52 Games Challenge 2024!!!!!

[kashell]

54. Etrian Odyssey II

The second game in the Switch collection. More of the same, but with some different classes and a new setting. Instead of heading down, we headed up. And up. And up. I had to bring the difficulty to the easiest level at certain points because the high encounter rate tended to surprise me with new, powerful enemies. But, the game helped scratch that itch to dungeon crawl. I'll hold off for a while before playing EOIII.

[bikingjahuty]

33. Resident Evil: Director's Cut (PS1)

Having been an RE fan for about 25 years, it was to my great shame that I'd never actually beat the original game that started it all back in 1996. I'd certainly played it a handful of times, and ironically REmake is one of my favorite games of all time, but for whatever reason I never made time to beat the original game until this past week.


The original RE still holds up surprising well all these years later. Sure, it has some gameplay annoyances like the static camera, some spongy enemies, and of course the infamous tank controls, but overall none of these things were enough to prevent me from having a good time. In fact, the main issue I had while playing RE had nothing to do with the game, but rather one of my 25+ year old PS1 memory card decided to shit the bed while playing. I was just barely able to get it working long enough to transfer my save files to another memory card, but that up at least an hour i'd have otherwise spent playing the game. But anyhow, other than that the game still is fairly creepy despite it's now heavily dated 3D visuals. The design of puzzles, rooms and areas, and some of the bosses are definitely on the more simplistic side compared to what we'd get in later entires, but honestly I didn't find this to be an issue for the most part. The infamous voice acting definitely falls into that's so bad it's goo category most of the time, and the game's OST is appropriate, albeit not super memorable. I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this nearly 30-year old game and how I'd say with a completely straight face that's it's still better than a good chunk of RE games released after it, yes, even some of the mainline games. (8/3/24) [38/50]

[Cartagia]

Finished Lunacid, which is a incredible love letter to old style first-person dungeon crawlers - specifically the PS1 and the King's Field games.  Perfectly stylized with killer atmosphere and an amazing soundtrack.

[dhaabi]

31. A Kappa's Trail || Nintendo DS || 08.05.24



Having what I assume to be the full Nintendo 3DS and DSiWare libraries available to me, I began browsing curated lists of the best DSiWare games to see what interested me. After installing ten or so, I decided on a whim to try A Kappa's Trail, which has little online presence despite the praise it received at the time of its release.

For those unfamiliar, A Kappa's Trail is an action-puzzle game requiring patience, time management, and strategy to guide a kappa from stage start to finish. In each stage, the player must maneuver across narrow paths while avoiding obstacles and enemies along the way. Shortly after each stage begins, a boss enemy of sorts in the form of a demon hand slowly closes the gap between you and it as the player navigates the trail. Should this enemy reach you, or directly cross paths with you at all, the player will immediately fail. Alongside this imminent danger, stage obstacles such as the stage's brightness dimming to eventually become pitch-black force the player to monitor yet another hazard that overlaps the existing dangers. Near the game's end, moving platforms are introduced which do not automatically move the player, meaning players can easily fall to their deaths should they not be careful.

However, it is not merely about getting from point A to point B, as environmental obstacles such as gaps require the use of mini kappas which are hidden all throughout the stage. Six types of mini kappas exist each with their only ability, such as linking together to create a makeshift walkway or even damaging enemies. With this in mind, there are numerous meandering paths to entice players to explore what's available to them. At times, exploration may only yield coins which serve as the game's currency or less important kappas to collect, but it serves as a means for players who want to fully complete a stage, though there seems to be no greater incentive to do so beyond self-interest. Apart from the stage summary screen, this sort of achievement only inflates the game's challenge even more as some side paths are much more difficult to traverse, so I found little reason to go through these extra trials.

Capitalizing on the system's novelties, player movement is not utilized by the D-pad or some other button input but instead by moving the stylus across the touch screen. To move, the stylus must be dragged from the titular kappa to your intended destination guides them along a strict route which can only be adjusted by an overwriting manual stop or by outlining a new path starting from the kappa. Meanwhile, dragging the stylus from anywhere else controls the camera, which is crucial to handle to survey one's surroundings which constantly shifts. Overall, the game's controls are fluid, and my faults never seemed like they weren't a cause by my own action or inaction, but I did on numerous occasions overwrite my projected path straight into a damaging obstacle. At times, the surface area available to players is small while the looming hand encroaches, so these kinds of mistakes never felt completely unavoidable.

