Author Topic: 52 Game Challenge 2017  (Read 58954 times)

52 Game Challenge 2017
« on: January 01, 2017, 10:06:07 am »
You know the drill. Beat 52 games before December 31st, and share your thoughts.

Re: 52 Game Challenge 2017
« Reply #1 on: January 01, 2017, 10:07:21 am »
I decided to play the challenge using only ROM hacks of Super Mario World.

1/52: I Hate You (Ersanio) {Cleared Jan 1}
2/52: Brutal Mario Demo 7 (Carol) {Cleared Jan 4}
3/52: VLDC 9 (SMWCentral) {Cleared Jan 13}
« Last Edit: January 13, 2017, 11:24:25 am by courtlyhades296 »

Re: 52 Game Challenge 2017
« Reply #2 on: January 01, 2017, 10:12:06 am »
Awww shit! Here it is! I'm very much looking forward to doing this challenge again :D

Happy 2017 everyone!

kevininja

Re: 52 Game Challenge 2017
« Reply #3 on: January 01, 2017, 02:08:48 pm »
Got to 34 games in 2016, gotta try harder this year!

January:
1. The House of the Dead: Overkill (Wii) [1-1]
2. Watch Dogs 2 (PS4) [2-1]
3. Hotline Miami (Steam) [5-1]
4. Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number (Steam) [11-1]
5. Dead Space (Origin) [15-1]
6. Dead Space 2 (Origin) [18-1]
7. Dan the Man (Android) [20-1]
8. The Last Door (Steam) [21-1]
9. Rabbids: Go Home (Wii) [21-1]
10. Marlow Briggs and the Mask of Death (Steam) [23-1]
11. Another Code: Two Memories (DS) [30-1]

February:
12. Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen (Steam) [5-2]
13. Mass Effect 2 (Origin) [14-2]
14. Grow Home (PSN) [19-2]
15. Watch Dogs (PS4) [27-2]

March:
16. Rayman Legends (PS4) [8-3]
17. Doom (PS4) [12-3]
18. Gravity Rush Remastered (PS4) [18-3]

April:
19. Watch Dogs: Bad Blood (PS4) [14-4]
20. Crysis 2 (Steam) [16-4]
21. The Darkness II (Steam) [17-4]
22. Life is Strange (Steam) [26-4]
23. Star Fox 64 3D (3DS) [28-4]

May:
24. Lollipop Chainsaw (PS3) [3-5]
25. Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment (PS4) [6-5]
26. Gone Home (itch.io) [14-5]
27. Party Hard (PSN) [20-5]
28. Corporate Lifestyle Simulator (Steam) [22-5]
29. Aragami (PSN) [26-5]

June:
30. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (Steam) [26-6]
31. My Nintendo Picross: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (3DS Download) [28-6]

July:
32. Blackwell Unbound (Steam) [1-7]
33. Blackwell Convergence (Steam) [2-7]
34. Blackwell Deception (Steam) [3-7]
35. XCOM: Enemy Unknown (Steam) [17-7]
36. Westerado: Double Barreled (Steam) [19-7]

August:
37. Pony Island (PC Download) [12-8]
38. Deadlight - Director's Cut (GOG) [14-8]
39. One Finger Death Punch (Steam) [26-8]

September:
40. Gravity Rush 2 (PS4) [2-9]
41. The Walking Dead (Steam) [8-9]
42. The Walking Dead: 400 Days (Steam) [9-9]
43. The Walking Dead: Season 2 (Steam) [10-9]
44. Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell (Steam) [11-9]
45. DmC: Devil May Cry (Steam) [16-9]
46. The Journey Down: Chapter One (Steam) [23-9]
47. Loot Hero DX (Steam) [24-9]

October:
48. Saints Row: The Third (Steam) [11-10]
49. Space Pilgrim Episode I: Alpha Centauri (PC Download) [14-10]
50. Mario Kart 7 (3DS) [18-10]
51. Saints Row IV (Steam) [23-10]
52. Saints Row IV: Enter the Dominatrix (Steam) [24-10]

November:
53. Metro: Last Light Redux (Steam) [5-11]
54. Taiku Mansion (Steam) [10-11]
55. Spider-Man (PS1) [14-11]
56. Saints Row IV: How the Saints Save Christmas (Steam) [15-11]
57. Melissa K. and the Heart of Gold (Steam) [19-11]
58. Shadowgrounds (Steam) [20-11]
59. 12 is Better Than 6 (Steam) [25-11]
60. Magicka: The Other Side of the Coin (Steam) [29-11]

December:
61. Homefront (Steam) [15-12]
62. Tales from the Borderlands (PS4) [17-12]
63. Middle-earth: Shadow of War (Steam) [27-12]
« Last Edit: December 27, 2017, 06:11:00 am by kevininja »

tafk

PRO Supporter

TAFK's Games Beaten 2017
« Reply #4 on: January 01, 2017, 02:44:28 pm »
Alright! Here is to me actually doing this and killing the backlog this year! I need Kash's power to finish JRPGs in weeks quickly!



