VGCollect Forum
General and Gaming => General => Topic started by: bikingjahuty on December 26, 2024, 10:30:00 am
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Here we go again!
New year and another 365 days to tackle as many games from our backlogs as we can! In case you're new to the challenge, more or less this is a place where you can track the games you beat, leave mini reviews (if you want to), and work on reaching the coveted 52 games beat mile stone by the end of the year. Even if you don't plan on reaching 52 games beat, or there's just no way possible for you to have the time to beat that many games in a year, this is also a fun place to interact with other VG Collect members to discuss games we beat, or just to see what others are currently playing or have played. See you all at 52!
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Looking back on the games I beat in 2024, I unfortunately only played a few games that I went "wow, that was an incredible game!" Don't get me wrong, most of the games I played last year were pretty good, or at least decent, but last year was probably the first where I didn't have at least a handful of games that broke 40/50 on my rating scale, which more or less means the game was outstanding. Obviously, I have no idea how good a game is going to be if I've never played it, but this next year I would like to focus on playing games that I have beat before and know are great, or games that are conventionally considered some of the best games ever made. I still plan on playing plenty of games where I know I'm not liking to have some sort of ground breaking experience with it, but I'd like to at least be a little more selective in the games I choose to tackle this year. I'm not going to make a list of games I plan on beating like I have several years prior, but I definitely intend on playing several games I know I love, but haven't played in several years. Back in 2019 I made a point to replay most of the games I'd consider to be the best I'd ever played to see if they still hold up now, and while I'm not going to be that specific or deliberate, I wouldn't be surprised if a decent chunk of those games get replayed and beat in 2025 again. But anyhow, we'll see where the road takes me this year and hopefully I'm able to reach well beyond 52 games beat seeing how at the moment I have very little planned in terms of things I know I'll be busy with in 2025 (unlike 2024 which was just an insane year for me all around). My primary goal is to actually reach 100 games beat by the end of 2025. Who knows if I'll make it, but dammit I will try!
Completed
1. Max Payne (XBOX) (1/1/25) [38/50]
2. Virtua Fighter 4: Final Tuned (Arcade) (1/3/25) [38/50]
3. Dead or Alive 3 (XBOX) (1/3/25) [35/50]
4. Silent Hill 2 (PS5) (1/7/25) [43/50]
5. Mario Kart Wii (Wii) (1/8/25) [39/50]
6. ManxTT Superbike (Arcade) (1/11/25) [25/50]
7. Sega Rally Championship (Arcade) (1/11/25) [32/50]
8. Dead or Alive 4 (360) (1/13/25) [37/50]
9. Final Fight CD (Sega CD) (1/17/25) [34/50]
10. Virtua Fighter 2 (Genesis) (1/18/25) [32/50]
11. Yoshi's Crafted World (Switch) (1/26/25) [37/50]
12. Virtua Fighter Kids (Saturn) (2/1/25) [30/50]
13. Fighters Megamix (Saturn) (2/1/25) [35/50]
14. Grand Theft Auto 5 (PS4) (2/16/25) [45/50]
15. Sonic Colors (DS) (2/18/25) [30/50]
16. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch) (2/21/25) [45/50]
17. Star Fox (SNES) (2/24/25) [20/50]
18. Super Mario Kart (SNES) (2/25/25) [32/50]
19. Pokemon Gold (3DS) (2/26/25) [36/50]
20. Mario Kart Arcade GP DX (Arcade) (2/27/25) [35/50]
21. Dead or Alive: Dimensions (3DS) (2/28/25) [36/50]
22. Shinobi Legions (Saturn) (3/2/25) [26/50]
23. Battle Garegga (PS4) (3/3/25) [44/50]
24. Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 (PS4) (3/3/25) [33/50]
25. Half Life: Opposing Force (PC) (3/7/25) [38/50]
26. Half Life: Blue Shift (PC) (3/8/25) [36/50]
27. Nidhogg (PC) (3/8/25) [31/50]
28. Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (Wii) (3/9/25) [26/50]
29. Hang-On (Arcade) (3/11/25) [32/50]
30. Space Harrier (Arcade) (3/12/25) [34/50]
31. Shenmue (PS4) (3/13/25) [49/50]
32. After Burner (Arcade) (3/16/25) [28/50]
33. Shenmue II (PS4) (3/16/25) [49/50]
34. Shenmue III (PS4) (3/24/25) [42/50]
35. Thunder Force IV (Genesis) (3/24/25) [39/50]
36. Road Rash 64 (N64) (3/25/25) [34/50]
37. Elemental Master (Genesis) (3/26/25) [34/50]
38. Cruis'n Exotica (N64) (3/26/25) [29/50]
39. Ridge Racer 64 (N64) (3/26/25) [24/50]
40. Android Assault (Sega CD) (3/27/25) [30/50]
41. Super Mario Odyssey (Switch) (3/30/25) [46/50]
42. Castlevania: Bloodlines (Genesis) (4/5/25) [32/50]
43. F355 Challenge: Passione Rossa (Dreamcast) (4/5/25) [31/50]
44. Strikers 1945 II (Switch) (4/6/25) [27/50]
45. Confidential Mission (Arcade) (4/6/25) [34/50]
46. Death Crimson OX (Arcade) (4/7/25) [20/50]
47. House of the Dead III (Wii) (4/9/25) [34/50]
48. The Last Guardian (PS4) (4/11/25) [36/50]
49. Minecraft (PS3) (4/14/25) [44/50]
50. Metal Gear Solid (PS1) (4/18/25) [37/50]
51. Motorstorm Apocalypse (PS3) (4/20/25) [33/50]
52. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (PS4) (4/24/25) [35/50]
53. Oregon Trail (PC) (4/24/25) [31/50]
54. ExZues (PS4) (4/26/25) [18/50]
55. Dead or Alive 5: Last Round (PS4) (4/26/25) [37/50]
56. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (PS5) (5/2/25) [38/50]
57. Unreal Tournament (PC) (5/2/25) [38/50]
58. Yu Yu Hakusho Makyo Toitsusen (Genesis) (5/4/25) [27/50]
59. POD Speedzone (Dreamcast) (5/6/25) [22/50]
60. Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero (PS5) (5/11/25) [34/50]
61. Power Stone 2 (PS4) (5/16/25) [31/50]
62. Vanark (PS1) (5/23/25) [31/50]
63. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow (GBA) (5/29/25) [41/50]
Abandoned
1. Sonic Rush Adventure (DS) (2/19/25)
2. Ninja Gaiden (NES) (2/24/25)
3. Gradius Gaiden (PS1) (3/28/25)
4. The Simpsons: Bart's Nightmare (Genesis) (5/4/25)
5. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (PS4) (6/8/25)
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In Progress:
1. Necromunda: Underhive Wars (PC)
2. Final Fantasy III (SNES)
3. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Switch)
4. Super Mario World (SNES)
Completed:
1. Final Fantasy III (SNES) 20 Jan
2. Super Mario World (SNES) 9 Feb
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Love this tradition even if I am so late on partaking! Lol. I wont miss it this year. Last year I built quite the backlog and now 2025 I intend to chip at it like greek granite :) Cheers to all fellow back log slayers. May you all have a bountiful hunt.
Finished
1. Gris [PS5]
2. Donkey Kong Country [SNES]
3. Super Mario World [SNES]
4. Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom [NS]
5. Band Hero [PS3]
6. Hogwarts Legacy [PS5]
7. Snoopy's Grand Adventure [PS4]
8. Mafia III Definitive Edition [PS4]
9. Gori Cuddly Carnage [PS5]
10. Monster Jam Showdown [PS5]
11. Super Mario Bros: Wonder [NS]
12. Madden NFL 25 [PS5]
13. South Park: The Fractured But Whole [PS4]
14. Life Is Strange: True Colors [PS5]
15. Call Of Duty: Vanguard [PS5]
16. Need for Speed (2015) [PS4]
17. Life Is Strange [PS4]
18. Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn [PS4]
19. Stubbs The Zombie: Rebel Without A Pulse [PS4]
20. Britney's Dance Beat [PS2]
21. Need For Speed: MW 2005 [XBOX]
22. Golden Axe III [GEN]
23. Lost Records: Bloom & Rage [PS5]
24. Batman: Arkham Asylum [PS4]
25. The Exit 8 [PS5]
26. Platform8 [PS5]
27. Life Is Strange: Before The Storm [PS4]
28. Jojo Siwa: Worldwide Party [PS5]
29. Undertale [PS4]
30. Gone Home [PS4]
31. Super Mario Land [GB]
32. Crash Bandicoot 4: It's about time [PS4]
33. Tearaway [VITA]
34. White Shadows [PS5]
35. Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins [GB]
36. Mario Tennis [GBC]
37. Until Dawn [PS4]
38. Goat Simulator 3 [PS5]
39. My Name Is Mayo [PS4]
40. The Quarry [PS5]
Currently Playing
1. Indiana Jones [PS5]
2. Life Is Strange: BTS
3. Blur
4. Batman Arkham Asylum
5. Forza Horizon 5
6. LA Noire
Abandoned
1. Stanley Parable Deluxe
TROPHY COUNT - 1015 (Goal - 1750)
MONTH BREAKDOWN
January - 7 Games/154 Trophies
February - 6 Games/137 Trophies
March - 5 Games/245 Trophies
April - 6 Games/172 Trophies
May - 13 Games/202 Trophies (910 Total)
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Games in 2025
1. Vampire Survivors (Deck) - Beat / Beat Jan. 1
2. Metroid Dread (Switch) - Beat / Beat Jan. 12
3. Donkey Kong Land (Switch) - Beat / Beat Jan. 14
4. Metroid Prime Remastered (Switch) - Beat / Jan. 27
5. Firewatch (Deck) - Beat / Feb. 1
6. Doki Doki Literature Club (Deck) - Beat / Feb. 2
7. SKALD: Against the Black Priory (Deck) - Beat / Feb. 24
8. Superhot (Deck) - Beat / Feb. 25
9. Cat Quest (Deck) - Beat / Mar. 2
10. God of War: Ragnarok (PS5) - Beat / Mar. 30
11. Alan Wake II (PS5) - Beat / May 5
12. World of Warcraft (PC) - Endless
13. Shantae and the Seven Sirens (Deck) - Playing
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Previous 52 Game Challenges: 2020 (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,10536.msg174802.html#msg174802), 2021 (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,11230.msg185673.html#msg185673), 2022 (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,11713.msg193705.html#msg193705), 2023 (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12127.msg199073.html#msg199073), 2024 (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12641.msg204015.html#msg204015)
01. (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg207992.html#msg207992) Silent Hill: Shattered Memories || PlayStation 2 || 01.02.25
02. (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg208003.html#msg208003) Titanic Mystery || Wii || 01.04.25
03. (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg208035.html#msg208035) A Dark Room || Browser || 01.07.25
04. (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg208135.html#msg208135) Phogs! || PlayStation 4 || 01.15.25
05. (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg208136.html#msg208136) Mingle || PC || 01.19.25
06. (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg208150.html#msg208150) Dragonsweeper || Browser || 01.20.25
07. (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg208169.html#msg208169) Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights || GameCube || 01.21.25
08. (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg208200.html#msg208200) Radio Hammer || Nintendo 3DS || 01.22.25
09. (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg208297.html#msg208297) A Way Out || PlayStation 4 || 02.03.25
10. (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg208414.html#msg208414) Picross e2 || Nintendo 3DS || 02.15.25
11. (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg208420.html#msg208420) Silent Hill: Downpour || PlayStation 3 || 02.20.25
12. (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg208524.html#msg208524) Life Is Strange: Double Exposure || PlayStation 5 || 02.27.25
13. (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg208556.html#msg208556) Transform || Browser || 03.03.25
14. (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg208598.html#msg208598) Pac-Man World Re-Pac || PlayStation 5 || 03.03.25
15. (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg208632.html#msg208632) Heads Off || Mobile || 03.08.25
16. (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg208684.html#msg208684) Get Packing || Browser || 03.14.25
17. (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg208873.html#msg208873) Lisa: Definitive Edition || PlayStation 5 || 03.24.25
18. (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg208883.html#msg208883) P.T. || PlayStation 4 || 03.25.25
19. (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg208957.html#msg208957) The Girl in the Window || Mobile || 03.30.25
20. (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg208993.html#msg208993) Nour: Play with Your Food || PlayStation 5 || 04.06.25
21. (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg209039.html#msg209039) Snak || Playdate || 04.12.25
22. (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg209074.html#msg209074) Octopath Traveler || Nintendo Switch || 04.14.25
23. (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg209110.html#msg209110) Silent Hill 2 || PlayStation 5 || 04.22.25
24. (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg209163.html#msg209163) Dinner with an Owl || PC || 04.30.25
25. (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg209176.html#msg209176) Lost Records: Bloom & Rage || PlayStation 5 || 05.01.25
26. (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg209221.html#msg209221) Roundabout || PlayStation 4 || 05.05.25
27. (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg209247.html#msg209247) Findi || Browser || 05.09.25
28. (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg209257.html#msg209257) Dear Esther: Landmark Edition || PC || 05.10.25
29. (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg209281.html#msg209281) Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day! || Nintendo DS || 05.13.25
30. (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg209298.html#msg209298) Sable || PlayStation 5 || 05.17.25
31. (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg209322.html#msg209322) The Pedestrian || PlayStation 5 || 05.21.25
32. (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg209330.html#msg209330) The Mr. Rabbit Magic Show || PC || 05.23.25
33. (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg209358.html#msg209358) Empty. || Browser || 05.26.25
34. (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg209376.html#msg209376) OlliOlli || PlayStation Vita || 05.30.25
35. (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg209395.html#msg209395) Super Mario Kart || Super Nintendo || 05.31.25
36. (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg209444.html#msg209444) Sasquatchers || Playdate || 06.06.25
37. (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg209468.html#msg209468) Samurai Shaver || Browser || 06.10.25
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Yay! I can already tell it'll be a slower year. My brother lent me Elden Ring and I'm really excited to dive in. That's a huge game, I've heard.
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Bringing over 2 games I didn't finish this year that I don't know if I'll take the time to finish up before the year is out.
1 - Super Mario RPG (Switch 2023) - DROPPED
2 - Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth (PS5 2024) - PLAYING
3 - Slime Rancher 2 (PC Early Access 2022) - ENDLESS
4 - Get To Work (PC 2024) - BEAT
5 - DayZ (PC 2018) - ENDLESS
6 - Voices of the Void (PC) - BEAT
7 - Monster Hunter Wilds (PC 2025) - BEAT
8 - Robocop: Rogue City (PC 2023) - PLAYING
9 - Minecraft: Beyond Depth (PC) - ENDLESS/DROPPED
10 - Pacific Drive (PC 2024) - BEAT
11 - V Rising (PC 2024) - BEAT
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Completed:
01. Epic Mickey Rebrushed (PS5) - 01/01/2025
02. Sonic the Hedgehog on Sega Megadrive Collection (PS4 on PS5) - 02/01/2025
03. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on Sega Megadrive Collection (PS4 on PS5) - 03/01/2025
04. Life Is Strange (PS4 on PS5) - 06/01/2025
05. Sonic CD on Sonic Origins (PS5) - 10/01/2025
06. Sonic 3 & Knuckles (Sonic & Tails) on Sonic Origins (PS5) - 11/01/2025
07. Sonic Origins (PS5) - 11/01/2025 *Platinum*
08. Knuckles Chaotix (Sega 32X on Emu) - 015/01/2025
09. Sonic 3D on Sega Megadrive Collection (PS4 on PS5) - 15/01/2025
10. Life Is Strange: Double Exposure (PS5) - 18/01/2025
Now Playing:
Fantasian Neo Dimension
Epic Mickey 2: The power of Two
Ni No Kuni 1
Sonic Superstars
Toem
Backlog:
Ghost Trick
Lost Judgment
Time Hollow
Max Payne
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden
Alan Wake
Alan Wake II
Tomb Raider I-III Remastered
Abandoned:
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Games beaten
01] Snow Bros. Special: Anniversary Edition (STM, 2024) |2 Jan| For some reason the Switch version of this made me froth, but I've loved it on the PC after finally figuring out how to beat the new bosses, lovely jubbly.
02] Maiden Cops (STM, 2024) |7 Jan| SoR2 style beat 'em up, playthrough with Meiga the cow-girl, the game works much better now with blocking available and after some updates.
03] Dead Space (2023 remake) (STM, 2023) |8 Jan| A few irritations at 'modern audience' stuff and for some reason they turned Nicole into her own mother, but a solid remake of one of my favourites.
04] Maid of the Dead (STM, 2024) |11 Jan| Bullet heaven with aspects of twin-stick shooters, maid cafe girls repel an onslaught of zombies in Akihabara :D Not bad at all.
05] Metal Slug X (STM, 2014) |11 Jan| Apparently just a tweaked version of MS2, still enjoyed it very much! MS games are always good stress relief.
06] Resident Evil: Revelations (STM, 2013) |13 Jan| Oof! This certainly hasn't aged as well as its sequel, still functions fine as a standard third-person action game.
07] Warriors of Fate (STM, 2018) |16 Jan| Probably my least favourite of the Capcom arcade beat 'em ups, despite the Three Kingdoms setting, hence got it done first, still enjoyed it though.
08] Armored Warriors (STM, 2018) |19 Jan| Did this one next because I'm forever forgetting how good it is!
09] Battle Circuit (STM, 2018) |22 Jan| Wholesome lizard-smashing in space, lovely.
10] Echo Generation: Midnight Edition (STM, 2024) |25 Jan| Snack-sized turn-based RPG with either voxel or similar graphics, evidently influenced by Earthbound and Stranger Things. Not bad.
11] Plants Vs Zombies (STM, 2009) |29 Jan| Jr has slowly been building up to playing this for a year, helped him through adventure mode.
12] Final Fight (STM, 2018) |1 Feb| Should have played this one first or second, the baddies can whip your health in half so easily.
13] Infectonator 3: Apocalypse (STM, 2018) |8 Feb| Nothing better than a good, goofy zombie game to lift my mood, perfect.
14] Hidden Realm of the Enchantress (STM, 2025) |22 Feb| Short NSFW old skool dungeon crawl game, surprisingly good battle mechanics, enjoyed.
15] Infectonator 3: Apocalypse (STM, 2018) |1 Mar| Second playthrough to unlock all but one steam achievements.
16] Plants Vs Zombies (STM, 2009) |2 Mar| Jr managed to delete the save file so I've flown through the game to make up some lost ground.
17] Recall: Empty Wishes (STM, 2025) |10 Mar| Horror adventure game, enjoyed it.
18] Is It Wrong to Try to Shoot 'em Up Girls in a Dungeon? (STM, 2020) |18 Mar| Freebie mini-SHMUP, not bad at all.
19] This War of Mine (STM, 2014) |18 Mar| Good to return to this again, seems like a long time since I played it through.
20] Snow Bros. 2 Special (STM, 2025) |11 Apr| Disgracefully overpriced, still enjoyed the game.
21] Resident Evil 5 (STM, 2009) |17 Apr| One of my most-played, lovely!
22] Out of Hands (STM, 2025) |4 May| Beautifully crafted spooky card-battler.
23] Dead Space 2 (STM, 2011) |10 May| Overrated on release, it's just OK but not a patch on the original.
24] Wire Lips (STM, 2020) |10 May| Walking sim/'psychological horror' thing, atmospheric but not exactly mind-blowing.
25] Captain Commando (STM, 2018) |30 May| Good fun, flew by!
26] Spilled! (STM, 2025) |30 May| Beautiful little game where you clear oil spills from a waterway using a little boat.
27] King of Dragons (STM, 2018) |4 Jun| Brilliant as always.
Games Tried/Disliked/Got Rid Of
01] Tevi (NSW, 2024) |5 Jan| Bullet-hell/metroidvania from the developers of Rabi-Ribi, a hot mess of overcomplicated control systems and sparse locations. Absolutely hated every aspect of it apart from the character art.
02] Tails of Iron (STM, 2021) |10 Jan| Basically a 2D combat game with platform elements. Fetch quests, padding, simplistic combat, lots of poor game design, no thanks!
03] Sea Salt (STM, 2019) |11 Jan| Major letdown, controls sloppily, the creatures you 'control' do their own thing and they scamper around and get picked off.
04] SteamWorld Dig 2 (STM, 2017) |14 Jan| The graphics and the almost throw-away nature of the worldbuilding repels me every time with SteamWorld.
05] Cathedral (STM, 2019) |14 Jan| Don't mind a fair thing, but I wasn't into 'Nintendo Hard' in the 80s and I'm not now.
06] Streets of Rogue (STM, 2019) |15 Jan| Does an admirable job of applying some (randomized) structure to a randomized city sandbox, but i yearn for curated gameworlds.
07] Mario & Luigi: Brothership (NSW, 2024) |20 Jan| AKA 'My First Mario & Luigi'. None of the charm or fantastic music of earlier titles. Brothershit.
08] There is No Light (STM, 2022) |20 Jan| Bog-standard hack and slash thing with a bog-standard setting and plot punctuated by incessant yapping by uninteresting NPCs. Christ.
09] Tormented Souls (STM, 2021) |21 Jan| There's nothing wrong with this beyond its budget limitations, it's just that it's a carbon copy of a game I'd rather remember fondly than actually play these days.
10] Night Slashers: Remake (STM, 2024) |7 Feb| I could live with the presentation being so sucky, but not "you failed, restart the level" in an arcade beat 'em up. It's not 1987.
11] Gryphon Knight Epic (STM, 2015) |11 Feb| Inoffensive side-scrolling shooter which bored quickly due to being so S-L-O-W.
12] Dead Rising 2: Off the Record (STM, 2015) |23 Feb| KK, that's me finally through with DR after a 2-decade long rocky relationship, just isn't fun.
13] Bite the Bullet (STM, 2020) |23 Feb| Slow and horrid.
14] SuperTaxCity (STM, 2025) |11 May| Part of the Balatro/Luck Be a Landlord genre/fad, with city building. Fun but far too random.
15] Floppy Knights (STM, 2022) |12 May| Beautiful looking and sounding turn-based tactics with slow and frustrating gameplay.
16] Conscript (STM, 2024) |7 Jun| Generally OK but with far too much dragging back and forth, became dull.
Previous Years
2024 (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12641.msg204045.html#msg204045) - 38 beaten, 5 tried and discarded
2023 (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12127.msg199131.html#msg199131) - 37 beaten, 14 tried and discarded
2021 (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,11230.msg185676.html#msg185676) - 18 beaten, 9 tried and discarded
2020 (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,10536.msg173272.html#msg173272) - 33 beaten, 20 tried and discarded
2019 (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,9921.msg162658.html#msg162658) - 45 beaten, 34 tried and discarded
2018 (http://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,8821.msg149025.html#msg149025) - 44 beaten, 41 tried and discarded
2017 (http://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,7980.msg147415.html#msg147415) - 37 beaten, 9 tried and discarded
2016 (http://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,6762.msg132260.html#msg132260) - 21 beaten
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Participating once again. We'll see how far I get.
2023 = 27 Completed
2024 = 17 Completed
2025 = ?? -- Hopefully at least equal to 2024.
Currently Playing:
1. The Order: 1886 (PS4)
2. Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered (PS5)
- Tomb Raider 1 (PS1)
Completed: 11
1. Astrobot (PS5)
2. Dino Crisis (PSN)
3. Sonic x Shadow (Switch)
4. Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered (PS5)
- Tomb Raider 2 (PS1)
5. Onimusha: Warlords (PSN)
6. Resident Evil: Director's Cut (PSN)
7. Star Trek Resurgence (PS5)
8. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (PS5)
9. TMNT Cowabunga Collection (PS5)
- TMNT II The Arcade Game (NES)
- TMNT IV: Turtles in Time (SNES)
- TMNT Hyperstone Heist (Gen)
Planning to Play:
1. Uncharted: Nathan Drake Collection (PS4)
- Uncharted 2 (PS3)
2. ICO (PS2)
3. Code Violet (PS5)
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Games Finished in 2025
1. Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes (PS4) (http://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg208068.html#msg208068) - 1.7
2. Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales (PS5) (http://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg208137.html#msg208137) - 1.18
3. Marvel's Spider-Man 2 (PS5) (http://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg208393.html#msg208393) - 2.16
4. 2064: Read Only Memories (Switch) (http://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg208643.html#msg208643) - 3.7
5. Read Only Memories: Neurodiver (Switch) (http://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg208705.html#msg208705) - 3.14
6. Super Empire Strikes Back (SNES) (http://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg208891.html#msg208891) - 3.29
7. Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (PS4) (http://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg209105.html#msg209105) - 4.25
8. Beyond Good and Evil HD (PS4) (http://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg209312.html#msg209312) - 5.18
9. Clock Tower Rewind (PS4) (http://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg209312.html#msg209312) - 5.22
10. Pokémon Legends: Arceus (Switch) (http://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.msg209357.html#msg209357) - 5.24
Additional Games Played in 2025 (endless or not finished yet)
Gauntlet Dark Legacy (GC)
Rain World (Switch)
Silent Hill (PS1)
Bust-A-Move 2: Arcade Edition (PS1)
Bloodborne (PS4)
Mega Man Battle Network 6: Cybeast Gregar (Switch)
Marvel Rivals (PS5)
Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Live (GC)
Fitness Boxing 2: Rhythm and Exercise! (Switch)
Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Switch)
Backlog
Bloodborne (PS4)
Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies (DS)
Mega Man Battle Network 6 (Switch)
Silent Hill 2 (PS5) + A full run of the original 4 games perhaps
The Last Guardian (PS4)
Resident Evil 5 (PS4)
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles (GC)
Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Switch)
Tales of Arise (PS4)
Previous Lists
2015 List (http://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,5879.msg104675.html#msg104675) - 27 finished, + 10 played but not finished
2016 List (http://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,6762.msg105642.html#msg105642) - 32 finished, + 16 played but not finished
2017 List (http://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,7980.msg132293.html#msg132293) - 26 finished, + 13 played but not finished
2018 List (http://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,8821.msg149017.html#msg149017) - 23 finished, + 6 played but not finished
2019 List (http://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,9921.msg162665.html#msg162665) - 20 finished, + 9 played but not finished
2020 List (http://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,10536.msg173286.html#msg173286) - 45 finished, + 10 played but not finished
2021 List (http://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,11230.msg185672.html#msg185672) - 24 finished, + 15 played but not finished
2022 List (http://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,11713.msg193725.html#msg193725) - 18 finished, + 11 played but not finished
2023 List (http://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12127.msg199090.html#msg199090) - 24 finished, + 16 played but not finished
2024 List (http://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12641.msg204027.html#msg204027) - 24 finished, + 9 played but not finished
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First time here! Going to try for 52 and above!
Completed:
1.)
Currently Playing:
->
Abandoned:
-
Rules:
ROM hacks and other unofficial games are allowed, and must have at least 30 minutes of gameplay.
Tool-assisted runs are allowed.
Game Genie is banned.
If I play the same game multiple times in the same year, it must be on a different edition to count for this challenge. Playing the same game on the same system multiple times doesn't count to the challenge.
Resuming from 2024
Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (Switch)
Tales of Phantasia (PC, Emulator with DeJap Translation)
Super Mario Party Jamboree {Party Planner Trek} (Switch)
Final Fantasy: Dawn Of Souls {Full Bestiary} (GBA)
Final Fantasy II: Dawn of Souls {Full Bestiary} (GBA)
Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 {Warpless} (Wii U VC)=
Started in 2025
Kirby's Nightmare in Dream Land {100% Kirby} (GBA)
Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals {Any%} (Windows 10, Emulator)
Terranigma {Full Town Expansion} (SNES)
Super Metroid {100% Item Collection} (SNES)
Super Mario Galaxy 2 {Any%} (Wii)
Completed
1. Sega Ages Puyo Puyo {Any%} (Switch) [January 2]
Compared to Puyo Puyo Tsu, this game is incredibly unbalanced. The matches are determined by who builds the biggest chain the fastest, leading to lots of cheap deaths that having Offsetting would have prevented. Only recommended to huge fans of Puyo looking into the franchise's origins.
2. Super Metroid Map Randomizer {Miniboss Mode, Custom Difficulty} (PC, Emulator) [January 3]
One of the new features of the update is that the rooms have consistent theming with the area, resulting in a fresh look compared to other randomizers. As for this seed, I thought I could skip Speed Booster but I was wrong, forcing a backtrack to pick it up. Other than that, I loved the final boss gauntlet of Botwoon, Golden Torizo and Mother Brain all right in the same area. 33% of items obtained, animals saved.
3. Tetris The Grand Master 2: The Absolute Plus {Normal Mode} (Arcade) [January 8]
One of the benefits of attending AGDQ 2025 is access to an arcade that has both this and Tetris The Grand Master 3. Normal Mode is the game's easy mode, and requires clearing 300 lines to clear. Thus begins the long journey towards achieving Grand Master rank.
4. Super Metroid {Phantoon First} (Windows 10, Emulator) [January 28]
The first challenge run that I beat for one of my favorite games of all time was Phantoon First. This requires either a Continuous Wall Jump or doing Upper Norfair item collection without Varia Suit. The latter is what I chose, and it requires navigating heated rooms while constantly losing health. Other Bonus Achievements I did in this run were get all of the items available before going down the elevator to Green Brinstar in 1 go, got the Spore Spawn Super Missiles without fighting Spore Spawn, got the Waterway Energy Tank in Pink Brinstar without Gravity and defeated Crocomire in a single hit. 48% of items obtained, Animals saved.
5. Uninvited {All Achievements} (Windows 11 Laptop, RetroAchievements} [January 30]
Part of the fun of the NES MacVenture games is seeing the various ways your hero character can die, and this game gives lots of achievements for this. Other than that, the soundtrack is awesome, as is the graphics and the gameplay. Highly recommend this game.
6. A Link to the Past Randomizer {5 Crystals, Open Mode) (Windows 10, BSNES-HD with MSU-1 pack) [February 10]
One of the most replayable randomizers out there teaches you obscure things about A Link to the Past. This time, 5 crystals are needed to damage Ganon, and the pit is accessible as soon as you have Dark World access. I played as Ark from Terranigma, and it's satisfying to see him get the happy ending he deserves.
7. Super Metroid Route Randomizer {50 Room Challenge} [February 12]
These randomizers are a quick and easy way to get better at Super Metroid. 24% of items (100% that are in this seed) collected, animals saved.
8. You Have to Burn the Rope {Any%} [February 19]
This is just to get to 52 faster.
9. Chrono Trigger {New Game +, Ocean Palace Ending} (PC, Emulator) [April 14]
It is so satisfying to easily kill the boss that in normal gameplay kills Crono. The game has incredible graphics, music and gameplay.
10. Selan in A Link To the Past Randomizer {Open, SNES RPG Medley MSU-1} (PC, Emulator) [May 9]
11. Hong Kong '97 {All RetroAchievements} [May 11]
I learned far too much about this stinker than I should have. 30 reds = Tong Shau Ping appears, and the "Ultimate Weapon" has HP Leak set and can die without being shot at.
12. Final Fantasy V Advance: Fiesta Patch {Four Job Fiesta, Sirocco} [June 9]
Since the Fiesta started early, an annual tradition is to run the game. Black Mage, Ninja, Ranger and Chemist might be one of the most broken teams possible in the Fiesta, so I'm taking this team through the Sealed Temple.
-
Finished:
1. Tomb Raider I Remastered (XSX): 1/11
2. ATLYSS [Early Access] (PC): 1/21
3. Ubari Magic Postcard Maker (PC): 1/22
4. Sonic Frontiers (XSX): 1/29
5. Gunfright [Rare Replay] (XSX): 1/29
6. Import Tuner Challenge (360): 2/7
7. Balatro (PC): 2/10
8. Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap (PC): 2/13
9. R.E.P.O. [Early Access] (PC): 3/6
10. SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated [100%] (XSX): 3/15
11. MULLET MADJACK (PC): 3/18
12. SpongeBob SquarePants: The Patrick Star Game (XSX): 3/20
13. Lil Gator Game (PC): 4/1
14. Botany Manor (XSX): 4/15
15. Little Kitty, Big City (XSX): 5/15
16. Fire Truck (Arcade): 5/15
17. Maximum Force (Arcade): 5/18
18. Viper Phase 1: USA (Arcade): 5/18
19. Zenless Zone Zero [Season 1] (PC): 5/23
20. HELLDIVERS 2 (PC): 5/23
21. DOOM: The Dark Ages (PC): 6/2
Currently Playing:
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder
- VA-11 HALL-A
-
Why not) Didn't have much time for gaming now, but i'll try to finish at least 10-13 games)
Finished
1.
Currently Playing
1. Stranger of Paradise [PS4]
2. Final Fantasy IV (3D remake) [NDS]
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Reserving my spot! Sadly, I haven't had time to play games lately due to my job. However, I want to make my hobby a priority for 2025! Good luck to everybody! ;D
-
Met my goal in 2016 (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,6762.msg105641.html#msg105641), 2017 (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,7980.msg132350.html#msg132350), 2018 (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php?topic=8821.msg149004#msg149004), 2019 (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,9921.msg162655.html#msg162655), 2020 (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,10536.msg173290.html#msg173290), 2021 (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,11230.msg185665.html#msg185665), 2022 (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,11713.msg193710.html#msg193710), 2023 (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12127.msg199078.html#msg199078), and 2024 (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12641.msg204016.html#msg204016); with 2021 being 156 games, 2016/2017/2020/2022/2023 being 104 games, and 2018/2019 being 52 games as the goals. 2015 (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,5879.msg103895.html#msg103895) I tracked the info super late and I had another really busy year that year.
2024 was a rough fucking year for me. Started out mildly okay, my kid was in a tolerable place, but we were still having trouble. He played through Super Mario Wonder twice early in the year and school sucked for him but we were trying. Saw a new doctor and got aggressive with trying different meds and just never found anything that worked for him so most of this year was absolutely fucked re:my kid. My wife has had a ton of health issues which remain undiagnosed to this point, we got two diagnoses that probably aren't relevant, so physical therapy for her spine which should have nothing to do with her gastro problems and stool softeners or something to clear her out, which I guess could help, but doubtful. I had a ton of health issues at the second half of the year and have been seeing doctors and basically also got a nothing wrong with you, but here go do physical therapy, which I start in a couple of weeks, hopefully that helps. And then all of the financial BS... plumbing, dental stuff, medical diagnostics, incoming foundation repair. Most of my gaming was PC in 2024, I'd love to blame steam deck, but really it's the combo of getting on steamgifts, buying bundles, and joining backlog groups mainly for PC gaming that really guided my gaming last year... plus my general pessimism towards console gaming re:digital BS, cost of physical, shift towards lim print, etc. At some point I'll get a PC built for me, but I put it off constantly because I've got nowhere for it. Here's hoping 2025 is less shitty.
bold games are games that have been beaten, previously beaten, or are unbeatable.
italicized games are in progress.
standard games are games I am not currently trying to beat.
strikethrough games are games that have been abandoned.
Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/ignition365)
Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/user/Ignition365)
2024 52 Game Challenge
- Dreamland Solitaire (PC)
- 100 hidden fish (PC)
- Astro Bot (PS5)
- One Finger Death Punch (PC)
- 100 hidden snails (PC)
- Cats Hidden in Georgia (PC)
- Finding Paradise (PC)
- 100 hidden frogs 2 (PC)
- Minit Fun Racer (PC)
- Hidden Cats in London (PC)
- Cats Hidden in Bali (PC)
- Double Cross (PC)
- Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath (XS)
- Vulcan Venture (PC)
- TwinBee (PC)
- Sweety Little Witch (PC)
- Nemesis (PC)
- Monkey Party (PC)
- Life Force (PC)
- Cats Hidden in China (PC)
- Bar Dungeon (PC)
- Ball Fall (PC)
- Typhoon (PC)
- Temptations X: Darkest Fantasy (PC)
- Dark Fear (PC)
- ChromaGun 2 Demo (PC)
- #IDARB (X1)
- Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen (PC)
- Hidden Cats: The Last of Cats (PC)
- Hidden Cats in New York (PC)
- Cats Hidden around the World (PC)
- PictoQuest (PC)
- 100 hidden gnomes (PC)
- Katamari Damacy REROLL (PC)
- Devil May Cry 5 (PC)
- Ghostwire: Tokyo (PC)
- Forza Horizon 5 (XS)
- Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 (XS)
- Days Gone (PC)
- A Castle Full of Cats (PC)
- Cats Hidden in Italy (PC)
- Sex with the Devil (PC)
- 100 hidden mushrooms (PC)
- Cats (PC)
- Stray Cats in Cozy Town (PC)
- Wordle (PC)
- Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name (PS5)
- Cats Hidden in Germany (PC)
- Street Fighter (PC)
- Nonogram - Master's Legacy (PC)
- Heroes & Legends: Conquerors of Kolhar (PC)
- Bots are Stupid (PC)
- Elden Ring (PS4)
- Fill-a-pix (Droid)
- 100 Christmas Cats (PC)
- 100 hidden mice (PC)
- Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk (PC)
- Adventure Time: Pirate's of the Enchiridion (PC)
- KungFu Kickball (PC)
- How Buddy's parents met - jigsaw puzzle (PC)
- We <3 Katamari (XS)
- Lots of Cats in Every Moment (PC)
- An Arcade Full of Cats (PC)
- Another Crab's Treasure (XS)
- 100 Capitalist Cats (PC)
- 100 hidden aliens (PC)
Top Games played released in 2025
Top Games played NOT released in 2025
Top Games played overall in 2025
Honorable Mention
- Content posts -
Games 1 - Current (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12641.msg204017.html#msg204017)
-
reserved for content.
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1. Gris [PS5] - Finished Jan 1, 2025
(https://i.imgur.com/0WvwxEk.jpeg)
2 hours and 35 minutes into my 2025 and I have completed #1 of the journey!! :) Albiet a bite size game, Gris is a beautiful adventure and a intriguing way to start off 2025 on new years day. Really happy.
Review - Gris is from an artistic standpoint, stunning. It is basically abstract art, allowing the player to interpret what they want of it. But the general underlying theme is of grieving the death of a loved one. In the game you play a water color sort of valkyrie of song who is mourning the death of her mother. It covers all 5 steps of the stages of pain. From denial to acceptance and does it all really cool.
The gameplay style is similar to hue. Mostly platforming and puzzle. A lot of puzzle elements. Which become complex and fun later on. Never was I feeling disadvantaged or angry. I feel it balances puzzle challenge well.
The cons? Mostly the fact that the games mechanics are simple and at times mundane. This isnt a game you pick up to go action. It's more a visual, lay in bed, with a good book and some tea. And just zone out kinda game. And in that it does blissful.
I love the artistic approach. Its also free on PSN if anyone wishes to give it a spin. Its definitely not a game that is a big undertaking so it may be wonderful to enjoy digitally if you cant get a physical copy. I reccomend it.
Time to beat - 7 Hours
Score - 79.8/100
-
Completed
1. Wii Play [Wii]
2. Batman: The Brave and the Bold [Wii]
3. Wii Play Motion [Wii]
4. NiGHTS: Journey to Dreams [Wii]
Currently playing
Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Reload [Wii]
Doom [360]
Abandoned
1. New Super Mario Brothers WiiU
2. Nintendo Land WiiU
-
3 - Slime Rancher 2 (PC Early Access 2022) - Put a decent amount of hours into the game, I had fun with the first and I wasn't going to do another Early Access release, but I'm impatient, it was a good sale, and it's probably not too far away from a full release. What's here has been fun, visuals feel upgraded, some fun new features, though it's not a drastically different game. I think the big hook for the game is the Labyrinth, a new zone with some unique elements to it, but I think it needs some fine tuning. In general the game needs some fine tuning as I think slime and chicken spawns are kinda ridiculous lol It will be a fun game when it's finish, but just considering "Endless" for now until it gets an actual ending.
-
One day into the year and I'm already on the board!
1. Max Payne (XBOX)
At some point in the early 2000s, a friend of mine wouldn't shut the hell up about this game and how good it was, and also I remember seeing those commercials for Max Payne when I'd stay up late at night watching MTV. I finally decided to play Max Payne by renting it on the PS2. I remember enjoying the game up to a very specific point where the game broke me. It wasn't some crazy hard part, but rather it was the first of several bad dream sections that I can attest are still absolutely horrible. The only difference is that I had resources to find on the internet this time around which made them a lot easier. Still, these dream maze sections were just as jarringly annoying in 2025 as they were in 2001 or 2002 when I last played Max Payne. With that out of the way, the rest of Max Payne's gameplay is pretty good for the most part. The bullet time mechanic that the game became famous for is very fun, albeit it can be fairly clunky at times in certain sections of the game. Speaking of sections, there are a handful of them that can have a poor flow or just be designed in a way that feels fairly cheap. One other gripe I have about the gameplay is while there is bountiful ammo for nearly every weapon, pills which heal you are in woefully short supply and contribute heavily to this games noteworthy difficulty. While the gameplay is pretty good, what really shines in Max Payne is its presentation. The art style, graphics, and comic book like cut scenes just work perfectly for this game. There is a level of self aware cheese that while having a low budget feel, also contributes heavily to this games charm. Playing through Max Payne not only nailed the neo noir setting it's going for, but also really has that distinct early 2000s vibe and feel to it. The story, while nothing groundbreaking, is also mostly well written and interesting and you are seeking revenge for the death of your wife and kid, and as you get closer and closer to those responsible for their deaths, you unravel a huge conspiracy involving a drug called Valkyrie while you're on your revenge question. Finally, the OST, voice acting, and everything else is pretty damn good and fits in very well with the neo noir setting and story. If not for some annoyances with the gameplay and some god awful sections, Max Payne might have been one of the better games I've ever played. But it's a big enough issue to where this game is absolutely worth playing and pretty fun, but maybe not the amazing masterpiece some people claim it is. (1/1/25) [38/50]
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green games are games that have been beaten/endless in 2025
blue games are in progress.
standard games are games I am not currently trying to beat or have been beat in previous years.
red games are games that have been abandoned.
1. Major League Manager (PC)
2. Fallout: New Vegas (Steam)
3. Katamari Damacy Reroll (Steam)
4. Hyperdimension Neptunia Rebirth 1 (Steam)
5. Final Fantasy (NES)
6. Final Fantasy VI (SFC)
7. Postal 2 (Steam)
8. Dragon Age II (Steam)
9. Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen (Steam)
10. Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga (Steam)
11. Xevious (NES)
12. Crashlands (Steam)
13. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Steam)
14. Kingdom Hearts (PS2) [JP]
15. Saints Row the Third (Steam)
16. Citizens of Earth (Steam)
17. Bram Stoker's Dracula (SNES)
18. Castlevania (NES)
19. Blood (Steam)
20. Minecraft (Craftoria, Nomifactory, GT New Horizons, Madpack 5, Enigmatica 2)
21. Fallout 3 (Steam)
22. Civilization V (Steam)
23. Civilization VI (Steam)
24. Destiny 2 (Steam)
25. Pinball Arcade (Steam)
26. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2)
Demo
1. Spyro Year of the Dragon (PS1)
2. Crash Bash (PS1)
3. Grind Session (PS1)
4. MLB 2001 (PS1)
5. Medievil II (PS1)
6. Jarret & Labonte Stock Car Racing (PS1)
Totals
played: 26
beaten: 1
abandoned: 7
demo: 6
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1. Bomb Rush Cyberfunk
Game one. Let's go!! I got as far as I could in this before dropping it but I'm marking it as completed because I got through about (by my estimate) 85% of it or so. I can always YouTube the rest of the stuff if I feel like it. This is the successor to Jet Set that folks have been asking for. Sadly, for me at least, that means that I'm HORRIBLE at it. I recognized when it got too frustrating for me; I didn't want to force myself to finish it and not have a good outlook on it. If you liked the series on Dreamcast and Xbox, then you'll like this successor. And yes, the soundtrack absolutely slaps, hits, and whatever-else the kids say these days.
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2. Reynatis
First platinum of the year! I'll write a review for this one at some point with a lot more information. Unsurprisingly, I actually liked it. But, that's on brand for me. I liked Lost Dimension. I liked Crymachina. I even liked Monark. So, me liking this isn't too surprising. I had two major issues. The first was when you were in Liberated Mode outside Another. It was a nuisance with the way you'd trend so quickly. It meant having to exit/re-enter the place I was exploring. The other issue was with the story. I still can't tell you half the stuff they were talking about. Marin wants to be the strongest. Sari wants to eradicate rubrum. Everything else that happened with the enemies, Legacies, etc? I have no clue. Oh well. Fun game. Fun characters. Eager to get a thorough review up for it.
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2. Donkey Kong Country [SNES] Completed Jan 3rd, 2025
(https://i.imgur.com/wOvKCXj.jpeg)
Review - Pheww.... My oh my, the glorious Donkey Kong Country. I know to most, it's a dearly held friend on a cold stormy night. But to me it was a stranger introduced to me by my girlfriend. A new entry. I have no nostalgia. No history with it. Pure first time play. I love that. I began my DKC journey in 2024. Gave up, failed. And suffered. The game is bluntly difficult. But in a way that you learn the methods to it's madness.
The game has a certain goofyness to the control scheme that can only be described as hilariously hard. The jump zones tend to be milimeters of difference between landing and dying. The enemy placement especially in water levels is almost mario maker level designed to anger you. A lot of the levels you can't one shot without learning the levels patterns. Cliches. And although its a true test of resiliance at times, it's the glory of a time since passed. When games were a sort of triumph to defeat. When you seen end credits roll, you just felt like you did something lol. And I miss that. And I love love, LOVED visiting this game.
The score is glorious and probably the best part of the game. Cart levels are dark and ominous sounding. Water levels sound like a groovy 1990s submersible. The whole thing feels extremely tropical and wavey. The electro synth introductions by rareware seem to just pluck the soul strings like choirs of above. The game is really well put together for a game of it's time.
The only flaws I can reach to come up with of the game are usually me being humbled by its difficulty lol. Things like placing enemies in exits to levels (cruel. Basicslly the Asthon Kutcher punk'd of video games) overall. The game is one of super nintendos finest. The controls feel almost inflatable but somehow still float once you master them.
It was hard. I need a good nap lol. It's just really hard. But also a treat in every way. The pyramid design. The levels where you gotta keep pace to hit on and off switches to make rails. It's all really rad and ahead of it's time.
Rating - 90.20/100
Time to beat - 7 hours. 30 minutes on the final boss alone lol. I suck at the game.
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01 - Cosmic Spacehead (Game Gear)
https://vgcollect.com/item/8545
I have this game in my collection for a few years now, and I remember having failed miserably in one of the early action sequences, so I gave it another try a few days ago...
Talking about gameplay, this one's a mixture of point and click pictures divided by small platforming sequences. The only point and click games I ever really played were Syberia and Syberia II which I kind of enjoyed I guess.
Having played a lot of Game Gear's PAL-library, I can tell that Cosmic Spacehead stands out for it's big colourful visuals. Having played many platformers in the past few years, some of the action sequences between locations were still a bit frustrating, but there's no fun without at least a bit of challenge. The point and click sequences were a bit brainbending to ME but I guess fans of this genre consider this game easy.
All in all this mixture of genre works well in this case and lacks a comparable counterpart on this platform and region.
I recommend it as one of the more playable/enjoyable titles of PAL Game Gear and as a short little game between longer lasting gaming projects.
PS.: don't consider this post a serious entry in this challenge. Most games I beat in one year was little over 30. But I'll submit as much as I can to give you guys my review of the games I finish this year. Nevertheless is this challenge a great way to keep on returning to my pile of shame 8)
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2. Virtua Fighter 4: Final Tuned (Arcade)
While I enjoyed Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution, it didn't wow me or make me want to necessarily go back and replay it over and over again. Doing some research online, everyone seemed to swear up and down that the final release of VF4, Final Tuned, was leagues better than Evolution despite the only major difference between the two versions being gameplay and balancing tweaks. I was skeptical enough to where I held off on trying to get this game working in a Naomi 2 emulator again, but I did and I am so, so happy I did!
It's amazing how much more enjoyable VF4: Final Tuned is to play compared to either Evolution or vanilla 4. Everything feels way more balanced in terms of difficulty, and in a rare fighting game feat, no character or two characters seem to be holding all the cards. On top of that, playing this game on an emulator without crappy composite cables or limitations of a home console to muddy up the visuals made this game pop in a way that VF4 Evolution on the PS2 just didn't. Audio wise, it's more or less the same, but it wasn't bad before by any means. I meant to play this game just for an hour or so, but ended up spending a considerable amount of today on and off playing Final Tuned between getting work done. My only gripe that has nothing to do with the game is the fact that emulating this game led to several glitches that made a few stages unplayable whenever I'd reach them. But even with about 2 stages unplayable, the rest of the game was an absolute dream to play for a fighting game. I'm so glad I decided to give this game a chance! (1/3/25) [38/50]
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I didn't originally plan on playing as much Vampire Survivors as I did. It's just wildly addictive. I ended up beating the base game and all the different DLCs and getting a ton of collectibles and achievements.
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3. Dead or Alive 3 (XBOX)
Despite how much I loved DOA2 on the Dreamcast growing up, I never once played DOA3 on the XBOX until this evening. While my fondness for DOA2 has faded in recent years, I still hold it in fairly high regard, especially with how impressive it was visually at the time it came out. DOA3 in many ways feels like an enhanced version of 2, rather than a sequel. The gameplay, while supposedly different than 2, feels pretty much the same to me. Visually, the game also looks pretty much the same despite being newer. If it weren't for the all new levels, more levels, and a few new characters, this really wouldn't feel like much of a sequel at all. But for what it's worth, most of the same things that charmed me in DOA2 did so in DOA3 too. I just wish DOA3 would have moved the needle a little more than it did to make it truly feel like the sequel I was hoping it would be. (1/3/25) [35/50]
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3. Super Mario World [SNES] - Finished Jan 5th, 2025 (No Warps Or Shortcuts)
(https://i.imgur.com/H6SXmTT.jpeg)
Review - I mean dawg, come on. It's super mario world lol. Now if I had to pick a game to show Aliens. To say. This is what gaming is. This is video games. Id choose this one and maybe tetris. The game is so accessible yet also a purist haven of collecting, secrets and later level difficulty.
I love that its a game a 7 yr old can smile playing and a game a 45 yr old can smile playing. And that feeling carry over 3 decades.
It used to be one of my christmas traditions. Id fire up the snes classic or my snes. And beat smw every Christmas. I wasnt alive to have played this game on christmas when it released. But I do it to try to feel what kids felt in the glory days. I havent done that tradition in years. But fired up some SMW and took her down :)
I have beaten this game maybe 7 to 10 times. And each time it doesnt lose its luster. The final boss is so fun. The level design is impeccable. It gives you just enough to plot your jump sequence but not too much to where it feels cruel. Imagine a world where Bowser is called Tim the Tortoise. Ponder that.
In general SMW is excellence in every way. The score is the John Williams of video games. The platforming is impeccable. And even with me trying to imply a very strict rating system. Its a flawless game. I cant name a flaw. To me no mario side scroller has come close since and never will again.
Rating - 100/100
Time to beat - 5 or so hours.
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02 - Slider (SEGA Game Gear)
Highscore: 95.330
https://vgcollect.com/item/8650
This is another game out of my Game Gear cartridge collection that I own for several years. I tried it once and almost beat it, but my handhelds screen gave up and had to be replaced (one of the best gaming investions ever for me).
Slider is a classic arcade/puzzle game where the goal is to turn all blue level tiles into red ones by stepping (sliding) over them to finish 99 levels filled with fast sliding, fireball-shooting or homing monsters and different types of tiles and traps.
Being able to shoot the enemies and even pick up different shots as pickups made playing this game a fun experience for me. Graphics are just fine for a GG game from early 92. Music gets kinda boring quite soon due to the fact that there aren't many scores in total and the ones given all seem kinda generic and yea ... boring. This doesn't affect the addictiveness of gameplay though. Every level has a password so progress can be 'saved'.
It took me three sessions of a few hours to beat this game. Some levels really are a pain in the rear but there's always a chance of getting a level-skip pickup if you're stuck.
I'm still grinding mages in Final Fantasy IV in daily hour shifts, so this game was another in-between ... more to come
PS.: don't consider this post a serious entry in this challenge. Most games I beat in one year was little over 30. But I'll submit as much as I can to give you guys my review of the games I finish this year. Nevertheless is this challenge a great way to keep on returning to my pile of shame
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01. Silent Hill: Shattered Memories || PlayStation 2 || 01.02.25
(https://i.imgur.com/XRwK2jc.jpeg) (https://i.imgur.com/I7ABkFz.jpeg)
As I near the end of my time playing through the Silent Hill franchise, the next entry for me to play was Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. Before playing, I was aware that this entry is regarded as the franchise's first major outlier, though for what reasons I wasn't sure. Later on in the fifth paragraph, I'll be mentioning certain aspects about the game which some would consider to be a spoiler, so be aware of that.
In a way, Shattered Memories is not an original entry to the franchise as it's an re-imagining of the debut title. The same general plot revolving around Harry Mason exploring the town of Silent Hill in search of his daughter Cheryl exists, but the details regarding them and the events which occur have been altered. Now, Harry is plagued with a severely unreliable memory after a car crash, and he moves forward in a constant state of confusion. While wandering, there is a lot to explore and discover, including hidden memories which serve as the game's collectibles. Some of these items of interest seem to relate to Harry, though others don't and instead to Silent Hill townspeople on a general level. Nevertheless, they're presented like fragments of reality or possible one's perception of it, and how they're interconnected to tell a story is engaging enough. They all come in the form of text messages or voicemails utilizing Harry's cell phone, which is one of the game's major mechanics emphasized. I'll also now mention the game's point-and-click type interactions. They're sometimes a sort of puzzle, though they're mostly a means to introduce simple motions controls to access items, as the game was originally developed for the Wii.
Throughout Harry's journey, there are plenty of world-building details which Harry comments on and interacts with. While almost entirely optional, another mechanic introduced is Harry's ability to make phone calls, which there are over fifty to find that yield some sort of conversation or voicemail to occur. They're an interesting inclusion and, as suggested, sometimes required to progress the narrative, though they're largely irrelevant to Harry or the story. At the same time, different environments are introduced which veterans of the series will have never encountered. In smaller-sized places such as indoor rooms, there is usually some detail that's nice to inspect, though more open areas suffer from becoming an empty expanse with little to see.
However, where Shattered Memories differs most is in its approach to horror. Unlike previous entries, there is no combat whatsoever. Instead, there are chase sequences with monsters that trigger in the same way as with other games, when the fog world transforms into the otherworld. During these segments, the player is needing to reach some end destination while navigating open-ended routes. Generally, they're not complicated although it's certainly possible to become lost, or at least running in loops. Though checking the map is recommended, I found myself not really ever having the opportunity to do so as I needed to prioritize Harry's safety. While running, enemies will lunge to grab at Harry, and a quick time event appears to throw them off, and multiple enemies can attack at once. Over time, Harry's speed slows down which makes the task more difficult. Flares may also be found which wards them slightly, hiding in large environmental spaces like lockers is possible, and other environmental objects can thrown to the floor to interrupt the monsters' path too.
Meanwhile, the game's exploration segments will periodically transition to a therapist's office at certain narrative checkpoints. Here, the Psych Profile system is implemented, though it's never outright divulged. Through the game, all sorts of simple tasks such as answering questionnaires and completing a Rorschach test are introduced. While they seem like just another foreign game mechanic to set the game apart from its predecessors, they're actually a complex system that influences a multitude of details about the game, and they're entirely dependent on the choices players make. For instance, how Silent Hill is designed which determines what's accessible or not is a major variable. But this isn't the only system. Small ways such as how the player controls Harry also influences certain narrative events and details. In no way was I expecting this level of personalization prior to playing, and I found it to be the game's greatest strength.
Before playing, I didn't really have any expectations for Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, though I was aware of its somewhat mixed reception. There are certain aspects such as the Psych Profile that I think are executed quite effectively and to the surprise of the player which easily invites multiple playthroughs. Still, it's a game that would have benefited from more development time toward puzzle and environment design. Also, my opinion of the game's genre is that it's completely removed from the survival horror genre and instead a straightforward adventure game with horror elements much like most modern horror games. This isn't a criticism, though—I'm ultimately fine with this departure as it works well for this installment.
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First game completed of 2025 -- Astrobot (PS5)
The Astrobot series continues to be charming and nostalgic. While I have yet to find every bot, I'm nearing the 300 mark and decided to look at who all had been included. My favorite renditions are of course Uncharted and Resident Evil, but there are literally hundreds of characters from various games throughout Playstation's history. Too many of the Ape Escape monkey's IMO, but it is what it is. Oddly missing from the roster are any from Mass Effect, Final Fantasy 7, Assassin's Creed and even Sony's own Twisted Metal. Perhaps those will be DLC levels?
Regardless, a fun classic feeling platforming game with tons to unlock and explore. The kids are loving their playthroughs as well.
(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/5iGfRxWJp4A/hq720.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEhCK4FEIIDSFryq4qpAxMIARUAAAAAGAElAADIQj0AgKJD&rs=AOn4CLBNSABNKtXD1dPlUbcWLQ6zz4uStQ)
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRnpdW5D5nhX2HTdx0aYrDl9r93ytUUxIwaeQ&s)
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02. Titanic Mystery || Wii || 01.04.25
(https://i.imgur.com/qxpCNfA.jpeg)
Despite owning Titanic Mystery, it's not a game I purchased nor ever had any desire to play. Years ago, someone else in the household bought it for some reason—I suppose to purposely buy shovelware that looked promising or, at minimum, to buy a game that's objectively so bad that it could somehow be construed as fun to play and make fun of in a group setting.
Before describing gameplay, I'll first mention that Titanic Mystery does offer a narrative to follow, although I began skipping over most of it about a quarter-way into my playthrough. In short, one hundred years have past since the Titanic's shipwreck, and the centennial celebration has led for the creation and passage of the Titanic II. Aboard the ship, all of its guests and crew members are descendants from the original passengers of the Titanic. Shortly after the voyage has begun, though, it's revealed through found notes that someone aboard has hidden a bomb, and this person repeatedly leaves the player-character follow-up notes that more-or-less repeat the same sentiment each time for the majority of the game: that the terrorist is a passenger and that we'll figure out their identity as scattered diary pages are discovered all throughout the ship that can only be collected after hidden items are found. If not, the bomb will detonate. Simply put, it's a real never-ending effort for quite some time, and that the terrorist plans to abandon their attack once puzzles are solved shows quite the dedication they have toward the end goal. Alongside the terrorist's notes, the found diary pages were written from a guest aboard the Titanic, but I wasn't invested in this sub-plot. All of the game's dialogue and found notes are voiced, which was one of the game's fewest strengths, though voice work itself isn't particularly strong.
Concerning gameplay, it is chiefly characterized by hidden object puzzle-solving. In short, gameplay is terrible. Instead of crafted puzzles with items strategically hidden, items are instead littered about. Some items are quite obvious to find, but others are far in the background at such small sizes where they can't be discerned. No matter where they're located, items are presented with low resolution as bitmapped images, so understanding what they're supposed to even be becomes a challenge in itself. What's worse is that the experience is made much more irritating as a result of some items needing to be clicked on with certain unspecified precision, so formally finding them becomes an issue as players will either be unsure if it's the item they're needing to find at all or if they just mis-clicked. The play experience is even worsened as the game advanced, as areas are revisited 2–4 additional times. Fortunately, though, items to find and items shown on screen are randomized, so it doesn't always feel as if the same stage is being replayed (at least not entirely replayed.)
Alongside the main objective, there are also more traditional puzzles which appear periodically to solve. Unlike the hidden object puzzles, there is actually a good variety in puzzle type presented in this section, although the quality of them also vary considerably as some are elementary while others prove to be challenging. For some, the means to solve them are convoluted with broken systems resulting in failure even if the player action is done correctly. Fortunately, though, all of these secondary puzzles can be skipped entirely, which I did take advantage of on occasion after some annoyances. There is a penalty for taking such action, but it's not one I imagine many players would care about, as it relates to the player's high score that's determined by player completion time. Should the player desire, these puzzles can be revisited from the main menu.
Unsurprisingly, Titanic Mystery is an all-around bad game, and I can't in any way recommend to others to play it. I was taken aback some when finding out later on that the game received a modern port for Nintendo Switch.
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4 - Get To Work (PC 2024) - BEAT - I'm generally not the person that wants super hard experiences, I almost always play games on normal difficulty, I almost never play on whatever the hardest difficulty is, I don't replay FromSoft games to make them harder and harder, and I don't often play rage games. There have been exceptions, such as Jump King, which I did for the art and it had a very straightforward control scheme (Still quite hard, still haven't been New Babe + yet), and I played a good few hours of Pogostuck, but that game was too hard and I dropped it.
This game won me over because I saw someone playing the opening area while blasting the Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 to 4 playlist on Youtube lol
It's fun, basically you are a guy with multiple rollerblades on him, sliding up ramps and platforms as a metaphor for getting a job and climbing the business hierarchy. It's goofy, but the game is entirely built around controlling your momentum, either leaning in to speed up, letting go to slow yourself, and grabbing if you need to stop. It feels really good to get around and I think it offers a lot of leniency a lot of rage games don't do, like when you are done with a section (There's...6 or 7 separate zones I think?), you never return to the previous zones. You can certainly have really bad falls that cause you to lose tons and tons of time, but it's never returning to the beginning of the game or previous zones.
I still have to beat the bonus endgame, which I will eventually, but I had fun with this, took me around 6 and a half hours to get through, Upper Management/Vice President was brutal, but I had a good time.
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4. Silent Hill 2 (PS5)
Being a huge fan of the original, I picked Silent Hill 2 remake up the day it came out in October despite knowing I was too busy with studying to play it until weeks or months later. Well, that time passed, as did the holidays, and I finally got around to playing a game I was very excited for, especially after finding out Konami did an excellent job in remaking the original classic. After beating SH2 remake I can full heartedly agree with all the positive reviews and press this game has received.
Like the original game, the remake is an outstanding example of survival and psychological horror. The game is wrapped in layers of depth from the main character, James' psyche that manifest in form of the once quant town of Silent Hill turning more and more into a horrific nightmare filled with equally horrific monsters. The presentation of all this in the remake lacks a tiny bit of punch and impact of the original, but not by much. The game looks both gorgeous and horrific at the same time, and SH2 remake does a masterful job at unnerving the player with its visual presentation. In fact, SH2 remake is the creepiest game I've ever played, in no small part because of the graphics and visuals. More than the visuals, however, the audio in this game are absolutely perfect. Everything from the soundtrack, to the unnerving noises and sounds you hear throughout the game, to the no longer ridiculous voice acting from the original all equate to a flawless auditory presentation. Part of me misses the borderline bad voice acting from the first game, but SH2 remake does offer its own charm in being a competently voice acted, and it definitely helps deliver the more serious nature of the story and plot. Perhaps the biggest improvement over the original SH2 is the remake's gameplay. While there are some annoying sections, enemies, and bosses that may have not been designed as well as they could have, overall the gunplay, layouts of the areas, puzzles, and controls are very good for the most part. This isn't something I can necessarily say about the original whose gameplay felt pretty clunky and stiff. With all that said, the real question is whether I prefer the original or if the remake has trumped it. Even though its by a very thin margin, I do prefer the remake slightly more, mostly due to its improvements in gameplay. I'd absolutely love to replay either, however seeing how despite being based on the same story and premise, the two versions have their own distinct feel and identity and do satisfy in different ways, while offering enough that is different to really make both an enjoyable experience. (1/7/25) [43/50]
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5 - DayZ (PC 2018) - ENDLESS - Put enough time into this over the past week to count it, I got in the mood to attempt the Deer Isle adventure, it's a big mod map that got a big update sometime last year. I think it's one of the coolest maps in the game, I know Namalsk is kinda the big favorite for mod maps, but I like the scale, the locations, and like Namalsk, there's a big adventure to be had.
You have to pick up gas zone gear to get a special capsule at one corner of the map, then go to another location on an island to get a keycard, then make a huge trip to a bunker high up in a mountain to get a special staff, to then use the capsule to cause a smoke creature to appear and with staff in hand, get teleported to an ancient temple, to then progress through a very challenging temple, to get a hammer part to connect to the staff (It's Thor's hammer), and then you need to put together a special cold suit after leaving the temple and go all the way to the further corner of the map, where you have to use the hammer to get into another temple, and then progress through that temple to get a keycard, and then take that keycard, your cold suit and your gas zone gear, to go to an abandoned aircraft carrier to get the best weapons in the game...it's a lot lol
I'm up to the first keycard and heading to the bunker lol It's a very longwinded thing and it takes many, many, hours to do. I'm playing on pretty low pop servers (Two characters currently to try and do it), as I don't care about fighting anyone, but dying has caused me to restart it a few times, probably put at least 20 hours into it so far as it can be hard to get certain parts sometimes (Full NBC gas zone kit doesn't always work out). I actually started yesterday on a server that has a viral mod, so I run the risk of getting infected by I think the zombies that sometimes throwup blood, but I did stumble across an antivirus, so I'm safe from it, but that adds a nice bonus challenge since I'm basically just doing PVE. There's only only a couple places I might meet the couple other players I've seen on the server, and I just left 3 of those spots, and heading to probably the last and most popular soon next, but should be okay.
So easy to just lose hours in this game just traveling, can be very chill like that if you don't have to worry about the cold or food or an illness.
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4. The Legend Of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom [NS] Finished Jan, 8th 2025
(https://i.imgur.com/zZ0dmn4.jpg)
ZOTY
Review - Where do I begin. Zelda Echoes of Wisdom is bascially a love letter to fans. It's got elements of Zelda of before with new reimaginings of Modern day puzzles. Tri is truly a beautifully designed sidekick and everything annoying Navi wishes it was. Navi looks in the mirror and wishes it was Tri lol. The personality bubbling within this game is warm as can be.
Playing as Zelda is a fresh idea and the battle elements being unique to her give players wishing for change in the franchise that change. Never does Zelda feel like Link with a pink dress on. They didnt copy and paste the entire bag. Zelda is her own beast and rightfully so. This game gives Princess of Hyrule her own badassery in the way peach has gotten with showtime and super princess peach in the past. But ramps it up 2000.
From the dialogue. It paints Zelda as not a damsel but as a heroine. And this will come back to bite the game later. Not enough to hurt it. But noticable.
But before I get into that. I will say. Zelda is incredibly designed. Not derivative. And overall a excellent heroine. And in her simplicity comes complexity. The world is booming with life. The colorful characters really sell the journey and theirs more memorable moments to count.
SMALL CONS
Slight spoilers here. So dont read on if you dont want that.
Minor spoilers ahead
One of the more potent gripes I have. Is they give you the sensation that Zelda is the hero. In every way she transcends the franchise archetype. They make the character feel and play. Independent and bold. The whole game. Only for the end. The literal final boss of the game. They by FORCE make you into Link's damsel. Link's foot stool. Just completely throw you into his shadow and make you his proverbial play thing. Tehe. Give your weapons to link. You upgraded them the whole game. But hand them over. Link is gonna save the day. And why??? Link has his own shit. And even if he didnt. Womp womp. Zelda is the priestess. The all magical one who saved Hyrule from like a dozen rifts. I wont get to deep into the why. Because I want low spoilers in my reviews. But man. Why on earth would they make you lead all along. Then play second fiddle to Link right at the end. I liked the tandem. I wish they gave link his own supplies. I shouldnt have to give up my entire life progress for links ego. Made me feel like a 1950s housewife lol.
I know it sounds like im angry at the game. But the contrary. This critique is small. And more like a pet peeve. Otherwise the game is stellar in every regard. The scores give chills. The play style is wonderfully creative. And the puzzles kept me charmed and entertained without being too stubborn or brutal. The animals. Smoothies. The environment and especially the echoes. Are so glorious. It makes it so theirs no one way to play. I found myself using water blocks to ascend. Some may use beds as steps. Use ice blocks. Concrete. It's unique and one of the best Zelda games ive ever played. Im so bewildered with it that I clapped at the credits :)
A masterpiece.
Rating - 95/100
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5. Mario Kart Wii (Wii)
After the panic inducing stress fest that was Silent Hill 2 remake, I felt like I needed to play something way more casual and lighthearted, so I decided to pick up a game I've somehow never actually played despite how much of a fan I am of the franchise.
Mario Kart Wii was way better than I expected it to be. Having dumped hundreds, if not thousands of hours into Mario Kart 8, it's been hard going back and replaying some of the older titles just because of how incredible 8 is. I was really surprised by how much fun Mario Kart Wii is despite it definitely feeling less refined than 8 in multiple ways, but it was still an incredibly fun and charming game. The gameplay, while not tight as a drum, is still very good. If not for some wonky physics on the 150cc races and the motorcycles being a bit awkward, the controls and gameplay are very well done. The levels, both original and ported over from older MK titles, are mostly all excellent with a few exceptions too. I'm also a fan of how a lot of the game and its content requires it to be unlocked through playing and winning various cups at differ cc levels. Visually, Mario Kart Wii is ultra vibrant, colorful, and just has incredible stage art that makes this game very appealing to the eyes. Even though the Wii was a significantly under powered console for its time, it still stands as a very good looking game and one I'd barely change anything about. Finally, the OST is also top notch as one would expect with some very catchy tracks, as well as tracks from older MK titles that are just as good as ever. Even in a world where we have Mario Kart 7 and 8, I can absolutely say this game is worth owning and playing even still. (1/8/24) [39/50]
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3. Chrono Trigger DS - Float Away
For the last month or so, I've been doing a New Game Plus run on Chrono Trigger; a game I've played close to a hundred times. I decided to finish the game for a first time with the adorable Float Away ending where you use your Epoch to battering ram into Lavos and skip part of the fight. I still ship Lucca x Crono instead of Marle x Crono, but there's no denying that this is a cute and heartwarming ending. It's not my favorite, though. That will come when I reboot the game and head through the Black Omen to take down Queen Zeal.
