Why Donkey Kong Bananza Is Better Than Odyssey

So far, I think Nintendo has been mostly killing it with the Switch 2's first-party lineup, to the point where some of them have caused me to re-evaluate their Switch 1 predecessors in a harsher light. Mario Kart World is the biggest example, as it's so deep and freeform that it made 8 Deluxe feel too restrictive by comparison. But another case of this has been Donkey Kong Bananza, the spiritual followup to Super Mario Odyssey that has pretty much entirely eclipsed it for me. While I still think Super Mario Odyssey is a top-notch platformer with stellar movement, a strong sense of adventure, memorable locals, solid boss fights, and an impressive postgame, it does have a lot of little issues that start to get on my nerves the more I play it. This is especially notable with the release of Bananza which not only fixes pretty much all of my issues with Odyssey, but actively improves with every playthrough for me. So I wanted to try and dig into what about Bananza I find so compelling and where I think Odyssey has begun to fall a bit short by comparison. 

Platforming And Gimmicks: Odyssey and Bananza are both structured fairly similar on the surface. They each have roughly 15-20 major areas each focusing on a main mechanic that it proceeds to flesh out before moving onto the next one. However, the types of mechanics each game chooses to develop is where things really differ. Super Mario Odyssey doesn't really have many standout platforming gimmicks, it's a lot of the kinds of stuff you've already seen before like moving and disappearing platforms. Instead, each Odyssey kingdom primarily focuses on developing a Capture. The Wooded Kingdom has the Uproots, the Seaside Kingdom has the Gushens, the Bowser Kingdom has the Pokios, and so on and so forth. The captures in Odyssey are certainly fun to mess around with, but they don't really build on Mario's base movement like I would want. Instead each capture has their own unique moveset that's usually simpler than Mario's complex platforming movekit, meaning that Odyssey aims more for gameplay variety than platforming variety. That's not inherently bad, some people really like this variety, but I personally tend to like my platformers more focused on the actual platforming rather than radical gameplay shifts.

Donkey Kong Bananza doesn't have captures. It does have the Bananza forms which do change up your moveset, but each Bananza form is more developed than your average capture and the fact that you can swap to them at any time means they feel more like an extension of Donkey Kong's moveset rather than an entirely unique form of gameplay. Since there are no captures, each layer in Bananza instead aims to introduce and develop a new type of terrain to mess around with. From the Switcheroo Goo in the Divide, to the acorns that grow vine platforms in the Forest, to Liftoff Ore in Resort, to the muck/salt combo in Feast, to the Forbidden Layer's weird Fractonium bridges. Of course, some layers also introduce harmful terrain like the Forest Layer's poison and the Tempest Layer's lava rain and lightning. As a result, it feels like every layer in Bananza is able to add another inventive way to utilize Donkey Kong's moveset, your perception of what this big ape is capable of expands as the game goes on. It makes for a more focused experience that's no less varied, and I personally find the unique terrain types to be more innovative and interesting than most of the captures.

Linearity And Progression: One of my biggest issues with Super Mario Odyssey has always been its progression and critical path. In theory, each kingdom having a central story path set in a big open area filled with collectibles would be the perfect way to satisfying fans of both linear 3D platformers and collectathons. However, the main story paths in Odyssey are often simple to a fault, completable in just a few minutes and rarely fleshing out its concepts past the surface level. But even worse is the fact that you don't even need to do them, pretty much any player can just as easily skip the story by collecting enough moons. While I'm all for sequence breaking, it shouldn't feel this easy to just ignore the problems each of the kingdoms are dealing with, and it all makes a casual A to B playthrough of Odyssey feel unrewarding and unfulfilling. If you want the absolute best experience with Odyssey, you gotta go for a 100%, but even that has its issues as I'll go into later.

Donkey Kong Bananza, despite technically being a more open game, actually fixes these progression issues. For starters, the Banandium Gems don't actually progress the story, they're entirely optional and mostly just used for upgrading Donkey Kong. The only thing you need to do in Bananza is complete the story route for each layer, but you're encouraged to go for Banandium Gems so you can stand more of a chance. As a result, it feels like both casual players and completionists feel catered to with Bananza, you can even try not collecting any Banandium Gems for a genuinely tough challenge run. What further helps is that the story paths in Bananza are a lot more interesting and developed than in Odyssey. This is partly due to the layers themselves being larger, often containing multiple sub layers that allow for more varied vistas. Many layers such as the Canyon and Forest Layers even like to have the first sublayer be more open like a traditional Odyssey kingdom, and the deeper sublayers be more linear and challenging. I never leave a layer feeling like I got the short end of the stick, every mechanic feels fully explored. As a result, I can totally see myself replaying Bananza and just ignoring most of the Banadium Gems because simply completing the story is a fun, engaging experience on its own. Not to mention, Bananza still offers plenty of sequence breaks for speedrunners, they just require more advanced movement tech and a greater understanding of Donkey Kong's physics which I think is the preferred way to implement sequence breaks.

Exploration And Rewards: Mario Odyssey's exploration is pretty solid all around. There's plenty of hidden nooks and crannies in each kingdom and lots of moons to find scattered all over the place. However, I do have some gripes still. First off, Odyssey gets off to a very slow start. The first two kingdoms in Odyssey essentially block off most of the collectibles until you complete the prologue stuff which makes them feel a bit dull on replays. This is something Bananza instantly fixes by letting you collect your first Banandium Gem right at the start. But more importantly, Odyssey's exploration doesn't feel rewarding enough. There are three major collectibles here: The coins, the purple coins, and the moons. As mentioned, the moons pretty much only progress the story. Past a certain quota, the only reason you really have left to collect all the moons is just for the 100% reward. The purple coins unlocks souvenirs and costumes for Mario, but the costumes often don't do much outside of allowing you to get a few moons that require them. And the coins mostly let you buy the free DLC costumes and not much else. If you're not really into cosmetics or 100%, going out of your way for collectibles just doesn't do much in Odyssey.

Once again, Donkey Kong Bananza is a big improvement. Right from the start, this game is constantly drawing your eye with fragile walls, hidden nooks, and enticing tunnels to explore each leading to a collectible reward. The sheer complexity of each layer is a site to behold, I'm constantly discovering new hidden areas and gold spots with every playthrough and I'll probably keep finding more for the next decade. As someone who adores exploring spaces in games, Bananza is an absolute dream come true. But of course, exploration for the sake of it isn't always enough, which is why Bananza is also incredibly rewarding. All of Bananza's collectibles feel important. Banandium Gems let you upgrade your skill tree and improve DK's abilities. Fossils let you buy costumes, but this time the costumes actually have gameplay perks so there's a mechanical reason to wear them. The tokens... are admittedly the least important, they just let you buy more Banandium Gems to get the super powerful postgame upgrades. But then there's gold, arguably the most important collectible. Even the story path is constantly asking you to cough up gold, and it's also used for shortcuts, getaways, support items, and several Banadium Gems. It's in your best interest to mine out as much gold as you possible can, which in turn creates this addictive feedback loop where you're constantly getting rewarded for your exploration. It's the collectathon genre in its ultimate form.

Length And Filler: Despite containing the same number of areas both Odyssey and Bananza have pretty vastly different runtimes. Mario Odyssey's main campaign takes me around 10 hours if I take my time, and it took me a little over 20 hours to 100%. Bananza's campaign, on the other hand, takes me around 30 hours to beat and 40 hours to 100%. Just from the numbers, you'd think that this makes Bananza the more padded out game but it's actually the complete opposite. Despite Odyssey being the much shorter game, I found it has a lot of frustrating bits of filler. Tons of moons force you to backtrack to other kingdoms and partake in various fetch quests, there's a few more gimmicky moons like the jump rope and volleyball that are just obnoxious and repetitive on their own, and then there's the postgame itself. Upon beating the game, you'll unlock around 10-20 moons in each kingdom meaning you'll especially have to go back and sweep every kingdom a second time if you want to get 100%. It's kind of exhausting and it doesn't help that a good chunk of these postgame moons are placed far more lazily than the campaign moons.

Donkey Kong Bananza, on the other hand, allows you to collect like 90% of the Banandium Gems on your first go. On one hand, this does mean the postgame isn't as impressive, Bananza doesn't even have any additional layers which I will concede is a bit of a shame. However, it also means Bananza doesn't feel like it has any fluff. All of the Banandium Gems feel like they contribute something, and while some are just placed in tunnels, most of them feel rewarding to discover through paying attention to the environment. Compared to some of the "in plain sight" moons of Odyssey, I at least feel like I have to try to look for most of Bananza's collectibles. There also aren't really any annoying or tedious gems either, no frustrating minigames or rock-kicking or backtracking across layers. There's just no fluff here which makes it all the more impressive that Bananza is that much lengthier than Odyssey. The simple fact is, Bananza just has more content. All of its layers are much bigger and have more to offer than Odyssey's kingdoms, and the levels of interactivity, hidden flavor text, and side objectives like the Smashin Stats and DK Artist give you even more reason to mess around in each layer. It's rare to play a game this lengthy that doesn't feel like it's padding out its runtime at all, Bananza feels fresh and engaging all the way to the end.

Story And Worldbuilding: While I don't think Mario's games ever need a story, there is a reason why Super Mario Galaxy is my favorite one. Putting extra emphasis on the worldbuilding and character writing can turn a great game into an emotionally resonant one. And unfortunately, I don't find Odyssey especially resonant. Super Mario Odyssey's "story" is incredibly barebones and surface level. The Broodals as side antagonists are an absolute void of personality, the world of Odyssey feels like it's lacking in cohesion due to the various artstyles, and the tone is all over the place. By that point, I didn't really mind since it was clear Nintendo had stopped caring about giving Mario even a decent story, but Bananza absolutely proved me wrong. 

Donkey Kong Bananza's story is similarly simple, but it works so much more effectively. DK and Pauline have a strong dynamic that shows in their interactions and Pauline's dialogue, and they have clear goals, motivations, and arcs. The Void Co are also genuinely well-written characters with Grumpy and Poppy have a believable redemption arc. There's plenty of signs containing lore about the underground world and how it all connects, and there's a surprising amount of wit that goes into their writing that feels right in-line with Rareware's typical cheeky style of humor. There's even an optional sidestory about a Fractone exploring the world and recording his discoveries, the first EPD 8 gave to have a legitimately compelling subplot since Rosalina's backstory. I'm not saying Donkey Kong Bananza's story is high art by any means, but it actually makes an effort into emotionally investing the player and I think the game is so much better for it.

