I have a long history with this game, but the most important detail is that this is the game I think back to that started my love for videogames. Sure it's not a grandiose collect-a-thon like Super Mario 64, nor is it an absolute classic 2D platformer like Super Mario World but it was the game that made me the person I am today.

That being said, hindsight always makes you look back at something and say "wow I really thought this was some kind of masterpiece?" While many believe this to be the stand out in creativity of the New Super Mario series, I see how many of the main tropes started here. The game is incredibly easy and I racked up an almost full life counter by the time I was halfway through it and really only lost lives to the trickier star coins or just plain dumb mistakes. It's very generic, borrowing elements from every critically claimed Mario game before it and the art style and music do not stand out at all. The only reason I remember these levels are due to nostalgia and I could not name a single one and describe it to you outside of the final level. All post-game content is left up to secrets and completing the game rewards you with absolutely nothing except some backgrounds for the bottom screen. This game is generic Mario as generic Mario gets.

But that leads me to literally everything else about this game because the rest is all amazing. Sure it may be generic and borrowed but there are genuinely creative ideas at work here. My only gripe with those themes is how they are used. Take World 6 for example with heavy themes of war-torn mountains with bob-ombs and bullet bills everywhere, and a heavy emphasis on moving pulley systems. But this theme is skipped in some levels that replace it with an underwater level and a grass level that were honestly probably placed there to intentionally make the game more familiar. Then the final castle of that world uses none of these themes outside of the (genuinely creative) boss. That world represents exactly what New Super Mario Bros. is to me: well-thought-out and incredibly unique fun that weighs itself down by being the first 2D Mario in a while and thus it had to be generic because Nintendo is just that stubborn.

If you have read this far, you will notice that I have intentionally left out this game's sequels despite calling the game generic repeatedly. I never like to compare a title to future or previous entries and while that still rains true here, I still cannot help but feel that the music and style of this game do not stand out at all, even as a standalone title. It's honestly hard to believe that there was not a title before this that had some kind of shift into this one because it sounds and looks like every other New Super Mario Bros. game. That being said, the style is really nice for a DS game. While future titles do little to push the hardware of their systems, this title actually looks really good for being released early in the handheld's life. The sound replicates this as well, being bland but bubbly and sounding really good for when the title came out. I just wish more tracks were added and voice lines were given. I really do not feel like I am fighting some big army of anything like Super Mario World, it just feels like the original NES game but with Bowser Jr. and some updated polish and voice lines.

While most of this review has been me complaining about one of my favorite childhood games, that does not mean I hate it or even think it's a bad game. Just looking back at it now and with the context of the (hopefully) complete New Super Mario Bros. series, this game just has no staying power, despite being a really well-designed game with plenty of fun to be had. But unfortunately, it can be easily substituted by any other games from its series and really has no place in history, leaving it effectively worthless to gamers all around the world. I will continue to love this game but I must come to terms with just how little it did to revolutionize the 2D Mario franchise.

One of the things you don't see with Animal Crossing: New Horizons or any Animal Crossing title is critical reviews that explain why the games are the way they are. In recent years I have begun to see a shift in the way people think about game reviews and the shift from explaining why a game is good into why a game is alright but not what could be. Here I want to do the same and explain why Animal Crossing: New Horizons is not the title I think it could be.

To preface this review, I want to say that I do not think New Horizons is a bad game, far from it. It matches a lot of what you want about these games that never end, there's a comfortable atmosphere, plenty to do and so much content that truly completing the game is effectively impossible. Music sets a welcoming atmosphere in Animal Crossing and listening to those tunes on a warm summer night or a chilly winter morning is one of the best things that comes with Animal Crossing. Beautiful vistas, the cuddly characters, the feeling of freedom as you explore your tropical paradise, and the limitless amount of furniture and clothing you can create make the game feel very personal. New Horizons nails what Animal Crossing always has, the aura of a calm, quiet town.

However, with that atmosphere, I rarely see anyone bring up why the quiet town feeling does not work. As we reach the game's 1 year anniversary, I see more and more people saying that they feel burnt out by the game. People who spent hours with the game will say they just dropped it one day and never felt the need to pick it back up. I wondered why that was as I continued playing and as I neared my 30th hour with the game, I discovered why. Beyond getting K.K. Slider, there is nothing to do with the game, and I mean that. Once you acquire a 3-star rating for your island, which is not hard at all, it's mostly just acquired through waiting, the game is pretty much done. But once I reached that milestone, I realized something; the game was going to make me wait a whole day just to see the end of the game. Suddenly, everything hit me on why this game does not work. You have to play the way developers intended, with no true freedom to do anything on your own. Do you want to buy into the Stalk Market? You have to wait until Sunday, and there's only a 7 hour period where you can do it. Do you want to do anything beyond your daily chores on your small landmass to gain money, looks like the only thing you can do is fish because you have to wait three days for your trees to grow fruit and a day until your rocks produce resources and shells wash up on your shores. Do you want to explore another landmass to get resources that are not native to your island? I hope you know another player with different resources because you are fresh out of luck finding that in a single-player experience. Do you want to build any kind of building that is not just another house for a villager to live in? Too bad, your focus should be on the museum and infrastructure, you don't get to choose what's on your island. The game has so many places where it falls completely flat in keeping you coming back. If you do not like the way the game has laid things out already for you, you do not get to pick your own way to do things like Minecraft or Terraria. You must do things the way developers intended with no variation on how to play. You don't get to make your own experience, or even pick which villagers you get, without some major caveat.

