Just fantastic from start to finish. There is really not that much to say outside of that.

This DLC adds to it with cut content I missed (Gondala my beloved), and also all new boss fights and areas that are all fantastic. I also honestly felt that this version of the Saddler fight was my favorite out of both the original and the remake's Saddler fight. The added story and character moments were all great, and cements this version of Luis as one of my new favorite RE characters.

I do think Ada's vocal performance is still not amazing, but it is definitely not as bad as a lot of people make it out to be. I actually think she has a couple comedic moments where her delivery shines, and this DLC made me appreciate her in the base game a lot more.

It is more Resident Evil 4 Remake, which is now one of my favorite games of all time, right next to the original.

This was actually one of my childhood GBA games growing up, and I remember never being able to get past the third world. I decided to boot this game up on a whim since I recently modded an original GBA, and sort of accidentally ran into 100%ing this game.

For the most part I will be talking about this game as if it was the NES original, but I will add that the added graphical tweaks are all fantastic, and easily makes this the definitive version of Mario 3 in my eyes.

Super Mario 3 surprised me in a lot of ways with just how large and intracate its world is, especially for something that released on the NES. The game has over 90 levels, which is unheard of for that system, with an entire map system that has still yet to be matched by a newer Super Mario game. This game is a technical marvel that has no reason to be as quality as it is, and for that reason I can understand why so many people call this one of the best games of all time.

For myself personally thought, I think that the level design is where this game takes a bit of a nosedive. Around 2/3rd of the levels in this game are either perfectly fine, or some of Mario's best. However, around 1/3rd of the levels are either frustratingly designed, puzzle levels that are a slog to get through, or some of the worst water levels in Mario history. World 3 is the worst in that regard, as it is made up of almost entirely of water levels, and they are all just absolutely terrible.

With that said, this game is still a technical marvel, and easily one of the best 2D Mario games out there. The jump from Mario 1 to this is staggering, and that can not be understated.

.....Super Mario World is way better tho.

"An absolute achievement of 2D platforming."

This was a game that I had incredibly high hopes for, as I have been yearning for another 2D Mario game that brings me the same joy that Super Mario World did when I played it as a child. I am happy to say that Super Mario Wonder delivers on those hopes and then some.

This is easily the best looking 2.5D game I have ever seen. It is not really an art style I am very fond of, as I mainly prefer pixel art for 2D, but this is one of the few games that really pulled it off for me. Everything is so expressive and enjoyable to look at, with so much love and care put into everything.

However, the level design and control is really where this game shines for me. Every level feels truly unique from the last, and the addition of the Wonder flower mechanic brings a lot of life to the game. So many levels had me smiling so hard, and it really added so much to my overall enjoyment. I also believe that one of the most important parts of a game is how good it feels to control, and the movement in this game is probably the best in the entire series. Just jumping around as Mario has never felt so good.

There are really only 2 reasons that this isnt a 10/10 for me. Even though I adored the final Bowser fight, the lack of unique bosses in this game really brought it down. The fact that multiple worlds ended without any true boss to cap it off, really left a sour taste in my mouth. However, I honestly found needing to grind for purple coins to get 100% to be the most egregious part of the game. You need to collect all the standees to get 100%, and there is not really an easy way to get purple coins once you've completed every level. I ended up looking up a guide on the best level to grind the coins in, and spent my last 40 minutes of the game playing 1 level over and over again to get enough coins for the standees. Just a weird oversight and something that I feel they could easily fix in the sequel.

Overall, this feels like the start of a return to greatness for the 2D Mario platformer. Nintendo would be absolutely crazy to not make another game in this style, and I can only hope its just as good if not better.

As someone who has been slowly going through the entirety of the Resident Evil franchise, I can say that this is definitely up there are one of the best games.

The setting of this game was easily one of the best parts of this game. I loved everything from the enemy design, to the absolute gorgeous environments this game has you go through. The art department for this game went above and beyond, and the only thing that would have made it better would have been if they actually went with that Plague Doctor Ada design that they teased.

