52 Games Challenge 2026!!!

[supremeusername]

I actually don't remember that segment of a mission from that stage—particularly the electrified grind rails. It did take me far longer to complete this game than it normally does since I took an extended break from it, though, so either I'm just not remembering that aspect of the mission or I was able to clear that particular mission without issue. I do remember falling off from the pier area of that stage into the water a lot during one of the earlier visits there, and I was thinking about it specifically when mentioning my struggles to regain health as antagonists were pursuing me.

I hadn't looked up anything about whether Jet Set Radio actually performs well on Dreamcast hardware or not. I suppose I particularly was hoping to play the game with the original controller, as I think those sorts of details are important to playing older games especially as they were developed for and intended to play. If the performance is that poor, though, then maybe it was more worthwhile to play the PC port than just waiting to buy the game outright for Dreamcast someday day to play. But maybe one day I'll still do that.

     It's one of the levels in the middle of the story where you're forced to play as either Combo or Cube. Jet Set Radio -- or Jet Grind Radio as the original US release calls it -- runs pretty well aside on the DreamCast, aside from that one level. It's aesthetically pleasing (it's an in-universe depiction of Times Square) and one of the more ambitious-designed levels because it's more about traversing the environment vertically than horizontally. It's more with what you were saying about the game being confusing to navigate, which felt most apparent with that particular level for me. It sucked exploring that level cause I had left the harder graffiti for last, and just reaching those spots without exactly knowing how to get there, AND having to deal with the helicopter & shock enemies was pretty bad. I had played the game before like 6 years ago, which is why I was surprised to struggle at that level when I had probably cleared it in one go the 1st time lol.

     If you can get the DC copy at a fair price, it's more than worth it. I think just playing the PC copy with an Xbox or PS controller is just as fair too (that's what I did the first time playing through the game).

[kashell]

40. Trials of Mana - Mondoragan

I still have some post-game content to do that's required for New Game Plus, but I can chalk this first run up as completed. I chose Angela (L/L), Duran (L/D) and Riesz (D/D). I just got their class four upgrades before posting this and making some progress in Anise's Stockade. This was a great run. I finished the game once on Switch back when it was first released at the height of the pandemic. Now, with the intent of seeing everything for the trophies and trying new parties, I'm feeling just as excited. I'm really I chose Angela as my MC instead of Duran. Back when this game was only available with emulation, patches, and titled Secret of Mana 2, I foolishly chose Angela as my MC. It took her a while to grow into her own in the original. In this remake, she's much more capable and still manages to become as close to OP as possible through natural game play. I played the game on Normal difficulty and while there were some challenges with her in the lead, I still eked out victories. Duran was fine. I won't be using him in any more files. Riesz was still a treasure and continues to shine as my favorite character. Her Dark class changes don't really align with her goal and narrative, but damn are they sure fun. Once the post-game stuff is done, I'll start a new file with Kevin as the MC, along with Charlotte and Hawk.

[kamikazekeeg]

15 - Kumasma (PC 2026) - BEAT - I don't play a lot of these little indie horror type games, though "horror" is maybe stretching things here lol I mostly stumbled across this because I saw a tiktok with some cute art, and what I got is a very short little freebie game.  It's more of a short story, 30 minutes long, very mature themes, that I'm...not sure what was trying to be said with it.  I did get some cute art, it's abit surreal, not like ENA: Dream BBQ level, but something vaguely like that.  Very little actual game here, just wandering to a couple spots and reading.  It's free, it's fine.  Apparently this dev just pumps out these little vaguely horror short story games, either making them free or anywhere from a dollar to 5 dollars.  They've released like 30 of these little games since 2023 lol

[kamikazekeeg]

Frogun Encore (PC 2024) - BEAT - Gotta love some simple low poly platformers.  The first game didn't really nail it for me, kinda slow, ended up dragging abit and didn't beat it, but I saw that they changed things up with the sequel, abit faster paced, a few tweaks here and there, and ended up being some decent fun, no real complaints with this one other than the camera gets a tad wonky in places.

[bikingjahuty]

33. The Last of Us: Part II (PS4)

Since The Last of Us: Part II (TLOU2) came out in 2020, one thing I have never done is play TLOU2 immediately after playing the first game. Perhaps it's for this reason I've always considered the first Last of Us game the best one. This was likely reinforced even more by the fact that the first time I tried playing through TLOU2, I quit halfway through due to a very subversive twist that happens that really changes the tone and plot of the game quite a bit. So yeah, you could say I hated TLOU2 the first time I played it. However, fast forward a year and I decided to give this game another change. I suspended my judgement and decided I was going to finish TLOU2 and then judge the game based on my overall experience. I did precisely this and found a pretty damn good game on the other side of the end credits. Then I beat it again about a year later....and then again a year or two after that.


