A cute, fun platformer to occupy some extra time and novelty to your brand new PS5. Is it anything mindblowing? No, I honestly forgot it existed until just now. But it's a fun platformer in its own right, demonstrates the capabilities of a new console/controller in fun ways, and acts as a great celebration of Playstation's history. All the little character cameos are so much fun to look out for.

Plus, the intro demonstration with the controller never fails to amaze my friends and family. I've shown it to like 30 people by this point and it's always a hit.

An absolute triumph of modern video games. Not only is Marvel's Spider-Man unquestionably one of the greatest superhero games ever made (only rivaled by the Arkham series), but it's one of the crown jewels of the PS4 era and a landmark in the modern gaming industry.

Spider-Man excels on all fronts: gameplay, story, characters, content, and the brand that it is based on. As an action game, Spider-Man has incredibly fun combat that never really gets old. There is such a plethora of combat skills, gadgets, mobility, and smaller bonuses everywhere that every single interaction feels like a playground. Throwing enemies around like dolls, jumping off of walls, webbing up goons, perfectly dodging each attack, you really do feel like Spider-Man (with a slight hint of Dante thrown in).

And as an adventure game, Spider-Man succeeds in being the most fun traversal system I've ever played in a video game. Swinging around the city, soaring over buildings and running on walls, it's an experience like no other. The fast travel option is much appreciated to have for post-game content, but I almost always opted to make my own path through an enormous depiction of New York.

The story is great, the characters are great, it feels like an awesome story and an excellent Spider-Man story. Honestly, I didn't even feel like the brand of the biggest superhero there is was that obnoxiously in your face.

Spider-Man is ridiculously good, and is easily one of the best games of the last 5 years.

I mean, it’s a Kirby game. Other than some subtle differences, they all can generally hit the same targets. It’s cute, it’s fun to move around in, getting new abilities is fun, but the gameplay stays at about a 4/10 and doesn’t pick up at any point. Star Allies gets a little bit of extra credit for its wide range of, well, Star Allies. It has a disappointing lack of new Kirby abilities, though. I’m glad I finished it and tried some new characters but I wish I could put it at a 2.75 because 2.5 stars is disrespectful to how cute Kirby is and 3 stars is too high for how mediocre the gameplay is.

I KNOW WHAT EVERYONE SAYS, OKAY? I know. But I had a lot of fun jumping around like an idiot playing this with my friends. The exo suits are jerky and clunky but honestly it was so dumb it was kinda fun. I thought the campaign was pretty cool, I stand by that. And exo zombies? Sure, it might not have the personality or depth of a Treyarch zombies experience, but it was dang fun. I poured countless hours running in circles around the bus in the spawn room and shooting at a giant horde of exo-suited zombies leaping at you.

I don't think this is quite as bad as everyone makes it out to be, but it definitely isn't good either. I enjoyed some of the movement: it felt mostly smooth, and wasn't quite as jerky as Advanced Warfare. There were some satisfying guns, and a few okay maps. I actually really liked the 80's zombies map; it was a direct ripoff of Treyarch zombies in every facet, but was pretty fun with friends and the throwback vibe was spot-on. Overall, though, this game lacks so much identity that almost everyone forgets it existed, and it really didn't have anything to keep you coming back. Plus, loot box variants discouraged you from playing without spending money.

In my opinion, the single greatest platformer of all time. Maybe it just happens to also be my favorite, but Super Mario Galaxy cannot be denied of its objective quality.

I have such a deep nostalgia factor for this game; it's one of my most influential childhood games and I've put countless hours into it. I'll never get tired of its worlds, movement, or characters. The music brings me back so much; it's crazy. Like just hearing the opening menu stinger makes me feel like I'm in third grade again.

This game is infinitely replayable. It features such smooth movement that it's ridiculous for a game that came out in 2007. Other than a few minor instances, the gravity mechanics work surprisingly well and going around the planets is super fun. The new Spin also feels like a very natural addition to Mario's toolkit and opens up a lot of ways to get around and fight.

