Messages

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2026!!!

« on: March 10, 2026, 07:57:34 am »

Game 5 – Pokémon: Emerald Rogue (Android) – 19 Hours

As Pokémon has progressed as a franchise, it’s gotten easier and easier. I think that’s why the Nuzlocke run became so popular, and I remember fondly spending a lot of time doing Nuzlocke runs about 15 years ago. If you like Pokémon Nuzlockes, then Emerald Rogue is the natural progression of that idea. It’s basically what it sounds like, a build of Pokémon Emerald but with changes to make it play like a roguelike, consisting of multiple “runs” through a random assortment of areas/routes from RSE, FR/LG and DPPt, including random Pokémon, events, and trainers. Each time you lose a run, get a little more support in the form of extra money, items, and a homebase that you can add buildings to which provides you with more resources to help you go a little further on your next run. As the name of the game suggests, I set my runs to a  “vanilla” build of Pokémon Emerald, but you can also set it to include Pokémon from Generation 1-9 if you want, with the physical/special split and modern items/conveniences. I also added some additional rules, including 1) I could only bring one of each species with me from a given area, and 2) no items during trainer battles (although I did cave on that last challenge and used items against the final Champion).

There is so much depth to this game that I’m more inclined to say that it’s better you just try it out for yourself if you’re interested, but I’d highly recommend it.

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2026!!!

« on: March 05, 2026, 08:48:34 am »

Game 4: Subnautica: Below Zero (PS5) - 35 Hours - Platinum

Subnautica is one of my favorite games of all time, so I was itching to dive in (haha) and play this midquel before the sequel comes out later this year. I will say that this game, while still bringing it with the mixture of tense survival and delightful exploration and discovery with an amazing atmosphere, is a little lacking in other departments. First, the arctic setting feels a little superficial. Once you go underwater, the lush greenery and diverse aquatic life makes it feel like you're back in a tropical locale like the first game. No, the cold weather is really used for a new dry land segment, which while fine to traverse, doesn't really feel all that exciting compared to the underwater portion. I found that the story lacked the original tight focus like the first game. Your first mission is to find your sister, then the story takes kind of a 180 and instead you’re trying to resurrect an ancient alien – but neither of these plot points can match what the first game was able to do as a perfect mix between gameplay and story.

All of the minor annoyances from the first game were not changed in Below Zero which was also disappointing. Truthfully I didn’t find the monsters nearly as much as a nuisance as the first game so the lack of non-violent deterrents wasn’t that big of a deal this time around. However, I still don’t understand why you can’t have just a basic map that you can mark out places of interest or that shows places you’ve been to. You’re telling me I can make a nuclear power plant with a device the size of a hair dryer, but I can’t have a map??

If you put those things aside, Subnautica Below Zero still provides a great experience even if it’s a step down from the original.

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2026!!!

« on: January 25, 2026, 06:32:39 pm »

Game 3 - Klonoa: Door to Phantomile (PS5) - 3 Hours

A very pleasant, light platformer with a cute story and characters, solid gameplay, and some really nice music. The game has a really unique atmosphere with a mix of dreamy and unsettling music, characters and dreamy atmosphere that really contributes to the game's themes. I wish Klonoa's attack had a bit more range to it, but I found the challenge to be just the right level and it was fun to master the controls. Really not a whole lot more to say about this one. It's pretty short, and there isn't any replay value, but I did really enjoy my time with it.

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2026!!!

« on: January 25, 2026, 06:28:06 pm »

Game 2 - Coffee Talk (PS5) - 6 Hours

I made a point to purchase as many "cozy" games as possible with some birthday money last year and here's a review of the first one I've finished!

First, I think it's worth mentioning that Coffee Talk isn't really the most engaging from a gameplay perspective. It's mainly just reading text boxes and occasionally choosing ingredients to make coffee, tea and other drinks. If you're the person who likes deep and meaningful core gameplay, this won't be for you. But, if you like something that's very chill, and engrossing in a narrative and atmospheric way, this game is great. It's the little things that make the atmosphere special. The rain falling outside of the shop (although it rains every single day which is a little off). The movements of the characters, the music and sound effects, all of it blends together into a game that puts you into a zen.

I enjoyed the game the most when I limited myself to just one night in the coffee shop play session. If I tried to play multiple nights in a row it became less entertaining. I also found that for a game where the story is the main attraction, it actually wasn't that interesting. Some compelling threads here and there, but mostly superficial storytelling without a lot of pizazz that would really make it great. Part of the problem is the character you play as, the barista, who has no stake in any of the stories being told, which means as a player your investment in what's going on is significantly diminished.

Coffee Talk isn't a game for everyone, but I still enjoyed my time playing it. It's a kind of game that I don't really play that often, but I'm glad I gave it a shot.

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2026!!!

