The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom was released for Nintendo Switch on September 26, 2024. Developed by Grezzo in collaboration with Nintendo and published by Nintendo, the game is especially notable because it finally puts Princess Zelda in the starring role of a mainline-style Zelda adventure. Link is still part of the story, but this time he is the one who disappears, leaving Zelda to save Hyrule herself.

The game uses the same toy-like visual style Grezzo helped establish with the Switch remake of Link’s Awakening, but Echoes of Wisdom is not a remake. It is a brand-new top-down Zelda game built around a new central mechanic: echoes. With the help of a mysterious creature named Tri and the Tri Rod, Zelda can create copies of objects and enemies she finds throughout the world. These echoes can be used to solve puzzles, cross gaps, distract enemies, or send monsters into battle on her behalf.

That mechanic gives Echoes of Wisdom a different feel from a traditional Zelda game. Zelda does not simply play like Link. She approaches problems without weapons (sort-of) in a way that feels more puzzle-driven. The game still has familiar Zelda elements like dungeons, exploration, side quests, familiar races, and weird little characters scattered across Hyrule, but the echo system gives the adventure a more Breath of the Wild feeling.

Reception was strong, though maybe not quite at the level of Nintendo’s biggest modern Zelda releases. Critics generally praised the creativity of the echo system, the charming presentation, and the way the game blended classic top-down Zelda design with some of the freedom seen in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. Some criticism was aimed at the echo selection menu, repetition, and occasional performance issues, but overall the response was very positive.

Sales were also solid. Nintendo reported that Echoes of Wisdom had reached 4.09 million units by the end of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025. That is sell-in data, meaning copies sold by Nintendo to retailers and other outside entities, plus direct digital sales, rather than a pure consumer sell-through number. Still, it shows that sales-wise Zelda’s first major turn as the lead was a successful, well-received entry.

What I Liked 😃

Plastic Beauty

One of the superficial things that drew me immediately to Echoes of Wisdom is the art style. Taking the magnificent art design from the Link’s Awakening remake that released on the Switch a few years ago, Echoes of Wisdom uses the same colorful, plastic-y graphics that I really enjoy.

I would equate the visuals to LEGO but the visuals of Echoes of Wisdom are more detailed than the mini figures from the iconic block building set. But, there is definitely a comparison to be made there, in that I have the same desire to be able to purchase and place the things from the game on my shelf just like I do with LEGO. And, while the detail is greater than something like LEGO, the overall feel makes me think of the word “toy” or “mini figures” immediately.

The animations are used sparingly but smartly in a way that fits the aesthetic. Example, Zelda’s walking and combat animations are subtle. Her hair moves a little bit whilst walking, clothing like capes do move a bit but not a crazy amount. This goes for the scenery as well. Tree leaves and bushes do not ebb and flow with the wind. But, at the same time, the fire animations are great and when Zelda jumps she kicks up a bit of dust.

The very best thing about the game in my opinion are these visuals. The first time you exit the initial dungeon and see an overlook of Hyrule…well that’s not just dust in my eyes folks.

Null Design

The big bad boss of the game is an entity called Null. Null is an ancient…thing that is literally older than creation. Back during the Creation of the World, the Golden Goddess created Hyrule and the Light World in order to seal away Null and end its reign of chaos. Well of course that went about as well as expected and Null has been set free.

I thought the idea and concept of Null as this blob of nothingness (hence the word Null that tickles my programmer brain) was well realized. Because Null is made up of this primordial “stuff”, Zelda is technically fighting the boss throughout the entire game. Bosses who don’t have a solid corporeal form always make for the best bosses I think. Immediately as the player, you are thinking “how in the world will I beat able to beat something that is literally goo?” But of course Zelda1 prevails at the end of the day.

What I Didn’t Like ☹️

Where’s the Challenge?

Echoes of Wisdom had almost no difficulty. I don’t think I died a single time throughout my playthrough. And I think this leads me to the conclusion that this game was not meant for traditional Zelda fans. Yes, it’s a beautiful game and it includes classic enemies and characters from the other games. But, the game is more about using the Echoes to build ramps and steps and conjuring enemy Echoes to fight on your behalf. None of the puzzles in the game were brain busters, none of the combat was challenging, none of the boss fights were hard. Zelda games aren’t normally known for their extreme difficulty, but there have been moments in every Zelda game I’ve played that either required some out of the box thinking to solve a puzzle or I had to re-play a boss because he ground me into paste.

I Don’t Want a Smoothie!

Echoes of Wisdom contains a new mechanic revolving around smoothies. Yes, smoothies. Throughout the game, you can collect ingredients and take them to smoothie shops to create drinks that restore health, refill energy and even provide temporary buffs. It kind of takes the place of Breath of the Wild’s cooking system, only much more simplified.

The issue is that I never felt the need to make a single smoothie. I collected plenty of the ingredients while exploring, but never stopped to turn them into smoothies unless it was for a quest. Maybe it says more about my play style than the quality of the mechanic, but the game did not push me toward it in any meaningful way. Most encounters could be handled with echoes, careful positioning or Zelda’s swordfighter form and so lugging around a backpack full of smoothies never crossed my mind.

There’s also something odd about the system. In Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, cooking felt like a natural part of preparing for Link’s journey. In Echoes of Wisdom, smoothies feel like an optional menu and don’t really gel with the Hyrule setting. Don’t get me wrong, they may be useful to some players but for me they never felt necessary. I don’t think the smoothie mechanic is bad necessarily, it just felt like something tacked on to add more content.

Boring Side Quests

Another part of Echoes of Wisdom that disappointed me were the side quests. The game contains a lot of them, but many feel like small errands designed to give Zelda something to do between dungeons. Considering how creative the central echo mechanic can be, I was surprised by how rarely the optional quests used it in interesting or unexpected ways.

Several quests ask you to summon a particular echo in front of someone. In “Finding the Flying Plant”, for example, an elderly man describes a strange plant he saw flying through the air. The solution is to find a Peahat, learn its echo, and summon it in front of him. “The Flying Tile” follows essentially the same structure: locate the Flying Tile Echo and then show it to a Gerudo guard. These quests may encourage you to locate echoes you missed for completion-sake, but completing them does not require much thought beyond figuring out which creature or object the description is referencing.

Other quests are even more straightforward. “The Blocked Road” asks Zelda to use Bind to move a few boulders and wooden boxes out of someone’s way, rewarding her with only 20 rupees. “Cuccos on the Loose” has you collect five escaped Cuccos around Kakariko Village and return them to their pen. The Cucco quest is at least a familiar Zelda tradition, but challenging it is not.

There are a few more involved quests, and some offer worthwhile rewards such as Pieces of Heart, accessories, or Fairy Bottles. Still, too many follow the same basic pattern: find an object, summon a particular echo, kill a certain enemy, or carry something back to an NPC. The main game encourages experimentation and gives Zelda an entire catalog of objects and monsters to manipulate. I just wish the side quests had taken greater advantage of those mechanics and contained more complex puzzles and solutions.

No Timers Please

One mechanic I had mixed feelings about was Swordfighter Form. This ability allows Zelda to temporarily fight like Link, giving her access to a sword and, later, a bow and bombs. The problem is that the form is tied to an energy meter that constantly drains while you use it. Once that meter runs out, Zelda changes back and you must find more energy before using those abilities again.

I understand why the developers designed it this way. This is supposed to be Zelda’s adventure, and allowing her to fight like Link without any restrictions could have turned it into just another Zelda game. Swordfighter Form is meant to be something you use sparingly and strategically.

Even so, I could not help thinking that the game was leaving a more interesting idea on the table. Instead of putting Link’s abilities behind a timer, Echoes of Wisdom could have allowed players to switch between Zelda and Link, or have Zelda choose her preferred power set at the beginning of the game. Zelda in her normal form could have remained focused on echoes, puzzles, and manipulating the environment, while her “Link” form could have provided a more direct, combat-oriented approach.

That could have created a meaningful choice in how players approached different situations. Zelda might solve a room by building platforms, binding objects, or summoning monsters, while Link could cut through enemies and use his familiar collection of weapons. Some challenges could favor one character without completely forcing the player into a specific solution.

I’m basically nitpicking the design choice over really disliking the mechanic. It was cool to go into Swordfighter mode and feel that traditional style of swinging the sword and throwing bombs. I just do not like timers and I wished for a different approach to this mechanic.

Overall Thoughts 🤔

Echoes of Wisdom has the bones and structure of a Legend of Zelda title. It has wonderful music, is visually interesting and uses the Link to the Past Hyrule as a little shot of nostalgia in the arm. It has some funny characters, and I had the desire to explore and do most things. However, there were so many things that brought down this experience. The game is very easy with almost no challenge at all, making me think this was definitely targeted toward a younger audience. The game clearly wants you to collect ingredients to make smoothie drinks but there’s almost no reason to need to use the drinks. While there are some fun side quests, a lot of them are largely made up of “bring me this echo”. And I don’t understand why you would put Link’s abilities behind a timer other than the obvious “we didn’t want this game to be about sword fights”. I also found the ending of the game to be very weird and a big miss from a gameplay perspective. I think if you are a Zelda fan, you have to play this one. But if you aren’t, then The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is skippable and that’s unfortunate for the first Zelda game that really lets Zelda shine as the protagonist.

