Exploring The Saturn: Part 6

Well, I guess we're at the end. Obviously, I haven't played every single Saturn game but I feel like I've managed to touch on all the big heavy-hitters. And now, I only have four final Saturn games left to check out, all of which seem to push the hardware to its absolute fullest. Did the console's run end on a high note, or did Sega get a bit too ambitious?

Panzer Dragoon Saga: How... how does this game even exist? This is a full-on 3D RPG with an open-world, with so many FMVs it needed to be four discs, and somehow, it doesn't crack under all that ambition. Even the Final Fantasy games on Playstation needed prerendered environments, everything in Panzer Dragoon Saga is 3D! This game is a technical marvel, and it's a pretty great RPG in its own right from what I've played of it.

So yeah, Saga is a pretty big genre shift for the Panzer Dragoon series, from a linear rail-shooter to an open-world RPG. Hands down the highlight of Saga for me is that overworld. Being able to fly around on your dragon without restrictions was absolutely jaw-dropping at first, and the controls are genuinely great. You can even dismount your dragon in certain parts to run around on foot, so there really is a big variety in how you move throughout the overworld. While this game is technically open-world, it is divided up into fields that you transition between, but when you put all those areas together, it's impressive just how huge this game's map is. But then we get to the combat, which I'm a bit more mixed on to be perfectly honest. On its own merits, Saga's battle system is pretty sick. Visually, it's a full-on dragon battle, taking place as you fly through the air, and you can move your dragon around the enemy for a different perspective, just like in the first two games. However, I've never loved turn-based combat, and if there's a game that didn't need it, it's definitely this one. With how fun the overworld is, I can't help but wonder how cool it would've been if the shooting gameplay of the first two games were maintained. And the fact that battles are mostly random means the otherwise great overworld traversal can get repeatedly interrupted by enemies, which does get annoying at points.

What really stuns me about Panzer Dragoon Saga though is just how technically impressive it is. Like, there is no reason for a Saturn game this large in scale to look and run as well as it does. Panzer Dragoon Saga takes place in a big open world, all of which is rendered in 3D in real-time. There's an FMV for pretty much every single cutscene, and while Mr Bones may have done this first, Saga is a far longer (and better) game than Mr Bones was. The framerate is impressively consistent too. I'm not enough of a junkie to tell what the exact framerate of Saga is, but I can say for sure that I didn't notice any chugs. Even more, the environment remained consistently crisp-looking throughout the time I played Saga, which is more than I can say about a certain other game in this batch. And even more, even with all of these technical miracles, the most impressive thing is that it feels like the world of Panzer Dragoon was not sacrificed in the slightest. The art direction and musical style fit perfectly alongside the first two games, and Saga's world genuinely feels like the same place as it was in those rail-shooters, just with the rails removed. 

Overall, Panzer Dragoon Saga really is a miracle of a game, a true technical marvel, and probably the furthest the Saturn could ever go without breaking itself in two. It takes the fascinating world depicted in the first two Panzer Dragoon games and expands it even more. It's a great and ambitious RPG with a stunning overworld and a fun (if slightly unwelcome) battle system.

5/5 Stars

Burning Rangers: Leave it to Sonic Team to once again push the Saturn's hardware to its limits. Burning Rangers is, somehow, an honest-to-goodness 3D platformer. While pretty obviously janky and nowhere near the same level as Nights Into Dreams, the sheer ambition put into Burning Rangers makes for a very admirable game.

Burning Rangers is an action-platformer where you run around a large building saving victims, putting out fires, and defeating whichever boss caused the fire in the first place. There's a quick-dodge to get out of the way of sudden explosions, a limit meter that increases the amount of fires the less you put out, and even a full-on ranking system just like in Nights. But coolest of all, Burning Rangers built itself on a vocal navigation feature, where a navigator instructs you on where to go within these mazelike areas. What's really impressive is just how high quality and clear the voice acting is here. In an era filled with bad dubs, Sonic Team knew that a bad voice cast or bad vocal direction would flat-out break this game, and I couldn't be more glad that they put in the effort.

However, as cool as Burning Rangers is in its ambition, it does suffer from a bit of that early 3D platformer jank (and it doesn't help that this is a Sega Saturn game rather than a 64 or PS1 game). Movement feels great for the most part, but the camera really holds this game back a bit. I actually think Burning Rangers' camera was ripped straight-out of Sonic Jam because I have very similar issues. It just moves around too much, jumps are incredibly difficult because they can cause the camera to spazz out, and the entire game taking place in interior areas compared to the open Sonic World only exacerbates the issues. I also think graphics, while definitely impressive, do look like they're pushing the console a bit too much. It's hard to really explain without just showing it to you, but it felt like the environments were just gonna collapse on me at any moment. It feels like if I was playing this game on a actual Saturn (since I was using emulation), I'd spend the whole playthrough terrified that it was going to burst into flames (which is ironic considering what this game is about).

But despite my gripes, the ambition of Burning Rangers does win over some of its more poorly-aged elements. This is still a slick, fast-paced, and fun platformer with some stellar production values, even if it may be going a bit too far in pushing the Saturn's capabilities.

4/5 Stars

Sonic R: Sonic R is yet another Saturn game I've actually played before, but my opinions haven't changed about it much. I love everything about it... except for the actual gameplay.

Sonic R looks astonishing for the Saturn. From the reflections to the level terrain, it's impressive just how great this game looks. Traveler's Tales truly were wizards at the time. The soundtrack is also amazing. I've raved about it before, but Sonic R's pop tracks are catchy and endlessly listenable. The track design is great too, there may be only five tracks but they're filled to the brim with alternate routes, really capturing the spirit of Sonic. And there's so many extra modes to the point where the lack of tracks doesn't feel all that noticeable, from collecting Sonic Tokens, to finding the Chaos Emeralds, to the several varieties of time trials. However, what prevents Sonic R from being an easy favorite on the console are those awful slippery controls. I've seen some people defend R's controls by claiming that you should just steer characters as if they were cars, but first of all, they're slippery even by car standards, and second of all, maybe if you wanted the characters to control like cars, you shouldn't make them collect stuff and do precision platforming!

Sonic R is such a mess of a game. Like, I see what TT was trying to accomplish here, and I like a lot of it, but the ungodly controls only exacerbated the bizarre progression systems and ultimately make the whole thing feel unpolished. I wish Sonic R was good, I want to like it more than I do, but it just doesn't do it for me.

2/5 Stars

Radiant Silvergun: You know, I like to think I'm alright at bullet hell games. I've beaten a bunch of Touhou games, I nailed (and loved) that The End fight in Sonic Frontiers, I fared pretty well in Batsugun and Dodonpachi Resurrection, and I've pulled off some crazy grazes that surprised even myself. Radiant Silvergun humbled the hell out of me, and I loved every second of it.

Radiant Silvergun is one of the coolest games I've ever played in my life, full stop. It's a bullet hell game that gives you seven different weapons to use, all the ships and enemies are 2D sprites but the boss fights are in full 3D, also there's like 20 different bosses throughout the game, and there's a leveling up system, and there's a soundtrack by Ivalice Final Fantasy composer Hitoshi Sakamoto, and Treasure made it, and there's explosions so powerful they cause the game to lag. Seriously, the style, scale, and ambition of Radiant Silvergun is off the charts. This is Treasure at their absolute peak, just as experimental and weird as something like Guardian Heroes, but it all actually fully clicks this time. The variety of weapons gives you so much freedom in how you tackle enemies and bosses, as does the chain system. The level design is consistently inventive, and the bosses even moreso. This might genuinely be Treasure's best boss lineup and that's saying something, every single one of them is memorable, unique, and fun. From the frantic race against the Golets, to the sick-looking wireframe fight against GEDO-0, to the dramatic fight against Penta, to... literally everything about that final boss, my god.

Of course, it's not all style, because Radiant Silvergun is also ridiculously hard. Like genuinely one of the most difficult games I've ever played in my life, and it pulls no punches right from the very start. Hell, you're likely already feeling overwhelmed by all the new gameplay systems only for the second boss to start pulling off 5th Touhou boss level patterns right off the bat... and in Easy Mode for that matter! However, despite its brutal difficulty, Radiant Silvergun is ultimately a fair bullet hell game. One of the hardest in its genre, for sure, but fair nonetheless. As mentioned before, the sheer amount of weapons you have in your arsenal allow you to tackle bosses in any way you want. You even get a homing shot if you really want to play things safe. There's also Saturn Mode, a modified Story Mode that saves how much your weapons have leveled up after each death, so every time you play the game, your weapons are a bit more powerful. And on top of that, there's also a very robust options menu that with loads of difficulty and lives settings, and if you're still feeling really desperate, Arcade Mode does have an infinite continues cheat. Radiant Silvergun may be brutal, but it accomodates for every kind of player. Treasure wants you to win, it's just going to take a lot of practice and attempts.

Overall, Radiant Silvergun is astonishing. It's hands down the most inventive and experimental bullet hell game I've ever played, and yet it succeeds in pretty much everything it's trying to do. From the complex gameplay systems that encourage player expression, to the unpredictable and consistently creative level design and bosses, to the stunning visuals and score, this may very well be Treasure's magnum opus (though I haven't played Ikaruga yet so who knows) To my utter disbelief, Radiant Silvergun has surpassed Nights Into Dreams as my favorite Saturn game, and it's probably also my favorite non-Touhou bullet hell right now too. What a fantastic note to end this series off on.

5/5 Stars

Other Games I Played But Didn't Have As Much To Say About:

• Bug!/Bug Too!: Not good, just really really not good (1/5)
• Keio Flying Squadron 2: Looks stunning, the controls are a bit of a grower, but I've really become fond of this one (4/5)
• Batsugun: I love a good bullet hell game, truly blissful (5/5)
• Saturn Bomberman: Classic Bomberman at its peak (5/5)
• Sega Worldwide Soccer 97: Pretty solid for such an early football sim (4/5)
• Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge: Just a damn good fighting game with stunning spritework and one of my favorite casts in the genre (5/5)
• Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo: Great concept, great gameplay, great spritework, why the hell is Street Puzzle Mode so hard?! (3/5)
• Waku Waku 7: Waku Waku 7 is so close to being my favorite fighting game on the console, so pretty, fluid and charming... until that final boss literally slows things to a crawl. (4/5)
• Virtua Cop 2: Literally just the first game but without the charming blue skies aesthetic, the catchy music, or the Training mode. So basically, all the things I liked about VC1 aren't there. (2/5)
• Sonic 3D Blast: The better visuals, great music, and special stages are points in this game's favor, but the slippery controls still exist and make it way harder to enjoy compared to the far superior director's cut. (2/5)

So, overall, what did I think about the Saturn's library? For the most part, pretty solid. It wasn't the idealized gold mine of amazing hidden gems I was expecting at first, since there was no shortages of imperfect ports (Daytona USA, Waku Waku 7), games that just didn't do it for me (Virtua Cop, Guardian Heroes), as well as games I just thought were flat-out bad (Mr Bones, Bug!), not to mention Sonic really got the short end of the stick here. However, for every disappointment, there was at least 2-3 games I genuinely loved. From the truly great arcade ports (Virtua Fighter, Darkstalkers, Batsugun, Radiant Silvergun), to the truly stunning 2D sprite-based games (Astal, Saturn Bomberman), to Sega's great lineup of first-party originals (Nights, Panzer Dragoon, Clockwork Knight, Fighters Megamix, Burning Rangers), there was a lot to love in the Saturn's library, and I managed to find plenty of favorites here.

