Today I beat Mario Kart Double Dash. Winning sixteen consecutive races in Trak Oiram mode was really frustrating and really fun. Took me 7 hours. My right hand really hurt. I thank the heavens for automatic acceleration in MK 8. Yesterday I wrote that there are less blue shells in Double Dash compared to MK 8. I guess I was wrong. Being hit three times in one race was not that uncommon. My favourite team are Toad and Toadette. It still is very cute how Toadettes (hair) is moving around. They also have the only classic carts. The gameplay still is ver fun and fluid. What I like the most is the happy and uplifting atmosphere with fitting music. I am sure I watched a lot of longplays of MK DD.
Just beat Street Fighter II for the very first time.
I was shocked with how much I liked this one. I've tried playing fighting games in the past and they've never really clicked with me. That was how this game even started since I tried to use Ryu for the first couple of matches and constantly got pounded by Dhalsim at each and every turn. However, the minute I switched to Ken..... I don't know what exactly happened but everything just..... clicked. The jump arcs suddenly felt perfect, linking moves together wasn't as difficult as it was before and learning to read the opponent's tendencies and attack patterns was incredibly satisfying to do. I literally felt like an anime protagonist where, at the beginning, I couldn't pull off a Hadoken to save my life and in the fight against Sagat, I had it nailed down to a tee and it was what won me the fight against him. That moment was so memorable and something I'll hold for the rest of my life honestly. The arcade run-through was very fun I must say. It is just fighting the other characters in a gauntlet of sorts but it was still incredibly satisfying to come across a seemingly unbeatable opponent like Vega, Sagat and even Chun Li and Guile at the beginning and work around their unique tricks in order to beat them down. Bison can go do one as far as I'm concerned but apart from him it was challenging yet always fair.
And I think that's the word that sums up this entire game really: satisfying. It's always really satisfying to pull off basically anything in this game and it's probably been the best introduction to fighting games as a whole (not including Smash Bros which I also love) as a result. No joke: I genuinely want to get the bundle of Capcom Fighting Collection and Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection now because of it, they've reeled me in that much. It's Ace Attorney all over again.....
Mario Maker 2 Maker ID: YT1-0Q2-YFF
Please ask for permission before using my FC!
Rayman Origins. Really cool and fun game. Difficulty is just right, aside from a few passages here and there. Chasing the chests was challenging but also very fun. The platforming has a great sense of flow.The dreamy atmosphere is good too, pretty close to Legends, as is also the artstyle. The only Rayman with a bad artstyle is the very first. It simply makes me feel uncomfortable, which makes sense storywise.
Rayman Legends is objectively the best one but my favourite still is Rayman 2. One of my earliest PC games and 3D jump and runs. The atmosphere is so good and unique. Kind of like a pretty dark dream, that feels also hopeful and magical. I was really frightened , when I played this game. Those robots were really terrifying. I kept playing anyway because the game was so great. Never let robots stop you from enjoying life.I
Mario Kart Wii. Really dissapointing. Too often the game just feels unfair and frustrating. It also is the only Mario Kart I managed to hit myself with my own red shell. Pretty constantly enemies were snatching items away from me. The artstyle also feels a bit off.
I finally beat the Misadventures of Tron Bonne. This might be the longest time I've taken to go from beating one game in a (sub)series to another one. (I first beat the N64 version of Megaman Legends in either 2003 or 2004)
I obviously have reasons to not give my entire thoughts on this game in particular in this one post, but it was very good, despite some issues. Like Legends, any issues it has feels secondary compared to its personality, which is wonderful and hits the exact right note of cheesy 90s anime dub without leaning so much into being so bad its good.
SMT IV on the 3DS. Finally got all the fiends (seven of the fiends only have a 1 out of 256 chance of appearing), all the Famed demons (only acquired through fusion accidents, AKA sheer luck), and finally beat all the DLC bosses, including Masakado's Shadow. MS' difficulty was greatly exaggerated btw; I beat him without grinding incenses. You just need the right team with the right skills (AKA just bring Uriel).
But it was all worth it. I loved the game, I loved the world, so I didn't want to leave it incomplete (which I could have since fiends/Famed demons/DLC bosses were all optional content). Feels satisfying.
