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1

General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2026!!!

« on: January 04, 2026, 11:59:39 pm »

4. Halo 3 (XBONE)

Despite Halo CE and Halo 2 coming out while I was in high school and it being all the rage at the time, I never "loved" Halo, but I certainly liked it. By the time Halo 3 got announced I had graduated high school and was living 1200 miles away out of state for college. My little brother and I shared joint custody of our XBOX 360 Elite console; I'd have it for about 3 months, ship it to him, and he'd send it back in another 3 or 4 months. Around the time Halo 3 came out, my brother was in possession of our 360, which was absolutely appropriate given he LOVED Halo, definitely way more than I did. Funny enough, he went to a huge Halo 3 launch event that was holding an all ages tournament and he ended up winning it along with a free copy of Halo 3, a giant Master Chief cardboard cutout and like $100. I guess that's what playing Halo 2 thousands of hours on XBOX Live amounts to. But anyhow, the combination of my brother having the 360 when Halo 3 came out, me living so far away from all my high school friends whom I used to play Halo with, and the fact that I was never crazy about Halo to begin with meant I didn't play this game back in 2007, or in 2008, or for the rest of the 2000s....or the 2010s. Nope, here we are in 2026, nearly 19 years since Halo 3 originally came out and I finally sat down and played through the campaign. Better late than never I suppose.


As mentioned, I only played the campaign which is where most of my interest in Halo games lies. I enjoyed playing local multiplayer in Halo CE and Halo 2, but in recent years I've only ever played the single player campaign in those games. Same goes for Halo 3. With that said, i am aware how robust Halo 3's multiplayer and map editor modes are and how this games legendary for its multiplayer back in the day, both locally and online. The reason I mentioned this is because your mileage will vary greatly depending on how much you value the multiplayer aspect of these games and my review may not reflect how balanced or enjoyable this experience might be. However, if you're just interested in the single player experience, read on if you'd like.


I'm a bit bummed to say, Halo 3 was not nearly as impressive and many have led me to believe over the years. With that said, I sort of expected to like this game roughly about as much as I did Halo CE and Halo 2, minus the nostalgia I directly have for those two games. And sure enough, I enjoyed Halo 3 about just as much. With me saying that, i have to stress that Halo 3 did have aspects about it that I did genuinely enjoy more than any of the previous Halo games, mainly how much better paced Halo 3 is. There isn't nearly as many chapters and sections that just drag on and on like they did in Halo 2, and especially Halo CE. This meant the action and story just kept coming and coming, which is something I really appreciate. Unfortunately, the final chapter to the original Halo story arch was not as cool as I had hoped, but at the very least ties things up nicely and the final chapter of the game was appropriately epic.


Halo 3 also luckily refined the gameplay from the previous two Bungie Halo games. Shooting feels a little more crisp, vehicles control way better, and level design is generally way better. Speaking of vehicles, there are a decent amount more to pilot compared to the previous two games, which makes the improvements to how they control that much more appreciated. Most of Halo's chapters are very well made, however the sections and chapters that aren't are so bad that I dare say they are some of the worst in the original Halo trilogy. Particularly, the double scarabs fight and the final couple stages that bombard you with flood to the point where it's more frustrating than fun. There are also more weapons, although many are just variations of other weapons that have existed in the series for some time. In saying all this, the gameplay of Halo 3 is certainly improved, but it still has some notable flaws that prevent this game from being the incredible experience this game was often lauded for around the time of its release.


Probably Halo 3's weakest quality is its visuals. That's not to say Halo 3 is a bad looking game, but unfortunately the jump in visual fidelity compared to Halo 2 just didn't wow me as much as I was hoping. Maybe I've forgotten how old 7th gen game graphics can look, but honestly Halo 3 didn't look that much better than Halo 2. This lack of visual sharpness and detail is most evident in character models and animations which again, don't seem to look that much better than how they looked in Halo 2 back in 2004. Sure, some textures are noticeably better, but overall the visuals crispness of Halo 3 is not the leap forward I thought it would be. The beefed up hardware of the 360 seems to have gone more towards the spectacle and scale of the battles that take place; there are definitely way more enemies and just general chaos during the game, and fortunately there are rarely any framerate dips or stutters when these large scale skirmishes occur.


Finally, there's Halo 3's audio which is just as epic as it was in the previous games. Keeping with the Bungie era Halo games, many memorable and iconic tracks from Halo CE and Halo 2 are also present in 3 as well. There are some new orchestral tracks which really complement the action on screen and also fit in well with those classic Halo songs as well. Voice acting is also competent and well done too, with nearly the entire voice cast from Halo 2 reprising their respective roles in this game. As you'd expect, there are a ton of explosions, enemy growls and screams, cool weapon sounds, and just overall the audio design in Halo is something that needs to be experienced. My only real compliant about the audio is sometimes the volume of character dialogue can sound really quiet, even during cutscenes. Seeing how I commonly play games with voice acting on this same TV and almost never have this compliant, this definitely seems to be more the game's fault than my setup.


