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[bender]

I have a confession, friends. I've resorted to cheating to finish a long standing game quest. I'd saved up 2+ million Nook Miles points and 460 Nook Miles tickets as I waited for a villager to leave my island...the problem is he wouldn't leave. I've seen my other cast of villagers request to leave while I farmed points/tickets, but never him. I was planning on hunting for a specific villager but this little guy wouldn't volunteer to leave. Never had the problem before and I only needed one villager to complete my island of friends...so in a moment of weakness, I bought an Amiibo card from Ebay. After playing almost daily since launch, my cast of characters is complete. They include:

Ketchup - Oddly, the first random villager on my island. The only remaining OG and one of my favorites.
Ankha - The only random camper I ever invited to stay on Futurama Island.

The characters I wasted hours flying to random Islands to find: Marshal, Fauna, Lucky, Shino, Ione, Sherb, Zucker

And finally, thanks to an Amiibo card:

And now that Raymond is here, it kind of feels like there isn't anything else to accomplish. I don't even want to think about how many hours I pumped into this game. haha

 

[Midn1ght]

8. Mirror's Edge
- Platform: PS3 - Score 9.5/10

This is one of my favorite game of all time. I can't really explain why but the colors, the music, the clean aesthetic, the parkour, etc... I've just been in love with this game for many years now and finished it over 10 times. Went for another Platinum run on PS3, still perfect.

9. Infamous
- Platform: PS3 - Score 6.5/10

Finished it last year and decided to go for an evil run for the Platinum trophy. It didn't age well in my opinion, game-play is ultra repetitive, the story is whatever and the game looks awful with muddy colors and runs like crap. I need to try the sequel one day but Second Son is still my favorite.

10. Old Man's Journey
- Platform: PC - Score: 7/10

Old Man's Journey is a peaceful and gentle Point & Click title with beautiful artwork and a very simple puzzle mechanic. I enjoyed the journey and the touching story. Just a very easy and very short game to enjoy in one sitting. Too bad there's no achievements on Steam.

 

[Jooxed]

Game 11 - 2/27 - Final Fantasy 4 Pixel Remaster - Nintendo Switch - Classic and the first RPG I ever was introduced to, loved the characters and setting, probably in my top 5 for FF games. Looking back on it now some of the writing was pretty bad. Oh you killed a bunch of people? Dont worry thats cool were family now. Kain is and always will be the GOAT Dragoon. Looking forward to 5 which I have never played.

 

[Skeptical]

Two months in, and still on track. We'll see how long that lasts.

5. Steamworld Dig 2 (8h, ★★★★★). I loved this game 6 years ago, but wanted to replay it to ensure that said love wasn't simply the glow of a new Switch and getting back to gaming. I had no need to worry; this game is fantastic. Sure, platforming isn't amazing, combat isn't amazing, exploration isn't amazing, puzzles aren't amazing. Jack of all trades, master of none? Perhaps, but the intricate weaving of all the different mechanics is sublime, and the core gameplay is so inviting to simply pick up and never put down. Plus, in the sea of all the cookie cutter Metroidvanias out there, this game's uniqueness stands out.

6. Kirby and the Forgotten Land (13h?, ★★★★). I don't play many Kirby games, but I'm glad I grabbed his first 3D outing. Sure, on the surface it is just as simple and slow as the 2D ones, but there were enough secrets and variety to keep the levels interesting enough. It manages to maintain its fun long enough until the difficulty kicks into overdrive (seriously Hal, no middle ground there?). One weird thing is how completely unbalanced the abilities were. Why would you ever want bomb or cutter when you can cheese everything with fire or ice?

7. Soulstice (16h, ★★). I don't exactly play a whole lot of hack and slash games, but this makes me appreciate Astral Chain more. I mean, it's got a few unique ideas like your soul sister helping you, but the camera is awful and even an amateur like myself thinks the moveset is limited.

8. Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages (10-ish h?, ★★★). Personally, the Oracle games were the confirmation of Zelda's decline for me into the realm of painfully formulaic retreads. That said, I'm impressed by some of the dungeons here; they are way more labyrinthine than linear puzzles like the rest of the formulaic Zeldas, so props for that! On the other hand, there's a lot of padding here too, which is just exacerbated by the slow transfer between time periods (seriously, it's like, 7 seconds)

9. Super Mario Bros 2 US (2h, ★★★★). Is Mario 2 still great fun? Yes, yes it is. I didn't know it wasn't a "real" Mario as a kid, and now as an adult I don't care. Sure, the controls and knockback are kinda janky which normally is a killer for platformers, but they are still better than most NES platformers and the level design is brilliant. All the different shortcuts are great, and between the vases and the potion-doors, it has a great sense of wonder and ability to find new secrets. Sure, it's no Mario 3, but still fun.

 

[Psychotic_Mantis]

February Update:
Main Post

16. Cats Hidden in Jingle Jam (Steam Deck) - 7/10

Don't remember where I found this game but it's short, sweet and 100% accurate in the title. I would've liked to see a few more levels outside of the one, but it was nice for what it was.

17. Macbat 64 (Steam Deck) - 6/10

This was probably my least favorite of the low poly, N64 type games by this group. Everything felt unconnected and more basic. It's not bad but felt more like a project than a game.

18. Mystery Hotel: Hidden Object Game (Steam Deck) - 7/10

Standard HOG that tries to weave in a story. It was good for the most part but you need to replay levels constantly which leads to quick times since most objects don't move. It does last a fair amount of time for the cost though. Worth it if you like HOGs.

19. Horizon: Zero Dawn - The Frozen Wilds (PS4) - 8/10

Made sure to finish this before I finished the main game. I enjoyed this section of the game and it didn't really feel like DLC, just a higher level area that is an extension of the main game. I think it works really well in that aspect but if it came out after I finished the main game…it would be a bit awkward.

20. Horizon: Zero Dawn (PS4) - 9/10

I started this back when it first launched and bounced off it very quickly. It's hung with me to try it again but something just didn't click initially. It actually took someone getting me the Tallneck Lego for my bday last month that pushed me to give it another go. I ended up falling in love with the game. The combat finally clicked, the world building mystery was fun and I was actually enjoying exploring an open world. I still think the fast travel system is a tad BS and frankly there are too many quests and craft things to acquire…but overall this was an absolute blast. Playing on my PS5, I thought it not only looks amazing but looks better than many current gen games. I'll have to jump on the sequel soon!

21. Super Star Path (Steam Deck) - 7/10

Interesting spin on a space shooter. It's like a color match puzzle combined with a space shooter. It gets a tad difficult later in the game. The upgrade system is pretty garbage but outside of that, there is a lot of fun here. It's unique, and short. Worth giving it a shot if you want something offbeat.

