52 Games Challenge 2025!!!

[ignition365]

Already moved up to the post I made the other day, so I'm going to wind up needing another post again real soon lmao

[dhaabi]

60. Resident Evil: Director's Cut || PlayStation || 09.25.2025



After several years of slowly playing through the Silent Hill series which more-or-less served as my introduction to the survival horror genre, I've started a new journey: Resident Evil. From what I knew about the series beforehand, I was actually a bit nervous about starting since there are certain defining features about it (particularly the early installments) that I'm not used to, and there seems to be a larger and more general focus on action that I felt I would struggle with. Still, I was excited to begin.

When we begin, the elite task force S.T.A.R.S. (Special Tactics and Rescue Service) is responding to some biological disaster at a mansion in the mountains. In short, it's a science experiment too perfectly executed that's elevated beyond lab control. In almost no time at all upon their arrival, zombies and other kinds of test subject monsters threaten any who dare enter. Matters immediately spiral out of control, and the members of the team are either separated from another or killed. So, we as the player assume the role of one of two playable characters, Chris or Jill, navigating across the mansion grounds in two separate and unique campaigns while two other team members playing supporting roles survey the premises on their own. Of course, even after their units' numbers have dwindled, they quickly further divide themselves. On our own, we slowly patrol each corridor while choosing to either evade or diffuse any threat we encounter. What's to come are dangers never encountered before, including human zombies consuming flesh and Cerberus dogs barricading through glass windows. As the game likes to remind its player upon dying, we have entered the world of survival horror.

With that said, Resident Evil's characters aren't portrayed in a way that conveys the elite, experienced task force they are which does feel conflicting at times. Much of the reason for this lies in the written dialogue and voice work. Both are equally at a B-movie amateur level, but what's presented is actually not as bad as I was expecting it to be considering everything I've read about the game before ever playing. Alongside writing, the other most notable aspect to the cast's characterization is the game's limited use of FMV sequences. These scenes appear at only two moments—the game's beginning and end—but they're memorable for their impressionable quality and performance. I'll also mention now that I feel as if the game's mature rating could have been pushed more, particularly in regards to its language. Dialogue that's ultimately presented is written in a rigid, formal style that I can't envision a team that seems so inexperienced and vulnerable to speak. Nevertheless, we as the player slowly piece together the events leading up the situation through found diary entries and general notes waiting to be collected in rooms. In contrast to dialogue, the story all throughout the campaign maintains a strong pace of narrative flow and its settings instills a commendable horror atmosphere.

Despite having not played before, I was familiar with a few specific moments early on in the game: notably, the first proper zombie encounter and the hallway with the window breaking. As previously mentioned, there are two different campaign paths to choose from, so I opted to play as Jill, "master of lockpicking." Jill's campaign is regarded as the easier of the two, and this mostly relates to her ability to unlock certain doors that Chris instead needs the key for alongside an increased inventory capacity. There are some other minor differences, but I believe that both campaigns largely control the same. Across both, players will need to decide what actions benefit them most in the long run: due to limited supplies that must be collected, do you engage the enemy or avoid it? For new players and especially ones who decide to not be thorough in their search, this question becomes the most important factor toward reaching the game's end. If players perform poorly, supplies will be wasted, and they will not replenish upon being exhausted.

At the mansion, it's more akin to a haunted house with puzzles and traps. While a horror game, it's almost equal parts a puzzle adventure game. Most require keys or have some sort of key-adjacent barrier to clear such as having to combine two items together. They're thought-provoking, though I fortunately wasn't ever stumped to the point where I needed to consult a guide. Of course, there comes a point when players will have explored everywhere without a clear destination in mind, and it's expectedly difficult to confront certain enemies when needing to traverse back-and-forth and all over. Toward the end of the game especially, choosing to evade enemies is near impossible (or it seems that way, anyway), so these moments create a high level of tension that may negate a player's focus toward the immediate puzzle obstacle. In nearly every open space, enemies await around the corner or just out of view. They're regularly difficult to be seen due to the game's dynamic preset camera angles which follow the player's movement. Enemies can sometimes be heard ddespite not being seen, though there are times when everything remains silent. Fortunately, enemies don't respawn upon felling them which obviously makes traversal much easier.

