NBA Hangtime A solid port of an arcade classic. NBA Hangtime lacks quite a bit in game modes and general content. But the arcadey and cartoonish basketball gameplay is engaging and fun. Even with the obvious CPU rubber banding that exists. 🧵

Pokémon Snap Such a cool idea for a Pokémon game. I absolutely love getting to actually see the Pokémon exist and interact within their natural habitats. It’s what I’ve always wanted from Pokémon since I was a kid, and we really only ever get it with the Snap series. 🧵

Sin and Punishment A fever dream of a game. Idk wtf was happening at any point in the story. But I also didn’t really care because the vibe, the set pieces, and the core gameplay were so good. Still, it definitely could’ve *benefited* from a story with some sort of context for comprehension. 🧵

Forsaken 64 OST slaps so fucking hard. There’s a new banger for every stage. The 6-directional, space bike controls took a moment to adjust to, but surprisingly not too long and it ultimately enabled the gameplay to feel unique, while still enjoyable.

Now at Tournament 8. Not having a good time. 😭 Also started up NBA Hangtime on the side and that game *is* a good time. Going for Grand Champion title to “beat” that one, which involves beating all 29 teams in the game. I’m about halfway through with 14 beaten.

Thread where I’ll chronicle my journey with each game in the Nintendo 64 library! Just gonna give a lil blurb of my thoughts as I complete every game. 🧵⬇️⬇️

Decided I’m gonna commit to beating (or at least playing a lot of) every Nintendo 64 game. It’s my favorite retro console and I wanna get intimate with its library.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas ✅ Surprisingly thoughtful storytelling ✅ Great characterizations (CJ is a fantastic protagonist) ✅ Consistent progression across a massive open-world ✅ Core GTA gameplay ❌ Not enough of significance to spend money on ❌ Mission structure can get repetitive 8.5 / 10

I hate most of what XBOX has been doing, but moving Obsidian development to new Fallout games is such an easy W.

The whole ‘PlayStation ending physical games’ debacle has really just opened my eyes to how many people just aren’t ’in the know’ at all when it comes to games news or the industry. Its been generally understood for like, 3 years now that this future was coming. People are acting like it’s a shock.

I can’t stress enough how massive of an improvement GTA: San Andreas is over GTA III and Vice City. Like… it’s astonishing how much better San Andreas is in every aspect. Really enjoying my time with it so far.

Despite a report this morning, I can confirm that Obsidian is *not* in negotiations to avoid shutting down. Plenty of details are still up in the air surrounding the layoffs (picture will be clear on Monday) but Xbox is keeping Obsidian, according to people familiar with the situation.

Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones ✅ Very likable cast of characters ✅ Stunning pixel art ✅ Class and support progressions are satisfying ❌ Too many narrow passageway maps ❌ Some battles become cumbersome drags 8 / 10

PS6 will likely be ~$1000 and it’ll sell peanuts. PlayStation is in a real catch-22. They can’t delay because of already committed contracts, dating hardware, and uncertainty that components won’t just get *more* expensive.

After finishing Three Houses, I’m still in the mood for more Fire Emblem. I’ve only ever played Awakening and now Three Houses, so I’m going back to the GBA era for The Sacred Stones! Such beautiful pixel art, man.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses ✅ Complex, political story with great perspective ✅ Great characters & relationship building ✅ Once you piece things together, the story with context is incredible ❌ 3 branching stories leads to lots of lacking context ❌ Monastery hub is more hassle than enjoyable 8 / 10

Having a blast with Spyro. It’s a simple game. But it’s a good one.

Playing Spyro the Dragon for the first time since I was a lil kid. 🥹

I beat Mina the Hollower twice. Once on a normal playthrough. The next on NG+ while achieving feats like never entering an underlab & never losing bones. Kinda want to go for the platinum, but speedrun trophies are usually a no-go for me. Maybe if I find a guide that simplifies it in the future.

Mina the Hollower ✅ Vast, rewarding exploration ✅ Great difficulty balance ✅ Perfect GameBoy spritework ✅ Trinkets & weapon types allow for satisfying variety in play styles ✅ Exceedingly charming characters & world ✅ Excellent level design on all fronts ❌ Narrative potential falters 9.5 / 10

Rolled credits on Mina the Hollower! Gonna let my full thoughts marinate for a while. But it’s a really, really special video game. Astonishingly good.

My Top Ten Games of ‘Not-E3’ 1. Final Fantasy VII: Revelation 2. Final Fantasy: Resonance 3. Stellar Blade: Blood Rain 4. Gen Atlas 5. Persona 4 Revival 6. Spyro: A Realm Beyond 7. Crossfire 8. Xenoblade: Genesis 9. Resident Evil: Veronica 10. Mighty Cuphead Adventure

My ‘Not-E3’ Summer Showcase Grades. Not a single bad showing, btw. Summer Game Fest: B+ Xbox Showcase: B+ State of Play: B Nintendo Direct: B SGF > Xbox > Nintendo > PlayStation

Nintendo Direct was great! Annoying that we didn’t see anything substantial for Ocarina of Time, though. It comes out this year, there’s so much they could show now.

