52 Games Challenge 2026!!!

[marvelvscapcom2]

2. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories [PS2] - finished Jan, 20th, 2026




For anyone who knows me and my childhood, there may not be any one entity let alone video game that was as important to my soul on a meta-physical level as Grand Theft Auto: Vice City...  it was that up until 3am with your Cousin trying to blow up Diaz's boats, it's that symphonic loving cocoa made by a grandmother, it was Santa Claus magic that some how mere mortals with low income were able to make happen under the guise of luck overloaded atom sacks we call children. It was to me what imagination and cocaine were to Stephen King.  And tbh.  This game (vice city stories) titular successor had a lot to live up to.  But by no means did I desire to compete the two.  So I enjoyed the game as it's meant to be enjoyed.  As a seperate all alienating experience from it's big sister in it's own side universe and for what it is. It did find that gooey, sensitive nostalgia berry located deep within my thorax and find a way to crunch into it. And that's enough for me.  I had a good time


Story -  The story? Is a prequel to what takes place in the more popular Vice City. So before Tommy Vercetti's arrival at vice city or anything involving italians or Sonny. The game is centered around Lance Vance's brother Victor Vance and his unwilling or unmeant thrusting into the world of debt, cocaine crime and the criminal underbelly of Vice City, FL.   The games story starts off perhaps spotty.  At times it felt like I was doing missions sporadically for random people but the plot really gets footing when it focuses on the troubled and often times sad relationship between Vic, Lance and their mother and then as well as the entire overseeing plot which is ultimately a debt owed to Mendez brothers.  Best to think of them as basically El Chapo and Escabar as siblings but with the government in their pocket.  And it has a lot of cool soundtrack choices such as Talk Talks "its my life" and time transporting motife that the Houser brothers do best. 


The game has elements that combine San Andreas with Vice City.  The missions already are very memorable and even the memories of my life are fairly intertwined. It doesnt necessarily improve on vice city. But it does an amazing job laying a predecessor or prequel footwork to the origin stories of Lance Vance and his brother. It shows some areas of Vice City looking wildly different such as the cubano drug torn area in vc is utopia here. 


Also has some sick Celeb cameos that are truly shocking.  It was a good tme for what it is. 


Cons are. It starts slow and gets its footing about half way through.


Rating - 81/100

[marvelvscapcom2]

3. Madden NFL 2005 [PS2] - finished Jan 24th, 2026



Perhaps the most adaptive and transformative of the madden games to be created. I find a lot within this game that not only elevate the existing Madden 04 Title but that are knockout levels greater than the newest 26 entry and it's truly not even close. Madden 05 was a time period when EA was competing with multiple combatants in the arena of sim football. And also competing with the legacy of their own marketed product. And what this led to was a innovative title that many consider to be the goat..  and here is why were dealing with perfection here.


HIT STICK + Tackle Feel

Madden 05 has far more control over the way you play defense than any other madden before or recent. The hit stick I have found to be a top 5 quintessential video game franchise decision let alone Madden games. It seriously takes a square to tackle rudementary game to 4 different slam tackle moves and still square for basic wrap ups.  This feature gives you dynamic control of risk, when and where to apply brutal hits to force fumbles, and when a run is more warranting of a wrap up tackle for example counter rushes or lateral pitches where a runner is sprinting around.  It makes the beauty of d line trench warfare magical in this entry and it truly is far more essential than one realizes.  In contrast to both Madden 04 and it's new sister Madden 26.  It gives it more depth and control.  It never get old lining someone up. Clicking the stick and watching these beefy pops that can knock helmets off (literally. The helmet comes off in game. It doesn't in newer ones. Absolutely insane how much detail you get when a studio is fighting for their existence and not just your money)


