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StarTopic The 2023 Completed Games Thread

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7. Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword HD- I beat the OG game a few times many years ago, it's been about 6-7 years since I last played it and I couldn't believe how much I remembered and how I got things out of order. lol I used motion controls as I always did with this game and for the most part they felt better here than the Wii version. I did take it out of the dock to draw things way easier since apparently I couldn't do that this time around. This is one of the few games I played mainly docked, it didn't look too bad on my tv but I know the OLED screen is better than my tv. ( so a bit of a bummer on that )


Still one of my favorite Zeldas, love the music, temples, and characters. Really love how even grunt fights can feel like mini Punch Out puzzles to strike. Groose, Zelda and Ghirahim were real stand outs for characters. Flying through the sky felt way better to me this time around. I'm glad I was able to sneak it in before Tears of the Kingdom. I have been craving some Zelda and they are both different enough to where I won't feel oversatured. It seems fitting I finished this playthrough on today since this is my favorite Link and Zelda interaction. ( Spirit Tracks is a close enough though) Very happy with how this HD version turned out and I won't be surprised if in another few years I'll play through it again.
 
Reserving a post for the list!

1. A Plague Tale Requiem
2. GoldenEye
3. Grand Theft Auto Vice City Definitive Edition
4. Resident Evil 2 Remake
5. Resident Evil 3 Remake
6. Alan Wake Remastered
7. Resident Evil Village Shadow of Rose
8. Vampire Survivors
9. Fatal Frame Mask Of the Lunar Eclipse
10. Resident Evil 4 Remake
11. Resident Evil 5
12. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
13. Metroid Prime Remastered
14. Metroid Fusion
 
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Fifth game finished for 2023 is Agent A: A Puzzle in Disguise. You can definitely feel its mobile game roots. Overall a solid point and click. The puzzles were a bit too easy for my tastes, but overall solid.
 
Replay #3: WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames! (GBA - NSO)

My first GBA game completed on NSO, an oldie but a goodie. I've loved WarioWare since this game came out nearly 20 years ago and I still love it now. Both GBA entries are still some of the strongest in the series - extremely pick up and play, rapid fire microgame experiences that give me a dopamine rush like nothing else. It's a game that felt massive to me, even though just finishing it is super short, because it is just that replayble, from getting all of the microgames to unlocking and playing all of the bonus minigames. While I don't plan on 100%ing the game again this soon, I did bother to unlock all of the microgames and all of the minigames besides Pyoro 2. That'll have to wait for another time!
 
4. Kirby's Dream Land (NSO:GBA)

Not much to say about this other than it's a nice little game. Didn't take too long to beat it. Controls are little iffy but that's really because of my own muscle memory of controlling Kirby in modern games lol. Music is a massive standout though. Just splendid music, something that I found lacking in Super Mario Land 2.

Too short of a game for a rating, imo. But I think it's a must play.
 
30. The Evil Within

Yeah this was kinda bad. The monster designs and various locations provided enough for me to keep going since the game couldn't keep still ever, but the gameplay loop was kinda meh. Too few weapons, collectibles were awful, combat kinda samey, and holy shit does this game loves to just kill you. I've started on the easiest skill because I knew the game wasn't that great, and I still died over 30 times to various one hit kill attacks and random traps.
There are some good chapters, but I'm not sure if the promise of unlocked machine gun and rocket lawnchair would be enough for me to replay it ever. Not bothering with DLC either, but am looking forward to the sequel since I've heard it's REALLY good.
 
3. [GB NSO] Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins

A fun little diversion. I started playing just to test out some controllers for optimal play with the Game Boy NSO apps (I've settled on an official SNES Classic controller hooked up via the 8bitdo GBros. adapter).

[I've modified the controller layout so Y=B, B=A, X=Start, A=Select, and disabled Start and Select (aka + and -). I disabled them as the GBros. adapter has Start and Select act as ZL and ZR when pressed together in the NSO app so rewind works. Disabling prevents any accidental Start and Select inputs when trying to rewind or use the suspend menu. I still have access to Screenshot and Home buttons via the physical buttons on the adapter itself.]

The game is alreet. It's a classic but it's not my favourite Mario. I like the oddness of it all, but it's very easy until the last level, and rather short. I enjoyed it more back in the day but I still respect what was achieved in 1992. I didn't find every secret level so I may go back and get the couple of hidden exits I missed. Maybe.

3/5

My 2023 list:
January
1. [NSW] Regency Solitaire - 4/5
February
2. [NSW] Dungeon Encounters - 5/5
3. [GB NSO] Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins - 3/5
 
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1. Pikmin 3 Deluxe [Switch]
2. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney [Switch]
3. The Last Campfire [Switch]
4. Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope [Switch]

Finished through the story portion last night. Weirdly I didn't feel like it was as good as the last one. I think the first one felt fresh and fun and this one maybe just didn't quite hit that.

Initially I liked the more freeform run around worlds idea but it just kind of... stopped feeling all that interesting to me after a bit?
The fights were ok. A few different win conditions like get to the other side of the map, defeat all the enemies, defeat certain enemies or a number of them, survive for a number of turns. The sparks were a fun addition to modifying in some abilities and I liked that part. I did miss getting a grading on the fight as in the previous version it gave me a reason to replay and see if I could get it under the number of turns and such. Its fine that this one didn't have that but I found I did kind of miss that overall.

The boss fights were where I got most irritated. Consistently having to beat down their health bars three times and getting the maps rearranged at the end of each health bar made a couple of them feel particularly long.
The Final Boss fight had an interesting layout and I'll talk about in a spoiler section but ultimately felt like it took forever and was very slow to go through and partway through I felt like not bothering.

I'm going to go back and finish doing the little side quest things that I missed still, should take me only a couple more hours (I'm currently sitting at around 28hrs playtime) Some of them were kind of neat.. so I don't know if I just haven't gotten all the prisms I can get yet but if you do get them all from levelling characters then.. they don't give you enough to fully fill out the tech tree and I find that irksome.
The tech tree does allow you to reclaim and redistribute the prisms though so I give it credit for that but I personally prefer being able to fully fill out a tech tree.

Overall I did like the game well enough and I hope the DLC ends up being fun but I can't see myself ever replaying this one.

The Final Boss fight section is kind of neat. Essentially Cursa is in the very middle of three floating islands. Each island has three of your heroes on it, so you end up playing with all 9 of the heroes during the final fight.

The first part of this fight Cursa's disembodied hands will float from island to island. You only play with the three heroes that are on that island during the turn that the one island is taking priority. In this section you have to defeat both hands and watch out for the other baddies running around that island who are respawning and trying to take you out.
Of course after your turn with your three characters, the villains get their turn, then the hand moves to the middle and the other hand floats over to another island and the process starts over with that hand.
Having to watch the animation every single time just gets tedious. And I had everything sped up to the fastest it would go. On top of that if you use a special move like Rabbid Peach's healing you can't use the skip button to get past the animations anymore because its the final fight.. adding to the length of time this fight is gonna take... cause you're gonna be using those quite a bit.

