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StarTopic The 2022 Games Completed Thread |ST|

1. Final Fantasy XIV Online [ PC ] - Stormblood 4.1 - 4.5 / Shadowbringers - 5.5 / Endwalker 6.1
(A Realm Reborn - Heavensward - Stormblood) - 9 ~ 10
(Shadowbringers) - 8
(Endwalker) - 6
2. WarioWare: Get It Together! [ Switch ] - 7.5
3. Castlevania: Circle of the Moon ( Replay ) [ Switch ] - 10
4. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD ( Replay ) [ Switch ] - 8
5. Dolphin Blue - 8
6. Metal Slug 6 - 8
7. Pokemon Legends Arceus [ Switch ] - 6.5
8. Kirby and the Forgotten Land [ Switch ]
9. Genital Jousting [ PC ] - 7
10. Tales of Arise [ PC ] - 5
11. Tales of Destiny: Director's Cut - 8.5
12. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze ( Replay ) [ Switch ] - 9.8
13. Annalynn [ PC ]
14. Troubleshooter: Abandoned Children + White Lion and Black Witch Episode [ PC ] - 9
15-21. CAPCOM Beat 'Em Up Bundle [ Switch ]
Final Fight - 6
Captain Commando - 8
The King of Dragons - 7
Knights of the Round - 6.5
Warriors of Fate - 5
Armored Warriors - 10
Battle Circuit - 8.5
22 - 24. Valis the Fantasm Soldier Collection [ Switch ]
Valis: The Fantasm Soldier - 10
Valis II - 7
Valis III - 9
25. Alice: Madness Returns [ PC ] - 7
26. Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon [ 3DS ] - 9
27. King of Fighters XV [ PC ] - 12 Story runs
28. Resident Evil 2 (1998) - Claire A / Leon B - 10
29. Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun [ PC ] - 9
30. Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun Aiko's Choice [ PC ] - 10
31. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge [ PC ] - 7
32. Resident Evil 3 (1999) - 8
33. Resident Evil 7 [ PC ] - 6
34. Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below [ PC ] - 7

35. The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors [ Switch ] - 8

I'm pretty sure this is my first beat em up that takes place in a single plane, is an interesting design choice, makes spacing between enemies more important, and is executed well enough, is a very fair game. The super gauge being filled by not taking damage is great, rewarding careful play, plus you can do special moves to help with spacing instead of the clearing move depending on how filled the gauge is, adds another layer of strategy, overall, a pretty good game. Sprite work and music is also really nice.

36. Gunborg: Dark Matters [ Switch ] - 7

Fun little shooter/platforming game, pretty challenging as well.

37. Resident Evil 2 (2019) [ PC ] - Claire A - 7

They fucked this soundtrack up so much, what did they do to your theme Birkin my boy. Mixed feelings on this one. I'll say that the RPD itself is excellently designed, probably the best thing design wise in RE since the Mansion in REmake, the highlight of the game really. Mr. X is more of an annoyance than a fun chase monster, downing him doesn't leave rewards, and having less combat options than something like RE3 means is not as fun of a choice to engage with him like Nemesis, kind of missing the point of this type of monster, you just run away. Zombies I'm split on, they take so much fucking punishment, more than much more dangerous enemies like lickers, meaning that the resource management is not longer strategy with these guys, but just a burn out of resources, I know how many shotgun shells or grenade launchers I need to take out a room of enemies if I chose to do so in the fixed camera games, and I can apply that rule to REmake 2's lickers for example, I know it takes 2 acid shells for example, normal zombies means fuck all, makes some weapons feel inefficient too, a flame launcher doesn't have the same spreading effect as before so sometimes it will just burn one zombie, and won't even kill it sometimes, they are more of a threat than ever but is at the cost of some of the fun from the combat. Some of the story changes I'm not super keen on, they sacrifice the dual playthrough stuff for making each route much longer since you do reworked puzzles from both routes, tanking the pace of the original game that was good enough to make you feel like starting another one right away, here I feel like taking a break. Block puzzles in RE may not be the most interesting thing, but those will definitely take a lot less to clear through on replays than the scripted stealth segment of Sherry. Overall good level design, great even at the start, sacrifices a soundtrack and mood for no reason, and bloats part of its design on a single playthrough I guess for the sake of justifying game length.

38. Resident Evil 3 (2020) [ PC ] - 8

This game actually keeps the save room theme of RE2 since you go back to the RPD, and is a beautiful orchestral rendition of it, what the fuck Capcom. On that note, this remake fares a lot better in terms of mood and music, the save room theme is there, NEST 2 is beautiful, and the Nemesis fights get a great theme as well, the final Metamorphosis being a highlight of the series, and it keeps the credits theme. Much like the original RE3, is a pretty fun, good game with a lot of missed potential, honestly of all the places they could have cut instead of something like the clock tower, it should have been the RPD. Nemesis no longer chases you around the game, but all his encounters are pretty fun, it is kind of a shame tho, with these controls it puts you at a more even ground against him, which could have been an improvement on the original, the proper boss fights with him definitely are an improvement tho. The most positive feeling I get out of REmake 3 is that there isn't really much pace breaking, is a fun little action horror romp that doesn't overstay its welcome and all its set pieces are fun, could have been an excellent game just like the original if it ironed out some of its design and truly took advantage of its set up. REmake 2 is a more complete remake, but I'll say REmake 3 is a more fun one despite the cuts.

39. Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure [ PC ] - 8.5

This game is more Ys than everything since Seven.
 
Finished my 21st game for 2022, and simultaneously dusting off backlog from way back: Mega Man Zero 2! I remember thinking the first MMZ was just alright, but MMZ2 felt like a lot more fun.
 
meatbag said:
Finished my 21st game for 2022, and simultaneously dusting off backlog from way back: Mega Man Zero 2! I remember thinking the first MMZ was just alright, but MMZ2 felt like a lot more fun.
Click to expand...
Zero 2 is a massive improvement over Zero 1, which was kinda experimental I suppose. If you enjoyed Zero 2 I strongly recommend Zero 3 which is, IMO, the best of the Zero series. Zero 4 is fun as well but they peaked at 3.
 
jnWake said:
Zero 2 is a massive improvement over Zero 1, which was kinda experimental I suppose. If you enjoyed Zero 2 I strongly recommend Zero 3 which is, IMO, the best of the Zero series. Zero 4 is fun as well but they peaked at 3.
Click to expand...
Definitely gonna try MMZ3 sometime in the near future.
 
0
26. Landlord of the Woods (PC)
27. Speed Dating for Ghosts (PC)
28. Promesa (PC)

These three games were all part of itch.io's bundle to help Ukraine earlier this year. All three are on the shorter side, you could probably get through each in an hour or less. Landlord of the Woods is the most successful of the three. I think it's coming to Switch at some point. It has a pleasing graphic design and moody and funny atmosphere. The point and click puzzles are on the abstract side but remain intuitive. Speed Dating for Ghosts is funny but felt a little too slight to leave much of an impression. I liked the character designs but would have preferred more background illustrations as well. Promesa - and even moreso its successor Cuccchi - shows a creator with a lot of potential and talent who is reaching for big ideas and new ways to experience the medium. The purposefully low-res textures gave me a bad headache after a while though. Promesa's Julian Palacios Gechtman also has a really interesting contribution in The Zium Gallery - a fantastic looking collaborative project in the style of a video game zine/museum that unfortunately will not run correctly on my computer. I wish I could play that; it would probably be in my top games released this year based on the videos I've seen. You can get it for free, please look into it and report back if you have a fancy computer: The Zium Gallery on itch.io

Spoilers for all 2022 games completed so far. A few ratings have been adjusted in hindsight (FFX, Stilstand, Balloon Fight down, Another Eden up.)