Much like the first game I seem to like TLOU2 more and more every time I play it, however this time around with me playing the two TLOU games back to back, something very unexpected happened. Somehow, I actually like TLOU2 just a smidge more than the first game. I know, I know, that's blasphemy, but it's true. TLOU2 absolutely has shortcomings compared to the first game, but where it lacks, it makes up for it in some very meaningful ways that go above and beyond anything we got in TLOU.


I don't think it's a controversial statement to say the presentation, story, and audio in these games is practically perfect. Just how TLOU pushed the PS3's hardware to its limits in terms of what it was capable of producing, TLOU2 did the game on the PS4 and then some. The voice acting is just as good with performances that put most blockbuster and high budget Hollywood movies to shame. Whatever the voice cast of TLOU2 was paid for their performances was too little given how amazing every scene and every bit of dialogue is. TLOU2's overall sound design is just as masterfully done as the first game, with noises from infected, the environment, and other aspects doing an amazing job at immersing you in every scene and ever moment this game has to offer.


While this does tie into TLOU2's gameplay which I'll definitely go into more in a bit, Seattle, where the majority of the game takes place, is far and above better than any area or section of TLOU. I LOVE making my way through the various parts of Seattle during both sections of this game and there are always interesting and downright creepy areas you'll have to traverse through to get to where you need to go. More or less, there is never a dull moment or the feeling that you've seen it all when you still have another third of the game to go.


TLOU2's story is one that grows on me more and more every time I play it. It's absolutely a more intense and emotionally taxing game than the first TLOU, which depending on who you are, may or may not be a good thing. Some real crazy shit goes down in this game, often in very graphic detail. However, it's all part of a general plot and elements of world building that I feel surpass the first game in terms of depth and complexity. That's not to say, the plot and story in TLOU is inferior to its sequel, but it just doesn't hit those same emotional valleys like the second game does. However, one aspect of the writing I will say is definitely better overall in the first game is the characters.


Characters in TLOU2 are absolutely a mixed bag. There are some characters I absolutely love, some of which surprised even me. However, there are other characters in this game that I've despised since the first time I played through TLOU2 despite Naughty Dog's writers probably wanting me to feel the opposite. I can't stand Dina who unfortunately is a fairly big part of this game, and some of Abby's friends are also incredibly stupid and I dare say even cheesy. I will also so, TLOU2 does a fairly good job of making me dislike some legacy characters from the first game more too, but again, not in the way Naughty Dog probably intended. The wildly inconsistent character writing in TLOU2 isn't enough for my enjoyment to make a dramatic dip, but it is enough to cause me to roll my eyes and even cringe at various parts of this game. Speaking of cringe...


I think TLOU2 has finally been getting more of the love and recognition it deserves in recent years, however one thing I will fully admit is in the long run, it will age itself way more than the first game will or has. Some of the writing in TLOU2 is so painfully late 2010s/early 2020s it freakin hurts. While it is fairly easy to gloss over given how good the rest of this game is, the ever present corporate ESG checklists as well Abby's character design do a good enough job undermining my suspension of disbelief that it does somewhat diminish my enjoyment of TLOU2 each time I play it, but not enough to make me feel like this game is anything short of a masterpiece. Had Naughty Dog tried virtue signaling just a little less, especially with Abby, This game might be a top 5 game of all time for me. Still, even with its fair share of modern dayisms, it's not that far off.


The gameplay in TLOU2 is definitely a step above what was in the original TLOU, and even in the first game's remake on the PS5. I said in my TLOU Remake review several days ago that I felt like that game took a lot of TLOU2's gameplay to improve its own. That's still a statement I stand by, but unfortunately it didn't go all the way. TLOU2's gameplay is outstanding, albeit not perfect. The character and weapon leveling system, while similar to that in TLOU, is undeniably better, as is the combat, stealth, and area balancing in terms of enemy placement, obstacles, and resources availability. There are very few parts in TLOU2 that I felt were annoying or frustrating for the wrong reasons. Enemy AI is improved quite a bit too, which makes for a more challenging and interesting game. I also like the weapons in TLOU2 more than the first game, especially since you more or less get double the amount of them to play around with. One other thing I'm pretty sure I've mentioned in every TLOU2 review I've ever written is there's a boss towards the end of the game which still stands as my all time favorite TLOU boss, period! It gives me massive Resident Evil vibes and if we ever do get a TLOU3, I hope there are more bosses and enemies like the one I'm referring to.


