I used to see this game popup in the gaming magazines all the time, and I always wanted to play it, but I didn't have an Xbox at the time. When I finally had one, I forgot about it. After so many years, to say I'm disappointed is a understatement. Kameo is not bad by any means, but it's not memorable. It feels generic. The story is basically irrelevant, there's no epic moment, at some point the game just ends. For instance, I can't even remember the soundtrack and I just beat it. Technically it feels two generations behind, like a remake of a Nintendo 64 game on Xbox 360. I'm not sure what was the consensus back then, but here, it's easy to understand why Microsoft stopped investing on Rare.

Halo was the first game that made me embrace multiplayer over single-player. Typically, I'm a single-player enthusiast and not very fond of multiplayer games, but Halo was different. It became the go-to game every night during my university days, where hours were spent with friends and the always reliable needler. It was more than just a game, it was a bonding experience. Playing Halo made me feel like I belonged there. My best memories of Halo aren't just from the gameplay itself, but from the camaraderie and connections formed while playing it. Unfortunately I rarely see those guys anymore, it's incredible how life changes and scatters people. And yes, the single-player campaign is also fire.

Well, I came back to this game, because I felt there's something more to it than I initially saw. Eventually I understood the drift and nitrous mechanics, and that made the game a lot easier. It is a very fun game, but kinda bloated. The main mode, World Xplorer has over 200 races, most of them being the same 8 or so tracks remixed (like inverted or with some small changes). The soundtrack is generic EDM, with some classic Namco tunes remixed here and there (it's probably just one, the Galaga theme, but I don't know). The game itself is full of references to old Namco arcade games. The World Xplorer mode gets harder as you progress, but you also get better, so it's never too tough, however the content is mostly filler stuff (as I said, the same races over and over again).

I was always very curious about this game, a Sega hidden gem that is rarely mentioned nowadays and that they probably lost the source code at some point. I finally got a copy and my very own Sega Saturn, so I can finally check it out. Clockwork Knight is a short and sweet game, one you can (or should I say, have to) finish in a single sitting. It could have been released on the Genesis or even the NES (without the pre-rendered graphics). It does not have saves, it only has 6 or so stages and it does not do anything too special with the Sega Saturn hardware, considering it was a launch title. But I really had fun with it even though my disc is heavily scratched and I had to restarted it a couple of times due to the game crashing in some cutscenes, but my fault. It's fun enough that replaying it does not feel like a chore. And I really liked the 90's karaoke-style soundtrack, it's charming and something I would casually listen to in a YouTube gaming playlist.