Speaking as a casual fan of the game, SSBU is one of the most accessible and jam-packed of the entire series, a fitting way to celebrate both the series and video games in general. While I did enjoy the more defensive meta of the Wii U/3DS, I can't argue that SSBU is overall better with an offensive play-style and faster movement. There may be questionable choices with every buff/nerf update that come with the DLC content, but it hardly impacts what I enjoy of the game as a casual. In terms of content outside of the main fighting, World of Light as a single player campaign has its highs and lows, though collecting "stickers" is not really my thing. SSBU has its traditional mini-games as well, though very underutilized for me. The main attraction with my friend group were private online matches and customizable stages. They lasted hours and were a staple of my gaming experience. While it may piss off fans who prefer Melee's combat meta, this really is the best the franchise has even been.

The Octo Expansion is the main reason anyone should get Splatoon 2, which is blunt but ultimately is why the sequel has gotten more longevity. The Octo Expansion is the meat the series, a greater single player campaign that tests the will of seasoned players. The ultimate reward is getting to play as an Octoling, something the game had been teasing with Marina's presence as a member of Off the Hook. It also serves as a transition between Splatoon 2 and the third entry, as you can tell the shift in art style and mood point toward a grander scope yet to come. The rewards may be small but the experience and fun story are worth the price of entry.

I've watched so many playthroughs of this game on YouTube, so many think pieces of this its lore and influence on the world of horror, and it took until this year to play it on original hardware. It's truly a game that feels different when playing it compared to watching it, and I let it all sink in for my first playthrough for a GOOD+ ending.

I will say while the tank controls are extremely outdated, the game treats it as a feature instead of a flaw with locked camera angles that help guide the player. It takes very little time to familiarize with how well it handles these limitations. The game otherwise is a delight from the story to the atmosphere and locales. The soundtrack for the game is also to be commended. While a good portion comes from stock audio horror packs, they've aged to be permanently a part of what makes the first Silent Hill so memorable. For as large as the areas may seem, it's surprisingly linear. You won't ever feel lost unless you're doing the puzzles. Of course some may argue the second title is superior but the original story of a father stepping into cultish shenanigans while looking for his daughter is equally full of awe. This game is a must-play.

Even though my current career path is supposed to be on the creative side, I am ironically not very good with level creation in a game whose core asset is creation. However, all those levels and worlds need the play-testing of other players, and that's where its appeal really shines. It's chock full of daily new content and is readily available through its search feature. With the added development of Worlds, it's even more packed with hours of play-testing. Playing with friends is also another option, as the chaos of charging through levels not meant for co-op only adds to the fun. There's the option of Endless Mode based on difficulty which is a good way to kill a few hours. The main story to this game also exists to complete, which in itself is rather rewarding, too. I haven't bothered to even touch the level-creation mode to this game at all, but I still pulled out so much fun, agony, frustration, and excitement. As long as SMM2 has its creators, I'm more than happy to be one of its players.

I wish I wasn't writing this when the game has long since been over, but it let's me have time to reminisce the good amount of fun I had with this limited-time event. Sure, you basically go through World 1-1 more times than grains of sand on Earth but the game physics are different enough from the original that it truly did feel like a new experience for the first few playthroughs. SMB35 really hones in on your ability to expertly play through the classic, tickling that speedrunner in you. There's no real reward to playing this game other than cosmetics to your level profile, but this is such a small game that it doesn't matter too much. The fun is seeing yourself on top. Secretly, I hope this game comes back but knowing Nintendo it will be a lost relic to time.

I've been curious about this game for years and I finally bit the bullet this year. Turns out I was missing out on a lot. Anyone will point out that the visuals, sound design, and mystique of this game is pretty top notch. It all serves to ground its world of enemies, town folks, and mysterious forces lurking underneath. I can't say the story is comprehensible as the game revels in being abstract, but it's not entirely needed to know that you just have to defeat some force of darkness that endangers the characters world. On normal difficulty I would say this game is fairly straightforward with how to attack and recognize patterns. It's the dashing mechanic that honestly takes a while to familiarize. If you like collect-a-thons this game will please those urges in spades. The game has been out for a while, so take a shot if you like what you see from the game footage.

This is the type of game that generally makes sense once you actually dive into it with an open mind, but you will not be able to comprehend everything thrown at you the first playthrough. Hell, even with the supplementary material it's still hard to wrap my head around. It's political commentary is interesting in a post-war world, although its social commentary is a bit crude by today's standards. In terms of playing through it again, I would recommend going for the PC remaster, as the higher difficulty mode is unfriendly on consoles. This is probably the only complaint I have 'cause everything else is masterful. I'm in love with the music, the characters, the bonkers plot, the ring-related puzzles, the minimalist yet grungy artstyle... It's peak Suda51 and for damn good reason. It's also not a game I would recommend casually. The game will throw you many bones to get you to understand its on-rails shooting mechanic but it's uncompromising in its playfulness and shitpost humor. You will enjoy it or you won't.

