My Complicated Thoughts On Sonic & The Secret Rings

My thoughts on Sonic as a series has always been a bit strange because I'm not someone who would call themselves ride-or-die for any one particular era of the series. I think the 2D Genesis games are still immensely iconic and replayable 2D momentum platformers, I love the Adventure era for its interconnected storytelling and cast along with its more free-form 3D gameplay, and I even have a real soft-spot for the infamously spotty late 2000s for its high production values, sheer variety and quantity of games, and the phenomenal boost trilogy of Unleashed, Colors, and Generations. I've even defended some of the more disliked entries in the series like Shadow 05, Black Knight, and Lost World, so needless to say, I'm pretty easy to please when it comes to Sonic.

But then there's Sonic & The Secret Rings, a game that has left me thoroughly conflicted unlike no other Sonic game out there. I had only ever played a small portion of Secret Rings just to see what it was actually like, and I felt pretty confident in unambiguously calling it one of the series' worst entries for the motion controls alone, just like everyone else. But I always had this desire to go back to Secret Rings, and give it a proper chance. So I did, and... I kinda enjoyed myself? A bit? I don't know. 

I think the worst thing a Sonic game can do is make me feel nothing (that's part of why I'm always so harsh on Frontiers), and Secret Rings, for better or worse, made me feel pretty much everything. Where it was exhiliration at the game's fun setpieces, investment in the more personal story, exhaustion with the tedious menuing and tutorial system, frustrating with the wonky control scheme, awe at the gorgeous environments, or completely laughing my ass off at the game's ridiculous jank, Secret Rings had me thoroughly engrossed from start to finish. But does that make it a good game? I'm really not sure. I'm not someone who ever believed in guilty pleasures, my take was always that if you enjoy a piece of media, it's doing something right. But with Secret Rings, I wonder if maybe I'm being too charitable. Have my standards gotten too low? Am I only even thinking this because of how unanimously disliked this game seems to be? 

With this review, I want to sift through my thoughts on Sonic & The Secret Rings, and also unpack how I personally think about games. So strap in, this is gonna be a long one.

Star Fox Assault: The Future Of Star Fox

Star Fox Assault is my favorite Star Fox game. It's also the Star Fox game that frustrates me the most, because it comes the closest to fully realizing the series' potential. Nintendo handed the series over to Namco for Assault, and considering their adeptness at making fun dogfighting games (hell, the team behind Assault worked on Ace Combat 2), it's a pretty perfect fit. Assault's campaign is a nonstop ten-stage sci-fi action blockbuster thrill ride with tight controls, addicting arcade-y mechanics, dynamic stages, a compelling story, and a polished presentation. It lays down the perfect framework for an ideal Star Fox game, but it's just too short, and Namco never got the opportunity to make a true masterpiece of a sequel. So let's talk about why I think Assault is so good.

From a story perspective, Star Fox Assault feels like a culmination of everything the series has been building up to. While Star Fox 64's story is obviously a lot more quotable and charming, Assault's story blends the classic Star Fox heroics with a much darker and more threatening antagonists. The Aparoids are a great Borg-style villainous force, and the story surrounding them manages to involve pretty much every single character in some way. Star Wolf briefly teaming up with Fox to take down a greater threat, General Pepper almost being taken over by the Aperoids, Krystal getting to join the team proper, Slippy's father being introduced, Peppy having a personal connection to the Aperoids because the previous Star Fox fought them years ago, Tricky getting a brief cameo when the Aperoids nearly wipe out Sauria, the list goes on. Namco showed a serious respect for the series' legacy and continuity with Assault's narrative, and it makes for what is probably the best story of the bunch. While I do wish we got more Star Fox games, I do also think that if Assault was the last game, it would be a pretty satisfying ending.

Assault's gameplay switches between a variety of modes. The classic Arwing gameplay is here of course, and it controls incredibly well. This is probably the best the Arwing has ever felt to control, and it's hard to fully articulate why. It just feels really tight and fast, with a simplified button layout that doesn't remove any of the mechanics in 64 but rather just makes them feel a bit less cumbersome to use. The fact that Assault generally plays at a silky smooth 60fps certainly helps matters as well. Assault has three dedicated on-rails stages and they're easily some of the best in the series, they're lengthy and dynamic, bringing you through these detailed environments as you try to dodge a variety of hazards. There are also a few all-range sections and they control just as tightly, so they don't feel quite as much like huge difficulty spikes like they did in 64. As a matter of fact, Assault's difficulty curve is top-notch, with each mission feeling properly tougher than the last without feeling too steep at any point.