Again, I cannot believe I've saying this, but I now like TLOU2 more than the first game. The real tie breaker here comes down to how much I love playing through the various areas in Seattle you find yourself in and also the noticeable improvements to gameplay. The end result is a game and world I feel like I can't get enough of each time I play these games. I want to go on more adventures as Ellie, Abby, or hell, even some new character that has never appeared in any previous game. I just want to experience more of TLOU's world, learn more about its lore and origins, and just experience how fleshed out Naughty Dog has made this franchise. What's even crazier than everything I just said is yeah, I'm thinking TLOU2 might be a top 10 game for me now. I'm constantly drawn towards the game and feel the urge to beat it again almost annually. It's hard for me to recommend a game more highly than TLOU2. (4/30/26) [46/50]

[kashell]

41. Trials of Mana - Dark Lich

This was a more or less a speedrun. I intended for it to go quickly, but I didn't think it'd go that quickly. My party was Kevin (D/D), Charlotte (L/D), and Hawkeye (D/L). Thanks to New Game Plus, I had a boatload of options that drastically and rapidly increased my team's levels. They were ready to class change well before the class change capability was available. I had plenty of leftover ?? Seeds for the second class change. Finally, Kevin absolutely shredded everyone and everything in his path. He was a strong character in the original and that carried into the remake. His second class change to Fatal Fist had a CS that demolished groups of enemies and he learned a Luna spell that increased his critical hit rate. In other words, Kevin was bordering on OP and destroying all things in his path. Supported by Charlotte's Sage class that had saber magic, and Hawkeye's Ninja Master abilities, the enemies literally had no chance. The only time I was challenged was during the fight against the Wood Benevedon. Otherwise, a quick and brisk file where I wrecked everything with fisticuffs. After I get the trophies for their third class change, I'll start my last file with Hawkeye, Riesz and...I'm not sure who the third will be yet!

[ssj4yamgeta]

6: Resident Evil: Code Veronica X (Gamecube)

Since the remake is heavily rumored to be coming next year, I wanted to revisit one of my favorite RE games before then so I can compare it to the remake when that comes out. While I can easily see why it was one of my top 3 favorites back in the day, oh hell it has aged poorly and is in desperate need of an overhaul. The main issue, and it's pretty serious, is that it is ridiculously easy to softlock this game at multiple points. The most infamous is the plane tyrant fight, where you are completely screwed if you didn't try to knife your way through Rockfort Island. If you save on that plane without adequate ammo, you might as well restart your file. The issue is caused by two things: first, the game has the worst character swapping of all time, coupled with the worst inventory management of all time. In most games, if a character gets sidelined, the next character gets their inventory. Not here. I almost softlocked myself a second time VS Alexia phase 1 because I had equipped Claire with all the good weapons in prep for endgame, only to find out I needed to beat Alexia both times as Chris. Luckily I was able to load an earlier Chris save and undo that mistake. The second part of the issue is that ammo in this game is very sparse. I get that limited ammo in survival/horror is important, but it's overkill when I'm expected to knife regular zombies to death so I can hoard ammo for two or three bosses. If I have a gun, let me use the gun.

My other issue is narrative-related. I remembered CVX as being "the Claire game", but upon replaying it, I see that in the second half when Chris shows up he absolutely steals the spotlight. Claire, who is on the game's cover, never even gets to fight the main villains. It's always Chris. Claire stops being the lead character once her brother shows up, and it's annoying since she had the most investment in the story.

Is CVX bad? No, not by any means. I've played plenty of games that were far worse. But holy crap is it rough around the edges. I'm really hoping the remake fixes the issues I've mentioned.

Rating: 7/10 (Great)

Completed:

Tomb Raider II (Evercade)
Tomb Raider III (Evercade)
Mafia: The Old Country (PS5)
Gundam Breaker 4 (PS5)
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection (PS5)
Resident Evil: Code Veronica X (Gamecube)

In Progress:

Nioh (PS4)
Final Fantasy IV Advance (GBA)
Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation Remastered (PS4)

[realpoketendonl]

13. Kaze and the Wild Masks

And that's this one beaten. And I enjoyed it! This is a really good platformer! This game is often described as very close to Donkey Kong Country, and I think that makes sense. You have a simple but effective moveset, assisted by great precise controls, and you simply navigate the platforming challenges.

The level design is great, to a point that pretty much on your first run you can keep going and instinctively take on the challenges without stopping. Sure, you'll die a lot, but the respawning is so incredibly quick and the levels short enough that it really doesn't matter. I liked the large amount of variety. With different power-up forms and varied level mechanics, every level felt different.

The challenge was balanced quite well. Not once did I get frustrated, even if I had to retry segments multiple times. It's decently challenging, but I wouldn't call the game particularly hard. If you've played some really hard platformers before, I think you'll find Kaze to be on the easier side, at least if you're not going for 100% completion. But that of course doesn't make it any less enjoyable.

