Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream

• Genre: Life-Sim
• Spoiler Free Review: Sorta? I don't know what is considered spoilers in a game like this, but there are some major event screenshots included.
• Partners: Alice most of all - since she provided me with items and a dozen of the Miis I used. I also had some other friends make Miis of their tabletop characters for me to use, and of course some Miis of my friends I have previously acquired from them.
• Time Played: 90 Hours
• Too Short/Long: It's solid and it's definitely one of those games you can play pretty much as much as what you want. I think I actually rolled credits closer to about 60 hours. I may still play a bit here and there.
• Did I cry: Nah.
• Soundtrack: It has some cute sounds but nothing I'm gonna jam out to outside the game. Like Pokemon
• Why I played: Alice was really excited for it, and we had a little adventure trying to get it. It was actually pretty ridiculous, and we had to go to like 4 different place - one multiple times. I ended up playing the demo and thinking it was pretty cute and picked up another copy so we could "play together" and share some of the stuff we made.
• Jank: It's mostly pretty jank free. I'd say the most jank lies in the fact that certain controls change menu to menu, resulting in my often "miss-clicking" so to speak. Press the wrong button and doing the wrong thing.
• Difficulty: There is zero difficulty to this game. It's something you play, but isn't designed to create any kind of challenge.
• Pleased/Disappointed: I'm pretty pleased. I wasn't originally interested in it at all, and ended up playing quite a bit, and will likely play some more. I ended up playing Pokopia over 125 hours before hanging it up for now, so I might play this a bit more, though I'm not sure Tomodachi Life will keep my interest quite as long - I'm pretty much just seeing the same things over and over at this point, and any remaining interest would be just creating new Miis - which I do have a lot of fun with to be fair, or doing some serious customization to my island.
• Recommend to others: I definitely would recommend this if it's your type of game, or you find it easy to be amused by your own jokes so to speak. A lot of the game is giving them prompts to use in interactions, so it's like you're co-creating the joke because you're making them say the thing you told them to. There are a lot of fun and lolrandom interactions, and if that sounds like something you'd enjoy you should definitely go for it.
  

Unfortunately I've summarized most of the main points of the game above in some way or another. Tomodachi Life mostly has you making miis, customizing your island, and making them interact. It's basically a digital dollhouse for those who have lost the wonder of banging a couple figures together while having a two-way conversation with themselves.

Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood

• Genre: Visual Novel
• Spoiler Free Review: Not entirely, it's mostly story, so hard to not talk about that.
• Time Played: ~10 Hours
• Too Short/Long: It's fine.
• Did I cry: I choked up a couple times, maybe got moistened eyes.
• Soundtrack: Really good. Definitely need to acquire.
• Why I played: It just looked like a cute game, and even though I haven't played it, I always hear/see how Red Strings Club is so great and it's made by the same people. I also like witches and thought the card making might be neat.
• Jank: I played it on Switch and it was quite a bit janky when it came to the controls. You wouldn't think so, but the pointer would often get stuck and instead of being able to just use left/right to select things, I would have to move it via free movement of the right stick. This wasn't a consistent issue, so I know it wasn't meant to function that way. A minor inconvenience all-in-all but you would think something with so few controls would have the issue.
• Difficulty: Zero. There is no way to lose.
• Pleased/Disappointed: Both pleased and disappointed. I really liked it at first but it kind of diminished as it went on.
• Recommend to others: Maybe? I still really like the card creating aspect and actually wish there was more to do in that regard. Story options may affect perception and the game is certainly interesting. It's a hard call.
  

Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is a game where you play as an exiled Witch and create your own divination cards - many story paths/elements are dictated by your readings. It's is kind of an odd case because I feel like it's both good and bad. Sometimes the writing is clever, cute, fun. Sometimes it's crude, tactless, amateur. The mechanics are fun and neat, but restrictive and confining. Besides the mechanics behind the choices you make, at least in my playthough, I was barely provided with enough resources to continue making cards I wanted to make. Even toward the very end of the game.

Split Fiction

• Genre: Action Adventure Platforming Etc.
• Spoiler Free Review: Mostly, but the screenshots could arguably be the most spoilery as a good bit of the experience is finding out what parts of the game you encounter next.
• Partners: Alice
• Time Played: 15 Hours
• Too Short/Long: It's pretty good. Some sections I might have liked to have seen explored more or revisited, but I can't complain.
• Did I cry: I got watery eyed a couple times.
• Soundtrack: There is some good music and even some vocal tracks, but it's mostly an undertone for the gameplay since the majority of the game has dialog spoken throughout.
• Why I played: It just seemed like it would be a great co-op game. Obviously the studios previous games were great co-op experiences, but this one seemed even better and a bit more aligned with Alice and my interests.
• Jank: It's mostly pretty jank-free, surprisingly with everything they do with the game. There a couple times it feels like the platforming could have been fine tuned just a bit, and just a few times it does actually feel janky, but it's such a small percentage of the game play, and it's otherwise impressive how much they pull off that I'll fully give them a pass on any of the jank that seeps through.
• Difficulty: It's mostly not that difficult and it's very forgiving when it comes to death/failure. There are some spots it's surprisingly difficult though, but most the difficulty comes from the times where it leaves you alone to figure things out on your own - which I appreciate.
• Pleased/Disappointed: I'm extremely pleased with Split Fiction, it's even better than I expected.
• Recommend to others: I would absolutely recommend this to anyone with someone they can reliably play through the whole game with. If you have someone to play co-op games with, you should definitely play this.
  

