The conversations around grief we're more heartfelt than I anticipated. Almost made up for the dire dungeon design. The start of the intro tune is pretty cool also.

You can suplex monks.

The movement is still incredibly satisfying after all these years. The way Mario digs his heels in before a backflip and the momentum retained with a dive, flip run. What a great wee guy.

Mario's movement make be a little lacking compared to 64 but its a game so full of ideas and gameplay twists it easily makes up for that. More than makes up for it once you take ice skating into account. But loses some points for Spring Mario.

Brilliantly designed series of puzzle zooms with a story that's used to build upon and then subvert them. Plus it's relatively short, which is ideal.

On reflection it was definitely a longer game than I'd like but I was enthralled the entire time. It builds and builds and teaches you how to read enemy patters to the point where you're surprised to recall some challenges giving you trouble before.

I fumbled through this without grace on 360 back in the day. I have bought it again twice since and intent to return to it but never will.

Not a game I can consider completed I guess but I've probably had my fill of it and, up until then, it was laugh out loud hilarious. Lovely.

I first played this when my cousin Gerard got a SNES for his Communion and he kept dying to Blargg so gave me a shot and I got further than him so he took the controller off me and I didnt get to play the game again until a couple of christmasses later.

I still adore this. Mario has great momentum and it remains great fun to play at pace. I probably play through it once a month on average (with warps). I am not good enough to speedrun it.

Once it gets going the combat is a lot of fun. Some fights are more spectacle than skill and it's a bit more bloated than it needs to be but throwing that axe is incredibly satisfying and I'm optimistic the sequel will shave off the excess and up the variety.

The first FromSoftware game I've ever finished and I very much enjoyed it. It feels like an absolutely gargantuan undertaking at first then next time through a short series of familiar hurdles. I might return for a Soul Level 1 run, but it can definitely wait.

There's a very satisfying, simplistic approach to the brutal stealth in this that reminds me a lot of Manhunt. The overall story may not be terribly original but the pared-down dialog and voice performances elevate it. The atmosphere in the moments brings a weirdly soothing tension. I'd have likely earned the Platinum trophy if it didn't require an absurd number of multiplayer matches.

A wee delight.

An absolute belter. Maybe a bit light on challenge relative to 3D Land until the very, very end but it's still a joy throughout. Plus some of the platforms look like big cubes of pickled beetroot, which I consider a positive.