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52 Games Challenge 2025!!!

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marvelvscapcom2:
15. Call Of Duty: Vanguard [PS5] - Finished Mar 15th, 2025

One of the greatest war games of all time :)




Call of duty as a whole has been stigmatized. Some criticisms fair. Many not. But at its core. The franchise has impacted my childhood and gaming as a whole and is essentially in it's senior legend era of iconic games that simply have shaped my love of world history. I love call of duty. Very much. And my passion for WW2 was seeded by world at war back in middle school. And today I have traveled to see the riveted behemoths in person. T34 tanks. Owns text books on them. The horror, cinematics and stories of triumph. World War 2 had the bravest men the world had ever known. And the most evil. Two spectrums of a wobbling top on a oiled table of misery. And I owe call of duty a great deal in showing young me the heroism of those before me.

Call of Duty Vanguard is a blooming rose on the next console gen raising a series from campaign ashes to tell a story of valor, glory and dispair. It gives WW2 and its lesser known heroes a story (The aussies, the women snipers, and the black batallions in NAC) the golden grail COD that will be remembered favorably. And overall. It's the greatest Call Of Duty Campaign ive played since World At War in 2007.

WW2 and Its Unsung Heroes

As a historical nerd, and someone who has studied WW2 since probably early middle school, Call Of Duty Vanguard paints a picture like picasso.  It tackles the individual stories of people like Wade. A hot shot pilot who only knows two modes of living. Flying and landing. #2 being optional. The story of Boggs. An Aussie infantrymen.  This tells a deep story of how Australian soldiers were treated lesser than the British due to crown semantics. The "rats" of toburk. Shooting a suka bomber with a revolver. It's all glorious as the perfect graphics. In these conflicts you come accross the 333rd batallion. A group of black soldiers who as you can imagine in 1944. Arent exactly treated similar to say a RAF pilot.  But of course the horrors lend a story that typically brings fourth a brotherhood a man. A quote stands out. "We arent in the credit getting business".  Scenes drenched in sorrow. Strength and conviction. And lastly.

POLINA "LADY NIGHTINGALE"



This is where the game hits insane stride. You play the role of Polina, a woman living with her father and brother in Nazi occupied Stalingrad. During a shock blitzkrieg you are stripped of humanity, dehumanized, yet carry this umbrella of familial bonds with you like a butterfly carrying you through the dark.  The sense of necessity, siblings bonding, and community spirit drenched in Polina is stronger than most movies based on this war. It is epically done. Really is. 

Polina is a sort of female interpretation of Russian sniper "the white death" a marksman who parkours through the shadows to absolutely peg off Nazis like darts through cork. The diologue, cinematics and way she assassinates Nazis is similar to the movie inglorious Bastards.  Crawling through sewers of snow and rats. Emerging cleaner than aqua panna water.  Without spoling much.  Polina adds a more sense of loss to the story. When you feel these stories. It puts the war in.scope. it also hits harder when the war is very much so real. And the people while fictional are also based on true stories. The story of Polina is similar to the story of Reznekov. It shows what stalginrad became.  A sort minister of death. She lost all she had.  Nothing but a knife was left to her. 


"I have nothing outside of the war. The only time I come close to feeling something is when I am killing nazis. So I am right where I belong" when asked where she wishes she was in the moment. Cold beer? Hawaii? Nope. Vengence. She was a harbinger for revenge and man did I love sniping dirty nazis. 


The game also touches on the pacific campaign.  Midway battle was gloriously redone. Dogfights.  Accuracy of uniform and guns. Simple clean dialouge. And characters that connect so easily through the screen make this one of the best war games ever made.

Rating - 94/100

bikingjahuty:

--- Quote from: dhaabi on March 14, 2025, 02:51:43 pm ---
--- 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.

