NOTE: This is a republish of an old post since I am off sipping on a beverage on a beach right now. Hope you enjoy and I will be back with a new post next week! This was an older post, before I changed my format so please forgive the roughness.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night was released in 1997 for the PlayStation 1. The game is a direct sequel to Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, another highly regarded Castlevania game but one whose original version is considered pretty obscure (more on that interesting story when I review Rondo of Blood).

Symphony of the Night actually didn’t sell very well on release. It received very little advertising and a limited marketing budget for the US release. Only later did it gain a larger following and eventually received a Greatest Hits version.

Even though the game didn’t sell well initially, it immediately garnered critic’s praises. Critics cited unique RPG elements, a large map to explore and the story plot twists as some of the positives. Some critics, however, dinged it for “outdated” 2D graphics as it was released during the budding 3D era of video games.

What I liked

The Genesis of Metroidvania

Symphony of the Night is the Castlevania game that everyone points to when you ask the question “what was the first Metroidvania Castlevania game?”. Previous Castlevania games were standard 2D side scrolling action platformers. There was no map that the player could pull up anytime they wanted. Levels were fairly linear, moving from left to right with little room for exploration. The RPG elements in these older games consisted of picking up items and maybe upgrading weapons and that was the extent of it.

Symphony of the Night blew all of this out of the water. The creators looked to Metroid for their inspiration. The game was filled with areas and secrets to explore. Because of this, it required an extensive map available to the player at all times. No longer does the main character move in a linear fashion. As Alucard, the main character of the game, players can tackle Dracula’s castle in almost any way they want. Thus, the Metroidvania sub-genre was born.

The game introduces all kinds of different weapons and side items, far outdoing anything that came before it. Alucard can equip shields and use various weapons other than a whip such as Maces, Swords and Daggers. In fact, a Whip is not a weapon Alucard can use. This widely diverges from the Castlevania formula not only because the main character is not a Belmont, but also because the main character isn’t using the signature Vampire Killer whip. Each weapon, as one would expect, has different statistics that affect gameplay.

Further expanding on the RPG elements of this game, Alucard can equip armor. Throughout the game, cloaks, body armor and head armor can be found that have different stats just like the weapon pickups.

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All of these things elevate Symphony of the Night to a masterpiece level that hasn’t really been matched in another Castlevania game. Several entries have come very close as I will discuss in subsequent posts, but all of these are as good as they are because of the lessons learned from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

The Twist

There’s a big story-based twist that occurs in the game. This twist, if you have not researched anything about the game, will come as a pretty big shock. I was not aware of it when starting the game, and I think it adds to the charm of this game in a big way (so please don’t go looking it up, play the game for yourself!). I won’t go into a lot of detail here, but there is a point at which the game pulls a fast one on the players and at the time it was considered one of the biggest shock moments in video games.

What I didn’t like

Street Fighter Controls

There are a handful of powerful moves that are locked behind performing a certain set of button presses in order to execute, similar to something out of a fighting game like Street Fighter. Example, in order to perform Wing Smash which is a bat-based attack, you have to enter the following combination: Hold X, Up-Left, Left, Down-Left, Down, Down-Right, Right then release X. Imagine having to perform that on the fly when you need it. It’s fairly ridiculous and because of that, I only ended up using one of these power moves, Hellfire, because it was one of the easier ones to pull off. I don’t know exactly why this decision was made. It seems like there are enough buttons on the PS1 controller to allow for easier execution of these.

What would I change?

• Make the special moves easier to execute. This would allow them to be used more frequently. There are some really cool special moves that a lot of players likely never even saw because of the obscurity and difficulty to pull them off.

Released in 2018 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows PC, Darksiders III marked the long-awaited return of the apocalyptic action series after nearly six years of dormancy. Developed by Gunfire Games - a studio formed by many of the developers who previously worked at Vigil Games, the creators of the original titles - the game shifted the spotlight to Fury, the fiery and whip-wielding red headed Horsewoman of the Apocalypse. Sent to a ruined Earth by the Charred Council, Fury’s mission is to hunt down and capture the Seven Deadly Sins, each of whom has escaped and begun wreaking havoc across a shattered world.

Just like its predecessors, which experimented with various genre ideas such as large-scale action, RPG elements and dungeon design inspired by games like The Legend of Zelda and God of War, Darksiders III adopted a more methodical combat style, drawing comparisons to modern action-RPGs or even Soulslikes with its deliberate pacing, dodge-focused battles, and interconnected world structure. The game emphasized exploration and character progression while presenting Fury as a more volatile and evolving protagonist compared to the stoic War and Death.

At launch, Darksiders III received mixed to moderately positive reviews. Critics praised its atmosphere, environmental design, and challenging combat, while some players found the difficulty spikes and technical issues frustrating. Over time, patches and updates including a post-release “Classic Combat” mode that made the gameplay feel closer to earlier entries helped improve the experience. Commercially, the game performed solidly but modestly, selling around one million copies within its first year, enough to reaffirm interest in the franchise and pave the way for later projects like Darksiders Genesis.

What I Liked 😃

7 Deadly Sins

The timeline of the Darksiders games starts to get a little confusing at this point in the series. The first game in the series is actually Darksiders: Genesis from a storytelling perspective and we will get to that game soon. But the original Darksiders follows that. However, Darksiders III takes place while War is imprisoned at the beginning of the first game. Darksiders II and Darksiders III actually take place around the same time. And then after War serves his 100 year imprisonment, the rest of Darksiders I takes place. Confused yet? Right.

