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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (PS5) I promised I'd play this if it won GOTY, so I did. It's incredibly good, with a transcendent OST and fantastic story. It's got all the usual parrying BS (fake-outs & feints) but the game ends just before it hits a breaking point. Gustave is such a lovable goofball.

Mega Man Star Force anime (YouTube) A cute alternative take on SF1. The dub is well-produced with a surprisingly stacked cast of VAs who would go on to become big names. Sounds like we got the better half of S01 so I don't mind that much that it doesn't cover the full story. Anime Crown is great.

Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen (NS1 & NS2) Kanto's open design is still unmatched, and Sevii feels like getting half a game extra. Every victory in FRLG feels earned; every achievement hard-fought; every milestone rewarding. So much cool hidden stuff in these games that you have to actively dig for.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (IMAX) This movie is just like the 2nd Sonic movie in that it's a worse movie in general, but a better representation of the Mario universe. Despite the lack of a plot or any character arcs, it's a fun albeit unremarkable watch. Surprising amount of fight scenes here.

Sonic the Hedgehog Presents: The Chaotix Casefiles (YouTube) This was a nice little surprise. Tangle & Whisper are fine in this but I do think comics OCs (which I don't follow at all) should get a *proper* mainline game debut before being added into other types of side media. Gemerl stocks rising.

Pragmata (PS5) Nothing beats a good, old-fashioned, short, linear, level-based, companion character action adventure. Story is pretty unremarkable, but the gameplay is so good. Hacking feels fun even if combat favors gunplay maybe just a bit too much. And wow, what a visual spectacle this game is.

The Mandalorian and Grogu (IMAX) The novelty of Mandalorian S1 having long worn off, this film makes it painfully clear how much of a non-character Mando is. Like most modern SW media, it's just more of the same, but deep down, there's some small joy to be found in that; like eating comfort food.

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy: Extended Editions (BD) Watching this 25 years after the fact, it's exciting to see just how much of modern pop culture can be traced back directly to these films (and the OG books). Fellowship is the best one and an all-time classic. Older movies just hit different.

Metroid Prime Federation Force (3DS) Completely fails to capture Metroid's essence but is pretty fun in its own right. One of the most overhated games ever. This game's main problems are releasing in 2016, and not inheriting Hunters' fantastic control scheme. Playing this actually hurts my hands.

Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair (Theater) Never saw the originals and holy crap this was cinema. It's endlessly derivative and pastiche, but presented so candidly that you can't help but be absorbed. The film's utter reverence for its inspirations can be felt throughout and makes it all work.

Pulp Fiction (Theater) A number of slower--meandering, perhaps--opening acts, that come together beautifully in the final act. The out-of-order storytelling challenges you to pay close attention to what's happening. It's easy to see why this was such an instant classic.

ReCore: Definitive Edition (XSX) This game feels like a vertical slice that was stretched out to full length. Movement & combat are fun & feel good to play, but story is thoroughly lacking. Its best moments come after the credits, where it really does shine; sadly only for a brief, fleeting moment.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond (NS2) I don't mind a linear Metroid, but MP4 purports to be an open world, yet is in fact even more handholdy than MP3. Not once did I feel challenged on navigational awareness because each level is a straight line. The GFX do be looking great though. 120 FPS is awesome.

World's End Club (NS2) What appears at first to be a cutesy puzzle platformer turns out to be an amalgamation of Kodaka and Uchikoshi's greatest hits. Many ideas from their previous works make an appearance here, and it does feel a little derivative as a result, but it doesn't overstay its welcome.

Disclosure Day (Theater) With a plot that is vapid and often inane almost to the level of comedy, this film acts like it has something profound to say, but I came out of it an utterly unchanged man.

Dark Auction (PS5) The characters & plot are good, but man is the setting poorly handled. It's jarring to see a story based around Hitler have so little to say about WW2's atrocities; at best, it feels cowardly. Use of gen AI taints the game's visual identity even if some of it was patched later.

Hero of Law (Emu) True labor of love & must play for any Ocarina of Time & Phoenix Wright fan. The references in text, music, animation are on-freaking-point & had me laughing out loud constantly, and there's even an awesome new mechanic. Connecting Link's Awakening unlocks something truly special.

The Odyssey (IMAX) A phenomenal retelling of an old classic, that cleverly invokes modern themes to feel incredibly grounded despite the pseudo-fantastical setting. Only part that fell a bit flat for me was the end fight scene, but that was in the original too. IMAX is 100% worth it for this one.

Shuten Order (NS2) A love letter to the mystery VN genre with some of the most ambitious world-building in any Too Kyo game. You will probably hate at least one route, but the payoff is worth it every time. It is quite the time commitment though, and does feel like it drags on a little sometimes.

Kirigirisō (PC) The final Kodaka story game I'd yet to play. Kyoko from Danganronpa & Kohei from Otogirisō explore a mysterious mansion in the woods. A decent bite-sized little mystery novel, but things devolve quickly after the first true ending & it's honestly not really worth playing past that.

Pressure (Theatre) In an age where AI is diluting the meaning of expertise, it's refreshing to watch a film about real craftsmanship and leadership. This film has a story to tell and uses exactly the amount of time it needs (< 2 hours) to tell it.

Portal (PC) Breaking in the Steam Machine with some good old Portal. It's a little clunkier to play with a controller than mouse & keyboard, but only slightly, if you turn gyro on. Still a masterclass in game design.

Wow, they were showing this in theaters? I feel the same way about the story, by the way. It's just too much for what it is trying to be.