But, sometimes, something just doesn’t quite add up. You start to wonder if all of these reviews are really carefully considered by people who played the game to completion, focusing just on the merit of the game without unfair comparisons and influence from others already saying the game isn’t very good. It starts to feel like a bandwagon, and perhaps some reviewers are placating to the mainstream more than being honest and saying they enjoyed the game, or are distracted from giving it a chance in the first place.

The biggest thing that the game has going against it, and I would imagine the series always had, is its comparison to the GTA series. Without a doubt, the game is heavily influenced by GTA, of course, but that’s a very high bar of comparison for any game to live up to. The games from the GTA series, deservingly so, are perhaps the highest rated games of all time.

Personally, I’m very good at controlling my expectations, not listening to other opinions until I see for myself, compartmentalizing from comparing to other similar works, and finally, immersing myself into a story, no matter the medium. I’m not a professional reviewer, but I’ve been gaming for 25 years. I’m not a babe in the woods when it comes to identifying a polished, AAA title. And Mafia III is clearly a polished labor of love, with a decent enough budget (being owned by the same parent company, Take-Two, as Rockstar, developer of the GTA series).

Going in with fresh eyes and not even having ever played Mafia or Mafia II, I found that the the story is amazing (your cliché revenge story, sure, but done well); the characters are amazing; the acting is amazing; the location is amazing (New Orleans); the era is amazing (the ’60s); the soundtrack is amazing (Rolling Stones, Beach Boys, Elvis, Johnny Cash, CCR, and many, many others); the graphics are amazing; the driving physics are amazing (weight, sliding, drifting — I played with the Simulation setting on); the stealth is amazing; the gunplay is amazing. Oh yeah, and there are gators, which are also amazing:

All in all, the game is simply well-made and fun. If you can enjoy it on its own merit, it’s a great game. If you compare it to GTA, of course it falls short, like any game would. Outside of being in the giant shadow that GTA casts, some of the main complaints I’m seeing are:

#1: It’s buggy. — That’s true; it is. The game crashed on me at least once every play session I had with it (which is apparently the case with most people who played the game). It would happen after playing for a few hours. Strangely, it didn’t bother me that much. Considering the way games have evolved to auto-save and load quickly, it was never really an issue of losing my progress or having to wait an absurd amount of time to get back into the action. If this were an older game, where much of the difficulty lied in the fact that after you reached a milestone, you had to survive just in order to manually save or else you’d completely lose your progress and have to start all over again, that would indeed, be control-throwingly infuriating. And sure, like any game with the complexity of an open world like this, there were other bugs, but mostly they were fun or funny. Nothing really that ever caused me to fail a mission or die because of poor mechanics or camera angle issues.

#2: It’s repetitive. — Again, that’s true; it is. The missions were very grounded in reality, without anything too wild or imaginative happening. Again, this isn’t GTA. There are no variety of missions involving planes, helicopters, tanks, or aliens. It was just straight, back to basics, gritty, on the ground, hand-to-hand, knife, and gun fighting. I really enjoyed it and it never became repetitive in a tiring way. It was repetitive in a fun, replayability kind of way.

#3: Bad AI. — As long as you play on the hardest setting (which I would recommend for most modern games anyway as they generally make games too easy these days), it was challenging enough, especially when enforcers were called in, who seemed to have their AI or aggressiveness turned all the way up. It seems though that it’s impossible to please the current generation of reviewers these days concerning AI, as they often complain about it not being smart enough, but then when a developer makes the AI really smart and strong, they complain about that too. I feel for developers as this is a “damned if they do, damned if they don’t” situation.

#4: No online mode. — I actually don’t recall anyone complaining about this, but just for good measure, I’ll cover it anyway. Honestly, breath of fresh air. Games have become too focused on online play, and I was really needing a fix of some strictly story-based gameplay. There are also 3 upcoming story DLCs that I’m looking forward to, especially the third and final DLC, titled “Sign of the Times,” which focuses on the Charlie Manson cult aspect of the late ’60s that I had in the back of my mind and was wondering if anything like that would make an appearance in the game while I was playing, as it was such a crucial part of the history of the late ’60s. So, that answers my question on that.