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I wanted to briefly explain the timeline just because I haven’t yet. But also, the Charred Council, the group of mysterious flaming rock-like entities, have been central to every game. That is no different in Darksiders III. The Charred Council charges Fury to seek out and capture the Seven Deadly Sins, who were once imprisoned by the Council but - due to the early apocalypse from the first game - have escaped.

I liked the idea of personifying the actual Seven Deadly Sins in antagonist form. For those who do not know, this is a religious grouping of some of the vices/sins discussed in the Bible and mainly used by Catholics. Those sins are: pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony and sloth.

What I was impressed by was how creative and appropriate each boss was as it related to their named sin. Sloth is a gigantic and grotesque creature who has continue to grow and grow due to inactivity and indulgence. He(it?) lounges on a throne which is carried by servants. Wrath is a demon who relies on brutality and rage. He exists to destroy whatever stands in front of him. Lust attempts to seduce Fury by playing on her emotions and doubts.

Each boss is not only a challenge regarding the gameplay. They also exist to challenge Fury’s character: her doubts, her rage, her greed, etc. After each encounter, she grows to understand humanity a little more.

Hollow Powers

There are various powerups that Fury can obtain by playing through the game. Given to Fury by the Lord of the Hollows, these powerups harken back to Darksiders’ Zelda style adventure. Just like the other games, traversal through the levels requires not only walking but leveraging Fury’s powers. The Fire Hollow power lets you swing across gaps, Force can break barriers and Stasis manipulates the environment.

The weapon that Fury uses is called the Barbs of Scorn, which is a very gnarly and sharp looking whip, maybe? Nevertheless it nearly rivals Death’s scythe as far as how cool it is. It starts as just a handle that Fury carries around and then when she wishes to use it, it extends out from the handle in full metal glory. When you add the various Hollow powers to it, things get real interesting. The combat almost feels like a Soulslike, or at least inspired by those types of games. Not necessarily surprising, seeing as how the entire Darksiders series seems to love to dabble in various video game tropes like the aforementioned Zelda to open world RPGs to games like Prince of Persia.

Level Design

Something the entire Darksiders series has excelled at in my opinion is the level design. The levels go down smooth like a dry martini. I don’t ever feel lost, for the most part the layout of the levels fit their corresponding setting and everything is laid out in interesting ways such that no two rooms look or feel the same. Darksiders III is no exception. I thoroughly enjoyed places like the Bonelands, the Hollows and Haven. Filled with winding paths and hidden tunnels, these areas are a mishmash of modern human architecture combined with the recent apocalypse. Everything feels interconnected in one way or another, which was an aspect of this game I appreciated very much.

What I Didn’t Like ☹️

Rip and Tear

I ran into technical issues like screen tearing more often than I would have expected. I played the game on my Xbox Series X and so maybe it was a problem that was more prevalent on Microsoft’s platforms than Sony. I don’t know if the VSync implementation was not up to snuff or it there were inconsistent framerates, but it seemed like I noticed the issue a lot when moving the camera and when in combat.

No Map

I think the level design was done well enough that the game isn’t completely broken without an in-game map, but at the same time I do not understand the decision to make a game like this that doesn’t have at least a rudimentary map. I can’t believe that this was a technical limitation, so it either had to be a deliberate choice or there were time and budget constraints that prevented a map from being implemented in the game. But, a map doesn’t seem like a high budget or time consuming element of a video game, especially over things like voice acting or additional animations.

So, my guess is the team chose not to add in a map. Again, I was able to complete the game and I don’t recall being super confused about where to go. It would have been a nice quality of life thing though to have a reference map. And for a game released in 2018, it feels like a huge omission.

Overall Thoughts 🤔

Darksiders III is in some ways a step back from Darksiders II. There are no intricate and involved RPG systems nor is there an open world to explore. It’s as if there possibly wasn’t time or a budget to implement these things. Or, knowing the track record of the other games, the team may have wanted to forge a new paths utilizing new game mechanics.

What is present in the game is pretty well done, however. The character designs just like the other games is top notch. Fury’s Hollow powers were enjoyable if simplistic. The level design was crafted well enough that even though there was no map, I was able to navigate the game fairly well. There are technical issues like screen tearing, at least on Xbox but it wasn’t game breaking. If you’re looking for an easy breezy 3D action-adventure game, you could do worse than Darksiders III.

Where Can I Play This? 🕹️

Darksiders III can easily be played on modern Xbox and PlayStation consoles as well as PC due to it being released in 2018 and the backward compatibility support from those systems.

I played Darksiders III on Xbox Series X. I rolled credits on the game and did as much side content as I could handle.

Up Next 📅

Up next, we are traveling all the way back to 1991 to play the very second Metroid game ever made, Metroid II: Return of Samus for the Nintendo Game Boy!

I awoke on the ship’s deck only to see Commander Glen lying unconscious. What had transpired while I was out? There appeared to be a Rune symbol on the back of his left hand. A symbol that wasn’t there before. Could Brandeau’s Rune have been transferred to Glen? Brandeau was nowhere to be seen. I didn’t know what kind of Rune Brandeau had wielded but it obviously was very powerful….and very dangerous.

