Wow…I was nearing the end of June having finished very little games for the month. I was putting the same amount of time into gaming as usual but some months it just works out that way. However, I was able to wrap up a couple games during the last week so that I would at least have few games to talk about!
Blossom Tales 2 is a charming 2D action-adventure that makes it perfectly clear which franchise inspired it. Blossom Tales includes a lot of what 2D Zeldas are know for such as heart containers, dungeons, bows, boomerangs, bombs, spin attacks, and even a Master Sword-style weapon. Heck, there is even a talking ancient tree! As a sequel to the 2017 original, it doesn’t reach Nintendo’s level of polish, but it captures enough of that classic formula to be an enjoyable adventure in its own right. The story is framed around a grandfather telling a bedtime tale to his two grandchildren, with their occasional disagreements influencing parts of the narrative and adding a fun twist in which you get to offer input. I actually wish that aspect had been used more often. Combat is fairly easy, especially with the generous supply of healing potions, but the puzzle-solving and exploration remain engaging throughout. There are plenty of collectibles and optional activities for completionists, though the limited map makes tracking down certain NPCs and side objectives more annoying than it should be. At around 16 hours, the game feels just the right length. I would recommend this for anyone looking for a solid Zelda-like 2D adventure.
I was curious about Yoshi and the Mysterious Book from the first time it was announced. After playing, it actually exceeded my expectations. Traditional goal-based levels are replaced with what essentially are playgrounds centered on exploration and experimentation. Each playground, of which there are more than 50, focuses on interacting with a creature. Each creature introduces a new gameplay mechanic. Every single one! The number and variety of unique game mechanics crammed into this game is astounding. Hunting for cleverly hidden Yoshi flowers in each area made exploration consistently rewarding. I felt the flowers provided a satisfying challenge for experienced gamers. I appreciated the decision to remove death as a form of failure. Removing it encourages players to freely experiment and uncover the surprises the developers hid throughout each level. While some critics dismissed Yoshi as a short, easy game, I feel that misses the point entirely. Yoshi is a game designed to be explored, not rushed, and it will easily be one of my favorite games of the year.
Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition initially held little appeal for me since I had already spent 83 hours with the original just 18 months earlier. I had no desire to replay such a massive game. However, I got curious and the $10 upgrade price convinced me to check out the new content and enhanced 4K visuals. The game truly does look splendid in 4K. It was fun just to take in the scenery. The other standout addition is the ether jets, motorcycle-like vehicles that make exploring the world much faster. It’s fun speeding across terrain you previously had to walk. I would classify the new Grand Prix mode as ok. It’s not bad but not great either. It offers 10 race and score-attack courses across familiar locations. The real challenge comes from simply staying on the track and finding the next marker versus competing with the other riders. My other focus in revisiting this world was side quests I had missed 18 months ago. However, because I was thorough during my initial play through, there weren’t many left, and those that did remain were often blocked due to story progression. I was at the endgame so areas were no longer accessible. Even continuing the rebuild of Colony 9 was made tougher due to materials being located in areas that are now blocked. But even with all those limitations, I still got about 10 hours of fun from the update, and the improved visuals and new content made it feel well worth the $10. It was fun to jump back into this world.
Games I’m Playing Into June
Dragon Quest VII Reimagined, Star Fox (2026)
Nintendo Switch Online (NSO)
I always like to keep one NSO game in my rotation. I will usually only play each game a week or two and then move on to the next. My goal isn’t necessarily to beat the games on NSO but to either briefly revisit or gain the experience of what they offer.
Vertical Force has been one of my biggest surprises on VB NSO. It’s a top-down vertical scrolling space shooter that uses the VB’s 3D to create an upper and lower plane you can alternate between at any time. Do you take the upper plane where there are less enemies, or the lower plane which is more dangerous but includes the power ups? It’s a short game with only 4 stages. While I did beat it, that was playing on the easy difficulty. I wasn’t quite able to get through it on normal.
It took a long time for Donkey Kong 64 to finally land on NSO. I ended up putting more time into this game than I usually do for NSO games. That was partly due to me really enjoying this game and the fact there was nothing else released on NSO during the month. I played DK64 to completion during the N64 days and have fond memories. To me the game holds up really well. Many will complain there are too many collectibles but I’m not one of them. Exploring worlds for hidden items is one of my favorite things to do in games, so Donkey Kong 64 really appeals to me. In this revisit I played through the first 3 worlds finding everything…with the exception of one Tiny Kong banana.
The year was 1996. I was still young at 23 years old, trying to find my way in the world. At the beginning of the year I had landed a full-time job. It was nice to finally be getting full time hours but in reality it was the very definition of a dead end job that I would spend entirely too many years doing. I had graduated college the year before and, naturally, the job I landed had nothing to do with my degree. By this time I already had a 4 year old daughter to take care of. In addition my long-time girlfriend and I had gotten married in late August of this same year. But something was coming the next month that I couldn’t wait to get my hands on. September 29th to be precise. Yes, it was the Nintendo 64.
Look at those curves!
I was already deep into Nintendo’s ecosystem by this time. I received an NES for Christmas when I was 15 years old and bought the Super Nintendo the first time I saw it in a store. I had progressed well beyond casual gamer into enthusiast, probably early in the NES years. I had bought 47 games for my SNES, including many RPGs which had become my favorite genre. I also subscribed to gaming magazines so when images from Japan for something called the Ultra 64 started appearing in their pages I was excited. They spoke of playing Mario in a 3D world which, to be honest, I probably didn’t even comprehend the significance of while reading.
There wasn’t much better than finding stuff like this in your mailbox
A month or two prior to September I learned that you could preorder this new system through Toys R Us (TRU) so that’s exactly what I did. At the time TRU would have a preorder slip on the rack that you would take to the cashier and put some money down for it. After securing one was complete, I just had to wait. Curiously, I had the willpower to avoid the demo kiosks available to play Mario 64. I wanted my first experience to be when I opened the box, in the comfort of my own home with all the time I wanted.
My original game
The N64 was set to release on September 29th which was a Sunday. It was now two days earlier on Friday. I was at work dreaming about what the weekend was going to be like knowing half of it would include a Nintendo 64. While the job wasn’t good for pay or benefits, it was an 8-4pm job that did afford me weekends off. There was a lot of downtime with this job so I had a lot of time to daydream. Around noon on that Friday I decided to call TRU just to be sure everything was still a go for Sunday. You can imagine my shock when I was told the systems had come in early and if I had a presale ticket I could come and get it now…what?!?!!
This store actually looks nicer than the one I remember in my town
As I hung up the phone, heart suddenly racing, I began to figure out the best way to get this as soon as possible. While TRU was 5 minutes from my workplace, I didn’t have my presale ticket or the rest of the money to purchase it with me. That was all at home which was around 30 minutes away. I decided to call my wife and ask her to grab the ticket and go purchase the system. That way I wouldn’t have to drive home to get the ticket, drive all the way back to TRU and then all the way back home. She agreed to do it. I also knew there was no way I was going to finish out my 4 hours at work so I faked stomach issues and was permitted to leave early. Dishonest? Absolutely. But sometimes you need to treat yourself!
I came home to an empty house which I expected since my wife was picking up the system. Eventually I saw her pull into the driveway and get out of the car. As she started walking toward the house it was obvious something was missing. She wasn’t carrying anything with her. Was she trying to give me a good laugh knowing I was watching her? Unfortunately, the answer was no. As she walked in the door she told me TRU had told her while they had them in store, they couldn’t release them until Sunday.
You had to have 4 of them!
Talk about a gut punch! I went from being on top of the world 3 minutes earlier to dejection once I learned what had happened. Sunday was still two days away and I had spent the last hour anticipating playing it now! At this point I just felt sick and angry. I didn’t feel like doing anything for the next hour as a I processed what had happened. Eventually, I decided to call TRU back and vent since social media wasn’t a thing yet. Heck, maybe they would feel sorry for me and make me an exception since they had originally told me wrong.
Remember these?
So I dialed the number ready to complain. Once I was transferred to the correct department I began my story. Before I could finish the person interrupted me and said they are glad I had called back. In fact, it was my wife who was told wrong. They were selling them after all and if we wanted to come back we could get it. Suddenly the day began to get a little brighter! But what I did next I’ve never felt good about. Instead of grabbing the ticket and going to pick it up, I convinced my wife to do it instead. I’ve never been one to go shopping but this was my item so I should have been the one to go get it. But she agreed and headed back. In the hour it took for this to occur I remember playing Super Nintendo knowing this would be the last time I played it as my main system. But man, I should have been the one to go get it. What a jerk!
