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After literal decades, I managed to complete all the classis Sonic games via the Sonic Origins collection on Switch. I did so through the anniversary modes of each game, which substitutes lives for tokens. I don't consider that cheating because these games can get pretty reliant on 'trial and error' toward the end of each; an old-school way to artificially extend playtime. Having experienced these games in full after so many years has given me a renewed appreciation for classic Sonic, and I'm now working my way through Mania and looking forward to Superstars.
Pokemon Scarlet
Fire Emblem: Engage
Super Mario Land 2
Metroid Prime: Remastered
Kirby: Return to Dreamland Deluxe
Kirby's Dream Land 2
Metroid Fusion
Final Fantasy IV: Pixel Remaster
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Final Fantasy I: Pixel Remaster
Finished the first half of SoulSilver, which I count as a completion, since I'm probably not going to go back and do Kanto. First time beating one of the Johto remakes since 2019!
3) Marvel Snap 4/5
I can't really conceive how to review this, but my addiction to this gameplay loop was high and needed to delete it off my devices to remain a productive member of society. The best compliment I can give.
7) King of Fighters : Mark of the Wolves 4/5
I decided to do the story stuff with like with all the characters. This is just so fun, I don't have the skill to really read the movements, but damn Kushnood is my GUY.
Beating this game brought tears. I have a lot of nostalgia for this game but couldn't beat it back then. Finishing this for the first time was euphoric. I am certain I will feel the same way when Sacred Stones hits NSO. FE means a lot to me.
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]
13. Shadow of the Ninja [NSW-NES]
14. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - The Master Trials [NSW]
March:
15. Metroid Prime Remastered [NSW]
April:
16. Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon [NSW]
May:
17. Octopath Traveler 2 [NSW]
June:
-
July:
18: The Legend of Zelda: Teears of the Kingdom
Updated my list for the first time since May, with another 4 games
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Pikmin 4
Valiant Hearts: Coming Home
Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed
Outside of Valiant Hearts which was a huge letdown compared to the first entry it's been a stretch of amazing Switch games, all most definitely hitting the best of the year list.
Got 4 games running which I hope to beat before summer ends
Death's Door
Ghost Trick
Trinity Trigger
Diablo 4
Enjoying them all to different degrees, neither will crack the previous trio though I think.
Probably the best out of 4 NES Dragon Quest games.
While there are still not enough improvements, 5 years into the series this RPG game finally decides to tell a story with characters! First few chapters you're being introduced to the world and your future party, and only by around 5-6 hour mark the heroes get together. It's a much better system and it breathes life into the game. There are some chapters that are outright worse (Talloon's one is a grindfest and the limited inventory REALLY doesn't work with a merchant character whos luck on drops is off the charts), and some might say it affects the pacing, but I prefer controlling actual characters who feel different from each other.
That said, Enix really needed to change some things about the controls by this point. The movement and menus are still laggy (it takes maybe 1/3rd of a second for your character to start walking when you hold the button), and coupled with NPCs that like to run everywhere, this can create a lot of annoyances. Same about the menus. I misclicked so many options, it's incredible. The inventory is still a drag to manage, too.
I don't see the reason for them to keep talk/search/door options on different commands in the menu, as nothing I've seen so far, or indeed in previous games, requires to, say, search a door or talk to a drawer. Whenever you see 5 drawers in a row you just start dreading them, since all 5 might be empty. This command system ate up so much time! Just let me press A!
This game is still very old and janky, but it has more charm than previous titles combined thanks to people in the world feeling more like people and less like one-liner machines (although of course those still exist). It's also not as horny as III. There are still racist enemies, though. Very cool. That said, the final boss not only has incredible design but some really impressive animations! It's also, I believe, around 7 phases long.
Yeah I've downloaded this thing just because it's the 69th game I'm completing this year. A piss-easy poker game that lets you see a pixelated breast.
Honestly, only afterwards did I remember that I got some Leisure Suit Larry games on steam for dirt cheap, but this went so quickly I can't complain.
You play against one of three girls with the worst name concocted by human imagination, and every time your total gets over a new thousand you see a frankly pretty tasteful image... With the worst written dialogue I've seen in a bit. Some of it is misspelled, and some puns don't even work for poker! You know, I do wonder if there are any good adult video games that are written well, but I ain't about to jump into that well.
Here's a funny thing: every time you get, say, a 1010 dollars but use 20 to bet, it seems the game treats it as your total going over a thousand again so you see the same image. In the end the poor girls seem to have dementia because at least one of them kept introducing herself over and over due to this.
Not very nice. I do wonder if I can get past a 100 games this year, though.
1) Hi-Fi Rush (XS) - 9/10
2) Vampire Survivors (XS) - 5/10
3) A Monster's Expedition (PS5) - 10/10
4) Titanfall 2 (XS) - 8/10
5) The Last of Us Part 1 Remake (PS5) - 10/10
6) Understand (PC) - 7/10
7) GNOG (PS5) - 5/10
8) Pokemon Shining Pearl (Switch) - 4/10
9) A Space for the Unbound (Switch) - 8/10
10) WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames! (Switch) - 7/10
11) Pokemon Stadium (Switch) - 6/10
12) Pokemon Crystal (3DS) - 7/10
13) Golden Idol Mysteries: The Spider of Lanka (PC) - 8/10
14) The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Switch) - 10/10
15) Planet of Lana (XS) - 8/10
16) Humanity (PS5) - 10/10
17) Dordogne (XS) - 6/10
18) We Love Katamari Reroll + Royal Reverie (PS5) - 10/10
19) Pikmin (Switch) - 9/10
20) Pikmin 2 (Switch) - 7/10
21) Pikmin 3 (Switch) - 10/10
22) Hey! Pikmin (3DS) - 4/10
23) Pikmin 4 (Switch) - 9/10
24) Venba (XS) - 6/10
I enjoyed the story and I think it was very well told, but I don't think the cooking gameplay really added that much and just felt too simple. A shame, as I was looking forward to it quite a bit
25) Patrick's Parabox (PS5) - 9/10
Great Sokoban puzzler with a recursive twist - critical path puzzles were interesting and explored the ideas, while the challenge levels really pushed each new mechanic to the next level
26) Tren (PS5) - 8/10
Dreams is an interesting beast - it's a great tool but I've selfishly been a bit disappointed that Media Molecule have focused so heavily on it instead of doing their own thing. Was very happy then that this MM-made game in Dreams felt like a brand new standalone title from the the studio. So much charm and the nostalgia hit of playing with wooden train sets was immediately enticing. Not all mechanics hit but overall a very fun puzzle/time attack game.
27) LOCK (PS5) - 7/10
After playing Tren I went further into Dreams to look at other creations and this one stuck out given how much I like puzzle games. The challenge really jumps up a level (almost to an unfair degree) but I do have a weakness for games that pretty much require you to use a pen and paper to work out the answer,
1. Persona 5 Royal
2. Metroid Prime Remastered
3. WarioWare (GBA NSO)
4. Fire Emblem Engage
5. Metroid Fusion (NSO)
6. Paranormasight
7. Trails to Azure
8. Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception
9. Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth
10. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
11. Donkey Kong Country (NSO)
12. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion
13. Loopers
14. The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie
I finished these next two back to back last night:
15. Steins;Gate Elite
Steins;Gate is one of my all time favorite favorite animes, so I figured I would try this out since I haven't watched the show in a long time. This game works as an extended look into the story, but it's not quite the same as the anime since it has a lot of close ups and static images when people are talking. It would have been cool if they made this more like a playable anime, but at that point, you might as well just watch it instead of playing the game. I think the original VN or the anime would be better for first time players, but Elite is a decent blend of both. I enjoyed my time with it.
16. Pikmin 4
When I think of my best memories with the switch, I think of games like Breath of the Wild, Mario Odyssey, Fire Emblem Three Houses, Metroid Dread, Tears of the Kingdom, and now... Pikmin 4. I think Pikmin 4 is up there with the best of Nintendo's output this generation. I love the mixture of the overworld exploration and caves. The former is what I think of first when I play a Pikmin game, and the latter encourages players to use the Pikmin and Oatchi in creative ways to accomplish various tasks. The dandori challenges were a bit tough at first, but I was able to adjust quickly and get through most of them pretty easily... however, I don't think I have it in me to platinum everything. I didn't cover everything, but those are the things I enjoyed most about Pikmin 4. What an absolute delight.