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On the way back to Razril, we spotted Snowe in his little dinghy boat. I know I may have shown Snowe too much compassion and grace after what he did, but he is a friend. We picked him up and set sail back home. But home wasn’t exactly as welcoming for Snowe as he might have thought. We were heckled by several Gaien Knights as we headed into town, making fun of his “arm hurting” and running away from the battle. Despite that, we did some shopping and got some medicine for the Commander. We also stopped by the kitchen where Funghi was making a warm meal for him as well. The Commander’s looked weaker than expected and was bedridden, partly because Katarina insisted he rest. The Commander’s hand was still marked from the Rune he inherited from the pirate Brandeau. He was not in the best of moods and requested that he be alone.

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Released in September 2008 on PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade, and WiiWare, Mega Man 9 was a deliberate and surprising throwback in an era dominated by high-definition graphics and cinematic spectacle. Developed by Inti Creates in collaboration with Capcom, the game intentionally abandoned modern visuals in favor of an 8-bit NES-style presentation, right down to its sprite size, color palette, and chiptune soundtrack. Even more boldly, Capcom removed mechanics that had become series staples - most notably sliding and the chargeable Mega Buster - to more closely mirror the feel of the earliest Mega Man entries.

The gamble paid off critically. Mega Man 9 received widespread acclaim, with reviewers praising its tight level design, challenging but fair difficulty, and its confident embrace of classic game design principles. Critics and longtime fans alike viewed it as a course correction after the uneven reception of later classic-series entries, calling it both a loving homage and a sharp reminder of why Mega Man mattered in the first place. Outlets like IGN and GameSpot highlighted how the game balanced nostalgia with thoughtful modern touches, such as optional difficulty modes and downloadable content.

Commercially, Mega Man 9 performed strongly for a digital-only release, selling over one million copies worldwide across its platforms. Its success helped validate digital distribution for classic-style games and directly paved the way for Mega Man 10 and future retro-inspired revivals. Today, Mega Man 9 is widely regarded as one of the strongest entries in the entire franchise.

What I Liked 😃

Back to Basics

It’s funny how things work, isn’t it? After playing the first six Mega Man entries and then playing Mega Man 7, I lauded that game for updating the visuals and trying to add in any new gameplay mechanics that would set itself apart from the previous six. Mega Man 7 and 8 were visual spectacles that made me almost think I was controlling a Japanese anime character. And now, with Mega Man 9, those 8-bit visuals are back and the game has stripped away most of the innovative powers and moves that have become iconic for Mega Man. No more charged Buster shot and no more sliding. One would think that would be a bad thing, but I found the return to a simpler control scheme kind of refreshing. The challenge reverted back to pure platforming skill and handling enemies with a limited power set instead of charging up and blasting enemies in one shot.

Another thing that went back to basics is the soundtrack. The first 6 Mega Man games were mostly great and it was able to be great using limited hardware and sound channels. Mega Man 7 and 8 should have arguably had the best soundtracks of all of them and yet I thought 7 was okay and 8 was not very good. Again, here comes Mega Man 9 bringing back the creativity and kinetic energy that the Mega Man games should always have. Capcom could have used a more modern approach to the sound but it would have felt out of place and that’s not what they were going for. But when you hear Galaxy Man or Jewel Man’s music, we remember how good Mega Man music can be when developers put thought and passion into it.

Quality of Life Upgrades

Mega Man 9 is thus far the best iteration of classic Mega Man. The reason for this is that it was built in 2008 for modern hardware using modern software. There are no frame rate dips, there is no flickering or stuttering. The are no audio quirks. This removes the frustration that games like Mega Man 3 had where the game itself was great but was mired by technical glitches.

In addition to that, the password save system was gutted in favor of modern save progression. Password saves were meant as a data saving measure rather than actually saving the state of the game on the NES cartridges. But, with modern systems, saving the actual game data is no big deal. Also, there’s a shop where Mega Man can buy upgrades ala Mega Man 7. Another introduction from Mega Man 7 and 8 was quick weapon switching. In the old NES titles, you had to press Start to open the menu, navigate to the weapon you wanted to use and then select it. In Mega Man 9, the trigger buttons are used to quickly swap between weapons.

Level Challenge Level Up

Mega Man 9 brings back the more challenging level designs of Mega Man 1 and 2. But, because of the quality of life upgrades and the restructuring of the core gameplay, the challenge is not frustrating and is instead engaging and fun. There were several stages and boss fights where I died quite often. Maybe it was because I am now well versed in the Mega Man gameplay loop or maybe it was because the game didn’t feel like it was intentionally trying to be hard just to pad the runtime, but I was into it all the way and never felt like throwing my controller. The weapons that Mega Man gets this time around all felt useful and effective, not just against a particular robot master. It was fun trying to use them throughout the levels.

What I Didn’t Like ☹️

I’m a 16-bit Snob

Don’t get me wrong, I think the visuals of Mega Man 9 are great and have a certain level of nostalgia associated with them. After all, 6 of the 8 classic Mega Man games up to this point used pretty much the same 8-bit style. But, I cannot deny that I prefer the 16-bit look of the world and the character and if they had decided to make Mega Man 9 16-bit, I would have loved it even more. There’s so much more you can do with 16-bits over 8-bits in the way of animations and detail. Mega Man wants to be pretty!

Overall Thoughts 🤔

Mega Man 9 is a great entry in the series. It takes the series back to its roots and gets rid of the charge shot and the slide. But it keeps some later series things like the item shop and collecting “screws”. The level design is challenging but not unfair and I enjoyed all the robot masters and most of the weapons were useful throughout the game. I would have preferred the 16-bit art style from Mega Man 7 and 8 and I thought the item shop could have sold more interesting items. But overall, this is one of the better “NES” Mega Man games right up there with Mega Man 2.

