StarTopic The 2023 Completed Games Thread

[Niraj]

2. Fire Emblem Engage

It's been slow going, but I finally finished this one. There was a lot I liked about it, but also some things I didn't like, such as the story. Glad to have finished in time for Octopath Traveler 2 though.

 

[MisterSpo]

1. Nier Automata (Switch)
2. Lunistice (Switch)
3. Super Mario Land 2 (NSO)
4. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Switch)
5. Metroid Prime Remastered (Switch)
6. Fire Emblem Engage (Switch)

This was an odd one for me. There are some really excellent maps, the adjustments to the weapons triangle are good enough that I hope they stick around, and the Emblem system worked pretty well. However, I don't think the Somniel hub really added anything much to the game, and I got increasingly bored of the narrative as things went on.

Spoiler

absolutely bored to death spending half the main campaign fighting the same group of villains, and found it utterly dull losing Emblems and then having to recruit another set and re-recruit my other Emblems. I also felt this narrative set up left too little room to experiment with Emblems because I wasn't interested in grinding, which diluted the enjoyable mechanic somewhat. Finally, I thought the cast was far too large; I think the emphasis on the Hounds was partially caused by having such a large playable cast. Some potentially interesting ideas around family didn't really cohere for me, especially given how late in the game the Sombron reveal came (literally the last mission, presumably set up for DLC).

I wouldn't be against a traditional good v evil narrative if it weren't so repetitive and if it didn't undermine a central mechanic by doling out Emblems so gradually and removing some of them partway into the game.

If Nintendo hadn't dumped Prime and the GameBoy family onto Switch in the middle of this month, I'd be just about ready to start Octopath 2 this weekend. As it is, that'll go on the shelf while GBA and indies get some gaming time.

 

[VolcanicDynamo]

Finished in 2023 #4: Wonder Boy (Arcade)

Around the time the Nintendo Switch launched, I picked up Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap purely on the basis of its gorgeous art design. Ended up enjoying it a lot! The varied transformations constantly mixed up the gameplay, and although the level design was rather primitive (lots of straight lines), its more open structure leads to it being one of the stronger "Metroidvanias" of its era. The remade art and sound was also extremely gorgeous, which helped! It made me curious to eventually try out the other Wonder Boy games, see how they got to The Dragon's Trap and what happened with it afterward (Monster Boy, I'll get to you eventually, I promise!). The Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection lets me do just that, with multiple versions of each of the six original games ready to go (not to be confused with last year's much smaller Wonder Boy Collection). So how does the very first game stack up?

Well, it's a 2D arcade platformer in the vein of games like PAC-LAND and Super Mario Bros. Get to the end of each stage avoiding traps and enemies, with a big focus on continuous forward movement. Where Wonder Boy differs is that, instead of a timer, you have to collect food to keep up your energy meter. Food will spawn in at different points, and the game is all about mastering its flow. Run fast and jump accurately to pick up food, but don't go so fast that you slam into an enemy or hazard. Hold the run button to go faster and jump higher, but don't rush through and get careless or else you'll end up dead. Time your arcing attack just right, but know when to kill an enemy and when to just dodge them. It's solid fun, but like with many arcade games after your quarters, the challenge is pretty relentless. Tricky enemy placements, tight platform patterns, at most two hit points (and you only have the second while riding on a skateboard that constantly moves you forward), it all makes for something that could take years to master for a one credit clear, let alone even finishing the game without rewind or save states. As I was mostly playing this one as a curiosity, I let myself get sloppy, using the copious amount of rewinds available in the Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection to just get through to the end. And that's without trying to go for all of the hidden dolls to unlock the bonus eight world, something which I ended up skipping. Sure, the collection has maps and stuff, but I think I'm good! Outside of difficulty, the one serious critique I have for the game is that, although there are 32 total levels, only around a dozen of them are actually unique - instead, most of them are cloned with different enemy and hazard placements. And these aren't insubstantial, but the title can still feel very repetitive after a few worlds. It makes the five clone levels in Super Mario Bros. feel like small potatoes in comparison. Even so, I generally had a good time with this one, though I probably won't rush to play this again any time soon.

Now, many people know the first Wonder Boy better as the NES game Adventure Island - Hudson Soft got the rights to port the game from the developers, but since SEGA owned the Wonder Boy trademark and characters, they made a new protagonist and ended up creating a whole franchise based off it, with original sequels hewing closer to the original Wonder Boy gameplay than the more divergent Wonder Boy sequels. Adventure Island is mostly the same but it's a bit easier - there's a second tier of your main attack that can destroy boulders and rocks, you do not need to collect all of the dolls (now pots) to see all 32 levels, and there are now hidden bonus areas to rack up more points and energy. The game also has a better soundtrack with more (and better) songs than the original, but of course the NES graphics aren't as impressive. I'm curious to try this version out and see how it compares. Another version I have my eye on (and this version is included in the Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection) is the Master System version, which includes eight additional levels on top of the thirty-two already in the game.

 

[Reinhard Schneider]

Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth

This one has taken more time and effort from me to go through it, and it's not exactly because it's harder than the original PW trilogy.

I have very mixed feelings and i'm kinda sad about it, because the core of the game is unironically good, it takes the Ace Attorney gameplay and adapts it to the in-universe prosecutor's role, and frankly, the formula works, but the game feels mismanaged.

Without giving details of the plot, i was left with the feeling that the cases weren't presented in the proper order, that the main antagonist isn't given a proper introduction before the info blowout (it's just a mere shadow for most of the game) and that the main mistery (the Yatagarasu) is weared out by being constantly named once a certain character appears.

The infamous third cases on the original trilogy have a role that goes unnoticed until you play this: They distract you from the main plot so it can come back later in an amazing season finale, they act as the relief you don't have in this game.

And then, there's the final case, wich final segment draw out in such a way that i have ended up stopping myself from turning off my 3DS several times

Spoiler: light spoilers of the final case

When you finally have everything and are ready to make the big bad confess, you get cockblocked several times (around 6 or 7) and he keeps getting himself off the hook over and over again. It's ridiculous, and does nothing for the final conclusion.

Best thing about the game is Miles Edgeworth himself, and Franziska von Karma by association. Finally we get a good view of Miles' acts and thoughts and he comes out as naïve and endearing under all his smartassery, same can be said (though on a lesser level) about Franzy, who is a bit more three dimensional than in Trials and Tribulations.

I hate to say this, but this game has accelerated my Ace Attorney burnout, so i'm leaving aside the series for a little while. Maybe it was a bit too much after playing the original trilogy in succession.

 

[jnWake]

Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth

This one has taken more time and effort from me to go through it, and it's not exactly because it's harder than the original PW trilogy.

I have very mixed feelings and i'm kinda sad about it, because the core of the game is unironically good, it takes the Ace Attorney gameplay and adapts it to the in-universe prosecutor's role, and frankly, the formula works, but the game feels mismanaged.

