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StarTopic The 2023 Completed Games Thread

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Twilight said:
1. Desperados III [ PC ] - 9
2. Ace Attorney Investigations: Prosecutor's Path ( Replay ) [ DS*] - 10
3. Resident Evil Deadly Silence [ DS*] - 8.5
4. Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney ( Replay ) [ 3DS ] - 8.5
5. Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box [ DS ] - 7
6. Professor Layton and the Unwound Future [ DS ] - 7
7. Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies ( Replay ) [ 3DS ] - 9
8. Koumajou Remilia: Scarlet Symphony [ NS ] - 7
9. Gargoyle's Quest [ GB ] - 7
10. Ace Attorney Investigations ( Replay ) [ DS ] - 9
Capcom Arcade Stadium 1 & 2 [ NS ]
11. Cyberbots: Fullmetal Madness - 7.5
12. Giga Wing - 7
13. Progear - 8
14. Eco Fighters - 8.5
15. Darkstalkers The Night Warriors - 5
12. Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride [ DS*] - 10
16. Signalis [ NS ] - 10 - 2 playthroughs
17. Ace Attorney: Apollo Justice ( Replay ) [ 3DS ] - 6 - Replay but first time on the 3DS

18. Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice ( Replay ) [ 3DS ] - 10

Hopefully Capcom doesn't release an Apollo trilogy this year, I mean, I would replay them again no problem if they did, nothing stops me from replaying Ace Attorney whenever but still, I should play other stuff.

When the game with 3 attorneys manages to achieve being an Apollo game better than the Apollo game, and with only 2 episodes, and also manages to convey the themes and core of 4 and the series flawlessly in the process.

Spirit of Justice was pretty surprising when I first played it, and my appreciation for it remains and in some parts is elevated in this replay.

Within the main numbered titles, since the first game, there hasn't been such a consistently good set of cases, 2 and 3 in particular are so good that with some tweaks they could be ending cases for a solo Apollo and Phoenix game respectively, only second to Prosecutor's Path overall in the series.

The setting is great, Khura'in serves as a good way to add new tension and despair to the story, land where attorneys are non existant and tried for the crimes of their defendants if found guilty, it makes the crazy, and impossible scenarios that the protagonists have to overcome to prove the innocence of their clients all the more intense.

Within the context of the whole series, this is a fairly challenging game without having obtuse moments like the original trilogy, is also funny that is sandwiched between the GAA games that are way too easy. Divination Seances are definitely my favorite mechanic of the series, is both a really good story tool and gameplay wise presents a fairly open challenge with no direct guidance from any character, just you and your logic and deduction, I feel that part of letting it be a good challenge comes from the fact that there is a guide option if the player is stuck, but it can be turned off in the option menu so I find it a fair compromise letting the player choose if they want to do this on their own. While the individual powers of the Magatama and the bracelet don't reach the same complexity in their solo games and sagas, they remain a good way to help the pacing of the investigation sequences, and cross examinations are really good, with a lot of back and forth between pressing certain testinomies that shed information to properly present evidence in other statements more akin to the older games.

Presentation wise, it goes full in taking advantage of the 3D models, polishing up animations and having a lot more custom ones for the different characters, Uendo Toneido I feel is a good highlight of that, and overall as a character. It also gives way for more interesting sequences like the Divination Seances and the motion testimony from Trucy in 6-2. Listening to the soundtrack again I can say with confidence that this is the best it has ever been since the first game, while nothing and not even this will ever match the simple perfection that is that original score, it gets as close as it can, filled with tracks that nail down a mood like nothing else, from the incredibly moody Basics of the Case, the wonderful renditions of character theme, Nahyuta's may honestly be my favorite prosecutor theme, the sheer satisfaction feeling of Courtroom Revolution, is all filled with winner tracks.

Law, inheritance, what defense attorneys and prosecutors have to do, Spirit of Justice feels like a mix of every theme the series has touched upon and wraps it around one of the best and most intriguing set of characters and stories, and it acknowledges Apollo as a protagonist in the process, dialing back any bitterness that 4 had, and it delivers a more wholesome relationship between Phoenix and Apollo, seeing Wright say how much he trusts Apollo, that he has become a full fledged lawyer made me smile, and it kind of hits harder right after playing 4 lol. And boy what a turn for Apollo, this game alone is a big reason why he has become one of my absolute favorite characters in the series and videogames, the amount of badass moments he gets, specially in the ending is nothing short of impressive boy dethrones a queen while held at gunpoint, like damn.

Case 1 while simple, is a really good introduction to all the main mechanic and central storyline, while adding that sense of despair from the setting that elevates it from most intro cases.

Case 2 is a good Gramarye case (didn't think I would say that), it gives more proper character to Trucy, even outside of Khura'in it has a good sense of urgency through the case, and is the starting point of that sense of acknowledgement of Apollo as a protagonist, continuining from his better characterization in DD. Again, with a few tweaks, this is easily ending material for an Apollo game.

Case 3 is peak Phoenix and Maya turnabout, and probably one of the few times that these mysteries feel completely wrapped in secrecy for me, like I feel like I'm going 1 to 1 with Phoenix's train of thought and the unvelling of everything, and it delivers with one of the best stories in the series.

Case 4 is a fun diversion before the final chapter, the only Athena episode and a fairly short one, but is filled with a lot of good characters, and is honestly hilarious, one of the better "filler" cases, even if Athena herself feels less competent than her solo case in DD.

Case 5 is so good, my favorite thing of the Yamazaki games is what holy shit twist are they saving for the finale, and it didn't disappoint, for me definitely an ending on a core emotional level that rivals Trials and Tribulations.

Hearing Turnabout Sisters 2016 the first time it plays in the game still makes me tear up btw. Second favorite game in the series.
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Everytime I see such high praise for Spirit of Justice I get so excited to play it. I fell off from the series hard with Dual Destinies, I disliked the game in such a level that it made me lose all faith in future installments because I couldn't see how they could recover from the absolute mess that that game was. I enjoyed TGAA because that was Shu Takumi and a completely different cast of characters, but I just completely lost interest in the main continuity. But apparently SoJ managed to still be a top tier game so I'm very curious to try it. I ignored it when it came out for the reasons above, and now, having experienced TGAA on the Switch, I don't wanna go back to the 3DS, so I'm waiting for a collection in the future.
 
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More games I finished in the past week:

Fatal Frame / Project Zero: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse - bit of bias since I created the ST I guess but the game really does hold up really well, especially for me as a fan of classic survival horror games. It's just such a triumph to see the game that was stuck in canceled localization hell finally get released. The game is very much up there with the classics for me like REmake, Silent Hill 2, RE2 etc in how much I think of it. The gameplay is pretty much unchanged aside from sadly the flashlight being harder to use in the PS5 version which I played, I'd imagine the Switch version is better for this. Mission Mode which you unlock after beating the game is a lot of fun and really speaks to how closely the game actually is to arcade game mechanics in ways whilst also managing to be a rather disturbing and creepy game at the same time. The way the story unravels is so well done and the atmosphere is so good. Final boss is still way too easy though lol. The actual hardest fights were definitely with the two preceding ghosts before the final battle, who are persistent. Very glad I got to play through it again and it is a game I will always be able to return to easier now thanks to this re-release. I'll probably do a hard run next when we get to Halloween. Fingers crossed 6 or 2 Wii remake are next.