Look, I know I was pretty harsh on Super Mario Odyssey. I swear, it's a really good game, I literally made a blog post about how it was one of my favorite games. But ultimately, it was the first of its kind. It was Nintendo's first 3D collectathon platformer since Sunshine that established a whole new formula for the genre, it makes sense that it wasn't going to be as refined as later attempts. Donkey Kong Bananza takes the groundwork that Odyssey laid out and made an game that I find to be one of Nintendo's most well-crafted experiences in years, and one of my new favorite games ever made. 

Top 10 Favorite Rhythm Heaven Minigames & Remixes

With Rhythm Heaven Groove (hopefully) on the horizon, I finally got around to playing through all the Rhythm Heaven games, and what an absolute delight of a series this is. There are so many memorable, inventive, and wonderfully quirky minigames across the four entries we've gotten so far, and I want to talk about my absolute favorites. I decided to make two separate Top 10 lists, one dedicated to the main minigames and the other dedicated to the medley remixes since I wanted to make sure both styles of gameplay got their time in the sun.

Top 10 Rhythm Heaven Minigames 

10. Cheer Readers (Rhythm Heaven Fever)

Cheer Readers is such an elegant minigame. Like all the best Rhythm Heaven minigames, it seems simple on the surface. You're pretty much just doing the wave. But as the song goes on, it keeps layering various music cues on top of each other so you never really have room to breathe, and Cheer Readers 2 only amps up the sheer insanity of it all. Beyond just the fun gameplay though, Cheer Readers also excels with its presentation. The background track is catchy, the voicelines are iconic and memorable, the sheer concept of cheerleaders rooting for you to read books is gloriously absurd, and the visuals are filled with nods to other Rhythm Heaven minigames. 

9. Love Lab (Rhythm Heaven)

Love Lab is one of the most chill minigames in the series. While the touchscreen controls in DS can feel a bit awkward at points, catching and throwing potions in Love Lab feels impressively intuitive and satisfying here. Even scratching the screen to shake the potion feels a lot more responsive than the similar motion in Love Lizards. And with the lovely sunset in the background and wonderfully saccharine music in the background, it's so easy to just zone out and vibe to the music. Considering Love Lab never got a sequel and didn't appear in Megamix, I think it's fair to call this one the most unfairly neglected minigames in the series.

8. Karate Man (Rhythm Heaven Fever)

All the Karate Man minigames are fantastic. Simple as they may be, there's something so universally appealing about punching stuff out of midair. But why is Fever's iteration my favorite? Well, there are two main reasons. First off, the charge punch that has you parry a whole slew of objects in a row is an awesome inclusion to the formula that makes you feel even more badass when you pull it off. But even more importantly, THE MUSIC. Lonely Storm is a head-banging and melodramatic rock track that easily stands out as one of the series' best tracks. It gives this fairly easy minigame so much more intensity and energy, elevating it to being one of the most memorable Rhythm Heaven minigames ever.

7. First Contact (Rhythm Heaven Megamix)

Rhythm Heaven Megamix may not have added too many new minigames, but it had some highlights, and my personal favorite has to be First Contact. The gameplay is fairly basic, just another listen-and-repeat, but that's the point. It's simple so you can focus on the dialogue which is absolutely hysterical. The main premise of translating an alien seems unassuming, until said alien starts trolling with the scientists listening. The reaction shots of the scientists' dumbfounded expressions is comic gold every single time. The sequel version, Second Contact, is just as entertaining since now you play as the alien translating the human who spends the whole minigame talking about his love life. This may not be the most complex Rhythm Heaven minigame out there, but it's certainly the funniest.

6. Tap Trial (Rhythm Tengoku)

It's hard for me to fully articulate why I like Tap Trial so much, because I can't really say it excels at anything in particular. It just gets pretty much everything right. There's a bunch of different musical cues that feel satisfying to pull off, and the speed slowly gets more chaotic as the song goes on. The visuals are a nice blend of cute and bizarre, the soundtrack is a bop, the second version amps up the difficulty perfectly, and pretty much all of its re-appearances in remixes work wonderfully. It's not hard to see why Tap Girl became one of the defacto series mascots considering how her minigame is one of the most addicting and polished in the first game.

5. Ringside (Rhythm Heaven Fever)

Ringside is probably the most memed-on Rhythm Heaven game and for good reason. The sheer premise of Ringside being an over-the-top parody of wrestler interviews is just wonderful, and the execution is even better. The iconic voicelines, the groovy backing track, the fun visuals, it all makes for a top-tier presentation. But how's the gameplay? Well, it is on the easier side but the devs are still able to do some creative stuff with these fairly simple inputs. The final stretch has some very memorable segments like the reporter blabbing on for 15 seconds straight and multiple back-to-back photoshoots making for a particularly standout ending to an already fun minigame.

4. Spaceball (Rhythm Tengoku)

Rhythm Tengoku was the first Rhythm Heaven game I played, and Spaceball was the first minigame that really showed me how special this series could be. So naturally, while it is a fairly easy tutorial song, I have a real soft-spot for this one. This is the first minigame in the series that starts actively messing with the visuals, from zooming the camera in and out to changing your character sprite to obscuring your vision, so you really gotta focus keeping on beat. It's the first time Rhythm Heaven gets really really surreal and even all these years later, its weird factor still hasn't dulled a bit. Add in some incredibly catchy conga music in the background and it all makes for a minigame that is truly hard to forget.

3. Lockstep (Rhythm Heaven)

From what I can tell, it seems a lot of people struggle with off-beats in Rhythm Heaven. Personally, I can't get enough of minigames with off-beats, they feel so satisfying to get good at. And Lockstep is probably the best example of this. Getting those beat switches down may seem tough at first, but with enough practice, they give me a boost of dopamine every time I nail one. Over time, keeping on beat becomes second nature, letting you appreciate the minigame's infectiously upbeat music and inventive visuals. Lockstep is a perfect encapsulation of everything that makes Rhythm Heaven so great, with its demanding gameplay and charming presentation, and it would already be an easy candidate for the number 1 spot if there weren't two minigames I liked even more.

2. Monkey Watch (Rhythm Heaven Fever)

Speaking of offbeats, Monkey Watch is entirely on the off-beat which makes for one of the biggest difficulty walls in the series for a lot of people. I never found Monkey Watch too hard to get down, but it's still immensely satisfying to place due to how impactful the high-fiving sounds are. The visuals also do a great job of channeling that goofy Spaceball energy with plenty of zoom-outs and obstructive scenery attempting to throw the player off. And of course, the music is once again incredible, super upbeat and earworm-y. Seriously, this one came so close to making first place since it has pretty much everything I want in a Rhythm Heaven minigame, but one stole my heart even more... 

1. Frog Hop (Rhythm Heaven)

Where do I even start with Frog Hop? There's just so much to this one. This is a long minigame, probably the longest non-remix in the series, but I don't mind because the core mechanics are so damn fun. The gameplay is quite demanding, tasking you with keeping on beat and juggling multiple inputs, but it all feels fair and satisfying to get down. This was the game that fully sold me on the touch controls since the immediate feedback meant missing a beat always felt like my fault rather than any input lag. On top of the stellar gameplay, the presentation is top-tier. There is something so heartwarming about watching these goofy frogs sing and groove along to a genuinely catchy and authentic rockabilly track. It's hard not to bop your head along with the frogs the whole way through. And that "Thank you verrrrrrrrryyyy muccccchu" is the icing on the cake. 10/10, absolute masterpiece.

Top 10 Rhythm Heaven Remixes  

10. Songbird Remix (Rhythm Heaven Megamix)

Songbird Remix isn't an especially ambitious remix by any means. The music is an absolute banger and the bird-themed visuals are fun, but it's not like it does anything super groundbreaking. Instead what makes this remix so special is the game selection, because we need to talk about how stacked Songbird Tower is. Ringside, Tap Trial, and Frog Hop all in one set?! It's like this remix was made for me specifically. If only I liked Tangotronic 3000 a bit more, maybe I'd rank Songbird Remix even higher.

9. Remix 3 (Rhythm Heaven Fever)

In case you haven't figured it out by now, Rhythm Heaven Fever is my favorite game in the series and that's in big part due to the remixes. Fever's remixes are truly leaps and bounds above the rest of the games and it's not even close, so expect to see a lot of them on this list. While the first two remixes aren't too crazy, Remix 3 is the first one in Fever that really impresses. It's already got a very solid roster of minigames including Working Dough, Air Rally, and Figure Fighter. But what really elevates it is the incredible vocal track backing it all up. Tonight is such a banger and all the minigames compliment it perfectly. In any other game, Fever's Remix 3 would probably be a contender for the top spot, which is just a testament to how good this game's remixes are.

8. Remix 4 (Rhythm Heaven)

Rhythm Heaven's fourth remix is a big step up over the first three and definitely stands on its own as a highlight. The music is this great fast-paced punk rock track and it gives the whole remix this great sense of energy. The love theming is also really cute, and fits the minigame roster really well. And speaking of which, this is yet another very strong set! Love Lab, Munchy Monk, Drummer Duel, DJ School, there's not a single miss here and they're all very well-integrated into the remix. 

7. Remix 4 (Rhythm Heaven Fever)

There are roads that a samurai must travel. Remix 4 is another one of those remixes that may not do anything mindblowing, but just executes everything perfectly. The minigame set is one of Fever's best, containing Packing Pests, Samurai Slice, Micro Row, and my beloved Ringside. The techno-Japanese music track is probably my favorite non-vocal remix theme in the entire franchise, and the whole ninja/samurai theming permeating the remix is insanely cool. And best of all, it all just feels really nice to play. It's not too hard befitting a midgame remix, but it's tough enough to make you feel accomplished for making it through.