Second phase of the fight. You've defeated the hands and rescued the character being controlled by Cursa. It's Rosalina.
The layout for the fight is the same. You do at least get to heal in between. The island that is the focus is the one that Cursa is facing, and in between each round Cursa will go through an animation to move to face another island. Rosalina is floating in a bubble in the centre as well, poised with her wand.
The point of this fight is that you have to hit your weapons against one of the three giant floating star wands that Rosalina has set up so that you fill a percentage bar of hers. When its full she'll attack Cursa directly. She has to attack Cursa three times to end this fight.
It just felt like such a slog to go through and it wasn't helped by all the animations I suddenly couldn't skip past. And I felt a bit disappointed that it ended up feeling that way because I do think the concept of it was neat and I liked that you got to pull out all of there heroes for this part... even though I definitely stuck to generally the same three unless I had to swap out for the side missions that are locked to specific characters.
 
31. Slay the Spire

It's hard to put an end point to rogue-likes, but this is the first time I've completed all 3 initial runs and beaten the super boss, so I guess this counts.
Still super not a fan of the third character, but other than that, the game is incredible. I usually kinda tap out from games when I've seen everything (and I wouldn't count ascetions as significant content), but this one keeps me hooked.
 
4. [GB NSO] Gargoyle's Quest - 3/5

If I'd allow myself half point scores I'd probably give this 2.5 but I don't want to sit on the proverbial fence. Just wrapped up in a little over 3.5 hours. This game had a lot of potential I feel wasn't realised, in part due to the length and the psuedo-RPG mechanics not really being explained or fully utilised. Definite Adventure of Link vibes with the side-scrolling random encounters on the top-down overworld, and side-scrolling levels. And also very frustrating as you touch a spike with the twitchy jump controls and have to re-do most if not all of the level over again. Thank heavens for rewind. Without rewind I think I might not have had the patience to see this one through.

The good: impressive enemy designs; interesting architecture (lots of creepy skulls!); appropriately gloomy music and atmosphere.

The bad: obtuse plot replete with AWKWARD. TEXT. BOXES. THAT. FLOW. LIKE. THIS; hit/collision detection is a bit sensitive and unforgiving (I swear I never touched those drills that pop out of the walls); boring random encounters.

The ugly: no credits at the end(!?); heavy flicker and slowdown during some boss fights.

My 2023 list:
January
1. [NSW] Regency Solitaire - 4/5
February
2. [NSW] Dungeon Encounters - 5/5
3. [GB NSO] Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins - 3/5
4. [GB NSO] Gargoyle's Quest - 3/5
 
5. The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (NSO: GBA)

I came into this game excited to finally play one of these top down Zelda games that I just never played. Admittedly I'm not the biggest Zelda fan in the world even though I have every single console game from the n64 onwards lmfao. It's very clear that The Minish Cap is a phenomenal game. The graphics have aged extremely well along with the controls. The gameplay itself is largely simple but creative to make it complex enough to be very engaging and fun.

It was a little frustrating switching back and forth with key items between the a and b button but from my recollection this is the norm. Ultimately, it's just a slight inconvenience. The last complaint I have for the game is mostly in the middle portion. Game doesn't do enough to let you know how to activate certain event chains and eventually you may find yourself walking around the map like a headless chicken lol. The end of the game was a fantastic culmination of the game up to that point even if I found the final boss battle to be easy.

With all of that said this game has left me excited to play other top-down zelda games that I missed on the gba. This was a delightful game and I would say it isn't just a must play Zelda game but it's a must play game in of itself. [9/10]
 
Game Eight
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
[3.5/5]

It was quick trip through some imaginative worlds. Shout-out to the level inside of a whale, I was getting a contact high from the developers. This game is definitely made for eight-year-olds and it shows, but it was fun time warp. I could smell the hot plastic from my old game boy case. Is that not normal? Maybe I should check with my doctor. Shout-out to the first appearance of Wario. He looks so cute with his unevenly sized eyes. They should have kept that look for him, it was working. It's fun to float in space and stand on gears and hop on Jason Voorhees masks. Rabbit ears are a game breaker. The feather headband for the fireball didn't sit well... Mario has a couple moments over the years of poorly considered racial or cultural caricatures that I think are a sour mark on Nintendo's history.

This game felt like a good bookend on my unplanned winter detour into early Mario games. I would love to play the fan-made DX version eventually, but I've heard it doesn't run correctly on Analogue Pocket? I will likely be staying in the retro realm for a while, moving onto Link's Awakening.

Spoiler for my games completed so far, ranked:

Super Mario World
Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
Gunstar Heroes
Sonic the Hedgehog
Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
Super Mario Bros. 2
 
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4. February 16th - Metroid Prime Remastered (10/10)
So much has been said about Prime, and deservedly so, because this is for me inarguably one of the greats, nailing so much that great video games needs to nail in order to be great. Name a thing that you like about this art form, whether it be atmospheric environments, great controls, nail-biting tension, stellar sound design... whatever you desire in games, chances are that Prime has it, and has it good.

Holy SMOKES, this is one hell of a remaster effort. The models, textures and assets have been carefully chiseled out and refined, and they bathe in a new lighting engine that makes the atmosphere so evocative that the sense of prescence is immaculate, making for a game experience that is just so wholly engaging. The control scheme, likewise, has been revamped, and while the Trilogy controls are still amazing in their own right, the twin-stick option here makes the game feel good to control in a more traditional way too. There's so much care and effort put here. Like, goddamn. This more or less reaches all-timer level in terms of touch-up efforts.

Again, so much has been said already, but I just can't stop gushing about Prime. I fall relentlessly in love with this game every time I play it. I adore just traversing these environments, soaking in the beautiful surroundings and the completely GOATed soundtrack, I love going all in on a boss arena with sweat running down my nose, and I love scanning the environment to find out more about my surroundings and expand my knowledge about Tallon IV, and what transpired there. And I just love how much the experience grows, and grows, and grows. You start off by ticking off the usuals, missiles, bombs, and defeat the first boss, and find a new area... only to end up criss-crossing the entire map as a powerhouse, scouring every nook and cranny for secrets and nuances. When the entire thing is over, and Samus takes off her helmet, the feeling I feel is something that is hard to describe, but that is incredibly powerful. A combination of accomplishment and victory, of relief, but also a little bit of sadness. A feeling as strong now as it was in 2003. As far as I'm concerned, Prime is the definition of timelessness.


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) The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (GBA NSO)*

I played this when it first came out, and it still holds up extremely well. I don't have much to say on this one, it's a classic Zelda adventure.

6) WareWare Inc. (GBA NSO)*

LIke the Minish Cap, I played this back when it first came out. Also like the Minish Cap, I adore this game. I remember thinking when I first played it - oh, games can be anything. I do not think any of the other games in the series have actually improved on what is on offer here.

Previously in 2023...

* Denotes replay

1) Guardians of the Galaxy - Cloud Version (NSW)
2) Rise of the Third Power (NSW)
3) Haiku, the Robot (NSW)
4) Fire Emblem Engage (NSW)
 
I had never noticed this thread before, but I had a great time reading everyone’s posts and have added lots of games to my wish list.

January.

