52 Games Challenge 2024!!!!!

[kashell]

59. Stranger of Sword City: Revisited - Neutral Ending/Kyo

One more for the road. Everything except a boss rush/gauntlet has been finished. I'm sad to say goodbye to this strong team of dungeon travelers I created, but I think it's time to move on to lighter stuff before Visions of Mana's release. Kyo's bonus scene was surprising. I still can't stand the mother-effer.

[dhaabi]

32. HarmoKnight || Nintendo 3DS || 08.13.24



More than a decade ago back when HarmoKnight released, I was aware of it and considered purchasing it from the eShop since I found myself playing a lot of rhythm games at the time. Probably because of its steep price at the time, that never happened. But, all these years later with the means to play it, I finally decided to do that.

As alluded to above, HarmoKnight is a rhythm game that emphasizes player action as the player-character auto-runs along toward the end goal. Generally, gameplay is simple as players will mostly attack enemies and evade hazards in rhythm, although other additional, yet far less prominent, player controls are required to utilize throughout certain game segments. At certain points, the stage tempo can also fluctuate, which provided its own unique challenge. In brief, players must collect music notes scattered throughout each stage, which they're the only factor to determine their score. Unlike most other rhythm games, the amount of mistakes a player can make is numbered, as player health is limited. While health can periodically be regained by performing optional actions, recovery is not always available, so performing well is further incentivized in this title to prevent failing a stage completely. Something else I'll briefly mention now is that, along the path, empty spaces must be jumped over to prevent an immediate stage failure.

While most stages simply require the player to reach the end goal along one fixed route which I'll refer to travel stages, there are often numerous branching paths. When the path branches, there is a preferred direction to make as there will be notes to collect, whereas the alternative often doesn't with instead additional obstacles to avoid. Sometimes, the amount of time to react to these split paths is minimal, so obviously players must be alert at all times for the various possibilities unfolding through each stage. While a majority of the game either provides just the right degree of challenge or even no challenge for most competent players of rhythm games, late game difficulty certainly increases. So, taking advantage of every note to collect while avoiding further dangers should always be the player's priority.

In addition to travel stages, other stage designs such as battle stages and mine cart riding stages exist. While the latter functions the same as travel stages, the former implement a call-and-repeat format. While boss encounter stages do provide some variety throughout a playthrough, I can't quite say I particularly enjoyed them. They serve their purpose and function well enough, but they could be improved. For many of these stages, long introductions take place both before and often in-between player action. Of course, this makes them more theatrical as video animation plays in the background and the song does continue to play, but they often considerably inflate the stage length. This may seem like a minor inconvenience, but, for those focused on gaining the highest score rank, the feature becomes an annoyance. Something also worth mentioning is that boss stages must be performed without any error at all to achieve the highest rank. At times, there may be only be a total of 25 points in a stage, meaning 25 player actions, but later boss stages are drawn out for several minutes and are much more demanding of the player with, of course, increased difficulty.

During travel stages, players will mostly attack enemies and avoid obstacles to collect music notes, but the game introduces other means to do so, as well. First, optional percussion plants may appear which can be struck, which I found natural to do as they flow along with the song's tempo. But, secondly, the game also introduces charge attacks which result in two notes to collect. Of course, these sorts of optional actions make it easier to achieve the best rank, or even a passing rank. I personally didn't utilize charged attacks, as I found them difficult to assess the timing required for them, and they
cannot be performed against every enemy as it will result in being damaged. Nevertheless, charged attacks are an appreciated risk-reward system to be implemented. I initially wasn't set on achieving the highest rank for each stage, but it didn't seem that difficult to do after a certain point, so I tried my best. But, in the end, I only performed 56/59 well enough for the best rank, as it felt like the game wasn't always respecting the player's time. With that said, achieving the best rank unlocks a higher difficulty for that stage marked by increased tempo, although there seems to be no reward for completing these challenges, apart from their enjoyment of the challenge itself.

