So, I know I have already done a review dismissing the game as a "reddit game." That review is a little popular, but I've been thinking about this game for the past few days again and I need to get my thoughts out.
Right out of the gate, this game is very critical of art as a concept. Themes of being suffocated, overworked, and tired by the concepts of art and what it could be or mean are expressed throughout the game. Such an example is an Applebees being destroyed revealing it as "art." Bubsy is immortalized as the epitome of a bad game in the gaming sphere. To the point where people talk about him as much as they would a good game. In a way Bubsy has become a statue, unchanging and unprecedented in its reception. The game ends with Bubsy getting a second chance by breaking out from his statue referencing the at the time up-coming revival of the Bubsy series. A main question raised throughout the game is if James Turrell can make art out of light or earth then does that make Applebee's or Bubsy 3D art? Well, according to Ben Esposito: no. In an interview with Esposito, he says the game ["[Uses] the aesthetics of a bad game in poorly executed edutainment in order to get people to interact with art, [gets people to] actually think about concepts related to art and the infinite. Being critical of the idea that games should could be art.”](https://killscreen.com/previously/articles/good-laugh-ben-esposito/amp/#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=16654923673909&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com)
So for one, the game's dismissal and smug additive towards light being an art form just feels misplaced. Art is the showcase of creative and imaginative power shown in visual form, whether it be paintings, sculptures, etc. James Turrell's artworks are meant to showcase the visual power of the brain. Turrell has a clear sense of artistry with light, and is an undeniable master with the form. He uses color as if it were from a brush painting out beautiful landscapes fully realized within reality. This fine comprehension for light within his work allows for some beautiful pieces. So yes, Turrell's use of light should definitely qualify as art. His artwork very clearly showcases the human skill and creativity required for the medium. Secondly, in response to Esposito's criticism of games as an art form this can go forth onto Bubsy 3D. Programmers, artists, game designers, and the rest of the team working on the game used their creativity and imagination to create something which we can call art. Now, whether that art is good or not is up for debate But regardless it can still be seen as "art" in one way or another. Same thing for Applebee's, whether you like their food or not architects worked to plan out and build the establishments. Food itself is also an art form. It requires people to use their creativity to create and cook new dishes for Applebees that families can eat. This is where Bubsy throws a punch with its criticism of art, by saying that this perception of so many things being considered art can be suffocating.
However, Arcane Kids biggest fault when engaging in these critiques of art is their absence of elaboration on their ideas. This absence even hurts some of the good points they make. I think you can clearly see this in their manifesto which for the most part reads like word vomit, by saying things just for the sake of saying them. Take the excerpt "Stop listening to advice" which is just a backwards and hypocritical thought process. They don't flesh out on what to do instead of listening for advice. It feels like Arcane Kids is demanding for you to stop listening to advice which in of itself is advice. There’s the saying “show don't tell” but there’s a difference between that and just “show.” This lack of contextualisation continues its way into Bubsy. Yes, perceiving so many things as art can be suffocating, but any points or perspectives on how we should be classifying art are never brought up. Art being seen as so many different things is only brought up because it is and nothing more. There are similar criticisms for the ending in which Bubsy rejects art for humanity because art has no relief. This ending is ambiguous in almost a nonsensical way. Bubsy rejects all practices of creative and imaginative works for "humanity." What "humanity" is doesn't really seem to be spelled out. Humanity could mean kindness, or just the human race in general. Maybe this confusion could have been avoided had Bubsy gained some sort of characterization other than "what if the annoying 90s platformer mascot became an art snob.” and Empty attempts at dadaism, absurdism, and overall reeking of the age old saying "I am 14 and this is deep" plague the game's duration as well. As a whole, how does rejecting art as a concept correlate to the human race? Once again, it just seems like Arcane Kids using word vomit, by not following up on anything they say.
Bubsy 3D: Bubsy Visits the James Turrell Retrospective is a game that has very little to say, and what it does have to say is shallow and pretentious. The game doesn't even have much to gain from outside of the message of the game. The gameplay is near Identical to Bubsy 3D (so not good) and collectibles are placed nonsensically and seem to offer no purpose to the overall game. Generally it's not worth playing over watching a video of someone else playing through the game. Reddit is a platform that has little to gain out of actually interacting with it. Most of the time you'll get a bunch of pretentious and shallow comments about whatever you decided to post. Whether it be a piece of art, or your opinion on a piece of media, it's generally not worth it. Do I need to connect the dots for you?