Without giving details of the plot, i was left with the feeling that the cases weren't presented in the proper order, that the main antagonist isn't given a proper introduction before the info blowout (it's just a mere shadow for most of the game) and that the main mistery (the Yatagarasu) is weared out by being constantly named once a certain character appears.

The infamous third cases on the original trilogy have a role that goes unnoticed until you play this: They distract you from the main plot so it can come back later in an amazing season finale, they act as the relief you don't have in this game.

And then, there's the final case, wich final segment draw out in such a way that i have ended up stopping myself from turning off my 3DS several times

Spoiler: light spoilers of the final case

When you finally have everything and are ready to make the big bad confess, you get cockblocked several times (around 6 or 7) and he keeps getting himself off the hook over and over again. It's ridiculous, and does nothing for the final conclusion.

Best thing about the game is Miles Edgeworth himself, and Franziska von Karma by association. Finally we get a good view of Miles' acts and thoughts and he comes out as naïve and endearing under all his smartassery, same can be said (though on a lesser level) about Franzy, who is a bit more three dimensional than in Trials and Tribulations.

I hate to say this, but this game has accelerated my Ace Attorney burnout, so i'm leaving aside the series for a little while. Maybe it was a bit too much after playing the original trilogy in succession.

I've never played the Investigations games, but people say AAI2 is really really good, so maybe give it a chance!

 

[Mocata]

Finished in 2023 #4: Wonder Boy (Arcade)

Around the time the Nintendo Switch launched, I picked up Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap purely on the basis of its gorgeous art design. Ended up enjoying it a lot! The varied transformations constantly mixed up the gameplay, and although the level design was rather primitive (lots of straight lines), its more open structure leads to it being one of the stronger "Metroidvanias" of its era. The remade art and sound was also extremely gorgeous, which helped! It made me curious to eventually try out the other Wonder Boy games, see how they got to The Dragon's Trap and what happened with it afterward (Monster Boy, I'll get to you eventually, I promise!). The Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection lets me do just that, with multiple versions of each of the six original games ready to go (not to be confused with last year's much smaller Wonder Boy Collection). So how does the very first game stack up?

Well, it's a 2D arcade platformer in the vein of games like PAC-LAND and Super Mario Bros. Get to the end of each stage avoiding traps and enemies, with a big focus on continuous forward movement. Where Wonder Boy differs is that, instead of a timer, you have to collect food to keep up your energy meter. Food will spawn in at different points, and the game is all about mastering its flow. Run fast and jump accurately to pick up food, but don't go so fast that you slam into an enemy or hazard. Hold the run button to go faster and jump higher, but don't rush through and get careless or else you'll end up dead. Time your arcing attack just right, but know when to kill an enemy and when to just dodge them. It's solid fun, but like with many arcade games after your quarters, the challenge is pretty relentless. Tricky enemy placements, tight platform patterns, at most two hit points (and you only have the second while riding on a skateboard that constantly moves you forward), it all makes for something that could take years to master for a one credit clear, let alone even finishing the game without rewind or save states. As I was mostly playing this one as a curiosity, I let myself get sloppy, using the copious amount of rewinds available in the Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection to just get through to the end. And that's without trying to go for all of the hidden dolls to unlock the bonus eight world, something which I ended up skipping. Sure, the collection has maps and stuff, but I think I'm good! Outside of difficulty, the one serious critique I have for the game is that, although there are 32 total levels, only around a dozen of them are actually unique - instead, most of them are cloned with different enemy and hazard placements. And these aren't insubstantial, but the title can still feel very repetitive after a few worlds. It makes the five clone levels in Super Mario Bros. feel like small potatoes in comparison. Even so, I generally had a good time with this one, though I probably won't rush to play this again any time soon.

Now, many people know the first Wonder Boy better as the NES game Adventure Island - Hudson Soft got the rights to port the game from the developers, but since SEGA owned the Wonder Boy trademark and characters, they made a new protagonist and ended up creating a whole franchise based off it, with original sequels hewing closer to the original Wonder Boy gameplay than the more divergent Wonder Boy sequels. Adventure Island is mostly the same but it's a bit easier - there's a second tier of your main attack that can destroy boulders and rocks, you do not need to collect all of the dolls (now pots) to see all 32 levels, and there are now hidden bonus areas to rack up more points and energy. The game also has a better soundtrack with more (and better) songs than the original, but of course the NES graphics aren't as impressive. I'm curious to try this version out and see how it compares. Another version I have my eye on (and this version is included in the Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection) is the Master System version, which includes eight additional levels on top of the thirty-two already in the game.

I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed reading this. It took me back to my old Master System days and how my cousin and I would play the Wonder Boy games for hours. Thank you.

 

[Reinhard Schneider]

I've never played the Investigations games, but people say AAI2 is really really good, so maybe give it a chance!

Yeah, i've read that AAI2 fixes a lot of AAI's issues, but i think i'll give myself a rest anyway, AAI (particularly the last case) has really accelerated my burn out.

If i think about it, i've been playing Ace Attorney games right before going to sleep day after day since early december. Crazy stuff, it's rare for me to be so consistent with a series.

 

[ngpdrew]

1.) Death's Door [Switch] - I am completely smitten with this game. It wears its inspirations on its sleeve, but I think it does enough to forge its own identity. The narrative is a little more grim than the typical Zelda, though it does pepper in just enough comic lines for welcome levity. The art direction is cutesy, kind of like some of the more cartoonish Zelda games, and glossed over with a healthy dimmer switch (and it looks fantastic on an OLED screen). The music is...well, I don't know, I'm not a music guy. It sounds like Zelda by way of Shadow of the Colossus? Maybe? Again, not a music guy. As far as the game itself goes, the combat and puzzles are all pretty simple. There are some difficult encounters to be sure, but I always felt like I had enough tools at my disposal to make relatively quick work of even the toughest bosses. Props to the developers for including power-ups that all work and meaningfully improve your arsenal!

Anyways, I just want to reiterate that I think this game is fantastic. It's probably my favorite of the many games that have tried to ape Zelda in the past several years. Had I played this when it launched, I would have placed this very highly on my GOTY list.

Got a lot of bigger things in the offing so I'm going to unload these before I forget!

2.) Kirby's Dream Land (NSO) - I have always been high on this relatively minimalist Kirby experience, and after revisiting it I remain as such. The game feels pleasant and approachable while also remaining as engaging as any other 2D game in the series. A remarkable starting point for Kirby; the high water mark until Super Star, in my opinion.

3.) Super Mario Land 2 (NSO) - It took a little bit of adjusting to get used to Mario's more lethargic physics. When I did, I was invested in this bite-sized platforming experience. Despite being featured in practically ten bajillion games like it, I can't remember any other games in which Mario explores a house as a bite-sized plumber, climbs a toy version of himself, and mucks through tree sap to reach his goal. It is creative and delightful to the very end, even if the final stage is a little rough relative to what comes before.