Part of why I love failed consoles like the Saturn is because of how much of an underdog they are. Their games are often underappreciated or even fly under the radar, the companies who make them often have to make compromises or take risks to keep them afloat, and their otherwise muted or negative reputation means that the console's highlights can pleasantly surprise you. From the crisp CD audio to its fantastic 2D capabilities to the weird shit that only Sega could ever make, the Sega Saturn is a weird, unpredictable, and wonderful little console that tried so damn hard even if all the odds were stacked against it. For that, the Saturn has my respect.

Now, to end things off, here's a list of my Top 10 Sega Saturn games:

1. Radiant Silvergun
2. Nights Into Dreams/Christmas Nights
3. Panzer Dragoon II Zwei/Saga
4. Fighters Megamix/VF2
5. Clockwork Knight 1/2
6. Daytona USA
7. Saturn Bomberman
8. Burning Rangers
9. Darkstalkers
10. Batsugun

Exploring The Saturn: Part 5

Sonic's grand return, the craziest pre-Smash crossover fighter, and two other Sega racing games. Let's see how many of them are good...

Fighters Megamix: Fighters Megamix is the big Sega AM2 crossover I never knew I wanted. It doesn't just bring together the casts of Virtua Fighter and Fighting Vipers, it goes even further.

Fighters Megamix basically works as a mixture between Virtua Fighter and Fighting Vipers. You can choose between the fighting styles of both games, and each characters's stage depends on which game series they come from (so Virtua Fighter characters have no walls, Fighting Vipers characters do). I'm not entirely sure mixing these two fighting styles really works the best, but Fighters Megamix isn't meant to be a great competitive fighting game, it's just meant to be fun. And it's incredibly fun, and very content-rich too. With a whopping 34 characters to play as, the game comes with an impressive nine different Arcade Modes, along with plenty of other great modes like Survival, the Training mode from Fighting Vipers, and even a VS Mode that allows for 1P vs COM play! Glad to see that's now a thing. But really, the highlight here is just seeing all the hidden characters that got thrown in. Bean and Bark from Sonic The Fighters, the kids versions of Akira and Sarah, the Hornet from Daytona, the tree in the AM2 logo?! You know those joke picks that Sakurai would throw into Smash like Mr Game & Watch or Duck Hunt? Well, the entire unlockable roster of Fighters Megamix is solely comprised of joke picks, and I adore it. Nothing beats fighting the goddamn Daytona car as King Of Speed plays in the background.

And that's kind of what Fighters Megamix feels like, a joke, but in a good way! I'll argue that from a purely mechanical perspective, Virtua Fighter 2 is the best AM2 fighting game on the Saturn, but Fighters Megamix is the most fun. You can tell AM2 just wanted to celebrate their achievements, and throw all of their previous characters and IPs together into a weird but endearing blend. It's all good-natured fun, which is really all a good crossover should be.

5/5 Stars

Sonic Jam: We did it! We finally got to Sonic! And after all this time, the first Sonic game to come out on the Sega Saturn was... a collection of all his Genesis games. Hey, but at least it was a pretty cool collection.

Sonic Jam goes several extra miles beyond simply porting Sonic 1-K to the Saturn, Sonic Team had greater ambitions. This collection not only includes Sonic 1-K in their original forms, but they also received Easy Modes as well as revised versions that fixed several issues with the game that Sonic Team initially had. Sonic 1 got a spin dash, several stage layouts are slightly changed, bugs were fixed, and best of all, the infamous Barrel Of Doom was removed. On top of all that, you could use Sonic & Knuckles' lock-on features on the other games, play time trials for every single act, and even play the Special Stages outside of the context of the games. This is a very content-rich and fully-featured port, and it's a real shame that Sonic Team wouldn't put all these features in their other collections. The "fixed" versions in particular are exclusive to Sonic Jam, which is especially saddening since these aren't the best ports on a technical level. Nothing unplayable, mind you, but they do suffer from some pretty rough sound issues at points. Sadly, there are better ways to play these games, and I wish the Jam versions would get touched up to rival them one day.

Of course, then there's also Sonic World, which most people remember Sonic Jam for. Most compilations have a menu where you can look at concept art, watch videos, or get behind the scenes info on your favorite games... but what if that menu was actually a 3D Sonic overworld. Yep, if we were to exclude Christmas Nights, this is the first true 3D Sonic game, and it's pretty alright. The visuals are stunning for the Sega Saturn, bright and colorful, and barely chugs a bit. There's just something about Sonic Team, they really know how to push the Saturn to its limits. I love the low-poly Saturn era Sonic look too, it's so cute. There are even some rings to collect and (surprisingly tough) missions to partake in, just to make it so the place doesn't solely feel like a glorified menu. However, Sonic World does have its issues. Sonic can feel a bit slippery upon landing which makes precision platforming annoying, the two camera options are either too close or too far away, and much of the scans that you can view look pretty crusty and hard to read. As a whole, the menus just don't look the most polished, especially in the shadow of Mega Collection's godly presentation. Still, I do admire the effort here, and the novelty of playing as 3D Saturn era Sonic is still really cool.

As a whole, Sonic Jam isn't my favorite Sonic collection. Mega Collection just feels more polished as a whole. However, the sheer amount of extra effort Sonic Team put into Jam is worth celebrating, from all the extra options and adjustments made to the games themselves, to the pretty stunning depiction of what Sonic in 3D would've looked like at the time.

4/5 Stars

Manx TT Super Bike: Manx TT Super Bike feels like a happy medium between Daytona USA and Sega Rally Championship in pretty much every way, taking the structure and vibe of the former and meshing it with the grittiness and strong port quality of the latter.

Manx TT Super Bike is yet another AM2 racing game, but this time, you're on motorcycles. It's just as fun as it sounds, Manx TT Super Bike is a blisteringly fast game, and carefully leaning to turn corners is always insanely satisfying. Unlike in Sega Rally, the tracks are actual loops again that you have to do 3-5 laps in, meaning that there's a bit more of an emphasis on learning the turns of each track. Both tracks are well-designed, and the second track even ends on a brutal hairpin turn, just as it should. Presentation-wise, Manx TT Super Bike is pretty great too, once again melding the styles of the games that came before it. The environments have the same rugged style as Sega Rally Championship, but the skies are as blue as in Daytona USA. The soundtrack is rock-heavy like in Sega Rally, but there's more energy to it, and the menus have narrators again. As far as the porting job goes, it's mostly good. The draw distance is noticeably not great, likely because of how fast the game is, but in exchange, the framerate is buttery smooth. My only real gripe here is how few tracks there are. There's still all the modes that were in the other racing ports, like Saturn Mode, reverse tracks, and time trials, but it's hard to really articulate how much of a downgrade two tracks rather than three is. Daytona USA and Sega Rally both have that one easy route for a chill race, that one brutal route if you want a challenge, and that main medium difficulty track you're likely going to spend a lot of time in. Manx TT Super Bike doesn't really have that medium difficulty track, which is a bit of a shame.

Overall, though, Manx TT Super Bike is yet another strong arcade racer. It feels great, it's satisfyingly fast, the porting job is mostly great, and the presentation is typically stellar.

4/5 Stars

Sega Touring Car Championship: This might be one of the most divisive games Sega has ever made. I'm serious here. Either it's a rewarding, realistic racer, or a twitchy, frustrating mess. Where do I fall on that spectrum? Ehh, I'm leaning towards the former... except for one issue.

Sega Touring Car Championship was Sega's attempting at making a realistic car racer, and for the most part, I think they succeeded. Touring Car is an incredibly fast game, it's easy to accidentally slam yourself into walls, but the game never feels impossible, both in AT and MT. In the case of AT, you need to know when to let go of accelerate. And in the case of MT, you need to figure out when to shift for each turn. I didn't have any issues with the controls (then again, I used a joystick), while there is a learning curve, it's a hurdle that is possible to get over. What doesn't help, however, is the lack of a map, or really any turn indicators. Both Daytona USA and Manx TT Super Bike had a map screen so that you can quickly glance over to see what kind of turn you're going to have to deal with next. Sega Touring Car Championship, on the other hand, doesn't have a map, so despite its blistering speed, it feels like turns just hit me in the face without any chance to judge how sharp it is. Where the previous racing games allow you to use the map as a reference and plan out your turn accordingly, the only way to get by in Touring Car is sheer trial-and-error.

And it's a shame that this is such a glaring issue because you can tell Sega put a lot of love into this one. There's so much content here unlike in Manx TT Super Bike. There's Arcade and Saturn modes as usual, but there's also five tracks, several unlockable modes in both sides, customizable cars, and even special tracks and events accessed by playing on a certain date. That last part really shows that Sega wanted this game to be something big, and it's a shame it was just too inaccessible for a lot of people. The presentation is stellar too. The menus are slick, the game runs incredibly smoothly and looks super detailed (seriously, I don't know how the Saturn runs this), and the soundtrack. Oh man, the soundtrack. It's such an eclectic lineup of genres, with the highlight being an honest-to-goodness eurobeat track. It's amazing.

Sega Touring Car Championship isn't a bad game. It has a huge learning curve to it, but the controls are great, and if you can get over that hurdle, there's a massive wealth of content and one of the most polished racers on the console waiting for you. It's just a shame that the lack of a map screen makes getting over that hurdle all the harder.

3/5 Stars

Okay, this was a far better lineup. Pretty much every game in here was at the very least fun. Sadly, this is also the penultimate batch. The only games I have left to try and review are Sonic R, Burning Rangers, Radiant Silvergun, and Panzer Dragoon Saga, along with all of those other games I didn't have as much to say about. Let's hope we end on a strong note.

Kirby's Return To Dream Land Deluxe: Pros & Cons

Note: I will be spoiling elements of this remake. Don't read further if you haven't played it!