There's stuff you could criticise if you want to. The visuals, while definitely good and crystal clear from a gameplay perspective, I also wouldn't say are anything particularly standout. The plot is barely there, and yeah, as a whole the game doesn't really do a whole lot truly original. But not every game needs to. What Kaze and the Wild Masks does, it does very well. If you enjoy good platformers, especially DKC-style ones, I think you'll find enjoyment in this game.

Also, I think I should mention,

#X Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream

I reached the credits, does that count? No, this is clearly an endless game that I can't count for this challenge. But I cannot not mention it, considering I've been absolutely in love with this game over the past few weeks. I've had time off work, and I've put SO many hours into Tomodachi Life it's not even funny. So yeah, can't count it, but at least it is another game played.


(Also also, I started The Legend of Zelda: Ocarine of Time 3D a week ago, but fairly quickly I put it back down again. I'm sorry, I know that OoT is considered a masterpiece, but I just wasn't really enjoying its gameplay. Not holding that against the game, just not for me I suppose. At least, not right now.)

[marvelvscapcom2]

26. PRAGMATA [PS5] - Finished May 3rd, 2026





All Hail CAPCOM

Capcom is running away with 2026 truly. Capcom has it's proverbial sack in the air. Full of pride. And I am glad to be part of the ride


I can't even fathom a development studio having a 1, 2 punch this glorious back to back. It may be one of the strongest examples of this. And also with the release of GTA 6 nearing (most likely) 2026 is saying very attimently from the roof top. Set the bar low and we'll hurdle over the sun!   Pragmata is a delicious treat that may even outpace RE9.


Diana is adorable of course, and really not only makes the entire sad dad robo kid space adventure energy feel raw and alive but she also gives the player a connection to both Hugh as an esoteric lone wanderer to this melancholy regression into the deep void of space a whole paternal instinct about itself. He grows as real life dad's do by having a "daughter" it evolves both protective and extremely gentle qualities of the protagonist to show true value of soul. You grow to care about this digital rug rat and in doing so it makes the game connect to the purest parts of the human element within ourselves.  Diana is both helpless and extremely powerful in the same breath.  Helpless because she is isolated in a dangerous realm of polluted bots. But powerful because she can literally alter space time and hack telepathically.  So yeah she's OP.   Definitely not a "babysit" game. She kicks wholesale ass.


The bond forms slowly. Naturally. Going from Hugh being like "do I gotta explain the same things 25 times" to visible anger to any and all that attempt to harm the pragmata.   Dreams. Plans. Earthly escapes and restored earth memories that make up part of the ever expanding collectibles. 


It has a bit of Joel and Ellie vibes where the disgruntled and hardened dad who has been scorned by circumstance finds a child who at first is part of obligation but quickly becomes a product of deep sentiment.  And from hand drawn doodles, hop scotch to educational convos.  It really gives the play many opportunistic to hone that dynamic like a ginsu blade.




Most of this conversational bonding happens at "the shelter" the shelter is part of the larger cradle which makes up the mini universe you're in. Without giving up much of the plot. Your main goal is to get to a relay tower to signal to earth for rescue. Diana is a tag along who quickly becomes your adopted daughter essentially.  The shelter offers opportune time to not only interact with Diana (play hide and go seek) but also upgrade both your armor, weapons and Diana's hacking abilities. Which are upgraded using collectible elements. Cabin tokens fill out bingo cards and can be collected witjin each sector. These unlock outfits. More mods for Diana to hack with ect.  And within the shelter is also side missions known as training Sim which also reward you with the things you need to upgrade. It's laid out cool and acts as a very frequented sanctuary from battle to automatically heal and resupply ammo.


The game is pure substance. And it made me a bit emotional to find myself part of this world. It sort of shined the mirror on my childless existence and perhaps made me see the value in extending your knowledge and overall presence into the life of another creation (even in robotics form) that will carry your legacy and words throughout its finite existence. It's almost as if when we die. The trees eat out body. Roots grow. Air cycles. Nothing is lost.  All absorbed like spoken fertilizer.  The games story really tugs at the heart strings.  The sacrifice. The mortality of it all when in direct contrast with a robot AI essentially. The game is bonkers depth.


But to get off the plot sap. It's all really freaking badass! Think astral chain meets bomberman meets resident evil 9.  It has elements of dual character hacking, moving blocks on puzzle grids to electrocute enemies as you shoot them with the other character at the same time. Dual wielding entire personas. It's fresh conceptually and that hack and smack concept carries the core of the game to wonderful limits.


Long story short. Capcom is just daddy right now. Between RE Requiem and This in one damn year? Like save some drool for the other devs.   It seems more and more often that Capcom is passionate about the art of it all. Aiming to be respected as much as consumed and also willing to push both new and old IP to the highest of standards.  I admire that.

Oh and there are Mr. Cabins to collect. Mini statues of adorable computers that have led faces on them. Robo buddies Galore. What a cinematic good time this was!


