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52 Games Challenge 2025!!!

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bikingjahuty:
43. F355 Challenge: Passione Rossa (Dreamcast)

As a 13-year old guy in the infancy of my love of cars which continues to this day, I remember seeing the deluxe version of the arcade cabinet for F355 Challenge at my local dave and Busters and nearly dying of excitement. The three panoramic screens, the surround sound audio of the 355's roaring flat plain crank V8, and maybe most of all, the gated 6-speed manual shifter made this the closest I could ever get to actually driving this legendary performance machine. Of course, I was never very good at this game, even years later when I'd come across it, but I still enjoyed the experience of playing this game whenever I was able to play this game in the arcade. While I have some prior experience with the Dreamcast port of F355 Challenge, I've always found it to be lacking in that overall visceral experience I get when playing the delixe arcade machine. This afternoon I decided to sit down with it and give the Dreamcast port a serious play through, and unfortunately it just doesn't scratch that driving sim itch that the arcade version provides.


F355 Challenge is still a pretty impression looking game, and in 2000 was a very impressive looking game. Really, my only major gripes with its visuals are some of the details of the tracks you race in and how some of the other cars looks in your rear view mirror and even when around you while driving. The audio is a mixed bag, but like the arcade game, the pretty realistic sound of the F355's roaring V8 sounds amazing. The soundtrack audio is very mediocre and not particularly memorable beyond the fact that there are very few songs in this game. Luckily that barely matters since you will just want to hear the noises coming out of your car.


Gameplay is less impressive in F355 Challenge. While not terrible or even bad, the driving mechanics in this game seem noticeably artificial while also trying to feel realistic. In other words, it feels like the game is compensating in strange ways in order to give the sensation of actually driving a Ferrari F355, even if it still falls short of being an approximation of what it's actually like. For the record, I've never drive any variant of a 355, but having driven other high performance, mid engine, rear wheel drive cars, F355 feels a bit to squirrelly to feel realistic. And then of course, the lack of the gated six speed in the arcade will also make you long to play that original version. The Dreamcast version does offer some additions not present in the arcade such as unlockable stages as well as more modes. Unfortunately, I found all this extra content still lacking and didn't bring my enjoyment on the same level as playing the arcade version. Sadly, I actually found the Dreamcast port to be kinda boring where I actually kept thinking I'd rather be playing something like Gran Turismo 2 or 3 instead (despite neither of those games having Ferrari's in them). Still, F355 Challenge on the Dreamcast does have its moments and does capture at least some of that magic present in the original arcade release. Unfortunately it's just not as enjoyable as the arcade game and never will be even if it still looks more or less the same and sounds about the same too. (4/5/25) [31/50]

bikingjahuty:
44. Strikers 1945 II (Switch)

There are several SHMUPs that enthusiasts of the genre and gamers in general seem to adore that I simply do not get. And look, I'm not a hipster who has to go against the mainstream and call obscure, lessor known shooters masterpieces when in fact they're kinda crap. No, I generally carry a populist opinion when it comes to SHMUPs, but there are major exceptions with Strikers 1945 II and the rest of the games in that series being one of them.


Simply put, I do not like this game very much and think the love and praise it gets are way overblown. For one, the game's graphics are fairly flat and unremarkable, even back when it came out in the late 90s. All you have to do is look at some of its STG contemporaries from half a dozen other companies to see how bland this game looks in comparison. I will give Strikers 1945 II some credit and say its bosses are pretty cool with how they transform from a large, conventional war machine to some sort of cool mech, but overall the visuals are nothing special and I'd say are barely a hair over boring, generic, and just mediocre.


The audio in this game is sort of the same story. Nothing amazing, but nothing that offensive either. It's just sort of there and sounds uninspired while simultaneously feeling appropriate given the fast paced SHMUP action occurring on screen. Sound effects are good I guess, but yeah, this game's audio is the definition of serviceable but very generic.


Finally, Strikers 1945 II's gameplay is okay for the most part, but does run into some balancing issues mixed with outdated SHMUP mechanics, mainly having to restart levels again if you use a continue, but only on the later stages thankfully. The balancing issues I reference have to do with each of the selectable ship's speed being ill equipped to get you out of tight situations, especially against some of the more challenging bosses and later stages of the game. I also found your ship's hit box to be a bit on the large side, making it hard to pull off precise maneuvers between barrages of tightly packed bullets. You just sort of have to fly out of your way to an area less populated by bullets, assuming your ship doesn't get picked off before then due to the aforementioned relative slow speed of your ship. Speaking of the game's selectable ships, there are a decent amount of them to choose from, all with their own shot type and bomb/special attack. I appreciated this since at least to a degree in gives players choices in terms of a particular play style, to an extent at least. But yeah, even though the gameplay can be fun at times, it just has too many issues to be anything better than meh overall.


