Sorry Yamazaki, but this is a real modern Ace Attorney game.

As a long-time AA fan who took way too long to play this despite knowing of it even prior to its original release, TGAA: Adventures really just pulled me in from the very start. The stakes are immediately established, and that first case is probably the best in the series.

Ryunosuke is just so damn endearing. He has real growth over the course of this game in a way I feel no other Ace Attorney protagonist does - his journey across the world is just one you WANT to see unfold and go along with him.

Even gameplay-wise, it pushes the series so far forward - much more than just adding a new gimmick. They were so confident that Sholmes and his Dance of Deduction could carry an entire case that this game has a chapter with no trial. Literally unheard of. And you know what? They were right. It slaps.

Visually, this game is exactly what I expect the series to look like now. AA5 and 6 have always looked a little off. TGAA is very PLvPW:AA (which makes sense), and it's perfect. I fell in love with that style immediately, and I'm so glad to see more of it.

My only real gripes are incredibly minor. Mainly, I wish it had more voice acting and a few more anime cutscenes. PLvsPW:AA nailed the usage of these, potentially almost perfectly, using them to enhance the game's presentation. If we can't have fully voice-acted AA, then voice-acting important lines and breakdowns is a great compromise. Unfortunately that's not what we get here (though the few anime cutscenes we get are stellar). And no matter how much you love a visual novel, for one as long as this, eventually reading endless lines of text can grow a tad dreary. Nonetheless, the game is so damn good and so well-written that I still pushed through and played for... more hours at a time than I care to admit over winter break.

There's just something different about The Great Ace Attorney. Takumi and his team clearly learned a lot from working with Level-5 on PLvsPW:AA, and this game is the fruit of their ambition to allow Ace Attorney to be more than just Ace Attorney and break countless series conventions.

And I apologize, but it may also just be proof that Ace Attorney belongs in Shu Takumi's hands.

Honestly, for Mario’s first handheld outing, I feel like this holds up pretty well.

Obviously the criticisms are there - the level design can be pretty basic, controls sometimes feel jank, and a number of series staples are either missing or compromised to make it work on a handheld. But because of how important and ambitious a title it was, it becomes easy to overlook these shortcomings.

It’s games like Super Mario Land that sometimes make me wish I had been around for the age of the Game Boy - I imagine this would’ve kept me entertained for hours on long journeys, even if handheld titles today are objectively more complete and fulfilling experiences.

Even so, I still had this on original hardware as a kid for some reason, so I actually still have a fair bit of nostalgia for this one.

What makes Super Mario Land so memorable to me however, out of Mario’s earlier adventures, is just how unique it is. Some may criticize it for the same reason, but this game has a lot of weirdness that I feel gives it such a strong, distinct identity. The enemy variety, level themes, even the main villain are unlike any we’ve seen in the series before or since. And I think that makes Super Mario Land a pretty unique, short and sweet platformer - and proof you don’t need all the processing power in the world to make a fun game.

I mean, come on, in what other Mario game are you going to travel through Egypt, fight strange stone-faced creatures, encounter aliens in flying saucers, all before ending up in feudal Japan?

wait a FUCKING SECOND I just described odyssey

Unironically, this is one of the best video game sequels ever made and a genuine contender for the best 2D Mario.

For what it is and the time when it released, Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins is an absolute marvel. When reviewing older games, I try to analyze a given title from both of the following viewpoints equally - “How does this hold up now?” and “How good is this for the time when it was released?”. If the answer to the latter question leans positive, I’m more likely to overlook some of the usual frustrations that come with game design philosophies of a title’s respective era.

Frankly, Super Mario Land 2 is a platformer that just straight up holds up today. It feels like a home console quality Mario game which has been perfectly translated onto a portable console (a fucking original Game Boy, at that). The weirdness I loved so much in the previous game is intact - level themes are possibly the most creative in the entire series, enemies are once again incredibly varied, and on the whole it feels like a game that combines the very best of all 2D Mario games prior.

The sprites are more detailed, levels incorporate a refreshing amount of verticality not often seen in the Mario series, and did I mention that you can play any world in any order?