(Thoughts Based on Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, PS4 version. Originally played on PC.)
It's been a while since playing the trilogy and I had forgotten how decent the first game plays. Sure, the Mako missions take forever and is wonky to control. The overheating is pretty annoying during the first third of the game. The story could use some flair, too. Despite all that it is still impactful when it needs to be. The dialogue between Shephard and crew is fun between missions, and the choices you make have weight. In terms of the 2021 re-release, it's practically untouched other than the noticeable upscaling and visual lighting. The same bugs still exist on here, which is really funny. Of course all the DLC is included which makes the trilogy collection worth the price.

Shoutout to Ramona aka Vektroid for streaming this arcade port so long ago. I don't know how to explain how addicting this game is. It may just be another addition to stacking-like games similar to Magical Drop and Puzzle Bobble, but the main draw is entirely on its music and steep learning curve. It takes a lot of patience and practice to get through the solo mode but it's so fucking satisfying when you beat the CPUs. The plus side is that the game is perfect in short bursts when you need distraction, and with the Switch port I can feed into the urge anywhere I want. I would highly recommend it if you're into slightly challenging stacking games, but also if you need something to cool your mind.

When you boil this game down to what it is, Bugsnax is essentially a list of fetch-quests with some problem-solving mixed in. What you get out of it is what becomes more than that limited viewpoint, as you live and commune with the fellow Grumpuses to learn what's really going on at the island. It's not every day you get a game this wild in concept as catching sentient snacks, and it somehow sticks the landing. You can take pictures of em, find out their quirks and patterns, and you get the added collect-a-thon from pocket monster games. The biggest surprise the game offers is how unapologetically LGBT+ friendly it is, which was a fresh breath of air for me. While I won't talk too much on the story and other neat gimmicks the game includes, Bugsnax is very much best experienced with an open mind and a want for curiosity.

I've recently gotten into the Persona 5 entry and decided to give this rhythm game venture a spin. I'll say it's a fun distraction and I've never played this type of rhythm game before until now, but it's evident that not much thought was put into its content. Sure, you got the social confidant system with extra tidbits about your favorite Persona 5 characters (some of which is later mentioned on Strikers). The songs, DLC content and crossover material are absolute bangers, too. The big "but" here is that there's no other modes in the game and no post-game content that will make you return unless you really like the songs and choreography footage. Don't get me wrong, it's a really fun game but don't expect this snack to be a full course meal.

I basically bought and played the game out of nostalgia and my ever-present interest in the franchise. Giving my positives first, I think the game is pretty good when you know what you're doing. It has an interesting fusion system that is different from the regular card game, and it makes duel go by quickly. A lot of the music and sound design is pretty killer. That's pretty much all I can think of 'cause this game is incredibly ruthless and unplayable if we're gonna be real.

I don't know how anyone beat this in 1999 because if you don't have a good memory or a fusion calculator on standby, you will have a hard time getting past the 2nd duel of the game. This game will not help you whatsoever with the fusion system. That's not to mention some of the later bosses on here that require tremendous luck to defeat if you can't get the right cards by the time of their encounter. Unless you have nostalgia for this or want to learn its fusion system, this is a hard pass in my books.

(Thoughts Based on Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, PS4 version. Originally played on PC.)
It was good to return to this after finishing the first, seeing how improved the weapons system, combat and NPCs are on most fronts. I still don't particularly care for the ammo management but at least it was never limiting. The flying ship missions are also a lot better than mako missions. The story overall is what I expected, a lot more dynamic and expressive. There are a lot of less filler missions this time but they are overtaken by the loyalty missions, which is a better trade-off as I enjoy getting to know all the squadmates. It's hard to dislike the sequel and it overcomes the shortcomings of the first game. In terms of the Legendary edition, you won't find much differences other than characters looking a lot better and the lighting looking amazing. All the DLC is on here so you're getting the full package.

The sequel to DDRMAX ends up being a big improvement over the first entry. DDRMAX2 answers most of the issues I have with DDRMAX: bringing back on-screen dancers, adding in more songs with challenging chart steps, and creating an extra mode (Nonstop Mode) that isn't entirely barred the first playthrough. The unlock system is better and faster as well because Nonstop Mode actually counts towards your play count, unlike Oni Mode from DDRMAX. The menu design and UI may be recycled and recolored, but I honestly like the darker palette. The US Version does have more mainstream entries that bogs the game down for me (i.e., the Whistle Song, I Like to Move It, Sandstorm, etc.) but the song list is otherwise solid enough. Overall, DDRMAX2 (and in extension DDRMAX) isn't my favorite line-up but it did bring lots of classics I still bump to this day.