Bottom Line

The game clearly got off to a rocky start, which needed some patches and a few more to come I’m sure. But, I sincerely hope that people can look past those issues and the bad reviews and give it a try, because I simply don’t think they were significant enough to take away from the otherwise great game that’s there to be enjoyed. Perhaps that will scare most people away from a brand new purchase, but hopefully not from a discounted or used purchase at least, which is just around the corner I’m sure.

For me, however, there’s just a magic to popping in a video game for the 2nd time. I’m going to attempt to explain my reasoning to the best of my ability. Before I do, though, let me point out that there are distinct advantages that the 1st playthrough has over the 2nd. I love them both to death, but let me dissect why I still prefer the 2nd.

You’ve Already Played and Beaten the Game

It’s official, you all probably think I’m delusional. If you didn’t think I was already nuts, I just claimed that the 2nd playthrough in games is better than the first because you’ve already beaten the game. Let me explain what I’m talking about. When you first play a video game, everything is brand-new to you (unless you’re playing a direct sequel or something like that). This means that, at least for me, you don’t really let everything digest right away.

Plus, most people won’t find all there is to find on the 1st playthrough. So, when you get to that 2nd playthrough, you’re no longer wondering how the game progresses or ends, as you already know. This then allows you to further explore other aspects of the game. Additionally, you’ll often forget about the earlier content, making it almost feel brand-new.

It’s More Relaxing

When I play a game that I’m really looking forward to, I sometimes want too badly to finish it. My curiosity gets to me so badly that I end up rushing to the end. It doesn’t always happen, but it typically does with awesome video games. Once I know how everything unfolds, I can then play the game again feeling completely relaxed.

There is no rush to beat the game as I already know what happens. This isn’t just specific for story-based games, either, even platformers and such. I’m just way more relaxed on the 2nd playthrough.

Finding New Content

Oh yeah, this might be the trump card for me. I play a lot of games that are riddled with secrets. Two such franchises include Zelda and Mario. For those games, the 2nd playthrough always has more secrets in store. I typically like to have a casual 1st run through to ensure that many more discoveries will be on their way. Not all games will offer this and, ironically, those are the types of games that I sometimes struggle to play again.

If I’m being honest, there are some video games that I play several times and still get vast enjoyment out of them. On the other hand, others I really only care to play once and maybe twice. Regardless, for me, the 2nd playthrough of games will always be my favorite.

Even when I go back to play the older entries, I find myself loving the implementation of the good old Animal Buddies. So, with that in mind, I thought I would share with everyone my personal favorite buddies from the original trilogy. Without further ado, as they say.

Expresso the Ostrich

Expresso is quite an interesting companion because you only see him in the first game. Most of the other animal friends show up more than once. Honestly, this makes Expresso feel like arguably the most organic Animal Buddy in the entire franchise. His ability to practically infinitely fly and run extremely fast made it so you never wanted to lose him.

Squawks the Parrot

Alright, so here’s the deal with Squawks. Specifically, in the second game, he typically is involved with some of the hardest levels in the franchise. I used to hate his guts, honestly. But he’s grown on me over the years, and I can honestly say that his sections are challenging, yet very fun to traverse in. Except for “Animal Antics,” of course, that section’s a nightmare.

Enguarde the Swordfish

There are a lot of fans and speedrunners that don’t like Enguarde. In fairness, his mechanics got better with each game. In the third game, he’s pretty much unstoppable. Even in the first game, though, I love using him. Anything that can assist in underwater levels in platformers is a win for me. And Enguarde would be at the top of my list.

