Ah good, another game that artificially increases the difficulty to compensate for a lack of content. A main character who moves like how molasses fucks while all the enemies can hop and jump and skip like they're in a scene in Fantasia.

The first time I played it I turned it off because there was a green monster that just rushed me and killed me, and no matter what I shot at it nothing seemed to hurt it. Turns out it's what the game sends at you to punish you for taking too long to beat the level, and in a game with expansive levels and secret doors, as if to suggest it should be rewarding exploration. Thanks!

The second time I played it, I turned it off because when I went into a secret room to get more powerups, I lost all of them again, and it put me in a situation where I was too weak to beat the enemies in the room, but also unable to leave the room, and I had to reset the whole game because I couldn't go any further. Thanks again!

I was going to play it one more time until I saw a Youtube video where one of the developers apologized in an interview because surprise surfuckingprise there was absolutely no necessary reason to make it so hard, they just did it for fun! Well shit man, if you made the game and you agree there's no reason to play it, then what am I doing here?

Yeah, it looks really cool, but that's a pretty low bar to cross when we're talking about a Neo Geo game. They all look cool!

Ah this is a really tidy little game! The sprites and backgrounds are adorable. For instance, the Okinawa stage is a Game Gear graphics Street Fighter 2 homage; it has SO MUCH charm.

The basketball is...fine. Pro tip to anyone wanting to give it a try, to dribble you have to hold down the pass button. Otherwise you just stand there and get your pocket picked. I didn't figure that out for almost the entire first match of the tournament! The passing is fine and doesn't feel cheap when you get intercepted, but the shooting gives you more or less no feedback of any kind. I think dunks and shooting accuracy/triggering are things that were probably in the manual--in my couple hours playing I couldn't quite figure out how to influence the shooting, if there even is a way.

All in all, I like it a lot!

I played Popful Mail for the first time as a youngster. I was 7 in 1994 and I think I got this game a year or two later for my Sega CD. Like with more or less everything they brought stateside, Working Designs changed so much about the game to make it insanely harder than it was designed. Because of that, I obviously bounced off of it.

Playing it now 28 years later I absolutely fell in love. I played an 'Un-Working Designs' ISO that restored the difficulty back to normal but kept the voice acting and localization.

It's quite simply the most charming game ever. The gameplay is tight and fun, the voice acting is genuinely very good and very charming, and the writing is actually laugh-out-loud funny at times. The wonderful anime cutscenes are the icing on the cake. I cannot possibly recommend this game enough.

Mass Effect 3 is the third and final game in the Mass Effect series, developed by Bioware and published by EA. The game was released on March 6, 2012, and was highly anticipated by fans of the series who were eager to see how the story of Commander Shepard would conclude.

The story of Mass Effect 3 picks up where Mass Effect 2 left off, with Shepard and the crew of the Normandy attempting to stop the Reaper invasion. The Reapers are a race of sentient machines that are intent on wiping out all organic life in the galaxy, and Shepard must unite the different alien races and factions in the galaxy in order to stand a chance against them.

One of the strengths of Mass Effect 3 is its storytelling. The game features a deep and engaging narrative that draws the player in and keeps them invested in the fate of the galaxy. The characters are well-written and their relationships with Shepard feel real and meaningful. The game also features some truly emotional moments that will leave players feeling heartbroken or inspired depending on the choices they make.

The gameplay in Mass Effect 3 is similar to its predecessors, with players taking control of Shepard and his/her squad as they explore various planets and complete missions. The game features a mix of third-person shooter gameplay and role-playing game mechanics, allowing players to customize their characters with different weapons, armor, and abilities. The combat is fast-paced and exciting, with a wide variety of enemies to fight and different strategies to employ.

One of the new features in Mass Effect 3 is the addition of multiplayer. Players can team up with up to three other people and take on waves of enemies in a variety of maps. The multiplayer is well-designed and adds a new layer of depth to the game, as players can earn experience and unlock new weapons and characters.

The graphics in Mass Effect 3 are impressive, with detailed environments and character models that bring the game's universe to life. The game also features a fantastic soundtrack, with an epic score that adds to the sense of scale and drama.