In truth, I first considered HarmoKnight to be quite lackluster, although it eventually did gain my interest as it became more demanding of the player, once past its first few sections. Still, it is far from a perfect game, and I've wondered how much better it'd be should certain changes have been made. Even still, I had fun while playing, and especially so during the final post-game section.

[tripredacus]

20. Destiny 2

I decided to mark this as Endless. It isn't beaten but a lot of the remaining main quests are locked behind DLC I don't own. And I can't say for sure whether or not I beat the non-DLC MQ because the way the story is presented is disjointed. I have also read that a lot of the original content has been removed from the game. It does have a way to play some of the highlights but you would really need to dig for that and there isn't any real progression along those lines once you get out of the tutorial missions. The problem becomes that after the tutorial section, every time you launch the game it automatically puts you into the first "free" quest of the DLCs in the order they came out. So you run into parts of the story that you wouldn't have gotten to yet, such as "returning" characters from previous quests you haven't done. What's worse is that I started playing a week before The Final Shape DLC, and that ends up being the culmination of the main story of the game. There was a lot of hype about The Witness and when other players finally defeated him, it plays a congradulation cutscene as if you were actually involved with that. And afterwards, once the Seasons started, you can go about and do whatever you want, but the individual planet characters have dialog that takes place in various parts of the story. Such as on Europa or on Mars, the characters will talk like how The Witness is some mysterious figure. So the story doesn't actually update everywhere with each of these DLCs.

The interface is quite daunting at the start as it reminds me of one of those free mobile games with the million different menus. I got used to it eventually and how to do quests. Aside from quests there are other things you can do, things that let you progress to getting titles or medals. And you can claim XP or get rewards for doing those but it is not always known where those are. Other interface quirks are instances where you have a tutorial section in a quest where you get a new power, or a new item and you have to do something with it, a blue info box shows up on the bottom of the screen and doesn't go away until you complete the action it wants you to do. In some instances what it wants you to do it not possible. Such as one where I was supposed to upgrade a particular armor piece that I had gotten... BUT I had destroyed it before exiting the inventory and that box appeared. So that box was on the screen the entirety of that game session. Other issues with the interface is that a lot of things appear in the middle of the screen and can be distracting if in combat. One is when you level up the season pass.

For the gameplay itself, some things take some getting used to. There is still even one skill I never use (the dodge skill) except by accident. The gunplay is decent enough and the game has crit spots on enemies but they aren't marked. Usually it is just going to be the head but on some enemies it isn't. The PvE sections are my favorite. Gambit it interesting. The actual PVP is not good in my opinion and I've already written about it. It has all the hallmarks of a mode type added after the fact and not in the core design. The big issue is players can become invisible. Enemies in Pve can be invisible also but the monsters do not have the ability to one-shot the player when in this state. There are a decent amount of platforming puzzles that can be found in missions, which are usually doable and not annoying. There are some where you have to do them while surrounded by enemies and these are impossible for me. There was one without enemies that was in a weapon quest that I just couldn't get down so I gave up on that.

Despite being F2P it probably is a good thing to say that you really can't do a whole lot on the free only version. You run out of things you can do quite quickly. Also for some things I do not think you can really limit yourself to playing once a week, especially if a special event is happening. So with the current event, there is no real way I would be able to complete the basic tier in time, maybe even if I had been able to play every day. Some of these limited time quests (even the Season Pass) only seem possible to complete if you are playing big hours a week. Even when I was playing it (almost) every day, at 20 hours a week I was not close to being on pace for Season 1 of the Season Pass.

Overall I'd say it is a good game. It looks really good in places too.

[dhaabi]

33. OlliOlli World || PlayStation 5 || 08.18.24



On a whim, I began playing OlliOlli World shortly after it was available to redeem as a monthly PlayStation Plus title last year. Near the end of my playthrough, I stopped playing for some reason despite the fun I was having, and I only recently returned to it to finish its campaign.

