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[Wozzer]

A thread for people that are trying to play 52 games in a year. Tell us how you're doing and what you are going to play next - claim a post and update us on your progress!

How do I take part?
Claim a 'main post' where you will list all your completions for the year. You can use fancy images or special formatting to make it extra cool. In addition to this post your updates, completions and thoughts as singular posts throughout the year.

Does my main post need to adhere to a format?
Nope! We previously did, but now you can have it formatted however you like. Take some inspiration from previous year posts. Here's a beautiful example!

Do I need to post reviews, scores, dates and stuff?
Also nope! It is highly recommended to spruce up your completions with mini reviews, a score (for example 2/5), your playtime duration, date completed, platform or any such fun statistical information but it's not required. You do you.

What's that Hall of Fame thing?
Those who beat the challenge get placed in the shrine that is the 'Hall of Fame'™. Furthermore you'll get a pretty little medal that denotes how many years you've overcome the challenge. Cool kids have been doing this for over five years.

How do I know when I've completed a game?
That can be tricky to determine, but it's ultimately up to you. If its a straightforward single player game then it's typically when the credits roll, but if it's say a multiplayer session based game maybe its when you've unlocked a certain feature or completed a battle pass.

Do the completions need to be games released this year?
Nope; any video game will suffice. It can be first plays or replays, classics or recent releases. It can be a game you started last year but are finishing this year.

Do board games count?
They do not. Vidya games only here.

I want to record durations, do I have to manually count?
No, most platforms (Steam, Xbox, Nintendo, etc) will do the duration tracking for you! If in doubt you can also use sites like HLTB to fill in the blanks.

Do episodic games count as a single game or X amount of games?
That's up to you. It's alright to count something like Life is Strange as one or five games. Your choice, for whatever makes sense with how you've been playing. Ask other users if in doubt.

What should I do once I've completed the challenge?
Send me a DM on this platform, with a link to your post that shows all the games you've completed, and I'll make you thread famous by adding you to the Hall of FameTM. If I take a while to respond don't panic, I tend to go into periods of hibernation throughout the year.

Is there a deadline?
Until Dec 31st 2025 @ 11.59pm!

Archive: 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 (shout out to jshackles as the prior host)



Starting in 2020 our Discord (http://discord.backlogbeat.com/) has since grown to over 150 members. Among discussing the 52 Challenge (posting updates, picking games, etc) we also coordinate a slew of other totally cool game activities (see below)…



A play on a traditional book club that sees us choosing and collectively playing a nominated game per month, sharing our thoughts and opinions through to beating it. Those who beat the current nomination get entered into the raffle to pick the next months; share your favourite games or recent releases you're excited for with us!

Jan: Before the Green Moon / Monster Hunter World	Jul: Dusk / Shadowrun Trilogy
Feb: Temple of Snek	Aug: TOEM: A Photo Adventure
Mar: Anodyne 2: Return to Dust	Sep: 1000xRESIST
Apr: The Cat Lady / Dragon Quest XI	Oct: Small Saga / Red Dead Redemption 2
May: The Quiet Man	Nov: A Plague Tale: Innocence
Jun: Animal Well	Dec: SteamWorld Build

It's the same thing as above, but only for movies! Similar approach in that all you need to do is watch the nominated film to acquire a raffle ticket with an even lower bar to enter as most choices can be completed with a leisurely sub 3 hour investment.

Jan: Before the Green Moon / Monster Hunter World	Jul: Dusk / Shadowrun Trilogy
Feb: Temple of Snek	Aug: TOEM: A Photo Adventure
Mar: Anodyne 2: Return to Dust	Sep: 1000xRESIST
Apr: The Cat Lady / Dragon Quest XI	Oct: Small Saga / Red Dead Redemption 2
May: The Quiet Man	Nov: A Plague Tale: Innocence
Jun: Animal Well	Dec: SteamWorld Build

Sometimes it's tricky to get a thing nominated but there's enough folk playing it that it makes sense to carve a dedicated place and play together. Elden Ring is a great example of a game that reaches new heights when played alongside others.

Come say hey, everyone is welcome and folks from these threads are our favourite kind of people! You'll likely see a lot of familiar faces

The brave individuals that overcome the challenge this year;


The additional survivors who overcame the challenge of the previous years thread;



And below are the legacy participants from years prior who we hope to see return to us this year;

And so there lists all those that have risen to the challenge during this or prior years! If you see yourself beating the challenge, please remember to send me a DM with your post once you're done!

 

[EerieArcade]

My completed games so far. Will make it fancier and improve the formatting once I've finished more games.

1. Still Wakes the Deep - 7.5/10.
2. Single Player Horror - 5/10.
3. Outside the Door - 6/10.
4. The Lion King - 7/10.
5. Aladding - 7/10.
6. The Devil In Me - 8/10.
7. Nioh 2 - 10/10.
8. Onimusha - 8.5/10.
9. Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty - 9/10.
10. Nioh 2 DLC - Tengu's Disciple - 8.5/10.
11. Nioh 2 DLC - Darkness in the Capital - 9/10.
12. Nioh 2 DLC - The First Samurai - 9.5/10.

 

[bender]

1. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (Switch) - 50 Hours - 1/3/25 - 5/5
2. DoDonPachi Saidaioujou (Switch) - 3 Hours - 1/21/25 - 5/5
3. Death Smiles (PS5) - 1 Hours - 5/5
4. Death Smiles 2 (PS5) - 1 Hours - 5/5
5. Battle Garegga (PS5) - 1 Hours - 5/5
6. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - 16 Hours - 5/5
7. Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia - 16 Hours - 3/5
8. Street Fighter VI (PS5) - 15 Hours - 3/5
February Fighting Pass.
9. Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin: (PS5) - ~20 Hours - 3/5
10. Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (PS5 - ~20 Hours - 3/5
11. Street Fighter VI (PS5) - 8 Hours - 4/5
March Fighting Pass
12. Monster Hunter Wilds (PS5) - 12 Hours - 2/5
13. Live A Live (Switch) - 25 Hours - 2/5
14. Akai Katana Shin (PS5) - 1 Hours - 5/5
15. Rez (PS5) - 1 Hours - 5/5
16. Ape Escape (PS5) - 10 Hours - 3/5
17. Monster Hunter Wilds (PS5) - 70 Hours- 2/5
Platinum Trophy
18. Tetris 99 - 15 Minutes - 4/5
19. Metroid Zero Mission - 7 Hours - 5/5
20. Samorost - <1 Hours - 5/5
Save your planet from being hit by an asteroid.
21. Samorost 2 - 1 Hours - 4/5
Rescue your dog.
22. Samorost 3 - ~5 Hours - 3/5
Save the universe with the help of your...checks notes...trusty horn.
23. Street Fighter VI - PS5 - ~15 Hours - 4/5
April Fighting Pass.
24. Earth Defense Force 6 - PS5 - 4/5
Ranger on Hardest
25. Earth Defense Force 6 - PS5 - 4/5
Air Raider on Hardest
26. Earth Defense Force 6 - PS5 - 4/5
Fencer on Hardest
27. Earth Defense Force 6 - PS5 - 4/5
Wing Diver on Hardest
28. Earth Defense Force 6 - PS5 - 4/5
Wing Diver on Inferno
29. Earth Defense Force 6 - PS5 - 4/5
Air Raider on Inferno
30. Earth Defense Force 6 - PS5 - 4/5
Fencer on Inferno
31. Earth Defense Force 6 - PS5 - 4/5
Ranger on Inferno.
32. Tetris 99 - Switch - PS5 - 5/5
33. Street Fighter VI - PS5 - 4/5
May Fighting Pass
34. Tetris 99 - Switch - 5/5
35. Star Gladiator 2 - PS5 - 3/5
36. Gran Turismo 6 - PS5 - 5/5
Hit maximum credits.
37. Black Mesa - Deck - 3/5
38. SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium - PS5 - 5/5
39. Tiny Rogues - Deck - 5/5
Ascended the heavenly throne.
40. Tiny Rogues - Deck - 5/5
Ascended the lawful throne.
41. Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time - 3/5 - PS5
42. Tiny Rogues - Deck - 5/5
Ascended the hell throne.
43. Alone in the Dark - PS5 - 1/5
44. Mario Kart World - S2 - 5/5
50cc
45. Mario Kart World - S2 - 5/5
100cc
46. Mario Kart World - S2 - 5/5
150cc
47. Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island - S2 - 5/5
48. Tetris 99 - S2 - 5/5
49. Gran Turismo 7 - PS5 - 5/5
All Cars Collected
50. Tetris 99 - S2 - 5/5
51. Street Fighter VI - PS5 - 4/5
July Fighting Pass
52. Capcom vs SNK: Millennium Fight 2000 Pro - PS5 - 4/5
53. Mario Kart World - S2 - 5/5
All P-Switch Challenges, Question Mark Panels, and Peach Medallions
54. Tetris 99 - S2 - 5/5
55. Tetris 99 - S2 - 5/5
56. Monkey Kong Bananza - 3/5
57. DoDonPachi Saidaioujou (Switch) - 5/5
58. Xenocrisis - PS5 - 3/5
59. System Shock (remake) - PS5 - 3/5
60. Sword of the Sea - PS5 - 2/5
61. Indika - PS5 - 3/5
62. Tetris 99 - Switch 2 - 5/5
63. Elden Ring Nightrein - PS5 - 4/5
64. Everybody's Golf : Hot Shots - PS5 - 2/5
rolled credits
65. Elden Ring Nightrein - PS5 - 4/5
Platinum Trophy
66. Everybody's Golf Hot Shots - PS5 - 2/5
Platinum Trophy
67. Street Fighter VI - PS5 - 4/5
Sept-Oct Fighting Pass
68. Pokemon TCG Pocket - IOS - 4/5
Level 50
69. Gun Grave Gore -Deck - 2/5
I enjoyed it more the second time I gave it a chance, but after having beat it, it should be about 12 missions and not 31 as it didn't have the variety to support that many. The boss battles are also all mostly bad.
70. Tetris 99 - Switch 2 - 5/5
71. Squirrel Stapler - Deck - 2/5
72. Star-Crossed World - Switch 2 - 3/5
73. The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warrior - PS5 - 3/5
74. Super Galaxy Squadron Ex Turbo - Deck - 2/5

 

[Dacvak]

Reserved! Thanks for doing this, Wozzer

I got 40 of 52 last year (still need to update the last 7 or 8 in the other thread), but I'll get 52 this year for sure. Maybe.

The best part about the Jan 1 reset is that I can now replay all of my favorite games and have them count towards the goal.

Mario 64 and Cuphead, here I come!

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Current progress with links to posts:

1. Super Mario Bros [via Mario All-Stars] - 1/1 -
2. Super Mario Bros 2 (J) [via Mario All-Stars] 1/1 -

 

[TuFaN]

Backloggd
2023: 52 games
2024: 72 games

#​	Title​	Platform​	Date​	Rating​	Replay​
01.	Super Mario Land	Game Boy	1-Jan	9
02.	Anno 1800	PC	9-Jan	7
03.	Balatro	Switch	9-Jan	7
04.	Super Mario RPG (2023)	Switch	17-Jan	9
05.	Paper Mario	N64	27-Jan	8
06.	Resident Evil 2 (2019)	PC	02-Feb	10
07.	Resident Evil: Revelations	PC	09-Feb	5
08.	Resident Evil: Revelations 2	PC	12-Feb	6
09.	Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles	Wii	14-Feb	4
10.	Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles	Wii	14-Feb	5
11.	Resident Evil: Deadly Silence	NDS	15-Feb	9
12.	Resident Evil: Director's Cut	PS1	17-Feb	9
13.	Factorio	PC	04-Mar	8
14.	Crow Country	Switch	08-Mar	7
15.	Lies of P	PC	14-Mar	9
16.	Mullet Madjack	PC	16-Mar	7
17.	Astrobot	PS5	22-Mar	10
18.	Final Fantasy (2021)	Switch	09-Apr	7
19.	Final Fantasy II (2021)	Switch	13-Apr	5
20.	Final Fantasy III (2021)	Switch	16-Apr	7
21.	Final Fantasy IV (2021)	Switch	22-Apr	7
22.	The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered	PC	12-May	8
23.	Clair Obscur: Expedition 33	PC	20-May	10
24.	Final Fantasy V (2021)	Switch	26-May	8
25.	Super Mario Land X	Game Boy	27-May	6
26.	Crash Bandicoot	PS1	30-May	8
27.	Castlevania: Bloodlines	Mega Drive	11-Jun	8
28.	Mario Kart World	Switch 2	13-Jun	8
29.	Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge	Game Boy	13-Jun	5
30.	Mega Man II	Game Boy	13-Jun	6
31.	Lies of P: Overture	PC	22-Jun	9
32.	Solar Strike	Game Boy	03-Jul	7
33.	X Multiply	Arcade	07-Jul	7
34.	Alan Wake II	PC	08-Jul	8
35.	Donkey Kong Country	SNES	14-Jul	9
36.	Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest	SNES	14-Jul	10
37.	Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!	SNES	15-Jul	8
38.	Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze	Switch	16-Jul	8
39.	Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4	PC	17-Jul	8
40.	Donkey Kong Bananza	Switch 2	19-Jul	8
41.	Resident Evil 3: Nemesis	PC	28-Jul	10
42.	Resident Evil	PC	09-Aug	9
43.	Resident Evil 3 (2020)	PC	23-Aug	7
44.	Pokémon SoulSilver Version	NDS	10-Sep	8
45.	Hollow Knight: Silksong	PC	19-Sep	9
46.	Sword of the Sea	PC	30-Sep	7
47.	Hades II	PC	07-Oct	9
48.	Resident Evil 2 (1998)	PS1	08-Oct	10
49.	Heartworm	PC	20-Oct	5
50.	Dark Souls	PC	22-Oct	10
51.	Dark Souls II	PC	27-Oct	10
52.	Dark Souls III	PC	31-Oct	10
53.	10 Second Ninja X	PC	16-Nov	4
54.	12 is Better Than 6	PC	17-Nov	5
55.	140	PC	18-Nov	7
56.	About Love, Hate and the other ones	PC	19-Nov	5
57.	Achromatic	PC	20-Nov	5
58.	Adam Wolfe	PC	21-Nov	6
59.	Demon's Souls (2020)	PS5	23-Nov	9
60.	Aces & Adventures	PC	24-Nov	7
61.	Demon's Souls	PS3	27-Nov	9
62.	Bloodborne	PS4	07-Dec	10
63.	Bloodborne: The Old Hunters	PS4	07-Dec	10
64.	Super Mario World	SNES	10-Dec	10
65.

 

[SpiceRacz]

I'm in, again. I only finished 35/52 last year, but that thread motivated me to finish more games than I probably have in a long time.

I'm a few hours into my first Dark Souls 2 replay. So, that'll be my first game of 2025.

 

[Wolzard]

Last year's challenge made me want to play more, so I'm excited to reach the milestone again.

 

[ReyBrujo]

Geez, I was at about 1 per month but my Switch backlog is over 200 games by now and I can add NES and SNES games as well from the emulation section or the mini consoles. Reserved.