Squitter the Spider

You’ll hear speedrunners refer to him as “Shoes the Spider,” as he’s literally wearing shoes, but his official name is Squitter. And he’s my favorite Animal Buddy of all-time. It’s my hope and dream that he one day comes back in a new entry. His speed, platforming, and ability to shoot webs make him a dynamic force. It also helps that the levels he’s associated with are always amazing.

Really, Animal Buddies are a lost idea. Whenever we get a new game in the franchise, the hope is that they’ll have more of an impact again. I couldn’t tell you how exciting it would be to see some of these Animal Buddies in the newest generation of gaming. I’m salivating just thinking about it.

Now, virtually everyone has already played the three titles in this collection. So, I’m not going to waste your time and review each of them separately. Instead, I’m simply going to list for you my main likes and dislikes about the game. Unfortunately, it wasn’t very hard for me to come up with my dislikes. That said, I still enjoy the collection, as a whole. But enough small talk, let’s get into the beef.

What I Like: Super Mario Galaxy

Alright, so let’s get this out of the way first. Super Mario Galaxy is my favorite platformer out of the three in this pack. It’s actually not even close, either, as it’s arguably my favorite 3D platformer of all-time. However, after I finally upgraded to a QLED, 55-inch, 4K HDTV, I noticed that 480p, Wii content doesn’t look too amazing.

So, no doubt, this is the game I was looking forward to the most. Outside of the utterly amazing visuals (seriously, Galaxy literally looks breathtaking in this collection), the reworked controls are actually very nice. I never had an issue with the motion control in the original, as I thought it was executed very well.

Yet, I have to admit, using the Pro Controller to play this game is a wonderful experience. Sure, there’s still motion control required, but remapping the spin/shake to a button was a brilliant idea. To me, it worked out better than I could’ve imagined.

What I Don’t Like: The Bare Bones Menu

Oh boy, I knew the menu system was going to be lazy, but even I was surprised. I know complaining about the menu seems to be nitpicking, but I think it’s fair game. What I was hoping for was some type of overworld to explore. In this overworld, in my mind, you would have the three games in different locations. Heck, this could’ve even included a museum celebrating the history of the franchise.

Instead, Nintendo did what Nintendo does. They slapped a bland menu system with the ability to select between the three different titles and their respective soundtracks. Yippee, so freaking exciting.

What I Like: The Visuals

This was touched on with Galaxy, but really each of the three titles here look fantastic. Nintendo nailed that aspect of this collection, which was one of the main points of doing it. Some people have complained that Super Mario 64 wasn’t expanded to a 16:9 aspect ratio. To me, though, it’s not too big of a deal because the game plays well at 4:3.

What I Don’t Like: Little to No Improvements

As much as I want to say that the 3D Mario games are flawless, they really aren’t. Even Galaxy has its camera issues. Super Mario 64 still feels like the same clunky and somewhat irritating platforming experience. Nintendo could’ve done a couple of things. One, they could’ve at least attempted to fix the awful camera a little bit. Secondly, they could’ve made Mario feel smoother and more modern. Really, the same problems could’ve been fixed for Sunshine too.

Look, some will say that not doing this is a good thing as each game retains the same feel. This still could’ve been achieved with the addition of improvements. Yet, Nintendo went the lazy path again. Boy, that’s a real shocker.

Bottom Line: It was a Cash Grab

Yep, this game was a cash grab. With the limited availability added on to the fact, it becomes even more apparent. However, do I regret the purchase? No, I don’t. Despite the complaints I have, the collection is still pretty darn good. You get three of the most famous Mario games of all-time on one, modern platform. They all look really good, and you can even play them on the go now. More should’ve been done, but it’s still nice that Nintendo did deliver on them.

This is clearly evident, at least to me, with their last two Nintendo Direct Mini Partner Showcase events. On a side note, if they’re truly going to continue these ridiculous presentations, can they at least change the name? Get rid of “Direct Mini” and just simply call them Nintendo Partner Showcases.