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Aight, 2025 challenge let's go! Here to set up my base post :)
Really happy with my 2024 result. 29 games beaten in total (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12641.msg204242.html#msg204242), 26 of which for the first time. And played some absolute gems. I doubt I'll hit that number again this year, as I've got a pretty busy year ahead of me, but nevertheless looking forward to what games I'll be playing this year!
Beat:
- Gori: Cuddly Carnage [PC/Steam Deck, GOG]
- Shantae and the Pirate's Curse [3DS]
- Miraculous: Paris Under Siege [PC/Steam Deck]
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Booster Course Pass (DLC) [Switch]
(Purple = started it last year or earlier)
(Orange = already beat it before)
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1. Gori: Cuddly Carnage
(https://image.api.playstation.com/vulcan/ap/rnd/202305/2615/3424b1b387ab0ebdfe46944ac071ac66c6c14223f9ffeca9.png)
GORI CUDDLY CARNAAAGE! He's a cat on a hoverboard fighting unicorns!
Hot damn. What a game to kick off the new year with! I started this game in December, but I just beat it, and I absolutely love it. Gori: Cuddly Carnage a fast-paced hack-'n-slash in which you play as a cat on a hoverboard, grinding along rails and taking out hordes of zombie-unicorns and horrific corrupted toys. It's ridiculously over-the-top, with the corrupted toy-enemies exploding in puddles of blood and your hoverboard cursing constantly. And that's how I like it: wacky, over-the-top and wild. That's not all the game has going for it though: its gameplay is also fantastic. Being a hack-and-slash, of course the game is fast-paced. But being on a hoverboard gives it a whole new feel. It becomes a lot more about zipping around your enemies, taking out the right ones at the right time and using your movement to your advantage. It's slick as hell.
I may still be a bit overhyped, but I could see this becoming one of my top 10 favourite games of all time. I'm dead serious. I wouldn't expect it to get to quite that level for others, but it's just the perfect game for me. As a massive lover of hack-and-slashes and of silly, over-the-top, campy madness, this game was just amazing. I'm not even kidding when I say I felt more badass playing this than Devil May Cry 5. It's available on PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC (via GOG, Steam and Epic Games). PLEASE go check it out and give it some love. It really deserves it.
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03. A Dark Room || Browser || 01.07.25
(https://i.imgur.com/8WJBYRO.jpeg) (https://i.imgur.com/jSwCvY3.jpeg)
By chance, I found myself introduced to A Dark Room while reading about another game which references it as inspiration. After interacting with it for a minute or two, I was curious enough to see what more of the game would play like as it expanded, and I quickly became captivated. Much of what this game offers benefits from a blind playthrough, so those curious may be inclined to skip the fourth paragraph below in particular.
What A Dark Room is exactly is never outright explained, and the experience is heavily dependent on player self-discovery. Be that as it may, online discussion describes it foremost as an incremental game that's completely text-based, devoid of graphics of any kind. Beginning with only a smoldering fire to tend to, players control the unnamed protagonist who, in time, slowly builds up resources from at first one person to eventually a sizable community. During this section of the game, the player is constantly juggling how resources are managed by allocating each villager a role to assume. One item will often require another to be obtained, and at a much higher rate too. For instance, the cost of gaining 1 Cured Meat is 5 Meat and 5 Wood. As the campaign progresses, these resources can be upgraded to increase their efficiency and yield output. However, action cannot be taken freely. Instead, each action is given a cooldown period while villagers who supply resources only complete their work once a predetermined amount of time has past.
During this time, a variety of events may trigger randomly. A fire may become uncontrollable, destroying one of the village's huts. A thief may be apprehended, with their fate being left for you to decide. Plague may overcome your people, decimating upwards of 90% of the population. Additionally, certain events also bring the possibility of player perks which influence other aspects of the game mentioned below. I don't imagine most playthroughs to experience all of these encounters (especially in regards to the events which offer perks as a reward) as I only encountered several of many, so these randomized events introduce a lot to to the campaign while making each playthrough different from another.
After much time has past and micromanaging has been done, players will eventually discover there's another genre of gameplay to experience. Alongside the resource-gathering and community-building aspects, A Dark Room eventually unveils its RPG random battle and exploration mechanics which utilize text characters that represent the world map and enemies. At first, exploration is limited as players map out the world with each new step, though the distance players can travel slowly increases alongside the supply capacity of health and water--two vital resources which must be maintained. The player's main focus while exploring should be monitoring these resources, as exhausting them completely will respawn you back to the village with the inventory of items you took and gained all being removed, and any portion of the map that was revealed reverts back too. Much like the resource management aspect of the game, combat and battle actions are dependent on cooldown meters. What may seem like an approachable challenge is often not as actions taken from both sides of battle are greatly influenced by accuracy. Eventually, combat becomes much more involved and even strategic as players accrue an assortment of weapon types which can be used in conjunction with another, each with their own cooldown meter.
With its minimalist text-based design, A Dark Room is able to focus on the each of its genres' fundamentals in a way that felt rewarding. Naturally, this is achieved through what's visually conveyed such as with the cooldown meters, even in spite of the game's lack of traditional visuals. Of course, sound complements text, though its use is subtle. My favorite example of sound is through the game's very first interactable component, the fire itself which lights the introductory cave. As time progresses, the fire will die back down to a quiet set piece, though using 1 Wood (an entirely expendable resource) lights the flames ablaze once more to a roaring crackle. I'm not even sure if maintaining the fire is required, but it seemed like some symbolic mechanic to manage that represents the start of this adventure, nonetheless. The burning flame especially interests me, because it changes over time yet isn't portrayed visually in any capacity. Only its sounds and text descriptions bring it to life.
Discovering A Dark Room organically by chance brought me the totally rare experience of playing a game on a whim and becoming totally engaged with it, only to then find out its popularity and critical reception. Perhaps it was just the game I was needing to play for my current mood, but A Dark Room is the best game I've played in the last few years.
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Was in an arcade racing game mood last night and decided to play two 90s Sega classics I missed out on as a kid. While one I would definitely say is deserving of the title of classic, the other I'm not so sure about.
6. ManxTT Superbike (Arcade)
I've seen this game on the Saturn countless times over the years and it always had an appeal to me since it was developed by Sega and also it came out around that time when Daytona USA was on top of the arcade world. In other words, I had fairly high expectations of this game. Unfortunately, there expectations were far from met. This is just sort of boring and unremarkable for the most part. There isn't anything special or particularly interesting about the very limited stages you race through, and even the other bikers and bystanders look pretty bad, even compared with the rest of the visuals. The gameplay is also not amazing, but not terrible either. I found the AI to be fairly punishing and also the bike seems overly sensitive with anything other that fairly sharp turns. Maybe I could have adapted to it if I'd played ManxTT long enough, but I just couldn't bring myself to play this game any longer than I had to to finish it. I will say the audio is pretty good, and sadly is probably the game's best quality. While I'm happy I finally played this game and have no regrets about the 20 minutes or so it took me to finish it, I still have nio desire to replay this game ever again. (1/11/25) [25/50]
7. Sega Rally Championship (Arcade)
Now this game was a real gem! For a racing game released in the mid 90s, I was surprised by how good the racing physics were in this game, particularly how different your car handles depending on if the surface you're on is gravel, pavement, or water. Not only that, but the game is the right amount of challenge while also controlling pretty well for the most part. Visually the game looks WAY better than ManX TT too in literally every way. There are cool set pieces in every stage, there is more going on in the backgrounds, and just overall the stages look more vibrant and detailed. The audio is also better than the previous game, although by not as wide a margin as its other attributes. I can't say I'm head over heals in love with Sega Rally Championship, but at the very least it was more enjoyable than I expected and definitely can hold its own with the other mid 90s arcade racing greats. (1/11/25) [32/50]
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4. Ys X: Nordics
I had a lot of highs and lows with this one. I think I prefer Adol's adventures to be solo, but Karja really grew on me near the end. She stayed true to herself despite growing attached to Adol (in multiple ways) and learning of her origins. I liked that the story paid homage to Viking and Norse lore. The action was solid nine times out of ten. Some of the bosses were just ridiculous. It felt like I was playing a shoot 'em up. I played on Normal and a few bosses just drained me of resources. This was after I "mastered" how to perfect dodge and perfect block. Still, nailing those defensive maneuvers and seeing the cinematic attacks that followed was a rush. The story never seemed to go anywhere until the end, which was tantamount to sailing on the ocean on the Sandras. I spent more time fighting currents and waves and the stupid boat then monsters. The Sandras' crew were an annoying bunch that didn't know when to stop talking so Adol and Karja could get back to saving the gulf. Ultimately, I had fun and I'm glad I played it but this wasn't the next big thing for the series.
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5. Chrono Trigger DS - Beyond Time
I finished the game again with the best ending after voyaging through the Black Omen and taking out Queen Zeal. The three heroes from 1,000 AD hop back in the time machine to do another search and rescue operation. Seeing the Epoch fly through the different ages and landscapes always hits. This game is so damn fun each time I play it. I remember starting a new file immediately after finishing it back in the days of the Super Nintendo. That first-time magic will never be recaptured, but there's still a certain something about Chrono Trigger that keeps it (pardon the word choice) timeless.
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2. Metroid Dread
Incredible game that has a very steep learning curve, even if you are well versed in Metroidvanias. It throws a ton of stuff at you right off the bat, so it's not exactly one you can ease into. The map is huge and intricate, with lots of cool powerups and abilities. It is also hard as nails, especially the bosses and the EMMI robots, which is also probably one of the bigger complaints I have (and I've seen) about the game in general - the chase sequences with the EMMIs. It's fun the first couple of times, but with how hard it is to counter their insta-death grabs they became annoying more than anything else as the game went on. I also appreciate that it added a fair amount of new information to Metroid lore, especially regarding the Chozo.
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1. Final Fantasy (NES)
First of all, this was abandoned not for the usual reasons but because of the purpose of these threads. When I had built my backlog program, I also had included games from ROM packs that I had to also download to get the ROM for a game I had but couldn't play on actual hardware. I had done this most of last year and my backlog went from over 2,000 games to over 30,000. This was really wearing me down thinking about it so over the weekend I decided to clone my database and remove all of the ROM-based entries. This leaves my backlog only with games that are in my collection here, although I am in the process of adding the software I have on disc to that list.
So Final Fantasy on NES was fine. The music wasn't that great but it wasn't as terrible as I was lead to believe. The only real issue I ran into early on was dealing with poison. And later it became somewhat annoying to deal with the paralyzing enemies but at the point I came across them my characters were strong enough to not take a lot of damage. The point I got to was just past the town with the pirates.
This game I also used to test out RetroAchievements, which is something you can sync RetroArch with. It basically adds achievements to old games which is kinda neat.
https://retroachievements.org/user/Tripredacus
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8. Dead or Alive 4 (360)
It dawned on me when I decided to play DOA4 that it's been almost exactly 20 years since I last played this game. A guy I was friends with my freshmen year of college waited outside a Best Buy the day the 360 came out just to get one. I joined him the last few hours before they started selling them, and one of the games he picked up was DOA4. I went over to his house a few days later and him and I played for about an hour or so, and I remember thinking the game was pretty fun. I decided this year I was going to catch up on the series and this was one I was eager to revisit after two decades.
Despite this game being the hardest one in the series I've played thus far, it's also an incredibly fun and rewarding game to play too. The game heavily focuses on countering and keeping combos going in order to win matches. Taking pot shots and doing chip damage on your opponent is not advised, and screwing up your approach or timing can open you up to some massive punishment from whoever you're fighting. At first I didn't care for this system when I'd get locked in a combo and watch 40% of my lifebar fade away, but eventually I learned how to avoid this and also working on doing the same to my opponent. It grew on me the longer I played until I found myself enjoying DOA4 the most I'd enjoyed a game in the series since 2. Visually, DOA4 is among the best looking games of its time period, especially the extremely memorable stages which are all vibrant, fun, and full of things to throw your opponent through and off. There are also a lot of unlockable costumes and other things in this game which really up the replay value. The OST is also the best since 2, but I wouldn't necessarily say it's better. Voice acting is also done well, as there is a story, but I found it hard to follow. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this game and played it far longer than I had intended. I liked it so much that I now find myself questioning whether I like it more than 2 which has been my longstanding favorite since playing it on the Dreamcast in the early 2000s. (1/13/25) [37/50]
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Game 1 - Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes (PS4) - 51 Hours
This game was such a pleasure to experience, despite a lot of initial hesitation on my end after years of delays and the underperforming prequel in Eiyuden Chronicles Rising. Hundred Heroes is certainly not a perfect game, but it does an incredible job of honoring it's roots from the Suikoden series but adding and expanding on a lot of the groundwork laid previously.
First, for me the absolute greatest thing about this game is the over 120 characters that you can recruit and add to your team or use to bolster your home base. It blends perfectly with the story which is based around building an army to resist an empire. This is nothing new if you've played any past Suikoden game. I personally felt like the diverse cast available to you was such much fun to search out and recruit, and the dedication to voicing and characterizing all of these individuals was amazing. A smaller detail that I loved was that every character has voiced contextual lines that they give during story moments, which was probably a huge time commitment to put in the game, but really just adds that extra flourish that builds a deep and engaging game.
From a gameplay perspective, all the bones of Suikoden (mainly II) are here but most of them have been improved dramatically. I will say that because I've only played I and II, I don't know if what I'm praising has been done previously. But, some of the huge improvements came in the headquarters development options (it's really deep this time around), and the more involved large scale battles. Regular combat for me was fine, nothing too crazy but it was enjoyable enough. I didn't really like the 1v1 battles though, they still felt too scripted to be really enjoyable.
Eiyuden Chronicles shocked me with how many mini-games there are available. You have two different kinds of racing, Beyblades, cards, cooking, theaters, farming, fishing, trading, workshops, and a bunch more. For me they definitely went for quantity over quality. Most of them just felt very underbaked. Also, a lot of the dungeon design was more on the frustrating end with how long they felt to finish.
The visuals, score, and voice acting was another high for me. Yes, there are definitely some issues with lighting, framerate and other superficial flaws but all in all it's really quite nice. The music overall was quite nice and really complimented the game well. Most of the voice acting was actually pretty good, though there was a lot of unpolished, unrefined writing being delivered by certain characters that took me out of the mood a little bit. One thing that I absolutely adored was all the animals in the game that were real life pets of certain backers, and other bits of appreciation to the fans who made this happen. That was an absolutely treat to see.
The one aspect of the game I wasn't the biggest fan of was actually the story. It ended up being a very cliche RPG storying with some interesting movement in the in-between moments but was ultimately about a standard evil villain wanting to wield ultimate power to control the world blah blah blah. The good and evil sides of the story are played so straight without any complexity, which was a shame.
Overall I'm very happy that I backed this game over 4 years ago and it makes me proud to see my name in the credits. If you like classic RPGs at all, particularly Suikoden, you should definitely check this one out.
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I beat Donkey Kong Land for the Game Boy. Very solid imitation of the DKC games with limited hardware. But it is still limited. The platforming controls aren't super-precise or responsive, and at least one gimmick level is terrible. Not mind-blowing or anything, but good enough for what it is.
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5. Band Hero [PS3] - Finished - Jan 15th, 2025
(https://i.imgur.com/OZqABvL.jpg)
Review - As ive.stated before. I am a bit of a lover of rythym based games. I recieved Guitar Hero III from my late grandmother during the guitar hero hysteria that was 2006-2009. And as a child, it became one of my.fondest franchises. It really has staying power in my.heart.
Now as for Band Hero. I love the set list but most of all I love its guest appearances. I am a pretty big No Doubt and Gwen Stefani fan. So the game being a bit of a world tour call back by having just a girl, dont speak and other scar anthems about sells me. The frets are very responsive. More so than Smash Hits. And overall it's possibly the most accessible "hero" game for a casual player.
SECRET NOTES
Now this is the meat that sets Band Hero apart from its other contemporaries. The game is riddled with secret note sequences. 19 of them to be precise. And these are just a blast to find. You'll kinda feel where they are. Or assume. But it drives you towards excellency. They were in some of the most popular songs.
The game also adds a lot of pop hits from Jesse McCartney, Taylor Swift, Maroon 5 and even Janet Jackson.
Evernescense bring me to life was fairly rad :)
In short. Band Hero is a nice and simple retake of the franchise and ir doesn't impose itself. While its not as creative as Guitar Hero 5 or rockband 3. It's definitely got heart and is a joy to play.
Rating - 82/100
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I beat Donkey Kong Land for the Game Boy. Very solid imitation of the DKC games with limited hardware. But it is still limited. The platforming controls aren't super-precise or responsive, and at least one gimmick level is terrible. Not mind-blowing or anything, but good enough for what it is.
I beat this one a few years ago, and yea, some of the later levels in the game stayed in my memory as very annoying :P
I played it with the Super Game Boy using the enhanced coloring and frame.
Not as flawless as it's SNES counterpart, but very playable for a GB game! 8)
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6. Chrono Trigger DS - The Dream Project
It was fun to get this ending. Crono uses Luminaire or Frenzy to dish damage. Marle uses Haste and heals as needed. And the rest is history. I really enjoyed talking to all of the sprites that represented the staff that made this game possible all those years ago. I'm not sure if I'll do a final romp through Dimensional Vortexes to get one of the exclusive endings because, despite its polish and briskness, combat does tend to wear thin after a while. We'll see.
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7. Chrono Trigger DS - Dream's Epilogue
Obviously, I said "screw it" and went through the second bonus dungeons in 12,000 BC, 1,000 AD, and 2,300 AD. Each Dimensional Vortex wasn't as bad as I remember. I liked getting nifty new gear and the bosses at the end were especially fun. Doing these dungeons also helped shed some light on the events before Chrono Cross. There was mentioning of the Porre Army and a scene where you see a certain someone getting absorbed by...a certain something. (I'm trying to avoid spoilers for folks that never played Chrono Trigger/Cross.) I saved the game and now I have what I believe to be a solid starting point for another New Game Plus. This won't be the last time I play Chrono Trigger.
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Some demo reviews. I had tried out PlayStation Demo Disc 1.3 (https://vgcollect.com/item/7295) after I hastily swapped out the CRT my PS2 was using. Not because there was any sort of problem, but the TV I had set up before was basically just testing. It was a Sony WEGA SD widescreen. I'm not even sure if it is an LCD or not, it could be some other type, but it probably isn't a CRT either. It has some burn or bright spots in it. Otherwise it works fine, I'm just not sure what is designed to work with this type of display. I know the PS2 has support for widescreen, but it did not display properly on that display. So I swapped it out with a 4:3 CRT. My PS2 seems to be on its last legs, it has issues with the disc tray, but I was able to try out these demos.
First thing I notice is that another change in the games I like to play. It seems not only do I not care for platformers, I also do not care for games that use a lot of complicated controls. Especially for a demo. Obviously there are more demos on this disc than what I listed. Some I didn't even bother to try after seeing the control layout screen.
1. Spyro Year of the Dragon (PS1)
First game on the disc, it has the complicated button layout. Seemed to be a kids game. Controls were frustrating. I didn't even die or anything, it just wasn't fun. I know many people gew up with this game and love it, but me playing it for the first time I found it wasn't for me. I've always tended to not particularly care for 3D platformers anyways, which this seems to be.
2. Crash Bash (PS1)
I understood the concept but in truth I had no idea what I was doing. In fact, while it appeared to me that I was losing the entire time, the game informed me that I won somehow.
3. Grind Session (PS1)
It is neat but there are too many controls. I did some tricks and called it a day.
4. MLB 2001 (PS1)
I love baseball games but I did not love this. It might be because it was a demo but there are some bugs present that turned me off. Primarily that pop-flies counted as hits which is not how that is supposed to work. Also you can't bean batters. With most baseball games, the fielding controls are terrible.
5. Medievil II (PS1)
The camera control used airplane type controls and there was no invert option in the menu. Hard skip. Too bad, it looked kinda cool.
6. Jarret & Labonte Stock Car Racing (PS1)
Decent game. Has a damage model which puts it way up as a racing game for me. The sound was kind of missing or messed up. After doing a race it kicks you back to the main menu, despite there being multiple race options to pick from. I didn't try it more than once. Would definately play the actual release.
-. Spider-Man (PS1)
This I didn't put into main post because it didn't actually work. I saw the controls page and was scared but decided to give it a shot. After choosing to continue, the game went through the loading screen and then just kicked me back to the main menu. So technically I didn't get to play this one.
Oh and yes before you ask, I took the memory card out of the PS2 before booting the disc. ;D
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9. Final Fight CD (Sega CD)
Back when I actually collected for the Sega CD, my complete copy of Final Fight CD was one of my prized games for that console. For its time, it was by a mile the best home port of the game, and even now with arcade perfect ports available on newer consoles, it's still an amazing game in its own right even with its shortcomings and flaws over the original arcade version. Compared to the arcade port, the gameplay is about the same, which is pretty good for a beat em up. I especially appreciate all the weapons and food items which makes this pretty challenging game a little more tolerable to get through. Visually, the arcade version does undeniably have an edge, but by not as wide of a margin as you might think. Finally, one place where the Sega CD port shines over the arcade version is its OST. The arranged Sega CD soundtrack is freakin awesome and just has that awesome 90s Sega charm to it. There is also cheesy, bad voice acting in the prologue and epilogue cut scenes which add to Final Fight CD's entertainment value. Even to this day, I can safely say I like the Sega CD port of Final Fight just as much as the arcade. Sure, each has its weakenesses and strengths, but overall you're pretty much getting the same experience, but with nice flourishes that still give this version its own distinct identity. (1/17/25) [34/50]
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Already 10% the way to my 100 games beat goal for this year! I'm not super confident I can maintain this momentum, but I'm at least happy i've been able to beat 10 games after only 18 days into the new year.
10. Virtua Fighter 2 (Genesis)
Virtua Fighter 2 on the Sega Genesis is a fun novelty, since it's an entirely different game than the 3D versions on the Saturn and Arcade, but for what it is, you could do way, way worse. Probably the craziest part about the Genesis version of VF2 is just how much of the feel and controls of the original 3D versions it maintains. Obviously, this is still a very different game, but I appreciate Sega trying to retain as much of of the original VF2 game as possible. Visually the game looks decent for the most part, as the sprites do retain a lot of the charm of the polygon models. However, probably my favorite part of VF2 on the Genesis is its MIDI sounding music that was adapted from the original OST to the Genesis. It's not as good as the original soundtrack, but is still awesome with how it has that gritty Genesis sound to it now. As I said, this game is an enjoyable novelty if you're already a fan of the original Virtua Fighter 2, but its certainly nothing more than that. (1/18/25) [32/50]
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8. Silent Hill 2 Remake - Leave
9. Silent Hill 2 Remake - In Water
Despite following a guide, I have been locked out of the last of the three endings that you could get on a New Game. I'm not gonna lie - I'm a bit annoyed. I thought I did everything necessary to get the most difficult ending but I guess not. I'm going to have to do a New Game Plus run with multiple saves to do it. That major annoyance aside, this was a lot of fun. This is how you do a remake of a classic. James is still a bit of a lumbering oaf, but he handles much better. The atmosphere and setting have been amplified to the nth degree. I absolutely recommend this to all fans of survival horror.
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6. Hogwarts Legacy - Finished - Jan, 19th 2025
(https://i.imgur.com/xi5xfD3.webp)
(My character. She's a goblin-kind's bad dream. A ranrok humbling boss. Wizard Name? Madam Clorophyl
The life force of hogwarts)
LUMOS
Review - Where does one begin with hogwarts legacy. It will seem as though i'm glazing the games this year. But it just so happens these are generational games that are already top 20 all time in terms of greatness. If you like Harry Potter, If you like taming dragons, causing goblins to impose self harm, wielding dark magic, brewing things, if you like brushing mythical alpaca looking animals. It doesn't matter. Hogwarts Legacy is for you :)
To say the game is grand is an understatement. I have 105 hours in this beast front to back and havent even scratched 70 percent of a completionist run. The plot is blooming like a barbados fig fruit garden with colorful characters. The city of hogsmeade feels like a secondary home. You become entrenched. You live the life of a 5th year in hogwarts, and as someone who didn't know what to expect being as ive never seen Harry Potter or read the books. The game is just grandiose to the highest order and one of the most deliciously beautiful video games ever created.
GRAPHICS
(https://i.imgur.com/pZLVdlc.jpg)
I don't say this lightly. It's a top 3 game all time for me in terms of graphics. From the lumos ability glowing rock architecture in forbidden tombs, to the way ray tracing makes lights reflect off the floors. The way every piece of the castle seems to be busy. Random NPCs will have full conversations. The games pictures will dance via magic. Everywhere you turn is a delightful mini game or even a beast. A enemy. A merlin trial. Treasure. And each professor is as memorable and deeply entrenched as the next. Ghosts fued within school halls, other students address your former competitons. House elves request your help. When you walk. It feels like walking through a bustling school in your teen years. Trade nerds for gobstone collectors. Trade jocks for quiditch champions. Trade home rec to beast class. You'll spend hours just looking around. Being like "woah thats cool"
From professor figs paternal guidance.
To professor garlick's love for the agricultural unknown.
To professor Sharpes gritty and intimidating overtones.
The thing bleeds from its core, fan service excellence and it almost never.missed. The best of this is seen in your side relations. They get nuanced and clever.
The game gives unsurprising amount of control over both dialogue and the way you attack. With maybe 30 combat related.spells. it's easy to get into the game and just play your way. I find myself freezing enemies into ice cubes and bashing that ice cube into a billion bits. You may find yourself using depulso to body slam flamed enemies into eachother. It's endless.
The map is expansive and flu flames make fast travel a synch.
Poppy is a absolute delightful character with a solid moral compass.
The inner fued between good and evil is palpable.
In short, the game rocks. It's truly a masterpiecen. Clothing, very customizable. It feels like you're in hogwarts. You kinda soak into the plot like a sponge and their is endless things to see. It is the breath of the wild of the harry potter universe.
Time to beat - 105 Hours
Rating - 100/100
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Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe Temporarily Abandoned Mostly Finished
(https://i.imgur.com/IqmKQgr.jpg)
I technically reached "end credits" in this game so i'm half counting it. I wont put it in my official list because I intend on fully beating it and when I do I'll edit it. It's got wierd half endings. And overall is a game designed to make you feel in some sort of existentialist crisis lol. I'd consider it more of an elaborate mocking of games than a game itself. It's clever. But perhaps too clever. It's a very ominous and creepy game due to the way it makes you feel smothered and powerless. Maybe i'll come back to it. But possibly not. I do reccomend it due to it being free on ps plus, being about 4 minutes to beat and also being wildly unique and thought provoking. Just not for me.
Rating - 55/100
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04. Phogs! || PlayStation 4 || 01.15.25
(https://i.imgur.com/xAawbmN.jpeg) (https://i.imgur.com/4YnbCzN.jpeg)
After noticing Phogs! was a part of the PlayStation Plus catalog, I decided to begin a playthrough. Ordinarily, I don't know if I would have chosen this particular game to play, but I actually completed a short demo of the game three or four years ago on a whim and thought it was interesting.
Predominantly, Phogs! is some sort of puzzle-platformer that subverts the platformer genre by emphasizing stretching, bouncing, barking, and biting instead of jumping. Throughout the game, players control a pair of the titular phogs: two dogs linked together at the belly and therefore share one elongated, stretchy body. While stretching is the game's main gimmick, all of the phogs' actions are necessary to navigate through environments and puzzles. Basic exploration requires moving both joysticks in the same direction to maintain momentum, as each joystick corresponds to an individual dog. Various obstacles such as ramps, platforms, wall mounts, and locked doors must be solved to move onward. It's also important to note that, even before the game loads the main menu, a prompt lets players know that the game may be experienced by either one or two players.
To accomplish the general puzzle-platformer gameplay, physics-based movement is employed. Perhaps to be expected, physics are loose and springy, although it's mostly manageable if patient. However, there are certainly times when the physics hinder the puzzle design as it becomes far more of an issue trying to get the stretching mechanics to function properly as they should instead of just trying to solve the puzzle. It's also worth mentioning now that players have no control over the 3D camera at all. This lack of control was generally fine, though I would have preferred to have that viewpoint mobility. Outside of platforming, the puzzle genre also incorporates simple elements from other genres, such as action and stealth. There is one small section of the game that focuses on these other gameplay types, and I found them to be all enjoyable and a nice change of pace. As far as the game's overall difficulty, it's on the lower end of the spectrum, and that's largely accomplished by the game's forgiveness once falling off from the play field and respawning at regularly placed checkpoints.
Generally, puzzle design throughout Phogs! is fine and admittedly simple, but it seems appropriate for what's to be assumed a game marketing toward a younger demographic. Objectives tend to be indirect as text and dialogue are absent from the game, but they're usually simple enough to understand. Still, there were a handful of moments when I really just didn't understand what exactly was being tasked for me to solve. On several occasions, I mistakenly moved past the stage section by mistake; in every instance, there was no means to return to backtrack without fully restarting the stage. However, these moments all coincided with fulfilling side objectives. As is commonplace within the 3D platformer genre, various collectibles and secrets are hidden throughout each stage, often in the form of NPC requests.
Throughout the campaign, there's an easygoing and mostly relaxing experience to be had. The game's tone is greatly enforced through its colorful and cartoon-like visual design, and I think there's an automatic level of fun that many players will have just by controlling dogs who behave ordinarily to actual dogs. On that note, there are small yet fun details to see, such as how the phogs can sleep (both together or individually) if player action is inactive. To a degree, this is elevated by the game's collectibles which serve as currency to unlock cosmetics for the set of phogs to wear.
For better or for worse, Phogs! is carefree across gameplay, presentation, and tone, and I think there's a lot of enjoyment for younger players to have. Still, in what should be simple to execute regularly isn't due to the game's controls, and there was the rare section where I found myself frustrated to perform what was necessary.
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05. Mingle || PC || 01.19.25
(https://i.imgur.com/ZR0WM38.jpeg) (https://i.imgur.com/fDApQjP.jpeg)
While browsing prolific game jam events of the past, I came across the small project Mingle which stood out as something I figured I'd like.
As the title suggests, the player is tasked with mingling with all sorts of cartoon characters as they walk around and converse with another. Who you're to mingle with at any given point is indicated by your current character design. As the game's official page describes, you're to find the character just like you, your "perfect match." Once you create a pair, you transform into another character automatically and who you approached disappears from the crowd. Then, players repeat the process until the crowd fully disperses and you're left alone with only one other individual. It's a straightforward but fun game loop for what the project sets out to accomplish. In a way, the game simplifies the hidden object puzzle genre to its minimum.
Apart from gameplay, character designs are fun and come across as animated doodles, and it's a visual design that I think greatly complements the simple premise. Animation is incredibly fluid, largely in part to how simple the single-screen presentation is. While wandering about the void, everyone within the crowd has a voice which forms together as collective banter, and its volume adjusts in real time. It's a small but effective detail to emphasize the game's goal.
Ultimately, Mingle is a brief, bite-sized game jam project that has a lot of charm. I wasn't exactly expecting a hidden object type game before beginning my playthrough, so that was a pleasant surprise.
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Game 2: Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales - PS5 (11 Hours)
The first game on the PS5 is finished! I don't have a whole lot to say about this game. Most of what I said in my review of the first game is still relevant here. The game plays beautifully especially free-swinging through the city and just doing whatever tasks strike your fancy. The side quests and collectibles are fun to complete, even though, again, there's really nothing that new from the first game. There are a few small changes to the gameplay but none of them felt especially groundbreaking. The one addition that is noteworthy is the cloaking feature which is very easy to abuse. You can essentially reset stealth mode at any time you want and it really dumbs down the combat difficulty.
The story was not the best but is serviceable for what's overall a pretty short game. The main villains and players aren't really all that exciting and there aren't very many supervillains in the game at all. I still enjoyed it fair enough though. One change that might seem subtle yet was very welcome to me was the slight change of the music to a more hip-hop focused approach than that intolerable generic orchestral crap that just drove me crazy in the first game.
Miles Morales is a decent side-quell that provides a consistent, if forgettable experience. I hope the true follow up is a little more substantial and I plan on playing it soon!
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10. Silent Hill 2 Remake - Dog
11. Silent Hill 2 Remake - UFO
12. Silent Hill 2 Remake - Bliss
I finished the game three more times. I won't comment on the gag endings (Dog/UFO) because they're just that: gags. I did enjoy them, though. The Bliss ending was one of the new ones. It was hard to watch, but it may have just been my interpretation. I'd say the most important thing about these files is that I was able to knock out some of the seemingly annoying trophies: one for a speed run, one for finishing new game plus, and one for never using a firearm. Of course, having a chainsaw in James' possession helped with that last one.
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13. Silent Hill 2 Remake - Stillness
14. Silent Hill 2 Remake - Rebirth
Two more endings over and done with. Both were new to this remake. Stillness was a more involved version of Leave. Rebirth was...something ominous. Now it's time to see if I can finally, finally get that Maria ending.
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15. Silent Hill 2 Remake - Maria
And boom. The last ending needed for a fully completed game and a platinum trophy. I didn't just play this game. I inhaled it. I can't remember playing a game that made me so distracted outside of game time in forever. I kept wanting more, which is kind of aligned with the way you go about getting the Maria ending. I am really, really excited to get a review going for this. Also, I have some friends that want to experience it so I'm looking forward to watching them and seeing their reactions to the surface level scares, as well as the psychological ones.
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06. Dragonsweeper || Browser || 01.20.25
(https://i.imgur.com/V83g8im.jpeg) (https://i.imgur.com/ECZejsn.jpeg)
After watching some brief introductory gameplay to Dragonsweeper, I knew it was a game I'd want to play.
As its name implies, Dragonsweeper is a game heavily based on the mechanics introduced by Minesweeper as its foundation. In short, both games task the player to avoid certain tiles along a grid playing field in order to reach their main goal. However, Dragonsweeper sets itself apart in a unique way: instead of trying to merely identify where all the mines are, its true goal requires vanquishing the dragon. Also, for some reason the player assumes the role of a knight named Jorge.
While the game is still a primarily within the puzzle genre, there is much more strategy involved in clearing the field in this adaptation, and much of that is due to the additional systems being presented. Numbers within tiles now represent the total level of monsters or explosives surrounding it, and the player will be required to interact with the former in order to win. Throughout the journey, players will be forced to battle methodically to defeat enemies which yield experience in order to level high enough to defeat the high-leveled dragon. During each encounter, the monster's level also represents the total damage they'll deal to the player alongside how much experience they'll grant. However, the total number of experience required to level up—after the initial level advancement, that is—is always higher than the amount of life the player has. While there is a limited supply of health restoratives to use alongside health being fully replenished with each level advancement, it's impossible to defeat each enemy. Players will constantly be selecting a certain order to defeat enemies while ignoring others.
With that said, much of the game's strategy also requires being observant and knowing when to simply mark empty tiles as ones to avoid or ones to interact with later. While it's not always possible, there is plenty of information to gather from what isn't outright revealed. So, when players are at full health and know that the unknown danger surrounding certain tiles is only at a certain maximum level, then blindly selecting them is worth the gamble, as new information to some degree will be gained, unlike if the player will to simply defeat an enemy already revealed. At the same time, a resource that doubly serves as the game's rule book and also hint guide is able to be referenced at any time. The hint guide portion details how much of each enemy remains, so there will be times—probably toward the end of a game session—where players will be able to reach a solution based on knowing which enemy types have yet to be defeated.
Concerning the game's presentation, it's minimal yet provides everything the player need to win. Sprite design is simple, and the little animation present is as well. However, if there is one thing I think would benefit from refining is the game's music. While it has some ambiance of dungeon exploration, it's in the style of downtempo hip hop that plays on loop. There's only one track that's a few minutes long in length, and it quickly becomes repetitive.
It's been a number of years since I've played a game directly inspired by Minesweeper, and Dragonsweeper was a good reminder why I enjoy logic puzzle games on occasion. The additional systems it introduces sets itself apart in a novel way that is much more demanding than its source material, so it was certainly rewarding being able to finally conquer the dragon which marks the game's end.
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7. Snoopy's Grand Adventure [PS4] - Finished - Jan 23rd, 2025
(https://i.imgur.com/gJrSzCc.jpg)
Review - Snoopy's Grand Adventure is many things. At it's core it's a nostalgic little tribute to not only NES cartoon based games like Chip N Dale but also peanuts as a franchise. It's cute. Colorful and has enough heart to carry it. However it has deep gaping flaws that prevent it from greatness.
(http://final boss is a joke)
Not much of a spoiler. But the final boss is possibly the most ridiculous ive faced. Literally it can hit you with each attack and you still win. It's about as uneventual as jaywalking on a windy day simulator. It's not just easy but dull. Makes no sense. And is a giant step down from the other bosses. Which while easy. Are still cute and fun.
The game also is repetitive and has lack of level development.
But now that the cons are out of the way.
It is overall ambitious. I dare to call it a metroidvania because it allows the player to aquire powers that open new areas and move backwards through web like levels. It's got cute design and some fun with the collecting all the jelly beans. Overall its a neat short fun play. And I enjoy it heavily.
Rating - 70/100
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07. Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights || GameCube || 01.21.25
(https://i.imgur.com/maM87re.jpeg)
Ordinarily, Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights isn't a game I'd go out of my way to play, but it's one of those odd titles within my shared collection that I own for some reason or another, and I was curious to know if it'd have any sort of redeemable quality.
As a platformer, Night of 100 Frights presents elementary level design while being considerably flawed in how player action and movement perform. Often, actual platforms are difficult to make contact with for a variety of reasons, though two specific ones reasons most regularly. The first is that pitfalls require tight jumps to clear and seemingly need to be executed perfectly from the edge of one platform to another, and it's made worse by plenty of instances of poor camera positioning which influence field of depth. At the same time, the second reason lies in moments when the player is disrupted by invisible level geometry which prematurely bars them from completing their action. While this isn't a regularly occurring issue, it's more present than just a rare glitch.
Meanwhile, there is a lot of backtracking involved across the game's three major areas. While exploring through an area for the first time, players will naturally collect the thousands of Scooby Snacks littered everywhere which serve as the game's currency, and the reason for doing so is to unlock access to new areas and various paths. So, it's in the player's best interest to go out of their way to get the more inconvenient ones. If not, there will come a time when you're required to unnecessarily backtrack. And, at times, players will reach a roadblock that requires having a tool upgrade to progress further. However, the large room-based map neither indicates where these roadblocks are nor what kind of roadblock they are, so players will either be forced to backtrack needlessly all over the place when their natural path is interrupted or make note of it. Not knowing where the roadblocks are isn't necessarily that much of a design flaw since the map does clearly mark which rooms have and haven't been accessed, but there are all sorts of tools to be gained to reach the game's end that remembering where and when to use them becomes a challenge. Fortunately, a warp travel system is accessible which transports the player to specific rooms.
Concerning narrative, players assume the role of titular Scooby-Doo himself, and the premise is one that easily could have been from the cartoon the game's based upon. Also to be expected, classic Hanna-Barbera era villains serve as minor antagonists and basic enemies to overcome. For reasons not understood until the game's conclusion, these past villains are by the hundreds, and there are boundless numbers of the same enemy even within the same room. For many of them, they merely patrol back-and-forth and are easy to avoid, though few are unique with targeted attacks and behaviors. So, understandably, these enemies can be ignored to some degree without the need to defeat them. And throughout it all, what seems like the obligatory laugh track responding to in-game cutscenes and player actions is ever pervasive.
Unfortunately, Night of 100 Frights is dominated by an array of problems which on their own could be tolerable, but together become irritating. For platforms, a sufficient camera system is necessary for the game to be successful, though there are numerous instances where player movement randomly initiates a 90° map rotation which can result in player mistakes. Also related to the game's camera is its practice of obscuring on-screen environmental information. For several rooms, it seemed like I was at a dead end even when viewing the map which indicated otherwise, but since there are so many roadblocks, this is to be expected at times. However, what instead was happening was that the camera hides from view other pathways you're to follow. The direction players will be needing to move toward is down in the direction of the player themselves, off-screen where the foreground would be. Aside from camera problems, being able to perform certain player actions is commonly troublesome though is mostly in regards to specific tools which require two buttons to be pressed simultaneously.
For a variety of reasons, Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights is far more difficult than it has any right to be, both in players knowing where to go and being able to accomplish certain immediate tasks. Beneath these problems, though, is a fine enough game, but it's still not one I'd recommend.
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Due to a variety of reasons, Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights is far more difficult than it has any right to be, both in players knowing where to go and being able to accomplish certain immediate tasks. Beneath these problems, though, is a fine enough game, though it's still not one I'd recommend.[/font]
Shame you didn't like it, this was one of the very first games I ever played on the PS2 and I have very fond memories of it. I remember a friend had to have me help her with bouncing on all the sails in the sunken ship level. I'm sure if I went back to it, it wouldn't be as good as I recollect.
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Due to a variety of reasons, Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights is far more difficult than it has any right to be, both in players knowing where to go and being able to accomplish certain immediate tasks. Beneath these problems, though, is a fine enough game, though it's still not one I'd recommend.
Shame you didn't like it, this was one of the very first games I ever played on the PS2 and I have very fond memories of it. I remember a friend had to have me help her with bouncing on all the sails in the sunken ship level. I'm sure if I went back to it, it wouldn't be as good as I recollect.
I think that if more time was spent on refining its core platforming mechanics, the game would be much better and perfectly fine. I know exactly which area you're talking about too—it may have been the second or third platforming trial that was overly aggravating and is toward the end of the playthrough. Without a doubt, it wouldn't be so bad if the game spawned you back at the player's last standing point, but it instead spawns players to the beginning of the room unless some rare checkpoint is implemented. For these less forgiving platforming challenges, that's another major issue.
This was the first time I'd ever played Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights, so I don't have any memories to look back upon. But another licensed platforming game from this era that I played around the time of its release and again a few years ago is SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom, and it's held up quite well, so it's not as if all of these types of games were designed poorly. I have a feeling that if you revisited Night of 100 Frights, you may not feel the same as you first did like you're presuming. Maybe one day you'll want to try it once more.
I also failed to mention above that there was a time or two where I actually had to consult a GameFAQs walkthrough, so thankfully those still exist.
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I'm a little better than halfway through Tomb Raider II (Remaster Collection - PS5). It was my favorite in the series until probably TR Anniversary (PS2). Let me tell ya... even with the new control scheme... it did not age well. I'm finding I'm having to save after every 2-3 actions to avoid too much replay. I think I would dare all the masochists that play the Souls games to play these older Tomb Raider games and compare the two series on how many times they die. Still, having just gotten to the snow levels, I plan to push through it without using the cheats.
Started up AC3 Remastered (PS4). So far, I'm enjoying it, but I'm only a couple hours in. Not even Connor yet.
Also started up Sonic x Shadow (Switch). I had forgotten just how bad the stories are in some of these Sonic games. Might drop this one, but not just yet.
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08. Radio Hammer || Nintendo 3DS || 01.22.25
(https://i.imgur.com/9hSOThI.jpeg) (https://i.imgur.com/3YoBnu0.jpeg)
After looking over the small library of games I have installed on my 3DS system, I settled on playing the rhythm game Radio Hammer. Before playing, I really didn't know much about it aside from its gameplay, so I was hoping for it to be good enough to keep me engaged.
As a rhythm game, Radio Hammer adopts highway lane gameplay mechanics. From the right side of the screen, enemies representing musical beats run toward the player-character which requires the player to attack them. By default, there are only two lanes for enemies to traverse, meaning that there are only two different actions to take: either aim your attack toward the top or bottom lane. However, there is an option for players to limit the lane number to only one that instead forces all enemies to rush toward you in a line, which is much easier. In a way, I found it to be a handicap of sorts, and I only found myself needing to use it twice for overcoming optional late-game challenges. Additionally, there is some degree of control preference, as either the D-pad or face buttons can be utilized, and interchangeably too. Playing interchangeably was my preference throughout the entire campaign, as it seemed far easier for each of the two enemy types (top and bottom lane) to have full dedication to one hand instead of constantly moving both thumbs back-and-forth from one button to another.
During gameplay, action prompts are rewarded with typical rhythm genre feedback scores such as Perfect and Miss. At certain points during each track, a gift bonus appearing from the left side of the screen appears which can either be taken or ignored. Eventually, these gifts have the possibility to instead be trap boxes which should always be avoided. Otherwise, players should prioritize taking the gift as their bonus allowed for the special gauge to fill more quickly. There is only a short window of time for this while gameplay speedily moves along, but the timing for these boxes to appear follows along with the track beat and generally in short moments of rest, so it's not all too difficult knowing when to expect them. Regarding the aforementioned special gauge, its meter increases with each successful action and prevents the player from taking damage once full during its brief activation period.
For most players, they will be spending the majority of their time—or even all of their time—playing story mode. In what seems like it could be controversial among players, selecting a stage while in story mode often does not present just one song. Instead, a majority of stages combine as many as five individual tracks together which must all be completed to progress. Song transitions aren't mixed to be seamless, and there are even certain transitions which prompt a brief loading screen. Perhaps because the length for each track is short, stages will regularly recycle tracks previously played. Personally, I would have preferred dedicated songs for each stage and only limited to one in total, but this design choice was ultimately fine to play through. Still, as stage design is now, a lot of each chapter's late stages wear out their welcome even if total stage duration may only be five minutes at most. However, story mode does excel at presenting different styles and genres of music presented through its four characters. They each have their own simple narratives to follow and unique tracks to play too. In order to progress from one player to another, the player is required to fully finish the current character's story. For what it offers, the game's story mode is fine but it's really not noteworthy or memorable, and the three narratives are not interconnected.
Throughout the story mode, a score meter is present, but it has no bearing on the player's success. Instead, simply completing each stage with any amount of health remaining is the goal for this mode. Fortunately, though, there is an achievement system which adds some degree of replayability and an incentive to perform with higher proficiency. Only after achieving each stage's goals is the player awarded three possible stars, though earning them is entirely optional. With that said, another play mode becomes available as the player progresses through the story, which is a freeplay type mode that does judge the player based on their score. Those exploring this mode will be likely feel pleased that they're able to freely select individual tracks instead of a predetermined set. A randomized stage select mode is also present, complete with varying difficulty variances. I actually didn't spend time playing any other mode besides story mode, as I found it sufficient enough. I wasn't particularly challenged while playing and there are no leaderboards, so I saw little reason to play for score.
While I wasn't impressed with Radio Hammer at first—and I suppose I'm still not, though it's certainly a fine game—my opinion of it did become higher as my playthrough continued. There is a lot of replayability to be enjoyed for those who seek it, and its core campaign offers a good enough challenge (particularly the late-game, as to be expected) and especially so if wanting to achieve three stars for each stage.
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11. Yoshi's Crafted World (Switch)
My wife and I were massive fans of the local co-op multiplayer of Yoshi's Wooly World on the Wii U, so when we found out it was getting sort of, kind of a sequel on the Switch, we were there day 1 to pick it up. Unfotunately, neither of us connected with Crafted World the same way we did with its predecessor, and we ended up dropping the game about 10 stages in. That was back in 2019, and since then we've brought Crafted World up numerous times and how we should have given the game more of a chance and also tried not to compare it too much with Wooly World. Well, nearly 6-years later we finally picked Crafted World back up and we are both very happy we did.
Yoshi's Crafted World is an incredibly charming, adorable, well made, and above all else, fun game. While it's still on the easy side when it comes to platformers, it's still very fun to see all the levels which all are different and unique from one another. One will be in a jungle setting, while the next is in a haunted mansion, and then the next will have you launching into space. Everything in the levels looks like some very well done school art project, and it's truly remarkable how creative the team that made this game was in finding every day items to model various enemies, bosses, stage props, and various other visuals aspects of the game with. It definitely kept the game feeling fresh and unique throughout and made me want to see what the next stage was like. One disappointment, especially when compared to Wooly World is the quality of the collectables and extras within the game. My wife and I replayed stages over and over again to get secret items and other collectables we needed to unlock different Yoshi colors or other unlockables. However, in Crafted World, you're more or less limited to using coins you collect in each stage to purchase fairly lackluster, bulky costumes for your Yoshi, which really didn't do anything for me, or incentive deep exploration of each level. Music and audio is pretty good in general, but nothing incredibly, especially compared to many other Nintendo OSTs. Overall, my wife and I really enjoyed Crafted World, althopugh I do have to admit that if I wasn't playing this game with her I'd have definitely enjoyed it less, mostly because of how easy the game is and its limited mechanics. But for what is' worth, I definitely recommend this game and its definitely one I misjudged at first. (1/26/25) [37/50]
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6. Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga (Steam)
There is not much that I like about this game. The sound is not good and the music is also not great. I mean the music is what you would expect but the levels vs sound is not correct. It also does not operate properly on actual 5.1, it puts the ambient sounds in the wrong places or doesn't play them at all. Obviously this is a console conversion that isn't done properly. Default controls do not use the mouse at all and uses a strange keyboard layout that is reminiscent of an 80s game. At least it supports the controller which is good enough. It was also interesting there is no dialog except for grunts and laughs.
It looks alright and the auto-aim on the blaster is good. I had some issues with the 3D space with facing the correct way or also when using jumps. As such, the platforming sections were somewhat difficult for me to do. I did recognize that the game is made for children and is quite forgiving in regards to difficulty. Also I like the collectible aspect in the game, it would have been quite fun to do when I was younger. There is no Steam achievements for this game so there is no real point in bothering to be a completionist or farm the enemies.
The game softlocked on me during the pod race stage. Basically I had not raced well enough in the first two laps so that when it autosaved at the start of the final lap, there was no chance for me to win the race. The gameplay and mechanics were not interesting enough to me to restart to beat that stage and I just knew there would be more 3D platforming sections I wouldn't be able to stand in later levels.
7. Xevious (NES)
This was not the game I thought it was. I haven't played this since I was a kid and I think I made the same mistake back then also with thinking it was a different game. I'm not concerned about finding out what the correct game was, as it doesn't matter. It has some interesting things in the stages but is really quick basic. Even using arcade stick I didn't feel like the ship was fast enough to evade during tough sections. Also this game gave me the feel that it was possible to do a peaceful run, but I'm not the type to take the time to learn how to do that.
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Finished up Metroid Prime Remastered this morning. I'm really amazed at how solid the overall level design feels for a first stab at a 3D Metroid-vania style game. The updated controls make it actually playable, but I couldn't stop thinking about how much it feels like a new game that could have come out in the last 5 years. It does start wearing out its welcome a little bit during the endgame fetch quest, and there is a pretty limited number of enemies (lots of recolors for different wekness, etc), but really, really please with how well the game holds up. And the remastered visuals looks great!
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16. Sayonara Wild Hearts
I was at a friend's house last night, and he wanted to show me this game. So he did. And then, we finished it by swapping the controller between levels. What a dynamic, euphoric, and addictive game this was. And the messages at the end really hit home given how much change I'm going through this year. Sometimes, games (like people) enter your life at just the right time. Now it's time to hunt down the soundtrack because OH MY GOD it was something.
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Firewatch is definitely one of the best "walking simulators" I've played. Good visuals, an actually engaging mystery, and amazing voice acting. I don't think I would have actually played this if not for my Steam Deck.
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12. Virtua Fighter Kids (Saturn)
I remember seeing ads for Virtua Fighter Kids all over the place in the mid-90s, as well as a friend of mine really wanting this game for some reason during that time. I think I played this game a handful of times growing up, I can't honestly remember, but I have played it as an adult several times, albeit not for a long time. Returning to Virtua Fighter Kids after all this time was a fun little novelty that I enjoyed for the 25-minutes or so it took me to beat the game with two different characters (Sarah and Akira). The high pitched voices of the characters cracked me up on several occasions, and the arranged, cute-ified OST can be catching, but is nowhere near as good as the original VF2 OST it's based on. Visuals are also decent with the stages being way more cartoonish and kid oriented, all of which goes along with the chibi-ish characters with their massive heads. There's also fun things like some of the characters getting X marks in their eyes when you defeat them. Gameplay, however, is Virtua Fighter Kids biggest weakness. It's not terrible, but it noticably has some strange hit detection and character reach isn't great either. Otherwise, the controls for the moves is about the same. One thing of note is that VF Kids is way easier than VF2, probably going along with the more kid friendly aesthetic. As mentioned, Virtua Fighter Kids is a fun little novelty title that is fun for maybe an hour or so, but I can't imagine this game being any more than a rental back in the day, or just a curiosity now. (2/1/25) [30/50]
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Firewatch is definitely one of the best "walking simulators" I've played. Good visuals, an actually engaging mystery, and amazing voice acting. I don't think I would have actually played this if not for my Steam Deck.
I loved firewatch! My favorite is that you can almost feel where a trope would be, can almost feel the anticipation for a big sunset moment that never comes and the game always avoids it. It really was divisive on it's ending because of that. But I like that it felt more believable and went against the grain. It didnt try to force a octagon into a hexagon cutout for the sake of it. One of my favorite character developments in gaming.
I do reccomend Road 96 if you enjoyed Firewatch. Also a walking simulator with deep character bonding but with maybe more range on what you can do dialogue wise. Think telltale but way less linear and you actually control
the character and with a really unique story. It has survival elements. Theirs plenty of ways to play. And lots of different ways for the story to unfold. A true hidden diamond.
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13. Fighters Megamix (Saturn)
They may have never been a game, like ever, that I misjudged so much the first time I played it than Fighters Megamix. To put it lightly, I kinda hated this game the first time I played it. I have no idea why, since after replaying it tonight, I got hooked on unlocking as many characters as I could within reason, which by the way, is one of the most fun aspects of this game. But unlockable characters from a ton of different Sega properties aside, this is still an incredibly fun game. The gameplay is undeniably less deep than what is found in Virtua Fighter 2 or 3, and is even kinda broken at times, but for what it lacks in refinement, it makes up for in the pure joy of beating the hell out of your opponent as a character from Virtua Fighter or even the Hornet race car from Daytona USA. No, I am not kidding. The audio is also excellent as many tracks from the various represented Sega franchises are present, as well as some pretty catchy original tracks. Visually, the game as a ton to offer in terms of almost as many stages as there are characters, including the unlockable and hidden ones, and also the character models all look good for the most part. I seriously had a hard time putting this game down tonight; what started as me thinking I'd play this game for 15 minutes, beat it, and never want to play it again, turned into literally 4 straight hours of unlocking nearly every character in the game and beating it over and over again with a dozen characters at least. I full heartedly apologize to Sega for misjudging this game for years. I now actually like it slightly more than a few core VF games. Crazy how that ended up working out lol. (2/1/25) [35/50]
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I'd watched a couple of different playthroughs of Doki Doki Literature Club, but I finally sat down to play it myself. It really lets the writing and music shine when you are the one playing it. The hints and clues about the real nature of the game are super subtle,but it's fun to try and spot them if you already know where it's going, and the big twist still works narratively.
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8. MAFIA III Definitive Edition - Finished Feb 5th, 2025
(https://i.imgur.com/OABEUQW.jpg)
Review - Mafia III is pretty rad folks. Its a vicious stronghold on MOB related video game media. Take on the role of Lincoln Clay. You play as a black man in 1968. Where the main challenge of the game is well.... being a black man in 1968. Which as you imagine is about as one would assume. The game is rampant with period appropriate culture from the POV of a man who has been scorned by a heavily racist, corrupt and often times turbulent south Louisiana. Which includes very real interpretations of true hardships of the time. Lynchings. Rape. And of course cults. The game has it all. It can be humbling at times. Not for the faint of heart. Especially racially.
The game has excellent art direction. The realism is many times greater than GTA or Saints row. Cars behave believably. Traffic moves aside when you honk. Cars sometimes take a bit to start. Stealth feels extremely authentic. Where if an enemy spots you. They kinda second guess and move in to investigate. They dont just lock on like Bonnie and Clyde. Their are methods of diversion and the brutal kill sequences are gorey and sick.
The duality of man shows up when interacting with Father James. Who is a very important mediator to the games basis. Who is basically Lincoln's conscience in human form Lincoln is a man scorned. Hes been through pain. But tethering the ying from yang can be difficult for both player and the character. Father James has some of the most profound quotes ive heard in these types of sandbox games. Such as
"If you spend all your time looking for the evil of the world, evil is all you're gonna find"
And
"Their will never be another Bobby Kennedy. Never he another Martin Luther King Jr. But their will always be a f-ing Sal Marcano (mobster)"
The game engrosses you in another angle of mob culture. The victim of mob brutality seeking revenge. Without spoiling anything. The game is flat out unique in this perspective especially for the franchise. And I love the idea of running a mob to fight the mob. Especially as a black man. As black run mobs did exist but this has a feel goodness to it to kill racists or even worse the klan. It hurts at times to play. its grossly painful to witness the racism. Think like watching the color purple. But theirs also a Jackie Robinson redemption to it that is just fun to partake in. Killing NPC has never felt so good as when they just called you a dirty [racist explitive] two minutes prior.
The associates you meet are diverse in personality. Fun. And depending on your needs, interests and playstyle. You may find yourself angling towards giving rackets to certain affiliates. Cassandra for guns. Vito for health and protection and Burke for cars. I liked this aspect. And loved the meet ups.
The era appropriate music, ambiabce all feels like something right out of a vintage Jimi Hendrix vhs. Like a stinky vingnette. The game has that hue about it. It has art. Dialogue and music booming from the vibrant time of 1960s in America.
Lincoln's pain is palpable. The side missions and dlc such as when Lincoln bonds with the girl the evil cult drugged. It is just wildly sad. And some of the more profound moments ive seen in these types of games. You get engrossed quick.
My only con. The game is 100+ hours long. And towards the end. The side objectives of taking out infornants and robbing cash loots perhaps could have gone with a bit more variety on types of invasions. These are about 8 to do for each underboss and it woulda been better if it had more tailing missions, or plot driven cut scenes. These objectives seem to loop over and over and get a bit overdone by the end.
Overall I love how the player forms the story, and how Lincolns destiny unravels before us. Sammys bar. The glory of making cobbler out of a rotten georgia peach. The game is a cinematic movie and it well deserves a play.
Rating - 95/100
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9. Gori Cuddly Carnage - Finished Feb 6th, 2025
(https://i.imgur.com/JYCElge.jpg)
Review - Gori Cuddly Carnage is pretty sick. Its basically Sunset Overdrive meets Conkers bad fur day. A rail grind hack and slash with a foul mouth hoverboard. I basically decided to buy it because of another users recommendation (realpoketendonl) So I do thank them. And i'm not disappointed in it. Its hacking gory glorious fun. And actually kinda harkons back to a simpler time with games. It doesnt go heavy on movie style dragged on plot. Or go 100 hours in run time. It just really is a simple sit on the couch with your wife and laugh kinda game :) and boy is it zaney.
The animation is neon, pastel, vibrant and wildly colorful. The bosses are memorable. Especially the final boss fight sequence which is a chef's kiss. The gore. Fluidity and consistent frames are always wonderful. Its fast paced and never seems to feel out of control.
The slashing combos, collecting and shop all are great. It has a very ps2 era god of war button mash feel which if you love the genre of hack and slash. Its one of those must plays. You go what feels like 100+ mph but somehow seem to always be well in grip of everything. Its centered. The rocket leveling system. How grinding gives you fuel. Fuel gives you moves. Its all a well oiled machine
Its certainly got a arcade feel to it. And I adore it. The cat gori and his group of misfit friends just endure. And grow to become very memorable. It is simple to play. But their were moments where planning was necessary. And it still has lots of powers, moves, combos and neatness to how you tackle a boss. I feel it balances the best of both.
You just hoverboard through the world and slash unicorns as a scarred cat with a passive aggressive AI friend, a foul mouth hoverboard and a lunatic gold fish. Tons of sex jokes, crude cannibalistic teddy bears, severed baby doll heads and violence from a feline skating variable front flipper. If that doesnt sell a consumer. What will? Lol. Its just rad. One of the better indie projects ive played in a while.
Rating - 86/100
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6 - Voices of the Void (PC) - BEAT - Redoing this abit as I ended up getting really absorbed and not only pushed far past my previous 19 day run I did back last summer, but I went and did a 48 day run, getting the achievement so I'm counting that as "Beat" even though it's basically something I can just keep playing forever and it's not exactly a beginning to end story, that's just the only story event content available.
I was really helped along with this push by getting really into a Youtuber's series on this by The Librarian, very chill guy has done a few "seasons" of VOTV, basically counting each season as whatever he plays on the current newest build. I watched him play the newest season and then went back to watch Season 1 and 2 and almost through 3. It was actually interesting to see how this game has progress through it's alpha state, as it's had some crazy huge overhauls. I started after they had the updated base, so seeing how ugly the base use to be is wild lol I like the Youtuber as he does a nice bit of "roleplay" as the character in the game, even across multiple seasons when he knows something, but in later seasons doesn't just play dumb, and he comes across new stuff all the time, which makes the watch great
This is a perfect game if you like to get absorbed into a "chore". Weird to say for a game, but a lot of folks have that game...Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing, Minecraft, you do busy work. This has that along with being a casual horror experience, but it's not just jumpscares, it's atmosphere, odd happenings, subtle stuff a lot of the time...Until it's not and it's very blatant and it's also not crazy serious about it. Such a great free game and if it's this good right now, I can't wait to see what it becomes down the road as there is so much room for expansion.
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9. Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen (Steam)
This is a console port, and the UX is not really changed from that design. As such it is a strange way to control. Firstly I found it not good to use the controller and preferred the keyboard and mouse. However, the menus were not good to use. There is a lot going on with this game, many many mechanics and it was a lot all at once. I still do not think I know how to do everything, even basic things. There was always tons of things you could pick up but for whatever reason I could not find vendors to sell things, or the interface was confusing. Also the quest availability from NPCs was nice that it had a color coded display but it was also confusing. For example my mercs always had a quest icon on them but they wouldn't ever enter dialog. I didn't mind the online requirement. I think it is kind of cool that you can make mercs and other players can use them.
While it was quite interesting, the reason for abandonment was the save system. It uses autosaves BUT not like other games with autosaves. It doesn't autosave often enough. Say, if you complete a quest or start a new one it doesn't save at that point. If you die, it gives you options like "Retry" and "Last Checkpoint" but the game doesn't make it clear what the difference is between these. I've tried each and neither take you back to a usable point. So the main issue is that you can be like me. Play for 2 hours, walk an entire side of the map and complete 2 quests and the game did not save at any of point along the way. Then I get to some area and some unseen archer 1 shots me, I reload and its 2 hours ago again.
Maybe its a good thing. I feel like I've been playing too many similar medieval fantasy games lately.
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09. A Way Out || PlayStation 4 || 02.03.25
(https://i.imgur.com/wy7xhC0.jpeg) (https://i.imgur.com/7W5re2r.jpeg)
Wanting to play a proper multiplayer experience, I eventually settled on A Way Out. Ever since I had played the developer's follow-up project It Takes Two, I've been curious as to how exactly that sophomore project of sorts built upon its predecessor.
As its name suggests, A Way Out introduces a narrative about two strangers both incarcerated who, after some initial defensive encounters with each other, agree to partner together to escape. While there is naturally at first little known about each of the game's two protagonists Vincent and Leo, more information comes to be known; while they're still strangers, they share more with each other than they first want to admit, and that factor is directly tied to both of their imprisonments. While I only played the game's scenario once—meaning I only assumed the role of one of the two characters—it was evident even beyond the game's writing to a degree that they each vary from another in their personalities: Vincent is deliberate and patient, whereas Leo is a bit negligent and quick-tempered. So, since the game closely follows this pair of opposite attraction, seeing that dynamic unite both through agreement and compliance was enjoyable. And while this final detail could be regarded as too much information being revealed, there is much more to the story beyond actually working toward becoming a fugitive, which I admittedly wasn't expecting but greatly appreciated since I normally am not interested in prison stories.
Concerning how the game's multiplayer features operate, they're much more impactful and unique when compared to previous endeavors of their kind as the game fully requires both players' active input to progress. Throughout the game's entirety, both players work together as each of the protagonists toward achieving their goal. At first, these actions are simple such as one person distracting a prison guard so the other may hide supplies, but they eventually become much more involved and action-oriented. For all of these tasks, they are time sensitive, so being able to work together as both the characters and players is paramount. Since A Way Out requires two players, there may be many circumstances when one player is unfamiliar with how games operate, but this experience does well in crafting a forgiving experience in the event of player failure with frequent checkpoints. However, much of the game's later segments—especially one in particular in the late-game—will be difficult for those inexperienced, so it's recommended for at least one of the two players to be familiar with a variety of game controls and gameplay genre types. Be that as it may, some of these more difficult sections which are action-oriented are lenient in one player carrying the other to goal completion, so to speak. Regarding the game's ending, I felt completely blindsided, though that's not a critique. In what was always before both players working in tandem, they now were actively working against the other.
While the majority of the game follows a standard narrative structure, how it's designed does warrant some replayability should players seek it. For certain sequences, each of the two characters are designed to complete one action instead of the other, so players will only have the opportunity to experience one-half of the game across one playthrough. Alongside these sections, there are also critical moments of choice which dictate how a certain goal is completed. For instance, one of these moments is featured when the pair encounters a bridge: do they navigate across it, or under it? For each of these segments, the choice directly relates to player personality—one will be more rational, while the other more rash. Similar to this choice-driven progression is character dialogue. While interacting with the environment and NPCs is almost wholly optional, there is a lot of world- and character-building to explore through the game's interactive environments. How the two characters interact with set pieces or NPCs differs, and I always found it fun to seek out all of these secondary elements before advancing to the next section. Lastly, the game introduces a number of mini-games and general activities which players can discover and play. For some, they're played individually with a high score counter, though others are proper multiplayer games with active competition.
Apart from gameplay and story, there are other aspects—both positive and negative—worth mentioning. Since this is a prison getaway game, one should expect plenty of action to be experienced, and how the game's camera operates during several segments is commendable. Ordinarily, both players act simultaneously with split-screen presentation, but there are moments when it focuses on one character while eventually transitioning to the next. During these times, the camera perspective is quite dynamic with the transitions being well-designed to emphasize the moment's high energy. Players should also expect QTE segments which often involves combat of sorts. While there are many criticize them, I found their implementation to be fine and complement the game. Meanwhile, my biggest issue (and my only worthwhile negative takeaway) is how sound and conversation operates. While I understand A Way Out is an active experience shared together by two individuals, there are many moments when both players are separate from another in conversation or even in cutscene. Seemingly at random, vocal dialogue will either mute one character while they other stays voiced, or the two characters will speak over another. I found these moments to be greatly annoying (especially when the latter was employed), since being able to focus on dialogue became an exercise in itself. Besides this problem, I did experience one bug that prevented my player from moving. Even when restarting the system controller, the problem persisted. Fortunately, only one player was needed to progress to the next direct event, though I imagine the problem would have been remedied from restarting that specific chapter from the main menu.
Having played It Takes Two first, going back to see how the systems and structure was built first in A Way Out was interesting to see. I don't particularly remember much conversation about A Way Out during the time of its release, but I think it's just as successful as It Takes Two in what it sets out to accomplish, although the latter is objectively more ambitious. In some ways, I find this game to be more successful than the follow-up such as in its writing and tone, though others may disagree. For any who've only played It Takes Two, I can confidently suggest to try out A Way Out should you be wanting more of that type of gameplay experience. I'm looking forward to the developer's upcoming multiplayer game Split Fiction, which I imagine I'll be playing sooner than later after it releases.
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14. Grand Theft Auto 5 (PS4)
It had been a long time since I last played through Grand Theft Auto 5, 2017 to be precise according to my previous save data on my PS4, so I figured I was long overdue to see how much I still enjoyed this game. Not only did I enjoy GTA5 all over again, but it became my obsession for the past week where nearly every minute of free time I had was spent crashing cars, killing criminals, and doing all the other depraved things you can do in GTA5. Honestly, the variety of things this game gives you to do is a huge part of its appeal and why it’s hard to put down. Some of those many things you can do aren’t always executed as well as they could be, including some of the core mechanics like shooting and driving, but for what it is, it’s still pretty good. The sound in GTA5 is absolutely amazing, however one thing that always annoyed me about GTA5’s audio was how the radio is oversaturated with rap/hip hop. It would have been a lot nicer if they’d given you more variety of music to listen to while driving. I also noticed that they removed some songs from the game that were previous in it due to licensing issues. But otherwise the voice acting is awesome and definitely lends itself to how impactful and hilarious much of the dialogue is in this game. Finally, the presentation is still impressive, even for a 12-year old game. They really captured the looks and feel of Souther California which is what Las Santos is based on. There is so much detail crammed into every area and section of the game, it’s truly amazing what they did here. While it’s somewhat part of the presentation, the story is also great overall, although I feel like it does drag a little in the last quarter of the game, mostly after the North Yankton part. All of this definitely lends itself to being one of the most fun, addictive game you can possibly play, and it doesn’t surprise me whatsoever that GTA5 is the best selling game of all time. While I wouldn’t necessarily put it in my top 10 games of all time list, it isn’t that far off either. (2/16/25) [45/50]
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17. Mega Man X4 - Zero
I finished this annual tradition a bit earlier this year. I played on Switch and it was as fun as always. Nothing to report. Just a way to kill some time with a favorite.