While it's a shame I wasn't blown away by Halo 3 as I'd hoped, I'm at least happy to say I liked it about as much as Halo CE and Halo 2, with Halo 2 being my favorite of the three by only a small sliver. Still, despite me not thinking these three games are the unparalleled masterpieces thousands, possibly millions of other gamers seem to think, I can still appreciate these games for what they are, but also what they mean to gaming culture. The original Halo trilogy practically defined the zeitgeist of 2000s gaming. I have so many wonderful memories of playing Halo CE and Halo 2 with friends back in high school, and those are honestly just as special to me, if not more so than the games themselves. As for Halo 3, I obviously never played it until just the other day, but I certainly remember the almost indescribable hype surrounding it before and after release in 2007 and 2008, and also how at the time of its release, it was practically synonymous with gaming. In a way, Halo 3 and its predecessors have become a bit of a time machine for me, reminding me of the fun times back in my teens and early 20s. It's for those reasons that I will always hold Halo CE, Halo 2, and Halo 3 in high regard, even if I think the games themselves are just pretty good for the most part. (1/4/26) [36/50]

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2026!!!

« on: January 03, 2026, 06:57:58 pm »

3. Splatterhouse 3 (Genesis)

Despite my countless trips to rental stores, as well as me and my various friends who owned Sega Genesis consoles, the Splatterhouse series was completely unknown to me until probably the late 2000s. Had I been a bit older during the early and mid 90s, I probably would have heard of it given how violent and spooky it was, but it's not a game that was ever on m radar until long after the Genesis was discontinued. More so, even after hearing about Splatterhouse and its various sequels, it wouldn't be until this year (2026) where I'd finally try one of these games out and see if it was truly something special or just another 16-bit dud. Splatterhouse 3 was always the entry that looked the most appealing to me so it's the one I decided to start with. And yep, it's pretty freakin good.


I'm actually surprised the Slatterhouse series didn't get way more popular after the third game given how violent, gory, grotesque, and at times even disturbing this game is. For a game released in 1993 it even gives Mortal Kombat 1 and 2 a run for its money in the violence department. But beyond it 16-bit carnage, Splatterhouse 3 has an excellent horror art direction that oozes creepiness and atmosphere. Every stage has distinct rooms to traverse through and most of these rooms look pretty different from one another. Especially in the mansion floor stages, one room might be a decrepit study and the next is an old garage or balcony overlooking a spooky forest in the background. There are mangled corpses laying around, blood and entrails on the walls and floor, and sections of this game that looks like hell is doing its very best to merge with ours.


Enemies are also very creative and appropriately scary. There is a decent variety of enemy types in Splatterhouse 3 with most reminding me of some sort of mix between Hellraiser and The Thing in terms of their design. Speaking of enemies, as the main character Rick beats the crap out of them, they will gradually show signs of taking damage and getting closer to death; when most enemies are around halfway through their HP, their heads will become visibly bloodied or even parts of their bodies will fall off. This also happens with boss characters as well which especially show off an impressive level of detail and creepiness in their design. Even Rick and his two forms look cool. If not for the parts of the later stages being a bit underwhelming compared to earlier stages, and maybe a little too much recycling of the same enemy types, this would be one of the best looking Genesis games I've ever played. It's still certainly up there though given its visuals and graphics are its strongest suit.


Before moving on from Splatterhouse 3's visual presentation it's definitely worth mentioning how surprisingly story driven this game is. Unlike most Beat em' ups which just given you a brief explanation of what you're doing and why you're doing it either at the beginning of the game or before it starts, Splatterhouse 3 continued to deliver a narrative through cool 16-bit rendered cutscenes that use a lot of digitized looking actor stills to tell a pretty interesting and creepy story. Splatterhouse 3 goes a step further, however and also has multiple, pretty different endings depending on whether you completed certain levels before the allotted time expired on those levels. All of this absolutely adds to and is a big part of why this game is one of the creepiest 16-bit era games. I've ever played and one that would have almost certainly given me nightmares had I played it around the time it originally came out.


Audio in Splatterhouse 3 is also great. There are actually vocal sound clips in this game that surprisingly clear seeing how this was a cartridge based game. Music is also pretty good with a variety of spooky tracks that definitely add to the action horror atmosphere of the rest of the game. Sound effects when you hit and kill enemies also sound pretty good too. Overall, the audio definitely compliments the overall great horror presentation this game is going for and excels at.


I feel like with most beat em' ups, particularly the ones most remember fondly, I get to praise their visuals and audio up and down, but when it comes to their gameplay, I have to take things down several notches and explain why they're maybe not the most enjoyable games to play. Unfortunately, Splatterhouse 3 is no different. Don't get me wrong, the beat em up action in this game is prety satisfying and well implemented at times, but there are just too many issues with this game's gameplay that hold it back from being anything better than just okay.