Sticking with the theme of developer-enforced fun, how about time traveling as an example. Why do people time travel in Animal Crossing? Because they want to cheat, right? Now answer me this, why do people want to cheat? To create their own experiences. When someone punches a cheat code into Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas or plugs a GameShark into their copy of Pokemon: FireRed, they are doing this because they want to create their own new experiences. Whether it's to give themselves a bunch of items they never got or collect every collectible in the game to see how the game responds, it's always fun to mess around with these kinds of things. But time-traveling is very different because it does not create a new experience that cannot be seen otherwise like a moon jump cheat, it just allows someone to experience the game without having the downside of waiting. It allows someone to skip ahead and continue to play the game when the game will not let them anymore. Imagine that Super Mario Odyssey forced you to stop collecting moons at a certain time. Say that you could only collect them from the hours of 8 am to 5 pm. Would it be wrong for a player to want to play the game after 5 pm by moving their Switch's clock ahead and playing that way? When developers put inherent limits in their game that force the player to stop playing, is it wrong for that player to wish to continue playing and doing so through the means of cheating. In my opinion, that is an inherent game design flaw. Now obviously that doesn't mean that I think fruits should immediately grow back. A way to remedy this would be with a significantly larger, perhaps infinite open world to explore and grab resources from. Run out of fruits in your small area, venture South and you find trees everywhere, or explore Westward and find mountains filled with rocks to mine. Is it really that hard to give that kind of freedom to the player so they can play how they want to?

All in all, despite my consistent bickering over the game, I did enjoy my time with it. Like I said at the top of the review, it's not that this game is bad, I just wish it had more to keep me engaged and playing for hours one day while allowing me to play the way the developers intended for only an hour on another day. This game has me eagerly awaiting more content and hopefully, a sequel will develop on the great base built here in this best-seller.

I really had to sit down and think about this one. I might even complete this review in multiple sittings just because I really broke down into the fundamentals to figuring out why Super Mario 3D World is not a perfect game and why, in my mind, Bowser's Fury is, despite its length. I've had a complicated history with 3D World, it was the last console 3D Mario I owned, I started it and never 100% beat it in the summer of '19 because I could not get past Champion's Road for the life of me. Come Summer of '20 I sit down and decide I'm gonna grind through it and I beat it, only a few days after this remake was announced. I thought that even with Bowser's Fury I was not going to want to replay this game but then I heard so many good things about the side mode and decided that I was gonna spend my money anyways and I did. But in order to understand why I think Bowser's Fury is revolutionary, I think it is important to contextualize what it is that made 3D World not live up to the hype.

Super Mario 3D World follows a similar level design idea to that of Super Mario 3D Land. The game is set in a 3D isometric world that makes it look like a 3D Mario and play like a 2D one. It makes the levels a good baseline for anyone who wants to jump into the series. That being said, World differs from Land by being a bit more open. Each of Land's levels are a bit tighter and Mario has restricted movement to make the levels flow much more naturally. Super Mario 3D World has sporadic level design, with the game often shifting what you are doing constantly. Some of them introduce their levels well. They introduce an idea, expand upon that idea and then challenge a player's understanding of that idea. Levels that come to mind are Double Cherry Pass or Switch Scramble Circus. Then you take a look at levels like Champion's Road which has the player introduced to new elements presented in new ideas constantly. Or if you want to use the excuse that Champion's road is the ultimate Act 3 or a Mario level then consider the Boo houses in the game or the ninja house levels. How many levels in 3D World can you remember that even have that three-act pattern? When people say 3D World has good game design, they are cherry-picking to the extreme.

Although I will admit there was a lot of good in this game. The green stars are very well implemented and as long as I sat back looking for them, I usually found them on my first try. In some instances, they were even placed in really nice spots that make the player feel accomplished for searching around, such as in an invisible maze where there's a glowing spot for the player to ground pound and when they do, a hidden path appears to the star. On that note, completion is a rough thorn on the rose of the 3D World. I love completing 3D Mario's. Seeing that max star count in Super Mario 64 is what I live for. So when I look at 3D World in comparison I groan. Super Mario Odyssey has a lot to do but that whole lot is paced so well, with so many tips as to where you need to go and it all flows into the next so well that I never feel booted from the action. 3D World is very different because of the 2D Mario style. If you miss a green star, you have to go back and play through the whole level to find it. Three hundred and eighty stars, along with a collection of stamps and hitting the top of every flagpole with a character makes this game a pain in the ass to get through. I think this could have easily been toned down without removing the collectibles entirely. Get rid of the stamp houses and the mushroom and flower worlds. Each little thing the game forces me to do for completion makes me feel like the game is padding out its runtime. There is no need for a captain Toad level in every world that acts as a complete pace breaker, even though I do like the Captain Toad levels. There's no need for a stamp house or twenty different secret bosses blocking my path. Half of the stars that you get in 3D World are not even from finding things in levels, most of them are just end-of-level completion which does not give the player any gratification when they complete other levels and get nothing. I like this game, I really do but they need to tone things down with the collectibles

Finally, we come to the minor issues and praises for this game. Firstly, this moveset does nothing for me. The multiple characters really felt like a way to make the movement "interesting" because there are hints where I really like a character but it fades and I always switch back to Luigi because he's objectively the best and even he feels bland at times. The power-ups are what helps in this regard because this is the most power-up heavy Mario game and it works. While the cat bell does take center stage, I found myself often wanting a Tanooki Leaf or a fire flower just because of how well-balanced everything is in terms of enhancing the player's abilities. I do wish they had brought back the pocket system here because I do find myself looking for an item constantly only to realize I have none.