6. Machine Remix (Rhythm Heaven Megamix)

I absolutely adore Machine Remix, and I'm not gonna lie, a lot of it is down to the music. Machine Remix's theme is this head-banging rock piece that rivals Lonely Storm in sheer badassary, and makes all the minigames you play feel more intense by extension. Figure Fighter's segments are definitely my favorite because of how well they fit with the music, but there's also Rhythm Tweezers' deliciously challenging arrangements and Fruit Basket's tricky syncopated inputs. Even Glee Club works well here and that's not even a minigame I usually like. Everything just clicks together with Machine Remix, it feels great to play and flows like a well-oiled machine

5. Remix 9 (Rhythm Heaven Fever)

From a presentation standpoint, the argument can be made that Fever's Remix 9 is the high point of the entire franchise. The stylish red/black/white color scheme looks so cool, the vocal track is an absolute banger, and most of all, the minigames are integrated into the music so creatively. You know it, I know it, the Love Rap into Ringside drop is one of the best Rhythm Heaven moments ever. However, from a gameplay standpoint, I do think Remix 9 is a bit choppier to actually play compared to some of the other remixes on this list. Some of the minigame transitions feel a bit too abrupt for their own good. If this remix played as good as it sounded, it'd be a shoe-in for first place, but even as it is now, I still absolutely adore Remix 9.

4. Remix 5 (Rhythm Tengoku)

Despite being easily my least favorite Rhythm Heaven game, Tengoku does have its moments and boy is Remix 5 one of them. WISH Kimi O Matenakute is easily one of my favorite vocal tracks in the series, it's this intense and energetic J-rock track that has no business sounding so good coming out of the GBA's speakers. All the minigames get these hilariously edgy makeovers befitting the dramatic music, and they all fit in with the song quite well. Fans like to criticize this remix for having too much Tap Trial in it, and while I see their point, I like Tap Trial too much to agree. Remix 5 is an absolute joy to play and it's easily one of the most impressive things I've ever seen the GBA pull off.

3. The Final Remixes (All Of Them)

I'm just gonna group all the medley remixes here because having them take up the top spots of the list would be really boring. Because yeah, every Rhythm Heaven game has a remix that's basically a big medley of all the games you've played up to that point, and they're all incredible. Tengoku's Remix 6, Heaven's Remix 10, Fever's Remix 10, and Megamix's Final Remix. They're all perfect final tests of everything you've learned, and the music always does an incredible job of mashing together all these memorable motifs into a single cohesive piece. Though if you had to ask me my favorite, I would definitely say Fever's Remix 10. The music is iconic, it has the best minigame roster, and of course, the double fakeout at the end is just perfect. You may be wondering why this is not number 1 and that's mostly because these medleys use the default skins for all the minigames, when part of the fun in the remixes I find is seeing the unique themes and how the minigames are reskinned to complement them.

2. Remix 8 (Rhythm Heaven)

HOLY SHIT THIS ONE'S FAST. While Remix 4 is technically faster, this one definitely feels the fastest out of any remix in the series due to its frenetic trance music and the minigames picked. Rhythm Rally, Drummer Duel, and Lockstep all in a single remix? The developers had to know what they were doing here. This whole remix is a test of how well you can nail rapid inputs, and thankfully the touch controls are the perfect test for this kind of mayhem, and the minigames flow together impressively well. There's a lot of memorable moments here but the two standouts are definitely the banger Lockstep drop and that heart-pounding speed-up right at the end. I truly respect the sheer ballsiness of making a remix this insane, and mastering it is one of the most exhilirating experiences you can have in this entire series. 

1. Remix 8 (Rhythm Heaven Fever)

If you asked me why Fever is my favorite game in the series, I would simple point you to Remix 8. This remix does everything right. The minigame roster is top-notch, featuring heavy-hitters like Double Date, Air Rally, Working Dough, and Samurai Slice. And even the weaker minigames like Exhibition Match and Launch Party are integrated into the song impressively well. The transitions are also top-notch, every minigame flows into the next super cleanly allowing the song to keep up a brisk tempo throughout. And then, of course, there's the theming. Remix 8 is a breakup song, and a sequel to Remix 3's love song for that matter. The whole remix is portrayed using these sepia-toned photographs, a truly inspired visual touch, and the music track itself has this fun contrast between its infectiously catchy swing tempo and kinda depressing lyrics. Fever's Remix 8 perfectly intertwines its fluid gameplay with its creative theming, it fully displays how Rhythm Heaven at its peak is able to transcend its own genre and become something genuinely transcendant.

The Kart Racer War Of 2025

2025 was a crazy year for fans of kart racing games as we got three big name entries in the genre: Mario Kart World, Sonic Racing Crossworlds, and Kirby Air Riders. And as you might expect, the competition was fierce and the debate over which one is best is still raging on to this day. Since I unintentionally ended up reviewing the tracks of all three of those games, I thought I might as well wrap this little series up by comparing the trilogy and figuring out which one's my favorite. I'll go over each game and pick out what I think are the pros and cons of each, and then weigh them to figure out which one reigns supreme. Beware, I'm probably going to go against the grain a little here...

Mario Kart World 

Pros

• The core movement and mechanics are fantastic. The parkour, wall-riding, air-tricking, and rail-grinding systems add so much depth and freedom of expression to the gameplay loop, but it's just streamlined and accessible enough so that anyone can pick it up and start messing around. The drifts are weighty and have a level of mastery to them, and everything about the steering feels completely polished.
• The track lineup is consistently strong with barely any weak links, and the vast majority offer a ton of varied paths and routes to increase their replay value. MK World's time trials are easily the most fun to watch out of any kart racer solely for how crazy the shortcuts can get.
• The sheer amount of routes, over 200 in fact, help prevent Mario Kart World from feeling too stale or repetitive because there's so many of them that it's hard to actually memorize all of them. Their open nature also once again allows for an incredible level of freedom in terms of finding shortcuts.
• The item system is probably my favorite in any Mario Kart game, perfectly balancing the chaos of earlier games with the more generous QoL features like the double item slot and the Super Horn. The fact that item recovery is the fastest its been since Double Dash also means that being hit doesn't slow down the pace of gameplay nearly as much as it did in prior entries. (update: As of recently, there's also a custom item option which is wonderful)
• The Grand Prix feels more like a proper campaign than it's ever did, with each of the first seven cups having a rival to fight, and the Rainbow Road getting a lot more build-up to it.
• Knockout Tour is a brilliant addition to the Mario Kart formula that forces you to be constantly vying for the lead so you don't get eliminated.
• Free Roam is mostly a chill affair but I found it a joy to mess around in. There's fun little easter eggs all over the place, the P-Switch missions and Peach Medallions do a great job at encouraging you to master the tech, and simply messing around with the mechanics with no goal in mind is addicting on its own. I didn't really feel like the game was missing a Story Mode or a greater objective, the Free Roam on its own was enough for me to sink 30-40 hours into.
• The open world also serves as a great social hub to hang around with friends. Some of the best online this game offers comes in the intermissions where you're just goofing around in the world waiting for the next race to start.
• Local VS is pretty much perfect. You have the choice to play whichever tracks you want, routes and 3-lap tracks included. As of a recent update, you can even do Mushroom-Only races which are an absolute blast on routes as they turn into a chaotic race to find the biggest shortcuts.
• The roster is really charming and pretty big too with an impressive 50 total characters. The introduction of NPC drivers may seem weird at first, but I quickly grew attached to a lot of the new enemy characters like Para-Biddybud, Stingby, and Peepa thanks to their adorable animations. And speaking of which...  
• Mario Kart World is an absolute visual treat. Every character is animated wonderfully, the environments are bright and vibrant, and the whole game has this cartooniness to it that really stands out. I especially love the ragdoll physics on the vehicle whenever they tip to the side or get hit by an obstacle, really helps add to the chaos of everything.
• And of course, Mario Kart World has my favorite soundtrack of the year. Not only are the new track themes incredibly catchy and memorable, but there's also a massive 200+ selection of live-performed tracks remixes of old Mario tracks in a variety of genres ranging from jazz fusion to rock to EDM.

Cons 

• Online is a bit of a mess. As of right now, you don't really have a choice between playing routes and 3-lap tracks. If you like solely playing on the 3-lap courses, you're going to be forced to play a route around 50% of the time. And if you actually like the routes, you're gonna have to deal with the playerbase constantly selecting 3-lap tracks every chance they get.
• The routes are very hit-or-miss, particularly depending on the region. I think the stereotype of them all being straight-lines is a bit overexaggerated, but there are quite a few stinkers particularly when it comes to the water routes. (update: Sooo... Nintendo completely retooled the water routes and they're actually fun now?)
• The Battle Mode is a real let-down only boasting eight overly large arenas built into the open world, and a mere two modes. I do like the Balloon Battle ruleset, but the arena design just doesn't take much advantage of it. 
• Mario Kart World at launch had some rough edges that have thankfully been patched out like NPC drivers only being unlockable through the unpredictable Kamek system and not being able to see the collectibles you've already found on the map.
• There are some weird missing features in MK World. Particularly no stats menu, no individual lap times for Time Trial, no jukebox for listening to the aforementioned massive soundtrack, and no 200cc.
• Speaking of which, this is the slowest kart racer of the year, and the lack of 200cc only compounds that. If you like going really really really fast, this is not the game for you.
• Some of the tracks feel a bit too short and lacking in hazards, likely to compensate for Kamek who's too rare to actually make up for this. 
• It's $80 if you don't get the bundle. I don't think anything else needs to be said about that. 