Split Fiction was fantastic. I'm not sure what really needs to be said. I definitely think it's one of the best and most impressive games that released last year. It just does so much in the game, explores so many genres, and types of gameplay, while generally retaining a familiar feel. Split Fiction is definitely something I would call a "gamer's game", something I think people who love games in general and play a lot of games will appreciate more than anyone else. But it's also much more accessible than most games I would call a "gamer's game". Something like Evoland - the first game I can think of I would also classify as such, is definitely more for people who are a bit more obsessed with games, and especially older games, and especially jrpgs, it's something I don't think everyone would enjoy. I think anyone would enjoy Split Fiction - it just has that much more to offer the more you already like.

Arguably the worst aspect of Split Fiction is the narrative. There are times it's clunky. Times it's cheesy. Times you really have to suspend your disbelief. Also just portrayals of the characters archetypes that are just very narrow or cliche. That said, the writing is still generally pretty fun and entertaining, and it doesn't fumble it so much you can't be emotionally invested, but the appeal and strength is definitely the gameplay and how seemless it is from the moment-to-moment.

It was loads of fun and that's what matters most, and so I have a bunch of screenshots I wanna share but these are arguably spoilery as finding out and seeing what you encounter is perhaps the best part of the game, so with that warning, everything below is just kind of in random order.

Digimon Story: Time Stranger

• Genre: RPG
• Spoiler Free Review: Story-wise yes, content wise no.
• Time Played: 100 Hours
• Too Short/Long: It's not that I think it was too long, but the pacing felt a bit rough. It has you trek entirely through some areas, then trek entirely through them again later. Plus you unlock most side quests at the end of the game, which should you do, will have you trek through each of these areas again. They could have broke it up a bit by having some more sidequests available throughout gameplay and it would have been more fun to go through these areas again if they were identical upon revisit aside from enemies.
• Soundtrack: Soundtrack isn't all that great in my opinion. There are a couple fun tracks, but most of it almost sounds like stock loops and it makes me sleepy listening to it.
• Why I played: I loved Cyber Sleuth, and my biggest complain with Hacker's Memory - at least up to where I played, was it was just more Cyber Sleuth. I had hoped Time Stranger was going to be an entirely new, refreshing experience.
• Did I cry: Maybe a little on a few occasions.
• Jank: Not entirely much jank outside of invisible walls - though they are intentional invisible walls, they still feel out of place when you're not looking at the map. I'd say the jank lies more in some of the actual design decisions and such. Like not be able to look at your digivolution possibilities/digivolve while they're in a farm.
• Difficulty: At first I thought the game was going to have some challenge, earlier battles of the game required me to restructure my party, adjust my movesets, equipment, etc. At some point, it just didn't matter and I used the same digimon/moves the rest of the game. It could be my fault for trying to create the ultimate life form/doing this games version of grinding a little too much.
• Recommend to others: I think I would to people who like Digimon, sure, but I'm more likely to recommend Cyber Sleuth. It's been some time but my memories of it are still fonder. There are places where Time Stranger stands above it in, but it's not enough to take it's place.

Digimon: Time Stranger was alright. I like Digimon a lot and it satisfied an itch for a bit, I'm sure, but it didn't blow me away. I see a lot of posts in either Digimon-centric communities, or anti-Pokemon centric communities, how Digimon: Time Stranger is proof that Digimon is finally beating Pokemon or something.

This is... just not possible. I love Digimon, but Pokemon, as a brand is just something you can't compete with. Pokemon ZA may have it's issues, but it's still Pokemon, and the people I know who played that vs Time Stranger is 10-1. Even if somehow Time Stranger managed to sell better, it didn't "Win". In the time since Cybersleuth since I mentioned it and Pokemon also released it's mainline Sun and Moon games that year, Digimon has released a couple seasons of new anime, also a couple movies/ova type things, and a new card game. 4 "real games", and a whole bunch of service games, most of which are service terminated at this point, 3 remain, though one is China only and the other South Korea only. Overall, 11 games. Which isn't too bad.