4.) Wario Ware Inc. Mega Microgames (NSO) - This might be a masterpiece? In the same way that Metroid Prime feels like a modern game made 20 years ago, Wario Ware feels like a distillation of modern mobile games made two decades in the past. Of course, these are a lot less exploitative and thusly much more enjoyable to play. Though it isn't nearly as fun as it was the first time (when it was all brand new and kept me on my toes with surprise after surprise), it still holds up very well as the best game in its series.

 

[correojon]

1. Hades: I didn't like this much on release, I'll never understand all the praise it gets. So I gave it another chance to see if I was missing something...but my opinon hasn't changed a bit: It has an extremely shallow combat system in which the build is much more important than player skill. It's the second game from SuperGiant that I play (the other being Transistor) and both times I've walked away with the same impression: They're the perfect example of what happens when you have simplistic gameplay, you polish it a lot and you wrap it in a very good presentation.
2. Sifu: Amazing game, I couldn't put it down. I love how you start getting your ass kicked and barely making it past a level, but later you're able to stylishly destroy even the hardest boss. I also like a lot how there are many new moves to unlock, so as you're getting better you have more and more moves in your arsenal, so you always have to keep improving and learning how to juggle more options every time.
3. Tohou Luna Nights:A very sweet surprise! It's a short Metroidvania based on a bullet-hell IP with an amazing combat system, really clever mechanics and incredible boss fights. It's a bit linear and it lacks a good dash move, so exploration suffers a bit, but it more than makes up for it with it's incredible gameplay systems:
   • You attack by throwing knives, which uses MP and recharges slowly over time.
   • You can slow down time for a short while by charging your attack.
   • You can stop time completely using your time gauge, which recharges over time.
   • While time is stopped, your attacks will use the time gauge instead of MP.
   • Some elements react differently when time is stopped. Normally things will just freeze in place, but yellow stuff will move in reverse, green stuff will only move when time is stopped, purple stuff is completely unaffected...This is used in really interesting ways through all the game, both in attacks that the bosses use and in puzzles you find in normal rooms. In fact, the game does an amazing job in teaching you all these little things through puzzles that grow in complexity and then it tests you with a boss that will use that concept in some challenging way.
   • You can use special attacks like throwing a multi-hitting chainsaw upwards, a knife barrage, a stunning electric knife...These consume a lot of MP but are very useful, specially against bosses.
   • Like in bullet-hell games, you can graze enemy attacks by getting very close to them. This will recover your HP, but if you do it while time is stopped you'll recover MP instead.
   • THE GRAZING MECHANIC IS GENIUS: Bosses will kick your ass the first times you fight them. Then, you'll start to learn to avoid their attacks, which may include learning when to stop or slow down time for the most tricky attacks, while still being able to recharge it on time for the next attack where you'll need it. Then, you'll start to use more special attacks to deal more damage more quickly, which will increase the rate at which you consume MP. So you'll have to think about a way to graze the boss attacks to replenish MP. But this will use time, so you have to manage your time gauge more carefully to still be able to use it for the more tricky attacks. But you may also get hit, so you will also need to learn to graze attacks without stopping time to replenish HP. As you're not using time, you will then have more time to replenish more MP, or even to attack the boss if you have enough. Each boss becomes a fantastic multi-layered action puzzle in which as you get better, more options and tactics become available to you. The game ends with an optional boss rush in which you can destroy all the bosses that gave you so much trouble one after the other and marvel at how much you have improved. The graze mechanic is the key ingredient that makes all of this possible. I put this mechanic in an altar next to Splatoon's ink or Ori's bashing, it's that good.
   • I loved Sifu, but for now this is my GOTY.
4. Tunic: Starting it this weekend, I have heard great things about it.
5. Metroid Prime Remake: This will be next once I'm done with Tunic.
6. Record of Lodoss War-Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth: Another short Metroidvania by Team Ladybug, the creators of Touhou Luna Nights. After how much I loved that one I'm itching to play this.

1. Hades
2. Sifu
3. Touhou Luna Nights
4. Tunic: Ended with mixed feelings with this one. First of all, it's great to play this just after Touhou Luna Nights, as that one has excellent combat but weak exploration and Tunic is the exact opposite, with some of the best exploration I've ever seen in a game...but weak combat.
   • The first half of the game is AMAZING and it was VERY CLEARLY becoming my GOTY: Those initial moments while you are uncovering the world, finding manual pages to learn how stuff works, discovering secrets in the world thanks to a little hand-written note in the side of a page....The overworld feels like a puzzle that you're slowly solving by activating a ladder, opening a door, pushing down a bridge...It was really magical and I was absolutely loving it. There were some problems, like the movement being a bit clunky and bosses were huge difficulty spikes, though you can manage them with all the tools you find along the way.
   • However, the later quarter of the game drops the ball hard. The world suddenly closes up and you're sent on a very restricted quest. This ends with you getting the best upgrade in the game...but there nowhere new to use it. At this point you've already explored everything in the game and all that's left is the final boss + left-over collectibles if you really want to go after them. Another of the game's problems creeps up at this point: It would've been great if there was a late game item that allowed you to instantly warp to the teleport hub, or even better, if more teleport panels became available in places you could only reach with the late-game abilities, that would breath some needed new life to the world because at that point I was starting to become a bit bored of retreading the same paths time and time again.
   • Above all, what I hated most was the last boss, to the point that it made me drop the game. Combat is never one of the pillars of the game and this is made clear whenever the game tries to use it more intensively with the bosses. The manual seems to put a lot of importance into rolling, but it's completely detrimental to use it: You waste a lot of stamina, the invulnerability window is too narrow, the clunkyness of the movement will make roll in the wrong direction a lot of times and once you run out of stamina you'll become a sitting duck and take extra damage for a while. So it's much easier to just block using the shield. The thing is that blocking is not fun, as you just hold a button and that's it. Sometimes boss' attacks go through your guard, it's never clear what you can and can't block so this system isn't perfect either, but works much better than rolling.
   • But then the final boss comes around and suddenly blocking is useless and you need to switch to rolling/dashing. And he uses very similar animation for all attacks, so it's impossible to identify if he's going to do a single thrust, a 3 hit-slash that will hit you if you dash sideways, an overhead smash...He also has some AoE attacks that all reuse the same animation and some of them will spawn offscreen projectiles for you to blindly run into. After trying to beat it more times than all the other bosses of the game combined, I looked for some help online but all I could find were cheap strategies to cheat him by constantly freezing him or making him completely ignore you with decoys. So yeah, most people have decided that the best way to deal with it is to not engage him at all: Just come up with a way to stop it from doing anything and wack away at it until it dies. I didn't have any decoys so I would have to grind for money to buy some, to beat the boss in an uninteresting challenge, so at this point, seeing as there was nothing else left after it, I decided that my time with Tunic was done. This, along with being already bored of traversing the world a hundred times, made me not even attempt to solve the final riddle (the Golden Path and the Mountain Door) and left me with a very sour taste. The final boss should've been a celebration, something that tested you on what you had being doing through the game, instead of a completely disconnected challenge that everyone will prefer to cheat than to engage with in the terms the developers intended.
   • So, after all this, my 2023 ranking is:
     1. Touhou Luna Nights
     2. Sifu
     3. Tunic
     4. Hades
5. Sakuna: Devil May Rice: Lately I've been hearing a lot of good things about this one, specially from people who like stylish action games (DMC, Bayo...) and who were initially thrown off by the rice farming mechanics. However, they've all been saying that they're really well done and very integrated with the combat mechanics, and what they thought would be a sour spot was becoming one of their favorite parts of the game. So, after the sour taste and the need of experiencing some good combat Tunic has left me with, I've pushed this up in my list this before Metroid Prime. This way I can keep going with alternating combat and exploration games: Combat(Touhou Luna Nights)>Exploration(Tunic)>Combat(Sakuna)>Exploration(Metroid)>...