Franchise

Madden 05 introduced the EA Sports show with Tony Bruno.  Which is a radio show that plays as you menu surf or make trades in franchise mode. This thing has cameos from NFL elite of the day which is nostalgic and almost sad how painfully it irks that funnybone of childhood.  But it also implemented a genius way to immerse you.  The fans would call in to discuss your recent games. Things like "dude Chad Johnson was lighting it up. And I gotta face this guy in my fantasy team. Guess I lose this week. I just wish I coulda been there. Over 350 yards? Unreal" in direct referende to what your player just performed on sunday night.  This level of immersion shames the new product and its not even close. Its embarassing to compare. I haven't felt like my gameplay mattered to an npc in madden since this era.  The glorious PS2 era.  Franchise mode also features training camp.  Training camp has 10 mini game style outlets to play which are fun as playing Horseshoes with your high school crush at a pool party on LSD.  Perhaps with pizza on top.  You can run routes. Block as a defensive back. Practice percision passing through bronze and gold rings.  Pure excitement but not for nothing. It also is used to have a meaningful impact on your player roster and directly improve stats of key players.

Graphics and Soundtrack


Madden 05 is a soundtrack and presentation beast. Little things like fireworks in the endzone. Cheerleader and nfl player sequences pre game. Halftime shows. And dynamic weather. Yes fucking dynamic weather in 2004-2005. A game will start rainy and end sunny, then transfer to gloomy night time situationals. Songs comprising the game are Green Day, Funky Bunch, Ludacris, Grunge and emo pop punk bands of the day. It's a sweet mix of bling era hip hop, corny school rap, and dad rock.  It's like a time portal when you play these games.  Graphics? I notice reflections and shadowing.  A caveman version of ray tracing but still pretty and it holds up because of its arcadey vibe. It wasnt trying too hard to be something its not.

John Madden calls every game. And while he becomes redundant the more you play because of recycled lines. He is iconic and just hearing his voice ilicits happiness. He also is more in tune with the game it seems. Like the npc voice knows more of how or why you are running schemes and plays. Making wise cracks and such.  Perfection. Sweet science!


Madden 05 has practice modes. New and improved create a teams. Create stadiums. Mobile phones. And boom stick.  The whole thing took the franchise to the next level. And if it doesnt end up being the best. It is the most important id reckon.

It also introduced madden cards. Back before madden cards were micro transactional trash made to make teen kids broke. They added status effects to players, were collectibles and earned through game accomplishments. It was incredible.  Cool art styles too.


Rating- 95/100

[marvelvscapcom2]

4. NFL Street 2 [PS2] - Finished Jan 28th, 2026




BEST SPORTS GAME EVER



In my quest to try and finish all football games I return to a familiar face. I've beaten this game a few dozen times in my life.  And truthfully it is bar none the golden standard when it comes to arcade football games.  It takes everything NFL Street failed to do with the first outing such as varying game modes, style variety and such. Then trims down the absolute disgusting 32 games NFL street 1 forces you to play back to back to streamline your experience and avoid needless repetition.  It boosts your vibe with celeb cameos like Xzibit from pimp my ride and an entire team xzibit centered around him. Which basically has all the nfl greats of the day.  It's pure nostalgic hop-scotchin, wall hoppin bliss.


The game gives the player an insane amount of control over the characters. User controlled recievers can press L1 and up to perform wall and style catches.  Wall elements add a whole other layer of sickness to the ways you can make broken ankles of meer man's follies of trying to bring down your center of gravity in a centrifugal manner with the intent to bring your rump to grass land.  The game entails the same fun you expect. Trash talking, creating a team of players you create that you upgrade with dev points. Dev points are earned by doing challenges. An example of a challenge may be like "stop the cowboys from scoring on this drive" and such. Its addictive. Consumable. And adds to the internal human high of mini rewards that give a virtual reward. Sorta like a attribute casino.


The game slims down the areas were street 3 tried too damn hard. But also made magic where nfl street 1 just wasnt enough.  Jewlery. Soundtrack. Wall jukes. All timeless. New crush the carrier, and jump ball, 2 on 2 street events are a blast.  The game is a glowing example of when EA had competition and behaved as such. Its a very glorious game.


