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1

General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2024!!!!!

« on: November 21, 2024, 08:25:24 pm »

26. Solatorobo: Red the Hunter

I've been curious about this game for a while. I'll be honest, that was in part just because it's one of the more rare and valuable DS games. I somehow managed to snag it complete in box for just 50 bucks though, and after that I of course had to play it too. And I'll be damned, I'm impressed. This game is fantastic!

Solatorobo is what I think I'd call an action RPG. First of all: its size and scope is legitimately impressive for the DS, with multiple large sculpted worlds, creative tricks for impressive animations, and multiple playstyles with decent depth. This is on par if not above some of the highest quality titles I've played on the system. The creators really put their all into it.

The game has a ton of variety. While the regular combat takes up a good part of the game, the quests are allover the place. You go from combat to doing other tasks with your robot to open-arena flying to flying on rails to walking around and talking to people. It switches up constantly, and impressively remains almost constantly engaging. The game is divided up into two campaigns, and while I admit I started to find the game a tad bit monotonous for a tiny bit towards the end of the first campaign, all throughout the second campaign especially I was totally hooked.

Combat is solid and good fun. You control your robot in 3D space, and use it to pick up and throw enemies. It's impressively unique, very smooth to control, and slamming enemies feels really good. I'll be honest though, especially in the first half of the game it's very largely a button masher. If you can mash A, you'll get through without ever breaking a sweat. At times the enemies are laughable. But in the second half of the game, it gets a lot more engaging, because your combat skills get expanded with extra options. It's genuinely satisfying and fun. It honestly makes me wish we had an expanded version of this combat system with more options at your disposal on a more powerful system, because what's here is unlike anything I've played before.

The characters and story are really good too. Especially in the second campaign, I was completely hooked. There's a surprising amount of lore and worldbuilding here, supported by strong characters and an engaging plot. It really draws you in. This world is captivating and speaks to your imagination. I will say there is a LOT of text and dialogue. It feels like you spend over half of your time reading. But with the solid writing and tight storytelling, I honestly didn't even mind. Never did I find a character annoying.

The game is not difficult at all. I got through most of the game completely ignoring the upgrades I could give my robot, and even towards the end I never really struggled. But low difficulty is not a bad thing at all if the game is engaging and fun, and this one definitely is.

If I had to criticise the game, I can think of three things. One, I don't like how they sometimes outright halt your progress and force you to complete sidequests before you can continue the story. It feels arbitrary, and while the sidequests are fun, they grind the plot to a halt. That could've been worked in a little better. I didn't love the music either, but that's no dealbreaker. The third thing though, there are two very brief moments in the game that really stuck out to me like a sore thumb, and I feel like I have to mention it (CW: inappropriate conduct. If you don't want to read this, skip to the next paragraph) (also spoilers). There's a main character who's hundreds of years old but is stated to look like a kid (yeah, they pull that trick). And while most of the game she's just treated as a good friend with at best completely sfw romantic undertones, there are two really out-of-nowhere scenes where, in a first person perspective, the protagonist opens a shower curtain and she's there, wrapped in a towel. It feels gross and inappropriate, and I have NO idea why it's there. I had honestly already forgotten about it until I started writing this, but it's a real shame, because it's completely unnecessary and I can see some people getting turned away from this game just because of these few seconds alone (and I can't blame them, that'd be fair). It honestly makes me feel a little weird to talk about how fantastic the game is otherwise (but just look at large review sites too, it really is!). I try to view it as some of the inappropriate stuff with Misty in the early Japanese Pokémon anime and manga, or like the suggestive stuff in Totally Spies. It's bad, it shouldn't be ignored, but you can look past it and still enjoy everything else that's there.

But yeah, apart from that, if you can look past that, the game is fantastic, and I highly recommend it. I think I can genuinely say it's one of the best games on the system. I know it's really hard to get a hold of nowadays, but if you have a way to play it, it's totally worth it.

(Also one final thing: yes, it's apparently part of a series, but that's not indicated anywhere in the game and I didn't even know that until I already started playing. You don't need to play the other games at all to understand this game though: it works perfectly on its own.)

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2024!!!!!