It’s also incredibly forgiving on lives and checkpoints, allowing it to sidestep many of the usual frustrations of other games from the era. Any and all jank is basically gone and the platforming feels so much tighter. Genuinely, I don’t know that I’ve ever played a Game Boy game that felt more fair. Screw-ups were my screw-ups, and the game doesn’t punish you too hard for them.

The only genuine issue I have with this game is one that a lot of early handheld platformers face - the lack of screen space. In the previous game, the camera was more zoomed out, and thus Super Mario Land felt like one of the few Game Boy platformers that don’t feel like they’re suffering from the Game Boy’s tiny screen size. The downside to this is that much of the sprites and textures are less detailed as a result - Super Mario Land 2 does the opposite, zooming the camera back in to allow for more detailed spritework. A widescreen hack would easily fix this, and to the game’s credit, it was never a massive issue - only on a few occasions did it trip me up, but it’s still something to note. The change is definitely worth it, but I would love to see this fixed in a future re-release.

If you had told me that Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins had been developed recently as a throwback title, I would have believed you. It boggles the mind that Nintendo were able to make a handheld Mario as good as this on only their second try. I stand by the statement that this is the most creative level themes in Mario have ever been, and I adore it for that. Never again will we see a giant robot Mario’s ballsack as a level (yes, really), nor the inside of a giant turtle. It also introduced Wario, so I have to love it for that too.

hey you guys did you know that super mario bros. 2 is actually a reskin of a japanese-only famicom game called doki doki pan-BANG.

I hesitate to be too harsh on Super Mario Bros. 2. Because as a weird, obscure Famicom game it’s probably pretty alright. But it’s packaged as a Super Mario Bros. game, so that’s what I feel I have to judge it as, and it’s sure as hell what I wanted out of it.

This game wants to convince you so bad that it’s a Mario game with familiar sounds and the occasional familiar theme, but it’s not. It’s Mario’s dream about a game he imported from Japan called Doki Doki Panic.

And I just don’t think it’s very fun, or very Mario. There’s moments of enjoyable platforming, and some cute level gimmicks, but for the most part the level design is just far too obtuse, far too often. Combine that with incredibly slippery movement and its just an absolute chore to get through.

And look, I love trans women, amen Nintendo, but god it’s so fucking exhausting fighting the same one over and over.

It would be disingenuous of me to say that the Mario franchise doesn’t owe a lot of its modern identity to Super Mario Bros. 2. A number of things from this Doki Doki Panic reskin would go on to become series staples, including recurring characters, enemies, some mechanics, and level themes. I can even understand why Nintendo of America thought Western audiences might enjoy something different than Lost Levels. But man, everything that came both before and after just did it better - including Lost Levels itself. This franchise deserves so much better than to owe so much to Super Mario Bros. 2.

Shu Takumi's greatest work, and the absolute highest peak of Ace Attorney as a franchise.

I could spend many hours talking about how incredible this game is, how perfectly it ends this duology, and how it continues building upon what the first game started. Every character has their big moment, even side characters feel like they have just a little more depth than what came before.

I find it hard to recall a time, particularly in recent memory, when I've walked away so utterly satisfied by a story and piece of art as I was with TGAA2. My only possible gripes are the same nitpicks I had with the first game regarding presentation, and the fact that this game does so many cool fucking things, and then only does them once. It has so many ideas that could've even warranted a third entry, but it doesn't seem like that was on the cards, so they opted to just go all out with this one.

And the end result is something just so uniquely special. This is what Ace Attorney felt like to me as a kid. And as an adult, finally playing this for the first time, I can see The Great Ace Attorney for what it really is - a piece of art that's just so warm and full of heart.

It took me four years to finally get around to playing this game. I mean, can you believe that? I played the majority of the Uncharted series in 2020, when we were all locked down - the entire series was made free, with the exception of The Lost Legacy. I binged it, and with the story of Nathan Drake being brought to a perfect close, The Lost Legacy was a piece of content I had zero motivation to go out of my way to purchase.