Where Can I Play This? 🕹️

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is easily available on the Nintendo Switch and also playable on the Nintendo Switch 2.

I played Echoes of Wisdom physically on my Nintendo Switch. I finished all side quests and beat the game.

Up Next 📅

Up next, we’ve moved on from the classic Mega Man and are now headed into Mega Man X (not Mega Man 10, a new series) for the SNES!!

Before you go, check out this software I created. It’s called GameShelf and it’s basically like a book club but for video games. Get some friends or family, create an account and start playing video games together. You can chat about the game, track your progress, rank the video games you’ve played and more! Use coupon code NERDCENTRAL to get a free month:

https://gameshelf.live

I haven’t done a Ranking post in a while. Previously, I have played through all of The Legend of Zelda, Metal Gear/Metal Gear Solid and Castlevania mainline titles. You can read about those here:

Now that I’ve finished the original Mega Man series of games, it’s that time again to do some ranking. This particular ranking will be fairly tough because a lot of the Mega Man games kind of blend together for me. The formula across 11 games (and one off-shoot) didn’t change all that much for the most part.

Also, I’m sorry to offend, but Mega Man has never been my favorite series. I enjoy the visual aspect of the games, the wacky lore, the music and the ability of the developers to continue to make great levels decades later. But, I also find the games to be frustrating at times and, again, not a lot of iterating on the gameplay. I welcome your backlash in the comments. 😃

But without further ado, let’s get into the ranking. Let me know if your ranking of these games is different, I would love to hear differing opinions. Remember, this is just the original Mega Man series, not Mega Man X, ZX, XXX, ABCDE or any of those others. I will get to those eventually.

Nerd Central’s Ranking of the Mega Man Series

12 - Mega Man

As is the case with a lot of my rankings of retro titles, the first entry in the series paves the way for what comes after, but this also means that the first game is usually not as polished or has not hit the stride it needs to in order to be higher on the list. Mega Man is no exception. This is the blueprint for the Mega Man series: various robot masters to defeat, various weapons that work best on certain robot masters, evil Dr. Wily trying to take over the world, rockin’ music. But at the same time, Mega Man has framerate issues, there are only six robot masters to defeat and the game is unforgivingly hard in some places. It felt like a prototype (Protoman?) for what was to come.

11 - Mega Man 3

Mega Man 3 was a big evolution of the previous games. It introduced Rush, Mega Man’s companion canine friend as well as the slide move. Both new mechanics made Mega Man feel like he could move more nimbly through the various stages. The level design itself was much improved this time around and I thought the robot masters were very memorable. The game was also not as punishing as the previous two entries and it was a welcome change. However, there were still technical issues due to the game being rushed (no pun intended) and there were more cheap death traps due to spikes and pits.

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Metroid: Samus Returns was released for the Nintendo 3DS on September 15, 2017. Developed by Spanish studio MercurySteam in collaboration with Nintendo EPD and published by Nintendo, it marked the first new side-scrolling Metroid release in more than a decade. It also arrived at an interesting point in Nintendo’s history, launching several months after the Nintendo Switch had already been released while the 3DS was beginning to wind down.

The game is a full remake of the 1991 Game Boy title Metroid II: Return of Samus, but the two games could not be more different. Samus Returns follows the same basic premise, with Samus traveling to planet SR388 to eliminate the Metroid species, but it rebuilds the adventure with 2.5D graphics, redesigned environments, new bosses and substantial gameplay additions. These include 360-degree aiming, a melee counterattack and Aeion abilities powered by a new and limited energy supply.

Reception was very positive. The game earned a Metacritic score of 85 based on 87 critic reviews, with praise directed toward its presentation, exploration and modernized combat. Some players and reviewers were less enthusiastic about the melee counter, arguing that its frequent use could interrupt the traditional flow of running and shooting, but the game was broadly viewed as a welcome return for 2D Metroid. It also won Best Handheld Game at The Game Awards 2017 and later received the Handheld Game of the Year award at the D.I.C.E. Awards.

Nintendo has never released a dependable worldwide lifetime sales total for Samus Returns. It sold 30,855 physical copies during its first week in Japan and charted in both the United States and United Kingdom, but estimates beyond those figures vary too much to provide solid numbers. Whatever its final sales total, the game proved important to the series: MercurySteam later returned to develop Metroid Dread - a game we will discuss down the road -carrying forward and refining several of the ideas introduced in Samus Returns.

What I Liked 😃

Samus…. IN 3D!!!

To say that Samus Returns looks better than Metroid II is like saying a supreme pizza looks better than a fresh pile of mud on a plate. Samus Returns is not a half step port or one-to-one remake. It’s a ground up reimagining of the original Game Boy title that retains the high level structure but changes everything else. From the graphics to the combat to the sound, the game is vastly different for the better.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed my time on SR388 in the original Metroid II. You can go back and read my thoughts on that game above, but overall I thought the Metroid hunting structure was a neat idea and gave the player mini objectives throughout the game. So, to take that great concept and give it a huge fresh coat of paint was more than welcome.

From the get-go, our ears are treated to some really fantastic ominous/adventurous music. We also get some nice visuals, retelling the events from the first Metroid game. The story has remained the same, not a lot of changes there. Samus is on SR388 to exterminate the last of the Metroid species. There are 50 Metroids to take out this time, whereas the original Metroid II only had 39. Areas are still blocked off until a certain number of Metroids are defeated and/or certain powers are obtained.

Speaking more about the visual upgrades, the atmospheric sounds on SR388 actually sound like atmospheric sounds compared to the Game Boy’s paltry sound chip. The landscapes have depth, you can look way back in the background and see rock pillars, roots, stalactites and stalagmites. Enemies, bosses and Samus herself look great1, with fluid animations, particle effects and detailed textures. There are in-game cutscenes that add a little cinematic flair to the events unfolding. This is most certainly the best way to play this storyline.

I also marveled at the Nintendo 3DS 3D effect. I hadn’t used my 3DS in a quite a while and so it was very refreshing and cool to see a game presented in 3D without wearing any glasses or other implements on my head. There’s no other way to play this game, but it’s certainly worth finding a 3DS and a copy to experience this effect. I know 3D goes in and out of popularity, but I wonder why Nintendo didn’t carry this feature forward to the Switch?

Power Up

Along with the visual and audible upgrades in Samus Returns, the combat system has also received an overhaul. Samus still has her arm cannon and can shoot regular shots as well as missiles. But she also has some cool new toys.

First off, Samus can counter attacks! Wow, what a novel idea. Countering attacks is not standard in Metroid games, but it certainly is a welcome inclusion. It takes a little practice to learn how to counter all of the various enemies on the planet, but after a little bit it becomes second nature. And, it only makes Samus feel more like the badass that she is. Trying to attack Samus? Hah, she can counter it! And then blow a hole right through you.

Samus also has something called Aeion powers. Samus discovers this new power on SR388. As per usual, the Chozo have been everywhere including this planet and have left behind artifacts containing various Aeion powers. The Chozo used this energy to power their advanced technology. Since Samus seems intrinsically tied to the Chozo2, she can of course harness this alien power. There are four new powers in the game: Scan Pulse which sends out a circular radar that can reveal hidden blocks, passages and item locations, Lightning Armor which gives Samus a protective force field for a time, Beam Burst which turns Samus’s arm cannon into a rapid fire machine gun and finally Phase Drift which puts everything in slow motion while Samus’s speed remains the same.

The Aeion powers are somewhat tied to counter attacks because in order to replenish your power reserves, you need to counter enemy attacks which drop yellow Aeion orbs. All of these new game mechanics give the player more choice in how to tackle a situation. Some of the powers are used for specific puzzles, but others can be used to help dispatch enemies easier. It’s all well implemented and fun to mess around with.

What I Didn’t Like ☹️

Robot Chase

In Samus Returns, there is a robot named the Diggernaut. It’s a massive robot presumably used for….digging. Possibly invented and used by the Chozo. Anyway, you will encounter this robot a few times. But, the first time you encounter it, you cannot damage it and must run away in what becomes an obstacle course based chase sequence. Samus is running a way from Diggernaut while it is trying to grind Samus up into bounty hunter meat.

It’s certainly a tense moment filled with three to four different chase sequences and so mission accomplished there. However, it’s one of those things that felt out of place with the rest of the game. And, unless you are a pro gamer, there’s almost no way to get through those sequences without taking a death. You must quickly and expertly use the morph ball, the spider ball, the grapple beam, morph ball bombs all while moving fast enough ahead of Diggernaut’s grinder. Some of the chase sequences have branching paths and many of the chase sequences also throw enemies in your path.