To be brief, OlliOlli World revolves around a group of skaters scouting for potential candidates who exude enough skill to replace the current skate wizard who's retiring. As the player, you are that candidate. In order to prove your skateboarding prowess, you must travel with the group all throughout the world of Radlandia to meet all five skate gods. Skating along each stage, players perform in a bright and unusual world that's unique and full of life. Across many stages, background characters to move about simply existing in the world in the far distance, although there are numerous instances where they're integrated within the main stage design as they act impressed to executed tricks.

As a 2D skateboarding game, there is only one straightforward objective: skate through each stage to reach the end. While there are additional challenges to clear and scores to best, these aspects are wholly optional, so it's an approachable game for anyone interested despite the difficulty that is present for those who seek it. With that said, there is a high degree of replayability within the main narrative that's offered which few would ignore altogether. Various systems combine to achieve this, including the game's scoring system, leaderboards, challenges, and open-ended design. At all times, an animated and varied level design consisting of ramps, rails, stairs, inclines, moving platforms, a sense of verticality, and interweaving foreground and background paths is present which never disappoint in maintaining player interest.

To overcome these obstacles, a robust trick catalog is at the player's disposal, with nearly every move revolves around the left analog stick in combination with face buttons or D-pad input. As more trick types were periodically introduced throughout the narrative's tutorial stages, I found it difficult to omit that new aspect from my ever-increasing combo sizes. In most regards, that is a good outcome, but the challenges in late-game areas become painfully difficult to achieve (literally.) So, as a result, players must find some balance to the game's risk-reward system by knowing when it's ideal to end a combo to increase momentum, as speed will naturally lessen if choosing to overexert grind and grind-switch actions to inflate the combo meter, which is easy to exploit to both the player's advantage and disadvantage. Unfortunately, these challenges are often unreasonable to overcome without displaying near-perfect performance. Obviously, repeated attempt after attempt is necessary to build that natural reaction which is paramount to learn, but there were certain sections where I spent an hour or two trying to clear one objective alone. Prior to post-game content, I had been able to fully complete the game's first three sections, but section four introduces a sharp difficulty spike, barring me and most others from accomplishing everything. In early stages, practice is needed to overcome objectives. But, in late game, practice is needed to simply clear a stage. As alluded to before, there were often times late in my playthrough where one or both wrists would cramp, forcing me to retire that play session.

Given the nature of the game, there were so many times which frustration set in due to continuously failing runs. It is inevitable for players to get so far in a stage only to fail during one segment. Then, the player will never get as far as they previously had. Although the checkpoint system significantly lessens failures, the combo meter is reset, so players focused on scores or clearing certain objectives will fully restart the stage, anyway. Nevertheless, the game is a perfect example of drawing out a player's desire just one more attempt mindset. And, in despite of the game's balance issues past a certain point, I always enjoyed my time playing.

I'll briefly mention the game's music at this point, because the soundtrack offers a wonderful selection of laid-back ambient tracks to offset player irritation caused by the hundreds, if not thousands, wipeouts they'll endure. Also worth pointing out is the game's entire presentation that has so much personality while always feeling confident in the atmosphere it wants to convey. Just like the trick catalog, a comprehensive avatar creation tool is available; it was fun to unlock new options after besting challenges to try out varying character looks. On a general level, its cartoon style greatly complements the game's mood.

Upon retiring OlliOlli World, I'm left feeling relieved, as it required both a test of patience and skill but were obstacles I thoroughly enjoyed. There is a mountain of content to tackle, should the player want a challenge. Although, I wish the spike in difficulty was only slightly dulled. I welcome adversity, but the current level is reserved for only masters of the game who've sacrificed their wrists.

[kashell]

60. Mega Man 2

The cultural reset of it all! I still like other games in the series more than this one, but MM2 is still fun and important. This week has been busy with work and life outside work, so quick games like this are just what I needed. Plus, it's been fun to relisten to all the killer tracks. Metal Man's stage still (as the kids say) slaps.