So long old friend, you may not be the main console anymore but will never be forgotten
By the time she got back it was nearing the time I would have gotten home had I stayed at work my entire shift. I guess faking the illness didn’t benefit me at all. Anyway, this time she got out of the car holding the oversized bag I had expected the first time. Alright!! I was delayed a little, but it was finally time to try this thing out!
I began hooking it up. But something wasn’t right. As I attempted the connections it was obvious something was missing. The N64 came with a red, white, and yellow composite cable. The TV we had at the time did not have inputs for those. My TV only had a connection for an RF Adapter which did not come with the N64. I hooked up what I could which meant I could hear Mario yelping and yahooing through the speakers but I couldn’t see anything. I could not believe it. After faking an illness at work and making my wife go to TRU twice for me, I deserved it all. By this time I was just done. I knew the piece I needed was sold at TRU but I didn’t even want to deal with it anymore. I put everything down and tried to forget about games the rest of the day. The next morning I drove to TRU (yes me), got the RF adapter and began the magical game that is Mario 64. I just had a heck of a time getting there.
I had to have one
Note: I’ve thought about this story many times since it happened 30 years ago. But as I was writing this blog, something occurred to me for the first time. My Super Nintendo was obviously hooked up to the TV using an RF adapter. Could I have simply used the same RF adapter for my N64? I looked it up. I sure could have! That never crossed my mind! I must have unhooked the Super Nintendo and put everything, cables and all in a corner in anticipation for the new Nintendo 64. What I needed was simply lying in the corner. Unbelievable! Again, I deserved it.
I enjoy writing about Nintendo Directs because a year or two from now it’s tough to remember what the expectations were going in and what was truly a new reveal during the show. This is mostly written for my own benefit but if anyone else enjoys reading that’s just a bonus. I’m only going to focus on the content that interested me so there will be plenty of quality games that were in the show not included here. I’m writing this a few days after the show occurred but will mostly focus on what my reactions were during the show.
This was the first mainline Nintendo Direct in around 9 months so there was a lot of anticipation for it. Unfortunately, a lot of the content had been leaked prior to the show which always annoys me. Fortunately, I was able to avoid most of it although there was one major leak that was just unavoidable to know about if you are in the gaming sphere at all online. I will never understand why everyone wants to spread leaks so quickly but that’s a topic of another article. It was heavily rumored the week before that June 9th would be the date, and it was correct. Personally, I was hoping it was incorrect because I was out of town that day. I was still able to watch the Direct live, but not in the comfort of my home.
I felt the Direct started off in an odd way when the first game chosen to be showcased was a Switch 1 game, Rhythm Heaven Groove. I’m interested in this game and plan to buy it. But to start the show with a Switch 1 game was weird. I thought they would have started the show with a banger and ended with a banger. Within this first segment an rpg mode was demonstrated that surprised me. I think that mode has potential. Maybe Nintendo wanted to get the one Switch 1 exclusive game out of the way? It’s set to release within a month.
The next game that mattered to me was Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen. As will be the case with many games in this Direct, this game has already released on other consoles but it now coming to Switch 2. While I’m interested in Dragon’s Dogma 2, the chances are high it will go on my wishlist and never come off it due to the number of other games available to play. I’m sure I would like this because I enjoyed the original. But will I ever find the time is the bigger question.
Rayman Legends Retold was announced as coming to Nintendo Switch 2 in October. This would have been a really cool announcement except it had already been revealed in another presentation that took place only a week earlier. While there was nothing surprising about it here, it was still nice to see it included.
Next up is Pokemon Pokopia dlc! I’m not sure why this surprised me while watching. With the popularity of the game dlc was probably a given. I was happy to see it. While I put nearly 80 hours into the base game, Pokopia has been out of my rotation for a couple months. It will be nice to jump back in. Later it was announced the dlc costs $35 which I think is a bit much. There are 3 waves coming but at this point Nintendo isn’t telling us what the last 2 waves consist of. I think I will need to see what is actually included before spending that much on dlc.
Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave followed. This is another game I plan to buy. I’ve bought most of the Fire Emblem games but did skip the last release, Fire Emblem: Engage. I’m ready to jump back in. It was announced there are 4 heroes in this game so that may mean 4 paths (or more) to take? It looks similar to Fire Emblem: Three Houses as far as structure. A release date was announced, September 17, 2026.
The next announcement really got me excited while watching, but then seeing what it actually consists of later, isn’t quite as great as I anticipated. Announced for NSO is DK Challenge. For a few seconds I thought this was actually a new game. Turns out there will be challenges added for retro Donkey Kong games on NSO for which virtual cards can be earned. I thought this sounded great and my immediate thought is I hope they don’t stop with the Donkey Kong games! I was thinking new challenges added to older games. But what it actually consists of is just playing and completing a random level from an old game. They even let you use rewind. While I will fully participate to earn all of the cards, I had hoped there was a little more to it than that.
After showcasing a few games that didn’t interest me, we got to the Xenoblade Chronicles segment. Xenoblade 1, 2, and 3 are all getting NS2 editions. Each game seems to have some extras thrown in besides the typical upgrade in graphics and frame rate. While watching I kind of zoned out a little because there is no way I’m going to replay any of these. While I love them they are way too long for replays. But after a few days I’m kind of coming around actually bought the Xenoblade 1 NS2 Edition to check out the little extras that are included. I’ll do some sidequests I’m sure I missed the first time so I can appreciate the new 4K. But the big announcement from this segment was the reveal of the next game, Xenoblade Genesis! I thought it looks great, but with a release date of 2027 it’s tough to get too excited for it now. However, it’s nice to know it’s coming.
After the Xenoblade segment ended, Nintendo Switch Sports Resort was announced. Apparently this was something that had leaked prior to the show but I had somehow avoided it so it was new to me. I never bought Wii Sports Resort or Nintendo Switch Sports but I think I’m ready to jump in and experience this title. There was a heavy emphasis on a new thumb wrestling game which I found entertaining while watching. I’m not a big motion control guy but it has been a long time since I’ve played a game like this. I’m looking forward to it.
Star Fox made a brief appearance. I am 100% buying this game. There wasn’t too much in this Direct because it had received a dedicated Direct only a few weeks earlier, and it’s due out in a couple weeks. A demo was announced as available today which is nice. I don’t plan to play the demo since I already know I’m getting it.
Following Star Fox was a new game called Final Fantasy Resonance. It’s described as using the HD 2D style and showcased many Final Fantasy heroes throughout the series. It appears you can summon some of the characters who then look like they do in the modern games. I’m definitely interested.
Splatoon Raiders got a segment. I’m really intrigued with this game especially since it’s single player focused. Every time new info is revealed it just looks better and better to me. A Splatoon Raiders Direct was announced for June 30th, so another show to look forward to! It’s not too far away with a July 23rd release date, which was known before this Direct.
Metaphor ReFantazio finally made an appearance on Switch 2. Admittedly, I really don’t know much about this besides it’s an rpg and it got stellar reviews when it launched on other consoles. That’s enough for me to take notice.
The next segment really surprised me: Kingdoms Hearts. Three of the classic Kingdom Hearts games are coming to Switch 2 in October. While they were available on Switch 1, they were cloud versions. A demo of Kingdom Hearts 3 is available today. I plan to try the demo. I have always been interested in Kingdom Hearts but have never played any of them. But the big news was a segment on Kingdom Hearts 4! What was so surprising is that this Direct followed Sony, Xbox, and Summer Game Fest shows. None of those shows included this game so to see it showcased here surprised me.
That brought the Direct to it’s final announcement. Unfortunately, due to the leaks I mentioned earlier, I’m assuming everyone knew what it was. I certainly did. Without prior knowledge I think it would have been a mind blowing moment. But the Direct ended with the official announcement of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake! While it was announced, very little was shown of the game so it’s still not clear exactly what type of art style will be used, or how different it’s going to be from the original. Honestly, they probably showed too little. That, combined with the fact everyone knew it was coming, lead to some disappointment online. But whatever. I expect this game to be phenomenal when we get to play it, sometime in 2026!