1. Pony Island - PC - ~2hrs
Fun Game. Currently (1/12/17) $1 humble bundle tier. Its a great game with some surprising twists. Definitely is a great game and happy I bought it during the winter sale. Check one off the list!!

2. Nightsky - PC - ~2hrs
Amazing relaxing game. The soundtrack and the visuals make it. The big grouping of vehicle levels at the end is pretty lackluster but outside of that the game is great and really challenges you. Would love to see a sequel.

3. Crayon Physics Deluxe - PC - ~3hrs Abandoned
Not a huge fan, feels like I didn't really get a grasp of the mechanics, very vague on what it wants me to do. Got about 75% through the islands but realized I would need to replay all of the levels again to unlock the last island and uninstalled. Probably fun for some people but definitely not for me.
« Last Edit: January 23, 2017, 09:54:33 pm by tafk »

Re: 52 Game Challenge 2017
« Reply #5 on: January 01, 2017, 02:45:36 pm »
I got close last year, 46 games played, 38 games beat, which was way better than 2015, where I only played around 30-something games in total.  This is a big gaming year with the Switch.  Not sure what to start things off with, as there isn't much I want to play till the end of the month.

BLUE - PLAYING
GREEN - BEAT
BLACK - ENDLESS
RED - ABANDONED

1 - Rise of the Tomb Raider (PS4 2016) - BEAT
2 - The Last Guardian (PS4 2016) - BEAT
3 - Resident Evil: Revelations (PC 2013) - 9 HOURS BEAT
4 - Tokyo Mirage Sessions (Wii U 2016) - 46 HOURS ABANDONED
5 - Resident Evil 7 (PC 2017) - 8 HOURS BEAT
6 - Yakuza 0 (PS4 2017) - BEAT
7 - Nioh (PS4 2017) - BEAT
8 - Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD (Wii U 2016) - 30 HOURS BEAT
9 - For Honor (PS4 2017) - ABANDONED
10 - Horizon (PS4 2017) - 36 HOURS BEAT
11 - Legend of the Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch 2017) - 60+ HOURS BEAT
12 - Nier: Automata (PS4 2017) - 30 HOURS BEAT
13 - Blaster Master Zero (Switch 2017) - 6 HOURS BEAT
14 - Super Mario Run (Android 2017) - BEAT
15 - Dark Souls 3: The Ringed City DLC (PS4 2017) - BEAT
16 - The Witness (PC 2016) - 11 HOURS ABANDONED
17 - Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment (PC 2017) - 5 HOURS BEAT
18 - Tales from the Borderlands (PC 2014) - ABANDONED
19 - Yooka-Laylee (PC 2017) - 13 HOURS BEAT
20 - Fallout Shelter (PC 2016) - ENDLESS
21 - Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch 2017) - BEAT
22 - Darksiders: Warmastered Edition (PC 2010) - ABANDONED
23 - Prey (PS4 2017) - 21 HOURS BEAT
24 - Star Wars Battlefront (PC 2015) - ENDLESS
25 - The Surge (PS4 2017) - ABANDONED
26 - Injustice 2 (PS4 2017) - BEAT
27 - Rime (PS4 2017) - BEAT
28 - Dead Rising 4 (PC 2016) - 11 HOURS BEAT
29 - Persona 5 (PS4 2017) - ABANDONED
30 - Crash Bandicoot (PS4 2017) - BEAT
31 - PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PC 2017) - ENDLESS
32 - Crash Bandicoot 2 (PS4 2017) - BEAT
33 - Crash Bandicoot 3 (PS4 2017) - BEAT
34 - Strider (PC 2014) - 5 HOURS BEAT
35 - Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair (PS4 2015) - ABANDONED
36 - Splatoon 2 (Switch 2017) - BEAT
37 - Mega Man 7 (PS4 2017) - BEAT
38 - Slime Rancher (PC 2017) - BEAT
39 - Deadlight (PC 2012) - BEAT
40 - Just Cause 3 (PS4 2015) - ABANDONED
41 - Sonic Mania (Switch 2017) - BEAT
42 - Mega Man 8 (PS4 2017) - BEAT
43 - The Evil Within (PC 2014) - 14 HOURS BEAT
44 - Mario + Rabids: Kingdom Battle (Switch 2017) - ABANDONED
45 - Strike Vector EX (PS4 2016) - BEAT
46 - DmC: Devil May Cry - (PC 2013) - 7 HOURS BEAT
47 - Cuphead (PC 2017) - 8 HOURS BEAT
48 - Sonic Generations (PC 2011) - 4 HOURS BEAT
49 - Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite (PS4 2017) - BEAT
50 - A Hat In Time - (PC 2017) - PLAYING
51 - Friday the 13th: The Game (PC 2017) - ENDLESS
52 - South Park: The Fractured But Whole (PS4 2017) - BEAT
53 - STALKER: Call of Pripyat (PC 2009) - BEAT
54 - Super Mario Odyssey (Switch 2017) - BEAT
55 - Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus (PC 2017) - BEAT
56 - Asura's Wrath - (360 2012) - BEAT
57 - Rainbow Six: Siege (PC 2015) - ENDLESS
58 - Sniper Elite 4 (PC 2017) - ABANDONED
59 - Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Switch 2017) - BEAT
« Last Edit: December 23, 2017, 06:11:37 am by kamikazekeeg »

