52 Games Challenge 2023!!!

[kashell]

What a year. Not just in terms of life stuff, but in terms of games. 2024 has some major, major shoes to fill.  Bring on the next one!

EDIT: I tried copying and pasting my final lists but it won't let me. Oh well.

[bikingjahuty]

65. Mega Man X4 - X, PlayStation Version/Vita

One more for the road, I suppose. For real, this time. I can't go a full year without playing my favorite Mega Man game, ever. There's nothing new to report. I have this game just about everywhere in my game library and decided to a quick run through with my blue brother X.

I go back and forth as to whether I like X4 more or the first game more. They're both incredible and the best of the X series imo.

[dhaabi]

47. Cube Escape: The Mill || Mobile || 12.27.23



Because of the narrative-dense experience that Cube Escape: Case 23 offers, I was greatly looking forward to Cube Escape: The Mill. After a few busy days, I was finally able to continue playing through the series.

With the above comment in mind, it's worth noting that the "narrative-dense" descriptor should be taken lightly. Much of the series remains cryptic through its dark, supernatural themes. So, any amount of detail provided is welcomed to help make sense of the obscurities presented thus far. Moving on, it's difficult to say that the overall narrative was developed, but players do witness certain actions which introduce more questions than answers. Some explanations are given yet are still unclear as to what exactly is going on involving memories, souls, and those who cross paths with Rusty Lake. At this point of the series, players have only been introduced to a few characters including Mr. Owl, detective Dale Vandermeer, and the murdered woman, alongside their involvement throughout the story is expanded upon in this entry to a degree.

In writing this review, I've realized something I've not yet mentioned that's important to each entry: the titular cube, or, rather, two cubes. Throughout each game, two otherworldly cubes of some unknown power appear. Often, they're used to progress through puzzles, being used as keys to advance through certain roadblocks. In most of the games, obtaining each cube and utilizing them as intended ends the playthrough in its abrupt fashion. The Mill is no different, but this entry gives players a much clearer understanding and explanation as to what the cubes actually are.

Generally, puzzles were easy to follow, although some points left me stumped. Puzzles tend to fall back to the simple adventure style gameplay with two items being needed to interact with another. So, there are few actual puzzles which are self-contained, including the above tooth puzzle.

Like the previous entry, The Mill presents a more in-depth look at the ambiguous events happening at Rusty Lake and those connected to it. Many details remain vague, so I'm hoping for more snippets of explanation as I'm now two-thirds complete with the Cube Escape series.

[ignition365]

I'm behind again on my notes... ugh.  I'm going to make an effort to finish up before 2024... maybe.

[bikingjahuty]

60. Sonic CD (Switch)

Growing up, I wasn't even aware of Sonic CD's existence until years later when I began collecting video games. Funny enough, most of the online collecting/gaming circles I was a part of talked about Sonic CD like it was the best of the classic Sonic games, and was some unsung masterpiece that was let down by being released on a failed Sega add on console. I first played Sonic CD over 10-years ago with much enthusiasm, only to fond the game to not only be the weakest of the classic Sonic games (not including spinoff titles or handheld games), but fairly underwhelming overall. I decided to revisit Sonic CD to see if maybe my opinion of it either improved or decreased over the years. Unfortunately, it's about the same.


Sonic CD is not a bad game, it's just fairly underwhelming compared to Sonic, Sonic 2, and Sonic 3 + Knuckles. My main issue with Sonic CD is the level design which with a few exceptions and certain sections of the game's stages, do not have a good flow to them and will pretty much just have you bouncing randomly around a stage. Speaking of the stages, I never found any of the stages in Sonic 3 to be that memorable, and even with the time travel gimmick that changes the appearance of the stage you're in and its music, none of them really jumped out at me as memorable unlike the other classic Sonic titles. The presentation overall in Sonic CD is a bit of a mixed bag, but overall I'd say it's a prety good looking Genesis game, but again, it falls short of the other Genesis Sonic games of this time. Finally, there's the game's OST, which is without a doubt the best part of Sonic CD. And despite saying this, I have to say once more, compared to the original 3 Sonic games, the OST just isn't as good, despite being great in its own right. I know a lot of people adore Sonic CD, and while I can acknowledge it's a pretty fun game in a lot of ways, I still find it the weakest of the mainline Genesis Sonic titles. (12/29/23) [31/50]

