SpiderNick06
2011
✅76%
Super Mario 3D Land is honestly a bit underrated because even if this wasn't 3D, there are so many interesting mechanics at play in the level design that would make it really good as just 2D. Adding these 3D elements is the icing on the cake making a fresh and enjoyable experience.
It is a bit short and doesn't have a lot of content in the main part of the game, but honestly it's just a lot of fun. On one hand I would've liked more of this game, but at the same time I think it would've gotten a little old. They don't really add many new mechanics as it goes on to try to add variety in each world, so it never has a chance to overstay its welcome with its length. It also adds replay value. It's one thing I'm mixed on but more on the positive side.
I also like the gimmick of needing enough star coins to unlock the final boss as it adds more importance to these. In New Mario Wii, they're there to unlock tutorials. At least here they have importance and are fun to try to find. The secrets put here may be a bit obvious sometimes, but it's still feels good when you find them. One thing I wish the game had were the Koopalings because I think each of their own abilities and mechanics would've been cool in 3D.
I do think this gets overlooked a bit, but then again I haven't played 3D World and I heard that it's a lot better so maybe once I play that my score could go down. As of now though, I really enjoyed this game and it does something new in the Mario formula. I'd recommend it!
Super Mario 3D Land is honestly a bit underrated because even if this wasn't 3D, there are so many interesting mechanics at play in the level design that would make it really good as just 2D. Adding these 3D elements is the icing on the cake making a fresh and enjoyable experience.
It is a bit short and doesn't have a lot of content in the main part of the game, but honestly it's just a lot of fun. On one hand I would've liked more of this game, but at the same time I think it would've gotten a little old. They don't really add many new mechanics as it goes on to try to add variety in each world, so it never has a chance to overstay its welcome with its length. It also adds replay value. It's one thing I'm mixed on but more on the positive side.
I also like the gimmick of needing enough star coins to unlock the final boss as it adds more importance to these. In New Mario Wii, they're there to unlock tutorials. At least here they have importance and are fun to try to find. The secrets put here may be a bit obvious sometimes, but it's still feels good when you find them. One thing I wish the game had were the Koopalings because I think each of their own abilities and mechanics would've been cool in 3D.
I do think this gets overlooked a bit, but then again I haven't played 3D World and I heard that it's a lot better so maybe once I play that my score could go down. As of now though, I really enjoyed this game and it does something new in the Mario formula. I'd recommend it!
2011
All Wii Sports Resort tracks and Wario's Shipyard for the MarioKart 8 Deluxe Booster Pack.
👌60%
I don't think this game is an atrocity but it definitely could've been a bit better. The New Super Mario Bros series has become cookie cutter at this point. Wii was able to add new mechanics and expand on the DS on a little, but this one just takes from the first two and puts coins everywhere. While it was fun coin hunting and it lead to some cool mechanics like the gold block head and the coin enemies, the platforming itself is generic and there's not much to this game that makes it stand out. It leans more closely to the DS one in its "styling" and has 6 worlds that are there for you. You need to unlock 2 of them, but the interest to get them isn't there because it's just an average game. There is not much else for me to say since I reviewed DS and Wii, as this is just a generic version of those first two games. I really enjoyed the first two, but here the formula gets old with it doing nothing remotely interesting. It's entertaining enough, but that's really it.
I don't think this game is an atrocity but it definitely could've been a bit better. The New Super Mario Bros series has become cookie cutter at this point. Wii was able to add new mechanics and expand on the DS on a little, but this one just takes from the first two and puts coins everywhere. While it was fun coin hunting and it lead to some cool mechanics like the gold block head and the coin enemies, the platforming itself is generic and there's not much to this game that makes it stand out. It leans more closely to the DS one in its "styling" and has 6 worlds that are there for you. You need to unlock 2 of them, but the interest to get them isn't there because it's just an average game. There is not much else for me to say since I reviewed DS and Wii, as this is just a generic version of those first two games. I really enjoyed the first two, but here the formula gets old with it doing nothing remotely interesting. It's entertaining enough, but that's really it.