dashv

PRO Supporter

Re: 52 Game Challenge 2017
« Reply #6 on: January 01, 2017, 03:04:17 pm »
Can we count carryovers from 2016?

Blocking out my page 1 post now. :)

1 Brothers - PS4 completed very interesting game can be completed in a day. You play as both the younger and older brother simultaneously. Great graphics and sound. Control takes a bit getting used to. You should play this game. It's meant to be/best as a single session experience. If I say anything more I'll ruin it.
2: Shock Troopers - NEO GEO completed guerrilla war style shoot em up. Great graphics and sound. Good action. One of my favorite NEO GEO games. I actually played this on the Wii as part of SNK Classics Vol. 1.
3: Life is Strange - PS4 completed playing through this one with my wife (we take turns playing/watching). This game is like a tell tale game. Mostly canned story unfolding as you solve simple puzzles. Unlike a tell-tale game the story can unfold in a variety of ways based on the choices you make. We completed episode one and it does a good job of compelling you to see the game through to completion. Be warned. The language is terrible! And the subject matter is clearly intended for adult minds.
4: A.P.B - Atari Lynx & PS 3 This is a mostly gogotten gem from the arcades. Top down cops n robbers type game. Deeper than Spy Hunter but not as deep as GTA. Very fun. Midway Arcade Origins for PS3 emulates the Arcade game almost perfectly. The Lynx port is amazingly close! Hilarious digitized voices. Challenging gameplay. Like most Arcade games of it's time you can't really "beat the game". But it's a lot of fun.
5: Blaster Master Zero - Nintendo Switch - A love letter to the original. Tight controls. Faithful in spirit to the original while improving in many ways. My only complaint is some missing/altered sound effects and music and it's a bit too easy! Needs a hard mode!
6: Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Nintendo Switch completed - Skyrim, LoZ, and Metriod Prime had a baby. That baby is LoZ: Breath of the Wild. It's a beautiful baby but it's not perfect. Weapons break too easily. Combat is ridiculously unbalanced. The game isn't linear enough (you can beat the game an miss out on 90% of the content.) The Sheika powers and climbing can't be used in the shrines, the shrines are too simple. Your horse can fast travel with you. Everything's a fetch quest. Why can't I use the touch screen to operate the menus and inventory? Almost garanteed to rain while you are climbing a mountain surrounded by water trapping you for 10-15 minutes as you wait for it to pass. Skipping cutscenes doesn't buy you much because they force a lot of animation/dialog before you can skip. Also why do I need to talk to fairies twice before they will tell me what I am missing for upgrades? I enjoyed the game, but the above made it a chore and wasted a lot of my time.
7: Super Mario Bros 2j - GBA - released in Japan this is a port of the famicom disc system version of the game.
8: Castlevania: Circle of the Moon - GBA - very good game. It's typical Castlevania.
9: Mighty Gunvolt Burst - Switch completed - a charming game. The customization menus could use some cleanup but the gameplay is solid. This game is probably what folks were expecting from Mighty Number 9. If you like Mega Man you will like this.
10: Life is Strange: Before the Storm - Xbox One - A prequel to Life is Strange. In this game you play as Max' Friend Chloe. This gets more into what happened to Chloe from the time Max left Arcadia to the time she came back. Including the Rachel Amber incident.
11: ReCore: Definitive Edition - Xbox One X - From the original creator of Mega Man and the team that made the Metriod Prime games comes a game that is clearly a love letter to both. A strong hardware augmented female protagonist. Double jumping, dashing, robot shooting, power up grabbing, nonlinear exploration. It's a pretty good way to spend $20 and it plays in 1440p on the Xbox One 1. If you buy it from the Xbox or Microsoft store it's a play anywhere title. So you get it for both the PC and Xbox One.
12: Killer Instinct - Xbox One X - Fighting game. Mash buttons, beat up people. Mindless fun.
13: Cuphead - Xbox One - Imagine the old black and white cartoons only playable and in color. This is a fantastic game. If you buy it from the Xbox or Microsoft store it's a play anywhere title. So you get it for both the PC and Xbox One.
14: DOOM - Xbox One - I know the reboot got great reviews but I just can't get into it. Maybe I'll try again later.
15: I am Setsuna - Switch - Good graphics, ancient JRPG gameplay. That is not a compliment. I get very frustrated with this game over mechanics and design flaws that stem from this game trying to be like the games of yore. Give me autosave before surprise boss battles. Give me english voice overs. Give me options to speed up fighting. Remember my previous choices per character. I am hanging on for the story (which is legitimately touching) but at times playing this game to get more story feels like a chore.
16: Rive - Switch - This is a hybrid platformer/flying shmup and it's pretty good. Good graphics, fast action, good sound and low price. Worth the money to play through at least once.
17: Ninja Gaiden: Black - Xbox via Xbox One X BC - I forgot how difficult this game was to control and play! But once you get the hang of it it's pretty fun. The Xbox One X backward compatibility mode renders this game in 4k at 60fps. While the textures and lighting are clearly not current gen it actually upconverts surprisingly well. This is hands down the best way to experience this game.
18: Mirror's Edge - Xbox 360 via Xbox One X BC - When I first played this game on PC or PS3 (I honestly don't remember) I was blown away by the gameplay and graphics. When I first picked this up for xbox 360 I was honestly disappointed. The 360 port was a far cry from the quality of the PC or even PS3 port. The XBX1 enhancements don't fix everything But the frame-rate is liquid smooth the draw distance is huge the city rooftops are rendered cleaner than they ever have been and the HDR has to be seen to be believed. Playing this game on the One X actually took my breath away for a second time.
19: Shovel Knight - Xbox One - I've already played/completed this last year with my son on the WiiU. But the exclusive Battletoads level (which is spectacular) and the update adding multiplayer (no longer exclusive to the WiiU version) nudged me to buy it a second time. My son and I had a blast playing the Battletoads level. After completing it you get a surprise (which I do not want to spoil) that adds some awesome gameplay tweaks to your repertoire that you can use for the rest of the game.
20: Mega Man - Xbox One completed
21: Mega Man 2 - Xbox One completed
22: Mega Man 3 - Xbox One in-progress
23: Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds Overdrive - Nintendo Switch in-progress
24: You Have to Win the Game - PC Steam casually fiddling with this one. This is a very difficult platformer similar in spirit to Montezuma's revenge for the early pc/Atari/Coleco Vision/Master System consoles.
« Last Edit: December 25, 2017, 04:30:22 pm by dashv »

