52 Games Challenge 2026!!!

[supremeusername]

40. Manhunt | 2003 | PlayStation 2 | 10/8:



     Way too long for its own good, but still a gripping video game despite its shortcomings. The AI is pretty laughable with how easy it is to shake enemies by running around the corner and hiding in some shadows. The sound design and soundtrack is really the MVP of Manhunt, which makes the game feel very sinister even in its goofy moments. The buzzing drones of the OST combined with the film grain and dark surroundings give a spooky, ethereal quality that you'd feel in like a Silent Hill title. Some areas look like they were ripped straight from Silent Hill, but otherwise you are placed in environments that look rather normal: the zoo, the shopping mall, the subway, and so on.

     You are, however, not 'placed' in these environments but violently forced to push through by an unknown madman talking in your ear. You have to get past plenty of good-for-nothing scumbags throughout most of your playthrough, but the game does change it up towards the end. You can get past some enemies without having to lift a finger, but for the most part you will have to lay it down with some of most gruesome executions in 6th-generation gaming. I'd argue that even today it can feel uncomfortable just because you are committing these punishments to another man and not something alien or unhuman. It serves its purpose however, to further enhance the horror elements of Manhunt as well as a big middle-finger to the news media at the time. Despite showing its age with its honestly serviceable gameplay, Manhunt is pretty unique in its showcase of violence and horror that may never be recreated again (besides Manhunt 2 of course). Grade: C+

[Cartagia]

Got 100% completion on Castlevania: Belmont's Curse over the weekend.  I thought this was a really great mix between the older Classicvania games and the GBA / DS era Igavania games.  The RPG and grinding elements are toned way down, but there is more of an emphasis on platforming.  Combat is fluid and fun, but gets a little samey by the end, especially since the enemy variety isn't huge.  Don't feel like it really did anything new, but it didn't really need to.  It needed to be a good new Castlevania game, and that is exactly what it is.

[telly]

Indika (PS5) - 5 Hours

I had very high hopes for what this game was going to entail, but was ultimately let down by the experience. I was under the impression that most of the game would be about the perception of the main character, with an emphasis on a lack of trust in what the character is seeing and doing being the driving force behind the game experience. There are subtle flashes of this in the game, but not nearly enough to satisfy me personally - most of the game consists of trudging through monotonous snowy landscapes while the two main characters discuss various religious themes, and the zaniness only shows up every now and then. The other strange choice was to intersperse the 3D traversal with several different 2D interludes that look like they're meant to represent Indika's past. I appreciated these sections because they offered a nice change of pace. But Indika is mostly a game where you walk from point A to point B, solving some light puzzles and interacting with various points of interest that are (quite literally) pointless. I appreciated the broader themes of the main character's grappling with the inadequacies of religion (and at the end of the game, relinquishing it), but I think the execution just could have been a lot better.

Part of the problem for me is that the game runs and looks pretty rough due to numerous glitches and poor performance. As a result, it's hard to tell when the game gets wacky whether it was an intentional choice by the designers, or just the game taking a day off. There are definitely some more glaring issues. The voice balancing is all over the place, where characters in cutscenes are much softer than in normal gameplay. There's also no heads up notification for when an autosave happens, so I would have no idea when I finished a game session how much I had progressed from the most previous save. I would often have to replay sections because of this. Even one of the trophies has a spelling error in it. These things all take a chunk out of the impact and atmosphere and led to a lesser experience for sure.

At the end of the day, Indika was a short experience that had some really interesting ideas, but it never really achieves what I was really hoping.

[bikingjahuty]

61. Mortal Kombat (2011) (PS3)

Back when I first played Mortal Kombat 2011, otherwise known as Mortal Kombat 9 (MK9), it was the best reboot of a video game franchise I'd ever seen. It not only covered all the main story events in Mortal Kombat 1 through 3, but added its own touches and twists to it to make MK9 it's own unique, captivating game. I was smitten with this game around a decade ago when I first played it, however during my most recent playthrough of it, its flaws and shortcomings did bubble up to the surface a bit more than any of my previous playthroughs. Perhaps it's because I've fairly recently beat MK10 and MK1, but where those games enhance various aspects that weigh MK9 down a bit, MK9 makes up for it in various other ways to still be one of the best Mortal Kombat games ever made.


I'll just start with what put a bit of a damper on my enjoyment of MK9 this time around, the gameplay. MK9's gameplay is an undeniable upgrade from the PS2 era games (I can't speak for MK vs DC since I've never played it), but if you've played any of MK9's sequels, it does make returning to this game a bit more challenging. Neatherrealm studios did an excellent job refining and making MK9's gameplay the best in the series up to that point. Yes, even better than the beloved classic MK games. While some might see this as a controversial take, Mortal Kombat's gameplay was never a high bar to begin with. In fact, most MK games are saved by their aesthetics, allowing many to forgive those older game's mediocre and even sometimes bad gameplay. I fully admit I'm one of those people. However, the gameplay and combat in MK9 is absolutely better than just okay, ....but not by much.


