lowpolymoose
Though incredibly fun courses, the quality drop still floors me. Going from the DLC courses back to the base game just hits you in the face like "woah the trees have texture the grass has texture the world looks cool" where the DLC courses just lack that. The new courses, especially Yoshi's Island and Squeaky Clean Sprint are fantastic, but the ported courses from older games and the tour tracks just disappoint.
Its still Mario Kart though.
Its still Mario Kart though.
2018
This game is truly something special. This was my 3rd time playing through the game, but my first time completing all B-sides and the Farewell level. I plan to go back and complete the C-sides as well, but I am choosing life over golden strawberries!
What sparked this adventure back to Celeste Mountain was my partner getting me the special edition for Christmas. I immediately hopped back in, and played most of the game handheld with my Koss Portapros or on an old TV, to truly do my best to fit the vibes.
I connect with Madeline quite a bit in her journey to overcome anxiety. I have pretty brutal anxiety myself, and in the past few years despite working to overcome it, anxiety always crops back up. Beating the game for me was a challenge in patience and a reminder that I am able to do whatever I want if I put my mind to it.
Sitting by the fire and talking to Theo, reconciling with Part of You, learning to love Grannie and miss her dearly, all these pieces of the story weren't necessary to make a good platformer, but to me they are what makes this game a great platformer. Where there are games like Getting Over It and Jump King that push you to the edge of insanity, Celeste would rather encourage you than put you down.
Part of what made playing this game this time around such a special experience for me was my roommates showing up at random times to watch me play. Watching me bash my head against the wall in a tough screen for 20 minutes just to finally get it and cheer was a great time. It made me laugh when the expectation for me was that I'd get pissed and rage at the game, and though there were some audible "DAMN's," Celeste has this special something that kept me from ever really being frustrated.
Celeste has easily secured its place as my favorite 2D platformer of all time, and it would truly take something special to take its place.
What sparked this adventure back to Celeste Mountain was my partner getting me the special edition for Christmas. I immediately hopped back in, and played most of the game handheld with my Koss Portapros or on an old TV, to truly do my best to fit the vibes.
I connect with Madeline quite a bit in her journey to overcome anxiety. I have pretty brutal anxiety myself, and in the past few years despite working to overcome it, anxiety always crops back up. Beating the game for me was a challenge in patience and a reminder that I am able to do whatever I want if I put my mind to it.
Sitting by the fire and talking to Theo, reconciling with Part of You, learning to love Grannie and miss her dearly, all these pieces of the story weren't necessary to make a good platformer, but to me they are what makes this game a great platformer. Where there are games like Getting Over It and Jump King that push you to the edge of insanity, Celeste would rather encourage you than put you down.
Part of what made playing this game this time around such a special experience for me was my roommates showing up at random times to watch me play. Watching me bash my head against the wall in a tough screen for 20 minutes just to finally get it and cheer was a great time. It made me laugh when the expectation for me was that I'd get pissed and rage at the game, and though there were some audible "DAMN's," Celeste has this special something that kept me from ever really being frustrated.
Celeste has easily secured its place as my favorite 2D platformer of all time, and it would truly take something special to take its place.
2011
"Alright guys, [cough] I'm doing 'Take On Me' now, alright. I, I really, I really like this song, it sounds good."
Minin' away
I don't know what to mine
I'll mine this anyway
In this Minecraft day
So beautiful, mine further down
What's that I found?
Mine diamonds (Take on me)
Mine diamonds (Take on me)
I'll mine them
So far I've got two!
So easy to mine
With my Minecraft pickaxe and shovels
Hopefully they stay
In my Minecraft chests
So I'm gonna make
A lock on it
Mine diamonds (Take on me)
Mine diamonds (Take on me)
I'll mine them
So far I've got two!
"Ah! [cough, cough, cough, cough, sniff, cough]
I'm alright, I'm ready"
All these diamonds
Sittin' carefully lay
I'm getting worried ("Shut the fucking door!")
If they might get stolen
From my ender chest
Wait, who is that?
Holy sheep, it's Notch!
Mine diamonds (Take on me)
Mine diamonds (Take on me)
Now they're safe
Woahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Now...
Now that they're safe
Woahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Mine diamonds, [heavy breathing] (Take on me)
Mine diamonds (Take on me)
"Uh, Thanks, thanks for listening guys and thanks for recommending this song"
Minin' away
I don't know what to mine
I'll mine this anyway
In this Minecraft day
So beautiful, mine further down
What's that I found?
Mine diamonds (Take on me)
Mine diamonds (Take on me)
I'll mine them
So far I've got two!
So easy to mine
With my Minecraft pickaxe and shovels
Hopefully they stay
In my Minecraft chests
So I'm gonna make
A lock on it
Mine diamonds (Take on me)
Mine diamonds (Take on me)
I'll mine them
So far I've got two!
"Ah! [cough, cough, cough, cough, sniff, cough]
I'm alright, I'm ready"
All these diamonds
Sittin' carefully lay
I'm getting worried ("Shut the fucking door!")
