Sampled these some more.
The Messenger - 2.0 (Positive)
I'm having a lot of trouble pinning this one down, because I simultaneously like and dislike certain elements of it. Mostly positive, though.
* Obviously a passionate labor of love,
* Strong, conceptually/mechanically well-designed ideas/techniques/levels that are inherently fun to play with and speed run through, which is basically its main feature. (though I didn't like the feedback),
* I actually find the soundtrack/sound design a bit grating and annoying, personally. That music for the first few levels actually actively annoys me a bit.
* Sprite work/Animation is.... okay, but nothing to write home about,
* What I found really obnoxious and annoying was that the writing was trying way too hard to be cute/meta/funny (almost felt like Deadpool-ish humor, which I despise). Tone felt out of place to me.
It's solid, and I don't want to hate on it because you can tell a lot went into it, but I can't consider it a great game at the moment.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - 1.0 (Negative)
I'm really not on board with the massive appeal of this franchise. Feels like indulgent, bloated as ****, maximalist fan-service with completely uninteresting/generic visuals, a host of modes that feel like pointless busy-work compared to the main game, and gameplay that while technically mechanically strong/deep, feels like a complete tasteless mess to watch and experience.