Kirby's Return To Dream Land is one of my favorite games of all time. It was the first mainline Kirby game I've ever played, and until Forgotten Land came out, it was hands down my favorite in the series. So when the remake was announced, I was super excited, but still unsure if it was really going to live up to the high bar of the original for me. Now that I've had the change to play it, I can say for sure that it's a great remake... but I'm not fully sure if it replaces the original either. I've divided my thoughts on the remake into Pros & Cons:

Pros:

• Using the Star Allies engine, Kirby's movement is a bit snappier in this remake. He runs faster, and being able to use an analog stick means you don't have to double-tap left to run anymore.
• You have a dodge now! The original RtDL only had a block move, but the dodge in this remake really makes certain fights easier.
• I love how they modified the Super Inhale. You don't have to shake your remote to trigger it, but shaking triggers it faster. If you use motion controls, it takes less time to Super Inhale than in the original.
• Sand and Mecha are great new abilities with vast movesets. Sand is especially great for the sheer variety of moves and combos you can pull off.
• HAL was willing to slightly modify certain levels to accommodate the new abilities, and they're incorporated in ways that feel entirely natural. 
• The addition of Magolor Tickets give you more incentive to actually explore the stages beyond just the Energy Spheres.
• The lighting and environments are vastly improved over the original, and it's especially noticeable in those dark cave sections. Areas like Haldera Volcano blew me away with how much better they looked.
• The new Super Ability transformation animations are sick, I got some real magical girl anime vibes from them.
• I'm a fan of King Dedede's new design, it's very expressive especially in the minigames.
• Merry Magoland feels like it could've been a $20 E-Shop game, it's that robust. There's so much new details added to all the minigames, lots of unlockables, and the missions reward mastery. HAL totally could've made a full-on Kirby Party if they wanted to.
• Magolor Epilogue is hands down my new favorite post-game campaign. The level design is tight and inventive, the Ordeal Levels lead to some clever platforming challenges, leveling up Magolor is satisfying, the story is intriguing, the final boss is stellar, and the music slaps. Most of all, though, the addition of a combo system finally puts juggling to use and encourages you to really use your moveset to its fullest. I hope this is a mainstay in future Kirby games, it's a truly stellar addition that brings Magolor Epilogue from great to phenomenal.
• The Extra Mode is actually genuinely harder this time thanks to the new enemy placements and lack of healing items! I actually died here, like a lot!
• The True Arena now features the Magolor Epilogue bosses and an extra Magolor phase, and I'm all for it. Where the original games' was fairly easy by True Arena standards, this definitely ranks as one of the hardest True Arenas in the series.

Cons:

• Why does Helper Magolor exist? The Story Mode in RTDL Deluxe is already easier than the original, this just feels patronizing. At least there's the fun gag of Helper Magolor not being available during the final boss. Hmm, I wonder why?
• If you've played the original as much as I have, the less floaty controls can feel a bit hard to adjust to, especially during boss fights. That's not really a bad thing though, it's just a me thing.
• My biggest issue is that certain Energy Spheres were made way too easy to get. In the original game, there were some Energy Spheres that you had to retry the level for if you happened to lose the ability you needed for it. In this version, Copy Essences show up in the room they're needed. Personally, I liked the more punishing Energy Spheres, and the presence of Copy Essences makes it incredibly obvious how you're supposed to get them, whereas in the original, you needed to scout the level for the right enemy.
• This is pretty selfish but I don't like how they made the Flare Beam easier to control. Let everyone feel my suffering, damn it!
• They made it so that you were able to hold down the jump button to use the Stomper Boot rather than have to time the button presses to jump off enemies, once again mitigating the game's challenge for no reason.
• They kept the Hammer Flip nerf from Star Allies! Hammer was more powerful in base RTDL than in any other game in the series (except maybe Robobot), it's a shame it's not the same here.
• The amount of damage Mecha's laser deals feels disproportionate to the amount of effort it takes to pull it off.
• The weapon balancing in general feels way off, a fair amount of super powerful abilities (Ninja, Parasol, Tornado, Hammer of course) from the original just simply severely nerfed here.
  
• While the game generally looks a lot better, I do think some of the more surreal environments (4-5, Nutty Noon) benefited a bit more from the simplistic look of the original. That might just be nostalgia speaking, though.
• The lack of online in Merry Magoland is pretty disappointing.
• No Scope Shot is a shame. I like Kirby On The Draw well enough, but it's no replacement.
• The lack of the Dream Collection challenge stages was also a shame. They're built on the same engine as RTDL, they shouldn't have been that hard to implement, right?
• While I like the harder True Arena, I do kinda wish we still had the original as well just for posterity's sake.
• While I argue there can never be enough content in a game, it's hard not to feel exhausted by the end of RTDL Deluxe with just how much you have to do for 100%.

So overall, I do think RTDL Deluxe is a great remake. It improves on the original in a lot of ways, the moment-to-moment gameplay and visuals are overall better, and the new additions like Merry Magoland and Magolor Epilogue are fantastic. However, it's not a perfect remake. It feels like HAL went a bit too far fixing issues that weren't really problems in the original, and the sheer amount of content added makes certain elements being left out all the more baffling. But still, I admire the lengths HAL put into making this remake not feel just like a standard port. It's still Return To Dream Land, and while I'd say this remake is one-step-forward and one-step-back, that still averages out to it being almost on par with the original.

4.5/5 Stars

Exploring The Saturn: Part 4

So far, my journey through the Sega Saturn's library has been pretty smooth sailing. However, this batch was a bit different. The quality in these games was all over the place, ranging from some of the coolest things the console ever did, to some of its biggest failures.

Christmas Nights: Remember demo discs? I sure don't because I wasn't born when they were at their peak, but I have always found them to be conceptually really cool. Without the internet or downloadable demos, this was the best way for people to learn about and try other video games, and they came in these neat tailor-made packages entirely for free. However, hands down the coolest demo disc ever made has to be Christmas Nights.

As I said, I've played Nights Into Dreams before, and that includes Christmas Nights. You really can't play Nights without also experiencing this version of the game, they're kind of a package deal. There's a reason the HD rerelease included a Christmas Nights mode, even if it doesn't have all the content the original Saturn version had. But what is Christmas Nights? At its core, Christmas Nights is a holiday-themed demo of Nights Into Dreams that lets you play through a winter-themed version of the game's first stage, Spring Valley. Already, this is a lot cooler than your average demo. Most demos leave the game as is, but Christmas Nights went the extra mile to completely redecorate a stage. But that's not even all, because Christmas Nights also has an entirely original rewards menu in the form of an advent calendar. Playing a round of Spring Valley lets you play a memory game, and getting matches unlocks these rewards, which range from art galleries, a music player, Time Attack and Link Attack modes, a collection of Nightopians, and best of all, the ability to play through a stage as Sonic The Hedgehog. Keep in mind, Sonic Jam nor Sonic R had come out yet. Christmas Nights was the first truly 3D Sonic game.

It's this rewards menu that gives Christmas Nights a shocking amount of replay value and content. While there is still only one level, unlocking all the rewards will take quite a while, and the sheer variety of extras really makes for one of the most jam-packed demos I've ever seen. And that's why I had to review Christmas Nights on it's own, because it's hardly even just a demo. It's basically it's own game, a fully-featured compliment to the base Nights Into Dreams game, and families got it all entirely free. To this day, this is one of the coolest things Sega has ever done.

5/5 Stars

Virtua Fighters Kids: I'm still kind of in disbelief that this is an actual game... and that it's still good.

Virtua Fighters Kids seems like a gag game, it is a gag game! It takes the VF2 cast, turns them into chibi kids, pitches up their voices, and bumps up the game speed by 20%. But despite this incredibly dumb idea, Sega was still somehow willing to improve the visuals, add content VF2 didn't have, add entirely new cheat codes, and even change the gameplay meta entirely. The upped speed isn't just a gimmick, it allows for VF Kids' gameplay to focus far more on making combos. It even comes with a full-on Combo Maker that lets you make your own combos. This makes VF Kids feel like a more accessible fighting game for newcomers, which I think is a pretty novel idea. The presentation is also polished up quite a bit, with far crisper and more expressive visuals than ever before. The menu UI leans into the game's cartoony premise, and the gameplay graphics are bright and colorful. There's even some new cheat codes to play around with, my personal favorite being the trippy first-person mode.

Look, in the grand scheme of things, VF Kids doesn't really bring anything new to the table. VF2 is still the better game here. However, VF Kids is, surprisingly enough, still a damn solid Virtua Fighter game on its own merits. It's got a lot of content, super polished visuals, and a fast-paced combo-heavy gameplay meta that actually works.

4/5 Stars

Decathlete: Minigame collections are always a fun time and you can tell Sega really tried with Decathlete. It's got a lot of their usual visual flair. However, it all depends on the minigames themselves, which unfortunately aren't the best.

Decathlete is entirely based around track-and-field, so the majority of its minigames are based around running, throwing stuff, or both. However, most of these minigames are controlled in one of two ways: Button mashing, or timing a meter. As a result, while there are 10 minigames, they all play fairly similarly. The gameplay isn't bad though, button presses are responsive and none of the games are necessarily unfair, I'm just not really a fan of button-mashers and don't think they can sustain an entire minigame collection. The modes on offer is pretty lacking too. Decathlon and Arcade are basically the same except Arcade is harder, and Practice mode just lets you play the minigames individually. It probably also doesn't help that I haven't been able to play Decathlete in multiplayer, which I assume would be it at its most fun. One thing I can say I really liked about Decathlete though are the visuals. You can tell this is a Sega arcade game, it's got a lot of that same flair and visual polish. Decathlete looks bright and colorful, and those iconic blue skies are always in view.

Overall, Decathlete's just kinda average. It's not a bad minigame collection, it's super polished and is probably a lot of fun in multiplayer, but it's held back by the minigames themselves feeling pretty samey and mechanically basic.

3/5 Stars  

Mr Bones: You know, just because a console failed doesn't necessarily mean its games are bad. The Virtual Boy has VB Wario Land, the Ouya has Towerfall, and I've been mostly positive to the majority of Saturn heavy-hitters I've played so far. That is not the case for Mr Bones.

Mr Bones is meant to be this super ambitious journey where every level is an entirely different genre. The graphics are prerendered, and there are so many FMVs that the game had to be split up into two discs. However, while I respect all the effort that went into Mr Bones, and I'm fully aware it's a cult classic... I'm so sorry, this game sucks ass. Despite going through pretty much every genre under the sun, none of the levels play well. They're all brutally hard and unfair, the controls suck, and sometimes it's unclear what you even have to do. I couldn't even get past the first level so I used a cheat code to access the level select and just check out all the stages, none of them were fun. They all sucked. It also doesn't help that the at-the-time groundbreaking visuals and FMVs have also aged horribly, robbing Mr Bones of a lot of its appeal. 

Once again, I admire the ambition that went into Mr Bones. You could feel that the developers wanted to make something truly special, but this is one of the most painful games I've ever had the displeasure of playing, and a surprising low point in what has otherwise been a pretty great library so far.

1/5 Stars

Fighting Vipers: Fighting Vipers was Sega's attempt at following up the success of Virtua Fighter with an entirely new boxing-centric 3D fighting game. Unfortunately, it couldn't quite match up to it for me, and some decisions made in the port didn't help.

Fighting Vipers plays mostly like Virtua Fighter, but there are a few changes such as walls around the arena not unlike a boxing ring you can interact with, being able to break off your opponents' armor, and of course the entirely new cast. Sadly, none of this really does much for me. Fighting Vipers' cast of characters is pretty unmemorable, the boxing ring mechanic means there's far less of those hilarious Ring Out physics that I loved in the Virtua Fighter games, and the armor mechanic rewards hitting the same part on your opponent over and over again rather than experimenting with more creative combos. The gameplay still feels fine and the visuals still look great, this is the VF engine we're talking about, but it just doesn't hit the same. It also doesn't help that Fighting Vipers's Saturn port specifically feels almost entirely ripped off of VF2 with little having changed. The majority of modes are still the same, there's still the Extra Options menu to unlock, the menu looks the same, the loading screens look the same, and it can't help but remind me of how much more I preferred Virtua Fighter 2. Even Virtua Fighter Kids didn't give me that feeling, and it's technically even more of a copy-paste. The only truly noteworthy addition Fighting Vipers made that I genuinely loved was the robust Training Mode which, to give credit where it's due, is really well-done.

