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Messages - realpoketendonl

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1
General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2024!!!!!
« on: March 17, 2024, 06:21:58 pm »
4. Bayonetta (NSIC Mode) [Switch]

Phew, barely had any time to play lately because I've just moved, but just beat Bayonetta again. I've beaten this game many, MANY times before, but I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've beaten it on Non-Stop Infinite Climax difficulty (the hardest difficulty in the game). The fact I've beaten it like over 10 times should tell you how much I love this game tho. Bayonetta 1 and 2 are two of my favourite games of all time, and I cannot recommend them enough. Glad to now finally tick off the top difficulty box too.
Now, just started up BROK the InvestiGator, and enjoyed the first hour. Looking forward to diving into that one more :)

2
General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2024!!!!!
« on: February 03, 2024, 06:03:51 pm »
3. A Mortician's Tale

TW: death

This is MUCH more serious than most messages here, but I think that's the only way I can do this game justice. If this is not something you want to read, feel free to skip this post. But I will say here: I highly recommend giving this game a look.

This is a short game, only taking about an hour to play through, but I've had my eye on it for a while and I'm glad to have now played it. This is a short narrative experience about a mortician. You go through her daily routine of preparing the bodies of people for the funeral service, to help their loved ones say goodbye and offer the deceased a respectful send-off. You do this by reading the emails from your clients and your colleagues, and preparing the bodies of the deceased as to their loved ones' wishes. You go through all the steps to embalm or cremate the person's body, and then attend the service. And that's your work day.

What drew me to this game was its death positive message. In case you don't know, death positivity means (in my words) an acceptance of the concept of death. It means not fearing the concept of death or avoiding it, but viewing it as something to openly talk about. I honestly think this is a wonderful sentiment. Death, however sad, is an inevitable part of life. And I feel that if we were to lift the taboo on talking about it and allow ourselves to better accept the reality of mortality, it could really help us deal with the difficult feelings surrounding passing and grief. Allowing these feelings to exist, rather than surpressing them. Of course this is much easier said than done: I wish I was more death positive than I am. I find it really hard to discuss or think about too. But change is a slow process, and this is exactly why I wanted to play this game.

And the game depicts this subject beautifully. It shows both the good and the bad that happens in this world, deals with both the beauty and pain of memorial services, and it offers a particularly interesting perspective on this from the position of the mortician. As a player you always just want to do whatever you can to be as respectful as possible, and it's nice you can do this for these people. You really feel everything your character and the other characters feel, and the ending did make me tear up.

This is a short but very sweet experience, that I think addresses the topic beautifully. I hope it can lead to conversation between people about this topic, and maybe help some people find a little more peace with death. I highly recommend checking it out. The creators of this game deserve the support.

(Also, technical info: the game is for Windows and macOS, but I played it on Linux Mint with no trouble at all. And tip: I got this from the Racial Justice and Equality charity bundle that was available on itch.io in 2020. So if you bought that, you already have this!)

--

Also also, completely unrelated to the challenge, but I've also already finished 3 books thus far this year! One of which was Disrupting the game by Reggie Fils-Aime, which I highly recommend, especially to Nintendo fans.

3
General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2024!!!!!
« on: January 20, 2024, 10:01:48 am »
2. Sonic Mania [Switch]

So I've wanted to finish this game for a while, but what pushed me over the edge was my bff giving me this huge Sonic plush, which I love.



So I took the game back on, and turned out I was on the final zone of my first playthrough, so I could finish it relatively quickly. I know I'm far from done: I didn't even get all the Chaos Emeralds to unlock the true ending. But I played through it once and got credits, so I'mma count it. Also because I'm not sure how quickly I'll jump back in.
It's odd. I like Sonic and his friends a lot as characters. I really enjoy things like Sonic Prime and the second live-action movie. I enjoy the character designs, interactions, all that. But I often just can't seem to get into the games, especially the classic style ones. I can acknowledge all that's good about this game, but it just never clicked for me. Even towards the end I was a little puzzled on what I was doing. I don't know whether there's too much going on for me or whether I can't keep up or whatever, but I dunno. Happy for everyone who loves it, I can acknowledge it's good, but personally, I don't think I'll be picking it up again soon.

