What Games Are You Playing?

10. Wario World (GameCube via NSO)

I finished this a few months ago now but never wrote up on it.

Wario World is a short, collectathon 3D platformer, and the only 3D entry in the Wario series. This is a game I always wanted to play since I was young but never had the chance to so I'm glad it's now available on NSO.

This was a fun game with some clunky gameplay here and there. I decided to go for the 100% completion here which I feel is the best way to play this game as it's incredibly short and getting everything isn't that challenging though there are a few incredibly frustrating collectibles, I'm looking at you ice stage.

Wario's movement is somewhat a 3D interpretation of the Wario Land series with elements of how Wario plays in SM64 DS plus some new abilities. This worked well enough in the game and was fun to control despite a bit of jank.

I don't have much else to say but I'd recommend checking out this out due to it's short length and being a one of a kind for the Wario series. I would like to see the idea revisited one day.

11. Super Metroid (SNES via NSO)

After a bit of a break from the Metroid series it was finally time to continue my journey with the series in its legendary third entry and first and foremost I can see why this is one of the greats. Building upon Planet Zebes from the original game, the map design and exploration is top notch, always being something to discover. I really appreciated the show not tell of this game and apart from having to look up how to wall jump, I am proud to have made all the discoveries myself, collecting all the notable upgrades (I didn't get every missile, energy tank etc. though).

This also has some of my favourite bosses from the series so far as well, especially the final boss, that whole segment in general was great and so cinematic for a SNES title.

I was surprised as to how well this game still holds up as well, you wouldn't even think it's from the mid-90's at times, really stood the test of time though there are a few out-of-date elements such as the aforementioned Wall Jump which has some awkward controls but the more I played, I mostly got the hang of it. The only other major thing was that you can't see the map of areas you are not currently in which can lead to a bit of aimlessly traversing areas but it wasn't a huge deal, especially one you remember certain locations.

I still adore Zero Mission but I think this may have taken the throne of my favourite entry in the series now and definitely a game I wanted to revisit in the future.

I am taking a short break before jumping into Fusion and diverting to playing Other M next as it is next in the canonical timeline for the non-Prime games. I am aware Other M isn't the most well received game in the series but I want to give it a fair chance with no biases, I'm actually quite looking forward to it.

12. Star Fox (2026) (Switch 2)

I finally jumped into my second Nintendo Switch 2 game and this was a great time.

I have previously played Star Fox 64 3D back when it released and though I did quite enjoy it, I don't think I ever did more than the one standard playthrough which isn't the best way to play Star Fox as I have discovered with this remake.

To start off, like many others I was taken aback by the designs but I have come to like them now that I am used to them. Graphically as well this is a gorgeous game to look that, a great reimagining of the Lylat system.

At its core though, this is still Star Fox 64 at heart despite the new coat of paint but that isn't a bad thing as this feels to be the definitive version of said game, running smoothly and every action you take in the Arwing is a joy to control, it's just fun to play which is partly what led me to re-playing the game for its different routes and endings.

For my first playthrough I just did the standard route which means not unlocking alternate routes but I was also learning the game so I wasn't going out of my way to meet the requirements either. This is a fine way to play but I feel going for the alternate routes makes the game much more interesting such as accessing the wormhole in Meteo or going on a stealth mission in Zoness as well as the obvious, achieving the true ending on Venom 2, a much more satisfying ending compared to the standard one. It took me three playthrough's to access all the stages but I plan to do more to complete the other objectives to getting alternate routes, mixing up the stages to see how the story plays out.

With how much praise this game has got it'd be crazy if Nintendo don't develop a new, original Star Fox game, I know they can do great things with it. In the meantime we have Star Fox Adventures on NSO which I know is an incredibly different type of game but one I've always wanted to try, it is also the next canonically after SF64 so it just makes sense to jump into that next. Hopefully Assault will follow sooner than later.

It has been a great time finally getting into Nintendo's notable sci-fi series properly with Metroid especially quickly becoming one of my new favourite video game series in general and Star Fox looking promising after this recent remake. The future is looking bright for both of these series which I am more than happy to see, more-so becoming a recent fan.
 
