52 Games Challenge 2025!!!

[bikingjahuty]

I'm still marching forward towards 100 games beat by the end of the year. With summer around the corner, I have several games in mind that I really want to try and play before the fall. Some of these games are more summery in nature (I guess), but overall I just want to make sure I play and beat the following games before the beginning of September. Here is my current list of summer time games I plan on beating.


- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Donkey Kong 64
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
- Halo 2


I definitely plan on playing more than just those four games, but those are the ones that if nothing else, I definitely want to make sure I've beat them before summer's end.

Wow, what a drag. Half the games I was deadset on playing this summer are ones I eventually abandoned. While The Witcher 3 was a bit of a wildcard for me given my difficulty playing and beating RPGs, I thought for sure I'd love revisiting DK64. Unfortunately that was not the case and I ended up dropping it out of sheer boredom. Luckily the other two games I set out to beat this summer were ones I really enjoyed.

[bikingjahuty]

82. Columns (Genesis)

Columns will always remind me of one of my good friends from elementary school. We both had Genesis consoles and I remember he had a model 2 that came with a six in one cart pack in game. One of the games included on it was columns. Funny enough, the two of us probably played columns more than any other game on that pack in cart, which included Sega greats like Streets of Rage 2 and Sonic the Hedgehog. While i still enjoy Columns, the game just doesn't do it for me like it did over 30-years ago.


The game is called Columns and columns is what you get. Instead of different shaped boxes like you get in Tetris, every set of boxes that comes your way is an arrangement of three different colored jewels stacks on top of one another. The only control the game gives you is changing the stack order of the three jewels. You'll then want to line up three or more of the same colored jewels, which causes them to disappear and create more room for more columns of jewels. Like in Tetris, if you're too slow or make too many mistakes in getting boxes, or in this case jewels to disappear, you'll get a game over. The premise in both Tetris and Columns is so simple, yet so fun at the same time. I will say that Columns cranks up the difficulty way faster than Tetris does, which is a bit annoying, but it's definitely one of those games that you'll likely get into a groove after playing for only half an hour and should be able to get to level 8 or level 9 difficulty by then. Also, the limited nature of what you can do with the columns certainly adds to that difficulty as well, not that Tetris is any slouch either.


The audio and visuals in Columns are super basic, even for a 1990 Sega Genesis game. Aside from some ancient greek looking mosaic art you'll get at the start menu screen, the gameplay is pretty no frills with just your grid and multi colored columns of jewels falling down. The soundtrack and sound effects are satisfying, but unfortunately nearing just as basic as the graphics. I will say that the default song that plays will forever be burned in my brain given the countless hours I've spent playing this game as a kid and even as an adult. It's catchy and very Genesis appropriate, which are both positives in my book.


Columns is absolutely a simple game, but a classic game nonetheless too. It is deceptively fun if you enjoy games like Dr. Mario, Puyo Puyo, or of course, Tetris, and certainly worth being mentioned in the same conversations as those games. (7/30/25) [32/50]

[dhaabi]

Wow, what a drag. Half the games I was deadset on playing this summer are ones I eventually abandoned. While The Witcher 3 was a bit of a wildcard for me given my difficulty playing and beating RPGs, I thought for sure I'd love revisiting DK64. Unfortunately that was not the case and I ended up dropping it out of sheer boredom. Luckily the other two games I set out to beat this summer were ones I really enjoyed.

Good on you for having a goal toward playing specific games and at least seeing if they interested you enough to complete them. A lot of the goals I set for myself each year are more like motivators than anything else since I tend to stray from them. If I happen to actually clear a goal, it's just an added bonus.

[bikingjahuty]

83. Gundam Battle Assault 2 (PS1)

When I became an anime fan in the late 90s thanks to Toonami on Cartoon Network, there was a depressing lack of video games available in the US based on many of the anime franchises I fell in love with. While there were a handful at the time, most were either super expensive, super rare, or both. What I eventually would end up doing is paying some random person to mod my consoles so I could play imported copies of various Japanese only anime based games. Fortunately, by the very end of the decade and into the early 2000s, game publishers caught onto the growing popularity of anime in the US and started localizing various titles for North American consumption. Gundam, specifically Gundam Wing, was my gateway drug into giant mech anime and for a while I loved pretty much anything Gundam I could get my hands on. I had a bunch of Gunpla model kits and would watch various series religiously. When I learned of Gundam Battle Assault getting a US release I made sure I had enough money to buy it asap. However, while I remember having a blast with the first Battle Assault game, it was its 2002 sequel that the bulk of my fond Gundam gaming memories belong to.