18. Mario Party Jamboree
After three boards (one of which I won!!) I feel like I can add this to the list. I used to have a negative view of Mario Party but this one has a lot of staying power, variety, and ease of access. I'll never own it but happy to be at someone's house that does.
19. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Similar to MPJ, I feel like I can add this to the list after 12 - 15 or so tracks. I like playing as either Luigi or Boo. This is another game I'll never own, but happy to play. I'm actually getting better at it! I'll never be as good as some of those online players, of course. I swear some of them are formulated in a test tube.
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15. Sonic Colors (DS)
Overall, I've been a pretty big fan of the Dimps handheld Sonic games. In some ways Sonic Colors is among the best, but in others it definitely leaves a lot to be desired. The presentation of Colors is decent, however I didn't find any of the levels particularly memorable in terms of their themes, art direction, or anything else. However, in terms of their layout and design, they are among the best between the Sonic Advance and Rush games. There weren't millions of bottomless pits to die in and overall things definitely flowed pretty well in each stage. Unfortunately the gameplay is held back by some of my least favorite bosses in any of the Dimps Sonic games, however a few were alright if I'm being fair. There is also the inclusion of the wisp abilities, which are fairly fun, albeit a little gimmicky. The audio in Sonic Colors is pretty good, but nothing amazimg either. Unfortunately, I felt fairly meh about this game. There were a few times where I thought I was really getting into this one, only for something to come up and annoy the crap out of me. But I think overall, the game is just a bit on the generic side and seems to lack an identity unlike most other Sonic games I've played. However, it's still worth a play through in my opinion, especially if you're a Sonic fan. (2/18/25) [30/50]
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20. Mega Man X3
Of the three X titles, this one was has always been my favorite. I say that as someone who thinks Mega Man X is a 10/10, so that should say something. Another fun time was had. One thing this game has more is variety. Between Bit, Byte, Vile, and a bunch of other bosses, there are so many ways to get through the game. If you do some things correctly, then X will get to use Zero's saber.
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First game abandoned in 2025 :(
1. Sonic Rush Adventure (DS) - ABANDONED
For the record, i didn't hate Sonic Rush Adventure, in fact, it had some pretty cool aspects to the game such a pretty good levels as well as some of the coolest bosses. What really broke me was the "Adventure" aspect of this game which requires you to do a ton of backtracking in the form of replaying stages over and over again to collect specific resources you need to progress further in the game. Not to mention, having to travel between stages via some sort of craft which had me just wanting to play the stage instead of spending a minute or two getting there. This all really killed the pacing of this game for me, especially having ti replay stages I'd already beat multiple times already just so Tails could build a new ship for you or a Radio Tower. The audio was petty good, as were the visuals and art design. I also thought the story portion of the game was fairly endearing too for the most part. It's just the travel between stages and the stupid forced stage replaying that broke me in the end. It just killed the pacing of this game when all I wanted to do was just go fast... (2/19/25)
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Game 3 Marvel's Spider-Man 2 (PS5) - 24 Hours
I enjoyed my time with this game very much like the previous 2 entries. It bothers me that this is called "2" when MM serves as an important lead up story that in my opinion has to be completed first, but oh well. Much like before, what I really love about these games is the free-roaming exploration around the city, swinging at will, taking in the sites, and helping the citizens of New York as I saw fit. The game is essentially unchanged combat or exploration wise, though there are some additions that I liked including the web wings that allow you to cover distances more easily, and the web line that gives you a tightrope to make stealth takedowns from. The game gets a little unwieldly with the 2 Spider-Men that each have different skill trees and moves to unlock and customize. I kind of wish it was just one Spider-Man, but it does give you a lot more variety with your controls.
Where I don't like this game is really in the story and game-design DURING the story in particular. While the game is very open-ended in general, when doing the story missions you're either crawling through linear environments that are orchestrated to feel intense and scary but are pretty scripted and predictable while you listen to just the characters talk to one another, or your being dropped into linear rooms with copy-pasted enemies to take out with the occasional large boss fight. That's if you're even fighting, because a decent chunk of the missions are just glorified cutscenes with mindless activities like a theme park or cleaning your apartment, or Mary Jane stealth sections that are admittedly better than the first game but not a huge improvement. None of the story missions feel particularly exciting to finish, and on top of that, I just really didn't like the whole "angsty" Spider-Man approach taken this time around. Kraven as a villain was so lame and uninspired and it was strange to me that he could just take over the entire city and none of the police or military try to stop him, which was a big part of the first game with Li.
I might come back to this game to try and snag the platinum. This game is really fun still once you get past all the stuff I didn't really care for with the story.
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21. Elden Ring
My goodness. What a game. For those wondering, I played it with my other account where I don't care about trophies. This was more of an "enjoy the ride game." And enjoy I did. For the most part. Open world games and I don't mesh. Elden Ring was as open as they come. But man. It was beautiful, rewarding, frustrating, and a bunch of other things that I've come to expect from From Software. But it also got redundant near the end. I'm not sure how people are able to acclimate to the intense, fast-paced combat with a melee build because enemies shred through health more than usual. It seemed that way, anyway. Using a magic build, I had to duck and cover often. I often found myself comparing it to Bloodborne which was just as intense but I was able to acclimate in Yharnam moreso than The Lands Between. All in all, I can see why the game has been so well-received.
22. Moonscars - platinum'd
This game was a bit more my speed and served as a good palette cleanser/in-between during Elden Ring. It was also a game I had my eye on for quite some time. Other than Irma seemingly being made of paper, this game was really fun. The narrative was easy to follow. The combat was tight. The setting was gorgeous and had music to match. I am kind of bummed that I got the platinum because it means there's not much reason to go back other than a random replay. Which, I might do at some point since there were still some witcheries I didn't learn. Fans of a Metroidvanias should enjoy this. Funnily enough, a year or so around this time, I just finished The Last Faith and griped about how much of a disappointment it was.
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10. Monster Jam: Showdown Finished Feb 15th, 2025
11. Super Mario Bros. Wonder Finished Feb 20th, 2025
(https://i.imgur.com/1WofvBR.jpg)
THE NEW "NEW" SUPER MARIO
Mario Wonder at it's core is one of the best Mario Games ever made. What it lacks in classic nostalgia it makes up for in so much creativity. You can kinda tell the project was a labor of love for the design crew :)
The power ups are wildly imaginative, weather it be blowing bubbles to encapsulate enemies, bulldozing underground, the elephant ability. It's got a power or move you're gonna remember amongst the crowd.
Levels
The game has incredibly ambitious level design. Some levels you race worms. Some you go through gauntlets of enemies seeking the fastest time. All of this is really rad and pretty risk taking for a usually one dimensional and dare I say dated franchise. I know nintendo likes to tout the "new" super mario bros on games that were fairly on brand. And hardly new at all. This game? Everything it does is massively inspired and cute.
This game is fresh. Fresh as Korean street food cooked right in front of you. A new fusion food of Mario games. A deep fried oreo if most mario games are classic Keebler. The game is fresh. And boy is it fun.
pacing
Pacing is important for games to me. This game is paced so incredibly well. It isnt too short where its a gameboy game. But it doesnt overstay its welcome. It lays the plot out. Gives amazing cinematics and then gets you to home plate before too long. It's very compact and worth adventuring again and again.
Overall the game is blissful. And a must play for anyone who grew up with the blast that was Mario World. This is only the 3rd Mario side scroller I have beaten. And im proud its with the greats.
Rating - 90/100
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16. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch)
It's a bit funny that I'm finally reviewing a game I've put easily over a 1000 hours on over the past decade between two different consoles. Mario Kart 8 has been one of my goto games to play in between games for the last 10 years. There are times I go weeks without playing anything else and just spend an hour to 4 or 5 hours straight just playing MK8 races online. The reason I'm finally reviewing this game is because 1) it's been a long, long time since i played through all the 150cc cups in single player, and 2) I've never played every single cup, including all the DLC cups and their courses back to back. Essentially, my recent experience with playing through every cup and track represents the most complete single player playthrough of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe I've ever done, and it absolutely warranted a review.
To put it lightly, I ADORE Mario Kart 8 Deluxe! MK8 was actually the game that motivated me to grab a Wii U back in the day, and it was the game I played the most on that ill-fated console. And despite having played MK8 for 3 years prior to its Switch release, it was still a big factor why I bought a Nintendo Switch at launch (along with Breath of the Wild of course). But anyhow, MK8 Deluxe is the best, most entertaining, and certainly most endearing racing game I've ever played. There are a mind boggling 96 tracks to race through in this game, which has to be some sort of record for a racing game. The vast majority of tracks are a blast to race through, with some certainly being better than others. Unfortunately, some of the more recent DLC tracks, mainly the Mario Kart Tour stages, are among the weakest in the game, but I guess they're there if you really want to select them. Most tracks are designed very well to optimize fast, frantic, and sometimes absolutely chaotic gameplay while up against opponent racers. There is also a tremendous amount of balancing in most tracks, as well as the placement of shortcuts, item boxes, and the many different hazards present in MK8. There is definitely quite a bit of risk/reward in each stage which just makes most stages very fun and dynamic to play through. Then of course there are the many, many racers and vehicle configs you can choose from which contribute even more to MK8 Deluxe's depth given character weight, wheels, vehicle type, and a plethora of other factors play into how fast or agile your racer will be.
Visually, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe still looks excellent despite technically being a 10-year, almost 11-year old game. Stages mostly all look vibrant and engaging, with tons of familiar, yet very fun Nintendo staples doing thing both on and off the tracks, as well as most levels having a distinct identity of their own which makes them feel unique and interesting. The 3D cartoonish look of the character models and stages has aged incredibly well, and I imagine any visual updates in MK9 will look marginally better, if at all despite it being over a decade newer whenever that game finally comes out. I honestly cannot fault any of the visuals in MK8 Deluxe, it's practically perfect as far as I'm concerned.
Finally, MK8's audio is excellent all around with some very catching songs throughout the 96 stages. There is a lot of throwback music and arranged versions of classic Mario Kart tracks as well, which only adds to the auditory bliss you'll experience while playing MK8 Deluxe. Characters also are voice acting excellently and capture the charm and presence those same characters exhibit in other Nintendo properties too. There are also some excellent stage sound effects and distinct noises like a blue turtleshell coming your way that just add the the already high bar set by the rest of the game's audio.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is so freakin amazing, it's almost impossible to imagine how Nintendo is going to make MK9 better. I feel like the best chance it has is to be just as good, but I guess time will tell with that one. Regardless of how good MK9 ends up being, MK8 Deluxe is an absolutely stellar game and a must play if there ever was such a thing in gaming. (2/21/25) [45/50]
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10. Picross e2 || Nintendo 3DS || 02.15.25
(https://i.imgur.com/LvkuvMv.jpeg) (https://i.imgur.com/9MaY0jN.jpeg)
Since some time has passed, I found myself wanting to play through another slow-paced, methodical puzzle logic game, so I settled on Picross e2. I have all of the e series games installed on my 3DS system after enjoying the first game, so I may end up playing an entry every year or so.
Overwhelmingly, Picross e2 is an extension of the first game in that there are few differences between the two games across all facets, from gameplay to presentation. Simply put, picross is a logic puzzle which tasks those solving to analyze how each tile comprising a large grid is filled, and its translations as a video game port well. For many of the larger puzzles introduced, there is often just enough information supplied that forces players to—initially, at least—work toward the solution in a linear way. At times, there is even only one immediate action to be taken based on the known information revealed, but it's easy to overlook that action when so many possible ones still exist. Like the first game, difficulty progresses at an expected pace, but players are free to solve any of the game's puzzles in any order they choose which is a welcomed decision, as some players may be unable to solve a puzzle but not want to feel stuck on it and instead move forward past it.
Compared to my time playing the first series entry, I found later puzzles within the game's Free Mode considerably more difficult. Even with the hint assist feature toggled on which highlights the rows and columns which currently can be solved based on all known information, I repeatedly found myself make some sort of incorrect action that negatively impacts the remainder of the puzzle-solving process. At times, the puzzle may eventually be fully completed but not solved because of some mistake made and players may be able to rectify the problem, but many of these instances require fully restarting. Unlike my previous playthrough which was more of a learning experience for me as I was unfamiliar with picross, I played through the majority of Picross e2 without using the hint assist feature, although there were still moments toward the end of the game and mistakes would sometimes be made that I did use it.
In a way, solving a picross grid is like solving a puzzle backwards, and it's especially true for more complicated ones. Over the course of my playthrough, there were three or four individual puzzles that I truly had no understanding how to progress early on after little progress was made. I went so far as to search videos discussing advanced problem-solving techniques, but I was surprised to learn that I was already familiar with them after naturally figuring them out while playing the previous game. I also searched for video walkthroughs to help gain insight, but they don't really exist. So, for those few challenging puzzles, I resorted to an illustrated walkthrough to help me progress; I picked a row and column plot that was in the general area that seemed like the most obvious point of where the next immediate tile solution would be. I'd have much rather just learned what exactly I was missing while analyzing everything, but that just wasn't an option.
While much of Picross e2 is like Picross e, there is one major difference—a new mode is introduced named Micross. In this mode, giant 8x8 grids are sub-divided into 10x10 sections which means the full puzzle is 80x80. Because of their size, there is a lot of opportunity for detail, so all of the puzzle illustrations are based on historical paintings. While there are only five of these Micross puzzles, many of them took me about one full hour to complete. Unlike other modes where there is a natural difficulty progression, micro-puzzles vary in difficulty since they're representative of only a tiny portion of the entire piece. For instance, middle pieces where subject matter is most often present may be complex, but side and corner pieces are elementary as little visual information appears. Some instances of the elementary ones truly take a handful of seconds to complete, but they're a nice break between the ones which take several minutes to complete.
Having now played the first two entries in the Picross e series, I'm hoping that subsequent entries introduce more quality-of-life changes and general advancements. There are 155 total puzzles in Picross e2 and still only one music track available to listen to. Even adding just one more would be a notable improvement. Hopefully there are new things to enjoy with the third installment.
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11. Silent Hill: Downpour || PlayStation 3 || 02.20.25
(https://i.imgur.com/CtZqY9x.jpeg) (https://i.imgur.com/C6iCOUb.jpeg)
For nearly a decade, Silent Hill: Downpour was what many consider to be the final full-fledged survival horror game within the series. Just like with the games I've played before it, I went in not knowing what to expect or the reasons for its less than favorable reception when compared to the first four entries.
Overall, Silent Hill: Downpour offers an expected story and protagonist that's representative of the Silent Hill franchise. That being said, what Murphy's story is exactly isn't really divulged for some time, although players do become aware of the tragic loss of his young son years prior. For nearly half the game, most of what the player really knows is that they're assuming the role of an escaped prison convict whose situation in Silent Hill arises from a vehicle accident. Murphy actually isn't here purposely and is instead fully set on just finding his way back out of town. Like with many of the previous entries, much of the early game consists of crossing paths with strange individuals who've clearly been broken by Silent Hill or, rather, broken down further by it; meanwhile, little is learned about Murphy until later on.
While many of the Silent Hill games forego straightforward narratives to instead express a vague one characterized by the high degree of mental anguish its characters struggle with, Silent Hill: Downpour is an outlier. That tragic history is still conveyed, but it is broken up considerably by the inclusion of side quests that are introduced once the player reaches the actual town of Silent Hill after navigating its outskirts. While I'm not opposed to the idea of side quests, I'm not entirely pleased with them. While the actual name implies goals separate from the main objective, they are not specific at all to Murphy's past in any way or even to the NPCs whom Murphy meets. Instead, they feel like random puzzle encounters which, while usually enough fun to solve, are superfluous. Overall, I don't really know if an entire side quest system is suited for the survival horror genre.
Perhaps more so than any other game within the series which utilizes combat, Silent Hill: Downpour emphasizes fleeing than confrontation. I'm again surprised at how involved combat actually is, and it's for the worse. When actually deciding to fight enemies—and this is largely in regards to when melee is the player's only available option—I often found myself juggling the controls for attack, focus, and block in a terrible panic. This was much less an issue of terror and more about certain enemies being quite overpowered. With that said, a feature that isn't explained but still an interesting concept lies in the storms that periodically occur. During these sequences, all enemies become far more aggressive than they normally are while actively seeking out the player. Despite it usually being more beneficial to run away from enemies than to engage with them, weapons are littered everywhere. While they can break, there is usually a decent supply of more durable ones to find while naturally progressing. Still, that there are so many comes across as such an odd design choice not only because fleeing is often the better strategy but because inventory space is limited. Players are limited to only two handguns and either one shotgun or melee weapon. Perhaps weapon abundance is to ensure players can remain relatively safe, but that idea rejects the entire genre's conventions altogether. At the same time, the act of fleeing is reinforced by scripted chase scenes that appear during crucial narrative milestones. Instead of actual enemies, Murphy runs away from some ambiguous void which pursues him. During these few encounters is really the only time Murphy spends in Silent Hill's otherworld which is a bit disappointing, and what purpose they really serve in parallel with proper combat sequences leaves me somewhat confused.
Most indoor exploration lacks any actual exploring as environments are often either small or linear, although there are few exceptions. With that said, most wandering will be outside throughout the town proper, although it often proves difficult to navigate even with a map as its layout and pathways aren't adequately displayed while looking the same. In fact, if wanting to branch off from the main story progression, the map leaves much to be desired as it lacks detail in reminding players where to go after discovering points of interest. While I before critiqued the game's weapons, I will mention how a small number of them serve practical purposes, such as axes being able to break down blocked doorways. It's a welcome feature (though not its first implementation in the series) but would benefit from more instances of it, as being able to discover optional points of interest is rewarding. Meanwhile, so many possible paths seem to exist, but they're regularly inaccessible or actually disconnected. Unless the location involves a major road, the map provides little information. This is made worse by the game's semi open-world environment which would otherwise be enjoyable to explore. With how the world of Silent Hill: Downpour was developed, I think it would greatly benefit from a more focused and linear adventure.
In addition to the less user-friendly design choices the game presents, it's unfortunate to report that there are many problems relating to loading the game's environment and frame rate. While mostly an issue while running about but periodically also while simply walking, frame rate stutters and pauses regularly. There were also a few instances where I'd enter a new area without the loading screen transition only for, after a few seconds of actually walking around, the transition to finally appear. During these instances, load times were notably lengthy—upwards of thirty seconds long. While these aren't game-breaking issues nor impact the play experience in any significant way, they were egregious and reoccurring enough to be irritating. Apart from this main issue, the only other thing worth mentioning is that the game would benefit from button mapping or just a less convoluted layout than what was decided upon. Although, I would be amiss to not comment on the developer's music decisions for the game's end credits, which features the following tracks: an original theme from Korn, a contemporary country song, and a song from Louis Armstrong. For a horror game, it was confusing to listen to this sequence.
Nevertheless, in spite of all the negative aspects I've highlighted, I still enjoyed my time playing Silent Hill: Downpour. The experience could have been substantially better had certain design decisions had been made, but the narrative itself was okay enough for me to not be overly bothered by everything else.
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23. Mega Man X2
This run through was a bit more fun for some reason. I think it's because I didn't stress about getting all the Zero Parts and because I was able to snag the shoryuken, which was useful against the boss you face immediately after acquiring it. Still, of the three on SNES, this one is my least favorite.
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SKALD: Against the Black Priory is an old school RPG in the vein of the old Apple II or Commodore 64 titles. It's not as ridiculously difficult as those, as doesn't have nearly as many "gotcha" traps in the dungeons. It was made by an incredibly small team (it might have just been one person) and is an obvious labor of love. While appreciate a general lack of instakill traps and the like, I do think there could have been a little more variation on the encounter types and dungeoneering. Overall I really liked, but didn't quite love, it.
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Castlevania Anniversary Collection came up and I tried it out. I technically did play it and did put the first game as NES on my game list, but did not count it as a true backlog game. I had the three NES games when I was a kid and I did not ever beat them back them. IIRC for the first game I was only able to get to the Grim Reaper or maybe Frankenstein. I don't know about the second game and the third game I was also able to get near the end. Outside of those three I'd never played any of the other Castlevania games except SOTN. After my short amount of time with Castlevania last week, I had no interest in playing the game again, or playing it enough to be able to get through it. This game collection on Steam isn't anything particularly new, it is just roms running in an emulator. Unlike using a regular emulator, there are no real options. I can't change the controls and of course you can't run codes. In fact the controls are weird where the default buttons for controller are swapped between Castlevania and Super Castlevania IV for example. Some day I would like to blast through these using cheats but my backlog is too big to allow for that kind of extra time.
I also played Blood Fresh Supply on Steam. I had Blood when I was younger but not the expansion. I didn't even care about playing the expansion. I played through episode 1 and didn't want to play it anymore. So Blood is probably retired forever. I also didn't count this as being a backlog game, since I had beat it when I was younger but also probably using cheats.
8. Dragon Age II (Steam)
This is the first game I was able to beat so far this year. It is a long game. The controls are the same as Dragon Age Origins but the inventory system was not like that at all. I was able to use my DAO save to influence this game, but I really don't know what it changes because I'm not going to be playing the games over and over to see what changes. This won't be something I'll be able to do for Dragon Age Inquisition, since I had started a game of that before playing DAII.
It was still good enough to play and I only really skipped one fight. There is one near the end where you fight a dragon. I couldn't get past that at all but since it wasn't required I didn't really try. There is a fight near the end of the game that I could get through. It basically comes down to if you didn't build/gear your characters properly to specifically handle that fight, you were doomed to not be able to get past it. Even on the easiest difficulty. Of course, it probably could be done if you micromanaged the fight like you were playing Starcraft, but there was no other fight or situation where you absolutely had to do that. So for that one fight I used a cheat to make my char unkillable. Which is fine, because the achievements were only on the Dragon Age site and not Steam.
But I want to talk about the internet age and games. First, Dragon Age II is Ultimate Edition, meaning it comes with all the DLC. And apparently has post-endgame things you can do. When I played, I never saw any of the DLC. I didn't figure out why until after I finished the game, where by that point I didn't care about doing anything with it. It comes down to the fact that these online services have been around for so many years and a lot of them used to be something else and was purchased. So it turns out I had two EA accounts for some reason. The DLC isn't tied to Steam, its tied to the EA account. Login with your account and the DLC appears. But the account I had was some other account and not tied to Steam. I didn't know I had two until I tried to link my account and was informed it was already linked to another account. I have this situation with other old-ass services as well... which account do I use for what? I have like 3 accounts for Microsoft/Live/Mojang and at least 3 for Sony. The entire reason why I was (am) TripredacusX on PSN is because my original Tripredacus account on Sony was connected to SOE (EverQuest) and my corporate account. Since I had left the employ of Sony, somehow that account was vanished... however the username is still active and you can't use it.
OK rant over. Some new stuff coming up but it does feel good to actually blast through the backlog to help determine what I actually want to play that I have.
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2. Ninja Gaiden (NES) - ABANDONED
It's been a long time, but I finally picked up Ninja Gaiden and decided to see if it is as infamously hard, and also fun, as most claim it is. Having never grown up with an NES and because none of my friends had this game or its two NES sequels, I didn't find out about this game until I was a young adult in the late 2000s. Since finding out about it, Ninja Gaiden always fascinated me and it was a game I knew I was going to try out one of these days. Well, tonight was the night and I have to say I'm both humbled and pretty disappointed.
For one, the crazy difficulty this game is known for is just as much a product of design as it is the gameplay limitation of this game. The frequent and often inconsistent respawning of enemies, the stiff movement controls, especially when jumping, and the placement of specific enemies in close proximity to death pits makes getting through this game the stuff of nightmares and massive frustration. I got fairly far in the game (Act 6), but by then I was an inch away from quitting over how stupid this game can be. I finally knew i was never going to beat it due to its incredibly frustrating controls and difficulty and quit while I was ahead. That's a shame since the OST is really good for an NES game, as is the presentation. It's one of the few NES games I've seen to have cinematic cutscenes between stages and a decent, albeit slightly generic story to piece everything together. I totally get why this game escaped the dustbins of 8-bit obscurity, but its very blaring flaws are often given a pass due to the game's reputation and other positive attributes. For me, I think I'm done with the franchise's 8-bit entries and someday I'll start playing its 3D games that came out in the 2000s and 2010s...someday, but definitely not now. I need to cool off a bit before returning to this series lol. (2/24/25)
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17. Star Fox (SNES)
Seeing how much I adore Star Fox 64, I expected that when I finally got around to playing its predecessor, I'd fall in love with it to, or at least find it mostly enjoyable. Unfortunately, I found a game way, WAY too ambitious for the hardware it was released on, even with the assistance of the Super FX chip that enabled this game to have its 3D polygon graphics. Star Fox is nearly unplayable. Between the terrible framerate, poor stage design, and completely broken aiming system, this game is all flash and almost no substance...I mean, if you want to call horrendous 3D graphics on a console that was never meant to have them "flash." This game's gross presentation is only rivaled by its way more gross gameplay which made it very difficult to hit anything and to avoid getting hit, especially in the later stages. I will give the game some credit with its bosses, but again, playing Star Fox is like playing a game inside of a slideshow rather than a game that's supposed to be fluidly animated. I will give credit to the OST which I found decent, but nothing to wrote home about. I never thought Star Fox on the SNES would be as good as 64, but I can safely say it's a game that should have waited to come out on the N64, or any console that could have actually handled what Star Fox was trying to do, but failed at miserably. (2/24/25) [20/50]
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18. Super Mario Kart (SNES)
I got on a bit on an SNES kick tonight so I decided to revisit a game I played a lot of as a kid, but haven't touched for nearly 30-years.
For what it was at the time, Super Mario Kart created the kart racer sub genre of racing games and while the game hasn't necessarily aged all that well, it's still pretty fun to play. Not only that, but it reminded me why I used to spend hours at one of my neighbors houses growing up playing this game and getting better and better at it. Unfortunately the skill ceiling in Super Mario Kart isn't that high despite the game getting noticeably more difficult in the higher CC races, but still, the overall lack of dynamic gameplay makes it easy to get used to the tracks and win pretty consistently. I found items difficult to use strategically or effectively for the most part, but their inclusion certainly adds to why this game was pretty memorable. As for tracks, there isn't nearly as much variety as there would be in later franchise installments, and many of the tracks looks like alternative versions of each other which also adds to the lack of track diversity in this game. There are also only 8 racers, but for the most part all the main Mario stables of the time are there to select. The OST in this game is super catchy and is still very enjoyable to play. As I said, this game hasn't aged the best seeing how far the genre has come since its humble beginnings with Super Mario Kart. Still, whether or not you have a past connection with this game, it's still easy to have fun with it despite most other Kart racers released in the past decade being a fair amount better. (2/25/25) [32/50]
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24. Mega Man X
Not my GoaT, but still a GoaT. If I finished X2 - X4, then I had to finish the original. It was a nice way to kill some time and relive some memories yet again. I did as little backtracking as possible, which was fun since I only had to visit Spark Mandrill's stage (that music!!) once. I also got the hadoken which took out Vile and Sigma's pup in one, lovely hit.
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Superhot didn't take long to beat at all. I really wish there was more of it. It's a hyperstylized FPS where nothing moves unless you do, so it's really more of a puzzle game. I had a lot if fun figuring out the levels. I could have easily played a couple of more hours.
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19. Pokemon Gold (3DS)
Pokemon Gen 2 (Gold/Silver/Crystal) marks a bit of a bitter sweet period in the series for me. I was an early adopter of Pokemon in North America and was one of the first kids at my middle school to start playing Red/Blue version before Pokemon would eventually explode into the global phenomena it would become about a year later. I adored Red version, caught all 151 Pokemon, and consumed every bit of Pokemon merchandise and media I could get my hands on. More or less, Pokemon was my life in 1999 and the better part of 2000s. Unfortunately while I waited for the highly anticipated Gold and Silver versions to come to the west, my fandom had begun to fade gradually following Pokemon the Movie 2000's release. It wasn't that I didn't like that movie, but rather like most things kids get really into, it was an interest of mine that ran its course until it was replaced by something else (anime, in case you were curious). By the time Pokemon Gold and Silver finally released, I was about a quarter the Pokemon fan I was about a year ago and subsequently not nearly as much into m newly bought Gold version as I was Red version back when I first played it. By the time Pokemon 3: The Movie came out aroun mid-2001, I was barely into Pokemon at all anymore. What this essentially meant for my initial playthrough of Pokemon Gold is I never finished it, getting about halfway through the initial Johto campaign before abandoning the game.
Over the years since then, I felt as thought I made a critical mistake in dropping Pokemon Gold as a kid, seeing how it offers practically everything I loved about Pokemon Red and amplifies it by several magnitudes. On paper, it should be my favorite Pokemon game by a mile, but after finally beating the game nearly 25 years after initially dropping the game, I can say with absolute certainty that it's not.
Make no mistake, Pokemon Gold is an improvement over all its Gen 1 Gameboy counterparts in nearly every way. Not only does it boost the roster of Pokemon by 100 new creatures, but they maintain the same degree of quality as Gen 1's roster. Then of course, there's all the additions the games presentation and gameplay such as better battle animations, more detailed Pokemon sprites, and of course color thanks to being released on the more advanced GBC. As mentioned, gameplay was also improved by making battling a much more deep and dynamic system then before, the addition of many new moves and new Pokemon types, and a much more interesting story that ties it all together. I found your rival and antagonist in Gold to be a way more compelling character than the one found in Red/Blue/Yellow as well. There are also the additions of berries and items Pokemon can hold and use in combat, acorns which can be used to craft specialized types of Pokeballs, people you can friend and call, or annoying be called by at inopportune times, and a day and night system that can impact what types of Pokemon you see or when certain characters appear in specific areas. And perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of Pokemon Gold is the fact that the game is only about halfway over by the time you beat the Pokemon League and see the credits roll. The game completely opens up to the Kanto region for you to revisit old areas, characters, and gyms from Gen 1, albeit as future versions of themselves seeing how Gen 2 is also a canonical sequel to Gen 1. This all sounds like a massive leap forward compared to Gen 1, and in many ways it absolutely is. Yet, even years later I still don't personally enjoy it more than Pokemon Red despite Gold and Silver being objectively better games.
Perhaps the only area of Pokemon Gold, and by extension Silver and Crystal version I don't think is an objective improvement is the game's audio. I prefer the OST of Red version more, and as for the sound effects and Pokemon noises, they all mostly sound the same as the previous game. I can't say I like one more than the other, but at the very least I enjoy them the same.
Pokemon Gold is a fun, enjoyable game, no questions there whatsoever. Unfortunately, the simplicity and my own personal connection to Pokemon Red and Gen 1 as a whole makes those games a more enjoyable experience for me personally. I sorely wish I liked Pokemon Gold more seeing how its technically the superior game, but it just doesn't do it for me the same way my beloved Red version does. On a side note, Red version isn't even my favorite Pokemon game. Years back before I started reviewing and scoring my games, I played Pokemon Omega Ruby and that game holds the distinction as the best Pokemon game I've ever played. I wonder if I'd still feel that way if i went back and replayed it, but that's a review for another time. If you're a fan of Pokemon, especially a way bigger fan than me currently, which would not be difficult to achieve, you will probably adore this game, or its newer remake Pokemon Heartgold. It's definitely a fun, enjoyable gameplay and definitely raised the bar for Pokemon as a series when it originally came out. (2/26/25) [36/50]
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20. Mario Kart Arcade GP DX (Arcade)
I've seen Mario Kart Arcade GP DX at the many arcades I've frequented for years, but outside casually playing a race or two a handful of times, I've never actually sat down with the game to really take it in and see how good it actually is. Well, that's exactly what I did tonight and after nearly $30 in quarters, I played through every cup and track in GP DX and am ready to give it a full review!
Mario Kart Arcade GP DX is a pretty awesome game for what it is. The presentation of this game is by far its greatest asset, as the stages are all vibrant, interesting, and full of Nintendo characters and charm. Because this game was codeveloped by Namco, it also has touches from various Namco properties as well including a few of their characters as playable racers. Speaking of racers, as you'd expect, the racers all have their own stats, pros, and cons, which make this game feel fairly dynamic to play...sort of. While the presentation is amazing, the gameplay is good, but not great. Likely because of it being an arcade game, the gameplay is noticeably more shallow and simplistic than most other console Mario Kart games. In particular I really didn't care for you kart and the items available to you being selected at random before the stage, and your item drops being limited to just three types. The preselected items you can get during a race really limit any competitiveness and depth this game could have had otherwise, and it's even more of a shame since many of the items you can get are among the most unique of any Mario Kart game. Luckily, despite this the controls of GP DX are smooth, fluid, and relatively easy to get a handle on. The drift mechanic is fun to execute with the physical brake pedal on the machine, and the tracks are well suited to the abilities granted to you by the way each kart controls. I had never once felt like leaving GP DX prematurely before finishing all the races, which was in large part to how enjoyable this game is to play despite its gameplay limitations and overall shallowness. Finally, the game's OST is pretty good as well. There weren't any tracks that blew my mind, but it is all appropriate and serviceable to the action going on in front of you, and definitely adds to the game's charm and enjoyment. While Mario Kart Arcade GP DX may lack the iconic feel of racing games like Daytona USA or Crazy Taxi, it's still nearly just as much fun to play which is a massive win for modern arcade goers in my book. Drop some change on this one if you haven't already, it's pretty fun. (2/27/25) [35/50]
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21. Dead or Alive Dimensions (3DS)
Funny enough, DOA Dimensions was the very first 3DS game I ever played, at least a demo of it. I was at a Best Buy around the time the 3DS first came out and they had a demo kiosk for Nintendo's then new handheld in the video game section. I remember thinking the 3D effect was a cool gimmick, and as for the game, I was impressed it was able to run DOA so well and with the faithfulness of some of the earlier console releases like DOA2 on the Dreamcast. Years later, I finally played the full version of DOA Dimensions, beating the Campaign mode and unlocking the entire roster of playable characters, and I can say this is definitely a worthwhile entry in the series despite some compromises to get it running on a 2011 handheld system.
For the most part, DOA Dimensions looks great. While it lacks the fidelity and framerate of the console releases, it still faithfully captures the looks, feel, and gameplay of those console games. The framerate issues mostly cropped up during cutscenes, which is fine since they were almost non existent during matches. There is also an odd mix of still character model cutscenes, fully animated 3D cutscenes with the in game models, and then fully rendered 3D cutscenes taken from the various character endings from DOA4 and a few other entries. Speaking of DOA4, as well as its three mainline predecessors, Dimensions acts as a bit of a dream match, greatest hits that brings together all the characters from the first four DOA games and allows you to play as all of them. There are also a good mix of stages, music, and other attributes from DOA 1 through 4 that made this a cool way to revisit those older titles. However, the single best thing about reperesenting DOA 1, 2, 3, and 4 in one game is a very well done recap of all their stories, all excellently brought together in the game's campaign mode. This mode is where I spent the bulk of my time playing this game, and I learned many things about the DOA story and specific characters I was completely unaware of despite having played all the previous mainline DOA games. Finally, the audio of Dimensions is excellent, bring back some of the best tracks of DOA 1 through 4. I feel like DOA2's OST might have been a bit over represented in this game, but I'm not complaining since it's the strongest of the original 4 DOA games imo. There is also some very well done voice acting for each of the characters, filled to the brim with anime melodrama and various other soup opera like tropes that makes lots of more over the top Japanese media so entertaining. I am happy I finally got to play DOA Dimensions, and surprisingly like it more than various mainline games in the series. That's definitely something I never thought I'd be saying after my time with DOA Dimensions, but I suppose crazier things have happened. (2/28/25) [36/50]
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12. Madden NFL 25 [PS5] Finished - Feb 27th, 2025
(https://i.imgur.com/hCzAY91.jpg)
I count beating the game as winning the superbowl and playing all 19 games to get there. A full season. No skips. No simulations. Felt like a beat to me.
It's Madden. No frills about that. However its probably the most concise and sorted out Madden since my childhood days with the franchise. Then running mechanics feel tight. The passes and especially defensive plays on zone coverage feel like they give more user control than before. The soundtrack harkons back to old maddens from 2005 to 2016. The icons. And overall. It looks and plays smooth. A fairly decent madden. Considering most of the recent ones suck. I also think the coaching system is well oiled and the play schemes are clear. Had fun with it.
Rating - 85/100
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13. South Park: The Fractured But Whole [PS4] Finished - Feb 28th, 2025
(https://i.imgur.com/VCxL6DE.jpg)
South Park to me is a legacy franchise, it is up there with the simpsons and things like king of the hill but as a child I definitely watched it more. This game is one big glorious 40 hour south park episode. And that is a sell and a half.
The game follows the story of "new kid" again but this time as a 4th grader with an unorthodox time warping ass that farts different power abilities in an ever expanding super hero franchise battle between coon and friends (marvel) and freedom pals (DC).
The town of south park is free to explore at liesure. It is brimming with easter eggs from the show. From Mr. Hankey. To towlie. To shows on the tv being Terrence and Phillip. Cameos of pretty much every main character. Its flawless south park fan service. It really is.
I wanted to be free with other creatures like me but now I got my wish.... because I know that im a gay fish lol.
The game focuses on things such as pronouns, gender, religion, income brackets. And you aquire artificats that upgrade your individual attributes and can choose between many different attack abilities. Its a full fledged grid style RPG. And a really epic one. The show may be jokes but the gameplay is nothing but. It is serious. It is deep. And it's really freaking FUN.
I have beaten this game twice now. But this is genuinely one of the best games based off a tv show ever. It is funny. Very S13 southpark. Super heroes. Puns. Insults. And brutal crude humor.
You literally fart on a crab people, aliens, a weed sobriety towel, evil woodland critters and a alcoholic Randy with a time bending burrito gas made by morgan freeman. I leave with no context. If that dont sell the game. Nothing will.
Collecting memberberries, yaoi art (craig and tweek hentai) and also the toilets leave a lot to explore. What a sick, gross and crude but overly hilarious game.
Rating - 97/100
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13. South Park: The Fractured But Whole [PS4] Finished - Feb 28th, 2025
(https://i.imgur.com/VCxL6DE.jpg)
South Park to me is a legacy franchise, it is up there with the simpsons and things like king of the hill but as a child I definitely watched it more. This game is one big glorious 40 hour south park episode. And that is a sell and a half.
The game follows the story of "new kid" again but this time as a 4th grader with an unorthodox time warping ass that farts different power abilities in an ever expanding super hero franchise battle between coon and friends (marvel) and freedom pals (DC).
The town of south park is free to explore at liesure. It is brimming with easter eggs from the show. From Mr. Hankey. To towlie. To shows on the tv being Terrence and Phillip. Cameos of pretty much every main character. Its flawless south park fan service. It really is.
I wanted to be free with other creatures like me but now I got my wish.... because I know that im a gay fish lol.
The game focuses on things such as pronouns, gender, religion, income brackets. And you aquire artificats that upgrade your individual attributes and can choose between many different attack abilities. Its a full fledged grid style RPG. And a really epic one. The show may be jokes but the gameplay is nothing but. It is serious. It is deep. And it's really freaking FUN.
I have beaten this game twice now. But this is genuinely one of the best games based off a tv show ever. It is funny. Very S13 southpark. Super heroes. Puns. Insults. And brutal crude humor.
You literally fart on a crab people, aliens, a weed sobriety towel, evil woodland critters and a alcoholic Randy with a time bending burrito gas made by morgan freeman. I leave with no context. If that dont sell the game. Nothing will.
Collecting memberberries, yaoi art (craig and tweek hentai) and also the toilets leave a lot to explore. What a sick, gross and crude but overly hilarious game.
Rating - 97/100
I loved this game, but definitely prefer Stick of Truth. I'm with you about the series though; I've been watching South Park since season 1 (when I was probably way too young to be watching it) and still love it to this day. I haven't been as big of a fan of the Specials format over the last few years, and it would be nice to get actual seasons again that are at least 8 episodes long.
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13. South Park: The Fractured But Whole [PS4] Finished - Feb 28th, 2025
(https://i.imgur.com/VCxL6DE.jpg)
South Park to me is a legacy franchise, it is up there with the simpsons and things like king of the hill but as a child I definitely watched it more. This game is one big glorious 40 hour south park episode. And that is a sell and a half.
The game follows the story of "new kid" again but this time as a 4th grader with an unorthodox time warping ass that farts different power abilities in an ever expanding super hero franchise battle between coon and friends (marvel) and freedom pals (DC).
The town of south park is free to explore at liesure. It is brimming with easter eggs from the show. From Mr. Hankey. To towlie. To shows on the tv being Terrence and Phillip. Cameos of pretty much every main character. Its flawless south park fan service. It really is.
I wanted to be free with other creatures like me but now I got my wish.... because I know that im a gay fish lol.
The game focuses on things such as pronouns, gender, religion, income brackets. And you aquire artificats that upgrade your individual attributes and can choose between many different attack abilities. Its a full fledged grid style RPG. And a really epic one. The show may be jokes but the gameplay is nothing but. It is serious. It is deep. And it's really freaking FUN.
I have beaten this game twice now. But this is genuinely one of the best games based off a tv show ever. It is funny. Very S13 southpark. Super heroes. Puns. Insults. And brutal crude humor.
You literally fart on a crab people, aliens, a weed sobriety towel, evil woodland critters and a alcoholic Randy with a time bending burrito gas made by morgan freeman. I leave with no context. If that dont sell the game. Nothing will.
Collecting memberberries, yaoi art (craig and tweek hentai) and also the toilets leave a lot to explore. What a sick, gross and crude but overly hilarious game.
Rating - 97/100
I loved this game, but definitely prefer Stick of Truth. I'm with you about the series though; I've been watching South Park since season 1 (when I was probably way too young to be watching it) and still love it to this day. I haven't been as big of a fan of the Specials format over the last few years, and it would be nice to get actual seasons again that are at least 8 episodes long.
I have stick of truth downloaded on my PS4 because I loved FBW so much and am eager to try it. I loved how accessible south park was in this game. Felt like living an episode. Is the combat system the same in SOT or does it go more Final Fantasy style turn based?
I had a similar experience with southpark. Def began young lol. Seasons 1 to maybe 21 were so consistent. A lot of the episodes have a time capsule effect too. I used to watch free episodes on south park studios back when they had most episodes free. Now they limit it to like 10. So I had to get HBO Max to watch :( But then I sorta lost keeping up with it and never got around to the Pandemic specials even though I heard good things. South Park is like a piece of social commentary that catalogs America from 1998-2020s in a very smart way. Rewatching old episodes makes me miss the times too.
I also had a big Family Guy phase but South Park has aged much better for me and the humor hits adult me much more consistently.
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I have stick of truth downloaded on my PS4 because I loved FBW so much and am eager to try it. I loved how accessible south park was in this game. Felt like living an episode. Is the combat system the same in SOT or does it go more Final Fantasy style turn based?
The Stick of Truth is a much more straightforward game that utilizes a standard turned-based combat system that's simple to understand when compared to its sequel entry The Fractured but Whole. In my experience playing them, they were very much two different games regarding gameplay, but I enjoyed them both. The former is a short experience which I think works in its favor, while the latter takes about twice as long to complete and did overstay its welcome some toward the end. The Stick of Truth felt more like an episode, and The Fractured but Whole felt more like an ongoing narrative that's told over the course of an entire season. I don't think I necessarily enjoyed one more than the other, though—they both have their strengths.
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12. Life Is Strange: Double Exposure || PlayStation 5 || 02.27.25
(https://i.imgur.com/TXMoXIq.jpeg) (https://i.imgur.com/vEOGESs.jpeg)
Before writing my final thoughts for Life Is Strange: Double Exposure, I referred to my notes about my time playing the previous series entry. My closing statement then was that future entries needed better grounding to be successful, and I think that the game's writers may have understood that too. As a result, the latest game serves as a formal sequel to the very first, which a majority of series veterans consider to be the best.
Set ten years after the events of Life Is Strange, Double Exposures features Max Caulfield who reprises her role as the game's protagonist. Having been scarred from that time, she's departed her home and has since traveled the country on her own. But in recent months, she's settled down on the opposite side of the country where she now acts as some sort of faculty figure on a college campus to teach photography. For a while, it seems as if Max has largely been able to overcome her past trauma while maintaining a more ordinary lifestyle, yet this positive growth fully backtracks as, just like in the first game, she's forced to grapple with the murder of someone close to her. With all this said, it would be in players' best interest to play the preceding entry prior to Double Exposure, as there are numerous plot references and general character development that relies upon the player's knowledge of such context; nevertheless, players can choose to begin with this sequel entry, but they will naturally miss out on a more comprehensive experience.
Moving forward, Max is not your average person as she's able to control time in various capacities. However, unlike her previous ordeal where Max was able to manipulate time by rewinding it, her powers have since changed, much to her surprise. Now, Max has become able to shift between two distinct timelines—one with the murder having happened and the other without—after creating a rift in reality. Additionally, these newfound powers grant her the ability to have a sort of preview sense of what's happening in the other timeline. Despite there being only one difference in how time has moved forward in each timeline, the murder serves as the catalyst, which means that the events following such moment in time vary significantly. With the goal of trying to solve who her friend's murderer is while simultaneously working toward prevent it from happening in this altered timeline, Max freely moves between the two. For much of the game, players will need to gather information in each of the two timelines to solve the mystery. While prioritizing story-focused gameplay that features choice-based outcomes, Double Exposure also incorporates light puzzle and even stealth sections to achieve goals.
Presented as a murder mystery of sorts, there is unexpectedly a lot of information to sift through, and much of it feels superfluous. To the game's credit, though, a high percentage of the game's dialogue and written text is optional as it serves world-building and character development purposes. Nevertheless, there are way too many things connected to Max's phone which serves as the information hub to the point where it obtrusively feels like micromanaging. With nearly every action taken—no matter how inconsequential it may be—some social media post, text message, journal entry, or character profile is being updated. And, to make things worse, the information is nearly doubled as those first two items are unique to each timeline. Apart from information directly related to characters, there is also a high number of items to observe and comment on during any given moment. Again, it's entirely optional, but I imagine many players fond of these types of games will want to seek out as much written dialogue there is. As somewhat of an aside, I also routinely found Max to be annoying. Despite being ten years older than she was previously shown in the first game, there doesn't seem to be much character growth by way of personality. In many circumstances, she comes across as a self-justified and nosy Nancy Drew type character as she decides to delve into the secrets of people's personal lives.
To be upfront, Double Exposure will not appeal to everyone, including those who are more drawn to this kind of story-driven adventure game. The game clearly has its own audience that it's written for, and that fact permeates all throughout the gameplay experience. Perhaps because of the game's setting of a college campus and that the majority of the game's cast are still relatively young, there seldom is a conversation where some sort of romantic issue isn't being mentioned. Alongside this fact also lies the level of writing which, in truth, was regularly cringey and especially so when dialogue concerns personal lives and not the overarching plot itself. Apart from these subjective aspects, vocal performances are generally okay. For some reason, there is a lot of auditory interruptions to be experienced, and it's made worse by just how much plays automatically while wandering about even when wanting to interact directly with something else. At the same time, there are some minor visual issues such as assets not loading in correctly, but these were few and far between.
Ultimately, Life Is Strange: Double Exposure is a game that will immediately alienate many potential players due to its content, themes, and tone, but I think this enables it to be the kind of game it's wanting to be without shame while better attracting more of that niche demographic. It is not without its faults on a more objective level, but I did find it to be one of the more successful entries within the series. The direction that's being taken for the series seems to now be fully grounded in Max's story with this latest entry, and I think that may have been the best decision for it in some time. I'm not particularly interested in extended series with one direct sequel following another, but I am curious to see what the follow-up game will be like, and hopefully this specific story can reach its close then.
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22. Shinobi Legions (Saturn)
Despite owning a Genesis throughout most of the 90s, I never played Revenge of Shinobi or Shinobi III on that system. For better or worse, my introduction to the Shinobi franchise was actually Shinobi Legions on the Saturn which I played for the first time in the late 2000s when I first began collecting retro video games. I never beat Shinobi Legions, but have been meaning to go back and replay it for nearly 20 years at this point. I finally decided tonight was the night and fired it up on my Saturn. Unfortunately, the game fell way, way short of what I was hoping to get out of it.
Shinobi Legions is not a fun game to play. In fact, it's gameplay is okay at the best of times, and terrible at the worst. Poor level design throughout 2/3 of the game, annoying enemy types, unresponsive and annoying gameplay mechanics (mainly the double/spin jump, and some poorly designed boss fights make this game mostly an annoying slog to get through. Luckily there are in stage checkpoints which helped alleviate some of the frustration, but the fact that there are limited continues almost entirely negates this. In fact, the one thing that kept me going in Shinobi Legions had nothing to do with the gameplay at all, but rather its memorable visual presentation and audio.
I have to give Shinobi Legions credit for being the most unique and maybe even the most memorable game in the franchise. The game uses digitized graphics (ie. Mortal Kombat, Pit Fighter) which add to the games charm in a way, even if they can be somewhat ugly at times. The in game graphics and stages exude mid 90s video game charm when the industry was in a very experimental phase, and many different graphics styles and gameplay styles were being explored by big budget studios. Legions totally embodies this in its presentation, however that's not even the best part of the game's visuals. Between stages there are live action cutscenes that piece together the game's story which combined with the low budget costumes and sets, bad acting, nearly incoherent plot, and crappy special effects, feels right out of some direct to video ninja movie you would have have as a VHS rental back in 1991. It's honestly so bad and cheesy, it's amazing if you're into some of those crappy ninja movies from the 80s and early 90s. These live action cutscenes are 90% of the reason I kept on playing, just to see what nonsensical direction the story would go in next. The other 10% why I kept playing mostly had to do with Shinobi Legions's surprisingly good audio.
The OST in this game is way better than it has any right to be. I guess there are audio differences between this game, and the PAL release, but for what it's worth, the US/Japanese OST is awesome with some very cool Japanese instrumental tracks scattered throughout. Sound effects are also good, but the real appeal to the ears had to do with the aforementioned soundtrack is needs to be heard.
I really wish I'd enjoyed playing Shinobi Legions more. It really is a unique, interesting game from an equally interesting period in video game history, but the gameplay and overall design is just too poorly designed and implemented to recommend this game. I'd actually recommend people skip this game entirely and just listen to the soundtrack and watch all the cutscenes on youtube to get most of what the game has to offer without having to suffer through playing it. The gameplay does have a few redeeming qualities, but not nearly enough to warrant a playthrough despite the game's fairly short length. (3/2/25) [26/50]
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Cat Quest is the most rudimentary RPG I have played in a while. The graphics are nice, and it is an overload of cutsieness, but the gameply loop was fun enough to spend a couple of hours running around and grinding out kill quests and reading cat puns. Don't think it could have held out for much longer, though. Ends at just the right time.
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12. Life Is Strange: Double Exposure || PlayStation 5 || 02.27.25
(https://i.imgur.com/TXMoXIq.jpeg) (https://i.imgur.com/vEOGESs.jpeg)
Before writing my final thoughts for Life Is Strange: Double Exposure, I referred to my notes about my time playing the previous series entry. My closing statement then was that future entries needed better grounding to be successful, and I think that the game's writers may have understood that too. As a result, the latest game serves as a formal sequel to the very first, which a majority of series veterans consider to be the best.
Set ten years after the events of Life Is Strange, Double Exposures features Max Caulfield who reprises her role as the game's protagonist. Having been scarred from that time, she's departed her home and has since traveled the country on her own. But in recent months, she's settled down on the opposite side of the country where she now acts as some sort of faculty figure on a college campus to teach photography. For a while, it seems as if Max has largely been able to overcome her past trauma while maintaining a more ordinary lifestyle, yet this positive growth fully backtracks as, just like in the first game, she's forced to grapple with the murder of someone close to her. With all this said, it would be in players' best interest to play the preceding entry prior to Double Exposure, as there are numerous plot references and general character development that relies upon the player's knowledge of such context; nevertheless, players can choose to begin with this sequel entry, but they will naturally miss out on a more comprehensive experience.
Moving forward, Max is not your average person as she's able to control time in various capacities. However, unlike her previous ordeal where Max was able to manipulate time by rewinding it, her powers have since changed, much to her surprise. Now, Max has become able to shift between two distinct timelines—one with the murder having happened and the other without—after creating a rift in reality. Additionally, these newfound powers grant her the ability to have a sort of preview sense of what's happening in the other timeline. Despite there being only one difference in how time has moved forward in each timeline, the murder serves as the catalyst, which means that the events following such moment in time vary significantly. With the goal of trying to solve who her friend's murderer is while simultaneously working toward prevent it from happening in this altered timeline, Max freely moves between the two. For much of the game, players will need to gather information in each of the two timelines to solve the mystery. While prioritizing story-focused gameplay that features choice-based outcomes, Double Exposure also incorporates light puzzle and even stealth sections to achieve goals.
Presented as a murder mystery of sorts, there is unexpectedly a lot of information to sift through, and much of it feels superfluous. To the game's credit, though, a high percentage of the game's dialogue and written text is optional as it serves world-building and character development purposes. Nevertheless, there are way too many things connected to Max's phone which serves as the information hub to the point where it obtrusively feels like micromanaging. With nearly every action taken—no matter how inconsequential it may be—some social media post, text message, journal entry, or character profile is being updated. And, to make things worse, the information is nearly doubled as those first two items are unique to each timeline. Apart from information directly related to characters, there is also a high number of items to observe and comment on during any given moment. Again, it's entirely optional, but I imagine many players fond of these types of games will want to seek out as much written dialogue there is. As somewhat of an aside, I also routinely found Max to be annoying. Despite being ten years older than she was previously shown in the first game, there doesn't seem to be much character growth by way of personality. In many circumstances, she comes across as a self-justified and nosy Nancy Drew type character as she decides to delve into the secrets of people's personal lives.
To be upfront, Double Exposure will not appeal to everyone, including those who are more drawn to this kind of story-driven adventure game. The game clearly has its own audience that it's written for, and that fact permeates all throughout the gameplay experience. Perhaps because of the game's setting of a college campus and that the majority of the game's cast are still relatively young, there seldom is a conversation where some sort of romantic issue isn't being mentioned. Alongside this fact also lies the level of writing which, in truth, was regularly cringey and especially so when dialogue concerns personal lives and not the overarching plot itself. Apart from these subjective aspects, vocal performances are generally okay. For some reason, there is a lot of auditory interruptions to be experienced, and it's made worse by just how much plays automatically while wandering about even when wanting to interact directly with something else. At the same time, there are some minor visual issues such as assets not loading in correctly, but these were few and far between.
Ultimately, Life Is Strange: Double Exposure is a game that will immediately alienate many potential players due to its content, themes, and tone, but I think this enables it to be the kind of game it's wanting to be without shame while better attracting more of that niche demographic. It is not without its faults on a more objective level, but I did find it to be one of the more successful entries within the series. The direction that's being taken for the series seems to now be fully grounded in Max's story with this latest entry, and I think that may have been the best decision for it in some time. I'm not particularly interested in extended series with one direct sequel following another, but I am curious to see what the follow-up game will be like, and hopefully this specific story can reach its close then.
All the things you listed as things that may potentially alienate people are like a flame attracting me as the moth lol. I love romantic novels centered around coming of age emotions. Soap operas. 90210 and such. I do suggest a free game on PS Plus called Lost Records: Bloom and Rage. It's well written if you havent tried it. It centers around 4 millenial adult girls in 2022 piecing together their teen memories going through the tumultuous experience of just growing up. And its filmed in a sorta sci fi psychological horror angle. Its neat.
I definitely gotta check out life is strange because I love telltale style games. Do you reckon you can play double exposure without playing the other entries first? Or do you suggest playing in order?
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23. Battle Garegga (PS4)
About a week ago I realized just how long its been since I played some of the best games I've ever played. In short, way too much time has passed since I've played some of my favorite games, as in the better part of a decade for most titles. One of those games was unfortunately Battle Garegga. i decided to do something about it this evening, and boy, am I glad I did!
It's funny how you don't remember how amazing a game really was until you're sitting down and playing it again. That was exactly my experience while playing Garegga tonight. Even blasting my way through the first level, this game's brilliance and specialness became immediately evident. Battle Garegga is simply one of the best, if not the best SHMUP ever made, depending on who you ask of course. I'm of the mind that it's among the best, as its gameplay is nearly unmatched in terms of how smooth and precise Garegga controls. Not only that, but the gameplay depth related to the game's scoring and ranking systems are nearly second to none. Combine this with excellent gameplay balancing and you have a recipe for one of the best playing, most enjoyable shooters ever conceived. But gameplay is only one piece of the puzzle that makes Battle Garegga nearly perfect.
Garegga is virtually flawless when it comes to its visuals and audio, even to this day. Yep, nearly 30 years after this game originally came out and Garegga still outshines SHMUPs released just in the past few years with just how detailed and gorgeous its sprites are, not to mention how awesome many of its bosses are. The only thing that competes with Garegga's visuals is its OST which doesn't possess a single bad track. In fact, the tracks are all amazing; I actually have the entire soundtrack on my phone and its a regular companion of mine in the car or wherever I happen to be listening to music.
It's hard to fault Battle Garegga in any way, but for what it lacks, which isn't a whole lot, it makes up for it in all the ways that truly matter. There was a time when I found myself playing Garegga almost weekly. It almost served as a palate cleanser after playing various mediocre or even bad shmups when I was heavily diving into the genre nearly a decade ago. While it's been quite a while since that time, I'm at least happy I went back and played Garegga again as its one of the best game's I've ever played, and second only to Radiant Silvergun as my own personal best SHMUP of all time. (3/3/25) [44/50]
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24. Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 (PS4)
The Guilty Gear series, as well as most ArcSys games, is one I should absolutely love, at least on paper. Unfortunately, despite my best efforts for over 15 years, I have found practically every Guilty Gear game very hard to engage with even though I consider myself a massive fan of fighting games. I can never 100% put my finger on it, but I think it mostly has to do with all the Guilty Gear games I've played (and most other Arc Systems Works developed games) being mostly flash with little substance. I know there are very dedicated and vibrant competitive scenes for most Guilty Gear games, and I'm certain there's an ocean of complexity that I never even came close to fully understanding, but when I play these games, I'm mostly always waiting for that moment where the series just clicks with me, but unfortunately that has yet to happen. This was the case with Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 as well.
First and foremost, REV 2 is an absolutely stunning looking fighting game. The in game, cutscene, and character intro visuals are about as crisp, vibrant, and detailed as you could ever want. The stages, of which there are a commendable amount, are among the most interesting and beautiful I've seen in any modern fighting game. I find it very hard to fault anything about the visuals of REV 2, and I tip my hat to the artists who worked on this game. The audio, while not as good or memorable as the visuals, is also pretty good and gives you a nice, healthy variety of music to listen to whole up against the games' impressive roster of characters. Unfortunately the gameplay just isn't up to the same standard as both these more superficial attributes.
Guilty Gear's gameplay mostly feels like all flash with very little substance. That's not to say this game isn't enjoyable to play, because it is for the most part, however the two modes of play you're given either make the game way to easy and almost feel like the game is playing itself as it assists you with crazy combos and special moves, or the mode where you do have full control over your fighter makes it difficult to pull of some of the more advanced special moves, counters, and combos. I certainly preferred to have full control over my character while playing, but honestly it was still easy enough to just mindlessly button mash my way to victory as it was to play more deliberately. The end result of all this was a game I tried to get excited about or at least have some fun with for several hours, but I literally began to fall asleep while playing this game nearly 2 hours into playing its various modes. And look, I will once again admit that Guilty Gear isn't necessarily my cup of tea, but I at least wanted to try and understand why some absolutely adore this series, but once again, I'm feeling like I must be missing something when I'm still just as uninspired and kinda bored with these games as I was in the late 2000s when I first started playing Guilty Gear. Unfortunately, REV 2 didn't do anything to make me more of a fan of this series. (3/3/25) [33/50]
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25. Ys Memoire: The Oath of Felghana - Normal
I was having an absolute blast with this until the very, very end. It's not because the game got difficult or anything. It was because I somehow missed a treasure chest or two along the way. I mean, I have to do multiple play throughs to get all the trophies but still. WTF?! I was so thorough. Anyways - this is the style of Ys I prefer. I had a lot of fun and if the first run was anything to go by, then the other ones will be swift and speedy.
EDIT: Found the treasure I was missing! Trophy acquired!
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12. Life Is Strange: Double Exposure || PlayStation 5 || 02.27.25
Ultimately, Life Is Strange: Double Exposure is a game that will immediately alienate many potential players due to its content, themes, and tone, but I think this enables it to be the kind of game it's wanting to be without shame while better attracting more of that niche demographic.
All the things you listed as things that may potentially alienate people are like a flame attracting me as the moth lol. I love romantic novels centered around coming of age emotions. Soap operas. 90210 and such. I do suggest a free game on PS Plus called Lost Records: Bloom and Rage. It's well written if you havent tried it. It centers around 4 millenial adult girls in 2022 piecing together their teen memories going through the tumultuous experience of just growing up. And its filmed in a sorta sci fi psychological horror angle. Its neat.
I definitely gotta check out life is strange because I love telltale style games. Do you reckon you can play double exposure without playing the other entries first? Or do you suggest playing in order?
I actually didn't go into depth about any of Life Is Strange: Double Exposure's themes and tone, but perhaps you may like it. At the very least, you would likely enjoy earlier Life Is Strange titles since they were developed by Dontnod who also developed Lost Records: Bloom & Rage. From what I've seen in trailers, Lost Records seems like a better follow-up the to Life Is Strange series as far as presenting more adult writing. I'm looking forward to play it, though I'm waiting until its second act releases in April to play it all at once.
Like I mentioned, I would highly suggest to not play Double Exposure first. If this specific game interests you, you should begin by playing Life Is Strange. There is also a prequel entry titled Life Is Strange: Before the Storm, but it's not imperative to play. Additionally, there are also two other entries in the Life Is Strange series titled Life Is Strange 2 and Life Is Strange: True Colors, but they both tell standalone stories. Both are currently available to play from the PS Plus Extra catalog, though they're being removed later this month. And if for some reason you decide to play Life Is Strange 2 first, there is also a free demo episode that's worth playing first since it directly ties into the main game's narrative titled The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit.
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13. Transform || Browser || 03.03.25
(https://i.imgur.com/EuuEOBh.jpeg) (https://i.imgur.com/lM7jjfc.jpeg)
When looking through my timeline of previously played games, I was a little surprised that nearly two years had past since I last played an Eyemaze game. After going through some of them, I came across another one that I hadn't yet played before, Transform.
In short, Transform is a puzzle-action game that plays step-by-step animations which must be completed in one specific sequence. By moving the cursor, players must discover on their own where to click next. It's mostly straightforward, but there are moments when multiple selections must be activated at once as their conditions are dependent on each other to progress forward. As far as the game's premise, it revolves around an alien-like antelope that slowly transforms into something else entirely to evade the attack from an encroaching lion.
As players work toward solving the puzzle, a stopwatch timer times each playthrough. While there isn't any penalty for lengthy playthroughs, the game presents an optional ending which does incentivize players to play numerous times in order to achieve a higher ranking score. Since the puzzle mostly never changes, it becomes a task of memorizing the sequence of clickable points and acting speedily. I say "mostly" because there is one small aspect involving the order and presence of a series of shapes that is randomized with each playthrough. As higher ranks are achieved, an additional small piece of a post-game scene becomes available to interact with. After about ten attempts, my fastest time was 01:18:99 which did grant me Rank A, but Rank S also exists. I doubt I'd ever be able to achieve it, though, since I'd need to be six seconds faster from what I've read which seems far more trouble than its worth. While playing, it quickly became evident how all the tiny pauses, miss-clicks, and general forgetfulness adds to the total time, and there is little if any time for error to be awarded with Rank S. Once achieving that lofty goal, a new mode which has the entire game upside-down becomes available to play and master too.
By all accounts, Transform tests the player's reflexes and memory, and it's a fun game when wanting something brief to play. It's another one of the shorter games the developer's made, but it does offer some replay value for those wanting to see just how quickly they can finish the game.
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26. Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana - Very Easy
This playthrough was done to max out my equipment and Adol's level. Thanks to 2X speed mode, it didn't take nearly as long as I thought it would. Up next, Inferno Mode!
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25. Half Life: Opposing Force (PC)
While I really, really like the first Half Life game, I'm not necessarily one of those people that worships it and acts like it's the greatest FPS ever made. Because of this, I've been slow to play its acclaimed expansion, Opposing Force as well as Blue Shift. Well, I finally got around to playing the better regarded of the two and I'm here to say, yeah, it's pretty freakin good!
While I didn't enjoy Opposing Force as much as the core Half Life game (I'm not sure there are many that do), I will say that in terms of visuals and sound, it's right up there with the game its based on. Half life and by extension Opposing Force were some of the best looking video games out at the time, period. It's still impressive how much detail and love went into crafting the various diverse areas of Black Mesa, and it definitely keeps the game fresh and interesting throughout. Audio, the voice acting is actually slightly better than it was in the original, but where Opposing Force lacks over core Half Life is the OST. It's not dramatically worse, but just a tiny bit less memorable as that game's soundtrack. The real tie breaker that makes core Half Life better than this expansion is the gameplay. There definitely seemed to be a lot more thought and effort put into stage design in the original Half Life, and there was almost always an intuitive sense of where you were supposed to go and what you were supposed to do. Opposing Force is a lot more stop, go, stop, go, in the sense that you'll struggle to figure out what to do or where to go, finally figure it out or look up a walkthrough, get a little further, and then be forced to do it again. This is pretty much the pacing of Opposing Force, and it wouldn't be as big a of deal if the game didn't have you doing things in one part to progress that you never had to do previous or again later on. And often, these ways of progressing involved some poorly laid out platforming, toggling the jump and crouch buttons to get up on ledges that you aren't able to get on, just by jumping (which is how it should be), or doing some other nonsense that has you fighting against the limitations of the controls and gameplay. This definitely lowered my enjoyment of Opposing Force ever so slightly compared to the first Half Life, but other than that I enjoyed all the same things that made the core game great, while being annoyed or frustrated with the things about the core game that weren't that great as well. One other thing of note when comparing the original game with Opposing Force is the latter game is several degrees more challenging, which core Half Life was no slouch in the difficulty department. Get ready to save scum a lot because you will likely die way more than you did in the original Half Life.
More or less, if you love Half Life, you're almost guaranteed to love Opposing Force. Beyond everything I mentioned above, Opposing Force dives deeper into the Black Mesa facility and what the researchers were really up to, and allows you to explore new areas, as well as some familiar ones too. The game certainly delivers on the Half Life mythos and lore, which was a big part of why I found the game fairly addicting as I played though its five or six hour campaign. Now, just need to play Blue Shift at some point so I can consider myself a REAL Half Life fan lol. (3/7/25) [38/50]
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7 - Monster Hunter Wilds (PC 2025) - BEAT - While the release of the game was abit tarnished by performance problems, the game mostly ran well for me. I could like 70 to 90fps at 1080, no DLSS, but I locked it at 60 to keep it more steady and it runs great like that. I have only beaten the story itself, which is functionally like "Part 1" of the game, "Part 2" being high rank fights and such, where you put the real work into a Monster Hunter game. I've seen people rag on the story also, but I think it's one of the better stories compared to Wild and Rise, at least in the way that it has a specific through line with a main cast that goes on a journey, compared to just being kind of a collection of events linked together with a pretty barebones plot. It's not executed the best as there's a lot of on rails walk and talk and it kinda feels like you are stuck on easy mode for awhile until you get through the story, but it is generally better.
Actual gameplay stuff is great, I like the zones, there's a good amount to explore, lots of customization now that both male/female armor can be used by either gender, I'm enjoying myself. Definitely more than Rise at the moment, which wasn't a bad game, but after playing a lot of World, Rise never did it the same for me, compared to Wilds, which is very much the World sequel proper. Can't wait to jump into the tougher fights now and get to the grind unlocking gear.
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14. Pac-Man World Re-Pac || PlayStation 5 || 03.03.25
(https://i.imgur.com/Af2wJln.jpeg) (https://i.imgur.com/pXfPo1W.jpeg)
For the last few months while looking at my shelves of games, I had considered playing through Pac-Man World 2 but eventually decided on other games to play. After realizing that I could play the recent remake of the first game titled Pac-Man World Re-Pac, though, I decided to do that instead.
Before the main screen loads, an introductory scene plays out involving Pac-Man's birthday celebration alongside family and friends, but it does not take long for ghosts to kidnap everyone else but him before he actually arrives. Apart from this small setup, there isn't any narrative to follow until the game's conclusion which is fine considering the scope and focus of the game and its genre. Nevertheless, the game's events revolve around the player acting as Pac-Man to reclaim his loved ones one-by-one after venturing to save them from Ghost Island and its various themed areas.
To carry out his goals, Pac-Man must overcome all sorts of platforming trials across a 3D plane while obtaining collectibles and using his abilities to access new areas to finally reach where each of the captives are held. More than I would have expected, stages are designed with backtracking in mind. This is mostly in regards to optional collectibles, but there are still plenty of instances where one must move forward to find a required item functioning as a key only to move backward again. As a result, I often found myself wondering if I was missing certain collectibles, as the game makes it clear when certain types are missed. Since there are so many side paths to follow which are either hidden or locked—and especially so in the game's later stages—it is easy to overlook these items. That being said, most collectibles can be ignored should the player choose to do so, but then the issue of some pick-ups, which players aren't able to discern in the moment and especially so when hurrying, being required to find becomes problematic. In the end, it's just easier to seek out everything, which I think many players would naturally do, given the game's genre and its focus on collecting.