99/100.

[kashell]

42. Trials of Mana - Archdemon

The final playthrough with Hawkeye as the lead, along with Riesz and Angela. Finishing his campaign and his (and Riesz's) final boss earned me the platinum. This was my first time in any version taking control of Hawkeye as the lead. I really liked playing as him. His Nightblade (D/D) class was brutal as heck and had more versatility than I thought. Riesze, of course, became a Star Lancer (L/D) and Angela became a Rune Seer (D/L). Enemies were shredded left and right by the time we reached the second class change. Things were easy up to that point since I upped the difficulty, but taking advantage of new game plus and the carry-over abilities still made short work of just about everything. Trials was a lot of fun to platinum. I may have earned the platinum, but I didn't see 100 percent of what it had. There are some additional classes to try, and I never started a game as either Duran or Charlotte. Which brings me to my character rankings no one asked for: Riesz > Angela > Hawkeye> Kevin> Charlotte > Duran. I still hold Riesz as my favorite, but Angela is just a smidge behind. Both of them are great in terms of story and combat. I just like attacking/comboing slightly more than blasting with magic. Hawkeye is next. Dual daggers is always a way to win me over. His light class options don't feel as fleshed out as his dark class. Kevin is next and he's just a brute. Similar to Hawkeye, his light classes seem like an afterthought. Charlotte and Duran bring up the rear. I don't care of their stories and Charlotte's Elmer Fudd-esque dialect is such an odd choice. Still, they have moments where they shone. This is a great game so Charlotte and Duran would be ranked with something like a B. Time to take a break from action RPGs while I figure out my next game!

[bikingjahuty]

34. Contra Hard Corps (PS4)

Perhaps it's because I never grew up with an NES, but the Contra series is one that completely flew under my radar back in the 90s. I don't think I actually even heard of Contra until well after its heyday in the 2000s. Even more sad is that despite knowing about the series all these years, it's taken me until today to finally beat a game in the series. Equipped with the Contra Anniversary Collection on the PS4, I decided to tackle what is often considered the best game in the franchise, Contra Hard Corps, originally released on the Sega Genesis.


Being completely ignorant to the fact that Konami essentially ruined the North American release of this game in order to combat the US Rental Market, I started playing the US release first and I was pretty damn close to abandoning this game. As a last resort, I decided to look up cheat, only to find out that Konami had those removed on top of making the US version one hit death versus the Japanese version which allowed three hits before needing to use a live. Given how insanely hard, pretty imbalanced, and limiting the gameplay can be at times, the US version is more or less a nightmarishly broken game. I know many people have managed to beat it over the years, but unless you abandon all other commitments and responsibilities in your life, you're likely never going to get good enough to even come close to beating this version of the game. Luckily, the Japanese version is included in the Anniversary Collection so I opted to play that version instead. What I found was the Japanese version of Hard Corps was a far more balanced and fair game, but still far from perfect. In fact, I felt like playing this game with the 70 lives cheat made it considerably more fun. But regardless, the take home message here is if you value your sanity and time, stay as far away from the North American release as possible.


With that disclaimer out of the way, Contra Hard Corps is indeed a fun game to play... mostly. Sometimes the speed at which your selectable character moves, or the types of weapons available to you are woefully unequipped to deal with certain bosses and sections. Still, it's hard not to enjoy the game as it's essentially one boss after another, most of which look freakin amazing (more on that soon). Bosses and enemies do have patterns of attack and movement which memorizing will help you get the edge on them, but even with this knowledge, I still found avoiding their attacks and projectiles not to be the straight forward affair I'd otherwise hoped it would be. There is also a story here, with twists, characters, various other story elements, and even multiple endings which certainly enhance one's enjoyment of this game too.


Despite how mixed the gameplay can be, Contra Hard Corp's visuals and presentation are definitely amazing. In fact, Hard Corps may be the best, and absolutely one of the best looking Genesis games ever made. I cannot believe how great the spritework is in this title! This is even more amplified by cut scenes that show of cinematic detail that was not common in console games from this era. The smoothness of gameplay animations, destruction going on all around you, and how interesting and varied enemies, stages, and bosses are all go a long way in terms of making Hard Corps visuals among the best from this time period.


The audio in Hard Corps is also pretty good. The OST has that distinct and catchy as hell Genesis/MD grittiness to it that I absolutely love. Hard Corps' soundtrack reminded me of a less trashy MUSHA OST which is one of the best complements I can give a Genesis game. There is also some voice acting in this game which while pretty limited, still adds an extra punch to this game's already great audio. Aside from all that, there are tons of explosion, weapon, and enemy noises too that make for a great sounding game overall.