Pokemon by comparison has released over 25 games in that same time. Only 1 service game has retired and a far larger percent are "real games" 16 in fact, with 8 of them being mainline games. Pokemon has never stopped airing anime, and their card game has caused retail stores to have to/attempt to enforce regulations on card purchases in the past few years due to it's popularity. It's just not a comparison, these two "mon" franchises aren't even on the same playing field. But I doubt anything will ever "beat" Pokemon at this point. It's too established, too ubiquitous. It's like Star Wars, Lords of the Rings, Harry Potter. It's place in pop culture set.

Ghost of Yotei

• Genre: Action Adventure
• Spoiler Free Review: No real spoilers, even the screenshots are mostly just environments.
• Time Played: 73 Hour
• Too Short/Long: It was fine. I kind of could go either way too, it could have trimmed ups some aspect and not stuffed the game as much, but it also could have had more story-related stuff and I wouldn't complain.
• Soundtrack: Generally speaking the soundtrack is good. It's not something I'm going to listen to on it's own, but it captures the mood when necessary. A lot of the game is without music and just the ambient sounds of nature or whatever. Optionally there is a lo-fi mode, and while that may be fitting for some, it's not for me - not because I don't like lo-fi beats to samurai duel to, but it feels out of place for the mood.
• Why I played: I loved Ghost of Tsushima and it's on my list of favorite games.
• Did I cry: A bunch of times. Not big cries, but there were a handful of pretty emotional moments.
• Jank: For the most part it's pretty jank free. Something about the controls could be a little better in the thick of big fighters, and I don't like how when you climb on something you're not supposed to you just infinite jump hover and sometimes the game has to phase you back into the last safe location or something, but other than that it's a very polished game.
• Difficulty: A little bit of a mixed bag on this one. Some aspects were too easy, like the platforming which could be too "magnetic" with Atsu latching on to thing and every path clear and obvious with separate climbable terrain, usually rocks and such. While sometimes the combat was damn hard. I feel like it was a good bit harder than Tsushima, but it's been a few years.
• Recommend to others: I would definitely recommend Yotei to anyone who might be interested in any aspect of it. You don't need to play Tsushima first, it barely references it outside one side-quest and random note.(Yotei takes place 300 years in the future). I probably wouldn't even recommend Tsushima over for any particular reason. Though I could say the same for Yotei. I'm not sure if there is one I recommend "more". But Yotei is probably has more going for it, being a handful years newer.

Like Tsushima before it, Yotei was a great game. It's fun to play, but what Yotei has over anything is it's just a work of art in every moment to moment. It's a gorgeous game and screenshots do it no justice when compared to seeing it in motion. Not just that but even how vivid it appears when seeing it while playing just seems like such a bigger deal than a screenshot. I took so many and I feel like not a one truly does the game justice. 

It's definitely a game you don't just play to play. You play to enjoy the experience. Savor the moment. Appreciate the time it took to chisel out each detail. The game is nothing without that. Well that's unfair, it has really solid gameplay outside of that. But it's the game's beauty which makes it stand out more than anything.

Cyberpunk 2077

• Genre: RPG
• Spoiler Free Review: Trying to be. Posting some story/dialog screenshots at the bottom.
• Time Played: 140 Hours
• Too Short/Long: Definitely feels a bit long because there is just so much stuff. I definitely feel like some of the gigs are there just to pad it out, but many of them still manage to build on the world, and some are even relevant to greater storylines. So it's hard to say it's actually too long, but almost any game that's more than 100 hours could probably stand to cut some content.
• Soundtrack: There are some amazing tracks, and while it may have some licensed, or some that had some collaborations, I think the vast majority was at least originally created for the game, and that said, damn. There are literal albums worth of music of a handful of different genres, and some real bangers in there.
• Why I played: I love cyberpunk as a genre, but prior to this game's release, I didn't really care. I saw an overhyped generic mess that overselling and uninspired. And maybe that wasn't entirely fair, but at least it wasn't quite as far off at release. After the game saw some revisions and made improvements, they never rereleased/updated the PS4 version, but PS4 players could get a free PS5 upgrade. Somehow that also meant people would sell PS4 copies for like 15 bucks, so I snagged the game on the cheap to give it a shot.
• Did I cry: Maybe a couple times, but more early-mid game than later on.
• Jank: At some point in its life it seems like this may have been the jankiest out there, and that might not entirely be true anymore, however, it's not without jank at all. All huge open world games experience some degree of problems. The more there is, the more that can go wrong. There were more than a few instances I had to restart the game because I literally couldn't continue playing. The main thing I somewhat frequently encountered, was a state where I could not bring up any menus and if I interacted with something that brought up a menu-like UI(like hacking panels), it would not come up and I would get stuck. Also sometimes I would get in a permanent state of combat or be unable to use any of the fast travels. The first time I experienced this I thought it was a story thing, so I was driving literally everywhere for many missions. I ended up restarting the game for an unrelated reason and found I could fast travel again - many hours later.
• Difficulty: I was playing the game on Normal originally, as I usually do and was finding it quite difficult at times. Eventually things evened out and then I found myself in a situation where I just couldn't level up any further. A quick look online suggested that you get more experience on Hard, so I switched to hard. It was hard at first, but eventually I got so powerful that "hard" was easy. I could have continued to very hard, but I worked hard to get where I was an liked feeling powerful toward the end of the game. Also, that final mission was still very difficult, I even considered switching back to easy, but I saw it through. Point is. There are so many variables in this game, it's probably hard to pinpoint what the perfect difficulty is. It's a very action heavy action game, but it's also still an RPG. Eventually your equipment/abilities/etc. could surpass what the game can offer.
• Recommend to others: This is not the same game it was at release, and as it currently is I would definitely recommend Cyberpunk to anyone who is vaguely interested. It may have some problems, but overall, it's just such an impressive game on so many levels. The effort that this game took, to put everything together is just unfathomable. The term AAA game is thrown around these days just to describe any potentially high quality, expensive to make, non-indie game. Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the very few games I would say fully fits the AAA descriptor. This is a AAA game as defined. I feel like this is to games what Avatar(2009 film) was to 3D films. It's not the first, it's not the best, it's not going to be everyone's favorite, but it is arguably the definitive experience when you refer to it.

