Messages

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General / Re: July 2025 - Recently added to collection/recently purchased

« on: July 02, 2025, 07:33:10 pm »

I went to the thrift store to buy some new furniture. I failed.


(Sorry for the glare, it's the best I could do)

Ignoring the dvd's and cd's at the top, I got:

• Bejeweled Twist (PC)
• Fishdom 2 (PC)
• Angry Birds (PC)
• Angry Birds: Space (PC)
• Noddy (PC)
• Assassin's Creed: Director's Cut Edition (PC)
• Darksiders (PC)
• Tomb Raider: Legend (PC)
• EyeToy: Play 2 (PS2)
• SEGA: Superstars (PS2)
• De Wereld Draait Door DVD-Spel (DVD Game)

Excluding Sega Superstars and Noddy, I didn't even particularly want any of these. They just had a LOT of cd-roms, and I was in a buying mood.

Also, for the last one, I actually didn't realise it was a DVD game rather than a PC game until I got home, because it was on the shelf with all the other PC games. But I had to buy it out of sheer curiosity. "De Wereld Draait Door" ("The World Keeps Turning", although "draait door" is also a Dutch term for "going crazy") was an extremely successful Dutch public television show. And it was...a talkshow. A latenight talkshow with the host at a table, talking to guests like media people and politicians. I have NO idea how you can turn that into a video game (or, well, DVD game I guess), but I just had to find out. Curious to try it.

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2025!!!

« on: June 23, 2025, 10:11:59 pm »

5. Mario Kart World

Ah, Mario Kart. That raises the eternal question of "When can you consider this game beaten?" After beating all Grand Prix cups? After all Knockout Tour cups? After completing the Free Roam mode?

Well, I've now gotten gold trophies and at least a star ranking on all Grand Prix cups and Knockout Tour cups on 150cc. Doing that for Grand Prix landed me the credits too. Furthermore, Free Roam has like 750 or something things to find, which feels a lot more like a "completed" thing than a "beaten" thing, plus on HowLongToBeat the average beat time is 3,5 hours and there's NO WAY that's with Free Roam included, so with what I have done thus far I think I can consider it beaten.

I'm having fun with this game! But that's no surprise, it's Mario Kart. It's definitely a major shake-up of the formula though, with twice the amount of racers on the track, much larger and more open tracks, and gameplay that seems to be more about how you find your way around the tracks than the tracks themselves. Shaking up the formula makes sense, it would've been really hard to improve on what Mario Kart 8 Deluxe did. But is World better? I wouldn't call it better or worse per se, moreso just different.

Races are of course great fun, and feel like they have a different kind of chaos going on with the more open space and large amount of items flying around. Knockout Tour is really fun to play. I haven't had much time with the Free Roam mode yet, but I'm not sure that'll be my thing anyway. But that's a personal taste thing.

But the main thing that I think feels different in World compared to 8 is the philosophy in track design. World's tracks aren't just bigger and more open. You're actively encouraged to try to find shortcuts everywhere. By grinding on rails and tricking off of them, you can pull off some downright insane shortcuts if you've got the skill. Even basic shortcuts take some genuine technique to pull off. The thing with this, for me, is that often the alternate tracks or optimal paths aren't immediately obvious. Often they're flat-out hidden. And I don't know how I feel about that. I'm assuming that the idea is that you play Free Roam, try and look for shortcuts, and then implement them in your regular races. But I just feel like an idiot and like I'm missing stuff in the races. In Mario Kart 8, you can see just about every bit of road coming up ahead in front of you. How you handle that is all about your fundamental basic driving skills. But with hidden paths, it becomes more about how much time you've put into experimenting and how much you can remember of that. The shortcuts are too hidden to always be intuitive. You can still race over the standard road just fine of course, but if you only do that, tracks can feel barren, I agree, especially compared to 8's incredible track designs.

At the end of the day though, this is still Mario Kart. It's still well put together, colourful, exciting and fun, both solo and of course especially in multiplayer. The day after this game and the Switch 2 came out, I went to a gamer hangout space, and we had great fun with the game. So there's your endorsement for ya.

Edit: Also, I gotta add, this game's Rainbow Road may be one of the best and most exhilerating Rainbow Roads in the entire franchise.

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2025!!!

« on: June 04, 2025, 06:43:12 pm »

4. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Booster Course Pass (DLC) [Nintendo Switch]

I always struggle a bit with when DLC is substantial enough to be considered a separate entry. After all, some DLCs are miniscule side things, while others are substantial enough to be entirely separate games. The Booster Course Pass for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which gets you all the DLC, essentially doubles the amount of content in the game though, and I think that's enough for it to get its own entry.