Maxenmus
Switch Friend Code: SW-7926-2339-9775 | My Nintendo: Flare
Already beat another PS1 game. Jumping Flash. Considering how I also recently beat another early 3d console game in Panzer Dragoon (remake) this is a good example of why 1 to 1 remakes aren't always ideal, because the charm of Panzer Dragoon would be appreciating it as a mid 90s game, not one from today, so remaking it just takes away some of the charm that makes its various issues more ok. Whereas just playing the original Jumping Flash as this weird, dated take on trying to be both an FPS and a platformer for some insane reason because its 1995 and no one even knows how to 3D yet...is endearing. I guess I'm more of a sucker for platformers than 3d shoot em ups not named Star Fox 64 as well, but I enjoyed it despite its various issues.
It is fascinating though how awkward and random saving was even on PS1 sometimes. Between Crash 1's "get gem if you want to save" system and Jumping Flash needing you to go back to the main menu to save, but only by remembering the correct button that will send you to the menu and not the one that makes you go to the next stage.
btw: this game does the Mario vs. Donkey Kong thing of having new, harder versions of the 1st playthrough's level themes as an extra 2nd playthrough so I was pleasantly surprised it wasn't quite as short as I thought it was going into it.
This was back in January, so I hope it still counts. Marchen Forest on the Switch - I originally added it to my wishlist just because I appreciated seeing a JRPG that wasn’t rated for suggestive themes, haha. It eventually went on sale pretty cheap, for five dollars, I think? I read the few reviews that existed for it and, despite none of them sounding too flattering, I wanted to give it a shot. Personally, I actually enjoyed the game and don’t regret my purchase at all.
It’s kinda weird to explain, but it’s divided into three episodes. The first one is a Ghibli-esque, sort of slice-of-life episode that sets the stage for the game and really isn’t that enjoyable outside of a few funny things like a penguin working out. It’s probably an hour or two long and it’s mostly just fetch quests, so it’s easily the weakest link out of all the episodes.
The second and third episodes have dungeon crawler-type gameplay, maybe with some roguelite elements? I haven’t played any rogues or roguelites, so I can’t entirely vouch that’s what it is, but it does have a sort of risk/reward system where you lose some of the items you obtained during a run if you’re defeated, so I think it’s along a similar vein. You also have to manage your health and your hunger, the latter of which gradually runs out over time as you explore, so there’s a light bit of management there in episode two, but it ramps way up in episode three.
Battles are one-on-one matches that are turn-based, but in real-time (sort of like if you had an invisible ATB gauge from early FF games), so you can’t move around the field. But battles, especially the boss fights, put a lot of emphasis on timing your dodges and countering enemies, so even though it’s turn-based, there’s always that anticipation of waiting for an enemy to strike that keeps battles feeling fast-paced and it sometimes requires you to have a fast reaction time, and I really enjoyed that. The battles are random enemy encounters, but it wasn’t too constant and I only got annoyed with it at the end of the game when the final dungeon dragged on a bit too long for me, and I ended up a bit overleveled for the ending. I think there was an accessory you could get that either decreased or removed enemy encounters, but I never got it, so I’m not sure.
The graphics are really cute and the creepier places are atmospheric enough, although I wish they gave character portraits to more of the main characters. It’s also full-voiced in Japanese which is cool, although the main character is occasionally a little too high-pitched for me and my earphones. lol The music is surprisingly epic and the story a bit dark for a cutesy game about a little girl with cat ears, but I ended up really liking it in the end.
I also think it would be a good October game for those who don’t like/can’t handle horror, because episode two has a spooky, ghostly, using people as live test subjects theme without breaching actual horror, and episode three has a different kind of dreary and otherworldly vibe, too (the plot also gets kinda… confusing by the end. lol). Although it’s rated E10+, I wonder if it should be T because episode three occasionally incorporates blood into the environment, which was jarring at first. Lol
Cute, dark, and surprisingly intense at times, Marchen Forest might be the most unexpected game for me this year.
