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A place to talk about my favourite things whenever I feel like it. Starting with video games, but I'll add various other media (anime, movies, etc.) in time. Please consider this page to be an infinite work in progress!

NINTENDO GAME BOY & GAME BOY COLOR

Initially released in October 1998, the Game Boy Color retains backward compatibility with its predecessor, so I'll include both GB and GBC games in one category here! I used to play these games on my Game Boy Advance, so I usually lump them in together.
POKEMON YELLOW
SEPTEMBER 1998
I was given this game alongside Red and Blue from a cousins old video game collection. Graphics never bothered me as a kid, and so I simply felt a great excitement when I realised this game referenced the anime series! I've always been a giant fan of the original Pokemon anime, and so I'm super fond of this game.
I have a strong memory of getting to the champion battle with only my Pikachu and my rival's Jolteon remaining. It was so intense!
POKEMON GOLD
NOVEMBER 1999
Not my first Pokemon game, but the first one I ever completed and my childhood favourite. I was completely captured by the Johto region and all of the Pokemon there. My initial starter was Cyndaquil (who got me through the entire game, because I did not understand the fundamental game mechanics-) I can remember this game being the first one where I really paid attention to the soundtrack. I think these games still hold up (especially in the remakes but I'll get to those) it's still so awesome how you can travel back to Kanto and even battle with Red. Gen 2 will always hold a really special place in my heart, and remains my favourite generation to this day.
POKEMON CRYSTAL
DECEMBER 2000
It feels a little silly to include both Gold and Crystal, but I truly love this game and I'd feel wrong leaving it out. I remember buying Crystal from a second-hand market for a throwaway price. Immediately, I fell in love with Suicune who I hadn't seen before, and I used to replay the intro over and over. It's still one of my favourite Pokemon! Same as Gold and Silver, I love everything about this game.
MEGA MAN V
JULY 1994
*Using the romhack cover for this one. Mega Man V or Rockman World 5 is a super overlooked entry in the classic series. Unlike its predecessors in the Game Boy series, this one has a completely new story and characters! I adore this game, and I especially love the ending where Rock sits in the grass and remembers the Stardroids. The endings to the Mega Man games always say a lot without any words; I'll probably ramble off about that when I reach Mega Man 2.

NINTENDO GAME BOY ADVANCE

Released in March 2001, this was the first ever console that I owned myself. I had the SP version, which was given to me on Christmas day. I always loved video games, but this is probably the console that cemented them as a hobby for me. It's a very nostalgic one!
POKEMON FIRERED
JANUARY 2004
My first ever Pokemon game! I loved collecting Pokemon cards, and watching the first anime series for a while, so finally getting to play one of the games was really exciting to me. Thankfully, I still have my copy of this game in its box. I got stuck in this game so many times as a kid, so I ended up finishing Gold (which I got slightly after) before this one. My starter was a rash natured Blastoise (named, BLASTOISE), who I've transferred up to my copy of Black 2, where I keep as many of my childhood Pokemon together as I can. I still love the Kanto region and have a lot of nostalgia towards it. The champion theme in this one is just the best.
MOTHER 3
APRIL 2006
What can I even say about Mother 3? This game is amazing from start to finish, and I'll never forget my experience with it. With Mother 2 being my favourite game of all time, I played Mother 3 shortly after the fan translation patch was released. I also own a physical copy in the box! Something to confess is, despite being one of my favourite games of all time, I've only played Mother 3 this one single time. It left such an impression on me, and remains so strong in my memory that the time never felt right... Maybe, some day soon.