I recently subscribed to the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack, and that also nets you access to this DLC. I've now beaten all of the 12 additional Grand Prix on 200cc (the highest difficulty), all with at least a 1-star rank. I think that counts as beating it (plus, beating all of it got me a credits sequence, so there). What can I say? It's more Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which is a ton of fun. I really enjoyed the tracks, particularly of course my childhood favourites that returned like Waluigi Pinball and Wii Rainbow Road. Having new characters like Pauline is of course fun too. But it's literally just more Mario Kart 8. Mario Kart 8 is fantastic, and after not having played it for a while it was nice to return to it, but whether or not you'll like this is entirely dependent on how you feel about Mario Kart 8. If you like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe a lot though, and you want something to get you back into it, this DLC is well worth checking out.

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General / Re: June 2025 - Recently added to collection/recently purchased

« on: June 03, 2025, 04:57:13 pm »

Preordered Mario Kart World at a game store, and decided to do some retro shopping while I was at it.

• PS2 EyeToy (Namtai version)
• EyeToy: Play (PS2)
• EyeToy: AntiGrav (PS2)
• Scaler (PS2)
• 1080° Snowboarding (N64)
• Het Huis Anubis: De Donkere Strijd (NDS)
• Ninjabread Man (Wii)
• Boogie (Wii)

In case you're wondering: the DS game is based on a Dutch-Belgian teenage tv series that was massively popular in the mid-to-late 2000s (or, well, this one is based on its spinoff continuation, but still). Glad to own Ninjabread Man, the classic "worst Wii game of all time" (it's not, that's Studio 100 Speeleiland if you ask me, but still). I actually had 1080° Snowboarding in my house when I was a little little kid, so it's really neat to own it again. Scaler looked like a fun 3D platformer on YouTube, and I've been curious about EyeToy: AntiGrav ever since I saw it in Caddicarus's EyeToy video on YouTube. Glad to add all of these to my shelf!

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2025!!!

« on: May 22, 2025, 06:50:44 pm »

3. Miraculous: Paris Under Siege [PC/Steam Deck]

Gosh, only beaten 3 games thus far this year, and game number 3 is a licensed kids game. Not good for my #gamerimage. But whatever, here we go.

Miraculous: Paris Under Siege is the second game (excluding mobile games) based on the popular animated series Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir, commonly referred to as Miraculous Ladybug. I played the first game, Miraculous: Rise of the Sphinx last year, and I can say without a doubt that Paris Under Siege is a major improvement over the original. However, considering I thought the original game was god awful, that doesn't really say much.

Paris Under Siege is half platformer, half beat-'em-up, similar to the first game. You walk around, fight waves of enemies and traverse various platforming challenges. Compared to the first game, significant improvements have been made. The one that sticks out right away: we actually get control of the camera this time. That alone helps a lot. The game feels a bit snappier overall too. Combat actually feels like it has a bit of a punch to it (not much, but it's at least there). I at least feel like I'm controlling the characters, rather than fighting the controls. Platforming has gotten better too, with some of it actually being decently fun. A standout inclusion are the sections where you can zip around levels via grapple points. It's nothing special, completely linear, but it does feel like the movement of the show and feels pretty good to pull off. I'm also really glad the game is finally fully voiced. For a game based on an animated series, especially one aimed at kids, that's really a requirement if you ask me.

That doesn't mean the game is perfect though. I would've appreciated a lock-on. The game is simple enough that it's not a necessity, but it would've made reorienting myself towards the enemies in the middle of fights a bit easier. I think the simplicity is one of the things that's holding the game back though. The problem is not that it's repetitive, but that it's monotonous. When it comes to combat, the game really is just a simple button masher. I don't mind that the game is easy, that's to be expected for a kids game, but I find the combat doesn't hold my interest. Not all fights are mandatory, and there were moments where I found myself just running past the enemies, not feeling like fighting. It's just not really that engaging nor satisfying to play, and being a kids game is no excuse: there absolutely are simple kid-friendly beat-'em-up/platformers out there that do full engage even adult players.