22. Duck Season (Meta Quest 3) - 8/10

I knew it got creepy, but I didn't know it went as dark as it did. This was a pretty immersive game and took me back to my childhood playing the NES with the zapper. Messing with the random games thrown around and trying to figure out what was going on was a blast. If you have VR, give this a go…but be warned it is not a light hearted game by any means.

 

[Dacvak]

Man people are playing some dope games lately here. I don’t like multiquoting on mobile so I’m just gonna @

bender Good shit on AC

Midn1ght I can’t believe I haven’t played Mirror’s Edge in so long. Thanks for the reminder. That’s a perfect game to knock out in a weekend. I really wish that game would get a Switch release. Also an RTX version would be amazing. I remember buying a fucking PhysX card for that game lol.

Psychotic_Mantis I felt the same way about Macbat. Toree and Kiwi are definitely the better games, which makes sense. I gotta try that Duck Hunt dog game too. I haven’t touched my Quest in ages, so it’d give me something to finally do with it.

I’ve got no updates here. Been playing some Death Stranding but I think that’s leading me to a dead end unless something clicks for me soon. Haven’t had any game time these last couple weeks.

 

[yamaci17]

this year I will do a heavy focus on old games

so far:

	Name	Duration	Date	Star Rating		Platform
1	Hearthstone - Season 123 (Legend Top 2500)	5 hrs	2-Jan-2024	4		PC
2	Alan Wake Remastered	12 hrs	7-Jan-2024	4	80.5	PC
3	Alan Wake 2	30 hrs	22-Jan-2024	5	90.2	PC
4	God of War Ragnarok Valhalla	20 hrs	28-Jan-2024	3.5	79.95	PS5
5	Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart	15 hrs	24-Feb-2024	3.5	77.9	PC
6	Madagascar	4 hrs	27-Feb-2024	2.5	69.1	PS2
7
8
9
10
11
12

i plan to play harry potter 1/2/3 ps2 versions next
then do a fifa 2003 championship run (win the big cup and count it as completion, my plan is)

then I will move on to last of us part 2 remastered probably which should take a bit because I plan on doing a survivor run

 

[Psychotic_Mantis]

Dacvak dust that Quest off and jump back in! I have been playing around with quite a few games and I really enjoy it. I end up spending way too much time in Puzzling Places...which I don't even know how to count towards this challenge. I need to commit to a bigger game like 7th Guest or something. Duck Season was solid and I will probably play through a couple more times, sounds like there are different endings.

 

[Midn1ght]

Midn1ght I can’t believe I haven’t played Mirror’s Edge in so long. Thanks for the reminder. That’s a perfect game to knock out in a weekend. I really wish that game would get a Switch release. Also an RTX version would be amazing. I remember buying a fucking PhysX card for that game lol.

Ah yes Mirror's Edge PhysX on PC, this was amazing to witness back in the day. I would kill for a third game but yeah, not happening.

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

5. Steamworld Dig 2 (8h, ★★★★★). I loved this game 6 years ago, but wanted to replay it to ensure that said love wasn't simply the glow of a new Switch and getting back to gaming. I had no need to worry; this game is fantastic. Sure, platforming isn't amazing, combat isn't amazing, exploration isn't amazing, puzzles aren't amazing. Jack of all trades, master of none? Perhaps, but the intricate weaving of all the different mechanics is sublime, and the core gameplay is so inviting to simply pick up and never put down. Plus, in the sea of all the cookie cutter Metroidvanias out there, this game's uniqueness stands out.

Still my Favorite Indie Game of All Time

 

[bender]

Still my Favorite Indie Game of All Time

I went on vacation to a remote cabin when this and Mario Odyssey released and Steam World Dig 2 stole most of my free time.

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

I went on vacation to a remote cabin when this and Mario Odyssey released and Steam World Dig 2 stole most of my free time.

I wish they would make a Steamworld Dig 3

 

[bender]

I wish they would make a Steamworld Dig 3

Yeah. I liked 1/2 and Heist was okay. The sim builder wasn't my cup of tea and I never tried the card battler. The Gunk was fucking terrible though.

 

[Dacvak]

yamaci17 Why Madagascar on PS2 of all games? That sounds like the bad type of game I’d play. In fact, I think I have that game (I’ve never tried it though).

NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt bender Whoa is steamworld really that good? I bought either the first or the second one on sale for the switch and only played for 10-15 minutes before I stopped, and never tried it again. I don’t even know what kind of game it is.

 

[yamaci17]

yamaci17 Why Madagascar on PS2 of all games? That sounds like the bad type of game I’d play. In fact, I think I have that game (I’ve never tried it though).

NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt bender Whoa is steamworld really that good? I bought either the first or the second one on sale for the switch and only played for 10-15 minutes before I stopped, and never tried it again. I don’t even know what kind of game it is.

nostalgia i played it back in the day and wanted to play it again. I honestly think its minigames are still fun

 

[BusierDonkey]

March and I'm only 4 games down. I don't think I'm going to make it this year.

 

[pochepiller2]

I'll use a one star rating system. 1/1 best game of all time, 0/1 worst game of all time.

1. Dark Force Remastered
Played on steam deck

Great on Steamdeck. 1/1

2. Front Mission Remake
Played on Steam Deck

Great simple tactical RPG, snes origin shows. 1/1

3. Lord of Rigel
Played on my laptop

Master of Orion 2 remake, need a lot of tweeking. 0/1

 

[Skeptical]

Whoa is steamworld really that good? I bought either the first or the second one on sale for the switch and only played for 10-15 minutes before I stopped, and never tried it again. I don’t even know what kind of game it is.

The first one is just ok; it's the second one that truly shines. It's a Metroidvania crossed with Dig Dug, sorta. You dig down through mines, killing creatures in your path, collecting minerals to sell, and looking for secret rooms that provide their own puzzle / platforming / combat challenges that then contain valuable upgrades. None of the elements in and of themselves are great on their own, but it's the interaction of all of them together that works. You have limited light and limited space in your bag, encouraging you to return to the surface fairly regularly. And it just so happens that it almost always occurs when you have just enough money to buy a new upgrade in town. Combat provides experience points that doesn't make you stronger, but instead makes you richer, which you can use to buy upgrades to make you stronger. Your new movement options you would expect in a Metroidvania are a bit unique here, in that they are perfect for the vertical mineshafts you are moving through. It's perfect for pick up and play, since you need to dig your own path even 5 minutes is enough to feel like progress. So you keep picking it up over and over because there's always something new to do and accomplish in short order. It's hard to describe just why it is so good, because it is fairly unique and it doesn't have that one element that stands out. But it is that good.

 

[Dazraell]

March and I'm only 4 games down. I don't think I'm going to make it this year.