Fighting Vipers is a fine fighting game but it just feels generic compared to the Virtua Fighter games. It lacks the memorable characters, its new mechanics limit those games' charm, and the general presentation of the port is nearly copy-pasted from VF2. As a result, it just feels stuck in the shadow of those more successful Sega Fighters that came before.

3/5 Stars

So yeah, this was probably the weakest lineup yet. When the best games in the batch (Christmas Nights, Virtua Fighters Kids) are just modified versions of other games, that's not a very good sign.

However, it's not all bad. While I've been sticking to reviewing mostly first-party or heavy-hitter Saturn games, I've also been checking out a bunch of third-party games like Batsugun, Darkstalkers, and Saturn Bomberman on the side, and they've been great! I'll give truncated reviews on some of the other Saturn games I played by the end of this series, but just know that it's not all bad.

But as for now, hopefully Fighters Megamix, Manx TT Super Bike, Sega Touring Car Championship, and Sonic Jam will fare a bit better in my next set of reviews.

Fresh Precure (Series 6)

I've been waiting for this. The one-two punch of Fresh and Heartcatch Precure make for the most widely beloved era of Precure, and I was very excited to see if they'd live up to the hype. So far, it's looking really good, Fresh Precure is fantastic. It takes the groundwork Splash Star laid and expands on it, while also throwing in some of Yes 5's best ideas to make for easily the best Precure series so far.

Fresh Precure continues the trend of having more than two Precures, but it limits the amount from Yes 5's five to a slightly more manageable three (eventually four). This is because Fresh's Cures are based on an idol trio, so they fight by dancing and take dance lessons with an actual idol group as training. It's a neat concept that's explored really well here, which is something I could really say about the whole show. I like how the Cures were chosen right after sacrificing themselves for someone else, you can pinpoint the moment they were decided. It's really cool to see the three Cures go to different schools, and the split leads to some unique dynamics (For example, Inori goes to a Christian school, so we see her in church at points). And the villains at Labyrinth having to fill up a gauge to achieve their goal of awakening Infinity actually gives purpose to the random Monsters Of The Week, and allows more creative villain designs than ever. The MotWs aren't just there to make some random bits of destruction, they're specifically designed to be as harmful to the average person as possible to increase the amount of sorrow they let out. As far as the actual Cures themselves go, they're pretty great. Love is yet another lovable ditzy but pure-hearted pink Cure (I particularly like how everyone thinks she has more selfish intentions but is always proven wrong), Inori's growth is really well-done, and Miki is a brilliant subversion of the "dark hair means aloof" trope.

It's fascinating just how many ideas Fresh took from other Precure series but just... executed better. Similarly to Splash Star, Fresh Precure puts a stronger emphasis on slow slice of life bits where you truly get familiar with the central town and its population. However, unlike Splash Star, Fresh also makes sure to not rush its start, giving each of its Cures a "day in the life" episode so you can become truly invested in them. And even more, I feel like the fights are a bit shorter than in prior series so you can spend more time with the characters. In addition, Fresh took the animal fairies idea from Yes 5 even further by making its core fairy an actual ferret, and he's hands down the best one yet. Tarte is literally just your average Osakan dude who happens to look like a ferret, and the bromances he gets himself into are so funny. And I'm glad Tarte is so great because the other fairy, Chiffon, got pretty annoying at points. She's inoffensive most of the time, but there was one stretch where the plot demanded Chiffon repeat the most obnoxious phrase imaginable. But back to the positives, another thing Fresh does well is that it takes that increased focus on secret identities that Yes 5 had and pushes it even further. Because of the nature of the villain's plans, the monster events actually happen and affect the town's citizens rather than always knocking people out or happening out of view. It really expands the amount of potential storyline ideas, and for the first time, it truly feels like the side characters are actively getting involved with the main overarching plot. It also helps that some characters even learn about the Cures' real identities (particularly the aforementioned idol group), culminating in even the parents learning. It's something I've hardly ever seen in a magical girl show but the drama mined from it is so juicy.

So all of that sounds fantastic, but I haven't even gotten to the best part yet: Setsuna. Remember Michiru & Kaoru from Splash Star and their top-notch redemption arc? Well, Setsuna/Eas is that but so much better. Eas starts trying to fake-befriend the Cures all the way in Episode 7, which gives us way more time to develop her relationship with them (and especially Love) before the inevitable mid-season fight and redemption. Even more, Setsuna doesn't die immediately after being redeemed and instead becomes a Cure herself, which leads to a second half where Setsuna learns to be part of a family with the Cures as well as deal with regret towards the things she's done in her past. The increased screentime given to Setsuna really helps flesh out her arc, it's great. It helps that Setsuna herself is a very fun character to follow. Even when she's a villain, her bewildered reactions to the Cures' antics are very entertaining. And while I would've been more than satisfied if she spent most of her time with Love, she develops interesting dynamics with all the Cures! Hell, her interactions with her "brothers" Soular and Westar are great too.

As far as the presentation goes, Fresh looks incredibly... well... fresh for a Precure show. The character proportions look a lot more realistic, but the actual animation style is far more cartoony and experimental. It's a weird combination that strangely really works. The realistic designs mean the Cures look like actual people, but the cartoony style allows the show to go off-model without it looking awful like in Yes 5. Characters can have simplified and silly expressions be used for comedy, and you can tell the animators knew that because this is hands down the funniest Precure show so far. The music is also pretty great this time, a big step up from Yes 5's soundtrack mostly for just being different. It's the first Precure anime to change composers, and this leads to a vast shift in style from orchestral to rock. It's great, especially in the fight scenes, with some of the music even giving me Sonic Adventure or Puyo Puyo vibes with their combination of sparkly synth and roaring guitar riffs. I especially have to give credit to the first ending theme, which is not only a banger as a song but comes with a 3D-animated dance number way before the style was actually perfected. There's a charm to its crudeness, definitely helped by the ending's slick editing and the fact that it very much resembles similar CGI anime music videos of the time.

Highlights:

The Missing Hamburger! Protect Your Favorite Things (episode 6): Fresh has some of the best standalone episodes so far for their creative premises and just how far they take them. Case in point, The Missing Hamburger starts off with Soular just deciding to remove items kids like from the world, which ends up leading to him deciding to just remove mothers entirely. It's naturally the farthest you could possibly take this idea, but I didn't think Fresh would actually go there, and I definitely didn't think they'd have poor Love walk in on her mom the moment she disappears. That ought to have been very traumatic.

Tarte Is Inori, Inori Is Tarte (episode 10): The Soular episodes are so good. Leave it to Fresh to take a stale trope and... well... make it feel fresh. See, usually in a body swap episode, just two characters would get swapped. But in this episode, like half the goddamn town gets body-swapped so the whole place gets overrun by talking animals. It's so absurd yet so brilliant, and it leads to so many neat twists and memorable moments. Like the Cure Tarte transformation sequence (and then Tarte actually getting to play Cure), the Kaoru fakeout, and Tarte having to be quiet because at this point humans talking would seem weird. And despite all the craziness, the episode still has a strong core in Inori, both with her arc about getting over her fear of ferrets, and also the development of her vet family since she can actually tell them she's been body-swapped, rather than being forced to keep it a secret like in every other episode of its ilk. To put it simply, this is up there with Farscape and Buffy as one of the best body swap episodes I've ever seen because it actually does something unique with the concept, and is all the better for it.

Let's Transform! The Big Fringy Tactic (episode 12): Ever since Gogo's Five De Chance episode, Matsumoto Rie has solidifed herself as a director to watch. And her style isn't just all over this one, but I genuinely don't think it would've worked without the stellar animation. The Big Fringy Tactic is basically just a parody of a standard Fresh Precure plot where, out of ideas, Westar comes up with the evil plan of giving everyone wigs. It's very tongue-in-cheek, and the unnecessarily fluid animation and fight scenes really heighten the comedy. Rie is so good at depicting characters losing their minds and it really shows here, and I also have to highlight all the easter egg wigs of past Precures like Mai and Nozomi.

Dance And Pretty Cure... Which To Choose?/The Fourth Pretty Cure Is You! (episodes 20/21): Just like in Splash Star, pretty much the entire middle section of the season is fantastic. The mini-arc about the Cures overworking themselves is unprecedented for the franchise, we hardly ever see the Cures physically affected by any of the fights they're in but in these two episodes, they repeatedly faint of exhaustion to the point where they get hospitalized. Not to mention Tarte's great character arc, Miyuki actually learning about the Precure's identities, and the parallels in Setsuna pushing herself with her Nakisakebe Card as well.

Setsuna And Love: You're Eas?! (episode 22): Matsumoto Rie got to direct a plot-driven episode for once, and it's sooooo good! You're Eas manages to do so much in so little time, it's funny (Love trying to be a bodyguard), it's heartfelt (The hospital bed scene), it's shocking (Miki seeing the card), and ends on a hell of a gut punch. But best of all, it's a fantastic character story of Eas/Setsuna, really delving into why she's so devoted to Moebius as well as her conflicting feelings. That dream sequence where she's begging for Moebius's attention was shockingly intense and bleak even by the standards of these last few episodes.

The End Of Eas! Cure Passion Is Born! (episode 23): When the rain falls, that's how you know things are getting real. Seriously, though, this episode is phenomenal, a perfect climax to the Eas/Setsuna arc, with a stellar second half. I love the fight choreography between the two, Love spends the entire fight solely blocking, she never lands a single hit. All of her punches are meant to counter Eas's punches, it's so well done. Setsuna's speech at the end of the fight is great, that shot of her and Love lying on the ground out of exhaustion, Setsuna dropping dead suddenly was a massive gut punch, and of course, Cure Passion's transformation was god-like.

Setsuna's Anguish: I Can't Become Your Comrade! (episode 24): This episode made me feel things. Setsuna is such a treausre, Love is such a treasure, Love's mother is the best, they all deserve the world. Seeing Setsuna experience what it's like to be cared for and happy is the most heartwarming thing imaginable. That ending left me in absolute shambles, what a masterful episode. It shows that it's directed by the guy responsible for the infamous Futari Episode 42, Splash Star's finale, and several other of Fresh's best episodes (6 and 40 especially).

Eas Vs Passion?! I Am Reborn (episode 25): This is a great way to do a redemption arc. Even if Setsuna is a Cure now and has been accepted by Love's family, she's still very much haunted by the things she's done and running into the dog she once transformed definitely didn't help matters. Her fighting a dark version of Eas may have been a bit on the nose, but you can't say it's not effective.

What Miki And Setsuna Are Afraid Of (episode 33): This one was just cute. Miki and Setsuna rarely interacted so it was nice to see a bonding episode between the two of them. Miki desperately finding something to talk to Setsuna about was quite relatable.