That being said, The Lost Legacy was an opportunity - an opportunity to add depth to some of the characters that had played supporting roles throughout Nate’s journeys that had otherwise been a little one-note. Chloe and Nadine are the obvious choices. Chloe was merely introduced as an alternate love interest to Nathan Drake, and though becoming a fan favorite, had a great amount of room to expand on her character. And as for Nadine, she was unfortunately greatly underdeveloped and left much to be desired. She was, in essence, a plot device - an extremely cool one, mind you - a reminder that Nathan Drake is by no means a professional. Despite being the luckiest man alive and having a good few adventures under his belt, he and his brother were still easily humbled by a formally trained martial artist. And in the context of Uncharted 4, this works extremely well, but it leaves so many opportunities to continue Nadine’s story.

I’ll admit, I was skeptical going into The Lost Legacy. Chloe was never particularly a memorable character to me, nor was Nadine interesting enough that I really wanted a full campaign starring her. In my mind, both had served their purposes in a story that wasn’t really theirs.

The Lost Legacy essentially resolved any of these fears and problems I may have with their characters. Their dynamic is great, and this game brings some much needed depth and background to both of their characters.

I don’t know what Naughty Dog’s intention was in developing Lost Legacy - but if it was to prove that, perhaps, Chloe Frazer could be the lead of another Uncharted trilogy - then sign me up. There’s so much further we can go from here, and The Lost Legacy finally made me love her, and Nadine, both.

I will add, it kind of felt like they queerbaited me, but that could be just me. Their chemistry really is excellent. Please, Naughty Dog. In Uncharted 5, give the LGBTQ+ community what they need. I really, really want to see them kiss.

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy is just another solid entry into this franchise. It’s not mind-blowing, nor is the story anywhere near as fulfilling as A Thief’s End. But the incredibly fun gameplay of Uncharted 4 remains intact - and story-wise, it does exactly what it sets out to do. That being to further develop characters from the Nathan Drake saga that aren’t Nathan Drake.

I don’t know if we’ll ever get Uncharted 5. It would be perfectly valid for Naughty Dog to want the main series to end alongside the story of Nathan Drake. But with Lost Legacy, they proved that Chloe Frazer makes for a damn good protagonist, and I really, truly hope they don’t squander that potential.

Also, that final chapter was just a massive Uncharted 2 reference, and I loved every second of it.

This one’s probably going to get a little personal, folks.

If you’ve read any of my reviews on here, you’ve probably figured out that there’s nothing I love more in this medium than playing detective. I love mysteries, and I love falling in love with a cast of characters and unearthing how they all intertwine and what role the play in a larger, overarching puzzle and story.

Disco Elysium is different. It’s a game about playing detective, but it’s more than that. It has so much more to say than just being a mystery story tied together with role-playing elements. It’s certainly got a lot to say in terms of politics, but even beneath all of that, there’s something even more fundamental that sets Disco Elysium apart from its contemporaries - it’s a game about the human experience. Beautiful, messy, fucked up, philosophical in all the ways it should be.

The tagline of this game is “Become a hero, or an absolute mess” - I don’t know if I became either, but I tried. I took this mentally ill, sad, addict, amnesiac detective and I turned him into someone that tried.

I see so much of myself in Harry Du Bois. As I grow older, my battle against mental illness becomes more and more complicated. I’ve got voices in my head, I find myself drawn to the drink, and I’ve found myself on the brink far too many times to count. Just as you start this game following a three day bender that the protagonist, I’m sure, didn’t expect to come back from - I’ve tried to find a means to an end at the bottom of a bottle. I’ve sought oblivion for similar reasons as Du Bois. Trauma, a broken heart over lost loves, over self-hatred and unshakeable guilt over things I could have said or done. Things that, maybe if I were not me, could’ve ended differently.

Disco Elysium is a reminder that no matter how hard life gets, no matter how deep we find ourselves in the darkness, our choices still matter. We can’t control how the dice falls. The only thing that held me back from an even better ending was a few RNG checks - if I’d rolled higher, things would’ve been vastly different.

But I still managed to make a difference, however small.

