Played: January 2026
Rating: It appeals to the male fantasy - 9/10

This is one of my favourite indie games I played in 2026, and I played it right at the start of the year! Bought it on a whim (at full price mind you) and did not regret it one bit

I'm prone to getting the winter blues, and I'll say that there was nothing quite like sitting on my girlfriend's couch, wrapped up in a heated blanket with some background noise on the TV, while playing this game on a Steam Deck. The vibes were perfect

Originally I was like "oh this is just a little indie game where you're a cat and you're doing deliveries". Little did I know of the twist. Not gonna spoil it here, but it stares you in the face throughout the entire game, and still somehow surprised me

I truly loved this game when I played it. It has its rough edges, and I kinda wish it was longer, but it does what it can with what it's got in its short runtime

What I liked

Being a cat, and seeing a bunch of cats. I like cats.

Driving a little kei truck in a snowed in village. The physics were pretty good, and the controls felt minty fresh on my Steam Deck

The mystery twist I won't spoil because the game is so short

The radio towers being in range affecting the signal of the music playing in your car was an amazing touch Everything in this world has a purpose for existing, and that's just neat

The characters' archetypes were endearing considering how little they talked

What I didn't like

It was a little short. 100%'d the game in like 7 hours, and beat the story within 3 or 4

I wish they did a little more with the characters, but I find it hard to imagine how that would've happened

The ending made me kinda sad, but that's just how it be sometimes

Verdict

This is a cozy winter game, and I'd definitely recommend it if you've ever wanted to drive a kei truck as a cat

Played: February 2018 - December 2018
Rating: The Ideal Prequel to Doom Eternal - 8/10

This is a game teenage me didn't know he needed to play so badly. Tell me, what's better at relieving stress than ripping and tearing your enemies to bits? Nothing.

Doom 2016 is one of those games I played in high school. Crazy, I know. I got it for a good price, and at the time had just good enough of a PC to play it and properly enjoy it, but just barely. (For my fellow nerds out there, Xeon E3-1270v2, ~24GB DDR3, AMD RX 580, I believe a cheap boot SSD, and a 4TB HDD, all inside a beautiful beige case). Much like the hell it simulates, it also was prone to overheating my PC because of its terrible airflow

It came at the perfect time for me. I had time, but not too much time. I was working part time, and I needed to blow off some stress. Little did I know, I was in for some peak art

Weird tidbit about my playthrough of this game. I played like 80% of it with a Steam controller at my desk, because I insisted the Steam controller + gyro was the best way to play shooters at the time. It was pretty good, but man mouse and keyboard is so much better

What I liked

Graphics - at the time, I thought this game looked very next-gen. Most of the games I really played before this were Xbox 360 era and earlier, or remasters of games from that era, or Nintendo games. The style of the game goes a long way in selling the next gen look, but also the destructible enemies were pretty good, and still hold up today I'd argue

Gameplay - it's like a dance. You switch between the different weapons CONSTANTLY out of necessity, and the glory kills are a nice change of pace. Going back from Doom Eternal, it's a little slow, but if I hadn't played this one first, Eternal would've been a bit harder to get into

Story - or lack thereof. This game knows what it is, and keeps the cutscenes and dialog to a minimum. Honestly a breath of fresh air compared to lots of other games at the time. OST - Mick Gordon is a FREAK in the best way possible. This is an easy recommendation if you need music to pump you up for the gym, and it fits the gameplay so well. So many games took inspiration from Mick's style, including the guys that worked on Doom The Dark Ages' OST (it's not even close, this is so peak)

Enemy designs - Super memorable with unique silhouettes and colours, meaning you can identify what enemy's what from a glance, and destroy it quickly

Glory kills - This is a super cool addition that takes the game from good to amazing

What I didn't like

Multiplayer - it was kinda weak, but I wasn't playing it for the multiplayer anyway so I didn't care

This game made my PC crash a few times from overheating, but that's more of a "my PC" thing than a Doom 2016 thing. My current PC runs it JUST fine

Verdict

If you wanna feel like Christ's chosen warrior, play this game. It's a one of a kind experience, that preps you to play its even better sequel

Played: December 2025
Rating: The Perfect Big Robot Game - 11/10

Armored Core 6 is a game that I wanted to like so badly, didn't think I'd like, and ended up loving

I come from a gaming background of steering away from challenge, but when I heard From Software made a game about big robots, and it was good, and it wasn't as hard as Dark Souls, I was intrigued