The more divisive aspect of Star Fox Assault are the other playstyles though. Assault has you spend a lot of time on-foot in these large arenas as you run around trying to take down targets. Personally, I actually quite like these segments. Most enemies can be taken out in one charge shot, you run around really fast, and there's this really snappy and arcade-y feel to everything. Assault's on-foot sections aren't designed like your average third-person shooter, they're fundamentally designed with the same arcade sensibilities that the Arwing sections have which prevent these gameplay styles from feeling too disconnected from each other. My only gripe is the fact that the Twin Sticks control setup isn't the default, this is 100% the way you should play these on-foot sections.

But I think what really elevates Assault's campaign is the mission design. Outside of those three aforementioned on-rail stages, most stages in Assault don't just stick with a single gameplay style. Many of the on-foot stages also give you a Landmaster and at times even an Arwing to use, and others may even have you stand on the wing of Falco or Wolf's ship as you gun down enemies. There is an element of dynamism and variety to Assault's missions that mean you won't be spending much time doing the same thing. There isn't just "the Landmaster level" or "the turret level", because most of the missions have several moving parts and even several different ways to beat them. Add in a variety of difficulties, collectibles, Ally Medals, and a high score system, and there is still a decent amount of replay value and incentive for mastery here even without the branching paths of previous games.

However, for as much as I love the single-player campaign in Assault, I can't deny that it wasn't the main focus here. Star Fox Assault at its core is a multiplayer game, and it's a great one at that. The Versus Mode here has a wide variety of modes, stages, and characters, and it takes advantage of the variety of vehicles and movement options to allow for these large-scale battles to play out. But you can tell Assault was designed with the multiplayer first with the campaign being built around it, with several missions being built around the multiplayer arenas that feel almost designed to introduce you to how all the Versus mechanics work. The focus on multiplayer also shows in how short the campaign is. As I said, there are only ten levels here, and beating Assault always just leaves me wanting more. More on-rails levels, more boss fights, more big and open battles, more character interactions, etc. What we did get was great, but I can't help but wonder what an sequel would look like where Namco focused more on the single-player.

Star Fox Assault is a fantastic entry in the series with so much to love. It's got a great campaign with snappy controls and stellar mission design, it has an addictive multiplayer mode with tons of content and features, and it boasts a top-notch presentation with a gripping story, smooth visuals, and hands down the best soundtrack in the entire series. It's so close to being one of my favorite action games of all time, but I just wish there was more of it! Namco gets Star Fox, you can tell they have so much love for this series, and the fact that they were never able to make more of them will always be a colossal shame.

4.5/5 Stars

Ranking The Galaxies In Super Mario Galaxy 2

In my last post, I ranked all of the galaxies in the first Super Mario Galaxy game. This time, I'm going to tackle the sequel, Super Mario Galaxy 2. If the first game was already a near endless stream of creativity, Galaxy 2 takes things up a notch with some of the most inventive back-to-back levels I've ever seen in a 3D platformer. Tons upon tons upon tons of awesome items, fun gimmicks, memorable setpieces, and unique galaxy designs that simply stick with you. And while it may be lighter in tone than its predecessor, it manages to serve as an optimistic compliment to the first game in a way I find equally touching. As far as I'm concerned, Galaxy 2 absolutely rivals its predecessor in terms of quality, and even exceeds it in some areas.

Unlike the first game, Galaxy 2 doesn't really have main or side galaxies. Every galaxy in the game has either two or three Stars, meaning they're all around the same size and I can actually group them all on the same list. So without further ado, let's get to ranking the galaxies in Super Mario Galaxy 2:

Quick MCU Update: Thunderbolts*

It's been a while since I reviewed a movie, and it's been even longer since I reviewed an MCU movie. But when Thunderbolts* came out to shockingly good reviews, I just knew I had to see it, and I thought I might as well give my thoughts on it.