For starters, Splatterhouse 3 is an insanely hard game, even on easy difficulty. There are some basic enemies that will drain half your life bar with a single hit, meanwhile most bosses don't even hit this hard. Luckily you have unlimited continues, but you'll be sent right back to the beginning of the stage, meaning you're very likely to die again before completing it and moving onto the next level. Even the main character's power up ability which has him transforming into what he normally looks like, but on steroids does little to make getting through Splatterhouse 3 any easier. I'm not one to be overly critical of games for being "too hard" but when a lot of that difficulty is because of poor design or just general cheapness, I'm going to call it out. Splatterhouse 3 also suffers from some really annoying gotcha moments where enemies will instantly attack you before you have time to reach when entering a new room, and bosses spam certain movies which make dealing any damage to them a matter of out spamming them with cheap moves. These are not hallmarks of good game design for any better em' up or really any game at that.


However, there are some very noteworthy aspects to Splatterhouse 3's gameplay that certainly act as a buffer to its often frustrating, cheap gameplay. Splatterhouse 3 is the oldest beat em' up I've seen with nonlinear progression. Once you clear a room within a stage, you are often given multiple doors to choose from which take you into different rooms in whatever stage you're playing through. This allows you to get to your final destination in each stage differently, adding to this game's replay value. You're given a map to review when you press the start button which allows you to easily navigate through each stage and its rooms, do you'll never get lost. Exploration can definitely be enjoyable as it can reveal secrets, special items, health and power up items, and other oddities you'll be rewarded with for doing so. However, straying from a more direct path to the final room you're making your way towards often comes at a price of running out of time.


Yep, each stage had a time limit, which ties directly in with the story and what is occurring in each stage. You can still beat a stage and progress to the next one if you run out of time, however it will be at the expense of getting a worse story and ending in the game. I don't want to spoil anything, but the time limit is definitely a consideration if you're looking to get a better ending.


The bottom line is there is a ton to appreciate and enjoy in Splatterhouse 3, and this is despite the game's pretty blaring gameplay faults. Even with dying over and over again as I made my way through it, I still really enjoyed Splatterhouse 3 for the most part. It's presentation goes a long way to carry it, but even all things considered, this is one of the better Genesis beat em' ups I've played and worth checking out if you're a fan of the genre from the 90s. (1/3/26) [34/50]

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2026!!!

« on: January 03, 2026, 06:15:20 pm »

I hope it's not too late for me to join. I don't think I could ever do 52 in a year, but I can see myself finishing 20-30 games.

My current active playthroughs are:

Tomb Raider 2 (Evercade)
Final Fantasy IV Advance (PC via emulation)
Mafia: The Old Country (PS5)

I'm at level 13 of Tomb Raider 2, so I should be finishing that one in a few days. Then I'll play through Tomb Raider 3 on Evercade before moving on to the remasters of 4, 5, and 6 on PS4. I'm also planning to replay the Legend-Anniversary-Underworld trilogy on PS3 since that was my favorite TR trilogy and introduction to the series.

It's never too late to join, not to mention we're only 3 days into the new year so we just started.

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2026!!!

« on: January 03, 2026, 11:58:27 am »

2. Golden Axe (Genesis)

While I never owned Golden Axe as a kid, one of my best friends did and it was one of our favorite multiplayer games to play whenever I was at his house. Having never played or even encountered the arcade version of this game growing up, this was my first exposure to the Golden Axe series. However, it's been easily 30 years since I last played the original Golden Axe and I was fairly sure my opinion of this game had likely changed in that time period. Sure enough, it has.


For a fantasy style beat em' up from the late 80s, Golden Axe is a decent game. The visuals do a good job of capturing that fantasy adventure feel as you quest through each of the game's stages on your quest to defeat the evil Death Adder. In true fantasy style your progression through the game is tracked on a ancient looking map which just adds to the great encapsulation of the fantasy genre. Levels are also pretty memorable as you fight your way through villages, on the sides of cliffs, and eventually inside an ominous looking castle. Enemy variety is unfortunately lacking compared to some other contemporary beat em' ups of the time; most enemies will be the same models, but just color swapped. Bosses are also less varied than I would like, with most just being big looking dudes with giant swords or axes. Still, despite this, the visuals are pretty good in Golden Axe, especially for a very early Genesis release.


The soundtrack is also pretty good. There are some very memorable tunes in this game that gave been burned into my brain most of my life thanks to those Golden Axe play seasons from the early and mid 90s. Listening to the soundtrack now, however, there is still some decent music in this game, but still not as good as I remember. Aside from this, there are cool, crunchy sounding Genesis sound effects when you strike and enemy or they hit you, as well as the cries of enemies when you finally vanquish them.