Rating - 100/100

[marvelvscapcom2]

5. Parappa The Rapper: Remastered [PS4] - Finished Feb 4th, 2026




GAME IS BROKEN


To be frank... this game is less than shit. And I highly advise anyone to not buy it if at all avoidable. I regret heavily even purchasing this. And what it does with nostalgia and brevity which can be worth a few smiles. It destroys by being an input lagging dumpster fire with one of the worst UIs in video game history. Imagine a game with the most finicky and precise demands for rythym that you had to be within a gnats mustache of accuracy even back in the 90s yet also not accounting for HDTV set settings and forcing a 1.3 second input delay on you with no remedy or calibration to fix or adjust. If I could get a refund I would. Why anyone would release this predatory piece of unfinished trash to a consumer is biblical level betrayal and I can't even stomach how awful and uncoordinated the design is for this remaster.  No art? No making of? No calibration? Even the cut scenes are unpolished. I wish I researched this port or even the original that was being ported.  I enjoyed 2. So I took a gamble but yet this game has aged like human breast milk in the trunk of a hot Ford Bronco.


As mentioned the main issue with this port which is general consensus on all forums is that it is brutally inaccurate with prompts and has a huge delay. For example to register a perfecy input you have to hit maybe 1.5 seconds later than normal or what you see is accurate. But the odd part is. Some levels that delay is off by maybe 2 seconds. Some feels closer to normal.  You can hit the wrong buttons entirely and still get closer to "good" rating then hitting the games buttons perfectly synced with audio.  It also seems the worse Parappa actually raps in the game the more the game rewards you. So if it sounds bad coming through the speakers (robotic and off beat) it means you're doing well.  From what ive read. The original was not exactly a beacon of engineering either.  And the PS4 version carries over all its flaws and the modern age of gaming puts a magnifying glass upon them. The gleam of high definition judgement but albiet sloppy. The game is also unfortunately ALSO lazy. For example...


They rendered and remastered the play sequences to be pretty as seen above but left cut scenes a PS1 era 240p of some sort in a 4x3 rectangle in the center of the screen. With this tacky vibrant overlay on the edges. The overlay is modern and 4k. The cut scenes are choppy and old. Its hideous and lazy. Even AI could have remade the cut scenes.  This is pure cash grab and belongs 2.99 on some sony classics catelog.  But nope. 14 99.  A disgraceful price that has truly pissed me off today and rubbed me the wrong way.  The devs, studio and even Parappa himself should feel deep shame. I cant speak on the OG. I always wanted it. But why on earth does the game have a pause screen with no back to menu option? Everything is a cluttered mess in the options menu and the final level is only beatable on easy on my set.  Its a disaster. Truly. 


The only reason it gets 37. Is because Parappa is cute and his gf is a pink flower and her dad is a coffee cup who happens to be a decorated Sergant in the marine corps.  That alone is wild enough to say its cool. Maybe the OG is better  


Rating - 37/100

[bikingjahuty]

5. Parappa The Rapper: Remastered [PS4] - Finished Feb 4th, 2026




GAME IS BROKEN


To be frank... this game is less than shit. And I highly advise anyone to not buy it if at all avoidable. I regret heavily even purchasing this. And what it does with nostalgia and brevity which can be worth a few smiles. It destroys by being an input lagging dumpster fire with one of the worst UIs in video game history. Imagine a game with the most finicky and precise demands for rythym that you had to be within a gnats mustache of accuracy even back in the 90s yet also not accounting for HDTV set settings and forcing a 1.3 second input delay on you with no remedy or calibration to fix or adjust. If I could get a refund I would. Why anyone would release this predatory piece of unfinished trash to a consumer is biblical level betrayal and I can't even stomach how awful and uncoordinated the design is for this remaster.  No art? No making of? No calibration? Even the cut scenes are unpolished. I wish I researched this port or even the original that was being ported.  I enjoyed 2. So I took a gamble but yet this game has aged like human breast milk in the trunk of a hot Ford Bronco.


As mentioned the main issue with this port which is general consensus on all forums is that it is brutally inaccurate with prompts and has a huge delay. For example to register a perfecy input you have to hit maybe 1.5 seconds later than normal or what you see is accurate. But the odd part is. Some levels that delay is off by maybe 2 seconds. Some feels closer to normal.  You can hit the wrong buttons entirely and still get closer to "good" rating then hitting the games buttons perfectly synced with audio.  It also seems the worse Parappa actually raps in the game the more the game rewards you. So if it sounds bad coming through the speakers (robotic and off beat) it means you're doing well.  From what ive read. The original was not exactly a beacon of engineering either.  And the PS4 version carries over all its flaws and the modern age of gaming puts a magnifying glass upon them. The gleam of high definition judgement but albiet sloppy. The game is also unfortunately ALSO lazy. For example...