Naturally, i̴̛̝̳̪̘͓͈̗͔͖͚̬͈̞̗̠͈̜̅̊̀̋̾̉̃̒͒̿̿͗̃̿̓̐̽̇̓͛̀̍̒͗̉͗̀̾͛̚͝ḑ̴̧̧̢̛̛̟̥̝̼̖̙̣̭̰̯̰̹̤̯̜̖̦͖̥̜̖͙̳͇͉͔̦̠͎̰̣̱̟͈̒́̋̋̑͗͛͂̃̈́͊̔͌̓̅̃̇͆͛́̆̀̎̃̔͛̾̄̌̋̍͆̕̚͜͝͝͝͝k̷̡̢̡̧͖͓̗̤͚̗͈͔̰̻̟̱͕̣͙͕̯̭̭̯̣͍̥̩͖̻͈̼̝̬̼̜̮̫̖̠͉̾̏̀̏̇͒̾͑͑̾̒͌̈́̕̚͜͝ͅ ̶̟̮̗̣̐͂͊͋̀̀͆̀́̈́͗́̈̉̐̒̈́̾̈́͂̓͒͠͠͠h̵̡̻̞̳̟̮̟̣̋̏̍̅̀̔̋̈͊͗͛̌̀͂́͌̒̆̄̽̈͐̿͌͊̍̒͒̇̇̒̋͋̍͗̃̀̀̕̚͝͝͝o̴̢͖̻̣͓̮̱͎̗̿̄̅̈̉̑̋͊̍̈́͐͋͛͒́́͛w̶̡̢͕̬̩͉̜̟̭̰̯̖̝͍̱̼̔͋́͂̔͗̏̔̒̌̒̈͛̂̉̄͝͝ ̶̨̧̡̨̛̯̺̭̦̞͎̼̣͕̽̀̓͌̽̈́̍̄̋̉̔̿̃̉͒͆͊͐̐͂͛͛̔̔̌̾́̈̑̀͋̇̚̕ĭ̵̢̧̨̡̨̮̤̳͖̠̞̹͓̺̠̫̥̙̥̣̹̟̣̳̱̱̪͉͓̱̩͖̜͔̂͗͜ ̶̢̢̛͈̟͚͕̩͍͕̰͇͙͍̦̫̖̠̻͇͉̺̣͍̮̜͍͖̤̯̝̞̋̑̀́́̀̀͌͜͜ͅͅg̶̨̧̧̛̣̹̜̟̝̠͖͍̟̺̩͈̤̘̣͈͚̗͈̞̹͍̜͎̳̲̝̰̟̼͚͚̼͉̝̯̹͋̑̓̋̅͆̔̀̆̈́̑͋̆͊̂̈̄̈́͒̂̀̈́͗̑̿̃̇̀̍̃̎̇̊͌̐̚͝͠͝o̸̧̺̹̭̞̫͉͍̯͓̗͔̠̗͇̣̪͎͎̺̭̼̦̯͕͎͔̪͑ẗ̵̨̧̥̹̟̠̣̭̥̟̝̻̟͎̦́͐̚ ̷̢̣̜̰̮̣̹̫̲̯̦͔͔̌̋̓̃͐͑͆́͑̎̄̈́̃̈́͗̉̉̔͋͆̃͘͝ͅț̷̡̛̛̺͕̟̺̳̪̻̦͚͇͚͓̻̤͈̗̞͉̖̠͈̣̮̳̑̿̀̀͌͐̒͗̌̿̇͗̀̿̏̆̓̈̋̍̿͒̀̆͒̒̆̊̂͌̇̓̒̇͋̀́̃̐̕̕ḣ̴̨̡̪̠͓͔̳͔̠̤̭̖̘̗̍͌̌͋͊͂i̶͇̰̥͖̦̪̳̼̗͚̲̬͍̤̹̜͚̽̽͛̀̊̈́̏̆̈́͛̿̓̇̑͒͘̚͝s̷̡̡̢̨̡̛͎̺̟͈̞̳̱̪͈̣̞̤̖̠͚̙͖͖̺̤̞̣͎͚͈̬̙̬̻̖̯̦̥̞̐̈́́͑̄̽̔̿͋̔͋̉̎̉̓̈́̀̐͘͜͜͠͝ͅ ̴̛̹̪̦̆͑́͛̓͂̎̈̇̄̈̒̅̆̂͒̇̿͌̏̈́̑̈̓͆̽̾͐͋̍͛̃́̈͋̓͘̚͘͝͝g̵̢̧̡̦̪̟͇̱̩͎̬̞̫̙̘̰͚̤̤̋̈́̍̅̌͑̈́̓̇͂̀̿̅́͛̏͌̂̀͒̀̈́̌̒̾̚͜ͅͅä̷̧̛͙͍͖͎͚̟̥̞̪̘͙̙̝̮̰͔̰̹̙͍̬̩̳́̇͂͆͑̀̕ͅm̴̧̡̨̛̪̖͈͓̟̭̺̩̲̟̹͉̼͍͍̖͕̤̫̮͓̮̙͍̦̰̭̲̤̱̻͔͗́͛̾̃̿̃̎̽̄͆̀̚̕͜͜͠e̷̠̪̥̟̞͇̰͇̣̩͕͍̦̝̞̦͚͚̺̗̱̱͛̈́́̔̈́̿͆̾̈́͛͒̀̌̓̆͘͘̕͝,̶̡̛̜̖͚̯̹̪̫̰͚̻́̀͗͒̄̔̅̒̽͋͆̍͂̋̊́̔̈́̐͌͛͐̑̓͐͘̚͝ ̵͇͎̀͛̃̀́́͆̉̂̃̋̿̈́̎͒͑̄͋̂̍͋̄͋̇̃̔̌̌̃͊̿͑̆̄̕͘͝͝į̶̡̨̡̨̧̛̛̘̭̭̰̝̮̝̜̻̙͖͍̖̲̤̗̳̈́̄̓̓̏̉̃̿̾̋́̉̓͂͝͝͝ͅ ̷̨̨̭̠͚͈̖̙̗͎̜͚̗̮̗̤̻̮͖̩̪͚͕̫̪̻̠͉̼̯͙͍̦͉̘̹͓̇́̉̆̚͜ͅͅç̵̞̩͚͕̣͙͓̤̱̦̲͚̜̺̝̳̦͎͍̠̈̀̈́̐̓̋͆͑̐̒̓̊͘͝͝ą̶̧̨͙̣͎̖̤͔͇͖͖͉̩̫͓͈͕̠̱̤̖̝̹͕͍͖͚͖̤͕̼͊̌̍̽̀̽͒̀̈̽͌̑͆̎̓̈́̆͌̂̉̀̔̋́́̽̋̾̕̚̚͝ͅn̷̛̛̬͎͓̖̋̎͐̿͑̏͐̇̅̒̈͆̃̒̈́͒̔̇̑̿̐̿͂̿͊͆̏͆̽̾̐̍̌̅͘̕͘̕͝'̷̢̡̨̧̧̯̺̥͙̮͙̟̟̮̬̯͙͙̘̞̤͚̰̖̦̠̺̭̬͎̯̟̠̳̫̱͉͌͜ͅͅt̷̢̡̢̨̢͖̬͇̱̪̻̗̯̮͙̮͍̞͓͎̘̤̎͐̏̋̎̒̿͒͆̃́̍̿̎͒̈́̂́̐́̈͌͌͒͐̊̕͝͝͝ ̴̨̨̛̗̻̹͕͉̟͓͎̫̻̯̘̬̜̓͂̋̏͊͒̈́͛͑͑̍̌̒͂̂̈́͘̕ͅs̷̡̧̜̣̦̪̜̹̜̻͓̱̔̀́̀̓͋̓͛͐̎͊́͗̓̈̃̈̽̌́͋̌̐̃̉͑͑̂̃̐͒̋̂̈́̇̈́̍́͘̚͜͠͠͝ě̸̢̢̢̫̗̣͉̖͈͕̼̮͇̰͙͍̺̠͇̱͈̯̱̼̳̠͔͎͎͔̗͍̙̝́̃̓͒͜͜͜͝ę̴̪̪̰͍͚̗̗̖̭̠͇̤̜̦̙͙͔͔̼̝͓̦̄͊͗͆̂̓̉̋̚͜͜͝ͅͅ ̷̢̨̥̙̦̭̠̪̟̝̺̜̝̼̻͖͉̟̜̫̿͆̂͊̉̍̈́̂̉̎̑̒͠i̵̡̧̖̻̬̜̹̠̯͈͖̟͉̟̤̣̜̝̤̙̻͇̗͈̱̖̞͖̼̲͈̮̯̭̰̖̮͍̓͌͋̃̿̓̋̅̇͛͒̿̈́̃́͋͗͆̍̽́̾͌͛̐̆̈́̚͘̚̕͘̕͝͝͠ͅt̸̡̢̛̯̹̣͖̯̟̹͉̤̹̲̪͈̤̫̣̫̥̟̤̱̓̃̒͆̾̂͒̈́̒̓̊͒̿̾̇̋̾́͆̒̑̈́̅̌͊̏͆͌́̚̚͜͝ ̷̡̢̰͕̤̪̹̜̙̙̙͖̫̭͠ͅỉ̶̛͓̝̲͔̆̓̾̊̽̎͑̽͋͊̓͊̃́͗̓͒̈́͐͛͆̔͐̒̎̒̈́̋̍͘͠͝͝ņ̸̨̡̧̡̛̺͙̹̥̞͇̦͖͎̱̻̘̞̫̙̺̤̦̺̻̘͕̱͍͂̽̇̈͂̇̂̀̃̄̄͌͌̓̏̈́̔̒͂̎̇́̈́͆̔̎͘̚͘̚ ̸̧̰̥̰̲̰̙̳͕̫̠̠͔̮̯̤̹̽̃̉̀̆̽̒͆͗̆́̊͋͆̄̉̈͋͆́̈́̐̈́̓͆̇̿̔͘͜m̵̨̢̡̹͈̜̜̩̗͖͕͔̳̠̼̱̗͖͍̗̮̥̬͖̣̬͙̻͉͔͉̪͉͕̤̯̣̦̒̃͌̇͊̀̓̑̿̓̒̽̾̅̽̽̆̃͂́̾̿̓͂͑̓̕͘̚͜͠ͅȳ̵̨̧̤͓̬̞̬̘̗̻̼̤̙̞̪̅̓̐̾̌̄͝ ̵̨͖̪͚͇̫̗̙̬̗͓̖͚̑̔̍̒̈́͆̈́͐͌͂͊̒̈́͛̒͆̀̃̇̎́̋͐̿̃͛͋̕͝͝͝͝p̷̨̧̛̗̟͇̗͙̘̖̫̳̼̥̫̳͉͍̠̭͖̘̘̻͕̠̭͍͍̱͓̣͍̺̠̔͑̈́̓͋̔̃̒̈͗͌̀̇̋͐̊̎̄͂͒̈́́̂̃́͝͝ữ̵̢̡͎͚̮̗̺̰̱̩̫͕͖͕̣̇͆̏͐̄̌͋̾͋͑̈́̈̓̂́̀̇̏͘͝͝ṙ̷̨̡̩̫̼̫͍̖͍͎̪̲̂̄̃̾͊̕̕͝͝ç̴̨̡̧̹̘̣̪̞͙̝̗̟̞͚̪̳̲̖͉͎̦̮̮̼̟͈̬͎̯̱̃̇̃̏͑̿͜ͅͅh̶̞͈̳͕̘͕͔̦̮͍̪̋̉̈́͋̽̅̐͐̾̃̆̃͂̌̚̕͜͜͜͝͝a̵̢̮̺̠̜̹̅̃̒͜s̸̨̨̨̛̛͉̪͔̜̖̰̰̦̻̍͌́̋͋̾̓̏́̀͂͆͗̅́̍͋͋̏̀̈́͌̑̚̚͝͝͝e̵̫̘͇̼̯̮͋̅̏͊̋̔̑̂̀̄́̃̅̍̈́̇̓̓͘͝ ̴̨̤͚̮̜͎͚̼̹̝̤̘̥͕̠͖̮̭̪̤͇͇̟̦̫̳̥͙̳͐̇̿̆̍̀͠͠h̵̢̡̧̲̗̪̺̮͚̦̺͇̼̬̙͓̻͍̗̹̆͋̃̓̆͝ị̶̡̨̡̼̪͖̱͙̦̪̰̗̣͕͓̲̰͉͍̞̱̳͇̪͔͉͇͕̠̮̦͖͕͆͋̇̓̓̽̎̀̀́́̈́́̀̂̋̌̒̈̅͜͝ş̸̢̘̯̥͚̺̬̩͕̖̖̫̭̦̮̫͇̙̫̹͉̣̯̠̆̅̽̐̌̆̕͜ͅt̵̲̟͚̠̼͇̂͐̊̈̅͠͝ơ̸̡̨̛̟̬̙͙̜͉̜̜̻̦̙̘̝͚̺͑̆̿̎̌̽̐̿̽̇́̄̽̿̋͐̒̊͋́͒̆̃̍̒͋̾͂̇̓̎́͆̈́͂̎͒̓̚͜͝r̷̡̛̛̛͕̣̺̤̮̻͕̪̟̱̥̰̋̈̊̈́̔͐̋̔̐̊̀̄̑̓̽͝ÿ̶͔͚͍̱̜͇̲̮̜͉̤̮͙͚͖̪̩̲̟̹̹͖̞́̂̐̽͊̀̈́͌̊̽͋͌͂͛͊̐͑̇̔͘̚̚͝͝ͅͅ ̵̲͍̰̘̞̟̯͚̟̩͛̈̇̄͌̾̓͘͝ͅơ̸̛̺̦̾͂̇̐̄̾͋̅̅̀̈́̂̓͂͛͑̾͑̅̂̃͗̀̄̔͐́̌̏̅̔̚̕͠͝͠͠͠r̷̢̨̖͖̫̱͉͈̣̤͔̯̥̮͔̮̼̙̪̰͈̩͇̺͈̩͎̲̦͚̭͍̮͠͠ͅ ̸̢̨̡̡̞̘̱̪̮͚͈͈̺̮͓̰̯̗̞͎̰̱̤͇̗̱̠̩͉̭͂̽̈́̓̏̈͑̊̉̑̓͑̄̒̑̒̚͝͠͝ͅͅk̵̢̢̢̗̥̝̠͓̝̮̺̪̝̝̱̼̙͚̟̘̫̬̯̱̦̄̄̈́̑͊̋͗́̈́̓̔̅̌͗̂͛̚͠͝͝ͅę̴̡̧̡̢̡̗̣̳̠̟͍̼͔͕̮̺͈͕̻̩͙̠͖͙͕̮̩̣̗̥̙̊̂̌ͅy̴̧̡̱̪̖̪̎̒̅͆̽̍̀̾̉̊̂͑͒̇̈̀̐́͆̕ ̵̡̟̙̀͛̿̿̋͆̄͒̀̊͗̂͊̍́̆̾͌̄̅͗͋̉̈́̈̽́͘̕̕͝͠͝͠ä̸̧̧̧̛͎̖̰̳͕͕̦̝̪̘̜̻̤̻̙͇͓̩̲̱̙̗̮͖͕̫̻́̀̋͊́̑̏͑́́͗̂̂̈́̓̍̅̓̂͘͠c̸̫̜͖͖̮̣͚̫̝̠̼̯͎̯̺̼̩̬͎̟͕̲̎̔͗̏͠͠t̴̙̤̰͎͉̉͑̍̓͒͐̅̇̋͂̔̄̃̆̒̓̒͌͒͌̎͑̏͑̓̃̐̕̕̕̕͝ͅi̶̘̖̣̫̟͈̤̯͎͑̓̌͂̈͛̉̇̎v̷̨̨̧͈͖̻̩̪̞͚͉͖̘̟͇͖̜͓̲̖̭̮̼̞̼͍͔̬̘͎͍̻̗̭͊̔̈́͌̄͜ͅa̴̡̨̛͕͓̞͚͛͒͋̎͊̌̏̍̃̀͌̏̈́͊͐̀̾̈́͘̕͜͜͝͝͝͝͝ͅẗ̸̨̧̡̧̛̬̜̲̺͉͎̙̤͍̪̘̗̜͇͈̗̤̻̤͚̝̣̪̱̰͉͖̟̣́̋̎̀͋̑̀̃̊̈́̑̋̀̀͊̆̒͛̓̑̽͘͝͠ͅǐ̷̖̎͛͒̇̌̈́͛̽̆̚̕̕̕͠͠͝ȯ̴̼̺͈͈̮͈̰̠̪̜̗́͗̈͊͒͗̋́̂̄̂̾͊͂͆͛̋͒̚͝͝n̶̨̨͓͎͓̼̰̘̹̦͇̻͈̯̩̹͉̾̋̄̏̽̈́͆̍͆̒͂͋̈́̐̒͗͜͜͠s̵̢̧̢̡̛̞̟̰͇̖̥͈̯͓̲̠͉͚̫̼̞̣͎͎̻̬̠̹̬̦̱̥͖̳͎̬̪̹̼͋̔́̎̂͆͗̆̓̇̊͒̒̾̈́̒͆̏̂̈́͊̈̑̓̄́̔̈́̏̕͘͝, and started playing it