Sadly, Golden Axe's gameplay isn't great, but in a way not terrible either as far as late 80s beat em' ups are concerned. Beyond the typical repetitive gameplay games from this genre are somewhat infamous for, there is a definite lack of balancing and an undeniable cheapness to Golden Axe's gameplay. Enemy default speed is faster than yours, which is already really slow, which allows them to easy flank you. You can do a variety of things to deal with this, including jumping and a 360 degree attack, but what often happens is the hit detection seems inconsistent, and niot just when surrounded on both sides. The inconsistent hit detection in Golden Axe is honestly my biggest grip with the game seeing how you're almost certain your strike with hit a bad guy, but instead just passes right through them, but next time from the same distance it lands? Okay. The use of magic via potion bottles you collect by kicking the shit out of little elves with bags does spice up gameplays, especially since the more you charge up your magic the better and cooler the attack you unleash. Oh and the three playable characters all have different magic attacks too which is pretty cool. There are also mounts you can use to help you fight, although between trying to actually get on them with getting hit by an enemy and then hit again after just one attack on the mount kind of diminishes their relevance in the game.


I have to constantly remind myself that Golden Axe is pretty par for the course when it comes to beat em' up games from this era, however it still had me wishing the game just had a little more refinement. There are so many great qualities in the Genesis port of Golden Axe, it's just a shame they didn't come together as well as I'd hoped they would. And unfortunately, even my childhood nostalgia for this game wasn't enough to mask these issues and have me coming out the end mostly enjoying the game. Still, the game is super short on a single playthrough (I beat it in about half an hour) and based on that, I feel like if you have an itch for some 16-bit beat em' up action, Golden Axe is worth trying even if there are much better examples from the genre and time period to be played elsewhere. (1/3/26) [29/50]

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General / Re: Intro thread

« on: January 03, 2026, 10:57:25 am »

Hello. I've been thinking about joining for a while now, as all the video game forums I used to visit have died off. These days the only consoles I collect for physically are PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Switch, and Evercade VS-R. I do have a PS5 Pro, but it's strictly for games I can't get on the other consoles. Everything else I rely on emulation for, as I have so many consoles it's starting to become an inconvenience finding power outlets and HDMI ports for them. Looking forward to finishing my collection in the next 3-5 years so I can spend the rest of my life enjoying what I have.

Welcome! As far as forums go, it's pretty quiet here too. There are roughly about a dozen or so of us that regularly/semi regularly post on here now. But luckily it's a cool little community that hopefully you'll enjoy.

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2026!!!

« on: January 03, 2026, 02:26:04 am »

First game of the year down! I was rearranging my collection all day, making room for the few console collections which are still growing, and while moving the Wii games I grabbed a title I've been meaning to return to for some time.


1. Elebits (Wii)

I was one of the lucky ones who was able to get a Nintendo Wii at launch back in late 2006. The reason I was lucky was, a) they were hard as hell to find, and b) I was a broke ass college student who had no business spending the limited funds I had on a hot new game console. Regardless, I picked up Twilight Princess with my Wii and devoured that game over the following weeks. However, once I beat Twilight Princess and had extracted all the enjoyment i could out of Wii Sports at the time, I decided to use a Best Buy gift card I had burning a hole in my pocket to pick up a brand new game that was among the best to show off the Wii's then revolutionary motion controls. That game was Elebits.


It's been nearly 20 years since I last played and beat Elebits and in that time period I've been meaning to go back and replay it. Having finally done so, I can say that this game does a pretty good job with not only showing off the versatility of the Wii's motion controls, but unfortunately does so in a game that has some fundamental design issues and gets way too repetitive way too fast.


The basic premise of Elebits is you need to explore various confined environments to track down the chubby creatures whom the game gets its namesake. The Elebits are essentially beings made of electricity and the more you collect, the more you're able to explore and interact with various other parts of each stage, thereby allowing you to find and capture even more Elebits. As you progress through the game's 30 stages, new elements are introduces including new types of Elebits, new obstacles and hazards to contend with, new puzzles, and of course, new environments to explore. Unfortunately, the game does recycle stages, which is a shame since there aren't a ton of them to begin with, and many are just extensions/variations of others you've previous played. Aside from the recycled stages, all this might sound like this game remains fresh and interesting throughout, however the more this game adds, the worse it gets.


For example, there are stages where you are not allowed to break any objects like dishes or glasses, or you can't make too much noise while overturning furniture and other objects in search for Elebits. The games controls combined with the stage and time constraints you're required to contend with just don't mesh well enough for you to get through them in a matter than isn't either tedious and boring, or needlessly frustrating. With all that said, this is not a difficult game. It is also worth noting there are several Elebit bosses you have to fight throughout the game as well, and beating them requires some sort of unique action or strategy. Unfortunately these boss battles are somewhat half baked and don't make the game really any better, or I suppose worse either.


