Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence (PS2)

This was the first Metal Gear Solid game I played and I have to say this is still by far my favorite.  I've never been good at stealthy games.  In fact, I am downright terrible.  This game helped me break that habit of being bad at them by making me think differently.

Sure, I played on EZ and did use the EZ Gun when I got mad at the situation but I still got some challenge out of it.  There were times when I did not use the EZ Gun and tried my hardest.  Those are my favorite moments in the game.  I like the fact that this game is very forgiving to new players like me.

The story is a major factor in my enjoyment of this as well.  Every aspect and detail of the story was put in a way that it just makes sense as a whole.  Sure parts can be pretty crazy but it feels no worse than a James Bond film.  In fact, that is one of the things that really stands out.  If this had been a James Bond game, it would have worked.  The espionage, the opening, and the characters all point to a typical Bond film.  I can't help but think that some of the things in this game are little nods to that.

I have to say, for my dislike of the genre because I am so bad at it.  I'm very glad I gave this game a chance. I had lots of fun with it and feel that it helped push me into a new genre and new series gently.  Sure I'm not the best at this game and if I was asked to play it again I would but I had the fun I had with it because it was so new and different.  It helped me grow as a gamer and that is a key part of my enjoyment of a game.

Darkstalkers (PSN)

I bought Darkstalkers off of Playstation Network one night because I wanted a fighting game.  I don't think I understood what I was in for.  I didn't realized what this game was going to be and I had some fun with it but it suffers from one thing that in fighting games gets old.

When I play fighting games, I don't really practice with any character.  I usually just hop on and play as the randomly selected character.  If a game lets me, I just use that every match.  This includes online as well.  I just like the thrill of not knowing who I am going to play as.

This game has a curse and I swear other fighting games do this as well, where the random select will constantly get the same character over and over again.  This happened to me in Blazblue and Persona 4 Arena.  But this game is the biggest offender.  Whenever I do random select, I always get BB Hood.  Now don't get me wrong, she is a good fighter but I like to play as other characters.  I always get her, I have even attempted to stop the random select not on her and it still goes to her.

Still, the game is solid and there is a lot to do.  I have had some fun with it and I do like the fact that all the old monster movie favorites are there too.  Nothing better than watching them go at each other.  Yes, I know diehard fans will tear apart this review but nobody reads these.  So I'm not worried.

Yoshi's Island DS (NDS)

Yoshi is a thing that when it's done correctly is really good.  This game has elements that are good but it lacks the finesse of the SNES game that this is a sequel to.  This game introduces some new elements to the platforming in the other one but they never really get anywhere with it.

The only reason I won't recommend this game is because the ludicrous amounts of difficulty towards the end.  Particularly anything involving the little pink bouncy ball things that are just really annoying and don't serve any useful purpose.  Now, don't get me wrong I like a challenge in platforming but this gets so far out of hand that it stops being fun.

Super Metroid (SNES)

One of my favorite games of all time.  This is my second favorite SNES game but this is the game that got me interested in the series.  It's a simple game but there are so many facets to it that no matter how many times you play it, it feels different.  Even with a map and a guide, I have yet to find everything or at least getting it all in the time I want to.

I love this game.  It feels incredible to just wander around and see what you can get into.  Sure I've been stuck a couple times but the game always teaches you what you need to get past where you are.  What comes in mind is how the game teaches you how to use the Speed Boost Jump thing with the bird.  It doesn't just explain it with the text but the bird shows you how to do it.

This game is what all good action adventure games should be like.  Lots to do but you never get bored.  There is always something happening and when you don't know what to do, you can just start searching the places you haven't been to yet.  If you have a chance, play this game.  It's the best Metroid game and probably the best action adventure game I've ever played.

Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (GBC)

For one of the first Gameboy games I ever owned, it took me a very long time to finally beat this game.  This was a fun game with solid controls and the great Mario fun that people know from the series.  The worlds are all unique but some are better than others.

Halloween zone and Moon zone are my two least favorite.  Moon zone simply because it is just stupid and short.  Halloween zone because the levels all have silly secrets.  The powerups in this game are really nice and I do wish they would bring the bunny ears back.  They were great and really added some variety to this game.

This was a good follow-up to the original Mario Land game for the Gameboy and definitely worth playing.  Play it if you get the chance.  Do it.  Go on, do it.

Fallout 3 (PS3)

This was one of the first games I ever got for my PS3 and it was my first foray into Western RPGs.  I did pick a great game to start off with too.  This game became my passion for 200 hours and I haven't even done everything.