This is one of those games where I really struggled to get into it at first. The combat asked a lot from me, demanding I retry sections several times over, and further into the game demanded I customize my mech.

I'll be the first to admit, I didn't think I'd beat the game. I then blinked and beat it 3 times in a row. I don't know what happened.

What I liked

The controls - I have never controlled a giant robot so well before. The movement is smooth, but carries the weight you'd expect a 5 story tall mech would carry

The combat - This would be make or break for a game like this, but the base movement controls were so good I couldn't help myself from playing more. It was challenging, but in a "I know I can beat this if I just..." kinda way. In the subsequent playthroughs, I fiddled with different mech weight classes and weapons, and saw pretty much the whole range of playstyles the game had to offer that I'd be interested in trying

The story - I wasn't expecting it to grip me quite so hard, but the story grabbed me by the nads, and the different paths on each playthrough made me want to play it again to see how it would be slightly different. It did this in such a way that I didn't wanna just watch the cutscenes on YouTube either, things are ever so slightly altered between scenarios, and different paths, character interactions, etc

The designs of the mechs - Big robots are my vice, I love those things. I ended up buying some of the kits for these, and they're all over my room as decoration. This game has some iconic mechs, and you're able to use pretty much any parts from them in your own mech, which is awesome!

The vibes - This game delivers in the power fantasy of being a big robot. The music, visuals and style all contribute to feeling like a badass

The forgiving nature of experimenting - You can buy whatever parts and sell them for what you bought them for, so experimenting is really easy, and kinda required

The UI - A bit clunky when showing stats, but way better than its predecessors

What I didn't like

The music - it was great, don't get me wrong, but could've been better. It matches the game, but I never really found myself humming or bouncing along to it. I think something closer to Doom 2016's OST would've matched a lot of the combat better with all the stuff that's going on, but who knows

The learning curve - it was steep. Like "almost quit" steep. Once you get over the curve it's amazing, you earn the success of kicking names and taking butt, but until then it's brutal. Makes it hard to recommend the game even though I know it's freaking awesome

Verdict

If you like big robots, play this game. Stick with it for a while, maybe look in forums or ask ChatGPT to help you spec out a mech the first time. Experimenting is part of the fun, but depending on what kind of player you are, you might not like it.

