycle of hatred, empathy and otherness, consciousness and evolution, and repetition. These themes (and likely many others that I don't remember off the top of my head) are so crucial to who we are as people, and handled in a believable way in the context of the story and in the context of the medium of video games, that I continue to think about them years after playing it myself and even more so on this fresh playthrough. I think that a lot of modern JRPGs can be too big for their britches with the subject matter that they try and tackle, and as a result don't end up landing as much as I think they want to (imo Xenoblade Chronicles is a good example of this, not to mention Persona 5's shitty ending); some also are very implicit and subtle, which can be very rewarding but also can struggle to make a bold first impression (Souls games, for example). Nier: Automata doesn't fall into either of these categories, and I think it's ability to stratal that line is not only commendable, but brilliant.

What I especially appreciate is how it also manages to be ambiguous with its themes and its ending. Every route in this game has a very different tone and very different implications compared to other routes. Most of it is a very depressing game, but at the same time its ultimate ending is inherently hopeful. It balances both of those philosophies, but challenges the player to discern for themselves which side they will pick. We see that in whether you choose route C or D first, we see that in the text options that are given to you at the end of route E, and we see that in the final dialogue between the pods where they acknowledge that it's entirely possible that their choices might lead to the exact same outcome, continuing the theme of repetition that the game has maintained since you hit start. However, the possibility also exists that something else may happen, and that's where the game ends. Such an open-ended, philosophical question feels earned because of how it doesn't preach any philosophy as correct throughout the entire game.

Beyond its themes, Nier: Automata is important for how it challenges conventions of the medium. Narratively, this wouldn't work as anything other than a video game, but beyond that it completely challenges concepts of diegetic elements in games, sound design and dynamic mixing, genre combinations, playing online, UI, meta elements, being a sequel, real-world references, and especially new game+. I don't think I really need to elaborate on this. I feel like the industry has been at a point in the last several years where innovation consists of pushing hardware or reinventing games that have existed for over a decade, but this game at least in part attempts to redefine how games are made, and I think it's much more successful.

Visually, the game is stunning, and I really didn't appreciate it until this playthrough. I love the visual effect with the lighting engine when the game gets darker; light seems to reflect off of every speck of dust in the air while making the player character and enemies into silhouettes. The game definitely struggles to render buildings in the city ruins, but most environments look stunning (abandoned factory, amusement park, copied city, resource recovery units, the bunker). I'm extra impressed by the diversity in attack animations with all the different weapon combinations you can have. The 3D anime style looks super good and doesn't look like its trying hard to replicate a 2D art style in 3D.

And if there's one highlight above everything else, it's this soundtrack.

Holy

Shit

Keiiche Okabe is such a fucking mastermind. I can't do his work justice with words, but if you've played it you know what I'm talking about. My second favorite soundtrack. Ever.

So the obvious question with all this praise is: why only 4.5 stars?

I have two critiques with this game that I think do limit this game to some degree, and both of them have to do with the gameplay. The first is that there is absolutely no concept of difficulty balancing here. The beginning of route C was such a humungous difficulty spike for me on my first playthrough that I almost dropped the game; side quests are basically mandatory for getting enough experience in routes A and B to make it through to the second half, and while the side quests are great, it almost seems like the game forces you to do them to be at a competent level, which I can't stand by. At the same time, you can turn the game to easy mode and have the game GRIND FOR YOU! When I first played the game I did this after getting into route C for real, and left the game running for like an hour while I did other stuff, and came back and was level 99. And that's how I beat the game. Why is this something you can do?! It's funny, and kinda cool, but there is no semblance of challenge whatsoever after route A.

The second critique is that the combat system itself is not great. I know that this is a really common complaint, and I used to not care as much. I really like the hack 'n' slash X bullet hell gameplay enough to not mind the lack of depth, not to mention that, again, the animations in combat is astounding. But in the second half of the game, especially when you become really proficient with hacking enemies as 9S, it really sinks in how most fights play out the same. It's not NEARLY as broken and braindead as Nier: Replicant, but it starts to feel really trivial (ironic, or maybe intentional). It also doesn't help how there are only a handful of different types of hacking games to play as 9S.