I had to attempt some of these sequences many times and it became very frustrating. Again, as far as tension goes, I was very tense and on the edge of my seat. But I did not enjoy not being able to morph fast enough or taking the wrong path only to end up being squished.

Powerbomb!

It’s Shinesparking all over again. Just like in Super Metroid and other Metroid titles, Samus has a special “hidden” move that some on the internet call Spidersparking or Spider Boost or Power Bomb Cannon. If Samus attaches herself to a surface with the Spider Ball and then drops a Power Bomb, the explosion launches her across the room in the opposite direction. Attaching to the floor sends her upward, while clinging to a wall sends her flying horizontally. This is how you are meant to get to some of the more obscure power ups and hidden areas.

Unfortunately, just like Shinespark, it is a neat ability but the game does very little to teach it. Not once did I accidentally trigger this move and so I reached the end of the game with a pretty long list of smaller areas to navigate and upgrades to obtain. After several times trying to maybe initiate a Shinespark thinking they had added that mechanic somehow into the game without me knowing it, I finally looked it up. I went through the whole game not using a guide or anything, so the fact that I had to look this up kind of ruined some of that experience. There were tutorials for every new mechanic in the game, but for some reason this one was omitted.

Die Already, Ridley

Ridley is the Dr. Wily of the Metroid universe. It will not die and keeps coming back! Now, this is a little odd with me saying this about Ridley in what is technically the 2nd game in the series. But, I’ve already played most of the other Metroid games at this point and thusly I’ve seen Ridley more than I would like. Ridley is a cool villain, don’t get me wrong. It’s aesthetics are neat and it is a menacing figure. But, surely we can come up with other villains to terrorize Samus.

Ridley wasn’t even in the original Metroid II! The end boss in that game was the Queen Metroid. But, in Samus Returns after saving the baby Metroid, you fight Proteus Ridley, a cybernetic version of the recurring baddie. It just feels shoehorned in, especially if you’ve played the original. It was like the developers said to themselves “dang, we didn’t get Ridley in Metroid II, let’s fix that during the remake”.

Overall Thoughts 🤔

Metroid: Samus Returns is a wonderful remake. While the original Metroid II was not a bad game at all, Samus Returns is by far the best way to play this narrative. It has enhanced graphics, better sound design, additional gameplay mechanics and it’s all presented in wonderful 3D! There were some nitpicky things I didn’t enjoy such as the hidden Spidersparking power, the Diggernaut chases and shoving Ridley in anyway they knew how. But those things do not detract from what is a fantastic game and a wonderful experience.

Where Can I Play This? 🕹️

Unfortunately, in order to play Metroid: Samus Returns, you have to go out and get yourself a Nintendo 3DS and a copy of the game. Nintendo hasn’t seen fit to port this to any newer systems as of yet, which is a literal crime.

I played Metroid: Samus Returns physically on the Nintendo 3DS. As usual with Metroid games, I beat the game and found most of the power ups, but not all of them.

Up Next 📅

Up next, we return to Zelda of all places with The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom for the Nintendo Switch!

Before you go, check out this software I created. It’s called GameShelf and it’s basically like a book club but for video games. Get some friends or family, create an account and start playing video games together. You can chat about the game, track your progress, rank the video games you’ve played and more! Use coupon code NERDCENTRAL to get a free month: https://gameshelf.live

Gazillionaire

PUBLISHER: Spectrum Holobyte

DEVELOPER: LavaMind

RELEASE DATE: 1994 (Windows)

Gazillionaire, a game of intergalactic wheelin’ and dealin’ (self proclaimed), is a PC game that sort-of straddles that line between a regular strategy game and an economy based edutainment title. Gazillionaire has been compared by some to Monopoly but in space. In the game, your goal is to travel from planet to planet, buying low and selling high in the hopes of amassing a huge fortune and beating your competitors, player controlled or otherwise.

Developed by LavaMind in 1994, the game developer only has three other games associated with it and one of those is Gazillionaire Deluxe: an enhancement to the original game. The other two titles are similar in concept to Gazillionaire. Those are Zapitalism!1 and Profitania. All of these games are simulation based and revolve around the managing an economy. Gazillionaire was 100% funded by Steve Hoffman and Naomi Kokubo who founded LavaMind.

Gazillionaire was published by Spectrum Holobyte. If you are a PC gamer of old, this name will sound very familiar as the company published nearly 60 games from 1984 to 1995. Their most well known titles have to be Tetris for the Commodore 64, DOS, Windows and Amiga systems as well as a handful of Star Trek titles. Spectrum Holobyte would go on to purchase MicroProse in 1993 and then eventually merge all of their products under the MicroProse name. MicroProse was bought by Hasbro Interactive in 1998 and just a year later, MicroProse was shut down and offices were closed.

But, let’s get back to Gazillionaire. When starting the game you pick your difficulty level, can randomize the planets in the solar system and can choose your opponents. You can name your company and choose a starting spaceship. The first company to reach 5,000,000 kubars2 wins the game.

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Mega Man & Bass was released for the Game Boy Advance in Japan on August 10, 2002, before coming to North America in March 2003. Developed and published by Capcom, the game was actually a port of Rockman & Forte, a Super Famicom game that had originally released only in Japan on April 24, 1998. Because of that, the GBA version was the first official chance many Western players had to experience this odd little entry in the classic Mega Man series.

The game takes place after Mega Man 8 and introduces a new robot villain named King, who steals data from Dr. Wily’s creations and plans to build his own robot army. The big hook is right there in the title: players can choose between Mega Man and Bass as the playable character. Mega Man plays more traditionally, with his charge shot and slide, while Bass can rapid-fire in multiple directions and has more agile movement. That choice gives the game a slightly different tone from the usual classic Mega Man formula, even if the bones are still very familiar: pick a stage, fight a Robot Master, take their weapon, and slowly work your way toward the final fortress.

Reception to the GBA version was generally positive, though not without some complaints. Metacritic lists Mega Man & Bass with a 79 Metascore based on 18 critic reviews, with reviewers praising it as challenging old-school Mega Man action. Electronic Gaming Monthly called it one of the best action games on the GBA, while other reviews were a little more reserved, pointing out that the game did not do much to reinvent the series.

The biggest criticism, especially in hindsight, is that the GBA version suffers from what is called “screen crunch”. Since the original game was designed for the Super Famicom, squeezing it onto the smaller GBA screen made some hazards and enemy placements harder to see. Rockman Man & Forte was already known for being difficult, so the reduced view in Mega Man & Bass can make certain sections feel even meaner than intended.

Sales information is limited. I could not find any reliable worldwide sales numbers, but one commonly cited Famitsu figure says the GBA version sold 91,097 copies in Japan by the week of December 23, 2002. That does not tell the whole story obviously, especially since the Western release came afterward, but it gives at least some sense of its performance. It’s fairly clear this likely didn’t sell over a million copies and probably didn’t even reach half a million units sold.

What I Liked 😃

Looks Great on GBA

The first thing you’ll notice about Mega Man & Bass is that it looks exactly like a Mega Man entry from the SNES, specifically Mega Man 8. Animations are smooth. Mega Man’s eye blinks when he’s idle, when he jumps he raises one arm up in an effort to get more height. The game’s colors are bright and there’s a ton of anime/cartoon detail. Each level is packed with stuff in the background. If I didn’t have a GBA1 and hadn’t literally inserted the cartridge into the system, I could be convinced this was a Super Nintendo game for sure.

If you’ve ever played Mega Man 8, things will look very familiar. The overall artistic design is cloned almost one-to-one here. In addition, many of the enemies are exactly the same as from Mega Man 8, from the Batton M64 to the Dodonpa Canon to the Rabbiton. Mega Man games recycle enemies all the time of course, but when the visuals are exactly the same as well, it becomes very apparent. Mega Man & Bass even re-uses the Green Devil, one of the mid bosses from Mega Man 8.

Between the Mega Man 8 inspired aesthetics to the excellent visuals to go along with it, I had a great time gawking at everything on the screen. But that was the promise of the GameBoy Advance: a handheld that gave you SNES quality (or better). Sometimes it didn’t always deliver, but in this instance at least in the visual department, Capcom knocked it out of the park.

CD Collection

In other Mega Man games of the past, there either was no collectible or there were bolts or screws. Bolts and screws make total sense from an in-world perspective in which Mega Man is a robot. You need those bolts that act like currency to upgrade his suit, allowing him to jump on spikes temporarily or make his arm cannon shoot faster.

In Mega Man & Bass however, the collectible is not a bolt. Instead, Mega Man is seeking out CDs. Yes, CDs. These CDs contain an encyclopedia of knowledge about characters across the entire Mega Man series including even the Game Boy titles. On these CDs, you will find character images, a short description, a quote and even the character’s likes and dislikes. Much of the information is informative but some of it is meant to be silly or humorous. Unfortunately, collecting the CDs net you zero in-game advantages. The only thing you get for collecting all the CDs is a 100% encyclopedia and the satisfaction that you found all of them. This is no small feat because nearly every stage has to be played more than once as Mega Man and then as Bass (or vice versa).