Last year I had like 13-15 games in July and winded up with about 60 completed games after the end of the year. Just pick what you want to play and don't bother with numbers. The list will slowly start filling

 

[Phase]

It's nice to read your updates guys, keep posting them. I hope to get back to gaming some day, but in the meantime it's enjoyable to read your own impressions and reviews.

 

[marcincz]

March and I'm only 4 games down. I don't think I'm going to make it this year.

I've beaten only 6, so understand your concerns.
Besides I am doing jrpg marathon (Trails from Zero, new Yakuza, P3 and FFVII), which doesn't help.
Probably this year I'll spend on others j/rpgs, which I never finished.

 

[Bert Big Balls]

February is a wrap... not finishing anything else this month.

February 2024 Roundup
Total: 10/52

Original Post


6. Crysis - 10 Hours - PC GamePass - Feb 2nd
Since its release in 2007, Crysis has been on my “one day I’ll manage to play this” list, but I never had the proper PC , and I purposely avoided the consoles/remastered versions, as I wanted to experience the original release without compromises.
17 years later and I finally have experienced it from start to finish for the first time, and it’s staggering how well this holds up graphically. I was so impressed with the game’s physics and draw distances too… while shooting at a boat from a very far distance (maybe 300 meters) I was still able to knock over trees and see the foliage moving during and after the fall.
The gameplay is short and the loop is simple, but it’s fun to figure out the best way to approach every encounter, and there are a lot of memorable moments too. Taking cover from a shooting helicopter inside a wooden shack while the explosions levels the whole structure around you is still incredible today and I wish more games could spare to put more focus on physics like this.

7. Pathologic 2 - 25 hours - Steam - Feb 4th
This game has been sitting on my backlog since February 2020. I bought it literally one month before the lockdown in my country, and much to my mistake I have tried playing it during the actual pandemic in 2020. Huge mistake… I could not bring myself to finish it and it actually made me feel physically unwell at the time, so I shelved it.
4 years later and I decided to give it another go, starting a new game. It’s a gut wrenching experience I’ll probably never forget.
I feel this is the title most deserving of the “Survival Horror” label I’ve ever played. It’s not scary at all, but it’s despairing and suffocating. Having to manage your hunger, thirst, exhaustion, while juggling all the quests to save the citizens, find a cure to the pest, and watching the city decay in a slow death is practically impossible for the first time players, and that’s the point of the game. It forces you to make hard decisions all the time, it makes you lose interactions that would probably be really important to the story, but would put your character in a difficult surviving situation.
It’s one of the most unique experiences I’ve had with videogames, but I would not recommend it to anyone.

8. Crysis 2 - 10 Hours - PC GamePass - Feb 10th
Unlike Crysis 1, this game has never been on my radar. The discourse surrounding it at the time of the launch never grabbed my attention, so to be honest I have never considered playing it. Now having played the first one for the first time (and the fact that this is also included in Game Pass with EA Play), I decided to play the whole trilogy.
Crysis 2 is weird. I think it’s a good FPS, but to me it feels like such a departure from the first game, especially contrasting with the first part of the first game that had more freedom. The suit mechanics are practically the same, but now the game has a very “modern game” approach to objectives, interaction and navigation. While the first one threw you in a cenario and let you decide how you wanted to solve it, this one is like: go to point A if you want to sneak, point B to flank the enemy, point C has a heavy weapon that’s useful against this enemy, point D you can explore to find collectibles. That happened even before I had a chance to look at the map. There are also some weird infinite spawning enemies that really broke immersion for me.
The physics are also very scaled-back in comparison with the first game. Graphics are still really good though.

9. Resistance: Fall of Man - 12 Hours - PS3 - Feb 16th
I just added this one to my PS3 collection, it’s one of the launch titles I never got the opportunity to play at the time.
I really enjoyed this game. It sets off to a slow start, but as you get to Manchester (Chapter 3) it really picks some steam up and never loses the rhythm again. Some of the battles are really cool with multiple dozen enemies coming at you at once.
The graphics and the controls definitely aged a bit, but aside from that it’s a really fun experience. Really solid PS3 launch title, it’s a shame it didn’t sell well apparently. Maybe this is a good candidate for a full blown remake or reboot with modern triple A graphics. Sony does need a good FPS game again.

10. Bayonetta - 11 Hours - Steam - Feb 20th
I bought this game on a Steam sale in 2020 and never touched it. It’s just not the kind of game that I usually enjoy, but I ended up having a good time with it.
The core of this game really is the over the top self aware campiness, and it got a few good chuckles out of me throughout the gameplay, though I must admit that I didn’t even pretend to care about this game’s story. I started reading all the books at first but they bored me and I just wanted to kill some angels.


March Preview:

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (not sure if I'll be able to finish it though)
Crysis 3
Mario Wonder
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

I absolutely loved Resistance Fall of man. First game I ever played on the PS3 and I remember it blowing me away at the time. I think I replayed it about 3 times back in the day. Takes me back reading your comments about it!

 

[jshackles]

Game 13 - The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel - Nintendo Switch - Completed Mar 3rd, 2024
This is only the third game in the Legend of Heroes series that I've beaten, but this series is quickly climbing to the top of my "best series ever" list. It's unlikely to dethrone Final Fantasy or Xenoblade Chronicles, but damn was this game great. Like the other games I've played (Trails in the Sky FC and Nayuta), this starts out as a typical "slice of life" narrative that grows in scope as the game progresses. Despite this game being pretty old, I still didn't see the ending coming! I am definitely going to have to dive into the second game now, it's just so damn good. It took me about 50 hours to finish, though I did use "turbo mode" for a few of the longer battles.

Technically speaking, this game was pretty damn good. I played on the Switch using the modded in PC dub over the Chinese version of the game. The Switch kept up at 1080p/60fps throughout after boosting the handheld mode to full power. A few of the larger environments I could see a bit of stutter when moving the camera quickly, but otherwise it was pretty damn smooth.

 

[TuFaN]

#	Title	Platform	Rating	Date	Playtime	What kind of completion	First time playing?
38.	Last Epoch	PC	7	08. March	198 hours	Played with all 15 mastery classes. Completed the campaign and lvled to max lvl (100)	Yes

Quite a few of my friends who played Last Epoch for the past few years were gushing about how amazing the game is and that I have to try it as soon as possible. As someone who has played many aRPG's and has 15 thousand+ hours spent in Path of Exile, I have to admit that it was quite difficult to hold back and not try the game prior to its launch. But I was patient enough to wait for the official release of the game, for the 1.0 version. I didn't want to play the game in an unfinished state and probably lose all my motivation and excitement I had for it. I'm glad I've waited this long.

Now, after almost 200 hours of gametime in Last Epoch since its release, I can confidently say that this game is a very good aRPG.