Red Earth/War-Zard - Was always the one Capcom arcade game that I wanted to play but now after picking up the Capcom Fighting Game Collection whilst it's on a sale I managed to and it was great. Feels like a boss rush game than just another fighting game, which was cool to me. The graphics are astoundingly good. It's a visual treat and I played through it with both the cool ninja, the magi and the lion characters so far.

Cyberbots: Fullmetal Madness - Another Capcom fighter that always eluded me that I finally got to play through. Stunning art and graphics once again. Capcom never misses. It was a hard game to play through though and took many attempts before I could beat some of the enemies but felt good when I did. I love the animation of the mechs, it's just stunning.

Final Vendetta - another brilliant homage to the Mega Drive/SNES/90s era arcade brawlers like Streets of Rage, Vendetta/Crime Fighters/Violent Storm etc. I picked it up on a sale (only cost me around a tenner!) and had a blast with it. The easy mode option gives you 9 lives so it's pretty easy to run through the game with that for the first playthrough whilst still feeling challenging enough. Bosses in this game are great and the music is amazing if you're a fan of EDM of the 90s. All 3 characters have nice movesets and the devs said there might DLC in the cards for it, which I'll definitely try out.
 
40. DOOM

So I've never beaten the original Doom until today. Fun game. Weird secrets, and it's too abstract, but the levels are different enough for it to be enjoyable. I think I'm in the minority because I liked the third episode the most. It was jank, but it was also kinda fun on a conceptual level. I got lost a few times and I'm pretty sure I accidentally exited one level via a glitch, but eh.

Didn't do the fourth episode because as far as I know it's the epitome of human cruelty and it was added later, anyways.
 
Vookatos said:
40. DOOM

So I've never beaten the original Doom until today. Fun game. Weird secrets, and it's too abstract, but the levels are different enough for it to be enjoyable. I think I'm in the minority because I liked the third episode the most. It was jank, but it was also kinda fun on a conceptual level. I got lost a few times and I'm pretty sure I accidentally exited one level via a glitch, but eh.

Didn't do the fourth episode because as far as I know it's the epitome of human cruelty and it was added later, anyways.
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I could never play the original Doom. Every time I see footage of it, it sends me straight to Vomit City. That game is nausea incarnate for me.
 
Red Monster said:
I could never play the original Doom. Every time I see footage of it, it sends me straight to Vomit City. That game is nausea incarnate for me.
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Absolutely fair. The insane amount of headbob coupled with flashing lights in about half the levels got to me. I was never nauseous from a video game, it was just annoying as hell.
 
0
Adding Kirby's Dream Land on NSO which is just a cute and delightful game. Also, never fails to surprise me how tough the Extra Game is! In the mood to play everything that's on NSO now.

  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
  6. Metroid Prime Remastered
  7. Metroid Fusion
  8. Kirby's Dream Land
 
3. I'm gonna add Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line (Switch) which is an absolute delight. While I'm far from finished playing it, I've sunk in 35 hours in a month and have cleared all the Series quests and seen the credits, so we'll call it 'complete' for these purposes. Still lots of quests to finish, higher difficulties to challenge, items to collect, feats to accomplish, and I've even been getting quite a kick out of playing people online. Fantastic game with a staggering amount of content, a wonderful tribute to one of my favorite series. I'll be sinking a lot more hours into it. If you're a FF fan, it's essential. 9/10.
 
Been a bit since I last posted and I completed quite a few games.

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

13. Pikmin 3 Deluxe (Replay)

With this, my replay of the mainline Pikmin series is done. Unsurprisingly, the game becomes much better after obtaining the Blue Pikmin in the Garden of Hope and you're free to roam wherever you please. Multitasking to obtain fruits as fast as possible feels extremely satisfying, and the element of planning out a day for optimization is something I sorely missed from Pikmin 2. I ended up finishing with all the fruits in 15 days, with my previous record being 21 days. I still don't know which game I ultimately prefer, it feels like all three games excel in an area the others do not.

14. Psychonauts 2

My opinion of Psychonauts 1 is that although it was certainly charming, it didn't feel much like an actual platformer and some of it's gameplay mechanics (mainly anything combat related) felt more superfluous rather than anything else. Psychonauts 2 has much better platforming and level design, while combat is only a bit better. Sadly the game peaked early on for me with Hollis and Compton's levels back to back, but it wasn't like a huge descent in quality afterwards, although the game's ending did fall a bit flat for me. Milkman Conspiracy is still the best level of the series overall.

15. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages

I continue to enjoy every 2D Zelda made after ALTTP more than ALTTP Even though this game is more puzzle-oriented than Seasons I kinda felt like I was blazing through this game compared to it. Since it was a Linked Game I fought Twinrova at the end, which was an actual pain considering I didn't obtain the Noble Sword in this game and also didn't transfer it from Seasons like a dummy. I don't really have much to say about it. It's a 2D Zelda.

16. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes

I'll be honest, I wasn't the biggest fan of Prime when I finally played it after experiencing all the 2D games, but since the remaster was released, I was in the mood to try another Prime game. Sadly it didn't really rectify any of my grievances I had with Prime; Samus was still pretty sluggish compared to the 2D games, which made backtracking more tedious, which Prime 2 still had plenty of, and enemies still had needlessly large pools of health for being something you constantly engage with. Bosses were half and half in quality, with the second Dark Samus encounter probably being my favorite part of the series so far. Despite not having the best time with these games I still feel obligated to experience Prime 3 but that's not happening anytime soon.


On a more positive note I'm currently playing Wario Land 3 for the first time and loving it.
 
16. ExZeus (PC) [7/10]

This one almost feels like a fake game, and I mean that in a good way. It's a PS2 light shooter that's also a wii game that feels like a mobile game and is now on modern consoles for the first time. It plays different from other light shooters and is charming despite how junky it is. It reminds me at times of Chibi Robo and Infinity Blade which is nice. Gonna try out the Wii version to see if it's different.

There's a sequel included in the modern versions and it's horrible.
 
#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)
#14 Metroid Prime Remastered (Switch)

#15 Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga (NSO)
#16 Pokémon Snap (NSO)

Mario & Luigi was a game I left unfinished so many years ago back when the GBA was my most played system, and despite not having finished it, I always had fond memories of it. I remembered the game being incredibly funny and creative with its animations. I played Partners in Time a while after that and didn't really like the game, so all this time I was wondering if SS did in fact held up or was an experience more in line with what I had with PiT.

It definitely held up. The game is a joy to play, it's colorful, creative, fun, and also balls to the walls hysterical with its humor. Fawful is one of the funniest most charismatic character in Nintendo's history, every setpiece in the game is absolutely ridiculous and I love it.

The battle system is great and although it's a bit complicated, it manages to give the player a good sense of accomplishment and progression, you both get better by mastering the action commands but also by leveling up, which is one of my biggest problems with Paper Mario, which restricts too much how strong the player can get and in turn makes progression feel scripted or absent, which I absolutely hate in RPGs.