1. Unavowed (4/5)
2. Lo-fi Ping Pong (3/5)
3. Final Fantasy X (4/5)
4. Magical Drop II (3/5)
5. Stilstand (2.5/5)
6. Phantasy Star IV (5/5)
7. The Last Survey (1.5/5)
8. Balloon Fight (3/5)
9. Gain Ground (3.5/5)
10. Night in the Woods (2/5)
11. Cross the Moon (4/5)
12. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (4/5)
13. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (4.5/5)
14. Conduct Together (5/5)
15. About an Elf (4/5)
16. Doom 2016 (5/5)
17. Alien Storm (3/5)
18. Bio-Hazard Battle (3/5)
19. Severed (4/5)
20. Glass Masquerade Origins (2/5)
21. Vampire Night Shift (2/5)
22. Earthbound (5/5)
23. Another Eden: A Cat Beyond Time and Space (3.5/5)
24. Kirby's Dream Land 3 (1.5/5)
25. Disco Elysium : The Final Cut (5/5)
26. Landlord of the Woods (3.5/5)
27. Speed Dating for Ghosts (3/5)
28. Promesa (2/5)
 
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1) F1 2021 (PS5)
2) Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (3DS)
3) Pokémon: Shining Pearl (NSW)
4) Spider-Man Remastered (PS5)
5) Banjo-Kazooie (NSW)
6) Pokémon Legends: Arceus (NSW)
7) Gran Turismo 7 (PS5)
8) Dirt 5 (PS5)
9) Kirby Super Star (NSW)
10) Excitebike 64 (Wii U)
11) Nintendo Switch Sports (NSW)
12) Card Shark (NSW)
13) Elec Head (NSW)

14) Portal (NSW)
A replay. I beat Portal dozens of times when it came out back in high school, but I haven’t played it since then. It holds up incredibly well all these years later. A true masterpiece!
 
Abzeronow said:
15. Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Still a favorite SNES game. Holds up remarkably well.
Click to expand...
16. Zero Wing. Beat it on Easy. Good shmup on the Genesis. Glad it's available on NSO.

17. Valiant Hearts. Manages to be educational, play well and be moving. World War I game.
 
23. FEW Three Hopes: I'm pretty much at the end of my third gameplay so I consider it finished for now as I now what to expect. Overall a good improvement from the first one (just not on the perfomance) and this pretty much consolidates the idea of Omega Force where weapons = movesets and instead gving specific abilities to the characters so there is variety even if not everyone has a defined weapon.

24. HunterX: I didn't know much about the game and was looking for something short while Xenoblade 3 arrives. I found it decent and with good perfomance (according to the devs 60fps, I'm no expert but it does feel like that) and the combat is good with a mix of magic abilities that allows for some good combos. I

1. Atelier Sophie
2. Dragon Quest 2
3. Castlevania
4. Cogen
5. Luminous Avenger IX 2
6. RCG Zero
7. Infernax
8. Voice of Cards Forsaken Maiden
9. Atelier Sophie 2
10. Grapple Dog
11. Kirby and the Forgotten land
12. Lego Star Wars Skywalker Saga
13. Castlevania AoS
14. Kirby's Dreamland
15. Stanley Parable Deluxe
16. Chrono Cross
17. Tasomachi
18. Seven Pirates H
19. Touken Ranbu Warriors
20. Resident Evil 4
21. TMT SR
22. Overlord
 
#1 Shin Megami Tensei V (83h)
#2 Captain Toad Treasure Tracker (5h+)
#3 Taiko no Tatsujin Drum'n'Fun (25h+)
#4 The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time (30h+)
#5 Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (75h+)
#6 Pokémon Legends Arceus (102h)
#7 The Great Ace Attorney Adventure (35h+)
#8 Rez Infinite (3h)
#9 Kirby 64 The Crystal Shards
#10 Megaman (Wily Wars version)
#11 Banjo Kazooie (13h)
#12 Megaman 2 (Wily Wars)
#13 Megaman 3 (Wily Wars)
#14 Pokémon Puzzle League
#15 Megaman 5
#16 Megaman 6
#17 Megaman 7

Since Wily Wars was added to NSO I've been on a Megaman rush, and just beat 6 and 7.

Megaman 6 was interesting to revisit as I've only played it once back in high school and then never again. At the time I remember being very impressed with how good it looked (and it does look great, probably still the best looking NES game out there), but replaying it now I can tell it's definitely on the weaker end of MM games. The level design is very straightforward and sometimes even barren, reminding me of MMX3. It felt specially jarring coming from MM5 which has some of the best levels in the series with Gravity Man and Star Man. The rush Jet Adapter is a lot of fun to play with, though, and the music is great as always.

Megaman 7 is a little darling of mine since it was the game that introduced me to the franchise together with X1 (I'm not sure which I played first). I was born in 1990 so I only played the NES games much later as a teenager, MM7 was the current game when I was a kid, and I love it, it's incredibly nostalgic to me. I remember watching the cartoon and then playing the game on Saturday mornings, such good times.

Anyway, I'm aware some people have problems with the game because the sprites are too big and yeah, they kind of are, but it never bothered me so I can only think the game is designed around it and it works. The game is really pretty and colorful, the music is amazing, and the bosses are really fun to fight. I think given the game was made for the SNES they could have invested more into some crazy ideas for the stages that the NES tech didn't allow, but there isn't anything in the game that couldn't have been in the old games, so that's a bit of a disappointment. I understand the X series was the focus at the time, though, so the innovation efforts were there, and at least we go a shiny and pretty new classic game on the SNES. Shout out to the total BS final boss and Megaman getting so pissed by it that he almost murdered a surrending Wily.

Next up I'm moving on to 8, 9 and 10, all of which I have played but never beaten. After those, I might or might not replay the X games, let's see what happens.
 
#15. Final Fantasy VII (original)

So much talk about the remake in recent weeks put me in the mood to replay the original FFVII... and it's still an awesome game. Sure, it's outdated in some aspects (like those graphics) but it's still a very charming game and it plays well. Its story and Cloud's character development are a highlight, even by today's standards IMO.
 
1. Spiritfarer
2. Cthulhu Saves Christmas
3. Pokemon Legends Arceus
4. Shin Megami Tensei V
5. Triangle Strategy
6. Kirby and the Forgotten Land
7. The Darkside Detective
8. Kirby's Dreamland (replay)
9. Kirby's Adventure (replay)
10. Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling
11. Bit Orchard: Animal Valley
12. Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (replay)
13. Voxelgram
14. Luna's Fishing Garden
15. Nobody Saves the World

16. Picross S6

It's more Picross, not much to say. I felt like it was more challenging that some of the other ones, but looking at my playtime, I took less time than S5 and S4, and that's counting a few times I fell asleep playing it lol. I think after the Sega one and this one, I'm hitting some fatigue with these, but I did buy 6 and 7 together, so I'll probably at least play 7 at some point.

I don't know if DLC counts or not, but I recently also finished:

17. Dicey Dungeons - Halloween Special
18. Dicey Dungeons - Reunion

I was so happy to go back to this game, which is honestly one of my favorite eshop games. Both of these were super fun, because they changed the ways that the characters worked, and also changed what kind of cards the enemies had. A highlight was the witch episode in the Halloween special, where you had to figure out how to win in one turn (similarly, her Reunion one, while being one fight, was interesting in having to solve the puzzles to win). Another was the Warrior, who had these interesting "workout plans," where you have to use up certain dice during your fight in order to get the contents (for example, extra HP, as you don't gain it via leveling in this episode). Just a really great job of repurposing existing content and making it feel totally different. The soundtrack was great too, as it was in the main game.
 
1. Kirby and the Forgotten Land | NSW | 8.0
2. Pokémon Legends: Arceus | NSW | 8.5
3. Peggle | XSS | 7.5
4. Peggle 2 | XSS | 5

5. Katamari Damacy Reroll | XSS | 7

Never actually played Katamari Damacy before but I’ve heard good things, saw it was leaving soon on Game Pass and decided to give it a go. Fun little romp, perfect in theory, but held back in practice by its level monotony and counterintuitive control scheme. Very happy to have completed it but not exactly hungering for more.
 
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is in some ways a slightly more ambitious but noticeably less polished experience than The New Order. Overall, I think it has a very solid skeleton but there's multiple smaller things that drag it down as well as one big one: I think the level design is almost undeniably worse than Order and can be quite disorienting. Which is especially frustrating when it comes to tracking down those enemies that can call for reinforcements. Stealth, as simple as it was before, also doesn't feel as viable anymore. About halfway through I lowered the difficulty and played it almost like Doom without any regrets.

The story feels similar: There's some really good shit reminiscent of Order but the core narrative feels like it was made by a different team entirely. The first game wasn't devoid of levity but it treated the subject matter as serious as it could without feeling overly dour or too self-important. Colossus on the other hand is gratuitous (in the best way possible) but at the same time seems to constantly poke fun at the mere promise. Like, I know that all of this is absolutely bonkers. I don't need the game to tell me that. It doesn't just jump over the shark, it double somersaults over it and lands in a split. The Order and Colossus, in terms of tone, feel almost as different from each other as Man in the High Castle and Iron Sky.

