luisflopez

This is the Mario game with the best art direction, and also the only one with a dark undertone. And of course, it is also one of the finest and most creative 3D Platformers ever made. Playing Super Mario Galaxy is like attending to a magnificent symphony. Unlike previous Mario games which were always goofy in style and a little clunky here and there, this game just oozes with elegance and refinement, both in art style and level design (and also the incredible soundtrack). The only significant flaw is that prankster comet stars are kind of cheap and uninteresting, and also repetitive, and having to go from one dome to another to do the comet stars can get annoying. Other than that, it's a masterpiece, especially if played at glorious 1080p on the Switch version. Score: 9.6 -

I loved Skyward Sword back in its day. Going into this remaster after so much time, I was afraid I might finally see what everybody sees to keep calling this the worst 3D Zelda game. But nope, I still love it, maybe even more than before. 1080p resolution, 60fps and the removal of excess explanations and interruptions make this a massive upgrade over the original Wii release. Seriously, this remaster looks downright better than Breath of the Wild. As for the game itself, motion controls are creative, easy to pick up and fun (and people who complain about them probably aren't even capable of using a fork and a knife to eat), dungeons are brilliant, I seriously can't get enough of the art style, and the story is pretty enjoyable and provides some cool explanations on the series' lore. Skyward Sword is just plain fun, a lot of fun in fact. And this is clearly the superior way to experience it. Score: 9.5 -

A solid entry in the series that makes improvements in some areas, but is brought down by its unnecessarily long duration. There's no reason for this game to be over 40 hours whereas previous M&L titles barely reached the 25-hour mark. The game overstays its welcome by 10 hours at least, and the final dungeon is a complete drag, it literally took a quarter of the game for me. Also, constant tutorials can be quite annoying. Other than that, it's good Mario & Luigi fun, Luiginary Works are entertaining, and the presentation and music are great. Score: 8.2 -

Dread is an expertly crafted Metroidvania title, a Metroid game that feels very modern and retro at the same time. You can tell MercurySteam really undestands what makes Metroid games so special. If you're an experienced Metroid player like me, chances are you won't get lost and confused at any point in the main path, despite having large and complex areas to navigate, which is a testament to the excellent level design. Controls are very snappy and fun, Samus controls wonderfully. Though I wish the game actually detailed how shinesparking works, because it is necessary for many optional collectables and it is never properly explained. The story will definitely satisfy long-time Metroid fans, especially when it comes to the ending. I only wish the game was a little longer. It has an appropiate duration for a 2D Metroid game, but an additional area (ideally with an extra major boss) would have gone a long way for me. Finally, the music is kind of forgettable (sadly), but the graphics are exquisite and the framerate is silky smooth (60fps). Easily one of the best looking Switch games. Overally, Dread is a masterfully crafted Metroid title that sits comfortably among gems like Zero Mission and Fusion (Super Metroid is still better IMO). Score: 9.1 -

Like Videogamedunkey said, it is so much easier to appreciate 3D World now that Odyssey is out. What made this game disappointing back in 2013 is what makes it stand out from the rest of the series today. 3D World is simply put the purest 3D Mario game ever created (along with 3D Land). Mario is originally about going from point A to B, and that is exactly what 3D World provides, but in a 3D environment. I used to be very annoyed at the way that 3D World almost completely neglects the story/atmosphere/immersion factors from games like the Galaxies and Sunshine. But like I said previously, that simplicity and the focus on action is what makes 3D World distinct from every other 3D Mario. This is a game that goes straight to the beef: no cutscenes, no hub world, no level recycling, only jumping from new stage to new stage until the end. I love Mario games with atmosphere (like Galaxy) and exploration (like Odyssey), but sometimes you're just in the mood for something simple and straightforward like 3D World. Having single, linear levels instead of ones that you re-visit allows for a very focused and refined level design. Stages in 3D World are elegant and simple, and they all follow the same formula: Introduce an idea, expand it, and finally twist it around. There's a good video by Game Maker's Toolkit that explains it properly. The difficulty is mostly low, but the game is very fun regardless. The final level probably is one of the hardest things to come out of a Nintendo game in my opinion. Getting used to the controls can be a little tricky, and even after 50 hours between both versions, I'm still often miscalculating jumps and falling of cliffs because of depth-perception issues due to the fixed camera angles. One fantastic, game-changer tweak to this Switch port is the notable increase in the characters' movement speed, which almost makes this feel like a completely new experience (and a much more fun one). That was definitely a genius move by Nintendo. Even though 3D World leans heavily on more generic themes and abstract, 'landmass floating in the middle of nothing' levels, that doesn't mean that effort and care wasn't put into the art direction of this game. It's certainly much better than the uninspired 3D Land in that regard. And the soundtrack takes a delightful jazzy turn, with plenty of bangers to enjoy. And finally, there's Bowser's Fury. I could write an entire review for this mode, but I'll keep it short here. This mode is almost worth admission price by itself. It is so creative and exciting that it feels like a completely new Mario game, and not just an addition to 3D World. Bowser's Fury is probably the best marriage of open-ended exploration and tight, focused platforming that Mario has ever offered, and is certainly an amazing tease for what's to come for the series. Needless to say, it is a blast from start to finish, it is full of surprises, and it is honestly one of my favorite experiences I had with my Switch so far. Score: 9.2 --

I'm not sure if calling Sekiro an evolution of the Souls series is appropiate, because while it is obviously based on the same core formula, it also takes that formula into a different direction. Sekiro is more of an action game and less of an RPG. Fortunately, almost all of the positive aspects of the Souls games are present or even enhanced in Sekiro (except for multiplayer). I think the best thing about Sekiro is how it does away with most of the filler and artificial dificulty of the Souls games. Sekiro is infinitely more agile than previous Souls characters. The addition of the grappling hook makes traversal a lot more entertaining and fast, and there's also stealth, which was made deliberately OP and very forgiving. If you feel stuck in any area of the game, you can just run past everything in a flash. This also makes the game very fun to replay. At the core of the experience lies the combat, which is similar but at the same time very different from that of Souls games. I think it is safe to say that this is the most engaging and refined combat system From Software has ever made, with a big emphasis on good timing and getting to know both your own and your enemies' movesets. Sekiro is both the From Software game where bosses can kill you the quickest, but also the only game where you can realistically take down a boss without getting hit once, and that is immensely rewarding. The bosses are absolutely excellent, to the point where I'd like to replay them over and over again, simply to get better at them and have fun. The downside of dropping most of the RPG elements is that one of my favorite aspects of Souls games, which is trying out different character builds, is almost entirely gone. In theory, this would make Sekiro the least replayable From Software game in my eyes, yet I see myself wanting to replay Sekiro in the future more than any other Souls game. The diveristy of builds may be gone, but Sekiro makes up with its addicting and engrossing combat system and its fast paced, 'to the point' nature. In the art department, this game is as exquisite as you'd come to expect from a modern From Software title. The story is enjoyable and the lore has a good amount of depth, although isn't quite as intrincate and elaborate as the lore of the Dark Souls series or Bloodborne. Visually, this game isn't anything to marvel at, but it does have it's highlights. Finally, the soundtrack is largely forgettable, and a step back from the quality of DS3 and Bloodborne in my opinion. In concluison, Sekiro is a terrific game that absolutely lives up to From Software's name. It's is obviously hard, but when you grasp the basics of combat, I'd say the difficulty is on par with that of any Souls game. Combat is intensely satisfying, from the clashing sounds of blades to the variety of moves at your disposal. The only significant donwside to the game is that is reuses areas a lot. For example, you'll be running through the exact same Ashina Castle area three times over the course of the game. But if you like soulslike games, you cannot by any chance miss Sekiro. Score: 9.5 -

The Last of Us Part II is a game that deserves the praise it is getting from critics. Of course, how much of an impact it will make on you largely depends on how invested you become in the story, and if you enjoy stealth or not. The gameplay isn't revolutionary or anything like that, but what it sets out to do, it does very well. I also need to commend Naughty Dog for making this game significantly longer than most of their titles. So in conclusion, if you like post apocalyptic themes, dark, visceral stories and linear games, you're going to absolutely love this one. And if you're like me, someone who doesn't really care that much about such things, you're still going to enjoy it a great amount, because this is simply a great game with an enormous budget and a lot of talent behind it. I'd like to post a longer review going into more detail, but metacritic's stupid character restriction prevents me from doing that. If you want to see my full thoughts on this game, please look up my reddit user 'Vapidbobcat' and search among my posts. Score: 9 -

