Nyo
Feels good to finally enjoy a Donkey Kong Country title! A challenging 2D platformer with a unique blend of ideas and bosses throughout the game. After not jiving with Country Returns, I was uncertain if I’d like this game when I played it back on Wii U. I like the Funky Mode, but the original experience is also here for the purists. See, that’s one Wii U to Switch port that doesn’t have an asterisk on notable changes that leave your head scratching!
2021
This is a cool proof of concept for what Sonic Rush could look like in 3D, as if the 3DS got a proper boost title in 3D. There are some rough spots for being just a demo, but what's here has potential to be another great Sonic game made by fans. Also more 3D platformers is a good thing, I love this genre but the future of them bar Nintendo and indie games is greatly concerning.
Pop-Up Kirby is officially...found media! I enjoy Return to Dream Land back on the Wii, even finished it when I rented it from Blockbuster with my brother. Those were fun days as a kid... This truly was Kirby's return after a decade of Super Star's style left to sit there other than the DS remake. I plan to try the epilogue mode soon, but the minigame mode is a real treat of fanservice!
It's fascinating just how far the Kirby GCN iceberg goes. Once a late GameCube title canned and moved onto the Wii for a 3D action game. Then restarted development and shifted to a 2D pop-up book style game, which eventually became the game we know today. Assets reused for Smash Bros Brawl, Subspace possibly being inspired by Kirby GCN, and beta songs from all 3 iterations of Return to Dream Land. You can hear a specific motif that was truly made for Pop-Up Kirby and GCN, like yeah this totally would fit a storybook Kirby game. All of those assets were in the Wii game and still in this Switch remake, it's kinda crazy! This is just my space to ramble about Kirby GCN cuz it looked so damn cool...
(Edit: 2/13/24) Magalor Epilogue is a fun mode that adds some extra challenge to the mix. I like the moveset, upgrades and action focused level design a lot. I wish I could have tried it in co-op, but it’s a good, short experience in single player.
It's fascinating just how far the Kirby GCN iceberg goes. Once a late GameCube title canned and moved onto the Wii for a 3D action game. Then restarted development and shifted to a 2D pop-up book style game, which eventually became the game we know today. Assets reused for Smash Bros Brawl, Subspace possibly being inspired by Kirby GCN, and beta songs from all 3 iterations of Return to Dream Land. You can hear a specific motif that was truly made for Pop-Up Kirby and GCN, like yeah this totally would fit a storybook Kirby game. All of those assets were in the Wii game and still in this Switch remake, it's kinda crazy! This is just my space to ramble about Kirby GCN cuz it looked so damn cool...
(Edit: 2/13/24) Magalor Epilogue is a fun mode that adds some extra challenge to the mix. I like the moveset, upgrades and action focused level design a lot. I wish I could have tried it in co-op, but it’s a good, short experience in single player.
There were rumors that this game was originally planned for the Nintendo 3DS and it shows… Strangely unoptimized with weird HD quirks like the blurry depth of field across the screen. It’s a good remake don’t get me wrong, I just wish Grezzo gave this game some extra care and polishing. Also wtf happened to both boss themes? Music remixes are so silly man…
Quite a joyful game from start to finish! All the joy-con integration put a big smile on my face as someone who enjoy the weird tech inside these controllers. Wonder flower is a funny little mechanic and gives extra life to the fun level design. I have pretty good faith for the future of the Super Mario series, which is something I can’t say much for the Zelda series… Also the talking flowers are hilarious, I wonder what they taste like!
2005
I love this game, but damn does it get on my nerves sometimes! Does all the cool things a Sonic game, now with the power of the Nintendo DS and dual screens. Some of level design and bosses are where I get a little upset at this game, but not for too long cuz I love the soundtrack and boost style. And to think this wasn't the first Sonic Team developed for the DS. Tsk tsk more people need to play Feel the Magic...
I don’t know why they had to change Copen in this game, maybe they let someone who worked on Dragon: Marked for Death sneak into production…It’s just so strange to limit his signature dash and have this basic melee combo with disc lock-on. It does mean they make the level design built around his limitations more, but ehhhhhh it’s just all kinda blends together in its 2 hour runtime. Disappointing sequel if anything, so that leaves just Gunvolt 3, which doesn’t have Copen it seems. Booooooooring!
It’s cool to have a modern beat em up that I can enjoy with friends or strangers. Idk about other platforms but the mobile servers are always full with a handful of people playing. Either the game is that good or Netflix has a W with their gaming service. Truly evokes the Sonic Mania energy that makes me all smiley and excited to play this game to the end!
1998
(Not) Die Hard is pretty good experience, even if it is quite brief. I like short games and there is nice replayability in the characters and choices in the intro, but wow it flies by so quickly! Also gives me a reason to play a Dreamcast game proper, even if it's technically an arcade game and has a PS2 port shuuuuush be quiet...