So to keep things simple, I enjoyed Thunderbolts*, I really did. It reminded me of why I liked the MCU in the first place, going back to basics with a simple teamup premise between a bunch of flawed, complex mercenaries dealing with their own struggles. I can't really say I cared about Yelena, John Walker, or Ghost back in their respective debuts, and I found Red Guardian just straight-up obnoxious, but Thunderbolts* does a great job at making you care about all of them. They all have rough edges that make them interesting, and are carried further by fantastic performances and strong chemistry. Simply watching this team banter and bicker is fun on its own, which is the sign of a good cast. Bob/Sentry was also a surprise hit for me and felt vastly different from a lot of the more one-note MCU antagonists by not really being an antagonist at all. Rather, he's more of a fleshed out character that can stand toe to toe with the main cast, who just happens to take an antagonistic position by the end of the movie.

I also appreciate that Thunderbolts* actually addressed a lot of my criticisms with the MCU. I've mentioned that I found it frustrating how MCU movies tend to only half-commit to their premises, but Thunderbolts* is every bit the psychological character study Marvel pitched it as. This movie tackles its mature subject matter incredibly gracefully and thoroughly, from Yelena's depression, to John's divorce, to Bob's mental health struggles. And the third act wasn't just a manic CGI fest, it felt thematically relevant to what the rest of the film was setting up even if it had to be a bit more unconventional than usual. Speaking of which, the visuals in Thunderbolts* was also a massive step-up from what I was used to. Despite the darker color palette, this movie didn't have the sludgy grading issues other MCU movies had so it was able to use pure black shadows in some really striking shots. I also appreciate that most of the action was shot practically and CGI was only used where it was really necessary. This may seem superficial, but you can immediately notice the difference in how much more tactile the Thunderbolts* looks. I was actually impressed by some of the stunts here, which I've rarely said about the MCU.

That being said, I do have a few gripes. While Yelena, Bob, and to a lesser extent John, Val, and Alexei were all incredibly well-realized, there were a few characters that felt a bit shafted. I'm fine with Bucky not getting as much screentime because we've had years and years to get to know him, but Ghost definitely could've used more of a concrete arc. I also don't love how Yelena-centric the third act was, it would've been nice to see the other characters go through similar psychological struggles even if it meant the movie would've been a bit longer. And frankly, I'd want the movie to be longer because at two hours, Thunderbolts* feels a bit too short. It goes for a strange two-act structure so the movie kinda feels like it lacks a middle section. The team meets, then they go to NYC for the finale, and then the movie ends. 

And finally, I can't say I think Thunderbolts* is going to "redeem the MCU". It's a bit too late for that. This is the first MCU movie post Endgame that feels like it's actually pushing the plot forward, but the big Infinity War-level crossover is already a year away. Marvel has spent so much time goofing around that it still feels too early for Avengers Doomsday. Hell, we still don't have a proper MCU X-Men, Marvel has been teasing them since Wandavision in 2021. Unfortunately, I feel Marvel has made too much of a mess of this universe. There's too many plots being juggled, too many post-credits scenes left unresolved, and not enough new characters to pick up where the legacy cast left off. Thunderbolts* was a great movie and a step in the right direction for Marvel, sure, but it could never clean all of that up itself. And with two movies left until Doomsday, I just don't think that's possible.

But that's fine. Movies should be able to stand alone, after all, and on its own merits, Thunderbolts* is just a good superhero movie. It's got a likable and deep cast of characters, actual themes handled impressively well, stellar practical action scenes and strong cinematography, and most of all, it feels like its own thing. It doesn't feel like it was held back by the larger universe, and it stuck to its guns the whole way through. While it has some issues in terms of pacing, I can absolutely say Thunderbolts* is in my Top 3 MCU movies since Endgame along with No Way Home and Guardians Vol 3. It's not enough to make me want to come back to the MCU full time, but I'm glad it allowed me to check in on a franchise I used to really care for.

4/5 Stars

Ranking The Galaxies In Super Mario Galaxy

It's been quite a few years since I last played the Super Mario Galaxy duology, two of my favorite games of all time for their boundlessly creative level design, joyous antigravity mechanics, stellar atmosphere and soundtrack, and incredible levels of polish and detail. And since I was going to be replaying the Galaxy games, it's time for a project that has been long overdue. I'm going to rank all of the galaxies in both games, starting with the first.