Overall, I thought the Direct was pretty good. If it graded on a 10 point scale I would probably go with an 8 – great. Looking at all the games I’m interested in, there is definitely not a lack of games to play, and that’s what is important.
This month I was able to finish off a couple of longer games I had been working on. I also continued to slowly chisel my way through the games included in UFO 50. Finally, NSO continues to be part of my regular rotation. These are the games I played in May 2026.
I wasn’t sure what to think when Pokémon Pokopia was first announced, but I was intrigued by its Dragon Quest Builders-style gameplay. Once more details were revealed, I felt confident I would enjoy it and so bought it on launch day and jumped in. Pokémon Pokopia has no battles, which is a big positive for me because Pokémon battling is my least favorite part of the series. The game features five ruined worlds, and I liked that rebuilding towns is completely optional. I’m not very creative and preferred focusing on objectives and collecting Pokémon instead. Most of my time was spent completing story and side objectives while trying to attract as many Pokémon as possible by crafting habitats and hunting down materials. I had a blast with the game and played well past the credits. I collected over 200 of the roughly 300 Pokémon included. My main complaint was the inventory and storage system which was hard to manage. But overall the game exceeded my expectations and will likely be one of my favorites this year.
Warp Tank is the 20th game in UFO 50’s fictional chronology. I’d rank it among the better entries so far. You control a tank that clings to whatever surface it’s on, traveling along outlined paths and using a warp mechanic to flip between floors, ceilings, and opposite walls. 90 degree angles are impassible but 45-degree slopes allow you to reorient your movement. Much of the game revolves around figuring out how to use these mechanics to reach new areas, both in the puzzle-focused stages and throughout the interconnected overworld. The overworld adds a nice sense of exploration with 27 stage areas to discover. I did find that restarting in the same location every session sometimes made finding and navigating back to unfinished areas frustrating. Combat exists but is generally light, with only occasional enemy encounters and a couple of boss fights to break up the puzzles. Like many UFO 50 games, Warp Tank initially appears simple before revealing surprising depth through its mechanics, secrets, and hidden collectibles. Although a few sections briefly stumped me, most puzzles stayed approachable, and overall I had a great time with it.
Waldorf’s Journey is the 21st game in UFO 50’s fictional chronology. This is a simple but enjoyable arcade-style experience. You control a walrus trying to reach a cave at the end of the game’s single stage by flinging yourself between small, widely spaced ledges while avoiding falling into the water. The main challenge comes from estimating jump distance and managing a limited air-control meter that depletes whenever you adjust your movement mid-flight. Fish pickups and shop items can restore or temporarily improve control. The game is very short, skilled players could likely finish it in under 10 minutes. I managed to beat it twice within an hour. The number of clam shells collected throughout the run determine the ending received, but they also serve as currency for helpful shop items. This creates a small risk-reward element. Overall, Waldorf’s Journey was a fun little game to try, even if it lacks much depth or long-term substance.
I originally planned to play Blue Prince through Game Pass but waited until I could properly dedicate time to it, eventually buying it on Switch 2 and making it my main game for a month. The game revolves around exploring a constantly shifting 45-room mansion in search of a hidden 46th room, with randomized room placement and puzzle-solving driving the experience. Clues are scattered everywhere, often mixed with red herrings, making note-taking essential. I got to the point I got tired of taking notes outside the game because it just became too much. Despite moments of frustration in which some of my runs felt like aimless meandering just looking for anything that might be a clue, solving puzzles and piecing together the mansion’s mysteries was incredibly satisfying. There were a couple that took many days of effort but were usually worth it. It took me 63 in-game days (runs) to reach the ending. When I say ending, I simply mean reaching the hidden 46th room and triggering the credits. With all of the mysteries I didn’t solve, and clues I never did make sense of, I’m sure I barely scratched the surface with how deep you can get into this game. Overall very fun.
I bought the Nintendo 3DS version of Tomodachi Life and ended up enjoying it, so when Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream was announced for Switch, I knew immediately I would buy it. Playing the new version felt very nostalgic and closely captured what I remembered from the original, though I do wish Nintendo had introduced more truly new ideas. Tomodachi Life is difficult to explain because the appeal comes from creating an island full of Miis you care about and watching their lives unfold while you subtly guide them like a god rather than directly controlling them. In my game I created Miis of myself, my wife, and around 25 celebrities, and I became attached to all of them as they developed unique personalities, formed relationships, got married, and in one instance had a kid. Some of the funniest moments came from the completely unfiltered dialogue you can assign to Miis, which even made my non-gamer wife laugh. While the inability to easily import Miis was frustrating (I was still able to do it using my New Nintendo 3DS), I really enjoyed the unpredictable charm of the game. This is truly a game in which what you get out of it will be largely dependent upon the effort you are willing to put into it.
Games I’m Playing Into June
Yoshi & the Mysterious Book, Dragon Quest VII Reimagined
Nintendo Switch Online (NSO)
I always like to keep one NSO game in my rotation. I will usually only play each game a week or two and then move on to the next. My goal isn’t necessarily to beat the games on NSO but to either briefly revisit or gain the experience of what they offer.
The Tower of Druaga (NES)…Time Spent Playing: 6 hours, 25 minutes…Beat: No…Previously Played: No…Finished: 05/07/26
I went into The Tower of Druaga expecting almost nothing and assumed I’d only play it for a couple hours, but it completely surprised me and held my attention for two full weeks. Even though it has a lot of frustrating design choices and basically requires a guide, I still had a blast chasing upgrades and progressing until the difficulty spike on floor 59 finally stopped me, one floor from the top of the tower.
The Mansion of Innsmouth (VB)…Time Spent Playing: 2 hours, 20 minutes…Beat: Yes…Previously Played: No…Finished: 05/14/26
The Mansion of Innsmouth is 1st person and will remind most of an old school Doom game in which you are running around corridors. The goal is to find the key and escape the maze. It’s a short game with different paths to take similar to the way Star Fox 64 is structured. While there are 45 stages in the game you will only experience 13 on any given run. I beat it three times during the week I played it but was never able to get the best ending.
Jack Bros. is a top-down maze crawler where you search each floor for keys, fight enemies, and descend through increasingly difficult sections. I really liked the fact you use the right stick to aim and the game automatically fires allowing you to walk in the opposite direction. The timer is your health. I enjoyed learning the maze layouts through repeated runs and was able to get to the last area of the game before the difficulty became too much. I’m glad I spent a few hours experiencing this game.
I found Space Invaders Virtual Collection more nostalgic than exciting, since the gameplay remains extremely simple and repetitive. 3D Space Invaders is different from classic Space Invaders in that the rows of enemies are in front of you charging forward instead of dropping down on you from above. The slow single-shot firing mechanic reinforced the feeling that Space Invaders is more enjoyable as a memory than as a modern gaming experience.
Meetup in Bellabel Park leans heavily into multiplayer, which didn’t appeal to me. I picked it up for the single-player content and ended up really enjoying the Koopa Kid fights, which each had unique mechanics and later offered tougher rematches. They were a lot of fun to figure out and really exceeded what a normal Mario boss battle entails. For me, the 74 challenge levels were the main draw, providing fun but increasingly difficult twists on existing stages. I certainly couldn’t complete them all. I think I tapped out at 63 completed. Some of them demanded near perfection. There is also a decorating mode that was added but I didn’t get into it much, outside of collecting all of the flowers available. Overall, I felt it was worth $20, although I understand why others may disagree. And like most, I wish Nintendo would simply add a new world or two to play through when they add additional content.
Even after playing I’m unsure how I feel about Life Is Strange: Double Exposure. I would place it near the bottom of my favorite LiS games despite moments where I really enjoyed the story. The game follows Max Caulfield, now a young college professor, who can jump between two parallel timelines after a traumatic event plays out differently in each one. The college campus setting feels immersive, with several main characters and plenty of optional background conversations that add depth, although I missed much of this early on while learning the game’s flow. I will note that the Switch version looks noticeably bad when playing docked, even on Switch 2, although it still plays fine. While I ultimately liked the story, I found the timeline mechanics confusing at times and disliked a major plot element the game utilizes. The element feels like a lazy cop-out and I don’t like when games use it. I also feel the game lacks the emotional impact of Max and Chloe’s relationship from the original. Despite all of this I think I still come away with an overall positive impression although I understand why others may not.