If they might get stolen
From my ender chest
Wait, who is that?
Holy sheep, it's Notch!
Mine diamonds (Take on me)
Mine diamonds (Take on me)
Now they're safe
Woahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Now...
Now that they're safe
Woahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Mine diamonds, [heavy breathing] (Take on me)
Mine diamonds (Take on me)
"Uh, Thanks, thanks for listening guys and thanks for recommending this song"
Super Smash Bros. 64 was the first game I loved as a kid. Since then, I have put thousands of hours into Smash in all of its forms, from Melee to Ultimate to P+ to Smash Flash. Ultimate is the game that I have played the most competitively, and I love it for the community and the friendships it has brought me.
The game itself is delightful, with a massive cast of characters and so much to learn if you want to get good. The cast represents so much of the medium that I love, and the inclusion of spirits, mii costumes, and more assist trophies allow so many more series to be represented, along with some Indie reps as well.
The lack of unique modes and limited online play are the only things holding this game back from being 5 stars. World of Light was cool the first time, but it was rapidly forgotten, with Subspace Emissary remaining the superior story mode. The lack of All-Star mode outside of 100-man-smash is disappointing to me as well, as well as no Smash Run or even the Smash 4 Wii U boardgame. Online play lacking rollback netcode is MISERABLE for competitive play, and it remains very confusing to me that they did not include Smashdown or Squad Strike in online play.
Overall I have spent weeks of my life playing this game, so it has to be doing something right. I am curious to see where Smash goes from here, but either way I will be along for the ride.
The game itself is delightful, with a massive cast of characters and so much to learn if you want to get good. The cast represents so much of the medium that I love, and the inclusion of spirits, mii costumes, and more assist trophies allow so many more series to be represented, along with some Indie reps as well.
The lack of unique modes and limited online play are the only things holding this game back from being 5 stars. World of Light was cool the first time, but it was rapidly forgotten, with Subspace Emissary remaining the superior story mode. The lack of All-Star mode outside of 100-man-smash is disappointing to me as well, as well as no Smash Run or even the Smash 4 Wii U boardgame. Online play lacking rollback netcode is MISERABLE for competitive play, and it remains very confusing to me that they did not include Smashdown or Squad Strike in online play.
Overall I have spent weeks of my life playing this game, so it has to be doing something right. I am curious to see where Smash goes from here, but either way I will be along for the ride.
2019
I finished this game the morning of the day I am writing this review, and it has absolutely floored me. I remember when Joker came to smash after the 2018 Game Awards and I had no idea who he was outside of seeing ads for the game at GameStop years prior, so I did some research and watched the anime, and fell in love with the story and world (despite that anime being like a 7/10 looking back.) I was never able to play the game, due to my never having a PlayStation by the time I was old enough to enjoy it.
When the game was announced to be coming to other platforms in 2022 I immediately preordered it and picked up the steelbook, and I have been playing it since. It has carried me through some super busy times and has been a nice consistency to have.
The story, despite being a bit stereotypical and predictable at times, was incredibly enjoyable. The cast is great, and the characters all had compelling stories, though I, like others, wish that Ann had not been reduced to her modeling career. The only lull in the story I was not a huge fan of was Morgana running away, as I get mildly frustrated when there is not a conversation option that fits with what I would actually want to say, though that of course is just opinion. The added stories of Yoshizawa and Maruki, as well as adding more Akechi content were delightful, and parts of the 3rd semester truly felt like fanfiction in the best way possible.
The Palaces were topnotch in this game, and overall were probably the best in the series. From Persona 4 to this is a MASSIVE upgrade, and there was not a moment in a palace where I felt too stuck or bored to go on.
Overall, I loved this game and it has rapidly solidified it's spot in my top 5 games of all time. It has helped spark a love for gaming that I haven't felt since I was a kid, and I am excited to see what Atlus does next with the Persona series.
When the game was announced to be coming to other platforms in 2022 I immediately preordered it and picked up the steelbook, and I have been playing it since. It has carried me through some super busy times and has been a nice consistency to have.
The story, despite being a bit stereotypical and predictable at times, was incredibly enjoyable. The cast is great, and the characters all had compelling stories, though I, like others, wish that Ann had not been reduced to her modeling career. The only lull in the story I was not a huge fan of was Morgana running away, as I get mildly frustrated when there is not a conversation option that fits with what I would actually want to say, though that of course is just opinion. The added stories of Yoshizawa and Maruki, as well as adding more Akechi content were delightful, and parts of the 3rd semester truly felt like fanfiction in the best way possible.
The Palaces were topnotch in this game, and overall were probably the best in the series. From Persona 4 to this is a MASSIVE upgrade, and there was not a moment in a palace where I felt too stuck or bored to go on.
Overall, I loved this game and it has rapidly solidified it's spot in my top 5 games of all time. It has helped spark a love for gaming that I haven't felt since I was a kid, and I am excited to see what Atlus does next with the Persona series.