Playlist:

1. Metroid Prime Remake
2. Record of Lodoss War-Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth
3. Hi-fi Rush
4. TotK
5. Pikmin 4
6. Rollerdrome

 

[Red Monster]

Spoiler: The List

1) Super Metroid (NSO)
2) Metroid Fusion (Wii U)
3) Metroid Dread (NSW)
4) Sonic Frontiers (PS5)
5) MX vs ATV Legends (XSS)

6) Kuru Kuru Kururin (NSO)

This game gave me super strong nostalgia, which is funny because I've never played it before. It just oozes "essence of "Game Boy Advance". The visuals and the music and the menus spark so much joy in me. The gameplay itself is ...fine. The first three quarters of the game are great fun, and the last bit is pure hell. Thank goodness for rewind.


7) Metroid Prime Remastered (NSW)

I first played Metroid Prime nearly twenty years ago, way back on the GCN. I had never played a Metroid game before, and I had a pretty rough time with it. I did beat the game, but I had to use a walkthrough. Playing it again all these years later, after playing the entire 2D series and growing more comfortable with how Metroid games work, I had a much better time with Prime this time around. Didn't need to look up anything!

The visuals are amazing, Retro did a great job. This is one of the best-looking games on Switch hands down. The music is incredible too. The new dualstick controls work pretty well, except for the visor- and beam-switching; even going into the options and reversing beam and visor (which does help no doubt), I still found myself fumbling for the right visor and beam combo during hectic fights.

Speaking of hectic fights, the boss fights are all kinda bad. They are all bullet sponges with invulnerability phases that last way too long, and as a result, the fights takes forever. If Samus could do more damage, or the bosses had less HP, that would go a long way toward making the fights better.

Overall, the game is basically incredible. It's not my favorite Metroid game (Dread forever and always <3), but it's up there!

 

[Vookatos]

33. Pentiment

A clear labor of love that I wish I was more into. My husband, who is a lot smarter than me, was a spectator and clearly enjoyed it more.
It's a Night-In-The-Woods-like, I guess. You walk around town talking to people, and that's it's biggest downfall for me. Talking to people is interesting, but retracing your steps isn't.
The ending was great, though, especially considering early previews made it seem like the big mystery wouldn't be solved. It's... Not exactly true, it gives enough closure.
One of those games that I would recommend for everyone to check out. It might not be for you, but it's a niche title and we need more of those

 

[Mocata]

33. Pentiment

A clear labor of love that I wish I was more into. My husband, who is a lot smarter than me, was a spectator and clearly enjoyed it more.
It's a Night-In-The-Woods-like, I guess. You walk around town talking to people, and that's it's biggest downfall for me. Talking to people is interesting, but retracing your steps isn't.
The ending was great, though, especially considering early previews made it seem like the big mystery wouldn't be solved. It's... Not exactly true, it gives enough closure.
One of those games that I would recommend for everyone to check out. It might not be for you, but it's a niche title and we need more of those

This was one of my favourite games from last year, but I can completely see that it isn’t for everybody. My cousin saw me devour it so he (as a lover of adventure games) gave it a try, and it didn’t grab him at all.

 

[Brock Reiher]

11. Panzer Dragoon II (Saturn) [8/10]

After I first beat this game, I was confused why it's so highly regarded as it mostly seemed like a step down compared to the remake of the first game. My mistake was skipping the cutscenes, as I didn't know your dragon was a cute disgusting little creature. I'm starting a new playthrough with that knowledge and the understanding of how the evolution mechanic works, and it does make the game a lot more enjoyable. I don't really like the super move though, it makes things a little too easy. I hope we get a NSO Saturn one day so all three of these games can be on it.

 

[Dardan Sandiego]

Almost forgot about my favourite thread. Haven't played that much so far:

1. Dark Souls III
2. Super Mario Bros. 3 (GBA)
3. The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

 

[EricTheGamerman]

Honestly, been pushing through some old classics I had played but never actually set down and finished:

1. Donkey Kong Country (This is a re-complete, but I'll count it for fun)
2. Donkey Kong Country 2 (102% full completion)
3. Sonic the Hedgehog (Android Port of it)
4. Metroid Zero Mission

Currently working on:

1. Metroid Prime Remastered
2. Pikmin 1 (Re-complete as well, but technically will be my first on Wii)
3. Donkey Kong Country 3

 

[ZSaberLink]

It's been a while but I completed 2 more games!

3. Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (2/12/2023) - Fun game but pretty off the wall. For a game boy game, it's great, but it's interesting how 2D Zelda translated much better to the GameBoy than 2d Mario imo. They had to make the sprites so big and thus the screen real estate was kind of small. I really liked the final level & the final boss fight with Wario.
4. Kirby's Dreamland (2/12/2023) - I've only played the "Spring Breeze" version of this from Kirby Super Star before. Short game but a lot harder than the Spring Breeze version. Normal game was fine. The extra mode was a whole different ball game. The extra mode would've taken me a ton longer without save states (with save states I was able to learn the boss patterns since I could try over and over again). I still did never quite get how to dodge the blimp's attacks, especially in extra mode. Things almost seemed kind of unfair at times when things just flew onto the screen.

It's kind of nice playing some shorter games. I typically get into really long games. Still playing through Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle & Yakuza 0 currently. Getting close to finishing the former, at the beginning of Yakuza.

5. Kirby's Adventure (2/24/2023) - Beat this game on NSO. It's interesting to see how much of an improvement this game is over the original game. However I will say some of the secrets are kind of mind boggling hard to find without a guide. Plus I'm not sure how well I would've played the game without frequent rewinds. Separately, performance definitely suffered a lot when there were a lot of sprites on screen. I assume the game was pushing the NES hardware super hard. Overall it was a fun game and the first one with copy abilities! I don't think this stayed later, but kind of was annoying immediately losing your ability when you get hit. Also I admit I wasn't expecting the ending that actually happened. I hear they remade this game for GBA?

