there's a lot to say about tears of the kingdom
personally, I really enjoyed my time with botw due to its open-world nature and its shrines, which I heavily enjoyed. furthermore, I thought the setting was very fun. the story was mediocre, but, to be fair, I wasn't expecting much from it because botw, at its core, isn't a game that's driven by story. it's a game that's meant to be explored and tinkered with in its vast world
totk has a similar core, but it was definitely altered with it making more room for story, with this being the game's major downfall
totk takes place in hyrule too, but features a new slate of shrines that are, in my opinion, not as interesting or fun as botw's, but that might just be due to botw's shrines being new at the time, so they stood out more. totk keeps true to botw's tinkering core by implementing new abilities that are frankly great at allowing players to solve problems how they want to while also allowing just being very fun to use, and I commend them for this
in-terms of playable content, totk greatly expands upon botw by having the underground (and, to some extent, the sky), which is great fun to explore and slowly map out
the story, however, which was a major focus of this game evident by it being much more linear than botw, is a major fault that ultimately pushes the game down a fair amount for me
while totk has its great aspects, I was able to mostly disregard botw's attempt at a story due to it not being a major focal point of the game. with totk, however, it was clear that the story of the game was something that wanted to be fair more promoted, so it's significantly harder to ignore its flaws. despite the story being lacklustre, however, totk still offers so much good that I have to give it 4.5 stars: it's simply a modern classic that, while definitely flawed, is absolutely a must-play, just like its predecessor botw

celeste is one of the few games that I've played that I can say has, essentially, no flaws
the gameplay of celeste is simply phenomenal, with all chapters' layouts being exact and with intent. deaths never feel like they're the game's fault, they always feel like the player's fault. movement is quick, snappy, and feels absolutely wonderful to execute: very few games' gameplay has felt as good as moving quickly in celeste and barely avoiding death
this game is fairly difficult if you're not used to it, and I love that because of how simple the movement is. there are few options for what basic movement to do, but yet complex movement has still developed by doing precise inputs, making celeste simple to learn, but very difficult to master. it's this dichotomy that makes celeste so fun, because while, at its core, it is simple, it is maniacally difficult to fully understand and follow due to its nature
the story of celeste is also sweet and endearing, giving hope to those who play the game. its themes of mental illness and acceptance are themes that a lot of people - including me - suffer from, so, for a majority of its players, its story strikes a string that most often try to conceal, but it reveals the beautiful noise that it can produce once one opens and acknowledges these issues within oneself
celeste is simply a phenomenal game that everyone should play and finish - I sincerely recommend it to everyone

1790+ hours
ultimate is a game that will forever hold a special place in my heart
compared to prior smash games, ultimate stands out in a few major ways. it is significantly more well-balanced than all other smash games (though it still has its moments), it has a slew of potential that has yet to be tapped, and it has a timeless energy that has only been matched by the likes of melee
all other smash games (bar melee) have had a pretty definitive 'best character' or meta: 64 has pikachu, brawl has meta knight, and 4 has bayonetta. ultimate, however, has had its top spot switch a fair amount of times in its lifespan. furthermore, not only does the 'best character' title switch fairly often, but there are few simply bad characters in the game - a majority of the cast is at least decent, and that's very commendable due to the massive size of the game's roster. its this well-balancing that makes ultimate a game that will be played for years to come, similar to melee. I'm sure that, just as melee has been at every major for the past 20 years, ultimate will too be at majors in the next 20 years
similar to melee, too, ultimate has a lot of aspects that have yet to be tapped and found. new tech is discovered all the time, and new counterplay is always developed due to how balanced the game is. other smash games suffer from there being a definitive best character who essentially negates the need to find counterplay amongst all other characters, but ultimate doesn't suffer from that, and it most likely never will, just like how melee hasn't for the past 20 years
it's the combination of these two things that makes ultimate have this 'timeless energy': it will not only be remembered purely because of how ambitious and monumentous the game itself is, but it will still have players in the coming decades. this game will stay alive and it will bring so much fun and joy with it
this is simply ignoring my personal connection with the game, but I believe that ultimate fully deserves to be called one of the best games of all time

there is a very good reason why earthbound has become the inspiration for so many rpgs and game developers
earthbound has a certain energy that no other rpg - besides those in the mother series - has fully replicated. earthbound's style, its ost, its everything - it's so funky and wacky and charming in a way that one can only smile and appreciate as they make their way through the wonderful world of earthbound
the story of earthbound is timeless and applies to everyone: it's about the importance of love and friendships in life. you're tasked with finding the eight melodies which are hidden in sanctuaries that are protected by guardians. these melodies come together with the sound stone to form what is essentially the main theme of the game. while finding these melodies, your friendships with others - paula, jeff, and poo - are essential to your success. the game teaches about how love is vital to life, and, while there are bad parts of life, one can ultimately overcome the bad parts and look forward to the future with glee and optimism, illustrated by the game's other main theme song of pollyanna
while earthbound's combat is somewhat outdated (evident by mother 3's superior execution), its visual style and story are timeless. earthbound has its quirks and issues (mainly relating to its gameplay and balancing), but it is ultimately a game that makes one want to strive to be more positive and makes one want to go out and improve upon themself by doing something, even if it's crazy. because, just like how ness was just an ordinary boy who was able to save the world, you too can cause so much change if you just look forward and with your optimism guiding you and your potential propelling you

5/5

whoever's idea it was to put scrabble on wii should be immediately executed; thank god this game stayed in europe and didn't infect the us
scrabble just works awfully on wii. firstly, board games involving hidden pieces just do not work well as video games (unless you're using a gamecube with gbas as controllers), there will always be compromises and it'll always feel clunky and weird. secondly, selecting letters with the wii remote is insanely difficult, even with wii motion plus, because, for some reason, it was decided to make the letters the size of a micron, which no one would obviously have issues with. thirdly, this game is just so insanely boring. I do enjoy traditional scrabble, but, for some reason, this game is just so boring and makes scrabble feel like more of a drag than it normally sometimes is
traditional scrabble is just better than this game in every way: just play that instead, because this is an awful version of scrabble in every way