Re: 52 Game Challenge 2017
« Reply #7 on: January 01, 2017, 03:08:36 pm »
Can we count carryovers from 2016?

Blocking out my page 1 post now. :)

I don't see why not. In 2015 I beat Pokemon Omega Ruby, but started it in 2014. The same will probably happen with Pokemon Moon, which i started last year and have yet to beat.

Re: 52 Game Challenge 2017
« Reply #8 on: January 01, 2017, 03:11:33 pm »
I finished with way more games beat in 2016 than I had expected due to really getting into SHMUPs and arcade ports during the last couple of months, games that generally can be beat in a few hours or less. 62 games beat was the final number. I was having doubts that I'd be able to reach 52 this year do to having a lot I need to work on, but as long as I remain on this arcade/shooter kick I think I'll be fine :)
« Last Edit: January 01, 2017, 03:14:53 pm by bikingjahuty »

telly

Re: 52 Game Challenge 2017
« Reply #9 on: January 01, 2017, 04:52:59 pm »
My challenge list! I played 37 games in 2015 and 48 in 2016 so this year I may finally beat the challenge! Like before, only games that I picked up or beat for the first time this year will be on this list.

New Games Played in 2017:

1. Metal Slug 6 (PS2)
2. Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves (PS2)
4. Super Mario 3D World (Wii U)
5. Jeopardy (Wii)
7. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii)
6. Flower (PS3)
7. Xenoblade Chronicles X (Wii U)
8. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch)
9. Metroid: Samus Returns (3DS)
10. The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures (GC)
11. Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter (PS2)
12. Super Street Fighter II Turbo (SNESc)
13. Super Mario Kart (SNESc)

+ New Games Beat in 2017: (Click the link to see each post I made about the game!)