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)*
7) Panzer Dragoon Remake (NSW)*
8) Final Fantasy IX (NSW)*
9) UnMetal (NSW)
10) Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope (NSW)
11) Octopath Traveler 2 (NSW)
12) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (NSW)
13) Citizen Sleeper : Purge (NSW)
14) Metroid Fusion (GBA NSO)*
15) The Red Strings Club (NSW)
16) Earthbound Beginnings (NES NSO)
17) Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed (NSW)
18) Dungeon Encounters (NSW)
19) The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (NSW)
20) Raptor Boyfriend: A High School Romance (NSW)
21) Picross S9 (NSW)
22) Persona 5 Royal (NSW)
23) Dragon Ball FighterZ (NSW - Game Trial NSO)
I'm considering completing story mode to be finishing this game, even though I never advanced beyond simple techniques to get it done. Believe it or not, this was my first real contact with the Dragon Ball franchise. I was aware of it, and even recognized many of the characters names, but I had never seen an episode of it or played a Dragon Ball game. I liked it. I didn't think the story was anything amazing, but the characters are all likeable for how silly they are in addition to generally being fun to play. I don't have any desire to actually get good at the game or play it beyond story mode, but it was an enjoyable 15 hours or so.
It's "ope, let me slip right past ya" the game! It was a great piece of curation to include this in the Switch's GBA offerings. I really enjoyed the duck/kappa characters, and I appreciated the confidence in design for the levels. It doesn't quite scratch the part of my puzzle brain that would want to dive in over and over, but it is a fantastic curiosity.
Below is my ranking of all games played so far this year. Kuru Kuru Kururin is at the bottom, but that just means I've been playing some solid games this year!
Super Mario World
Super Mario Bros.
Parappa the Rapper 2
Octopath Traveler 2
Ristar
Metroid Fusion
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
Gunstar Heroes
Castlevania Bloodlines
DariusBurst: Another Chronicle
G-Darius HD
Sonic the Hedgehog
Super Fantasy Zone
Streets of Rage 2
Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
Super Mario Bros. 2
Kuru Kuru Kururin
I'm considering completing story mode to be finishing this game, even though I never advanced beyond simple techniques to get it done. Believe it or not, this was my first real contact with the Dragon Ball franchise. I was aware of it, and even recognized many of the characters names, but I had never seen an episode of it or played a Dragon Ball game. I liked it. I didn't think the story was anything amazing, but the characters are all likeable for how silly they are in addition to generally being fun to play. I don't have any desire to actually get good at the game or play it beyond story mode, but it was an enjoyable 15 hours or so.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, also on switch, is a great way to get yourself up to speed on Dragonball. It adapts the entire story of DBZ (and some outside material) suprisingly well.
It's an Action RPG so it's not too similar to FighterZ, but if you like the world and characters of Dragon Ball, then it's a great avenue to get more into it
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, also on switch, is a great way to get yourself up to speed on Dragonball. It adapts the entire story of DBZ (and some outside material) suprisingly well.
It's an Action RPG so it's not too similar to FighterZ, but if you like the world and characters of Dragon Ball, then it's a great avenue to get more into it
It's time to catch up with my Mario All-Stars event plays!
Replay #7: Super Mario Land (Game Boy)
It's Super Mario...on the go! Extremely impressive for 1989, it's still solid fun today, with unique worlds and fun twists like the scrolling shooter stages. It revels in weirdness and is pretty memorable as a result. But the cracks do show. Mario's physics are a little rough, lacking the finer control and acceleration of other titles and having max speed falling from a platform. The Superball power that replaces the Fire Flower is neat in enclosed areas but much less practical in outdoor areas. And while it's neat that levels can be decently long, much of that comes from repeating level design with slight tweaks to enemy placement, which can make some of the levels feel repetitive.
Finished in 2023 #14: Super Mario Bros. 3 (SNES - Super Mario All-Stars - NSO)
I can finally say that I finished all of Super Mario All-Stars! And this version of Mario 3 is...well, Mario 3, one of the best the NES has to offer. I still think so, too! Great controls, great pacing, a revolutionary world map system...it's a game that feels remarkably modern. However, the better game is...
Replay #8: Super Mario World (SNES - NSO)
...this bad boy, my favorite 2D Mario game and arguably my favorite game of all time. Mario's controls are pitch perfect, the cape is ridiculous, the world map and secrets make the game feel so much larger, and Yoshi is my friend. Love this one.
Replay #9: Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins (Game Boy - NSO)
I didn't intend to play through this one the same day I beat Super Mario World, but I felt compelled, and this one is short enough to beat in one sitting. Another game that's weird and memorable but also a bit wonky in the movement department. Solidly middle of the pack out of the classic 2D Mario games.
I haven't yet 100%ed the game, but I rolled the credits.
It's a bit of a weird game in this regard because the story is in no way over once you see the credits, and since I'm close to the end I can say that no "post-game" content is really that hard? Weird. I get that Ninty likes little Jimmy to stop playing and feel a sense of completion so to not torture him with Champion Roads, but last 2 levels are fine, and I think have some of the easiest Dandori Challenges.
It's my first Pikmin game and I loved it. I kinda wish more areas would be themed around civilization, as 4 levels are basically just forest with different themes, but I'm likely in a minority that enjoyed the house stage the most.
Dandori challenges are absolutely sick and despite me not liking speedrun-type content, I absolutely adore those.
A very charming game that I'll probably 100% in 1-2 more days unless a Super Dandori Road appears (yes, I'm aware of additional challenge cave, I got through like 3 floors and it's hell, but it all seems doable so far)
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)*
7) Panzer Dragoon Remake (NSW)*
8) Final Fantasy IX (NSW)*
9) UnMetal (NSW)
10) Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope (NSW)
11) Octopath Traveler 2 (NSW)
12) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (NSW)
13) Citizen Sleeper : Purge (NSW)
14) Metroid Fusion (GBA NSO)*
15) The Red Strings Club (NSW)
16) Earthbound Beginnings (NES NSO)
17) Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed (NSW)
18) Dungeon Encounters (NSW)
19) The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (NSW)
20) Raptor Boyfriend: A High School Romance
21) Picross S9 (NSW)
22) Persona 5 Royal (NSW)
23) Dragon Ball FighterZ (NSW - Game Trial NSO)
24) Brotato (NSW)
For $5, this roguelike was exactly what I was looking for. It seems pretty basic at first, but the higher level waves can be quite challenging depending on your build. Lots of build options to unlock and a decent amount of gameplay difficulty options means you can really customize this to get the perfect amount of challenge you are looking for. I was happy to reach wave 20 at each difficulty level (there are 6) and call it good, but endless mode alongside the difficulty options means there is quite a bit of meat on the bones for those looking for it.
I loved this game (and the actual card game) as a kid. It was fun to replay through, and I was probably more efficient now than I was as a kid lol. I don't know that I'll keep playing to get all the cards, but I might turn it back on here and there if I get bored to just mess around with random decks. Definitely brought back some good memories.
I think the biggest accomplishment of Pikmin 4 is its ability to weave side content into the main story adventure. This may sound weird, but I'm someone who doesn't really go out of their way to do side content in a game when its separate from the main game. It just gives me a feeling of being superfluous, and in Pikmin 3's case I never even did the mission mode because the titling made me confused if it was Olimar's side story or not, which I tried and found underwhelming. By comparison, the way Pikmin 4 wraps around its version of Bingo Battle / Challenge Modes / Missions into the main game is spectacular. Dandori battles and challenges and the Olimar story and Sage challenges that unlock later are my favorite content in the game by far. They're fun, challenging, addicting, and while I never went out of my way to get platinums, I did find myself occassionally retrying levels to do even better.