Resident Evil Requiem is unique because it blends classic Resident Evil exploration and ammo conservation with the more modern, frantic action style of Resident Evil. I strongly preferred the classic approach, and Grace’s slower mansion segments felt like “true” Resident Evil to me. However, I didn’t like Grace as a character because her extreme timidness and constant stuttering never improves throughout the game. I found it quickly annoying. Leon is the complete opposite, and while I didn’t enjoy his gameplay style as much, I still had fun with most of his sections. That said, his late-game level fighting military enemies didn’t feel like Resident Evil at all, and I couldn’t wait for that level to be completed. By the time I finished, I was ready for the game to be over and I don’t feel any desire to replay it right now. Also, what happened to the near perfect map system of the other recent Resident Evil games? I missed knowing when I had completely exhausted a room. The map system in Requiem is fine but I would have rather it utilized the same map system as the other games. Resident Evil Requiem is a great game but I think most others like it more than me.
Cyberpunk is a classic example of how no game, regardless of how great, just isn’t for everyone. Cyberpunk is not for me. I only bought it because of a pricing error on the eshop that reduced the price to $14. In the 5 hours I played, I never felt the desire to keep playing. I was only playing hoping the game would eventually get its hooks in me. My biggest problem is the game setting. This game is set in a gritty city in which everyone is a thug and most people lie or cheat to better themselves. I hated playing in this environment. Walk into a building, try to be stealthy, gun fight once you are caught, shoot and be shot at. Repeat. That’s what it felt like to me and gun fighting in games is something I don’t enjoy. My map began to fill up with side quest markers and that usually excites me in games. I’m the type that methodically clears everything out. But here I was actively avoiding anything that wasn’t part of the main story because I didn’t want to stay in the world any longer than necessary. Knowing with my play style this would probably be a 60+ hour game, I decided to cut my losses at 5 hours and get out. There was nothing about it I liked.
Games I’m Playing Into May
Pokemon Pokopia, Tomodachi Life, Blue Prince
Nintendo Switch Online (NSO)
I always like to keep one NSO game in my rotation. I will usually only play each game a week or two and then move on to the next. My goal isn’t necessarily to beat the games on NSO but to either briefly revisit or gain the experience of what they offer.
I was somewhat surprised with how much I liked Mario Clash. The play area is similar to a cube. You can play in the foreground and background and can even throw shells between the two. Many enemies cannot be damaged from the side so throwing shells from these unique perspectives is required. Pipes allow for quick transport to different areas of each level. There are 40 levels to play through. The furthest I got was level 17. The game quickly gets tough and remembering to watch for enemy fire from the back and front takes some getting used to. Fun game!
Red Alarm is a wireframe space shooter that feels very similar to Star Fox 64, complete with level-based gameplay and bosses at the end of each stage. The ship’s speed can be controlled, even stopping and reversing, but doing so drains limited fuel. While the controls felt rough at first, the game became immersive once I got the hang of them. I think this would have been a must-own Virtual Boy title back in the day.
This was my first time playing this version of Pac-Man. The game looks and sounds exactly how I remember it being in arcades. As is typical for old arcade games, it’s tough. They wanted you pumping quarters into the machine every 5 minutes or so. But this game does not play well with a d-pad. More than half of my deaths were the result of unresponsive controls and that got frustrating fast. I had planned on playing 3 hours during the week but after 2 hours I was more than finished.
I had never heard of this game until it released on NSO. It’s an arcade style game played in a top-down overview on a single screen. The board is made of tiles which can be flipped to reveal various effects. The goal is to push all the enemies on screen into walls. The game gets frantic quick but with unlimited continues and with enough practice, it’s not impossible. There are 90 boards of which I made it through 80+. It was fun to try out for a week.
All right! I made it to the second month of completing this monthly blog! I didn’t finish quite as many games this month compared to last but that’s just the way it works out sometimes. It wasn’t due to me playing less. But enough of that, let’s see what I played this month. Again, any games I’m still playing into April (such as Pokemon Pokopia) won’t be listed below.
Gimmick! 2 released on Switch in 2024 as a sequel to the 1992 NES game Gimmick!, which I had never played or even really heard of before. I first became interested after seeing other gamers online praise it, and when it dropped to $2 on the eShop I decided to give it a try. At first glance it looks like a cute and simple platformer starring a blob-like character, but it quickly reveals a surprising level of difficulty. Your main abilities are jumping and throwing a star, which can defeat enemies, activate switches, or be used creatively for advanced platforming tricks. The game can be tough, with frequent deaths, but generous checkpoints keep the action moving and prevent frustration. I finished the five worlds with a 55% completion rate, skipping many of the challenging hidden treasures, but still found it to be a simple yet enjoyable platforming experience.
I picked up the Resident Evil Generation Pack which consisted of Resident Evil 7, Resident Evil Village (8), and Resident Evil Requiem (9). I decided to play Village first since I had played 7 several years before. Village plays much like the classic Resident Evil games, with exploration, locked paths, puzzles, and careful resource management that always seems to give you just enough ammo to survive. The game features five main areas, though the first felt the most substantial, and a map system makes it easy to track where you’ve been and what you’ve missed. Jump scares, moments where avoiding enemies is smarter than fighting, and several unexpected plot twists kept the experience exciting. I finished with the game clock reading over 15 hours and found it to be an awesome experience overall.
UFO 50’s The Big Bell Race, the collection’s 19th game by its fictional timeline, acts as a semi-sequel to Campanella, the 17th game. Instead of navigating an obstacle course, you race the same boost-driven spaceship around small, single-screen tracks against identical ships in different colors. Controls remain the same, steer and boost with no brakes, while track items provide weapons and boost zones for speed advantages. Ships can take three hits before exploding, though finishing a lap restores some defense, and races last only a minute or two across 7–8 laps. A championship consists of eight races where points determine the winner. It ended up being the easiest game in the collection for me. I won the championship on my first try rolling the credits in about 15 minutes and swept all eight races to earn the cherry (platinum) in my next attempt, The Big Bell Race is a fun but very easy experience.
Shadows of Rose is the story DLC for Resident Evil Village. The first half of the DLC felt bland, taking place in a small mansion area that seemed underwhelming compared to the base game. Enemy variety was also lacking, with only a couple of unimpressive, bullet-sponge types that didn’t feel threatening. The second half improved significantly, shifting into a more fantastical setting that felt unexpected for a Resident Evil game. These sections emphasized puzzles and stealth, often leaving the main character without a weapon and forcing her to hide from enemies. This change of pace helped develop the main character’s story and made the experience more engaging. It ultimately ended the DLC on a strong note for me.
Mario Tennis Fever was generally well-reviewed, though many reviewers criticized its Adventure mode. I have to agree. I found the Adventure mode tedious and overly tutorial-heavy. I was glad to see it end after 4 hours. But as a single-player-focused gamer, the story mode is not what I’m interested in. To me, the core appeal lies in the tennis gameplay. That gameplay delivers, offering a fun and challenging experience with 38 characters and 30 fever rackets to mix and match. The fever rackets are risk/reward and not a win button which I really appreciated. I spent most of my time playing Star Cup which provided an engaging challenge. The lack of recognition for winning the Cup with different characters was disappointing although I still did it with nearly half the roster. There are several difficulties to choose from and the hardest “Ace” was too much for me. Additional single-player content, especially Tower Control and its 100 extra challenges, added depth and variety. Overall, the game succeeds where it matters most, with enjoyable and strategic tennis gameplay.
Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE is a remake of the 2003 PlayStation 2 game and the third Fatal Frame title I’ve played. The series is different in that you use a camera as your weapon, damaging ghosts by photographing them, with “fatal frame” shots dealing maximum damage when taken at the last second. The game’s story centers on a disturbing twin sacrifice ritual in an isolated village, told mostly through journals and notes that are found. It can be confusing but I was still able to get the main gist of it. Exploration takes place in an abandoned village with several enterable houses (similar to manors in Resident Evil) where you find upgrades, better film, and earn points from encounters to improve your camera. The early game is the weakest part due to slow, underpowered combat, but once upgraded the ghost battles become extremely fun and satisfying. After finishing the game in about 21 hours, I replayed it immediately to put another 12 hours into a second playthrough. I rarely play games twice but I loved the experience enough to not want it to end.