My little bullet points got a bit more out of control than they usually do. So where do I begin? At the end. Finishing Cyberpunk 2077 left me with that feeling I only occasionally get upon completing a game. A tightness in my chest, a strange combination of adrenalin and hyper focus, with a relieved exasperation. It's a complex feeling that occurs after certain... uhh... game changing, games?

I'm still honestly not even sure if Cyberpunk 2077 makes "the list", but I feel like it's only fair to put it to test. I'll wait until I come down from this feeling, whatever it is. Maybe at the end of the year I'll reevaluate. Especially since a few sequels to games in my favorites list are queued up to be played now. I imagine it might have some changes coming.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

• Genre: Action Rpg
  
• Spoiler Free Review: Maybe spoilery if you read too much into what I say or analyze screenshots too closely.
• Time Played: 100 Hours
• Too Short/Long: It's pretty much just right. I did everything in the game and feel pretty satisfied with my time. Earlier in the final act, I definitely wanted more time with game, and it gives you plenty more to do.
• Soundtrack: This has an absolutely amazing soundtrack. I immediately downloaded it after finishing the game. The fact it was 12 USD for 8 hours of music feels criminal.
• Why I played: Leading up to it, I was pretty excited for this games release and shared a few trailers here and there, I thought it looked like a pretty stylish RPG.
• Did I cry: Yeah, maybe at a few points in the game.
• Jank: This is a pretty polished game. Off the top of my head I can't really think of any jankiness.
• Difficulty: It's pretty up there for turned-based, story-oriented RPGs. The combat is really good, and the characters are each pretty different, each utilizing their own gimmicks, but it can be pretty punishing getting the timing right to parry or dodge.
• Recommend to others: I definitely put this high on my recommendations to others. Above many games I consider my favorites, just because I feel like it's more likely to find appeal to a wider audience. It has a lot going for it in every facet of the game. I would say the biggest hurdle for most people is going to be the difficulty, but I'm also speaking as someone who sought out all the optional content. Like many rpgs, you can definitely come to out level your opponents, so it shouldn't be too inaccessible, even for those who can't get the timing down as well.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 far exceeded my expectations. From the trailers, I just thought I saw something really cool and stylish. An RPG that finally had flair to rival Persona 5's UI, and hype battle music. While they're very different styles of games, I definitely think it succeeds in that aspect. Better? That's a matter of taste, but few rpgs ooze style in the way these games have and I think that has a lot to do with Persona 5's success. I think it similarly will be a reason that Expedition 33 goes unforgotten. 

Maybe weird to compare the game to Persona 5 at all, but I think it's the first thing that comes to many minds when you think "Stylish rpg". I do think they share more than that superficial aspect of it too, but I'll try to keep this review more or less spoiler free. Which now that I think on it, make it hard to discuss a lot of facets of the game.

It's one of those experiences where you kind of go in knowing that people don't know why things are happening, so you're constantly unravelling the story alongside them. That makes every revelation and moment to moment kind of a spoiler, where the main story is concerned anyway.