--- End quote ---


Yeah I do! I bought Yakuza Kiwami last year with the intent of it being my entry into the series. I tried playing the original Yakuza on PS2, but unfortunately had a hard time getting into it. From what I read online during the time, this isn't entirely uncommon and most people seem to recommend starting with one of the later games or one of the Kiwami remakes. It's a series I feel like I could definitely get really into. A lot of people like to say Yakuza is the successor to the Shenmue series, and while I disagree with this opinion, they do undeniably share a of of the same or similar DNA.


As for the voice work, everyone speaking English or Japanese despite being in a country where neither of those languages are widely spoken never bothered me. Probably because it's how I grew up playing them, but the English dub never bothered me. I'd even go as far as to say it's fairly endearing and does often cross the line into so bad it's good territory. With that said, the Japanese audio and voice acting is way more competent all around, and just feels more authentic, especially in the first game. But as much as you can, I'd try and look past the lack of Chinese being spoken in Shenmue 2 because it truly is a very unique and special game, albeit one that isn't for everyone.

marvelvscapcom2:
ABANDONED: Cobra Kai 2: Dojo Rising [PS5]


Not worth a picture. Truly havent been this disappointed in a game since a kid. This is what kids felt like unwrapping and firing up superman 64 for the first time. This development team should be ashamed of themselves.


First off. The game had hope. It had potential. If anything the gameplay itself is fun, simple and ambitious. That's where the praise stops.

The game is sadly broken. 5 trophies wont unlock at all despite meeting requirements. 4 times now I have gotten half way through a level only for a game ending bug (such as enemies spawning infinitely because the boss is glitched through the floor) and had to close the game to restart.


Thatd be cute and dandy if the game had simple save points.... It doesnt

It forces you to play the whole level again and on top of that sometimes you recruit allies for the all valley tournament only to find that they did not join thus wasting a half hour of your life :( 

Audio glitches.  Sometimes you cant even pause which means theirs no way to back out to dojo.  The whole thing is bugged and messy. Cant be played.


I am at a loss for words guys. This hasnt happened in a long time. Most games are the opposite. They work but are dull.  This game was vibrant fun, a cute beat em up with cool power ups and nostalgic boss ideas.  Hidden behind a cloud of glitches and unpatched fecal matter. And its sad because I was really enjoying my time with it. Even Shaq Fu had a fluid style. No bugs.

I got the game for the price of a red baron microwave pizza. And still overpaid. Thats how bad it is.  And truly. A dev knowing this.  And allowing it to be promoted on ps store for suckers like me to buy. While not illegal. Is truly scum territory. Its a broken dumpster fire and instead of patching it. They make it on sale to soak cash for slop.

Hopefully cobra kai 1 is better (user consensus says it is)

35/100

bikingjahuty:
32. After Burner (Arcade)

Unlike most other classic Sega AM2 Arcade titles, I have never been able to get into After Burner despite literal decades of trying. The game looks fantastic and especially if I ever got to play it in the rotating cockpit arcade machine back in the day, this game may have completely blown my mind, but having only played standup versions of it or emulation, the game has never wowed me. In fact, I kinda don't even like this game. I find the lock on and dodge mechanics to be poorly implemented, making this game very frustrating. There's nothing worse than a game where you feel like you're doing everything you can, but still continually getting your ass kicked by the game. Of course, these types of games were favorites of arcade operators back in the day, but for players they just annoyed the hell out of most of us. After Burner's OST and sound effects are pretty good, but nothing amazing. The end result of all this is a game that easily draws you in, however once the game has your money (or time), it delivers an underwhelming, if not just downright annoying gameplay experience that I've never been able to get into. (3/16/25) [28/50]

33. Shenmue II (PS4)

Like I usually do, I immediately jumped right into Shenmue II after beating the first game just a few days ago. Like the first Shenmue, I absolutely adore Shenmue II and its a game I've never been able to remove as my number one game, sharing that spot with its predecessor. In many ways, both Shenmue and Shenmue II are very similar games; both have similar graphics, gameplay, audio, and various other superficial qualities. However, the games are dramatically different as well, mostly in their scope and theme which I will get into later. In the end, both games are fairly different experiences while having a sense of familiarity across both games. Let me now dive into the second half of the greatest duology of video games I've ever played and likely ever will play.