So far:
1. Kaze and the Wild Masks - 1/6/2023
2. Panzer Dragoon Remake - 1/14/2023
3. Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins - 2/12/2023
4. Kirby's Dreamland - 2/12/2023
5. Kirby's Adventure - 2/24/2023

 

[Mbolibombo]

Here we go! Hoping to clear out some of the backlog before Octopath II hits.

January
1. The Legend of Zelda:Skyward Sword HD [NSW]
2. Captaid Toad: Treasure Tracker: Special Episode (DLC) [NSW]
3. Final Fantasy VII [NSW]
4. The Last Campfire [NSW]
5. Call of Juarez: Gunslinger [NSW]
6. Sudoku #1 [NSW]
7. Bayonetta 3 [NSW]
8. Professor Layton and the Lost Future [NDS]

February:
9. Mario Kart: Super Circuit [NSW-GBA]
10. Kuru Kuru Kururin [NSW-GBA]
11. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Champion's Ballad [NSW]
12. Immortals: Fenyx Rising [NSW]

Adding a couple of games before, it'll probably be some time until it happens again since I am going back to work again next week and also, playing Octopath 2 and Prime Remastered from now on, will take some time.

13. Shadow of the Ninja [NSW-NES]

Game I never beat as a kid, hard as nails - Game by Natsume, a very good action platformer, with a banger soundtrack playable in co-op!
Highly recommend, availible on NSO.

14. DLC - Breath of the Wild - The Master Trials [NSW]

I thought this was real hard, Beginners trial I've tried to beat back in 2017 but couldnt do it. I took up the quest again the past few weeks and finally beat it, and also the middle trials which was a fair bit easier before getting a bit stuck on the final trails. But I made it yesterday and it feels good.

 

[Deleted member 1896]

Completed Starlink: Battle for Atlas

That game really grew on me

 

[touchfuzzy]

Took an hour this morning to finish off Metroid Prime Remastered. Overall a masterpiece of atmosphere, level design, art, and general gameplay. I feel the first half of the game was stronger than the second half… partway through Phendrana Drifts and in to Phazon Mines it becomes much too space pirate combat heavy, which is probably the weakest part of the game. Overall though I’m gonna give it a 9.5 / 10, an exceptional remaster and a Switch must play.

 

[Mocata]

4. Forza Horizon 5 - Hot Wheels expansion (7/10)

Decided to get this one finished as they’ve now announced the next DLC. It was fun enough, but it’s not an area of the map I see myself returning to often like past DLCs. The most fun I had was actually finding the XP boards as I preferred going off road. All in all though, I enjoyed my time with it.

 

[Pineapple Pizza]

5. [NES NSO] Metroid - 3/5

[I'm rating this on my experience overall playing with the benefit of rewind, save states--and toward the end--some hints and tips from the world wide web. It would score lower without these modern conveniences.]

I'm glad to have had a run through this, in spite of frustrations with poor enemy placement (getting unavoidably hit while entering rooms or indeed exiting them), persistent slowdown, repetitive rooms, unintuitive hidden (necessary) areas, yo-yoing difficult (Ridley is a cakewalk versus Kraid), and little in the way of replenishment of resources.

It has deepened my appreciation for what has come after this pioneering game. I enjoyed the music, the ambience in places (the first quarter/half particularly until it did get repetitive and annoying having to search every nook and cranny for a hidden passage), and... Well... the game made me want to keep playing, so there's that. I also drew a physical map, so that was neat!

I can only imagine how difficult this would have been back in the day with passwords and a lack of rewind. It's all too easy to lose all your energy in the space of seconds. There are hidden pits that could send you back tens of minutes. But with the benefit of modern hindsight you can enjoy this for what it is: the original Metroidvania. And I feel like I've completed a piece of history.

P.S. I'm looking forward to when/if Metroid: Zero Mission launches on NSO to see what changed were made to bring the game up to more modern standards.

My 2023 list:
January
1. [NSW] Regency Solitaire - 4/5
February
2. [NSW] Dungeon Encounters - 5/5
3. [GB NSO] Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins - 3/5
4. [GB NSO] Gargoyle's Quest - 3/5
5. [NES NSO] Metroid - 3/5

 

[totofogo]

4. Metroid Dread | NSW | Whew, what a delight end to end. This was my first 2D Metroid after growing up on the Prime games (aside from picking up most of the others on VCs over the years, never to completion) and it was love at first sight. It fell victim to too many games releasing back when I had dropped it about halfway through, so it was high on the list of games for me to return to in this effort to complete more games. What a drop dead gorgeous game that is a perfect fit for the OLED I got it with, in addition to working beautifully with Hue lights I have setup since I played the first half of it. I’ll still go back and get 100 percent on pickups some day in handheld, but the bombastic conclusion deserved to be docked. Two gameplay highlights were how effortlessly guided yet open an experience it was, plus the introduction of action elements and cinematic angles which brought some prime flavor. 5 energy tanks out of 5.

 

[EricTheGamerman]

The original Metroid is currently the only game I've quit this year after never having played it. I just couldn't stand how little it felt like it respected me as a player at times and just being able to shoot directly in front of you and above you is so limiting that I just couldn't stick with it. I kept asking myself why I am I pushing myself through this? Why am I not playing Zero Mission instead?

And after losing to Kraid like 10 times in a row, I officially decided I'd seen enough and played Zero Mission instead. Best choice I could have made TBH lol.

 

[Reinhard Schneider]

Injustice 2 Story mode (xCloud)

This one has been a slow burn for quite a while. Started it with a Game Pass Ultimate mission and since those force you to use cloud or console (and i don't have a Xbox), i went with cloud on mobile and my faithful Kishi.

I'll start by saying that i didn't play the first one, i got it for free on PS4 but by then i had already watched the story mode on movie format in Youtube (+ the prequel comic) so i never got into the game itself. Most recent Netherrealm game i played is Mortal Kombat X.

To be honest, the fact that i played it on Cloud with a Kishi V1 (the D-pad on that thing is the worst thing i have ever used, wich given my experience means A LOT) means that i can't really give an opinion on the game's feel. Input delay and shitty D-Pad means i had to find a combo that allowed me to cheese each fight and stick with it, and hooo boy did i do that, each and every single character has an easy set of combos that allows you to get through the story mode, even agaisnt the big bad Brainiac. However, taking all that in account i can say that the gameplay feels like a pastiche of Mortal Kombat and BlazBlue that looks fluid and feels extremely rigid, i didn't dislike it, but being myself a JP Fighting game fan on a casual level, Injustice 2 gameplay feels nothing like it wants you to think it feels.

(I could have taken the game to PC after i finished the task, but turns out it's not a Play anywhere game, so screw that)

The story itself... Well, it's basically good and evil join forces to beat the big bad, and something i don't like about it is that the baddies are... clearly baddies. Like, you would expect Wonder Woman or Superman have a certain level of restraint ad just be morally grey characters, but they're not (despite some attemps of the story of making you think they are, after

Spoiler: Late story spoilers

Batman releases Super from his cell and he retires to the fortress of solitude to fully recover his powers, in a very short time Diana impales Harley Quinn, and Superman threatens Kara forcing her to chose sides. Like, fucking chill, both of you, there's a fucking alien maniac floating mecingly in the sky. FOCUS.