Character controls, inputs, and pulling off special moves and combos has definitely been more streamlined in this game, however it does still suffer from some poor roster balancing and computer AI, as well as being able to cheese certain moves to easily get the upper hand on most battles. I will also say the boss fights in this game are pretty crap for the most part. Beating them isn't a matter of skill as much as it's just matching the bosses' cheapness and spamminess by doing the same thing right back at them, while also exploiting their mediocre AI. The end result is these fights aren't very fun and I'd say are even the lowest part of MK9 for me. It also doesn't help that jump punching or kicking with an uppercut added at close range is an effective strategy for 75% of your matches. I did try and play this game as dynamically as I could, but when I just didn't feel like fighting a specific opponent again, defaulting to spamming moves became my strategy for victory.


While MK9's gameplay did suffer a bit more in my experience of the game versus the last time I played it, the game's presentation which includes its visuals and story absolutely did not. MK9 might hold the distinction of having these most well produced and engaging story of any fighting game ever made. Even though the main story can be a little ridiculous at times...or most of the time really, it just works so well as getting you hooked into Mortal Kombat's lore and world as you play through the overall story's events as all of the game's protagonists. Not only does this allow you to experience a massive chunk of the roster, but you get those character's back stories as well through detailed, well produced cutscenes.


The graphics in MK9 are also pretty damn good, some facial animations and character designs are admittedly a bit of a downgrade, but this is the exception and not the rule. MK9 also has some of the best original and reimagined MK stages in the series, all rendered in full, detailed 3D. Of course, ot would be a sin not to mention the game's X-ray moves which while a part of MK9's gameplay, are also cool as hell to watch as you se your specials break skulls, limbs, and practically everything else. These gory xray moves as well as the game's fatalities are really the cherry on top to the whole experence of playing through MK9.


Lat but not least, MK9's audio is pretty damn good too. The OST is good, but not as good as some previous titles, but what makes up for this is the huge voice cast for this game. None of MK9's voice performances are worthy of an Oscar or any special recognition, however everyone does a great job playing their respective characters, and many sound as I'd expect them too. All the audio is delivered with such over the top drama at times as well that it's hard not to be enamored with how ridiculous the lines coming out of certan characters are.


MK9 is a reboot done right, and still stands as one of the best, if not these best video game reboot ever made. I just wish the devs for this game would have made the gameplay a little better than they did. Even with MK9's more than serviceable gameplay, this is still one of the best MK games ever made and one I'd blame no one for putting at the top of a best Mortal Kombat games ever made list. For me personally, it held that distinction for years, however I'm actually thinking I may like MK11 the best over any other title in the franchise. Still, I'll be damned if MK9 isn't still a top three game for me and one I'd recommend all day despite it's flaws, most of which are fairly minor. (11/2/26) [36/50]

[kamikazekeeg]

41 - Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Remastered (PS5 2026) - BEAT - I haven't played the original game since the Xbox days, so I can't really compare it as a remaster.  From what I hear they maybe cut a few things here and there, but I don't know what it was specifically.  On it's own, it's just a classic mid-2000's brawler that plays pretty well.  There's a smidge bit of slop here and there, but nothing too egregious.  Unlocking characters takes abit, you gotta play through the modes to put research points into things that will then lead to unlocking a character.  I've gone through the main adventure mode a bunch of times with half the crew so far, it's not much, there's like one silly cutscene at the start, before the final boss, and at the end, that's about it, nothing unique for any monster.

I think it's fun, takes abit to get use to the moves as it's the press a direction with a button type fighter and there can be combo's.  There is something I don't understand, called Dragon Rage, where you its like a power boost, but you are supposed to be able to do a power move that is unique to each monster, but I can't make it work most of the time.  I got it to work on the Godzilla's twice, but it's the same combo of buttons as taunt, and I'm not sure if I'm just not understanding when I can activate.

The only real negative is that they made an odd choice to turn the effects for like dragon rage into being just...harsh solid colors and it doesn't match the game.  It's kinda cartoony, but the game isn't that, it's just lightly stylized for most of the monsters.  Not sure why they went with that. 

In the end, it's fun and light-hearted budget game where I get to see some fun monsters I enjoy duke it out and it can be tough at times.  I wish they would add some new monsters, like it would be cool to get Shin and Minus added as a bonus.  Maybe DLC perhaps.  It's a good warmup for the Godzilla Minus One movie I'll be watching in two days.

[bizzgeburt]

08 - Lego Star Wars: Die Komplette Saga - Premium Edition (83051.206.GM/2) (Wii)
https://vgcollect.com/item/285693

Hardware: Nintendo Wii
Playtime: about 45 hours

After almost three months of not playing any videogames at all, I chose to spend some time with my mostly neglected Nintendo Wii, and started off by playing Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga (of course the german release as with most games I play). It is the second Lego videogame I ever played with the first being Lego DC Supervillains, which I really enjoyed for what it is. Knowing that almost every Lego-game is kind of the same Malibu Stacy (but with a different hat!), I found this one still enjoyable due to the fact that I once was a huge Star Wars nerd, especially around the time when Episodes I to III came to theaters.