What's funny (or sad, depending on how you look at it), is this most recent playthrough of Strikers 1945 II is probably the most I've enjoyed this game since first playing it a long time ago. I always hope that the game will finally click with me and I'll see its unappreciated greatness the next time I play it. Unfortunately, I just can't see it no matter what aspect of the game I'm looking at. I guess you can place my feelings on Strikers 1945 II in the category of unpopular gaming opinions. I really wish I liked this game, but I simply don't. (4/6/25) [27/50]

marvelvscapcom2:
20. Britney's Dance Beat [PS2] finished - April 6th, 2025




Review

So I really like Britney Spears, someone who basically became a consumable for paparazzo torture during my mid adolescence. I wish we coulda seen a world that cherished her as she blossomed. She is notable in history.  But above all else was and still is to a certain extent an icon. A piece of americana on par with the pepsi she promotes. And a really wonderful person at her peak. That possessed about every trait a popstar needs to be special. Britney is the 2000s. So it's only sensible I play a PS2 game (also 2000s) of her likeness. Does it live up?


No... it doesnt lol.


the game pissed me off to point of violence


The main issue with this game is not that its bad. Wanna know the truth? Its glorious. Its epic. The rythym system is so unique. The game is played by a green spinning circle that then highlights corresponding buttons. If a rival dancer gets better perfect combos than you. You will experience the following difficulty additions

. Double buttons (such as pressing X and <--  together)

. Blurry screen

. Rapidly swapping buttons

. A smaller radial meter to hit buttons in. 


The dancers look like dancers she has had. May even be. Me and my gf have enjoyed so much Britney content that I do recognize some. If they arent. They are inspired.  The soundtrack is licensed. And the dancing and movement of it is enjoyable.  I love the system. It is wonderfully bliss.


The issues.

The game is shorter than her first marraige

Like seriously.  I bet I spend more time writing this review than half the game.  I began at 2pm. It was done by 4pm. And that is with getting my ass kicked by the final boss like 2 dozen times. 

Normally I like a short concise game. But this is Britney! Shes up there with Madonna in terms of well... shes the damn Michael Jackson of girls. The princess of pop. The blonde anomoly that defined childhood for millions. And you give her 5 songs!!!  5 total songs. 


. Hit me baby
. Oops I did it again
. Stronger
. Slave 4 U
. Overprotected

I almost thought I was imagining the end credits. I assumed after you master these 5 songs you would get to experience 5 more.

. Lucky
. Drive Me Crazy
. Toxic
. Not A Girl Not Yet A Woman
. I love rock and roll (literally shows the sign for it in the background. 


So even though I genuinely love the game. It's basically dating a chef for 20 yrs and they only cook at work and leave you to smell lasagna fumes on their clothes with a bologna sandwich for dinner. Its a big giant tease.  The whole game needed at least 4x as many songs and boss battles. Sad part is. If it did? Possibly the greatest rythym game ever made. But it didnt.


Difficulty Spike


Because its so short. You go from entry level Nick Carter rip offs to dance against. They are easy. To within 1 hour facing a black woman named Carla that made me cry, slap my own leg and want to crawl under my bed in frustration.  Imagine quick time events. Giving you quarter second windows to hit.  If you miss? You lose power and Carla gains that power.  And trust me.


SHE DONT MISS.

Her combo can and will climb to 78+  78 notes straight it expects you to hit. All the while. Carla is hitting you with powers. It's what you'd expect. Hard as steel.


Overall the game unlike society hasnt given Britney her justice.  A new free Britney movement should be started to get her a longer game.  Its one game that I kinda wish was made in 2025 because itd probably have gotten like 2 dozen songs as dlc. And I woulda bought them too. 


Conclusion - Britney Spears career is explosive. She was a firecracker in terms of pop stardom. Attempting to summarize what being one of her dancers is about or the depth of her dance career in 1 1/2 hour of gameplay is truly a failure by thq. It is a wonderful, fun exciting game that ends to quick. It's the best date you ever been on ending after 2 mini golf puts.  It's the best dog you ever had but he runs away after a week.  It's the best pizza you ever tasted. But you're only allowed 1 bite. And that really really sucks. 


Rating - 71/100

dhaabi:
20. Nour: Play with Your Food || PlayStation 5 || 04.06.2025



For quite some time, Nour: Play with Your Food has been a game that's maintained my interest. I remember reading an article about the game's development when its Kickstarter campaign was ongoing in 2017, but it wasn't until 2023 the game finally released. Now, all these years later, I was finally able to play with food.

Trying to describe Nour with words is somewhat difficult. To be as succinct as possible, though, it's an interactive audiovisual art experiment about food, which is still quite the mouthful. It's about how food not only relates to taste alone but the other senses as well, though it clearly emphasizes sight and sound. As its subtitle states, the game allows players to interact with food to evoke certain moods and draw out memories. To accomplish this, Nour takes on quite the free-form and exploratory approach as very little is actually explained, so players will naturally discover most of what the game offers on their own. There are no objectives, timers, or scores present, and the game's design, purpose, and value is all based on players' personal experience to the stimuli on-screen. Twenty stages which all do feel unique from another are designed, and I found it to be an appropriate amount that doesn't have the game overstay its welcome.