Sonic Racing Crossworlds

Pros

• The drifting feels really nice, especially if you can get a gadget that speeds up how fast your drift charges since it basically allows you to snake ala Mario Kart DS. I can't understate how much snaking improves this game for me, I'd find Crossworlds a lot more boring without it.
• The gadget mechanic is great and allows you to come up with so many different racing builds. While I personally love my snaking build, you can basically configure Crossworlds to play however you want. Heavyweight builds? Builds focused on stealing rings from other players? Glass cannon builds? They're all valid. 
• The track design is consistently pretty solid, and I don't think there's a single course that's downright bad. While there are less Crossworlds than there are routes in Mario Kart, none of them come even close to being as bad as MKW's worst routes, they all have enough turns and cuts to feel engaging.
• Crossworlds' approach to Grand Prix is pretty great. It takes the rival concept that MKW introduced and fleshes it out even further, and the final race being a mix of the previous three tracks works better than it sounds.
• The Time Trial Mode is probably my favorite in any kart racer to date, it's filled with features to help you improve, the addition of a Sonic-esque ranking system is brilliant, and the fact that completing Time Trials unlocks music makes you actually want to do them.
• This game is incredibly fast-paced especially on Super Sonic Speed. Some tracks will straight-up force you to let go of the acceleration because you won't be able to make a turn otherwise, which I always love to see in these racing games.
• There's achievements and most of them are pretty fun to do, they're a great addition if you need extrinsic motivation in these party games.
• For the most part, online is quick, streamlined, and easy to get into. There's no frills, you're most-likely gonna get a track you enjoy, and the emotes are charming.
• The roster is solid and has pretty much all of the important Sonic characters you'd want, and the free updates are adding even more great Sega characters for no extra cost.
• The soundtrack is very fun and very diverse, lots of catchy J-rock and memorable vocal tracks like Blizzard Valley and Aqua Forest. It didn't make the best first impressions, but I can definitively say that Crossworlds' OST is the best Sonic soundtrack since Frontiers, it's genuinely really good.
• There's an actual jukebox and you can even assign music to races which is a fun addition.

Cons

• The default settings feel pretty awful. You pretty much need to go into the settings menu and crank down the sensitivity if you want to have a good time with Crossworlds.
• Race Park is one of the worst VS Modes I've seen in a kart racer. The AI rival mechanic is a dreadful grind, all of the team-based modes are incredibly unfun as they force you to stick behind with your team, and the custom match doesn't even let you disable Crossworlds entirely.
• Speaking of which, I don't actually like the Crossworlds that much. With how little of them they are, they got repetitive fast and often feel less engaging than the standard tracks. I also don't like how you don't actually get to hear full music tracks in this game because they get cut off after 40-50 seconds.
• Like with Mario Kart, some of the tracks can feel too short and too lacking in hazards. Unlike in Mario Kart though, there's no Kamek to make up for this.
• The online Festivals are a big mistake. You're not allowed to do standard online races while a Festival is active, so you're forced into team races for the entire weekend. And as I mentioned, I think the team-based modes in Crossworlds are really unfun.
• The single-player content here is the worst out of these three games. There's nothing on the level of Free Roam or Road Trip, but what's especially shocking is that this is the first Sonic racing game since R to not have either a Story Mode or a Mission Mode (or both in the case of Riders!).
• The jukebox doesn't actually let you assign individual music tracks to individual tracks. Instead, you pick a record and it'll play a random music track for each lap which feels oddly restrictive for no reason.
• The vehicle customization simultaneously feels too limiting and too overly-complicated, especially with how clunky the menus are. This is a problem with the whole game actually, Crossworlds' UI is really bad and screams live service game with how many annoying pop-ups there are all over the place.
• Crossworlds' art direction is really bad. The decision to make this game in UE5 really harms it with the harsh bloom and poor lighting. The character and vehicle animations are also very stiff, the textures are rough, and the game as a whole feels pretty sauceless and lacking in visual identity.
• The progression in Sonic Racing Crossworlds is such a massive grind. Many of the achievements require you to do tons and tons of races, and the amount of tickets the game gives you feels way too small for how much there is to buy. The Friendships mode is the biggest culprit as you'll need around 50,000 tickets per character to unlock everything in it (keep in mind, the game gives you like 50 tickets per race).
• While the soundtrack is good for sure, the actual sound quality can sound a bit cheap and muffled on occasion. It's definitely not as crisp-sounding as the live-performed tracks for Mario and Kirby.
• I can't really say that much of what Crossworlds brings to the table feels especially novel within the genre. Like half of its best ideas are ripped straight from the much better Transformed, and the main Crossworlds gimmick doesn't land for me so I don't really see myself coming back to this one over Mario Kart 8 if I ever want a no-frills kart racing experience.
• Not a fan of how the DLC has been handled. The crossovers with non-video game characters like Spongebob and TMNT feel awkward and gimmicky. The DLC tracks so far have felt a lot less polished than the main game ones, and the DLC characters lack voice-lines so what's even the point.
• It's a $70 game with $20 DLC and honestly, it feels the least worth its price out of any of these three games. I put like 15 hours into Crossworlds before getting bored.

Kirby Air Riders

Pros

• Kirby Air Riders' mechanics are weird, but so damn fun once you get the hang of them. I love how punchy the drifting feels, and the game manages to balance a ton of wacky concepts like aerial movement, taking out enemies to speed up, combat mechanics, copy abilities, and special moves impressively well.
• Each and every vehicle in Air Riders plays entirely differently, but they all have their own strengths that make them viable in any of the modes. Further adding to the complexity is the fact that there are also over 20 racers to play as, each with their own unique strengths and perks, so finding a racer/vehicle combo that synergizes really well feels especially good.
• Air Riders is fast and it doesn't even have speed classes. Even the basic Air Ride mode will have you darting across the track and it feels exhilarating. And in City Trial, you can build up your vehicle to go nigh-uncontrollably fast, and it's wonderful.
• The Air Ride mode has some of the coolest tracks I've ever seen in a racing game. Waveflow Waters, Crystalline Fissure, Steamgust Forge, Cavernous Corners, Cyberion Highway, and the final track are instant classics for their varied biomes, large amounts of branching paths, crazy setpieces, and stunning visuals. You also get all the Air Ride courses from the original game and they feel fantastic with these new and improved mechanics.
• Top Ride is a cute little addition that may have the least depth out of any of the modes, but it's still a wonderfully fun and chaotic battle mode that absolutely trounces any of Mario Kart's Battle Modes.
• City Trial is still the best mode in any kart racing game, and it's somehow even better here. 16 players, way more events and challenges, a new map with shifting terrain, more legendary vehicles, tons of quality of life improvements that keep up the pace, and of course, online play to really help the mode live up to its fullest potential.
• There's an actual Story Mode here in the form of Road Trip, and it's a ton of fun. Road Trip brings together all three gameplay styles into one campaign, and its fast pace and roughly 3-4 hour length prevents it from overstaying its welcome.
• The checklist is easily the most addictive and rewarding progression system in any kart racer, boasting a whopping 750 achievements to chip away at. Despite how overwhelming it may seem, completing the checklist never feels like a grind because you're constantly unlocking stuff and all the missions are smartly designed to encourage you to experiment.
• The customization in Kirby Air Riders is on another level, you can really transform the look of your machines but the UI remains easy to parse through. You also have hats to put on the playable characters, a customizable license card to use online, and garages to display all your vehicles.
• The online functionality is easily the best out of all of these three games. The paddock system is immensely charming and gives you a lot of freedom when it comes to playing matches with friends. All three major modes have online support and their own separate ranks, and while there are events, they're never forced on the player.
• In general, the sheer amount of content in Air Riders is staggering. I'm over 20 hours in and I'm still discovering tons of new secrets, features, and unlocks. There's a ton of online and accessibility features, an incredibly robust stats page, and a wide variety of superfluous features that only make the game feel even more complete.
• There's a robust shop with tons of decals, customization options, and collectibles to purchase, and you actually get the funds to be able to buy them all. Unlike in Crossworlds, you can get around 1000-2000 coins per race depending on the game mode, and that's not even counting the machine stock market.
• The UI in Kirby Air Riders is some of Sakurai's absolute finest, it's all visually-interesting, well laid-out, and easy to navigate.
• Visually, Kirby Air Riders looks incredible on every level. The character animations are wonderfully fluid (especially for Lololo & Lalala who are a joy to watch with their constant character switching), the tracks look gorgeous and cinematic, and the game is filled with thrilling and snappy visual effects that accentuate everything. Sakurai's art direction is also at its best here, with some Road Trip sequences in particular giving off Subspace vibes in the best ways possible. Simply put, I'd argue Kirby Air Riders is one of the most stylish kart racing games I've ever played.
• And of course, the soundtrack by Shogo Sakai and Noriyuki Iwadare is incredible. The main themes are massive ear-worms, the track themes are all incredibly catchy and varied, and the remixes of old Air Ride tracks are lovingly crafted and often surpass the originals. There's also a music player and a functioning My Music feature so you can listen to whichever songs you want in City Trial.
• It's a $70 game... but it actually feels worth the price in terms of its content and production values. And on top of that, there's no DLC, no microtransactions, and no live service bullshit whatsoever. It's a complete package through and through.

Cons

• Kirby Air Riders isn't going to be for everyone. It's a very unconventional game and a lot of people have bounced off of it. But that's not even really a con, is it? I'd rather a game be entirely itself even if it alienates a more mainstream audience.
• The music player doesn't show who composed each track which is especially jarring in a series otherwise great at crediting its composers. I'm genuinely desperate to know which songs Noriyuki Iwadare was responsible for.
• The roster feels like it has some gaps. In particular, the lack of Adeleine or Ribbon anywhere in the game is baffling.
• One or two events in City Trial cause the framerate to dip a noticeable amount. You could argue it adds to the chaos, but I found it distracting.
• Road Trip doesn't randomize the missions with each playthrough, so I can definitely see it getting way too repetitive if you try to beat it with every character. 
• The Time Trial modes don't have any online leaderboards, you're just racing against yourself here. 
• There's only 18 Air Ride tracks which means this game has by far the least amount of courses out of these three games. That being said, the other modes do make up for this, especially if you count the nine Top Ride tracks and the 50 Stadium events.

So... Which One's The Best?

It's Kirby Air Riders, obviously. I don't even think it's especially close. Mario Kart and Crossworlds both have their share of pretty blatant flaws, but I could look past them in Mario Kart's case because it pushes the genre forward in so many exciting ways. I love the parkour system, I love the interconnected world, and I love the more chill and lax approach to kart racing. It's a very cohesive game and all of its design choices, both good and bad, feel like they're contributing to one deliberate vision. Crossworlds is a more traditional and safe kart racer that lacks some of Mario Kart's more baffling omissions, but I also find it a lot more boring and a lot less remarkable. Kirby Air Riders, at least for me, is the best of both worlds. It has the sauce and the mechanical ambitions of Mario Kart, and the greater breadth of options and features that Crossworlds touted.