[kashell]

65. Mega Man X4 - X, PlayStation Version/Vita

One more for the road, I suppose. For real, this time. I can't go a full year without playing my favorite Mega Man game, ever. There's nothing new to report. I have this game just about everywhere in my game library and decided to a quick run through with my blue brother X.

I go back and forth as to whether I like X4 more or the first game more. They're both incredible and the best of the X series imo.

Mega Man X is indeed very special. If not for X4, it would also be my favorite.

[dhaabi]

48. Lost Your Marbles || Playdate || 12.29.23



Continuing onward with Playdate's included bundle of games, I was unsure what to think about Lost Your Marbles. Prior to playing, it was the first game available to me that I wasn't at least somewhat familiar with.

At its core, Lost Your Marbles is an open-ended text adventure game, although one that incorporates the Playdate's crank considerably throughout its actual gameplay. Through a series of event, protagonist Prota temporarily loses all of her "emotional and objective reasoning and knowledge which [she] already knows." The story's exposition is a little far-fetched but but comical and sufficient enough. In reaching the game's conclusion, however, this part of the narrative isn't really revisited, which came across as poor writing. I would have liked to see how the problem is solved, but it's dully explained.

Utilizing the crank, gameplay is minimal but works well to break up the story points. Throughout the narrative, Porta is required to make a decision but, because of her temporary lack of rationality, has difficulty in doing so. So, as the game's title suggests, players are presented with a marble being rolled about a playing field with structures and obstacles which is a metaphor for Porta losing her marbles, so to speak. Instead of controlling the marble itself, though, the crank controls the camera angle which affects the marble's momentum. Navigating through the obstacles and narrow passages, the player must break one of several targets which serve as possible responses to the decision in question. For instance, when asked which kind of paper Porta would like to choose, I saw options for plastic sandwich bag, parchment, and thick stock paper. No matter which option is selected which is demonstrated by a light bulb shattering, the narrative moves forward, doing its best to understand your, at times, nonsensical answers. That said, there are never any wrong answers, as the story will always move forward without any penalties.

To better explain end results, one of the game's first tasks is to create a poster for a lost dog. While my playthrough ultimately yielded less than efficient choices (in fact, none of them were rational if one was actually hoping to find a dog), the end result is still fine. With the above image in mind, my personal narrative moved forward with a "HELP" poster of an up-close dog printed on parchment paper which the game compares to a scroll which a spell would have been written on in ancient times. Does this convey the same message as a traditional lost dog poster? Will it help you find your lost dog? To a degree, yes, with other means to go about the action perhaps being much more likely to yield promising results, but everyone who interacts with Porta and her decision-making goes along with it, trusting her.

Throughout the entire game, Lost Your Marbles offers lighthearted humor. Admittedly, I did not think the game would be as fun as it is upon first starting, but I appreciate the open-ended dialogue depending on answers. Even if the player is wanting to select specific answers, it's difficult to do so due to the game's purposely challenging controls in maneuvering the marble. Additionally, the world-building adopts a care-free attitude aided by silly anthropomorphic characters like a cactus.

While I only played the game once, it offers a considerable amount of replayability as events can occur differently with varying dialogue. At first, I wasn't sure if the narrative path taken is actually determined by selected answers or if the path is predetermined with only minor dialogue being different. By the game's end, though, it certainly comes across as the former. Between story points, a town map appears which shows the player's movement from one point to another. In my playthrough, only about half of the map's landmarks were visited, meaning player choices do matter.

