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DK makes a triumphant return. He now moves with momentum suited to someone his size, which was lacking in the original. This allows controlling DK to feel a lot more enjoyable, and the overall platforming to feel more fluid. The rolling also assists in creating this sense of fluidity, and also allows many levels to be tried to sped through, requiring more skill and precision than otherwise. Soundtrack is still great, the overall visual design is great and Diddy's hover adds a new way to tackle many levels. The only problem is that the boss battles are pretty dull in comparison. Some of them are creative in using your surroundings, such as the Forest boss, but others are weak, in particular, the final boss battle left a lot to be desired. Still, a great game, that improves in all the right areas, while still maintaining the incredible sense of creativity and enjoyment of it's predecessors.

The story is incredible, one which you probably won't be able to experience anywhere else in any other medium. There are multiple endings, though there is one ending that should be achieved if you want to get the most out of the game. The art style is great, and allows for some unique and distinct character designs, like Seven and Akane. The soundtrack is great at building tension at crucial moments. The puzzles are simple enough to solve, though they do get gradually more difficult towards the end. However, some of the puzzles are tedious on replays, which are required to achieve multiple endings. Still, overall, a fantastic experience.

The Ace Attorney series were a great example of a story-focused game that featured a story that would benefit from being told through it's particular medium. Ghost Trick is another great example. It features a compelling narrative which somehow manages to come together well at the end, memorable characters, a soundtrack which enhances atmosphere at crucial moments and beautiful animation. It also features unique gameplay, which greatly makes use of the DS as well. In some ways, this gameplay gives it another layer on top of the Ace Attorney games, which were pretty much visual novels. Fantastic game.

All the elements of the game come together to create an experience which is unique to this game, just like Ueda's other games. The vast landscapes create a brilliant sense of isolation, the riding sections stand in great contrast to the colossi battles, and the subtle effects the game gives become progressively more impacting to the player's experience of the game.

Parappa never takes itself seriously, allowing it to be one of the more unique games in terms of visual design and story. It's a fun game, especially once you start to understand the rhythm of the game, which is different from what appears on screen. The soundtrack is great, and the lyrics are also well-written to match the beats and the game itself. Parappa is extremely short, though, and lacks any replay value. It feels more like a demo than a full game. Also, as aforementioned, the rhythm of the music doesn't sync with the rhythm shown on screen, which is confusing at first, making the first mission seem harder than it should be. Still, for what it's worth, it is a great experience.

A great, fun game that feels like an advancement of the first game rather than the second. It features the same witty Dante again, whilst increasing range of combat abilities. The atmosphere is good, but not quite as impressive as the first, and the enemy designs also fall short of the impact first game, like the Marionettes. The camera is still frustrating at times, especially in the God-cube chamber. The story is good, and ties in well to the first game, whilst keeping the characters interesting. Levels are wider than the first game, with more unique bosses, which allows the game to feel more enjoyable, with more ways to doge enemies as well. Overall a great game.

A stylish game, with many a great action moveset for a PS2 game, a great protagonist and an intriguing atmosphere. The story is intentionally cheesy, as should be expected from Kamiya, and it actually suits the game's style relatively well. However, the camera is a severe flaw today. Even at the time, it wasn't the greatest camera option in an action game, but the fixed camera positions for most of the game makes many boss battles, and especially the platform sections feel frustrating to deal with too often. This was likely as it was intended as a Resident Evil game. The camera doesn't suit the fast action at all. Due to this, it doesn't hold up as well as later action games that have since worked to improve on it, including it's sequels. It's still fun to play, albeit with moments of unintended frustration.

