Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe feels like a celebration of the modern Kirby formula by reintroducing newer fans to the origin port of what we now understand as a "modern Kirby game." It's hard to state how important this game is to the franchise. And this remaster is a great showcase of this game's strengths.

The game is now finally in HD and runs at a nice 60 FPS which is a huge step up from Star Allies meager 30 FPS. The brilliant backgrounds can now be showcased in their full glory that are honestly still breathtaking for what used to be a late-Wii title. The newly added cell-shaded outlines was something I initially didn't love but I did grow used to them and eventually I do think it was the right choice for this remaster. Gameplay is just as great as it ever was with just snappier gameplay and sped up animations, like for the Super Abilities, and tweaks that make the experience just that little bit better. The new copy abilities such as Sand and Mecha are great additions to the series albeit extremely broken in terms of Arena runs.

Of course this remaster also includes Merry MagoLand which is a fun side mode to play with friends and the medal system does make it decently fun for singleplayer as well. I haven't played Magolor's Epilogue quite yet but I will update this review in the future whenever I get the chance.

This game is a definitive Wii title that paved the way for the Kirby series to gain greater recognition and this remaster preserves that experience immensely.

Shadow the Hedgehog should fundamentally be a good and fun experience but it’s bogged down by some baffling design decisions that keep it from being a great game. The things most people who have never played this game judge it for are actually probably the best part of the entire experience. Shadow’s guns are quick and snappy and are easy to aim and use in a variety of situations. You never feel like you NEED the guns to progress, but it's a nice bonus akin to picking up a power-up in a classic Sonic game. The edgy story and its many branching paths are nonsensical and don’t really link up to each other all that well, but I can’t help but unironically enjoy how hard Shadow tries to act cool. This game has plenty of faults but I can’t help but admire it’s good qualities that shine through the rough.

Though of course Shadow the Hedgehog has plenty of issues that do need to be addressed. The morality system is a neat idea, but the execution is entirely flawed. The branching paths are less narratively branching and more so gameplay branching. The story tries really hard to justify why Shadow would suddenly switch sides but makes no effort in trying to tie each morality choice together. Because of the amount of branching paths, each one feels more neglected then it really should have been. Gameplay wise, the branches honestly feel a bit tedious. Each choice is not created equally. Some of them you just need to get to the end of the level or find 5 objects in the level, other times you have to kill every single enemy of a certain enemy type in order to progress. It just completely bogs down the entire gameplay loop by making the high-octane Sonic the Hedgehog gameplay loop slow to a crawl. Like most of the harder objectives aren’t even that hard to complete, they’re just slow and tedious and completely antithetical to what this series is known for.

Fact of the matter is, Shadow the Hedgehog is cool as fuck, and there’s nothing anything a gaming youtuber can say to change my mind about that.

It's almost insane that this game released on the same hardware generation as Metal Gear Solid 2. The gameplay is such a fantastic step up from its predecessor that it boggles my mind. Everything to the gunplay to the addition of CQC and even the boss fights are improved so much in this entry. The experience is just a lot snappier and caused me to enjoy this game way more than 2. The camera is probably the biggest improvement, opting to take a third-person over-the-shoulder camera that helps this game fit in with more modern games. Level design also is improved, with big open areas coupled with the new camo system which makes options for taking down enemies nearly limitless. While the cutscenes may run a bit too long for my liking, it helps that this is a prequel to the Metal Gear saga and thus has none of the story baggage that held down MGS2 so much. You don't need to have played anything else to enjoy this game's story. The story is paced structured like a Bond film with all the action setpieces and tragic endings to connect it together. It even has a fantastic vocal theme that sticks with you years after playing it. I have very minor complaints such as the Food and Curing system feeling a bit clunky but otherwise this was a great experience that is a must play for any Bond fans out there.

The fact that they were able to follow up Metal Gear Solid 2 with another perfect game, in such a small amount of time, is still an insane achievement.

One of the most satisfying, emotional, exciting, funny and important games ever made. I wouldn't be the same person if this didn't exist, so much of this and the franchise overall helped define my taste, not only in games, but narratives in general. What I especially love here, and something that I really look out for in games, films etc. is the great balance of tones. It's comedic, outlandish and charming without sacrificing the weight and sentiment of the story being told, which is no small feat.

I could go on for hours if I wanted to, and maybe one day I'll find the words, but for now I'll stop here.

Remedy is slowly turning into my favorite video game company. I’m glad that I only really started to get into their stuff now because the wait for more would’ve been excruciating.

Control clicked with me like almost no other game did, and I’m not talking about the gameplay. Which is fun as well, don’t get me wrong — but the story, and how it’s primarily being told through files, calls and presentations, is stealing the show. I was genuinely excited to find another piece of the puzzle whenever that little square icon popped up in a room.

My only complaint is that the conclusion felt somewhat rushed but I can live with that knowing there’s a sequel on the way.

In my opinion, this one sits right under 2. Acting as a prequel to metal gear solid 1 & 2 you get to go back to see where it all began and man is it just amazing. The HD version is just an updated version of subsistence, which if you don't know added a dynamic camera angle and allowed you to switch between fixed and fluid with the press of a button. It really adds to the experience. The story in this is less convoluted (for a metal gear game) and will blow you away if you aren't familiar. Konami, please don't fuck up the remake, I beg of thee.