13. Metroid: Other M (Wii)

Metroid: Other M is a 3D take on the traditional 2D Metroid games developed in collaboration between Nintendo and Team Ninja (Ninja Gaiden, Dead or Alive).

This has always been a very divisive game in the series but I wanted to judge it for myself and though it's not a perfect game, I enjoyed this tremendously in all honestly.

Taking place between Super Metroid and Fusion we get to see the backstory of series protagonist Samus Aran as she comes into contact with her former commander, Adam Malkovich (and crew) while investigating a distress signal coming from the Bottle Ship, the location the game takes place in. The plot and character writing is what most fans dislike about this game, especially when it comes to Samus herself, most criticisms regarding how she has PTSD when facing Ridley again despite facing him many times before and appearing a bit more weak and vulnerable in general, along with this is how monotone she comes across when monologing her thoughts about the current situation or her past. I agree that in the English language version of the game (I can't say about other languages) Samus is very monotone and sometimes, the monologues can be a bit much at times but when it comes to the emotional side of her, I have to disagree there, considering everything she has gone through at this point in her life, especially with what takes place at the end of Super Metroid, anyone would be insane to not feel even slightly broken mentally. Now I know this is because of how stoic she is in previous titles and it can be a bit of whiplash but I personally appreciated seeing this side of Samus, I felt like I got to understand her better as a protagonist. I will also say the execution isn't flawless and is cheesy at times but with what we got, I don't mind it.

Moving onto gameplay, it is is a mixed bag, for the most part I did enjoy my time but it is a bit jank and this is due to the game being played with only a Wii remote. The majority of the time you will be holding the Wii remote on its side, with this you can perform the majority of actions Samus can perform in the 2D games with not much trouble but when it comes to using missiles or scanning an area you have to turn the Wii remote upright and pointing at the screen / sensor bar, going into a first-person mode similar to that of the Prime series. I'd say I have a pretty good Wii set-up but a good amount of the time I just felt it didn't work and I was moving the position of my Wii remote between the two modes, this really isn't helpful in a more intense situation, especially if an enemy only has a small window to use a missile on it as when you're in first-person you can not move or dodge, giving early Resident Evil vibes in a way. I think an alternate controller set-up would had fixed this for sure, especially if the Nunchuk was integrated. Despite that, when it is responsive, it does feel good switching between views, adding some strategy to the fights.

When it comes to the exploration aspect of the game, it is similar to that of the 2D gamea but much more linear compared to other titles, if you want to go out of your way though, you can get extra missile and energy upgrades but you won't miss anything important if you choose not to do so as new abilities are unlocked automatically as the story progresses unlike other titles. I did enjoy my time exploring the Bottle Ship though and I think they did a decent job adapting the 2D formula to 3D, I would like to see this sort of gameplay attempted again someday as with some tweaking and a better control scheme, it could definitely work well I feel.

One more highlight of the game are the bosses, these might be my favourite set of bosses overall so far, being very action heavy, a decent challenge as well as cinematic, there is also a fun, surprising boss during the epilogue as well which I appreciated, definitely play the short segment after the credits roll.

Overall Other M is an underrated game IMO, far from perfect with some jank gameplay and a divisive story but a hell of a fun time. I did find it hard to put down and easily got through the game in a couple of days, could be done in one so it isn't a huge commitment either. If you enjoy Metroid or even 2000's / 2010's action games (you can feel the Ninja Gaiden likeness in it) and you haven't checked it out before or was wary, I'd say go for it, it is an inexpensive game and is just a fun time overall if you can look past its faults. Looking online it does seem like more and more people are coming around to appreciating this game nowadays which is good to see and I'm glad I'm not alone with that sentiment.

Next, I will back to the 2D games with Fusion, after that I am not sure when I'll be able to get to Dread as it has sold out everywhere atm and second-hand prices are less than ideal but I'm sure I'll get my hands on it sooner than later.
 