Gameplay wise, I have a lot to say. Going in, I heard a lot of people compare this game to Resident Evil 4, but I did not realize just how much this game would take from 4. This game is not really survival horror, but is more so action horror. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as it copies a lot of RE4's excellent gameplay loop of shooting a ton of enemies, exploring, and then upgrading your weapons at the shop.

This all leads to a very satisfying game to play, however it doesnt handle everything perfect. I personally believe that the upgrades to the weapons are dished out way too slowly, which led to a lot of times that I had so much money that I straight up could not spend until much later. I also thought the grid inventory was half baked, as there was never a SINGLE moment in the game where I actually worried about running out of inventory space. An absolute missed potential their. I also believe that the game relies a bit too much on retreading what RE4 has already done, mainly due to certain areas and setpieces being almost 1-1 how they are in RE4.

Where this game excels for me though, is through its characters and story. Ethan Winters has somehow climbed his way to being one of my favorite Resident Evil main characters, and I thought the way the story explored him as a character was really interesting. It is the first time I have ever truly cared about a Resident Evil story, and the third act of this game genuinely got me a little emotional.

Overall, it is not a perfect game by any means, but the stuff it does well, it does REALLY well. As someone who thought that Resident Evil 7 felt like a very middling and uninspired entry in the franchise, I am so glad that they went above and beyond for this game.

The original Remnant: From the Ashes was a surprise hit for me. As someone who feels like there are not enough pure coop games out there, that game was a nice small little gem that ended up being quite a lot of fun even with its numerous shortcomings.

Remnant 2 fixes a lot of the problems I had with that first game. There are way more archetypes to choose from, and the ability to mix 2 of them at the same time makes for a lot of really great build variety. There are also way more guns to find, which was a massive complaint that I had with the original game. Armor sets are a bit too scarce for my liking, but that is still an improvement here as well. The combat in general with this game is incredibly tight, and in co-op is an absolute blast.

The art direction is a real stand out element of this game as well. Every world that we explored was incredibly dense with detail, and just generally incredibly gorgeous to look at. The music was a surprise hit for me as well, with a lot of tracks being way more memorable than the first game.

The shortcomings of this game come from a few areas. For starters, the performance for me with this game was absolutely dreadful. I have a decently powerful machine, and even on medium settings I was dropping down to 40FPS at times. This is an issue that was slightly remedied with a patch, but there is still quite a bit slowdown.

The procedural generation is a staple from the original game, but I have the same sort of opinion here that I did for the first. It is a neat concept that adds quite a bit of replay value to the game, but having the levels all be randomly generated makes the entire package feel quite disjointed at times. No matter how seamless the procedural generation gets, it will never compete with creating hand crafted levels.

The story was also a massive letdown as well. The writing for the main characters was really cringe inducing at times, and a lot of the exposition is shared through extremely long and dry text sequences. I really do like the world and setting that they have crafted here, but the amount of time that you spend in these really boring story sequences is way too much.

Even with all my problems though, I still really did love this game. I am an absolute sucker for co-op third person shooters, and Remnant 2 is one of the finest in the market right now. I really do hope that this company goes on to continue to refine this series through more DLC and potential sequels because they really do have something truly special on their hands.

SO CLOSE to being a truly great Metroidvania.

I loved a lot about this game, and I think for the developers first outing, it's an absolute achievement. Moving around and platforming in this game is excellent, with some of the most fun movement abilities I've EVER used in a 3D platformer. I loved how quick and snappy everything feels, and the versatile movement abilities led to a couple instances where I had fun sequence breaking the game. Movement is really the star of the show, and it carries the entire game.

The issues I have with the game come from 2 areas: level design and combat. Level design in this game is not necessarily bad, but the world feels a little too samey. I was so sick of seeing the same tile sets and environments over and over again, which was made even worse by the baffling decision to not include a map feature. I probably spent at least an extra hour of my time with the game running in circles because of the lack of a map feature.

Combat is also a low point in the game, due to the fact that it never really feels good. Enemy hit detection is especially really unclear at times, and it leads to a lot of unfair hits. The decision to have heavy attacks make your character drop their weapon is also one of the most infuriating and baffling aspects of this game.