Nintendo Switch Online (NSO)
I always like to keep one NSO game in my rotation. I will usually only play each game a week or two and then move on to the next. My goal isn’t necessarily to beat the games on NSO but to either briefly revisit or gain the experience of what they offer.
Teleroboxer is like playing Punchout in 3D. There are 7 fighters to get through. Each fighter’s strategy varies widely. I was able to get through 5 of the fighters. This game is tough largely because the controls felt counterintuitive to me. Even after 3 hours I still had to think about the controls instead of simply reacting. Regardless, still enjoyed the time I put into it figuring out each of my opponents.
Of the few VB games that were ever released, Mario’s Tennis was near the top of the games I wanted to try out. This game is tough! Faults on serves, routinely hitting the ball out of bounds during match play, missing the ball due to bad timing, this is all stuff the modern Mario Tennis games have eliminated. I could only win on easy and was somewhat competitive on normal. Regardless, it’s still a fun game of tennis even if it is basic.
Playing pinball in a virtual world always sounded neat to me and Galactic Pinball is a cool experience. Four tables, all spaced themed, each have objectives to try to accomplish on the table that will reward points and sometimes even a mini-game. In the end it is just pinball though with the goal to keep the ball, or in the case of this game, hockey puck, in play as long as possible. Fun to check out the depth of the tables for a week but I had my fill after a few hours.
Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness (GCN)…Time Spent Playing: 3 hours, 5 minutes…Beat: No…Previously Played: No…Finished: 03/27/26
I was uninterested in Pokemon when Pokemon XD released in 2005 so I had never played this game. I did not realize how much of an RPG this game seems to be. In the first few hours I went on simple quests to progress the story and battled other trainers. I mostly enjoyed seeing which Pokemon would make an appearance and if I recognized them. At 3 hours, I barely got a taste but came out pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed what I did see.
I originally wrote this blog in 2022, four years ago. As I was revisiting it recently I realized that while some of the pics still reflect what it looks like today, there have also been some changes. I decided to update the blog to reflect what it looks like today.
What could be in here??
For as long as I can remember one of my dreams was to have a room dedicated to gaming. It seemed the cards just never aligned to make it happen. Either I didn’t have the space, didn’t have the money, or didn’t have either one. It wasn’t until around 2019 that having a gaming room finally became a reality. Now that I finally have one, I figured I would show it off a little. Let’s take a look!
What should I play?
These are the consoles I currently have out. They aren’t all hooked up but the cables/plugs are ready so any of them can be hooked up and ready to play in about 30 seconds. I recently attempted to get them all hooked up at once but it was going to be too expensive for what I was comfortable with. Instead, I just make the connections whenever I want to play. I have a RetroTink 5X that I use to hook up all the retro consoles to my TV. It even makes the older games from the NES and SNES era look incredibly good on a modern tv. Currently, the system I play most, and it’s not even close, is Nintendo Switch 2, which you can barely see hiding behind the Switch OLED. The Switch 2 will continue to be my main console until the next Nintendo console releases.
Everything pictured is my original consoles and they all still work. The lone exception is the Wii U, which, incredibly, has broken on me 5 times. I would send it to Nintendo, they would send me a refurbished unit. Repeat the process what seemed like each year. The Wii U I have now works, but it’s not the console I brought home on launch day. The console sitting beside the NES that many may not recognize is a Colecovision Flashback. Colecovision was my very first system. Unfortunately, that’s the one system I no longer have. However, I would not recommend the Flashback. It’s not good unless you have a CRT to hook it up to.
A big portion of my life!
This is where it’s at…the games. I’m lucky in that I learned very early to take care of my stuff. What you see here is all original in that these are what I bought when the consoles were active. Nothing from eBay, nothing used, all bought new by me during the time I was playing the console. After selling my Colecovision in 1990 I soon regretted it. It was a valuable lesson. I’ve never sold or traded in any of my games since, even if I didn’t necessarily like it. Today I buy all digital so I don’t expect this physical collection to ever get bigger. Let’s take a look in more detail…
Ah, the memories!
This is where it began. My NES collection. I would land my first job working part-time in a pizza restaurant while owning this console so I had some spending money while in high school. Most of these I bought on my own, although a few were gifts. I can also remember buying games based solely on the box art and screen shots on the back. What a time!
A new RPG? Yes please!
As soon as the SNES released, I bought it. You can tell I had money to burn as I bought a lot for this system. My dad would buy me Madden every year for Christmas, that’s why there are so many. This is the system where I really started to get into RPGs. Still bummed Super Mario World didn’t come with a box if you got it with the system.
My favorite memories…
N64 was the first system I preordered. This is my favorite era of gaming. I know that most of the games don’t hold up as well today but something about these games just takes me back to that time. Playing in 3D worlds was simply mind blowing. Nothing in gaming I experience in the future will ever top the first time I played Mario 64.
It’s only $10? I’ll take it!
I bought too many games for GameCube. This was the first time I began finding games heavily discounted online, and I took advantage. I played all of these. But looking now, there are some questionable games in there.
No more motion…
While the Wii sold incredibly well for Nintendo, it’s probably my least favorite Nintendo console. Don’t get me wrong, I still played the heck out of it. But I got tired of the motion controls quickly. Regardless, I still bought a bunch of games for it.
So underrated
After the Wii, the Wii U was a much better console for me. However, most of the gaming population didn’t think so. I supported Wii U until the end. Because of Nintendo’s Deluxe Rewards, I began to buy games digitally for a time, which is why it appears I didn’t buy as much. I did buy a lot, but some of the games are digital.
Banger after banger!
Here’s my Switch collection. Much like the Wii U, I bought a lot of games digital. The last couple years of Switch I bought every game digital. The Switch may be my favorite Nintendo console. I’ve had a ton of fun with it. Also not pictured are Switch 2 games. That’s because I haven’t bought any of them physical. I have yet to touch a NS2 cartridge!
Huh, these handheld games are really good!
I didn’t own any handhelds until the GBA released. For whatever reason I always considered handheld gaming inferior to consoles so I was late to the handheld party. I picked up the GBA the day it released, then later upgraded to GBA SP.
Touch screen? How can that be fun?
After the GBA, I’ve been a day one owner of the Nintendo handhelds, just like the consoles. Here’s the DS collection.
Turn off 3D? Blasphemy!
The 3DS was an awesome machine. I also bought some of the 3DS games digitally. Fire Emblem Awakening was hard to find at release, so I caved and bought it digitally. It was my first digital purchase of a game I could have bought physically. After that it became much easier to buy digital.
This is the best I could do??
Finally, my neglected Sega Genesis Collection. Genesis was always the red-headed step child compared to my SNES. It never had a chance with me. Judging by many of the games I bought for it, I could have done much better. I swear that Barbie game belonged to my daughter!
It’s not gaming 100% of the time, I do read!
My gaming mags. Most of these are either Nintendo Power or Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM). I don’t have full runs of either one as I’d let my subscriptions expire here and there. I’m still adding to the collection today through current subscriptions to Nintendo Force and Game Informer. Looking through old gaming mags is a trip down memory lane. If someone is still making a gaming mag, I will buy it.
A lot of Nintendo through the years
My wife put this all together. She hung the shelves, spaced the controllers, it was all her idea. And she doesn’t even game!
If you game a lot you will have a lot of these laying around
Lots more controllers located in various areas of the room.
Various items
This is located beside my TV and the consoles. The poster is always rotating. I usually display the latest poster I receive from Nintendo Force magazine if I like the game. The Mario hats are 3D printed, a gift from my daughter. Of course I had to have the NES and SNES minis.
Odds and ends
This is the top of the magazine shelves. I never got much into the amiibo. The ones pictured are all I have. I bought one of the LABO kits just so I could experience what it was all about. I also recently bought the NSO Virtual Boy. The poster is Zelda related.
I’ve been told this is clutter…well, that’s too bad!
There isn’t room to display everything. Some of it sits at the top of a closet. As you can see, I’m not big on throwing away boxes.
A new improved version? Take my money.
Of course I’m not throwing the handheld boxes away either. Ever.
The tv
The glorious TV. I splurged on this. LG 55” class CX OLED 4K. I figure I game so much it was worth it. It was really expensive at the time but I have absolutely no regrets. I’m still amazed how good games look on this thing even 6 or 7 years later. Screen shots never do it justice.
It’s true, sometimes I just sleep!
And of course no gaming room is complete without one of these bad boys!