I think what suffers most are the boss fights. There aren't a lot of them (especially after route A), a lot of them are against big spherical robots, and as a result of all this a lot of them are very unmemorable. The fight against 21O I legit forgot even happened, and watching my roommate play it, he tore through the whole thing in like 30 seconds and it kinda made sense why I forgot after watching that.

However I will grant the game this: I think the gameplay being kinda lame makes it more approachable to a casual audience, and for a game like this, I would want it to be as accessible as possible. I wish a better balance could be struck, but I think there is merit to that fact.

I think these two things are significant enough to where I can look at them and believe in good conscious that the game could have been a lot better if these issues had been addressed.

But despite these two things, this is still one of my favorite games ever, one of the best games ever, and one of the most important games ever. Reexperiencing this has been incredible, especially watching another person who I care deeply about experiencing it for the first time.

I was interested in this game for a couple reasons

1. I find that fugly 3D-DS model aesthetic nostalgically charming
2. Good word of mouth
3. Short games aren't really my thing and I wanted to expand my horizons a little bit.

Sure enough, I beat the whole thing in the span of no more than 2 hours, and I did a lot. It's a simple, cute, enjoyable adventure about exploring this island, playing a bunch of minigames, talking to some funny animal crossing-esque characters, and finally making it up to the top and seeing that gorgeous view. My squirrel brain was satisfied by always having something interesting to explore but never being led too far from the main objective that I felt overwhelmed or like I wasn't making progress. It was two hours well spent.

I don't wanna hear it from anyone. This game showcases Nomura's talent at writing characters.

Such a sincere and relatable story about loneliness and purpose. Roxas is one of the greatest video game characters ever made. The entire game does an incredible job of pacing the development of his character and his relationships with the rest of the organization members. I used to be disappointed that this game didn't explore the rest of the organization more, but now I think it's intentionally brilliant how little we really know about them, because these people don't matter to Roxas. Axel, Xion, Saïx, and the collective entity of the organization are the only ones that are significant to his life, so it makes sense that those are the only ones explored. And the buildup and conclusion is stellar. I love reading Roxas' diary throughout the game, and his blowup at Axel is perfect, leading to not only an insane boss rush, but also to some of the most effective storytelling not only in the series but in the entire medium of video games.

After 15 years of playing Pokémon games, I can finally say that I've played through the one that started it all (kinda).

My final thoughts are that it feels simultaneously very familiar, very much like the first game in the series, and very fun. It does a lot well despite the fact that many of its successors have exceeded it in basically every way in my opinion, and unlike a certain other pair of remakes of game boy Pokémon games, I don't think that the glow up of this remake detracts from the experience or reveals its age.

I think it's cool to go back to this game after being so familiar with the future of this franchise and see how much it's grown. Going from an average of 300-400 monsters in each game's regional dexes for the past decade to only 150 was a huge jump that hampered team building, but that used to be all there was, which is fascinating to think about. And even within those 150 there's not that much diversity; your pickings from type to type vary drastically, and especially in a pre-physical/special split game you have to consider more carefully what types are worth having both offensively and defensively, and how to have synergy in a team with way fewer options. Even the roughly 150 in Black and White have a lot more diversity and a lot more mons that are viable compared to here.

Kanto is a very interesting region as well, and surprisingly unlike any other region in the series. It's very labyrinthian in design, with multiple different pathways to get to multiple different places (Rock Tunnel, Diglett Cave, Cycling Road, undergrounds paths, etc.). Especially in the middle of the game, I found myself opening up the town map more than I have in all other Pokémon games combined, which was really fun. It felt like I was actually charting my way through a new region, like I was actually on an adventure.

That being said, just because Kanto is fun to traverse doesn't necessarily mean it's a particularly interesting place. Besides the series' conventions of a casino and a cemetery and some other staples, there's hardly anything interesting to see or explore, not to mention there's very little visual diversity. I think it's better in that regard than Johto, but every game gen III and afterwards has more things to see and explore, as well as a more cohesive identity as a region.

But what Kanto lacks in locales it makes up for in things to do. There's always something happening, whether that be boarding the S.S. Anne, infiltrating Team Rocket's gambling operation, taking a trek to visit Bill, discovering the secrets hidden in the Pokémon mansion, and more. I was never bored going through Kanto, and even today, not many regions can match it in that sense. Most other games are carried by other aspects that work well for their respective games, but only give me that sense of excitement of seeing something new sporadically.