Throughout the campaign, the game's aforementioned currency will be collected which can purchase access to a variety of mini-games and items which serve as additional stage credits, but it was an aspect I completely ignored until reaching the final two stages. As the kappa's starting health is limited to three hearts only, it becomes easy to fail during the endgame. So, as I fumbled through multiple attempts at making any noteworthy progress in a stage, I amassed a small fortune which enabled me to stockpile additional credits. During this time, I was searching online for answers about the stage I had trouble with and realized that maximum health can be upgraded by discovering secret paths, but it didn't seem worthwhile at this point. With that said, unless either of these two tools are taken advantage of, I can't imagine any casual player to be able to finish the game. So, that they exist is greatly appreciated, as I may not have completed the game otherwise.

Needless to say, A Kappa's Trail is frustrating, and the game doesn't hesitate at introducing its difficulty. At times, playing was even stressful, and I considered more than once whether to keep playing. Nevertheless, the game offers a respectable degree of challenge that I think many who are fond of early era, arcade-like games requiring credits will enjoy. Still, that numerous articles mention that the game is one of best across the DSiWare catalog is surprising, as I wouldn't consider it to be approachable to most.

[bikingjahuty]

34. Mortal Kombat 2 (Arcade)

While I was fully aware of what a phenomenon the first Mortal Kombat game was when it first came out, it was actually MK2 that I felt like I was there from day one and rode the hype train for a while for that game until MK3 came out a few years later. Ironically I was forbidden from owning or playing Mortal Kombat games until the mid 90s thanks to my parents buying into the whole violent video game media frenzy of the early 90s. Luckily, I still got to play MK2 quite a bit at friend's houses as well as my local arcade. Replaying MK2 now is definitely a hit of nostalgia, as well as a noticeably improved experience over the first game. However, there are still quite a few things about MK2 that have not aged the best, mainly its very unbalanced and fairly basic gameplay. I have also never been a fan of block receiving its own button rather than just pressing back and auto blocking. While I do have to commend MK2 for introducing Animalities and Babailities, the special moves are still fairly limited and for the most part kind of annoying to pull off. The MK series was still somewhat gimmicky at this point still which means you're pretty much playing this for the cool, super 1990s stop motion graphics and the gore. Despite all this, I still enjoy MK2 quite a bit, but there are now much, much better games in the franchise to play. (8/6/24) [30/50]

35. Mortal Kombat Trilogy (PS1)

With how much I've played MK Trilogy over the years, I'm actually a bit shocked this is my first time reviewing it. MK Trilogy was probably my most hyped MK game ever when it first came out in 1996. While I could have bought or rented the N64 version back in the day, the fact that it didn't have all the characters that the PS1 and Saturn versions had was enough gor me to hold off on playing it until I was able to play one of those two versions. MK Trilogy is essentially the culmination of everything good about classic MK rolled up into a single game. It has every character, every stage, and most of the music, but luckily it uses the significantly refined gameplay of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, which while not perfect is a huge leap forward from MK1 and MK2. Visually, it looked about as close to the arcade games as you could get on a 5th gen console. This is ironic since MK Trilogy was never made into an Arcade game, but the character and stages from previous games that were are still represented in Trilogy. To this day, Trilogy is still one of my favorite MK games, and at the very least my favorite classic MK game. (8/6/24) [34/50]

[bikingjahuty]

36. Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution (PS2)

I generally consider myself to be a big Virtua Fighter fan, however the series kind of got away from me after 3 came out in the late 90s, and it took me a very long time before I ever tried its sequel 4. I haven't played 4 or its updated version, Evolution, in a very long time and I figured it was about time I reviewed it.