Even with how negative all that sounds, I truly do believe that the movement carries this game. A lot of Pseudoregalia feels amateurish, but I still feel like this developer has a winning formula on their hands if they just work out a few of the kinks.

I feel a potential Pseudoregalia 2 could be a modern day classic.

One of my new favorite Boomer Shooters of the modern era.

Ion Fury is a game that I have heard a lot of great things about over the years, but I never actually got around to trying out. I honestly thought the hype around this game was going to be overblown, but it turns out I was completely wrong. This game absolutely owns and it proves that the Build Engine is the undisputed GOAT of FPS games.

I think the biggest things this game gets right are its guns, enemies, and aesthetics. Every weapon has its niche, and there was never a point where I felt that I was underutilizing a certain weapon. Bowling Bombs and the Disperser especially were 2 of the most fun weapons in the game, and some of my new favorites in the entire genre. The enemies also all felt incredibly unique, and other than the little head spiders, none of them were particularly annoying.

The visuals are a particular high point, as the art direction shows that the Build Engine still has incredible potential when it comes to its graphical capabilites. Most levels were a joy to look at, with a lot of little details that stood out and made the whole experience feel so lively. That, and also the great performance from Shelly.

My issues mainly come from the fact that I feel the game loses a lot of steam in its last 3 episodes. There are some absolute winner levels in there, a standout being Eskel's Estate in my opinion, however the levels begin to start dragging on and on without stopping. The last few levels all have their own individual loading zones in them, which make them feel like they will never end. Add in one of the worst clusterfucks of a final boss I have seen in an FPS in a while, and you have a game that tragically doesnt stick the landing.

Even with its bleh final episodes, Ion Fury absolutely deserves its reputation of being a fantastic modern Boomer Shooter. I really hope Phantom Fury is just as good as this, but from what I have seen of the demo, vibes are at an all time low.

Can't wait to play Aftershock tho. I need my Sherry fix.

I really liked it!

To me, this is what I wanted End of Zoe in RE7 to be. The beginning of the DLC was a throwback to classic Resident Evil with limited ammo and mobility, and I absolutely loved that. The addition of Rose's powers having limited ammo was a nice touch, as it added even more strategy to the gameplay. Honestly, if the whole DLC was just this type of survival horror, I would probably consider it as one of my favorites.

The problems come from the rest of the DLC. The section in House Bienvenido went on way too long, and I feel like it reused way too much from the base game. It felt like padding in an already short DLC, and it really hampered my enjoyment.

The final boss with Miranda was fantastic though, and is one of my new favorite final fights in the franchise. The added abilities has me very excited for the future of RE if they continue with Rose.

The story was mostly predictable and at times a little too sappy, but I'm not gonna lie I still really enjoyed it. I just love Ethan too much as a character, that anything to do with him I will adore.

It's a shame that the middle of the DLC holds this back because if it wasn't for House Bienvenido being a slog, and the rampant reuse, we could of had a winner on our hands.

ZORTCH HEADS STAY WINNING

I was absolutely not expecting to like this game as much as I did. I heard through word of mouth that Zortch was a surprisingly excellent little Boomer Shooter, but looking at how crude it looked, I honestly expected it to be overhyped. I was wrong.

Zortch is a classic FPS that takes a lot of inspiration from Half-Life, Quake, and most surprisingly Turok. The art style is very low-poly, almost looking like it came right off of the N64, but it works really well. The crude nature of some of the art also really adds to the alien atmosphere of the entire game. The atmosphere in general is fantastic, with the soundtrack honestly being one of the high points of the game for me due to how alien and atmospheric it was.

However, what stole the show for me was the enemy variety. There are like 30 different enemy types in this game, and they are almost all unique. It really adds to the entire experience, and makes the entire 4 hours feel consistently fresh as they keep adding more enemies to deal with. The shooting feels great too.

My only real major downside is that I found the level design to be amateurish at times. Its the area that really struggles, with a lot of levels feeling samey and uninteresting. The lack of a map feature and landmarks also makes navigating some of them an absolute nightmare, but thankfully most levels are still pretty short. It's not the worst issue in the world.