Changeable Guardian Estique

• Genre: Shmup
• Spoiler Free Review: Included ending screenshots because it's hard to get to play.
• Time Played: 3-4 Hours
• Too Short/Long: It's a shmup, so it's not that long, it could have more, but it's also designed to actually work and first on NES hardware, so it's fine.
• Soundtrack: Some good little tunes in here, but very NES style of course.
• Why I played: Somewhere shared it in a gaming group and after seeing some of the visuals I had to get it. Even if they made it as inconvenient as possible.
• Did I cry: No
• Jank: It's pretty basic so it's pretty jank free. That said, I played the famicom version. There is some jank in the choice of production and I think the NES version has some purposeful jank.
• Difficulty: It's a lot more forgiving than most NES shmups. Maybe just because you can alwayts opt to continue where you left off, instead of always restarting from the beginning. They also utilize a health bar, which not too many NES shmups did. Generally I appreciate these leniencies because while I find shmups very fun, I'm not like amazing at them. 
• Recommend to others: I would if I could, but I can't, so I won't. Mainly because you can't buy it for anything modern. It doesn't have a digital version. It can only be played on NES/Famicom hardware. So I guess... the only people I would recommend it to are people really into still using that hardware in particular. Even then, it's a bit pricey for what it is, but I supposed I'd recommend it to anyone willing to get "boutique" games like this. I'm including more screenshots than I usually do for a game this size since it's not as accessible.

To elaborate on the above, Changeable Guardian Estique is a "boutique" Famicom homebrew game. It only exists in a physical format reproduction cartridge. It's a 2023 NES/Famicom game.

Which is kind of annoying, as this makes it pretty inaccessible for a lot of people, and also pretty expensive, for what it is. I'm not complaining, I got it, and I enjoy my little box, and my little instruction booklet, and my little physical game. But that isn't the only thing they did that's kind of annoying. They also "localized" the NES version in the same way the would have in the 80s or early 90s. They made it more difficult. They mess with some of the sprites so they look different, or are like blown up. They cut out stages, and they removed some story(the yuri) and rewrote it with popculture references. The rewriting aside due to subjectivity, it's generally an inferior product - which is something that wasn't too uncommon for NES or even SNES release of games.

So I opted to get the Famicom version even though I don't know japanese. It's a shmup, not story heavy so I only need it so much, and I was easily able to google lens the entire story which is maybe a total of 20 lines of dialog. I also did this to read the instruction booklet. 

Otherwise, the game is pretty basic. It's good, but basic. You can change speed with select, you can fire, you can shift from ship to mech form. Tapping the shoot button rapidly uses one of your specials. It's well designed, but limited by it's format. So it might not be up to what most shmups are doing in 2023, but it was still a joy to play.

Stellar Blade

• Genre: Action
• Time Played: 50 Hours
• Too Short/Long: Pretty much just right, could have trimmed the time a little if some areas weren't so unnecessarily large.
• Pleased/Disappointed: I'm very pleased with it.
• Why I played: Once it was released I kept hearing that it was like Nier and looked a bit into it myself and it just made me want to play more and more.
• Recommend to others: I definitely would recommend Stellar Blade. It was a really good game.

Stellar Blade is definitely a Nier-like, or Near-Nier as my wife coined. Off the top of my head, I have only played one other game so directly and blatantly inspired by Nier, and that would be Ultra Age, which I loved, and I loved this. It might not be one of the games I love the most, but it's like the next tier. Just on the outside of that range where I would consider it one of my absolute favorites.

It comes up short in aspects I wish it was more like Nier, with some more variation in the game play that I really thought they were going to use, some more varied locations and boss fights that really feel different. It also feels like every area is just too big and there is too much and they go on just for the sake of it. They do have some gun-only sequences by maybe they didn't click with me much because they're kinda survival-horror style, which I don't do well. But hey, there is fishing.

Don't get me wrong, it's not like they make bad use of the space, and don't give you variety in exploration. The amount of side quests feels about right, and what they do, is very polished. I just felt like like each zone was bigger than necessary. I felt like I got plenty of time - more than necessary, to fight each different type of enemy in each different type of situation.

The combat is really good, so, it didn't really wear out it's welcome, but it did take awhile - like, half the game, before I really synergized with the combat. It could benefit from being just a touch more forgiving with the timing. In a game based around parries, and more or less perfect timing, the window for that perfect timing could be a little more open considering the dozens upon dozens of attack patterns there are in the game, and every enemy has several, bosses several more, and some will look very similar, so getting the timing down just perfect is quite the task. They could have telegraphed a little more, or gave you a little bit more breathing room. I would have been fine with that.

But it mostly clicked, and I had a really fun time with it.

Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth

• Genre: Action RPG
• Time Played: 125 Hours
• Too Short/Long: It definitely feels longer than it should be if you really wanna do everything. That said, it does seem like you can wrap the game up in about 40 hours, but the vast difference between a more completionist playthrough and mostly main story its far greater than I feel it should be.
• Pleased/Disappointed: Infinitely pleased. I have my criticisms, as I do with all games, but I haven't played a game that had me grinning ear to ear as much as this... probably since Remake came out.
• Why I played: Final Fantasy VII is my favorite game, along with Remake.
• Recommend to others: I definitely would recommend it to any Final Fantasy VII fan. Maybe don't try to squeeze every bit out of it, unless you're into that.

