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52 Games Challenge 2025!!!

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kashell:
30. Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana - Easy

Finally, the game has been platinum'd. Well, "finally" might not be the right word because it took just over 20 hours. Finishing the game so quickly after some files has me likening it to something like Mega Man X; games I know like the back of my hand. After finishing Easy Mode, I went through all of the Time Attack modes. Finishing those unlocked the remaining gallery items. Getting all of those was the final thing needed for the platinum trophy. Even if you aren't a trophy hunter or aren't playing on PlayStation, I do recommend this game. It's a brisk yet thorough adventure and showcases my favorite style of Ys.

bikingjahuty:
30. Space Harrier (Arcade)

Despite being released the same year as Hang-On (1985), Space Harrier is a much more fun and interesting game from multiple fronts. For one, the game looks better even though they both use the same super scaler graphics and tech. There is just way more going on at any given time in Space Harrier, and has you blasting all sorts of weird creatures, robots, and objects away while also dodging obstacles and projectiles too. Whereas with Hang-On, you're simply turning your bike and trying to avoid hitting other racers or obstacles. The visuals are definitely Space Harrier's strongest attribute, however its soundtrack and audio aren't too far behind. The main theme of Space Harrier is one i've always loved, however the other music, while pretty limited, is also great to listen to while playing. This brings us to the final aspect of this Sega arcade classic which is Space Harrier's gameplay. Being a rail shooter essentially, Space Harrier does give you freedom of movement as everything imaginable comes at you surprisingly fast, maybe even too fast at times. On top of that, the limitations of the graphics and gameplay sometimes make it hard to see certain objects or projectiles until it's too late, or you'll find yourself accidentally hitting something because you misjudged how much space or distance you had between objects or enemy projectiles. This can lead to some very frustrating deaths and also artificially makes this game harder than it otherwise should be. Still, despite this fairly big blemish on Space Harrier's gameplay, it's still pretty fun just going crazy and blasting everything in site. This is definitely one of my personal favorite 80s arcade games, even though there are aspects to it that haven't aged the best and do hold back my overall enjoyment of the game to a noticeable degree. (3/12/25) [34/50]

bikingjahuty:
31. Shenmue (PS4)

It's no secret to anyone that knows me that Shenmue (and Shenmue 2) are my all time favorite games and have been ever since I first played and beat them in the early 2000s. These games are as fundamental to me as a gamer as it gets and every time I go back and play them I get to fall in love with them all over again. There is just something so undeniably special about these games that really needs to be experienced to be understood. After beating Shenmue again, I can fully grasp why this game captivated so many gamers, including myself, and continues to be so cherished even over 25-years since it first came out in Japan. Before getting into my thoughts on Shenmue, I will say that I did play this game with a slightly more critical eye than I ever have before, and fortunately for me and the game, my opinion on its merits have barely changed.


Throwing it out there right off the bat, Shenmue is undoubtedly one of the best video games ever made. It was truly a pioneer, not just in the concept of a narrative driven, open world video game, but also in terms of in game cinematics and story telling. The story of Shenmue perfectly places you within the shoes of its main protagonist, Ryo Hazuki, allowing the rest of the game to immerse you in its world after you've committed yourself to Ryo's quest for revenge after his father's murder. The execution of the game's story, characters, and plot, combined with the gameplay make it impossible not to be fully immersed in the world of Shenmue. I always worry each time I'm about to play Shenmue, that age will finally catch up with this game and I won't be able to get as immersed and invested in it as I did the last time I played it. More or less, I was unable to put this game down since starting it just a few days ago, and that was after countless hours of engaging in all the optional side content and missions you can immerse yourself in. This game is incredibly addictive and you'll want to do several things all at once, which is always the hallmark of a great open world action adventure game. There is just so much you can do in Shenmue, which is still impressive even by today's standards. There are arcade games to play, rooms to explore, non-arcade games like billiards and darts you can play, unique people to interact with, a job to perform at the docks, and various other things that ensure you'll never have a dull moment while playing Shenmue. The only criticism that I can lay at the feet of Shenmue and one area I was able to concede this time after playing the game is that not all the many activities and gameplay elements are executed as well as they probably could have. For example, the fighting mechanic which you'll use quite a bit isn't the greatest despite it being pulled heavily from the Virtua Fighter games. It can at times feel clunky and somewhat delayed while you're taking on a gang of bad guys or some thug you ran into. The other gameplay mechanic which seemed to annoy me a little more than it has in the past is the quick time event (QTE) system that this game pioneered, for better or for worse. The time frame and intuitiveness of the QTEs can be fairly annoying and unforgiving in this game, which is only made better by the fact that QTE events can be redone over and over again with little or no penalty to your overall progression. Overall though, these less than perfect gameplay elements do little to distract from the sheer amount of things you can do in Shenmue, and even despite the flaws that exist with some of those systems, they 're still enjoyable overall and definitely don't distract from the overall feeling of engagement you'll have while playing.