This isn't a game you can turn your brain completely off to play, you gotta stay focused. If you do, you'll experience a one-of-a-kind game that I wish I could replay without remembering what happened. That said, you could totally replay it and find new stuff to keep it fresh every time

Played: October 2026
Rating: Getting used to it, tentative 7/10

After playing and beating Armored Core 6 completely (all 3 playthroughs to get the true ending), I was all in on Armored Core as a series. Little did I know, the earlier games are clunky.

I just started playing this one, so this is more of a first impressions for now. There's a lot of good, and a lot of eh to this game for me so far

What I liked

The visuals - for an early Xbox 360 game, it nails the look it's going for. It runs pretty smooth, and the animations are shockingly similar to Armored Core 6

The controls - People give this game a lot of hate for the control scheme, but I was pretty well used to it in the first 10 minutes (using the B scheme)

The premise. It's Armored Core, you're a big robot and you shoot things

The fast levels. It's pretty straightforward to boot the game up and play a level or two, even for an Xbox 360 game where you have to boot the console up and wait, it's pretty good in that department

The forgiving but challenging difficulty. Each level is hard, but doable. If you fail, or even go into negative profits, you can retry levels like it's nothing, and they're short enough where you don't feel like you've lost THAT much progress

The tutorial. Much like Armored Core 6, it tells you how to get moving and shooting, then gets out of your way. Lots of Xbox 360 games over-tutorialize, this one's done in like 5 minutes

What I didn't like

The amount of customization this game requires from you. It doesn't explain what any of the stats are, and kinda assumes you've played the earlier Armored Core games, not from a lore perspective, but from a customization perspective. I find the customization really hard to get into, even in Armored Core 6. This game's worse in that regard because it just shows you the garage and expects you to know literally everything. Like bruh, I have no idea what anything is!

Speaking of story, the story is kinda bland off the bat. Overpopulation and corporate takeover of the world is interesting enough, but it isn't blowing my socks off like Armored Core 6 does

It's not Armored Core 6. I find myself comparing it to 6 CONSTANTLY.

Verdict

If you want to feel what Armored Core on the Xbox 360 feels like, this is it. The story isn't anything too interesting, but if you're in it for the gameplay and wanna dig deep into experimenting/customizing, I think it could be enticing for you

Edit 1

Alright, I have beaten chapter 2, and I think I'm starting to get the hang of this game. This game isn't so much about fast/challenging combat as it is about making a powerful mech, resource management, and paying very close attention to your objective

In Armored Core 6, things were labeled a bit more clearly. Now that I'm understanding the visual language of the game (if it's red, blow it up), I'm not running out of ammo as much, and I'm actually beating levels on my first try most of the time

The one thing I haven't gotten used to yet it having to constantly hold the boost button, and the targeting. In AC6 the boost was a toggle, so having to hold it and change the pressure on the left stick to adjust boost levels is kinda weird. Targeting is kinda annoying, if there's an enemy close to me that I'm trying to blast, and one in the distance I'm not, it seems to always target the one in the distance. Maybe there's a way around that

I think this is a game I'll enjoy and actually beat!

Played: 2022
Rating: A life changing 10/10

Blah blah blah, this game changed my life and made me like JRPGS

I distinctly remember the moment I first heard about this game in high school (2018). It was game awards season, I was an easily influenced teenager. The gang and I were extremely excited about Super Smash Bros Ultimate, and playing it like wildfire in the announcement club booth during lunch and on my spares

I saw the intro to the announcement for Joker joining Smash Bros, and proceeded to make this game my entire personality for the next 3 years

At the time, the only console I really had from that generation was the Nintendo Switch. At the time, only the original game was out, but it was on PS4. I didn't have one at the time, which was an issue

I emulated Persona 4, but it didn't itch the spot. I set my wallpaper to Persona 5 everything. My Razer keyboard and Corsair headset's lights were set to red because of how cool I thought it was

It got to the point that when I moved to my dad's place for college in 2019, and didn't even have a job, just barely enough money and lots of free time, I caved. On a night after going to school, I went to EB Games and bought a refurbished PS4 slim, and a Greatest Hits copy of the original Persona 5

Upon getting back home, I got (justifiably) chewed out for wasting money when I didn't even have a job, then proceeded to do basically nothing but play this game, go to college and look for a job for the next few months

When I say this game changed my life, I more mean Persona 5's original version, but this game is everything that game did, but more and better, so it's all going here

The original version of the game is like, 100 hours, and this one goes on for another 20-30 hours if I recall. I don't regret a single moment playing this or the original game

I distinctly remember the circumstances I beat this game in. I was back home visiting my mom, and naturally lugged the PS4 along. I had some time at the end of the day, so I stayed up til 2AM in my old bedroom with a crappy 32 inch TV, leaning on my bedframe, and cried when credits rolled

This game means more to me than I can really describe with words. It's a life changing game, and now it's available literally everywhere

What I liked

The style. Oh my lord the style. The contrasting reds, blacks and whites with sharp lines and the inky drawn in style just make my brain blast

This game's story is phenomenal. It has some weird content here and there, but that's how Japanese games just are sometimes

The soundtrack is second to none. Before I even got the game I'd listen to the soundtrack on loop, and it's still in rotation all these years later in the big 2026 I never liked JRPGs or turn-based combat. The twists this game made to the formula I was used to (mostly just Pokemon at that point) opened my mind to the gameplay style as a whole, and led me to try (and enjoy) games I never would've considered otherwise

The cast of characters is one of the strongest in any game I'd played up to that point, and perhaps even to this point. P3/P4 have nothing on the Phantom Thieves

What I didn't like

That one boss with the robots and elemental affinities was a bit annoying, even on story mode, which I was playing in

Some of the later parts of the original story kinda drag on for a bit

The final act of the game drags on way longer than it really deserves to, just when you think you're done, there's more, about 7 times

Verdict

Don't even look up more about this game. If you like how it looks visually, and you like the music, just buy it. It's worth it at regular price, and even more worthwhile if you catch it on sale.

