This game is very reminiscent of classic 2D Sonic, more so than Mania, in both its strengths and flaws. When the level design is good, it's a blast to play. Every Zone feels huge with many paths to take, which did well to make me wanna replay them to get the fastest route. Sometimes, however, the levels are too big for their own good and I found myself going in circles sometimes (which isn't something I remember happening to me in other 2D Sonics except for maybe Sonic CD). A lot of the times levels have too many gimmicks for their own good. They juggle so many at once that it can become a hassle to traverse through. While I didn't struggle with a lot of the mini-bosses, most of the main bosses weren't too fun to fight. Especially Egg Fortress' boss, which takes way too many hits to finish off. And, lastly, I found that a lot of the music wasn't that memorable either, particularly the tracks that try to (poorly) emulate the Genesis style. Nonetheless, there are plenty of Acts that make this game worth playing, in my opinion. And it's great to see they stuck to making completly original zones, and Fang & Trip are a fantastic addition to the cast. Hopefully the team can refine their ideas and come back for a stronger sequel. I think there's a lot of potential here.

I'm pretty confident in calling this the definitive Theatrhythm game. While I enjoyed the refinements and quantity of songs in Curtain Call, I missed the Story Mode quests of the first game, so I was happy to see Final Bar Line has both! This game is noticeably more difficult than Curtain Call, with Supreme difficulty reaching arcade-level rhythm game charts. Nothing's more satisfying than challenging yourself to increasingly harder songs until you finally clear your first Supreme. This is all the more doable with the party mechanic which, with the sheer number of characters, always gives you a new strategy to approaching difficult quests. Some may have been frustrated with all the tracks relegated to DLC, especially if you were hoping for other Square Enix properties, and I understand that. However, the amount of content with the 300 or so songs you have in the base game will keep you playing the game for dozens and dozens of hours. And if you enjoy the game so much that you do everything there is to do in the base game, then the DLC is the cherry on top.

An incredible experience. This is an RPG that excels in basically every area I want and RPG to excel at. The combat system is very satisfying, and gives you a surprising amount of freedom to strategize as you see fit thanks to switching party members around. The progression behind that system (Arts, Skills, Affinity) can be daunting, but thankfully the game gives you the freedom to engage with it as much as you feel comfortable with. The world and its story tell a great message. The characters are likeable, well-written and acted. The soundtrack is beautiful. Any shortcomings really don't add up to much for me, in the long run. Plus, the copious amount of missions make my checklist-loving brain turn to mush and satisfies my brain-worms in all the right ways.

A very solid 2D Mario. All NSMB games are well-designed but Wii busts out some interesting level gimmicks that I completely forgot about (even with boss battles like Bowser Jr.). It lacks a little bit of character, though, compared to the DS original. That's most apparent in the enemy variety and design, where it plays it pretty safe. The golden coins are very well hidden in this game. Generally, I feel the difficulty strikes a good balance. The game gets pretty challenging towards the latter half. It's obviously not a revolutionary platformer, but it's no doubt why this became such a multiplayer phenomenon back in the Wii era. It's a fun time. This probably ranks #3 among the New Super Mario Bros. games.

It's easy to write this game off for multiple reasons. It's safe to say interest in 3DS titles after the Switch's launch went down considerably. And after years of hearing that Pikmin 4 was "almost done", a Pikmin game that clearly wasn't 4 didn't do Hey! Pikmin any favors. That's certainly the camp I was in back when this game was announced.

Playing this years after the fact, however, I think I can approach this title with a clear mind. It's... not bad. I was pleasantly surprised at how they took the Pikmin formula and translated it into 2D. The controls certainly aren't perfect at times, but it did feel like I was playing a Pikmin game. The levels are generally short and sweet, and you can go out of your way for some neat collectibles. The game does throw a handful of frustrating levels here and there, especially towards the later half of the game (looking at you, 8-X) but nothing that soured my experience too much. It's also worth pointing out that the soundtrack is great. I haven't played the mainline Pikmin games in a good amount of years, so I don't know if any of these songs are reused or remixed, but this game does a great job of setting the Pikmin mood with its songs.

