In OlliOlli, you play as an unnamed skateboarder who automatically moves through side-scrolling stages, pulling off tricks to rack up points. You’ll replay these levels often, not just because of wipeouts, but also to chase high scores and complete goals, much like in the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series.

Since your character is always moving right, the left stick or D-pad isn’t for movement. Instead, you use it to perform ollies (jumps) and tricks. To jump, you pull the stick down and release it; for tricks, you use specific stick gestures and sometimes a shoulder button. Rails are scattered throughout the stages, and you can grind them by pressing down on the stick as you pass over. The closer your timing, the more points you earn. Landing cleanly on the ground also scores you points, but requires a face button press to avoid a sloppy landing.

To gain speed, you tap another face button a few times, which helps you clear bigger gaps.

The minimalist, unconventional controls are great for chaining tricks, but muscle memory from mainstream 3D skateboarding games can make the learning curve steep. I also found the controls sometimes unresponsive, leading to missed tricks or failed landings. The ground landing mechanic feels a bit redundant, since grinding rails already serves a similar purpose and happens more frequently.

The limited set of moves and lack of unique setpieces make the level design feel repetitive. Even after playing through the few available stages, the gameplay didn’t feel varied enough to keep me invested in mastering its challenges.

Out of curiosity, I watched videos of OlliOlli’s sequels, and they look like major improvements. The later games add more tricks, setpieces, and a better combo system. OlliOlli World even removes the strict landing mechanic and offers a smoother difficulty curve, which makes it much more appealing. I might give that one a try.

But as for the original OlliOlli, I don’t see myself coming back to it. It might be worth a quick play just to get a feel for the sequels’ more complex gameplay, but otherwise, I’m ready to move on.

In recent years, there’s been a surge of platformers inspired by Wario Land 4, with standouts including the bombastic AntonBlast and, the focus here, Pizza Tower.

It’s been over 15 years since the last Wario Land game, Shake It! (aka The Shake Dimension), so you might not be familiar with the formula. Each side-scrolling stage has two phases: a standard platforming section, followed by a frantic race back to the start before time runs out. Collecting items boosts your score, and the higher your score, the better your end-of-level grade.

Pizza Tower takes this formula and cranks up the speed. The main character, Peppino, has a deep, fluid moveset that lets you dash, grab, punch, and chain together moves for maintaining maximum momentum. The level design is built around these abilities, rewarding players who master both the controls and the layout with the ability to blaze through stages at breakneck speed. Maintaining combos by breaking objects and defeating enemies keeps your score high, and getting hit will drop your combo gauge.

While you can play at your own pace, the game encourages fast, skillful runs by offering unlockable outfits for S ranks and the even tougher P ranks for completionists. However, you’re never forced to go for these achievements, as speed and high scores are there for those who want the extra challenge.

Pizza Tower’s standout features include its wild, 90s-inspired cartoon art style and a high-energy, genre-blending soundtrack that perfectly matches the game’s chaotic vibe. The humor, visual gags, and Peppino’s over-the-top animations add even more personality to the experience.

All things considered, Pizza Tower is a must-play for fans of fast-paced platformers. Its blend of fluid movement, creative level design, and unique style make it as satisfying as your favorite delivery pizza, if not better.

When the Playdate handheld launched on April 19, 2022, it came with Season One: a collection of 24 games released two per week. Among them is Questy Chess, a puzzle game where you guide a pawn to the exit on each map, all with a charming old-school computer vibe.

The core mechanic is simple: your pawn can only move right, up, or down. The only exception is when you’re next to an enemy; then, you can stomp them, ignoring the usual movement rules. It’s a bit like chess, but played outside the usual board.

As you progress, your pawn can transform into other pieces, like a knight, which lets you move in L-shapes and jump gaps. But to do this, you first have to find the right item on the map, usually hidden on diamond-shaped spaces. That’s also where you’ll find health pickups and keys.

Some puzzles require you to use the Playdate’s unique crank to shift the terrain vertically. However, if you crank too far, the game assumes you’re done and can leave your pawn stuck. That annoying quirk led to several softlocks during my playthrough. For example, on one long, scrolling map, I missed a crucial item hidden in a branching path. When I reached the exit, the game informed me I was missing the item, but there was no way to backtrack, forcing a full reset.