Elebits was a pretty good looking game for its time. Environments are fairly detailed and have many objects to interact with. This extends to the game's physics which are pretty fun and decently implemented. It's fun to use your Elebit capturing gun to throw objects like lamps, chairs, electronics, and all sorts of other things around a room like a manic lunatic in search of the colorful little creatures. The game is actually most fun when you just get to go insane on the sage environments and the objects within them. Unfortunately, these moments are too seldom and instead you are required to take a much more tedious, restrained approach to complete most stages. But anyhow, this game looks pretty good for what it is and certainly one of the better looking early Wii games.


Finally, there's Elebits' soundtrack which is surprisingly good, albeit not mind blowing by any stretch of the imagination either. There is a decent amount of voice acting too, which is all pretty terrible and wooden. Sound effects of objects being thrown about of the squeaks and cute noises of the Elebit creatures also help give this game a distinct, lighthearted identity as well. The overall sound quality of this game is good, just not amazing...other than the voice acting of course, which is fairly trivial regardless.


I have to admit, I am a tad disappointed I didn't enjoy this game more upon replaying it. I'd forgotten most of my impressions of this game from back in 2006, but do at least remember feeling more positive about Elebits than negative. Unfortunately my new opinion screws slightly more towards the negative side of things, mostly due to how limiting the gameplay can be and also how repetitive this game gets despite its best efforts to avoid that. Elebits served its purpose in late 2006 and Id say even through some of 2007 as one of the best showcases of the Wii's motion controls, however there are far better games that would do this in the years that followed during the Wii's lifespan. Still, this game isn't without its charm and it's certainly a decent little FPS game that you coiuld also play with young kids if you wanted to. (1/2/26) [29/50]

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2026!!!

« on: January 01, 2026, 10:27:13 am »

Almost 2 years since took part in this. Let's go and howdy yall.

Welcome back!

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2025!!!

« on: December 31, 2025, 12:07:49 am »

With tomorrow already booked out and busy, I'm calling it for the year. 130 games beat...wow. I aimed for 100 games beat at the beginning of 2025, but never imagined I'd clear my goal by THAT much! I don't know if I'll ever beat this many games in a single year ever again, but I have to say it was one hell of a ride. See you all in 2026!

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2025!!!

« on: December 30, 2025, 07:21:56 pm »

Wow...what a game to close the year out with.


130. Celeste (Switch)

Other than knowing it was a platformer and it was a big deal back in 2018/2019, I knew very little about Celeste prior to playing it. With me being on a bit of an indie game kick recently, I decided to add Celeste on the Switch to my Christmas list and luckily my wife came through with getting it for me this year. Popping Celeste into my Switch, I didn't quite know what to expect or why this game is so widely loved and praised. After beating it, I now fully understand why.


There really is no other way of saying it; Celeste is a very special game. In a modern gaming industry, or really just the modern world we live in, there is so much nihilism, cynicism, and general negativity that it's a massive breath of fresh air to get something so encouraging and positive like Celeste in the midst of all this. While Celeste does tackle things like mental health heavily in its story, it tells a way deeper and meaningful story than just a generic "be kind to yourself" kind of story. The characters, the setting, the plot, and pretty much every piece of Celeste's story oozes with character and charm. Despite the retro inspired 2D visuals, I was more invested in what was going on during my playthrough than I have been during the vast majority of much more visually impressive, AAA modern games. The story and characters possess a relatability and realness that is seldom seen in any game, let alone a platformer. I don't want to spoil anything for anyone who hasn't played this game, but you will almost certainly love Celeste's protagonist Madaline, as well as the other characters that really help make this game standout way above most other games when it comes to story. Keep in mind, this is a platformer we're talking about, not an RPG or sprawling adventure epic. That's just how powerful and wonderful the story and characters are.


As mentioned, Celeste is a retro inspired 2D platformer which masterfully uses its sprite based graphics to construct a world that absolutely stands out amongst the hoard of other retro inspired indie titles. Backgrounds, interactive assets, obstacles, enemies, and everything in between look unique and gorgeous. The characters in Celeste are also given cute avatars with text based dialogue, and they regularly change expressions to help drive home the meaning of a particular line of dialogue. Really, my only gripe with the visuals has to do with stages sometimes reusing art elements a bit too much, as well as recycling some of these stage themes and elements later on in the game when it would have been cool to have more unique stages. Still, this is a fairly minor grievance to what is otherwise a very good looking game.


Celeste's music is arguably its best quality. The soundtrack is unreal how good it is! A mixture of classical tunes on a piano, some more upbeat techno like music playing in certain parts, and call be crazy, but some tracks sounding like David Wise of Donkey Country Country fame collaborated on them makes Celeste's soundtrack one of the very best I've heard. I can't think of a single song that felt undercooked or out of place in this game. Other than the OST, characters are voiced similarly to the characters in Animal Crossing. In other words, they mostly just speak cute gibberish. That's fine since it somehow works so well with everything else, particularly the cartoonish, yet very endearing character avatars I mentioned earlier. Sound effects are also great and well implemented as well. Celeste's audio is pretty much a perfect 10/10, no question.