Forces is a bland and uninspired Sonic game that feels especially insulting, seeing how this was supposed to be a return to form for Sonic after the fiasco of the Boom era. The game features once again a mix of modern Sonic and classic Sonic stages like Generations, and also introduces the custom Avatar. Creating your own Sonic character is mildly fun, but don't expect to be blown away or anything with the avatar creator. The main problem with this game is that none of the three gameplay styles works properly. Modern Sonic handles decently in 3D stages, but is a mess to control in 2D stages. Classic Sonic feels pathetically slow and underpowered. And the avatar stages are quite frankly boring and have nothing to do with what makes Sonic games fun. 2D sections are where this game is at its lowest, with some of the most awkward physics I've ever seen in a platformer, to the point where simple jumps from one platform to another become difficult to execute. It also doesn't help that the level design if often really simplistic and uninspired, and there's not a lot of sense of speed. The game does get a little better with time in terms of controls, but it's still a very unsatisfying experience. The levels in this game are pathetically short. Most of them don't even reach the 3 minute mark. As a result, comined with the sub-par level design, almost every stage ends up feeling underwhelming. To make things worse, this game is ridiculously short. It only took me 4 hours to beat the main campaign, and there is basically nothing to do aside from that. Gone are the challenge levels from Generations and instead, the game introduces daily missions, which are stupid and utterly pointless, like 'perform a boost in Stage 5'. Then there's a bunch of extra stages, which house some of the most interesting level design in the game, but they're even shorter than the main levels. Some of them can be completed in 30 seconds. Decent graphics and good music are not going to save this game from mediocrity. And I'm not going to bother discussing the story because It's the last thing I care about in a Sonic game. To sum up, Forces is a very mediocre and uninspired game that will probaly leave every Sonic fan with a sense of complete disappointment after playing it. Score: 6.8 -

Sonic Generations is the first 'modern' Sonic game I've ever played. The only other Sonic games I experienced are the Genesis classics, the Advance trilogy and Mania. I decided to give this one a try since I kept hearing that this is the best 3D Sonic game. I've even seen people call it the Mario Galaxy of Sonic games, so it must be pretty amazing, right? As you know, this game is divided into classic Sonic stages that resemble the Genesis games, and modern Sonic stages. Classic Sonic plays... alright. It's decently fun and responsive. But it's still hard to comprehend why the Genesis games had better physics and controls than this one. Still, the levels are mostly well done and they are enjoyable. For Sonic fans, it is really cool to see iconic levels from Sonic games reimagined into 2D or 3D versions. Then there's modern Sonic. Maybe it's because I'm a complete noob to these games, but I really had a terrible time getting used to the controls and physics. These feel very clunky, and the game doesn't do a good job at teaching you how to play. This is a game that you'll only get to enjoy after you played for at least 10 hours. Then, when you start getting the hang of modern Sonic controls and the overall layout of levels, it starts to become actually fun and a bit addicting. But they should have done a better job at introducing the player graudally to higher levels of challenge. Instead of that, the devs decided to make the game extremely forgiving, probably because they knew people would get very frustrated if the levels were more demanding. But even when you manage to get used to the controls, modern Sonic stages sometimes feel like a mix between being completely out of control, stumbling on every obstacle, and sections that are almost totally scripted, to the point where you can just release the controller and nothing will happen. It also feels like the levels needed a lot more playtesting, because as they are now, some parts feel borderline broken. The game has only 9 levels, with a classic version and a moden version each. That's a total of 18 regular stages, plus 7 bosses. It's not insultingly short of content, but 3 more levels would have gone a long way in making it feel more complete (and how about showing some love to the Advance games in the process?). Then there's a total of 90 challenges that take place in the main levels. Some of them are fun, some are bad, and some are just too similar to simply replaying their respective level. The best thing I can praise about Generations is clearly the presentation. The game looks stunning. But basically every level is based on a Sonic level from the past, so don't expect a lot of originality in regards to the art direction. The same goes for the soundtrack. which is great but relies entirely on remixes. Despite all the frustrating moments and the questionable level design, there's still a fun game underneath. After all, It kept me entertained long enough to play through almost every challenge. If you're willing to deal with the wonky physics and also learn the layout of the levels, you'll probably get a good amount of enjoyment out of Sonic Generations. But expect the first 10 hours or so to be more frustration than anything else, until you learn how to play. Score: 7.8 -

I was able to experience this game for the first time ever thanks to Playstation Plus. The original game has been in my "to play" list for a long time, but I'm glad I waited and experienced the PS4 version instead. I feel jealous for Shadow of the Colossus fans, because this version is basically a dream come true as far as remakes go. The game looks absolutely stunning, even rivaling the PS4's own titles. Some people could argue that they should have implemtented more quality of life improvements, or even additional content, but honestly, this is exactly how a remake should be in my opinion: faithful as possible to the original work, but making it look better than ever. Shadow of the Colossus is a game with a very simple but compelling premise: hunt down sixteen gigantic monsters that act as bosses spread all over the world. Boss fights are one of my favorite aspects in any video game, so naturally I was inmediately captivated by this premise. At first I had some trouble getting used to the controls and phyisics, but eventually got better at it. The controlls are clunky, but this is part of what makes the game challenging. Of course, that also means that you'll be set for some frustrating moments, especially during the first few hours. This is a game that often demands patience from the player, so I can see it being difficult to enjoy for some people. It is clearly not a game for the mainstream public. But no matter how many frustrating moments you'll experience with the controlls, the game will keep you coming back for the epic and spectacular moments that take place fighting each of the colossi. Being a game designed entirely around boss fights, you can expect the fights to be more elaborate and time-consuming than your average video game bosses. Each colossi is like a puzzle, where you have to find the way to their weak points, and then execute your attacks while managing your stamina. Overall, the bosses are creative, varied, and for the most part entertaining from a gameplay standpoint. From an artistic standpoint, some of the battles are simply breathtaking. In this sense, Shadow of the Colossus is unrivaled in the gaming landscape. Of course, not all of the colossi are on the same level of quality. But overall the fights are very memorable and satisfying. There isn't much to this game apart from the boss fights. The rest of the experience consists of traveling the vast, (intentionally) empty open world in search for the colossi. There are some collectibles and a much appreciated time-attack mode that let's you replay any fight, but I didn't really bother with any of those. And finally, the game has a story, which is very minimalistic and in reality, it only exists in the beginning and the end. The finale is extremely memorable. The art direction for this game is very solid and well done. The landscapes are beautiful, and the colossi look spectacular, especially in this 1080p remake. The music is sensational, consisting mostly of orchestral pieces, with a few exceptions. Though I often find orchestral music in games like this to be very samey and forgettable, this is not the case for Shadow of the Colossus. All of the songs are very memorable, and the composer was clearly a very talented person. In the end, this is a game that anyone who likes epic boss fights should play at least once. Again, it is not your typical adventure game and I would not recommend it to the general public. But I have to commend the developers for commiting to such a novel and bold idea, because the result is a game that despite its shortcomings, will always be rememberd by everyone. Score: 8.5 -

Pikmin 2 expands on the first game's formula in may ways. My favorite new aspect is definitely the ability to play as 2 different captains: Olimar and his subordinate, an awkward fellow named Louie. Being able to switch between the two captains at any time opens up a lot of possiblities in terms of gameplay and strategy. Having two more types of Pikmin feels like a natural evolution for the Pikmin formula. 2 also introduces caves, which are multi-level dungeons that are randomly generated upon each visit. Caves are also unaffected by the timer, meaning that you can spend as much time as you want in them. This gives the devs new opportunities to create puzzles and situations that would have been hard to implement in the overworld areas. I think caves are a fantastic idea to expand the main campaign. However, the caves aren't on the same level of quality as the overworld. I also think they went overboard with the amount of caves. Bascially, they take up half of the main campaign, maybe even more. And they can become a little tedious over time. Personally, I think the game would have benefited from having less caves and an extra overworld area instead. Pikmin 2's story is much sillier than its predecessor's. This time, Captain Olimar is tasked with collecting treasure to pay off his boss' debts. Collecting ship parts is replaced with collecting all sorts of silly and ridiculously named treasures that resemble real life objects, like a duracell battery or a 7-Up cap. Having 201 treasures to collect instead of only 30 ship parts means collecting each one feels less satisfying, but it also ensures a much longer campaign. I played for over 20 hours and only collected about 85% of them. Pikmin 2 also includes levels that are considerably harder than anything from Pikmin 1, which is great in my opinion. However, I really wish there was a feature to restart from the previous save at any point, because messing up in a cave and having to restart the game every time can get annoying. Another addition in Pikmin 2 is the piklopedia, where you can read Olimar's description of each creature in the game. Treasures also get their own gallery with descriptions, and it's really funny how this descriptions are often more about Olimar's midlife crisis than about the objects themselves. The humor in this game is on point. Other improvements incude slightly better controls, better Pikmin AI, and a Challenge Mode that is actually fun and makes the game even longer. The art direction is just as good as in the first Pikmin game, and so is the soundtrack, charming as ever. In conclusion, Pikmin 2 is an excellent sequel. It doesn't render the first game obsolete, as Pikmin 1 still has its own personality and its own style of gameplay, but it stands as a great new entry in the Pikmin series. Score: 8.7 -

