Christmas, 1998: my brother and I unwrapped a Sony PlayStation, and it became one of the best gifts of my childhood. My brother and I had spent months deliberating over what should become our first video game console: the Nintendo 64, or the Sony PlayStation. At the time, both consoles seemed equally matched. The Nintendo … Continue reading An Ode to the Sony PlayStation and Crash Bandicoot 2
Tag: Platformers
Super Mario World and the Art of Play
Super Mario World: the most iconic video game on the Super Nintendo, and a staple of 16-bit nostalgia. It was a part of many gamers' childhoods, including my own. I was maybe 3 or 4 years old when I got my first passport to the Mushroom Kingdom. In fact, Super Mario World is the first … Continue reading Super Mario World and the Art of Play
My 2022 in Gaming
Welcome to 2023, everyone! As is tradition, I start every new year by looking back and taking stock of last year's experiences. I played many games in 2022, and they're all very different from each other. Some games were from familiar franchises like Splatoon 3 and Xenoblade Chronicles 3. However, for most of 2022, I … Continue reading My 2022 in Gaming
Stray Review: Paw-sitively Adorable
Stray is a 3D Platformer game developed by BlueTwelve Studio and published by Annapurna Interactive. It was released in July 2022 for PlayStation and PC. MSRB is $30. I played the PC version. I've long envied my cat's dexterity. She could effortlessly strut on top of a fence. She could make any mistake look intentional. … Continue reading Stray Review: Paw-sitively Adorable
Xbox PC Game Pass: A Nintendo Fan’s Review
Xbox's past several years of pro-consumer choices have finally paid off. Their continuous support of backwards compatibility, PC releases, and indie games on Nintendo consoles caught my attention. I decided that this year was the year I'd give Xbox a try. I couldn't afford a new console, but thankfully Microsoft doesn't need you to. They're … Continue reading Xbox PC Game Pass: A Nintendo Fan’s Review
New Super Lucky’s Tale Review: A Plucky Pastiche of 3D Platforming
Super Lucky's Tale is a 3D Platformer originaly developed by Playful Studios and published by Microsoft for the Xbox and PC in November 2017. An expanded version called New Super Lucky's Tale was developed and published by Playful Studios and released in November 2019 for the Nintendo Switch and August 2020 for the Xbox, PC, … Continue reading New Super Lucky’s Tale Review: A Plucky Pastiche of 3D Platforming
Sound Shapes Review: A Musical 2D Platformer That’s More Than Meets the Ear
Sound Shapes is a music-based 2D platformer developed by Queasy Games (with the assistance of Sony Santa Monica studio), and published by Sony. It was released on the PS3 and PS Vita in August 2012 and on the PS4 in November 2013. MSRB is $10. I played the PS Vita Version. Everyone knows that a … Continue reading Sound Shapes Review: A Musical 2D Platformer That’s More Than Meets the Ear
Kirby and the Forgotten Land Review: An Unforgettable 3D Platformer
Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a 3D Platformer developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo. It was released in March 2022 as a Nintendo Switch exclusive. MSRB is $60. The Nintendo Switch has been defined by a lineup of what I like to call "Video Game Olympic Athletes." For example: Zelda went open … Continue reading Kirby and the Forgotten Land Review: An Unforgettable 3D Platformer
Kirby Star Allies Review: Two-Dimensional Gameplay, Multidimensional Cute
Kirby Star Allies is a 2D Action Platformer developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo. It was released exclusively for the Nintendo Switch in March of 2018. MSRB is $60. Back in the 1990s, most Platforming mascots like Mario and Sonic packed their bags and moved away to live in the Big City of … Continue reading Kirby Star Allies Review: Two-Dimensional Gameplay, Multidimensional Cute
LittleBigPlanet PS Vita Review: Sony’s Answer to Super Mario Maker, Before Super Mario Maker
LittleBigPlanet PS Vita is a 2D Platformer / Level Editor developed by Double Eleven and Tarsier Studios with the help of Sony's internal developers. It was published by Sony for the PlayStation Vita in 2012. It's been a while since I've talked about the PlayStation Vita... let's fix that! If you've owned a Sony console … Continue reading LittleBigPlanet PS Vita Review: Sony’s Answer to Super Mario Maker, Before Super Mario Maker