Zortch was a surprisingly really fun and unique shooter in a genre that is beginning to sadly grow oversaturated and stale in the past few years. I honest to god hope for a Zortch sequel because I think this developer has the potential to make something even better.....or at least even weirder.

Superstar Saga is another in a long list of games that I played as a child but never beat.

This game is an absolute delight from start to finish. I really think it is hard to screw up a Mario RPG, but this one deserves its spot as one of the best in the franchise. I don't think it's perfect by any means, but like Super Mario RPG which I played earlier this year, it is a joy from start to finish.

The elements that really set this game apart from others in the franchise are its setting and characters. Superstar Saga is unique in the fact that it created a whole new kingdom, filled with multiple completely new races and characters that are unique from what is usually seen in the franchise. Almost all of them are winners, with the standout characters being Prince Peasley and Fawful.

The thing I respect most about this game is just how perfect it is for newcomers in the turn-based RPG genre. The battle system is simple, yet fun and engaging for newcomers. This game wasn't my introduction to turn based games (that was Bowser's Inside Story), but I know people who's first RPG was this game, and they all say they adore the battle system. It refined a lot of the action commands that were seen in games like Paper Mario and Mario RPG, while also making something that feels so unique to it.

Sadly, the main issues I have with the game boil down to that simplicity. Compared to the games later in the series, the combat is much more simpler with a lot less systems for the player to engage with. It is not too bad mainly because of the short length of the game, but even by the 12 hour mark I was starting to get tired of the repetitive nature. Thankfully, this is an issue that is fixed by the time the next few games roll out.

Overall, I do still love this game. If anyone out there is looking for a great introduction into the wonderful world of turn-based RPGs, then they should definitely pick up this game.

Be prepared for Cackletta's Soul tho. Even as an adult that shit was hard as hell.

It's a good sign for the year when I start off with a game that has quickly become one of my favorites of all time.

Easily the best story ever put into a game. It truly enthralled me like no other game. I cant even put into words how much I loved it. I usually write a couple paragraphs about my thoughts of the game as a whole, but there is way too much I could gush about.

All Ill say is this, it made me feel every emotion in the book. True joy, sadness, disgust, heartbreak, and even existentialism. It is a masterpiece of a game.

I would die for Kim Kitsuragi and Lenval Brown could narrate my entire life and I would be eternally happy.

Man, I really wanted to like this one more.

I had this game on my radar for quite a bit now, and actually heard a few people say that this was one of their favorite games of 2023. The team on social media is actually what sold me though, as a lot of the trailers for this game looked really solid.

The issue is, this game really seems like it doesn't strive to do anything except be adequate. That is really the word for it. The gameplay is fine, nothing special. It is a nice mix of Megaman and Shenobi, but doesn't really do anything to surpass either franchise in that regard. The enemies are all fine, but mainly forgettable. Most stages only last for around 12 minutes, and are all fine enough.

The most frustrating elements though are with the bosses and setpieces. Almost every boss except the final one gave me little to no trouble, and were all beaten in a very short time. No fight lasts longer than around 20 seconds, with a lot of bosses not showing me their full movesets before I mow them down. Every single one except the final one, left no impact on me. The setpieces were also an aspect I was very excited for with this game, but most of them were so barebones. The motorbike was something I was really looking forward to, but the only thing I got with it was 2 very mediocre on-rails shooter sections with it.

The only standout aspects are its visuals and music. Moonrider has gorgeous visuals, with enemies and backgrounds that really pop. Almost all tracks in this game are pretty catchy and memorable, with none really getting on my nerves by the end of the game. It is a real shame that these things are bogged down by such an average game.

Look, I don't want to be too hard on this game. I know it is made by a relatively small studio, and it seems to be one of their first outings. The issue is that I feel that the worst thing a game can be is adequate or mediocre. These devs clearly do have a lot of talent, and in the future I would really love to see them try to make something a lot less safe and mundane.

Also change the name. It is REALLY bad.

How the hell is this small little 5 hour long children's horror game one of the best survival horror games I've played in years?

