Super Mario 64

This game did not age well

Genre: Platformer
Platform: Nintendo 64
Release Date: 1996

The game that started it all. I remember when they showed this game I was in the US and it was like the most greatest thing I have ever witness. A Mario game with the freedom to go anywhere and do anything. Who doesn't want that. So I started trying to play this game and I found out that I was really wrong. This game really did not age well. For the time this game was great but now with todays modern mechanics and movement this game feels like guiding a tank. Mario controls while fluid is not that smooth. He has a couple frames of animation where he will stop. This will make getting to the precise platform to jump is a chore. Other that the floppy controls. The gameplay is like a normal Mario game. Get start and completed the challenge. I did a couple of Stars and then I realised that life is too short to play a game that is not fun. Overall B-Rank for me

Astro Bot

This is a love letter to Playstation 

Game no: 531
Genre: Platformer
Platform: PS5
Release Date: 2024

What can I say about Astro Bot that no one else can say. I can say that this is a fun game. This game hits all the right notes spanning 30 years of PlayStation history and finally I can say that it's been a long while where a game can make me smile to play from start to finish. So lets begin my Astro Bot review. We all know that this game is going to be great since the first time I played Astro Bot is from the preloaded PS5 game Astro's playroom. This time Team Asobi manage to do the same game but made it 10 times bigger. 

The game premise is simple. You have to save 300 of your robot freinds scattered throughtout the galaxy and you need to travel to each planet in the specific galaxy to rescue them. At the end of the level. The number of bots your rescued will unlocked the boss for that galaxy and once you beat them you have a specfic VIP bot (more on that later) that will unlock the specific planet with that bot gameplay. Since I am not sure when you will read this so I can share with you the VIP bots that come with their own unique gameplay is Ape Escape(PS1 classic), God of War (plays excatly like the actual game), Uncharted (my favoruite), Loco Roco (I miss this game) and Horizon Zero Dawn (I have to play this game one day). The VIP bots provide some variety into an already polish gameplay. 

Astro comes with a lot of special items to aid him in his quest. Items like the Chicken and Dog which provides vertical and horizontal boost. The Frog hands which acts like boxing gloves, the rock outfit which gives shielding against rocks and heat. There are also enviornmental items like the mouse that makes Astro sink and a sponge that makes Astro suck a lot of water. Each of them provides a unique gameplay and I wish that they could make more stages like this. Sometimes it is just one stage and then you can't use the powerup again. I think that a miss oppurtunity. There are also some stages that requires the gyro controls from the DualSense. I can say that this game uses all the features of the DualSense controllers.

I think the star of these games are the VIP bots. We need to resque 300 of them and out of the 300 there are 140 VIP bots from PlayStation history. Some are well known based on what they are wearing (Solid Snake or Crash Bandicoot) to the obsurce ones (Vib Ribbon and Incredible Crisis) to the who are these people again (No idea??). They don't tell us who are these characters since by rescuing them you'll get a short description on what they were famous for rather than thier name. The bots play a role in advancing the gameplay since the hub world needs a certain number of bots in order to go to the next galaxy. The PS5 is also a character in this game in where you need to rescue the parts scrattered throughout the galaxy. Overall you can see me smiling everytime I got something that reminds me of my past gaming history 

After beating the game there are a lot of secrets to get such as portals to the lost galaxy (shorter versions of the actual stages), puzzle pieces and the best part challenge levels. Challenge levels are basically hardcore challenges of platforming where you have only one chance to get from start to finish without dying. The challenges range from easy to extremely hard. If you mange to beat them all you will be treated to the Master Level Challenge which is by far the most awesome challenge of all (It took me 1 hour to get through). Other than that there are 8 bit stages and glass floor stages. The game really just wants to you play more of it 

After finish the 20 hour game you are left with a satisfied conclusion to a very special game. It doesn't overextend its welcome but I wish it had more. I hope that this game sells a lot and team Asobi can make something else using Astro Bot as the star. So far I can say this is my number 1 game of the year and I will give this an S-Rank 