I really really liked Order and 100% it, being invested in the gameplay, story and characters from beginning to end (and different beginning to different end). Colossus I ran through guns blazing for the most part, completely disconnected from what was happening on screen at times, merely the mechanic interaction with it serving as a driving force. I don't think I will touch it again. Not sure if I will bother with Youngblood either. So while I actually did have some fun with it, I can't help but be somewhat disappointed.

1. Dragon Quest V
2. Super Mario Galaxy 2
3. Banjo-Kazooie
4. Myst
5. The Artful Escape
6. Kirby Planet Robobot
7. Death's Door
8. Star Fox 64 3D
9. Splatoon
10. Far: Changing Tides
11. Monument Valley 2+
12. Kirby and the Forgotten Land
13. The Last Friend
14. The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures
15. Yoku's Island Express
16. Metroid Dread
17. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
18. Trek to Yomi
19. Rayman Legends
20. Cosmic Star Heroine
21. Eiyuden Chronicles: Rising
22. Asura's Wrath
23. Assassin's Creed Origins
24. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge
25. Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth
26. Kill It With Fire
27. Star Wars Squadrons
28. Portal
29. House Flipper
30: Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
 
1. Final Fantasy XIV Online [ PC ] - Stormblood 4.1 - 4.5 / Shadowbringers - 5.5 / Endwalker 6.1
(A Realm Reborn - Heavensward - Stormblood) - 9 ~ 10
(Shadowbringers) - 8
(Endwalker) - 6
2. WarioWare: Get It Together! [ Switch ] - 7.5
3. Castlevania: Circle of the Moon ( Replay ) [ Switch ] - 10
4. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD ( Replay ) [ Switch ] - 8
5. Dolphin Blue - 8
6. Metal Slug 6 - 8
7. Pokemon Legends Arceus [ Switch ] - 6.5
8. Kirby and the Forgotten Land [ Switch ]
9. Genital Jousting [ PC ] - 7
10. Tales of Arise [ PC ] - 5
11. Tales of Destiny: Director's Cut - 8.5
12. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze ( Replay ) [ Switch ] - 9.8
13. Annalynn [ PC ]
14. Troubleshooter: Abandoned Children + White Lion and Black Witch Episode [ PC ] - 9
15-21. CAPCOM Beat 'Em Up Bundle [ Switch ]
Final Fight - 6
Captain Commando - 8
The King of Dragons - 7
Knights of the Round - 6.5
Warriors of Fate - 5
Armored Warriors - 10
Battle Circuit - 8.5
22 - 24. Valis the Fantasm Soldier Collection [ Switch ]
Valis: The Fantasm Soldier - 10
Valis II - 7
Valis III - 9
25. Alice: Madness Returns [ PC ] - 7
26. Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon [ 3DS ] - 9
27. King of Fighters XV [ PC ] - 12 Story runs
28. Resident Evil 2 (1998) - Claire A / Leon B - 10
29. Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun [ PC ] - 9
30. Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun Aiko's Choice [ PC ] - 10
31. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge [ PC ] - 7
32. Resident Evil 3 (1999) - 8
33. Resident Evil 7 [ PC ] - 6
34. Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below [ PC ] - 7
35. The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors [ Switch ] - 8
36. Gunborg: Dark Matters [ Switch ] - 7
37. Resident Evil 2 (2019) [ PC ] - Claire A - 7
38. Resident Evil 3 (2020) [ PC ] - 8
39. Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure [ PC ] - 8.5

*Fire Emblem Fates [ 3DS ] - Played through the DLC levels, which big-ish thing are the 6 levels of the children cast.

I think games can say a lot about ourselves, even realize things we didn't knew. Fates is one of those games, where it shows how I can take from a pretty mediocre to weirdly bad story as long as the gameplay is really good, for the most part anyways, I do have limits, like I can't stomach TMS, for example. Fates has wacky characters on the deep end of their insanity and troupes, which is an improvement over Awakening, where the troupy characters were so boring, and the story is played completely straight that is not enjoyable. It also tells me what I always valued the most from this series, which was the gameplay, is something that is kind of hazy with the GBA and Radiant games, since those games on top of the great gameplay, also had competent to good stories and characters within them. Is comparable to things I realize about Xenoblade now in the Switch era, I valued the most that it was something unique and different, both 1 and X, Switch era Xenoblade homogenizes the art direction, reducing a novel start of a franchise to RPGs which artstyle looks very generic but with more budget than the norm, added to it a lot more questionable writing and general game direction, I don't particularly love the gameplay of these games, so taking away what was their core to me makes me uninterested in them. Back to Fire Emblem it means that no matter how much more interesting Valentia might seem in its story, the gameplay is so lackluster that I wouldn't be able to put myself through it, I gave up after a handful of hours of it. And why I'll never touch Three Houses, unless idk I get it for free.

Fire Emblem Fates also stands currently as the last bastion of Fire Emblem design with no extra fluff, no real elements of exploration, free roaming, or anything that really doesn't add anything to the strategy game, and sometimes even takes away from it, like dungeon crawling sinking the level design potential of Valentia. Not to say that an open world or something akin to that can't add to a strategy game, but I don't see FE going that far to make it work. In some ways is funny that the My Castle feature in Fates is by far the best implementation of such system, the way you arrange your stores is how your units will come out during the special skirmishes, the small size means you can go straight to the next chapter with no delays, and it serves a function of item supplying, is a slightly less pure menu presentation of something like the barracks in PoR, but without sacrificing the convenience and with the lack of time wasting elements like the monastery from Three Houses and all of Valentia.

When I speak positively of Fates, I mostly mean Conquest and Revelation. Birthright is one of the worst of the franchise, a somehow even less interesting game design wise than Awakening (yea I kind of don't like that game). thanks in part to how broken Ryoma is, which only positives compared to Awakening is the fact that it has the universal improvements to the pair up system and the like. It kind of says a lot that despite all 3 paths having the same amount of levels, my first playthrough of Birthright took me only 16 hours compared to the almost 30 of Conquest, which is not even the real amount of Conquest since it doesn't take into account the amount of resets I had to go through because of the excellent challenge.

Revelation is a different kind of Fire Emblem, mostly relying on level gimmicks alongside a good enough level design that isn't insanely challenging to provide some leeway to said gimmicks, is not amazing but is a pretty good FE game still.

Conquest then is pure classic Fire Emblem excellence, is a linear journey, where the only extra skirmishes are the handful you can do in the Castle, plus paralogues, you can't really grind, so everything matters as you progress chapter by chapter, all of this elevated by arguably the best challenge and level design the series has seen, bonus points for having the best final boss of the bunch in a series that is often hit or miss with designing them, instead of an overtly tanky monster that only a handful of characters can damage, I get a level where one has to keep moving forward, plenty of obstacles, and a simpler yet still pretty powerful end foe, the fact that they did all this and it was an archer of all classes for a final fight is nothing short of amazing, and again, a display that when they actually want to, they can make a proper strategy experience.

And then there is what played recently, the other DLC stuff, I died more times and had to put more brain power in the beach level than anything in Awakening and Birthright. The children story line makes for an interesting case of Fire Emblem having a more purely strategy based level design without the RPG elements like class management, inventory management, level ups, and having your units chosen for you, even if it still retains the hit percentages, and the other elements from FE combat, is not something super challenging but it is satisfying to play through, with enough choice to approach the objectives, since is not just, routing the enemy, and the level design works very well for that multiple strategic approach thing. And further cements Lost in Thoughts All Alone as my favorite Fire Emblem main theme.

Me and Fire Emblem Fates have a complicated relationship, mostly tied to the writing, it could have been just Conquest, making the writing of Nohr much more tight and satisfying, since the set up itself is not that dissimilar from Daein from the Radiant games, and more frustrating is the fact that it does have highlights, Elise is great, and Xander is pretty much one of, if not the best lord of the series character wise. Even all Birthright does is make Nohr the superior nation, the supports could have had much more interesting scenarios than what they are now, among other things.

Still, wouldn't doubt any day to replay through Conquest and Revelation.

Why did I wrote all of this? 1. I don't want to make threads. 2. Feel like nobody actually reads these posts, so I feel free to go on some tangent, say "fuck it" to the structure of my post and throw others games under the bus. 3. I wanted to get Fates thoughts out of my head.

Lost in the Waves is such a fantastic track.

40. Strider (2014) [ PC ] - 8.5

If Metroidvanias were just inspired by the Metroid series and games like this, Circle of the Moon, and Demon's Crest instead of Symphony of the Night, I would have more games to play. A really good game, Strider feels so smooth to control, fast paced, solid level design, could have done with more enemy variety, but otherwise, really great.

