I don't really play video games anymore for a multitude of reasons, the biggest being that I just have other interests and don't have the time/energy to devote to video games anymore. That being said, I do genuinely love them and I won't be giving them up entirely anytime soon.
I'd usually give each game a full review, but I do not have the time/interest for that. Instead, I'll start with short reviews, and if i want to go into detail I will in a longer review. With that, allons-y!
Honestly for a game as old as this... it still holds up pretty well. It definitely looks ugly now and doesn't have the best design, but it's still fun and it's still honest. I do wish that there was a bit more dne with this, and it does sometimes feel unfair at times (or I'm just bad XD) but it overall is just a good, solid game. 8/10
Well you're gonna be hearing this about a lot of things in this article - this game is INCREDIBLY overrated. In fact, of all of the games I'm writing about here that are overrated, this is probably the most overrated of them all (outside of maybe Ocarina of Time). Let's just get down and ugly with it:
The level design is very... staccato. They're short, gimmicky, and while creative they aren't really groundbreaking. I get its an NES game but it could've done more for sure.
The difficulty is frustrating more than it is challenging. Not having always-available saves and losing a ton of progress once you die is just unfair.
The bosses are really boring. Boom-Boom is incredibly repetitive and each boss has its own useless gimmick.
The worlds aren't really that unique.
The powerups are not very fun and range from either meh to downright useless. They're gimmicks. Am I saying that a lot?
If I am, that's because that's this game's main flaw - it just feels gimmicky and not well fleshed out or original. It definitely has its highs in some of its levels - the airships in particular are amazing - but as a whole it just is not really polished or focused enough to get anything past a 7/10 from me.
And here we see a massive improvement. Of all the games that I'm reviewing here, this is probably just the most pure fun of any of them. The levels are significantly more fleshed out and creative - each feels like its own world. Speaking of the worlds, they're a lot cooler than SMB 3 and flow in a much cooler way. The powerups are implemented in much cooler ways - the cape is infinitely better utilized in this game than Tanooki was in SMB 3. Speaking of that, this is just one of the most creative games I've played in how everything works. It also never lacks for challenge and secrets - OUTRAGEOUS still stands to me as arguably the hardest platforming sequence I have done.
Overall I jus do not see how people compare this to SMB 3. This is just eons ahead. Easily one of my favourite games of all time and warrants no less than a 9.5/10. Play this game.
And well... this was my first video game I ever played. Looking back, I don't think it really holds up. It feels like a reversion to SMB 3 style of doing things - short gimmicky levels (and this game really overdoes the gimmicks), repetitive bosses, poorly used powerups, etc.. It trades the needless frustration for being extremely easy - this is one of the easiest games I've played outside of Kirby which at least is deliberately easy. I'm gonna give this a 7/10 because it ultimately feels too much like SMB 3 to warrant anything higher.
Honestly this is pretty good overall, but definitely overrated. The game feels fast and fluid to play even on an emulator, and it works rpetty well. That being said, a lot of the speed you hear about in this game relies on understanding and execuitng mechanics that, well, are not very easy to pull off on an emulator. I consider myself moderately good at these games, but on an Xbox 360 controller itsj ust not possible ot do wavedashing etc. well. This really slows down the game. Other than that it's pretty good - definitely not the absolute best in the series but very fun. 8/10
Wrote in its own review.
Honestly I just do not feel too great about this one. It's a Smash game, and ti's fun to play with friends, but espeically compared ot Brawl it has very, very little to offer past this - not much single player mode, and a not very compelling competitive scene. The character balance is honestly quite poor - if you don't have all of the DLC characters (like me since I'm broke) you're never realistically gonna win a match unless you grind to hell and back, and evne with DLC the pool of good characters honestly is about 15-20 which is not acceptable for a game with this many characters. There's not much to say here, other than this is a contender for the worst game in the series alongside Brawl, and honestly a very small improvement from Brawl. 7/10
It's very obvious to see here that Sakurai learned his lesson here becuase this is insanely good. Almost every single character - yes, all 83? of them - feels viable, and unique in their own way. It's more fun than ever to play with friends becuase of that. The mechanics have been refined in a way that makes the game fast paced and more precise than ever before. Just play it for yourself - you'll see instnatly that it plays much, MUCH better than Smash 4 ever did.