Turning things around fully is probably impossible. It would take an endless string of good luck. But we’re not powerless. Disco Elysium is somehow empowering even when it reminds you that you’re at the whim of a dice roll. Beneath all of its political commentary and a genuinely fascinating web of lies, agendas, and mysteries that completely entangle Revachol - it’s screaming at the top of its lungs about how fucking beautiful being human is. Even when it hurts. Even when it’s scary. Even when we burn everything in our path in a fit of despair.

And it does so in some of the most beautifully crafted prose I’ve ever read. I constantly found myself in awe of how profound the text and dialogue in this game is. In some ways, it feels like a playable novel. Or a tabletop campaign GM’d by someone who should really be a best-selling author.

I’d be lying if I said I understood everything Disco Elysium was trying to say. It’s a beautiful, larger-than-life experience that has a lot of roots in political concepts and ideas that I’m not particularly well-versed on. But there’s something here that you can just connect with on such a deep, intimate level. No matter our differences, we are all fundamentally connected by the human experience. And I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a genuine, soulful depiction of it until playing Disco Elysium.

I’ll keep trying to do better. I’ll keep trying to make good choices, no matter where the dice falls. And if I mess up? If I find myself at the bottom of a bottle once again or struggling to resist the temptation of a substance?

No matter what happens, I’m still human. And that itself is a miracle.

I’ll be playing Disco Elysium again, more than once, I’m sure. There’s so many different paths to take and builds to try and so much I’m sure I missed. But even just as is - even just scratching the surface of this experience - I’m comfortable in saying that this is one of the greatest games I’ve ever played. It’s an awe-inspiring, breathtaking experience in every conceivable way.

Thank you, Disco Elysium.

I loved this first chapter. It is abundantly clear how passionate the dev team is when it comes to this project. From the artwork, to the voice acting, to the entire vibe of the game. This is the devs' first real game so going into this, I was ready to cut them some slack as I wasn't expecting this to be a ground breaking masterpiece that would change the landscape of indie horror the same way Five Nights at Freddy's did.

So let's get my gripes out of the way first. Loading problems. This game can crash a decent amount and the beginning has some problems properly loading textures. I'm sure these problems will be fixed within the coming weeks, so at some point in time, this point might be entirely null. Since these are less experienced devs, the gameplay loop is pretty simple. puzzles mainly include finding an item and using it, similar to a lot of survival horror games. It's fine, but it'd be awesome to see some more variety in the future. Finally, the horror. Obviously, this is subjective, I'm sure there are people out there who did find this chapter to be decently creepy and I'm happy for you. Personally, I wasn't too creeped out by anything in particular, which I understand may just be a personal thing.

Another problem I have is that so far, it feels very much like every other mascot horror game, with sections feeling literally just like parts of other games, like the Mollie chase sequence feeling exactly like the Huggy Wuggy chase segment in Poppy Playtime Chapter 1. Now obviously, I'm expecting inspirations and I'm expecting to be able to see those inspirations, but this section just felt the exact same but instead of a tall blue monster in a vent, it's a bird monster in a soft play area. I hope future chapters will have more originality or at least put a more unique spin on things.

Now let's talk about what I love about Indigo Park.

The voice acting. The voice actors really bring their A-game to this project and the characters in which they voice, really selling each performance and leaving a smile on my face. I absolutely adore Rambley and I think he's only going to continue to be a fantastic companion character throughout the game's future. Each character has a very distinct voice, Rambley sounding very carefree and happy, Mollie sounding super excitable, Finley sounding super stoic and depressed and Lloyd having this very proud sounding voice.

One thing I loved about this game was having outdoor sections. I think it's too common that mascot horrors always tend to involve entering a building a going deeper and deeper. Since Indigo Park is a theme park, it makes a lot of sense that the between sections from attraction to attraction are outdoors which is a breath of fresh air, literally.

Passion. Passion to me is always important for devs to have for their project and the team did not hold back in cramming Indigo Park with all the love and passion their could muster. When I got to the end of the chapter and listened to Rambley's song, I had to stupidest grin on my face. If I was into it before, the song certainly grabbed me.

Overall, I'm super excited to see the future of this game and I wish the best of luck to UniqueGeese and the rest of the dev team. I do plan on rewriting this review if/when every chapter has been released.