1. Rainbow Billy (8/10)

Just a really joyous, charming game. I wanted a bright, happy game to start the year with it and it was absolutely perfect for that.

February.

2. Hi-Fi Rush (10/10)

Wow!

I have no rhythm, I am terrible at boss fights, and can make the simplest platformers look difficult, but I finished this game and loved every second. (Thank you devs that put in accessibility options for people like me so we can still enjoy the games.)
 
4. Digimon Survive [3/5]
I've been playing Digimon games since the PS1 era and I don't know that any of them have really risen above the level of "okay". I know a lot of people liked Cyber Sleuth, but I thought it still had some pretty tedious and grindy aspects, as well as a shockingly poor translation for a modern game. All that said, I'd say Digimon Survive is the best of the bunch for me. The story being a more mature take on the original anime's premise was definitely up my alley. While it would've been nice to see the strategy gameplay be more prominent and in-depth, I found it engaging enough as a way to break up the story that makes up the meat of the game. I'm taking a break for now, but I'd like to go back sometime soon to do new game plus and see the true ending.

5. Muramasa Rebirth [3.5/5]
Glad the Vita store is still open so I could pick this one up. After playing Odin Sphere on PS4 last year and finding it to have fun combat bogged down by an excessive amount of repetition, it was nice to see that this game largely retained the best elements while eliminating the fat. The Genroku Legends DLC also provide some nice variety in gameplay without overstaying their welcome.

6. Final Fantasy VI (Pixel Remaster) [3/5]
This one has been a bit of a "white whale" for me. I tried the game multiple times on both the GBA and the Wii Virtual Console back in the day, but always ended up losing interest (the farthest I ever got was re-recruiting Edgar right at the start of the World of Ruin). But I always felt like I ought to finish it because so many people consider it one of the best RPG's ever. And, uh...it was fine. Still didn't really do much for me, but the pixel remaster was definitely worth the price of admission just for the orchestrated soundtrack. Phenomenal. Also anyone with the slightest interest in Final Fantasy music should listen to the Final Symphony album and especially the symphonic poem "Born with the Gift of Magic" because they are absolutely brilliant.

 
10. Metroid Prime Remastered (Switch) [8.5/10]

I wouldn't say this is better than the original game, but it comes close which is really impressive. I 100%'d the original earlier this year for the Prime event and it was fun to see how different everything looked with the new assets. The only major misstep is how they messed up the charge beam. I played this with classic controls with a switch pro and I do miss the gamecube controller's clicky shoulder buttons and big A button. I only got 95% of items, I wonder what I missed.

As a game itself Metroid Prime is a solid 3D rendition of Super Metroid with great and imaginative art direction. I think it starts losing steam after you get the Wave Beam and has pretty bad bosses, particularly the end of the game where you have to fight three in a row. Still hard to put down even though I just finished it a two months ago! Good game.
 
8. Tetris Effect (PS4): This was like a spiritual experience. I will never be done with this game, but that first full play through of the journey was Special. Guess I’ll need to get this for switch so I can have it with me always. Probably would put it behind DS only because that has the nostalgia factor, but this was amazing.

9. Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (GB): Looks like everyone was playing this, lol. Honestly, didn’t like it. Had played once before on 3DS but didn’t remember it. Was too easy and had technical problems with the slowdown. Basically no platforming challenge. Would probably put it at the bottom of the Mario games I’ve played (haven’t play Land 1 though).
 
The Callisto Protocol (01/15/23 completed)
Despite the mixed reaction to this game. I enjoyed it from beginning to end. Never understood the complaints about the melee combat. As I thought the melee combat in this game was more useful than the melee combat in Dead Space. It has a system where you have to time your strikes, counter and avoid incoming attacks. Also you're not force to use melee, as some would have you to believe. In the early parts of the game, you have limited weapons, so you rely on it a bit more. But once you obtained guns. You don't really need to rely on melee attacks. I used my guns more than anything, through most of the game. Game can be challenging at times. But never unfair. Great graphics. Even superior to the Dead Space Remake. Voice acting is pretty good. As well as the music. One major issue I have, as I don't like it in games. When you aren't giving enough skill points/currency to unlock more skills/upgrades. So on your first play through, you're unable to max out and unlock all your skills/upgrades and have to do it, through a new game plus. Also the controls can feel a bit heavy or slow at times. But overall it was a great experience. 8/10

Forspoken (02/05/23 completed)
As I said in my impressions on this game. Not every game has to be open world. Forspoken has a lot of creative ideas. It's just the structure of the game is a bit off-putting. This game would have worked well as a linear character action game. It has very unique mechanics and combat. That works pretty well. This game is mostly filled with a numerous amount of side content, all over the map. You'll spend more time on the side content, than the actual main campaign. In the end, it was a good game, with some weird choices on how the game was designed and structured. 7/10

Dead Space Remake (02/12/23 completed)
Not much to say on this, but it's remake of the classic Dead Space. With some changes to certain things here and there. Game delivers in all categories. 8.5/10

Wanted Dead (02/18/23 completed)
I pretty much said everything about this game in the impressions thread. The over the top style presentation, game's unique charm and extremely fun fast paced arcade action, won me over. 8/10
 
11. Panzer Dragoon: Remake (XSX) [7/10]

Hot off the presses with another remake. This game has pretty good atmosphere, and the controls make you feel like you're flying a tank which does make it stand out more from a game like Star Fox. Apparently Panzer Dragoon has a reputation for being hard, I assume they changed something with the remake because I didn't have any issues beating this on normal difficulty. I will try the other games in the series and it was definitely worth the $2 I spent on it, but I feel like the remake must take some charge of the game away and it says something that the final boss of this game is basically the first boss of Space Harrier.
 
Mbolibombo said:
Here we go! Hoping to clear out some of the backlog before Octopath II hits.

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

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

12. Immortals: Fenyx Rising [NSW]

Game came out late 2020, I've bought it 3 times on sale since, and sold it twice before playing it :p
This latest time though I kept it and played it - enjoyable game, which wants to be BotW a whole lot.

a solid 7-8 / 10 game
 
8. Metroid Prime Remastered: I only played the original one in Gamecube and I didn't remember anything other than some bosses, so it was technically a blind play. Overall a very nice experience with great moments, and nice progression (except for the trolling of the sunken frigate) and some very nice looking places. Really my only complaint is that the map doesn't indicates if there is a collectible which would have helped a lot to avoid some backtracking, but beasides that it was a solid metroid game.

1. SAMURAI MAIDEN
2. Legend of Zelda
3. Mighty Gunvolt Burst
4. Funky Kong Country Tropical Freeze
5. Bloodstained Curse of the Moon: Nightmare mode.
6. Astalon
7. Fire Emblem Engage
 
Haven't updated for a while, so here we go

2. Lunistice

This was great fun and a good value indie snack between longer games.

3. Super Mario Land 2

I wish, wish, wish we got more Weird Mario like this.

4. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

My favourite in the series.

5. Metroid Prime Remastered

Stone cold classic.