VF4 Evolution is a very well made fighting game from a gameplay and mechanics standpoint. Like with most VF games, I do my best to learn the moveset of a specific character and utilize it in a way that makes me a better and better player as I sink more time into the game. While Evolution did keep my interest for quite a while, it also reminded me that I'd have to sink hundreds of hours minimum to do more than just soak my feet in the water. Still, even at a beginners level this is a solid fighting game with very few flaws from a gameplay perspective. However, where it somewhat lacks is in other areas like its presentation and audio. Neither are terrible or even bad, but the graphics do look a little meh for a 2003 PS2 game. The audio, which is something I generally really enjoy in VF games was also nothing special, but again, not bad either. VF4 Evolution is definitely one of the better entries in the series I've played, but still lacks what makes many of the other entries in the series so special. I'd still definitely recommend it though. (8/9/24) [33/50]

[bikingjahuty]

37. Gunstar Super Heroes (GBA)

It's been a long, long time since I last played the original Gunstar Heroes, however the impression it left on me was that it was a pretty good 16-bit action game overall with some minor annoyances here and there. Going into Gunstar Super heroes I expected things to be more or less the same, however I was unfortunately left with a much more frustrating, poorly designed, and annoying experience overall. Gunstar Super Heroes is certainly not without it's positives such as its cool, polished sprite based graphics on the GBA and the music is pretty good overall too. Even the action gameplay is pretty impressive and there are plentiful cool, over the top bosses to fight throughout the game. Unfortunately, many of these boss battles just feel poorly designed and frustrating, but that's not this game's biggest flaw. There are checkpoints throughout each stage and if you die after one of them, you will always reload with the same health that you did prior to dying. The only way to regain some of your health potentially is to redo the stage from a previous checkpoint and hope you retain more of your HP next time. I feel like it would have made more sense to start out with all your HP after reloading the checkpoint, or at least be given some sort of health item that allows you to have a fighting chance. However, there is an even bigger design flaw in this game. When you die, which you will a lot, you get kicked out of the game, reload to the Sega and Treasure logo that shows up when you first start the game, and then have to go through every menu back into the stage you were just playing. This got real old, real fast to the point where I just wanted to jump back into where I was, but instead had to do all the menues again, listen to the same cutscenes again, and view any scripted sequences that may have occured since my last checkpoint. This last point in particular kinda ruins the experience of this game and I'm not sure how this got past testing since the original Gunstar Heroes doesn't possess this. I'd definitely recommend sticking with the original game on the Genesis. (8/12/24) [28/50]

[bikingjahuty]

38. Sonic Advance 3 (GBA)

Last year I beat Sonic Advance 1 and 2, and overall enjoyed both games (1 definitely more than 2), however neither game was able to fill the shoes of pretty much any of the classic mainline Sonic games. I wasn't able to get around to placing Sonic Advance 3, which is the one I was hoping would be at least as good as some of the mainline Genesis Sonic games. Unfortunately it was not as good as those either, however I will say that I liked Advance 3 just a hair more than the first Sonic Advance title, making it the best of the trilogy in my book. Audio and visual presentation is pretty good in Sonic Advance 3, although I'd hardly call either of these attributes memorable or amazing by any means. The gameplay of Sonic Advance 3, while better than both previous games, was still not the greatest with some very poorly laid out stage areas, some very poorly conceived bosses, and once again the random bottomless pits make their return, albeit toned down from Advance 2. Still, I managed to enjoy this game more than dislike it as I got theough each zone. The later zones turn up the poor design and cheapness to the point where you'll question whether or not you want to beat the game, however in the end I'm glad I did. Not a masterpiece or even a must play game necessarily, but certainly one worth checking out if you consider yourself a Sonic fan. (8/13/24) [31/50]

[bikingjahuty]

39. Mario Kart Super Circuit (GBA)

If you can't tell from my previous two reviews and this one, I'm all about the GBA right now. I'm also away from home for about a week so its been a good opportunity to catch up on some handheld games I've been holding off on playing for a while.


Playing Mario Kart Super Circuit is a reminder of how I wish I would have played the GBA more often when it was the current Nintendo handheld. I owned one back in the early 2000s, so did my little brother, but aside from a handful of games I never played it as much as I wish I would have. I've gone back and replayed many of the classics on that system, but knowing how much more I would have appreciated them back in 2001 or 2004 does make me feel a bit bummed out. But anyhow, at least I'm diving into them now and enjoying them!


