The colorful graphics are in stark contrast with how dull and bland this is in its level design, enemy variety and gameplay mechanics. Doesn't do anything particularly egregious but barely does anything above "functional".

Has the fantastic atmosphere and art direction you can expect from an Oddworld game, but can't seem to decide what type of game it wants to be. The puzzles are mostly uninspired, the action is hindered by slippery controls, and the collectathon elements are tedious.

Look, I'm just as surprised as anyone that this ended up so low. The slippery platforming physics combined with the platforming-heavy level design and poor signposting on where to go and what to do really turned this one into a slog. I do hope the sequel plugs more refined mechanics into the brilliance and immersiveness of this one!

A 'dungeon-brawler' that does one-half of its job well. Dragon Valor handles well and has decent mechanics, but the dungeon design is so drab and the main campaign so bloated that I had my fill of it after playing only one of the three possible routes.

A short, relatively-frictionless, barebones janky mess of a game. Has some interesting ideas going for it and handles pretty okay (ridiculous moon-jump notwithstanding). Nowhere near a good game, not as terrible as most people say.

A pure-hearted no-frills roguelike experience, this game is unsurprisingly addictive and has plenty of depth. However, the one-note gameplay and lack of variety in dungeon design make this one a bit of a drag to play through.

Had a great legacy both in terms of the series it spawned and the release of JRPGs in the West. However, despite some really cool graphics and a good amount of content, the game in its original form is pretty rough to play.

A 3D remake of an iconic FF, with lots of cool ideas implemented clumsily. The writing is really good, but this needed snappier combat and significant rebalancing to scale the highs that the original game hit.

Shallow gameplay, slightly stiff feel, limited movesets, but this game is saved by the excellent presentation and the fact that you get to see Sonic characters bash each other up in cartoony ways.

One of the better Road Rash games, but kinda disappointing in context since it has neither the best racing or the best fighting in the series. Missions with specific objectives represented a design space worth exploring, but they didn't really do much with it.

An RPG that attempted the almost-impossible task of being good on mobile, console and PC platforms, it comes across as being too simple and "flash game-y" and is therefore more of a distraction game than something truly compelling. Still worth a play given its short length and how cozy and cute the whole thing is.

Cool quasi-brawler where you start as a fish and essentially choose your character by gradually evolving your body parts to turn into other franken-animals. Interesting, unique, but way too grindy and not very refined in execution.

Fantastic Cyberpunk-Noir vibes and a really good narrative, unfortunately bogged down by a clunky UI that not only makes exploration a chore but also renders nearly all combat a straight-up DPS-race. Worth experiencing once and once only, with a guide on hand.

Cool premise, unique moveset and mechanics, nice exploration elements... but the fact that the game's challenge is based around quickly switching demon forms and you can only switch forms from the pause menu makes it incredibly clunky. Good action game, less convincing as a metroidvania.

The predecessor to Cthulhu Saves the World, this had the same great mechanics and battle system, albeit slightly less refined and balanced. It's fantastic value for the dollar I paid for it on Steam, but the setting and writing has plenty of unfulfilled potential that make me hunger for a fully-fleshed-out remake.

Reasonably good action platformer and rudimentary town-builder sim merge together and somehow become something more than the sum of their parts. Wholly charming and original, and quite impressive for a SNES launch title.

Welcoming, chill, comforting, cozy, soothing. And I don't mean any of these in the 'backhanded compliment' sense - the game has a great vibe and a narrative with understated depth. Wish it had more content and smoother menu-hopping!

Technically visionary and groundbreaking, and a rather good game too. I suspect this would rank a lot higher if I played it as kid.

A strong first entry to a beloved series with a great gameplay hook - I enjoyed searching the world for characters to join my ever-growing army. Some kinks in its implementation (mostly related to swimming in menus every time I changed party members), but this has gotten me stoked for the sequels.

Feels more like a TTRPG than a video game, but at least it's a good TTRPG. Just enough gameplay depth to be interesting, the excellent setting and writing are its main strength.

A fun Sonic 'gaiden' game that you can either breeze through or explore thoroughly, with a cool time travel gimmick thrown in. Some really creative boss fights, but also some haphazard and slapdash level design.

Clunky even by 1999 standards, Silent Hill managed to capture a special oppressive unsettling flavor of horror. There's nothing quite like it on the PS1.

Some segments are frustrating in entirely the wrong ways, but otherwise this is an excellent game. Fantastic presentation, very well-done stealth mechanics, and a host of ways to wreak havoc (or sneak past/spare enemies if you reaalllly want to I guess).

Currently my favorite NES game (perhaps tied with DQ3) - pure 8-bit joy packaged with a very unique platforming gimmick and level design that is actually carefully built around that mechanic. Bonus points for having Hitler appear, cuss you out, and have his head visibly explode when you kill him later.

Not the best roguelite and not the best metroidvania, but its solid and simple mechanics combined with the addictive gameplay loop make it a great experience nonetheless. Beating the game (and NG+) after getting my ass kicked so many times is one of the most cathartic experiences ever.

Wholly excellent RE4-like that does a masterful job at ratcheting up and maintaining the tension, and has great-feeling gunplay to boot. Not the best pacing, and the set-pieces could have been more interesting and made more creative use of the many mechanics on display.

From the aesthetic to the concept to the way it synthesizes its various genres into something wholly new, Patapon is amazingly unique and refreshing. There's room for refinement - which hopefully the sequel does - but this is one of the gaming highlights of the year for me!

(note: this entry is not for the base game but the 'Shining Force Alternate' ROMhack that isn't on backloggd) A just all-round excellent mod that adds so much to the original, improving the balance and losing none of the charm. Obviously made by a big fan, this is one of the best mods of any game I've played.