1. Nier Automata
2. Lunistice
3. Super Mario Land 2
4. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
5. Metroid Prime Remastered

I'm up to chapter 20 in Fire Emblem Engage and I've also been dipping into og Tetris and Dorfromantik. I've not made much use of the GBA app yet and so wanted to play Minish Cap, but I also have A Space for the Unbound installed, and meant to play Goldeneye at some point with the N64 controller. And, obviously, Wario Land 3 is waiting for me. And XBC3's wave 3 DLC and post game is also waiting, and I haven't replayed Superstar Saga since the original release so I really want to get to that, too.

I've also got Octopath 2 preordered, but I think that's going to be shelved until sometime this summer, post Zelda. In the meantime I'll concentrate on the little list above.
 
Jan 2023 - Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Jan 2023 - Miracle Snack Shop (Korean Philia route)
Jan 2023 - Cruis'n Blast
Feb 2023 - Persona 5 Royal
Feb 2023 - Persona 5 Strikers
Feb 2023 - Katamari Damacy Reroll

My immediate thoughts about P5S here. Two consecutive P5 games. I love the world of P5 and it makes me want to visit Sangenjaya for real. There's supposed to be a really interesting flea market there too!

Here's to hoping that there might be another continuation of the P5 story! (I wouldn't say no to a P6 though!)

And I want to find a physical copy of the P5R/P5S artbook.

Simple update not worth a whole new post

Completed Katamari Damacy Reroll as a palette cleanser post-Persona. I wanted a short simple game but I wasn't expecting to finish this one within two nights. It was a trippy game and there's a sadistic glee when you hear the screams of those rolled-up humans.

Maybe it was because I'm crashing down from the high of post-Persona games with amazing, engaging stories. The game is kinda fun but... it didn't really do it for me.
 
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Over the past weeks I've made significant progress with Starlink: Battle for Atlas, about 30 hours worth actually which is a lot for me. My play time is now sitting at 55 hours and I probably have around 10 hours to go to complete it. It's definitely grown on me. Shame Nintendo couldn't get a sequel focused on StarFox from this team.
 
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#01 Aladdin (SNES)
#02 Disney's Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse (SNES)
#03 Magical Pop'n (SNES)
#04 Bonkers (SNES)
#05 Portal (Switch)
#06 Star Fox (SNES)
#07 Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania (Switch)
#08 Nintendoland (Wii U)
#09 Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii U)
#10 Mario Kart Super Circuit (NSO)
#11 Kuru Kuru Kururin (NSO)

#12 Super Mario Land 2 (NSO)

Neat little game, was my first time playing it despite owning the cart for years. It's a good time, but kinda forgettable when you compare it to Wario Land. Gotta respect it being what originated it all, though. Wario Land is much more adequate for the Game Boy because it's a slower game that focuses on exploration. SML2 is supposed to be like a regular Mario game but doesn't feel as kinetic as the console versions. It still makes up for it with lots of charm and quirkiness, and being so short it doesn't overstay its welcome.

I'm loving GB on NSO so much.
 
Raytro said:
Hey everyone! Coming back to fami these days and I'm happy there is a new completed games thread for 2023 🙏

After a really strong 2021 (almost 100 games completed) and a somewhat shy 2022 (4 times less games than 2021) because of big changes in my personal and professional life, I hope that 2023 will be the year when I can start playing a little more again.

So far, here what I completed:

(Side notes:
  • Every game I play is in the "Normal" difficulty
  • Every game listed as "❤" is a game I had a "Crush" on it, like "Wow that game really has something more" (I don't know how I could explain it better so I hope you'll understand lmao)
  • Every game with an "*" is a game I already finished in the past (i.e. can be in original version for remastered game)
​
1. Bayonetta 3 - 7.5/10 ❤​
Great game so far with great and rich gameplay, but I felt like it was a small regression from the second game which was truly a gem. Not that it is bad; as I said I thought the game with really good and had a good time playing it. But I am doubtful about some choices and I almost felt overwhelmed sometimes. Anyway, still love Bayonetta and the craziness of that series, looking forward to what comes next. Might get Bayonetta Origins sonn after release!

2. The Wonderful 101 Remastered - 6/10​
Big disappointment on this one which I already played back in the Wii U days but never finished it. I think it has great ideas and insane staging (classic Platinum Games it seems), but so much things are poorly executed. There is a big potential but, yeah, that was not always a fun ride. Almost gave it 5 or 5.5 out of 10 but it would have been a bit too severe in my opinion.

3. Hi-Fi Rush - 8.5/10 ❤​
Seemingly the game that everyone wanted without knowing it, based on the reactions and reception. It really was so cool! My biggest criticism would be that the platforming aspect of the game isn't really good, and as a huge platformer fan I think that would have been insane if the game had great platforming on top of everything else. But hey that was great and I hope we'll still see this kind of surprise in the future.

4. Metroid Prime Remastered * - 9/10 ❤​
Yeah, what to say about Metroid Prime? The game was already a great game in my mind and replaying it with stunning visuals was incredible. I even prefered this second playthrough than my first one 6 years ago. Metroid truly is one of the best series I know and I'm so pleased that we're living a new great era for it. I hope we'll get Prime 2 and 3, that would be dope



Currently I'm playing Pullblox on 3DS and looking forward to Like a Dragon Ishin (currently I'm finishing all the substories of the first Kiwami game because I'm in a Yakuza hype recently) and The Last of Us PC (already played on PS4) in the coming weeks. There is lot more games that I want to play and that I try to fit in my schedule, like The Evil Within, Sonic Frontiers, Astral Chain... I hope I can play them all this year!
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​
5. Metroid Dread * - 10/10 ❤​
Couldn't help myself and had to play another Metroid game after Prime Remastered. Dread is easily one of my favorite game in the series and I almost didn't play it since release. What a great game. I want Metroid 6 so bad.
 
Finally able to jump into this thread! I have three games to report:

1. Persona 5 Royal
2. Metroid Prime Remastered
3. WarioWare (GBA NSO)

This was my 3rd full playthrough of Persona 5 Royal, but I included it since it was my first time doing so on the switch. Also, I think it's worth including because of how much time it took me. My plan was to use it to pass time until Fire Emblem Engage, but then I wanted to finish it, and yeah... that's why FE is not on this list yet.

Metroid Prime... what can I say? It's one of my favorite games ever. Retro did a beautiful job with the remaster, and I'm so excited that this game has been a big topic of conversation for the past couple weeks. Playing through this again did make me notice some outdated features, such as the distance between some save points. Still, those are minor setbacks for me -- this game really stands the test of time. If you have no connection to Metroid and have never tried it, I can't guarantee that you will like it, but I think this is one of those games that everyone should give a chance. There's really nothing quite like it, and I think that's why it holds up so well 20 years later.

I played WarioWare on a whim yesterday, and I was surprised how much I got into it! It doesn't seem like the kind of game you "complete" in the traditional sense, but it looks like I've made it through all the main levels. It seems like the developers had a lot of fun making this game, and I always appreciate that kind of thing.

I think Fire Emblem Engage, the game I had intended on playing in January, will be my next completed game. The early game isn't really grabbing me, though... I'll stick with it and hopefully finish it before Trails to Azure comes out.
 