Setsuna And Love: Mom Is In Danger (episode 40): WHAT IS WITH THIS SHOW AND MOTHERS?! Mom Is In Danger is quite possibly the creepiest episode of Precure to date, with Northa replacing Love's mother with a evil version of her with a single goal to find Chiffon. Creepy slasher smiles, mirror dimensions, and gaslighting ensue. I like how smart the characters are through all this, Setsuna picks up on the difference immediately, Miki and Inori immediately help without needing proof, and Love makes one of her smartest plays in the whole show. But beyond the horror premise, this episode boasts an ending so heartwarming and wholesome that it rivals that of Episode 24. 

The Invitation From Labyrinth (episode 42): I think it says something that nearly every episode focused on Setsuna, she is that good of a character and her redemption arc is just that well-written. Even if this isn't the first time a redeemed Cure decides to secretly go and defeat the bad guy themselves, Setsuna's version of this storyline hit way harder than Michiru and Kaoru did because it plays into her continued struggle with atonement and the insecurity of whether she's even worthy of being a Cure. Setsuna turns good by Episode 23, but this is the episode where she completes her redemption, and she does so in spectacular fashion.

Save The World! Pretty Cure Vs Labyrinth (episode 43): The Cures living out their worst nightmares isn't a necessarily new premise, but it's always great. It was especially crushing to see Setsuna's "sorrow world" where all of her friends disappeared, since we learned that's her worst fear quite a few episodes. There's just so many great jaw-drop moments in this episode too, like Tarte and Chiffon fighting Northa and winning, Northa turning the sorrow gauge itself into a monster, and somehow, Toei managing to get past its own rules to let the Cures fight each other again.

We Are Four Pretty Cures! Separation In Christmas (episode 45): I already raved about this one earlier on in the review. The Cures actually reveal their identities to their family and friends, and as you'd expect, they immediately try to stop them from leaving to Labyrinth. It's a great emotional episode that sets the stage for the finale excellently.

Soular And Westar: The Last Battle (episode 46): The point at which Precure goes full sci-fi. Seriously, Moebius's tower is such a unique and weird setting for a Precure show, I kinda love it. Anyway, this was the episode where Soular and Westar die just after realizing Moebius hates them. That whole black hole sequence was intense, definitely one of the best moments throughout this final arc.

The Final Battle! Cure Angels Are Born (episode 48): The Northa-Klein vs Precure fight really made this episode. It's short, but super fluid and fun. Maybe not quite as novel considering its similarities to the Splash Star finale, but it's a pretty great fight to take cues from. Wester and Soular's return and the Cure Angel transformation are also great moments.

Full Of Smiles! Everyone Will Get Their Happiness (episode 50): As much as I loved almost everything about Fresh, I will say the ending wasn't the best. It's a fine final arc with a neat setting and some standout moments and twists, but the sheer length got pretty exhausting and the denouement felt a bit rushed (why didn't we see Setsuna return after the time jump?). However, the final battle with Moebius was pretty damn cool, especially getting to see literally everyone involved, and I very much liked to see Love troll Daisuke about his confession. As a whole, seeing the main cast unenthusiastically humor the male love interests this season made for some surprisingly fun moments.

Overall, Fresh Precure is phenomenal, hands down the best one yet. It takes all the best bits and pieces from Splash Star and Yes 5 and makes something truly special out of them. From the strong central cast, to the great villains, to Setsuna's entire character arc, to the way the townspeople actually get involved in the monster events, to the brilliant and creative standalones, to the hilarious comedy, to the expressive animation, Fresh gets almost everything right and feels like everything I'd want from a magical girl. It fully fleshes out its ideas, takes them as far as they can go, is rarely ever willing to take the easy way out, and really makes it feel like everything matters. Its second half is a bit shakier than the nearly perfect first half (though it also has the meat of Setsuna's arc so that's not saying much), but otherwise, this is a truly fantastic entry in the series and a very tough act to follow.

5/5 Stars

Exploring The Saturn: Part 3

Sonic Team's first game on the Saturn, a sequel to a launch title, yet another arcade port, and Treasure making their grand debut. There's a 

NIGHTS Into Dreams: As I said in my first Exploring The Saturn post, I've played NIGHTS Into Dreams before, and yet I was perfectly content to go through it again because it's just that good. This is still my favorite Saturn game so far, and it'll probably stay that way even when I'm done with these playthroughs.

NIGHTS Into Dreams is a unique arcade game where you fly through a stage collecting these orbs to free a colored orb, which you have to bring back to the start after accumulating as many points as you can. Trust me, it sounds more exciting than this, I'm just not at all familiar with NIGHTS lore and don't really know the name of... anything you're doing. But that just makes the gameplay loop all the more original, and the fluid controls and sheer variety of ways you can get more points to end each stage with a higher rank makes for a very dynamic and replayable game. You can explore the stages for hidden areas, try to get the longest chain of orbs/stars to improve your score even more, or just plain ignore all of it to engage with the game's surprisingly complex pet simulator. Leave it to late 90s Sonic Team to be way too extra with their games, as usual. 

NIGHTS Into Dreams only has seven levels, but they're all super fun and memorable, constantly throwing new ideas, mechanics, and setpieces to keep things feeling fresh. Soft Museum is my personal favorite  The bosses are admittedly pretty jank, but none of them are really all that hard either if you know what you're doing. There's a few other extras like a VS Mode and some easy preset high scores to beat, but the majority of the replay value in NIGHTS really is just playing stages over and over again, improving your scores, engaging with the A-Life system, and ideally, getting all your ranks to A. It's just such an easy game to come back to, Sonic Team really are wizards at making games that encourage you to get better at.

But the true thing that makes NIGHTS Into Dreams so great has to be the overall aesthetic. Befitting the title, NIGHTS takes place in this surreal, colorful dream world, and it looks consistently stunning. Between my gushing for Kirby and Klonoa, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that I'm a sucker for dream worlds, and the unique art direction of NIGHTS forms a big part of its identity. It's also aged remarkably well, similarly to the Panzer Dragoon games but even moreso. And it shouldn't be much of a surprise here, but the music is great. It's so great. Tomoko Sasaki of Ristar fame and Naofumi Hataya from Sonic CD fame collaborated on the NIGHTS score and it's easily one of the most uplifting and magical video game soundtracks I've even heard, outside of the eclectic set of boss themes which range from rock to DnB to opera beats. It's fantastic.

So yeah, NIGHTS Into Dreams is a fantastic game. An addicting and one-of-a-kind arcade experience with an impeccable aesthetic and a lot of replay value. It's a truly magical game, not just the best non-Sonic game Sonic Team has made, but easily stands up with the best in that series as well. If there's any Saturn game you need to play, it's this one.

5/5 Stars

Panzer Dragoon II Zwei: Panzer Dragoon II Zwei is yet another Saturn sequel that fixes pretty much all of the original game's issues. I liked the first game well enough, but the core gameplay definitely could've used just a bit more polishing. Zwei is that polishing.

At face value, Panzer Dragoon II Zwei seems a lot like the first. You fly and shoot through seven stages, all while switching perspective to watch your back and sides from enemies. However, right from the get-go, you may notice that a big change has been made: You can actually move your dragon when you're not facing forward. This is a huge improvement that fixed my number one issue with the original game, and already makes Zwei's difficulty feel a lot more manageable. Zwei is still pretty tough, don't get me wrong, but it feels a lot more fair than its predecessor in a lot of ways, the improved controls being one of them. I also thought the difficulty curve felt a lot more natural, with the difficulty not immediatley spiking up the moment I got to the second stage. But them there's the multiple routes through most of each stage, not just a great way to add in replay value, but it also lets the player choose how difficult they want to make the game. Certain routes are harder than others, and taking the harder ones with reward you with more points to evolve your dragon.

So yeah, Panzer Dragoon II Zwei also really ups the replayability too. There's multiple routes in almost every level, dragon evolutions, as well as trying to kill 100% of the enemies in a given stage. But the most inventive addition is the Pandora's Box, which is essentially a cheat menu that slowly doles out more options as you play the game. Getting all the cheats in Pandora's Box will take quite a while, either 100%ing every stage or playing for 30 hours (unless you have Saga save data), but the sheer amount of customization, options, and hidden modes you get by the end of it is truly impressive. Sadly, Pandora's Box doesn't save your progress if you use any of the cheats, meaning you can't unlock the full thing while using any of the cheats you already got, which is a real shame. The visuals and art direction are as great as always, with the bosses being especially noteworthy for being far more varied than the ships and dragons we had in the first game. The addition of ground-based sequences also allowed for even more unique and memorable levels too. And the soundtrack is just as great, despite leaning more towards techno than the first game's orchestral score, it captures the same general vibe.

Overall, Panzer Dragoon II Zwei does exactly what a good sequel should. It improves most of the first game's flaws, keeps everything it did right, and adds a whole load of extra content and replay value to boot. I'm still not very good at it, but at least I feel like I can blame myself and not the game this time.

5/5 Stars

Sega Rally Championship: Yeah... I wasn't as big a fan of this one as I was Daytona. I'd say on a technical level, Sega Rally Championship is a big step up over its spiritual port predecessor. It runs smoother and looks far better too, but it just lacks the charm of Daytona for me.

Sega Rally Championship is a rally game more than a standard racing game, so there's a much bigger emphasis on navigating through tight turns on an open road. For me, I kinda prefer the way Daytona did things, with its more naturalistic tracks feeling more fun to drive around in compared to Rally's linear paths. I also preferred how unforgiving Daytona was in comparison, since the risk of crashing or swerving off road felt a lot higher, encouraging you to truly master the controls. But most of all, I just think the presentation is a big downgrade. Obviously, the music is a big step-down, with some good rock tunes that just don't stack up to Daytona's fast-paced and upbeat pop, but it's even just the little things. Daytona's tracks were filled to the brim with easter eggs, its menus popped with color, and there are so many charming vocal quirks like "Rolling start" or a narrator announcing the letters you pick for the name entry. Sega Rally Championship does get a point for "Game over, yeah!", but that's pretty much it.

Still, don't get me wrong, this is a perfectly solid, even great, racing game. The controls are smooth and fluid, and the difficulty curve between the tracks is still great. Once again, there's a lot of content here, even including multiplayer and a proper time trial that didn't need to be activated via a cheat code. The main mode is a Championship mode where you start in 15th place and have to try to be in 1st after three tracks, so whichever position you finish a track in gets carried over to the next one. I do really like the sense of progression there, compared to Daytona where you just pick a track and play it over and over again. And of course, I have to praise how much better the visuals are. The draw distance is way better, the framerate is so much smoother, and as a whole, the graphics just look cleaner and crisper. I may prefer Daytona as a game, but Sega Rally got the far better porting job here.

Overall, Sega Rally Championship is a solid racing game, I definitely don't dislike it, but the track design and charm just don't live up to Daytona USA for me, even if it's a far better port on a technical level. I'm still going back to Daytona for rounds, but I don't see myself doing that with this.

3.5/5 Stars

Guardian Heroes: Treasure is one of my favorite game developers solely for how out-of-the-box their games are. Crazy boss fights, nonstop action, weird genre blends, when they were making games there's no way of knowing what they'd do next. I may not like all of their games, but I sure as hell respect them.