Unfortunately, I think that's more or less where the unquestionably great content begins and ends. The rest of the game is a bit more questionable. The caves from Pikmin 2 return, and they're mostly an improvement thanks to having actual level design this time without randomized elements. However ... I think they kind of missed the point of caves in 2, a bit. The caves in 2 changed how you strategized from minding time management and task efficiency to combat and resource efficiency, and while a lot of that came from bullshit, with the element of challenge almost entirely gone there's no longer any strategy to caves in 2. They're basically just "puzzle" challenges in the loosest sense of the word. I also think they can ruin the pacing of the game, particularly early on caves seem to start taking a disproportionate amount of time around area 2 compared to the surface content, which makes doing them back to back a bit of a drag. It improves later on as its something you get used to and surface areas get more complex, but its a bit annoying. Its ironic in a way that Pikmin 3's linearity in mission structure, where your task is one singular goal set by the story, would probably work even better for 2 and 4 than the freeroaming approach given that caves are at their best when both the surface content and cave content is given time to contrast against each other, given proper pacing. But I suppose that the linear structure would be harder to accommodate with collectibles. Caves can still be fun, but you have to get used to their repetitive nature.
Then there's the maps themselves ... I think the surface gameplay just might be the worst part of Pikmin 4. Which I never thought I'd say about a Pikmin game, and is a big condemnation of the game. Caves might be too easy and a bit repetitive with their collectathon nature, but they at least have level design which makes you use the different aspects of gameplay consistently. They're focused content, even if what they focus on isn't Dandori. Pikmin 4's surface maps tend to both have the least focused content in the game, while also barely focusing on Dandori anymore despite the time limit. They're big, sprawling, and ... filled with super easy "puzzles". There's less consideration than ever before about what Pikmin to use or what path to take, thanks to the game literally telling you what Pikmin you should use (which to be clear, works for what the game is going for, but should have been a read flag to the developers when decision making is inconsequential), and thanks to Oatchi negating environmental aspects like traversing water. There's less substantive environmental puzzles than ever before, so most of your time is just spent being overwhelmed at how much there is to collect in the overworld.
Speaking of the overworld ... I gotta say, even as someone who doesn't ever really have problems navigating 3D games, I really, really don't like how much the new camera system changed Pikmin level design. There were multiple times in the game, especially in areas 4 and 5, where I'd have to scout out the areas for a long period of time because I legitimately couldn't tell where the treasures to collect were or where the bases I should re-land were located. And since this games maps are made to accommodate multiple landing zones, it actually is frustrating when you want to get certain treasures but have to go out of your way just to see where to reposition the onion. In Pikmin 1-3, there were times I scouted out a route and I specifically remember thinking it was cool and that it should be more necessary in the Pikmin games, especially when playing Pikmin 1/2. But this was because I was figuring out what paths to take to manage a day cycle most efficiently, or planning on how to dodge rolling rocks from enemies as I have Pikmin behind my back. Not because the map was so fucking huge and had so much vertical noise that I couldn't figure out where to go. To be fair the game does give you a flying camera to use, but I kept forgetting about it because D-pad items don't have display icons (despite literally making icons for them in the menu), and the camera angle is strange on the drone anyways. And don't even get me started on the lack of level variety, 4 games into the series ...
There's a lot of aspects of the game that I've glossed over though. While I'm not sure I'd say Pikmin are balanced better in 4 than in 3 (the lack of need to strategize what Pikmin to use makes it hard to test that), there is more of a return to Pikmin's classes always being important. 3 was very weird in that besides Rock Pikmin and the occasional need for Yellows for electric gates, Pikmin's differences were less pronounced than ever thanks to waiting till the end of the game to give the player Blues and Pinks, so only Rock Pikmin's special abilities really stood out. 4 definitely improves on that angle, and also has a little bit more difficulty in normal enemy encounters. I'll also add that Night Missions are very fun, it's easy to be disappointed that they're not the type of night content fans have been asking for for years ... but even as simplistic as the content is its the kind of simplistic short missions I also really like the new enemies, though I will say this game reuses bosses from older games way too much. There are new bosses and the amount is probably similar to 2's new bosses compared to 1, but they don't feel like they get the splotlight as much as the returning cast. It's disappointing because it makes the game feel like it lacks originality even if that isn't necessarily true, I wish there were more new bosses.
Before this game came out I said I was worried that it'd just be about collecting shit, and now that I've beaten it I can say that's mostly come to fruition. A lot of Switch games are about collecting shit and the joy of collecting said shit, Mario is about collecting shit, Zelda is about collecting shit, Animal Crossing is about collecting and crafting and then moving around that shit. Pikmin has always been about collecting shit, but it was about creating puzzles and challenges around that. When the puzzles are too simple and the challenges aren't there, it just becomes about the collecting. And Pikmin is the worst game to make about just collecting, because it's about watching little men do actions for you. Despite my complaints I still enjoyed my time with Pikmin 4 a decent amount, I mean, it's still Pikmin. I'd say about ~30 or so percent of the content is fantastic, with the other parts being inconsistently fun. But it's not good that in that other percentile I spent almost as much time passively enjoying myself as I did passively bored. Now that the series is another series about being "chill" and providing the player with dozens and dozens of hours of repetitive content, with no range of complex emotions like in the previous games, it feels incredibly homogenized, like it sacrificed a little of itself for the sake of conforming to a standard. And hey, it worked and is incredibly successful. In a year with a lot of big games, Pikmin 4 stands out even more as exactly what I don't want from the series going forward.
1. Mario Party Superstars (NS) [Finished January 1st, 2023] - 8
2. Bayonetta (NS) [Finished January 2nd, 2023] - 8.5
3. Pikmin (GC) [Finished January 5th, 2023] - 8.5
4. Pikmin 2 (GC) [Finished January 7th, 2023] - 6
5. Metroid Prime Remastered (NS) [Finished February 14th, 2023] - 10
6. Metroid Dread (Replay) (NS) [Finished January 21st, 2023] - 8.5
7. Metroid Prime 2 (PrimeHack) [Finished March 5th, 2023] - 8.5
8. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Dolphin) [Finished March 16, 2023] - 8.5
9. Sonic the Hedgehog (RetroArch) [Finished March 17th, 2023] - 4
10. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (RetroArch) [Finished March 20th, 2023] - 6.5
11. Resident Evil 4 Remake (PC) [Finished March 28th, 2023] - 10
12. Resident Evil VIIIage (PC) [Finished April 4th, 2023] - 7.5
13. Dead Space Remake (PC) [Finished May 15th, 2023] - 7.5
14. Metro 2033 Redux (PC) [Finished June 5th, 2023] - 7.5
15. Resident Evil 3 Remake (PC) [Finished June 10th, 2023] - 7.5
16. Final Fantasy XVI (PS5) [Finished June 30th, 2023] - 6.5
17. Pikmin 3 Deluxe (NS) [Finished July 11th, 2023] - 9.5
18. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (NS) [Finished July 27th, 2023] - [??? / 10]
19. Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective (Remastered) (PC) [Finished August 1st, 2023] - [10 / 10]
Game Ranking 2023:
1. Resident Evil 4 Remake (10) (PC)
2. Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective (10) (PC)
3. Metroid Dread (8.5) (NS) (Need to bump this up)
4. Pikmin 3 Deluxe (9.5) (NS)
5. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (8.5) (PrimeHack)
6. The Legend of Zela: Tears of the Kingdom (???) (NS)
7. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (8.5) (Dolphin)
8. Pikmin (8.5) (Dolphin)
9. Bayonetta (8.5) (NS) (Would probably bump this down to an 8)
10. Mario Party Superstars (8.0) (NS) (Should probably bump this down to a 7.5)
11. Metro 2033 Redux (7.5) (PC) 12. Pikmin 4 (7.5) (NS)
13. Resident Evil Village (7.5) (PC)
14. Resident Evil 3 Remake (7.5) (PC)
15. Dead Space Remake (7.5) (PC)
16. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (6.5) (RetroArch)
17. Final Fantasy XVI (6.5) (PS5)
18. Pikmin 2 (6.0) (GC)
19. Sonic the Hedgehog (4.0) (RetroArch)
Last update was before my holidays and even though I took my Switch with me I only had time to play two mobile games:
Spaceplan is this kinda weird idle game that I would have ignored if it weren't for Devolver being the publisher. It's kinda whatever and I didn't really gel with the humour but it has a spiffy presentation so it's ok.