All in all, Super Mario 3D World is an incredible game that feels like a true translation of the 2D Mario formula into a digestible 2.5D format without being entirely uninteresting the way that Super Mario 3D Land was. Although I do just wish that the game wasn't effectively made with 4 casual players in mind because single-player experiences are more my pace.

-------------------------------Bowser's Fury-----------------------------------

When this game was initially re-revealed in late 2020 as a part of the Mario 35 Anniversary Direct, I effectively just took a huge sigh of relief. This was one of the last Wii U ports to make its way over to the Nintendo Switch and it was nice to finally have it, but I knew I did not want to get it when it came out. I liked 3D World but not enough to buy it again. Then the game comes out and I can't stop hearing about how its side mode, Bowser's Fury is one of the most innovative and unique Mario experiences ever. So I pick up a copy and put it in, not really expecting to be blown away but expecting to have a decent amount of fun.

With all of that introduction out of the way, I do have to say that Bowser's Fury is literally my favorite Mario experience of all time. Everything about this small little 6-hour experience is perfect to me and leaves me craving this formula more. First off, those controls that I absolutely hate in 3D World feel so nice here. Something about the way Mario runs and jumps feels so much more intuitive in a wide-open environment as opposed to a tight platform collection. Running up walls and bouncing off of enemies has never felt better.

It really has never looked better either. This game is so pretty, from the glistening water to the particle effects on the rain, the sludge effects on Bowser look magnificent. This is still effectively just 3D World's style but when you have time to stop and take a look at the world around you, you realize how pretty everything is. The cat references everywhere make for perfect secrets as well, discovering what does and does not have cat ears makes for perfect little rewarding secrets. Everything about the environment makes it feel as though the game was modeled with nothing but passion.

Speaking of those environments, just everything about exploring them is amazing. I have played Super Mario 64 and Sunshine an infinite number of times more than I have for this game but everything about this game's environment looks and plays so much better. I forget certain areas in Sunshine exist sometimes but there was never an area that felt forgettable to me here. Most 64 areas have certain puzzles or challenges that just play like garbage but none of that is present here. Whether you are climbing on a tower that you cannot see or moving around a fortress that is entirely surrounded by clear pipes, the challenges will always have you wanting more.

Unfortunately, that is the worst part about this game, that there is not enough of it. It is the shortest 3D Mario experience, even shorter than Super Mario 64. Areas are tiny and compact and it all takes place on one world the size of a single location in Odyssey. There are only 100 main collectibles and getting them all does not unlock some ultra-hard final challenge or even more collectibles. This game is very limited in its content and once you have played through it fully, you've effectively seen everything.

However, that is what makes me love this game so much is the idea that we may get more. If we get another 3D Mario game some time from now in the same formula with a new unique system then I am sure it will become my new favorite Mario but for now, this small slice of heaven will have to do.

DISCLAIMER: I do not spoil any of the campaign/main story mode in my review here. I only talk about my personal critiques of the story in a vague way so as to not spoil anything for anyone who has not beaten it. No boss spoilers or story spoilers were involved in the writing of this review.

My experience with the Splatoon franchise is probably a little unorthodox. I really enjoyed the first Splatoon when it first came out on the Wii U but when it came time for the Switch to get a Splatoon entry I wasn't all that interested. Even when the first reveal trailer for Splatoon 3 came out I wasn't really sold on it even though I knew I would probably end up playing it anyways. Then I played the Splatfest demo in late August and I knew I had to play this game. It has quickly become my most played game this year, even behind Elden Ring, and my love for this game, and acknowledgment of its flaws, are why I sit here writing this review today.

The very first thing I noticed about this game when playing is just how good it all feels. Movement feels fluid, menus are organized and stylized in such a unique way. The game controls well, and it just feels great to shoot, swim and play. Each weapon feels distinct and it really feels special when you find your selection of weapons that works well for you. Dualies are your quick, mid-range fighter guns. Sloshers make for excellent support weapons, while still giving you plenty of power within close quarters. Blasters are nice mid-range alternatives if you need something with a little more support to it. Snipers are effective long-range without ever feeling busted. The unique weapons like the roller, splatana, and splatbrella are all fun in their own way and allow players to really fit their own niche in how they choose to approach the shooter genre. In terms of how it looks, I think the game does really well for being a Switch game that prioritizes fps and fast internet connection. The world is unique, beautiful and allows writers and composers a chance at creating new, unique creative opportunities. Textures and UI look like they really got that "first-party Nintendo game" polish to them. The ink in particular kept impressing me with how good it looked and how realistic it looked. However, the music really added a whole other level to this immersion. The music all fits with the post-apocalyptic theme that the game has, and reuses familiar Splatoon motifs in a way that even a casual fan will recognize. The whole game has a very punk-rock, rebellious feel to it that really makes the Splatoon franchise feel like it's "grown-up" in a way.