)

You get clothing and extra colors for your characters and i would gladly continue playing and even dive into the online multiplayer to level up every character and get more, but not being able to use my save on PC has completely turned me off the game, so i guess that's enough Injustice 2 for me.

 

[Vookatos]

34. Pizza Tower

"A whole tower of pizza?" I thought to myself, "That can't be possible"
But with each step I took, it became apparent that it was, and it wasn't good.
Poverty, war, shit, and jumpscares awaited me. But at the end, I stood victorious atop the tower.

 

[Pineapple Pizza]

The original Metroid is currently the only game I've quit this year after never having played it. I just couldn't stand how little it felt like it respected me as a player at times and just being able to shoot directly in front of you and above you is so limiting that I just couldn't stick with it. I kept asking myself why I am I pushing myself through this? Why am I not playing Zero Mission instead?

And after losing to Kraid like 10 times in a row, I officially decided I'd seen enough and played Zero Mission instead. Best choice I could have made TBH lol.

I know I'm going to greatly appreciate Zero Mission after my experience with the original!

I completely get you. If I hadn't looked up how to 'cheese' Kraid, not been able to rewind whenever I got stuck at the bottom of a life-draining pit, I'd have given up too. I think because I had started drawing my own map I was also more invested in seeing it through.

I imagine players of the time would have had to rely on walkthroughs in magazines, word-of-mouth in the playground, and a lack of other options once the bank of mum and dad had dropped £40 on this shiny new cartridge.

If I ever get round to attempting the original Zelda I suspect I'll have to overcome similar archaic game design (e.g. hidden areas completely un-signposted).

 

[Dardan Sandiego]

Played Oracle of Seasons on 3DS again because I couldn't wait for it to hit NSO. I remember playing this way back but for some reason it never stuck with me as much as other entries. That has changed now. Still incredibly impressive what they did here, although it ends up being almost too complicated for its own good compared to the slightly simpler Links's Awakening. Since the maps are so compact and dense and the puzzles varied, you spend a considerable amount of time fiddling in menus which can hurt the pacing at times. Other than that though, it's a top notch portable Zelda experience and you can definitely see how it was foundational for Fujibayashi's later work. I can only recommend it if one hasn't played it yet. I started a linked game of Ages but I haven't decided whether I wanna play it right away or finish some other stuff first.

1. Dark Souls III
2. Super Mario Bros. 3 (GBA)
3. The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
4. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons

 

[Reinhard Schneider]

Well, this one was unexpected

Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon

I remember writing this one off as a Dracula's Curse wannabe and decided to not purchase it, so i don't remeber how and when it made it to my Switch. And yeah, it's tied to my main account. Oh well.

First thing i can say is that after two stages i had to eat my own words, unlike Ritual of the Moon wich feels like a Castlevania rip off, this one actually mixes things a bit and brings some changes to the table, like the four different characters having abilities that actually matters, losing a character not meaning losing a life, different paths designed to be reached/crossed with specific characters, etc...

The basic gameplay feels more like Rondo than Dracula's Curse, controls are not as heavy and restricting as the NESvanias' and physics vary depending on the character you use.

Levels are pretty well designed, they can be as long or short as you make them to be by choosing path at each crossroad, and that depends on how good you are a keeping your characters' alive.

Graphics are neat and the game feels like a good homage to the NESvanias, they're obviously not possible on NES, but Inti Creates are so good at their craft that it doesn't really matter.

After being dissapointed with the main Bloodstained game for so long, this was a breath of fresh air. Looking forward to getting the sequel in the future.

 

[Raytro]

5. Metroid Dread * - 10/10 ❤​

Couldn't help myself and had to play another Metroid game after Prime Remastered. Dread is easily one of my favorite game in the series and I almost didn't play it since release. What a great game. I want Metroid 6 so bad.

​

6. Pullblox - 7/10​

What a cool, little, funny game. I've always liked the premise of the game, since I initially bought it around its launch, but never finished it (because I was still a stupid little kid back in the days): now it's done, at least the "base" puzzle (I still have to complete the Bonus ones).
The only reason I can't put a higher rating is that the game is wayyyyy too easy. Like out of the almost 200 puzzles I did, only a few ones was a bit hard, but there was like 75% of the puzzles that were just doable brainless. It was still fun because of its concept, but it would have been better if half of the puzzles had been removed and the other half made better use of the game mechanics. Quality over quantity... But hey, for like 6€ at the time, I think it's worth the price, I had great tims with it and I'm happy I finally finished it. Gonna do Bonus stages a little bit every now and then!

Anyway, I'm playing Like A Dragon: Ishin these days and man, what a great game: Yakuza is definitely in my top 10 series ever lmao.
Next games should be the two Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon, since I bought them on sales this weekend.

Spoiler: 2023 completed games list

1. Bayonetta 3 - 7.5/10 ❤
2. The Wonderful 101 Remastered - 6/10
3. Hi-Fi Rush - 8.5/10 ❤
4. Metroid Prime Remastered * - 9/10 ❤
5. Metroid Dread * - 10/10 ❤
6. Pullblox - 7/10

 

[ILovethegameAC]

I'm not finishing anything else before February ends, so for this month:

-Portal 2 Single Player (Switch): I already played this on PS3 years ago and since I bought the Portal Collection on Switch, mostly to play the first one for the first time, I decided to finish this bad boy again and it was just I good as I remembered, and now I appretiated it more since is a huge improvement over the first game, using it's potential a lot better, plus I remember needing to use a guide on my first playtrough a few times but now that was not the case at all; the only "negative" thing I can say is that it could have been a bit longer, but I guess the co op is there for that, which I still haven't had the chance to play.

-Metroid Prime Remastered (Switch): I already played OG Prime on the Wii Trilogy, but I couln't resist to buy this for how amazing it looked and overall Prime is just as good as I remembered. Of course since I already knew a lot of the setting it wasn't as impressive as my first time, but is still an amazing experience with incredible atmosphere and really solid gameplay, going trough the zones is such a magical experience that no other game has been able to do quite like Prime 1, it's really an amazing journey of discovery, although with a bit more backtracking than I remembered. The remaster also looks incredible, one of the best looking Switch games.