Once Persona 5 Royal came out, I was still in the middle of playing Persona 5, but still went out of my way to buy Persona 5 Royal AND finish the original game. Granted it took me until like 2022 (when I bought a PS5) to beat this game

That said, I like this game. I really like this game.

Played: 2021 & 2025
Rating: A surprising 9.5/10

Metroid is one of those franchises that's critically acclaimed, old(ish), has lots of games, but somehow, so few good points to hop on board

This game though, is something special. It takes a long-held concept of a tense Metroid game (originally planned for the Nintendo DS, actually), and brings it to life beautifully

When I bought it at launch, I told myself that this would finally be the Metroid game I beat. I was right, just not the first time

Within the first couple hours, I had decided this game was too hard, too complicated, too whatever. Looked beautiful, played beautifully, but wasn't for me

A few years later, after the Switch 2 launched my brain got a-thinkin. It was like "man, I'd really love to actually beat a Metroid game for once", and the new console was the PERFECT excuse to actually sit down and play this game

So I did, originally trying to continue from where I left off, but I was lost, like so lost. I checked the playtime, decided I could sacrifice the 2 hours to get back to that point, and from there I had SO much momentum playing this game, that I actually bothered beating it

What I liked

The movement. So freaking smooth. I have never felt a 2D platforming character that was as smooth to control as Samus in Metroid Dread.

The combat - counters, and moving counters were so satisfying to pull off, and so flashy. It scratched a part of my brain that other Metroidvanias like Hollow Knight (and Samus Returns on the 3DS), simply didn't scratch

The plot and premise - pretty engaging from start to end, but not super complicated

The visuals - this is one of the best looking 2D platformers I have ever laid eyes on. Even more impressive on the original Nintendo Switch hardware. The visual style for the game is also incredibly strong, and it's not afraid to play around with colours and contrast, which I like The difficulty - combat was fairly difficult, and boss fights take a good few tries usually, but it was a difficulty that I would consider fair, and not overwhelmingly difficult, perhaps slightly easier than Armored Core 6

The tension/atmosphere - this game nails the atmosphere, and the environments are really unique. The EMMI encounters (as I found out later after playing Metroid Fusion) really build off the SA-X encounters from Fusion, and are a prefect combination of stress and excitement

The sound design - it totally wraps everything together with a pretty little bow

What I was meh about

The map - it was generally pretty good, but at several points throughout my playthrough I had to whip out Google to figure out where to go next, only to be told that I had to cross the entire freaking map to do one tiny thing I had forgotten about

The music - it wasn't super catchy or anything. Not bad, but not as amazing as the rest of the game for the most part. It's fitting, but not particularly outstanding. I know ambient music for games like this can be a little harder to make catchy, and the composer did his/her best, but it's one of the weaker parts of an otherwise outstanding package, making it harder to stand up to those standards

Verdict

This game (and the announcement of Metroid Ravenous, also made by Mercury Steam, yay) really jumpstarted my interest in actually playing/beating the Metroid games (recently mostly beat Fusion, it's also great)

I'm excited to see what's next for the Metroid franchise. Metroid Prime 4 I've heard was a bit of a disappointment for fans, but Ravenous looks so cool. Have I mentioned I'm really excited for Ravenous? I'm overjoyed that Mercury Steam was given the opportunity to make this after Samus Returns, despite its poor timing and controversy (RIP AM2R), because they really blew me away

Played: September 2026
Rating: For fans of Metroid Dread 7/10

After Metroid Ravenous was announced, I was so excited. I'd played Metroid Dread, loved that game, and I wanted more. Now.

I was deliberating which Metroid game I should play next, was considering Samus Returns or Prime Remastered, before deciding on this one. Why? Because I had just played a game on my 3DS (Kirby Triple Deluxe), and wasn't in the mood to play a first-person shooter on a console, obviously

Upon starting this game, the first thing that was immediately apparent is that it was shockingly similar to this game. Instead of EMMI robots patrolling certain areas, we have the SA-X patrolling the space station, mostly in scripted events. Super cool, and super spooky. This thing is a real threat

All in, I got like 95% through the game, literally right before the final boss, before giving up on it. I didn't really feel like going through the whole map to get more energy cannisters to beat the SA-X and Omega Metroid (probably didn't help that I was playing on my DS (GBA SP battery crapped out), and that thing has mashed-potato-ass shoudler buttons, which made aiming up kinda hard

What I liked

The pixel art, especially on the screen of a GBA SP or DS Lite, was beautiful. Especially the character portraits you get treated to every now and then

The music, especially the boss themes. I found myself humming along to a lot of these. They really did the most they could on the GBA

The progression, getting upgrades and stuff like that was super satisfying, especially after beating a difficult boss

Minimal meaningless backtracking throughout the campaign - and when there is backtracking, it's pretty brief

Boss/environmental designs/ideas - this is peak early 2000s creativity, and I'm here for it. I can still remember most of the boss designs, and I can't say that for many other games

The story/premise - the whole concept of being stuck on a space station with an alien that took over your power armour from when you were at your peak? That's spooky, and really intriguing. The plot twists throughout (for the little I know about the original Metroid story) are also awesome

What I didn't like

The sound effects - these were kinda harsh a lot of the time. It had its ups and downs. Like what the F was up with Ridley's screeching, that was harrowing lol

The obscure collectibles - I know these were made for people who had very few games, and wanted to get the most out of their games, but for how I play, I like just going through the main story, and not retreading ground, especially if the movement isn't particularly fun compared to newer games. The last thing I want to do at the end of the game is go through every section just to get more energy cannisters so I can actually beat the final boss. This was less of an issue in Metroid Dread, because of how fun Samus was to control, but this one was too clunky for me to care

Save station placement/frequency. I hate redoing things often, so save stations not being super close to boss fights, making me go through enemy-ridden sections was pretty annoying. Some sequences deliberately held off letting you save AFTER beating a boss, which was just diabolical, and is part of the reason I didn't beat the final boss


Enemy placement / screen crunch - part of the GBA's whole thing, but so often I just couldn't see enemies off screen, only to end up getting hit/shot by them. It's not the worst thing ever, but it was annoying at times

Verdict

If you liked Dread and don't mind some clunkiness, I'd definitely suggest giving Metroid Fusion a try. They share a lot of the same DNA, and in some ways, Fusion is actually a little better

Edit 1: I replaced the battery in my GBA SP (an over 3x increase over the stock battery, if it was new, and working) and was able to beat the last boss in less than a dozen attempts. Not too bad with shoulder buttons that feel like buttons, not mashed potatoes. Well worth finishing. So much pride and accomplishment!