NINTENDO DS FAMILY

First released in November 2004, one of the most iconic consoles out there. I remember getting my first DS with a copy of Pokemon Dash. The DS will always hold such a fond place in my heart, and I definitely spent a lot of time with it whilst growing up.
INAZUMA ELEVEN
AUGUST 2008
I love Inazuma Eleven so much. I watched the first series of the anime (based on this game) repeatedly for some time, until I finally decided to cave and give the game a try. I remember worrying that I wouldn't like it since I'd never played a sports game before, but finally felt swayed because of how much I enjoyed Level-5's other titles. I definitely loved this game a lot, and playing it convinced me to get the second entry in the series, and finally watch further ahead in the anime. Inazuma Eleven is one of my most beloved series, and I can't imagine if I'd never watched past that first series so I'm so, so glad that I gave this game a chance!
INAZUMA ELEVEN 2
OCTOBER 2009
This was the game that took my interest in Inazuma Eleven from casual to crazy if I'm honest. The whole series is whacky, but this entry made me realise just how much it was going to embrace that chaotic energy. Like any normal teenager, I fell in love with Fubuki Shirou (the illusion of free will) and he quickly became a character I was obsessed with alongside Endou. This is my favourite entry in the original Inazuma Eleven series, and I'm so thankful I gave it a try. I finished this game to 100% completion, and I remember it being a huge chore to do so, haha.

NINTENDO 3DS FAMILY

Initially released in February 2011, this is my favourite handheld of them all. The 3DS has so many of my favourite titles, each packed full of creativity, and it is by far the console I've spent the most time with. I own six 3DS's, though my first was the original aqua blue.
INAZUMA ELEVEN 3
DECEMBER 2010
Using the original Japanese DS release date for consistency, but I played the European 3DS release of this game, so I'm putting it in the 3DS category... Ah. Anyway, I got this game shortly after the European release. I'm surprised to see it exploded in resale price value since back then. I remember dedicating a lot of time playing this game, and I was close to getting 100% when I suddenly started paying attention to Inazuma Eleven GO instead. Haha. FFI arc is my least favourite series of the anime, so I was never in a rush to get this game, but I ended up really enjoying the story in video game format!
INAZUMA ELEVEN GO
DECEMBER 2011
Here she is. Inazuma Eleven GO. I have a shrine to this game on the website so I won't go into too much detail here. I'll include a funny personal story instead: I replayed this game in 2022 and it inspired me to quit my job that I hated at the time. There are a lot of lines in this game that resonate in a deeply personal way with me, and multiple scenes just make me start crying. I cannot explain! Something about it speaks very directly to me. The game itself is a bit of a slog with the slow gameplay movement, but it's something you quickly get used to.
INAZUMA ELEVEN GO CHRONO STONE
DECEMBER 2012
This game was localised shortly after I finally got into Inazuma Eleven GO, and it was a really fun experience to essentially play along as I watched the anime series. I love this game; it plays so much better than the first one and the story works perfectly in video game format. Visiting all the different time periods is so much fun in this game. I could ramble off about this one for a really long time if you let me... This is one of the games I have the longest play time with on my 3DS! Much like IE3, I was surprised to see how much the resale value of this one has blown up in recent years.
INAZUMA ELEVEN GO GALAXY
DECEMBER 2013
It will haunt me forever that this game was never localised (and for the most ridiculous reasons...) I love and prefer the original Japanese version of inaGO, but I can't lie that I have a never-ending unexplained endearment to the bizarre localisation. It makes me laugh a lot and I'll never understand why it exists that way. Anyway! This game is, in my opinion, the very best in terms of gameplay in the series. It's super fast and extremely fun. Much like Chrono Stone, I have hundreds of hours logged in this game. It's an unpopular series, even though the characters have canon fursonas in this one. I think it fully embraced chaotic Inazuma Eleven energy, and I like it a lot.
YOKAI WATCH
JULY 2013
Something you must know about me is that I love Yokai Watch. A lot. This is the only game I've imported a console just to play early, and I might make a shrine for it on this site eventually! Anyway, this game is a wonderful start to the series. It's charming, funny, and creative, and really sets the foundations for Yokai Watch 2. I have a humble merch collection from this series, and I really really love the toys they made for the Yokai Watch itself. I also really like the original series of the anime. I used to watch it as it aired in Japan as a weekly ritual.
YOKAI WATCH 2
JULY 2014
In my opinion, this is the best game on the Nintendo 3DS. Aside from ACNL, this is the game I have the most hours on! Yokai Watch 2 is so iconic; it has three versions, which ended up being some of the best-selling games on the console. It's very underrated outside of Japan, so please give this game a chance if you're reading this for some reason and haven't played it before!! It feels like a mini open-world game, packed full of detail and expanding perfectly upon the first game. The setting is just this wonderful unique blend of reality and fantasy that I adore so much. I need more games where my mom gives me a note to explain which trains to take to get to my granny's house. This game is from the era of peak Yokai Watch, and I wish the series could've kept up the momentum it had here. Regardless, I'll always love this series, and this game in particular.