I digress, but did you guys see the latest Partner Showcase that Nintendo just showed off? Yes, it was only the second broadcast and it’s true that they could improve down the road. However, with what we’ve seen in the first two, pretty much nobody will be looking forward to any more of them.

Showing Off Highly Niche Games

I will be the first to tell anyone that I’m not highly knowledgeable about too many video game franchises. I also don’t play a wide variety of genres. In other words, I do have a limited video game collection and am limited in what I’m appealed to. Still, with normal Nintendo Directs, there always seems to be a little bit for everyone.

With what we’ve seen in the Partner Showcases, though, only certain demographics will enjoy the content. Now, if you happen to be somebody who has actually gotten a lot out of these presentations, that’s great. Yet, it doesn’t change the fact that a majority of fans are craving and starving for first-party blockbuster titles.

What we see in these events is just kind of silly, mobile-type games. Again, not trying to offend anyone, but the majority of the games that are discussed are eShop exclusives that do nothing more than kill time.

We Still Don’t Know the Holiday Lineup

This leads to a larger complaint, what on earth is Nintendo doing for the holiday season? Are they honestly just going to release Pikmin 3 Deluxe and call it good? Sure, Switch’s are still selling like mad, but for those of us who’ve already owned one for years, there’s really nothing new to be excited about.

Considering ports and remasters are just getting out of flipping hand for the Switch, it would be nice to see some original, big-time games for the holiday season. Nintendo is running out of time to get everyone prepared and excited for what they will deliver in the coming months, though.

There Are More to Come

Do you want to know what the bad news is? It doesn’t seem that Nintendo is going to be done with these Partner Showcase events. You know, it wouldn’t be so bad if they would last a little longer and maybe show off some of their different IPs. As is, however, I will not be looking forward to another Nintendo Direct Mini Partner Showcase. Gosh, that tagline is too obnoxiously long.

If you discount the port to the Switch, it has actually been over six years since we were able to enjoy some new Mario Kart action. Now, there have been some rumors circulating over the year about a potential new installment. However, they are just that, rumors. A new entry has to be coming, though, as Nintendo understands just how much money the franchise brings in every year.

Yet, I am of the belief that Nintendo could be looking to switch it up. If you remember, in Mario Kart 8, there were a lot of additions outside of what you would typically see in the series. Whether you want to talk about outside characters (such as Link) or special guest tracks (such as F-Zero), Nintendo began to expand the lore of the Mario Kart universe.

What if they decided to take the full leap in the next installment? What if the newest title was simply dubbed Nintendo Kart? It’s not too crazy to believe, and here’s how cool the game could end up being.

It Could Include All Major Nintendo Characters

Basically, the roster for this game could resemble what you see in Super Smash Bros. Think about it, a Nintendo racing game with literally all the major stars. From Mario to Link to Samus to Kirby to Fox McCloud to Captain Falcon to King Boo (had to give love to my boy), the list goes on.

While the roster couldn’t be too bloated, Nintendo could easily put 50 to 70 racers in this game. Yeah, that seems like a lot but as long as they don’t unnecessarily repeat characters (they never do that) it shouldn’t be too big of a deal.

Imagine the Track Designs and Vehicles

Not only could this game include all major Nintendo characters, but it could also include unique track designs based on the franchises of said characters. This is what really gets me excited, as the opportunities are endless for mind-blowing and enthralling tracks. There are many that could be held in space, some held in Hyrule Kingdom, and others in the good old Mushroom Kingdom.

Along with that, however, should come unique vehicles a la Diddy Kong Racing. The vehicles could be exclusive to the specific tracks that are being raced. Of course, you would also have a huge variety to choose from as that has become a staple of the franchise.

Even More Weapon Variety

The weapon variety in the franchise has always been really, really good. However, when you start throwing characters like Kirby, Fox McCloud, and Samus into the mix, the variety could be even more impressive. It really would be crazy to see Mario and friends using copy abilities and gun-type weapons, but it also could add a breath of fresh air into the gameplay.