I'd love to see more endgame content in upcoming seasons. There is a lot of room for improvement. This is a successful release but what's more important is how they maintain the game and build on what they've created. It most definitely has the potential to be one of the best aRPG's ever.

 

[Dacvak]

Finally updating after about a month. I played some weird ones recently.

Mr. Chin’s Gourmet Paradise (Game Boy via Analogue Pocket) - 2/14

I’ve been rolling random Game Boy games lately, and this one came up. I had never heard of it before. It’s kind of a little action game like the original Mario Bros or something. Very slight puzzle elements.

Overall, mediocre.

Wendy: Every Witch Way (GBC/AP) 2/15

Another randomly rolled GB(C) game, but this one’s by Wayforward, and designed by Matt Bozon, who co-created Shantae (and is the brother of old IGN editor Mark Bozon).

This was a super fun little action puzzle platformer. It used gravity flip mechanics, kind of like VVVVVV, but with a bigger emphasis on puzzles and action. There are a lot of little things to enjoy here, like the random horizontal SHMUP sections. A pleasant surprise, and a fun little short game.

Overall good

Mario vs Donkey Kong (Switch) - 3/9
The remake of the old GBA game. I forgot how good this game was, being almost a direct sequel to DK94, one of my favorite GB games. The gameplay is absolutely fantastic, the puzzles are fun and can get challenging, and this remake has a great look and a phenomenal OST. Seriously, the soundtrack is awesome.

One thing I REALLY love about this game is that the game is meant to be a puzzle game first and foremost, but you have a surprising amount of freedom in Mario’s controls, like the backflip and triple jump. It makes a lot of levels allow for risky strats and skips, plus is always feels good when you can cheese a Nintendo level.

I “beat” this game earlier tonight, but after the credits rolled to my surprise

Spoiler

they DOUBLED the number of levels after you first beat the game, and these levels are much harder.

In any case, the game is awesome.

Definitely recommend

 

[yamaci17]

7	FIFA 2003	11 hrs	3-Mar-2024	2	60.9	PS2
8	Circus Charlie	0.5 hrs	3-Mar-2024	1.5	56.15	NES
9	Donkey Kong	0.5 hrs	4-Mar-2024	2	63	NES
10	Donkey Kong Jr.	0.5 hrs	4-Mar-2024	2	63	NES
11	Batman The Video Game	3 hrs	4-Mar-2024	3	71.7	NES
12	Felix the Cat	2 hrs	5-Mar-2024	2.5	66.75	NES
13	Aladdin	1.5 hrs	6-Mar-2024	3	70.9	SNES
14	Tom and Jerry	1.5 hrs	6-Mar-2024	2	62.7	SNES
15	Demon's Crest	4 hrs	7-Mar-2024	3.5	76.4	SNES
16	Firemen	1.5 hrs	7-Mar-2024	1.5	55.45	SNES
17	Spider-man	3.5 hrs	9-Mar-2024	3	74.9	Dreamcast

felix the cat - this game caught me by surprise, it has a lot of different mechanics, air water and land, you progress with upgrades that makes you stronger and these upgrades also give you extra lives so game is very forgiving for a nes game

demon's crest - Demon's Crest proved to be a timeless title as I had great fun playing it even to this day. Gameplay is simply mad fun. Controls are responsive, animations are superb, artstyle is cool and endless continues make it much more fun. I didn't like most of the boss fights, and it has gotten repetitive very quickly in terms of map design and boss design. Some crest forms were useless and weren't used effectively in gameplay

firemen - idea of this game is great, gameplay is fun, up until it gets frustratingly difficult with its boss fights. then it sucked all the fun from the game.

spider-man for dreamcast - so this one is not a movie video game, and is a stand alone spiderman story game like the modern ones. this one is quite fun imo, it has a lot of cool marvel cameos in it, you play with a gigachad peter parker. it was too damn short actually and i wouldn't be mad if it was a couple hours longer. gameplay is not bad, controsl fine despite being designed for only one analog stick. (I got used to it real quick). you can shoot different kind of webbings, web around even in combat, make aerial assaults etc.

 

[Werewolf Jones]

Mind if I participate? I think I posted one in 2020 but it never got acknowledged. Only time I hit over 52 since I swamped in the GAAS trenches afterward. Never again.

1. Idol Days (Switch) - 9th January
2. Wanted: Dead (PS5) - 14th January
3. Star Ocean: The Second Story R (Switch) - 17th January
4. Poppy Playtime: Chapter 1 (PS5) - 20th January
5. Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clash (PS5) - 3rd February
6. Tekken 8 (PS5) - 3rd February
7. Silent Hill: The Short Message (PS5) - 3rd February
8. Mega Man Battle Network (Switch) - 5th February
9. Pokemon FireRed (GBA Player) - 15th February
10. Plague Tale: Innocence (PS5) - 25th February
11. Resistance: Retribution (PS5) - 29th February
12. Star Ocean: The First Departure R (Switch) - 10th March

Only game I've played to enter personal top 5 this year so far is Star Ocean 2.

 

[jshackles]

Game 14 - Braveland - PC / Steam - Completed Mar 10th, 2024
I played the Braveland trilogy on the Switch a few years ago, but liked it well enough to replay it - this time on PC. The game is still a fun and charming light strategy game that holds up well enough. My biggest complaint is that I wish the game got just a bit deeper - some of the later games in the series had more going for them, and it would have been nice to have that in this setting. Maybe I'll give their latest game, Knights of Braveland, a try next.

 

[Jooxed]

FF Rebirth, has caused my completions to go way down and jshackles to pull ahead of me. This will not stand!

 

[Sleepwalker]

Time to update my journey


February:

2. Alan Wake 2

Platform: PC
Play time: 30hrs
Rating: 8/10

I have a lot of mixed opinions about this game. I was really looking forward to a conclusion or continuation of Alan's saga after so many years, the visual presentation was awesome: I played at 4k60 maxed out on a 4080 with path tracing and the game looked phenomenal. Chapter 4 "We Sing" is one of my favorite moments in gaming as of late and I really appreciate what they tried to do here. However, for me the game has many problems that prevent me from ranking it higher, the gameplay for one is not much to write home about, to me this was disappointing because Remedy are known for good combat, here it is slow and doesn't feel that great, a complete 180 from Control, which I loved. The pacing suffers from the structure of the game of being able to swap characters around and play in whatever order you please. I found Saga's chapters boring and very long at times, the opening of the game for example takes about 2 hours or more before you get into combat for the first time. Saga as a whole to me feels like a net negative as a second protagonist, I was unable to relate with the character, I couldn't care less about her plight or personal journey and was only interested in the larger plot. Alan's sections have issues too, but here I actually was invested in his journey as a character. Some of the set pieces are legitimately great though I must admit and the soundtrack is 10/10.