NINTENDO ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM

Released in July 1983. I really like this console. It has a few of my favourite titles, though I have to be honest that it's often a Mega Man machine to me... I love it all the same!
MEGA MAN
DECEMBER 1987
The first game in a series very close to my heart. This game is a bit clunky (it's very old) but it set the foundation for the series going forward. It's just so packed with creativity, and the vision Akira Kitamura had behind the world and characters is so special. My favourite song is probably Elecman's theme, who's also my favourite robot master. I adore the ending to this game... Fight, Megaman! For everlasting peace! I own a physical copy of the European version of this game with the box. The European box art is a bit crazy, but it's still a special item to me.
MEGA MAN 2
DECEMBER 1988
I love this game so much, and it's definitely the most iconic in the series. The music is just timeless. I used to speedrun it, and I was always happy I could finish the game in a single sitting! My favourite thing about this game is the ending. After a whole game of upbeat energy and exciting music, you're rewarded with a somber theme alongside visuals of Rock walking back to his home with a flat expression. Unlike the first game, there's not really a sense of victory for what you've just done. Without any words at all, you can understand how deep Rock's pacifistic nature runs, and that he finds nothing to be celebrated from the experience of war, which he's come to realise is going to repeat over and over again. He's a deeply beloved character of mine, and that's how I interpret the game. There's an interview with Akira Kitamura where he describes Rock as a character carrying the same sense of loneliness you feel after seeing a young child playing alone, and I really feel that reflected in this one.

SUPER NINTENDO ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM

Initially released in November 1990. I never actually owned a SNES growing up, but I had a fascination with it and learnt how to emulate games so I could play them on our computer. I've always really loved the full name of this console for some reason.
EarthBound
AUGUST 1994
My favourite game of all time! I discovered this series through Super Smash Bros. Melee. I used to spend a long time reading the trophy entries and learning all about the different series being represented in the game. I absolutely loved Mr. Saturn's design and the Onett stage interested me so much. I needed to know what this game was! I used to come up with ideas for what the story could be about based of what little I knew from the in-game descriptions about Ness. By some miracle I was able to figure out how to emulate games on our super old family computer, and I was finally able to play EarthBound for myself. It was pretty different to the game I came up with in my head, but I instantly fell in love with everything. The humour; the graphics; the setting; the music! I loved it all. I (very convincingly!) pretended to be sick so I could skip school for a week to carry on playing non-stop. I was completely unspoilt for the whole game, and I'll never forget the first experience of the final boss. I was finally able to get a physical copy of this game from a resale store in Kyoto in 2023. I totally missed my bus while getting it!
MEGA MAN 7
MARCH 1995
Brave Opinion: I adore this game. As explained in earlier entries, I dearly love the Mega Man series. It's certainly controversial of me, but I honestly really liked the direction they were taking it in with this one. Whilst I find the gameplay in Mega Man really enjoyable, the world and characters within it appeal to me just as much. This game was actually developed in only three months, which I find wild to consider with the amount of secrets and bonus content. Anyway, I've always been enamoured by this games ending. Rock having the capacity to consider killing Dr. Wily in spite of the robotics laws is really interesting to me (even if he's more straightforward about it in the English version, both are pretty intriguing). This game got me really interested in robot xenofiction, and I'd been so excited for the Archie comics to eventually reach this part (rest in peace to that dream...) I love the graphical style they used for this game, and I'm sad it wasn't revisited for Mega Man 8. Rock's sprite is very cute. It probably has my least favourite OST for the series, but there are still some solid tracks in there.