4
General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2024!!!!!
« on: January 03, 2024, 07:10:55 pm »
And can post about my first beat game of the year right away:

1. Hypnospace Outlaw [Switch]

This is a very unique game. Essentially, you are a moderator on a 90s online forum (GeoCities is the comparisent I hear all the time), except its one you access in your sleep. Your task is to go through all the pages and posts, find problematic content and report it to the higher-ups, while learning about the people on the platform and how it works. And yes: it plays exactly like how browsing through these forums in the 90s would be.

The old internet is recreated beautifully. I'm admittedly from '98 so I experienced the internet from a while later, but even then I can recognise and appreciate a lot of the touches they added. It genuinely feels like browsing through forums sometimes. I did realise I was a bit too dumb for this game though. Especially near the end you really gotta start thinking outside of the box, and I ended up needing a guide a few times to figure out the final parts. But that's a me-thing: I suck at these types of brain-busting-type games.

I gotta admit, while I was really into it at first, once the novelty of the 90's PC OS-setup wore off, it did lose me a little (even though I do appreciate a lot of the details that come later (and thankfully it's not that long, so it doesn't overstay its welcome)). This is still a charming title though, and one of the most unique things I've played in a while. If it sounds interesting to you, do give it a look. This was clearly a passion project and the creators deserve some love for it.

5
General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2024!!!!!
« on: January 03, 2024, 06:59:48 pm »
All right! 2024, let's do this! Didn't make a base post to keep track of everything the previous year, so will do that this year! No clue how many games I'll get to, in part because I also want to read a bunch of books again this year (finished 20 books last year, plus another 19 manga/graphic novels/art books). But we'll see, either way I'm excited to see what this year has in store! Highly doubt I'll play all the games I'm adding to the lists below, but good to have some ideas!


Beat:
  • Hypnospace Outlaw [Switch]
  • Sonic Mania [Switch]
  • A Mortician's Tale [itch.io / PC]
  • Bayonetta (NSIC Mode) [Switch]
(Purple = started it last year or earlier)
(Orange = beaten it before)


Started playing earlier and want to finish
  • Aquarist [Switch]
  • Spyro the Dragon (Spyro Reignited Trilogy) [Switch]
  • Kaze and the Wild Masks [Switch]
  • Metroid Prime Pinball [NDS]
  • The Munchables [Wii]

Want to play from backlog:
  • The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog [PC]
  • BROK the InvestiGator [Switch]
  • Lula 3D [PC]
  • Niche - a genetics survival game [Switch]
  • Neo Cab [Switch]
  • Super Metroid [SNES - NSO version]
  • Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (Metroid Prime Trilogy) [Wii]
  • New Super Lucky's Tale [PC]
  • Drawn to Life: Two Realms [Switch]
  • Sonic Rush Adventure [NDS]
  • Ori and the Blind Forest [Switch]
  • Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge [Wii U]
  • Star Fox Zero [Wii U]
  • Shantae and the Pirate's Curse [Wii U/3DS]
  • Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash [3DS]
  • Project Rub [NDS]
  • Freddi Fish: The Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds [PC]

Game-related task I want to finish:
  • Finish going through all my itch.io games, and listing which ones from there I want to play (thanks 1000+ game bundles for charity!)

Unrelated, but books I have finished thus far: 4

My final list from 2023 (17 titles beat, 15 of which for the first time)

6
General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2023!!!
« on: December 30, 2023, 03:08:40 pm »
  • Pokémon Violet [Switch]
  • Unlock the King [Switch eShop]
  • Sonic Frontiers [Switch]
  • Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon [Switch]
  • Bayonetta 3 [Switch] {second playthrough}
  • Murder by Numbers [Switch eShop]
  • Metroid Prime Remastered [Switch]
  • The Wonderful One: After School Hero [Switch eShop]
  • Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil (Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series) [Switch]
  • Tetris Effect: Connected [Switch eShop]
  • Crash Bandicoot (Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy) [Switch]
  • Pilotwings Resort [3DS]
  • Metroid: Zero Mission [GBA / Wii U VC]
  • Roundabout [PC] {repeat playthrough}
  • Splatoon 3 [Switch]
  • Shantae: Half-Genie Hero [Switch eShop]
  • Kao the Kangaroo (2022) [PC]

Hadn't been updating in a while (my bad), so figured that at the tail end of 2023 I'd add the final 3 games I've beaten this year.