« on: November 02, 2024, 11:02:04 pm »

24. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes

Started this one this summer, kind of lost touch with it as my work picked back up (this isn't exactly a pick-up-and-play game), and now beat it (the Wii version in Metroid Prime Trilogy specifically). And to be honest? I mean, I can't say it isn't good, but I didn't get nearly as much into it as Metroid Prime Remastered.

I know needing to figure out where to go is a core staple of the Metroid series, but I'm sorry, I sometimes found it too difficult here. I don't remember struggling nearly this much in the original Prime. Maybe it was because of my growing impatience too, but I had to consult a guide so many times (MASSIVE shoutout to StrategyWiki btw, incredibly helpful). I'll be honest: when I got to the Sky Temple Keys fetch quest, I did the entire thing with a guide, just because I did not feel like scouring the whole map for 9 more collectibles and I just wanted to finish this game and move on to the next. I honestly don't know what else to say about it right now, I'm tired, so I'm just gonna keep this one short.

Still working on beating Sonic Lost World and Solatorobo: Red the Hunter, and planning on picking up something on my Steam Deck after that (maybe Devil May Cry 5 or Dynasty Warriors 8 or something). We'll see.

--UPDATE--

25. Sonic Lost World

That's another one beat. I wanted to play a short pick-up-and-play game on my new Steam Deck. I've had Sonic Lost World for ages, but never played it. I do know it has very mixed reception though, which got me curious to try it. And yeah, I can see why. There are fun moments in here, some levels were highlights. The game also looks great, very bright and colourful, even if the design aesthetics are a bit generic. But for every great level, there are multiple levels which I would say are just all right. And there's some real frustration in here too for me, particularly with how poorly the game explains some of the mechanics and what it expects you to do with bosses. I've had to look up exactly how to beat a boss online, which for a Sonic game especially is not good. Overall I'd say it's good, but it's not a must-play.

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2024!!!!!

« on: October 06, 2024, 05:43:26 pm »

23. Tomb Raider (2013)

Just got a Steam Deck, so wanted to play something on it. And Tomb Raider 2013 seemed like a good choice. This is actually the first Tomb Raider game I've ever played. Excited to have finally played a game in the series, but that also means I can only judge this on its own merit, so that's what I'll do. (potential spoilers)

I quite enjoyed it! I really love how cinematic it felt. I think the exploring parts around the island are fantastic. It feels empowering and immersive. You really feel the sense of height and the speed or force you're putting into things. I also liked stealthing around and taking care of enemies sneakily. And I quite liked Lara's depiction as a character here. I can't compare it to the classic Tomb Raider games, but I definitely grew fond of this version of her.

I will say though, there were also some bits that got under my skin a bit. One thing is the combat. Don't get me wrong, it's fun enough to play, but at times it also got annoying, particularly when I was repeatedly forced into large fights. There were multiple parts where I was shooting horde after horde after horde of boring screaming American men. It sometimes made me feel like I was playing any random war shooter, which aren't games I enjoy. I guess it stuck out to me extra because it's not what I was expecting of this game, and not what I enjoyed the most about it either. I know Lara Croft is typically a dual gun-wielding badass, but this game looked like it'd be more of an exploration and survivalist-focused ordeal. And it didn't feel like a narrative fit either. Weren't we on this mystical ancient island, meant to be unknown or lost? How are there literally hundreds of hundreds of men on here - all in the same cult no less?

But despite those annoyances, I really enjoyed my time with this game. I'd like to check out the sequels too someday. And the pre-reboot Tomb Raider games for that matter. But first: Metroid Prime 2 and Solatorobo.

Also sidenote, it ran almost flawlessly on the Steam Deck. I like this little device a lot! Hoping that with this I'll play through a lot more of my Steam / PC library.

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General / October 2024 - Recently Added to Collection/Recently Purchased

« on: October 01, 2024, 06:05:13 pm »

Guess I'll be the one to open the thread for the new month

And immediately gotta share something new I'm extremely happy with:



A proper metal Dance Dance Revolution-style game pad. And the craziest part: I got it used for 20 bucks. 20 bucks. The only problem was that I didn't have a control box with it, but thankfully a friend of mine who's skilled at programming was able to make one. And yes: the pad works!! It took me dragging this big heavy metal slab literally halfway across the Netherlands and back on trains and buses over the course of a whole weekend, and my back really hurts now, but who cares. IT WORKS!!