The other was The Gardens Between which I started on Apple Arcade and finally finished. Nice simple time-bending puzzler with cool vibes but I don't think it will stay with me. Good subscription game or if you can get it in a steep sale.
Dark Souls III
Super Mario Bros. 3 (GBA)
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons
Donkey Kong Country
Metroid Prime Remastered
Metroid Fusion
Kirby's Dream Land
WarioWare, Inc. Mega Microgames!
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
Resident Evil 4 Remake
Nintendo Switch Sports
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages (Linked Game)
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D (Project Restoration)
I’m committed to clearing out some of my backlog before finally booting up Baldur’s Gate 3, so here’s Garage, which I cleaned up in between sessions of Pikmin 4. It’s a decent top down action game, kinda like Hotline Miami without the fast-flowing ultraviolence. I really dig the moody pixel art though, even if it gets a little too dark at times.
Just beat a survival horror game on PS5 from the creators of Bully and Sleeping Dogs (same director of both games) called The Chant which released last year. It's one of those games that really went under the radar, has some good production values and follows the Supermassive aesthetic of hiring TV actors in the roles to voice act, motion capture and for the character design. The combat is really clunky but was also very different from any other survival horror combat I've experienced before (it's melee based but you're constantly fighting in an erratic way, intentionally by the devs or not, there's even boss battles and upgrade skill trees). There's also dialogue choices but they don't really change anything other than the ending. The game aesthetics are very much psychedelic horror with that cultists setting and "horrors in the mind"/panic/anxiety is felt throughout effectively. I liked this weird gem, it feels very much like a lost game from the PS3/360 era, from its clunky combat style, even right down to its length (think it took me around 5-6 hours to complete?)
So if you're looking for a short excursion to a weird psychedelic survival horror that I think a lot of people may have missed, check this one out. It's good!
21. Mega Man 3 (NS) [Finished August 16th, 2023] - 6.5:
Mega Man should have had it all. The Fame. The Glory. The Sales. He had better music than Mario, better sprite work than Mario, a character design that theoretically tapped into what made lovable childrens mascots oh so marketable much more than the fat italian plumber, and while Keiji Inafune's art was ever so slightly rougher than Kotabe's, it was just as expressive and charming and easily iconic.
There's only one problem ... Mega Man games are designed like shit. If Mario was the lovable mascot platformer that everyone could play, Mega Man was the bottle of milk for a generation of soon to be very sweaty gamers. These games have so much trial and error, bad bosses, and questionable design decisions that it's sort of a wonder they haven't been re-evaluated in quite the same way Genesis Sonic or Ghost N' Goblins have been in certain corners of the internet. I think it's partially because Mega Man always sold itself as a challenging experience, it was never meant to be a platforming game for the family to enjoy.
Honestly though I'm not entirely complaining ... because truth be told there's something to be said for a game that treats a fair fight and a go-fuck-yourself encounter as the same thing. It all works to an extent, because Mega Man games are just as much about bosses and enemies fucking you over with obtuse attack patterns and hard to miss projectiles as it is the player exploiting the game to beat bosses easily. It all works in combination with the weapon-weakness system somewhat beautifully in a twisted, masochistic sort of way. Sure a lot of parts feel downright torturous, but you will feel good overcoming them and finding glitches or quirks in the games design to use to your advantage.
I will say it all goes a bit too far for my taste. Playing this on the Classic Collection, I couldn't help but use save states and rewinds a fair amount, and i'd prefer to use them less but the game gets so ridiculous with how much difficult areas there are that it just becomes a bit too much. In a modern context, having the game consistently hit you with a new torture device every 5 minutes makes it hard not to abuse the emulators quality of life features, which also feels like it betrays part of the games design philosophy a bit, exposing an underlying wewakness. I did enjoy my time a lot with this, but I think the reappearance of the Yellow Devil, as well as some questionable parts in the leadup to the finale, ultimately made me simmer on it a tad.
Still, weirdly enough I think playing through this game ... kind of made me a classic Mega Man fan? Mega Man 2 was a pretty big disappointment coming from 1, but giving the series room to breathe before coming back to 3 made me appreciate it all the more. The art, sprites, music, and world is just so engaging and I'd even go a step further to say the world of classic Mega Man is a lot more charming and engaging with its designs than the X series. It's that beautiful combination of simplicity and complexity that makes the enemies and characters so striking visually. 3 also has the best ideas in the series up to this point, with Rush being one of the most fun gimmicks to date, and the various level designs being the most interesting yet. I even appreciated the way this game tried to extend the length of a Mega Man game, even if its unpolished its a cool concept. I'm not sure if I grew a genuine love for the game or if its ultimately a case of Stockholm Syndrome, but that's sort of the point - to Mega Man, it's all the same.
1. Mario Party Superstars (NS) [Finished January 1st, 2023] - 8
2. Bayonetta (NS) [Finished January 2nd, 2023] - 8.5
3. Pikmin (GC) [Finished January 5th, 2023] - 8.5
4. Pikmin 2 (GC) [Finished January 7th, 2023] - 6
5. Metroid Prime Remastered (NS) [Finished February 14th, 2023] - 10
6. Metroid Dread (Replay) (NS) [Finished January 21st, 2023] - 8.5
7. Metroid Prime 2 (PrimeHack) [Finished March 5th, 2023] - 8.5
8. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Dolphin) [Finished March 16, 2023] - 8.5
9. Sonic the Hedgehog (RetroArch) [Finished March 17th, 2023] - 4
10. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (RetroArch) [Finished March 20th, 2023] - 6.5
11. Resident Evil 4 Remake (PC) [Finished March 28th, 2023] - 10
12. Resident Evil VIIIage (PC) [Finished April 4th, 2023] - 7.5
13. Dead Space Remake (PC) [Finished May 15th, 2023] - 7.5
14. Metro 2033 Redux (PC) [Finished June 5th, 2023] - 7.5
15. Resident Evil 3 Remake (PC) [Finished June 10th, 2023] - 7.5
16. Final Fantasy XVI (PS5) [Finished June 30th, 2023] - 6.5
17. Pikmin 3 Deluxe (NS) [Finished July 11th, 2023] - 9.5
18. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (NS) [Finished July 27th, 2023] - [??? / 10]
19. Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective (Remastered) (PC) [Finished August 1st, 2023] - [10 / 10]
20. Pikmin 4 [100%] (NS) [Finished August 14th, 2023] - 7.5
Game Ranking 2023:
1. Resident Evil 4 Remake (10) (PC)
2. Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective (10) (PC)
3. Metroid Dread (8.5) (NS) (Need to bump this up)
4. Pikmin 3 Deluxe (9.5) (NS)
5. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (8.5) (PrimeHack)
6. The Legend of Zela: Tears of the Kingdom (???) (NS)
7. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (8.5) (Dolphin)
8. Pikmin (8.5) (Dolphin)
9. Bayonetta (8.5) (NS) (Would probably bump this down to an 8)
10. Mario Party Superstars (8.0) (NS) (Should probably bump this down to a 7.5)
11. Metro 2033 Redux (7.5) (PC)
12. Pikmin 4 (7.5) (NS)
13. Resident Evil Village (7.5) (PC)
14. Resident Evil 3 Remake (7.5) (PC)
15. Dead Space Remake (7.5) (PC)
16. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (6.5) (RetroArch) 17. Mega Man 3 (6.5) (NS)
18. Final Fantasy XVI (6.5) (PS5)
19. Pikmin 2 (6.0) (GC)
20. Sonic the Hedgehog (4.0) (RetroArch)
I'm not sure if I grew a genuine love for the game or if its ultimately a case of Stockholm Syndrome, but that's sort of the point - to Mega Man, it's all the same
It is. I bought it off a sale, it's a Prime Matter published game (Scars Above, Gungrave G.O.R.E, Mato Anomalies etc) so I always see their games get good sales (like 50% off), so I'd wait for the next one if I was you. I'm waiting for the next one so I can get either Gungrave or Scars Above.