They rendered and remastered the play sequences to be pretty as seen above but left cut scenes a PS1 era 240p of some sort in a 4x3 rectangle in the center of the screen. With this tacky vibrant overlay on the edges. The overlay is modern and 4k. The cut scenes are choppy and old. Its hideous and lazy. Even AI could have remade the cut scenes.  This is pure cash grab and belongs 2.99 on some sony classics catelog.  But nope. 14 99.  A disgraceful price that has truly pissed me off today and rubbed me the wrong way.  The devs, studio and even Parappa himself should feel deep shame. I cant speak on the OG. I always wanted it. But why on earth does the game have a pause screen with no back to menu option? Everything is a cluttered mess in the options menu and the final level is only beatable on easy on my set.  Its a disaster. Truly. 


The only reason it gets 37. Is because Parappa is cute and his gf is a pink flower and her dad is a coffee cup who happens to be a decorated Sergant in the marine corps.  That alone is wild enough to say its cool. Maybe the OG is better  


Rating - 37/100

I'm glad I'm not the only one who really dislikes this game. The gameplay is terrible and makes it next to impossible to actually follow the beat. I can't for the life of me see why this game is held in such high regard.

[dhaabi]

5. Parappa The Rapper: Remastered [PS4]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who really dislikes this game. The gameplay is terrible and makes it next to impossible to actually follow the beat. I can't for the life of me see why this game is held in such high regard.

Unless I'm mistaken, my takeaway from these thoughts is that they focus more on the fact that this is a modern port to a game that released twenty years earlier but didn't have its flaws addressed. I can't comment on how the port plays, but something I can confirm is that, even in the original game, there is an element of performance experimentation that's expected of players to accomplish instead of strictly following the presented call-and-response rhythm beats. Anyone would be lying if they'd argue that this experimentation doesn't feel spastic during play, but I personally found it tolerable since I greatly enjoy just about everything else this game offers.

I mentioned this in 2021 when I replayed through the three games in the series on original hardware, but I personally consider the spin-off entry Um Jammer Lammy to be the most successful.

[kashell]

13. Star Ocean: First Departure R

I finished the other part of the first playthrough. There's nothing major to report; it was kind of a speedrun. I removed Mavelle from the party, and put T'Nique and Welch in the party. I didn't use either of them much.

[dhaabi]

07. A Space for the Unbound || Nintendo Switch || 02.02.2026



Like I've realized with some of the other more modern games I've bought physical copies of years ago but am only just now getting around to playing, A Space for the Unbound is a game I don't particularly remember the reason why I made a purchase. For a lot of games that fall into this category, I'm mostly drawn to visuals foremost and decide from trailers if the gameplay is something that I'd enjoy or find interesting enough to try out. With that said, I began playing without knowing what to expect in terms of narrative, which I knew would be the game's emphasis.

Because A Space for the Unbound is a story-driven adventure experience set in 1990s Indonesia that chiefly moves forward with passive instead of active player engagement, much of the following thoughts will be broad overviews. To be succinct, the game's plot concerns coming-of-age struggles and trauma, relationships and friendships, social acceptance, and artistic expression, all of which interconnect with another. While I really had no basis for what to expect regarding story, that the game takes on a somber tone that only delves deeper into negativity surprised me to some degree—perhaps because the game's visuals and early plot points contrast this declining tone. Until around the midway point, the game is overly linear and keeps players focused on the next immediate goal. Even though there is a small town environment to explore, much of it remains inaccessible during segments where a specific locale isn't relevant to the ongoing plot. And this is done in spite of a number of side activities to pursue over the course of the campaign, meaning many of these opportunities are both brief and time-sensitive.

