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52 Games Challenge 2025!!!

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kamikazekeeg:

--- Quote from: bikingjahuty on August 12, 2025, 02:39:17 am ---84. Red Dead Redemption 2 (PS4)
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I wish I could've liked the game as much as others did lol The entire time I played, I wished the game had just a whole lot more depth to it, because it never really leans hard enough into the cowboy/outlaw sim side with lots of engaging content and things to do, but it also doesn't do enough to stand out from a more arcadey action shooting experience, sitting in this weird middle ground that never truly satisfied me.  Fantastic story and characters though, that's what kept me going through the whole game.

kamikazekeeg:
19 - Five Night's at Freddy's: Into the Pit (PC 2024) - Continuing my backwards ride down through FNAF games, this one I had wanted to play since it came out, specifically because it's a pixel art game and I loved the art in it, it's really good, with characters being more of a slightly squashed/pudgy cartoon style, and the animatronics being abit more realistic feeling, with there being "first person" moments where the art comes off more rotoscoped feeling.

As a game it's a mixture of hiding from the threats and finding items to progress, bit old school feeling in that way, like an SNES game where you need to get into a door, so you have to find a key, which might require another item to get.  It could've used a lot more puzzles, more things to engage with to find the items as everything is fairly reasonably straightforward I think.  I only got hung up on one item towards the end that was needed for one of the endings as it was almost too hard to see where it was.  I passed over it so many times.

Any real negative I have is the needing a little more depth to it as it's kinda short otherwise, doing most of what there is other than the final ending in under 4 hours.  There were also moments during chases I just couldn't open a door, which got me killed a few times in my playthrough. Also not sure if it's just me, but the endings aren't super satisfying, I don't know if I felt like I understood what happened lol Maybe I missed some lore in my run, but it wasn't the best ending to me, like I'm fine with a little open ended story telling, let people question a little, but this just felt like I missed story somehow.  Oh well, I've been avoiding Youtube videos talking about Into the Pit, so guess I'm gonna go watch some lore vids lol

bikingjahuty:

--- Quote from: kamikazekeeg on August 12, 2025, 08:13:04 pm ---
--- Quote from: bikingjahuty on August 12, 2025, 02:39:17 am ---84. Red Dead Redemption 2 (PS4)
--- End quote ---

I wish I could've liked the game as much as others did lol The entire time I played, I wished the game had just a whole lot more depth to it, because it never really leans hard enough into the cowboy/outlaw sim side with lots of engaging content and things to do, but it also doesn't do enough to stand out from a more arcadey action shooting experience, sitting in this weird middle ground that never truly satisfied me.  Fantastic story and characters though, that's what kept me going through the whole game.

--- End quote ---


The core shooting gameplay is a bit on the shallow side, but for what it is, it definitely works. I feel like this has always been a weak spot in GTA-style Rockstar games going back to GTA3. But it's one of those games where there is so much to do and so many other mechanics at play, most very well implemented, that the sum of its parts definitely makes it a very fun game to play.

dhaabi:
51. Gunpey || PlayStation Portable || 08.06.2025



Even though I knew anything about Gunpey before adding it to my collection, it ended up being a worthwhile investment. Slowly, and without any intention really, I'm going through Tetsuya Mizuguchi's visual-audial works, and Gunpey just happens to be something Mizuguchi was involved with. I actually had begun playing this game a few years ago and concluded that perhaps I just wasn't that skilled at it which resulted in me retiring my playthrough. And when recently returning to it once more, I think that my conclusion is that I'm still not that adept.

To be upfront, Gunpey is an uncomplicated puzzle game with only one objective: to clear lines. And in order to accomplish this one goal, players work toward preventing line segments nestled within singular grid points from reaching the top of the screen. Constantly, these segments are being shifted from the lowest to highest row, and the only means to remove them is by connecting individual segments to form a complete horizontal line path that spans from the left to right screen. And how this is achieved is by a player's involvement in strategically moving these line segments. When such a path is created, all activated segments will soon be discarded to clear the playing field that results in a game that's only finished when the player fails. But despite Gunpey primarily being a puzzle game, there are times when it feels like an action game foremost. From the very beginning of a new play session, it seems like there is almost no pause to the action required to sustain its momentum. There is always some segment needing shifted.

Fortunately, the never-ending action transpiring does briefly pause when a full line connection is made. Though even in this moment, there is little respite for players as they'll unlikely be without anything to manage. During play, it's inevitable that line segments will go unused and gradually reach closer and closer to the top edge. So, it's required to manually shift them back down. Unfortunately, however, this can only be done one line segment at a time, one grid point at a time. There is a sense of tediousness when this action is necessary, but it's often eclipsed by the game's fast-paced action that instead instills tension. There is one other benefit to clearing lines beyond the brief pause, though, and that is the short window of time that allows for additional segments to be added onto the completed line which serve as branches to the base path; additional, completely separate lines may even be formed which are then removed, should players be quick enough. Due to the game's arcade-like qualities which include its scoring system, setting up combos like this is in the player's interest if they're interesting in this feature. Nevertheless--so long as everything is fully connected like a closed circuit, it will be included in the activated combo and be discarded from the playing field.