Devil May Cry takes it's predecessor's flaws, and adds a whole heap of new flaws that it's predecessor didn't have. The camera is still bad. Backtracking is made even worse, due to repeat location missions as well as two characters to play as. They toned down Dante's humorous and over-confident nature, which not only makes him far less interesting, but also conflicts with the story. This is because the story obviously doesn't make sense. The first one's story wasn't the best in gaming, but it never took itself seriously, and this was clearly evident through Dante himself. Here, Dante rarely speaks, and obviously is supposed to seem serious, but the story is a chaotic mess that lacks any cohesive development, even though it tries to take itself seriously. Some bosses are decent, but others can be defeated by shooting at them from a blind spot the whole time. However, Dante still has an interesting moveset, and Lucia allows for a slightly different approach to the game, especially on higher difficulties. Overall though, it fails to capitalize on the first's potential.

Perhaps the most edgy game that I have ever played. When I first played Shadow the Hedgehog, it jarred me for several reasons; a disturbing atmosphere, bad controls, but most of all, it just felt so boring. Shadow is very different from other Sonic games, and the main difference that you will likely notice first is the guns. Honestly, the addition of guns in itself was, I feel, a poor creative choice, but if the mechanics were good, I wouldn't have any problem. However, the game mechanics were poor, and the gun controls felt almost unnatural. Add to this bland level design, a forgettable soundtrack and a story that is even less linear than the game itself, Shadow cements itself as probably one of the weakest Sonic games ever created.

Portal 2 is longer, with more content than it's predecessor, but I didn't enjoy it as much. The puzzles are still well-made, with most being satisfying to complete. The inclusion of gel also adds a welcome new mechanic to the gameplay. However, many of the puzzles aren't as challenging as the ones in the first game, and instead feel unnecessarily lengthened, especially in the second half. The areas are bigger, and the puzzles are longer, but the puzzles themselves are also less dense; often the solution is clear, but the process to get to it feels tedious. The writing is great, and the visuals are also great, but the light-hearted sections I felt were good, but they led to the atmospheric sections to be not quite as impactful as the first. Overall though, it's still a good game, and definitely worth the try if you liked the first one.

The Tower Offense is a somewhat interesting new perspective to the tried Tower Defense types of games. This allows the first few levels of the game to feel truly engaging, also due to well-polished graphics. However, as the game progresses, the charm wears off, and you realize that the visuals lack a distinct tone, and the game subsequently feels less fun by the end. Still, the first few levels are truly great, and the concept is also pretty unique.

Like Majora's Mask, Chrono Trigger features many optional side missions that allow the already memorable world to feel that much more immersive, from fleshing out backstories of companions to allowing a past event to change the perspective of a whole town in the present, to it's rich, clearly distinguishable soundtrack. Chrono Trigger's greatest strengths are its world and characters. Each time period is clearly distinct; due to the unique visual style of each period from 65 million BC to 2300 AD. All of the major characters are clearly distinguished and memorable, due to their visual design, and due to their diverse backstories, from Frog to Robo. However, there are a lot of enemy ambushes, considering that the game prides itself in its optional enemy encounters. These get repetitive after a while, especially towards the end, where they aren't at all challenging, but just tedious, and a waste of items. Still, Chrono Trigger has certainly managed to stand the test of time.

Higher difficulty doesn't always equate to a fun game, but VVVVVV generally strikes a good balance to present a challenging experience, that anyone can pick up and play, but requires a lot of trial and error by even the best players. However, the controls feel unnecessarily slippery a lot of the time, and this is clearly evident in sections such as The Tower and The Final Challenge, where the narrow platforms and limited screen space make these sections feel like forced difficulty, instead of providing an enjoyable challenge. Due to this, there is no satisfaction in passing these sections, as it feels more like luck than skill. Most of the sections don't work like this, though and the soundtrack is fantastic, and matches the game well. Overall, it is a fun game, and worth a try by people willing to overcome the challenges it present, especially since it doesn't take long to finish.