In many ways, I would consider Gundam Battle Assault 2 to fall into the hidden gem category of retro games. For one, it has an OST that is way too good for a game like this. I can't imagine the budget for Battle Assault 2 was huge, but holy crap did they go above and beyond in the audio department! There are some incredible songs in this game which not only capture the vibe of the various series during that time, but are also very memorable and catchy. The end credits theme specifically is downloaded onto my phone and gets regularly listened to while I'm driving around or working. But beyond the music, it's pretty commendable that Bandai actually got a big chunk of the English voice cast to reprise their respective roles for this game. It's a fairly small touch, and often the dialogue is just silly, but the fact that it matches up with the various localized Gundam series of the time is just awesome.


Almost just as memorable as the audio in Gundam Battle Assault 2 is its visual presentation. The sprite work on all the playable mobile suites is absolutely amazing. Nearly all the details from the anime are present in the sprites, which is further complemented by their animations. And to add to further to this, there are A TON of unlockable mobile suits in this game. All are just as detailed and awesome looking as the more well known Gundams, and again, it's something I definitely tip my hat towards the developers for doing. Stage design and background is also very impressive with themes that feel in line with the various Gundam shows. Stages also are a mix of 2D and 3D elements, as well as cool dynamic elements that change while you're fighting. Oh, I almost forgot! mobile suit sprites all show off various damage animations and effects as you're fighting against your fellow Gundams and whatnot. I've seen much more respectable fighting game franchises that don't show off this level of care and detail in their presentations. Unfortunately, the top notch quality of the visuals and audio were not applied to Battle Assault 2's gameplay.


Sadly, it feels like Bandai put all their focus and energy on the presentation of this game and forgot all about the gameplay. The fighting mechanics and gameplay of this game are not terrible, but they are far from being great either. Movements and controls feel somewhat delayed and certainly very clunky. In some ways, Battle Assault 2 feels like a very pretty version of rock em' sock 'em robots, where you're just bludgeoning your opponent in an attempt to take them down before they take you down. There is some depth in this game, mostly thanks to the side step mechanic, blocking, and a rechargeable energy meter, but overall this is a pretty cumbersome game to play. As mentioned, there are a crap ton of unlockable mobile suits in this game which will become the reason most people will continue to fight through the poorly implemented gameplay in order to see all or most of them. I know that was my main motivation to keep on playing.


I feel like if even a little more effort had gone into this game's gameplay, we might be talking about Gundam Battle Assault 2 as one of the great fighting of the 5th generation. While its visuals and audio are worthy of being in the same conversation as fighting games that punch way above Battle Assault 2's level, the gameplay is just too meh for that to realistically happen. Still, if you fancy yourself a Gundam or mech fighting game fan, I would definitely recommend this game, if only for its eye and ear candy. Otherwise, it's still a fairly good, fun game to play, and one that is very sentimental to me personally. (7/31/25) [36/50]

[realpoketendonl]

8. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

Finally beat this game. And goddamn, it was beyond amazing. We all know how acclaimed and beloved the Metroid Prime trilogy is. And this game truly lives up to that reputation.

This was honestly a bit of an emotional one for me too. I bought Metroid Prime 3 as a kid, all the way back during the Wii era, as probably my first Metroid game. Back then I tried to play it, but it was too difficult to figure out for kid me and I gave up on it. Years later, I tried again, and gave up a second time. But since then, I became a true Metroid fan. Easy top 5 favourite gaming franchises, probably top 3. I've beaten most of the other games at this point, and not counting the original NES Metroid, Federation Force, Pinball and Hunters (which I may still try again at some point), this was the one Metroid game I still had to conquer (especially before Prime 4 comes out). And now I tried it again. With the same disc, on the exact same Wii I've been using since I was a kid. And this time, like Prime Remastered before, it completely clicked with me and I had a fantastic time from start to end. But something just felt special about this one in particular, finally playing and conquering this incredible game and the original end to the trilogy, while also hearing those familiar Wii disc reader sounds I've heard ever since my very first experience with this franchise. I don't know, in an odd way it felt like some form of closure of something that had been open for over 15 years? I don't know, it just felt special all right? I can be emotionally sappy if I want to sometimes.