Order​	Title​	Mini Review​	Image​	Date​	Score​
1​	Potato Flowers in Full Bloom (Switch)	Started back in December but finished it today after 36 hours. It's a cute first-person grid dungeon crawler (favorite genre) with teams of 3 with as 7 or 8 classes. The game has a simple story and is quite straightforward (4 areas with between 1 and 7 floors each) however got stuck a couple of times since you had to do like two locations at the same time. It's been ages since I had to rotate equipment and weapons to exploit weak points in enemies so it was a nice change of pace. Experience is based on size difference which means you cannot grind yourself to a big size, you ought to advance. Overall a cool game for anyone starting this genre. Encountered one crash (but game saves automatically often enough) and probably a dozen typos (like the one in the screenshot).​		1/2​	6/10​
2​	TMNT: Turtles in Time (arcade version, Cowabunga Collection)	Got the Cowabunga Collection for Switch some time ago and yesterday spent an hour and a half on the arcade version of TMNT Turtles in Time. Extremely hard but as amazing as it used to be, a game made to force you insert coins because it was impossible to finish it with a single quarter.		1/3​	8/10​
3​	TMNT; Tournament Fighters (Cowabunga Collection)	Finished the story mode of the SNES game. Never liked it, felt like wasted money back in the day and feelings haven't changed. Tried starting the Genesis one from the collection but no way in hell I'm touching that ever again.	​	1/4​	3/10​
4​	White Day: A Labyrinth Named School	Finished with a Dandelion ending (happy ending with Ji-Hyeon Seol I guess) and then replayed the last boss to check her Ebony ending. Not sure how Korean games check their runtime, the same happened with The Coma, it says it took me 136:29:11 but Switch places it just before Potato Flowers which took me 36 hours according to the game, I guess they add 100 hours for the sake of it? Game was cool, managed to reach the final without guides, not sure how the average of HowLongToBeat is just 8 hours. I'd play it again. Not really into ghost stories but it was a nice change of pace only being able to run and hide.		1/14​	8/10​
5​	Mon-Yu	Started this after Potato Flowers and it took a good while, almost 52 hours (profile says 65 hours or more). Another first-person grid-based dungeon crawler with 9 different locations (each with 1-3 different floors). Played in "medium setting" with map available only after finding the map (options were always on or never available). The character creation screen lets you choose the developers themselves as game characters which was funny. There's a level cap for each stage which means some battles are harder since you cannot grind, but you can save anywhere. Had to repeat final boss 30 or so times playing with statistics and skills and RNG which felt dirty.		1/27​	5/10​
6​	Inside	A beautiful work of art. I bought it last week, should have bought Limbo as well, the price jumped in the Argentine store for both games just yesterday so right now it's above what I'd pay for a 3 hours and a half game. The ending was cool, read that it was shocking and indeed it's quite novel. Platform/puzzles aren't my cup of tea and this game has little replayability but it is an enjoyable game (although in handheld sometimes it's hard to see)	Spoiler	1/27​	7/10​
7​	Echo Blade	I had started this game halfway midyear or so but stopped after passing through 7 or 8 rooms. Interesting but confusing and extremely plain without textures. Combat is simple, three types of attack depending on analog direction when pressing the button, there are a few puzzles with boxes that I found more annoying than stressing, and there are several bosses which look like normal enemies but with different weapons. Game crashed when trying to load the ending, had to replay the last stage, then crashed during the credits. My profile says I played it for 10-15 hours.		1/28​	3/10​
8​	Labyrinth of Zangetsu	A (mostly) black & white dungeon crawler with hand-drawn stages and enemies based on Japanese yokai. Follows Wizardry rules. Finished it in 46 hours and a half (Switch parental controls say 53 hours and a half, that includes resets, idle time, etc) in "hard" mode which prevents you from copying the save file and leaves corpses at the entrance of the level instead of the room where they died fortunately since I lost my team against the final boss. One optional boss left. No crashes. 5 main stages, each with 3-7 floors. Simple but I liked it.		2/6​	7/10​
9​	Wizardry: The Five Ordeals	Finished "The Price of Deception" in about 53 hours, consisting of 9 floors and then a new location with 3 complex floors. It's Wizardry, it's hard and some stages (like the second floor of the second location) are really complex. There are 5 other stories, each of which I will count as a different game because they are all new stories running on the same engine (with the option to carry over the characters). Love Wizardry, however this conversion was choppy in compared to Proving Grounds done by Digital Eclipse. It's much more faithful to the 2006 game but they could have done a bit more, especially with the labyrinth movement.		2/12​	9/10​
10​	The Bridge Curse 2: The Extrication	A first person 3D horror game. Took me less than Echo Blade to finish, so probably 8 hours without a guide (though Switch says +10 hours). Game got better models than "White Day" but it's far shorter, the story is straightforward, you play 5 scenarios (maybe an extra one for the "good" ending) with 4 characters all involving the same ghosts at the same school, it's an interesting one but too short, only two different endings according to the achievements list, and I discovered almost every hidden item by playing rather normally. For the price I got it (USD 2) it's a good game. Not that many scares, saw only one other than dying animations.		2/14​	6/10​
11​	Wizardry: The Five Ordeals	Finished the "Traveler's Property" scenario in about 34 hours and a half. This one has the classic 10 floor structure, the story is much more straightforward than "The Price of Deception" (if that's possible at all) but the last stage is far, far harder. In fact my monster compendium is missing a dozen or more regular demons which I hadn't been able to defeat still at all. This stage doesn't give information about item curses or buffs so it's half guessing and half remembering. Carried over the characters from "The Price of Deception" (the procedure is kind of convoluted for sure), they start at level 1 but at least I keep their rolled statistics.		2/23​	8/10​
12​	Endling	Side scrolling survival game where you have to protect and raise your cubs. In a way it's a touching story as Inside, however this one is far shorter and personally more interesting since you don't need just to escape. Spent maybe 6 hours, the shortest game I finished this year so far not counting the TMNT ones. Found a crashing bug that forced me to do things differently to skip it.	Spoiler	2/24​	7/10​
13​	Voice of Cards: The Beasts of Burden	A rather short, 16 hour game, kind of tabletop RPG with a narrator acting as dungeon master. Already finished The Isle Dragon Roars I skipped the second one by mistake, however the stories are unrelated. The game is extremely simple but the story itself is rather interesting sometimes even cruel. However, as interesting as it might be the game offers little replay value, 99% can be unlocked in the first play-through so the NG+ doesn't make much sense. Using beasts' powers feels is like Megaman. Worth one round, though.		3/2​	4/10​
14​	Demon Gaze Extra	Oh, yes, this is a far, far better dungeon crawler than I expected. Easily the best Japanese I played this year. It never felt dragging unlike Mon-Yu, it felt it was rather fair in most encounters other than the guardian of the last bosses, last boss took me half an hour or an hour, the other took me 3 days. The story is compelling, there are some ecchi stuff but nowhere near Moero Crystal H level, it has options like autowalk and repeat commands in battles that make grinding (if necessary) much less tedious. The music and voice acting is great as well (all things considered). Clear time was little over 57 hours, with postgame (and due not setting up my party with a guide) took me 23 extra hours.		3/12​	9/10​
15​	Little Nightmares Complete Edition	Finished both Six and the Boy stories in about 11 hours. I have never played it but I've watched the live streaming by a Japanese actress/ex-idol (Matsui Rena, my avatar) so I kind of knew the game and some of the puzzles. Got stuck just near the end with the books puzzle, everything else was rather straightforward. I liked the game, it's more entertaining than Inside although it shares mechanisms. Personally it was a bit too dark, some parts were more about guessing where the switch was than actually puzzle thinking. Not my cup of tea but liked it regardless.		3/24​	7/10​
16​	Livestream 2	Been eyeing this one for a while, first part isn't in my store, was going to get both physical but decided to check the second part which was. It's a 2D horror game similar to The Coma where you mostly escape from someone. However here you play three different characters, each in a different floor so you must solve puzzles finding ways to transfer items from one floor to another. Got the first bad ending after 7 hours and someone was locked in so had to go back to a previous save, and got the right ending after 2 extra hours, plus an extra hour for the other endings. Has some backstory from Livestream 1.		3/26​	5/10​
17​	Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden	About 20 hours to finish this one (the second in the series but which I played last). Mechanics are exactly the same as the previous ones, story is somehow darker than the others and the ending gives you a hard choice to take. Entered the last dungeon with about 16 hours played but took me almost 4 hours to finish it, the maps are huge compared to the other two and there are random encounters everywhere. Contrary to the others you have two fixed members and can choose the others two from a set of 8 which makes it more strategic.		4/2​	5/10​
18​	Record of Lodoss War - Deedlit in Woder Labyrinth	A classic Metroidvania based on the anime. Was a fan of the anime back in the day, especially the bgm so was kind of bummed this didn't have some of the tunes. It's pixel art so it looks fine and got nice animations but was also expecting some cutscenes or similar. Game took me 9 hours and a half according to parental controls, less than The Bridge Curse 2 for Switch list of games. Not my cup of tea but wanted to finish something different.		4/5​	6/10​
19​	Kowloon High-School Chronicle	A visual novel / dungeon crawler hybrid. Story is divided in 12 episodes, each with an opening and an ending clip as if was an anime, pretty cool. As the main character you interact with other students and professors and make ties so that they can join you, even your foes. Story is about how Ancient Egypt and ancient Japanese gods were related, so it has a HUGE amount of Japanese lore which I liked. Game is grid-based but maps are already filled when you enter the area. Reached the final 3 bosses at level 42 after 62 hours but had to grind 10 levels and get better equipment, finishing after 74 hours.		5/1​	8/10​
20​	Signalis	Third person survival horror with PS2-like graphics. Game itself isn't that long, took me about 10 hours to finish it. Got the "Memory" ending which I guess is the best you can get in the first playthrough. Font is extremely small but at least it's legible since they use bright white for words. Story is kind of cool, the combination between robots and Japanese/Chinese words and the cutscenes kind of reminded me of Evangelion. Played it in normal with the 6 item limit cap which made it somewhat challenging. Not my type of game but original Resident Evil fans should like it.		5/4​	4/10​
21​	Shady Part of Me	A platformer puzzle game which reminded me quite a lot of Little Nightmares. You control both a girl in 3D and a shadow in 2D and solve puzzles with light and moving objects. You can rewind when you mess up so it's like you are playing with a single life and no way of losing. Took me 5 hours, didn't get all the birds so didn't unlock every art. Story is about rediscovering yourself, so some people might enjoy it more than others. Some puzzles are extremely clever.		5/5​	4/10​
22​	Super Mario Odyssey	While I've finished many 2D Mario games this was the first 3D one I finished. I always disliked the 10 second animation whenever you get a star or something, I know it's to hide loading times and the like but seemed stupid to repeat the same stage again and again because of that. The game itself is really nice, found it very forgiving (got problems with 3D jumping in Little Nightmares for example). I used the assisted mode since I wasn't sure I was going to like it. Took about 9 hours 20 minutes.		5/8​	8/10​
23​	Sakura Dungeon	A somewhat ecchi dungeon crawler made by a company full of "Sakura" games. Game itself was bad, laggy even though there were no animations at all, became sluggish and sluggish as if leaking memory and crashed every 30 minutes. Gameplay is fine, got many enemies to capture for your team, story is not that important. There are about 20 or 25 floors in the dungeon, about 32 hours of gameplay plus an extra 3 floors and two bosses in the postgame (which took me an extra 2 hours and a half).		5/18​	4/10​
24​	The Bridge Curse: Road to Salvation	First person horror game where the mechanism is mostly escaping and hiding. The story is kind of cool but hard to understand, had to read a summary later to realize what was happening. Just as the second half there are six characters, each with a small story that are shown in succession explaining what happens to every character. This has a kind of larger environment, school, dorms and park compared to the second one. About 12 hours so it was longer than the second part. The footage of the protagonist cutting her veins was disturbing.		5/22​	4/10​
25​	Resident Evil	First time ever playing RE1, have only played and finished RE4 for Wii. The remake is pretty good, I liked it, finished the story with Jill in a bit over 16 hours. It takes a while getting used to the constants camera changes and the zombies appearing out of nowhere but after a while it becomes second nature, especially when using the new control style. Got stuck only once near the end so had to check where to proceed, missed refilling the pool which I felt cheap but not a deal breaker. Tension about not knowing what comes next and running out of ink tape is pretty cool. Might play with Chris eventually.		5/29​	8/10​
26​	Nights of Azure 2: Bride of the New Moon	An action RPG where you got to finish missions before the New Moon. I tried this game once in 2023, spent 2 hours trying to beat Joe, the first boss and gave up, then tried again in 2024, same result. Tried it again this time, spent another 3 hours trying to beat him and then decided to lower the difficulty to Easy because I just wanted to close that chapter. Parental reports 18 hours, Switch reports 25 hours in total. Not my type of game, it feels like a Musou without being a Musou, too many combos to memorize with little reward and skills trees that don't really seem interesting.		6/3​	6/10​
27​	Tactics Ogre Reborn	A tactical RPG, I remember playing and enjoying the SNES/SFC version in an emulator and decided to give it a go to this one, the PS1/PSP remake. Nice long story, maybe too long for my taste, nor the level cap forcing you to finish the game with level 40. Way too many characters that are introduced for just one battle, and couldn't for the life of me recruit or capture anything. Play time was 2d 16h 52m til saving CODA (almost 65 hours) but parental control says it was 78 (counting menus, resets and retries after game overs). Finished with the "Tragic King" ending. Curiously, taken videos and screenshots have a watermark.		7/3​	6/10​
28​	Resident Evil 0	Resident Evil prequel, first time playing it as well. Played in normal mode, some bosses like the giant bat are completely insane, had to redo it several times until I got good RNG. Played with modern controls, kudos to those who played with the tank controls. Seemed easier, had more saves than the original one. Less replay value than the original, though having to switch and send stuff between characters was quite interesting in certain puzzles. 14 hours according to game count, 20 hours according to Switch (repeating stuff after dying).		7/13​	6/10​
29​	The Lost Child	An old dungeon crawler where you control the Chosen One and an Angel who came to save humanity, with an interesting twist halfway. I liked the fact that there's no 20x20 board where the map is situated, so maps can be longer or shorter and you have no idea until you traverse the map. But it also tells you whether you have done 100% of a labyrinth which kind of spoils the fun of searching for hidden stuff. Took me 50 hours. It got some nice animations for the story. Postgame (100 level dungeon) put me above 99:59:95, the maximum in-game clock, Switch says 125 played hours in total. Very limited online.		8/2​	9/10​
30​	Dragon Buster II	I wanted a break from long games and was going to play Tower of Druaga but found Dragon Buster II in the Namco Museum Archives vol 2 and decided to give it a go. It's a pretty cool game actually, overworld map with different locations you can enter and explore with fog of war until finding a key and the exit. Every stage has a boss that holds the key, beating certain locations gives axes, hammers, boats or camels to dodge obstacles in the map and there are about 5 or 6 maps you need to beat to reach the final dragon. Impossible to beat without the rewind feature, though. Took me around 5 hours.		8/28​	6/10​
31​	Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons	Argentine store doesn't have many nonograms/picross games, this is one of the few ones I got. 270+ nonograms varying from 5x5 to 25x25. Never played Story of Seasons but unlocks some information and gallery for its characters. Took me a bit more than 55 hours, never using hints or any other help. It's pretty well done, though most images being character faces are somewhat repetitive. Basic but scratches the itch.		9/16​	6/10​
32​	The Coma 2B: Catacomb	After finishing The Coma: Recut and The Coma 2: Vicious Sisters I was missing this last one. If you are into 2D stealth horror it's pretty good, it's the same story of Vicious Sisters but from the point of view of the other character. More enemies variety, plus with a larger map than Vicious Sisters (though some locations you can access in the other you can't here). Contrary to the first game there's no "bad ending" here, you get the good ending or a very good one, I ended with the good default ending. Spent about 15 hours in total.		9/20​	6/10​

Due 30k character limit continuing in a new post.

 

[Dazraell]

I'm in! Here we go again

52 Games 2025 Challenge Status: 95/52

#​	Game Title​	Platform​	Month​	Notes​
1​	Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales​	Steam Deck​	January​
2​	Diablo III - The Darkening of Tristram​	PS5​	January​	Completed event as Witch Doctor​
3​	Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster and the Beanstalk​	PS1​	January​
4​	Assassin's Creed: Syndicate​	PS5​	January​	​
5​	Assassin's Creed: Syndicate - The Last Maharaja​	PS5​	January​	​
6​	Assassin's Creed: Syndicate - Dreadful Crimes​	PS5​	January​
7​	Assassin's Creed: Syndicate - Jack the Ripper​	PS5​	January​
8​	Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022)​	PS5​	January​	Campaign only​
9​	Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir​	Switch​	January​
10​	Senua's Saga: Hellblade II​	Xbox Cloud Gaming​	January​
11​	Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters​	PS5​	January​
12​	Yakuza 3 Remastered​	PS4 / PS5​	February​
13​	Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (2023)​	Xbox Cloud Gaming​	February​	Campaign only​
14​	Star Wars: Episode I - Jedi Power Battles​	Steam Deck​	February​	Completed main levels as Plo Koon + extra levels​
15​	Gears of War 2​	Xbox Cloud Gaming​	February​	​
16​	Gears of War 2 - Road to Ruin​	Xbox Cloud Gaming​	February​
17​	Silent Hill 2 (2024)​	PS5​	February​	​
18​	The Mildew Children​	Steam Deck​	February​
19​	Gothic Remake: Nyras Prologue​	PC (Steam)​	February​	​
20​	Rise of the Tomb Raider​	PC (Steam)​	February​	​
21​	Rise of the Tomb Raider - Baba Yaga: Temple of the Witch​	PC (Steam)​	February​
22​	Rise of the Tomb Raider - Blood Ties​	PC (Steam)​	February​
23​	Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings​	PS5​	February​
24​	Gears of War: Ultimate Edition​	PC (Microsoft Store)​	March​
25​	The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring​	PS2​	March​
26​	The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers​	PS2​	March​
27​	Yakuza 4 Remastered​	PS4 / PS5​	March​
28​	Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition​	PS4​	March​	​
29​	Astro Bot - Vicious Void​	PS5​	March​
30​	Mortal Kombat 1​	PS5​	April​
31​	Mortal Kombat 1 - Khaos Reigns​	PS5​	April​
32​	Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition​	PC (Steam)​	April​
33​	Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition - Heart of Winter​	PC (Steam)​	April​	Completed expansion and Trials of Luremaster quest pack​
34​	Interaction Isn't Explicit​	PS5​	April​
35​	What Comes After​	Switch​	April​
36​	Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone​	PS2​	April​
37​	Croc: Legend of the Gobbos​	Switch​	April​	​
38​	Stray Gods​	Switch​	April​
39​	Stray Gods - Orpheus​	Switch​	April​
40​	Chronicles of Mystery: The Scorpio Ritual​	PC (Steam)​	April​
41​	Chronicles of Mystery: The Tree of Life​	PC (Steam)​	April​
42​	Captain Blood​	PC (Steam)​	May​
43​	DuckTales Remastered​	Steam Deck​	May​
44​	Quake​	Steam Deck​	May​
45​	Famicom Detective Club: The Girl Who Stands Behind​	Switch​	June​
46​	Mario Kart World​	Switch 2​	June​
47​	PowerWash Simulator - The Muckingham Files​	PC (Steam)​	June​	Completed all bonus cases, seasonal specials and Tomb Raider DLC​
48​	Clair Obscur: Expedition 33​	PS5​	June​
49​	Ultimate Ski Jumping 2021​	Switch 2​	July​	Completed both seasons of career mode​
50​	Syberia​	Switch 2​	July​
51​	Syberia II​	Switch 2​	July​
52​	A Game About Digging A Hole​	Steam Deck​	July​
53​	Fenimore Fillmore: 3 Skulls of the Toltecs​	Steam Deck​	July​
54​	Donkey Kong Country​	SNES​	July​
55​	Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest​	SNES​	July​
56​	Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie's Kong Double Trouble!​	SNES​	July​
57​	Still Wakes the Deep​	PS5​	July​
58​	Still Wakes the Deep - Siren's Rest​	PS5​	July​
59​	The First Tree​	Switch 2​	July​
60​	Shadow of the Tomb Raider​	PC (Steam)​	July​	Completed main game and all 7 tomb DLCs​
61​	Yakuza 5 Remastered​	PS4 / PS5​	August​
62​	Asterix & Obelix (1995)​	SNES​	August​
63​	Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - The Definitive Edition​	Switch 2​	August​	​
64​	Torchlight​	PC (Steam)​	August​	Completed the game as Vanquisher​
65​	Yakuza 6: The Song of Life​	PS4​	August​
66​	Kathy Rain 2: Soothsayer​	Steam Deck​	August​
67​	Danger in Pompeii​	PC (Steam)​	August​	Completed the game as Flavia​
68​	Mafia: Definitive Edition​	PS5​	August​
69​	Dante's Inferno​	PS3​	August​
70​	GoldenEye 007: Reloaded​	PS3​	August​
71​	Mafia II: Definitive Edition​	PS5​	August​
72​	Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe​	PS3​	September​	Completed the story mode on MK and DC sides​
73​	007 Legends​	PS3​	September​
74​	Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories​	PS2​	September​
75​	007: Blood Stone​	PS3​	September​
76​	007: Agent Under Fire​	PS2​	September​
77​	007: Tomorrow Never Dies​	PS1​	September​
78​	Quake II: Call of the Void [Mod]​	PC (Steam)​	September​	Fan expansion campaign​
79​	Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone​	PS1​	September​
80​	Crowns and Pawns: Kingdom of Deceit​	PC (Steam)​	October​	Picked programmer profession​
81​	Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets​	PS1​	October​
82​	Persona 3 Portable​	Steam Deck​	November​	Completed the game as male protagonist​
83​	Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight​	PS4​	November​
84​	Bloodshore​	Steam Deck​	November​
85​	1998: The Toll Keeper Story​	PC (Steam)​	November​
86​	Dispatch​	Steam Deck​	November​	Completed entire season (8 episodes)​
87​	Planet of Lana​	Steam Deck​	November​
88​	PowerWash Simulator 2​	PC (Steam)​	December​	Completed entire career mode​
89​	Judgment​	PS5​	December​
90​	Tomb Raider: Legend​	PC (Steam)​	December​
91	Mafia III: Definitive Edition​	PS4 / PS5​	December​
92	Mafia III: Definitive Edition - Faster, Baby!​	PS4 / PS5​	December​
93	Mafia III: Definitive Edition - Stones Unturned​	PS4 / PS5​	December​
94​	Mafia III: Definitive Edition - Sign of the Times​	PS4 / PS5​	December​
95​	The Plucky Squire​	Steam Deck​	December​

Past challenges:
2020 - 50 / 52 games
2021 - 48 / 52 games
2023 - 61 / 52 games
2024 - 78 / 52 games

 

[jshackles]

Game 1 - Hero of the Kingdom: The Lost Tales 3 - PC / GOG - Completed Jan 1st, 2025
This game was really short, and honestly not quite as good as the previous two. However, it's still a fun mix of hidden object game, trading puzzle, and visual novel. I saw this on sale on GOG's winter sale, before that I honestly didn't realize this existed - despite liking and playing the previous two. Either way, it's a fun little game to start off 2025 with a bang.

Game 2 - A Park Full of Cats - PC / Steam - Completed Jan 2nd, 2025
I've really enjoyed these Devcats hidden cat picture games, this one I got on Steam because it wasn't on GOG. It was more or less similar to the other games in the series, in that your objective is to simply find all the cats. Some really cute levels, and some cute cats to find as well. Got 50/50 Steam achievements by finishing the free base game as well as the paid DLC.

Game 3 - Picross: Logiart Grimoire - Nintendo Switch - Completed Jan 3rd, 2025
I put about 80 hours into Logiart Grimoire, but just now finished it today. This was a pretty fun mix between picross puzzles and an Alchemy-like mixing gameplay puzzles. For example, meat + bread = hamburger, that sort of thing. I finished all 280 puzzles, as well as the bonus puzzles (another 100 or so that were included). Game has some insane value, and as always Juniper did a lovely job crafting fun puzzles.

Game 4 - Japanese Rail Sim 3D Monorail Trip to Okinawa - Nintendo 3DS - Completed Jan 4th, 2025
My wife and I visited Okinawa last year, and we rode on the Yui rail line many times during our trip, so I was surprised to see that they had a train simulation game that was just for driving that same line. A real trip down memory lane, as all the stops had their authentic music tune in the game, as well as video from the front of the monorail train that let us see all the fun places we had visited. The game itself was pretty basic, but had some punishing difficulty for being late or over the line, probably just like actually working for the Japanese rail line!

Game 5 - Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana - Nintendo Switch - Completed Jan 10th, 2025
I picked this up when I was visiting Japan last year, but just now got around to playing it. Game is great, though pretty similar to the PC re-release of the PSP game (and it showed here, a lot). The new artwork and voice acting as pretty fun though, and the game had a lot of good hidden secrets and areas to explore. Nice that it's a lot more tight focused experience than something like that later Ys games.

Game 6 - Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor - PC / Steam - Completed Jan 20th, 2025
I "finished" this game last year when it was in Early Access, but I've been revisiting it a bit over the last few weeks and finally finished it. The core gameplay is fun, and different enough from something like Vampire Survivors that it almost feels like it's an entirely different genre. I still maintain that mining for resources while also fighting enemies gives this game a unique spin on the genre. They've added a lot more game modes and locations since I last played, so it was fun to dig through everything and clear out all the new levels.

Game 7 - Club Nintendo Picross Plus - Nintendo 3DS - Completed Jan 23rd, 2025
Another great Picross game from Jupiter on the 3DS, though much shorter than the last one I finished (Logiart Grimoire). A lot of really great puzzles, and it was fun to do stuff from Animal Crossing, Mario, etc. Some of the puzzles were straight up bullshit, and I'm convinced that a few of them relied on guessing, which is kind of a no-no for these logic puzzles. Overall a lot of fun though!

Game 8 - Starship / Starfox 64 - PC - Completed Jan 24th, 2025
It's been a few years since I'd played through Star Fox 64 (I believe it was when it was re-released for the 3DS), so I thought I'd give the decomp PC project a go. Holy cow, this changes everything about the game! Being able to play in 32:9 ultrawide, at 240fps, wow! I was able to get through the entire game only dying once (on that stupid tank stage) so I felt like I did pretty good. Overall, a really fun way to play this classic game.

Game 9 - Vampire Survivors - Android - Completed Jan 25th, 2025
I've been playing this off and on since I got my Retroid Pocket 5, as it runs almost perfectly on that device and the game is free. I finished the full collection (watched the credits roll) and finished all the tasks in the base game - as I haven't yet bought the expansions on Android. This is still one of my favorite games of all time, so I'll probably toss some bucks their way to get the DLC here as well. If you haven't played this game yet for some reason, I'd recommend you do!