Originally planned as the last installment of the series by Shu Takumi. This allowed Trials and Tribulations to tie up every loose thread presented in previous games, all culminating in a fantastic finale case that I appreciate more with time. Even the standalone cases are extremely well-written, with appealing humor and cross-examinations that gradually ramp up in difficulty. Dialogue for every character is well written to emphasize their personality, and each case has enough small changes to the general formula to keep the player engaged. The last case, especially, has a lot of twists and turns, but never trips up, allowing them to build on the strength of the writing. The soundtrack features a lot of reused tracks though, and Mia's cases feel a little too short, especially considering her inner thoughts are some of the funniest lines of the game, but this was likely to accommodate for the final case. Also, this game features more dialogue than previous games, due to tying plot threads together and introducing many new ones, but this means less interactive sections, too, which is a little unfortunate. Overall, though, a fantastic way to end the first part of the series.

Quality over quantity. The game itself takes around 2-3 hours to complete. The puzzles are well-designed and balanced in difficulty, and the atmosphere is set well, as the often quiet, sparse level design gives the atmosphere a strong sense of mystery. However, it feels far too short after completion, and there isn't much replayability once you play through it once. Also, the first few levels are extremely easy, but then just past halfway the difficulty seems to ramp up suddenly, and the length of the puzzles suddenly increases as well, which does feel slightly jarring initially. Still, Portal is a great game; well-polished and just generally fun to play.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Justice for All isn't as consistent in writing as it's predecessor, but it is a game that has more high points and low points than it's predecessor. Some of the cases such as the second one and last one are some of the best of the series, but the others are weak in comparison. Gameplay is the same as the first, with the addition of Psych-locks, which is a good thing, as the formula works. Where Ace Attorney really shines is in it's script, and Justice for All has a lot of witty humor and interesting characters to keep you intrigued through the majority of the game. Ultimately, it is still a great game worth playing.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Sunshine, I feel, has some of the highest highs and lowest lows of all Super Mario games. FLUDD is a fantastic addition to Mario's moveset, allowing for one of the most enjoyable movesets in any platformer. The soundtrack is pretty great, the visuals look nice for the Gamecube, and the game, usually, is sufficiently challenging, and filled with memorable locations, like Bianco Hills and Sirena Beach. The secret levels are extremely enjoyable, due to their pure platforming challenge, as well as Mario's moveset allowing for just playing through these levels to be enjoyable. Also the soundtrack to these stages is great. However, the secret levels visual design feels jarringly abstract compared to the other worlds. Yoshi ****, King Boo ****, Shadow Mario sections are tedious, and the final stage is tedious, as are the blue coins. However, the pros reach far higher than the lows go low, ending up in an extremely unique and enjoyable experience, unlike any other Super Mario game, as well as being simple to pick up and play at any time, due to Mario feeling great to control.

The spritework still looks gorgeous today. SotN is great at setting atmosphere with it's diverse soundtrack, unique to every section of the castle. Controls work great, the game is relatively well-balanced, with a good balance of voluntary and compulsory sections, that allow for different successive playthroughs of the game. However, many sections of Symphony need to be traversed several times, and many of these sections are long and relatively empty or easy. These sections of the game feel a bit arduous, sometimes even coming off as an attempt to prolong game time. Despite this, SotN still holds up, and is a classic in the PS1's library.

Downwell is a fun game, that is progressively challenging, but once you've played it for a few minutes, you've basically experienced all the game has to offer in terms of content. There are upgrades and such, but the gameplay is fairly limited, and gets repetitive quite quickly due to this. However, for what it's worth, it is initially a pretty good time killer, and a polished game that deserves to at least be checked out.