I'm not even sure what model this exactly is yet. I can't find any labeling on it and it wasn't listed as anything specific. But it looks extremely similar to the official Dance Dance Revolution pads, which made a friend of mine think it may actually be official, which would be insane if that's the case. But honestly, I don't really care. I'm just so glad it works! Really sick to own this. Gonna have a ton of fun playing Stepmania on this (until like 7 or maybe 8 PM at the absolute latest though. I don't want to get into a fight with my downstairs neighbours).

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2024!!!!!

« on: September 29, 2024, 12:04:09 pm »

22. Meteos

When it comes to "beating" a game, I'm always confused as to what to do with short games with multiple endings. One playthrough gets me the credits. Does that mean I beat it? Or do I need to get all the endings before I can say I beat it? Ah screw it, I got five out of twelve endings thus far (which also means I got 5 credits sequences), and getting the rest just means playing almost the exact same campaign modes 7 more times. I may sometime soon, but I think it's fair to say I know what the game is about and call it beat.

Meteos is a really fun and heavily underappreciated puzzle game for the DS. It's a "matching blocks"-type game, where you move blocks vertically to create a match, which launches those blocks and the ones on top of it towards the top of the screen. It's a brilliant twist on the matching blocks-style gameplay, making you play in multiple smaller playing fields as you launch segments and think ahead in how to chain more together. It's addicting, keeps things varied with different block styles and physics for them, and it's very fun to play! I do hope this and the Disney spin-off for the DS won't stay as the only times we see this franchise. It's a unique and underappreciated gem - especially considering it comes from the mind of Masahiro Sakurai, of Kirby and Super Smash Bros. fame. It deserves more love. Glad to have played it, and I will definitely play it some more after this!

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2024!!!!!

« on: July 16, 2024, 08:14:33 pm »

21. Project Rub

A launch title for the DS, also known as Feel the Magic: XY/XX in the US, which I refuse to call it because that sounds even sleazier than "Project Rub" does. I've always been curious about what the heck this game is. In case you don't know it, here's the box art:



And while that cover art is attention-grabbing enough, what stood out to me even more was that this was published by Sega and even developed by Sonic Team, of all people. So yeah, I had to try it.

I went in with zero knowledge about this game, apart from the box art you see here. I was expecting some sleazy game where you use the touch screen to massage women or something. Imagine my surprise when I found a minigame collection that's actually rather charming. You play as a guy who has a crush on a woman and wants to impress her. He does so by joining an eccentric street performance group, who do wacky over-the-top-stuff in wacky ways. You, of course, partake in the activities via minigames.

The minigames are actually pretty good! There's a good amount of them, and each one feels unique. Combined with the wacky tone, it actually reminded me a lot of WarioWare, if the microgames were a little longer and expanded on a tiny bit. You play the majority of them with the touch screen, and a couple with the microphone (this is a DS launch title after all).

The touch screen games worked flawlessly. The games are quick and snappy, and while none are very deep, some can get pretty engaging. The microphone ones became a bit of an issue though, because today I was playing on a train, which meant I obviously couldn't be loud and the microphone got confused from the constant noise the train was making. I ended up cheating it a bit by using the microphone in my headphone wires (which yes, does work on the DS), and blowing softly into that, which did work, but still tired me out a bit because my lungs can't deal with extended air blowing like that super well. The touch screen games were usually great fun though, which makes up for a lot.

The minigames are backed up by the plot, which are told through little comics with goofy sound effects. The game has quite a fun style, with faceless characters surrounded by bright colours getting into ridiculous situations, and working their way out of them in weird ways. I love how the men of the street performance group shout "Rub it!" to kick off every minigame, accompanied by the chorus in the soundtrack going "dahdahdahdahdahdahdahdah". Apparently one of the creators of this game previously worked on Space Channel 5, and its influence really shows.

This game is a silly, goofy, fun time! It's like a WarioWare with a more adult target audience. If anything I don't understand why they went with this title and this box art. I mean, I do, of course, but I honestly find it pretty misleading, and I think the game may get unfairly overlooked because of it. There is only one minigame which I'd say somewhat matches the box art, and even then it's fairly tame. The rest of it is just goofy slapstick, or on occasion even a little bit wholesome. Either that or I'm just completely oblivious to 2005 sexual innuendos, who knows.