In the end, Lost Your Marbles provides an amusing, short experience, but one I don't find myself revisiting to read other dialogue options. This is especially so because it isn't guaranteed which options you select as they're determined by the controller marble falling on targets which are difficult to precisely strike. Perhaps some time long from now, though.

[realpoketendonl]

• Pokémon Violet [Switch]
• Unlock the King [Switch eShop]
• Sonic Frontiers [Switch]
• Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon [Switch]
• Bayonetta 3 [Switch] {second playthrough}
• Murder by Numbers [Switch eShop]
• Metroid Prime Remastered [Switch]
• The Wonderful One: After School Hero [Switch eShop]
• Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil (Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series) [Switch]
• Tetris Effect: Connected [Switch eShop]
• Crash Bandicoot (Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy) [Switch]
• Pilotwings Resort [3DS]
• Metroid: Zero Mission [GBA / Wii U VC]
• Roundabout [PC] {repeat playthrough}
• Splatoon 3 [Switch]
• Shantae: Half-Genie Hero [Switch eShop]
• Kao the Kangaroo (2022) [PC]

Hadn't been updating in a while (my bad), so figured that at the tail end of 2023 I'd add the final 3 games I've beaten this year.

Splatoon 3
Splatoon 3's story mode offers some fun, but it's clearly mainly there to train you on how the game works before the big multiplayer stuff. And you know what, seen through that lens it does it well enough. It's not a big campaign that's worth praising or remembering, let alone a game seller on its own, but single player is not really Splatoon's point as a game either. And as a side mode, I liked it fine. Splatoon 3 in general is a game I enjoy when I play it, but I rarely find myself picking it up out of the many options I have. That's definitely a taste thing though. It's a really fun multiplayer game and totally worth a look if it looks interesting to you.

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero
I do have the Ultimate Edition, which has bonus side campaigns and extra content, but thus far I've only beaten the main game. And I gotta say: I loved it! It's a fantastic game with tight and fluent gameplay, really fun levels, and absolutely gorgeous visuals. Not too confusing or cryptic either: if you look around in the levels and talk to everyone, you'll get through it no problem. I only once briefly needed a guide for one step in a level, which for me says a lot. It's the first Shantae game I've ever beaten, but I can totally see why this series gets the love it does. Highly recommended!

Kao the Kangaroo (2022)
The 2022 revival of this classic series, but the first one in the series I've ever played. It was fun! It was admittedly pretty easy and pretty short, but I don't mind either of those things. The level design is really solid, with plenty of fun platforming, a handful of different mechanics to spice things up, and I quite liked the combat too. Punching stuff just feels good. Oh yeah, and Kao's just pretty cute. That also helps. I did have a few technical problems and bugs, but nothing game breaking or experience-ruining, and I always have problems with PC games so it might just be me. This game is nothing revolutionary by any means, but not every game needs to be. If you're looking for a light, simple 3D-platformer, this will do it.

[telly]

Total Numbers
Total games played: 40
Total games finished: 24, or approx. 2 per month
New /replayed: 31/9
Games released in 2023: 4 (counting Casltevania, Contra, and Mega Man collections as one each)

Play Time
Longest game played: The Legend of Zelda, Twilight Princess HD (Wii U) - 46 Hours
Longest game beat: Also Zelda TP
Shortest game beat: Mom Hid My Game! (Switch) - 2 hours

Average to finish a game: 17 hours

Games Played per Platform
Switch: 24
PS4: 7
Wii U: 5
PS1: 2
PC: 1
SNES: 1

Genres
2D platformer: 10
RPG: 5
Action: 5
Party: 4
Strategy: 4
Action-Adventure: 3
Tactical RPG: 2
Puzzle: 2
Exercise: 1
Survival horror: 1
Simulation: 1