In terms of performance, I played Rise of the Sphinx on Switch, and it ran downright horribly on there. I'd say it was poorly optimized, but that would mean you tried to optimize it at all. I played Paris Under Siege on the Steam Deck though, and it ran perfectly fine on there. Excluding one section in one level where the framerate absolutely tanked for some reason, it ran just fine as far as I could tell. (Just make sure you use GE-Proton for the compatibility layer to fix some video playback issues). I think the bigger problem remaining is the lack of polish. The game does feel a little rough around the edges in many ways, like developers weren't granted the time and resources to properly smooth everything out before release. It's perfectly playable, nothing game-breaking, but you can feel it as you play (or probably even as you watch a trailer).

Overall, I'd say this game is mediocre to average. There's some fun to be had here. For a kid who's a fan of Miraculous, I think they could get some enjoyment out of this. Don't get it at full price, it's not worth that, but at a discount, you could do worse. But for anyone else, there isn't much here you won't find done better elsewhere. Too bad. I'm still a big fan of the animated series, which does lend itself insanely well to a game of this style. I hold out hope that one day we'll get that genuinely great Miraculous game that the series deserves.

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2025!!!

« on: April 27, 2025, 07:09:27 pm »

2. Shantae and the Pirate's Curse [3DS]

All right! Almost May and that's game number......two. Yeahh, I'm not gonna get a high tally this year. I've been so busy with work and activism this year that I've barely had time to play games. But I did now finally make some time and play through Shantae and the Pirate's Curse, and I'm glad I did. It's a fun game!

This is a classic Metroidvania. I found it fun to go through! It controls buttery smooth, and Shantae's slick attacks and movements feel great to pull off. The world never felt like a drag to go through. I usually had a decent idea of where to go next, though at some points I will say I found it a bit too cryptic. There were a few points where I'm not sure I would've found something without a guide, in part because there was seemingly no indication something essential was there, and I'm not a big fan of that. I know that's par for the course with Metroidvanias, but still. Something newer titles like Metroid: Samus Returns and Metroid Dread handle better, I suppose. I will also admit I checked a guide probably a bit more often than I needed to, but whatever, I still had fun playing through the levels!

The story was a bit hard to follow and the characters make stupid choices at times, but it helps they're likeable and colourful. I don't know what it is, but there's something about Shantae as a character that just keeps her sticking around in my head. She's memorable and fun!

Also, I played this on 3DS, which I've had it on for years. Instant item access on the touch screen was handy, and with how easy the 3DS still is to bring along, it was easy to play a little bit on the train from work every day. Performed flawlessly, for those who care, but I wouldn't expect less for a 2D pixel-art platformer.

Overall, I recommend it! I'm not sure whether I like it better than Half-Genie Hero or not, because I did beat that one too, but I honestly don't remember that much about it. Guess we'll see how much staying power this game will have in my mind. Either way, if you're looking for a fun upbeat Metroidvania, I'd say this game is worth a look.

No idea how actively I'll be gaming from here. I do want to beat Metroid Prime 3: Corruption before Metroid Prime 4: Beyond comes out, so I guess we'll see.

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General / Re: March 2025 - Recently Added to Collection/Recently Purchased

« on: March 02, 2025, 02:39:09 pm »

Also, the keepcase itself is a part of a larger package that includes a microphone.[/font]

Oh dang, I didn't even think of that, but I suppose that does make sense. Now I do kinda want the big box, gonna see what I can find about that. Thanks for all the info!

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General / Re: March 2025 - Recently Added to Collection/Recently Purchased

« on: March 02, 2025, 02:13:13 pm »

So I just got back from a vacation to Tokyo, and before I left I promised myself I wouldn't spend too much on games and merch.

I failed. Miserably.



So let's go over it!

Nintendo Switch

• HORI Taiko No Tatsujin Drum Controller for Nintendo Switch. I love Taiko no Tatsujin in the arcades, so when I saw the drum controller for a very reasonable price, I couldn't resist. And I got that along with...
• Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival. Not only because I obviously need a game to play with the controller, but because I bought both together, I also got an exclusive collector's box! (That's what the controller box is on top of)
• Gori: Cuddly Carnage. This game hasn't released physically in Europe, but it has in Japan. I already bought it on GOG and played it on my Steam Deck, but I loved this game so much I just had to get it physically. So glad to have it on my shelf now!

Wii U

• Wii Karaoke U by JOYSOUND. At least, I think? I haven't found much English information on this disc yet. This seems to be that software (the name and branding seem to be identical), but that app was also free to download on the eShop. Though according to my translator app, the case says something like "10.000 trial songs", so maybe this was a trial version? Who knows. Either way, it was dirt cheap, and I'd like to own all the "Wii" series games, which this does seem to be. So glad to have it.