I highly recommend you give this one a shot! One tip though: play on a non-XL DS model. These minigames were designed with the original DS's screen size in mind, and some minigames require you to swip across the whole screen very quickly. When I switched from my New 3DS XL to my old DSi, some minigames got significantly easier.

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2024!!!!!

« on: July 11, 2024, 07:18:26 pm »

20. Sonic Colours [Wii]

Widely considered one of the best 3D Sonic games from what I've heard. I've had this game for years, played like an hour of it years ago, but finally did a full playthrough now. Of the original Wii version, not the disastrous re-release.

I enjoyed my time with it! Admittedly though, I only genuinely got into it towards the back half of the game (not counting some bad levels in that half). It just took me a good while before the game clicked with me I guess. I feel like some of its timing is off  and odd compared to other games in general, and I had to adjust. On top of that, I ironically started enjoying it more once I stopped trying to rush through levels and took my time more instead.

I don't know what it is. I really like the Sonic characters and their vibes, but for some reason I just always have a tough time clicking with the Sonic games. Old or new. This game too. There's a lot that's great about it. The music is fantastic (Reach For The Stars, Aquarium Park Act 1 and Planet Wisp Act 1 slay hard). The visuals can be stunning at times. I feel like they're being held back by, ironically, the muted colour scheme, because with brighter colours this could be one of the most visually impressive games on the system. I tend to really enjoy the Sonic characters (though I gotta admit I didn't like the overly childish humour and dialogue in this game). And I think the setting of an interstellar amusement park is brilliant. But for some reason the gameplay just doesn't click with me. I don't know. If you like Sonic and enjoyed games like Generations I'd say it's worth checking out. Just because I don't click with a game doesn't mean its bad. But while I'm glad to have finished it, I don't see myself picking it back up anytime soon.

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2024!!!!!

« on: July 07, 2024, 06:41:19 pm »

18. Gunman Clive [3DS]

I've just been in the mood for short, neat games lately. Was looking through my 3DS collection and realised I had not beaten Gunman Clive yet. A little embarrassing, considering this single playthrough only took me an hour, but hey, beat it now.

I remember this game being talked about a lot during the hayday of the 3DS as a really good, short run-'n-gun platformer, impressively developed by just one guy. And looking at it 12 years after release, that all still holds true. I think it's fair to say indie games have come a long way since then, but Gunman Clive is still quality. It feels great to play. The controls are buttery smooth. I personally really don't care for anything western at all, but the art style is still nice and wholly unique. I had fun with it. I've only done one playthrough so far, but there's 3 playable characters, and I may come back to do another run with another character sometime in the future.

Unfortunately the 3DS eShop is now down of course, but the game is still available on Steam or in the HD Collection with the sequel on Switch and PS4. It's dirt cheap too: 5 bucks for the HD Collection, or 2 bucks for the first game on its own on Steam. Not on sale: that's the regular price. And at that price? I say go for it!

---EDIT---

19. K3 en de vrolijke noten [DS]

Figured I'd add this in an edit to this post as to not clog up this thread. With that said....



....hear me out.

So K3 is a Belgian pop group. They've been around for over 25 years (with a handful of member switches), and in Belgium and the Netherlands they're well known for their upbeat bubbly pop music. I'm a fan of theirs, but while anyone can enjoy their music, as a group they're mainly marketed towards children. And you know it, when you're marketed to children in the mid to late 2000s, you're getting a DS game. (Even for K3 though, their look on this box art is pretty over the top).

Which leads me to K3 en de vrolijke noten, which translates to K3 and the cheerful musical notes (Yes I know if you enter it into a translator app it can also say "K3 and the cheerful nuts", I'm sorry, nut and musical note are the same word in Dutch, I can't help it). I just wanted to play it out of curiosity, and I had it anyway. For a K3 DS shovelware game this exceeded my expectations, but that's only because my expectations were so low they were buried next to prehistoric fossils (I swear, some of the other games based on licenses owned by Studio 100, which also owns K3, have been some of the worst games I've ever played on DS and Wii). This is a minigame collection, though it is tied together with a story (which means I could and did beat it). The minigames here are basic stuff you'd expect like dressup and tile matching, but at least it functions. Inbetween the minigames though, there's also three overworlds to explore. Sure they're completely empty with nothing to find, but it's something? The music is midi versions of some of their songs, which at least isn't awful because their music is good, but it just makes me wish I was listening to their music (and even then, the songs they chose aren't the best in their repertoir). And one nitpick: in some music games they have low-poly 3D models of K3 dancing to the song, but the routine doesn't match the song until the final minigame. Yes I'm gonna be petty like that. I finished this game, I earned it.

