52 Games Challenge 2026!!!

[bikingjahuty]

7. Pokemon Diamond - Coming back all these years later has really taken off those rose tinted glasses I've had for older Pokemon titles. I've just played a lot more JRPG's since I was a kid, so I kinda have a better understanding of just how basic Pokemon is and can see it's inability to evolve and learn from the larger gaming landscape a lot more clearly.

Pokemon Diamond isn't a bad game. It's just perfectly mediocre. Pokemon was never known for having a great story or deep characters, but Sapphire / Ruby did take a step in the right direction by introducing an enemy faction that had real goals and reasoning behind said goals. Were they kind of stupid? Sure. Flooding the planet because people disrespect the oceans and harm water Pokemon is directly disrespecting the land and harming all the Pokemon who live on the land (and vice-versa). But there was a kernel of thought put into the story. Diamond goes right back to "we are evil because we want to control the world". Team Plasma's reasoning is barely explained beyond Ghetsis wanting to recreate the world so he can rule it. It's just team rocket with a coat of paint. The game also does nothing to make the characters you meet standout or memorable. Every gym leader will give you a few lines when you challenge them and a few lines when you beat them but that's about it. I couldn't even tell you the names of 5 characters in an RPG I put 30 hours into. And the characters I could name, I couldn't tell you anything about them.

As for the game itself it played it really, really safe compared to previous games. Gen II and Gen III both overhauled the battle system in big ways. Gen IV doesn't change much at all, feeling largely the same as Pokemon Emerald in terms of gameplay. It could be said that Gen IV was the first Pokemon game to be complacent in the way that modern fans have been complaining about.

Overall it just didn't do enough to really stand out compared to its predecessors. I'd give it a strong 5 - light 6 at best.

Gen 4 got me back into Pokemon after nearly a decade of ignoring it. With that said, it's a sad state of affairs when you can safely say you've played pretty much every other Pokemon game once you've played one of them. There is a bit of diminishing returns too when you get into many of the newer generations, which typically include worse new Pokemon and even more simplistic/easy gameplay. Sadly, each new Pokemon gen seems to sell better than the last, meaning Gamefreak has zero incentive to deviate from their tried and true formula. This has pretty much resulted in me being a fan up to Gen 3, with a few games after that I selectively enjoy. Other than that, I don't actually care that much for the franchise these days.

To be fair, I think Gen V is the best Gen by far. They actually tried a lot of new things (It's the first Gen since the first to use an entirely new pokedex so every Pokemon you meet it a new one you have never seen before, new battle types, seasons), I think it put the most effort into making Pokemon look as good as it could for its time (some of the best 2D sprite work of all time imo, and finally animated them) and some much needed QOL finally got implemented (no more single use TMs). And to top it all off, there is an actual story. You actually learn about who N is, what his goals are and his personality. You talk with him multiple times throughout the game. Is it the best story? No, outside of the plot with N it is still super sparce. But they did actually try to tie a larger narrative into the journey like in Gen III, and they did a better job of it in Gen V imo.

I think Gen VII is also when they started to feel more like RPGs, and you actually talk with characters outside of the context of battling. Lillie is a complete character (and one of my favorite in Pokemon tbh) and some of my favorite "gym leaders" (not really gym leaders in that gen but they have the same role) come from that game such as Hala and Acerola. Why? Because they are real characters who take part in the story outside of just being someone you have to defeat. You actually get to know them a bit outside of battle.

TBH at this point I've just come to realize how rosy I was looking back at Gen IV, because before my replay it was an easy 7/10, maybe 8/10. But after this replay, after playing many of the classic JRPGs that would have came before it, I realize just how little impact it had on not only the genre but even within Pokemon. It didn't do anything interesting for the series. I hope the same thing doesn't happen to the other gens as I get to them cause I really do love Gen V especially. It's been in my "top 25 games of all time" list for a while now lol But tbh I haven't played it since high school, and I may also be looking back with rosy glasses at it too.

Right now 4 generations into my Pokemon playthrough my rankings are:
1. Gold/Silver (8/10)
2. Blue/Red (7/10)
3. Sapphire / Ruby (6/10 for Saphire, 7/10 for Ruby it's strange to have separate scores I know but there is a reason behind it)
4. Diamond / Pearl (5/10)

My favorite gen is still Gen 1. I beat Gold version for the first time ever (I came close when it first came out in 2000, but never beat it back then) last year and was surprised that I didn't like it more. After all, it's essentially everything from gen 1 cranked up several notches, plus having the entire Kanto region to replay once you're done. It was then that I realized that 90% of Pokemon's appeal to me rests in my nostalgic associations with the series. With that said, I played the remakes of Gen 3 back when they first came out and loved them and I actually liked gen 6. However, Gen 7 was when I just couldn't get into it anymore, and that was confirmed when I tired Sword when that came out and dropped it a few hours in.


