Mortal Kombat (SNES)

This is a game that goes back to my childhood.  I used to watch my older siblings play this during the summer.  They would never let me play it cause it was too violent but they let me watch.  I have to say, when I finally got to play it.  It was fun.

The problem is, now this game seems clunky to me.  It has not held up well and there are much better games.  Going back, I would have loved to play this.  Nowadays though, I won't play this game.  It's still a decent game if you are really into old fighters.

ClaDun: This is an RPG (PSP)

Randomly generated content is usually a draw for me.  It gives me a lot of content and lots to do in a small package.  Every adventure is different.  This game is one of those games that I played for hours and hours and hours just because I was having fun.

The concept is simple.  Make it to the end of each dungeon.  The story dungeons are not procedural and have set layouts.  Those are not the major draw.  Rangeons and the brethren are what draw me in.  You never know where you will end up and often you find yourself in over your head.

The combat is fun, the character creation was awesome, and the story was passable.  Yes there is lots to do and the game can technically never end but there is just so much fun to have.  Don't pass this game up.  There is a lot in this game and it is definitely worth playing.

Legend of Zelda (NES)

Nothing beats a classic.  This is the game that really started my love of games.  There is nothing about this game that doesn't define the genre it helped create.  It is one of the originals and every designer should be forced to play this game.  Only games that can be as creative as this should be made in the future.

The game is simple, it doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles.  What it inspires is a sense of adventure.  It basically sets you in a world and tells you to go.  It doesn't tell you where to go and when to do certain things.  It's up to the player to figure it out.  This is what modern games are lacking.  Sure you can challenge a player with difficult challenges and impossible odds but this game does all that and achieves something modern games miss, it's fun.

Fat Princess (PSN)

This was one of the first games I had for my PS3 and was in fact the first game I had gotten off of PSN.  It was an interesting concept but as time goes on it just gets old.  It kept it's charm for a while but once you start playing with strangers, the fun drops sharply.

The game is plagued with little glitches and hiccups.  Most of these are just minor and don't really hurt the experience too much but some can be downright terrible.  When your entire team is wiped out because of one person glitched to where they can't be killed, it's not much fun.

The reason I stopped playing this game was simple.  The last match I played was with strangers and three of my teammates spent the entire match, throwing bombs at our own door.  No matter how much I tried to rebuild it, they would continue to blow it up.  That's when I knew the game was over.

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon (3DS)

Going into this game, I had no expectations.  I had never played the first one and had no idea how I would like this game.  It looked nice and while I didn't play the multiplayer at all, that was a key decision to buy it.  Why didn't I play the multiplayer?  Because the story mode killed the fun I had.

The game starts out simple, albeit I did lose an hour cause you can't save in the tutorial mission.  Which is dumb cause I couldn't figure out what to do.  That was a common theme in this game.  Some of the puzzles and missions are not clear what you are supposed to do.  It really kills the game's flow when you hit a point where you are basically mindlessly backtracking to find what to do next.

The second part that really killed me on this was the mission variance.  Sure some can be unique but when you start hitting the Toad escort missions and the ghost dog, you grow tired of them.  In fact, those two types were boring from the start.  The only saving grace was some of the bosses were incredibly fun.

Lastly, the worst part is the incredibly inconsistent controls at times or poor choices for bosses.  The boss of the fourth mansion comes to mind in this.  I consistently lost to an incredibly easy boss because the game was not reading my hits as hits.  I hit the boss the same way consistently and each time something different would happen.  That is not good game design.  And yes, the Boo Train was just stupid and bland.  They could have done better.

All in all, this game started fun, dipped into tedium and frustration, and then ended decently.  There is some variance in what you are doing but nothing to be super interesting.  With times where you are just wandering around aimlessly.  Towards the end of the game, I was purposely just missing money and treasure to beat the game faster to make it end.

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.