Throughout the narrative that unexpectedly employs magical realism, a reoccurring power that becomes available to the player is the act of Spacediving. More-or-less, this power allows for the player-character to delve into a person's psyche, though it's an act that's only possible during scripted events. As one may surmise, these moments feel morally wrong as we're often forced to alter who these targets are on a fundamental level through puzzle-solving that, at times, sometimes later has great impact to the decisions they make for themselves later on. So, I found myself questioning what this act really means for the player-character and their goals as it very much came across that they were making decisions on someone else's behalf to serve their own personal needs, even after later plot points are later revealed to a greater truth that complicates the morality of such acts. With such a gameplay mechanic alone, it's apparent that A Space for the Unbound has dark elements to its story. Fortunately, this tone does not ever feel forced or as if it's being accomplished to subvert a cheerful narrative that is regularly done in other works to the point where it's now almost expected in modern games; instead, the plot always feels grounded as it presents characters and scenarios that feel true to life.

As a game full of emotional unrest, it does, however, have one major flaw: its length. When reaching the game's halfway point, how drawn-out, unnecessarily complicated, and even a bit aimless the experience is at times becomes unable to be ignored. A point is reached when a lot of back-and-forth exploration is necessary, and it's made worse that this segment concerns tertiary characters that players shouldn't be expected to care about and still aren't even by the end. This particular issue is made abundantly worse because the game's actual protagonist—whom players do not play as—is often delegated to a far more subordinate role. Over time, the plot evolves into something far more tangled than the simple emotional story that the introductory hours establish. This is fine on its own, but the game decides to repeat its dialogue, messages, and themes again and again and again and without any excusable reason to either. Still, I will mention that I do consider aspects of the game's ending sections commendable albeit not entirely impressive. At that point, the game isn't afraid to take its time with its impassioned conclusion as it allows it to resolve in a realistic manner. But, overall, much of A Space for the Unbound's impact is diminished as it loses efficacy while thwarting players the ability to maintain engagement. My total playtime was around fifteen hours, yet there are games with stories just as emotional that accomplish their story in far less time and with more success, and it's for good reason too. I undoubtedly think that a story like this could be conveyed effectively at such length, but the game ignores a timely experience for a prolonged one.

Apart from narrative, the town where the story takes place is interactive and explorable while being segmented by individual screens. To advance the story, it's common to be assigned basic tasks to complete. Normally this is presented as finding an item, but these tasks seldom challenge the player as required items are usually in the next screen or two. And in the event players do need something but don't know where to collect it, the game routinely tells you where to go. Unfortunately, there are few things to inspect, and what can be inspected is almost always a valuable item or information to learn. So since there are so few things, players will have to go out of their way not to engage with them when passing by. Since these segments are the only interactive gameplay segments, how shallow that sometimes are is a bit upsetting, though I won't deny that there are more engaging interactive gameplay segments as the game continues. Additionally, there are optional objectives to complete such as collecting bottle caps or petting stray cats. They're not difficult to complete, so they all come across as something to maintain player interest as other parts of the game stretch out.

In regards to other details, they vary in quality. The most important of these aspects lies in the game's writing. It's apparent that the game is translated into English either from the original language or, at the very least, developers or even translators who aren't fully versed in the language. To be expected then, dialogue is sometimes stiff with some typos and strange sentence structure, but this is largely excusable and is infrequent but still obviously noticeable. Beyond simple movement, other small gameplay mechanics are periodically introduced such as sneaking, fighting, and engaging in courtroom trials. They all to seem be inspired by certain game within their respective genres and also an appreciated change of pace despite usually being simple. What's most apparent from an onlooker's perspective are the game's visuals and audio. While not in large abundance, animated sequences are impressive. But even the game's general presentation marked by graphically impressive pixel art is well-designed with fun animations and character expressions that better bring scenes to life. Meanwhile, the game's accompanying soundtrack is praiseworthy as it adequately and consistently complements story and setting without fault.

By the time I reached the conclusion to A Space for the Unbound, I was even more conflicted than I usually am after having played a game that's left me feeling mixed. While I think the plot presented is well thought-out, it ultimately suffers from bloat, repetition, and a lack of focus to a degree that can't be excused by the elements that are conveyed well. Should what I would consider to be major weaknesses had been addressed in some manner for the final product, a game capable of leaving both a profound and dramatic influence on its players is undeniable, but unfortunately that's not the case.