Generally speaking, stages are more lengthy than I had expected, although part of the reason for this is due to the aforementioned backtracking for collectibles. Even so, traversal is fluid and simple enough, but I did find myself dying repeatedly to certain platforming segments. Notably, this problem was with the ramps which Pac-Man is required to roll off of to land across a pitfall. These aren't uncommon, and I rarely landed without dying at least once. Dying isn't much of an issue, though, as player lives are plentiful and especially so when taking the time to be thorough with gaining collectibles. Additionally, there is a slot machine game that's present at the end of stages which is easy to exploit if taking the time to memorize the order of reels since they don't change. At the same time, players may freely select Easy Mode at any time, and the game's liberal checkpoint system is a welcome feature too.
Apart from platforming, there are also optional maze sections to play with traditional top-down gameplay. These stages also vary in design, and their difficulty scales with the the difficulty of main stages. While early courses are simple, later ones introduce various hazards such as falling debris and wall traps. Players are given three player lives to overcome these side stages, which is usually more than enough for players to win. At any time, players can revisit this mode from the world hub too. And, once the main campaign is completed, the original Pac-Man arcade game also becomes available to play.
I haven't played any of the Pac-Man World games before, so how this remake varies from the original game or expands upon it is something I can't comment on. Regardless, I'm left with the impression that it honors the source material well enough as its core gameplay and design are exceptional, albeit simple and unobtrusive that's perfect for younger players or those new to the genre. After reading some discussion online, it seems like much of the differences Pac-Man World Re-Pac introduces are in its visual presentation which some will prefer while others won't. These types of modern remakes are the kind I generally avoid, but this was the easiest means of access for me to play the game in some form.
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We're not even 3 full months into the year and I'm already halfway to 52 and over a quarter the way to my personal goal of 100 games beat in 2025! I'm doing my best to maintain this pace, not that I'm complaining about getting to play some damn good games or anything lol.
26. Half Life: Blue Shift (PC)
I wasn't planning on playing Blue Shift immediately after beating Opposing Force, but I enjoyed that game so much I just didn't feel like I had enough of the Half Life franchise so I decided to jump into the good, bet less loved Blue Shift. This was my first time ever playing or beating Blue Shift and while overall I really enjoyed it, I definitely agree with the popular sentiment that Opposing Force is the better of the two Half Life expansions. What did surprise me, however, is that there are things about Blue Shift I actually liked more than Opposing Force, which definitely increased my enjoyment of this game.
Starting off, Blue Shift doesn't look or sound as good as Opposing Force. While everything more or less looks the same between both games, as well as core Half Life, both Opposing Force and the main game have way more diverse, interesting environments to explore. In Blue Shift you're mostly wandering through the same similar dingy maintenance tunnels, with brief periods of being on the surface. This is in contrast to how much of Black Mesa you see in the main game and Opposing Force. It's not a major point of contention, but it's still something I felt worth mentioning when describing why Half Life: Blue Shift is inferior to those two games. As for the audio, the voice acting and sound effects definitely have the same degree of quality found in the other two Half Life games, however where Blue shift does fall short is its OST which offers few memorable tracks. However, one area that surprised me where I can say Blue Shift has a slight edge on Opposing Force at least is its gameplay.
This might be a bit of a controversial statement, but I found the progression in Blue Shift to be more intuitive and therefore more enjoyable than in Opposing Force. It definitely had the same mostly intuitive level design found in core Half Life, albeit shrunk down into a much shorter game. I did lament the smaller arsenal and enemy variety, as well as the complete absence of any bosses, but in terms of pacing and flow, Blue Shift has a very small edge over Opposing Force in my book. For better or worse, depending on your perspective, Blue Shift is way easier than both the main game and Opposing Force. There is a much greater abundance of health hits and charging stations, armor, and ammo pickups through the game. I played both Opposing Force and Blue Shift on normal difficulty and I died probably 80% less in Blue Shift. I appreciated the challenge present in Opposing Force, but I suppose it was nice being able to take. stroll through Black Mesa without feeling like death awaited me around ever corner.
One final thing I wanted to touch on before wrapping this up is there is far more foreshadowing of what was to come in Half Life 2 present in Blue Shift, beyond the obvious reason which is you literally play as one of the main characters in Half Life 2 in Blue Shift, you are also introduced to the actual Dr. Kleiner and not just one of a 100 scientist models that look like him throughout all three of the original Half Life games. There is also more discussion on the less fantastical used of the teleportation tech, which we see in Half Life 2. It was also interesting to see how Barnie and Dr. Kleiner ended up escaping Black Mesa together, which sets up the two of them being together in Half Life 2.
Overall, I really enjoyed my time with Half Life: Blue Shift, even if it is undoubtedly the inferior Half Life expansion. That shouldn't sway you from trying it out if you love Opposing Force or the main Half Life game since it carries over all the thigs that made those two games great as well. It's also a short and sweet game that you can get through in an evening. In other words, there's no reason not to at least try it out, which you should since a great game awaits you. (3/8/25) [36/50]
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14. Life Is Strange: True Colors [PS5] Finished - March 8th, 2025 (Platty)
(https://i.imgur.com/VI8TTqZ.jpg)
GUYS MY FIRST PLATTY OF THE YEAR!! Woot woot. What can be said, oh wowie Howie. Since Dhaabi said this was a stand alone game I chose it as my first experience into the franchise and boy am I glad I did. As a fan of telltale games since I was a teenager. This may the best sheer audible storyline I've experienced in one. It trounces.
Here we meet Alex Chen, Alex Chen is a empath and a former juvenile product of foster care system neglect but above all she is a girl entrapped in whirlwinds of conspiracy, betrayal and death. I wont spoil anything which is hard with a game based so much on plot. But the town of Haven just feels so ALIVE. Like a crow feather falling among a sandy beach filled with doves. It's so fascinating how the game captures the community of small town bonding in such a medium sized run time. And how darkness can consume small town with quickness. The ins and outs of peoples trials and tribulations.
By the end of it. You know your fellow neighbor on a personal level. It feels like each individual is fully fleshed out. Even NPC feel like they have journeys, backlogs and conversations bleed authenticity.
Steph and Ryan are intelligently designed. Gabe is presented in a way that you can just feel how cool people think he is.
The ability to essentially read peoples auras gives the dialogue an elemental layer because you can talk to people without having to talk and learn their intentions beyond what is spoken. Think 6th sense. The color concept of emotion is very disney inside out meets matrix. It's wildly imaginative.
The collectibles, stores. From a little pot dispensary to a record store. It's really glorious. The interactions tackle themes of grief, coping, emotion and trauma. And it made me cry numerous times. Albiet that I am a big babbling baby with telltale games anyhow lol.
(https://i.imgur.com/Zu5LJRD.jpg)
The plot twists are bountiful, the environment is exploration within reason and never feels mundane or overdone. It feels like an episode of like cold case mixed with super hero psychology doctor strange stuff. Its got it all. The town is the sell. Theirs so much to see and interact with. And if thats any testament to the devs. This franchise I want to explore more.
Alex as a protagonist is well written and believable. Because so many times characters in these things dont feel like someone you could meet at whole foods or something. They feel almost analytical. But Alex is human experience characterized in a game. Games where the characters thoughts are audible add a level of connection. Its a testaament to the devs really knocking it out of the park as a protagonist with depth and relatable. And in turn its easy for a player to be like "I get it" about the experiences conveyed. Writing for characters has come so far in video games.
(https://i.imgur.com/CJjbUCk.jpg)
Steph probably has as much depth but wont share for spoiler purposes.
With that said lol. Not to go full geek. But also. This game is a massively fledged out playable movie. Feels sorta like an hbo max series in a way. And if you like action blended with romance. I highly reccomend it.
Rating - 99/100
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27. Nidhogg (PC)
Nidhogg certainly isn't the type of game I typically buy or play, but years ago I found myself watching some sort of gaming commentary video where the narrator was talking about something completely unrelated to this game while playing it in the background. I found the super stylized, yet fairly primitive 2600ish graphics to be very appealing, as did its basic, but still very fun looking fencing gameplay. It left enough of an impression on me to where I bought the game during one of Steam's sales and its since remained in my library unplayed all these years. I decided to give the game a go tonight and while I did find Nidhogg somewhat enjoyable, it's very basic presentation and gameplay is what inevitably had me wanting to do something else not long into playing it. Essentially you're a little blocky pixel man fighting an opposing blocky pixel man, and all you have is a fencing sword and your feet and fists if you so choose to use them (I wouldn't advise it). You have a variety of other abilities such a jumping and wall grappling as well, but they do little to make this game any more dynamic and enjoyable to play past a half an hour or so. Your objective is to get to the other side of the screen, requiring you to kill or dodge enough of your opponents attacks to do so. Both of you have unlimited lives and continually respawn until one of you reaches the opposing side of the screen. The actual combat is fun, but once again, its very limited and basic nature make it only a briefly enjoyable experience before boredom starts to set in. I really liked the presentation other than the fact that it only has a handful of stages that will be recycled over and over again as you progress through Nidhogg. Perhaps Nidhogg's best quality was its music. Even though there are only a few tracks, I really liked how lowfi and gritty they sounded and somehow they complemented the rest of the game and its art style very well. The reason I said this isn't the type of game i typically play or buy earlier is because this game seems to be made for streaming; it's shallow, yet captivating and unique enough to get people's attention, as it did with me. But actually playing it yields a relatively unremarkable experience as most will probably forget all about Nidhogg shortly after turning it off. Still, an interesting game to try out for a few minutes, however basic it may be. (3/8/25) [31/50]
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27. Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana - Inferno
Thanks to all my maxed out equipment and Adol's max level, this was done in a flash. Still, I'm finding myself getting a little burned out with the game. I started up the Nightmare level playthrough and while I don't doubt it will take long, I think I need to find something else to play quickly to cleanse the palette.
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28. Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (Wii)
I actually had fairly high hopes for RE: The Umbrella Chronicles. Being a big fan of lightgun games and the Resident Evil franchise, I figured it was almost a sure bet I'd love this game. I would also like to add that I conveniently forgot how bad or mediocre Capcom's other attempts at RE lightgun games have been in the past. Well, blind optimism unfortunately ended up biting me in the ass as The Umbrella Chronicles is just as underwhelming, if not outright bad as the other RE lightgun games.
For starters, not all of The Umbrella Chronicles is bad. In fact, the game's graphics and visuals presentation are pretty good for the most part. Character models of the main RE cast look noticeably worse than other contemporary iterations of them, but especially the stage and monster graphics show off a surprising amount of detail for a Wii game released in 2007. It was fun exploring those old RE environments in first person and seeing details of what they'd look like in the eyes of the main protagonists. The audio of RE: The Umbrella Chronicles is decent, bordering good. Sound effects are great, voice acting is predictably cheesy, but competent, however the OST is remarkably blade which did drag this game down audiowise overall. Unfortunately, that about where my praise ends for this game as we get into what really drags Umbrella Chronicles down, its gameplay.
All Capcom had to do was try and emulate the pacing and action of games like House of the Dead or Time Crisis, but instead the game is more or less a slow paced stroll through various iconic RE settings from RE0, RE1, and RE3, where you round a corner, encounter 3 to 6 zombies, blast them all away, round another corner or go into another room and run into something like a zombie dog or Hunter, and that's it. There is no suspense, no real sense of action, and it gets just as boring as it sounds after an hour or so into the game. However, the worst part of The Umbrella Chronicles is its piss poor controls and bullet sponge enemies and bosses. Beyond just shooting the various monsters you run into, you'll also have to perform QTE button presses to evade attacks or go into a certain area before something bad happens to you. The QTE's are fairly unresponsive and clunky as there were times were I was repeatedly pressing the button command and nothing happened, resulting in me taking damage. This wouldn't be as big of a deal if you weren't unloading an entire clip of ammo into a single zombie with your handgun while several others were waiting to take a bite out of you. The game does have stronger weapons like rifles, shotguns, and machine guns, but ammo for these is limited, meaning you have to be very selective when you use them. Unfortunately, they to feel very underpowered so it's easy to run out of ammo for these stronger weapons by the time you need them the most during boss fights. The boss fights mostly revolve around you shooting a specific weak spot over and over again. Unfortunately, you can be shooting that spot dead on, but sometimes it still isn't enough and the boss will deal damage to you anyways. All of this is as frustrating and annoying as it sounds, and made getting through half this game an absolute chore.
I didn't completely hate RE: The Umbrella Chronicles. If not for its graphics and taking place in one of my favorite video game universes, I'd have likely abandoned this game well before even getting through a quarter of it. But for what it's worth, it's a game I still struggle to recommend to even the most hardcore RE fans as it's just not a very good game overall. I guess play this one at your own risk. (3/9/25) [26/50]
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28. Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana - Nightmare
I'm getting good at this. The only thing notable during this playthrough was that the trophy for playing more than 20 hours unlocked. Having Suikoden to play made going through Ys more enjoyable. Up next: Hard Mode.
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15. Heads Off || Mobile || 03.08.25
(https://i.imgur.com/Ve2otkr.jpeg) (https://i.imgur.com/Dgz71bS.jpeg)
Earlier last year, I went through the Google Play Store to see what kind of free games may interest me, and I made note of them. After going through that list again and removing ones which require a purchase to access to the full content, I settled on Heads Off. Before playing, I only really knew that the game was eccentric which seemed like a good enough reason to try it.
As the game title suggests, players control a decapitated head that rolls endlessly across a 2D plane. Where it's going or why it's moving at all, I'm not exactly sure, although the added inclusion of annual milestones in the form of text alongside the visual presentation of cliffs, pitfalls, and flat planes suggest that this rolling journey symbolizes the head's life. At the right side of the screen, randomly generated text blurbs scroll up and off the screen which coincides with the player's progress through stages. Once players succumb to the pit below, a prompt appears saying that's the age of the head's death which also represents the player's score.
In order to bypass obstacles and also to maintain momentum, players must tap and hold the screen which controls and head's screaming. With that said, screaming serves two purposes: the first being to either speed up or slow down (which also allowed the head to backtrack, moving toward the left) and second being to gain vertical distance off the ground. There is a need to time screaming as you will project yourself in the opposite direction the head faces which moves along with a slow but constant auto-rotation. For instance, the player will project themselves upward when the head is facing downward. Because of the auto-rotation which persists while in mid-air, players can control themselves with more fluidity.
Apart from seeing how long the head avatar lives, there are also some sort of spirits to collect which serves as the in-game currency. While at the main menu, players are able to freely choose which head they'd like to play as. At first, there is only one to choose, but players will quickly be able to unlock more with the aforementioned currency. At another menu, a tree stands tall with cocoons resting on its limbs, and players are able to select specific ones to send drifting spirits toward them to mature and eventually be born. Once born, new heads drop down to the ground as if they're a fallen seed and then roll along off the screen, awaiting to be select at the main menu.
Based on my time playing, this seems to be all that Heads Off offers. There are about forty heads to unlock, but, as far as I can tell, they all function the same. They do differ by design and by their screaming voices, and there is some minor gameplay variation based on the shape of each individual head which does influence how they roll. The entire premise is clearly an odd concept, and the initial screaming did startle me some at first despite already knowing that was part of the game's design. From images I've seen online, the furthest players can reach is age 100 which is far past what I've been able to achieve with age 39. Overall, gameplay doesn't evolve although stages do get progressively difficult the older heads reach. At the same time, stage design remains static, as it seems that stages are randomly generated in real-time.
Heads Off heavily adopts arcade-like gameplay, meaning there doesn't really seem to be a traditional end unless players wish to reach age 100 with all head types. So, I've played enough of it to be considered complete. In the end, I unlocked about half of the heads. I'll also mention that, as a free mobile game, it doesn't feel obtrusive. There are some ads on the main menu and also optional ads to watch to gain more spirits, but it's all easy to ignore. Additionally, there are no restrictions for how long players choose to play, which I know is a game design many mobile games utilize.
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29. Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana - Hard
No comments needed, haha. Just another run through to unlock stuff for the platinum.
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29. Hang-On (Arcade)
When it comes to 80s Sega arcade games, the original Hang-On seems to overshadowed by another Sega racing game, Outrun. I get why Outrun is remembered so much more and more fondly, however that game was an evolution of Hang-On which walked so Outrun could...umm run.
Despite how revolutionary Hang-On was for arcade racing games, it's still a very basic game. More or less, you're simply taking hairpin turn after hairpin turn, all while trying to avoid going off track, hitting obstacles just off the shoulder of the road, and also not to hit other motorcycles you're racing against. In truth, however, you aren't really racing against the other motorcycles as you are just trying to avoid hitting them. They are by far the most prevalent obstacle in the game and a continual source of annoyance as they'll slow you down one way or another, and be what causes you to run out of time, requiring another quarter or two be placed in machine. This is the main source of Hang-On's difficulty, which while being core to its gameplay, is also what annoyed me the most while trying to get through this one.
Hang-On's greatest strength is its visuals, which are pretty primitive by today's standards, but back in the mid 80s, they were pretty amazing. Seeing objects and landmarks on the horizon get closer and closer to you really gives you a sense of distance and progression through each section of the race. The motorcycles and obstacles are also vividly rendered which is just another aspect that add's to Hang-On's visual appeal. The audio is nothing special, but also pretty good for its time. There are only a few songs within the game, but they're all good for the most part.
Hang-On is certainly a classic and also one of those watershed games that really helped define racing games in 1980's arcades. While it has been overshadowed by various other racing games that came out shortly after, including its own sequel, it's still worth playing if you can find a working machine or even if you emulate it. (3/11/25) [32/50]
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Game 4 - 2064: Read Only Memories (Switch) - 10 Hours
This is still my favorite adventure game. I absolutely love the games visuals, characters, soundtrack, voice acting and story. Something about it just really clicks with me. I really don't have much to say beyond my initial review a few years ago. I'm excited to start exploring the sequel which just came out!
Original Review (http://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,10536.msg179693.html#msg179693)
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30. Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana - Easy
Finally, the game has been platinum'd. Well, "finally" might not be the right word because it took just over 20 hours. Finishing the game so quickly after some files has me likening it to something like Mega Man X; games I know like the back of my hand. After finishing Easy Mode, I went through all of the Time Attack modes. Finishing those unlocked the remaining gallery items. Getting all of those was the final thing needed for the platinum trophy. Even if you aren't a trophy hunter or aren't playing on PlayStation, I do recommend this game. It's a brisk yet thorough adventure and showcases my favorite style of Ys.
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30. Space Harrier (Arcade)
Despite being released the same year as Hang-On (1985), Space Harrier is a much more fun and interesting game from multiple fronts. For one, the game looks better even though they both use the same super scaler graphics and tech. There is just way more going on at any given time in Space Harrier, and has you blasting all sorts of weird creatures, robots, and objects away while also dodging obstacles and projectiles too. Whereas with Hang-On, you're simply turning your bike and trying to avoid hitting other racers or obstacles. The visuals are definitely Space Harrier's strongest attribute, however its soundtrack and audio aren't too far behind. The main theme of Space Harrier is one i've always loved, however the other music, while pretty limited, is also great to listen to while playing. This brings us to the final aspect of this Sega arcade classic which is Space Harrier's gameplay. Being a rail shooter essentially, Space Harrier does give you freedom of movement as everything imaginable comes at you surprisingly fast, maybe even too fast at times. On top of that, the limitations of the graphics and gameplay sometimes make it hard to see certain objects or projectiles until it's too late, or you'll find yourself accidentally hitting something because you misjudged how much space or distance you had between objects or enemy projectiles. This can lead to some very frustrating deaths and also artificially makes this game harder than it otherwise should be. Still, despite this fairly big blemish on Space Harrier's gameplay, it's still pretty fun just going crazy and blasting everything in site. This is definitely one of my personal favorite 80s arcade games, even though there are aspects to it that haven't aged the best and do hold back my overall enjoyment of the game to a noticeable degree. (3/12/25) [34/50]
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31. Shenmue (PS4)
It's no secret to anyone that knows me that Shenmue (and Shenmue 2) are my all time favorite games and have been ever since I first played and beat them in the early 2000s. These games are as fundamental to me as a gamer as it gets and every time I go back and play them I get to fall in love with them all over again. There is just something so undeniably special about these games that really needs to be experienced to be understood. After beating Shenmue again, I can fully grasp why this game captivated so many gamers, including myself, and continues to be so cherished even over 25-years since it first came out in Japan. Before getting into my thoughts on Shenmue, I will say that I did play this game with a slightly more critical eye than I ever have before, and fortunately for me and the game, my opinion on its merits have barely changed.
Throwing it out there right off the bat, Shenmue is undoubtedly one of the best video games ever made. It was truly a pioneer, not just in the concept of a narrative driven, open world video game, but also in terms of in game cinematics and story telling. The story of Shenmue perfectly places you within the shoes of its main protagonist, Ryo Hazuki, allowing the rest of the game to immerse you in its world after you've committed yourself to Ryo's quest for revenge after his father's murder. The execution of the game's story, characters, and plot, combined with the gameplay make it impossible not to be fully immersed in the world of Shenmue. I always worry each time I'm about to play Shenmue, that age will finally catch up with this game and I won't be able to get as immersed and invested in it as I did the last time I played it. More or less, I was unable to put this game down since starting it just a few days ago, and that was after countless hours of engaging in all the optional side content and missions you can immerse yourself in. This game is incredibly addictive and you'll want to do several things all at once, which is always the hallmark of a great open world action adventure game. There is just so much you can do in Shenmue, which is still impressive even by today's standards. There are arcade games to play, rooms to explore, non-arcade games like billiards and darts you can play, unique people to interact with, a job to perform at the docks, and various other things that ensure you'll never have a dull moment while playing Shenmue. The only criticism that I can lay at the feet of Shenmue and one area I was able to concede this time after playing the game is that not all the many activities and gameplay elements are executed as well as they probably could have. For example, the fighting mechanic which you'll use quite a bit isn't the greatest despite it being pulled heavily from the Virtua Fighter games. It can at times feel clunky and somewhat delayed while you're taking on a gang of bad guys or some thug you ran into. The other gameplay mechanic which seemed to annoy me a little more than it has in the past is the quick time event (QTE) system that this game pioneered, for better or for worse. The time frame and intuitiveness of the QTEs can be fairly annoying and unforgiving in this game, which is only made better by the fact that QTE events can be redone over and over again with little or no penalty to your overall progression. Overall though, these less than perfect gameplay elements do little to distract from the sheer amount of things you can do in Shenmue, and even despite the flaws that exist with some of those systems, they 're still enjoyable overall and definitely don't distract from the overall feeling of engagement you'll have while playing.
In terms of presentation, there is not a single flaw in this game. You won't find a single recycled NPC model, and despite realizing that certain voice actors performed voice overs for multiple characters, they often do a good enough job of changing the way they talk enough to where you'll barely notice most of the time. Every store, every room, and every object you interact with feels real, unique, and tediously crafted to feed into that overall feeling of immersion. Characters emote and act as if you were watching real actors perform, and even with the limitations of 1999 video game technology, this game still looks good over 25-years later. I dare say Shenmue may have been the best looking game when it came out, and even games released years later during the 6th gen still don't look as good as Shenmue. The audio is also perfection with an amazing score that various dramatically depending on what's going on around you, the place you happen to be, or the overall theme of whatever cutscene you're watching. There are so many amazing, beautiful songs in this game that are integral to why this game is so special, just as much as its visuals and gameplay. The audio design is also top notch with the sound of animals, vehicles, background music from a nearby business, or other elements making the world of Shenmue feel like a living, breathing world. It actually does this better than many modenr AAA games do which is saying something seeing how much older Shenmue is than many of those titles.
I don't think there will ever be a time in my life where I don't adore Shenmue or don't consider it my favorite game of all time. Game's like Shenmue (and Shenmue 2) had never been made prior to its release, and in may ways never since. It has an almost undefinable presence as if the game itself has a soul. The heart of everyone, especially its creator Yu Suzuki, can be felt strongly all throughout the game and it's impossible not to be sucked into it unlike any other game I've ever played. I am overjoyed I got to play through Shenmue again and I hope there will be many more times I get to immerse myself in its masterfully crafted world and story. And of course, I hope so much that the Shenmue saga is one day concluded. (3/13/25) [49/50]
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31. Shenmue (PS4)
You have got to play Yakuza, and I have got to play Shenmue.
After reading some details regarding voice work, I think my only immediate issue I have prior to playing any of the games is that Shenmue II takes place in Hong Kong, but everyone speaks Japanese. That seems like a pretty major limitation for that game. Still, it seems that the consensus (from what I've gathered) is that Japanese voice is the better experience for both games.
As the successor of sorts to Shenmue, Yakuza games fortunately don't have that problem. There are often Korean and Chinese characters in those games and appropriate actors are used to voice their dialogue. English dialogue spoken from western characters isn't an issue from what I remember either, though for some reason they're spoken by Japanese actors which means that foreign dialect is present. But from what I remember, there aren't any major English-speaking characters pertaining to the main narrative throughout the six Yakuza games I've played.
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16. Get Packing || Browser || 03.14.25
(https://i.imgur.com/lPMFm1r.jpeg) (https://i.imgur.com/bUUNpBS.jpeg)
Going through a list of free itch.io games that have caught my attention, I decided to play Get Packing. It was developed for a game jam and garnered positive reception, and the little I knew about it prior to beginning interested me.
With a simple premise, Get Packing is a game about the often overlooked side of video game transactions—the viewpoint of the marketplace merchant and their own needs to make a profit. With that said, its gameplay is divided into two sections: selecting the seller's items to buy and then selling them once more through bulk wholesale. As the second half of gameplay utilizes space limitations and organization for its puzzle mechanics, the player's success at earning a high score is dependent on setting budgets and selecting just how much you're willing to spend on customers' items. If no budgets are set and every item presented to you is purchased, the player will inevitably not score high. With all this said, the first half of gameplay requires consideration for both the total amount of items being acquired and the variety of items you're being presented.
In the merchant section, items appear in a list with their market value, net profit value, size, and item properties with the total amount to be spent at the bottom. Because items are both sold and purchased in bulk, there is no way to individually select what all you want to buy. Instead, there is a slider which controls how much you're willing to spend, and items are removed from the list from the bottom-up depending on that amount. There is no haggle feature—you either pay the customer's asking price or are unable to gain the item you're wanting. While this section doesn't require that much careful consideration, really, there is no time limit, so players are free to plan as much as they're able to should they be wanting.
However, the second part of each day is timed. Quickly, players must attempt to pack as many items as they're able within a limited space while ideally prioritizing items' net value. Items have different sizes, shapes, and item properties, so there are numerous details to consider when organizing them. Regarding item properties, there are ones such as hot and cold which influence food alongside heavy which prevents players from selecting the item again once set, though several others exist, and they all serve as puzzle roadblocks. it's also worth mentioning that items can be rotated, which certainly helps provide more organization options. And of course, there is limited space in the crate, so utilizing the most of it is required to make a profit which serves as the player's main objective and score.
Across my two playthroughs, I was mostly focused on just using all available space to the best of my ability while avoiding negative effects from items. I didn't make an effort to capitalize on certain item effects which raise the value of other items. As I mentioned above, Get Packing was made for a game jam, and the event's theme was centered on role reversal. I think Get Packing makes creative use of that prompt; its mechanics are simple but fun, and I could see something like this being expanded upon for a full game.
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15. Call Of Duty: Vanguard [PS5] - Finished Mar 15th, 2025
One of the greatest war games of all time :)
(https://i.imgur.com/J1VhvKA.jpg)
Call of duty as a whole has been stigmatized. Some criticisms fair. Many not. But at its core. The franchise has impacted my childhood and gaming as a whole and is essentially in it's senior legend era of iconic games that simply have shaped my love of world history. I love call of duty. Very much. And my passion for WW2 was seeded by world at war back in middle school. And today I have traveled to see the riveted behemoths in person. T34 tanks. Owns text books on them. The horror, cinematics and stories of triumph. World War 2 had the bravest men the world had ever known. And the most evil. Two spectrums of a wobbling top on a oiled table of misery. And I owe call of duty a great deal in showing young me the heroism of those before me.
Call of Duty Vanguard is a blooming rose on the next console gen raising a series from campaign ashes to tell a story of valor, glory and dispair. It gives WW2 and its lesser known heroes a story (The aussies, the women snipers, and the black batallions in NAC) the golden grail COD that will be remembered favorably. And overall. It's the greatest Call Of Duty Campaign ive played since World At War in 2007.
WW2 and Its Unsung Heroes
As a historical nerd, and someone who has studied WW2 since probably early middle school, Call Of Duty Vanguard paints a picture like picasso. It tackles the individual stories of people like Wade. A hot shot pilot who only knows two modes of living. Flying and landing. #2 being optional. The story of Boggs. An Aussie infantrymen. This tells a deep story of how Australian soldiers were treated lesser than the British due to crown semantics. The "rats" of toburk. Shooting a suka bomber with a revolver. It's all glorious as the perfect graphics. In these conflicts you come accross the 333rd batallion. A group of black soldiers who as you can imagine in 1944. Arent exactly treated similar to say a RAF pilot. But of course the horrors lend a story that typically brings fourth a brotherhood a man. A quote stands out. "We arent in the credit getting business". Scenes drenched in sorrow. Strength and conviction. And lastly.
POLINA "LADY NIGHTINGALE"
(https://i.imgur.com/PzqhCZC.jpg)
This is where the game hits insane stride. You play the role of Polina, a woman living with her father and brother in Nazi occupied Stalingrad. During a shock blitzkrieg you are stripped of humanity, dehumanized, yet carry this umbrella of familial bonds with you like a butterfly carrying you through the dark. The sense of necessity, siblings bonding, and community spirit drenched in Polina is stronger than most movies based on this war. It is epically done. Really is.
Polina is a sort of female interpretation of Russian sniper "the white death" a marksman who parkours through the shadows to absolutely peg off Nazis like darts through cork. The diologue, cinematics and way she assassinates Nazis is similar to the movie inglorious Bastards. Crawling through sewers of snow and rats. Emerging cleaner than aqua panna water. Without spoling much. Polina adds a more sense of loss to the story. When you feel these stories. It puts the war in.scope. it also hits harder when the war is very much so real. And the people while fictional are also based on true stories. The story of Polina is similar to the story of Reznekov. It shows what stalginrad became. A sort minister of death. She lost all she had. Nothing but a knife was left to her.
"I have nothing outside of the war. The only time I come close to feeling something is when I am killing nazis. So I am right where I belong" when asked where she wishes she was in the moment. Cold beer? Hawaii? Nope. Vengence. She was a harbinger for revenge and man did I love sniping dirty nazis.
The game also touches on the pacific campaign. Midway battle was gloriously redone. Dogfights. Accuracy of uniform and guns. Simple clean dialouge. And characters that connect so easily through the screen make this one of the best war games ever made.
Rating - 94/100
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31. Shenmue (PS4)
You have got to play Yakuza, and I have got to play Shenmue.
After reading some details regarding voice work, I think my only immediate issue I have prior to playing any of the games is that Shenmue II takes place in Hong Kong, but everyone speaks Japanese. That seems like a pretty major limitation for that game. Still, it seems that the consensus (from what I've gathered) is that Japanese voice is the better experience for both games.
As the successor of sorts to Shenmue, Yakuza games fortunately don't have that problem. There are often Korean and Chinese characters in those games and appropriate actors are used to voice their dialogue. English dialogue spoken from western characters isn't an issue from what I remember either, though for some reason they're spoken by Japanese actors which means that foreign dialect is present. But from what I remember, there aren't any major English-speaking characters pertaining to the main narrative throughout the six Yakuza games I've played.
Yeah I do! I bought Yakuza Kiwami last year with the intent of it being my entry into the series. I tried playing the original Yakuza on PS2, but unfortunately had a hard time getting into it. From what I read online during the time, this isn't entirely uncommon and most people seem to recommend starting with one of the later games or one of the Kiwami remakes. It's a series I feel like I could definitely get really into. A lot of people like to say Yakuza is the successor to the Shenmue series, and while I disagree with this opinion, they do undeniably share a of of the same or similar DNA.
As for the voice work, everyone speaking English or Japanese despite being in a country where neither of those languages are widely spoken never bothered me. Probably because it's how I grew up playing them, but the English dub never bothered me. I'd even go as far as to say it's fairly endearing and does often cross the line into so bad it's good territory. With that said, the Japanese audio and voice acting is way more competent all around, and just feels more authentic, especially in the first game. But as much as you can, I'd try and look past the lack of Chinese being spoken in Shenmue 2 because it truly is a very unique and special game, albeit one that isn't for everyone.
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ABANDONED: Cobra Kai 2: Dojo Rising [PS5]
Not worth a picture. Truly havent been this disappointed in a game since a kid. This is what kids felt like unwrapping and firing up superman 64 for the first time. This development team should be ashamed of themselves.
First off. The game had hope. It had potential. If anything the gameplay itself is fun, simple and ambitious. That's where the praise stops.
The game is sadly broken. 5 trophies wont unlock at all despite meeting requirements. 4 times now I have gotten half way through a level only for a game ending bug (such as enemies spawning infinitely because the boss is glitched through the floor) and had to close the game to restart.
Thatd be cute and dandy if the game had simple save points.... It doesnt
It forces you to play the whole level again and on top of that sometimes you recruit allies for the all valley tournament only to find that they did not join thus wasting a half hour of your life :(
Audio glitches. Sometimes you cant even pause which means theirs no way to back out to dojo. The whole thing is bugged and messy. Cant be played.
I am at a loss for words guys. This hasnt happened in a long time. Most games are the opposite. They work but are dull. This game was vibrant fun, a cute beat em up with cool power ups and nostalgic boss ideas. Hidden behind a cloud of glitches and unpatched fecal matter. And its sad because I was really enjoying my time with it. Even Shaq Fu had a fluid style. No bugs.
I got the game for the price of a red baron microwave pizza. And still overpaid. Thats how bad it is. And truly. A dev knowing this. And allowing it to be promoted on ps store for suckers like me to buy. While not illegal. Is truly scum territory. Its a broken dumpster fire and instead of patching it. They make it on sale to soak cash for slop.
Hopefully cobra kai 1 is better (user consensus says it is)
35/100
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32. After Burner (Arcade)
Unlike most other classic Sega AM2 Arcade titles, I have never been able to get into After Burner despite literal decades of trying. The game looks fantastic and especially if I ever got to play it in the rotating cockpit arcade machine back in the day, this game may have completely blown my mind, but having only played standup versions of it or emulation, the game has never wowed me. In fact, I kinda don't even like this game. I find the lock on and dodge mechanics to be poorly implemented, making this game very frustrating. There's nothing worse than a game where you feel like you're doing everything you can, but still continually getting your ass kicked by the game. Of course, these types of games were favorites of arcade operators back in the day, but for players they just annoyed the hell out of most of us. After Burner's OST and sound effects are pretty good, but nothing amazing. The end result of all this is a game that easily draws you in, however once the game has your money (or time), it delivers an underwhelming, if not just downright annoying gameplay experience that I've never been able to get into. (3/16/25) [28/50]
33. Shenmue II (PS4)
Like I usually do, I immediately jumped right into Shenmue II after beating the first game just a few days ago. Like the first Shenmue, I absolutely adore Shenmue II and its a game I've never been able to remove as my number one game, sharing that spot with its predecessor. In many ways, both Shenmue and Shenmue II are very similar games; both have similar graphics, gameplay, audio, and various other superficial qualities. However, the games are dramatically different as well, mostly in their scope and theme which I will get into later. In the end, both games are fairly different experiences while having a sense of familiarity across both games. Let me now dive into the second half of the greatest duology of video games I've ever played and likely ever will play.
Shenmue II is an absolutely stunning looking game for the time period it came out. Even today, the visual presentation and attention to detail within Shenmue II is impressive. Every area feels distinct, uniquely designed and crafted, and just highly detailed. It really gives the impression of a living, breathing world as you're walking down the streets of Hong Kong, or exploring the dilapidated high rise building of Kowloon City. Character models and facial expressions are probably the most detailed of any game of its era, and many show off a surprising amount of expression, even unimportant NPC characters that run shops or gambling stands. There are very few characters recycled in terms of their facial models, which adds greatly to the sense of immersion. As for the main characters, they are given even more attention in terms of detail and range of expression. This is amplified even further by Shenmue II's cinematic presentation that makes this game feel like a high budget movie at times whether or not you're watching a scripted scene. On top of all this, Shenmue II shows off an incredible amount of beauty in its environments. Whether those are the more urban areas found in the first 2/3 of the game, or the ones found in Guilin where you're surrounded by gorgeous mountains and forests, everything in this game is saturated in a beauty that many games still aspire to recreate.
The audio of Shenmue II is a definite 10/10 in my book as well. While the English voice acting can be hammy, stiff, or even awkward at times, it seldom distracts from the tone or atmosphere the game is trying to portray. Even if the voice acting was a degree or so worse than it is, the game's amazing OST would still elevate it to a level many other games aspire to reach. Shenmue II has one of the most beautiful and well made soundtracks of any video game I've ever made. You'll get excited and amped up by it during the more action packed portions of the game, and then other times you'll be moved by it when the tone of the game becomes more serious. I cannot overstate how amazing Shenmue II's OST is, and well as its overall audio design. Just allow yourself to laugh at Ryo's awkward dialogue from time to time.
Finally, we get to Shenmue II's gameplay which is an improvement on the first game in some ways, while being a noticable downgrade in others. Before getting into these differences, there are undeniably more things to do in Shenmue II, which really adds to the array of things you can do while playing this game. There are WAY more gambling type games in Shenmue II, including everyone's favorite Lucky Hit. There is also different types of jobs and activities ou can engage in for money, including street fighting. This brings me to one aspect of Shemue II's gameplay which is undeniably better than the first game; its fight controls and mechanics. Shenmue II actually feels like port of Virtua Fighter 3 when engaging in hand to hand combat. The moves feel a lot easier and more responsive to pull off, you opponents show off a surprising amount of balance and skill, and just overall, combat feels noticeably less clunky than in the first Shenmue. However, not all systems from Shenmue improved in the sequel. This especially applies to the quick time event (QTE) system. At best, the QTE system is the same as it was in the game, which wasn't terrible, but it was far from amazing too. Unfortunately there are WAY more QTE events and sections in the game, probably 5x as much. So. yeah, those annoyances with the QTE systems are made that much more noticeable in Shenmue II. Where the QTE system gets notiveably worse is the new combo QTEs which have you doing multiple inputs in quick succession for the same QTE prompt. I found these combo QTE's to be extremely frustrating half the time, even when they only requires to button presses to accomplish. If you do them too slow, you fail them, but if you do them too fast, you fail them too. What pissed me off the most about them is when they were required at the end of a very hard battle with a boss character, even though you'd just defeated them utilizing the game's fighting system. If you failed the combo QTE at the end, it forced you to fight them again from the beginning which is just as annoying as it sounds. What all this amounts to is the gameplay is better in enough in some ways, while being noticeable worse in others to where I didn't feel like the overall experience wasn't better or worse than the first game...just different.
Shenmue II's scope is way more grand and epic overall than the first game. While you do lose some of the smaller, but highly detailed feel of the first game, you make up for it with a much bigger feeling world within the various sections that make up Hong Kong, Kowloon City, and Guilin. You really do just feel like a stranger wandering almost aimlessly in a strange foreign land, which is exactly what Yu Suzuki and AM2 likely wanted you to feel while playing Shenmue II. I will also say that the highs of Shenmue II are definitely higher than anything you'll experience in the first game, but also the lows are much lower too. In the end, I cannot say which game is better or more fun to play. They both absolutely are some of the most beautiful and special games I've ever played, and their quality and fun speaks for itself given how dedicated and committed the Shenmue fanbase has been to this series for decades, even with Shenmue III out now, but the overall story still incomplete no less. Shenmue and Shenmue II will forever be my favorite games of all time, and ones that I will forever cherish and hold dear to my heart every single time I play through them. (3/16/25) [49/50]
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Game 5 - Read Only Memories: Neurodiver (Switch) - 5 Hours
When I first realized that 2064: Read Only Memories was receiving a sequel, I was extremely excited for the game. I really enjoy 2064, with it still being my favorite adventure game. Well, years and years passed and the game was delayed again and again. New trailers that were dropping didn't seem to be as good as that first trailer in 2019, but I was still holding that it would be worth the wait. Well, after finally playing it, I can say that it's a pretty disappointing experience.
Not all of the game is disappointing however. The visuals are some of the best 2D sprite work I've ever seen, and the environments are absolutely exquisite. The music, while not being by the same composer, is also top notch and fits the mood brilliantly. So the game still brings it when it comes to atmosphere. Where this game falls flat is the story, voice work, and characters, which is really some of the most important parts of an adventure game because there is so little "game" to speak of.
First, I think one of the problems is the game's short length (half as long as 2064) does not give enough breathing room to flesh out the more than 10+ characters that have been added to this game, plus recurring characters from the first game, AND tell a compelling story to boot. The first characters you meet, the Old Birds, I thought were going to be a major part of the story but they're only in the first mission then dropped like a rock and you never see them again. The rest of the game consists of revisiting the main characters from the first game, which was fine, but didn't really feel all that exciting.
Because the game is so short, the story is far more simple, and it left me feeling unsatisfied. It has nowhere near the stakes and scope of the first game. Given the state of things after the first game ended, I was excited to see where the sequel would go next, but the game presents a boring, simple exorcism story with a confusing villain with no backstory whatsoever that is anchored by very superficial chapters for each of the individual characters.
The last thing that really felt off to me was the voice acting. Don't get me wrong, it's competently done, but there were several little things that got under my skin over time. First, I really hate when voice actors go "off script" and say things that are different than the subtitles on the screen. Just a pet peeve of mine. The mixing was really poor, and characters love dipping into that lower softer register that is difficult to hear over the music without fiddling in the sound settings. Also, the lip-sync liked to come and go as it pleased and characters mouths would stop moving even while the character was still saying something. The really dealbreaker for me was the new voice actor for TOMCAT, who was one of my favorite characters from the first game. This new actor sounds nothing like the original, not even remotely close, and there's no explanation given for why in the game. I would have accepted a voice change surgery after a freak accident, anything. But it seems the original actor couldn't be acquired so they just stuck whoever in as a replacement. All of these things really add up when the majority of the game is just listening to people speak.
Lastly, the gameplay changes weren't exactly my cup of tea. You have to discover these pieces of evidence that you use to fix rifts in people's memories. Temporally it didn't make sense that you were given dialogue options for a character inside a memory that has already happened. Also, the fixing of memories was all just trial and error. The evidence you find has no interconnection or relevance with the broken memories so most of the time I just plugged in random solutions until one worked. It didn't make me feel like I was solving a complex mystery.
So yes, this game overall was not really that great. It's thankfully short and it looks and sounds incredible, but you can really see where things just don't hold up to the original.
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31. Suikoden HD Remaster
Hot take. I like this game more than Suikoden II, which is a fine game in its own right. I just like how swift and no-nonsense the first game is. This new HD version is excellent. Along with some nifty QoL features, it the HD look really shines. The new portraits are another amazing, nice touch. Gameplay is still the classic stuff we know and love. I saved my clear data and immediately started the next game. I'm not sure if I'll play that now or later.
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34. Shenmue III (PS4)
I last played and beat Shenmue III weeks after it came out in late 2019. At the time, I had suffered the better part of two decades of not knowing when or if the story to my two favorite games of all time would see a conclusion. I had many ups and even more downs in that time leading up to the 2015 Kickstarter campaign which I threw a generous and probably irresponsible amount of money towards at the time. So when Shenmue III finally came out and I had a copy of it in my hands (actually about 5 of them to be exact), I was beyond ready to see how Ryo Hazuki's journey played out and progressed after waiting nearly 20-years to see what happened next. In other words, I was in an emotionally heightened state and my expectations to play something at least nearly as good as Shenmue 1 and 2 were definitely strong during my first play through of 3. I gave the game a very generous 48/50 score after first beating it and even placed it in my top 10 games of all time.
Today was my first time playing or beating Shenmue III since my initial play through of it, and unlike my first time with Shenmue III several new factors were now in play. For one, it had been over a year since I last played Shenmue 1 and 2 prior to playing Shenmue 3. However, this time, I immediately jumped into Shenmue III right after beating II. Then of course, there's the fact that I've already beat Shenmue III and know what to expect, versus anxiously awaiting the unknowns of where the saga would go next. And then finally, with the game having been out for over 5 years now, I am well aware of many of the criticisms towards this game, some ridiculous and sensationalized, while others are absolutely valid and reasonable. With all this in mind, I have a new take on Shenmue III than I did after my first time beating it, which I will share with you now.
Similar to beating Shenmue III the first time in 2019, I absolutely loved my time with it overall. However, I didn't enjoy my time with it as much as I did after my initial play through. By far, the biggest factor contributing to my decreased enjoyment with Shenmue III was its gameplay. Shenmue III's gameplay is a downgrade from Shenmue II's in almost every possible way. The fighting system of Shenmue II which ripped right out of Virtua Fighter 3 and was even a noticeable upgrade over the first game which used the same underlying system. However, Shenmue III completely throws that system away and replaces it with something more akin to a beat em' up rather than a fighting game. The end result is something that feels a lot more shallow, clunky, and uninteresting compared to Shenmue II's fighting system. Shenmue III does incorporate a leveling system that complements the new fighting system to try and make it more interesting and RPG-like, but overall it just comes across as more tedious than in either previous game; doing horse stance, one inch punch, or spamming the same few moves during a sparing match over and over again to level them up is as boring and grindy as it sounds. It's not all bad, but overall it definitely made me yearn for Shenmue II's fighting system which grew on me more than any previous time I'd played that game.
Aside from the lackluster fighting system, nearly everything else that was present in Shenmue 1 and 2 feels less optimized and/or enjoyable than it did in those older games. The QTE events, while less frequent than in Shenmue II are far less forgiving and at times even felt unresponsive. There are no licensed Sega arcade games in Shenmue III (there are plenty of reminders of them via posters throughout the game though, and instead incredible dull original games that you're better off not even playing. Aside from Shenmue characters, there are no licensed Sega capsule toy figures or collectibles, which completely destroys any incentive to buy them. Even lucky hit isn't nearly as good since the ball now feels more like a super ball rather than a metal ball with actual weight, making the physics super wonky. As for the original gameplay additions of Shenmue III, most are fine, but do very little to make the game's gameplay more engaging or enjoyable. In summary, there is nothing egregiously wrong or broken with Shenmue III's gameplay; most of it works fine and some of it can be fun at times, however it's all a noticeable downgrade compared to the two older games in nearly every way.
One final aspect of Shenmue III's gameplay that I wanted to mention is its pacing. Shenmue games in general are not known for their rapid fire action and exciting plot drops; they are mostly slow, explorative games, which for some makes them amazing, while others hate them for it. I definitely lean hard into the former group, however there are a few parts of Shenmue III that even tested my patience. There are two parts specifically, one that occurs in Bailu Village and the other in Naiwu that had my eyes glazing over or were just downright annoying. Luckily the rest of the game is more in line with the pacing of the older Shenmue titles, but Shenmue III does hold the distinction of having a few of the most horribly paced sections in the entire franchise so far.
This leads me into Shenmue III's story, which I feel could have been better in terms of pushing the narrative of the saga forward. I think the game wasted far too much time in Bailu Village, which I get was partially done to build up Ryo and Shenhua's relationship, however by the time you reach Naiwu, you're practically strangers and barely interact. Bailu Village should have been a quarter of the game, tops, meanwhile Naiwu could have been 40-50%, and then presumably the beginning of Shenmue IV (assuming that ever happens) should have been the last 25% to third of the game. This all lends itself to the criticism that Shenmue III didn't do enough to push the plot and story forward, which is something I now mostly agree with. On top of that, I feel like the ending of this game was rushed and also gave the player something they'd wanted for a very long time, but did it in a way that actually felt a bit jarring and forced. I don't want to spoil what I'm referring to specifically, but it honestly came across as more fan service than the game's writers actually trying to write a well done story. Shenmue III's story is fine for what it is, and even good at times, but there were some inconsistencies, strange retconning of past events, and other things that just either left me confused or dissatisfied.
Shenmue III's presentation, which has been a hot button of contention, is actually something I have the least amount of issue with in this game. I feel like the visuals are a very good modern approximation of Shenmue 1 and 2's visuals and presentation. Given, Shenmue is no longe the graphical powerhouse it was in the late 90s and early 2000s, but I would hope YsNet would try and make Shenmue III look like GTAV or The Last of Us. I think the visuals definitely capture the unique quirkiness present in the Dreamcast games, but rendered in the Unreal Engine with modern flare. I think Shenmue III would have avoided a lot of criticism if they'd tried to make Shenmue III look just like the Dreamcast games, but I also get why they didn't and to an extent probably couldn't. This game does have some ugly, cheap looking textures and some of the shading and character animations do leave some to be desired, but overall I think Shenmue III's visuals are great for the most part.
Finally, Shenmue III's audio is also top notch and does the series justice. While some of the original tracks made for Shenmue III don't hit as hard as those found in the first two games, they're still excellent and go along perfectly with the setting and atmosphere of the game. There are also many arranged and throwback tracks from Shenmue and Shenmue II present in III which is also a very good thing. The voice acting, while often stiff and awkward is still distinctly Shenmue and absolutely fit where in many other games it would have been jarring or just straight up bad. I'm not going to say Shenmue 3's audio is incredible, but rather it fits perfectly given the precedent set in the first two games. Cory Marshal and a few other voice actors from the first two games do reprise their roles, however there are a few main characters that sound noticeably and often jarringly different than they did in the older games. This was somewhat annoying, but only a small blemish to the game's overall audio presentation.
Your mileage with Shenmue III will greatly depend on how much of a fan you were of the first two games and also how much of a fan you still are of the Shenmue saga in 2025. For me, playing through all three games still proved that I adore them and they will likely always remain my favorite games of all time, even if the story is never finished. However, even as a diehard modern Shenmue fan, I can no longer call Shenmue III a nearly flawless 48/50 game. My personal enjoyment of 3 definitely does bolster my new score quite a bit, but it's hard for me to say the gameplay is anything better than pretty good overall, mostly due to the crazy amount of things you can do in the game. And while I do mostly stand by my assertion about the presentation and audio being nearly perfect for these games, I now acknowledge they do fall short of that, if for nothing else than there lack of modern appeal. With all that said, however, I cannot in good faith call Shenmue III a top 10 game for me any longer. I still enjoy it wy more than probably 95% of the games I play, but it no longer sits in the upper echelon of games I've ever played. Shenmue III is absolutely worth playing and enjoying if you loved Shenmue and Shenmue II, but for anything else, this game is difficult to recommend. It's because of this that I worry if Shenmue IV will ever happen, but even if it doesn't, we're still left with three mostly excellent games chronicling Ryo's quest for revenge, kung fu, and capsule toys. (3/24/25) [42/50]
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35. Thunder Force IV (Genesis)
I have mixed feelings about a lot of SHMUPs released before the mid-90s, mostly of the negative variety. While there are various titles from this time period I really enjoy, I'd say two thirds of them make me wish I was playing something from the later half of the 90s or newer within 10 minutes or so. However, one older retro SHMUP that I definitely don't feel this way about, and in fact I think is better than most SHMUPs released even decades after it is Thunder Force IV (aka Lightening Force).
From a presentation standpoint, Thunder Force IV may be top of class. There are very few SHMUPs from its era that look as good in terms of stage design, boss and enemy design, ship design and special effects, and just about everything else you can feast your eyeballs on. Thunder Force IV is absolutely gorgeous and a true labor of love from the criminally overrated Technosoft. Seriously though, this game has some of the coolest SHMUP bosses of the 90s, which are just as much fun to blast apart as you get closer and closer to defeating them.
The audio of Thunder Force IV rivals its visual presentation as this games best attribute. Seriously, this game's OST is almost up there with Genesis/MD legends like Sonic the Hedgehog 3 in terms of how freakin good it is. It's only barely shy of perfection with its amazing gritty guitar and rock inspired rifts that sound incredible coming from the Genesis' sound chip. Simply put, Thunder Force IV's is one of the best soundtracks on the Genesis, period. The sound effects, woman's voice when you pick up power ups, and all other sounds are excellent as well.
Finally, while not as remarkable as its more superficial qualities, Thunder Force IV's gameplay is exceptional for an early 90s SHMUP. There are no stupid arbitrary stage checkpoints you have to return to when you die, the game is fairly generous about balancing enemies and projectiles with your ships default weapons, and going along with that, if the game power up maroons you, you aren't completely SOL. There are generous power up pickups throughout each level and certainly enough to carry you to the boss. Thunder Force IV shows a surprising amount of balancing in terms of shot patterns, enemy projectiles, and enemy volume. The bosses in this game also subtly advertise their attacks, reminding slightly of something like the Souls games. Unfortunately a few of the bosses still have some very cheap attacks or not having specific power ups when you reach them can make the significantly harder, which means you're likely going to need a continue or two...or three before you'll finally beat them. Luckily like many of the other Thunder Force games, you are allowed to scroll between weapons, giving you the tools to deal with most situations and bosses throughout this entry. Unfortunately, if you lose your ship while using a power up weapon, you also lose it, which sucks, but I suppose is fair.
Thunder Force IV is not just one of the best, if not the best SHMUP on the Genesis, but possibly of all time as well. It seriously blows my mind this game came out years before STG greats like Mushihimesama Futari or Ikaruga since it's not that far off in terms of overall quality and how much I adore playing through this game every few years or so. (3/24/25) [39/50]
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16. Need For Speed 2015 [PS4] Finished - Mar 25th, 2025
(https://imageshack.com/i/pmN64pGSj)
I HATE THIS GAME
:o :o :o :o :o
Oh NFS 2015. I could write poetry about you. A guteral WHY!!! Honestly. All the good the game has to offer comes so hard and pricey. But all it's issues come cheaper than wholesale Tuna. The game has a constant race. One race. A race between it being a fun game and it being a broken dumpster fire. And that distinction isnt always clear. And thats what tees me off the most about it.
always online
SERVER MAINTNENCE IN 30 MINUTES. SERVER MAINTENANCE. SERVER MAINTENANCE. SERVER MAINTENANCE. INCOMING CALL. INCOMING CALL FROM SPIKE. HEY BROOO COME RUN THAT SAME RACE 270 MORE TIMES. NOBODY BELIEVED YOU THE FIRST 269 TIMES YOU RAN IT. BRRRRR BRRRR BRRRR PHONE CALL. BRRRR PHOHE CALL. BRRRRR. PHONE CALL. BRRRR. CALL FROM AMY. YOOO WHATUP WHATUP. MONSTER ENERGY DRINKS AND ANGST DAWG. COME RACE THE SAME RACE. 270,000 MORE TIMES OR ELSE YOU'RE SQUARE
Please make it stop!! Im being serious. The game at its surface had the potential to be one of the best need for speeds. It's pretty. Damn pretty. But ask yourself. If your ex was the most gorgeous human to ever live. Like model pretty but abused you every day emotionally for your entire life? Would you stay? If your answer is no. Avoid need for speed 2015. It is a gorgeous game. A pretty little dainty drop of water. An all america pro queen with perfect looks. That holds a butter knife to your throat while you sleep. I asked myself the whole bloated run time. Does this games pros outweigh the cons?
The cons are Johnny Depp in pirates of the carribean. The pros are Orlando Bloom. The cons are the meat of this game.
LIST OF CONS
1. Who in their right mind had the idea to make the game always online then simultaneously make it so other online players can ram you mid story? You gotta be joking. They make it so your career races merge with online players. Its a mess.
2. Vibrating phone calls interrupting you every 10 seconds. Im not exaggerating. Look it up. NFS 2015 phone. Brrrr. Brrrr. Brrr.
3. You know the type of game that deliberately manipulates NPC to crash into you to add fake challenge to an otherwise easy game? A cab will stop in your drift line to sabotage you? Yup this game.
4. Imagine a racing game that forces you to only have 4 cars. Any more and you gotta put some in a warehouse like Austin Powers.
5. You buy a new Lambo. Thinking how fun itll be to customize. No visual parts. Only certain cars. Womp womp. What a waste.
6. Phone calls. Dont forget phone calls. If you don't like it in real life. Imagine your in laws dialing every time you win, lose or consider a race. At least 200 times in the game they call. You gotta hit L1 to answer. It doesnt automatically. They will KEEP CALLING. Trust me. Like the IRS.
7. Repetitive races. 10 hours too long.
8. Cops are not able to be crashed out of pursuits like every other NFS game ever. Just floating sherman tanks. Fun huh?
9. Servers are choppy. Crash. Game will be unplayble in the future. Probably for the best.
10. Terrible soundtrack of unlicensed grunts and techno.
11. No Ford GT
12. Slippery controls. Certain cars feel like you are driving on black ice
13. Film grain mandatory. Devs in general seem to be obsessed with film grain. As if our eyes have perpetual fog on them. Like we want to play our games while looking through cheese cloth. It makes no sense.
14. Spike is an edgelord and makes you feel guilty for winning even though nothing comes of it.
15. No story. No plot. Just race legendary drift dude named Nagai Sahn from japan because mad peepz in the street will care. Super sideways fun. Where is the villain? Who is my ally? What am I ever accomplishing.
The whole game is a big vape pen, buffalo wild wings and being vulgar to your own mother angsty red bull energy mess of a scenario. And boy do I wish their was less to hate. Because under it all. It rides great. Looks good. And was semi fun. Their was a smidge of something to love.
Rating - 67/100
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36. Road Rash 64 (N64)
Back in the day of video rental stores, there were a handful of games that I either rented by myself or with a friend on a Friday or Saturday night that ended up being way more fun and entertaining than I'd imagined. Keep in mind, this was during the 90s and early 2000s, before Youtube and easily being able to see reviews and gameplay of a game before buying or renting it. Probably the biggest and best rental surprise I ever had was Grand Theft Auto III, however one other title that provided a weekend of laughs and entertainment was Road Rash 64. Prior to renting Road Rash 64 I'd never played any of the previous entries, so other than it bing a combat racer, I didn't know what else to expect. Oh man, was I pleasantly surprised when my friend and I first popped this game into my N64!
Even 25-years later, I still think this game is a riot to play. As expected you and a bunch of other outlaw bikers compete for money in illegal races around an island while swerving around cars, avoiding getting taken throw off your bike by motorcycle police, and of course knocking the crap out of all the other racers as they attempt to do the same to you. This all sounds pretty damn fun in theory, and in practice it's also very fun. However, this isn't the only thing that makes Road Rash 64 more fun than it has any right being. The physics in this game are so bad, their amazing! Think something like Goat Simulator with motorcycles and late 90s, super blocky N64 polygon graphics. Essentially, this game is hilarious. I'm not even joking when I say I was laughing out loud often while playing this game, and at a few parts specifically I completely lost it to the point where I had to pause for a moment to collect myself. Watching a terrible looking 3D police car plow his car through 4 or 5 of your opponents as they fly stiffly in every direction, including 40 feet straight up into the air is absolute gold and never got old. The ability of Road Rash 64 not to tank when so much chaos and pandemonium is going on is truly impressive and what helps make this game so damn entertaining. Unfortunately the actually racing part of the game is nothing special and there is often zero regard to how well designed several tracks are, but you'll barely care as you're knocking people off their bikes, getting knocked off or hitting cars head on, or smacking cops with a night stick or taser.
While the physics are definitely part of this game's gameplay, they also help make the visuals of this game too. It's a good thing they contribute heavily to this game's appeal since otherwise Road Rash 64 is not a particularly attractive game, even for N64 standards. Stages are fairly boring, plain, and unremarkable in any way, and there is what looks like a thick haze in every stage, which is actually the limited draw distance of the N64 and the game attempting to maintain a smooth framerate. The bikers and their motorcycles themselves are recycled heavily and don't show off a great deal of detail beyond there being a dozen or so different character models.
Finally, the audio in Road Rash 64 is pretty good all around. The soundtrack is a mix of late 90s rock music, nothing you'll likely remember being played on MTV or the radio during the time, but certainly still sounding right out of the nu-metal and late 90s punk rock scene. You just better hope you like the music in Road Rash 64, since there are only 5 or 6 songs that will continuously play on repeat over and over again during menus and while playing. Sound effects are also good and definitely add to the entertainment and charm mentioned earlier.
I hesitate to call video games underrated, but it's hard for me not to describe Road Rash 64 as such. It is such a fun, hilarious game that is made even more so if you have some friends to play with. Even if some of this game's charm falls under the so bad it's good category, what matters in the end is you having a good time and I can't imagine many people not enjoying themselves while playing Road Rash 64. (3/25/25) [34/50]
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37. Elemental Master (Genesis)
This is another old school SHMUP I've never played, and up until fairly recently I didn't even realize it was made by Technosoft, who also made the awesome Thunder Force games. On the heels of replaying one of my favorite SHMUPS, Thunder Force IV, I decided to finally try Elemental Master out and I wasn't disappointed...well, mostly.
Elemental Master gets massive brownie points for being original and creative. Instead of a space ship or some sort of flying fantasy craft like what you see in Sorcerer Striker, you're instead on foot as a spell casting sorcerer. You are given four levels to choose from in the beginning of the game, very similar to the Thunder Force games, and in each one you're granted a new elemental ability upon completion of that level. These abilities come in the form of different fire modes that you can scroll between at will, again, similar to the Thunder Force games. You're also given the ability to shoot both in front of you and from behind. There are also quite a few hazards and obstacles in each stage which definitely make them far more terrestrial rather than just being able to fly over everything like in most SHMUPS. Unfortunately a lot of the level design, enemy placement, and boss design isn't the greatest. There are moments where you think, "wow, how is this SHMUP not talked about more!" and then a few seconds later you'll be thinking, "wow, this game kinda sucks." Overall though, I did enjoy playing Elemental Master, even if its gameplay is not the greatest at times.
One aspect of Elemental Master that definitely carries this game beyond being a forgettable, mediocre SHMUP is its visuals and presentation. Elemental Master has an impressive variety of enemy types, which keep things fresh between stages. There are also a lot of hazards and other stage elements that are unique to specific levels, making them stand out more from one another beyond one stage being the lava/fire level, one being the forest level, the next one being a water level, and so on. This game also has some of the coolest SHMUP bosses I've seen in a 16-bit SHMUP, all being a variety of fantasy characters and monster. Unfortunately there is little strategy in defeating them and their fairly static in their attack patters. The one final aspect of Elemental Master's impressive presentation are the various still image cut scenes that happen between certain levels. I really appreciate when SHMUP attempt to place some sort of narrative or story in them, and this one, while fairly generic, was still a welcome addition, particularly in those cutscenes which were well illustrated and fine to look at as each scene played out.
Finally, it would be a crime if i didn't mention Elemental Master's audio, which like most Technosoft games I've played, is pretty damn good. The game definitely has a catchy, awesome OST that also will make you massively nostalgic for the good ol' days of 16-bit console gaming. I'm absolutely addicted to the way music sounds coming out of the Genesis and the folks at Technosoft knew how to compose so excellent music through the console. Other sound effects like explosions, you're various fire modes, and the sounds of certain enemies are also a welcome addition to Elemental Master's overall sound quality.
While I can't say I'm in love with Elemental Master, I can at least say I did enjoy my time with it, even if it is inferior to most other Technosoft SHMUPs I've played. I at least have to give this game credit for how unique it is, especially for the time it was released. I just which the gameplay was a little more enjoyable and polished. (3/26/25) [34/50]
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38. Cruis'n Exotica (N64)
Unlike Cruis'n USA and Cruis'n World, I lack really any nostalgia for Exotica, mostly because I only played it once or twice in the arcades growing up. Meanwhile, USA and World were played countless times and so many different places I went to growing up that both those games are very sentimental to me now. Unfortunately, my enjoyment of Cruis'n USA and World is heavily rooted in my nostalgia for them, seeing how neither game is anything special when it comes to racing games, even racing games from the 90s. Without that childhood nostalgia, I'm mostly left with my current year impressions of Cruis'n Exotica, which aren't stellar for the most part.
Cruis'n Exotica's gameplay is actually a downgrade over the previous two games. While all three games utilize more or less the same rubber band racing gameplay that many arcade racers of the time used, where Exotica falls short compared to its two predecessors is the AI's increased aggression and also the crash physics. In the previous two games, most other drivers did a decent job at trying to hit you and other cars, however in Exotica you'd think the AI from some unreleased bumper car car was programmed in instead. This is annoying by itself, but seeing how crashing in Cruis'n Exotica mostly just makes you and your opponents bounce of each other, it gets kind of annoying and ridiculous as you try and race through each of the tracks. As for the tracks themselves, they are definitely on par with the previous games in terms of track design and difficulty. Exotica does have more tracks with unpaved roads, which sometimes can get confusing as to where the track begins and ends, but this isn't too much of an issue overall.
The graphics in Cruis's Exotica's N64 port are pretty good for the most part, and probably even an upgrade over Cruis'n World's, which you would hopefully expect. Levels are creative and colorful, and several even have you racing in places not on earth or locations like Atlantis, which don't actually exist. Even places like the Amazon Rainforest are spiced up by including dinosaurs which is a cool addition. There are also a few levels that don't exactly scream "exotica" for me, mostly the Ireland and Holland stage, but these levels do have some redeeming qualities to make them somewhat interesting. There are also quite a few selectable cars in Exotica, some of which require you to unlock through completion of various modes. Some of these vehicles include solar powered lunar rovers and forklifts, which make them more amusing.
As for Cruis'n Exotica's audio, it's decent for the most part. The tracks that play while you're racing are a bit generic sounding and there aren't many of them, but they are feel appropriate given the theme and overall vibe of this game. There is also an enthusiastic female announcer like in the previous games that will comment on the stages you pick or what's going on during the race. This definitely adds some character and charm to Exotica that definitely makes the game just slightly more memorable and enjoyable. There are also some unique sound effects thrown in to compliment the unique action of the various stages. Sometimes this is the sound of whales or fighter jets flying overhead. Again, nothing crazy, but certainly a welcome addition to the game's overall audio design.
Cruis'n Exotica on the N64 is a fine game for the most part, however you're likely to get bored with it fairly quickly, especially now since there are may much better racing games available, even other Cruis'n series games. Luckily the game only takes about 20 minutes to beat, unless of course you want to unlock all the different cars in the game, which will appropriately increase the amount of play time. For me, this is a decent game to throw in my N64 if I'm bored, but honestly if I was going to revisit an old Cruis'n game, I'd probably just play World and possibly even USA instead. (3/26/25) [29/50]
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39. Ridge Racer 64 (N64)
I feel like I've been on a role this year in terms of playing pretty fun, enjoyable games. Unfortunately when you play enough games, you're bound to run into a stinker or two. That's precisely what happened tonight while playing Ridge Racer 64. For the record,I have pretty limited experience with the RR franchise, having only played the original a handful of times years after its heyday in mid 90s arcades. From what I remember, the original RR was an enjoyable little arcade racer, but certainly nothing remarkable in any way. Unfortunately its translation on N64 hardware lowers the ball into downright annoying and poorly made territory.
RR64's greatest sin is its terrible controls and gameplay. Your car's stearing is ultra touchy and you'll often go slamming into a wall at the slightest press of the left or right d-pag buttons on on the analogue stick. To make matters worse there is an awfully implemented drift mechanic which is far more of a hinderance than something to help you get around tight corners. It's more akin to hitting a patch of black ice, followed by you struggling to correct the car from spinning out. It happens all the time if you let go off the accelerator button for a moment while turning and makes this game mostly unpleasant to play. Your best strategy is actually just holding down the accelerator button at full throttle constantly and bouncing yourself off the walls around the tracks. Too bad the collision physics are also mostly trash too.
Visually, RR64 fairs better with the stages looking a lot more detailed than many other n64 racing games. The only problem is there are so few of them, it's easy to get bored fast while playing. The cars are also mostly unique and cool looking, vaguely resembling real life JDM race cars. The graphics, while not amazing, are definitely the best part of this game, followed closely by RR64's audio, which is good, but not great.
For better or worse, the N64 is filled with racing games. In other words, go play one of the others on the console; there's a decent chance it'll be better that RR64. (3/26/25) [24/50]
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40. Android Assault (Sega CD)
I've dabbled in this game before, but never seriously sat down and played through it before. While Android Assault does have some admirable traits, mostly its OST and graphics, its gameplay leaves a lot to be desired. The game revolves around various shot type power ups you can collect and use one at a time. Unfortunately, all, but two of these shot types felt a lot less useful and often became more of a handicap to use. So i just avoided those specific ones and stuck to the spread shot and hoping attacks. If you collect enough power ups of a specific type, your jet fighter ship transforms into a mech. While being the mech means your shot is as powerful as it possibly can be and also your shot charge powers up faster (more on that soon), oh, and you can take an extra shot without using up one of your ships, it also makes you a much larger target in a game that often already puts you into a lot of narrow corridors where it's easy to hit the floor or ceiling on accident while trying to avoid enemy bullets. The charge attach I mentioned has to do with an alternative version of your fire mode where if you refrain from firing your basic shot for a few seconds, it charges up and allows you to unleash a much stronger attack. You really have to time this attack just right, and even then you sometimes find yourself in crappy situation before its fully charged. The gameplay isn't terrible, but it isn't great either, which is unfortunate because Android Assault is a pretty visually appealing game. There is a lot of enemy variety, many of which are either mechs, various space craft, and various other cool lookinh enemies. The sprite work is pretty damn good, although the animations are a bit lacking compared to various other Genesis/SCD SHMUPs. The audio is also pretty good as it benefits from the Sega CD's disk based audio making it a lot clearer and less gritty than your standard Genesis game. It's not an amazing OST, but pretty good and fits in well with the action in this game. Android Assault is a fun game to at least try out, and while it is nowhere near as good as a few of its Genesis counterparts like Thunder Force IV, it's still worth a play if you can manage to find a copy for a good price or I suppose emulate it. (3/27/25) [30/50]
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3. Gradius Gaiden (PS1) - ABANDONED
There are several game franchises that I've desperately tried to get into for years, and every time I think enough time is gone by and that series might finally click with me, I'm more often than not disappointed to find I still dislike them quite a bit. Such is the case with most of the famous Gradius series. I've mostly enjoyed the bulk of Parodius games I've played, but as for the core series, every time I try to get into it I'm left disappointed, underwhelmed, frustrated, or some combo of all three. Unfortunately that's what happened in attempting to get into one of the most acclaimed from the Gradius series, Gradius Gaiden.
