Author Topic: 52 Games Challenge 2023!!!  (Read 45964 times)

Re: 52 Games Challenge 2023!!!
« Reply #165 on: May 29, 2023, 02:22:42 pm »
19. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (SWITCH)

Before I jump into my review of Tears of the Kingdom (TOTK) I want to give what I'm about to say context. Its predecessor, Breath of the Wild (BOTW) is my 2nd favorite game of all time and my favorite Zelda game ever made. I know that game has minor annoyances, however for each one of these or flaw it had, it had 50 other thing that made it amazing. In other words, TOTK had some very, very big shoes to fill and I'll be directly comparing the two when summing up how I felt about TOTK. The other thing I want to get out of the way is no, I didn't hate TOTK and in fact thought it was a really good game. With that said, I'm going to be very critical in what I'm about to say, however this does not detract from all the amazing things I experienced while playing TOTK. Okay, let's get into my thoughts on TOTK lol.


Unfortunately TOTK is an inferior game to BOTW for a variety of ways, however the biggest one by far is the fact that Nintendo decided to have it take place more or less in the same Hyrule that BOTW took place in. "But what about the sky islands and the Depths!" you might be asking. I'll get to that in a moment. For anyone who played BOTW extensively, TOTK world almost feels like a rerund, albeit of a amazing episode. BOTW's hyrule fascinated me and filled me with endless wonder about what was on the other side of that mountain, or if I could reach that far away island. So returning to the same Hyrule, while good and all, lacked that same sense of wonder and pull for me to want to explore, mostly because I already had done this while playing BOTW. As for the minor geographical differences really only account for 10% at best when it comes to new things to explore on the surface. This includes new caves, structures, and towns that weren't in BOTW. This leaves the sky islands and depths, which I found to be pretty uninteresting and even somewhat lazy in design. The sky islands mostly all looked the same in terms of art assets, aesthetics and design with a few small surprises hear and there. As for the depths, it was mostly a bland wasteland that was beyond tedious and annoying to explore, and pretty much just possessed recycled enemies and bosses from other parts of the games with some minor things of interest here and there. If Nintendo was trying to pull the wool over my eyes and be like "look at all the new, amazing stuff to explore!" they really didn't succeed, at least for me. This over familiarity with TOTK's settings extended to pretty much everything in the game including the characters, enemies, music, items, and pretty much everything else. TOTK really just felt like a repackaged expansion for BOTW rather than a full fledged new entry in the Zelda franchise. Again, I loved all these things, but I found myself fairly jaded when it came to seeing so much of the same stuff all over again throughout the game.


In BOTW I remember staring off into the distance beyond the borders of Hyrule and wondering what else was out there. This is where I wanted the sequel to my favorite Zelda game to take place, not in the same place I'd thoroughly explored and conquered already.


In terms of Gameplay it's mostly lifted right out of BOTW, with the noteworthy exceptions being some of your tablet's new ability, but mostly the ability to craft items. From the time crafting was first revealed, I found this mechanic to be fairly uninteresting. I get how some people have used it to create crazy machines already, but for me it's just something I never really cared for beyond solving a puzzle or getting from point A to B. It works mostly as it should and for that I'll give credit where credit is due. There is also a new time mechanic which is also primarily used to resolve puzzles in the game's shrines and temples, but I found myself using this ability the least.


Speaking of the games shrines and temples, I found these to be mostly a downgrade over what was offered in BOTW in terms of design. There seemed to be a lot of haphazard design, especially in the temples which just made them feel lazy at times and they lacked the memorable feel of many previous Zeldas. Still, I will say in terms of aesthetics, the temples are a massive upgrade over the divine beasts in BOTW. Even more than that, BOTW's bosses are lightyears more enjoyable than the Blight enemies of BOTW. Their design and the diverse ways in which you have to beat them was also a very welcome change compared to BOTW.


