Finished: 

Link's Awakening (NS) [Finished February 28th, 2020] - Rating: N/A

Final Fantasy VII (NS) [Finished March 16th, 2020] - Rating: N/A 

Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen (PC) [Finished April 14th, 2020] - Rating: 8.2 - Great

Parasite Eve (ePSXe) [Finished April 23rd, 2020] - Rating: 7.8 - Really Good 

Metroid: Zero Mission (VisualBoyAdvance) [Finished May 5th, 2020] - Rating: 8.8 - Great

Bioshock Remastered (PS4) [Finished May 11th, 2020] - Rating: 6.2/10 - Good

Star Wars: Republic Commando (PC) [Finished May 14th, 2020] - Rating: 7.5 - Really Good

Halo: Combated Evolved Anniversary (Replay) (PC) [Finished May 17th, 2020] - Rating: 9.2 - Amazing

Okami HD (NS) [Finished June 11th, 2020] - Rating: 6.5 - Good

Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition (NS) [Finished June 17th, 2020] - Rating 9.1 - Amazing

Hollow Knight (NS) [Finished July 5th, 2020] - Rating 8.8 - Great

Castlevania (NS) [Finished July 20th, 2020] - Rating 8.8 - Great:

It's probably cheating giving this the same score as the two other side-scrolling action games on my list, but this game is great for very different reasons. The enemy placements, spacing and timing of the whip, as well as the verticality of the level design makes for an action title where every attack is almost equivalent to a commitment to a risky jump in a platforming game. As much about placement and movement as it is about timing your attacks correctly, a very fascinating and addictive gameplay system is born as a result. I'd almost call it more of a platformer. It helps that it's accompanied by catchy tunes and a visual style which is pleasantly detailed whilst still maintaining enough of the NES abstraction to make some of the more ridiculous concepts look cool. Only thing I'd say against it is that I'd prefer slightly more economical designs for the last two bosses (similar to something like Hollow Knight) rather than what we got, not saying they aren't fair because they absolutely are, but it sort of just becomes much easier and practical to use items to exploit them. That's fine, they are part of the games mechanics and are a huge reason why the title so lovable (stuff like freezing time to skip entire combat sections and move on to new stages in the last level is amazing), but I also can't help but think how cool it would be to defeat them on more even merits. Guess I could do a challenge run sometime. 

Paper Mario (Project64) [Finished July 22nd, 2020] - Rating 8.2 - Great: 

Addresses alot of the criticisms I have of the JRPG genre (from what I've experienced). It's relatively short, has an efficient battle system that is easily mastered but also easily and harshly punishes players for making mistakes, uses clean small numbers, gives the player choices for different builds (which may all stay relatively similar but you can easily see just by the kind of leveling system that is at play that they will differentiate enough), it doesn't even have any particularly weak chapter, as they all maintain similar levels of quality. The badge system is amazing and a good way to give the player rewards for exploration and side quests. Problems start creeping in the longer you play though. There is like, no attention paid to partners as some kind of interesting cast. They are almost all boring and generic, and really rely on the designs more than any individual story or character quirks - which in and of themselves aren't that different from the basic designs of their species already. It's all a bit too minimalist, which is a weird thing to say about a Mario game, let alone a Mario game that cuts out a lot of the filler of the genre it takes place in. But I would have been ok with more filler if it meant sharper writing, more jokes, more character moments. Why would you have something as cool as the setup of Bow's character only to never comment on it for the rest of the story. Every area has a cool setup, a backstory, but they are just backdrops and nothing of note really happens in them later on after you've got the basic gist. This game forgets to be comedic most of the time, and when it does try to deliver a joke it usually comes off more like exposition of basic plot points than anything. It honestly got annoying too going to places that had cool creatures only to get shit like, a fucking fish and a light bulb with a pacifier as partners. In areas where you see Yoshi's and Shy Guys, this is what you give me? Really Nintendo? The Shy Guys in the game literally had the best enemy variation designs in the entire game! Why can't I have one as a partner? I'd be fine with having half the partners if it meant more depth, a lot of them aren't even useful throughout most of the game. It's all just a little too paper thin for me, especially given how ambitious the game can try to be (specifically it's use of dual narrative), but I say this despite thinking it's genuinely great. The battle and leveling system is always something I'll look back on with high praise, and it's aesthetic is fantastic, especially when it hits its peak in Chapter 6. Just can get super repetitive and tedious in some play sessions. Might recommend playing one chapter every day, or even every other day, if someone wanted to get the maximum enjoyment out of it. 

Also has the most consistent soundtrack I've ever heard in gaming ... it's so amazing and really elevates the overall experience: 

And last, but most certainly not least, possibly my favorite track, one that makes me kind of depressed and sad in a nostalgic way ... 

So yea, it's an ok soundtrack. 

Finally finished Bravely Default. The game "reset" so many times I was starting to think the game had gone haywire but I eventually got to the end and gave it a final blow. It really sucks that they had to come up with the most horrible pacing ever for the last chapters as the rest of the game is quite good.