Super Mario Galaxy 1 is my preferred entry of the two, just barely. While it may be a bit rougher around the edges compared to its sequel, it makes up for that with a hauntingly isolating sense of atmosphere and a unique level design philosophy so spontaneous that it manages to make the simple act of stumbling upon a new planet feel so momentous. It's a game that manages to be simultaneously infectiously playful and achingly melancholic, and with almost every level being an absolute blast to play, coming up with a concrete ranking is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do for this blog. 

Metal Gear Solid Boss Ranking

 Metal Gear Solid is a series that's known for its many iconic bosses, particularly in the initial trilogy and Rising. Metal Gear Solid for the PS1 in particular can almost feel like a boss rush at times with how much of your gameplay time is spent fighting bosses, and a lot of those encounters are really fun. So let's go ahead and rank all of the boss fights in MGS1:

10. Sniper Wolf 1
The first Sniper Wolf encounter is one of those fights that sounds a lot cooler than it is in execution, a tense close-quarters sniper battle that has you peeking behind corners and trading shots, on top of it being a race against time to save Meryl sounds really exciting. But first, to even start the fight, you need to backtrack all the way to the start to get a sniper rifle in what feels like an unusually awkward excuse for Meryl to get captured while you're not there. And once you return with the rifle, you realize how limited your options actually are. You can't move while aiming so the only real way to beat Sniper Wolf here is to bait out her shot, quickly run out of cover and shoot her, and then precisely following her to prevent her from getting any shots in. This tactic requires a level of precision that the rifle just doesn't offer even when you're using diazepam, and if you mess up, getting hit whacks your aim so off course that there's no reason not to reset and try again. It's just not an especially fun encounter, especially compared to other sniper boss battles in MGS that allow a much greater degree of player freedom.

9. Tank
While most fights in Metal Gear Solid have some sort of story or character importance, the second boss fight against two soldiers in a tank feels like a notable exception. It's not a bad boss by any means, but it's also not remarkable or even all that challenging. Use a chaff grenade to get up close, then hug the tank while you toss grenades into it and there's no way you'll be able to get hit. I don't even know what else I can talk about here, it's that simple of a fight.

8. Hind-D
The Hind-D comes at the tail end of what is already an exhausting sequence with multiple lengthy staircase climbs, almost nonstop combat and peril, and that tricky rope minigame. And as the cap on what is arguably MGS1's central setpiece, the Hind-D fight is suitably bombastic as it has you shoot down a helicopter atop a rooftop ala Die Hard. However, this fight is sadly not as fun as it could've or should've been. Dodging gunfire from the Hind-D by finding places to take cover is fun for sure, but the Hind-D just takes too long to reveal itself and that only gets worse in the second phase where it spends lengthy amounts of time hiding under your line of sight. I know it may sound a bit oxymoronic to fault a stealth game for having too much waiting, but the Hind-D fight in particular has too much downtime where I'm just not doing anything for what's supposed to be one of the most exhilarating encounters in the game.

7. Revolver Ocelot
Revolver Ocelot's boss fight is deceptively simple. It seems like one of those annoying "chase the boss in a circle" encounters, but there's a lot of other elements you need to keep track of and certain scenarios that can put both you or the boss at a disadvantage. Ocelot can only shoot six times before reloading, but his shots can ricochet, so you need to have a quick trigger finger and let out a shot every time he has to slow down. But you still need to be precise because if you run out of ammo, you'll have to precariously crouch under the center area to get some more, and of course you can't shoot through the center either or else you'll risk blowing up the entire place. It's still a fairly easy first fight since Ocelot doesn't deal too much damage and his shots are fairly slow, but there's enough strategy here to help it stand out regardless.