Really the only thing left to discuss is TOTK's story and plot. Overall, I found it to be decent, with some stuff making me roll my eyes and sigh, while other parts of it actually hit me super hard in the feels. I also mostly liked the subtle and not so subtle nods and influences from Ocarina of Time in this game, particularly the element of time travel. But I will admit that the story does have a leg up on its predecessor for the most part.


Overall, I find myself disappointed with TOTK, but only because it's the sequel to one of the best games I've ever played. On its own, TOTK is an excellent game and easily better than 95% of the games I've played. It's just too bad Nintendo didn't take this game a step further and set it in an entirely new world much like they have in most other Zelda games. If they'd taken the time to craft a new world, even with all the same gameplay mechanics of BOTW, I'd have loved this game significantly more. This would include different enemies and NPCs as well. Again, it just felt like I was getting a shinier, repackaged version of BOTW, which was the biggest negative for me while playing TOTK. Still, TOTK is an amazing game and worth playing for any Zelda fan. (5/29/23) [40/50]

Re: 52 Games Challenge 2023!!!
« Reply #166 on: May 30, 2023, 06:13:26 pm »
16 - Terror of Hemasaurus (PC 2022) - BEAT - Silly little pixel game I'd been meaning to pick up for abit as I'm a fan of kaiju stuff.  It's basically a throwback to Rampage, 2D building smashing and people eating silliness.  Very over the top, I like that the buildings are designed around physics, so a big thing to do is to target certain spots on buildings to get them to knock over onto other buildings.  It's pretty straightforward otherwise with a very over the top story to it.  Fun little indie game.

Re: 52 Games Challenge 2023!!!
« Reply #167 on: May 31, 2023, 02:34:49 pm »
20. Super Mario World (SNES)

In the early/mid 90s I remember playing the Super Mario Bros games at friends houses, however I never played any of them extensively due to me not owning a Nintendo console until 1995 when my aunt got me an SNES. Because of this I never got heavily into some of the best SNES games of the time, including Super Mario World. I'm surprised I never bought this game back in the day given how infatuated I was, and frankly still am, with the DKC games. But it actually wouldn't be until the late 2000s that I'd own Super Mario World and around 2010 when I beat it for the first time. I remember thinking the game was pretty good overall, however since it's been 13-years since I last beat it, it was well past time for me to play through it again and give it a proper 52 games review ;)


Super Mario World is overall one of the hardest platformers I can remember playing, some of which is by design and part of it has to do with some questionable stage design. One of my least favorite parts about Super Mario World's gameplay is actually. how Mario continued to run in whatever direction you were going even if you're no longer holding the D-Pad in that direction. As a result you need to do this awkward controller rock which I really didn't like despite getting used to it fairly quickly. Other than that I enjoyed this games many secrets, secret stages, and the fun vibrant levels. There is a lot of variation in bosses and enemies, especially for a game from this time period. The game definitely looks and feels like a labor of love which makes it hard not to enjoy. The audio is also pretty good, although the years would prove that the SNES was capable of way better OSTs. Despite this games status as a platforming icon, I still feel like this game has aged somewhat, even compared to games released just a few years later like DKC2, Sonic 2, and Sonic 3. That doesn't necessarily negate how amazing Super Mario World is, but it does make me wish I was playing something a bit more refined. Still, i enjoyed this game quite a bit and look forward to playing it again in another decade or so lol. (5/31/23) [37/50]
« Last Edit: May 31, 2023, 02:40:03 pm by bikingjahuty »

telly

Re: 52 Games Challenge 2023!!!
« Reply #168 on: May 31, 2023, 03:38:29 pm »
Game 7 - Mega Man Battle Network (Switch) - 17 Hours

I have been waiting so long for a proper collection of the Battle Network games to be released, and it's finally here. I plan on playing through all of the games on this collection, except for Battle Network 2, since I just finished that last year. I'm looking forward to playing the games I haven't played before (BN, BN4), as well as revisiting the games I haven't played since I was a child (BN5, BN6).

