In its structure, this is very Mega Man inspired, and that's a good thing. I was able to complete this in just a couple of hours. You complete a level, defeat a boss and then select what level you'd like to go to next, all while acquiring power-ups called chips that you can equip to enhance the gameplay.

First and foremost it feels fun to play, even if I wasn't completely good at it. I think its action is a bit better than its platforming, which was probably the most challenging aspect for me. Then again I'm sure I suck, so what do I know. The art and the style really shine here. The game has gorgeous pixel art, with its environments and enemies and in that regard was a joy to play.

Although this is similar Iength to a Mega Man title, I felt this could've been a little longer. I also think the dialogue between the characters could have been a little better, but I liked the story, I like the vibe. I think it could've been great but instead its just very good and definitely worth playing!

It's a bit rough around the edges in the gameplay department but it does have a bit of a nostalgic charm to it. The roster is limited to fifteen wrestlers which is a disappointment, but understandable considering the time and the hardware.

There are a few different modes to try out, but the only one resembling anything of a story mode is called Championship mode, where you essentially work one match a month from Wrestlemania X7 to Wrestlemania X8, winning championships but not really having anything to show for them. Of course for this playthrough I picked Big Sexy Kevin Nash.

Gameplay is simple but that's a strength. You strike, grapple, irish whip, pin and that's pretty much it. Striking is a pain because it's not a quick motion, and its easy to fall behind .2 seconds versus the computer and it feels like once you're being attacked, it's a trap that can be difficult to get out of.

Presentation wise the came looks fine, but the best part is the chiptune wrestling themes. Some of these genuinely made me smile.

Overall not something I'd recommend, but maybe if I had this back in 2002 I would've enjoyed it enough.

(via Castlevania Anniversary Collection on PS4)

I've never played through the original NES trilogy of these games so I figure why not get started. It's a great game, but when dealing with games as old as this one, I try my best to view it through the lens of what it must have been like to play this on your home console back in the day, as well as a modern sense. It plays very similarly to the other pre-Symphony of the Night entries that I've played, which was very welcome. It's not quite like Mega Man where the first entry is forgettable and the second entry is where it becomes great. This series was great from the very beginning.

But holy hell is it fucking hard. I'll be straight up, if I didn't play this via the Anniversary Collection with saves I would not have beat it in just a day. Stage five was brutal. The final boss fight took a good few tries too. I got it, but I definitely felt the anger and sheer determination necessary to make it through. (I watched some videos of no damage runs and I'm just like...I'll never be that good at video games).

Anyways, great game! Love all the names in the credits.

I was so excited when this was announced. I love everything about Final Fantasy VII, and I've never played Crisis Core. Thank you Square Enix for remaking/re-mastering this game!

No but really, what SE did with this port is really interesting. Certain parts of the game were remastered, certain parts of it were straight up remade. During some cutscenes you might be reminded that it's a PSP game, but during some gameplay segments this game looks and feels very modern and it's awesome. Apparently the voice acting was re-done as well.

I like the structure of the game and can't help but think it influenced Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. Though there is an overarching story, you play as a soldier (well, member of SOLDIER) and you can deploy to various missions at your leisure. While these can be fun, they can also be repetitive, either in enemy design, environmental design or both.

The overall story is really good. I loved being back in this world with these characters, and seeing locations that we haven't yet seen in the Remake series. Bring on Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth!

Imaginative, creative and endlessly charming, It Takes Two is a wonderful co-op experience. I played it through with my girlfriend and we had a lot of fun. I was especially wowed at all the detailed environments, all the well thought out gameplay mechanics and some of the writing. This game does a lot for couch co-op and a lot for storytelling in games.

It’s hard to pick a favorite section of the game. I loved the space section, but the winter town was so cute. One of those locations in games that you wish you could live in.

