(Thoughts based on late-game Runescape 2 to early-game Runescape HD.)

I've only played it for about 3 years in middle school but it always felt like a much bigger influence on my life. I would play with my school friends from morning to dusk, finishing quests and fucking around. I would watch the Michinima videos for it, too. I thought it was the coolest game at the time until I moved on to high school. With OSRS bringing back the nostalgia, I was able to retrieve my old account in 2017 but I knew I wasn't going to play it again since I have to start from scratch. This game is best left in the past for me unfortunately, but I do remember it fondly for getting me into gaming. I at least got the official vinyl soundtrack 'cause these are some good ass MIDI jams! The soundtrack for this thing will never not be iconic.

Space Channel 5 is one of the first games I remember playing in my childhood and is the main reason for my love of rhythm games. It's a very short mission story lasting no longer than half an hour when played well, yet it offers so much replay value with Extra Mission and unique characters that need rescuing. However, I can understand why many prefer playing Part 2 than the original. This game suffers for being very strict with its Simon-says button inputs, and even someone like me who can naturally feel out this game's timing can get tripped up when caught off-guard. It makes the more difficult sections of the game a real workout to perfect for sure. Otherwise, you're looking at a game full of passion for its ridiculous space funk odyssey with incredibly iconic music and characters that undoubtedly cemented its legacy in gaming. It's part of what makes the Dreamcast an amazing console and is part of what makes the rhythm game genre so important.

You don't play Shadow the Hedgehog for the gameplay, we all know it's godawful (and s/o to the brave souls that finish this game with all the routes unlocked). You play this game because it's fun to watch the chaos of the screen fill with explosions. The cutscenes never gives you a second to process the game's bizarre worldbuilding as they cut right back into the fray of flying aliens and cops coming to beat your ass. It's voice acting and story is on the same plane of existence as enjoying a "so bad it's good" movie. It keeps you coming back for all the wrong reasons and I'm here for it. Even the multiplayer is completely fucked on here, as the game has a hard time locking onto your character and the framerates drop with every crate smash. It's a complete mess through and through for sure, but it does make for a good time on a day-off with friends.

In my journey of playing all the home console versions of DDR on the PS1 & PS2, DDR X was always an enigma to me. I missed out on its release and I hardly knew anything about it other than some of the tracks that popped on YouTube. After testing it out and reading some more about the fan reception, it's embarrassing to know this was the hyped 10th anniversary game to move the series forward. With such an underdeveloped interface, an insufferable new announcer voice, an arcade machine that lagged and cut manufacturing corners...no wonder this thing failed. It failed so hard that the US wouldn't see a new DDR until DDR A. I really tried find some good in this but the entire experience kept getting on my nerves. I didn't care for the song selection (aside from notable JP crossovers). The focus on ""urban"" aesthetic and culture has aged for the worse. The Street Master main campaign would be bearable if it wasn't this basic visual novel escapade. DDR X's only strength is that it's playable and has a few good song picks, but that's really it for me.

Despite DDR SuperNova being my introduction to the series, I never played the console sequel until recently. Suffice to say, I had a lot of expectations that I should have tempered. I will say that there is a lot SuperNova 2 adds to the gameplay: flashier graphics, the return of Information Mode, and a more streamlined main campaign titled Hyper Master Mode. While the campaign is bare bones compared to the Stellar Master Mode of the first, it is much easier to complete and lets you unlock all the music very early. Speaking on the music though, this is where the game falters heavily in showing its age. This is a time where DDR console games were being released to the US favoring licensed music over in-house cuts, and SuperNova 2's default list is no exception. The songs you unlock is not any better, with little of the fan favorites from previous games returning. The boss songs are pretty stellar to compensate, but I would argue it's not enough reason to unlock the full song list. SuperNova 2 feels like a rushed game overall, and it probably was at this time period. The first one is arguably rushed too, something my nostalgia wouldn't want to admit, but it compensated with a good song list and campaign. This one only gives the bare minimum of the first game while having a poor foundation of songs to support it.

I think mostly anyone who has played this or read all the reviews will know how this blurb is gonna go. While the presentation, characters, music, concept, and literally everything else is top notch, the gameplay and controls do their very best to derail all of that love for this game. I can't stress how awkward it is to play a rhythm-based platformer that is inconsistent with its focus on the rhythm. It's very easy to fuck up and the game is not very forgiving even on easy difficulty. The only reason you power through this is because everything else surrounding it is so strong, and you want to see what happens with the story. The main characters are goofballs but have a formidable mission to end the tyrannical reign of EDM. It's worth the trouble just for that I would say. Other than the game, I would strongly suggest checking out the soundtrack. It's pretty killer~

Memory's a big foggy since I haven't played it in a while but DOOM 2016 has left a strong impression for me for sure. I'll readily admit I bought this at a time when I was less than comfortable with FPS games, all because I always admired the visuals for DOOM as a franchise. I had to backtrack and play DOOM '93 and II from front to back instead in order to situate myself to play this one. This was the right move. That playthrough strangely translated into DOOM 2016, and I was able to enjoy the fun and carnage without stressing out from my poor FPS skills. The collectables kept me motivated, the humor and fan service felt genuine, and the music absolutely fucking slapped. (The music is so fucking good that I eventually bought the vinyl box set.) The only things that I could pick at is that it can feel slightly linear after a while and I have no interest to try out the online, so it stops having content for me after the first playthrough. You can also tell that the game itself is still adjusting its roots between the past and present of FPS gaming, but I didn't mind it that much. Overall, I have to thank DOOM 2016 for getting me comfortable with FPS games.

This was my first exposure to DDR as a franchise, so there's gonna be a lot of nostalgia and bias when it comes to talking about this game. That said, DDR SuperNova is what put attention on the franchise again after the community wanted more challenging content that Konami wasn't delivering. It's the only game in the franchise to have a fleshed out campaign mode for the home console (one of the best modes of the series). I would argue SuperNova had the most diverse and fun song list across arcade and console, though I can imagine DDR fans having differing opinions on that subject. The aesthetic of SuperNova is also very pretty. From the menus to the animated backgrounds and stages to the song wheel and color palette, I just love the red grid aesthetic and its use of negative space. While many fans may consider DDR Extreme as the first thing one thinks of the franchise, I will always point to SuperNova. I would even consider this to be a nice entry point for anyone wanting to get into DDR on home consoles.

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.

(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.

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.

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.

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.

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.