While still very good for the most part, probably Celeste's weakest quality is its gameplay. The platforming in this game is absolutely a challenge and you will die many, many, many times. That is a guarantee. Luckily the game doesn't make you wait through any stupid death animations or continue screens and immediately throws you back at the last checkpoint you hit. Checkpoints are plentiful and are present at every portion of a level section that required a transition to it. There are many stages and areas with far more obstacles that will instantly kill you than safe places to land. A core mechanic of getting through this insanity is using Madaline's dash mechanic which allows you to zip to a higher platform, get past a dangerous obstacle more quickly, or perform some other feat that requires quickness and precision. The dash is also limited, meaning you will need to land on solid ground or hit a variety of dash recharging stage elements to perform more dashes. You'll often be stringing together more dashes and recharges to clear an area, which is almost always way easier said than done. However, the reason for Celeste's gameplay faults have nothing to do with its high difficulty, but rather some of its controls which make getting through some of these sections way harder than they should be.


I was unable to determine whether it was the game's fault, my Switch's Joycon analogue stick, or something else, but I found the act of changing directions mid air during dashes to be inconsistent about 75% of the time, especially during diagonal dashes. When trying to dash up-left or down-right, or some other diagonal direction, the game would register my analogue stick input as just up or left, or down or right, leading to my death the vast majority of times. I always would get past a certain section eventually, but this inconstancy really made a few sections rage inducing to get past. I was literally having this issue all the way until the very end of the game so I know it wasn't just me getting used to the controls or whatever. It makes me wonder if I'd played this game with a Pro Controller or on another console if I'd have had the same issue. Maybe someday I'll see.


My only other compliant with Celeste's gameplay had to do with a few stage elements making certain parts of the game far less pleasant than they would have been without them. These mainly include these cloud platforms which are supposed to make you bounce and give your standard jump greater height. I had a hard time getting consistent height off these clouds when using them to propel Madaline higher, which made using them pretty annoying at times. Another stage element which I hated was the win mechanic that was mostly only present on stage 4 I believe. Dealing with the wind is what made this stage memorable I suppose, but in some ways for the wrong reasons. This wind stage was my least favorite, mostly because of how obnoxious the wind pushing you back or forward made an already very challenging level even more so.


Despite these gripes with Celeste's gameplay, the vast majority of my time with this game was spent blissfully getting through the game's hard as hell stages. The term, "tough, but fair" absolutely applies to Celeste's level design; you can tell an insane amount of time was put into testing and fine tuning each part of each stage to as close to perfection as possible. Even after dying over 20 times in certain sections of Celeste, I always felt myself improving more and more until I finally cleared it and was able to move on deeper into the level. This trial and error is a huge part of Celeste's charm and enjoyability which definitely had me coming back for more, despite dying a total of nearly 1200 times by the time I reached the end credits.


Games like Celeste are why I adore video games. They are able to achieve a level of meaningfulness while also being fun, interactive entertainment. In this regard, Celeste nails what makes the very best games so amazing. The game's heartfelt story, unique gameplay and visuals, and beautiful soundtrack all mech together in near perfection to create one of the most unforgettable, enjoyable games I've ever played, let along this year. What a wonderful way to close out 2025. (12/30/25) [43/50]

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General / Re: Do you ever buy Non-Original accessories

« on: December 29, 2025, 11:19:00 am »

I don't have an issue with others buying third party accessories, but I always choose first party, authentic ones. At least for me they feel the best to use and have the highest build quality (typically). I've had a few third party controllers back in the day and I always hatted using them because none of them felt as good to use and play with as the original, first party materials. While this falls under the third party accessory category, I've never used a clone controller I actually liked. The buttons just feel off and if there is any sort of analogue stick they're either less responsive, or just feel stiff. So yeah, I typically always go first party, original.

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General / Re: Your 2025 Gaming and Collecting Goals

« on: December 28, 2025, 10:08:34 am »

I've got no plans or goals related to gaming.

I have interest in seeing what Nintendo is bringing with the Switch successor. If they have at least two games at launch that are of interest, it's affordable and there are more games in the works of interest, then I'll add a goal of getting the new system by next Christmas.

The one thing I had was the Switch 2 and that didn't happen.

1. In comparison to the OG Switch, it's not affordable. That said, with all computer components skyrocketing in price thanks to AI greed, I don't see game systems becoming cheeper...ever.

2. The only game released on it so far that I have any interest in is the new Hyrule Warriors and with Nintendo playing things so close to the chest anymore, they haven't announced any games in production that I have any interest in. That doesn't mean they aren't making something I or my kids would enjoy, they simply haven't announced anything yet.