7. August 17th - Oxenfree (6/10)
Oxenfree is another one of those game that wears a particular trait proudly on its sleeve, that particular trait being freakishly good dialogue. Alex, Nona, Clarissa, Jonas and Ren all speak in a manner that is heartfelt and engaging. It might be a bit of a cartoonish and exaggerated way of speaking compared to how we talk in real life, but in the context of the video game that Oxenfree is, it totally works. This game had its hooks on me from the get-go, being one of my favourite types of games ever: Games with lots of dialogue and dialogue choices. Choosing what to say as Alex (or choosing to remain silent) made me feel like I could properly engage in the conversations and immerse me in the gang's mysterious adventures. Basing the mechanical aspects of the game around the radio, making it an exciting tool to interact with, is a great premise, as it adds both to the mystery and to the feeling of prescence. But as much as I really dig these aspects of the game, I couldn't bring myself to like it as much as I usually like these types of games. It felt meandering, like it was not really going anywhere, and the central mysteries felt odd, out of touch, not built up well and just wholly unsatisfying. There's a difference between a story that is a story and a story that is a bunch of people talking. Oxenfree felt like the latter, and as much as the script oozes quality, I think it stands on shaky grounds. I know that there's an incentive to do a repeat playthrough for added context, but even though I appreciated the end-game twist, I don't really feel compelled to boot it up again.
2023 Games Completed
1. January 4th - Missed Messages (9/10)
2. January 4th - Florence (9/10)
3. January 5th - Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk and milk outside a bag of milk outside a bag of milk (9/10)
4. February 16th - Metroid Prime Remastered (10/10)
5. March 5th - Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo (8/10)
6. May 19th - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (11/10)
7. June 5th - I Was A Teenage Exocolonist (8/10)
8. August 17th - Oxenfree (6/10)
After almost 38 hours I finally finished Pikmin 4, which feels like a crazy thing to say. Mainly because this is Pikmin after all but also because it definitely didn't feel that long to me. I'm still missing a few sidequests and medals that I might finish whenever I feel like 100%ing it but for now I'm content to put it back onto my shelf.
It's difficult to look at the game without directly comparing it to Pikmin 3 (Deluxe), a game which also tried to differentiate itself from the previous two entries while keeping the essence of the series intact. And in some ways it was more successful than P4, I thought. Where Pikmin 3 went for refinement, Pikmin 4 goes for excess: Better production values, more content and more variety. While staying in the familiar framework of Pikmin it somehow still feels like there's constantly something to do, whether you want to explore the surface, caves or engage in some Dandori stuff, not to mention the "bonus" stuff.
I'm not gonna say that Pikmin 4 feels less confident than P3 but you can definitely tell from almost every element that the aim with this game was to broaden the appeal of the series: The more inviting camera, the lack of a global timer, automatic Pikmin loadouts, the RPG-like upgrade system, the entirety of Oatchi etc. which make this the most welcoming but also most streamlined and forgiving Pikmin. I understand the decision to keep the really challenging stuff sectioned off but I would have liked a little bit more tension for overworld exploration, for example. The most memorable parts of the game definitely take place elsewhere.
Still, a great game even though Pikmin 3 just slightly edges it out for me and seeing how successful it seems to be I'm very much looking forward to the next one in 10 years.
Dark Souls III
Super Mario Bros. 3 (GBA)
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons
Donkey Kong Country
Metroid Prime Remastered
Metroid Fusion
Kirby's Dream Land
WarioWare, Inc. Mega Microgames!
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
Resident Evil 4 Remake
Nintendo Switch Sports
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages (Linked Game)
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D (Project Restoration)
Saw it on Gamepass, Started on a whim, completed the whole thing in one sitting.
Not bad, I enjoyed it. Story was engaging, it was nice to see they did a lot with such a small cast. Visuals were fine and by the end, everything connected in a nice way.
The map and compas needed work though, they were angled in a way it was really hard to see and annoying to use.
I would say my favorite part is just the enviorment itself. It's nice to walk around in the natural vistas of the Wyoming wilderness get lost in the green.
But overall, I think it's a good time. I reccomend it if you've got a couple hours to kill.
This was one of the first games I got with my Game Boy Advance, and while it was never my favorite, it has a nostalgic place in my heart. As an adult who has gotten a lot better at games (and SMB2 in particular), I can appreciate this one more, and I find the differences between this release and the original fascinating.
The changes to the game can widely be broken up into two categories. The first set serve both to lower the difficulty to be closer to Super Mario World and to make the game better match the traditional Super Mario platformers. Health and extra lives are much more plentiful, the Ace Coins work like the Dragon Coins of World, a point system exists, and you can perform combos just like you can in the other games (taking out multiple enemies at a time through a variety of means) to get higher point multipliers and extra lives. This also means that the game has more UI elements during gameplay, a stark contrast with the minimal UI of the original but one that does feel in line with the other 2D Super Mario games. While the points are merely for show (the game tracks your high score but you can easily "grind" for points without a time limit), going for points in a single playthrough and trying to track down the Ace Coins did serve as an incentive to explore the levels, which plays to SMB2's inherent strengths. Same for the unlockable Yoshi Challenge, but that one instead serves to increase the difficulty, removing the amount of health you can find while making you lose the Yoshi eggs you find if you die. Good luck progressing on original hardware!
The other set of changes are here to show off the GBA's features. The intro directly highlights the resolution difference between the Game Boy/Color and GBA, and it just keeps going from there. We got big enemies with big sprites! Look at all of the scaling and rotation effects we're applying all of the time - no special chips in this Game Pak! Our characters talk now (for better or for worse)! We got Mario Bros. multiplayer! Single Pak, Multi Pak, we got both! These generally come off as charming more than obtrusive, though they definitely overuse the voices. Not a problem for Mario and maybe Luigi, but Peach and especially Toad don't make the transition very well. Future Advance games balance this a lot more, I find.
Even with the decrease in screen resolution which can get in the way at some points, this is generally a more forgiving, more Mario-y Super Mario Bros. 2. If you don't vibe with SMB2 because of its differences or because of its difficulty, this may be a better time for you. As for me? While with a lot of Mario remakes I have to think about whether I should play the original or this, I'll usually lean towards Advance over the classic SMB2!
22 — Baba Is You
I didn’t like this one quite as much as I thought I would; I think having the puzzling be so analogous to programming just didn’t sit right in my exceedingly illogical mind. I cleared what seems to be the first ending, but I’m not sure how far I’ll make it into the post game…if that’s what’s it called in a puzzle game? The puzzles are good and, yes, occasionally super hard. I love a puzzle where you aren’t even sure what the first move should be, and this had some goodies in that regard. Shoutout to the space levels!
[VERDICT — Good But No Bonfire Peaks Out of Ten]
23 — Quake II
Although I played some of the first online I ever played with this game back in 1997, the eight-year-old me was too scared to play the campaign. Now that a kick ass remaster of it is out and I am 33, I’ve gone ahead and rectified that! Just like the original Quake re-release, this has the best gyro aiming I’ve ever felt on Switch. Looks great, runs at 60FPS. Great effort all around. I really hope it doesn’t take another two years for Quake III!! Put that on Switch and I’ll be paying for NSO until I’m dead.
Anyway, like the first re-release you get the original expansion packs and a brand-new campaign by Machine Games, makers of the stupid-good new Wolfenstein games, that I have yet to get to. I think basically every id Software game is sick, and this totally holds up. There’s too much platforming, but overall it sticks to id’s holy trinity: a handful of guns that feel amazing, a handful of enemies that hit hard and remix well together, and some superlative level design to tie it all together.
The music and general sound design is lacking, I will say that. A quick look through Trent Reznor’s Quake wiki page illuminates all:
“In 1997, Reznor was approached to do the soundtrack for Quake II. He refused, stating that the second game lacked atmosphere.”