Guardian Heroes is no different. This game tries to blend together fighting games, beat-em-ups, and RPGs. You fight waves of enemies like in a beat-em-up, but you use fighting game controls and are on a 2D plane, and you get EXP that you can use to boost your stats. It's a unique blend that can work really well at times, and the sense of satisfaction from leveling up is great. However, I'm still not entirely sold on the blend of genres Guardian Heroes is proposing, mostly because this game gets insanely hard. Fighting games are usually balanced towards one-on-one duels, and the complex moveset allows for what are essentially tactical fast-paced games of chess. However, when you're being swarmed by enemies like in a beat-em-up, it can feel way too overwhelming and almost unfair at points. The later levels especially feel like you're being swarmed nonstop. There are ways to mitigate this, however. The Easy Mode gives you 99 continues so lives are mostly not an issue, and there's an entire built-in fighting game mode if you'd rather play some one-on-one duels instead, but I kinda wish the levels were just more tailored around this new gameplay style.

But what really kept me playing Guardian Heroes is actually its presentation. Guardian Heroes' story is surprisingly well-executed. It's not super ground-breaking or anything, it really is just a chaotic MacGuffin chase, but between the likable characters, the genuinely fantastic scene direction, and the overall frantic pace, this is a fun-as-hell story that kept me hooked just to see what was going to happen next. Which is especially unpredictable since Guardian Heroes has a lot of alternate routes, that vastly vary in terms of absurdity and morality. This is a beefy game, between all the routes, leveling up each character, and the aforementioned built-in fighting game with its 30+ character roster. If you click with Guardian Heroes' gameplay, it will keep you occupied for a long time. And as I was hinting at a bit earlier, the game looks pretty great too. There's a unique blend of spritework and 3D graphics that, once again, holds up surprisingly well, allowing for both dynamic camera movements and super expressive characters.

Overall, Guardian Heroes is pretty neat. It may not really be my cup of tea, but it's an incredibly unique genre-blend with a great aesthetic and a surprisingly engaging story. Once again, it's Treasure doing what Treasure does best, being weird, unpredictable, and entirely their own.

3.5/5 Stars

This is probably my favorite batch yet. Both Nights Into Dreams and Panzer Dragoon II are two of my favorite games on the Saturn so far, and Guardian Heroes and Sega Rally Championship were good too. Let's hope the pace keeps up with DecAthlete, Mr Bones, Fighting Vipers, Virtua Fighters Kids, and Christmas Nights.

Exploring The Saturn: Part 2

I'm playing through Saturn games! I've only seen a few launch titles so far, but I've been enjoying them quite a bit. Let's see if this next batch keeps up the pace. 

Virtua Fighter 2: Virtua Fighter 2 is just Virtua Fighter but better, in like every single way. It's got more characters, more stages, more modes, and the gameplay has been even further fine-tuned.

It may not seem apparent when you're just watching gameplay, but playing Virtua Fighter 2 pretty soon after the first one felt like night-and-day. It's not even that the fundamental gameplay or movesets have changed that much, it just feels better. The only issue is that the moon-jumping is still there, but even that feels toned down a bit. VF2 is simply just a faster, more responsive game, maybe it's the framerate? Either way, I had way more fun playing through its Arcade Mode, at least with the exception of that Slow Mode Dural fight which was a big step back from the VF1 Dural fight. Otherwise, VF2 is a categorical improvement on pretty much every other level. There's way more content, from entirely new modes, to more settings, to the ability to fight the alphabet to set your high score. The visuals look nicer too, refining the look that Virtua Fighter Remix established even if it loses a bit of that simplistic charm. The soundtrack isn't quite as strong as in VF1 either, but it's still great and boasts a lot of head-bangers. As a whole, it's just Virtua Fighter... but mostly better.

That's why there really isn't much else I can say here. Aside from a few small elements, VF2 just does what the first game did but improves on almost all of it, from the tighter gameplay, to the increased content, to the better visuals. I still like the first game and feel it has its own charm, but if I was recommending a Saturn Virtua Fighter to someone, it would hands down be this one.

Still 4/5 Stars, but a slightly higher 4/5 than VF1

Clockwork Knight 2: Similarly to Virtua Fighter 2, Clockwork Knight 2 takes the first game and improves on pretty much every aspect. Interestingly enough, from what I can tell, both Clockwork Knight games were meant to be in a single package, and that initial plan really shows in this one.

Clockwork Knight 2 is structurally and gameplay-wise the same game as Clockwork Knight 1, but it's the level design, bosses, and side content that make it stand out. The levels are just as inventive as in CK1, but they're also a lot more sprawling, varied, and they put the 2.5D perspective as well as Pepper's key to much better use. There's autoscrolling horse-riding stages, an entirely vertical level where you climb up a clock tower, a world where you launch yourself to and from the background, a stage where you have to dodge waves coming towards you ala DKC Returns, it's a strong lineup here. The bosses are also more eclectic and weird, like a blues-singing toy block snake with sunglasses, a toy castle come to life, and just straight-up a piece of paper (which, by the way, is the game's hardest boss). Speaking of hard, Clockwork Knight 2 is also harder than the first game, with slightly tighter platforming and some tough bosses. But the real reason for the difficulty increase is the addition of playing cards scattered around the stages. These collectibles give you much greater reason to explore, and collecting them all will require some great time management and skilled platforming.

If those cards were all the extra content Clockwork Knight 2 had, I'd be content. It's already a big improvement on the first game's one-and-done campaign. But there's more, because there's also a Boss Rush will all the bosses from the first and second games, and it lets you play as Pepper and Ginger. It's a tough boss rush, but if you beat it, you get a code for a bunch of bizarre scribbly Warioware-esque minigames, one of which is basically just a Mario Kart clone. There's way more crazy cheat codes and secrets though, like the theater which contains every cutscene from (once again) both games as well as a few extras, the ability for a second player to play as some of the bosses, holiday-sensitive title cards, and the ability to play as Ginger in the main campaign as well. All these extra secrets and easter eggs really show how hard Sega was trying to make this IP something special, the care put into making Clockwork Knight 2 feel like the ultimate Clockwork Knight game really shows. However, all the additions from the first game and the way the menu was laid out really makes it feel like a bundle with the first and second games would've really been the definitive way to play both. And it is... kinda. There is in fact a Clockwork Knight 1 & 2 bundle, but it's only out of Japan, and it keeps both games separate rather than trying to mesh them together into the single campaign they were always meant to be. What a shame...

Update: Over a year later, I find out that the US version of Clockwork Knight 2 actually includes the entire first game hidden behind a cheat code. That's nuts! And it means that you really only need to get this game for the full Clockwork Knight experience.

Either way, Clockwork Knight 2 is a stellar platformer. It's got all the same creativity and charm as the first game, but with more varied levels and bosses, a slightly longer length and a slightly higher difficulty, and way more side content and secrets to sink your teeth into.

5/5 Stars

Astal: Astal is the last of the three big attempts at replacing Sonic, but it was also an attempt to show off how the Saturn could pull off 2D visuals. Let's just say it did one of those things way better than the other.

Astal is a fairly solid 2D platformer with some beat-em-up elements to them as well. Your character has a pretty wide array of moves, most of which can be used for both combat and platforming, as well as a bird helper with its own arsenal of commands. A second player can even control the bird itself for some asynchronous multiplayer. The level design is fairly straight-shot but each stage brings a new idea to the table, and the bosses all use the background to their advantage. So this all sounds like it makes for a pretty fantastic platformer, but, once again, the difficulty is a bit too high for my tastes. It's not even that the whole game is hard, it's just that there are some frustrating spikes scattered around, like the autoscrolling River Of Dreams, the bird-only fight in Frostbite, the utter platform hell that is The Crystal Palace, and especially the final boss. There's a lot of levels and bosses I do genuinely really love though such as The Deep Forest, Sea Of Clouds, Glacial Rift, Plains Of Destiny, and especially the fight with Geist, so it leads to a platformer that just feels a bit uneven in both quality and difficulty.

Then again, most people aren't interested in Astal for the gameplay, they're interested in it for the presentation. Because on an audiovisual level, Astal is an absolute masterpiece. The pixel art is so vibrant and stunning, the character animation is so fluid, the sprite-scaling effects used are so impressive, there's loads of little details everywhere, and the art direction itself of this crystalline world is just stunning. I've seen people call Astal one of the best-looking 2D games ever made, and I absolutely agree. It's worth playing solely for the visuals. But, of course, the soundtrack is stellar as well. Lots of Saturn games have that similar kind of sparkling CD-quality synth to it, but it fits Astal's world especially well, heightening its beauty. Tracks like Into The Darkness, River Of Dreams, and The Crystal Palace are especially noteworthy in how flat-out beautiful they are. There's really only one element of Astal's presentation that I don't like, and that's the English voice acting. Sega brought Lani Minella (of Rouge The Bat fame) to voice every character, and while she does a good job at differentiating between the cast, her line delivery is so stilted that it tarnishes what's otherwise a genuinely solid story. I highly recommend playing the Japanese version if you can, not only does the voice acting sound better but Astal has more health making the tough bits a tad more manageable.

Overall, Astal is a solid if uneven platformer elevated by its stellar presentation. Still, I'm glad I played it and even in the more frustrating bits, I felt encouraged to keep on pushing just to see what beautiful vistas I would come across next.

4/5 Stars

Virtua Cop: Virtua Cop is Sega's premiere light gun game, and you can see why. It's got all the right pieces for an arcade classic, catchy tunes, charming bright visuals, a great sense of gameplay flow. However, for the most part, it just didn't quite do it for me like Daytona and Virtua Fighter did.

Virtua Cop is a light-gun game where you play as a police officer and shoot down criminals. That's really it, and that's all you need. Each stage has a variety of unique setpieces and boss fights, and when you're in the flow, shooting down bad guys has a real rhythm to it. As far as console-based light gun games go, it's far above anything attempted for the NES and SNES in terms of its intricacy, variety, and simple sense of fun. So it feels like I should love this one, right? Well, sadly, no. Unfortunately, Virtua Cop has one big issue holding me back from truly loving it, and that's the camera. Whenever an enemy shows up, Virtua Cop zooms its camera in on them, while showing a graphic that indicates how much time you have until they shoot you. Cool concept in theory, but the problem is that this means the camera is constantly moving around the stage, and enemies may start beginning to attack before you can even get a shot at them. It feels like the camera is jerking me around, frequently causing me to miss my shots. While I admire the attempt to make Virtua Cop more accessible, the camera issues end up becoming the game's biggest frustration for me, and I wish it instead went for a static zoomed-out shot like many other light gun games.

It's a shame, though, because outside of my gameplay gripes, this is a fantastic port, easily the best one so far. No compromises were made here over the arcade version aside from the obvious graphical fidelity. The precision in gameplay is spot-on, the criminals' antics in the background of each stage is super charming, and there's a lot of extra content to give the game a bit more meat on its bones. Beating the main campaign unlocks a few bonus modes like a Mirror Mode, there's a cheat for a Ranking Mode not unlike in Virtua Fighter, and there's even a surprisingly fleshed-out Training Mode that I actually enjoyed even better than the main game. When you're just statically shooting targets, it's a lot easier to appreciate just how accurate Virtua Cop's shooting controls are. I'm also sure that this game will probably be a lot more fun and easy in multiplayer, where you can both cover each other's backs when dealing with some of the jerkier camera moments. I also, once again, have to praise the soundtrack because it's an absolute jam. Whenever the enemies pop up in time with the music is always immensely satisfying.