3. The key card cartridges are a massive red flag. Nintendo is moving forward with removing ownership of physical games. What's the point in collecting them when you don't own the game in digital or physical editions? There is none and Nintendo are affectively removing themselves from consideration for future purchases in my house.

I'm kinda in the same boat as you. I have some interest in a few games fpr the system, but overall there isn't any anything currently exclusive to it or on the horizon that would even remotely justify its pretty steep price. I'm grateful Nintendo has kept all their first party titles on cartridge, however third party games are pretty much a wash when it comes to the key card nonsense. There are a handful of third party games that have kept their games on the cart, but they are outnumbered 10 to 1 when it comes to third party releases. I'm hoping Nintendo at least doesn't resort to using key cards ever for their games. If that remains the case for another couple of years, maybe three, I might take the plunge and grab a Switch 2. Mostly though, there has been nothng released or announced that has made me go, "Holy shit! I need this game!"

12

General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2025!!!

« on: December 27, 2025, 11:10:48 pm »

129. Xeno Crisis (Switch)

For Christmas I had asked my wife for the Bitmap Bureau Collection, mostly just for one game included on it, Xeno Crisis. I fell down an indie game rabbit hole a few months ago and Xeno Crisis was one of the titles that really stood out to me as a game I really wanted to own and play. It's scifi overhead run and gun gameplay looked amazing and there were just so many things about it that looks fun as hell. Luckily, my wife ended up coming through on Christmas and getting me the collection and I finally had a chance today to see if this game was as incredible as it looked. Sadly, the answer to that would end up being a disappointing no.


Xeno Crisis references so many scifi and horror franchises, both related to gaming and movies, it will make your head spin. I'd say a large portion of this game will make you think of the Aliens franchise, but there is so much more than that. There is some Resident Evil, Tremors, Half Life, Metal Gear, and The Thing thrown in as well, and probably a few I'm forgetting. It all comes across as pretty insane, but at the same time really entertaining since you never know what will come up next. The only problem is that most of these cool references are delivered in such a high degree of repetition, in fairly lackluster looking stages that it is a bit lost on the player, at least it was for me. Luckily, there are some really awesome boss encounters in the game that make up for the kinda meh stages and overly used enemies.


The audio in Xeno Crisis is also pretty good. Music is all well done and has that 16 bit retro sound to it, which fits in with the sprite based action visuals. There are the expected weapon and action sound effects as well which all have a pretty good crispness to them too. Overall, the sound composition isn't the greatest, but it is far from the worst. I guess it can at times feel a bit on the generic side while not doing anything offense or bad at the same time. But yeah, the audio is definitely fairly good for the most part.


Presentation wise, Xeno Crisis does a pretty good job, and it is what really attracted me to the game. However, the Smash TV style gameplay that looks like it was applied the Aliens IP also really inspired me to want to get this game too. Unfortunately, the totally unbalanced gameplay that will constantly throw way more at you than you can manage is what began to diminish my enjoyment of Xeno Crisis only a few stages in. This was only compounded by the fact that you can literally run out of ammo in a game that more or less requires you to constantly be leaning on the fire button to even remorely have a chance of surviving. Oh, and then to add insult to injury, the game gives you like three continues before making you start all over from the very beginning of the game again. There is a way to remedy some of this by activating the unlimited ammo and continues cheat, which is what I did. However, while I thought I'd fixed a few of this games biggest flaws, I was met with the game's worst ending and also denied fighting what may be the coolest boss in the game as a result.


Not necessarily because I used cheat, but because I dared to use even a single continue, which come in the form of Elixers. I won't spoil anything, but you will not get to see the good endings of this game unless you 1cc the entire thing, which seems unimaginable given how bonkers the default gameplay is. Even if I played this game religiously for months, the incredibly haphazard, unbalanced gameplay would likely not allow me to even reach the fourth or fifth stage before needing to use a continue. However, I'd likely have gone insane from how repetitive and tedious this game could be as a result before that happened. Due to all that, the bad ending I received for using continues was pretty much the final slap in the face to what was otherwise a a fairly monotonous game with some good, entertaining aspects thrown in.


I certainly don't hate Xeno Crisis, but it is just a flawed game in so many ways that it would be hard for me to recommend it to someone looking for a cool, fun retro throwback action game. There are definitely pieces there that tease what could have been a much better game, but honestly these positive aspects are not utilized or designed well enough to make this game better than a one and done experience that you're better off using cheats to experience than torturing yourself through a sloppily difficult game with enough tedium to induce comatose. (12/27/25) [29/50]

13

General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2026!!!