Winner: Kirby Air Riders 

Nintendo Switch Retrospective

With the upcoming Switch 2 presentation, I've noticed a lot of people starting to get a bit reflective about their time with the original Nintendo Switch, and yeah, I get it. This wasn't my first Nintendo console, but it's definitely the one I've been the most invested in, and the fact that it's been around for a whopping eight years is truly impressive. So I wanted to look back on the Nintendo Switch, all eight years of it, and my relationship with it. The highs, the lows, and how I ultimately feel about the Switch going into the new console.

My Definitive, Official 3D Sonic Ranking

Now that I've finally beaten Unleashed, I'm pleased to say that I've officially played all of the 3D Sonic games. So like with the Mario RPGs, it's time I finally make a proper ranking of them all:

F Tier

20. Sonic Boom: Rise Of Lyric 

In the early 2010s, it felt like we were getting LEGO/Skylander clones everywhere. Lots of multiplayer top-down action games with very, very simple gameplay, but often without the customization or set-dressing that made the LEGO and Skylander games such successes to begin with. Sonic Boom: Rise Of Lyric is a great example of this, being arguably the most flagrant case of Sonic Team hopping on trends which is impressive considering how often they've done that. It's an incredibly barebones beat-em-up with basic combat, basic puzzles, basic exploration, and very basic "speed" sections. But it's not just a boring game on its own merits because it also has an awful story riddled with irritating quips, dull environments, and a complete and utter lack of player agency in any shape or form. And worst of all, Rise Of Lyric is also incredibly buggy and poorly-optimized for the Wii U, just in case it couldn't have been any worse. I don't think it's that controversial to put Rise Of Lyric on the bottom, right? There's just nothing here, not even the witty comedy that would define the TV show it's based on. It's barely even a Sonic game at this point, just a thing that existed.

19. Sonic Frontiers: The Final Horizon

Maybe I'm being a bit harsh putting The Final Horizon so low. It's not nearly as buggy as 06 or as creatively bankrupt as Forces and it certainly controls better than something like Secret Rings or 3D Blast, it's probably "objectively" better than most of those games. But for me personally, as someone who got into the series long after the "dark ages" had passed, this was the most disappointed a Sonic product has ever made me. The Final Horizon takes all the goodwill Frontiers still had and systematically undoes all of it, bit by bit. Tedious vertical platforming sections that show how unequipped Frontiers' controls are for precision, awful combat trials that show how limited Frontiers' combat truly is, a painful boss rush that shows how poorly telegraphed the iconic Titans turn out to be when you actually get punished for failing, and a messy final boss that loses out on all the thematic heft that made the original ending work to begin with. But hey, at least you can play as Amy, Tails, and Knuckles, right? Sure, but they all suck and feel way worse than playing as Sonic. I had never felt as hopeless towards the future of the Sonic franchise as I did after playing The Final Horizon, it genuinely felt like Sonic Team was content just shallowly checking fan criticisms off a checklist rather than make a competently-designed product at the bare minimum. Thank goodness Shadow Generations was as good as it was, geez.

D Tier

18. Sonic The Hedgehog (2006)

And that's pretty much it for the outright bad games. Seriously, I think there are only two flat-out bad 3D Sonic games and one of them is just a DLC expansion, crazy huh?

Man, I really wish Sonic 06 was better than it is. I hate to use the p-word here, but it definitely had the potential to be something really special. It feels like an expansion on the Adventure formula with some pretty cool stages and boss designs, I like Mephiles as a villain, I kinda vibe with the more realistic environments, and the soundtrack is of course one of my favorites of all time. I haven't played P-06 so I can't say for sure, but there is definitely a world where Sonic 06 turned out to be really, really good. Sadly, that is not the world we live in. I think some fans nowadays get too wrapped up in what 06 could've been rather than what it actually is, forgetting just how much the final product screwed up. I'm someone who can handle a lot of jank as you can see later on in this list, but there's always going to be a line. The bugs in 06 are frequent and unpredictable, you spend the whole game in a state of fear because you can and will glitch out of the stage at any point. Maybe if I got this game as a kid and played it nonstop, I'd learn where all the glitches are and how to avoid them, but come on, that doesn't fix the problem. And beyond just the bugs, there's the loading screens, the messy and convoluted story, the horrendously slow character movement, the godawful vehicle sections for Shadow, the broken boss fights, that damn billiards puzzle. Maybe Sonic 06 could've been good, but that's not the game Sonic Team put on store shelves and charged money for. I can appreciate ambition to a point and I'm willing to extend an olive branch and say that I don't think Sonic 06 is entirely without merit, but when push comes to shove, game's not very fun.

17. Sonic Lost World (3DS)

I've heard some people say Sonic Lost World on 3DS is better than the Wii U version and I just can't see it. This game's got so many issues, but it seems alright first. The 3D levels in the first world seem solid enough, and occasionally even push you to use the parkour systems a bit... but then you play the 2D levels and get hit with absurdly twitchy controls and a zoomed-in camera that prevents you from seeing anything. Seriously, these 2D stages are miserable, and while the 3D stages are better, they also devolve into overlong gimmickry. Sorry but I'm just not taking this over the original on any level

C Tier

16. Sonic 3D Blast

I've already gone into my thoughts on Sonic 3D Blast before, so I'll be quick here. I think this is a fairly charming little isometric platformer with some fun levels and stellar music that's unfortunately held back by its slippery controls (especially on the Saturn) and the tedious structure of having to collect Flickies in each stage. While we did get a Director's Cut that fixes a lot of these issues and shows that the movement has the potential to be really fun, the original release of 3D Blast is still a fairly mediocre game beyond the novelty of having a "3D-ish" Sonic game on the Genesis. But it has more sauce than some others in the gseries which is why it's higher up on the list.

15. Sonic Frontiers

I've made it clear by now that Sonic Frontiers is a game that I have continued to sour on over time, especially with the release of The Final Horizon. It's not a bad game per se, like I was able to play through the whole thing at launch and have a reasonably good time. Running around the open world just feels nice, the soundtrack is pretty great, and the bosses are solid spectacles. It's an ambitious game that laid the groundwork for future entries pretty well, but man does it just not stand on its own. In general, I also think the first half of Frontiers is pretty darn fun, but it does start to lose its footing by Chaos Island and doesn't really recover. The movement feels sluggish and constantly brings you to a halt, the cyberspace stages are forgettable and unoriginal, the combat is shallow and awkward, the progression is tedious, the art direction is ugly, and the Final Horizon is tedious as hell. It's a rare Sonic game that I just have no interest going back to at all, even over some of the ones lower on this list.

14. Sonic Forces

I was scared to give Sonic Forces a shot with how much people hate it, but when I finally got around to trying it out, I... actually had a decent time? I really don't think this is anywhere near one of the worst 3D Sonic games because it primarily gets one thing very right: fluidity. Nothing stops your momentum arbitrarily, there's no air drag, you're encouraged to actually engage with the levels to get good times and a clean run feels very good. This may not sound like much but even some of the better 3D games don't get this right. And on top of the very solid gameplay flow, I also appreciate the various memorable setpieces in the levels, the banging soundtrack, the cheesy dialogue, and the abundance of solid side content that kept me playing for way longer than I was expecting. And most of all, the Avatars are genuinely very well-handled. Their stages feel the most developed, their customization is robust, the Wispons add a lot of gameplay variety and depth, and they even have a cute little character arc throughout the game. Genuinely, I'd take a game with just the Avatars, they're easily the standout here.

That being said, I'd be lying if I said Forces also wasn't frustratingly compromised. The platforming often feels awkward and clunky especially in 2D, some levels railroad you a bit too strongly, many stages end too quickly and feel underdeveloped, and the story while charmingly enjoyable just doesn't take itself seriously enough to fully sell its premise. The final third does actually get pretty good, but it's too little too late and just ended up making me wish the whole game was firing on that level. Unlike games like Frontiers or Boom, I could see one of my favorite Sonic games in Forces, but it's only 50% of the way there. With more developed levels, tighter controls, and a more focused narrative, Forces could have been something truly special. But as it is now, it's a guilty pleasure that I enjoy playing but can't help but wish was better.

13. Sonic & The Secret Rings

Similarly to Forces, I used to put Secret Rings a lot lower but as of my recent review of the game, it shot up my rankings pretty dramatically once I gave it a chance and properly beat it.

Sonic & The Secret Rings is a game with a lot of cool elements like the creative environments, frenetic level pacing, large-scale boss fights, a neat upgrade system that lets you truly overpower Sonic like in no other game out there, buttrock soundtrack, genuinely touching story, and a shockingly fun party game that I honestly think is slightly better than Sonic Shuffle. With a standard control scheme, Secret Rings would be an easy Top 10 contender for me, but instead Sega tried to make an autorunning 3D platformer that you play on a horizontal Wii remote and it really hurts the product. Despite what many say, I don't actually think the motion controls are that bad, they're fairly responsive actually. The real problem is in the way Sonic's movement has been gimped to accommodate for this strange control scheme just means he feels really awkward to play as, and it doesn't help that the aforementioned upgrade system makes you unlock tighter controls making the first hour a bit of a pain. However, I'm still able to gleam a lot of enjoyment from Secret Rings both ironically and unironically. While it still occasionally feels like I'm just powering through the jank, at its best, I still find it more fun and interesting than a lot of the games lower down on the list and I will always have a bit of a softspot for it.

B Tier

12. Sonic Unleashed (SD) 

Okay, now we're onto the games I actually think are legitimately good. The Wii version of Sonic Unleashed is a solid but unremarkable way to play one of Sonic's best adventures. Daytime Sonic is actually quite good, his stages are well-designed and fun to master, and his unique boost system is a fun take on the formula that feels good to nail. Sadly, the Werehog sections are a lot worse than the console version with far worse movement and far less combos, even if the smaller length of his stages help them feel a lot more digestible. A lot of the bigger issues in HD Unleashed are gone here like the removal of medal gates, smaller stage lengths, decreased QTEs, less exhausting final stage, and more satisfying final boss which is pretty cool and makes this version of Unleashed worth playing. However, I just don't think the removal of two areas, lack of hubs, simplified Werehog combat and movement, muddier visuals, constant obnoxious Chip tutorials, unskippable cutscenes, and more basic boss fights is enough of a worthy trade-off either. This doesn't replace the HD version by any means, it's just a nice supplement at best. 

