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52 Games Challenge 2024!!!!!

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kashell:
2. The Granstream Saga

You know how a lot of folks want remakes for PlayStation classics like Xenogears or Vagrant Story? Well, after playing this, I decided that The Granstream Saga gets my vote. The aforementioned games are much more functional and serviceable than this. The Granstream Saga isn’t bad, but it drops the ball in so many areas that it’s hard not to notice. I love how classic it plays and looks, and of course, I adore the soundtrack and parsing of anime scenes. But there are so many missed opportunities and many areas where QoL features would be helpful. Still, I’m glad that I replayed this. It was nice to stroll down memory lane, revisit the late 90s, and just chill out with a game that could’ve been more. I chose to romance Laramee in the end, for those that were wondering. First time through was Arcia.

kashell:
3. Blasphemous II

Real talk. I had every intention of just casually playing this while being away from my other consoles. I had low expectations since the first Blasphemous was a semi-steaming dog pile. The low expectations might have helped, but this has become one of my favorite Metroidvanias. Nothing will outshine Symphony of the Night, but my goodness. This game shines in every department in comparison to the first: gameplay, music, graphics, story, exploration, you name it. I ended up getting both endings, completing the map to 100%, and discovering everything. Well, almost everything. Despite acquiring all beads, cherubs, spells, alters, and key items, the game is stuck at 98%. I’m guessing it’s because I didn’t fully upgrade Veridicto. But, the game said I was maxed out with Martyrdom so who knows. Either way, amazing game that I’m stoked to write about in a review.

realpoketendonl:
All right! 2024, let's do this! Didn't make a base post to keep track of everything the previous year, so will do that this year! No clue how many games I'll get to, in part because I also want to read a bunch of books again this year (finished 20 books last year, plus another 19 manga/graphic novels/art books). But we'll see, either way I'm excited to see what this year has in store! Highly doubt I'll play all the games I'm adding to the lists below, but good to have some ideas!


Beat:

* Hypnospace Outlaw [Switch]
* Sonic Mania [Switch]
* A Mortician's Tale [PC / itch]
* Bayonetta (NSIC Mode) [Switch]
* Princess Peach: Showtime! [Switch]
* Super Metroid [SNES / Nintendo Switch Online]
* Miraculous: Rise of the Sphinx [Switch]
* Star Fox Zero [Wii U]
* Metroid II: Return of Samus [Game Boy / Nintendo Switch Online]
* Dr. Trolley's Problem [PC / itch]
* Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door [Switch]
* The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog [PC / Steam]
* Fat Bear Week [PC / itch]
* Lula 3D [PC]
* A Snake's Tale [PC (Linux) / itch.io]
* Metroid: Samus Returns [3DS]
* Metroid Fusion [GBA / 3DS]
* Gunman Clive [3DS]
* K3 en de vrolijke noten [NDS]
* Sonic Colours [Wii]
* Project Rub [NDS]
* Meteos [NDS] (5/12 endings thus far)
* Tomb Raider (2013) [PC / Steam Deck]
* Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (Metroid Prime Trilogy) [Wii]
* Sonic Lost World [PC / Steam Deck]
* Solatorobo: Red the Hunter [NDS]
* Do I Pass? [Game Boy / itch]
* Devil May Cry 5 [PC / Steam Deck]
* Super Mario Bros. Wonder [Switch](Purple = started it last year or earlier)
(Orange = already beat it before)


Want to play from backlog:

* Swordquest: EarthWorld [Atari 2600/PC port]
* Shantae and the Pirate's Curse [Wii U/3DS]
* Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge [Wii U]
* Ori and the Blind Forest [Switch]
* Neo Cab [Switch]
* The Munchables [Wii]
Game-related task I want to finish:

* Finish going through all my itch.io games, and listing which ones from there I want to play (thanks 1000+ game bundles for charity!)
Unrelated, but books I have finished thus far: 13 (plus 4 manga)

My final list from 2023 (17 titles beat, 15 of which for the first time)

realpoketendonl:
And can post about my first beat game of the year right away:

1. Hypnospace Outlaw [Switch]

This is a very unique game. Essentially, you are a moderator on a 90s online forum (GeoCities is the comparisent I hear all the time), except its one you access in your sleep. Your task is to go through all the pages and posts, find problematic content and report it to the higher-ups, while learning about the people on the platform and how it works. And yes: it plays exactly like how browsing through these forums in the 90s would be.