-Metroid 2 (Switch NSO): I already played the fan remake and the official remake, but it was my first time playing the OG Metroid 2 and I wasn't really a fan; the combat works fine, it has plenty of the good Metroid feeling and there are some good ideas here and there, but overall with how stiff the controls can be with such a small field of view, mixed with how vertically big many zones can be, make for a very annoying and slow experience a lot of the time to explore, they really should have made the sprites smaller like in the NES game or just have smaller zones vertically overall, or both, especially in one of the areas half way trough I nearly quit the game for how tedious it was, but it got a bit better after it fortunately.
I know many people like Charlie from The Gaming Brit Show see it as the "survival horror Metroid" for the atmosphere it apparently has, but to me it was just an ugly game with no backgrouds and really weird music for the most part, easily the worst soundtrack in the series to me, so I felt no atmosphere while playing, plus not having a map sucks and even using one online can be really hard to read, the map layout just doesn't make as much sense as in later games, and to make thing worse I accidentally didn't get the Screw Attack and the final boss is nearly impossible without it, so I had to go back to find it which is kind of bad desing. Idk, I in the end did finish it so I didn't have a horrible time with it, but I'm never playing it again, it's not a good game to me and Super was a massive improvement.

 

[Machine Doogs]

7) Panzer Dragoon Remake (NSW)*

After watching a 4 hour retrospective on the Panzer Dragoon series, I decided to revisit this game. Having never played the Saturn original, I still like this game. I do not think the remake is particularly well made, but the bones are strong. I think if I had played the original back in 1995 I might view it the same way I view Star Fox 64. I could only recommend on a strong sale due to the length of the game, but it's a nice afternoon if you like rail shooters.

8) Final Fantasy IX (NSW)*

One of my favorite games ever, I try to play through it every few years when I get the itch. This time I turned some cheats on and finished it in under 20 hours. Even though I would not recommend playing it this way, it still made me cry at the end.

9) UnMetal (NSW)

An homage/parody of stealth games, I was unsure if the humor would work for me when I started. Surprisingly, it mostly did. The gameplay itself is very solid and constantly engaging. If you can stomach the meta humor, you'll enjoy your time with it.

************************

Had my first real dud of the year with Alan Wake Remastered. Picked it up on sale after the patch got good reviews and it just isn't my jam. Although the game plays fine and the story is compelling, it became too repetitive for me to get through.

Spoiler: Previously...

Previously in 2023...

* Denotes replay

1) Guardians of the Galaxy - Cloud Version (NSW)
2) Rise of the Third Power (NSW)
3) Haiku, the Robot (NSW)
4) Fire Emblem Engage (NSW)
5) The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (GBA NSO)*
6) WareWare Inc. (GBA NSO)*

 

[Niraj]

3. Return to Monkey Island

I really enjoyed this one. Despite being a big fan of point and click adventures, I somehow managed to avoid ever playing any of this series. I still found this perfectly enjoyable without having the previous games as a reference point, though I did appreciate the scrapbook feature to catch me up. I thought the pacing was nice, and the game is genuinely very funny a lot of the time. The in-game hint system is nice as well. I thought the art style worked well too. Overall, I think anyone could play this and enjoy it, though I'd imagine fans of the series would likely get a little more out of it.

 

[psilex]

Oh hey, somehow this thread completely slipped by me. I've been playing a lot more games than usual this year, but it'd be a lot of work to make reviews of all of them... I guess I'll just do it for whatever I play next.

I also don't do numerical ratings, so for my list, I'll just color what I considered a favorite instead.

1. Kirby's Return to Dreamland
2. DOOM (2016)
3. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons
4. Mega Man & Bass (Super Famicom)
5. Pikmin 1 (Replay)
6. Kirby's Dream Land (Replay)
7. Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3
8. Psychonauts
9. Pikmin 2 (Replay)
10. Katamari Damacy Reroll
11. Wario Land II
12. Star Fox 64 3D

 

[Vookatos]

35. The Excavation of Hob's Barrow

Well... I don't like to shit on indie games, but this was kinda bad.
It's a point-and-click game with very Lovecraftian influence. So Lovecraftian, that effectively nothing happens in the story until the very end, which is predictable and disappointing, albeit the best scene in the game.
It reminds me of Darkseed somewhat - a fairly middling-looking game interspercced with close-up animations, which, unfotunately, were mostly spoiled in the trailer. And of course H. R. Giger didn't design anything here, unlike with Darkseed.

About a third of the game is a fetchquest that could be cut with no issue and is clearly there to pad out the game, and despite your protag appearing smart and the game giving you choices, does the dumbest shit and stumbles towards the completely linear path.

The puzzles are either dumb or require outside knowledge, which is baffling. None of it is incredibly niche, but the game expects you to know some greek alphabet and a few latin words.

Truly a Lovecraftian game in that it's boring as hell. At least the black man wasn't demonic.

 

[Leo]

#01 Aladdin (SNES)
#02 Disney's Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse (SNES)
#03 Magical Pop'n (SNES)
#04 Bonkers (SNES)
#05 Portal (Switch)
#06 Star Fox (SNES)
#07 Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania (Switch)
#08 Nintendoland (Wii U)
#09 Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii U)
#10 Mario Kart Super Circuit (NSO)
#11 Kuru Kuru Kururin (NSO)
#12 Super Mario Land 2 (NSO)

#13 Wario Ware Inc. Mega Microgame$ (NSO)

My first Wario Ware was Touched! on the DS, and despite becoming a fan ever since, I never did go back to play the GBA games (although I did play Gold). So it was a very interesting experience to go back to the first title and discover it's one of the best!

Maybe it's because I'm pretty good at putting myself in the mindset of the time the game came out, but the game feels so fresh. It's brimming with creativity and it's so out there for something that came out in 2003. I think at the time Wario Ware pushed the boundaries of what is a videogame and I think it was hugely influential to a new generation of game designers especially indies. Yes, despite being a Nintendo game, I think Wario Ware was probably the first weird indie game that defies what gaming is supposed to be. I already loved the franchise, but I love it even more seeing how brilliant it was from the very beginning.

 

[meatbag]

It's brimming with creativity and it's so out there for something that came out in 2003

Wario Ware is one of those golden egg ideas from Nintendo. Tying together a bunch of shoddy microgames into an increasingly frantic score attack is nothing short of arcade gaming genius.

6th game finished for 2023: Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga. It’s been a while since I played this, and man, it holds up. The use of action commands is simple but engaging; nothing is as satisfying as perfectly reading an enemy’s attack and landing a solid counterattack. The enemies, as a consequence of this battle system, have oodles of personality in the way they move and feint. The overworld puzzles are pretty neat too, and the writing is pretty funny in a Saturday morning cartoon sort of way. Nintendo, please bring back the M&L RPGs. Please?

 

[Mocata]

35. The Excavation of Hob's Barrow

Well... I don't like to shit on indie games, but this was kinda bad.
It's a point-and-click game with very Lovecraftian influence. So Lovecraftian, that effectively nothing happens in the story until the very end, which is predictable and disappointing, albeit the best scene in the game.
It reminds me of Darkseed somewhat - a fairly middling-looking game interspercced with close-up animations, which, unfotunately, were mostly spoiled in the trailer. And of course H. R. Giger didn't design anything here, unlike with Darkseed.

About a third of the game is a fetchquest that could be cut with no issue and is clearly there to pad out the game, and despite your protag appearing smart and the game giving you choices, does the dumbest shit and stumbles towards the completely linear path.