The thing The Wind Waker has going for above all other pre-BOTW Zeldas is its unrivaled sense of exploration and freedom. There's nothing quite like staring at the Great Sea and looking at the silouhettes of distant islands, waiting to be discovered. Wind Waker has one of the largest worlds in all of Zelda. But in a way, this is kind of a delusion, since most of the game's 49 island are really small in size. This was a slightly disappointing thing to realize, but we cannot forget that this is a 2002 game. Still, I think the game would have greatly benefited from including an additional large-sized island such as Dragon Roost or Windfall. Wind Waker's gameplay feels like a swift evolution of Ocarina and Majora. The combat is fun, introducing the ability to utilize enemies' weapons. One gripe I have with the combat is that Z-targeting feels really clunky and limited. You have to be really close to an enemy in order to target it. As for items, Wind Waker has a fantastic selection, and I really appreciate how useful most of the items are. It's not like Twilight Princess, where most items become souvenirs of their respective dungeons. Here you can even use most items in combat, like stealing treasures from foes with the grappling hook, or killing a miniboss with a single fire arrow. Wind Waker's dungeons are enjoyable and memorable, but I wish they included more difficult puzzles. As it is now, I think it's probably the easiest set of dungeons in any 3D Zelda. As most people know, Wind Waker had a rushed development cycle, and one dungeon was cut off from the game. This is truly a shame. It's not that the game feels incomplete as it is, but an additional dungeon would have certainly made it even more well-rounded. The story is simple but good, and contains plenty of cool references to Ocarina of Time. Wind Waker also has the most interesting and mature Ganondorf of any Zelda game. The world of the game feels lively and is packed with secrets to find. The art style speaks for itself, there's nothing I can say about it, aside that it looks great. Music is also good. It's not my favorite Zelda soundtrack, but that's just a matter of personal preference. The Wii U edition features a very good graphical overhaul, but I still think the original game looks better in some specific aspects. Some people won't like the amount of bloom effect this remake employs. This remake also introduced a faster sail for the boat, which is very appreciated, but it kind of defeats the whole point of controlling the wind direction with the wind waker. I think it is good for aliviating the tedium of travelling all over the map in end-game quests, but I also think the game gives it to the player way too early. This remake also cut parts of the infamous triforce quest, but I won't be commenting on that since I never played the original. Finally about the Wii U version, I have to say that framerate drops can be just baffling at times, and there's way too much pop-in in the great sea. Come on Nintendo, the Wii U is more capable than that. Boarding the King of Red Lions and setting sails into the unknown, that is what makes this game special among Zelda titles. Wind Waker is a game that has aged exceptionally well. It's no wonder people love it so much. It has its rough edges, sure, and it could be better in some areas, but it is still highly enjoyable if you like Zelda games or adventure games in general. Score: 9.1 -

The most disappointing Kirby title ever. This game is a clear cashgrab on Nintendo's behalf, and a miserable attempt to milk some extra money from the 3DS's large install base at the end of its life cycle. Battle Royale is basically a Mario Party but with only 5 or 6 minigames. Well, to be fair, the minigames have a tiny bit more depth than your average Mario party minigame. But they're still minigames. The story mode appeared interesting at first, but it's really just an excuse to get you playing the same minigames over and over. And the final boss is cheap and frustrating. I feel like it's a bit unfair to judge a game that's clearly meant for multiplayer from a single player perspective, but I've played party games by myself in the past and enjoyed much more than this. I can hardly see myself wanting to play this game with someone else for more thah half an hour. Battle Royale isn't a piece of **** either. It is clear that some level of effort and polish went into it, but this is a far, far cry from a 40 dollars retail game. This should have been a 10 dollar eshop game at most. The only positive thing I can say about it is that there's a lot of potential if they decided to flesh out the idea of a Kirby game with this perspective. That, and the graphics are probably the best in the 3DS' entire library. But aside from this superficial things, this game is a waste of time. Score: 5 -

As a relative newcomer to the Uncharted series, I played this game shortly after playing Uncharted 2 for the first time (that is why I'll be referencing that game a lot). This is a game that plesantly surprised me because of the ways it expands a series that could have probably ended in PS3 and everyone would have been ok with that. Uncharted 4 has a better overall pacing than 2. I personally found 2's constant shootouts and change of scenarios a bit exhausting. 4's pacing, on the other hand, is slower with more variety and more emphasis on exploration. This is made possible by the inclusion of large, open areas. It might not be much, but it is enough to make Uncharted stand out a little bit more in my opinion. I also enjoyed the inclusion of vehicles. Another good inclusion is the grappling hook, which makes for some fun traversal and clever puzzles. It would have been nice to see the grappling hook implemented into the combat somehow. Speaking of combat, shooting feels ok, and the shootouts are diverse enough to make them fun. Unlike 2, this game knows when to take a break from shooting to give place to other types of gameplay. The story is also better than the previous games'. I could start nitpicking specific things about it, but the truth is that I liked it and I think it works perfectly well for a game like this. Uncharted 4 is around 14 hours in lenght, which is what you'd come to expect from a Naughty Dog game. Most of the chapters in the game are entertaining, but the ones with Drake as a kid are probably the low points. Visually, the game is outstanding. The details present in every scenario are simply amazing. Voice acting and sound effects are very good. And finally, the game includes an unusually fleshed-out multiplayer mode. It might be fun to some, but honestly, If I wanted to play a good online shooter, I'd be playing something other than Uncharted. On a side note: was it necessary to have microtransactions in a game like this? Uncharted 4 is a game that's accesible, fun for the most part and offers plenty of visual spectacle. It is carried by a good, compelling story and simple but well made gameplay mechanics. It is a game that can be easily recommended to casual players, but that can also be enjoyed by more dedicated types like myself as well. In the end, it is my favorite Uncharted title. Score: 8.8 -

I finally got around to play Bloodborne this year, and I'm glad to to say that it is just as good as I imagined it to be. It is basically on the same level as the other Dark Souls games, which I really enjoy, and even surpasses them in some aspects. The aesthetic is what mainly defines Bloodborne as its own separate thing within the Souls series. You don't get to see such beautiful, detailed and immersive victorian-fantasy worlds like Yharnam every day. Add From Software's expertly crafted passive storytelling and a bit of lovecraftian inspiration, and you have **** universe that is just a delight to get soaked in. It is impressive how Bloodborne, being a single game, has a lore that is just as compelling as the entire Dark Souls series as a whole. In the gameplay department, Bloodborne is a faster paced version of Dark Souls, with less emphasis on defending and more on being aggresive. Parrying was made easier than ever thanks to the inclusion of guns, and this is one the things I love the most about Bloodborne. It's going to be hard to go back to the other Souls games and not be able to parry anything. However, this doesn't make the game any easier. Bloodborne is just as difficult as any other Souls game. Another great thing about the combat is being able to regain health if you hit an enemy inmediately after taking damage, which creates this very clever risk-reward dynamic at all times. There are other slight changes to the Dark Souls formula that Bloodborne introduces, but none of them is big enough to be worth mentioning here. You're better off discovering those for yourself. The level design is a considerable step-up from Dark Souls 2, not only regarding gameplay, but the aesthetics too. Also, Bloodborne has some of the greatest bosses I've ever encountered in any video game. Another addition in Bloodborne are dungeons. Some are fixed, and some are randomly generated. Obviously, these are not on the same level of quality as the main levels, but they do offer a good bunch of extra hours, new bosses, and a good excuse to play co-op with a friend. I don't know why people bash the dungeons so much. I actually enjoyed them, even when playing alone. Speaking of online play, Bloodborne's matchmaking can be abismal at times. Also, I found PVP to be very disappointing, mainly due to the fact that it only takes a few seconds to kill/die, and a lot of time to connect again. The amount of art and creativity that went into every aspect of Bloodborne's design is both admirable and delightful. Bloodborne won't win any awards on the technical aspect, but the levels still look fantastic, they have a lot of detail everywhere. I was initially worried that all of the game's areas would look too similar given the victorian setting, but foruntately this isn't a problem. The soundtrack is also good, probably my favorite in the Souls series, along with Dark Souls 3. In the end, Bloodborne is a game I would absolutely recommend to any person who enjoys action video games, and it now sits next to Dark Souls 3 as my favorite title in the Souls series. It is a shame that it is only available on Playstation 4. Score: 9.5 --

