List of Games You've Beaten 2022

[Signalstar]

Just Finished: Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury (Switch)

Super Mario 3D World is perhaps the game I wanted to play most on the Wii U so I'm glad it got ported to the Switch. Mario Odyssey is one of my favorite Switch games so I was looking for another 3D Mario title to scratch that itch. The Switch version adds online multiplayer, which is how I played through most of the game. The levels are probably more fun with a partner but the online infrastructure was a mess. My friend and I experience so much lag and connectivity issues. This is the same friend I played through Sackboy A Big Adventure with and that experience was buttery smooth compared to this. The lag really kills the sense of timing needed to do your best at the platforming challenges. Not to mention the Switch's dismal options for voice chat meant that my friend and I had to chat over Discord while playing. All those technical issues aside the game was quite fun to play. The level design is tight and inventive with the game tasking you to not only reach the flagpole at the end of the level but to explore for the green stars hidden along the way. Mario looks great for his first 3D adventure in HD with the colorful graphics and art direction making me wish that Nintendo had made the transition sooner. The story of course breaks no new ground. I played as Mario mostly. The Captain Toad levels were fun but I'm not sure they were enough to entice me to pick up Toad's spinoff. The game is pretty damn challenging to boot. There was a lot of yelling on my part but I tried to resist the temptation to use the golden mushroom powerup that makes you invincible that the game offers a solution. I'm not a cat person but I guess the cat powerup invites new gameplay elements. Super Mario 3D World on its own is maybe an 8 out of 10 game (and nowhere close to the level of its 2013 GOTY competitor The Last of Us). What pushes this package into stellar territory is the inclusion of the Bowser's Fury expansion. Bowser's Fury is a fun mix of elements of both 3D World and Odyssey.Constantly fighting Bowser over and over again can be a drag though. Finding the 100 cat shines shouldn't take long (though I tapped out at 51) but it is fun form of escape.  Odyssey is a much better Mario game than both of these though.

Score: 9/10

Full Completed 2022 List:

• Far Cry 5 (PS4)
• Resident Evil 6 (PS4)
• inFamous 2 (PS Now)
• Super Mario Bros. 3 (NSO)
• Bioshock 2 (PS4)
• Ico (PS Now)
• Knack (PS4)
• Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance HD (PS4)
• Astro's Playroom (PS5)
• Bully (PS4)
• Sackboy A Big Adventure (PS5)
• Escape Academy (PS5)
• LocoRoco Midnight Carnival (PS5)
• The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (NSO)
• Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (PS5)
• Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury (Switch)