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Big news guys - I have a Steam Machine now!! (Went for 2TB with Controller!) I'm playing a really interesting visual novel called Cinders that's based on Cinderella, with a "your choices/decisions matter" emphasis, and Wandersong, a beautiful and funny game where you play a bard who sings and dances to save the world. I really like both, and I'm excited to get much faster internet in early-mid-November so I can do more with the Steam Machine :)
 
I'm still playing and enjoying Cinders and Wandersong, I'm also playing Cat Quest, a cute silly RPG with a feline protagonist that fights dragons and various other smaller opponents, as my cat-mad fren is visiting and wanted to play it (it's already in my library, she wanted to play Hatoful Boyfriend as well but the controls are quite clunky on Steam OS atm) :)
 
I recently completed Dead Space (2023) and it was a solid game overall, and a good fit for the month.

I’ve since started playing through Resident Evil: Requiem and so far so good, with some memorable set pieces.
 
On console I've been playing the Silent Hill 2 Remake and it's not too bad but there feels like far too much padding.

Playing through Alan Wake Remastered after finishing the first Control so I can finally dive into Alan Wake 2 and appreciate it.

And recently got back into FFXIV so chipping away at dungeons during the Moogle event.

On mobile I played Ever Crisis up to the servers going offline over the last month. It did some cool things and I hope it's available offline some day. Now that it's offline and I have space on my phone again been playing Resi Survival Unit (which is fine for what it is. Nothing too special but it's fun seeing niche characters pop up) and been trying Wild Rift again.
 
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Game #34 - Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve (PlayStation 5)
Acquired: 2nd October 2026 - Started: 4th October 2026 - Finished: 11th October 2026 (Story)
When it comes to Bandai Namco's franchises I've played Pac-Man, Ridge Racer and Tekken but I never got around to Ace Combat, a combat flight simulator franchise that's been around since the arcades and the original PlayStation era in the 90s. Even though every mainline game has been released in the west, I don't think it gained mainstream popularity until Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown came along for the PlayStation 4. I've always heard it's a very good game but I didn't think it was for me.

Fast-forward to present time we now have the latest instalment Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve. Again it wasn't on my radar but as the game was about to be released, the hype amongst fans and reviewers grew and I figured it was time to finally give it a try - especially because pre-order bonus also includes Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War which is exclusive to the pre-order window due to licensing restrictions related to the aircraft designs.

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I'm happy to tell you that the hype is definitely real and Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is really good. It takes the simulator genre and adds a lot around it, from the cast of characters you interact with, the world-building, the story and the game design. Every mission you interact with have been diverse so there's not one mission that felt repetitive, boring or even the feeling that makes you go 'oh god no'. There's a great balance between challenge and accessibility so if you haven't played Ace Combat before you can navigate through each mission, learn the ropes and survive each of the scenarios you get into.

There are thirty missions in total, which is larger than the previous instalment, with many different scenarios. For one mission, you're protecting an aircraft from incoming enemies and missiles. Another mission requires taking down targets but also keeping your plane close to the floor/sea to avoid detection. Another mission you can just destroy as many targets as you can in a time limit. There's a lot and each of them are presented across different locations throughout this world that's been built so it doesn't feel like they reuse the same place each time.

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In-between the missions you have a brief gathering cutscene explaining what's going on and what you need to do which is important that you pay attention to because you can end up in situations where you have a whole bunch of enemies on-screen but you only need to focus on specific targets. If you don't stick to the mission, you will end up failing the mission. After the brief gathering, you can pick your aircraft of choice and customise it for yourself and your team who tag along with you.

There's a whole range of unlockable parts for your aircraft, including new planes, new attack support for missiles like faster shots and reduced reload speed, and additional components to support your flying. There's also a bar on the corner during the aircraft prep that gives you a recommendation on what type of weapons to prioritise during the mission; Air-to-Ground and Air-to-Air combat. Because of this, it's recommended that you keep unlocking different types of aircraft so that you can use the right plane for the right mission.