This isn’t really a complaint per se, but I must say the length of the game surprised me quite a bit and I think the game could’ve been a little stronger if it trimmed a few hours. Some of the levels felt like they had conclusions only to keep going to build to the proper conclusion, and making them shorter could’ve made for a tighter experience.

Still, I think this was a lovely choice for Game of the Year in 2021.

I think this would be a perfect 3.75 rating, but for the sake of my experience with this game I decided to scale down with my rating instead of up.

I did enjoy my time with Like a Dragon: Ishin, but to varying degrees throughout my time with it. I think for the first half or so I thought it was great, with a compelling story and setting and themes within. Like other entries in this series I played, I loved a lot of the side tasks (although the quests were mostly just fine). I liked the new environment and time period this was set in because it felt like fresh territory in the series.

The combat is fine. It allows for variation with different styles and weapons but more often than not I stuck with the same one (swordsman) while occasionally messing with brawler. Boss fights can be fun, but aren't always, and the random enemy encounters really become grating after a while. Some of my favorite games of all time have random battles but for some reason here I would roll my eyes or groan whenever one popped up, especially in my last 5-10 hours with the game.

The narrative I felt became more uninteresting as it unfolded, as I found that I checked out probably around chapter 5 or 6 or so. I can't exactly pinpoint why I stopped being into it. It just wasn't grabbing me I suppose.

A major reason this got bumped down half a star is because of some design decisions I found frustrating, particularly near the end. I won't spoil anything, but there's basically a point of no return (like there is with a lot of games) as you gear up for the final boss. So I utilized the warning and went to go find a vendor that sells Deluxe Vitality Pills so I can stock up and be prepared, only the vendor wasn't there. Welp. That was annoying. So, the final part of the game I would willingly let myself die if certain battles weren't going well, so I could regain my health and start over in hopes that I can manage it next time around, knowing that I must save what little items I have left for an inevitable, tough final boss.

Anyways overall I'd say its worth playing especially if you're a fan of the series, but I wouldn't consider it anywhere near my favorite of the series.

This really isn't a bad game. Not at all. In fact, I'd argue it's pretty fun. But there's a reason I don't often go for games like this and this was a stark reminder. Crash Team Rumble was fun for a few hours once I realized that it's all that the game is, I lost interest to keep playing. And that's probably just a 'me' problem. It's very rare that a multiplayer loop has keep me engaged for a long time (Halo being a notable exception). Even with the different playable characters and maps, it just kind of felt like I had seen most of what this game has to offer and I don't really think I'll go back to it.

But it's really not bad! If this is your thing I'm sure you'll have a great time. I just think other Crash games are much more re-playable and this one probably needs that the most.

I found this to be a step up from its predecessor in nearly every way, telling a more compelling narrative with better mechanics, graphics, environments and performances from the actors. The gameplay felt very iterative and not at all obnoxious. I say obnoxious because I feel like I’ve played a lot of games (sequels in particular) that introduce new mechanics for the sake of it, to the point where new tutorials being added frustrate me. I didn’t find that to be the case here because each new mechanic complimented each other well.

However, certain mechanics did wear on me as I continued to play it. The walking, adventure game-esque elements eventually grew old because this game is a bit longer than the first one. Some of the puzzles could have been taken out and the pacing would’ve been improved. Seriously, every fucking door in this game is locked. Whoop, gotta find a way around. Again.

I wish it wasn’t locked at 30 FPS but it didn’t harm my experience with it, although I cannot ignore that 60 FPS would have made for a smoother experience.

Overall, it’s a great game.

I know this opinion might not be too popular. But somewhere in Chapter 4 it hit me; I have no desire to see this through.

Impressive and flashy animations can only get you so far. The repetition of it all really got to me. The enemies, the environments. I know, I know. Bayonetta 3 does try and switch things up A LOT with new mechanics like the train, the spider etc. but these failed way more often than they succeeded. Often I'd be not into these segments or even flat out dread them, to the point where the regular moment-to-moment gameplay was keeping me engaged. Then that got repetitive, too.

