Super Paper Mario

I think it best that I come out swinging for this review. Super Paper Mario has a lot of interesting ideas but fails to properly execute any of them. Unlike its predecessor, it is woefully dated graphically. Combine that with boring level design, a penchant for padding and a tonally inconsistent plot and you have one of the most middling games in the entire Mario series. Perhaps the most disappointing game in Intelligent Systems’ entire catalog, there is no reason to play Super Paper Mario when there are hundreds of better platformers out there.

Final Fantasy VI

Final Fantasy VI is heralded as one of the greatest JRPGs of not only the Super Nintendo era, but of all-time. Beloved for its approach to storytelling, memorable characters, excellent presentation and deep and exploitable battle system, Final Fantasy VI is legendary among gamers, young and old. It says something about a game when a debate rages on whether this title or its immediate sequel, Final Fantasy VII, is the superior game. Even now, 20 years after its original Japanese release, Final Fantasy VI is still an absolute classic that may have actually become better with age.

Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door

RPGs aren’t a genre for everyone. When you consider how non-interactive the game portions of titles like Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy are, it’s a wonder that the genre ever caught on. That’s not to say that there weren’t more interactive alternatives to the typical DQ battle system, there were. Square’s own Parasite Eve and Super Mario RPG created inventive new battle systems that forced players to pay attention and stay invested in even the easiest of battles. The Super Mario RPG style of battle, which is heavily dependent on timing button presses, found its way into its spiritual successor series, Paper Mario. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, the 2^nd title in the sub-series, expands on concepts first presented in the 1996 SNES RPG but in doing this, reveals some problems with the interactive battle system.

Pokemon X

Pokemon, like many Nintendo series, has never been a risk-taker. Innovation has never been a focus of the series. Game Freak has always been more concerned about adding in neat new gimmicks that take advantage of Nintendo's new technology while occasionally throwing a bone to the devoted hardcore Pokemon fans who spend days agonizing over numbers and stats. It's a wonderful formula as it draws in jaded old-timers as well as new blood. But it appears that there was a shake-up at Game Freak as Pokemon X is the first truly "new" and "different" Pokemon game since Pokemon Gold. 

Nier

  Nier is a game that you really have to work at in order to enjoy it. As with nearly everything made by Cavia, it’s got numerous kinks and oddities that may make it a bit too unpolished for most people to enjoy. Cavia wasn’t a technically skilled team but what they lacked in skill, they made up for with an interesting plot and some of the most lovable characters in the 7^th generation. Cavia managed to create one of the most gripping, heartwarming and often-times depressing tales to come out of this generation. Games like Deadly Premonition and Hotel Dusk have shown that top-notch gameplay is not required to make a great game and Nier most definitely fits that mold. This is Square Enix and Cavia’s cult hit, Nier.

The World Ends With You

Square Enix’s recent track record in the last 5 years can be described with one word. “Iffy”. They’ve published some well received titles such as 2010’s cult hit “Nier” and the surefire hit “Dragon Quest IX” but the lukewarm reception to the long awaited “Final Fantasy XIII” and the long delayed “3rd Birthday” hurt the company’s reputation. And that’s without mentioning the numerous controversies about their DLC practices and perceived lack of innovation. Yet, in every argument about Square Enix, one game is always brought up. And that game is “The World Ends With You”.