👍67%
New Super Mario Bros U. is a game I'm mixed on. I enjoyed the game and it does some really cool things like the Van Gogh inspired level and the final boss was cool, but at its core it's just another copy and paste New Super Mario Bros game. The world map is the same it's been in the past 3 games and doesn't try anything really new in it's level design. I do appreciate the snow level being set at night with the aurora borealis background though. That was a nice twist on the world. That was really one of the first times I liked an ice themed platforming world, as I found it to be the most unique in the game. It is able to more unique things than New Super Mario Bros. 2 and I appreciate it for that. I think if 2 was more of a copy of the DS one, this is more of a copy of the Wii one. I think graphically this is the best in the New Super Mario Bros. series and some of the levels like the Van Gogh one show how good the graphics really were. I feel like if there was more effort put into this instead of it being a copy paste entry, this could've been something really special. It shows quite a few flashes of something really cool, but never quite gets there from how safe it plays it. It is an entertaining playthrough and if you like this series I'd definitely give it a play, but at its core it's really just another safe entry.
New Super Mario Bros U. is a game I'm mixed on. I enjoyed the game and it does some really cool things like the Van Gogh inspired level and the final boss was cool, but at its core it's just another copy and paste New Super Mario Bros game. The world map is the same it's been in the past 3 games and doesn't try anything really new in it's level design. I do appreciate the snow level being set at night with the aurora borealis background though. That was a nice twist on the world. That was really one of the first times I liked an ice themed platforming world, as I found it to be the most unique in the game. It is able to more unique things than New Super Mario Bros. 2 and I appreciate it for that. I think if 2 was more of a copy of the DS one, this is more of a copy of the Wii one. I think graphically this is the best in the New Super Mario Bros. series and some of the levels like the Van Gogh one show how good the graphics really were. I feel like if there was more effort put into this instead of it being a copy paste entry, this could've been something really special. It shows quite a few flashes of something really cool, but never quite gets there from how safe it plays it. It is an entertaining playthrough and if you like this series I'd definitely give it a play, but at its core it's really just another safe entry.
1992
✅80%
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a definite improvement over 1 and CD and really sets the franchise on its footing. Obviously it doesn't stick, but in the 2D platformers this is where they found their stride. The platforming gets way more interesting, visually it ages super well, and it doesn't stop finding new stuff in each zone. I think having most zones only having two acts is a better route than three, because this way the zones don't overstay their welcome and it helps the pacing of the game if there are more zones in this sequel. I liked how the ending were connected three zones, as it really adds to the grand finale effect the game wanted. The boss fights are the weakest element with them either being boring, a little too lengthy, or just broken, but they are still fun enough and imaginative. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a great platformer and is so far my favorite 2D Sonic game. Need to play 3 and Knuckles still, but I really enjoyed this one!
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a definite improvement over 1 and CD and really sets the franchise on its footing. Obviously it doesn't stick, but in the 2D platformers this is where they found their stride. The platforming gets way more interesting, visually it ages super well, and it doesn't stop finding new stuff in each zone. I think having most zones only having two acts is a better route than three, because this way the zones don't overstay their welcome and it helps the pacing of the game if there are more zones in this sequel. I liked how the ending were connected three zones, as it really adds to the grand finale effect the game wanted. The boss fights are the weakest element with them either being boring, a little too lengthy, or just broken, but they are still fun enough and imaginative. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a great platformer and is so far my favorite 2D Sonic game. Need to play 3 and Knuckles still, but I really enjoyed this one!
2023
Good movie but bad game. It's hilarious that of all movies last year to have a game, the movie about Mad Eye Moody cutting his fingers off because The Penguin in The Batman won't stop talking to him. I get ironic enjoyment out of this just because it's Banshees of Inisherin, but man this game really sucks. Play if you like the movie for only five minutes.
2013
🏅88%
Absolutely fantastic Mario game. It doesn't have any wow factors in it to make it get all the acclaim as 64, Galaxy, or Odyssey have, but I just really enjoyed this game and it's just so much fun.
It has so many really fun mechanics like the cat suit and the cherry powerup. It introduces so much to the platforming and gives you so much more you can do. The levels are all unique, and the game never grew repetitive. You have the classic Mario feeling you get in these games, yet it's still able to different things that are welcome.
The clear pipe is so satisfying with how smooth it is and how you can control Mario in the pipes sometimes. I also think they made the green pipes feel better too. The game controls beautifully which is always a plus in my book.