Let me start by saying this game really sets the mood.  It's a post-nuclear Washington D.C. and you are just a lonely person who has left the only home you have ever known in search of your father.  You come to find out that the world isn't as empty as you once thought and it sets up a great adventure.  This game has so much to do and see that you may find yourself just wandering for hours.

Sure the PS3 version had a number of glitches and it would crash often but it was still playable.  I purchased three DLC for this (Point Lookout, Broken Steel, and the alien one).  Each was well worth the purchase.  This game was just so much fun to explore and do things with.  Each place you journey to can have any sort of treasures in it that you just wander for hours trying to find the next piece of interesting loot.

If you have access to anything that can play this game, I say play it.  It really shows how an open world should be, open.  There is nothing stopping you from getting all the map points before doing all the missions or at least I didn't run into something stopping me.  It's great to just wander around and make your own way.

Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 (GBA)

So this is a ported version of what I consider the best Super Mario game of the NES days.  Everything about this game is solid.  I have 100% complete this game which means I got every whistle.  I beat every level.  I did everything.

This game should be taught in developer school's as how to properly do a difficulty curve.  This game has the best curve I've ever experienced.  You never feel like things jump up too far in challenge but you are still staying focused.  Just after a set of hard levels, they sometimes throw a short mindless level at you to keep you from getting frustrated.

This game is what platformers still should be held to in terms of standards.  It is solid, tight, and responsive.  I can't stress just how good this game feels.  When you die, you know why and you know it was your fault.  Nothing ever feels cheap or broken.  I suggest that everybody who plays games at least give this game a try in any of it's iterations.  Sure in this one you could save but even without that, this game is worth it.  A must play in my book.

Arcana Heart 3 (PS3)

Hmmm, a game that I shouldn't like because of the technical aspects of being good at a fighter but then I like because the all female cast.  I subscribe to the notion that if you are going to spend hours looking at a character, it should be an attractive character.  Which is why I like female characters so much in games.

This game is fun and even a complete beginner can find somebody to be good with at times.  With the mix-ups of character and arcana, even mirror matches can play out differently if you each pick a different arcana. See, arcana's each add special moves or effects when used.  They add more flavor to this cast of interesting characters.

I wish I had spent more time with this game.  It is one of the first fighting games I actually spent a lot of time playing with friends.  Sure we move on to new games but this game lives on in my heart as one that I see as fun.  The story mode is frustrating though.

The Last Story (Wii)

This is a game to show just how the Wii could have been had more developers taken the time to look past the motion controls and actually made games for it.  This is a game that helps me understand why the Wii was such an under-utilized machine.  This is a Wii game that brings the question to light, "why didn't more devs do this?"

I am having a hard time forgetting about this game and for good reason.  It has one of the best battle systems I've ever experienced.  Being able to dodge and counter an enemy but still maintaining the turn-based theme is a strange and excellent combination.  The combat is what this game really shines with.  When you lose, you know why and you know what to do next time.  There were only a handful of times when I really felt that the battle was unfair but I kept playing despite it.

The stealth aspects the game are a nice touch but often felt unneeded.  The story was good, a little corny at times, and definitely predictable in the end but good.  This story does something that I have wanted in an RPG for so long, it makes you question your motives at every turn.  You seem to wonder if the path you are walking is the correct one.

All in all, this is an astounding experience and I feel like this is what Final Fantasy XII should have been.  The combat is smooth, responsive, and incredibly fun.  There are a lot of things to this game that can be deep, like the multiplayer or co-op that I didn't even try.  Even the single-player has an Arena that I didn't even touch.  There is a lot to this game but the whole journey is worth it if you stick with it.  Definitely a must buy for any Wii owners.

Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 (3DS)

I've played both versions of this game as this is a remake of a SNES title of similar name.  This is the pinnacle of the SNES platformers in my eyes.  Whereas the other games that came after it weren't terrible, this game was just spot on.  The controls are incredibly tight and you feel like when you make a mistake, you still have a chance.

Not to say this game doesn't have issues.  Some of the effects take an incredibly long time to finish and you have to sit through them every time.  Yes, this is similar to an unskippable cutscene but I can forgive this since this game was before that era and cutscenes were used for different purposes.

The boss battles are all unique and fun.  The stages all have some gimmick and it never feels like they are repeated, which is rare for a game like this.  Usually, due to limitations, they would reuse the same three or four stage designs but throw in new elements.  This game just feels fresh throughout, they never give you the same thing over and over to the point that it gets boring.

This is a must own for any platformer lover.  This shows just how good a game Nintendo can make and they should be applauded for this one.  Sure there is a sequel (I will get to it or have, I am too lazy to check) but this game is bounds above it.  Play this, immediately.