Gradius Gaiden plays a lot like the rest of of the games from the franchise where you're picking up power up pickups that allow you to scroll through your power up options, making your ship faster, your shot types more powerful, and even giving you shields to withstand a hit from enemies. My problems with Gradius Gaiden, as well as most other Gradius games, lies not in this system per se, but in its ability to power up maroon you, blind side you with beginner's gotcha traps, but worst of all, using arbitrary stage checkpoints that you return to when you die. Stage checkpoints were a common feature in a lot of 80s and early 90s SHMUPs, but with Gaiden being released in 1997, it has literally no excuse to keep using these. Having to replay entire sections of a level again is as annoying as it sounds, especially when you don't have enough power ups to get through it as easily as you would have before dying. Too much of Gradius Giaden's gameplay is rooted in outdated, annoying SHMUP mechanics that I'm so thankful the genre has mostly moved past.
Visually, Gradius Gaiden is fine looking, but isn't anything special in regards to its enemies, bosses, and stages. The game definitely feels like more of a game from 1990 than 1997, which given games like Dodonpachi and Battle Garegga were eating this game's lunch all day long around the time it came out, Gaiden is comparatively unappealing to the eyes. The audio, while slightly better, is mostly generic and not anything memorable either.
I was only able to get through about three stages of Gradius Gaiden before turning it off. I definitely could have gritted my teeth and made my way through the rest of the game, but by stage 3 I was so done with it I couldn't help but turn it off. I'm 90% convinced I will never be able to get into the bulk of the Gradius series, especially since the much loved Gradius V is another title from the franchise I just couldn't get into. This game isn't for me, but I respect that other's really love this series. Maybe I'll try again in another five years or so to get into Gradius again lol. Who knows! (3/28/25) ABANDONED
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17. Lisa: Definitive Edition || PlayStation 5 || 03.24.2025
(https://i.imgur.com/NOzXPkS.jpeg) (https://i.imgur.com/52dP47i.jpeg)
Years ago, I watched a full playthrough of Lisa: The Painful and have been wanting to play it for myself all this time. Fortunately, a complete edition released a year or so ago, and a physical release was also made for the first time. So, I finally began my own playthrough of the full game titled Lisa: Definitive Edition. It's also worth mentioning that the Definitive Edition includes both Lisa: The Painful and its DLC chapter Lisa: The Joyful, and it's actually a sequel entry to the Lisa series.
Abruptly, players are introduced to a post-apocalyptic world that's left survivors in a wasteland shell of what the world once was. Periodically, the enigmatic White Flash event that caused this reality is mentioned in passing, but it's never expanded upon. However, one major detail concerning it is never left open to interpretation: all of the world's women have perished because of it. As a result, the human species obviously has a short time left before its extinction, and people all but seem resolved to have given up on civilization. Everyone left survives in the best way they know no matter how nonsensical it may or may not be. The world has not been kind to its survivors, and they, in turn, are not kind to others. Each and every person the player meets is broken which leads to frequent violence and murder. Throughout the story, what may seem like friendly encounters almost never are, and the circumstances leading up to battles demonstrate the collective's mental stability. To be expected, in the long years since the world has fallen apart, people struggle with addiction, trauma, depression, self-failure, and cycles of abuse. Unfortunately, the protagonist Brad whom players assume the role as embodies all of these hardships.
Despite the game's heavy themes, there is some glimmer of hope introduced and positivity to be found. Prior to the game's present-day events, a miracle is discovered by Brad: a baby girl whom he names Buddy. During her formative years, Brad keeps her away from the world, hidden in a basement, and only those closest to him knows of her existence. And while he understands the child's importance in being a savior to rebuild the population, he simultaneously recognizes the evil nature of men. The game's present-day events, however, begin with Buddy—now a young woman—being captured, and Brad begins his journey to reclaim his adoptive daughter. Apart from narrative, though, there is plenty to make players laugh as Lisa: Definitive Edition (particularly the main game Lisa: The Painful) utilizes dark comedy and general humor both abundantly and effectively. Going back to the game's cast of characters and NPCs, their circumstances, while usually sad, are also sometimes funny—in fact, it's often both.
Beyond story and world-building, Lisa: Definitive Edition offers much to praise including its simple RPG gameplay and exploratory discovery. While Brad serves as the game's playable protagonist, there is an expansive cast of recruitable characters as well. Together, battles can be upwards of four party members versus up to eight enemies, and party members each feel unique to play as with their own quirks and move sets. Brad is one of the few characters who has a more involved offense, too, as his attacks utilize a combo system that's best used with direct player inputs instead of selecting the action directly from the battle menu. Unless the player chooses to grind or to select the easy difficulty option, combat is often unexpected and unforgiving. All sorts of random status effects can be inflicted such as Weird, Hungover, and Crying, and their presence often makes a notable difference in performing well. There is also pleasant humor in defeating most enemies, as they won't just die but explode on screen with ridiculous theatrics.
Outside of combat, players should be weary of the world they traverse. Resting at campfires—the most accessible means of healing the party—sometimes comes with a penalty. Sickness in the form of status effects. Theft. Kidnapped party members. Party members can even willfully desert you, though this is a result also requiring certain in-game choices to be made. Through various means, party members can permanently die too. These aspects force the player to not become attached to anybody apart from Brad while also requiring them to utilize different characters' strengths when they're all that's available to you. Throughout the journey, there will also be moral choices the player must make while acting as Brad, and they're never in the player's favor as this world is cruel. Decisions must be made which results in weighty sacrifices which (sometimes literally) handicap Brad on his journey to reclaim Buddy. To my surprise, the world to explore is larger than I imagined it to be, and it's easy to become lost or overlook certain paths. There are three distinct hub areas, and they each feature a web of caverns with environments that largely look the same. Halfway through my playthrough, I decided to consult a map so that I wouldn't miss any content. This is, arguably, a fault of the game, though I think it instead promotes self-discovery more so.
If it wasn't apparent, Lisa: Definitive Edition is filled with personality. Apart from the game's sense of brutality, music is a huge highlight which elevates it all. It's unconventional and eclectic. It's jarring and obtrusive. It absolutely dominates scene presence in a non-offensive way, and there is a wide range of sounds from somber melodies to chaotic electronic beats. To my understanding, developer Austin Jorgensen played around with music creation software without any musical experience. While it's a feat to develop a game on one's own, to make the music too and for it to be so impactful is only that much more impressive.
Without a doubt, my time playing Lisa: Definitive Edition was enjoyable, and I'm glad I finally took the time to play it on my own as I'd forgotten so much of the general story and certainly didn't experience much of the optional content. The game perfectly balances absurdity and suffering, and it left quite the impression. My only (slight) regret is that I didn't first play the debut entry in the series Lisa: The First, although Lisa: Definitive Edition can certainly be enjoyed on its own.
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41. Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)
It's amazing how the circumstances going on in your life at a particular point in time can dramatically impact your opinion of something. Case in point, when Super Mario Odyssey came out in late 2017, I was in the middle of trying to move out of a city I hated and find a new job to replace my current at the time, which I also hated. While my life in late 2017 wasn't terrible, it was certainly not great either and I always felt like it tainted my opinion of Super Mario Odyssey when I first played and beat it around that time. For the record, I didn't dislike Odyssey, quite the opposite actually. The problem was that I always felt like I should have enjoyed Super Mario Odyssey more than I did given how objectively amazing the game was. Because of this, Odyssey has been on my backlog for a very long time for me to go back and revisit. Going into replaying Odyssey, I expected to like it more than I did in 2017, but not as much as Super Mario Galaxy, and certainly not as much as Super Mario 64 which is still my all time favorite platformer as well as a top 10 game of all time for me. After beating Odyssey today, I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised by how much more I enjoyed this game compared to my first playthrough of it.
Super Mario Odyssey is an absolute masterpiece. There is no other way of putting it. The controls, the gameplay, the level design and themes, the art, the charm of the characters and overall story, the soundtrack, and the countless abilities and mechanics at your disposal as a result of the Cappy hat possession mechanic are all amazing. While I did on a select few occasions get frustrated with what the camera was trying to do at a specific spot, or the way certain enemies control once you've thrown Cappy at them, none of these things tainted my opinion of the overall gameplay experience which was just amazing. The result of all this is there isn't a single dull moment while playing Super Mario Odyssey. This is also in part thanks to how much stuff there is to do in this game as well as the countless secrets contained within it. Each stage is almost like an open sandbox that you're encouraged to explore in order to collect all that stage's moons. Moons are the primary focus of your collecting efforts in Odyssey and they vary in terms of what you have to do to get them as well as the amount of difficulty in doing these things. Some moons are super easy to obtain while others, mainly the ones I've started going after in the post game, have been hard as hell to get for one reason or another. While there are various recycled methods for obtaining moons, there are also many moons that require some sort of action that you'll likely not do more than a handful of times while playing through Odyssey. Perhaps the worse (or best) part about collecting Super Mario Odyssey's moons is just how many there are. At the time of writing this review and shortly after beating the main game, I have just shy of 300 moons, What's crazy is I haven't even collected a third of them yet, with the total number of moons in Odyssey being an astounding 999! Yeah, I still have a ways to go, but I really don't mind at all. I actually want to collect the rest of the moons, as well as various outfits, items for you ship, and other collectables not required for the game's completion. If there were ever a sign that I really enjoyed a game, it's my desire to keep playing it and doing more stuff after the credits have rolled.
Mario Odyssey is a gorgeous game. Many of the stages feel very unique compared to any others you've seen in other Mario titles, giving Odyssey a very distinct identity. Sure, the same save Peach from Bowser plot is used again as the main backdrop to you jumping from one stage to another, but you'll hardly care since everything looks and feels so good in this game. Both in terms of visuals and the gameplay involved in beating them, Odyssey has some of the best, most creative and unique boss battles in the entire franchise which just complimented how awesome everything else was in this game. One grip about the visuals, and I guess more specifically about the bosses were the reoccurring Broodle bosses, five anthropomorphic rabbits that are helping Bowser throughout the game. While I don't dislike them as much as some other people, I still found them to be a bit annoying an uninspired. They are also the least interesting bosses throughout the game in terms of how you beat them. Aside from that, I loved all the levels in terms of their themes and design and how Mario essentially has to save them in some unique way after Bowser and the Broodles caused some sort of trouble for the locals in that stage. The stages gradually open up to more and more areas and you'll have just as much fun figuring out how to get there as you will actually playing inside those new sections.
Odyssey's OST is absolutely awesome as you'd expect in a mainline 3D Mario game, however I didn't like Super Mario Odyssey's soundtrack as much as many previous Mario games despite it being absolutely no slouch. There are some incredibly catchy tracks in this game, including a few containing vocals which was a nice change compared to the purely instrumental tracks in previous mainline Mario games. Sound effects are also excellent, including the made up languages of the many different inhabitants of each stage, Cappy, and other characters and creatures throughout the game. The noises coming from destroying objects, using certain enemy abilities to progress through a stage or obtain a moon, and everything else in between is practically perfect in terms of how it sounds and how well it fits with the rest of the game.
While I can definitely say that I still love Super Mario 64 more than Odyssey, the crazy part is that the only factor that contributes to this is just how nostalgic and special SM64 is to me personally. If we were looking at these games objectively in 2025, Super Mario Odyssey is a vastly superior game in nearly every way. It essentially takes what made SM64 great and cranks it up 100x in so many different ways. I do think Super Mario 64 is a more iconic and important game when looking its overall impact on the industry and platforming genre, as well as it blowing my mind like few other games ever have back when it first came out in 1996. But yeah, in terms of modern flourishes and advancements to gameplay that have taken place between those two games, Odyssey is definitely the one to play.
On the other hand, I do actually like Odyssey more than Super Mario Galaxy, which is also a game bolstered by a fair bit of personal nostalgia. I still adore Super Mario Galaxy, and there are aspects to its gameplay that I still enjoy more than any Mario game I've ever played, but once again, when looking at everything that makes these games what they are, Super Mario Odyssey comes out on top, if only by a fairly modest amount.
I knew that I'd probably enjoy Super Mario Odyssey at least a little more than I did back in 2017, but I never imagined that I'd be wondering if this game is a top 10 game of all time for me. Regardless of whether or not it cracks into that illustrious list, I will say that this game is absolutely amazing and an incredible experience for anyone wanting to play something truly special. As far as I'm concerned, Mario is still the king of the platformer genre and no one does platformers as good as Nintendo. (3/30/25) [46/50]
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17. Life Is Strange [PS4] - Finished - March 31st, 2025 (PLATTY)
(https://imageshack.com/i/poCoU9oQj)
Review
Stunned is an understatement. Baffled is a mere word. Garfunkled is made up. This game just rocked my socks
The plot of this game is a symphony of story telling that most big picture movies can only dream of. The run time is perfection front to back. And while it starts slower than True Colors, the dynamic of the meat that lies within is so deliciously bliss that this may be one of the greatest cinematic experiences ive had in any media. Its on par to when you find out Darth Vader is Anakin Skywalker. It's like you leave in bewildered. Still coming off it.
MAXINE FLIPPING CAUFIELD
Max is epic. No short ways to put it. The game made me feel like I could project my biases and wishes through Max but through the lens of her pre existing personality. You can be a real life super hero. Which Max is. A sort of Photo clicking, poloroid wonder woman. But without spoilers. Theirs a duality to her that is beyond the level. A struggle between good and conflicting bad. Of course these depend on how you shape your Max with the dialogue you choose more powerfully.
What the game blows me away with most isnt so much that it's deep. It's that it takes a plot that is about as wild. Complicated and overwhelming as any. A psuedo science psy fi brain blower of a massive multi dimensional whopper. It's so much to take in. It takes it and it delivers it in a way that is so easy to follow, so casual to enjoy. Theirs not quite much like it.
Front to back I dislike Chloe. As the game progresses that begins to stifen a bit but Chloe in general is pretty self important and overwhelmingly selfish. I could get into depth about why but wont disclose many spoilers. So i'll just say. Episodes 1 to 3. Chloe is an L. But that part is what makes the game refreshing.
Each character has it's own unique progression and unlike some telltale style games. Your decisions seem to have a much much more drastic impact on the plot. The multi layering of plot is brilliant. The emotions do something to the human psyche that a movie cant. Since you control the protagonist you sorta feel this next level involvement in their life. It makes love interests and deaths and decisions in games like these so profound. It sorta sticks with you.
Its hard to write a review on a game that is basically a movie with no spoilers. But From the opening sequence till the final tear drop of my cheek. This game is a love letter to gamers. Its poetry. It's got dozens of messages. Coming to age narratives. Relatable feels. It bests true colors in it's abilities I feel. Trading emotional empathy with time bending. It immerses you cleverly in the environment of a school as a teenager. The angst and complexities that come with that.
I still have many entries to go in the franchise. And boy am I happy that I got to experience this. This game is so good. It's another reason im greatful to be born into gods blue sphere of wonder in this decade. This moment. Of all fabric in time. I got lucky to be born on the same stitch to be able to enjoy this creation of humans. I cant sing its high graces enough.
100/100
Could be a 98 because of a few minor glitches here and there. Like one scene they were talking but mouths werent moving. Their were 2 puzzles that seemed really unnecessary imo. But to me it remains a 100 because I judge these games as the visual movies they are. Plot absolutely touched my soul. And that is worth those extra 2 points.
Its a treat. Come and eat :)
Rating - 100/100
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18. P.T. || PlayStation 4 || 03.25.2025
(https://i.imgur.com/MTanYkG.jpeg) (https://i.imgur.com/8hqTw9x.jpeg)
As one of modern gaming's most well-known instances of an unavailable game through official means and discontinued project, P.T. exists as one of the greatest examples of what sort of direction a franchise would have taken had plans continued. The franchise in question is Silent Hill, and it's likely that it would have had a prosperous revival much earlier than in 2024 had Hideo Kojima's involvement with the series lasted. I'm fortunate that I still own my PlayStation 4 console with the game installed, so I was able to play it natively and officially instead of playing a fan recreation.
Before going further, I'll mention that I'm probably more familiar with P.T. than any other Silent Hill game, though I've not played it before. I actually remember being a spectator to this game in a casual setting at the time of its release in 2014. Lights were off and I was with a group of friends—it wasn't exactly the best environment for wanting to appreciate the finer aspects of horror, but it's a fond memory to look back upon. I know I've watched videos detailing secrets too—or perhaps they were full playthroughs, even—so I was vaguely familiar with some of the game's objectives and criteria they require, but most of my experience still felt new.
Unlike previous Silent Hill entries, P.T. is played from a first-person camera perspective and is actually a game within the adventure genre, not survival horror. Nevertheless, horror is impressively designed far more than most of the games in the series that came before it. In short, players assume the role of an unnamed protagonist who wakes up trapped in a perpetually endless corridor of hallways—one hallway, really—that loops continuously to seemingly no end. Beyond interacting with a few small parts of the environment, the player is largely limited to walking up and door the hallway space and will be forced to solve somewhat cryptic puzzles in order to reach the game's true ending. Without divulging much, the plot of P.T. highlights a series of domestic violence and murder. It's a haunting narrative about husbands and wives—men and women—and the bloodshed so regularly perpetuated.
In many ways, P.T. is a triumphant return to video game horror when taken in the context of the thematic genre's status in 2014. A large part of that is through its atmosphere and sound, and, in hindsight, I wish that I had experienced the game firsthand while wearing headphones. A ghostly woman's distorted wails ring out from the darkness all around. A newborn baby's cries instill fear, and discovering that baby later on elicits some innate terror. Downright disturbing audio recordings play out from a radio, and you're left only feeling far more uncomfortable once it subsides. Paired with sound, visuals transform from relatively quaint to disconcerting. Over the course of its short play time, P.T. subverts what little comfort there is and then doubles down on even subverting the horrors players have become familiar with. What truly sets the game apart from other horror experiences, though, is that no two playthroughs are the same. Numerous events are random and may or may not even trigger, so there is reason to explore the game further with subsequent playthroughs to discover new fears which leave a haunting impression.
Playing P.T. was my first experience with anything created by Kojima, and, suffice to say to those who are familiar with him, there are all sorts of interpretations regarding the game's puzzles and hidden messages alongside the means to collect them. I managed to trigger some of the game's more obvious secrets on my own, though I seriously doubt my capabilities to have ever been able to solve the game's final puzzle on my own which reveals a hidden video trailer. Needless to say, I did consult a guide in order to reach that final segment, yet I'm still confused about one specific step and the logic in reaching it.
Certainly, P.T. is a highlight for the series, and it's a shame that conflict between Kojima and Konami took part, though it clearly allowed Kojima to explore other opportunities to his benefit. However, even without such context, P.T. stands out as one of the more successful games in the Silent Hill series, and it is disappointing that it's not more widely accessible for those interested.
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18. Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn [PS4] - Finished - March 31st, 2025
(https://imageshack.com/i/pm7ODuXIj)
Got one in at the buzzer! Lol. Marches final game.
This game is preposterously racist lol. Now dont get me wrong. I am a Dave Chapelle, George Carlin kinda guy. I get a good joke and love dark humor at times. But the game just kinda feels less about being funny and more throwing stereotypes to see what will stick. Not much does. It is basically goofing on chinese dudes for 15 hours with some celeb bosses thrown in. It doesnt do it with the tact of a southpark episode where theirs a bit of sattire in there and its self mocking. Or most of all really freaking funny like southpark. Nope. Full blown "Shaq is Chinese samurai daddy dumpling. They call me dragon tamer" all these things dont offend me. They also dont make me laugh though. It feels like a really long 2008 Xbox 360 Party Chat. Id almost accept what it is if it was new. Daring. Its just corny. But sometimes that works to its benefit. Its shaq fu. Its meant to be corny lol. The proverbial legend has returned to grace us with its stank
it is less stinky this time around. But it's still a garbage pale kids card soaked in what I can only assume is urine. You are reminded of why it was left in the closet. For what thats worth to the player is up to assumption or consideration. But I tend to enjoy the games carefree 90s stink. It feels like a frat kids metal diary. Just a notable fyi to anyone seeking to play it. It rides that line. You been forwarned.
Take the role of Shaq as you claim to be a Chinese kung fu master. Or in shaqs words. One of the 3 great things from China alongside the electric toothbrush and general tsaos chicken. Enemies with names like "dragon chaser" make wild bruce lee noises as they attempt to stop Shaq. Who assumes many powerups that are cute and clever in design which I do love.
Shaqtus - pretty cool. Machine gun essentially
Shaq Disel - robot Michael jackson basically.
And many others.
Gameplay is solid enough. But its extremely repetitive and the run time is surprisingly bloated. I wouldn't say its a bad game. It's just repetitive. Type of game to widly throw hundreds of enemies in waves. And you kinda mash buttons to wipe them all out. Rarely is their player planning involved. Although some bosses were cool and also funny. Justin Bieber, Kanye West and other easy to jab celebrities make up a roster of goof balls to bash. Giving it a real life feel.
Even has a barack obama dlc. This game is just wacky inflatable car salesmen.
Shaq Fu had the potential. It seems a competant dev team worked on it. Its widlly playable. It's even decent looking. I just know what a beat em up remake can be. Think streets of rage 4. This game cant hold a candle.
Rating - 71/100
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Game 6 - Super Empire Strikes Back (SNES) - 13 Hours
I haven't played an old school game like this in a long time, but I had (mostly) a really fun time with it. There's a lot to like about the Super Star Wars games. The controls are for the most part really smooth, the music and sound effects are top-notch, as are the graphics. The game feels like a scaled down version of the movies with a lot of love put into the cutscenes and voice acting. There's a nice variety of different flying and platforming stages packed with secrets alongside multiple characters to play as well. I really enjoyed most of the boss fights as well, particularly the final fight with Vader.
The game's low points for me were level-to-level with some really poor environmental design and insane difficulty - you're oftentimes swarmed with enemies that constantly respawn as soon as you kill one. The hit detection is really suspect as well and you have almost no post-hit invincibility which can add to the frustration. The game in general is very difficult, but thankfully there's a pretty generous password system to keep you going if you just persevere long enough. All in all, Super Empire Strikes back is probably 70% fun, 30% frustration but I enjoyed my time with it.
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God of War Ragnarok is a good game, but definitely not as good as the previous one. Great combat, and while the story was engaging, it was also super disjointed and the pacing was really weird. tons of the game was just really slowly paced and it sucked all the momentum out of it, and made the game feel way too long, which is a shame, because I do like all of the individual pieces on their own. Still boggles my mind that this team was able to take one of the most edgelordy characters and series of the mid-00s and turn it into a reflective, emotionally complex story, that doesn't forget what made it work in the first place for the most part.
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19. Stubbs The Zombie: Rebel Without A Pulse [PS4] Finished April 2nd, 2025
(https://imageshack.com/i/poyBQLatj)
Stubbs the zombie is a riot! I liken to to the Gori Cuddly Carnage level of zany simplicity that meets OG Xbox Era goofiness. And you get real humor. Where Shaq Fu throws dung at the wall. This game is funny off premise alone. It doesnt have to try so hard.
You play as a zombie that desires to urinate into the cities municipal water supply and you bowl your own head like a bowling ball. What's not to love?
The gameplay is fluid, the trophy titles are even hilarious. If you enjoyed the original Xbox only version of stubbs. This game is a faithful remaster. Not a remake. It has that old PS2 era feel to it. But it's clean. And has many filter options which im glad because I hate film grain.
Stubbs powers consist of a detatchable hand, an exploding grenade pancreas and a giant fart. All have unique combat implications and get used often.
Tanks, jeeps and machine guns.
The game is crude and silly. Fun and zaney. And the boss battles are actually challenging. The difficulty curve is perfect. As is the run time. (Im a fan of games that dont outlive themselves or take themselves so seriously. Its fine to be concise)
Overall the only cons with Stubbs is their are at least 2 levels. Especially the caves that are drawn out. The game also crashed on me twice. Which is unacceptable in 2025. Get with it. But the game overall is a blast and I can see why it became a cult classic.
Rating - 90/100
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19. The Girl in the Window || Mobile || 03.30.2025
(https://i.imgur.com/AobpIMX.jpeg) (https://i.imgur.com/XTYysEK.jpeg)
On a whim, I found myself playing The Girl in the Window. I really didn't know much about the game prior to playing, but its store page details and images seemed to indicate it to be similar to other puzzle games which I've played and enjoyed, so I was hoping for a similar experience.
Specifically, The Girl in the Window is an escape-the-room type puzzle game set within the context of a murder mystery narrative. Ironically, I only began playing this game after having forgotten my keys and being locked out from home for a while, so my situation was the exact opposite from the game's premise—I was wanting to get in, not out. The game's premise is simple: you as the unnamed protagonist enter an alleged haunted house in a derelict condition that's been this way since a horrific murder took place within it many years ago. While the doors are barred and the inside seems to remain untouched, there have been reports of ghostly apparitions being seen from outside through the windows. So, for some reason, the protagonist breaks in to investigate and immediately finds themselves trapped. Over the course of the game's event while inside while trying to get out, what are brief hauntings or maybe even remains of the past play out during certain key moments, though the ghost doesn't seem to be bothering the protagonist specifically but are rather making their presence known.
Inside, the player is limited to—or perhaps specifically stuck inside—a single small room and must search for items to use in a specific manner or in combination with others to solve puzzles. One step involved will present another piece of the larger puzzle needing answered to reach the main objective of leaving the locked house. Like many of its contemporaries, players are able to gain information and interact with each side of the room one at a time, and there are moments when certain screens indirectly interact with another. At first, I found myself thinking some of the puzzles were considerably obtuse, but there is really just a lot of moving parts to figure out how one set of clues should be used in conjunction with another. For that reason, I actually found the game's later sections easier than the beginning since more and more interactive set pieces had already become activated through earlier progression. So, naturally, there is less to piece together as the options available to use dwindle.
While the narrative does conclude, it is simple and not that important, although it does provide context for why the protagonist is drawn to this environment. In short, it serves it purpose for the actual gameplay. On that note, I did find myself using a guide for two or three segments. Perhaps I could have solved these sections with enough thought invested, but I didn't want to get too hung up on one small moment when there was clearly more to do. Also, I was locked out from my home for the majority of my playthrough, so I didn't feel quite as focused as I usually do while playing these types of games.
Overall, The Girl in the Window is fine. It's completely free, and advertisements are few and really not that frequent. The same developer has numerous other games which seem to be similar puzzle experiences, though I'm not sure if they're a part of a series or connected in any meaningful way. I may or may not visit more in the future, though hopefully it's not while being locked out.
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42. Castlevania: Bloodlines (Genesis)
Throughout my youth, the Castlevania series somehow complete flew underneath my radar. Maybe it's because I was didn't have an NES during the 90s, or maybe it was because none of my friends seemed to know or talk about it either, but for whatever reason, it wouldn't be until the late 2000s that I'd finally dive into this series. Castlevania Bloodlines was actually my first Castlevania game. I remember liking it, but also thinking it had a lot of bullshit levels and sections as well. Well, unfortunately my opinion of Bloodlines is more or less the same as it was about 16 years ago, maybe even slightly worse.
Castlevania Bloodlines' saving grace is its presentation and music. Visually, Bloodlines is up there with some of the better looking Genesis games which is complimented by tons of cool bosses level set pieces, and the general horror setting and vibe of this game. The game is colorful and the sprites look excellent for the most part. The music is also excellent like it is in most Castlevania games. It especially sounds great through the Genesis' sound chip which has that distinct Genesis sound to it that I seem to praise in nearly every Genesis game review I write lol. But seriously, this is one you'd want to listen to in your car. The sound effects are also great and compliment the nearly top notch presentation this game is well known for.
Unfortunately when discussing Bloodlines' gameplay, my praise of this game is far less generous. Even compared to a lot of other classic, pre-metroidvania entries in the series, Bloodlines' has a ton of first time playthrough gotcha traps, which is one of my biggest pet peeves in older retro games. However, worse than that are some of its stages and sections which are just absolute crap in terms of design. With how good most of the other games in the series are, it surprises me Konami and Igarashi were okay putting some of these in the final game. Most appear in the final level, which sucks overall by the way, but there are platforming sections in this game that the controls seem ill equipped to handle. Whether you're playing a Eric or John, they both control very stiff for a game that wants to throw certain things at you that you are likely not able to handle given Bloodlines' gameplay limitations. It really is an example of a game being too ambitious for its own good. That's not to say there aren't some genuinely fun levels, sections, and bosses in Bloodlines because there definitely are, but there are enough of the bad ones where your enjoyment while playing will definitely be challenged.
Bloodlines is definitely a game that is hard for all the wrong reasons at many points in the game, and one I wanted to like more, but just couldn't. By the time the game was over I felt more relieved than happy that I just beat the game. Bloodlines is not a bad game, but its one that is definitely flawed and will test your patience at times despite it overwhelming your eyes and ears with its excellent 16-bit presentation. (4/5/25) [32/50]
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43. F355 Challenge: Passione Rossa (Dreamcast)
As a 13-year old guy in the infancy of my love of cars which continues to this day, I remember seeing the deluxe version of the arcade cabinet for F355 Challenge at my local dave and Busters and nearly dying of excitement. The three panoramic screens, the surround sound audio of the 355's roaring flat plain crank V8, and maybe most of all, the gated 6-speed manual shifter made this the closest I could ever get to actually driving this legendary performance machine. Of course, I was never very good at this game, even years later when I'd come across it, but I still enjoyed the experience of playing this game whenever I was able to play this game in the arcade. While I have some prior experience with the Dreamcast port of F355 Challenge, I've always found it to be lacking in that overall visceral experience I get when playing the delixe arcade machine. This afternoon I decided to sit down with it and give the Dreamcast port a serious play through, and unfortunately it just doesn't scratch that driving sim itch that the arcade version provides.
F355 Challenge is still a pretty impression looking game, and in 2000 was a very impressive looking game. Really, my only major gripes with its visuals are some of the details of the tracks you race in and how some of the other cars looks in your rear view mirror and even when around you while driving. The audio is a mixed bag, but like the arcade game, the pretty realistic sound of the F355's roaring V8 sounds amazing. The soundtrack audio is very mediocre and not particularly memorable beyond the fact that there are very few songs in this game. Luckily that barely matters since you will just want to hear the noises coming out of your car.
Gameplay is less impressive in F355 Challenge. While not terrible or even bad, the driving mechanics in this game seem noticeably artificial while also trying to feel realistic. In other words, it feels like the game is compensating in strange ways in order to give the sensation of actually driving a Ferrari F355, even if it still falls short of being an approximation of what it's actually like. For the record, I've never drive any variant of a 355, but having driven other high performance, mid engine, rear wheel drive cars, F355 feels a bit to squirrelly to feel realistic. And then of course, the lack of the gated six speed in the arcade will also make you long to play that original version. The Dreamcast version does offer some additions not present in the arcade such as unlockable stages as well as more modes. Unfortunately, I found all this extra content still lacking and didn't bring my enjoyment on the same level as playing the arcade version. Sadly, I actually found the Dreamcast port to be kinda boring where I actually kept thinking I'd rather be playing something like Gran Turismo 2 or 3 instead (despite neither of those games having Ferrari's in them). Still, F355 Challenge on the Dreamcast does have its moments and does capture at least some of that magic present in the original arcade release. Unfortunately it's just not as enjoyable as the arcade game and never will be even if it still looks more or less the same and sounds about the same too. (4/5/25) [31/50]
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44. Strikers 1945 II (Switch)
There are several SHMUPs that enthusiasts of the genre and gamers in general seem to adore that I simply do not get. And look, I'm not a hipster who has to go against the mainstream and call obscure, lessor known shooters masterpieces when in fact they're kinda crap. No, I generally carry a populist opinion when it comes to SHMUPs, but there are major exceptions with Strikers 1945 II and the rest of the games in that series being one of them.
Simply put, I do not like this game very much and think the love and praise it gets are way overblown. For one, the game's graphics are fairly flat and unremarkable, even back when it came out in the late 90s. All you have to do is look at some of its STG contemporaries from half a dozen other companies to see how bland this game looks in comparison. I will give Strikers 1945 II some credit and say its bosses are pretty cool with how they transform from a large, conventional war machine to some sort of cool mech, but overall the visuals are nothing special and I'd say are barely a hair over boring, generic, and just mediocre.
The audio in this game is sort of the same story. Nothing amazing, but nothing that offensive either. It's just sort of there and sounds uninspired while simultaneously feeling appropriate given the fast paced SHMUP action occurring on screen. Sound effects are good I guess, but yeah, this game's audio is the definition of serviceable but very generic.
Finally, Strikers 1945 II's gameplay is okay for the most part, but does run into some balancing issues mixed with outdated SHMUP mechanics, mainly having to restart levels again if you use a continue, but only on the later stages thankfully. The balancing issues I reference have to do with each of the selectable ship's speed being ill equipped to get you out of tight situations, especially against some of the more challenging bosses and later stages of the game. I also found your ship's hit box to be a bit on the large side, making it hard to pull off precise maneuvers between barrages of tightly packed bullets. You just sort of have to fly out of your way to an area less populated by bullets, assuming your ship doesn't get picked off before then due to the aforementioned relative slow speed of your ship. Speaking of the game's selectable ships, there are a decent amount of them to choose from, all with their own shot type and bomb/special attack. I appreciated this since at least to a degree in gives players choices in terms of a particular play style, to an extent at least. But yeah, even though the gameplay can be fun at times, it just has too many issues to be anything better than meh overall.
What's funny (or sad, depending on how you look at it), is this most recent playthrough of Strikers 1945 II is probably the most I've enjoyed this game since first playing it a long time ago. I always hope that the game will finally click with me and I'll see its unappreciated greatness the next time I play it. Unfortunately, I just can't see it no matter what aspect of the game I'm looking at. I guess you can place my feelings on Strikers 1945 II in the category of unpopular gaming opinions. I really wish I liked this game, but I simply don't. (4/6/25) [27/50]
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20. Britney's Dance Beat [PS2] finished - April 6th, 2025
(https://imageshack.com/i/po3uqXe9j)
Review
So I really like Britney Spears, someone who basically became a consumable for paparazzo torture during my mid adolescence. I wish we coulda seen a world that cherished her as she blossomed. She is notable in history. But above all else was and still is to a certain extent an icon. A piece of americana on par with the pepsi she promotes. And a really wonderful person at her peak. That possessed about every trait a popstar needs to be special. Britney is the 2000s. So it's only sensible I play a PS2 game (also 2000s) of her likeness. Does it live up?
No... it doesnt lol.
the game pissed me off to point of violence
The main issue with this game is not that its bad. Wanna know the truth? Its glorious. Its epic. The rythym system is so unique. The game is played by a green spinning circle that then highlights corresponding buttons. If a rival dancer gets better perfect combos than you. You will experience the following difficulty additions
. Double buttons (such as pressing X and <-- together)
. Blurry screen
. Rapidly swapping buttons
. A smaller radial meter to hit buttons in.
The dancers look like dancers she has had. May even be. Me and my gf have enjoyed so much Britney content that I do recognize some. If they arent. They are inspired. The soundtrack is licensed. And the dancing and movement of it is enjoyable. I love the system. It is wonderfully bliss.
The issues.
The game is shorter than her first marraige
Like seriously. I bet I spend more time writing this review than half the game. I began at 2pm. It was done by 4pm. And that is with getting my ass kicked by the final boss like 2 dozen times.
Normally I like a short concise game. But this is Britney! Shes up there with Madonna in terms of well... shes the damn Michael Jackson of girls. The princess of pop. The blonde anomoly that defined childhood for millions. And you give her 5 songs!!! 5 total songs.
. Hit me baby
. Oops I did it again
. Stronger
. Slave 4 U
. Overprotected
I almost thought I was imagining the end credits. I assumed after you master these 5 songs you would get to experience 5 more.
. Lucky
. Drive Me Crazy
. Toxic
. Not A Girl Not Yet A Woman
. I love rock and roll (literally shows the sign for it in the background.
So even though I genuinely love the game. It's basically dating a chef for 20 yrs and they only cook at work and leave you to smell lasagna fumes on their clothes with a bologna sandwich for dinner. Its a big giant tease. The whole game needed at least 4x as many songs and boss battles. Sad part is. If it did? Possibly the greatest rythym game ever made. But it didnt.
Difficulty Spike
Because its so short. You go from entry level Nick Carter rip offs to dance against. They are easy. To within 1 hour facing a black woman named Carla that made me cry, slap my own leg and want to crawl under my bed in frustration. Imagine quick time events. Giving you quarter second windows to hit. If you miss? You lose power and Carla gains that power. And trust me.
SHE DONT MISS.
Her combo can and will climb to 78+ 78 notes straight it expects you to hit. All the while. Carla is hitting you with powers. It's what you'd expect. Hard as steel.
Overall the game unlike society hasnt given Britney her justice. A new free Britney movement should be started to get her a longer game. Its one game that I kinda wish was made in 2025 because itd probably have gotten like 2 dozen songs as dlc. And I woulda bought them too.
Conclusion - Britney Spears career is explosive. She was a firecracker in terms of pop stardom. Attempting to summarize what being one of her dancers is about or the depth of her dance career in 1 1/2 hour of gameplay is truly a failure by thq. It is a wonderful, fun exciting game that ends to quick. It's the best date you ever been on ending after 2 mini golf puts. It's the best dog you ever had but he runs away after a week. It's the best pizza you ever tasted. But you're only allowed 1 bite. And that really really sucks.
Rating - 71/100
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20. Nour: Play with Your Food || PlayStation 5 || 04.06.2025
(https://i.imgur.com/CJ7MgOf.jpeg) (https://i.imgur.com/w0TIlqL.jpeg)
For quite some time, Nour: Play with Your Food has been a game that's maintained my interest. I remember reading an article about the game's development when its Kickstarter campaign was ongoing in 2017, but it wasn't until 2023 the game finally released. Now, all these years later, I was finally able to play with food.
Trying to describe Nour with words is somewhat difficult. To be as succinct as possible, though, it's an interactive audiovisual art experiment about food, which is still quite the mouthful. It's about how food not only relates to taste alone but the other senses as well, though it clearly emphasizes sight and sound. As its subtitle states, the game allows players to interact with food to evoke certain moods and draw out memories. To accomplish this, Nour takes on quite the free-form and exploratory approach as very little is actually explained, so players will naturally discover most of what the game offers on their own. There are no objectives, timers, or scores present, and the game's design, purpose, and value is all based on players' personal experience to the stimuli on-screen. Twenty stages which all do feel unique from another are designed, and I found it to be an appropriate amount that doesn't have the game overstay its welcome.
At the game's simplest, it is a simulation tool which players are freely able to spawn food in a sandbox playground environment. Each face and direction button corresponds to one single food item which drops down onto the level field, and other buttons may be used in conjunction with them to spawn even more items or to cause various effects. Players are able to rotate the field and zoom in, in addition to utilizing an array of tools and special effects that influence the nature of the food. For instance, there are effects which causes items to float in mid-air, grow or shrink in size, and even burn or freeze. At the same time, Nour makes use of the Dualsense controller's capabilities such as players being able to blow items away with a gust of breath and to levitate items when sustaining a held pitch. Knowing what all can be done is never known. And while there are no in-game objectives which emphasizes player discovery, the game's accompanying achievements system does provide some sort of task list that gives players direction.
While the game's rhythm elements are briefly introduced, I imagine the majority of players will ignore them or not understand completely what purpose they serve. After all, it's an entirely optional aspect to the game. While stages must be unlocked one at a time, there is no barrier aside from simply experiencing the current stage at any length. Regardless, icons indicating musical notes appear when pressing any button to a beat, though it's not outright explained why. When looking deeper into the game's menu, players will discover a section named rhythm controls, though they're all obscured until the player unlocks them organically through trial and error. Largely, these combos influence the stage's accompanying music which constantly changes and reflects a player's button inputs, such as initiating a key change. Still, these elements are not required to learn or to be engaged with in the slightest though, for the curious mind or those who wish to delve deep into the game's audiovisual experiences, there is plenty to explore.
Apart from gameplay which really isn't even Nour's focus, visuals and audio are standout components. Colors are vibrant with often a minimal presentation to the in-game stage environment. At times, stages are set within a color-filled void while others do feature a proper setting albeit still simple ones. Art design is heavily stylized which relies upon a glossy sheen that's almost plastic-like at times, though I think the game's use of environmental colors complement food assets well. And while music is a core aspect, I was more engrossed with the game's visuals. Still, there are various sound libraries which accompany stages, and I found this inclusion to greatly help set stages apart from each other while providing a powerful means of avoiding monotony. However, not everything is bright and colorful with accompanying upbeat sounds. There were several moments in my playthrough which saw the environment becoming dulled and gray with distorted, distant beats or even silence, and this type of event is influenced by a player's rhythm.
Ultimately, Nour: Play with Your Food has a standout presentation, and I think its execution is achieved nicely too. Its concept of play is unique, and the game's open-ended nature allows for it to become more than just a simulation tool but a simulation experience. It's not a game that I think most will find themselves wanting to play fully, but the right audience will greatly enjoy what's offered.
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45. Confidential Mission (Arcade)
My only association with playing Confidential Mission prior to today was on the Dreamcast a very long time ago. Honestly, I barely remembered anything about it other than it being a light gun shooter and also it having a James Bond, secret agent theme to it. Unfortunately, I never came across Confidential Mission in the arcades back around the time it was released. Well today I felt like playing a fun light gun game and this game sounded right up my ally.
I was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed Confidential Mission. In a lot of ways, this game actually feels like more of a worthy successor to Virtua Cop 2 than the actual successor to that game. Of course, it has a fairly different theme than the Virtua Cop games, but its core gameplay is very reminiscent of those other Sega gun games. Your enemies will pop out from behind every possibly object on the screen at some point, where a colored circle will appear around them that will gradually turn from green, to yellow, and then to red. If you don't shoot them before the circle turns red, you'll end up getting shot and taking damage. Confidential Mission essentially utilizes this same system and it works so well that you'd be forgiven for thinking this was another light gun game by Sega AM2 (Sega AM3 developed this one). Other than that, you'll be shooting a variety of objects to increase your score, get better temporary weapons, and even complete objects like shooting a grappling hook onto an adjacent building or blocking poison gas vents with rubber splat bullets. Light gun games can often feel very samey with their gameplay, but Confidential Mission does just enough to make it memorable which is the most you can ask of games from this genre.
Aside from the gameplay, the visuals are actually pretty good and very enjoyable to look as you play through Confidential Mission's three stages. All stages are colorful, detailed, and definitely fit in well with the whole secret agent aesthetic the game is going for. Aside from the repetitive enemy types, which to be fair all light gun games from this era were guilty of, I was a bit disappointed by the lack of destructible stage elements. Even games that overall don't look as good like Area 51 had a lot of things you could destroy in the background and having that in Confidential Mission would have made it that much more visually appealing. Luckily the game has some very memorable, fun bosses and how you fight them differs from how you fought the others. This is such a good looking game all around and I'd say is Confidential Mission's best quality.
Unfortunately this game's worst quality is its audio. Aside from some cheesy voice action which were par for the course from Sega light gun games of the time, the music in Confidential Mission is good, but not great. It fits in with the game's overall feel and vibe, but there aren't any really fun, catchy tracks like in House of the Dead or Virtua Cop. There are also a lot of explosion sounds and other cool sound effects that complement everything else this game is going for.
Confidential Mission is definitely a more unsung hero of 90s arcades, and one that is unfortunately overshadowed by some of the more famous genre titles of the time. I definitely wish I'd ran into this game as a 12-year old kid. I know I would have loved it, but even now as a guy in his late 30s, I still got a kick out of this one and definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys some good late 90s arcade gun games. (4/6/25) [34/50]
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21. Need For Speed: Most Wanted (2005) [XBOX] - Finished - April 7th, 2025
(https://imageshack.com/i/pox74Kd9j)
First time finishing 2 games in 24 hours. Possibly in my life? Idk.
Review
Have you played need for speed most wanted? If not here's a tour down memory lane. My dad got an original xbox from a pawn shop maybe 14 Earth Trips around the sun ago. These days almost felt as if the sun shined a tad bit brighter. My cousin lived downstairs. Cookouts. All nighters with video games until crickets chirped. And this game was one of the big 5. I havent even played it since I was in 8th grade and even then that was my 2nd playthrough. It was about time to rejoin an old friend. The air seemed crisper. It wasnt just connecting with mere black plastic and interactive media. It was a sort of nostalgia you can't bottle. But doing it as a almost 30 year old? Thats about as close as you can get :)
THE GREATEST NFS EVER MADE
I mean the need for speed community is in fairly consistent consensus about this. Rarely you come accross someone who says otherwise. Some say Carbon but Carbon is just most wanted but at night. Also a solid game.
Need for speed is imperfect perfection. It has flaws. But somehow the flaws make it better. Like the flaws suck. But it also makes the game what it is. And if removed. It'd faulter because of it.
(https://imageshack.com/i/poQI4oYYj)
The pros? A sick soundtrack. The days of 2004 Static X, bullet for my valentine and disturbed make up a set list that is half Death emo alt metal and half bling era hip hop. It's pure silk on the ears!
The cars? Perfect balance of exotics, tuners and muscle. The game was the first need for speed to say. Hey want a 250mph ford gt? Here ya go. Enough mucking about. We are a full fledged racer now. And young me. Driving a Lamborghini Gallardo at 222 mph through a speed trap. Red blur off the taillights. It's back. Hes me. I love him. I love this.
The customization isnt too much. Its not too little. Its just right. Complete with junkman parts. Unlockables. A fun card system and pink slips to rival cars.
The game comes at a time frame where EA releases the following
NFL Street 1,2 and 3
NBA street 1,2 and 3
Fifa Street 1,2
Simpsons Road Rage
Madden 2004-2008
MVP Baseball 2005 to 2006
BLACK
007 Agent Under fire and From Russia with love
Need for speeds underground 1, 2, most wanted and hot pursuit 2
Buffy the vampie slayer chaos bleeds
I mean you get the point. This company was NOT MISSING lol. They dominated all that in one singular console generation. EA kicked major, wholesale, chuck norris levels of ass. And I love them even when they fail just off comroterie.
You make your way up a black list of 15 racers. Which overall is a tad lengthy but fairly paced.
You are guided by Mia Townsend. A sorta street racer turned bestie that is basically big sister that guides you through a wild west of rockport lunatics. From crooked cops to dudes who cheat to win races. It all has a good plot. To me the best plot in nfs history. Unbound coming close.
One major issue with it is?
RUBBER BANDING
"Rubber band man, wild as taliban, 9 in my right. 45 in my other hand" lol. The game pumps artificial difficulty by means of rubber banding your opponet. You can 100 percent drive flawlessly and still watch as an AI does game bending 300mph speeds to fly into the sky like a boeing 747 to shamelessly cheat. Its hard. And unfair. But like I said before. Necessary.
Without the rubber banding the game would be a cake walk. This gived it some umph. Some moxie. You gotta earn beating it.
XBOX CONTROLLER PRAISE
(https://imageshack.com/i/pn6HW7ucj)
So the game is unplayable on PS2. Graphics are 10x worst and controller is not designed for this type of racer. Imo abyway. Which led me to this glorious, beautiful piece of tech. The original xbox. I got lucky and got a 1.6 model from late 2004. With fixed clock capcitors. The controller honestly feels like it was designed in 2025. Black and white buttons ⚪️ ⚫️ absolute chefs kiss. Its so smart. It might even be as good as Xbox One X controller or ps5. Im dead serious. Its so comfortable for hours of play. So ergonomic. It has nice sensitivity. Rumble. I cant praise this beast enough. It definitely revolutionized racing and shooting games. Hence forza and halos dominance. You can just feel it. Nothing at the time was touching it to me. Its a beaut.
Conclusion - its a window into the best days of my childhood and most of all. Its nostalgic. And I got to play it on my dads original copy. From so many years ago. Almost 2 decades ago now. Jeez. It feels full circle. This was therapuetic to the soul.
Rating - 96/100
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46. Death Crimson OX (Arcade)
I hate when I'm on a certain genre kick and there's that one game I play that's so bad, it takes me out of that mood and makes me want to play anything but another game from that genre. Tonight the game that ended my arcade light gun kick was Death Crimson OX. I've owned Death Crimson OX on the Dreamcast for a long time, but it's never a game I've ever got around to playing. Had I known it was as bad as it is, I'd have likely not wasted my time playing it in the arcade.
I've played a lot of light gun shooters in my life, and without a doubt Death Crimson OX is one of the worst. Its visuals are absolutely gross. Character models look both hilarious and disturbing with how disproportionate they look, enemies are fairly bland, bosses are recycled too often, most stages are kind of dull, and just overall, this game looks more like something from 1996 and not 2000 when it was released. I do have to give it some credit for having a few cool enemies and bosses, but none of them look that great, especially compared to many contemporary light gun games from Sega, Namco, and even Atari. There are also cut scenes within and between levels where the characters just stand stiffly with little to no movement. It just all comes across as ugly and bland for the most part.
Perhaps the only thing I did enjoy about Death Crimson OX was is OST. While not amazing, it was fairly catchy and enjoyable to listen to. It's too bad that was the only thing enjoyable to listen to since voice acting is only present when your character gets hit by an enemy or you die. There is a narrator voice at times, but only during select parts. Sound effects of guns and enemies is a mixed back, but mostly its not that great.
My biggest gripe with this game ended up being its actual gameplay. A combo of poor enemy balancing and placement, your character swaying for no reason to make the game artificially more difficult, and boss weak points that are difficult to determine, this game is not enjoyable to play. I did like how impactful the weapons feel and how the enemies and bosses reacted to getting shot, but there was little else to love about Death Crimson OX's gameplay. I will also say this game as the distinction of having one of the most annoying and tedious final boss battles in a light gun game I've ever had the displeasure of fighting. Seriously, it took me over ten minutes to kill it while many of the above mentioned issues with the gameplay made fighting it an absolute chore. Oh, and did I mention you fight it three times in a row, with the only difference between your encounters with it being its color palate. And that's not even mentioning the various other recycled boss fights throughout the game.
By the time the credits rolled at the end of Death Crimson OX, I was relieved it was over. I never want to play this game again and its one I have no lost love for or regrets not being able to play it back when it first came out. The game, like almost all bad games, does have a few redeeming qualities, but they are so insignificant in the grand scheme of things that it still makes this game crap no matter how you look at it. (4/7/25) [20/50]
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47. House of the Dead III (Wii)
The House of the Dead series partially defined my arcade experience in the 90s. Between being completely blown away by the spooky setting and gore of the first game, and then the second game upping the ante with better graphics, the first two House of the Dead games were and still are some of my favorite light gun games ever made. When House of the Dead 3 came out you can imagine my excitement, however for whatever reason I never really loved it like I did the first two games. It's been a long time since I replayed through the third game in this franchise and I decided to revisit it again tonight to see if my opinion on it has changed any, for better or worse.
I guess depending on how you look at it, my opinion of House of the Dead III is more or less the same as its been for the last 20-years. The game is just as much fun to play as the first two games. Having the default weapon in the game being a shotgun instead of a wimpy handgun like the first two makes your shots more impactful and it shows with the damage done to zombies and other creatures you'll be destroying. It also has non-linier progression with there being branching paths and secrets that encourage replayability to an extent. All be it, the game lets you deliberately choose your path rather than it being more organic like in the first two House of the Dead games where failing to save a scientist or not killing an enemy fast enough will result in your taking a different path. I definitely prefer how progression was handled in the first two games better, and overall there is less alternate paths present in three which serves as a bit of a downgrade. Speaking of downgrades, despite House of the Dead III obviously being a newer game than 1 and 2, I never thought it looked as good despite running on more powerful hardware. The areas, monsters, and characters just look more cartoonish for lack of a better term, which kind of kills the excellent horror vibe of the first two games for me. I also didn't care for how Sega modeled the human chafracters who all have derped faces and giant hands like they're trying to be Looney Toons characters. Luckily the voice acting is still terrible and cheesy which is somewhat of a hallmark of a good House of the Dead game. Unfortunately, however, the soundtrack isn't on the same level of awesomeness of its predecessors, but is still pretty good for the most part.
I do really enjoy House of the Dead III, but I can still safely say it doesn't quite have that X factor that makes me still love 1 and 2 so much. Maybe it's my nostalgia for those games (even though I also played 3 at a fairly young age too), or maybe I just like the art direction and overall presentation more in the first couple titles, but either way, this will always be the inferior entry of the original three games. (4/9/25) [34/50]
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48. The Last Guardian (PS4)
If there ever was a backlog game for me, it would definitely be The Last Guardian. I've had the intention of playing this game ever since it came out in 2016, but there was always something I felt like playing slightly more or I just didn't feel like playing anything at all. Years went by and finally a few days ago I said, enough is enough, I'm going to FINALLY play this game! And I've done just that! As always, I have a lot of thoughts I need to put out in the open.
When The Last Guardian was revealed during E3 2015 and then finally released the following year, I'd already played and beat Team Ico's other excellent game, Shadow of the Colossus (I've still never played Ico, so I don't have an opinion on it), and I expected to enjoy The Last Guardian about as much, give or take. In some ways, The Last Guardian met these expectations; the visuals are excellent and aside from semi-frequent frame rate dips, poor lighting in a few areas, and also there being a bit of repetitiveness in the various environments within the ancient ruins setting, the game looks absolutely amazing. It had me marveling at the ancient city Trico and I were traversing through and had me speculating on the lore behind it, which is only partially revealed throughout the game. On top of that, Trico's design and animations definitely do an excellent job of making him feel like a living, breathing creature, one the game does an excellent job at making you bond with and care about. I have very, very few complaints about the visuals, which are just barely shy of being perfect in my book.
There isn't much in the way of audio, at least when it comes to The Last Guardian's soundtrack. Most of the game doesn't have music playing and instead you'll just be hearing your character and Trico interact, as well as various environmental sound effects depending on what's going on. Still, there is a soundtrack there and overall I found it to be very enjoyable. Like the rest of the game, the audio definitely takes on a minimalist approach, which isn't a bad thing necessarily, but I wish this game had more songs that complemented the atmosphere of various sections within the game.
While the visuals absolutely met my expectation of how good they'd be, and the audio almost did, The Last Guardian's gameplay is where I found myself the most disappointed. The Last Guardian's gameplay can be incredibly frustrating at times. I can't even count how many times throughout this game that I knew exactly what I needed to do, but I couldn't get the game and controls to do what I wanted. In other words, Trico wouldn't listen to me or perform the act I was clearly telling him to do. And look, I get that this was intentional, as Team Ico wanted Trico to act as much like a animal with his own free will, fears, and quarks as possible. But being a video game which you're supposed to, you know, play and control, this all proved to be way more frustrating than endearing. There are also a few other sections of the game that don't even involve Trico, well mostly, that are also very frustrating even though you're in full control. These include throwing food barrels into specific places, a part where you have to move a cage you're stuck inside of, and also a handful of platforming parts that were just downright annoying. This is all made even worse by the controls of the character you play as being kind of flimsy and unresponsive a large chunk of the game too. Things are not all bad in this game, as it definitely has some interesting and even fun puzzles I enjoyed solving with Trico, and also the excitement of exploring the ruins was mostly something that felt well within my grasp. So yeah, the gameplay is pretty meh, but does have its moments regardless.
However, maybe more than all of what I've just mentioned is the fact that The Last Guardian has an incredibly intriguing and heart warming story. I am definitely not going to spoil anything, but I loved bonding with Trico and finding out more about him just as much as I was finding out more about the main protagonist you play as. Also, the last third of the game was by far the best in terms of story. The very end of the game had me smiling and feeling good inside, when I was so certain at a few parts the writers were going to go in a completely different direction. It's honestly Trico, the little boy main character, and the overall story that made me love this game the most and what made me forgive the frankly sub par gameplay.
I think anyone with a PS4, or PS5, who hasn't played The Last Guardian absolutely owes it to themselves to play it at least once. It's a very unique game, unlike anything you've probably ever played, and it's charm will definitely keep you engaged, even through its often frustrating gameplay. The game may have not lived up to the immense hype and anticipation behind it prior to it coming out, but it's still a pretty enjoyable game and definitely worth a playthrough. (4/11/25) [36/50]
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21. Snak || Playdate || 04.12.2025
(https://i.imgur.com/Cxs4IeF.gif)
After going a good while without playing it, I decided to revisit my Playdate handheld. I am still slowly playing through the bundled collection of games that are distributed with the console, and I found myself trying out Snak this time.
As one may imply from the game's title, Snak is a modern re-imagining the the classic action game Snake. For those unfamiliar to Snake, it's an arcade-styled game tasking players to amass the highest score by controlling the titular snake who consumes apples while avoiding both the edge of the screen and the snake's own body. However, each apple eaten lengthens the snake's body which creates more possibilities for the player-controller snake to collide with itself. (Does this mean the snake dies upon trying to eat itself in an act of ouroboros?) It's also worth mentioning that there is no penalty for missing an apple as they, in this game, move from one side of the screen to the next, and there is also no time limit. With that said, I did mention how Snak is an adaptation to these basic rules.
Just like how Snake tests players' reflexes, Snak also introduces new mechanics. First, the snake is now able to cross its own body but only during a short time window upon triggering a button. Second, apples which are not directly consumed by the snake's mouth but still make contact with the body become a part of the snake's body, although they do not count toward the player's score. Instead, the player is required to cross over the snake's body to consume this uneaten but stuck apple. When crossing over the snake's body, the ability lasts indefinitely so long as the snake stays overlapped. When uncrossed again, the effect must be triggered again or else the expected fail state will activate. From what I've gathered, I think that the snake can only cross over the same segment of its body once, and attempting to do so a second time will again end the player's current run. Before starting a new run, five difficulty options are available to select which range from Snak to Snaaaaak.
Seemingly at random, I've reached the game over screen despite not colliding with either the field edge or with the snake's body on several occasions. I think what may be happening is that an apple that's been lodged in the snake's body is directly colliding with another free-moving apple. So, players seem to be incentivized to successfully eat these apples too. Unfortunately, I can't know for sure exactly what's happened as the game over window covers the majority of the screen that shows my previous attempt. Still, this is the only possibility as to why I'd be reaching that fail state. And while this isn't a fault but instead a deliberate design choice, I'll still mention now how the game makes no use of the hardware's crank.
While not entirely original, Snak still offers fun in short bursts. Unlike its inspiration, it's much more interesting and strategic as a result of two small added mechanics. When trying to think to when I last played this kind of game, I think it was all the way back in the early 2000s when I had Snake preinstalled on some Nokia device. With that said, I highly doubt that much time will pass again before I revisit Snak.
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44. Minecraft (PS3)
Before people think I decided to start playing Minecraft because of the recent release of the live action movie and its subsequent success, I've actually been meaning to return to Minecraft for some time. I bought Minecraft on the PS3 many years ago when it was more or less at the peak of its popularity. Keep in mind at the time I first tried Minecraft, I was a good 10-years older than your typical Minecraft fan, so it was something I felt a little skeptical going into at the time. What ensued was me pouring dozens of hours into the game's creative mode and building huge fantasy style cities and kingdoms, while also exploring my map's vast underground caves. I eventually put the game down and sadly haven't picked it back up in years despite it briefly being my addiction for about a month. Well, I decided to pick Minecraft back up again and it's just as much of a fun, engaging experience as it was when I first played it a while back.
The premise of Minecraft's gameplay is so simple and basic, yet so genius at the same time. Everything more or less consists blocks and whether you're destroying them or building with them, you can more or less create anything you want in this game. As I mentioned, I typically love building high fntasy style cities and structures, but I also love just digging and seeing what I can discover deep underground. I know this game has a survival mode as well, which I've dabbled in, but the real selling point for me has always been Minecraft's creative mode which allows you to make whatever, where ever you want. I pretty much lost this entire last weekend to Minecraft where I seriously could not stop playing and even had trouble sleeping because I kept imagining what I was going to work on next when creating my massive, epic fantasy city. Couple this with putting on some really well made video game retrospectives on the Metal Gear and Resident Evil series in the background and I pretty much felt like I was in heaven.
Minecraft's art style is one that could be argued for and against for various reasons, but personally I think this game is very visually appealing despite its very blocky aesthetic and graphics. This game definitely has a look and feel that distinctly belongs to it. There are limitations on what you can create, or at least how good you can make it look with blocky nature of all the building items, but overall it all works very well. There are also various alternative texture packs and bonus blocks/items you can use, but at least the ones included in the PS3 version of Minecraft didn't really make this game any more enjoyable for me on the hole.
The audio in Minecraft mostly consists of soothing instrumental tracks which go perfectly with creative atmosphere of this game and will put you mind at ease, allowing you to create to your heart's content. I do wish there were more tracks to listen to, especially with how long you're likely to spend playing this game, but for what's here, it isn't bad at all. Sound effects are all pretty limited and mostly just involve a handful of noises when destroying certain types of blocks or objects, and the occasional Minecraft creature noises here and there. It's all definitely above average, but still takes a back seat to the excellent gameplay and visuals.
As someone who is naturally very creative, but works 40+ hours in a field that allows that side of me little opportunity to be expressed, games like Minecraft really tap into something I sorely need more of in my life. I love losing myself into whatever I'm building or exploring in Minecraft. It gives me several hours to let my imagination run wild and also focus on building some massive tower next to a castle I'm building, or where I'm going to put the peasant houses in relation to the rest of the kingdom I'm building. I think up little stories in my ahead about the lore behind my city, who rules over it, what wars or conflicts their involved in, and just so many other things that don't even directly relate to whatever I'm building at any given moment. Minecraft definitely scratches that creative itch like few other things in my life do, which is probably why I easily get addicted to this game whenever I decide to sink any amount of time into it. I love Minecraft and I think it has something for everyone if building things and being creative is your thing. (4/14/25) [44/50]
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9 - Minecraft: Beyond Depth (PC) - ENDLESS/DROPPED - With the recent Minecraft stuff and a video series I got into, got me into the mood for Minecraft. Turns out base Minecraft is incredibly boring these days lol So I found a pretty reasonable mod that greatly expands the game into more of an entertaining adventure, more challenge, and tons of content and things to find. An annoying downside is that they never did anything to change mob amount and the sort of enemies you get coming after you at night can be impossible to fight, despite having way better gear. It's so frustrating because it just doesn't feel balanced at all. When it was just base game zombies, spiders, and skeletons, it was okay, but now there's crazy fast or powerful enemies that'll stomp you almost immediately. It's ridiculous. Been abit since I've rage quit a game, but I got fed up trying to make runs back to my body in the nether lol
It's a really great mod, there's so much more to do and while I feel like a lot of the loot sucks, so often not getting much of value, there were really good moments and there was still so much to explore, I think more dimensions beyond the Undergrowth and Nether, but I'm tired of getting swamped by mobs I literally can't kill fast enough despite having the best gear I can get at that moment lol I played a bunch of hours, but I think I got what I wanted for a return to Minecraft for now.
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I should probably generate another post for me to use once I start writing up stuff.
I'm planning on migrating all of this data to backloggery, but I've got 20 years (plus undocumented stuff) of data to sort through, so might as well keep leveraging this.
Already getting near 52 games beat this year so far, and this year more than any previous year is PC really dominating. I think I've got fewer than 5 non-PC games on my list so far this year. PoP, PAGYWOSG, and Playtracker keeping me heckin busy. I want to start up a console game, if not just to get a bit more console stuff on my playtracker backlog, so might start up We <3 Katamari and God of War Ragnarok.
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22. Golden Axe III [Sega Genesis] Finished - Apr 17th, 2025
(https://imageshack.com/i/pmrDBJzcj)
Golden axe 1 - Slipknot tribute band
Golden Axe 3 - Metallica
Review - Today I decided to fire up one of our handy dandy genesis compilations as a affordable way to try some of genesis's greatest games. From Sonic spinball, to comix zone (excellent) and of course the golden Axe series of beat em up games. I got deep into 1 in particular. Golden Axe 3. Which has shockingly blown me away. Its a chef's kiss. I love the sprites. Art work. Enemies. And overall vibe. Which The first massively lacks.
Now i'll put it bluntly...
Golden Axe 1 is worst than a line at the registry of motor vehicles
Perhaps hyperbole lol. But golden Axe 1 felt so clunky, It was beyond unwieldy. Simple jumps felt like what I can only describe trying to throw a ping pong ball into a cup without it hitting rim. The sword slashing felt in slow motion. I know this to not be a issue of the compilation port as ive played this one on OG hardware too. It was so uninventive and playing it after playing altered beast felt like a major step down. But I didn't lose hope. And sailed on through troubled waters directly to Golden Axe III and boy oh boy did this quickly become one of my.favorite beat em ups! It was the lighthouse after the storm.
What it lacks in plot and innovation it makes up for it consistency and powers. I love the way everything is mapped out. Multi branching level paths was so ahead of its time even for the 16 bit generations. The power system is fun. Multiple playable characters? Sick. The soundtrack? Radical. I do wish games back then had save points. Really does make so many games 10x harder just having to climb up from the depths. I call it faux difficulty. Not difficult off actual combat but difficult off marathon resource management and trying not to die for like 2 hours.
Golden Axe has a couple of note worthy bosses. Preferably falcon dude. The campfire cutscenes are really cool. Like a warrior having some smores after a long days work battling with long sword to the death many of foes. It has a very anime end sequence feel.
Overall I really enjoyed my time with Golden Axe 3. Last year I beat Turtles in Time. I still place the turtle games a little higher than the likes of Golden Axe III. But considering how hard it is to get your hands on a physical copy of III in a fair price range. I am happy I got to play it in a comfortable medium.
Rating - 81/100
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32. Death Mark
A good friend of mine likes mysteries, spooks, and games that don't require any dexterity. So, I watched her play Death Mark. It was a lot of fun for me because it was like looking at an old (and scary) photo album. She had fun, too! Thanks again to FlashBack for gifting me this a few Secret Santas ago. We're going to play NG next and I can't wait!
33. Blue Prince
Another game that I played with someone, although with this one, we traded off the controller. Really, really cool yet relaxing yet addictive yet engaging in terms of premise and gameplay. Also, it doesn't hurt that it looks like a PlayStation 2 cel-shaded masterpiece. I definitely recommend this one.
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50. Metal Gear Solid (PS1)
If memory serves me right, this was my third attempt at getting into Metal Gear Solid, and more so, getting into a video game franchise I know enough about to really want to enjoy the Metal Gear series as much as I feel like I should. Unfortunately, my previous attempts at playing through Metal Gear Solid were met with misplaced expectations going into it and also it belonging to a sub-genre I traditionally haven't been the biggest fan of (stealth games). The last time I played MGS I made it to the first encounter with Sniper Wolf and remember being so annoyed and frustrated with the game that I turned it off and wouldn't pick it back up until years later, earlier this week. Going into playing MGS this time around, I decided I was going to lean more on walkthroughs and also go in knowing there was going to be quite a bit of stealth as well as parts that required me to think in less intuitive ways to figure out what I needed to do. Playing Metal Gear Solid with all that in mind not only allowed me to enjoy the game more, but also allowed me to experience a story and characters I ended up really liking. Unfortunately, even with my expectations and attitude adjusted prior to this play through, it wasn't enough for me to overlook blaring gameplay issues with MGS that seem to be frequently glossed over by the series' biggest fans and defenders.
Metal Gear Solid's greatest asset is its story, writing, and presentation. For a game released in 1998, there was absolutely nothing like it in terms of cinematic quality. It was the closest thing we had to a blockbuster movie game at the time it was released, and likely held that title for several more years until the early 2000s. The influences of action cinema on MGS are undeniable and they are implemented masterfully to deliver a highly entertaining experience. While there is a lack of diversity in regards to the various environments in Metal Gear Solid, the game's ultra stylized graphics and art direction will hardly make you care as this game just oozes atmosphere. Even with the limitations of the PS1's 3D graphics, it's very impressive what Kojima and team were able to pull off in terms of the character models, animations, and other visual effects you'll take in while playing. I will say, MGS was definitely not the best looking game during its time, and various acclaimed PC games, and even a few console games had it beat, but its still at that upper echelon of visually amazing late 90s video games.
As mentioned, the story and characters are also why MGS left a huge mark on so many gamers in 1998 and why it still has that ability even to this day. Playing through Metal Gear Solid is like playing a well written (mostly), action anime, with characters and villains being fairly over the top as you'd expect in various 90s and 2000s anime. Some examples include a levitating psychic in BDSM leather and a gas mask, a seductive female sniper rifle, and a massive tank of a man covered in tattoos who's somehow able to wield a machine gun that looks like it weights as much as an ATV. Through its very memorable characters, this game definitely leaves an impression on the player and made nearly all of them unforgettable. The story is also pretty interesting with it revolving around stopping a massive mech, the Metal Gear Rex, from launching a nuclear weapon. Along the way, there are bunch of twists, revelations, double crosses, and other things that keep things interesting. Throw in some philosophical banter and discussion of government conspiracies, and this game lands right up my ally. There are some flaws in the writing and several moments that made me go wtf, and not in a good way, but overall these did little to distract from what was otherwise a very interesting story filled with even more interesting characters. The backbone to all of this was probably the best voice acted dialogue in a video game to date with MGS first came out.