I also want to say that locking out the true ending before a new game plus mode feels like a kick in the teeth as someone who has no interest in replaying games straight after finishing them, so I ended up just youtubing the differences and the true ending.



3. Les Mills Body Combat VR

Platform: PSVR2/Meta quest 2
Play time: 15 hrs
Rating 8/10

I ended up buying this game as a way to get some excercise in during the winter when I'm too lazy to drive to the gym and I was pleasantly surprised, this game will make you work up a sweat like no other and it can really be brutal at times, definitely recommend it if you want to work out at home. Hit detection sometimes doesn't register properly and that is a bit frustrating but not game breaking. The trainers can become cringe at times and the song variety is not the best but the game serves its main purpose and more.



4. Helldivers 2

Platform: PC/PS5
Play Time: 30 hours
Rating: 9/10

I am one of the few people who was looking forward to this game before release and was interested from the get go, a coop online adventure with starship troopers vibe? Count me in day 1. I am satisfied to say the game did not disappoint at all, I managed to convince my friends and wife to get it with me and it brought us endless hours of fun spreading democracy across the galaxy. The gunplay is satisfying and friendly fire is always a welcome addition in this type of games to add even more chaos to the madness. I docked it a point because of the server issues, but aside from that I really love it and recommend it. First battlepass I have bought in years.



5. Final Fantasy VII (Original)

Platform: PS Vita
Play time: 35 hours (with speed up mechanics)
Rating: 8.5/10


i will start by saying that this was not a replay, I actually had never played the original Final Fantasy VII, going in for the first time in 2023 (ive been playing it on and off since around october of last year) was a very interesting experience, first of all the game has not aged gracefully at all, it looks like shit and it can even be kinda confusing to make out stuff on the small Vita screen. Many of the controls and mechanics are very dated as well. However, I can appreciate that had I played this back then in the 90s I would have been blown away by how it's filled with content and how complex of a story it has specially for its time. I was captivated by the plot and it was the main reason I pushed through to the end and I don't regret it. I really wanted to finish this before tackling the remakes.

 

[Sleepwalker]

Forgot to add yesterday:


6. Warioworld

Platform: Steam Deck (via Dolphin)
Play Time: 4 hours
Rating: 6/10

I was always curious about this game back then in the early 2000's but never really got around playing it when the gamecube was at its peak, so I decided to give it a go and see what it was about, I can't say I enjoyed my time a lot, the game has aged pretty poorly IMO and while it can play alright at times I didn't really find it fun or challenging. The "story" feels like a fever dream and it's actually not that complex at all. I was going to force myself to finish this but I'm actually just done with it as I wasn't really having fun, the one thing that was awesome was performing WWE style moves on enemies lol. I got to around 60-70% of the game is my guess.

 

[jshackles]

Game 15 - Soulstone Survivors - PC / Steam - Completed Mar 16th, 2024
Been playing this off and on since 2022, but finally feel like I've "beat" it (despite there still being about 20 achievements I haven't unlocked). The game is a really solid Vampire Survivors clone, each hero has a unique skill set and ability that can be changed per run. The rune system lets you unlock and pick different passive perks for each character / run, so that's cool too. Massive amount of build variety here, every run seems pretty different. Only complaint is the lack of unique stages, and the fact that once you unlock the best runes each run starts feeling the same unless you handicap yourself. Overall though, very solid game.

 

[Jooxed]

Game 12 - 3/16 - Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth - PlayStation 5 - I have nothing but beautiful things to say about this game. They did such an amazing job ,the world was worth exploring, the quests were worth doing. Game made me tear up and laugh and feel all the nostalgia stuff. The story got a little headache inducing at the end but loved every second of this game.

Game 13 - 3/18 - Mario V.S. Donkey Kong - Nintendo Switch - Great little puzzle game. Thought it would be harder than it was, didn't take long at all to beat but It was fun

 

[jshackles]

Game 16 - Final Fantasy VII Rebirth - PlayStation 5 - Completed Mar 18th, 2024
Amazing game, really a solid 10/10. Easily my game of the year, and something absolutely incredible will have to get released this year for it to be topped. Honestly, this was so much better than Remake - and I think I even enjoyed it more than the original from 1997 (which is saying a lot). Amazing music (I've already got tickets to the concert later this year), fantastic characters and character development. I even enjoyed the ending a lot, which has been pretty dividing online. Just really solid, very amazing.

 

[Andyliini]

Game 7 - Golden Sun - Nintendo Switch via NSO
Although I'm a huge fan of turn based RPG's this one always evaded me. Now that it's easily available on my Switch, I decided to give it a go. It's quite fun. but not really a masterpiece, like some players claimed it to be. I really understood the combat right at the end of it, and even then, most of the game was easy. I'm also not the fan of games, that are clearly meant to be one game, but are slashed in two. In this case I understand their decision, as the game was originally an N64 game, and probably would not have fit GBA cart.

Game 8 - Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance HD - PlayStation 5
My love-hate relationship with Kingdom Hearts continues. Most of the game was easy riding, and then it throws you a final boss that is almost impossible to grasp without some sorts of hints. I like challenge and all, but for some reason in this series the difficulty curve never feels organic. Like at one point I'm just rowing along, and the next my ass is handed to me. I'm also lost on the story, but I don't think I'm alone with that.

Game 9 - Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth By Sleep ~ A Fragmentary Passage - PlayStation 5
Maybe it helped playing two KH games back to back, but I did not really have much trouble with this one. A short game, of course, but it has end credits so I count it. I had fun for the most part with this. Maybe KH III is when the series finally totally clicks on me. Maybe.

 

[Midn1ght]

11. Unpacking
- Platform: PC / Steam - Score: 7/10

Very relaxing game indeed and the pixel art is beautiful. I enjoyed my time with it but the game can get repetitive and the story it tells is ultra basic. There's probably room for another game with more variety and different places to manage.

12. Shadow of the Tomb Raider
- Platform: PC / Steam - Score: 6.5/10

This one is hard to score. There's a lot of good things like the graphics and the performance on PC (Thanks Nixxes). The tombs are also the best in the trilogy and there are lots of them. But man, everything else if just so average. The story isn't great and the combat is super easy even on the hardest difficulty. You'll die more from falling off a cliff than from enemies encounters. The game is also bloated with collectables to pick which can be distracting. Not great overall.

 

[jshackles]

Game 17 - Balatro - PC / Steam - Completed Mar 22nd, 2024
I heard good things about this card game, so I thought I'd check it out. Glad I did, it's a lot of fun! It also got my son and wife both playing it, so you're wecome devs. Won my first run after only about 6 hours playing, got really lucky and had two jokers in play that both had x-multis, so I was getting crazy scores like 100k in one hand. So much random shit happening with this game, I love it.