That about wraps it up. The place I come to play each day. I feel very fortunate, but I waited decades for this as well!
I think this makes my third attempt to create a blog summarizing my thoughts on all the games I have played over a given period…and actually sticking with it. My first two attempts were both on a weekly cadence and encompassed everything I had played during the week. It didn’t take long for it to become more work and less fun. A week can go by quick and suddenly it was time to do it again. I didn’t last long either attempt. I’m going to try a different approach this time. For one, the plan is to create this blog on a monthly cadence instead of weekly. Second, I’m only going to talk about the games I finished (or quit playing) instead of everything. So the games I played in February but are carrying over into March won’t get a mention this month. I’m hoping a monthly cadence will keep it fun and keep me motivated to keep writing. We shall see! So what games did I finish up in February 2026?
After finishing Dragon Quest 1 Remake, I jumped straight into Dragon Quest 2 Remake and found it very similar but larger in every way. The sequel took nearly twice as long to complete, featuring a much bigger world—where the original game’s map is just a small portion—and expanding to a four-member party with more complex battles. Visually and musically, the two games feel almost identical, which I appreciated since both look and sound great. I liked being able to save up to 30 NPC conversations for later reference, though even with that feature I still occasionally felt unsure of where to go next and had to briefly rely on objective markers. Exploring the world was rewarding, with some genuine surprises, and while I spent a little time grinding out of caution, I ultimately finished over-leveled. The final boss initially seemed overwhelming until I discovered a key spell that made the fight manageable. Overall I came away very satisfied and eager for a similar remake of Dragon Quest 4.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
I wasn’t sure what to expect from the Nintendo Switch 2 update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons, especially after putting 440 hours into the base game over the course of the first year. I had barely touched the Happy Home Designer DLC when it released since it didn’t appeal to me at the time. The Switch 2 Edition’s main draws for me were the hotel addition and the ability to create new islands. However, starting a new island felt too overwhelming and the hotel content was fairly short-lived. Even so, I put nearly 30 additional hours into the game, much of it revisiting older content and finally giving the Happy Home Designer DLC a proper chance, which I ended up enjoying more than expected. While I wish the hotel addition had offered more, the update successfully pulled me back in without consuming months of my time again. I didn’t want to change anything on my island which probably limited my desire to keep playing. Overall, it reminded me why Animal Crossing is such a joy.
I picked up Dispatch after hearing positive word of mouth and comparisons to the Telltale Games style of narrative games I’ve enjoyed. Despite controversy over censorship in the Switch 2 version, mostly minor visual edits like black bars over cartoon nudity, it didn’t affect me enough to deter me from purchasing on Switch 2. The game is primarily story-driven, in which the story makes up about 70% of the experience, with eight 1-hour-long episodes centered on a powerless former superhero coordinating active heroes across the city. The narrative was excellent, featuring memorable characters and engaging choices, which sometimes pulled at the heartstrings. There are also quick-time events but they are optional and felt low-stakes. About 25% of the game involves strategically dispatching heroes to missions based on their strengths, though I often felt like I was guessing. The remaining 5% centered on a hacking mini-game that I felt was the weakest part. But overall the strong storytelling made it a very enjoyable and memorable experience.
Golfaria is the 19th game in UFO 50 I’ve played. This game blends adventure with golf, leaning much more toward exploration than traditional golfing. You move through the world by hitting a golf ball, entering new areas and underground passages by sinking shots into holes. While the concept is creative, the overall structure didn’t click with me as much as I’d hoped. The large, mapless world and confusing underground connections made exploration feel disorienting, especially with a top-down view that made it hard to judge terrain. Managing a limited number of swings, expanded by finding hidden clubs or replenished by finding birds (eagles), added challenge, but the lack of a shot landing indicator made each swing feel like guesswork. Permanent upgrades, of which I only found one, seem to be the keys to progressing in this game. I imagine with a few upgrades the game gets really good but starting out I found Golfaria to be frustrating and not too much fun.
I discovered Paranormasight after seeing its sequel in a February 2026 Nintendo Direct, and when I found the original on sale for $5, I bought it immediately. It’s a visual novel focused almost entirely on story and player choice, with stationary exploration and no voice acting, which is a bummer. The plot follows four main characters on separate timelines that gradually intersect as you switch between them to unlock each other’s progression. The dark story centers on curse bearers competing to gain resurrection power, each with their own motives. You can freely jump between timelines to alter decisions, leading to multiple endings and even some clever fourth-wall breaks. I really enjoyed unraveling the mystery and plan to try the sequel as well.
I played Ace Attorney Investigations 2 (AAI2) through the Ace Attorney Investigations Collection, which also includes its prequel. After replaying the original to refresh my memory, I found AAI2 picks up right where the first game left off, featuring strong continuity, returning characters, and references to earlier games. Like its predecessor, it focuses on investigating crime scenes and cross-examining suspects as Miles Edgeworth, with less courtroom time but the same satisfying “Objection!” driven structure. The new Mind Chess mechanic, where you strategically break down witnesses reluctant to talk, initially felt like guesswork but became a fun side mechanic once I understood the characters’ tells. As always, the intricate storytelling, clever explanations, humor, and a compelling character arcs kept me hooked. My only issue is that reading-heavy games tend to put me to sleep more easily now than they did in my 20s. However, I still plan to keep buying new Ace Attorney games.
Nintendo Switch Online (NSO)
I always like to keep one NSO game in my rotation. I will usually only play each game a week or two and then move on to the next. My goal isn’t necessarily to beat the games on NSO but to either briefly revisit or gain the experience of what they offer.
Super Mario 64 (N64)…Time Spent Playing: 3 hours, 0 minutes…Beat: No…Previously Played: Yes…Finished: 02/07/26
Super Mario 64 is one of the few games I remember clearly from my early gaming days, having bought it at N64 launch. I collected about 30 stars during this revisit. Even today it’s as fun as it was when it released, despite a wonky camera, because the controls still feel incredible. I’ll never forget how mind-blowing that first leap from 2D to 3D felt in 1996.
Balloon Kid is a 1990 Game Boy sequel to Balloon Fight, it features tricky, tap-based balloon controls, auto-scrolling stages, boss fights, and surprisingly catchy music. I spent a week perfecting my skills to reach the final stage without save states but eventually had to use rewind to finish that final stage. I found it a fun retro challenge that’s exactly the kind of addition I like seeing on NSO.
Virtual Boy Wario Land (VB)…Time Spent Playing: 8 hours, 0 minutes…Beat: Yes…Previously Played: No…Finished: 02/27/26
Wario Land is the first Virtual Boy game I dove into and to say I came away impressed is an understatement. Clever use of depth made this game a blast to play through. It’s a short game made up of 14 levels. I played through it twice, making sure to grab all the collectibles with the help of rewind the second time. I had heard this game is good but it exceeded my expectations.
And that was my month. I finished playing more games than usual for one month. Sometimes it works out that way. I’m hoping I keep the incentive to continue this blog for March!
Nintendo sent out their yearly summary in early January showing Nintendo gamers all of their stats for 2025. It’s something most of the game makers have been doing for years now. Although I track a lot of these stats on my own, it’s always fun to review what you played the previous year. I was also happy to see Nintendo wait until January to send this out. Every year prior it was sent in December meaning the December stats were never included. That never made sense to me considering this is supposed to be a YEARLY review.
I’m a little late creating this blog. At first I wasn’t going to but after thinking some more I figured it would be nice to have this summary as a reference point for myself years later. So what did Nintendo tell me about my gaming habits in 2025?
The review starts off acknowledging I started playing Switch 2 in 2025. Well of course! I’m a Nintendo guy so just about any game system they release I will be buying. I preordered Switch 2 and it was delivered to me early in the morning of launch day, June 5th. I have been playing it regularly ever since.
I played 55 games which spanned 1,249 hours. Doing the math, that averages to 22 hours per game! But wait, that doesn’t tell the true story. I play the retro games on Nintendo Switch Online (NSO) throughout the year. The stats count each retro system as one game. So if I played 8 SNES games on NSO last year for a total of 27 hours (which I did), then that all gets counted as one game I played for 27 hours. While the total hours seem to be accurate, the number of games is not. In summary, I definitely did not average 22 hours per game.