« on: January 19, 2026, 09:53:38 am »

Game 1 - Tactics Ogre: Reborn (Switch) - 48 Hours

What a great game to start off the new year with. I've always really enjoyed the Final Fantasy Tactics games but have never experienced the series that really started this whole genre. True to the back of the box, this is the "crown jewel" of the tactical RPG and definitely earns that title. The gameplay is simply divine and combined with great music, graphics, and atmosphere, make for a truly engrossing experience. The storyline is also really interesting in the sense that it has multiple branching paths that lead to a very complex and highly repayable narrative that extends into the postgame as well. I did a Chaos story on this playthrough but I wonder about the other paths and how that would play out, especially since elements of the story change depending on who you do/don't recruit to your team. In general, all of the systems on display in this game are highly polished and near-perfect.

There are a couple things that I wish could have been better, the main one being elements of the game's storytelling. Much like FFT, the story just kind of drops you in and expects you to know everything that's going on in the world, and it wasn't conveyed very well - there is so much to this world that would have been better received if I was eased in a little more gently - but right away the elements of different political and ideological factions, religions, historical events, races and much more is just all kind of dumped on you and it's very overwhelming. My other criticism is I didn't really see the need to change classes. Unlike FFT, changing classes gives you benefits because you can take skills you learned in one class to another class. That doesn't exist in this game, meaning that it's more advantageous to just stick with one class for a character which limits the experimentation you could to.

I finished this game wishing there was more for me to experience, but other than the GBA game this series remains kind of limited which is a shame, because it's excellent. I'm planning on revisiting FFTA, and playing through The Knight of Lodis someday too, because there's just something really special about this series to me!

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2025!!!

« on: January 01, 2026, 01:39:32 pm »

End of Year Stats

Total Number
Total games played: 43
Total games finished: 29
New /replayed: 31/12

Play Time
Longest time to beat a game: Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes (51 hours)
Shortest game beat: Astro's Playroom (3 hours)
Average to finish a game: 19 hours

Games Played per Platform
Switch: 11
Wii U: 1
GameCube: 2
SNES: 1
GBC: 1
DS: 1
PS5: 8
PS4: 8
PS3: 3
PS2: 4
PS1: 2


Genres
RPG: 10
Survival horror: 9
2D platformer: 4
3D platformer: 4
Adventure: 4
Action: 3
Action RPG: 2
Arcade: 1
Exercise: 1
Sports: 1
Tactical RPG: 1
Simulation: 1
FPS: 1

Developers
Konami: 8
Nintendo: 6
Square Enix: 3
Midboss: 2
All others: 24

Top 5 Best Games Finished in 2025
1. Pokémon Legends: Arceus
2. 2064: Read Only Memories
3. Silent Hill 3
4. Eiyduen Chronice: Hundred Heroes
5. Silent Hill f

Top 5 Worst Games Finished in 2025
1. Silent Hill Homecoming
2. Silent Hill Downpour
3. Dragon Quest IX
4. Read Only Memoires: Neurodiver
5. Bloodborne

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2026!!!

« on: December 31, 2025, 04:56:54 pm »

Games Finished in 2026
1. Tactics Ogre: Reborn (Switch)- 1.16
2. Coffee Talk (PS5) - 1.18
3. Klonoa: Door to Phantomile (PS5) - 1.25
4. Subnautica: Below Zero (PS5) - 2.12
5. Pokémon: Emerald Rogue (Android)  - 2.27


Additional Games Played in 2026 (endless or in-progress games are here)
Metaphor RE: Phantazio (PS5)
Goof Troop (SNES)
Monstrix: TCG Card Shop (PS5)
Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Switch)

Backlog - the priority games on my backlog anyway!
Silent Hill 2 (PS5 remake and PS2 original)
The Last Guardian (PS4)
Rain World (Switch)
Metaphor RE: Fantazio (PS5)
Resident Evil 5 (PS4)
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles (GC)
Tales of Arise (PS4)
Fitness Boxing 2: Rhythm and Exercise! (Switch)

Previous Lists
2015 List - 27 finished, + 10 played but not finished
2016 List - 32 finished, + 16 played but not finished
2017 List - 26 finished, + 13 played but not finished
2018 List - 23 finished, + 6 played but not finished
2019 List - 20 finished, + 9 played but not finished
2020 List - 45 finished, + 10 played but not finished
2021 List - 24 finished, + 15 played but not finished
2022 List - 18 finished, + 11 played but not finished
2023 List - 24 finished, + 16 played but not finished
2024 List - 24 finished, + 9 played but not finished
2025 List - 29 finished, + 14 played but not finished

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2025!!!

« on: December 21, 2025, 06:50:22 pm »

Game 29: Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated - 10 Hours

This might be my final game beat of the year! It's been fun going back to some of these nostalgic older games from my childhood. Just like with Ty the Tasmania Tiger, SS: BBB is a really fun romp that while definitely not as challenging as I remember, was still a very enjoyable platformer with great gameplay and fun level design. The sound and music was a little annoying, and the game has some general glitchiness and jankiness, but then again, so did the original. Nothing really else that I can say, still a fun game after all these years!

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General / Re: VGCollect 2025 Secret Santa!