Where Can I Play This? 🕹️

Unfortunately, XBLA, PSN and WiiWare have all gone the way of the dodo. But, Capcom released the Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 which includes Mega Man 9 and Mega Man 10 and that’s really the best way to play this game in 2026.

I played Mega Man 9 via the Mega Man Legacy Collection 2. I beat the game and rolled credits.

Up Next 📅

I’m returning to the Darksiders series with Darksiders 3 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC (and Stadia….)

It turns out the man was somewhat important to Middleport in that he was a big fish importer and essentially keeps the entire town fed. So of course, we decided to head back out to sea to find this cute but very dangerous creature.

After not that much searching and sailing, we ran across the dastardly creature. It looked like a damp hairball actually. I wouldn’t call it cute, but I can see what the fisherman was talking about. The creature didn’t look scary at all. But, it was clear that it was a way to catch its prey off guard. The monster was actually quite tough. Keneth, Tal, Snowe and I stood our ground. Snowe and I tried out some moves that we had been practicing in between training missions and it actually turned out really well.

Returning with the good news netted us 2,000 potch! Obviously the real reward was doing the right thing, but this was more money than I had ever received at once. Unfortunately, Tal thought it might be a good idea to risk some of it with Gunther, a local dice player. We played a few games of Down to One and gained some potch but also lost some potch. That’s gambling for you.

After finally docking at Razril, we were met at the port by Katarina. She asked for a situation report and Snowe gave her the briefing. Katarina asked that Snowe and I speak with Commander Glen, as he had another mission for just us. She also mentioned that the Pirate Brandeau has been seen in the waters nearby and to stay vigilant. Brandeau is a well known pirate in the area and is certainly no one to underestimate. After dropping off our things at our rooms, we headed to the meeting room. Lord Vingerhut, Commander Glen and Katarina were present along with a mysterious man. His name was Mr. Ramada and is a trader for the Orark Maritime Trade company. Ramada is looking for military support to guide his ship containing spices to the island of Iluya after they were attacked while sailing from Middleport. He was not exactly thrilled to see that Commander Glen had suggested us. I guess he presumed we were novices. But, Katarina convinced him fairly easily, a fact I found quite puzzling. Snowe was appointed captain of the mission, he was clearly very excited about the whole thing.

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Released in June 1993 for the Sega Mega Drive in Japan and Europe (and much later on the short lived Sega Channel in the United States in 1995), Golden Axe III marked the final mainline entry in Sega’s classic fantasy beat ’em up trilogy on home consoles. Developed by Sega AM1, the game attempted to modernize the series with new mechanics, branching paths, and a revamped combat system, all while moving away from some of the elements that defined the earlier titles. Instead of stalwart returning heroes Ax Battler, Tyris Flare and Gilius Thunderhead (Gilius is still in the game, but not playable), Golden Axe III introduced an all-new cast of 4 heroes, signaling a deliberate shift in tone and direction.

At release, Golden Axe III received a mixed to negative critical reception, especially when compared to the popularity of Golden Axe and Golden Axe II. Reviewers appreciated the added depth to combat such as character-specific techniques, as well as the branching level structure that encouraged replayability. However, criticism was frequently directed at the game’s simpler visual style. Many felt the game lacked the raw power fantasy and arcade energy that defined its predecessors.

Commercially, Golden Axe III performed modestly at best, particularly outside Japan. Its limited Western release and the rising dominance of newer franchises and 3D-focused experiences meant it never reached the sales heights of the earlier entries. Over time, however, the game has gained a modest cult following, with fans reevaluating it as an experimental but flawed send-off and a title that tried to evolve Golden Axe into something deeper and more technical, even if it lost some of the series’ signature charm along the way.

What I Liked 😃

More Character Choice

Gone are Ax Battler, Tyris Flare and Gilius Thunderhead. They have better things to do than to go on yet another harrowing adventure. They probably retired at some medieval resort. Or, since Ax and Tyris were humans, maybe this takes place hundreds of years later, after they had died. Who knows? What we do know is that once again, the Golden Axe has been stolen. This time Damud Hellstrike, THE PRINCE OF DARKNESS (!!) has taken the Axe and the Princess of Yuria. To add insult to injury, he morphed the King of Yuria into a Griffon named Eve (huh?).

Anyway, he ALSO curses all warriors for good measure. Somehow Gilius is not cursed himself and is able to remove the curse from one warrior, that being the warrior that the player chooses at the beginning of the game. Those warriors are: the giant Proud Cragger, the humanoid black panther Chronos “Evil” Rait, the swordsman Kain Grinder and the swordswoman Sarah Burn. What is the deal with the character names in this series?? Proud Cragger? Kain Grinder? Then you have Sarah Burn….one of these things is not like the other 🎵.

Despite the silly names, I did find it refreshing to have a new set of characters to pick from. Each hero is distinctive in their looks. In previous games we had 2 humans and a dwarf. This time we have a giant, 2 humans and a panther. Any game with a playable panther has to be fun, right?

Branching Pathways

At certain moments within a stage, the player can choose between one of two pathways. I liked this added level of choice. It gives the game another reason to be replayed on top of playing with different characters. That being said, I did not replay any of the stages, so I don’t know how different the pathways are from one another. But, for the person who is only going to play this game through one time (like me), it at least appears as though there’s a whole new section of the stage that you could have chosen. The players imagination can run wild.

