Finally got around to playing this and it’s pretty fun. Almost worth the $60 price tag on its own which is good because I don’t want to play through 3D world again. I’m having a good time playing it with my wife even though co-op kinda sucks in this. Bowser Jr. seems really not fun to control. Gonna keep playing this one until we get all the shines or we don’t. My score might go up later but for now I’m feeling a decent to a light to a strong 3 and a half on this one. Oh also they really didn’t need to turn Plessie into a cat. There are some creatures in this world that do not need to also look like cats. That thing is an insult to god.

After about 5 hours of playing this game there was not a moment that I wasn't wishing it would be over. Nothing is really wrong narratively with this game, other than the fact that I know that it is just a setup for the next games, but just about everything from a gameplay standpoint frustrated me immensely.

For whatever reason this is one of the hardest games I have ever played in my life. Some people like this in a game because of this satisfaction they gain from beating a tough enemy, and I understand that completely, especially with a game like Returnal being one of my favorite that I have played so far this year. That being said, this game was hard but without the satisfaction. I would be excited that I beat a boss, but this was because I was happy it was over. I would then quickly remember that another boss was coming up soon, which I would absolutely dread. This is almost 100% due to the mechanics of the game. There is some skill when it comes to deck building, though I'd argue for some of the tougher bosses that it had just as much to do with RNG.

If I had to guess where this all went wrong I'd say it was the fact that this is a remake of a GBA game. I can see how this would be a truly impressive game to run on the GBA, but on PS4 it is a total slog. I am so glad that I am done with it now, which means I can finally move on to what I know many consider the best game in the KHA franchise, Kingdom Hearts 2.

I'm someone who doesn't carry a whole lot of nostalgia for The Legend of Zelda franchise. The only other game I had played in the franchise was Breath of the Wild. That being said, without exaggerating, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is easily one of the best games that I have ever played. I thought Breath of the Wild was really good, but this game blows that out of the water.

The game improves upon almost every aspect of the previous game that many already considered a masterpiece. The world, the game mechanics, the story, the music and just about every other thing that goes into making a game. It also has an absurd attention to detail that just about any other game wouldn't have had, making it just that much better. The game took me 120+ hours and I really never got bored. The open world is so full of things to find and places to explore that it is incredibly hard to get bored while playing.

I can't say much more without repeating what I have said in some way, but honestly I shouldn't have to explain how good the game is. If you've played it you know how great it is, and if you haven't then you've already heard how good it is. Tears of the Kingdom is a masterpiece.

While the obvious game to compare 20 Minutes to is Vampire Survivors, the most similar game in terms of design is, I think, Downwell. Obviously the colour palette of the two occupy the same neighbourhood, and even the design of the enemies (once you get past the first biome, and especially the boss and last biome, in Downwell) are markedly made with affinity. But, it's the consideration of the mechanics being multifaceted and multi-integrated that really links the two. I won't repeat the GMTK video about how Downwell's mechanics self reinforce, but a quick rundown of how 2MTD's gameplay does the same seems worthwhile:

Shooting can
a) damage enemies
b) apply status effects
c) trigger summons
d) heal the player

Running can
a) get you away from enemies
b) pick up experience
c) apply status effects
d) move your summons

Picking up XP can
a) increment your levels
b) reload your gun
c) apply status effects
d) refactor your bonuses to DPS

Killing enemies can
a) drop experience
b) spread status effects
c) trigger summons
d) trigger on death effects

Applying status can
a) kill enemies
b) heal the player
c) refactor DPS bonuses
d) improve mobility

And all that is not even taking into consideration the various domino effects of each character and gun, as well as the huge Rune selection. It's bonkers how interconnected the game is, how thoughtfully each mechanic is put in. Comparing it to Vampire Survivors is frankly wild considering how simple and solved that game is in its current state. Anyways, just wanted to make sure I wouldn't forget this little thought.

God of War Ragnarök is easily one of the best games I have ever played. It is as good as, if not better than, God of War (2018) in just about every aspect. The story is easily the best part about the game, captivating me from beginning to end and during all of the side quests. The side quests really did feel like a part of the actual story, which made them feel all that much better. Part of what makes a great story is characters, and Ragnarök has some great characters. They are mostly characters we have seen before, but they are all given a moment to shine and really feel important to the overall story and to the development of both Kratos and Atreus. Speaking of Kratos and Atreus, Christopher Judge and Sunny Suljic give two of the best performances I have ever seen in any game. They are truly deserving of all of the paise that they have been given and more. Another aspect that is great is the bosses. There is much more variety this time around which makes the game feel much more realized in comparison. There are also some quality of life improvements with the combat making it feel more fluid, and improvements to the equipment system making it feel truly worth upgrading armor throughout the game. I have plenty of other great things to say about God of War Ragnarök, but I'd be here forever, so for now I'll just say that it is a masterpiece that should be experienced by all of those who have the capability to do so.