Splatoon 3
Splatoon 3's story mode offers some fun, but it's clearly mainly there to train you on how the game works before the big multiplayer stuff. And you know what, seen through that lens it does it well enough. It's not a big campaign that's worth praising or remembering, let alone a game seller on its own, but single player is not really Splatoon's point as a game either. And as a side mode, I liked it fine. Splatoon 3 in general is a game I enjoy when I play it, but I rarely find myself picking it up out of the many options I have. That's definitely a taste thing though. It's a really fun multiplayer game and totally worth a look if it looks interesting to you.

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero
I do have the Ultimate Edition, which has bonus side campaigns and extra content, but thus far I've only beaten the main game. And I gotta say: I loved it! It's a fantastic game with tight and fluent gameplay, really fun levels, and absolutely gorgeous visuals. Not too confusing or cryptic either: if you look around in the levels and talk to everyone, you'll get through it no problem. I only once briefly needed a guide for one step in a level, which for me says a lot. It's the first Shantae game I've ever beaten, but I can totally see why this series gets the love it does. Highly recommended!

Kao the Kangaroo (2022)
The 2022 revival of this classic series, but the first one in the series I've ever played. It was fun! It was admittedly pretty easy and pretty short, but I don't mind either of those things. The level design is really solid, with plenty of fun platforming, a handful of different mechanics to spice things up, and I quite liked the combat too. Punching stuff just feels good. Oh yeah, and Kao's just pretty cute. That also helps. I did have a few technical problems and bugs, but nothing game breaking or experience-ruining, and I always have problems with PC games so it might just be me. This game is nothing revolutionary by any means, but not every game needs to be. If you're looking for a light, simple 3D-platformer, this will do it.

7
General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2023!!!
« on: August 16, 2023, 06:21:29 pm »
  • Pokémon Violet [Switch]
  • Unlock the King [Switch eShop]
  • Sonic Frontiers [Switch]
  • Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon [Switch]
  • Bayonetta 3 [Switch] {second playthrough}
  • Murder by Numbers [Switch eShop]
  • Metroid Prime Remastered [Switch]
  • The Wonderful One: After School Hero [Switch eShop]
  • Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil (Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series) [Switch]
  • Tetris Effect: Connected [Switch eShop]
  • Crash Bandicoot (Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy) [Switch]
  • Pilotwings Resort [3DS]
  • Metroid: Zero Mission [GBA / Wii U VC]
  • Roundabout [PC] {repeat playthrough}

Just beat Roundabout again. I played through this game once, maybe twice before a couple of years ago, but was in the mood for it. In case you don't know it, it's a game about Georgio Manos, the world's first revolving limousine driver. You drive around passengers in a limousine that's eternally spinning on its axis, which you have to navigate around obstacles. From that alone - and the very cheesy fmv of the characters - you should be able to tell what kind of game this is. It revolves entirely around the joke. It's still fairly fun to play too though. Not too deep or hard at all, but something about the driving is just fun and the fmv really kept me going. In every second you feel like you can almost see the crew behind the scenes just having fun.
I did have some technical issues, but those are almost certainly PC-related. In the final parts of the game some terrain was completely obscured, but that may very well be because I'm playing on Linux (I don't remember that being there a few years back when I played on Windows, and even then the issues were brief and not game breaking). Had issues with Steam refusing to download and my controller not working too, but chug that up to regular PC gaming issues (this is why I majorly prefer consoles).
Back to the game though, honestly, this is a game of which you can deduce whether you'd like it almost completely from a trailer. If you don't like the joke, you probably won't get into this. But if you think that the joke is funny (like I do) then you will enjoy this. I will also admit, I find myself thinking of Georgio and Beth more than I'd like to admit. Give this a shot if you're just looking for a fun, silly time!

8
General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2023!!!
« on: August 15, 2023, 04:41:02 pm »
When can I begin? I think I might do like 1000 games.
I say you can start whenever! This isn't that serious. The idea is to start at the beginning of the year, but really it's just a fun way to motivate yourself to play through more games and share your experiences, so I say have at it!