Now I’m focusing on 3DS games that I’ve been meaning to play for a million years but hadn’t gotten around to before the Eshop closes down. lol
Bravely Default on the 3DS - I won’t be long-winded about this one since it’s not an obscure indie game. lol Everyone says this game is great, and it is. The gameplay, the music, the graphics, the characters, it’s all great. It feels so much like an old-school JRPG but with modern conventions and polish (except for the fact you can only see an enemy’s HP by scanning it every battle), and I love that. I have a few qualms with the tropes used in the story, which I won’t go into (although the two back-to-back plots with a bunch of suggestive humor is obnoxious when you’re not into that), but overall the story and gameplay are very good.
But my relationship with this game is damaged for the time being. I was in a bit of a rush to finish this game because there are several more I need to get done before the Eshop goes down (and I need to figure out if I want to get Bravely Second, on top of that), and then I reached the endgame. Chapter six or seven or whatever. Without saying spoilers, this is my prime example for “good in theory, bad in practice.” It feels so dragged out and tedious, and like psychological torture when you feel rushed to get through it quickly and you don’t know if you’re doing something wrong. I finally beat the game, but apparently it wasn’t the “true ending.” I looked up how to get it and realized I would have to put even more time into this game, so I’m breaking from it for now. I checked the NintendoLife review for the game, and they claim you can beat it in 40 hours. I’m going to have at least 80 by the time I’m done? Did they not get the true ending? Did they skip all the side stuff? Am I secretly bad at this game and didn’t realize it until now? lol
Maybe I’ll do another post once I get the true ending, and I’m really hoping it’ll go well and I’ll feel better about the game then. Lol
I also went from the frying pan and into the fryer, as I’m currently playing Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice and the constant verbal abuse is killing my mood for the game. I was supposed to relax after Bravely Default. lol?
Finished De Blob 2 100%. The game is really fun. Could be better than the first, though I simply beat that one, so maybe that's why. Sometimes the game feels pretty dark and brutal for a PEGI 7 game, which I don't like.
The new 2D infiltration passages are ok. The game would be more fun without time restrictions. Still feels very rewarding to clean the levels and bring back life and colours.
Fundamentally the game is fine. The cute'em-up art style is fine, the audio design is fine, the controls (although a bit floaty) are fine. The roguelike aspect feels like the bare minimum for the genre. And in less than a few hours I maxed out the town aspect and finished the game. I suppose I'm...mildly disappointed? The game isn't bad per se, but at the same time it wasn't an experience I'd recommend.
6/10
Switch Physical Collection - 1,540 games (as of January 28th, 2026)
Switch 2 Physical Collection - 4 games (as of December 8th, 2025)
Beat Wonder Boy And The Dragons Trap 100%. It was fun and not too hard, thanks to Youtube. The artstyle is pleasant and the music is good, though it seems like there is only one track playing, with different variations of it. Thanks to the items the last boss was almost easy.
My favourite game of the series is Monster Boy And The Cursed Kingdom. I would really recommend this game. It put me in a good mood and was fun. The remake of Asha is also a great game, as is the original.I
I just finished the first game in the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy and I do believe that it is one of the most unique and interesting games I have ever played. Every chapter was incredibly engaging and interesting, the characters were all varied and fun, and the investigations were a lot of fun. The music and artwork were also stellar; everything was super expressive and nice to look at. The last two chapters in particular have some amazing twists and extremely satisfying payoffs.
The game does have some annoyances: Sometimes I found myself completely lost at a trial unsure of what evidence I needed to provide, and unfortunately, the only way to really get past this is to look up a guide. Otherwise, it's usually gonna be a game over. Also, I felt like some investigations dragged on for too long with no clear goals at times.
Other than these few things, though, Ace Attorney is a stellar game that I think everyone should at least try out. I poured 20 hours into the first game alone and it went by incredibly fast. For now, though, I think I may take a slight break from the series and work on a couple of other games I've been playing. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney gets a 9/10 from me.
@StarPoint Wow, crazy and awesome that you enjoyed it that much! Personally i wouldn't go as far as a 10/10 game but it certainly was a decent game. I enjoyed the ones after a bit more, so i am curious what you will think about the other two entries
"on a scale of 1 to 10, she's an 11, and she'd give herself a 12" ~The Burst, Furi
@Solaine Yeah, I'm really excited to try the others out as well. If they're as good as or even better than the first game, then I'm absolutely all for it.
