To me, the words Pokemon Picross sound like a tiny, adorable puzzle game, a concept that would be an easy win for developers. And the core gameplay is pretty much that, a standard Picross experience where you unlock different Pokemon along the way. Unfortunately, there are so many things here that drag the gameplay down:

The main mechanic everyone will hate is a mobile-game-like bar that lets you fill in only so many sections until the bar has run out and you're prevented from playing the game for an annoyingly long amount of time. When the eShop was still up, you were able to purchase "Picrite" to fill up the bar instantly or unlock new stages among other things.

Every Pokemon you find has an ability that helps you solve puzzles. This sounds like a nice idea in concept, but in reality I never want to use the abilities because I'd just rather solve puzzles without the help.

You can also get Picrite from completing missions and achievements.
The missions are mostly pretty boring objectives without much substance, can't be completed until you've solved the next few stages or force you to use abilities.
The achievements would be an okay addition to the game if it weren't for the fact that you have to claim your rewards by finding the new achievements in a long list that is annoying to navigate.

The only fun addition to the core gameplay are daily challenges where you have to solve multiple puzzles in a row on a timer.

All in all, I can't believe how much they were able to butcher a concept as simple as "Pokemon Picross" and the only remaining positive here is the fact that it's a Picross game.

Designed by former Infocom writer Brian Moriarty, Loom is probably the least LucasArts-styled LucasArts adventure game (next to The Dig, also co-designed by Moriarty). You'll probably have no idea what the hell is happening if you start Loom without diving first into its supplementary material: a small audio drama serving as a prologue, and a booklet also used to take precious notes. And you'll need to take notes if you play Loom.

Every puzzle is solved by using spells, called drafts. Those spells are composed of four different musical notes, that you need to enter manually by clicking on your staff. It's a system more reminiscent of text adventures and old CRPGs than your usual graphical adventure game. That spell system is both the game's strongest and weakest point. Honestly, it's really cool to use your powers, literally unfolding the fabric of reality. On the other hand, it's not quite there as a game mechanic. You need to note every draft you encounter, and if you mishear, misspell, or plainly forget to do it then... Good luck? Because there's a huge chance you won't be able to listen to them ever again (you can look up on the internet nowadays, but they're semi-randomized so it's still a pain).

Despite the draft system's apparent complexity, Loom is a very short and easy game. It's a shame because the world is fantastic, and you'll surely beg for more at the end. The art is great, the story pretty wild, and the Tchaikovsky soundtrack ties everything together.

Loom as a whole feels greater than the sum of its parts. While as a game it kind of falls short (and mostly because IT IS so damn short), it's so incredibly charming I can't help recommending it wholeheartedly.

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG- 5/20

This is it for 2D Sonic for 8 games and 16 years, and what a finale. Everything has built up to it.

The Mega Drive Sonic games just kept improving until the better part of Sonic 3 & Knuckles tops it off with the best version of everything. The best OST of Sonic's classic games. The best zones in Sonic's classic games- Sandopolis Zone's incredible music and fun ghost gimmick, Sky Sanctuary giving you tons of rings from the start to let you really let loose as Super/Hyper Sonic in some reruns of older fights, and especially Doomsday for being a great conclusion to not only the game but Sonic on the Mega Drive, as you hurtle through space boosted by the emeralds you've collected picking up rings in a race against the timer.
There's just so much polish in 3&K, from the character animations, expanded story scope, better level designs, better music, the second set of Emeralds if you're locked onto 3, the 3 playable characters and the level transitions being a really cute way to feel like you're actually progressing in the game as opposed to disconnected levels.

2D Sonic was pretty much mastered here. It's a shame that it took 16 years to get another 2D Sonic game, 17 until we got another good 2D Sonic game, and 23 years until we got a 2D Sonic game as good as this. Sonic & Knuckles is a beautiful farewell to Sonic's 2D rise to fame- and I'm happy that it still takes a few games after this for the fall to really happen.

Next- Sonic Adventure
Previous- Sonic the Hedgehog 3

Very fun and colorful dual puzzle game combining the basic elements of Puyo Puyo following the Tsu format and Guideline Tetris. If you enjoy either of those two series this is a must buy game but it's very likely you already own it.

For the uninitiated, even novices to Tetris or Puyo Puyo (recognizable in the west as Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine and Kirby's Avalanche), this competitive puzzle fighter has the benefit of being a relaxing and fresh experience for those pursuing a comforting expereince and an engagning multiplayer expereince for the more competitively focused. These two games are the grand daddies of puzzle games for a good reason.

Buy on any system you find most convenient.