This game also stumbles in other regions. This was one of the more challenging games in the series, and I averaged close to 10 levels under my opponents for most of the game; I really liked this, but by the time I got to the elite four, I knew my team of all lv 39s wouldn't stand a chance against some trainers who got up past 60, and I had to grind. A lot. Your mileage on this point will vary undoubtedly, but I think future games balance challenge with a steady level curve better than this one does. But still, I'd take this over Johto in a heartbeat.

Its story and characters are also something that's been exceeded. Oak is a lovable doofus, and Gary is an interesting concept for an antagonist who constantly taunts you and inadvertently pushes you to get better. But those are the only things this has going for it. Other games have more fleshed out and interesting characters and stories that further your journey. Say what you want about the meaning or meaninglessness of stories in Pokémon games, but they play a crucial part in progressing you to the end of the game and establishing the vibe of each entry, which this game is clearly not that interested in.

But with all this being said, I still had a lot of fun with this, and I'm glad that I can recognize these elements. All this comparison to future generations proves to me that the series was a success, that Game Freak had a great formula and improved upon it and made something better. I enjoyed this game a lot, and I may come back to it later down the line.

But I'm definitely not bothering with the Sevii Islands post-game, no thank you.

To paraphrase a certain mule: there are two types of hard games: "tough but fair," and "tough but fuck you." Super Castlevania IV manages to be "tough but fun anyway."

It is filled to the brim with undeniable bullshit: platforms that flip over or straight up break when you land on them, knockback into bottomless pits, bosses stunlocking you, instakill spikes, enemies being obscured by the hud and hitting you from above, instances where it's impossible to avoid taking damage, getting stuck on stairs, falling through stairs, the game starving you for sub weapons and meat, those asshole skeletons that jump and throw bones like axes. It is rage-enducingly hard, I put the controller down many times out of frustration, and you can bet your ass I save scummed through the whole thing. And given this game's reputation as "the easy one" in comparison to its predecessors, I don't ever want to play the NES games.

But damn does this game give you such a sense of accomplishment for beating each of its stages. The core platforming, whipping, ghoul-slaying action feels so inherently good, the controls are precise (if a bit stiff), the game's gorgeous and spooky aesthetic and vibey soundtrack are so inviting, and with each death I found myself getting better. This game is constantly taunting you each stage, only to encourage you in equal measure to give it one more go. If you're determined enough, it's more than doable, and it certainly gets my recommendation.

This is a really good intro RPG. It has a lot of mechanics that force you to stay attentive during battles, which I can imagine people who think that turn-based combat is pretty boring might enjoy. It also has a lot of memorable characters and witty dialogue; not to the extent of Undertale, but I laughed a lot regardless.

However, for as much as I enjoy these aspects of Superstar Saga, this is one of those games where the little inconveniences are so plentiful that it ultimately sours my enjoyment. The map isn't very detailed, you can wander into areas you're not supposed to be in yet and get demolished by enemies, button presses are often unresponsive, trying to create a 3D space in a 2D game doesn't work (especially when there is a lot of platforming), cycling through all of your overworld abilities is cumbersome, dying sets you back to your last save point instead of letting you restart the battle, and losing just one of the bros cripples you in combat and requires you to waste a turn healing them unless you can finish the battle immediately.

But my least favorite thing is the abundance of mini-games that are mandatory for progression. Some might see these a good change of pace, but I see them as filler since they often require a new control scheme and have nothing to do with the rest of the game.

I also have my problems with the combat system. Even though it keeps you on your toes by requiring precise button-press timing to maximize efficiency, it's never quite as satisfying as I would like. First of all, just like in the overworld, several attack animations try to use a nonexistent 3D space, making it difficult to avoid things on your first time encountering enemies. Second, the game does not teach you how to most effectively use your bros moves (essentially your special abilities that cost mp), and even with the slowed down versions to help you learn the timing, trying to get the hang of them is frustrating, especially the advanced versions which basically expect you to figure out how to perform them on your own. Third, the system itself is inherently flawed. By making a battle system that is reliant on precision, all it does is make you frustrated when you fail. It isn't satisfying to perform precise timing well because you have to do it in every single fight, and the only reward for performing precise actions well is not performing poorly. Compare this to the rhythm battle system in Mother 3; by learning the rhythm of the enemies you fight and timing your attacks in synch with the rhythm, you are rewarded with doing more damage and ending fights more quickly. Essentially this is the same idea but used in the opposite direction.