9
General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2023!!!
« on: August 15, 2023, 03:09:47 pm »
  • Pokémon Violet [Switch]
  • Unlock the King [Switch eShop]
  • Sonic Frontiers [Switch]
  • Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon [Switch]
  • Bayonetta 3 [Switch] {Second time}
  • Murder by Numbers [Switch eShop]
  • Metroid Prime Remastered [Switch]
  • The Wonderful One: After School Hero [Switch eShop]
  • Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil (Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series) [Switch]
  • Tetris Effect: Connected [Switch eShop]
  • Crash Bandicoot (Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy) [Switch]
  • Pilotwings Resort [3DS]
  • Metroid: Zero Mission [GBA / Wii U VC]

Was on a bit of a Metroid kick after beating Prime Remastered, so now played through Metroid: Zero Mission. And unsurprisingly, it's good, but it's not my favourite 2D Metroid. I enjoyed playing through it. It looks and controls good, and running and shooting and exploring is satisfying. Minus some of the bosses which require tight jumping between one-square platforms which I found a bit frustrating, most of the running and exploring feels as great to do as you'd expect from Metroid. Some of the paths are more obscure and I did check a guide a few times, but just about every time I read it I was like "I could've figured that out with 10 minutes more tinkering", so maybe it's my own impatience more than the game. I have to admit though, while I enjoyed playing it, I wasn't really...sucked in, I guess? I can't quite put my finger on it, but in other 2D Metroids I've played like Samus Returns, Dread and especially Fusion I always felt like I was in that world, feeling the helplessness, loneliness or claustrophobia that the world was conveying. In this one, I didn't really feel anything. I don't know whether it's my mental state or the game, but I just didn't find it very memorable. With the exception of the Zero Suit part (which I honestly forgot about until I got there, but reminded me of the newer E.M.M.I. chases in Dread), I doubt I'll remember this game much, while I think about Fusion all the time. I don't want to bash the game though, because it definitely still is great and totally worth your time. Even if it isn't my favourite Metroid, it's still a great game I'm glad I played.

10
General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2023!!!
« on: August 10, 2023, 06:19:23 am »
  • Pokémon Violet [Switch]
  • Unlock the King [Switch eShop]
  • Sonic Frontiers [Switch]
  • Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon [Switch]
  • Bayonetta 3 [Switch] {Second time}
  • Murder by Numbers [Switch eShop]
  • Metroid Prime Remastered [Switch]
  • The Wonderful One: After School Hero [Switch eShop]
  • Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil (Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series) [Switch]
  • Tetris Effect: Connected [Switch eShop]
  • Crash Bandicoot (Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy) [Switch]
  • Pilotwings Resort [3DS]

And that's Pilotwings Resort done. I'm on a train and feeling really tired so needed something laid back and relaxing to play. And turned out I only had six more missions to beat to finish all of 'em, which I'm going to consider beating it. Flying a plane around Wuhu Island is still fun, but the best thing about this game when it launched was seeing everything in 3D, and I think it still is (unfortunately I'm playing on a New 2DS XL so no 3D but oh well). I also remember hating the glider as a teenager, but I dunno, I'm still not a big fan, but maybe I just didn't properly understand the controls. Plane is still the best part by far. This game is worth a look on a 3D capable 3DS system just to see that, but otherwise I think it's fine enough, but not a necessity to play.

11
General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2023!!!
« on: August 08, 2023, 09:24:49 pm »
  • Pokémon Violet [Switch]
  • Unlock the King [Switch eShop]
  • Sonic Frontiers [Switch]
  • Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon [Switch]
  • Bayonetta 3 [Switch] {Second time}
  • Murder by Numbers [Switch eShop]
  • Metroid Prime Remastered [Switch]
  • The Wonderful One: After School Hero [Switch eShop]
  • Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil (Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series) [Switch]
  • Tetris Effect: Connected [Switch eShop]
  • Crash Bandicoot (Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy) [Switch]

Just beat the N. Sane Trilogy version of the original Crash Bandicoot. And honestly, I know this may be an unpopular opinion, but I didn't really like it. I found a lot of it frustrating, and not in a fun way like Cuphead or something. The whole game felt very slippery. I was constantly slipping off of the small platforms it was expecting me to jump across, and a lot of it felt unfair. I am so sick of that Game Over screen. I also know a lot of people really love the characters in these games, but I don't know, I didn't really care about any of them. And small thing, but I thought the music was very forgettable. Who knows, I've heard the sequels are better so maybe I'll give those a shot later, but this one, if you like it I'm very happy for you, but for me, it was meh. Definitely my least favourite game I've beaten this year thus far.


If you beat a game that's released as part of a collection it still counts as one game beaten right?

Also to answer your question I am counting them as seperate games for this list.