As of now, SS is my favorite Mario RPG by far. I will even try playing PiT again, I still have my copy lying around. Even though I'm not super excited because I know it's not very good, I still want to complete it and get to Bowser's Inside Story which is supposed to be the main course.

With this I've finished 4 of the 6 initial batch of GBA games on NSO, what a joy that addition has brought me. I really love GBA games so much, it's one of the best systems we've had.

I also finished my replay of og Pokémon Snap. It had been like 17 years since I last played that, after playing it so many times when I was a kid, so I was both very familiar with the game and didn't remember a lot of stuff, so it was a very nostalgic ride. I think it's a superb game, it brings back so many vibes from the 2000's Pokémon mania, I remember at the time it was incredible to see the Pokémon not only in 3D, but doing their stuff on their natural environments, to have that as a photography game was just genius. New Snap came out and is also a wonderful game, but I still think the original does a lot of stuff better. The music isn't even a contest, the original had amazing tracks that captured the environments but werent just ambience, the whole OST is a bop. New Snap kinda sounds like elevator music. I think the og also telegraphed much better what you're supposed to do to get the best shots, New Snap was incredibly cryptic and even random most of the time. I still haven't taken every possible picture in it and probably never will because its just too much work. Where New Snap shines is it's so much bigger and expansive, og Snap is a very short game. You can very comfortably finish it in one sitting in maybe like 3h. When I was a kid I didnt mind and just played it again and again non stop, though, so that wasn't a huge detractor.

I loved beating this game again. NSO has a lot of problems but I still love it, it's great to have access to this amazing back catalogue.

Now I'm still working through my playthrough of Yooka Laylee and the Impossible Lair little by little and also I play a board of Mario Party from time to time and expect to finish it soon. I also got the itch to play a Yu-Gi-Oh these last few days, and I remembered I own a copy of Stairway to the Destined Duel which is arguably the best game in the whole franchise if you only like og Yu-Gi-Oh, so I'm happily playing it on my DS now.

I'm already entering preparation for TotK mode, I'm avoiding big games now especially open world, so I can get into Zelda in May with zero fatigue and ready to dive into it. So while I wait, I'm playing these smaller games I've left unfinished here and there, and it's been nice.
 
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This year I have not completed that much yet.

#1: Kirby and the forgotten land (Switch)
Liked it a lot. My favorite Kirby until now. Some beautiful stages with inventive gameplay. I am far away of doing 100% but I think I will return to it later and do every challenge.

#2: Wolf among us (PC)
Also really liked it. Thin on the gameplay side but good atmosphere, characters and dialogues.

#3: Subnautica Below Zero (PC)
The original Subnautica is one of my favorite games of all time. Top 10 material.
This is still good but also a disappointment on many levels. Story not as engaging. Surface areas not very interesting. Crafting and base building not as useful. The map is small. The atmosphere not as good. The threat by hostile creatures not as big. The progression not as satisfying. This really feels like an alright DLC.

#4: Slay the spire (Switch)
I regularly go back to this game. Just a perfect game in this genre.

#5: The Looker (PC)
A free The Witness parody game. It has some clever ideas but it didn't entertain me too much.
It was fine (and short).

#6: Legend of Zelda - The Minish Cap (Switch NSO)
Completed it today.
I loved that game when I first played it. This time I had some problems with it. I think BotW ruined Zelda for me...
I still enjoyed some aspects of it (the graphics are lovely, I like discovering the Minish everywhere, it has a lot of charme) but I don't like the linearity of it.
Every moment you have only very few options to progress. Often you have to get to one point on the map or talk to a specific person so something important is triggered somewhere else. It doesn't really feel natural. Of course this is pushed to the limit with the kinstones.
Or you see areas/secrets where you need a certain ability that you don't have yet. This is classic Zelda but I realised I much more prefer BotW where you have every important ability from the getgo.
The dungeons were fine but not the highlight of the series.
The controllers of the systems the older 2D Zeldas were on also had not enough buttons. You have to change items constantly. This game integrates older items in later dungeons, which is often not the case in the series and some Zelda games got criticized for it. But the frequent item swapping gets pretty annoying with time - so I don't know if I prefer that.
Maybe I am just not as patient anymore...


Leo said:
I'm already entering preparation for TotK mode, I'm avoiding big games now especially open world, so I can get into Zelda in May with zero fatigue and ready to dive into it. So while I wait, I'm playing these smaller games I've left unfinished here and there, and it's been nice.
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I am trying to do the same. :)
 
41. Quake

Well that was mostly kind of annoying. I liked how the game controlled and both the weapons and enemies were cool, but levels were usually just samey. Half the game felt like it was underwater, and even unlike DOOM which came out way earlier, I struggle to remember specific levels. They were mostly just castles with moats, and the enemy count for each was like a dozen. If you see more on the counter, the level's just gonna have an additional dozen of fish and zambies. Still, quite interested in newer episodes people put out so not going to abandon it just yet.
 
Gengar said:
1. Persona 5 Royal
2. Metroid Prime Remastered
3. WarioWare (GBA NSO)
4. Fire Emblem Engage
5. Metroid Fusion (NSO)
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6. Paranormasight

I played all the Zero Escape and Somnium Files games last year, so it was a pleasant surprise to see another game sort of like those ones come out this year. I feel like I can't really say much more about it without spoiling things, but if you like mystery style games like the ones I mentioned, I would highly recommend this one. It kept me completely engaged over a few days!

I'm working on Trails to Azure now, and it will most likely take some time to get through. Trying to enjoy every moment I have with this game!
 
Games I finished for the first time in 2023:
Paper Mario
Celeste
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Portal
Metroid Prime 3
Pizza Tower

Games I replayed in 2023:
SteamWorld Dig
SteamWorld Heist(elite mode, played DLC for the first time)
World of Goo
Super Mario 64
Super Mario All Stars
 
8. Paranormasight

It’s been a while since I updated, which sucks but life happens. However, I picked up Paranormasight and had a pretty good time with it. Went in blind so I got to see most of the tricks/twists pull off in real time. Which was nice, even if I guessed some of the major ones and I’m super bummed out I missed out on a very early “Easter egg?” thing.

Felt it was a good length and price for it. I really like how the camera worked in this, really gave into some cool moments and some of the ways to solve certain puzzles were neat. I did feel most of the spooky vibes were in the earlier parts in the game and I also felt that some of the cooler puzzles were too. Also, I straight up just didn’t like how the cursor just remained on the screen. I would just shove it away into a corner whenever given the chance.

I was surprise to see how funny the game was, some characters really stand out. Also, really did like the mocking bird stickers, although not sure what exactly happened for finding all of them. Lol The hook of the story is really my jam and I’m mostly happy with how things ended.

Can’t say that much more without giving some stuff away, but this was a nice surprise and I hope it will continue on.
 
42. Quake: Dimensions of the Machine

I was expecting this to be a standard Quake episode, maybe 8 maps of the same quality, but I was blown away by it.
Obviously, it's a Quake campaign designed in 2021, so it has many more monsters and the maps are bigger. However, the presentation takes the cake. The levels are distinct and colorful. Some are more conceptual, some tell actual stories. The campaign is broken up into 5 areas, 2 levels each (plus a secret level and a final boss), so secrets are more necessary than ever, considering each new area takes away all your weapons again. It helps the repetition, too, as Quake has fewer weapons than Doom 1, so completing your arsenal anew helps keep things fresh.
The levels are big, and usually took me 20-30 minutes as opposed to Quake's, like, 5. They all have actual architecture, they resemble places as opposed to being vaguely castles. One's a lab, one is research station with barracks and little pens where soldiers kept Fiends, one's a cathedral with a graveyard, and so on.