While there are no buffs or actual benefits to collecting the CDs, I still found it fun to seek these out. Reading the biographies was interesting. It’s also funny to me that we are seeking out CD collectibles on a cartridge based game. I also imagine Mega Man’s chest containing a pull out CD drive so that he can read the data from them. While this little tidbit is innocuous, it still gave me a chuckle.

What I Didn’t Like ☹️

Super Frustrating Final Stages

Like most Mega Man games, Mega Man & Bass ends with a collection of fortress stages meant to test your reflexes and all of the skill you have built up from the other stages. I expected the difficulty to increase, after all I’ve played eleven other Mega Man games up to this point, but King’s Fortress was nearly the breaking point for me. These stages combine difficult platforming, instant-death hazards, disappearing blocks, powerful enemies, and several lengthy boss encounters.

The second fortress stage is where things become especially frustrating. It contains five boss battles, including encounters with the King Tank and King Jet before you even reach King himself. Worse, losing all your lives before reaching the main King battle can send you back to the beginning, forcing you to repeat the earlier bosses. Online, you can find similar complaints where some people describe it as a “lesson in aggravation”. That made me feel a little better, knowing that I am likely not the only person who struggled with this part of the game.

The GBA screen does not help of course. Since the game was originally designed for the larger Super Famicom display, the portable version shows less of the surrounding area. That means enemies, projectiles, platforms, and pits may not become visible until you are already dangerously close to them. The entire game is affected by this issue, but most of the game is perfectly playable until the last few stages where the margin for error is already tiny due to the sheer amount of obstacles.

Even after getting through King’s Fortress, the final stage makes you fight all eight Robot Masters again in a predetermined order before facing Dr. Wily. Boss rushes are nothing new for this series, but after surviving the fortress stages, I was already tired. Normally, the Robot Master boss rush feels more like a victory lap. But in Mega Man & Bass, it made things feel like a slog after the crushing difficulty of the King’s Fortress stages.

It’s Not Good to Be the King

King, the big bad boss of the game, has several phases and they can be pretty confusing. During the first phase, King cannot be damaged at all. You are meant to survive several rounds of his attacks without firing at him. Shooting King only allows him to absorb your energy and throw it back at you as a powerful wave attack. Unless you recognize what the game expects, your natural instinct to attack the boss actively makes the fight harder and likely results in death.

Once you figure this out and once King can finally be damaged, the fight still requires very precise movement. As Mega Man, you must carefully time jumps onto the platform in the center of the room so you can reach the weak point above King’s head. The strategy is different for Bass, who can fire diagonally upward, but he still has to avoid the constant attacks filling the limited space. The smaller GBA display again makes the arena feel even more cramped and can make King’s attacks harder to anticipate.

I do not mind a difficult final boss, especially in a Mega Man game. Mega Man games are difficult, that’s all there is to it. And King is supposed to feel like a major threat. The problem is that I reached him after an already lengthy series of stages and boss fights, making it harder to appreciate the challenge on its own. By that point, I was not thinking about figuring out his patterns or enjoying the spectacle. I was mostly thinking about how much of the fortress I might have to repeat if I died again. And again. And again. AND AGAIN!

Overall Thoughts 🤔

Mega Man & Bass could have been a great game. And, on the Super Famicom as Rockman & Forte, maybe it is. But the GBA port unfortunately suffers from small screen issues that make it very hard to see what is coming up next, be it spikes or enemies or what have you. The end game was extremely difficult for me to the point where I considered giving up. Even still, I think the visual presentation of the game is great and fans of Mega Man 8 will especially like it. CD collecting is a neat little novelty that celebrates the history of Mega Man in a way. Unfortunately, I would recommend Mega Man & Bass only to hardcore Mega Man fans honestly.

Where Can I Play This? 🕹️

As of today, Mega Man & Bass remains difficult to access officially. It was not included in one of Capcom’s Mega Man Legacy Collections and is not currently part of Nintendo Switch Online’s Game Boy Advance library. The Wii U Virtual Console version is no longer available for purchase, leaving an original GBA cartridge or the Japanese Super Famicom release, Rockman & Forte as the primary official options.

I played Mega Man & Bass physically on the Game Boy Advance. I collected several CDs and beat the game.

Up Next 📅

Up next, we revisit SR388 and go Metroid hunting in Metroid: Samus Returns for the 3DS!

Check out this software I created. It’s called GameShelf and it’s basically like a book club but for video games. Get some friends or family, create an account and start playing video games together. You can chat about the game, track your progress, rank the video games you’ve played and more! Use coupon code NERDCENTRAL to get a free month: https://gameshelf.live

B.A.T. II - The Koshan Conspiracy

PUBLISHER: Ubi Soft

DEVELOPER: Computer’s Dream

RELEASE DATE: 1992 (Amiga, DOS), 1993 (Atari ST)

Back in 1992, when Ubisoft was still styled as Ubi Soft, the company published B.A.T. II: The Koshan Conspiracy, a follow-up to B.A.T. and short for Bureau of Astral Troubleshooters, of course. Developed by Computer’s Dream, the sequel dropped players into a strange cyberpunk universe full of interplanetary politics, shady trusts, valuable minerals, assassins, wrist computers, and tons of nonsense words.

The set up for the story is presented as an introductory text crawl once you boot up the game. It is packed with invented terms, political intrigue, economic warfare and enough proper nouns to make you feel like you’re reading a Robert Jordan fantasy novel:

The economic universe is in crisis. Koshan, a Shedishan planet trust, holds a monopoly of Echiatone 21, a very valuable material.

The Arzonian Beteker Trust is the last fortress against this monopoly.

With such a stranglehold on Echiatone by Koshan, the C.F.G (confederation of the galaxies: the Earth government) decided to launch an undercover operation to destroy Koshan and take over its monopoly.

To accomplish this, C.F.G contacted the B.A.T, who assigned Sylvia Hadford to the mission.

She pretends to be the daughter of a sage close to the Shedish throne and says that she has enough title deeds of the natural satellite of Shedishan to take it over. This satellite, called Bedhin6, has the largest deposit of Echiatone in the system.

She proves her claim by showing a document bearing the royal seal and stating that the old Shedish king Ab’Dish II granted rights to the satellite to several people for services to the throne.

An enquiry is started and a new appointment set with the judge handling the case.

Shortly after Sylvia survives an assassination attempt (two sniffers are killed).

The B.A.T decides to send another agent mascarading as Jehan Menasis (arrested on earth on a false drug charge) to find the title deeds and complete the mission as requested by the C.F.G.

Sylvia will be your first contact on Shedishan at Mantoue Manor, a hotel in the Shedishan capital city, Roma II…

Whew! So many made-up terms plus an economic war over a valuable mineral? Sign me up! But seriously, the opening crawl makes no sense. For a kid, this is the kind of stuff you would gloss over before clicking your way into the actual game. However, we do have to remember that Ubi Soft is a French studio and some of the English translation may not have been the best, especially in 1992. Still, right out of the gate, the game can be a little overwhelming to get into.

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Sea of Stars was released on August 29, 2023 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Developed and published by Sabotage Studio, the team behind the Ninja Gaiden inspired The Messenger, the game was designed as a modern tribute to classic 1990s RPGs. It wears its inspirations proudly on its sleeve, especially games like Chrono Trigger, Super Mario RPG, and Illusion of Gaia, but it does not rely completely on nostalgic throwbacks. It takes that familiar old-school RPG foundation and adds smoother traversal, quality of life upgrades, a unique story, and some truly gorgeous pixel art.

Reception was very strong. Critics praised the visuals, soundtrack, combat, and overall sense of polish, with some criticism aimed at the story and character writing not always reaching the same heights as the presentation. Still, the game became one of the standout indie RPGs of 2023, winning Best Independent Game at The Game Awards and Best Indie Game at the Golden Joystick Awards.

Sales numbers are a little tricky because Sea of Stars launched into subscription services like Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus Extra/Premium, so player counts and copies sold are not the same thing. What we do know is that it sold over 250,000 copies in its first week, which Sabotage said had already met its first-year sales projection. By late 2024, the game had been played by more than six million people. Since launch, it has also received the free Dawn of Equinox update, which added local co-op and other improvements, along with the free Throes of the Watchmaker DLC in 2025.

What I Liked 😃

The Best Modern RPG?

Sea of Stars, in my opinion, is one of the best modern RPGs of the past 10 years. Inspired by legendary titles such as Chrono Trigger and Super Mario RPG, the game takes some of the best elements from those classics and wraps them in a new tale with a unique setting and interesting characters. Sabotage Studio, an indie developer, managed to expertly and passionately craft a game that is fun, funny, emotional, and whimsical all at the same time.

The game follows Valere and Zale, two Children of the Solstice who use the powers of the moon and sun to fight the creations of an evil alchemist known as the Fleshmancer. That short summary might sound a little familiar or even played out to some RPG fans. Chosen warriors, ancient evil, magical powers… been there done that, right? But Sea of Stars is anything but repetitive or boring.