Lego Star Wars: Die Komplette Saga was released in Germany on November 16th 2007 by publisher LucasArts Entertainment Company, developed by Traveller's Tales (Tt), who started developing Lego games with the 2005 released Lego Star Wars: The Videogame, and continued to do so until about 2019, as far as I was able to research.
It marks the 41st Lego videogame ever released (in total about 117 games, first was Lego Fun To Build on SEGA Pico in 1995, but official Lego states over 200). As I mentioned before, most (Tt-developed) Lego videogames tend to offer the same basic experience of collecting studs, completing missions, getting new characters with new abilities to unlock new collectables and so on ... only back in the late 90s (PlayStation and GameBoy Color era) Lego games were mostly unique and always came with a distinct gameplay of their own, wether they were simulations, or racing games, etc..

The game's title didn't age well in times of Disney spitting out one new bad Episode and spinoff series after another, but back when it was released, it really did cover the complete saga with Episode I to VI. I wont start reciting the well known storyline of the saga - if you're interested in it, please go watch the movies. My mom once best described the story of Star Wars in one sentence: "It's a classical fairytale of the struggle between good and evil, honorable chivalry and the rescue of a princess ... but in space." 

The games division into the six different Episodes is implemented very player-friendly and convenient, and you can choose every of the six Episodes right from the start. Hub ist the famous cantina in Mos Eisley on Tatooine, offering a bar which acts as your main-shop to purchase new characters, vehicles or skills/cheats, rewatch scenes from the game or enter cheat-codes. In the same main area of the cantina you'll also find the character generator, where you can design two individual heroes (or villains) - parts available seem to increase with your progress in the game. There are a total of 8 doors leading out of this room: six of them lead to the different Episode's seperate rooms, which themselves are divided into 6 further doors (levels) and an Episode-related bonus-door leading to two different bonus-stages per Episode. Another door leads from the cantina's main area into the main bonus area, where you can build up to six different doors into bonus levels with the golden bricks you earn when playing the game. The last exit leads into the cantina's inner hangar area where you can find your collection of minikit-vehicles. Every single one of those gets completed by finding every of the 10 minikits hidden within each level, so there are 36 main levels in the game, therefor 36 mini-vehicles to collect.
When playing a level the 1st time you are forced to play it in story-mode with the characters preset to the level, but after finishing it once you can always choose to play in free-mode which lets you play the same level with a variety of characters and skills to get collectables that were out of reach at first. Finishing a level, collecting a defined value in studs and the collection of both minikit-parts and the red Power-Brick (enableing you to purchase a new cheat) all earn you a golden brick each, with a total of 160 golden bricks to collect in the whole game (don't forget the bonus stages). All basic stuff if you already played any Tt Lego game... imo, only the franchises themselves don't let this get too repetitive. And still, it is.

I'm not really as familiar with the Wii's game library as I am when it comes to 8-32 bit devices, but my inexperienced guess is that those Lego games mostly have simple graphics to begin with. So yea, graphics look okay to me, at least suitable for the system and age.

In this particular case, there isn't much to say about the games' music, either... understandably and naturally, Lego Star Wars: Die Komplette Saga is mainly graced with the timeless theatrical scores by John Williams. Given that the game includes all six classic George Lucas Episode's, that's clearly a 13/10 to me personally.

Experience and enjoyment when playing this game was about the same as with Lego DC Supervillains. Tt Lego games make all around playable games, but playing several of them in a row seems way too repetitive to me. Nevertheless, I always liked Lego as a kid and am still collecting some nowadays, so I'll propably buy some more of those.

Wow, this makes my 8th game finished in 2026 - on to the next one 

[ssj4yamgeta]

18: Tomb Raider: Chronicles Remastered (PS4)

This game was very disappointing after The Last Revelation. To be fair, the first half of the game is actually good. Immediately after the halfway point, though, the second half springs out of the quicksand and wraps its spiny tentacles around the game, dragging it down into the depths of inferiority. The third area, based on UK mythology, had some really cool ideas but was bogged down by dogshit level design. For instance, when I spawned into the first map, it took me about 10 minutes or more just to find the path forward out of the sinkhole. The final area, the Von Croy building, was an absolute masterclass in terrible level design without any of the charm of the previous area. Expecting the player to do things the game never taught them to do? Check. A cyborg boss whose hit boxes flat out ignore most of the bullets you fire at it and can only be killed while standing in water? Check. Being forced to sprint around an obstacle course while being chased by an attack helicopter AND a second cyborg at the same time? Check. Removing Lara's infinite-ammo pistols in a combat-heavy level with bullet sponge enemies and reduced item pickups, creating the possibility of softlocking by running out of ammo? Check. I was raging at my TV by the halfway point of the final level. I had to get up and check a guide every 5 minutes. Chronicles' third and fourth areas are on par with the worst of TR3's level design. However, I will give Chronicles an extra point because it is mercifully a much shorter game, clocking in at only around 8 hours. Now on to Core Design's final Tomb Raider game, The Angel of Darkness, which I am looking forward to because the remaster has been substantially overhauled and fixed from what I hear.