The downside, however, is that it's still Quake, so monsters are the same: ranging from fodder (dogs, zambies and fish) to only a few regular enemies, and the rest being too tanky. Shamblers and spider guys in particular I believe were used as kinda boss encounters in Quake.
Speaking of, this campaign actually has a BOSS. Actual boss. It's not a new model, but it's something, compared to Quake barely trying.

Good stuff if you like retro shooters. Even if you hate Quake but have it sitting in your steam library or Gamepass, give this campaign a chance.
 
Filament
One of the hardest puzzle games ever made IMO. The goal of the game is to navigate a small robot that lays a cable as it walks and use that cable to connect all the pillars in its level so you can open the exit door. Even after an hour the game ramps up the difficulty significantly and five hours in you start to feel pretty stupid.
The brilliance of the game is that they took that simple idea, but introduced a dozen of variations. Coloured pillars, pair pillars, multiple robots, there are so many different scenarios that elevate the core gameplay to insane levels. And then you end up in the bridge puzzles that combine all the above together. I personally dropped the game at that point since my head was already hurting.
Apparently the game has a great story as well, but I was too bored to read the endless logs.
If you like difficult puzzle games that can melt your mind Filament is an absolute blast. 9/10
 
I'm not gonna say the first WarioWare is the best one (that would be Gold) but they also got it so right on the first try that everything that came after it felt a little bit unnecessary and not as special anymore. Most of them aren't bad and the cast is great but aside from maybe Twisted they have also not really managed to surprise me as much as the first one.

  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
  6. Metroid Prime Remastered
  7. Metroid Fusion
  8. Kirby's Dream Land
  9. WarioWare, Inc. Mega Microgames!
 
#8 - Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga

This is not even a top tier Mario RPG, this is a top-tier Mario game, period. Throw it up there with Odyssey and Galaxy 2. Probably the best turn based combat system ever conceived.

The amount of personality throughout is WILD. To say Mario and Luigi have no character is to have never played this game. This and the Luigi’s Mansion games struck a really good balance of Mario being overeager and reckless versus Luigi because scared and cautious. Both have their bravery but act on it in different ways. The writing is the best, Fawful and Cackletta are great villains, and WOW I miss this series.

A co-op Mario & Luigi game for Switch is mandatory.
 
ngpdrew said:
6.) Metroid Prime Remastered (NS) - If you showed this to someone in 2023 (without the Remastered appended to the title), would they even know this game is 20 years old? It can never be said enough how modern Metroid Prime is despite dating back two decades.

The remastered visuals really complete the package here; I genuinely think it is the best looking game on the Switch. I’m happy they didn’t futz with too much else, though I think the Artifact Hunt needs some editing. It is fine for what it is, but the enemies respawn so frequently in areas you traverse often that it becomes a slog to move between biomes.

One complaint aside, it is a perfect game and I am glad it got such an amazing glow up for a new generation.
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7.) Metroid Fusion (NSO) - Revisiting this was interesting because the context around it (for me) has changed a lot since 2002. Back then, I played it as a youngling with only a passing familiarity with Samus and had a grand time. In the intervening years, I've heard much about how Fusion plays it too fast and loose with series conventions. And I guess I kind of agree? It has no trouble pointing you in the right direction every couple of minutes, as if you can't be trusted to explore the space station. But...it's just a different kind of search action game. Super Metroid leans more heavily on the search half of search action, and Fusion leans far more heavily on the action half. I think that's fine!

As for the game itself, it is as smooth to play as ever. It is perhaps a little too smooth at first when it feels like Samus can steamroll every enemy, including bosses. The difficulty ramps up significantly in the back half, though, and by the end the bosses are just brutal. Conquering SA-X, Ridley, and Nightmare felt great.

Overall, really fun Metroid. Not as good as Super, but also not nearly the dark mark on the franchise I have seen it treated as for being different.
 
Finished in 2023 #7: Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair (Arcade)

I'm continuing my Wonder Boy journey with the last of the arcade titles - and a two-player one at that! Generations have passed since the events of Wonder Boy: Monster Land, and the hero Book (yes, that's his name) has become a legend. Now, two new heroes, Leo and Purapril, must stop a new evil and reclaim the Legendary Equipment once wielded by Book.

Mechanically, this one a bit of a throwback to the first game. Half of each stage comprises of a linear platforming segment where you are collecting fruit to keep up your constantly draining energy meter. This time the levels scroll themselves, but you can pick up the pace by running to the rightmost edge of the screen. However, this differs from the original by being more of a scrolling shooter. Leo's Sword and Purapril's staff (the two characters play the same) both shoot out projectiles, and you can gain temporary power ups by killing rows of enemies. The back half of each stage (including each boss fight) turns into a more literal scrolling shooter - you ride a dragon and you shoot at/dodge enemies, and the draining energy now serves as a health meter for weaker projectile hits.

Despite its cute looks, Monster Lair is brutal. Enemies and hazards are plentiful, Power ups only last a short time, and like in the first Wonder Boy, while some hazards and projectiles merely drain your energy, any contact with a foe means that you die instantly. Even in cooperative play, my partner and I were swarmed constantly. It would take ages to learn this one. Of course, the game does have unlimited continues if you have the credits, perfect for home play where you can use as many as you want...but the game also has one nasty trick up its sleeve: on the last level, you cannot use any credits. Doesn't matter how many you put into the machine. Any game over at that point means that you go right back to the beginning. My partner and I were flabbergasted. The only way we won was through liberal use of rewind on the final boss to avoid dying in one hit with our minimal health. It was chaos, pure wild energy in game form, and it was fun, but also, damn, that was extremely cruel!!

Well, at this point I'm caught up to The Dragon's Trap again. Not sure if I'll replay that or move on to Wonder Boy V: Monster World III...
 
VolcanicDynamo said:
Finished in 2023 #7: Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair (Arcade)

I'm continuing my Wonder Boy journey with the last of the arcade titles - and a two-player one at that! Generations have passed since the events of Wonder Boy: Monster Land, and the hero Book (yes, that's his name) has become a legend. Now, two new heroes, Leo and Purapril, must stop a new evil and reclaim the Legendary Equipment once wielded by Book.

Mechanically, this one a bit of a throwback to the first game. Half of each stage comprises of a linear platforming segment where you are collecting fruit to keep up your constantly draining energy meter. This time the levels scroll themselves, but you can pick up the pace by running to the rightmost edge of the screen. However, this differs from the original by being more of a scrolling shooter. Leo's Sword and Purapril's staff (the two characters play the same) both shoot out projectiles, and you can gain temporary power ups by killing rows of enemies. The back half of each stage (including each boss fight) turns into a more literal scrolling shooter - you ride a dragon and you shoot at/dodge enemies, and the draining energy now serves as a health meter for weaker projectile hits.