Unlike the games later inspired by it, Resident Evil is a game that offers fewer resources, though an amount that's still manageable if players are thorough. So to say that it's a game that greatly emphasizes both survival and preemptive planning is apt. The types of consumable items available to players consist of ammunition, health restoratives, and ink ribbons. While the former two are self-explanatory, the latter is a finite resource that enables players to save their progress. They're used as a resource to manually type out one's progress at the limited number of typewriters scattered throughout the mansion grounds and is, in my opinion, the game's most novel design element. In theory, they exist as the single most component to the game to foster tension. Should I, as the player, pause to use one of these valuable resources? Have I made enough progress to warrant its use? If I save now, will I be stuck in a vulnerable position? And, naturally, because ink ribbons consume one of few item slots, players will need to manage their filled inventory to hold onto them or make room for ones newly-found. However, the tension manifested through ink ribbons is quite minimal, and that's because, even though their number is finite, they're liberally supplied. Even for new players, there are more than enough supplies to circumvent this stress. Related to items is the inventory itself, which I'll briefly mention is a constant tool to manage through the various storage boxes available to players which, fortunately, connect to one another.

Alongside limited items, something else to consider is that information itself is limited. Throughout the entire campaign, the player is forced to navigate on their own to solve how to progress every immediate step. While maps are provided, they're not always available right away. But even once they're gained, players must still remember hallway layout to avoid unnecessary conflict and which rooms or paths aren't necessary. Even knowing which enemies are ahead greatly improves the player's chances of survival; so, this means that dying and having to reload should provide the opportunity for a more successful follow-up attempt. Still, neither locked doors of all kinds nor key landmarks aren't marked on the map which would be a small but appreciated tool. But I do recognize that the limited information is part of the game's puzzle which works toward instilling fear, so it's a design choice I ultimately respect and value.

Lastly, I'll quickly mention the game's overall presentation. Often, there's no music at all which greatly reinforces the horror atmosphere. Instead, most sounds are your own footsteps, but the off-screan moans of zombies or the distant howl of a Cerberus may also be heard. Because of the game's fixed camera angles, there are many instances of sound preceding sight. On that note, wwhile the CGI and FMV sequences are fine, more would have been ideal and a better alternative than the higher number of in-engine scenes.

So, finally, I've begun playing through the Resident Evil franchise. My time with the first entry was a lot of fun despite a few instances of being in severely vulnerable states. I'm looking forward to playing more titles in time, and I'd like to revisit this first entry again someday while selecting Chris as the playable character instead.

[realpoketendonl]

11. Super Mario Galaxy [Nintendo Switch]

I already beat Super Mario Galaxy on Wii a long time ago, but now that Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 is out on Nintendo Switch, I decided to buy it and replay it (and finally beat Super Mario Galaxy 2, which I haven't beaten before, but that's next up.)

Super Mario Galaxy...is a game I cannot give an unbiased review of. This game is way too close to my heart. I'll be honest: I cried so many times while replaying this game. And I'm not someone that cries easily, at all, but this game just gets it out of me.

I grew up on Mario games, including Super Mario Galaxy, and to my childhood self, this game was magical. Genuinely magical, like nothing else was. I think many of us know that feeling, that one childhood world that spoke to our imagination, our emotion, in such a deep and special way. I think this game is to me what some Disney films seem to be to many others.

This game knows how to trigger that feeling too. I think everyone here knows about the soundtrack. The orchestral score is still one of the absolute best soundtracks in gaming history, and many songs still give me shivers whenever I hear them. The worlds are brimming with colour, imagination, joy. And I just need to mention Rosalina's Storybook....my god.....every new chapter I unlocked made me break down a little and cry. I'm not exaggerating. I can't even describe it, it just hits me in the core of my heart like nothing else. It makes me want to hug my own mom or dad and bawl my eyes out.

I know I'm just gushing, but I'm sorry. These characters and this world just mean so much to me. And Super Mario Galaxy is the absolute pinnacle of why that is. Gosh I'm getting teary-eyed again as I'm writing this. It was incredible to re-experience this title after such a long time. This is one of those games I will genuinely cherish the memories of. There's a reason that when earlier this year, when I got the opportunity to meet Charles Martinet, I asked him to sign my original childhood copy of Super Mario Galaxy. It has a place in my heart that it will never lose.