Played: 2019?
Rating: An undeniable 9/10

Katamari Damacy is a game where you roll a ball into things, and pick up those things, and make a bigger ball. The bigger you get, the bigger the items you can pick up

This game is a masterpiece in game design. It's so fun, but so simple

What I liked

The gameplay. That would be the main reason you'd think about picking up a Katamari game. The process of rolling around and picking stuff up just tickles a certain corner of my brain that most games by AAA studios simple can't reach

That's not all though, the characters (the prince and the King of Cosmos) have a hilarious dynamic. The king gives you ridiculous goals for the size of your Katamari, time limits, and whatnot. If you don't reach the goal, he's downright mean to you, which is uncommon in most games, but I thought was neat. If you just barely reach the goal, he goes like "meh, it's a little small, isn't it". It's prime material for getting players to replay levels and go for a record

Had this never popped up (I think it was in a Nintendo direct), I never would've played a Katamari game. It's just such a weird game that most studios wouldn't even give a shot these days. It innovates on gameplay above all else, and that's admirable

What I didn't like

The graphics could be better, but it's functional and has a good style to it, so I can't complain. It's also a remaster of a cartoony PS2 game, so literally who cares lol

The controls could be a bit better. The twin-stick layout where you control the prince like a tank is unique, but not the most elegant. That said, I got used to it super fast, and it's kinda needed for the way they handle some mechanics

Verdict

If you haven't played this game, go play it. I don't care if you have to sell your kidney, car, house, or toe pictures. Find a way to play this game, you'll have a ball!

Okay the sky wasn't actually red, I just thought this looked cool

Sunset is pretty neat

It's amazing to see chaos organized

Humanity has turned the wilderness into order

We've taken that mess and made something beautiful, but systematic

Kinda impressive

Butterflies and moths are beautiful and majestic

I have no idea why anyone would possibly be afraid of these things

Seriously, these things couldn't hurt a fly if they tried. What are they gonna do, flap you to tears? Suck you to death?

I've been to many butterfly conservatories in my day. I love these things

Probably the only bugs I'm downright happy to see, other than maybe ladybugs? Eh who knows

The farm I go apple picking and pumpkin picking at every year recently moved, kinda different vibe there now

That said, the new location has these beautiful rows of flowers now, which the old one didn't have. I kinda like it

Moving from a clearly patched together place to a bigger spot is definitely better for their biz, but got rid of some of the charm

Their buildings are bigger, newer, more proper. Their orchards are more organized. Everything's in the right place

Change is hard, they probably needed to do it for some reason, but I miss part of the old place lol

Bees get a bad rap, honestly

I used to get super scared every time a bee came within a mile of me, like unreasonably scared

Once upon a time, I was allergic to wasps. Supposedly I'm not anymore because I was immunized or whatever, but they still scare me silly, on account that they could theoretically kill me and I don't carry an epipen just in case

Because of that whole thing (and the needles that hurt like a S.O.B.), I wrote off bees as a threat as well

Honestly, I have never been bothered by bees unless I had something sweet on me, but they just inspect it and fly away

Now WASPS on the other hand have a death wish at this time of year. They know they're going to die soon, and no longer care

I mean, if I knew I was going to die soon, I probably wouldn't care either

Bees can only sting once each, it's a last resort for them if they feel extremely threatened

Wasps though... they can go as many times as they want. Great for killing small bugs, but I wish they didn't target us human folks

Nothing hits quite like a bit field of wildflowers

Before today, it had been probably a good few years since I saw an honest-to-goodness field of flowers like this

The pandemic's effects are still seen to this day. I don't get out as often as I used to, and working from home still definitely doesn't help that

I'm not the same person I once was. That's unsettling and comforting at the same time

Goats are basically just big cats or guinea pigs if you really think about it

I've never really gotten past how their eyes look, it's kinda unsettling

Once you think about it, you kinda get over it and just appreciate the goat for what it is

Say "bahhh" to the next goat you see for me, if you would

Nothing too deep here, saw a tractor at a farm while I was out apple picking

Something like this can bring both fun for kids, and work once they grow up

Odd that our passions often become our jobs, and lose that flame

Summer leaves, fall comes without welcome

The only welcome thing is the lower temperature, but it always takes it too far

Wasps have absolutely no self-preservation instinct

I can't wait for spring to come again

There's something alluring about graveyards

Knowing that one day, we'll mostly all end up in one, and if not, still dead anyway

It's one of the quiet comforts in life, knowing that certainty

The other certainty, (taxes) I could do without, though

Got a new (to me) camera on this day, a Sony Alpha A6000

By the time I was able to get out, it was pretty dark, which made for difficult shooting conditions

I hadn't really used a DSLR or mirrorless camera since high school

Most of my shots ended up completely blurry and unusable, but this one was nice

Played: 2012-2013, & March-ish 2026
Rating: If you miss classic Minecraft: 8.5/10

Everyone knows Minecraft, it's basically the best selling game of all time, no big deal

But between all the big updates, something got lost imo. Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition keeps that classic charm, with the added benefit of couch co-op

What I liked

It's freaking Minecraft, but pretty much how I played it as a kid. I had a computer with Minecraft Java, but it had 1 core and 1GB of RAM, all running Windows XP, so I'd be looking at framerates in the single digits unless I was on a server, or on a superflat world

This version of Minecraft was the only way I was able to play Minecraft at a decent framerate. It was missing some features from the desktop version, but it got updates, and had some really fun stuff the desktop version was missing