Despite its cute looks, Monster Lair is brutal. Enemies and hazards are plentiful, Power ups only last a short time, and like in the first Wonder Boy, while some hazards and projectiles merely drain your energy, any contact with a foe means that you die instantly. Even in cooperative play, my partner and I were swarmed constantly. It would take ages to learn this one. Of course, the game does have unlimited continues if you have the credits, perfect for home play where you can use as many as you want...but the game also has one nasty trick up its sleeve: on the last level, you cannot use any credits. Doesn't matter how many you put into the machine. Any game over at that point means that you go right back to the beginning. My partner and I were flabbergasted. The only way we won was through liberal use of rewind on the final boss to avoid dying in one hit with our minimal health. It was chaos, pure wild energy in game form, and it was fun, but also, damn, that was extremely cruel!!

Well, at this point I'm caught up to The Dragon's Trap again. Not sure if I'll replay that or move on to Wonder Boy V: Monster World III...
Click to expand...
I went through a full Monster World/Wonder Boy playthrough a few years back, and it's nice to see someone talking about the more obscure Monster Lair. The main thing I remember is that it was tough, and also that it had some dope music!

Iirc I played the TurboGrafx port
 
Since I finished DKC1 the other day, I felt the urge to replay DKC2 as well. It's my second favourite in the series after Tropical Freeze, at least until I've replayed DKC3 and can reevaluate it. Definitely more memorable than the first one for me thanks to the pirate theme. Sadly, my issues with the Rare games' controls are more pronounced here, especially in some later levels that have some rather annoying scenarios. Great game nonetheless and the soundtrack is just mwuah

  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
  6. Metroid Prime Remastered
  7. Metroid Fusion
  8. Kirby's Dream Land
  9. WarioWare, Inc. Mega Microgames!
  10. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
 
17. Wario Land 3

Going through Wario Land 1 & 2 I thought they were alright experiences which in a way lowered my expectations for this game, but boy was I impressed by this one. It took all of the right aspects of Wario Land 1 & 2 to create some sort of puzzle platformer metroidvania. Wario is back to obtaining treasures in the level itself, but this time they often amount to powerups/general items that aid him in discovering new routes in previous levels that lead to more treasure. I recall the developers of Mario Odyssey saying something along the lines of wanting players to be able to make progress in short sessions with the game due to the handheld nature of it, and Wario Land 3 feels very similar to that, since finding a treasure in a level usually amounted to 5 minutes tops. Despite that, discovering all of the treasures made my total play time a whopping 11 hours, which is huge for a platformer on the Game Boy. It might have a handful of obtuse moments adding to that but funnily enough the only time I actually had to use a guide was when I was incapable of seeing a black door on a dark background due to the screen. All in all a great experience and it solidly dethroned Wario Land 4 as my favorite in the series, maybe becoming my favorite Wario game in general.

Green = Favorite

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
13. Pikmin 3 Deluxe (Replay)
14. Psychonauts 2
15. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
16. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
17. Wario Land 3
 
12. Side Pocket (SNES) - save states were great for the trick shots and I’m not ashamed to say that unused rewind for those. The normal pool matches are easy but the challenge shots at the end of each round are tough because there is only one solution. At least with this you aren’t constantly restarting a match to get there. Probably takes about 30 minutes to beat. Soundtrack is killer too.
 
43. Chop Goblins

A small tiny FPS game that I wish were larger :( Five levels of cute and pretty funny goblin-stabbing and shooting action. Has some cute secrets, and pretty fun weapons.
 
17. Gamera 2000 (PS1) [7.5/10]

In the grand tradition of PS1 games, this is yet another "like x but worse" game. This time the game it's ripping off is Panzer Dragoon. The shining point of this game is you are backed up by Gamera and can command him to spit fire or go spinning mode at your enemies which is goofy and fun. The beginning of the game is pretty bland and there is a stretch without Gamera which stinks, but the last three levels have some exciting boss fights and great music which make you feel like you are in a Gamera movie. It's definitely much more effective than say Bayonetta 3 segments which were trying to do something similar. The obligatory PS1 goofy FMVs work here because they feel like they belong, I just wish there were more of them. Definitely recommended if you like Panzer Dragoon, just remember this is the PS1 version and temper your expectations.
 
Games I finished for the very first time in 2023

1) Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
2) Attack of the Friday Monsters
3) Tomb Raider (the reboot)
4) Fable Anniversary
5) Titanfall 2
6) Dishonoured 2
7) Lego Star Wats III: The Clone Wars
8) A Short Hike
9) Link's Awakening (2019 Remake)
10) Inmost
11) Limbo
12) Inside
 
9)Stacking: random game I got from games with gold, was looking for a pace breaker and this quirky puzzler was a good fix that didn’t overstay its welcome. The stacking of Marykusko dolls, late 1800’s setting and sharp humor was a solid mix.

Previous games:
1)Yoku’s island express
2)Live a Live
3)Arcade Paradise
4)The Great Ace Attorney Adventures
5)Immortal Fenyx rising
6) SD Gundam Battle Alliance
7)Nier Automata
8)Crimson Skies High road to revenge
 
9. Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon

This wasn't exactly what I thought it was going to be like, but I really enjoyed it. I thought it would be more puzzle heavy, but the later half is sorta combat heavy. Art direction, music and voice acting was really well done here. I really liked how the narrator actually changed voices while reading out Cheshire's lines, it reminded me of when my parents read books to me as a kid. Story was more simple here, but that's welcome for this series. lol I liked having the skill tree to unlock/improve moves and controlling the two characters felt natural to me. There's some really good scenes for Bayonetta fans and it was nice seeing how Cereza was as a child. Some of the locations of this game were really gorgeous.Once you unlock new powers, more routes are opened up to find new things. So you are really given the time to really take in these locations in all their glory. There are more things to collect than I thought there would be. The game's later chapters are easily my favorite, but I am curious to know how non Bayonetta fans feel about it.

As I mentioned earlier I thought it would be more puzzle heavy, so was a bit bummed about that. There are these sections that act as map unlocks, they are sorta like the BOTW shrines as they all look the same, but doesn't have nearly as much variety. This game's map though is one of the most annoying maps I dealt with in a while. It doesn't really take account in height differnces., so 100%ing will be annoying if you are trying to just use the map vs your memory. I also don't really understand how the game measures % done. I finished the game at 85%, but honestly it feels like I have so much left to collect still.

Even without the Bayonetta name attached to this I would have been interested in it. I'm praying this does enough so it can contiune as its own little side series. I can see this being an overlooked gem of the year.
 
Updating after a long time

9. Grim Gal Guardians: Demon Purge: A decent classicvania in the vein of what Inti did with Bloodstained Curse of the moon. Was a nice breather before...

10. Octopath Traveler 2: This is a perfect RPG. They took all the criticism from 1 and made sure to cover everything, it's just very good.