It’s a funny quote to ponder given that the original game’s development was a clusterfuck that saw many of id’s employees working autonomously, then smashing their competing aesthetics together at the end! He was right though; in an effort to hone down to an industrial, man-meets-machine visual identity, Quake II undeniably loses out on character compared to the first game, wherein Mr. Reznor and Mr. Ross pulled out a legitimately striking soundtrack for a twitch shooter. (Be warned that one of the track titles uses a word for a severe sexual assault. It has always and will always irk me about this OST. None of the songs have any lyrics.) In its place are generic metal riffs that fail to impress but nonetheless raise the tempo of the action when called upon. Shoutout to the great voice samples in this game; the enemy radio chatter, the demon voice guy who narrates you moving from area to area, and the constant agonizing scream that plays when you fall into lava. Great job!
Nightdive added in a tremendously helpful feature: a compass that can be pinged at any time to show you where to head next. The levels in this game never reach Doom 2 levels of labyrinthine madness (thank god), but they are pretty complex and link together in ways that aren’t the easiest to remember after 20 minutes of leaping around blasting everything you see. Exploration has always been a part of id’s games, but the ability to get yourself back on track when desired was hugely appreciated by me. I wish every release of an older game had this!
[VERDICT — So Good I’m Reading ‘Masters of Doom’ for the Sixth Time Out of Ten]
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)*
7) Panzer Dragoon Remake (NSW)*
8) Final Fantasy IX (NSW)*
9) UnMetal (NSW)
10) Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope (NSW)
11) Octopath Traveler 2 (NSW)
12) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (NSW)
13) Citizen Sleeper : Purge (NSW)
14) Metroid Fusion (GBA NSO)*
15) The Red Strings Club (NSW)
16) Earthbound Beginnings (NES NSO)
17) Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed (NSW)
18) Dungeon Encounters (NSW)
19) The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (NSW)
20) Raptor Boyfriend: A High School Romance
21) Picross S9 (NSW)
22) Persona 5 Royal (NSW)
23) Dragon Ball FighterZ (NSW - Game Trial NSO)
24) Brotato (NSW)
25) Voice of Cards: Beasts of Burden (NSW)
Having played the previous two entries into the Voice of Cards series, I knew what to expect: a generally inoffensive budget RPG that relies on it's unique presentation and doesn't do much else to stand out from the crowd. Beasts of Burden follows this as well, but I think it is the best of them. Not only is the story quite good (I'm a sucker for a fantasy world that is actually our distant future, and this seems like it loosely hints at Nier), but the gameplay concept of using monster cards that can be freely swapped around between your characters allows for a level of customization that wasn't present in the previous games. Extremely solid for what it is.
19. Double Dragon 2 [3.5/5]
20. WarioWare Inc.: Mega Microgames! [4/5]
21. Famicom Detective Club Pt. 2: The Girl in Back [3/5]
Interestingly, the success of these three games sometimes hinged on how seriously it did or did not take themselves... WarioWare Inc (available on the GBA NSO app) was my favorite of these three. It had a strong grasp on the humorous, kinetic, anything goes tone and delivered not only fun gameplay but remarkable artwork for blink-and-you'll-miss-it moments and gags. The bonkers story mode was a delight. As the first WarioWare game, it gives the impression that a Wario game could truly be anything, but you could count on it for sure to be unpredictable, goofy, and quality. I'm honestly a little disappointed that Nintendo decided to continue mining the WarioWare universe and these specific characters over and over into the present day. I feel like they could let the Wario brand be a playground for wild ideas, and we would have ended up with many more titles that are as innovative as this was. Still, great series and great game.
Double Dragon 2 was also a game that was self-assured in itself. I remember playing games in this series as a child and being impressed that it takes itself seriously and is laser-focused on giving you a great experience and nothing else. I think this game was originally series was originally developed in the Kunio-Kun/River City Ransom universe, and they made the right move to give it its own space to exist as its own thing. It took a moment to appreciate the controls. A and B allow you to hit left or right, so you don't need to turn your character with each hit. I honestly really liked this control set-up. It reminded me of Doom, where you don't aim up or down, just left or right. Simplified controls help you focus on the rhythm. I ended up playing the three difficulty modes all in a row. The easiest mode will get you about three levels deep, the medium mode gets you up to most of it, and the most difficult mode is the only way to beat the game with the final boss. Honestly, it didn't take super long to beat all three modes, and it was a great way to ease into the game. I didn't mind. Some of the levels were pretty inventive, especially a section where you fight in a helicopter where the door occasionally opens up, sucking you and your foes closer to flying out to your death. There were some unnecessary platforming sections, which would be my main complaint. Pretty solid experience.
I also played Famicom Detective Club Pt. 2: The Girl in Back. This was a fan translation of the Super Famicom remake of the Famicom game. Not to be confused with the more recent Nintendo Switch remake. This game was at its best when it took itself seriously and really faltered when it went for humor or when the story went off the rails at the end. First, the positives: Much of the Super Metroid team worked on this game, and the artwork is often fantastic, especially when they lean into the urban legend. The mix of detective work with a ghost story angle is very successful. The music is great and stops and starts perfectly to enhance the mood. This is a pretty great game to play at night, and it does have a couple of cool, spine-tingling moments. HOWEVER... there is one very unnecessary trans joke that deflated most of my goodwill for the experience. I was then taken further out of the immersion by some odd translation choices to make the character Hitomi speak almost exclusively in early 2000's references. I probably would've dropped it, but it was overall a pretty short game. Most of the detective work and plot worked well up until the end. The dumb twist ending also didn't land for me. I don't think I would like the Switch version because the pixel artwork and music does a lot to build the atmosphere here, and I just don't think the modern anime style they used for the new versions would hit the same.
2023 Games Completed... Ranked!
Super Mario World
Super Mario Bros.
Parappa the Rapper 2
Octopath Traveler 2
Ristar
Metroid Fusion
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
Gunstar Heroes
Castlevania Bloodlines
DariusBurst: Another Chronicle
G-Darius HD
WarioWare Inc.: Mega Microgames!
Sonic the Hedgehog
Super Fantasy Zone
Streets of Rage 2
Super Mario Bros. 3
Double Dragon 2
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
Super Mario Bros. 2
Kuru Kuru Kururin
Famicom Detective Club Pt 2: The Girl in Back
It's Yakuza, you know the drill. Important character has been kidnapped or bombs planted around the city, time to go play baseball and sing karaoke.
Railbound
This is not really my favourite type of puzzle, but I had a good time. Looks very cute too!
Patrick's Parabox
I had been looking forward to this game. Looks ridiculously complex when watching somebody else play it, but when you're playing it yourself, the recursion and everything make sense. It's great, but doesn't quite reach the level of my block pushing favourites on Switch (Baba is You, A Monster's Expedition, Bonfire Peaks). I still have plenty of levels to play though, having beaten around two thirds of them to see the credits.
What Lies In The Multiverse
This was an eShop sale purchase I had little prior knowledge of. It's a puzzle platformer with heavy emphasis on a story that I cared very little about. The puzzles were alright, and I had a good time. I do wish you could just skip the cutscenes.
Never got to play this game back in the day so when I saw this come out on NSO I knew I'd have to give it a shot. The game feels pretty old school as it is less forgiven and the difficulty ramps up sooner but in a more sensible way whereas newer games get hard towards the end but in an abrupt manner. The character design is also very old school as it focuses less on anime like designs. I actually much prefer the designs in this game to pretty much anything that has come out since Awakening. There is actual character and individuality in each design.
As for the design of each level's maps including enemy layout I have no real complaints other than the last quarter of the game being completely anti-flier. Having a flying unit felt like it would've been a handicap and even in one of the chapters where I used one it was indeed a handicap for much of the level. I am kind of glad I didn't put too much effort into fliers. One other minor issue I had with the game was how handholdy it was for the first few hours or so. With that said maybe it was needed cause it was the first FE game to be released in NA/EU. So I cannot hold it against the game itself.