The voice cast in MGS is outstanding. It's so good in fact that it made me forget about how limited the OST was despite there being some very memorable tracks in the game. Nearly every single character, not matter how over the top they were meant to be is voice acted incredibly well. It's to the point where it made me realize that this game could have easily been way more forgettable if the voice cast hadn't been as good as they were. Particularly the voices of Solid Snake, Revolver Ocelot, Naomi, and Cambell were all amazing, but none of the other performance were lacking either. It was just so good and really a game unmatched in voice talent for many years to come.
At this point, you'd probably think I'd bought completely into the MGS hype and that I now considered this game a nearly unrivaled masterpiece as many MGS fans would have you believe. While its presentation, story, and audio are hard to fault, MGS's gameplay is what not only kept me from beating this game for so long, but also what caused my first complete play through to be filled with frustration and annoyances far more than I would have liked. What's ironic is that the part of MGS's gameplay that felt the most polished and well implemented was the part that kept me from playing MGS for so long, the stealth. Between the enemy radar system and also the game providing mostly intuitive options for remaining undetected, the stealth ended up being the part of Metal Gear Solid's gameplay I have the least amount of complaints about, and in fact was pretty good overall. For better or worse, there was actually less stealth in this game than I was led to believe over the years, especially in the last third of the game which mostly just becomes a straight up action game where you'll be shooting things more than hiding from them. There are many different gameplay elements in MGS to discuss, but for the sake of not making this review any longer than it needs to be, most of these systems range from being okay, or pretty annoying and janky. Sections where you control a Nakita missile to destroy and power box and then later on to defeat one of the bosses are not terrible, but not great either. On the flip side a slow as hell sniper rifle scope mechanic made a few boss fights some of the most annoying and frustrating parts of the game for me. Then there are common mechanics such as shooting where are general inaccurate and stiff, and also some level sections which are just poorly designed and unintuitive. Perhaps the thing I hated the most about MGS are all the gotcha traps that you'd never know where there if you hadn't played this game before or in a long time. These take the forms of hidden traps doors on the floor, hidden land mines, including ones that somehow remain hidden in doors on solid metal flooring...not sure how that one works, hidden motion detector gun turrets, and blind spots where enemies or other obstacles are waiting to damage or kill unsuspecting players. I despise gotcha traps in games that more or less make you get killed or lose health to know they're there, simply for committing the sin of never having played the game before. I don't know how many times I simply rolled my eyes or just turned the game off in annoyance and one or more of these stupid surprise traps killed me or made me an easy target for later traps or enemies.
Of course, there are also all the quarky and memorable gameplay elements like you needing to look at the actual physical CD case for MGS to get someone's codec frequency, or having ti plug your controller into the second port during a particular boss battle. I found some of these esoteric gameplay flourishes to be clever and interesting, while others obnoxious and a bit try hard. Despite my overall good opinion of MGS after beating it, I still contend that Hideo Kojima is probably one of the biggest, if not the biggest edgelord in gaming and this shines through more than any other place in these very weird, sometimes fourth wall breaking gameplay elements. But overall, I didn't hate the gameplay despite having a lot of complaints about it, but it does admittedly teeter on that fine line between being good and bad, with it leaning just ever so slightly towards the good side.
More than enjoying MGS and finally being able to say I beat what is widely considered one of the best games ever made, I'm thrilled that I liked the first game enough to want to play some of its many sequels. From my research, it seems like two thirds of fans seem to either think MGS2 or MGS3 are the best games in the franchise. The other third is a mix of other MGS titles, including the first game which some consider to be the best ever made still. My point is that I'm hoping that when I get around to playing MGS2 and possibly 3 if I enjoy the second game enough, that I'll just enjoy the series more and more until I too can consider myself a fan of it. Once again, I really want to get into this series, if for nothing else than its rich story and characters. I also sincerely hope the gameplay gets better as well, since if not for how meh it was in MGS, I too might have considered this game a absolute masterpiece. Instead, it's a game I mostly enjoyed, but is far from being the near perfect game it's made out to be, and I'd say is even, dare I say, a bit overrated. Still, I enjoyed MGS and look forward to playing more games from this esteemed series in the future. (4/18/25) [37/50]
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22. Octopath Traveler || Nintendo Switch || 04.14.2025
(https://i.imgur.com/tEJftKO.jpeg) (https://i.imgur.com/Ayb3cno.jpeg)
After several years not really engaging with more traditional turn-based RPGs, I decided to finally play through Octopath Traveler in spite of its lengthy play time needed to reach the game's end. It's a game that instantly drew me in based on its "HD-2D" art direction which, I believe, was the first of its kind, and I'm glad to have finally experienced it.
As its name implies, Octopath Traveler features eight protagonists who each have their own narrative paths to follow. They can be freely selected in any order and, unlike games with one clear story, the stories do not converge together but instead focus on the journey each character faces and the challenges they must endure. As a result, players are able to progress through the game in any way they choose including deciding the order of protagonists played and how their stories are progressed. Of the eight characters, their stories are told over the course of four individual chapters, so there are 32 in total to play. Generally, each chapter is self-contained to one locale and follows the same structure: they are first introduced to a new problem or development to their existing problem and then explore some nearby dungeon to overcome it. Despite this narrative structure, there is still plenty of optional party banter and conversation to engage with during certain scripted moments. And, of course, there are plenty of NPCs which adds a considerable level of depth to both the immediate area and the world at large.
Before discussing gameplay specifically, I will mention the weight of the player's very first decision in choosing what's properly referred to as the game's one protagonist. Over time, players will manage a party of four characters with the other four being benched. However, it was only after recruiting the fifth party member did I learn that the first character selected is regarded as the campaign's protagonist and cannot be removed from the party until their entire story has been completed. The game doesn't mention this detail at all upon starting a new game, so it's certainly something to consider and something I ultimately didn't regret. Personally, I don't see the added benefit to this limitation as the game doesn't prioritize or give preferential treatment to the protagonist in any way. I would have much rather been given the full ability to customize the party at all times throughout the playthrough.
With that said, Octopath Traveler is like many of the games within its genre as it features a turn-based, menu-selected battle system with a four-member party size. The expected RPG mechanics and setup is also present alongside a class system which influences active combat, skills, and equipment. How the game sets itself apart, however, is its emphasis on enemy weaknesses which can be exploited to stun them for one turn. Additionally, a boost mechanic that amplifies the effectiveness of battle actions, whether they be offensive or defensive, is implemented. Lastly, there is a preview of the current and upcoming turn order which allows for planning, and this order can be altered with certain battle actions to the player's advantage. Overall, battles are straightforward to understand, and all of the mechanics are designed to aid players. What I mean by this is that no enemy can use this system to their own advantage—party members have no weaknesses and enemies cannot utilize the boost mechanic, though some can act more than once per turn. As the game progresses, boss battles become much more engaging through their variety as they'll inflict unique disadvantages onto the player.
While the standard party system is fun in its own right, it becomes even more enjoyable and complex once party members are able to be assigned sub-classes. Sub-classes can only be assigned to one party member at a time, though they're completely interchangeable. As a result, the system allows for a lot of different play styles and party experimentation as each class grants party members a preset pool of skills. Through battle experience, points can be spent to learn additional classic-specific battle skills which also unlocks class-specific passive skills, though the latter can be assigned to members no matter their class. At the same time, each character has their own unique skill which others can't gain even when being assigned to that sub-class. These actions vary but are widely used all throughout the game such as being able to engage NPCs in combat or thievery. To a degree, party configuration will influence battle difficulty as a result of enemies' weaknesses, and this is particularly true for boss encounters.
Somewhat surprisingly, I found the early game more difficult than what is to follow. Upon completing each character's chapter 1 scenario, I felt more than capable to overcome enemies in unexplored areas. Over time, I found my party higher in level than what newly-available areas recommend as there are plenty of optional areas and side objectives to do. So, the difficulty of most tasks was lacking for some time, though occasional instances did still introduce a worthy challenge. However, this again once changed once tackling some of the advised post-game areas and boss encounters as they absolutely require strategy and focus which, up until this point, did not feel required. Until I reached post-game content—which I will clarify can be done at any point even before completing each of the eight characters' stories—I had no strict party or class setup and fully adhered to the same passive skills being assigned to party members. So, the post-game experience has been rewarding, though I'll admit I've referenced others' strategies to help me surpass certain battles.
Admittedly, it has been some time since I've played a more traditional turn-based RPG so I'm not sure what kind of more modern standards there are. Nevertheless, there are many aspects of the UI I appreciated for effectively conveying information for both battles and field exploration, such as detailing the number of turns status effects remain in effect and revealing the level of difficulty each map area has. Additionally, Octopath Traveler employs fantastic visuals and art design as it's, I believe, the first game from Square Enix to utilize the HD-2D style. And as a game that I assume is one of the studio's smaller projects, I was pleasantly surprised by its quality voice work, dialogue, and story themes. While not all lines are voiced as that's reserved for major story segments, there is a lot of dialogue to read from both key characters and NPCs which certainly brings depth to the game's world.
However, I do have some complaints, though they're few. The one most bothersome is that, randomly, aspects of the foreground will remain on screen and almost entirely obstruct the player's view. This is exclusive to wooded environments with trees (at least in my experience), and it made traversal throughout these areas annoying. It's not supposed to happen either, as there are times when the map will load correctly. Apart from this problem, there are some minor framerate issues as well, but this was perhaps entirely exclusive to a few instances while running during field exploration.
Throughout my entire time playing, I had a lot of fun with Octopath Traveler. I'm still finishing up some end-game sections but am nearing completion, though. In time, I'll play through its sequel entry since I've only read how it improves on this entry.
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51. Motorstorm Apocalypse (PS3)
My first experience with a PS3 console was at my local Best Buy back in 2006. They had a PS3 kiosk in their game section and one of the playable demos they had on it was Motorstorm. There are few games that have blown me away like the original Motorstorm in terms of its racing and damage physics. It left such a big impression on me that I'd deliberately drive up to Best Buy just to play that demo over and over again. Eventually when I got my own PS3 a couple years later, Motorstorm as well as its sequel Pacific Rift were at the top of my want list. Over the years I've thoroughly enjoyed both these games, however when the third game in the franchise came out in 2011, Motorstorm Apocalypse, I really wanted the game, but never got around to playing it. Sadly, Apocalypse has been in my collection for almost as long as it's been out and still to this day I've never played it, well, that is until this afternoon. I decided to finally play this game and see if its more urban settings held up as well as the dirt and mud soaked tracks of its predecessors.
While I really dig the apocalyptic theme and settings of Motorstorm Apocalypse, the game just doesn't do it for me the same way the first two games on the PS3 did. For one, the emphasis in Apocalypse is no longer on the damage and destruction happening to your vehicle, but rather to the stage itself. In a way, this makes it feel like part of some other series, but for what it's worth, there still is damage done to your vehicle during the course of each race, albeit there is way less of an emphasis on it. Instead, each end of the world themed track is presented in a way that makes you feel like you're in some crazy, over the top racing series set within The Last of Us' world or something. The course you'll be racing on literally fall apart as you're competing against a dozen or so opponents. Sometimes these destructive elements in the stage create alternate routes, or destroy old ones you used before. This makes this game feel pretty fresh and novel throughout most of your playthrough. Despite there technically being a limited number of tracks, depending on what gets destroyed while you're racing, as well as what route is being taken during a particular race, you can easily think that this is the first time you've raced in that specific stage despite having done it 5 or 6 times prior. Unfortunately among all the chaos and destruction going on around you as you're racing, it can sometimes be hard to tell where you're supposed to go despite the game doing a pretty good job and marking the boundaries of the track as well as the routes you can take. Some of the tracks also don't have the best design or layout either, and when combined with the sometimes squirrelly controls and vehicle handling, it can be fairly annoying getting through certain track sections without screwing yourself up or crashing. Aside from all this, there are cards hidden within each course that allow you unlock various things for use in free play mode. There's also a Festival mode which is essentially the game's campaign mode which has generic, uninteresting stories of various characters that each represent different difficulty levels within the game. You'll probably just want to skip past this like I mostly did, and they didn't really add anything to my overall enjoyment of the game.
The visuals in Motorstorm Apocalypse are pretty impressive for a PS3 game. Once again, emphasis was put way more on the stages and the chaos occurring within them more so than the vehicles you'll be using. As a result, when your vehcile does get damaged or explodes, it won't be as cool as it was in the previous two Motorstorm games. As a trade off, Apocalypse's stages look better and more detailed than the more natural settings of the first game and Pacific Rift. There are cutscenes between races in campaign mode which aren't particularly good looking and they're presented in stills rather than fluidly animated.
Finally, the audio in Motorstorm Apocalypse is decent for the most part. Some of the vehicle sounds are really good, while others sound like a lawnmower. Destruction and other stage sound effects are all pretty good too. Unfortunately, this game uses a very generic techno soundtrack that doesn't have any particularly memorable tracks, but I guess is appropriate for this type of game. It would have been nice to have some more catchy songs to race to and not just some B-tier techno music that was probably super cheap to license.
While I did mostly enjoy Motorstorm Apocalypse, it did make me a little sad to realize it wasn't as good as either the first game or Pacific Rift. It certainluy does have a few things going for it over those two games, but overall, I'd rather be playing the other two PS3 Motorstorm titles over this one. (4/20/25) [33/50]
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Well, I did it! I've never reached 52 games beat this early in the year before, not even close. My overall goal this year is 100 games beat, but even at the 52 games milestone, things feel pretty good right now. Anyhow, let's get on with my review of the game that put me over the finish line.
52. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (PS4)
When it comes to Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (RE7), the term you're likely to hear and see plastered all over the internet is "return to form." It's easy to understand why this phrase is everywhere in association with RE7; the franchise had spent the last decade deeply imbedded in the action genre thanks to the massive pivot the series took with Resident Evil 4 back in 2005. The increase in action and over the top gameplay came at the expense of the game's horror atmosphere which had defined the previous three mainline titles plus Code Veronica. So for RE7 to completely tone down the over the top action gameplay in favor of more slow, atmospheric horror was seen very favorably by much of the fanbase that yearned for RE to be scary again. However, after beating RE7, I feel like saying this game is a return to form is a bit deceptive. While yes, RE7 definitely makes the series about horror and scares again instead of mowing down entire cities of zombies while skyscrapers explode in the background, I feel like in almost every other way, RE7 just doesn't feel like an RE game.
In many ways, RE7 feels more akin to a game like Outlast, or some other horror game that took some inspiration from the Resident Evil franchise, but remained its own distinct thing. This was my experience while playing RE7, where throughout most of the game I was only given small breadcrumbs that reminded me I was playing the next game in the RE franchise and not some completely different game, or at the very least an RE spinoff. This was a big reason I avoided playing RE7 for so long despite that "return to form" declaration that 98% of the internet claimed. Still, despite the game feeling fairly divorced from the previous games in the franchise throughout most the game, at least until towards the end, I still enjoyed RE7 for the most part despite having some issues with it that have little or nothing to do with it not feeling like a Resident Evil title throughout most of it.
Unlike previous Resident Evil games, you play as an average Joe named Ethan Winters who travels to a remote area of rural Louisiana after getting a video recording of his wife who went missing 3-years ago. When you arrive at the large property where your wife is supposedly waiting for you, you quickly realize things aren't what they seem and the game takes a sharp turn into its horror aesthetic. Also, unlike previous RE games which leaned on scifi horror themes and visuals, RE7 is more reminiscent of grind house horror movies like Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and even newer franchises like Saw and The Ring. While this isn't necessarily a bad thing, it definitely does not feel at all like an RE game, which is complimented even further by the fact you're playing this game in first person. The first person perspective definitely lends itself to the horror atmosphere and aesthetic, and while I get limited your situational awareness was definitely an intentional design decision to ramp up your anxiety while playing, it just seems to strip away a lot of the identity of the series which relied on a third person perspective. Luckily, RE7 did bring back a lot of the survival horror gameplay and mechanics which can definitely be lumped into that "return to form" sentiment, but compared to most other entries, RE7 is still fairly linear with a lot of keys and puzzle items getting used in the same general area you happen to be in, and only a few instances where you need to go much further back to use an item to unlock something to progress. There's also the reliance on avoiding conflict as much as possible, which is particularly true of the Baker family, the main antagonists of the game. Outside a few scripted sequences and boss fights, they're all essentially indestructible, much like Nemesis or Mr. X, however, unlike the games that contained those two iconic RE monsters, you'll often know when and where to expect Jack or Marg Baker, and plan on avoiding them accordingly. RE3 Remake was heavily criticized for doing this with Nemesis, and I never understood why RE7 gets a pass for essentially doing the same thing. Like the previous RE games, you'll be managing inventory, combining items, examining items for keys or other items, and while this definitely helped with reminding me I was playing an RE game, it wasn't enough in the grand scheme of things and definitely fell into category of being inspired by RE rather than it being RE.
One of the main mechanics in RE7 that I found particularly limiting and annoying was controlling Ethen Winters. To say Ethan's movements are slow would be an understatement. Even when running, he still doesn't even feel like he's engaged in a brisk walk. This is also true of turning around to face threats coming from behind as well. His movement speed is serviceable enough I suppose, but the player and gameplay would have benefited by controlling someone who doesn't feel like he walking underwater. Of course, with RE7 being in first person, you'll also be given various weapons and guns to help fend off the various enemies and bosses you'll be encountering. Shooting in this game is okay, which aiming not always being the easiest or most accurate thing in the world, especially with how enemies sway and walk. You'll really have to pick your shots well. Fortunately, there is a fairly ample supply of ammo and healing items, even on normal difficulty. This does undermine the survival horror aspect somewhat, but I can't knock this too much since simply increasing the difficulty easily fixes this if you want fewer items available to assist you during your play through.
RE7's graphics are its greatest asset. While it isn't the best looking game to come out around 2017, it isn't too far off either. Some environments and enemies look better than others, but overall, I had few compliant about the overall visual fidelity of the game or any framerate issues to speak of. One gripe I do have when it comes to the visuals and presentation have to do with there being a lack of variety when it comes to enemies in this game. There is a common enemy type called the Molded which you will run into throughout the game. There are a few variants of the molded, but for the most part they're all the same black blob-looking monsters that you'll be fighting half the time throughout RE7. The bosses are somewhat better, however I do have to give props to one of the last bosses you'll go up against which did give me massive RE2 vibes, but other than that you'll mostly just be fighting the Bakers which mostly just look like themselves, but slightly more grotesque than their normal selves. The character models all mostly look good too, although there is a but of uncanny valley going on with a few of them, particularly close up that took me out of the immersion a bit.
RE7's audio is somewhat of a mixed bag, but comes out being more good than bad in the end. The sound design in this game is very good, with you hearing various creaks, thuds, footsteps, and other things that really ramp up the tension while you're playing. Most of the time, you'll likely hear an enemy approaching before you actually see them which definitely adds to this game embracing the horror genre more than most of its more recent predecessors. Unfortunately, much of this game does not have any music while you're playing, which is another departure from previous RE games, going back to the first few games that came out in the 90s. I would have really liked to hear more ambient horror tracks playing during the game, but what we do get definitely fits, even though none of it is particularly memorable. Finally, the voice acting in RE7 is a mixed bag. You gave excellent performances for characters like Jack Baker and your wife Mia, but then you get awkward and sometimes wooden performances from the main character Ethan, or just goofy performances that really take you out of the immersion like with Lucas Baker. These bad voice overs do more harm than good, especially since they involve some of the most important characters. For a game that takes itself a lot more serious than most other RE games, it definitely clashes with the horror themes of this game.
This brings me to some of the writing and story of RE7 which is another area I had some problems with. Ethan Winters is probably the most forgettable, bland, and unremarkable Resident Evil character in franchise history. Part of that is the aforementioned voice acting of his character, but also him being a faceless protagonist that you never see emote. Beyond him just being like, "Oh crap, that was scary!" you don't get much out of him in terms of any character progression, back story, or anything else meaningful that made most other characters in the RE franchise so memorable. I also found RE7's story to be maybe the least inspired of any RE game I've ever played. More or less, the game just threw Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Saw, The Ring, and threw in a dash of classic Resident Evil and blended it all together. It's like they looked at what some popular horror movies were over the past couple decades and decided they were just going to try and appeal to fans of those franchises over their core fanbase. If not for the last hour of the game, I'd likely have disregarded RE7 and labeled it as some RE inspired, non-canon entry given how little it connects to the rest of the established franchise. Some of the writing that happens before is pretty good, but its not until the final stretch of the game where the real lore payoff happens. It's sad you have to get that far along in the game for this to happen, but as they say, better late than never.
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is a pretty good, competent horror game, however it's not a very good Resident Evil game. It absolutely rekindles a lot of the missing horror than many RE fans, myself included, have wanted Capcom to bring back for decades, but it changes so much while providing so little for the established lore than its less of a return to form, and more of a reboot of the series, one that isn't nearly as interesting or compelling as the majority of its forbearers. I know some people adore this game, but from experience it seems like most of these people belong to a younger crowd with little to no experience with the previous entires in the series. I also can't help but think Capcom made the decision to make this a first person horror game due to the booming popularity of similar games among the online let's play community. As a marketing strategy, it was probably a good decision, but in terms of staying true to the established franchise, it's a bit of a slap in the face. Still, no matter what your opinion is on the changes made to RE7, I still think its worth playing as an RE fan or even as someone who wants to try and get more into this incredible series. If you belong to the latter group, jsut be prepared to be greeted by a very different experience when you explore earlier games in the series. (4/24/25) [35/50]
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23. Lost Records: Bloom & Rage - Finished Apr 24th, 2025
(https://media-hosting.imagekit.io/e3c6b260b73d4b95/1000011215.jpg?Expires=1840134218&Key-Pair-Id=K2ZIVPTIP2VGHC&Signature=r3JIr2WRI2TT-98lAFU8AzXyQIgjACsUFcD52IWultYS7a6r-iJbiaKn-jIwPFRoubrcY44Cq3qko2MgzjLbTAg6Qs06Ke-LYVryEb3CGqi~cxpDE0rFjTuTfUcLWL0841tX0K9R1~KzZj08IQJtBnmF6duL9Jsd4rXnW-P03lbBsIijZ5SPj-gC1IEixKV~4RUBhb08VlaWtVRtS386nBEXLg8YibJJ789W31ZI2ZV8rya30GXU-~nj-QGwSX5fpXs5q0EzTTVaS3OUrj7Dw0uankn89fZsgFRbkIPcjB9OG2n00Kk1agwXDNEJg3d0PW0uRcFol~GhO2-mp7-zWA__)
Bloom and Rage is widlly emotional, deeply beautiful and massively relatable which puts it into this glorious trajectory on par with Life is Strange! However. Bloom and Rage is also wildly disorganized and lacks all if any plot clarity or defined purpose. Which isnt as bad as it seems. Because anything it loses by not having much real plot worth. It makes up for it by telling individuals stories. The 4 girls that make up the protagonists. Swann (nerdy bullied introvert photographer with niche passions and obsessions) Kat - (Poetry fanatic rebelious girl with sibling issues) Autumn - (soulful dancer and rockband member with a very emotional relatable way of handling social ques. And Nora - the stereotypical drug smoking bad girl that is full of metal angst. On top of these layers you get adult versions which are very equally evolved and fleshed out. That in itself is so so epically done.
Where it lacks is the entire premice of the story which I wont share because of spoilers. Is simply sorta unbelievable and meritless. Seems hyper forced and silly and kinda made for the sake of being made.
So this is a game where the worth lies with the characters internal maturity and depth. Not necessarily it's external depth of what they are actually fleshing out. Its complicated to explain. But overall it works. The characters especially Swann and Kat are gloriously written.
atmosphere
It takes place in the 90s and it does a stranger things (80s) level job replicating it. The game makes you feel so gooey with all that introspective member berry jelly. Its so so nostalgic for a 90s baby like me. I love cd players, polly pockets and damn furby lifestyle lol. It feels rawly 90s. The fonts. The language. The fashions. Its a time portal. Its the best part of the game. The conrrast between 90s and now. What a brilliant depth in atmosphere. 10/10
Rating - 88/100
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53. Oregon Trail (PC)
Just to be clear, this review is for the original 1985 Apple II version of the game, which is the version I mostly played back in elementary school. Technically, Oregon Trail was one of the first video games I ever played as this was one my classmates and I regularly played in computer lab back in the early 90s. Later on, our school got the 1992 updated version, but it was always the OG Apple II version that is forever burned in my memory. I was having a hard time deciding what I felt like playing this evening so I decided to fire up a Apple IIe browser emulator and party like it's 1848!
Oregon Trail is an incredibly basic, yet pretty fun game. You'd be hard pressed to find any American adult under the age of 50 that didn't play this at some point, but for those that haven't, you create a character and four family members, as well as pick a profession that dictates how much money you start off with and also how adept you are at handling some of the obstacles you'll encounter as the five of you make your way from Missouri to Oregon. As a kid, I didn't plan very strategically for my trip, mostly just buying plenty of bullets and food, but as an adult I realize how important some of the other items are like clothing, wagon parts, and oxen. Needless to say, I am typically able to make it way further than I did when I was a kid, however the unfortunate events that can and will befall you and your family during your journey are largely out of your control. Family members will frequently get sick, hurt, or even die. Oxen will get lost, natives will raid your wagon, and various other unfortunate events will occur at random as you make your way to Oregon. I get this is to simulate the hardships that pioneers back then faced when traveling by wagon over such long distances, but in terms of what you can do to counter these events, your locus of control is probably a bit more limited than it would have been in real life. This is mostly due to the limited tech of the Apple II back in the mid 80s, but some of it also might be to keep the game simpler for its primary audience of young kids; this is an educational game after all and not some sort of life simulator. For what it is, Oregon Trail's gameplay is pretty good for the time, but does unfortunately have its annoyances and issues too.
Visually, the game looks very basic and crude now a days, but back in the early 90s, I thought the graphics were fairly good. Surely, there are way worse looking PC games made back in the mid 80s and Oregon trail does a good job of providing still images of various landmarks you'll arrive at, as well as graphical representations of animals you can hunt. There's also animations like your wagon traveling and when you cross a river. None of it is mind blowing, or really that impressive, even back then, but it's still fitting and certainly provides a much needed break from the text menus you'll mostly be navigating through while playing.
Finally, the audio in Oregon Trail is very limited and arguably more crude than its visuals. Music mostly only plays when you decide to look around at the various landmarks you'll reach throughout the game, as is mostly midi versions of classic children's songs like Yanky Doodle or She'll be Coming Round the Mountain. There are also a few sound effects like a blip when you fire your gun. Outside that, there really isn't much else, but again, this game came out in the mid 80s when many games offered little in the way of audio.
Oregon Trail is a fun little trip down memory lane for me and still a genuinely fun experience. While I by no means think the game is a masterpiece or is something I'd want to play more than once a decade at most, it's still surprisingly an enjoyable game to play, even 40-years after it originally came out. (4/24/25) [31/50]
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Well, I did it! I've never reached 52 games beat this early in the year before, not even close. My overall goal this year is 100 games beat, but even at the 52 games milestone, things feel pretty good right now.
Do you plan on keeping up the momentum? If this rate is maintained, you can complete 160 games which is quite the number.
53. Oregon Trail (PC)
Just to be clear, this review is for the original 1985 Apple II version of the game, which is the version I mostly played back in elementary school.
If you're looking to play the earliest version of the game that's not been lost to time or, at least, unavailable to the public (which would be the 1971 version), here is the 1975 version (https://archive.org/details/OregonTrailMainframe) which is able to be played in-browser via archive.org.
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Well, I did it! I've never reached 52 games beat this early in the year before, not even close. My overall goal this year is 100 games beat, but even at the 52 games milestone, things feel pretty good right now.
Do you plan on keeping up the momentum? If this rate is maintained, you can complete 160 games which is quite the number.
53. Oregon Trail (PC)
Just to be clear, this review is for the original 1985 Apple II version of the game, which is the version I mostly played back in elementary school.
If you're looking to play the earliest version of the game that's not been lost to time or, at least, unavailable to the public (which would be the 1971 version), here is the 1975 version (https://archive.org/details/OregonTrailMainframe) which is able to be played in-browser via archive.org.
I'm not sure if I will or not. I definitely want to hit at least 100, but we'll see if I continue to remain as motivated to play games throughout the year. It helps that I don't have anything major going on this year, but that's not to say something won't come up at some point and take away from my ability to play so many games. I guess I'll keep on going the way I have been and see what happens.
I actually realized that right after I posted my mini-review. I had no idea there was a much earlier text based version of the game.
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54. ExZeus (PS4)
Prior to this game and its sequel getting a physical release on Limited Run Games, I'd never heard of or seen anything about ExZeus. However, realizing it was a arcade style rail shooter where you play as mechs, and also it was given a Sega Naomi release at one point, I knew right away I was going to buy the Complete Collection. Despite their diminished popularity for the past 25 years, I'm a huge fan of rail shooters and some of my favorite games as a kid, and even now, belong to this underrated genre. Unfortunately, like any genre, there are terrible games in it and ExZeus is absolutely one of those God awful titles.
By far the reason ExZeus sucks so much is its horrendous gameplay. I use that adjective with no irony or exaggeration; the gameplay is ExZeus might be the worst of any rail shooter I've ever played. There seems to have been minimal thought put into the game design and balancing of ExZeus. Projectiles and enemies will come flying at you from all over the place, giving your huge ship little to no time to move out of the way, not that you'll even know if what's coming at you half the time is a projectile, a power up of some kind, or some other item. There is a dodge mechanic, but I never found it useful. In fact, 90% of the time when I used it, I avoided one projectile or obstacle only to be hit by another as soon as the dodge animation finished. It's completely useless. Oh speaking of your movement in this game, your mech flies at what seems like 5mph unless you collect a boost power up which temporarily speeds you up to 15mph. It makes the action feel underwhelming as there is no sense of speed whatsoever in this game. Finally, ExZeus gives you several shot types including a standard energy shot, a megalaser (that's actually what they call it in the game....), and a homing attack. The two latter weapons are dependent on an energy bar that recharges over time after you use it, or can recharge faster with power ups. You'll almost exclusively be using these other attacks on the game's bosses, which are kinda cool, but just as underwhelming and annoying as the rest of the game. At least they contrast with the absolutely bland corridors that constitute the game's stages which have very little going on for them and will bore you to tears most of the time.
The visuals of ExZeus are a minor improvement over its gameplay. I really appreciated the very Dreamcast/Naomi looking visuals and the three selectable mechs look pretty cool too for the most part. While the bosses weren't amazing, they definitely fit in with a lot of arcade style bosses you'd see in various other games like this back in the late 90s and early 2000s. The first boss you fight gave me some massive King Ghidorah vibes too which was a massive plus. Unfortunately, anything good I have to say about ExZeus' visuals is immediately undermined by the aforementioned levels which are just straight, open corridors that you have limited movement through. They each have their own theme, but none of them have much in the way of visual flourishes or really anything that makes them interesting or stand out in any way. Unfortunately, the same can be said for the enemies which are more or less boring ass objects and ships with no real presence or identity. There are only about half a dozen or so different types of enemies which just adds to why this game is so boring and unremarkable to play through.
Last but not least, the audio in ExZeus is fine I suppose, but like the visuals, it's nothing special. There's an rock themed OST somewhere underneath the much loud explosion and laser sound effects, and it sounded okay from what I could hear. Some of the bosses make roaring noises too which gives them a little more personality too. I actually don't have much else to say about the audio in ExZeus; it's fine for the most part, but lacks any sort of draw that will make you enjoy the game more.
My tastes in games are fairly curated and because of this I rarely play games that I would consider terrible or even bad. That's not to say I don't like taking a chance on game's I know little to nothing about, but for the most part I'm drawn to games that have a reputation for being good, or at least okay for the most part. ExZeus absolutely falls into that terrible.bad game category. Luckily due to the game's arcade style gameplay, it's a very short lived experience you can beat in about half an hour. Still, even at such a short length, I still would not recommend anyone go play it. Now, excuse me while I wash the taste of this turd out of my mouth with a much better game. (4/26/25) [18/50]
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34. Celeste
This might be the first game I finished out of stubbornness this year. Another game I played with a friend, this game was not enjoyable and I'm trying to figure out the appeal. The art is ugly, the challenge feels padded, and that beep-boop voice acting doesn't do a thing to make me want to cheer for the characters. Props for music and that's it. I'm glad I never have to play this one again.
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Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (PS4) - 40 Hours
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is a game that I enjoyed quite a bit even though it definitely has flaws. First, the game has this impressive and beautiful art style that captured me the entire time I was playing that's set perfectly by an incredible score and an immense overworld with lots of secrets and enemies to fight and treasures to uncover. The animations done by Studio Ghibli also created a really nice experience that fit the graphics really well.
I also really enjoyed the gameplay. I actually liked the mixture of turn based in real time combat it reminded me a lot of Kingdom Hearts and I found it to be very exciting and fun with the right mixture of strategy and action. I didn't know that it was going to be based on Pokémon, but once I learned all of the mechanics it was really enjoyable to create a team for all of my party members equip them and boost their stats and picking the right familiar to bring to any given situation it was really fun to experiment with all of those different features including the alchemy mechanic, and all of the different side quests and bounty hunts that you can do to pass the time in between the story missions.
Some aspects of the gameplay that I didn't like was the fact that your companions aren't very smart, and there aren’t a lot of ways to set their actions in battle unless you take control of them directly. They usually make really stupid decisions and die way too frequently. I also found the game to be pretty frustratingly difficult when it came to normal encounters and I died quite a few times just from fighting your typical set of enemies. In contrast, I was able to finish every boss fight on the first time because it's a lot easier to fight one enemy than a group of three, and Drippy your companion fairy often tells you exactly what you need to do to beat the boss which kind of took a lot of the challenge out of it.
By far my least favorite aspect of Ni No Kuni was the story. It's overall a very simple story that airs more on the childish side than mature, even though there are some themes in the game that are very serious. I was hoping that the setup of the game, where in the young main character tragically loses their mom, would be a great foundation for some interesting storytelling. Oliver barely shows any grief or sorrow at the loss of his mom and just continues like nothing happened.
The villains are also super cliché, and this is one of those RPGs where the whole premise of the villains’ motives are based on destroying a corrupt world but their reasons for doing so are flimsy at best. There’s barely any conflict, greed, corruption, or… like… anything evil going on at all in the world, beyond what’s being directly injected into the people by the villains themselves. It just wasn't very compelling or well executed in my opinion. There are also tons of plot holes and inconsistencies due to the mishandling of multiple messy and complicated story elements like time travel, dual souls for each character, and multiple worlds. On that later point, I didn't really like the shifting between both the real world and the fantasy world because Motorville just wasn’t very interesting. Certain storylines also had a lot of artificial padding which felt very frustrating.
In summary even though I didn't enjoy the story very much at all, the game is beautiful and fun to play, and those numerous hours of just exploring the world and fighting monsters and leveling up and doing side quests was enough to keep me enjoyed for quite a long time.
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55. Dead or Alive 5: Last Round (PS4)
2025 is certainly shaping up to be the year of Dead or Alive for me. This year alone I've played through the majority of the franchise, at least belonging to the fighting genre, and honestly I'm having so much fun that I'll likely play another two, maybe even three DOA games before we hit the end of the year. But anyhow, this time I got to return to DOA5, and entry I haven't touched since around the time it came out in 2012. I remember thinking DOA5 was a good game back on the PS3, but I guess I forgot just how good it was since aside from going out with my wife for a while this afternoon and taking our dogs on a walk, I pretty much played this game all day long. After I'd finished Story Mode, I then played arcade mode with nearly every character in DOA5's impressive roster before fiddling around with a handful of other modes too. In short, this is a fun as hell fighting game and another excellently crafted game in this criminally underrated franchise.
DOA5's gameplay is tight, fast paced, and fun. Like many previous DOA games, it is very combo focused and being successful at this game is very dependent on your ability to rack up crazy combos and pull off combo chains. Chip damaging your opponent can work to an extent, but you'll really want to stun lock your opponent and continue to pummel them with DOA5's impressive array of moves that each character posseses. There is a lot of depth to be found in DOA5, but some of that depth is lost in the flashiness of this game, which while it makes for an entertaining experience, it probably detracts somewhat from this game being as competitive as some of its late 2000s/early 2010s rivals. DOA5 Last Round's roster is very impressive with it containing a ton of DOA characters, but also several characters from Ninja Gaiden and also SEGA's Virtua Fighter. Even Mai for the King of Fighterrs series is playable, assuming you purchased her as paid DLC. Unfortunately, even though this is the final, presumably ultimate version of DOA5, there is still surprisingly a lot of costumes and several characters that you don't get by default. Holding back content as DLC in fightng games has been abused way worse in various other fighting games since DOA5's release, but it still annoys me every time I see it. Luckily, there are still a bunch of costumes to unlock by completing various modes and challenges within DOA5. There is also a pretty robust story mode which will cover the events following DOA4. While it's nothing groundbreaking or riveting, it's still entertaining and fills you in on the DOA universe.
DOA5 Last Round's presentation is excellent. Character models have been updated from their DOA4 counterparts to look slightly less animeish and a bit more realistic. Gravity defying jiggle physics are still as crazy as ever, and the majority of the female roster is still scantily clad in many of their outfits, but they all look and move a little more realistic compared to previous entries. Male characters have also been updated and look better than they ever have in DOA5. There is also some pretty cool perspiration and dirt effects that occur during each mach that make characters look like they've been getting a workout while fighting, as well as maybe getting knocked to the ground one too many times. This definitely makes DOA5 Last Round one of the best looking fighting games of its time and one that still looks pretty impressive even today. DOA5's stages encompass some of my favorite and least favorite in the franchise. Certain stages are absolutely awesome and over the top as you'd expect them to be in a game that allows you to knock your opponent off a ledge or through a wall as they fall 40 feet to the ground below. There are a few stages like the Oil Rig however, which are boring and unremarkable in nearly every way. Luckily, the goos stages definitely outweigh the bad ones, making DOA5 a blast to play no matter what level you're fighting in.
Finally, DOA5's audio is pretty good for the most part. The Japanese voice actors are absolutely better than the english ones, but that's not to say there isn't some talent on the English side of things as well. There aren't any egregiously bad performances, and while the dialogue is often cheesy and melodramatic, it's all pretty entertaining thanks to that aforementioned voice acting. The OST is good as well, with some new tracks being combined with various classic DOA songs as well. I'm definitely more of a fan of those older songs they included, but the new tracks are mostly enjoyable as well, maybe minus a couple. Sound effects of punches, slamming characters to the ground, hitting an energy forcefield, or some other explosive object all sound great and really give a weight to the combat of DOA5. The audio is awesome and I have few complaints about it.
At the end of the day, I felt torn about whether I prefer DOA4 or DOA5 Last Round as my favorite DOA game. Both games look, sound, and play very well, and are highly entertaining. However, I felt like I connected just a tiny biy more with DOA5 which is why, at least for now, it's my favorite DOA game. I cannot stress how enjoyable and crazy the DOA games are, and its a series I have come to love and appreciate more and more this year as I've spent a good chunk of time with each installment. There are still a few DOA games that could give DOA5 Last Round a run for its money, but it's going to be hard to beat, that's for sure! (4/26/25) [37/50]
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23. Silent Hill 2 || PlayStation 5 || 04.22.2025
(https://i.imgur.com/3ozYptj.jpeg) (https://i.imgur.com/Kreec6e.jpeg)
When news was formally announced that Silent Hill 2 (SH2 2024) would be released again as a modern remake, I was excited for what this means for the franchise but was simultaneously reserved with my expectations. Now, after having played through every mainline game within the Silent Hill series and just six months after its release, I was able to experience the Silent Hill 2 remake.
Unlike my other reviews, my thoughts for Silent Hill 2 will largely focus on its role of a remake in relation to Silent Hill 2 (SH2 2001) which released in 2001, so I suppose I'll mention my thoughts for SH2 2001 (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,11713.msg198984.html#msg198984) for those interested. In short, this game is not a 1:1 recreation of its source material—both in regards to gameplay and story—which makes it easy for me to recommend playing both games to those who are interested. Of course, there are some changes to be praised and others which I question, though I'll be upfront now and say that the majority of differences are positive. Concerning differences between the two, it does not take long for SH2 2024 to deviate from what veteran players are expecting. And despite these differences, many prominent aspects of SH2 2001 which have been re-imagined are preserved as minor references referred to as glimpses of the past. While protagonist James Sunderland can only stop to stare at them, they're interesting callbacks.
More than anything, the two most immediate aspects which sets apart the two games from another is exploration and environmental design which I found to be exceptionally designed with the remake. With the change in camera perspective, rummaging through each area and even individual room showcases the level of detail put in to make them unique. There is a lot to discover including written material and discarded artifacts both old and new, and the thematic depth and relevancy to the the original game is quite successful. Unfortunately, though, an aspect that's left me divided upon is James's presence and his role as an active participant. Throughout his journey in finding the truth of his wife Mary, he's force to overcome the grotesque and otherworldly, yet he moves forward with no hesitation. There's never a moment he comments on how he feels or what's being experienced, and this contrasts his design in SH2 2001 where he then provides internal dialogue and introspection. This also concerns his finding discovery of significant items and ones which provide world-building. Aside from narrative sequences, he's a silent protagonist throughout all gameplay. In fairness, it's difficult to be critical of this change as narrative sequences in SH2 2024 are the game's biggest strengths which do provide some insight into James's physical and mental state yet, even while watching them, there is little for audiences to learn about how James feels in his own words.
Meanwhile, the degree and tone of visual horror is just what I'd expect from a modern making of this game. With the up-close camera perspective, navigating through much of the game's dark and dilapidated environments is downright terrifying, and that's only made worse by roaming monsters or even ones waiting in silence. With that said, enemy design is also successful although it's less impactful since they're monsters previously encountered. However, enemy behavior itself is far more impressive than anything else relating to them. In fact, there is one enemy so exceptionally designed that I feel inclined to discuss it with some depth, and that enemy is the mannequin. While neither their visual or auditory design is all that scary, their behavior absolutely is. That these enemies are positioned in such inconspicuous places often low to the floor, out-of-view from where players are led to look, or subtly behind environmental set pieces makes them quite off-putting and a surprise. When mannequins sense you, they'll abruptly awaken and attack, and it's made worse by the fact the player will generally be facing them unknowingly.
Relating to visuals, I'll now discuss sound. To be succinct, I found the game's soundtrack good but did not find it to be as strong as its source material. Thinking back, a big reason for why SH2 2001 is so successful is not just its sound design but its implementation of it. There are many sections of that game which utilize an uncomfortable silence or some unnerving ambiance, but that element never stood out to me while playing SH2 2024. Perhaps my impression of SH2 2024's sound would be higher had I played the game with headphones on, though I question if I'd actually have been able to experience the game that way on a first playthrough. Regardless, the game's sound design across other aspects is something worth praising, though this aspect is far more comprehensive as it includes vocal performance and delivery, narrative composition, and cinematography.
With that said, whereas dialogue often felt flat and snappy in SH2 2001, there now is so much time in the remake for emotions and words to carry meaning. Now, silence and pauses in-between lines add leave a strong impression throughout narrative cutscenes. Of course, this is made so much more achievable by the combined performance of the vocal cast. In this modern remake, characters feel like real people and not like exaggerated caricatures (although Eddie—another stranger to the town of Silent Hill with their own struggles to face—particularly does still come across as cartoonish, though this instead relates to character design.) Taking the mystifying Maria as an example, her involvement and expression with James feels far more realistic than ever before as a result of authentic back-and-forth conversation and her flirtatious advances. Overall, the game's acting, cinematography, facial animations, and expressions elevate SH2 2024 to a series high, and the distance between it and everything else is vast.
In spite of the many praises I have for SH2 2024, I did find myself often feeling conflicted about my playthrough experience, and the reason for that lies in emotional impact. Unfortunately, the emotional depth this specific Silent Hill entry is known for was something I never discovered while playing. And this obviously isn't because story execution is poor because I find them to be the game's biggest strengths either. Instead, I think it's the simple fact that I've already experienced the story of Silent Hill 2, and it wasn't all that long ago either. While I don't regret my time playing SH2 2001, I do wonder just how much more there would be for me to praise about SH2 2024 had I only experienced it instead. Perhaps I just needed more time in-between playing the two games, or even more time away from the franchise entirely, before playing this remake.
I've yet to even discuss gameplay despite the subject of this review being for an interactive game, though I suppose that fact reinforces the game's focus on narrative. Moving forward, combat is really not all that much more intense than in the original game, though it may feel that way as a result of the changed camera perspective. Unlike in SH2 2001 which utilizes a bird's eye third-person view, SH2 2024 adopts a more direct, over-the-shoulder point-of-view. When melee weapons are used, there is a good weight to them when making contact with enemies that feels rewarding, and ranged weapons feel serviceable. I'm being a little brief with these descriptions, but an aspect of combat I thoroughly enjoyed is when the player stomps on enemies. There isn't any limit to stomping enemies even once they've felled, and the act is the best vehicle for demonstrating James's anger, frustration, and desperation all at once being unleashed. For a time, the beginning areas of SH2 2024 seem to follow SH2 2001's level of difficulty, in that it's at a minimum even when playing with the Standard combat difficulty mode selected. If players take the time to be thorough in investigating their surroundings, they'll be rewarded with more than enough resources. I also noticed how, when inventory count is already high, the amount of each resource item you'll find will be noticeably lower. So, to a degree, the survival horror aspect of the game feels a little diminished in the same way the original game did. However, this level of ease does change as more enemy types are introduced and combat sequences become not only more frequent but more difficult too.
Generally, games within the survival horror genre stay fairly short to prevent players from becoming desensitized to the horror aspects. However, SH2 2024 ignores this guiding principle as it doubles the playtime established by SH2 2001 to near a total somewhere around 20–25 hours. At first, this change wasn't noticed as story sequences, town exploration, puzzle design, and enemy encounters maintained just the right level of balance. However, this changes toward the middle- to late-game. Specifically, the issue lies in combat as the second halve of the game places a larger emphasis on combat than the original had, and areas seem far too drawn out. Even so, environments are redesigned in ways which feel faithful to the original title and franchise as a whole, and this applies to stage progression and puzzle design too which has been altered. As a remake, SH2 2024 is quite successful in recapturing veteran players' interest in addition to new players', though its success does eventually become diminished due to game length.
In the end, SH2 2024 is a remake that greatly succeeds in proving its reason to exist, although I still would rather for development efforts in general to be made toward new experiences. While there is still much to praise for SH2 2001 and especially when in the context of its time of release, the remake sets itself apart in just as successful ways to recapture new and old audiences. Personally, my highlight of the game is with Angela, another stranger to the town of Silent Hill, as her characterization and depiction is tremendously improved and offers players an especially authentic look at emotional trauma through her own journey. At this time, I'm caught up with (nearly) all of the Silent Hill franchise, though there is still some left for me to experience which I intend to do to the best of my accessibility.
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2. Shantae and the Pirate's Curse [3DS]
All right! Almost May and that's game number......two. Yeahh, I'm not gonna get a high tally this year. I've been so busy with work and activism this year that I've barely had time to play games. But I did now finally make some time and play through Shantae and the Pirate's Curse, and I'm glad I did. It's a fun game!
This is a classic Metroidvania. I found it fun to go through! It controls buttery smooth, and Shantae's slick attacks and movements feel great to pull off. The world never felt like a drag to go through. I usually had a decent idea of where to go next, though at some points I will say I found it a bit too cryptic. There were a few points where I'm not sure I would've found something without a guide, in part because there was seemingly no indication something essential was there, and I'm not a big fan of that. I know that's par for the course with Metroidvanias, but still. Something newer titles like Metroid: Samus Returns and Metroid Dread handle better, I suppose. I will also admit I checked a guide probably a bit more often than I needed to, but whatever, I still had fun playing through the levels!
The story was a bit hard to follow and the characters make stupid choices at times, but it helps they're likeable and colourful. I don't know what it is, but there's something about Shantae as a character that just keeps her sticking around in my head. She's memorable and fun!
Also, I played this on 3DS, which I've had it on for years. Instant item access on the touch screen was handy, and with how easy the 3DS still is to bring along, it was easy to play a little bit on the train from work every day. Performed flawlessly, for those who care, but I wouldn't expect less for a 2D pixel-art platformer.
Overall, I recommend it! I'm not sure whether I like it better than Half-Genie Hero or not, because I did beat that one too, but I honestly don't remember that much about it. Guess we'll see how much staying power this game will have in my mind. Either way, if you're looking for a fun upbeat Metroidvania, I'd say this game is worth a look.
No idea how actively I'll be gaming from here. I do want to beat Metroid Prime 3: Corruption before Metroid Prime 4: Beyond comes out, so I guess we'll see.
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24. Batman Return To Arkham: Arkham Asylum [PS4] -finished Apr 30th, 2025
(https://media-hosting.imagekit.io/f75102a373214244/1000011426.jpg?Expires=1840612013&Key-Pair-Id=K2ZIVPTIP2VGHC&Signature=wRKbbRF2mc-K8zcFzwpJKNauX~rYXvK2yZwZZLJ4Lq5x4qziDQ~j3RzoRll4tPp5avpr~sr9cYNgPogsy2lG4-z-YMkUS-XP6AeeIEB6BBG~Zxb4Tw96l3TPJeR-zV-vzdD5fDxW0wzMleTTASrB9s-d0bMUR69EwhUpLdOZldXhnySF9ZfJf4ItEfXasNVq20ekKyq8d8x~36Nolozbi9z-1yvwhG72prNjBoAPuMMU0rKWs3Ct0T~KgUp2hYIpoE7f1TxOqNxpGR7RHngnKbEOuSyf5KWWQ0E7K18PsrB4GRdNV703fYvGzhW~C8dgO6TNxeG6UagMz1VhKz74aA__)
GAMING NIRVANA
I mean, clap clap clap. Slow clap. I have a tradition where if a game truly blows me away. I clap at the end credits. I honestly thought Hogwarts legacy would be my only flawless title of the year. A game that engrosses you in lore so well you drown in the source material in such a sexy inviting way.... boy was I wrong
Batman Arkham Asylum is a entry into a series ive heard so much about but for some reason never was committed to try. That's why I adore the 52 game challenge. It has gotten me to say "its time" and this game is beyond most.
To put it in perspective. It's probably top 15 all time for me in GAMES let alone super hero titles. Goleeee it's incredible.
What makes Arkham Asylum bliss
1. The atmosphere feels like it was ripped right out of the comics to your screen. It's dark but yet still able to pop in color and charisma. It's gritty but also still so clean. You become the dark knight. The interview tapes with asylum killers. Gothams finest or most infamously unfine. The mind altering psychedelics. It bleeds like fountain pen through tissues. It in itself is visual art.
2. The combat system is flawless. No hiccups. The free flow combo idea is incredible and it seems the stealth is challenging and thus rewarding.
3. The riddler puzzles are genius. It's like a game within a game honestly. Take on E. Nigma aka riddler as he has hid trophies like puzzles accross arkham island. Some are difficult. Mysterious. Some require traversing. Brain. Problem solving. And some just solve themselves. It's a cool collectathon within a fully fan serviced beat em up.
4. Plot depth. It's batman. Which lends itself to dark story telling. Its honestly better than half the movies imo. So damn good.
5. Omg the boss battles help me. P-E-R-F-E-C-T-I-O-N. Like old PS2 days. Rarely games hit that niche stride anymore where each boss feels patterned, but difficult. Learnable but not a cake walk. Strategy required. And the cinematics rocked my socks. My socks attended led zeppelin concerts in the 70s. Fully rocked socks.
(https://media-hosting.imagekit.io/ae97b8bf822f4a8e/1000011427.jpg?Expires=1840612035&Key-Pair-Id=K2ZIVPTIP2VGHC&Signature=QMPIG~3N1C-yPJsAPnfh03cCPjPgQm4UmGnVPYlbcqlaggtbm6jjRMJitkFZG4QdS2eUmITkBgHUtSvHmCLInzJL~axS0V~NqZL2DAenZrEsdSx6qJD86xUEBb5fUmed5iLjWGJUt53vD84Fgp3K9KcHQQmdRH3ABqhFj81wBVXXt5WdZ4uGapATkOM8DbC0mmgAkdnVqBlNF3786UgHgSqhEdnbQerwtdWvpxy4q~RxTqd44dx3B0DRdNP~TWfKY05mQ92Zim1gr1gcQxUgOCzz0PenxZkNhb9VKSmzjK7zpsDRGQgRrQiALHCOa5Tzq26eO4qlo5BW4cf5TvpTIw__)
It just kicks ass. The rainy feels. The arkham symbols to uncover the truth of the city. But the villains are designed in clever ways.
The games joker is my new favorite up there with Mark Hamill. The joker is so diabolcal yet goofy in ways that lure you into feeling defenseless. He feels out of reach. Feels like being toyed with by a criminal mastermind. His mannerisms, goofy tactics. Even one part that I wont spoil where he kinda leads you up one way only to give a "sike" hes maaaad. So ridiculously insane. And they captured it.
Harley and her "Mr. Batz" way of talking is funny and on par with her character. She is also blending multi personalities into a sorta bipolar kookie secretary for big clown in town himself.
Poison Ivy has a motherly vibe regarding her plants. Her scenes are well choreographed.
The best way I can put it. Is to cut to the chase. Batman arkham asylum is the greatest super hero game. I have ever played. It's a shining spot on PS3s gen. And the remaster was faithful and responsive.
Rocksteady games ate their vitamins and munched the wheaties in 2007. Because this is a champion level game.
And to think I still have City, Knight and Origins. Excited for that.
Rating - 100/100
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03 - Scrabble (PlayStation)
https://vgcollect.com/item/282025
I like boardgame-adaptations in PlayStation one. I don't know why exactly, but I think they're neat ...
... I was kinda bored playing PokéMon Silver for months, grinding, so I gave this one a try, considering it finished by playing and winning all possible variants.
If you're into lovelessly assembeld, unspectacular games with lame to no music, this one might be what you looking for ;D honestly, maybe if someone's really into Scrabble in general or likes mind-challenging games, you'll be able to enjoy this, but don't expect much in terms of presentation. It is was it's packaging promises - despite different styled boards and pieces, which are mentioned in the back text, but don't appear to actually be in the game at all, at least I couldn't find them anywhere as options and progressing through different rounds didn't change those either. I felt disappointment for a while, but dangit, Mattel toys were never products of prestine quality, right ;D
I don't know anything further to tell about this game ... playing it was a somewhat "miscelaneuos" experience for me.
On to the next one... 8)
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56. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (PS5)
When I beat Metal Gear Solid late last month, the first thing I wanted to do was jump into its sequel, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, as fast as possible. I more or less did this and experienced what was technically the first Metal Gear game I ever played. A good friend of mine growing up bought or rented Zone of the Enders which included a demo disk of MGS2 in it. I fell head over heals in love with ZOE, but at one point I wanted to try this Metal Gear Solid 2 game that was bundled with it. MGS2 couldn't be more different than ZOE despite both being Kojima games. I remember struggling with the stealth, but did end up getting to the Olga fight where I eventually turned the game off and decided it wasn't my thing. I'd carry this sentiment towards the MGS series, and stealth games in general, up until recently when I decided to set my expectations right and attempt one last time to get into the MGS series which is something I've wanted to do for a long time. Luckily, I was successful and having now beat the first two MGS games, I have some thoughts.
In some very big ways, MGS is a definite upgrade over its predecessor. Beyond the obvious of it having better graphics due to originally being developed for a way more powerful hardware (the PS2), its visuals aren't actually an area I think it's better than the first MGS game. MGS1 was not only iconic and groundbreaking in its cinematic presentation, but also in just its overall look and feel. That game had such an amazing presence and vibe to the whole game, which while MGS2 absolutely has its own look and feel too, it's just not on par with MGS1. Big Shell, a giant structure in the middle of the ocean similar to an oil rig, just didn't do it for me like Shadow Moses did. Too much of Big Shell looks somewhat bland and uninteresting and this is despite part of it being under water and it having a decent variety of settings within each of its parts. The character models, while technically more detailed, just weren't as interesting to me either, with a few exceptions. Don't et me wrong, MGS2 was one of the best looking PS2 games and one of the best looking video games when it came out, but so was MGS1 when it came out. I just wasn't as impressed with MGS2 from a visuals standpoint as I was with MGS1.
One area where MGS2 is not lacking compared to the first game is its audio and gameplay. Like the first game, there is a ton of excellent voice acting, some of which is appropriately over the top, but still very good. I'd say there are actually fewer spotty performances in MGS2 than there was in MGS1. I will say, however, Rose who you speak with quite often due to her saving your game, annoyed the ever loving hell out of me and made me think twice about saving sometimes. Other than that very minor gripe, I still really loved MGS2's voice cast. The soundtrack was also excellent with there being a lot more jazz and early 2000s sounding drum and bass music that really helped give this game a very cozy vibe. Of course with MGS2 being an action game, there were also plenty of high energy tracks to compliment the craziness occurring in front of you. Sound effects and design were also pretty top notch with weapons mostly sounding good, the sound of guards and footsteps depending on the surface, and a multitude of other audio delights made MGS2's overall audio quality near perfect in my book.
While I'd say MGS1 and MGS2's audio is about equal in terms of quality, one area I will say was noticeably better than MGS1 was in MGS2's gameplay. I'm not going to deny the fact that a lot of MGS1's gameplay annoyed me despite it being more enjoyable than not. The controls just felt clunky, many of the baked in mechanics felt not fully realized, and the shooting, which you had to do quite often, just felt like crap for the most part. Luckily nearly every mechanic from MGS1 got better in MGS2, sometimes way better. While this game doesn't suddenly turn into Unreal Tournament or Half Life, the shooting in MGS2 is remarkably better thanks to a first person aiming mode with all the weapons, which easily allow you to aim your weapon and enemies and fire where you want. Not only did this increase my immersion in MGS2, but also just my overall enjoyment of knowing I could fairly easily hit my target with little to no issues. Other returning mechanics such as sneaking, hiding, and melee combat all got noticeably better despite none of these systems being executed perfectly either. One new mechanic, swimming, did feel a bit awkward, but luckily outside one particular part of the game, it's not heavily used. Boss fights in MGS2 were mostly better than they were in the first game. There were a few exceptions to this, particularly the final boss which has you using a specific fighting mechanic you don't learn until later on in the game, that like swimming, was not implemented as well as it could have been. Some other bosses like a Metal Gear Ray fight later in the game, are definitely more enjoyable and well implemented than a somewhat similar Metal Gear fight in the first game. Overall, the gameplay is just a way better experience despite it being far from perfect and having its own new unique frustrations still.
MGS2 might be one of the most U-shaped gaming experience I've ever had. The game starts out really good with Snake infiltrating a large sea tanker that is housing a new type of Metal Gear, but then when the game fast forwards two years later and you're playing as Raiden, infiltrating the Big Shell base, my personal interest and enjoyment somewhat cratered. It wasn't until about 4 or 5 hours into playing as Raiden that the game starts to really pick up after a specific event occurs, and it just never lets up after that. And trust me, that 4 or 5 hour dip was brutal to the point where I actually wanted to be done with the game so I could move onto something more enjoyable. Thankfully, the last third of the game is very good, not to mention bat shit insane! The amount of twist and turns the story and plot takes towards the end would make a pro rally car driver projectile vomit as just when you think you know what's going on, the game flips everything on its head...again. It honestly felt like a bit too much actually, but overall, the story and what the game is trying to say is so fresh, unique, interesting, and eerily prophetic that I couldn't help but love it. It was so good that I had a hard time deciding who I sided with in the end, but I just recommend playing this game to see for yourself how insane and oddly relevant to the real world the ending is.
There is no doubt in my mind that I liked MGS2 more than MGS1, despite MGS2 having lower lows than the first game, but also way higher highs. I'm still going back and forth as to whether I want to jump into MGS3 sometime this summer, or just wait a few more months and experience that game for the first time thanks to MGS Delta. Regardless, you can now consider myself a fan of this franchise and one I hope as a future just as bright as its unique past. (5/2/25) [38/50]
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04 - Schlümpfe, Die (PlayStation)
https://vgcollect.com/item/282229
I bought this german version of The Smurfs for PlayStation just a few days ago. I liked the Smurf-franchise as a kid and own several Smurf-themed videogames along different systems. Most of them target young kids and are frankly easy to beat. I wasn't surprised to beat this game 100% within a few hours. Some sequences may seem frustrating, but with a few more tries this game offers little to no challenge for an experienced gamer.
Nevertheless, graphics and presentation are crisp for a PS1-game of it's type, the 9 different stages are made with much details and all deliver their own specific ambience. In every stage there are 3 crescent moon symbols to discover - most of them are easy to catch, but few of them are hidden better or require you to backtrack a little. Due to the detailled graphics and many background animations like leafs, butterflies, snow, rain, etc. the size of the single stages seems quite small, which further leads to this game being of the short kind.
All in all I consider this title a good distraction on a rainy sunday afternoon. Nothing to challenging, yet not boring at all.
On to the next one ...
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25. The Exit 8 [PS5] - Finished May 2nd, 2025
(https://media-hosting.imagekit.io/857f47ff99c141d4/1000011628.jpg?Expires=1840832333&Key-Pair-Id=K2ZIVPTIP2VGHC&Signature=MdqJdZg~TcKRveG8pPO-f-gRpHEGivJm8YJTIjF3kkt0vxurFGQFHMgD1kTvEA6FD~-jHaYEWXK6VP8lvlBzuqDDrnztr-esZNG8s5~dTQQaysTQsIc2QgOPldBTgJP0BPtw77IgbWIGu-MihfEOZSicuLtSf7yjGhM-8LWHB-2oiToT6v9EAxEl34iCQt4rE4nRWq3w20NSeI13l6Leyzc0pO7P23AwNG7x2Ynjh4AQifv2z4ZsC~qSmvLxtRwvApOi6LAvS6tkbDulHl9rxBt8VOnim65S6XEvy-IkL26nYeJNxeln5vyXpdRKrt6c0Xre0myGptrjyMHMLgkYcw__)
Exit 8 is a psychological horror just like Stanley Parable Deluxe which I never finished and abandoned. This one makes me much less uneasy and doesn't deliberately attempt to mess with me as much.
Premise is simple. Walk down a corridor and attempt to spot anomolies that have changed. Think "spot the difference" and if an anomly is spotted. You gotta turn around. Some anomolies are creepy but only in a "thats not supposed to be there" kinda way. It's tollerable.
Overall it was the quickest video game of the year. Coulda benefited from more hallways and some sort of enemy that will attack to add spookiness. I do enjoy the puzzle solving elements. Not sure its worth 4 dollars. But I will accept it for what it is.
Also it has a poster of a pomeranian... which adds 4 points.
Rating - 72/100
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57. Unreal Tournament (PC)
Occasionally I'll play a game that I knew of from the 90s or early 2000s, but never played back when the game was relatively new, yet the game hits a nostalgic nerve. In the late 90s, my goto arena FPS was Quake III Arena. I never owned it, nor would it have even run on my PC to begin with, but my best friend at the time had it and we played it regularly for about a year whenever I'd come over on a Friday or Saturday night. Whenever I'd hear about Unreal Tournament at school, I always dismissed it, mostly due to my unfamiliarity with the series. It actually wouldn't be until the mid-2000s and watching various Gmanlives videos that inspired me, I bought Unreal Tournament off of GOG and decided to see what all the fuss was about. Funny enough, in recent years I've come to actually prefer Unreal over Quake III despite having that connection to Quake growing up.
Unreal Tournament is just an amazing game all around. The gameplay is fast, fluid and ridiculously addictive. I've admittedly not been a fan of mutliplayer focused FPS games, especially when played online, for the better part of 20-years. However, the matches with bots is so amazing that it's easy to just lose yourself in this game for multiple reasons. There are a bunch of great and unfortunately not so great weapons at your disposal. Weapons have multiple fire modes and can do different things too if you hold the left or right mouse button down before firing. It really gives this game a lot of depth and allows you to strategize about how you'll take our your opponents. There are also certain weapons better suited to certain stages. Speaking of stages, they are a fairly mixed bag with some being incredible and others being absolutely terrible. I'd say on average the stages are typically about a 7 out of 10 in terms of their layout, balancing, and enjoyability. One issue I did have with some stages more than others was having a hard time finding guns despite all the gun pickups spots respawning every 20 seconds or so. Unfortunately, in a game where you're constantly having to move in order to stay alive, this can be problematic. For the most part, it wasn't too big of an issue in what is overall an excellent gameplay experience. The shooting in Unreal Tournament feels very precise and smooth, which is a big reason why this game is so hard to put down. This is complemented even more by the game's various modes which will give you hours of additional entertainment. In fact, some maps are exclusive to specific modes like capture the flag. I personally love Domination and Deathmatch modes the most, but it's nice Unreal gives you other options as well in case you get bored of one mode.
Beyond just the look and feel of Unreal Tournament, its soundtrack is undeniably a product of the late 90s. The combination of drum and bass and trance music dominates the OST, but there are also a few rock inspired songs thrown in for good measure. It all just sounds so period appropriate, but beyond that it's just freakin awesome! Playing a game like this on PC while chill drum and bass music plays in the background just takes me back to being 12 on a Friday night and just gaming until my eyes wouldn't stay open anymore. Outside its amazing OST, the sound effects of the weapons, explosions, and some environmental sounds here and there all definitely fit in well with the action going on. There is also some limited voice acting in Unreal Tournament as well, but beyond being called a bitch every other time you die, there's not much to say about it. Really, the OST is the bread and butter of Unreal's audio and what you'll remember possibly even more than the excellent gameplay.
Finally, Unreal Tournament is a great looking game. Obviously, the Unreal games have always been a showcase for Epic Games' new engines and at the time, the Unreal engine was about as good as it got in terms of graphics. There are a decent amount of characters you can choose from and also do things like customize their appearance with different heads or body types. Really though, it's the stages and action taking place that are the main visual focal point while playing. Just like some stages are better than others when it comes to gameplay, some of Unreal Tournament's stages look way more appealing than others. While I commend there being a decent variety of stages to choose from, there are maybe a few too many industrial looking stages that this game would have benefited from giving a different style. Oddly enough, however, these industrial themed stages are some of the best in the game, but from a visual standpoint they can get kinda old after a while. The visuals effects from the various weapons all look great for the time as well. Overall, Unreal Tournament is just a great looking game from top to bottom.
Again, it really is remarkable how much Unreal Tournament takes me back to the late 90s and early 2000s despite it not being a game I played until years later in the mid 2010s. The game just so accurately nails the vibe and zeitgeist of what it was like to be a young gamer nearly three decades ago. It reminded me of all those weekend sleepovers I used to have with friends where we'd gorge ourselves on Doritos and Soda all night and try and stay up until the sun came up the next morning. Or going to a friend's birthday and playing laser tag somewhere (almost like real life Unreal Tournament...minus dying off course). While the game isn't perfect and I've also somewhat outgrown arena multiplayer shooters at this point, I still really enjoyed playing through the various different modes of Unreal Tournament and would absolutely recommend anyone play it that wants to know how amazing the late 90s gaming scene really was. (5/2/25) [38/50]
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24. Dinner with an Owl || PC || 04.30.2025
(https://i.imgur.com/gagUz5m.jpeg) (https://i.imgur.com/HZXgzCW.jpeg)
Looking for something short to play, I decided to play through Dinner with an Owl. I don't remember how I came across this game, though I think it was from seeing it listed under a suggested games section within Steam after playing through a majority of Rusty Lake's games.
As a traditional point-and-click adventure game, Dinner with an Owl is a brief narrative experience with a horror-mystery theme premise. At the start, the player assumes the role of a Mr. Webb who's attending a business meeting and dinner with a partner, Mr. Brown. However, shortly upon his arrival, it's revealed that Mr. Brown is not normal as he is a man with an owl's head. The estate's butler, a woman, and the woman's young daughter are also present whom you later learn have been here for weeks—maybe even months—and are trapped by the peculiar lord. At nearly every chance he's granted during the first hours, Mr. Webb speaks up voicing his surprise at what sort of strange happenings are occurring but is immediately interrupted and ignored. In secret, he learns that their host has a history of being aggressive and that we should avoid provoking him.
Without divulging much, several days pass which generally follow the same sequence of events. While there are subtle changes which pass without any real major bearing on the end result, they seem to largely exist to demonstrate the game's surrealistic nature. Nevertheless, the player's goal is to secure the means to escape the manor, and the solution to this puzzle comes across as quite elementary at first. Surprisingly, though, what I would imagine many first-time players would think would be the logical end to a short story actually isn't, and the game subverts expectations abruptly for a pleasant twist which allows the this short game to become just a little longer. While there is an added layer to the only puzzle's solution, it's presented in a way which the opportunity can actually be missed. If that's the case, the player will continuing playing infinitely through a loop, so to speak, until the problem is overcome.
Despite it being within the point-and-click genre, the genre's staple mechanic of acquiring an assortment of inventory items to interact with the environment or in combination of another is quite limited and seldom used. There are only two items to gain, and they can only be used once each in one specific instance, and the ability to combine items isn't present at all. Similarly, most of the gameplay consists of reading through conversations and selecting dialogue choices without repercussions or any influence over the story at all, even. So, the game comes across more as one looking to share a bizarre story foremost, rather than providing gameplay experiences. Still, it's a game free to download as an indie project, so I cannot fault much over development choices.