11. Sonic & The Black Knight

Sonic & The Black Knight is probably the most 7/10 game ever made. It obviously has one of the best and most well-told stories in the franchise, along with stellar visual design and music. Atmospherically, this is one of the most compelling games in the series, it feels every bit like the grand Arthurian adventure it's trying to be. But when you get into the gameplay, Black Knight is a bit more of a mixed bag. It obviously controls way better than Secret Rings and is a lot faster-paced with a larger roster of stages, and I think the swordplay gets a bit too much flack since it's simple enough that it doesn't drag the gameplay to a halt every time you engage an enemy. However, this is a double-edged sword since the overall gameplay in Black Knight is so simple that it feels pretty one-note, and when the stages start to get tough in the second half, the limitations of your rigid movement really start to show. Even Secret Rings is able to get away with more interesting level design and involved mechanics, Black Knight is completely lacking in depth to the point that I'd argue it rivals Forces as the shallowest 3D Sonic game mechanically. Unlike Forces though, Black Knight still ends up staying in my good graces for its lengthier stages, dumb fun combat mechanics, far stronger narrative, and greater levels of polish. Despite its flaws, I still think Black Knight is still a really fun time for what it is, and stands out as the last true "Adventure era" game in the series.

10. Sonic Lost World (Wii U)

Sonic Lost World is a game that gets a lot of flack for trying to be too much like Mario, with slower paced movement and more basic world themes. It's certainly not as cool or fast-paced as you'd want from a Sonic game, but on its own merits, I still think it's a pretty solid and polished platformer. Like, let's be real, planetoid stages are always gonna be cool as hell and it allows Lost World to have a lot of level variety that pushes the otherwise basic world themes in some neat ways. The parkour system while underused is a ton of fun to mess around with too, and for as much as I love the boost, it was nice to have a more slow-paced Adventure-esque 3D entry after all this time. That being said, I still have quite a few issues with Lost World. The occassional gimmicky level, the boring boss fights, the shoehorned Wisp abilities, and most importantly, a very mixed bag of a story. Like many Sonic tales from this era, I think Lost World's narrative has a few moments of brilliance, a few well-framed scenes, a few jokes that land, a few bits of drama that works, but the end product feels really messy and forced. But as long as you skip all the cutscenes, I think Lost World still holds up as a fun time if you're willing to play by its rules. 

A Tier

9. Shadow The Hedgehog

Despite its reputation, Shadow The Hedgehog is a game I will always defend. In terms of the core moment to moment gameplay, I think Shadow 05 improves on Heroes in almost every way, with tighter movement, more responsive grinding and triangle jumps, and simple but fun gameplay that lets the player choose how fast they want to move through each of the stages. And speaking of which, the stage design in Shadow 05 is also quite good all around, with a ton of very memorable setpieces and settings. The one thing that really prevents this one from being higher on the list for me is really just the missions which can range from pretty fun to obnoxiously tedious. If Shadow's campaign was more like the game's linear Expert Mode, I'd definitely like it a lot more. But despite that issue, I still really like Shadow 05 because the core gameplay is just so fun, and I've even grown to admire the charmingly edgy aesthetic that the whole game wears so proudly on its sleeve.

8. Sonic Dream Team

Coming right on the heels of The Final Horizon, Sonic Dream Team was exactly the kind of game I was waiting for. It may not be anything too spectacular, with fairly simplified controls and a slower pace to compensate for it being a mobile game, but Dream Team made sure to keep the scope small, focus on its strengths, and delivered a polished, consistently fun platformer. The inventive dream-themed environments rival Sonic Colors in terms of pure visual creativity, and the level design and controls are perfectly tailored to platforming at high speeds. At a high level, Dream Team just feels incredibly satisfying to play. The fairly large roster of characters, abundance of collectibles that encourage you to look around, and pretty fun boss fights are the icing on the cake, making for what is probably the most Adventure-esque 3D Sonic game we've had in years.

7. Sonic Heroes

Look, Sonic Heroes is obviously a very janky game. Rail grinding barely works, combat is horrible when you're not powered up enough, the speed characters move too fast, the pinball physics are a mess, this game has a lot of very obvious flaws. However, I think Sonic Heroes has enough truly stellar elements to make up for all of this. The team-up mechanics are an absolute joy to mess around with, and the stages do a great job at allowing for multiple strategies for pretty much every situation. The stages themselves are also incredibly focused, fun, and well-designed, and the Genesis-inspired two-act structure means each campaign feels really well-paced and lacking in fluff. The bright Gamecube era visuals are a joy to look at, the soundtrack is arguably Senoue's best, and the story while simple and cheesy has some of the most enjoyable character banter in the series. This was the first 3D Sonic game I ever played from start to finish, so while I may have a bit too much nostalgia for Heroes, I also think it was a great entry point into this new perspective for the series.

6. Shadow Generations

Shadow Generations is easily the best 3D Sonic game we've gotten since the original Generations, and a worthy followup to Shadow 05 that re-rails the titular character after years of mischaracterization. The level design is consistently stellar, filled with shortcuts, branching paths, and satisfying platforming. Shadow's movement is some of the most polished we've seen, and the new Doom Powers add some fun complexity to your movement. The boss fights are cinematic and memorable, the production values are the highest we've seen in years, and the main hub redeems Frontiers' open zone concept in triumphant fashion. However, the game suffers from one critical flaw: It's too slow. Your boost barely speeds you up, the air drag is so intense that jumping constantly slows you down, and your reaction time is barely tested. Shadow Generations is a very fun, well-designed game, but it struggles to create the same sense of flow that all my favorite Boost games (and even some of my least favorite Boost games) are able to.

5. Sonic Colors

Sonic Colors is definitely one of the most consistent 3D Sonic games, lacking any major flaws that would make it hard for me to recommend to anyone. I know it gets a bad rap from Sonic fans for its story (which I'd argue isn't even that bad) and the abundance of 2D levels, but as a game, I think Colors is just really thoughtfully-designed. Each zone is striking and memorable thanks to their colorful environments and surreal art direction that rivals Unleashed as some of the best in the franchise, but the level design itself is also a ton of fun to replay over and over again as you unlock more Wisps and open up even more of each of the stages, and that includes the 2D stages as well. I also have to praise how much more sparing the boost is in this game, you don't get Boost Wisp capsules that often which adds an element of boost management that helps Colors stand out in particular. And just in general, the movement feels very tight and fluid. Overall, I think Colors strikes a perfect balance between being bite-sized and accessible without lacking in depth, unlike something like Forces, which makes for a rare 3D Sonic game that I actually love to get 100% in. Colors may not have the ambition of other games in the series, but it has a strong sense of focus and knows the kind of game it wants to be: A simple, easy to hop into, pure platformer that brings Sonic back to his roots, and I think it does that well.

S Tier

4. Sonic Adventure 2

Sonic Adventure 2 is probably the closest a 3D Sonic game has ever felt to feeling like an action movie. There are no hubs, no wide open spaces to explore, just nonstop level-by-level action and it's a ton of fun. At its best, SA2 boasts some of the most exciting stages in the series, with the fast-paced speed stages and the explorative treasure hunting stages being notable highlights for me. There's a strong focus on mastery here, with a well-implemented ranking system that's just begging you to get better. And it's all bolstered by the wonderful Dreamcast era aesthetics, varied genre-bending soundtrack, addictive Chao Garden sidemode that supplements the main campaign perfectly, and one of the best and most iconic narratives in the franchise. At its worst, however, SA2 does have lower lows than its predecessors, between the somewhat clunky mech controls and the generally rough boss fights. However, even with its issues, Sonic Adventure 2 is still a game I love playing and I can definitely say it holds up as a worthy sequel to SA1.

3. Sonic Generations

Sonic Generations is probably the most consistently stellar 3D Sonic game, to the point where the only things I can really fault it for are a few weak boss fights and a nothingburger of a story. Otherwise, this is Sonic at his most refined and focused. The Classic Sonic stages while not super accurate are still an absolute blast for their dynamic 2.5D level design and just how fun it is to mess around with physics. And the Modern Sonic stages are pretty much all masterpieces, intricately layered with a ton of hidden shortcuts that are a joy to figure out, and being the perfect length to make mastering them feel totally worth it. The way Sonic Generations takes iconic settings from the series and expands on them still feels impressively fresh to this day, and the sheer amount of thought and polish that went into this package is constantly on show. The only reason why it's not even higher is the fact that it's still an "anniversary game" meaning it doesn't really feel like a cohesive adventure (especially considering how subpar the story is). It's more just a collection of really, really good stages.

2. Sonic Unleashed

Sonic Unleashed was a game I had wanted to play for a long time, and as you can probably tell, I'm pleased to say that it generally lived up to the hype. The day stages are some of the best 3D Sonic gameplay out there, it's exhilarating fast, super responsive, and genuinely challenging. And while the Werehog gameplay certainly doesn't reach that same high bar, it still stands out as one of the best alternate playstyles in the series for having genuine depth to the combat. And the whole game is bolstered with fantastic level design, stellar boss fights, an abundance of side content, and staggering production values the likes of which the series still hasn't seen since. As I said in my review, I think of Unleashed as the absolute peak of Sonic in terms of art direction. It does have a few blatant flaws like its uneven pacing and some of the side content, but they pale in comparison to the highs this game reached. As a full package, Unleashed still stands out as one of the most complete, full-featured, and satisfying experiences in the series.

1. Sonic Adventure

Yep, Sonic Adventure is still my favorite game in the series to this day. I love so much about it. From the charming hub areas that are a joy to get lost in, to Sonic's top-tier movement that nailed the transition to 3D impressively effortlessly, to the stellar open-ended level design, to the cool interweaving story that gives the cast a ton of character depth, to the gorgeous Dreamcast-ass visual style, to that poppy soundtrack, to the myriad of fun and varied character campaigns like Gamma's fast-paced shooting and Amy's survival horror bits. It's not perfect, no Sonic game is. Tails' campaign feels too padded out, Big's campaign doesn't properly teach you the fishing control, and the game as a whole certainly has its fair share of jank, but overall, no other Sonic game gives me as much joy playing it as Adventure does. It's such an immensely charming and seamless experience that still feels unlike anything else in the franchise.

