I have beaten this game several times before but recently revisited this cartridge on my Analogue Pocket. I had forgotten how awesome this game was and the amount of polish that went into making it. It’s a leap above Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins in terms of graphics, music, and controls. Hunting down treasures and defeating a whole new set of baddies is a great time. There are a few spots in the later levels that could be considered “cheap” but overall these 40 levels pack a punch and should not be missed!

This follow-up to the 2018 masterpiece is bigger and better in every way. Without spoiling the plot entirely, this game picks up almost immediately after the events of the first game. The stakes are higher than they have ever been and Kratos and Atreus need to see their adventure through within the Norse realms. The story is expanded upon and allows each main side character develop gracefully, giving them more depth than allowed in the first game.

Playing on the PlayStation 5, the game looks beautiful and provides breathtaking scenery when visiting each different realm. The acting is very well done and at no point did I feel annoyed by any of the dialog. Music and sound effects are very well done, especially during a tense boss fight.

There is a ton to do within the land of Midgard, be prepared to spend at least 25 hours completing the main story, even more if you are looking to complete side quest “favors”. This is an excellent exclusive for the Sony PlayStation brand, and I cannot wait to see where the developer Santa Monica Studio provides next for the platform. Overall, this is a near perfect game one that should not be missed by any PlayStation fan.

What a disappointment. After coming off of two stellar titles (Origins and Odyssey), UbiSoft releases this bloated mess. The game itself is beautiful to look at, especially on the PS5, but the rest is unbelievable. The story is fine until the 20 hour mark where it begins to just be unbearable and grating. At this point I found myself rushing through the main storyline just to finish this pretty turd. The sound design is lackluster, some tunes are fine while the others can be downright annoying. The game is one of the largest Assassin’s Creed games ever but is never inspiring. Powers that you can earn are overall terrible, with you resorting to using only one or two the entire game. There is also a similar issue with your weapons and armor. It takes so many resources to level up an item that was earned late in the game, that it isn’t even worth it. I ended up sticking with an early weapon and armor set that I used 90% of the game. Base building is featured in this game, but ultimately it doesn’t matter in the end. The worst part? It has a terrible ending. You put so many hours into a game hoping that your efforts pay off, and it just doesn’t come through. The Viking theme is awesome, but just was poorly executed. I really hope the next AC game is better.

VVVVVV is a action puzzler that is all about timing. It’s a quick game, it should take you less than three hours on a standard play through. The controls are very precise, leading to every mistake being your fault. There are few tricky spots including an escort mission and the rising Tower. However there are plenty of checkpoints around to ensure that death is not too of a frustrating ordeal. It wouldn’t be fair not to mention the amazing chip tune soundtrack done by composer SoulEye which enhances the game greatly. Overall, this game should not be missed for anyone that loves retro puzzlers.