Mina the Hollower has sold 500,000 copies! 🐭🕯️ Half a million Hollowers have descended into Tenebrous Isle, and we’re completely blown away. Thank you for playing, sharing, reviewing, streaming, and believing in our haughty little mouse. The adventure is just getting started! ⚔️

Mina the Hollower is one of the most expertly designed games I’ve ever played. @yachtclubgames.bsky.social are masters of their craft. Having an absolute blast with it so far.

If the rumors are true of a Nintendo Direct in the next few days, and that Direct gives us Ocarina of Time Remake… this could be one of the best not-E3 years we’ve ever had.

Very confused as to why Clockwork Revolution would be their sole console exclusive for 2027. It’s a new IP. There’s no built-in reverence for it that’ll make anyone buy a console in anticipation. And it dramatically lessens the reach for a new IP to garner its audience.

I wonder what the idea is here for XBOX. Their hardware wasn’t selling with exclusives before. Game Pass isn’t growing like they need. Helix is said to be a hyper-expensive hardware to offload their base onto PC. What’s the point in reverting back to exclusives?

FINALLY! Bummed that there seemingly isn’t a console release, though.

My 4 favorite games shown at #SummerGameFest - Final Fantasy VII: Revelation - gen Atlas - Stellar Blade: Blood Rain - Mighty Cuphead Adventure (+Cuphead Sequel)

Absolute banger of a show so far. #SummerGameFest2026

Finally playing Mina the Hollower now that I’m back from vacation. Early on, it’s as good as everyone says it is.

Gravity Circuit was so good! Very excited for the sequel.

I’m not *disliking* Eastward at the moment, but I’ve been playing for 3-4 hours and it’s been like, 70% dialogue. And so much of it is just unimportant flavor text. The gameplay is fun when it’s there. Would probably be loving it if it let me play more.

Peak platformer incoming

Finally, I can’t wait to play again. Such a formative game for me. 🍌

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart ✅ Consistently fun and engaging ✅ Charming, feel-good story with beautiful presentation ✅ Rivet & Kit are great additions ❌ Combat encounters can sometimes feel too formulaic, like going through the motions 8.5 / 10

I did this review after first beating Standard Mode. A couple hours later, I beat Hard Mode. Several hours since then, I’m still playing. Chasing high-scores & speedruns. Hard Mode removed my previous sole con, everything is useful. I don’t have any negatives. Downwell is a perfect arcade game.

Now that I’ve discovered my type of roguelike, I feel like a whole new world of games has opened up. I’ve made a list of roguelikes to try out and it’s 20+ games. I’d been avoiding the genre for so many years because I thought it didn’t work for me as a whole. Here are 4 I’m excited to get to:

Beat Downwell on Hard Mode via photo finish! I couldn’t put the game down after beating it on standard. I’m glad I continued. It reminds me of Tetris in its simple concept with so much depth in execution. It’s probably the best arcade-style game I’ve ever played? Idk, it might be a 10.

Beat Downwell on Hard Mode via photo finish! I couldn’t put the game down after beating it on standard. I’m glad I continued. It reminds me of Tetris in its simple concept with so much depth in execution. It’s probably the best arcade-style game I’ve ever played? Idk, it might be a 10.

I think I’ve finally learned what I like, and don’t like, in the roguelike / roguelite genre. Games with incremental, arbitrary stat-noise (like a weapon upgrade with +2% attack-speed, etc.) just don’t typically work for me. I need upgrades & items to noticeably change what’s happening in the run.

Downwell ✅ Punchy, feel-good shooting ✅ Air-tight controls ✅ Perfect arcade aesthetic and design ✅ Tough, but fair ❌ Randomization of items and/or weapons can make some runs feel unjustly lesser 9 / 10

I want to play more Soulslike games, but they’re so overwhelming. They’re just so all-encompassing and you have to be so locked in the entire time. I’ve only played a handful in Elden Ring, Bloodborne, Demon’s Souls (PS5), and Dark Souls (a long time ago). Might be time to try a new one soon.

Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom ✅ Phenomenal aesthetic & art direction ✅ Controls beautifully ✅ Endless creative absurdity ✅ Great level design with constantly rewarding exploration ❌ A few too many time-limited stages 9 / 10

I need to replay DOOM Eternal. I think it might be a 10 out of 10. The only part I remember not loving was the final boss fight.

Started playing Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom and it’s fantastic! Still early on, but it’s like a Rareware N64-era collectathon platformer with an aesthetic closer to a DreamCast game. And also hopped up on LSD. Absurd to the nth degree. And it feels so good to play.

Excited to play Twilight Princess for the first time ever with this! One of the few major Zelda titles I’ve yet to play.

Dragon Age II ✅ Nuanced writing with legitimate provoking dilemmas ✅ Great cast of companions ✅ Lots of really good, subtle buildup ❌ Way too many loading screens ❌ Environments are extremely repetitive ❌ Stripped back customization 7.5 / 10