And to be brief, I'll mention two other small aspects: visuals and sound. Regarding the former, there is actually little to see and nothing really to explore, as the player is limited to three in-game room environments which only two grant the means for players to move about. Even so, an impactful illustrated art style emphasizing deep orange and red is utilized which demonstrates a focus on environment design. As for the latter, the game's soundtrack greatly complements the game's themes and sense of atmosphere. All of the game's dialogue is fully voiced too, and it's nicely performed. While there isn't much conversation, this inclusion helped reinforce the unnerving situation at hand.
In the end, Dinner with an Owl offers a fine narrative-driven experience, though it lacks depth in what is the point-and-click genre's most defining characteristic. Although, perhaps that may be remedied in the upcoming prequel entry Owl Observatory, which I hope garners as much positive reception as this entry received.
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26. Platform 8 [PS5] - finished May 4th, 2025
(https://media-hosting.imagekit.io/5b7c773c9fe743a3/1000011653.jpg?Expires=1840952731&Key-Pair-Id=K2ZIVPTIP2VGHC&Signature=HeWmXA2zXi9KMUPnEY9FnkOSIDXG8o-6A4eUn8w0voi-npIUgXhBvFfN-HUM1Jzo9ySVvQ5XOHJqvlUodcR5h22vHEHquWYaWGlTqf6gCXBfVu2JQkbVtaE4OETANKggd7sr1wxIOKxAlQVp7LaEeUyRCRvEiCxoZkb~KZVAYB2L-lHanv2J437A0q7HspditvXBk6BxD8gUF2iaEjD-VNeillGEK878cuf3FtWrZAxQN2uICTLGKftZaDPuZ7t8Drg5IJa6pfx8i28H5jF9jc1-w3JZTgAbGC8KZP5d3CX6l6LWbDkI0DMUYL7MsPCIgdXOYXQnSuI3yvv5rhyB5g__)
Not sure if i'll combine these into 1 entry later as they feel a little cheap being under 1 hour long. But I will cover my experience with Platform 8. The successor to exit 8.
Ya know. Idk. It's definitely got more intriguing elements. A wittier ending and better setting. But it made me think less, puzzle solve less and ultimately get scared over the line I enjoy. So if you're into the terror. This is for you.
Tbh im good with horror. Gore. Slashers are an aphrodisiac as far as i'm concerned lol. Me and my gf adore them. But heres another fact about me.
Psychological horrors are not my thing lol
Indonesia and Japan know how to make these scary to a point where I'm not willing to participate. Its the feeling of the unknown.
This one definitely has scarier elements. Much scarier. It adds more fright. Chased..ghosts. blood. Headless manequins? On a endless train?.yeah i'll pass lol.
The puzzle elements take a back seat which I dislike. The other game didn't insist upon itself too much. This was improves the spooky like I asked. But botches the soul imo.
Rating - 67/100
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Sadly have to drop my run through Super Mario RPG as my Switch's battery isn't good and I've sold it off to someone else to deal with lol The plan is hopefully, if this year isn't an absolute disaster, to pick up a Switch 2 down the road, where I have my save backed up and I can just bring it over to that and jump back into the game. I may not be happy with a lot of Nintendo's decisions with the console, but now it's less about just looking at an upgrade.
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25. Lost Records: Bloom & Rage || PlayStation 5 || 05.01.2025
(https://i.imgur.com/b6ZKxTW.jpeg) (https://i.imgur.com/JWfxvQc.jpeg)
As I'm a fan of narrative adventure games, it was no surprise that I decided to play through Lost Records: Bloom & Rage shortly after its release. This game was developed by Don't Nod (previously Dontnod) who worked on the first two games within the Life Is Strange series, and I actually haven't played anything by them in about six years, so I was curious how much of their design philosophy, if any, had changed while hoping to experience a worthwhile story.
Utilizing a frame narrative device, Bloom & Rage presents the majority of its story from the perspective of a small group of friends reuniting after 27 years of intentionally being separated from another. After all this time, they've decided to come together once more to remember past events that have been purposely forgotten to help overcome a shared trauma, though they're all more than hesitant to actually be together. Periodically, the game will shift from one timeline to another as key moments are remembered from the past which comes in the form of player exploration and the past's own narrative to follow which then allows present-day characters to reflect upon it. At the same time, one of the game's biggest focuses lies in a the protagonist's use of capturing footage on a camcorder, though it really doesn't serve any major narrative purpose and certainly not within the present timeline due to events not revealed until the game's closing segments.
With that said, the game's goal is to provide successful storytelling foremost. As a narrative adventure game, Bloom & Rage offers little traditional gameplay beyond walking around throughout 3D environments and making choices which impacts the direction of other characters' involvement within the story being told. Regularly, the player is given a selection of choices to decide how they want the protagonist to behave which warrants a varied response from other cast members, but the options available are fluid since dialogue options may or may not all be available as the story progresses and relationships develop. With that said, there is a relationship system incorporated which, as mentioned, does impact the story, but its accessibility is limited to only the end of each of the game's halves. Going back to dialogue, there is a finite amount of time to select choices with silence also being an option, and more options may become available as the time meter depletes as others continue to dictate the conversation. In my experience, the choices made during the game's second half are made to have a much more noticeable impact. However, perhaps that impact was always present but didn't necessarily feel so, or maybe this aspect is a result of choices accumulating.
Moving forward, a large reason for why the above story elements are generally successful is in part to the game's cast and setting. Set in the summer of 1995, the story centers around four teenage girls who begin a group friendship while taking place in a rural town with little to do. Character designs are realistictic, incorporating various clothing styles, body types, and a considerable amount of acne. Conversation and banter among them is natural as they'll talk over another without awkward pauses or lines being read one after another. The central cast will be giddy with excitement at times and then dismissive over what's oppressive over them concerning all things that make a teenager react in such ways. Perhaps more than anything, the game's biggest strength lies in presenting a cast of characters who are not only representative of their 1990s upbringing but also a by creating a convincingly real friend group dynamic.
Alongside decision-making, the other half of gameplay revolves around the use of a video camcorder. Regularly, the player will be tasked with filming a certain number of capturable moments or subjects to advance the story. Beyond filming, players have the means to edit, rearrange, curate, and recapture footage, but I didn't engage with any of these mechanics and only did what was necessary without putting much effort toward waiting for specific moments to occur or about the order of events being filmed. In fact, more often than not, I felt as if these scripted events negatively impacted the story's pacing. Something else worth mentioning is that these film opportunities are presented as in-game collectible. Players will unlikely discover them all in one playthrough, so the game also presents a mode to revisit each chapter without impacting the story to seek them out. For me, I really didn't find this sort of gameplay all that rewarding, although the presence and use of the camcorder on a general level is a fun incorporation to the story being told. Throughout the game, there are small segments which employ other gameplay elements which are elementary but serviceable—having a few more of these or even slightly broadening the scope of the existing ones would have been nice to see.
In the end, Bloom & Rage offers a well-written coming-of-age narrative that fans of Don't Nod's previous work will likely enjoy, and I think my stance is that this latest project is most successful as it handles a variety of themes quite well. It wasn't until I sat down to write out my thoughts did I learn that Don't Nod plans to make Lost Records its own series, and I'm not really sure how I feel about that. So, there may come a time when I play a follow-up of sorts to Bloom & Rage, and hopefully its writing is strong too.
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4. The Simpsons: Bart's Nightmare (Genesis) - ABANDONED
Being a Simpsons crazed child back in the 90s, one of the highlights of my day was catching Simpson's episodes on Fox at around 5pm every evening. I was in elementary school throughout most of the Simpson's golden years (1992-1997) and even though a lot of the humor went totally over my head, I still loved it. Of course, also being in love with video games during this time too, knowing games based on the show existed had me beyond excited ti rent and play them whenever I could. The Simpsons game that I had the most couch time with, even to this day, was Bart's Nightmare on the Genesis.
To put it bluntly, Bart's Nightmare is not a good game. I do have to give some credit to the developer for pretty accurately distilling the feel and humor of the show into a 16-bit video game. Many of the characters you're probably familiar with if you watched the show are present in one way shape or form, and the content of Bart's nightmares definitely seem on brand with the character. The audio, while nothing special, also fits in with the zany nature of the game's premise which has you playing through Bart's nightmares as he attempts to collect pages of a homework assignment that flew out his window after falling asleep at his desk, and somehow ended up in his dreams where he must retrieve them. There are even pretty good voice clips from variopus characters that definitely add to the authentic feel of the game. Looking at Bart's Nightmare's presentation alone, one might think this game was pretty good, or at least decent. That is until you actually start to play the game.
Bart's Nightmare is more or less a collection of mini games that represent Bart's various nightmares where he must beat in order to collect pages of his homework assignment. There are several of these including Bart flying through the sky above Springfield as a super hero, Bart being a city destroying Kaiju monster, and Bart getting trapped inside an episode of Itchy and Scratchy. There are several other level types as well, but most levels come in two forms; once you've beat the first form of the level, you'll need to do it again, however this time it'll be different, but based on the same premise. There is also an overworld where you have to find pages of Bart's homework floating around so you can enter these mini games while also avoiding various obstacles that can give you a game over if too many of them hit you. While I could discuss each individuals mini game or the overworld gameplay, I'll just be short and say none of them are well made or really that enjoyable. The most competent of the mini games stages are the Super Bart levels, but even those kinda suck. The worst are the Indiana Jones tomb themed levels that have you platforming on sinking blocks while contending with various obstacles. Other mini games you can cheese really easily making them super easy for all the wrong reasons. The overworld is also a fristrating mess that will have you getting hit by speeding busses or other obstacles you won't see until it's too late. There isn't many positive things to say about Bart's Nightmare's gameplay, which is also a big reason why I don't think I've ever got more than a B- grade by the time I hit a game over. Despite the game sucking, however, I don't actually hate this game.
There are various games from my childhood that while I've come to terms with them being awful or at least mediocre, I still mostly enjoy playing them. Bart's Nightmare firmly fits in this category. While I will probably never be able to beat this game, nor do I care if I ever do, I still enjoy at least trying every few years and reliving a period of my life where the Simpsons was a near flawless show and some of the games for it, including this one, distilled that essence fairly well into a video game. (5/4/25) ABANDONED
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10 - Pacific Drive PC 2024) - BEAT - I love a good survival/scavenging game, especially one that has a real unique hook to it and I feel like this one is probably the most interesting since Death Stranding perhaps. Everything is focused on getting around this post-apocalyptic terrain in a customizable and improvable car, utilizing it as your space space and mobile base. Get out of the car to tear up things with tools or explore structures to find supplies, and then survive the area to return back to the garage and research new parts, tools, or ways to improve your next trip into the zone.
They nailed everything with the car here, the atmosphere of the zone, how it gets more chaotic and messed up the deeper you go, starting out in relatively normal forests with odd anomalies and hazards, all the way up to what I can only call a "cement filled hellscape". Each area I believe is a set layout, road, exits, terrain, and then what changes in each run are buildings, hazards, anomalies, etc...Makes you want to do "one last run" more than once so you can try and find the more rare parts you need for the higher end parts.
Story is decent, characters are enjoyable, I think they could've had more missions and things to do throughout as there's not a lot of variety going on, same for the things you loot, it feels like there needed to be twice as many types of things to loot through because it gets very samey even early. There are three general sections of the zone, so just when you start to feel board of the areas you can go to, progress through the story, get to the next section and you'll get a new area type, and that would then reinvigorate the experience.
I also appreciate how much customization this game has, where you can just hit sliders that make things tougher or easier and it's a lot of things too tweak, I love that this has become way more common in games. It ended up saving me on a soft lock situation, where I couldn't progress because it forced me into a story situation that I couldn't complete, so I found out you could abandon trip, which is "death" in the game, sending you back to the garage, but that drops a lot of the loot on a rusted out version of your car that you can go get back, but if you change the death options, you won't lose anything, which let me just return to garage with no issues and I appreciate having that.
Also I felt it saved me being annoyed at certain mechanics, because you have to "hold e" to interact with most things, including turning the key and shifter every time you stop the car, which is immensely annoying and they realized that, so they gave the options to to just make it an instant click, which was such an improvement early on.
I think this is a cool game, it can get very addictive and definitely the type of game you like to see, bringing up unique gameplay styles you don't see often.
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58. Yu Yu Hakusho Makyo Toitsusen (Genesis)
Being a big fan of the company Treasure and their games, I've come to expect when I play one of their games I've never tried before that I'm probably really going to like it. While I have played a few disappointing titles for them, overall they've had a pretty good track record in my book. Hell, two of their games, Radiant Silvergun and Sin & Punishment are some of the best games I've ever played. So a long time ago when I discovered they made a game based on one of my favorite 90s animes, I figured I was guaranteed to like it. Unfortunately that really didn't end up being the case.
Yu Yu Hakusho Makyo Toitsusen is a pretty boring, generic fighting game outside the appeal of its IP. Had I played this game back in the early 2000s when I first got into Yu Yu Hakusho, I probably would have got a lot more out of the game, however, even with my budding enthusiasm for the series, I still don't think I would have enjoyed this game very much. Makyo Toitsusen doesn't do anything particularly wrong, but it doesn't really do anything really right either. It's probably one of the most okay 16-bit fighting games I've ever played. Visually, the game looks pretty good for the most part aside from mostly bland stages and there not being a ton of them. The character models all look like their anime counterparts as you'd expect and they do have some of their more iconic moves for you to perform which kinda look cool. The audio does have some ripped tracks from the show, but for the most part it's all original. It isn't a particularly good OST, but not terrible either. There is also limited lines the characters call out when performing moves or when they get hurt. Gameplay is also just okay with controls being fairly responsive and accurate, and also special moves being fairly easy to pull off. This game borrows Fatal Fury's multi plain fighting mechanic, but unfortunately it's just as useless in this game as it is in most Fatal Fury games that utilize it. As far as character balancing or anything that might set this game apart or make it competitive, I wasn't able to identify anything; this game just sort of feels like a battle of attrition to see who can KO the other player faster. This is a large part why Makyo Toitsusen is sort of boring despite being decent enough not to be considered a bad game.
Your mileage with Mayo Toitsusen will vary greatly on how much of a fan of Yu Yu Hazkusho you are, but even if you're a super fan of the series, it's hard to imagine anyone enjoying this game for more than a single playthrough, which was the case with me. I use the word "enjoying" very loosely too. This is definitely one of Treasure's weaker offerings as well, at least of their games I've played. (5/4/25) [27/50]
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27. Life Is Strange: Before The Storm [PS4] -Finished May 5th, 2025
(https://media-hosting.imagekit.io/aaf5ce96dfe44f26/1000011677.jpg?Expires=1841040143&Key-Pair-Id=K2ZIVPTIP2VGHC&Signature=V11I-I0OItcGqdj8fE95dGafgECkmXbawkbLqgZ8d0Iirr~pw8ZtoWfsIsxSDXZ7qTnQLYYRy~gbu53BnLZ3UOmXvasDzRveiHhfxTQ12owFh4SoHrxBvdwQuLpHBRmE97X2fTKob5dkirHEI2eFn33tcGtS9Zz8eS6sKc0rZJ705mNyPXAupeOQ8qbE~mp8GKhrON2pu9zwz-CLUVTUKPbrBrbcbXXqG7CVGB8vl29e74GvucSitOinhPhcw2nJ-rdRlDFmeK2aUiPCRCWhnUtsA9EiY9xm~33c1jQCM30EJPsEWAm9Vc~rTmUsquaoEvQqaff-OT6bQ6dN8KPz6w__)
RACHEL AMBER IS GOATED
Life is strange BTS is essentially the prequel to life is strange 1. And where Life is strange 1 for one made me absolutely loathe Chloe's character. Her unforgivable need for disapproval, her condescending selfishness but most of all her trying too hard teen edge that is troped to death. I sorta just didn't vibe.
Life is strange 1 also leaves Rachel Amber this girl that is sort of blackwell academy Mythos. This girl that is mentioned by name only so much she becomes sort of a fairy tale of "once was" and is this vague story. The vagueness of Rachel Amber in LIS 1, does nothing but fuel the depth and ultimately plot power Rachel holds in LIS BTS. That was a very smart decision. Rachel was a sillouette. This game here has painted her to life.
(https://media-hosting.imagekit.io/90093aa519d34917/1000011679.jpg?Expires=1841040587&Key-Pair-Id=K2ZIVPTIP2VGHC&Signature=tAC7iEuKL9B5qu80fLpT5F4FCLbkLXjmxbb9rm7HG~XnVdFYY7x7pQWfYBuGlSBHmKkNkiFWz4Cf6PMlLspGKsNYFnHOfvtFHyalklaZzJGAEQMtoODrDuAxpgpiKiDNGm9sIDM3U8~D~RtKh96DDnoiBfy6vZ6qZZlFVecIaK10KARH3auyIljVVf7nvUEjKUSk59AGQ1O2CvdAgkfTYQ20NZhdCfBJFc1V-upQlKJ41g6NFjbVcDgU0ywxhfuEnZwQFmjpgiGLQ6lXiIqQKGoPzh3DWKFTnlKFqa9JpV8z5WCziMuPBIr7hsN7lZOCcf4uhZAlHmuPWWHmfPgmvQ__)
(Rachel Amber Reinvents Chloe Price)
So it's no secret I am not the wildest fanatic of Chloe Price, Chloe reeks of desperate need to be angsty and although her trauma explains her personality it doesnt often excuse it. So many times she was borderline toxic to Max. Putting her own entertainment over Max's feelings, health and safety. It's so so one dimensional and cliche and for the first chunk I dreaded a Chloe centric game..
Until Rachel Amber..
Rachel Amber realistically brings out this softer empathic side of Chloe that the player never even seen with Maxine. It's like an oil soaked butterfly flapping its wings for the first time since a disaster. It makes the first game hit even harder. And shows why Chloe cares so much for Rachel. Rachel and her hardships bring out a side of Chloe that isnt so much an Avril Lavigne CD gone bad. But is rawly empathic, massively focused on others and is drenched in personal turmoils. Chloe now is more prone to generosity. Fearless in her grace.
Rachel Amber is charismatic and a complete opposite to Chloe. It forces Chloe to step outside of her judgemental bubble and sorta soul submit to a Cali extrovert. It's sorta Romeo and Juliet level bad girl falls for the fairest maiden. And you see the shell peel back a bit. And it's glorious to watch.
Without spoilers. The train sequence with Rachel is the first time I've seen Chloe be her true self without a hardened persona to self protect. It feels rawly real. And you can feel the tension of bewilderment. It's amazing. It makes me like Chloe more because as everyone says in the game. Rachel is fairly awesome. Shes for one very accepting of Chloes flaws and seems to be the only one in Arcadia Bay that doesnt have an angle to sell or person to stab in the back. She's basically a fly close to the sun Icarus kinda character.
(https://media-hosting.imagekit.io/7e3e4feca9ab4416/1000011680.jpg?Expires=1841040605&Key-Pair-Id=K2ZIVPTIP2VGHC&Signature=CU3-eDoFFZCvHbT04us2EkBusDyujB1xIuQo6TackjjYMKxBXdE4ea94FwRQOw6BNE0tTljCnBls2MFabZSGEuWpQujNteBiLTPPO2RKzzOYY8JqnUXGzpb8guIk-WxsG2B7dCfxHCjog-TUlIyImkUTnD0Br15~T1Ua2be4v79yx4sXKmhH7qZ9QacNkA-SPHgSTTCsFPcHkgtx3k5R8LNWx5NbG2dZxIBpvvuRUU6aNKgyqZOBuXZjg9XboVjZN9Dlm9kw-Jwm2~UiA7EqGJ8fC7sVO9jRRM1ZzllW8NUMOY7l8d-cOr~wenXLyqemOGNoLYSmuecJxmR8ZAfH1A__)
Overall I am loving this series. This one in terms of plot and gameplay is tough to judge. It is shorter. It gets its footing late again. And I dont think its as profound as the other 2. But it definitely is a much needed character developer for Chloe who I now hate less and grasp more.
It also gives a window into Rachel Amber who now isnt this ambiguous Max replacement. Shes now a story. It makes more sense now.
Rating - 89/100
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I hit credits on Alan Wake II last night. It's one of the best looking games I've ever seen. It does such interesting things with light and shadows. And on top of that, the story is incredible, with killer voice performances and motion capture. Unfortunately, while the combat is generally way better than the original Alan Wake it is still pretty clumsy and very slow (along with movement being super slow in general), which was a huge disappointment, because Remedy showed with Control that they can really nail the combat if they want to. It also doesn't do a great job of tutorializing, which makes the early game learning curve pretty steep and kinda frustrating. These couple things unfortunately really dragged the whole experience down, which is a shame, because the stuff the game does well it does really, REALLY well.
Like Ragnarok, I'm going to keep the game installed so I can get to the DLC, but I have to put it down for a little while because I was ready to be done for now.
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28. Jojo Siwa: Worldwide Party [PS4] - finished May 6th, 2025
(https://media-hosting.imagekit.io/8d6fbbc3db754f2c/1000011715.jpg?Expires=1841175349&Key-Pair-Id=K2ZIVPTIP2VGHC&Signature=bZNkqrRCqe9hUSnoSdHw69ueRA5dXn0NxQjxcYzmSIfpA4Mld4id4gv89YBxpz2BLRsbYEWl8sPBUTqZzkPfIgXUo45dJVigONT~oVsnM0-eddo8oOf6QjJyBaWPqoeptPV~W8YIraqK4KlPc4nLqgTJ5SzU4MkLL1EfakfkhtOw2r4WsgR89JnJFEWIMXy1G6c7-fe6fLS4VUuXMCniq4qEbiOb46AzE1Wgpb0rvHl1Dvjb4JBRv1wv4zsM3msQo8LdvNUfSyVxvamc6pOqrLUVus087YBsXjTjjlV8DJtLW6cE6OudpBzNVo9i0JUU8ObgouheM~5VJDbYSBXtgg__)
IT IS WHAT IT IS
My girlfriend described Jojo Siwa as a Lisa Frank art come to life. And I feel this embodies her personality flawlessly. Between her and my niece who loves dance and Jojo. I have been roped into this game lol. And they got to pick my next 52 game entry and alas it is. So judge not unless he hath not played thy shitty games before... The whole thing is think puking a bag of skittles all over a neon unicorn.
Jojo is a complicated cat. I have my personal beliefs of her and most of those are nuetral however one thing I feel radically strong about her career path and child stars in general is that being young and dumb should not be grounds for the sheer amount of abuse she gets on social media. And I had the same stance of Rebecca Black back when I was in 7th grade watching 40 year old men cyber bully her. We all can be corny sometimes. I find minimal things about Jojo that actually make me hate her. But I am not exactly a scholar of her brand either.
Now for better or worst Jojo's game isn't exactly targeted towards me.. a 20 some year old fan of resident evil 2 lol. However I will be reviewing it as a 20 some year old resident evil 2 fan who can legally drink and drive. Well not together lol. You know what I mean. So keep that in mind. If you have a little girl. I mean under 7. This game might be a good first rythym game to build motor skills with. Any girl older than 7 will most likely already be in her minecraft/fortnite phase or be into Mario. The game has tons of positive messaging about loving yourself and being a dreamer. Cant fault it for its G rated vibe. It's good for the audience it aims to entertain.
However... Im not a kid lol. So its kinda bad.
Art Style
(https://media-hosting.imagekit.io/85dece9ff61040f8/1000011716.jpg?Expires=1841175380&Key-Pair-Id=K2ZIVPTIP2VGHC&Signature=crqXO1KEmCVyHpvD5qkdG5dheUSjGgAyDNXpcxWkWfGqnGYUR7J4oJgFJP7pSyozQNKi0GLwPbtAQVPnAwnVS88nNKJSdhV1IaAn-a2uNoY5eCIYtW3dslitgf9oNh1CaLTYaULgzkWL0xxjYnTQPNpF8Drbkv02ZVvVij4qSg-rNId2ckhhATSBKwhX6TsRxkdJh3M-UgqDSdcUdxsCZMZmglvXRo2wSfmnB3r48pHSV0k3bj7JsdrP~fdK50Xw9vMA8MvtTJb4BiblIEJfD8RLJB22p6iQSOfJat41HRP12Oqn3Cxp6u4YZ-S3WbxqwKy-wQwBVooY1mlyPCZ44w__)
One of the few things it has going for it. Is the art style. I was never against embracing this world. I gravitate to colorful things. I think Unicorns are rad. I like pink. I enjoyed the barbie movie lol.. I enjoy that stuff alongside all the horrorcore, metal and edgy stuff I enjoy. So Overall the characters are adorable. Its one big silly 90s lisa frank trapper keeper in come to life. It's vibrant and fun to be mesmerized by. It can just melt your mind and you can chill. I liken it to a visual asmr. I found myself tranced sometimes. Its gummy bears and colors. It's bold. Sadly everything else is colorless and boring.
concept and gameplay
This is where the review turns. The game is repetitive as all can be. Remember those kids bop music videos when we were kids? Remember the dot that bounces over the letters to show where to sing? Thats you in this game. Hopping to the beat of Jojo's songs. Which.. umm... kinda suck.
Some are catchy. Particularly D.R.E.A.M. But her songs consist of a 19 yr old pretending to be 7 and saying "bows are my super power" 25x a level because shes playing up to her nickolodeon fanbase. Which is to be expected. But again. I cant review this from that demographic. For an adult. Especially a gamer with musical taste lol. It gets old fast. And was a struggle to finish. It is so mundane for a game so colorful and bubbly.
Difficulty is inconsistent and the levels are super linear and dull. Sometimes it gets random spikes of difficulty. I assume to indimidate babies. But its no dark souls. It's just a button mash rythym game.
It really has more boring drawn out sequences then its worth. But it wasnt a complete waste of time. I overall didn't hate it and I think if I had a daughter itd be 10x better to build core memories with it. But its not good for an adult who has metacritic 97 games in their backlog while this gets played lol. Ay yay yay.
Rating - 65/100
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59. POD Speedzone (Dreamcast)
The only reason I own a copy of POD Speedzone is because I remember it being plastered in so many gaming magazines in the early 2000s. One is particular featured a very attractive girl that 13-year old me kinda had a thing for, but I digress. Years ago when I found a cheap copy of POD Speedzone while hunting for games, I decided I was finally going to play this game and see if it lived up to its memorable advertisements. Aside from knowing it was a racing game, I had no idea what to expect going into POD Speedzone. While some Dreamcast games have unfairly been forgotten over time, POD Speedzone is not one of those games.
POD Speedzone has to be one of the most poorly designed racing games I've ever played, which is saying something since I've played some truly awful raving games in my day. The track design is pretty terrible in every course. There are multiple branching paths in each course, with some being fairly intuitive and obvious, while others are poorly marked and very confusing as to whether they are part of the track or not. I can't tell you how many times I found myself accidentally driving the wrong way or wondering if I was even still in the race with out confusing some of the courses are. The game will often tell you which way to go, but the way the track is laid out barely makes that useful. There are also a decent amount of unavoidable obstacles, jumps that you'll often miss even at full speed, and weird track topography that will cause your vehicle to flip or crash into a wall frequently. Like many futuristic racing games from the era POD Speedzone came out, there are various powerups at your disposal to help give you an edge in each race. Unfortunately there are only a few of them and none of them are particularly useful or just redundant as is the case with the boost powerup that doesn't seem to help you anymore than your vehciles built in boost which you can use at will until you've used it all up. Your vehicle also gets damaged for hitting walls, flipping over, or getting hit by opponent power up weapons. If your vehicle takes too much damage it will force you to retire from the race. Luckily, or unluckily depending on how you look at it, tracks are so large that you'll often forget you are racing against other opponents seeing how only 5 racers can participate, including you. The end result is a dull, lifeless, and and annoying experience while playing POS...woops, I meant POD Speedzone.
It's not all bad though. POD Speedzone does have a few redeeming qualities particularly in its visuals and audio. POD Speedzone was essentially Ubisoft's late 90s/early 2000s attempt to cash in on the futuristic racer sub genre. Similar to games like Extreme G or Wipeout, you'll be racing on various futuristic tracks. POD Speedzone's tracks are no different and for the most part look pretty cool for the most part. Unfortunately there are so few of them (six I believe) that you'll quickly get bored with racing through them over and over again. Likewise, there are also only a few vehicles to choose from, most of which look like incredibly ugly futuristic dune buggies. Despite their questionable art design, the vehicles actually show of a fairly good amount of detail, including some damage effects if your racer takes too much abuse during the course of the race. If not for how little content there is to look at in PD Speedzone, I may have thought a little higher of the visuals, but as is, this game will not capture your attention for long given how little there is to see.
Last, but definitely not least is the games audio which stands as POD Speedzone's best quality. Sound effects are nothing special, however the soundtrack is a fairly catchy late 90s techno score which actually kept me going in the game despite wanting to quit after only about 10-minutes of playing. Once again, there are only a few songs to speak of in POD Speedzone, but for what they are, they're pretty good.
There is no question whatsoever that POD Speedzone is a crap game, however despite that, there was a subjective charm this game had over me as I was playing through it. The game definitely represents that amazing late 90s/early 2000s video game zeitgeist when even big name studios like EA and Ubisoft released jank like this game that might as well have been developed by some independent team in eastern Europe inside a canning warehouse. Between the soundtrack and visuals, and even to an extenet the sub par gameplay, this game just feel so representative of its time, which is a period of gaming I deeply cherish. Still, if you asked me if I'd ever want to play POD Speedzone ever again, even many years from now when the taste of its terrible gameplay finally left my mouth, I'd still tell you absolutely not. Beyond my own weird minor satisfaction with this game, it's not a game I'd recommend anyone play, even if it's short as hell due to its very limited content. Pass on this one, you aren't missing out on anything...mostly. (5/6/25) [22/50]
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26. Roundabout || PlayStation 4 || 05.05.2025
(https://i.imgur.com/Gj7zJMj.jpeg) (https://i.imgur.com/nu7eKgw.jpeg)
Over the many years my shared PlayStation account has had an active PlayStation Plus subscription, dozens upon dozens of games I've redeemed yet never played have accrued, even when they seem like I may enjoy them. Roundabout is one of these games, and it's been something I've considered playing for a year or two. I think the decision to let our subscription lapse has been made, so I'm planning to prioritize my time playing these kinds of games—especially ones which are only available digitally—for the next couple of months.
To be brief, players assume the role of a taxi driver named Georgio in Roundabout. However, Georgio is not an ordinary taxi driver by any means, as they are the world's first revolving limousine driver. As a professional, you as the player are tasked with driving all throughout town to pick up and drop off all sorts of riders. And as your title suggests, the limo being driven remains in a constant state of rotation, so it's required to meander through twists and turns even to bypass the most basic of paths while dodging other roadway and environment hazards. When an objective begins, arrows help guide players toward the direction they're needing to drive toward, and there are several points of interest which serve as checkpoints to reach prior to the end goal. The game is designed with a top-down camera perspective, so movement controls are straightforward.
Tasks may seem simple, but players will inevitably fail as the limo takes damage easily and is quickly destroyed upon taking a few hits of collision as hazards are all-around. Fortunately, though, there is no major repercussion toward completing the immediate goal as players will respawn nearby. But, there are some negative effects which take place as a result of vehicle destruction such as losing the current combo bonus which impacts the player's score on leaderboards, though this is an aspect I had no interest in. Regardless, the game's lenient respawn mechanic was fortunate for me as I am not very skilled at actually controlling the limo. However, the respawn system only behaves this way when actively working toward an objective. If choosing to explore freely, respawning transports players to the nearest mechanic's shop which behave as the checkpoints too when not driving passengers.
While those only interested in the game's story path may not feel compelled to freely explore the three in-game areas, others may be as there are all sorts of collectibles to discover. Additionally, money is automatically earned through player performance which can be spent toward vehicle upgrades. Scattered properties are also available to be purchased which allows for greater financial gains to be collected later upon revisiting these sites. There is also a small achievements list players may work toward completing which grant various driving skills, though only one may be active at a time. I did not try out many of the skills I unlocked, although I did heavily rely upon the default skill which slows down time. This ability greatly allowed me to navigate through tight environments more easily, but skills can't be abused as there is a depleting meter for them.
By every account, Roundabout offers an arcade-like experience that's easy to pick-up in short sessions. Alongside its gameplay, though, is also underlying narrative which capitalizes on purposely bad yet comical FMV sequences. The segments are plentiful and appear for every passenger ride, and they provide a lot of charm and upbeat, cheesy humor which gives the game a lot of personality. While there are side story segments which add depth to the townspeople, the majority of segments are interconnected and tell one cohesive narrative which, while simple, is fun. Video playback performed well mostly, though I did encounter one segment where audio didn't play. Upon starting a new game, subtitles can be activated in-game, and they're a nice inclusion for if this sort of error were to occur. I didn't explore the main menu settings after beginning the campaign, so I'm not sure if the opportunity to activate subtitles can be missed, though I did note how they can't be toggled off once on in-game.
At first glance, Roundabout may not seem all that interesting from a gameplay perspective, but its FMV sequences instill a lot of charisma alongside what else is offered. Not long after beginning my playthrough, I was wanting to see how the story would unfold once one ridiculous event occurred after another and more outlandish characters were introduced. In short, Roundabout is just fun.
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29. Undertale [PS4] - finished May 8th, 2025
(https://media-hosting.imagekit.io/a5ec8461115d42b3/1000011817.png?Expires=1841343060&Key-Pair-Id=K2ZIVPTIP2VGHC&Signature=nopWNFnUiJQ-OEHp4NKfeIs0ZhLGnLzM-x-3duoF2~8FAuqJ5UQQ6cexZTEjbJ61Ezal2t1ktUVpF5exdYJ5vIDzx3LvMQqqY9MLki8oWpoN56jf7p3XeVQ9oYcEXorBBW3aD9aqii5xs4fcjUpHr4Kk5X-y-jgtHcY~ujHHBTIN2olylJ4aJu4hiHuaU7ZXs0pDDWSPui166Ak5vqLhVHqlSZKosCF3PXxIbJrjtd9ulL3I1pyh6BugsX49t8hfxUcc4EgUoY2Ovz4Fqb7azaC~mFJqyGp5kkJuUL073sD9XwcdFZkKyBCRMNJkhgI7oIpbvjBB8ASfQpmr3hixVw__)
(https://media-hosting.imagekit.io/37b2897fd42c45d7/1000011814.jpg?Expires=1841342581&Key-Pair-Id=K2ZIVPTIP2VGHC&Signature=ORUTuzfn1ZrI8uecXFDa7ZYX7UCHt-ElDbsfiQY6XehJRv-mkXN6o5r4VSHBFDyFJ5H0BFfIqEA8Jh0D4SDp8Wzz-I57h9SalcsShNWOmhGbdDm~iW8PuZmZ~hBltL7S6DTaYzEgRF1~kFEseOALdd8wlunzU8odr9wUB8YFcH~N2EgW8gvFbA493sFrRj588YJPUwiY42Mk4TjUCpKvHGfk3PWfgSYPSyo0S02Xsv9bnS-sJTIodrGCsrWa1z8vYVR2Ieq4cjc~TpxR~MwTCeqsZk4os9N0U7om4xT~ejr0tYP65Q2aYnK37sozImiB14kNuFrfUFcCdUmhUDpMxg__)
The best non SNES.... SNES game
Wow folks! Wow wow wow. 2025 has brought a lot of surprises. From Batman Arkham. To Life Is Strange. Franchises and series entering my gaming life and shifting my perspective. Undertale struck me by the way a lot of indie devs do. Repackaging nostalgia. "Hey look. Its your childhood. 9.99 on sale" and we often bite. The screenshots looked beautiful and the icon of the game was a pomeranian. The game got me on the classic "old games done better" vibe. And so does usually the games that try that miss something. I'm also almost never able to pick up on turn based rpg games. I can count on one hand the ones ive finished. Its not my genre
Were gonna need two hands... lol.
Undertale is a glorious game. From the soundtrack, so gorgeously whimsical at times. So gritty and heavy. So funny and old timey. To the humor which is rampant throughout. To the emotional depth of the characters. It's also basically a great nod, an homage to what made that art style so great. But taking it to 100000 with modern hardware.
This game was crowdsourced and had a small dev team. And the creator Toby Fox apparently was a fan of earthbound. And it for sure is an earthbound inspired game. Where as I cant get past 1 hour of earthbound. I binged this game last night until 5 am :) To me its much better.
It may seem im glazing a lot of games this year. But I am finding it hard to find flaws. The system the game uses for combat. Much like earthbound but you control a heart shape and dodge icon attacks sorta contra style. So it has bullet hell elements. It's like nothing ive played before. It's quirky. Dripping with personality and the big boy devs just cant go out and buy that stuff. Billion dollar budgets can scoop soul by the spoonfil. It just feels loved. It feels complete. It feels so 1994.
And for that I tip my hat. It's basically home cooking versus other games of the genre being digiorno pizza. This has that sensations of grandma's love in the fresh fudge. The quirky jokes. Dialogue and characters are all so cute. And fun. And make an impact as you play.
The concept of the plot is also deep. Impactful. You get multiple different versions of the game depending how you play.
And above all. It is challenging but to very fair appropriate levels. It blends cinema with action. And it also has pomeranians lol. Which you know how I feel about pomeranians. Pomeranians add 5 points to almost any rating. Themz the rulez lol. Jk.
Either way. I believe this game is a labor of love. I feel many developers try to bottle nostalgia and sell it wholesale. Most fail or miss by a centimeter. This game is to rpgs what Cuphead is to bullet hell shoot em ups. They take a vintage concept and show you humanity hasnt lost its heart yet. Each fiber of this game is cool. And the characters show a sorta ying and yang of the duality of conscious decisions. Highly highly reccomend.
Rating - 99/100
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30. Gone Home [PS4] - Finished May 9th, 2025
(https://media-hosting.imagekit.io/54b089cfd70b4f9d/1000011869.png?Expires=1841441791&Key-Pair-Id=K2ZIVPTIP2VGHC&Signature=tS~xSwV-LSGfTtab1sQuy-VJrf74-pGkqmxxmiwQH3ZlUivrR1E5t09MjmnTxQQalnBzWENC6vcM00XTDkgK-HXv9hk4wB1eyHUuk61VvBBsreft5kXRFGpw7s4X8KlW2Q5VsJ7XM1LN69HomDiAJQY~V~BBSCc4qOIlBkG~CjJLmG8EqAJwwMuhn-dg7rI6tJRk9ZMY5BbJFY4LOr5Sl5QV1z3l-j~biLFqRI5dZWatxLdyoajIsoyt-y01kLsjeyVXfNXlKx5thRr8ceQpon2SNjJOJPSM5HcnteTVXy4O-~HOtwtxL6QqGswS2Jmr3xBqIRd51vEmrkD0nPfkUA__)
(https://media-hosting.imagekit.io/085bdcefdc97440c/1000011872.jpg?Expires=1841442079&Key-Pair-Id=K2ZIVPTIP2VGHC&Signature=tHd3kcNwx1C9ZBrztjII-ssYJzLPoSo8BkvLCqqcNDBbWZ0e8hwdKFPVrzSybW55Yny7cYzbh52GDAwHiC4TqKl8yOYHDGrBL3GpPxu8f~F2Rg-bx0HT~SB-YgVSTyt06GymRL3MJTbzQFiMqbpki-P~iFDuDO5VDnFQB3ngwIMqD7l2x7NnsE3gaZGeacvq8JwTAXn2bmUnb23uKG1Ve17g5ziJunW14MnXIEIdA8yKbC276A0~YtDj6ULlEnoMZA9xEBCUMf002~jQ-6lRDykmILFF8WQBpwfedBd4LJwwlUw7ecNU27rCekA6TUBGW0ymisD3uzObYZsl0PEzMg__)
Review
Gone Home is a quirkly little thing. I barely know if I fully grasp its mysteries. Imagine coming home after a college retreat. Finding a giant middle American white protestant suburbian bungalow abandoned. And pieceing together your childhood through exploring it. Complete with memories. Journal entires and funny callbacks to the 80s and 90s. That is Gone Home.
It's compact and concise which makes it hard to warrant whatever one would spend on it. But its warm and laid back which makes it a unique experience.
The game touches on themes of waining curiosity involving sexuality and coming of age teenage discovery of those topics. Which lends it the more serious and relatable route. And the things to find are bountiful. Id call this.
Explore fancy house simulator.
Imagine having like 9 bathrooms? A softball team could go #2 simultaneously. Yet theirs no sprint button. Thats a lot of slow walking lol.
I actually enjoyed it. It feels very real to what exploring a house would feel like. And the game for the first time in a while with games for me. Wasnt hyperbolic at all. It was just. Home. Gone home...
Rating - 85.75/100
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31. Super Mario Land [GB] - finished May 10th, 2025
(https://media-hosting.imagekit.io/46f654529988430d/1000011912.png?Expires=1841526810&Key-Pair-Id=K2ZIVPTIP2VGHC&Signature=oqxOeyYDeSiHJh3hUug9kja7fB-zilaIGBKB8WvyLGY29tfkbewGXVIVu4krJiS3hzCD47AB63NKIaKVoRbUkg53CQbjSOrUK8e7fbc2yGrQQoTs3VhV2Q6zNzAOhv3MgMdqxHX5jwNB43vQhrCOEibqcthBVOBBDBQn5WwaQ8ArSaeSD6PsngoUI79kqL7SFGhUQQ1PiOUV~YyZoCGHsMExPqF8tbvNM5qKgNa~S2oScb-0ukQhQx~aIMWZIeO5EH-9vR4om-LtBq8iiFqKrQX4ieTuYQlj~GOd5PuCFPc88fVxdHn6H2W1MUns6L5HRtHTzID829qiiXekMn0mTQ__)
(https://media-hosting.imagekit.io/42a98d802ce34744/1000011911.jpg?Expires=1841526830&Key-Pair-Id=K2ZIVPTIP2VGHC&Signature=NdbCtD9XJMqpijxa5bmMBMbH8WA1XMlh7eEFGbbI3kaK4ZCoZBWa7dWp44wwk7VHZds3LU74EO7iMvTr7ROXwWY3tL3aZACBKc2iPJLZNwjXhPBraph5uhXv4XNjEoZErqOIwp5O-Wk38MwZIirNVmIn6G9KdJoGbQXatNRinYq8jWmZKmRnpZTUzuIy25ApFX2bMGWx9J2XftMG4XU4lic4llt31FS9yqsm5barzeMvM1XaqWsLyxUAHMGC61XsTUrjGgqfV5QjMf0sQotbjd5FtHjjIq8X~NHxHkO3pA6ftNh-BBraf8pGxh3qOmCJk47Fu5LmFuFaoHoLsqcVkQ__)
Review - Off to a rocket start in May :). Which I did to keep pace to my a goal of 10. It's my birth month. So want to up the output. I also want to hit more retro games. And a gameboy icon marks my first handheld game in a while.
Cool controls
What super mario land does right is its checkpoint system. It was really ambitious for its time and I didn't expect it to be so comfortable to play. I played half of the game not realizing I could fire rockets which made the game maybe twice as hard during submarine and plane sequences.
The sprinting in the game feels concise. The screen colors don't lend the most richness but its age isnt showing as much as a game like castlevania adventures to me. This game is essentially a gorgeous example of an NES game in your hand. I wasnt alive to see the launch of this. But I imagine this really was like alien technology. Comparing this to tiger handheld is ridiculous. It just is so revolutionary.
Ranking this in the scheme of other games is hard. It's shorter than William Henry Harrisons term in office and it doesn't allow multi directional jumping. It also has a few design choices I question. Such as exploding Koopas. And sometimes slightly off landing zones and hit boxes.
But it's all peanuts when compared to how incredibly ahead of its time it is. The airplane sequences is like right out of modern platformers. The themes and Mario being spelled out in coins feels like mario maker even 30 years later. Its super neat.
I wont spoil the ending. But that really just confuses me in a funny way. Huh? I thought?... lol. Idk. If you dont care about spoilers. I'm sure many of you already beat this. Am I seeing right? Iykyk.
I also enjoy the green mono chromatic graphics. Using 2 shades to make a masterpiece is profound.
It just hits a special place and I am happy I got to time warp to a simpler day even before me and give this a whirl. It's new coke, flock of seaguls and radio shack but in the palm of your hand. Now you're playing with power!
Rating - 88/100
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60. Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero (PS5)
Toonami and Dragon Ball Z were my gateway drugs into anime back in the late 90s. I was OBSESSED with DBZ, as well as Dragon Ball and DBGT from about 1999 until 2002 or so when I started to lose interest. Back in the early 2010s I rekindled my fandom of the Dragon Ball franchise, albeit at about a quarter the intensity it once was. During this time i discovered many DBZ games that I probably would have had an aneurysm over if they'd existed at the height of my adolescent Dragon Ball fanaticism. One of those games in particular, DBZ Budokai Tenkaichi 3 (BT3) was one I sunk a ton of time into and thoroughly enjoyed around 2010 when I first played it. Over the years, I bought various other Dragon Ball games, none of which did it for me like BT3 did. Finally, after all these years when I found out Bandai was releasing an actual sequel to BT3, Sparking! Zero, I completely lost my mind in a fury of hype. Unfortunately, while Sparking! Zero is enjoyable no doubt, your mileage will vary dramatically depending on how much of a fan of the series you currently are.
Sparking! Zero has a ton of content in it. Between many different modes and the fact that this game has by far the largest roster of characters to choose from, it's all hard to fault this game for not giving the player a ton of value for their purchase. Not only that, but I have to give Namco Bandai massive props for making the vast majority of this content accessible without the need to purchase additional DLC or season passes. You can unlock almost every character, stage, outfit, mode, or item just by playing the game and leveling yourself up. I miss when more games did this and it was truly a breath of fresh air to experience this in a fighting game released in 2024. The best part of all this is, if there's a Dragon Ball character you can think of, there's a good chance they're available to play in Sparking! Zero. Unfortunately, the original Dragon Ball series is sorely under represented in this game, probably to make way for inclusion of a ton of DB Super characters, but it's a fairly minor grip on the whole. Unfortunately the main thing holding Sparking! Zero's gameplay back isn't the lack of certain characters or content, but rather the experience of actually playing this game. While Sparking! Zero's gameplay isn't egregiously broken or flawed, it's a game that leans on emulating the flash of the anime series more than on making this a well balanced fighting game. And in making you feel like you're playing inside an episode of the show, the game absolutely succeeded. It's just too bad that getting locked into unavoidable special attacks and an over reliance on said attacks to win, make the game feel a bit one note to play. I also found battles to be a bit on the clunky side at times where my character wasn't doing exactly what I wanted to, causing me to get punished by my opponent. One other thing that can be seen and either a positive or negative depending on your point of view is how accurately the game scales the difficulty of characters based on their strength in the show. While you can technically have Nappa defeat Super Saiyen 4 Goku in a match, it's going to be way more difficult than if you chose SS4 Vegita instead. In all, the gameplay of Sparking! Zero is definitely enjoyable, but absolutely flawed.
Both Sparking! Zero's visual and auditory presentation are pretty damn good. Characters, stages, and everything else nearly perfectly capture the look and feel of the show. Aside for a few dull stages and the occasional character model looking the same as they have for a decade now in other DBZ games, there is little to complain about here. Most characters are voiced by their anime voice actors which really lends itself to how authentic this game feels. While I didn't mark the game down objectively for this, but on a subjective level, the changing of certain memorable character voices like Frieza and kid Gohan from the old Funimation dub I grew up with was a bit jarring, but I completely understand why they weren't able to reuse these voice actors in a game released long after those actors last reprised their respective roles. The music in Sparking! Zero also fits in well with the look and aesthetic of the game, although I didn't find any of the tracks particularly memorable or catchy.
Once again, I sorely wish Sparking! Zero had been around in the late 90s and early 2000s. It probably would have become one of my favorite games of all time, at least back then. Unfortunately as someone who still enjoys the Dragon Ball franchise, but on a far more casual basis, this game just didn't do it for me like I was hoping it was. If the gameplay had been a bit better, I might feel a little different, but even so, I still think my waning fandom for the series over the years impacted my subjective enjoyment of this game more than anything. In other words, if you adore the Dragon Ball series, I can almost guarantee you'll love this game. If you're just kind of a fan, or not a fan at all, this game is probably not going to win you over. (5/11/25) [34/50]
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27. Findi || Browser || 05.09.2025
(https://i.imgur.com/EMw7QRH.jpeg)
The other day, I saw itch.io promoting Findi so, on a whim, I decided to blindly try it.
Before playing, I was under the impression that it was a simple hidden object game emphasizing the letter i in an overlapping field of similar shapes. Or perhaps presented in a fashion similar to the design of more abstract crossword searches which have puzzles centered around only a few letters. However, my expectations were actually wrong to the game's benefit. Instead, Findi is sometimes more like a logic puzzle game that offers twelve stages which task players with finding the letter i, but the means to do so require interactive input through various, and usually unpredictable, means.
While playing, nothing is explained at all which reinforces player discovery as puzzles must be solved through organic observation and trial-and-error. At times, puzzles even come across as deceptions—what may seem like a specific type of puzzle to be completed in a certain way sometimes isn't, and expectations are regularly subverted. Given the game's short time to complete, that this degree of surprise was achieved is, well, surprising. Throughout my playthrough, I experienced several aha moments when the answer finally became obvious, which was fun. This isn't to say that all puzzles are like this, though—some are more straightforward, but they all maintain a whimsical charm.
Despite only playing Findi for a few short minutes, I experienced some simple yet pleasant fun. I'm glad I noticed the game when I did.
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32. Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time [PS4] - Finished May 12th, 2025
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ONE BRUTAL BANDICOOT
Damn.. son. That is one hard freaking game lol. And I love it!! :) As I type this. I have the thousand yard stare. Souls have been rattled by the barbarities of war. Sweat leaks from my brow. Not only is this game very important to me. I will get into why a bit later. The game is so massively, mind boggingly hard in such a purist way. That I can't begin to say how rewarding it feels to beat this one. Now I wouldnt say its hard in the way NES games are sometimes. But its hard in a cuphead sorta way. I never found cuphead that unbeatable solely because its generous with checkpoints and save points. Much like this game.
However...
The level "cortex castle" showed my death counter at 59. 59 deaths in one level and mostly one section lol. The game is unforgiving. Challenging. At times you have mere fractions of a second to alternate gravity to land in windows that have less than a fraction of a second to meet its requirements. Theirs no room for error. And it doesn't always give you a checkpoint close to difficult sections. Sometimes you gotta backtrack and go through hell to get to satan so to speak. And this and other things are why general consensus has this pegged as the hardest crash game. And I agree with that notion. Having beat them all. Both classic and remade.
Gameplay and Controls
Crash 4 is just fan service. Toys for bob is great with these two franchises Spyro and Crash. And have shown that they simply refuse to miss. They seem to have fanatics involved in production and they genuinely get it... they just get the lovable marsupial and his many quirks.
The game allows you to now have 4 varying powers. Slowing time. Vanishing blocks and platforming. Tornado crash. Gravity inverting. Each with its own aku aku god mask that accompanies it. You also can play as Coco exclusively which I choose to do because I love coco and shes adorable.
Wacko cocodrillo, and biker bandicoot also make appearances. Self given names I admit.
These powers just rock n roll. And add layers to platforming ive never quite seen before. The game is a really solid, accurate,.clean and perfect platformer. It really is. It is far greater than the ps one originals imo and the colors are gorgeous and glorious. So many call backs. Ps one references. Of course the elements you'd expect from a crash game. It all ties together beautiful with a bow on top.
This game is near and dear to me. I purchased it during heart of pandemic. Isolated and played it many times during bad times. I found myself engrossed in it during a death of my childhood great grandmother, dog, sicknesses. Which kinda led me to drop it. And ive also been a fan of crash since I was about 4. Playing with my uncle on the glorious ps1. Which felt like a spaceship back then. It was spectacular. The game entered my backlog about 25 percent through because it was always connected with them times of not only its wild difficulty spikes lol. But also just Isolated society and to beat this is sorta like coming full circle. It's the rain forming a daffodil sorta scenario. It is long long overdue. And I am so happy I picked it back up. Because it is my favorite crash bandicoot I believe. And I highly reccomend it.
Oh it also has inverted mode. Where you beat the game in inverted color pallet with less lighting basically in the dark backwards lol. So any cynics might love that!
All and all. Horray 90s. Childhood reborn. Toys for bob rocks.
(https://media-hosting.imagekit.io/7830b5cd13fe4630/1000011948.jpg?Expires=1841650261&Key-Pair-Id=K2ZIVPTIP2VGHC&Signature=ipKIzgAQPH2KlomwM9gNN9XpfCBFTJY5GVKueeP-S1Kn7YhFwacLv1K9xpmfhIEXLyuOrIczh2eP7BcVmZMQpIOpzVKBJj3HZhnPncVgWyzHQUgC4CMQr3k2tea5u1Oi1-ZiZxpRsfRUauWK2QIO5u-AYm2gm6VBfwTJIfHZLdSL9ke7h6mgXugRyjO1Kw~3WZxKbe9SSC50INso2yEpdIL6LzMamjnnTpkuMCzwewbq9mxMSWOHwdchxwdYob5nQkb9opkIDseIAPIRQdikVG6ZKdB9xqsvn3ifa7IeLQ1smN3v62zHiSofumgrCv9kL0rWcShrU0oDg3cZ4XjNRQ__)
Also R.I.P to the great voice of aku aku. Mel Winkler. A staple of my childhood and the childhood of millions. Who died shortly before this games release. In whom they have dedicated the game to.
Rating - 98/100
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35. Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes - platinum'd
It's fitting that I took a little over 100 hours to finish a game with the word "hundred" in its title. Whew. What a journey this one was. The hours could have been cut down if I decided to not get all of the trophies, but me being me, I went for it. I really wanted an RPG to just sink my teeth into, chill with, and escape. That's what Hundred Heroes provided. Still, some parts of the game felt undercooked. The story was one of those parts. Things never, ever felt serious. Even during the "serious" moments, it seemed like one of the key players had to make a joke. The villain was kind of a goofball, too. For now, that's my only complaint with the game because it otherwise provided a traditional RPG journey that was equal parts contemporary and nostalgic. As for my next big game, that's going to take some time to figure out. Hundred Heroes was A LOT so I plan on palette cleansing a bit before diving into the next RPG.
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28. Dear Esther: Landmark Edition || PC || 05.10.2025
(https://i.imgur.com/X2gyvjk.jpeg) (https://i.imgur.com/pxSbdLv.jpeg)
For around a decade or so, I've been aware of Dear Esther but never took the time to really learn what the game is about or why it's been deserving of praise. More-or-less, all I've known until now is its divisive reception as an adventure game which resulted in it earning the adverse label of being a "walking simulator."
As such a label implies, Dear Esther presents no real objective beyond following a linear path. Of course, there are some open spaces and forked trails to explore, but players are nonetheless required to move in one specific direction to progress the narrative. While there are no items to acquire, knowledge about the game's nontraditional story is gleaned both through environmental observation and narration. At times, these two aspects are interconnected as exploring certain places, including ones which stray from the main path, trigger narration opportunities. While the game begins on the shores of an uninhabited (though formerly inhabited) island with bountiful weeds and dilapidated structures being reclaimed by nature, its pastoral attractions later reveal other visual sights showcasing the island's beauty. It was for design choices like that throughout my entire time playing, I found the lack of an abandoned human presence both unnerving and awesome. Along the way across fields and stone, a high signal tower in the distance seemingly guides our unnamed protagonist.
Regarding narration, it comes in the form of the protagonist's monologues that I'm assuming are written diary entries or letters meant for the titular Esther. At times, some narrations come across more like introspective musings that question the very nature of humanity and of the island itself. At all times, though, narration adopts a reflective, poetic language. When going through a segment of the game again, I discovered that narration is somewhat randomized. While these moments are frequent occurrences, each trigger three or four variances. It's a small aspect to include, but it provides some degree of replayability as more of the vague story can be discovered upon subsequent playthroughs. It's also worth mentioning that what sort of narration occurs isn't tied to any game aspect such as play time. Certain scripted lines can also occur at various points of the game which naturally impacts the player's interpretation of what's being presented to them at any given time.
Working toward the game's one goal, players will explore a full 3D environment both detailed and empty simultaneously. I found myself regularly curious where all exactly I could go, so I spent a lot of time (slowly) moving around the perimeter, from one corner to its opposite. Of course, level geometry limits players' exploration which may result in their plummeting to death off a cliffside or even drown. Eventually, though, I didn't engage in this sort of exhaustive exploration as much so I could focus on the linear path, though I did still somehow manage to trigger all narrative dialogue opportunities. As one should presume from my description, Dear Esther is slow-paced and is more about establishing a mood more than reliably telling a story or providing objectives for players to complete. And I was fine with that, as the game's writing is praiseworthy.
The original version of Dear Esther released in 2008, so I'm considerably late to experiencing it. At the time of its debut, its status as a narrative-driven adventure game was much more of a novel concept. Still, on some level it remains an interesting gaming experience, though what it set out to accomplish has since been replicated to arguably greater success by later-developed contemporaries. Having finally played Dear Esther, I can now play its spiritual successor Everybody's Gone to the Rapture.
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36. Guilty Gear Strive - Slayer
Ahhh yeah! Guilty Gear, baybee! I had no idea that they had this on the Switch, but here we are! After messing with the tutorial and some of the missions, I decided to go through arcade mode as my boy Slayer. While my usual main (Venom) isn't in the game, seeing Slayer and a very massive roster of new and old faces makes up for it. Slayer will inevitably become my new main as I continue to play this. With this little romp over, I think I'm going to return to the tutorials so I can fully learn all of the ins and outs of Strive. Because, as always, there's A LOT going on in this fighter.
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33. Tearaway [VITA] - Finished May 15th, 2025
(https://i.supaimg.com/128134bb-a864-46da-b4aa-25082cc53795.png)
(https://i.supaimg.com/ac8d270e-e509-48f3-924f-bf4fc216dac9.jpg)
"We know you asked for a calzone but we're gonna give ya the Stromboli" said Sony studios 2013. Giving us the universe from a pebble. Ambitious design from mere imagination flakes. You're getting the lava of mordor when I even reference what I just witnessed, this game is the most creative use of unique hardware specific features i've ever played. Far more than Wii aside from maybe wii sports. Or Kinect. This is like a secret gaming paralell dimension tried once and then forgotten forever. It's a full sensory massage, breaking of the 4th wall constantly. This game is a slap to the senses. And it honestly might be the most ambitious game ive ever played. Not even tooting your horn. On Hardware that quite frankly is awe worthy. What an ahead of it's time handheld the vita was and it makes me all the more sadder sony kinda let the Vita slip. But this game alone makes my owning of one worth every cent. I am in love with this system. And this game. It just is so different.
The touch pad integration feels so seemless, its like the tiny little glossy black plastic gaming device that we call a vita. PSPs biological glow up. It takes you and integrates you with binary code to place you into the game. Although it's means are simple (using the front camera) it really feels borderline magic seeing yourself in the game. It's almost odd in a new cool way. And this came out in 2013. It's been over a decade. This technology is so refreshingly radical. All of you. Your face. Your room. Your cat. Your art. Your voice. Your palms. Even your favorite blanket. Whatever you wish becomes the entire game. You basically write the story as it unfolds. So cool. It's linear but somehow so open.
You play as a messenger with a letter for a head and using the front camera the game makes you the "you" which acts as a guide and main objective for the letter messenger character. Your palm, your voice bellowing through paper mache woods. It's almost as if you're this video game characters god so to speak. It makes you feel like a final boss. A rpg vague concept in the sky.
The battle mechanics are simple but multi faceted. Collecting gifts is a blast. Taking photos of the world and somehow that world also blending with your reality. I have never felt a game immerse me the way this one has. In terms of the game and reality blurring. Even more than VR.
I love the crafting elements. The platforming is quick. It uses all the vitas functions. Touch screens on both front and back. Peeling paper. Sticky glue. Voice. Vaccuums. The game is a wild art project on Ms. Frizzles magic school bus but come to life and controllable. I honestly cant even put it into words. It's really really special.
You can also tell they put a lot of heart into it being purpose built to show off the vita. And it does that well. The graphics are phenomenal for a decade+ old handheld. And it is consistently making use of all of the technological superiority the vita displayed. I cant reccomend this enough.
Rating -95/100
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34. White Shadows [PS5] - finished May 16th, 2025
(https://i.supaimg.com/3e8f9a8a-705e-4446-9d37-f7fd6d0f318b.png)
(https://i.supaimg.com/ed976866-17b0-4536-973c-97f498503783.jpg)
SOCIAL COMMENTARY INSISTS UPON ITSELF
The game starts off with a bullentin before you even play it. Now I dont mind a good social mind tug sorta game. So long as it allows you to come to your own conclusions based on the art. Which in this game is gorgeously dystopian. I dont mind going into deep narrations that make you feel icky but nope. You get... a big bold opening screen
"This game has depictions of racism, xenophobia, suicide and yada yada". Basically the developnent team picks up your hand and tries showing you how to pee for yourself. "Hey look... your own conclusions of our art. Nope. Let us preface this is how you better recieve it" and that one opening flat out made it hard to enjoy the game. I was looking at everything through their lens instead of my own. And it was so forced. The line between social art with a purpose and a twitter podcaster trying to seem self important is as thin as this line. Its the difference between being an abolitionist and being someone who sells "end racism" bumper stickers. The opening screen sets the ship asail but tells you where to land. I hate that. Hate it. In all forms of media. Directors need to know when to step out of their own frame.
_________________
Basically the game is ravens are black. Also associated with death. People fear them for little to no reason outside of steteotypes. I'm sure you see where that line of reasoning is going. Pigs in the game are symbolic of capatalism, greed and enslaving ravens. Also self explanatory line of thinking. Its hard to put it into words without it being argumentative. But it's not the feel you get when you watch a movie like django. It feels more trying to fit in. I dont hate it. I'm not opposed to this message being told with animals. It was really creative. I just wish it showed more depth to the both sides.
I won't go on a spiel of the messaging of the game. It's more of the tennis match I refuse to pick a racket up in. I don't deny the games impact and harrowing feel. It however feels massivley pretentious sometimes. I laughed more than I felt sorrow. Stuff like "birds suck" is just comical. Hideo Kojima level lol. You never needed a disclaimer before the color purple or green mile. A nirvana album. Madtv. If you're gonna tackle this narrative. Take our training wheels off. Don't spell it out. Keep it a video game. And let us explore the narrative. Honestly. I bet it'd be like 7 points higher if not for that bullentin. I do think the way they covered the topics was unique and solid. But the opener makes it feel like you're being told rather than shown.
With that said. Lets enter the pros.
White shadows is an extremely gorgeous game. Think a dystopian noir, a sinister dark land riddled in the shadows. I black world made in 200 shades of abysmal nothingness. It is so meloncholy and euphoircally eerie. It's creepy in a unsettling, clockwork orange. Listening to a beatles record backwards sorta way. Filled with 50s style jukebox jingles. It's enjoyable.
Its platforming and puzzle stuff is like inside/limbo meets unravel. It's solid. Simple. Easy and concise.
I overall enjoyed my time with white shadows. It feels preachy and kinda disconnected. But at its core. I think it means well. Has a solid focus and has absolutely heart wretching visuals.
(https://i.supaimg.com/0d878ce1-0bfe-44c7-81f9-17c9f144dad1.jpg)
Its ok for an indie developed game tackling what it tackles.
Rating - 81/100
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61. Power Stone 2 (PS4)
The original Power Stone holds a very special place in my gamer heart. My first experience playing a Dreamcast, which would become my favorite console of all time, was playing the first Power Stone on a kiosk at my local Hollywood Video rental store. I was so obsessed with that Power Stone demo that I'd deliberately ride my bike over there just to play the demo they had set up. Shortly after that, I'd eventually get a Dreamcast along with Power Stone and it would become one of my favorite games to play on that console back in the day. While I have a deep nostalgia and fondness for the first game, Power Stone 2 just never really did it for me in the same way despite renting that game back around the time it was brand new. Unfortunately my affinity towards the first Power Stone still rings true to this day.
It has been a long time since I played through Power Stone 2. In some ways it's an improvement over its predecessor. You have more characters to choose from, new stages you can select between matches, and play with up to four players at once. While at its heart Power Stone 2 is still a fighting game, Capcom definitely made this more of a party game where friends can get together and unleash absolute mayhem on each other. Beyond the power stones you can collect to transform your character into a much stronger version of themselves, and also giving them the ability to unleash unique supers on the other characters, you have a ton of items at your disposal to damage your enemies with. Power Stone 2 definitely has more items to fight with and also introduces vehicles and stationary weapons too. You'd think with all these additions I'd love Power Stone 2 way more than the first, but instead of being more fun, the game just ends up being more imbalanced, frustrating, and sort of difficult to play at times. Don't get me wrong, it can be fun when things get sort of chaotic, but whenever I play Power Stone 2 I typically just feel like turning it off and playing the first game instead. One other addition that I actually do like more than the first game are the giant bosses they added to the game. The first Power Stone does have one of these, but the ones included in Power Stone 2 are definitely better and more enjoyable to fight.
From a presentation point of view, I have to give Power Stone 2 credit for its greater abundance of characters, stages and other obstacles which all look pretty good for the most part. I'm not as big of a fan of the larger stages, but I get that these were necessary to fit four players playing at once, as well as all the other stuff thrown in to make matches more chaotic. In all, I don't think Power Stone 2 looks better than 1, but it does have some flourishes that definitely make it look just as good overall. The audio in Power Stone 2 is also on par with the first game, with some new tracks to listen to as you play. Albeit none of them are that catchy or memorable for the most part. Each character is also uniquely voice acted which is also a nice touch.
While Power Stone 2 is not too far off from how much I enjoy the first Power Stone, it definitely lags behind, especially in my own personal enjoyment. I could see someone who actually has a few people to play with maybe liking this game more, but for me I preferred the smaller, more intimate fights of the first game and less reliance on the chaos factor present in the sequel. (5/16/25) [31/50]
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29. Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day! || Nintendo DS || 05.13.2025
(https://i.imgur.com/Cf4ayHZ.jpeg)
After trying out several different DS games in my library over the last few months but not really connecting with them, I decided to try out something different. So, I settled on the educational game Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day! For some reason, this game is one of the system's best-selling, but I didn't really know anything about it before playing.
To begin, Brain Age is not a traditional video game but instead an education tool foremost. As such, an assortment of brain exercises and logic puzzles are included to, as the game implies, help promote healthier brain functionality through daily repetition. Overall, exercises are varied. Some are visual observations including both objects and words which may even task players to read aloud. Others are more objective exercises like solving mathematics equations. And even more are straightforward puzzles, namely sudoku, though this section is actually separated from the game's core activities. Nevertheless, they all test players' concentration and memory.
Generally, training exercises are explained with enough depth in how the game wants them to be accomplished, though not always. For instance, my first encounter with one exercise didn't specify whether counting should be done out loud or mentally, and it definitely impacted my score as I performed the former. I think I normally would have mentally performed the task, but there had been others which specifically mentioned that speech is required. Additionally, activities requiring voice were hit-and-miss. While speaking clearly and concise is to be expected, I regularly experienced the game unable to understand what was being spoken. Of course, this impacted player score which was slightly irritating. Meanwhile, the majority of exercises requires the use of the system's touch screen capabilities by writing with the stylus. Throughout my experience, writing in certain ways with personal stroke order or maybe even style negatively impacted how writing is interpreted, as the game will either misread it or not recognize it at all. An example of how this affected me for some time was how I write the number 4. In daily practice in real life, I use two strokes to write this number, but I was required to shift to only one stroke in order for the game to register my answers.
When playing each new day, players have the option to take a Brain Age test which, in theory, grades how healthy your mind is. But after having played the game for about a week, I didn't quite feel as if my Brain Age score was that consistent. Some days were considerably higher than my actual age, and some days were lower. But perhaps this makes sense, although I did try to play each session under the same conditions and time of day to maintain some sort of controlled variable. I think the real reason for the discrepancy during this time window is that a random selection of activities are presented when taking the Brain Age test, and I just wasn't that familiar with them all. Naturally, though, my scores began improving and maintained consistency, but I don't consider this as some sort of natural mental growth or whatever the game is trying to promote. Instead, I simply came to be acquainted with them both in terms of what sort of focus is needed and how exactly the touch screen reads written inputs. With that said, players aren't required to take Brain Age tests after the initial one. After about ten days, I started skipping them altogether and instead focused on daily training exercises. For these too, players are graded. Each activity even has its own chart which tracks a player's performance records.
While players can only take the Brain Age test once per day, training is limitless. At first, there are few activities to choose from, though a greater variety becomes available the more the game is played with each passing day. Brain Age never specifies this is how these activities are unlocked, though. At the same time, two or three activities can also be unlocked early when achieving a certain score for specific exercises. I don't think this actually unlocks new exercises, though, but instead harder difficulty modes. Toward the end of my time playing, I mostly stuck to the same three or four activities. Since I had stopped taking daily Brain Age tests, I actually wasn't able to play through at least two of the exercises anymore since, for some reason, they're not available to play within the normal training mode. These include the Stroop effect test and a word memory exercise which I thought were both fun and required a strong amount of focus. Instead of having mode-specific activities, I think a better implementation would be for the Brain Age test to simply be fully randomized out of the entire game's pool of test options.
In the end, Brain Age is okay as a novelty. It's not really an educational game which teaches the player but instead a software tool that tests them with mental exercises which most people should be more than capable of doing and are likely familiar with already. I didn't ever really feel smarter after playing, but I didn't really expect to be anyway. Still, I felt more positive about thinking in more focused ways that I really haven't done in the same way since being in a classroom setting. After unlocking the final activity on day twenty, that was when I considered the game completed.