--Disc 1-- Remember

While playing this, there were various times I reminisced on the old days. 25+ years ago, when Final Fantasy VII and Ocarina of Time were the undisputed best games of all time. Well, to say it was "undisputed" wouldn't be fair. People disputed alright. But in a time when a much smaller percentage of people used the internet and video games as a hobby were a bit more niche, any time there was a poll of something along the lines of best game of all time, it ultimately ended up with FF7 or Ocarina of Time. Best character? Link or Cloud.

Tekken 8

• Genre: Fighting
• Time Played: ~5 Hours
• Too Short/Long: About right for a fighting game story mode, I wouldn't have minded a bit more, but I can still play through each characters little side story mode.
• Pleased/Disappointed: Very pleased.
• Why I played: Because I like fighting games, and even though Tekken hasn't always been my favorite I heard a lot of positive reception on this one, so I might have grabbed it a bit sooner than I normally would have.
• Recommend to others: Yeah, this is probably the best Tekken yet.

I haven't always loved the Tekken series. Even though I've always loved fighting games. I played a little Tekken 3 when the neighborhood kids wanted to, but just to appease them so we can also play some Bloody Roar and Ehrgeiz afterward. The first one I actually owned was Tekken 5 because it had a huge cast compared to any previous, and it added a beat em up mode where you ran around as Devil Jin. From there, I think I have gotten each Tekken, but it's never been one of my favorites.

That doesn't really change with this. When it comes time to play some fighting games my go to will always be Guilty Gear, then King of Fighters, then probably something that gets bonus points for having a real tag-team with 4 or even 6 players(shoutout DBFighterZ), whatever is the newest fighting game at the time, some weirdo random obscure fighting game... then maybe Tekken.

Witch Spring R

• Genre: RPG
• Time Played: 42 Hours
• Too Short/Long: I only played so much because I think I did pretty much everything you can do. There is a bit of back and forth grind that it simplifies, but it could have been made a little easier with more shortcuts or more/better mounts and expanded the story a little bit, to be a bit longer.
• Pleased/Disappointed: Extremely pleased, pleasantly surprised, I think it's another for the top favorite games list.
• Why I played: I loved Witch Spring 3: Re:Fine. At time of writing, a tabletop roleplaying character I am currently playing is largely based off the character from WS3.
• Recommend to others: I definitely would. The problem is it's PC only right now and the devs don't seem to have any plans for a console port. So if you're amenable to PC games, don't wait. They seem to be working on other stuff for console. It feels like it should be a Switch game though.

Witch Spring R is a remake of the first, a mobile game that wasn't a micro transaction heavy service game but just a cheap little rpg for a few bucks. The improvement is DRASTIC. I've played a few remakes this year and this one is the biggest leap by far. This is everything built from the ground up, all new graphics, music, content, art, content/story that was in the 2nd game mixed in, etc. A fully new game. I didn't play the original, because at the time it wasn't localized, but I have previously watched some videos and stuff like that. I just found out all Witch Spring games are now localized and have to wrestle with if I want to figure out how to play them since my phone runs a version of Android that is too new for them, or just hope and hold out for more remakes/ports.

It's gameplay style is another reason I think it would be great on Switch. It's very easy to pick up and play and as you progress you get the ability to quick battle weaker enemies to farm them for materials, since you have to make/upgrade most of your equipment/items yourself. You can play it so easily in short bursts that it very much supports grab and go, or sit down play and being able to suspend games and walk away easily, is something the Switch seems to handle a bit better than other modern consoles, even though other consoles could do that as well, PC just seems like the worst choice... but it's the largest audience, I get that too.

Super Mario RPG

• Genre: RPG
• Time Played: 16 Hours
• Too Short/Long: Super Mario RPG is pretty short for the style of RPG it is, but it feels right for what it is. It never drags, even if there are a couple spots that are a little combat encounter heavy. I guess I would like more, but it's one of the most accessible rpgs, so I feel like it's just right.
• Pleased/Disappointed: Extremely pleased. I mean, I love this game and expected no less.
• Why I played: Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars is one of my favorite games. Also I have receipts of me saying I wanted to replay it about 3 months before the announcement of this remake, so the timing couldn't have been better.
• Recommend to others: I would absolutely recommend this. To everyone. I feel like it's a game everyone should play, without exception.

Super Mario RPG is a remake of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. I don't know why they dropped the subtitle. Especially when there are other Mario RPGs. I feel like it's one of those title changes that only creates confusion. Anyway, I went in with a bias and strong nostalgia for this game. I don't recall if it was the first RPG I played, but it might be the first RPG I finished. I didn't really get into rpgs until I was 11 or 12 and had internet and I know I played this at least a few years before then. I would have been 9 when it came out and we moved right around the time I turned 10 and I remember playing it before moving.

