Nintendo 64 Game Review: Pokemon Puzzle League

 Pokemon is a video game series based off the anime series that rose to heights that most anime may never reach in time.  With that generational historic success, there was no doubt that Pokemon would go the route of video games.  The success of Red, Blue and Yellow on the GameBoy led to the success of Stadium on the Nintendo 64.  There was another game that was released for the N64, albeit a far different game than that of Pokemon Stadium.  That game? Pokemon Puzzle League.  I had the experience of playing the game as the new year was happening. Here are my thoughts. 

Positives:

1. Pick up and play style- It's easy to get used to this game right away.  If you have played Tetris, it is easy to understand this game as well. So people who like these types of puzzle games, they'll get accommodated easily.  If you don't know those styles, it's easy to understand.

2. Quick play- It's also a pretty quick game to go through with a gym leader, as well as the final fights.  So it's just a quick play type game and the games don't last particularly long for a puzzle battle.

3. Graphically, this game looks lovely outside of the usual backdrop of the game. It's quite nice to see this because for a puzzle game, graphics wouldn't be a major deal but this game from the opening and all the backdrops look good!

Negatives:

1. No major replay value- I am sure there are speedruns and different things that could make this game notable, but it's not a game with a lot (or any) replay value.  It's kind of a Pokemon Tetris but no one will really bite at the chance at a convention to play this if there were a speedrun competition for lack of better words.

Overall Rating:

Pokemon Puzzle League is a nice, albeit no frills Tetris-lite/Tetrislike game.  There isn't a particular wow factor to this, but there isn't anything that will make you turn away from it either.  It's a decent enough game that warrants a decent rating.  So that's a decent grade of 7 out of 10

Reconnect 2025: The folzyfantasy15 Experience

 Reconnect 2025 in Denver, Colorado: A match made in a rocky mountain heaven. For myself, my trip took place a week before the event itself.  I was able to watch an Omaha Storm Chasers game as well as a Colorado Rockies game (those blogs will come up later this summer.) After relaxing Monday and Tuesday in a suburb of Denver, I was able to pick up some friends from the airport on Wednesday and hang out with them, before picking up more friends and get the party started on Thursday.  This is my story of this.

 On Wednesday, it was a good time to explore and see around, even though it was 101 degrees. For those that don't know, Denver is low humidity and so it is more of a dry heat than one with moisture in the air, meaning that while 101 is still hot, it's not a heat index of 115 or so (like where I would originally be in Wisconsin.)  However, I did get to see the hotel where the community gathering/convention was at and it was quite a good place that included a cool lobby.  I also got to see Sam's No.3 Diner which is absolutely fantastic for a place to eat breakfast or lunch. After seeing some friends come through, it was time for Thursday.

 To say Thursday was the unofficial start to Reconnect is putting it likely correctly. A lot more people were able to get into Denver, despite airport delays all over. To say it also rained in the Rocky Mountain city was cool too.  Ironically, I was able to help transport stuff from the U-Haul to the ball room and was able to say to people they were going to love the ballroom. After hanging out with more people, Preconnect happened.  Yes I actually darted across the street as the light turned from walking to the seconds warning sign, and yes I would absolutely do it again and stop across the street for friends. Preconnect was hosted in the Milk Market. To say this place had everything is putting it nicely but it featured the absolute best pizza I have ever had. I was full after two slices and used the next slices for breakfast and lunch on Friday. Meeting new friends and seeing ones from conventions/Reconnect past was fantastic. After Preconnect, and some sleep, it was time to see Empower Field and then get ready for Friday.

 After getting some pictures of Empower Field and then getting to the hotel for the opening day of Reconnect, it was time to see more friends, hang out longer, and be able to talk to friends. By the time the check in happened and the opening ceremony started, it was time to eat and the food at the hotel was absolutely immaculate. Everything was very well done. In the midst of that, we also got ready with a concert from The Foretellers who absolutely rocked the show.  Yes they are my friends, but they also were legitimately good overall.  After a Fantastic Friday of being with friends, eating and enjoying a concert, it was time for sleep (somehow) and head to Sensational Saturday.

