Ninblasto

This is literally the most fun I have ever had in a video game, and I’ve played games for longer than I can remember. 3D platformers are my number one favorite genre, and Bananza hasn’t ONCE made me bored. I would call it peak, but the game takes place underground, so I kinda can’t lol

Though the missions and overall level design is a bit bland, there’s still some fun to be had. It’s definitely better than Sonic Heroes, but it’s still not great. Controls are better, but still sloppy at times, missions can get boring, but that’s better than getting annoyed at them, and thankfully the game is just overall more polished, so you won’t be having many undeserved deaths. But the best part about this game is easily the intro cutscene.

Levels are infuriating, controls are abysmal, checkpoint placements are awful, puzzles break the pacing, switching to power formation to defeat enemies results into B spamming like a caveman, and the levels are way too long. But despite all of that, the game does have is moments. The first levels are definitely the most fun, cause most of the issues aren’t present in them, and Team Rose’s levels are way shorter so they don’t get as boring. And the presentation is just perfect. They brought back the Chaotix for crying out loud, and because of that, they’re now staples in the series. But overall, the game just isn’t good, but it could be worse.

Despite its flaws, this game has its moments. The story mode is what everyone talks about with this game, and it’s easy to see why. It’s got platforming sections, enemies for you to kill, and by far the best part, the cutscenes. Despite being a Wii game, this game has by far the best graphics on the Wii. It runs at a smooth 60fps, every character is incredibly detailed, and it has this dull look that looks similarly to Twilight Princess. However this is all for the single player mode. As for the actual gameplay as a fighting game, it’s not great. Stiff controls, random tripping, and very low hit stun which makes it impossible to combo your opponents. But that’s honestly what makes it fun to go back and play it. It makes up for its wacky mechanics. You can chain grab for combos. Some are literal infinites. And I can’t mention Brawl without mentioning Meta Knight. Remember when I said you can’t combo? Well Meta Knight says NOPE! Ridiculously fast moves, great kill power, and amazing recovery is what makes this character the best in the whole series. This was also the first Smash Bros game to introduce non Nintendo characters, that being Snake and Sonic. Even though this game doesn’t have everything that makes Smash Ultimate so good, it’s still a fun time to go back to it every once in awhile and just laugh at the goofy stuff you wouldn’t see in future Smash games. And of course the story mode which is the main highlight of this game. If you haven’t played it, I highly recommend that you do. Plus it’s beginner friendly since that true combos don’t really exist. So if you want to start playing Smash Bros, this is a good one to pick up.

Take the levels from Mario 64, but make them bigger, MUCH bigger. And more open for you to explore more. Your movement is no longer linear like in Mario Galaxy. You meet Cappy, who is not only your companion, but your best friend when it comes to movement. Not only do you have the dive back, buy you can roll infinitely which is one of the fasted ways to move in the game. Cappy can give you a double jump, and can do this game’s main gimmick, capture enemies and fully control them. You can be a Goomba, a Hammer Bro, and many many more and you use them to solve puzzles, and other gameplay ideas. There are many costumes, some that you can buy with purple coins that are exclusive to whatever level you’re in, and collect the game’s main collectible, Moons. Instead of booting back to the hub world, you continue where you are and collect more. It’s like a collectathon in a way. To get to the next area, you need to collect the Moons like how I mentioned earlier. However you can choose exactly which ones to get. Heck, if you want, you can skip bosses if you have enough Moons. So go ahead, have fun in the awesome game.

Mario Galaxy 1 is my favorite Mario game of all time. And Galaxy 2 makes a close 2nd. Take everything good about Mario Galaxy, and just expand it. Give it more levels, new mechanics, new story, but don’t take away what made the original special. That’s how this game is. Mario Galaxy 2 take the fun gravity and planets from the first game, so it mostly does feel like the first game with new levels. But once Yoshi comes in, you just can’t go back to the first Mario Galaxy. All jokes aside, it really just feels like the first Mario Galaxy with new levels, which is actually a good thing because the first one played so well. The epic music is back, the great visuals are back, and my boi Lubba got introduced. If you loved the first game, you’ll love this one as well. Another childhood masterpiece for me.

The most nostalgic game I have ever played. This game is the reason why I’m a huge Mario fan today. It may not have the fancy movement of 64 and Sunshine, but the level design makes it to where you don’t need it thanks to its more linear design. Despite being linear, the game throws in ideas after ideas and it just helps make this game so much fun to play. The characters, the visuals, and especially the music just make this game so memorable. And it’s still a blast to play even 16 years after its release. If you have not played it, go play it right now.