In this year 2020, I decided to finally play one of Shigeru Miyamoto's last inventions. Pikmin is a real-time strategy game where you take control of Captain Olimar and command an army of Pikmin: half-plant, half-insect creatures that are very funny and adorable. The term real-time strategy might sound intimidating to some, but being a Nintendo game, Pikmin is very accesible and easy to pick up. The premise of the game consists in gathering 30 missing ship parts spread across the 5 overworld areas. However, what makes Pikmin special is that every day has a time limit of around 15 minutes, and you only get a total of 30 days before it's game over. Naturally, 30 days is plenty of time to gather everything, so time really isn't so much of a worry. Instead, the 30 days system serves as a fun incentive to replay the game and see how fast you can finish collecting everything. The fact that every day is time-limited causes some really exciting and tense situations, because if you don't gather all your pikmin before the day ends, these get left behing and die. Pikmin dying in all sorts of cruel (but hilarious) ways is also a part of what makes the series special. Pikmin is a pretty addicting game, more so than I expected. The only significant flaw is that the AI of the Pikmin can be a little ridiculous. Sometimes, they'll simply do zero effort to avoid death. Crossing a bridge and having half of your Pikmin fall off and drown can be really annoying. Luckily, this Wii version implemented the ability to go back to any previously played day, as if they were save states in an emulator. Another negative thing that could be said about Pikmin is that the game leans considerably on the easy side, which could hurt its replay value a bit. The main campaign took me around 10 hours, and there's also a challenge mode, which consists of growing as many Pikmin as you can in a single day. This mode is kind of pointless and disappointing. It would have been much more interesting if the game awarded you for reaching certain numbers (like a gold, silver and bronze rank, or something like that). As it is now, you're only competing against your own high scores. The overall art direction, visuals and music are everything you would expect from a Nintendo game. For their time, the sceneries in Pikmin looked pretty great, and they are still pleasant to look at today. Captain Olimar is a surprisingly interesting character narrative-wise, and I always enjoyed every piece of text the game offered me. As for the soundtrack, it is pretty short, but it has some gems like The Forest of Hope. I really love that track, it's like the essence of Pikmin condensed into a song. In all, I had a good time with Pikmin. It is a surprisingly fun, addicting and charming little game, which started what is now a cult series for many people, and it isn't hard to see why. It's different to every other Nintendo series I've played, but extremely familiar at the same time. I recommend it to every GameCube and Wii owner. Score: 8.5 -

And here we are with another great installment in the Mario Kart series, one that I recently got to enjoy for the first time. MK7 a fun, quality game, but one that could have been better if it wasn’t for a series of dumb decisions made by Retro Studios and Nintendo. The core gameplay is as fun as ever, so if you’re looking for the same good old Mario Kart gameplay, you’ll definitely find it here. The handling of the karts feels nice and responsive, althoguh I wish 150cc was a little bit faster. To me, it felt kind of slow compared to its direct predecessor, Mario Kart Wii. MK7’s new tracks are remarkably good. And much of this is thanks to the game’s new racing gimmicks: underwater driving and paragliding through the air. Both of these are welcome additions that fit the Mario Kart formula perfectly, and lead to very creative course designs. Being able to race in first-person is a nice touch. Another new feature in MK7 is the ability to customize your kart with different bodies, tires and paragliders. This is pretty cool idea, and it adds a good amount of variety to the game, but honestly, I still prefer the non-customizable, yet more iconic vehicles from Mario Kart Wii. Speaking of that game, bikes are gone, which is very disappointing. MK7 also marks the return of coins, which are now used to unlock kart parts. On one hand, having something else to do apart from finishing first is a good idea that adds another layer of depth to races. But on the other hand, I think I didn’t really enjoy having kart parts locked behind coins. It takes away some of the excitement of unlocking things from beating cups and time trials. And also, the coin requirements for unlock new parts are way too high. They were obviously set with online play in mind, because for single players, unlocking everything is going to be a serious grind. It will take much longer than in any previous MK game. Another aspect where MK7 disappointed me is the character roster, which is seriously bad. The Bee, Lakitu and Wiggler are all lame newcomers, and on top of that, they take Waluigi away for some inexplicable reason? Give me a break. Another inexplicable absence is Versus Mode. Yep, the series staple Versus Mode is gone. This is a problem that also ties with the unlockables problem, negatively affecting single players. On top of having very high coin requirerments for unlocking new parts, the only way to earn those coins in single player is playing the Grand Prix cups again and again, because Versus mode is gone. Having a Versus mode where you play your own tournaments, with your own rules, tracks, teams and such, would make earning coins much more easy and fun. It would have also added a lot of replay value for single player. For some reason, MK7’s battle mode is really boring. For the record, I spent a lot of time playing balloon battles in single player in Mario Kart DS, but in this game I get bored after the first round. The battles being no longer by elimination and rather by time, is one of the reasons to blame for this. MK7 was my first experience playing Mario Kart online with other people. And boy is it addicting. I wish entering a race was a little quicker, but it is acceptable as it is. So in all, Mario Kart 7 is a good installment for the franchise, one that will definitely have you covered if you’re looking for some simple, addicting hours of fun. Especially if you’re into playing online multiplayer. MK7 is a great game, and a very recommended purchase for any 3DS owner, but at the same time, it is an installment with weird flaws and shortcomings that could have been easily fixed. Score. 8.5

Mario Kart Wii is an fantastic entry in the Mario Kart series, despite the hate it usually receives (simply for being a Wii game, I guess). I played it again after ignoring it for 7 years, and turns out it was even better than I remembered it. Now, after playing it for a couple of hours, I can safely say that it is my favorite Mario Kart game (I haven't played 8 though). First off, bikes are awesome, both aesthetically and gameplay-wise. Handling in this game is very comfortable and responsive (unless you use motion controls, of course. Don’t use motion controls, they make the game so much worse). The mini boosts you gain from performing a stunt after a jump are also a brilliant addition. And so are half-pipes, although I wish these gave you a bit more of a boost, because most of the time choosing to take a half-pipe will just make you lose your position. The new tracks are really memorable and fun. Koopa Cape, Maple Treeway, Coconut Mall, and Wario’s Gold Mine are good examples that come to my mind. Special mention to MKWii’s Rainbow Road, easily my favorite track in the series so far. The selection of Retro Tracks is good, for the most part. The roster of characters is simply the best out of all the Mario Kart titles, including MK8. Go ahead and try to deny it. All of the best Mario characters are here, and the newcomers are awesome too (well, except for the babies). The selection of karts and bikes is also the greatest in the whole series by far. All of the vehicles are so memorable, creative and cool looking. And they have a unique skin for each of the characters, which I really appreciate. This is one of my favorite aspects of MKWii, the variety of character + vehicle combinations. Another very positive consequence of having so many characters and vehicles is that you’re going to be unlocking something all the time. This makes playing through the game feel very rewarding, because you’re always unlocking an new character or vehicle for everything you do. Even for playing time trial and beating staff ghosts. This is greatly appreciated by a single player type like me. Some people complain that the items in this game are unbalanced and chaotic. I used to think the same when I played it 7 years ago, but now they felt just fine to me. In fact, I think MKWii has probably the most balanced set of items in the series. I’m sad to see all of the excellent new items gone in subsequent MK games. Yes, that includes the POW Block and the Thunder Cloud. I’m sad I didn’t make it in time to try the online mode, but I imagine it must have been tons of fun. So overall, Mario Kart Wii is a very solid entry in the series. Excellent as always for multiplayer, and probably the best Mario Kart experience for single player. Score: 8.8

