This is a mirror of my Bluesky/Twitter media thread from last year which was originally posted on Cohost on 2023/07/25. Since Cohost is being shut down at the end of the year I am mirroring it and a few other posts over here on my website.
Other Years: 2024
(2023/02/05) #1 - Pokémon Scarlet (2022) - 9/10
This game was a wonderful time marred only by its technical issues (of which I thankfully managed to avoid most). It is honestly in the running for my favourite game in the mainline series, I'll have to replay the 5th gen games to know for sure.
(2023/02/13) #2 - Mario's Super Picross (1995) - 8/10
Lacking some of the quality of life features of Jupiter's more recent games but otherwise a very solid puzzle game. Has a shit ton of puzzles some of which get pretty hard near the end. I like the chiselling stone aesthetic it has as well.
((2023/02/13) #3 - Kirby's Dream Land (1992) - 8/10
A fun and cheerful platformer that's fairly simple but not to the point of being boring. Definitely recommended even if you're like me and are not too great at a lot of old platformer games.
(2023/03/29) #4 - Picross S: Mega Drive & Master System Edition (2021) - 8/10
Fairly solid Picross game with a nice variety of puzzles. Only issue was that I had to turn on high contrast colors for the color puzzles as it was sometimes hard to distinguish between filled and unfilled in cells.
(2023/04/12) #5 - The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) - 9/10
A very fun and enjoyable film throughout. Could have done without the bits of licensed music, and a couple of the voices could have been better, but otherwise I definitely had a lot of fun with it.
(2023/04/12) #6 - Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves (2023) - 9/10
I admittedly just watched this for the promise of large dragon, but overall this was a very fun film with a lot of great action scenes and a good bit of humour mixed in.
(2023/04/13) #7 - Charm Studies (2023) - 7/10
A cute little puzzle/VN hybrid game with some nice music. Definitely aimed towards more novice players, but it was still a reasonably enjoyable time.
(2023/07/10) #8 - The Punchuin (2022) - 9/10
A short & fun action puzzler with great music & a cute round penguin. Recommended if you want a cheap game that you can finish in a single sitting. I would definitely see myself playing through a second time if I happen to feel in the mood.
(2023/07/24) #9 - SkyDrift Infinity (2021) - 7/10
A fun arcady plane racing game brought down by a few issues. Notably the tracks that can sometimes be confusing to navigate due to heavy use of invisible walls, and sound effects that are often blown out.
(2023/08/20) #10 - Spin Rhythm XD (2019) - 10/10
An excellent rhythm game with a great selection of included tracks, made even better when paired with an appropriate controller. Definitely up there with Taiko as one of my favourites of the genre.
(2023/08/22) #11 - Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (2013) - 9/10
A great time all round with the only real complaints being related to the gamepad controls which sometimes got in the way of me doing things. Onward to Heavensward hehe.
(2023/09/10) #12 - Bomb Rush Cyberfunk (2023) - 9/10
A really fun game with excellent vibes all around, especially with the soundtrack. There were a couple of frustrating points but overall I had a blast playing through it.
(2023/09/14) #13 - F-Zero 99 (2023) - 8/10
A reasonably fun multiplayer adaptation of the SNES classic, though one that, like previous 99 games, is unlikely to hold my attention beyond its initial release.
(2023/10/19) #14 - Pokémon Scarlet: The Hidden Treasures of Area Zero Part 1 - The Teal Mask (2023) - 8/10
A solid first part to this DLC which, although doesn't reach the highs of the base game and still suffers from its technical flaws, was enjoyable throughout with the new region featuring some nice areas.
(2023/11/18) #15 - Super Mario Bros. Wonder (2023) - 10/10
Definitely a wonderful time from beginning to end. The levels are all a blast to play and the online multiplayer adds a neat cooperative element to the game.
(2023/11/20) #16 - Logiart Grimoire (2023) - 9/10
Another solid Picross game by Jupiter. The mystical atheistic is a nice change from the more simple look of the main games, and the large 40x30 puzzles offer a great challenge. Also Emil is very cute hehe.
(2023/11/21) #17 - Pixross (2020) - 7/10
A decent Picross style game but one a bit lacking in challenging puzzles. The lack of thick borders between the cells also made things bit more difficult to look at than they should have been.
(2023/12/11) #18 - Shin Godzilla (2016) - 8/10
Pretty entertaining throughout with a bunch of neat special effects. The English dubbed version I ended up watching had a few quirks but otherwise was mostly competent.
(2023/12/11) #19 - Godzilla Minus One (2023) - 10/10
Excellent film, definitely a step up from Shin both story-wise and effects-wise. Glad I decided to see the only showing my local cinema was doing hehe.
(2023/12/19) #20 - Wonka (2023) - 9/10
Decently fun and entertaining overall, definitely better than expected going in. Everyone involved gives a decent to great performance.
(2023/12/27) #21 - GrooveRider: Slot Car Racing (2003) - 8/10
An old favourite of mine that was packed in with my PS2. Nice music and a good selection of creative tracks, though you don't have enough time to react to some of the obstacles. Frame drops are fairly common and can be distracting.
(2023/12/30) #22 - The Boy and the Heron (2023) - 9/10
Beautifully animated with lots lovely scenery. Doesn't quiet feel like it reaches the level of Studio Ghibli's best work, but that is a very high bar and it is still a great film.