Man it really saddens me to say this one did NOT click with me as hard as Jedi: Fallen Order did, there's a number of issues (some of them being on the technicaly side, which they did iron out most issues, but there's still some very distracting ones), but I think the big one is the way most of the collectibles are cosmetics which, it is very cool, but I definitely felt discouraged to do so because of how big the world is. I don't really feel like returning to a chest I saw hours ago by riding a creature or fast travelling to the other end of the planet because I might find a mustache or a saber grip that I'm not gonna use. I feel like in Fallen Order that worked okay because the levels were tight, compact, but very layered. The shortcuts you unlocked felt much more meaningful than in Jedi: Survivor. It helps that the movement is still insanely fun, and combat feeling more customizable thanks to the multiple stances, but I feel like my time would have been better spent just focusing on the main story.

Which is something I'd say if the story didn't leave me underwhelmed. Without going into spoilers, midway through the game, the story kind of abandons key themes and characters that it establishes early, only to reframe everything in a way that didn't vibe with me, and felt like it suddenly wanted to be sequel bait without it being a strong story that can stand on its own. Hopefully the inevitable third game rectifies some of this.

The game is sitll very fun to play, I had a good enough time with it, and there's a lot of cool exploration to do. But as someone who not only played Jedi: Fallen Order, but also replayed it a year later (something I almost never do), I don't see myself revisiting Jedi: Survivor anytime soon. It's a game that is obsessed with being bigger and grander, without much of the substance that made Jedi: Fallen Order so special to me.

When the original Blasphemous release, it was a good game with some rough edges. Bits that were polished over time into a really good Metroidvania. Blasphemous II is a further refinement and distillation of what made the original so good. The different weapons not only allow for different playstyles, but also act as traversal mechanics that open up the world as you explore it. And since you can start with any of the three weapons, each consequent replay can feel unique as different doors will open up at the beginning.All of this packed in the still absolutely gorgeous pixel art and haunting soundtrack that made the original game such a standout amongst its peers. Really fun boss fights, and gorgeous locations, make for a really exciting 15 hours to 100 percent the entire game. If you, like many others, are still itching for any news of Hollow Knight Silksong, Blasphemous II is a perfect way to not only make that wait easier, but to also engross yourself in another sick Metroidvania. And if the original Blasphemous was any indication, this game will surely be updates with even more bosses, levels, and skills in post launch updates, making it an even more enticing package.

As a personal note also: the game ships with the Spanish Castellan audio track, which was something that was added to the original game as free post launch DLC. I highly recommend playing with the Spanish Dub of the game, as it really adds a lot of flavor to the world.

By now you've probably heard "this is the best 2D Mario since Super Mario World" too many a times, but I'm sad to report I'm gonna parrot the same thing. The amount of fresh new ideas what come in, get executed to perfection, and don't overstay their welcome is simply impressive. I can't remember the last time a 2D Mario has me grinning, smiling, and straight up laughing out loud this much.

And it keeps you engaged by the way it doles out levels of varying difficulties. Each world introduces new concepts, lets you experiment and explore them in a stress free environment with still lots of flare and pizzaz, and when you're ready, you can tackle the harder challenges to your leisure. It doesn't gate the extra difficult challenges until after you beat the game like the New Super Mario Bros. series, it instead lets you test yourself at varying points, all while still introducing new mechanics and even new traversal abilities. Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a game that lets Nintendo's talented new generation of developers to hogwild with new ideas, and I cannot wait to see what they do next.

For all intents and purposes, this is an overall improvement over the original Spider-Man, which was already pretty great. But it sure does feel like "yup that was more Spider-Man" which would be absolutely okay if it wasn't for the fact that you're still doing a lot of the same things you were doing in the first one, and that works for the better and worse. On top of that, the story was honestly okay, I felt like it didn't take as many risks as SM1, which always kept me on my toes, and it was very easy to tell where it was all headed. Honestly, the highlights of the game are really when you get to be "friendly neighborhood Spider-Man" and the game especially excels at it with the missions focused on Miles. I can't wait to see him grow more as the series conitnues.

Overall, still a very good game if you enjoyed the original Spider-Man, but don't go in expecting anything life changing.