Don't let the shiny coat of paint fool you: this isn't worth your time.

I tried so hard to like this because of the art and presentation, but I just couldn't. On the visual side of things it's great, but the other half, the actual writing of the visual novel, is so god-awfully shit.

All of the characters come off as unlikeable or annoying in some way. It was actually painful to get through and watch. They have three or four gags which they make sure to repeat over and over again until you want to bang your head against a wall.

The ideas were interesting, but the execution was just really... meh. Not very engaging or interesting at all. The story would rather spend time on Reiji going "b-b-booba?!" every ten seconds within his inner-monologue. Weird pervy stuff or humour is pretty par for the course in a lot VNs, but it's done really obnoxiously here. I'm not even a fan of it anyway but even this stands out as really crappy.

The visuals really made me want to like this but I just can't. It's like a beautiful cocoon concealing a big pile of shit. My wording may come off as harsh and maybe I'm getting a bit too heated but I really wanted to like this and I'm so sad.

So yeah, don't buy this.

Easily my favourite 2D Metroid and Metroid in general.

Everything has been perfected and fine-tuned to a polish; movement, gunplay, graphics and even story presentation are top-notch. This is the most cinematic 2D Metroid has ever been and it is fucking HYPE. There are so many amazing moments, especially towards the end.

ZDR is a great setting with plenty of variety. Mercury Steam found the perfect balance between the linearity of Fusion and the free exploration in previous Metroid games. Nothing feels repetitive. Metroid's pacing continues to be incredible.

The EMMI are a new thing and they WILL fuck you up if you underestimate them. One wrong move and you can expect instant death. I will say though that as you progress and gain new abilities, they become a bit of a joke. I wonder if they account for this in hard mode.

The Aeion abilities are also really cool, along with the tools both new and old that Samus gets. They help a lot during both combat and general exploration.

2D Metroid just really clicks for me. The pacing is tight and the length allows it to be easily consumable and replayable. If there's any Metroid I want to replay, it'll be either this or Zero Mission.

I recommend Dread even if you aren't a Metroid fan because it's just that good. It's peak 2D Metroid modernised and perfected. I hope you use this game to get into the others, because those are great too. If you really want to appreciate the series, I recommend starting from the beginning, but if you choose not to, then that's okay. This game is still great standalone. I am going to shill this game. You WILL play it.

Devil May Cry 5 is probably one of the best action games I have ever played. It effortlessly employs easy to play yet hard to master combo systems across a variety of different play styles, all of which are fun. The characters are charming and the story is an interesting premise that pulls from every previous game (outside of 2 and DmC but yeah). Having played the first, third and fourth games before this, I can say that this is the best game in the series easily. I would implore anyone to play this game if they're looking for something that's a blast the entire way through. Probably one of the best games I have played this year. Such a great game.

An incredibly mediocre game. Instead of innovating or trying to enhance the experience as a "faithful" remake, it sticks too close to the DS originals, and because of that, comes off as really bland.

The presentation is quite lacking, and like most of the older Pokémon games, the story isn't too interesting. I felt like I was going to fall asleep for most of the game because it wasn't very engaging (until the end). There's some hints of polish and charm in there, but it's in the little things like the trainer or gym leader animations.

The game is not challenging at all until the end, but that's not unusual for modern Pokémon. The champion can go fuck themselves.

There's also some good QoL additions, and the Grand Underground is cool. It also feels like in some ways they didn't even consider how these new features would mesh with the original game. For example, with the 360 movement, I often bumped into and got stuck on things because the game world wasn't designed with that movement in mind.

I think I'm starting to fall off Pokémon. I don't even buy them for myself anymore but I still feel like I'm forcing myself to play something I'm not really enjoying. It kinda sucks that BDSP are so lacking because HGSS and even ORAS felt like certified improvements over the originals, whereas you could play this or Platinum, to be honest. I think some of the QoL additions make this the one to play, but it's your choice. I wish TPC would give these devs more time to actually polish and refine to make a really great end product. AAA yearly releases are hell, because all it leads to is crunch and mediocrity.

One Step from Eden is a great game. It combines quick gameplay with the grid-based system of Mega Man Battle Network while introducing some of its own unique mechanics and abilities. Runs will typically only take you about half an hour, so it never feels too bad when you die and have to start a new one. I think the roguelike system is fun, and having unlockables after your run depending on how well you did lessens the blow a lot, since the next time you try, you'll have more to work with. I look forward to playing more of this. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for some MMBN-style gameplay or just a good roguelike.