Minor criticisms go towards the sheer amount of DLC here - I really wish that content would becoe free over time at the very least. That's honestly it. That's genuinely the only negative thing I can say about this game. It's that good. 9/10
Spoiler - huge FF fan.
This is considered a classic and I really did love it, but in retrospect it's definitely overrated. The game is fun overall and provides some good story for its time but its rather antiquated at thsi point and doesn't really hold up to the complex plotlines later games have. The difficulty curve is definitely not the best - it is way too easy for the majority of the game and hten Evil Wall hits you and then it gets easy again and then the moon just gets dumb with hte enemies. Keep in mind I did a low-levle run of this, and it got painful at times. Apparently the remakes only amped up the difficulty... I also didn't like how quick they were to throw away characters that you could never get back. It's overall too rudimentary and unpolished by design. It must've been amazing for its time, and don't get me wrong - it's an emotional game that is overall a very fun play - but I can't give it above an 8/10 because of its flaws.
Wow, this SUCKED. I do not get the hype behind this. Let's just cut to the chase here. First off, the story is downright laughworthy at times, and that REALLY weighs down a FF game. There's some emotion but not nearly enough to evne compare to the other SNES FFs. And then the biggie - the job system. I find that it relies way too much on grinding out and even then its not like it lets a lot of diversity. All around I just did not find it to be innovative or original in a good way. Huge letdown seeing how good FF4 and especially FF6 were. 7/10
I'm not gonna write much because I don't think a short review will do it justice. Tihs is, by far, the best game I have ever played. Everything this games does, it does right - teh gameplay is very engaging and requires actual thought, the game itself is beautiful and its OST great, and the plot is nothing short of amazing. I fell in love with each and every character present. This is probably one of hte few times I've genuinely felt sad about a game ending, and one of the few that had an emotional impact on me. My words cannot do it justice. The only tangible flaw is that the game can become way too easy with the right training, but it's overall just so amazing that I, one of the most highly (over)critical people I know, must give it a 10/10.
I have not finished this one quite yet. Watch this space for updates!
Also not too far in this one. Very fun though, definitely worth picking up!
Honestly this was very enjoyable. The game is challenging, no doubt, and honestly it really could've used some better balancing (chapter 21 anyone?) but its done in a away that keeps you on your toes. The unit balancing in particular was pretty poor, there's a pretty clear hiearchy of what is good and what isn't, but that laso makes the game easier to strategize which is much appreciated. All in all a pretty fun strategy game. 8/10
To keep it short this is a significant step down. The game is significantly easier and while its better balanced it feels like a clickfest. The plot additions don't really make things any better and as a whole the game just isn't as well thought out and crafted as FE6. 7/10
And this just sucked. The monsters and breaking of hte weapon triangle make the game a lot less fun, and the game as a whole is by far too easy. The plot is cringe too. There are really no redeeming factors about this game at all. 5/10
Just a heads up I'm very much not a fan of this series. I don't really feel the gameplay has much of a point to make and most games are pretty low quality here.
Yeah I'll just be up front here - unpopular opinion but this game SUCKS. There isn't much of a feeling of speed outside of Green Hill Zone and outside of htat it plays like a very generic, dull platformer. Definitely not a good start to an already meh series. 4/10
Now this is what the series is supposed ot be about. It has great design, and i don't think i've played a faster-paced sonic game yet. There is no kidding aroudn here, this game is FAST. Tails is a fine addition though I didn't ever do co-op because I was on an emulator - speaking of that, being on one and still being this fst really should say something. Super fun experience overall, and it made even someone that dislikes Sonic like me have a good time. 8/10
And what the hell happened here? This just feels like a bad in between of the original and the second, more towards the original. Knuckles is pointless, Tails is busted, and Sonic is... also pointless when you have Tails. The game just has no reason to exist. Definitely better than the original but just not good all around. 6/10
Honestly these are just really meh and its not a surprise most people forgot about them. Can't say too much, I thought they were fun enough for a Sonic game and offered nothing outside of that. 6/10
And back to goodness. The special powers made this very fun and the missions made it feel longer than it was. Good bosses, great stages, just all around good. 7.5/10
I won't write too much here about Sonic because it gets very repetitive and I refuse to play it anymore.
