52 Games Challenge 2024!!!!!

[bikingjahuty]

51. Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii)

There are few better examples of a backlog game for me than DKCR. Being a huge fan of the SNES DKC trilogy, especially the first two, this game has been on my radar to play ever since it came out in 2010. With the announcement of DKCR being ported over to the Switch, it was enough of a push for me to finally throw this game in and see if it holds its own against its predecessors. I am very happy to say that it absolutely does, and then some!


DKCR does an amazing job of recreating the excellent platforming experience of the older DKC games, while also paying tribute to those older titles, while also being very original and unique on its own to set itself apart. I guess theme-wise it's most similar to the first DKC, but that's not to say it's just a remake of that game, far from it. There are no kremlins or King K Rule, but rather you have weird Tiki instrument monsters that mind control the inhabitants of Donkey Kong's island and pit them against you. There are 9 areas that consist of 7 or 8 stages, and each stage remarkably feels unique and special compared to any others you've played so far, or any that you will play later on. It's really remarkable how much love and detail Retro Studios put into this game to make it feel distinct and fresh throughout. That includes each boss battle which are all very unique in terms of the enemies you fight, how they are defeated, and what sort of new attacks they will throw at you as you get closer and closer to defeating them. This is all beautifully complimented by extra tight, very well crafted gameplay which in some has the original RARE DKC games beat. That's not to say this game is perfect in every way because it does have a few issues and gripes that really hold it back from being the masterpiece it almost is. For one, there are some very annoying stages throughout the game that have a few parts that just feel tedious, annoying, and will almost assuredly kill you if you didn't know they were coming beforehand. Luckily the game is pretty liberal with in stage checkpoints, meaning you shouldn't have to backtrack too much when you die from some cheap platform or enemy placement. The OST, while good, also leaves a little to be desired. For one, it leans heavily on the first DKC's soundtracks by remixing some of its more iconic tracks, and the original tracks while good, don't come close to being as good as David Wise's iconic score in DKC and DKC2. Another minor gripe I have is there are no water levels in DKCR, which some might see as a huge plus, but personally the DKC and DKC2 water levels are some of my favorites and most memorable. As mentioned, these are all relatively minor complaints in what is otherwise a rock solid, incredibly fun experience that I cannot praise highly enough. Unless there is some unexpected surprise from one of the shorter games I intend on playing between not and New Year's Eve, DKCR will go down as the best game I played all year, and one I'm very happy to finally clear from my backlog! (12/27/24) [41/50]

[kashell]

I was trying to post a list of all the things I've finished and dropped but it wouldn't let me. Oh well. Great year for gaming!

[bikingjahuty]

I was trying to post a list of all the things I've finished and dropped but it wouldn't let me. Oh well. Great year for gaming!

Heck yeah it was! And next year will be even better, at least for me. I had a ton of stuff (mostly good) going on in 2024 and it really got in the way of me engaging more with video gaming and beating more games than I did. I'm actually going to go for triple digit games beat next year, which would be a personal record for me. I'd have to go back and look, but a few years ago I think I got up into the 80s, so 100 isn't too much of a stretch.

[kashell]

I was trying to post a list of all the things I've finished and dropped but it wouldn't let me. Oh well. Great year for gaming!

Heck yeah it was! And next year will be even better, at least for me. I had a ton of stuff (mostly good) going on in 2024 and it really got in the way of me engaging more with video gaming and beating more games than I did. I'm actually going to go for triple digit games beat next year, which would be a personal record for me. I'd have to go back and look, but a few years ago I think I got up into the 80s, so 100 isn't too much of a stretch.

Triple digits...dang. That would be awesome.

I have a few days left in the year. Maybe I can knock out some smaller titles. We'll see!

[dhaabi]

50. Tetris Effect: Connected || PlayStation 4 || 12.27.24



For as long as I've known about it, Tetris Effect: Connected has been a game I've been wanting to play. While I'm not particularly skilled at Tetris, it's a game I always enjoy playing, so I've been curious what all this modern adaptation offers.

Although the game has a surplus of gameplay modes, I'll first be focusing its main campaign named Journey Mode that's comprised of 27 stages. And, for anyone somehow unfamiliar to Tetris, it's a puzzle game that has players strategically place falling tetrominos onto a playfield to complete rows which are then removed. In many versions, Tetris is a never-ending game, though Journey Mode has a definitive end as stages require a set number of lines to be formed. While there are 27 stages, they are divided into seven sections; once one stage is completed in a section, the player automatically advances to the next with the current score and playfield being retained. Since stages are grouped together, there is a clear developer intention for players to advance through them altogether in one session without failure, though this is challenging to accomplish. If failing, the current stage restarts with the score being reset, so there is some penalty but nothing that casual players should be concerned about. Additionally, stages can be freely selected from the level select screen at any point, so there is no need to play through the campaign all at once. So, because of these reasons (especially the former), I feel as if much of the game's goal at having stages connect with another seamlessly is lost, as being able to clear through four or five stages without fail is something I doubt many players will be able to do.

At the same time, other modes and gameplay mechanics are present which set Tetris Effect: Connected apart with the simple game it draws from. Of the latter, the game's main gimmick is the Zone Mode. Over time, a meter will rise which players can then use once full at their digression. During its short activation period, time will temporarily halt as players continue making actions, but cleared lines are instead moved to the bottom of the screen instead of being removed. If skillful, the main benefit to this mechanic is to accrue as many completed lines as possible for a large point bonus. However, I imagine most players will instead use it as a last resort tool to overcome more challenging, high-speed sections by quickly downsizing the playfield as it's overwhelmed by a tower of blocks approaching the ceiling. Meanwhile, all sorts of various gameplay modes are present that all provide a different type of objective. For example, All Clear mode requires solving preset puzzles that must be solved in a limited number of turns using specific blocks. Another is Mystery mode, which tasks players to clear a certain number of lines while random effects such as a reversed playfield appearing or the block-drop preview  being removed which periodically interfere the player's performance. However, not all of these modes are skill based, as a number of them focus on relaxation and casual play. This is also without mentioning any of the game's multiplayer offerings which I've not yet explored.

Beyond gameplay, there is a major emphasis on synesthesia which is expected as Tetsuya Mizuguchi is a part of the game's development. In Journey Mode, stages have their own music that's fluid with level progression and sometimes even responsive to individual player actions. Corresponding to each stage's music, visual and sound design relating to action effects are also present, so the way each stage is differentiated through presentation is both memorable and successful. To a degree, this implementation is accomplished, though it's mostly evident through Journey Mode as the speed of falling tetrominos will slow and hasten to the song's tempo and ambiance. With that said, I think balancing gameplay with the idea of a more ingrained system of synesthesia is quite bold. Personally, I don't think the game's music, visuals, or VR capabilities really elevated the original Tetris experience into something new, or at least to the level of ambition that I had hoped the game would achieve. Perhaps I just haven't connected enough with the game yet.

All things considered, Tetris Effect: Connected is an ambitious game that largely succeeds in its goals to elevate classic Tetris into something greater. I may be revisiting it every so often in the hopes of better connecting with it, as I think it's a game that warrants repeated play sessions over a greater span of time than what I've so far dedicated for my playthrough.