Quick Thoughts: South Of Midnight

I picked up a month of Xbox Game Pass for the PC, and one of the games I wanted to play that I heard a lot of good things about was South of Midnight, which is an indie action-platformer. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and I would like to tell you my quick thoughts about the game.

Remembering Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards

By May be found at the following website: https://www.pidgi.net/wiki/File:Box_NA_-_Kirby_64_The_Crystal_Shards.jpg, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6230510

I am continuing my series on talking about games from my childhood, and one memorable game that I had on the Nintendo 64 when I was a child was Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. I previously mentioned in my review of Kirby and the Forgotten Land that I played a few Kirby games in my childhood. Most Kirby games are not worth talking about in a blog post because they are all the same sort of 2D platformer. However, Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards is just different enough that I need to talk about it.

Donkey Kong Bananza Is A Completionist’s Dream

By Nintendo - https://store.nintendo.co.uk/en/donkey-kong-bananza-70010000096810, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=80245726

I recently purchased a Nintendo Switch 2, and since I was not going to bother with playing Mario Kart World, the first game that I purchased for the system was Donkey Kong Bananza. Donkey Kong Bananza is the brand-new Donkey Kong video game and is the first 3D Donkey Kong platformer since Donkey Kong 64 on the Nintendo 64. Safe to say, we waited a long time for a new 3D Donkey Kong, especially since the developers who created Donkey Kong Bananza were the same ones who created Super Mario Odyssey.

Astro Bot: THE Definitive PlayStation Platformer

By Japan Studio / Sony - PlayStation Store, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77144600

When I bought my PS5, there was a game pre-installed on the system called “Astro’s Playroom”, which was a tech demo for the PS5 controller. Outside of showing off the features of the controller, Astro’s Playroom was a pretty good game with its platforming and PlayStation secrets. At the time, I thought to myself “I would love to play a full-fledged Astro game”.

Sonic Frontiers: Sonic's Middling Adventure

By Sega - https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/sonic-frontiers, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=71589758

I picked up Sonic Frontiers as part of the Steam Summer Sale not too long ago because I have heard many various things about this game since its release in 2022. I have heard wide-ranging opinions ranging from positive (ex: This is finally an excellent 3D Sonic game) to negative (ex: Sonic Frontiers is just as bad as most other 3D Sonic games). I do not believe the video game community ever concluded how good or how bad Sonic Frontiers is. I have since finished Sonic Frontiers and I will offer my own opinion about this game in the pot of already wild opinions.

Remembering Conker's Bad Fur Day

By May be found at the following website: http://www.lukiegames.com, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8624904

There was a game on the Nintendo 64 that I remember vividly; not because I have ever played this game (until now), but because of the controversy this game would happen to generate at the time of its release. I am talking about Conker's Bad Fur Day, developed by Rare (formerly Rareware). Rare was probably one of the most highly-regarded video game studios of the 1990s and early 2000s, putting out highly influential and critically-acclaimed games such as the Donkey Kong Country series, GoldenEye 007, and Diddy Kong Racing. Diddy Kong Racing introduced two characters that would go on to have their own games: Banjo (Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie) and Conker, the cute red squirrel who will be the focus of this blog post.

Animal Well Is A Treat

After playing Animal Well, I think it is safe to say that this game is going to be the best indie game I will play this year. I bought this game on a whim on Steam not expecting much, but Animal Well surpassed my expectations (and then some) on a short, but rewarding experience.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder Review

By nintendo - https://www.ign.com/games/super-mario-bros-wonder, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=75108015

Some of my earliest and fondest gaming memories was playing Super Mario Bros. 3 for the NES and Super Mario World for the SNES when I was a child. Playing these platforming games and trying to get to the end of the level was captivating to me, and it helped to stoke a love affair for video gaming that I still continue to have. Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World were hugely influential games and along with Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, were the pinnacle of 2D platforming games.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land: Good, Wholesome Gaming

I do not believe I ever mentioned talking about the Kirby franchise on this blog before, and with the release of Kirby and the Forgotten Land on the Nintendo Switch, this seems a perfect time as any to talk about the pink puffball and my experiences with playing Kirby games.

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury: Quick Thoughts

I am not going to spend much of this blog post talking about Super Mario 3D World other than the fact that this game is as enjoyable as any other 3D Mario game. I have already talked about games like Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Odyssey, and the great things about those games are similarly prevalent in Super Mario 3D world. Super Mario 3D World has incredible level design, and nice graphics and audio to boot. I would rank Super Mario 3D World as the third best Mario game I have ever played, behind Super Mario Galaxy at #1, and Super Mario Odyssey at #2.

My Top 5 Games I Played In 2020

This is going to be a filler post on this blog. I am going to talk about the five best games I have played in 2020, ranked from five to one. Some of these games came out prior to 2020, but these were games I completed in 2020. My only rule is that I have not played any of these games before. Super Mario Galaxy would have been on this list, but I have played the game years before for the Nintendo Wii, so I am not including it. Let us get on with it then...

Super Mario Galaxy: The Masterpiece

I saved the best game on Super Mario 3D All Stars for last, and that is Super Mario Galaxy. Super Mario Galaxy came out in 2007 for the Nintendo Wii to universal acclaim, for which I will explain further in this post. Super Mario Galaxy differs from the other two Mario games in the bundle. The focus of Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Galaxy is on open-world exploration and collecting, whereas the focus of Super Mario Galaxy is on completing linear challenges. Super Mario Galaxy feels similar to many of the older 2D Mario platformers in its game design.

Super Mario Sunshine AKA Slime Cleaning Simulator

Continuing on playing all of the games from Super Mario 3D All Stars, the second game I play is Super Mario Sunshine, released on the GameCube back in 2002. This was the only game I have not actually played prior to my purchase of this compilation of Mario games for the Switch. I am happy to say that I enjoyed Super Mario Sunshine and the game deserves its place as a celebrated Mario 3D platformer, despite its noted criticisms. Just as an FYI, I beat the main game of Sunshine, but I did not get every single Shine Sprite.

Is Super Mario 64 Still Fun To Play?

I recently purchased Super Mario 3D All Stars for the Nintendo Switch, which includes Super Mario 64 (from the Nintendo 64), Super Mario Sunshine (from the Nintendo GameCube), and Super Mario Galaxy (from the Nintendo Wii). Three full-length games for the price of one regular-priced Switch is a good value. In addition, I wanted to relive the nostalgia of playing through Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Galaxy again (I did not play Super Mario Sunshine). For the purposes of this post, I will talk about Super Mario 64. I will talk about my experiences with the game, and then talk about if the game still holds up today.

Celeste: If At First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again

Celeste is a 2-D retro-styled platforming indie game that I had the pleasure of purchasing on sale on the Nintendo Switch. I had all the time in the world during the COVID-19 lock-down, so I dove right into playing this title immediately. Celeste has all of the makings of a sensational platforming game with the added depth of a journey exploring one's mental health. First, I am going to talk about the gameplay itself, and then I will talk about the mental health angle of the game.

Super Mario Odyssey: An All-Ages Game For The Ages

Before I get into a proper review of Super Mario Odyssey, I would like to share the moment I fell in love with this game.