First, let me say a few words regarding the collection overall. I was very impressed with Capcom's handling of the Zero/ZX collection and this release is also good, but has a few issues. I really don't get why the physical version is split into two "volumes" that have separate launch menus. I get that they're sold separately on the digital store, but for the physical cartridge I wish it was just one volume. The font for the text is not the same as the originals, and the text must have transcribed using AI or something because there are lots of syntax issues, particularly with random " marks and sporadic use of periods. There are also spelling/grammatical errors, but all the originals had spelling errors from the get go so I'm not sure if they're caused by bad transcription or retained from the originals. Altogether, I do think this is a great collection, with otherwise faithful reproductions. I love all the concept art including unused navi designs and a music player, as well as some nice additions from the Japanese versions of these games like downloadable chips and new animations. There are some other gameplay redesigns from Japanese to English that I will probably be experiencing for the first time.

With all that being said, let's dive into the first game in the series. The first Battle Network is unfortunately a victim of "first game syndrome". I do have to pay huge respects to how the development team were able to make a "first of it's kind" gameplay experience this solid, so I really can't be too hard on it. Some of the biggest gameplay issues with the first game stem from the very high encounter rates and incredibly maze-like and confusing net layouts. Story advancement felt very much like episodic story arcs that don't flow together into a seamless narrative. There are several characters hanging around with navis that you can fight but they don't play any role in the story. A lot of navis are easy to beat flawlessly because you can flinch them out of their attacks with a charged buster shot. There's very little music, consisting of about three tracks for outside, inside and internet areas that will play nonstop throughout the entire game. All of these story, world, gameplay and audio issues are indeed improved with subsequent installments.

Some of the issues with the first BN unfortunately aren't really addressed in later entries either. The biggest is the series' reliance on  story missions with tedious back and forth journeys that get extended longer than needed in order to pad out the game's length. As I mentioned with BN2's review last year, the dialogue is really bad, the stories are cheesy, and the names/descriptions of chips could be cleaner/easier to understand what they do. All of that being said, I still think this game is worth playing, but only if you want some of the lore and origins behind many of the characters, enemies and villains that will come back across future games in the series. I'm looking forward to playing BN3 now, which is my favorite in the series, but we'll see how I feel after I finish all of them!
« Last Edit: June 12, 2023, 02:53:17 pm by telly »
Currently Playing:
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes (PS4), Resident Evil 5 (PS4), Pokémon: Ultra Moon (3DS), SSX3 (PS2)

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Re: 52 Games Challenge 2023!!!
« Reply #169 on: June 12, 2023, 02:01:22 am »
17 - Street Fighter 6 (PS5 2023) - BEAT - I'm a pretty casual fighting game fan, I don't stick with them long enough to get good at them, I'm usually alright at performing moves and such, but I like it when a game has decent singleplayer content and Street Fighter 6 has an okay amount.  For "BEAT" on this, I completed World Tour, which is a mixed bag.  It's like Yakuza-Lite in it's execution, not even "open world", but more of a hub world that you can then go out to other locations, which aren't actual new areas, just small zones with a couple people and a new Fighter/Master to interact with.  There's a story here, it's not great, it's very basic, centered around your custom character, which is kinda the best aspect of it.  Building a fun or goofy character, leveling them up, getting them moves from other fighters to customize your command list, unlock new clothes, that's what kept me going. 

The final fights are abit rough and they jump in difficulty hard in a way you aren't expecting.  Like I did most all the side quests I could barring a few, did a decent amount of extra fighting, getting up to around Level 48 to 50, and then found out by the end that you really need to either be amazing at the game or basically grind up to level 60.  Not fun to have do that, because you are then forced to redo the whole gauntlet if you fail it.

I can't give much of a review of the rest of the game as again I'm not a fighting game player, but from what I've seen, they've done a great job with it.  Looks great, plays well, Battle Hub is a neat way to show off your custom characters, meet up with other people to fight, you can go do combo trials and normal arcade runs also and there's lots of little extra stuff strewn about.  I think I put 20 to 25 hours into World Tour and while I didn't hate it, I don't have too much praise for it, very middle of the road, but I enjoyed it enough.