Phew...and with that, on to Super Mario Galaxy 2!

[kashell]

65. Silent Hill f - Coming Home to Roost

The year started with Silent Hill 2 Remake, and now we're in spooky season with Silent Hill f. Two great games in a great series. Silent Hill f was this close to being perfect. The combat needs some adjustment. But, it does work and can oftentimes be really fun. Everything else is absolutely on point. Bloody horror. Psychological horror. Squelching horror. Atmospheric horror. It's all there and backed by a unique, 1960's Japan setting. Hinako went through it, and she's about to go through it some more as I go for the rest of the endings.

[bikingjahuty]

103. The Simpsons (Arcade)

One of my Halloween/October traditions is to watch classic Treehouse of Horror episodes from the first 10 or so seasons of The Simpsons. With us being about a third of the way through October, I decided to start doing this tonight. Following my annual rewatch of the first Simpsons Halloween Special in season 2, it inspired me to want to play the beloved Simpsons arcade game again, mostly just for the cemetery level. However, it has also been 5 or 6 years since I last played through The Simpsons, so I just decided to blast through the entire again once more, which only takes about half an hour anyways.


Growing up, I only ever came across The Simpsons arcade game a few times, and being a big fan of the show during the 90s, I was always drawn to it. However, one drawback the game has, which isn't entirely the games fault but is still something I noticed even back in the day when playing it are the random characters that are used for many of the game's enemies and bosses. Yep, even Bart says it best when running into some of these bosses when he says, "Who the hell are you?" Other than the final two bosses, you're guaranteed not to recognize 90% of the enemies from the show. A big part of this is due to the fact that in 1991 when The Simpsons arcade was released, the show was still very much so in its infancy and many of the better characters, villains and defining moments of the show would eventually become famous for simply hadn't happened yet. There are still a decent amount of characters and cool references to places and events in the show still, but at the same time, it's easy to wonder why you've never seen certain things in the show that pop up frequently in the game. Regardless of this, the visuals and just overall presentation do a fairly good job at capturing the look and feel of the cartoon perfectly, with some of this thanks to great cutscenes which play out between stages to help drive the story forward.


The audio in the Simpsons stands out by offering voice clips from the various main characters in the Simpsons, voiced by the same actors that star in the show. This aspect definitely elevates the game in terms of its faithfulness to the IP its based on. There are also various songs, mainly the main Simpsons theme that is present often throughout the game as well. As for the original music in this game, it's pretty good and catchy for what it is. As for sound effects, a lot of it will probably sound familiar to you if youv'e played the TMNT beat em ups that Konami released back in the 80s. While this does feel a bit lazy, it isn't too bad and doesn't detract too much from what is other was a pretty excellent audio presentation.


To this day, and after beating The Simpsons multiple times throughout the years, I will say this game's biggest flaw by far is its overly simplistic and frankly pretty cheap gameplay. Unlike beat em ups like Final Fight, Streets of Rage, and Golden Axe, the beat em up gameplay in the Simpsons is lacking in the same depth and range of features that all the aforementioned games possessed, as well as a decent amount of other beat em up titles from this time period. The Simpons has less attacks, moved, abilities, power ups, weapons, and other features that definitely help elevate beat em ups beyond the monotony thay many games from this genre suffer from. You pretty much just have a basic attack and a jump, which allow you to do a few unique moves, but nothing that will make the game anymore enjoyable to play past 5 minutes into the game. It also doesn't help that this is a pretty imbalanced a cheap arcade game that wants to bankrupt you if you play this game in arcades. You will die a ton in The Simpsons, which for an arcade game means you'll be throwing a ton of quarters into this game if you want to see the ending. Even if you happen to be playing this game on free play, or emulating it, it's hard to deny how annoying and cheap most of the bosses are, as well as the way the game throws enemies at you in certain parts which make it very difficult not to take damage.


Like several other 90s arcade beat em ups, The Simpsons is heavily carried by its IP and is probably the main reason most people my age remember this game fondly. Fortunately Konami did a pretty good job with the games presentation, which definitely distracts the player from the pretty lackluster gameplay. As a beat em up, there are way better games than The Simpsons, but regardless it's still a pretty fun and sentimental game to play, even nearly 35-years after it was first released. (10/10/25) [32/50]