Here really is the million-dollar question, is this something that Nintendo is actually developing? If I had to guess, I would say no, but that’s just because some of it seems too far-fetched. Even if they’re only making a regular sequel, I’ll still be happy. As long as they’re making something new!

The games that have come out of the franchise, dating all the way back to the SNES, have filled us all with joy, excitement, and adrenaline. The franchise has produced some of the best 2D platformers known to man, but what’s the deal in the modern generation of gaming? Where’s Donkey Kong been for the last number of years?

It’s Been Over Six Years Since the Last Major Game

The last major game in the series was Tropical Freeze and this released way back in 2014 for the Wii U. Sure, it was eventually ported to the Switch (like every other Wii U game in existence), but it remained the same game (more or less). I’m not counting minor games or games where DK himself makes an appearance, either. I’m talking about full-fledged DKC games, it’s been a long while.

There Have Been Rumors Here and There

If you follow the world of video games, then you understand that you can’t look too much into the rumors. A majority of the time, they end up being false or they at least exaggerate what actually happens. Regardless, though, they’re still fun to speculate about and, sometimes, they wind up coming true.

Well, here and there, there have been some rumors regarding a brand-new game in the franchise. The most interesting one, by far, happened several months ago. A Twitter user posted what the Nintendo Switch lineup would be in the year 2020 (this year):

A New Donkey Kong Country will be one of the bigger games for Nintendo Switch next year. This time Retro Studios is not behind.

— markomaro (@Newmarkomaro) November 3, 2019

And they made a specific mention about a new DKC in a follow-up tweet. As you can see on the list of games, the user has correctly predicted more than a few of the games. So, maybe there’s hope?

Retro Studios is Apparently Not Behind This One

This is where things really get interesting. At the end of their second tweet, this Twitter user noted that Retro Studios would not be developing the new entry. This makes sense, as they took over development for Metroid Prime 4. So, they already have their hands full. It’s entirely possible that Nintendo decided to hand over the IP to another company.

Yes, this rumor does happen to be a little old, but it remains interesting, nonetheless. 2020 is not over yet, so Nintendo could still surprise us all with a reveal for a brand-new DKC game. I would love nothing more than for that to happen. Again, it’s just been too long without using the tie-wearing ape in action. He always delivers classic games, and the hope is that he’s about to produce yet another one.

Even though the game is far from new, I decided I wanted to list my personal five favorite captures. After all, it’s not as if there’s anything to talk about regarding the potential sequel. So, we might as well keep on talking about the greatness of the first game, right?

5. Sherm

Out of all the enemies in the game, Sherm is arguably the most unique and unexpected (and that’s saying quite a bit). Sherm is the small tank enemy that resides in a few different kingdoms. It can shoot an infinite number of explosives and is rather fun to use. However, admittedly, the controls take a minute to get accustomed to. Once you get them down, you’ll be capturing Sherm just to mess around with its shooting prowess.

4. Bullet Bill

A classic and staple enemy throughout the years, finally being able to control a Bullet Bill was something special when I first played through this masterpiece. While you need to be quick on your feet after you capture one, the dynamics it adds to the gameplay can’t be understated. Capturing a Bullet Bill opened up so many different and unique platforming sections. For the Sand Kingdom alone, it made it so much more fun to traverse and explore.

3. Yoshi

Wow, do you want to talk about an unexpected surprise? What made capturing Yoshi even better is the fact that you had to go to the top of Peach’s Castle. Nintendo is so good when it comes to paying homage to their old games. As far as using Yoshi, this is the most fluid the green dinosaur has ever handled in a 3D environment. It’s such an enjoyable experience to capture him that you feel severely disappointed when you have to ditch him. Poor Yoshi, he’s always getting abandoned.