[bikingjahuty]

5. Parappa The Rapper: Remastered [PS4]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who really dislikes this game. The gameplay is terrible and makes it next to impossible to actually follow the beat. I can't for the life of me see why this game is held in such high regard.

Unless I'm mistaken, my takeaway from these thoughts is that they focus more on the fact that this is a modern port to a game that released twenty years earlier but didn't have its flaws addressed. I can't comment on how the port plays, but something I can confirm is that, even in the original game, there is an element of performance experimentation that's expected of players to accomplish instead of strictly following the presented call-and-response rhythm beats. Anyone would be lying if they'd argue that this experimentation doesn't feel spastic during play, but I personally found it tolerable since I greatly enjoy just about everything else this game offers.

I mentioned this in 2021 when I replayed through the three games in the series on original hardware, but I personally consider the spin-off entry Um Jammer Lammy to be the most successful.

The last time I tried playing it, on the PS1, I tried multiple ways of getting the hang of the gameplay. I tried going explicitly off the visual prompts and timing it gives you, I tried following the beat, and I tried just winging it, and nothing worked. I couldn't even clear the tutorial. I have no idea how you're supposed to play this game. I have to believe that it is playable since so many people speak highly of it, but I couldn't make heads or tails on how to accomplish even the most basic tasks that were being asked of me in this game.

[ssj4yamgeta]

4: Gundam Breaker 4 (PS5)

I wasn't planning to play this yet, but I got stuck on the plane tyrant boss in Code Veronica X and wanted to play anything but that or Tomb Raider for a while. I put GB4 in to try it out and ended up bingeing the game in about a week because it was so fun to play. Basically it's a game where you play as a gundam, tear parts off of other gundams in combat, and use those to improve your own.  However you're not actually playing as a gundam, you're playing as a computer-generated representation of a plastic gundam model in a fictional online game based on the hobby of collecting and building gundam models. This concept causes some issues I'll get to later. The core gameplay loop is excellent. You can use the parts you break off other gundams in missions to customize and create your own unique custom gundams, which is really cool and gives you the feeling of having an enormous collection of action figures to play with. There's also a Diablo-style loot system where each part has its own randomly-generated level, rarity, and skills. You can either farm for stronger parts or use synthesis to level your favorite parts up, improve their rarity, or add new skills to them. After a while it really makes your custom gundams feel custom.

Where the game really suffers, though, is the story. It starts off with you and other players of the fictional online game forming a clan and trying to "take your team to state", so to speak. This is fine except for some of the characters being high schoolers and the writing being somewhat childish as a result. Also because the gundams are used as your lobby avatars, you'll see them doing things the "actual" mobile suits wouldn't do, such as laughing or acting scared. It's a tad offputting, but if those were the only issues, the story would still be serviceable at worst. What really kills it is when it jumps the shark in Chapter 7. Earlier at the end of chapter 5, one of your teammates who was obviously an AI clone of another teammate gets kidnapped by a rival clan of hackers who take over the servers during a tournament. Chapters 6 and 7 are then about rescuing her. Sure, AI companion character, it's been done before in countless JRPGs, seems like no big deal... until you get to the final boss, where the mask slips off and the story turns into aggressive pro-AI corporate propaganda. The "villain' is a former developer who took over the servers to protest the game's use of AI to create content. When he explains this to the main characters, they all immediately start preaching to him about how the AI girl is just as human as they are and that he's the one without a soul. They go on to say that everyone needs to accept AI in the game because it's the inclusive thing to do (not joking, that's the actual kind of language they use). They even say that the AI girl has the same rights as any other human. Basically the message the story tries to push is that if you don't like AI, you're a bigoted terrorist. Not bigoted against specific types of humans, mind you, but bigoted against AI! Apparently you can be bigoted against nonliving things now.

The game gets an 8/10 for its gameplay, but unfortunately the terrible story knocks it down to a 6.5/10. It's very disturbing to see a video game studio trying to push the public acceptance of AI Psychosis, which is the belief that AI is alive. People are literally dying now in real life because they made the same mistake these characters made and assigned personhood to a computer program, then obeyed it when it told them to kill themselves.