Since I had my 3DS up and running I decided to work a bit on my 3DS backlog, so in addition to Bravely Default I also completed Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy and began playing Legend of Legacy.

Sunset Overdrive - PC - 9
Sonic CD - PC - Savior of the Planet run - 6
Shadow of the Tomb Raider - PC - 7
The Messenger - NS - Picnic Panic DLC - 9
Tangle Tower - NS - 7.5
Detective Grimoire - PC - 6.5
Disney Princess: My Fairytale Adventure - PC - 5
Jet Set Radio - PC - 7
The King of Fighters '97 - NS - 7
Real Bout Fatal Fury - NS - 10
Samurai Shodown III - NS - 4
Waku Waku 7 - NS - 6.5
Code of Princess EX - NS - 6
Daemon X Machina - NS - 7
Mario & Sonic at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games - NS - Story Mode - 7
Lara Croft Go - PC - 100% - 8
Real Bout Fatal Fury 2 - NS - 9
Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk - NS - 10
Samurai Shodown 2019 - NS - 8.5
Atelier Escha & Logy: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky - NS - 9
Atelier Shallie: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea - NS - 7
Atelier Marie: The Alchemist of Salburg - 8.5
Devil May Cry 3: Best DMC Edition - NS - 10
Streets of Rage - PS3 - 7
Streets of Rage 2 - PS3 - 8
Streets of Rage 3 -PS3 - 5
Streets of Rage 4 - NS - 9
Super Crush K.O. - NS - 8
StarCrossed - PC, NS - 7
Them's Fightin' Herds - Chapter 1 - PC - 10
A Hat in Time - NS - 8.5
Chrono Trigger - SNES - 10
Alcahest - SNES - 8

Paper Mario: The Origami King - NS - 9

Art of Fighting - NS - 6

+ Halo 2 (Xbox One)

Ori and the blind forest - Xbone

Completed:

Superman The Man of Steel - (Commodore 64)

Currently Playing:

Valkyria Chronicles 4 - (Nintendo Switch)
Grand Guilds  - (Nintendo Switch)

Update.

Crash Bandicoot (PC)
Halo Combat Evolved (PC)
Yakuza 0 (PC)
Pokemon Ruby (GBA/EMU)
Spyro the Dragon (PSX/EMU)
Sonic Adventure 2 Battle (PC)
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (PC)
The Division (PC)
Crash 2 (PC)
Crash 3 (PC)
Halo 2 (PC)
Halo 3 (PC)
Halo Reach (PC)

Working On:
Fallout 76 (PC)