This is a 20 year old game that has aged wonderfully. The graphics are obviously dated but the artistic design of each character is exquisite. The sound design is fantastic and home to well known fire emblem music. Overall it's a fantastic Fire Emblem game and is essential game to play if you haven't but like the series. [9/10]
After watching Supergreatfriend's stream of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein for Sega CD I became interested in what other crap Sony published based on their two movies. Frankenstein was a weird funny game where The Creature ends up quite literally cuckolding Victor Frankenstein and stealing his wife in the end, so how could I not check out other creations?
Dracula is a platformer that controls weridly well. There's a day-night cycle, but the level design is the same. It feels like you're playing throught the same level again and again. You pick up limited weapons, and the only difficulty comes from the first boss and the fact that enemies just show up mere frames before you end up hugging them. That's not a bug, mind you, as they are ghosts and hands from the walls and are clearly programmed to just appear in your path when you least expect them. If those didn't exist and if level design was more varied, it'd be a nice, like, 30 minute romp.
I played the game on normal and the game just booted me out once I beat some weird magnet man creature who tried to suck me into himself saying I have to play on Hard.
*— I’m considering any game I played for the first time this year eligible. I’m a dad, OK? I’m behind
No 1 — Octopath Traveler II
No 2 — Bonfire Peaks + DLC
No 3 — Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
No 4 — Resident Evil 4
No 5 — 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
No 6 — Triangle Strategy
No 7 — Quake II
No 8 — Diablo IV
No 9 — Xenoblade Chronicles 3: FR
No 10 — Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Replay #11: Super Mario Advance 2: Super Mario World (GBA - NSO)
It's Super Mario World! On the go!
I am very nostalgic for this version of Super Mario World. It's the first way I played my favorite game. And there are some things that make the port better! There's a much more comprehensive save system, Luigi as an alternate playable character based on his SMB2 controls, completion tracking for Dragon Coin collection, all but the final level has Dragon Coins to nab, and some nice visual touch ups here and there.
At the same time, this is arguably the game that made the roughest transition to the GBA out of the entire Advance line. The graphics are definitely readable on the low light original GBA model, but it means that, even with color correction, the game can look washed out in any other context. The music has some weird instrumentation at points compared to its brethren. The more vertical aspect of some of the game's levels do mean that you have to use the screen scrolling features quite a bit, which makes certain portions much harder (which the title compensates with by not taking the player to their small form if hit while in Fire or Cape form) and can make hunting for Dragon Coins more of a pain than it is on SNES. Most of these problems really show when playing as Luigi - his higher, floater jump not only makes landing on enemies precisely or regaining Yoshi after a hit more difficult, it also means more airtime, and the camera primarily adjusts when you land. It was novel to finally do a playthrough with Luigi, but I'll stick with Mario.
While nowadays I'll stick to the SNES version, I'll still look to the GBA release with fondness.
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)*
7) Panzer Dragoon Remake (NSW)*
8) Final Fantasy IX (NSW)*
9) UnMetal (NSW)
10) Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope (NSW)
11) Octopath Traveler 2 (NSW)
12) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (NSW)
13) Citizen Sleeper : Purge (NSW)
14) Metroid Fusion (GBA NSO)*
15) The Red Strings Club (NSW)
16) Earthbound Beginnings (NES NSO)
17) Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed (NSW)
18) Dungeon Encounters (NSW)
19) The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (NSW)
20) Raptor Boyfriend: A High School Romance
21) Picross S9 (NSW)
22) Persona 5 Royal (NSW)
23) Dragon Ball FighterZ (NSW - Game Trial NSO)
24) Brotato (NSW)
24) Voice of Cards: Beasts of Burden (NSW)
25) Unsighted (NSW)
This game represents one of the few times in my personal history that I kind of regret playing on easy mode.. I usually feel that making the game easier for myself does not affect my enjoyment of it very much if at all. But it does feel like I missed out on a lot of the magic of the game by taking it easy. It's still beautiful to look at (if you dig pixel art), and it plays and controls very smoothly.
The combat is meant to be tough I think, and as someone who has only barely dipped a toe in the Soulsbourne sub-genre I was not ready for it. I probably gave up on normal mode too quickly, but I wasn't looking for a challenge. What I came to find was that this game really wants you to struggle and overcome. It's core to the design philosophy of it and bleeds through to the nature of the story as well. You are meant to spend time in this oppressive world and feel oppressed. Easy mode feels like it strips away a lot of what makes it all work.
I still enjoyed my roughly 8 hours with it but I came away feeling like if I had struggled for 20 hours and finished it, I'd probably appreciate the journey and world the team at Studio Pixel Punk have created here so much more.
Was very excited to finally play this game and at first I was enjoying it. I enjoyed trying to run a little cult, making sure they are fed and have proper services to stay loyal but after 20-30 in game days it becomes very "going through the motions" like. The lack of depth begins to really tear at the game as cultists die and new ones come in. There is just not enough variety from this aspect of the game.
Everything outside of the cult village on the main map is boring. Tacked together places that are largely the same thing with a different coat of paint. The meat of the game is mostly in the crusades. The crusades are fun but it also suffers from feeling rather lacking. The rng in what weapons, items and tarot cards you get play too much of a role in whether you will succeed in a crusade. Sure you can take your time because your weapon sucks and you don't want to die, but if you've been away from cult for too long then you may run into problems when you get back to them. There is a balance you must strike and 75% of the time it works fine but that 25% really makes you feel like you are wasting your time going on a crusade.
The game even after all this time still has a couple bugs including one that caused a complete crash. Not exactly great a year later but I'm not too stressed about it. The story along with the dialogue is rather unimpressive. It's pretty cliché and at some point I just stopped reading and spammed the A button. This comes from someone who can read boring Fire Emblem support conversations lol. In the end I had fun for the first several hours but eventually it just felt like I was playing the game for the sake of finishing it. That is not a good thing.
Ultimately, the game is a tease. There are great aspects to the game and I can see why it was highly regard; I see the foundation of a good game but the weight of the table it was holding up was too much and ultimately the game felt empty in some ways(not nearly as empty as my heart was sacrificing my cultists for the greater good). I hope if there is a sequel the content of the game is more fleshed out, especially within your cult village along with more variety in the crusade maps. [6.5/10]
I've been slowly going through this one, shaving level after level, reveling in the story and the soundtrack. I've purchased it three times, played it on three systems, until finally getting to the summit on Switch.
Man, what a game.
The simplistic look is deceiving, the game is a trip, but not (only) on the artistic side, it starts as a game about self-improvement and becomes a story about depression real fast, and it starts with something as simple as a conversation between Madeline and the old woman at the base of the mountain, then you meet Theo, Badeline appears, arrive to the mirror temple, and story takes a really sharp turn.
It hits HARD, two of my close family members have depression and anxiety on different levels and i couldn't help but to see them reflected on the characters. I've shed some lone tears playing this.
I'm still reeling from the final climb to the summit, it feels kinda like a victory lap where you have to show everything you've learned. The ending is just so... exhilarating. It gave me some peace of mind, unexpectedly.
Now, there's the postgame, meaning both the strawberries (i've been kinda ignoring them, and picking up a few here and there) and the core, but i'll leave it for later, maybe when the cold season hits and i can face it while being all nice and comfy.
Saw Ys X got a new trailer earlier today. Finally sat down to watch it and it looks pretty rad! Might be a year until we get to play it, I imagine at least Kuro No Kiseki will be up next for NISA, but I hope we get to play it sooner than later!
famiboards.com
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
10)Conker Live and reloaded
11)Legend of Zelda the minish Cap
12)Ducktales remastered
13)Vostok Inc
14) Star Wars Battlefront(OG)
15)Kirby and the forgotten land
16) Xenoblade chronicles 3 Future Redeemed
17) Sonic Adventure(Xbox)
18)Rhapsody a Musical Adventure
19)Legend Of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom
20)The Great Ace Attorney 2 Resolve
21) Super Mario Advance(Super Mario Bros 2)
22)Lunistice
23)Ghost Trick(phone version)
24) Crusader of Centy
25)Cosmic Star Heroine
26) SMA2 SMW
27)SMA3 YI
28)SMA4 SMB3
29)SMB the Lost Levels(All Stars)
30)SMB(all Stars)
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)
11. Advance Wars 1&2 Reboot Camp (Switch)
12. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Switch)
13. Final Fantasy (Pixel Remaster, Switch)
14. Goldeneye (NSO)
15. Oxenfree II Lost Signals (Switch) 16. Pikmin 4 (Switch)
This was far bigger than I expected, and I massively enjoyed it. A handful of bugbears I hope they fix next time out - shorter loading times, fewer interruptions via repetitive scenes and info updates, and generally better music would be grand. The title theme is so gorgeous, though.