41. Resident Evil 0 [ PC ] - 7

Partner mechanic could have been more expanded upon, the core idea of having 2 characters you can send off or go together through a fixed camera RE design has a lot of possibilities, but is not fully taken advantage of, that said the train segment and the initial training facility are great, the game loses some steam where it goes more linear, in large part due to the inventory system, the idea of leaving things on the floor is neat and it works really well when the game is designed as a sort of square that you can essentially circle back to, but in the linear/hallway segments it becomes a chore doing a lot of back and forth just to get all the items you need to another room. Boss fights have interesting designs and concepts, but the execution is not the best for the control you are given, not to say that the fixed camera games are too limited, really the perfect example of a cool boss fight you can craft with that style is Lisa Trevor in REmake. In 0 the bat is incredibly annoying due to the aiming, which makes it so the only reliable way you can deal with it is stun lock it with the grenade launcher, and the final boss being a bit of a mess, plus the second phase having you rely in somewhat dodgy AI, which is something I managed to get through by a form of lock on the enemy as well. Still a good game all things considered, and there is nothing quite as good in the series as the mood and ambiance the fixed camera games provide, even if the first Revelations tried well enough in some areas.

42. Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors [ PC ] - 10

Ya know, going into this with some knowledge of scenes from VLR, and the Somnium Files games, I was expecting 999 to be more akin in its script to something like Danganronpa than a Ace Attorney/Ghost Trick/Kyle Hyde game, boy am I glad to be wrong. It still has moments of janky uh "comedy" but is pretty sparse, in part to how tight, concise, short yet well paced the whole package is, novel segments get the info they need to provide out of the way quickly and it only gets somewhat extensive when you get all your revelations back to back in the endgame, most of the playtime feels spent in well designed escape rooms with plenty of fun logic puzzles, which gives it that sort of Ghost Trick/Hotel Dusk quality. It might have the most unnatural conversations ever when every character goes into the most bizarre tangent to explain something to you that is key to understanding the entire story and its themes, but I take this over other kinds of interactions honestly.

What an excellent game, and will probably be the peak for me from Uchikoshi.
 
#XenoBonus. Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition - Future Connected

The "Extra Story" included on the Definitive Edition, Future Connected tells the story of what happened with Alcamoth after the events of Xenoblade1. It's pretty much a simplified Xenoblade experience, featuring the basic gameplay and exploration from the main game but with less mechanics and a much shorter length (took me around 15 hours, doing every quest). It's actually pretty fun and a nice add-on to the original.

I particularly liked how many of the story events built off from optional quests of the original game, which means that the Xenoblade canon route is actually the 100% route! Hence, canon Shulk probably spent hours trying to fill his Collectopedia while the world was exploding, which is a fun thought to have.
 
Doing my July list a couple days early since I know that I won't be finishing any games over the weekend.

July-
29. Ghost of Tsushima (PS5)- At first it was a slow start, and then I started to get worn out trying to do everything on the first island/section. After I decided to stick with the campaign everything got so much better. Combat was tough, but fun and rewarding. Hopefully the sequel will be much better.

30. Banjo-Kazooie (Switch)- All time classic. So glad I was able to replay this beautiful game

31. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim (PS4)- Long game. There was sooooo much dialogue to go through, especially between chapters 1 and 2. I'll be honest, I barely understood half of the story lol. Combat missions were fun. At the end, my team felt super OP.

32. Psycho Dream (Switch)- I was looking for something random to play in the middle of a flight so I pulled this from the NSO. A JP exclusive SNES side-scroller. I had a good time. I probably used the rewind function too much, but it was a fun little romp.

33. Stray (PS5)- There was a lot of hype leading up to this game and it delivered. A beautiful but dark setting. It was just the right amount of length. It also helps that it was a PS Extra game.


August is going to be mostly Xenoblade Chronicles 3, but I do have Yoshi's Island going on the side.
 
Just finished another, so here's my updated full list:

1. Pokemon Legends: Arceus
2. Triangle Strategy
3. Kirby and the Forgotten Land
4. AI: The Somnium Files
5. Trails in the Sky
6. Trails in the Sky SC
7. Death's Door
8. Luigi's Mansion 3
9. Trails in the Sky the 3rd
10. Zero Escape 999
11. Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes (Black Eagles)
12. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim

I can already see the future confusion with numbers 12 and 13 right next to each other like that, haha. I mentioned it in the general thread, but I enjoyed the fragmented storytelling from this game. The tutorial was a bit of a slog, but I began enjoying it a lot more once I was free to do what I wanted. Combat was cool as well, but not necessarily the main appeal. I'll keep an eye out for whatever Vanillaware does next!
 
Abzeronow said:
18. Shining Force II. Better than the first game. Very enjoyable SRPG.
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19. Lord Winklebottom Investigates. Short-ish point and click mystery game. I liked the 1920s aesthetic and it has character. Gameplay was mostly good, a few puzzles took a while to figure out.
 
1) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (Switch)
2) Star Wars: Battlefront 2 (Xbox Series S)
3) Psychonauts 2 (Xbox Series S)
4) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (NSO)
5) Dungeon Encounters (Switch)
6) No More Heroes 3 (Switch)
7) Triangle Strategy (Switch)
8) Kirby & the Forgotten Land (Switch)
9) Pokemon Legends Arceus (Switch)
10) Metroid Dread (Switch)
11) Triangle Strategy (Switch)
12) Mass Effect 1 [Legendary Edition] (Xbox Series S)
13) Mass Effect 2 [Legendary Edition]
(Xbox Series S)
14) Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes (Switch)
15) Live A Live (Switch)
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this. Aesthetically I thought it was excellent, and I like how they adjusted 2D-HD to fit with the game's own style. I liked the variety of content and settings, even if the two most 'traditional' RPG chapters were probably my favourite of the bunch. I think that the game's final chapter needed further modernisation, really; but I think despite the other chapters being a little uneven, the game's central idea and the variation from chapter to chapter really kept me involved and entertained for most of the game's run.
Final chapter: repetitive dungeons without mini-maps are a nightmare for me with fatigue because I can't keep track of me coming and going; only being able to change your party by manually relocating each member is a time-wasting farce; while I loved the story shift from the Middle Ages chapter, I'd have liked Lucrece to have more unique challenges and locations given you've thoroughly explored that map in the Middle Ages chapter and already done a fair bit of wandering around it - after the varied settings of the first 8 chapters, immediately retreading that same ground for the final quarter or so of the game felt a bit dull to me.

A fascinating history lesson, though, and I'm glad I got it. I'll continue chipping away at Sunbreak, but Xenoblade Chronicles 3 awaits. I suspect it will be a long time before I add that to my completion list...
 
Previously:
01 — New Pokémon Snap (8.0)
02 — OlliOlli World (6.5)
03 — McPixel (8.0)
04 — Nintendo Switch Sports (6.0)
05 — Diablo Immortal (4.0)
06 — Air Twister (6.5)
07 — The Quarry (7.0)
08 — Hotline Miami Collection (8.5)
09 — Mass Effect Legendary Edition (7.5)
Click to expand...

10 — Bayonetta (8.0)
It was interesting to play this and its sequel back-to-back; although the two share many similarities, each has its own unique approach. The first Bayo is a little more puzzly and has more mix-ups in combat, like having to finish a fight in a certain time. Pretty quick QTE prompts that can instantly murder you and ruin your ranking are harsh and kind of unfair, but they are also very funny to fail, which counts for a lot in my book!

11 — Bayonetta 2 (9.0)
A colourful sequel to the original, literally and figuratively. Environments are a lot more varied, combat feels smoother and more responsive than before, and the post-game content is fantastic. Throw in one of the best dang battle systems in video games, and you have a Very Good Video Game. Lots of wild one-off action segments! The battle timers, enemies who can only be hit in Witch Time etc are compartmentalized in optional challenges this game, which I personally love. It’s pretty astounding how much better Bayonetta 2 looks than its predecessor, not just artistically speaking but also in shear polygons. It made me think about how this is actually a Wii U game that was ported to the Switch! Who knows how good Bayo 3 will look?