Honestly, I ended up enjoying far more of Splatoon's single-player than I had in previous Splatoon entries, and part of that was the overhaul in the single-player hub world and the addition of TableTurf battles. The singleplayer in this game is fantastic. It provides a better context for the world while giving more creative freedom for the team to expand the world, and really immerse you in the idea that this world has a full culture and scientific history that justifies its existence. As for the actual gameplay within the single-player, it is more akin to a gauntlet of challenges that need to be completed. On one hand, this is great as it allows for a greater focus on the weapons and introduces players to new ways the weapons, sub-weapons, and specials can be used. On the other hand, with a greater focus on broadening the Splatoon narrative, and an overworld similar to that of Super Mario 3D World, I would have liked to have seen greater theming to the world. While most of the levels are designed incredibly well, they do not leave much of an impact on the player outside of a simple "Huh, that was a cool concept. On with my day." Nothing about these levels or this world really stand out to me and it left me wishing for just a little bit more. I was planning on collecting everything in the campaign and 100%ing the story mode, but the main game was unfortunately just not compelling enough for me to want to do so. After the very first playable section in the game, nothing really screams "post-apocalypse" to me when it comes to the story mode. While I did enjoy Alterna and the setting itself is rather creative, it did not feel like the story mode connected to the main game thematically, regardless of how many mentions of the idols it throws your way.

Tableturf battle was a smaller section of the game that I felt deserved its own paragraph for simply how creative, unique, and thematically appropriate it felt. This small side mode was genuinely one of my favorite parts of the game. Including a small, turn-based, strategy card game that mimics the main turf war mode while including its own unique rules and strategy made for an excellent way to kill time and even get some cool gear to use in the rest of the game. My only complaint is how they limited it to a single-player mode. It baffles me that they would think through such a novel concept only to make it so you can only play against CPUs. I am sure that there will one day be an update added where you can play online but if you were going to include this, it really should have been ready with online play at launch.

Finally, we come to the main game and what I personally played the most: turf war, anarchy battles, and salmon run. I suppose I should preface that I have played in two Splatfests and achieved a B+ rank after approximately 3 weeks of play. I personally love everything about this online experience and it is genuinely the most fun I have had playing an online game in a long time. First up, the Splatfests, which I have always thought was an ingenious way to keep your player base engaged, certainly more than something like a double XP weekend. People love arguing about useless stuff on the internet and turning that into an actual mode for your game where people can defend their option by representing their team in turf wars is absolutely ingenious and I could not praise the Splatoon team more for their decision to continue this tradition and expand upon it by introducing a third option into the Splatfest. What I dislike about the current Splatfest system is how points are currently divided, and the now-infamous Tri-Color Turf Wars. Splatfest points are divided into three categories in this game: the number of battles you win for your team before the Splatfest begins, the number of people that joined your team and the amount of "clout" attained during the Splatfest, of which winning Tri-Color Turf War battles will net you significantly more clout. This system sounds good on paper but when applied to the actual game it just turns out an absolute mess as it means effectively all a team has to do is win the popularity contest. The team with the most votes and the most amount of players to play open battles gets the victory automatically. Creating a new Splatfest system had to be hard on the developers but the two Splatfests have gone the exact same with Big Man taking an early lead, only to be absolutely crushed by the popularity of Shiver (and everybody on Team Big Man avoiding Tri-Color battles), with Frye getting absolutely nothing. Honestly, though, the voting system would not be this bad if it were not for the horrid maps the Splatoon team is picking for these Tri-Color matches. As someone who has now played them from both Attacker and Defender perspectives, they just always seem to be biased in favor of the attackers. Defenders spawn in the middle of the map with that middle typically being incredibly small and are forced to simultaneously take space and defend the Ultra Signal, which pretty much gives Attackers the win if they get it early enough. This means that maps that have hard-to-reach spawn areas are near-impossible to win as defense. This problem, unfortunately, lead to me not being able to play many Tri-Color turf battles at all and lead to my Splatfest experiences feeling like I was just queueing up for some normal Turf War. However, I will throw in some final praise for the Turf Wars as they give quite a bit of extra equipment bonuses, further incentivizing players to play on those weekends.

Analyzing the remaining online features for the game is significantly less scrutinizing, simply due to how fun all of the main modes are. The online modes are what the game truly revolves around and they all feel great. Turf War is fun and chaotic but a great way to boost gear or just hang out and play a fun casual shooter. The competitive ranked modes are great and each mode type allows for the unique use of weapons that may not normally get played in regular turf wars. Splat Zones was my personal favorite because the "King of the Hill" style gameplay works so well with the Splatoon formula. Finally, Salmon Run is a fun alternative to the main online modes which focuses on more of a PvE element that I love. I do wish that Salmon Run was a little more connected to the main game because I definitely would have liked to level up and use my unique gear for the game mode but players will still find a lot of value in the mode as is. I found the way the gear system interacted with the main modes incredibly fun when it was connected. I loved leveling up gear, swapping out gear chunks, and designing a build that worked just right for me. This is definitely the type of game you can grind for hours and still discover something new about how a certain piece of gear interacts with the rest of the game.

To end off this review, I would like to acknowledge the large "Communication error has occurred"-shaped elephant in the room. The online connection can be truly awful sometimes and it just goes to show how underdeveloped Nintendo's online infrastructure can be. I would sit in lobbies, disconnect from those lobbies if too many players from the previous game left, and then get thrown out, and put into new lobbies only for players to disconnect a minute into the game. I would genuinely wait 10 minutes just to solo queue an unranked mode and it would seriously kill my desire to grind. It's not the worst Nintendo online game, but it could absolutely be improved upon.