Varied Enemies

A very welcome change in my opinion was a wider variety of enemies. Instead of the same skeletons and gobin/orc things on every stage, there’s a nice mixture of human male and female enemies as well as skeletons. The bosses are also more interesting. Some of the bosses are the cursed heroes that you could have chosen as a playable character at the beginning, which give the fights a little more high stakes. I also appreciated that the death sound effect for each type of enemy was different from one another unlike Golden Axe II (see my review of Golden Axe II).

What I Didn’t Like ☹️

Combat is Still Annoying

Despite new characters, new moves and new enemies, the combat in Golden Axe III is largely unchanged. Enemies come from all sides and try to flank the player. If they manage to flank, our hero is very much in peril. Jump kicking still becomes the best option, especially with mini bosses and bosses if you’ve already used up your special power. Sega tried to add in some variety in the combat with some special moves that don’t require magic pots, but it doesn’t move the needle with change the combat that much. I think of all the games, this one is probably the least annoying when it comes to the combat. Unfortunately, I did not have fun jump kicking all the enemies even still.

Overall Thoughts 🤔

Golden Axe III is the final entry on home consoles for the series and it wasn’t even really released in the US until the PS2 era, nearly 10 years after the original release. I enjoyed the new characters to choose from and I thought this one finally gave us a nice range of enemies. Branching pathways were a nice touch. But, looking back, I haven’t really enjoyed any of these games. The fantasy setting is right up my alley but the actual gameplay has always been annoying. Golden Axe III doesn’t really change my mind even if I do get to play as a panther.

Where Can I Play This? 🕹️

Golden Axe III has been released in the US on several Sega compilations including: The Sega Genesis Collection for PS2, Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 and the Sega Genesis Classics compilation on Switch, Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

I played Golden Axe III via the Sega Genesis Classics compilation. I beat the game with Chronos “Evil” Rait, the black panther.

Up Next 📅

Up next, it’s Mega Man 9 originally released for WiiWare, PSN and Xbox Live Arcade!

We open on a seafaring voyage amongst a military crew. The name’s Lazlo and I am a military underling, soon to be officially inducted as a new Knight of Gaien via rite of passage. My best friend Snowe Vingerhut is with me. He is much more confident than I even though his father, Vincent Vingerhut probably pulled a few strings for Snowe to be a part of this crew. I wouldn’t say Snowe is a coward but he hasn’t seen an honest days work in his life. We are on a training mission, like so many times before. On this particular mission, we must take down an enemy ship without taking too many casualties.

We maneuver in place and fire a Rune cannon across the bow of the enemy ship. They ignore the warning shot and advance, firing their own cannons. This is no warning shot. Luckily we equipped our ship with the correct Rune so that we could intercept the shot mid-air, taking no damage. Again, we maneuver for a shot and manage a direct hit with our Lightning Rune cannon. It does severe damage, one more shot and the ship would be sunk. We quickly fire back, another wonderful shot and the ship is done for. Mission accomplished.

Back on the ship, we proceed to continue our training. Commander Glen Cott and Vice Commander Katarina Cott ambush us with a surprise attack. Snowe and I faced off against the veteran fighters and manage to actually hold our own. I can tell that I am getting stronger even with this weird Rune attached to my hand... Training is over for today and so we set sail back to Razril for rest. Tomorrow is a big day, what with the Kindling Ritual ceremony and all.

The next day, it seemed as if everyone in Razril was gathered for the Kindling Ritual. Commander Glen gave an uplifting speech to the new recruits, speaking about a very brutal battle with the army of Kooluk. He spoke of a man named Troy…I don’t know who that is but he sounds very intimidating. Snowe was tasked with walking the ceremonial torch through the middle of town. I was taken aback when he asked me to carry it and light the torches of eight citizens! I didn’t feel like I was worthy to take on such an important and traditional task, but Snowe insisted. I got quite a few odd looks from the townspeople.

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Released in August 2007 for the Nintendo Wii, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption served as the dramatic conclusion to Retro Studios’ celebrated Metroid Prime trilogy (well….sort of, hey Metroid Prime 4). Built from the ground up to take advantage of the Wii’s motion controls, the game reimagined first-person exploration and combat with pointer-based aiming while expanding the series’ scope in unprecedented ways. For the first time in the Prime saga, Samus Aran travels across multiple planets, joins forces with the Galactic Federation, and faces a galaxy-wide crisis.

Upon release, Corruption was met with strong critical acclaim. Reviewers praised its intuitive motion controls, which were widely considered one of the best implementations of Wii aiming, as well as its cinematic presentation, ambitious scale, and emotional weight. Outlets like IGN and GameSpot highlighted how the game balanced accessibility with classic Metroid exploration, though some longtime fans felt the increased guidance and story emphasis reduced the isolation that defined earlier entries.

Commercially, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption became the best-selling game in the Prime trilogy, moving approximately 1.6 million copies worldwide. While not a blockbuster by Wii standards, it represented a major success for the Metroid franchise and further established Retro Studios’ reputation as one of Nintendo’s most talented development teams.

What I Liked 😄

Best Prime Yet

Let me start by getting two things out of the way:

Firstly, I think as far as the most IMPORTANT Metroid Prime game goes, that is hands down Metroid Prime. It was the first, it created the bones of what subsequent Prime games could and should be and it ushered Samus into 3D in a great way without being awkward or gimmicky.

Secondly, I played Metroid Prime 3: Corruption on my PC using 4K HD texture packs and used an Xbox 360 controller.