The puzzles are either dumb or require outside knowledge, which is baffling. None of it is incredibly niche, but the game expects you to know some greek alphabet and a few latin words.

Truly a Lovecraftian game in that it's boring as hell. At least the black man wasn't demonic.

I remember reading about this before it released and thinking it sounded good, but now I’m glad I didn’t buy it. The last horror point and click I played was The Last Door which was glorious and just dripping in atmosphere, so I had been hoping that this game would be something similar.

Adding this to my wait for a deep sale list.

 

[MissingNo.]

Games completed in 2023 so far:

• Tales of Arise
• Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor
• Diablo 3 (replay)
• Hi-Fi Rush
• Pentiment
• Asura's Wrath

Currently working on:

• Fire Emblem Engage (still)
• Monster Hunter World + Iceborne (again, but this time fr)
• Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (again, but this time fr)

Still on my list:

• Don't ask.

 

[meatbag]

Still on my list:

• Don't ask

You’re goddamn right

 

[AngryAlchemist]

I forgot February ends early like a dumbass. I was hoping to get Prime 2 and Blasphemous done by the end of the month thinking there was a few days left, with no such luck.

 

[Vookatos]

I remember reading about this before it released and thinking it sounded good, but now I’m glad I didn’t buy it. The last horror point and click I played was The Last Door which was glorious and just dripping in atmosphere, so I had been hoping that this game would be something similar.

Adding this to my wait for a deep sale list.

The game definitely clicked for people considering the "Very Positive" reviews on Steam. It has atmosphere, and the voice acting is on-point, but I feel like the resources were mismanaged. Instead of weird "get apple to get flowers to get milk" (that's literally the thing you do) quest, the game could've been shorter and actually made your choices matter.
Like, if you LOVE Lovecraft and if you think that games like Shadow of the Comet are true masterpieces, I'd recommend it, but if you prefer your games to be faster paced and more spooky, I'd say watch a Let's Play or something. I really don't like saying it because the game is clearly made with a lot of love, but alas.

 

[Mocata]

The game definitely clicked for people considering the "Very Positive" reviews on Steam. It has atmosphere, and the voice acting is on-point, but I feel like the resources were mismanaged. Instead of weird "get apple to get flowers to get milk" (that's literally the thing you do) quest, the game could've been shorter and actually made your choices matter.
Like, if you LOVE Lovecraft and if you think that games like Shadow of the Comet are true masterpieces, I'd recommend it, but if you prefer your games to be faster paced and more spooky, I'd say watch a Let's Play or something. I really don't like saying it because the game is clearly made with a lot of love, but alas.

I always convince myself I love Lovecraft, but then when I read any of his work, or play any Lovecraftian games, I just find them boring. I think I need to accept I’m really not a fan.

 

[Ozeiyo]

I always convince myself I love Lovecraft, but then when I read any of his work, or play any Lovecraftian games, I just find them boring. I think I need to accept I’m really not a fan.

Lovecraft is better as an idea than he is as a writer.

 

[Hoagmaster]

I kept up the pace from January and finished seven more games in February:

8. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (PS5)
9. Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins (GB)
10. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time (Arcade)
11. Metroid Prime Remastered (Switch)
12. Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 (GBA)
13. WarioWare, Inc.: Mega MicroGame$ (GBA)
14. Resident Evil 3 (PS5)

Pretty good ride all around. Couple things on the burner now so we'll see how many I can wrap up this month.

 

[Dardan Sandiego]

Cleaning up some stuff I started last year but for some reason didn't finish. I don't even remember why I didn't play DKC to the end on NSO when I only had a few levels left. Still a good game but it's no DKC2.

1. Dark Souls III
2. Super Mario Bros. 3 (GBA)
3. The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
4. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons
5. Donkey Kong Country

 

[EricTheGamerman]

Damn I totally forgot I beat the first WarioWare on GBA NSO too. Didn't even really count it because it's such a short game with the focus on score attacks, but yeah, I can add that to my list too.

 

[Brock Reiher]

Going through the games I own physically but never beat/played

12. F-Zero: GP Legend (GBA) [5/10]

The game that killed the F-Zero series, and the one that until now I'd put the least amount of time into. I understand what this game is trying to do-- F-Zero previously tried to sell itself on groundbreaking visuals with F-Zero, F-Zero X, F-Zero Maximum Velocity, and F-Zero GX, but after GX it wasn't really realistic for the series to keep doing that. GP Legend and the tie-in anime tried to focus on the characters and world of F-Zero instead.

Unfortunately it doesn't really work and I can't really blame Nintendo for killing the series between this game and GX's story mode. The story mode is horrible, the character art is really bad, and you come away longing for the days of F-Zero or Maximum Velocity where you don't even see the pilots by comparison.

GP Legend has a lot of content but all of it is mediocre at best. The track designs are a huge step down (with the exception of the platinum cup, which is just courses from the SNES game) and the racing style is a mix of F-Zero X and Maximum Velocity which somehow gets the worst of both. The game is incredibly easy some story mode segments which are only difficult because you are forced to play as an awful racer like Black Shadow, which isn't fun.

The one idea I do like for this game is the Zero Missions or whatever they're called-- quick challenges to build your skills that award medals for completion (and the Golds are tough to get). Would be interesting to see this mode in one of the F-Zero games that is more fun to play, but sadly it's in this one.

 

[Enpsty]

Limbo
Finally played it after so many years. Really good, I'm not sure if I prefer this or Inside. Gameplay wise are similar so it's all about the aesthetics. Just like Inside the only downside is how short it is. I felt that when the gameplay ideas started to get crazier the game just ended. 7/10

 

[jnWake]

#5. Game & Watch Gallery 3 (GB NSO)

A pretty charming collection of old Game & Watch minigames, with some of them getting additional modern versions featuring Mario characters. If you're not familiar with them, Game & Watch minigames tend to be pretty simple score-chasing minigames without much depth, mostly focusing on repetition. Being honest, that's not my type of game, as it tends to be pretty time consuming and tedious to try and beat your high scores, which isn't helped by many of them being super slow.

Overall, it's a nice and charming package but score chasing isn't really my thing. It's still interesting to give it a try for historical purpose though.

 

[VolcanicDynamo]

Finished in 2023 #5: Game & Watch Gallery 3 (Game Boy Color - NSO)

Another childhood game off of the backlog thanks to NSO! This collection of remade Game & Watch games is one I've had since I was a child, and it's nice to (nearly) clear the whole thing. What would be dozens of hours to complete was about 10 hours with rewinds. Not all of the games are winners, but the fast and frantic ones, balancing challenge with a solid speed of scoring, were my favorites. I have the most love for Gallery 4 on GBA - hope that comes to the Switch too!

My favorite games in the collection are Mario Bros. (Classic and Modern), Modern Egg, Classic Greenhouse, and Classic Donkey Kong Jr. My least favorite games were Classic Turtle Bridge and especially Spitball Sparky.