Wrapped it up a couple of days ago but, with me not posting much, I forgot to update this thread. Need to decide whether or not to continue with Oracle Of Seasons, and which backlog game to start next. It'll either be back to XBC 3 for the Expansion, or Octopath 2, though I'll have Sea of Stars arriving next week to start at some point. Starfield is imminent too, but I'll delay starting that till the end of September to give me time to get through other things.
9. August 25th - Citizen Sleeper (7/10)
This has been a very keen reminder to myself in regards to how much you can benefit from stepping out of your comfort zone. This is not my type of game, I have little to no idea why I even picked this up to begin with, but it's nevertheless a decision that has resulted in a net positive for me.
Citizen Sleeper sets you in the shoe of the titular sleeper, an amnesiac who wakes up in a huge, halo-like space station. In a narrative sense, Citizen Sleeper is RPG in its framing, providing the story in huge chuncks of text, both descriptive and dialogue, in first-person present perspective. But you will not engage with this world by walking around, exploring or looking around or even see static pictures of your immediate surroundings. Instead, your primary interaction with the entire space station is via menus. Menus, menus, menus. It's a very tricky thing to pull off as a game developer. By klicking an icon, seeing an infobox that says "Tena needs help with the bar", choosing a binary option to help or not, and then get the reward in the form of another infobox saying "You helped Tena with the bar. It was fun." - how on earth do you make that engaging, stimulating and satisfying?
The answer is by pulling off some minor but highly significant methods of game design that Citizen Sleeper does with bravado. The first is the interfacing: This game just sports an incredibly slick and user-friendly UI that is a joy to just engage with. Messing around and choosing options just feels good. The second is the game design itself, and how Citizen Sleeper gives you mechanics and choices that feels fun and meaningful. You're given a set of actions at the start of every cycle in the form of dices, and you have things like data components and currency to spend as well, and with a myriad of options laid before you, it can be tricky to know where to start. But this kind of intense decision-making and resource management made it almost feel like a puzzle game, and I think that's what ultimately drew me in, since puzzle games are among my absolute favourites.
The final ingredient is of course the most important one, and that is to make sure that every interaction with the menus is rooted in human warmth. Decisions and infoboxes are tied to characters that more often than not are just keen to help, and I personally felt both trepidation and gratitude as questline after questline drew me to more engagement and more scenarios where the abstraction and disjointed presentation didn't stop me from growing to care for the world. Citizen Sleeper is a short game, it's writing is good but not outstanding, and some questlines felt like they sort of fizzled out. But I was surprised to feel such a strong emotional reaction when it all ended, and it again reminded of why I had to thank myself from stepping outside my comfort zone this time.
2023 Games Completed
1. January 4th - Missed Messages (9/10)
2. January 4th - Florence (9/10)
3. January 5th - Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk and milk outside a bag of milk outside a bag of milk (9/10)
4. February 16th - Metroid Prime Remastered (10/10)
5. March 5th - Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo (8/10)
6. May 19th - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (11/10)
7. June 5th - I Was A Teenage Exocolonist (8/10)
8. August 17th - Oxenfree (6/10)
9. August 25th - Citizen Sleeper (7/10)
I had a really good time with this. I always liked Pikmin 2 a lot, so it was cool to have returning elements like the treasures being real world items and the caves. I liked the rescue corps aspect and Oatchi. I was able to 100% complete it without losing a Pikmin (thanks to the rewind option of course), which I had also done in Pikmin 2 (which was much more difficult lol). I'm hoping the game is very successful (which, so far, saleswise seems pretty good) and also hope the next entry doesn't take as long for us to get as this one did.
You know those stupid mobile game ads where character walks automatically and you have to put them into one of two gates? Someone on Steam made that thing for free! The first case of ethical plagiarism, frankly. It's a very simple game that took me maybe an hour to "beat" (get practically invincible until I started choosing power-ups that would hamper me just for comedic effect and amass enough money to buy everything from the store), but if you ever wanted to play one of those things without ads, I guess now's your chance?
Finally got around to it, and there's a lot to say!
PROS
Gameplay was great, a true evolution for Sonic that
THE MUSIC PLAYER! Running around the world jamming to Open Your Heart, City Escape, and all the classics was undefeated
Everything felt like it had a purpose. From platforming challenges to collectibles. The core gameplay loop felt like you were being rewarded no matter what you did.
Big the Cat's Fishing game. It was so absurdly broken I loved it. Any time I got bored or just wanted to move on, all it took was 10 minutes of fishing and I had everything I could want and pleanty more. It ensured the game never slowed down by giving you an out for anything you didnt want to spend time on.
The writing was really good, especially when it came to characters. Tails, Amy, and Knuckles all had suprisingly great development and growth.
Sage. Fun character to have around, and her development and relationship with Eggman made me feel in ways I wasnt expecting. Really hope she becomes a mainstay in the series like Orbot and Cubot.
Cyberspace was cool, it's like they packed a whole other Sonic game inside the Sonic game I was already playing.The little nods to past games, it's nice to see them wear their history proudly
CONS
Cyberspace stages not having the music for each stage. If you're gonna do nostalgia, go all the way!
That one Koko sheperding minigame!
The enviorments were not it. Big "Hire This Man" energy, It needed way more life or unique elements. As it is, the world is just devoid of life and personality.
Adding to that, the game just did not look great on Switch. Hope the Drake can give this a good kick in the pants
The final boss was a big OOF.
I really dont like it when the final boss of a game has different gameplay than what the whole rest of the game is. I wanted Sonic not Space Invaders
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So yeah, Sonic Frontiers was like an 8/10 but by Sonic standards that's basically a 10/10. It's certianly hampered in both technical and creative aspects but the good outweighs the bad. The game feels like a true step forward for Sonic and a breath of fresh air for the series as a whole. In alot of ways it tries to be the defenitive Sonic game. I dont think it quite reaches that threashold, but they make a valiant effort to try nonetheless.
I think more than the game itself, I'm excited for what the potential of the future can be now that this game exists. They can use it as a base and build something with better enviorments, more unique locations, etc. I think we can get something truly special. But until then. bring on the DLC (Which hopefully gives us a new final boss and makes it good), and bring on Superstars. (and please for the love of all that is holy remaster Adventure 1 already!)
I remember not really liking Blasphemous. Perhaps it was because I played immediately on release, but it was quite glitchy and didn't provide enough rewards for exploration.
Blasphemous 2, however, is one of the tightest Metroidvanias you can play. Its pacing is absolutely incredible, and throughout 75-80% of the game I could barely put it down. Various quests and constant rewards made exploration a blast.
I think I enjoyed the art direction a bit less than the first game's, but perhaps that's due to the fact that it's a sequel and therefore it treads on familiar ground. Still, nothing in the game was quite as shocking as the boss baby from the first one or the naked lady pierced by swords.
I feel like the difficulty of this game is a little weird, because while I found all the bosses except for the final one really easy (most I've beaten first try), adventuring proved to be a challenge, especially during arena rooms where the game would spawn waves of enemies. Doesn't help that spawn indicator is quite fast so the enemies end up spawning on you.
I feel like in the gritty realistic titles you shouldn't be hit just by touching most enemies, which was a constant source of annoyance for me. I don't think the game would be much easier if enemies would block my way without somehow eating into my health.
That said, aside for minor annoyances and a single glitch that locked my game, this game is one of the best indie Metroidvanias you can play.
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