Rating: 4/10 (Subpar)

Completed:

Tomb Raider II (Evercade)
Tomb Raider III (Evercade)
Mafia: The Old Country (PS5)
Gundam Breaker 4 (PS5)
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection (PS5)
Resident Evil: Code Veronica X (Gamecube)
Final Fantasy IV Advance (GBA)
Dragon Ball FighterZ (XBOX One)
Virtua Fighter 2 (Genesis)
Street Fighter 2: Special Champion Edition (Genesis)
Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation Remastered (PS4)
Injustice: Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition (PS4)
SoulCalibur III (PS2)
Injustice 2: Legendary Edition (PS4)
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen (PS4)
The Callisto Protocol (PS4)
Resident Evil 3 2020 (PS4)
Tomb Raider: Chronicles Remastered (PS4)

Abandoned:

Farmagia (Switch)

In Progress:

Nioh (PS4)
Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition (XBOX One)
Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness Remastered (PS4)

[realpoketendonl]

33. Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered

After so many shorter games this year, it was time to tackle a bigger project. And Horizon Zero Dawn certainly delivered on that.

I have never played a Horizon game before. To be honest, my experience with these types of triple A open world games in general borders on zero. It's just not a genre I'm typically exposed to, nor one that usually draws me that much. But Horizon seemed interesting and I know it was popular, so it seemed like a good candidate to try this type of game out. And having beaten it now, I can say that I enjoyed it!

I found the story and world engaging...in parts. Aloy is a likeable protagonist who I was happy to play as. The parts about her personal struggles as an outcast, and all the lore about the history, how this world came to be, how Aloy ties into it, that I all found very interesting and intriguing. However, the parts about the current-day human situation, with talks about Meridian and the Sun King and the Carja and whatever else, I honestly could not care less about. Some side characters are passable enough, but almost none of them I found particularly memorable. And some other side characters I found myself actively not caring about.

The gameplay held my attention well enough. Exploring areas felt good, and combat could be pretty satisfying (even if I don't think I ever quite figured out the perfect strategies). I think that one of the challenges for me is that I'm not an exploring or sidequest girl. I don't like wandering around big maps and going for all the sidequests. I try to run from main goal to main goal as much as possible. I also noticed that as I got from location to location. Once I got to a closed off biome like a cauldron or a ruin, I'd be very interested and engaged, climbing and exploring and scanning everything. But in the overworld, while I was never outright bored or annoyed, I'd honestly still just try to run past parts sometimes. Though to be fair, it did sometimes throw sidequests in the middle of my path that I did actually enjoy doing when I found them, like bandit camps and cauldrons.

As someone with virtually no experience with this type of game, I certainly found the scope impressive. It looks great too. I played on Steam Deck on mid graphics settings, and even then I was impressed by some of the scenic views (when I actually took a moment to appreciate them). I did have frame dips, but what do you expect when you play a game like this on Steam Deck? It was noticeable, but almost never an actual problem for me. I have pretty loose standards when it comes to this. If it runs in a playable state and I can enjoy it, that's all I need.

There were a few tiny bugs but nothing major. I had a few audio bugs every couple of hours, but a reboot fixed it. Only other major hurdle I ran into is that hours into the game I found myself thinking: 'Odd that this game doesn't have a map screen', only to find out that it did, but the developers simply forgot to map it to a button in the default controller layout. Wish I found that out like 3 hours earlier.

Overall though, I definitely enjoyed Horizon Zero Dawn! It's an intriguing world that I enjoyed learning about, paired with a relatable fun protagonist and solid gameplay. I will say that I can tell that this type of big triple-A open world game isn't going to be my primary cup of tea. I like tighter games with direct and immediate goals and more consistent levels action. You know, action games, platformers, that sorta deal. But I'm glad I played this and I totally get why it's popular. I'm not compelled to immediately jump into the DLC or the sequel or the Lego sets, but who knows, when the movie comes out I may go see it.

[dhaabi]

38. Get Rich Quick. || Browser || 11.04.2026



Looking again for something short to play, I returned back to my game jam project interests backlog. Halloween had just past, so I found it fitting to try out something more thematically horror-related and settled on Get Rich Quick.

The game within a game's goal is simple: count down from 10 to 1 to receive money. It's anything but straightforward, though. It's a timed goal, although each separate player action in the form of the corresponding keystroke resets the timer. However, the shadowy figure players compete against will regularly interrupt the countdown by adjusting which number needs to be counted next in the form of basic math: addition and subtraction. So what should be a quick exercise in counting becomes increasingly complicated as players are forced to rush against the clock to input the correct number. Even these hurdles are elementary to overcome, but it's easy to feel rushed and make mistakes which result in significant time reductions being inflicted with each individual input. At the same time, the figure will also routinely halt the downward sequence by requiring specific numbers be inputted like a lock combination of sorts or even by forcing the player to pause all action. Like any other mistake, incorrect responses result in diminished time. So in short, Get Rich Quick. is a fast-paced action game testing the player's reflexes.