They will apparently add new content to World Tour, it's sounding like each new character will be a new Master unlock, so reasons to come back down the road as otherwise there isn't much replay value post-game.  It's just finishing up sidequests and one sidequest involves fighting specific fighters around the map, but you have to level up to 80 to them all and that grind is just gonna suck to much to do as they don't give you anything extra to level up with after doing all the sidequests that I could tell.  It's just mindless NPC fighting and that's really boring.

I do recommend the game, probably the best SF game they've done in a long while.

tripredacus

Re: 52 Games Challenge 2023!!!
« Reply #170 on: June 12, 2023, 09:59:47 am »
I hadn't done any update for these so I will just write a bit about each

14. Half-Life
I had played a lot of Half-Life when it came out but haven't done anything since. I had some memories of the single player, primarily the first parts of the game and then many different memories of various multiplayer mods. But for this instance, it wasn't a case of just trying and old game again, this was on my list as Half-Life Source. It played alright for the most part, aside from some instances where the game played the wrong sounds. There was a lot I forgot.

It is marked as abandoned because the game kept crashing at the final boss. There were some other instances I had to deal with, such as earlier in Zen the game kept respawning me in the void after a death. Aside from those, the main issue is with the controls. The game has a very "walking on ice" type feel that made some platforming portions impossible. First was where you have to push two boxes to a wall and use them to get to a ladder, but the boxes move way too easily and I could never get it to attach to the ladder. Another area where you have to run along a thin rail and jump through a hole in the wall was also impossible for me to do.

I did not really remember how much platforming was in this game and makes me not like it as much as I thought I did.

15. The Darkness II
It is a compentant shooter that looks quite good. Controls got some getting used to, but I didn't have to use cheats at any point like I had to in Half-Life. I had no background on the comic series and never played the first game. Only issue with gameplay is the headshot registration.

16. Leisure Suit Larry: Wet Dreams Dry Twice
I had not played any Leisure Suit Larry games since the demo for the first one. After having played some other point and click adventure games recently, I already knew that I wasn't going to be sinking time in to figure things out. The puzzles are a little more obvious than previous ones, but for all of these type games I will be using walkthroughs from whatever point I run out of ideas, which is usually in the first couple of screens. The sexual humor is a bit much and I don't particularly care about it. I guess I'm just not a kid anymore. Only a couple of instances were anything funny in this game. I still have the other games in the series to do, but I think I will finally change my monitor setup so I can have a walkthrough up while playing.

undertakerprime

PRO Supporter

Re: 52 Games Challenge 2023!!!
« Reply #171 on: June 12, 2023, 01:13:01 pm »
24. Mega Man 10

And with this, I have now beaten every game in the mainline Mega Man series (1-11).
I first bought this on PS3 back when it originally released but ended up abandoning it when I just hit a wall in the first Dr. Wily level. MM Legacy Collection 2 gave me a chance to try again and I finally completed it.

It’s a very strangely balanced game. Overall, IMO it might have the most difficult assortment of Robot Masters of any MM game, and none has any weakness to the basic arm cannon. Additionally, some mid-bosses, like the Keeper and the boulder guy, are MUCH harder than many of the end-stage bosses. Contrarily, the final battle against Wily might be the easiest boss in the game (I beat him with no problem first try, didn’t even need an E-Tank). Also, after the extremely fun weapons in MM9 that were very useful outside of boss battles, 10’s weapons are disappointing and don’t offer much use other than defeating a boss with a weakness to them.