I say this every damn year, but I’m trying to get better at actually completing games so it feels like my time has come to start posting here! My biggest motivator has been games leaving Game Pass bimonthly. I wish they gave us more of an advance, but I generally use it as a chance to either quickly beat or formally put on my backlog for games that I want to commit to / won’t finish as quickly. On Switch, the addition of groups last year really helped me get a handle on my backlog and has me focused on a few titles in a group I have up front too.

I could have sworn I already posted earlier in the year. Perhaps I drafted something and never finished it. Anyway!

two games I finished right at the tail end of Dec (that therefore don’t count…)
-1. Lake | XB | Delightful little indie romp where you play as someone returning to their small hometown from a high stress tech job, filling the shoes of their parent who is a mail carrier. Rough as heck around the edges, but I didn’t mind. It was a fun meditation of a game and was just the right length. Perfect Game Pass game, no need or desire to return. 3 packages out of 5.

0. Gorogoa | XB | Super short, interesting puzzler. I enjoyed it, but felt like I sort of awkwardly stumbled through it all. Even when I was using my brain to think through the solutions, something about it didn’t click for me. There was a disconnect between the story / heart of the game and its mechanics. No doubt an elegant and artistic accomplishment, but didn’t leave much of an impression on me? 3 orbs out of 5.

two games I rolled credits on in Jan
1. Telling Lies | XB | What a unique experience. This was my first FMV game from Sam Barlow, and the others no doubt are on my backlog now. I prioritized this one because it was leaving GP, and whew was it a ride. I played this in just a couple focused sessions and filled out many pages of a notebook trying to piece together a timeline. Ultimately, that ’work’ I did didn’t matter persay, but it kept me engaged in the exact way Gorogoa failed to as I previously mentioned. Well acted all around, was delighted to see a few actor’s faces I recognized, and the story was just… a trip. Whether this game is as successful at what it sets out to do is another conversation I could unpack with a much more critical eye, but at the end of the day, it gave me a memorable, enthralling and unique experience. 4 invasions of privacyions out of five.

2. Pac-Man World Re-Pac | NSW | Oh my lord. Announced in the August Partner showcase, this was one of those announcements that can simultaneously mean nothing to many but was a megaton to my nostalgic core. I played this one on the GBA demake rather than the PS1 back in the day, so it was an extra-interesting trip down memory lane. Is this anything special without nostalgia glasses on? Not really, but I don’t care. It is well made enough, means we might (fucking better) get a World 2 remake, and made me smile. Just the right length to not have to think any further, and glad I voted with my wallet (even if I’d recommend most wait for a sale). 4 rev-rolls out of 5.

one game I rolled credits on in Feb (so far)
3. Recompile | XB | Just like ‘Lake’, this is an indie game with obvious flaws that didn’t hamper my enjoyment. It’s a 3D metroidvania where you play as a personified program inside a virtual environment. The graphics are simple, yet atmospheric. The gameplay is 3D platforming bliss with unbalanced power ups along the way that are just fun to play with. Each level tries something new, the story is surprisingly endearing and told fully via optional notes you pick up, and my absolute favorite part of the game is the UI which is 100% ASCII. I am no doubt biased in my assessment of this as a lover of 3D platformers and tech, but I had a wonderful time. Took around 5-7 hours to beat, in time for its removal from game pass, but I saw the majority of what is had to offer and don’t feel a need to add it to my library for keeps. Great timing to get me in a Metroidvania mood for MP:R! 4 XOR gates of 5.


and, my anticipated four games up next!
A. Metroid Dread - Picked this up off the backlog and am happily revisiting it before playing MP:R!
B. Hi-Fi Rush - delightful surprise drop!
C. Pokémon Violet - On hold, waiting for the patch to revisit.
D. Sonic Frontiers - On hold, was awaiting new hardware to play on PC instead of Switch. Made it to the third world, gotta see if a save transfer is possible.
 
Gengar said:
It doesn't seem like the kind of game you "complete" in the traditional sense
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You need to try competitive WarioWare, it’s hilariously hectic. We used to bet lunches over it.

totofogo said:
Gorogoa
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It’s too bad it didn’t click with you. It’s one of my favorite puzzle games. Even bought it full price when I double dipped on Switch just to support the dev.

totofogo said:
Recompile
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The ASCII-based UI sounds delightful! I need to see footage of that.
 
totofogo said:
-1. Lake | XB | Delightful little indie romp where you play as someone returning to their small hometown from a high stress tech job, filling the shoes of their parent who is a mail carrier. Rough as heck around the edges, but I didn’t mind. It was a fun meditation of a game and was just the right length. Perfect Game Pass game, no need or desire to return. 3 packages out of 5.
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I loved Lake, except for the video store girl, but that’s alright as I swapped her out for the handsome lumberjack instead.

It was really relaxing just driving around, and as you said, the perfect Game Pass game.
 
32. The Evil Within 2

Holy crap, this game is SO MUCH BETTER than the first one.
It's not a corridor shooter that assaults you with QTEs, but feels like a solid Resident Evil-type game. Different yet similar enough.
A shame that it frontloads you with its best level - an open district of a city where you can go into quite a few buildings (think RE Village with less lock-and-key crap). After that, the locations become smaller or way more linear. A few other districts are about half the size, and there are a few dungeon-type areas.

Still, the gameplay was satisfying, the collectables meaningful, and the story personal (as opposed to original's... Kinda nothing). The creatures still kick ass. I remember when they showcased the safe-head in the trailers for 1, and it felt like a Pyramid Head ripoff. It sorta is, but EVERY creature is so unique and cool, that one dude in a coat with an object for a head doesn't really bother me.

It's not a very scary game thanks to more emphasis on combat, but there are still tiny linear spook-visions that are a microcosm of The Evil Within 1, which was effectively a haunted house ride. I didn't really like them gameplay-wise, but atmospherically they were definitely great.

The only thing it did worse is that none of the NPCs can replace Joseph from the first game. He was a cute twink detective who was a really great character. Also, like, the ONLY character in The Evil Within 1, but he's still memorable on his own, even if he were placed into a game with bigger and cooler cast.
No one in TEW2 is as cute. Well, there is a kitty, I suppose.

Honestly, if Tango's JoJo is directing Part 3, I'm down.
 
1. Desperados III [ PC ] - 9
2. Ace Attorney Investigations: Prosecutor's Path ( Replay ) [ DS*] - 10
3. Resident Evil Deadly Silence [ DS*] - 8.5
4. Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney ( Replay ) [ 3DS ] - 8.5
5. Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box [ DS ] - 7
6. Professor Layton and the Unwound Future [ DS ] - 7
7. Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies ( Replay ) [ 3DS ] - 9
8. Koumajou Remilia: Scarlet Symphony [ NS ]
9. Gargoyle's Quest [ GB ]
10. Ace Attorney Investigations ( Replay ) [ DS ]

Capcom Arcade Stadium [ NS ]
11. Cyberbots: Fullmetal Madness

Is like classic 90s Capcom, mixed with the attention to detail from SNK to make an arcade story memorable, wish the combat itself was more complex, but is a pretty fun and snappy fighter, the mechs themselves could have had more to their designs to make them stand out as well.

12. Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride [ DS*] - 10

Peak fucking fiction. There is a track in this game called Make me feel sad, it delivers every time.
 
Finished in 2023 #3: Unpacking (Nintendo Switch)

Play this game. Trust me. This one is something special.

At its core we have a pretty simple, "zen" puzzle game. Unpack everything in the moving boxes, find the proper place for it in the rooms of the home. But a lot is done with that concept, even from its earliest levels.

You get all these different pieces of the lead character's life through the things they own. So much is said by what she holds onto, what she leaves behind, and where it all goes. We see her grow up, getting her first room, moving out for college, merging her life with a boyfriend, moving back to her childhood home in heartbreak, finding a place for herself in the world, being able to merge that with a loving girlfriend, and eventually starting a family of her own. We see her growth as an artist from childhood hobby to professional kid lit author. We see her Jewish faith and her love of games and her fond memories of her tabletop days with her college buddies and how it blends organically with what her girlfriend brings as an Asian woman who loves cinema and gardening. Much of this is told through the reoccurring piggy plush, but that would just be scratching the surface.

All these details, captured lovingly by some great pixel art and amazing sound design, but in the end it's up to you to interpret their meaning through how you choose to arrange the rooms. As I played, I tried to be mindful of that, arranging things to make it easy for the lead to access what seemed important to her. But as you do that, I end up thinking about what I value, what's important to me, and you feel this connection with this person.

Quiet, contemplative, and emotional in all the best ways, this is the power of storytelling in video games. Unpacking is a must-play and one of the best games released in 2021, and while I will probably never buy a pre-order from Limited Run Games ever again, the physical edition was a nice way to experience this one.

And hey, if you prefer humor and chaos, try placing everything in the wrong place instead - you're in for a surprise.
 
Vookatos said:
30. The Evil Within

Yeah this was kinda bad. The monster designs and various locations provided enough for me to keep going since the game couldn't keep still ever, but the gameplay loop was kinda meh. Too few weapons, collectibles were awful, combat kinda samey, and holy shit does this game loves to just kill you. I've started on the easiest skill because I knew the game wasn't that great, and I still died over 30 times to various one hit kill attacks and random traps.
There are some good chapters, but I'm not sure if the promise of unlocked machine gun and rocket lawnchair would be enough for me to replay it ever. Not bothering with DLC either, but am looking forward to the sequel since I've heard it's REALLY good.
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oddly enough i found the sequel to be worse and a letdown despite absolutely loving and adoring the first game
 
Tatsu said:
oddly enough i found the sequel to be worse and a letdown despite absolutely loving and adoring the first game
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I can get that. They are very different games. TEW2 is a bit too reliant on usual modern game formula with "open world", crafting, and all that. TEW1 was definitely more unique and felt like a combo of one of those walking sim spooky games with RE. The only thing that outright sucked was Ruvik because holy crap is he just not scary. Not that villains in second game are, but they at least have more presense than a weird barefoot emo child.
 
Vookatos said:
I can get that. They are very different games. TEW2 is a bit too reliant on usual modern game formula with "open world", crafting, and all that. TEW1 was definitely more unique and felt like a combo of one of those walking sim spooky games with RE. The only thing that outright sucked was Ruvik because holy crap is he just not scary. Not that villains in second game are, but they at least have more presense than a weird barefoot emo child.
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Tbh I think my preference is TEW1 kinda felt like what if Mikami made RE5 from the ground up as it has a lot from RE4 in it's variance in level design and creatures with expanded gameplay and options. And yeah Ruvik was a let down villain wise but the rest of the enemies felt great especially as they nailed Fear through tension feeling. Tried to play it an extra time on nightmare though could never get past the church defense area with Joseph
 
Thunder84 said:
I generally cheat a little bit with how I categorize my games by year. I finish up everything I can in December, then start on some new stuff once that's finished. The new stuff goes under 2023, even if I ultimately played it within the final few days of 2022.

Case in point: Sonic Origins. Started it a few days ago, and ended up beating Sonic the Hedgehog yesterday for the first time, and as a result it's my first beaten game of 2023 (despite beating it in 2022). Definitely get a lot of the complaints towards the level design, it's rough in certain levels, but it still controls really nicely, and the building blocks for a great game are all there. Can't wait to see if 2, 3, and CD can live up to the hype.

Also currently in the middle of Trails from Zero. Had a crazy sprint to finish Trails in the Sky the 3rd before 2022 came to a close, so I'm definitely getting a bit burnt out by the series at this point, but I'm still having a great time with it.
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Figure I should update this, as I've covered quite a bit of ground. I use a letter grading system, with each letter roughly corresponding to an x/5 grade in descending order (I.E. an A is a 4/5). The letter determines my own personal preference:
  • S means it's one of my favorites of all time
  • A means I think it's great
  • B means I think it's good
  • C means I think it's fine/meh
  • D means I think it's bad
  • F means it's unsalvageable
The ± is me trying to take a more objective stance on the game design at play. As an example, Celeste is a brilliantly designed game with a lovely story, but I just never got into the core gameplay like others did. As a result, I gave it a B+. While a game like Paper Mario: The Origami King is a worse designed game in my opinion, I ultimately enjoyed it more, and hence I give that an A-. I have a Backloggd that I continually update to match everything I've put a grade on.