However, Mass Effect 3 is not without its flaws. One of the biggest criticisms of the game was the ending, which was controversial among fans. Many felt that the ending was unsatisfying and did not do justice to the choices they had made throughout the series. Bioware later released an updated version of the ending that addressed some of these concerns, but the damage had already been done.

Another issue with Mass Effect 3 is the implementation of the game's DLC. While the DLC added new content to the game, some players felt that it was too expensive and that it should have been included in the base game. This led to some backlash from the community, and Bioware later released a "complete edition" of the game that included all of the DLC.

In conclusion, Mass Effect 3 is a fantastic game that provides a satisfying conclusion to the story of Commander Shepard. The game's storytelling, gameplay, graphics, and soundtrack are all top-notch, and the addition of multiplayer adds even more replay value. While the ending may be controversial and the DLC implementation could have been handled better, these issues do not detract from the overall quality of the game. Mass Effect 3 is a must-play for fans of the series and anyone who enjoys a well-crafted sci-fi epic.

Super Mario Galaxy was my first console game, got it for Christmas the year it was released. I went from Super Mario Bros. Deluxe to this huge 3D adventure across all these creative and beautiful environments, of course it blew my little kid mind. I would spend so much time in Beach Bowl Galaxy swimming with the penguins and swinging on that vine. The music is the best Mario has ever known. Not a single level in this game makes me groan when having to go back to it on a new run. The Comet Observatory feels like home.

A lot of you might be wondering why it's taken me so long to put out another game review and the answer's pretty simple: it's just taken me this long to beat Yakuza 0. There is so much going on here that it feels like a miracle that something like this even exists, as it does everything that it sets out to do perfectly. For starters, Yakuza 0 showcases some of the best tonal shifts I've ever seen in a video game. It constantly goes from being gritty to being goofy and hilarious to even being emotional and heartfelt, and not once do any of these shifts in tone and mood feel inappropriate.

The game's writing in general is just amazingly compelling and smart, and that applies to both the complex and layered plot of the main story and the smaller morality tales that play out in the side quests, and all of these contribute to the brilliantly intertwined character arcs of Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima. While the main story is a big part of what makes Yakuza 0 so amazing, this game and the franchise it belongs to are also very well known for the abundance of things to do outside of all of that. Not only is there a staggering amount of minigames scattered across both Kamurocho and Sotenbori, but the amount of detail and effort put into them makes it impossible to not get distracted from the main story. I can't believe that there is a whole series of games like this, let alone just one of them, because Yakuza 0 is one of the very best games I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing, and this entry alone puts the Grand Theft Auto series to shame.

When I was in 3rd grade my mom bought Shadow of Memories as a gift for my dad because the guy on the cover looked like "the guy from Resident Evil 2". My dad never did play it but my underdeveloped 3rd grade brain sure did.

As a kid this game blew my mind. I was obsessed with games where you just walked around and did shit (Shenmue, Morrowind, etc.). There was something about the mundane that was endearing to me. But then in this one you're stabbed in the back and murdered in broad daylight. That was different.

In Shadow of Memories you are tasked with stopping your murder before it happens thanks to a little brown Pokedex given to you by an MCR fan. After accomplishing this task you die again at a later date, finding out that you are forever destined to die until you dig out the rotten tree from its roots.

This sees Eike, Eike Kusch, traveling all over the damn timeline encountering friends, family, and a lot of men with male pattern baldness to try and stop himself from dying, changing his destiny.

The gameplay is a very simple walk and talk 3D adventure game, a la Shenmue, but its paced well enough to where you don't ever feel bored or lost. Another one of your deaths is right around the corner at all times so you never know what to expect. Poison fish? Very well could be.

The music has an unsettling joy to it. Creepy flutes, abrupt crashing drums, add to the ambience of this weird quiet small town where you can be comfortable enough to stab at 3pm.

The game has a billion endings, some of them outright goofy, but never disappointing. And the game is short enough too to where getting them all isn't a slog.

I recently replayed Shadow of Memories and enjoyed every second of it. It hasn't aged that gracefully, but not every game needs to. A ton of heart goes a long way. One of my favorite games from the PS2.

5 Eikes out of 5.