Now, to address my first point. Even though Prime 1 is the more important game, I think Prime 3 is the better game. The game looks better, there is more advanced graphical wizardry going on with lighting effects and animations are better. The stakes and the world that Samus gets to play in has been expanded to not just one planet but several planets. The story - a topic I will talk about in more detail in a minute - has a more cinematic feel and tries to break outside of the confines of the established Prime formula. Oh yeah, Samus doesn’t lose her powers at the start of the game! A very welcome first! And yet the gameplay, the Metroidvania elements and the puzzle solving is just as solid as it was with the first games.

I think sometimes we can look at a monumental game like Metroid Prime and say to ourselves “there’s no way that can be topped”. The stakes are too high, developers run out of creative juices or they get bored with the characters or the world. But, in the case of Prime 3, I think Retro Studios was firing on all cylinders. They had a great idea and a new console with fancy motion controls. It was clear they were excited to make the next entry in the legendary series.

To address my second point. I was fully prepared to play Prime 3 on my Wii. I own the physical copy and I have a Wii. My Wiimote batteries were charged. My blanket was available for pulling over me. But then I read about what the fan community had done with essentially creating a remaster of the game on PC via emulation. It’s called PrimeHack and it has all the goodies that one would expect from an official remaster (and probably more). The game is absolutely beautiful with the HD textures. There are quality of life upgrades as well such as standard controller and mouse support, bug fixes and field of view adjustments. All in all, if you are one who is okay with emulation, it is a great way to experience this game. Did this affect my enjoyment and affect this writing of the game? 1,000% so please take all my comments with as many grains of salt as you wish to take.

Is This Halo?

As mentioned, Prime 3 has an actual narrative. There are NPCs that Samus interacts with, we see Samus outside of her suit more and overall the tone of the game feels more like something you’d find in the Halo series than Metroid. But, that doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing. That classic Metroid sense of isolation and exploration is still predominant, it happens to be wrapped in a cinematic adventure tale this time around.

The game establishes that there are other bounty hunters in the galaxy. Well, actually the game Metroid Prime Hunters established this I guess, but we won’t talk about that game. Samus actually has an alliance with these other hunters. Rundas, Ghor and Gandrayda are colleagues who end up being corrupted by the Phazon that is running rampant and unfortunately they get caught up in the Phazon corruption and turn bad.

Unlike other Metroid Prime games (*cough* Metroid Prime 4 *cough*), the way the dialogue is structured doesn’t make it seem awkward that everyone other than Samus has fully voiced dialogue. The plot of Corruption delves into Samus trying to control the internal corruption that she is experiencing while saving and/or battling her hunter allies and stopping the Phazon from taking over the galaxy. There’s a lot going on and I thought it was all well paced and well done.

Ship It

A new inclusion to Prime 3 is Samus’s ship. Instead of it being seen entering a planet and exiting a planet like in Prime 2 and 3, we actually get to use it quite a bit more. It is used for hopping from planet to planet, naturally. And her ship still acts as a save point as always. But surprisingly, Samus can enter the ship and mess around in the cockpit. You can check Samus’s corruption level, view her suit status and view mission data information. It adds a cozy feel to a ship that’s been with you for multiple games and now it serves a bigger purpose. In addition to the cockpit, there are certain parts of the game where the ship is used to advance the story or find additional collectibles. You can use the ship to lift massively heavy objects such as stone blocks in Bryyo. On the Pirate homeworld, you can target these large shield generators and the ship will take them out.

I think for what it is, the additional ship mechanics adds just enough to differentiate Prime 3 from the previous games. Similar to Batman’s Batmobile, it has a limited purpose but nonetheless an important one.

What I Didn’t Like ☹️

One Dimensional Hunters

I enjoyed the inclusion of a structured narrative in Prime 3, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t have its failings. Every single NPC, including the allied bounty hunters, were paper thin as far as their development. The hunters were cool looking, but they were all just “other hunters”. There was no time spent fleshing these characters out or giving them various reasons for being on this mission or establishing why or how they know Samus. Similarly, the Galactic Federation troops are all paint by numbers. If we compare the game to Halo, Halo had characters like Cortana, the Arbiter and Sergeant Avery Johnson who were vastly more fleshed out than anyone in Prime 3(other than Samus). Heck, I felt more of a connection to Samus’s ship than any other character.

I think while Retro studios took chances porting Metroid to 3D, it seemed like in Prime 3 (and Prime 4 honestly), they were afraid to take chances and make a fully realized world in the Metroid universe with deep and interesting characters. I love the Metroid formula, but I would also be lying if I said I didn’t want to see an open world Metroid game with RPG elements and deep and interesting characters.

More Ship Please

In the same vein, I could see an alternate reality where Samus gets caught up in full on dog fights in space in at least a few of the missions in Prime 3. The ship mechanics were at least partially there and while I was playing, in the back of my mind I kept wondering if it would happen. I know it would have taken quite a bit more development time to implement space battles. But, how cool would that have been? We’ve always seen Samus do cool things in her ship whether it be entering or exiting a planet, swooping in to take down some enemy ships, etc. Imagine getting to play one of those sequences.

Overall Thoughts 🤔

Metroid Prime 3 is the best of the Prime games thus far in my opinion. The game didn’t quite reach for the stars and create interesting characters or dialogue for that matter, but at least there were the bones of a cinematic narrative. As Retro tends to do, the level design and game balancing was excellent, planet hopping instead of being stuck on a single planet made the universe feel bigger than it ever has. The ability to upgrade and actually utilize Samus’s ship was a great idea. And, emulating this game with 4K textures was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. The game looked fantastic. However, even without the 4K textures, I think the game still looks decent and the aged graphics do not take away from the overall experience which continued to build upon what Prime and Echoes established.