From what I understand, the 3DS remake improved a lot of these issues, and I kinda wish I played that version instead. Actually, the only reason I played the GBA original is because I really admire how this game looks. In fact, I'll praise the visuals for being my favorite part of the game; the entire world is colorful and vibrant, all the sprite work is really good, and I especially love the animation on Mario and Luigi themselves. The use of squash & stretch and exaggeration on their animation is endlessly entertaining, and at the very least that made the experience on GBA somewhat enjoyable.

I think that I will like this game more on a second playthrough, especially if I play the remake with all the quality of life improvements. I enjoyed what this game did well, but I'm really hoping that future titles don't have the same issues.

It's honestly kind of amazing how this game even exists. The first game wasn't successful, so this was made during the developers' free time while they worked on other projects, it only had 3-4 months of development time, and still somehow managed to be better than Mega Man 1 in every way, be considered the best Mega Man game on the NES, and is arguably the best game on the console. It's one of those game design miracle stories that are really crazy to think about.

As for the game itself, it's just as surprising. Basically everything has been improved, to the point where the game is actually fun to play now. Like even separated from the original game, Mega Man 2 is just really fun to play. The core gameplay is solid, the weapons are fun to play with, it looks really good, it performs flawlessly for NES standards, and the music SLAPS. Easily the best part of the game is the soundtrack; I listen to it all the time.

Give this one a shot. I think it's one of the few NES games that's actually worth your time nowadays, and it's easily my personal favorite.

It has been YEARS since I've played a Mega Man game. I'd heard mixed things about this particular one, but I was excited to jump back in after a long hiatus. But my excitement soon turned into nervousness when I started playing, because someone on the level design team LOVED spikes, and especially enemies coming from off-screen and knocking you into bottomless pits. It was aggravating, but, the stages got progressively easier the more weapons I unlocked (I guess that's how it goes in Mega Man, use your powers to ignore all the bullshit), so I found myself having more fun the more I pushed through. Drill Man's stage can suck it though.

Questionable design aside, there's a lot I enjoyed about Mega Man IV. The most obvious thing is the huge presentation boost. Not just the opening cutscene and the new weapon acquisition animation, but also the level themes. The coolest thing about the first Mega Man is how its level design really played into its themes; Cut Man's stage really felt like infiltrating this towering fortress, Guts Man's stage felt like descending down a huge construction shaft. MMII and III had way more visually creative themes, which was certainly for the better, but lost some of that... grounded adventurousness for lack of a better term. MMIV incorporates that same feeling, but with the way more interesting aesthetics of II and III, making for what is easily the best looking game thus far, and by a much more substantial margin than you'd expect.

I also like this game's (slight) emphasis on exploration. It's really not all that special (and from what I know the rest of the classic series and especially the X series do this way more), but it's cool to occasionally stumble upon a different path and be rewarded with the balloon and wire (which are both awesome, btw).

And the core gameplay feels just as good as ever. Mega Man's still got the slide, he has the charge shot finally, Rush still rocks, Eddie's always a welcome surprise whenever he shows up, and I think the weapons are... ok. I like how the Pharaoh Shot essential gets two fully charged shots per use by hitting an enemy while charging and then throwing it; Rain Flush and Flash Stopper are great for when you don't wanna deal with things, and I like how the level design makes you use these two like you would Rush or the items, navigating around enemies rather than strictly being combat weapons. I like the Dust Crusher and the Drill Bomb as alternatives that aren't just a worse version of the Mega Buster (although I usually just used the charge shot). The Ring Boomerang sucks, I don't think I ever used the Dive Missile for anything that wasn't a boss, and the Skull Barrier is great for letting me ignore everything in Drill Man's stage, but I rarely used it outside of that. Nothing here replaces the Mega Buster for me, nor is anything as fun and broken as the Thunder Beam or the Metal Blade, but I also don't feel like most of them are worthless imitators of my basic attack like most of MMIII's arsenal.