I don't think rescuing the fairies was as compelling of a story and having as much stakes as rescuing Peach, but it added something different to it and we got Peach as a playable character, and I liked how she was. I liked her hover ability, and that was really another thing I liked. The playable characters all have something unique about them where they feel more like characters instead of skins.
One of the most surprising things about this game was the Captain Toad levels. I haven't played Treasure Tracker, but these levels felt so refreshing and I loved whenever they'd pop up. They weren't at the level of the main levels, but they were a fun side level once in a while.
The only real thing I can think of to complain about is that the final boss had to be autoscroll. I wanted to climb the tower at my own pace, but the autoscroll wouldn't let me do that and I ended up dying because I couldn't see where I was going, or it made me stand right in Bowser's way. It was just a cheap way to increase difficulty instead of actually trying to make a challenging end. I still enjoyed the fight though because it had such a good tone and it looked amazing.
3D World expands on 3D Land so well by adding way more in it and having more depth in the levels. It's way more thought out, has a grander scope, and is just so much fun to play. It's not revolutionary or anything, but it has so many awesome and unique things in it and is just one heck of an adventure. I absolutely recommend this game, it's really really fun!
Absolutely fantastic Mario game. It doesn't have any wow factors in it to make it get all the acclaim as 64, Galaxy, or Odyssey have, but I just really enjoyed this game and it's just so much fun.
It has so many really fun mechanics like the cat suit and the cherry powerup. It introduces so much to the platforming and gives you so much more you can do. The levels are all unique, and the game never grew repetitive. You have the classic Mario feeling you get in these games, yet it's still able to different things that are welcome.
The clear pipe is so satisfying with how smooth it is and how you can control Mario in the pipes sometimes. I also think they made the green pipes feel better too. The game controls beautifully which is always a plus in my book.
I don't think rescuing the fairies was as compelling of a story and having as much stakes as rescuing Peach, but it added something different to it and we got Peach as a playable character, and I liked how she was. I liked her hover ability, and that was really another thing I liked. The playable characters all have something unique about them where they feel more like characters instead of skins.
One of the most surprising things about this game was the Captain Toad levels. I haven't played Treasure Tracker, but these levels felt so refreshing and I loved whenever they'd pop up. They weren't at the level of the main levels, but they were a fun side level once in a while.
The only real thing I can think of to complain about is that the final boss had to be autoscroll. I wanted to climb the tower at my own pace, but the autoscroll wouldn't let me do that and I ended up dying because I couldn't see where I was going, or it made me stand right in Bowser's way. It was just a cheap way to increase difficulty instead of actually trying to make a challenging end. I still enjoyed the fight though because it had such a good tone and it looked amazing.
3D World expands on 3D Land so well by adding way more in it and having more depth in the levels. It's way more thought out, has a grander scope, and is just so much fun to play. It's not revolutionary or anything, but it has so many awesome and unique things in it and is just one heck of an adventure. I absolutely recommend this game, it's really really fun!
✅78%
After enjoying these levels in 3D World I had to give the full game a try immediately after, and this game didn't disappoint. It takes what I liked about the 3D World levels and expanded on them so well here. It starts off relatively simple but it starts giving you boss fights and FPS mine cart levels, it's just so insane the amount of variety in the mechanics. I don't think it's a groundbreaking game or anything, but for a game led by TOAD of all characters, they really outdid themselves with this. They brought the turnips from Mario 2 back which I hated in that game but actually liked here. There's also all the great mechanics from 3D World back in here like the clear pipes, touch blocks, and cherry powerup. Toad's restricted movement really helps with these levels and while Toad can sometimes feel a little stiff to control from this, it adds to the levels as the levels were of course designed for this. While some of these levels may seem barebones on the surface, when you really go deeper into them to find all the gems you see how much attention to detail and secrets they actually put in here. I don't think the game is groundbreaking by any means but it's a lot of fun and a charming spinoff in the Mario franchise. I never would've expected a Toad game to be great, and I was proven wrong with Treasure Tracker.