Wii

• Super Mario All-Stars 25th Anniversary Edition. Actually didn't have this yet, and it was significantly cheaper than it would be in Europe. So I figured, why not.
• Kirby's Dream Collection. This didn't even release in Europe at all, so really neat to now have this.
• Minna no Jōshiki Ryoku Televi / みんなの常識力テレビ. This one baffled me when I came across it, because it's a first-party Nintendo title with Mii branding that I had never heard of. Machine translating to "Everyone's common sense TV", it appears to be a family quiz game? No idea, gonna look into that, but love having this obscure Mii title on my shelf now.
• And-Kensaku / 安藤ケンサク. This Japanese-only first-party Nintendo game revolves around Google search syntax and actual real Google searches. That just sounds so Nintendo-random to me, and I like odd Nintendo software.

Nintendo 3DS

• Gudetama: Hanjuku de Tanomuwā / ぐでたま 半熟でたのむわー. I have no idea what this is. I just thought the cover was funny.
• AKB48+Me. Another obscure Japanese-only Mii-centric game, this one about the player joining the real-life idol popgroup AKB48. Another one for my Mii-games collection.

Nintendo DS

• Tomodachi Collection. I absolutely loved Tomodachi Life when it came out, so really cool to own its Japan-only predecessor now.
• Densetsu no Stafy 4 / 伝説のスタフィー4. Never played a Starfy game before, but I've always been curious about them, so I finally picked one up.
• Game & Watch Collection. The Club Nintendo-exclusive that was always so elusively out of reach for me, suddenly on the shelf for like a third of what the European version goes for.

Soundtracks

• Bayonetta Original Soundtrack
• Bayonetta 2 Original Soundtrack

Those two soundtracks especially were much more money than I was planning to spend on anything. The Bayonetta 1 soundtrack was the equivalent of about 25 euros, but the Bayonetta 2 soundtrack cost me a little over 100 euros. I almost walked away from it, but then I checked and both go for easily double those prices on western ebay and Discogs, sometimes even triple. The Bayonetta games are my favourite games of all time, so if there was ever a moment to get these amazing collectibles, it was now. And I don't regret it.

Oh yeah, and I got a Dark Pit amiibo, a small Meganium plush and a rather big Rockruff plush. I couldn't help myself, my sense of self-control was very weak this trip.

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2025!!!

« on: January 09, 2025, 07:37:27 pm »

1. Gori: Cuddly Carnage



GORI CUDDLY CARNAAAGE! He's a cat on a hoverboard fighting unicorns!

Hot damn. What a game to kick off the new year with! I started this game in December, but I just beat it, and I absolutely love it. Gori: Cuddly Carnage a fast-paced hack-'n-slash in which you play as a cat on a hoverboard, grinding along rails and taking out hordes of zombie-unicorns and horrific corrupted toys. It's ridiculously over-the-top, with the corrupted toy-enemies exploding in puddles of blood and your hoverboard cursing constantly. And that's how I like it: wacky, over-the-top and wild. That's not all the game has going for it though: its gameplay is also fantastic. Being a hack-and-slash, of course the game is fast-paced. But being on a hoverboard gives it a whole new feel. It becomes a lot more about zipping around your enemies, taking out the right ones at the right time and using your movement to your advantage. It's slick as hell.

I may still be a bit overhyped, but I could see this becoming one of my top 10 favourite games of all time. I'm dead serious. I wouldn't expect it to get to quite that level for others, but it's just the perfect game for me. As a massive lover of hack-and-slashes and of silly, over-the-top, campy madness, this game was just amazing. I'm not even kidding when I say I felt more badass playing this than Devil May Cry 5. It's available on PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC (via GOG, Steam and Epic Games). PLEASE go check it out and give it some love. It really deserves it.

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2025!!!

« on: January 09, 2025, 07:21:55 pm »

Aight, 2025 challenge let's go! Here to set up my base post

Really happy with my 2024 result. 29 games beaten in total, 26 of which for the first time. And played some absolute gems. I doubt I'll hit that number again this year, as I've got a pretty busy year ahead of me, but nevertheless looking forward to what games I'll be playing this year!

Beat:

• Gori: Cuddly Carnage [PC/Steam Deck, GOG]
• Shantae and the Pirate's Curse [3DS]
• Miraculous: Paris Under Siege [PC/Steam Deck]
• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Booster Course Pass (DLC) [Switch]
• Mario Kart World [Switch 2]

(Purple = started it last year or earlier)
(Orange = already beat it before)

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

« on: December 18, 2024, 07:43:03 pm »

29. Super Mario Bros. Wonder

I didn’t feel too compelled to play it when it came out last year, but for some reason I really got a hankering for it recently. So bought it, beaten it, and yup, it’s great! Probably not too surprising, it’s a 2D Mario game, of course it’s good, but still.

