Is it a hot take to say this is one of the best NES games? Everything about it, from the linear levels full of nonlinear paths, to the endlessly fun pogo stick mechanic, to that iconic soundtrack, feels just as good today as it did in 1989. It's genuinely timeless.

While not as tight or iconic as DuckTales, I dug how this was basically just a loosey-goosey remake of Super Mario Bros 2… but possibly better?! The level variety and co-op are super impressive for the time, even if it's not my personal favorite.

Honestly, not really my thing. I don't care for shoot 'em ups as a genre and have no interest in TaleSpin as a series. Being able to switch your direction at any time was a cool twist, but it wasn't enough to distract from the dull and often-frustrating level design.

This is unfortunately my least favorite of the Disney Afternoon Collection. As fun as it was to latch onto ceilings and try different weapons, the level design just felt like Mega Man but worse. It's one of those games where I'd hover my finger over the rewind button for most of it.

They Weren’t Lying. That DuckTales Really Be 2. …which is to say, it's an iterative sequel but still a fun one. I like that they slightly expanded upon Scrooge's cane abilities, although I did get softlocked at one point by missing an upgrade which was annoying.

They Weren’t Lying. That Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers Really Be 2. This one is even more iterative than DuckTales 2, as it didn't even add any new mechanics, but… it's fine? The long and unskippable cutscenes were boring, but again… it's fine!

A friend gifted this game's physical copy YEARS ago, so I had initially beat this before I played 2! Now that I've finished both, I can appreciate even more how devastatingly fantastic this DLC is in almost every way.

Randomly got in a Mario mood so I replayed this for the first time since it came out... two years ago?! WTF?! Still an excellent experience, I really hope they make a follow-up someday. It seriously combines the best elements of the linear AND open styles.

I've always had a soft spot for WarioWare so it was neat to return to the original. You can tell that they didn't master the variety or readability of the microgames until later, but the the tone and creativity was there from the start.

I went into this game expecting to be a contrarian with how much it's been hyped up to me over the years but FINE. I'll admit… it's very good. An engaging evolution of the Mario 64 formula that doesn't reach as high of highs but is honestly more consistent.

I just noticed on my most recent playthrough that if you pause the game for a few seconds Kirby does a lil' dance for you?? I love this series. Dream Land may be a pretty simple start but you can tell Sakurai knew his stuff since the beginning.

Do I respect this game for defining its genre? Wholeheartedly! Do I understand why folks loved it back in the day? Of course! Did I myself have a good time with it? …yeah, no. By the fifth vague, repetitious dungeon, I decided I've played enough. This 3/5 rating comes purely out of my respect for the title spawning such an amazing series, because on its own... this would be much lower.

Decent enough puzzle game that gets surprisingly hard as it goes on. I think the core concept could have been expanded upon a bit more beyond just pumping up the difficulty, but it's a short enough experience that the lack of variety isn't a deal-breaker.

Very lovely and heartwarming experience that is very much tailored to me and my love of organization. I'd recommend playing it on PC, because using a control stick instead of a mouse on PS5 was about as awkward as you'd expect, but still super worth checking out!

Honestly... kiiinda underwhelming. It was definitely nice to see more of this world and these characters but compared to Torna, I found the gameplay additions and new locations to be bland and the story to be good, but not great.