The game starts with our main characters as children. They are about to begin their training to become Solstice Warriors, but that training is long and difficult. Eventually, they grow up and set off on their adventure. The opening hour of the game does a great job introducing the setting, the central concept, and the characters, while also working as a natural in-game tutorial. It eases you into the world without feeling like the game is stopping every few seconds to explain itself. I love games that span time periods too. It demonstrates that the writers have a bigger vision for the world and its characters and it really feels like you are going on a journey.

One of the mechanics that helps the game stand out is the day/night cycle. This concept is not just used to paint a pretty picture, although it certainly does that too. Zale and Valere’s powers are tied directly to the sun and moon, so the cycle is baked into the narrative from the start. It also plays into puzzle-solving. Certain doors, platforms, and beams of light depend on where the sun or moon is positioned. I always love when a developer has the forethought to tie a big idea into multiple parts of a game. In the case of the day/night cycle, it changes the look and mood of the environments, connects directly to the story, and creates interesting gameplay challenges.

The combat system is also very well done. It borrows heavily from Chrono Trigger and Super Mario RPG, taking combo attacks and battlefield positioning from Chrono Trigger while using timed attacks and timed defense in a way that feels inspired by Super Mario RPG. But Sea of Stars also adds its own flair. One of the biggest additions is the “lock” system, which feels similar in spirit to Octopath Traveler. Enemies can have symbols above their heads representing different attack types, such as a sword, staff, sun, or moon. If you hit the enemy with the right types before the countdown ends, you can weaken or completely cancel their attack.

Combined with timed attacks and timed defense, the lock system keeps combat engaging and rewarding. Every round gives you something to think about. You are not just selecting “attack” over and over again until the enemies fall down. You are thinking about the best strategy to eliminate enemies efficiently, break locks, manage your resources, and reduce incoming damage. At the same time, the timing mechanics keep you physically engaged in each turn. It is still a turn-based RPG, but it engages the player a lot more than some of the more traditional games of the past.

In addition to the combat and the day/night cycle, nearly every aspect of the game feels meticulously crafted making it one of my favorite RPGs in recent memory. I could keep listing the things about Sea of Stars that make it (and I will below), but I need to end this section lest it gets out of control.

Dynamic Music

This is a little thing, really, but I loved that the music changes depending on whether it is day or night. It is a nice flourish that makes the game even better. It makes returning to previous areas more interesting, and the music itself is fantastic all around. It was not something the developers had to do, but that extra effort adds another layer to the world.

Along with being one of the best games I’ve played in recent memory, Sea of Stars also has one of the best soundtracks I’ve heard as well. I bought the vinyl soundtrack and I’m in the mood for it pretty much anytime. Just like the game itself, the music is a mixture of the new and the old. “The Great Archives”, for example, reminds me of the RPGs of old, while songs like “The Mountain Trail” feel like their own thing. Both examples are awesome listens. Most of the tracks contain a spark of whimsy and adventure that is perfect for a game like Sea of Stars. This may be a short section, but that does not make the music any less important to the overall experience.

Endings are Hard

Even the best games ever made have a hard time keeping players engaged and interested near the end of a video game. Some really great games that I’ve started with high anticipation overstayed their welcome by the end. This is even more of an issue with longer games that you find in the RPG genre. After 40, 70 or over 100 hours with a game, you really need to be invested in the story or the characters or the mechanics to keep going.

Thankfully I never felt exhausted by Sea of Stars. The story is engaging, the characters are fun to hang with and the combat is solid throughout. But, the icing on the cake is how Sabotage Studio ends this game. I definitely do not want to spoil anything because I think the surprise is all the more special if it’s….well….a surprise. I will just say that I’ve never seen it done in any other game and it’s super cool and it makes me very impressed with Sabotage Studio even more.

What I Didn’t Like ☹️

Food is Money

The economy in Sea of Stars felt strange to me because food is basically money. Most enemies do not drop much gold, if they drop any at all. As a result, one of the main ways to earn money is by selling the ingredients you collect throughout the world. Fish, seafood, berries, vegetables, and other ingredients are not just there for cooking; they are also one of your most consistent sources of income.

The problem is that those same ingredients are used to prepare meals that restore health and MP. This means I was constantly deciding whether an ingredient was more valuable as food or as a few extra pieces of gold. Do I keep everything so I can cook useful healing items, or do I sell it so I can afford a new weapon or piece of armor? I understand the idea of making resources serve more than one purpose, and the concept is neat. But it made the economy of the world feel stingy.

Cooking the ingredients does not solve the problem, either. Meals generally sell for around the same amount as the ingredients used to make them, so you cannot turn cooking into a reliable little business on the side. You might as well sell the raw ingredients and save yourself the trouble. Gathering food sometimes felt like running a traveling farmer’s market and I’m not playing Sea of Stars: Farming Simulator!

Overall Thoughts 🤔

Sea of Stars is a great game. No, it’s a wonderful game. Better yet, it’s a legendary game. If you are a fan of RPGs, you owe it to yourself to play this game. It was crafted with love by an indie studio and yet it feels like more than just an indie game. It transcends the indie title and just becomes a “game”. The only downside which was more of a nitpick for me was the involvement of food in the economy. Otherwise every other aspect of this game is perfect to me. I lament that Sabotage Studio tends to be more experimental with their games and so we likely won’t see Sea of Stars 2. At the same time, I’ve also played The Messenger and so I can’t wait to see what they come up with next, even if it isn’t another retro inspired RPG.

Where Can I Play This? 🕹️

Sea of Stars is available on all modern platforms and as a result is really easy to get ahold of and play. The game has received a few content updates including a story based DLC and coop support.

I played Sea of Stars physically on the Nintendo Switch. I rolled credits and saw both endings.

Up Next 📅

We continue on with Mega Man, but it’s technically not part of any series (but it’s actually considered a sequel to Mega Man 8 😵‍💫). That game is Mega Man & Bass for the Game Boy Advance!

Check out this software I created. It’s called GameShelf and it’s basically like a book club but for video games. Get some friends or family, create an account and start playing video games together. You can chat about the game, track your progress, rank the video games you’ve played and more! Use coupon code NERDCENTRAL to get a free month: https://gameshelf.live

In this final part of my story and relationship with video games, we will be discussing how I really got into collecting and all of the ups and downs that came along with that. Actually I may do a Part 4 about what the future holds for me and video gaming due to the recent news about the end of physical video games. We shall see…

In Part 2, I had just entered my mid 20s. I had been working out in the real world for about 5 years. And, by and large, I was still really immersed in achievement hunting. I had a lot of games and game systems, but I still wouldn’t really have described myself as a collector at that point. Maybe “passive collector” is a good term. I wasn’t selling anything I owned and so was amassing a collection by pure osmosis…

Rocking Out

Around that time, I discovered Rock Band and Guitar Hero. This was a huge part of my life for quite a while. I spent hours on the drum set alone practicing in slow motion so that I could get through all of the songs on Expert difficulty. My friends and I had a standing Monday night Rock Band jam session for years where we would rotate instruments and belt out off key and tone deaf renditions of our favorite songs. We even tried to complete the Endless Setlist in Rock Band one weekend without stopping. I seem to recall that we may have done it, or maybe we got to the very end and choked. All I know is that fun was had and a lot of pizza was consumed.

Tying the Knot

In my late 20s, I met the person who is now my wife. Just a lovely lady all the way around, I fell hard for this girl and we were married almost exactly a year after our first official date. Forgetting video games for just a moment, it was one of the best decisions of my entire life. I would trade all that I have for her and I love her very much.

Anyway, around that time I got a PlayStation 3. Uncharted and Demon’s Souls were some of the first games I got for the system. But because I was so invested in achievements, I never really spent much time with Sony or Nintendo systems because Nintendo had no achievements system and Sony’s trophies were cool, but I was not into that ecosystem as much. Microsoft had my heart.

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Darksiders Genesis was released for PC and Google Stadia(yeah, that thing) on December 5, 2019, before coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch on February 14, 2020. Developed by Airship Syndicate and published by THQ Nordic, the game served as a prequel to the main Darksiders series.

The biggest change from the series’ previous titles was the perspective. Instead of the third-person action-adventure style of the previous games, Darksiders Genesis used a top-down action-RPG approach, making it feel a bit closer to something like Diablo while still keeping the combat, puzzles, exploration, and apocalyptic comic-book style the series is known for. It also introduced Strife, the gun-wielding fourth Horseman, as a playable character alongside our original protagonist, War. In single-player, you can swap between the two characters, while co-op allows two players to fight through the campaign together making it the first two-player co-op mode in the franchise.

Reception was generally positive. On Metacritic, the PC version holds a 77 Metascore, with the PS4 and Xbox One versions also listed at 77 and the Switch version at 74. Critics seemed to appreciate that, even with the new camera angle and structure, Genesis still felt like a real Darksiders game. The combat, art direction, and co-op were commonly praised, while some criticism was aimed at repetition, occasional clunkiness, and the fact that it was still not the long-awaited full sequel many fans were hoping for.

