Finished playing Final Fantasy V

Finished playing Final Fantasy V (1992, Square, SNES) on 9/09/2016.
Hours: 70

The four elemental crystals that keep the planet's forces in harmony are in danger after one of them was destroyed. And so four heroes are brought together by faith – Bartz, Galuf, Lenna and Faris team up to save the remainder of the crystals from meeting the same fate.

I've played this game before quite a few years ago but I've forgotten how good it is. There is just so much comedy in this title as opposed to past installments, and I've enjoyed every bit of it. And characters show so much more emotion through a couple new sprite animations that previous Final Fantasies did not have.
Also there's the great character job system coming back from the first game with many more options and improvements, such as being able to change to whatever job you want, whenever you want so as to master all of them and ultimately be able to mix and match abilities. This type of customization allowed for numerous strategies against bosses that would otherwise be nearly impossible to defeat. I'm lookin at you, Omega.
The soundtrack is great as well, quite lively compared to previous ones.
I just wish this game had a fat Chocobo. Item storage is a very helpful thing.

8/10 - A very good game with a lively cast of characters. I really think Square was trying to stay away from the usual seriousness that previous Final Fantasy games had with their characters and you can really see this with Bartz personality. But that's not to say that these are not complex characters just because they're interactions tend to be comical half the time.

Finished playing Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D

Finished playing Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (2011, Grezzo, Nintendo EAD, Nintendo 3DS) on 2/10/2016.
Gameplay Hours: ~50

The Deku Tree senses a disturbance upon the land of Hyrule and summons a fairy named Navi to join a young Kokiri Village boy named Link in his mission to stop the impending evil. When Zelda, the land's princess flees her castle from the evil clutches of Ganondorf, she slings her magical ocarina to Link, entrusting him with the power to travel to the future and join forces with the six sages to stop Ganondorf's reign over the land.

8.5/10 – First of all. I have a lot of questions about all the time traveling in this game. But I'm just gonna take it all for granted and review this game as it is. And what a game! I'm really happy with the graphical improvements of this remake. Like, they're really good! And being able to look around and aim using the gyroscopic feature of the 3DS is just amazing. The touch screen of course adds a nice level of item accessibility that the console version could not provide. My only disappointment is that the soundtrack was kept the same. If it had been improved upon I would've given this game a higher rating.

Finished playing Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap

Finished playing Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap (2004, Capcom, Game Boy Advance) on 10/29/2015.

Play Time: 30 hours

Princess Zelda is turned to stone by an evil sorcerer named Vaati and it's up to Link to travel Hyrule in search of the four elements that will restore the legendary Four Sword in order to turn the princess back to normal.

9/10 – This game was fun and I couldn't stop fusing Kinstones. I didn't bother completing the figures collection but I got at least half of them... I think. I do want to come back one day and get them all. I can't think of anything bad to say about this title except for the fact that mini Link speed was a little annoying, but understandable. And the last boss battle was a little too hard to figure out. Then again, it was developed by Capcom *megamanjokes*.

Finished playing Kirby and the Amazing Mirror

Finished playing Kirby and the Amazing Mirror (2004, Flagship, Dimps, HAL Laboratory, Game Boy Advance) on 10/15/2015.

Gameplay Hours: ~30

The Mirror World above Dreamland has been invaded by something malicious. Meta Knight tries to save the Mirror World but… something caused a change in Meta Knight’s heart as he comes to attack Kirby and divide him into four, different-colored Kirby copies. Curious they jump on a star and follow after Meta Knight into the Mirror World.

7/10 – This game was good. Not much different from the last one I played... Nightmare in Dreamland, I think. But at the same time, it was different. Levels aren't linear. Each level has a map of rooms which adds an exploration feature to the game. Finishing Level 1 doesn't exactly mean you go straight to Level 2. Depending on the paths you take you might end up in Level 5 or 9. I think what really sets the game apart is what its advertised for – multiplayer. If I had played with other friends the experience would've been very different. Perhaps more exciting. I think what I enjoyed the most in this game is the ability to change Kirby into various colors by using spray cans you find by exploring levels and finding treasure chests.

Finished playing Pokémon Battle Revolution

Finished (sorta...) playing Pokémon Battle Revolution (2006, Genius Sonority, Nintendo Wii).

Gameplay Hours: 30

Take the Pokémon you’ve trained in Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold and SoulSilver versions into PokéTopia and challenge a whole slew of new challenges and matches! Watch as your Pokémon gain new life on your TV with fully rendered models and their moves take on a new spin with amazing special effects!

7/10 – This game was alright. I didn't exactly unlock everything the game has to offer by I beat the first run of it. After the credits rolled I started playing the upgraded "attractions" but what turned me off from the game (maybe some day I'll came back to it) was the Courtyard Colosseum's Survival Challenge where after I had gotten through 67 battles (out of 100) I was given no points as consolation. I don't know, for some reason I was under the impression I would get more points the more battles I would survive. I wasn't too thrilled about the soundtrack, but didn't hate it either. I just felt like it didn't stand out much. Aside from that the graphics are pretty awesome. The human characters look very good and their movement and expressions are great! Though, I noticed they STILL kept the same Pokémon models from way back in the Pokémon Stadium days. The one Pokémon model that scared me the most was Venonat. That thing was begging to be mercy killed... *shivers*. Not only that though, but the animations for those same models are old as well and they feel outdated when you see things like Abra literally draggin' its ass across the field to get back in its spot or even Electrode's eyeballs bulging out of their sockets à la Mask.