Developers
Nintendo: 13
Konami: 8
Indie: 8
Capcom: 3
Ubisoft: 3
Square Enix: 2
Sega: 1
Rare: 1
Naughty Dog: 1
Rare: 1
Santa Monica Studio: 1


Top 5 Best Games Finished in 2022
1. Subnautica (PS4)
2. Inscryption (PS4)
3. Last of Us Remastered (PS4)
4. Pikmin 4 (Switch)
5. Luigi's Manion 3 (Switch)

Top 5 Worst/Most Mid/Most Disappointing Games Finished in 2022
1. Mom Hid My Game! (Switch)
2. Mega Man Battle Network (Switch)
3. Kardboard Kings (Switch)
4. Valkyria Chronicles 4 (PS4)
5. The Messenger (Switch)

[dhaabi]

49. Crankin's Time Travel Adventure || Playdate || 12.30.23



Before the Playdate released, I became aware that Keita Takahashi would be involved with a game exclusive to the system which was Crankin's Time Travel Adventure (CTTA). While there is no one game worth wanting to warrant purchasing the system altogether, it was the game I was most looking forward to playing.

In short, players control the titular crank-operated, nap-loving robot named Crankin. Each stage which acts as a new day, a letter addressed to you is opened which mentions the plans for your date with Crankette, meeting at 3:00pm. However, each day also begins oversleeping and waking up right at 3:00pm. Alarmed, panicked, and hurried, Crankin rushes as fast as he can. However, that's easier said than done, as the time looms above at the corner of the screen.

Making excellent use of the system's crank, CTTA operates entirely with it across all gameplay including the main menu. At first, I thought that cranking accelerated time, but that turned out to be wrong. Instead, time moves forward on its own, with cranking propelling the player forward and backwards depending on which direction the crank is rotated. This is crucial to understand because there are environmental obstacles between Crankin and Crankette. For example, two obstacles relating to another are butterflies and flowers. To avoid the former which will trigger a stage fail, players must stop at the flowers while bent down to smell them which allows butterflies to fly overhead.

Since there is no way to reverse time, and with Crankin always waking up at the exact moment they're to meet their date, the player will always fail despite clearing the stage. When finally reaching Crankette, sometimes mere minutes late but sometimes even hours, she will not be happy and isn't afraid to bring out her emotions. At times it's only a dismissive pout, but Crankette isn't afraid to kick Crankin to the ground, performing a triumphant suplex grab, or act in some other violent manner. Whatever her action, she's intent on using negative reinforcement to teach Crankin about honoring meeting times. Even when meeting together with Crankin out of breath, movement can be reversed, so some moments are fun to rewind again to laugh at Crankette's action and Crankin's suffering. There is a lot of small detail in these moments such as facial expressions and body animations, and it's executed strongly. Being the machine Crankin is, receiving the usual physical blows from Crankette sometimes mean his body even collapses. While you sometimes feel bad for him since you obviously know the trials he's gone through only to be rejected, it's always funny.

With each and every planned date, it's fun to see the ridiculous obstacles making the already-late Crankin even more so. As mentioned, Crankette is someone who values their time, so players will generally hurry through stages to the best of their ability. Early on, I was greatly surprised at the cranking speeds which some stages require, because they seem far more intense than one would imagine the Playdate to withstand, but issues with the crank or system never became an issue.

As for the gameplay, there is a lot of trial-and-error, but it's designed in a way that doesn't feel taxing. Instead, each run is a learning experience as players gain new information while learning environmental cues. Stages slowly become layers with multiple types of obstacles, requiring the player to strategically wait, reverse moment, and speedily accelerate all at the perfect moment. Each and every obstacles has its own timing to consider, and it's quite common for numerous types of obstacles to overlap or quickly follow another which tests rhythm and focus. As an action-puzzle game, CTTA offers strong stage design as a stage must be completed before moving onward. It's a game which forces players to overcome their obstacles both physically and mentally.