So yeah, this should shock no one, but it's shovelware and you shouldn't play it. It's not the worst I've ever played, it might entertain little kids who like K3 for a half hour, but they deserve better. Give them a real game and put on some K3 music. Hell, I say check out one of their more recent songs (featuring the newer members) yourself. You'll get endlessly more enjoyment out of it (and I stand by a lot of their music being legitimately good): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9ZWV6SjzO0

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2024!!!!!

« on: July 07, 2024, 10:49:28 am »

16. Metroid: Samus Returns (Second playthrough)
17. Metroid Fusion (Second playthrough)

I've already beaten both of these games once before, but for both of them that was almost 7 years ago. Now that I've beaten all 2D Metroid games (except for the original but I think I can be excused for that) and now that my tastes have changed, I wanted to replay these games to see how I feel about them now, and to figure out what my favourite 2D Metroids are.

Samus Returns still holds up great. The world still draws me in, and is a blast to navigate. I always feel like I'm making progress. The Melee counter, which was introduced here, still feels good. Not as smooth as the one in Dread, but it still feels good to pull off. The game is never too cryptic either thanks to the Scan Pulse, which reveals hidden passageways. A fantastic addition as far as I'm concerned. The storytelling is great: Samus comes across as powerful and no-nonsense, and it's impressive how much is conveyed without a single word of dialogue or text. And the automatic checkpoints are MASSIVELY appreciated too. Really saves a lot of annoying retreading before bosses. It's also one of the rare games where I actively find myself turning the 3D on, simply because it looks great. At most it got a bit tedious in a few places, but that may also just be my own impatience. It was a great introduction to 2D Metroid, and I still love it.

Fusion though...what the hell happened here? This was my second 2D Metroid ever and I remember loving it. But this playthrough was just not that great for me. None of the Metroid games have ever given me feelings of "oh that's bullshit!" as strongly and as often as this one. Despite what everyone says about progression being linear, which is true, it pulls cryptic stuff sometimes which is on par if not much worse than Super Metroid. But on top of that, it often just felt unfair to me. Some of the bosses and segments are brutal, and while in the other Metroid games they almost always felt fair and I felt I had powered up enough naturally that I could handle them (or it would let me heal reasonably nearby), this game sometimes felt like it was just being unreasonable. It's a shame. I was expecting this game to score high because I vividly remember how enthralled I was by its setting and setup, and I kind of thought my over-reliance on a guide and possible difficulty were because of my inexperience with the genre 7 years ago. But no. Granted, I'm typing this right after re-beating it so I might cool on it later (edit: I have a little, yeah, and I still really appreciate its setting and vibe), but I legitimately feel like this game just has issues in its design. Don't get me wrong, it's still a great game, you will never hear me say it's bad. But in the 2D Metroid lineage, despite how much I love its setting and story, it scores low for me.

Which is a good segue to what I wanted to make after re-beating these: my definitive personal 2D Metroid tier list (at least as of now):

• Metroid Dread. Fantastic. Haven't replayed it since it came out, but really itching to.
• Metroid: Samus Returns. Still feels buttery smooth to play, and the world is enthralling. A game that deserves to be played.
• Super Metroid. Even today, its atmosphere is borderline unmatched. Yes it's unfairly cryptic at times and has control issues, but what it does right more than makes up for that.
• Metroid: Zero Mission. Undeniably good and fun to play, but my main issue with it is that I find it extremely unmemorable. I played it last year, but I can barely recall anything about it.
• Metroid Fusion. I love its story concept and setting, it's extremely memorable. Almost enough to bump it up a spot. But while a lot of the gameplay is great, at some points this game legitimately pissed me off, which no other 2D Metroid (with a map) ever has to this degree as far as I can recall.
• Metroid II: Return of Samus. The lack of a map alone puts this game near the bottom. I enjoyed my playthrough, but only because I had an online map open on my laptop.
• UNRANKED: Metroid. Only one I haven't beaten yet, so I can't really rank it, but I already know it would be last or second-to-last shared with Metroid II. It just hasn't aged that gracefully. Also, again, no map.