The soundtrack I also think is... ok. It's head-boppy enough while I'm playing, but there's nothing here'd I'd go out of my way to listen to sadly. BUT there's also nothing I actively dislike, which I think is a first for a classic Mega Man.

Yea, I guess this game being just... ok... could summarize my whole opinion on it, and I guess in that sense I don't really disagree with the consensus on this entry. And as future classic games continue to iteratively improve on the formula, maybe I won't think of this as fondly. But, frustrating as it was at times, I did have a lot of fun with this one! I wouldn't shrug it off as a worthless entry in the series, and I think it at the very least is better than both I and III.

Every time I play this game, I lie to myself and say I like it just as much as Galaxy 2. But I don't. All the best levels are saved for the very end of the game. For all the levels you play before you fight Bowser, I can only think of them with a moderate "I liked that level" at best. I don't remember any of them with the same inventiveness as Sunshine's levels, nor with the same whimsicality as Galaxy 2's levels.

And coming right off of Sunshine, it's clear just how much potential that game had. In comparison, Galaxy is way less fun to play. Mario is so much slower, everything takes longer to do, and you don't have a full 360 degrees of movement.

But then again, the game actually works now. And it's the most geniusly constructed 3D platformer ever made. So, that makes up for it.

I can feel my drive to play this steadily waning. It's been three months. I've died hundreds of times. I don't want to play it anymore.

I love how fast paced it is. You can make so much progress in 10 minutes, and if you die, just jump right back in. The flow is beautiful. But god damn are the mines so BORING! If I can miraculously make it to the jungle with more than some bombs, paste and a fucking baseball glove, I'll probably make it all the way down into the Temple. But 85% of runs end in the mines, with nary a decent shop in sight, and I'm so sick of it. I'd love to beat this game one day, but I think that day is far, FAR from now.

To talk about Super Mario 64 without lavishing it with undying praise is fruitless. This game's reputation precedes itself: it defined the childhood of millions, it defined an entire genre, it defined the entire industry at arguably the most important moment of its advancement.

I do not deny any of these things. However, I have always despised the idea that a game must be considered in the context of its own time. Regardless of how important or revolutionary this game was in 1996, the fact is I played this in 2020; the industry has evolved drastically in the last 24 years, as have our standards.

Super Mario 64 is a game that I do not think someone can fully enjoy in a modern context. While it is important to consider the history of any title to understand the limitations of what its creators could and couldn't do, that does not excuse it from criticism. Most of the discussion I have witnessed regarding this game has been with those who grew up with it, defending it, or if they do take issue with it, mostly forgiving it because it was the first of its kind. In my opinion, this game has aged poorly. That doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy it, that only means that I do not consider it to be one of the greatest games of all time, and I don't care if my negative opinion on some of its aspects are taboo; I will say them regardless.

So I guess I should start with what I like about it. For me, the shining achievement of this game is its abundance of secrets. Exploration is more satisfying here than in any other 3D Mario game (admittedly, I have yet to play Sunshine). The more open levels like Big Boo's Haunt, Wet-Dry World, Hazy Maze Cave and Whomp's Fortress are the best courses because of how they throw you into a large spaces with multiple, smaller areas to explore at your own pace. The hub-world abides by this idea as well, and is my favorite part of the game easily. Slowly unlocking more of Peach's Castle, figuring out what's behind every door, uncovering all of its mysteries, it's mesmerizing. I find it incredible how I've played dozens of 3D games, and Mario 64 has captivated my imagination more than most, and I mean that with the upmost sincerity. I'm sure there are still things about this game that I didn't know about, and that excites me.

Surprisingly, the platforming is really good too. The stars in courses like Shifting Sand Land, Tick Tock Clock, Rainbow Ride, and the Bowser levels where platforming is the focus over exploration are the most satisfying to collect.

Unfortunately, when the courses don't do either of these things well, or when they try to do both, they are exceptionally dull. Most of the levels have very boring layouts and don't have interesting level themes to make up for it. This is one point that I would be willing to be more forgiving of since they likely had no idea how to make 3D spaces interesting, but when I see how creative courses like Big Boo's Haunt, Tick Tock Clock and Tiny-Huge Island are, I can't help but wish that the entire game could be that way.