The old internet is recreated beautifully. I'm admittedly from '98 so I experienced the internet from a while later, but even then I can recognise and appreciate a lot of the touches they added. It genuinely feels like browsing through forums sometimes. I did realise I was a bit too dumb for this game though. Especially near the end you really gotta start thinking outside of the box, and I ended up needing a guide a few times to figure out the final parts. But that's a me-thing: I suck at these types of brain-busting-type games.

I gotta admit, while I was really into it at first, once the novelty of the 90's PC OS-setup wore off, it did lose me a little (even though I do appreciate a lot of the details that come later (and thankfully it's not that long, so it doesn't overstay its welcome)). This is still a charming title though, and one of the most unique things I've played in a while. If it sounds interesting to you, do give it a look. This was clearly a passion project and the creators deserve some love for it.

bikingjahuty:
I was having a "I don't know what the hell I feel like playing" kind of night, so I just decided to browse the ROMS on my Everdrive 64, and decided it was going to be an old school racing game night lol.


3. California Speed (N64)

Growing up, California Speed was unfortunately not an arcade machine I came across often. In fact, a local restaurant was the only place I remember consistently having one in the early 2000s, which is where I would play it whenever we'd go there. While my memories on California Speed are fuzzy, I remember it being very fun and memorable, especially parts like when you go into a UFO and also when you're racing inside on a giant computer chip. I've played the N64 port before and remember it being a disappointing imitation of the arcade version, but decided to give it another go for the hell of it.


Indeed, California Speed's N64 port is pretty bad. For one, the technical compromises of this game are on full display with how how crappy the backgrounds and textures look, but more than that is the constant fog you're racing in which really washes out the game, and really distracts from one of the things I love so much about the arcade version. Aside from that, the people that ported this game did a fine enough job imitating the more memorable props and set pieces of each course, which at least reminded me of what game I was playing. The gameplay of California Speed isn't great either, but it's servicable for the most part. The controls are very touchy and squerelly at times, but do a fine enough job in terms of being able to control your vehicle. One other major grip is how this game essentially rubber bands all the other racers to where they always seem to be the same distance in front or behind you, regardless of crashing into something or hitting a wall. This sort of takes away from the fun, but overall I didn't find it too distracting. I saved the best for last, in that California Speed's OST is actually pretty good with some genuinely good tracks. Specifically there was a techno track that was my favorite. One other cool aspect of the sound in this game is that some vehicles sound different than others, making maybe one type of vehicle more desireable than another depending on the player's preferences. California Speed would have been best left as a weekend rental, and even then you're likely get bored with it in an hour or two. Still, the game has its moments depending on what course you select, and also does a decent job at capturing. some of the elements that made the greatly superior arcade game so much fun. Not a terrible game, but one that you'd only want to play if you have a soft sport for the N64 and its library. (1/3/24) [27/50]

4. Stunt Racer 64 (N64)

I jumped into Stunt Racer 64 right after California Speed, and unlike California Speed, I have no nostalgic connection to this game whatsoever. In fact, I didn't even learn about this game's existence until I began collecting. Despite the game's rarity as a result of being a Blockbuster exclusive title, I've actually came across a decent amount of the cart in my game hunting adventures. More recently, I traded my loose cart from my collection for both a CIB Sega Sports Dreamcast and a CIB Saturn console. After playing Stunt Racer 64 for a while, I definitely feel like I got the way better end of that deal.


Stunt Racer 64 is not a very memorable or particularly fun game. The whole "stunt" portion of the game is delegated to 2 or 3 jumps per course, and maybe a loop or wazy road section. However, 80-90% of all the courses are pretty much just standard fair racing tracks, albeit with some sort of theme around some of them. What this means, is you're left feeling like you're just playing another late 90s/early 2000s generic console racing game. One cool thing is you can buy new cars in this game with coins you collect during races, however this provides little incentive to want to keep on playing. Visually, Stunt Racer 64 looks okay for the most part, but there is some noticeable attention to detail on various in game assets. OST on the other hand is actually kind of crappy, and I found the music in Stunt Racer 64 to be unappealing at just downright annoying at times. Overall, Stunt Racer 64 is just another prime example of an overhyped collectors trophy that is worst no more than bragging you own it. Actually playing this game ought to make anyone who actually purchased Stunt Racer 64 for at or near what its currently going for immediately regret it. I feel even better about selling my copy after finally playing it, and realizing it's definitely slower to being a bottom of the barrel N64 Racing game rather than some sort of hidden gem. (1/3/24) [23/50]

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