Silent Hill is one of the best in any medium at setting atmosphere. Period. It uses sound carefully, to allow the player time to react, whilst also building tension, as they stay cautious of their surroundings. The fog is a great way to cover technical limitations, whilst also enhancing the tension of the atmosphere. Enemy designs are all unique, as are settings. The control scheme, is difficult to get used to, however, but thankfully, advanced movement and combat are kept to a minimum. Often, combat can be avoided outright by running like hell. Two detriments were the often cardboard voice acting, particularly for Mason himself, and the boss battles. A lot of the enemies create tension through players anticipating their appearance constantly. Bosses lack that tension, as they are mostly visible from the start, and they feel far too fantastical for the rest of the game. Overall, though, a fantastic game, and a game horror lovers of any medium, and even any video game fans in general should play.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Origins is a great platforming game that combines a unique aesthetic with creative level design. Difficulty in this game gradually ramps up. On the first time through, players are encouraged to look for secret rooms and collect as many lums as possible. After, however, they are given the chance to speed through the level, which allows a different perspective of the level, and also increases appreciation of the level design. A drawback though is the Snoring Tree. Anytime you want to change a character, you need to go through this place, which feels repetitive after awhile. Also, the mosquito stages get tiring after awhile, due to the limited control in comparison to the platforming sections. Overall though, a great platformer.

Though he's been struggling on home consoles, Sonic has been doing pretty well on handhelds. Sonic Rush Adventure is a very good game. The level designs are good to play through and good to look at, considering the DS's limited graphical capabilities. The races felt unnecessary, and the game could have done just as well without them. However, the controls aren't as smooth as they could have been, which can lead to some frustrating moments, especially in the water bike stages. The water platforming stages are pretty generic, too. It was a good step for Sonic, and showed that the franchise is capable of delivering a solid platforming experience.

Brawl is a good game, but too often feels like some extra content added to melee. This should be played as a multiplayer game whenever possible. The single player, though it isn't bad, is a pain to trudge through at times, due to generic enemies, slow movement of characters, and a control scheme that doesn't feel right in the Subspace Emissary. However, it has updated graphics over melee, with some interesting character additions, like Pokemon Trainer and Sonic. A well-designed game, but it feels like it some areas could have been better.

Sonic Colors is a good game. A lot of the worlds feel very immersive, due to richly colored and diverse backgrounds, like Planet Wisp and Tropical Resort. This is why my favorite moments of the game were when Sonic was speeding through these levels, without obstacles or enemies, allowing me too take in the game's scenery. The music also assists in illustrating the individual worlds. As Sonic is the only playable character, the gameplay feels a lot more focused, as the player can get used to him quickly. However, the 2D platforming sections feel weak in comparison, as these are when Sonic slows down. The problem is that Sonic does not control easily when moving slowly in these sections, and these sections are too frequent. Also, sometimes when Sonic runs automatically, the game enters sections where the player only needs to move sideways or jump. These sections weaken the overall experience, as they feel like a cheap attempt to lengthen levels, almost like a mobile runner. Thankfully, these sections are not common. A good step forward, hopefully 3D Sonic games in the future can further expand on Colors.

Super Mario Galaxy has become one of the most acclaimed games of all time. It has a surprisingly well-suited orchestral soundtrack, clever gravity mechanics and fantastic, colorful visuals. Each galaxy is unique, and has it's own distinct atmosphere due to it's colors, music, and unique enemies, from Toy Time to Deep Dark Galaxy. However, some challenges, such as the boo race, feel tedious to complete, compared to most other levels. Overall, though, Galaxy is an excellent game.

Enter the dragonfly has clunky controls, a forgettable soundtrack, several glitches and uninspired gameplay. However, the worst offender has to be the loading screens. They are so lengthy, that they interfere with any sort of linear feel that the game tries to give. Level designs also feel very bland. Probably the weakest game in the Spyro series, and just a weak game overall.

A 'reinvention' of the traditional Mario platformer on the DS. It has gameplay that is both addicting and easily approachable, whether you are a long time fan of Super Mario or not. However, it is weak compared to other titles in the Super Mario series, and in general, the levels feel shorter and less creative than others, though this could be due to the DS's limitations. A must-own for DS, and definitely a game worth checking out.