Anyway, this isn't about when I played it, but that's how much the game is tied to nostalgia for me. Not only did I play it then, but I remember it being one of the first games I emulated, since technically I had only rented it(several times, mind you). I've since purchased digital copies of the game and played through at least one of them, but at this point it has been awhile since I played the game and earlier this year I got that bug in me again.

Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon

• Genre: Action
• Time Played: 38 Hours
• Too Short/Long: Too long, because you have to replay many missions at least 3 times to see everything, but just right... maybe too short if you were just fine with one ending and missing a good deal of content.
• Pleased/Disappointed: I'm super happy with this. I am of course super happy to see From Software making a mech game again, but it's also probably the best Armored Core.
• Why I played: I've always been an Armored Core fan and constantly lament to anyone who brings up Souls games to me that I missed the days when From Software made mech games. When they announced Armored Core 6 was coming after a decade of no mech games(when previously they would sometimes put out multiple a year). I was excited to say the least.
• Recommend to others: I don't think I have to. Due to From Software's newly found popularity as a developer(as in, since they stopped making Armored Core games), I think more people are playing this one than any prior. That said, it's still, at it's core, the same game. I like it a lot, but I don't think it's going to sway anyone who doesn't like mecha games, or didn't like an old Armored Core.

Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon is possibly the best Armored Core game, but it's still an Armored Core game, and they were never perfect before. The level design was possibly the best it's been in the series, but there is a certain lack of scale that makes sense in any sense of grounded reality. Everything is clearly to scale to the mechs, which means you never really have that "larger than life" feeling you generally want when piloting a mech. Sure, you can see some small details, like staircases, ladders, and cars(only very large military vehicles mind you), but every ladder leads to a platform no smaller than 4 football fields.

Void Stranger

• Genre: Puzzle Adventure
• Time Played: 61 hours.
• Too Short/Long: Too long... buuuut also it might be my own fault. If you want to see all the game has to offer it's too long. If you're fine with missing some content, it's probably not.
• Pleased/Disappointed: I was originally disappointed that System Erasure's follow up to ZeroRanger was going to be a puzzle game, I am no longer disappointed.
• Why I played: It might have been a long time til I played this game if not made by the same people who did ZeroRanger, which is one of my most favorite games in recent years. It being a puzzle game, but having cute style pixel art with big character drawings, I would have likely added it to my wish list, maybe bought it on sale and maybe gotten around to it some day. As I do for most game fitting the description.
• Recommend to others: This is a weird one. This is probably one of the games I've liked and played the most, I will recommend the least. While I think it's a great game, I find it very hard to recommend to anyone who wouldn't play it with dedication and determination. Not only are some of the puzzles ridiculously hard, but some of the secrets are extremely secret and it's the type of game you have to dig and dig at just to get a morsel of a reward for your effort.

Void Stranger is a puzzle game where you progress through levels by moving the floor tiles to get to the exit. You're often navigating through an otherwise bottomless pit and often have to avoid or manipulate monsters positions as well. The game does a good job at playing with and introducing layers to those mechanics, but on the surface level it's a pretty straightforward puzzle game. It's everything around the floor-to-floor puzzles that make the game really stand out.

Okami

• Genre: Action Adventure
• Time Played: 41 Hours
• Too Short/Long: Just about right, maybe feels a little too long if you try to do all the extra stuff.
• Pleased/Disappointed: Very pleased, as this is one of my favorite games, and maybe moreso than I remembered.
• Why I played: I was looking for inspiration for a Tabletop RPG I am running and started playing some games specifically focused around japanese folklore and mythology. I had bought Okami for the Switch with the intent of "one day replaying" and that day was now.
• Recommend to others: Of course. I feel like almost anyone that likes video games should play Okami, but I guess specifically if you like Action Adventure, or japanese mythological settings. While some parts can be a little tough to figure out at times, and it shows it's age in some aspects, it's never excessively difficult or frustrating, maybe slightly obtuse at time, maybe slightly finnicky with the celestial brushes, but those are really the biggest grievances of an otherwise amazing game.

I love Okami and I don't think I put enough emphasis on that in more recent years. It's been a long time since I played it and I had forgotten a lot of the game, most of it being remembered in a fashion more similar to Deja Vu.

Lil Gator Game

• Genre: Adventure
• Time Played: 5-10 Hours
• Too Short/Long: Pretty much just right for what it is.
• Pleased/Disappointed: Pleased, it's a cute lil game.
• Why I played: Because it's like Zelda. I think I saw it in some "Games to play while you wait for Tears of the Kingdom" list, but I only put it on my wishlist and by time it was on sale, Tears of the Kingdom was out(or about to be).
• Recommend to others: It's a very cute game and if a super simplified chill game that references Zelda stuff sounds like something you're into, I would definitely check it out.