At the game's simplest, it is a simulation tool which players are freely able to spawn food in a sandbox playground environment. Each face and direction button corresponds to one single food item which drops down onto the level field, and other buttons may be used in conjunction with them to spawn even more items or to cause various effects. Players are able to rotate the field and zoom in, in addition to utilizing an array of tools and special effects that influence the nature of the food. For instance, there are effects which causes items to float in mid-air, grow or shrink in size, and even burn or freeze. At the same time, Nour makes use of the Dualsense controller's capabilities such as players being able to blow items away with a gust of breath and to levitate items when sustaining a held pitch. Knowing what all can be done is never known. And while there are no in-game objectives which emphasizes player discovery, the game's accompanying achievements system does provide some sort of task list that gives players direction.

While the game's rhythm elements are briefly introduced, I imagine the majority of players will ignore them or not understand completely what purpose they serve. After all, it's an entirely optional aspect to the game. While stages must be unlocked one at a time, there is no barrier aside from simply experiencing the current stage at any length. Regardless, icons indicating musical notes appear when pressing any button to a beat, though it's not outright explained why. When looking deeper into the game's menu, players will discover a section named rhythm controls, though they're all obscured until the player unlocks them organically through trial and error. Largely, these combos influence the stage's accompanying music which constantly changes and reflects a player's button inputs, such as initiating a key change. Still, these elements are not required to learn or to be engaged with in the slightest though, for the curious mind or those who wish to delve deep into the game's audiovisual experiences, there is plenty to explore.

Apart from gameplay which really isn't even Nour's focus, visuals and audio are standout components. Colors are vibrant with often a minimal presentation to the in-game stage environment. At times, stages are set within a color-filled void while others do feature a proper setting albeit still simple ones. Art design is heavily stylized which relies upon a glossy sheen that's almost plastic-like at times, though I think the game's use of environmental colors complement food assets well. And while music is a core aspect, I was more engrossed with the game's visuals. Still, there are various sound libraries which accompany stages, and I found this inclusion to greatly help set stages apart from each other while providing a powerful means of avoiding monotony. However, not everything is bright and colorful with accompanying upbeat sounds. There were several moments in my playthrough which saw the environment becoming dulled and gray with distorted, distant beats or even silence, and this type of event is influenced by a player's rhythm.

Ultimately, Nour: Play with Your Food has a standout presentation, and I think its execution is achieved nicely too. Its concept of play is unique, and the game's open-ended nature allows for it to become more than just a simulation tool but a simulation experience. It's not a game that I think most will find themselves wanting to play fully, but the right audience will greatly enjoy what's offered.

bikingjahuty:
45. Confidential Mission (Arcade)

My only association with playing Confidential Mission prior to today was on the Dreamcast a very long time ago. Honestly, I barely remembered anything about it other than it being a light gun shooter and also it having a James Bond, secret agent theme to it. Unfortunately, I never came across Confidential Mission in the arcades back around the time it was released. Well today I felt like playing a fun light gun game and this game sounded right up my ally.


I was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed Confidential Mission. In a lot of ways, this game actually feels like more of a worthy successor to Virtua Cop 2 than the actual successor to that game. Of course, it has a fairly different theme than the Virtua Cop games, but its core gameplay is very reminiscent of those other Sega gun games. Your enemies will pop out from behind every possibly object on the screen at some point, where a colored circle will appear around them that will gradually turn from green, to yellow, and then to red. If you don't shoot them before the circle turns red, you'll end up getting shot and taking damage. Confidential Mission essentially utilizes this same system and it works so well that you'd be forgiven for thinking this was another light gun game by Sega AM2 (Sega AM3 developed this one). Other than that, you'll be shooting a variety of objects to increase your score, get better temporary weapons, and even complete objects like shooting a grappling hook onto an adjacent building or blocking poison gas vents with rubber splat bullets. Light gun games can often feel very samey with their gameplay, but Confidential Mission does just enough to make it memorable which is the most you can ask of games from this genre.


Aside from the gameplay, the visuals are actually pretty good and very enjoyable to look as you play through Confidential Mission's three stages. All stages are colorful, detailed, and definitely fit in well with the whole secret agent aesthetic the game is going for. Aside from the repetitive enemy types, which to be fair all light gun games from this era were guilty of, I was a bit disappointed by the lack of destructible stage elements. Even games that overall don't look as good like Area 51 had a lot of things you could destroy in the background and having that in Confidential Mission would have made it that much more visually appealing. Luckily the game has some very memorable, fun bosses and how you fight them differs from how you fought the others. This is such a good looking game all around and I'd say is Confidential Mission's best quality.


Unfortunately this game's worst quality is its audio. Aside from some cheesy voice action which were par for the course from Sega light gun games of the time, the music in Confidential Mission is good, but not great. It fits in with the game's overall feel and vibe, but there aren't any really fun, catchy tracks like in House of the Dead or Virtua Cop. There are also a lot of explosion sounds and other cool sound effects that complement everything else this game is going for.


Confidential Mission is definitely a more unsung hero of 90s arcades, and one that is unfortunately overshadowed by some of the more famous genre titles of the time. I definitely wish I'd ran into this game as a 12-year old kid. I know I would have loved it, but even now as a guy in his late 30s, I still got a kick out of this one and definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys some good late 90s arcade gun games. (4/6/25) [34/50]

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