So overall, Virtua Cop is almost a game I love. It's probably the Saturn arcade port with the least amount of sacrifices so far, nailing the precise gameplay and charm of the original while also added a lot of extra modes and content. However, the problem here is that I just can't vibe with Virtua Cop's dynamic camera, and I feel it makes the game artifically more difficult. It's totally possible to get enjoyment out of Virtua Cop, but it's that damned camera that prevents me from thinking of it as truly great.

3/5 Stars

Overall, higher highs and lower lows. Virtua Fighter 2 and Clockwork Fighter 2 are both stellar sequels that far surpass the originals, but Astal and Virtua Cop were a bit more mixed. Still, nothing truly awful yet, and we'll see how that keeps up when I play Panzer Dragoon Zwei, Nights Into Dreams, Sega Rally Championship, and Guardian Heroes next.

Official Simplest Reviews Launch

Simplest Reviews is a project I have been putting together for over two years now. I wanted to finally have a place where I could review my favorite shows, movies, and games, and generally just talk about and analyze media I like. I wanted to make sure I covered all my bases by also having reviews set up for all the shows I had watched before starting this blog and, well, it took a while. But over 600 posts later, I'm finally ready to publish my review blog to the world.

So, welcome to Simplest Reviews! Hope you enjoy your stay.

Episode Rankings: How I Met Your Mother

How I Met Your Mother isn't one of the funnier sitcoms ever made (though it definitely has its moments), but it does boast some of the best plotting in a sitcom. This show's flashback structure is incredibly well-executed and allows for some strong character development, hilarious smash cuts, and effective emotional gut punches. While HIMYM isn't anything spectacular and does suffer from a pretty awful ending, I still found myself enjoying the series and would easily recommend it to sitcom fans. Here's my ranking of its episodes:

1. How Your Mother Met Me (S9.16)
2. Girls Vs Suits (S5.12)
3. The Final Page: Part 2 (S8.12)
4. Slap Bet (S2.09)
5. Subway Wars (S6.04)
6. The Final Page: Part 1 (S8.11)
7. Symphony Of Illumination (S7.12)
8. Something New (S8.24)
9. The Playbook (S5.08)
10. Sandcastles In The Sand (S3.16)
11. Bad News (S6.13)
12. The Leap (S4.24)
13. The Pineapple Incident (S1.10)
14. Challenge Accepted (S6.24)
15. Arrivaderci, Fiero (S2.17) - 500 Miles is the greatest song ever
16. Intervention (S4.04)
17. Swarley (S2.07)
18. False Positive (S6.12)
19. The Time Travelers (S8.20)
20. Tick Tick Tick (S7.10)
21. Come On (S1.22)
22. The Magician's Code: Part 2 (S7.24)
23. Game Night (S1.15) - The start of Barney's villain arc 
24. Last Words (S6.14)
25. Trilogy Time (S7.20)
26. Gary Blauman (S9.21)
27. The Possimpible (S4.14)
28. How I Met Everyone Else (S3.05)
29. Something Borrowed (S2.21)
30. The Window (S5.10)
31. Disaster Averted (S7.09)
32. Spoiler Alert (S3.08)
33. Glitter (S6.09)
34. End Of The Aisle (S9.22)
35. The Naked Man (S4.09)
36. Something Blue (S2.22)
37. Platoonish (S9.09)
38. The Three Days Rule (S4.21)
39. Perfect Week (S5.14)
40. Miracles (S3.20)
41. The Limo (S1.11)
42. Of Course (S5.17)
43. The Over-Correction (S8.10)
44. The Best Burger In New York (S4.02)
45. The Magician's Code: Part 1 (S7.23)
46. Farhampton (S8.01)
47. Three Days Of Snow (S4.13)
48. Showdown (S2.20)
49. Slapsgiving (S3.09)
50. Dopplegangers (S5.24)
51. Brunch (S2.03)
52. Robin 101 (S5.03)
53. No Pressure (S7.17)
54. Happily Ever After (S4.06)
55. Monday Night Football (S2.14)
56. Rally (S9.18)
57. Ducky Tie (S7.03)
58. The Front Porch (S4.17)
59. The Goat (S3.17)
60. Dowisetrepia (S3.07)
61. The Rebound Girl (S7.11)
62. Unpause (S9.15)
63. The Wedding Bride (S5.23)
64. Drumroll, Please (S1.13)
65. Definitions (S5.01)
66. No Questions Asked (S9.07)
67. Legendaddy (S6.19)
68. Benefits (S4.12)
69. How Lily Stole Christmas (S2.11)
70. Cleaning House (S6.02)
71. Bass Player Wanted (S9.13)
72. The Best Man (S7.01)
73. The Platinum Rule (S3.11)
74. Blitzgiving (S6.10)
75. Nothing Good Happens After 2 AM (S1.18)
76. Right Place, Right Time (S4.22)
77. Okay Awesome (S1.05)
78. Shelter Island (S4.05)
79. PS I Love You (S8.15)
80. Jenkins (S5.13)
81. World's Greatest Couple (S2.05)
82. Natural History (S6.08)
83. Little Minnesota (S4.11)
84. Milk (S1.21)
85. Landmarks (S6.23)
86. Splitsville (S8.06)
87. Slapsgiving 2: Revenge Of The Slap (S5.09)
88. Do I Know You? (S4.01)
89. Sunrise (S9.17)
90. Pilot (S1.01)
91. Last Time In New York (S9.03)
92. The Drunk Train (S7.16)
93. Lucky Penny (S2.15)
94. Say Cheese (S5.18)
95. The Stinson Missile Crisis (S7.04)
96. The Bro Mitzvah (S8.22)
97. I'm Not That Guy (S3.06)
98. Ted Mosby, Architect (S2.04)
99. Murtaugh (S4.19)
100. The Wedding (S1.12)
101. Daisy (S9.20)
102. Double Date (S5.02)
103. The Slutty Pumpkin Returns (S7.08)
104. Where Were We? (S2.01)
105. Big Days (S6.01)
106. Rabbit Or Duck (S5.15)
107. Moving Day (S2.18)
108. Purple Giraffes (S1.02)
109. Oh Honey (S6.15)
110. Woooo! (S4.08)
111. Weekend At Barney's (S8.18)
112. Third Wheel (S3.03)
113. As Fast As She Can (S4.23)
114. Atlantic City (S2.08)
115. No Tomorrow (S3.12)
116. Band Or DJ? (S8.13)
117. Home Wreckers (S5.20)
118. Sorry, Bro (S4.16)
119. The Broath (S7.19)
120. Bagpipes (S5.06)
121. Cupcake (S1.16)
122. Baby Talk (S6.06)
123. The Sweet Taste Of Liberty (S1.03)
124. Something Old (S8.23)
125. The Naked Truth (S7.02)
126. Who Wants To Be A Godparent (S8.04)
127. Single Stamina (S2.10)
128. Robots Vs Wrestlers (S5.22)
129. The Yips (S3.10)
130. Mary The Paralegal (S1.19)
131. A Change Of Heart (S6.18)
132. Ten Horny Women (S8.08)
133. Tailgate (S7.13)
134. Unfinished (S6.03)
135. Not A Father's Day (S4.07)
136. Now We're Even (S7.21)
137. Slutty Pumpkin (S1.06)
138. I Heart NJ (S4.03)
139. Wait For It (S3.01)
140. Duel Citizenships (S5.05)
141. The Pre Nup (S8.02)
142. Karma (S7.18)
143. Columns (S2.13)
144. The Bracket (S3.14)
145. Zoo Or False (S5.19)
146. The Mermaid Theory (S6.11)
147. The Locket (S9.01)
148. The Scorpion And The Toad (S2.02)
149. The Rehearsal Dinner (S9.12)
150. Bad Crazy (S8.16)
151. Mystery Vs History (S7.06)
152. Old King Clancy (S4.18)
153. Hopeless (S6.21)
154. Good Crazy (S7.22)
155. Stuff (S2.16)
156. Vesuvius (S9.19)
157. Lobster Crawl (S8.09)
158. The Sexless Innkeeper (S5.04)
159. Mosbius Designs (S4.20)
160. Zip, Zip, Zip (S1.14)
161. Hooked (S5.16)
162. Desperation Day (S6.16)
163. The Broken Code (S9.04)
164. We're Not From Here (S3.02)
165. The Fortress (S8.19)
166. The Autumn Of Breakups (S8.05) - 7.9
167. Bachelor Party (S2.19)
168. The Duel (S1.08)
169. Noretta (S7.07)
170. 46 Minutes (S7.14)
171. Knight Vision (S9.06)
172. Canning Randy (S6.07)
173. The Stinsons (S4.15)
174. The Exploding Meatball Sub (S6.20)
175. The Chain Of Screaming (S3.15)
176. Twin Beds (S5.21)
177. Ten Sessions (S3.13)
178. Coming Back (S9.02)
179. Aldrin Justice (S2.06)
180. Return Of The Shirt (S1.04)
181. The Fight (S4.10)
182. The Ashtray (S8.17) 
183. The Rough Patch (S5.07)
184. Architect Of Destruction (S6.05)
185. Life Among The Gorillas (S1.17)
186. Romeward Bound (S8.21)
187. Best Prom Ever (S1.20)
188. Field Trip (S7.05)
189. Little Boys (S3.04)
190. Nannies (S8.03)
191. The Perfect Cocktail (S6.22)
192. Belly Full Of Turkey (S1.09)
193. Rebound Bro (S3.18)
194. Matchmaker (S1.07)
195. First Time In New York (S2.12)
196. Ring Up (S8.14)
197. The Poker Game (S9.05)
198. Last Cigarette Ever (S5.11)
199. Garbage Island (S6.17) 
200. The Stamp Tramp (S8.07)
201. Everything Must Go (S3.19)
202. The Burning Beekeeper (S7.15)
203. The Lighthouse (S9.08)
204. Slapsgiving 3: Slappointment In Slapmarra (S9.14)
205. Mom And Dad (S9.10)
206. Bedtime Stories (S9.11)
207. Last Forever (S9.23/24)

Episode Rankings: Stargate SG-1 - So Far

I... dropped Stargate SG-1. I was really excited but it felt like it was going to scratch the same itch as Star Trek would, but I guess I just couldn't really gel with it. The lore wasn't interesting enough, the characters weren't memorable enough, it all just felt like mediocre. By Season 4, even if the quality had improved, it felt like I was just sleep-walking through it. I know a lot of people really like this one, so it's still probably  worth watching if you're a fan of the genre, but it wasn't for me. I may get back to it some day, but for now, here's my ranking of the episodes I did see from Seasons 1-4:

1. Window Of Opportunity (S4.06)
2. The Fifth Race (S2.15)
3. 2010 (S4.16)
4. Pretense (S3.15)
5. Exodus (S4.22)
6. There But For The Grace Of God (S1.19)
7. The Devil You Know (S3.13)
8. Within The Serpent's Grasp (S1.20)
9. Nemesis (S3.22)
10. The Tok'ra: Part 2 (S2.12)
11. Chain Reaction (S4.15)
12. Forever In A Day (S3.10)
13. The Serpent's Lair (S2.01)
14. Jolinar's Memories (S3.12)
15. The Serpent's Song (S2.18)
16. Upgrades (S4.03)
17. Shades Of Gray (S3.18)
18. 1969 (S2.21)
19. The Serpent's Venom (S4.14)
20. The Tok'ra: Part 1 (S2.11)
21. Bloodlines (S1.11)
22. Secrets (S2.09)
23. Tangent (S4.12)
24. Into The Fire (S3.01)
25. Solitudes (S1.17)
26. Small Victories (S4.01)
27. Thor's Hammer (S1.09)
28. Thor's Chariot (S2.06)
29. Politics (S1.20)
30. Fair Game (S3.03)
31. The Enemy Within (S1.02)
32. A Matter Of Time (S2.16)
33. Point Of View (S3.06)
34. In The Line Of Duty (S2.02)
35. Crystal Skull (S3.21)
36. The Torment Of Tantalus (S1.10)
37. Out Of Mind (S2.22)
38. Watergate (S4.07)
39. The Other Side (S4.02)
40. Double Jeopardy (S4.21)
41. Cold Lazarus (S1.06)
42. The Curse (S4.13)
43. Touchstone (S2.14)
44. Divide And Conquer (S4.05)
45. Seth (S3.02)
46. Cor-ai (S1.15)
47. Foothold (S3.14)
48. Family (S2.08)
49. Point Of No Return (S4.11)
50. Deadman Switch (S3.07)
51. Tin Man (S1.18)
52. Scorched Earth (S4.09)
53. Maternal Instinct (S3.20)
54. Absolute Power (S4.17)
55. The Nox (S1.07)
56. Message In A Bottle (S2.07)
57. Past And Present (S3.11)
58. Prodigy (S4.19)
59. Enigma (S1.16)
60. Learning Curve (S3.05)
61. Prisoners (S2.03)
62. Holiday (S2.17)
63. Singularity (S1.14)
64. The First Commandment (S1.05)
65. Entity (S4.20)
66. The First Ones (S4.08)
67. New Ground (S3.19)
68. Crossroads (S4.04)
69. Children Of The Gods (S1.01)
70. Show And Tell (S2.20)
71. Demons (S3.08)
72. Fire And Water (S1.12)
73. The Light (S4.18)
74. Bane (S2.10)
75. A Hundred Days (S3.17)
76. The Broca Divide (S1.04)
77. Rules Of Engagement (S3.09)
78. Beneath The Surface (S4.10)
79. The Gamekeeper (S2.04)
80. Hathor (S1.13)
81. Legacy (S3.04)
82. Need (S2.05)
83. Urgo (S3.16)
84. Spirits (S2.13)
85. One False Step (S2.19)
86. Brief Candle (S1.08)
87. Emancipation (S1.03)

Episode Rankings: Mad Men

Mad Men is such a weird anomaly of a show. It's simultaneously a relaxing nostalgia trip through a glorified version of the 60s, and a dramatic deconstruction of the era. It's a plotless character-driven slice of life, that also happens to boast some of the craziest plot twists I've seen in a show. These paradoxes feel they should make Mad Men feel like a disjointed mess, but it's not, it all meshes together into a drama that feels like one of its kind. Here's my ranking of its episodes:

1. Shut The Door, Have A Seat (S3.13)
2. Waterloo (S7.07)
3. The Suitcase (S4.07)
4. Nixon Vs Kennedy (S1.12)
5. In Care Of (S6.13)
6. Person To Person (S7.14)
7. The Other Woman (S5.11)
8. Guy Walks Into An Advertising Agency (S3.06)
9. The Wheel (S1.13)
10. The Gypsy And The Hobo (S3.11)
11. Time & Life (S7.11)
12. The Gold Violin (S2.07)
13. Tomorrowland (S4.13)
14. Meditations In An Emergency (S2.13)
15. Commissions And Fees (S5.12)
16. The Milk And Honey Route (S7.13)
17. My Old Kentucky Home (S3.03)
18. The Flood (S6.05)
19. The Strategy (S7.06)
20. Signal 30 (S5.05)
21. The Chrysanthemum And The Sword (S4.05)
22. Red In The Face (S1.07)
23. Hands And Knees (S4.10)
24. The Phantom (S5.13)
25. A Night To Remember (S2.08)
26. Favors (S6.11)
27. Seven Thirty-Three (S3.07)
28. Shoot (S1.09)
29. Public Relations (S4.01)
30. The Mountain King (S2.12)
31. Field Trip (S7.03)
32. Indian Summer (S1.11)
33. A Little Kiss: Part 2 (S5.02)
34. Wee Small Hours (S3.09)
35. Man With A Plan (S6.07)
36. At The Codfish Ball (S5.07)
37. The Grown Ups (S3.12)
38. Lost Horizon (S7.12)
39. 5G (S1.05)
40. The Good News (S4.03)
41. Long Weekend (S1.10)
42. Out Of Town (S3.01)
43. For Immediate Release (S6.06)
44. Waldorf Stories (S4.06)
45. Blowing Smoke (S4.12)
46. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes (S1.01)
47. A Little Kiss: Part 1 (S5.01)
48. The Benefactor (S2.03)
49. The Quality Of Mercy (S6.12)
50. Six Month Leave (S2.09)
51. Christmas Waltz (S5.10)
52. To Have And To Hold (S6.04)
53. Three Sundays (S2.04)
54. The Summer Man (S4.08)
55. The Monolith (S7.04)
56. New Amsterdam (S1.04)
57. The Rejected (S4.04)
58. A Day's Work (S7.02)
59. The Hobo Code (S1.08)
60. Chinese Wall (S4.11)
61. The Doorway: Part 2 (S6.02)
62. The Arrangements (S3.04)
63. The Forecast (S7.10)
64. Lady Lazarus (S5.08)
65. Severance (S7.08)
66. The Color Blue (S3.10)
67. Flight 9 (S2.02)
68. Collaborators (S6.03)
69. Mystery Date (S5.04)
70. The New Girl (S2.05)
71. Love Among The Ruins (S3.02)
72. The Better Half (S6.09)
73. Time Zones (S7.01)
74. Far Away Places (S5.06)
75. Marriage Of Figaro (S1.03)
76. The Doorway: Part 1 (S6.01)
77. The Fog (S3.05)
78. The Runaways (S7.05)
79. The Beautiful Girls (S4.09)
80. Christmas Comes But Once A Year (S4.02)
81. The Inheritance (S2.10)
82. Souvenir (S3.08)
83. Dark Shadows (S5.09)
84. Babylon (S1.06)
85. New Business (S7.09)
86. Maidenform (S2.06)
87. Ladies Room (S1.02)
88. A Tale Of Two Cities (S6.10)
89. The Jet Set (S2.11)
90. For Those Who Think Young (S2.01)
91. The Crash (S6.08)
92. Tea Leaves (S5.03)

Episode Rankings: The West Wing

The West Wing is a good political show carried hard by its lovable cast and the immaculate writing of Aaron Sorkin. The way it structures itself is unconventional and it's fair to say the politics of it haven't aged the best, and yet the writing, the characters, the standout moments of drama, and the sentimental tone still holds up in my eyes. Here's my ranking of its episodes:

1. Commencement (S4.22)
2. Dead Irish Writers (S3.15)
3. 17 People (S2.17)
4. In The Shadow Of Two Gunmen: Part 2 (S2.02)
5. Posse Comitatus (S3.21)
6. Game On (S4.06)
7. He Shall, From Time To Time (S1.12)
8. The US Poet Laureate (S3.16)
9. Manchester: Part 2 (S3.02)
10. Evidence Of Things Not Seen (S4.20)
11. Hartsfield's Landing (S3.14)
12. Noel (S2.10)
13. Celestial Navigation (S1.15)
14. Election Night (S4.07)
15. In The Shadow Of Two Gunmen: Part 1 (S2.01)
16. Bartlet For America (S3.09)
17. What Kind Of Day Has It Been (S1.22)
18. 18th And Potomac (S2.21)
19. 20 Hours In America: Part 2 (S4.02)
20. The Stackhouse Filibuster (S2.17)
21. 25 (S4.23)
22. Enemies Foreign And Domestic (S3.18)
23. The Short List (S1.09)
24. Inauguration: Part 2 (S4.15)
25. Manchester: Part 1 (S3.01)
26. Let Bartlet Be Bartlet (S1.19)
27. Two Cathedrals (S2.22)
28. We Killed Yamamoto (S3.20)
29. In Excelsis Dei (S1.10)
30. 20 Hours In America: Part 1 (S4.01)
31. Shibboleth (S2.08)
32. Process Stories (S4.08)
33. H Con - 172 (S3.10)
34. Bartlet's Third State Of The Union (S2.13)
35. Pilot (S1.01)
36. The Fall's Gonna Kill You (S2.20)
37. Life On Mars (S4.21)
38. Lies, Damn Lies, And Statistics (S1.21)
39. Inauguration: Part 1 (S4.14)
40. Six Meetings Before Lunch (S1.18)
41. The Midterms (S2.03)
42. Holy Night (S4.11)
43. A Proportional Response (S1.03)
44. War Crimes (S3.05)
45. Bad Moon Rising (S2.19)
46. The Black Vera Wang (S3.19)
47. The War At Home (S2.14)
48. Ways And Means (S3.03)
49. Mr Willis Of Ohio (S1.06)
50. The California 47th (S4.16)
51. And It's Surely To Their Credit (S2.05)
52. 100,000 Airplanes (S3.11)
53. Take Out The Trash Day (S1.13)
54. Stirred (S3.17)
55. College Kids (S4.03)
56. The Indians In The Lobby (S3.07)
57. Somebody's Going To Emergency, Somebody's Going To Jail (S2.16)
58. Angel Maintenance (S4.19)
59. Arctic Radar (S4.10)
60. Five Votes Down (S1.04)
61. Enemies (S1.08)
62. Galileo (S2.09)
63. Mandatory Minimums (S1.20)
64. Night Five (S3.13)
65. Ellie (S2.15)
66. Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc (S1.02)
67. In This White House (S2.04)
68. Red Haven's On Fire (S4.17)
69. Gone Quiet (S3.06)
70. Lord John Marbury (S1.11)
71. Take This Sabbath Day (S1.14)
72. On The Day Before (S3.04)
73. The Leadership Breakfast (S2.11)
74. The Red Moss (S4.04)
75. The Crackpots And These Women (S1.05)
76. The Lame Duck Congress (S2.06)
77. The State Dinner (S1.07)
78. The Women Of Qumar (S3.08)
79. Swiss Diplomacy (S4.09)
80. The Two Bartlets (S3.12)
81. The Drop-In (S2.12)
82. The White House Pro-Am (S1.17)
83. Guns Not Butter (S4.12)
84. Debate Camp (S4.05)
85. The Portland Trip (S2.07)
86. Privateers (S4.18)
87. 20 Hours In LA (S1.16)
88. The Long Goodbye (S4.13)
89. Isaac And Ishmael (S3.00)