Super Mario Wonder

I finally finish this game after 6 months 

Game no: 526
Genre: Platform 
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release Date: 2023

So I started the game in January with the hope of actually finishing a new game each month. But life got in the way and I was totally busy that I couldn't even finish it. So this past 2 weeks I decided to start playing it slowly. At least 30 minutes a day which eventually will get me to the end. What can I say about this game. This game is Wonderful... Pun Intended 

This game is a complete revamp of Mario artwork. This game was made by a new team and they change most of the animation, add more enemies and made stages centered around something called the Wonder Flower. What does the
Wonder Flower does you ask? The Wonder Flower will change the stages into something unexpected and magical. The thing with the Wonder Flower is you never know what is going to happen. Sometimes you be zooming to the sky, you'll be a some kind of sticky creature or swimming in lava. The Wonder Flower makes the game unpredictable and interesting. 

Besides that you have 4 different power ups. The Elephant flower, The drill flower, The fire flower and the bubble flower. My favorite is the Elephant power since you are Elephant. Who doesn't want that. What I want to complain about this game. Nothing much. This game is one of the
perfect Mario games that I played. Everything is just great and you end the game. The Final boss is a bit hard but other than that is okay,

So This game will be my number 1 in my top 10 since I didn't play any current games and this is my first one. But I'm glad I get to play this one. S Rank for me 

Duck Dodgers Starring Daffy Duck

An acceptable platformer 

Genre: Platformer
Platform: Nintendo 64
Release Date: 2000

It's probably one of the obscure Daffy Duck characters but Duck Dodgers is some kind of space super hero. This game is a typical platformer of the 2000s. You need to go in an area and collect the atoms in which enough atoms will unlock the next stage (that is before you fight the boss for that stage). Controls are decent, platforming is decent. Overall is a decent experience. But after the first stage I was surprised that your atoms don't carry forward and you have to start back from zero. Plus the game only have to different move which is jump and kick. There are some powerups but it is not that memorable. It is probably a great game during that time. But it was okay for me. Overall C-Rank.

Super Mario World 2- Yoshi Island

A great game but the mechanics not so much

Genre: Platfomer
Platform: SNES 
Release Date: 1995

Mario is now a baby and is up to the Yoshi to help him navigate the island. This game is fun I can say. The visuals are great and also there are a lot of interesting gameplay mechanics that you can do with Yoshi. Yoshi can turn into different vehicles that are fun to control. The bosses are unique as well. The only problem I have with this game is that you can loss in a stage where you don't know where to go. Just going round and round until you figure out where to go next. The good part about that is that you don't have a timer but in the end you just be frustratingly loss. Oh and everytime Yoshi get hit. Baby Mario will fly away which adds to a level of annoyance of finding him back. Played the game until level 3 after that I am done. I give it a C-Rank

Knack 2

Well it's a better sequel 

Game no: 458
Genre: Platformer
Platform: PS4 
Release Date: 2017

You play as the polygon shape changing hero Knack and it continues the story from the first game (which is weird since the first game didn't have a continuation to it) The gameplay is the same from the first game but a lot of improvements from the first game. Now you cubes can be summon after you become small which plays a lot on gameplay. You can't attack when you are small knack. The minimum height is around 5 feet (they have a display of the height this time which the max is 33 feet) There are a lot of puzzles on which if you get stuck on for a long time there is a hint system that shows you step by step on what you have to do. There is a skill tree now which boost your attack skills but its too long to get. The graphics is a bit different from the first game. Gone are the cartoony look and now it's a bit more realistic graphics. Knack still looks the same though. Combat is fun as ever in which you need to use multiple combos to beat a lot of different enemy types. There are also vehicles segments which is fun to ride. Your knack abilities are back where you can absorb other elements.   

There are a couple things that I didn't like. The skill tree takes forever to build up. I think this game meant to be played twice. The story is okay and also spends multiple months which is strange for a game. There is a scene where you are stuck for 4 months. In the end the game is just a nice game to play. I played this game until the end credits and I give this game a B-rank which is good enough to entertain you. 