So yeah, needless to say, I love this game. One of my favourites on the Wii no doubt. If you're even vaguely interested in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond later this year and you haven't played through the original trilogy yet, I can very highly recommend them. (Metroid Prime Remastered on Nintendo Switch is incredible too fyi).

(Also, for those worried about that: I had no issues at all with the motion controls! Felt very natural and worked flawlessly.)

Already know what I'm gonna do next: play a game I've already beaten before. May not be entirely what this challenge is for, but I've only played through Metroid Dread once when it came out and I've played through all the other 2D Metroids again since then. I want to play through Dread one more time, to once and for all figure out what my favourite Metroid game of all time is. (Spoiler: it's probably going to be either Super Metroid or Metroid Dread. Almost certainly Dread.).

[bikingjahuty]

Wow, what a drag. Half the games I was deadset on playing this summer are ones I eventually abandoned. While The Witcher 3 was a bit of a wildcard for me given my difficulty playing and beating RPGs, I thought for sure I'd love revisiting DK64. Unfortunately that was not the case and I ended up dropping it out of sheer boredom. Luckily the other two games I set out to beat this summer were ones I really enjoyed.

Good on you for having a goal toward playing specific games and at least seeing if they interested you enough to complete them. A lot of the goals I set for myself each year are more like motivators than anything else since I tend to stray from them. If I happen to actually clear a goal, it's just an added bonus.

I think because I've had so many other things going on in previous years, I never got to just go wild with playing games at the pace I wish i could. This year, while not completely free of issues or busyness (dealing with some of that right now actually), has been fairly open for me to play games at my heart's content. I'm actually happy I was able to play the four games I set out to play this summer too, since sometimes I jsut don't feel like playing certain games, which was certainly the case with all four of them at one time or another. I have similar goals for games i want to start playing in September and going into October. We'll see if I get to all those, but baring some crazy life event that completely derails me from playing anymore games, I feel pretty confident about beating 100+ games this year. Next year is looking fairly open too, but I'm probably going to tone my output of games played down a bit and focus on other interests, both gaming and non-gaming related.

[dhaabi]

47. Mr. Driller || PlayStation || 07.27.2025



For a long time, Mr. Driller has been a game that's interested me for some reason. All this time, I thought it maintained a considerable amount more popularity than I think it actually does, though I suppose it was still popular enough for it to become a franchise. I'm not sure why exactly I bought a PlayStation Classic when I did at the time of its release, but this was actually the first opportunity I found to use it after all these years.

As its name may suggest, Mr. Driller tasks players with drilling downward through a seemingly never-ending layer of blocks as the titular Mr. Driller. One may presume this is some sort of action game—and it is—but it's predominantly within the puzzle genre but with lesser action gameplay alongside it. In short, the player's goal is to drill down far enough to reach a certain depth at 5ft intervals, but this is far easier said than done. While all blocks can be drilled through and destroyed in order to clear this goal, prioritizing one's safety instead becomes the biggest challenge. While drilling, blocks of various colors are stacked atop another in a grid-like fashion, and blocks with the same color link together which prevents them from falling further. Additionally, there are toxic blocks referred to as X-Blocks which I'll mention further below. Once a block connects with an existing group of three or more blocks with the same color, they disappear. Because of this, chain reactions easily form with or without the player's direct involvement, and remaining blocks left on the playing field threaten the player from high above as they fall down.