 

[Midn1ght]

13. Pantsu Hunter: Back to the 90s
- Platform: PC / Steam - Score: 7/10

Visual novel about a guy who wants to find the love of his life using the color and pattern of girl's panties. Played this for scientific reasons of course and also because I grew up in the 90s so I had to. What can I say, it's relaxing, the art is decent and you find underwear. Life is good. You can also die by sitting on a chair.

14. The Turing Test
- Platform: PC / Steam - Score: 8/10

Not as good as Portal but I really enjoyed my time with it. You play as Ava, an astronaut on Europa who's trying to figure out what happened to her crew by solving puzzles and talking to an AI. The game looks and runs nice and the puzzles are well balanced, not too hard, not too easy. The music is fitting and the dialogues are good with an interesting choice to make at the end. Good stuff.

 

[Jooxed]

Game 15 - 3/26 - Elder Scrolls Online - Xbox Series X - Jumped in with a buddy and put about 100 hours in. Played through the main story line. Game was lots of fun but I'm just not into the MMO world anymore

 

[Jooxed]

Game 17 - Balatro - PC / Steam - Completed Mar 22nd, 2024
I heard good things about this card game, so I thought I'd check it out. Glad I did, it's a lot of fun! It also got my son and wife both playing it, so you're wecome devs. Won my first run after only about 6 hours playing, got really lucky and had two jokers in play that both had x-multis, so I was getting crazy scores like 100k in one hand. So much random shit happening with this game, I love it.

Do i need to know Poker to play this game? lol because if so ill pass but i heard lots of good things!

 

[jshackles]

Do i need to know Poker to play this game? lol because if so ill pass but i heard lots of good things!

You don't need to know Poker exactly, just some common poker hands - like that a "pair" is a pair of any two cards (two aces), "two pair" is two sets of any two (two aces, two kings), a "straight" is a sequence like 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and that a "flush" is five cards of the same suit (5 clubs). There's also three of a kind (three jacks of any suit), four of a kind (all four 7s in the deck), and a "full house" which is a three of a kind + a pair.

Congrats, you now know all the poker-lingo you need to in order to enjoy Balatro.

 

[Blindy]

3) Cookie Cutter(XBX) 12/18/23, 1/1, 1/14-1/6

Pretty good Metroidvania that came out in December 2023 and fell heavily under the radar to most. The artwork is the first thing you notice and it is very Earthworm Jim/1990's esque where it has such an edgy comical look that it may be a hit or miss for most, but I liked the grittiness/feel of the characters and how they looked. Fair amount of challenge with this one and a decent enough enemy variation, the movement of the character was rather good. The amount of detail they put in the powerups you acquire is impressive, this rangers from a power glove you start off with to a chainsaw that shreds to a friggin' motorcycle that you can temporarily move around on after whacking enemies. As with any Metroidvania, there are areas locked out by progression and that you don't have an ability just yet that this game does well enough. I think the game is a little cruel with the quick travel spots but the respawn spots/quicksave spots are frequent so the progress you lose is minimal. Quick travel spots have you going through like 6-7 rooms of enemies or obstacles before arriving which isn't bad at first but when backtracking for items, it makes a difference. Cookier Cutter falls into a bad habit of throwing tons of instant death spike deaths towards the end of the game, think Shantae but 10x worse as it takes tight controls to navigate through them. Sounds fun in a challenging way but the issue is the hitboxes for these spikes are somewhat cruel and the traversal when navigating through them is so tight that you will simply get caught by the hitbox of this lunacy.

Game has a simple enough story of a lesbian relationship between a robot and it's rebellious/anti corporation maker where the latter is kidnapped by the antagonist groups that deem the scientist and her affiliated a threat. Think The Crow or Kill Bill where the main protagonist is "killed" and had to be remade and is hellbent on finding & saving her master/lover. Very cookie cutter story(pun intended), doesn't really derive off the formula of a metroidvania being carried solely for gameplay over story but there is a twist at the very end that I didn't see coming that was sort of neat.

Rating: 8.5/10. The difficulty can be a bit tough which is both good and bad but the final segments of the game just felt like such a mess at times. The spike filled areas at the end is one thing but the bugs this game had sort of hurt my score of the game, albeit minimally. Lost 20 minutes after beating a boss over a game crash which I guess is standard practice but still pretty sucky nevertheless. That I can overcome. One big flaw I found with this game that I had that really hurt was a movement bug that doing one specific move had my character almost stuck in a certain frame which normally isn't too bad. Except this game is pretty reliant on moving around from the hoards of enemies on the screen and in particular the final boss has a near instant KO attack that you must interrupt in a few seconds where being stuck sort of has your character stone footed from being able to do anything. It's tough to explain without video but this happened a few times on me and it was shitty nevertheless, felt like the movement would get crippled whenever this occurred. Hope this gets patched because the combat otherwise is very sweet. Overall, very good attempt with Cookie Cutter and despite falling into some Metroidvania-isms(if that's even a word ), the game is still fresh enough to warrant your attention. Def. worth a try for fans of the genre, wait & see for anyone not into this genre however.

4) Turnip Boy Robs a Bank(XBX) 1/20-1/21

I just finished the sequel to Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion, with the 2024 release of "Turnip Boy Robs a Bank" and it is a much better game than the 1st one! I actually had a really good time with the 6-7 hours of this game and it was so good I got all 13 achievements! Not that it's overly difficult or anything. Unlike the 1st game where it's a a Zelda inspired 2D game where you go room to room in a dungeon and experience different fights, the sequel is a roguelike that you have a timer of a couple of minutes to loot, earn money, get new weapons to cash in for XP before the place gets swarmed with a ridiculous amount of enemies and eventually poison gas that is the M.O. to get the heck out and stop being greedy. The areas aren't CPU generated differently each time. However, the elevator rooms/side areas where NPC's reside are so you aren't necessarily getting the NPC that you want to finish a quest line for or cashing in currency for strong weapons each run you are doing but that's the beauty of a roguelike.

Maybe it's because I barely dap into the genre as a whole but IDK I really enjoyed this game. The humor much like the 1st one is super tongue in cheek and even though some of it went over my head since I didn't play the original in over 1 year so the returning characters references didn't really click, I can def. see if you play the games back to back that you'd get even more appreciation for the dialogue. The game is super fun to just get right in and I think it hits the perk of a roguelike perfectly where no run feels wasted or means little and getting more gold or weapons to sell to power your character up is where this game clicks. Stuck on a boss to progress the story? That's okay have a run getting as much loot as you can carry and take home 2 weapons to sell to get XP/level ups to get better perma-weapons. The simplicity of the game for me is the strongest selling point, there's little to no real explanation or deepness to the combat which is fine. You attack, and dodge roll and that's about it.

