SUDA51 has a very distinct style to his games and no games are as explicitly SUDA as this game. Not many people get into the position where they can make a game explicitly about their time making games and reflecting on that. That's the kind of shit I'd wanna do if I became successful so hats off.

There are some INSANELY cool environments here, special mention goes out to the lava level with all the ruins (I forget the name).

First three levels are the best the Sonic series has to offer on Game Gear with a solid sense of momentum and level design built to facilitate said momentum.

Could you IMAGINE if we got level theming this cool in a game that actually had controls? The art direction is on point throughout and perfectly sells the absurd premise it's working with.

Gave a voice to many characters that might never get one otherwise. It also is great exposure for the rest of the series, getting people to dip their toes into some of the more obscure entries purely because they were portrayed so well here.

uhhh pass

While obviously being much further refined in later entries, it's impressive just how much DNA from fighters here stays true later on. Kazuya's gameplay is still roughly the same this far back, and that's seriously cool.

It's Mega Man X! On GBC! It's adorable!

Platforming challenges were super weird and open and experimental and I kinda dig it. If this is the kind of design we can expect from more linear levels going forward I'm excited.

The weakness logic is arguably the strongest it's ever going to be in this series. Of course scissors cut electrical wiring, of course ice cools fire, of course bombs blow up rocks, it just all makes sense and can be intuited easily.

The overworlds of Belleview and especially Rapoville are so damn charming. A lot of thought was put into putting all of the previous game's locations together in a way that still feels believable and natural, it was so nostalgic to see all of those places I remember rendered so well again.

I really like the snarky British humor this game has, it gives it a really irreverent charm unique to it.

Ok I know I said I'll try not to mention music but this is my one exception because duuuuUUUUUDE THIS SOUNDTRACK IS SO FUCKING GOOD. So much energy and emotion is packed into every track.

Characters getting unique items to them is a very interesting idea that would only be tried again in Double Dash as far as I know, and I think it's something they should try more.

This is a weird thing to focus on but I like the new timed homing attack thing they added. I think it's a satisfying little challenge to think about to spice up an otherwise fairly automated aspect of 3D Sonic games.

Protoman is sick and we wouldn't have him if not for this game.

I like all of the extra emphasis on making this story really feel like an adventure. You get to see weird new towns, you've gotta protect this mysterious savior of the world, you're fighting a menacing force of robots, it's really cute.

The combat can be really fun when it wants to be. Special shoutout goes to the Jeane fight on the hardest difficulty, I had to get used to using my entire ass moveset the right way if I wanted to win. I used the CHARGE ATTACK for Christ's sake.

I think Trip is an A+ addition to the cast, what a great design.

This game can be PRETTY when it really wants to be. Some environments are so beautifully constructed and play beautifully off of the cel shaded art style they went with.

If there was one thing the game about music had to get right it's the music and hoo boy they got it right. I'd say more but my praise mostly hinges on the fact that Funk Fiction is on the soundtrack and he does not miss.

More than any other Pokemon game Platinum gives a sort of Metroidvania-like thrill whenever you get a game changing HM like surf or rock climb. So much of the map feels like it opens up and even in a region I didn't particularly like I still took time to find the little nooks and crannies.

Ok, last time I mention music. David Wise knows his SHIT dude. This is some of the best music the SNES has to offer, being so richly atmospheric and yet catchy at the same time. Great stuff.