The level design is, for the most part, innovative and enjoyable. Making use of the infinitude of space allows for nearly no limits on what can and cannot "fit," which opens up tons of room to play around. More classic Mario-esque worlds like Good Egg Galaxy and Gusty Garden Galaxy fit in just as well as newer, crazier settings like Battlerock Galaxy or Freezeflame Galaxy. While it is pretty obvious which galaxies got more time to cook, both linear and sandbox galaxies are fun to play around in. Entering the same galaxy but having different approaches and planets available per level keeps things fresh, and expands on the Mario 64 formula.

The visual design is gorgeous, remaining as a hallmark of Wii-era graphics and further proving the point that graphics fade but art styles stand forever. The soundtrack is also some of gaming's best; the full orchestra performing swelling scores truly enhance the feeling of being a lone explorer in the vastness of space.

Which brings me to the game's story and motifs...Super Mario Galaxy is a bright, bubbly game. It's got a silly plumber and is marketed towards children. I'm not going to try to act like the purpose was anything but that. However, it is POSSIBLE to dig deeper and find meaning from what is presented before you, and I think I've found some.

Super Mario Galaxy can be interpreted as an allegory for finding a community, and defeating loneliness. Mario starts in a happy world, full of life and color. He is content with where he is and is literally skipping to Peach's castle. But as the first act progresses, he is uprooted from his community. He wakes up in an unknown location, alone in the vast universe. He is confused, the sky is dark and endless, and the music is somber. Other than some rabbits and a Luma, Mario is alone. As the game progresses, however, Mario progresses into new worlds. He tries new things. He meets new faces. The worlds get cheerier, the music gets more grandiose, and your hub world literally brightens. Straight up, the more you explore, the more it glows and rooms lighten up. The more he branches out, the more his home expands. He brings friends home, and his world is improving. Mario starts as a loner in a vast new setting, and ends as a beloved hero who has become familiar and comfortable with the universe. He's a world-traveler who has acquaintances from all kinds of backgrounds, all because he reached out to people.

Once again--not trying to say the developer's intent was making some grand metaphor to make friends with people. But it's very cool how the game's presentation can let you connect the dots and find hidden meaning.

This game has influenced me more than almost any other, and I don't know where I would be without it. Thank you, Super Mario Galaxy.

DNF Duel is a game that has a "chewing gum" problem: it's amazing at the start, but loses a lot of flavor as time goes on.

This game also serves as one of the more glaring examples of a big problem in modern fighting games: the wrong end of accessibility. By making this game so accessible, and simplifying a lot of aspects of fighting games, it becomes very easy to figure out the good stuff very quickly. Within 20 minutes, you can master an optimal combo for nearly any character. It literally took me 10 minutes of watching Youtube gameplay of Troubleshooter to figure out how to play him and win. You just can't do that in this genre; there needs to be layers to it and a level of time commitment required to get good.

A big benefit of this game, though, is that everything is huge and crazy. The combos are incredibly freeform, and special moves practically feel like supers. They really went all out to make simply hitting the MP button make you feel like a master player.

The cast of characters are very cool visually, but a sleek costume can only get you so far when they have cardboard cutout personalities. Each character gets one "attitude" and no quirks whatsoever to differentiate them. In terms of personality, there's nothing separating Ranger and Troubleshooter. Or Grappler and Striker. Or Vanguard and Inquisitor. There's no recognizable IP to hold on to, and no dynamic personalities to make these characters last in the gaming landscape. Plus, there's no story mode and the arcade paths feel like a chore to get through, so it's not like they even have a chance to get cooler.

DNF Duel is all style and sick combos on the surface, but lacks content and longevity. It gets two stars for super fun combo trials and a half star for Troubleshooter looking like Maximillian Dood. However, I would not recommend this game to experienced or casual fighting game fans.