Planning ahead is also more cumbersome than it should be, since you can’t scroll the map to see what’s coming, adding unnecessary trial and error. Oddly, the game also doesn’t show how many health pickups you have left.

Overall, while my experience with Questy Chess wasn’t terrible, frequent softlocks and overly simple puzzles made it feel underwhelming as a puzzle game. And that was just the first world. Maybe it improves later, but with so many better games to play, I’m not in a hurry to find out.

The Virtual Boy is a fascinating example of how launching hardware too early can doom a console’s success. Released in 1995, Nintendo’s attempt at affordable stereoscopic 3D gaming wasn’t quite ready for prime time, a fact even its creator, Gunpei Yokoi, reportedly recognized.

The Virtual Boy’s 3D effect worked by having you look into a headset, where each eye saw a separate image projected onto oscillating mirrors. Your brain combined these into a single 3D scene, letting you judge depth in a way that was unique for its time.

To keep costs down, Nintendo used only red LEDs, since color displays were too expensive. But the bright red visuals and the strain of processing two images led Nintendo to warn players not to use the system for more than 20 minutes at a time.

As a result of these limitations, only 14 games were released for the Virtual Boy, not counting Bound High, which surfaced much later. One standout title is Red Alarm, a 3D wireframe space shooter that really makes use of the system’s depth effect.

Without the 3D enabled, it’s much harder to tell which lines are close to your ship, making it easy to take damage or get lost. That’s why I played Red Alarm on the Red Viper emulator for my New 3DS XL, which can replicate the 3D effect, something Nintendo missed out on by not bringing Virtual Boy games to the 3DS.

Normally, I’m wary of software emulation due to input lag, but Red Viper ran so smoothly on my 3DS XL that I didn’t notice any issues. Even though the handheld lacks a second control pad for strafing, the emulator’s button remapping made up for it.

In Red Alarm, you can rotate your ship on every axis and control your speed, which is crucial for dodging enemies and managing your limited fuel (replenished only after clearing a stage). Fortunately, the level design is linear and forgiving, at least in the early stages, so running out of time isn’t a big concern if you play well.

Overall, Red Alarm is a great showcase of what the Virtual Boy could do, and the gameplay holds up surprisingly well. Whether it stays engaging throughout the whole campaign remains to be seen, but so far, I’m looking forward to playing more.

Originally released in arcades in 1987, Shinobi became a hit and spawned several sequels across different platforms, including the upcoming Shinobi: Art of Vengeance. The game was ported to nearly every major system of its era, but the Sega Master System version stands out as an excellent adaptation.

In this version, you play as Joe Musashi, tasked with rescuing kidnapped children from the Zeed criminal organization. Armed with unlimited shurikens, Joe can attack enemies on the same horizontal plane, jump between two lanes, and use his agility to avoid obstacles. Unlike the arcade original, the Master System port gives Joe a health bar instead of one-hit deaths and removes the time limit, making it more accessible for home play.

Shinobi’s gameplay rewards careful, methodical approaches over reckless action. Enemy placement is intentional, requiring you to think strategically about how to tackle each screen, whether it’s jumping to take out a wall-climber before dealing with a gunman, or crouching to avoid projectiles. The level design's deliberate pacing and thoughtful enemy arrangements encourages players to plan their moves and react quickly.

Rescuing hostages is now optional but highly beneficial, granting points, weapon upgrades, health boosts, and access to bonus stages where you can earn powerful ninjutsu skills. The game features five stages, each with multiple levels and a boss, offering a good variety of challenges and enemies. While the graphics and music are solid for the Master System, the real strength lies in its engaging, strategic gameplay and replay value.

As a fan of methodical platformers like Super Mario Bros., Shinobi’s thoughtful design and rewarding challenge make it a standout title that’s well worth revisiting.

The 3DO stands out as a fascinating chapter in gaming history. Launched in 1993, it was a technical trailblazer, ushering in polygonal 3D gameplay and becoming the first CD-based console not to rely on an external add-on. However, it also serves as a case study in how not to run a platform business.