That about wraps up my extensive thoughts on Splatoon 3. All in all, it's a really solid game and an incredibly full $60 package that I think just about anyone will enjoy. This game is absolutely amazing and if you are a Splatoon fan, you will love the game. If you want an unconventional shooter game with tons of content, weapons, character, and charm, this is your game. If you just want something fun to play and you have a few friends that already own it, absolutely play this. I wish I could give this game a perfect score but each almost perfect element has just a tiny asterisk on it that the game as a whole just barely feels like it misses the mark as a "perfect game." I still think the game is incredibly solid, a good buy, and all-around one of the best multiplayer third-person shooter experiences out there.

Hi-Fi Rush is a flashy game with a lot to do and that is absolutely why it has captured the heart of the internet. Unfortunately, it does have some elements holding it back from being a truly perfect game. I'm here to poke a few holes in everybody's new Game of the Year contendor.

First off, the main gameplay loop consists mainly of platforming sections and fighting gauntlets. Levels use this loop to varying degrees of success. At its best, the platforming is used to create some really fun puzzles that combine your movement abilities with your partner abilities. At their worst, the game will just have you jump across blocks for 20 minutes. Overall, the platforming is pretty consistent, it only falters a few times closer to the middle and end of the game. The fighting, however, can really grow old in some areas. Sometimes, instead of designing levels, the game will put 10 enemies in front of you and just say "kill". Enemies do get many variations at the beginning, but towards the end you will start seeing the same enemies over and over. This would not be so bad if the combat were consistent. While in the beginning, the combat does require genuine strategy and skill to beat enemies effectively. However, after you obtain your second partner, that partner system begins to break the game's combat entirely as it becomes much easier to summon partners as often as possible and have them damage and distract enemies for you. This main gameplay loop can lead to some of the best levels in the game, and at other points will have you playing mindless gauntlets for an hour. The production areas and museum are two stand-out examples of the solid side of this gameplay.

Outside of the main gameplay loop, there is an upgrade system that allows you to customize attacks, specials, gear and "chips", which act as bonus abilities to boost your powers. The attacks and specials are fun to customize to see which abilities work for you, and the ability to sell them makes it so you can choose to allocate those credits elsewhere in the lategame. The chips are unfortunately not very important, and I found myself mostly just using the ones that decreased partner recharge time. The gear is what will give you the most edge in battle but really does not offer much in the way of customization. Additionally, you can speak with your partners at your hideout, (when the game lets you access the hideout) and check smaller challenges the game has set for you. Although the hideout was fun at first, I found myself mostly avoiding the content once the game really started to pick up.

As for presentation, this is where Hi-Fi Rush really shines. Enviornments are very rich and feel lived despite the game mostly being a set of linear platforming levels. Characters are super well-designed, with each one feeling distinct in their own way. (Unfortunately, somebody on the team must have been a gigantic Jojo's Bizarre Adventure fan, as Zanzo is quite literally the stereotype of a Jojo's fan. I, too, am a jojo fan, but oh my god the constant referncing got really tired, really quickly.) The music is really good, but if I had any complaints, it would be that apart from a few of the boss tracks, none of the tracks felt all that distinct from each other. Some tracks are even a little too ambient for what the game was going for, and therefore, it can be really hard to do anything on rhythm in those sections of the game. However, the artstyle is absolutely the best part of the game. This world and these characters look and feel straight out of a comic book and cutscenes are the highest high points of the game. Unfortunately, that whole "comic book" style the team was going for really bleeds into the writing. While I don't hate the writing this game has, it definitely wears on you with how trope-y it is, and the ways it uses meta humor to try and shield itself from any criticism. If you are not a fan of MCU writing, DO NOT PLAY THIS GAME. Yes, it fits with the tone. Yes, it fits with certain characters. (Kale should've been the only one constantly making jokes because his lines and line delivery are genuinely so funny.) But after you hear the fifteenth "Chai is dumb" and "CNMN says exactly what is happening" joke, it really starts to get old and you just want to move on with the game. The game also has some genuine performance issues that I have not seen called out too much but I hit a couple of big performance drops in certain areas and cutscenes would sometimes desync from the audio.

All in all, while I really appreciate Hi-Fi Rush for such a creative idea with a really rich world and characters, games are defined by their gameplay. Unfortunately for this game, I think there are one too many elements that players will find genuinely frustrating, to the point where I would not be surprised if most of the people praising this game so highly, have not actually finished it, yet. Whether it be the pacing issues, the occasionally repetitive and trope-filled writing, the lackluster side of the platforming level design, or the easy-to-break combat, I think there are just too many elements to give this game the rating I want to give it. Which is really unfortunate because the game is incredibly charming and was clearly made with a lot of love, and even had a lot of elements that I did like. I think that with a sequel, the combat can be better refined, and some tweaks made to the writing can really bring this game the praise I know it deserves.

Same as the original but with worse controls and better graphics.

I was always wondering why I never beat this as a kid and now that I've played it as an adult I realize why. The game is just not designed all that well. Platforms are too tiny for how slippery this plumber is. The game constantly feels like it's rushing you and with how short each level is, which means you can beat the whole game in like an hour, even if you're taking your time. Enemies don't provide anything other than points that add nothing to the gameplay. Breaking blocks more often hinders than helps so it's better to just ignore everything and reach the end as fast as possible. If I played this in 1985 I wouldn't think its the future of gaming. I would think that somebody ported an arcade game to a home console and thought to change nothing. Because that's what it is, an arcade game. It feels designed to waste your time and suck tokens out of you through cheap deaths and crap mechanics. It's really just frustrating to play all around. I think people would look at this a lot differently if it wasn't one of the best-selling games of all time and didn't start one of the biggest franchises in gaming history.

