I honestly don't understand what all the fuss is about with this game. There are specific things that bother me about it like forced easy-mode features like affection bonuses and EXP Share, and I do wish they carried over more stuff from Platinum, but even considering that, this is a great remake and easily one of the best Pokemon games in recent memory. The region looks great and is better than ever to explore thanks to no longer having to load up my team with useless HMs, the remixes are all sick, and the expanded teambuilding options via the Underground are appreciated and a much needed improvement to the meager DP dex. (Although I do wish they did a bit more in that regard - I miss Rotom and Porygon-Z.) I dunno if I can conclusively say this game is BETTER than Platinum, but at the very least, I don't think I'll be going back to that game unless I'm in a really nostalgic mood. For their first game and considering the evidently tight deadline they were up against, ILCA did a great job with this one.

I don't really get the hype behind Mario 64. It's not a bad game by any stretch, but to say it hasn't aged well would be an understatement. Mario himself feels worse to control here than in any other 3D Mario game, with the worst wall jump in the series and a weirdly inconsistent turning radius that makes him control like a bus on the ground. A lot of the objectives are oddly recursive as well; you'll have to climb to the top of Tall Tall Mountain no less than three times if you want to get every Star in this game. All in all, Super Mario 64's definitely the weakest of the 3D Marios in my opinion, and while you could argue it's the worst of a good lot, it's a hard game to come back to after all the control refinements and QoL changes that have come in later installments.

Shovel Knight Dig is a fun little roguelite that fans of the original will probably get a kick out of. In terms of gameplay, it's probably closest to Downwell with little hints of Flinthook mixed in. The difficulty curve is kinda wack and the zoomed-in camera can be the cause of a few cheap deaths, but overall, it's Shovel Knight goodness stuffed into a neat roguelite package. However, it does run VERY short for its price point; I was able to finish a run in about 6 hours, only a few more to get the true ending, and beyond that there's not much else to do. I'm not a "$$$ = hours played" type of guy, but it makes it hard to fully recommend Shovel Knight Dig. Fun game, but expect to be done with it in under 10 hours unless you go for all the achievements or something.

Super Mario RPG for Switch was one of the most anticipated releases of my life, and hot DAMN did it deliver. I've played the original probably close to a dozen times at this point, and this game felt like meeting an old friend for the first time all over again. It's faithful in a way that feels remarkably respectful of the source material; you can tell they got people who love Mario RPG to work on this.

This isn't just a straight remaster, either. Everything that's different feels changed for the better. The new mechanics serve to make the old battle system feel fresh, even if they do make an already easy RPG even easier. New cutscenes and dialogue were added to make the plot more cohesive and give the general party more screentime, which is greatly appreciated for how text-light the original is. The new text fits right in with the original Woolsey translation that was left mostly untouched aside from a few updated names (RIP Mack and Yaridovich). I can't think of a remix I dislike, and even my least favorites still break even in my book. The new character models resemble the janky, prerendered 90's look of the originals, recalling a time when the Mario series was still finding itself while looking stylish as all get-out.

I dunno what to say other than that this game impressed me on all fronts. This is hands-down the best ground-up remake I've ever played, and any complaints I have are incredibly minor next to everything it does well. Going back and talking to every character, rediscovering secrets, and finding new ones reminded me how lucky I am to have such love and care poured into one of my favorite games. I believed for the longest time that even seeing the likes of Geno and Mallow again was impossible, so seeing Mario RPG back in the limelight brings a tear to my eye. I hope Nintendo gets the memo that we want more Mario RPGs like this.

Don't be fooled, this game isn't just some budget Paper Mario clone like it may seem on the surface. Like so many great spiritual successors, it both pays homage to the source material and evolves it to establish its own identity. Having three main party members instead of one party leader and an assortment of secondary partners is a breath of fresh air (along with the option to sub their turns around with the unique Turn Relay mechanic), and the interactions these characters have are delightful and will keep you invested the whole way through. For the hardcore players, the game also features a unique Hard Mode that can be switched on and off at any time and handsomely rewards players for taking on the extra challenge. If you want a classic Paper Mario experience in the present day, this game will certainly scratch that itch as well, but if you're just looking for a solid indie RPG with unique gameplay and charming writing, you need look no further.

IT SLAPS, IT SLAPS, IT SLAPS. I genuinely love everything about this game. The battle system's a great callback to classics like Chrono Trigger and Super Mario RPG, the visuals and music are some of the best I've seen and heard, the characters are great (Zale and Valere are kinda boring, but the supporting cast carries), the writing knows how to be witty and serious, and the story had me no-lifing the game for days on end just to see where it all went. It does lose steam a bit in terms of pacing toward the end, which is one of the few complaints I've seen others have that I agree with, but beyond that, I got just enough of everything I wanted out of the game and nothing overstays its welcome. It's not perfect, but it simply ticks all my boxes. Another absolute banger from the lads behind The Messenger.

I really wanna like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. I genuinely did like this game on Wii U, and the game's tracks and visuals are still great all these years later (Booster Course Pass notwithstanding). However, the more I've played of this game, the more I've realized how just not good it feels to play next to games like Wii and DS. Mechanically it's about as fresh as a piece of stale bread even ignoring its age, and on top of that, this game's item system might genuinely be the worst of any Mario Kart game in the past 20 years. The item distribution is all kinds of wack and every single item is either way too good and lacking in counterplay (Red Shells, Green Shells, Bob-ombs, etc.) or generally drags down the gameplay experience a ton by existing (Coins, Boo, Blooper, etc.). And of course, being a Nintendo game, the "quality" of the online speaks for itself. All in all, this is a game that focuses on quantity over quality and it shows in how cruddy it is to play compared to past games. On some level, I do still like Mario Kart 8, but my god, why did this have to be the game that Nintendo shamelessly milked for 10 years?

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania makes me feel things. This was my first Monkey Ball game, and as an introduction to the franchise, it was... something. Starting with the positives, the game looks and sounds great. The visuals are stunning and all the remixes are absolute slappers. Most of the levels are at least decently fun, although a select handful of them made me feel like ripping my arm out of its socket (Soft Cream can suck the shit out of my ass). By far the worst thing about this game is the camera, though. It does an excellent job obscuring exactly what you need to see at all times, and the ability to control it with the Right Stick isn't worth much when the regular default camera fights with it all the time. I eventually just stopped bothering even trying to control the camera at all, which kind of defeats the purpose of having camera control in the first place if the game arguably handles better without it. All in all, this is definitely a Monkey Ball game for Monkey Ball fans, with a bunch of general improvements such as no more lives and a bunch of adjusted levels, and I'm interested to see where the series can go from here.

God this game slaps my nuts off. The worst I can say about it is that it's way too easy to overlevel yourself and the last few chapters do seem kinda rushed in terms of pacing, but those are barely even complaints when the rest of the game's so damn good. The areas are all fun and engaging to explore, the characters are lovable, the music goes hard, and the battle system's easily the best we've ever had in a Xenoblade game (though I still prefer 2's Chain Attacks just a bit). The story may not be as mind-blowing as 1's, but it certainly has a lot less tropey filler than 2 and a lot of the lategame scenes had me feeling some kinda way. Overall, a brand new zenith for this incredible series. Monolith Soft LITERALLY cannot miss.