[kashell]

61. Mega Man X2

I think I'm going to start calling this Mega Man X-oskeleton. Five of the eight Mavericks (Crystal Snail, Wire Sponge, Magna Centipede, Bubble Crab and Morph Moth) are cold blooded exoskeleton wearers. This has always been my least favorite of the X games aside from X7. There aren't moments where I look back and say, "That was so cool when [blank] happened in Mega Man X2." Most of the enemies are lame. Agile, Violin and Serges are all equally lame. Sigma has the least intimidating appearance this go-around. I guess some of the powers are neat. A bubble barrier is fun; it gives old-school RPG. Oh well. I said I wanted to clear quicker games while I waited for Visions of Mana and that's what I'm doing.

[kamikazekeeg]

19 - Still Wakes the Deep (PC 2024) - BEAT - Needed something to give the new PC abit of a go, built a new system, realized my cooling wasn't satisfactory, had to get a new case and bigger radiator, doing all good now.  Not that this was some huge resource hog of a game, but get to max it out, running it for a handful of hours, of which this is a fairly short game, but quite decent, good visuals.  I'm not huge into the non-action horror games, but every so often a games setting has a big appeal to me, so much like SOMA did some years ago, you put a creepy horror game on an oil rig, and I'm on board.

This studio is pretty familiar to this sorta game, Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs, Dear Esther, walking sim games with interactions and a story.  I dig this setting not just with being on an oil rig, but it's set in the 1970's with a fully Scottish crew, makes it a very unique feeling setting because of that.  Definitely had to put those subtitles on, as the accents and phrases are THICK lol Story is overall very solid, great acting, it's not a game I would do a big recommend of just because it's quite short with not a lot of replay value that I know of (I think I beat this in like 4 to 5 hours), I ended up playing it with Game Pass, but if you can get it for under 20 bucks and you are into these sorta games, big on story, not much gameplay depth, then go for it, it's a solid bit of creepy.

[kashell]

62. Cosmic Fantasy

If I see the credits roll in a game, then I count it as finished. If that means seeing said credits in a roundabout way, then so be it. All that to say that I "finished" the first game in the Cosmic Fantasy Collection. Cosmic Fantasy was not good. I can't give it too much grace for being a game from 1990 because I'm pretty sure other RPGs of that era had spells/items that actually worked. Other games of that era allowed party members to trade items back and forth. The list goes on. I'll definitely give it kudos for having those awesome animated and fully-voiced movies. But, that's where my praise ends. Cosmic Fantasy 2 is supposedly better but that isn't saying much.

[bikingjahuty]

40. Time Crisis 2 (PS2)

While I'm not as crazy about the Time Crisis series as some nostalgic 90s arcade goers, it's still an important series to me no less. While I did play many of the Time Crisis games in the arcade back in the day, I actually had the most exposure to them with their home console ports. Other than Time Crisis 3, the other game in the series I spent the most time with at home was Time Crisis 2.


While it is probably lacking in some way I'm not aware of, Time Crisis 2 on the PS2 is essentially arcade perfect in my book, as I can't distinguish any difference between the two versions. Of course, the PS2 version lacks the peddle to go back and forth with cover, instead using a button on the Guncon 2 controller instead. This does take away from the engagement to a degree, but otherwise I have no complaints with the PS2 port. The gameplay is very fast paced and fun, however it does suffer from a bit of arcade cheapness involving sometimes getting hit when your taking cover, and then other times not. On top of that, it gets annoying when you think you're in the all clear and you get merced by a bullet that comes your way the instant you come out of cover. It sucks. The game is also very, very short, but I feel like I can't necessarily complian about this since most light gun games are very short, bite sized experiences. Visually, the game still looks great despite originally coming out in 1997. There are plenty of cool effects like explosions, chase sequences, dynamic and destructable stage elements, and a variety of other floursihes that make this game pretty pleasing to the eyes. Finally, the audio is also pretty good with a decent OST and some actually good voice acting, even though the dialogue is very cheesy. Time Crisis 2 may be the most classic and beloved in the series and it's easy to see why while playing through it again over 25-years after I first played it in the arcades. (8/26/24) [33/50]

[kashell]

63. Mega Man X3

Golly-gee, I love this game so. I know that the first X is considered the best of the games on the SNES but I'll always give that accolade to X3. X is awesome. X3 is awesome-r. I love the heavier rock soundtrack, the multiple endings, the different boss fights you can unlock, and the power-ups are so varied. I had a lot of fun replaying this one, as always. I should get another run of X in at some point.