2023
The Nintendo published sleeper hit of the year, cuz I didn’t like Bayonetta Origins. Played the entire campaign with my brother and they learned a lot from what made Get It Together rather boring to play. It’s funny, weird, and engaging fun from start to finish. Now Nintendo fans need to do is buy this game…if not well the series feels complete (mainly with Gold on 3DS).
2022
I may be a Sonic Team apologist, as I feel their works deserve more credit than they get, but Sonic Frontiers is devoid of that fun, whimsical, and stylish aspects that I admire in this series & studio. The demo left a bad impression in my mouth, so I got the game for my birthday to properly give it a chance. After making it to the desert, I don’t feel any incentive to finish this boring, ugly mess of a Sonic game.
At best, Sonic Frontiers “solves” the issue of open world games having lame and tiring walking bits by having the blue hedgepog zip around the environment. This is especially appreciated after that Tears of the Kingdom game gave me serious open world fatigue when I dropped it and avoided the genre at all costs. That’s about it in regards to what I have to say positive about the game. I don’t feel like laying out my laundry list to explain why I don’t like Sonic Frontiers, but I can tell you some quick thoughts on the matter.
1. I wish I was playing Bowser’s Fury instead.
2. This is what 5 years of development plus the extra year for updates got us?
3. How is that Balan Wonderworld title evoke that Sonic Team aura better than this game?
So will I see Sonic Frontiers to the end? Probably not lol, feels like I’m doing an aimless job playing this game. It’s unfortunate really, it’s clear that Sonic Team & SEGA want to hit it big with the series and they have done that clearly. Over 3 million copies sold, decent Metacritic score, and a movie to garner major success for the IP. It may be blasphemy to see Forces & Frontiers rank the same score for me, but I genuinely do not care for what either title accomplishes at all. Maybe one day Sonic Team will prove themselves with the next Sonic project…or go back to starving for another half decade.
At best, Sonic Frontiers “solves” the issue of open world games having lame and tiring walking bits by having the blue hedgepog zip around the environment. This is especially appreciated after that Tears of the Kingdom game gave me serious open world fatigue when I dropped it and avoided the genre at all costs. That’s about it in regards to what I have to say positive about the game. I don’t feel like laying out my laundry list to explain why I don’t like Sonic Frontiers, but I can tell you some quick thoughts on the matter.
1. I wish I was playing Bowser’s Fury instead.
2. This is what 5 years of development plus the extra year for updates got us?
3. How is that Balan Wonderworld title evoke that Sonic Team aura better than this game?
So will I see Sonic Frontiers to the end? Probably not lol, feels like I’m doing an aimless job playing this game. It’s unfortunate really, it’s clear that Sonic Team & SEGA want to hit it big with the series and they have done that clearly. Over 3 million copies sold, decent Metacritic score, and a movie to garner major success for the IP. It may be blasphemy to see Forces & Frontiers rank the same score for me, but I genuinely do not care for what either title accomplishes at all. Maybe one day Sonic Team will prove themselves with the next Sonic project…or go back to starving for another half decade.
2019
One of the better Apple Arcade exclusives but something feels off compared to the previous Rayman mobile games. Idk if it’s the timing or me, but there were multiple incidents where I tapped the screen and it didn’t register the input. It only gets more annoying the further you progress with harder stages. Regardless, it’s a fun and simple mobile game you can sink a few minutes at a time. I miss Rayman so badly…
1999
A good sequel that polishes up the original DoA experience with some neat new additions too. It holds up visually today even on the Dreamcast, truly feels like a next gen step for the series and gaming as a whole. I especially like the stage mechanics and switching here, makes the fast, frantic action only more exciting with each match.
2023
Disappointing collection but a decent way to play the classic series on consoles. They could have done so much to make this truly special akin to the past Sonic collections, but instead they monetized it to death and forgot to add the charm. Oh well, maybe a 3D collection could be better…
Scores for each individual game for those curious
Sonic 1: 3.5/5
Sonic CD: 4/5
Sonic 2: 3/5
Sonic 3 & Knuckles: 4.5/5
Scores for each individual game for those curious
Sonic 1: 3.5/5
Sonic CD: 4/5
Sonic 2: 3/5
Sonic 3 & Knuckles: 4.5/5
2023
Mobile games should definitely learn from Sonic Dream Team, talk about a genuine surprise for the series and 2023 games as a whole! Vibrant graphics, addictive pick-up and play gameplay, decent soundtrack, and a title truly made from the ground-up for mobile devices. It's rare we see many great mobile games in a post gacha world, but some gems from Netflix games & Apple Arcade prove there is a market for proper console quality games without microtransactions.