On that note, I'll mention those ridiculous compilation collections such as 155,000 Games, 333,000 Games and 700,000 Games. Even though there are only a minute fraction of unique games than what's advertised, someone here should play through a compilation and count each individual game as something completed.

Honestly, that sounds like a brilliant YouTube video. "I played EVERY SINGLE GAME on this 330,000 GAME CD-ROM!" I'd watch it. Heck, over 100,000 is a little much, but if I ever get my hands on a CD-ROM that has like a couple of hundred, I might start doing this and recording it out of pure morbid curiosity. You're giving me bad ideas here.

12
General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2023!!!
« on: August 08, 2023, 08:15:55 pm »
  • Pokémon Violet [Switch]
  • Unlock the King [Switch eShop]
  • Sonic Frontiers [Switch]
  • Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon [Switch]
  • Bayonetta 3 [Switch] {Second time}
  • Murder by Numbers [Switch eShop]
  • Metroid Prime Remastered [Switch]
  • The Wonderful One: After School Hero [Switch eShop]
  • Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil (Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series) [Switch]
  • Tetris Effect: Connected [Switch eShop]

Guess I'm just knocking out a lot of shorter ones right now. Just beat the Journey Mode of Tetris Effect: Connected, which has levels and prompted a credit sequence so it counts for me! And yep, auditory and visually it's gorgeous. I'm sure everyone has seen it, but if you're a Tetris fan, I think you owe it to yourself to at least try it (with headphones!). Otherwise, it's still Tetris no matter how gorgeous it is, so whether or not it's worth it is really up to you.

I'm actually playing through the Klonoa games too! There are also GBA games, I just beat Klonoa: Empire of Dreams - A Klonoa 1.5 really. It's a decent platfomer! Very tricky at points but overall enjoyable. I think the story is self contained as it happens in a Limbo area between Klonoa 1 & 2 - I can't see the characters from this GBA game returning in Klonoa 2 anyway.

There is a 2nd Klonoa GBA game set after Klonoa 2 called Klonoa 2: Dream Champ Tournament Which is another platformer Game set after Klonoa 2 on PS2.

The following game seems to be more like an RPG Klonoa Heroes: Legendary Star Medal adventure - This game has been translated online but is meant to be a lot longer than the other games! Further research has stated it to be non-canon.

Also to answer your question I am counting them as seperate games for this list.

Ah awesome! Sounds good! I've heard of the GBA games of course but I've never really looked at them tbh. Maybe I will try them someday. Hope you enjoy the rest of 'em!

13
General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2023!!!
« on: August 08, 2023, 10:59:50 am »
  • Pokémon Violet [Switch]
  • Unlock the King [Switch eShop]
  • Sonic Frontiers [Switch]
  • Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon [Switch]
  • Bayonetta 3 [Switch] {Second time}
  • Murder by Numbers [Switch eShop]
  • Metroid Prime Remastered [Switch]
  • The Wonderful One: After School Hero [Switch eShop]
  • Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil (Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series) [Switch]

If you beat a game that's released as part of a collection it still counts as one game beaten right? Whatever, I'm treating it that way. Which means I can add Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil to the list. I beat Klonoa 1 on Wii, so when I got Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series I skipped straight to two. Was about a third of the way in, glad to have finished it now. I think these are good, cute platformers. I see why people love them, and those endings are gonna stick with me, but I dunno, I just don't feel in love with them otherwise. They're good, but not my favourites ever. Honestly the sole thing that drew me to these games is how adorable Klonoa is. And yep, he still is.

14
General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2023!!!
« on: August 06, 2023, 08:17:50 pm »
  • Pokémon Violet [Switch]
  • Unlock the King [Switch eShop]
  • Sonic Frontiers [Switch]
  • Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon [Switch]
  • Bayonetta 3 [Switch] {Second time}
  • Murder by Numbers [Switch eShop]
  • Metroid Prime Remastered [Switch]
  • The Wonderful One: After School Hero [Switch eShop]

Finally I can add a Metroid Prime game to my list of beaten titles. I must've tried to play one of those like 3 or 4 times but I'd always get stuck early on and then lose interest. A shame because I've loved all the 2D titles I've beaten. But I finally decided to dive into Metroid Prime Remastered and I'm glad I did. I completely see why this game gets the love it does. It's absolutely fantastic. It's atmospheric as all hell, and the worlds are a joy to explore. This game seriously got my blood pumping more than once too. It knows both how to make you feel powerful as hell and how to back you completely into a corner. I don't know what got me stuck the previous times but this time I got through with patience, using the hint system and only very occasionally asking the internet for help. The remaster is absolutely gorgeous too. Definitely recommend it highly. Now to see whether I'll immediately dedicate myself to Prime 2 and 3 (doubt it)