WHY WOULD YOU REMOVE THE CAMERAS FROM A FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S GAME SCOTT??? THERE ARE NO VISUALS IN THE MAIN GAMEPLAY AND IT LEADS TO THIS BEING THE LEAST SCARY AND LEAST TENSE GAME IN THE FRANCHISE! The pizzeria tycoon section is alright with a few bullshit minigames (I'm looking at you basketball hoops) and the salvage sections are actually super cool and tense but a little too easy. I feel like those parts could absolutely pass as they are if it weren't for the unbearable office gameplay though.

Magic: The Gathering is one of my favorite games of all time. Yeah, not just board games; my favorite game. So that being said, a free-to-play version with online functionality allowing me to play at any time should be the best thing ever, right? Well...

So I guess I should get this out of the way since it's clearly everybody's problem with this game. Yes, it's insanely predatory, but so are card games? This is no less predatory than actual Magic realistically but I don't think that's most people's problem with this game. Their problem is that when you do get cards and do make a fun deck based around those cards, that deck is rendered almost completely obsolete only a few months later. The fact that Standard is what they decided to base the game around instead of Modern really makes it hard to justify buying cards. Why would I buy cards that have no use outside of this game if they aren't going to be worth anything in said game after a year or so? With paper Magic, there are so many ways to play, with so many formats, casual play is so common that you can use any of your cards in any deck with limitless rules. And with real Magic cards, you can sell those guys when you're done with them if you want. But if you pull cards you don't want in this game, you're just kind of stuck with them, which makes pulling commons even more annoying than it is IRL. At least with paper Magic, you actually own something tangible, even if it's barely worth more than a few cents. I think the easiest way for Wizards to circumvent this would literally just be to let you have the cards. Build and try out any decks you want, just like Magic: Online. I know this isn't realistic and that they have to make their money somehow but I don't think that having ads or something would be any less immersion breaking than scummy monetary practices.

That being said, how is the game as a service for Magic? I'm not going to judge the Magic format because I would simply say that it's perfect and mastered the card game style in '93 but I do want to judge the way this game provides a place to play Magic. In my honest opinion, it's alright. It works well, and processes everything at a nice pace. It certainly feels like I'm playing a game of Magic. But, it doesn't do much in the way of offering me customizability and this ties back into the problem with basing your game around Standard. It's my opinion that the Standard format is inherently flawed. It promotes playing the game for as few turns as possible and it shows by how few control decks are played in the format. However, I understand that there is a market for this format and that a lot of people really do like it. But, what about me who is not one of those people. What do I get to work with? Well there's Brawl which is certainly a lot of fun but other than that, there's only variations of Standard, and considering that most cards in the game are simply 2018 and onward, it really all just feels like Standard. There's barely any variations, no Two-headed giant, no Commander, no Archenemy and no real variations on the Draft formats. It feels like this was constructed entirely for competitive one-on-one... oh yeah... is was. All MTG tournaments since the release of this game have been on Arena. They simply made this as an official way to have pretty presentation for Magic tournaments. I'm happy that these players have their way to play now but most people play Magic as a hobby and would like some variation from time to time. Throwing a bone to your main fan base would probably do you some good, Wizards.

Regardless, the game is presented very well. Special animations for legendary creatures, sound design is delightful and everything looks really good. They did not have to go this hard for a simple card game. The game is updated consistently to keep up with Magic's ever-expanding line of products. But man, those updates are killer and keep me from opening this thing so often. I don't think I need a 7GB update every single time I open your app, Wizards but I appreciate you being on top of things. Also, the lack of social features on here is abyssmal. Magic always has been a very social game and while I'm not saying you need voice chat or anything, but the ability to say something beyond a "Hey!" or a "Nice job." would be nice.

This honestly, just feels like Wizards attempt to kill paper Magic that did nothing but make paper Magic fans more dedicated to their cardboard. It's a nice application but until more features are added to be more inclusive to casual formats, I don't think this will replace paper Magic for me and millions of others.

For a cross between Halo and Portal, this is not half bad.

The problem is needing a reason to keep playing. Once you have played one round, you have kind of played everything the game has to offer. If you just need a fun, free-to-play game to hang out with some friends on than this is super good for that but the gameplay loop doesn't offer much. It's fun but not very compelling. Shooting someone through a portal or doing a portal jump up to a high area only to pummel three people up there is only so fun for so long. There is no story mode, the battlepass gives you some cosmetic changes and the ranked system isn't so much a ranked "system" as it is a ranked game mode slapped together and labeled a system. The problem with pick-up and play shooters in the online era is there is no real reason to keep playing. Halo or (the good) Call of Duty games are really easy to pick up and start playing but also have comprehensive campaigns and compelling online modes that let you play the game at your own pace. Everything about Splitgate is about getting you into the next match. Matches are timed, no matter what the game mode and lobbies just thrust you into random games, switching up the game mode at a moments pace. You can't just choose to play King of the Hill for a bit, you have to play King of the Hill and a bunch of other games in a jamboree, and if you don't get the mode you like, its too bad cus the game has pretty much already started.