Shenmue II is an absolutely stunning looking game for the time period it came out. Even today, the visual presentation and attention to detail within Shenmue II is impressive. Every area feels distinct, uniquely designed and crafted, and just highly detailed. It really gives the impression of a living, breathing world as you're walking down the streets of Hong Kong, or exploring the dilapidated high rise building of Kowloon City. Character models and facial expressions are probably the most detailed of any game of its era, and many show off a surprising amount of expression, even unimportant NPC characters that run shops or gambling stands. There are very few characters recycled in terms of their facial models, which adds greatly to the sense of immersion. As for the main characters, they are given even more attention in terms of detail and range of expression. This is amplified even further by Shenmue II's cinematic presentation that makes this game feel like a high budget movie at times whether or not you're watching a scripted scene. On top of all this, Shenmue II shows off an incredible amount of beauty in its environments. Whether those are the more urban areas found in the first 2/3 of the game, or the ones found in Guilin where you're surrounded by gorgeous mountains and forests, everything in this game is saturated in a beauty that many games still aspire to recreate.


The audio of Shenmue II is a definite 10/10 in my book as well. While the English voice acting can be hammy, stiff, or even awkward at times, it seldom distracts from the tone or atmosphere the game is trying to portray. Even if the voice acting was a degree or so worse than it is, the game's amazing OST would still elevate it to a level many other games aspire to reach. Shenmue II has one of the most beautiful and well made soundtracks of any video game I've ever made. You'll get excited and amped up by it during the more action packed portions of the game, and then other times you'll be moved by it when the tone of the game becomes more serious. I cannot overstate how amazing Shenmue II's OST is, and well as its overall audio design. Just allow yourself to laugh at Ryo's awkward dialogue from time to time.


Finally, we get to Shenmue II's gameplay which is an improvement on the first game in some ways, while being a noticable downgrade in others. Before getting into these differences, there are undeniably more things to do in Shenmue II, which really adds to the array of things you can do while playing this game. There are WAY more gambling type games in Shenmue II, including everyone's favorite Lucky Hit. There is also different types of jobs and activities ou can engage in for money, including street fighting. This brings me to one aspect of Shemue II's gameplay which is undeniably better than the first game; its fight controls and mechanics. Shenmue II actually feels like port of Virtua Fighter 3 when engaging in hand to hand combat. The moves feel a lot easier and more responsive to pull off, you opponents show off a surprising amount of balance and skill, and just overall, combat feels noticeably less clunky than in the first Shenmue. However, not all systems from Shenmue improved in the sequel. This especially applies to the quick time event (QTE) system. At best, the QTE system is the same as it was in the game, which wasn't terrible, but it was far from amazing too. Unfortunately there are WAY more QTE events and sections in the game, probably 5x as much. So. yeah, those annoyances with the QTE systems are made that much more noticeable in Shenmue II. Where the QTE system gets notiveably worse is the new combo QTEs which have you doing multiple inputs in quick succession for the same QTE prompt. I found these combo QTE's to be extremely frustrating half the time, even when they only requires to button presses to accomplish. If you do them too slow, you fail them, but if you do them too fast, you fail them too. What pissed me off the most about them is when they were required at the end of a very hard battle with a boss character, even though you'd just defeated them utilizing the game's fighting system. If you failed the combo QTE at the end, it forced you to fight them again from the beginning which is just as annoying as it sounds. What all this amounts to is the gameplay is better in enough in some ways, while being noticeable worse in others to where I didn't feel like the overall experience wasn't better or worse than the first game...just different.