Regarding the game's other aspects, sound effects perfectly complement the time-shifting mechanics, with its distorted pitches across the entire spectrum of highs and lows. Its echoed melodies seemingly stretch out along what sometimes feels as some boundless void. What background music there is players like a wind-up music box, although it abruptly halts, transforming into some nightmarish dissonance.

Undoubtedly, I can say that CTTA has been the most unique puzzle game I've personally played, and it highly benefits from Takahashi's simple art style. When I finished playing, I realized that stages can be revisited at the stage start screen by cranking in reverse. When this is done, specific stages can be selected alongside best time scores being shown, so the game offers arcade-like replayability. In the end, CTTA demonstrates a lot of personality in its relatively short playtime

[bikingjahuty]

61. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project (NES)

I never owned an NES growing up until years later in the late 90s when i bought one from a neighbor at a garage sale. However, I still played quite a bit of NES at friends, neighbors, and family's houses during the early and mid-90s. One of my favorite games to play when going to my cousin's house, or my next door neighbor's house growing up was TMNT 3. Funny enough, I barely played TMNT 2 during the 90s, since for whatever reason everyone I knew that had an NES owned the 3rd game and not the 2nd. On a side note, no one I knew owned Turtles in Time on the SNES, and it wouldn't be until the 2000s that i'd play that gem for the first time. But anyhow, TMNT is still a pretty enjoyable beat em up for the most part. It's gameplay is pretty simplistic with pretty much just a ground attack, jump attack, and a special you can do by holding attack and jump at the same time. One thing about TMNT 3's gameplay I seemed to have forgot was just how freakin hard this game gets just 3 levels in. I don't know how many times Bebop forced me to use a continue, and then after that it sure as hell didn't get any easier. A lot of the games difficulty is due to how cheap the enemies can be and how they default to swarming you, far more than I can recall most other beat em' ups doing from this time period. Visually, this is a pretty solid looking NES game, far from the best, but still good for what it is. The OST is TMNT 3's strongest asset imo. Most of the 90s TMNT games had really good OST's and 3 is no exception. Overall, this is definitely one of my least favorite TMNT beat em ups, but it's still a mostly enjoyable game that was a fun little trip down nostalgia lane for someone who never owned an NES during its heyday. (12/30/23) [30/50]

[dhaabi]

50. Rusty Lake Hotel || PC || 12.30.23



Six games deep in the Cube Escape series, I technically needed to break from the main collection by playing Rusty Lake Hotel. With a developer post in mind, some of the side games are recommended to play between the mainline ones, with the post recommending for all of the games to be played in order of release. It's also important to note that, moving forward, the remainder of the games will be played on PC through Steam since only the main games which are a part of the collection are free. I wasn't wanting to pay for mobile games, which is another reason. I can't remember the last time I used Steam, although it was perhaps in early 2016. I didn't even have it installed on my machine, but I digress.

Unlike the more escape-the-room approach to the puzzle genre, Rusty Lake Hotel is more of a free-roaming game all throughout the titular hotel. Since the genre has slightly shifted, the puzzle aspect instead relates to gathering items in a certain fashion to meet story point criteria. Relating to the game's open-ended structure, the narrative can be progressed in a number of ways, although one particular path is the best, as it will allow you to gain optional items alongside required ones which, if everything is collected, will open the possibility for the secret ending which apparently relates to a puzzle in the next Cube Escape game. In general, puzzles adopt the more basic design of having items interact with another to unlock new ones or to continue the puzzle, but some do have a self-contained nature. Ultimately, the goal is to collect ingredients for dinner meals across five nights. I was actually able to fully complete the game without any guide apart from one single puzzle requiring the transfer of liquids from one container to another with precise measurements—a logic puzzle, more-or-less.