If not for my gripes about Contra Hard Corps' gameplay, this game would be flirting with being one of the best games from the 16 bit era. I know some people do make that argument, but even with completely ignoring the existence of the horribly mangled US port, Hard Corps just feels a little slopping, haphazard, and unpolished in its gameplay too often. Also, needing to use cheats to make this game more enjoyable is also a testament to how this game maybe should have been a bit better thought out before it was released. Fortunately the visuals and audio are so good that it can often make you forget you're playing a game that's just slightly north of okay to play. Regardless, Contra Hard Corps is 100% worth playing if you're a fan of old school run and gun action games, and one I'm sure will be hard to beat when I get around to tackling other games in the Contra franchise. (5/10/26) [36/50]

[dhaabi]

19. The Simpsons: Hit & Run || GameCube || 04.21.2026



Unexpectedly, the game I next began playing is one I really didn't think I'd ever play despite owning it. That game is The Simpsons: Hit & Run, and the reason for why I hadn't ever entertained the thought of playing it is because I have virtually zero exposure to the game's source material The Simpsons besides having watched the "Steamed Hams" segment of an episode. Nevertheless, the game seemed like a fun enough option to play despite it being an odd choice for me.

As an adaptation of a TV series, Hit & Run features a self-contained story involving public surveillance, mysterious soda, and human abductions all taking place within the town of Springfield. An eclectic series of events that could only make sense within the framing of a cartoon frequently occur throughout the campaign, but they aren't particularly interesting as they're merely presented as a means to an end and can ultimately be ignored while instead focusing on the fun at face value of each player objective. That there's a cohesive story to follow complete with the cartoon's voice cast is a nice addition, but I found it too easy to lose track of what's happening. And there are three reasons for this, actually: the lack of logic in the progression from one event to the next, the game's fast-paced sequencing, and the omission of subtitles that worsens the previous two factors. And although I've not really not engaged with the source material at all, I do imagine that the game plays like—to some degree—an interactive, extended episode.

To accomplish the game's goals, players are tasked with exploring the city by way of vehicle, mostly. And, overall, Hit & Run is a humorous adoption of other certain action-adventure sandbox titles of its era that largely permits players to drive recklessly and carjack without consequence, up until a certain crime meter theshold is met. Its implementation is successful enough, but anyone interested in that comparison should temper their expectations to the genre's essentials without much deviation to this kind of gameplay. As mentioned, the majority of the game consists of using vehicles, whether this be racing or driving in general, as the narrative guides players from one mission to the next that vary by objective but are all centered on vehicule use. There are three kinds of races, driving pursuit challenges, destruction goals, and item-collecting missions, and they're all recycled efficiently in a way that maintains player interest. Throughout play, I found the carjacking mechanic tacked on as an option as there's little reason to complete such action as players almost always have the immediate opportunity to spawn one of the many inventoried vehicles they possess which all have better driving capabilities. However, there is also a major emphasis on platforming with collecting various items as well. In hindsight, this secondary gameplay mechanic is almost entirely (perhaps fully, even) optional to completing the campaign, but just as much enjoyment comes from wandering the three sandbox environments of Springfield on foot as it does from driving.

Over time, though, the difficulty of goals needing to be cleared becomes considerably high. To be expected, the challenge level of recycled mission types increase as the game progresses, but it eventually exceeded those expectations. While there are optional missions to engage in, this challenge extends to campaign-required ones as well. NPC driving behavior becomes rather advanced as tight corners are cut and erratic behavior is demonstrated, all while zooming away at high-speed in vehicles that seem impervious to anything they collide into. Eventualy, I began failing mission segments with regularity which was irritating in the moment but ultimately rewarding once finally accomplished. Taking advance of every shortcut alongside knowing exactly when to alternate pedals, including the intensity control buttons are pressed, becomes imperative in order to win. In the last level especially, roaming pedestrians and obstacles become much more of an issue throughout timed missions as police can quickly become active and severely impact the player's chances to succeed. Of course, it's not just that players are more likely to collide into people and things that raise the crime meter as the game progresses, but the meter's behavior itself changes too. I hadn't noticed this detail until nearly the end of the game, but the amount the meter raises increases while also lowering more slowly. It's not uncommon for missions to be segmented as well, and unfortunately, failing the mission at any point results in restarting from the beginning.