Game 10 - Peglin - Android - Completed Feb 2nd, 2025
Another game that I've been playing on my Retroid Pocket, this is a fun little rogue-like peg-game (think Peggle) with interesting combat mechanics and crazy combos. My winning run I had a huge lineup of relics (three whole rows!) and I was doing so much damage it was literally insane. The second boss I was able to kill in a single round! The final boss was a little tougher since they had so many hit points, but it made for a fun and challenging game overall. Very much recommended!

Game 11 - Jackbox Party Pack 2 - PlayStation 5 - Completed Feb 5th, 2025
My daughter came over, and we all played through all the games on the Jackbox Party Pack 2 (as well as some Drawful 2 and a few games from the third and fourth packs). Earwax was my favorite, such a funny game. Since my kids are both excellent artists, and my wife has a degree in art and design, I felt like a caveman drawing with my finger on the wall. Still though, these games hold up well and I was glad to see that even 10 years later the webpage for these still works great.

Game 12 - Ys X: Nordics - PC / GOG - Completed Feb 7th, 2025
A wonderful entry in the legendary Ys series, I really enjoyed this one a lot - much more than IX (though not as much as VIII). Music was great, characters were all fantastic. Combat was fun and quick, very action-y. I liked not having to swap between various characters or stances, where in pretty much every situation you can just walk up and wreck house on monsters, it's a good time. I think the only game in the series now that I haven't played (Celceta) is the next one up chronologically after this one, so that's good timing, on to that one!

Game 13 - Balatro - Android - Completed Feb 8th, 2025
I never really stopped playing this game from last year (it's great) but I started playing on Android (Retroid Pocket 5 strikes again!) and completed all the challenges again. This is one of my favorite games from last year, and it's still something that hasn't really been topped yet in my opinion. The build variety is still amazing, and the game has perfected the "one more round" gameplay loop.

Game 14 - Ys Chronicle 1 - Android - Completed Feb 9th, 2025
I was browsing through Android games I own that support controllers, and this one popped up. I've been on a bit of a Ys kick lately, and it's been nearly 10 years since I last played through this one, so I thought I'd give it a go. Turns out, this game is straight up horseshit. My biggest gripe with the game is that you stop leveling up at level 10, about halfway through the game. If the game let you keep leveling up, to say 16, then I would have enjoyed this game MUCH more. Also, the final boss came down to luck, totally rage inducing.

Game 15 - Vampire Survivors: Legacy of the Moonspell - Android - Completed Feb 14th, 2025
My favorite VS DLC by far, I picked this up for $2 on Android, so I could play on my Retroid, and it was indeed again fantastic. Finished all the objectives and the adventure mode for the DLC. Not much to say about this that I haven't already said in my reviews years past when I played it on PC and Switch. Not sure if I'll pick up the other DLC on Android (since I already own them all on two other platforms) but I might...

Game 16 - The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC - PC / Steam - Completed Feb 21st, 2025
I started this game nearly three years ago (yikes!) but kept shelving it for other games in the series. I've finished Cold Steel 1 and Nayuta since then, and started in on Cold Steel 2. Well, it looks like these characters were going to start recurring, so I decided to head back to this game and finish it out before continuing on. Great thing too - this game holds up amazingly well, and by the end it's now climbed to my favorite game in the series so far! I really missed out on not playing through this 20 years ago when it first released.

Game 17 - Final Fantasy: 20th Anniversary Edition - Retro Achievements - Completed Mar 4th, 2025
Started playing this game to test out the PSP emulator on my Retroid Pocket 5, and because I'm playing through Stranger of Paradise on PC and wanted to re-play the FF1 story. I ended up playing through the whole game in three days. I've played through the first Final Fantasy game a many number of times, but I did enjoy this version quite a bit as it had really nice sprite artwork. The retro achievements were also fun to collect!

Game 18 - Picross e - Nintendo 3DS - Completed Mar 5th, 2025
Since I got my 3DS all set up with a bunch of Picross games, this seemed like the logical place to start. I didn't play any of Juniper's Picross games on the 3DS back in the day, so it was fun to revisit this series' modern roots. Some of the puzzles seemed like they required guessing though, which definitely took away from the appeal somewhat. Still, I completed all of the puzzles in all of the modes.

Game 19 - Animal Crossing - Retro Achievements - Completed Mar 13th, 2025
I've been playing this game a little bit nearly every day for months. While it doesn't have the charm of the later entries, it certainly has a nice vibe to it that I think is missing as the series goes on. And although this isn't a game that you can actually "beat", I considered paying my house off (after the final upgrade) to be "the end". I'll probably pop in every now and again to check out the shop or to rearrange my house (and to pull weeds, lol). I also got all the dinosaur bones in the museum, and impressive amount of fish and bugs. Even several paintings.

Game 20 - Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin - PC / Steam - Completed Mar 16th, 2025
It's been a few years since I played through this last (since launch), so I figured I'd give this another go since my PC at the time was barely up to the task of running the game. It was also pretty poorly optimized at launch, as most Team Ninja stuff is. Anyway, I really enjoyed this game and consider it to be one of the best, if not the best, Final Fantasy spin-off games. The action is great, the class system is amazing, and overall it's just really well polished now. I got a consistent 120fps during gameplay, though sadly the cutscenes are still locked to 30fps. May try to tackle the DLC this time.

Game 21 - Powerwash Simulator: Back to the Future Pack - PC / Steam - Completed Mar 27th, 2025
I picked up the Back to the Future pack recently after watching all three movies again for the millionth time. This was a fun little DLC that was a lot more grounded than I was expecting, as you're hired on the production of the Back to the Future movies in the 80s to clean the various props and sets from the movies. Nothing extremely special here, but there were some fun things to clean up and a good mix of sets and vehicles. My only complaint was with the clock tower level, where there was so much verticality without having enough ladders and scaffolding. Otherwise, the rest of the levels will pretty great.

Game 22 - Powerwash Simulator - PC / Steam - Completed Apr 18th, 2025
I booted this up at the end of last month to play the Back to the Future DLC, but ended up playing through the entirety of the campaign mode again. It's been a few years since I played through this (on Xbox), but it's still an enjoyable way to game - mostly on my Steam Deck, and mostly while watching reruns of Star Trek TNG. I see that they've announced a sequel now, I'm looking forward to that!

Game 23 - Xenoblade Chronicles X - Nintendo Switch - Completed Apr 26th, 2025
I'm a huge fan of the Xenoblade Chronicles games, and I've now played through them all on the Switch. This game started out pretty slow, but once it got going, it really got going! Overall, I put nearly 130 hours into this game, playing through the main game as well as the new Chapter 13 content. I really liked the game's quests, side quests, side content, giant robots, all really great. The music was, of course, fantastic. My only complaint is that the thirteenth chapter was a bit too long, and felt a bit like fan-fiction - though it did have a nice payoff at the end that felt like the actual end of the game. Not enough to dock it points because this game was incredible.

Game 24 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate - PC / Steam - Completed May 15th, 2025
I played through this game last year on the Switch, but it was unfinished (unbeknownst to me at the time). Now the story is actually finished (for the most part, I guess, at least there is an ending) so I decided to pick it up for cheap on PC. Game plays amazingly well on the Steam Deck, and incredibly well on my desktop PC - though no ultrawide is a bummer. The game is great, this time around it clicked a lot easier for me and I enjoyed it more than the Switch version.

Game 25 - The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 3rd - PC / Steam - Completed May 26th, 2025
This is the fifth game in the Legend of Heroes series that I've finished, and I have to say that I'm really digging the vibe these games have. In a lot of ways, each game feels like a season (or two or three) of an anime show, but every season is interconnected even if they don't focus on the same characters. This time around, I absolutely loved playing as Kevin and getting to see his backstory and interactions with the rest of the cast. Reis was also a good addition, but a bit of a stick in the mud most of the time. Good to see everyone else doing their thing, but sad to know that most of these characters won't get much (or any) screen time going forward. Can't wait for the next game! Gotta catch up with the story.

Game 26 - Monster Train 2 - PC / Steam - Completed May 30th, 2025
Overall this is such a great sequel to the original game - there are so many more systems in this game than the first, with the addition of equipment cards, room cards, and five new factions (each with their own game mechanics). In addition, you can unlock the original five factions from the first game, so this game can get a huge amount of variety. This will definitely be my "evergreen roguelike" for a while.

Game 27 - The Frog For Whom the Bell Tolls - PC / Retro Achievements - Completed Jun 2nd, 2025
I hadn't previously heard of this game before, but it looked like a quirky action RPG, and it was made by Nintendo and Intelligent Systems, and I've enjoyed their collaborations in the past (Paper Mario, etc.) This game was nothing short of amazing! I'm not sure why this never got a US release, because if I had had this on the original Game Boy, I would have played the ever-loving shit out of this game. The story is goofy and Earthbound-esque quirky, which I loved. The dialog was very charming. This is one of the best retro first playthroughs I've done in ages. 10/10.

Game 28 - Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time - PC / Steam - Completed Jun 6th, 2025
I'm a huge fan of the original Fantasy Life game on the 3DS, so I was pretty excited when this game was announced. The game didn't disappoint - it was full of a fun adventure and interesting things to do. The main storyline was cute, but the real meat of this game was in exploring the open world map to gather things for crafting, while killing monsters. I may have gone overboard, as my character was a level 82 wizard when I finally decided to finish the main storyline. This is a game I see myself coming back to, because even after finishing the main storyline it's still giving you quests to tackle and things to do.

Game 29 - Vampire Survivors: Emerald Diorama - Nintendo Switch 2 - Completed Jun 8th, 2025
Started up Vampire Survivors to test out the hardware limits on the new Switch 2, ended up playing through an entire campaign lol. I'm actually a huge fan of the SaGa series, and it fit in with Vampire Survivors surprisingly well here. The new weapons all had "glimmer" effects that could be unlocked to do special moves while using them. The new stage was fun, though a bit of a shame that Mad Grove didn't work in it. Not better than the Castlevania DLC, but this was free and tons of fun.

Game 30 - Vampire Survivors: Operation Guns - Nintendo Switch 2 - Completed Jun 20th, 2025
I'm continuing to play all the Vampire Survivors DLC that I've missed, and the next one up was the Operations Guns DLC which covers a crossover with the Contra series. I've only really played the first Contra game, so some of the stuff here didn't really make sense to me. However, the new weapons were great fun, and the new stage is now my "go-to" for getting stuff done. Even though these are pretty light on content, there is a lot to do, and I can't really complain because they're like $3.

Game 31 - A Building Full of Cats - PC / GOG - Completed Jun 21st, 2025
I picked this up for a couple of bucks on GOG because I'm a fan of their other games. Nothing too special here, there were about 5 different "Where's Waldo" style puzzles where you click on the hidden cats to find them and highlight them. I think this is one of the developer's first titles, because there were a few things here that didn't make much sense (like actual / non-cartoon cats hidden that run away when you click on them) and some things weren't well explained. Still worth the $2 for the hour or so it took me to finish.

Game 32 - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - PC / Steam - Completed Jun 26th, 2025
The only thing I can say about this game is: wow it was great. Totally unexpected (I famously predicted a metascore in the low 70s), but turned out to be an absolute masterpiece and an instant modern classic. A great return to turn-based combat, with an engaging storyline told throughout. A great cast of characters that all felt really fleshed out. The music was an absolute masterpiece in its entirety, and easily (for me) the star of the whole production. 10/10 game.

Game 33 - TMNT Splintered Fate: Casey Jones and the Junkyard Jam - Nintendo Switch 2 - Completed Jul 3rd, 2025
I played through this game, yet again, from the beginning - but this time picked up the Casey Jones DLC and played it in couch co-op mode on the Switch 2. The game ran great on the new hardware, hardly any slowdowns at all and everything felt really smooth. The new DLC content was pretty great, especially for it's low price. The new artifacts were really cool in multiplayer. The couch co-op mode was a bit underwhelming, and often buggy, but fun enough although it dimished the challenge a bit.

Game 34 - Brotato - Nintendo Switch 2 - Completed Jul 15th, 2025
Spent a bunch of time in a hospital recently, so I picked up Brotato for $3 and ended up playing it for about 60 hours. Beat all level 5 runs with every character. Game runs really well on the Switch 2, but it also ran pretty well on Switch 1 as I recall. Still a great game to pick up and play somewhat mindlessly for about 20 minutes at a time.

Game 35 - 12 Labours of Hercules XIV: Message in a Bottle - PC / Steam - Complted Jul 23rd, 2025
Another Hercules game...

Game 36 - Final Fantasy II (SNES) - Retro Achievements - Completed Aug 1st, 2025
I've probably played through this game 20+ times, but somehow had never played through the original version of this game since discovering Retro Achievements. Today, that's been rectified, and I'm happy to report that I've 100% mastered this set of achievements which is something I rarely ever do. After most recently playing the pixel remaster version, I forgot how absolutely dogshit the translation / script was in this version of the game. It's a wonder I knew anything of what was happening in the game way back when. Anyway, I'm super excited that this game now is featured in my RA profile!

Game 37 - Little Noah: Scion of Paradise - Nintendo Switch 2 - Completed Aug 6th, 2025
I picked this game up for a couple of bucks on sale because it looked kind of interesting. The story was dogshit, but the gameplay was decent enough for me to power through. Since this was a roguelike, it had some fun upgrades you do after you die, and everything felt like it was building your stats decently and making for better runs. Some builds were downright broken with the right kit, which I really enjoyed. Only took me about 10 hours to beat the game, so it didn't overstay its welcome. Not a masterpiece by any means, but a fun game overall.

Game 38 - Dungeon Village 2 - Nintendo Switch 2 - Completed Aug 11th, 2025
I played through the original Dungeon Village years ago, and was craving another RPG town simulator, so I picked this one up on sale. While the first town was essentially functionally equivalent to the first game (with a few new twists), the real interesting stuff opened up when I unlocked the ability to manage multiple towns on the world map. Unfortunately, by the time I finished the second town the gameplay got pretty stale and the rewards for doing new content slowed to a crawl. So the most fun part of the game is front loaded, but that was also the part most like the first game. Finished this one but was pretty happy to be done with it by the end.

Game 39 - The Takeover - Nintendo Switch 2 - Completed Aug 14th, 2025
I played through this in local co-op with my son. We've been in the mood for a good beat-em-up game for a while, and this had a very Streets of Rage vibe so I thought we would give it a go. This definitely feels like an old Xbox 360 Arcade game. I think we got soft-locked about 4-5 times while playing through it, usually either an enemy that died but didn't disappear, or one of us dying before the end of the level. The games ending is terrible and boils down to a binary decision. Very lazy. Overall just very "meh".

Game 40 - 12 Labours of Hercules XV: Little Big Adventure - PC / Steam - Complted Sep 10th, 2025
Another Hercules game... I'm not sure why I keep playing these, besides I find them interesting.

Game 41 - Picayune Dreams - PC / Steam - Completed Sep 18th, 2025
I got this game during a GAF giveaway, I had never heard of it before but it looked to be something I'd enjoy. The premise is a bit... strange. However, the gameplay itself is a fun survivors-like where the experience points your character earns is the damage numbers that your weapons do. So - the higher you can make your damage output, the more exp you get to pump the number up higher. This is a pretty cool concept, but it definitely leads to some situations where builds can be very ineffective, leading them to just get worse over time. Between levels are little Undertale-style RPG(?)ish story sections. A unique and interesting game!

Game 42 - The Exit 8 - Nintendo Switch 2 - Completed Sep 29th, 2025
I played this game for about an hour before going to see the live action movie, so I could get the premise down. The movie was excellent, so I came back to finish the game. Some of the anomalies were really tricky to find, but I eventually got them all. This game was really cool, and easily worth the asking price, although its a bit short.

Game 43 - Hades II - Nintendo Switch 2 - Completed Oct 23rd, 2025
One of the best games I've played this year, hands down. While I did tackle the early access version when it first released last year, the final release is a lot more fleshed out and polished. Game runs at a solid 60fps on Switch 2, which was great. Also included cloud saves and cross saves, so occassionally I'd do a run on my Steam version in ultrawide which was also amazing. Story: excellent. Gameplay: phenominal. Music: incredible. I know this was Supergiant's first sequel, but they really should make a third game in the series...

Game 44 - Ball x Pit - PC / Steam - Completed Oct 25th, 2025
A Vampire Survivors-like Breakout clone that does a decent enough job at both. The core gameplay loop here is extremely satisfying, but the main menu / base building aspect of this game got tiring in a huge hurry. Getting the right combinations of different balls and unlocking evolutions was also great, and this game nails the survivors-like gameplay of being weak starting out but wrecking house by the end of a run.

Game 45 - Absolum - Nintendo Switch 2 - Completed Oct 25th, 2025
I played through this to 100% completion in two player co-op with my son. Initially I was turned off by the game's terrible design choices, and it's god awful story elements, but decided to stick it out because the brawler gameplay was actually really fun. I'm glad I stuck with it, because by the end the game was tons of fun and there were lots of (perhaps unintentional) laugh-out-loud moments. The end game is where this really shines, because the game has no problems at all with you breaking it.

Game 46 - Dragon Quest I HD-2D Remake - PC / Steam - Completed Nov 1st, 2025
The original Dragon Quest (Dragon Warrior) is a game I've played through several dozen times, at least. This is far and away the best version of the game that's been made. Not only do the cut scenes and voice acting add so much more to the game, but the story tie-ins with the third game are incredible as well. This version also introduces several new NPCs that get a bit of character progression throughout. My biggest gripes are that there are no party members (which makes some of the battles crazy hard) and that there is now "pause" ability during those cut scenes. Still, the game is a solid 10/10.

Game 47 - Pokémon Legends Z-A - Nintendo Switch 2 - Completed Nov 7th, 2025
I'm not a huge Pokémon fan (my kids both are!) but I've played a few games. I played through Sword and Scarlet in the last few years, but I had skipped Legends Arceus, so I wasn't sure exactly what to expect here. The Pokémon battles in this game were excellent, and the core Pokémon mechanics are intact here, which I really liked. The story in this game though, not great. Could have really benefitted from some voice acting! I actually did enjoy the ending a lot though, so it picked up there. Probably won't play the DLC, but still enjoyed my time with this one.

Game 48 - Once Upon a Katamari - PC / Steam - Completed Nov 12th, 2025
This is a weird one to judge - on one hand, I'm super happy that this exists and got made. On the other, I'm a bit disappointed overall in the way this game plays out compared with the other Katamari titles in the series. The inclusion of the power ups felt great and fresh, but the level designs were definitely lacking - lots of times I got stuck in places that the game shouldn't have even let me be in. The focus on crown collecting (rather than the individual stage requirements) was also a curious choice. I think I landed on this game being a solid "C".

Game 49 - Monument Valley - PC / Steam - Completed Nov 14th, 2025
I had played this before on mobile, but this time I played through the gamem on PC using a controller. That, and the Steam Deck, which ran the game very well. The controls weren't as intuitive as touch screen, and took some getting used to. The puzzles were of course still excellent, even though I remembered a few from when I played this a few years back. I also played through the bonus episodes and charity thing that are included in the PC release. Fun and relaxing.

Game 50 - Ys vs. Trails in the Sky: Alternative Saga - Nintendo Switch - Completed Nov 16th, 2025
I picked this up and ended up playing it on the Switch 1 (since there wasn't any particular Switch 2 upgrade) and it looked great on the ol' OLED model. I didn't play this game on the PSP, and it was a fun take on the Ys gameplay with Trails characters. I finished the story mode with Adol (the best) and found it to be pretty amusing. I loved all the cameos from all of the different games. Fun, but short and easy to grind the next-to-last boss to get everything unlocked within a few hours.

Game 51 - Bastion - PlayStation 5 - Completed Nov 20th, 2025
It's been about 10 years since I last played Bastion, but after finishing up Hades II last month, I decided to kick it back to Supergiant's origins - and I'm glad I did. While obviously not as in depth as Hades or it's sequel, I really love Bastion and it's characters. The gameplay is good too (I did a new game plus) and I was able to unlock a few PlayStation trophies I didn't get ten years ago. Still an incredible story with a great ending.

Part 2

 

[tav7623]

Time to get back to it ( ) good luck every one!

1. Call of Duty Black Ops 6 Multiplayer - PS5, est playtime: 10+ hrs, hit Prestige 2 on 1/2/25
I have a long history (almost 20 years) with playing the Call of Duty games (my first CoD was CoD 2 for the Xbox 360) so one of the games I got for Christmas this past year was Black Ops 6 and so far (without even touching the campaign, which I will be doing cause I've played the campaign for every CoD I've played except for Black Ops 4 which doesn't have a campaign or Zombies) I'm really enjoying it as I've managed to go from level 1 to being halfway through Prestige 2 in about a week. I'm gonna try and not let this game take up all my time this year but at the very least I want to complete the Season 1 Battle Pass, the campaign, and if I'm lucky beat the story for CoD Zombies.