 Saturday at Reconnect is probably the most packed of the events, but with good reason.  Early in the day featured Yoga, and the person who led the group (The Yogi) did a fantastic job describing what to do and how to do the yoga stretches and routines.  After Yoga, it was time for the Cosplay Showcase. Admittedly, I did not go to the cosplay showcase at Reconnect 2023, so I wanted to see this one to be around the events.  To say they all rocked the cosplays is putting it nicely.  They all smashed their cosplays and what they were doing with their roles.  It was sensational to see and I was incredibly excited to see the work they all did.  After that, it was time for lunch at The Yardhouse.  The Yardhouse had absolutely fantastic food, but it was the best cheesesteak I had ever had. After that, it was time for Show Me The Munny! To say this was a play on The Price is Right is correct.  It mentions things/items from Kingdom Hearts. The hosts of this showcase were fantastic and they did an amazing job with presentation. It was super neat to see them host the event but also just see people excited about the event itself.  After that was finished, Randomizer Bingo had to happen. It was frantic, great gaming and much more. It was fun to get the rando bingo and it was awesome that this was a part of it.  After that, dinner was had, more fun times with friends, and most importantly the Rave that Never Was happened.  That rave was showcased by a fantastic musician, but I was able to vibe through it all. Meeting so many new people during the event and having those times meant the world to me.  Because those are friends that last forever and those memories last forever and that's what matters. After a fun time with friends, it was time for the inevitable conclusion to the event, Spectacular Sunday.

 Yes I have alliteration for all of those days, but Sunday was filled with greatness but filled with the notation that this will end sadly. However, after another yoga session, the group was ready for Melody of Madness, which is a play on for music from Melody of Memory.  It was a really cool game featured by a great host. After that, and after getting lunch, it was time for the Dive to the Heart mental health panel that I admittedly got to hear the last little bit of, but from all accords it went super well and from what I heard went well as well.  The two that hosted it were super well informed, had a great time, and from all accord the crowd was great too. With that, it was time to get ready for the MDA's.  And to start that, a walkthrough of how to present.  It was relatively quick, but getting ready and dressed up was a good thing as well. Shoutout to Frank, who saved my sorry behind with the tie, as I could not do that to save my life despite a well-described YouTube video literally showing me.  After getting ready, we got to that Red Carpet and took pictures.  My friend, DMPeyer, and I were the first interviewed.  I was super glad to be interviewed with him as he is a fantastic individual and friend and I couldn't think of a cooler person to be on that red carpet with.  After taking our seats and having the opening part of the MDA's done, I was able to be one of the co-presenters for the Art and Illustration Million Dreams Award. I knew TShaw would be prepared, but I also knew going into this that I needed to be prepared.  To be prepared for this, I recited my script all week long.  In my hotels I did, going down and up the stairs at my hotels I did, driving to the Reconnect hotel I did, and any other place I thought of I just kept reciting the words.  I likely was over-prepared but I couldn't not be prepared.  The first thing I remember was just.. everyone cheering the both of us.  It felt like "We appreciate you, we want you in this community and we love what you are about" which for me, I pride myself on being an open, honest, but kind member of the Kingdom Hearts community. To hear all of those cheers meant the world to me.  There were plenty of times over the last five years of starting Twitch until now where I would think to myself, "I think I will take time from streaming" which happened on three occasions. Two were by choice, the last wasn't.  But when I have come back from this the most recent time has meant the world to achieve what I have achieved. To be a part of this community means the literal world overall. TShaw and I rocked the presentation and I was exceptionally proud of the winner.  I couldn't also think of a better presenter partner than TShaw, and it was an absolute honor to be a part of that with him. With the end of the awards show, and pictures done, it was time for the ending time, which was Karaoke.  Most of that time was spent soaking in the experience and enjoying being around friends.  I know I left after about a bit over an hour, due to a fifteen hour car ride home, but I absolutely enjoyed every second of the day overall.  

