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Review – Animal Crossing: New Horizons
I've got a history with Animal Crossing going way back to the GameCube era. A new one arrived just in time for Covid lockdowns, which was pretty serendipitous. But can it live up to previous games in the series? No. When I ask that question, it usually means no.
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Review – Luigi’s Mansion 3
I’ve always been a fan of Luigi. Ever since his high jumps nearly broke Super Mario Bros. 2. When I’d play Super Mario World alone, I’d start a two-player mode and kill off Mario so I could just play as Luigi. So, golly, I was so on board with Luigi’s Mansion back when it dropped alongside the Gamecube in 2001.…
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Review – The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
The first time I finished The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening I nearly cried. Anyone who’s done the same probably knows what I’m talking about. The second time, however, I was less impressed. I was on a Zelda kick and was playing through the games in order of their release, and, I don’t know. Maybe it’s just because it was…
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Review – Sin & Punishment Star Successor
It's incredible that we ever got a sequel to Sin & Punishment. It launched in the twilight days of the N64 and didn't sell very well. Star Successor isn't a great fit for how Nintendo was pushing the Wii at the time. But somehow the stars aligned and here we are.
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Saturday Morning Scrutiny: Captain N: The Game Master (Season 1)
Back in the 8-bit era of video games, a lot of imagination was required to fill the gaps between a game’s box art, and the low-detail, pixelated mess that was on screen. Even the box art wasn’t always reliable. Mega Man’s North American box seemed to imply that the title character was a helmeted, middle-aged man in the midst of…
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Review – Sin & Punishment
Every once and a while, you may hear me gush about Japanese developer Treasure, creators of such treats as Gunstar Heroes and Ikaruga. None of their games crack the loose inventory of my favourite games, but every time I play one, I’m always stricken by the sheer imagination that’s always on display. They’re weird, but not necessarily in a quirky…
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Review – Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes
I can’t account for my fascination with the character of Travis Touchdown. He’s a womanizing, awkward, selfish, and overall pathetic character, but I find him difficult to fully hate. Even in terms of his characterization, he’s inconsistently written to the point where it’s sometimes hard to peg whether his pseudo-intellectual musings on the topic of bloodlust are sincere, or just…
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Review – Chibi-Robo
Chibi-Robo is certainly a special game for me. I fell in love with it before release, while I was in college. On its day of release, I braved some harsh February Ottawa weather to go and find a copy at one of the nearby game stores. I say nearby, but it was at least a 45-minute walk. It left a…
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Review – Super Mario RPG
It’s impossible to state what an event Super Mario RPG was in my childhood. I could spin quite a few yarns about my initial experiences with the game, like how, when I would rent it, it would come with its Player’s Guide. Or that time my mom hooked this really crappy TV up so I could play it in my…
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Review – Pilotwings 64
The original Pilotwings was an effective launch title for the SNES, because it successfully demonstrated the amazing sprite scaling and rotating capabilities of the the console, effectively named Mode-7. It was colourful, relaxing, and then it forced you through an aggravating helicopter mission for no reason. I enjoyed it, but that helicopter mission can go boil in tar. It makes…