Where Can I Play This? 🕹️

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is not easily playable in 2026. There’s the original disc that can be played on the Wii (or Wii U) and the Metroid Prime Trilogy on the same systems. Of course, you can emulate the game and run those sweet sweet 4K textures, and option I strongly suggest.

I played Metroid Prime 3: Corruption emulated on my PC using the PrimeHack and 4K textures. I rolled credits on the game and obtained most of the upgrades.

Up Next 📅

Next up, I’m getting back in to the world of fantasy beat ‘em ups with the final game in the Golden Axe trilogy with Golden Axe III, originally released on the Sega Mega Drive!

Gaming in the modern era has changed drastically from even the early 2000s. I cannot exactly pinpoint the year, but it seems anecdotally that one year there weren’t many remakes and remasters and then the next year they were everywhere. Sure, there have been ports of video games from one system to another for quite some time. Games like Super Mario All Stars or various ports of Final Fantasy games to handhelds immediately come to mind. But recently it seems like every time you turn around a game is getting remade or remastered. While as a long time gamer this annoys me to some extent(or maybe it is because I’m an old man now), it doesn’t appear that is the case with the gaming community at large. Here are some notable statistics:

Nearly 90% of gamers report playing a remake or remaster in the last year and most hadn’t even played the original version according to a September 2025 article on Gamespot.

Between 2024-2025, out of a sample of 42 notable releases, nearly half were remakes/remasters, collectively drawing tens of millions of players according to the website VGC(Video Games Chronicle).

While I am annoyed at this trend, I am also a complete hypocrite. I have played and have wanted to play several remasters of video games. Most recently, I played the HD remasters of several The Legend of Zelda games like Wind Waker, Skyward Sword and Twilight Princess. I played and absolutely loved the remake of Link’s Awakening on the Switch. I think the work being done with Final Fantasy VII remake is absolutely amazing. I’m also looking forward to playing the Resident Evil remakes as soon as I can get to them.

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Released in December 1996 in Japan and early 1997 in North America and Europe, Mega Man 8 marked the classic series’ long-awaited debut on 32-bit hardware, launching on both the Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn. Arriving during gaming’s transition to 3D worlds and cinematic storytelling, Capcom instead chose to double down on the franchise’s 2D roots, d…

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Chrono Trigger

Publisher: Square

Developer: Square

Year of Release: 1995

System: Super Nintendo Entertainment System

Item Type: Loose

Price Paid: $110

Current Value (Pricecharting): $234.85

Having gone through most of my Zelda collection with previous posts, it is refreshing to get to move on to another game outside of the heroic elven lad who wears a green tunic. And what a game this is, both in notoriety and in collectability. That game is Chrono Trigger.

Chrono Trigger is hailed by many, including myself, as one of the best JRPGs ever made if not one of the best video games ever made. It was created by Hironobu Sakaguchi (Final Fantasy), Yuji Horii (Dragon Quest) and the art style was of Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball, Dragon Quest). It’s like putting together an all star NBA team consisting of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.

That’s just one reason this game is sought after. Other reasons include a lower print run due to being released late in the SNES life cycle, JRPG fever ramping up after the release of Final Fantasy VII, nostalgia for the game from people who grew up with it and now have money to spend because they have jobs, etc.

I purchased my copy several years ago, around the time the game was valued at a little over $100. At that time I thought goodness gracious, this is the most I will ever spend on a single video games. Oh how wrong I was. But, I am glad I have this in my collection. It is both a special game to me, a game I played with my cousin as a kid and a game that I can be proud to own.

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It’s time for some reflection. Yes, the Nerd Central State of the Stack is here. This is the time where I get to look back and be honest about how my Substack newsletter is doing and talk about what I plan to do in the next year. Last year was the first year of doing this but I quickly realized I would like to perform this exercise every single year.

A R…

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The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Publisher: Nintendo

Year of Release: 2006

System: Nintendo Wii / GameCube

Item Type: Complete in Box

Price Paid: $50

Current Value (Pricecharting): $19.98

What a trip down memory lane. Back in 2006, I was about a year into my career, working as a programmer in an office just starting to learn the ins and outs of the software development industry. The Nintendo Wii release date was announced a little earlier and launch day was approaching. The console was odd but I was making actual money now and so I could afford to go and get the system with my own funds. Rent was low, I was living off of frozen burritos and I was single so I had money to burn.

One of our local Wal-Mart stores was having a midnight release. A buddy of mine who was also a Nintendo nerd agreed to come with and stand in line in the hopes of obtaining one. We knew that shiny new console would go quickly, so we ended up getting to the store and in line around 7pm. I don’t recall exactly what position we were in line, but it was near the front. We passed the time talking to other desperate souls. Some even brought card and board games. This was the first time I had ever waited in line for anything like this, so it was a whole new experience.

Finally, midnight rolled around and I had my chance to pick up the Nintendo Wii. Along with the console, I picked up 2 games: Rayman Raving Rabbids and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Of the two games, you’ll be shocked to hear I was more excited about Zelda than the insanity of the Rabbids.

My gaming habits back then were to really get into a game for a few hours and then grow bored of it and move on to something else. The same thing happened with Twilight Princess. But, I will forever have the memory of waiting in line at Wal-Mart for hours to be one of the first people to have a Nintendo Wii and Twilight Princess.