It's funny you mention Gen 5, because I REALLY want to try that game out. I actually bought Black version the day it came out, started playing it, but never finished. My then girlfriend, now wife, did however beat it and it's one of her favorite Pokemon games. I've been meaning to pick it back up and actually beat it for the reasons you mentioned, but just haven't got around to it. I actually maintain a backlog planning list on another site (Backloggd if you're curious) and it's on my plan to play list for next year. I'm really hoping I'm able to get more into it this time around.

[kamikazekeeg]

19 - Mina the Hollower (PC 2026) - BEAT - Had a real good time with it and I realized I never fully knew what this game was going to be.  I know it had influences of the Game Boy era of Zelda, the general world and execution is very in line with that visually, but there's vibes and ideas connecting to other games from that era such as Mega Man and Castlevania and it is a very challenging game.  It's "souls-like" through some of its execution with Underlabs strewn around to recover at, vials that heal health but is based on how much plasma you have to fill up your health, which requires finding flowers or attacking enemies, and when you die you drop a "spark" and if you die again with no more sparks left, you lose "bones" which is the games currency.  It's not exact as Souls games as you get things and upgrades that give you more sparks and technically you aren't losing bones upon a second death, it's only when you run out, and you only need to recover the spark to get that specific spark back, not to recover your bones.

Overall it's very tough and I think it's maybe abit much in a few places, but its also quite satisfying, and there's so much to find from upgrades, to more weapons, to trinkets that notably change mechanics and offer up anywhere from stat boosts to enhanced moves, etc...And if the game is too hard, they have a ton of modifiers to change enemy health, damage, bone loss, like two dozen different stats.  You do lose achievements/feats activating any of them, but realistically those aren't important, but with that, you can make it an easier game if its too much.

I had a real good time, I got nearly 75% complete on my run at nearly 20 hours, and you unlock an NG+ and some more modifiers upon beating the game.  If you want an old school styled game to kick your teeth in abit, I do recommend it.

[kamikazekeeg]

12 - Death Stranding 2 (PC 2026) - BEAT - Took abit of a break a month or so ago I think, as I was right at the end which was kind of a long single run to beat the game, but came back, finished it up, and I think my view has mostly been the same since I first played it last year.  It's a fun, good, sequel that expands on what it needs, while being even weirder and crazier, though I don't know if I would put over the first game due to how initially unique the first game was and it's much more focused story and that I think DS1 Sam works better than DS2 Sam.  Him not talking much, being disconnected, it makes more sense, where as here it feels like there need to be a lot more with Sam emotionally, dialogue wise, and characters like Doll Man kinda undercut the experience for the sake of having another voice.

There's very little I don't like about the sequel, it's very enjoyable, and I hope we get another game eventually, I'd be happy if perhaps Kojima lets someone else at the company run lead, would work well with what I think the new game could be if we were to perhaps move on from Sam (We really need to move on from Sam), but we'll see.

[Cartagia]

I thought Astalon: Tears of the Earth was an excellent indie Metroidvania.  Some of the most fun I've had exploring a map in a long time.  Almost completely undone by the healing and respawn system.  You only get to heal at checkpoints once after a boss kill and when you die you respawn at the start of the game and have to make your way all the way back to wherever you died.  I think it would have been in my Top 5 if not for that.

[kashell]

45. Resident Evil 2 Remake - Leon

As soon as Code Veronica's remake is announced, I finish yet another run in an modern RE. I think I like Claire more as a character, but I like Leon's route more. Getting to play as Ada for a bit was a nice change of pace. Otherwise, it's basically the same thing. Leon doesn't get access to the Heart Key in the station. Instead, he gets the Club Key. Leon doesn't get the grenade launcher, but he gets a flamethrower. Fighting William in container yard area is still annoying as hell; something that seems to be a common factor in all horror games. I'll probably play Requiem next, which looks to be amazing.

[supremeusername]

23. PRAGMATA | 2026 | PC | 5/23:



     I played the "Sketchbook" demo for this back during one of Steam's Next Fests last year, and I was pretty shocked to find that: one, a big publisher like Capcom would release a demo during an event mainly for indie developers and two, that the game was really fun! What makes this game stand out from many triple-A titles is just how innovative it feels gameplay-wise. It's a third-person shooter with weapons that you'd find in any other game of the genre: pistols, shotguns, missile launchers, yadda yadda. What really makes PRAGMATA shine is the "hacking" element on top of the shooter gameplay. You can hardly damage any of the robots you battle over the course of the game without opening them up first via. hacking.