Conker's BFD is almost a miracle. With all odds stacked against it, but it became a cult classic over time. With fantastic characters, witty cutscenes, distinct worlds and a lot of different gameplay styles, Conker broke almost every expectation that I had for it within the first few minutes. There are problems that I did have, such as the FPS shooting sections being too numerous, as these sections were frustrating and tedious to control, as the N64 controller does not hold up well. Despite this, Conker is a fantastic game, and one which we will probably never be able to ever see again.

GTA: LCS is a game that is impressive performance-wise for a PSP game. It features a pretty large world, with a variety of distinct characters and locations. There are problems however, such as controls being frustrating at times, espescially with targeting and some driving sections. Overall though, it is a good game for the PSP.

Mario Tennis has a good physics system, and a lot of characters to choose from. It is a great multiplayer game for the N64, but the limited number of modes unfortunately leads to the single-player experience feeling largely repetitive after a while. Despite this, it is still an enjoyable game, and one of the better spin-off sports games for any platform.

Super Mario 64 is one of the most respected video games of all time. It is a game that every gamer should try to play through at least once. From Bob-omb battlefield to Rainbow Ride, each world has it's distinct atmosphere, that allows them to be instantly recognizable. The soundtrack, though sometimes repetitive, allows the worlds to gain distinct identities. The gameplay is extremely smooth, which allows SM64 to be easily approachable to beginners, but still relatively challenging to veterans. SM64 is a timeless classic, from it's start to it's finish.

Trails in the Sky is a JRPG with a lot of characters and content. It is great at realizing every single area of it's world, from a small farm to Grancel. Every character, from Olivier to Estelle is memorable, and though they take inspirations from anime, their development through the course of the entire game allow each of them to be greatly memorable. It is a great JRPG, and an even greater RPG game, that is worth the time put into it.

The first installment of the SSB. series was a great multiplayer game for the Nintendo 64, but in retrospect, it has been outdone by all it's successors. It is still playable, but due to limited characters, stages and modes, it gets boring very quickly, even on multiplayer. The SSB. games are never played for the single-player experience, but this one in particular is weak. Good at the time; still relatively enjoyable, but hasn't aged too well, compared to other N64 titles.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

The first Tony Hawk's Pro Skater still remains a solid game. Though it may have been outdone by it's own successors, it features many memorable stages and smooth gameplay, while remaining easily approachable. It's still a fun game to go back and play today, and offers an experience that you cannot get anywhere else.

Ace Attorney has one of the best openings to any video game I've ever played. It's fulled with enough twists and turns to keep you addicted, in the style of anime, and the characters in this game each have distinct personalities that keep them interesting, from Maya to Gumshoe. The gameplay is a great balance of point and click and visual novel. A few cases are notably weaker than the greatest cases, though, and sometimes the logic of the evidence is so ludicrous that you might feel frustrates at how you're supposed to figure it out. It's a great game for the DS, and a great game overall.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

The tried and true formula of the Pokemon series still holds up here, in a great addition to the DS' library. It doesn't add much new content from previous iterations, but features such as the distortion world and subtle hints of the Pokemon world's history in the library allow the 4th generation of Pokemon games to maintain the series as one of gaming's most prominent.

Of all video games I have played, the Pokemon series offers one of the most perfect gameplay experiences to me. HeartGold is the best example of this. As an upgraded version of Gold, you can do everything you could do back then, whilst also being able to catch up to Gen 4 Pokemon, and allowing a Pokemon to follow you around one at a time, among other new features. HeartGold feels like an epic adventure, as you gradually level up, and move on to the next town, each with it's own unique layout. Ecruteak City to this day remains one of my favorite video game locations ever, due to it's rooted history and complex atmosphere that embodies the rich culture of Johto. Blackthorn City is relatively secluded from the other areas, giving it a sense of mysteriousness. Even post-game, there is a lot of extra content offered that will entertain for hours on end. HeartGold is truly, a fantastic game.