[bikingjahuty]

One game abandoned, One game complete today.


5. Time Crisis: Crisis Zone (PS2) - ABANDONED

For the record, I remember playing Crisis Zone in the arcade way back in the day and really liking it, especially due to all the environmental destruction and the use of full auto weapons all the time. However, while I do enjoy the arcade version of this game, the PS2 version is a whole other story. More or less, the aspect of why I really disliked the PS2 version and inevitably dropped it is due to the entire screen looking like a dense fog storm rolled in every time you come up from cover to fire your gun. It was beyond destracting, annoying and also impaired my ability to see certain enemies, especially if they're far away. At first, I thought there was something wrong with my PS2 or maybe the game until I read that the fog (which is supposed to be smoke), was added to the PS2 port in order to make the game work despite the technical limitations of the PS2. Honestly, I'd rather have the PS2 version just not exist given how much that fog effect ruins the game almost entirely. I played most of the first stage before I just couldn't do it anymore and turned it off.


41. Time Crisis 3 (PS2)

Now onto a GOOD PS2 port! While Time Crisis 3 more or less carries over the same tried and true cover mechanic the series is so well known for, it was the game that pioneered weapon swapping in order to better deal with specific situation, enemies, or bosses. This mechanic definitely makes 3 a much more fun and engaging experience than its predecessors. On top of that, the action seemed to be kicked up even more, with some very cool set pieces that unfold while you're blasting through stages. Audio wise the game is on par with the previous entires, and there is a lot to be said about the cheesy as hell dialogue and cutscenes. Overall, this is definitely an improvement over 2 despite not being as iconic I suppose. (8/27/24) [34/50]

[kashell]

64. Cotton Reboot - Cotton

Well then. This was a surprise. Cotton actually made a cameo in a game I completed earlier this year: Rondo of Swords. She was probably the strongest magic user in the group. I wasn't sure if that was because she was a secret character or because that's how she was in her games. I'm guessing it's a bit of both because this girl was zapping, burning, and crushing all sorts of things while atop her broomstick, looking adorable. The term "cute 'em up" is apt here. This was one of the most colorful and addictive games I played. I had a lot more fun than I thought I would with it.

[Cartagia]

Ended up liking Super Mario Bros. Wonder enough to get 100% completion, so I definitely liked it more than the "New" games.  It got better as it went along, but the difficulty curve was way too shallow.  It starts out far too easy and never gets particularly difficult, even in the challenge worlds (which is why I decided to get 100% - I knew I could do it relatively easily).  I don't know what it is,but it just felt like there was a spark missing. Overall I'd recommend it, but I'd say it's just a pretty good game, and not a great one.

[bikingjahuty]

42. Sonic Rush (DS)

I'll definitely add this game to the list of Sonic titles I unfortunately overlooked back when they first came out. In my defense, however, in 2005 when Sonic Rush came out, I was probably the least into video games I'd ever been. Between around 2004 and 2006 I barely played video games and overall just wasn't that interested in them. I actually didn't even get a DS until around 2009 or so. But I digress.


Sonic Rush is the best handheld Dimps Sonic game I've played so far. While I mildly enjoyed the three Sonic Advance games on the GBA, I actually really liked this one and found myself having a lot of fun with it. Visually, the stages, 3D elements, characters, and overall presentation are pretty good. The OST is a mixed bag for me despite learning Sonic Rush's soundtrack is typically considered one of the better ones. I sort of disagree with this as there were several tracks that kinda got on my nerves, but I will say that it fit the theme of this game well, so I'll give it that. Gameplaywise, Sonic Rush is pretty good for the most part, but with some issues and annoyances. For starters, the implemntation of both screens being used at times made some of the platform sections more difficult because there is a weird blind spot between the upper and lower screen that occasionally made me misjudge my jump and where I was going. On top of that, the Zone layouts are a mixed bag with some being some of the better Sonic zones I've ever played, but others being pretty annoying. And it wouldn't be a Dimps Sonic game without countless bottomless pits, especially the final two stages. Despite these gripes, however, I really enjoyed Sonic Rush as it proved to be an overlooked gem and actually one of the better Sonic games I've probably ever played. (9/1/24) [34/50]