2. AstroBot - PS5, est. playtime: 13 hrs, 100% completed & earned the Platinum trophy on 1/10/25
I love a good platformer and I enjoyed my time with the prequel/launch game Astro's Playroom (which I also 100% completed & earned the platinum trophy for) enough that I knew I was in for a good time with this game. After it was all said and done I gotta say I wasn't disapointed as well as pleasantly surprised at the amount of cameo bots/costumes that I came across. The only thing I didn't like about the game is that there wasn't a whole lot in the way of speedrun/time trail levels outside of the ones that were (from what I can tell) post launch DLC as that (especially the ice skating/ice levels) was one of my favorite things about Astro's Playroom.

3. Yakuza 3 - PS4 (on PS5 via Backwards Compatibility), est. playtime: 20+ hrs, beat the main story w/15% total in game & 29% Trophy completion on 1/18/25
Several years back I was introduced to the Yakuza series and have slowly been working my way through the series. Of the 5 Yakuza games I've beaten (0, Kiwami 1, Kiwami 2, & 6) including this game I've got to say that the ending for this game was a bit more anti climatic and was imo a lot easier compared to the other games in the series I've beaten.

4. Tekken 4 - PS2, est. playtime:6+ hrs, beat Story Battle (aka Story) mode with every character on 1/20/25
I've been a long time fan of the Tekken series, but one of the few Tekken games I never owned (only ended up renting it) was Tekken 4. Well a few day ago I finally got the game as part of a PS2 game bundle and upon revisiting the game for the first time since it originally released it ended u[ reinforcing my feelings of the game I had way back then. Which to be honest aren't very good as it introduced one of my least favorite characters (Steve Fox), has imo one of the worst Tekken Force mode (only Tekken 6's Tekken Force mode is imo worse and it's mainly because it's longer than the one in this game), and has imo one of the easiest final bosses (unless you're playing as Steve then it's pretty challenging, but that's because Steve sucks) in franchise history as I was able to beat all 8 Story Battle fights with Lei Wulong (according to the in game clock) in about 5 mins 7 seconds without losing a single round.

5. TimeSplitters - PS5 (PS2 Classics), est. playtime: 2 hrs, beat all the story levels on Normal difficulty earning 11 of 21 Trophies on 1/23/25
It's been a while since I had played this game (late 2001) so I was kinda surprised at how quickly I was able to tear through all the levels in story mode though to be honest there wasn't much of a story. I also think a lot of it has to do with the improved loading times as well as the game's auto aim/lock on system which made run & gunning in a tight squeeze something of a breeze. One thing I do remember back from when I originally played this game (other than the challenge where you gotta break so many window panes in under a set time limit) was that the true challenge of the game was beating Challenge Mode as well as unlocking all the cheats and characters by beating levels within a certain time on every difficulty.

6. TimeSplitters 2 - PS5 (PS2 Classics), est. playtime: 5 hrs, beat all the story mode levels w/all objectives complete on Normal difficulty earning 16 of 21 Trophies on 1/30/25
With all three TimeSplitters games now available on PS4/PS5 I decided that since I had revisited the first game that I should also revisit the second game as it's been nearly 20 years (2005-2006 ish) since I last played this game (first on the PS2 then on the GameCube) though unlike with the first TimeSplitters I didn't breeze through story mode which imo was a lot more cohesive compared to the original game. Overall the game was bigger & better than the original game and I really enjoyed my time revisiting the game, it's got me looking foward to finally playing TimeSplitter 3: Future Perfect (the lone TimeSplitters game I haven't played) as well as eventually trying to earn the Platinum trophy for all 3 games.

7. Sonic CD - PS5 (via Sonic Origins Collection), est. playtime: 2 hrs, beat the game in Anniversary mode with the Good Ending which I earned by getting all the Time Travel stones on 1/31/25
I'm a long time fan of Classic Sonic and up until a few years ago had played just about every 2D Sonic game with the exceptions of Sonic CD, Knuckles Chaotix, Tails Adventure, and the GBA/DS Sonic games. When I did finally play Sonic CD for the very first time (which was around 2012) I remember enjoying the opening cinematic & theme song (which I still do like) and that's about it as I stopped playing after reaching Collision Chaos Zone as I found the zone to be a pain in the @$$ to play through. Plus shortly after starting that playthrough I found out the game had a Good & Bad ending which apparently required going back to the Past in each Act finding Robotnik's Machine & destroying it, but I found the time travel mechanic to be poorly implimented which made going to/from the Past/Future a hassle. I finally revisited the game with the release of the Sonic Origins Collection which included the original as well as an improved "Anniversary" edtion of the game and pretty much all my initial thoughts of the game were re-confirmed so once again I stopped playing at Collision Chaos Zone, but planned on eventually brute forcing my way through the game as I intended to 100% complete the Sonic Origins Collection. Well fast forward to yesterday (1/30/25) I find out from talking to someone on the Backlog Beat Discord server that you don't need to do the time travel thing to get the good ending, you can doing by getting the game's version of the 7 Chaos Emeralds aka the 7 Time Crystals via the Special Stages (which required making it to the end of the Act with 50 rings) so with that in mind I once again jumped back into Sonic CD. Now that I've finally beaten the game with the Good Ending I can say that going that route made for a lot more enjoyable experience especially considering that you can use the gold coins you get in the Sonic Origins Collection to retry the Special Stages. Once I got all 7 Time Crystals I found the game to be a lot more enjoyable as I was able to speed through the game without having to worry about the time travel mechanic. Overall the game is still not my favorite Sonic game as the early levels imo suck and the boss fights are a bit too easy imo, but I did really dig the music and the opening/good ending cinematics.

8. TimeSplitters 3: Future Perfect - PS5 (PS2 Classics), est. playtime: 4 hrs, beat story mode on Normal difficulty earning 18 of 26 trophies on 2/4/25
This was the lone TimeSplitters game I hadn't played back when it first came out so I kinda went into this game blind, but now that I've beaten it I gotta say it's imo the most cohesive & story driven game in the entire series and I really liked it. Now initially I didn't as I wasn't a big fan of the game especially it's default controller settings, thankfully the game allows for custom settings so I was able to tweak the controls more to my liking and made the rest of my playthrough a lot more enjoyable. One of my favorite things about this game (other than the nod to Perfect Dark in one of the later levels) was that it carried on the story from the previous game as well as gave the character of Cortex a lot more personality than he had in the previous games.

9. Syphon Filter - PS5 (PS1 Classics), est. playtime: 6 hrs, beat the game's story mode on normal/default difficulty & earned the Platinum Trophy on 2/13/25
Being a long time Playstation user I've over the years dabbled in the Syphon Filter series, but could never really get into it mainly due to the controls which I didn't find to be all that intuitive. On top of that there was imo a far better steath action game on the system, Metal Gear Solid (a game so awesome I still have my original copy from 1998) so when the series got added to PS Plus Classics for PS4/PS5 I figured I'd finally give it a second chance. Overall it was ok, I liked the premise even though it was imo done better as a side story/subplot in MGS and the voice acting while imo hammy as hell had a little bit of charm to it. My biggest gripe, other than the controls, has to do with how dark/limited draw distance the game had (which to be fair is not the game's fault since it was I believe a early PS1 game) making navigating levels a bit of a chore that led to a lot of back tracking on my part. While I wasn't blown away by the game I do intend on eventually tackling the other games in the series to see if/how it evolves in the later games.

10. Syphon Filter 2 - PS5 (PS1 Classics), est. playtime: 8 hrs, beat the game on normal/default difficulty & earned the Platinum Trophy (which was easier than SP as it they were unmissable) on 2/14/25
I originally wasn't gonna play this game so soon after the first one since I was not a big fan of the game, but my curioustity got the better of me so I decided to check it out. Now I came into this game with low expectations, but with a small glimmer of hope that the sequel would be better. Outside of a game breaking glitch (where Logan would only run in essentially 1 direction and would make boss fights un beatable if it occurred at the start of a boss battle), the rough 3rd person camera that sticks to the main character, and a few levels full of essentially unkillable armor enemies that can 1 shot kill you I actually really enjoyed this game. It was imo a vast improvement over it's predecessor as it had a more interesting, cohesive story & level design than the first game. I also like how the first half of the game it jumps back & forth between Logan & Xing, that there were more stealth sections (also you had the option to either be stealthy or go loud in a number of the levels), and that the controls had been improved over the previous game.

11. Tomb Raider II Remastered - PS5, est. playtime: 24 hrs, beat the game on normal difficulty and earned all but 6 of the game's Trophies on 2/21/25
I have a lot of fond memories & PTSD from this game (the Maria Doria levels, the last 2 levels, and being harrassed by the creepy old butler) as this was the 3rd PS1 game I ever owned (Crash Bandicoot & Lost World: Jurassic Park were the other 2), but the first one I bought with my own money just after Christmas the year it came out/got released (1997) as my sister & I had gotten a PS1 for Christmas. Since I got the TR 1-3 Remastered collection for my b-day this past year I figured it was fitting that I start with the first Tomb Raider game I ever played, Tomb Raider II, and even though it's been over 20 years since I did a full playthrough of the game I was surprised at how much I remembered from my original playthrough. Areas that I remember giving me trouble during my original playthrough on the PS1 seemed to go a lot better than I thought they would, some areas I remember breezing through gave me some (but not much) trouble, and there were still a few things (the shark & spiders) that still freaked me out/brought up some PTSD from my original playthrough. All in all it was a blast from the past revisiting Tomb Raider II after all these years and while I am tempted to 100% complete the game's new trophies I think I'm gonna hold off until I've played all the other games in the collection especially the TR II bonus game/expansion The Golden Mask that was originally included in the PC Gold Edition of the game as I've never played it before since I played pretty much all the classic TR games on the PS1 instead of PC so it should be an interesting experience checking them out for the very first time.

12.Gran Turismo 7 - PS5, est. playtime: 39 + hrs, completed all the base game menu books for Cafe Mode (aka Story mode) on 2/28/25

13. Jurassic Park NES - PS5 (via Jurassic Park Classic Games Collection), est. playtime: 3+ hrs, beat the game on 3/1/25
I'm a big fan of the Jurassic Park series (I saw the movie in theaters like 3 times as a kid), but when it came to Jurassic Park video games, especially the 8 bit, 16 bit, & 32 bit ones I'd only really played 3 of them (2 of the 3 Jurassic Park games, namely Jurassic Park & Jurassic Park: Rampage Edition for the Sega Genesis and the Lost World: Jurassic Park for the PS1) and of those 3 I'd only ever really beaten 2 of them (Jurassic Park for the Sega Genesis & Lost World: Jurassic Park for the PS1) so I was really interested in seeing how the non Sega Genesis games (which I, due to nostalgia & being a vet of "The Console Wars", viewed as the superior games over the NES/SNES/GB games) played. Well lets just say I was not impressed by Jurassic Park for the NES and that the only parts I really liked were the T-Rex battles & the mini levels that required you to dodge rampaging Triceratops. Based on the little previews of all the games in the collection it looks like the first GB and SNES games are gonna be very similar to the NES game, which I'm not too thrilled about but hopefully they'll turn out better than I expect them to be.

14. Sly Cooper and the Thievious Raccoonus - PS5 (via PS + Premium Classics), est playtime: 6hrs, beat the game with 83% in-game completion (did everything but the time trials) and 95% trophy completion on 3/6/25
I originally played this game when it first came out back in 2002 and really enjoyed it, but never really beat it (got as far as the Panda King levels) because my sister (who I had made the mistake of introducing to the game) took over my playthrough and finished the game before I could do it myself so it was kinda nice to finally beat the game after all these years. Now that I've finally beaten this game I'm thinking of tackling both Sly 2 & 3 as I've never really played either game (after Sly 1 my sister became obsessed with the series so she got every Sly game after Sly 1) outside of the rare instance of helping my sister get through a difficult section, but may make a couple of detours before I do tackle them.

15. Super Mario Sunshine - Switch (via Mario 3D All-Stars Collection), est playtime: 20+ hrs, beat the game with 96 Shines and 140 (out of 240) Blue Coins on 3/23/25
This game was the first 3D Mario game I owned (I didn't own a N64 & a copy of Mario 64 until after I'd already gotten a GameCube w/Mario Sunshine) and it had been so long since I'd last played it (2005 ish) that I couldn't remember if I'd even beaten it. So in honor of Mar10 day I decided to revisit the game and now that I've beaten it I can see why I'd forgotten that I'd already beaten it as the final boss fight was a breeze (only got hit once the entire boss fight and it was on purpose) and the ending was imo kinda forgettable. Overall the game was solid (not bad, but not as good as other 3D Mario games) as it had some fun bits (the introduction of Bowser Jr., using the different nozzles) as well as some really frustrating bits (the stages where Shadow Mario steals the FLUDD device and you're forced to traverse these 3D space platforms, the bits where you have to use FLUDD to navigate decaying leafs or the boat in Corona Mountain), but the biggest detractor for me is that you get a lackluster reward ( a different end screen, which was one of the few things I did remember about the game) you get for 100% completing the game, which is why I didn't quite 100% complete it for this playthrough.

16. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Switch, est playtime 80+ hrs, beat the game on 3/31/25
I'm still stewing on this one, it's going to be a while before I can articulate my feelings about this game beyond it's a worthy sequel to Breath of the Wild

17. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell - PS2, est playtime: 15 hrs, beat on normal difficulty on 5/6/25
I have a mixed history with the Splinter Cell series. I've played most of the games in the series, but only ever actually beat a small handful of them (Chaos Theory & Conviction) so it's kinda nice to finally beat the first game in the series. While not my favorite game in the series (that honor currently goes to Conviction) it was a solid game and I for the most part enjoyed playing through the game.

18. Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny Remastered - PS5, est. Playtime: 7 hrs 12 mins, beat the game on Normal difficulty with 55% completion & a C Rank on 5/28/25
I played the first Onimusha when it first came out and really enjoyed it, but for whatever reason I ended up skipping the rest of the games in the series. When Capcom announced they were doing a remaster of the 2nd Oninusha game I decided it was time to finally tackle this game and see what I had missed out. Overall I'm still mixed on it, the gift system kinda confused me and made me mad when I found out it was tied to which ending/how much of the story you experience, but I did enjoy the story that I did experience as well as being able to perform the ishin (one hit kill) move a lot more consistantly than the first game.

19. MLB the Show 25 - Nintendo Switch 2 (via Nintendo Switch Backwards Compatibility), est. Playtime:10+ hrs, played in Diamond Dynasty mode and have so far finished 1/3 of the the conquest maps, live series collections, and have a 90 rated Diamond Dynasty team on 6/22/25
I'm a sucker for MLB the Show, but I make it a point to skip a year before purchasing a new game in the series and I was in fact planning on skipping this year (making it 2 years in a row) until the baseball bug bit me after attending the 3rd game of the season between the Boston Red Sox & the New York Yankees (aka the Greatest Rivalry in Baseball) at Yankee Stadium (it was my first time there & first time seeing these two teams play against each other live in person and it didn't disappoint as the Sox won 11-7) and I couldn't resist picking up the Switch.

20. Mario Kart World - Nintendo Switch 2, est. Playtime: 7+ hrs, beat Grand Prix mode (3 Star 1st Place Finishes in every race & cup) at 50cc on 6/22/25
I have a mixed history with the Mario Kart games, I've played just about every one of them except for the SNES & Gameboy Advance games, but to date the only one I've really enjoyed (enough to 100% complete it) was Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U (I did eventually pick up a complete w/DLC copy of the game for the Switch, but I haven't put too much time into it) while the rest of them I was just content to beat all the cups at least once and call it a day. When this game was announced the open world mechanic & costume change feature was intriguing enough for me to want to pick up the game, but since I was not a big fan of the $80 price tag I ended up going with the Mario Kart World Switch 2 bundle since it knocked $30 off the price of the game. So far I've really enjoyed the game (except for Knockout Mode, that mode is making me rage) and while it's imo still not a $80 game it's one of the better Mario Kart games I've played so I look forward to 100% completing the game (which I can already tell is going to be a challenge, but I'm looking forward to it) in my spare time.

21. Soul Calibur II - GameCube, est Playtime: 8+ hrs, beat the Weapon Master mode once on Normal, unlocked all but 3 hidden/unlockable characters (they require a second playthrough of WM mode) and beat Arcade mode with several characters on 8/7/25
I have a spotty history with the Soul Calibur/Soul Edge games, to date as I've only played 3 games in the series (2,3, & 6) and this version of Soul Calibur 2 is my favorite of the bunch due to the inclusion of Link from The Legend of Zelda. I first played this game back around 2004 shortly after getting my GameCube, but don't recall ever beating Weapon Master mode. A few years later I got rid of my GameCube and all my GameCube games since I didn't play it as much as I used to, flashforward to last year (2024) I decide to revisit the system & it's library of games. One of the first GameCube games I picked up was Soul Calibur II as I wanted to revisit the game and finally beat Weapon Master mode. Coming back to this game one of the things that surprised me and I can't believe I forgot about it was that Yoshimitsu from Tekken is in this game so I was shocked to say the least when I encountered him during my playthrough of Weapon Master mode, another thing that I'd forgotten about that surprised me was the large amount of in game unlockables on top of the several unlockable characters the game had.

22. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance - Switch, est Playtime 15 hrs, 100% completed the main campaign on 9/12/25
When it comes to the Shinobi games my history with them is spotty at best, to date I've played 5 games in the series (including Art of Vengeance) and the only games outside of this one that I've beaten were the PS2 reboot & the 3DS game. So originally I had no intention of buying let alone playing this game but after hearing that people involved in the making of Streets of Rage 4 (which I absolutely loved) were also involved with this game it became a must have game for me. The game didn't disappoint and I enjoyed it I 100% completed the entire main campaign.

23. Silent Hill f - PS5, est Playtime: 9 hrs 50 mins, completed one playthrough of the game on 10/2/25
I've been a long time fan of the Silent Hill series and while I'm not a big fan of the more recent games except for the remake of Silent Hill 2 I was cautiously optimistic going in to this game. Gameplay wise I really enjoyed the game and I enjoyed it's Japanese setting, as for the game's story well let's just say the jury is still out on it cause I've heard things get expanded upon during additional playthroughs & atm I'm not in the mood to additional playthroughs. Though I will say there were a few parts I did not like namely the scarecrow puzzle maze section and I especially didn't like the jealous girl who's supposed to be Hinako's friend but is discreetly betraying/attacking her any chance she got.

24. Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance - Switch (via Castlevania Advance Collection), est Playtime: 8 hrs, beat the game with the Good Ending & 198% completion.
Of the Castlevania games that have come out over the years 2 of the GBA games (Circle of the Moon & this game) were one of the few games in the series I had never played before and since the release of the Castlevania Advance Collection I've been slowly making my way through them with this game being the last of the GBA games I'd never played before. Overall I actually enjoyed this game a lot more than I did Circle of the Moon to the point I nearly 100% completed the game during my first playthrough and plan on replaying the PS4 version next year as part of my goal to Platinum/100% every single Castlevania Collection (I've already got the Platinum for the Requiemm collection, and a 1 trophy away from 100% completing the Anniversary Collection which just leaves the Advance & Dominus collections) that's been released on the PS4/PS5.

25. Mortal Kombat (Arcade) - Switch 2 (via MK Legacy Collection), est Playtime: 1 hr, beat the Arcade ladder w/Scorpion on 12/16/25
I've been a long time fan of the Mortal Kombat games, with my first MK game being the Arcade version of the first Mortal Kombat game. So I felt it was fitting that the first game I played in the Mortal Kombat Legacy Collection was the Arcade version of Mortal Kombat and man was it difficult, but a lot of the difficulty imo was due to player moves not connecting when they should have and the CPU cheating with instant counters. Thankfully this version of the game has a rewind feature (see I can cheat to you bastards ;P ) and due to the egregious level cheating by the CPU I had no qualms using the feature to chip away at the CPU fighter's health bar.

26. Mortal Kombat XL - PS5 (via backwards compatibility), est Playtime: 10+ hrs, beat story mode, a handful of Arcade towers, some online matches and earned 22 trophies bringing me within 12 trophies of earning the games Platinum Trophy (14 away from 100% trophy completion) on 12/20/25
When it comes to MK X/XL I have a love/hate relationship as I love the roster (especially the DLC roster, love playing as Slasher Jason), the gameplay, & the unlockables but hate the story, the variation system, & the trophy/achievement requirements especially the online ones. With that said I realized earlier this year that despite having the game on PS4 since 2018 I've never actually gone through the trouble of beating the game's story mode (mainly because I'd beaten it years earlier on the Xbox One) and since I was getting in a MK kinda mood I figured what the hell I 'll finally beat story mode for the PS4 version of the game as well as take the opportunity to knock out a few extra trophies while I was at it.

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

This is the year. I'm going to fucking do it. I haven't attempted it since 2021, then life got complicated. Now, it's simple: I've got 52 weeks and I'm gonna fucking do this.