"Science compels us to explode the sun!"
Currently playing:
Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition (Switch)
Balatro (PC)
I finished Ys I & II Chronicles+ (PC/Steam) on Saturday. Definitely fun, cleaned-up versions of the 1989 originals. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the "bump" combat going in, but I caught on quickly. Beautiful graphics, hand-drawn portraits and backgrounds, great music (Nihon Falcom's in-house band knows how to jam!), and an interesting story connecting the two....There's a reason they're usually bundled together. I will say some hints were cryptic (shows the original framing a bit) and some items weren't easy to find, but talking to NPCs helps a lot in this game; in fact, it can make plenty of difference regarding the difficulty. (Seriously, LISTEN to them in the beginning of the first game lol) Magic is also fun to use in the second game, particularly the Alter magic since it allows the player to speak to demons and other Roos.
Really, my only major criticism is that the end dungeons in each game, PARTICULARLY the Shrine of Solomon in II, can be confusing as heck to navigate; I probably lost an hour or two just trying to find different rooms. I did resort to a guide in the end.
These are definitely worth it for Ys and ARPG fans; the story isn't too outside of the "chosen one" norm, but there are some genuinely moving moments.
One day four cats are chillin' around exploring & living their best life, however an orange kitty (that's you) slips off a pipe and falls into a facility known as "Walled City 99". It's a post apocalyptic affair, with sentient robots struggling to survive, and hints of a human population that's long since vanished.
"Hey, where you going?"
Determined to find a path back to the outside world, you'll lead your kitty through a largely linear adventure largely involving some sort puzzle platforming, though there are a couple of open areas as well (these tend to be safe zones of sorts, where you'll interact with the robotic denizens & take on tasks, some optional, to help them out in your quest to escape).
Metal Gear Cuddly (you even get to hide in boxes!)
Early on in the adventure you'll team up with a mysterious drone who has many uses (he acts as translator when reading signs/talking to robots, has a flashlight for dark areas, is your inventory, can interact with computer terminals, and also has one or two other temporary uses which I won't spoil).
There isn't much in terms of side content, with the largest activity being the acquisition of "Memories", which reveal more about the world & what happened to it. 5 of them you'll get automatically just by playing through it, though there are usually 2 or 3 hidden off path during each linear segment, and a whole bunch hidden in out of the way locations in the open segments (the vast majority). You don't need to worry about them until the drone joins up with you though, as only he can access them (I obtained all but two). Otherwise there are some optional activities you can undertake to help out the robots, like collecting music sheets for a musician, though other than adding a little color to the world these serve no purpose (though I think you get pins, which are added to your kitty's vest, as you complete them).
It does go out of it's way to make you feel like a cat, whether it be the controversial jumping system (where you can only make precise, calculated jumps to areas the cat knows it can reach) which I didn't have issue with, the ability to meow, and designated areas where you can nap, scratch furniture, nudge a robot's legs, and knock stuff off surfaces (some of which are used to solve problems).
"Sorry, am I interrupting something?"
The kitty stuff absolutely can be cute at the right times, but I am quite surprised at how wholesome & cute the game's reputation as a whole is. Don't get me wrong, the world is absolutely interesting & there is some humor peppered here & there, though it's dour & sombre more often than not, & there are even a couple areas that nearly go all in on a zombie apocalypse like vibe (not gory, but would still be nightmare inducing for younger players I'd imagine, but I don't want to get too detailed for fears of spoiling).
Not so warm & fuzzy (it gets worse).
It's an absolutely gorgeous game graphically too, with a presentation that stands alongside some of the best looking AAA titles I've played. I've heard it can be a bit glitchy, but I really didn't have that experience myself (just one instance where I could jump to a platform that no longer existed, which was more funny than anything).
Various shots, ending with a pretty glitchy kitty.
Currently Playing:
Switch - Blade Strangers
PS4 - Kingdom Hearts III, Tetris Effect (VR)
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