Reliable unit sales numbers do not appear to be publicly available, but the game seems to have performed well for THQ Nordic. Shortly after launch, Embracer Group CEO Lars Wingefors said Darksiders Genesis had a “solid performance,” was “well received,” and had exceeded his expectations after release.

What I Liked 😃

Comic Book Intros

Darksiders Genesis adds comic book-style cutscenes throughout the game. This was probably at least partly a cost-saving measure compared to producing fully rendered 3D cinematics, but honestly, I don’t see that as a negative. When done well, I’ve always appreciated this kind of presentation. It gives the game a storybook quality, almost like you’re flipping through an indie comic between missions.

It also fits Darksiders extremely well. The entire series was originally conceived by comic book artist Joe Madureira, and while the cutscene illustrations in Genesis were done by artist Ludo Lullabi, the style still feels very connected to Madureira’s influence. The characters are huge, exaggerated, and larger than life. Armor has absurd amounts of detail. Weapons look like they weigh 900 pounds, particularly War’s sword. Everything is colorful, dramatic, and slightly ridiculous in the best possible way. That has always been part of the appeal of Darksiders to me. It is not a subtle look, and it has absolutely no interest in being subtle.

The illustrations are also semi-animated, which is a fairly common approach for games that use this kind of comic book presentation. Characters slide into frame, the camera pans across the artwork, and certain effects are layered in to give the scenes some motion without turning them into full animation. It is a simple technique, but it works. It gives the game a more cinematic feeling without using more costly fully rendered cutscenes.

I think this style helps Genesis feel connected to the series despite the shift to a top-down perspective. The gameplay may look different from the previous games, but the cutscenes still have that same loud, gothic, comic book influence. They remind you that this is still a Darksiders game: demons, angels, Horsemen and crazy weapons expertly designed.

Is This Diablo?

I was shocked at how much Darksiders Genesis felt like Diablo. Actually, maybe I shouldn’t have been that shocked. The Darksiders series has always been good at borrowing bits and pieces from other genres. The first Darksiders had a lot of Zelda DNA, with dungeons, puzzles, items, and bosses. Darksiders II added more RPG elements, loot, bigger areas, and traversal that reminded me of games like Prince of Persia. Darksiders III pulled in some obvious Soulslike ideas while still hanging onto its action-adventure roots. So in that sense, the dev team looking over at Diablo and saying, “Yeah, let’s try that,” feels pretty natural for this series.

The camera angle is the first thing that makes you think of Diablo. For the first time in the series, the camera has been pulled up above the action instead of sitting behind the player in a traditional third-person view. You are no longer right behind War or Strife as they run through the world. Instead, you are looking down at the battlefield, watching enemies swarm in from different directions while attacks, bullets, explosions, and monster parts fly all over the screen.

That new perspective also changes the rhythm of combat. Earlier Darksiders games felt more like action or adventure games, where you were focused on the enemies directly in front of you. Genesis feels more like crowd control. You are constantly watching the whole arena, moving around groups of enemies, switching between War and Strife, and trying not to get boxed in. War still brings that heavy melee style, while Strife’s guns make the game feel even more like an action RPG shooter at times. It is not exactly Diablo of course, but the influence is unmistakable.

What’s interesting is that Darksiders Genesis pumped the brakes in becoming a loot-driven game in the same way Diablo is. You are not constantly picking up new helmets, boots, swords, or armor pieces every thirty seconds. Instead, the game keeps more of the traditional Darksiders structure with upgrades, creature cores, exploration, puzzles, and secrets. So while the camera angle and combat flow seem ripped from Diablo, the rest of the game still feels like Darksiders.

That is probably why the shift worked better than I expected. On paper, turning Darksiders into a top-down action game sounds like the kind of spin-off that could easily feel cheap or disconnected from the main series. But once you start playing, it makes sense. The world is still loud and over designed. The combat is still exaggerated. It may be borrowing from Diablo, but the game retains its identity throughout.

What Came Before

Another interesting thing about Darksiders Genesis is that it is actually a prequel. The game takes place before the original Darksiders, back when the Four Horsemen are still acting as enforcers for the Charred Council. That gives the story a slightly different feel from the other games. In the first Darksiders, War is trying to clear his name after being blamed for starting the apocalypse early (don’t ever start a party early, dontcha know that?). In Genesis, we see him before all of that, still loyal to the Council and still fully believing in his role as one of their instruments of balance.

This also gives the game a good excuse to finally put Strife in the spotlight. Before Genesis, Strife was the remaining Horseman we had not gotten to play as. War had the first game, Death had the second, Fury had the third, and Strife was mostly hanging around in the background of the lore waiting for his turn. Genesis finally gives him that chance, even if he has to share the spotlight with War.

Strife is another distinct character in a series that has done a pretty good job making each Horseman feel different. War is exactly what his name suggests. He is serious, direct, loyal, and usually solves problems by hitting them with a sword the size of a dinner table. Strife, on the other hand, is quicker, louder, and more sarcastic. He fights with guns, moves with more agility, and brings a different kind of tone to the story. War feels like a walking fortress. By contrast, Strife feels more like the guy who kicks open the door, makes a joke, and starts shooting before anyone has finished their speech. He’s kind of a Nathan Drake type if Nathan Drake was a Nephilim turned Horseman.

That contrast is one of the best parts of the game. War and Strife are both Horsemen, but they do not approach things the same way at all. War is stern and duty-bound, while Strife is more willing to question things, make comments, and poke at the cracks in whatever grand cosmic nonsense they have been dragged into. Their back-and-forth helps give Genesis more personality than I expected. Since the game uses a top-down perspective and comic-style cutscenes, it could have easily felt smaller or less important than the mainline entries, but the dynamic between War and Strife gives it a lot of character.

What I Didn’t Like ☹️

Dashing is Broken

One of my biggest frustrations with Darksiders Genesis was the dash. In a game with this much combat, crowd control, and arena-style enemy encounters, movement needs to feel sharp and snappy. Unfortunately, the dash never felt as responsive or reliable as I wanted it to be. There were plenty of moments where I felt like I should have been able to dodge out of danger, only for my character to still get clipped by an attack anyway.

Part of the issue may come from the game’s top-down perspective. In a traditional third-person action game, it is usually easier to judge where an enemy attack is coming from and where your character is moving. In Genesis, the camera sits farther away from the action, so dodging can sometimes feel less precise. You see the attack coming, you hit the dash button, and then somehow you still take damage. Maybe the timing window is stricter than it looks. Maybe the hitboxes are larger than they appear. Either way, the end result is the same: it does not always feel fair.

I do not think this ruins the game, but it does make combat feel messier than it should. Darksiders Genesis has a lot going for it: the combat is flashy, the characters are fun, and the Diablo-inspired perspective mostly works. But when movement feels unreliable, it takes away from the satisfaction. A game like this lives and dies by how good it feels to move, attack, dodge, and recover. Unfortunately, sometimes the movement doesn’t feel good and it can get frustrating quickly.

Who is War?

As alluded to above, you can play as either War or Strife, being able to swap between them pretty much at any time. When you aren’t playing the other character, they are held in reserve and can recover some lost health over time. As much as I love the design and attitude of War, I found myself preferring Strife almost all of the time.

The big reason is that Strife is much more effective from long range and he’s quicker. So, I could stay back away from hordes of enemies and take them out from a safe distance rather than rushing with War and crushing skulls. While I didn’t mind this choice, I did think it a little disappointing that there weren’t more sections that required the use of War or Strife exclusively in order to give players a time box to play as one or the other. On paper, the game is clearly built around switching often between characters, but in actuality I only switched when Strife’s health was running low.

Lore is Key

Even though Genesis is a prequel, I think the game wouldn’t have been as enjoyable if I hadn’t played Darksiders I - III first. Darksiders Genesis is steeped in lore and characters from the previous games and you as the player will benefit greatly if the other games are under your belt.

For instance, War and Strife are sent on a mission by the Charred Council. The Council at the time of Genesis have no ulterior motive (that we know of) but having played the other games, every decision they make is questioned and scrutinized.

Other returning characters include: Samael, Vulgrim, Lilith and Abaddon. Those names carry much more weight if you have already seen where some of them end up later. Samael and Vulgrim especially feel like Darksiders mainstays at this point. Samael is once again powerful, manipulative and clearly juggling many different balls in the air, while Vulgrim is still the same old shady demon merchant who always seems to know more than he lets on.

This lore context also helps with Strife. Up until now, he hasn’t gotten hardly any of the spotlight. The game finally gives him room to co-exist with the others but this works better if you already understand the Horseman and what their motives and personalities are.

So, while I don’t think playing Darksiders I-III is required before playing Genesis, I do think it improves the experience. On its own, Genesis is a fine top down action game. But with lore in hand, it becomes a little more interesting.