In terms of presentation, there is not a single flaw in this game. You won't find a single recycled NPC model, and despite realizing that certain voice actors performed voice overs for multiple characters, they often do a good enough job of changing the way they talk enough to where you'll barely notice most of the time. Every store, every room, and every object you interact with feels real, unique, and tediously crafted to feed into that overall feeling of immersion. Characters emote and act as if you were watching real actors perform, and even with the limitations of 1999 video game technology, this game still looks good over 25-years later. I dare say Shenmue may have been the best looking game when it came out, and even games released years later during the 6th gen still don't look as good as Shenmue. The audio is also perfection with an amazing score that various dramatically depending on what's going on around you, the place you happen to be, or the overall theme of whatever cutscene you're watching. There are so many amazing, beautiful songs in this game that are integral to why this game is so special, just as much as its visuals and gameplay. The audio design is also top notch with the sound of animals, vehicles, background music from a nearby business, or other elements making the world of Shenmue feel like a living, breathing world. It actually does this better than many modenr AAA games do which is saying something seeing how much older Shenmue is than many of those titles.


I don't think there will ever be a time in my life where I don't adore Shenmue or don't consider it my favorite game of all time. Game's like Shenmue (and Shenmue 2) had never been made prior to its release, and in may ways never since. It has an almost undefinable presence as if the game itself has a soul. The heart of everyone, especially its creator Yu Suzuki, can be felt strongly all throughout the game and it's impossible not to be sucked into it unlike any other game I've ever played. I am overjoyed I got to play through Shenmue again and I hope there will be many more times I get to immerse myself in its masterfully crafted world and story. And of course, I hope so much that the Shenmue saga is one day concluded. (3/13/25) [49/50]

dhaabi:

--- Quote from: bikingjahuty on March 14, 2025, 02:33:04 am ---31. Shenmue (PS4)
--- End quote ---

You have got to play Yakuza, and I have got to play Shenmue.

After reading some details regarding voice work, I think my only immediate issue I have prior to playing any of the games is that Shenmue II takes place in Hong Kong, but everyone speaks Japanese. That seems like a pretty major limitation for that game. Still, it seems that the consensus (from what I've gathered) is that Japanese voice is the better experience for both games.

As the successor of sorts to Shenmue, Yakuza games fortunately don't have that problem. There are often Korean and Chinese characters in those games and appropriate actors are used to voice their dialogue. English dialogue spoken from western characters isn't an issue from what I remember either, though for some reason they're spoken by Japanese actors which means that foreign dialect is present. But from what I remember, there aren't any major English-speaking characters pertaining to the main narrative throughout the six Yakuza games I've played.

dhaabi:
16. Get Packing || Browser || 03.14.25



Going through a list of free itch.io games that have caught my attention, I decided to play Get Packing. It was developed for a game jam and garnered positive reception, and the little I knew about it prior to beginning interested me.

With a simple premise, Get Packing is a game about the often overlooked side of video game transactions—the viewpoint of the marketplace merchant and their own needs to make a profit. With that said, its gameplay is divided into two sections: selecting the seller's items to buy and then selling them once more through bulk wholesale. As the second half of gameplay utilizes space limitations and organization for its puzzle mechanics, the player's success at earning a high score is dependent on setting budgets and selecting just how much you're willing to spend on customers' items. If no budgets are set and every item presented to you is purchased, the player will inevitably not score high. With all this said, the first half of gameplay requires consideration for both the total amount of items being acquired and the variety of items you're being presented.

In the merchant section, items appear in a list with their market value, net profit value, size, and item properties with the total amount to be spent at the bottom. Because items are both sold and purchased in bulk, there is no way to individually select what all you want to buy. Instead, there is a slider which controls how much you're willing to spend, and items are removed from the list from the bottom-up depending on that amount. There is no haggle feature—you either pay the customer's asking price or are unable to gain the item you're wanting. While this section doesn't require that much careful consideration, really, there is no time limit, so players are free to plan as much as they're able to should they be wanting.

However, the second part of each day is timed. Quickly, players must attempt to pack as many items as they're able within a limited space while ideally prioritizing items' net value. Items have different sizes, shapes, and item properties, so there are numerous details to consider when organizing them. Regarding item properties, there are ones such as hot and cold which influence food alongside heavy which prevents players from selecting the item again once set, though several others exist, and they all serve as puzzle roadblocks. it's also worth mentioning that items can be rotated, which certainly helps provide more organization options. And of course, there is limited space in the crate, so utilizing the most of it is required to make a profit which serves as the player's main objective and score.

Across my two playthroughs, I was mostly focused on just using all available space to the best of my ability while avoiding negative effects from items. I didn't make an effort to capitalize on certain item effects which raise the value of other items. As I mentioned above, Get Packing was made for a game jam, and the event's theme was centered on role reversal. I think Get Packing makes creative use of that prompt; its mechanics are simple but fun, and I could see something like this being expanded upon for a full game.

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