The Company Man

 A game made by local developers 

Game no: 453
Genre: Platformer
Platform: Nintendo Switch 
Release Date: 2021

How to describe Company Man? It is basically a game on how the working life in a corporate structure. You play as as a no name employee after being sabotage by one of your colleagues you are fired and being demoted the corporate ladder. You have to work your way up until the highest level of management 

This game really shows how is working life in a local company. You start the bottom which is customer service, move your way up to HR, accounting, R&D sales and marketing and finally the CEO level. Each level you fight theme employees that work there that is trying
to stop you from succeeding. After beating them you get money which you will use to purchase overpriced coffee beans in order to upgrade your keyboard. Oh yeah you are call the keyboard warrior. The writing in the game is amazing. Even when you get an upgrade for your keyboard it has funny quips on how the upgrade happen. The bosses are challenging but it takes you to memorize a couple of moves to get the hang of beating them. I do love how they incorporate the local work culture in the game. You can notice some subtle art and stuff if you look hard enough

Things that I do not like about this game is that you checkpoints are a bit too far between and some of the enemies can kill you with a couple of hits. Other than that this game is a simple by the book platformer. I finish the game until the end credits. I give this game an A-Rank because it delivers in giving me a great time  

Guacamelee! 2

The sequel improves on everything 

Game no: 447
Genre: Platformer
Platform: Nintendo Switch 
Release Date: 2018

Juan the Mexican Luchador is back and this time the fate of the whole Mexicanverse is at stake. This game is basically a Metroidvania with a lot of platforming involved. I love the fighting in the game. It is just a two button combo but there are a lot of variety it in. The power button is use to unlock parts of the stages that are inaccessible yet. The best part of this game in my opinion is that the best part of it there is less backtracking needed. Everything is point out in the map of where you need to go and each new upgrade will just advance the gameplay right away. Then there is a the pollo or chicken. In the first game it was just a means to get to small to reach places but now the chicken itself is an integral part of the game. The chicken has it own set of powers and moves. The best part is the story. It doesn't take himself seriously and there is a lot of famous memes in the game that makes fun of the fact that this game is full of memes. 

There is a couple things I didn't like about this game as well. You'll end up dying a lot. There are some sections of the game that require you to memorize each different button press and of each on you get it wrong you will end up restarting the level again. Other than that this game is a great game. I manage to finish the game until the end credits. I give this game an A-rank. If you love the first one you will love the second one

Crash Bandicoot 4 It's About Time

Oh my god Crash is hard

Game no: 424
Genre: Platformer  
Platform: PS4
Release Date: 2019

What is it about?
Continuing after Crash 3. The gang is all back for another adventure

What I liked?
The gameplay is challenging 
The story is so so 
The stages are very creative 
The mask (slow, flip, spin and phase) provide different gameplay elements 

What I didn't liked?
The gameplay is for freaking hard
To get a perfect run is really near to impossible 

The last part of the game I called BS 

Status: Finish the game until the credits 

Fun Factor: It was a nice experience. I probably won't touch this again 

Bowser's Fury

It is a short and sweet game. And the only game for 2021 so far

Game no: 407
Genre: Platformer 
Platform: Nintendo Switch 
Release Date: 2021

What is it about?
Bowser is acting all crazy and Mario and Bowser Jr need to stop him before gets out of control 

What I liked?
It the first open world Mario game where all the cat shines are scattered around the stage and you can do it in any order you want

All your power ups can be stored for future use. Which is great since some stages you need to change to a different power ups

There is a water dinosaur which is super fun to ride 

Mario can turn into Super Cat Mario and during that time fighting Giga Bowser is a blast 

What I didn't liked?
There is no on screen map. You need to check on the map all the time to see where to go next and sometimes it can disorienting.
Giga Bowser is really annoying when you are trying to get to a shine. But that is part of the game 

Status: Finish the game with 50/100 cat shines 

Fun Factor: Finish all 4 Mario games in less than a month. Love this game. 