[dhaabi]

34. Soul Fjord || Ouya || 08.27.24



The year is 2024, and I feel as if I am perhaps one of dozens, at most, to setup their Ouya system and actually complete a game. After discovering how simple it is to sideload games onto the system, I decided to play Soul Fjord since it's one of the few remaining exclusives not ported to other platforms. In the end, though, I didn't even need to do anything to access the game, since I already had it downloaded, considering it was always available as a free download.

As for the game itself, Soul Fjord has a lot of personality. Players assume the role of Magnus Jones, a funk warrior who's fallen in battle. Rightfully recognized for their valor, Jones is resurrected so that he's able to enjoy the everlasting entertainment and freedom that Club Valhalla offers. But, at the club entrance, Magus is purposely denied entrance by the door attendant and promptly thrown far into the depths below. Now, Jones is on a journey of revenge as he climbs the tree of Yggdrasil. In short, Soul Fjord is a bizarre blend of Norse mythology and 1970s funk, although there's even more to divulge. Parallel to the plot, gameplay consists of the dungeon crawler and rhythm genres colliding, which is as unique as it sounds.

On the climb back to Club Valhalla, Jones navigates through procedurally generated dungeon floors with interconnected rooms that are simple in design with a few forked paths along the way. In each room, various enemies lie in wait, each with their own types of attacks: melee, long-range, status-inflicting, or DOT. To my surprise, enemy attacks deal high damage too—upwards of 50% of the player's max health, even. On their own, enemies are generally not much of an issue, but they're typically encountered in groups of two or more. Alongside the player's attacks which prevent enemy action, there is also a block action to mitigate damage, but I didn't utilize the function. Running away is always a fine tactic, as it will usually divide enemies away from each other.

However, it is the player's combat itself which is the main gameplay focus. At all times, beats move along a visual metronome of sorts at the bottom of the screen which provides players the rhythm needed to perform successful actions. While players can instead choose to ignore this aspect altogether, attacks will be significantly weakened. So, with that said, players must perform various button combos in rhythm as they're shown on screen, which grants real-time action. Considering the game's size, there is a large assortment of weapons available, each with their own combo prompts to perform. Additionally, each weapon offers to combos, relating to light and heavy attacks. Something else I suppose I'll mention now is how rhythm and action complement each other. To me, they really didn't, as the game's music isn't in-sync with the metronome. Individually, all three elements are successful, but they leave much more to be desired when together.

At the same time, Soul Fjord is a game with permadeath mechanics. Upon death, all of the player's progress is lost, although there are opportunities to preserve certain equipment. As it stands, this sort of gameplay gimmick seems odd to incorporate, as the game isn't overly difficult or long, and it can most certainly be finished on the first attempt, as I had done with my playthrough. However, a higher difficulty mode does become available once completing the game, so perhaps it's better utilized there. Nevertheless, the idea that all my progress could be lost was always at the back of my mind, so a level of tension was always present. While it may seem like I'm implying the game is easy (which it is), death is certainly still possible. I came close on two or three occasions, but I successfully avoided it. In total, there are nine stages to complete which are comprised of three sections. Advancing from one section to another introduces a large jump in difficulty that requires players to further prioritize equipment and items, and it is in these moments that I imagine more careless players will perish.

With its strange mix of genres and themes, Soul Fjord absolutely stands out from other titles available for Ouya. While it's no secret the Ouya was a failed system, this doesn't mean Soul Fjord is some system seller either, but it does offer an enjoyable exploration into the sort of experiences that can be made when developers think creatively.