1. Front Mission (DS) - 1/2 - 22 Hours
Started this one about a week ago, but I finished it in the New Year, so it totally counts. I've wanted to play this game for a long time, and I enjoyed it. It's a solid SRPG, though one that doesn't have a ton of nuance to it. The game was pretty damn tough at the outset, but the difficulty is definitely frontloaded and became a breeze closer to the end. There were a few relatively minor drawbacks like the cumbersome menus and the fact that killing enemies can take forever (especially earlier in the game), but it was ultimately a really satisfying experience and one that I'm glad I finally got around to. I played the OCU campaign, which is original storyline from the SFC version - I'll play the UCS campaign at some point, but... I need a break. 7/10

2. Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword (DS) - 1/5 - 4 Hours
I revisited NG: DS for the first time since my initial playthrough back in... man, what was it? 2009? Maybe 2008? I remember being kind of dismissive of the game when it first got announced because it was going to be almost entirely controlled by touch. Gave it a shot anyway and ended up having a great time, and that's still the case today. This remains a really fun game that distills Ninja Gaiden into a game that's super easy to pick up and play and immediately have fun with. Combat is satisfying, the game looks and sound great, and it doesn't overstay its welcome... which is just as well, as there's really not a ton of depth to the proceedings. It's a game that still feels novel today, and it does prompt one to wonder what mobile gaming would've been like if it'd leaned more in this direction as opposed to what it ultimately became. 8/10

3. Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen (DS) - 1/19 - 27 Hours
I bought DQIV back when it first came out on the DS in 2008 and couldn't get into it. I was looking for something darker and angstier, and that ain't Dragon Quest. I'd been meaning to give this one another shot for a while, so I rebought it and ended up really enjoying it this time. What makes this game work is that it's charming and mechanically simple - it does the stuff I want an RPG to do, but doesn't get bogged down on a million different gameplay systems. There were aspects of the game that were a bit obtuse, and I wish it had been a little clearer where you need to go at times... and the game really needed some more music -- but those are pretty minor quibbles with what remains a damn solid RPG that's totally worth replaying today. I'll eventually get to the other DS games, hopefully later this year. 8/10

4. Dino Crisis (PC) - 2/3 - ~10 Hours
GOG randomly re-released Dino Crisis, all fixed up so that it actually runs on modern machines. They did a good job - it works out of the box, just the way you'd hope, and is definitely the best version of the game since it has high-res visuals, but without the smeared textures or weird lighting from the DC version. Neat! Anyway, this is my first time really playing the game - I'd played maybe 15 minutes of it on a couple occasions in the past, but never stuck with it. To get the bad out of the way, this is the game where Capcom took all the excesses of Resident Evil and just went completely nuts - there are puzzles and passwords and keycards -- my God are there a lot of keycards. It's a really disjointed game where combat is kinda useless and it's really all about solving asinine logic puzzles that make no sense in the game's context (this is the most convoluted research lab ever concocted, seriously.) At times, it feels like a point-and-click adventure where you're wandering aimlessly trying to figure out what to do next to get the game to advance, and the way using items works is frequently inconsistent. When I got to the credits and saw that Shu Takumi - the guy that later went on to do Phoenix Wright - played a major role, it made a lot more sense how this game turned out the way it did (and I love PW, for the record). But while the puzzles were ridiculous, I still felt compelled to blow through the game in a scant few days. I definitely liked it. But man, it is a mess at times. 6.5/10

5. Dino Crisis 2 (PC) - 2/5 - 4 Hours
Now this is more like it. I've played through DC2 a few times at this point, and I always have a great time going back to it. It's a complete departure from the original and is now a pure action game where you'll kill more dinos in one room than you did in the entirety of Dino Crisis 1. I'd liken the feel to Onimusha with guns, and one of my favorite aspects of the game is how it can feel like a beat-em-up at times, with the way the game encourages you to group enemies together and lay waste to them with a super-powered single shot to rack up a big combo. The game still feels exceptionally snappy and - at 4 hours - doesn't overstay its welcome and instead just delivers consistent fun. The PC port of this game is kind of hit-or-miss in terms of how it stacks up against the original. The 3D assets obviously look better due to the resolution bump, but the backgrounds feel a bit blurred compared to the PS1 originals and there are a few visual effects (like motion blur) that aren't as pronounced on PC. It's been a while since I've played the original, but the music quality might be a bit better on PC... but then, the songs don't loop properly. Solid port overall that does bring some improvements to the table, though my vote would still be for the original game overall. Either way, though? It's great. 9/10

6. Trauma Center: Under the Knife (DS) - 2/8 - 7 Hours
I bought Trauma Center right when it first came out back in 2005. I thought it was a great game, but hit a wall at one of the levels with a huge difficulty spike, and dropped it. Then the Wii remake came out a scant year later, and I figured I didn't need the DS version anymore. Of course, over time I realized that the two versions are totally different experiences, and finally rebought the DS game this year. So yeah - it took me almost 20 years, but I finally finished the game. And man, did I earn it. Trauma Center is brutal. Especially towards the end, the difficulty is absolutely soul-crushing and demands every ounce of precision you can muster. Fortunately, it's also still really fun. The game's whole in-game gimmick is that you're a doctor that has the "Healing Touch" ability that lets him operate at superhuman speeds, and it sure feels like it as you're whipping that stylus all over the screen. Playing doctor really did end up being one of the best uses of the touch screen the DS ever saw, and while the controls are occasionally a bit finnicky, it's still a fresh, engaging experience today. But hard as hell. My hand really hurts now. 8/10

7. SPRAWL (PC) - 2/13 - 5 Hours
This one seemed like it'd absolutely be my jam - a fast-paced FPS with an emphasis on high-mobility, replete with a gloomy dystopian aesthetic. It was a decent enough game, but pretty far from any sort of greatness. There are a lot of minor issues that add up - it's basically death by a thousand paper cuts. The game's central gimmick is that you can wall-run and slide and use slo-mo to dispatch your foes. And those all work as advertised, except that the wallrunning and sliding quickly devolve into a throwaway gimmicks that don't have much impact on the proceedings. For those to be useful in combat, you need to use slo-mo, and you have way too little of that at your disposal, plus it can be a pain to recharge at times. So for the most part, you're just running around like a spaz trying to avoid enemy fire and occasionally shoot back. Where the wheels really fall off, though, is the gunplay. Pretty much all of the weapons in the game have major shortcomings. The pistols and SMGs are far too weak as you get farther into the game, making them kind of useless - enemies get super spongy and often require 4 headshots to take down. That takes all the satisfaction out of accurate shooting. The shotgun only has one shot that's super slow to reload, so if you go into slow-mo, it'll run out before you can get a second shot off. That's annoying. The gauss rifle-sorta thing takes too long to charge before firing off a shot. The chaingun makes you walk slower for some reason, but other seemingly heavier weapons don't. The rocket launcher is inaccurate to the point of uselessness. And these problems compound, because the enemies will frequently swarm you and you'll often feel like you have no good way to defend or fight back. The game also doesn't give you nearly enough feedback for when you take damage or for when you're damaging enemies, so it can feel like you're dying at random and it's hard to tell if you actually hit an enemy from their reactions to being shot. So, yeah - there are a lot of issues. Even so, it's a pretty fun game and I did like it enough to finish it, but this one could've used some more time in the oven. 6/10

8. OlliOlli (PC) - 2/15 - 1.5 Hours
Another middling indie game - I'm not having a lot of luck, apparently. I'd played a bit of OlliOlli years back (we're talking like 15 minutes or so) and thought it was pretty fun, but I never got around to really playing the thing. I randomly decided to sit down and blow through the whole thing in an evening on the normal difficulty and... it's fine? The core mechanics are fun. Doing tricks feels good, and getting a good flow through a given level is really satisfying... but the game can feel a bit fiddly at times, particularly when you find yourself missing jumps you totally should have made, because your character is still spinning in the air. There are niggling issues like that preventing the game's controls from feeling truly reliable. The bigger issue, which pops up later on in the game, is that levels are really designed with a "correct" line in mind, and there's not a lot of opportunity for experimentation. A score-attack focused game like this needs to be a bit more freeform in how its levels are designed. The game also throws a bunch of objectives outside of scoring at you, like collecting items throughout the stage in a single run. These aren't fun. Unlike a game like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, you need to just be on the perfect line to collect them, otherwise you'll have to restart - it's all the worst traits of modern indie platformers and their insistence on "die and retry" design. The other issue is that there's no real feeling of progression in the game - it's just a series of levels, with a few different background themes. There's no real satisfaction to clearing a level as a result - it basically has the scope of a flash game on Newgrounds. The art is also amateur hour - the backgrounds look like crap and the foregrounds can be visually confusing at times and are often hard to read when you're playing later stages for the first time. Ultimately, while the game's pretty fun, it has a superficial understanding of what makes platformers or THPS great. 6.5/10

9. Super Battle Princess Madelyn (exA Arcadia) - 2/18 - N/A Hours
It's been a couple of months since I've played this one, but I've kept it in the arcade rotation for a while because it's just a super fun and relaxing game to go back to. SBPM is essentially a full-on remake of Battle Princess Madelyn that actually delivers the arcade game that the devs promised back when they ran the Kickstarter years ago. It's immensely more polished and more fun than the other versions of the game out there, and it's a really satisfying game overall. The level designs are tight, the controls feel great (and any action-platformer that lets you fire super fast by mashing the attack button gets bonus points), and the artwork is really well-done. There are some minor letdowns here and there, like some bosses that are overly simplistic, throwaway battles; but it's nothing that holds the game back too significantly. My playthrough this time around was on the more difficult Exa Mode, and I managed to not just 1CC it, but No Miss it. Which... I pretty much always do at this point because I find the game pretty easy. But dammit, it's fun. 8/10

10. Gimmick Exact Mix (exA Arcadia) - 2/18 - N/A Hours
Well, I'm on a bit of an arcade kick, so I figured it couldn't hurt to play through one of my other favorites. Gimmick Exact Mix is a remake of the Famicom original that basically just takes everything up to the next level. The visuals are basically how you remember the game looking (though they've been substantially enhanced, and the original graphics are available as an option), and the arranged soundtrack is phenomenal. The gameplay is absolutely rock solid. It's a tough game to learn, but an incredibly satisfying game to go back to and breeze through whenever you're bored. And I did - this game remains an easy 1CC for me, and something that's actually pretty relaxing after getting so good at it. I don't think this game will ever stop being fun. 9/10

11. Super Meat Boy (PC) - 3/2 - N/A Hours
Stuck on a plane and bored, I randomly decided to fire up an old favorite. I used to speedrun Super Meat Boy and was close to the record at some point long, long ago... but it's been a few years since I've played any of it. I had no trouble immediately coming to grips with the game again and - despite playing on a keyboard (which is NOT ideal), I was able to rip through the game about as easily as I ever could. Even if I was a bit rusty. The game's aged incredibly well. I still love that SMB focuses purely on movement tech instead of gimmicks - it's mind-boggling how much control you have over the character. While I enjoy Celeste and some of the other, later games that have gotten a lot of plaudits, I don't think any other indie platformer has demonstrated the same mastery of core mechanics and focused level design. For this playthrough, I played the updated version of SMB that came out in 2018, which fixes some of the glitches (mostly bugs where hitting a platform at the wrong angle would accidentally kill you) and adds in the arranged soundtrack as an option. I still use the OST, but the new music has some really good tracks, too... outside of the first world's weird banjo music. Anyway, the game's still a classic after all this time, and anyone who hasn't played the game yet really should. 10/10

12. Katamari Damacy (PS2) - 5/26 - N/A Hours
After a long hiatus from the last game I finished, I've finally gotten back into it after hooking up my PS2 (which, along with the games, has been in moving boxes for over 3 years). I didn't get into Katamari the first time I played it back in 2005, but I figured I'd be more into it this time around now that my tastes are a bit broader. I was right. The game's conceptually super simple and there's not much to it, but there's such a satisfying flow to the gameplay that the lack of depth doesn't particularly matter. The soundtrack's great, too. The camera's occasionally a nuisance and the controls can be a bit frustrating at times when you're trying to maneuver through certain spaces; but there's not a whole lot of qualms to be had here. Just good, clean fun. 7/10

13. Nightshade (PS2) - 5/28 - ~4 Hours
I revisited Nightshade after a solid 20 years or so with high hopes. Shinobi's PS2 outing remains one of my favorite action games ever, but I remembered that Nightshade - while more of the same formula - had some issues. It's also nightmarishly difficult, and I'd only ever finished the game on easy back when I'd first played it. Well, I finally bested the game on normal which... actually wasn't too bad. In any case, Nightshade's still a great game, but definitely a flawed one in some ways. The big addition the game makes to Shinobi's mechanics is that there's a dive kick and a lot more emphasis on aerial combat, but it all gets to be a bit too messy at times, and enemies get to be overly sponge-y later in the game. All of those are compounded by a camera that often isn't up to the task and a lock-on system that will occasionally screw up your movement and cause you to plummet to your death. The speedboat stage, while conceptually cool, is kind of a nightmare for all of those reasons. Some stages feel like they're designed solely to antagonize the player and force you to hope that you luck out and don't have an enemy fire a projectile at just the wrong moment, because skill too often just isn't enough. The final boss is super annoying, too. But while there are some definite low points, the game still feels stupidly satisfying to conquer. The combat system and movement are streamlined to emphasize super speedy, extremely intense action; and I can't think of a single game that's really captured that same type of thrill in all these years since. There's some amazing music, too. Overall, I still find Nightshade to be a really solid game. It's not as good as Shinobi, which is a masterpiece, but absolutely worth playing today. 7/10

14. Rygar: The Legendary Adventure (PS2) - 6/1 - ~5 Hours
I'd played the first 20-30 minutes of Rygar back in 2003 or 2004 and it didn't quite grab my attention. For whatever reason, I've wanted to give it another shot for a long time, so I finally got around to it 20+ years later. Rygar is definitely more than the sum of its parts. There are a lot of issues at play - the camera angles are a nuisance and frequently mess up your movement, there's not much enemy variety, and the boss encounters are occasionally messy and unbalanced. I don't know if it's a pro or a con, but the story and voice acting are among the most hilariously awful I've ever seen in a game - it's genuinely shocking stuff. But while it still took some time for the game to hook me this time around, it ended up being quite a bit of fun once the game settled into its rhythm. The adventure elements in the game worked well and elevated the game beyond just another DMC clone, and the environments looked great and offered a pretty impressive array of level designs. It's interesting going back and looking at this game now after God of War aped its entire existence and games like Castlevania: Lament of Innocence did basically everything this game did, but much better. But for some reason, Rygar has charm. I had a good time with the game and could see myself coming back for another go-round someday, even if it's far from my first recommendation for a killer PS2 character action game. 7/10

15. Way of the Samurai (PS2) - 6/3 - ~2 Hours
Another game I revisited after a solid 20+ years away from it, Way of the Samurai has held up remarkably well. The game is a roguelike of sorts (back before anyone was really using that term for mainstream games) that you can finish in 30 minutes or so once you know what you're doing. It's part action game, part choose-your-own-adventure where you make constant decisions in what to say to characters and who to ally yourself with. It sounds like standard RPG stuff, but the freedom the game gives you to choose how to approach situations, and the way your decisions drastically mold the way the rest of the game plays out is really pretty remarkable. There are very few games that make experimentation so fun, which also makes WotS insanely replayable. I got a couple of the endings and thought I could call it a day, but... just like it did once upon a time, the game kept me hooked for a while longer. I ended up getting the "best" ending before calling it quits in favor of moving over to the Switch 2. In any case, the combat remains really solid and the weapon upgrade system is also super satisfying. The game does lack polish and it's clearly a super low-budget affair, but man is it fun. I never actually played any of the games in the series after this one, so I feel like I need to finally correct that someday. 7/10

16. Mario Kart World (Switch 2) - 6/7 - N/A Hours
My first Switch 2 game! I haven't actually put that much time into MKW yet, but I did play through all the courses on 50cc and got the credits to scroll, so this counts as a clear. I've since started digging into 150cc mode, which is immensely more satisfying, and toying around with the open world a lot more. What I'm most impressed by in MKW is how different it feels from Mario Kart 8. The game's a lot less focused on doing 3 laps around a track and puts almost all of the emphasis on long-form tracks. I'm not sure I like it better necessarily, but I'm absolutely loving it so far regardless. I'm also super impressed by just how polished the whole thing is.

17. Bravely Default: HD Remaster (Switch 2) - 6/24 - 37 Hours
I haven't touched Bravely Default since the original 3DS release back in 2014, so it was interesting to go back and see how I feel about the game after all this time. This remaster is pretty fantastic - better in every way, really. The visual improvements make the game much more pleasing to the eye, and the bump in audio quality is also very much appreciated. The bump up to 60fps makes a huge difference in how the game feels to play - everything just feels snappy now. I think that's one of the primary reasons why I ended up enjoying the game much more this time around than I did last time. Yes, the latter portions are still repetitive, but - maybe because I knew what to expect this time - I really didn't mind it. I'd also forgotten how dark the story gets in this one at times - it's a pretty unique take on an "old-style" Final Fantasy. The gameplay remains great, overall - Bravely Default's combat system was always excellent and the job system has one of the better implementations I've seen in an RPG. I was hooked on the game all the way through, and did just about everything there is to do. The game's paltry development budget is still pretty clear. The music, for example, is excellent but consists of far too few songs. The dungeons are fun, but rely on 2-3 really same-y tilesets that don't really have much uniqueness to them. But overall, it's still a really fun game and a fantastic remaster. 8/10

18. System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster (PC) - 7/3 - 16 Hours
Wow. Despite having heard nothing but rave reviews for the game for the last 25 years, I'd never played more than 10 minutes of the System Shock 2 from a demo disc back in the day. The game starts out with that initial lull that's typical of PC games from the era - you have to go through the training section and it takes a bit to come to grips with the mechanics and systems, and figure out how you're really supposed to approach the game. But as the best games from that era also did, System Shock 2 totally rewards you for the patience. 25 years on, this game is still spectacular. It's an insanely atmospheric game that serves up both a super engaging adventure and a feeling of absolute dread as you skulk through the Von Braun. Along with Super Metroid, this game does a better job of conveying a feeling of isolation in an alien world than just about anything else out there. Completely excellent stuff. The remaster is great, too - the game looks super clean and feels really smooth to play. I was initially turned off by the clumsy melee attack animations (specifically, when you actually hit an enemy) which aren't cleaned up at all from the original, but soon realized that while not the prettiest, melee combat is still functional and actually quite enjoyable once you get used to it. Probably better to keep it authentic, right? In any case, I'm glad I finally crossed this one off the backlog. Great game, absolutely deserving of the hype. 10/10

19. The Silver Case (PC) - 7/12 - 13 Hours
This was a ride. I went into The Silver Case blind, really knowing nothing about it beyond that it was a SUDA51 joint. And at first, I really wasn't too into it - the "adventure" segments were clumsy and largely pointless, and the plot has some definite ups and downs in the beginning. It turns out that this is one of those games that you really just do have to stick with. After that initial buildup of what seems to be a fairly rote police procedural, the game delivered - this is SUDA51 at his craziest. The philosophical musings, plot twists, and atmosphere hit a massive crescendo at some point, to the point where I had to take breaks from playing it just because the whole experience got so overwhelming at times. The are some definite shades of Killer 7 and some of SUDA's other work here, but this feels like the most unrestrained his ideas have been... which may or may not be a positive depending on your predilections. I'm a fan. I've always appreciated that era of Japanese PC sci-fi adventure games/visual novels on platforms like the PC-98 where the art, music, and plot work together to create something so oppressive and moody; and The Silver Case channels that exact energy into something that's now actually gotten a release in the US. The game is still rough around the edges - there are some definite low points at times - but the overall experience was still something unforgettable and that really hasn't been imitated. The sequel, The 25th Ward, is suddenly very high on my list of games to play. I'm glad I finally checked this one out. 8/10

20. The 25th Ward: The Silver Case (PC) - 14 Hours
What a letdown. I was pretty amped to jump into The 25th Ward after playing through The Silver Case's brand of insanity... but where The Silver Case manages to rein in its crazier elements, The 25th Ward goes completely off the rails. The game certainly gets off to a strong start, though, and looked poised to answer some of those unresolved questions from the first game. It's immediately a flashier rendition of The Silver Case with a fantastic soundtrack, and the pacing is initially far smoother - everything in those opening segments led me to believe I was in for a 9/10 or 10/10 experience. But then it stalled out. Hard. The game's subsequent chapters quickly devolved in a series of half-baked tangents with no rhyme or reason. SUDA basically spat out some crazy ideas, rambled on for a few paragraphs, and then dropped those plot points altogether within the span of minutes. Characters would suddenly be introduced as though they have some bearing on the plot, only to be shuffled off as quickly as they appeared. Hell, there's probably half a dozen scenes that end with two characters facing off, the screen fading to black, and then the sound of gunshots... all with no indication as to what actually transpired. And the cast in this game is massive, to the point where it's nigh-impossible to keep track of them all (and because so many of them are similar enough that they just run together). And the ultimate problem is that it all amounts to nothing. Where The Silver Case would introduce insane notions that - while sometimes baffling - ultimately created a sense of intrigue and led to a mostly satisfying conclusion, The 25th Ward never coalesces. And the game knows it - there are multiple scenes where a character will spout some crazy Suda-ism and another character will literally respond by saying "this doesn't make any sense." It's fine to present some ridiculous ideas and plot points and handwave some of the logic and details, but it has to have some level of consistency within the game world. A lot of people are willing to give Suda a free pass to do crazy, nonsensical things in his game, but I've got to call a spade a spade - this game just doesn't have any semblance of a coherant plot. Towards the end of it, I just shook my head at the plot developments, such as they are. It's laughable. The gameplay is also worse this time and relies on constant trial-and-error to guess how you're supposed to respond to dialogue trees or otherwise progress the point-and-click adventure segments. I didn't completely hate the game due to the fact that it still had some likeable protagonists and a couple of interesting ideas that it brought to the table... and that soundtrack. But this was a total wasted opportunity overall. 5/10

21. FixEight: Exa Label (exA-Arcadia) - N/A Hours
It's been a while since I've played any arcade stuff, so I went back to what's probably my favorite game of 2024 and finished up my 1CC of FixEight: Exa Label. This is, from top to bottom, an absolutely sublime game. The original FixEight was actually a pretty bad actioner when it first came out, but "Exa Label" retools it to play more like OutZone, and it just works. The gameplay is tense, constantly exciting, and paced extremely well. Playing for score as opposed to survival is practically an entirely different game, and it's just super fun regardless of how you want to play it. Visually, I love the game's bright sci-fi visuals and the redone artwork all looks great. The arranged soundtrack is pitch perfect. Honestly, everything this game sets out to do just works. No notes - this is just a great game. 10/10

22. Hollow Knight: Silksong - PC - 50 Hours

23. Resident Evil HD REMASTER (PC) - 11/3 - 8 Hours

24. Resident Evil 0 (PC) - 11/9 - 8 Hours

 

[Psychotic_Mantis]

2025 - 106/52

Spoiler: All Completions!!!