What makes these boring levels even worse is the abundance of padding. On top of being kicked out of the level every time you get a star, it's clear that they tried to squeeze ever last drop of potential out of each world. Every course has a 100-coin star, an 8-red coin star, multiple courses have a slide star, multiple have a pick-the-chest-in-the-right-order star, multiple have you finding five objects in a level. The castle gives you a star for catching the bunny twice, a star for doing the secret slide twice (although one is a time trial to be fair), and even gives multiple stars for talking to toads. Even the courses themselves feel padded; there are two snow levels, three water levels, four generic grassy/building levels, and even an entire lava level when the Bowser stages are pretty much exactly the same. There is a lack of creativity when it comes to objectives and level themes in Mario 64; I much would have preferred the game have less objectives and worlds overall if it meant the ones that we did get were much more interesting.

Lastly, my greatest point of frustration throughout the game was the terrible controls. The controls of Mario 64 have been idolized since its release, and that idolization is no small part due to the amazing work that is done in the speedrunning community, and it may seem sacrilegious for me to say that this gold standard of control is shit, but let me suggest this. Mario's MOVEMENT is great. Chaining together triple jumps, long jumping across huge gaps, pulling off a backwards summersault at the perfect angle, nailing the precision required to wall jump, it feels great to master. But Mario's CONTROL on the other hand, is terrible. The weird stuttering he does on ledges, the inconsistency of grabbing on to ledges, how every surface that isn't completely flat is a slide, how Mario has to be at a complete standstill in order to turn around, the horrendous wing cap, and especially the camera have all caused me to repeat certain objectives sometimes over a dozen times. I won't lie, this is easily the hardest 3D Mario to any% and I find that difficulty refreshing. However, 90% of deaths didn't feel like me being bad at the game, but they felt like it was because I wasn't in complete control of what I was attempting to do. What I find most irritating is how the camera refuses to give you the right angle; they commit so hard to the diegetic Lakitu camera and make it impossible to go through solid objects, despite the fact that it is completely capable of doing so in "first-person" mode.

But even with these complaints, I still got all 120 stars, and it was a satisfying journey. I think Super Mario 64 still has enough going for it to make it a worthwhile experience, and I'm glad it's finally off my bucket list. But it's not great, not even close. I had a lot of fun and there's a lot I enjoyed, but I stand by this being easily the weakest 3D Mario except for Odyssey.

Shadow of the Colossus is first and foremost a puzzle game. A good puzzle should be difficult to solve but never tedious to execute. Unfortunately, Shadow of the Colossus is the living definition of the word tedious. Every technical aspect of this game, from the camera to the controls to the collision detection to getting stun locked in boss fights to redoing phases in boss fights multiple times, is frustrating. There is not a single colossus that isn't groan-inducing in at least one way.

The most disappointing thing about this game is that it is a remake that remakes absolutely none of the shitty PS2 programming of the original 2005 game. For as much effort was put into making this world and the colossi within it look absolutely gorgeous, any effort that was made to make the play experience better is absolutely unnoticeable.

That being said, Shadow of the Colossus is still one of the most brilliant and beautiful games ever made. It is so easy to see Fumito Ueda's singular directorial vision. The story, world design, and gameplay all contribute to the one central idea that nothing else matters. Wander's journey to resurrect this girl is the only thing that is important. There are no distractions, no side quests, nothing in the world to explore, hardly any collectibles, no extra lore, nothing other than Wander, Agro, and the next colossus that stands between Wander and his goal. Any other game would be as bloated as possible with content, and that was true of the state of the industry back in 2005 just as much as it was in 2018 and still is now. It isn't necessarily a bad thing to have content, but the fact that Shadow of the Colossus has the balls to be as empty and boring as possible is a testament to how much Ueda was concerned with delivering his own unique experience and not conform to any standards, and that is immensely respectable.

The question then becomes: does the frustration of the game's technical incompetencies contribute to this central theme that nothing else matters? It's undeniable that the frustration associated with this games makes the narrative and the ending especially all the more delicious; had it been a cakewalk, or simply a movie, the experience as a whole would be much more forgettable.