With that understanding, blocks left on the playing field after others have been removed are not fully bound to gravity. Instead, if a falling block comes into contact with another same-color block or blocks and isn't then automatically removed from the playing field due to block count, it remains suspended in place. This outcome is crucial to identify beforehand while drilling, as knowing what will be suspended and what will fall to the bottom is the difference between moving forward (downward, rather) or losing a player life since there is little working space for Mr. Driller to move throughout. And though each block's color defines them for puzzle-related purposes, they damage players indiscriminately in the same way. When blocks fall, there is a brief wriggle animation that players as they dislodge themselves from their current position. So there is some visual input provided to help aid players avoid death. As a result, players are only given a fleeting moment to plan their next move during this time, whether that be to continue drilling, side-step, or remain still. There is no health system but instead a finite number of player lives, so few errors can be made before reaching a game over. Unlike some other arcade-style games, there is no means to gain or re-gain player lives, although the option to slightly adjust this number is present in the main menu.

However, it is not just the falling blocks which pose a threat to players but time itself too. Instead of a depleting time meter, though, time is representing by the amount of air available for Mr. Driller to breathe as he explores beneath the world's surface. The breathing meter empties fairly quickly, though air capsules may be found nestled between blocks and collected. So, the amount of air available to Mr. Driller is constantly being exhausted and replenished. As players descend further and further below, the game's difficulty naturally increases, and this shift in difficulty forces priorities to change. While the goal of reaching to a specific depth still remains, the player's immediate concern instead becomes collecting air capsules. At first, air capsules are easy to access and with simple block barriers surrounding them, but they become increasingly difficult to gain later on as X-Blocks surround them. So, players are tasked with solving how to collapse individual block columns to actually collect air. Or, needless to say, they will lose a player life once the air meter reaches zero. It is past the game's opening segments that are easier when the game's puzzle mechanics become most present.

Unlike many other arcade-style games, Mr. Driller is not level-based but instead features several different modes including Arcade, Survival, and Time Attack. But for the purposes of my playthrough, I only focused on Arcade which is divided into two objectives: reaching 2,500ft and reaching 5,000ft. Additionally, I later discovered that each mode can have its difficulty adjusted. The expected Easy, Normal, and Hard difficulties appear, but Expert difficulty is also present. I was actually quite surprised at how difficult Normal difficulty is, as I was never even able to clear the 5,000ft objective and only ever reached around half that depth when selecting that depth goal. There is also an arcade scoring system, but I wasn't interested in it as just clearing the game at all proved to be so challenging. Even after spending several hours playing trying to improve my skill and understanding of the game, I felt as if I wasn't making any progress when selecting the 5000ft challenge even when altering my play style. Perhaps I just need to invest even more time into playing is all.

Requiring spontaneous reflexes and strategic planning, Mr. Driller is the kind of puzzle game I typically don't find myself playing. Despite not being that skilled at it, I did still enjoy my time playing, though. I'll probably play a few more rounds with the hopes of just clearing my personal depth record before properly retiring it. I own one other sequel entry I may get around to playing sometime, and I'm now curious just how challenging it may be.

[dhaabi]

48. Will the Man Get Frog || Pico-8 || 07.30.2025



After trying to settle on something and having a difficult time doing so, I decided to play the game Will the Man Get Frog. It's not a game I'd typically find myself playing, but that's part of the reason I'm becoming drawn to smaller gaming experiences. Also, this marks the first Pico-8 game I've played to completion.

Why Will the Man Get Frog is an unusual selection for me to play is that it's a game about writing. Specifically, it's about writing haiku, a kind of poetry. While creative writing has a degree of being free-form without constraint regarding the possibilities it may take even when adhering to defining format and conventions, this game places hard limits on the player's writing capabilities. With each playthrough, players are restricted to only a small pool of thirty core words to choose from that aren't quite manually chosen and are ultimately assigned with each writing prompt. However, this barrier forces the player to think more creatively. Additionally, there is one major requirement, and that is being forced to use one specific word randomly assigned with each prompt which I'd argue also promotes better writing abilities. So, the required word in my playthrough seen above is the word fruit. And, finally, I'll mention now that there isn't any time limit to complete a haiku, meaning players can take as much time as they want to write.

Be that as it may, playthroughs are not fully randomized. In fact, players have a fair amount of freedom in the word types they're provided. While they can't freely select individual words, players have full control over the type of words that are distributed. So, this means how many nouns, verbs, and so forth are added to the pool is the player's choice. So, if a player thinks they'll need more nouns to write with, they should obviously select a greater number of nouns than other word types. But, naturally, there is a balance required in order for the end result to be cohesive and for there to be some inherent reward gained. But, in the end, it is the player themselves who are their own judge. There is no scoring system or online components integrated, so writing is entirely for self-fulfillment unless electing to share it later on with whomever.