Super Mario Galaxy 2

This one improves on the original in so many ways

Game no: 406
Genre: Platformer 
Platform: Wii
Release Date: 2010
Factory Sealed: 221

What is it about?
The sequel to the first Mario Galaxy game 

What did I liked?
A lot of improvements from the original
- There is a world map which makes it easier to navigate 
- You will get notifications for every new star
- Each place will only have 2 or 3 stars tops 
- Platforming is challenging and rewarding at the same time 
Yoshi 
Cloud suit and drill suit plus the whole old suits 

What I didn't liked?
You need a lot of stars to advance and some of the stages are super hard 
The duck and jump is still hard to execute 
The dragon boss is super hard

Status: Finish the game will 70 stars 

Fun Factor: One of the best Mario games I played in a long while. Top 10 game of the year  

Super Mario Galaxy

This is an awesome Mario game. Why didn't I play it sooner 

Game no: 405
Genre: Platformer 
Platform: Nintendo Switch 
Release Date: 2007
Factory Sealed: 190

What is it about?
Peach is kidnapped again but this time she is in a another galaxy

What I liked?
This is classic Mario platforming which is super awesome 
The stages are unique and challenging 
Powerups are awesome, spring, bee, ice, flower, and flight.
Flying through the galaxy is great 
There are some speed rounds that involve a comet 

What I didn't liked?
The powerups all have timer which is frustrating 
Controlling the gyro with the switch controller takes a while getting use to 
The touch screen features also needs work 

Status: Finish the game with 61 stars 

Fun Factor: A must play game 

Super Mario 3D World

 4 Mario games in a month. Let's a go

Game no: 404
Genre: Platformer 
Platform: Nintendo Switch 
Release Date: 2013

What is it about?
Mario and friends needs to help save 7 fairies all over the Mushroom kingdom

What did I liked?
The ability to move all over the map. It is a fully 3D environment 
The powerups are awesome. Cat suit, fire flower, boomerang and tanooki suit 
Extra power blocks. Coins, propellers and lights
Each stages is an adventure of itself. It is so much fun
If you die lots of time. You like the special tanooki suit.  

What I didn't liked?
This game is super hard at the end stages. You'll die a lot. I don't understand how to play this game with 3 other players
The stars are so hard to find. You really need to have the cat suit to go everywhere

Status: Finish the game with 171 stars 

Fun Factor: A very fun Mario game. Not the best. But it serve its purpose.

  

Astro's Playroom

I got a Ps5 and this is the first game I played

Game no: 386
Genre: Platfomer
Platform: PS5
Release Date: 2020

What is it about?
A love letter to all fans of the PlayStation. You follow Astro as he journey throughout the years of PlayStation heritage

What I liked?

Everything. There. This game is one of the best games I've played in a while

All the Easter eggs of past PlayStation games. Really you won't know it all but when you get the reference is it fun to watch
Gameplay. Really the DualSense controller really makes this game shine out

Collecting all the artifacts in PlayStation history.

Did I tell you I like everything. Being a built in title for the PS5. It is an awesome way to start of your new system

What I didn't liked?

Nothing. This game is flawless for me

Status: Finish the game and collected all puzzles and artifacts 

Fun Factor: A must play. Game of the year for me so far. 

Super Mario Sunshine

First game of the year and honestly it is not a fun game

Game no: 385
Genre: Platfomer
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release Date: 2002

Factory Sealed: 215

What is it about?

Delfino Island has been dirtied by sludge and it is up to Mario to clean it up

What I liked?

The platforming is super precise. Which is fun in certain stages

The secret stages really test your platforming ability

The FLUDD is awesome. Playing with water is fun as heck

The stages are so vibrant. This game is so fun and colourful. You feel like you are on a vacation

What I didn't liked?

For a mario platformer this game is unforgivingly hard. One wrong move you will end up dying

Some stages are impossible to beat without being lucky (I'm looking at you the chucking stages)

The FLUDD is fun but really requires a lot of patience to handle

The Hotel Delfino stage. I didn't like it all one bit. Oh and the theme park stage

You have to beat all stages to get to the final stage

Status: Finish the game with 68 Shines 

Fun Factor: It a good game but really not for everyone. If you want a fun platformer, avoid this game