Spider-Man: Web of Shadows is a good game, considering that it seemed destined for mediocrity. However, it turns out to be a great game. The graphics are definitely good for the DS. Most of the levels are set with relatively dark colors, which makes a great visual contrast to Spider-Man's blue and red, and makes him clearly stand out wherever he is. It's main fault is the tedious gameplay itself. The game itself is not difficult or long; merely tedious. Combined with several levels that look relatively similar, going back and forth through these levels can feel like a chore. In the end, though, Web of Shadows turns out to be a great superhero game on the DS, and just a good game even compared to others like it. I wouldn't play it more than needed, though.

Team Fortress 2 is a game that makes FPS fun. The cartoonish artstyle and crude humor allow for the game to feel enjoyable, even when blowing an opponent's head off. It does encourage skill, and teamwork, though too often everyone just goes insane through a match. Each class is distinct, from appearance to abilities to strengths, which allows for the game to feel less repetitive than it would have otherwise. However, the classes are not balanced. Some classes are obviously easier to use than others. Also, the layout of some maps makes it so that one team will have an advantage, which rids any required skill. Also, the game does start to lose its charm after a while, as the gameplay is the same. Its definitely better than it could have been, but its not a game that I would put at the top of my favorites list anytime soon.

Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing is a racing game that plays like Mario Kart DS. Comparisons can't be helped, as it takes obvious influence from the MK series. It is definitely better than expectations, with good controls, unique vehicles and a wide cast of characters to play as available across several Sega franchises. It falters in replayability, though, due to unmemorable level design. All of the levels don't feel unique or separate from the others. In Mario Kart, nearly all tracks were memorable, as they all contained their individual identity, from the layout to the background to the colors, that clearly defined Bowser's Castle from Waluigi's Pinball. This means that this, ultimately is a good game, but suffers from limitations.

Mario & Sonic's first game at the Winter Olympics is an experience that slightly improves on many aspects upon it's predecessor, but has some slippery controls that it's predecessor didn't have. Additional characters include Metal Sonic and Donkey Kong, which is welcome in a game such as this, allowing for different ways to tackle the different events. The difference between each character, albeit not significant, do have minor impacts on the results of events. The video tutorials are annoying, and I have no idea why this was implemented, as even if you just want to know one move, you need to watch through the whole video to learn it, which is extremely tedious and unnecessary. Some events like the snowboarding and ice hockey feature good use of the DS touchscreen, but some events like cross country skiing do not, and offer little joy when you play them more than you need to. It's a good game overall, though.

Mario Hoops: 3 on 3 is a game that looks great at first glance. It has a lot of colorful stages, that give great variety in stage designs, though they are all essentially the same. There is a lot of characters to choose from, some even from the Final Fantasy series, which is a nice touch, as it allows for different ways to play games. This can be done as each character has a unique special move shot, which somewhat reflects their traits in the other games. This allows the game to feel a lot less boring than it is, due to it's extremely repetitive gameplay. Later on, though, the execution of the special shots feels tedious, as some take a while to complete, even though they are required on higher difficulties. Also, the game's difficulty is unbalanced. The CPU characters are generally overpowered, and this can lead to frustrating gameplay. And though the game does well in partly making up for it's repetitive gameplay, it can't cover up all of it. All in all, though, it is a good game that performs well, espescially for a spin-off sports game.

A legendary clash between gaming's two foremost icons... at the Olympics. While it's not as big or legendary as most people thought, their meeting is one that is memorable. A sturdy selection of characters are available, with several different events to participate in. The dream events, while their concept seems good, I think are not executed that well, as the power-ups and items featured in these get in the way of the otherwise solid gameplay, which might suit Mario Kart, but not this game. This is probably fixed in the newer installments. Many events, especially the athletics ones make good use of the DS touchscreen, which requires a balance of skill and experience to fully master. However, the CPU players are extremely predictable, and after a while, skill probably won't be required. Still, this is a fun game, with a lot of variety in it's gameplay, which makes it, ultimately an enjoyable experience.