6. Metal Gear Rex
Metal Gear Rex is one of the most memorable fights in terms of pure spectacle, since destroying a massive mech as just a human with some weapons makes for a truly striking David-vs-Goliath situation. The Grey Fox cutscene in the middle is also a game highlight, especially that bit where the game won't let you shoot at him because Snake can't bring himself to, great showcase of how this game takes advantage of the medium right there. When you don't know what you're doing, it's also a pretty tough fight since Rex has powerful attacks for every situation, several insta-kills, and two phases. However, this fight is also a bit too easy to take advantage of. Hanging around in the middle range, not too close and not too far, means you'll only have to deal with his weakest and easiest-to-dodge attacks, and the fact that this is the last boss where you keep your inventory means there's no reason to conserve ammo or rations. I do think the Metal Gear Rays fight in MGS2 does a better job at mitigating those safe-spots and putting the pressure on the player by comparison while also being one of the most visually-striking moments in the franchise, but I still can't deny how cool its predecessor is by the standards of the PS1.

5. Sniper Wolf 2
Now THIS is a sniper boss fight. The rematch against Sniper Wolf is set in a big open snowfield which gives both you and her a lot more freedom to move around and hide. You don't need quick trigger-finger precision sniper aiming to win, just pure wits and strategy as you try to track her down without getting hit yourself. And with movement freedom also comes freedom of what weapons you use, because while you can use a sniper rifle as intended, you can also use, say, a guided Nikita missile instead? The Nikita strategy had the potential to be a complete utter game-breaker that degraded the fight, but the bumps in the terrain, the fact that Sniper Wolf can spot and shoot down your missile, and the Nikita's limited ammo mean it feels like a legitimate and equally rewarding tactic in its own right. But regardless of the strategy I pick, I just find Sniper Wolf's second fight to be a lot more fun and dynamic than the first.

4. Liquid Snake
Despite how simplistic the hand-to-hand combat is in Metal Gear Solid, I actually quite like the melee encounters in these games. It's already fun to cautiously study your boss's attacks and find openings, and Liquid Snake's fight takes things to another level by removing pretty much every safety net possible. Your inventory is gone, falling off the platform will cause an instant death, and of course, there's now a timer forcing you to play riskier than usual. While it's still a fairly one-note fight mechanically, the dramatic atmosphere and precarious game design still helps it feel like a climactic final boss. And if you really want to count it, the chase scene through the tunnel ends the game as a whole on an exciting bang even if hitting Liquid Snake with your machine gun can feel a bit too imprecise for my liking.

3. Vulcan Raven
When it comes to freedom of strategy, Vulcan Raven is easily the best encounter in the game. This is a simple cat-and-mouse chase against a boss who's immune to pretty much all of your small guns, but everything else is fair game. Want to drop C4 and lure him over them? That works. Want to try using Nikitas at the cost of him shooting them down? Sure. Want to sneak behind him and hit him with a Stinger? Sounds good to me. There are so many potential strategies here making for a really replayable and emergent encounter that really stood out among the crowd, and Vulcan's large radar and the increasing amount of blockades throughout the fight do a good job at keeping a level of tension throughout. The only thing preventing this fight from being even higher up on the list is that I just think the Top 2 are that creative and memorable.

2. Cyborg Ninja
Aka Gray Fox. This is the first melee encounter in the game and only the third boss, but man is it a beefy one. The fight against Cyborg Ninja has a whopping five different phases, where he'll use his sword, teleport around, turn invisible, and even tries to take you down with him once his health hits 0%. His constantly changing tactics make for a really dynamic fight that force you to adapt at a moment's notice, preventing the simple melee mechanics from ever getting stale. The attention to detail in the set-dressing also does a lot to help the fight feel more raw and chaotic, since nearly everything in the environment is completely destructible. You can break computer screens, toss around paper, knock over chairs, it all helps this fight feel so much more immersive.

1. Psycho Mantis
Yeah, this one's pretty obvious. Psycho Mantis is often regarded as one of the great video game boss fights and for good reason too. The sheer meta fourth-wall-breakiness of the entire fight, from Mantis reading your memory card, to the twist of needing to change your controller port to stand a chance still blows me away even having not grown up with the game. But it's not just style over substance. Mantis' telekinesis makes for some quite fun attack patterns to deal with (even if they can be trivialized pretty easily by crouching), and having to deal with protecting a brainwashed Meryl throughout the fight adds a level of tension and urgency that makes the whole encounter all the better for it. If Psycho Mantis's fight was just the cool meta gimmicks, or just the fun gameplay mechanics, or just the exciting personal story stakes, it would already be a pretty good fight. But all three of those things crammed into a single encounter? Yeah, no wonder this is considered one of the best fights in all of gaming.