Now Playing
The Great Ace Attorney Adventures
 
1. Final Fantasy XIV Online [ PC ] - Stormblood 4.1 - 4.5 / Shadowbringers - 5.5 / Endwalker 6.1
(A Realm Reborn - Heavensward - Stormblood) - 9 ~ 10
(Shadowbringers) - 8
(Endwalker) - 6
2. WarioWare: Get It Together! [ Switch ] - 7.5
3. Castlevania: Circle of the Moon ( Replay ) [ Switch ] - 10
4. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD ( Replay ) [ Switch ] - 8
5. Dolphin Blue - 8
6. Metal Slug 6 - 8
7. Pokemon Legends Arceus [ Switch ] - 6.5
8. Kirby and the Forgotten Land [ Switch ]
9. Genital Jousting [ PC ] - 7
10. Tales of Arise [ PC ] - 5
11. Tales of Destiny: Director's Cut - 8.5
12. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze ( Replay ) [ Switch ] - 9.8
13. Annalynn [ PC ]
14. Troubleshooter: Abandoned Children + White Lion and Black Witch Episode [ PC ] - 9
15-21. CAPCOM Beat 'Em Up Bundle [ Switch ]
Final Fight - 6
Captain Commando - 8
The King of Dragons - 7
Knights of the Round - 6.5
Warriors of Fate - 5
Armored Warriors - 10
Battle Circuit - 8.5
22 - 24. Valis the Fantasm Soldier Collection [ Switch ]
Valis: The Fantasm Soldier - 10
Valis II - 7
Valis III - 9
25. Alice: Madness Returns [ PC ] - 7
26. Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon [ 3DS ] - 9
27. King of Fighters XV [ PC ] - 12 Story runs
28. Resident Evil 2 (1998) - Claire A / Leon B - 10
29. Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun [ PC ] - 9
30. Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun Aiko's Choice [ PC ] - 10
31. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge [ PC ] - 7
32. Resident Evil 3 (1999) - 8
33. Resident Evil 7 [ PC ] - 6
34. Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below [ PC ] - 7
35. The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors [ Switch ] - 8
36. Gunborg: Dark Matters [ Switch ] - 7
37. Resident Evil 2 (2019) [ PC ] - Claire A - 7
38. Resident Evil 3 (2020) [ PC ] - 8
39. Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure [ PC ] - 8.5
40. Strider (2014) [ PC ] - 8.5
41. Resident Evil 0 [ PC ] - 7
42. Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors [ PC ] - 10

43. Virtue's Last Reward [ PC ] - 8
44. Zero Time Dilemma [ 3DS ] - 8

Sadly I couldn't score the Zero Escape trilogy with a 9, 9, and 9, truly the greatest tragedy. VLR is more Zero Escape, exponentially more, which is both a positive and a negative, dialogue can be more bloated with filler, misfired attempts at humor, and a lot of pretty useless bad ends, compared to 999, where all the non true routes at least gave some extra information and fleshed out more of the story, but you gotta do them because who doesn't want to fill out the flowchart, also has exponentially more twists, is kind of ridiculous but still in a positive way for the most part, with some kind of questionable points here and there,
the biggest twist in the knife being the cliffhanger ending
, also the game is really ugly, a big step down from the simple yet effective drawings of 999 characters, and the backgrounds. ZTD is probably the best one gameplay wise, the flowchart actually acts as a pretty cool puzzle, and escape rooms are some of the trilogy's best. Cutscenes are pretty rough animation wise, but the style of the models and the general art of the game is pretty coo. It keeps the level of ridiculousness that VLR had, gives some good payoffs to plot threads across the trilogy, and some other out there twists. Characters are for the most part good, D team is great, C team, at least it had Carlos
feel bad for Junpei
, Q team had Q, Eric and Mira are definitely less Zero Escape characters and more so Danganronpa characters if you know what I mean. Kinda wish the real time cutscenes had a format where I could just press a button to move forward to the next dialogue bit, because it definitely slows down some of its pacing that way, even if it has to an extent less filler than VLR, besides Eric and Mira. Still both are great games, just not on the level of 999.

Morphogenetic Sorrow, Blue Bird Lamentation, and Ustulate Pathos are peak music from their respective games.
Luna and Diana are the best characters of the trilogy.
 
August 4th: Xenoblade Chronicles 3 - 10/10

So, a little over a month ago I wrote about AI: The Somnium Files - nirvanA Initiative, how awesome I thought it was, and how "as far as GOTY discussions go, every single game following it will be shivering in trepidation".

So, uuuh, about that...

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a revelation, it's a note: a tender, vibrating note of a flute reverberating and echoing throughout the vivid world of gaming.

It's not only an immaculate JRPG with all the ingredients that entails a game worthy of a superlative of that caliber: engrossing, engaging combat and intricate, strategically sound mechanics: a world as gorgeous as it is distinct and impressive, well written side stories, the gist. It goes beyond that. It's something more, prettier, bigger, better, like a dish with that extra seasoning that just makes the game... wait for it.... chef's kiss

It's something else. It's sprawling, like a world and a story that wants so desperately to burst through the cartridge, or the 12GB of storage space. The combat really is that satisfying (if maybe a bit repetitive towards the end) the world really is that beautiful (if maybe a bit linear) the characters really are that amazingly written (well, not all of them) and the sidequests really are that awesome. (no complaints here though)

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a game that will stay with me for what I believe will be a very, very long time.

Often, when writing about these 10's I've played this year so far, it tends to be technical, mechanical: this game is greatly executed, this game is well made... etc etc. But some 10's are rare 10's, the ones that resonates deeper inside, that touches something within you that makes the game a truly personal experience. This is Xenoblade Chronicles 3 for me. I've been through hard times recently. Torn apart, in more ways than one. I'm still reeling. I often feel trapped. But I keep at it.. I resolve to see better days. And I'm proud of that.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 feels like a sort of personal video game representation of these emotions, and I'll in the future see it as a window to time to this stage I'm at in my life. The adventures these characters undertakes during the at times exhausting 50 hour adventure, the places they go, the emotions they feel ... they spoke to me, they resonated, but most of all, they made me reflect upon what is happening to me beyond the TV screen. Such is the power of art, and Xenoblade Chronicles 3 embodies nothing if not the true nature of art.

Games played 2022:

First time:
1. January 3rd - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild randomizer (10/10)
2. January 16th - Tales of Xillia, First time finishing it (8/10)
3. February 3rd - Final Fantasy VIII, First time finishing it (8/10)
4. March 8th - Tales of Arise (8/10)
5. March 12th - Unpacking (8/10)
6. March 31st - Kirby and the Forgotten Land (9/10)
7. May 3rd - OPUS: Echo of Starsong (10/10)
8. May 10th - Piano (Nintendo Labo Variety Kit) (10/10)
9. June 26th - AI: The Somnium Files - nirvanA Initiative (10/10)
10. July 18th - Portal (9/10)

Replays:
1. January 6th - NieR: Automata, Ending E (10/10)
2. January 8th - NieR: Replicant, Ending A (8.5/10)
3. January 22nd - Xenoblade Chronicles X (9.5/10)
4. January 29th - Final Fantasy IX (10/10)
5. February 6th - Final Fantasy VII (9/10)
6. March 22nd - The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD (10/10)
7. March 26th - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 10/10)
8. April 17th - 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim (Switch port) 10/10)
9. May 17th - Super Mario World (NSO) (10/10)
10. May 20th - The Legend of Zelda (NSO) (10/10)
 
Just wrapped up Digimon Cyberslueth (original). Will definitely play hackers memories at a later date.

I should really compile my list in here shouldn’t u
 
70. Outrun 2 (Xbox) [10/10]

Haven't beaten a game in over a month, but I've almost beaten a lot of long ones. Outrun 2 is good enough to completely steal my attention. A stunning achievement of a game that still looks good on original hardware and that feels like you could play forever. The hot young girlfriend mode and the hot wife modes are the highlight, but the mission mode and unlockables are a great idea to help build your skills. I should buy a Ferrari
 
1. Pokemon Legends: Arceus
2. Triangle Strategy
3. Kirby and the Forgotten Land
4. AI: The Somnium Files
5. Trails in the Sky
6. Trails in the Sky SC
7. Death's Door
8. Luigi's Mansion 3
9. Trails in the Sky the 3rd
10. Zero Escape 999
11. Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes (Black Eagles)
12. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
13. Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward

Man, I really binged this one. I think I started it on Monday before finishing last night. VLR does many things well but overall, I think I liked 999 more.

Twilight said:
Sadly I couldn't score the Zero Escape trilogy with a 9, 9, and 9, truly the greatest tragedy. VLR is more Zero Escape, exponentially more, which is both a positive and a negative, dialogue can be more bloated with filler, misfired attempts at humor, and a lot of pretty useless bad ends, compared to 999, where all the non true routes at least gave some extra information and fleshed out more of the story, but you gotta do them because who doesn't want to fill out the flowchart, also has exponentially more twists, is kind of ridiculous but still in a positive way for the most part, with some kind of questionable points here and there,
the biggest twist in the knife being the cliffhanger ending
, also the game is really ugly, a big step down from the simple yet effective drawings of 999 characters, and the backgrounds.
Click to expand...