« on: December 27, 2025, 11:26:29 am »

This year I have little doubt I'll reach 52 games beat again. Given how I play a pretty balanced combo of shorter games (lots of arcade style games and games that can be beat in under a couple of hours) and longer games (10+ hours), it won't be hard for me to beat 52 games again. However, where I might fall short compared to 2025 (I beat around 130 games) is committing myself to other things as well in 2025 that I either neglected or didn't put as much time/effort into as I should have. This will no doubt reduce my games beat output, but to what extent is to be seen. I'm estimating I'll beat around 80 games this year, but that number could go up or down depending on how things go in 2026. It's even possible I hit triple digit games beat, but again, my need to prioritize other, non-game related things in 2026 will likely get in the way of that. Anyhow, like always I'm super excited to complete the challenge again and look forward to seeing what everyone else beats too!


COMPLETED

1. Elebits (Wii) (1/2/26) [29/50]
2. Golden Axe (Genesis) (1/3/26) [29/50]
3. Splatterhouse 3 (Genesis) (1/3/26) [34/50]
4. Halo 3 (XBONE) (1/4/26) [36/50]



ABANDONED


1.

14

General / 52 Games Challenge 2026!!!

« on: December 27, 2025, 11:26:21 am »

It's here again! With less than a week left in 2025, I figured we can get a 52 games challenge thread going to stir up excitement and also to reserve spots in the thread for next year.


For anyone who's not familiar with the 52 Games Challenge, it's essentially VGcollect members committing themselves to beat at least 52 games (one game a week on average) in one calendar year and reducing our backlogs. This challenge is a lot of fun, not just playing and beating games, but also seeing what others are beating as well. A lot of good game discussion happens here as we comment on each other's reviews and blurbs about games. When you beat a game, abandon one, or whatever feel free to write a small blurb about it, or a super long, detailed review too if you want.


Let's beat a ton of games in 2026 and make it another awesome year of gaming!

15

General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2025!!!

« on: December 26, 2025, 02:26:25 am »

After opening presents with my wife, having breakfast, and calling some family, I had a pretty low key, relaxing day. I took advantage of it by playing a lot of the new games I got for Christmas, but mainly I spent a ton of time today playing the following.


128. Demon's Tilt (Switch)

I've been wanting to try out Demon's Tilt for quite some time seeing how I'm a pretty big pinball guy. I love playing real pins on location when I can as well as virtual pins on the PC and console. Speaking of virtual pinball, I've learned to adapt to the inherent lack of any analogue, tactile sensations of hitting a physical metal ball around a physical playfield. There is always some level of delay and while virtual pinball doesn't necessarily provide a 1:1 substitute for the real thing, it at least scratches the itch most of the time when certain tables aren't available. I mention all this to preface some of my thoughts and feelings on Demon's Tilt, which was a fun game for the most part, but certainly lacking when it comes to an original virtual pinball game.


Demon's Tilt is definitely more about spectacle than gameplay. Being a highly stylized, retro inspired game, I feel like Demon's Tilt wants to wow you with its neon bullets that fill the playfield when you hit a specific target or complete certain shots. Or, certain targets in the form of beasts or a priestess in the middle of the 2nd level of the playfield changing throughout the game is also there to provide a level of entertainment. And for the most part, this all works pretty well. Being essentially three playfields stacks on each other to make a single game, Demon's Title has a lot of see and experience as you play longer and longer. Unfortunately, you will see 95% of what Demon's Tilt has to offer visually by the time you reach the 100 million to 200 million point range. Once seeing certain events happen on the playfield for the dozens time begins to wear off, you're left with gameplay that isn't terrible or even bad, but certainly not amazing either.


When I mentioned the delay and sometimes questionable physics of virtually all virtual pins, Demon's Tilt is no different, and if anything felt a bit worse. The delay when using flippers was very difficult to get used to and even after 3 hours or playing, I still didn't feel completely used to it. Likewise, the physics in this game felt all over the place, making actions like performing consistent shots fairly difficult. Not that there are a lot of great shots in this game. Some of the best real pinball machines gained their accliamed status due to how well they shoot and how well the playfield, ramps, and other features are laid out. Unfortunately the devs behind Demon's Tilt missed the memo on this and there are very few good or even satisfying shots in this game. You pretty much are just aiming the ball at the same dozen or so targets with a few ramps and other minor shots thrown in.


Finally, the audio in Demon's Tilt is pretty good. The music in this game is definitely a retro throwback similar to its visuals. The sounds in this game harken back to various 16 bit games from the 90s, as do the pixel graphics that make up the visuals. There are some catchy songs that all fir in pretty well with what's going on. Speaking of going along with the visuals and action, there are some good call outs and other sound effects that definitely add to how enjoyable Demon's Tilt can be.


While I enjoyed Demon's Tilt and kept on running into the "One more game" trap while playing, this game's visual charm that dips its toes into bullet hell chaos at times does wear off the more you play the game. When that begins to happen, you are left with a game that will mostly make you wish you were playing most other real pins that have been made over the past 30 years. Even if that means playing those other pins digitally. Still, as a fun way to spend a few hours, Demon's Tilt is certainly worth it. (12/25/25) [33/50]