So how are the aircraft controls. There's two versions available; standard and expert. Standard is for those who want to make steering your plane very simple and Expert gives you more control on how you want to fly around in terms of angles and direction. I went with Expert because that's the classic way of playing Ace Combat and it's very good and not that difficult. Yes you will end up in situations where you nosedive into the sea and floor numerous times but that's just entertaining.

During combat you have your standard machine gun (which has infinite ammo) which is useful for taking out simple targets but also some planes where they can easily dodge your missiles. You also have missiles which are finite but you can upgrade the payload so that you have enough to cover the whole mission. And there's slots for two special weapons which can be dedicated to hitting multiple targets, hitting grounded targets only or creating a radar that disrupts the enemy missiles from hitting you and your teammates. You also have a couple flares to deflect enemy missiles but you can also dodge them by flying around in different angles constantly.

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You can also request your teammates to do specific actions, namely prioritising the target in front of them, spread out so that they can pick their own targets, cover you during intense attacks that are aimed at you and allow them to use special weapons. The latter I didn't actually use at all until the final two missions because I forgot about it until I had a look at the training missions that were available.

Another one worth mentioning is that you can lock on targets if you're close enough to them which is super useful for when you want to use your missiles or special weapons and you can press Triangle to keep the camera focused on the target though you are at risk of potentially crashing into something if you're not careful. Triangle is also used for specific story beats which is cool but at the same time I don't think the execution was good because of the same reasons that I mentioned when you are focusing on a target, plus it's a blink and miss it moment which can be jarring when you're focusing on what's in front of you.

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After completing each mission you will be scored and it shows you the exact path you took from start to finish, including any moments where you had to reload a checkpoint. The game's ranking system is based on how fast you complete the mission as well as how many targets you take down and whether you manage to finish the mission without reloading a checkpoint. I was able to achieve an S ranking for a good portion of the content but I have landed with low ranks for specific missions where I ended up reloading a checkpoint due to silly crashes on the aircraft going into the ocean or trees.

The music that plays during the results screen was also very retro and has this classic arcade/PlayStation 1 vibe to it almost akin to Bandai Namco's other franchise Ridge Racer which is known for his unique music vibe. Speaking of the music, the soundtrack's really solid and has a lot of great beats throughout each mission with a lot of emotional ones here and there which worked super well in the situation.

In some parts you will also be tasked with landing the aircraft or refuelling in the air which is a fun mini-game and I managed to finish all of them without fail. Landing the aircraft on a boat can be pretty difficult if you're not careful though.


The story for Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is in the same timeline as the other games, but you don't need to have knowledge of what has occurred in any of them to jump in. It's a new roster of characters and a whole new situation unique to this game. There will be references to other games but it's more-or-less easter eggs for the fans. It's really engaging from start to finish with a lot of interesting dialogue about corporations, how the enemies see their opponents and the use of social media for propaganda. Honestly a lot of what happens in this game reminded me a lot of Mobile Suit Gundam (which is funny as Bandai Namco also makes those games).

You can also play the game online with other players but I wasn't interested in that mode but that's available if you want more content after finishing the campaign. The story took about 20 hours to complete with each mission averaging between 8 minutes to as long as 30 minutes, though a majority will be roughly 15 minutes at least.

Overall Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve has been a wonderful ride with a great balance between fun and challenging and the controls were super good. Many of the failed mission statuses simply came from me crashing the aircraft into trees, the ocean or a wall rather than failing an escort mission or getting shot down by other aircraft. The characters are memorable, the music is really good, the cutscenes were well-done and the performance is solid with no technical issues whatsoever. I know the previous game did have PlayStation VR support so I'll be curious to see if they look into PlayStation VR2 support later down the line.

CONTROL Resonant will be next in-line however it's not yet released physically until a short while longer. In the meantime I may check out Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War since it's noted to be a shorter game.
 
I don't have the game yet and won't get to play it for a while I'm sure, but your initial comments on why you haven't played previous Ace Combat games but decided on this one mirror my own experience so it's really good to read how much you enjoyed the game. :)
 
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