Also not too big on this but a few of the games were really, really good.
Of all the Zelda games I have played, htis is the best. It does face competition with Link's Awakening, but I do think this one is better. What this has that the others don't is freedom. Yes, that freedom can be confusing to players, and htere is al ack of conveyance to the player. However, with a few hints here and there it really feels like you own your own adventure. I don't think I've ever played a game that rivals that. This is gonna be biased because of that, becuase he game seriously lacks polish in any form or shape and the age REALLY begins to show when you play other Zelda games. Still, being as open world as it is lets me give this a 9/10.
And it dies.
Yeah I'm gonna be up frnt here - this game is just not good. It's acutally pretty fun at times and the overall gameplay concept is quite good but the execution could not have felt more shallow and boring compared to what the game could've been. This really plays like a discount Castlevania and it's just all around a bad showing. It doesn't help that the game is difficult in a bad way - the frustrating way so common amongst NES games that makes you want to shoot yourself. I cannot in any way give praise to this game outside of the fundamentals being good. It carries it to a 6/10 but if it were executed any worse that'd probably drop to a 3 or 4. Skip this one.
Honestly, this is probably the epitome of the series. It feels like it wants to be something past an admittedly really really good dungeon crawling, semi open world game, and it doesn't live up to that. But for what it acutally is, it's amazing. The dungeons are fun and creative for their time, the graphics are colorful and fun - am I saiyng fun a lot? That's because this game really is fun. I have to say that it's not much past just a bit of fun, but the fun is worth it. 8/10
Probably the best of the traditional ones in the series. This one has something that hte others do not have - spirit. It is incredibly charming with its references and lighthearted atmosphere in general, as well as the cutesy graphics. This is something hte Zelda series could really pick up on - the game didnt' take itself too seriously and felt like it was having fun with itself.
The gameplay is also very good. The controls are smooth, the world is really cool and it felt like everything had an interesting purpose. It was very fun to go through each dungeon with the new items. (wip). This game is just downright amazing and my words aren't doing it justice. The only flaw is that it can feel a bit short, but it's good enough to where I can give it a 9/10.
Honestly I think this is an incredibly overrated game. The game itself is actually really good, but looking back to other newer games, it definitely feels like it doesn't hold up as well. In particular, I feel like the time mechanic was very underutilized - why did they wait until the Spirit Temple to use it fully? And why did Young Link get effectively discarded after 3 dungeons? Couldn't they vary it up a bit? Not to mention the game ultimately has a good but not staggering amount of content.
Also, I feel this game is the epitome of a huge problem with Zelda - the games feel like they want to set up to have impact outside of teh game (emotionally and whatnot) but ultimately don't. This ties into its not-really-RPG self - not quite an RPG like Final Fantasy is. I feel like the story here could have had significant emotional impact if it was actually given any attention at all. This flaw honestly holds the game back a very significant amount to me, and with that, the highest I can give it is an 8/10
I like this.
ok not this though.
The game as a whole plays incredibly clunkily, and its a huge, bogged-down grindfest with too much platforming. It does not in the least live up to the expecations I had from KH II and KH BBS. World chocie was kinda weird too... Alice in Wonderland? Really? As a whole the game has a vision but does not execute it nearly well enough. 5/10
WIP as I'm still playing htis but it has shown an incredible amount of promise an will likely be one of the highest scoring games here.
This was overall pretty darn good. Each character actually plays in a somewhat unique way - Terra relying on command styles and physical skills, Aqua on spells and Ventus a balance of these leaning more towards magic. It gives the game a lot of variety. The combat is seamless, if a bit overly defensive. The plot is also good, which is rare for a Kingdom Hearts game, and it genuinely does get emotional if a bit cheesy at times (why they keep repeating "my friends are my power" is beyond me) but it's overall very solid.