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2024!!!!!

« on: June 26, 2024, 12:28:50 pm »

15. A Snake's Tale [PC (Linux) / itch.io]

Continuing our trail through small indie games I got in charity bundles on itch.io, we have A Snake's Tale (which I keep mistyping as Tail, but no, it's Tale). This is a puzzle game with snakes on a grid, that you have to move around to get your snake to the goal. It's kind of like that physical puzzle game Rush Hour, which I played a lot as a kid, only the cars are longer and can bend. It's a cute idea. The game has a decent amount of levels, and different snakes with different gimmicks to spice stuff up from time to time. I found it to be a relaxing game to quickly spend a few minutes in. Most of the game is not too hard: with enough fidgeting you'll beat most levels eventually. I do have to admit though that the final puzzle was too much for me and I needed a little help to get started. But oh well. Either way, it's a cute game. Worth at least a look.
Also: it has a native Linux version, which I massively appreciate. Always gotta shout that out.

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2024!!!!!

« on: June 23, 2024, 11:22:41 pm »

14. Lula 3D [PC]

Lula 3D is a 2005 adventure game. It's also rated AO (or for my fellow Europeans: VERY 18+), so I won't go into too much detail. I will say this: gameplay-wise it's dull and (if you don't abuse a guide) insanely tedious, but I was just playing this to get a laugh out of it. And a few times, I did get a laugh out of it (be it intentional or not). But many other times I was just kinda bored, and a few early sections in particular were shockingly drab and depressing for the tone the game sets out with. Also, in the final sections of the game I got a few random voice clips in German, the game's original language, which tells me the publishers weren't expecting many people to actually beat this. (Still not the oddest bug I've encountered this year tho: that honour still goes to the random hordes of clowns in Dr. Trolley's Problem.) I recommend the brutalmoose video on this game on YouTube (if you're over 18), but unless you're morbidly curious or really enjoy really odd games like me, don't even bother playing this. But hey, a game beaten is a game beaten.

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2024!!!!!

« on: June 20, 2024, 06:49:34 pm »

13. Fat Bear Week

Another game from itch.io that I found in one of my 1000+ games charity bundles, but I just found out you can download it for free anyway. The object of the game is really simple: you're a bear, eat as much as you can before the time runs out. As soon as you get a little fat you roll around like a ball, so it becomes kind of Katamari-esque. The bears are absolutely adorable chonkers. I just wanna hug them! I did have a few technical problems though. I couldn't get it to run on Linux through Wine or Proton (which I don't fault the game for, to be clear), so I got out my old Windows 10 laptop, but there I encountered a bug that wouldn't let me jump after I got fat and started rolling. At some point it fixed itself, I don't know why or how, but that made everything significantly more doable. I 100% completed the game, but there's also only 3 levels, so that shouldn't take you very long. Can I really fault a completely free indie game for any of this though? No, I can't. That'd just be petty. It's a cute little game that'll bring a smile to your face if you've got 15 minutes to kill, and I'm sure children will adore it. It's free anyway, so what do you got to lose? I say give it a look, and give the creators some love! Here's the link: https://teamfatbears.itch.io/fatbearweek.

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2024!!!!!

« on: June 18, 2024, 03:38:31 pm »

11. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door [Switch]

Finally got to play this game now that it's been rereleased on Switch, and I gotta say, this game is truly deserving of all of the praise it gets.

I've only played the original Paper Mario and Super Paper Mario before, and even though it's been MANY years since my last playthroughs, I remember loving both and both leaving a strong impression on me. And TTYD definitely accomplishes the same. The characters, the world, the plot, the humour, gosh it's all so good! Both charming and quirky as hell, and really distinct and memorable. It's a game I just wanted to keep on going and going with. I even found myself actively going for sidequests, which for me - especially in an RPG - says a lot. I even went for - and beat - the Pit of 100 Trials immediately after the final boss just because I still wanted to play a little more.