Outside of that gameplay loop, there's not much to say. It's exactly what you expect. Halo but with portals is a really fun concept and when you first jump into this, it is a lot of fun. Trying to find where you can portal to in order to get a high ground advantage, plus using your jetpack to help with tricky jumps and running around the maps trying to pummel someone at close range can be a lot of fun. I love all of the maps with an exception or two, but there's enough variety in each that you won't get tired of any of them, even if you dislike them. The gun variety is really good too. Each gun feels unique in its own way but still easy to use. Rarely ever did I pick up a gun and immediately drop it for another.

Overall, a really solid time for what it is, but you won't see it winning any awards. It doesn't push the boundaries, it doesn't do anything new, it just takes what you've liked about shooters in the past and mashed them into one free, easy to play experience.

This was a pleasant surprise that I don't think anyone saw coming. I got around to playing this chapter a bit later than I had hoped but I'm glad I took it at the pace I did. I should probably preface this review by saying one thing: yes, I was an Undertale mega-fan back in the day. That being said, I'm honestly super happy that the direction this game is going. If you want to play this without playing Undertale first, then I think that is perfectly fine, as this acts as a better spiritual successor as opposed to a sequel.

Deltarune Chapter 1 honestly kind of disappointed me when it first came out. It didn't have the replay value Undertale had, hell it barely had any at all, the characters felt like lackluster carbon copies of Undertale characters and overall it just felt like it couldn't detach itself from Undertale's legacy. Of course, me being a mega-fan of Undertale, I had no problem with this at first, as long as you fed me a bit of mystery and plopped in a Sans cameo, I was golden. But as I reflected on the game, I started to realize that it really didn't impact me the same way that game did. But, I can say confidently that Chapter 2 has really redeemed itself and it really makes me excited for what this game has to offer in the future.

Deltarune's gameplay doesn't differ all that much from Undertale, apart from a few minor ways. The game still takes place in a 16-bit SNES style where you play as an androgynous child lost in a world of monsters and magic. However, the battle system has completely changed and what used to be a pretty slow burn with some bullet hell sequences has turned into complete chaos with full RPG features that still lets the essence of Toby's message breathe. Fighting is still an option, and while there are consequences for hurting others, you aren't completely devoid of humanity the second you slap a fly or punch a mouse. Acting is still essential to your main gameplay and gives each fight its own minigame-like sequence, which keeps the whole point of pacifism from getting too monotonous and repetitive. Magic is new to the world of Deltarune however and has largely changed the gameplay and really gives this game a more traditional RPG feel over its predecessor. Puzzles are still a delight to solve, and don't derail the story too much, and those that do typically serve some other gameplay purpose so solving everything and turning over every rock becomes an absolute treat (To Deltarune's credit, Undertale really did have some long hallways that led to nothing). The gameplay just feels like everything you would want in a sequel, but Chapter 2 has absolutely gone above and beyond, adding small animations and little sequences that make the act of ACTing that much more fun.

But of course, who comes to a Toby Fox game for the gameplay? Everyone wants to know about the story. Well, I am happy to say that you will not be disappointed by this chapter. I did genuinely have some problems with the first part of this saga when it comes to story, it became poorly-paced at time, it didn't do much to get you invested in the characters or new world and not much happens that really makes you feel like you impacted some lives or felt something. However, Chapter 2 remedies all of this and more, with new interesting characters that really drive the story forward. Toby Fox's stories are largely driven by their characters and in this chapter, the new characters introduced, along with the previous characters being expanded upon really gives the game new flavor. Your main party members, Susie and Ralsei, feel much more real compared to Chapter 1. Susie has evolved from being an angry tomboy to an angry tomboy lesbian who also actually has complex emotions and a struggle to connect with others. Meanwhile, Ralsei has went from being a shy goat boy to being a shy goat boy with seemingly alterior motives and his hospitality reaches unnerving levels in this new story. Other characters like Noelle and Toriel finally get greater depth in this chapter, as we uncover the roots of Noelle's pushover-like nature and discover a colder side to Toriel that is unseen in Undertale. And the story is just beginning to ooze with mystery as we learn more about the Dark World and its themes of a magical fantasy world where nothing matters contrasted against a bleak real world where nothing you do matters. It truly feels like this part in Toby's new tale has come into its own thematically.

That's all I really have to say on Deltarune's new chapter without spoiling the entire thing. If you liked Undertale or Chapter 1, absolutely give this a try. If you didn't like either, I still think you should give this a try, it's different enough that it could finally be the thing that makes one of these stories click for you. If you haven't tried either Undertale nor Chapter 1 yet, then you should probably try Undertale first. I feel that Deltarune has evolved into a more mature version of Toby's storytelling (as shown by the colorful language and darker themes in this chapter), and playing Undertale first may give you a better beginner's guide to a Fox story. But if you want to jump right into this without playing Undertale because the hype is just killing you, then I highly suggest it either way, you should just probably play Chapter 1 first. This chapter won't make a lot of sense without it.

I have been an avid critic of Link's Awakening since first playing it a few years back. The gameplay style is fun if not a little confusing in part due to the confusing nature of the world design where everything is open to you but nothing is actually open to you. I find it a cheap way to hide linear design behind the vignette of an "open world". That being said, I was very willing to give TUNIC a try when I first saw it. I liked the art style, the world looked pretty enough to keep me engaged and I was really looking forward to the combat since playing Elden Ring has made me more hungry for things with that Souls-like formula. That being said, this game has a myriad of problems that the worst of both of those franchises has along with a few extra bits and pieces just for added touch.