Overall Thoughts 🤔

Darksiders Genesis is a tough game to reckon with. On the one hand, it feels almost like a spin-off due to the massive camera angle shift to top down. There are some critical traversal mechanics like the dash that I think could have been implemented better. The two character system is a neat concept but during my playthrough I found myself sticking to just Strife if possible.

But on the other hand, this is exactly what I would expect from the developers of Darksiders. They have always taken chances and were never restricted to a single genre. And, for the most part, they’ve always managed to make fun and interesting games. Genesis is no exception. The game has wonderfully illustrated comic book cutscenes and the gameplay is fun and unique to the series. This is a prequel and so we get to see more of how things led up to the apocalypse and the breaking of the world. And of course we get to finally play as the snarky and more comedic Strife. Whether you’re a diehard fan or just looking to dip your toes into the series, I think Darksiders Genesis is certainly worth your time.

Where Can I Play This? 🕹️

Darksiders Genesis is still widely accessible to play in 2026. It can be played on PC through Steam, GOG, and the Epic Games Store, as well as on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.

The PlayStation version is also playable on PS5 through backward compatibility, and the Switch version is listed as compatible with Nintendo Switch 2. The only major version lost to time is the Stadia release, since Google shut that service down in 2023.

I played Darksiders Genesis physically on the PlayStation 4. I rolled credits on the story. There was some side content and collectibles like getting all the Boatman Coins and Trickster Keys. I finished some of these but didn’t care to get every single thing.

Up Next 📅

This is a big one guys! Spoilers, I loved it. Up next I’m playing the brilliant Chrono Trigger inspired RPG Sea of Stars!

Check out this software I created. It’s called GameShelf and it’s basically like a book club but for video games. Get some friends or family, create an account and start playing video games together. You can chat about the game, track your progress, rank the video games you’ve played and more! Use coupon code NERDCENTRAL to get a free month: https://gameshelf.live

I wasn’t planning on writing this post. Or, to put it another way, I wasn’t planning on writing this article so soon. But here we are, on July 1, 2026 and I am writing this sentence: Sony announced that they will no longer produce physical game discs after January 2028. All games after this point will be available digitally on the PlayStation Store or at retailers via a digital download code presumably inside a box, but maybe not.

I would like to just outline some of the many problems that present itself with this decision. To be clear, this is only a good thing for Sony. Actually, it might not be a good thing for Sony if their consumers decide to vote with their wallet. But certainly, as a video gamer, this is not good for anyone even if you aren’t a physical media person. What follows is nothing that hasn’t been said by more popular outlets and probably more articulately.

Obviously the first concern is the conclusion of physical game media. As many of you know, I am a physical media guy. And I know many of you on here are as well. I love hunting down a physical copy of a game, getting a good deal, opening the box, inserting the cartridge or disc into the system, listening to the physical parts whirr and boot up. It’s a wonderful experience. While I have continued to buy modern physical media, I am not ignorant to the fact that a lot of games nowadays do not contain the entire game on the disc or cartridge. Us physical media people have just had to live with that fact, but at least some of the game is on the media and at least we have a physical cart or disc to point to on our shelves. But that is about to end. No longer will you be able to get a better deal on the secondary market. No longer will you be able to sell or trade your game to someone or to a third party reseller. No longer will you be able to showcase the fantastic artwork that is created for some of these games and have them on your shelf. I have seen some say, “well, movies and music did this a long time ago and everything is fine”. But that’s not entirely true. Yes, music and movies are primarily distributed in digital form. But, companies still produce Blu-Ray/4K movies. Music companies still produce CDs. And I’m not talking about Criterion. Brand new movies have physical releases. Heck, vinyl records have made a comeback! Why? Because they understand the value of having options for their consumers, something that Sony is apparently forgetting or deciding to overlook.

The next, likely more impactful concern to all gamers, is ownership. Let me be clear: if you are buying digital games on consoles, you DO NOT OWN THEM. You may think you do because so far (for the most part) you have been able to re-download those games anytime you want. But, as we have seen with Nintendo’s closure of their old eShops, Sony taking away 500+ movies and shows from Studio Canal as well as them shuttering the Vita and PS3 stores it is very clear that you are only renting or leasing the game you purchase digitally. Some of you may say, so what? I play a game and when I’m done with it, I do not return to it ever. And that may be fine for you and that’s great. But there are a lot of people want to own their games. They like to re-play games just like they re-watch shows or re-listen to music. Or maybe they want to share the game experience with a friend or a family member. I have two kids that I am currently trying to expose to classic games for example. In a few years, if I want to show them Uncharted for example and I didn’t have a physical copy, there would be no way to play that game if there’s no digital option. It’s is no longer an option unless the digital store company re-releases the game on a newer version of said store. And in that case, they will most likely not be giving it to you for free, you will have to pay for it again to “own” it again(aka rent it). Which means more money for the game company and more money out of pocket for the consumer for a game you should have already owned to begin with. Digital rights ownership has been a problem for a long time, but while console makers were manufacturing discs and carts, it was a problem we had time to solve in a way. We should not be doing this until there is a solid agreement on ownership of digital content.

Then there’s the issue of options. You thought games were expensive now, wait until you can only buy PlayStation games on a singular digital store that is owned by Sony. Sony controls the pricing, there will no longer be a secondary market and so they will decide when there will be a deal. Again, Nintendo has sort-of set some precedence here in that they rarely discount their games. They can’t control the secondary market, but they can decide when new games get discounts and when their digital offerings get discounts. And when it happens it is rare and the discount is not that great. Console makers would love to have a singular place for you to purchase their games. They make more money because they are charging more. And since there is no secondary market, they are making even more because a 1-2 year old game will be purchased through their store instead of off WhatNot or Ebay. Third party games stand to gain from this as well. We may see more discounts from third parties but they also will be raking in more cash due to the elimination of the secondary market so why offer a ton of discounts?

This was more of a rant than an organized article. But I wanted to get my thoughts out there and do my part in making people at least consider what is happening right now and the ramifications. Maybe we are all over-reacting but seems like this can only be a bad thing for us gamers. But just remember, these are massive companies and their primary goal in life is to make money. That being said, I’d love to hear other opinions. I’ve also posted a chat thread for my paid subscribers to discuss if you want to chat over there. Back to regularly scheduled programming on Monday, hope to see you there!

If you want to voice your opinion, you can fill out this petition at Change.org: https://c.org/L6JZRxwD

When we last left off, I was graduating high school and setting off to be a “responsible” adult in college. The college I attended was about an hour and a half from my home town. I won’t lie I was scared out of my wits. For the first month or so, I was pretty homesick. Instead of the comfort and familiarity of my parent’s home, I was stuck in a dorm room the size of a closet with no private bathroom. I had to take showers with a bunch of other dudes and avoid clumps of hair in the sinks. It was a fairly miserable time, I must be honest.

Starting College Life

I also didn’t have many friends in college to start out. I knew some kids from high school who were attending the same college so I spent most of my time around them. But, they weren’t necessarily the best influence and my grades started to slip. I had a good scholarship during my first year and ended up losing it, meaning I was now responsible for paying my tuition on my own. Upon reflection, I think it was a combination of my anxiety toward college in general and my study habits - or lack thereof - because I spent a lot of time at parties and doing…. party things.

Another thing that both helped and hurt the college experience was video games. I of course brought my PlayStation 2 with me to school. There wasn’t room for everything I owned, so I picked the newest system I had along with most of my PS1 and PS2 games. Instead of studying or worrying about trying to shower without some random guy being in the same bathroom with me, I would immerse myself in Final Fantasy Tactics or Suikoden III or Disgaea. I had really gotten into JRPGs and Strategy RPGs during this time and I loved the art style along with the game mechanics and storylines. But, this also meant I didn’t devote as much time as I should have to my school work. But, I was doing much better on that front than my freshman year.

There was a mall in the city and so I regularly visited EB Games and then later Gamestop when EB went under. This was a treat because my home town had nothing like this. A video game store devoted to video games? I loved it so much that I ended up eventually getting a job at the Gamestop during my Junior year of college. It was not as glamorous as I thought it would be but I did get to stock shelves and alphabetize them which meant I spent a lot of time looking at video game artwork.

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Batman Returns was released for the Super Nintendo in 1993, following Tim Burton’s 1992 film of the same name. Developed and published by Konami, the SNES version was not a direct port of the other Batman Returns games released around the same time. Like many licensed games from that era, different platforms received very different versions, with the Ge…

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I realized a few weeks ago that I have never really discussed my 30-ish year history with video games and how I got into them. Sure, I’ve talked a little bit about some memories with particular games, but never really done a deep dive. So I thought I would do that today. This will be a multi part series broken up into “eras” if you will, thanks Taylor Swift. I plan to chronicle everything from the very beginning. I hope you all enjoy and can relate to some of it.