Super Mario Maker is the next big milestone in the 2D Mario series after New Super Mario Bros. Going into the game with relatively low expectations, I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of fun I actually had with this title. Mario Maker's gameplay is clearly divided into two big facets: playing levels and creating levels. I actually got into Mario Maker because I thought playing other people's levels was going to be the really entertaining. To be honest, I've never really cared about the level creation. Being able to create my own Mario levels is something that has never got me excited, despite being a fan of 2D Mario platformers. But surprisingly, making levels ended up being my favorite part of the experience by far. One thing that should be noted if you’re planning to play Mario Maker is that this is a game that takes an active effort from your part to be truly enjoyable. This isn’t a game that you just put and enjoy. Well, you can do that if you only play levels, but to get the most out of Mario Maker it takes a bit of creativity and effort from the player. Initially I thought this was going to be a problem for me, believing that I would be staring at a blank level creator without any ideas on what to make at all. But fortunately, once you start messing around with the tools you’re given, fun ideas just emerge naturally. And once you get on a streak of creativity, that’s when Mario Maker realizes its full potential. That’s when the game becomes truly addicting. The level editor is very accessible and enjoyable to use. Some things are missing, sure, like pools of water, certain enemies, power ups and such, but overall it feels complete. It has a pretty big repertoire of tools from previous Mario games for the player to use. I wish the enemy limit would be a bit higher, but it’s still alright. Mario Maker is very self aware that people are going to create stupid and nonsensical levels, and because of this the game offers a lot of tools for doing just that, crazy levels that are pure nonsense. The presentation is very good. The developers clearly intended to make this game as user friendly as possible. The game is full of silly gags and secrets. Like once I got a notification with a random philosophical quote involving chain chomps. Funny things like that are all over the place. The online functionalities are well optimized. Uploading your courses and seeing other people give you stars and comments is always satisfying. You can even see the parts of your levels where people die, and also the clear percentage. There are also official courses uploaded by Nintendo, which are pretty good. But there’s a problem with Mario Maker’s online. One that anyone will notice very soon. The problem is that nobody in the world knows how to make good levels, or even decent ones. 90% of the levels are either a cakewalk made by a 5 year old, troll levels, levels that play themselves, levels full of dumb gimmicks, or in the opposite side, levels that are so hard that nobody but a hardcore Mario player can enjoy. There are good levels every now and then, and playing bad levels can be fun and even hilarious at first, but the novelty wears off quickly. There is always some fun to be had with 100 Mario challenges and such, and this is definitely a good option to have around if you feel like playing some Mario, but if you want to play good Mario levels that are actually well done, you better stick to New Super Mario Bros U. So overall, this is a game that never caught my attention because I didn't care about making my own Mario levels, but once I started playing it and dedicating myself to creating levels, Mario Maker finally clicked on me. I could finally see what all the people saw back in 2014 when the game was announced. Mario Maker was truly a great way to celebrate the ex-plumber's 30th anniversary, and is a game I can totally recommend to anyone interested in 2D Mario, creating platformer levels, or game design in general. Score: 8.5

Usually you'd approach an RPG expecting a dramatic storylines and a complex combat system. But the Mario & Luigi games come to the genre like a breath of fresh air, offering the same quality gameplay you woud expect from a great RPG (although in a more simplistic fashion), but taking itself less seriously and offering straightforward fun and a lot of silliness and charm. Bowser's Inside Story is a simple but well done JRPG, perfect for a handheld console, and ideally suited for short sessions after playing more serious and complex RPGs. The gameplay follows the same formula than the previous Mario & Luig titles, but overall, it feels like a more straightforward experience compared to Superstar Saga. It is a bit shorter, and a bit more linear. However, the game doesn't feel shallow at all because of this. Around halfway through the story is when the game truly starts to open up all of its possibilities: The world starts to feel more like a world, and less like a collection of isolated levels, there is more optional stuff to do, and you already have a good amount of options when it comes to combat. Overall, the second half of the game gives you more of the freedom that I felt while playing Superstar Saga, and thus it becomes more enjoyable. The story is silly as always, and the characters are all hilarious. Bowser being a lovable *sshole, Luigi with his usual clumsiness, Fawful and his ridiculous way of speaking... This is a genuinely humorous game. I find it surprising how reluctant videogames are to embrace humor as a main theme. But Mario & Luigi does it, and it excels at doing it. It is clearly one of the most funny and lighthearted experiences you can have with games. The combat system is, like the game itself, simple and straightforward. But fun, addictive and charming at the same time. The Mario & Luigi series stands out among turn-based RPGS for being fast-paced and requiring a lot of player input. Basically, every attack or defense you perform is a minigame in itself. This prevents the combats from feeling dull and monotonous, as it constantly demands your attention. On top of that, add some special attacks that are very fun and satisfying to perform, and the overall charm of the visuals and music, and you have very enjoyable battles ahead of you. The game's big twist is being able to play as Bowser. On the overworld, Bowser has its advantages and its limitations compared to the Bros, and the same is true for the combat. Overall, I felt like playing as Bowser was a little less fun that playing with Mario & Luigi, but it's nothing really serious. The giant Bowser battles are ok, but the mic sometimes failed to me when trying to do a flame attack. The game is overall a bit annoying when it tries to use the touch screen, but once again, it's nothing too serious. I'd say that Bowser's Inside Story's biggest flaw is being a bit too annoying when it comes to tutorials. The game is well packed with content. Playing on a casual way, with a good bunch of side stuff done, It took me around 25 hours to beat the final boss. The presentation is colorful and silly, and the game is very fluid at all times. Music is great, with some really memorable tracks like the regular boss theme. That one always manages to get me pumped up for combat. On another note, Mario's and Luigi's "voice acting" is just so good. Bowser's Inside Story is a great choice if you're looking for a fun, fast-paced JRPG for your DS. For the type of game it tries to be, I'd say that it strikes the right balance between simplicity and depth, offering some real challenge at times, but overall being a fluid and straightforward experience. There are times where it feels a bit too simplistic, but like I said previously, the pacing gets better in the second half. Humor is top-notch, and the presentation is colorful and charming. All in all, one of the greatest titles for the Nintendo DS. Score: 8.6

Xenogears has become one of the greatest experiences I’ve had with games in the last years. I could start this review talking about the gameplay, combat mechanics, and things like that (and I will do it later), but really, the story is what Xenogears is all about. I have no doubts that this is among the biggest, deepest and most incredible video game stories ever to be made, if not the most incredible of them all. I’m not going to spoil details of the plot, but it could be summed up as a ten thousand year conspiracy to resurrect a demiurge-like ‘god’. Instead of talking about plot details, it is easier to understand the greatness of this story if you see a list of the themes it covers, including religion, spirituality, human consciousness and psychology, mind control, use of drugs, classism, child abuse by priests, war, conspiracies, shadow governments, manipulation of history, sheep mentality and oppression, experimentation on humans, genocide, eugenics, politics and propaganda, racial supremacy, slavery, torture, death, trauma, love, friendship, among others. I was pleasantly surprised to see the level of maturity that this game has. Xenogear isn’t shy about bringing controversial topics to the table. And this makes the story incredibly engaging, at least in my case, as I’m interested in many of the topics I listed before, and I don’t see them being portrayed by many other video games. At least not in a coherent and interesting way. That’s another strength of Xenogears’ story. All of the topics I named before are weaved into the plot in a very coherent way. None of them feels shoehorned without making sense. This is a proof of how expansive and ambitious Xenogears’ story is. In fact, Xenogears was planned to be a 6 part story, and the actual game is only part 5. But thanks to stupid Squaresoft, only 1 game was allowed to be produced, and most of the story was put on a single game. As a result, playing the game for the first time can be a little confusing. For all this reasons, I suggest you to take a look at the Xenogear wiki or the official book ‘Perfect Works’ every now and then, to understand the story a little better. Even though the technical limitations of the hardware, Xenogears always tries to be a highly cinematic game. There are plenty of memorable scenes and dialogues. The characters are all well portrayed and show a significant development during the course of the story. All of them are very relatable, and have fleshed out personalities. The antagonists are excellent, and a proof of this is the fact that in the end, you kind of feel empathetic for all of them. The game world is also one of Xenogear’s strenghts. It is wide, open and pretty varied. I love how the cultural, political and religious differences between every society in this world are portrayed. Xenogears does an admirable job at creating atmosphere for its locations too. It is very easy to get immersed in places like Bledavik, Shevat or Nisan, to name a few. Not every location is on the same level of quality, but overall a strong atmosphere and good level of detail is present in most of the locations, especially those from Disc 1. Story aside, let’s comment about the gameplay. If you enjoy classic JRPGs, Xenogears will provide you 60+ hours of good entertainment. But the reality is that the gameplay isn’t particularly stellar. It is overall ok, but it has some really nasty low points here and there. First of all, random enemy encounters are extremely frequent and irritating. Of course, you can escape from most of them, but it’s still highly annoying. Another pretty weak point of the game are dungeons. Some of them are good, like Solaris’ labs and Babel Tower, but some of them are a pain in the ass, especially the Anima Dungeons from Disc 2 and its ridiculous puzzles. This is definitely a game you’ll want to play with a guide at hand. It will help you have a better experience overall. And also, it prevents you from missing parts of the story, like the Zeboim flashbacks at the end. These are some of the best scenes in the entire game, and they’re completely optional and pretty hard to stumble across without a guide. I wish I could go into more detail, but (ironically) just like in the case of Xenogears itself, I have a deadline to meet (5000 characters), and I have to abruptly conclude this analysis. I could talk about the inconsistency in pacing between Disc 1 and 2, about how the game totally feels rushed in Disc 2, about the incredible soundtrack that is now among my favorites of all time, about the combat system (which is pretty good, but nothing really outstanding), and many other things. But the final message I want to say, is that despite it’s flaws and inconsistencies, Xenogears is a gem among video games, with an incredible, deep, epic story that will stay in your mind for a long time after playing it. Score: 9.2