As the concept exists in its current implementation, I'll admit that I don't think it's executed particularly well because it wants players to respond with one specific play style but there's nothing stopping them from behaving oppositely since there's no incentive to do so. I can envision this sort of gameplay loop being expanded to include numbers beyond 1 through 10 by incorporating multi-key inputs for two-digit or even larger number values while simultaneously implementing more advanced math such as multiplication and division, more complicated math equations (e.g. x+y+z), more effective means at disrupting the player's flow such as actively hindering the ability to read what's being asked or by incorporated audio cues, or some combination of each. These considerations would address the issue of players not feeling forced to respond quickly while still adhering to a strict time limit, because it's really all too relaxed of a game in its current form. Something else briefly worth mentioning is that the game can be completed, though I can easily envision this as an endless play experience that may better work in its favor. Nevertheless, Get Rich Quick.'s dark tone with light body horror elements in the form of disembodied human anatomy certainly sets itself apart from other action-focused games, and it does strengthen the stressed atmosphere it's wanting to establish but doesn't quite achieve.

Like a lot of other game jam projects, this one needs work for it to accomplish what it wants. Fortunately, I don't think there's all that much more that needs to be added to realize that goal should the developer ever want to create a more in-depth experience.

[bikingjahuty]

62. Sin and Punishment (N64)

What of the biggest tragedies in gaming is when there's an incredible game that's released, however some bean counter or suit at a game publisher decides it's not worth the effort to release the game in a specific market for absolutely stupid reasons. There are many games that have been or are even still trapped within a specific region, but there may be none as perplexing as 2000's Sin and Punishment. Sin and Punishment is more than just a game only released in Japan, but rather represents one of the best games on the console. What's baffling is the game was dubbed in English, and outside some subtitles and menus that would need to be translated into English, it was practically ready to be released in the in the West. But unfortunately someone at Nintendo decided it was "too late" in the N64's life to release it anywhere else but Japan. The US and the rest of the world did eventually get Sin and Punishment as a digital only release on the Wii, it's still a game the west has never received physically and probably never will. The tragedy to all this is that Sin and Punishment may be the best third party game on the console, and no I am not joking.


While it is a short and sweet rail shooter similar to games like Star Fox and Panzer Dragoon, the game packs so much awesome action gameplay, insanely good graphics and art direction, and a story and characters that would fit right in with the likes of Neon Genesis or Genocyber, this game is a freakin gem if there ever was one. You are literally floating around on a metallic platform while blasting the shit out of battleships and a plethora of other enemies in one stage, and the next you're engaged in a crazy kaiju vs kaiju battle. But underlying it's unique weirdness is very engaging, dynamic gameplay that while somewhat difficult to get used to, is so much fun once you get the hand of it. Some awkward levels and areas so detract somewhat from your enjoyment of playing Sin and Punishment, but overall, this game is a blast to play from beginning to end. Oh, and you also have a beam sword you can use to deal with close range enemies too. Yeah, this game is batshit awesome!


While the visuals and gameplay are both excellent, it's actually Sin and Punishment's OST that remains its best quality. Sin and Punishment has this high energy, cool as hell OST that just oozes 5th console gen charm. You really have to listen to it to know what I'm talking about, but this game lacks a single bad track in it. I'm completely serious. Adding even more to this game's charm and high level of entertainment is its hilariously bad voice acting. Some people might view bad voice acting as something to hold against a game, and while in some situations i would agree with this, it's that campy, completely unaware bad voice acting that actually makes certain games even better for me. Sin and Punishment's entire voice cast sound like amateurs Nintendo hired off the street to recite lines from and already confusion and incredibly weird story and plot. I have to imagine the actors were asking themselves, "what the hell am I even saying at this part? Is that right?" probably the entire time they were recording their dialogue. But this bad voice acting just fits in so well with this game's brand of weirdness to create what I would consider perfect audio from all standpoints.


A adore Sin and Punishment, and outside the Nintendo classics Ocarina of Time and Super Mario 64, Sin and Punishment is the third best N64 game I've ever played. Yes, better than Goldeneye, better than Banjo Kazooie, better than Star Fox 64. It's so good that I have to recommend anyone with a decent emulator, flash cart, or appetite to import the actual game from Japan, freakin play this game asap. The game is just so incredibly fun and entertaining, exactly what every game should aspire to be. (11/7/26) [42/50]

[realpoketendonl]

34. LIT (WiiWare)
35. LIT (PC / Steam Deck)

LIT is a horror-themed puzzle game that was originally released on WiiWare. I remember thinking it looked interesting at the time, but I never bought it. Later I found out that they also released a version on Steam, and when I looked at the screenshots, I was dumbfounded. I mean, left is the original WiiWare version, right is the Steam version. Just look at this.



What happened here?? How did this game go from a dark gritty realistic art style to a Disney cartoon?? It completely shatters the whole horror-aspect of the game, which was the core of its identity. From what I understand, they ported the iOS version to PC. But why?? This is one of the most baffling visual downgrades for a game I have ever seen. It got me curious to the point that I wanted to play both versions (they're short games anyway), just to see how things changed and which one is better. I'll start with the original.

LIT has you exploring classrooms infested with some kind of unspecified darkness. You can only stand in light: one step into darkness and you're dead. Your goal is to get to the exit at the other end of the room. And to do so, you'll need to make a path of light. This involves breaking windows with your slingshot, turning on lights or other light-emitting devices, turning things back off to stay within the power limit, and picking up more items you need along the way until you get to the exit. You have a flashlight to look around the darkness and plan out your path, but otherwise everything not lit will be shrouded in darkness.