 As I left Denver, I reminisced on my Reconnect from 2023 to this one.  I also reminisced from Pax East in 2024. In 2023, I had about the worst mindset going into Reconnect and that Reconnect was a salvation to the year that was otherwise so terrible. Same with Pax East in 2024.  However, with this convention in 2025 at Reconnect in Denver, my mindset was so much better, so much more fun and more relaxed and happy.  I felt that made everything so much more full and it wasn't as sad as when I left either Dallas or Boston.  Yes there were tears, but when I got home and not driving. It meant the world to be a part of this event, to help in any way and meet as many people as I could.  I appreciate how the amazing staff was this great all the time.  Thank you for the best experience!

Multi-Platform Game Review: Bugsnax

 Bugsnax is a multi-platform game that takes the character on a trip to Snaktooth Island to talk to Grumpuses as we try to figure out the noted mystery of the island.  What happens takes the player on a trip through many parts of the island, aided along with the help of Filbo. What does this game do well? What needed to be improved? All that and more below.

Positives:

1. The graphics in this game are absolutely spot on.  They left no stone untouched in this game.  I thoroughly enjoyed how well this game looked with the characters, the snax, and much more.  Even the levels we had to go through to progress the story looked remarkable.

2. The gameplay is very fluid and very well done.  Almost everything has a purpose and it's extremely user friendly to new players and players who have played the game over and over. I was quite impressed with this and found the game to be very good at gameplay. 

3. All the controls made for something and when they were able to do something with the controls, it made the game super playable.  I found this refreshing when every object meant something and you can do something with really any item you had.  

4. The Story itself is quite good, if albeit short. The people you meet along the way and the quest that you undertake is really well done. It is also enjoyable and fun.  The developers really did a fantastic job making gameplay and story a major focus on this game and they deserve a lot of credit overall!

5. The ending is frantic, but this is a survival mission. It's really incredible how they made survival fun, but also frantic and enjoyable at the same time to make you have to think fast but also try to save as many of the grumpuses as possible.

Negatives:

1. If there is really any critique of this game, it is that this game doesn't feel responsive with the controls as much as it should.  As good as the controls can be, and incredibly useful, it just feels a bit lacking on the responsive nature of them.  That's pretty much all there is that I could critique on this game.

Overall Rating:

Honestly, Bugsnax is a very enjoyable indie game that deserves a lot of credit for how well it is done.  They do a lot of great things with the game overall with gameplay, it's layout, and story.  While not a perfect game, it's pretty darn close.  It's DLC is also good, so do check it out.  Overall, this is a 9.5 out of 10.

SNES Game Review: Cool Spot

 Cool Spot is a licensed game that features the 7-Up mascot from the 1990's. It is a platforming, puzzle type game that features 11 levels where the character, Spot, can go through all the stages and pick up 'spots' which were the 7-Up staple look at the time for levels to progress on to the next stage.  So what does this game do well on the SNES, what needed improving? All that and more below!

Positives:

1. Graphics in this game is important and they do very well with this game.  Virgin Games was the publisher and creator of this game, and it was very well done overall.  The same company who helped with The Lion King really deserve great credit for the way this game looks.

2. It's a quick game play, meaning you can play this for a couple of hours and be done with it overall.  It's good for a one stream or just one day game and you can move on.  It's a nice change of pace, but that was a normal game back at that time frame.  

3. The levels are honestly creative overall.  They make platforming, time, and puzzle discovery part of the process and overall they do a good job of this making sure they utilize all of these skills for the levels after the first couple.  Solid job on the devs part to incorporate what they need.

4. The game is great at times at just being a vibe but also presenting a challenge.  Dependent on the level, it does super well incorporating both things and making them a major part of the game itself.

Negatives:

1. The jumping to be honest left a lot to be desired in my opinion in this game.  I feel that for as well as sliding, surfing, grappling and such can be, the jump left something to be desired in this game.  Just didn't do as well as the other features.

2. The product placement is to be expected but it feels they way overdo it here.  It's extremely blatant how much is there and it just feels too much overall.  Again, to be expected but thought they could have toned down on the product placement.