As a confirmed prequel to the events of Cube Escape, Rusty Lake Hotel delves into the secrets of Rusty Lake and the hotel which stands at its center, the aptly named Rusty Lake Hotel. Featuring a cast of anthropomorphic characters (or are they people who've turned into animals, or more simply people represented as animals?), a group of five social elites have been summoned to the hotel for what comes across as a bougie gathering. I'm not quite sure exactly who we play as the protagonist, although it's someone related to the hotel staff. Nevertheless, there is a connection between the guests, the hotel, memories, and possibly mental health.

To my surprise, the game features voiced narration alongside dialogue. I did notice grammatical errors such as incorrect casing and written text which varies from vocal dialogue. Another issue requires some brief explaining: because you only spend time with each guest only once and they relate to certain ingredients needed to progress, it's important to reference your recipe notes to see what's already been collected. While the game can be completed without the optional materials, it's obviously best to obtain everything. However, once you're in the actual lodging corridor, you're unable to review your recipes and must backtrack down to the lobby to view that information, which is inconvenient. Load screens from lobby to kitchen and lobby to dining room felt unnecessary unnecessary, as they're just another room situated on the same level and should be no different from moving about one side of the room to another. Lastly, at one point, the game glitched and reported I had one certain ingredient instead of the one I actually held. Then, when the dish was prepared, the game progressed with that incorrect detail as ingredients were cooked.

Looking back at my entire express with the series, I believe Rusty Lake Hotel was the first entry I watched a playthrough for. It's one I was perhaps most familiar with, perhaps in part to its more character-focused narrative. While I wouldn't think to have preferred the mobile ports, I think that actually is the case. I'm not sure if the games were originally developed simultaneously for mobile and PC, but there may have been minor bug issues fixed in the Cube Escape Collection compilation since I haven't any any kind of performance issues with them. That said, Rusty Lake Hotel has some hiccups, but the puzzle and story elements maintain the same quality they've held thus far.

[dhaabi]

51. Cube Escape: Birthday || PC || 12.31.23



After detouring slightly from the main series by playing Rusty Lake Hotel, I was curious to see how the series would resume upon playing Cube Escape: Birthday. I was especially curious because of the order which the developers encourage players to experience the collection of games.

With the knowledge gained from Rusty Lake Hotel, the understanding of what Rusty Lake actually is continues to become clearer but still vague. Ascending an elevator that's below the lake, detective Dale states, "I cannot feel my body anymore. I can see memories captured in little cubes." Soon after, he's told how "the past is never dead, it is not even past." With the game taking placing in 1972 in a frame narrative, its events are set in 1939 during Dale's ninth birthday as he experiences a traumatic, life-changing event. Even with these time stamp details briefly supplied, time is beginning to not feel linear, which makes things a little confusing but definitely still engaging.

Previously, I've mentioned the cubes which are paramount toward the narrative and puzzle completion, but I've not yet differentiated them. For a long time, it seemed as if there were only two: black and white. This far along, I'm beginning to understand what they represent and how they're obtained, although details are never outright explained. However, there apparently is a third type of cube introduced in Birthday, the blue cube, although I'm even less sure of the details surrounding it.

Generally, puzzle design is to be expected. There is some variety which is welcoming, although the game leaves the entire problem-solving experience to the player. So, for puzzles which require holding the mouse down which is not typical, they are not transparent enough for players—at the very least, me—to discern in the moment. One puzzle involves ordering symbols in numerical order 1-6, although it was not apparent to me because of an unrelated clue to another puzzle also involving numbers directly above it alongside color differentiation which was unclear. Toward the end, I had a few steps remaining to reach the climax. Across many sections of the game, puzzles can be solved in any order, so the most challenging ones for me were all that remained as I moved from screen to screen interacting with what seemed like everything without promising results. In hindsight, aspects of puzzles across every game will simply be overlooked, as the player will notice them but not recognize them as parts of the solution, and it's a fault I've experienced plenty throughout the series thus far.