After enjoying these levels in 3D World I had to give the full game a try immediately after, and this game didn't disappoint. It takes what I liked about the 3D World levels and expanded on them so well here. It starts off relatively simple but it starts giving you boss fights and FPS mine cart levels, it's just so insane the amount of variety in the mechanics. I don't think it's a groundbreaking game or anything, but for a game led by TOAD of all characters, they really outdid themselves with this. They brought the turnips from Mario 2 back which I hated in that game but actually liked here. There's also all the great mechanics from 3D World back in here like the clear pipes, touch blocks, and cherry powerup. Toad's restricted movement really helps with these levels and while Toad can sometimes feel a little stiff to control from this, it adds to the levels as the levels were of course designed for this. While some of these levels may seem barebones on the surface, when you really go deeper into them to find all the gems you see how much attention to detail and secrets they actually put in here. I don't think the game is groundbreaking by any means but it's a lot of fun and a charming spinoff in the Mario franchise. I never would've expected a Toad game to be great, and I was proven wrong with Treasure Tracker.
✅80%
Spyro: Year of the Dragon is one that I started off not really liking, but in the end absolutely loved it. It's got so much charm and creativity which makes it have so much to do. Each level has something unique about it making them stand out. While Spyro's friends could occasionally suck (Sgt. Byrd I'm looking RIGHT AT YOU), there were fun missions in them. The Agent 9 mission in Dino Mines was so much fun, and I liked the side-scroll mission with Sheila. The problem with the side characters is they have something holding them back in controls. Sgt. Byrd feels terrible overall, but Bentley is a bit too slow, and both Agent 9 and Sheila's movements can feel a little stiff. I had fun with most of them, but comparing them to Spyro they don't feel all too great. The game does have a lot of fun missions in the levels to balance this though. I enjoyed the Sorceress as a villain, but I wish her boss battle was improved. It felt like a first draft: no cutscene, one stage, no death. I feel like with how much they were building up this confrontation between Spyro and Sorceress, it just felt underwhelming. I'm complaining a lot about this game but I really did enjoy it. It keeps the charm of the first two games, and the eggs were so much fun to collect. The baby dragons had cute animations and when you unhatched one you just want to unhatch all of them. You don't want any of them left behind. The game looks amazing with the colors being so vibrant and the environments looking great. I genuinely feel like a lot of this game was almost on par with Ripto's Rage, but there are a few shortcomings that prevent it from getting there. Year of the Dragon oozes fun, and despite some issues, still provides one heck of an adventure.
Spyro: Year of the Dragon is one that I started off not really liking, but in the end absolutely loved it. It's got so much charm and creativity which makes it have so much to do. Each level has something unique about it making them stand out. While Spyro's friends could occasionally suck (Sgt. Byrd I'm looking RIGHT AT YOU), there were fun missions in them. The Agent 9 mission in Dino Mines was so much fun, and I liked the side-scroll mission with Sheila. The problem with the side characters is they have something holding them back in controls. Sgt. Byrd feels terrible overall, but Bentley is a bit too slow, and both Agent 9 and Sheila's movements can feel a little stiff. I had fun with most of them, but comparing them to Spyro they don't feel all too great. The game does have a lot of fun missions in the levels to balance this though. I enjoyed the Sorceress as a villain, but I wish her boss battle was improved. It felt like a first draft: no cutscene, one stage, no death. I feel like with how much they were building up this confrontation between Spyro and Sorceress, it just felt underwhelming. I'm complaining a lot about this game but I really did enjoy it. It keeps the charm of the first two games, and the eggs were so much fun to collect. The baby dragons had cute animations and when you unhatched one you just want to unhatch all of them. You don't want any of them left behind. The game looks amazing with the colors being so vibrant and the environments looking great. I genuinely feel like a lot of this game was almost on par with Ripto's Rage, but there are a few shortcomings that prevent it from getting there. Year of the Dragon oozes fun, and despite some issues, still provides one heck of an adventure.
🏅90%
Reviewed all the games individually, won't do it again 😂. I very much enjoyed this collection. Having not played the original versions, this was a great way for me to experience these for the first time. I've seen footage from the PS1 versions, and the jump in graphics is huge. I like the OG look a little more, but the actual color, resolution, and vividness of the graphics are significantly better. It controls really well, and all of these games are so much fun. My ranking would be 2, 3, 1. 2 has become an all-timer for me so I'm happy this collection showed me that one. It's only a 4.5 since that's my average rating of the three games, but this collection is a fantastic remaster.
