Digimon Story: Time Stranger Was Enjoyable

By Media.Vision/Bandai Namco Entertainment - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1984270/Digimon_Story_Time_Stranger/, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=80100427

The last time I ever consumed a piece of Digimon media was watching the third season of the Digimon anime (Digimon Tamers) when I was a child. After this, I grew out of doing anything Digimon related, whether it is watching the anime or playing the Digimon trading card game. I have never played a Digimon video game until I picked up Digimon Story: Time Stranger on a whim and some promising reviews. I finished playing the main story, and I have some quick thoughts about my experience.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A Is Terrible Value

By Nintendo Co., Ltd./Game Freak Inc./Creatures Inc. - https://press.pokemon.com/en/Release-Date-for-Pokemon-Legends-Z-A-Revealed-and-Pokemon-Presents-Vid, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=80792028

I have been playing through Pokémon Legends: Z-A on the Nintendo Switch 2, and I want to tell you my thoughts on the game. Prior to obtaining this game, I think I have heard every kind of extreme opinion where I have heard unnecessary praise, as well as unnecessary hatred of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. The truth is, Pokémon Legends: Z-A falls somewhere in the middle of these two extremes. I have already talked at length about Game Freak's (lack of) role in the development of this game, so I am just going to focus on what I liked and did not like about the game.

Trails In the Sky: 1st Chapter Is An Excellent Remake

I have always wanted to get into the Trails video game series, but I always found it difficult to start due to the sheer number of main entries in the series (13 main entries since 2004), as well as the outdated combat in the earlier games. Thankfully, there is a new Trails game that is a remake of the first Trails game released back in 2004. Trails In the Sky: 1st Chapter is the remake of the 2004 game The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky and this was a great jump off point for me to check out this game and this series once and for all.

Black Myth: Wukong - One Big Boss Rush

By May be found at the following website: "Black Myth: Wukong". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on 11 December 2024. Direct link to the media. Archived from the original on 14 December 2024., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77711937

Black Myth: Wukong is a 2024 action RPG developed and published by Chinese game studio Game Science. Black Myth: Wukong is (as far as I know) the first big-budget video game release to western audiences from China. This game has always piqued my interest but I was hesitant to play the game because I erroneously thought Black Myth: Wukong was a “souls-type” game, like the Dark Souls series and Elden Ring. I do not enjoy playing “souls-like” games, but I decided to bite the bullet and play through Black Myth: Wukong.

Remembering The Simpsons: Hit & Run

By https://www.ericheintzimaging.com/the-simpsons-hit-and-run, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20747989

The Simpsons have had a weird history with video games. The first Simpsons video game was the arcade game in the early 1990s, and then there were many mediocre releases throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. As I was growing up, I managed to play a couple of these bad games at the turn of the millennium. I remember The Simpsons Wrestling on the PS1, which was horrible to play. I also played a bit of The Simpsons: Road Rage, which was a Crazy Taxi clone. The game was not terrible, but I would not call the game good at all. 

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.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Punches Well Above Its Weight

By Sandfall Interactive - https://www.sandfall.co/, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77750804

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the debut RPG from French studio Sandfall Interactive which became an unexpected huge success in the video game industry. I just finished playing the game, and I have a lot to say about this game: both in terms of the aspects of the game itself, and its place in the video game industry.

My Favourite Exclusive Nintendo Switch Games

The Nintendo Switch 2 is now out, and it got me thinking about the Nintendo Switch 1 era of video games. The Nintendo Switch is one of the company's most successful consoles, with many great games in the console's life cycle. I want to list my top ten favourite games exclusively for the Nintendo Switch. I know there are some high-profile games that I have not played yet, including Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Pikmin 4, and Splatoon 3. I still like to think that I have played enough Switch games that I can produce my very own top ten list. First, I want to talk about some honourable mentions:

Dynasty Warriors: Origins - A Soft Reset Of The Franchise

By https://wccftech.com/dynasty-warriors-origins-preview/, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=78449045