My main issue with the game is that balance can get a bit wonky at times due to the Command Deck being a bit too forgiving, and most of the time bosses will not check you. The final boss in Terra's story is the only real example where I think it does - I could not beat him at all when I was younger despite being level 45, but at level 27 on my recent playthrough I was able to overcome him, because he is ultimately a noob trap (though tbf I somewhat cheesed him by spamming Curaga which si def. not the ideal strategy). The others are complete jokes or insanely difficult, with little in between, because none of your keyblade swings actually stagger them.
Overall, this is really a great game and a highlight in an already great series. The gameplay is solid, the plot is surprisingly good, and the overall game is a solid 8/10.
Didn't finish this one but it's a lot ebtter than Persona 4 for sure. I will die on this hill.
Well I'm gonna be up front here - I didn't really like this one that much. The biggest issue is that, simply put, it tries way too hard to be an anime. The slice of life, the character stereotypes, etc. are all incredibly cringe and that alone brings this game down a ton. It makes playing it almsot unbearable unless you play only for the gameplay, which while fun is rather poorly balanced - hte MC is ludicrously broken and certain characters imo (yosuke) are noticeably worse than the others (kanji). The game honestly feels really annoying and cliche for the majority of it, and while it can be fun and hte fundamentals are there, I really can't give it more than a 7/10
I'm not really into superheroes, but my brother bought this as a thoughtful birthday gift and I gave it a shot for that reason. NEedless to say... I do not regret this decision. Nothing feels cooler than swinging through the streets of a fully modeled NYC, especially with how realistic it is. The game has one thing in particular that draws me in - it's very easy to pick up and play. I could step away from this game for a month and come back and get right back into it because of how much content there is available in the open world to get me right back into the swing of things. The plot is thoughtful, the graphics are stunning, and there's a loto f replayability value. Sure, some open world components are a bit repetitive and the game is a bit short for what it offers, but that doesn't hold the game back from receiving an 8.5/10. Easily a lot better than some of hte "classic" games I've reviewed here, and it should go down as one of the best games for the PS4/5 and one of hte best 3D games ever made.
Why do I do this to myself... probably the hardest game I've played (and I beat Contra!) and not in a good way. There's an insane amount of nonsense and the characters are simply way too big. You're forced to scrape by wit mediocre characters that have 0 range whatsoever s oyou can preserve Donatello and Leonardo for the lategame when you'll actually need them. It's actually a pretty fun challenge most of the time, but it's just fundamentally a bad game beause of this poor balancing. 3/10
My cousins loved this game when I was younger, and having played it for myself in 9th grade... I really just do not see it. The game is simply designed ot be the least memorable thing possible - needlessly large amounts of boss battles (and none of htem being good!), boring minigames, poor balancing that made the game feel like a total joke until the end, a laughable plot... this just did not feel good in any way. I'm gonna be generous and give it a 5.5/10 because fundamentally it's not a terrible game but it was easily the worst it could get with the concepts it had.
This was amazing. For a Mario game it has a surprisingly decent plot (read: doesn't make you want to shoot yourself), the gameplay is really well polished and overall it's just very fun. The boss battles in particularly warrant a lot of the hype that I felt playing them, even if the strategy tends to get repetitive for Bowser (inhale the minions, use that somehow to defeat the enemy). Overall easily a step up from Superstar Saga which I quite disliked (I never played Partners in Time nor do I plan on it) and definitely warrants a 8/10.
For something Toriyama (context - hes behind Dragon Ball which SUCKS) had a hand in, this is amazingly good. This game does basically everything right - from the plot being surprisingly fulfilling, to the gameplay being nothing short of amazing - I really gotta emphasize the gameplay because it ROCKS. Super fun, super balanced, lotso f unique challenges when you get towards the end, it really rocks. My review can't do this game justice. 9.5/10 if only because late game it can be hard to mix and match people the way you'd want to.
I'm gonna get a lot of flak for this one, but objectively this game is not very good. Its strengths are supposed to be in the writing realm, but it just... it didn't really feel cohesive or funny. The resto f hte game is basically a bad Dragon Quest clone, I won't go into that becuase it doesn't deserve the attention. Also while mostp eople found hte game challenging, I genuinely found it very easy, and that sucked. Overall its an easy 7/10.