My top games per hours played: Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition (144 hours), Hades II (73 hours), and Nintendo GameCube (69 hours). Xenoblade X is no surprise. I played that game over a few months leading up to the release of Switch 2. I had played the original but loved revisiting this world. Hades II was kind of a surprise to me. I knew I played it a lot but didn’t think it would be enough to make the top 3. It’s another phenomenal game. Nintendo GameCube…this is what I was referencing above. This is actually made up of 6 games: F-Zero GX, Zelda: Wind Waker, Super Mario Strikers, Chibi-Robo, Luigi’s Mansion, and Wario World. Of these Chibi-Robo was the most played by far at 29 hours.
Action is definitely not my favorite genre. Normally it’s Adventure or Role Playing that leads the way. I’m not sure which games skewed this stat. But Shooting and Party being at the bottom definitely rings true.
My hours played each month makes complete sense. At the beginning of the year I was playing Switch, PS5 and Xbox Series X. Beginning in May I quit playing PS5 so the time I dedicated to Nintendo began to increase. I quit playing Xbox Series X in September and that’s when my Nintendo time really began to increase. It was all by design. I knew early in the year I wanted to get back to mostly Nintendo and with Switch 2 releasing in June, it was easy to make the transition. I’m sure I’ll go back to Playstation and Xbox on occasion but Nintendo is where my passion lies and it’s in that ecosystem I love spending my time in.
While it’s kind of neat to look at the top game played for each month, it’s sometimes misleading. Often times games that would have led the way don’t due to time being split over two months instead of just one. Regardless, here is the breakdown of my monthly game leaders and their hour counts compared to my total hour counts.
The only game that came out on top for at least two months was Xenoblade Chronicles X which managed it in April and May. For all other games it was a one month run at the top and then something else. That aligns with my play style. I generally purchase a game, play it to beat it, and then move on to the next game. Unless it’s a really long game, I would not expect to see many games last more than one month at the top.
Then came the big surprise with the Nintendo Year Year In Summary, a wrap up for the entire time of playing Switch beginning with its launch in 2017! I put my top played games into chart form for easier viewing. I also hope Nintendo provides these totals every year so I can watch new games rise to the top and some of these begin to slip down.
A few observations: I already knew Animal Crossing would be far and away my #1 played game. I played it daily for the entirety of its first year before finally letting it go. Next, the NSO apps all make an appearance. I imagine most people only play games on NSO the day they are released, and only for a few minutes. I make sure to always have one NSO game in my rotation throughout the year and the stats above prove it! NES, SNES, N64, Genesis, GBA…they all made the list above. I checked the two that didn’t: GameBoy – it’s actually tied with Splatoon 2 at 78 hours. I guess Splatoon 2 was ahead by mere minutes. GameCube just released in June of 2025 and is already at 69 hours so it will definitely make this list next year if there is a total list. Finally, all four of the Xenoblade Chronicles games made the cut, with three of them reaching the top 10!
And that’s a wrap. My currently plan is to largely spend my time in the Nintendo ecosystem in 2026. That’s where I have been for nearly 40 years and where I’ll probably be as long as I am able!
Ever since I was introduced to Nintendo, it has been a large part of my life. There is a magic with their games that appeals to me unlike any other video game developer. The Nintendo home consoles have always been my primary source of entertainment, even today. I have never not been in the Nintendo ecosystem, whether it’s playing the games or keeping informed of what future games are coming down the pipeline. Often, when I think back on my life, I can attach life memories and major events to the Nintendo systems I was playing at the time. I thought it would be interesting (to me anyway) to go back and recap the major events of my life, based on the Nintendo consoles.
Pre-Nintendo (‘82-‘87) – Childhood (age 10-15)
Colecovision Flashback…I regrettably sold my original Colecovision
In 1982 I turned 10. Obviously Nintendo home consoles had not been introduced yet. Being a kid in the 80s meant you spent most of your free time outside doing things that society today would frown upon. You know, shooting BB guns at each other or jumping ramps on bikes with absolutely no protection. But we also did have video games. The Atari 2600 was the most popular console in my inner circle although I never had one. Instead, my parents bought me a Colecovision for Christmas in 1983. Popeye and Donkey Kong were to two main games I had for it. The Colecovision also had an adapter that allowed me to play the Atari 2600 games so I didn’t miss out on them. I didn’t have money to buy games during this time so anything I got was usually for Christmas or a special occasion. Unfortunately, this system and games are the one thing I no longer have. While I liked playing video games during this time, it was just another thing to do. Fishing, riding bikes, hunting for snakes in the creek, playing a board game or a video game, it was all the same fun to me. It wasn’t until I got to play a Nintendo system that my passion for video games skyrocketed.
The NES Years (‘87-‘91) – High School (age 15-19)
My original NES with all of my games
Although the NES released in America in 1985, I didn’t get one until Christmas of 1987 so that’s when my Nintendo story begins. That day was the first time I had ever played one. The system came bundled with Super Mario Bros. Soon after I bought my first game for it, Ghosts ‘n Goblins and I was hooked. I was in high school during most of this period. I feel like I had the typical high school experience although I didn’t play sports and definitely was not one of the popular kids. I was just trying to fit in. I gravitated toward the groups where we grew our hair long and listened to Guns ‘n Roses and Metallica. I graduated high school in 1991. But prior to that I got my first, and really only, part time job in 1989 (Little Caesar’s Pizza). Still being in high school and living at home, I didn’t have many expenses. The job gave me money to eventually buy a car and finally experience some real freedom. But what it also gave me was a bunch of money to blow on video games.
Looking at my NES collection, it was largely shaped by what I read in Nintendo Power. Games like Double Dragon II, Castlevania II, Dragon Warrior, and Kid Icarus were all purchased after reading about how fun they were in Nintendo Power. I could say the same for many others. A couple games were gifts that, had I been making the decision, would not have been gifted to me such as The Adventures of Gilligan’s Island and Pinball. However, I was appreciative to get any new game period, and so played them over and over. And just like everyone else back then, I got burned a couple times by making purchasing decisions based on the back of the box while browsing the game section in a store. I would group these games as Trojan, The Legend of Kage, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit. I’m not saying they are terrible games but I could have bought games that would have much better aligned with my tastes.
The SNES Years (‘91-96) – College (age 19-24)
My original SNES with all my games
When I think of the SNES a few things come to mind. While I went to college for 4 years right after high school, it wasn’t the traditional college campus experience. Instead, due to finances, I had to opt for a community college which meant for most of these years I was still living at home. Fortunately, between grants and scholarships I did not pay a penny for college which sounds unbelievable today. Second, I became a dad in ‘92 with a new baby girl and a steady girlfriend now in my life. As you can probably guess, the baby wasn’t planned but became a huge part of my life regardless. The part time job at Little Caesar’s had became a full time job by this time as I attended college. I graduated college in 1995. Also during this time, I got heavily involved in football card collecting. I wasn’t buying packs, but instead boxes. There were some years where I was probably more passionate about cards than games. Despite parenting, a relationship, college, a full-time job, and card collecting, I somehow found time to game as well. And since most of this time I was still at home, I was sheltered from most of the real world expenses.
Nintendo Power continued to heavily influence my game purchases although by this time other magazines had also been discovered such as Electronic Gaming Monthly. Similar to the NES, my SNES came bundled with Super Mario World. The SNES was the first console I bought on my own. I got it near launch the first time I saw it in a store. Funnily enough, the second game I purchased was Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts which aligned with my second game on NES. When I look at my SNES collection, two things are obvious: I gravitated toward RPGs and sports games. I loved both, with RPGs becoming my new favorite genre. Final Fantasy III (actually VI), Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, Secret of Evermore…I enjoyed them all. Then there were the sports games, specifically baseball and football. I bought a lot of them with the Tecmo games being my favorite. My dad would also get me the new Madden game every year for Christmas. I was a huge NFL fan at the time which meant every Sunday I would spend 10 hours in front of the TV. Of course I didn’t ignore the the main Nintendo titles either with games like Donkey Kong Country 1-3, Super Mario Kart, and Zelda: A Link to the Past.