14. (1.) Mega Man Battle Network 3: Blue Version (GBA) - 1.11
15. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (3DS) - 2.9
16. Persona 3: FES (PS2) - 3.22
17. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (PS3) - 4.5
18. (5.) Pokemon: Platinum Version (DS) - 4.20 (lol)
19. New Super Mario Bros. U (Wii U) - 4.21
20. Resident Evil (GC) - 5.2
21. Star Fox (SNES) - 5.7
22. Perfect Dark (Xbox One) - 5.15
23. (10.) Shovel Knight (Wii U) - 5.15
24. Lethal Enforcers (SNES) - 5.28
25. Tales of Symphonia (PS3) - 6.4
26. Demon's Souls (PS3) - 7.10
27. SSX (PS3) - 7.15
28. (15.) Yu-Gi-Oh! Seven Trials to Glory: World Championship Tournament 2005 (GBA) - 7.20
29. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (Wii U) - 8.5
30. Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows (Wii U) - 8.8
31. Mighty No. 9 (Wii U) - 8.14
32. Pikmin 3 (Wii U) - 8.21
33. (20.) Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (Wii U) - 8.22
34. Shantae: Half-Genie Hero (Wii U) - 9.14
35. Monster Hunter 3: Ultimate (Wii U) - 11.12
36. Spyro the Dragon (PS1) - 11.20
37. Time Crisis 3 (PS2) - 11.23
38. (25.) Pac-Man Vs. (GC) - 12.18
39. Batman: Arkham Origins (Wii U) - 12.24
« Last Edit: February 15, 2018, 11:49:23 pm by telly »
Currently Playing:
DOOM (PS4)

My music collection | My Backloggery

realpoketendonl

Re: 52 Game Challenge 2017
« Reply #10 on: January 01, 2017, 05:07:34 pm »
Oh goodness, that sounds VERY ambitious. I don't think I'll be keeping track of how much I've played, since I'm afraid I'll start rushing through games, which I don't want to do. I do want to go through my backlog this year, but at my own pace. I do have other things to do though (like training a lot in Super Smash Bros for Wii U since I want to attend more regionals this year), so we'll see how far I can get!
Huge Nintendo fan and hobbyist Nintendo collector.





Re: 52 Game Challenge 2017
« Reply #11 on: January 01, 2017, 05:12:11 pm »
Oh goodness, that sounds VERY ambitious. I don't think I'll be keeping track of how much I've played, since I'm afraid I'll start rushing through games, which I don't want to do. I do want to go through my backlog this year, but at my own pace. I do have other things to do though (like training a lot in Super Smash Bros for Wii U since I want to attend more regionals this year), so we'll see how far I can get!

While I do try and beat stuff if I can, I find the list is still a good way to keep track of everything you've played this year.  I can be pretty absent minded so it's very helpful to me lol

Re: 52 Game Challenge 2017
« Reply #12 on: January 01, 2017, 08:11:20 pm »
1 - Rise of the Tomb Raider (PS4 2016) - PLAYING - And with some good savings, I grabbed this just today as I've been wanting to play this game for awhile and will kick off the year for me.  I really liked the first game and I'd probably say I enjoy these ones more than Uncharted for the survival and exploration elements.  Tomb Raider (This reboot I mean) is clearly inspired by Uncharted, but I like playing this more, which has the chance of being better than Uncharted 4 last year.

Re: 52 Game Challenge 2017
« Reply #13 on: January 01, 2017, 11:05:11 pm »
1. Battle Garegga (Arcade): This shooter is solid through and through; very atmospheric, great graphics and enemy variety, fun and challenging bosses, and quite possibly the best soundtrack in any SHMUP I've ever played. The gameplay is pretty good too aside from one huge flaw which dampened my experience more than anything; most of the bullets are a plain metallic color, making them very difficult to see, resulting in a lot of cheap deaths. Overall an outstanding shooter, just maybe a tad bit overrated though. (1/1/17)

2. Armed Police Batrider (Arcade): The best word I can use to describe this game is just plain fun! It is very colorful, the music is upbeat, and stages are awesome, this is just an all around awesome game. The gameplay is substantially improved over Garegga too which is saying a lot since that game was also very good. (1/3/17)

3. Mortal Kombat XL (PS4): While I didn't like this game as much as the 2011 Mortal Kombat, the game was still a blast and definitely worth playing. On top of that the graphics are among the best I've seen on the PS4 yet. The addition of the Predator and Alien as playable characters are an excellent touch to an already awesome game as well. (1/5/17)

4. 1080 Snowboarding (N64): At the time this game came out it was hands down the best snowboarding game, however it has been outdone by so many other Snowboard games since. Even games like Tony Hawk Pro Skater which share aspects with this game is significantly better. But for what it is, it is a fun little sports game, albeit one with very little content. At least for me, it's best quality is its heavy load of nostalgia as it reminds me of simpler times over at my friends house on winter break, trying to land the coveted 1080 trick with little success.(1/5/17)

5. Wild Guns Reloaded (PS4): Having heard so many glowing reviews for this game on the SNES, I had really high hopes for it, but overall was let down by frustrating and bulky gameplay; I hate how you can not move and shoot at the same time! Other than that, the game looks incredible and I think the theme is great, but sadly this one was meh in terms of fun. (1/14/17)