• Nier: Automata (PS4) (9.5/10) One of the best stories I've ever experienced in video games with wonderfully written characters, combined with a huge amount of gameplay variety and a fun and fast-paced combat system, which had been the weak point in Yoko Taro's earlier works. Easily going to make my top 50 games of all time list this year.
• GRIS (PC) (8/10) An absolutely gorgeous 2D platformer, easily one of the best looking games I've ever played, with a beautiful soundtrack layered on top of it all. The actual gameplay is quite simple, but solid, and there are some very satisfying moments of platforming in the game, even if none of it is all that challenging. It is a very short game, but every moment I spent with GRIS was thoroughly enjoyable.
• Middle-Earth: Shadow of War (PS4) (8/10) A solid open world game made better by the nemesis system that did the same for Shadow of Mordor. The gameplay is fun, the world has a lot of nice variety to it, and although the story is kinda silly in the context of the books, but as a kind of non-canon side thing it's fine enough. Gets a bit grindy at the end, which soured me a little towards it, but it wasn't too bad. If the epilogue had been like in the original release before the balance changes and the removal of lootboxes I probably would have not been nearly as kind towards the game, but as it stands now I do recommend Shadow of War. 
• Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom (PS4) (8.5/10) A charming and gorgeous and a sequel to one of my favourite games from the previous console generation. I'm not sure if I would rank it higher than the first game, though. The gameplay is vastly improved compared to the first one, with the battle system, side quests and the other side stuff available for you to do just being much more interesting and varied in comparison. The story and character are also very good, but I might still prefer the first game's cast and story to this one. Still a very good game, and well worth the time I put into it.
• The Banner Saga 2 (PC) (8/10) The Banner Saga-games (at least the first two) aren't necessarily groundbreaking tactical RPGs in any way, at least as far as gameplay is concerned. Every element of the gameplay can be found in other games in one form or another, but these are still very well put together games with a battle system that has plenty of tactical depth to it. The nordic mythology-inspired story is very well written and the characters are interesting as well. Still, perhaps the most impressive aspect of these games is the visual style. The backgrounds and characters look absolutely gorgeous, and the animated sequences always look great as well, though I wish there were more of them. Overall, Banner Saga 2 is a good game that I enjoyed playing through, just one that doesn't really bring anything new to the genre.
• A Short Hike (PC) (7.5/10) A charming little game that I finished on a single sitting. It's unlikely that I'll ever go back to the game, but the short story it tells is quite lovely, and the relaxing, low-stakes gameplay is perfect for unwinding in-between other more demanding games. If you're looking for a game to just take your mind off things and just relax for a few hours, this is a very good option for that.
• Nioh (PS4) (8/10) A very good Dark Souls-inspired games, that doesn't quite reach the same heights as FromSoftware's titles. I enjoyed the gameplay for the most part, the story was fine, if somewhat disjointed, and William is a good main character. The locations aren't as interesting as those found in Dark Souls for example, and the world as a whole also feels like a collection of disconnected places that don't feel like part of the same world very often. Still, despite my issues, I very much enjoyed the game overall, but unlike Dark Souls or Bloodborne I'll likely never replay it.
• Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince (PS4) (8.5/10) Played through the game in co-op, and as of right now it might be my favourite in the entire series. I'll have to go through it alone at some point to come to a conclusion, but even with the co-op playthrough Trine 4 is a very good game. The puzzles are better and more varied than in previous games, the gameplay much more fluid and intuitive, and while the story has never really been that important in the series outside of setting up a fairytale-like tone, it's fun and charming as well. Just an overall enjoyable game to play, and a great co-op title as well.
• My Time At Portia (PC) (8.5/10) This was a really fun and relaxing game, that in a lot of ways reminds me of Harvest Moon, except instead of building a farm you do so with a crafting workshop. I put almost 130 hours into this game, and I finished the main storyline and most of the sidequests in that time, and I enjoyed pretty much all of it. There's just so much stuff you can do here, besides crafting new machines and items there's farming, relationship building, dungeons to explore, ruins where you can mine for ore and relics, and so much more. 
• Deponia (PC) (7.5/10) Every once in a while I get in the mood to play some traditional point-and-click adventure games, and I'd had Deponia (and two sequels to it) on my Steam library for ages, so this was a good time to get around to playing it. Visually it's a very good looking game, and the setting is interesting and unique. The story and characters were pretty good too, though it does show that this was essentially just the first chapter in the story, so a lot of stuff was left unfinished. The main character can be somewhat annoying at times, especially early on in the game, but that also gives him some clear room for growth and development, which is nice. I guess the best thing I can say is that after finishing Deponia I'm still looking forward to playing the rest of the series.
• Wild Arms 3 (PS4) (8/10) It had been a while since I'd played a proper old-school JRPG that I hadn't previously experienced, and since I had bought Wild Arms 3 a while back on a sale I thought I'd give it a shot. Overall, I really enjoyed it. The music is great, I really like the world these games take place in, the characters are well written and interesting, and the gameplay has enough unique elements to separate it from the pack. The story is fairly standard JRPG fare, but the main issue I had with the game is the fact that it just doesn't really explain a lot of its mechanics to the player very well. Several times over the course of the game I had to go and find out what certain things actually meant from guides or forum posts, because I couldn't find the information within the game itself. Still, this is a good game well worth playing though, especially if you're a fan of the genre.
• Final Fantasy VII Remake (PS4) (9.5/10) I genuinely loved this game, and it could very well end up as my GotY at the end of the year. I thought the battle system is excellent, with a genuinely well designed take on the classic ATB system at its core, the expanded story and characters were great, and visually this is one of the best looking games of the year. I'm also very curious to see where they take this story going forward considering how the game ended. The sidequests were the one aspect I would have liked to have been more interesting, but at least the gameplay made them enjoyable enough. A great game, without question. I won't compare it to the original until the whole story has been told, but this is definitely a good way to get things started with the remake.
• The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III (PS4) (9.5/10) I finally got around to playing and finishing Trails of Cold Steel III after having it sitting on my shelf since last Christmas, and it was just as great as I expected after the previous two games. This is now the fifth game in the series that I've played, and they've made the series one of my absolute favourite video game franchises of all time, behind only Final Fantasy and Dark Souls. The story and characters are among the best I've ever seen in video games, the gameplay is a lot of fun, and the music very good as well. Now I just need to wait for Trails of Cold Steel IV
• Uncharted: Drake's Fortune Remastered (PS4) (8/10) After several huge RPGs I really needed to play something much smaller for a change, and since I had the Nathan Drake Collection downloaded on my PS4 I though I'd replay the whole series through for the first time in several years. The first game in the series is still the weakest of lot, but the remastering has improved the gameplay noticeably, which was always the biggest issue in the game. Drake's Fortune also always had problems with its pacing, especially in the latter half, and that's still the case here. Overall, this feels like a game that already has all the right elements in place, they just aren't quite polished enough or don't come together as well as they should yet. Fortunately, this would change for the better in the sequels. Still a very good game, but not as good as the follow-ups.

Currently Playing:

• The Witcher (PC) Slowly making progress on-and-off. About halfway through at the moment I think, maybe a little more.
• Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel (PS3)
• The Messenger (PC)
• Uncharted 2 Remastered (PS4)

+ Halo 3 (Xbox One)