Star Fox Zero is a mediocre and uninspired game. It was supposed to be a grand return of the Star Fox franchise after 11 years away from home consoles. It was also supposed to show off the Wii U Gamepad’s potential like no other game before. But it didn’t achieve either of those goals. First, let’s address the game’s most criticized aspect: the controls. While I’m not going as far as to say ridiculous things like ‘the game is unplayable’ or ‘the controls are totally broken’, like many people said when the game came out, it can’t be denied that Zero’s control scheme just doesn’t work well. It sure is innovative, and on paper, it sounds like a pretty clever idea. But in practice, it simply fails. If you look only at the TV screen, you can’t aim precisely, because for some strange unexplainable reason, the TV reticle points on something different that the one in the gamepad. And if you try to play only on the Gamepad, you’ll be able to aim properly, but you lose all perception of space, and maneuvering the ship becomes very clunky. So whether you look at the TV or the Gamepad, you are always on a disadvantage. The only solution to this is trying to divide your attention and try to switch between looking at each screen, but that’s just uncomfortable and unintuitive. I can see this type of control scheme where you have to pay attention to both screens work, but in a different type of game. Star Fox is fast paced, it requires quick reflexes, and even more so if you’re aiming for high scores. However, this isn’t a ‘game breaker’ for me, as I still managed to win the game without major complications, but in the end the controls are almost entirely detrimental to the experience. The only times where I felt empowered by this control scheme were the boss fights, because those have a slower pace, and aiming and maneuvering the ship gets a bit easier. There were also other occasions where the controls worked relatively well for me, and I found myself enjoying them, but in perspective, those occasions are like less than 10% of the game. And even if the game had standard controls, it would still be a disappointment. This has to be one of the laziest and less ambitious games Nintendo has done in the past years. It is basically a remake of Star Fox 64, except that it takes everything that was great about that game and replaces it with mediocre stuff. The dialogues are completely forgettable. They’re very far from resembling the extremely memorable quotes and voices from Star Fox 64. The characters feel like shallow versions of their former selves. And also, many situations are simply rehashed from SF64. Why couldn’t they do something new and ambitious with this game? Like, a new story, new characters, new planets and locations, a new villain… I guess the only addition of this game to the Star Fox formula (aside from the controls) are the new vehicles. And they’re not very good either. The Walker is a total pain to control, and the Gyrowing is ok to me, but a lot of people disliked it for being too slow. Another big problem with Zero is the lack of content. The main missions can take around 5 to 8 hours at max. Sure, Star Fox 64 was also short. But that game is excellent at everything else. And it’s almost 20 years old. There’s no excuse for Zero being so lacking in content in this day and age. And why is there no local or online multiplayer in this game? The game was also criticized for its rough looking graphics. Personally I can totally look past this issue. At least it runs at stable 60fps, and some of the stages look pretty good to me, like Sector Alpha or Titania. The music is decent, but none of the new melodies are as memorable as the classic Star Fox tunes. I know I’ve been pretty harsh in this review with Zero, but the game isn’t a piece of trash either. It’s a decent game in fact. The missions are well designed and pretty fun (especially the bosses), which is probably the most important thing in a Star Fox title. But the enjoyment they provide is severely hindered by a clunky and inefficient control scheme. On top of that, it doesn’t push the Star Fox franchise forward at all, and it’s lacking of content. That is why in the end, I can’t recommend Star Fox Zero to anyone but hardcore Star Fox fans, who might find some true enjoyment here. Score: 7.0

This is, in my opinion, the greatest racing game ever made. Does it have the biggest number of cars? No. The best graphics of its time? No. The best multiplayer mode? No. Is it the most realistic driving experience ever? Of course not. But I'll tell you what NFS Most Wanted does have: Perfect arcade driving physics, an incredibly addictive progression system, an actually engaging story (unlike most of the NFSs) with actual characters, tremendous sense of speed, and very nice aesthetics (visuals and music). I played this game to no end when I was a kid, and ten years later, it still holds out to me as a superb arcade racing game. Your illegal street racing rival, Razor, has challenged you to a race and set you a trap, and earned your awesome BMW M3 E46. Now it's up to you to climb to the top of the Blacklist and earn your 'Most Wanted' title and your car back. The Blacklist consist of the 15 most wanted pilots in Rockport, and each of them is a decently well portraited character, as well as obviously a boss you have to race. But in order to do so, you'll have complete a minimum amount of trials, which range from normal races, to timed races, drag races, and my favorite of the bunch: radar races, where you need to pass through radars at the maximum speed possible. And then there's Most Wanted greatest aspect: police chases. These are a total blast to play. It starts out as a simple 3 vs 1 chase, but as time goes on, you'll be chased by an army of police Corvettes, helicopters, heavy SUVs and more. This pursuits are truly epic, and many trials involve things such as causing as much damage as possible, or involving the biggest amount of units before escaping, or other interesting challenges that keep police chases always entertaining. The car customization isn't as deep as it was in Underground 2, but it's still enough to make cool looiking cars without complications. The variety of cars is ok in my opinion. The game has also other modes apart from the main story, such as a Challenge Series and online races. It's a shame it didn't include local multiplayer of any type.... The aesthetic aspect of Most Wanted is well rounded overall. The visuals have a particular tone/aura that I like a lot. The cutscenes are a bit cheesy, but very enjoyable and well done. The Blacklist pilot's introduction scenes are particularly memorable. Most of the people will probably be indifferent towards the soundtrack, but I personally love it, mainly because of nostalgia. But that doesn't mean there aren't great songs. Doing the final race against Razor with Blinded in Chains in the background is epic as **** So overall, Most Wanted is an incredibly solid arcade racing game. The progression system of taking each Blacklist pilot one by one is incredibly addictive, and police chases are pure epicness and fun. To me, this is the greatest Need for Speed by far. I simply can't recommend it enough, If you want a fantastic racing game, you'll enjoy Most Wanted a lot. Score: 9.3

Star Fox Assault brings the Star Fox franchise back to it's original formula, after the deviation that was Star Fox Adventures. Sadly, it is very far from being a grand return to what made Star Fox 64 so special. Assault is, overall, a mediocre game with many flaws. For starters, the game is completely linear and has no map like its predecessor. Which means that optional routes and secret ways to finish missions are gone. This wouldn't be much of a problem if the game had a decent lenght, but sadly, it is pretty short. The main thing to do outside the main story is local multiplayer, but I never tried it, so I'm not commenting on that. The Arwing gameplay is great, and it is the only aspect where Assault feels like an evolution of SF64 (aside from graphics, obviously). The classic on-rails shooting missions are clearly the best parts of the game. But then comes Assault's big novelty: the ground missions, where you control Fox and play like in a third-person shooter. Sounds like a good idea, I mean, gunfights seem totally fitting for the Star Fox universe. But sadly, the controls are terrible, aiming is a pain, and it gets really repetitive after some missions. And ground missions are like half of the game. One thing that I really enjoyed about SF64 are the characters. They were all memorable and extremely likeable. The cheesy dialogues in that game were pure gold. Assault's characters feel like a cheap imitation of their former selves. Not only are the dialogues completely forgettable, but the voice actors are pretty unfitting in my opinion. Fox's voice actor in particular. At least the game has a nice soundtrack. Most of it consists of remastered SF64 songs, but with a full orchestra, and man are they epic. The new compositions are great as well. Visually, the game looks nice for the most part. The arwing sections are the coolest looking ones. For those looking for a classic Star Fox experience, If you can look past the lack of content, the mediocre ground missions, and the poor representations of the Star Fox characters, you might find some satisfaction in playing this game. Otherwise, I wouldn't recommend this game at all. Score: 6.5