Anyway, that's enough of that. Time for what I've actually played this year. This is strictly new games that I've played, not counting any replays of games that I already had a grade on.
  1. Sonic the Hedgehog: C-
    • Most of my thoughts are reflected in my first post. The level design is fine at best and abjectly terrible for most of the game. Still, Sonic controls fantastically, especially in the Origins version that I played. Even if the level design is a complete whiff, it's just plain fun to control Sonic.
  2. The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero: A-
    • I went more in-depth on my thoughts in the main thread for Trails from Zero, but the abridged summary is that I think it generally follows the same template that Trails in the Sky did, but isn't quite as finely tuned. The combat is a big step up from the Sky trilogy, but the vignette structure doesn't work quite as well here as it did in Trails and the Sky. Absolutely love Crossbell though, and I can't wait for Trails to Azure.
  3. Sonic the Hedgehog 2: B-
    • A clear upgrade over the first game, but the lackluster endgame and general brevity still hold it back for me. It's an obvious step in the right direction, and given the platforming competition at the time I can see why this one is so beloved. I just didn't fall in love with quite as much as others did, and the 1-2-3 punch of Metropolis/Wing Fortress/Death Egg pushes it down a bit. Not to mention the terrible special stages.
  4. Sonic CD: B-
    • Despite going in a completely different direction from Sonic the Hedgehog 2, I like Sonic CD about equally. The levels are a lot of fun to explore (besides Wacky Workbench lol) and it feels great. Hunting down the machines can get a bit too cryptic for my liking, and I really don't care for the "build up speed to time travel" concept, but I still really dig the overall idea here.
  5. Sonic 3 & Knuckles: A-
    • Now this is what I'm talking about. The level design here is (mostly) great, feeling way more substantial than everything that came before it. Not everything works (Marble Garden, Carnival Night, and Sandopolis come to mind) and I didn't really care for the endgame here either, but at its best, Sonic 3 & Knuckles is easily my favorite of the Origins collection.
  6. WarioWare: Get It Together!: B-
    • My only experience with WarioWare up to this point was the original GBA game, so I was excited to see what the Switch one had to offer. Left a bit disappointed, but I still enjoyed my time with it. The platforming concept is novel, but it overcomplicates things a bit too much for my liking, especially since some of the characters are outright better than others. It's not particularly well balanced, which undercuts the point a bit. When the game works, it works just as well as the original; it just doesn't hit those highs quite as much as I would like.
  7. Fire Emblem Engage: B+
    • I was pretty down on this game in the main thread, but I do still like it quite a bit. It's still ultimately my least favorite modern Fire Emblem though, 2nd least favorite if we're including the Warriors games. Part of that might be that I don't love Fire Emblem gameplay enough for it to support a 60 hour campaign entirely on its own with flying colors, but even then there are elements here that I think Awakening and Fates did better: stronger casts, snappier prep times, and a better QoL overall. Engage is still good, and I don't regret my time with it, but Three Houses still reigns supreme for me.
  8. Live A Live: C+
    • I really wanted to love this game, but I just couldn't get into it. The combat did not work for me at all; I like what they were going for, but the balancing is all over the place, and the end result is that I just spammed the same move more often than not. Live A Live is at its best when it throws its RPG roots to the wind and tries to be something entirely different, and at its worst when it returns to those roots and tries to present itself as a fully fledged JRPG. Old West and Distant Future were easily my favorite chapters, and that's probably because you fight like three times total between the two of them.
  9. Kuru Kuru Kuruin: C
    • It's fine. The concept is neat, but they never really iterate on it. You just get more levels, and they only got worse as they went on in my opinion. The collision can be really weird here, resulting in some frustrating deaths. It's a fun novelty to check out, and I certainly don't hate it or anything, but it didn't really leave an impression.
  10. Wario Land 3: B-
    • This game was ahead of its time. The Metroidvania/Mario fusion is awesome, reusing content in a really smart way that never feels repetitive. The enemies stink though, not a fan of how the game forgoes any sort of health system in exchange for annoying knockback and transformations. Feels like most of the enemies and bosses take inspiration from the Moldorm fight in A Link to the Past, which is not a compliment in the slightest. Would love to see this fully remade at some point to fully appreciate how cool the main gimmick is; as it stands, the lackluster hardware muddies a lot of the cool treasure reactions.
  11. Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards: B-
    • At its core, this game is a joy. The 2.5D perspective looks awesome with the N64 graphics, and most of the levels are really well designed. Unfortunately, Kirby's incredibly sluggish movement and the hiding spots for some of the Crystal Shards really hold the game back. It's incredibly annoying to play through most of a level, only to find a shard trapped behind a block that you simply can't destroy, because you have the wrong copy ability. Would be tolerable if you didn't need to collect every single one, but that sadly isn't the case.
 
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Finally Finished Origami king and tbh i hope their next game ditches the turn based combat completely and the open area combat like several bosses and giant enemies were. As it was far more enjoyable and i didnt mind the battle system just it was kinda slow thankfully they did account for this and the amount of enemies per area is much lower than usual in most places.
 
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 17th, 2023] - 6
5. Metroid Prime Remastered (NS) [Finished February 14th, 2023] - 10:

There's definitely a lot to be said about this game, but my replay went a bit bumpier than expected and given it's been one of my favorite games of all time for years now, I'd like to replay the game again before saying much more. In some ways its aged worse than I expected, in a lot of ways its just as good as I remember. All I'll say is newcomers should not expect more than 3 good bosses out of this game.

6. Metroid Dread (Replay) (NS) [Finished January 21st, 2023] - 8.5:

I'm kind of at a loss for what to give this game or what my general feelings are. Recently I've been more critical of things I've loved and more receptive of things that I haven't been into as much, with dramatic shifts in opinion. Dread was, for a lot of my playthrough, no exception. The movement in this game, the combat, the pacing, it all really clicked in a way it didn't the first time. When you play this game like a Fusion 2.0, it really is a dream to play, to the point where I started to see why people loved this so much and held it up as the standard for Metroid.

Then I started 100%ing it towards the end of the game and ... well, it all fell apart. Dread's 100% really just reminded me of all the issues I had with the game originally. The environments can sometimes be interesting and neat and exciting, but often aren't and being stuck in them can make the game feel repetitive. The shinespark puzzles would be a lot better if their difficulty wasn't inflated by the weird analog controls, which feel very finnicky for mid-air or morph ball shinesparks. Exploring the game and going from place to place is a chore when there's no real connectivity between one area and another - it's all finding an area for you to access a loading screen, whether that be a teleporter, elevator or otherwise. There just isn't really any spontaneity to anything, no freedom of exploration. The sub bosses can be pretty consistent irritants since there is pretty heavy reuse of them.

This game has a real lack of enemy variety that for some reason rarely got criticized unlike Breath of the Wild. Some attacks are either not communicated very well (Z-57's tentacle attack that goes from background element to foreground), or are just way too difficult to miss (the spark attack from the Chozo Robo soldiers suck ass, and the slam attack Corpius requires way too specific timing). I also just don't like Raven Beak as a final boss that much. He's kind of fun to fight, until you die on the third phase and realize you'll have to do the first and second phase over, and over, and over. I only had to try him like 8-10 times on this hard mode run, and even still I felt my time was being massively wasted, especially because those two phases are so easy. Having to do a QTE to progress in a Metroid fight also just seems ridiculous.

I guess what I'm saying is, treating Dread like a Metroid game, and not just a sequel to Fusion, is one of the worst things you can do in the games favor. But it would be disingenuous of me to act like most of these things really bothered me through most of my playthrough. This time around, I really was loving the game most of the time, but the fact that it begins with the worst area in the game and is bookended with a lot of parts I didn't like did make me rethink my experience a bit. I feel like I'm being incredibly harsh given how fun the game was, but I also think the last 4-5 hours of playing the game really reminded me of some of the criticisms I had the first time and really cemented them for me.

Still, I like it more, and I'm excited to see what happens in 2D Metroid's future, which I couldn't say even a few weeks ago. Even subpar Metroid is still one of the best things to come out of gaming in years, and Metroid is still the best franchise of all time.
 
AngryAlchemist said:
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 17th, 2023] - 6
5. Metroid Prime Remastered (NS) [Finished February 14th, 2023] - 10:

There's definitely a lot to be said about this game, but my replay went a bit bumpier than expected and given it's been one of my favorite games of all time for years now, I'd like to replay the game again before saying much more. In some ways its aged worse than I expected, in a lot of ways its just as good as I remember. All I'll say is newcomers should not expect more than 3 good bosses out of this game.

6. Metroid Dread (Replay) (NS) [Finished January 21st, 2023] - 8.5:

I'm kind of at a loss for what to give this game or what my general feelings are. Recently I've been more critical of things I've loved and more receptive of things that I haven't been into as much, with dramatic shifts in opinion. Dread was, for a lot of my playthrough, no exception. The movement in this game, the combat, the pacing, it all really clicked in a way it didn't the first time. When you play this game like a Fusion 2.0, it really is a dream to play, to the point where I started to see why people loved this so much and held it up as the standard for Metroid.