Oh my god I absolutely adored this game from start to finish. This game is classic RE survival horror from beginning to end, and it absolutely nails it. Classic RE is almost like a pseudo-adventure game, with you needing to constantly solve environmental puzzles to advance, while also dealing with managing your resources (ammo, inventory, health). MFN completely understands that, with a gameplay loop that is both incredibly fun, while also at times tense.

I wouldn't say this game ever scared me, but that is absolutely not what this is going for. It is looking to be a modern day Gremlins, where it is an introduction for younger children to get into the horror genre. This just takes it one step further, and also is introducing children into the world of classic survival horror, and it absolutely nails that aspect. Atmosphere was top notch, and the music was great as well.

The puppets are mainly the star of the show here. I loved them. I thought they were all incredibly charming, and there were many points where I stopped to listen to them complete their dialogue because it was so funny. The added puzzle mechanic of being able to help the boss enemies was incredibly charming, and made me smile every time.

The only real issue I had with the game was in difficulty. There was never really a point in the game where I had to worry about my health or ammo, and I was playing this on the highest difficulty available to me (Veteran). I understand that this is a gateway survival horror game, but I did wish that I struggled a bit more. If the higher difficulties were unlocked at the beginning, I would have absolutely jumped on those.

Overall, I absolutely adore this game, and it is a crime it is not more popular. Both Szymanski brothers have yet to miss for me.

I am so glad I finally beat this game.

Funnily enough, Dark Souls was a game I originally tried beating when I was 11 back in the Xbox 360 days, exclusively because I kept hearing how good the game was. I absolutely hated it back then, and never was able to truly understand the formula until I played Bloodborne years later. Since then, I have had revisiting this game on my to-do list for years. I am so glad I did.

Without a shadow of a doubt, Dark Souls is one of the most influential games of the last 2 decades and it is easy to see why. The world and combat flow together so elegantly in the first half of the game, and there are so many special moments of both pure joy and intense frustration. The highlight had to be Sens Fortress, which I described to my friend as the "ACME headquarters." Its an area that is designed to be frustrating and to kill you, but it does so in such a comedically slanted way that you cant help but respect and enjoy it. The moment I stepped on an elevator for two long and it crushed me against ceiling spikes, I knew this game was special.

The Artorias DLC was easily the highlight of the game for me, and it has elevated itself to one of my favorite sections in any game of the franchise. Artorias, Manus, Sanctuary Guardian, and Kalameet are all incredible fights, and it feels like the moment where From learned that they could push the difficulty of the fights even further. The visual design of this DLC was stellar as well, with every area looking absolutely gorgeous. The story and lore were also incredibly engaging, giving me characters that I actually gave a damn about. However, the standout element was the sound design. I was consistently blown away by how great the Abyss and enemies sounded in this DLC, and it was a massive step above the rest of the game.

The issues I have with DS1 aren't very unique though. Post Anor Londo does have some highlights for me like Seath's Library and New Londo Ruins, but there are WAY too many absolutely awful areas like Tomb of the Giants and Lost Izalith that it completely ruins the pacing of the game. I also found that most of the areas in the game were way too short, and that I absolutely would have taken less overall areas if it meant that some areas like Anor Londo and Sens Fortress were expanded upon.

I also found some of the bosses to be way too easy. Outside of the Artorias fights, there weren't really any that gave me any real trouble. Even known bastards like Capra Demon and O&S were way too basic to be seen as a real challenge. This is a strange complaint though mainly because its exclusively due to how the genre has developed over time. Nowadays compared to certain bosses in Elden Ring and Bloodborne, these are a cakewalk. But back then, when people werent really familiar with this type of game, these were some of the hardest fights you could face in a game. I still wish they were harder though.

Dark Souls is an absolutely incredible game, even though I really do feel it falls short in its 2nd half. But even with some of the dogshit areas, you cant help but respect this game. It and Demon's Souls essentially created a whole new genre, and that can not be undervalued. If it had stuck that landing, I could have easily seen this being up there as one of my favorites of all time.

As it is now though, I am content with saying that I had an absolute blast with DS1.....even though the Crystal Caves are complete fucking horeseshit OH MY GOD DELETE THAT FUCKING AREA