Meanwhile, the game's city environments are considerably large and feature a lot of detail for a game of its time of release. There aren't many indoor environents to explore, and the few that are present are single-room areas, but the game's focus is exploring its city streets which offer plenty of opportunities to meander throughout and feel as if you're wandering through the cartoon with your own freedom. Generally, the level design presents a lot of details to replicate the cartoon's world, and I was particularly impressed with the unexpected closing level. To be upfront, though, I was initially displeased once the same levels began to be repeated. A lot of details in them are recycled, including NPC dialogue and discoverable gags. But I then came to the conclusion that if there were more levels, the choice would have come at the cost of smaller levels altogether that wouldn't have the same open-ended impact. Despite the large city sections divided into levels, the game's map function doesn't provide much information. It only shows the immediate area and not the full town level. And without such a map, it's difficult to remember where specific places that aren't active with the ongoing mission are located. And while this problem becomes less of an issue as players play more and become better acquainted with the level layout, the downtown Springfield map with its highway system in particular was especially problematic for me to understand. Also worth mentioning is that there's a day and night cycle between levels that visually communicates the passing of time that's a small but nice addition toward conveying the ongoing narrative.

And although Hit & Run is fun despite its late-game difficulty, it is not without issues or qualities that could be improved upon. Throughout my experience, subtitles would have greatly enhanced narrative sequences. Though it occurred infrequently but enough to mention it now, I found myself not understanding what characters were saying at times during these scenes. So while the game's humor (that, to my understanding, is appropriately reflective of the source material with plenty of one-liners) isn't a style I particularly enjoy, not knowing what characters were saying worsened attempts at comedy alongside the general narrative flow. Meanwhile, despite the source material's 2D presentation has been adopted to 3D graphics for this game, the change translates fine across in-game play. However, the cinematic sequences rendered in 3D that regularly occur at the end of each level don't, and they would have benefited even at its time of release had they been presented like the cartoon itself. On a more fundamental level relating to gameplay, there is little consequence for recklessly driving for most of the game's duration. A crime meter is present that fills over time with each reckless act performed that results in numerous police vehicles pursuing you, and that mechanic itself is designed well. But the only penalty for being apprehended is a reduction in the player's total coin count. Coins are technically infinite, but there is a finite amount of ways toward accruing small lots of them; once those options have all been collected, the only means to gather more is by destroying breakable pieces of the environment such as light poles, fire hydrants, and phone booths—things that only supply one or two coins at most whereas optional vehicles and costumes require spending hundreds and nearly reaching 2,000 at most. So while the system for obtaining currency provides an incentive to explore the game's environment, being able to gain enough to unlock everything is almost impossible for most players unless they decide to grind for it. Again, this aspect is optional, but it's still problematic.

So while The Simpsons: Hit & Run wasn't a game I really ever considered playing before, I somehow find myself starting it and having fun until its end. I've not properly engaged with its source material before and may never do, but its gameplay and sense of exploration prove to be enjoyable even without that attachment.

[Cartagia]

Assassin's Creed Mirage is such a tepid entry in the franchise. I think it gets a lot of undue praise for 'getting back to basics.'  It strips away all the RPG elements and shrinks the map to be far more manageable, but that doesnt make up for the flaws.  Bland story, forgettable characters, stiff controls.

[realpoketendonl]

14. Donkey Kong Country Returns

After beating Kaze and the Wild Masks, a game clearly based on Donkey Kong Country, I realised that I had actually never beaten a Donkey Kong Country game. Even though I've owned Donkey Kong Country Returns since I was a kid. So I decided to play through it, and I'll say: damn I underestimated this game. It is hard. But also really good!

This is a really good platformer. The levels feel fantastic to run through when you get the whole sequence right. I'll say the controls could feel a bit loose at times, not helped by the roll being activated with shaking the Wii Remote, but I largely adjusted to it pretty quickly. But yeah, towards the final worlds this game can get legitimately hard. A lot harder than I was expecting. I easily racked up enough extra lives to get through the game, and levels are definitely doable, but in the final worlds I was burning a LOT of lives constantly. I quickly grew sick of the death music.

Also, screw the Rocket Barrel stages. Oh how I wanted those to be fun, and sometimes they are, but other times they are the worst of life-burners.

But otherwise I must say that, in terms of level design, gameplay flow and challenge, this is without a doubt a fantastic platformer. I don't know why I've held off on this series. I think it's probably just that the Donkey Kong characters and world have never really appealed to me? I can acknowledge this game is great though. And I've heard that Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is much better than this one. Maybe if I can find it for a decent price sometime, I'll pick that up.

For now though, I'm glad to have played this, including just for the fact I can say I've beaten a Donkey Kong Country game now.


No idea what I'll be picking up next. (I mean, I'm playing the newly released Snap & Grab right now, but that's releasing in episodes so I can't fully beat that yet). There's a bunch of games in my backlog I've felt like playing recently, we'll just see what I feel like next time I want to play something.

[bikingjahuty]

35. Turok: Dinosaur Hunter (PS4)

The original Turok the on the N64 was a core game on that console growing, at least for me. Being in love with both dinosaurs and video games as a young kid, I was immediately drawn to Turok and remember pining over this game for months before finally receiving it for my birthday back in 1997. During this time, I was really starting to get my feet wet in the FPS genre as well, so at least on paper all the parts were there for me to fall head over heels in love with Turok. Umm, that's not what happened exactly.