6. Mortal Kombat (Arcade): Playing this game over 20-years after it originally came out it is easy to see the reason why it became such a hit was because of the novelty of its then ultra gore. The gameplay is very basic and boring, and while I understand it was the very first game, it lacks variety in stages and characters. Speaking of characters, they are more or less the same aside from name, appearance and special moves. While I'd be lying if I said I didn't have heavy nostalgia for this game, that is about all there is left that makes me enjoy this game. (1/14/17)

7. Me and My Katamari (PSP): I will start by saying that I've never played a bad Katamari game including this one, however this is definitely the weakest game in the series due to difficult controls on the PSP and stages that are 100% recycled 5+ times. I feel like most of the console versions got both of these right, but probably due to hardware limitations this game did not. (1/16/17)

8. Virtua Fighter 2 (PSP): I am genuinely surprised that Sega was able to pull of the feel and most of the gameplay of the 3D Virtua Fighter 2 into a 2D fighting game on the Genesis. I also really enjoyed the Genesis versions of classic songs and stages from this game as well. I was not a fan of all the frustratingly cheap characters in this game, but that is sort of a staple of this entire franchise at this point. (1/17/17)

9. Mortal Kombat 3 (PSP): This was actually a very good port of the arcade version via Midway Arcade Treasures: Extended Play.The graphics, animation, and gameplay were crisp and accurate, and the only fault I found was the sound which is largely due to the limitations of the PSP's speaker. Despite all this, it falls victim to the same issue I have with the original Mortal Kombat which is its lack of depth and generic character templates (see above). Still, MK3 is a much better, more enjoyable game than the first and this is definitely the best way to enjoy it on a handheld. (1/22/17)

10. Batsugun Special Version (Arcade): This game was one of the most amazing, balanced, and fun shooters I've ever played, until it looped, and then again, and then yet again! Each time, not only did I have to replay through most of the levels I had just completed, but they became more and more ridiculous, and I mean that mostly negatively. If this game had ended after its first five stages this would have no doubt become one of the best SHMUPs I have ever played, but by the time I actually beat it (Stage 15, aka stage 5, 4th time) I just wanted it to be over mostly. Other than that it is easy to understand why this game is considered one of the great classic shooters and the grandfather of the bullet hell genre. (1/22/17)

11. Battle Bakraid (Arcade): While there are definite improvements, specifically to the gameplay, with this sequel to Battle Garegga, this game lacks nearly everything that made Garegga so memorable, enjoyable and special. I found this game to be good at everything, but wasn't amazing at anything. Overall it came across as a fairly generic SHMUP, albeit a well made one. (1/24/17)

12. Hyper Duel (Arcade): The fact that this game lets you toggle between a nimble Thunder Force-like space ship and a Mech with a giant gun automatically makes this game awesome, but the fact that the levels, bosses, music, and overall gameplay was amazing as well just makes this game incredible! I feel like over time Technosoft games have grown on me more and more, and in terms of the classic late 80s/early 90s titles, this ranks up there with Thunder Force IV as one of the best. It very well could be Technosoft's best. (1/26/17)

13. Strikers 1945 Series (Arcade): Technically these are three games (Strikers 1945, Strikers 1945 II, and Strikers 1999), but they were all very similar in so many ways, including how fucking awful they all are that I rolled them all up into the same review. First off, the gameplay is terrible; throws far more at you than is possible to dodge and avoid, especially towards the end of the game and on the second loop. Soundtrack is forgettable, sound fx are very basic so nothing there to get excited about. Graphics were meh, with 1999 having the best, but still nothing special. This series will go down as one of the worst SHMUPs I've ever played. (1/27/17)

14. Gekioh: Shooting King (PS1): For those who are unaware, this game is actually a fairly desired SHMUP called Shienryu in Japan. While I will say that the graphics are fairly impressive and it has pretty cool bosses in general, the game is terribly flawed in that it has some arbitrary checkpoint system that I have never seen in another shooter. Pretty much if you die you have to replay a small subsection of a level over and over again until you play it flawlessly, and you reach the start of the next subsection. Another flaw that I had a hard time dealing with is how if you die you often are not given enough power ups to get through certain parts, making getting through them very challenging sometimes. A cool game in a way, but let down severely by some really dumb game design.(1/30/17)

15. Ketsui (PS3): While this game is undeniably good and has a killer soundtrack I might add, the game lacks the balancing needed to make maniac shooters like this excellent games. Pretty much if I am put in situations that seem like my only chance of survival is pure luck then there is definitely an issue. I had far too many moments like this in this game and it really dampened my overall fun while playing. (2/5/17)