Right off the bat, I gotta say I really liked that I could essentially turn it into Super Daisy Wonder, and I played the whole game as her. She’s one of my favourite Mario characters, and it was really fun to finally see her in a main series game.

The level design, new enemies and visuals are all great, and I like the new power-ups a lot too. And the Wonder effects are really fun. I found myself looking forward to what they would do in each level. The whole game is really easy, I never struggled once (helped a lot by how insanely easy it is to get 1-Ups), but it’s fun!

The game isn’t groundbreaking by any means, but it’s comfortable. As a Nintendo and Mario fan who grew up on New Super Mario Bros., it felt comforting and like I’ve never been away. The game oozes charm too. I frequently got a big smile on my face when the game pulled something unexpected and creative, and it even made me laugh a few times.

I already have every Wonder Seed in every world, except the Special world. And I may go back to try and 100% complete the game at some point. Wasn’t expecting that itch, and the fact the game is so easy helps, but still!

At the end of the day, it’s a 2D Mario platformer. Don’t expect anything groundbreaking here, because it isn’t. But it’s a really well-designed, bright, charming and welcoming game, and sometimes that’s just what you need.


So that's 29 games thus far. I may try to knock out some more small games before the end of the year, been wanting to try a Swordquest game for example, but even if I beat nothing else this year, I’m satisfied with that number!

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

« on: December 10, 2024, 09:40:57 pm »

28. Devil May Cry 5

As a self-proclaimed hack-'n-slash fan and massive Bayonetta fan, it almost felt weird I never properly played through a Devil May Cry game before. But I got a Steam Deck a while back and Devil May Cry 5 has been in my Steam account for a while, so I figured it was high time to go for it. Just finished my first playthrough (Devil Hunter difficulty) and damn, this game is indeed fantastic! Really enjoyed my time with it.

Combat is smooth and satisfying, with so many options I think it would feel awesome to master, without ever feeling needlessly overwhelming. I also totally get why people like Dante. He's cool! Granted, I still feel like I'm not great at the game, and I barely beat any missions without buying my way through some deaths, but I think that's fairly normal for your first playthrough of a new hack-and-slash series. I'm sure I'll get better if I replay the game, and I'm confident I'd enjoy the upped challenge the newly unlocked higher difficulty levels will bring. (One tip from me though: pick Devil Hunter difficulty for your first playthrough. I initally picked the other difficulty, Human, and after two missions I restarted because it was just too easy. And you can't change difficulty whenever you want: you have to start over. So keep that in mind).

I don't think I'll start another playthrough right away, but damn, even as I'm typing this I honestly do want to jump back in. Maybe I'll find myself picking it up for a quick mission here and there. Definitely top 5 best games I've played this year, maybe top 3.

For now though, I think my end-of-year goal would be to also beat Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and maybe one of the Swordquest games in Atari 50.

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

« on: December 08, 2024, 04:57:03 am »

27. Do I Pass? (Game Boy Homebrew / itch)

This is a homebrew game, made for a game jam, available for free on itch and also included in a bundle for charity. So I just can't be harsh to it. With all of those factors in mind, it's sweet and a good effort.

The game is about a trans woman who's worried whether she passes. In case you don't know: passing is for a trans person to be seen by others as the gender they identify with, without people noticing they're trans. So in this game's example: whether the other people on the bus see the protagonist as just "a girl", and not "a trans girl". Not all trans people attribute equal importance or value to passing, but it's definitely a common thing to think about and be aware of. As a trans person myself, I of course can relate. I wouldn't say I was super touched by this game, but I can see in the comments on itch that others were, which is lovely. The game is very short: getting all three endings only took me about 15 minutes. I can't say it really left a lasting impact on me, but with what I said earlier, how can I not say to at least check the creator out? I see she's made some other games too, I may check those out too at a later date.


Also sidenote on the challenge: I've recently picked up Atari 50 and I've been playing the games in it. Quite fun, but I don't think I can count most of the games in there for this challenge (I mean, a round of Asteroids, Centipede or flipping Pong doesn't count, right?). Still, playing all these games from way before my 1998-ass time is very fun, and I'm looking forward to getting to games I can add, like Adventure or the Swordquest games.

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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.