It's an interesting idea. I enjoyed looking around and figuring out what possible routes I could take. Seeing the solution and making it through is satisfying. I will say the game could be a bit finnicky sometimes. The next light could be on the very edge of your current light path, which could lead to accidental deaths if you're not precise enough. I also felt like there were a few times where the game could've communicated what it wanted me to do a bit better, like in a few of the boss fights. A few rooms were a little obtuse as well, but it is what it is. There's 25 normal levels and 5 boss fights, which in total only took me a few hours to get through. Overall, I think this was pretty good for WiiWare standards. I don't think I would've found it super impressive or memorable if I played it back in the day, but it's a clever concept and good for what it is.

The Steam version is very different from the WiiWare version. Various mechanics were changed. You now move on a set grid rather than freely, various light types are removed or adjusted, and the power limit is gone in favour of having you swap lightbulbs between lamps. Objects are also no longer hidden in the darkness: you can always see everything in the room at once.

I will give the Steam version this: it controls well. Because you're on a set grid, some of the finnicky issues with the WiiWare version are gone. I never had frustrations with the controls like I did in the original. But that does not weigh up against the other sacrifices. Any sense of atmosphere is completely gone. It feels like an old Flash game in every single way. Not a bad Flash game, but a very standard one. This version does have original level designs, but it bafflingly cuts the level count in half. From 30 including boss fights in the WiiWare version, to just 16 levels here. It's significantly easier than the WiiWare version too. I beat the whole game in under an hour, and I saw someone speedrun the whole game in six minutes(!).

LIT on WiiWare was an interesting game for its time with a neat concept. I am mostly still baffled as to why on earth they decided to port the iOS version over the Wii version. Yes, the Wii version would've been more work to port over with some control adjustments being necessary. But it could've given the game a second chance at life, while this iOS port was clearly dead on arrival. I mean, it has 20 Steam reviews total. While it's not bad, it's definitely unimpressive and overpriced for the content you get. A shame, because the original game does deserve to be remembered.

[bikingjahuty]

63. Hard Drivin (Arcade)

My plan this weekend was to start playing The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, but with a ton of stuff I had to take care of this weekend, time got away from me and I was instead forced to play shorter games if I wanted to play anything at all. Last night, I went back and replayed one of my favorite games ever made (Sin and Punishment). Naturally, tonight I decided to go back and replay one of the absolute worst games I can remember playing, you know...just to balance things out and all. That game is the infamous Hard Drivin.


I first played Hard Drivin as a young kid back in the early 90s, in fact, this game is tied to some of my earliest memories of gaming period. I local shopping mall arcade had a sit down machine of Hard Drivin for the longest time, and my cousins who introduced me to the Sega Genesis also had the respective home console port for that system. So yeah, you can say I did a lot of "Hard Drivin" as a young kid. Having very little experience with both gaming and driving at the time, I always assumed the reason I could barely even make it around the first corner was because I just didn't know how to drive, or possibly play the game. Nope. The reason I couldn't even get around the first damn corner on the speed track in this game, or around the first loop on the stunt track was because this game is abysmally ass.


Fastforward to today when a random Youtube recommendation had me seeing some Let's Player I've never seen or heard of attempt to make it around both tracks and watching him frustratingly fail miserably inspired me in a sick, weird way to attempt this on my own. After many, many attempts, the best I was able to do was get around each track on its own respectively, but not conquer both back to back. It was definitely vindicating to know that me being a fraction as good at games back in the early 90s was hardly the issue with me being unable to make it even halfway around either track. No, it was because controlling your car in Hard Drivin is liking driving a car with bald, nearly flat tires covered in vasoline, while the steering wheel is made of Play Doh. It's still a massive challenge to even make it around a wide turn without over correcting or initiating some whiplash inducing snap oversteer that will send your car flying off the road or into an oncoming vehicle. Even staying in a straight line can be challenging. If Midway was trying to create a driving simulator, they failed on all accounts and then some.


One area I will throw the game a little bit of a bone is the use of 3D visuals in an era where 3D games were still very rare and were often viewed as cutting edge despite looking considerably worse that most sprite based games of the time. Hard Drivin is no different in that there are some ambitious visuals in the game, but the tech at the time essentially renders things looking like absolute crap for the most part. Still, credit where credit is due, even though Midway would have been better off scrapping this game until technology and gameplay for 3D racing games had come a lot further, as it did with games like Virtua Racing and Daytona USA.


Almost as bad as Hard Drivin's gameplay is its audio. There is very little music in Hard Drivin. Pretty much your soundtrack consists of some dramatic, 5 second song that plays as the game recaps your fatal crashes in a areal view replay. While actually playing though, the sounds you'll hear are screeching tires that sound more similar to rusty nails across a chalkboard, as well as the sound of your card accellorating, which while crude, I guess sounds like what it's supposed to be. However, the tire squeal is so bad that you'll honestly want to play the game on mute just a few minutes in. My wife literally came upstairs to ask if the furnace was going out because of how awful this game sounded from downstairs. Overall, Hard Drivin has some of the worst noises coming from it of any game I've ever played.