The tutorial world is iconic, the default settings forcing the music to play without being so obvious to disable resulted in me listening to the OST in this version way more

This version of the game is also incredibly simple compared to modern Minecraft. It's simple, classic overworld, nether and end, a world border, and a non-overwhelming amount of stuff to do and blocks to pick

In modern Minecraft, there's so much more stuff, but so much less simplicity

I tried playing Bedrock edition on my Switch with my girlfriend, and couldn't give enough of a crap to play for that long. We booted up the original and were able to play for literal hours

Let's not even mention, this game has basically no bugs compared to Bedrock edition. I'd trust 4J studios to program my kid, if I had one and it was an AI or something

What I didn't like

First person controls with a controller kinda suck, particularly looking around is a bit clunky

After a while, you've truly exhausted the content in this game - that said, it forces you to build and have fun with your imagination

Oftentimes I feel like I'm wasting my time and should just play Java when I'm playing this game, but it's not overwhelming

Verdict

If you're missing classic Minecraft, pick up this game (or the PS3 version), play it on splitscreen with a loved one and you're bound to have a good time in a way that you just don't in newer versions

Played: When I was a kiddo, & in August 2026
Rating: For kids who like Star Wars: 8/10

A fantastic take on the idea of a Lego Star Wars video game, and a trip down memory lane

I'd also say, this is pretty close to a perfect first video game to play. I have lots of great memories playing this game... and some very frustrating ones

What I liked

The gameplay is simple enough for kids to get, like my snot-nosed brother and I when this first came out, but not so simple it would put you to sleep

This game's humour and portrayal of some of the more serious moments from the Star Wars prequels is something worth playing these for even today if you haven't

To this day, when played in its original context (on a CRT, with some controllers, on a couch with your younger brother), it still holds up visually

What I didn't like

The podracing level. WHO IN THE ACTUAL F over at Tt Games thought a kid would be able to beat that stupid level. My brother and I tried playing this again as adults, and it still took us a few dozen tries to beat that level. I've got no idea how they possibly expected us to beat that level at 6 and 8 years old respectively. It just doesn't compute for me. The complete saga did it in a way that wasn't super hard, and was a bit more forgiving. Why couldn't they have done that here? Did they even have kids play that level or did they just have some sweaty adults play it?? I don't know how that made it through QA. It's janky and way too hard!

Verdict

Aside from the podracing level, this is basically exactly what I'd expect from a video game called "Lego Star Wars: The Video Game"

If I have kids (the economy is rough lol), I'll be making them play this and the original trilogy, or at the very least the complete saga

All in, great game to play as a 6-9 year old boy on a Saturday morning with the 30 minutes of screen time you're allowed. If you don't fit into that box, it's probably closer to a 6/10. If you're an adult, you'll probably get bored, 5/10

Played: September 2026
Rating: A solid 7/10

Kirby Triple Deluxe is a solid 3DS version of a "Kirby's Return to Dreamland" style Kirby game

I had always thought it was a compilation or something like that based on the game's title, but it turns out it's just a play on "3D" (triple = 3, deluxe = D, har har har)

The weird name probably affected the game's sales, it's a great game, but I've played better. I've even played better Kirby games!

What I liked

This is a fantastic adaptation of the Kirby's Return to Dreamland style of gameplay, which on its own was sort of a "New Super Mario Bros" moment for Kirby

The supernova gimmick is fun, and doesn't overstay its welcome. The new copy abilities are cool (I was partial to the bell one), and the classics work as well as they always have (hammer is my GOAT)

Also, the 3D effects were super cool! Seeing things coming from the background is a convincing effect on the 3D display, and timing when they'll hit Kirby is easy to do compared to doing this in 2D

Visuals are another strong suit for this game, very impressive for the 3DS, looking more like a downscaled Wii game than other things you'd see on the 3DS at that time

If it's a Kirby game, it's got a good sound track! I found myself regularly bumping along with the music

A surprising thing for me was the keychain collecting system. I don't usually find myself going out of my way for collectables, but you bet I was spending my play coins on the keychains between levels

What I didn't like

The motion control sections weren't my favourite. I never felt like I had precise enough control over the game when I had to tilt the device from side to side. This also messed with the 3D effect, even on the New 3DS XL which has face tracking 3D

This game's themes and ideas are pretty safe for a Kirby game. The game rarely showed me anything that really surprised me (The main antagonist is a big-ass bee. What is it with Nintendo and big-ass bees)

Around the mid-point of the game I really had to push myself to beat levels, since there really wasn't much going on plot-wise. I wish there was a bit more than "King Dedede got kidnapped", and "Your Dedede is in another castle Kirbio"

I didn't care much for the side modes, and definitely didn't care to play the whole game again as King Dedede

Verdict

If you liked Kirby's Return to Dreamland and want more where that came from, I think this will scratch that itch for you. The game is definitely junk food - the kind of thing you pick up and play rather than sit down and play for hours, but it's a decent game

This game knows what it is and isn't ashamed of it. I'll likely be taking some inspiration from the collectibles in this because they were so dang satisfying to collect.

I'm definitely happy with the direction Hal/Nintendo went with for games after this one (especially Planet Robobot - haven't played yet, will play soon, and definitely not Star Allies), but this game isn't anything too special

Kirby is at his best when his games get frickin weird in my opinion. Forgotten Land did this so well that it almost overtook Super Star Ultra as my favourite game

Wouldn't buy a 3DS for this necessarily, but if you've got one, it's pretty good

I'd been looking for a Renault Twingo on the family trip to Greece while we were going around

Only on the last day did I FINALLY find one as I was riding an ATV to meet up with my family

Took this on my Pixel 6, (not my fancy camera, as I didn't have one yet)

That trip woke me up to how "meh" phone cameras are

I took some decent pictures on the trip, but none of them blew me away the way my brother's DSLR did

Lesson learned, next time I'll bring my Sony with me

My good friend Big Al told me he actually visited Liechtenstein one time, and that's where my .li domain comes from

He was willing to share this picture. Cool freakin castle!