2. Cheep Cheep

Some of you may actually be surprised that I have this so high on my list. Let’s face it, though, water levels have always been something of a problem during the history of the franchise. The level design of most water levels throughout the years have been wonderful, but the mechanics have been frustrating at times. When capturing a Cheep Cheep, all these issues are resolved. Besides not needing to worry about health, you can move around seamlessly underwater with one of these bad boys. It makes all the difference in the world.

1. Bowser

Even though this is one of the shortest captures in the game, it easily remains my favorite. That moment when you realized that you needed to capture Bowser to save the world is one that I will never, ever forget. It was one of the most epic moments in video game history, forget just Mario. If there ever is going to be a sequel, let’s hope that we’ll be able to play as Bowser a little bit longer. Who doesn’t want that?

Rumours seem to be circulating that Sony is planning another live stream event for early August — in fact, Thursday August 6th at 9pm UTC (that’s 5pm EDT) is the date for your diaries. It’s likely the pricing and release date for the PS5 will be announced, as well as the Silent Hill reboot, which everybody is excited for. News of the return of Ape Escape — one of the most iconic franchises on the PlayStation, is also expected, and Sony may announce the next game in the God of War series too.

If Sony’s other live streams are anything to go by, this is an event not to miss. Earlier this year on June 11th the Future of Gaming event gave us all a sneak peek into upcoming games for the PS5 — with some memorable additions like Stray and Returnal. Other games we’re excited for include Horizon Forbidden West and of course Far Cry 6.

You can’t currently pre-order a PS5, but you can get your name on a mailing list for updates when pre-orders go live at Best Buy and Target. With the price predicted to be around $500, the only thing we need to worry about is whether supply can keep up with demand.

With reports emerging production of the PS5 has been ramped up — with up to 10 million units expected to be shifted by the end of March next year — it looks more likely that we’ll be able to get our hands on one if we’re quick to place a pre-order. These figures also mean Sony expects to shift more PS5 consoles than it did during the first 6 months of PS4 sales.

Understandably, COVID-19 has impacted everyone around the world. Nintendo hasn’t been immune to the impact of this pandemic. Yet, my problem with the whole situation is look what Sony and Microsoft have been doing. Along with Nintendo, these are the juggernauts in the video game industry. Unlike Nintendo, however, those two companies have given all their fans reasons to be excited for 2020. But what about us Nintendo fans, what do we have to look forward to?

Xbox Series X and PS5 Have Been Revealed

In the gaming world, the hype is off the charts. Both Sony’s new flagship console, the PS5, and Microsoft’s, the Xbox Series X, have been revealed to the general public. Most fans are certainly excited for those two gaming consoles and all the games they’re bringing with them. When you look at this through Nintendo’s point of view, they have to be wary of all the attention going away from their system.

Non-Stop Rumors Virtually All Year Long

For those of you who have followed Nintendo this year, I have too, it feels like it’s been one rumor after another. It’s important to point out that they are not responsible for these rumors, so I’m not blaming them at all for them. Yet, at the same time, while the rumors have been close to accurate, there still hasn’t been a full-on Direct since last year. No, Minis are not full-on Directs, I don’t care what anyone says.

I would be fine with this, as would others, if we still had an idea of what to expect for the rest of 2020. The 2020 lineup has already been less-than-solid (no, I don’t like Animal Crossing) but a big holiday lineup could change all that. The problem is we don’t know what the heck is happening from here on out, and that’s a big problem in my eyes.

Hope for August?

Truth be told, I’m sick to death of getting excited for a potential Direct. Especially when you consider what Nintendo presented just the other week. Don’t ask me why it was called a Direct, as it was far from that. Looking forward, could August finally be the month? Well, I’m sure rumors will start circulating real fast about the potential of that happening.

For now, I’m just going to sit here with my tail between my legs patiently waiting for Nintendo to give me something exciting to wait for. Sounds like a whale of a time, doesn’t it?