Dynasty Warriors: Origins is the latest entry in the Dynasty Warriors video game franchise, and this was a game I alluded to in my Dynasty Warriors tribute post as wanting to play. I am glad Koei Tecmo did not release a Dynasty Warriors 10 because the franchise was getting stale. To me, Dynasty Warriors: Origins is a representation of a soft reset of the franchise, like what the God of War franchise went through in 2018. I wanted to know if Dynasty Warriors: Origins was the reinvention that the franchise sorely needed.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Surprised Me

By Bethesda - Steam cover https://steamdb.info/app/2677660/, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=75847090

I finished playing the newest Indiana Jones video game: Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and this game was such a surprise to me. The developers of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle are MachineGames (best known for making the latest Wolfenstein titles), and I thought they were the best studio to create a new Indiana Jones title. Most people know Indiana Jones for the classic movies in the 1980s, but there have been many Indiana Jones video games as well. The last Indiana Jones game I remember playing was Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb on the Xbox around 20 years ago (maybe this game is worth revisiting). With that said, here are my thoughts on the newest Indiana Jones video game.

Stellar Blade Is Solid, But It Is No NieR: Automata

By SHIFT UP CORPORATION - https://image.api.playstation.com/vulcan/ap/rnd/202401/2211/40e7cfd126a11fe5118310ebce6d9b3a23e7cabaca717217.png, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=76319717

I just finished playing Stellar Blade, which is an action-adventure game developed by Korean studio Shift Up, and I want to address a controversy about this game right off the bat.

My Top 10 Games I Played In 2024

By Atlus / Sega - https://www.gematsu.com/gallery/persona-3-reload/august-23-2023, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=74654643

2024 has been a great year for gaming, and I was able to play some of the big releases of the year, as well as many more from previous years. Like I do every year, here is my ranking of the best video games I have played in 2024. These are not games specifically released in 2024, but rather these are games that I played for the first time in 2024. Let's get into it.

Quick Thoughts - The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

By Nintendo - https://www.ign.com/games/the-legend-of-zelda-echoes-of-wisdom, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77182527

I just finished playing The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, and I wanted to quickly talk about everything new about the game and give my brief thoughts on my experience.

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”.

The Callisto Protocol: Mostly Atmosphere, And Not Much Else

By Striking Distance Studios / Krafton - PlayStation Store, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=70948364

After finishing Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. I decided to play another single-player experience, but of a survival horror variety. The Callisto Protocol is a sci-fi, survival horror game released in 2022, which bears striking similarities to a previous sci-fi, survival horror video game series, namely the Dead Space series. I was interested in playing this game and seeing if The Callisto Protocol is as good as Dead Space 1 and 2, or is it an inferior title like Dead Space 3.

I Went To The Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Concert

When I wrote my review of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, I mentioned in that review that the Rebirth soundtrack might be my favourite Final Fantasy soundtrack out of all the Final Fantasy games. I apparently loved it so much that when I found out that the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Orchestra World Tour was coming to Toronto for two shows at Roy Thomson Hall, I managed to snap up a ticket for the second show. The Toronto Symphony Orchestra was going to perform renditions and medleys of many of the hits from the game. I could not wait.

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy (the video game)

By Eidos Montreal / Square Enix - Square Enix, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=67954937

I finished playing Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, which is the action-adventure game released in 2021 and based on the Marvel comic book series of the same name. Most people that are familiar with GotG are familiar with the trilogy of Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movies, and I have certainly enjoyed these movies. I heard many rumblings about the video game, and so I picked the game up on sale and played the single-player campaign, and here are my thoughts.

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.

Quick Thoughts - Super Mario RPG Remake

I was able to snag a copy of the remake of Super Mario RPG for the Nintendo Switch that was on sale. I remember briefly playing the original Super Mario RPG on the SNES but I never came close to beating the game. I thought this was a good time to finally complete Super Mario RPG and give some thoughts on the experience.