My First Intro to Video Games

The year was 1990. I was either 7 going on 8 or I was already 8, I can’t remember. I had a cousin who I was always pretty close to. We were only a year apart in age and lived near each other. At some point my aunt and uncle and cousin moved to Iowa. He was a big nerd at 8 or 9 just as I would become in a few short years. I wouldn’t classify myself at 8 years old as a nerd. At the time, I enjoyed more outdoor activities such as basketball and playing outside in general. We always had animals around the house so I would go outside and play with dogs, cats, chickens, rabbits, turkeys, etc.

I remember one summer, my aunt and uncle traveled from Iowa to visit. My cousin brought his NES. What was this contraption that plugged into a television? It’s possible I already knew what it was since I remember spending a lot of time perusing the Sears catalog that we would get in the mail. But even still, I was amazed. My cousin had Kung Fu and Gyromite with R.O.B the Robot and he brought R.O.B along as well. I’m sure my parents were not happy with me, because all I wanted to do was play those games instead of visiting with family who traveled 12+ hours to see us. How in the world could something like this exist in the world? How did this actual Robot work? What was this amazing side scroller where you get to beat up bad guys? These are the questions that permeated my brain and I’m not sure I really knew the answer then.

Christmas and the NES

The fated day finally arrived one Christmas, possibly 1991. I opened my gifts and lo and behold the NES console box was staring me in the face. I couldn’t believe it. The system came with the console, Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt and a Zapper. For a good while there, all I was playing was Super Mario Bros and Duck Hunt because I loved it but also we couldn’t afford new games all the time. I figured out on my own where the warp pipes were in Mario and also figured out by accident how to get infinite lives by continually jumping on a Koopa shell on a specific set of stairs. In Duck Hunt, I figured out you could use a NES controller and direct the ducks, making it easier to hit them. I of course did this maliciously with my little brother so he couldn’t shoot the ducks.

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Mega Man 11 released on October 2, 2018 in North America and Europe, and October 4, 2018 in Japan, launching on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PC. Rather than going back to the 8-bit well of Mega Man 9 and 10, Capcom gave this one a more modern and brighter 2.5D presentation and built it around the new Double Gear System, which let Mega M…

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The Catalyst

I was trying to think of something to write about recently. Should it be something silly? Should I talk about another game in my collection? Should I delve down the rabbit hole that is another “Origins Of” post? I was recently on a relaxing vacation and I came to the realization that not many days go by without hearing about another game studio shuttering or downsizing or laying off a number of their employees. That was when I figured I’d use my Gaming Nitpicks category to vent and rant about this a little bit, coming from the perspective of a retro gamer and someone who manages a business.

I do want to preface this with the following: my knowledge of how the video game industry works from a business perspective is very high level. What I will discuss here is based on my own feelings and sense about the industry as a fan of gaming and as someone who has played games for about 33 years. I know times are challenging and there’s no simple solution.

Layoffs are the New Normal

So, I’m sure if you are a fan of games, you’ve perused Kotaku or IGN or Substacks such as that do gaming news reporting. More often than not you will find an article about a company laying off folks or a studio shutting down. Maybe even a larger conglomerate like Microsoft shutting down a studio they paid a lot of money for. We live in a time where this is normal and that sucks, to put it mildly. It feels like with every new positive gaming article, one about someone losing their job swiftly follows to bring the reader back down to reality.

Money Behind the Madness

Why are these companies constantly doing this? To add insult to injury, sometimes the same companies perform multiple rounds of layoffs within a short period of time. Is it because the gaming executives, the financial officers are incompetent? Are they evil and heartless? From the outside looking in, the answer sometimes feels like a Yes to both and I’ve read pieces from outlets trying to purport that one or both are true.

But the reality is much less interesting most likely. Like it or not, video games are a business more than they have ever been. The product the businesses are selling is a video game and the profit is money. With games like Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty and Assassins Creed, the profit is massive. However, with the invent of successful live service and multiplayer games like Fortnite and Apex Legends, the potential profit becomes astronomical. Exact profit numbers aren’t disclosed but Fortnite has reportedly made $26 BILLION dollars1 since it launched. Apex Legends? Well only a measly $3.4 BILLION dollars2 since 2019. So, you can see that some games make money and lots of it. But, not every game is the same and not every game makes billions of dollars. Especially not curated and immersive single player experiences. The real money lies elsewhere.

Chasing the Jackpot

Looking into the announcements from studios and companies that perform these layoffs and shutterings, their reasoning generally is “adopting a new posture to keep up with current market conditions”. The company Iron Galaxy - the studio that has helped with the development of games such as The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered on PC, developed Pro Stater 3+4, and helped with the original Borderlands - just announced that they were doing a second round of layoffs for this very reason. What are these “current market conditions” that game companies are chasing? I will tell you what I think. Remember this is my opinion.

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Final Fantasy VI, released as Final Fantasy III on the SNES in North America, first launched in Japan in April 1994 and reached the U.S. in October 1994, arriving late in the Super Nintendo’s life but making a pretty immediate case for itself as one of the system’s crown jewels. Developed by Square, it pushed the series further toward a bigger ensemble …

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Castlevania: Circle of the Moon

Publisher: Konami

Developer: Konami Computer Entertainment Kobe

Year of Release: 2001

System: Game Boy Advance

Item Type: Loose

Price Paid: $39

Current Value (Pricecharting): $25.00

Castlevania: Circle of the Moon holds a special place for me because it was the first Castlevania game I played during my quest to work through all of the mainline entries in the series. Rather than playing the games in order of release or in “chronological” order, we ended up randomizing the list of 15 mainline Castlevania games and lo and behold Circle of the Moon ended up being the very first. The first Castlevania game and one that doesn’t even star a Belmont, imagine that. However, it ended up being one of my favorites, and even now I still think it does not get enough credit overall from video game fans. It feels a bit like a hidden gem in the broader Castlevania canon, even though it helped lay groundwork for later handheld titles like Aria of Sorrow and Dawn of Sorrow. I had a great time with it, and it is one of those games I am genuinely happy to have sitting in my collection.

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One thing that makes this entry a little more interesting than some of the others in my collection that I have discussed previously is that I actually know when I bought it and how much I paid. For a lot of the games I own, I picked them up long before I ever bothered to track purchase dates or prices, so the details are lost to time. In this case, though, I have the receipts, metaphorically speaking. Around this time I really started to buckle down about creating an inventory of my games. These guys aren’t a sponsor or anything, but I really enjoy the site CollectorZ. I have my entire collection there and they will pull metadata for the games, cover art and you can add your personal data there such as how much you paid, when you purchased the game and where. You can even review the game if you wish and give it a star rating if that’s your kind of thing.

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Mega Man 10 (NOT Mega Man X) released in March 2010 on WiiWare, PlayStation Network, and Xbox Live Arcade, arriving as the follow-up to Mega Man 9 and once again committing fully to the old-school 8-bit look. Developed by Inti Creates and Capcom, the game doubled down on the retro approach by keeping the NES-style graphics, music, and challenge level th…

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Video game collecting is an expensive hobby. While a collector can find some games for cheap, some of the most sought after titles can sell for hundreds if not thousands of dollars. This problem isn’t unique to video game collecting, of course. Comic books, toys, sports cards, etc. can all be high dollar hobbies. But this is primarily a video game newsletter, so that’s what we’re talking about.

Another aspect of video game collecting that is synonymous with other hobbies is price inflation. In a perfect world, supply and demand would help provide somewhat accurate pricing for a game. If the game was released with low production numbers and then later on became sought after, then the price would go up to meet the demand. Conversely, if a game had a huge production run like the original Super Mario Bros. for the NES, the price would remain low because there are plenty of copies to go around for the most part. Unfortunately, this isn’t how things always pan out. Greed, shady practices and lying sometimes can shape the value of a game and that brings us to the main topic of this post: Hagane: The Final Conflict, one of the worst offenders when it comes to video game price inflation.

What is Hagane?

For those who don’t know, Hagane: The Final Conflict is a Super Nintendo game that was released in November of 1994 in Japan and June of 1995 in the United States. Hagane is an action platformer in which the player controls the titular Hagane, a ninja cyborg whose mission is to defeat the Koma clan whose goal is to take over the world.

The game is full of particle effects and animations and parallax scrolling, making it one of the more visually interesting games in the SNES library. Hagane has a ton of moves and his speed reflects the pace of the game. However, it’s not Ninja Gaiden fast, there is time to stop and consider your next move.

The Release

Hagane, as it was called in Japan, was developed by the Japanese company CAProduction. This company appears to have had a very close relationship to the publisher Hudson Soft and Hagane was their first big game and possibly their first game ever. They would go on to develop other games for Hudson like Battle Raiden aka Kishin Dōji Zenki: Rettou Raiden for the Super Famicom and B.L.U.E.: Legend of Water for the PlayStation.

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Released in November 1991 for the Nintendo Game Boy, Metroid II: Return of Samus marked a bold departure from the original Metroid formula. Developed by Nintendo R&D1, the game sent our stalwart hero/mercenary Samus Aran to the planet SR388 with a singular directive: eradicate the Metroid species entirely. Unlike its predecessor, which emphasized open-e…

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