The lone blemish is a game choice decision made during the very end where the final boss chases you all around as you try and progress through to stop the bombs that you set off in the 1st place. So the game has you try and blow up the bank at the very end and this requires you do to a boss gauntlet of some sorts with each of the bosses you fought in the game(There's only 4) which isn't the end of the world since your character is stronger and you can literally wipe them out in a minute or two each time. The problem this game has is the final boss that chases you around hits super hard. We're talking shoots lasers all over the screen or throwing out a giant laser buzzsaw that if it hits wipes out nearly your entire HP. Add to this is you needing to destroy obstacles to progress in a room to get to where you set off the rockets/bombs alongside new enemies that also add to the bullet hell and you're going to die at this point, it's just really tough. I was playing this on normal mode mind you! What becomes a frustration is if you don't fully complete this in 1 run, you have to start over from the boss gauntlet which includes getting to the rooms, getting the weapon(for me, the reaper blade is the best weapon in this game) via RNG from a NPC and then after beating all 4 bosses again, having another crack at the final boss. I feel like at that point, after beating the boss gauntlet once, that should be permanent and if you die in the final boss chase, you shouldn't have to set the bombs again. Part of my frustration with this was it felt like a giant waste of time and more than anything, I just wanted another crack at the traversal through the bank while the final boss is chasing. That was the lone real game design choice I disagreed with. I am all for challenge and making you earn it by the end............but time wasting you to rinse/repeat the same stuff wasn't the right choice.

Rating: 8.75/10. For a roguelike game, Turnip Boy Robs a Bank is super fun and borderline addictive. So addictive enough that I beat it in 2 days! Again, not a super long game and on normal, not a overly frustratingly tough game excluding the final boss sequence so yeah the sequel was a much better experience for me than the original. I think maybe more so due to the addictive nature of it being a roguelike and where progress is slowly built & earned which makes it feel like you aren't wasting your time as a whole.

 

[jshackles]

The lone blemish is a game choice decision made during the very end where the final boss chases you all around as you try and progress through to stop the bombs that you set off in the 1st place. So the game has you try and blow up the bank at the very end and this requires you do to a boss gauntlet of some sorts with each of the bosses you fought in the game(There's only 4) which isn't the end of the world since your character is stronger and you can literally wipe them out in a minute or two each time. The problem this game has is the final boss that chases you around hits super hard. We're talking shoots lasers all over the screen or throwing out a giant laser buzzsaw that if it hits wipes out nearly your entire HP. Add to this is you needing to destroy obstacles to progress in a room to get to where you set off the rockets/bombs alongside new enemies that also add to the bullet hell and you're going to die at this point, it's just really tough. I was playing this on normal mode mind you! What becomes a frustration is if you don't fully complete this in 1 run, you have to start over from the boss gauntlet which includes getting to the rooms, getting the weapon(for me, the reaper blade is the best weapon in this game) via RNG from a NPC and then after beating all 4 bosses again, having another crack at the final boss. I feel like at that point, after beating the boss gauntlet once, that should be permanent and if you die in the final boss chase, you shouldn't have to set the bombs again. Part of my frustration with this was it felt like a giant waste of time and more than anything, I just wanted another crack at the traversal through the bank while the final boss is chasing. That was the lone real game design choice I disagreed with. I am all for challenge and making you earn it by the end............but time wasting you to rinse/repeat the same stuff wasn't the right choice.

This was my biggest gripe with the game as well, and it soured the entire experience for me. I was really hyped for this game, but my hype level for any future Turnip Boy game is now exactly zero thanks entirely to this.

 

[jshackles]

Game 18 - Alone in the Dark - PC / GOG - Completed Mar 28th, 2024
This game wasn't really on my radar, but it got good reviews here on GAF (and terrible mainstream reviews) so I thought I'd give it a chance. I picked it up on GOG since it was available there. The graphics were good, and the story was engaging. Voice acting was incredibly good. The game had a huge amount of atmosphere that really portrayed 1930s New Orleans well. Don't listen to the critic's reviews on this game, it was a really solid adventure / survival horror game. I also liked that it only took about 7 hours to finish, so it never felt like it overstayed it's welcome. Also, I'm glad it wasn't too scary, because I'm a wuss with horror games. A really great experience overall.

 

[Glass Prison]

Another month down. This one was especially hard because of FF7 Rebirth.
Unfortunately I had to give up on one of my planned games for this month as my PS3 decided to RIP I was about half-way into Metal Gear Rising (fighting Sundowner) and my console started to shut itself off in one of the cutscenes. Now it doesn't even turn on anymore - YLOD. I will try to get it fixed by changing the NEC/Tokins in it but I'm not too confident. Anyway... here's this month's roundup.

March 2024 Roundup
Total: 14/52

Original Post

11. Crysis 3 - 7 Hours - Game Pass - March 2nd
They got rid of the “go there to stealth”, “get there to flank” type of gameplay introduced in Crysis 2, which I think is a positive.
Ultimately, however, I found it to be more of the same. Yes we have new weapons, we can hack mines and mounted guns, but where are the grandiose moments of gameplay where I am in full control of my character? All of those are on rails now.
I think Crysis 1 is very similar to what Far Cry used to be and maybe they tried to deviate from that starting from Crysis 2 onwards, which is fine, but since we also lost the Far Cry formula after Ubisoft took over, it's a letdown for me.


12. Mario Wonder - 20 Hours - Nintendo Switch - March 21st
I’m ashamed to admit that Mario Wonder is the first ever side-scroller Mario game that I’ve finished. I’m planning on doing a Nintendo-only month in April, so it will definitely not be the last.
It’s very well made, some of the levels are really creative and leave a very good impression, I thoroughly enjoyed going for the 100%. It’s not too long but I also wouldn’t add more levels. For me this game ended right when I was beginning to feel tired of it. I can see now why this was a candidate for GOTY last year, it’s very fun and one of those easy to pick up games.
I think my only negative comment would be that I feel the badges were not really necessary for anything. I completed 90% of the game using only the Cap badge, some of the other badges I didn’t even touch. I would have preferred if more levels hid some collectibles or seeds and the only way you could reach them was by using determined badges. Hopefully they add something like that in the next one.

13. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth - 85 Hours - PS5 - March 29th
I’ve been a Final Fantasy VII fan for a long time now, and while I enjoyed VII Remake quite a bit, the lead up to Rebirth’s release lacked hype for me. I think I was not confident that Square Enix could do a good job, especially since the 2nd game would have to go through so many different areas and story beats.
I think I’ve enjoyed Rebirth as much as I enjoyed playing the original back in the day. I laughed so much with its silliness, I got invested in those characters all over again, I played so many hours of Queen’s Blood, I worked so hard to get Tifa on that date (lol). I am aware of the game’s shortcomings and I don’t think it’s perfect by any means… but man this game made me feel the way I felt playing the original.