While some could certainly say Hard Drivin was a very ambitious game for its time, which I can mostly agree with that, a famous quote from Jurassic Park comes to mind instead; "they were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they never stopped to think if they actually should." That's pretty much my thoughts on Hard Drivin in general and Midway deciding to release this rancid turd in the first place back in 1989. Still, despite the scathing things I have to say about this game, a very small, and I mean like almost imperceivable part of me feels sentimental towards Hard Drivin as it's a game that's part of some of my earliest gaming memories. However, so are Super Off Road and Galaga, and those are actually games worth reminiscing about. Don't play Hard Drivin if you haven't...just, don't. (11/8/26) [10/50]

[dhaabi]

39. Silent Hill: Townfall || PlayStation 5 || 11.07.2026



Since I've been caught up with the main entry titles in the Silent Hill franchise, I've been able to wait for new ones to release in anticipation. With that said, I will admit that I wasn't sure how I'd actually perceive the most recent entry Silent Hill: Townfall as it seemed to shift in dramatic ways from series conventions. I wasn't necessarily excited to experience this latest entry either, but I was certainly interested to see how success or not it may be.

To my surprise, there's a lot of narrative exposition provided to the player upfront. Players will naturally survey surroundings early on throughout the town of St. Amelia's solitude currently devoid of monsters and be able to glean information that's straightforward to piece together. A makeshift vigil lies at the heart of the town honoring dozens while protest signs litter the streets. We're made aware that some grave injustice has been committed but only learn how these events came to be as the narrative progresses. And much like previous entries in the franchise, Townfall is a game emphasizing its body horror design elements. Directly related to this are the game's themes relating to medical care, and it's disturbing through instances such as feeding tubes deeply lodged down throats and body bags and bodies themselves which overtake landscape; however, much of how the field of medicine is explored is through specific instances of trauma resulting from one's experiences as a medical practitioner. Simultaneously, the matter of public relations and trust is also prevalent. Together, these two separate themes feel in some way bolstered by the game's conceptualization and development in a post-pandemic world though aren't necessarily a response to the pandemic itself.

Townfall vastly sets itself apart from just about every previous entry regarding story and setting. What's presented is not a single-character experience but instead a narrative that's divided among three player-characters who navigate through a shared psychological experience of facing guilt and trauma for uniquely personal reasons. I don't think this design choice is inherently a bad decision as it allows players to approach an event from numerous perspectives, although I do think it lessens the individual impact for each of them. Much like a certain renowned series entry, Townfall is about facing the consequences to one's actions; however, the game fails to provide how or why this specific entry relates to the larger franchise—whether it be through the cult or the Silent Hill Phenomenon that's briefly explored in a previous title, there is nothing implied about how St. Amelia connects to Silent Hill, and it's disappointing to some degree. Be that as it may, how Townfall utilizes the concept of the Otherworld is arguably the best implementation of what it can manifest as to the ones it summons. Meanwhile, the game's setting is commendable—specifically, how its Fog World is presented. Unlike most other games' town environments that appear as if they've been long abandoned and decayed, St. Amelia feels very much like a loved town with an endearing sense of community even before coming together in response to a tragic event, and the sense that things are wrong are further elevated as a result. It contrasts to the game's Otherworld that's depicted as a crumbling concrete infrastructure basked in oppressive lighting, though these envrironments appear dull and ineffective as a horror set piece, and especially so since both gore and scares feel scaled down beyond scripted moments.

Unlike every other title in the series, Townfall is foremost a stealth-focused game played from a forced first-person camera perspective. I'll preface an overview of what stealth entails by briefly mentioning that, before I began my playthrough, I held little experience with first-person games and virtually none with stealth mechanics. So gameplay was a stressful loop for me to engage in personally, which certainly wasn't lessened by the game's horror themes. My approach to play was overly defensive as a result—which I really can't stress enough—even in spite of the game's abundance of manual save points and auto-save checkpoints. In hindsight, enemy AI is fairly lax even when playing on the game's most demanding difficulty setting from what I've observed. Players are freely able to crouch, hide, and even peak around without much to worry about alerting enemies of their position or presence altogether. I constantly stayed still to study enemy movements since they generally navigate on fixed paths, though the position of the game's stalker enemy in particular is based on the proximity to the player. Regarding the latter, its AI feels appropriately challenging, although I will acknowledge that its behavior has been updated to avoid instances of camping in spots that very clearly infringe upon the player's opportunity to traverse safely. It's not an issue I dealt with myself, but it is worth commenting on in the event anyone decides to play a non-patched version. I've read mixed opinions regarding this specific change, with some saying the original behavior was unforgiving and forced overly-long instances of waiting while others say it wasn't an issue at all so long as all of the game's tools and mechanics are thoughtfully used.