Completed:

Tomb Raider II (Evercade)
Tomb Raider III (Evercade)
Mafia: The Old Country (PS5)
Gundam Breaker 4 (PS5)

In Progress:

Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation (PS4)
Final Fantasy IV Advance (GBA)
Resident Evil Code: Veronica X (Gamecube)

[Cartagia]

So, I made it to the final mission of Star Trek: Armada II, and the AI seems to go all wonky and make it basically impossible to beat the game.  My resource gathering ships were just stopping in place and not delivering, and half of my fleet wasn't moving when I was commanding them around the map.  Left a real sour taste in my mouth for a game I haven't played in almost 25 years.

Also beat Mega Man X2 for the first time since maybe the 90s.  Some of the collectible upgrades in this one are a real pain in the ass, but it is still a fun game overall.

[marvelvscapcom2]

5. Parappa The Rapper: Remastered [PS4]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who really dislikes this game. The gameplay is terrible and makes it next to impossible to actually follow the beat. I can't for the life of me see why this game is held in such high regard.

Unless I'm mistaken, my takeaway from these thoughts is that they focus more on the fact that this is a modern port to a game that released twenty years earlier but didn't have its flaws addressed. I can't comment on how the port plays, but something I can confirm is that, even in the original game, there is an element of performance experimentation that's expected of players to accomplish instead of strictly following the presented call-and-response rhythm beats. Anyone would be lying if they'd argue that this experimentation doesn't feel spastic during play, but I personally found it tolerable since I greatly enjoy just about everything else this game offers.

I mentioned this in 2021 when I replayed through the three games in the series on original hardware, but I personally consider the spin-off entry Um Jammer Lammy to be the most successful.

The last time I tried playing it, on the PS1, I tried multiple ways of getting the hang of the gameplay. I tried going explicitly off the visual prompts and timing it gives you, I tried following the beat, and I tried just winging it, and nothing worked. I couldn't even clear the tutorial. I have no idea how you're supposed to play this game. I have to believe that it is playable since so many people speak highly of it, but I couldn't make heads or tails on how to accomplish even the most basic tasks that were being asked of me in this game.

Damn. Really glad I didn't pay the 100+ the OG is going for. I guess I got off easy with 15 lol.  It's so wierd because it's pretty revered like you said.  What a disaster.  I am legitimately shocked. I didnt even research before I paid because the game has such a huge name reputation. Cute colorful cover. And I liked 2. I assumed it was a porting issue but both of you say it has that bizarre timing issue on ps1. Just baffling they didnt repair it or give a simple calibration option to slow or speed the notes with a modern "remaster". Bare minimum stuff.   Its the closest i'll ever feel to being catfished by a video game lol. 

5. Parappa The Rapper: Remastered [PS4]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who really dislikes this game. The gameplay is terrible and makes it next to impossible to actually follow the beat. I can't for the life of me see why this game is held in such high regard.

I mentioned this in 2021 when I replayed through the three games in the series on original hardware, but I personally consider the spin-off entry Um Jammer Lammy to be the most successful.[/font]

Did Un Jammer Lammy improve on the accuracy over 1? Or is it the same trial and error?

[dhaabi]

5. Parappa The Rapper: Remastered [PS4]

I mentioned this in 2021 when I replayed through the three games in the series on original hardware, but I personally consider the spin-off entry Um Jammer Lammy to be the most successful.

Did Un Jammer Lammy improve on the accuracy over 1? Or is it the same trial and error?

The game has an arcade style as it's divided into narrative stages, similar to PaRappa the Rapper. Since they're both short experiences as most rhythm games are, there is some expectation that players may not clear a stage their first try. However, as a sequel, Um Jammer Lammy performs better in nearly every criteria that I can remember. Like I said before, I last played the game four years ago, but here are my thoughts from then if you're curious how I felt immediately after playing. Hopefully this is what you mean when asking about trial-and-error gameplay, as new players especially will have a difficult time progressing from one stage to the next. I almost always have such a hard time getting past "All Master's Rap" which is stage 5 that's about waiting in line to use the toilet.

I'll go on record now saying that I personally find PaRappa the Rapper 2 to be the weakest of the three games. It may perform better than the original title, but its stage design, narrative tone and sequencing, and even the music itself are all considerably weaker than what the first game so strongly established. Also, after reading more about the topic, your issues with input delay aren't even a port problem but instead a hardware problem. From what I've read, modern TVs make playing the game in any way a terrible experience.