On the complete opposite spectrum of Zelda games is Lil Gator Game. I guess I shouldn't say opposite because it's all there in spirit. It would more be opposite if I just played Darksiders. But still, this was a relatively short romp through a playground with no real stakes to speak of. You have no health bar, there are no enemies that attack back, and failed challenges are very quickly restarted, the ones that are even possible to fail.

This is basically a video game version of playing pretend Zelda. For me, it's very nostalgic, because as a young kid, I would in-fact, play pretend Zelda. I only could have dreamed of it being nearly a elaborate as it is in this game though.

It's mostly just cute, a lil guy trying to get his big sister to larp with him like they used to, but she's too busy to GM a game and has to work on her project. The game definitely choked me up a bit, as I expected it would. 

Chained Echoes

• Genre: RPG
• Time Played: 73+ Hours
• Too Short/Long: I would almost say it's a little long, but I also did everything everything. I'm usually not so completionist with RPGs, but I was enjoying it.
• Pleased/Disappointed: Pleased for sure, I liked it a lot. I'm not sure it makes the ranks of best games ever, but it's very good.
• Why I played: I feel like I have to play any rpg with mech battles.
• Recommend to others: I definitely do. While I may not say it's one of the best ever, it's extremely solid and there is very little to dislike.

I was waiting to play Chained Echoes for awhile. Waiting it's release, waiting til I had time, waiting for a little bit of a sale. Waiting so much that I almost ended up not finishing it before Tears of the Kingdom came out. I am writing this after midnight, on what is technically Tears of the Kingdom's launch date. To make things clear, I am VERY eagerly awaiting Tears of the Kingdom, I'm excited for it in a way I have not been excited for a game in a long time. I'm excited for it in a way that I don't think I've anticipated a game since I was a teenager. So I was doing my best to finish Chained Echoes before I got Tears of the Kingdom.

Witch Explorer

• Genre: Tower Defense Shmup
• Time Played: 10-15 Hours? Will update when Switch tells me. 
• Too Short/Long: About right, it could be longer if levels were shorter, but some really test your endurance.
• Pleased/Disappointed: Pleasantly surprised, a kinda random acquisition just because it looked cute I thought might end up sucking.
• Why I played: Cute art and Tower Defense + Shmup seemed interesting.
• Recommend to others: Maaaybe if you specifically like the genres and don't mind some blatant fan service.

I got this one on a whim because it was cute and 40% off on release. Usually 40% off on release date is what Switch shovelware does, but it seemed like a few people had good things to say about the Steam version and it looked cute.

The main gameplay is tower defense and you get a small handful of units with different abilities. I think it could have benefited from more variety in its units, but I can also see how that might make many levels too easy. However, it could have used something to make it a little more easy. Maybe just shorter levels at the same difficulty? I didn't feel like it was ever really too challenging, but the levels that were the most, were partially so difficult because they were so long, and if you had to retry and new strategy... you had to play another 10-15 minutes to catch up to see if your new strategy works.

It mixes up the gameplay a bit with some pure side scrolling shmup levels and some challenge levels to gain an alternate currency for some extra costumes for your assist character in the hub menu, and some extra scenes. There are also some unlocks for the hub and upgrades for your units. Pretty standard stuff mostly. I don't really have much else to say. I liked it though, and the devs are working on some other spin-off style sequels or something, so I'll look forward to that.

Smelter

• Genre: Platforming Action / RTS
• Time Played: 20 Hours
• Too Short/Long: It's about right, but the difficulty of replaying sections definitely increased the time by a significant margin.
• Pleased/Disappointed: Pleased, my only disappointment is due to the structure of the game you only get a short time with all your abilities.
• Why I played: I started playing Smelter almost two years ago, just a couple levels(which I ended up replaying anyway). I needed some more linear action platforming after They Always Run, but maybe something that mixed it up a bit, so Smelter was pretty perfect follow up.
• Recommend to others: Smelter is an extremely difficult game, maybe not at first, but around the middle point the difficulty jumps way up. So it's hard to recommend. I would probably recommend it to everyone if it were just a bit easier. I feel just like 15% more leeway when it came to most challenges in the game would have made the game a significantly smoother experience.

Everywhere I looked I saw Smelter compared to Actraiser, and I have only played a little bit of Actraiser, but if I recall there is a little bit more managing of your city/world, and the action platforming stuff is far less fun. It is clearly trying to be a similar game though, Actraiser you have an Angel, this game you have a demon, and I think there is some heaven/hell stuff in Actraiser, in this game you specifically are playing Eve, is in, Adam and Eve.

Smelter is more like Mega Man in it's platforming sequences and a very basic RTS with a commander unit you play as in it's overworld. When you fly around in the overworld as Smelter you can shoot and heal your locations and it really requires you to actively participate. It's simple, but still challenging.