16. Nintendo World Championships 1990 (NES): While this probably does not have to be stated I do not own a real NWC cart nor did I play one when trying out this game. I was able to play a reproduction several times through to see what this game was like, which it was exactly like I expected it to be. If you are to break 100k you'll need to play through Mario and Rad Racer perfectly so you can ramp up as many points as possible during Tetris. At least from my experience you'll be lucky if you even have time to complete one Tetris, let alone 3 or 4 single lines. But then again I have never been the best at Mario Bros or Rad Racer either. As a repro I can see this being fun to play with other gamers, but its place is really during the actual competition. What I'm trying to say this game is a way more a piece of gaming history rather than a game you'd really play extensively in 2017. (2/7/17)

17. ESP Ra. De. (Arcade): Definitely one of the better games I've played released by Cave, this game deviates from your typical spaceship to a physic teenage of sorts shooting one of three types of spells at your opponents. Between juggling these spells and the energy, cool down, and quantity you have for them, this game was a pretty fun, balanced shooter. I did have a bit of issue with the controls being a tad bit floating and there being a slight delay, but overall it didn't hinder the experience that much. (2/25/17)

18. Guwange (Arcade): I liked this game well enough, however I found it to be very gimmicky for a shooter which definitely dampened my enjoyment of it throughout the game. Because your character is walking on the ground you do not have free movement as you would in most other shmups of this type. You often have to compete with barriers to attack various enemies that you can only hit with either a specialized shot that you can guide, but slows you characters down a ton, or you can use one of your limited special attacks. Aside occasionally frustrating gameplay, the music, art and concept were pretty cool, however it was not enough to make this game great, just okay. (2/26/17)

19. M.U.S.H.A (Genesis): While this game is fun and one of the best shooters on the Genesis, it has some annoying quarks which decreased my enjoyment while playing, specifically how the game pretty much screws you if you die and lose your power ups. The game becomes too difficult too quickly for you to adjust accordingly if you die and lose your power ups. This is especially true of the last three or four stages which being as powerful as possible is kind of essential. Aside from that complaint, the game looks awesome, has a good variety of stages, enemies, and bosses, and the soundtrack is amazing! (3/17/17)

20. Progear no Arashi (Arcade): I honestly just felt bored playing this game despite the gameplay being mostly good and the steampunk art style reminding me of Metal Slug. I guess there was nothing particularly interesting or remarkable to set it apart from other STG games, and I felt like I was forcing myself through the game despite it being over and done with in half an hour or so. (3/17/17)

21. Caladrius Blaze (PS4): I feel like this game tried to be an RPG too much at the expense of it being a good shooter. The gameplay, whether in easy or normal mode (I can't even imagine how frustrating hard mode is), was very imbalanced and just lacked mostly any fun. I will give this game credit for having cool bosses and the 3D backgrounds are cool, but overall I found this game to be a mess of arbitrary gameplay elements, poor balancing of difficulty, and a story that really no one needed. Probably one of my least favorite SHMUPs I've played. (3/18/17)

22. Ikaruga (Gamecube): This game gets massive brownie points for being one of the most unique and fast paced shooters ever made, as well as it being very well made, albeit extremely difficult to master. While this game is very fun to play through just for the sake of beating, its true value is in its scoring system, which for better or worse somewhat overshadows the rest of the game. Aside from that, the art direction, graphics and music are all great. While not as good as its predecessor, this game is a worthy successor to Radiant Silvergun, aka the best SHMUP ever made. (3/21/17)

23. Donpachi (Arcade): Being that Dodonpachi is one of my favorite SHMUPs of all time I had very high hopes for this one. While I didn't expect to like it as much as its successor, I at least thought it would be highly enjoyable. I ended up being pretty wrong in the end between the boring, badly designed gameplay, the bland backgrounds, and below average soundtrack. This game just lacked all the polish of Dodonpachi, in fact it almost felt like a very rough draft of what Dodonpachi would become. Moral of the story, just skip this game and play Dodonpachi, you'll be happy you did. (3/23/17)

24. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch): I will begin by saying Breath of the Wild is the greatest game I played since Half Life 2, which I first beat over 10-years ago. Almost without exception, from start to finish I was in love with nearly everything about this game; I always found myself wanting to do at least ten different things all at the same time, with a new mini adventure taking its place as soon as I finished one task. From beginning to end I found myself surprised by parts of this game, and mind you this is around 80-hours into the game. While the game does have some flaws, for every one fault this game has, there are easy 25 amazing things to make up for it. With the game beat and me feeling a sense of satisfaction I have not felt after beating a game in many years, I am currently thinking about something I never thought possible; do I like this game more than Ocarina of Time? Even if the answer ends up being no, this game has at least secured its spot as my third favorite game of all time. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is an unmitigated masterpiece that I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to play and enjoy in my lifetime. (3/28/17)

25. Viper Phase 1 (Arcade): Aside from some bland metallic space themes and somewhat non-memorable bosses, this is a pretty balanced, fun shooter. It is on the easy side for a SHMUP, but it provides a good amount of difficulty to make the gameplay exciting. The soundtrack is great and a lot of the destruction animations are very well done. Overall, a good time to be had with this one. (4/1/17)