1. SAMURAI MAIDEN
2. Legend of Zelda
3. Mighty Gunvolt Burst
4. Funky Kong Country Tropical Freeze
5. Bloodstained Curse of the Moon: Nightmare mode.
6. Astalon
7. Fire Emblem Engage
8. Metroid Prime Remastered
 
correojon said:
Played games:
  1. Hades
  2. Sifu
  3. Touhou Luna Nights
  4. Tunic
Click to expand...
5. Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin: I've enjoyed a lot my time with this one, but it ended up becoming too grindy. It would've benefitted from more original levels and enemy types with new mechanics. The last boss introduces a really cool mechanic that could've been used a lot more. Still, an amazing game and, as someone who was instantly pushed back by the farm sim elements (before playing that is), one I'd recommend even to character action fans. It's kept me hooked for a whole month and I'd probably have played it even more if my Pro controller hadn't started drifting and messing my parry and special move inputs.

I've also played some Mario Kart, the Yoshi's Island track is cheff kiss.


Current 2023 ranking:
  1. Touhou Luna Nights
  2. Sifu
  3. Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin
  4. Tunic
  5. Hades

Playlist:
  1. Bayonetta Origins: Trying the demo because the preview in Bayo3 didn't do much for me...and I'm actually liking it a lot
  2. Hi-Fi Rush
  3. Metroid Prime Remake
  4. Record of Lodoss War-Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth
  5. TotK
  6. Pikmin 4
  7. Rollerdrome
 
10)Conker Live and reloaded
I can see how the original was big back in the day. The parodies are on point. But I had it and wanted to actually finish it and was almost at the end anyways. I don’t know I’ve ever seen a remake that managed to not only keep all the rough edges of the original but also make several of them worse. Just a ton of frustrating moments: plus it was an intended Pyrrhic victory too. I understand the selling point of this one was the online multiplayer too which is long dead and unplayable edit: oh the online campaign is still playable with bots. Eh not sure I’m in the mood

Previous games:
1)Yoku’s island express
2)Live a Live
3)Arcade Paradise
4)The Great Ace Attorney Adventures
5)Immortal Fenyx rising
6) SD Gundam Battle Alliance
7)Nier Automata
8)Crimson Skies High road to revenge
9)Stacking
 
44. AMID EVIL

Out of Big Three New Blood shooters, it's probably my least favorite. Dusk and ULTRAKILL have way tighter gameplay. AMID EVIL is definitely more visually pretty than two others, but I never really jive with its weapons and levels. It's ambitious, and every episode looks and feels new, has new enemies and gimmicks, but sometimes it results in the game clearly having episodes that for each person will feel worse. Solstice one I hated because enemies felt way too annoying, for example.
The levels also felt bigger than needed. I usually like to hunt for secrets, but with this game I just abandoned that in the first episode after realizing how much there is to each level.
 
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correojon said:
(Link to previous update)
Click to expand...

Currently playing:
  • Bayonetta Origins (Demo): Trying the demo and liking it a lot, but I'm also being a bit pushed away with all the interruptions and cutscenes. Just let me play! I'm a bit afraid that this is being well received by going away from the usual gameplay-centric approach of Platinum's games (that usualy puts their games into a niche) and shifting more weight into story and presentation. Which is totally fine, but not my preference so...
  • Young Souls: This came out of nowhere in a Youtube video about 20 awesome beat' em ups where it was mentioned that it had a deep combat system that required learning the enemy movesets. I investigated a bit more about it and I saw the same thing being said pretty much in every review, so I decided to get into it. I've only played the prologue/epilogue but it looks exactly like what I wanted.


Current 2023 ranking:
  1. Touhou Luna Nights
  2. Sifu
  3. Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin
  4. Tunic
  5. Hades

Playlist:
  1. Bayonetta Origins: Trying the demo because the preview in Bayo3 didn't do much for me...and I'm actually liking it a lot
  2. Hi-Fi Rush
  3. Metroid Prime Remake
  4. Record of Lodoss War-Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth
  5. TotK
  6. Pikmin 4
  7. Rollerdrome
 
I finished Horizon: Zero Dawn on PC yesterday.

No spoilers :
I loved the fact that not only some of the side quests I've done added some dialogue during the main quest (including finishing all the Cauldrons !) but also having many of the NPCs I helped during minor side quests joining for the final battle. It reminded me a lot of what Elder Scrolls Online does in most regions when you get to the final mission, the NPCs you've met will generally be there at the end to congratulate you and tell you what they've done since you helped them and what will they do next.

For a "Zelda" like, it feels refreshing.

I played with english voices just because I wanted to hear Lance Reddick (the french dub is pretty good, nothing against it) and the performances are excellent.

Now I really hope Forbidden West isn't too far for the PC release...

Also, I feel in love with Varl.

FsLeNHFXgAEip5I


Loved the story, felt destroyed at some of the revelations (boy do I hate Elon Mus- I mean Ted Faro).

And it is amazing how, for a 2017 game, the character of Ted Faro really, really, REALLY feels like Elon Musk in every negative way possible, considering what we know about him since a few years.
 
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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 Kuruin (NSO)
7) Metroid Prime Remastered (NSW)
8) HiFi Rush (XSS)
9) Final Fantasy Crisis Core Reunion (NSW)
10) Spider-Man Miles Morales (PS5)

11) Sonic Spinball (NSO)
This is one of the worst pinball games I've ever played. It fails at the one fundamental thing a pinball game needs, and that's ball physics. Controlling Sonic just feels straight-up bad. The small platforming bits were an interesting idea, but they're underutilized. Not only does playing the game feel bad, it's also punishing and unfair in many ways; thank goodness for rewind. Add in confusing level design and truly bad music (which is rare for a Sonic game!) and you've got an absolute mess of a game.

12) Sonic 3D Blast (XSS)
Compared to Spinball, 3D Blast is a breath of fresh air. The isometric camera makes jumping difficult (again, thank god for rewind), but everything else here is good. It's a good-looking game, the music rocks, the levels are fun and well-designed, and the basic gameplay loop is fun and engaging. If you're gonna play a Sonic spinoff from the Genesis era, make sure it's this one.

13) Sonic the Hedgehog (XSS)
This is a replay for me. I played it for the first time last year, and didn't enjoy it all that much. The whole second half of the game, from Labyrinth Zone on, felt like a punishing slog. Playing it again now (thanks to the Origins collection), I find that I don't think it's quite so bad as I did the first time. The game is still tough, no doubt about that, but having some idea about what to expect in the levels made them not so difficult. Even the dreaded Labyrinth Zone wasn't as awful this time around. But the Labyrinth Zone boss "fight" can still go straight to hell.
 
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)
7. The Legend of Zelda: the Minish Cap (NSO)
8. Wario Land 3 (NSO)

Now sure, some aspects of this game's design have aged poorly. The boss battles that reset you after a single hit are cruel, and the game is sometimes quite obtuse. The golf minigame can also be pretty tough.

But, this is absolutely one of Nintendo's finest platformers for me and one of the pinnacles of the GBC library alongside the Oracles games and Pokémon Gold/Silver/Crystal. It is big, generous, stuffed with content and fiendishly clever. It's innovative and unusual in its structure - even after all this time - and the visuals have aged extremely well. This is the template to follow and improve upon if Wario Land ever returns, 2D or 3D.

For those who do find the bosses and golf difficult my advice would absolutely be to make use of the rewind feature on NSO.

Still playing A Space for the Unbound, which is excellent, and so will aim to wrap that up this week. Then I need to decide what to get through before Advance Wars. It might be Goldeneye and Metroid Fusion, or perhaps just Superstar Saga; Chained Echoes would be up next if it went on sale...
 
