Let me first preface, I have had this game since the 2000s when it released. I have such nostalgia with this game because of that I considered it one of my favorites, despite never finishing it or even getting halfway through (I only ever got to the Pirate boss before getting stuck). I would push it onto my friends and go "You gotta play this one, its great!" After finally sitting down and realizing I never truly finished this game, I realized that needed to change.

Lord how wrong I was

This game has aged, badly. While the textures and visuals are spot on and great, the overall gameplay and presentation has suffered greatly. Levels, while designed well with some fun and interesting setpieces that compliment the worlds they reside in, have borderline unfair platforming segments designed to either throw you or your ball off. As an example; in Carnival 2 you encounter a set of swinging ships separated by a gap, your options are either to a) dribble the ball or b) slap the ball across. Both of these are valid ways around; however, the ships are asyncronously swinging opposite and at a speed that rivals even the most insane carnival ride. Platforming difficulty is on an exponential curve that kicks in right after the first world, Atlantis. That is the only passable area with nothing of note to say bad on. Prehistoric, another world, can 100% go to hell. Horrible, the worst of 90s platforming.

Platforming aside, the end of area bosses vary on simple to near impossible. Fuck those monkeys at the end of Pirate. I felt nothing as my gloved hand came down to finally right a 20 year wrong by flattening that giant orangutan bastard. The other boss that drove me insane was The Tower of Fear's Frankenstein boss. Tight platforming (both with and without ball) mixed with a puzzle mixed with insta-death attacks for your ball; all drawn out over 10 minutes while you wait for a platform to stop being electrified.

At the end of it all, I didn't really feel any pride or sense of accomplishment finishing this one. There was nothing. All sense of nostalgia I had with this game is now gone, burned away like so many of my deaths by lava from shitty physics and camera angles.

The greatest video game ever made. It has the most replayable single player campaign ever created. Interesting weapons with customization, alternate costumes that impact gameplay, and the tightest gameplay loop make near perfection. It has one section that does not hold up in comparison to the rest of the game (the island), but this level would still be a standout in most other games. Fun story, great characters, and just a damn fun experience from beginning to end that makes you want to start right back up again when the credits roll. Best game ever made, highly unlikely this will ever change.