It is undeniable that I enjoyed playing Turok on my N64 and have a boat load of fond memories playing it during summer vacation with friends and alone. However, a HUGE caveat is that the overwhelming majority of time I was enjoying Turok was when I was using cheats. Yep, I found out fast that this game was far beyond my capabilities to beat it as a 10 year old, so I opted to input the plethora of cheats for this game, thanks to the easily accessible cheat menu. Thanks to the cheat menu, I got to skip the horrendously designed stages, the cheap as hell enemy placement and bosses, and just sit back and blow everything to hell with what was an impressive arsenal of weapons for a game during this time.


With it being nearly 30 years since my initial exposure to Turok and probably about 20 years since I last sunk any considerable amount of time into this game, I figured I'd progressed enough as a gamer where I could maybe finally beat Turok fair as square without the aid of cheats. Unfortunately, the gameplay of Turok is so poorly designed and broken that I barely made it to stage 4 before I came to a crossroads of whether I should just drop the game or "beat it" with cheat, albeit just the bare minimum to compensate for the game's biggest flaws. In the end, I chose to just use the All Weapons cheat and on the final two bosses only, I also decided just to turn on invincibility since they seemed impossible without this turned on. Still, with only using the All Weapons cheat, this game is still punishing, but for all the wrong reasons.


As mentioned, it wasn't entirely my fault as a kid for not being able to get past the second stage or so unassisted by cheats. Hell, it wasn't my fault as a guy in his late 30s for not being able to clear half this game without them. Turok's gameplay sins are many. There's the terrible and confusing level design, the completely imbalanced placement of enemies and weapons, not to mention many basic enemies like the human type enemies respawn while ammo does not. There's bullet sponge enemies to complain about, poorly designed boss fights, 2/3 of the enemies being hit scanning and poorly placed. The cheap gotcha traps will certainly bring your blood to a boil. Oh yeah, did I mention how half this game will be spent wandering around areas that look almost identical while you struggle to figure out where to go or what to do? Turok has far more about its gameplay that's awful than what could be considered decent or good. I do enjoy the actual gun gameplay, and how fun it is to use the fairly impressive array of weapons at your disposal. I also forgot to mention there is a surprising amount of platforming in Turok as well. Some people heavily complain about this aspect of the game, but honestly outside of a handful of sections, I never found it too frustrating or difficult. However, pretty much everything else I mentioned kinda made me hate this game more often than I'd care to admit.


What really saved Turok from being absolute trash is its audio and visual presentation. Turok has an excellent OST, but it's unfortunately undermined by some very inconsistent sound design. You will almost constantly hear the sound of enemies nearby, even if no enemies are actually close. This creates some confusing and often frustrating situations where you've got used to ignoring the sounds of enemies, only for an enemy to actually spawn behind you and get a series of cheap shots on you. On the flip side, the sound of weapons and certain enemies are excellent. Every weapon sounds great and the sound they make when you let off some rounds is highly satisfying.


The visuals in Turok are a bit of a step down compared to the audio, but they are still fairly good overall. There are some truly interesting aspects to each level and with some exceptions, stages have their own unique feel and vibe. There is also a surprising amount of enemy variety too, which keeps things mostly fresh and interesting. Unfortunately, for a game called Turok: Dinosaur hunter, I wish there were actually more dinosaurs to kill, but what there is is okay for the most part. I really love the boss design in this game too, with two bosses in particular being very memorable. I already mentioned how awful the stage design in in Turok, and unfortunately the fact that many areas in nearly every stage can look very similar, making the already confusing level design even more confusing, doesn't do the game or visuals of Turok any favors. Overall though, I definitely enjoy the visuals for the most part.


As much as I hate to say it, your mileage with Turok will vary greatly depending on how much you use cheats to get through it. I'm sure there are people that are insanely good in this game, but for 98% of us, this game's egregious gameplay issues make the inclusion of the cheats almost a necessity. Given how easily accessible the cheat menu is, it's fairly certain that Iguana knew how poorly designed the game was and the cheat menu was almost their way of apologizing. For me personally, the game is elevated slightly also by my personal connection with Turok, as well as some very powerful nostalgia. Still, nostalgia and cool presentation aside, Turok: Dinosaur Hunter is not a good game. Even Nightdive Studio's modern remaster treatment, while absolutely appreciated, isn't enough to transform this game into something great, or even mostly good. So yeah, don't feel ashamed from turning on a few cheats and just enjoy killing everything. It will. make the game a lot less annoying and who knows, you may end up actually liking Turok in the end. For me, the game falls just south of an okay game into the meh territory of games. (5/11/26) [29/50]