Puyo Puyo Timeline

A while ago, I made a timeline for the Bomberman series, partially to help myself figure out when all the games released in relation to each other, and partially to help anyone else who's curious about the same thing. Puyo Puyo is another series that I'm a big fan of that has quite the wild release timeline, containing countless ports and spinoffs, along with the fact that Puyo itself is a spinoff of the Madou Monogatari series. So here's another timeline that can hopefully help anyone who's curious about what order the whole Puyo Puyo series took place:

• Madou Monogatari 1-2-3 - MSX/PC-98 (1990) - The main Madou Monogatari game
• Madou Monogatari I - Game Gear (1993)
• Madou Monogatari II - Game Gear (1994)
  
• Madou Monogatari III - Game Gear (1994)
• Madou Monogatari: Big Kindergarten Kids - SNES (1996)
• Madou Monogatari I - Mega Drive (1996)
• Madou Monogatari I - PC Engine CD (1996)
• Puyo Puyo - Famicom (1991) - The actual first Puyo Puyo game, focused entirely on single-player
• Puyo Puyo - Arcade (1992) - The first competitive Puyo Puyo game, lacks offsetting
• Puyo Puyo - Genesis (1992)
• Dr Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine - Genesis (1993)
• Puyo Puyo - Game Gear (1993)
  
• Super Puyo Puyo -  SNES (1993)
• Kirby's Avalanche - SNES (1995)
• Puyo Puyo CD - PC Engine CD (1994)
• Madou Monogatari: ARS - PC-98 (1993) - The prequel to 1-2-3
• Madou Monogatari A: Doki Doki Vacation - Game Gear (1995)
• Nazo Puyo - Game Gear (1993) - Spinoff series focused entirely around the puzzle Nazo mode
• Nazo Puyo 2 - Game Gear (1993)
• Nazo Puyo: Arle No Roux - Game Gear (1994)
• Super Nazo Puyo: Arle No Roux - Super Famicom (1995) - A spinoff series within a spinoff series blending the Nazo gameplay with an RPG structure and a strong focus on Rulue
• Super Nazo Puyo Tsu: Rulue No Tetsuwan Hanjouki - Super Famicom (1996)
• Puyo Puyo Tsu - Arcade (1994) - The most iconic (and ported) Compile Puyo game, polished the gameplay and introduced offsetting
• Puyo Puyo Tsu - Mega Drive (1994)
• Puyo Puyo Tsu - Game Gear (1994)
• Puyo Puyo Tsu - Sega Saturn (1995)
• Super Puyo Puyo Tsu - Super Famicom (1995)
• Super Puyo Puyo Tsu Remix - Super Famicom (1996)
• Puyo Puyo Tsu CD - PC Engine CD (1995)
• Puyo Puyo Tsu Ketteiban - Playstation (1995)
  
• Puyo Puyo Tsu - Wonderswan (1999)
• Puyo Pop - Neo Geo Pocket Color (1999)
• Puyo Puyo Sun - Arcade (1996) - The fast-paced tropical entry, introducing the divisive Sun rule. Has a banger soundtrack though.
• Puyo Puyo Sun - Saturn (1997)
• Puyo Puyo Sun 64 - Nintendo 64 (1997)
• Puyo Puyo Sun Ketteiban - Playstation (1998)
• Pocket Puyo Puyo Sun - Game Boy Color (1998)
• Waku Waku Puyo Puyo Dungeon - Saturn (1998) - Puyo Puyo mystery dungeon
• Waku Puyo Dungeon Ketteiban - Playstation (1999)
• Madou Monogatari - Saturn (1998) - A more traditional RPG for the Saturn
  
• Puyo Puyo N - Dreamcast (1999) - The most polarizing Compile Puyo, visually gorgeous but riddled with gimmicks like gravity fields and super attacks. Not for competitive players, but I personally adore it.
• Puyo Puyo N Party - Nintendo 64 (1999)
• Puyo Puyo N - Playstation (1999)
• Pocket Puyo Puyo N - Game Boy (2000)
• Puyo Puyo Da - Dreamcast (1999) - Strange DDR spinoff with sick character redesigns and wonky gameplay
• Arle No Bouken: Mahou No Jewel - Game Boy Color (2000) - Puyo Puyo's attempt at a monster catcher
• Puyo Puyo Box - Playstation (2000) - Compile's final Puyo game, a compilation of all the previous four mainline entries
• (Compile files for bankruptcy and Sega takes over the series)
  
• Puyo Pop - GBA (2001) - Sega's first entry in the series, very derivative of Tsuu
• Puyo Puyo Fever - Arcade (2003) - The game that put Sega's version of Puyo on the map, introduced the Fever rule and a whole new cast and world, generally regarded as a Classic
• Puyo Puyo Fever - PS2/DC/GC (2004)
  
• Puyo Pop Fever - GBA/DS/PSP (2004)
  
• Puyo Puyo Fever 2 - DS/PS2/PSP (2005) - JP-only so not experienced by a lot of people, but generally considered a step-up over the first Fever
• Puyo Puyo 15th Anniversary - DS/Wii/PSP (2006) - Sega's take on Puyo Puyo Box, a big celebration of the series featuring a ton of old and new rules
• Puyo Puyo 7 - DS/Wii/PSP (2009) - Yet another soft reboot with a unique artstyle and the introduction of Ringo, introduced Transformation rule
• Puyo Puyo 20th Anniversary - DS/Wii/PSP (2011) - 15th Anniversary with even more modes and options, often held up as the peak of the Sega games
• Sorcery Saga: Curse Of The Great Curry God - PS Vita (2013) - This is Compile Heart's "Madou Monogatari at home". It's in the same style, but has a whole new cast.
• Puyo Puyo Quest - iOS (2013) - The mobile Puyo Puyo gacha
• Puyo Puyo Tetris - PS/XBOX/Switch (2014) - One of the most popular mainstream Puyo Puyo games, great intro to the characters, a bit unbalanced towards Tetris
• Puyo Puyo Chronicle - 3DS (2016) - Fully 3D rendered followup to 20th complete with a full RPG mode, released in JP only
• Puyo Puyo Champions - PS/XBOX/Switch (2018) - Barebones competitive-focused entry, cheap and has a robust training mode
• Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 - PS/XBOX/Switch (2020) - Really just more of Puyo Puyo Tetris
• Puyo Puyo Puzzle Pop - iOS (2024) - Apple Arcade exclusive about a dream world, has fleshed out character campaigns at the cost of touch controls
• Madou Monogatari: Fia And The Wondrous Academy - Switch/PS (2024) - Sega actually lets Compile Heart use some Puyo characters for this one

Reviewing The Igavanias

With the release of the Dominus Collection, one thing I've been desperately wanting to do is make a ranking of the metroidvania Castlevania entries, also referred to as "Igavanias" after director Koji Igarashi. I'm a big fan of these entries in particular for their increasingly complex combat, fun action RPG elements, stronger story focus, and more gothic atmosphere, but they're also so consistently good that actually ranking them properly is a tough task. So, instead, I think I'm just going to review them one by one and then decide on a ranking at the end.

Non-Mario Kart Racers I Love

With the recent announcements of both Mario Kart 9 and Sonic Racing: Crossworlds, I've gotten into a bit of a kart racer mood lately. I've only ever talked about Mario Kart on here though, so I thought I might as well delve into some of the non-Mario kart racers I also happen to really like:

Kirby Air Ride: I've already talked about Kirby Air Ride so I'll be quick here. This game absolutely rules. Despite my initial skepticism towards its one button control scheme, Air Ride manages to wring out a deceptive amount of depth with its satisfying brake-drift system, variety of copy abilities, vastly unique vehicle designs, and abundance of shortcuts. The three major modes are each fun in their own ways, though the brilliant City Trial is the obvious standout, and the fleshed-out and influential achievement system has kept me playing for hours. Being developed by the Melee team also means Kirby Air Ride is stylish as hell, with slick menu design, a surreal GCN-ass visual style, and a gorgeous orchestral score. Despite or maybe because of its quirks, Kirby Air Ride is a wonderfully addictive experience that stands out from every other kart racer in its own unique way. It's one of my favorite games in the genre and one of my favorite Kirby games.

Crash Team Racing: As far as I'm concerned, I hold Crash Team Racing up right alongside Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Kirby Air Ride as the holy trinity of kart racers. In terms of pure mechanical depth, CTR is still unparalleled, with its iconic drift system and fleshed-out hopping. But on top of that, the track design is absolutely stellar. Complex, memorable, and filled to the brim with potential shortcuts just waiting to be discovered. It's a technical juggernaut, showing Naughty Dog's mastery of the PS1 with its clean visuals and silky smooth control, and it even packs it a massive adventure mode that stands out as one of the best campaigns in a kart racer. Crash Team Racing was easily the best kart racer of the fifth gen, but it still holds up as one of my favorites overall. Nitro Fueled was solid too, but the microtransactions and live service elements mean I'd rather stick with the original.

Diddy Kong Racing: Diddy Kong Racing is another really solid kart racer of the time. While I think CTR has it beat in terms of control and track design, DKR still brings a lot of great ideas to the table like its satisfying zipper mechanic, its color-coded item balloons that lends the game some extra strategy, and of course the vehicle transformations. The adventure mode is also quite solid, with a more fleshed-out overworld and a bunch of collectibles and side content as you'd probably expect from Rare. Top it off with a character roster that marked the debut of Banjo and Conker, along with a great soundtrack by David Wise, and you get a great kart racer that's obviously beloved for a very good reason.

Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing Transformed: Sonic has had several racing games of varying levels of quality, but as of right now, the one to beat is still Transformed. It takes the multiple vehicles of DKR and fleshes them out even further with some of the most dynamic and ambitious track design I've ever seen. Each track evolves and shifts over the course of each race, almost telling a story in themselves, which allows them to truly stand out among the genre. The gameplay also feels pretty good with its fair items and fun boosting mechanics, though its heavier arcade-y feel probably won't be for everyone. Transformed also has a solid story mode, lots of cool Sega fanservice, and an incredibly clean presentation which makes for easily one of the best kart racing packages in the last decade or so.