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Here’s the full list of games I played in 2025, for comparisons sake. This year I finished 31 games which is less than the 45 games completed la…

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The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask

Publisher: Nintendo

Year of Release: 2000

System: Nintendo 64

Item Type: Loose

Price Paid: Not sure

Current Value (Pricecharting): $72.09

This kookie little game came into my possession in a somewhat weird way. I worked with a person who had her original Nintendo 64 along with a handful of games. I forget how the conversation about video games started but she ended up bringing me the console and all her games in a Wal-Mart sack. I have very little memory of how much money - if any - I paid her. Included in her sack were things like Clayfighter 63 1/3, Hot Wheels Turbo Racing, Yoshi’s Story and Beetle Adventure Racing! As you can see, the games ranged from the terrible to the weird to the good or even great. But, amongst those games was a copy of The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask.

Majora’s Mask has become a bit collectible over the years. Even a loose copy will run anywhere from 70 - 80 bucks depending on where you look. A complete in box copy is pushing $200 and a sealed copy is nearly $900. The primary reason for this as is typically the primary reason most collectible games are as expensive as they are is that the game released at the end of the Nintendo 64’s lifespan and so less copies were produced. Add onto that the cult classic status it now holds and, well, you have yourself a bonafide collectible game.

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Released in December 1991 for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, Golden Axe II continued Sega’s iconic side-scrolling beat ’em up series that first stormed arcades in 1989. Developed internally by Sega AM7, the sequel brought back the heroic trio of Ax Battler, Tyris Flare, and Gilius Thunderhead for another quest to save the land from a new villain, the dark…

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The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

Publisher: Nintendo

Year of Release: 2007

System: Nintendo DS

Item Type: Complete in Box

Price Paid: $0

Current Value (Pricecharting): $35.00

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is not a game that was on my radar prior to 2021. I knew of it of course, but my relationship with Zelda games was fickle at best. I owned a lot of them but hadn’t completed any of them. So, when I began this video game journey in 2021, my friend got me a copy of Phantom Hourglass so that we would be prepared to play it when the time came. The game, even complete in box, is quite affordable. Simply from a cost perspective, this game is certainly worth 35 dollars including the game, box and manual. Whether you actually enjoy the game, well that’s another matter entirely. You can read my review of the game above if you would like to know my thoughts on it. Let’s talk about the physical media itself.

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Just like most Zelda titles, the cover artwork is typically superb and Phantom Hourglass is no different. If you are a fan of the Link from Wind Waker - and I am - you will enjoy this cover. We see Link and his boating companion Linebeck front and center. Link appears to be getting ready to defend from some kind of attack. Linebeck is looking like he needs a ton of sleep with those dark circles around his eyes. He’s holding a map, presumably ready to navigate to some amazing treasure. In the background, we see the dreaded Ghost Ship that Link is chasing throughout much of the game. In the foreground below the characters is the Phantom Hourglass logo. I love the design of the hourglass which follows the same cartoonish style that the rest of the game adheres to.

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Released for the Sony PlayStation in the year 2000, Final Fantasy IX marked a nostalgic return to the series’ medieval fantasy origins after the futuristic science fiction-esque settings of Final Fantasy VII and VIII. Developed by Square near the end of the PlayStation’s life cycle, the game was directed by Hiroyuki Ito and produced by series creator Hi…

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Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

Publisher: Nintendo

Year of Release: 1988

System: Nintendo Entertainment System

Item Type: Loose

Price Paid: $0

Current Value (Pricecharting): $24.89

Ahhhh yes, the wonderfully odd and frustrating game that is Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. Nintendo took a big swing with this one and it is debatable whether they hit that ball out of the park or whiffed completely. But this isn’t a review of the game, check out my post above if you want to read my in depth thoughts. Today we are talking about the cartridge itself and my history with it.

And, really, I have no history with Zelda II. I may have rented the game from a video store and played it as a kid, but I don’t exactly recall. The memories I have are the ones of me watching playthroughs of this game or watching and reading reviews and hearing all of the frustration and negativity surrounding it. Again, this is not a review, but I don’t like taking other people’s opinions as truth and so I ended up playing it from beginning to end a few years ago (read my post above!) to form my own opinions.

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How did I obtain this game? Well, I have a good friend who gave me his Nintendo collection to hold onto for safe keeping and Zelda II just so happened to be a part of that collection. The game is pretty affordable, especially in its loose form but I am still grateful to have been given the cartridge.

Unfortunately, that’s all I have. I do not own the manual and certainly do not own the original box or inserts. I will provide a link to the digital copy of the manual because I want to discuss it briefly.

https://www.nintendo.co.jp/clv/manuals/en/pdf/CLV-P-NAASE.pdf

The manual doesn’t veer too far from the original The Legend of Zelda’s manual. The same golden front cover is still present, the first few pages of the manual contain an introductory story combined with custom artwork, the middle of the manual contains the core game instructions and the end of the manual has a little guide on how to start the first few minutes of the game.

Before we get into the paid content, I want to shout out this post by . She came up with a neat little concept in which us game loving fools can post about various categories until Christmas Eve. Join in on the fun if you wish!

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The 12 Plays of Game-mas

I published my first piece here about a month or two ago. Ever since reading other pieces about video games, I think I’ve found my niche and developed a love of writing non-fiction again…

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5 months ago · 35 likes · 11 comments · Amy J

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Released in 2004 for the Nintendo GameCube, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes was the highly anticipated sequel to Retro Studios’ acclaimed Metroid Prime (2002). Building on the first game’s successful blend of first-person exploration and atmospheric world-building, Echoes pushed the series into more challenging territory both thematically and mechanically. The …

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