I think you summed it up pretty well. One other thing I noticed is that sometimes, the "right" answer for the AB choices felt kind of... obvious? I mean that in a lot of the bad endings, I knew that there was no good reason for me to make that choice other than to fill out the chart. I feel that it would be more interesting if there was real motivation for making choices that lead to a bad ending. Sometimes there was a little bit of that, but many times it was pointless. Despite those things, and hating Dio with passion, it was still a really good game. The escape rooms were generally great and the story became more exciting as I kept piecing things together.

After I finished VLR yesterday, I tried to jump right into ZTD, and it's... different. I'm sure I'll get used to it. I only played around 30 minutes before telling myself I need a break, so I'll play some other games in the meantime and get back to it later.
 
Abzeronow said:
19. Lord Winklebottom Investigates. Short-ish point and click mystery game. I liked the 1920s aesthetic and it has character. Gameplay was mostly good, a few puzzles took a while to figure out.
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20. Dark Souls Remastered. There were moments that definitely felt trying but I beat it. Switch port is not ideal but worked enough for me. Glad I was able to experience this.
 
1) F1 2021 (PS5)
2) Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (3DS)
3) Pokémon: Shining Pearl (NSW)
4) Spider-Man Remastered (PS5)
5) Banjo-Kazooie (NSW)
6) Pokémon Legends: Arceus (NSW)
7) Gran Turismo 7 (PS5)
8) Dirt 5 (PS5)
9) Kirby Super Star (NSW)
10) Excitebike 64 (Wii U)
11) Nintendo Switch Sports (NSW)
12) Card Shark (NSW)
13) Elec Head (NSW)
14) Portal (NSW)

15) Beat Saber (Quest 2)
Rolled credits after beating the last mission of the Campaign mode. The missions were an interesting mix of different requirements. There were your standard score and combo missions, but the more interesting ones involved intentionally missing a certain number of notes while not failing, or keeping your combo beneath a certain limit, or disappearing notes. It teaches you to think outside the box and not freak out after making mistakes. It basically teaches you how to handle the game at higher difficulties. It’s definitely the most interesting single player mode in any rhythm game I’ve ever played.

As for the game itself, it’s absolutely brilliant. It’s a mix of DDR and Guitar Hero, and it just works. It makes you feel like an badass while making you look like an absolute fool to anyone not wearing the headset. Beat Saber is practically a perfect game. It’s definitely the most fun you can have in VR.
 
0
Completed Tales From the Borderlands Man i was missing out before loved the writing and it was just overall a great time.
 
14. Bowser's Fury

I finished 3D World last year but never got around to Bowser's Fury, so I'm listing it as it's own entry. It's certainly not very long, but I think the short length mixes well with the core mechanic of Bowser repeatedly getting big. That might get really repetitive over the course of a full 3D Mario game, but I never got tired of it here. Also, the music was one of the highlights for me. Mario OSTs are always great, but I was surprised by how I especially enjoyed this one.

I only just hit the credits, but it looks like there's plenty of shines I can still collect. I'm calling it complete for now just for the sake of keeping my list going. This seems like a good game I can play in short bursts while I work through others!
 
19.) Yoshi’s island
I’ve never beaten the original yoshis island before. Something i finally corrected thanks to NSO. And i have to say, of the yoshi games i played, its my second favorite behind woolly world. The game can be a challenge, which i appreciate, but some times it veers to far into unfair bullshit territory, relying on enemies that hit you from off screen or just as you enter a new screen. The castles tend to drag on for a little too long as well. But the highs are still pretty damn high. It feels great. Has great art and music. And a truly epic final boss.

20.) Crysis
I finally got around to playing this on series x, id only ever played crysis 2 on the ps3 before this. And it was okay, i think the second game is much better. The first half really shines, where you feel like the predator. Grabbing dudes and chucking them into walls, but once it introduces the ceph, the game becomes tedious. Thankfully they made the aliens alot more fun to fight in 2.

21.) Batman Arkham city
This was a joy to to go back to, city really is a major gameplay improvement over asylum, but in many ways its lacking the superb atmosphere that asylum has. And the small open gotham ulitmatley feels underwhelming. In fact, arkham city as a concept feels completely ham fisted, its like rock steady wanted to do open gotham, but couldnt due to the processing power of the ps360, so they settled on this non sensical idea of a prison city instead


22.) Saints row IV
First time ever beating this, and what can i say? Its a fun, dumb, great time. It was a treat to get to spend more time with the great characters of saints row the third, and this game in many ways is a better crack down sequel than crackdown 3 was

23.) Super Mario World
What is their to say about this game that hasnt been said!? Its an unadulterated classic. It was the first video game i ever played on our families super nintendo and ive played it to completion many times before. Its one of my favorite games of all time and it will never get old

24.) Assassins creed 3
Definitely wasn’t as engaging as 2, brotherhood, or revelations. And it felt way more bloated to boot. It takes about 6 hours too long to get going, but once it does connors story (not desmonds) is intriguing enough to see to its end. On top of that, the checkbox nature of boston and new york was enjoyable enough that i got every almanac page, feather, and trinket. The trading and crafting system is too convoluted for its own good. Combat was an absolute blast though.
 
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*8. Kirby and the Forgotten Land [ Switch ] - 8 - Finished the extra world, and tried the true arena.

Honestly, what might brings down Forgotten Land the most might be the fact that is 3D, not to say the game doesn't work in this format, far from it, is a pretty good conversion all things considered, but it takes away more than it gives to the series, without it being a fundamental shift.

Two easy examples come to mind, Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time. Mario abandoned the level format when going 3D, opted for a sandbox type design and all that, I can't completely compare it to the 2D games because they are so dramatically different despite still being Mario. Ocarina of Time, opted to continue the A Link to the Past template, but it brought everything with it and then added more on top. And even something like Breath of the Wild, abandons certain elements to bring a new experience, and in other aspects has less for more, it doesn't have as many enemies as previous games for example, but the level of interaction and their AI is dramatically superior to most of the franchise's roster.

So then what is Forgotten Land? Is a 3D Return to Dreamland style game, with a lesser roster of enemies, lesser arsenal of abilities, and those abilities have nerfed movesets, which really pale when compared to the previous game Star Allies, without and then with DLC, features the most fun abilities and movesets from the series. And that which takes away isn't compensated by anything, even the upgrading of abilities isn't a concept new to the series, and those were games where those abilities weren't gimped. Whatever praises that go to the presentation or detail isn't something that a 2D game can't replicate, they are good elements for sure, but they aren't elements that I can only credit to a 3D game.

There are also some, guess I'll call them sins, that kind of rub me the wrong way, the gacha of figurines in itself is ok, there has been stuff like that before, like the key chains, but I don't appreciate that boss descriptions, the lore some of us care about a lot, is stuck behind these, when it was something you could easily check in the pause menu, they also take away ability descriptions away from it, like why? Is much more cumbersome to go to the Waddle Dee shop to maybe get a tip on what to do with a given power, they are annoyances that weren't present before in the series.

I said I tried the true arena, and I'll ruffle some feathers, but hey, is how I feel. Kirby is a pretty accessible series, I don't mind the easy difficulty, I still very much have a ton of fun with these games, there is a fairly challenging aspect to them tho, that became prevalent since Super Star Ultra if memory doesn't fail me (Boss rushes have been there before but not presented in this manner), that is the True Arena, back to back encounters of the hardest versions of the bosses across the game, with a few surprises thrown in, I absolutely love it, my heart pumping like mad when I'm fighting the last boss and a wrong move might kill me, is exhilarating, accentuated by the fact that, if you lose, is back to the start, I love that tension, the entire RtD saga features one of these. And this is an aspect where Forgotten Land losses me a bit, I did the arena, is kind of pathetically easy because of the upgrade system, you can break weapons so hard, and even then stuff like gun and sword already give such a huge advantage, is no longer the grand test of reflexes and pattern recognition than the previous games were, everything goes down fast, anyways, reached the final final battle, where it could redeem itself, and it kind of does, is a pretty cool final phase, I die, but then the game gives me a prompt to just retry the fight for 100 coins, and I'm like sad dunkey asking why? Idk, I don't feel like I'm earning my victory anymore when I just get a retry button, I liked this mode because it was a challenge that one could only finish it by a constant of improvement and practice, until you pretty much learn your way through the entire thing, something separated from the main game for that desire of a grand challenge, so I don't think I'll complete this one.