Overall Rating:

Cool Spot is definitely a top 100 SNES game overall.  It does do a lot well, despite some flaws.  It's layout, it's platforming, and puzzle type figuring out processes do well overall for it.  If I had to rate it, I would say it is a solid 8 out of 10. 

PS2 Game Review: Madden NFL 2003

 The Madden NFL series dates back to early consoles, but it wasn't until it came to the PlayStation and Playstation 2 that it found the success that laid the foundation for the empire that it came to today. The groundbreaking game that made it's big mark may very well have been Madden NFL 2003.  It features a very deep franchise mode, mini-camp mini-game mode, and a major uplift to what realistic graphics would be on a football team and field.  So, I said everything that is part to being great with Madden, what else went well? What should they have improved on? All that and more below!

Positives:

1. Facial features are very prominent in this game.  They did VERY well getting the look of a Peyton Manning, Ray Lewis, Brett Favre, Tom Brady and more in this game.  The facial features offer the look of what the players looked like back in 2002.  It was a serious step up from past Maddens on the PS2, and really propelled the game into the future.

2. Stadiums are very well done as well.  From Lambeau Field's finished renovations to the two new stadiums at that time (Ford Field and Gillette Stadium) all of the stadiums don't really miss the mark at the time.  It was a really well done job.  The only major issue, which is fixed by the next year anyway, is the astroturf in Ford Field.  Otherwise, brilliant job overall.

3. Team realism is mainly all there for the most part.  Most teams really struggled with their backup quarterbacks in this time, so that is noticeable when they come in to play the game.  It's something as well that is shored up in a couple of games with the struggles of developing a backup QB but overall the teams overalls and their players were pretty in line with what was expected from 2001 to the 2002 regular seasons.

4. Music was great in this game.  Not a large selection of songs but they did amazing to get what they could on the game (Yes, they have a much larger selection of songs in the following games.)

5. This is probably the most realistic simulation Madden at the time, as it makes the routes looks like its in an actual real game, the turning of the WR's, TE's, DB's getting back in coverage and much more.  It feels like they went with a simulation type style and it worked well.

Negatives:

1. I feel this game is just too slow in a lot of the plays.  They just take too long to develop.  This is especially present in the passing game, as it just takes a long time for the play to develop.  Hopefully you have the receiver in a good spot or can lead him to the spot well, otherwise it is hit and miss.  Running the ball is honestly effective.

2. I feel the game lacks a bit of luster especially when going to the playoffs.  It's almost treated like another game rather than a big matchup in the playoffs or the Super Bowl.  Same with the presentation.  As great as Al Michaels and John Madden were, the game kinda just.. tones it down in a way.

3. I did say team realism is good, but some teams were.. just way too overrated in this game.  For instance, San Diego was in the Super Bowl.. but they were 8-8 In real life 2002.  It just is what is I suppose but it's one of those wild instances where while the team realism is good, the overalls were hit and miss.

Overall Reaction:

Madden 2003 really takes a massive step forward to being more simulation football than what it was in the previous Maddens on the PS2. It is a really good game overall, though there are some flaws.  I do appreciate how good they did make the game and is a must-play for all retro football fans.

SNES Game Review: Secret of Mana

 Secret of Mana is the first true Mana game to go under the title of the Mana series, the first was labeled Final Fantasy Adventure for the Game Boy.  This was an ambitious title by Squaresoft (Now Square Enix) that focused on a set of characters in a quest to reclaim mana seeds to overcome evil that wanted to re-create the Mana Fortress for world domination. This game was also one of the first to initiate more active combat/real time combat using a power system rather than turn based which was the more popular combat in the early to mid-90's. So what does Secret of Mana do for its time? What needed improving for its time as well? All that and more below

Positives:

1. This game is legitimately one of the most beautiful games on the Super Nintendo. The architecture designs are absolutely incredible, the colors are beautiful, and everything is so graphically sound it is warranted to give a massive 10 for this.  Squaresoft developed this game graphically to one of the best looking pieces on the SNES. 