Reviewed all the games individually, won't do it again 😂. I very much enjoyed this collection. Having not played the original versions, this was a great way for me to experience these for the first time. I've seen footage from the PS1 versions, and the jump in graphics is huge. I like the OG look a little more, but the actual color, resolution, and vividness of the graphics are significantly better. It controls really well, and all of these games are so much fun. My ranking would be 2, 3, 1. 2 has become an all-timer for me so I'm happy this collection showed me that one. It's only a 4.5 since that's my average rating of the three games, but this collection is a fantastic remaster.
2021
🏅85%
Really short game but delivers on so much. It's addicting, ridiculously fun, and has so much in its gameplay. It definitely borrows from 3D World and Odyssey with the style feeling like the two games had a baby. The mechanics from 3D World come into play with the cat suit, Plessie, and Mario's movement. The way you get the collectibles and how the world feels is close to Odyssey. It may not seem like much on the surface, but it's just so much fun and has way more to do than it looks. It is a little too short though and honestly in a way feels more like the child of 3D World and Odyssey more than its own game, but it's still so much fun and I'd recommend playing it to keep us going until the next big Mario title releases.
Really short game but delivers on so much. It's addicting, ridiculously fun, and has so much in its gameplay. It definitely borrows from 3D World and Odyssey with the style feeling like the two games had a baby. The mechanics from 3D World come into play with the cat suit, Plessie, and Mario's movement. The way you get the collectibles and how the world feels is close to Odyssey. It may not seem like much on the surface, but it's just so much fun and has way more to do than it looks. It is a little too short though and honestly in a way feels more like the child of 3D World and Odyssey more than its own game, but it's still so much fun and I'd recommend playing it to keep us going until the next big Mario title releases.
Gave both games a 4.5, gives collection 4.5. It's literally the least they could've done as a collection, but the games are so frickin good. 3D World is a contemporary classic, and Bowser's Fury is an underrated gem. If you have a Switch, I recommend this package. It's impossible not to like both games.
🏆97%
Tropical Freeze is a near-perfect platformer in the Switch catalog. The level design is top tier with creativity oozing out of every level. After recently playing New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, Tropical Freeze blows it away. Every single level has something great in it, and the levels never get old. Even the underwater levels were fun...in a NINTENDO game!
Every world is unique keeping the game fresh while it all feels like it's this one grand world Donkey Kong is going through. You get a nice beach themed one, then you get autumn, savannah, underwater, a jelly factory, and a frozen DK Island. It's all so inventive with so many standout levels. World 4 can feel a little slow compared to the others as you can only take so many swimming levels at once, but the individual levels are fun.
The difficulty is done really well where it actually puts up a challenge in a completely fair and reasonable way. Some things I didn't like in Sonic 2 were that the enemy placements were awful and the platforming could be straight up unfair from how slow Sonic's acceleration is, but here they actually made platforming that was hard because it was designed to be a challenge and not because they wanted to make their hour long game longer.
The only real issue I can think of with this game is that they made roll and slam the same. Sometimes I'd lose a few lives because Donkey Kong would roll off the platform instead of slamming it, but that could also partially be me not reacting fast enough with the analog stick. Tropical Freeze really went out there and did everything right. It controls beautifully other than that with stunning visuals. The silhouette levels look fantastic and there is so much background detail that I died a couple times by looking at that instead of the hazard in front of me.
The soundtrack is great too with Busted Bayou and the underwater levels having the best songs. Frederick's theme was also really really cool. This game just shows its style everywhere and it cements itself as one of the best platformers of all-time. I genuinely think it's the best DK Country game over DKC2, and that's really saying something. Tropical Freeze is a must play on Switch (and Wii U), and I will absolutely be playing this again.
Tropical Freeze is a near-perfect platformer in the Switch catalog. The level design is top tier with creativity oozing out of every level. After recently playing New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, Tropical Freeze blows it away. Every single level has something great in it, and the levels never get old. Even the underwater levels were fun...in a NINTENDO game!
