2003
Wario already had a few platformers under his belt by this point, so throwing in this sort of pseudo beat-em-up vibe to introduce a change of pace was an interesting move ---- and I think it paid off. Wario World is fairly short but densely packed with amusing jumpin’-and-punchin’ goodness. Another solid entry in the Wario lineup ---- controls well, looks good, sounds nice, the whole nine yards. Just a heaping helping of silly, satisfying fun.
2008
One of my favorite brawlers ---- right up there with TMNT: Shredder's Revenge. There were several instances, particularly back in high school, where I’d fire this game up with friends & they were all hootin’-and-hollerin’ good times. Great memories for sure. Love the cartoony art, the quirky tunes, the downright silly humor & the satisfying gameplay loop. I can’t imagine it’s as much fun solo, but with friends it’s an absolute blast.
2001
The original Rayman on PS1 is a wonderful title & is a 2D platformer I can recommend to pretty much anyone. This GBA take on it? Eh, not as much. It’s essentially the same game, so fun can be had here, but there’s some definite drawbacks. The soundtrack is downgraded to the point where I barely recognized some of the songs & the screen crunch can make things unintentionally complicated. Rayman 1 itself is still a good time though, so your mileage may vary.
I’ve been a fan of Telltale Games for quite some time now. And yet, for some reason, I hadn’t sat down & fully played through their take on The Walking Dead until after this compilation had come out. So I did just that ---- and from beginning to end, I was hooked. Telltale just has a knack for weaving poignant, intense narratives & point-and-click gameplay into something fantastic. And TWD is probably their magnum opus. Cannot recommend enough to fans of story-heavy games.
1999
This game truly isn’t as bad as some YouTubers who say it “killed a genre” will have you believe. It’s not perfect, but it’s a decent 3D collectathon that has a lot going for it. Fun characters, great soundtrack by Grant Kirkhope, nifty locales to explore & solid gameplay all around. It is a little too overzealous with collectibles, can be glitchy & has some tedious back-and-forth to the Tag Barrel, but those aren't enough to bring it down that much for me. Another worthwhile N64 platformer.
1998
I’m not a gambler by any stretch of the imagination, but I do find Golden Nugget 64 to be pretty entertaining. It essentially boils down to a decent representation of several games you’d find at an actual casino. Probably would’ve never tried this game if it hadn’t come with the hand-me-down N64 my sister & I got from our aunt when we were kids. But it was worth the try ---- I’m pretty much always down for a quick round or two of Blackjack or Hold ’Em & the art style and music fit the vibe pretty well.
1998
A perfect example of a game that, despite not being the best quality, I can still squeeze some fun out of, especially when I’m sharing it with other people. The idea behind this game is honestly very neat, but it’s a bit ahead of its time. The microphone tech at play is kinda shoddy & the voice-controlled gameplay is…well, it works alright I guess. Truth be told, I have more fun when the game misunderstands me or my friends & Pikachu reacts unpredictably as a result. Lots of fond, laughter-filled memories of botched voice commands.
2021
I wanted to like this one, I really did ---- but I just couldn’t jive with it. I’m all for eccentric, creative art styles when it comes to indie games, but when it starts to mess with my gameplay experience, something’s gotta give. Demon Turf goes for such a stylized “2D characters on 3D landscapes” approach that I could barely tell what was going on. Beebz’s jump animations don’t even look like she’s leaving the ground, making it hard to ascertain where I am in 3D space. Guess it’s just not for me.
2019
What a delightful little game. Definitely gave me Lil Gator Game vibes with its cute aesthetic, endearing animal characters & emphasis on climbing and exploring. I don’t think I like it quite as much as Lil Gator, but A Short Hike is still a worthwhile, charming experience. A lot of the writing had me laughing, the story is minimal but has a lot of heart & it’s a short but sweet little adventure. I love finding indie gems like this. Absolutely recommend.
A lot shorter than 2018 Spider-Man, but still every bit as fun, so I’m gonna give it the full 5 stars. Honestly? I think I had even more fun with some of Miles’ electrical powers than I did with Peter’s abilities in the first game. And to top of it all off, traversing the city is as freeform & pleasant as ever & the story still keeps you invested right up till the credits roll. An excellent follow-up to an excellent game. If you’ve played both Marvel’s Spider-Man 1 & 2, I encourage you not to skip this one ---- the same quality is here as well.
2018
The quintessential top-notch superhero video game. Combat is frantic, fun & fluid, story grips you till the end & moving, jumping and swinging through the city is pure bliss. You know you’ve done something right with your movement mechanics when, in an open-world game, you never want to fast travel anywhere because getting there manually is too damn fun. Highly, highly recommended.
This has been a blind spot in my Mario Kart experiences for a long time (alongside MKDS & MK7), so I’m glad I finally got around to trying it. That said, I can’t say I had much fun. I’m sure it was a big deal back in the day to have Mario Kart in your pocket, but the control just isn’t there, you get almost no traction when you attempt to drift & there were times where boosts didn’t even help me cross certain gaps correctly. The admittedly halfway-decent GBA pixel art can only carry it so far.
2022
I enjoyed my time with this one. Pretty good modern take on the classic 16-bit RPG with an absolutely gorgeous pixel art aesthetic. Combat's pretty cool too ---- there was something about the Overdrive mechanic & trying to keep it properly balanced while I was battling that just clicked for me. Several folks think the narrative was kind of a mess and...yeah, I gotta agree to an extent. But it did keep me interested till the credits rolled, so there's that.
Hard to go wrong when you're trying to emulate the feel of a classic top-down Zelda title & you pull it off fairly well. I've always been a fan of Zelda: Oracle of Ages/Seasons in particular when it comes to that formula & Blossom Tales is essentially that with a touch of modern flair. Fun exploration, interesting dungeons, alright combat, cute pixel art ---- it's not bad overall. It's not perfect but succeeds in what it sets out to do.
2019
Unironically my personal 2019 game of the year. This game brings me so much joy & keeps me smiling like a goof the whole time. There's not too much to it ---- you're just a goose who needs to systematically annoy a small village ---- but it's well made & oozing with charm. The art is perfect, the piano in the OST syncing up with your shenanigans is priceless & puzzling out how to mess with the townsfolk efficiently is a good time both solo & in co-op. A true indie game gem.