Because the story sure wasn't engaging me. At first I was a bit charmed by just the pure ridiculousness of it, but it got tired fast. It quickly became background filler for me. No idea what's going on, and I couldn't find it within me to care.

And I hate to say it, but the power of the Switch holds this back. I know, this wouldn't exist without Nintendo in the first place. Nintendo NEEDS to upgrade its hardware to keep up with most games outside its first-party fare. If I want a fun, sleek, engaging action hack-and-slash game to play, I'll go back to Devil May Cry V.

Not saying this is a bad game...it's just not for me.

Great game! I remember when the original Gears of War came out and the impact it made on my friends and I at the time. Here was a game that looked different and played a bit different than anything before and it felt like a true next gen experience, at the time.

Gears of War 2 does not do a hell of a lot in terms of iteration on its predecessor. Instead it refines the ever fun gameplay of the first, steps up a bit in the writing department and offers more creative and engaging environments.

At the end of the day, Gears is like a popcorn action movie and it delivers on carnage, violence and the like and I can’t imagine it ever not being fun.

So I didn't end up finishing the game because I forgot to save and lost hours of gameplay, but I made it about two thirds of the way through and watched what I didn't complete. There's a lot of interesting ideas, I actually like the phone mechanic and the therapist segments but I found the gameplay lacking.

I didn't care for the running segments, and the Nightmare world lacked the punch seen in previous titles. The fog in Silent Hill was switched out with snow, and the industrial horror aesthetic of the Nightmare world was replaced with ice. It's an interesting choice but overall ineffective.

The narrative was good and I think a lot of the themes present are intriguing. To me, this is similar to Silent Hill 4: The Room in the sense that the gameplay wasn't as good as the main trilogy but the story, atmosphere and other mechanics made it very interesting.

Although, Silent Hill 4 is a lot better than this.

Starting off my 2023 gaming journey in the weirdest way possible.

Street Fighter: The Movie: The Game does not need to be analyzed to understand why it's not a good game. Based off of a movie no one likes (except for 3-5 year old me) it lifts the digitization of actual actors from the movie (and no doubt inspired by Mortal Kombat) and manages to be fundamentally worse than just about everything that came before or after it. It's pretty baffling to me that Capcom put out a game in the mid-90s that feels so stiff and so unintuitive.

Since the game is based off of the movie, it's inherently campy and oddly charming, the only reason I gave this 1.5 stars instead of 1. I got a bit of a nostalgic kick seeing footage of the movie in the game, and if only the game was remotely fun, I could've seen myself playing through the "movie mode" just to see it through.

I'm glad this exists because every once in a while it makes me laugh, but in the future I'll just laugh at it from a distance instead of playing it.

Yes, this was my first time playing A Link to the Past to completion in my entire life. Better late than never, am I right? Hey, we all have games we missed when we were younger, for one reason for another. No shame in catching up on those titles we've long moved past.

Anyways, it's not a shocker that this game is excellent. The classic Zelda formula is one of the greatest in the history in gaming (right up there with Metroidvania-Castlevania titles, turn-based 16-bit Final Fantasy and so on) and frankly it's one I don't think I'll ever grow tired of. When they remade Link's Awakening in 2019, I jumped at it and adored it. It plays in a very simple, masterful way. The art style is lovely, which is in line with countless other absolutely gorgeous SNES titles. Pixel art will never die.

I really liked a lot of the mechanics that spruced up the gameplay. I liked the puzzles, which is not something I can say about every game. Here they felt just the right amount of challenging and with little to no frustration. I loved that the map isn't small, isn't large but it just right. While a fast traveling system is introduced, it still isn't a major pain if you have to make the trek across the map.

In a way I'm glad I didn't complete this when I was a kid because if I did not have the strategy guide there's no way I would've figured some of this shit out. I can say that about most of my favorite games so it isn't a knock; just an observation.

All in all an amazing game.