Alongside the ability to act stealthily, several other aspects comprise the game's stealth system and corresponding enemy awareness. In any given area, there are plenty of places to physically hide one's self to avoid enemy encounters whether enemies have detected the player or not—though its success is not always assured. What this implies is that enemies are able to open doors, but they're even able to chase you into different rooms and areas altogether. At the same time, it's not uncommon in survival horror games for doors to be locked, though Townfall frequently offers players the means to re-lock them as well which acts as an unbreakable barrier. However, the game's most prolific tool is the CRTV, a device that tracks enemies' active position. It's certainly helpful to circumvent enemy confrontation, though its functionality it limited as paths, walls, and barriers aren't displayed on its monitor; so, players will be forced to reference the map, study enemy movements, or become familiar with a room's layout alongside the tool. It will often seem like an enemy is right there, but they may easily be in a blocked off room. That enemies are generally noisy regardless of their alert level further complicates a player's assurance of the matter while also stimulating greater tension. Across every moment when exploration is the active task, players will need to be perceptive of their environments as the game even remains unpaused when viewing the map. There's a strong sense of danger because of these focuses, and it works in the game's construction of horror. Of course, running away when discovered is also an option that's viable depending on the scenario, but I admittedly never considered those possibilities in the moment.

Of course, the game is defined by many other aspects including its monsters, puzzles, and sound design. Generally speaking, the game's enemies all maintain a familiar humanoid figure without a greater sense of abstraction that the franchise has accomplished many times before. Some take issue with this, but I do think they're appropriately designed when considering the game's themes and emphasis on the aforementioned tragedy. Together with sound, the threat of monsters feels especially chilling. Surrounding noises are regularly heard both up-close and in the far-off distance as if you as the player are actively being targeted, but they're just the game's ambient sounds. Building lights hum and infrastructure creaks when you feel your most vulnerable, and they all immensely add to the game's atmosphere. Meanwhile, puzzles are generally competent. Some are solved by requiring a key of sorts to progress which forces the player to engage with enemies, though others are self-contained that feel thoughtfully designed and thematically sound. They're a mix between an emphasis on observation skills and the ability to interpret vague clues. I'm generally impressed by their overall quality, and they serve as some of the franchise's best. Some are naturally easier than others, and this extends to the game's final puzzle that too has been updated to be less obtuse. But like before, I've read others' opinions that the change was unnecessary as it results in the puzzle being more like an exercise in transcribing information. I can't comment on whether patch updates like these are beneficial or more harmful to the play experience, though. Regardless, there is no difficulty option for puzzles from the menu screen, which is something I do feel deters replayability and the opportunity to better test one's mental capacities.

After having some time to think about my playthrough, I'm not really sure how Silent Hill: Townfall fits within the larger Silent Hill universe, as it's undoubtedly the most detached of any of the titles regarding lore continuity. More than any of the other modern games so far, this title is removed from the town of Silent Hill itself to an extent that it may have been better suited as its own psychological horror game separate from the franchise. Really, there doesn't seem to have been any real effort to link the two towns together beyond the psychological torment that's experienced in previous titles. Ultimately, though, I'm less bothered by these facts than most of the franchise's fanbase though do agree I'd prefer those connections be present than absent. I enjoyed my time with the game despite my personal challenges with it as someone not used to first-person perspectives or stealth mechanics, and perhaps I'll feel a little more comfortable with other games comparable to it should I ever feel compelled to try them.

[dhaabi]

I've spent hours simply wandering around and watching ugly static videos on some sort of CRT gimmick. Which ends up being more of an annoyance than feeling like it was properly integrated into the puzzle elements or plot.

From the one other person I've talked to that's completed this game, the game's CRTV tool is, in their opinion, more of a hindrance than it is helpful. With that said, the game doesn't force players to use it. Silent Hill: Townfall still offers crouching, hiding, and peeking mechanics—all of which were that same person's preference instead. But for me as someone who's less comfortable with the possibility of exposing my character's position, I preferred oppositely when given that option. Of course, there are times when it's most beneficial to use both tactics in tandem.

You have to backtrack and aimlessly wander to find things that really coulda been in the spot where you already were.  To me that's not boundless exploration. It's padding of the time. It feels rushed and pretty.

I'm barely told anything and have to now wander a city looking for a combination to a organ cooler.   Why? I can go on fetch quests in my regular life. I don't need to do the whole "go to Walmart on the other side of Skyrim map to get bread for the lonely wizard" let me solve puzzles, avoid beasts and see guts.

What you're referencing is the puzzle, and it's not exclusive to Townfall. It's not even exclusive to the Silent Hill franchise or even the survival horror genre. Across genres, plenty of barriers exist so that players are forced to explore for items and information that enables them to break that barrier after returning to it. It's a structure that forces players to engage with the environment and enemies, should they exist.

I also hate games with maps as obscure as this one. Feel like Lewis and Clark.

Did you really feel this way? Across my playthrough, there was never a time when I felt lost, nor a time when I was unaware of what my next immediate goal was. The latter is even posted on the inventory pause screen, whereas the map is constantly updating automatically with written notes as areas are explored. The map especially never felt any different from any other map from games similar to it, even going as far back as a decade with Resident Evil VII: Biohazard.

It relies heavily on a slow building dread then anything flashy and it's not for me.

You're not wrong, but that's what psychological horror is as a thematic genre. Concerning games, you as the player are an extension to the character you're controlling, and they're certainly not aware of what's going on either. So, naturally, it's to be expected that the slow build-up of strange events and dangers are designed in the way they are. If you've ever engaged with psychological horror films, it's not any different really. It may just not be a story genre that you enjoy.