No spoilers here, for my fellas who haven't played the game. If even small descriptions of things are too much for you, though, you should wait until you play it.

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Man.
It's been about 5 years since I properly got into Metroid, playing through most of the games. Not as much as other people (even in relation to my age), but still a while. With the state of the series, an actual sequel to Fusion seemed unlikely for some time. But slowly, the pieces were falling into place. Nintendo entrusted a foreign studio with the 2D series once again, and they were satisfied with their work; certain... things in Samus Returns appeared to tease something new. Could we really be getting our first original 2D Metroid in 19 years?

Yes. Yes, we were.

Metroid Dread is fantastic. Compared to Samus Returns, it feels much more like a modernization of the Metroid formula. The controls are so fluid, the action so satisfying... Standard enemies will hit hard, but once they're killed, they'll drop good refills, so a capable player doesn't have to suffer for small mistakes. Bosses are powerful, but their attacks, telegraphed; surely, nothing you can't handle! And once you get the hang of it, it'll feel great. This is, probably, the game's biggest strength.

In all honesty, it's probably a good sign that the most divisive thing for me is the story, especially following up Fusion's, but for the most part and without going into details, I can take it. The environmental storytelling isn't as focused on as in Super Metroid, but still has its moments, like the build-up to Nightmare in Metroid Fusion. With that, the gameplay, and the design of the world, it rather feels like a mid-point between Super and Fusion. Did I mention some sequence breaks are possible? Yeah, I ran into one completely by accident while playing! That's how natural it is if you know what to look for! I already can't wait to replay it.

Some people have complained about the music, but I actually think it's great to listen to while you're playing! Not unlike some Zelda temple themes, or even certain Metroid area themes. Oh, and how I could discuss atmosphere without mentioning the so very publicized EMMIs! They may not be as imposing as the SA-X, but they are far more interesting gameplay-wise, and the game throws some twists throughout your playthrough to keep you on your toes. Their design, the way they move, it's absolutely perfect, and I hope you'll be able to see why when you play if you haven't yet. There are other memorable atmospheric moments, but much of it is spoiler-y... So I'll leave it here.

I don't know if I'll keep this review up, because this is an extremely important game and my thoughts on it aren't very developed; it's possible I'll make a new one in the future. But... For now, I'm putting it out there. I am satisfied, and actually, really really really hoping for DLC...

I played this a lot as a kid as well as some of the Mario Party games, by myself, which is pretty funny. I came back to it now, while I'm sick and with family I hadn't seen in a while, and I got nostalgic. But even putting that aside, it's a pretty fun game, with decent variety in modes and minigames, not too luck-based. Going back to Mario Party 9, I thought it was a lot less interesting and balanced.

I didn't play Wii Party U as much, but maybe NDCube should go back to the glory of Wii Party. (?)

Also, I can't believe Wii fucking Party is a comfort game of mine.

Played some alone, some with two family members and they weren't so fond of it.

I was more fond of it. I liked the minigames, really, even if the motion doesn't like "add" much. In some, I'd say it was more tiring than it should've been, but whatever. The boards I played were fine too. DK was interesting enough, Goomba was good for a straight path to the end, and Koopa was very fun.

My issue with this game is the aesthetic. It's lame. It feels like they went for a "realistic" tone, or at least an overly detailed "real" tone, and it sucks. Even Mario Party 9 got that right, but not this one. Fuck you, Mario Party 8, for being ugly.

Still better than 9, though. Like, it's good, just not a favorite, I suppose. Maybe I owe it more playtime, and if I give it that, I'll edit this review. For now, yeah.

I played Thief Gold up to its 8th mission, The Haunted Cathedral. I did not rate it because it was a bad playthrough, but here are my thoughts:

1. Thieves' Guild sucks ASS, it was my worst experience in Thief Gold. When I get back to it, I will probably do The Dark Project instead, and maybe come back for the Gold missions later.
2. Missions like The Haunted Cathedral and Down in the Bonehoard were odd, certainly not what you expect from a legendary stealth game, but I've grown very fond of them. This game's atmosphere is overwhelmingly dark; these missions best capture that.
3. I am really bad at this game. When I played Hitman 2 (2018), I found myself getting frustrated when I fucked up the stealth too much and had to reload, and it was even worse here, because this game is way harder. Screwing up the stealth forced me to do combat, which is not Thief's strength, and also messed with my immersion. Maybe that's on me, but hey, that's why I'm not giving a rating.

I feel like I can love this game, because I so clearly found things to love, but I owe it another, more earnest try. I got more into Hitman 2 recently, so hey, maybe I'm not as bad at video games now, lol.
(feel free to comment)