Instead of manufacturing the hardware themselves, Trip Hawkins’s 3DO Company licensed the design to companies like Panasonic and Goldstar. Because these manufacturers wanted to make a profit on each unit, the 3DO debuted at a steep $699 price tag, far higher than most consumers were willing to pay, even by today’s standards when adjusted for inflation. Despite its advanced specs, the console quickly became a commercial failure and was discontinued by 1996.

On the software side, Crystal Dynamics, best known for Gex, also developed Total Eclipse for the 3DO. This behind-the-ship shooter features a constantly moving ship navigating open areas and tight, polygonal corridors. A unique mechanic is that your health bar steadily drains as you travel, but defeating enemies or obstacles restores some health. In theory, if you keep up an aggressive pace, you can offset the constant health loss.

In practice, though, the lack of invincibility frames means your ship can take heavy damage from even brief contact with walls, and some enemy attacks are poorly telegraphed. The ship’s overly sensitive controls make precise movement difficult, leading to frequent, frustrating collisions. While the abundance of destructible enemies provides regular health refills, it also makes the gameplay repetitive and undermines any real challenge or stage variety.

The only boss fight I've encountered also drags on, with it being so bullet sponge that it tests your patience more than your skill. Overall, despite its technical ambition and some interesting ideas, Total Eclipse ends up feeling tedious. It’s a shame, given its reputation as one of the 3DO’s better titles, but the experience just isn’t compelling enough to see through to the end.

The Sims franchise, since its debut in 2000, has always given players control over the daily lives of their virtual characters, or Sims. While Sims can take care of themselves to some degree, much of the gameplay revolves around micromanaging their needs and customizing their homes in suburban neighborhoods or towns. Occasionally, expansions allow for trips to cities, stores, or beaches, but the core experience remains home-focused.

The Urbz: Sims in the City shakes up this formula by dropping your Sims into the bustling, urban setting of Urbzville. Instead of starting with a wide array of customization options, you begin with limited choices. Your Sim gets their own apartment, but most of the action happens in various city districts, each with its own style, social cliques, and unique items and job opportunities. I chose to start in Kicktail Park for its laid-back, Casual vibe.

Unlike traditional Sims games, The Urbz gives you clear goals: build your reputation (Rep) by socializing and completing tasks to unlock new items, districts, and apartments. Jobs are more interactive this time, requiring you to play minigames to earn money. Unlocking better jobs means developing specific skills with the help of certain Sims.

It’s worth noting that the handheld versions of The Urbz are quite different from the console editions. On handhelds, the gameplay is more mission-driven and plays more like an action RPG, with direct control over your Sim and less open-ended freedom.

So far, I’ve found The Urbz to be a fresh and interesting take on urban life, filtered through the pop culture of the early 2000s, a world I never experienced firsthand, having grown up far from any major city. I’m looking forward to exploring more of Urbzville and seeing what each district has to offer.

Before diving into VS. Excitebike for the Famicom Disk System, it’s worth revisiting what makes Excitebike unique. In this classic motocross racer, you guide your bike across side-scrolling tracks filled with ramps, bumps, and dirt. While airborne, you can tilt your bike to land smoothly, glide farther by angling up, or bounce for extra distance by angling down. Wheelies help you cross tricky bumps, and turbo boosts (using the B button) let you speed ahead at the risk of overheating, unless you hit cooling arrows to instantly reset your temperature.

The NES version features two main modes: a solo time trial and a race against computer-controlled riders, who act more like moving obstacles than true opponents. Clearing a track within the par time lets you advance; fail, and it’s back to the title screen. The original also has a basic track editor, but custom tracks are lost when the console powers off.

VS. Excitebike for the Famicom Disk System builds on this foundation with several enhancements. The “Original Excite” mode alternates between solo and competitive races across seven tracks (up from the NES’s five), with difficulty determining your starting track. After the third track, a bonus stage challenges you to jump over trucks for extra points. The game ramps up the challenge with tougher obstacles and unpredictable opponent placement as you progress.

A major addition is simultaneous two-player racing, a first for the series, with both Battle and Free modes. One rewards the first to finish, the other ends if a player laps the other. The track editor returns with a revamped interface, and thanks to the Disk System’s writable media, you can save up to seven custom tracks exclusively for multiplayer sessions. VS. Excitebike also features a new soundtrack by Soyo Oka, replacing the original’s jingles with energetic background music.