That being said, I still stand that the answer to the question is no. The idea of using frustration to make a game more immersive or to call attention to a different, much more interesting aspect of it is certainly a fascinating topic that many games have explored, but almost all of its frustrating elements serve to take the player out of the immersion more than contribute to it. Nothing about being stunlocked by Cenobia until you die, or having the camera bug out against every wall in the game, or Agro's refusal to run in a straight line as you travel from colossus to colossus benefits the experience or the narrative. In fact, it works to the contrary. A huge element of this game is how it attempts to make you feel guilt and sorrow at the fact that you selfishly and cold-heartedly murder these innocent creatures for your singleminded goal, but more often than not the relief you get from finishing a boss and not having to deal with it's unpolished mechanics anymore supersedes those feelings of guilt and sorrow.

I would say that I'm conflicted on this game, but really I'm not. It's an absolute piece of shit that is worth playing beyond a shadow of a doubt. This is an undeniable work of art despite its arguably unfinished state. This might be one of the best stories in all of gaming, it's incredibly respectable for its unadulterated vision, the music is beyond incredible, and even though Bluepoint did nothing to fix the technical problems, they unquestionably enhanced the sense of scope that this game has. The animation of the colossi are jaw-dropping, and no other work of art in any medium comes close to the feeling of scaling them.

10/10 story
10/10 vision
really shit game

It's a frustrating reality, and would easily be one of my favorite games if it weren't for that fact. I hope that we see Bluepoint go on to do even better things, and I hope we see a fan project to fix this games technical problems and turn it into something wholly spectacular.

I made my emblem an amogus

Mario Kart is definitely a weird kind of game for me. These pick up and play types aren't really my thing, even though I have played a lot of Mario Kart in my life, and I feel like it's hard to write about it.

In general, I feel like my preferences in Mario Kart come down to track selection and battle mode, both of which I really enjoyed here. Almost all of the original tracks in this game are killer, especially the flower cup. I love how this game honors the legacy of Mario and has multiple tracks dedicated to specific games in the series. The battle mode is really fun too, especially Shine Runners, and I like the battle courses too; they also fit in with the legacy aspect of Mario Kart DS, and each have some wacky element to them, whether that's teleporting pipes or playing on top of a literal DS. It's pretty sick.

3 stars might seem low considering how much I like it, but there's only so much I can get out of Mario Kart, especially in the single player realm. I like the missions, and I wish that was something that other games continued to do, but I don't like them enough to do them all; I don't find them all that satisfying to play unless I try and perfect them all, at which points its so grindy that it's not fun at all, and the repetitiveness becomes pretty apparent.

I like the courses, but not enough to grind them over and over to unlock everything. Also these CPUs are wack, they can sometimes just accelerate and decelerate out of nowhere, which I find really stupid, even though that's not uncommon for older Mario Karts.

Maybe if I played with friends things would be different, but I liked it enough to enjoy playing it and not much else.

I don't really get the hate for this game. I knew going in that this was the black sheep of the series but I didn't really know why, and I still don't. I don't think it peaks as high as any other game in the og trilogy, but I would argue it has the most consistent quality.

I also really like how it doesn't rely on nostalgia for the og trilogy to still be an ace attorney game. There are only two old characters, and one of them only shows up briefly; the rest carry the game all on their own. I also like the new perceive system and how it substitutes the psyche locks. I really liked psyche locks, but I think doing something different was the way to go for a sequel like this.

The best thing about the game though is the animation. Holy cow, the jump from the GBA to the DS is staggering. The sprites are so much more detailed, and there are so many more frames of animation. The animators really emphasized follow through in particular, especially with hair and fabric; it's so much more lively, and it's a really impressive improvement to a series that was already known for exceptionally impressive limited animation.

I only have a few complaints. One is the music; it's lackluster in comparison to the og trilogy. It's still good, but a noticeable decrease in the amount of bangers. Second is the final case. It's not bad, I loved it actually. It's probably my favorite case in the game, but it felt too short. And it also feels like it was trying to be a combination of what all three of the final cases in the og trilogy did and didn't really succeed.

But yea, this is still great and I would definitely recommend this if you already loved the og trilogy.