Alongside the allotted words at random when choosing word types, many words are capable of morphing into other forms or a small number of synonyms. So, words like there will also grant access to their and they're, for instance. Or articles will be grouped together, such as a, an, and the. At the same time, certain words also have alternate words in the form of synonyms which helps writing sound more natural. An example of this would be rare supplying scarce. Lastly, prefixes and suffixes are present and freely provided alongside the thirty words, and default punctuation can even be changed. Words can be selected and discarded freely as writing editing is done, and there is no limit to word usage. So, needless to say, there is a lot of flexibility to express one's self even in spite of the imposed limitations.

Finding this game has actually been timely, as preparations are being made among myself and a few friends to begin following creative writing exercises and critiques, something which I've never really done before in that sort of setting. I don't really know if Will the Man Get Frog helped prepare me in any way for these upcoming plans, but it felt nice to write something creatively. In fact, I even completed two writings.

[telly]

Game 16 - Silent Hill 4: The Room (PS2) - 9 Hours

I do miss this era of gaming when companies could truly take risks with their IPs. Most people will tell you that Silent Hill 4 is a game of opposites. That it has some truly great and truly terrible aspects all rolled into one messy experience. Personally, I agree: Silent Hill 4 has some fantastic ideas at its core, but there are lots of little gameplay and design decisions that hold back the experience from being truly great.

However, Silent Hill 4 is my second favorite game right after 2. My favorite idea is the room itself (well, more like “apartment” might be a better word. But whatever). Creating a horror game that builds up the player’s dependence with a safe space where they can rest, heal and save their progress to then pull that right out from under you is truly genius horror game design. The switch to first-person combined with a random element to the events that can happen keeps you engaged and on your toes. Staying on gameplay, several of the enemy designs were excellent, and the inclusion of the ghosts and Walter who are both indestructible and can go through walls and doors added a lot of tension to the environment.

I also really liked the story in this game, and the way that it was told. It’s told in a lot more straightforward way through the red diary and notes left throughout the forest areas. You can tell how this game was really forced into the Silent Hill mythos, but I still liked it better than Silent Hill 1 and 3. It’s a deep dive into Walter’s subconscious which brought back more of the intentional level design seen in SH2, while also giving backstory and personality to his life and history with the cult and his murder sprees. For my money, his story is way more interesting and fleshed out than Alessa’s.

Now, there is a laundry list of things that while not a dealbreaker on their own, all add up to lessen the game’s experience. The controls and camera have been completely reworked. Gone are the classic tank controls with a more standard control scheme that just doesn’t work with all the shifting camera angles throughout the game. The limited inventory, like in Resident Evil, causes a lot of unnecessary trips back to your apartment just to dump all your stuff. Having half of the game be an escort mission with Eileen gets to be a little frustrating with her somewhat dubious AI. Henry Townshend is pretty bland and forgettable with no backstory or any interesting features. And finally, the sound design, enemy design, art design and music can be a little hit or miss. Some of it is great, but others, like the stock sound effects for enemies, and Eilleen’s weird bloody skin texture, takes a lot of punch out of the game’s atmosphere. And come on, wheelchairs and bugs/slugs as enemies?

Even though Silent Hill 4 is deeply flawed, I still love it. Flaws included. Shoutout to dhaabi who sent me their copies of the other Silent Hill games so I can do a full playthrough of the series! Origins is next. 

[telly]

Game 17 - Doom II (PS4) (Hurt Me Plenty Difficulty) - 19 Hours

Hey was able to finish another game this weekend!

Doom II is essentially just the original Doom +1. There are a couple new weapons and enemies, but it really isn't a massive departure from the original, and as a result everything I liked about the original Doom (as well as the things I didn't like) are still here.

I do think that some of Doom II’s level design, while great for the most part, has some issues. I didn’t like levels that were focused on platforming, or on puzzle solving. I like streamlined action, and level design that caters to running and gunning, which is the focus of the game for me. There are a couple levels, especially the citadel level, that felt annoying because they were so cryptic to figure out how to navigate and it sucked all the fun and pacing out of the experience. These levels don't take up most of the game, so for the most part I enjoyed myself. The only other thing I can think of is that the music was kind of lame. Going into the Doom series I knew it for being fast paced action and kick-ass music. Like the first game, the music, other than a few standout tracks, isn’t really that great.