As a fan of the NES Excitebike, I found the VS. version even more engaging thanks to its expanded content, multiplayer support, and track-saving features. It’s available on the Nintendo Switch Online app, so it’s easy to experience both the original and this enhanced edition for yourself.

The WarioWare franchise is all about frantic fun, challenging you to clear as many quirky, lightning-fast microgames as possible before you lose four lives. As you progress, the pace and difficulty ramp up, and boss microgames occasionally appear to test your skills even further.

Since its debut with WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames! on the Game Boy Advance in 2003, the series has continually evolved by embracing each Nintendo system’s unique hardware features. Later entries introduced couch multiplayer on GameCube, tilt controls on GBA (Twisted!), touchscreen and microphone play on DS, and motion controls on Wii. After a long break, WarioWare Gold on 3DS compiled many classic microgames, and the Switch 1 has since received two new entries.

WarioWare: Get It Together! for Switch stands out by letting up to two players tackle every mode together for the first time, using just a stick and a button. The twist? Each character interacts with microgames differently: Wario can fly and shoulder bash, while 18-Volt attacks from a distance and moves by grappling. Every microgame is beatable with any character, but some are better suited to certain challenges than others.

To keep things fresh, Get It Together! introduces missions for extra currency, like clearing specific microgames under special conditions. The result is a replayable, energetic party game that keeps the series’ signature weirdness alive.

As a longtime WarioWare fan, I’m excited to dive deeper into Get It Together!, as it’s just as wild and addictive as its predecessors.

Pokémon has been the gold standard for monster-training RPGs since its late-90s debut. Its formula: catching wild Pokémon, training them in battles, and striving to become champion. It remains simple yet deep, thanks to accessible mechanics and Ken Sugimori’s iconic creature designs. This blend has captivated kids (and adults) worldwide for decades.

While Pokémon has dominated the genre, it faced real competition in Japan during the 2010s from Level-5’s Yo-Kai Watch series. I recently played its improved sequel, Yo-Kai Watch 2: Psychic Specters, which combines and expands on the Fleshy Souls and Bony Spirits versions, making it the definitive entry outside of Yo-Kai Watch 3.

Yo-Kai Watch stands out by drawing its creature designs from Japanese mythology, giving each Yo-Kai a quirky personality, like my Jinbanyan, who’s obsessed with getting hit by cars to prove his strength (and always fails).

The battle system is real-time: you swap between two teams of three Yo-Kai, trigger powerful “Soultimate” moves, purify allies, target enemies, and use items. To recruit new Yo-Kai, you offer them their favorite food during battle and hope they’ll join you, or try your luck with the Crank-a-Kai machine.

After a couple of hours, I can see why Yo-Kai Watch 2 has its fans, but the game’s slower pace means it takes time for its mechanics and charm to fully unfold. I’ll need to spend more time exploring its world to discover the appeal so many players rave about.

Zombies Ate My Neighbors is a top-down, co-op action game where you race to rescue victims from hordes of classic horror movie monsters. To clear each stage, you must save at least one survivor; once all are accounted for, rescued or lost, the exit appears. But if you lose all your lives or every captive dies, it’s game over.

Don’t be fooled by the game’s campy horror vibe; the difficulty ramps up fast. The early stages are forgiving, with slow zombies and easy-to-find victims, but things quickly escalate. Soon you’ll face tougher monsters such as the relentless chainsaw-wielding enemies who can tear down walls, trickier level layouts, and challenging bosses.

Learning each stage’s layout is crucial, especially since monsters can spawn almost off-screen and snatch a victim before you can react, a harsh surprise for newcomers. Ammo, special items, and health pickups are limited, so you’ll need to use your resources wisely. Running out of weapons can leave you defenseless at the worst possible moment.

One quirk about the password system is that it doesn’t save your inventory, making it even tougher to continue after a break. It’s smart to replay stages that are generous with pickups to build up your stash.

Despite the steep challenge, I’ve found the game engaging and addictive. I’m planning to keep playing and see if I can beat it without using save states. If you’re interested in a more accessible experience, the recent Zombies Ate My Neighbors and Ghoul Patrol collection offers a modern save feature that makes progress less punishing.