2. With that, the soundtrack also is terrific.  Secret of Mana is highly regarded for its soundtrack and it does not disappoint at all.  From its overworld, to towns, dungeons and boss fights, every song in this game is exquisite and warrants its place on one of the best SNES soundtracks in the game.

3. Real time combat actually does pretty well here.  It is a bit nuanced with the attack bar/power bar style here but it does work well with the active combat style they were going for with this game. Secret of Mana is one of the first games with active combat and Squaresoft utilized this quite well overall for an early 90's video game.

4. The bosses take strategy for the most part to beat. There were times I had to look up a guide early on to figure out what to do but then one of the characters abilities did help to where I did not have to rely on that anymore.  However, the bosses for the most part are worthy of the fights you do to get there and also they are rewarding to the player as well when you finish a key battle.

5. The story as well deserves some high remarks.  I thought the story was done very well and it was laid out from start to finish quite exquisitely. The mission is clear to the gamer, collect mana seeds to stop evil but all while that is going on, work with your allies and others to rid evil in many dungeons and castles and focus on getting ultimate powers to take on the final areas.

Negatives:

1. Yes there are some negatives to this game. One is the rather irritating pause menu that works in a circular pattern for each of the characters so it is quite easy to get lost in doing this. It's a rather irritating system to deal with that they could have done better with in my opening.

2. The other main negative here has to be flying the dragon towards the end of the game.  While the directions were nice to have in terms of north, south, east, west, and so on it was honestly rough to make it work with the Mode 7 ability that they had.  Landing from the top on down was a tough endeavor due to the landscape.  I felt that Squaresoft did too much here and it could have been simplified.

Overall Rating:

Overall, Secret of Mana is a great game that borders on excellent for most of it.  It's main negatives do detract it from excellence, but make no mistake about it this is a fantastically great game.  Overall, I would rate this game an 8.5 out of 10.  Without a question this is a likely top 20 SNES game but easily should be in everyone's top 30 at the worst 

SNES Game Review: Lemmings

 Lemmings is a game that started on Amiga in 1991 and quickly went to other consoles, including the SNES.  It's a fascinating game that focuses on many puzzles in ways to obtain a goal overall.  I was able to play this game on my birthday last year, and there were many things that I thought about this game.  They are here below!

Positive:

1. Easy to play- For those that don't know puzzle type games like this, it's pretty easy to pick up and play and understand. With that, Lemmings is pretty plug and play with their controls and with the objectives.

2. Scenery- For a game that is kind of job/class and puzzles and figuring it out, it's pretty easy to think it's not great but this game graphically is really pretty sound on the SNES.  Graphically the game is well done overall.

3. Levels with Difficulty- Yes there is a set directive/objective with every level but with that comes a heightened expectation of difficulty.  It goes along with what the game does. With the levels that you go through, each one gets progressively more difficult.  And when that happens, your job becomes harder but it is doable to get things done and your characters across to the finish.  Do it correctly, and you can succeed.  It's a fun challenge.

Negatives:

1. Limited in Scope- For a game like this, Lemmings was always going to be limited in what their scope is with the game.  It's a puzzle game that enables jobs so you gotta figure out the way to the end.  There isn't a ton of depth in it so if this is your style, then that is great! If not, then it's a game you may get bored with relatively quickly.

2. This game also doesn't feature a ton in a reward type system for finishing the level.  There isn't a money system that rewards you or a way to really make it where you add time, it's just get to the end of the level with the required minimum and go from there.

3. On top of that, it's also a game that kind of brings the Lemmings characters out too quick so you risk losing a lot of them at different times and it can be frustrating to the overall aspect of the game, but it's just the nature of the game.

Overall Rating:

Lemmings is honestly quite a catchy, good puzzle job game that while is limited in its scope and super straight forward in the objectives makes up for it for just being a good cozy game.  It's a game that you can understand pretty much right away and be good with after a short period of time.  Either way, puzzle gamers and job type gamers will enjoy Lemmings.  I give it a solid 7/10.