[dhaabi]

49. Blackout || Browser || 08.01.2025



A while ago, I was searching for some higher-quality point-and-click adventure games priced for free, and Blackout caught my attention. Prior to playing, I knew that it would be fairly short to complete, so I was hoping that it would prove to be a fun and standout experience despite its length. Originally, Blackout was developed in 48 hours for a game jam, but I played the more refined version that was updated afterward.

When players begin, the first in-game action that properly progresses the game past its looping animation screen is falling off a building's roof which effectively causes a lapse in the protagonist's memory. Who or where you're at are unknown, but what is known is that you're at some residence with spooky albeit laid-back atmosphere. In fact, we're presented as a witch, and appropriately horror-themed items and decor are scattered throughout the environment. What all this means exactly, though, we as the player don't know for sure since we're mostly alone. Mostly alone, of course, aside from the corpses that litter the floors from room to room. Other bodies even appear reanimated and serve as barriers to advance the story as well. Despite the protagonist being an unknown identity, she's written in a very fun way with a charismatic personality. The small, off-hand comments she makes when observing her surroundings and set pieces are amusing, and it's largely a result of her dismissive and judgmental attitude.

As the protagonist works toward learning why she happens to be at this residence, darkness acts as a major obstacle throughout exploration. Because of the dark environment, a majority of the set pieces are, for some time, unable to be interacted with. However, there is good reason for this as players the story unfolds and as the game's title suggests. So, until the game's concluding segment, players are left to navigate the limited environment as much as they can while slowly solving puzzles to bypass blocked paths. There isn't any larger goal presented to the player really besides exploring, so progressing comes across as a little game-y without reason. Nevertheless, Blackout offers enough fun in its gameplay and mystery narrative. Unfortunately, though, the majority of the playthrough is spent with only holding onto one or two inventory items at a time which diminishes the puzzle aspects to a degree. One of the final puzzles proved to be challenging for me, though this was largely due to not noticing the item needing to click on was interactive. Otherwise, puzzle interactions are straightforward with items gained being used in ways you'd expect them to be used alongside the limited number of items altogether.

Near the end, the game shifts abruptly which allows for additional exploration to be done under contrasting conditions. What this shift would be exactly was again pretty easy to deduce far ahead of time, but it was executed well enough for a game of this scope. At this point of the game, players enter a free roam state with no objective besides clearing the game properly. With that said, there is one final task past this shift in tone and narrative to trigger the concluding scene. And, I actually did find the conclusion to be a little unexpected in a satisfactory way.

In the end, Blackout satisfied what I was wanting to play, and it's a well executed game for its size and length. Point-and-click games traditionally are defined by a much more obtuse difficulty that Blackout circumvents, which is a design choice that I think definitely makes it more accessible for a quality casual experience.

[marvelvscapcom2]

I've encountered major video game burnout of some sort, at the 50 mark it seems everything I put on just doesn't grip me and i'd rather either binge Netflix or go outside and do stuff in locals driving around attractions. Which is fine but this is definitely the longest drought I've hit with games since maybe 2019.  Perhaps doing 50 in around half a year was too much too fast. Anyone else ever experience a burnout?  Ive tried both short and long games.

Maybe Mafia Old Country will be the one to get me back on the horse.  52 is on the horizon. Hope to join you guys again soon! 

[kamikazekeeg]

18 - Five Nights at Freddy's: Secret of the Mimic (PC 2025) - BEAT - This is funny enough, despite being like the...11th or something core game in the series, my first actual FNAF game I've beaten...still kinda trudging through FNAF1 and that jank lol I tried to get into Security Breach before this, a game I tried in 2023, but refunded when it ran poorly and surprise, even with a new PC, it still runs poorly.  This game is the same company and I took a chance with it being that I heard better things and using my refund money, I got this.