Pac-Man World Rally: Pac-Man World Rally was probably the most surprisingly great kart racer I've ever played. There really is no reason for it to be as good as it is, but it's deceptively fun. World Rally manages to perfectly replicate the loose, fast, and chaotic feel of Double Dash better than any other game at the time, with smooth control, powerful items, and memorable track design. It can be a bit lacking in polish, the Spiny Shell equivalent shows up way too often and a few of the tracks can feel a bit raw, but the game makes up for that in sheer fun and fluidity. I also love the way shortcuts work here, as you need to collect fruit to open them up which adds a neat layer of skill to each race. There's even a dedicated Namco cup with a few fanservice tracks, just to sweeten the deal.

Chocobo Racing: At a time when everyone was trying to jump on the kart racing trend to varying degrees of success, Chocobo Racing stood out by having the high production values of PS1-era Squaresoft backing it up. In the grand scheme of things, Chocobo Racing may not be especially remarkable, but everything about it just exudes polish, with its tight controls, solid track design, clean visuals, and great music. The story mode is also immensely charming as I love the cutesy take on the FF universe that these Chocobo games bring to the table, but the real standout aspect of Chocobo Racing is its brilliant item system which allows you to stack items to increase their power. It's a great package overall, just a shame it... uhh... didn't get a crummy microtransaction-laden sequel or anything...

Konami Krazy Racers: Konami Krazy Racers was a launch title for the GBA that just barely beat out Mario Kart: Super Circuit, though it sadly still seems to have fallen under a radar. It's a real shame too since I think this is probably my favorite mode 7 kart racer of all time. Super Circuit may have stronger track design and more mechanical depth, but Konami Krazy Racers stands out with its uncharacteristically tight and precise steering, great Diddy Kong Racing-esque item system, solid single-player offerings including a sort-of mission mode and a fleshed-out battle mode, and a slew of offbeat Konami fanservice akin to Parodius. You got Twinbee, Metal Gear, Castlevania, Goemon, Pop'n Music, and even some more obscure series like Rakugakids all represented here. It may be on the shorter side, but this is easily one of the most criminally overlooked kart racers of all time.

Bomberman Fantasy Race: I've brought this one up before in my Bomberman respective but I need to reiterate that Fantasy Race is way better and more ambitious than it has any right to be. Bomberman Fantasy Race has you play as Bomberman racing on Louies and Tirras, basically the series' Yoshi-esque mounts. This already gives you a lot of unique abilities like jumping and tossing bombs at your opponents, but that's only scratching the surface when it comes to the sheer amount of tech this game has to offer. There's wall-jumping, stamina management, reserve items, using precise bomb throws to propel yourself forward, and you will have to master all of it if you want to win. It may seem overwhelming at first, especially if you're playing the US version with its inflated currency values, but once the controls click, there truly is no kart racer like Bomberman Fantasy Race. If you want something a bit more mechanically complex and unique, check this one out, it actually goes so hard.

Dr Robotnik's Ring Racers: And now, here's the most polarizing one. Dr Robotnik's Ring Racers is the sequel to Sonic Robo Blast 2 Kart, both of which are mods of the super impressive fangame Sonic Robo Blast 2. Kart already was a really fun, polished, and chaotic kart racer but the lack of CPUs meant I didn't play it much myself. Ring Racers, on the other hand, boasts far more single-player content along with far more mechanical changes that helps it stand out as its own unique beast, albeit for better and for worse.

Here's the thing, Ring Racers makes a pretty bad first impression, and I initially bounced off it hard when it first came out. The game starts by making you do an hour-long tutorial that overwhelms you with explanations on its countless mechanics without really showing how they interact with each other. And once you do finally finish the tutorial, you discover that almost all the tracks, characters, and modes are locked behind hours of single-player gameplay, which feels really tonedeaf considering SRB2 Kart was praised for its easy-to-access online. Since launch, we have gotten a lot of patches that smoothed out some of Ring Racers rougher edges, and there is a password system that lets you jump into the game pretty much immediately, but it doesn't change the fact that Ring Racers is hard to get into.

But when you do give Ring Racers your time, you'll be surprised at how addictive it is. Ring Racers has a variety of fascinating mechanics, from a resource management system that has you using the rings you collect to speed around corners and up hills, to an Advance 2-esque trick system, to various boost types, to multiple item boxes, to a fast fall and spin dash, to a slipstream tether mechanic, and the list goes on. It feels like every mechanic from every prior kart racer has been squeezed together into this single package and while it seems overwhelming at first, it all clicks together surprisingly gracefully once you actually get into the races. There is a really satisfying flow to using rings to maintain your high speed, and the track design is usually good enough to encourage a wide variety of different lines and strategies.

With over 60 characters, 150 tracks, a beefy Grand Prix Mode with 30 cups, Chaos Emeralds and Special Stages, and a flourishing modding community, Ring Racers is also packed to the gills with quality kart racing content. Beyond just the Sonic cast, there's a ton of cool Sega rep ranging from iconic series like Nights and Sakura Wars to sleeper picks like Popful Mail and Treasure, and the soundtrack is filled with picks from some of my favorite soundtracks. I can even play as characters like Vivian or Bomberman thanks to mods which is so cool! And if you do want to unlock everything yourself by working through its massive Kirby Air Ride-inspired achievement table, that playtime will only grow even larger. Ring Racers feels like it's a game by kart racing fanatics for kart racing fanatics, a truly impressive passion project that stands out as one of the most ambitious fan projects I've ever played, to the point where I almost feel guilty playing it for free. It may be over-indulgent and at times hair-pullingly brutal, but when it all clicks, it truly feels like the best the genre has to offer.

Other Thoughts On Game Remakes

A while back, I made a post about remakes, looking through a bunch of more recent remakes to see whether or not they were collectively a good or a bad thing. To be blunt, I'm not especially proud of that post, it felt really oversimplified and lacking in nuance. The fact is that there are always going to be good and bad remakes, and whether or not they are good or bad depends on the person. You can't just calculate if remakes as a concept are good by pure math.

Since then, remakes have had some pretty fiery discourse in the year 2024, with the release of some fairly divisive remakes of Persona 3 Reload, The Thousand Year Door, and Silent Hill 2. I've seen many people just straight up swear off the concept of remakes entirely this year, and considering how common they feel now and how much discourse they spawn, I can't exactly blame them from getting tired of it all. However, it did also cause me to think about my thoughts on remake culture as of late. Why do I endlessly praise some remakes for being incredible modernizations that sand over all my issues with the original and at times replace it entirely, while also harshly criticizing other remakes for exactly that? Why I am I fine with the Super Mario RPG remake adding in an unnecessary amount of quality of life features that arguably make the game too easy, while also turning my nose up at the Return To Dream Land remaster for doing the same thing?

I think what I was missing with that first post was that no remakes are objectively better or worse than the originals. The quality of a remake relative to the original is entirely based on the person playing it. Discussion of remakes is an inherently vulnerable thing, you can't talk about them without opening up about your own history with the source material. I grew up with Return To Dream Land, it was one of my big childhood games, and some of the quirks that others may criticize like the do-or-die Energy Spheres or the precise Stomper Boot timing are things about the game that I've grown to find charming. While I played plenty of Super Mario RPG as a kid, I can't say I had anywhere near the same emotional investment to it, so any changes it might have had didn't really phase me. I was just happy to have a version of the game that kept a similar artstyle while boasting more detail.

That's not to say you need to be emotionally invested in the source material to prefer it to its remake, though. Sometimes people might just... prefer the original for their own reasons. The N Sane Trilogy is loved by many fans for its more realistic visuals, smoother movement, and improved save features, but despite never growing up with Crash, I simply prefer how the PS1 versions play. They just feel better to me, and that's that. I've even seen people voice their preferences for remakes that I thought were pretty much untouchable, like preferring the more isolating and obtuse vibe of NES Metroid to Zero Mission, or preferring the lighter B-movie charm of Resident Evil to its bleaker REmake. I said that remakes "need to be a love letter" to be good, but that doesn't guarantee everyone will love it. Besides, I'm sure Vicarious Visions put their heart into the N Sane Trilogy so who am I to say it's not a passion project because I didn't like it? The fact is that there will never be a remake that everyone will prefer to the original, there will always be that one change that sets someone off.

However, I still think remakes are important, even if not everyone is going to be welcome to their changes. For whatever people a remake alienates, there will probably be just as many people who discover one of their new favorite games through these remakes. Like, for as easy as it is to just tell someone to emulate the original, not everyone knows how to do that or is even willing to learn. The fact is that remakes and rereleases are the best way to re-introduce a game to a wider audience, and maybe also people who didn't even like the original. I've seen the argument that remakes are inherently worse because the source material was made that way for a reason and any change is just messing with the original vision, but that's not true. No game has a spotless development, and sometimes developers may genuinely just regret decisions they made the first time (the Ocarina/Majora 3D remakes being a notable example of this).

For me, The Thousand Year Door is the best example of this. While I never hated TTYD, it was originally a game that I was incredibly critical of, only for its remake to address pretty much all of my complaints and win me over in the process. Sure, the remake did have a few downgrades like the easier Pit Of 100 Trials and certain music tracks not sounding quite as good, but the diminished backtracking, more tactile visuals, and especially having a canonically trans Vivian are way more important to me personally. Vivian being trans is a special case because it was pretty much always the developer's intention, the localization just wrote it out because it was 2004. So that's just a case of the remake straight-up affirming the game's original vision, and it gave trans people another character they can see themselves in, in the form of Vivian. That's why remakes are important, because they can leave their own unique mark on players that the original game may not have been able to reach.

So ultimately, I think my verdict on the "original vs remake" debate is... both. Both is good. I'm glad we get remakes because they allow more players to discover old classics, and they serve as a way for developers to address feedback and concerns that fans had towards the original. However, the original game should also be readily available for those that already love them the way they are, and that's sadly the big issue. Not every game can be like Metroid Zero Mission, not every remake includes the original bundled in, and there are a lot of cases where the remake is the only version of a game that's legally available. At the end of the day, that's the biggest tragedy here, and the area where companies and developers are failing us the most.

Remakes aren't inherently good or inherently bad, and with how personal discussion about remakes can be, I don't think we'll ever find an "objective" answer to the matter. But as long as the original exists in some form, a remake, remaster, or rerelease existing doesn't harm it in any way, it only further extends its reach. More options is always a good thing in my book, so even if not every remake lands for me, I'd say remakes as a whole are generally a net positive.