Starting with the good, however, since there is genuine merit to this game. The art style is cute. It's very clearly inspired by other big breakout indies like FEZ with its own little twist on it. The sound design is gorgeous, too. The music is wonderful and really sets the mood for each area. The world design is rather cute as well. I feel as though if I really wanted to I could get rather immersed in this world, as it has plenty of realistic elements along with that bit of mysticism that keeps you wanting to know more.

And the presentation is effectively where my praises stop and the criticisms begin. As the gameplay in itself is infuriating in every way. Firstly, the combat, which was my biggest draw to the game. Many are calling this game a Souls-like however I think that's a bit off the mark, as while the game may be hard, incitivises attacking your enemy only when their pattern allows it and there's a dodge roll, it's not fair like Dark Souls. When you die in a Dark Souls game, it really feels like it's your fault. It was never out of your control, you simply lacked the expertise to get that one hit in and got punished for it. This game is not fair. Windows of attack are small and the game will sometimes throw multiple enemies at you, just to make your experience more miserable. And the fire pits that bare similarity to Dark Souls' bonfires are used so sparingly that you'll often be trekking back multiple times through one area because you died to something simply out of your control. The roll is way to fast and is a better movement tool than an evasion tool. The shield does nothing but impede your attacks, giving you no window of opportunity to counterattack. Often times combat will amount to "attack once, step back, wait out the three second animation of a guy swinging at you, attack again, repeat until dead" and it just becomes boring. It says a lot about a game's combat when you csn turn it off from the very beginning. The only incentive to attacking enemies is to clear the path so you can get to your next destination but sometimes running around is even easier than that. If you can avoid combat entirely and it is at the advantage of the player to do so then your game needs tweaking. Although there is a level system, it has more to do with exploration than it really does with beating enemies, as you need certain items before you can level up at all. This would be fine if exploration was not the most cryptic thing alive. Once again comes my problems with this style of gameplay. I absolutely hate it when games pretend to open something up to you, only to hit you with an empty room and a sign that says "come back later". It's always just annoying. If your game is going to be linear, I'd just rather have a sense of direction so I'm not wandering around for an hour before giving up. I looked up walkthroughs twice in my 3 hours with this game, something I have only done once in my 25 hours with Elden's Ring, and that was just cus I got tired of looking. I don't think I would have genuinely known there was a leveling system if it wasn't thanks to walkthroughs. While I like the style of cryptic storytelling the game is going for, it really impedes my enjoyment of the game if the cryptic nature of the game is everywhere. Im a good fifth of the way through the game and the main plot still has yet to reveal itself.

In conclusion, if you like Link's Awakening, this game is for you. If you like Dark Souls this game is not for you. If you hate Dark Souls, this game is also not for you. This game really only serves to be a harder version of Link's Awakening and while I can see merit in that, the gameplay style of Link's Awakening is just my least favorite in an action-adventure game. And I certainly don't think it works here. That does not mean I would not like to see more from this studio, because I do think that even this game is good, it just was not what it was hyped up to be in my mind.

Mario Party Superstars is a step in the right direction for a series that has been misguided for well over a decade. Ever since NDCube took over the franchise from Hudson Soft, the quality of the games has dropped entry after entry and that was far too obvious in 2018's Super Mario Party which felt like a husk of the former games. However, this game has really brought the series back and I am finally seeing it get the respect it deserves as the chaotic party game it was always meant to be.

The presentation of the game is actually really nice, even compared to previous entries. Most Mario games go for a toy-looking art style that makes everything look like plastic and ugly but the direction of this more realistic art style has looks much better. But the music is really where this game shines, as every track has been remixed to add new, modern flare to each board and minigame, with the old tracks being optional to change after beating each board. It all sounds and looks just how it should for a simple party game.

Of course, no one comes to Mario Party for its stunning visuals, and luckily the gameplay does not suck this time. The return of the classic 1-10 dice, along with a grab-bag of classic minigames without any gimmicks added to them makes this a Mario Party that feels fresh to new players, and like a true return to form for veterans. The game is finally playable in handheld mode, which was not possible in the other Switch Mario Party and the selection of boards and minigames doesn't suck like the other anniversary title. And, the addition of stickers just adds that little thing that doesn't need to be there but is just fun to have when its not your turn. Also, a solid multiplayer mode! In a first party Nintendo game! Who would've thought? This is genuinely just a solid entry all around.

Although, there are some things lacking that do make me wonder if this game was rushed out the door a bit too fast. The lack of any kind of singleplayer content is a little disappointing since my personal favorite entry is Mario Party DS and that comes with an entire campaign, but also just a mission mode would have been nice. Additionally, the lack of modes for the main board game feels a little bit weird. No 2v2 mode, no partner mechanics, no special dice blocks depending on your character all feel like weird things to be excluded from, but I assume this was to focus on the main game, since NDCube does have a habit of overstuffing their titles with modes that lack any depth. Although, the limited character selection and only 5 boards is a little disappointing, and the boards chosen aren't really stand outs. The fact that Birdo got a slot over like Bowser Jr is a little weird, and Peach's Birthday Cake is a pretty boring map. All in all, I just wish that more content had been taken from the Gamecube titles and MP8 over the N64 titles, since it feels like those titles really got shelved in terms of inspiration.

This is decisively the best Mario Party in a long time and I absolutely want to get more chances to play this with friends because its just a fun time, with that added bit of Mario Party chaos back into the game.