14. Sifu - 6 Hours - PS5 - March 30th
What I heard about SIFU before playing it was that it’s a very challenging fighting game. I think SIFU has a very steep learning curve to master, but it’s not as difficult as I thought.
The game is very forgiving in its checkpoints (items you collect during the levels) and its shortcuts, so dying never makes you lose more than 10 minutes of progress. I’ve greatly enjoyed the combat, it feels smooth and satisfying to land punches, parries and dodging attacks. I would easily play more levels of this game, with more weapons, challenges and new bosses.

April will be a Nintendo Switch month for me. Plenty of classic games that I've never played and hopefully some recent ones too, I'm yet to pick this month's lineup though.

 

[Skeptical]

12. Mario Wonder - 20 Hours - Nintendo Switch - March 21st
I’m ashamed to admit that Mario Wonder is the first ever side-scroller Mario game that I’ve finished. I’m planning on doing a Nintendo-only month in April, so it will definitely not be the last.
It’s very well made, some of the levels are really creative and leave a very good impression, I thoroughly enjoyed going for the 100%. It’s not too long but I also wouldn’t add more levels. For me this game ended right when I was beginning to feel tired of it. I can see now why this was a candidate for GOTY last year, it’s very fun and one of those easy to pick up games.
I think my only negative comment would be that I feel the badges were not really necessary for anything. I completed 90% of the game using only the Cap badge, some of the other badges I didn’t even touch. I would have preferred if more levels hid some collectibles or seeds and the only way you could reach them was by using determined badges. Hopefully they add something like that in the next one.

You aren't the only one who just used the Cap badge. I did too and it wouldn't surprise me if that was a large segment of the population. It's the first one and also the most useful. I agree that the badges weren't implemented very well, but since it was more or less optional it didn't bother me. Also, I hope Mario 3 is on your list. Still my favorite after all these years.

Here's my March update, and still somehow on track. Not only that, but I've completed two different 50 hour games, which may be the longest I have all year. I might actually finish this...

10. Sword of the Vagrant / The Vagrant (8h, ★★★). A cheap side-scrolling action RPG that is clearly inspired by Vanillaware (in more ways than one...). Yes, it's clearly low budget, but the combat was reasonably fun and the environments always felt good to charge through. Honestly, the only real negatives I have is that some of the momentum when jumping is bad and that, while they tried to avoid it via cooldowns, the combat does end up being too easy to just face tank and gulp down potions to win. Yeah, that last one could be considered a big issue, but it's still a joy to play.

11. Yars Recharged (5h, ★★★). The only other Recharged game I played was Centipede, which was basically the same with a fresh coat of paint. This one, though, is a complete reimagining. And what a reimagining! For a supposedly simple arcade game, there are plenty of different elements, risk-reward dynamics, and even some basic strategy of when to use your cannon and what to use it on. Moment to moment gameplay is a blast. That said, the main campaign is very long and takes a while to get interesting, and some of the gimmicky missions are a bit annoying by taking away some of your options and forcing you through a set path. But other than that, it's great.

12. Fire Emblem Engage (51h, ★★★★). The story and writing was even worse than I imagined, to the point that it was downright embarrassing. But so what? This is the best combat Fire Emblem has ever seen. I tend to see this series as the comfort food of Tactical RPGs; not particularly challenging but still fun to play through. I went with Hard/Casual, and I am so happy I didn't bother with Classic because some of those battles were downright crazy. I'm not sure how you can survive some of those with your whole team intact when various bosses will charge you and OHKO practically anyone. Chain attacks and weapon breaking did wonders to shake up the formula and made you rethink both the order of your moves and the risk of leaving people exposed. And no stupid classroom teaching this time! I think I still prefer the Tellius games for various reasons, and like I said the writing was awful, but hopefully this combat is the baseline for the series' future.

13. Cocoon (5h, ★★★). I might have appreciated the game better if I had time to play for more than 30 minutes at a time, but it was nice. Admittedly, it was easy; the only time I got stuck is when I didn't know you could swap orbs 90% of the way through the game; it never came up and I always just put one down before grabbing another. Honestly, I think this game was meant more for the experience than the challenge, which is ok I guess. The world hopping was cool when you first see it and does get pleasantly convoluted I will admit, and the game does look pretty. One thing I do want to give props to is that, while you are doing a lengthy puzzle, the music will start adding in some triumphant notes in the middle of it to let you know you are on the right track. I thought that was pretty cool idea.

 

[Glass Prison]

You aren't the only one who just used the Cap badge. I did too and it wouldn't surprise me if that was a large segment of the population. It's the first one and also the most useful. I agree that the badges weren't implemented very well, but since it was more or less optional it didn't bother me. Also, I hope Mario 3 is on your list. Still my favorite after all these years.

I might add Mario 3 to my list based on your recommendation.
I was planning on playing one classic Mario game, one 2d Zelda game (heavily leaning towards A Link to the Past), Goldeneye, Metroid Prime Remastered, and maybe one other game if I have time.

 

[Skeptical]

Stick with Link to the Past. The original Zelda may be my favorite game ever, but it's honestly a hard sell these days. As for 2D Mario, choose between Mario 3 and Super Mario World. Mario 3's levels are deliberately short, but there's a lot of variety and the game is packed with so many secrets you'll never find them all. Mario World's levels are longer and there are secret exits in lots of them (culminating in the best secret in all of Mario), but I didn't like the cape powerup as much and felt the pacing was off. Fan opinion on which of the two games is better seems to be fairly evenly split, so you probably can't go wrong with either of them unless NES games are too archaic for you (and even then, Mario 3 is one of the very few that don't FEEL archaic).

 

[Dacvak]

Marble It Up Ultra (Switch) - 3/17

Remember Marble Blast Ultra on XBLA? This is the spiritual successor from the same team, and it’s everything you’d want it to be. Absolutely perfect marble-rolling physics that allow for some absolutely wild shortcuts and runs, the game is a paradise for fans of marble-based platform games like Monkey Ball. There are a few fun online modes that can be a reasonable time, but the real meat of the game is in the level design and aesthetics.

It leans hard into a vaporwave/synthwave sort of style, which looks awesome (even on a Switch). The audio/music is fine, but nothing amazing. Plenty of great levels to play, although the gem-collecting levels get a little tedious in my opinion.

Overall, just an absolutely fantastic game for fans of this niche genre. It’s so satisfying to nail an insane physics-based skip, and the leaderboards all feature replays of other players, so you get to see just how bad you are compared to the pros. Still, it’s a fairly simple game, and you can miss me with some of those later gem-collecting levels.

Excellent.

 

[TuFaN]

#	Title	Platform	Rating	Date	Playtime	What kind of completion	First time playing?
39.	Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth	PS5	10	31. March	235 hours	Platinum trophy	Yes