     You get a puzzle game on top of a shooting game: chaining different nodes together in the hacking mode to do the most damage, while consequently opening up the robots for more damage with shots from your weapons. It's an engaging gameplay-loop that gets more fun and challenging as you progress through the main story. Besides unlocking new types of nodes and weapons, you engage with new, more intimidating enemies that require you to think more outside the box. The bosses in PRAGMATA are so interesting to face as you really have to learn their moveset in order to defeat them. It may require you getting defeated once or twice to finally figure out what you have to do. There's nothing wrong with that because the game is so much fun to play, who cares if I have to fight the same boss again at full HP?

     This game was made more for a controller in mind, but it plays pretty well on mouse & keyboard for me. You have to really give your mouse a lot of room in order to work with Diana's gameplay, but it's satisfying once you do. Diana is one-half of PRAGMATA's gameplay-loop: the little girl in the back who deals with hacking enemies. Hugh is the astronaut who does all of the dirty work. You get a feel of how both of them interact with one another throughout the story. There's not a huge emphasis on the story-telling like there would be in something like, say The Last of Us. Half of the context comes from logs and emails left behind by the scientists that were there before you. However, you get just enough story moments to where I did feel attached to both characters and was looking forward to seeing where they were going next.

     The various environments encompassing the moonbase facility you're stranded on are all very detailed and gorgeous to look at -- as gorgeous as you can make a fractured facility look like. There's also purpose to fully analyzing every room as you obtain both upgrade parts and collectibles. Most upgrades use some form of lunafilament -- a type of matter that's introduced to you early on and has a strong presence in PRAGMATA's story. It's used to upgrade almost anything you can think of that would be useful to you. Collectibles are pretty useful as well, since they unlock various activities in the hub area that Diana can perform, furthering the bond between her and Hugh.

     It's such a treat to be getting something new and different from a well-established powerhouse like Capcom. It has the kind of polish you would expect from a modern game with big production values, while having the kind of heart that's rare to find in operations of the same size. This is definitely in contention for the "supremeusername's Game of the Year Award for 2026".



Grade: A+

[marvelvscapcom2]

23. PRAGMATA | 2026 | PC | 5/23:



     I played the "Sketchbook" demo for this back during one of Steam's Next Fests last year, and I was pretty shocked to find that: one, a big publisher like Capcom would release a demo during an event mainly for indie developers and two, that the game was really fun! What makes this game stand out from many triple-A titles is just how innovative it feels gameplay-wise. It's a third-person shooter with weapons that you'd find in any other game of the genre: pistols, shotguns, missile launchers, yadda yadda. What really makes PRAGMATA shine is the "hacking" element on top of the shooter gameplay. You can hardly damage any of the robots you battle over the course of the game without opening them up first via. hacking.

     You get a puzzle game on top of a shooting game: chaining different nodes together in the hacking mode to do the most damage, while consequently opening up the robots for more damage with shots from your weapons. It's an engaging gameplay-loop that gets more fun and challenging as you progress through the main story. Besides unlocking new types of nodes and weapons, you engage with new, more intimidating enemies that require you to think more outside the box. The bosses in PRAGMATA are so interesting to face as you really have to learn their moveset in order to defeat them. It may require you getting defeated once or twice to finally figure out what you have to do. There's nothing wrong with that because the game is so much fun to play, who cares if I have to fight the same boss again at full HP?

     This game was made more for a controller in mind, but it plays pretty well on mouse & keyboard for me. You have to really give your mouse a lot of room in order to work with Diana's gameplay, but it's satisfying once you do. Diana is one-half of PRAGMATA's gameplay-loop: the little girl in the back who deals with hacking enemies. Hugh is the astronaut who does all of the dirty work. You get a feel of how both of them interact with one another throughout the story. There's not a huge emphasis on the story-telling like there would be in something like, say The Last of Us. Half of the context comes from logs and emails left behind by the scientists that were there before you. However, you get just enough story moments to where I did feel attached to both characters and was looking forward to seeing where they were going next.

     The various environments encompassing the moonbase facility you're stranded on are all very detailed and gorgeous to look at -- as gorgeous as you can make a fractured facility look like. There's also purpose to fully analyzing every room as you obtain both upgrade parts and collectibles. Most upgrades use some form of lunafilament -- a type of matter that's introduced to you early on and has a strong presence in PRAGMATA's story. It's used to upgrade almost anything you can think of that would be useful to you. Collectibles are pretty useful as well, since they unlock various activities in the hub area that Diana can perform, furthering the bond between her and Hugh.

     It's such a treat to be getting something new and different from a well-established powerhouse like Capcom. It has the kind of polish you would expect from a modern game with big production values, while having the kind of heart that's rare to find in operations of the same size. This is definitely in contention for the "supremeusername's Game of the Year Award for 2026".



Grade: A+

Incredible game.  Capcom is truly on a tear rn.