26. Dragon Blaze (Arcade): I will give this game credit for possibly being the best designed Psikyo STG I've ever played, however this is not saying a lot since I cannot think of one game they developed that wasn't terribly flawed in terms of gameplay. Like the other Psikyo shooters I've played, this game is extremely difficult, mostly due to poor design in terms of enemies, projectiles and your character's abilities. Unlike the other titles they've made, this game had more balancing, however cheap and unavoidable deaths were still abundant. The sound in this game is nothing special and the graphics are slightly above average, but overall it didn't do much to make me enjoy this game more. (4/2/17)

27. Dodonpachi Dai Ou Jou (Arcade): My initial thoughts upon playing and beating this game was that it was finally a Cave game on par with the original Dodonpachi, one of my favorite SHMUPs of all time. After about 10 playthroughs, several which I played right after or before playing the original Dodonpachi, I have to say this game is almost as good as the original, but doesn't quite do it for me as much in the music or gameplay department, which overall creates a slightly less enjoyable experience for me. Don't get me wrong though, this is a top notch shooter and one that any die hard bullet hell enthusiast must play at some point! (4/4/17)

28. Dangun Feveron (Arcade): Sadly this game fell mostly flat for me. Despite being newer than Dodonpachi (my gold standard for Cave games), the game feels and looks like a much older game, almost as if it was supposed to come out around the time Batsugun or Donpachi were released. I will give this game some credit for having a cool ship customization which allows you to select a few more options than just shot patterns for your ship. Other than that though, this game was just boring and forgettable for me. (4/18/17)

29. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch): While there is no doubt that this is the definitive version of this game, I wasn't as blown away by all the added content as I was expecting, mostly because after all the included DLC (which I had purchased already on the Wii U version) there isn't a lot more here. The revamped battle mode is undeniably better, but it was never a mode in any Mario Kart game I was super into. I did notice the updated gameplay mechanics were were mostly improvements with the exception of some god awful driving assist mode which is turned on by default, but luckily you can turn it off and never have to worry about it again. Overall this game is as solid and fun as it ever was, but I wish they would have added in a bit more for this release like a a dozen new tracks or at least 8 new racers as well. (4/30/17)

30. South Park: The Stick of Truth (PS3): If you are a fan of the South Park show, you will LOVE this game, just as I did! This game had me busting out laughing countless times with all the fan service to series' jokes and references, as well as the original content which made this game feel like a giant interactive South Park episode. I honestly can't think of how they could have better implemented South Park into a video game, this game just nails it. With all that said, this game was a bit light on the gameplay depth and did not really break any ground with the RPG mechanics, in fact in many ways it was a below average RPG in that regard. Despite all this, the game's source material and humor carries it and makes it a highly enjoyable game. (5/17/17)

31. Grand Theft Auto V (PS4): Decided to replay this game not because of the added first person view, but mostly the slightly updated visuals and the fact that this game was a blast when I first played it on the PS3 a couple of years ago. I actually ended up enjoying the game more the second time around more, possibly taking the top seat as my favorite GTA game. The game, particularly the story mode for each of the characters is by far the best part of this game, but so is being a depraved D-Bag and stealing cars, hiring prostitutes, and killing random people, as well as all the other sick, depraved things this game allows you to do. Fun fact, GTA5 on the PS3 was the first game I beat and reviewed as part of the 52-games challenge when this all started back in 2015. (5/20/17)

32. DariusBurst Chronicle Saviours (PS4): There were things I liked about this game more than Darius Gaiden, as well as things I didn't like as much as Gaiden, but I have to give this game the edge over Gaiden do to its vast amount of content and levels to choose from. Unfortunately a lot of this content is recycled or slightly altered, but overall there is enough if it to keep me engaged in the game. Gameplay is mostly solid as well, with some zones being significantly better than others in terms of design, although none of the zones I played through were particularly memorable. Not the best horizontal SHMUP I've ever played, by definitely not the worst either; overall it was a pretty good game. (5/21/17)

33. Wolfenstein: The New Order (PS4): This game is among the most poorly designed, boring, uninteresting FPS games I've ever played. About the only thing I can say that was decent about this game was the graphics, but other than that I cannot find many good things to say about this game. Definitely the worst in the series I've played. (5/26/17)
« Last Edit: May 27, 2017, 01:35:23 pm by bikingjahuty »

darkragnorok

  • Guest
Re: 52 Game Challenge 2017
« Reply #14 on: January 02, 2017, 12:05:52 am »
I managed 49 last year but never actually posted here but I have done more than that in pass years but I figure use to site along with others to motivate cause seriously this backlog needs to shrink.