The N64 Years (‘96-‘01) – Young Adulthood (age 24-29)
My original N64 with all my games
I associate the N64 with finally breaking out on my own. During this time I got married and we began renting our own home. I also began working for a new company at the beginning of ‘96 so I was finally finished with Little Caesear’s. In 1999 we purchased (as in signed up for 30 years of debt) our first home and I thought I had life figured out. The job I had really didn’t pay well but it paid the bills and I was content to have just enough money to buy a new game here and there and continue buying football cards. The N64 is the system I have the most nostalgia for. For most people this occurs for whichever console they grew up with but for me I was well into adulthood when the N64 released. I’ll admit it’s not the easiest system to go back to today but N64 is the system that evokes the warm and fuzzy feelings for me. My daughter began playing some of my games during this time although she would get much more involved during the GameCube years. This is also the system I had when we first got access to the internet. Suddenly gaming news went from a monthly cadence to a daily activity. I also began talking to others about games on message boards for the first time so maybe that has something to do with my nostalgia.
The 3D collectathon became my new favorite genre on this system. Super Mario 64, Banjo-Kazooie, Banjo-Tooie, Donkey Kong 64…I wanted all the games to be like these. I couldn’t get enough of them. Simply running around in a 3D world felt lightyears ahead of what the NES and SNES offered. Now having access to a ton more resources on the internet, I feel like the games I purchased were overall pretty good quality. Sure, there are a few I would have liked a do-over but by and large I knew what I was getting before I plunked down my $60. I still have specific memories of spending a week’s vacation largely on Zelda: Ocarina of Time. And the first week of owning the system with Mario 64 was something else. I could not believe what I was experiencing. The N64 will always be a special console to me although it was disappointing that the RPGs all jumped to Playstation.
The GameCube Years (‘01-‘06) – Adulthood (First House) (age 29-35)
My original GameCube and all my games
Although we purchased our house late in ‘99, I associate the GameCube with that house. We lived there during its entire lifespan. It is also the period of time when I began making purchases to compliment my gaming passion, such as a TV based on making my games look better and a surround sound system to make them sound better. Although I had the same full time job throughout this time, looking back, it wasn’t a good job. While I had a little bit of money to buy games, which I guess made me content, it wasn’t a lot of money and in reality we were living paycheck to paycheck with no benefits such as a 401K or medical coverage during this time. We had very little saved. Fortunately nothing catastrophic occurred in our lives or we would have been in trouble. It was also during this time I had to give up card collecting. I just could no longer afford it. Video games became my favorite way to relax and my clear #1 passion.
My memories of GameCube are largely associated with gaming deals. It was during this time I discovered gaming sites that focused solely on finding good game sales. I watched them like a hawk and took advantage. I bought entirely too many games on GameCube, many of them simply because they were cheap which is why the collection turned out so large. I did play them all, or attempted to anyway. One genre that stands out to me looking at my collection today is what is now known as the cozy life sim games, such as Animal Crossing, Harvest Moon, and The Sims. While I liked all kinds of games, my wife really only liked these types of games so it was fun getting the whole family involved and comparing notes. My daughter also took a liking to games during this period. Animal Crossing in particular blew us away and being able to leave notes for each other to discover while we all played in the same town was amazing. I also remember my daughter encouraging her friends to play Pikmin outside where they would run around holding a huge leaf over their heads. It was cute.
The Wii Years (‘06-‘12) Adulthood (Big Life Changes) (age 35-40)
My original Wii and all my games
Of all the Nintendo Systems, if I had to rank them, Wii would be my least favorite. Don’t get me wrong, I had a great time with the system at the time but I quickly got tired of the motion controls. A couple of significant events occurred in my life during the Wii years. First, I landed a much better job in ‘06 with substantially better benefits. Well, anything is better than nothing. Twenty years later and I’m still working for that same company. Second, in June of ‘09 my marriage basically blew up to the point we were no longer living together by the end of the month, and officially divorced five months later. By divorce standards it was not toxic and actually pretty tame. But to experience it for the first time there were some long nights. The Wii helped me pass a lot of that time. But at the tail end of the same year I met my dream girl who would eventually become my current wife so it all worked out for the best in the end. It was just a little bumpy getting there. By late 2010 I had moved in with her and eventually sold the house I had spent the last 10 years living in.
I continued to game although by this time I was spending a lot of time with Nintendo’s handhelds too which I didn’t include in this blog. Wii Fit was released on Wii during this time and I became obsessed with tracking my weight and steps each day. I still remember my exact weight the first day I played Wii Fit and it’s 15 lbs more than I weigh today so I feel pretty good about that. There were two Rune Factory games (Frontier and Tides of Destiny) that I put well over 100 hours into each. Of course Nintendo 1st party was always my main focus with the two Mario Galaxy games and Zelda: Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword. Also of note was the new Nintendo digital store known as WiiWare. I did not hesitate buying games on that store. World of Goo, Tales of Monkey Island Chapters 1-5, Mega Man 9, and Final Fantasy IV: After Years became some of my many digital purchases.
The Wii U Years (‘12-‘17) Middle Age (age 40-45)
I started buying digital as well as physical during Wii U
Although the Wii U was Nintendo’s least successful home console, I loved it, especially coming off of the Wii. In terms of my life what stands out is I basically started over raising kids and found myself adjusting to my “new” life. My daughter was 17 when I got divorced. When I met my future wife she had kids that were 8 and 5. So thinking of Wii U also makes me think of my step kids as they grew up. Not surprisingly, they were never interested in Wii U. One was all about Xbox and soon thereafter PC during this time. The other was content with casual handheld games. So the Wii U was mainly just played by me. I guess that was the fate of the Wii U. You had to be a big Nintendo fan to really appreciate it. I also got married for the second time during this period. Finally, I became a grandpa at the very beginning of this period, the first of what is today 3 grandkids.
I got to experience a popular non-Nintendo franchises for the first time on Wii U, Assassin’s Creed III and IV. I absolutely loved both of them. The Nintendo games were always front and center though with games such as Super Mario 3D World, Yoshi’s Woolly World, and Star Fox Zero (hey, I liked it!). But my favorite game on the system was Xenoblade Chronicles X, putting over 200 hours into it. Also of note during the Wii U years was Miiverse which allowed me to connect with people on a more personal level than I had in the past, a couple of which I still have ties to today. One major change for me I will mention is that 2016 saw me finally test the non-Nintendo waters when I bought a PS4. The Wii U was really struggling to get games out as you can tell by my collection above. I wanted more to play. However, I should also note that not pictured above are the many Wii U eshop titles I purchased.
The Switch Years (‘17-‘25) Middle Age (Empty Nest) (age 45-52)
So many Switch 1 games
The Nintendo Switch brought Nintendo back into the spotlight, both in terms of popularity and the number of games available for it. Being a Nintendo enthusiast, it was exciting to be able to experience everything this system offered. During this time, both of my step kids left home to make their own marks on the world which meant for the first time since I was 19 I was no longer living with kids. This change provided me a lot more free time to play games and the space to finally have a dedicated gaming room, something I had always dreamed of. Weekend visits from the grandkids became regular occurrences. But other than that, during a typical week once I finished work for the day I had nothing but time to kill until it was time to go to bed, which meant a lot of gaming for me.
As far as gaming on Switch, I don’t even know where to begin. I’ve bought a ton of games and logged thousands of hours into it. Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are two of the greatest experiences I have ever had gaming. Super Mario Odyssey is my favorite Mario game. Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Luigi’s Mansion 3, Pikmin 4…there’s no end to the fantastic games on this system. I could not have wished for any more success for Nintendo than the Switch had.
The Switch 2 Years (‘25-?) Middle Age (Pre-Retirement) (age 52-?)
Off to a strong start with Switch 2
We are very early in the Switch 2 years although as far as I’m concerned it has started out with bang in terms of games. I’ve had a blast with Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. I’m also at that point in life where retirement is becoming very real. I don’t expect to retire during the Switch 2 years but through planning and good luck I’m really hoping to do it during the next console. Of course one never knows what life is going to throw at you. All of my plans could be derailed tomorrow with something I could not have foreseen occurring. But all I can do is base my plans on what I know today.
It’s wild to think when the NES came into my life I was just about to start high school. And now, after 40 years of playing Nintendo, it’s about to carry me into retirement. Nintendo has always been a large part of my life and I hope it continues to be. I’ll admit I’ve thought what it would be like to be retired, waking up in the morning, and playing video games most of the day if I wanted. I’m sure many of us have thought about that, you know, in between traveling and enjoying life. It is also somewhat sad for me to realize there will come a time when I never get to experience the newest Nintendo game, either because I’m physically or mentally just not able to, or I’m just not around period. Let’s hope I’m still decades away from when that occurs!
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