Lucky_Deity
Combat Butler
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as well, you wouldn't even think it's from the mid-90's at times, really stood the test of time though there are a few out-of-date elements such as the aforementioned Wall Jump which has some awkward controls but the more I played, I mostly got the hang of it.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.
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.