Red Dead Redemption is a masterpiece, clearly one of Rockstar Games’ greatest titles. It is a game that excels in every aspect: the gameplay, the story, the world and the atmosphere, the art design, the graphics, the online multiplayer… everything in this game is excellently done. The game takes the player to an expansive and wonderfully recreated 1910’s USA-Mexico border. If there’s one thing where Rockstar’s sandboxes always stand out, it is how the world feels incredibly real and believable. Everything, from the landscapes themselves, to the crazy amount of detail present in every town and settlement, the realistic behavior of NPCs, the animals that populate the wilderness, the random events that you will encounter every now and then… everything sums up to make the world of Red Dead Redemption a place where you’ll want to spend countless hours playing. The story is also very good. John Marston is a fantastic character, and the antagonist are great as well. Sadly, I found some of the characters to be a bit uninteresting. But overall, the plot in Red Dead Redemption is very well carried out, and the ending is just epic. The game plays in a similar way to GTA, in the sense that you have to do missions for different characters in order to progress. Most of the missions were good and satisfying, and they also help you get even more immersed in the game’s world. Also, the sidequests are particularly good and engaging. The gameplay in RDR is very solid. John controls similarly to a GTA character, but given the setting of the game, he has access to a lot of things from that time and place. Riding horses and carriages, using a lasso, hunting, clearing gang’s hideouts, helping the town’s folks patrolling the place, being a bounty hunter, having a honor stat… RDR really takes advantage of its setting to expand on its gameplay. The online multiplayer is also a great addition to RDR. Whether it’s fooling around with a friend in free mode, playing deathmatches with other people, doing the super epic coop missions, or my favorite online mode, undead overrun, RDR’s online will keep you busy for a long time. It managed to keep me busy for a long time, and I never play online multiplayer modes. The overwhelming quality and attention to detail elevate Red Dead Redemption far above most of its contemporaries. I definitely suggest you to pick the GOTY Edition, because the DLCs are all great additions to the base game, especially Undead Nightmare, one of the best DLCs I’ve ever played. So in all, this is a must have game, clearly one of the greatest titles of the last times. Whether you care about western themes or not really doesn’t matter at all; If you enjoy open world games, you are going to love Red Dead Redemption, and it will provide you dozens of hours of quality entertainment. Score: 9.5

In 2007 Nintendo released Phantom Hourglass. Most of the people liked it, and a bunch of people hated it. But I think everyone will agree that it wasn’t precisely a stellar Zelda game. So when Nintendo announced Spirit Tracks, a direct sequel with the same gameplay style, the hype was relatively small. Another Phantom Hourglass, but with a train instead of a ship? I totally understand people who didn’t give a **** about this game. But when the game came out, it turned out that it was actually a fantastic Zelda title that surpassed Phantom Hourglass in every aspect by far. Today, it still stands as one of the most unfairly underappreciated Zelda games. Spirit Tracks has everything you would expect from a great Zelda game. The overworld is way better than Phantom Hourglass’. It is big, charming ,varied and full of interesting locations to discover. It also feels more lively and believable than PH’s. The villages are all lovely. The story is much better and engaging, with cool characters like Byrne and some pretty good villains, as well as some epic and memorable moments here and there. The dungeons are far superior to those in PH, now offering a bit more of a challenge, as well as a better aesthetic design. The bosses are great too. As in any good Zelda game, there is a great deal of side activities to do, like helping other people with their requests, catching the bunnies, a really cool minigame where you have to fight rounds of enemies and finally bosses, and even a secret dungeon. A whole secret dungeon!!! How awesome is that? Speaking of dungeons, this game also has a master dungeon similar to the Temple of the Ocean King in PH, and it is the Tower of Spirits. Needless to say, it is much better designed and way more entertaining than its predecessor. Being able to control a Phantom in the Tower of Spirits is a really nice gameplay mechanic, and I think it was well carried out overall. People like to speak **** of this game’s train travelling mechanic. Ok, the train is a bit slow. But I don’t know, I never had an issue with this. Travelling through the world with the train is a nice experience to me, as it managed to immerse me into the game’s world even more. And it’s not like you spend all the time travelling either. The soundtrack completely humiliates PH’s pathetic excuse for a soundtrack, and it is clearly among the best Zelda soundtracks of all time. Listen to the Overworld Theme, and you’ll get a grasp of the quality level of this OST. Definitely one of the best aspects of the game. On the matter of music, Spirit Tracks introduces the Flute, which is kind of nice, but can get a little frustrating in some parts. Like, when I played it for the first time, I got stuck for hours on the final boss because I couldn’t perform the flute song correctly. Maybe I was being a stupid kid, because I did it on the first try on my second playthrough, so I don’t know. The flute songs might bother some people. Can you think of any other aspect that defines a great Zelda game? Well, if you can, it’s probably present in Spirit Tracks too. 6 years after playing it for the first time, it’s still my favorite game in the DS’ library, as well as my favorite handheld Zelda title. Score: 9.3

My personal favorite 2D Mario platformer, and the very first one I played. After 15 years without a classic 2D Mario game, New Super Mario Bros. marks the return of the king to the 2D platforming genre, with a new fresh look and the same excellent gameplay everbody came to love in the 8-bit and 16-bit era. Mario controls as great as he did back in the day. NSMB features 8 different worlds, each with a distinct theme. Nowadays everyone is sick of seeing the same 8 world-themes in 2D Mario games, but this is the game that introduced them, and I think it was a good idea. As for the levels, most of them are really fun and well designed. Each levels holds 3 optional Star Coins, which are the main collectables in this game. Most of them are pretty easy to get though. The whole game is a bit on the easy side, actually. This might bother some of the old-school Mario fans, and it might be the game's biggest flaw. The amount and variety of levels is satisfactory to me. The game is bit short, but I think the overall quality and replay value make up for that NSMB introuduced some really cool power-ups. The giant mushroom, the mini mushroom and the blue koopa shell are among my favorite Mario power-ups of all time. They're very fun to use. As for the bosses, all of them are OK, but once again, they are way too easy. The game has also a bunch of multiplayer modes, but I didn't play them very much, so I won't comment about them. Visually, the game is colorful and has a good level of polish. It mixes 2D backgrounds with 3D models, and the result looks just fine. The melodies are as catchy and happy as ever. Overall, this is a very lighthearted and happy game, one that will put a smile on your face for the time you are playing. Some people criticize this game for being too simplistic and not really innovate in any area, like Super Mario World did in 1990. But the truth is that NSMB is pure 2D Mario greatness, it's a return to the more traditional style of the NES Mario titles, which is just perfect as it is. So whether you are a fan of the series, or platformers in general, you need to give this game a try. I would even say it is the best of the new generation 2D Mario games, despite being the worst technology-wise. Score: 9.0

This is a Mario Party title that delivers on every aspect. It has a lot of different modes, boards to play in, and a of course, minigames. 73 of them to be specific. Most of the minigames are fun and well done, and many of them take advantage of the DS' touch capabilitiy. But be warned, this is definitely one of those screen-ruining games. Don't get too excited with that Rail Riders minigame like I did. As some of the minigames are score-based, it's always fun to try to break your own records (or a freind's). Another thing I really enjoyed in this Mario Party is the gallery mode. There you can view statues and emblems of characters, enemies, bosses, and many other objects from the game. The criteria for unlocking them is very varied. Unlocking new things in the gallery is something that kept me playing this game for a long time. Mario Party DS is a really fun game. So much so, that I would even recommend it for single player only. Obviously the multiplayer adds a lot to the experience, but I definitely had a great time playing it on my own. To me, it's simply one of the best DS titles out there, and I can't understand why it is so underrated here. Score: 8.5

This is the first Nintendo game I've ever played, and the reason I'm a Nintendo fan today. Back in 2010, I discovered this game thanks to some friends, and I liked it so much that I played it entirely with an emulator on my PC. Thanks to Mario Kart DS, and also to Zelda Phantom Hourglass, I decided to buy a Nintendo DS in christmas 2010, and played it again to get the true experience. I think this is probably my favorite Mario Kart title. It has great controls, a good selection of characters and plenty of modes to keep you entertained for a pretty long time. The game has more characters than any Mario Kart before it, and it also introduces Retro Cups: 16 tracks from previous Mario Kart games, adding to a total of 32 tracks, more than any MK game before it. There's even a series of missions to complete, including a bunch of boss fights. What else can you ask from a Mario Kart game? The game is very fun to play alone. Another single-player mode that is worth mentioning is Battle Mode, which is surprisingly addictive and entertaining. Online modes are also present, and they're obviously a ton of fun. Playing Mario Kart DS with your friends is always a blast. So overall, this is pretty much everything you could expect from a Mario Kart game. Tons of fun, a good amount of content, great multiplayer options... definitely a must have for any DS owner. I really don't know what to criticize here. Maybe the graphics look a little bit unpolished compared to other DS titles, but It's no big deal. It doesn't detract from the experience at all. Score: 9.0

