Benjamin Major

Donkey Kong Bananza is fine. Not great, not terrible—just OK. It’s a decent platformer with some charming moments, but it never fully reaches the heights of the genre or even its own potential. Biggest Miss? The Music. The most glaring disappointment in Bananza is the music—especially considering your sidekick is literally an aspiring singer. The songs are flat-out boring and painfully repetitive. The main “Bananza” tracks blare loudly and get old within minutes, and the level music is completely uninspiring. I’ll admit I hold Donkey Kong Country's soundtrack in high regard—it's one of the best of all time, especially for its era—but it’s baffling that Bananza neither borrowed from that rich musical history nor attempted to build on it. Bottom line is that for me, Donkey Kong Bananza is a solid platformer for younger audiences, and it delivers enough novelty to entertain, but it does not stand up to Odyssey or Banjo-Kazooie. This is much more of a Mario Sunshine. The music is a huge misstep, the gameplay loop gets stale, and the post-game lacks the magic that keeps you wanting more. It’s not a bad game—but it’s a long swing away from the classics it could have honored. The core smashing and digging mechanic is fun at first and gives the game a unique rhythm, but it doesn’t evolve much, and eventually wears thin. The game is on the easy side, which is expected—it’s clearly aimed at kids. On that front, it does well. My three-year-old daughter lovingly calls it “monkey game” and asks to play all the time. She usually has a short attention span for games, but this one grabbed her in a big way. For younger kids, it’s clearly a win. I’ve completed the main game and am almost done with the post-game content. At around 25 hours in, I’m ready for it to be over. That’s a far cry from how I felt during the post-game of Mario Odyssey, where I was eager to explore every last corner. The post-game “rehearsals” do offer slightly more challenge, which I appreciated. In general the in game challenges rely way too heavily on “smash everything fast” timers. There should’ve been more 2D minecart levels, clever puzzle formats, or other ways to remix the main mechanics. Instead, it starts to feel like busywork. There are a couple of good twists in the story, which I appreciated, but also some moments that felt like huge missed opportunities. You can feel the potential bubbling under the surface.

I recently completed Yar's Rising in about 20 hours, 100%ing it while taking my time, and overall, I had a great experience. The game does a fantastic job combining classic gameplay elements with modern improvements, and there's a lot to enjoy. First off, the soundtrack is absolutely top-notch—it's the clear standout for me. The music is catchy, immersive, and complements the game's pace perfectly. It’s one of those soundtracks that stays with you even after you put the game down. I can't listen to it on Spotify though, which is weird. The gameplay itself is a mix Metroidvania and mini-games, which feels like a great balance. You get the exploration and backtracking that defines the Metroidvania style, but there are also engaging retro 2D mini-games that hearken back to the franchise's origins. These mini-games are fairly challenging, especially if you decide to go at them without boosts, which I appreciated. They’re mostly optional, so players can skip them if they find them too difficult, but I personally enjoyed the extra challenge they provided. The variety keeps the gameplay fresh, and I appreciated how the mini-games were integrated seamlessly into the overall experience. Big success! That said, there are a few things I’d change. While I enjoyed the movement mechanics overall, I do wish Yar’s character could move just a bit faster, or powerups would let her do so. It can feel a bit sluggish at times, especially when you're backtracking around unlocking all the areas. Other Metroidvania games in recent years have done this better. Also, I would’ve liked to see more flexibility with her shooting—being able to shoot diagonally or vertically would have added a lot more dynamism to the combat. Another issue for me was the power-up system. I found it somewhat cumbersome to have to juggle the power-ups in the menu. The process could have been smoother, especially since you're often swapping between different abilities during the course of your adventure. The environments, while decent, did feel a little one-note at times. There were missed opportunities for more variety or some more distinct zones to make the world feel more alive. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it could’ve been improved. On the lighter side, the campy humor really made the game stand out. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, and I loved the playful tone throughout. That being said, it’s not for everyone—some might find the humor a bit much. In conclusion, Yar's Rising is a fun, charming, and sometimes goofy game that makes for a great break from mainstream titles. I can definitely see it being a hit with younger gamers or families looking for something lighthearted to dive into together. It’s definitely worth checking out for its excellent soundtrack, engaging gameplay, and its ability to keep you entertained with a variety of content. 8.5/10—a solid title with room for improvement, but one that I thoroughly enjoyed!

At first, Star Wars Outlaws didn’t grab me like I expected, and it took at least five hours or several sessions for me to really get into it—even though I’ve been a lifelong Star Wars fan. I initially found it slow to start, but now that I’m about 50 hours in, I fully understand what makes it so enjoyable. The game’s weapon system starts you off fairly weak, but over time, you really build up strength, and with the gear and unlockable upgrades, there’s always something to strive for. The worlds are far bigger and more expansive than I initially thought, with plenty of quests, hidden treasures, and an engaging faction system. Because of that, I’ve been doing a ton of side quests, and surprisingly, I’m really enjoying them. Piloting the ship was challenging at first, and I think it’s one of the less successful aspects of the game. That said, once you level it up, flying becomes a lot smoother and more rewarding. Still, it’s not the game’s strongest feature. I do wish you could steal any vehicle in the game; it would add a more authentic, open-world GTA feel, which I think would enhance the experience. That said, your speeder is fun to upgrade, and it’s a neat mechanic, but I can’t help but feel there’s more potential there. Overall, I’ve been playing Star Wars games since the days when you had to boot them with a command prompt, and I think this is one of the best all-around Star Wars experiences out there. It’s rewarding, does a fantastic job of blending old and new elements, and most importantly, it’s just plain fun to play.

Reminds of a combination of Contra and the Mercenary/RAID mode from the later Resident Evil Games. I enjoy the grind aspect of leveling up the weapons and body parts... there is way more here then most people seem to give credit for. Despite the bad reviews I'm glad I got it.

I’m an avid fan of METROID games, as well as the entire genre, and I’m super impressed by this title. I love the mix of new and old abilities, the look of the game, and most of all, the snappiness of the controls. The story is excellent too, with an awesome conclusion. The map is clever and the developers have crafted together an experience that will reward returning players to the franchise, as well as intrigue a younger generation. This game really finds that good balance in expanding on the franchise. Some players will say it is too hard, some say not hard enough, but I think a lot of that depends on how much try to build up your items through exploration. The bosses are all challenging but FAIR since you can dodge pretty much everything. Outside of other METROID titles, this game reminds me of SHADOW COMPLEX, especially considering the controls, pace, environment, stealth and EMMIS, and 2.5 side scrolling platform. The very minor negatives: could do with a little less narrative in the story by ADAM and I would have enjoyed a bit more of the retro music themes interwoven into the score. Perhaps a little more variety in the environments (perhaps an area a little more "outside") would have benefited the experience. Overall this is a triumph!

Honestly I want to buy these guys a beer and try to understand what they were on when they made this. This game is GENIUS. This game is truly a unique experience, which is tough for developers (or story tellers in general) to achieve these days. Without spoiling the game the it pulls from common themes that we all know, but it is such a well balanced blend of action, sci-fi, story telling and pure weirdness that it is easy to get very lost in this title. I have a pretty good 5.1 sound system and this game took full advantage of it which really brought it to life for me; there are times when gunshots, explosions or whatever are happening and I almost wanted to duck for cover. Soundtrack reminds me of Blade Runner 2. This game is an ABSOLUTE must have experience. My only issue was frame rate drops could be a bit rough at times, but I played in on my original PS4. This did not detract from the experience for me. Thank you for making this!