I'd say a lot of the flack Hey! Pikmin gets is because it came out at the wrong place, wrong time. Something that came to mind as I was playing is that I probably would've loved this game when I was younger. For me, this is the kind of game that would've released for the DS in the mid-2000s and I would've picked it off the shelf at GameStop and thought "Cool, a Pikmin game on the DS!" and taken it home. Years later, I'd look back at it as one of those weird DS spinoffs in the vein of Super Princess Peach or Wario: Master of Disguise that people kind of forgot about.

Still, where the hell is Pikmin 4?

The definitive 2D Sonic experience. The best levels, the best music, the best movement/controls (coupled with Encore's character variety), fun Special Stages, challenging but satisfying bosses.

It's impressive how the Mania team designed some of the strongest Zones and even made some of the ones I'm not so huge on (Hydro City, Lava Reef) significantly more fun to play. Honestly, if I had to pick one gripe I have with this game, it's that they didn't let the team make a game with entirely original Zones. The new Zones feel right at home with the rest. It's great to see some classic stages remade, but all the new ones are so damn good.

I hope one day we can get a Mania 2; Sega knows we want it.

It's no wonder people consider this the peak of classic Sonic. It's got a stellar soundtrack and some of the more visually interesting stages. The gameplay feels like a much more refined version of 2, with a very good flow of platforming and speed segments. The Special Stages are probably my favorite of the 2D games and the bosses are straightforward and fun to fight. There's honestly not much negative I can say about this one bar some occasional frustrating segments (but that's a given in any platformer).

Probably my favorite 2D Sonic until Mania came out.

This game improves in a lot of areas where Sonic 1 faltered. The layout of the Zones generally balance platforming and speed, making them more fun to traverse. Though what probably contributes more to that is the addition of the Spin Dash. It's incredible how a single move can change how you play the game. Not only that, it's a move that feels so natural to Sonic's gameplay. It would not feel out of place if they added it to the original Sonic (which they did eventually) and it makes you wonder why they never thought of it.

I'd say Sonic 2 has overall better Zones than 1, but the bosses are much more frustrating, in my opinion. Also, the Special Stages are a major headache. The controls are not smooth yet the stages almost always expect you to do very well. You get hit once or twice and you're more than likely not going to be able to get the emerald. This makes the Special Stages not feel too exciting to replay.

Tails is great. Love that little guy.

It wasn't until a recent replay that I realized how much I really enjoy this game. I think if you're coming off of playing Sonic 3, the movement in this game can really throw you off. Both the controls and the general pacing of the levels feels more akin to the first Sonic game. For some, that might be an instant negative. But I feel as though CD takes some of the slower paced platforming of the original Sonic and builds some more engaging levels out of it.

This game also has a unique approach to the typical Sonic appeal of replaying levels. You want to master these levels, not necessarily to complete them as quick as possible, but to make sure you get the Good Futures. The Special Stages are also pretty fun, tied as favorites with Sonic 3's.

Not all stages are winners but Sonic CD more than makes up for it with its ambiance. The JP soundtrack and the Past / Bad Future levels give the game a particularly eerie feel that none of the other Genesis titles can capture. It's a statement to how a game's tone can elevate the whole experience.

A pretty solid first entry. The lack of spindash makes movement tricky sometimes, the platforming can be clunky and/or annoying, and the bosses are not my favorite either... Special Stages are fine, though. Not every Zone is a winner, and even some good zones have less than stellar Acts BUT, there are plenty of levels that are fun and satisfying to learn your way through (Green Hill, Spring Yard, Star Light). And it shouldn't be overlooked, the graphics and music are stellar and part of what made this game so appealing back in the day. Though the next couple games improve on what this one started, Sonic 1 is still a good foundation to start the series with.