As for the line segments themselves, there are only two kinds: the diagonal- and V-shaped. These segments can be mirrored too, ultimately resulting in four varieties which altogether include the caret (∧), inverted caret (∨), left slash (\), and right slash (/). Despite the small number of segment types, the sheer amount of them on-screen as the game progresses becomes overwhelming enough to eventually player failure. In total, there are five columns and ten rows which combine together to form the playing field. So, this means that there are fifty individual grid plot points for segments to exist. Every few seconds--alongside being manually triggered--a new row appears from the bottom. This is never a surprise to the player, but which line segments, where they appear, and how many there are is a surprise due to randomization. Lines can be freely swapped along the vertical axis, so there is a hard restriction regarding player strategy at any given moment. And this means being required to move segments is to be expected, as there is otherwise little, if any, chance for a completed line to naturally occur.

There are numerous "skins" which I'm understanding to be stages. I believe that the advancing from one stage to the next is determined by the total amount of line segments cleared, which is one of the few stats tracked during each playthrough. Skins serve as the visual backdrop while also impacting music and sound effects, so there is reason for wanting to play a specific skin. Beyond the standard playing mode, other modes exists where a specific skin may be outright selected, but choosing them from the main menu requires having previously cleared them. I've only been able to clear the fourth skin out of forty, and it seems impossible for me to progress much further from my point-of-view at my current skill level. So little of the game's content is available to me, and I doubt I'd even come close to unlocking even a portion of what's left even with more time practiced. I've played for about five hours right now, and I've very much hit a difficulty wall at the fifth skin. I find it difficult to envision most other players having progressed much further than I have, but perhaps I'm missing some major gameplay tactic to help reach further in the game.

Besides the default Challenge Mode, various other modes exist but aren't that noteworthy. There is one exception, though, which is the 10x10 mode which doubles the width of the playing field. It was fun to try out for a short while, and I actually thought it'd be easier for some reason, but it wasn't. Some modes also offer the option to play with the standard rules or to have line segments remaining above the one used in a combo to fall down automatically. This feature is definitely a handicap of sorts, but it's one I shamelessly opted to use since it removes some time spent toward micromanaging the position of segments. No matter which mode is played, Gunpey's difficulty quickly becomes stressful as numerous lines spawn and at an increased tempo too. So, after a short time spent playing, line segments will flood the field. And despite the high number of them available to use, it becomes confusing in the few seconds available to visually read what sort of combos can be created. Nevertheless, most modes are played endlessly until the player fails. The longest I was able to play was for around thirty minutes which was probably my average too--I really just couldn't progress further despite my efforts.

While Gunpey is a puzzle game, its action is so intense that an argument could be made that its puzzle elements come secondary. Admittedly, I found myself to not be that skilled at the game, but I haven't watched videos of others playing or read anything discussing the game's difficulty to assess my proficiency fairly. Regardless, Gunpey is a game with mechanics I did enjoy, though I wish there was some other element to make it feel more enduring similar to other certain puzzle games of its kind.

bikingjahuty:
85. Jet Moto 2 (PS1)

Growing up as a kid in the 90s, I remembering see advertising everywhere for Jet Moto, and especially Jet Moto 2. Whether it was the countless magazine ads for it or even a TV commercial I saw ages ago on Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network, this series was in my face for a good chunk of the late 90s. Despite having never played it until today, Jet Moto 2 was a game that always made me wish I had a PS1 back then. Well, I finally got to play the game behind the aggressive ad campaign aimed at people like me back when it first came out. Prior to playing Jet Moto 2, I expected a game more like Wipeout or Extreme G, but instead it's more like a futuristic motorcross game, which I guess makes since since Moto is in the title (duh!). I chose to play Jet Moto 2 over its predecessor or its sequel since its the one I remember the most vividly and also seems to be the one that most people consider to be the best in the trilogy. Unfortunately, some things are just better left alone and in the past.


Jet Moto 2 is without a doubt one of the worst racing games I've ever played. Beyond the horribly designed and often confusing tracks, the controls are pretty terrible for the most part. Literally just holding the X button down for more than a second, which you use to accelerate by the way, will send you violently crashing into a wall or off the course into a bottomless pit. In order to have any success in this game you have to gingerly feather the acceleration button and even doing this barely makes the controls more tolerable. It doesn't help that most stages have tons of bottomless pits that you'll be forced to try and go over again and again as you fall into them again and again. The game is an absolute exercise in patience and one where you'll often just wish the race you're on would end so you don't have to play anymore. It doesn't help that there are barely any Jet bikes to choose from and despite them having different stats, they all might as well be the same since you'll be crashing into everything and falling into the abyss between jumps all the same anyways.


The visuals are certainly better than the gameplay in Jet Moto 2, but not by much. Menus and UI screens are done in a pretty cool comic style that reminds me a little of 90s Marvel or Image Comics, but at the same time there is definitely a budget feel about it all. The actual in game graphics do have a certain appeal to them, but despite there being a few standout features in some of the levels, courses just feel a bit bland and float. I will also say that the animations for your racer are fairly good and have a fluidity to them that is still pretty impressive to this day. Otherwise, you could do way, way better in terms of graphics when it comes to full 3D games released in 1997.


Jet Moto's audio is by far its best quality. It has some generally good songs throughout the game, and even the ones that don't wiggle their way into your ear are still appropriate and well implemented into the game. There are also limited sound effects, with the one of your racer grunting and screaming in terror over seeing the endless abyss below him as you fly off the track for the 50th time.


There are a ton of racing games that the 5th console generation birthed, but sadly this Playstation exclusive is among the worst and one that I would strongly recommend no one waste their time playing. Even the worst games have some redeeming qualities, and even though Jet Moto 2 is no different, there is just too much wrong with this game to make any of the good aspects of it worth it. It's no wonder this game and series has been largely forgotten. (8/14/25) [19/50]

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