I hope that whatever comes next for Kirby if it sticks to 3D, is that it brings back everything from the 2D games, or goes in a different direction and they keep making 2D titles for that special brand of character action game that Kirby has.

45. Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga [ PC ] - 9

Some people play Triangle Strategy, maybe Three Hopes, etc. I spend my time with strategy games currently with Troubleshooter, and now this.

Symphony of War is an impressive little game, combat is a blend of some Advance Wars (with the occupy bases), Ogre Battle (the army system), and Fire Emblem (the main gameplay loop). The main thing is the army system, every character unit has a squad, which can be customized, each with a different class that can be changed, min max what you like, etc. It has a surprising amount of depth, and is neat to see armies in the combat animations being a proper mechanic. It also has a very interesting difficulty curve, is not a progressively harder game for the most part, a good chunk of chapters at the start do get harder, but there is sets of much easier ones, then back to hard, and so on, and is all depending on the story context, something I haven't seen in another game like this on the scale of the whole adventure, and it makes sense. Near the end of a war, if the opposing units are losing, they most likely don't have as much resources or soldiers anymore, so getting to the end of that bit is much easier, contextually and gameplay wise, because they can't afford much more, is bits like that which elevate Symphony of War from a pretty good strategy game to having some legendary moments, like chapter 12. All of that despite the pretty simple story and characters, this game has a support system, but it feels like an after thought despite a handful of fun convos.

Really enjoyed my time with this one, a great stage by stage strategy game, only a handful of extra levels for some upgrades and new units, any optional grind can only be done through the arena which you need to collect coins in the levels or buy off the bazaar, which is more of a means to be a helping hand rather than feeling like I need to go out of my way to level my units to be at an adequate level. And no more extra fluff than that.

46. Last Window: The Secret of Cape West ( Replay ) - 10 - Second time I have finished this.
47. Hotel Dusk: Room 215 ( Replay ) [ DS ] - 10 - Might be my 6th? maybe 7th time I finished this one, been years.

If given the option, I would definitely exchange some developers to bring back the Cing games under Nintendo, absolutely glorious games that nobody else comes close to replicating their unique feel, atmosphere, and characters. There are few things as absolute kino as
the close the DS
puzzles. I miss Kyle man, now time to replay Another Code/Trace Memory, and finally get around playing the sequel, damn you NoA.
 
I finished a mobile game, Tiny Room Stories: Town Mystery, which doesn't happen often but I'm on holidays and didn't take any other handheld device with me

It's a fun little mystery game (pun unintended), think Myst in diorama settings that you can spin around. The story is nothing special but everything is "light" enough to make for an entertaining time waster. Most of the puzzles are just the right amount of difficult that you don't feel like you're just breezing through the game and there's some actual head scratchers in there. The first out of three acts is free if anyone is interested in trying it out themselves.

1. Dragon Quest V
2. Super Mario Galaxy 2
3. Banjo-Kazooie
4. Myst
5. The Artful Escape
6. Kirby Planet Robobot
7. Death's Door
8. Star Fox 64 3D
9. Splatoon
10. Far: Changing Tides
11. Monument Valley 2+
12. Kirby and the Forgotten Land
13. The Last Friend
14. The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures
15. Yoku's Island Express
16. Metroid Dread
17. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
18. Trek to Yomi
19. Rayman Legends
20. Cosmic Star Heroine
21. Eiyuden Chronicles: Rising
22. Asura's Wrath
23. Assassin's Creed Origins
24. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge
25. Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth
26. Kill It With Fire
27. Star Wars Squadrons
28. Portal
29. House Flipper
30. Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
31. Tiny Room Stories: Town Mystery
 
15. Axiom Verge 2

It's been a whole 5 years since I played the original Axiom Verge, but I still remember it as one of my favorite indie metroidvanias. The sequel puts a stronger emphasis on exploration than combat; in AV1, I would get stuck re-trying boss fights multiple times, whereas in AV2, I would get stuck finding where to go next. In fact, combat is almost optional throughout AV2 -- besides some story moments, you don't really have to do any of the boss fights.

Even though I often struggled finding the path forward, the game rewarded me for experimenting with my abilities and exploring different locations. I wasn't necessarily advancing the story during these times, but I collected a lot of upgrades which made traversal and combat much easier. None of my time with the game felt like aimless wandering.

Let's see, other things: the story was a bit over my head, and it didn't seem to have many connections to AV1 (or maybe I just didn't notice.) I don't usually play these kinds of games for the stories though, so it didn't bother me at all. Moving on, the OST was fantastic! I believe Tom Happ writes the music on top of designing the game, so props to him for such a creative soundtrack.

All in all, it was a great game, but I think I still like the original better. AV2 is certainly a worthy sequel to me. 10 hours well-spent!
 
22nd game finished for 2022: Pokemon Unbound! I always like the Pokemon fangames that aren't permanently infernal hardcore difficulty mode; while this does have a few cheap difficulty spikes, overall the game is challenging without requiring min-maxing. Or maybe Metagross is just that good haha (Beldum is one of the starter choices). I activated the edgy mode for the story, and it is pretty amusing and cheesy.

Now, to wait for Scarlet. Or Violet. I haven't picked yet.
 
#16. Super Bomberman R

I used to love Bomberman 64 so I got this game right when the Switch launched, but didn't play it right away because I busy with Breath of the Wild... and then with Mario Odyssey... and then with Celeste... Fire Emblem... Monster Hunter... Xenoblade... uh, well 5 years passed and I still hadn't played the game so I finally decided to get to it...

... and it's just Bomberman. Dunno, it's a fun game but it's not that memorable. The controls are also a bit wonky. I did like the silly cutscenes for the story mode.

Still excited for Bomberman R 2 though, it looks a little more ambitious with the single player stuff.
 
48. Another Code: R - A Journey into Lost Memories - 9
49. Trace Memory ( Replay ) [ DS ] - 9

Cing, between the 2 games from Kyle Hyde and Ashley Robbins, they display arguably some of the best and most impressive uses of the system capabilities from a gameplay perspective, just as good if not better than what could come from a EPD team, can just imagine what cool shit they could have made with the Wii U, or Switch if they were still with us.

Not only these games have really great classic adventure style gameplay and puzzles, they are also wrapped up into stories, worlds and characters that evoke a super unique atmosphere that no other game replicates as far as my knowledge goes, even between these 2 series they are super distinct from each other, despite having the same writer and designer at the helm. Overall I would say I prefer the Kyle games, I feel they have the better puzzle highs and prefer the type of mystery they go for, but the Ashley games are still pretty excellent.

Finally played R, clearly no thanks to Nintendo, and is a great follow up to the original game, the way it uses and contextualizes the Wiimote functions are great, and instead of being this atmospheric isolated adventure piecing together two mysteries, we get a narrative with a more plentiful cast of characters and a more cozy location, the fact that this atmosphere shift happens from one game to another and still feel distinctly like Trace Memory is commendable. Also replayed the first game, this might be my 6? playthrough of this, still a pretty cool, small atmospheric journey. The soundtracks of these two games are super cool too, I clapped when they used some of the first game's music for the last portion of R.

R also has its kino puzzle moment with
the use of the home menu button to get one of the hacking puzzle answers

I miss Cing.
 
71. FRIENDS: The One with All the Trivia (Ps2) [8/10]

Surprisingly this is the only officially licensed FRIENDS console video game. It's a trivia game, but a nice and challenging one. I bet it would be a lot of fun with four other FRIENDS heads to compete with. And the authentic voices of Gunther and Janice is a nice touch.

72. SEGA AGES 2500 Series Vol. 13: OutRun (PS2) [7.5/10]

Sure you could knock this game for looking like shit and actually releasing after OutRun 2, but it's a budget release and cool in an almost ironic way. Crazy that Sega made these remakes. The Arrange mode is more fun than Turbo OutRun.
 
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23rd game knocked out for 2022 and it's a short, free game on Steam called Time Thief. It's an 8-bit Zelda-like running on a timer, and the catch is that you get more time for every enemy you kill. It's simple but well-executed. Controls might be a bit clunky if you're not used to old-school style of movement though.
 