If Peppino was a journey through an anxiety-induced fever dream from a man who's been driven to the very edge of his own helpless sanity, then the Noise is a journey through a man's own vanity, going through the same struggles as Peppino not because he wants to or needs to, but just because he can. Noise is much more akin to Wario than Peppino in this matter then, effortlessly blazing through the tribulations presented to them for the sake of their own greed and ego. With such a shift of character then, playing Pizza Tower as the Noise is not a lame excuse for replayability, however it is a whole new experience within the same game.

Just like Peppino, Noise can go really fast, if not more so. Unlike Peppino though, the Noise cant climb up the walls out of sheer desperation, instead opting for his skateboard to act as more of a wall jump that gets instantaneous speed when landing on the ground. The Noise can also do a tornado spin when using his skateboard that decimates enemies. To counteract this lack of verticality though, the Noise can super jump at any time and has access to an uppercut with much more force and range to it. Bosses are also different, with the Noise deciding to gleefully throw his own bombs around the arena, instead of grabbing the bosses out of abject rage. These new movement options and every transformation having new control methods create not only just a different game feel than Peppino, but one that beautifully balances on the line between a chaotic and smooth experience.

The movement isn't just the only thing that makes playing through Pizza Tower as the Noise feel so fresh, but rather the fact that the Noise is a god damn scumbag cheater. He often just ignores several mechanics in the game, such as changing the stroke limit in golf so that he always gets the primo ‘burg, or not delivering the pizzas in Gnome Forest and instead opts to destroy the customers' homes to get the toppins. Not even the bosses are safe from the Noise's wrath, as he just flat out shoots the Vigilante in the climactic duel and even scares off Fake Peppino in the final chase phase. He doesnt even have his own title cards for each level he just slaps stickers of himself over all the faces that were present in Peppino's adventure. And that's only tipping the iceberg when it comes to all of the delightfully cheesy flourishes that the Noise adds to make for a hilariously cheap playthrough.

The Noise reinforces the chaotic and insane energy of Pizza Tower that, in my opinion, makes it one of the best 2D platformers ever made, and is a more than welcome addition to this amazing game. The Noise even gets some great new music tracks that compliment an already fantastic soundtrack.

Now all we need is a playable Gerome update to make this game a complete masterpiece. Come on Tour de Pizza I know you can do it!!!!!!

So the past few days have been rough for me, with school getting very intensive, I needed to relax. Fortunately, Kirby's adventure was there for me. The games whimsical locals, dreamlike backgrounds, and colorful exterior really go above and beyond to land the presentation of the game, especially so for an nes game. The game's wide variety of copy abilities, tight controls, short but sweet levels, and great boss fights (seriously, how have we not gotten a proper callback to Nightmare in another mainline kirby?) gives kirby a very mechanical interior, and that edge that really makes the game tick. Sure, the games lags quite often and using up on the d-pad to fly is kinda clunky, but those beautiful visuals and razor sharp gameplay, intertwining with one another, can suck you in (pun intended) and give you an experience like nothing else, even from other kirby games.

It feels so gratifying to play a game that wears its inspirations on its sleeve yet feels so confident with its own ideas and execution.

Pizza Tower offers some of the most mechanically dense platforming in its genre. Every level and move you can pull off is so perfectly calculated to encourage the act of speed. What's that? You're bumping into too many walls that make your speed come to a screeching halt? Well just run up them, doofus. You'd think the high you get from going at such blistering speeds would wear off eventually, but each level offers something so different and unique that they become endlessly exhilarating to master.

Combos feel so satisfying and invigorating to chain together with the barrage of moves you can pull off, combat quickly becoming a mad dash towards the next enemy to pulverize or the next batch of ingredients to grab. Bosses contrast the main gameplay by requiring the player to be calm and methodical in their methods to successfully dodge the attacks, yet bosses remain fast paced and never let up on their assaults.

Pizza Tower is practically everything I look for in a 2D platformer: extremely speedy platforming, borderline insane animation, engaging yet challenging bosses, and a well fleshed out moveset. However, that is not even mentioning how Pizza Tower practically begs the player to be replayed. With how every level feels so fun to blast through, having to do so while chaining a massive combo throughout the level, finding all the secrets and collectibles, and doing two consecutive laps on the big rush from the end of the level to the beginning asks the player to use all of their acquired skills. It's brutally challenging, yet unendingly rewarding to finally pull off the golden run.

If Pizza Tower taught me anything, it's that we need more games where you play as a fat greasy Italian man.