This game is genuinely a masterpiece and I'm so glad to have finally played it. Highly, HIGHLY recommended!


12. The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog [PC]

The murder mystery visual novel released for free on April Fools' Day last year. I finally played it, and you know what? I genuinely liked it. It reads just like a well-written wholesome self-insert fanfiction, and I mean that in the best way. But what really caught me off guard is how legitimately funny the game is. I found myself laughing out loud multiple times. There is no challenge to it at all, but I can excuse that for a game that's clearly just trying to be a fun and funny side thing. Not to mention, again, it's free. I think if you like the Sonic characters, or if you are somewhat in touch with the fanbase or its type of culture, you will find some enjoyment in this. Heck, it's only like 2 hours long anyway.

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2024!!!!!

« on: June 06, 2024, 06:10:27 pm »

10. Dr. Trolley's Problem

This is an indie game from itch.io, that I got with one of those massive bundles for charity, The idea is very simple: it's just a long list of trolley problems. You know, two tracks, different people on each track, a trolley is coming, decide whether or not to change its track.The big appeal is that after every problem, you then get statistics of what other players did. Sounds like it could be pretty interesting. I like the idea, as like a little distraction.

However, the game has a flaw and it's a big one. The text explaining the statistics very often seemed to be flat-out wrong. I feel like on half of the levels it either didn't match up with the diagram above it, or it didn't match what the level was like. That means it was often very unclear what other players actually did. That kind of breaks one of the main points of the game, which is a real shame. I don't know whether this is an inherent problem with the game or a bug. I did encounter multiple bugs like the pause menu not working, inputs not working anymore after tabbing in and out of the game, a few levels softlocking, and at some points for no reason a horde of clowns kept spawning in every level (no, really). But with PC games you never know whether that's the game's fault or the PC's, and I'm playing on Linux through Lutris on top of that so that may have something to do with it too, I don't know.

A few of the trolley problems did admittedly make me laugh though. And the 2020 and 2022 levels were clearly the creator stepping aside from the game's original concept to let out his frustrations with the state of the world, which some people may be put off by but I honestly found relatable. But yeah, the wrong text and bugs are a big problem.

Again though, I got it in a massive bundle with all proceeds going to charity, so I can't be too critical of it. Massive props to the creator for helping to support charity in that way. Personally though, while this game was cute to check out, I think you aren't missing out on anything by skipping it. (Glad to have supported charity though. I believe there are charity bundles on itch.io often, so do keep an eye out for that!)

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2024!!!!!

« on: May 27, 2024, 08:37:24 pm »

9. Metroid II: Return of Samus

So I'll be honest, the main reason I wanted to play through this game, is just because I was planning to put up a Metroid II poster I got from My Nintendo, and it felt weird to hang up a poster of a game I hadn't beaten yet. I know that even Metroid fans often say they skipped this one and that it's OK to do so. Not because it's bad at all, moreso because it's a game that really shows its age. And yeah, it kinda does.

I'll be honest: I played this on Nintendo Switch Online, and I played through the entire game using an online map and save states. And I have no shame in admitting that. In case you don't know, this game does not have any sort of map at all, and I have absolutely no clue how people were expected to play through this without one. It was definitely a limitation of the hardware, I get that, but that doesn't change how difficult it is to keep track of where you are and where important things are or could be without a map to check. It sometimes felt difficult in kinda stupid ways too. I'm talking having to backtrack for 8 minutes(!) for a weapon recharge (plus 8 minutes back to where you were), or letting me enter the final boss fight while it would be impossible for me to defeat it because I started the fight with 2 missiles less than it would take to kill it (seriously). Also, the game is so zoomed in that getting hit by stuff off screen, especially when traversing downward, is very common.

It's not all bad though, far from it. The scope of the world is genuinely impressive for Game Boy. The sound design, spritework and some of the music is fantastic, and the running-and-gunning feels pretty good too. This is not a bad game by any means, it's just a clearly dated one.

Most Metroid fans won't blame you for skipping both the first game and this one, and while I haven't seriously played the original yet, I agree on this one. It deserves to be remembered and is worth trying if you're curious, but I would not say it's required playing.

Poster looks great though.


Now onto Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door!