Then I started 100%ing it towards the end of the game and ... well, it all fell apart. Dread's 100% really just reminded me of all the issues I had with the game originally. The environments can sometimes be interesting and neat and exciting, but often aren't and being stuck in them can make the game feel repetitive. The shinespark puzzles would be a lot better if their difficulty wasn't inflated by the weird analog controls, which feel very finnicky for mid-air or morph ball shinesparks. Exploring the game and going from place to place is a chore when there's no real connectivity between one area and another - it's all finding an area for you to access a loading screen, whether that be a teleporter, elevator or otherwise. There just isn't really any spontaneity to anything, no freedom of exploration. The sub bosses can be pretty consistent irritants since there is pretty heavy reuse of them.

This game has a real lack of enemy variety that for some reason rarely got criticized unlike Breath of the Wild. Some attacks are either not communicated very well (Z-57's tentacle attack that goes from background element to foreground), or are just way too difficult to miss (the spark attack from the Chozo Robo soldiers suck ass, and the slam attack Corpius requires way too specific timing). I also just don't like Raven Beak as a final boss that much. He's kind of fun to fight, until you die on the third phase and realize you'll have to do the first and second phase over, and over, and over. I only had to try him like 8-10 times on this hard mode run, and even still I felt my time was being massively wasted, especially because those two phases are so easy. Having to do a QTE to progress in a Metroid fight also just seems ridiculous.

I guess what I'm saying is, treating Dread like a Metroid game, and not just a sequel to Fusion, is one of the worst things you can do in the games favor. But it would be disingenuous of me to act like most of these things really bothered me through most of my playthrough. This time around, I really was loving the game most of the time, but the fact that it begins with the worst area in the game and is bookended with a lot of parts I didn't like did make me rethink my experience a bit. I feel like I'm being incredibly harsh given how fun the game was, but I also think the last 4-5 hours of playing the game really reminded me of some of the criticisms I had the first time and really cemented them for me.

Still, I like it more, and I'm excited to see what happens in 2D Metroid's future, which I couldn't say even a few weeks ago. Even subpar Metroid is still one of the best things to come out of gaming in years, and Metroid is still the best franchise of all time.
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Honestly for their first original Metroid game they did exceptionally well. If they knock it out of the park with their sophomore game I wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo actually looks into making them a more permanent second party studio like Next Level games before eventually being purchased
 
Tatsu said:
Honestly for their first original Metroid game they did exceptionally well. If they knock it out of the park with their sophomore game I wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo actually looks into making them a more permanent second party studio like Next Level games before eventually being purchased
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Yeah I agree. This replay made me appreciate the game more for sure. Selfishly as a huge Metroid fan I do think they're the third party studio id want acquired the most if it means consistent 2D Metroid.
 
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Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Never played Blind Forest so this was my first experience with Ori. Definitely one of the best metroidvanias you can play. Fantastic art direction and music, tight controls, great level design. The switch port is impressive although I had some freezes and crashes during the first hours. Thankfully things went smoother the more I played.
The game is more platformer oriented than other metroidvanias, while battle takes a back seat. Nothing wrong with that of course. 9/10

ClusterTruck
Fun game where you're jumping on moving trucks, basically the floor is lava the videogame. Very arcadey and fun, but the controls on switch simply don't work. Being a first person platformer you need both analog sticks to see around. Unfortunately the jump button is on A and can't be changed and there's no gyro aiming. So you can't jump and change your view at the same time making the game impossible. 5/10

 Signalis
Love letter to the classic formula of Resident Evil and Silent Hill. Basically it's like the first Resident Evil with isometric camera instead and futuristic setting. The minimum ammo supply, the puzzles, the slow moving enemies, everything is here. The anime aesthetic during cutscenes is bizarre and clashes with the rest of the game. The story is almost impossible to understand in one playthrough since it has multiple endings based on how you played the campaign. However the criteria for them and basically the whole plot is vague as hell. So be warned if you want a more straight forward plot this is not it. Also there's a loooot of doors. However if you're a fan of survival horror it's a must buy. 8/10

Chained Echoes
A fantastic rpg inspired by the classics jrpgs of snes, but with modern qol adjustments like no random encounters. Made by one person besides the music, absolute madlad.
The story is really nice with interesting characters and twists along the way. The map is pretty big with plenty of secrets. You can explore and fight both on foot and in sky armors. The battle system is fantastic with a superb mechanic called overdrive mechanic that maximises the strategic element. Sky armors have a slightly similar battle mechanic with a nice twist. The only thing I feel was a miss was the crystals. Basically you can create crystals to enhance weapons and equipment, but the hassle ain't worth it imo. The music is pretty good, but nothing spectacular. 9/10

Metroid Prime Remastered
Nothing to say. One of the best games of all time now even better. What is really impressive is that nothing gives away its age. I keep reading comments that in some areas the game is showing its age, but I can't see it. The only thing I could change is that some times the respawing enemies can be annoying. 10/10

Please Touch The Artwork
Nice little puzzle game that has three different gameplay styles. The main one is basically trying to recreate Modrian paintings by following very simple rules. It starts pretty easy, but the very last paintings will make tou feel like an idiot. Impressive little game that shows that you can make everything in a game mechanic. 7/10
 
3. Murder by Numbers (8/10)


I love Picross and I love murder mysteries so this was a perfect combination. The game was a lot longer than I expected and I feel almost guilty that I bought it on sale. Admittedly the picross wasn’t as good as the excellent Jupiter games, but do they have an adorable floating robot? No, they do not.
 
#4. Light Crusader (Genesis NSO)

A pretty janky isometric adventure game, Light Crusader is a bit charming but ultimately not very good. I found both the combat and puzzle-solving to be very frustrating, mostly thanks to the janky implementation of the isometric perspective. In fact, had it not been for the rewind feature of the emulator I'd have probably given up on the game since the puzzles are a pain to solve.
 
  1. Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope
  2. Final Fantasy X
  3. Metroid Prime Remastered
  4. Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins [NEW] - this is, quite frankly, a remarkable piece of technology. Obviously it isn't as complicated as any of the other console side-scrolling Mario games but the fact that this entire game exists on a Game Boy is crazy. It's one of my favorite 2D Mario's; it's wildly imaginative. Honestly, I'd love it if this got remade.
  5. Pokemon SoulSilver [NEW] - I've been steadily playing this for the past month; first time in over 10 years and I forgot how much I love it. Gen 2 is awesome, if not without it's quirks. The roster of accessible 2nd generation Pokemon never truly gets REALLY good until somewhat late into Johto. Adding a Safari Zone is great; especially since it gives you a decent enough spot in the game to get a Larvitar to keep up leveling. You reach the credits after you beat the Elite 4, so I'm putting it here, but I'm at Mt. Silver now. For all intents and purposes, I'm calling it complete.
Bouncing between a few games at the moment and I still wanna get to Hi-Fi Rush. We'll see what's next to finish!
 
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