It still has that classic gameplay and is worth a playthrough, it just doesn’t reach the heights of the better games in the series like 2 & 3. I also have to give a shout out to the level theming; Strike Man’s level is great with its stadium background and enemies like the aforementioned soccer goalkeeper, lockers, and ball baskets that shoot baseballs and footballs. Blade Man’s level is also fun with its medieval castle filled with weapons.

kashell

Re: 52 Games Challenge 2023!!!
« Reply #172 on: June 13, 2023, 10:26:45 pm »
38. Trinity Trigger - platinum'd

Very disappointing. It starts strong, but it doesn't take long for it to show its choppiness. Nearly everyone who's played it or seen it has compared it to Secret of Mana, or rather, claim it to be better than Secret of Mana. Hell, I might have done that at first, too. But, this game pulled some stuff that was pretty awful; stuff a Mana game would never do. The biggest issue is with the AI. I can't remember the last time I played a game that actively punishes a single player for not having others to play with. It's like when a game locks a player out of online connect for not having an internet connection. All that to say that the AI is piss-awful. There are plenty of other issues that I'll talk about when I get to a review.

undertakerprime

PRO Supporter

Re: 52 Games Challenge 2023!!!
« Reply #173 on: June 13, 2023, 11:39:14 pm »
26. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

Put simply: overall fun but flawed game. Has a few technical issues, like bad model pop-in during cutscenes and the worst loading times I’ve seen for a while. Watching the end credits now and because I beat the final boss with only a sliver of health left, another glitch is causing a heartbeat sound throughout the credits (which you normally hear at low health)…funny  ;D
Still worth a playthrough despite the technical issues and a few questionable design choices (the sliding sections can go to hell and burn there for eternity).

tripredacus

Re: 52 Games Challenge 2023!!!
« Reply #174 on: June 16, 2023, 11:41:36 am »
17. Broken Age

Another point and click adventure. This one actually had a decent story with some great twists. Definitely things that I didn't see comine. The voice acting was pretty good. The talking tree was probably my favorite character.

Nothing much else to say about it really. I think that I will defer more of these point and click type games when they come up on my list in the future and try to concentrate more on things I really want to play instead of playing something just to get it off my list.

Re: 52 Games Challenge 2023!!!
« Reply #175 on: June 17, 2023, 07:35:51 am »
19 - BattleBit Remastered (PC 2023 - Early Access) - ENDLESS - With Battlefield being in a troubling state these days, it's nice to have a shooter trying to fill that niche.  It looks like a goofy game, it's basically Roblox, but it's actually a fairly hardcore shooter I'd say.  Not quite on the level of a more sim-like Squad, but abit less arcadey than Battlefield tends to be.  Feels like I'm back in the Battlefield 2 days abit.  It also has some crazy player counts, getting up to 256 max size.  Honestly, that stuff is kind of a nightmare, it's pure chaos and not really that fun lol  There's also 120, 64, 32, and I think 16.  To me, the sweet spot is definitely 64 and 32 as it feels like you can get some decent action. 

All the mechanics feel great, there are definitely some tweaks to be had, weapon grinding is way too high, but they said they are gonna change that as it could take a person months to unlock some of the weapons if they are playing it casually and not dumping a bunch of hours into it every day. I don't mind some of the accessories or cosmetics taking a little bit, but I think the guns should be a lot easier so you have more weapon variety.

Cool game, look to see how it'll progress.

undertakerprime

PRO Supporter

Re: 52 Games Challenge 2023!!!
« Reply #176 on: June 17, 2023, 11:43:55 am »
28. Shadow of the Colossus Remaster (PS4)

Simply put, one of the greatest games ever made. The music, the atmosphere, the multiple feelings it elicits…now looking better than ever.
*Chef’s kiss*

My personal favorite is #13 (Phalanx). Unforgettable ever since the first time on PS2, and the most tragic since it is a beautiful, awe-inspiring creature who seems completely benign (it is the only colossus who never directly attacks you).
« Last Edit: June 17, 2023, 11:53:09 am by undertakerprime »

dhaabi

Re: 52 Games Challenge 2023!!!
« Reply #177 on: June 17, 2023, 01:20:35 pm »
19. Stray || PlayStation 5 || 06.11.23



When Stray was announced in 2020, I had high expectations and was greatly looking forward to playing it upon release. Generally, I approach games without any lofty expectations to catch my interest or to leave me satisfied, but this was one of the few instances. So, I'm glad to report that this is one of the few games that my high expectations were actually met.