Every world is unique keeping the game fresh while it all feels like it's this one grand world Donkey Kong is going through. You get a nice beach themed one, then you get autumn, savannah, underwater, a jelly factory, and a frozen DK Island. It's all so inventive with so many standout levels. World 4 can feel a little slow compared to the others as you can only take so many swimming levels at once, but the individual levels are fun.
The difficulty is done really well where it actually puts up a challenge in a completely fair and reasonable way. Some things I didn't like in Sonic 2 were that the enemy placements were awful and the platforming could be straight up unfair from how slow Sonic's acceleration is, but here they actually made platforming that was hard because it was designed to be a challenge and not because they wanted to make their hour long game longer.
The only real issue I can think of with this game is that they made roll and slam the same. Sometimes I'd lose a few lives because Donkey Kong would roll off the platform instead of slamming it, but that could also partially be me not reacting fast enough with the analog stick. Tropical Freeze really went out there and did everything right. It controls beautifully other than that with stunning visuals. The silhouette levels look fantastic and there is so much background detail that I died a couple times by looking at that instead of the hazard in front of me.
The soundtrack is great too with Busted Bayou and the underwater levels having the best songs. Frederick's theme was also really really cool. This game just shows its style everywhere and it cements itself as one of the best platformers of all-time. I genuinely think it's the best DK Country game over DKC2, and that's really saying something. Tropical Freeze is a must play on Switch (and Wii U), and I will absolutely be playing this again.
I don't typically like complaining about difficulty in video games, but this was just brutally unfair lol. I mean, it's a kids game! Idk, I love Darkwing, and the game was fun when it wasn't too unfair, but yeah it's a good game hindered by it being NES hard. Anyway, happy anniversary Darkwing!!
⚠️46%
This was the bare minimum a Gravity Falls game could be. The gameplay is extremely repetitive with 75% of the game being the exact same thing. Nothing is new at all except the enemies which are just variants. It was just find artifacts for Stan to unlock a boss fight for a gemulet, and every single boss fight was the same. The first time it wasn't terrible, but every fight, even the final boss, had the exact same moves.
They couldn't really try much because the combat system is terrible. Only one move. The game isn't entirely focused on combat, but you have to fight quite often and you only use one move. I wish they could've incorporated Dipper's flashlight and Mabel's grappling hook into the combat more. The platforming has so much potential but it becomes lackluster. They have hidden places, but they are so blatant. It tries to feel expansive but it comes just short. I also feel like this game didn't know if it wanted to be single player or co-op, because there are so many moments where it feels like a co-op game, but you're constantly backtracking because it isn't. I think it should've had both single player and co-op options.
What the game does get right is that it looks really good and maintains the style of the show. The dialogue may be weak in areas but they do get the humor right and the characters do feel like their original versions. It gets the environments right too, even if the level design itself isn't as good as it should've been. This whole game feels like a first draft of what could've been, but it just wanted to make a buck. Legend of the Gnome Gemulets gets only a few things right, but in reality is just a repetitive, lackluster Gravity Falls game.
This was the bare minimum a Gravity Falls game could be. The gameplay is extremely repetitive with 75% of the game being the exact same thing. Nothing is new at all except the enemies which are just variants. It was just find artifacts for Stan to unlock a boss fight for a gemulet, and every single boss fight was the same. The first time it wasn't terrible, but every fight, even the final boss, had the exact same moves.
They couldn't really try much because the combat system is terrible. Only one move. The game isn't entirely focused on combat, but you have to fight quite often and you only use one move. I wish they could've incorporated Dipper's flashlight and Mabel's grappling hook into the combat more. The platforming has so much potential but it becomes lackluster. They have hidden places, but they are so blatant. It tries to feel expansive but it comes just short. I also feel like this game didn't know if it wanted to be single player or co-op, because there are so many moments where it feels like a co-op game, but you're constantly backtracking because it isn't. I think it should've had both single player and co-op options.
What the game does get right is that it looks really good and maintains the style of the show. The dialogue may be weak in areas but they do get the humor right and the characters do feel like their original versions. It gets the environments right too, even if the level design itself isn't as good as it should've been. This whole game feels like a first draft of what could've been, but it just wanted to make a buck. Legend of the Gnome Gemulets gets only a few things right, but in reality is just a repetitive, lackluster Gravity Falls game.