Finished playing Pokemon Platinum Version

Finished my second playthrough of Pokémon Platinum Version (2007, Gamefreak, Nintendo DS) on 11/25/2014.

Gameplay hours: ~200

Young kids leave their hometown on a long and adventurous journey as they receive their very first Pokémon. Along the way they test their mettle against the region's top Pokémon trainers to prove themselves worthy of the Elite Four challenge and beyond! But sinister enemies known as Team Galactic lurk in the shadows with a plot that transcends time, space and even alternate dimensions...

8.5/10 – This game is not only longer, but also a bit harder than Diamond & Pearl. Wow, did I get frustrated with these people's over-leveled teams. Not that it's a bad thing. The game is certainly challenging, which is good. But if you have a hard time getting yourself a Lucky Egg then you're in for some long hours of grinding. Personally, I'm not a big fan of that. A little grinding is welcome, but at the same time I want to just move on. Buuuut... I guess I should keep in mind that I always go through Pokémon games with a main team of six, equally-leveled Pokémon. Perhaps that only makes it more time-consuming. Aside from that this game has a lot of offer comparing to its basic counterparts, naturally. Even the storyline was a bit extended, and a bit may be an understatement. All in all, great game. Onto the next one.

Finished playing Pokemon Pearl Version

Finished my third playthrough of Pokémon Pearl Version (2007, Gamefreak, Nintendo DS) on 9/23/2014.

Gameplay Hours: ~100

Young kids leave their hometown on a long and adventurous journey as they receive their very first Pokémon. Along the way they test their mettle against the region's top Pokémon trainers to prove themselves worthy of the Elite Four challenge and beyond! But sinister enemies known as Team Galactic lurk in the shadows with a plot that transcends time and space...

8/10 – You can really see this series improve with each new generation, and Sinnoh is no different. I remember this was the generation that got me back into the franchise after the Johto games and maybe that's why this is also my favorite generation. I also really enjoy all the new Pokémon - Turtwig, Pachirisu and Chatot being some of my top favorite ones. I always enjoy playing every new generation that comes out and this one just happens to be one of the ones that really stuck with me. The graphics are quite vivid, but not an eyesore. The soundtrack itself even shares that same personality, and I really enjoy it! Plus there's so much more to do after the endgame I clocked at about 100 hours before I really considered myself done with this game.

Finished playing Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland

Finished playing Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland (2002, HAL Laboratory, Game Boy Advance) on 07/20/2014.

Kirby finds himself sleeping with no dreams. When he checks on the Fountain of Dreams, he finds that King DeDeDe has broken the Star Rod into seven pieces and scattered them throughout Dreamland, guarded by his minions and one piece for himself. Kirby must retrieve all the piece and put the rod back together! Or no more dreams will ever be dreamt in Dreamland!

9/10 - It's a very nice remake of the original NES Kirby game with the addition of the equally wonderful mini-games. I've no complaints about it aside from it being a short game, even with the Extra mode option. Now, of course, and probably to be expected, I was really excited to play the Meta Knightmare game which is unlocked after beating Extra mode. In Meta Knightmare you play as Meta Knight through the same levels you do with Kirby with the exception that you cannot save your progress, you only have 3 points of health, you cannot play the mini-games for extra lives and pushing the big star buttons hidden throughout the levels does not count toward the 100% completion of the game. This mode was quite challenging and I only made it half-way through, but playing as Meta Knight feels really badass... as it should. He runs faster than Kirby, which can be counterintuitive if you're not careful, and his sword can break all breakable blocks. The sword can be thrusted upwards and used to "drop-stab" while airborne. Of course, he just can't suck up or swallow enemies for their abilities. This was a great game overall, onto the next one.

Finished playing Metroid Prime 2: Echoes

Finished playing Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (2009, Retro Studios, Wii) on 5/30/2014.
Mode: Veteran

Samus Aran is sent to planet Aether to rescue a team of Galactic Federation Marines, but once she arrives she discovers they've all been slaughtered by an invading race of aliens known as the Ing. With the help of ancient alien technology from the indigenous Luminoth, Samus fights to rid their planet of the invasive Ing, all the while dealing with the minor nuisance that are the well-known Space Pirates and a third force whose power might just equal her own.

7.5/10 – Although I think I had a bit more fun playing Metroid Prime 1 (Wii), this one was also pretty cool. The whole Dark Samus thing got me hyped up. What really annoyed me was the last battle. I swear, it took me about five or six tries at it to finally beat the game, but that was because I was holding back on the first few tries until I decided to just pull out the "big guns". Oh, and reading what the scan visor tells you about the enemies can really give you an advantage in battle, specially on that very last one. Gosh, I was so lost on what to do. I really enjoyed the soundtrack on this one too. Specially when I was making my way through the various areas of Aether, even if i knew that there was nothing hiding to jump at me it still made me feel like I should be watchful. Again, the game's a bit difficult compared to MP1, but good nonetheless.