Shenmue II's scope is way more grand and epic overall than the first game. While you do lose some of the smaller, but highly detailed feel of the first game, you make up for it with a much bigger feeling world within the various sections that make up Hong Kong, Kowloon City, and Guilin. You really do just feel like a stranger wandering almost aimlessly in a strange foreign land, which is exactly what Yu Suzuki and AM2 likely wanted you to feel while playing Shenmue II. I will also say that the highs of Shenmue II are definitely higher than anything you'll experience in the first game, but also the lows are much lower too. In the end, I cannot say which game is better or more fun to play. They both absolutely are some of the most beautiful and special games I've ever played, and their quality and fun speaks for itself given how dedicated and committed the Shenmue fanbase has been to this series for decades, even with Shenmue III out now, but the overall story still incomplete no less. Shenmue and Shenmue II will forever be my favorite games of all time, and ones that I will forever cherish and hold dear to my heart every single time I play through them. (3/16/25) [49/50]

telly:
Game 5 - Read Only Memories: Neurodiver (Switch) - 5 Hours

When I first realized that 2064: Read Only Memories was receiving a sequel, I was extremely excited for the game. I really enjoy 2064, with it still being my favorite adventure game. Well, years and years passed and the game was delayed again and again. New trailers that were dropping didn't seem to be as good as that first trailer in 2019, but I was still holding that it would be worth the wait. Well, after finally playing it, I can say that it's a pretty disappointing experience.

Not all of the game is disappointing however. The visuals are some of the best 2D sprite work I've ever seen, and the environments are absolutely exquisite. The music, while not being by the same composer, is also top notch and fits the mood brilliantly. So the game still brings it when it comes to atmosphere. Where this game falls flat is the story, voice work, and characters, which is really some of the most important parts of an adventure game because there is so little "game" to speak of.

First, I think one of the problems is the game's short length (half as long as 2064) does not give enough breathing room to flesh out the more than 10+ characters that have been added to this game, plus recurring characters from the first game, AND tell a compelling story to boot. The first characters you meet, the Old Birds, I thought were going to be a major part of the story but they're only in the first mission then dropped like a rock and you never see them again. The rest of the game consists of revisiting the main characters from the first game, which was fine, but didn't really feel all that exciting.

Because the game is so short, the story is far more simple, and it left me feeling unsatisfied. It has nowhere near the stakes and scope of the first game. Given the state of things after the first game ended, I was excited to see where the sequel would go next, but the game presents a boring, simple exorcism story with a confusing villain with no backstory whatsoever that is anchored by very superficial chapters for each of the individual characters.

The last thing that really felt off to me was the voice acting. Don't get me wrong, it's competently done, but there were several little things that got under my skin over time. First, I really hate when voice actors go "off script" and say things that are different than the subtitles on the screen. Just a pet peeve of mine. The mixing was really poor, and characters love dipping into that lower softer register that is difficult to hear over the music without fiddling in the sound settings. Also, the lip-sync liked to come and go as it pleased and characters mouths would stop moving even while the character was still saying something. The really dealbreaker for me was the new voice actor for TOMCAT, who was one of my favorite characters from the first game. This new actor sounds nothing like the original, not even remotely close, and there's no explanation given for why in the game. I would have accepted a voice change surgery after a freak accident, anything. But it seems the original actor couldn't be acquired so they just stuck whoever in as a replacement. All of these things really add up when the majority of the game is just listening to people speak.

Lastly, the gameplay changes weren't exactly my cup of tea. You have to discover these pieces of evidence that you use to fix rifts in people's memories. Temporally it didn't make sense that you were given dialogue options for a character inside a memory that has already happened. Also, the fixing of memories was all just trial and error. The evidence you find has no interconnection or relevance with the broken memories so most of the time I just plugged in random solutions until one worked. It didn't make me feel like I was solving a complex mystery.

So yes, this game overall was not really that great. It's thankfully short and it looks and sounds incredible, but you can really see where things just don't hold up to the original.

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