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05 - Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance [DE] (PlayStation 2)
https://vgcollect.com/item/283318
This is a game I have fond memories of playing it back in the early 2000s. Revisiting it almost 20 years later, I can say that the playability aged well, and it's still fun to explore the many huge maps for more loot and more enemies to level up.
When playing this title as a youth, I can't recall myself being bothered with the game's story very much and replaying it in '25 gave me the opportunity to concentrate more on that matter. Being mostly a dungeon dwelling hack'n'slay type of RPG, the games story is delivered with few sequences accompanied by a narrator voice, and mosty via conversations with npcs. I always was a fan of the ancient and genre-defineing D&D universe for it being developed over so many decades by so many players and authors alike, and the medevil kind of slang as well as the typical D&D elements like Beholders and Drow just give this game the athmosphere it needs.
Musically, most of ingame background music is quite subtle, consisting mostly of ambient dungeon-sounds and a few echoing keys. Only piece really standing out is the beautiful song sung within the elvensong-tavern inside the town of Baldur's Gate itself, the place the player actually start's his/her adventure.
As to gameplay, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance offers a complex but not to complicated hack'n'slay with many RPG-elements such as tons of different weapons, armors and accessories, 3 classes to choose from, all coming with their indiviual set of skills, parameters and preferences, a leveling system, generated item drops and so on and so on ... you actually slash your way through countless different dungeons such as caves, temples, forrests and swamps, collecting every stack of gold, weapon or armor piece falling out of freshly annihilated foes. Drops themself mostly suck through a huge part of the game though, with a mighty shop-weapon being the one of your choice right up until the last few dungeons. Those dungeons themself are presented with graphics I dare to call top-notch for this system and era, many of them unwinding into actual mazes confusing you even with a hud-map at hand. Elements like fires and water are created jawdroppingly realistic for an early 2000s game.
I really enjoyed revisiting this title after so many years and took with me another amazing gaming experience diving deeper into a game I already knew and loved for what it is. I invite every Diablo- or God of War-player to check this little gem out when looking for a short distraction between bigger titles and when interrested in prequel'ing the modern Baldur's Gate 3 a little bit.
Good game 8) I'll just start playing the 2nd part, hehe ...
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30. Sable || PlayStation 5 || 05.17.2025
(https://i.imgur.com/ffHV93a.jpeg) (https://i.imgur.com/re82AXq.jpeg)
Ever since its 2018 announcement trailer, Sable is a game I've long been interested in playing. Somehow, I had been able to remain blind to exactly what kind of experience the game offers exactly though was aware of its reception which did ultimate allow for a more rewarding playthrough.
Throughout the game, players assume the role of the titular Sable, a young woman who's taking the first steps toward embarking on a coming-of-age journey. Once reaching a certain age, all young people at this period of life, dubbed gliders, set forth on the same journey of self-discovery to learn who they are and to decide what exactly it is they want to do in life by experiencing the many walks of life people live. While on their expedition, gliders are free to do whatever they want and to travel along the world's vast reaches for however long. Inevitably, though, people will approach them with tasks to complete which has become expected for gliders to follow to help them gain worldly knowledge and experience. At its core, Sable is an exploration-focused game, though individual player discovery is, to a degree, lessened through the game's quest system. Of course, quests give players—and thus gliders, too—direction and reason in what to explore. Nevertheless, players are free to travel the game's world in any order they choose. As a result, I found myself usually navigating each different region's empty landscapes first before heading to its central hub where quests are introduced.
While much of the game is about one's solitary adventure, there are plenty of opportunities to interact with NPCs in the communities discovered and traveled to. The perspective of an adolescent on such a journey into the unknown is achieved well, and the beginning sections which emphasize community and one's place in it has more depth than I was expecting. Dialogue options are also present for the player to select, and while they have no great bearing on the story, they work toward molding Sable in the way players see fit. Despite her young age, Sable is written just as mature if not more so than some of her adult counterparts. She's introspective and able to discern the greater meaning of what's being expressed to her beyond the words being spoken. The game's writing covers a variety of emotions which made Sable's journey all the more rewarding.
As previously mentioned, Sable is an adventure exploration game which focuses on Sable setting off across varied desert environments. The world is large and segmented by regions while still being fully interconnected, though it becomes much more easily accessible with a newfound, albeit ultimately temporarily, hover ability and a hovercraft. There is a strong emphasis on platforming and verticality as well, and I often found myself climbing various obstacles to simply reach higher. Salvaged or simply broken machinery regularly becomes artificial platforms to ascend great heights. Archeological monoliths which have transformed into looming mountainsides pierce the skies above. That you're above a world already so large sometimes even becomes forgettable as you're so high. Meanwhile, the game does feature a map system with markers and others tool available for navigating which do help considerably. A compass is also present, though I did not really find it useful once several markers had been designated and instead just found myself opening the map to identify my position and the direction I was facing.
Of course, the game's most obvious attraction is its visual style that's fully lifted from artist Mœbius. The environment is built with minimal line art and colored by earth tones which frequently adapt to the time of day and the world's numerous regions. As night neared, I regularly stopped to observe the encompassing blanket of shadows cover everything. That Sable was built with a fully explorable 3D open-world environment tremendously allows for its art to make a long-lasting effect. With that said, I'll also note the game's soundtrack which is beautifully written. Each track excellently captures the mood and ambiance of each area players traverse. Developer Shedworks actually went out of their way to seek out someone who hadn't scored a video game before which is how musician Michelle Zauner of the band Japanese Breakfast came to be the game's composer. That Zauner was able to so effectively capture how empty the game's world is impressive, and without her score, so much of that reinforcement would be lost. That both visuals and audio combine so effectively is exceptional.
Unfortunately, though, Sable is widely known for being poorly optimized. So, I was reserved with my expectations. While some of the game's most apparent issues largely relating to frame rate are difficult to ignore, I ultimately found them non-intrusive nor overly affecting any significant bearing on my experience. However, bugs become more and more problematic as play sessions lengthen, and players should expect to reset the software to help mitigate these issues. Largely, bugs relate to only two issues: spawning your hovercraft in the event you strayed away from it (which is often) and being able to engage in the fishing side activity. These issues were absolutely inconvenient and did break my immersion and negatively influence my mood, but they still weren't drastic enough for me to abandon the game.
In so many ways, Sable is a game that's designed so well in its presentation while simultaneously suffering in its underlying performance. Should its issues ever be rectified (which they won't, as Shedworks has confirmed), it'd be easy to recommend Sable. But I know that I'm more tolerant for performance issues than others, so I'll just say for anyone interested to be cautious and to acknowledge the game's weaknesses. Regardless, I greatly enjoyed my time playing.
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11 - V Rising (PC 2024) - BEAT - Take a slightly slower version of the gameplay from Hades and combine it with a less open sandbox version of Valheim, and you get the vampire sim game, V Rising. Been wanting to play this for abit and had a good time. I realized it's not often I get to play the bad guy in games, like an outright villain, and that's a fun change of pace. I think the overall experience is solid, decent action, the crafting offers up a lot of decoration as you progress through the game to give you the chance to build a neat castle and there's a solid amount of content here as I put 60 hours into it and that was entirely solo PVE.
That's where the cons are, as the game to me feels like it leans more PVP or Co-Op than PVE, perhaps 60/40. You can do everything solo just fine, but just how things are executed, how things feel, I think if the game was built with PVE in mind, it would've been better, but that's just because I'm not gonna play this outside of a solo private game. I do appreciate that since you run the private game as a server, you can customize so many options of the game itself. I highly recommend turning off teleporting limitations if you play solo, it's a mechanic that only makes sense in a server where you have to worry about getting ganked by other players and it makes the game way more enjoyable. Or you can just jack up the difficulty and challenge all you want.
Good game, had a solid time with it, definite recommend.
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35. Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins [GB] - finished May 22nd, 2025
(https://imageshack.com/i/pmmGyXaIj)
NOT AS GOOD AS ONE
It's ok... one thing I will speak highly of is the power ups. Theirs a bunny ear powerup unlike anything ive seen in a mario game that essentially allows mario to float like princess peach but even grander. The difficulty ups a tad from the first but this OP power up kinda offsets that.
But what the original has that this one lacks is just idk.. charm.
Good old Gameboy, italian plumber charm.
The first had epic plane flight sequences, cute princess rescuing we are familiar with, and of course simple primitive visuals that just work. This game ups the graphic fidelity a tad. And the mechanics allow for multi directional movement mid air. It also brings you into a more world overmap not disimilar to super mario world.
I feel it does fine and proper. But is it as good as the first one? Not at all to me. Id probably never itch to play it again. Its just sorta not reinventing the bologna sandwich imo. But I am glad to have played it in my quest to tackle my Mario classics backlog
Rating - 76/100
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3. Miraculous: Paris Under Siege [PC/Steam Deck]
Gosh, only beaten 3 games thus far this year, and game number 3 is a licensed kids game. Not good for my #gamerimage. But whatever, here we go.
Miraculous: Paris Under Siege is the second game (excluding mobile games) based on the popular animated series Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir, commonly referred to as Miraculous Ladybug. I played the first game, Miraculous: Rise of the Sphinx last year, and I can say without a doubt that Paris Under Siege is a major improvement over the original. However, considering I thought the original game was god awful (https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12641.msg205564.html#msg205564), that doesn't really say much.
Paris Under Siege is half platformer, half beat-'em-up, similar to the first game. You walk around, fight waves of enemies and traverse various platforming challenges. Compared to the first game, significant improvements have been made. The one that sticks out right away: we actually get control of the camera this time. That alone helps a lot. The game feels a bit snappier overall too. Combat actually feels like it has a bit of a punch to it (not much, but it's at least there). I at least feel like I'm controlling the characters, rather than fighting the controls. Platforming has gotten better too, with some of it actually being decently fun. A standout inclusion are the sections where you can zip around levels via grapple points. It's nothing special, completely linear, but it does feel like the movement of the show and feels pretty good to pull off. I'm also really glad the game is finally fully voiced. For a game based on an animated series, especially one aimed at kids, that's really a requirement if you ask me.
That doesn't mean the game is perfect though. I would've appreciated a lock-on. The game is simple enough that it's not a necessity, but it would've made reorienting myself towards the enemies in the middle of fights a bit easier. I think the simplicity is one of the things that's holding the game back though. The problem is not that it's repetitive, but that it's monotonous. When it comes to combat, the game really is just a simple button masher. I don't mind that the game is easy, that's to be expected for a kids game, but I find the combat doesn't hold my interest. Not all fights are mandatory, and there were moments where I found myself just running past the enemies, not feeling like fighting. It's just not really that engaging nor satisfying to play, and being a kids game is no excuse: there absolutely are simple kid-friendly beat-'em-up/platformers out there that do full engage even adult players.
In terms of performance, I played Rise of the Sphinx on Switch, and it ran downright horribly on there. I'd say it was poorly optimized, but that would mean you tried to optimize it at all. I played Paris Under Siege on the Steam Deck though, and it ran perfectly fine on there. Excluding one section in one level where the framerate absolutely tanked for some reason, it ran just fine as far as I could tell. (Just make sure you use GE-Proton for the compatibility layer to fix some video playback issues). I think the bigger problem remaining is the lack of polish. The game does feel a little rough around the edges in many ways, like developers weren't granted the time and resources to properly smooth everything out before release. It's perfectly playable, nothing game-breaking, but you can feel it as you play (or probably even as you watch a trailer).
Overall, I'd say this game is mediocre to average. There's some fun to be had here. For a kid who's a fan of Miraculous, I think they could get some enjoyment out of this. Don't get it at full price, it's not worth that, but at a discount, you could do worse. But for anyone else, there isn't much here you won't find done better elsewhere. Too bad. I'm still a big fan of the animated series, which does lend itself insanely well to a game of this style. I hold out hope that one day we'll get that genuinely great Miraculous game that the series deserves.
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35. Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins [GB]
Oddly given my taste in games now, but I have a lot of nostalgia for Super Mario Land 2 and fondly remember playing it on a Game Boy Pocket many years ago. It was one of the few games I owned during that time, so I found myself playing through it on a semi-regular basis. In fact, it's actually the only 2D Mario game I've completed to this day. Maybe one day I'll revisit it once more to see if it actually holds up to my standards of today, as it's probably been around fifteen years since I've last played it. I've always been curious of the series's first and later entries too—I think I'd have fun playing them.
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Two games finished this week! And I'm almost done with Legends Arceus as well!
Game 8 - Beyond Good and Evil HD (PS4) - 11 Hours
There's a lot of things that I really like about this game but there were also a few things that didn't quite hold up in the way I was expecting this game is a fantastic pseudo-open world action-adventure game with a great combat system. It's primarily A stealth action game and while the action can be a little frustrating at times I still found it to be enjoyable. What really struck me was how immersive the world and characters were. Those were super memorable to me and the voice acting was also great. I liked the fact that you're playing as a photojournalist who isn’t only relying on combat but uses other skills to solve problems. Taking pictures was a really fun way to explore the world and contributes to the story nicely. I really enjoyed exploring the games overworld taking in the sights and sounds, not to mention that the music was great.
I have heard a lot of comments about the game being kind of obscure and annoying to progress plot wise, but I really didn't have that much problems. I had very few hiccups in gameplay and story progression. I only had to look up 1 puzzle that I got bacon and everything else just flowed very naturally. This might be because I'm playing a remade version that might have picked some issues from previous releases.
I think where this game really fell flat unfortunately was the story. The setup felt so intriguing at first, with this broad conspiracy underscoring a massive alien attack and your job is to solve the mystery and bring justice to the planet and your community. But the main revelations about the plot are revealed to the player within the first hour and most of the story is just you trying to break that news to the public (which you as the player already know) and it becomes way less interesting as a result. The parts of the story that connect Jade to the final villain were also flimsy and didn't feel like they were fleshed out as much as I would have liked
Game 9 - Clock Tower Rewind (PS4)
I’m glad that I had the opportunity to play this game as an official release because it's such an interesting and pioneering game for the survival horror genre. Even though it's only a 16-bit game that's 30 years old at this point, it still succeeds in bringing a unique powerful sense of tension and fear that really hadn't been accomplished up until that point. The sprite work and pixel art is fantastic. The music is unsettling and creepy. The gameplay is tense and foreboding. It's interesting that the story has multiple endings and branching paths that remind you of an old choose your own adventure novel. Overall just a really solid experience that still holds up.
I do think where this game unfortunately falls a little short are some flaws of early game design. Sometimes certain puzzles will not be solved unless you do it in a very specific way, which can be very frustrating. I remember one example where there was a hole in the floor, and a large plank of wood next to the hole. If you click on the wood plank your character won't put the plank over the hole. You have to click on the hole itself first THEN she’ll move the wood plank. Just silly sequencing things like that that. I found the presentation of the HD collection to overall be pretty good. The one thing that was terrible was the notifications for certain bonus content being unlocked in the game which would get slapped over your gameplay and it was very distracting.
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31. The Pedestrian || PlayStation 5 || 05.21.2025
(https://i.imgur.com/9fYQ0gP.jpeg) (https://i.imgur.com/JAhaWrN.jpeg)
For about a year, The Pedestrian has been a game I've considered playing without knowing much about it. I just so happened to recently watch a video discussing city design themes within games—more specifically, the implementation of certain musical styles—which highlighted this particular game, so I felt more inclined to go ahead and play it afterward.
As a puzzle-platformer, The Pedestrian places a stronger emphasis on its puzzle elements, whereas its platforming largely serves as a means of stage progression that's typically only performed once the puzzle has actually been solved. Controlling a stick person taken straight from pedestrian signage, you as the player-character move from one real-world environment to the next upon constructing a path of signs, which there is only one possible answer in order to traverse forward. While not overtly clear in its instruction, environmental clues exist which serve as a non-obtrusive means to explain how the game is played alongside teaching how new mechanics operate as they're periodically introduced. Over the course of the game, players never know what the end objective to our exploring is beyond simply moving forward and progressing through puzzles. Regardless, the player-character explores all throughout the expansive city environment including city streets, subway systems, apartment buildings, and so forth.
At the game's simplest, players must navigate through a sequence of paths which will, eventually, progress the game from one screen to the next. However, it becomes progressively more complicated to achieve this as additional puzzle mechanics are introduced. Across all puzzles, the foundation of puzzles is that each screen is comprised of multiple in-game rooms represented by individual signs which can be linked together in numerous ways, though only one that's correct. Ladders and locked doors are some of the first mechanics introduced, though eventually lifts, switches, and other general roadblocks are too. At the same time, these individual rooms may be selected and moved around which is required for them to properly connect. So, players must also consider the placement of each room, and there will be certain puzzles first seen around the middle of the game which require the positioning the rooms to be altered numerous times. Generally, the cannot become unlinked once linked or else a fail state is triggered which resets progress, though this rule will, toward the end, be adjusted once new stage elements are presented. In some ways, I thought that the automatic fail state was annoying, and especially so in the game's beginning sections where puzzles incorporate fewer moving parts, but it's a design choice I ultimately resigned myself to thinking works best.
With each new area introduced, a new gameplay mechanic which allows the player to directly interact with the game's real-world environment does too. These sorts of effects include things like operate a subway train or controlling the power of electrical devices. The game's difficulty progresses fairly, although some puzzles randomly seem to have a sharp difficulty spike, though perhaps these were just instances that I couldn't comprehend what to do exactly even after prolonged attempts. Eventually, puzzle screens become more complex as they act like a central hub with branching paths. At these locations, players must move across several sub-screens in order to acquire items to help pass the main-screen objective. This sort of stage design allowed for each new mechanic to be explained more in-depth while also obviously expanding upon each area. Ultimately, I think this sort of approach worked well, as opposed to there just being a series of screens which the player must overcome one after another without any complexity. At no point does this open-ended level design require the player to take one part of a puzzle to apply it to another. Instead, each of these sub-screens serve as independent puzzles and can be solved in any order.
In the end, I found The Pedestrian to offer just enough challenge. I don't remember there being a single instance where the puzzle's solution seemed obvious, as I was regularly becoming acquainted with additional puzzle mechanics that overlap another which complicates stage progression. Puzzle-platformers are a genre I don't often finding myself playing often, so I felt accomplished after completing the game (almost) entirely without a guide.
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62. Vanark (PS1)
A long time ago, I remember someone saying that part of the reason the NES library was so good was because it had so many weird, obscure, and odd games released for it, in additional to all the classics like Super Mario Bros 3 and Contra of course. However, I would argue the PS1 was even more chock full of strange, obscure releases, as well as a ton of games that are now considered iconic classics. One of those strange games that I would even consider to be a borderline gem was 1999's Vanark. Vanark is essentially the PS1's answer to Star Fox 64 and Panzer Dragoon, with a very light dash of Resident Evil thrown in. Yeah, I told you this game was freakin strange!
Vanark is a rail shooter at its core, which means you'll be blasting through seven stages in your X-wing style ship, that is also modestly customizable with different weapon loud outs. Be warned, however, this customization system is far less deep and interesting than it sounds, and more or less you'll fair about the same no matter how you equip your ship before a mission. The same goes for the selectable pilots; they each have their own stats, but honestly picking one pilot over another seemed to do absolutely nothing compared to the others. Even the ship looks exactly the same with one exception in a single stage, but this is more of a scripted event rather than something that occurs because of what character you picked. The controls and combat in Vanark are actually surprisingly good. It's easy to steer your ship where you want and also to shoot down enemies too. I will say that some of the enemy balancing a game design is a little suspect, but for the most part this is a pretty competent rail shooter as far as the late 90s are concerned. There are a few stages that feel a bit too similar in my opinion, but things are mixed up enough between the stage designs and themes, as well as there being unique objective and gameplay experiences for certain stages. Bosses come in the form of mid level sub bosses and final bosses. I actually found most of the boss fights to be one of the weakest areas of Vanark's gameplay, but with a couple of exceptions, none of them are really annoying to fight and are decent for what they are. Before moving into Vanark's visual and auditory presentation, I can't not mention the "Resident Evil" influences of this game. While you're not going to find zombies lurking in rooms or hunting down keys that look like figurines or anything like that, there is a mothership where you'll interact with the other characters and where the story is mostly fleshed out between missions. While there isn't a ton to look at, you'll be exploring the mothership with third person tank controls seemingly ripped out of RE. Albeit, the devs of Vanark somehow made the tank controls in this game even trickier to control, but the mothership portions are so brief and fairly inconsequential to the game that it isn't too much of a hassle to get around during these parts. A will say, these mothership story exposition and exploration parts do more to harm the game than help it, mostly with how they really kill the pacing of the game despite how interesting the whole third person on foot hub portions are as a concept in a game like this.
The visuals of Vanark are actually pretty good for a PS1 game. By no means if Vanark as visually captivating or good on an artistic level as Star Fox 64 or any of the Panzer Dragoon games, but it still holds up particularly well for a game from this era. There are some genuinely memorable and interesting stages, and some of the bosses were pretty cool too (some were also pretty lame as well). There is a lack of variety when it comes to some of the enemies and the first two levels in particular feel fairly similar, which is a bummer. Visual effects and attacks are pretty good for the most part. Certain ships will show of some fairly cool destruction animations when destroyed by your various weapons. The mother ship hub sections are probably the weakest looking parts of the game, with characters looking fairly bland and generic against mostly bland fixed backgrounds. There are a surprising amount of cutscenes in this game, which definitely add to the visual charm of this game and give it an almost movie like quality. Unfortunately if Vanark were a movie it wouldn't be very good given how bad and confusing its writing it, but luckily that's not why you'll be playing or enjoying this game.
The music in Vanark is pretty good for the most part. The various tracks that play while you're on the mothership were the most enjoyable, with a few of the stage songs being good, but not as well. Unfortunately, the audio design of Vanark isn't the best as the sound of your weapons being fired will often drown out the OST playing in each stage. Vanark is also a game that would have benefited from voice actors, however given the budget feel this game has, I doubt that was within the dev's means to afford. But even some crappy, non-professional voice acting would have gone a lot further than none at all. I definitely think it would have gone a long way to improve the buzz kill the mother ship hub sections are in this game.
While I found my copy of Vanark many years ago for real cheap, it's hard for me to recommend this game for anywhere close to its current going rate (around $150). While Vanark is a decent 5th gen rail shooter that does a lot of things right and has some very interesting ideas, it is in no way as good as almost all of its rail shooters contemporaries. Star Fox 64 can be bought for nearly a fifth what Vanark goes for and is way, way more enjoyable and well made. Outside a curiosity and being one of those odd ball games that almost never get made anymore, Vanark is definitely not worth paying over a hundred dollars for, however I will say it's still a decently fun game and certainly a unique one from one of my favorite eras of gaming. (5/23/25) [31/50]
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32. The Mr. Magic Rabbit Show || PC || 05.23.2025
(https://i.imgur.com/CqeDdz9.jpeg) (https://i.imgur.com/4OKjZbP.jpeg)
About a month ago, developers Rusty Lake celebrated the tenth anniversary for their series Cube Escape by releasing a free game titled The Mr. Magic Rabbit Show. I had thought about playing immediately after the game released but never did, but fortunately not that much time past before I eventually got to it.
As the title suggests, players are introduced to the titular Mr. Rabbit as he performs an array of magical acts and parlor tricks. The player's role throughout this is to control Mr. Rabbit with simple point-and-click actions as we figure out what exactly the specific act is and how to perform it, so each sequence is presented as its own puzzle. In time, each puzzle's complexity increases to a degree, though they're generally still fairly simple to solve. Still, I found two or three of these to be confusing upon not realizing what I'm being tasked to do. After glancing over a guide just now, these issues I had were definitely more a fault of my own skill in observance, as there are—and always is—just enough information given to allow the magic act to move forward.
Unexpectedly, the game changes direction entirely in a pleasing way. Instead of solving linear point-and-click puzzles to progress in-game events, gameplay now takes on a more exploratory escape-the-room type puzzle design, which is what Rusty Lake is known for foremost. While this sort of shift may seem quite out-of-place to some, it isn't though. Before publishing the game, Rusty Lake also published a supplemental short film to watch before properly playing. While it's not a required viewing, the video does help provide some fun context for the events unfolding. Because of the game being divided into two halves, the gameplay loop avoids becoming stale. In fact, there were several moments where it seems like the game is ending but doesn't. Its length—which is still ultimately short at being less than two hours long to complete—feels far longer than I was expecting for a free experience without overstaying its welcome.
Beyond the game's main puzzles, there are other aspects in the game's design I found successful. Though obviously optional to pursue, in-game achievements have considerable thought put into them as they're gained from discovering an array of little secrets to discover. When going through these secondary puzzles, I was far less interested in activating some corner-screen notification than in testing my skills at both puzzle-solving and being observant. Something else is that the game integrate real-world announcements for upcoming franchise news which is done well while retaining the tone and without breaking the gameplay loop. There is even an unlisted teaser trailer to find as a reward, meaning only those who solve a specific puzzle (or who are directly given the link from someone else who has) have the means to watch it. Also, as he was a major inspiration to the Cube Escape franchise, the game honors the late David Lynch in no less than separate ways.
Before playing, I wasn't aware of Cube Escape's tenth anniversary taking place, but that Rusty Lake rewarded their fans with a premium game at no cost was a total surprise. I've still not gone back to the Cube Escape series to finish off the two final games preceding The Mr. Rabbit Magic Show, but it's something I do think about from time to time. Even if you've not yet played any of the previous games, The Mr. Rabbit Magic Show isn't really a part of the main narrative and is very much its own project, so it's a good starting point for any who are interested in playing the series.
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Game 9 - Clock Tower Rewind (PS4)
Nice! So does that mean you played the game in its original version without the Rewind features? Do you think you'll ever play through the later entries?
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36. Mario Tennis [GBC] - finished May 25th, 2025
(https://imageshack.com/i/pnp0PvFnj)
Ranking a game like Mario Tennis for gameboy color is complex. It cant be directly ranked against say the last of us. It isn't a Louis Armstrong trumpet on a dark rainy sea scape near a new orleans villa. But the way I believe a game should be ranked is against its contemporaries. Against other sports game with rpg elements. And in that arena? It is pretty damn untouchable.
WHAT A GOOD GAME
Mario Tennis is an rpg. It plays like a top down pokemon game. Except more linear and instead of leveling up your pokemon. You level up your tennis player. You can opt to run solo or do duos with a partner. As you complete matches you advance up the ranks like real life.
Junior
Senior
Varsity
Traveling Team
Island Open
The games actually really long as well. Each match is best of 5 sets. With 6 game wins to win a set. So you gotta win upwards of 20 games to even finish an individual match. However the game never feels repetitive. It has an addictive like candy quality.
The first time I ever played this game I knew I had to own it physical. Its such an excellent gameboy color game.
The visuals and sprites pop. The soundtrack is enormous and varied. And for a pocket sized game from the 90s. The game is really really perfect. Movements are pinpoint even on digital. Resemble a ninja with each raquet swing. The game is a staple that is highly good to try. It has a good difficulty curve. And lots of power ups to play with.
Mario Tennis is the best tennis game ive ever played so far
Rating - 97.5/100
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Game 9 - Clock Tower Rewind (PS4)
Nice! So does that mean you played the game in its original version without the Rewind features? Do you think you'll ever play through the later entries?
Yes I played the original version I don't really know the differences between the two. xD I would love to try out the other games if they weren't so expensive :(
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37. Lunar: Silver Star Story
The first game in the Lunar Remastered collection has been completed. I'm still bitter about a random, silly, highly missable change that the developers implemented AT THE VERY START of the game that caused me to miss two -TWO!!!- bromides, but since I was playing on Switch/a non-trophy console, I'll let it slide. I guess that's what I get for following the old Working Designs guide from back in the day. Speaking of, a good chunk of that translation was kept in this version. The jokes rarely landed (one of the enemies was called Nipple Yanker) but the serious moments still held up. Really, it was the characters and their interactions that made me fall in love with them all over again. Even Alex, one of the more dull MCs, seemed to have more to say this go-around. Mia, Jessica, Kyle, Nash and Nall all kept the dialogue flowing naturally. Two very important changes that really made this a smooth playthrough were better item management and the ability to speed up battles. Thanks to that second feature, training for the final battles was much more streamlined. And as a result, a lot more fun. So yeah - good times with this one. It'll be a while before I do the new version of Lunar 2 since I finished it a few years ago on the PlayStation.
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I'm still marching forward towards 100 games beat by the end of the year. With summer around the corner, I have several games in mind that I really want to try and play before the fall. Some of these games are more summery in nature (I guess), but overall I just want to make sure I play and beat the following games before the beginning of September. Here is my current list of summer time games I plan on beating.
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Donkey Kong 64
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
- Halo 2
I definitely plan on playing more than just those four games, but those are the ones that if nothing else, I definitely want to make sure I've beat them before summer's end.
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38. Guilty Gear Strive - Ky Kiske
I might have been spoiled by Slayer's absolute brutality. Ky is fun, and has a good projectile game, but his attacks don't have that oomph of the vampire dandy. On the other hand, I keep seeing chatter about Slayer being "broken" so maybe that's something to consider. Anyways! Another playthrough down. It was fun. I've always liked Ky and his arsenal of lightning abilities.
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I'm still marching forward towards 100 games beat by the end of the year. With summer around the corner, I have several games in mind that I really want to try and play before the fall. Some of these games are more summery in nature (I guess), but overall I just want to make sure I play and beat the following games before the beginning of September. Here is my current list of summer time games I plan on beating.
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Donkey Kong 64
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
- Halo 2
I definitely plan on playing more than just those four games, but those are the ones that if nothing else, I definitely want to make sure I've beat them before summer's end.
Enjoy the 2 N64-titles, they're absolutely awesome, Zelda in particular. 8)
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37. Until Dawn [PS4] - Finished May 28th, 2025
(https://imageshack.com/i/pouQGVzHj)
Until dawn is a 2014 Psychological horror sorta interactive (choices define your story) game by supermassive games. And it's iconic. Iconic enough for bad movie spinoffs. Thats when you know you're big league kid lol.
I enjoyed my time with Until Dawn heavily.
MANY WAYS TO PLAY
My favorite part about Until Dawn is that the game 100 percent hits a home run in the choices actually effecting the plot. In most games of this format. It only gives the illusion of choices mattering. Like no matter what you do the same endings happen. Well not until dawn. If you mess up. And offend someone. Kill something. Hit the wrong button. Heck even if you move your ps4 controller the wrong way. Ya get humbled lol. And its not always etched out when and how plot will bend or alter. You just done goofed which led to consequences and the game forces you into tight situations. At first I disliked this games relying so heavily on QTE (quick time events) but I now love it. Because as you play. The QTEs begin to make you feel panicked. Overwhelmed. Annoyed. Not knowing where to go. Or what to do. As a timer ticks down. And it wasnt until I got half way or so. I realized. That is making me feel very immersed and helpless. It all makes you feel in control and out of control at the same time.
My favorite characters are Emily and Mike. In fairness the 4 girls are all for whatever reason brave and epic in this game. While the guys suffer outside of Mike who is our lone badass amongst the guys lol. But boy he makes up for it. The characters are believable. One of my favorite trophy titles come from this game. Called "the 4 daughters of darkness" super sick. The atmosphere is rad. We also got some heavy hitters in our plot casting.
Rami Malek who is the star of bohemian rhapsody plays Josh. In VA and looks. Hayden Panitierre who is known from a lot but mostly Scream movies is in this. Shes an exceptional actress who plays Sam. And the VAs as far as I can tell just crush it. Its an oscar worthy line up.
The game feels soaked in dread and claustophobia. And the story is full of twists and turns.
(https://imageshack.com/i/po9cFoqlj)
My only gripes of the game are sometimes it feels like the fate of characters or plot is out of the players hands. Like if you move left something major happens. Imagine if you open a jar of mayo in your fridge and a neighbor dies 2 weeks later becase you did. How were you supposed to know? Lol. I also find the games darkness to be awesome for the scares. But not so well for exploring or finding your way. I got lost a few times and thats in a fairly linear game.
SCARED ME
While Resident Evil 2 is the scariest game ive played off sheer fear of being watched and pursued. This game is close. Because its a master at its shock and horror. It got me a few times. Spooked me. Made me unsettled. Its definitely caught me and made me let out an audible "oh my god [explitive]* a few times at night. 2am with the lights off. Its calm and unassuming until it isnt.
Overall I loved Until Dawn. Its mechanics arent as clean ss life is strange. But it has like 100 possible endings. The dualshock 4 is used motion wise sometimes. QTE is golden and its graphics are ridiculously aging well. It looks like a 2023 game. It's so varied that its engaging.
Rating - 90/100
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I'm still marching forward towards 100 games beat by the end of the year. With summer around the corner, I have several games in mind that I really want to try and play before the fall. Some of these games are more summery in nature (I guess), but overall I just want to make sure I play and beat the following games before the beginning of September. Here is my current list of summer time games I plan on beating.
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Donkey Kong 64
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
- Halo 2
I definitely plan on playing more than just those four games, but those are the ones that if nothing else, I definitely want to make sure I've beat them before summer's end.
Enjoy the 2 N64-titles, they're absolutely awesome, Zelda in particular. 8)
Thanks, but I've actually beat OoT from start to finish probably a dozen times already, and I've played through most of DK64, albeit that was nearly 25 years ago. OoT is one of my favorite games of all time, but sadly I haven't beat it since 2018. I decided this summer was a good time to do something about that and beat it again. I'm really looking forward to replying DK64 as well.
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Game 10 - Pokémon Legends: Arceus (Switch) - 22 Hours
As far as Pokémon games go on the Switch, I think this one is easily hands down the best version available. And to be honest, there are many reasons why this might be one of the best Pokémon games ever. I haven’t had this much fun with Pokémon for a long time. Even in the wake of Scarlet and Violet I feel like legends does the open world design better because the visuals are more stylized and interesting, and the gameplay better suits the open world design not only with exploration but also using the environment to help you catch Pokémon through crafting and hunting. I really liked Jubilife village as a hub world just a nice main area with tons of atmosphere and things to do - really liked that part.
I was also shocked to see that this game probably has one of the best stories in the series (even though it still isn't anything special). You at least have some really interesting political relationships between three different groups of people who are trying to survive on a new island and because it's a brand new world the main goal is to complete the first Pokédex which really makes you motivated to actually catch Pokémon. Not only that each Pokémon have unique challenges that encourage you to play in different ways to fill in their respective slots in the Pokédex. The game isn't as focused on trainer battles but it's because Pokémon as a concept hasn't really been taken on by the general public so it fits the theme of the story which I really liked. Throw in other activities like mini games side quests and a nice soundtrack make this game just overall a solid experience.
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33. Empty. || Browser || 05.26.2025
(https://i.imgur.com/IQqZQ6x.jpeg) (https://i.imgur.com/VoiNjI6.jpeg)
Looking for a short gaming experience, I decided to play the game Empty. I really have no recollection about how I came across this game, but it's probably been a part of my games to try list on itch.io for around eight years.
As a puzzle game, Empty. emphasizes the principle of minimalism while tasking players to empty out rooms and other kinds of spaces, one item at a time. Rooms are divided into stages and exist individually within a void separated from anything else. They're small in design without much clutter in them but still with items worth relinquishing, and navigating through each room from a third-person outer perspective is simple to accomplish. How removing items is achieved is by targeting specific items—usually in a specific order by the puzzle's design—and aligning their color to the same color of the wall's background. Examining the room's 3D space by controlling perspective is the majority of problem-solving, as there is usually (perhaps always) just one right alignment to identify to progress forward. If at any point other items overlap the one you're actively trying to remove, players will either need to find some other angle or to adjust the removal order of items.
In concept, gameplay is simple and largely remains that way. Past the game's halfway point, an additional small conditional element is silently introduced that attributes an underlying color items. So, once items are removed, instead of it and the background wall disappearing, the wall will instead take on the item's underlying color attribute. Since stages are small, there are only so many walls, so I think this mechanic was added so that all items actually have the means to disappear. As a result, this new color-changing element actually diminishes some degree of problem-solving difficulty as there is usually a clear path to follow regading the order of items to remove. Were this mechanic designed in a way to increase difficulty, I think it would have benefitted the game, as the gameplay loop does become stale across its 24 stages.
However, this is not to suggest that the entire gameplay experience during Empty. is easy, as it's not. Between the final two levels specifically, I eventually ran into the issue of not being able to progress forward. It seemed that nothing I was doing was working, and I was stuck for at least twenty minutes. I even restarted the stage in the hopes of some bug auto-correcting itself, but that didn't work as I later learned there was no bug. I eventually referenced a walkthrough video, and it turns out that there is a major difficulty spike. For only two or three items specific to these two final stages, they must be aligned in a near pixel-perfect way in order for them to disappear. Since this is a small indie game, I'm really not sure if this is intentinal or not, but it's an issue I saw many others complaining about in comments, and it greatly impacted the overall experience in a negative way. I'll also note here that there is a hint system seemingly present to use, but it does not seem to function.
Beyond gameplay, the game's message is reflecting in a minimalist art style. Simple shapes and colors are presented without finer details, and it all appears visually pleasing. Across the game's first half or so, stages and the items within them are overly simple, yet they eventually become more detailed with more specific shapes and patterns while still mostly maintaining solid colors. While the game's visuals are generally fine, I found the latter half's presentation to be more fun. At some point, color gradients are also utilized for background visuals, but I never saw the need for them and think they work against the game's clean display. To an extent, the patterns do this too, but there are also some visually agreeable uses.
Apart from stage design, there is almost always some sort of text passage relating to the concept of minimalism that appears which serves as a break between stages. However, I actually found these interruptions to be irritating. Having one or two to bookend the game's opening and closing stages would be fine, but there are just too many present. Their presence is made worse still as players can't simply advance through them but must interact with them in the same way as stages by rotating them so that they appear legible. Annoyingly, a block of text appears halfway through the game that even states how the passages themselves aren't important to the game's message. It becomes so apparent to then ask, why are they present at all?
Overall, I think that Empty. is fine. I think that a shorter, more refined experience would have been more successful than what was ultimately decided upon, as nothing new is really introduced that changes the gameplay loop at any point. Prior to playing, I wasn't expecting the game to last as long as it did, but I ended up spending about 90 minutes with it. In my opinion, play time probably should have been halved.
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63. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow (GBA)
My eventual goal is to play every Castlevania game ever made, at least the more mainstream released. Castlevania is one of those accliamed franchises that I am woefully behind on, having only beat a handful of entries in the series. For the next Castlevania I tackled, I referred to the infinite wisdom of the internet to recommend me a really good entry in the series I haven't played yet. Of course, Symphony of the Night was recommended constantly, but having beat that game already, I opted for what is commonly considered the second best game in the Castlevania series, Aria of Sorrow. While I was thoroughly impressed with Aria of Sorrow, I feel like some of the praise this game gets is a bit overblown, mostly due to the limitations of its platform.
Aria of Sorrow is absolutely an excellent game. As a metroidvania style entry in the series, you're given a huge map to explore at your leisure. Of course, you'll have to come back to certain portions of the map later on once you've obtained a specific ability to access it, but this formula is what really makes Aria of Sorrow and similar metrovania Castlevania games so good and addictive. Like Symphony of the Night, there are a ton of abilities you can obtain. As mentioned, some of these are used to progress through the castle, while others are used to boost stats, give you new secondary weapons, and some just have strange effects that can be useful in some situations. This is all coupled with an RPG-like leveling system that also leans on the use of items to boost stats. In a way, Aria of Sorrow and other early metroidvanias almost feel like 2D precursors to the Souls games. This is even more evident in the plethora of horrow themed enemies and bosses you'll encounter throughout the game. Pretty much everything from zombies, killer plants, spider women, harpies, demons, and just about everything else you can think of that would fit well into a horror movie are present in Aria of Sorrow. The bosses are all mostly larger than life and require different strategies and abilities to beat. All this culminated in an incredibly fun, rewarding, and just straight up addictive gameplay experience for the most part. However, there are absolutely annoyances and problems that I encountered despite the game being very well made overall.
For starters, the difficulty balancing is all over the place in the game. While I'd say the first third of the game has a progressive difficulty that straddles that line between being hard, but fun, the game sees a massive spike in difficulty once you reach the Death boss. However, this spike is only briefly present until you're given access to a series of items later on that are so OP'ed that I was taking out enemies and bosses that would have otherwise been way, way harder to defeat. As I quickly leveled after destroying them, I found myself so powerful that the rest of the game was a relative piece of cake. Keep in mind, this was at roughly the halfway mark in the game. Way more time and effort should have been spent on the difficulty balancing in this game in order to maintain that excellent difficulty/fun ratio that the game does a pretty good job at during the first third of Aria of Sorrow. My second biggest grievance is the fact that you'll be relying on healing items a fair bit during some of the more hectic sections of the game, however unless you're lucky enough to stumble upon them throughout the map, you'll mostly be relying on the game's lone shop to buy them with money you collect by smashing lanterns and killing enemies. This shop is located at the very beginning of the game and requires a decent amount of backtracking to get to. Even with the minor aid of teleportation rooms scattered throughout the game, it is alwasy a pain in the ass to have to go all the way back to the beginning of the map if you need to stock up on items or buy more powerful gear. There are plenty of save point rooms throughout the game. Hell, there are also quite a few empty rooms with new purpose in Aria of Sorrow. Why couldn't one of those just have been a shop room? It's just bad gameplay design and something I'm surprised was overlooked. Other than that, I could nitpick various small things that created minor annoyances during my time in Aria of Sorrow, but just know 90% of my issues with this game belonged to the two major faults mentioned above.
Aria of Sorrow's presentation is very impressive for a handheld. While this game could never look as good as Symphony of the Night given its hardware limitations on the GBA, it does a good enough job with what it has to deliver a game I seldom could fault from a visual standpoint. Perhaps my biggest issue with the visuals in how derivative many of the enemies and bosses are compared to other Castlevania games, especially Symphony of the Night. I would have definitely liked to see some more originality in that department, while also having some of those series staples that most entries possess. I get that his is the same Dracula's castle from many of the previous games either, but I would have also liked to see it get more of a makeover too seeing how some of the sections of the castle were ripped from Symphony of the Night, albeit with a different layout, different enemies, and slightly altered visuals. And while it's not necessarily the fault of the game given the limited hardware capabilities of the GBA, but the map and overall game just felt a lot more basic, shallow, and shorter than it did in Symphony of the Night. For what it is though, I have little to complain about in Aria of Sorrow from a visual presentation perspective and absolutely loved what I was looking at most of the time.
Finally, the audio in Aria of Sorrow is pretty top notch when it comes to GBA OSTs. Again, limitations of the GBA are what primarily kept the game's audio from being amazing, but that's not to say it wasn't very good, because it absolutely is. The OST is catchy and well done as in most Castlevania games. Unfortunately, this games story and characters would have benefits from some sort of voice acting, if that were possible. Instead, dialogue is delivered through text boxes which just don't have the same punch as a well implemented voice acting cast. Once again, I'm going to compare this to Symphony of the Night which did have voice acting. Even though the dialogue was hammy and not always done well, the original english dib of Symphony of the Night has become the stuff of legends and the game's overall charm would have suffered without it, as it does in Aria of Sorrow.
Before I get to my closing thoughts of Aria of Sorrow, I'm well aware that I've mentioned Symphony of the Night in this review a ton of times, probably to some people's annoyance. Seeing how Symphony of the Night cane out 7-years before this game and set the standard for all metroidvania games in the series that followed, its the benchmark I use for determining how good the other games are. Symphony of the Night is one of my favorite games of all time so the other Castlevania games get to reaching its greatness, the better the game is. Aria of Sorrow falls noticeably short of Symphony of the Night in nearly every conceivable way, with the main factor for this being the system it was developed for. Had Aria of Sorrow been developed for the PS2 or Gamecube, I have no doubt that it would have given Symphony of the Night way more of a run for its money. Instead, Aria of Sorrow is an impressive handheld game and one of the best on the GBA. Even with the limitations of the GBA, Aria of Sorrow still stands as one of the best Castlevania games I've played, second only to...you guessed it, and also possibly Lords of Shadow, but I haven't played that game in nearly 15 years so I'll hold off on that comparison for now. I'm really excited about playing the other games in the series, especially the other metroidvania games to see how they stack up against Aria of Sorrow, especially the other GBA and DS games. Perhaps Aria of Sorrow will become my new gold standard for the handheld metroidvania games. It certainly was good enough to potentially be that for me. (5/29/25) [41/50]
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Completed
1. Wii Play [Wii]
2. Batman: The Brave and the Bold [Wii]
3. NiGHTS: Journey to Dreams [Wii]
4. Wii Play Motion [Wii]
Currently playing
Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Reload [Wii]
Abandoned
1. New Super Mario Brothers WiiU
2. Nintendoland
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34. OlliOlli || PlayStation Vita || 05.30.2025
(https://i.imgur.com/huopTLC.jpeg) (https://i.imgur.com/PMCmIGO.jpeg)
After playing through OlliOlli World last year and greatly enjoying my time with it, I was definitely interested in trying out the earlier entries in the series. Fortunately, the first game OlliOlli has been a part of my digital library for around a decade.
In just a few words, OlliOlli can be described as a simple 2D skateboarding game which tasks the player to reach the end goal as their main objective. Doing so grants access from the current stage to the next, though accomplishing this task may prove to be more difficult to accomplish than one was initially led to believe. The reason for this is that, should players fail to stick the landing upon navigating the game's 2D platforming at any point, they instantly fail and must try again from the stage start. Stages are fairly short leading there to be no checkpoint system, and players have the means to perform grinds, spins, and flips to continue pushing forward. There are two sets of stages too which are each further sub-divided by locales: amateur levels and pro levels, with the latter being unlocked through player accomplishments. And, while there is no reward in the traditional sense in progressing through the game aside from unlocking new and more difficult stages to overcome, this is the game's main attraction which I'll discuss further below.
As a 2D game, OlliOlli both simplifies and intensifies player controls with its limited perspective. Of course, players have no control over the auto-scrolling horizontal plane, but they are fully in control of movement. One the left analog stick controls player movement and tricks performed, the right side counterbalances every action as the action button must be pressed in a timely manner to successfully complete any decision the player makes. During my early play sessions, I found myself struggling some to find the right timing, but I eventually became quite comfortable with it and was almost always able to perfectly perform tricks and landings. It's worth noting that completed actions are not just graded as pass and fail either, as other grades between these two states exist. The game takes on arcade qualities by enticing players to achieve higher and higher scores, so players are obviously incentivized to perform the best they can rather than not, instead of just moving from start to finish.
Alongside players working toward unlocking new stages, in-stage objectives serve as the game's real challenge and the bulk of time players will spend with OlliOlli. Across the game's fifty stages, five optional objectives are presented to players which greatly tests their skill, observation, timing, and understanding of momentum. Some are simple enough to execute with enough effort such as reaching a certain score total, but others are more creative, including ones which force players to adjust their play style or to seek out optional paths among the game's limited use of verticality. For a while, I found myself struggling to complete stages even when knowing that these challenges were optional, but completing these challenges feels extremely accomplishing. In time, though, I pivoted to separating the more difficult ones from the others. Usually, this meant isolating objective-specific objectives from score-conditional ones, and this generally made fully clearing stages easier.
Of course, these challenges add a lot of play value to the game. Without them, there is little else to do beyond clearing the relatively short stages which don't really require that much skill once becoming comfortable with the controls and playing conservatively. So, I worked toward completing all 250 of them, and I was able to which is when I considered the game completed. However, there one final thing that unlocks once this condition is met which is Rad Mode. While Rad Mode doesn't introduce any new stages or challenges, it instead sets an extremely difficult hurdle to overcome. With this mode toggled on, players are now presented the challenge of clearing every stage perfectly. If the timing of landing on the ground or a rail is off even a little, players will automatically faceplant and fail. I wasn't initially interested in playing this mode, but I did try it out of curiosity. And, just like with the challenges, Rad Mode offers an entirely new layer of depth to the game. It's a huge bonus for the game's most avid players that I enjoyed too, but I didn't want to invest any more time into it for the time being.
While it may seem simple, OlliOlli presents a considerable challenge when trying to clear all of its objectives. It's an easy pick-up-and-play type of game, though it's difficult to put down once starting which is a testament to how fun it is. I know that, eventually, I'll be playing its sequel, and I'm left waiting with some anticipation.
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39. Guilty Gear Strive - Testament
Just in time for Pride Month, I finished the game again with Testament, who has been characterized as they/them. And I think I finally found my footing. This was my favorite run through in the arcade mode. I figured out some good combos, learned some new ones afterwards, and had a lot of fun. I might go through the game again with Bridgette just to keep with the spirit of the month, but dare I say that I finally found my new main with Testament? I'll mess around some more later in the training mode to officially confirm.
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4. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Booster Course Pass (DLC) [Nintendo Switch]
I always struggle a bit with when DLC is substantial enough to be considered a separate entry. After all, some DLCs are miniscule side things, while others are substantial enough to be entirely separate games. The Booster Course Pass for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which gets you all the DLC, essentially doubles the amount of content in the game though, and I think that's enough for it to get its own entry.
I recently subscribed to the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack, and that also nets you access to this DLC. I've now beaten all of the 12 additional Grand Prix on 200cc (the highest difficulty), all with at least a 1-star rank. I think that counts as beating it (plus, beating all of it got me a credits sequence, so there). What can I say? It's more Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which is a ton of fun. I really enjoyed the tracks, particularly of course my childhood favourites that returned like Waluigi Pinball and Wii Rainbow Road. Having new characters like Pauline is of course fun too. But it's literally just more Mario Kart 8. Mario Kart 8 is fantastic, and after not having played it for a while it was nice to return to it, but whether or not you'll like this is entirely dependent on how you feel about Mario Kart 8. If you like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe a lot though, and you want something to get you back into it, this DLC is well worth checking out.
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35. Super Mario Kart || Super Nintendo || 05.31.2025
(https://i.imgur.com/8NDsYIV.jpeg)
Despite not really being all that interested in the Mario Kart series, I enjoy playing the games on the rare occasion. I was totally unfamiliar with the game which started it all, so I decided to play through Super Mario Kart since it began the kart racer sub-genre altogether.
In short, players must compete against seven other racers in racing karts along a series of looping tracks which comprise a specific cup series. Obviously, the player's goal is to achieve the highest rank for each race, but it's actually not imperative to do so to actually win the cup. Instead, points are awarded to participants based on their ranking for each race. So, while finishing first in a race will naturally give the player a better opportunity to win the entire tournament, there is some room for error. Something that I think is specific to Super Mario Kart that was not carried over to later series entries is that players can actually lose the cup prematurely, and this coincides with player lives. If completing the final lap in fifth place or lower, players will not only be unable to collect points but also lose a life token and be given a chance to retry the race. Once all lives are depleted, though, the game over screen appears. This system actually benefits the player beyond the obvious effects should they be strategic too. If knowing that a certain rank placement must be secured to fully win the cup but it's not achievable, players can forfeit by purposely losing and being given the chance to try again.
Before beginning a tournament cup, players select their preferred driver and the level of difficulty they're wanting to play. I wasn't sure while playing since this information isn't present, but each driver has their own hidden stats which influence their driving performance such as top speed and handling. Something else I'm actually still unsure about that I'm questioning is if CPU opponents have predetermined skill levels based on the player-selected racer. I only began questioning this later on in my playthrough, as I always selected Princess Peach as my driver which seemingly resulted in Bowser always being my main competition for first place. Perhaps this was just an odd coincidence, though. Regardless, CPU racers do have a predetermined skill level to some degree—at least within a tournament cup to my knowledge. So, this means that there are those who will always lead or be toward the front and those who won't. This sort of behavior creates a lot more competition between the player and CPU, as the tournament becomes more like you versus one specific opponent. It's both a positive and negative aspect, though, since the remaining six racers have no significant importance. Also, I only played through the lowest difficulty setting that's 50CC. Despite some difficulty and frustration, I did manage to earn the gold trophy in each tournament on the first try, but I didn't feel compelled to play through 100CC. I didn't know this until afterward, but winning 100CC unlocks a fourth tournament cup and 150CC. Maybe I'll pursue that challenge in the future, but I feel content with my accomplishments as they are now.
While competing, there are two item types to collect: power items and coins. Scattered along the track, random items are collected upon driving over them to help secure the chance to win. How they operate is that item usefulness is determined by race placement. So, racers toward the front will tend to be distributed defensive items such as banana peels or even just coins, whereas those toward the back tend to be given offensive items like the star which grants temporary (momentary, really) invulnerability. Items are designed to be used at the player's disposal too, so there is some strategic element involved in their use. I didn't know this detail until just now, but not all items are available for players to use and instead exclusive to CPUs. I'm not sure why that is, but it's disappointing to find out since some items seem fun to use. However, there are also coins to collect which have far more importance than I was led to believe. When a certain amount of coins are held, a driver's maximum speed increases, so preserving them is one of the player's priorities. At the same time, coins also represent, in some form, each drivers' health. When colliding with other drivers, a coin is lost. This is generally not much of an issue, but colliding with other drivers without any coins results in being temporarily stunned and losing a significant amount of time. So, needless to say, evading other drivers altogether is important though can be difficult to manage if driving with a crowd.
As far as the game's track design, I found it to be fun and varied. They aren't all just your standard roadway, as notable tracks include a series of islands along a beach, lava-filled trenches, bumpy hillsides, and icy planes. The game's 2D presentation makes visibility sometimes difficult, though, as I found myself regularly colliding with and bouncing off of level geometry. Alongside the hazards which other racers may spawn, stages have their own obstacles to avoid too. At times, there are gaps to leap over by either timed bouncing or ramps, and speed boosts are sometimes present which activate upon being driven on. Meanwhile, the game screen provides other information beyond the driving action. There are actually two visual halves, with the lower half being a top-down view of the entire course which displays each driver's placement plotted on the map. The amount of coins and item currently held alongside the total amount of player lives is also shown, which I found to be much more useful than the map. I was only ever concerned with maintaining or reaching first place—it didn't matter to me where others were since there is little influence over that factor.
It's interesting to see just how far the Mario Kart series has come in the thirty-odd years since it began. The core gameplay has not really evolved at all, so this early entry is still fun. I still haven't played its two-player mode, but I'm wanting to.
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4. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Booster Course Pass (DLC) [Nintendo Switch]
I always struggle a bit with when DLC is substantial enough to be considered a separate entry.
I mean, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe itself is already a re-release of a game, only it included the previously paid DLC as part of the base experience. It's a little surprising just how long and how much Nintendo was able to profit from this one specific entry.
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38. Goat Simulator 3 [PS5] - Finished June 6th, 2025
(https://imageshack.com/i/pnMGxrg0j)
THE JOKE BECOMES THE CONTENDER
Goat Simulator 1 was a larf I enjoyed back when everyone was poking at its antics. Everyone from Angry video game nerd to PewDiePie to probably Queen Elizabeth II picked up a paddle. Laughed at it for a few hours. And never picked it up again. It was great at what it was though. Which is not taking itself too seriously. With most games wonky physics and terrible texture glitching are bad. The goat simulator franchise embraces these and makes them work for it. To its benefit instead of to its detriment. But that was goat simulator 1. Goat simulator 1 had quest like missions yes. But goat simulator 3? Hes a bit special...
Goat simulator 3 is a full fledged plot driven collectathon. You play as the goat. Which has a name now but I forget it. I'll name him Tom Brady for obvious reasons. The goat is zanier than ever. Theirs emotes. Countless costumes. Hilarious automobiles to drive. And frankly? The game is far too good for what it is. It like has no business being this much mindless fun. I love finding new things to exploit. I love just plunging a goat into a whales mouth and headbutting its uvula to escape. I like licking an albino rhinoceros. I like fireworks, nukes, ikea, glitter and being an eggplant colored banana that rides a jetpack to a giant golden dinosaur that craps crude oil. Fossil fuel? Get it. I just got that omg lol. This game is GOLD!! Its just made to make folks laugh.
But what seperates goat sim 3 from 1 (never played 2) is that now theirs a general purpose for the madness. Now you do all this insanity to level up your goat castle. Which is fun. And drives the adventure. Without it. Goat sim 1 felt like a plug and play pc joke that was made for youtube algorithm. Now it feels like a game. Made for gamers to beat... and it even has a final boss. It has elements of challenge. Creative. And so much more memorable. Its given me lots to ponder. See. And is worth its price tag 10x over id say.
You get main event quests. Challenges. Trinkets. Collectibles. Fur and skins. You can now play as other animals such as rhino which is referred to as "angry goat" I guess if.you put it that way. It kinda is. It really is.
Goat Simulator 3 is funny in namesake. Because its sooo unlike the other simulator games. With farming simulator. You dully plow grains. Buy equipment. You really farm. This game? Its more cooky than any other semi serious game. Its not a sim at all. Its a wacky explosion of lsd fueled ideas. And I reccomend it to anyone. It truly humbles the soul.
Rating - 91/100
Hours to beat - 9
Difficulty - C-
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36. Sasquatchers || Playdate || 06.06.2025
(https://i.imgur.com/ba7kdJK.jpeg)
Slowly, I'm continuing to play through and complete as many of the included games which were bundled with the Playdate, with Sasquatchers being the next title. I haven't played a grid-based strategy game with this level of movable freedom in around a decade, so I was curious what this game would be like.
Despite Sasquatchers being a grid-based strategy game, it is a lot different than the overwhelming majority of other titles within the genre. Instead of typical turn-based combat encounters, the goal is to explore forested grounds in the pursuit of documenting wandering cryptids for social media and monetary gains. In other words, the creatures you're searching for are ones like the rumored and elusive sasquatch and chupacabra. So, the player's broad goal is to earn the highest number of views, likes, and subscriber gains by capturing quality photos. There are bonuses to earn for strategic shots such as multiple subjects being in frame and a subject being documented for the first time, but, simultaneously, there are deductions for reasons like subjects blinking, being obscured, or with a dazed condition. Certainly, the game's premise is unique which helps it stand out. As for who players control, they are a team of "fame-seeking scientist-influencers" who are, predictably, insufferable to varying degrees, though fortunately there is not much dialogue to read. They each have unique skill sets such as being able to take selfies, to lure cryptids to you instead of moving aimlessly, or to use drones to help survey far-off places.
Naturally, your party is focused on discovering cryptids who, like yourself, roam the darkness once per turn. Some of these creatures are docile yet can be provoked, whereas others seem to be aggressive by default. When in this state of aggression, they will attack crew members who can become knocked out or have their equipment damaged, thus rendering them useless or temporarily incapacitated. Additionally, some cryptids simply behave like the animals they are in ways like emitting gross odors which stun nearby party members. Moving back to the crew van or to discoverable camp sites will help replenish any status effects or health lost, and there really isn't any repercussion or even fail chance for utilizing these resources. One appreciated battle possibility is that, randomly, nearby enemies may attack crew members while trying to capture their photo. This results in either a lost turn or even equipment being broken. Unfortunately, though, this aspect disregards strategy or skill entirely, as these occurrences can't be avoided. So, it just makes completing the immediate goal longer.
Nevertheless, beyond the overarching shared goal amongst crew members, each stage has numerous missions to clear. These missions will either comprise of earning a certain dollar amount through photos per cryptid or by simply documenting each cryptid once. At first, I was irritated that each objectives cannot be grouped together with the game instead ending each mission immediately once its goal as been cleared, but I realized that some of the later game segments would become annoyingly long if numerous objectives were grouped together. With how the game flow is designed, neither scenario is strong and would benefit from strengthening the general gameplay loop. Across each mission, players will likely be performing the same basic actions while reacting to the same each turn consequences, meaning there is little variety to gameplay with diminishing returns from the game's proposed strategy roots.
Once each of the game's sixteen missions are completed, there is no incentive to continue playing which perhaps should be expected. Since missions are simple to accomplish—though there are inconveniences which obviously increase time spent playing—there is little satisfaction toward progressing through the game's campaign. Had there been greater consequences and more depth to the game's action system, revisiting the game could potentially be a worthwhile thing to do. This is especially true since there are actually two unlockable party members with unique skill sets which could allow for players to act methodically, though I actually never even used either of them since the game never really increased in difficulty at any point or proposed any reason for me to try out anything new. Nevertheless, there are five total crew members and five cryptid varieties, which is fine for a game of this scope. It's easy to accrue excess money, and I was able to purchase everything that's available before the game's midpoint which largely makes any additional funds gained useless within the context of gameplay purposes. Managing resources or equipment which could be purchased to compensate for an increased game difficulty could have been interesting to see.
While Sasquatchers is an interesting concept, it is ultimately a game that would have benefited from more development to elevate it to be a proper strategy game. From beginning to end, I relied on the same actions with the same party members, and it just felt like I was doing the same thing over and over again during my entire time playing. It's not necessarily a bad game, but I imagine many who played this weren't all that impressed.
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5. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (PS4) - ABANDONED
Full disclosure, I'm not the biggest RPG fan. Beyond the massive commitment they require to get through, I just don't have the patience for them like I used to. My ratio of finished to abandoned RPGs is slightly better when it comes to action RPGs, but it's still not great. Overall, I probably only complete 1 out of 5 RPGs I start, which is a shame because it used to be my favorite genre of games 25-years ago, but for reasons still not entirely clear to me, it's now one of the genres I have the hardest time with. In the case of The Witcher 3, my patience with it met its end over my struggles with the combat as well as me wanting to try out side quests and finding I was woefully outmatched in most of them. I barely struggled with the main quest up until I quit, but even just traversing the world made me feel like a baby rabbit surrounded by rapid, starving wolves. I just got so tired of dying over and over again when my only crime was wanting to explore more of the world, much of which I found fascinating. I also really struggled to get a hang of the combat, specifically the use of signs, exploiting enemy weaknesses, and various other things that have me feeling a bit pathetic, but after dying for probably the 20th time within just 5 or 6 hours in, I just sort of gave up and wanted to move onto something more up my ally. I will say that The Witcher 3's story, writing, and dialogue is incredible and is why I played as much of the game as I did before finally quitting. I actually do plan on giving this game another go someday, but for now I feel like I'm getting more annoyed with The Witcher 3 than I am having fun. Maybe the game just isn't for me, but I'll wait to make that determination for another time. For now, I'm shelving this game. (6/8/25) ABANDONED
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39. My Name is Mayo [PS4] - finished Jun 10th, 2025
(https://imageshack.com/i/poXDirs8j)
Thats collectively a half hour of my life that I will probably forever be able to locate in my brain as wasted lol... it was self inflicted however somewhere, somehow. Right before I ascend through the clouds living both a moment in a lifetime but a lifetime in a moment. The golden film reel playing in my head. I'll probably have long forgotten this game. But if I didn't. Id just deem wow... If only I had the 37 minutes I collectively wasted of this precious sentient upright walking mammal existence back. Id give up I am Mayo to hug my family again. And that??? Is a shame... never had a game make me this introspective about what really matters. Its so bad it makes you look within yourself as to why you subjected yourself to it. Part of me wants to make this satirical praise of it. I cant. It's just really a bore.
I understood going in that it was less than shovelware. But I somehow expected it to have more satire involved. Comedy. Making fun of itself. Nope.... I expected silly gameplay. Something tangible.
You tap a jar of mayonaise 10,000 times. Thats the game. You tap it.
If you're wondering roughly how long it takes to hit X on a ps5 controller 10,000 times. Roughly 5 times per second average. With maybe 1 break in the middle
About a half hour....
A test of patience. A condiment of favor. Truly a why moment of my completions this year. Luckily it was followed by something polar opposite, story rich and epic.
However it is mayonnaise. And it delivers on its promise of being mayonnaise. Which is somehow still better than Concord lol.
Rating - 27/100
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40. The Quarry [PS5] - Finished Jun 11th, 2025
(https://imageshack.com/i/pna5TFLaj)
STORY TELLING NIRVANA
The Quarry much like Until Dawn shares its mechanics, lineage and soul with its cousin. Both games were made by supermassive games although Until Dawn was under a wider sony studios and super massive sorta did Quarry more independently free from that umbrella. And tbh. In my opinion. The Quarry is 10x better. Which trust me. Until Dawn was fantastic. This game just got snug like a bug under the rug. The characters are rawly believable.
The Quarry is bleeding with 1980s horror tropes. Cabin by the lake (friday the 13th) camp councilor, crazy woman looking for her kid by the reiver (la llorona) it's basically old ghost stories meets a sorta wendigo werewolf monster hybrid meets sicko family cult. Meets EVERYTHING. This thing is a big juicy spook burger and we all can take a bite. But the fun thing is! It doesn't get overwhelming.
Instead of collecting totems. This time you collect tarot cards. Such a much more introspective thing. As tarot can provide insight in similar ways but also plays into the spooky circus level cookyness of the game. It is fun to find knowing the reveals they lead to. But you can also refuse the views into the future if you so choose.
Where Until Dawn had a wider plot of the sisters this game covers the hackett families mysteries. Which I wont share for spoiler sake. But the plot is deep as 7 layer bean dip. Its a glorious presentation.
ACTING CAST
(https://imageshack.com/i/poG5yD7Cj)
These voice actors and body motion performers are excellent. I mean who doesnt love Brenda Song? David Arquette? It covers every trope. Angsty. Confident. Frat extroverts. Emotional turmoil. Jealousy. Its basically every emotion a clan of teens can express exploding outwards onto the viewer. The game really rocks in how it presents characters.
When you place a player into a pov format where you choose dialogue branches. I feel it makes every life or death moment feel more impactful. Like the trolley problem brought to life. Do you risk the A to save the B.
I began to engage deeply like a movie franchise with characters. In particular Laura who is a absolute Claire from.resident evil 2 level BAD-ASS.
Like until dawn theirs dozens of ways the game can end. Which is neat. The decisions you make effect the story unlike with some telltale games where its linear at the end.
The graphics are phenomenal. The layout is neat. The setting is fun to me. And the podcasts you can play in the menu is a cute touch.
It touches on the occult. Its a horror fans dream. I personally think it lured me and kept me gripped in its talons all the way through. Barely put it down in 2 days :)
The QTE events are easier but more enjoyable than others imo. And this is by no means insulting until dawn. Just comparing two games in similar bloodline. Supermassive had no issue with this juggernaut. I hope we can see more epicness like this!
The dread, fear. It's palpable. And this game cinematically is my 3rd 100 of the year. What a great great game! One that sticks with you.
Rating - 100/100
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37. Samurai Shaver || Browser || 06.10.2025
(https://i.imgur.com/pkxCZBM.jpeg) (https://i.imgur.com/pTAkxBO.jpeg)
Out of curiosity, I wanted to see what kind of rhythm games were available on itch.io, and stumbled upon Samurai Shaver. I wasn't actually planning to play through the whole game despite its short length, but I found myself playing through it all.
Just as its name implies, the the sole objective of the game is to successfully shave samurais as they're brought before you along a conveyor belt to the center of the screen, one at a time and fully nude. However, it's not just their facial hair that's being shaved. Instead, hair needing shaved is in an assortment of places such as the face, chest, and legs. Patches of hair are randomly present, and the player—who I also assume is a samurai based on in-game art—must take calculated timed swings to remove it, which is executed by a simple button press. Of course, since Samurai Shaver is a rhythm game, music accompanies on-screen action. A falling line moves from each samurai's head to toe which telegraphs when timed swings need to be executed, and timing is naturally synced to the game's music. Before the line moves downward, lines indicating where the hair is appears in the rhythm needing to follow. I didn't think this added UI was helpful at first but saw its importance as the game progressed since numerous patches of hair may be grouped together to where it's difficult to know how many there are.
Inevitably, players will make a mistake while shaving which results in samurai being cut with their portrait changing to them screaming with some blood gushing. It's a funny transition. However, there isn't any penalty for either mis-shaving or missing hair altogether. Stages are short, so a simple score tally system is implemented instead based on how many samurai were fully shaved successfully. Surprisingly, but ultimately to the game's benefit, difficulty steadily increases with each stage. Toward the end, track tempo is considerably fast, and stage requirements reflect that with a faster-moving guiding line to follow and samurai having greater patches of hair to shave. I wasn't interested in perfecting the eight stages and only tried them each once, but the game's arcade-like quality definitely complements gameplay.
This was another game jam project developed which was developed in 72 hours, and it has a lot of quality. I didn't play the game's original version, though, as numerous updates have been published since its original submission. There is a lot of quality, and apparently it was well received within the event. Art is simple, but it's an illustrative style that has fun personality. Music is, naturally, the game's highlight and is well-written while combining traditional Japanese instruments such as the shamisen with some small inclusion of chiptune elements, which the latter brings a frantic level of energy and tension. On the accompanying Bandcamp page where the soundtrack is available to download, detailed estimates for how much time was spent composing each track is provided, which I found interesting from a development perspective.
On a whim, I decided to try out Samurai Shaver, and I was pleasantly surprised by this short project. Beyond the steadily increasing difficulty, there is not much depth to the game, though the developers easily accomplished their goal at developing a comical experience.
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40. Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II - Bad Ending
41. Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II - Good Ending/platinum
The Spirit Hunter series continues to do all the things I loved from the start. This time, it does it better thanks to a cleaner interface and easier navigation. I got the Bad Ending first just to get a trophy related to it. After getting the Good Ending, I got the platinum. Still, I after finishing the EX Chapter, I'm thinking I'll go through the steps to get the True Ending. The mysteries (which were chilling, gory, gruesome, horrific, and all of that lovely stuff) were mostly solved, but the case wasn't quite closed. I'll be getting a good ol' review ready for this game and I'm excited about it.
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42. Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II - True Ending
It didn't long to get this. I'm glad I did because it put a pretty, red ribbon on top of the good ending.