Jan 2023 - Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Jan 2023 - Miracle Snack Shop (Korean Philia route)
Jan 2023 - Cruis'n Blast
Feb 2023 - Persona 5 Royal
Feb 2023 - Persona 5 Strikers
Feb 2023 - Katamari Damacy Reroll
Mar 2023 - Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin

A very different flavor of Monster Hunter. Someone in Capcom thought 'what if we did Monster Hunter but Pokemon' and ran with the idea. It's a fun game, for sure. You really do get very attached to some of the Monsties such as the humble Ranmar. That Velocidrome stuck in my team all the way while I kept pumping higher level genes into it. I'm very disappointed that Mizutsune did not have 'Swim' as an overworld move.

d2f697ff6487cc33da84c05b9dacb081a33e9ad5.jpg

Really cool though

Onto the more mundane part of the game, it is obvious that the dungeons were all created using templates. So after a while, all the zones become samey. Especially when you will be spending a lot of time in various dungeons, combined with the lack of overworld/dungeon music, the midgame got quite tedious. Thankfully, the pace picked up significantly towards the end.

The final boss for the story was amazing. I will love to see that Elder Dragon brought into the mainline series. Even though I was over-levelled for most of the game, she still kicked my arse. Her and boss-level Tigrex were the only few monsters that can chip off a heart or two.
 
MisterSpo said:
A Space for the Unbound, which is excellent
Click to expand...
Cosigned. Wistful nostalgia in video game form.

Finished some games in the past three weeks:

7. Mundaun

The pencil-sketch visuals add a lot to the atmosphere, but I honestly found this middling.

8. Papetura

Got exactly what I expected: Eurojank mechanics (I don’t know if this actually is made by a European dev) and an absolutely lovely papercraft art style.

9. Last Scenario

Well regarded freeware RPGmaker game of the early 2000s, and for good reason. The story was written with the explicit purpose of turning JRPG cliches on their head, which results in a pretty engaging tale about the horrors of war.

I’m more impressed with the gameplay, though, which I’d describe as taking a typical oldschool JRPG gameplay loop, complete with save points and random encounters and whatnot, and making tough as nails, but fair. Preparation is always key— when you enter a dungeon, don’t expect to auto-attack your way through. You have to learn what monsters are there and what skills they have. You need to set up your gear and spells to account for possible debuffs and counters. You WILL use your healing items instead of hoarding them. Really, really good stuff.

10. Metro 2033 Redux

A horror FPS where the horror elements are more annoying than terrifying. It’s scary to be in the dark, sure, but it’s often too dark, I can’t see anything and I get exasperated and just fumble til I find the correct path, lurking monsters be damned. Sometimes there’s going to be invincible monsters you have to sneak past by, except the stealth systems are finicky, so it’s often more effective to gun for the exit, guns blazing.
 
RingoGaSuki said:
Backlog:
Yakuza: Dead Souls (PS3)
Yakuza 1 HD (PS3)
Yakuza 2 HD (PS3)

Planned:
Hogwarts Legacy (PS5)
Like a Dragon: Ishin! (PS5)
Pikmin 4 (NS)

Retired:
Sports Story (NS) - I grabbed this at its launch as I loved Golf Story, but I was in a different place when that came out and I'm just not feeling this one. I might get to it down the track, but yeah, it didn't grab me in the hour I played.
Click to expand...
Total by system:
PS3 - 1
PS5 - 1
NS - 1
NSO - 2 (counting separately because they're not strictly Switch games)
  1. Lost Judgement (PS5) - 135 hours - 10/10
  2. Fire Emblem: Engage (NS) - 44 hours - 5/10
  3. Ryu Ga Gotoku: Kenzan! (PS3) - 70 hours - 10/10
  4. Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (NSO) - 2 hours - 10/10
    Not too much to say about this one - one of my favourite 2D platformers ever.

  5. Like a Dragon: Ishin! Kiwami (PS5) - 165 hours - 11/10
    Took a game that was already one of my favourites ever made, and somehow made it even better. Just perfection.

  6. Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga (NSO) - 20 hours - 10/10
    Great back to back - one of my favourite RPGs ever, so much charm and such a great soundtrack. Makes me miss Mario RPGs so much.
Currently on the go:
Yakuza: Dead Souls (PS3)
 
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10. Have A Nice Death

I only did one completed run, but I don't think I have it in me to do more runs at this time. Now I'm not very good at rougelikes, but this seemed harder than the ones I tired before, it also didn't help with all the slowdown and glitches I encountered. I had runs where I entered a room and lost all my spells/weapons/perks, so that was really annoying. When slowdown doesn't happen the movement is really snappy and I do like the curse/perk system. I found a good amount of spells and weapons throughout my 40 something runs of the game, and I still have more to unlocked. Characters are fun and I liked the boss/miniboss fights for the most part. My experince was really brought down by clipping through stuff, getting stuck in loading screens, not being able to dash or jump etc.

There's a fun game in there, just maybe wait a bit til it's ironed out a bit. The PC version seems to suffer from some of the same glitches I encounter, at least with the people I talked to about it. The game was harder than I thought, but you do gain better powers the more you play/unlock and they do give you floor skips to some boss rooms so you can pratice which is nice. There's some crazy builds you can make, but again it's one of those things where it's only possbile if you find it during your run. For example for my frenzy speical move, I was able to pair it up with a perk that increased gaining frenzy power with each hit. There's these bees I found and I leveled them up enough to where it pretty much stun lock a lot of enemies/bosses if I used the frenzy power. Not sure if I could have completed my run without them to be honest.

I may revisit it in the future once some updates happen, but for now I will move on to other games. I won't lie I'm kinda bummed about that, but I really don't want to go through glitch RNG on top of the game's RNG.


However, there were a few times where the glitches benfited me, for instance there's this shield power up that blocks enemy attacks from hurting you for a period of time. Well this glitched out for me and just became never ending, so that run made me go really far. lol

End game spoiler
I was able to fight the secert final boss without doing the requirements for it, I know that's not suppose to happen but I did it anyway since the game let me
 
1. Desperados III [ PC ] - 9
2. Ace Attorney Investigations: Prosecutor's Path ( Replay ) [ DS*] - 10
3. Resident Evil Deadly Silence [ DS*] - 8.5
4. Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney ( Replay ) [ 3DS ] - 8.5
5. Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box [ DS ] - 7
6. Professor Layton and the Unwound Future [ DS ] - 7
7. Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies ( Replay ) [ 3DS ] - 9
8. Koumajou Remilia: Scarlet Symphony [ NS ] - 7
9. Gargoyle's Quest [ GB ] - 7
10. Ace Attorney Investigations ( Replay ) [ DS ] - 9
Capcom Arcade Stadium 1 & 2 [ NS ]
11. Cyberbots: Fullmetal Madness - 7.5
13. Giga Wing - 7
14. Progear - 8
15. Eco Fighters - 8.5
16. Darkstalkers The Night Warriors - 5
12. Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride [ DS*] - 10
17. Signalis [ NS ] - 10 - 2 playthroughs
18. Ace Attorney: Apollo Justice ( Replay ) [ 3DS ] - 6 - Replay but my first time on 3DS
19. Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice ( Replay ) [ 3DS ] - 10

20. Ace Attorney ( Replay ) [ DS ] - 10 - This is probably my 6th or 7th playthrough overall

I got some level of whiplash replaying this again, I don't think I have given the time to replay the original game in a decent amount of years. Is weird to go back to this and see how, fast and straight forward it is, exponentially less wordy than the later games and specially GAA, not that I have an issue with either approach as long as the cases are good. The original is still the most consistent of the original trilogy, every cases ranges from great to peak writing. Also has the best soundtrack of the series to this day, don't think anything will ever top Pursuit 2001 among those tracks, and if I were to make a top 10 or so videogame songs, Turnabout Sisters has to be there. My third favorite AA game after Prosecutor's Path and Spirit of Justice.

21. Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon [ NS ]

I was expecting to like this game, but not this much, like I ended up really loving it, and is pretty much a "main" Bayonetta game. A wildly different art style, a different approach to music genres, a different point of view, but is at its core an action game that may start slower than the other games, but that plays well into the narrative and general set up of being the origins of Bayonetta, it slowly becomes flashier, over the top, more enemy encounters, music starts to become more grandiose within its fantasy storybook setting. It ends up becoming a Bayonetta game, with its exploration and puzzles feeling in part like an end goal from the stuff you get to do at times in Bayonetta 3, and in part a level design of how I feel DMC1 and 3 would be more structured like without the mission pauses, like their Resident Evil/Metroid influences back then. Lovely game.
 
Previously:
01 — Melatonin
02 — Kirby and the Forgotten Land
03 — Pentiment
04 — stitch.
05 — Castle Crumble
06 — Crossfire X Single Player, Season One
07 — Hitman Freelancer
08 — Bonfire Peaks
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09 — Vampire Survivors + DLC
Downloaded this to my phone a few weeks ago and experienced the raw power of playing Vampire Survivors in one hand while slamming a coffee with the other. This combination, much like game’s powerful weapon evolutions, cannot be underestimated. I feel just about ready to put a pin in this one, but we’ll always have those 4AM coffee pulls we shared.

[VERDICT — Peak Lizard Brain Out of Ten]

10 — Octopath Traveler II
In the 25 or so years I’ve been playing them, it has never felt like a better time to be a JRPG fan. Games like DQXI S, Persona 5 Royal and Yakuza: LAD have all come out in just the past few years, and each set their own high watermarks for what the genre can be, and how diverse the approach can be to get there.

I think Octopath Traveler II might just trump them all. It surprises me to write that; I thought the first one was just OK! Any time I started to feel like “Maybe this is starting to sag a little” I was immediately proven wrong with another astute characterization, intriguing plot complication or interesting battle. Each cast member could carry their own game, easy, but having them together as a group is even better. Although their personal stories are largely separate, there are lots of opportunities for their personalities to bounce off of each other this time, which makes a huge difference. It’s beautiful. The soundtrack is simply stellar. It never feels unfair or frustrating or long-winded. What more can I say! Whether you’re already into the genre or have just thought to try it out, let Octopath Traveler II take you to school.

[VERDICT — Play This Video Game Out of Ten]
 
Sadist said:
3. Metroid Prime Remastered

Its been twenty years, but this game has aged quite well. Sure when compared to more modern games and certain QoL improvements its unmistakably an older game, but purely based on its design it’s still one of the best. Talon IV is a fun maze to walk through and I’m shocked how many little details I remember.

Phazon Mines is still the weakest part, but that’s mainly because of the long break between saferooms. Still, Phendrana Drifts, Overworld, Chozo Ruins are amazing to explore. I had a lot of fun with it.

9.5/10
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4. Resident Evil 4 remake

What a ride. I was very interested in how they would remake one of the goats and well, it’s a great freaking remake. The pacing is a bit slower, but the game is jampacked with improvements, challenges and great moments.

There are a few things which aren’t as great, but they don’t dampen my experience.

9,5 out of 10
 
Rounding off March is Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion on Switch, which unfortunately reminds me of Minit and Undertale: two games that received rave reviews that I just don't get.

Maybe it's my age or my sense of humour (or lack thereof) but I found Turnip Boy to be a bit toe-curlingly unfunny and desperately try-hard with its meme-lordy jokes and internet references.

I started this as I knew it was a short title from reading reviews singing its praises. I've been unwell and wanted something cheery and simplistic. What I got was a serviceable 2D Zelda clone with choppy performance (unfathomably never mentioned in any professional review I'd read), stilted combat, piss-easy boss encounters, and a dozen cheap fetch quests for padding to make the game last more than an hour.

There are glimpses of ingenuity sprinkled within the plot that is never really allowed to take off the ground, saddled as it is with the ridiculous concept of tearing up any documents you can get your non-existent turnip hands on.

The plot twists in the latter half just about prevent me from recommending y'all avoid this one. But wait for a big sale, and temper your expectations accordingly.

2 rotten vegetables out of 5.

January
01. [NSW] Regency Solitaire - 4/5

February
02. [NSW] Dungeon Encounters - 5/5
03. [GB/NSO] Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins - 3/5
04. [GB/NSO] Gargoyle's Quest - 3/5
05. [NES/NSO] Metroid - 3/5

March
06. [GB/NSO] Metroid II: Return of Samus - 4/5
07. [GBA/NSO] SMA4: Super Mario Bros. 3 - 5/5
08. [SNES/NSO] Super Metroid - 5/5
09. [NSW] Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion - 2/5
 
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Onilink97 said:
Games I finished for the very first time in 2023

1) Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
2) Attack of the Friday Monsters
3) Tomb Raider (the reboot)
4) Fable Anniversary
5) Titanfall 2
6) Dishonoured 2
7) Lego Star Wats III: The Clone Wars
8) A Short Hike
9) Link's Awakening (2019 Remake)
10) Inmost
11) Limbo
12) Inside
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13: Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle
 
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)
7. The Legend of Zelda: the Minish Cap (NSO)
8. Wario Land 3 (NSO)
9. A Space for the Unbound (Switch)

I was struck by this when it featured in an Indie World late last year, and am pleased that it turned out to be a game that really struck a chord with me. One of the most visually striking games I've played on Switch, and a really enjoyable and at times moving slice of life/magical realist adventure game. Fantastic stuff.
 
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)
7. The Legend of Zelda: the Minish Cap (NSO)
8. Wario Land 3 (NSO)
9. A Space for the Unbound (Switch)
10. Kirby's Dream Land (NSO)

Watching a sadly uncompetitive rugby match so booted up GB NSO and blasted through Kirby's Dreamland in 30 minutes or so. Good fun and an unexpected completion to add to the list. Anyone know why one of the programmers is credited as Sunday Rain??
 
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I've been keeping a list this year, but haven't posted in this thread before. I'll just dump the whole thing now, in the order I've completed them:

Yooka-Laylee
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
Portal
Please, Touch The Artwork
Puddle Knights
Beast Breaker
Portal 2
Hades
God of War Ragnarök
The Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap
Metroid Prime Remastered
Steamworld Heist
Metroid Fusion

Metroid Fusion was last night. I didn't like it all that much, I prefer more interconnected areas without a clear hub world, with a sense of being on an adventure and occasionally lost.
 
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