1. Daymare: 1998 (PS4) - 6/10
2. Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure (3DS) - 8/10
3. Where's Waldo (NES) - 3/10
4. Princess Peach: Showtime! (Switch) - 7/10
5. Donkey Kong/DK Jr./ DK 3 (NES) - 8/10
6. Blue Fire (PS4) - 6/10
7. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles NES (Switch) - 8/10
8. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters - NES (Switch) - 6/10
9. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade (Switch) - 8/10
10. WarioWare Gold (3DS) - 8/10
11. Medal of Honor: Airborne (Xbox 360) - 6/10
12. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist (Switch) - 7/10
13. The Simpsons: Bart vs. the Space Mutants (NES) - 5/10
14. The Flintstones: The Rescue of Dino & Hoppy (NES) - 7/10
15. The Last of Us: Part II (PS5) - 9/10
16. Star Fox 64 (Wii U) - 9/10
17. Home Alone 2 (NES) - 6/10
18. Hidden Expedition: Titanic (3DS) - 7/10
19. Sorcery (PS3) - 6/10
20. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Footclan (Switch) - 7/10
21. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Back from the Sewers (Switch) - 8/10
22. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters Genesis (Switch) - 4/10
23. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time Arcade (Switch) - 8/10
24. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters SNES (Switch) - 6/10
25. Space Quest V: The Next Mutation (PC) - 7/10
26. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Remastered (PS4) - 8/10
27. Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures (Xbox 360) - 6/10
28. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project (Switch) - 8/10
29. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time (Switch) - 8/10
30. Zork I: The Great Underground Empire (PC) - 8/10
31. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Radical Rescue (Switch) - 6/10
32. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game NES (Switch) - 9/10
33. Runny Egg (3DS) - 7/10
34. Space Quest 6: The Spinal Frontier (PC) - 6/10
35.The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit (PC) - 7/10
36. What the Bat? (Meta Quest 3) - 8/10
37. Super Mario Land (3DS) - 7/10
38. The Amazing Spider-Man (Xbox 360) - 6/10
39. Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins (3DS) - 8/10
40. Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions (Wii) - 6/10
41. Angry Alligator (PS4) - 3/10
42. Pick Pack Pup (Playdate) - 8/10
43. Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition (PS4) - 7/10
44. Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 (3DS) - 7/10
45. Super Mario RPG (Switch) - 8/10
46. Star Fox (SNES) - 7/10
47. Star Fox 2 (SNES) - 8/10
48. Platformer (Playdate) - 7/10
49. Killzone HD (PS3) - 7/10
50. Monster in My Pocket (NES) - 8/10
51. Donkey Kong Land 2 (3DS) - 6/10
52. Conker's Bad Fur Day (Xbox Series X) - 6/10
53. Undertow (Xbox Series X) - 7/10
54. 1942: Joint Strike - 7/10
55. Full Throttle (PC) - 8/10
56. Adventures in the Magic Kingdom (NES) - 7/10
57. South Park (N64) - 5/10
58. Crazy Mouse (Xbox 360) - 4/10
59. Donkey Kong Land III (3DS) - 7/10
60. Attack of the Friday Monsters! (3DS) - 7/10
61. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD (Switch) - 7/10
62. Freedom Planet (Wii U) - 7/10
63. Bucky O'Hare (NES) - 6/10
64. Skator Gator 3D (Steam Deck) - 6/10
65. Lost Your Marbles (Playdate) - 6/10
66. Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers (PC) - 8/10
67. Marsupilami: Hoobadventure (Steam Deck) - 8/10
68. Froggie (PS5) - 5/10
69. Vampire: Master of Darkness (3DS) - 8/10
70. Bloo Kid (Switch) - 6/10
71. Demon Quest '85 (Playdate) - 6/10
72. Fester's Quest (NES) - 5/10
73. Kirby and the Rainbow Curse (Wii U) - 6/10
74. Hugo's House of Horrors (PC) - 7/10
75. Hocus Pocus (PC) - 7/10
76. Mega Man IV (Switch) - 8/10
77. Creepy Tale 2 (Switch) - 8/10
78. Mystery Scrolls (Playdate) - 7/10
79. 100 Waiting Cats (Steam Deck) - 4/10
80. Call of Cthulhu (Xbox Series X) - 6/10
81. Jett Rocket II: The Wrath of Taikai (3DS) - 6/10
82. Doom II: Hell on Earth (PC) - 8/10
83. Off-Planet Dreams (Playdate) - 8/10
84. RetroRealms Double Feature: Halloween & Evil Dead (Switch) - 6/10
85. Life's Too Short (Playdate) - 8/10
86. Claire: Extended Cut (PS4) - 7/10
87. Monster Bash (Steam Deck) - 8/10
88. The 13th Doll (PC) - 6/10
89. Bloodwash (Steam Deck) - 8/10
90. Phantasmagoria: A Puzzle of Flesh (PC) - 2/10 - possibly the worst game I have ever played
91. The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes (PS5) - 7/10
92. Zombies Ate My Neighbors (PS5) - 5/10
93. Tormented Souls (PS5) - 8/10
94. The Walking Dead - The Final Season (Xbox Series X) - 8/10
95. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Wrath of the Mutants (Switch) - 6/10
96. Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Switch) - 9/10
97. Felix the Cat (NES) - 6/10
98. Felix the Cat (Gameboy) - 5/10
99. The Lord of the Rings: War in the North (PS3) - 6/10
100. Mega Man X (PS4) - 8/10
101. Hogan's Alley (Wii U) - 6/10
102. No More Snow (Switch) - 6/10
103. Glover (Switch) - 7/10
104. Mega Man X2 (PS4) - 8/10
105. Adventure Island III (NES) - 7/10
106. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan (Xbox Series X) - 6/10

Currently Playing:
Disney Illusion Island (Switch)
Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly (PS3)
Mega Man X3 (PS4)
Metroid Prime: Remastered (Switch)

2018 List - 68 Games
2019 List - 69 Games
2020 List - 95 Games
2021 List - 68 Games
2022 List - 80 Games
2023 List - 76 Games
2024 List - 107 Games

 

[yamaci17]

I'm in!

1. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle - 85/100

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

Reserved, maybe.

 

[PendekarRajawali]

After being silent reader for years, let's do this.

 

[Jooxed]

Completions 37/52

Spoiler: Completions

Game 1 - While We Wait Here - PC - 1/2/25 - Personal Rating 7/10, Fun little cozy game, has multiple endings but I don't see myself going back for more. You are working in a diner at the end of the world getting the patrons thoughts on the impending apocalypse, cool graphic choice and interesting concept. thought it could be a little bit longer, beat it in a couple hours.

Game 2 - This Bed We Made - PC - 1/3/25 - Personal Rating 8/10, Interesting, game kept me engaged until the end only took me about three hours to complete, apparently there is multiple endings based on decisions that you make throughout the game but no real desire to play through again.

Game 3 - Stasis - Macbook - 1/5/25 - Personal Rating 7/10 - Fun isometric sci fi horror game. Needed to use a guide on some of the puzzles, a couple of them were pretty hard, interesting ending left open to interpretation. Looking forward to the sequels to see more about Cayne lore.

Game 4 - Cayne - PC - 1/5/25 - Personal Rating 8/10 - Okay the sequel was much shorter than the first game only about 3 hours. Definitely a step up graphically, story wasn't as intriguing but the puzzles were more manageable IMO. Will probably take a break before starting game 3 in the series.

Game 5 - Silent Hill 2 Remake - PC - 1/9/25 - Personal Rating 9/10 - Fantastic game and my first entry into the silent hill series, I was apprehensive because I haven't been the biggest fan from bloober but the game was awesome. great environment design, look forward if they are redoing any more after this one.

Game 6 - RimWorld - PC - 1/12/25 - 6/10- Fun game i spent a few hours on. The score is only low because I am not a big strategy game person. My brother convinced me to give it a shot. Some aspects were super enjoyable, but strategy games remain not my cup of tea

Game 7 - Devotion - PC - 1/13/25 - 6/10 - Waited a while to play this game since they pulled it from steam, had a couple of great atmospheric set pieces but it fell a little short for me. Detention was a superior game in my opinion. Still enjoyed it enough to get through it in 3 hours.

Game 8 - Mouthwashing - PC - 1/14/25 - 7/10 - Wow, I have no idea what i just played. Some great subject matter and interesting art design, another short one (trying to clear my horror PC backlog before I move on to these long RPGS), I need to go think about this one for a little while

Game 9 - Two Point Campus - PC - 1/17/25 - 8/10 - I have never played a two point game before.. SUPER FUN. Sat there for hours constructing my campus. Looking very much forward to Museum and I purchased Hospital also to give it a go. Great game.

Game 10 - Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen - PC - Ongoing (72 hours so far) - 9/10 - Awesome MMO, I will be playing this off and on as its still in early access but if your a fan of old school MMO's like everquest, do yourself a favor and support the early access. I think the final product is going to be something special

Game 11 - Amnesia: The Dark Descent - PC - 1/20/25 - 7/10 - After hearing about this game for a long time I finally started it yesterday and finished it today. The puzzles were fun but I didn't think it was super scary or anything. Interesting story also purchased SOMA Rebirth and Bunker so they might be next.

Game 12 - SOMA - PC - 1/25/25 - 8/10 - I need to go question my existence

Game 13 - The Cabin Factory - PC - 2/2/25 - 7/10 - Creepy little fun horror game. You inspect cabins for hauntings. Not much to it but it had some fun jump scares.

Game 14 - Amnesia: Rebirth - PC - 2/3/25 - 6/10 - Enjoyed the game. Not as good as SOMA or Dark descent but pretty good. Looking forward to the bunker.

Game 15 - The Convenience Store - PC 2/9/25 - 6/10 - Fun little horror game, not a great ending, also not as scary as someone hyped it up to be to me.

Game 16 - While Sleeping - PC - 2/9/25 - 8/10 - Another short indie horror, Korean study, game scared the shit out of me in multiple parts. Definitely recommend if you like horror games you can play in one sitting.

Game 17 - The Closing Shift - PC - 2/14/25 - 7/10 - Creepy game about a barista being stalked, enjoyed it. Kept mixing up drink orders.

Game 18 - Check Out - PC - 2/14/25 - 6/10 - Another spooky game about trying to check out of a hotel room. Few more scares than i expected but the ending fell a little flat for me.

Game 19 - The Mortuary Assistant - PC -2/15/25 - 7/10 - Enjoyed this one quite a bit, definitely very creepy.

Game 20 - Pillars of Eternity - PC - 2/20/25 - 7/10 - Super fun RPG, was really into it through most of the game. Started the series because I wanted to get some backstory before avowed.

Game 21 - From the Darkness - PC -2/21/25 - 7/10 - Another spooky game crossed off from the backlog, a few good jump scares and creepy design. Fairly decent. back to Pillars 2

Game 22 - Is Simon There? - PC - 3/1/25 - 7/10 - Had a few jump scare moments, game about coming to terms with death, not bad overall.

Game 23 - What Remains of Edith Finch? - PC - 3/3/25 - 7/10 - Decent walking simulator, good story, just not the biggest fan of walking simulators.

Game 24 - Metaphor: Re Fantazio - PC/Steam Deck - 3/9/25 - 8/10 - Awesome Game, love the fantasy setting, dragged on in some parts. Hope Atlus grows this IP alongside Persona.

Game 25 - Bioshock Remastered - PC - 3/10/25 - 7/10 - Finally got around to starting this series, had fun was a little more basic than i thought it would be but looking forward to 2

Game 26 - Welcome to Kowloon - PC - 3/15/25 - 7/10 - Pretty creepy but a little too reliant on jump scares but really creepy setting, jumped a few times while streaming it.

Game 27 - A Way Out - Xbox Series X - 4/9/25 - 8/10 - My first co op game in a long time, spent a week at a buddies house and this is the first game we played, we had such a blast it was such a good time... I have always shied away from these games for some reason. Now I will buy every one of this studios games when they come out

Game 28 - Split Fiction - Xbox Series X - 4/11-25 - 9/10 - See my above review, improved on everything over their first game. I know this is the newest one but im saving it takes two for the Switch 2 and to play with my wife, These guys have a new fan.

Game 29 - The Hole - PC - 7/10 - Really messed up, didn't really enjoy the story due to the subject nature. Did a good job exploring sexual abuse

Game 30 - Gone Home - PC - 4/10 - Meh don't really understand why everyone loves this game so much.

Game 31 - To the Moon - Steam Deck - 6/10 - Decent pixel game, heartfelt story. Enjoyed my time with it.

Game 32 - Street Fighter 6 - Nintendo Switch 2 - 8/10 - Best Street Fighter I have plated in a long time looks great on switch 2.

Game 33- Expedition 33 - PC - 10/10 - Finished this game earlier than others but couldn't resist placing it as my 33rd game. Greatest RPG I have played in years and has moved its way into my top 5 games of all time.

Game 34 - Bioshock Remastered - PC - 7/10 - My first Bioshock game, enjoyed it... a little clunky but I'm hopeful for the rest of the series.

Game 35 - Binding of Isaac - Nintendo Switch 2 - 7/10 - Great game, not my usual style but really enjoyed it, great time killer.

Game 36 - Summer of '58 - PC - 7/10 - My first Emika game, great scares and decent story, bought his bundle to play the rest.

Game 37 - Mario Kart World - Nintendo Switch 2 - 8/10 - Game has hooked me more than other Mario Karts, knockout tour is where its at.

 

[Dacvak]

Don't mind if I kick this off with the first entry of the year!

So, every few years, I do what I like to call "The Mario Gauntlet", which consists of playing every single mainline Mario game in order of release (with a bit of wiggle room).

THE LIST:
Super Mario Bros
Super Mario Bros 2 (J)
Super Mario Bros 2 (USA)
Super Mario Bros 3
Super Mario Land
Super Mario World
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3
Super Mario 64
Super Mario Sunshine
New Super Mario Bros
Super Mario Galaxy
New Super Mario Bros Wii
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Super Mario 3D Land (And I'll toss in Bowser's Fury as well)
New Super Mario Bros 2
New Super Mario Bros U
Super Mario 3D World
Super Mario Odyssey
Super Mario Wonder

Usually I'll start with the classic SMB on the NES, but this year I decided to play the 4 NES games on the Super Nintendo via Mario All-Stars. I just finished the OG and Lost Levels, so...

Super Mario Bros [via Super Mario All-Stars] (SNES) - 1/1

What can I say, it's a classic. But surprisingly, I think the All-Stars version is actually worse than the NES version. At least to me. The physics aren't identical, and there's some weird hitbox stuff with piranha plants, and jumping through brick blocks.

Still, it's a really good game, and a fun quick romp.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Super Mario Bros 2 (J) [via Super Mario All-Stars] (SNES) - 1/1

And following up arguably the greatest game of all time released at that point is this stinky, stupid turd. This is Miyamoto's emo phase, clearly. The level design in this game is just bad and designed to piss off the player. There are random kaizo blocks everywhere, there are a few instances of pick-a-path, and it's just a terrible experience compared to the original game. If I got these levels in Super Mario Maker, I'd boo them for sure.

Still, it's a Mario game, so it's got some merit, and the gameplay is still super fun. I'll be generous since I love my man Mario and give this a

 

[Blindy]

PS5:
2) Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist(PLATNIUM) 1/25-1/30
3) A Space for the Unbound(PLATNIUM) 1/2, 1/5, 1/13, 1/31, 2/3
Tails of Iron 2 1/29,
Marvel Rivals 1/1-
NCAA Football 25(SEASON 2)- 1/1-

XBX

Nintendo Switch:
1) Donkey Kong Country Returns HD 1/16-1/22, 1/24-1/25
Another Code: Recollection 1/7, 1/12

PS4

PS3

PC/Mobile

 

[BusierDonkey]

90 games completed
1529 hours so far

3 - NES
3 - SNES
1 - Nintendo 64
4 - Gamecube
3 - Wii
3 - 3DS
9 - Switch
2 - Switch 2
3 - Neo Geo
4 - Playstation
44 - Steam
5 - Arcade

Spoiler: All completions!

1. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (Playstation) | 4th Jan - 15hrs | 100/100
2. CTR: Crash Team Racing (Playstation) | 5th Jan - 10hrs | 85/100
3. Ape Escape (Playstation) | 12th Jan - 21hrs | 80/100
4. Super Mario Bros. (NES) | 13th Jan - 2hrs | 80/100
5. Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES) | 13th Jan - 2hrs | 90/100
6. Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES) | 14th Jan - 4hrs | 100/100
7. Super Mario World (SNES) | 14th Jan - 7hrs | 95/100
8. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (SNES) | 17th Jan - 24hrs | 90/100
9. Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64) | 19th Jan - 14hrs | 95/100
10. Super Mario Sunshine (Gamecube) | 22nd Jan - 32hrs | 85/100
11. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) | 27th Jan - 34hrs | 100/100
12. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii) | 3rd Feb - 54hrs | 95/100
13. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii) | 6th Feb - 23hrs | 90/100
14. Loddlenaut (Steam) | 8th Feb - 9hrs | 75/100
15. Red Dead Redemption II (Steam) | 3rd Mar - 183hrs | 75/100
16. Donkey Kong Country 3 (SNES) | 13th Mar - 6hrs | 80/100
17. Doom Eternal + Ancient Gods 1 & 2 (Steam) | 16th Mar - 46hrs | 95/100
18. Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth (Switch) | 24th Mar - 10hrs | 75/100
19. Super Mario RPG (Switch) | 31st Mar - 16hrs | 95/100
20. Yoku's Island Express (Steam) | 12th Apr - 11hrs | 85/100
21. Yono and the Celestial Elephants (Steam) | 13th Apr - 5hrs | 75/100
22. The WereCleaner (Steam) | 20th Apr - 3hrs | 70/100
23. Gato Roboto (Steam) | 21st Apr - 6hrs | 80/100
24. Super Mario Maker (Switch) | 22nd Apr - 9hrs | 85/100
25. Valfaris (Steam) | 23rd Apr - 8hrs | 85/100
26. Valfaris Mecha Therion (Steam) | 23rd Apr - 8hrs | 80/100
27. Fury Unleashed (Steam) | 1st May - 11hrs | 75/100
28. Contra: Operation Galuga (Switch) | 16th May - 3hrs | 75/100
29. Shin Megami Tensei V Vengeance (Switch) | 21st May - 51hrs | 80/100
30. The Pedestrian (Steam) | 22nd May - 6hrs | 75/100
31. Sheepy: A Short Adventure (Steam) | 24th May - 1hr | 75/100
32. Gun Devil (Steam) | 24th May - 2hrs | 70/100
33. Restless Soul (Steam) | 26th May - 7hrs | 80/100
34. Helltaker (Steam) | 26th May - 3hrs | 80/100
35. Awaira (Steam) | 31st May - 2hrs | 70/100
36. Babbdi (Steam) | 31st May - 2hrs | 70/100
37. Ironclad (Neo Geo) | 17th Jun - 3hrs | 75/100
38. Blazing Star (Neo Geo) | 18th Jun - 1hr | 70/100
39. Giga Wing (Arcade) | 18th Jun - 3hrs | 70/100
40. 1941: Counter Attack (Arcade) | 19th Jun - 1hr | 70/100
41. Carrier Airwing (Arcade) | 19th Jun - 1hr | 70/100
42. Forgotten Worlds (Arcade) | 19th Jun - 1hr | 70/100
43. Nemo (Arcade) | 19th Jun - 1hr | 70/100
44. BZZZT! (Steam) | 28th Jun - 3hrs | 80/100
45. To the Moon (Steam) | 30th Jun - 5hrs | 70/100
46. Mario Kart World (Switch 2) | 30th Jun - 55hrs | 90/100
47. Super Mario Odyssey (Switch) | 10th Jul - 45hrs | 100/100
48. Picross 3D: Round 2 (3DS) | 14th Jul - 16hrs | 80/100
49. Bowser's Fury (Switch) | 18th Jul - 12hrs | 95/100
50. Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered (Steam) | 21st Jul - 10hrs | 80/100
51. Resident Evil HD Remaster (Steam) | 23rd Jul - 13hrs | 85/100
52. Resident Evil 2 (Gamecube) | 24th Jul - 18hrs | 85/100
53. Resident Evil 3 (Gamecube) | 25th Jul - 7hrs | 80/100
54. Resident Evil: Code Veronica X (Gamecube) | 27th Jul - 11hrs | 90/100
55. Resident Evil 0 HD Remaster (Steam)| 29th Jul - 10hrs | 85/100
56. Resident Evil 4 HD Remaster (Steam) | 1st Aug - 15hrs | 95/100
57. Andro Dunos (Neo Geo) | 3rd Aug - 1hr | 65/100
58. Bye-Bye Boxboy! (3DS) | 4th Aug - 15hrs | 80/100
59. Resident Evil 5 (Steam) | 5th Aug - 13hrs | 80/100
60. Resident Evil Revelations (Steam) | 7th Aug - 10hrs | 75/100
61. Resident Evil Revelations 2 (Steam) | 13th Aug - 14hrs | 85/100
62. Resident Evil 6 (Steam) | 15th Aug - 10hrs | 65/100
63. Resident Evil VII Biohazard (Steam) | 19th Aug - 10hrs | 95/100
64. Resident Evil (Playstation) | 25th Aug - 8hrs | 85/100
65. Resident Evil 8 Village (Steam) | 27th Aug - 14hrs | 95/100
66. Resident Evil 2 [2019] (Steam) | 30th Aug - 16hrs | 100/100
67. Resident Evil 3 [2020] (Steam) | 31th Aug - 8hrs | 85/100
68. Donkey Kong Bananza (Switch 2) | 9th Aug - 60hrs | 90/100
69. Pilotwings Resort (3DS) | 22nd Sept - 7hrs | 60/100
70. Cyberpunk 2077 + Phantom Liberty (Steam) | 14th Oct - 77hrs (367hrs total) | 85/100
71. Grimm's Hollow (Steam) | 15th Oct - 3hrs | 75/100
72. Final Fantasy IX HD Remaster (Switch) | 23rd Oct - 26hrs | 85/100
73. Salamander (Switch) | 26th Oct - 1hr | 70/10
74. Salamander II (Switch) | 26th Oct - 1hr | 70/100
75. Salamander III (Switch) | 26th Oct - 1hr | 70/100
76. Life Force (Switch) | 26th Oct - 1hr | 70/100
77. Gradius (Switch) | 9th Nov - 1hr | 65/100
78. Gradius II (Switch) | 9th Nov - 1hr | 70/100
79. Gradius III (Switch) | 9th Nov 0 1hr | 65/100
80. Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age (Switch) | 9th Nov - 83hrs | 90/100
81. Duke Nukem Forever + The Doctor Who Cloned Me (Steam) | 12th Nov - 9hrs | 80/100
82. God Eater Resurrection (Steam) | 17th Nov - 41hrs | 65/100
83. God Eater 3: Rage Burst (Steam) | 28th Nov - 46hrs | 70/100
84. God Eater 3 (Steam) | 4th Dec - 47hrs | 80/100
85. Turok: Dinosaur Hunter (Steam) | 5th Dec - 9hrs | 80/100
86. Turok 2: Seeds of Evil (Steam) | 7th Dec - 17hrs | 75/100
87. Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion (Steam) | 7th Dec - 5hrs | 65/100
88. Forsaken Remastered (Steam) | 12th Dec - 11hrs | 75/100
89. Resident Evil 4 [2023] + Separate Ways (Steam) | 15th Dec - 25hrs | 100/100
90. Dark Souls Remastered (Steam) | 20th Dec - 49hrs | 85/100

 

[Killer8]

Lost track last year with life so I only finished about 12 games. This year i'm going to give it a proper go. I already have half a dozen games on the go that are close to the end.

 

[wyvern_bloodfist]

reserved. Hoping for the best. Cheers Lads

Game No.1 - Monster Hunter Rise
Playtime: 102 hrs. 12 mins.
My Rating: 20 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: Nintendo Switch

Game No.2 - Dragon Age The Veilguard
Playtime: 35 hrs. 45 mins.
My Rating: 20 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 5

Game No.3 - BLACK MYTH : WUKONG
Playtime: 99 hrs. 55 mins.
My Rating: 18 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 5

Game No.4 - UFO Robot Grendizer: The Feast of the Wolves
Playtime: 10 hrs. 16 mins.
My Rating: 20 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 5

Game No.5 - VED
Playtime: 06 hrs. 12 mins.
My Rating: 24 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: Nintendo Switch

Game No.6 - SHADOWS OF THE DAMNED HELLA REMASTERED
Playtime: 10 hrs. 10 mins.
My Rating: 18 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 5

Game No.7 - RESIDENT EVIL VII GOLD
Playtime: 10 hrs. 10 mins.
My Rating: 18 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 5

Game No.8 - FREEDOM WARS REMASTERED
Playtime: 55 hrs. 15 mins.
My Rating: 20 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: Nintendo Switch

Game No.9 - Tokyo Xanadu eX+
Playtime: 21 hrs. 46 mins.
My Rating: 18 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: Nintendo Switch

Game No.10 - Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai
Playtime: 05 hrs. 45 mins.
My Rating: 20 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: Nintendo Switch

Game No.11 - Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom
Playtime: 01 hrs. 30 mins.
My Rating: 20 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 3

Game No.12 - Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara
Playtime: 03 hrs. 15 mins.
My Rating: 22 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 3

Game No.13 - P.N.03
Playtime: 01 hrs. 46 mins.
My Rating: 24 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: Nintendo GameCube

Game No.14 - EVOTINCTION
Playtime: 10 hrs. 40 mins.
My Rating: 22 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 5

Game No.15 - DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS
Playtime: 30 hrs. 10 mins.
My Rating: 20 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 5

Game No.16 - Monster Hunter Wild
Playtime: 28 hrs. 30 mins.
My Rating: 20 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 5

Game No.17 - QUANTUM ERROR
Playtime: 22 hrs. 02 mins.
My Rating: 18 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 5

Game No.18 - UNKNOWN 9 AWAKING
Playtime: 13 hrs. 10 mins.
My Rating: 18 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 5

Game No.19 - Layers of Fear
Playtime: 05 hrs. 15 mins.
My Rating: 24 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 5

Game No.20 - CONTRA: OPERATION GALUGA
Playtime: 06 hrs. 22 mins.
My Rating: 20 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: Nintendo Switch

Game No.21 - AI LIMIT
Playtime: 46 hrs. 52 mins.
My Rating: 18 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 5

Game No.22 - Persona 5 Scramble: The Phantom Strikers
Playtime: 35 hrs. 47 mins.
My Rating: 18 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: Nintendo Switch

Game No.23 - Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition
Playtime: 65 hrs. 32 mins.
My Rating: 18 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: Nintendo Switch

Game No.24 - The First Beserker Khazan
Playtime: 55 hrs. 32 mins.
My Rating: 18 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 5

Game No.25 - Venus Vacation PRISM - DEAD OR ALIVE Xtreme
Playtime: 07 hrs. 15 mins.
My Rating: 24 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 5

Game No.26 - ENOTRIA: The Last Song
Playtime: 14 hrs. 14 mins.
My Rating: 20 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 5

Game No.27 - The Punisher The Arcade Game
Playtime: 02 hrs. 10 mins.
My Rating: 20 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: Nintendo Switch

Game No.28 - X-Men: Children of the Atom
Playtime: 01 hrs. 10 mins.
My Rating: 20 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: Nintendo Switch

Game No.29 - Marvel Super Heroes
Playtime: 01 hrs. 10 mins.
My Rating: 20 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: Nintendo Switch

Game No.30 - X-Men vs. Street Fighter
Playtime: 01 hrs. 10 mins.
My Rating: 20 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: Nintendo Switch

Game No.31 - Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter
Playtime: 01 hrs. 10 mins.
My Rating: 20 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: Nintendo Switch

Game No.32 - Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes
Playtime: 01 hrs. 30 mins.
My Rating: 22 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: Nintendo Switch

Game No.33 - Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes
Playtime: 02 hrs. 25 mins.
My Rating: 22 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: Nintendo Switch

Game No.34 - Grime
Playtime: 42 hrs. 35 mins.
My Rating: 20 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 5

Game No.35 - A Tale of Paper: Refolded
Playtime: 01 hrs. 32 mins.
My Rating: 20 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 5

Game No.36 - UNSOULED
Playtime: 04 hrs. 30 mins.
My Rating: 20 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: Nintendo Switch

Game No.37 - Rusty Rabbit
Playtime: 30 hrs. 22 mins.
My Rating: 22 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: Nintendo Switch

Game No.38 - Capcom vs. SNK Millennium Fight 2000 PRO
Playtime: 01 hrs. 22 mins.
My Rating: 20 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: Nintendo Switch

Game No.39 - Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001
Playtime: 01 hrs. 20 mins.
My Rating: 22 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: Nintendo Switch

Game No.40 - Capcom Fighting Evolution
Playtime: 01 hrs. 20 mins.
My Rating: 20 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: Nintendo Switch

Game No.41 - Street Fighter Alpha 3 UPPER
Playtime: 01 hrs. 25 mins.
My Rating: 22 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: Nintendo Switch

Game No.42 - Power Stone
Playtime: 02 hrs. 15 mins.
My Rating: 12 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: Nintendo Switch

Game No.43 - Power Stone 2
Playtime: 02 hrs. 35 mins.
My Rating: 15 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: Nintendo Switch

Game No.44 - Project Justice
Playtime: 03 hrs. 45 mins.
My Rating: 22 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: Nintendo Switch

Game No.45 - Star Gladiator 2: Nightmare of Bilstein
Playtime: 02 hrs. 35 mins.
My Rating: 22 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: Nintendo Switch

Game No.46 - Claire Obscur Expedition 33
Playtime: 12 hrs. 15 mins.
My Rating: 10 out or 25
Completed: unFinished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 5

Game No.47 - Blades of Fire
Playtime: 9 hrs. 45 mins.
My Rating: 15 out or 25
Completed: unFinished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 5

Game No.48 - Scar Lead Salvation
Playtime: 11 hrs. 45 mins.
My Rating: 18 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 5

Game No.49 - NEVA
Playtime: 2 hrs. 55 mins.
My Rating: 20 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: Nintendo Switch

Game No.50 - Ninja Combat
Playtime: 1 hrs. 35 mins.
My Rating: 20 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: Neo Geo AES

Game No.51 - Battle Arena Toshinden
Playtime: 1 hrs. 35 mins.
My Rating: 18 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 1

Game No.52 - Battle Arena Toshinden 2
Playtime: 1 hrs. 35 mins.
My Rating: 20 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 1

Game No.53 - Battle Arena Toshinden 3
Playtime: 2 hrs. 10 mins.
My Rating: 18 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 1

Game No.54 - Elden Ring Night Reign
Playtime: 22 hrs. 10 mins.
My Rating: 20 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 5

Game No.55 - Sengoku
Playtime: 2 hrs. 15 mins.
My Rating: 20 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: Nintendo Wii

Game No.56 - WUCHANG FALLEN FEATHERS
Playtime: 98 hrs. 28 mins.
My Rating: 18 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 5

Game No.57 - Yasha Legends of The DemonBlade
Playtime: 06 hrs. 15 mins.
My Rating: 18 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: Nintendo Switch

Game No.58 - Stellar Blade
Playtime: 71 hrs. 32 mins.
My Rating: 22 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 5

Game No.59 - Lost Soul Aside
Playtime: 32 hrs. 10 mins.
My Rating: 20 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 5

Game No.60 - Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion
Playtime: 41 hrs. 17 mins.
My Rating: 20 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 5

Game No.61 - Cronos The New Dawn
Playtime: 29 hrs. 18 mins.
My Rating: 18 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 5

Game No.62 - Silent Hill f
Playtime: 09 hrs. 34 mins.
My Rating: 08 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 5

Game No.63 - Vigil: The Longest Night
Playtime: 30 hrs. 15 mins.
My Rating: 24 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: Nintendo Switch

Game No.64 - Ninja Gaiden 4
Playtime: 08 hrs. 10 mins.
My Rating: 20 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 5

Game No.65 - The Complex
Playtime: 01 hrs. 36 mins.
My Rating: 22 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 4

Game No.66 - Litt;e Nightmares 3
Playtime: 03 hrs. 15 mins.
My Rating: 16 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 5

Game No.67 - Dead Reset
Playtime: 04 hrs. 25 mins.
My Rating: 22 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 5

Game No.68 - Dagon Complete Edition
Playtime: 02 hrs. 15 mins.
My Rating: 22 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 5

Game No.69 - Full Metal School Girl
Playtime: 20 hrs. 15 mins.
My Rating: 18 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 5

Game No.70 - The House of The Dead 2 Remake
Playtime: 02 hrs. 32 mins.
My Rating: 18 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: Nintendo Switch

Game No.71 - Majogami
Playtime: 10 hrs. 10 mins.
My Rating: 18 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: Nintendo Switch

Game No.72 - THE Devil Within
Playtime: 20 hrs. 25 mins.
My Rating: 24 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 5

Game No.73 - Archetype Arcadia
Playtime: 16 hrs. 13 mins.
My Rating: 20 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 4

Game No.74 - Never Ending Nightmare
Playtime: 16 hrs. 13 mins.
My Rating: 20 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 4

Game No.75 - The FEAR (ザ・フィアー)
Playtime: 05 hrs. 11 mins.
My Rating: 22 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 2

Game No.76 - Shinobi Art of Vengeance
Playtime: 10 hrs. 02 mins.
My Rating: 05 out or 25
Completed: Finished Single Player
Version: PlayStation 5


Final: 76 Games

 

[marcincz]

Game 1 - Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars (NDS) - 20h 01m
Beat 05/01/2025 - my score: 9/10

Game 2 - Final Fantasy III (NDS) - 34h 10m
Beat 06/01/2025 - my score: 7/10

Game 3 - The Thaumaturge (PS5) - 22h 23m
Beat 19/01/2025 - my score: 8/10

Game 4 - My First Gran Turismo (PS5) - 01h 12m
Beat 19/01/2025 - my score: 8/10

Game 5 - The Bunker (PS4) - 02h 02m
Beat 19/01/2025 - my score: 4/10

Game 6 - Astro Bot - dlc Winter Wonder (PS5) - 00h 53m
Beat 21/01/2025 - my score: 8/10

Game 7 - Space Ace (PS4) - 00h 28m
Beat 08/02/2025 - my score: 6/10

Game 8 - Dragon's Lair 2: Time Warp (PS4) - 00h 50m
Beat 08/02/2025 - my score: 6/10

Game 9 - Dragon's Lair (PS4) - 00h 31m
Beat 09/02/2025 - my score: 7/10

Game 10 - Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (PS5) - 06h 28m
Beat 11/02/2025 - my score: 8/10

Game 11 - Alan Wake Remastered (PS5) - 12h 31m
Beat 16/02/2025 - my score: 8/10

Game 12 - Alan Wake Remastered - dlc the Signal (PS5) - 01h 47m
Beat 18/02/2025 - my score: 5/10

Game 13 - Alan Wake Remastered - dlc the Writer (PS5) - 01h 44m
Beat 19/02/2025 - my score: 6/10

Game 14 - Alan Wake II - dlc Night Springs (PS5) - 02h 36m
Beat 05/03/2025 - my score: 5/10

Game 15 - Alan Wake II (PS5) - 23h 50m
Beat 09/03/2025 - my score: 7/10

Game 16 - Alan Wake II - dlc the Lake House (PS5) - 02h 13m
Beat 11/03/2025 - my score: 5/10

Game 17 - Interaction Isn't Explicit (PS5) - 01h 01m
Beat 11/03/2025 - my score: 7/10

Game 18 - Civilization 6 (PS5) - 12h 49m
Beat 15/03/2025 - my score: 9/10

Game 19 - Star Ocean The Second Story R (PS5) - 31h 27m
Beat 30/03/2025 - my score: 9/10

Game 20 - Astro Bot - dlc Vicious Void (PS5) - 01h 17m
Beat 30/03/2025 - my score: 8/10

Game 21 - Dredge (PS5) - 11h 16m
Beat 06/04/2025 - my score: 8/10

Game 22 - Donkey Kong Country Returns HD (NS) - 11h 00m
Beat 13/04/2025 - my score: 8/10

Game 23 - Another Code Two Memories (NS) - 08h 56m
Beat 14/04/2025 - my score: 8/10

Game 24 - Another Code: R - Journey into Lost Memories (NS) - 17h 27m
Beat 22/04/2025 - my score: 7/10

Game 25 - Civilization 7 (PS5) - 17h 52m
Beat 27/04/2025 - my score: 6/10

Game 26 - Clair Obscure: Expedition 33 (PS5) - 36h 12m
Beat 09/05/2025 - my score: 9/10

Game 27 - Tomb Raider Remastered (PS5) - 20h 22m
Beat 21/05/2025 - my score: 9/10

Game 28 - Tomb Raider Remastered - dlc Unfinished Business (PS5) - 04h 58m
Beat 24/05/2025 - my score: 4/10

Game 29 - Tomb Raider II Remastered (PS5) - 29h 08m
Beat 04/06/2025 - my score: 9/10

Game 30 - Tomb Raider II Remastered - dlc Golden Mask (PS5) - 05h 35m
Beat 07/06/2025 - my score: 7/10

Game 31 - Sine Mora EX (XBO) - 02h 53m
Beat 09/06/2025 - my score: 8/10

Game 32 - Mafia: Definitive Edition (XBO) - 12h 57m
Beat 15/06/2025 - my score: 9/10

Game 33 - Mafia II: Definitive Edition (XBO) - 12h 31m
Beat 18/06/2025 - my score: 8/10

Game 34 - Mafia II: Definitive Edition - dlc Joe's Adventures (XBO) - 10h 15m
Beat 21/06/2025 - my score: 5/10

Game 35 - Mafia III: Definitive Edition (XBO) - 28h 35m
Beat 02/07/2025 - my score: 6/10

Game 36 - Mafia III: Definitive Edition - dlc Faster Baby (XBO) - 01h 30m
Beat 02/07/2025 - my score: 7/10

Game 37 - Mafia III: Definitive Edition - dlc Stones Unturned (XBO) - 03h 02m
Beat 04/07/2025 - my score: 7/10

Game 38 - Mafia III: Definitive Edition - dlc Sign of the Times (XBO) - 03h 05m
Beat 05/07/2025 - my score: 6/10

Game 39 - Cloudpunk (XBO) - 08h 43m
Beat 11/07/2025 - my score: 7/10

Game 40 - The Precinct (PS5) - 13h 40m
Beat 16/07/2025 - my score: 7/10

Game 41 - Cygni: All Guns Blazing (PS5) - 03h 20m
Beat 05/08/2025 - my score: 6/10

Game 42 - Mafia: The Old Country (PS5) - 13h 41m
Beat 12/08/2025 - my score: 7/10

Game 43 - Lost Judgment (PS5) - 32h 04m
Beat 21/08/2025 - my score: 8/10

Game 44 - Sea of Stars (PS5) - 33h 31m
Beat 04/09/2025 - my score: 7/10

Game 45 - Sea of Stars - dlc Throes of the Watchmaker (PS5) - 08h 33m
Beat 07/09/2025 - my score: 6/10

Game 46 - Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (360) - 07h 39m
Beat 10/09/2025 - my score: 8/10

Game 47 - Anno 1800 Console Edition (PS5) - 28h 20m
Beat 18/09/2025 - my score: 9/10

Game 48 - Truberbrook (PS4) - 03h 42m
Beat 21/09/2025 - my score: 6/10

Game 49 - Test Drive Unlimited 2 (360) - 40h 11m
Beat 06/10/2025 - my score: 7/10

Game 50 - Hell is Us (PS5) - 26h 52m
Beat 17/10/2025 - my score: 8/10

Game 51 - Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter (PS5) - 143h 14m
Beat 23/11/2025 - my score: 10/10

Game 52 - Simon the Sorcerer Origins (PS5) - 08h 53m
Beat 29/11/2025 - my score: 7/10

Game 53 - Simon the Sorcerer Origins (PS5) - 02h 14m - 2nd playthrough to complete trophies
Beat 30/11/2025 - my score: 7/10

Game 54 - Kingdom Come Deliverance II (PS5) - 69h 34m
Beat 20/12/2025 - my score: 9/10

 

[Perrott]

No.	Game Title	Platform	Date Completed	Score
01​	Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair​	PlayStation Vita​	January 3rd, 2025​	★★★★★​

 

[Jooxed]

We are on the board already didn't expect the first one to be so short!