Controlling an unnamed cat who I'll now dub Cat, players are introduced to an abandoned industrial area which has seen nature's overgrowth reclaim the land. Here, a small group of cats have banded together, living out their lives as wild animals. While the typical movement across the area seems like any other, it unfortunately isn't for Cat. Leaping across a gap, Cat falls deep. Very deep. So deep, that nothing from above can be seen—neither the sky nor the sun but instead what the game refers to as a dead city full of rusty metal, broken debris, and ponds of backed-up sewage.

Shortly after exploring these forgotten depths, Cat encounters a sentient drone named B-12 whose only memories are that their function is to reach the outside world. With no other means of achieving this, B-12 and Cat unite to accomplish their shared mission as it is assumed Cat's goal is to return to the world above. As a drone, B-12 has capabilities that allow both the narrative and gameplay to move forward. With Cat being the platform-hopping vehicle, B-12 instead provides a means of communication between other robots who will be met along this journey, in addition to being able to interact with other technologies such as keypads and other basic machinery to solve puzzle-based obstacles.

For me, just being able to wander around this post-apocalyptic world littered with old tech was especially captivating. Environments are dirtied and disorganized, with bottles being laid about, stacks of books piled high, and old remnants of the human era collected. No one truly understands why these items held importance at all but they're still maintained to possibly feel some sort of connectivity to their ancestors. Often, Stray felt both claustrophobic and a little boundless at the same time as neon glows flicker high above in the distance and clutter is thrown about in dark corners throughout the unwelcoming and makeshift cityscape. I'll now also mention how impressive the character design is, as they serve to bring the world alive. Contrarily, robot NPCs feel incredibly human. They are all quite varied with another with their own quirks and personalities, mannerisms, and interests.

Once the player reaches an area known as the slums—one of the two most highlighted locales shown in trailers—the game greatly opens up. Here, there is an unexpected amount of coverage to explore, items and people to interact with, and puzzles to solve. In the slums, alleyways interconnect but also branch off into small pockets of town. This alone offers a fun sense of exploration, but that sense is becomes much greater when regarding Stray's successful use of vertical scale. Every time I noticed a new path to walk down, window to enter, or series of ledges to climb, I was pleasantly surprised with how much there is to discover. This isn't to say that every aspect of the environment is explorable, but a lot is. All of this is achieved even further by there being no in-game map to rely upon. All exploration is done entirely blind, which I am of the opinion is perhaps the best development choice made.

To a great extent, the vision toward designing Stray while taking into account how a cat behaves excels. Routinely, there are prompts to leap, drink water, sharpen nails, and nap, and they are conveyed well. Additionally, welcomed idle animations are present such as catching insects and cleaning paws, although these animations do require a fair amount of time to pass before starting. I have experienced the DualSense's haptic feedback capabilities in other games, and I was pleased with how Stray utilizes it. For instance, there is a constant degree of heavy resistance when clawing at objects such as doors or walls.

On this note, Stray's sound and lighting design is exceptional in bringing an environment to life. Throughout many areas, reclaimed tape decks often emit lonely, desolate, and forgotten tunes of various genres which convey an appropriate mood. Or, at other times, sound may roar as tension or excitement is introduced. Paired with music is lighting which will be much more apparent. Visually, I was frequently impressed with the game's environments. Many types of environments are to be explored are are filled with grimy, wet oranges to stagnant, musty yellows alongside artificial, cold blues and greens of human-era tech.

All of this said, Stray is not a perfect game. The issues I have are arguably minor, although I believe they would considerably improve player immersion which seems to be a development focus given the game's high graphical quality and general detail. As the game is played from a third-person perspective, I was disappointed in the camera's limitations. The player is consistently refused the option to observe Cat from a variety of angles and positions. For instance, I was prompted to drink water, so I did. However, I could not get a good angle of the performed action at all as the action has a fixed position. This also relates to my disappointment in screenshot capability. There isn't any first-person perspective or even a dedicated screenshot mode. So, almost always will Cat be an up-close fuzz distorting the bottom portion of captured images. I am generally not compelled to take screenshots, but Stray seems made for it, so I genuinely was let-down.