Mario Hoops 3 on 3 is a game that provides simple but addictive fun. I played it when I was around 12 years old, and I really got in to it. Nowadays I find it a little bit boring, and I can't tell if it's because i've grown up, or because I already played it too much back in the day. Anyway, this is a game i'd definitely recommend to any DS owner who's looking for a simple but entertaining title, in the likes of Mario Kart or Mario Party. It's a blast to play in multiplayer, but still manages to hold out well in single player. The game offers a good number of stages and characters, both from the Mario series as well as the Final Fantasy series (it was co-produced by Square Enix). There is a good amount of customization, like being able to choose a match's difficulty, lenght, the ball used and so on. A simple progression is present in this game in the form of unlocking new characters and stages to play in, which makes the game even more addictive. Aside from the main mode, there's also training mode and a bunch of special challenges, which were fun enough to keep me interested in them. As for the gameplay itself, the controls are intuitive and worked just fine for me. One thing I really liked is the ability to perform special moves, which differ from character to character. So to sum up, Mario Hoops 3 on 3 is a game I can recommend. Good for single player, great for multiplayer. It has a decent level of polish and simple but addictive gameplay that I really enjoyed back in its day. Score: 8.2

After the controversial announcement of Color Splash last year, a lot of people started to complain about the series’ new direction and compare it to the first Paper Mario games. Because of that reason, I watched a good number of videos from Nintendo-themed channels talking about how great the original Paper Mario is. So I finally decided to give it a try. It is a Nintendo classic after all, so I couldn’t skip it for too long being a Nintendo fan. My experience with Paper Mario was mostly a positive one. The game offers a pretty fun combat system and a clear structure of objectives: Bowser has imprisoned the 7 Star Spirits in different parts of the Mushroom Kingdom and it is up to Mario to rescue them one by one. Each of the ‘Chapters’, as they are called, is a little plot on its own. The overall story could very well be a part of a children’s book. Bowser is a really funny antagonist. The different regions in the map all felt very lively and varied, especially Toad Town. All of the chapters are mostly fun to play through (Chapter 7 is probably my favorite), and the battle system is simple yet effective. But Paper Mario often felt a bit repetitive to me, especially the combat. Another problem I have with this game is the fact that in most JRPGs, the game is driven by a strong and interesting storyline. Paper Mario’s storyline isn’t strong nor interesting. Basically, no level of seriousness or actual drama is allowed in this game. Everything is always goofy and innocent, and this has a positive side and a negative side. The positive side is that it allows for a lighthearted and humorous game experience. The negative side is that there’s no engaging story to motivate you to keep playing, like in most other JRPGs. As a result, I often found myself with no reason to continue playing other than the desire of just completing the game. But on the other hand, the gameplay was good enough to keep me going. The art style was very unique for the time, and the soundtrack is just lovely. The entire aesthetic design manages to convey the lighthearted and happy nature of the game perfectly, and it is probably my favorite aspect of this Paper Mario. Even though I love Nintendo’s classics, and this is a very Nintendo-feeling game, I honestly can’t see what most of the people see in this game to call it a masterpiece. I’ll remember Paper Mario as a little gem filled with humor, wacky and memorable characters, and a great art direction (soundtrack and visuals), that offer a lighthearted and colorful experience, but nothing more than that. Score: 8.3

Out of all the Mega Man games I’ve played, the Zero series sticks out as my favorite by a long shot. Having enjoyed those games a lot, I decided to play Mega Man ZX with the hopes of finding something similar, as they are made by the same people (Inti Creates). But as I played that game, I couldn’t help but think of how better the Zero games were. And now, playing through ZX Advent felt just like going through the same situation. While playing, I couldn’t help but think of how better the first ZX was. Now let me get this clear to you all: Neither ZX nor Advent are bad games. ZX is a solid, well-rounded Mega Man game. ZX Advent is overall good… but not so solid as its predecessor. Now let’s start with the good things. The game features once again an ‘open-world’ instead of separated levels, but unlike ZX, Advent handles the world layout in a more clear and organized way. At least I didn’t get lost all the time like in ZX. The controls are still as good as they were before, and the music is on the same level of quality than the original ZX. But something about ZX Advent made it fell flat compared to its predecessor. The level design didn’t feel as fun or creative. Same goes for the bosses. The game’s new gimmick, the ability to transform into the bosses you defeat (apart from the 5 models from the original ZX), sound like a super cool thing. But the implementation wasn’t good. Most of the boss-transformations are useless and didn’t offer any real advantage over the 5 Mega Man models. As a result, I barely used them in my playthrough. I don’t really care about the story in most of the Mega Man games, but this one’s just bad. You seriously have to mess things up as a writer to make a Mega Man plot so confusing. I didn’t understand the plot at all. The characters, especially the possesers of the biometals, were extremely bland (apart from being crappy bosses as well). For some reason they decided to include voice acting in this game, and it is absolutely horrible, to the point of draining all the seriousness and drama out of the dialogues. The female protagonist Ashe’s and Model A’s voices are especially bad. I don’t want anyone to finish reading this review and think this game is trash. ZX Advent is decent, but I’d rather play the original ZX over this game any day, as it had better level design, better bosses, a simpler and more functional story, and overall left a better impression on me. Score: 7.3

Mega Man ZX is a decent Mega Man experience, one that is often overlooked by fans of the series. The game is pretty much about the same as any of the Mega Man platformers: completing levels with a boss at the end. The main gimmick here is the ability to transform into 5 different Mega Man ‘Models’, each of them based on the Guardians from the Zero series (aside from Model ZX, which is based on Zero from the same series). This is a pretty good mechanic, as it adds a good amount of variety to the gameplay. All of the transformations are fun to use and well implemented. Well, maybe the basic human form is a bit off. The controls are great, which is something very important in a Mega Man game. As for the levels themselves, most of them are fun to play. Bosses were also good and fun to defeat, and some of them were pretty creative in my opinion, like Lurrere. The difficulty is below the Zero games, maybe on par with the SNES X games. The game has also a bunch of ‘side-quests’ available, but all of them, or at least the ones I came across felt so irrelevant and dumb that I didn’t even bother trying. The story was… uh, who cares about the story in a Mega Man game. After playing through and loving the heck out of the Zero games, my expectations for the story were probably a bit too high. Actually, my expectations for everything in this game were a bit too high. As a result, I always found myself thinking of how better the Zero games were in comparison to this one while playing. This is a problem of mine though, as I liked the Zero series a lot and played ZX almost immediately after finishing those games. If you don’t compare them, ZX is still a good experience. The music was unexpectedly good. Lots of memorable and catchy songs like those you would expect from a great Mega Man game (Prometheus & Pandora’s fight is clearly my favorite). Can’t say much about the graphics, other than they look like an updated version of the Mega Man Zero graphics. I think most of the people will agree that ZX’s big flaw is its messy and inconvenient world layout. Yes, I said ‘world’, as the game takes place in a metroidvania-esque map. Levels are actual areas that you have to reach. So how does this turn into a negative thing? Well, for starting, the map is completely blank when you begin, and the game gives you no clue on where to find the area you’re supposed to go. And even when you have discovered a good amount of the map, getting from a place to another is still confusing, as the map doesn’t exactly correlate with the actual world. If area B in the map appears to the left of area A, you’d think that being in area A and going to the left will take you to area B. But nope, the door leading to area B is actually in the middle of area A, not in the left as the map indicates. As a result of this, I ended up wasting a lot of play time and looking up walkthroughs just trying to figure out where the heck I was supposed to go. Getting lost in a Mega Man game. That is just wrong. But if you get past that inconvenience, a satisfying Mega Man experience awaits at each of the levels. So in all, ZX is a solid Mega Man title, one that will satisfy anyone looking for a game that resembles the X and (especially) the Zero series, though it doesn’t reach the level of quality of neither. I can’t finish this review without mentioning the amazing Omega Zero fight. Yes, he’s back, even with the same sprite and moves from Zero 3, only that 10 times harder and better. Easily my favorite boss in the entire Mega Man series. That fight was truly a treat, and clearly the best thing ZX has to offer. Score: 8.0