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RustyRascal said:
Am I late to join this.. my numbers are low

1. The Pathless (ps5) Second playrhrough but liked it even more this time. Like an extended Journey mixed with a shortened BotW
2. Uncharted 4 (ps5)
3. Horizon FW (ps5) It's better than the 1st in a lot ways but overall didn't top it for me. Still great
4. Kirby Forgotten Land (NSW) Loved it! Chill time
5. Uncharted Lost Legacy (ps5)
6. Ghostwire Tokyo (ps5) My surprise of the year so far. There's a lot of open world repetition but that world is visually brilliant and the games whole atmosphere had me addicted

I've played more switch stuff than listed here, just nothing I've beaten (mario kart, grindstone, nso stuff, switch sports)
Click to expand...
7. TMNT Shredders Revenge (NSW) Loved it but haven't replayed as much as I did SoR4 8.Portal
9. The Wild at Heart (NSW) It's indie Pikmin and I really liked it
10. Stray (PS5)
11. Portal 2 (NSW) 1st time playing it and its outstanding. Best game I've played this year
 
73. Wave Race 64 (N64) [9/10]

At first when you play this it's a little annoying how the controls work and you wonder why it has the buoy system, but you start to love it once you get the controls down and realize how much the same seven levels can change with different buoy placement. Feels great to ace a run on a hard course. I love the music and its funny that the big guy's butt is one big polygon.
 
Parts The Legend of Zelda, parts Fez, Tunic is one of the most compelling games I have experienced in ages. I respect it for putting a lot of trust in the player to discover and solve the elaborate puzzles by themselves, which could lead to a very frustrating experience if it weren't for the lovingly designed in-game manual. Which is honestly one of the most fascinating uses of, I guess whatever the game-equivalent of metatextuality is? I'd love to go more deeply into it but that would be veering too much into spoiler territory.

The action gameplay I am less enamoured with. I think it's a good blend of Zelda and Souls-like combat but find that the difficulty takes a little away from the game as a whole, more about overcoming challenges through sheer skill rather than ingenuity. In this way I find the two core pillars of the game a bit at odds with each other. It does offer a "god-mode" in the accessibility options if you want to focus on the adventure, though.

That said, aside from overreliance on one kind of puzzle in particular and the aforementioned combat difficulty it's still a brilliantly designed game and one that will easily make my GOTY list for 2022.

  1. Dragon Quest V
  2. Super Mario Galaxy 2
  3. Banjo-Kazooie
  4. Myst
  5. The Artful Escape
  6. Kirby Planet Robobot
  7. Death's Door
  8. Star Fox 64 3D
  9. Splatoon
  10. Far: Changing Tides
  11. Monument Valley 2+
  12. Kirby and the Forgotten Land
  13. The Last Friend
  14. The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures
  15. Yoku's Island Express
  16. Metroid Dread
  17. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
  18. Trek to Yomi
  19. Rayman Legends
  20. Cosmic Star Heroine
  21. Eiyuden Chronicles: Rising
  22. Asura's Wrath
  23. Assassin's Creed Origins
  24. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge
  25. Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth
  26. Kill It With Fire
  27. Star Wars Squadrons
  28. Portal
  29. House Flipper
  30. Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
  31. Tiny Room Stories: Town Mystery
  32. Tunic
 
25. Gunvolt 3: Manage to finish the main story before XB3 came in, Going to return to it but overall a great improvment of 2 as the new mechanics are very satisfying and there is a lot of room to master it (even if the ending is kinda weird)

26. Xenoblade 3: Great and more polished experience than the previous one. Hope they manage to clear somethings in the dlc , but that will have to wait untill 2023

1. Atelier Sophie
2. Dragon Quest 2
3. Castlevania
4. Cogen
5. Luminous Avenger IX 2
6. RCG Zero
7. Infernax
8. Voice of Cards Forsaken Maiden
9. Atelier Sophie 2
10. Grapple Dog
11. Kirby and the Forgotten land
12. Lego Star Wars Skywalker Saga
13. Castlevania AoS
14. Kirby's Dreamland
15. Stanley Parable Deluxe
16. Chrono Cross
17. Tasomachi
18. Seven Pirates H
19. Touken Ranbu Warriors
20. Resident Evil 4
21. TMT SR
22. Overlord
23. FEWTH
24. Hunter X
 
Oh, I have a lot to catch up on here:

6) Sonic the Hedgehog 2
7) Sonic Mania
8) Super Castlevania IV
9) Castlevania Bloodlines
10) Castlevania
11) TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge
12) Castlevania Circle of the Moon
13) Castlevania Harmony of Dissonance
14) Return of the Obra Dinn

Obra Dinn’s narrative is, you know, whatever, but the experience of unwinding it is phenomenal. Lucas Pope includes plenty of clues for each victim, and yet somehow the journey all feels so personal. I’ve really enjoyed looking up other peoples’ reactions to see what they picked up on that I totally missed.
 
1. Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition [3/5]
2. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess [5/5] (replay)
3. Fire Emblem (GBA) [3/5] (replay)
4. NEO: The World Ends With You [2.5/5]
5. Affordable Space Adventures [3/5]
6. Ghost of Tsushima [3.5/5]
7. Tales of Destiny: Director's Cut [3.5/5]
8. Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. [3/5]
9. Pokemon Legends; Arceus [3/5]
10. Persona 4 Arena Ultimax [2/5]
11. Bloodborne [4/5]
12. Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth [2/5]
13. Elden Ring [4.5/5]
14. Astral Chain [3.5/5] (replay)
15. Dark Souls 3 [3/5]
16. Legend of Mana [3/5]
17. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes [2.5/5]
18. Live A Live [4/5]
19. Kirby and the Forgotten Land [3.5/5]
20. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past [3.5/5] (replay)

21. Final Fantasy I: Dawn of Souls [2.5/5]
Although it may not stand out too much nowadays, I can see why the original Final Fantasy captured people's imaginations back in the day. The progression of finding new areas, figuring out what to do based on hints from NPC's, and seeing the world continually expand as you open up new paths and gain new methods of traversal is still quite fun. The downside is that a majority of the actual time you spend playing the game is going through pretty basic dungeons with extremely frequent and repetitive random encounters, so it did definitely wear out its welcome for me, even considering its fairly short length (and I very much doubt I would have had the patience to get through the original NES version). But still an experience worth checking out to see where it all began. It was interesting to see that the sci-fi elements have been present from the very first game in the series too. On to Final Fantasy II!
 
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#1 Shin Megami Tensei V (83h)
#2 Captain Toad Treasure Tracker (5h+)
#3 Taiko no Tatsujin Drum'n'Fun (25h+)
#4 The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time (30h+)
#5 Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (75h+)
#6 Pokémon Legends Arceus (102h)
#7 The Great Ace Attorney Adventure (35h+)
#8 Rez Infinite (3h)
#9 Kirby 64 The Crystal Shards
#10 Megaman (Wily Wars version)
#11 Banjo Kazooie (13h)
#12 Megaman 2 (Wily Wars)
#13 Megaman 3 (Wily Wars)
#14 Pokémon Puzzle League
#15 Megaman 5
#16 Megaman 6
#17 Megaman 7

#18 Megaman 8
#19 Megaman X
#20 Megaman X2
#21 Megaman X3
#22 Megaman X4
#23 Horizon Zero Dawn (80h)

I continued with my Megaman marathon into the X era. Upon replaying these games, I had some new impressions that were interesting. X2 and X3 were much more bloated than I remembered, it's a bit frustrating when you need 2+ upgrade to access another one. The SNES games are still all very good nonetheless, the gameplay is top notch.

On the other hand, I remember never quite liking the PS1 games much, and I think I figured out why. Their gameplay isn't as accurate as the SNES games because of the fancy graphics, the environments and platforms aren't easily readable and it's hard to gauge distance. The worst offense is the floor, that is shown in perspective, so you never quite know where exactly you're going to land. Still, 8 and X4 are good games and, after I finally figured out what was bugging me about them all these years, I could appreciate them for what they are.

After that I took a break from Megaman and moved in towards Horizon, which was hanging in my backlog for ages. First impressions were that the game looks gorgeous. I enjoyed the gameplay, I love these kinds of games where there is wildlife that you have to learn about and learn how to fight. It was delight exploring weaknesses, and the game has the best bow mechanic I've seen in a game, very satisfying and relevant. That said, the main quest is an absolute bore, I couldn't care about anything that was happening, and I saw myself hunting for machines most of the time with no will to progress the story. Once I had seen every machine, the game turned into a slog for me and I had to force myself to finish it. I think overall it's a good game, but it could be absolutely amazing had it had different priorities. I wish BotW had the enemy variety and combat Horizon has, while keeping everything else. I think that would be pretty much the perfect open world game.

Right now I'm playing through Paper Mario for the first time (such a good game), and juggling between Pokémon Snap and Carrion. Will try to clean as much of my backlog as I can before the holidays with heavy hitters like Pokemon and BotW2 next.
 
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