Mario Kart Super Circuit feels like a much prettier, slightly more refined version of the original Mario Kart on the SNES. The game makes good use of the GBA's amazing, vibrant color pallet to create some cool looking and memorable stages. The character sprites and other details are also way sharper, more detailed, and just better looking overall than anything on the SNES too. The gameplay is mostly carried over from the original Mario Kart, albeit with improvements like certain items that were never in the SNES Mario Kart game. One thing I will give the SNES game more credit for in the gameplay department than Super Circuit is I feel like the courses will designed a little better overall. However, I feel like the top 4 Super Circuit tracks are better than anything in the original game, so there's that. Finally, the audio is pretty good, but nothing as memorable as what's found in Mario Kart 64 or DS. Still, a solid OST overall, and just the sound design in general is what you'd want in a Mario Kart game. There are certainly better games in the Mario Kart franchise, but Super Circuit is still a great time to be had. (8/14/24) [34/50]

[kashell]

36. Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution (PS2)

Snip.

Man, that game brings memories. I remember getting it at a Best Buy while I was mid-Soul Calibur II. The two fighters were so, so different from each other but somehow I adapted to both playstyles.

That judo fighter (Goh?) was my favorite.

[kashell]

55. Mega Man 3

When you can't sleep at night, you don't drink chamomile tea or count sheep. No, you play a classic. Another very, very special game to me that I grew up with, Mega Man 3 is able to take me back as soon as the introduction starts playing. It's also still one of the more challenging games because there is no "perfect route" for getting through each RM. But, I did my usual: Hard Man > Top Man > Shadow Man > Spark Man > Magnet Man > Gemini Man > Snake Man > Needle Man. Super fun and easy for the muscle memory to kick back into gear.

[kashell]

56. Stranger of Sword City: Revisited - Neutral Ending/Anna

Finally, after three tries (one on Vita and two on this version) I have finished Stranger of Sword City. Out of all of the Experience Inc. games I've played, this one is the most challenging from start to end. Even on Easy mode. I'm convinced that Normal mode = hard, Easy mode = normal, and the mode easier than that (I think Beginner) = easy. The game never pulled any punches due to enemies that have the RNG to instantly kill your teammates and permadeath. Tack on very, very expensive revival/recovery fees, slow level building, brutal bosses, and probably more that I'm not thinking of an you've got the formula for this dungeon crawler. That said, looking back, I had a really great time with it. Aspects of horror (an Experience Inc. staple) seeped into every corner of this game. There was also a really awesome job system with so many ways to make your team shine. So, despite all of the cursing and frustration (trust me, there was a lot) I still recommend it to fans of dungeon crawlers. I'm going to go through as much post-game content as possible to get another ending as I gather my thoughts for a proper review.

[kashell]

57. Stranger of Sword City: Revisited - Light Ending

I finished the first of four bonus dungeons. This one set me on the light path. Which, sadly, wasn't very "light" after all was said and done. However, our stat caps have increased so now I can continue building up my team. Almost done with all of the cross-classing, too!

[telly]

Game 14 - Flashback: The Quest for Identity (SNES) - 9 hours

I had always heard of the game Flashback but decided to randomly buy it store the other day. I had no knowledge of this game going in and I thought it was going to be pretty bad. I was pleasantly surprised; this game's pretty decent! The game is set in a very cool if cliched cyberpunk apocalyptic setting with impressive graphics and environments featuring smooth rotoscoped animation. The game features an impressive number of cutscenes and dialogue that adds to a cinematic experience alongside some great incidental music and sound effects to punctuate key moments. The gameplay and controls are pretty frustrating, but once you get the hang of it it's essentially a case of trial and error until you memorize how to navigate each of the levels. Pro tip: look up the controls in a manual because some of the controls are a little too obscure for you to figure out naturally.

I found the game's difficulty to be pretty reasonable overall. It's definitely hard, but you have unlimited continues, checkpoints, and plenty of reusable health refill stations which made the game a lot more forgiving. I think my biggest complaints were the amount of slowdown when the game has more than 1 thing on the screen (so pretty much all the time), and some issues with hit detection when you're very close to enemies. So in summary I wasn't expecting much from this game but I did enjoy my time with it.

[kashell]

58. Stranger of Sword City: Revisited - Dark Ending

I won't spoil anything, but this ending might be my favorite. Or, maybe I have a high appreciate for it because of the effort it took to get here. After the light ending, enemies increased by 10 levels. That's the bad news. The good news is that all of the new bonus areas were loaded with treasures that let my team catch up quickly. Now, with my vanguard row being able to dual-wield 2H weapons, we're able to massacre everything. It's so satisfying. It's crazy to think how we were barely surviving when the game first started.