Game 1 - While We Wait Here - PC - 1/2/25 - Personal Rating 7/10, Fun little cozy game, has multiple endings but I don't see myself going back for more. You are working in a diner at the end of the world getting the patrons thoughts on the impending apocalypse, cool graphic choice and interesting concept. thought it could be a little bit longer, beat it in a couple hours.

 

[Dontkidyourselfjimmy]

Another poor year for me 2024 results. Got a portal for Christmas so hopefully that will help clear some of the backlog currently playing fallout 4.


Me 2024

1) GTA V PS5 06/01 (7/10) would have been around an 8-8.5 but the glitch I had forcing me to replay 10ish hours soured it for me. Shorter than I was expecting.
2)The Calisto protocol PS5 15/01 (6.5/10)
3)Sea of stars Series X 21/02 (8/10)
4)2112td Android 17/03 (7/10)
5)Kingdom Rush Origins android 23/03 (7/10)
6)Final Fantasy 7 Remake PS5 14/05 (10/10)
7)Final fantasy 7 Remake intermission 04/06 (9.5/10)
8)A short hike series X 24/04 (6/10)
9)Call of duty MW3 series X 24/04 (3/10)
10)Shadow of the Erdtree series X 05/08 (9/10)
11)Doom legacy of rust series X 20/10 (8.5/10)
12)Call of duty Blops6 Series X 03/11 (8/10)


The Mrs 2024

1)Witcher 3 Hearts of stone 07/01 (9/10)
2)Dave the diver switch 14/01 (10/10)
3)Sakuna of rice and Ruin PS5 05/04 (9/10)
4)Botany Manor series X 12/04 (7/10)
5)Tomb Raider (2013) PS5 15/05 (7/10)
6)Rise of the Tomb Raider PS5 20/05 (8/10)
7)Shadow of the Tomb Raider PS5 28/05 (9/10)
8)God of war (2018) PS5 10/06 (10/10)
9)Kena PS5 06/07 (8/10)
10)Detroit become human PS5 08/07 (9.5/10)
11)Heavy Rain PS5 23/07 (4/10)
12)Beyond two souls PS5 07/08 (7/10)
13)Horizon Zero Dawn PS5 03/11 (10/10)
14)Horizon The Frozen wilds PS5 10/11 (9/10)
15)The last of us remake PS5 15/12 (10/10)

The Mrs 2025

1)Harold Halibut Series X 02/03 (6.5/10)

Me 2025

1)Fallout 4 PS5 06/02 (7/10)
2)Resident Evil 3 Remake Series X 15/02 (7.5/10)
3)Doom Deathless Series X 16/02 (8/10)
4)Still Wakes The Deep Series X 17/02 (6/10)
5)Resident Evil 8 PS Portal 18/09 (8/10)
6)RE8 Shadows of Rose PS5 Portal 28/09 (7/10)

 

[Dthomp]

1. Yakuza: Like a Dragon (PS5)
2. Like a Dragon Gaiden: The man who erased his name (PS5)
3. Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (PS5)
4. Stories Untold (PS4)
5. Strange Investigations Becoming (Steam)
6. High on Life (Ps4) Platinum Trophy
7. Tunic (PS5) Platinum Trophy
8. It Takes Two (PS5) Platinum Trophy
9. Minecraft Dungeons (PS4) Platinum Trophy
10. Brown Dust 2 - All Main Story Packs (PC/Mobile)
11. Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii (PS5) Platinum Trophy
12. Still Wakes the Deep (PS5) Platinum Trophy
13. Astro Bot (PS5) Platinum Trophy
14. Destiny 2 Heresy (PS5)
15. MLB the Show 25 (PS5)(1st and 2nd innings)
16. Blue Prince (PS5)
17. Binding of Isaac: Repentance (2nd save file 50% complete)
18. Final Fantasy V (Platinum Trophy)
19. Balatro
20. To the Moon (100%)
21. Final Fantasy VI (Platinum Trophy)
22. Titanfall 2 (PS4)
23. Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow

*Started and haven't finished or quit*
-Little Nightmares - Got bored to tears couldn't go on
-Two Point Museum - Liked but stopped playing maybe 10 hours in.
-Monster Hunter Wilds - Need to return to
-Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered - Started need to return to after PS patch
-Slay the Princess

 

[Pantz]

01 - Open Roads (XSX) [01/24/25]
02 - Infinity Nikki Firework Season (PS5Pro) [02/22/25]
03 - Infinity Nikki (PS5Pro) [03/20/25]

 

[March Climber]

Super Mario Bros
Super Mario Bros 2 (J)
Super Mario Bros 2 (USA)
Super Mario Bros 3
Super Mario Land
Super Mario World
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins

In 2 days?

 

[Dacvak]

In 2 days?

To be fair, I was using warps for the NES games. It also helps that I used to speedrun a lot of Mario's. I cranked out all seven of those games in about 4-5 hours.

I'm already on Yoshi's Island, which I'm gonna try to finish tonight, but it's much longer. Most of the games are gonna be a lot longer from here on out.

 

[LectureMaster]

Reserving a spot, gonna try to be better on my tracking and actually getting through games this year then last

Nah, you just gonna put another 2000+ hours in destiny and Isaac, lol.

 

[LectureMaster]

Huge respect to you guys, and kinda envious. The only year I finished 50+ games was 2020 during COVID.

 

[Bridges]

Only finished 19 games last year but let's see how close I can get this time


EDIT: and so the list begins:

1. Slitterhead (Xbox)
2. Frogun (Xbox)
3. Dishonored Definitive Edition (Xbox)
4. Avowed (Xbox)
5. Blue Prince (Xbox/PC)
6. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Xbox)
7. Mario Kart World (Switch)
8. to a T (Xbox)
9. Diablo IV (Xbox)
10. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (Switch)
11. The Alters (Xbox)
12. Donkey Kong Bananza (Switch)

Up next: Lost Judgment

 

[Jooxed]

Game 2 - This Bed We Made - PC - 1/3/25 - Personal Rating 8/10, Interesting, game kept me engaged until the end only took me about three hours to complete, apparently there is multiple endings based on decisions that you make throughout the game but no real desire to play through again.

 

[jshackles]

I've finished three games in the last three days. I'm on track to finish 365 games this year! (ha, if only!)

 

[BusierDonkey]

Game 1

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - Playstation - 200.6% Completion

I had planned on hitting 200.6% but forgot to grab an item hidden in a ceiling I might go back for (Done). This game sits in my top ten favorite games ever made. The music, atmosphere, and exploration really made this a fun game to return to. I haven't played this game in decades, the last time being on my PS1 during some time off work. It really holds up well with almost nothing to complain about outside a couple "for the time" nitpicks (like the polygonal objects in the game that look terrible next to the fantastic pixel art). It controls snappy, fights are fun, all the items you find have a use and there are a ton of secrets to discover. The soundtrack in this game is amazing and includes everything from your standard Castlevania fare to jazzy beats, the voice acting is a special kind of awful befitting the era. The only game of this type I rate higher than this is Super Metroid, mainly due to how that game's very well-designed map doesn't need warp rooms or loading hallways.

 

[marcincz]

Game 1 - Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars (NDS) - 20h 01m
Beat 05/01/2025 - my score: 9/10

Beat first title in 2025.
Played for first time and it is a fantastic point and click game. From The Longest Journey I haven't played better adventure game.

 

[BusierDonkey]

Game 2

CTR: Crash Team Racing - Completed Adventure mode 100%

This a game I never even touched on the Playstation back in the day. I love Mario Kart and have played every one of them so it's a bit odd I never played this on my Playstation. The game is fantastic. From a visual standpoint, it's closer to Diddy Kong Racing than Mario Kart 64. While I still might place both Diddy Kong Racing and Mario Kart 64 (battle mode never got old in Mario Kart 64) higher on my list of favorite kart racers than this, I'm really glad I finally played this. I know there is a remastered Nitro-Fueled version of the game, but I wanted to play the original. The game is a lot bouncier than most Mario Kart games and feels looser, power sliding isn't as simple to pull off and serves more to prolong your speed boosts from hopping off jumps/peaks, but you get used to it quickly, at least enough to keep at the front of the pack. Powerups aren't as precise as in Mario Kart either, you know a red shell is going to hit the second you release it, homing missiles in this game tend to stray into walls way too often. The adventure mode is where I spent most of my time in this game, and it falls a bit short of Diddy Kong Racing. The overworld is nothing memorable. There isn't really any exploration to be done there. The regular races are pretty straightforward with heavy rubber banding and what feels at times like outright cheating by the CPU characters, so standard kart racing game fare. The relic races, CTR Challenges and crystal collecting rounds I had more fun with, trying to win races while collecting hidden coins, complete time trials while struggling to hit crates to freeze the clock and collecting crystals while doing platforming in the karts was a lot of fun. The boss races were a little more annoying with them spamming attacks. Oxide in particular just constantly dumps potion bottles that spin you out, slow you down and produce a cloud that obstructs the center of the screen which means you'll probably hit another potion bottle immediately. If you can't get ahead of him right away, you might as well restart. Despite that, I had a lot of fun with this one. It sits at the high end of the kart racing genre, definitely above par.

 

[Jooxed]

Game 3 - Stasis - Macbook - 1/5/25 - Personal Rating 7/10 - Fun isometric sci fi horror game. Needed to use a guide on some of the puzzles, a couple of them were pretty hard, interesting ending left open to interpretation. Looking forward to the sequels to see more about Cayne lore.

 

[Jooxed]

Game 4 - Cayne - PC - 1/5/25 - Personal Rating 8/10 - Okay the sequel was much shorter than the first game only about 3 hours. Definitely a step up graphically, story wasn't as intriguing but the puzzles were more manageable IMO. Will probably take a break before starting game 3 in the series.

 

[marcincz]

Game 2 - Final Fantasy III (NDS) - 34h 10m
Beat 06/01/2025 - my score: 7/10

Finally, beat it.
Started on July '24. It was long journey for me. Not my favourite FF, but finished.

 

[Midn1ght]

52 games challenge 2025
Completed: 11/52
Completionist Profile
​

No.	Game Title	Platform	Month	Score
01.​	Emily is Away​	PC | Steam​	January​	7/10​
02.​	Emily is Away Too​	PC | Steam​	January​	8/10​
03.​	The Disney Afternoon Collection: Chip 'n Dale​	PC | Steam​	January​	7/10​
04.​	The Disney Afternoon Collection: Chip 'n Dale 2​	PC | Steam​	January​	6/10​
05.​	The Disney Afternoon Collection: TaleSpin​	PC | Steam​	January​	5/10​
06.​	The Disney Afternoon Collection: Darkwing Duck​	PC | Steam​	February​	6/10​
07.​	The Disney Afternoon Collection: DuckTales​	PC | Steam​	February​	7/10​
08.​	The Disney Afternoon Collection: DuckTales 2​	PC | Steam​	February​	7/10​
09.​	Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town​	Switch​	February​	7.5/10​
10.​	Yoshi's Crafted World​	Switch​	February​	8.5/10​
11.​	Animal Crossing: New Horizons​	Switch​	February​	9/10​

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[solecon64]

I took somewhat of a break from gaming between 2020 to 2023, only beating about 2 - 4 games each year. But last year I really came back to the hobby and managed to beat 24 games after Shadow of the Erdtree launched. Hope I can manage to do the 52 games challenge this year, so here it is:

1. Final Fantasy
( Nintendo Switch - 19 h - Jan 05 )
2. Astebreed
( Nintendo Switch - 2 h - Jan 07 )
3. Final Fantasy III
( Nintendo Switch - 24 h - Jan 17 )

 

[SpiceRacz]

Finished Dark Souls 2 SOTFS. Was around 30 hours all said and done. This is my 2nd time playing it, the last time being maybe 7 or 8 years ago. So, I wasn't compelled to complete everything. It's flawed, but still great and totally worth playing if you have any interest in the series.

 

[NahaNago]

I'd like to finish more than a handful of games this year so let's try this again. I think I only beat astrobot, stellar blade, and wukong last year even though I bought dozens of games .

1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade Wrath of the Mutants about 1 hour on Jan 8th 2.5/10
The turtles looked fine at least.

2. Final Vendetta I've played about 30 minutes. 6/10
I cheated and lowered the difficulty to easy, but why does it go from hard mode to easy mode. The game is short and sweet and has a good amount of characters and bosses for the size of the game. It's good but I'm left wanting more altogether.

 

[TuFaN]

#1⠀|⠀Super Mario Land⠀|⠀Game Boy⠀|⠀1-Jan-2025⠀|⠀1 hour⠀|⠀10/10

SML remains to be the perfect handheld title for me. This is pure perfection.



#2⠀|⠀Anno 1800⠀|⠀PC⠀|⠀9-Jan-2025⠀|⠀30 hours⠀|⠀07/10

After spending 30 hours with Anno 1800 and completing the campaign on normal difficulty, I'd rate the game a solid 7/10. The variety of building options is impressive, offering deep and rewarding gameplay as you manage cities during the Industrial Revolution.

However, while Anno 1800 excels in its complexity and visuals, it doesn't surpass Anno 1404 as my favorite in the series. The medieval-inspired setting and art style of Anno 1404 felt more timeless and charming to me.

Anno 1800 is still a great experience, but its industrial theme may not appeal to everyone as much as earlier entries.



#3⠀|⠀Balatro⠀|⠀Switch⠀|⠀9-Jan-2025⠀|⠀5 hours⠀|⠀07/10

I haven't had the leisure to play this game in 2024, managed to tackle it in January of 2025. It took me five hours to finish the game, which I started and finished the same day.

Balatro is a card-based strategy game that combines poker mechanics with deck-building, where players craft hands, upgrade cards, and face challenging modifiers to progress through increasingly difficult stages.

However, while I can see why Balatro is praised by many and even considered a contender for the best game of 2024, it didn't captivate me as much as I hoped. After completing a playthrough in about 5 hours, the gameplay felt repetitive, and I lacked the motivation to start fresh. It's definitely a good game, and for those that love card games, it's a must-play. Solidly a 7/10 for me.



#4⠀|⠀Super Mario RPG (2023)⠀|⠀Switch⠀|⠀17-Jan-2025⠀|⠀11 hours⠀|⠀09/10

Super Mario RPG is a timeless classic, and the 2023 Switch remake faithfully captures the charm of the 1996 original. It's an excellent choice for RPG beginners, offering accessible gameplay with easy-to-navigate zones, a wide variety of enemies, straightforward attacks and skills, and enjoyable combined ultimate moves to experiment with. The chemistry between Mario and his team feels perfectly balanced, enhancing the game's overall harmony.

That said, a bit more difficulty and deeper system complexity could have made the experience even better. Nevertheless, it remains a delightful journey for both newcomers and longtime fans, and this remake is undoubtedly a must-play for every RPG enjoyer.

 

[Jooxed]

Game 5 - Silent Hill 2 Remake - PC - 1/9/25 - Personal Rating 9/10 - Fantastic game and my first entry into the silent hill series, I was apprehensive because I haven't been the biggest fan from bloober but the game was awesome. great environment design, look forward if they are redoing any more after this one.

 

[March Climber]

1) Uncharted: Golden Abyss (PS Vita)

Rating: B-

+This is an Uncharted game for the most part and it was a fun ride.
+It's nice seeing a prequel to the first game and seeing Drake a bit younger, a bit more naive, and a bit more innocent in nature
+It deserves a remake or remaster on PS4/PS5 with certain gimmicks either being removed entirely or updated for console controller. It would bring the rating to an A- for me.

-The story is a bit cheesy, like a B movie. Personally, I'm fine with this but if you're the type who doesn't like when a bad guy captures the hero multiple times but doesn't kill him, it might annoy you.
-The mandatory touch gimmicks that do three things: Make every melee fight a Fruit Ninja QTE, make every reload and grenade toss a touch prompt (bad when in high stress situations against enemies), and slow the gameplay to an absolute crawl when picking up a story object (because you have to do silly things like clean it off using the touch screen or touch the back of the Vita to rotate it).

These touch gimmicks are what made the game a B- to me. It is cumbersome and at times it makes the game's pacing feel very off when you're suddenly experiencing a high octane moment and then the game suddenly says 'Wait, let's stop a minute and rub the screen' while everything pauses. They should have fixed it up and added it to the Uncharted collection on PS4. Not sure why they didn't. They probably never will anytime soon as this game is just about forgotten. Oh well.

 

[applesaucejaxon]

Alright didn't think I was going to do this again this year, but what the heck. I have 0 expectations of actually hitting 52 this time around. That being said, I'm rolling already.

1: Mission in Snowdriftland - Switch - Beat 1/2
A video game Advent calendar is a really cool idea, and this game pulled it off well. And it was a decent platformer, to boot. I got to the boss on Christmas Eve, but family obligations made me unable to finish it and I forgot about it until after New Year.

2: Mega Man 2- NES - Beat 1/2
Had the Mega Man itch and decided to start a marathon. I beat 1 and it kind of petered out. 1 was great in that it laid the foundation for the franchise, but it was kind of rough at times. That was back before Christmas. Mega Man 2 is probably my favorite NES game of all time. I remember beating this so many times when I was a kid, and the core memories were still there for me to even breeze through the invisible brick sections on my first try. My youngest son was impressed.

3: Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 - Switch - Beat 1/10
I've been playing this while riding my exercise bike, and it was great to kill the time. Finished up the story mode last night. I'll say this, the story is dumb. Also, I suck at Puyo Puyo and every level where you play Puyo Puyo was not as fun to me. Especially later in the game where the battles got really unfair. That being said, I did like it and it's a solid game. Just need to get better at Puyo Puyo.

4: Spiderman: Miles Morales - PS5 - Beat 1/25
Pretty cool game. I actually really enjoyed the story. Kudos to them for making a decent villain with good motivation and and great conclusion. I prefer shorter games, so this was really exactly what I was looking for. My PS+ Extra expires in a week and I'm dropping back town to essential, so I wanted to play this one before I expired. Glad I got around to it.

5: Red Dead Redemption 2 - PS4 - Beat 2/25
Another game I bought at launch and just never played. This game was too long. I'm too old, and I don't have time for this crap anymore. It was a great game. Better than the first, but I'll probably never play it again. That being said, I'll likely return to the original. It's just easier to jump in and out of. And the epilogue was excruciating. I knew where it was going, and it took FOREVER to get there. I know it sounds like I'm dunking on the game, but it truly was fantastic. But I just don't have the time to put in to this stuff.

6: Avowed - PC and Xbox - Beat 3/24
I REALLY liked this game. Easily a 9/10 game. Not too long, the combat was great (for this type of game) and the visuals were excellent (when I played on PC). I played on Gamepass, so the seamless cross saves between console and PC was really nice. I'll definitely buy a copy on Steam when it goes on sale and try some different builds and make different choices. My only real complaints were that it ran kind of crappy on xbox and it could have used some more enemy types. Fighting the same handful of enemies across all the regions was kind of a bummer. I played in performance mode on Xbox, and it was not very stable. Lots of hitches and weird graphical glitches. It was a LOT better on PC, but I can see this one not playing nice on older machines. Overall, I'm glad I gave this one a chance. Honestly, this is my favorite game that I've played since Elden Ring.

7: Hitman - PS4 (Via PS5) - Beat 3/26
Pretty good. The core gameplay is great, but it felt like half a game. The Story didn't really go anywhere until the end, and then it ended on a cliffhanger. That sucked. I did enjoy the missions, though. I'll probably play Hitman 2 later this year since it's also in my backlog.

8: Mullet Madjack - PC - Beat 3/29
Not bad. Also not great. I was having loads of fun with it until the 3rd set of levels. That's when the realization hit that the game was not going to get any deeper than it was. It became a very repetitive dash to the finish. I'm glad I played it. The first hour or so of playing it were fun and exciting. But I will probably never play this game again. As an aside: I see that it's on consoles, and I have no idea how this could be played effectively with a controller. The reaction times and insanity of what's going on in most of the levels feels like it needs mouse and keyboard.

 

[Jooxed]

Game 6 - RimWorld - PC - 1/12/25 - Personal Rating 6/10 - Fun game i spent a few hours on. The score is only low because I am not a big strategy game person. My brother convinced me to give it a shot. Some aspects were super enjoyable, but strategy games remain not my cup of tea