And I'm glad I did, it's solid.  I can see elements that are shared with Security Breach from the little I played of that and what I've seen otherwise, but it's basically like "What if Security Breach was good".  Runs mostly fine (Does still need some optimization patches to clean it up), gameplay is solid, it's creepy and better looking than Security Breach, it's what I think that game was doing, just at a smaller scale. 

Gameplay is solid, I was a little worried about mouse controlled movement interactions, pulling the mouse back to pull a cord on a generator, turning devices to move them, it only messed me up a few times, but overall I enjoyed it as it went on.  Generally it's hide-and-seek mixed with some general puzzle solving.  Towards the end I ended up just looking up the codes for a few doors that get you to the collectibles, honestly found that stuff kinda tedious when I realized how you were supposed to actually solve them, so I don't mind cheating with those as I was just trying to get the collectibles for the special ending lol

Overall really dug the game, it's a lightly creepy experience that shows some much better work than Security Breach.  Now if they could just take this experience and remake Security Breach to be way better and I'll be happy to give that game another hsot lol

[bikingjahuty]

I've encountered major video game burnout of some sort, at the 50 mark it seems everything I put on just doesn't grip me and i'd rather either binge Netflix or go outside and do stuff in locals driving around attractions. Which is fine but this is definitely the longest drought I've hit with games since maybe 2019.  Perhaps doing 50 in around half a year was too much too fast. Anyone else ever experience a burnout?  Ive tried both short and long games.

Maybe Mafia Old Country will be the one to get me back on the horse.  52 is on the horizon. Hope to join you guys again soon!

I took a break from gaming in the mid 2000s, but that was mostly due to me starting college, dating, and getting more into other interests of mine. I didn't get fully into it again until around 2009/2010. A more recent example was around 2020/2021 where i was still playing a lot of games, but they just didn't have the same impact on me they once did. i think part of this burnout was due to me hitting my expiration date as a collector, but I also think it was a bit of me playing so many games for so long that I just needed to take a break. So, that's what I did. I started modding game consoles a lot, which is still video game related, but i was doing that far more than playing them.


When I got back into gaming, I feel like I approached it from a new perspective of wanting quality experiences over quantity. I still like branching out and playing games I'm curious about, but I became far more okay with admitting some games aren't for me or there are certain games I'll likely never make the time to play. Also, revisiting some of my all time favorite games helped me figure out why I loved gaming so much, which also helped.


But yeah, be patient, do other things for as long as you need to and eventually you'll likely come around and get back into a gaming again. It might be in a month, possibly 6 months, or possibly several years. Just ride it out and see what happens.

[telly]

Game 18 - Stray (PS5) - 7 Hours

One of the big initial draws of this game for me was being able to play as a cat. This is the first game that I've really played where you get to be an animal in this capacity.  It was really fun, with a lot of intentional gameplay decisions that mimic the behavior of cats. I kind of wish they had more things that you could do and interact with as a cat because there’s a lot of untapped potential here.  But what really sucked me into this game was the setting and atmosphere, which for me created an incredibly immersive world that was fun to explore.

I do kind of wish that there was more to the world, because most of the game takes place in very linear enclosed environments, and there isn't a lot of free roaming and exploration outside of the two town areas. There also isn't a lot of very deep gameplay elements. I ended up turning off the jump prompts so that I had a bit more of a challenge figuring out how to traverse the games very vertical environments. But other than a few light stealth sections, the platforming isn't very deep, and there’s very minimal combat, which makes the game really rely heavily on its setting, story and atmosphere to be entertaining.  Which it does but i would understand if this game was kind of boring to someone else.

Thankfully for me the story was well told, giving you lots of space to wonder about the undertones to this ruined world that was clearly brought about by stark class and wealth divisions. All of which is inhabited by interesting characters who add a lot of vibrancy to what is otherwise a pretty depressing game. And I think the non-violent nature of this game’s storytelling helps fit these themes. The music was also phenomenal. I typically don't like a lot of ambient music in games, but this game’s score really helped set the mood well.

Stray is a touching emotional experience that while linear and light on the gameplay, was still entertaining. The fun for me comes from exploring the intractability between yourself and the world around you, in ways that are unique. One is in the sense that you’re an animal, and the other is you’re in a post-apocalyptic world inhabited by only robots who don’t truly grasp their existence. These two ideas intertwine in a compelling experience.