« on: December 16, 2025, 01:57:57 pm »

After an incredibly busy week, I've finally been able to start catching up with things. I'm glad that there were some who were able to get together for a group meetup and unbox what was available at the time, and what's better is that everyone so far has enjoyed their gifts! In particular, I'm glad I gifted the Final Fantasy VIII soundtrack to kashell, which I'm sure will get much enjoyment whether it's on display or being played during a car ride.

And if I'm understanding some of the many rules to phonetic linguistics, then I think my username would be transcribed as /'da:bi/ or DAH-bee, with an extended vowel a sound.

But.... what did you get?? 

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2025!!!

« on: December 15, 2025, 04:14:10 pm »

Game 28: Pokemon Legends: Z-A (Switch) - 30 Hours

Pokémon Legends: Arceus was one of the best Pokemon games that I’ve played in recent memory. So despite all the negative press that has surrounded the newest game, Z-A, I was looking forward to giving this game a shot.

Right away there are some stark differences between the two. Taking place entirely in a major city, Z-A takes on a wholly unique vibe and feel that is distinct from pretty much every game I’ve played so far in the series. It’s a very enjoyable experience exploring the cityscapes (just like how fun exploring in Arceus), but now with more verticality in the form of tall buildings. I do wish the city had more things to do in it, however. This isn’t GTA by any stretch: there really isn’t anything new that’s brought to the table with the change of scenery. Side quests return from Arceus, but the available coffee, restaurants, and storefronts are just lifted from previous games. There’s a new platforming collectathon, but truly nothing is new from Arceus, which felt like a bit of wasted potential.

No, the biggest (and best) change from Arceus is the fully realized real-time battle system. Legends Arceus had this weird hybrid where catching Pokémon could occur in real time, but battles were still turn based. Now, everything is real-time, which creates a completely fresh take on Pokémon battles that feels fun and interesting. If you take anything away from this review, it’s that the battle system is great, and you really should try it out. The battle royale that’s a part of the main story is pretty fun to experience too. The return to Megas was very welcome, and felt like a really important gameplay element that I felt like I needed to master to be successful with the combat, unlike X/Y's story where they aren't really that impactful. And, I loved using the big Alpha Pokémon, they were really fun to have on my team. I used several.

The area where this game sags compared to Arceus is the story and it’s relationship to the new setting. The story of Arceus, as part of an origin story for the entire universe of Pokémon, was not only interesting and completely connected to what you would do in the game, as the unsettled world and vast landscapes in that game allowed for more organic exploration and combat that jived incredibly well with the story being told. In Z-A, these connections between story and world are far more tenuous with the move to a city environment. The main story plot (in my opinion) was pretty disappointing as a continuation of X/Y, and takes a very long time to not really tell much of a story at all.

When you really start to put this game’s setup under a microscope, a lot of things really don’t make sense regarding the exploration and battles in relation to the story/setting. Why would a city, in an effort to harmonize people and Pokémon, section off huge areas of the city as “mini-zoos” for wild animals, completely disregarding anybody who lives/does business there? And at night new random sections of the city get sectioned off again for city-sanctioned Pokémon battles in the streets. You’d think someone would complain about all of that chaos! And it’s not like there aren’t wild Pokémon outside of the zones too, so the catchable Pokémon aren’t consistently applied in the game. I think it’s clear that they tried to combine the gameplay of Legends Arceus within a city setting, but you can feel the two ideas clashing very hard in this game. That’s not to say it isn’t fun if you just adopt a massive scoop of suspension of disbelief.

A lot of the criticism of this game that I saw online is towards the game’s look and performance. Personally, that wasn’t something I really agreed with. If you really focus on the horizon line, you can see a lot of objects popping in, but as I was focused on what’s in front of me it wasn’t really that noticeable unless I was actively looking for it.  The smart usage of the city buildings keep the pop in minimally distracting. The also game runs incredibly smoothly even with a lot of activity.

If you’re someone who liked Legends: Arceus, then I think you’d enjoy Z-A. It does a few things differently: some for the better, some for the worse, but ultimately it’s still a really fun experience despite it’s shortcomings.

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General / Re: VGCollect 2025 Secret Santa!

« on: December 10, 2025, 09:26:07 pm »

Here's the link to our hangout this evening!

https://youtu.be/mUzqN6c5UJQ

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General / Re: VGCollect 2025 Secret Santa!

« on: December 10, 2025, 10:55:03 am »

Yes Dhaabi/Kashell are correct, I'll just send you the zoom info and you can join if you'd like!

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General / Re: VGCollect 2025 Secret Santa!

« on: December 09, 2025, 08:41:58 am »

I'm still down, regardless if my package is here or not.

Check your inbox! Just sent! 

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General / Re: VGCollect 2025 Secret Santa!

« on: December 08, 2025, 10:58:29 am »

Kashell and I will still be hanging out over Zoom to open our gifts and we'll record it and post to YouTube for anyone that's interested! If there are any last-minute attendees who would like to hang out just DM me and I'll send you the Zoom info

Reminder opening will be this Wednesday at 8 Eastern!

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General / Re: VGCollect 2025 Secret Santa!

« on: December 07, 2025, 07:48:19 am »

Mine is safely packed away waiting for just a few more days! Cartagia did you end up getting yours yet?