NINTENDO 64

Released in June 1996. I believe this was the second console I owned myself. I got the Pikachu version from a resale store, alongside a copy of Pokemon Stadium and Snap.

NINTENDO GAMECUBE

Initially released in September 2001. This is my joint-favourite console! My GameCube was the Platinum Silver version, and came with MKDD and Pokemon Colosseum. My childhood friend owned a GameCube before I had one, and I always loved playing on it.
PIKMIN
OCTOBER 2001
The first game in one of my favourite series. My childhood friend owned this game before I had a GameCube, and I'd often go to her house and watch her play. I was completely enamoured by this bizarre and quirky game with creature designs like nothing I'd ever seen before. Pikmin is a very short game when you know what you're doing, but as a kid it felt endless and quite challenging. I always loved Olimar's diary entries in this game, they have some of my favourite writing from Nintendo, and I drew a lot of fanart inspired by them over the years. While this isn't my favourite of the Pikmin games, I really appreciate it for starting off one of my most beloved series and for its endless creativity.
PIKMIN 2
APRIL 2004
My favourite game in the Pikmin series, and one of my favourite games of all time. I played this game to absolute death as a child. I used to take the manual into school with me, and I even wrote a Pikmin story based on this game in one of my classes... Hah. I love the addition of real-world branded items in this one, it's just such a funny touch. I really enjoy the gameplay a lot; it's harsh and even unfair at times, but I've memorised it like the back of my hand and I love the challenge. I've finished it without any Pikmin deaths a few times now! A funny memory I have with this game was finally getting close to beating the final boss as a child, and my mom caused a power cut by sticking a knife into the toaster. Yup. Anyway, this game is just brilliant. My childhood friend used to play the co-op mode with me, but we'd just make up stories whilst roleplaying as Olimar and Louie instead. Good times.
PUYO POP FEVER
NOVEMBER 2003
My introduction to the puyopuyo series was with my next-door neighbours GameCube copy of this game. We... Really, really sucked at it! But I remember us asking her mom if I could sleep over since we got further into the story mode than we ever had before. She ended up falling asleep before me and I got all the way to the final boss without her. In the morning it was like I had a war story to tell. I eventually got the DS version of this one for myself, and I always really enjoyed it. I like the characters a lot. The only other game I've played in the series is the 20th Anniversary one on the DS, which I imported and played in Japanese as a teenager. I'd really like to get into this series in the future, though. I've always really liked the visual style.
POKEMON COLOSSEUM
NOVEMBER 2003
The first game that I ever played on my own GameCube. I was a huge fan of Pokemon and seeing a game like this completely blew my mind at the time. I expected a battle simulator like Stadium, so imagine my absolute surprise! Johto has always been my favourite region so I appreciated the abundence of Gen 2 Pokemon in this one. This game has a brilliant OST with so many memorable tracks I still enjoy to this day. I remember going to the Relic Forest Shrine in the game just to pause and listen to the music for a long time. I really enjoyed the somewhat darker tone this game had compared to a lot of other entries in the franchise, and I'd love to see another spinoff some day if they could keep up the quality from this and Gale of Darkness.

NINTENDO WII

Released in November 2006. I remember looking in magazines and feeling sad I would never own a Wii. On Christmas day, after I opened all my presents, I was told I had something else upstairs. I ripped a single strip from the paper and spotted the logo. I was so surprised and felt such a sincere happiness. It's a very dear memory to me.

PLAYSTATION 2

Another very iconic console, released in March 2000. My dad owned this console, and I enjoyed sharing it and playing games on it for many years. The PS2 has such a massive library, and I have a lot of great memories with it.

PLAYSTATION 3

Released in November 2006, though I didn't get this console until much later. In fact, I only got one (pre-owned) so I could play the game Ni No Kuni. Besides this, the PS3 ended up having some of my absolute favourite titles, so it was definitely worth it!