And immediately beat another one: The Wonderful One: After School Hero. If you haven't heard of it: this is a run 'n gun platformer that serves as a side game to The Wonderful 101: Remastered. It seemed fun enough, and I had heard it was only a few hours long (I ended up beating it in a little over two hours). And yeah, it is fun enough! I enjoyed it. It's a bit "blindly shoot at whatever is in sight" rather than strategically and skillfully play around it (at least my first playthrough here was), but that's fine. Especially considering it's free DLC for The Wonderful 101: Remastered anyway (though it's available on its own as well). If you have The Wonderful 101: Remastered, download this DLC and give it a go! It's pretty fun.

Also yes, 8 games thus far isn't a ton, but I've been noticing that my interests are spreading: I've also read 16 books this year thus far (and that's excluding manga, graphic novels and art books). So I like to think I'm doing well :)

15
General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2023!!!
« on: May 03, 2023, 04:02:40 pm »
Well, been a long time since I participated in one of these (or in this forum in general). As good a time as any to hop back in.
Let's see, thus far this year I've beaten:
  • Pokémon Violet [Switch]
  • Unlock the King [Switch eShop]
  • Sonic Frontiers [Switch]
  • Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon [Switch]
  • Bayonetta 3 [Switch] {Second time}
  • Murder by Numbers [Switch eShop]


Now to catch up on descriptions:
Pokémon Violet
Been years since I've properly played a Pokémon game (Sun was the last one I bought when it was new and beat). Gotta admit, it was fun to play through a Pokémon journey again after so many years. It has technical issues, everyone can see that, but thankfully they weren't as bad as I was expecting (which doesn't excuse them, but still). Overall I enjoyed it fine. Let's be real: with Pokémon, I feel like most people already know whether they're interested or not.

Unlock the King
This is a chess-based puzzle game. Chess pieces are scattered around stages, and the goal is to move them to clear a path for the king to the goal, with the pieces obviously only moving in the patterns they would in real chess. Been chipping away at this one on and off since last year, just playing a few levels here and there. It's a neat little puzzle game, and with the price only being like a dollar, yeah it's worth picking up.

Sonic Frontiers
Gotta admit, I liked this one a good bit, but that may just be that for whatever reason I seem to have a soft spot for Sonic (thanks Sonic 2 movie for making me realise that). It did get a bit monotenous nearing the end, and the combat is pretty basic when you get down to it, but I still enjoyed performing combos and taking down opponents. And the regular levels are solid fun. And yeah, you can totally see the blatant pop-in and other stuff on Switch, but it runs fine and is still fun to play, so eh, I can deal. No masterpiece, but worth playing if you ask me.

Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon
The Bayonetta series is easily my favourite series of all time, so of course I had to pick this up. Obviously what stands out most is the art style, and it does not disappoint when you play it. This is one of the most gorgeous games I've played in a while. It's plot is both charmingly written and delivered too. Its gameplay is also good fun, with the two-character gimmick being pretty fun and satisfying once you get in the flow. Overall I really recommend this one.

Bayonetta 3 {Second playthrough}
I could write a novel about my feelings towards this game, but I'll try to stay brief. Again: Bayonetta is my favourite franchise of all time, and this game largely does not disappoint. The combat is as satisfying and slick as ever, and the crazy moments are some of the craziest we've seen from the series (which if you know the games, you know says a lot). The second playthrough really helped me appreciate a lot of this more too, as in the first one I was kind of overwhelmed by everything that was happening and the bad beats in the plot. I still cannot recommend this game enough though (or Bayonetta 1 and 2 for that matter). If you haven't yet, please support this series and pick this game up. It's a masterpiece.

Murder by Numbers
This game is charming as hell. Essentially: it's a cross between a murder mystery graphic novel (basically Ace Attorney) and picross. It sounds weird, but it just works. The picross puzzles are exactly that, so if you like Picross you'll like this. But the plot and characters surrounding that are so charming. I love everyone in this cast to bits. Please do give this game a look. It's charming as hell, and deserves more attention.

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