Continuing with two other aspects I wish were improved, I felt that Stray would benefit from restricting the player from taking such quick movements. This opinion is mostly in regards to moments of intrigue where a real cat would be defensive about the unknown before them. Such caution is taken to some degree, but only once after a button prompt. As Cat routinely interacts with environmental items, NPCs largely do not interact in response. As a cat, the player will inevitably knock items over either intentionally or by mistake. However, when items are broken or tipped over, there are no NPC responses unless it is scripted.

In short, Stray isn't anything less than a remarkable game. While it isn't perfect, the groundwork for it to be has certainly been built. Careful consideration concerning the game's world-building is certainly felt while playing, and it's impressive, to say the least. If you're able to play it, Stray is certainly recommended.
« Last Edit: July 01, 2023, 11:12:57 am by dhaabi »

Re: 52 Games Challenge 2023!!!
« Reply #178 on: June 18, 2023, 10:03:24 pm »
21. Neo Geo Battle Coliseum (PS2)

Given how much I love SNK and especially their fighting games, I'm surprised I've never sat down and sunk some serious time into their internal crossover game, Neo Geo Battle Coliseum (NGBC). On paper is sounds like an incredible game, and in some ways it kind of is; you pretty much have characters, stages, references, music, and background characters that represent a vast array of SNK's library over the years. While most of the roster is comprised of KOF and Samurai Shodown characters, there are a bunch of other characters thrown in from other SNK franchises like Metal Slug, Art of Fighting, Metal Slug and even more obscure stuff like King of Monsters. It's really a game for fans of the franchise and for that I really appreciate this game. Visually it looks great all around and the OST, character voices, and everything else about the audio is pretty good overall. Where this game really falters imo is its gameplay. While not terrible, this is probably one of the least balanced more modern SNK games I think I've played. There are certain characters that are vastly OPed, and I'm not even just talking about the bosses. The arcade mode of the game is set up to where you are given a fairly generous amount of time to get through as many fighters as possible. When time runs out you are then forced to fight a boss battle. At first I thought this was kind of cool, but what sucks is I wanted to experience more of the game, but couldn't because it was already over. So yeah, NGBC us a fun game, don't get me wrong, but it really falls more in the category of novelty fighter than a very technical, well crafted fighting game. Still worth a play for any fan of SNK fighters, or just SNK games in general though imo. (6/18/23) [33/50]

Re: 52 Games Challenge 2023!!!
« Reply #179 on: June 19, 2023, 01:16:36 am »
22. Real Bout: Fatal Fury Special - Dominated Mind (PS1)

As much as I love the King of Fighters series and many other SNK games, I'm a bit embarrassed and ashamed to admit I've barely played any of the Fatal Fury games. The ones I actually have the most playtime with are the very first game in the series and the very last (Mark of the Wolves), but everything in between is something I've either barely played or never played. So of course I had to play one of the most obscure Fatal Fury releases which is essentially just a port of Real Bout: Fatal Fury Special to the PS1. Dominated Mind adds in anime cut scenes which is a cool touch, as well as new characters and a plethora of other things I won't go into. But overall, I found this game to be highly enjoyable with the exception of the final boss is par for the course (aka cheap as all hell) when it comes to SNK fighting games. The gameplay was otherwise a step above some KOF games I've played which is really saying something. Visually, the game looks pretty good, both in terms of gameplay sprites, backgrounds, and other effects, however the added bonus of anime cutscenes was a pretty sweet addition for this port. Finally, the audio was also great, although I didn't find any particular song super catchy, but at least it had that amazing 90s fighting game sound to it. Overall, I'd say this game is probably best for someone more familiar with the rest of the Fatal Fury franchise, or at least Real Bout Special, but for what it is, this port was a pretty good time overall. (6/18/23) [34/50]