This far along the series narrative, I'm quite invested in how indirect and ambiguous its strange storytelling is, with Birthday expanding on certain elements quite a bit. I know that there's plenty of discussion devoted to these games which I'm sure was compelling to be a part of during each game's time of release. While I'm eager to read these past discussions, I also know that there's much more to experience ahead, so I'd rather not be spoiled and experience what I can on my own until it's all over.

[dhaabi]

52. Cube Escape: Theatre || PC || 12.31.23



With each Cube Escape game finished, I eagerly await the next. The penultimate game Cube Escape: Theatre has arrived, meaning what's to come and its ending sets up the scene for the final entry.

Ascending the lake once more through the elevator, Dale reflects on his memories and how they're changing. In this moment of thoughtfulness, Dale is taken back to only one year ago where he's attending a theater performance at a bar. Is he physically taken back, or is this all a mental experience? To be honest, I'm really not sure, as the world's undefined rules could easily warrant either. In this moment of time, we learn how Dale has connections to the murdered woman shown in Cube Escape: Case 23, whom we now know as Laura. It's also made apparent how, like others before her, Laura made plans to visit Rusty Lake for mental health treatment.

As the game moves forward, we're introduced to six plays about the past, present, and future. Truthfully, there is little added to the history of Rusty Lake and those with ties to it, but what is shown is appreciated. For a majority of performances, though, I struggled to understand their deeper meaning. Knowing what we know from Rusty Lake Hotel alongside a secret detail found from Cube Escape: Birthday, we know that performances representing the past these are strictly reenactments played by unknown actors. I suppose nothing is out of the question, though, but it's what I'm assuming given known information. By the end of all six performances, we learn how extracted memories creates a corrupted soul, "one of the six stages of the wheel." In most if not all games, dark figures which I've mentioned before stare at the player-character from a distance, sometimes attacking. Even now, I have questions: are they the evil within us, manifested into the physical realm? Are they us, having become evil? While the term "stage" makes it seem that it's temporary with other phases following, I'm not too sure. The term could instead mean an end outcome, one of six.

Apart from the narrative, puzzle design remains constant, although more puzzles requiring that the mouse be held down appear. With the few but sizable amount of these puzzles, I really should anticipate them when I've become stuck, but I still haven't yet. On the other hand, my preferred puzzle design which has puzzles be self-contained and not having items interact with another in the right way are also represented to a fair number. So, I would say that the puzzle variety is perhaps strongest throughout Theatre.

As I continue playing through the Cube Escape series, it's become apparent how this is not quite a story about the murdered woman. Really, I think the central focus is on Dale. Perhaps because it's the second-to-last Cube Escape entry, Theatre is the first game out of the eight so far to end on a "to be continued" screen. However, I'm not sure if that really means anything considering how interconnected each game is within, in addition to how every entry only adds to the entire plot, albeit in a non-uniform way. While only one mainline game in the Cube Escape series remains, many more exist outside of it to form the larger Rusty Lake universe. Up next is one of the prequel games.

[bikingjahuty]

Well that's a wrap for 2023! I was hoping to play another short hgame or two before the end of the day, but the wife and I have plans for the rest of the night that leave little room for gaming. Beyond reaching the 52 game goal again, it was a successful year from a quality perspective too. Sure, I played some stinkers this year, but overall, I feel like I played some outstanding games this year. Here is a breakdown of the best and worst games I played in 2023.


Best Games of 2023 Played
1. Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order (PS5)
2. Star Wars: Jedi Survivor (PS5)
3. Resident Evil 4 (PS5)
4. The Last of Us: Part 2 (PS4) and Street Fighter Alpha 3 (PS4) - TIE
5. Nights into Dreams (Saturn)


Worst Games of 2023 Played
1. LSD Simulator (PS1) - I didn't beat it, but I'd have gone insane if I'd played it another minute. One of the worst games I'bve ever played
2. Raycrisis (PS1)
3. Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition (PS1)
4. Wayne Gtrezky 3D Hockey (N64) and Golden Axe III (Genesis) TIE
5. Raiden (PS1)