[bikingjahuty]

13. New Super Mario Bros (DS)

When it comes to the 2D and 3D games in the Mario franchise, I pretty much have the opposite opinion of them compared to the Sonic series; 2D Sonic games are amazing, while the 3D games...eh, not so much. Essentially, I love most of the 3D Mario games I've played, some even being among the very best games I've ever played. And while I don't feel as negatively or strongly about the 2D Mario games being as unenjoyable as the 3D Sonic games are for me, they still never are able to wow me in the way Mario's heavily polygon'ed adventures do. While I did enjoy it overall, this also applies to New Super Mario Bros on the DS.


When it comes to the New Mario series of platforming games, I've only ever played the second one, which many consider to be among the weakest mainline Mario games in the series. It was a long time ago that I played 2, but I remember mostly enjoying it. Same goes for New Super Mario Bros which takes the platforming formula from Mario's previous 2D games, mainly Super Mario Bros 3 and World, and throws in splashes of 3D models while maintaining the 3D perspective and gameplay. This game looks pretty good and definitely has that 2D Mario charm, albeit maybe not as visually appealing and the aforementioned old school 2D Mario adventures. Some of the stages are also a tad on the underwhelming, less memorable side, but for what this game is, it's still a pretty memorable and good looking Mario game, especially when you consider this is a handheld title from 2006.


New Super Mario Bros gameplay is also really good for the most part. I definitely appreciated Nintendo making Mario feel a lot less slippery compared to the NES games, and even to an extent what we got in Super Mario World. Platforming is mostly precise and easy to place the Italian plumber where you want him. Most levels in New Super Mario Bros are well thought out and designed too, however there are some noteworthy exceptions to this which are frequent enough to dampen the experience of playing this game just a bit. My other main gripe has to do with some of the new Mario power ups Nintendo introduced, which just feel a bit tacked on a gimmicky. These mostly involve turning Mario into a giant kaiju for a brief period of time, or making him super small, allowing him to reach certain secret areas and avoid being hit more. I didn't really feel like either mechanic really added anything to the experience of playing New Super Mario Bros and outside a handful of times, I never really used these power ups.


The final aspect of New Super Mario Bros I wanted to discuss is its audio. Audio is appropriately Mario, but unfortunately I found this OST to be a bit on the forgettable side compared to most other Mario games I've played. The soundtrack is certainly not bad, but it just lacks those fun, nostalgic, and timeless tracks that nearly all other mainline Mario games have. Still, the addition of voice acting to Mario, Bowser Jr, Peach, and other Mario staples is welcome, as are all the familiar and new sound effects. The takeaway here is the audio in the game is pretty good, if at times bordering on okay.


I seriously wish I liked 2D Mario games as much as I do the 3D ones. If I did, I'd likely be singing this games praises much more than I ended up doing, at least on a personal level. Still, I mostly liked New Super Mario Bros outside a few frustrating levels and sections. Still, when the end credits rolled, I didn't really feel the need to go back and unlock secret areas I overlooked or ignored. This really boils down to my personal taste in games, but even with my lukewarm enthusiasm for 2D mainline Mario entries, I still thought this was a fairly enjoyable game and certainly a competently made entry in this beloved franchise. (2/7/26) [35/50]

[kashell]

14. Star Ocean: First Departure R - The Adventure Continues

A couple of complaints about this game before the praising. The first is the encounter rate. As fun as combat is, the encounter rate is high and none of the methods to lower it work. The second is the Appraising skill. I never understood why they included it in the first place in Second Story - just tell me what the item is and stop wasting my time. Otherwise, this was a solid game and a lot of fun to platinum. Going for all the trophies meant doing things I didn't do before: getting the SFTs, learning new moves due to SFTs, seeing certain PAs, seeing special endings, recruiting all the characters, and seeing all of the animated movies. Some QoL features would have boosted this closer to excellence, but otherwise this was classic Star Ocean for all the right reasons. I hope they add Till the End of Time back to the catalogue so I can get that, too!